Chapter 1 — Just Me, Now Part 1

Minato, Tokyo. 7:42 AM.

The sun filtered through the curtains of the small apartment a modest two-room flat, above the garage cold tiles, white walls, car posters, and a cracked mug where overly strong tea evaporated. Naomi Noctielle sat on the edge of her bed, a flat key between her fingers, as if she had taken it with her into sleep her pink, tangled hair fell over her shoulder she wore a black t-shirt that was a bit too big, and her thoughts still floated between two worlds. 

—"I really need to tidy up someday," she sighed to herself, seeing her tools laid out on the living room floor.

She got up, went to open the small window, and looked at the real world: passersby, a delivery truck, bicycles no gods, no thrones, no cosmic lightning just tokyo sometimes i wonder if all that really existed. Kael became an emperor in his own dimension, a world, a kingdom built from his golden yellow lightning his court is made of living lightning laws and knights. I wonder if he still smiles. Kaela, the white one, travels between worlds she says she's searching for the roots of truth i think she's running from something, but she'll never say Destiny lives in a library that has no end he reads the three multiverses like a newspaper he kept all our memories, even the ones we wanted to forget. Dante teaches martial arts in a sanctuary in Universe 9 he makes funny faces at the children while teaching them to fight he says it makes them stronger. Dana became a doctor she saves people with her hands, not with magic. Just with faith and humanity. I miss her and my sister… Saphira she governs entire dream universes or worlds now she works with the temporal police she's a very active goddess but she's still my sister sometimes, she sends me plush toys or sweet words in my dreams. and me? I became a mechanic.

Naomi went down the creaking metal stairs the garage was still closed, but she liked to arrive early she opened the gate the smell of metal, oil, and rubber enveloped her like an old blanket. she turned on the lights, put on an old Japanese jazz record, and began to clean the floor around the Strika RS-11 "Pinkbolt," her car, her secret, her shine. 

—"You slept against me again, huh," she murmured to the car body, patting its hood a door slammed she looked up. a client. an old man, helmet under his arm, looking tired but warm. —"Are you the famous Noctielle?" he asked, smiling. Naomi wiped her hands on a black rag. —"That's me and your motorcycle seems to want to talk to me. What did it say?" 

—"That it wants a new battery and maybe a little love." She smiled widely, genuinely. —"Then it's in the right place."

End of Chapter 1 — Just Me, Now