Chapter 2: The Porcelain Wall
Hana stood frozen, the phantom sensation of the stranger's "gift" still thrumming against her ribs. For a fleeting second, the cosmic display had overwhelmed her, but as the scent of ozone faded, her lifelong defenses snapped back into place.
Her eyes, once wide with shock, narrowed into a sharp, clinical glaze. "W-what?"
The hooded girl instantly dropped the "Ancient Deity" persona, reverting to a rapid-fire, nervous bluster. Quite a messy transition of events.
"Ah, I know—I understand you may feel utterly dumbstruck, but it's okay! This is your first time being saved by a celestial entity, after all! My apologies if you find our encounter a little... mystifying. Who wouldn't? One moment you're told you're going to die, the next, your life is granted! Ha! It's truly crazy, right?"
Hana remained motionless. She watched the stranger with a heavy, unblinking silence that seemed to suck the air out of the conversation.
"I mean, the temporal physics alone are a headache," the girl continued, fidgeting under the stare. "But I've smoothed it all out for you. You should feel... lighter? Do you feel lighter? Because normally—"
"Enough."
The girl's posture deflated instantly. "H-huh?"
"Ach, herrje." Hana sighed, a cold, distant warmth touching her lips. It was the smile of a scientist watching a particularly clumsy specimen. "You don't like talking much, do you?"
"W-what do you mean? I'm being incredibly communicative! I genuinely don't get i—"
"People who lack experience in genuine social interaction tend to blabber," Hana interrupted, her voice dropping into a cutting, monotone rhythm. "They build a facade of likability and false professionalism because they are terrified of what the silence will say about them."
Hana took a slow step forward, closing the distance.
"A performative display of empty empathy is nothing but a confection: sweet, but bland. By my assessment, you hate talking to people so much that you end up talking more than you normally would—just to keep them from looking at the real you."
The stranger stood stunned, her mouth slightly agape. "I'm completely lost. I just gave you three years of life!"
"Now, for someone who claims to have existed for more than a century..." Hana leaned in, her eyes searching for a crack in the hoodie's shadow. "Why does it seem like you were born just yesterday? Your social intelligence is... infantile."
"Okay, Miss. I was just trying to be friendly," the girl snapped, her defensive energy rising. "I truly do not appreciate the way you are delivering your words right now. I've read books on how to do this! I'm following the protocols!" The girl explained (and I even memorized the guide scripts to have a smooth flow of conversation, I even had a good start earlier, the flipping of coin that I found randomly on the grass was also cool, even the leaning on the bench, it says there that it would be effective! how did I even messed it up now by a single silent stare!?~~ ) She was having a rumble with her thoughts but was cut off when Hana spoke again
"And...who am I to care?" Hana countered. "More importantly, who are you, that I should be concerned with your fragile feelings? You know my name. You know my medical history. In my world, that isn't a 'Guardian'—that's a stalker with a very expensive special-effects budget." Cold yet still showing a pinch of politeness, yet this did not make the hoodie girl any happier
"What- Alright, now you're being deliberately difficult. I'm literally trying to save you!"
Everyone has been 'trying to save me' or 'making me comfortable' since I was born, Hana thought. I am bored of the script.
"Being 'friendly' was never part of my objective," Hana said aloud.
The girl bit her lip. She's harder to deal with than I thought. She isn't scared... she's annoyed.
"Look," the stranger tried again, she regains her composure by collecting air in her lungs (okay, let's use the damage control method that I read)
"this might have escalated quicker than expected, but why don't we get back to Step One? Alright, so, going back to our—"
"While you go back to whatever it is we were discussing," Hana said, standing up with effortless grace, "I will kindly go back to my own life. Adieu."
Hana turned to leave, but the girl shot out a hand, grasping her wrist with startling strength.
"Wait! Please, just spare me some of your ears, will you?"
Hana stared down at the grip, her smile hardening into a cold, empty glaze. "Miss, please be aware that this is not a proper way to treat anyone you have just met. It is hardly polite, let alone 'friendly'."
Noticing the sudden action, the girl lets go of her arm with a quiet 'sorry' in the end
"B-but, Wait, hey I said wait!" the girl cried, this time, she tried her best to not hold her physically, making the blonde girl uncomfortable is not part of her agenda.
"First of all, I am not a stalker! I have my reasons. I just need you to sign this—"
The stranger thrust a shimmering parchment forward.
[Contract: Establishing Relationship Between the Guardian and the Mortal]
What is she, a four-year-old? Hana sighed. "Though you seem harmless, I've lost interest in this charade. Excellent choice of cosplay, by the way. Wir sehen uns."
Hana walked past her. She didn't look back, her footsteps steady on the pavement. Behind her, the air began to change. The "friendly" mask finally shattered.
"Urggh," a voice rang out. The nervous energy was gone. It was replaced by a resonance that sounded like grinding tectonic plates. "I didn't know speaking with mortals could be this difficult. I guess the book I read was a waste of time."
Hana stopped. She felt the atmospheric pressure return—heavier, colder, more dangerous. She turned slowly.
"I think those 'Helpful Guides for Communication' are actually scams," the stranger said, her tone dripping with ancient contempt. "Really not for me...so, why don't I just approach you using my traditional method? After all, it's not like you'll care... right, Hana?"
*Sighs* Was hat sie vor? (What is she planning now?)
"Words without basis are no foundation for truth, that's right" the girl said, her hands moving to her hood. "But a solid physical support? That creates a trust dangerously tied between people."
She pulled back the hood and removed the mask. Underneath was a face of flawless, inhuman beauty—a countenance that seemed sculpted from starlight. A sly, dangerous smirk played on her lips.
"People favor the concrete over the abstract. So, look at me. Establish your trust in the 'physical information' I am providing." The eyes shine completely under the moonlight reflecting its Amethyst glow
Hana's eyes narrowed, but not in awe. Obwohl das Antlitz tadellos ist, ist es doch nur eine Fassade. (Although the face is perfect, it is only a facade.)
"Excellent bone structure," Hana said coldly. "An 'Angel,' if one requires a reference. Perhaps you should have led with your aesthetics. You've proven you have aesthetic concrete, now, where is your factual evidence? I've seen better masks at carnivals honestly."
The smirk vanished. The air around them plummeted to a brutal zero.
(What? I thought I pulled a cool trick~~?!) But she tried to remain unfazed as she feels her confidence level dropup to zero since earlier
"You want proof I'm not a child?" the stranger's voice possessed a dangerous tremor. "I am ancient! Do not underestimate me, for I am the reason you have spent—!"
Her pupils contracted to pinpoints. The scent of ozone filled the air. But just as the pressure became unbearable, the girl violently recoiled. She took a sharp, jagged breath, forcing the darkness back down.
I will not resort to force again, she told herself, her heart hammering. I made one damage and I can't make another one....one mistake was enough. Not tonight, not anymore
Hana watched the internal struggle with fascination. Something seems to be stopping her. Why hold back?
The stranger composed herself, her voice becoming quiet and strangely hollow. "You... you're strong-willed. Resilient. Even I find it impossible to slip through a tiny hole in your heart."
She looked at Hana with a gaze that seemed to see through her skin.
"However... I know you are broken. You picked up the shards of yourself alone. You tried to perform your own Kintsugi, but you know you don't have enough gold to make the seams shine. You're no longer the child they once adored."
Hana felt a phantom chill. She speaks of brokenness as if she were personally responsible for the shards. This "Angel" carried a guilt she could not hide.
The girl pointed directly at Hana's chest. "Your heart speaks, but its beat is faint. I'll leave you for now. You can walk back to your bed and let the countdown finish. Or... stay. For the next three years, I will be your shield. I will protect you from everything. Everything but me. Choose."
Hana offered a chillingly polite smile. "As I said, I've had enough of this play. The air is starting to suffocate me."
Without another word, Hana turned and walked away into the night. "It was a nice talk with you, Miss."
The stranger stood alone in the silence, watching the retreating figure. "Hana..." she whispered. "Your eyes are as dead as your smile."
She looked down at her hands. "Is this how much damage I have caused?"
But then... realizing something made her laugh at herself
*Chuckles* "I really am the worst, I even forgot the first step when communicating with a stranger..."
"I didn't get to tell her my name, Night Avione"