I stand in a world made entirely of white particles.
There are no other colors, as if they had all merged to create one cold color that reigns supreme over this place.
I don't feel the cold, but looking at it, I still want to...
No, I see something else.
A bright orange fire burns next to me, driving away the snowy emptiness.
The fire looks at me.
It says something to me.
No, it's not a fire.
It is bright red, long hair.
It covers everything, leaving no chance for the disgusting whiteness to seep through.
I can't see her face.
Is she hugging me?
Hey, isn't that me...
"********!"
Wait, what are you saying?
"******** *****a ****!"
Wait, I don't understand why you...
"*****a h **** *i***!"
I can't see your face, but I can hear you.
The echoes of your desperate pleas reach me.
I can't see your face, but I know what expression is on it right now.
Why are you crying?
It's not even your pain.
Why are you crying when you look at me?
"PLEASE!!!"
No...
"******** Hand to the light!"
"Why am I crying?"
...
Haha. Would you believe me if I said it was love at first sight?
When my parents told me that I was going to have a brother or sister, I got really upset with them for some reason and locked myself in my room for the whole day. The next day, after I had calmed down a bit, I told my parents, "Okay, I'll forgive you if it's a little sister." It's funny to think about now. But my parents didn't tell me it was going to be a boy until the very last moment.
The day they came back from the hospital, it was cloudy and raining heavily, matching my mood. I sat by the window, staring blankly at the raindrops. I probably thought that this day would be recorded in my biography as the day of the greatest tragedy. Although I told my parents I would forgive them, I didn't intend to. I wasn't afraid of being alone, nor was I selfish enough to want all of my parents' attention. The idea of sharing our home with a stranger, even a relative, was repulsive and annoying. That's probably why we never had any pets. Apparently, my possessive nature manifested itself from childhood.
When I heard the door unlock, I didn't think to move; I just sat there, turned away from the door toward the window. When they came into the house, I immediately heard croaking sounds. I was surprised and thought, "Is it possible for a human to make those sounds, or is it some kind of mystical creature?" Even though I knew what the sounds were, I couldn't help but smile with my inner schadenfreude. Then, I heard my mother's voice calling me, "Annabelle, come here quickly." However, I didn't move, showing my resentment through my demeanor. Apparently accustomed to my whims, my father approached me shyly. Hesitating, he began to mumble, "Belle, well, here's the thing..." But before he could continue, my mother approached with the croaking creature in her arms and cheerfully exclaimed,
"Annabelle, hurry up and look at your little brother! He's so cute!"
I jumped up in shock and cried out, "What?!" I turned around as if maddened and was about to vent all my indignation on my parents. But then I froze when I saw two shining, lemon-colored lights where their eyes should have been.
Everything in the world seemed to freeze, even my parents, who never stop talking when they're together. They remained silent, apparently waiting for my reaction. I stared intently at those tiny, blinking eyes, and they stared back at me, probably not understanding who or what I was. This went on for about a minute, I think, while I kept staring at those strange eyes. Then, I don't know what came over me, but I walked up to my mom, who was holding the baby. I was in a trance, still staring at those eyes.
The baby stirred and looked at me in confusion. I did the same. Then, my mother lifted him up, whispered softly in his ear, "Say hello to your sister," and turned him to face me. He immediately looked around in surprise and fixed his gaze on me. He blinked and looked at my face, cooing enthusiastically. Finally, he stopped and looked into my eyes again. As we continued this strange staring contest, I saw the baby's face break into a smile. I widened my eyes in surprise and heard the sweetest laughter, "Khee-khee-khee!" The baby said, stirring with the same smile and laughter. He reached out to me, and his mother said cheerfully, "See? I told you he was cute!" But I didn't hear her anymore.
The whole world fell silent, and only that sweet laughter remained. All my attention was taken by that face with its rosy cheeks, radiant smile, and bright, shining eyes.
Then I said to myself,
"I want to protect him forever."
A frightening question came in response from someone's voice:
"Will you protect him even ********?"
The answer popped into my head without hesitation, and the voice said,
"You will protect him."
However, Annabelle didn't tell her brother about it.
...
Elion opened his tear-filled eyes.
The echoes of the redheaded girl's desperate plea still rang in his head.
"W-why... I..."
"Why am I crying?" He covered his face with his hands, but the tears showed no sign of stopping.
"W-what is this? Why did she...? W-what was she trying to say?"
Elion tried to get out of bed, but immediately fell to the floor, overcome by pain in his chest.
"W-wha... haa," he breathed heavily, his chest clenching with pain and his tears unrelenting.
"W-why is this so...?"
"Hhaa... so painful?"
"Ha... Why do I feel pain?" The pain of his torn soul dug into him and wouldn't let go.
"Whaa... Th-this isn't her pain..."
"T-then..."
"W-whose is it?"
Elion lay on the cold floor, hugging himself and trying to contain the grief tearing him apart.
The grief of despair.
The grief of loss.