66. Solonell City Nights

When Isaac first stepped into the last room on the 4th floor of the 108th street apartment, his first impression was how different it was from the dingy place he’d spent his childhood in.

At a glance, it was almost uncannily similar. Both apartments were small and compact, with thin walls and low ceilings that made the space feel even more compressed. The walls were a dull grey save for the little spots where the paint had chipped away, and scratches and permanent stains lay scattered across the worn surface. The overhead light was both bright and singular in its focus, leaving the corners of the apartment dim and shadowed, and every few seconds the light would flicker just enough to make it impossible to be lulled into a stable sense of calm.

And yet, it was the little details that made the difference. The plain pieces of furniture were small and weathered, but the shade of wood used to make the table and cabinets was warm and soft. A few photos were placed strategically on the wall to fill the empty space, many featuring people Isaac had never seen before. In the ones that Lloyd was also in, his brother had on a wide, careless grin that he hadn’t known he was capable of making.

Stacks of books were carefully organized where the desk met the wall, and the place was largely spotless from what Isaac could see. Still, despite the neatness, there were a few stray pencils, a mug of coffee that hadn’t been put away, that made the apartment feel lived in and real. It was about as cheap and old as their childhood apartment had been, but there was a warmth here that was immediately apparent. It made Isaac tense up, eyes darting about the space as he scanned it in practiced motions. He stretched his fingers instinctively, hidden away inside his jacket pocket.

Lloyd coughed with a strained smile that looked nothing like the one he wore in those photos. “Welcome home,” he said. Isaac frowned, not missing the slight hesitation before the second word. He took a step further inside, vaguely aware that his shoes were probably tracking in dirt, and grunted in response.

His brother swept away the few items that were still left out as he passed by, and Isaac, in his worn jacket—the fabric at the elbows so thin that it was nearly torn through entirely—and his faded pants covered in old stains, felt distinctly out of place.

“Do you want something to drink?” Lloyd asked as he grabbed his own coffee cup. Isaac frowned. He remained standing in the same spot, shifting his weight from one side to the next.

“Uh, water’s fine.”

Lloyd nodded and turned to open one of the cabinets. Leaning to the side slightly, Isaac could make out a few plain dishes stacked neatly inside. There weren’t many of them, nothing in excess, and he watched as Lloyd rummaged around with growing speed. He muttered something under his breath, and when his brother turned around again, he laughed awkwardly.

“I, ah, don’t have another cup. I think I have some paper ones, if you don’t mind?”

Isaac stared at him, and Lloyd wouldn’t meet his eyes. On further inspection, everything in the apartment was designed for one person. There was only one chair at the table, only enough silverware for one person. It seemed his brother had remained frugal even after leaving, he thought.

“It’s fine.” Something about the idea of drinking out of a paper cup in that moment was deeply unsettling to him. He knew he was a stranger, and that Lloyd probably didn’t want him living there any more than Isaac wanted to be there, but seeing such a blatant, material representation of his own unwelcome status made his skin crawl. He wasn’t going to deal with that humiliation, he decided.

“Oh. Uh, if you’re sure,” Lloyd said, and he shut the cabinet door again. Before he turned away, there had been a strange expression on his face, one that Isaac hadn’t been able to decipher back then and still couldn’t no matter how many times he thought back to that day. It had only been visible for a brief moment, and when Lloyd turned around again it was already gone, but it continued to linger in the years to come, even after Lloyd was gone and his face became a blurry silhouette in Isaac’s memories. It alone remained clear, unchanging, and unknowable.

—

Isaac’s eyes snapped open, and he shifted with a groan. The old, narrow couch creaked below him, the sound piercing in the silence of the shack. Isaac winced before he realized what was wrong. He couldn’t hear Olzu’s snores anymore.

Frowning, he dragged himself up, ignoring the heaviness in his still half-asleep body. The bed, he saw, was empty. Brow furrowed, Isaac glanced around the shack, but the demon was nowhere to be found. “Olzu?” he called. No response.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Unnerved, Isaac quickly ducked under the door frame. Solonell City at night looked exactly the same as before, empty and quiet beneath the deep red sky. The buildings and streets, for all their terrible clashing architecture and nonsensical designs, were a picture of perfect stillness.

Isaac paused, squinting. In the distance, he could just barely make out a small figure standing in the area they’d been practicing in. He moved closer, keeping his footsteps quiet.

It was quickly obvious that the figure was Olzu, and the demon was flapping his wings. Even from far away, Isaac could see the visible strain in his movements and the frustration carved into his face. He hopped a few times, wings flapping even more aggressively, but he never lasted longer than a few seconds in the air before gravity pulled him back down with unrelenting force. The demon looked on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, and he released heavy pants. Isaac frowned and stepped closer.

“Olzu? Are you still practicing?”

The demon jumped and spun around, nearly falling over in the abruptness of his movement. Up close, the weariness was even more obvious, from the droop of the demon’s posture to his eyes that were struggling to stay open. Isaac sighed and took a step closer. “You should go back to sleep.”

Olzu scowled and turned away, adamantly ignoring him. His wings started flapping again, and Isaac’s eyes narrowed. They were trembling slightly. He placed a hand on Olzu’s shoulder, just firm enough to get him to stop, which seemed to work at getting his attention at least.

“Tiring yourself out’s not gonna help. How do you expect to do well when you’ve barely slept?”

The demon muttered something under his breath. Isaac frowned.

“What?”

Olzu narrowed his eyes, and Isaac briefly thought that, with his expression like that, gaze piercing and mouth pulled back to reveal sharp teeth, Olzu looked more demonic than he’d ever seen him before.

“It doesn’t matter,” the demon huffed. He kicked at the ground in frustration. “This was a foolish waste of time!”

His voice echoed slightly, bouncing off the buildings looming around them, and he glared at the street beneath him like it had done him a personal offense. Isaac carefully studied the demon for a few moments before finally saying, “You can fly when you’re in the air. That sounds like plenty of progress to me.”

“I can’t even get off the ground!” Olzu flapped his wings a few times for emphasis. Isaac watched them tense and push, and when the demon hopped, he lingered for only a second in the air before immediately dropping back down again with a thump. Olzu’s shoulders slumped. “I won’t even be able to start the race. I should’ve given up.”

“But you didn’t,” Isaac said, voice plain.

Olzu huffed. “And it didn’t matter.” He sat down, and his wings barely skimmed the ground. For a moment neither spoke, the silence of the empty streets weighing heavy on their surroundings. Finally, Isaac sighed and sat down as well beside the demon. The street felt cold and hard beneath him, and he took a few seconds to shift his position, though he was unable to find a truly comfortable arrangement.

He swallowed, running various words in his head before finally speaking. “…you know, when I was a kid, I was really bad at schoolwork.” He paused, gesturing vaguely in an attempt to explain. “I mean like, math, science, book learning stuff like that.”

“You’re still a child, human,” Olzu muttered. Isaac rolled his eyes.

“When I was younger, then.” He shook his head, sighing. “Anyways, I was shitty at that sort of thing, but my—my brother was better at it. Good, no, great even.” He stared at the distant shack, absentmindedly tracing its silhouette with his eyes. “It’s dumb, but I was really jealous of him. I always thought if I started being more like him, then maybe my parents would pay more attention to me. Shit like that. Like, proving I wasn’t a waste of space.”

Olzu’s eyes shifted slightly to watch him. Isaac’s voice felt dry, but he continued speaking before the words could get stuck. He shook his head.

“I studied a lot. Tried really hard to get better, but, well, I never did. Didn’t matter how much time I put in, I just kept failing.”

Olzu frowned. “Why are you telling me this?” The words came out harsh and sharp, but Isaac could see genuine curiosity in the demon’s eyes. He pulled his gaze away from the shack to turn and face the demon.

“I mean that sometimes, I think if I’d kept at it longer, then I would’ve done better, but I just gave up right away. Stopped caring.” Isaac sighed. “I’m…not the best at words, but what I’m saying is I respect you for not giving up.” He smiled wryly. “You’re definitely more dedicated than I ever was.”

The look of utter shock on Olzu’s face was almost comical, and under any other circumstance Isaac probably would’ve laughed. The bewilderment soon faded, however, and the demon returned to staring at the ground. He looked smaller than ever, hunched and seated on the ground like that.

“…still wasn’t enough.” His voice sounded muffled. Isaac frowned, forehead creasing in thought. His eyes drifted over to one of the nearby buildings. It was a mirror image of a modern skyscraper, shooting upwards into the sky. Against the red backdrop, every shape seemed more sharp, more defined.

An idea suddenly sprang to mind, and without thinking, Isaac scooted closer to the demon. “Hey, for the flying event, can you start in flight?” He kept his words steady, but he could feel a growing giddiness creeping into his voice.

Confused, Olzu looked up. “Uh, I think? Lots of people fly around and never walk,” he said bitterly.

Mind racing, Isaac felt the beginnings of a smile tug at the corners of his lips.

“I’ve got an idea.”