Facing the assault of the cold winter breeze, Elyas ran through the town, rushing through alleys and narrow streets. It didn't take long for him to reach the park. It was filled up with dead trees, metal benches lined on the crosswalk, and a single frozen fountain in the middle.
He thought he might have come late. But there was no one. Not in the stone street covered in a thin layer of snow. And not near or under the light of any of the lamps swaying with the wind.
Guess I came in early.
Sighing, he chose a bench and sat after pushing off the snow. The cold metal brushing against his back sharpened his mind, heightening his senses. As he breathed the fresh air, Elyas let his mind loose.
How am I supposed to explain myself? That I killed his brother…
He was sitting with his arms crossed, waiting. Elyas considered how the interaction could go. As he thought of many ways to apologize or explain himself, something fell on his nose. Touching it and looking around, he noticed that it was snowing.
…
On the fourth floor of the Protocol. In a darkly lit room.
Cid was sitting on a metallic chair, positioned behind a bench of the same material. In front of him, illuminated by a single flickering lightbulb, was a man wearing a white uniform with intricate golden patterns.
"When did you use your Wish?" The Enforcer asked again.
"I…I told you already! I had no other choice!" Cid answered, sounding clearly distressed and a bit irritated.
"Yes. In your recount, you have stated that you were lost in the Green Sea, attacked by a Figment and had to use it to survive."
"So why am I still here?!" Cid shouted, letting a bit of fear and uncertainty seep into his frustrated tone.
The man sighed softly. Clearing his throat, he spoke with an amiable tone. "Look kid, I don't want to deal with you either. If you tell us why you've been hiding your Wish knowing the possibilities you'd be free to go."
Cid answered without hesitation. "Isn't it obvious!? Look at me. Do you know how long it has been since I've seen someone's face? I didn't want this to happen… But it was set in stone. I knew I would end up here the moment I made my Wish…" He paused before adding with a trembling voice, "I tried to hide it, to buy some time… but… I couldn't watch one of my classmates die in front of me."
Finished, he calmed down. Staying completely still. After a while, hiccuping started as tears began to run down his chin, falling on the table with a distinct metallic tap. The Enforcer watched this for a dozen seconds, and then got up and left the room.
As soon as the man left, Cid looked up to make sure the room was empty. After, he let go of all restraints. He began to bawl his eyes out, the boy's crying was only interrupted by him sniffing before continuing to cry even louder. His uncontrollable weeping filled the observation room in the wall.
"...Sir, I think the kid is telling the truth. If he was working with problematic rogues or had harboured ill intent, he wouldn't have saved one of his classmates. He wouldn't reveal his identity and get our eyes on himself by doing something so avoidable. "The Enforcer responsible for questioning Cid reported to his superior.
His superior had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows. Despite his old age, not a single strand of hair was missing from the man's scalp. Unlike most members of the Protocol, he refused to wear the Enforcers signature cap, unintentionally showing off his hairline.
"I still have my doubts." The captain spoke, his raspy and aged voice echoing in the dark room.
Hearing Cid slowly control his cries in the background stabbed a hole through the Enforcer's heart. "But he's just a child—" As he started to argue in place of the kid, the white haired man spoke. "Let him go…But send a few Defenders to keep an eye on him."
"Yes captain!" The Enforcer ran out of the room, happy to be the bearer of good news.
The old man stayed put, engulfed in shadows as he kept his eyes focused. He was observing everything. Every little detail. The boy's shaking hands, the rhythm of his hiccups and even his breathing. He tried to find any flaw or mistake in Cid's actions, any hint that this was an act.
He found none.
…
At the same time, Elyas was enjoying the view of the midnight moons.
The ring was as beautiful as ever.
On top was a moon as blue as the ocean depths. To its bottom right, a lush green sphere. Under that, a textureless yellow orb. At the bottom was a purple moon shrouded in pink mist and to its left, an orange ball. On top of that, the moon had a face. It wore a colorless stone mask that would vanish at the break of dawn. Tonight, it looked quite happy.
Under the top, was a mismatch of all the moons. Some nights it would make a disgusted yellow face, another night, a cold uncaring face with a shade of purple.
In the center of it all was the original. Still spinning in all its cheesy glory. The first or the eight moon. Some people deduced it, not considering it part of the holy ring. Regardless, uncaring to how others perceived it, It looked down at the land beneath like an ever present eye. But now, it was Elyas who was staring.
A few more minutes passed like that. In silence. As he was turning impatient, he heard footsteps coming from the main north street. The trampling of snow on such a quiet night was easy to notice.
Under the downpour of snow, pressing his red cap and resisting against the gales, Joshua came into view.
He still wore his work clothes. Red, white and yellow. A set of clothes right out of a twenty-first century fast food chain. His free hand covered by a cheap transparent glove, was shaking from the cold by his waist.
Elyas got up from his bench and walked by his side, standing apart by only a few steps. "Nice to see you Elyas." Joshua started the conversation. Elyas looked at him. All he saw was the man he left behind that day. The man whose cries were ignored by his friend. The memory of his pleading eyes was burned in Elyas' mind.
Joshua, noticing his silence, sighed. Hot air lingered between the two for a moment before being washed away by the cold breeze. "It's not your fault…Ralf's in a better place now. I'm sure of it."
"I'm…I'm sorry. I couldn't save him, I was too weak."
Josh smiled. "I know. We all were. There's no True Legacy who hasn't experienced the loss of a loved one…That is the price we pay."
"Cost, price.… Why do we have to pay anything?! I didn't want to—" Joshua cut him off. "Why do you think humans rule over animals, Elyas?" A strong gale blew by, causing the hanging lamps of the shops to sway and shadows dance among the men's feet.
Elyas was silent for a moment before he answered: "Because we adapt."
Joshua with his puffy eyes and still holding onto his cap nodded. "Yes. Some believe it's strength. But if that was the case, then tigers and lions would rule over us."
He continued, "When the Whispers came, we lost our only advantage. Imagine a world where someone can just change the entire region with a few words. Imagine someone wishing for everything in his favorite novel or movie to become real. Imagine…Anything. You can't adapt to a world that hasn't finished changing yet. And ours never will."
"That is why we lost. And that is why we have to pay. Some of us tried to adapt, but it was all in vain. We True Legacies accustomed to modern civilization and the conveniences it provides, can only dream of true comfort. But we are still lucky, Elyas. We only pay with pain or sorrow. Some gave their lives, their humanity. Only to never get them back."
Elyas listened, his mood becoming more somber and bleak as a question formed in his mind.
I wonder what price they had to pay…
He was thinking of Noah and Julius. People that like him, were True Legacies. Here from the start. Although they looked and acted unbothered, they had nightmares of their own. Looking at the tired man, Elyas asked a question. One he needed the answer of the most.
"Josh… do you know where Michael is?"