I never thought I'd be happy to be back at this apartment complex after trying to get away by leaving for college. Everything is so messed up. Yun's parents have to hurry back from overseas now, and Assa… His parents must be totally devastated.
Having come back to his aunt's home, Shin was drowning in the sorrow of what had happened the prior day. Scrolling through his communicator, he found the chat log from before the hangout:
Yun: Hey bro, you need to check out this new game.
Assa: Not you too, man.
Me: What's going on?
Assa: This idiot wants to play that new horror game that went viral in the 51st District. I heard from a buddy there that you supposedly summon a spirit to communicate with.
Yun: Don't be a scaredy-cat. It's all harmless fun.
Me: Count me out. I have a test tomorrow morning.
Yun: Come on, man, it will be a quick hour of fun.
Yun: Besides, I'm already outside Assa's dorm. We'll come fetch you.
Assa: Really? Whatever, man. If something really happens, I'm beating your ass.
Yun: See you soon, Shin!!!
That's as far as I can remember two days ago before the ritual, but something is still nagging me, but what?
Just then a knock sounded on his bedroom door. "Uncle Shin?" a sweet-sounding child's voice called out. Peeping her head inside was a small girl, about 8 years old, with a bushy hairstyle, looking at Shin with her big eyes.
"Mommy asked if you were joining for lunch," she sheepishly asked.
"Yes, Sora, tell Aunt Min I'll be down shortly."
The little girl then shyly nodded before disappearing.
Exhaling a deep sigh, Shin remembered the proposal that the silver-haired man gave him, as well as the consequences. Will I really need to leave all this behind?
…
Sitting around the lunch table, the small family of four were silently eating lunch. Only the sounds of chewing and cutlery filled the void.
Looking at the faces around the table, Shin began to recall the painful history of their family.
Shin's father was the older brother of Aunt Min, and together with his brother-in-law, Aunt Min's husband, they were both firefighters who died in the same disaster during the line of duty. And Shin has never really known his mother, so when his father died, he became an orphan, who was then taken in by his aunt.
After that Aunt Min had to work hard keeping her cafe running and also taking care of her two children, while also having to financially support Shin.
Turning her head towards Shin, Aunt Min then spoke. "I've already sent a notice to the college. Thankfully the headmaster allowed a one-week leave." After a moment of brief silence, she asked with a hint of concern, "Do you know why they cleared you?"
Looking down at the plate, Shin shook his head. Knowing that telling the truth may be harmful, and who knows what consequences might appear if he revealed the identity of those agents.
Raising his head and forcing a small smile, Shin simply said, "Don't worry, Aunt Min, everything will be fine."
…
Standing in the window and overlooking the small neighbourhood and the tall skyscrapers in the distance, Shin's eyes were lost in focus, spinning the medallion that Miss Tsuki gave him in his hand.
Thinking about his future, he began lamenting the struggling society of the world.
A few centuries ago a massive global war destroyed most of the past cities and regions, forcing humans to live within new enclosed cities to keep the pollution and radiation out. That's why since then the calendars have been marked After Collapse, or just AC.
Having been born in Sakura City, 64th District, Shin always felt that they were just in the middle of everything, having just enough to survive.
The current societal structure heavily favoured innovation; however, that also had the hidden conditions of societal standing and connections. That's why Shin aspired to be a Hexa Engineer and then work hard to bring his family to the upper bracket.
It would have been nice to at least let them see the ocean. Unfortunately that's only in the 15th District. Shin sighed inwardly.
Most cities in the New World used a citizen eligibility system to designate living areas in different societal brackets. In Sakura City, there exist 75 districts composed of various neighbourhoods:
1-10 (Elite), 11-30 (Upper), 31-70 (Middle), 71-75 (Poor)
Regaining the focus in his eyes, Shin began to inspect the medallion that was given to protect him. The string used was ordinary leather; however, the pendant itself was made from a smooth, shiny material with an unknown letter carved in.
Turning his head towards his bedside table, he then noticed that it was about to turn midnight. However, before he could do anything else, he heard a faint knock on the door. Standing there was Aunt Min wearing a fluffy sleeping gown.
"You're still awake? I wanted to check up on you because of all the scary things that have happened." Aunt Min spoke softly.
"You know, if things get tough, you can always talk to me… Or maybe we can see a psychologist. I still have some spare credits, so…"
"Really, I'm fine, Aunt Min. I promise." Shin immediately comforted her.
"Really?" She could not help but ask.
Before Shin could reply, he felt a wave of change. Turning his head to look outside the window, he saw the eerie crimson moon had appeared. Remembering the warning Gin had given him, he immediately retracted his gaze.
Looking back to his Aunt Min, he saw that she had gone Hollow. Her eye sockets were filled with an empty hole of darkness, and her mouth was like a deep abyss leading nowhere. His heart immediately felt like it sank upon seeing her like this. "Aunt Min?" Shin called out worryingly.
He recalled the information Miss Tsuki had given, that during the Waking Hour all living things would turn to a statue-like state. Calming himself down, he then sat on the bed, clasping the protective medallion. A question then popped into his mind:
What exactly does this protect me from?
Just then the medallion started to shine in a faint blue glow. Bringing the medallion closer to his face, Shin looked like he became enthralled.
Bang! Patter, patter!
Huh, someone's running around. Turning his focus towards the noise in the kitchen, he then called out, "Sora? Jun? Hello?"
Suddenly the noise stopped; however, just when Shin stood up to inspect, he realised he was face-to-face with his Hollow Aunt Min.
Muttering in his mind, he once again recalled the warning:
All living things turn Hollow during the Waking Hour.