~ Navigation ~

As long as I can remember, I've been able to read people's minds. Actually, "reading" is the wrong term, because it implies I have to make an effort and that I can control when to stop. People's thoughts just come to me, unbidden. I can hear them clearly. I can even hear what you're thinking right now. But it's alright… I've heard worse.

I've also always had the ability I showed you earlier; when I caught the stone midair. Later in life, I learned that it's called telekinesis; thought-movement. Another ability I can barely control…

As you can probably imagine, growing up like this was hard. The memories of my childhood are... fuzzy. Patchy, is maybe the right word. Everything beyond the last two years is like it's hidden in mist, slowly drifting; sometimes revealing memories, sometimes obscuring them.

I remember having a mother, and a father. I remember having siblings. I grew up in a warm, oceanside town; Pragora, where I lived for all my life, up until recently. I remember only feeling safe under roof of our house and nowhere else. School was hell. There's a reason why people don't speak their minds. What we think is always much uglier than what we say. But I could hear it all. Imagine approaching a person, and before you've even had the chance to introduce yourself, you can clearly hear their judgement of you. Adults might try to be polite, but children are brutally honest. Even cruel.

I never made many friends. It didn't matter if they were human or lethan; sooner or later I heard something they thought of me that I couldn't stand. So I withdrew. I guess that didn't really improve what the other kids thought of me, even if I made sure not to use telekinesis at school.

By the time I was 12 people had noticed I was weird. I had just started a new school, and I didn't think it could be worse than the previous. My life went from being lonely but tolerable to an utter nightmare.

It all started with this girl… I can't remember her name anymore, but I remember that she had shiny black hair. She tried to befriend me. I was hesitant at first, and in her thoughts I heard that so was she. I guess she took pity on me. But I wanted to hope that I could make a friend. I relented. I don't remember much of what we did together, or what we talked about. I hope it was movies, or love interests. I hope I got to feel like a normal girl, for a while. In time, I let my guard down around her. Just a little. So I guess it was only a matter of time before I slipped up. Before I used my powers around her.

We were outside a little bit too late that night. Mostly, we would just walk around town, eating ice cream, looking at all those toys in the human district we were too broke to buy. This day something in particular really caught our eye… I can't remember what it was, but before we knew it, we had spent hours trying it out and it was closing time for the stores. It's almost always warm in Pragora, but it also gets dark pretty early. I realized we had stayed out too long and our parents were probably worried. So without thinking we took a shortcut through an alley.

We wound up outside a bar, and I could instantly tell we'd taken a turn to the wrong part of town. I tried taking my friend's hand and dragging her back to the alley but a couple of men, smoking outside of the bar, had already spotted us.

"Hey, we could use a couple of more girls tonight. You should join us at the club," they said.

We started running for the alley, but another man blocked our path. "Don't leave yet," he smirked. They were only a couple but they were surrounding us. My friend had started crying as she tried to push past the man almost twice her height. I stood frozen. Then I felt a hand on my back. I was glowing blue. And my mind went blank.

I screamed, and along with it came the sound of flesh ripping. The man behind me roared. The other guy let my friend go to get to him. I didn't want to turn around and look, but I did anyway.

The man was howling in terror and clutching his arm, which was almost completely severed. The bone pipes were sticking out of the gory mess that had been his forearm. I had done that. Telekinesis isn't inherently destructive; it's simply used to manipulate your surroundings. But no matter human or lethan… our first impulse seems to be to destroy. To tear apart. My ability doesn't have the strength of a normal person. It has the power of fifty. When I simply tried to twist someone's arm away, I almost tore it off.

The glow around me dissipated and my mind returned to reality. My friend stood frozen, her eyes wide. I grabbed her arm and booked it for the alley. She followed like a ragdoll in my grasp. I think we ran all the way home, without saying a word.

I didn't hear from her for the rest of the weekend, and when I got back to school on Monday she wasn't there. She wasn't there for a whole week, and when she finally got back, she didn't speak a word to me. When I tried approaching her, she looked up at me, and then away, as if she'd seen no one. She left every time I tried to confront her. I grew increasingly desperate. I didn't know what I had done wrong. I thought I'd saved her. One day, I got called to the principal's office, who questioned me, saying that someone had reported me for harassment. Then I knew my only friend had left me.

I was prepared to be alone again. It wouldn't be that bad; it would simply be my kind of normal. But it got worse. Somehow word had gotten out about my trip to the principal's office, and now everyone thought I was a creep. There were rumours that I'd stalked someone, or hurt them. I had rubber gums and paper balls thrown at me. I endured it. Then they started throwing rocks. I had my things destroyed or dunked in water. They put threatening letters into my bag.

Soon, I wasn't even safe at home. They called me anonymously, saying I was disgusting and that I should kill myself. Someone hung a noose in out backyard. For some reason, I remember that part clearly.

That's when an unfamiliar voice started visiting me in my sleep. It didn't sound like the thoughts I normally heard, so passed it off as a dream. The voice was soft and feminine, so different from the thoughts of the people who haunted me every day. It kept me company many dark, tearful nights. Whispering word of solace. "Everything will be okay," it said. "You will become happy."

I didn't think the voice was real; not really. I just thought it was my confused subconscious, trying to handle my chaotic life. Until I started hearing the voice at day. And it multiplied; turning into a chorus. I knew something was wrong. I thought I might have finally gone as crazy as I felt. But the voices drowned out the thoughts of the people around me. Finally, I got some respite. I felt calm, but my days went by in a haze.

I think my classmates noticed the change. Instead of me shrinking back from every word or hit, I ignored them. It only made them angrier.

A group of them waited for me after school. Eight or ten kids. Before, I'd always tried to leave first of everyone, so that I could get home without harassment. But I'd gotten careless. As I rounded the gym building corner, there they were. A couple of them came towards me, and I tried to turn the other way and run, but my feet were kicked out from under me. I fell to my knees, and someone grabbed my arms and held them behind me. Another one grabbed a fistful of my hair and twisted it. I screamed before my breath was knocked out of me by a kick. Among the blur of my tears I think I saw a familiar silhouette. But she disappeared in the crowd.

They were screaming something at me, asking me something. But I could barely hear what they were saying, or thinking. The voices in my head drowned out theirs. "The day has come," they said. "You can finally become happy. You can make all of this pain go away."

Through the pain of my classmates kicking me, I thought "How? How do I make them stop? I just want this to stop."

"The solution is inside of you. Use your gift. You know what to do."

At first I didn't understand. But then it dawned on me. I toyed with the thought. I could make my tormentors go away, for good. I could pay them back…

My thoughts snapped back to reality. I couldn't use my powers on them. That's what had caused me all this suffering… Using my powers to hurt someone.

"And you can end it the same way," the voices encouraged. "Your powers are a gift meant to be used. They make you stronger than others. Use them, and no one will dare hurt you again."

The voices became more insistent. For every slap, every kick, they got more excited. Maybe they were right. Maybe it could make them stop. Just make them stop.

I felt it well up inside of me. My vision was blurry, but I knew I was starting to glow. My classmates noticed too, and they were letting me go, backing off. Through the blur, I could see their fear.

"No…" I thought. "This is wrong."

"Do it," the voices hissed.

"No!!"

I gripped my head in agony. The voices were waging war with my own will. I heard my own ragged breathing, a gurgling groan in my throat. I couldn't hold it back any longer; the dam on my powers was bursting.

As if in slow motion, I heard the tearing of flesh and the snap of bone. I heard myself, and everyone else, screaming.

"No!" My scream overrode everything else. The blue glow rushed back inside of me. The voices went quiet. Everyone's thoughts went quiet. It felt like the whole world, for once, had gone quiet.

Slowly, sound began to return, and I opened my eyes. My classmates lay bleeding and crying on the ground. But at least they were alive.

My memories past this point are even more patchy. I remember not going to school for a while. When I came back, the bullying stopped. I suffered no repercussions. Apparently they had blamed one of the boys. I didn't see him after that… I think he got transferred.

My classmates left me alone after that. I wish I could say the same for the voices. They came back with an intensity I'd never felt before. And they came back with a more aggressive tone. They no longer tried to hide their blood thirst. They wanted me to use my powers to kill.

When the pressure got too intense, I sometimes found myself mumbling to them to leave me alone. But the voices were always there. Day and night. Each day, my sense of self grew weaker as I could no longer separate reality from what was in my head.

My family had always accepted my powers as they were. I even faintly remember other family members having similar, but different, abilities. But at this point my family finally understood something was very wrong. I remember strangers trying to talk to me in warmly decorated offices. But I don't remember what they asked me. I remember swallowing medicine, but I don't remember what it was for. The blackouts started happening soon after.

I would go to school for a full day, and afterwards I couldn't remember anything that had happened. Sometimes I would even lose several days. I was living each day in a haze of the voices' influence.

This particular day; I was 16 at the time, wasn't any different than the rest. When I came home from another appointment with a stranger, it was already late. I withdrew to my room after only saying a few words to my parents. I stayed there my room for hours, curled into a ball at my bed, listening to the voices talk to me as usual. Someone was knocking on my bedroom door. But reality seemed far away. I remember thinking that maybe the voices were the only thing that was real. Maybe I was just imagining the knocking.

The knocking got more insistent. That feeling was welling up inside me again.

"Make it stop."

"You know how to stop this," the voices hummed.

"Leave me alone."

The knocking was no longer knocks. It was thunder in my head, threatening to cave my skull in. I was clutching my arms so hard my claws drew blood.

"Make everything silent…" I breathed. The air around me was vibrating. Even through my shut eyes, I knew everything was glowing blue.

"Silence!"

I threw myself into motion. Then everything turned black. I didn't hear anything. I didn't see anything. I have no idea how long I was gone. When I opened my eyes, I found myself on a hard, cold floor. The lights were off, and it was silent in the house. And even more, it was silent in my head.

My head hurt. Where was I? The house was vaguely familiar… but I couldn't remember what I was doing there. I put my hand out to help myself up… and felt something wet. That's when the stench hit me. Blood. The white walls and floor of the bathroom were dark with blood. I heard the sound of my own heart beating fast.

I got to my feet… only to stumble over something soft. I didn't look. I ran. Through the broken doorframes; though pieces of glass. I think I ran all the way to the ocean, where I washed myself in the waves.

After that blackout, I lost nearly all of the memories of my past. And I lost my family. A family I no longer remembered. I was truly alone in the world. These past four years, I've fought hard to get my memories of them back. As well as my memories of the voices; the thing that killed them.

For months, I drifted. With almost no memory of my past, all I knew was my name and the fact that my family was probably dead. I lived on the street, in the absolute most worn-down quarters of Pragora. The bar I had stumbled upon in the past was nothing compared to the decay in the true slum. Dirty syringes littered the streets and cables hung loosely between the roofs, as people's only pass times were drugs and TV.

I didn't remember the voices, and they didn't come back. My powers were still there, but at first in a weakened state. Regaining my powers was a painful process. I had to relive the horror of first noticing I could hear other people's thoughts, just as I did when I was a child.

The telekinesis, what I had left anyway, came in handy… I'm ashamed to say that I hurt people. Mostly in self-defence. But I also had to eat, and when I was starving I occasionally took someone else's last bread.

Almost two years passed. Winter in Pragora is usually mild, but this particular year… an unexpected cold hit. Everyone around me was hurting and hungry. There was barely any food to go around in the slums, not even for me to steal. So, my mind addled with starvation, I dragged myself out and into the lethan district. I was intending to get food any way I could… but I wouldn't kill. I would rather die.

I thought maybe that was easier; to just lie down and pass out. Let it all be over. Let the hurt in my empty stomach go away. Then, rain began to fall. Rain in the winter… it's very rare in Pragora. But I kept walking, dragging my feet.

Finally, right outside someone's house, my knees buckled. It was a nice house. Small, painted in a light yellow colour, with stairs leading up to the front door. I thought; if this was the last thing I saw, it wouldn't be so bad. My eyesight was going blurry.

But I still had my hearing. And the door opened. I heard their thoughts before their words. 'Going out with the trash. Housework is boring. I want to play videogames…' Such mundane thoughts. Must be nice, I thought. I heard the plastic bag drop to the ground with a rustle.

"Hey! Are you alright? … Hey!"

Someone grabbed my shoulder. A familiar voice. I couldn't respond even if I wanted to. I heard his thoughts once again. Thoughts of genuine concern. His face came into view above me, worried yellow eyes shining in the rain.

"Ashikato…" I whispered. And then I passed out.

When I woke up again I was in a bed with soft covers. I couldn't remember sleeping better than this, ever. Even though I had no idea where I was, I couldn't care less. I thought of just rolling over and going back to sleep, but I was alerted by someone else's thoughts approaching. I sat up quickly.

"Oh! You're awake. Finally!" the teenage lethan said as he came into the room, holding a bowl of soup that smelled wonderful. Sea green skin, bright yellow eyes, and spiky teal hair that jutted out in front of his snout. Just as I remembered him. Only… taller?

His smile dropped somewhat, and he gently sat down beside me.

"Hey miss… Have we met somewhere before? You kind of look like you saw a ghost."

"Maybe I did…" I said as I found my voice. "You look just like my brother. He… passed away."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" he looked down. "What was his name?"

"Ashikato…" I felt my eyes well up with tears. "A.K. Is it you… or am I going crazy again?"

He stared at me, eyes wide open. "A.K.? Where have I heard that before… That's right. I used be called… A.K." Recognition started to dawn in his eyes. "San…yuki?"

I threw myself into his arms. He dropped the bowl and soup flew everywhere, but he didn't seem to mind. We just held each other for a long time. I couldn't believe I had found family when I thought I was all alone. Let alone family I had forgotten.

A.K. later told me his story. He had even less memory of his past than I did. Neither of us could remember the faces of our parents, or the rest of our siblings. But he told me that he had seen the reports that two adults and two adolescents were found dead. And one had gone missing: me. We were the only two survivors the voices had left behind when they unleashed. If only I could have kept them restrained…

He told me that he had tried living in a foster home for a year, but in the end, after much insisting, they let him live alone. I asked him if it was lonely, but he said that he had friends at school, and that social services checked up on him all the time. The inheritance our parents left behind could rent him this house, in a middleclass part of the lethan district. He was getting by.

I will probably never know what guided me to his doorstep that night when I almost died. Maybe it was instinct, or my abilities. Or a higher power. Maybe just love.

I moved in with A.K. For two years, we lived peacefully in our house in Pragora. We didn't speak of our past much, as neither of us could remember much. We basically took every day as it came. I was getting increasingly home-bound as my telepathy returned full-force, and it was taxing for me to be among people for any stretch of time.

He was going to highschool, but I was too afraid to go. We could live okay from the inheritance money, but I knew eventually I'd have to get myself back on track, and eventually make up for the years of school I'd collectively missed from being sick from the voices and being on the street. I began practicing shutting the thoughts of other people out. Little by little, I got more in control.

In the meantime, I did what I could and worked around the house and helped him with homework. Though A.K. was always the better cook. Anything with fish, or any type of pie, is his favourite.

After any particularly taxing day, we'd take a walk to the ocean just as it was getting colder and everyone else was going home. A whole stretch of beach, just to ourselves. I would usually stay on the shore, the wind tousling my hair relentlessly, while A.K. swam like a fish in water.

That evening wasn't any different. We were just about to go home, but we decided to take a longer walk along the beach, because the sunset was so extraordinary that evening. The sky was painted in the colours of the rainbow.

But then I noticed something. One of the clouds was not red, orange, yellow, or pink. It was black. The cloud was only a tiny speck, far away, but now that I had noticed it, I couldn't stop looking at it.

"Can you see that? The darker cloud, to the right,"

Ashikato squinted his eyes. "Yeah. That's probably a storm coming up. It's pretty far away though."

"Do you... really think so? Because to me, it looks more like… I don't know."

"Like smoke."

"Exactly. But where could it come from?"

"An island?"

"Maybe… I know there are some islands off the coast."

"Maybe it's a forest fire," he suggested.

I nodded, but I wasn't convinced. Then I spotted something further away on the beach. It was a bright, outstretched form, almost blending in with the sand right by the water's edge. Like a bump that the water flowed in around.

"A.K…Can you see that too?" I pointed towards the motionless figure. Before I knew it, Ashikato had already set off in a run towards the form. I followed slowly.

As I closed in, it became apparent what the form was; a lethan male. His skin was white as marble, almost translucent. Slender but muscular, his form that lay stretched on his stomach must have reached at least two meters. But what really stood out was his mane of deep red hair with golden tips. I have seen plenty of unusual colour combinations on lethan hair, but nothing like this. His hair wasn't the only thing red; he had small lacerations and bruises along his body. Was he even still alive?

"He's got a head wound." A.K. said, squatting down beside the other lethan. "He could be badly hurt, San… Who could have done this to him?"
"We should call the police," I said. I had a bad feeling about this. Like, it was something I wasn't supposed to stumble into. The same feeling I got from the shady bars in the outskirts of town.
"I'm gonna check his breathing." A.K. said, and before I could stop him he grabbed the white lethan's shoulder to turn him over.

The lethan's eyes opened. I'll never forget that cold, peridot green gaze. In a blur, A.K. was launched backwards through the air, and landed meters away with a sickening thud. All I could do was stand in shock.

The white lethan got up, fixing me with his gaze. He was trembling slightly from the effort. Two long, twisting metal cords were dancing behind him like angry snakes. They were coming directly out of his back. I was sure he would attack me next. I didn't dare move. But from the corner of my eye, I saw that my hands were glowing.

But as fast as he had struck A.K., he sprinted past me, into the city. I had escaped death once again. My limbs un-froze, and I threw myself to the ground next to A.K. His eyes were closed.

"A.K.! Ashikato!!" I screamed, fumbling for his pulse. Then I heard him groan.

"Ow… That guy had bad manners." He saw my tearful expression. "Don't worry. I don't think anything's broken."

"I hope you're right," I said and helped him up.

"Ouch. Who was that guy, anyway? He packed a really heavy punch."

"That was no punch," I said. "He had… I don't know… thick wires, coming out of his back. He seemed to control them."

"Oh. Another one with special powers maybe. Like you!"

I didn't like that comment. "Not like me."

I supported A.K. as we walked our way home. Something about this encounter made me more worried than ever before. Something had been very wrong about that white lethan… Then it occurred to me. I hadn't heard his thoughts. All the while he had stared at me, it had been completely silent. My gut twisted.

Something told me we hadn't seen the last of that guy. And I was right.

After that, we returned to daily life as if nothing had happened. But I felt as if something had changed. I had thought my biggest problem was to get my powers under control and get back to school. But those suddenly seemed like mundane problems. Had I been too naïve, to think that I could live in peace?

One day A.K. and I was out shopping in the human district, a very rare occurrence. But we were looking to buy a computer, and the human district always had more electronics stores. Suddenly, A.K. stopped in his tracks. When I turned to look where he looked, I just barely saw a snow white tail, sweeping around a corner.

"Do you think that was…" he started.

"I don't know. We should go." I was already starting to turn around and leave.

"Just one sec," and before I could stop him, again, A.K. had started going into the side street. I cursed silently. He always goes ahead first, and thinks after…

We followed the white lethan through the alleys in the human district. Further and further. I know where this led. It was the way into the ghetto, where I'd spent months as a street kid.

"Let's get out of here, A.K.. This place is bad… just trust me."

"We've almost caught up to him, I can feel it." He was tracking intensely, yellow eyes shining with excitement.

"That's all the more reason to-"

I didn't have time to finish my sentence. I heard a blood curling scream from down the alleyway, followed by the clang of metal against metal. A crack, louder than any firecracker I've ever heard, rang out and stunned me. Something thudded to the ground. Then, silence.

Ashikato sprinted ahead. I threw myself after him. "A.K., no!" I hissed, trying to whisper. I ended up bumping into A.K.'s back where he had stopped, looking intently at something around the street corner. I couldn't help but lean in and take a look myself. I wasn't prepared for the scene I was about to witness.

The pale lethan stood, clutching a human man clad in a black and green uniform by the front of his heavy vest. Following the lethan's metal wires with my gaze, I saw that one was buried in the man's gut. On the ground lay the still body of another uniformed person, a woman. The lethan was looking directly at us, with those green, slit-pupil eyes. His mind was silent. Then, he spoke.

"Come out. You've already seen it."

The wire that was buried in the man's stomach snaked loose, covered in blood. The lethan let go of the body, which fell to the ground in a heap. I tried backing away, dragging A.K. with me. The white-skinned lethan was coming right at us. I was preparing myself for the worst. I steeled myself, and let the glow encase my form.

The white lethan stopped in his tracks. He cocked his head to the side, standing by.

"What is that? That glow." He begun approaching again, four wires curling and snapping around him."

"Don't come closer!" I shouted, and I let out a burst of telekinetic power, trying to hold back. The white lethan swiftly shielded himself with one of his wires, but he was pushed back nonetheless. The wire dented like a squeezed aluminium can.

"What?" he breathed. But he never lost his footing. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You're not my targets in this town." To mark his words, he retracted his wires somewhat.

"Your targets…?"

"These people." He pushed at one of the bodies with his foot. "Oceanea's soldiers."

"Oceanea… the medical corporation?"

The white lethan snorted. "That's what they tell you, don't they?" He walked closer. "Here's a free tip; stay away from them. I don't know what your deal is, but you seem to have some power. Oceanea would love to get their hands on someone like you. They might be after me this time, but that's no guarantee they won't come after you if you flaunt your powers like that."

I retracted my telekinetic glow, slowly. For the first time in my life, I wished I could hear what someone was thinking. Should I trust him? Should I attack?

And then, he made a move. I braced myself again, intending to protect A.K.. But the white lethan was just turning around to leave.

"Hey!" A.K. shouted. "You never told us your name!"

The white lethan looked at him over his shoulder, pausing.

"Zaikyochi." He said, and then swiftly and nimbly jumped away, up on the decaying rooftops.

Afterwards, I felt conflicted. This Zaikyochi had slaughtered two people in cold blood. I was pretty sure he'd been tracking them, not the other way around. But then again, he'd also given me an invaluable warning.

I thought that maybe, if I lay low for a while, all this would pass. But that was just wishful thinking.

Just like before, they first came to me at night. The voices. I instantly recognized them, despite at that point having no memory of them. It was all starting to get back to me. The incorporeal beings that had tormented me as a child. This time, they didn't bother to hide their intentions.

"You're always in danger… Now and always. You can't live a normal life. Unless you make everyone fear you. Just like your classmates. Make everyone leave you alone. Use your powers."

I knew I had made a mistake. As my powers returned, so did the voices. It was like they were attracted to them like sharks to blood in the water. I cursed myself for ever using them.

But this time, I had better control of my powers. I knew how to keep the glow in. I knew how to keep people's thoughts out, at least mostly. I had become a master at isolation. But the voices were growing stronger, even though I restrained my powers.

That Tuesday, A.K. had come down with a cold. Nothing serious, but we were out of cough drops, so I had to brave the town on my own to buy some. At first, it was going well. I was keeping others' thoughts at bay. But then the voices crept in, louder than before. This time, they weren't saying anything in particular, which was odd. They were whispering, occasionally shouting. And laughing.

It was an overcast day, so I got the idea to cross though the park. There wouldn't be many people there on a dull weekday like this. I went off the gravelled path, to make my way through the bushes. Some of them were really high, so I couldn't look over them. But I heard no talking, so I went in among them, to a more secluded area of the park. The voices were getting painfully loud, thudding in my skull. I clutched my head.

I thought I was alone, but I startled as I saw a lone lethan girl sitting on the park bench. I tried to hurry along, getting as far away from any people as possible, when I heard her speak.

"I can hear them too."

The voices shrunk to a whispering in the back of my head. I turned to look at the girl, my hands slowly dropping.

"What… did you say?"

"I can hear them too. The voices." She said simply, with a small smile. At first, I thought she'd been a child because of her small frame. But looking closer, she had the form of an adult female. With light purple skin and plum coloured hair, she looked at me calmly.

"There's a trick to it, you know. A way to make them obey."

I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. I tried reading her mind, but was met with a blinding migraine that dropped me to the ground as the voices flared up in my mind.

"Hey!" the lethan girl got up and approached. "Are you alright? Are they giving you a hard time?" She leisurely walked over to me, hips swaying.

"It's okay," she said calmly, as crouched down to hug me. I shrank back reflexively.

"How…," I stammered. "How do I control them? How do I make them… go away?"

"Oh, it's simple really. You control them by giving in to them. By giving them what they want… they give you what you want." Her grey eyes were staring intently into mine. I understood what she was saying, but I didn't want to think about it. A symbiosis with the voices. Would they stop haunting me if I made a deal with them?

The purple lethan stood up slowly, toying with her necklace. It was the first time I noticed it. It was a large deep purple gemstone, almost black, as big as to fill her palm. It was mounted in a silver frame, and hung around her neck with silver links. Rather than reflect light, it seemed to suck light into it.

I got to my feet. "You're saying I could make a deal with them."

"Exactly," she smiled. "But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Daerokia, Kia for short. Another one, like you, who can hear the voices."

"Sanyuki," I replied. "How come you… can hear the voices?"

"Oh, it happened when I was a teenager. Fell down a well and you know, almost died." she said flippantly. "I guess the voices come to people who have endured something traumatic." She suddenly grew serious. "I won't pry, but I'd guess the same goes for you."

"You'd be correct."

"That's what I thought. I don't think the voices are necessarily evil, even though it can be painful to have them. I think they are here to help us."

That gave me pause. "…Really?"

"Yes," she said, smiling at me. "They show us what trials to go through, to become stronger. They can even grant our wishes. You have a wish, right? To silence those thoughts you hear; those of other people."

I was suddenly on edge. "How did you know that?"

"Oh silly, I told you! I'm like you. I also have powers."

She reached down to the ground and ran her fingers through the grass. Almost instantly, the glass blades she touched wilted and turned yellow, then an ashy grey.

"See? The power to control nature."

I was stunned. I wasn't the only one with unusual powers.

"The voices came to me to grant a wish when I was most in need. They can do the same for you," Kia said.

"How?"

"All you need to do is state your wish to the voices and follow their instructions."

"What did you wish for?"

Kia giggled and winked. "That's a secret."

I closed my eyes and tapped into my power, attempting to call upon the voices. My form glowed blue. Sure enough, the voices came hissing back. Into their chaotic presence I thought:

"I wish away my powers. I wish I was a normal girl."

The choir of voices asked: "Is that your truest wish?"

"Yes."

"What are you willing to give?"

"Anything."

"Then we'll have your servitude in life, and your soul in death."

"What?"

"Your servitude in life, and your soul in death."

"No!"

The voices roared up. "Then you shall NEVER be free!"

I snapped out of my trance, to see Daerokia staring at me, all kindness from her features gone.

"I should have known you'd back out. After all, what kind of moron wishes for LESS power?"

"What are you?"

"I told you. The same as you. But also… just a humble servant. To the demons."

"The demons…" I breathed.

"Yeah. Or voices or whatever you call them." A thick black smoke was pulsating from the stone in her necklace. "Sorry, but if you won't take the deal, I've got orders to kill you. Nothing personal." Then she charged.

But I was prepared. I unleashed all the power I had tapped into earlier in one, violent blast. Daerokia was flung backwards as if hit by a giant, unseen hammer. I had intended to throw her to the ground and run. But in my desperation I used much more force. Daerokia was rammed into the stone fountain, cracking its angelic figurehead.

I didn't want to look, but I could see the water rapidly turning red. Her form was all broken and torn, lying in a painful heap. Her right arm… was no longer attached.

I belched. I had probably… just killed someone. There were no witnesses. I needed to get away. Did I even deserve to get away? But my legs carried me away from the park nonetheless.

When I got home, it was already dark. As I stumbled into the hallway, all I could stutter out was: "Sorry, A.K… I couldn't get your medicine."

That's when I noticed he wasn't alone. Around the kitchen table sat A.K., and a tall, light blue lethan with grey hair I had never seen before. I immediately backed off, readying myself for the worst. How many times would this happen? Would I have to hurt someone, again?

"A.K., get away from him."

A.K. got up, but he wasn't hurrying.

"San, it's alright," he said with placating motions. "Just sit down with us. I think we can trust this guy."

"You also thought it was a good idea to follow that Zaikyochi." I said. I immediately realized that was unnecessarily harsh, when I saw A.K.'s wounded expression. I cast my eyes down.

"Just hear him out okay?" Ashikato pleaded.

"Fine." I went over to the kitchen table, but didn't sit down.

Instead, the stranger got up. He towered over me, and his big, ragged feathery wings only made him look larger, despite his slender build. His eyes remained closed.

"I'm Cyrai," he said gently. "Pardon me for the intrusion."

"Why don't you look me in the eye?"

He lifted his eyelids slightly. There was a milky film covering his irises and pupils. Standing so close, I noticed a myriad of small, slim scars on his face.

"Forgive me if I don't. I can't see you with my eyes. But I can see some, with my mind."

"A… special power?"

He smiled. "A part of it."

"This guy is the guardian of memories," A.K. said happily. "That's pretty handy, huh."

My head was spinning. Another person with special powers.

"Are you… also here to kill me? Are you with the demons?" I asked.

His expression darkened. "The opposite. I came here to warn you about them… But I'm sorry to hear I was too late."

I finally sat down. "I think I… killed one of them."

A.K. stared at me in shock. Cyrai snapped his head to me. I felt him staring at me, under his eyelids. "Which one?"

"She was called Daerokia…"

Cyrai also sat back down. "Then she's still alive."

I slowly looked up. "…How? I saw… I saw her body. There is no way she could have survived!"

"That one can put herself back together. She is immortal, in the true sense of the word. Not even destruction can kill her."

"How is that even possible?" I breathed.

"The power of demons," Cyrai said, his voice thick with contempt. "She has made a deal with them. A wish in exchange for her soul, which has turned her into a half-demon. My best guess is she wished to be undying. She doesn't age, doesn't fall sick, and can't be killed."

"You… know her?"

"I have been tracking her for some time. She will come for you, and she's too powerful. You have to flee from this town."

"What?! Why… why is this happening to me?"

"It's because of who you are," Cyrai nodded to me, and then to A.K.. "You and your brother, both. Your powers are reincarnations of those that the Nightbinder, Teilara Skye, and her companions had, almost a millennium ago. You are espers, just like they were, and just like other reincarnations before you."

"Espers…" I mumbled.

"Wait, I have powers??" Ashikato exclaimed.

"Yes, but you have forgotten them."

"Oh… That would make sense. I've forgotten most of my memories. So… what kind of power do I have?" he beamed. My stomach twisted. I didn't want them to come after A.K. too.

"You've got the power to create illusions."

"Woah! Did you hear that, San? That sounds pretty badass!"

"Why us?" I asked Cyrai.

"There is no ready explanation for why the powers are reincarnated as they are. Two siblings being reincarnations is… exceedingly rare indeed."

"That's no comfort."

"I know… And I understand this must be hard."

"Why are the demons coming after the espers?"

"Because it was those same powers that imprisoned them. This was long ago… So long it seems, that people have forgotten that demons used to be a real threat, not just a dark fairytale. You've heard of Teilara Skye, correct?"

"The legendary warrior that imprisoned the demons… But that's just a myth! An ancient folktale."

"No. It's history. But it's been a thousand years… And I guess our memory is short. At some point history gets distorted and turned into legends. This one is real."

I was thinking feverishly, trying to remember what the myth said. "But Teilara defeated the demons… She and her companions imprisoned them…"

"In the seven Night Stones, yes. But just like history, powers wither with time. The demons are breaking free. And they're planning on staying free."

"They're planning to eliminate the threat… The powers that locked them up in the first place." I was beginning to understand.

I looked up at A.K.

"We have to hide."

"No," Cyrai interjected. "You won't be able to run for long. The demons have to be dealt with."

I couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Dealt with?" I said incredulously. "You said it before, if Daerokia is still alive, I'm no match for her. She will slaughter us."

Cyrai stood up. "You don't have to fight right now. First, you must learn to control your powers. But you WILL have to fight, eventually. There's no backing out from this."

I was getting desperate. I didn't want to fight… Fighting meant using my powers. And with them, would come the voices. I stood up, clutching my arms, trying subconsciously to protect myself.

"How do we know we can trust you? Just this past week… I've met two other people who seemed to be espers. They've both attacked us. What's to say that you're not going to?" I questioned.

"You've met TWO espers?"

"Answer my question!" I screamed. The cupboards opened and slammed shut in a burst of telekinetic energy.

Cyrai sat down slowly.

"I won't harm either of you, you have my word. It's in my very best interest to keep both of you alive. Only with our combined strength can we beat back the demons."

"And what if we don't?"

"I think you can imagine what would happen…" Cyrai said gravely. "The world would return to the chaos and war that plagued its past. Demons gain power when people are suffering. To perpetuate that suffering in eternity is their will."

I swallowed hard. So the fate of the world hung in the balance.

"I can't do this."

"You have to find a way."

"I said I won't!"

"Then you're dooming us all!" Cyrai raised his voice for the first time.

"…I'll do it." I heard A.K. speak up beside me, softly. He wore the most serious expression I'd ever seen on him. "I can't let the world become a nasty place. There's so much to like about it. I'll do what I can to protect it!"

Cyrai smiled at him silently.

I sighed. "You know I can't let you do that alone…"

A.K. grinned. "That's right! You've got no choice but to tag along!"

I was silent for a while. Then, I relented.

"Fine. We'll go."

Cyrai smiled warmly at us. "You've made the right choice. No matter how hard it gets I will be there to back you up." Then he grew somber. "But we must depart tonight. There's no telling when Daerokia will be back. And she might bring friends."

Me and A.K. looked at each other.

"We can't. We have to arrange for someone to look after the house, and pay the bills, and…"

"That's no longer important. If we don't go soon, you might not even have a home to go back-"

"One night, and one day." I interrupted him. "Give us until tomorrow night, 24 hours, and then we'll go with you."

Cyrai hesitated.

"Then it's settled," he said at last. "Tomorrow night, we depart."

The next day was filled with preparations. We realized we couldn't take most of our belongings with us; just the essentials like money and food. Somehow we'd have to find a place to buy camping equipment. We arranged for the bills to be paid automatically. But Cyrai forbade us from telling anyone we were leaving, even A.K.'s friends and the social services. Anyone could be connected to the demons, he said.

As night fell, we were as ready as we'd ever be. Me and A.K. looked around the house one more time. I think we both realized there was a chance we would not be coming back. I took one last look over my shoulder as Cyrai ushered us out. It had been a good home.

The night was silent and warm in the lethan district. We didn't meet many people. But as we neared the human district, the prickly stench of smoke filled our nostrils.

"Something is burning," A.K. said.

"It has already begun…" Cyrai said. "Be on your guard. There could be a whole army of half-demons invading."

When we heard the mass of sirens we started running. But we still didn't see any crowds. No half-demons.

"The sirens are going the same way we are…" I noticed.

"We have to go this way. We can't risk going through the slums."

I knew he was right. And soon we saw where the fire trucks were going. A multi-story building was burning. We didn't have skyscrapers in Pragora, but this was as close as we got. I recognized it.

"The Oceanea Hospital…" I breathed.

"Targeting a hospital… It definitely seems like a demon's doing," Cyrai said.

As we ran past, I spotted them, two silhouettes against the smoke. And my heart almost stopped.

"You!"

Not only was it Daerokia, looking distinctly alive. Beside her stood a tall lethan, his white skin in stark contrast to the falling ash.

"Hey, San!" Daerokia taunted. "I didn't think I'd get to kill you so soon!"

She made a lunging motion, and the three of us stopped, readying to protect ourselves. But Zaikyochi placed a clawed hand on Kia's shoulder, and held her back.

"What's that for?" She hissed at him. He barely acknowledged her.

"So… you're with them," I said to Zai.

"No… They're with me," he said. "Get out of our way and we won't hurt you."

"Huh?! Speak for yourself, I'm gonna rip this b-" Kia shouted, but one icy look from him shut her up.

"Do you know him?" Cyrai asked me.

"It's the other person who I thought might be an esper." I said to him in hushed tones. "Me and A.K. have encountered him twice… He's got some sort of metal implants in his back, in the form of wires."

"That's not one of us," Cyrai said. "He's something different."

"If you think you can control, or even cooperate with the demons… You're making a grave mistake," Cyrai spoke up to Zai.

Zaikyochi smiled mirthlessly.

"Don't worry about me… Worry about yourselves. Now go before I unleash this mad dog at you."

"Who the hell are you calling a dog??" Kia barked at him. He just gave her a flat look.

"We should go," Cyrai whispered. "As we are now, we can't beat them, especially not both of them at once."

I stood frozen, feeling my heart beating all the way up my throat.

Cyrai swivelled his head quickly from side to side, seemingly looking for something from behind his closed eyelids.

"On my count of three, we rush for the alley, to the right."

I nodded, and saw A.K. do the same beside me.

"One…two…. three!"

And the three of us ran, as fast as our legs would go.