Neon Reality

"A great day to the residents of Chrome Heights, from your favorite station "Chrome-City-Radi-Oh! This is your favorite announcer: Kilo-Byte..."

At Veill's house, the radio was playing with one of the city's top stations. Sunlight could stream in through his bedroom window. Cars rattled as usual through the streets, of the congested city of Chrome Heights. The clock read 11:32 a.m.

As usual, Veill stood up and looked at his shoes for a long time. But there was something very strange.

"The night before I attended the Chrome Night fiasco, where I had a drink that revved up my mind and body - Chrome-Tonic. At the party some guys started chasing me and I had to spend almost all my credits to escape from them on a motorcycle that I crashed, in an accident in which I also broke my arms; those men dissolved and then an otherworldly being attacked me.... I had a broken arm and probably broken ribs, and a head full of blood. I thought I would die, but... Was that all a dream? Why am I not dead? "ーVeill thought, while in his mind, that was the most horrible nightmare he had ever had in his entire life.

"The program for today, April 17th is extremely special, as it is finally a week since the last Chrome Nights, one of the best editions since it was created. You can't miss it!"

"April 17...17th...but yesterday was only April 8th.... I couldn't sleep that long, probably the announcer made a mistake. "ーAfter Veill said that to himself, an icy feeling ran through his entire body, reaching all the way to his head and his entire body broke out in a cold sweat. Veill remembered a very important detail. "But... I don't have a radio...".

It was 11:40 a.m., when Veill noticed that fact. Everything made sense and at the same time nothing made sense.

"Did I really sleep for a week? Wasn't what I experienced on Chrome Night a dream? How come I have a radio here? I don't know how to explain this."

The front door opened and there was someone talking, but from Veill's room only a murmur could be heard. He knew his parents wouldn't be back until much later.

"Could it be my uncles? But I don't have any uncles. In fact I don't have any other family around here.... Alas, it can't be, again these things are happening to me... "ーFinally, he plucked up his courage.

ーWHO IS THERE!ーhe shouted, and the muttering stopped instantly. ーI'M ARMED AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO KILL YOU OR KILL THEM!ー

Clearly, Veill had no weapons, and after shouting he thought about what a huge mistake he made, for hiding would have been much better.

A strange sound was approaching Veill's room. It was strange, and its rhythm resembled rapid footsteps. Veill realized this, but the door to his room was all the way to the other end and at any moment, whatever was outside was going to come in.

Expecting the worst, Veill hid under his bed. Finally, the one responsible for the footsteps entered his room....

ー "It was... A DOG?! And it's a puppy, it's really small!"ーVeill came out from his hiding place and headed towards the dog.

Due to the conditions he was in in Chrome City, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen a dog, or if he had even seen one, so close and in person. This was quite surprising to him, but he also knew that this puppy could not be responsible for opening his house and making so much noise as to be heard in his room. Very carefully, he started down the stairs step by step, looking to make the slightest sound. It sounded strange that a burglar or someone aggressive would bring such a dog into his house.

Veill was about to peek into the main room, when he felt a presence at his back. Quickly, the young man darted to the opposite side to create distance between him and whoever was behind him.

He felt shivers again and his body began to tense up as if someone had ice put on their back by surprise.

ーYOU... YOU AGAIN!!!ー Veill realized that everything that had happened at Chrome Nights had not been a dream.

The shadow being he had last seen before falling unconscious was standing in front of him. This was not a dream.

ーANSWER MY QUESTION!ーHe shouted at the shadow entity again. "Fuck... The dog is upstairs. Did it get here because it was running away from this thing? What a horrible coincidence... But I have to go get him, or he'll be killed for sure. "ー Veill thought.

With great force, Veill lunged towards the shadow being, looking for it to dodge his blow as it had done in their first encounter. However, this time, the being did not move. ーStop, please.ーAgain, the voice he heard in Chrome Nights rang in his mind. The being of darkness and he finally made eye contact.

ーDon't be scared.ーAgain, the mysterious voice was still talking to Veill, who was calmer but defensive. The shadow being began to break down.

ーMy name is Sylene.ーFrom the shadow figure, a pale woman, as white as the light the moon emits during its nights being full; with gray eyes and silver hair that was quite long and seemed to wave with a wind that shouldn't exist inside Veill's house. She was a woman barely taller than Veill, with an athletic and slightly muscular body.

Veill went from alert to shock. Her legs were shaking and her eyesight began to spin. Suddenly, Veill became unconscious again.

A few hours later, Veill awoke. It was already nighttime, and it was thanks to the puppy's licking that he fell aware of everything that happened.

ーSince you're awake, come up here. You and I need to talk.ーSylene's voice was cold, but it wasn't too deep or too high-pitched; it's the kind of voice that anyone could listen to for hours without getting exhausted. It even seemed a little indifferent.

The voice came from one of Veill's balconies, so he headed there without much thought. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Sylene in the reflection of the full moon. Her hair was so silvery that it seemed to emit light of its own as it reflected the moonlight, but also her skin seemed to have this characteristic. This shocked Veill, but he shook his head and regained the initial mood he had as he headed towards his new acquaintance.

ーI want you to tell me who you are and what you want. I want you to tell me why you were chasing me and why there were more people chasing me. I want you to tell me what you are doing in my house and how I got here. I want to know everything. Now.ーVeill was determined, with great determination in his words. It wasn't something very like him, but now he was very angry and confused. Then, he began to stare at Sylene, with furrowed brows and a serious look.

ーDeities and mythical beings have always existed in this world. Since the beginning of civilizations, gods helped human to reach a state of perfection. However, the gods sought worship and faith in them, for in this way they felt remunerated in the face of acts of help with humans.... The more civilization advanced, the more common it became for people to replace traditional methods with their scientific advances; after all, it was easier to do everything oneself, than to wait for the gods to listen to their prayers and expect praise in return. This did not please the gods, who decided to turn their backs on humans because of this.... Without belief in the gods, many of the gods who became dependent on faith began to weaken and even die; the stronger gods only became angrier, but remained indifferent to that devastating effect and the only known way mortals could be responsible for the death of a deity. So, some deities hibernated, others abandoned planet Earth, and there were those who decided to inherit their essence to humans themselves, in the hope that one day they could be in the hands of mortals who were better than them.ー

Before Sylene could continue with her story, Veill interrupted.

ーI don't understand, why are you telling me this, what does the planet Arcadia have to do with this planet Earth you're talking about,ーVeill questioned.

ーChrome Night, the party you attended, is a trap. For a human, there is no more complication than the constant frustration in other areas after failing to replicate the experience you had at Chrome Night. But for others... That's the way anyone who has any relationship with a divinity can be found. One of the substances they use for this is Chrome-Tonic, a drink that reacts differently with a human who may have a relationship with some divinity; this concoction manages to activate the most divine part of a being, affecting it even in its own position within space-time. In short, Chrome-Tonic makes a god divine. And it is thanks to the specific energy signature emitted by a divine awakening that it is possible to track any god who does not know he is a god, within the party. Divine men are killed and eliminated without a trace. That was your fate in Chrome Night, but I managed to find you before they did and was able to help you flee. When we met, I needed to make sure you weren't too dangerous, so I set you two tests: The puppy and the fight. The puppy you saved from being run over is mine, and it's female. Our fight was another test that you fortunately passed; if you had failed, I would have killed you right then and there, without even turning to look at you.ー Sylene continued, but her words were becoming more serious than before. ーVeill, planet Earth and planet Arcadia are the same. Before Kaoz took over the world, it was called planet Earth.

In case it wasn't clear to you, you yourself have part of a divinity in you, which makes you a target to kill.ー

ーA target to kill? And who wants to kill me besides the men who disbanded after chasing me at the party?ーVeill's words held some disbelief, but also interest in Sylene's answer.

ーKaoz. Ruler Kaoz is the one who wants to kill you.ーWith an assertive tone, Sylene replied.

ーThe most powerful man in the world wants to kill me? Because I have part of a divinity.... No, no, no, no, no.... Why me, again, why does he want to kill me, if I haven't done anything to him?ーVeill's breathing was starting to quicken.

ーHe is a murderer. It is thanks to the death of the gods that he has taken control of the world and is where he is. The books and the education they give people make them believe that Kaoz is a hero to the world, but in reality he is a monster who has killed those I loved. Kaoz must pay.... He must die!ーSylene's eyes began to fill with tears streaming down her face, like morning dew on the finest flower. ーRight now, Veill, the Chrome-Tonic you consumed was not much in quantity, so it was easy to nullify the divine transition and that's why you were unconscious for so long. Your body and place in existence are no different than that of an ordinary human. Veill, I want you to help me assassinate Kaoz.... But I don't want to force you to do it. I kept the Chrome-Tonic you didn't consume, and if you take it again, you will become a divinity again, but there will be no turning back. You will be a target of Stellar Dynamics for your entire life, or until we destroy them. Please, you are the only god in many years that I think I can count on.ーSylene was still crying, but she also had a strong determination in her voice. She was a woman who looked strong, but telling this caused her heart to soften, as if it was her only weak point.

Veill's mind was filled with doubt. Ever since he started being chased during Chrome Night, he had only thought of one thing: Escape. But even with only the word "escape" on his mind, he had fought with everything his body had, twice. That same determination made this time different from everything else. The sense of peace he felt when he felt he was going to die at Sylene's hands during Chrome Night; after having fought with everything his body had to offer; having protected the one who could not protect himself and accepting that his death was imminent, had a very great effect on him.

Since he was a child, Veill never quite knew what he wanted to do for a living. He was always drifting from place to place, with no fixed direction. Now, however, he had something to live for. He had something to die for. If people were killing innocents left and right and he could do something about it, he was going to do it.

Ever since he was a kid, Veill never quite knew what he wanted to do for a living. He was always drifting from place to place, with no fixed direction. But now... now he was determined.

ーI'm going to help you. With you I got to experience a form of peace I never knew before. This is not just retribution, I think I finally managed to find the goal of my birth.ーThe tears in Veill's eyes were of full joy and resolve. ーGive me that Chrome-Tonic and let's get it over with!ーSylene handed him the rest of the drink and, without a second thought, Veill poured it all into his mouth right then and there.