《The Key: Nakiami》 Prologue - Before Silence ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± The voice belonged to a girl. She looked young, around the age of a teenager. She had resplendent silvery-white hair, looked as if it was woven from the light of stars, slightly angled eyes that shined silver and flickered with a myriad of colors. Her skin had a creamy-white complexion. She stood at around 5ft 7in, slightly taller than most. Unnatural. A beauty that should not exist. Yet, at the same time, she belonged. A part of nature itself. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± A voice responded. ¡°This will kill millions.¡± ¡°I know. But it will also create you.¡± An unrecognizable emotion flashed through her captivating eyes. ¡°If you stopped me, you would not exist.¡± The voice sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m not blaming you. I¡¯ve always wanted¡­ to be normal I suppose.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°No one wants to be normal.¡± ¡°Everything in moderation then, including normality. Ahhhh, what a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Are you complaining!?¡± ¡°The universe should of chose a better person. I¡¯ve always been lazy.¡± ¡°You underestimate yourself.¡± ¡°And you overestimate yourself.¡± ¡°Gaah! Fine you know-it-all¡ª Why don¡¯t you tell me what to do then?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t change a thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t torment yourself like this.¡± ¡°You know what? You¡¯re a good friend.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m everybody¡¯s friend.¡± She smiled. Then she was gone. Space itself mourned the loss of her presence. It rippled, trying to call her back. Then there was silence. And the silence fell. Chapter 1 -- Up until silence This story in set in an alternate world. So some things may be similar¡­ Ex: CIA And others may be different, like places and most organizations, in order to remain ¡°obscure¡± and because I don¡¯t know that many companies~ (think of Hunter x Hunter if you¡¯ve seen it) Ex: Liverpool ¡ú Bumchester (I won¡¯t use this, I promise!) And countries may be majorly simplified (like a more united Europe) ¡®cuz I suck at politics. And I may use different languages for names. Because they could cool. Also, if you feel like I spend too much time describing a character or a setting, that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be. I want people to be able to form a better image for major characters (and settings), and not just be stuck with, blue hair and blue eyes (I¡¯m sorry Sephiraaaaah~!). Also, I school like what I describe exists. If you feel like you know me, don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll collapse from embarrassment. I hope I posted this chapter correctly¡­ That being said, I¡¯ll do my best! ============================================== I enjoy my school. Is that so weird? I¡¯ve always felt that schools in most TV shows and movies were strange. A battle for social survival among pubescent adults. Almost sounds like a setting for a horror movie, doesn¡¯t it? Simply put, my school is strange. My high school, ¨¦galit¨¦ Academy in Avslappet, California. I¡¯ve always felt lucky to be here, In Avslappet. Perfect weather, all year round, reaching at most a sweltering 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and a finger-numbing 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Serene, clear blue skies, and gently swaying palm trees. From the top of a hill, you can see the royal blue ocean and the endless horizon. Any life, really is luck. A string of inconsequential coincidences. What if my father hadn¡¯t moved from Michigan as a child? What if my mother hadn¡¯t left China to go to college? What if they hadn¡¯t hit it off at a Christmas party? What if my mother¡¯s first child hadn¡¯t miscarried? Would I, the second child, be born? (I do have an older sister, Avery). What if my parents hadn¡¯t divorced? What if I was taken to China with my mother? What If my name wasn¡¯t Noelle? Would my personality change? Would I have met my friends? When I think about them, I think myself blessed. You see, I don¡¯t really look very attractive. I have extremely fluffy brown hair. It is about shoulder length, with medium curls. Slightly frizzy, ridiculous volume. Adults have always told me that other adults would be jealous. Well yeah, but not other teenagers. It is awe-inspiring. I¡¯d like to think that I¡¯d make a good lion in a play. Because of my half-Asian descent, I have angular eyes, but not squinty. I do like my eyes, at least their shape. But my eye color is rather normal¡ªa light brown, with the occasional golden flecks. My nose is rather normal; and my lips on the smaller side, but with a little more ¡°lip¡± on the bottom. My ears and smaller as well, but well proportioned. Because I don¡¯t like to go out much (not that I¡¯m antisocial, just lazy), my skin is pale, especially for an Asian. I have a more angular face, with a nice jawline for a girl. If it was only my facial features, I think I would be beautiful. But I am plagued with the ultimate enemy of all teenagers¡ªacne. But I am blessed with little to no hair on my arms and legs. I¡¯ve never had to shave¡­.is that gross? On the downside, no hair on my body means faint eyebrows. Matt Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch are my eyebrow buddies. We just all have delicate eyebrows¡­ I¡¯m slightly taller than most girls, at around 5ft 7in. It¡¯s probably because my dad, who¡¯s a European mutt, is 6ft 2 ? in (he insists on the ?). I¡¯m already taller than my mom. For an American, I¡¯m definitely slimmer. I practice Kung Fu, after all (so I¡¯m also a little muscular), which makes me weigh more than I¡¯d like to admit. If my mom knew, she¡¯d freak. Scarily enough, she weighs only 115 lbs., but she lacks the curves I have. There is a point to all this. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. When I was in middle school, I was bullied. I don¡¯t think it really counts as bullying though. Rather, I was more of a loner. Sure, I wasn¡¯t exactly candy to the eyes with my poof ball hair, but you guys didn¡¯t have to be so mean! Anyways, all it amounted to was name calling by the insensitive few, and I mean few. You see, I was smart, smarter than most. Being nice to me meant help on work if you needed it. I never gave away answers though, I wasn¡¯t that mean. I helped them. I taught them how to get the answer themselves. You know that quote? ¡°Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.¡± To sum it up, I had okay social relations, but no real friends. High school came along, and I found some real friends. Friends that were, is certain areas, leagues smarter than me. Jac, for example was a whiz at math. She loved those hyperbolic planes, that girl. She and theoretical mathematics were inseparable. You see? It is a good high school. The arts and music are all the rage there. Nerds belong. Geeks are cool. Cosplay is normal. A haven, in the sea of conformity. =================================== I was lingering outside the band room, on a slightly chilly Monday morning. We band kids always hung around outside, even though the band room was open. Did I mention I was a band kid? For some reason, I felt distracted from the conversation we were currently having. I kept glancing at the field beside us, this awkward nagging feeling that something was out of place. That something was wrong. ¡°Oh! Noelle? Are you cold?¡± my darling friend, Kim Quak, suddenly draped a blanked around my shoulders. She happened to be the type of person that brought blankets to school, and wears multiple Pikachu shirts at the same time. ¡­Was I cold? I looked at my hands, only to notice they were shaking uncontrollably. Why? What is this foreboding feeling I have? A hazy voice flashed though my mind. ¡°This will kill millions.¡± My eyes were compelled to look out at the empty field again. The empty field. Where were the bees? The birds? Even the wind? No, not the field. The sky. My eyes were drawn to the sky. The sky, felt wrong. So very wrong. It felt still, devoid of life, a blue void in which no other colors existed. I had a vague feeling that I tried to shout, to warn my precious friends, to protect them. But I made no sound. My words were ripped from my mouth by the unforgiving air. The sky seemed to warp, like an optical illusion. Why can¡¯t they see it!? Why aren¡¯t they running? No, I can protect them. For all of their kindness, for being around me, the sadistic, lazy me, I will protect them, at least them. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we set up early for band to make Mr. Vuerts happy? It is teacher appreciation week.¡± My words sounded strangely confident, not at all like a frightened rabbit, with its incessant shivering. Yes now, I am a lion, I will be a lion for my friends. ¡°Ehhh~ but I wanna chat more with you guys~¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s do it for Mr. Vuerts! Imagine how happy he¡¯ll be! You know what a stickler he is on punctuality.¡± I grinned and pulled Kim next to my side, wrapping her in the blanket that was draped over my shoulder, ¡°At the very least, I won¡¯t be cold anymore.¡± Kim grinned back, and patted my head lovingly, ¡°Noelle, you¡¯re so nice, like a puppy~!¡± I thought I was a lion. Ever so slowly, they all filed in, one by one. ¡°Oh wait, I almost forgot my backpack, silly me!¡± Kim skipped back out, deftly swung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way back towards the door. ¡°Quickly Kim!¡± I shouted at her, hysterical, and practically picked her up and started to run. I won¡¯t make it. I felt it, in my bones, down to my very cells, even to the tiniest of atoms that made up the person that was me. Kim won¡¯t make it. Everything stood still. Chapter 2 -- During Silence A heavy suffocating silence seemed to descend. A complete lack of sound. Even my own breathing wasn¡¯t there. Was I breathing? Was Kim breathing? I felt disoriented. I couldn¡¯t here my sprinting footsteps, the movement of air as I bolted past, the sound of my swallow, the sound of my clothes rustling¡­ Nothing. I could feel myself slowly making my way to the door, to safety. Was my running always this slow? Then I saw it. How had I not noticed? Suspended in the sky, silvery drops of rain. They fell, ever so gently, so leisurely, like all my previous fear had been for naught. I brushed past one, and immediately regretted it. Sharp stabs of pain coursed through my cheek where it had splashed. I inhaled sharply, convulsing. They were impossible to avoid. Hovering in the air, like beautiful silver gems of death (or at least pain). Despite the pain, it was enchantingly beautiful. So serene, like the tears of an angel, glittering enthrallingly in the early morning light. Casting multicolored shadows on our school, dying it in liquid beauty. I felt tears of joy come to my eyes as I became soaked in the molten silver. Too see such beauty, such a spectacle, my life felt complete. To die, here and now, in the presence of such an exquisite view would be a blessing. A thought flashed through the recesses of my mind, burning through all pain I had felt before. What about Kim? Should I die, I would not let her die with me. Remembering my original purpose, I pumped my legs faster and faster, renewed vigor shot me across the concrete. I ignored the biting flashed of pain as I collided with each drop, becoming soaked through. This pain was petty, compared to the life I held in my hands, wrapped up in a blanket. I rounded the corner, and yanked the door open, throwing Kim and me inside. I vaguely realized that my classmates were crowding around me, yelling. My sister, with tears dripping down her eyes. They were all shivering. Had they finally realized the danger they were in? Hmph, you guys should be thanking me. Huh, don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m not gonna die. I obviously have better instincts, to notice before you guys. Doesn¡¯t that make me better? Avery, you are pathetic, to be saved by your little sister. Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around? Ahh¡­ I¡¯m not saying anything am I? Please, don¡¯t cry, I don¡¯t want to see you guys cry, not you, my precious friends. You know, I would give my life for any one of you. So now, at least, I know despite my laziness, despite my sharp, critical words, despite my sup-par looks, despite my arrogance, that I was useful. Surely, this is the best way to live any life, to die for your friends. I felt something tug at my consciousness, and my vision began to blur. My fingers uncurled. My eyelids shut. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ---------------------------- In a vast space, with no definite boundaries, I awoke. There was a sense of realization, as I suddenly understood everything. A strange feeling, that I had knew all along, no, that was wrong. I knew all along. ¡°Then this,¡± I angrily clenched my hands, ¡°was all my fault? Earth?¡± ¡°It was for you, as well as myself,¡± Said Earth, ¡°Something had to change. Don¡¯t tor-¡° ¡°I know, don¡¯t torment myself. Was there no other way?¡± I sighed, plopping myself in some imaginary chair. ¡°You should no better than I,¡± Earth replied, ¡°and a friendly reminder, you should go back soon. They¡¯ll think you¡¯re dead if you don¡¯t.¡± He chuckled, ¡°Imagine the headlines~ ¡®DEAD GIRL REVIVES?¡¯ ¡®FEMALE JESUS?¡¯ THE FIRST ZOMBIE?¡¯¡± ¡°Ehh~ There¡¯s no way. I¡¯ll get there on time anyways.¡± My chair turned into a recliner. Should I make a blanket too? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t thought of it? Freaking out your friends, just a bit? And then be all like, ¡®Haha! Just kidding~!¡¯¡± ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly devious Earth. Are you sure you¡¯re suited to be an ¡®Earth¡¯ in the first place? Or maybe I should start calling you Hell?¡± I materialized a freshly baked peanut-butter chia seed cookie and popped it into my mouth. Hmm¡­ Needs a little less sugar. ¡°How rude, I¡¯ve done a great job up until now!¡± Earth huffed. ¡°¡­¡± I continued to eat an assortment of different cookies. I won¡¯t get fat now anyways. ¡°I did a good job, right? Haven¡¯t I?¡± Earth seemed worried. ¡°¡­Are you doubting yourself?¡± I snickered, downing the last cookie with a glass of goat milk. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not as powerful as you are after all. How can I be sure of anything!¡± Earth seemed hurt. I heard him (Earth is gender neutral) kicking an imaginary stone across the empty space. Is he sulking? How cute. He¡¯s still young after all. I walked over to him and gave him a little hug, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, perhaps I¡¯ve teased you too much.¡± I ruffled his hair and smiled. ¡°Haaah!? I-i-it¡¯s not like I needed your apology or anything! I¡¯m fine on my own!¡± His presence vanished from the space. Ehh? Tsundere? Are you serious? Was he blushing? Ahh¡­ I forgot what I looked like right now. Starlight hair, captivating eyes, and most importantly, an acne-less face. I wonder if I could get girl to blush? I got gender-neutral, so I think I¡¯m halfway there. ¡°Better remember to change back.¡± My hair shortened, and became darker. It frizzled up, and curled. My eyes changed back to their normal, light brown color. And my acne¡ªnah¡­ let¡¯s not put that back. I¡¯ll blame it on the rain. And If I¡¯ve timed it right¡­ when I get back it should be the moment¡­ Chapter 3 -- After Silence BA-BAM! and here it is! Another one! Err, if I''m doing well, please tell me~ Or if not, give me tips! --------- I opened my eyes again. Geh. Crying faces. Maybe I should close my eyes again¡­ I can¡¯t deal with crying people! I¡¯ve always been socially awkward~! Well fine. I can do awkward. I sat straight up, jumped to my feet, in the process shaking off my crying sister. ¡°Erm¡­ Just kidding~! Ahaha¡­ haha¡­¡± Don¡¯t you dare laugh at me Earth! There was silence even more unbearable than the last. Some people turned around, awkwardly wiping away streaming tears. Kim was staring at me, here big black eyes red with worry. I¡¯m so glad she was all right. Not many people would survive that silver rain. ¡°Nobwelle~!¡± She sobbed, tears streaming down her face, ¡°I¡¯m swo sworreey! Idt¡¯s all my fauwlld!¡± She tacked me to the floor, hugging me furiously. And I had just stood up too. ¡°Come to think of it¡­ How did you know?¡± My sister leaned in close, looking at me with suspicious eyes. ¡°Know what?¡± I played dumb. Which is very difficult, mind you, I¡¯m very smart after all! I started to pry Kim off me and stand up again. ¡°You wanted us to get inside? How did you know? We all felt it¡ª¡° She pointed outside to the still continuing rain, ¡°When it happened. And we realized the ¡®calamity¡¯ you averted for us? So how?¡± ¡°Hmmm. I see what this is~¡± I chuckled with a ¡®fufu¡¯, ¡°You just can¡¯t handle your sister being better than you~¡± I casually swung my arm over her shoulder and pulled her in close, ¡°¡¯There just has to be a reason why I¡¯ve succeeded in bettering you¡¯. What are you so afraid of? I¡¯ve always been better~¡± Her suspicious smile twisted. Were those veins popping on her forehead? ¡°Let¡¯s face it. You were born with the looks,¡± I ran my finger through her medium length silky brown hair, ¡°and I was born with the looks,¡± I gestured to my head. She seemed irked, but said nothing. ------------- Then we waited. We waited to the ¡®rain¡¯ to stop. Most of the time we sang, we are a band class after all, although there was a few others mixed in. Sometimes we played cards. Other times we were silent. All the time, they avoided looking outside. They didn¡¯t want to see how many didn¡¯t make it. How many people that didn¡¯t have a ¡®Noelle¡¯ to tell them to get inside. I looked outside. Something fundamental in me changed since the rain. I had gained a lot¡ªpower, knowledge, and understanding. But I would not avert my eyes. The bodies that were strewn outside¡­ Not just outside, but around the world. This had to happen in order for ¡®me¡¯ to happen. So I looked at their faces, and I found their names inside my knowledge. Even those whose faces I could not see, I knew who they were. I knew who died before their own family did. I knew who survived. I knew of the chaos. Government organizations scrambled to figure out what the rain was. Mothers restrained by their family as they saw their child outside. Fear, despair, anger, guilt. ¡®Why have I survived?¡¯ ¡®Why not me?¡¯ ¡®I wish he didn¡¯t survive.¡¯ ¡®I do not want to survive without her.¡¯ This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I knew of the kindness. Intersections strewn with cars, stopped in order to not hit the people collapsed on the crosswalks. Teachers comforted small children, distracting them with toys and games. A stranger rescued some animals, sheltering them in her house. Hospital employees worked overtime, dragging those who survived out from under the rain and into treatment. Librarians read books, calming those around them. Police talked to their prisoners, telling them what happened outside, and they watched them grieve, because their sinful selves had survived. ¡°¡­Is it not beautiful?¡± I whispered, my voice was as quiet as the wind, barely reaching the ears of my friends. They looked at me strangely. No, I suppose they wouldn¡¯t understand. Not now, at least. But those stories of beauty and kindness will spread through words, for without silence, we may speak again. Tears rolled down my cheeks. How sad, so very sad, for kindness to only be highlighted in times of stress. Everyday, without a disaster, ordinary kindness will go unspoken. But shouldn¡¯t it be that way? A world where kindness is unspoken, for it will be commonplace. ----------------------- Our waiting ended. They beautiful killer trickled to a stop. The sun shone brighter, reflecting it¡¯s golden light across the slick surfaces. It seemed to be saying ¡°Rejoice! Your wait is over!¡± We were greeted by police. They hustled all of the students out of the classrooms, and into the gym. Phone calls were made. Even this, I thought, was a kindness. For those police to be by us, and not their families, who they were most definitely worried about, so worried they may die from the anxiety, if not from the rain. This time I said, ¡°Thank you,¡± with a small whisper, projecting my voice only into the ears of the policemen (and women). They stiffened, and seemed to whisper back¡ª ¡°You¡¯re welcome, for it is our duty.¡± --------------------------- No one spoke of what I had done. As the story went, we only wanted to make Mr. Vuerts happy. And that desire had saved our lives. And those who weren¡¯t in band, or even in first period? We all were going to thank him together, before splitting to our respective classes. We were picked up by our father. My heart painfully clenched when I saw him cry tears of joy. We didn¡¯t say much to him. My mother called, frantic. She went on and on, weeping for hours before I finally put her to sleep with my power. I made sure when she was asleep, that she was in bed. I had something I needed to do. After making sure the rest of my family was asleep, I left. Chapter 4 -- Enera I¡¯m going to do something pretty daring¡ªhave you all read martial arts, fantasy, and maybe watched Hunter x Hunter (the best, by the way), well, with a little bit of manipulation, I¡¯m going to incorporate all systems into this story. I hope I¡¯ve explained it well! But that''ll be in chapter 5! POV William (not necessarily an important character) Who knows. ---------- Willamy Enera. The top researcher in the SIA (Supernatural Incidents Agency). A genius, they called her, for she had discovered more about mysterious abilities than anyone had. But she was well known for also being out-of-sorts, and somewhat compulsive. She was never satisfied. Despite her accomplishments, she understood just how little she understood about abilities. Irritable, she often paced around, muttering, and biting her fingernail. She often asked, ¡°Where do abilities come from? Where do they draw their energy from? Why are some similar, like telekinesis, and why are some so unique, like Instant reading? Why do some require power, and why are some limitless? What determines one¡¯s abilities?¡± On the day of the ¡®calamity¡¯ she was found laughing, ¡°Yes! Yes! Finally! Something new! Something Interesting!¡± She was met with looks of disdain. She was ostracized. She really isn¡¯t a bad person though, I thought. 2 years ago she suddenly marched into our office space and screamed, ¡°I need an assistant!¡± We had all stared at her blankly. After all, what were we supposed to do about it? Then, one by one, she began demanding our names. ¡°Yolanda Nivrit.¡± ¡°Lewis Chung.¡± ¡° Newt, Newton Osbourne.¡± ¡°William Mark.¡± I said. ¡°You, you will do.¡± Her voice was suddenly strangely soft, and she pulled in close, too close. Up close, If not for her messy ginger hair and round glasses she actually looked kind of cute¡ª ¡°You will do because your name has no meaning.¡± It does though, I thought. Perhaps she thought that because ¡®Willamy¡¯ was similar to ¡®William¡¯. Dr. Enera was famously known for obsessing about her name. Her parents, she claimed, had given her her name on a whim, with no real meaning, just an appealing mixture of syllables. So she said, research became her meaning. She had given herself meaning. I discovered over the next two years, that she wasn¡¯t as crazy as the rumors made her out to be. I had plenty of time, I became her assistant after all. She enjoyed drinking all kinds of tea. She was strangely kind to small animals. She would take long walks while pondering a problem, and I would stick with her¡ªI was afraid a car would hit her when she wasn¡¯t looking. There were other times when I thought, ¡°Yup, she¡¯s crazy after all. Why am I even here?¡± She would spend days on end researching, drag me to outings on a frivolous whim, and skip work while doing nothing but doodling, which she was surprisingly good at. This was one of those times. We were in a helicopter, riding up towards the top of an impossibly large tree, which had suddenly grown after the ¡®calamity¡¯ now dubbed ¡®Silent Fall¡¯. On it was a message written in an unknown language, but somehow all nationalities have been able to understand, the ¡®Babylon Language¡¯. Written was simply, rather cheekily: This you have brought upon yourselves. You see, you were killing me. I hated it, really. So I thought, ¡°Ahh~ I have to do something!¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.Sooooo, I will do two things. Yes, two things! One, you have experienced already. It wasn¡¯t all bad, I promise. Hmph. It¡¯s not like you deserve my promise though! I need to do a good job to show someone, so I have to stop being lazy. So the second thing I will do is this! If you don¡¯t start investing more in environmental technologies, I will bring disaster upon you! And I mean YOU, the people who decides funding, the head honchos. And of course, the rest of the government and any environmental haters. No one should hate me though, Of course! Ehh¡­ That¡¯s all. Following the discovery, religious debates were rekindled by the mentioned ¡®someone¡¯. More than that, the tree itself was miraculous (other than the fact it grew ¡®overnight¡¯), but just from test conducted on the outer realm of the obsessively large tree, it was concluded that even more species of animals live inside than what has already been discovered. Thus, the tree was dubbed ¡®Lignum Vitae¡¯ ¨C the tree of life. And me, my poor pitiful self has somehow ended up in a helicopter riding up to the top of the tree. ¡°YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Willamy screamed at the top of her lungs, as we ascended the length of the tree, ¡°Isn¡¯t this exciting, William!¡± I didn¡¯t say anything. If I did, my dinner might end up back in my own face. ¡°Hey, hey, Look! Is that a unicorn? AHAHA for real!¡± Because of the swaying of the helicopter, her pointed finger became a baton. Urg. Please don¡¯t point down. You don¡¯t want dinner to end up on you. We have climbed for only around ten min so far, at around 20 mph. The tree was dizzily taller than Mount Everest. It¡¯s a wonder how such a large manifestation didn¡¯t disturb our planetary rotation. In around 30 minutes, I was saved from the rollercoaster tin can. The helicopter gently landed on a wide branch at the very top of the tree. ¡°Never. Again.¡± I moaned, clutching my stomach. ¡°William,¡± she chuckled, nimbly hopping from the helicopter onto the branch, ¡°We still have the way down!¡± I groaned. ¡°Unless you want to stay up here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go back down, if I may.¡± She spun around, her white lab coat twirling next to the backdrop of the night sky. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange, that it¡¯s so warm up here?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been over this haven¡¯t we?¡± I gestured to my casual wear, and for the fun of it, my rabbit slippers. ¡°But it¡¯s so mysterious!¡± Her eyes seemed to glitter; the stars reflected in her wide green eyes, ¡°The tree itself practically glows! It radiates heat! Truly a tree of life!¡± She spun again, and seemed to slip¡ª I grabbed her waist, pulling her down to a seated position, warning her seriously, ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, your trip back down will not be by helicopter.¡± She trembled violently. Was she scared? I leaned in closer, I could smell a sweet fragrance, like fresh vanilla and pomegranate, did she always wear perfume? And she burst out laughing, she pressed her forehead to mine, and whispered in an unusually gentle voice, ¡°William, my protector.¡± Her forehead felt hot, I gazed into her eyes, the twinkling of the stars seemed to grow brighter, a canvas for our lov¡ª ¡°EH-HEM. Are you done yet?¡± -------------------------- The next chapter is going to be a lot longer... Probably.