"Oh sh**!" Rayna screamed, waking up from a nap. She was inside a room that had an opened suitcase filled neatly with folded clothes. The ceiling fan wasn't spinning, just still, stillness like calm water.
She flipped her blanket, urgently leaving, checking the time on her phone that she forgot to charge and is only at 24%. There was a notification on her phone, stating.
Flight Time:
Rieamaius, Laydon City Airport — New Nebulaia, West Citta Costiera Airport.
Boarding: 3:48 PM.
Departure: 4:05 PM.
Damn it! I forgot about the flight, right now it's 2! We gotta get to the airport, IMMEDIATELY!
She quickly washed her face, frantically grabbing clothes from a large shopping bag, and folding them as nearly as she could one by one. The commotion inside the room Rayna was in was heard by Isaac, who kicked open the door without any sense of normalcy. Rayna looked up, glaring at Isaac who was looking down at her.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Isaac was the worst person she wanted to visit, in practicality, she would have rather been visited by Edward, or Johnathan, Shizune would also be better, but not favored.
"We leave.. in almost 2 hours.." She quietly spoke, folding the last piece of clothing she had bought and stuffed it inside the suitcase. Isaac made a surprised expression, his eyes opening wider than usual, his mouth slightly gaping. He jolted away, every footstep made the people downstairs in the living room alarmed on what he was doing.
"What's that idiot doing?" Edward casually mumbled to Johnathan. They were both lounging on the dining table, rapidly tapping their phone screens, appearing to be playing something on their phone.
They heard someone rushing down the stairs, followed up with someone—Isaac, screaming, "WE HAVE A FLIGHT IN 2 HOURS! WE GOTTA HURRY!"
"HUH?!!" Edward yelled, Johnathan was seemingly indifferent, sitting up, pushing his chair in, and jogged to his room that was on the base floor. Edward however was in a rush, scrambling to his room to grab his stuff.
The entire house, the same house Rayna had bought for a "measly" 830,000 Alikurs. Was erupting in commotion.
"WHERE'S MY CHARGER?"
"EDWARD! DID WE BRING MEDICINE?"
"ISAAC! Oh. Wait nevermind, you only brought like 4 shirts, underwear, pants and socks with you, you're fine."
Rayna, Johnathan, Edward, and Isaac flooded to the garage from the front door, Isaac carrying 2 suitcases, which was purely Rayna and Edward's fault. Rayna bought an extra suitcase, which was reserved for the other bags of clothes she had already prepared, and Edward, who claimed he was too weak.
They stumbled to the garage, which was oddly open. Inside was a green car that of course was rented by Rayna. And beside it, on the front of the car, was 2 suitcases, one is black, one is gray. There was also Shizune, wearing a sand colored T-shirt, leaning against the front of the car, scrolling on her phone, her hair tied up into a lower ponytail. She took a short look, before speaking, "oh finally."
"Shizune.. Why do you—Wait….." Rayna paused mid sentence, spinning around, mentally counting the others, before talking, "where the hell did Satoya go? His existence is so easy to forget since he blends in with the background.."
Shizune pointed into the direction behind Isaac, who in response turned his head into the direction. "Yeah, he went over there or something, didn't feel like telling you guys, since y'all were too busy with your own things, so I just packed up me and his stuff."
"Why? Did. He. Leave?"
"Probably for a contract, he was holding his regulator blah blah katana."
"I swear to God, how are you this casual." Rayna demanded, unlocking the car, then stormed into the driving seat.
Shizune looked at the ground. In all honesty, Shizune didn't think it was right to snitch on Satoya, after all, she still vividly remembered the whole conversation Satoya had with that weird spear dude, whose name she forgot.
However, back in the mansion brimming with the illusion of luxury, inside the basement where the artificial moonlight windows, floors littered in plastic, wood, dead insects, bullets, dust, and now the body of the Iya formerly known as Hayate Seo, fully disintegrated, as if the existence of it was a regretful addition to the world. Satoya still leaned into the hilt of his katana. The katana was still poised upside down, acting as a cane of contemplation.
His mind felt even emptier. But, he was more calm than he had thought. He was unsure of everything at this point. Could all of this ordeal be prevented if he had actually paid attention to everything, lived life like a normal person.
He noticed a plant, an innocent clover sprouting up from a crack in the floor. When was it there? He was sure there was no life in the basement, then he checked his side, the same side he remembered being stabbed in, however the adrenaline numbed it. But, why wasn't the wound there?
He checked his shirt, there were no signs of blood, the only exception was the blood that squirted out of Iya's head. There were no signs of any injury, but then Satoya recognized an unusual warmth in the air.
A warmth that's akin to being embraced by a kind mother who refused to let her dear child suffer. He was unaware of when the air became warmer, comfortably warmer, because of the sheer adrenaline he had from the wound he was so sure he was inflicted with.
He began to see words, these words were the same color as the ones he had seen in his Elusive Solace, but this time, they weren't in his "dreamscape" but instead in reality.
The ivory words made a statement, no, this felt too kind.. But it spoke, it promised..
…. Sorry..
..For I cannot reverse the effects of such sinful concoction…
.. So I must ask..
…. Refrain from such sadness…
Satoya watched in awe, as he saw the words fade into the air, a message. A message from something, someone above, could an Ancient Crucible be watching?
He cautiously picked himself up, unsheathing the katana. He looked at his shirt, pants, arms, face, and somewhat panicked.
Oh wait.. if I leave this place, would someone mistaken me for a serial killer?
That's when he heard multiple people running down the staircase that led to the basement. Satoya was too relaxed, too casual, the warmth light somehow cured Satoya, or at least blessed him with sanity and recovery.
He prepared to draw his katana, until he heard a familiar voice point out, her tone was mixed with exhaustion.
"THERE YOU ARE!"
Several people sprinted in front of him. They were, of course, his friends. Who weirdly enough look like they are one wrong annoyance away from exploding into fury.
"We have a flight.. IN.. haufh.. 2 HOURS, WE NEED TO GO!" Rayna bent slightly forward, her face sweaty, panting wearily.
Edward also scolded, frantically checking his phone. "YEAH! IT'S GONNA FUCKING TAKE 1 HOUR TO EVEN DRIVE TO THE AIRPORT!"
Satoya reflected, processing the situation. "What day was it?" he wondered, stroking his chin.
Last time I checked, it was July 21, the day of.. Oh.. OH!