A new day begins as the sun rises.
Brac came down the stairs with dark circles underneath his eyes.
He is still confused about what happened to his wounds — they vanished like they never existed.
"Three brave teenagers caught a cult leader and exposed them to police."
The news on the television instantly caught Brac's attention.
"The following teenagers are Hudson Gasper, Coarto Sabastian, and Brac Aldenson."
"Ahhh, I am so proud of my boy."
"Mom, I am late for school. Why didn't you wake me up?"
Brac sighed and acted like he didn't care.
"I thought you'd get some rest and sleep. Well, let me make you breakfast," Brac's mother said in a calm tone.
"No thanks, I am already super late."
Brac went towards the bathroom.
After getting ready, Brac headed towards school.
After arriving at school, Brac was surprised — he thought at least for his heroic work, the principal would be standing at the gate to greet him.
Haha, think of someone delusional.
"Sorry for being late, sir. You know I was kinda busy saving society."
Brac felt like a hardcore tough hero man, as if he waited all his life to say this. In reality, it was true — but it wasn't even weird for him.
"Sure you were! Everybody clap for him."
"Huh… we already clapped for Hudson, and now we have to clap twice," a boy mumbled.
"Just say you are jealous of my hubby, hehe," a girl beside mocked him.
"Since when did he become your husband?" the boy shouted in a lower tone.
"Hey hey, you both jerkheads — he is mine and mine forever," a muscley big student said in a grumpy voice.
Brac was awkwardly looking at the class.
As he proceeded to take a seat, two girls started fighting for whom he should sit beside.
The teacher then ended the argument by making Brac sit in the first bench beside the nerdy girl.
"What a drama, haha," Coarto peeked from the hallway.
"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" the teacher asked in an evil tone. He must have not recognized Coarto.
Coarto simply turned the opposite of the demon lord and then ran away.
The bell rings — recess time has started.
Brac and Coarto are walking towards Hudson's room while everybody is staring at them.
"Hey Brac, dead yet or nah?"
As they were passing by the staircase, they heard Hudson's voice.
"Nah, I ain't dying without seeing my dad," Brac said in a funny way at first, but slowly his voice lowered as he got lost in memories of his younger self.
He got very few memories with his dad.
All he remembers is a blurry mist covering his father's face.
His voice is cracked — like a destroyed CD.
"You are already seeing me," Hudson said jokingly, as he broke Brac's zoning out.
"Look at yourself, someone like me gotta have good genetics."
"Good genetics enough for a monkey to look like human," Hudson shouted.
"Guys stop," Coarto interrupted both of them.
"Main talk is about — how do you guys know about me being there in the cult?"
"We were…" Brac tried to say but stopped.
"I would say only if there were no rats around us."
Hudson turned around and stared right into the soul of those filthy girls trying to hear them.
The girls got scared and went away.
"Listen, it might sound weird, but me and Hudson have been in an otherworldly, odd place."
"You mean the jail?"
Brac stopped right there when he heard Coarto's words.
So did Hudson.
"But how did you…?"
"I heard about it from the cultists."
"But how did you know about us being there?"
"Something's fishy," Hudson lifted his eyebrow.
"Coarto, tell us the truth. Otherwise…"
"Hey, let me clear up. So when I was captured by the cultists, they were talking about the jail.
At first, I thought it was some normal jail, like a police station, but...
They were talking about some leader who is in control of the jail and someone who is controlling the cults.
It was like... they mentioned realms and 'Tear of Sun.'
And they had mentioned both of your guys' names — and Neon's."
"Wa…" Brac was left confused.
On the other hand, Hudson is still unsure about what Coarto is saying.
"I have many questions…" Brac came closer to Coarto.
"But that doesn't answer that they were talking about the same place as we are," Hudson stood up.
"Hey, I'm just saying what I heard and took a guess. Nothing more. Don't give me that look.
I literally saw the symbol of 'Tear of Sun' in Hudson's hand, and Brac was using chains that came out of his hands.
And you guys are telling me how did I know?"
Coarto shouted and took a step back.
"What was the name of the leader of all cult?" Brac asked.
"The leader name was like Ga… I don't quite remember… Gadoda, I think."
"Actually, you know we were looking for Neon and found you through his diary," Hudson said.
"I see… hmm. So what are we gonna do now?"
"We gonna find Neon and then see what happe—"
Hudson stopped because of what he saw next.
"Hey, why are you not talking?" Brac said as he turned around.
"Hey, it's Neon!" Hudson shouted.
In the blink of an eye — he was already gone.
"Heh, guys I think it's becoming hella weird," Brac said, uncomfortable with what's happening.
"Yeah, we probably should meet after school," Coarto said.
"Yeah, at the playground," Hudson said as he looked at both Brac and Coarto.
"At the playground," Brac nodded.
As they part their ways, a shadowy figure glances back at them.
"I should so…"
---
4:30 PM.
The weather is not usual.
The wind rises — highly.
A black figure is sitting on the pipes of the playground.
Brac, wearing a long coat, just walked out of home.
He thinks of the moment when Hudson shouted.
Who was it actually?
If it was really Neon… but how can it be?
Isn't he in the jail?
How did he get out?
Many questions roamed around Brac's head.
The wind is raising high, messing up Brac's hair as he looks up at the sky.
---
Coarto is in his room playing games, unaware of the time.
"Take that, you bastard!"
Coarto shouts as he kicks his opponent in an action platformer.
Suddenly, the screen turns off — followed by the heavy rattling of windows in the room.
Coarto left his chair.
"Mom, what happened? Has the electricity gone out?"
He shouts as he opens the door leading downstairs.
His voice echoes very slightly.
"What can possibly be in this storm?"
His mom's voice can be heard from the kitchen, groaning in the dark.
"You are always on your computer."
Coarto's mom seems a bit angry — and why shouldn't she be?
Imagine having a son who is playing games all day.
Sure, she is proud and happy for her son to return home safely after several days of going missing.
Coarto shuts the door as he rushed towards the window.
The window is rattling very fast and heavily.
Coarto struggles to open the window but manages it anyways.
A fatal blow of wind messes with his face.
"Oh—god," Coarto gasped.
"Oh wait… did Hudson and Brac already head out for the playground?"
Concern can be noticed in Coarto's voice.
The wind force stopped entering his room as he shut the window once again, struggling with it.
"Should I be going out?" he questions himself.
"Yes… they helped me, and they are also my friends.
But in this weather… I ain't going out."
He walks towards the bed on the left of the door.
"Yeah, this is selfish of me… but it's the way I am. What else can I do?"
Coarto says calmly as he reassures himself he's not doing anything wrong.
---
Meanwhile, Hudson is worried about the weather too.
It's unusual for the weather to get so windy out of nowhere.
"I think there is something different happening than the weather just being windy…"
Hudson seems to understand something.
"I need to call Brac."
Hudson rushed and grabbed his phone.
He quickly dialed the number and called Brac — worrying about something.
But unfortunately, the signal ran off.
"Goddamn…"
Hudson swiftly gets his raincoat and rushes out.
"I have to stop Brac."
Hudson's mom turns around in sleep.
She has no clue that her son has gone out in this stormy weather.
---
Currently, Brac is about to reach the playground.
As he enters the playground, he sees a black figure standing there — almost resembling Neon.
But he can't be assured because of the stormy wind.
"Neon, is that you?"
Brac's face slowly becomes tense.
"I know it's you, Neon.
Why are you hiding yourself? We were worried!"
Brac shouts as his voice cracks through the wind.
"Do you even know what we have been through all these days you were gone?
Hey, answer me!!"
Brac howled at the top of his voice.
The black figure turns around, revealing its face — Neon.
"Thank god, you are alright."
Neon smiled as tears run down his eyes.
"I wonder what they are doing?" Coarto mumbled.
Without any more words, he sneaked out.
---
The TV inside of Viva Restaurant draws the attention of every customer.
The reporter on the news channel reports about the sudden occurrence of an alarming flood.
"What do you say about this, Ozwell?"
A seemingly tired workman asked his co-worker, Ozwell Gasper.
"Maybe I should go home…"
Ozwell stood up and took his bag and umbrella.
"Huh?" the tired workman sighed.
"Thank you for coming to our restaurant," the counter cat toy said as Ozwell left.
---
"And why suddenly there is stor—"
The dark sky right above Neon ripped itself open
as an enormous bloody eye
swirled itself between the gap.
Its dark pupil, covered by a glowing yellow circle inside the eye,
teared up revealing its sharp teeth.
Carnivorous teeth —
bearing a resemblance to the monstrous behemoths from the jail chamber.
"Oh no…" Hudson gasped as he looked up at the sky.
"So what they were was real."
Coarto takes a moment —
then again starts running.