Being confronted with the girl's obvious emotional state made my heart pound in my chest. When I gazed at her, her green eyes reflected a scene of sadness and turmoil back at me. I took a step back, my hand wrapping around a street pole and beginning to tremble from this dilemma. I didn't want to lie and tell the girl her dog had been lost. But, at the same time, I didn't want to tell her I was the one that had killed it.
It was a rabid, possessed animal when I came across it. If it wasn't I would have immediately tried to return the dog to its rightful owner. But due to its peculiar condition, I had no choice. I tried to help it, to save it in any way, but my efforts were futile due to the intervention of that unknown possessor.
Aaron gazed at me, taking immediate notice of my emotions. Thoughts began to flash through his mind. He had seen me on the road, crying softly when I emerged from seemingly nowhere. I had mostly refrained from talking to the girl when she approached me.
"Kid, what's wrong?" Aaron spoke softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I looked towards the man, a maelstrom of emotions surging through me. If I confessed, I could get arrested and hurt, but if I lied and deceived, I'd hurt myself. I didn't know what to do.
"N-nothing... I-I'm just cold," I replied, sniffling as a small, trembling smile formed on my face.
Aaron exchanged a final glance with the girl, nodding his head. "Maybe we can take you back to the apartment, then me and her can continue looking for the dog."
Hearing this proposition, I felt a surge of relief and guilt. I would be away from her, away from the reason for my stress, but the emotions would still be prominent inside me. I could write them down in my journal, but I'm not entirely sure it would get the job done.
"O-ok..."
...
My apartment was exactly as I had left it, dark and empty. The doors leading to the balcony were slightly ajar, allowing bitterly cold winds to flow in unsupervised. The desk had been left untouched, say for my black, leather-bound journal which had been left open to the page with the crimson writing. I walked over to the desk, sat down, and slowly let out a long sigh.
Reaching for the feather pen and some ink that I could still find usable, I immediately flipped to the next page, slowly writing down my thoughts and feelings.
"Current date: I don't really know,
A dog attacked me, and I killed it in self defense. I didn't mean to do so; I had meant to save it and return it to its rightful owner. It attacked me because it had been possessed by someone unknown, someone obviously looking to cause trouble and mayhem. I should have been able to stop it, and correct the current happenings. But the potion I had consumed attempted to rebel against me—to make me fight the dog and abide purely by instinct.
If you read this for some reason, Silas. I hope you respond. I'd like to know more about you.
After finishing the letter, I closed the journal and slumped onto my bed, not bothering to change out of my clothing. I hadn't even bothered to close the door leading to the balcony. In a way, the cold wind felt nice, as the apartment was beginning to get a little stuffy. My body rolled over, gazing up at the ceiling. At this moment, countless thoughts passed through my mind.
I remembered the cat I had protected back in my home reality, the one with spots that had been taken in by the cat cafe. It looked so cold, terrified, and so empty. The feeling when I had held it made me feel like at that moment, I was a protector, one that was protecting the small as a small person myself. I didn't have power, but I wanted some.
The power wasn't the power to make myself explode into confetti or create fire with my fists, but the power to stand up. I vividly recalled the scene in the park, when I had watched those bullies stomp on Ayumi's chest and ridicule her. I wanted to help her, but at the same time, I was scared for my own wellbeing.
I didn't know if I was being selfish or watching out for myself. Being quirkless, I had been tortured and tormented by my bullies countless times, sometimes even falling unconscious and waking up in the nurses office and given treatment. Now, I had the power I longed for, except it would only make me the one stomping on Ayumi's chest. The power is evil, forged to be evil, but I had begun to grow and resist it to an extent, but it still calls my name.
Was I being selfish by not telling the girl about her dog? I had all the power to do so, but I refused because I knew I'd be punished in some sort. Sometimes, the worst of actions can have the best intentions—even when forged from a negative situation.
I had gained the power to destroy, tried to save only to destroy, and hid myself away because of it.
Suddenly, a noise outside roused me from my train of thought. Feeling a surge of curiosity, I slowly stood up from my bed and walked over to the window, peering outside. To my surprise, an ink-black raven was perched on the balcony's railing, gazing directly at me with its marble-like eyes. It let out a low, quiet caw as it dropped down and approached the window, knocking its beak against the window pane.
I slowly opened the balcony door, looking down at the creature. The moment we made eye contact, the raven began to cough and spasm, before finally regurgitating a paper covered in saliva. It picked up the paper with its beak, beckoning me to take it.
"I didn't know ravens were ...this smart," I commented, kneeling down and taking the object from the raven's beak.
When I unfolded the paper and read its contents, I only saw six words written in neat handwriting:
Come meet me on the rooftop.
...
I opened the metal door leading to the apartment's rooftop. The ground unexpectedly was covered in a thin layer of snow, courtesy of the heated pipes constantly pumping smoke into heating the environment around it. The door closed behind me with a low, metallic grunt, startling me slightly. The rooftop of the apartment was quite wide, able to fit a small banquet or party.
The only thing preventing this from happening was the sign inscribed into a wooden plank hanging from the other side of the door: AUTHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY.
A small shiver coursed down my spine as I turned back to the rooftop, slowly making my way over to the railing and looking down. Our apartment was among the tallest in the entire city, meaning the drop from this height would surely kill a man. It was also a little difficult to breathe up here, the wind and slippery ground made even walking quite an issue.
I scanned my surroundings, looking for any sight of the raven. All I saw was the black sky peppered with stars that filtered through the thin layer of clouds, the tops of buildings as they rolled on through the kingdom, only to stop near the gate that led into the forest of evergreens, and the endless trails of smoke that ascended past the clouds.
Caw, caw, caw!
My body snapped around just in time, watching as the raven landed on the rooftop, its gaze immediately finding me in the darkness.
Feeling a surge of both hesitancy and nervousness, I couldn't help but ask. "Y-you're a raven, are you a messenger of anyone? From all I know, birds can't talk."
At this moment, a thin black mist permeated the air, seamlessly melding with the smoke of the industrial machinery. The smoke expanded, giving birth to a figure that stood quite tall, had pointed ears, neatly combed crimson hair, and wearing casual attire. Their form was slightly lanky, but they didn't emanate the feeling of being defenseless.
This figure walked out, taking two steps forward whilst clasping their hands together. Their lips curled into a faint smile, revealing their pointed teeth to an extent. This figure was a man—a man with slightly humanoid features.
"Birds can't talk, but we can," They spoke.
I stumbled back, my hands darting for the guardrails. Did this raven just take human form?!
"Who are you?" I asked in a sputter.
The crimson-haired man extended one of his hands in my direction, bowing with some solemnity. "You may address me as Kael Cavendish, or simply, Mr. Cavendish."
"Kael..." I felt the name rumble under my tongue, and I let out a shaky sigh, extending my hand to shake his.
The moment our hands connected, a strange, buzzing pulse ebbed through my body, startling me a bit. I yanked my hand back in surprise.
"W-what? ...is this some kind of joke?"
Kael shook his head, raising his hands in a defensive manner. "I possess no ill intention; it's merely a convergence instinct."
"C-convergence instinct?" Hearing the vastly unfamiliar term, I arched an eyebrow as I gripped my right hand.
The unfamiliar man's gaze suddenly shifted to the mark on my left palm. "You bare the mark."
"Huh?" I gazed at my left palm, taking note of the presence of the apocalypse sigil on it. It was seemingly branded in my skin during the confrontation with the dog.
"How'd you get it? I'm curious." Kael leaned against the industrial pipe, the scalding temperature of the metal not affecting him in the slightest.
I remained silent for a few moments, clenching my left fist with a bit of defensiveness. "Why should I tell you?"
Hearing my words, the man scoffed and raised his left hand. With the flick of his wrist, the environment around us changed. I was brought into a casual-looking bar, dimly lit with music playing in the background—a small band of amateur musicians. We were both seated at a counter, and two drinks were immediately slid in our direction.
Kael's beverage had a sparkling green hue with ice cubes and a slice of lime on the side to accentuate the taste. My drink was slightly pink in color, had ice cubes, and a strawberry slice lodged into the rim of the glass. The man beside me sipped his beverage, sighing softly to compliment its craftsmanship.
"I gave you whatever didn't have alcohol. You don't mind eggs, don't you?"
"Eggs?" I questioned, feeling a little wary as I gazed at the drink.
"Don't mind it." Kael pushed the topic aside, bringing the emerald beverage to his lips again.
Feeling a surge of curiosity, I hesitantly grabbed the mug handle of my drink, taking a slow sip. When I tasted it, my eyes widened—it tasted exactly like a milkshake back in my reality!
"M-Mr. Cavendish, is it?" I put the mug down and turned to the man beside me, resting my elbow on the counter.
"Correct," Kael replied.
"What did you mean by 'bearing a mark'?"
Kael, who had already finished his beverage, slid the drink away and turned to me, folding one leg over the other. He gazed into my eyes with an analytical expression before chuckling. His hands slowly dove into his hair, parting the follicles that obscured his forehead. Nestled in between his brows was the Apocalypse sigil.
My eyes widened, my lips parting slightly. I tried to contain my emotions, but Kael must have noticed my futility, as he only scoffed and suppressed a laugh. The sigil on his forehead was a little larger than mine, constantly ebbing with malevolent, crimson-colored energy.
"We're on the same pathway, so I'd like to say our paths naturally collided."