Shards

Open-eyed I wonder,

How my dream was yonder,

Farther than my wishes,

Bygones, all my blisses...

"L-look, she's waking up..." an echoey voice, slightly coarse and hollow. A male one, with bandages covering his arm, his sky blue eyes staring at her. Familiar, unobtrusive, and gentle.

"Hey! I told you not to carry her around like that!" another, much farther, shouted- or at least, assumed to be one. 

"Mom, it's fine..." cough "I-I'll be recovering soon. And besides..." he looks back at the 'she' who he's holding, "You haven't decided on a name for her..."

"Huh, now that you mention it", getting closer now, the woman- around a physique within her mid-30s- carried the baby.

"...your father was the one who was supposed to name her..." 

At a distance, lies a hard rock. Slanted, short, digged-in. Grave.

Looking around, "Hmmmm..."

Their home was filled with scraps and rust, dirt and soil as their only floor, with the insects roaming around the feces at the far back end to be a homemade fertilizer. Instead of windows, old rope, and plucked-out leaves were alternatives. 

A bed made with just sacks of worn-out cement, and pillows from the feathers of dead crows mixed with sheep's fur is the only haven for their necks to rest on.

No blankets- just the harsh cold reality that society imposed- and no doors either. A welcome party for anyone looking for loot, if plain crackers and fried worms were their go-to. 

Reality is sometimes just... that.

It's tough.

"Say, why not name her something about good things...?" asking politely, "Like, a dream I've been trying so hard to do..." his nails- all cracked and yellow- with ruffled hair for mites to infest, "...something we wanted..." scratching his head, as lots of dandruff fell over.

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic, son..." reaching out to pat her back, "That's just how life is. We can't ever complain about the misfortunes we experience, because..." smiling, "We're... still alive! I-if anything, that's... something we should be more thankful for." placing the girl near her chest, she'd slip the infant underneath the folds of her clothes.

"I mean, take a look at those people walking around," pointed her as the boy looked through the ropes, "Most of them are controlled, puppeteered by those higher than them. Rich individuals and those with magic can rule over others. In essence, they took their lives..." nods the boy as he glanced at her again.

"But we? We're free. We may not have the luxury like those at the top, but at least we aren't shackled- even if we appear to be like so- by the choices the masses make." she continued, "Though there are times that pain would occur, we are free to still live by that sadness or to continue licking those wounds..." placing her hand on his palm.

"It's the three of us. We got this. Together." 

Some silence.

"So, I guess it's just decided then, mom?" he asked.

"Yeah. Let's call her..." pulling the baby back, as she covered her chest.

"Yoshioka..."

How it feels to be a kid once again,

Oh, I have a lot- so much forgotten,

The kind innocence

The brutal consequence...

"Hey, big bro! Look what I did!" running- stumbling along the way- and tripping, getting back up, all to tug on his clothes: a glee as wide as her mouth revealing her teeth, a face covered in some mud.

"What is it this time, Yaomu?" asked the elder sibling gently, "Another surprise?" 

"I made just for you~" giggling, "Come! Come! See~!" trying to pull him away, but closed his eyes and just went along with her anyways.

"HisanmI! The dishe-"

"Yeah, Mom!" coughs "I- I will! Yoshi's just showing something..." a black cane came from his behind for him to help him walk, and his eyes slightly widened at the thing he saw.

It was a strange mechanism, all made with a strange crystal. The thing was tall and intricate, one of many buttons, levers, and knobs she pressed. All of a sudden, the machine moved and towed the dirt to their supposed backyard.

"See? It can now dig for us! That would allow for farming, just like what you told me last night!" flailing her hands in excitement, she'd happily slap the machine off, and the shovel compartment would retract itself and shrink to a relatively medium-sized box.

"You did this just out of that? Wow..." clapping before crouching a little to pat the girl's head, "I promise you... You'll be going to school, okay?"

"Yep!"

Many years after...

In a complex, with a stage set filled with people at the front row seats. They all wore the same fit, a long cloak-esque clothing, and a hat with a flat square atop. 

"Yoshioka Eimu, graduating Summa cum Laude." early applause, "With a degree as a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics, and Bachelor of Science in Quantum Physics..." said the announcer as they too clapped along with the girl's march towards the podium.

On it, there were teachers and professors alike who admired her work, faces with those with whom she shared a wonderful moment, and individuals who touched her heart when her family was away. 

Upon reaching the diploma, her eyes grew watery, droplets shedding out and fleeing from her lids as she tried wiping them off. But a handshake was enough to warm her aching chest. As the cheering stopped, she gave all a tearful look but wore a big smile as she raised the certificate of her hard work and threw her cap in the air.

All, who were growing to weep- her closest friends- started to throw theirs as well. Soon after, all students followed through and ended the chapter in all their books.

One memorable event passing by...

Going downstairs, an old lady was waiting. There, she hugged her still full of tears. No words needed ever to be said, and no amount of it would describe how they felt. 

It was just that. A hug.

But, more than that...

"I couldn't do it. There were many times I would say that to myself. But you and mom would be there..."

She pulls back and nods at her mother.

"Many days I'd spend the whole night punching myself since I couldn't complete my thesis. But even then... you were always there...." 

Yoshioka held the lady's wrinkled hands as they went over to the hallway backstage.

"Or... at least, that's what I've told myself..."

Walking slowly, there'd be many people clapping outside, commending her effort.

"So, no matter where you are. I believe in all of my heart that you're still alive out there."

Finally exiting the building, she'd slowly carry her mother towards a crystal carriage, before hopping over and driving off.

"Your sister did it... I hope I made you proud... Big brother..."

For as long as faith exists, hope will persist. Her face is etched with passion, she won't ever let go of it.

Recollection's like rain to snow

Freezing solid, all gone- burrowed

Cracking at the seems below

Back there, at the destroyed borough

Late night, clickity-clack. With silence only backing up the noise, there wasn't much to accompany whoever was typing. 

Maybe the tea near the table? Are the papers stacked at the back? Perchance the folders with... well, even more papers?

sigh

"Hisanmi, don't you wanna rest this one out?" asked a guy from behind- long black hair- with the called individual looking towards him. 

"Well, I'd need to pass the quota or else I'm done for... Gotta burn a few eyebrows, y'know?" typing away at the mechanical writer, turning the knob as the paper rolled upwards. "Not even tonight's, {it] even includes yesterday's methinks...."

"Right. Right. Can't have Rass catch us- no... specifically you lacking..." starting to walk out of his view and towards the counter at the corner. 

"Heh..." chuckling before sipping tea, quite non-nostalgic given he never really tasted one in all his lifetime. Before reaching for his forehead his fingers get all...

"Itchy?" checking his palm, "Skin lesions again..." muttering.

"By the way, something's going on with Kymanaka. Maybe it's the Red Hand?" says the man, placing some leftover shepherd's pie towards a white box and turning the knob, making a beep followed by a very long bzzzzzzzzzzzt. "Ever since our late raid, the Dragon Queen had been leaving our sights... especially you, by the way." crossing his arms and just staring at the food spin inside, "Dunno what you did to even..." he sips his coffee, "...what you even... did there..."

Slightly going off-tangent, with Hisanmi just incessantly clicking away.

"I was just standing there..." he muttered, but dropped the topic anyway given the two were right there. "Hey, Brix, before I met you and got taken by The White Emperor... Have you ever, like, had a crush before?"

"Huh? Why ask?" asked Brix...

beep! 

...and would take out the leftovers and grab a plastic spork.

"Just curious. Got nothing to talk about, really..." Hisanmi would move his swivel chair to the side, setting aside the typewriter and swiping aside the dust on the table.

... 

"Tell you what; back then, I really miss going back to my province." 

"Getting nostalgic, now?" joked Brix as he plated down plastic containers for the pie.

"Ehh, no. Just 'cuz I had lots of fun being with my little sister..." Hisanmi took a bite of the cheese part of it and took tea to replenish his palette.

"T-hah-t's literally being nostalgic, dude..." chuckled the man.

"She was like, Sherlock Holmes, but a thousand times smarter. Einstein's got nothing on her brains, to be honest..." poking his food a little, "The girl would show me all kinds of stuff- machines, math, even weapons..." making a scoop with it, "...sometimes even brand new stuff I never thought of." before looking at Brix, "And she's like- what- six years old?"

Both would laugh.

"That's cute." smiling as Brix lay next to the wall, "I could even say the same thing for Rassilon, y'know? He and I know each other a lot. He dreamt of... reaching the stars, but- to his mother and the rest- it's..." sigh "It's a foolish dream. That's what they said..." glancing at him before taking a bite of his food. "But for me though, it's not." 

click clack

"There was that one time, me and him got in trouble with these..." stopping his words, remembering how not-so-good it was, "But, in the end, he patched me up..." looking at his right hand, "And so were you..."

"Yeah." nodded Hisanmi, "Can't say the same for me to her, though..." rubbing his hands with his fingers, "I wasn't even able to say a proper goodbye, though... now thinking about it.... maybe it's for the better..." looking at him. "I'd... rather not than for her to be clingy towards me...."

Brix bobbed, finishing his food rather quickly, and drank some coffee.

"It was... also the first time she..." pausing, "...cried..."

The blonde would roll the knob and place the finished papers inside a folder.

"I wonder what she'd say if she were to see me now..." Hisanmi continued, "Maybe my mother would even be disappointed with how I ended up here..."

"I doubt that, bud..." Brix patted his shoulder, "No mother would say to her kid. Let alone a brother who's this loyal to his family..."

"Thanks..." he'd reply, exhaling some stress from his chest as he looked up, blinked a couple of times, and just silently watched the stars.

They were beautiful, shining, brimming with light. Most would show how a person would live through constellations, fate determining the course of their actions throughout their lifetime. Though their brightness shines through the cosmos, only the past would remain, reminiscent of what they were instead of what they are now.

By only leaving the remnants of the past could there only be such a present to be formed?

Even so, the present would become the past as it tries its best to overcome the endless hurdle that is the future.

"I wonder what she's doing now?" asked Hisanmi out loud, "I hope she's... doing fine..."

"But..." he continued, "I guess she'd just move on and make more machines, hehe..." smiling, as two would laugh out.

 ...

I can't, no more

Back to before

I want to wake up

Amidst relentless rain, the city lay in disarray, its once-vibrant spirit now shrouded in melancholy. Dilapidated structures stood as solemn sentinels, their fractured facades reflecting the decay that time and neglect had imposed. The deluge whispered its sorrow, weaving through the empty streets, where shadows lingered in quiet despair.

Nature and urbanity coalesced, between the interstice of desolation and beauty, leaving behind a haunting tale etched in every soaked brick and glistening cobblestone- her cries.

Within the metropolis now is a was, where sorrow fell relentlessly from ashen skies, the city crumbled, revealing a portrait of melancholic decay: people— or what there used to be of... people— weren't no more.

Alive was just a playful way to say something about to happen whether they tried to or not, a phrase she wanted to say even when it held no meaning anymore.

Three...

There things. Flesh and bone, muscle and tissue, living organisms formed from the merging of the bacteria— human.

...

"C'mon, Mom! It was just an accident!" shouted the little girl as she tried to fix the machine, only for the clothes to be mixed with mud.

"This wasn't an accident Yaomu, just admit it already!" as the much more mature lady would yank out the fabric.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! No..." frowning as she saw her machine break apart, and return to plain glass shards and boingy springs bouncing from the smoke. "Aw, shucks..."

Upon pulling it out, Mom would see, "Skulls? When you get this?" raising an eyebrow as she glanced down.

"I-it's for..." her eyes looking away with a small grin, "For... something..." trying not to laugh.

"Don't tell me you stole this fro-"

"No, Mom! I did not steal that!" waving her hands from fear, Yoshioka nervously raised her hands.

Moments after...

"Mom, Yaomu, I'm home..." said Hisanmi, unbuckling his bag and placed at the crystal-shaped countertop table, before looking and just seeing absolutely nothing.

"Uhhh..." making a peep on each corner, "No one's here... huh..."

Walking towards his room, he would see...

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!" clutching his chest in pain, he screamed out of the sight that fake skeletons made, breathing intensely as he reached for his water immediately.

snort

In the background, a little giggly voice would be made. 

"K-ki..." as if covering their nose from the sheer intensity of emotion.

But, "Heheheh!!!", it's not like she ever stopped it.

"Yaomu..." cough "...c'mon..."

As the laughter filled the room, her smile would just roam around.

...

Corpse.

Lying there, their arms still holding her hands, just as softly as they passed away. Skins melded clothes into their form, now holding her as if they were still here. Sewn dolls and puppets, a way to spend the night tearing.

"As long as you're walking the right path. Whatever you do..."

The world whispered its requiem through the rustling leaves of shattered trees, like mourners in a cemetery of forgotten dreams.

"...believe in yourself..."

No, there weren't three.

Just one.

"Mom..."

Her whispers weren't even heard by the rain and lightning. Trying to even utter a word, but to no avail. Wretched words and pained sadness couldn't paint a single smudge of what she was feeling.

There was just pain, even more than just pain.

"A- k-k-k-c" her breath stifled, mouth shaking, hands quivering. Even the teeth, the tongue, her body, and her mind. They just couldn't do a single thing.

"You're a tough cookie, aren't you?"

Crying, or at least- trying to, the girl would find herself flying towards another ruined building, yelping as she vomited blood.

"Heh, hehe..." walking, "Your mind is full of whys..." dashing before grabbing her hair and throwing the girl towards a familiar place.

"Why is this guy destroying my town? Why is he doing this? Why... why... why this... why that..." pummeling Yoshioka's chest, "WHY?!"

"YOU KEEP ASKING WHY AS IF I'M SOME SORT OF VILLAIN EXPLAINING EVERYTHING TO YOU!" though, there wasn't even a word she said, "Look, I'm just... uhhh..." giggling like he just made a joke, "We got sent here to kill some Blonde Dude, Lady told us he could create illusions or whatnot... "Kill on sight," she said, so...." 

Shrugging, "I did just that, hehe..." before kicking the girl again in the legs, making her drop to the ground in a puddle of her blood.

Opening his mouth, he paused trying to think of something he could say. 

"Keine's just roaming around, Skelly's... orwhathisnameisitstoodanglong-w- whatever..." shaking his hand, "..he's out there doing- ahh- uhhh- whatever shit.. and stuff..." like rambling to this girl.

"It's pretty normal..." muttered as he smacked his lips. "But I don't need no Investiture to know what the heck is in your head..." 

"Y'know... cuz... this ain't no comic book, no... anime, no manga, or some dumbass cartoon! THIS IS THE REAL WORLD! AND YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!" glowing a Yellow aura, he sent an axe kick at the girl's head, making her eat the dirt more than she could chew.

"Cuz I'm not a bad-guy-take-over-the-world stereotype to give you whys I do this. Huh?" looking down before snapping his fingers to pull her upward. 

"DO I LIKE TO KILL? OH Heck yes! And I could CARE LESS about your opinion because THIS. IS. WAR. THIS AIN'T NO TALK!" throwing Yoshioka down her own mother's corpse. "THIS IS NO TALK SHOW- YOU EVER SEE TWO MEN TALKING ABOUT THEIR PHILOSOPHY WITH GUNS POINTED AT EACH OTHER? NO RIGHT?!" and force-feeding the carcass down the girl's throat. 

"You keep asking such dumb questions in your mind... A smartass like you is short-minded, not looking at the bigger picture..." tapping his temple with such ferocity, "AN IDIOT!!!" 

Puking out the innards of her mother, the young lady's hands shook and trembled, like vibrating to the rain's helpless attempt at relieving the pain. But what this man said was true.

"But it makes sense... All you kids do is yap about how worthless you are, acting depressed and edgy, being a genius, when you know little of how the world works." like giving a lecture to this disappointing piece of trash, "Asking instead of just going to ball and not giving a crap about anything. No wonder parents would get mad when their child keeps saying "why?" every time they're told something..." pulling out a relatively medium-sized metal pointy object and pointing the barrel right at her.

"There doesn't need to be a reason... All I'm gonna feel after killing you... is joy..." 

A wide smile, larger than the moon's crescent, power of fear- absolute hopelessness. His face all devoid of anything good, only leaving behind a trench coat, with a crimson symbol.

"..." 

Her eyes were as wide as the holes perforated through the buildings.

"I..."

Fear was the emotion present in every living being, with each shake indicating terror. It was unavoidable; a power born from the ability deep within the human psyche, with darkness bellowing the area of sheer intensity.

Her body felt like she was struck with endless needles, chained, with all her guts spilling from the seams of her biology, her mere eyeball watching the wretched horror as her corpse danced with her mother.

Yet.

Even so.

The rage, the anger, the will of hers- a mind already way beyond the line of... "broken"... breached the point of pure insanity. One far above the fear she's feeling- no, the fear she used to feel. 

Crystals would slowly surround her quaving limbs, filling the skin and thoroughly solidifying each one as thunder would answer her call, desperate to make this man pay.

No. 

Making them pay was a sentence far too obsolete.

It was simple...

[̵̎ͅß̵̥̄Ủ̶̦N̷̪̑R̵̭̒a̴͒ͅK̷̞̀U̷̧̚]̶̮͝

She needed no reason.

"I'll kill you," Yoshioka said calmly.

As the shot reached her face, the girl would vanish in a thin smoke. With the silence of precipitation accompanying the intense lightning strikes. 

"Hm?" he raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, hundreds of crystallized hands would sprout from underneath the ground, trying to hold the man as he'd break through with considerably easy force only to be stopped by a larger hand from atop slapping him down like an ant. 

"Oh? So you're-"

From behind, his throat was cut off from the of his body, as an attempt to drive her fear only fueled the rage from the depths of her very soul. His hands were next to the chopping board, and a white blur on the night sky would illuminate the city for just a second, sending down beams of light toward him.

As much as the heat would burn considerably, the man was slightly surprised. A girl terrified from his own Investiture was now this abomination throwing every bit of frustration she had towards him. Though pride and impulses aside, the aura this girl produced was nothing of fear.

But of delusion.

High...

A shock of studies explains that a traumatic experience can lead a person's philosophy and ideologies to change with just a click. Sudden at this was, realization and reflection were all she could do.

Instantly, his legs would be the next to go. Yet, the feeling of death wasn't going to satiate the things this woman wanted to do.

Though it'd be mistaken for vengeance or revenge, a short burst of anger was followed by a mix of insanity and inane- inhumane even- ways of thought.

Screaming in pain far above the screeches made by his victims, he was overjoyed and terrified, more than the power he ever put on her. 

Now, just a limbless superhuman waiting to be devoured by this monster, a feminine figure with four arms, a pale face, and dolls surrounding her- hanging by a thread. Every step and tread, inching closer and closer, before kneeling and raising her sole fist to the night sky.

Tightening, the bones of her hand broke under such grip, before...

Crack

Lightning would scream her anger, every punch making it worthwhile, and with each death, the man would achieve through shock, electricity was there to bring him back from hell. Afterlife shouldn't exist for this person, a place not even in the deepest pits of fire would be suit for such demons.

Like beats to a drum, yet so unnerving and rampant, the blows were all the more worthwhile to savor for and kill time. Hours- reviving, killing, and reviving...

Not until the electricity would run out, but not yet.

A shard of glass- prism in shape- would conjure from the girl's hand, as she would strike it directly at her temple, and make a duplicate from her other hand. 

"A-ah!" his eyes were already shaking from the thought, "AHHHH!!!!" words weren't coming out, like a baby just crying when their parents were no longer with them. Abandoned and forgotten.

Slowly wedging the shard into his head, the screams would only get so loud. 

Thousands of yells, begging for help, fear, regret, sadness, happiness, pain, suffering, and every emotion possible. Drowning in an ocean with a small boat, pulled in by the large grips of reality and weighed down by the masses he has killed. 

His gaze, once now wandering for a haven, was now stuck at a cinema of horror, as if running from an exit only he could see. Shadows danced in the periphery of his vision, morphing into grotesque shapes that whispered malevolent secrets. Reality and illusion intertwined in a macabre dance, lights flickering on and off, like sheep to a beer glass.

The shard would last show himself, reflecting eyes that held a glint of nothing – pupils dilated, staring into a void that beckoned with a terrible allure. His breathing clutched the edges of sanity, his mind slipping on the precipice of a descent into the abyss.

Before, finally, laying there... dead.

Again, there was silence. The soundlessness of the rain, finally hitting her steaming body, as the corpse would be boiling from her touch, before becoming ash minutes after her form dissipated. 

The extra limbs would be in the puddle, melting. The dolls would become air, a figment of what her feelings were. Her pupils now returned to consciousness as she stared into the skeleton in front of her.

"...Huh?"

...

Wandering without a home

I am all but on my own

Today's the day I won't look back

For I have found a brand-new mask

3:00 PM

It was a building that had seen better days, with its wood slowly eaten up by mites. There were several people inside, with some of them dressed up like pirates or even mercenaries. Varied clothing, varied races. Humans, Dragonborns, Demons, Orcs, Goblins, Dwarfs, Elves, Zombies, you name it. 

Chatter about some war, about... two beings- Gods stated by a drunkard guy who just came in, with two- one blindfolded and a girl barefooted- agreeing with an old man.

"..." just licking a lollipop, there wasn't much to do anyway.

Her eyes traced down, glancing at the gun- medium shaped but filled with crystallites, and now back at the people.

To roleplay is to become someone else, clearly farfetched. But live by it and to commit would be considered an act of what? A crime? Just for the sake of preserving privacy? Depends.

But if there's no more, nothing would ever transpire.

"So that's how it is..." more like a saying to herself than anything, breathing out and changing her frown into a smile, finally walking towards them.

An aimless goal to relieve the pain. With the days of the past long gone, only filled with misery...

"What's going on?"

...she dreams of good luck.