Preshow ✧ 1

Nighttime. Silent. Lonesome.

The ceiling that returned my dull stares in all its stillness was getting a bit too boring.

Should've brought a book with me… I mumbled as I rolled on the large bed and reached out for the pamphlet resting on the nightstand.

The Aberrants’ Circus — Come see us for the spectacle of your life!

Aberrants' Circus, huh. The colorful design of the pamphlet was quite inviting and easy on the eyes, but they certainly needed a catchier slogan. Not to mention, I didn't really know what to make of such an ostracized portion of the population being used for entertainment purposes… Probably the owner of the circus would happen to be someone who used them for profit and capitalized on their “freaky” features, compared to the Regulars.

I sighed and put the pamphlet back down. I'd still go and watch, of course. There were no such things as circuses—or anything relatively fun for that matter—back in my village. I'd take anything.

That’s why I had found myself in Balamur City anyway. It had been a year since my high school graduation, one whole year of pure nothingness. In a dash of courage, I had asked my aunt if I could stay in her apartment in the city for a week or two, and since she had business away for a month, she felt thankful someone would do the cleaning while she was away... A fair deal, I'd say.

Feeling antsy for some reason I couldn't pinpoint, I sat up on the bed and started looking outside from the window. Despite it being late, there were a lot of people walking around. As it had rained prior, most of them had raincoats on, and umbrellas of many different colors. I wondered if these color choices meant anything to the individuals holding them at all. Like that kid running around puddles, he had a bright orange one at his hand.

When his mother called for him, he turned towards her and dashed forward. That's when I realized he had spikes behind his spine, reminding me of some mythical creatures I had read about in books. The coat was custom tailored so that these extra bits could poke out comfortably. Of course, no one in the street batted an eye. He was an Aberrant, like many more you could spot around in this crowded city.

Aberrants. People with various genetic differences to the normal folk, or ‘Regulars’ if you wanted the correct terminology. From physical deviations to unique abilities to spiritual abnormalities–there was a whole array of ways of being an Aberrant. While they had existed for centuries, and most people didn't seem to care, that was only on the surface. They had become more and more of a hot subject of debate and gossip as time went on, mostly of negative sentiment.

…how nice it would be if that weren’t the case. If it were no big deal. A future where everyone simply accepted each other, without any bias or hostility.

I looked up to the sky, hoping for a shooting star to entrust this wish with, but as one would expect, such a thing didn't happen. Shooting or still, stars had the power to inspire people. Lost in my thoughts, I focused on the beauty of the sparkling stars, absentmindedly tracking the familiar constellations with my amber colored eyes.

“Water.”

...I was already 19. What was I doing with my life? Did I even have any certain talents or any use to anyone? I felt like I had no particular path to venture out. How come everyone knew where to go but I had no idea? Even the gentle support of my parents saying it was okay to take my time didn't make a difference at the end. More than 300 days had passed–and the amount of progress I did was without the three attached to the beginning of that number. A whole zero. Maybe even lower than that, in negative values…

“Water.”

It must be nice to be a star. You exist and that's all you need to do. There's no such concept of money or finding a job… No people pointing at you and shunning you, calling you all sorts of names that one didn’t even want to make a mental list of... Oh, how envious I was of just existing and that being your own purpose, just the way you are...

"WATER."

"God, Mimi, okay, I heard you!"

My deep thoughts were interrupted by this toddler we called Mimi. I pushed myself off the bed and went to the kitchen, my steps echoing in the empty apartment. Thankfully the city sounds coming from outside the apartment kept the atmosphere a bit more tolerable. The sounds my aunt often complained about were my saving grace in this tedious night.

"I am not a toddler."

"Yeah, and that's why you were crying for water?"

"What part of that sounded like crying to you. That's what you were about to do, if I didn't pull you out of your thoughts."

Well... she did have a point, so I didn't reply. I could feel her smirk of satisfaction–I let her have it.

I took a glass from the cupboard, my favorite one since childhood, and watched the blue glass get filled with cold water. I chugged it down in one go, the crispiness flowing down my throat. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was this whole night.

"Satisfied now?"

"Yes."

"... I really needed that glass of water. Thanks for the reminder, Mimi."

Did this interaction make any sense to you? Are you confused about who I am talking to? Worry not, let me explain. I am an Aberrant myself. My name is Mirai, and I was born as two people in one body. Or at least, that was what my official diagnosis said. Maybe it was just me, one girl, having split personalities, or perhaps she was my twin sister who had to share a body with me due to some genetic mishap? It could be many things, but my diagnosis went with a simple explanation of two people, one body.

To tell the truth, I still didn’t know how having two souls in one vessel worked, but that was being an Aberrant for you. Full of mysteries. You just had to accept yourself as you are... or yourselves, in this particular case.

I had heard before that there were people who researched and even gave aid to Aberrants, but me being from a small village, I had no way of meeting such people. The diagnosis was given to me in the city, too.

And listen, it took our parents a long time to understand… It’s not like our case was as simple as, ‘Oh, our kid has four arms’. For the longest time, they thought Mimi was just me throwing a fit. Pfft, she really is a toddler after all...

"Focus."

Okay, well. As I grew up, it became apparent that this girl called Mirai would switch back and forth between two distinct personalities, and even develop different talents only to not be able to do them later on. With no certain timing to it, too. The switch could happen during dinnertime, during class, or as we were collecting crops from our garden. After a while, my parents became able to differentiate between the two "moods" and started to call me Rai or Mimi, a split of my actual name. And after a few back and forth visits between two doctors in Balamur City, a beautiful certificate of being an Aberrant was handed to me. First one known in the family line.

I know that the diagnosis generally holds a negative connotation, but I am fine with it, really. I got to have a companion by my side at all times. Plus, Mimi’s rather different personality and talents had helped me out of pesky situations countless times.

… but, were there no downsides? Oh, a myriad of ‘em. I couldn't have friends, for one. People just found it too weird how I would suddenly talk as if I am someone else, and explaining that this was just some Aberrant quirk did not help, with all the stigma attached to it. Though there was no clear genetic connection found, and even if it wasn’t considered a serious disease of any kind, most people acted as if it were something contagious and were scared they'd suddenly spawn the head of a cat or something.

…ah, I am sorry if the reader happens to be such an Aberrant. I didn't mean to offend–you yourself must know how people tend to act around us more than anyone else. Regardless, do forgive me.

Moving on. This was the gist of my life as Mirai, with your narrator being Rai at the current moment. I could go on about our differences with Mimi, but you’d get a good understanding of it sooner than later. I can only hope you wouldn't be put off by the sudden switches, and kept on watching warmly over me, over us.

…and the colorful arrangement of people we’d get to meet real soon–unbeknownst to the Mirai of this plodding night of spring.