The Day the Sky Stayed Still

Ren’s heart hadn’t stopped racing since he’d opened his eyes. The warmth of daylight still pressed through his curtains, but it felt colder now. It felt unnatural. Aira stood a few feet away, silent, her wings folded in serenity as if she belonged there.

Ren took a step back, his hand trembling. “Go away.”

Her gaze didn’t falter. “I cannot truly go away. You and I are bound. What you see, I see. What you feel, I feel.”

He clenched his jaw. “You’re not real.”

Aira tilted her head slightly. “And yet, here I am.”

Ren exhaled sharply, scratching his forehead. He glanced again at the mark on his hand. It was bright, beautiful. At first glance he couldn't see it, but it pulsed faintly to his heartbeat; speeding up when it did. 

“This is insane,” he muttered, pacing. “I must’ve hit my head or something.”

Silence filled the space. The hum of his ceiling fan, the slow tick of the clock, and Aira’s quiet presence seemed to melt together into something almost unbearable. He turned toward his bed, snatching up his phone.

If he was losing it, the internet would prove it.

He opened his browser, typing shakily: “Are angels real?”
The search filled instantly. Dozens of articles, short clips, shaky livestreams.

“Japan witnesses light beams over multiple cities!”
“People are claiming the presence of angels!”
“Mass hysteria or miracle?”

He scrolled through comments, each more frantic than the last. Rumors of people passing out and waking up from strange dreams, claiming they’d been chosen. No evidence, no visible marks on camera. Only confusion and fear from those who weren't.

However, one thing seemed to hold true: moments after the light opened the skies, people fell unconscious. Those same people woke shortly after.

Like him.

Ren turned to a news channel, his eyes glued to his phone.

A live reporter shouted into a mic amid blaring sirens:
“...government officials are urging calm as citizens continue to claim contact with divine beings. So far, no physical proof has been...”
The video cut to static.

Ren had turned the phone off and set it down beside him. “The whole world’s gone insane,” he whispered.

Aira watched him quietly. “The world is simply… awakening.”

He ignored her. His eyes fell on the clock again. 2:36 p.m. Somehow, time still moved even when reality didn’t make sense.

He pivoted toward his bedroom door. Curry filled the air as it opened.

His mom was home.

Maybe he could prove his sanity with her.

And so he went downstairs.

The faint sound of the television echoed from the living room, his mother’s voice mixing with the news anchor’s. She was sitting on the couch, clutching the remote tightly. On-screen, an aerial shot showed lined up body bags being processed by police.

The caption read at the bottom:

"Fresh bodies appear - are citizens still safe?" 

“Ren,” she said, relieved to see him. “You’re awake. Have you seen this? They’re saying angels are real.”

Ren forced a small smile. “Mom, it’s just a prank. Someone’s doing it for clicks.”

His mother frowned. “But it’s everywhere. Osaka, Tokyo, even Kyoto...”

“Then it’s a big prank,” he said, cutting her off. His tone came out sharper than he meant.

Aira stood beside him, motionless, wings faintly shimmering in the afternoon light filtering through the blinds. Ren’s breath caught. His mother didn’t react...not even a flicker of awareness.

He looked at Aira, then back at his mom. Nothing.
“Mom…” he asked carefully, “you don’t… see anything else in this room, right?”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind.” He forced a smile again, voice tight.

Aira spoke in his mind, calm as always. “Only you can perceive me. That is how our bond works.”

Ren nearly cursed under his breath.

He grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t wait up.”

“Ren...wait, the news said to stay inside...”
The door closed before she finished.

The streets were quieter than they should’ve been. No traffic. No chatter. Just the rustle of wind between power lines. Aira walked beside him, invisible to all but him.

“Why are you still following me?” he muttered.

“Because you are mine to witness,” she said simply. “And because you have yet to understand what’s coming.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t care what’s coming. I just want normal again.”

“Normal?” She repeated softly. “That idea ended at noon.”

Ren didn’t respond. He kept walking, his footsteps echoing against the pavement.

It was weird, he could here the faint noises of chatter from homes he passed, but nobody was on the street.

"I can't believe people believe this nonsense." He muttered, his steps heavier with each step.

Aira hovered behind him, silent, a sly smile suddenly etching the corner of her face.

Ren continued to walk, turning a corner. His mind wandered off toward explanations and theories, but something was different.

The air had shifted.

In fact, there was no air to begin with.

His feet paused, his senses alert. But there was no sound, there was nothing.

Homes still lined the streets beside him however, a certain eeriness lingered.

He frowned. "What the..."

Then he noticed the space around him.

The air shimmered faintly, and colors dulled around him. Streets once bright now looked drained. There were no cars, no pedestrians, nothing.

The world had changed.

“Where is everyone?” he whispered.

Aira didn’t answer.

Then, a scream pierced the silence. Distant but sharp.
Ren’s stomach dropped.

He hesitated, then followed the sound, creeping along the edge of a building until he reached a narrow street. He peeked around the corner...

...and froze.

A creature hunched over a motionless figure, its form bent and twisting unnaturally. It's back where held unrecognizable patterns. Its skin, like molten tar. It gnawed on what used to be a man.

Ren’s breathing quickened. His brain rejected the sight. No way. No way that’s real.

He pulled back behind the wall, eyes scanning roof tops and nearby spaces. There must be cameras. I just stumbled onto a shoot, that's it, he told himself, his hands shaking. He pressed his palm against his mouth. His heart hammered in his chest.

He risked another glance. The thing was still there, chewing, oblivious.

He turned to run...

Crack.

The sound of something small breaking beneath his shoe echoed louder than thunder in the silence.

The creature stopped. Its head quickly turned toward the noise. It glared an ominous crimson. Its body glitched when it moved, as if it was trying to hold it's form.

Ren stumbled backward. “No, no, no...”

It roared.

He bolted.

His lungs burned as he ran through the frozen streets, sneakers slamming against pavement. 

“Help! Somebody...!”

Nothing.

The world around him was dead. There was no people, no sound, no escape. His voice echoed uselessly.

Aira’s voice came through his mind, disturbingly calm. “Look at you, provoking your first trial.”

“My...what?!”

“You cannot leave a spatial zone until it’s slain. Or until you are.”

He turned a corner sharply, chest heaving, scanning for cover. He ducked behind a vending machine, crouching low. His hands lifted to his face, clamping over his mouth; a desperate attempt to minimize the sound of his breathing.

The creature’s growls echoed faintly, then closer. Ren's eyes glued open. His racing heart felt stopped.

A thought played in his mind. His mom, his normal life, all on the verge of vanishing. 

The ground trembled slightly as the creature’s steps drew near.

 Closer.

 Closer.

It sniffed the air, turning its head toward his hiding place.

Ren gritted his teeth, tightening his grip. “Screw it.”

The mark on his hand glowed white. He sprung to his feet and shoved the vending machine with every ounce of strength he had.

As it toppled over, a roar echoed in the air before silencing under the crushing impact.

Ren stumbled backward, gasping. His adrenaline seemed to have calmed as he stared at the black sludge spreading from beneath the machine. The smell hit him a second later like burnt meat.

Then,

Ding.

A faint tone echoed in his mind as his stat screen materialized in before him.

The mark on his hand pulsed once with light, then dimmed.

He blinked at the screen, speechless. “What… the hell…”

Then he noticed something. A breeze. Light seemed to return. The world slowly flickered back to life, colors returning to normal saturation, the sounds of birds on rooftops and the hum of power lines ambient around him.

Aira’s voice floated in the air beside him, light with amusement.
“And thus begins your ascent.” 

Ren jumped, startled at her sudden appearance.

He laughed once...a short, broken sound. It was one of half disbelief, half relief. He leaned against the wall, staring at his trembling hands. The sunlight felt heavy again, pressing down like judgment.

He turned his gaze toward mark one last time before muttering, “I didn’t ask for this.”

But what nobody knew, including Ren, was that this was just the start.

And whether he asked for it or not, he was apart of it.