Kizumo

The barren building appeared all the same, the masses of green and cracked concrete walls left just as they were when Lucius first awakened beneath its canopy. Scaffolding clung to its sides like the skeleton of an unfinished thought, an endless ladder of steel bars that caught the sunlight and threw it back in blinding shards.

His first impression had been in such a delirious state, he realized he hadn’t even taken the time to really explore the interior of the massive structure.

When I woke up here, all I cared about was getting back home, so blinded to anything else. I didn’t even stop for a second to appreciate the beauty of this place, how…peaceful it really was.

Inside, the air was warm, heavy with dust and silence, with the area nearest the entrance covered sporadically with beds of mossy greenery. Deeper within, classrooms stretched empty, walls stood stained with the ghosts of posters long torn away, chalkboards that still bore the white smudges of unfinished lessons. Fluorescent tubes dangled like snapped bones from the ceilings, and every step sent echoes racing through corridors.

The floor was covered in patterned carpet, an oddly comforting sight amongst the remnants of abandonment, and following the desire paths made on its surface led to stairwells that provided direct access to the roof. From the ground floor, the climb up to the top was an exhausting journey, but Lucius enjoyed seeing the remnants each floor as he made his way up.

The cool breeze that had acted as a guide for Lucius remained at the top of the building, fluttering around misplaced leaves and twigs like children flying kites. It twisted and wrapped around the base of a spire and made its way up the rough exterior to the tip of the structure.

The wind looks like it’s casting down a makeshift dome over this area, protecting it from the outside world, Lucius thought, delighted with the idea of some added safety.

The twins must not be here yet. I hope they were able to get away.

Standing at the edge of the building, the ground below seemed so miniscule, like everything that had once been so important had amounted to indifference at a high enough elevation.

It must be so hard being a god, having to care and remember the activities of every single ant.

Lucius picked up a chipped piece of concrete with a flat bottom from time spent sliding back and forth across the roof. Closing his eyes, he thought back to when he was a kid, memories of long walks with his parents along their favourite lakeside trail.

I can still see it, how the light would break into pieces through the trees, the path ahead casted in gold and shadow. I remember the sounds, the low hush of waves crashing against stones. And the beach itself, the rough curves of sand scattered with driftwood, gulls circling above, dogs barking at the edge of the pier. The horizon seemed endless, so sharp it could cut the earth in two. I really believed it was the edge of the world. All these years later, I realize, it wasn’t the view I’ve held onto most, it was the feeling of it. That strange calm, like time had gone still, like the whole world had stretched wide enough just for me to breathe.

Rotating the concrete in his hand, his mind pictured his fingers wrapped around a smooth stone, whittled down from centuries by the sea. Feeling every groove, every sanded surface, he brought his arm to his side and snapped his wrist forward, skipping the concrete stone across the hazen sky, leaving ripples with every bounce.

“You just got here and you’re already throwing things off the roof. I like your style, man.”

Lucius spun around, his previous assumption of being all alone proving incorrect. He scanned the area, but no one could be seen anywhere.

That voice didn’t sound like Ultra or Umbra. No way my location’s already been compromised.

Lucius became panicked, backstepping away from the perceived area of the voice. Without realizing, he was getting closer and closer to the roof’s edge. His next step would not find a firm concrete surface beneath it, but an empty space in the air, high up above the earth.

His shoe went down past the area where he expected to find solid ground, completely unbalancing his center of gravity. He stood seconds away from tumbling down to the ants.

“OH SHI-”

“Not the most careful, are ya?”

A person had appeared in front of him out of thin air and grabbed him by the center of his shirt, the only force holding him from falling over the edge. With an effortless nudge, Lucius’s body was pulled back onto the roof, as the voice who had spoken out stood over him, smiling.

“They did mention you were a bit unpredictable, but I wasn’t expecting an example so soon,” the voice playfully said, who Lucius could now see belonged to someone around his own age.

The boy had flowing blonde hair tied back out of his eyes, but strands still managed to escape and hang down over his vision. Out of all his facial features, his eyes were what stood out the most. Two glowing circles of magenta fire emitted from his face, like pink narcissus flowers in a field of white roses. He wore a white long sleeve shirt with gold chains wrapped down both arms, dark cargo pants fitted over worn combat boots, and fingerless black gloves on both of his hands.

“They…who?” Lucius meekly asked from the ground, still unsure who’s side this stranger was on.

“They really didn’t mention me? The twins. They called me as soon as stuff started going down at the club. Told me you’d be arriving here soon.”

He extended a gloved hand down to Lucius, calming some of the worry that had perpetrated his mind.

“Lucius right? I’m Caesar. They didn’t have time to tell me much, but they never call unless it’s something urgent. I’m sure they’ll get here soon.”

Lucius grabbed Caesar’s hand and was effortlessly raised to his feet, standing eye to eye with the unexpected guest.

“So you, like, work at the club or…?” Lucius asked, perplexed, still confused about how Caesar fit into the picture.

“Hell no. Jobs like that are not my thing. At all. I’m more like a freelancer, I do… speciality work. If I need something, I take it. That’s my specialty,” Caesar smugly replied.

“So you're like a…thief?”

“Damn dude, give me more credit than that. I’m not just some petty burglar, I’m a professional. I’ve helped the twins out before with some, let's say ‘confidential assignments’, but I’m a master at my craft. Take from the rich and give to the less rich but still rich, all while growing my own wealth in the process.”

Before Lucius could even fully process what Caesar had just said, he was already onto the next thing.

“Hey, take a look at this.”

Caesar opened up his right gloved hand and showed a small pink rubber ball resting in the middle of his palm.

“Take your right fist and put it out in front of you. But keep it closed, tightly gripped. Now don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Just kidding, you can blink. You’ll miss it anyways.”

Caesar’s open hand began to pulse with his magenta resonance, while the chains around his

arms glowed a deep hue. In a swift motion, he closed his hand into a fist, and the flames went out like a blown out candle.

“Did you feel anything? Open your hand,” Caesar said with a smirk.

Lucius obeyed the instructions and unclenched his fist, revealing that the small pink rubber ball had appeared in his palm.

“Woah, how’d you do that?”

In a blink, the ball disappeared from Lucius’s possession and reappeared in Caesar’s palm. With both their hands now opened, there could be no mistaking the trick for simply sleight of hand.

“Magic,” Caesar said, now grinning like a child.

“So that’s your resonance, you can make things disappear and reappear. But there must be more to it than just that.”

“There sure is. For any objects I’ve touched, I can completely control their location and visibility, and can store them away in a little pocket dimension only accessible by me. Comes in pretty handy when I’m under suspicion for acquiring particular items, makes the getaways as easy as beating Umbra in a game of cards. I call it the Ender Realm, cool name huh? But that’s all I can show you for now, gotta keep some surprises.”

Damn, everyone seems to be able to use their abilities but me, Lucius thought, jealous of the display of resonance compared to his own meager control.

“Okay your turn, show me something,” Caesar said.

“Mines a, uhh, work in progress. Haven’t really been able to figure out all the details yet.”

“Oh c’mon, you got nothing? You gotta be able to do something. The twins wouldn’t have sent you here if you were useless.”

“I’ll try, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Lucius closed his eyes and tried to focus like Lain had taught him, picturing his fiery soul in the midst of eternal blackness inside his chest. Stoking the flames, guiding it outwards through his veins, igniting his whole body with the essence of his being, all centered into the palm of his hand.

He opened his eyes and there it was, the small jade flame dancing just above his skin. It waltzed for a few moments longer than it ever had, then disappeared all the same just like the rubber ball.

“I mean, I guess it’s better than nothing. But you still got a lot to learn, not sure how useful that little trick is gonna be,” Caesar remarked, unimpressed.

“That’s why you’re here, Caesar. We’re gonna start showing him the ropes,” called out a cheerful voice from behind a concrete wall.

Umbra and Ultra turned the corner and walked towards them, their contrasting colours and appearances displayed even stronger in the light of day.

“You boys ready?” Umbra said as a statement more than a question.

The two boys looked at each other suspiciously, completely clueless to what the twins had in mind.

“Now that we’re all here,” Ultra calmly added, “let’s begin.”