A flashing light illuminated Seiyi's entire room, tearing him from sleep.
«Hmph… is it morning already? I don't want to…».
With heavy eyes, he felt around the table until he found his phone. He could barely distinguish the numbers on the screen.
«Sev… seven in the morning. No rush…».
Even so, he ended up getting up reluctantly. He changed his clothes, washed his face—all with the automatic routine he did every day. After a while, he was ready to go. However, as he nibbled on a treat Miyu had left forgotten on the table, a sting of doubt hit him.
«I get why she likes this junk so much… but I wouldn't make it past the third one. Wait…».
(Click!) His brain fully turned on. He looked toward the hallway in silence. He heard nothing. No TV on, no rustle of wrappers, no constant laughter.
—DAMN IT! Why isn't Miyu making any noise?!
He ran to his sister's room and threw the door open. Miyu was exactly as he had left her last night: buried under the sheets, in a sleep so deep it looked like a coma.
—WHY ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP?! —he yelled, shaking her by the shoulders.
Nothing. Miyu was an inert mass.
«It's eight… we missed the bus! The next one takes forever. I have no choice».
Resigned, he picked her up. Miyu weighed as much as a sack of potatoes, but Seiyi moved with a doctor's precision. In a moment of desperation, he washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair while she continued to snore softly.
When he finished, he looked at her in his arms, desperate. He couldn't run to school with her on his back. Then, he remembered the "emergency code." He leaned into her ear and whispered:
—Miyu, remember the promise? Today is a special day…
—Hmph…? —she mumbled, twitching her nose.
—We have money to buy the new Wind Breaker burger.
—Hmph?! HMPH!!
Miyu jumped from his arms as if the bed were on fire. In a flash, she finished dressing, grabbed her backpack, and stood by the door with an electrified smile.
—Let's go, Sei! Not a second to lose!
«It worked… but now the problem is I won't be able to keep up with her», Seiyi thought, already feeling the exhaustion before starting.
The two siblings shot out of the residence. Miyu moved as if the air itself were pushing her, dodging students and crossing corridors at full speed. Seiyi, on the other hand, could barely follow her, panting as the crowd slowed him down at every step.
Miyu ran lightly, waving to other students as if the whole world were her toy. Seiyi, meanwhile, was forced into a jog; his legs burned and his breath came in short gasps. An automatic street sweeper grazed his foot and nearly knocked him down, triggering muffled laughter around him.
As they left the residence gate, Seiyi saw her. Miyu was already heading toward an unpaved shortcut—a bridge of wooden planks half-constructed that still smelled of fresh paint. The structure creaked with every gust of wind.
«Is she going to cross there? That path is still under construction! She could get hurt!»
—Sei, trust me! —she shouted from a distance—. They say this route is faster!
—But… that's the way to the avenue! Last time I saw some weird people who—
—Trust me!
—N-no…
With a great leap, Miyu jumped onto the wooden bridge under construction. Every step she took made the floor creak—unstable and dangerous. Then she noticed the plank beneath her feet was about to give way; bracing herself, she pointed her hand toward the ground, channeling runes through the ring she wore.
Before her eyes, arcane symbols glowed and floated in the air, changing shape in seconds until they stabilized in a perfect pattern. Confident, she released a gust of wind that lifted her off the ground.
—Elemental magic… Wind Jump! —she shouted with all her might.
The wind roared loudly, kicking up dust and leaves everywhere. Her feet left the ground and, with total ease, she landed safely on the main street. Miyu laughed, unaware of the scare she had given half the neighborhood.
Seiyi froze.
«Wind Jump?! Did she just copy that from the TV? How the hell did she generate so much wind?!»
—HAHA! Did you see that? —Miyu said, with a ear-to-ear grin—. I have no idea what I just did, but… I'm a genius!
Seiyi's knees were shaking. He knew he couldn't stay behind, but his relationship with magic was... different. He raised his hand and pointed at the ground with his fingers, concentrating.
«Basic elemental magic… come on, Seiyi, you can't fail at something like this. Imagine the runes… let it flow through your body…»
His ring sparked with a weak and erratic bluish light. The runes he formed were unstable, almost trembling. He took a step into the void.
—Hey! Want some advice? —Miyu shouted from the other side, seeing him paralyzed.
—N-no! I got it! —he stammered, gritting his teeth—. It was my idea to buy this ring! But the guy at the shop said I can't… do spells like this… it's not… very safe…
—It's not that hard! I could do it! —she retorted, puffing out her chest with pride.
«Of course you could… you have more talent than the rest, lucky girl…» Seiyi thought, grumbling to himself.
—Here I go!
He took a leap.
The ring flashed for an instant before releasing a small gust of air. It wasn't powerful, but it was enough to propel him forward. With a muffled cry and arms flailing in the air, Seiyi reached the edge of the plank and, with one last desperate effort, climbed up to safety. He stayed motionless, panting, while Miyu watched him with her arms crossed.
—Done? —she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He was still on the ground, shaking like a leaf.
—Is this even possible with this ring?… —he murmured, still pale.
—I don't know! Let's keep going! —she said, smiling triumphantly.
Still excited, Miyu ran down the stairs of the construction and shot toward the main avenue.
—W-wait! —Seiyi shouted, stuttering as he stood up and ran after her.
They took the usual route. A huge advertising billboard projected in front of them.
—Seiyi! —Miyu yelled without stopping—. That's where we're going after class, don't forget!
Out of the corner of his eye, Seiyi caught the ad: it promoted the new Wind Breaker burger, accompanied by the image of Spectre, the third Mythic Guardian of Mysticorps, wrapped in LGBT pride flags.
LIKE A GHOST! TRY SPECTRE'S MYSTERIOUS NEW DRINK
«Yeah… sure. I hope drinking that doesn't turn me into him. I still don't understand how… two men… No, don't get distracted. Questions for later, focus now».
The street changed suddenly. The air became heavy, loaded with a strange smell, like metal and sweet smoke. Seiyi tensed. He knew what was coming: that block was famous for the homeless people who asked for money in unusual ways. Looking to the sides, his stomach churned.
Dozens of people lay on the ground, many without clothes, with dilated eyes and empty laughs, as if living in a shared trance. Fairy dust. The drug everyone was talking about.
«This was empty a few days ago… these guys just keep appearing. Isn't the F.O.W. here? There are magical beings here as well…»
A Haydran with trembling wings descended clumsily in front of them. His eyes were completely dilated, and his voice shook as he extended a hand toward Miyu.
—Just one dinar… please… just a little…
Miyu, quick, did a flip and passed under him, wobbling from the acrobatics.
—I'm sorry, I don't have anything! —she replied, without losing her nervous smile.
Seiyi didn't have the same luck. Another man, with a euphoric gaze and fingers stained with that shimmering powder, grabbed his arm forcefully.
—You! That uniform… Veridion, right? You must have something, kid.
—No! Leave me alone! —Seiyi struggled, pulling his arm—. Someone, help me!
Miyu tried to move back, but two other subjects, equally affected, clumsily blocked her way. Their movements were slow, almost mechanical, but their eyes glowed with dangerous energy.
—Please, don't come closer —she said, raising her hands—. We don't want trouble!
One of the men let out a hollow laugh.
—Trouble… we don't have trouble here…
The Haydran holding Seiyi pulled harder, as if trying to maintain his balance by leaning on him. His breathing was ragged, and his mind seemed elsewhere.
—Just… a little more… I'll get my glory back…
«Damn it! My magic isn't responding… the ring isn't reacting…»
Panic seized Seiyi. He looked at his sister, surrounded, searching for a gap between the staggering men.
—Hey, stop! She's just a kid! —he shouted with all his might.
Miyu, trying desperately to calm the situation with her particular logic, forced a smile, though her hands were shaking.
—Look… maybe you aren't at your best, but I know you're good people! You must have suffered a lot… it's obvious you love each other, you're even… touching each other down there… —she swallowed, forcing a smile—. Maybe it's part of your culture and I respect it, but I'm asking you to…
She didn't finish. Seiyi, with the desperation of the moment, turned suddenly and sank his teeth into the arm of the Haydran holding him. The being screamed with a cracked, shrill voice.
—AGH! You damn animal!
The reflex was instantaneous. Seiyi tried to run, but the Haydran landed a punch directly in his stomach. It was a dry blow, loaded with the rage of withdrawal. The air escaped his lungs and he fell to the ground with a moan, curled up, unable to breathe.
Miyu saw her brother fall and her body reacted purely on instinct. She pointed her ring at the men. The metal emitted a bluish flash, vibrating with a concentrated energy that made the air move.
—Hey! L-leave him! —she shouted, trying to make her voice sound firm.
But among the murmurs and nervous laughter of the group, a larger shadow emerged. A cyclops nearly two meters tall pushed through the bodies, dragging bare feet over the filthy ground. His single eye shone with euphoria, and a smile crossed his face.
—Little girl… —he said with a raspy, amused voice—. What are you going to do with that? They sell that ring in any shop.
He took two more steps, leaning in until his breath brushed her face.
—Don't be so cranky. We'll let you go… after this guy apologizes.
Seiyi tried to get up, wheezing. He leaned on one knee, hand over his stomach.
—M-Miyu… —he whispered, barely audible.
The Haydran, still furious, stepped forward and kicked him in the same spot where he had hit him before. The sound of the impact echoed through the area. His breath escaped his mouth, along with a trail of saliva. He fell to the ground with a dry groan.
—I said ENOUGH! —Miyu screamed, her voice breaking with fear and rage.
The ring lit up again. Blue runes appeared around her arm, spinning with a wind that began to lift dust and leaves from the ground. The wind's energy concentrated, vibrating with force.
But before she could release the spell, a huge hand grabbed her face, covering her mouth and nose. The cyclops lifted her with a single movement, leaving her suspended in the air like a doll.
—HGBHH! S-Sei! GHMHH!
—What did we ever do to you? —the cyclops growled—. We just want to be in peace.
Panic coursed through Seiyi's body. Every part of his being screamed that he had to move, do something, anything. His vision blurred, his breathing became irregular.
«No… I can't… I have to do something!»
He pushed the ground with his hands, trembling, trying to stand up despite the pain in his abdomen. The Haydran put a foot on his head, pushing him toward the ground. The dust scraped his face.
Even so, he screamed with all his might, his voice tearing at his throat.
—STOOOOOOP! SHE'S A CHILD! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!
For an instant, everything stopped. Even the addicts looked at him, confused by the raw sound of his scream. And then it was heard. A dry, sharp whistle, cutting through the air.
Thwip!
A dart embedded itself in the cyclops's neck. The giant blinked, bewildered, then growled and fell like a tree, kicking up a cloud of dust as he hit the ground. Miyu was released, rolling onto the pavement with a groan. The Haydran who was holding Seiyi stumbled back, pupils dilated. From the other end of the alley, uniformed figures emerged through the smoke.
They wore dark blue suits with the F.O.W. emblem engraved on the chest, and weapons that projected a hopeful glow. Drones floated above them, casting beams of light that swept the ground. The addicts began to retreat, covering their eyes, tripping over each other. As they were escorted out of the alley, Seiyi looked back. The blue lights illuminated the scene, and in the middle of it all, the F.O.W. emblem shone unbreakable.