Raya Marin
The Last Enigma... It was carved into my mind. Across the table sat a supernatural girl with hollow eyes. The light of life had drained from those delicate violet eyes. Her gaze toward me was sorrowful. I didn't see her as a being of divinity, but as a bird locked in a cage, its freedom stolen. Imprisoned in darkness, crushed under ruin, forgotten—an unsolvable riddle. Her head turned side to side, then back to me with fear. She repeated this motion dozens of times, perhaps, but no matter what, she never spoke to me.
I sat there, unaware of what was happening on the other side of the table. I could try speaking to her, but it felt pointless. I could reach out a hand, but it seemed meaningless. So instead, we just stared at each other for a long time. Time felt frozen. Seconds… minutes… hours… Every moment with her felt eternal.
But I had to try, didn't I? After all, this was the first step toward freedom.
"What's your name?"
A simple question. One whose answer I already knew, yet I asked anyway. The Last Enigma`s empty pupils dropped to the ground.
"I have no name… Not anymore."
I tilted my head, raising a brow.
"Everyone has a name.""My name is more worthless than a shard of a bolem." "Bolem?"
The word slipped from her lips like one I'd never heard before. The Last Enigma seemed completely lost in her own mind. Her features weren't clear, but I could still see how miserable and trapped she was.
"You'll understand soon enough…"
Her voice echoed through every corner of the dark room.
"Hey, wouldn't it be better if you at least tried to help me?"
She lifted her gaze, eyes filled with pain.
"It's impossible for me to help you… I can't help anyone. I…" "Sorry, but could you maybe stop being so depressing?"
Honestly, I didn't want to talk like this to someone who probably was super-powerful. Someone capable of manipulating aether at such a supreme level—but this was too much, too dark. Since when were gods this gloomy? Then again, I wasn't even sure if the Last Enigma was a god at all. She just felt like one.
"I'm sorry, Raya… I want more than anything to help you and the others, but I can't."
Her eyes dropped back to the floor.
"Well then…"
I sighed, adjusting my posture to look more formal.
"Can I ask you something, apart from all this?"
She again said nothing, only nodded.
"Why are you and I here? Where are we? Where is everyone else? And what exactly are you?"
The Last Enigma looked at me and smiled. The smile carried no feeling, empty, just like her eyes.
"I'll answer all your questions one by one. But first, I want you to promise me something. I won`t tell you what is it right now. Just promise okay?"
I nodded eagerly. Her empty smile grew, softening into tenderness.
"You were supposed to ask just one question, weren't you?"
My face flushed. I nodded again.
"Then… since you asked, I'll answer."
The Last Enigma stood. As she rose, the dark room trembled and transformed. Aetheric particles filled the air, the darkness glimmered, and gray-leaved trees burst from the ground.
"This is infinity. A realm where every edge stretches into eternity. Everything and nothing exists here. And the reason we're here… is you.""Me?" "Yes, you."
The world around us kept growing and changing, deserts forming, rivers flowing...
"Your friends are safe. Just as they should be."
Her tone and stance now carried charisma and strength, unlike before. Truly mesmerizing.
"And lastly… I'm only a mirror. A mirror of freedom."
The Last Enigme started to walk through the ever-forming realm. With each step, new trees sprouted from the dark soil. I followed slowly behind her, with hopes and dreams to answer.
"Then why the name 'Last Enigma'?"
She frowned.
"Because aether called me that."
I said nothing, only sighed. Ridiculous.
"Fine. Last question…
I paused and looked around. Trying to understand where I truly was. It sure was not Earth. I did not recoll any place like this on Earth. Cold wind washed over me and I let out a deep warm breath of exhaustion.
Do you have any connection to the Organizer?"
Her smile shrank immediately.
"The Organizer, Humanities Shadow, Angel of Imagination, True Justice, The Last Enigma, and Destruction…"
She stopped walking, then turned toward me at a speed beyond my perception.
"Legacy… Fate… Destruction… and so on. Everything is connected. Just like you and me. My connection to the Organizer is nothing more than a thread of aether."
I exhaled, closing my eyes. How strange… Connection she said, but what kind of connection? What was my role in this vast universe? Just hearing these things felt impossible. The Last Enigma spoke of names, but I understood none of them. The Organizer had told me I could only be free if "they" were gone. But who were "they"? Who was he? What was he? A god who lost his way? A human who ascended to a higher dimension? I didn't want more questions. I wanted answers. And I didn't want to stay were I was, I wanted to move forward. To freedom. To my family and friends who I loved. Even if I want to know more about aether and beyond, right now I just want a simple date with my "cool" boyfriend who did some bullshit to escape the Organizer. Plus the presence before me was so confusing and mind bending. Just a moment ago she was a depressed god, but now she was acting like a true creator. I... I just want to go back. I builded up my confidence as much as I could and turned my entire gaze at the Last Enigma.
"Send me back." "What?"
I narrowed my eyes, stepping into the swirl of aetheric particles around us.
"Send me back. Let me do whatever you want me to."
The Last Enigma chuckled, then nodded.
"As you wish, Raya Marin. Don't worry, I want only one thing from you."
I raised a brow, clasping my hands together. Her face grew serious, the air heavy.
"No matter what, you must change the outcome. Correct the mistake. Erase the flaw."
The particles around me began to shift, flickering between deep violet and a blue that mirrored my hair. It was as if the two colors were warring for dominance. And in the end, blue triumphed. The aetheric particles no longer glowed with their usual violet, but a blue shade of which that resambled my hair.
"This is yout promise to me Raya Marin."
I smiled pridefully:
"Say it."
The Last Enigma`s face disappeared within the blue glow of aetheric particles.
"No matter the cost, be free. Be yourself. Protect them, watch over them. The future on the horizon draws near. They draw near…"
Her voice cut off as the darkness surged. Before my eyes, blue aetheric particles danced in the dark, scary void. There was no ground beneath me, but I imitated their movements anyway. Seconds passed, but I didn't stop. I danced until my breath gave out. The aetheric particles dwindled with each passing moment. The darkness fell, and I ascended.
I passed through the light.
The blue sky gazed back at me, alive. Clouds drifted joyfully, birds sang their songs. Trees gave out color to the beautiful and free world around them.
"Freedom… Its so beautiful... My life is beautiful."
I was happy. So happy in fact. But only to a point. It didn't take me long to realize Grey was missing. I quickly looked every corner my eyes could perceive. All of us were outside the school, trying to understand what had happened. But Grey was no were to be seen. I already had failed my promise.