Stepping in front of the large structure, Alex observed the white building. A large red cross announced its function, the symbol associated with the healing element. No one was quite sure where that connection came from, but it existed. It wasn’t very far from his school, thus there was no difficulty in reaching it.
A stream of people walked into and out of the hospital, and the boy joined them. The air outside wasn’t particularly cold, but there was a noticeable shift in temperature as you walked in.
Inside, countless people were sat, waiting for their names to be called. The chattering noise and the constant occurrences of coughing and sneezing constituted the background. The floors were tiled, and the walls painted, as speckless a white as could be. He walked up to the receptionist, a young male more concerned with staring at his handheld device.
“Excuse me, I am here to visit someone?”
The person looked up; gum being chewed in their mouth. Blowing and then popping it, they finally began to speak.
“Their name?”
“Helena. Helena Lane.”
The man typed quickly on his computers, his fingers dancing with the proficiency of a skilled netizen.
“Your name and relationship?”
“I’m Alexander Thorn. She is my aunt.”
“Okay, I-”
“Not by blood. She is more like my carer.”
“No worries. I can see you are expected. That’d be room 105. Head down by that corridor, and then take the first stairs you see. She’ll be on the 1st floor. There will be signs to guide you from there.”
“I see. Thank you very much.”
“No problem.”
Thus, he was standing before her room door. Taking a deep breath, his fingers reached for the door. A quick knocking ensued.
“Come in.” A woman’s voice replied, showing no signs of illness.
Exhaling, he entered inside. Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm glow over Helena’s resting form. She looked completely fine, only a small bandage around her shoulder area exposing her. His conscience heavy, he tried to focus away from her.
The quiet hum of machines filled the room, broken only by the occasional murmur of voices in the hall. A hushed television floated in the corner, showing Inops’ local news channel. Uncle Sam was sat alongside one of the walls, his arms crossed. Yet, despite the calm, a knot of guilt twisted in the youngster’s stomach.
“Alex, good to see you here.” Sam looked up to see the arriving boy.
“Sorry, Sam. Can you give us some space?” Helena spoke without looking at him, her eyes fixated on the youngling.
Sam curiously looked between the people, before shrugging his shoulders.
“No problem, I’ll just be outside.”
As the door closed behind him, Helena gave a long helpless sigh.
“I’m just… sorry,” Alex muttered, unable to meet her gaze. Helena offered a small smile, shaking her head.
“No, the fault lies with me. Don’t blame yourself.”
The boy just took it as her trying to comfort him. After all, if he wasn’t so weak, her injury was never bound to happen.
“I am not speaking empty words.”
Confused, the boy looked up, unable to understand.
“I had a feeling something was following us. But I didn’t tell you.” Seeing his silence, she continued.
“I was afraid that if I told you, your fear would alert it and incentivise the beast to hunt earlier. I hoped that if I kept walking away, the problem would just go.”
With a heavy-hearted exhalation, Helena then finished her talk.
“I should have told you. You deserved to know. Then we would have faced it head on, rather than let it ambush us.”
Alex stared for a moment longer, before breaking into a self-deprecating smile.
“That would have changed nothing. It doesn’t change the fact I am weak.”
Her mouth opened, but he held his hand up to stop her from speaking.
“Don’t. I am not wallowing in self-pity. I understand what I have to do now.”
His guilt lightened, as a fire within burnt it.
“That’s the Alex I know. Never giving up.” She motioned him closer, which he naively obeyed, before tickling him.
With her superhuman speed, the boy had no chance to dodge, his pained laughter reverberating through the room. After a torturous minute, she released him, and the mood brightened.
“By the way, I thought you would be working in the mines at this time.”
“Uncle Sam got a leave of absence for me as well. After all, I can’t get there without him.” He said, rubbing the back of his head.
“Oh, and I still get today’s paycheck as well.”
After the small personal chat, they called Uncle Sam back in.
With a heavy thump, he fell down on his seat. Grabbing the TV’s remote, he turned its volume up.
“Helena, did you tell the lad about your ascendance?”
The boy turned over to Helena, his face one of shock. How did she leave out such a crucial detail?
Looking over, the older man silently cursed himself.
“Judging by that reaction, no. Damn, I made the announcement so undramatic.”
Helena gave a helpless smile as she locked eyes with Alex. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
‘Ascendance? For Auntie Helena, that means she is now an Emerged Ortus. A bona fide 2nd tier! A real mage!’
His mind spun with emotions - what this meant for Helena, and what it meant for him. He wasn’t just weak now - he was behind, miles behind. He wanted to stand on that level too.
It was a small step in power, but a massive one in standing. Every person could become a Vigil, it showed nothing. But only a handful made the next stride. Thus, it represented a potential above that of the average human.
As he continued deeper into his mind, the iconic theme of the Inops Newscast rang out, signifying the beginning of a new hour. And the advent of breaking news. Escaping out of his inertness, he looked at the screen, two other sets of eyes sharing his thoughts.
“Good afternoon Inops City. At this hour, we bring you the latest updates both local and global, so make sure to stay tuned in.” The news anchor’s voice filtered into the room.
“As if we didn’t know that.” The older man snorted.
“We will start off with news about the Forest Arbor. Authorities detected a small fire at its edges, but due to the wind direction, it failed to do much damage. Upon inspecting, a charred body of a Windreaver Fox had been discovered.”
Alex and Helena snuck a cheeky glance at each other.
“Authorities have concluded that a battle between a fire attuned beast, likely a Crimson Warthog, had taken place. The sighting of the fox has also raised concern, due to their unlikelihood to be found near the forest perimeter. Their typical habitat is further in.”
“Weren’t you two near that location?” Sam raised his eyebrows at them but didn’t pry further.
“Next, the Griffin family have announced that anybody who awakens two elements, regardless of their affinity, will be offered a contract to work for the family. No questions asked.”
“Why don’t you consider that Alex? Making connections with them is a great launch pad for your career.” While Alex admired her enthusiasm to help, the requirement to qualify was too steep.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
He also wanted to fight on the frontlines, not cower behind in the city. The anchor continued to talk about minor things before moving into the heavier topics.
“Moving on to international news, we have a massive story still unfolding. The C ranked City of Nori has been besieged by a massive beast tide. Though they are confident of holding on, they have requested reinforcements from nearby settlements. The monster leading the attack has been described as a massive centipede, and currently ranked as an astonishing 5th tier, a Kaiser.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Even a C ranked city has quite a few 5th tiers. They should be able to hold on.” Though Sam tried to sound upbeat, the screen blinked as he turned it off.
“Helena, the nurses should be here to check you out soon. Then, we will go.”
The boy walked out, unsure of what to feel. Far from the comfort of the hospital, someone else had plans for him.
***
Cautes leaned against the mine’s walls, the sound of drills buzzing and stones breaking echoing faintly in the distance. The man was sulking in a darkened corner, a particularly unlit area. He lazily played with a knife, twirling it in his hands, an amused glint in his eye as his subordinate approached.
“Boss, I looked at his usual spot, he wasn’t there.”
“Well, check other places, dimwit.” The older man just gave a scornful cough.
“I did, but he wasn’t anywhere.” The crony spoke proudly, chest sticking out.
For once, he had done what Cautes wanted without him needing to ask. Alas, he was destined to receive no praise for his efforts.
“And Sam?”
The underling smiled shakily. He had forgotten to check. He scoured his memories desperately, trying to remember if he saw the face.
“Ugh, no?”
To his relief, Cautes didn’t comment on his lie. Or rather, he just didn’t care.
“It’s of no matter. Every rabbit will come back to its hole eventually. Regardless, if I touch that brat too brazenly, his old man will be on to me. And if I touch that bastard, the higher ups will be on to me.”
He spat on the ground angrily, not computing why they looked so favourably on Sam.
“Boss, why don’t we get them both at once?”
“You stupid knucklehead. That doesn’t change anything.” He glared at the younger man, who shirked away from his gaze.
What he would do for a more competent lackey…
“Looking at the bright side, the new mine shaft is said to have a higher density of crystals. I’m going to apply for a change of location there. You tell the others to do that as well before the spaces run out.” His eyes lit up with a greedy glint.
'And there's something else I need to do.'
“You got it, boss.” With a thumbs up, he finally stepped away from Cautes, his heart loosening.
“The other way idiot.”
Realising he was going in the wrong direction, from Cautes’ call, he smiled foolishly before heading the other way.
***
The noises of the city faded behind him as Alex stepped into the park. With the distant hum of traffic and the scattered voices from the streets gone, it left only the soft shiver of leaves and the occasional fluttering of wind.
It was a rare trek to be in this location, but Alex could still tell. The park felt different at night: quieter and calmer. It seemed to exist in its own world, separate from the towering buildings of the city he had left behind.
A path stretched before him, snaking through the heart of the park, lit gently by lampposts dotted along the way. Each pool of light cast soft, golden circles on the ground, illuminating the grass below. Above, the sporadic trees swayed gently, their branches rustling with a silent lullaby.
The boy never found himself in the park at this hour. Usually, the day was too full - busy with the weight of responsibilities and the never-ending work in the mines.
But here, in the cool night air, with only the soft glow of the lamps to guide his way, he could almost forget about everything else.
It was a rare moment of serenity, and for once, he let himself be overtaken by it. As the scenery swept along, he could finally make out his target. Up ahead, Alex saw the familiar figure of Aquilo, sitting on a bench beneath one of the lampposts.
He was leaning back gently against his seat, his posture relaxed. Aquilo lifted a hand and waved as soon as he spotted Alex, a grin on his face.
“Took you long enough.”
Alex returned the wave and made his way over, the soft crunch of gravel beneath his boots the only sound in the stillness.
“Well, you did call me at such an ungodly hour.”
He took a seat next to Aquilo, whose grin faltered.
“Oh yeah, sorry about that.”
Alex rolled his eyes. Glancing up at the night sky, he let out a deep breath.
“Nice night.” He said quietly.
The tension from the day slowly faded away.
“For sure.”
The two sat silent for a while, a cool breeze licking them.
“Will your siblings be alright?” Aquilo was the first to speak up.
“Yes, they know how to handle themselves without me. It’s a common occurrence.”
“What about you? I know your streets can get a bit iffy at times.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can get home just fine.”
They ceased talking once more. The background crickets took advantage of the occasion to declare their presence.
“You played really well today, even bagging a goal. If you keep practising, you may stand a chance against me.” Aquilo’s tone was playful as he teased about the prior match.
“Yeah, maybe,” The black-haired boy replied, shrugging helplessly. "Don’t get too cocky. I’ll beat you next time.”
Aquilo took a pause at those words.
‘Next time? He’s opening himself up.’
He chuckled, shaking his head.
“We’ll see about that.”
Alex rarely let anyone in, but with him, things felt different.
“You know, we don’t get a lot of nights like this,” Aquilo said after a minute, his voice lowering its pitch. “Everything is always moving so fast for you. Between studying and work and who knows what else you do… it feels like you never stop and just breathe.”
Alex nodded.
“Yeah.” He said softly. “I feel like I can't. I have this constant fear that something's always waiting for me. Something bigger. Makes moments like this… rare.”
Aquilo rubbed his chin, pondering his next words.
“You know Alex, I was always too afraid to say this, why I felt drawn to you.” He said hesitantly, but conviction flashed across his face. “Your drive. I can feel your desire to get out of your circumstances, it gives you purpose. Sometimes, I just wish I had a bit of that too.”
Alex observed his friend for a bit, before laughing and shaking his head.
“Trust me, you don’t want that silly.”
The pair fell silent, their eyes drifting upwards to the sky. Two moons leisurely floated in their abode. And the stars. They were dim tonight, reduced by the weak shimmer of the dome that stretched across the heavens. It was barely visible - just a delicate outline of light that seemed to ripple like water.
“The dome.” Aquilo murmured. “If you don’t look for it, then it hardly feels like it exists.”
Alex followed his gaze, eyes tracing the faint curve above them.
“Have you ever wondered?” His hands reached for the stars. “What lies up there?”
“Of course, and many have before us.” The blonde boy struck his friend’s lap. “Don’t get any ideas. Every attempt to get there has been struck down by the heavens. It doesn’t matter whether it was a mage or a machine.”
“Even without going there, can’t we tell?”
“Research suggests they are the same as us, countless suns with worlds of their own. But why go there when there is a whole world down here?”
More quiet.
"Aquilo, can you promise me that no matter where we end up, we will always be friends?"
"What brought that about? But, of course. I promise."
A shooting star arced through the atmosphere, bearing witness to the oath.
They sat in silence for a long time, the quiet of the park wrapping around them like a blanket. The night stretched on, countless dots twinkling against the sparkle of the dome.
And for just a moment, everything else seemed far away.