Aya allowed Kyle to put a bandage on her scraped knee. Her gaze was cast downward in sadness, stirring guilt deep within her brother's heart. The behavior puzzled Kyle—Aya wasn't the type to stay quiet when angry. So, Kyle thought, "Uh-oh… she must be really mad."
He knew he had crossed the line this time. He had mentally prepared for a scolding or even a fistfight—after all, he figured he'd win anyway. But now, faced with the deafening silence, Kyle was at a loss for what to do.
First, after confirming once again the gloomy look on Aya's face, Kyle cleared his throat to grab her attention. Still, not even a glance came his way.
A seed of suspicion stirred his intuition, prompting him to gently touch her shoulder. "Aya?" he called.
Only then did she lift her head. "Yes?"
Oddly, Kyle found no trace of anger in her eyes.
He circled back around the dining table to his seat after cutting his sister's steak. Trying to appear nonchalant, he took a bite of his own. "Aya?"
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
Silence engulfed the room except for the clink of silverware. Aya nodded.
"Does it hurt?" Kyle pressed.
"It hurts…" Aya lifted her gaze to meet her brother's eyes. "…It really hurts. I waited so long for you, and you still came late…"
"Eh." Kyle winced, guilt shadowing his face—but deep down, he felt relieved to see Aya acting like her usual self again. Swallowing nervously, he said, "I… I'm sorry."
Inside, though, his thoughts screamed, "Oh crap…"
"…Yeah. It's my fault. I mean, um, it was really hard to find a deer today."
Aya scoffed but said nothing more, accepting the apology. A rare occurrence—so rare, in fact, that Kyle grew even more certain that something wasn't right. Aya also wasn't the kind of person who ate slowly. Kyle realized this as he tried to distract himself from the fact that Aya was definitely upset. He gulped down the water to his right and stood up.
"I brought something for you."
That sentence alone sparked Aya's curiosity. She looked up, watching Kyle as he went into his room and came back carrying a gift. He handed it to her and said, "Happy birthday. I hope you stay healthy."
Aya's lips curled into a small smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Go ahead, open it."
Aya began tearing the wrapping with hurried hands, completely ignoring Kyle's reminder to do it gently. Once the final layer was off, she already had a guess.
"A new applied book?"
"Exactly." Kyle grinned. He pulled out a box, which opened to reveal a row of cards no wider than a finger, each in a different color. "These are the cards. There's a novel, numeracy practice, nonfiction books, knowledge summaries, comics—"
"Wait, don't I still have the old applied knowledge book?" Aya looked at him, puzzled. "You gave that to me just six months ago. Why give me another one?"
"Oh, this one's different." Kyle beamed with pride. "This one has a Friendly AI feature. You can talk to it about files you've saved, or just chat with it like a friend. Try one of the cards. Pick one."
Aya chose a pretty blue card and inserted it into a slot on the back of the book. Then, she double-tapped it, and the thick black cover blinked, turning blue with a pattern matching the card. Aya opened the book and read the words that appeared instantly.
"Agar…tha?" Aya squinted, then looked at Kyle. "Is that the name of the main character or something?"
Kyle patted her head. "Why don't you ask the book?"
Aya stroked the book's back as instructed. "Alright," she said obediently.
A line appeared on the bottom of the book, followed by a cheerful voice greeting her warmly: "Hello! Joy here! How can I help you today?"
The greeting startled Aya a little. She glanced at Kyle with wide-eyed wonder. Kyle nodded at her. "Say hi. Try introducing yourself first."
Aya nodded. "Hi, Joy. My name's Aya. Nice to meet you."
"Hi, Aya! Nice to meet you too! What can I help you with?"
Aya, though a bit hesitant at first, couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Joy, what is Agartha?"
"Agartha, in the novel Agartha by Paladin Roshcte, is a civilization that exists within the Earth's core. Roshcte describes Agartha as a place where the sky is always night with no stars, yet everything—trees, water, even the people—glows with its own color. The more colors an Agarthean emits, the more revered they are."
Joy's detailed explanation sparked vivid images in Aya's mind. "So that means Agartheans have brightly colored hair, skin, and eyes?"
"That's correct," Joy confirmed.
"Like yellow, green, blue, and more?"
"Exactly. In fact, the Goddess of Agartha is described as having hair and eyes with twelve different colors—six of which cannot be seen by human eyes."
Aya was completely enchanted. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Kyle. "Kyle, is Agartha real?"
Kyle shook his head. "Unfortunately not. There's no way life could exist inside the Earth."
Aya nodded in understanding. Then Kyle asked, "Do you like the gift?"
But Aya didn't answer. Kyle sighed, kneeling to meet her eyes.
"Aya…"
"I want to go outside."
She lowered her head again, already knowing Kyle's mood would change the moment she mentioned the Outside World.
"Sigh… Aya…" Kyle gave up kneeling and instead put his hands on his hips. "I've told you. You can't. It's dangerous."
The same response. The same argument they had every time. Aya begging, Kyle getting angry. But this time, Aya didn't want to give in.
"You were already going outside at my age. Why can't I, but you can?"
"Mr. Mygrid forbade it. You know that, right? Grandpa has helped us so much since we were kids."
"Exactly. That's the problem. Why are you allowed to go, and I'm kept here like a pet?"
"Aya, that's a terrible thing to say!" Kyle snapped. He was about to argue back, but held himself back. Taking a deep breath, he looked into her teary eyes. Both their brows furrowed in frustration, but Kyle chose not to escalate it. "There are reasons. The answer is no, and that won't change. It doesn't mean you'll be stuck here forever, Aya. I'll take you out when it's safe. I promise. Just not today."
Aya knew Kyle was trying to end the conversation. As always. She begged, he got angry, and nothing changed. But this time, she couldn't take it anymore. Her lips trembled as she responded.
"…Four years…"
Kyle looked at her. "What?"
"I said, since my eighth birthday, this is the fourth year you've promised to take me outside." Aya stared him down. "Kyle, I didn't know your side hobby was lying."
"What are you talking about?"
"You think I'm stupid?"
Kyle had brought her plenty of novels, including everyday slice-of-life stories with words like "supermarket" and "sidewalk." She still remembered one book explaining how a supermarket sold everything—from household goods, data cards, clothes, food, even water—water! Aya never understood why people bought water. There was rain, rivers, lakes, tap water. But that wasn't the point. The point was: she knew the meat she was eating wasn't from hunting. She knew Kyle had stopped trying to fool her about basic things.
"Aya, what are you trying to say?"
"I just want to ask, as someone curious about the outside world: do you enjoy it? The bustle, the streets, the skyscrapers, and everything else?"
Kyle's face went cold, just as Aya expected. That look made her flinch countless times, but she had made up her mind. Kyle had to know. How lonely she was, spending her days reading, talking to squirrels and birds flaunting their freedom. How imprisoned she felt. Kyle had to know.
"I want to go out too, Kyle." Her voice was soft. "I'm tired of staring at these books until my eyes hurt. I lost count of how many times I've wandered the forest alone and come home to an empty house. Kyle, I'm tired."
She steeled herself. Kneeling in front of her brother, tears streaming down her face, only one thought repeated in her mind: I have to get out. I have to get out. I won't live here anymore. I have to get out.
"Please, Kyle, take me outside. I'll listen to everything you say. I won't disobey. I promise."
But Kyle didn't answer.
Even as Aya sobbed uncontrollably, he said nothing. She looked up—only to meet eyes as cold as frost.
"…Kyle?"
"Are you done?"
Aya's heart screamed. What?
"My answer is still the same. No matter what you do, the answer is still no."
It was all for nothing, Aya thought as the words stabbed deep into her chest. What a fool I was. Kyle never intended to let me go outside.
"If you understand, move. I'm going to my room."
The door shut. Aya remained outside, crying silently now, her tears still falling.
"…Were all those promises lies too?"
She didn't know.
With unbearable sadness, Aya went to her room and cried through the night—only to wake the next morning and find Kyle gone.
Once again, Aya was left completely alone.