I woke up feeling hazy from last night. In my hand is a beautiful lily shaped hair ornament. I probably fell asleep while hugging it. The once faint glow of the crystal ornament that gently illuminated my dark room was now gone. After my dream last night the remaining powers of my mother in that jewellery vanished and were used up so that my mom could talk to me once more.
Yesterday was crazy. I met my cousin who lives in a floating city called Euryphaessa, and introduced me to my grandpa. He told me everything there is to know about our world. The most unbelievable part was that every Euryphaessan possesses light powers, granted by the goddess of sight and divine light. I'm still shocked to have learned that magic actually exists in our world and that shadows have a mind on their own.
I was recounting all my memories from the past two days whilst getting ready for school. I glanced at my phone to check the time.
“Oh no, I’ll be late!”
I took a loaf of bread in my pantry, smeared it with some peanut butter and left my apartment in a hurry.
There was a gentle breeze in the air, along with some cherry blossoms fluttering down from the trees as I headed my way to school.
There was a boy my age with black pointy hair waiting for me in front of the gate. He hadn't noticed me approaching him because his nose was stuck on a book he was reading, but as I approached him closer he looked up and greeted me good morning. I alway try to tiptoe when I'm near him to give him a quick scare but he always notices my presence whenever I'm near him.
‘One day i’ll get you, just you wait.”
Hoshiro gave me a vacant stare and mumbled “okay”.
He’s an unemotional fellow, that guy. He's full of mysteries but he’ll alway care about everyone around him.
We were entering the school gate when a guy with flat black hair rushed behind us and leaped towards Hoshiro’s back.
‘Hoshiro!” Phil shouted with glee.
“You have been ignoring my messages since last week! After we celebrated Yuko’s birthday at the cafe you just left!! I’m getting sad now, you know?” Phil said with a sad pout on his face.
Phil is the son of a big company owner, you can say he’s a bit spoiled and has a big heart for animals.
“You were texting me every 30-minutes, I have my own life you know?” Hoshiro said with an annoyed tone.
“Ehh, you’ve probably just been reading books this whole weekend, Where’s the fun in that!”
“Hoshiro’s been working out a lot these days, did you not know?” I said to Phil whilst trying to lift him out of Hoshiro’s back.
“You’ve been working out? Why? I thought you’re going to med school, What’s the point of working out?”
“And when did I say I’m going to med school? I have other plans and I need a good physique for that.”
“Then who’s going to med school?” Phil looked at me.
“No, why would you think that?”
“That’s me”
A girl with long blue hair who was standing in our classroom door waiting for the three of us. Her name is Elanor, El was a foreign transfer student when we started high school. She used to sleep a lot during lectures but always gets top scores on every exam, well she’s always second because Hoshiro always takes the first spot.
These guys are my only friends besides Takuya, my childhood friend and the son of Aunt Hanako, my kind neighbour. My life became so much better when I met them. It's a shame we’ve only become friends for 2 years and now all of us will be leaving high school to continue our studies for our future careers.
“Speaking of which, What’s your future plans Yuko?” El, uttered trying to change the topic of conversation.
“I haven’t thought of it yet”
The four of us sat in the furthest corner of our classroom beside the sunlit window. The gentle breeze hit our noses with delight, and Phil gently leaned on Hoshiro’s shoulder while he continued reading.
“You wanted to start working after high school right? You know if you just ask I could ask my dad to support you for your college. He always liked you because you’re hardworking, i know he won’t mind”
“Thanks Phil for saying that, but you know I don't want to ask help from others, especially your father.”
El sighed and sat at Phil and Hoshiro’s table, while I sat across them. She gave me a stern look “But Yuko, if you keep denying help from others you’ll really overwork yourself.”
“Guys, Yuko has other plans” Hoshiro mumbled whilst his nose was still on his book.
Phil asked what Hoshiro meant by it because I have never mentioned other plans other than working.
“Something happened recently, right Yuko? You have a different look in your eyes.” Hoshiro looked up and stared me straight in the eyes.
Hoshiro is a quiet guy but when he speaks, it looks like he can read your thoughts.
“Actually there is…” I started in a low voice.
El and Phil moved closer and Hoshiro put down his book.
“Let’s just say I met my cousin this weekend”
“Yuko, that's good to hear! Then does that mean you found your relatives?” El said with an ecstatic look on her face.
“Yes, He brought be to our hometown and i met my Grandpa”
“Then does that mean you’ll be staying in your hometown after highschool?” Phil started.
“I don’t know yet.”
“What’s holding you back?” Hoshiro moved closer.
“I just found out the reason why we moved here from my grandpa. He told me the reason we moved here was because my parents wanted me to have a normal life growing up. Let’s say my parents were famous in that place and someone told the people there that…”
The three of them moved closer.
“That I was cursed. That’s why they moved here so that I can grow up normally.”
“Cursed? You don’t look cursed to me.” Phil said worriedly
“You know you shouldn’t believe in every fortune teller's words, all of them are fakes” El said with a determined look.
“Oi oi, El.” Phil stopped to hush El. “You can’t say that”
El gave Phil a shrug and continued.
“There’s probably more to it than that, you just can’t tell us right Yuko?”
“Yeah..” I said with a quiet tone.
There was silence for a while…
“When you visited your hometown… Did you like the place?” Hoshiro started.
“Yeah, I did like it. It's a big city and has lots of interesting stories.”
“Then why are you hesitating?” Phil asked
“My parents… they left the city for me to have a normal life, I don’t want my parents' efforts to go to waste just because I want a different life.”
The four sat in silence as I began to ponder on what my parents would say if they were here.
“Yuko”, Hoshiro said in a soft voice.
The sun beamed gently at our table. El’s blue hair glistened in the sunlight and Phil’s eagerness to listen made me focus more on what Hoshiro has to say.
“I don't know much about the details of your parents death, but the way you talked about them in the past i know they’re good parents. Yuko, they died to give you a life where you’ll be free to choose your own path. They want you to decide on your own and not be forced into something you never wanted. It’s a sacrifice your parents made for you and not for their own—“
The school bell made all of us jolt on our seats.
“That scared me!” Cried Phil.
“Just remember Hoshiro, whatever happens you can count on us for help!” El said hurryingly and rushed to her seat.
With the loud ring signalling the start of our classes, our teacher entered the room not a moment later and with that our morning classes began.
Classes continued like normal. Finals have already passed and the teachers are just filling their curriculum. Our graduation is in 3 days so the class atmosphere is a bit melancholy yet a bit excited for the new chapter of our lives.
I glanced around to look for Takuya but he’s nowhere to be seen. Hoshiro, who’s seated behind me noticed my predicament and somehow read my thoughts. He shook his head from left to right implying that he hadn't seen Takuya.
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Classes ended and I asked Hoshiro if he knew something.
When it comes to looking for something or someone, you can always count on Hoshiro for finding them. When I ask him how he’s able to do that he always answers the same thing, “Because I have sensitive senses”. I don’t really understand, but then again that’s Hoshiro for you.
“Hoshiro, have you seen Takuya?” I asked him whilst packing my notes.
“Takuya didn’t attend school today, but I saw him yesterday.”
“Yeah? Where was he?”
“I saw him in the local convenience store near my house, I wanted to approach him and ask why’s he in the area but I stopped”
“Why?”
“He reeked of hospital, I thought he might not be up for answering my questions so i left without greeting him.”
I stood there in silence, because of my crazy weekend I didn’t have time to check up on him.
“You look like you have no idea what happened,” Hoshiro started.
“Yeah I don’t… tell the others i left”
“Yup, will do. Stay safe Yuko”
I gave Hoshiro a smile and left the school in a hurry. Hoshiro’s house is on another street further from ours, it’s the nearest hospital from our house, so I understand why Takuya was there. I wasn’t sure whether to check Takuya’s house first or just run straight to the hospital. I scrambled to get out of the school and ran as fast as I could to the nearest hospital.
I was nearing our house when I noticed a familiar figure, there stood a skinny boy with jet black hair reaching his shoulders. Whenever I see him outside school he’s always sporting a plain loose t-shirt that always looked too big for him and he pairs it with any random pants he could find. That is my friend Takuya, he’s someone everyone can get along well with, even Hoshiro who is a total introvert praised Takuya for his character.
Takuya and I have been friends ever since we moved in this neighbourhood, we were always together when my parents were not around and we would always play in his house. His mom Aunt Hanako is the sweetest person you'll ever meet. She would always bake us delicious pastries of all sorts and let me take them home for my parents to eat. When my mom and dad passed away she took me in as her own and made sure I was living well.
When I heard Takuya was seen near a hospital my heart dropped. There could be many possibilities why he could be there but the thought that Aunt Hanako might be the reason made my heart feel heavy as if something was thuggin onto it.
I called Takuya across the street but he didn’t hear me. He was out of it. He looked like he hadn't slept for days, he was very pale, his shirt was all wrinkled up and his eyes looked colourless and empty. It was painful to see the usually cheerful Takuya looked so depressed. I found myself shaking while on the verge of tears, I strengthened myself and approached Takuya. He was walking with his head down and seemed to be deep in thought.
That moment something clicked in me. I remember my cousin Haruki mentioned that shadows are more attracted to depressed people because they can easily enter that person’s shadow and control them because their mental stability is too weak. By waiting for that opportune moment they can easily consume their soul.
I stared closely at Takuya’s shadow which seemed darker than usual. I clenched my pocket where I felt a dagger inside it. I was rushing to school this morning. I forgot I brought the dagger Haruki gave me. I pulled the jewelled dagger out of my pocket and unsheathed it.
For a moment I admired the blade. It was indeed made of solid light that was clearly visible to the naked eye. I tried to touch the surface of the blade but my finger just went through it. I remembered the first time I saw Haruki. He looked as if he beheaded a human with his katana made of light but the blade just went through the person and the rogue shadow was beheaded instead.
I approached Takuya even closer and clenched the dagger in my left hand. I wasn’t sure if I should kill the rogue shadow or not. I remember Haruki telling me that even rogue shadows were once human. That thought didn’t sit well with me, killing a shadow who has the capability of thinking, it felt like they shouldn’t be killed so easily. I know shadows killed my parents but, what if there’s more to that. This shadow probably has nothing to do with my parents death, killing them just doesn't seem right to me.
Unsure of what to do I tried to reach out my free hand towards Takuya, while doing so I unknowingly stepped on his shadow and for whatever reason, the rogue shadow was dragged behind while Takuya continued to move forward. The shadow somehow got stuck and was forcibly pulled out. I lifted up my foot and the poor shadow squirmed away like a fish released in water.
I had no idea how any of that just happened. Without thinking I hurriedly pocketed the dagger and ran towards Takuya. I placed my arm around his shoulders and greeted him. He lifted his head up and colour was somehow back in his eyes. The atmosphere around him was lighter and a lot less darker.
“Oh Yuko you’re here” Takuya answered with a tired tone.
Of Course he would still sound depressed, it’s not like getting rid of the shadow would get rid of his worries.
“I was worried about you, Takuya. I heard you were at the hospital from Hoshiro, "What happened?”
“Yaku!!”
Takuya burst into tears as if a heavy stream was suddenly unplugged from his eyes. He was sobbing ferociously as he slumped into the ground. I comforted Takuya as he continued to weep in sadness.
Even though we're the same age, I know Takuya is a lot younger mentally especially when he grew up always being by his mom’s care.
“Mom slipped on the stairs, her head was full of blood, and has to undergo surgery. The surgery was successful but she hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said to think positively but it has been two days… in scared Yaku, what if she never wakes up? What am I gonna do?”
My heart dropped when I heard the news. Aunt Hanako is the kindest person I ever met, and to think something bad like this has happened to her makes me feel terrible.
I took a deep breath whilst my eyes were being reddened by tears. And spoke…
“Takuya… sometimes life gives you sadness, it can't always be happy, but right now Takuya, you shouldn’t let yourself go. The doctor said she’s gonna be fine, dont worry too much your mom will wake up soon, think of what Aunt Hanako will feel if she sees you in this state. Get yourself together Takuya…Come, let’s go visit your mom.”
I grabbed Takuya’s shoulder and heaved him up. It’s only been two days and he’s already as thin as a skeleton. I quickly tidied up and we both went to the hospital.
It was a bright sunny day, in contrast to the current mood right now—the sun is annoyingly bright.
I’ve never had the chance to visit a hospital in my life, this is my first time. And for some unknown reason something feels different than usual. I keep getting this feeling that something is wrong.
As I entered the dimly lit hospital lobby, I gazed around in the gloomiest atmosphere that ever existed. Not one ray of sunshine penetrated the depressing chambers the hospital displays. Faces of sorrow and misery echoed the dark blue chambers of the hospital lobby. I felt the darkness pulsating unto me, as if I was at the very heart of darkness itself. The shadows grew darker as I walked further into the hospital wing. Doors with sad colours behind them rediated with melancholy as I walked through them.
I passed by a room whose door was wide open exposing a girl in white robes sat across an empty bed, her head was looking downwards and made her hair cover her whole face. For a moment I thought I was seeing a ghost until a nurse called out to her and she got up. As the girl walked past me, I got a morbid feeling that sent shivers down my spine. Her under eyes are darkened, probably because of lack of sleep and nights of crying. She emitted an aura similar to the people I met who were consumed by shadows, but in her case, she looked like she was at the final stages of being overtaken by the shadows.
Takuya entered the room where his mother is located. I quickly made an excuse to rush out and look for the girl. I retraced my steps in hopes to find the girl but all hope was lost when I got back to the abandoned room with no sight of the girl in white.
I pondered to myself and had a sudden rush of thought—it clicked to me. A girl who is depressed and is undergoing immense grief… I paused for a while and rushed to the rooftop.
There I spotted the girl in white with tears streaming down her face. She is standing on the half wall that was on edge of the 7th floor rooftop of the district hospital. I didn’t know what to do. I never thought there would be a time where I needed to stop someone from taking their life.
“Should I rush in and grab her?… no, that’s too risky she might jump. What if I talk to her?…I don't think that’s possible.” Haruki told me that when a shadow fully consumes a human there is no hope for communication with the original person. But what if she’s still there? I thought to myself. I quickly thought of a way to get her down, I tried to call her but no response. I scratched my head in frustration, what can I do to save her? I screamed in my mind not knowing what to do…
While looking down I noticed a faint glow in my pocket. Haruki’s dagger, I don't want to stab her! I thought to myself and remembered how I freed Takuya. I searched for the girl’s shadow casting down the hospital rooftop amidst the golden sunset. I crouched and slowly went for her shadow. Without any second thought I grabbed the shadow like my life depended on it and pulled as hard as I could. The girl was pulled back at an alarming rate and crashed down onto the cemented floors.
Shivers crawled down my spine as I saw a glimpse of her face. Her face was morphed with horror and her mouth and eyes were blackened by the shadow. Dark aura radiated around her. As if she was burning with flames of darkness. She screamed with bloody murder and rushed towards me with fury in her eyes. I dodged her punch and she first landed on the concrete wall.
There was a bone crushing sound as her fist hit the crumbling wall. There I saw her bones protruding out from her bloody arm, her left arm was left bleeding all over but the girl in white didn’t seem to care. She still viciously attacked me and rushed for a punch. Her movements were awkward yet forced, as if she was being controlled by another being from the inside. Her movements didn’t seem to take her physical state into account apart from her broken arm, all her movements were all over the place and her aggression was pushing her body past its limits. Arms stretched like rubber and high kicks that ripped her skin apart. I needed to stop her quickly before she killed herself. She grabbed a box full of broken glass shards and mercilessly flinged it towards me. I couldn’t dodge in time, the shards were everywhere. I looked behind me and didn’t think twice.
I had no other option but to jump off the building. I had no other choice. I would be a pincushion for glass shards if i didn't. I jumped and readied myself to grab the ledge.
“Of course I wouldn’t jump without a plan.” I whispered to myself…
But I lied. I don’t have a plan
My hand nearly missed but I made it. I was dangling off the edge of the 7 floored hospital. The glass shards that should’ve hit me fell on the empty lot behind the hospital. I quickly pulled up and climbed up only to see the girl in front of my face with blood and sweat dripping down her face and hair that looks like a rat’s nest. I dropped in a panic but she swiftly grabbed my hand and rushed me up. The girl pulled me up with all her might and threw me over her head then body slammed me on the ground. I grovelled in pain as I hit the concrete floors. I couldn’t move my body from the pain. I felt a sharp pain in my rib area and a cold sensation on the back of my head.
I saw the girl in white limping towards me. I willed my body to move but failed. I felt a shiver down my spine as the girl quickly rushed in with a broken piece of glass ready to stab me without mercy. I used all my strength to move but the girl was faster. With all my strength I tried to dodge her attack and readied myself for an impact.
Screams of fury echoed through the rooftops but then a familiar figure bursted out from the door and tackled the girl in white just before she had landed her attack on me.
Hoshiro, my best friend, tackled the blood drenched girl without hesitation and held her down as she struggled to escape his grasp. I’ve never seen Hoshiro engage in fights before but I know he has a history in combat.
Moments later I heard more footsteps rushing towards us. It was El and Phil scrambling towards me with worried faces.
“Take me to the girl.” I said with a struggling voice.
The two were bursting out in a panic and I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
“Do what he says!!” A stern yell echoed throughout the rooftop.
Hoshiro understood the situation and immediately ordered the two to bring me closer to the girl.
I struggled to lift my arm up. I was in pain and I felt blood dripping down my neck. But I persevered and took a deep breath and readied myself to pull out the evil shadow.
I sensed the confused stare of my friends as I placed my hand on the struggling girl’s arm. I clenched my fist and felt my hands go into the girl's body and dragged the shadow out. My friends' eyes widened with shock as they couldn’t believe what they just witnessed. The evil shadow was out of her body and was flailing in my hands. I felt my consciousness wavering, and just as I was about to pass out I saw a dragon flying in the distance.
Hoshiro carried me and ran through the halls in a rush with blood dripping down his hands. I was able to gain a bit of conscience and saw Hoshiro’s worried face. I glanced towards my left and saw Phil carrying the girl in white. People stared in horror as we passed by the dark hallways. I felt immense despair and misery as we traverse the gloomy corridors.
“That’s it!” The weird unexplainable feeling I was sensing since I entered this hospital. This very place is a hotbed of shadows that seeks a human host. The hospital is full of people who are in deep sorrow and regret because of the countless deaths that happen here everyday.
“No wonder the shadows are darker here” I thought to myself. I thought I was just seeing things differently because of yesterdays’ incident, I should’ve thought that this is something that’s bound to happen.