The rain continued to fall, its steady pattern almost hypnotic if it weren’t for the harsh chill it brought. Kaen’s body was numb and his clothes were soaked all the way through. He tried pulling his jacket hood over his head for protection, but it did little to keep him dry. He couldn’t even use his abilities to absorb heat, which he usually did in the cold. Kaen had never experienced rain before, but from this first encounter, he could already tell he despised it. He had read about it in books his brother had given him. Kaen couldn’t help but find it strange that he had spent most of his life dreaming of seeing the sky at least once. Yet now, as he stood in the human world, it felt almost haunting. In the underground, you could always see the stone ceiling above you; it may have been far away, but it provided a sense of security and shelter. But here, in this vast open space, the sky seemed endless, especially at night. And Kaen didn’t like feeling so small and insignificant in comparison to the rest of the world; it was a feeling he was all too familiar with already.
Suddenly, a loud noise startled Kaen. A trash can had been knocked over, and a rat came scurrying out with a piece of bread in its mouth. “You scared me half to death, you stupid rat,” Kaen muttered as he huddled closer to protect himself from the cold rain. Just as he was about to drift off again and distract himself with other thoughts, something touched his foot. “Ugh, gross, go away!” Four rats had gathered around him, scurrying around his legs. Kaen stood up and attempted to kick them, but he missed and ended up hitting his foot on a pile of bricks in the alley.
“Ouch, that shit hurts!” Kaen cursed as he spun around in pain. He plopped back down on the ground, the rats now gone from his shouting. He let out a loud groan.
“Asahi, why did you come here?” Kaen sighed, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. He didn’t want to be here, risking his own freedom. But he couldn’t ignore the fact that his brother was missing. And all the leads had led him here, to the surface. Kaen had debated it endlessly in his mind, but he didn’t believe that his brother could just leave him behind, right?
Kaen’s thoughts were interrupted as he heard the scurrying of rats again. He tensed, preparing to shout at them, but then realized it wasn’t the rodents he had heard. Three figures emerged from the shadows, about 20 meters away. Kaen immediately shrunk back and pulled his hood over his eyes, hoping to go unnoticed. One of the figures was sitting on the ground, their tattered clothes and a hat filled with coins indicating they were a beggar. The other two stood tall in some sort of uniform, their chests gleaming with silver badges. Police officers. Panic flooded Kaen’s body as he tried to back away, but it was too late.
“Hey! You over there, stop! We need to talk to you,” one of them shouted, pointing directly at Kaen. Without hesitation, Kaen turned and bolted down the narrow alleyway, the pouring rain making it difficult to see through the cluttered mess of trash and boxes. He took a sharp left turn, hoping to lose his pursuers or maybe even cause them to stumble. But just as he was about to leap over a large box blocking his path, he felt a searing pain in his leg and suddenly found himself crashing onto the wet ground. His vision blurred as cold water splashed against his face, but adrenaline kept him going as he desperately tried to stand up once more. Then suddenly, a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and tackled him back down to the ground.
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“The eyes, look at the eyes!” The voice of the person tackling him rang in his ears. The other individual, who had run over to them, pulled out a flashlight and shone it directly at Kaen’s face. Despite his attempts to look away, the person holding his head would not let go.
“His eyes are red, sir. He matches the description,” The bearer of the flashlight confirmed.
“Okay kid,” The man said while pulling at Kaen’s wrists.
“You are under arrest for trespassing on the surface as a demon. You won’t receive a trial or any legal representation, if your kind even knows what that means,” He paused before finally cuffing Kaen’s hands together. Kaen didn’t bother resisting; he knew it wouldn’t change anything.
“You will be taken to prison and will likely spend the rest of your worthless life behind bars.” The officer spoke with a hint of glee in his voice as he lifted Kaen off the ground. One of the handcuffs dug into Kaen’s skin as he was dragged away by them. Looking back, Kaen saw what had caused him to fall in the first place - a bucket. A stupid metal bucket. Now he wasn’t even angry about falling; he was embarrassed that his future cellmates would hear this ridiculous story - being arrested because of a goddamn bucket. He sighed, feeling even more dejected than when he was tackled.
The officers dragged him towards their car, a vehicle he had never been in before. This was not how young Kaen had imagined this moment would be. He watched as the streets whipped by in a blur, resting his head against the cool glass of the window. It dawned on him that this might be the last time he would feel free, or at least not like a prisoner. He knew he would never be able to do all the things he loved again - no more playing soccer, no more lying in his bed at home, and worst of all, never being able to find his brother again. Kaen wasn’t one to dwell on things for too long; he usually just adapted to whatever situation came his way, whether it was good or bad. But this - this was something he couldn’t adapt to. He thought about his brother, Asahi, and his warm smile and comforting words. His name meant “morning sun,” which perfectly described him. Even though Kaen had only seen the actual sun for the first time just a week ago, he understood why it was considered such a perfect thing. The warmth it gave off was unlike anything else. Despite his dire circumstances, Kaen couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the sun. While he may not like rain, he couldn’t deny his love for the sun - one good thing about the endlessly big sky, that made him feel so small.