Chapter Text
I dash out of the doors, smiling as the fresh air hits my face. The classrooms are always too stuffy. I hear Xiao calling after me to wait up. I turn around and stick my tongue out at him before racing into the parking lot. It’s a windy day, but that only adds to my cheerful mood. The sound of my sneakers hitting the asphalt echoes through the air as I weave my way between cars.
I slap my hand down on the hood of Kazuha’s car and grin at the others. “I win!”
“When was this a race?” Kazuha smiles as he walks past me to unlock the doors for us.
“Shotgun!” Heizou pushes past me to get to the passenger seat. Xiao and I share a look that goes unnoticed by the other two. Heizou is relatively new to the friend group. He and Kazuha happened to be in the same French class, and hit it off immediately. It’s painfully obvious Heizou is head over heels for Kazuha, but apparently he’s too oblivious to notice. Xiao and I pile in the backseat, and Kazuha starts the car.
“Am I just dropping you all off at your houses?” Kazuha glances at us through the rearview mirror.
“Yes please,” I smile.
“About that potential band we were talking about,” Xiao brings up the subject we had been discussing at lunch. “I have a guitar, and I’m pretty sure I still know how to play it.”
“I’ll dig my mom’s keyboard out of storage,” Kazuha says while staying focused on the road. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”
“I’ve got a lot of instruments,” I shrug, “I’ll find something.”
“What about me?” Heizou asks, “I don’t have any instruments.”
“If we’re going to make a band, we’ll need a drummer,” I suggest. Heizou thinks for a moment before a grin forms on his face.
“Oh, Sara’s going to hate that,” he nods, “Perfect.”
Kazuha pulls up to my house, and I sling my backpack on my shoulder as I step out. “Kazuha’s house at seven?” I confirm. He nods. “Tell your mom to make cookies!”
Kazuha rolls his eyes, “Sure, Venti.”
“See you guys tonight!” I blow Xiao a kiss and head inside.
I carelessly toss my backpack onto a chair in the dining room, making my way to the kitchen for a snack. I snatch an apple out of the fruit bowl, taking a bite while I pull up my music playlist. I’ll have time to do my homework later, and there’s no way I’m passing a walk through the park on such a nice day. I leave a note for Ei, letting her know I’ll be home later, and walk outside.
The park is within walking distance to my house, and I’ve walked through it dozens of times. I turn the volume up on my headphones higher than I should, letting myself drown in the music. I take in the nature around me. The trees rustle in the wind, birds fly overhead, and I begin to stay off the path towards a clearing in the trees. The sun shines through the branches, guiding me to a space hidden from view of the trail. The first time I found this place was with my brother, before the accident. I shake the memory out of my head and step into the clearing.
My music starts to stall, and then stops all together. I huff in annoyance and take out my phone to fiddle with the connection, when a gust of wind blows one of my braids into my face. When I turn to avoid the direction the wind is blowing, I catch sight of something in the grass. Sunlight is shining down like a spotlight on something small wriggling around. I pull off my headphones, and stick my phone back into my pocket while I cautiously step forward. At first I thought it might be a baby bird that hopped out of the nest, but what my eyes saw was definitely no animal I was familiar with.
Laying in the grass was a tiny creature that looked to be wearing a white and teal cloak. Two white eyes glowed out from under the hood. The thing had a pair of wings that were twitching. It looked injured in some way, but I couldn’t tell how.
“What are you?” I breathe, kneeling down to get a better look. The little creature's eyes seem to meet mine, and the wind picks up severely. I can’t pull my gaze away, and it feels like I’m being put in a trance. Then a voice speaks.
“The abyssal corruption was stronger than we’d presumed.” The voice is a gentle whisper in the wind, and despite showing no signs of talking, a part of me knows it belongs to the tiny thing in the grass before me. “I’ve run out of time, but fate has brought you here.” The wind around me is getting stronger, and I feel as if I might get blown away. However, I’m still unable to pry my eyes off the little creature.
“I had hoped it would be someone like you.” For a moment, I swore I saw the thing smile, but as the wind roared around us, I watched as it began to vanish. It closed its eyes, and crumbled to dust that the wind blew away. “To the heavens may you fly, Barbatos.”
I blink out of my trance as the voice withers in the wind. My eyes widen when I feel myself get lifted from the ground. The wind has become so strong, I can barely see what’s around me. I flail helplessly in the air, and my head collides with a tree branch. My vision fades to black, and I pass out.