Elian jerked back the moment Moon's voice cut through the air.
The dome's broken?
The dome's broken.
For a breath, his lungs refused to pull in air. That dome had been the only thing between order and the chaos outside. Now it was gone.
Which meant there was nowhere safe to crawl back to. And worse, the other classes could already be carving up territories. Or even claimed it.
[Welp. That's a long story.]
Yeah. I know.
Even if he found Rin, there's nowhere safe to return back to. And somehow, Aven managed to be the storm under his rainbow again.
How'd he even get into a fight with the twins?
Well it's not my problem anyway.
He tried to shove the twins off him, swatting at their faces. His palm squished Moon's cheek, his elbow nudged against Sun's solid chest.
"Why are you both so damn clingy?"
They didn't flinch. Sun caught his wrist with an easy strength and yanked him upright. Elian stumbled, nearly tripping over his own boots, then froze as Sun slid a hand around his waist.
"What the hell—"
The taller twin's smile widened. He spun Elian into a sudden waltz, pulling him into step as if music only he could hear filled the street. His grip was sure, playful, a little too close. Sun pivoted, dragging Elian with him in smooth arcs, the world spinning in dizzy circles of stone and shadow.
"Stop—stop this!" Elian barked, trying to wrench free. But Sun only chuckled, inching closer to Elian's flustered face letting momentum fling him out, straight into Moon's waiting arms.
"I couldn't help it. You look so fine in your new black suit." Moon grinned.
His system dinged again, the blue floating screen illuminating above Moon's face.
[No, don't let them stop. If she falls in love with you, you'd be rich. And they're hot.]
Elian cringed. Suckerbot, stop it!
[I mean I'm just saying... Not like I care.]
I'm being flung like a ragdoll, do something!
[Your sponsor ain't saying anything, so why should I?]
[Many constellations are rolling in laughter.]
[You're putting on a great show, honey.]
Elian rolled into Moon's arms and she caught him effortlessly, her grin sharp as she swept him into the next beat. Elian tried breaking free from her. Her movements were lighter, more fluid, and mocking Elian's two left feet.
"What are you doing?"
"Dancing. With you. It's fun." Moon simply said, grinning widely at him.
Elian's feet scrambled against the cobblestones, but Moon twirled him with grace that mocked his resistance.
He looked like a toy passed back and forth, a doll to dance with until he broke.
"Enough!" Elian snapped. His voice cracked louder than he meant, his chest tight.
And just like that, they stopped. As if his words had been a cue. Moon released him. Sun stepped back.
Breath ragged, Elian bent to snatch up his stick. He glared at them both, cheeks flushed. "I don't know why you both did that… but— where the hell am I? I don't even recognize this place."
Sun only tilted his head, eyes glimmering with that odd spark of mischief, he stepped closer to Elian. "Think of the world as a grand chessboard, and you, my pawn—"
"I'm not your pawn, damnit!"
The twin ignored the outburst and continued, "you've somehow walked backward to the end of your own board. That makes you… out of place."
"You see, pawns like you shouldn't be here. You're meant to be placed at the front of the danger," Sun shrugged. "At least that's what our world did."
The words unsettled him more than he wanted to admit. Elian glanced around. He knew the streets here weren't the ones he had seen before.
There were more industrial buildings, broken shops with unhinged shutters.
This was the city's edge, far from the heart where his sister waited.
His stomach knotted. Rin.
He barely noticed Sun closing in until a hand tugged him closer by the collar. "I can help you," Sun said softly. His breath coaxing Elian's skin. "I can take you back. You'll be where you want to be in a flash. But you'll have to pay me."
Elian's jaw tightened. He hated himself for it, but he nodded.
When Sun saved him, he had used his teleportation skill to push Elian away from the man-eating plant when they first sprouted.
If he can use that skill again, it'll spare Elian a lot of time.
Anything. Anything to see if Rin was safe.
"Do you know where the Royal underground Subway station is? My apartment isn't far from there. If you can just take me to the street—"
"Done."
The twin's grin sharpened. His canines flashed, and for a second the light in his eyes dimmed, leaving only hunger behind.
"But I won't tell you what the payment is. Not yet."
Moon rolled her eyes and yanked on Sun's ear. "Why do you get to decide? I'm older by a minute. If he pays, it should be by agreeing to be our pet. Cute little pawn with a crack in him. I'd keep him."
She leaned closer to Elian, smile tilting. "Our last one died, you know. They couldn't bear it."
Elian's stomach plunged. Something in him warns him to run from them.
But if they wanted to kill him, or 'play' with him. They could have.
It was useless running anyway.
And he have to make sure Rin is okay.
She's the only family I have left. This is just one of the sacrifice I'm willing to make.
However, Sun only shrugged, brushing her hand off. "Better to let him squirm. Rejecting us makes the game last longer. And I'm the one with the skill, not you." He walked closer to Elian once again, hands pressed against his chest.
Sun smirked at him, "hold on tight, pawn."
The surroundings blurred instantly. And for a heartbeat, Elian was nothing but pressure, light crushing him from all sides, the air burning in his throat. Then his feet slammed against cobblestone. The air then returned sharp and smoky.
He had closed his eyes the moment he teleported with Sun. Opening one eye, he instantly knew this street.
Home.
Except it wasn't. His heart thudded once, hard, as his eyes traced the wreckage. Buildings torn open, beams jutting out like broken bones. Fire climbed up shattered walls, belching smoke into the dusk.
Sun grimaced, whistling into the air. "Wow. They got this place, too? I truly wish that wasn't your—"
"No…" Elian's voice came out hoarse. His body moved before any thought could form. He ran, stumbling through the street, eyes fixed on the mangled frame of his apartment building.
It was half gone. Flames crawled up its bones, windows shattered black.
And… his apartment was on fire, lit in flames.
"Rin!" The name tore from him raw as he barreled through the fire, heat scorching his skin, smoke clawing down his throat.
He staggered into the wreckage, coughing, vision blurred by the sting of ash. "Rin! Answer me!"
Nothing but the crackle of wood and the thunder of his heartbeat echoed back at him.
He bursted through his broken apartment door, eyes frantically scanning the small living room.
He searched until his chest heaved and his knees gave, until the smoke made his vision spin. But there was no sign of her.
And in the ruins, Elian's voice broke as the truth pressed in.
She wasn't here.
Rin was gone.