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A fortress side by side with the stars Nell loved so much was floating over the mortal realm. Unseen to the humans of the world, a woman sat down on a worn out couch. A man soon followed as he sat across from the woman. The man stared directly at her long, black hair blending in with the surrounding darkness. The woman spoke in a deep monotone voice, seemingly uninterested with the topic at hand.
"He's here."
The man spoke back to her.
"I know. Did I miss anything else? Besides his magic, of course."
"Did you add his heart?"
The man proudly smirked at her before speaking.
"He can get that for himself. I'm sure of it. That's how humans should work, after all."
"..."
The woman blankly got up off the couch after hearing this and strode away from the room. The man soon followed, but stopped at a window. He stared out of it, looking upon everybody that he could see. He smiled warmly.
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"Let me go, human!"
The guards stared at me like I was insane.
"Who's this kid think he is? He popped out of the city's heart that killed two people when it collapsed, and then ran outside the hospital without paying the bill. That's manslaughter and unpaid civil debts. 97's gonna execute you even if we don't. May as well get the check, am I right or am I right? Haha. Sorry, pal."
I wasn't sure what execution was, but I had heard about people getting locked in cells. That wouldn't be great, especially after I had just gained my freedom and body. Also, I never killed anybody! I didn't have enough time to do that. I just got out of the hospital. Were they stupid?
I glared at them with all my might, only to get laughed at. I felt pathetic but I knew I wouldn't feel that for long. After all, I had the knowledge of magic humans can only dream of having. The only issue is that I would be required to put in effort to escape. Effort leads to disappointment. I've seen it with my own eyes.
The guards brought me to a place in the city seemingly secluded from everywhere else. It was perfect for me, because I could escape without much trouble. One of the guards spoke up while I was crafting my plan.
"I gotta piss. Keep this kid here until I come back."
"Kay."
The guard soon left, his metal armor clanking as he waddled away. Now was my chance. I jumped away from the only guard left and held out my hand. I focused all the energy from my body and surroundings into my mind. I didn't know how to use magic, but I knew how it worked so I could assume how. A horrendous feeling of impending disappointment grew larger in my mind with every passing moment. What led to me doing this? Why was I doing this? I had no reason to stay here. No reason to stay alive either. The energy gathered into my hand as I prepared to shoot it at him, but at that moment, nothing came out. I gave up on using the magic out of fear. The overwhelming sensation of anxiety stopped my breathing. A sharp pain grew in my chest as I collapsed, presumably due to my attempt at even using magic. Before I could even get back up, the guard was yelling for the other while pointing his sword at my head.
The guard stared me dead in the eyes and asked me a question.
"What is your name?"
Trembling slightly, I was forced to respond.
"Do I really have to tell you?"
The guard, straight faced, mixed his glare and tone of voice to send shivers down my spine.
"Yes, you do. I need to report to Beckwith and Verwa about my kills, after all."
I looked at him with an emotion I couldn't understand in my eyes. I understood one thing, though. One thing all humans never wish to realize, even though it's a common truth. Despite everything, I was mortal. I could die. Humans are scared to die, and yet I wasn't confident that I could feel that way despite being human. I didn't know what I wanted.
"I- Y-You wont kill me, right?"
"Name."
"N-Nell Moren."
The guard raised his voice as loud as he could.
"Nell Moren! You will be sacrificed for the greater good. You will never offend again!"
I stared the man dead in the eyes as he held his sword up to my neck. Footsteps were heard rushing over. I could only assume it was the other guard. The closer the footsteps got, the more confused I was.
Tap. Tap tap. Tap Tap Tap Tap
There was no clunking from the armor, but instead a pure sound of a drop of rain water hitting the ground followed by a deafening noise.
CRASH!
The other guard was flung into the guard standing in front of me, crashing him into the floor. I stared at the man responsible for this. In front of me stood a tall man with light blue hair flowing as calm as the sea. His eyes contrasted his hair as I could see a stormy, rough ocean crashing on itself. Not only was his appearance a contradiction, but his attitude was as well, and yet it all seemed natural. He was the embodiment of perseverance for saving me. If I was in his position, I wouldn't have been able to do this. With a pure white outfit and a shimmering gold earring he smiled softly at me before speaking up.
"You're not safe yet Nell. Get up."
I usually couldn't stand being ordered around, but it was different this time. It felt as if the order was endearing. I instantly stood up and stood behind him out of reflex as he stood down the guard that got knocked over. The guard confidently spoke.
"Get out of the way before I kill you too."
The man looked surprised and yet still grinned.
"Oh really? Is that so?"
Every word that came out of his mouth rippled in my mind.
The guard instantly got angry at him and rushed forward, but before he could do anything a clear box had enveloped his entire body. A flowing box of water, reflecting the light off the sky into my eyes in a shimmering volley. It seemed like a rather lazy way for a man like this to kill. He walked over to the guard as he put his hand on the box. It looked as if he could see inside the box, despite it being covered with a thick layer of water..
"Sorry."
A scream was heard from inside the box but was instantly drowned out with water. The man spoke to me.
"Lets uhh.. Let's move this away a little bit!"
I stood there in shock, unable to say a single word as the man guiltily undid the magic as the box of water turned into a puddle, and the body fell onto the floor. It looked unharmed. I wondered if he was okay with me looking at him like this.
From what I understood, humans usually are disgusted by seeing a body. So why was this one not? And if I was a human, why was I not? Humans are supposed to kill to survive, so I didn't have a problem with the actual killing. Also, he saved me. My questions dissipated as I saw the man returning. He walked over to me and spoke.
"Do you speak?"
Despite how I normally am, his presence caused a calm sensation inside me. A warm sensation.
"Yeah."
The man smiled at me as he looked… happy?
"Yay! …Please follow me."
With nothing else to do, I decided to follow the man into where he wanted me to go. After around 10 minutes of him asking me random questions, we finally arrived at his house. He gently opened the door and I was instantly shocked. Books and food, strung everywhere. He instantly tripped and fell flat on his face. After getting up, he carefully stepped over the loose clothes on the floor as he yelled out something.
"I'm back Mom!"
A sound equivalent to a crash of thunder rained down from the second floor of the house.
"Ame Nishimura! Do the fucking dishes!"
"Later! I'm busy!"
Busy, huh?
…
…
I learned his name was Ame.
"Ame."
"Yeah?"
I don't know why I said this. I had nothing to ask. I just felt like I wanted to say it. Before I could say anything else, he instantly switched the topic.
"Come to the basement! It's important."
I followed him without a word. I awkwardly waved to his mother before descending. When the door was open, I saw even more books. A bed and a sleeping bag were strung out along with multiple bookshelves and a pin board with over 100 pictures on it. I felt a sense of comfort knowing I finally had a place to stay. Ame excitedly went up to me and told me to sit down, so I did.
"Okay, so, I need you to listen to me. You're one of the last hopes I have. Don't tell anybody I said that."
So I threw away my apathy to the best of my ability and listened.
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In the center of the planet, there was a country by the name of L'eau. It was Ame's homeland, and was the current focus of the entire world, for the king had just died. His son stood in front of his dead body, with no emotion on his face. Whether unable to process the emotions he had or not having any strong feelings, not even he knew. He stared at the corpse as his mind was oscillating violently.
His universe seemingly shattered apart as his reality faded into an endless room. It was pitch black, with only the stars inside observing him and lighting it. In the middle sat a throne. A golden throne. It looked eerily similar to the throne of L'eau, but it seemed more ancient. He stepped toward it, the matter of the universe rippling under his step. He reached the throne, and put his hand out.
"Hello, Marē. It appears your father is dead. I wonder how that happened. Odd, is it not?"
A dark figure, one that he was unable to decipher grew out of the throne. She spoke mockingly, as if she was pitying him.
The boy couldn't speak.
"Your father was too early. But you, you are not. You're perfectly on time, honestly. 'He' was just released. I'll give you power. You can barely feel, so you'll handle it well. I'll string both parts of you together, and put my own power in between the strands of your being. Your internal world is rather weak as of now. You will be king. And you will aid The Original Sin."
She stepped towards him and tapped his forehead, before looking towards the throne and speaking.
"Nell… I can barely wait. I'm sorry for what I must do. This is the cause of your effect. My response to my love."
The boy was standing there, almost unfazed.
"L'eau. You're L'eau."
The being smiled, before taking her human form. The boy closed his eyes so as to not see her.
"Yes, Marē. It's me. Welcome to reality."