The purple-eyed figure approached her slowly, inspecting her as he walked around her. There was a slight smirk on his face.
Now that he was closer, she could get a better look at him as well. He looked surprisingly more human. His expressions suggested simple curiosity but— his presence felt immensely malicious. It sent shivers down her spine.
"Scared?"
Yoiya's brother's smirk transformed into a grin as he let out a small chuckle.
"Don't worry. I just want to know what my brother have been wasting his time on. Perhaps you'd like to divulge that to me?"
"I don't know. I've only known him for a couple of weeks."
"Oh?"
He stopped, facing away from her, his expression hidden.
"Then."
~"Run"
A voice echoed in the girl's head, telling her only one word. Confused at first, the girl felt she should follow its instructions. The malice emanating from the figure before her had increased. Her legs were shaking.
Plus, she had realized something.
The angels were killed and… this figure was the only one here when she arrived.
"You're useless."
As soon as the boy spun around, she ran for it as fast as she could.
"Oh?"
The brother smiled, oddly happy about this.
"Guess you want to play tag! I'll play with you then, hehe!"
Black flames began to rain down from above all around the girl. Panicked, she swirled and swiveled through them.
~"Keep going."
"Where am I even going!?"
Still a bit confused, the girl continued to run for her life, in quite the literal sense.
Though, the fleeting thought that she was already dead did cross her mind.
"Heheheahaha!!"
Wide-eyed, the purple irises in his eyes gleaming with the flames of excitement, the boy had caught up with her and was now running beside her. He was smiling, like a crazed sadist.
Panic quickly arose in the girl as she tried her best to pick up the pace and redirected her focus to where she was headed: a field of flowers surrounded by golden architecture on all sides; a dead end.
Doubt began to form in her mind but it was too late to turn back, so she kept running, headed straight for it.
"Got you!"
The boy skidded to a halt as she ran into the dead end.
From above, an massive asteroid rapidly approached, emanated with visible dark energy.
One of the girl's feet found its place in the small garden as she stared up in horror.
Then, she had found herself looking up a pitch black sky, devoid of any falling objects.
"Huh?"
Looking around, she found herself in yet another unfamiliar place. Behind her, a dark forest. In front, a cabin on a hill and a teenage girl with an expression filled with a mix of concern and relief.
At a glance, she almost looked like an older version of Rea but upon closer inspection, she was rather different. Taller, for one. Her hair was a pale blue and short, rather than a pale blonde long hair like Rea. Her eyes, red and reflective, like wine in a glass. She was unmistakenly alien, otherworldly even. However, her clothing was modernistic. A dark blue, loose-fitting oversized blazer covered a white blouse tucked firmly into a black skirt.
"Glad you made it." The mysterious girl said.
"Who are you?" The other asked.
"Tenshi. Tenshi Mori. And you?"
"Ake." She responded nervously. "Ake Mori."
"Ah. That's quite the coincidence. We have the same family name."
"Oh. What's your family like?"
Tenshi stared at the girl blankly.
"Don't know. I never knew them. My name is all I can remember about my past. The rest of my memories seem like distant blurs."
Tenshi spoke calmly as she answered Ake's question. She fiddled with a campfire, poking it with a stick, as if bored.
"So who are you, anyways?"
Tenshi's expression brightened slightly, but just for a moment.
Then she replied. "A healer of sorts. And a traveler. I'm naturally drawn to people in pain and I help them. Save them from whatever it may be."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it's true." Tenshi assured. Then with a glance, she looked at Ake and frowned. "You're in pain it seems. Is there something you're worried about?"
Stunned by the healer's sudden and accurate revelation, Ake backed away from her; her anxiety rising within her.
Yet still Tenshi continued to stare with concern.
Feeling that it was genuine, Ake let out a heavy sigh and sat down across from the traveling healer.
"It's a friend."
"You're worried about them?"
"Yes. Lately, they haven't been acting like their usual self… Not that their usual is that much better." Ake let out a small chuckle and sniffle. "But I'd very much prefer the old him compared to what he is now."
Tenshi smiled once more.
"I'm sure he'll come around. Everyone has their rough patches."
Ake nodded, hopeful that her words were true.
After a bit of silence, Ake's anxiety began to rise once more. Shifting her sitting position, she tried to relax her shoulders. Find it difficult, she prompted another question.
"Where are we anyways?"
"A personal dimension of sorts. I'm told a number of outer gods have similar possessions."
"A reality sphere?"
"I suppose that is a term that has been used to describe them. Your body was nearly burned to a crisp but I managed to heal it. Though there may be a few changes to your body as a result."
"Changes?"
"Nothing harmful. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out."
Tenshi stood to her feet.
"It's about time for us to part ways. There's others in this world that need my help."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
"Don't worry." The strange girl placed her hand on her head, giving her a small pat. "Everything will work out, I'm sure."
Then she backed away and with a smile, waved goodbye.
Light filled Ake's eyes and in a long, bright flash she found herself lying in her own bed, dumbfounded by the recent events as she stared at the familiar pastel blue of her bedroom ceiling.
Slowly, she sat up and looked around. It was undoubtedly her room, that she was sure.
Her eyes soon became fixated on her mirror, specifically on the white strands of her hair shown in the reflection.
"Huh, that's odd."
She turned to face it, brushing her hair as she inspected it closer.
"Is it longer?"
*BLAM*
The sounds of explosion screamed out, buzzing in her ears with a eerie screech.
Ake immediately stood to her feet, spinning her body to turn to the window. Her hands on the window sill, she stared out the window to see a gaping black hole in the sky, as if a giant blade had cut it open.
The tar-colored lightning struck down on the streets relentlessly creating an endless number of electrical explosions.
"Dear god."