"Aroma-chan!" I heard a voice calling me out. But it was vague. I was unconscious. All around me was dark as if I was in another unknown world.
I can still see the image of the person. Why must he appear at times like this?
"Who are you?" I asked instantly. As the atmosphere gets more intense, the air was cold.
Without saying a word, the person pointed at me. Just by using his index finger, in my illusion, I was sent flying. What a powerful magic, I thought.
I rolled on the floor. I just kept rolling. It was countless. My body hit a wall and the wall cracks. A direct hit caused my spine to break. Wait, where did that wall even come from? It was really painful and I cried in pain. I could not move. It was as if I was paralysed. It hurts.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. It was silent. I looked to the left and right, there was nothing. But then I heard a movement of a body. I looked behind. The person was pulling a familiar person's hair. She was lying down facing the floor. It was Shinji! How did she end up there?
The person lifted his hand. He opened his palm. Magic is formed into a crystal that took the shape of a spear. He was getting ready to stab Shinji into her shoulder.
"Don't you dare kill her, IVY!" I exclaimed. Before he could even finish his kill, he hesitated. He lifted his hand again, and the spear vanished. He looked at me.
"How do you...know my name?" Ivy tilted his head and asked again. "Hey, are you listening to me? Let me ask you again. How do you know...my name?" I gulped. He looks like a total creep. His eyes were glowing red. Just by looking at his eyes makes me feel the fear of standing up. No, I could not even stand up.
"You over there, do you want to die, just like how I'm going to kill this little girl here?" He pointed at Shinji's head. Shinji was unconscious. I did not know what Ivy did to her, and he just pulled her hair up like no one's business.
"Put...put her down!" I screamed.
"Oh, look who's talking now, such a rude person towards the mightiest." He teased. The mightiest? He continued. "You are quite a daring girl to change the subject. Fine then," Ivy did not put Shinji's head down, but he pushed her head down against the floor with full force until it cracks.
"No...Shinji. Ivy, what the hell do you think you are doing?" I could not stand what I was seeing. "You little-" I could not stand up. Even before I could try to stand, Ivy had the power to teleport by using his magic. He teleported and was just beside me, not even a second. Ivy pulled my hair up and looked at me closer.
"Little what?" His voice sounded like a demon. Well, he is a demon, I should put it that way. I did not want this to happen. Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong? Oh God, please. What can I do about what is happening now?
"You smell reeked," I spit at his face. He wiped it with his hand. Then, he looked at me. His eyes are of hatred, bitterness, and resentment.
He lifted his hand again. The same spear was created, made up of red crystal. However, before he could injure me, there was light in front of me. It was light green. Is this like the one which Shinji possessed? Just the different colours. Ivy stopped and gazed at the light.
The light moved and formed a gemstone. It is so beautiful. Then, we could feel the strong wind from the gemstone itself. The wind, the aura, swirled around the gemstone. We were about to be carried by the strong wind. The wind was so strong that nothing could even withstand it. As Ivy pierced through the floor to get himself balanced, his eyes widened.
"No way, that's impossible!" After some time, the wind was absorbed by the gemstone. It moved towards me. I did not know what was going on, let alone Ivy.
He tried to snatch the gemstone. However, as the gemstone was placed on my stomach just below my breast at the center, a shield was activated for a second. Ivy could not touch me. He was repelled by the strong force of the wind. Then the shield disappeared.
"You better die now and I will take that gemstone of yours," Ivy suddenly appeared in front of me. Without hesitation, the familiar spear pierced through my heart.
"AROMA-CHAN!" Someone voiced out. No, I should say that someone shouted my name. I opened my eyes instantly. It was a dream. It was just a dream. I could not see anything. Everything was blurry and I was having a headache. Although I could not see clearly, I could still hear.
"Gosh, your nose is bleeding yet again." Neko wiped my nose with a tissue paper.
"Neko..." I called her out. I was exhausted. Tired of all that crap I have been going through. I was too scared.
"Yes, Aroma-chan?" As Neko threw the tissue paper into the trash bin, she started to break into tears.
"I'm sorry...for worrying you so much." I apologised to Neko. Neko hugged me and cried out loud. This was the first time in my afterlife I heard Neko cry this loud. Her heart was so soft that she could not take any of the sadness within her. She was really cute.
"Aroma-chan," Neko called me out this time. "What is that strange thing attached to your body? It suddenly appeared out of nowhere." She was curious. I looked down, it was the same thing that I had in my dream. The gemstone. I touched the gemstone. It was glowing.
"Woah, so cool!" Neko held my hand.
"No Neko, now is not the time for this. Where is Shinji? I need to find her." I asked. I did not want the same thing to happen to her like how I dreamed.
"Aroma-chan, you have to rest. Your body is still weak." Neko touched my forehead, then my hair. She stroked it as if I was her cat. I heard a music. It reminds me of something important. What day is it now? What time is it now? How long have I been here, lying down on a bed, being a sleeping beauty and not waking up?
"Music, music! Neko, what about the test that I have to take?" I grabbed Neko's hand instantly. I was really worried. If I did not pass the test, I am really done for. I am no longer a member of the CCI.
"Rest assured, you-are-going-to-rest. I reported to Lukia about the current situation now, so you have to rest at home until you get better. Unless you get better, don't force yourself to go out." Neko nagged.
"You sounded like a mother now." I complimented her. She was very caring. Like mother like daughter. Wait, what about Rai-san? Has she come back from work?
"Oh please, praise me more!" Neko was gone cheeky. "Ok then, I'm going to get you a cup of water. Don't go anywhere else." She went out from the room, and headed towards the kitchen.
Neko came back in with a cup of water and a necklace. I wondered why she had that necklace with her.
"Neko, what is that in your hand?" I asked, staring at the necklace.
"I found this in the drawer while I was searching for my phone. Well, I lost my phone. This is embarrassing." Neko laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, by the way, I don't really know what this is."
"By the look of it, that's a necklace." I teased her.
"Aroma-chan...d-do you think that I'm stupid enough to be an idiot?" Neko looked confused. I could tell that by her look. She pointed at her face, having a dumb look. I burst into laughter.
It was a really great day for me. Having Neko taking care of me, I appreciated her kindness.
"There was once a tragedy," Neko changed the subject. What now? "The tragedy of my great-grandfather and my great-grandmother." She continued. She was telling me a story from a century ago.
[Switch]
Alex and Alice was called The Legendary Duo. Legends had been discovered that both of them were the ones that had fought till death. They were in the age of late forties. Fighting with who?
The people in this afterworld only knew that it was the mightiest, a thing that has no feelings. He is not a boy, nor a girl. He was once a human. People called him the chosen one. Legends were told that the duo were heroes of an empire called 'Imperial Capital'.
Imperial Capital was a place that was meant for the highest rankings of the people living in the area, especially royalties. Only the higher rankings like the royalties can enter the capital with the permission of the authorities. The duo was a pair of them.
It was a very peaceful and calm day. Alex was a teenager. He was doing a mission on killing a certain someone who is threatening the people in the kingdom. He kept coming every single day. Little did Alex know what he wanted.
Alex went to a forbidden place that no one was allowed to go in. He sense a person alone in that place. With his powers, he tried to navigate where the person was. He then heard a voice of a girl that cried out.
He went along the path. He searched for the voice. Just like a voice of a child crying. As Alex continued to walk, the voice was getting louder. His ears were getting sharper and sharper. The more he moved, the more he trembled. He did not have much of confidence.
And then, he saw a child. It was girl. She was leaning on a big tree. This tree was the biggest amongst the rest.
"Hey, what are you doing in a place like this?" Alex tried his best to speak softly. Very calm. He tried to speak softly as he whispered. The girl kept crying. Alex sat beside her. As he listened to her crying, it almost felt like she was singing. That was crazy. How can a girl crying sounded like she was singing?
The more Alex listened to her voice, the more he could hear the voice of a goddess. Alex looked at her. She was wearing a worn-out cloth, covering just her breasts and her private part. Nothing else. She was dirty. Like an abandoned child.
Alex looked up to the sky. It was clear blue sky. The day was perfect for outdoor activities. Perfect weather.
He took out something from his pocket. It was a necklace. It was not an ordinary necklace. It was passed on from generation to generation.
There was this saying by his ancestors that those who wore the necklace, will have a miracle that would happen to them once, with three given chances in life. Be it in a good or a bad situation.
However, if they asked for more of the chances, they will lose something precious to them. Similar to those who asked for another miracle, but the outcome will be worse. Those who asked for another miracle, their lives will be at risk. It depends on how they die. Either get sick and die, or suffer badly.
Then, why was this necklace made? This necklace is only for those who knew what it was really for. Then, what about the girl?
"Um, this necklace is…how do I put it?" Alex was trying to figure out how he could explain to her. "…like a lucky charm." As he held the necklace, he lowered his arm. This time he was not trembling. He was steady. He showed the necklace to her.
She stopped crying. She was covering her face. Then she revealed her face. Tears were flowing down her forearm. She was still sobbing. Her eyes. There was still tears accumulated in her eyes, just about to fall. There was also tears that was left on her eyelashes. As she blinked her eyes, the tears fell to the ground. Drop by drop.
She looked at Alex's hand. She grabbed the necklace. When she grabbed the necklace, of course she grabbed his hand. When she grabbed his hands, she realised that she was grabbing a boy's hand. It felt warm. It was bigger than her own hand.
Whereas for Alex, as he felt her hand, it was very soft. Very smooth. As if it was fragile. Both of them hesitated as they held each other's hands. They were having a very romantic moment, even though he knew that it was just a child. In the opposite, she was a teenager just like him. It was just that she was a little shorter and had a tiny body.
They were looking at each other's hands. Then their eyes met. Alex's heart was pounding fast. He bit his lower lips, he couldn't take it anymore. The action was too intense, just by holding hands. Without hesitation, he snapped.
"Oh um, uh…this…is a necklace that I want to give to you." Alex scratched his head. He grinned, although he was so nervous inside. The girl looked at the necklace again.
"M-my name is Alex. M-may I know what is your name?" It took a lot of courage for Alex to ask for her name.
"Alice…" Alice answered in a soft voice. So cute! Alex thought. Alice was so cute that he could melt. And, he forgot that he was still holding on to her hand. That reminded him.
"Uh…Alice, isn't this…?" Alex looked elsewhere, not wanting to make eye contact in order to avoid making the situation weird. Alice wondered for a second.
"Oh, it's not what you think, I'm really sorry!" Alice snapped. She let go of his hand and held her own forearm, in a polite manner and position. She was holding on to the necklace in her right hand.
"Thank you." With her soft voice, she thanked Alex. Alice went closer to his ears and she whispered.
"I'm fifteen." Alex got creeped out for a moment. Then he was shocked that she was the same age as him. As for the month, January. The both of them were born on the same day. However, Alex was born earlier than her. So that was what they figured out as they kept talking, well, more like flirting.
"Well, come on let's go." Alex grabbed Alice's hand and he was about to go somewhere, but Alice held him back.
"Wait…" Alice looked worried. She did not want to get left behind. There was nothing for her. Alice's family was killed and threatened by a group of villains called 'The Hunters'.
Two days ago, Alice woke up in a locked room. She was wondering why the door was locked. She tried to pull the handle but it would not open. She tried to listen through the door and she could hear the cracking sound of fire. There was burning smell.
Alice kicked the door as hard as she could because she could hear people screaming and crying. Those are her family members. She took her last hit on the door. It broke.
"Mom, dad!" Alice screamed. She did not believe what she saw. Her father was lying down, covered in blood. He was stabbed by a sword. He was burned by the fire that was spreading from his legs, to his body, to his head.
Her mother fainted with her eyes opened. She was lying down naked. She was also covered in blood. A lot of blood. Alice lifted up her shirt and covered her mouth. While preventing herself from breathing carbon dioxide, she cried out loudly. Why would she still be there? Why not go out and look for help?
"Why…why…?" She said. "Why!? Why must it be us to suffer?!" Alice was clueless. She was wondering why she was still alive in the first place.
"How am I…still alive?" Alice turned back and looked at her dead parents. She leaned against the wall and nothing came to her thought. She had lost everything. Everything that was precious to her. Everyone in the small village was gone missing. Their houses were burned down. Some even collapsed.
Alice was hopeless. She was ready to be in despair. She wanted to kill herself. She wanted to commit suicide. She wanted nothing in her life anymore. She had nothing left. She had nothing right in her life.
However, there was this one person that came to her rescue. Before she could stab herself with a knife that she had picked up from the floor earlier, he rushed in, carried her, and went out of the burning house.
"Your life is way more important than what you have." He said. Alice looked up when he carried her and ran. It was none other than Alex. Alex could not look closely at her identity because he must focus on his rescue mission. What was more important was him having to rescue people and introducing one another would come next.
Unfortunately, when he reached at his destination, a medical centre, he could not even talk. He was really busy since he got called by his commander.
Alice could not get a chance to thank him and was brought by medics and nurses, escorting her to a medical room. It was not at the hospital. It was in the middle of a forest. Medics and nurses had prepared aides to heal injured patients. It was free of charge. No payment required.
Since the village was commonly attacked by The Hunters, the government of United Kingdom decided to help the injured ones to hold on to their money. The government was going to pay for them.
That was the last time Alice could see Alex. She tried to call him out, but she was too weak. She could not breathe properly. Maybe it was because that she might have breathed in the smoke from the burning house.
And now, they met. Coincidentally, they met. Alex looked at Alice, trying to recognise her. He went closer. Her eyes widened in embarrassment, thinking that he might kiss her. Unfortunately, she got it wrong.
"You…are you the little girl from that day?" Alex asked. Alice hesitated for a moment.
"That day…?" Although she looked like she was lost, she did not want to recall that incident.
"I-I'm really sorry I didn't mean to hurt you or something because I'm not a cruel guy that will make you sad and please forgive me if I have ever done anything to hurt you or make you feel down!" Continuously, Alex bowed and muttered quickly, without any pause and rushed throughout his confession.
Alice held both her hands and placed them onto her chest. As Alex bowed, Alice gazed at him.
"It's nothing really, you've done nothing wrong to make me feel sad." Alice said. Knowing that Alex was a great person, she patted his head softly. "You're a great person I've ever met."
"But still, you are younger-" before Alex could finish what he wanted to say, Alice cut through.
"I'm fifteen…" Alice knew that Alex would think of her as a young woman. Yes, young, but not younger than him. Not so young that Alex would look down on her. Alice had her weird-looking evil smile on her face.
"Um, oh yea you're right…" Alex scratched his head, looking left and right repeatedly. Alice went closer to him.
"Um…could you please back off abit? Leaving some space is important, right?" Alex shut his eyes forcefully.
"Is that so? I…don't mind, because…" Alice paused. "I- I feel safe whenever im closer to you!" Alice squeaked. Her face was red and she blushed. Alex gave a gentle smile. She might just be a commoner, but Alex had thought that she was adorable too.
"Well uh, should we-" Alex was about to make a move, but something else happened. The atmosphere had changed. And to make things worse, they are far away from home.
Then, he sense that a spear was thrown. It is not an ordinary spear. It has its own element too. With the electric that surrounds the spear, it looks heavy. Alice was clueless of what was going on.
There was still no presence of an enemy. It was possible that an enemy might come anytime soon. Probably one or two people. Alex just had to know where they might come from. As slowly as the enemy could move, he came from the underground using his spell. He was just behind Alice.
Alex now can sense the enemy, as he appeared from the underground, and he turned around. It was someone he did not know. He has a tattoo on his left chest. A symbol of darkness, 'Yami'.
"Good afternoon, my name is Yami," Yami introduced himself. And so he continued. "Nice to meet you."
Alex and Alice did not know him. He just showed off from nowhere and appeared right behind them. They did not look back. They were too scared to even move a single step.
"What? You ignoring me now?" Yami laughed.
"You know why I'm here right?" He asked. He grabbed onto his spear and grinned with his evil look.
The aura was getting darker and darker. The atmosphere gave the chill and cold feeling that swallowed Alex and Alice in fear. Yami pointed his finger towards Alice.
"You, what do you want from her?" Alex asked manly. Although he knew that Alice was targeted, he was smart enough that any slight movement of attempting to attack head on is reckless.
Yami pointed the spear upwards, gathering all his mana energy to the spear. The darkness within his heart enraged with pure anger and it was dead silence after.
After gathering the mana energy, he pointed the spear towards Alex, then Alice. His eyes was like a devil wanting to haunt down his prey.
Just a single breath from Yami, Alex and Alice got breathless although their heart is pumping very fast. The fear had swallowed them relentlessly. Alex had a sword that he brought directly from the empire. He drew the sword. It was jagged blade at the end point of the sword with two edges pointing inwards. What a weird sword, but it would be useful for him.
Alice had rooted to the ground. She would not want anything bad to happen, even death. Now that they met coincidentally, she had no doubt that Alex and her will separate again. She cried, holding her voice inside with all her might and clenched her teeth.
Alex squatted down and place his left hand on Alice's right shoulder. He gulped and grabbed his sword tighter. He tightened his lips.
"Don't worry, I'm here to protect you." Alice looked up, with the glittery, watery eyes and tears that ran down her soft cheeks and then her jaw. Alex wiped her tears with his bare hand.
"Hey you, enough of your romantic moment!" Yami was pissed off, not wanting to wait for Alex to draw his sword towards him. Alex stood up. From above he smiled, giving Alice the courage to trust him.
"There's no mistake, you are from the Imperial Capital Empire." Yami smirked, and he continued, "I will bring your head to Master." Master? Who is that?
Alex turned and faced Yami one on one. He glared at Yami. With Yami's spear stance, he stood into his position and was ready to charge forward. He had gathered his mana energy, and was ready to send off a destructive explosion on hit. With his evil look, his eyes are all white, with the purple aura that surrounds his body. He looked like a devil himself and said these two words before the real conflict happens.
"You're finished."