Smoke and Mirrors

Red Thread of Fate

Some people are connected with it, some are bound. Some use it as a rope to reach new heights, some use it as an excuse to sit down and do nothing.

Some imagine they are in circus and walk on the threads of others. Some view them as clowns and jesters, others as manipulators and opportunists.

It's a thread that is thin enough to be cut by a single movement of a knife, but such knife doesn't exist.

It endures the weight of emotions of people connected with it, as well as of others who put additional luggage. Some do it intentionally, others by accident.

It is indestructible, it won't wear out from the sun nor the rain.

No one gets to choose their bound partner, but you get to choose whether you will participate in the ride or not.

It won't snap, even when death do us apart.

And even if it does snap for some obnoxiously dumb reason, (cause let's be honest, you're pretty clumsy), don't let the thread choke you, make a sweater out of it.

Catch you later, Choms.

Ryunna

„ ...“

„You're still reading that letter?“ asked Cyn while taking a sip of a tea on the top of the Lotus Institute.

Beside her stood Dr.Chom who was holding the letter tightly as he followed puffy clouds that moved slowly on a bright sunny day.

„Everything I need is in that letter,“ he sighed, „and now it's our turn to help those kids in any way we can.“

Cyn smiled.

„If only Ryu could see you now, you wouldn't hear the end of it,“ gentle but frosty breeze caressed Cyn's long vanilla-colored hair.

„I wouldn't want to hear the end anyway,“ he carefully folded the letter and put it in his pocket.

„So? What's the plan?“ she asked.

„Simu-Prism is directly connected to main server, which means that higher-ups had already found out about everything as soon as we finished the simulation,“ Dr.Chom moved his hands around.

„Then just let Ren talk to her daddy, he ordered that test anyway. Luckily for us, Kappa willingly showed up,“ Cyn threw the plastic glass into a trash can from an admirable distance.

„You could talk to him too, you know, for Omicron's sake as well,“ Chom scratched his nose out of annoyance.

„Me and August are not on a same page ever since what happened to Ren's sister, but fine, if I can be of assistance, I'll do my best,“ Cyn smiled gently.

„Thank you, so much,“ doctor relaxed his shoulders, „and don't worry about the boy, I prescribed some medication that will calm his nerves. He should be fine for a while.“

„For a while,“ Cyn repeated after him.

„...“

Few miles outside of Zarconia City stood a giant estate with historical significance. Large metal doors with engraved lotus symbols on each side separated the menacing old-style Japanese building from the rest of the modern-style architecture.

A huge complex consisted of a main house that was the largest and a smaller house on each of it's sides. Carefully placed stones colored in all kinds of shades of green paved the path that stretched from the main gates all the way to the main house.

Alley of cherry trees followed the path all the way to the top. The path finished with a set of stone stairs with a tall scarlet torii.

This is the path Ren was taking each day after school. Her father consistently organized a personal chauffeur for her, but she would take a different route and use the bus instead.

She was aware of how childish she acted but that micro decision was the only sign of rebellion against her father. She would send her chauffeur to drive other pupils at school instead.

This was yet another day of walking back home, but the difference was that she was about to her own father for the sake of her club members.

When she climbed atop the stairs, she took a break beneath the torii. She take a look at the house on the right.

It was a residence for house help, but in one of the rooms her sister Miyako lived.

Pale face with blank expression was staring through the window at the sky during the day and night, until it was forced to sleep by her exhausted brain.

She was neither a human, neither a doll. Just an existence somewhere in between.

It knew no sadness, there wasn't a single time her face made a sad expression, but it knew no happiness either.

Ren was reminded of her mission each time she would see herself in immovable irises of her beloved sister.

„Hold on a bit Mia, I will save you. Definitely.“

Ren wouldn't pass a single time without gifting her sister a kiss on her forehead, dried from the sun.

„I'm home,“ she said after opening the creaky door of the main house.

Usually she would go to her room that was located at the far end of the long hallway, but this time she took a deep breath in the middle of a hall.

„Miss Ren, is everything all right?“ One of the maidens that help around the house approached Ren.

She was dressed in characteristic housemaid attire. The polite version, of course. Indecency in this house was strongly forbidden.

„I am fine,“ Ren answered shortly and asked, „is Father home?“

„Yes, he's in the studies room, want me to tell him that you want to talk?“

„No need, I will go there myself,“ Ren walked towards the opposite side of the hallway.

„Miss Ren...“

Maid followed Ren slowly, worrying about her well being.

Studies room was the only room in the house that had a tiny bell bell sitting on a small stand beside it. One would need to ring it before entering the room.

Ren rang the bell and waited a few moments.

This was an old house so every room was divided by shoji, the sliding doors. After a couple of minutes, door slid to the side and a tall man with long grey hair in a lab coat appeared before her.

„Good evening, Father,“ Ren bowed slightly.

Expression on his rough wrinkled face with a strong jaw line dropped upon seeing his daughter in front of him.

„Ren, you're home,“ his eyebrows raised significantly.

„I want to talk to you, it is important,“ said Ren politely without looking him into the eyes.

„Of course, come in,“ he slid the door further to the other side so Ren could walk in.

It was a big room completely covered in books. There were bookcases all around the room with scattered books on the floor and on the chairs with a giant amount of stickers that were pointing out from them.

„Here, let me make a room for you to sit,“ he kicked the books from one of the chairs.

„It is fine, I will stand,“ Ren didn't enjoy the mess her father worked in, it only made her more uncomfortable.

„So, how is school?“ he asked

„Fine. But that is not the reason I am here,“ Ren added quickly.

„Oh, please, do tell me,“ her father sat on the edge of an old wooden desk.

It was but one of many desks but the rest were as you guessed it, completely drowned in books

„It is about my friend, Shiki, the Kappa.“

Her father jumped from the desk.

„Ah yes! He is an extraordinary subject, I've never encountered anything like this, perhaps ever,“ he spoke enthusiastically while flipping the pages of various books around him.

„Shiki is not a subject!“ Ren shouted.

„Yes, of course, but his Prime Aura converted so much of external Mana...“ Ren cut her father in the middle of a sentence with words, „he is a living person.“

Her father dropped the book he was holding and looked at Ren's pained expression.

„Is this about Miyako again?“ he sighed.

„No! That is why I am here, I won't let you do to my friend what you did to my sister!“ small teardrops slid down Ren's chin as her eyes became red.

Her father rolled up the sleeves and walked to the other side of the room.

„I am still doing my best to help Miyako.“

„Please do not, I see every day for the past five years what „Your best“ has done to Mia.“

Ren wiped off her tears and calmed herself as much as she could.

„How was I supposed to know what would happen to her? I am studying emotional health of humans my entire life and I've barely even scratched the surface of it all,“ her father complained.

„I have never asked you to be a scientist. Just a father of two girls. I guess I asked too much.“

Her father was speechless. His breathing quickened as he was trying to find the correct words.

„Anyway, I want you to stay away from Shiki,“ Ren said while looking straight into his eyes.

„But he..“

„I do not care. You are the headmaster, delete the files from the system I could not care less. He stays in the school, with me. With his friends,“ Ren kept a firm posture.

After a few seconds of thinking, her father had finally spoken up.

„Fine, if that will bring back at least one of my daughters back, I will stay away from him,“ he answered

„Do not jump on a gun, Father, I have told you already, but I will say it again. I will NEVER forgive you. But this way at least you will have a privilege to see me around here,“ Ren slid the door behind her.

When Ren left the room, her father took a phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

„Good evening, yes, we proceed as planned. Just let the boy home for now.“

„...“

Butler grabbed a napkin from the tray he was carrying and handed it over to Eden.

„So, since you're the new guy let's take this from the top,“ Eden took a white napkin decorated with golden vines all over it's edges and put it neatly on a table before him.

„It has something to do with the napkin?“ Omi wondered.

„Nah, I don't like to touch objects with my bare hands, so..“ Eden rested his hands on a napkin.

„Amazing,“ Omi seemed annoyed.

„I, as you can see, am pretty rich. My family is only shadowed by Lotuses but their money is filthy money so it doesn't really count does it,“ Eden giggled.

„Yeah I don't like that creepy old dude either, he reminds me of my neighbor Sullivan that lives with twelve cats,“ Nana played with her cup of tea while talking.

„Right, so, my parents, especially my father, wanted me to marry a girl from a high prestige family, but not richer as us, that would seem kinda degrading,“ Eden laughed mockingly.

Prism on a table started emitting a pale bluish light. Eden observed the pale light which made his seemingly calculated posture loose a bit.

„I don't really care about women, nor men for that fact, I only feel butterflies when I am by myself.“

Prism started illuminating deep blue light that filled the room. Both Nana and Omi closed their eyes and relaxed.

„...“

„Hey Omes, wakey wakey,“ Nana whispered extremely close to Omi's ear.

He woke up as if wolves had started to chase him and hit the mirror in front of him.

„Wow! Nice reflex, I love it!“ she said mockingly.

„Oh dear lord what is this,“ Omi shouted when he looked around him.

Wherever he looked there was a mirror and the only thing he could see is his naked reflection. He touched all over his body to check if he has clothes on and soon after the realization that it must be some sort of a perverted magical mirror, his adolescent eye jumped on the mirror that stood near Nana.

„Don't let your hopes up, in these mirrors you can only see your naked self,“ she stretched her arms and hopped happily in front of the mirrored glass.

„What is this, a circus?“ Omi complained as he studied the room they found themselves into.

„Classic Eden, there is a literal circus in his head, but hey who am I to judge, I've never met a single fully stable person in my whole life,“ said Nana while admiring her thin waist.

Omi didn't know what to say to that.

„You've been here before, know the way out?“

„In this particular version of a wold, no, but I am sure that we need to break at least seven mirrors to exit the room,“ Nana said without making a fuss.

„Breaking mirrors? Isn't that bad luck?“ Omi spread his arms.

„There is no such thing as good and bad luck, we make our own luck,“ Nana pulled a tiny plastic hammer that kids use while playing in a sand.

Omi was astonished at her when he saw Nana hitting the mirror with a tiny hammer in front of her.

„What are you going to achieve with that thing?“ he asked.

„Wait until the seventh strike of course!“ Nana shouted a hit the mirror for the final time.

The sound reverberated across not just that one, but all the mirrors as her hammer gradually enlarged into a seemingly ten-ton sledgehammer used by vikings.

„You're messing with me!“ Omi laughed.

„Not at all, now watch this!“

Nana jumped on the handle of the hammer and using her legs slammed the giant object directly into mirror in front of her.

The mirror broke into thousands of pieces and six mirrors beside it met the same fate.

After that, their reflections returned to normal and a path amongst the mirrors opened so they could proceed further into the hall.

„How did you know?“ Omi asked.

„Eh, everyone needs to shatter their ego once in a while,“ said Nana while resting a giant sledge hammer on her shoulder.

„Woah, isn't that thing super heavy?“ he asked.

„Only if you make it heavy, darling,“ Nana answered playfully and waltzed over the shattered glass.

„I officially don't understand women,“ Omi muttered while walking behind her.

When they left the mirror room, they found themselves in front of the door which had a green-lit EXIT sign on the top.

„And now, the main dish,“ said Nana while hitting the door with her hammer.

What prostrated in front of them was indeed a circus. There was a giant turquoise tent with gaudy ornaments, a heavily overdecorated merry-go-round with unicorns instead of horses. There were several unknown machines covered in amethysts and emeralds that carried a bunch of shadows and launched them high into the air.

Amongst all the machinery many shadows were running around with mops and cleaning products, constantly scrubbing every piece of gaudy decoration.

„Over-the-top circus from hell?“ Omi looked at Nana that drew the map of everything before them on the ground using her hammer.

„So, we're here. We should draw the maps every so often in case this mad thing loops. It looped on couple of occasions before,“ said Nana while pointing at stick figures she has drawn in the ground.

„Wait, how many times were you here?“ asked Omi.

„This is my seventh time, why?“

„Of course it is...“Omi muttered.

„It just means I had to endure six useless Primes until I met you,“ Nana smiled gently.

„Is that so? Then let's get started,“ Omi turned his back around and started walking.