The sun was high, its rays a pleasant warmth accompanied by a cold breeze, its sound a soft hum. A day such as this would bring solace and joy to anyone.
And yet here he was-a tall, slightly brown man. His hair was a messy brown tangle, and he wore a light, sky-blue jacket with deep blue jeans and white sneakers which were carved with thunderous, green lightening.
He stood among the withered flowers of a vast yard, the remnants of life scattered all around.
Before him loomed the laboratory-its curved form suggesting a glass dome for a head and a smooth, flawless artificial green for a body. Grime had claimed every corner; so much so that the once crystal-clear, rounded windows were now unusable.
The man stared at the half-sphere. Time drifted by-minutes, then more minutes-while his tired eyes remained unchanging and his eyebrows stayed curled.
A sigh escaped his lips as he looked downward and closed his eyes. They reopened again, shifting their focus toward the wooden door's handle.
His brows furrowed, and then... a step, followed by another-and another-each pace a bit faster than the last until he reached a steady rhythm. Though the distance was short, it felt unbearably long. Finally, his hand gripped the door's handle, which trembled slightly at his touch. After a few more moments...
The door creaked open.
As it did, a wave of dust burst from within the laboratory. Raphael winced, closing his eyes and raising his arm as a shield. The dust drifted outward, carried by the breeze toward a distant horizon.
When his eyes fluttered open just a fraction, he saw-nothing.
The dense blackness of the First Floor was impenetrable. Though lamps hung overhead, none were lit, and every window was choked by dirt and cobwebs. The only light came through narrow cracks in the dust-caked glass, where slender rays of sunlight traced thin, golden lines across the gloom.
He inhaled deeply. That faint outline-gifted by the sun's persistent reach-was enough for his eyes to deduce the room's contents, filling in what lay hidden with logic and mind.
After a few seconds, the man lifted his left arm. A soft click was both heard and felt as his fingers brushed a cold, uneven surface.
Then-suddenly-white light surged from the First Floor's lamps.
The silence persisted, yet the darkness vanished.
The First Floor of the laboratory welcomed him with rows of machinery to his right, occupying the space beneath the tall stairs. Each device diminished in size as it descended along the stairs.
To the left, a long wooden desk waited. Its black chair faced him directly.
On the table sat a dust-covered PC. Beside it lay three cups crammed with pens and pencils, an abandoned calculator, and a framed photograph. As expected, the layer of dust had masked the memories it once held.
Behind the PC, pinned to the wall, was a collection of papers. Some were blank, others displayed images, and the rest were scrawled in blue ink.
The man crossed the room slowly- each step heavy with grief and nostalgia.
When he reached the desk, his hand drifted along its surface. His fingers grasped the photo gently once he found it.
He swept his hand over the glass as if offering it a sacrifice for clarity-a small, deliberate gesture to renew the memory.
As the dust cleared, the photograph revealed its contents: six people.
At the far left, a wrinkled black man beamed widely at the viewer, dressed in an elegant suit and holding a woman's hand.
With eyes as sharp as a fox's yet softened by a warm smile, she donned a long, yellow robe adorned with sunflowers; her hair was a short, playful mass of curls.
In the center was a young boy-the smallest of them all. He wore an oversized, ocean-colored jacket and black jeans, clutching a brown teddy bear. His round cheeks bore a slight blush, and his gently arched eyebrows framed eyes that softly met the camera.
Slightly to the right, a girl-her hair echoing the elder woman's-wore a black shirt beneath a magenta cardigan paired with white jeans. A sheepish smile played on her face as she held up her fingers in a scissor-like gesture toward the camera.
Right beside her stood another girl, equal in height. Her hair fell long and straight; her lips were a deep red, and her skin was pale. She carried a picture-perfect smile, dressed in a white shirt with a small vest and white jeans accented with golden highlights. Red heels completed her look.
Finally, behind the girls stood a smaller boy, reminiscent of our protagonist. A mischievous smirk tugged at his lips. He donned a yellow jacket lined with white fur, a green shirt boldly labeled "Fresh," black jeans, and blue sneakers.
As our protagonist took in the faces in the photo, a small smile tugged at his lips. His eyebrows arched upward, and his hands trembled slightly at the sight of the elderly man and woman.
He slowly replaced the photograph on the table and continued his journey.
He proceeded toward the long, wooden staircase. Flanking the steps were two railings-one on each side-that stretched the entire length.
Each step he took produced a thump and a crack.
At the top, a pair of towering double doors stood before him.
He opened the doors, and a loud screech accompanied the action.
The man stepped through the opening, entering the Second Floor.
Awaiting him was a round table, upon which a machine was attached to a telescope. Its structure expanded the farther it extended from the chair positioned before its base, its gaze fixed upward toward the lofty sky.
"Still the same, huh..." murmured the man.
His eyes wandered across the Second Floor. Beyond the telescope and the round table, the only noteworthy elements were the multitude of papers scattered about the table and a view of sunlight piercing the clouds.
And then-a letter-positioned at the front of the table. It appeared out of place amid the clutter.
"Oh?" he muttered upon noticing it.
With trembling hands and one eyebrow arched in curiosity, he picked up the envelope, carefully opened it, and began to read....
His eyes widened.
* * *
"Sorry." A voice echoed through the darkness. It grew louder and louder until more voices joined in, all repeating the same word. Until...
"Carl? Carl, wake up. It's 8 o'clock already."
The boy's eyes fluttered open, darting slowly around-still hazy.
Above him, a girl's face loomed, her eyebrows curling slightly.
Carl: "...Sure... Hi, Elie."
Elie: "Carl, why... were you crying?"
Carl: "Huh?" He touched the skin beneath his eyes with a finger; small streams of water glistened.
Carl: "I... don't... know."
Elie: "...Well, come downstairs. It's a special day today-we're having pancakes with chocolate!"
Carl, while trying to wipe the tears away, his voice still groggy: "Oh... Wait, no- what?! Pancakes? Chocolate?!"
Elie: "Mhm."
Carl: "We didn't even pay the water bill yet!"
Elie: "Selene paid it."
He stared at her, his mouth slightly open.
Carl blinked once, twice, thrice, dumbfounded "Well, then how the heck did we even get close to being able to-"
Elie: "Carl, Carl, calm down!"
Carl: "...Ugh, fine. Just please tell me you didn't make it to make me feel better."
Elie: "No, I didn't. I did it because Raph asked me to."
He turned his head toward her-eyes wide and brows raised sharply.
Carl: "WAIT, WHAT-"
Elie: "Yup. That was my exact reaction when I heard that from him."
Carl: "Why would HE ask you that?... He's our main bread winner- why would he do that??"
Elie: "Yeah, well, he did say that we had some good news today."
Carl froze.
Carl: "Good... what now?"
Elie: "Yeah, that's... also how I reacted. Yeesh."
Carl's eyes looked around the bedroom. In the far bottom right corner, he lay in his bed covered by a sheet featuring Superman flying over a city at night. The blanket was on his right-tossed and rumpled from his stirring-and his pillow rested at the edge of the mattress.
Behind him stood a desk with a desktop PC-the black tower set to one side, the monitor positioned at the front, and the keyboard just ahead.
At his far front left was another bed, neatly made under a blanket adorned with drawings of galaxies and stars.
Elie: "Look, let's just go downstairs and enjoy the pancakes before they get cold, okay? He's waiting for us there anyway, so let's just hear it."
Carl: "...Sure, whatever. Go ahead. I'm coming."
Elie left and descended the stairs located just beyond Carl's room, where a corridor intersected the passage.
After a while of gazing at the sky blocked by what he called the blue head of the room, Carl followed suit.
Carl took a trek down the stairs. Their tiles of clashing gold and black, though cracked and dusted, displayed an intricate design forming original patterns.
At the bottom, the steps curved into a short corridor tiled with white squares.
A doorway on the right led to small alcoves for shoes, trash cans, and similar items. The entrance on the left opened into another hallway, dimly lit by half-lit ceiling bulbs.
To the right, two chambers lined the eastern wall, with one on the west. On the left stood a room with two black marble tables, six chairs, and an old TV mounted on the far wall.
This was the eastern side. Opposite of it, a compact kitchen stretched across the western wall. An oven and microwave stood on the far right, followed by shelves stacked with cookware.
A sink sat beneath a window overlooking a vast garden, flanked by more shelves for plates and utensils. To the left of the stove, a balcony door led out into the garden.
Two of the 6 chairs were occupied. One was taken by a girl with brown skin, ocean-blue eyes, and curly, messy hair. She wore a pink shirt adorned with hearts and blue shorts. It was Elie.
Elie's elbows rested on the table, her fists forming an arched surface for her chin to lean on. Her eyes drifted downward toward the tabletop.
As for the second occupant: he was a tall man with a messy head of brownish hair, wearing a tight green shirt that read "Fresh," along with deep-blue jeans. A sky-blue jacket hung over the back of his chair.
The man's eyebrows were slightly sharp, with bags beneath his eyes-eyes sharing the same color as Elie's. His gaze was fixed on the surface below, his arms slumped at his sides, and a frown set on his face.
Carl stared down at the center of the table as the warm scent of hot chocolate rose to his nose. There it was: 4 plates, 2 at one far side, and 2 at the other, the man and Elie each had one of the plates before them.
The man. "Good morning, Carl."
Carl turned to the man - then suddenly sneezed.
Wiping his nose with the back of his right hand, he muttered, "'Morning, Raph."
He entered the shared room and sat in the chair beside Elie, a soft breeze caressing him, the two windows on each side of the TV were open, though their rough curtains showed little of what was on the other side.
Carl sat in the chair beside Elie, kept staring at his plate, then: he blinked twice, his eyes wide yet relaxed.
Carl: "Wait, where's Selen-"
"Coming!" answered a woman, she was cleaning the western side of the room, she wore cleaning gloves, a yellow shirt with "Think Outside The Box" in the middle, and black pants with red stars decorating them, her hair was long, straight and black, her eyes the same color as Raph and Elie's.
Carl: "Oh."
A while later, Selene tossed her worn, dirty gloves aside, wiping her forehead with her arm.
"Phew, that was a lot."
She dropped into the seat beside Raph, inhaling deeply.
"Mmmm~ still waaaarm~"
Carl:"Try not to choke yourself this time, sis."
"Oh shut up!" She said, clutching the chocolate plastered pancake
Selene shoved a quarter of the pancake into her mouth, munching loudly, then... she started chocking.
Carl burst out laughing while filling a cup with water from a blue container.
Raph smirked:"You'd think after the 50th time, she would've at least munched quietly."
Elie raised an eyebrow at him:"Because of course you counted."
Carl, after giving Selene the cup:"Oh please, sister! If he did count, he would've known she choked right about 56 times, not a mere 50!"
They all laughed as Selene took heavy breaths, then steadied herself and continued destroying her pancake.
A while passed as they continued to eat, then...
Carl stared down to his pancake, half-eaten, he closed his eyes.
"So... 'good news' huh?"
All of the smiles around him faltered, then, all eyes turned to Raph.
Selene: "Yeah... what was that about?"
Elie: "Did you... get a real job or something?"
Raph: "..."
Silence filled the grand room, hours, those few seconds felt like.
Finally, he chuckled.
"Well, good depends on you, but... here, have a look for yourselves."
He got a worn letter out from the jacket which was on his chair, and slid it to the center of the table.
Carl glanced at it, then turned back to Raph.
Carl: "What's that?"
Raph stared at him, dead silent: ".... The key to the heavenly realms- what do you think?"
Carl, while holding the letter up to the sky with one hand, another demonstrating it, he grinned: "THE INVITATION TO THE BALL OF MR MYSTERYNSTON! A feist of the finest at first sight! but underneeeaaaaath~"
Raph: "Worst part is: This is half correct."
Carl: "Eh-"
Elie snatched the letter, a slight tearing sound could be heard, though no real damage was done.
Carl: "HEY!" He said as he felt a force pull the envelope away from his hand "What was that for??"
Elie: "Carl, let's please be serious about this, I wanna know what's in it already!"
Carl shrugged, rolling his eyes with a frown: "Ugh, whatever."
Selene: "Well, Elie, what does the mystery card say?"
Elie: "Let's see.... WAIT, WHAT THE-"
Carl leaned closer to her: "Good god- why s-" he took a look: ".... Huh?.... HUH?!"
Selene: "What?? What's in it? just say it!"
Carl turned to her, his eyes wide and mouth slight open, he handed her the letter: "... You... might wanna read it yourself."
Selene read through the letter... her eyes widen: "Huh...?"
The Letter:
*AN INVITATION TO THE ACADEMY OF MIRACLES (A.O.M.)
Dear Leonard Fritz,
It is with great honor that we extend this invitation to you and your family. The Academy of Miracles (A.O.M.) welcomes you back to our esteemed institution. Should you accept, your four children will be granted enrollment as students at A.O.M., where their extraordinary gifts will be nurtured under the guidance of our finest mentors.
To ensure your family's seamless transition, the academy will provide:
- Complimentary airfare for your entire household's journey.
- Full financial support for all relocation needs.
- A private, newly constructed villa within walking distance of the academy grounds.
- Cutting-edge research facilities tailored to your specialized work.
- A premier professional placement for your wife, with facilities adjacent to your new residence.
We recognize both the significance of your expertise and the exceptional nature of your children's miracles. At A.O.M., they will join the most remarkable individuals of their generation, forging a legacy that will shape the future.
Kindly confirm your acceptance at your earliest convenience. We await your return with great anticipation.
Sincerely,
Mr. Logman
Director of Admissions
Academy of Miracles (A.O.M.)*
Carl stood silent, then slowly turned to Raphael: "Raph... where did you even find this?"
Raph: "... In dad's lab."
Carl's eyes widened even more, his hands shook: "You what-?"
Elie got up and slammed her palms at her table: "YOU WENT BACK TO THE LAB?!"
Selene sat motionless at the letter, then... she smiled.
Selene: "Oh my god... that means... that means... we're rich!"
Elie: "WHAT?? Selene, that's NOT the point here! plus, we are NOT going!"
Raphael sighed and extended his arms: "Well then, I... guess you guys know the 'good news' now."
Selene:"What?! why wouldn't we go there??"
Carl squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head then locked onto Raphael:"Raph, why did you go back there?!"
Elie's eyebrows could've cut glass. "'Why wouldn't we'? Are you serious?!" She wheeled on Raph. "And you-what part of 'never go back' was unclear?"
Raph's eyes were locked onto Elie's, then, he pushed out a breath:"So this is how you react, huh?"
Elie:"Huh?"
Carl:"How else did you expect us to react?"
Raph:"Well, I didn't expect YOU to react positively, same for Elie," he took a bite at the quarter of a pancake he had left. "I knew it was bound to start us an argument."
Carl:"So... you brought this for what exactly?"
Raph swallowed:"Why do you think? obviously I want us to go there."
Selene shot up, chair screeching. "YES!"
Elie's fist slammed the table. "NO."
"WHYYYYY?!" Selene whirled on her.
Carl plugged his ears. "I swear to GOD- stop screaming!"
Raph:"Elie, Carl."
They both turned to him.
Ralph:"Why don't you wanna go?"
Elie stumbled on her words:"Why don't we wanna- are you even listening to yourself?! Do I need to explain why this sounds shady??"
Raph:"Sure, it's shady, but for one second, please.... look around you."
Elie's eyes flailed around the house, even after Selene cleaned, the kitchen side of the room was still dirty, clogged with rock-hard filth, half the lights in all the rooms of this floor were off, and the rest dimly lit the environment, the marble tables were worn and cracked, and their seats were slightly broken, held together by duct tape.
Raph:"What life is this? Are we even living like this?"
Selene's grin softened as she looked at the duct tape in the chairs and the marble table:"We're not, huh?..."
Carl:"Of course we are, we're drinking, we're sleeping, sometimes we even get to eat, like today!"
Selene nodded:"Yeah, sometimes."
Raph:"And in those sometimes, we eat either bread or something that equals it, bread, boiled rice, if we'r lucky, if one of my job bosses feels like giving, we get to eat something basic... like this." he pointed at Carl's half eaten pancake.
Carl:"This is good enough! WHY should we risk it all for a freaking letter?!"
Selene:"Good enough? what is good enough about this? We could be so much more, we deserve to be so much more, and yet... we're here."
Elie yelled:"And who says we're gonna be "So much more" if we trust that letter, huh?!"
Raph:"... dig deeper, Elie, you didn't see everything."
Elie:"Huh?"
"Just do it."
Elie stared at him, then tightened her jaw and dipped her hand into the letter, then... a cold, sharp surface.
Elie:"What... is this?"
she pulled it out, it appeared to be four tickets.
The tickets were deep purple, emblazoned with a golden rose. Each bore one sibling's photo (top left) and, on the right:
*FULL NAME
MIRACLE NAME:[Title]
TYPE:[Classification]
DESCRIPTION:[Miracle summary]
BIO: [2-line personal note]*
Selene raised an eyebrow as she turned to Raphael:"What... are these?"
Raph:"Tickets. Old tickets, as you could've guessed from the photos showing us at the time Dad was still around, that proves us one thing: They already know us too well."
Carl:"That's... all the more reason why we should NOT go!"
Raph:"Is it though?"
Elie shot her hands up:"Yeah it is!"
Raph:"I don't think so."
Carl:"Why?"
"Because we are running out of options, obviously."
Carl:"What do you mean we're "Running out of options"?"
Selene:"Yeah, I think he meant we never really had any."
Elie:"... What."
"You already saw and acknowledged the mess this place we call a house is in, haven't you? Duct tape everywhere, everything is clogged with dirt even when we try to clean it with the few things we have, and we sometimes can't eat or have to eat literal garbage, and no, Carl, that's not enough."
Selene:"At this point, we only have two choices:
1 Accept our uncle's help, and we know from everything mom said about him, and how he treated her that he's a corrupt asshole, or...
2 We go to the academy."
Carl:"Or...
3 we could do this the hard way: We all finish our studies and get actually good jobs, and start building ourselves from there!"
Raph chuckled:"Good jobs? here? in this economy?"
Raph's voice dropped, almost gentle. "Carl. Look at me." A pause. "Name me one. time, where 'just work harder' worked"
Carl opened his mouth-"There was th-!"-then deflated. "...That time..."
Raph's sigh was almost pitying. "Yeah. That time."
A choked silence. Then Elie stood so fast her chair toppled.
"We're. Not. Going." She grabbed her plate. "Ever." And stormed off, the stairs screamed under the footsteps.
Carl:".... I... don't... want to go..."
he took his plate and did as Elie.
Raph:"..."
Selene watched as Carl went away.
Selene: "... Eh, he'll be on our side by dinner, aaaaand he'll convince Elie for us."
Raph: "How do you know that?"
"You know that too, we were both born before Elie and watched Carl grow almost his whole life, I know them."
"... Heh, guess you're right."
* * *
Carl laid on the bed in the shared room, reading a book which had no Title, its cover a blood red with golden highlights, embroidered from golden threads was a lion's head perched at the center.
Carl: "A new life, huh?..." he mumbled to himself.
He analyzed every word in every page, his eyes fully squinted at the book.
"... Wait... what's that?" he thought to himself as he turned back to the previous page.
And so said eyes widen and rounded at the fifty-seventh, he read through it, then again, then again, then... he slowly closed his eyes and sighed.
"And so it was fated."
He got up from the bed, tossing the book away and on it, as he walked towards the window at the far wall of the room, he glanced down to his left, there was Raph, asleep in the once vacant, space theme bed.
He gave a gaze outside the window, towards the horizon of the dead garden, and at the end of it: The Laboratory.
* * *
At dinner time, everyone is sitting the same they were at breakfast, everyone is present... except for Carl.
Each one of them had a plate with white soup in it.
Elie: "Oh where the heck is he?! the soup's gonna go co-"
"Coming," a voice came, from the garden.
Everyone froze as they saw a figure enter the house from the garden, Carl, holding a rounded, metallic pedestal with plasma green highlights.
Elie turned her head to the balcony garden door, her mouth slightly open:"... Carl...?"
Carl walked slowly towards them, and put the pedestal at the right before the TV, at the center in front of the twin tables, as he did, he pushed a small, red button which was on the pedestal's right side.
Suddenly, a figure started to emerge from the pedestal, a static figure, Carl stood on its side.
The figure took the form of a man, he held a moustache, a pair of glasses, and a lab coat covering him almost completely, yellow sandals were his footwear, and his eyes were the same color as Elie, Raphael and Selene.
Selene gasped and covered her mouth.
Elie sat motionless.
Raphael's pupils became dots.
The hologram cleared its throat, a sound like radio static.
"W-well, uh... hi!" A jerky wave, sandals shuffling.
"I, uh... guess you're all grown by the time one of you gets this."
The man sighed, running a hand down his face:"Oh god this is already awkward."
The hologram groaned, mouth moving before sound emerged.
"Look, just... ugh... god, why's this so-glitch- SAY IT, YOU COWA-"
"!" he turned to her.
"Is... is that... you?" she marched closer to him,a shaking heavily.
The man stood silent at her approach, then, he murmured something incomprehensible under his breath, and so he closed in on her as she did to him.
as they got to arms reach, he put his hands on her shoulders, though his hands being just static, she felt nothing.
"Yes, it's me, though not from your time."
"Huh...?"
He took a deep breath, then exhaled with the same density"This is a recording from the past, not reality, I made this message in case- no- when one of you find the invitation for the academy, and it seems..." his eyes turned Raphael, who's pupils were still nothing but small dots.
"That like I expected, it was you, Raphael."
"Now now, I know you're looking at me like that, sport, no need to, I... am proud of you."
Raphael:"What...?"
"Why yes, for the first time in your life, you acted for yourself, you faced your fears and found the last piece of my legacy."
The man turned back to Elie and tightened his ghost grip on her shoulders, his expressions hardening at her sight:"Elie, listen to me, I know you won't want to go to the academy, I know, even when Carl accepts it, you won't, and trust me: if I was still alive, I wouldn't let you go there."
Elie stumbled on her words:"Then we shouldn-!"
"But since you did get this message, I know I'm not, and so the situation changed, you have to go."
"Wh-what do you mean?! no it-"
"Elie!" he yelled, his face closed in on hers.
"-!" her breath hitched.
"You HAVE to go there, this isn't a matter of what I would want or what you would want! this is a matter of your future and well-being!"
Her eyes darted away:"B-but-"
"Elie, look at me."
Her eyes pulled themselves back to him.
He continued:"The academy is a prestigious school made for Miracle users to master their power and use it for good."
Elie:"But then... why—"
"Don't believe anyone who tells you that, answer them positively, say you believe them, act like you believe them, but please, in your heart, stay. alert."
Elie:"... F... Fine... I'll go..."
He paused, then smiled warmly:"Good girl."
He turned to Selene:"Selene."
She gasped, and stayed quiet.
"I'm sorry I put you through this, everyone must be almost broken to beyond repair, however, out of everyone I know, only YOU are the one who can still stay sane and controlled after all this mess, and that's why I ought to ask you a favor no one else can do."
She sat motionless, then tried to steady herself and wiped her tease, though they kept falling
"... A-and... it i-is...?"
"Watch over these three, Raphael may be in charge, but even he has a limit, you'll have to push him when he can't do so himself."
Her eyes darted around to the other three, Carl was still where he was, staring at the ground, his pupils were unstable, shaking heavily.
Elie was looking at her father, his hands still glued to her shoulders, her eyes swollen in tears.
Raph sat frozen in time.
"... Y-yes... I will, dad, rest easy," she answered the man, her breath slightly steadier.
"... Good."
Suddenly, he noticed his scarred right hand becoming transparent.
"...So that's all I have..."
Elie:"D-dad, you...!"
"Now now, don't be scared of this, my time is running out, that's all." he explained.
"What?! but you just came-!" she tried to argue
He wrapped his static arms around her, though she felt nothing physically, the action shut her up.
"Elie, listen to me... I can't stay here, this short amount of time I spent with you has already drained me completely, if I keep on using up my miracle like this, I'll pass out."
the man looked at his fading hands and dides then sighed, deeply:"Well then, I guess this will give me the chance to say my goodbies properly, so..." two arms gone.
"here: Goodbye, my children, always know me and your mother are proud of you," and, before everything..." both legs gone.
"And, before everything..."only his head left:
"Know that we love you."
And with that, he was gone, leaving them there in the cold, frozen in place.