«No… it won't happen again...»
The smoke clouded his eyes, but he barely noticed it. Everything felt distant, as if he were inside a dream. In front of him, amidst the rubble and the bodies, a small tremor announced movement under a broken table. From there, he emerged: a boy, covered in dust and blood, with a dark burn crossing most of his cheek—a mark that seemed too cruel to exist on someone so small. His eyes, however, were not on his wound. They were fixed on the body of a white-haired girl, lying among overturned chairs, completely unconscious.
The boy gritted his teeth. And he ran. He ran through the flames, dodging the fire that blazed around him as best as he could, as if the simple act of moving faster could prevent it from touching him again.
Everything around was chaos, screams. And the most unsettling thing of all: the sound of the school bell marking the end of the day, mixed with the fire alarm that roared without ceasing.
Above that noise, a Phoenix—a mythical beast shrouded in golden flames—flew over the destroyed corridors, breathing fire with every flap of its wings. Its presence distracted the legion of mages just enough for the boy to reach one of them fallen next to the cafeteria bar. The mage was nearly dead, but what he carried was what mattered.
A book, glowing, vibrating. Almost channeled. The boy did not cry. He only breathed fast, his hands trembling as he leaned over the body to take it. When his fingers touched the cover, a burst of energy swept through the entire room, kicking up dust and flashing brilliant blue runes.
—Stop! —a voice wheezed.
A mage still conscious, crawling across the floor, raised a trembling hand, but he didn't stop forming a seal.
Too late.
The boy with the scar was already muttering. Syllables that no child of this world should know.
—…drash'ka norv… hen'tarii… —he stammered, feeling his throat begin to burn from the inside.
The mage's pupils dilated. Instinctively, he reached for his pocket as a single bead of sweat ran down his face; he tried to stop what was happening by drawing his firearm.
—No… not you…!
A shot exploded in the air. The sound cut through the cafeteria like a straight line; the bullet spun, crossing the smoke in the boy's direction. In that instant, time seemed to stand still for a moment. The blue runes flashed one last time before everything turned into a blur.
—Seiyi, look what I found!
His sister's voice sounded as it always did: too loud, too happy… and almost always too problematic. Perhaps, after all, the story really began like this. Not with fire, chaos, or screams… but with her.
With a resigned sigh that seemed accustomed to these inconveniences, Seiyi walked toward the spot where she was.
«Please don't let it be anything weird this time… please…»
—Can you stop running after everything that shines?… Ugh…
He stopped when he saw her crouching by the pavement. A girl with white hair and a ponytail, eyes bright as if the whole world were a toy, was leaning toward something she found curious.
—Miyu… what are you—?
Then he saw it: a rough tail, covered in scales and of a mossy green tone. It was unmistakable. It wasn't a lizard, it wasn't an iguana.
—A… A DRAGON!?
Instinct hit him before reason.
Scritch!
He scrambled up the nearest tree like a cornered alley cat, eyes wide with panic and breath hitching.
Miyu, of course, was laughing hysterically. With the agility of someone who knows no fear, she picked up the small dragon in her hands and lifted it toward the tree where Seiyi was still perched.
—Look, Sei! Isn't it such a pitty thing? —she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
—PRETTY! It's called PRETTY! —Seiyi's voice cracked in a high-pitched scream as he struggled to climb one branch higher—. Get it away! I swear I'm never cooking for you again! Never!
—Alright, alright, little girl… don't be such a drama queen.
Miyu gently placed the little dragon back on the pavement. Looking up, she noticed a man a few meters away searching desperately through the bushes. Miyu looked down at the creature; on the animal's neck, a small leather collar with a metal plate shone.
—"Maxy"… —she read aloud.
Her eyes widened as she realized the coincidence. Without hesitation, Miyu began waving her arms at the man to catch his attention.
—Heyyy! —she shouted with all her might—. Is this your pet?! It's incredible! Can I keep him?!
Seiyi's hand fell like a hammer directly onto his sister's head, bringing her down from the tree in record time and silencing her with one blow.
—Idiot! —Seiyi hissed through his teeth—. How are you going to keep an animal that has an owner?!
—B-But… he was so cute… —she grumbled, rubbing her head.
The commotion reached the owner's ears, and he came jogging over. Upon seeing the pair of siblings, he couldn't help but let out a laugh that relaxed the atmosphere.
—Hahaha… you two must be new to the neighborhood, right?
Seiyi bowed nervously in an automatic reflex. In a clumsy attempt to make up for his sister's nerve, he gently pushed Miyu's head down so she would bow with him.
—Y-Yes, please excuse my sister… I can't stop her when… well, you know —Seiyi stammered.
Miyu, her face red with embarrassment and still rubbing the bump on her head, kept her gaze low. Mr. Jones watched them in silence for a second that felt eternal, arching an eyebrow.
—Wow… —the man murmured with a curious smile—. That bowing together thing… You're not from around here, are you?
—W-we're just passing through —Seiyi repeated.
—No worries. Maxy is very friendly with strangers. Right, boy?
The dragon, a creature with green scales and yellow eyes that were far too large, opened its small fangs. But it didn't emit a majestic roar or anything terrifying. It let out a dry, high-pitched, and pathetic bark: Waff!
Seiyi's stomach churned. His face twisted in a grimace of rejection.
—W-well… —Seiyi swallowed hard, avoiding looking at the "beast"—. Mister…
—Jones —the man completed, scratching the dragon's chin.
—Right, Jones! Then… we'll be going. FORGIVE MY SISTER, BYE!
Without waiting for an answer, Seiyi grabbed Miyu's wrist and tugged at her, dragging her down the street. His feet pounded the pavement with an urgency bordering on panic, wanting to put distance between them and that "thing."
—M-Miyu… —Seiyi wheezed when they finally stopped a block away. His lungs burned.
—Pff… —Miyu let out a giggle, pulling away from her brother's grip—. That was way too close, wasn't it? The dragon could have flown up and killed us all with its great venomous breath.
Miyu looked at him out of the corner of her eye, enjoying seeing Seiyi so worked up over an animal that barely reached his ankles.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, leaving the urban houses behind to enter the student residence zone. The building rose before them, wrapped in the constant noise of televisions and slamming doors. The air there smelled of a thick mix of dampness and cheap fast food.
Stepping into the elevator, Miyu shot out as soon as the doors opened, while Seiyi moved with much slower steps, feeling the weight of the backpack on his shoulders.
—Hey, Miyu, don't fall asleep the moment we go in —Seiyi warned—. We have to call Mom.
—Was today the day? Ugh… I want to sleep…
—Always the same with you…
Seiyi walked straight toward what he thought was their room and dropped his backpack with a sigh of relief, as if he had finally dropped an anchor.
—Well… finally… —he murmured, reaching for the knob.
—…That's not our door —Miyu said flatly.
—What?
Miyu pointed her finger at the metal number.
—We're 132. That's 131.
Seiyi looked at the number, blinked twice… and felt his dignity evaporate in an instant.
—Oh.
Miyu walked toward the correct door without even looking at him, as if these kinds of mistakes were the soundtrack of her daily life. Seiyi followed her in silence, swallowing his pride as they entered the room. She dropped her things on the floor with the natural confidence of someone who is always right.
It was time to prepare for the weekly video call.