Chapter 3 - Cry of Bonds
Shade remained frozen in shock as he stared at Grim Soul through the floating blue screen.
At the zebra crossing, Light was equally stunned.
Both of them shouted inwardly at almost the same time.
«"What?!"»
«"He's giving off Brother's presence, yet his aura is this weak?!"»
As they continued observing Grim, they noticed a faint aura surrounding his heart.
Tech cleared his throat before speaking.
«"Aura is one of the most important forces possessed by every living being."»
«"It can take any color and constantly changes according to the individual."»
«"Aura can grow stronger, become weaker, expand, shrink, and even influence various aspects of life."»
Suddenly glasses appear on his face and he adjusted his glasses.
«"One of the most common applications of aura is combat."»
«"Generally speaking, if two people fight and one possesses significantly more aura than the other, the stronger aura usually wins."»
«"If both possess equal amounts, the battle often ends in a draw."»
He paused briefly.
«"Of course, strength, speed, intelligence, skill, and experience can still influence the outcome."»
Shade and Light listened for a few seconds.
Then both of them shouted at the same time.
«"We already know that!"»
Tech blinked.
«"I was simply explaining why this situation is strange."»
He pointed toward Grim.
«"For someone capable of emitting Brother's presence..."»
«"His aura is unbelievably weak."»
Shade folded his arms.
«"Anyone who knew Big Brother would say the same thing."»
Light nodded through telepathy.
«"Yeah."»
«"Big Brother possessed a terrifying amount of aura."»
Meanwhile, Grim Soul remained completely unaware of their discussion.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
«"Magic is real..."»
«"Magic is real..."»
The words repeated endlessly within his mind.
His heart pounded.
Memories surged forward.
Dreams.
Failures.
Regrets.
Everything he had tried to bury returned.
By now, Light had slowly walked toward him.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
«"It's your birthday, right?"»
«"As a gift,I'll help you learn how to use time."»
Light raised a hand, intending to gently pat Grim's head.
Then he stopped.
His eyes widened.
Grim's aura was rising.
The boy lowered his head.
The faint beat within him grew louder.
Stronger.
Faster.
«"Why do I suddenly feel lighter?"»
«"Why does it feel like I can tell him everything?"»
The emotions he had suppressed for years began surfacing.
With every heartbeat, more aura spread through his body.
Shade immediately noticed.
«"His aura is rising."»
Light nodded.
«"His emotions are causing it."»
Tech smiled.
«"Aura reacts strongly to emotions."»
«"Interest. Joy. Love. Sadness. Anger."»
«"Any powerful emotion can influence it."»
Light continued.
«"Earlier, he was drowning in depression."»
«"His aura wasn't gone."»
«"It was simply buried deep inside him."»
«"Something has triggered it to emerge again."»
Tech in a childish way pointed his fingers towards Light.
«"Ding dong."»
«"Correct."»
Shade rubbed his forehead in annoyance.
As the conversation continued, Grim's aura expanded until it covered his entire body.
His voice trembled.
«"Why am I crying?"»
He wiped at his eyes.
More tears followed.
«"Why do I feel like this?"»
The weight of years finally crashed down upon him.
The dreams he had abandoned.
The hopes he had buried.
The loneliness he had carried.
Everything overwhelmed him at once.
Tears streamed down his face.
At that moment—
A massive wave of blue aura erupted outward.
The entire street glowed blue.
A giant smiling face formed above him within the aura, watching over the frozen city.
Light stared in awe.
Tech smiled brightly.
Shade grinned.
«"Now THAT looks more like someone carrying Big Brother's presence."»
«"Exactly."»
Tech nodded enthusiastically.
Grim lowered his head.
Tears continued flowing.
«"I'm sorry..."»
«"I can't control myself."»
«"I don't know why my heart is telling me to cry."»
Light's expression softened.
Without hesitation, he gently stroked Grim's hair before pulling him into a warm embrace.
«"It's okay."»
«"When you're done..."»
«"We'll talk."»
Deep within Grim Soul's soul, the two mysterious entities continued their card game as if nothing unusual was happening.
One was covered in a black aura.
The other in a white aura.
The black figure glanced upward.
"See? His aura is back."
The white figure nodded.
"Yeah."
"Our surroundings are blue again."
As he spoke, the world around them gradually shifted from a pale blue to a deeper shade of blue.
The black figure smirked.
"Don't you think crying like that in front of someone he just met is a little awkward?"
The white figure chuckled.
"A little?"
"It's extremely awkward."
He placed a card onto the table.
"But Light won't see it that way."
"He's sensing Big Brother's presence from Grim Soul."
"That alone makes him feel comfortable around the kid."
The black figure nodded.
"Yeah."
"It reminds me of the old days."
His gaze softened slightly.
"Those three used to tell their Big Brother everything."
"Their bond was just that strong."
Even while discussing such memories, neither of them stopped playing cards.
Back at the zebra crossing, Grim Soul continued crying.
His emotions refused to settle.
"It feels like I know him..."
"Like I've known him for a very long time."
"But I've never met him before."
Meanwhile, Light remained silently hugging him.
A strange feeling lingered within his own heart.
"I felt like I needed to comfort him."
"My body moved on its own."
Not far away, Shade was having a completely different reaction.
He grabbed Tech by the shoulders and started shaking him violently.
"Record it!"
"Record it faster!"
Tech nearly dropped the floating screen.
"Okay! Okay!"
"I'm recording!"
A devilish grin spread across Shade's face.
"This is perfect."
"I'm definitely showing this to Rose."
Tech looked at him with visible disappointment.
"You maniac."
After some time, Grim finally calmed down.
The tears stopped.
The blue aura gradually settled.
Light smiled gently.
"Feeling better now?"
Grim sniffed and nodded.
"Yeah."
"I'm okay."
Light placed a hand on his head.
"If something is bothering you..."
"You can always talk to me."
Grim froze for a moment.
For some reason, those simple words felt incredibly warm.
Meanwhile, Shade was still shaking Tech.
Tech looked as though he had already given up on life.
"You know..."
"Light is acting like an older brother."
Shade's eyes sparkled.
"I KNOW!"
"Make sure every second is recorded!"
Inside his imagination, a glorious scene unfolded.
A small child stood before Light while watching the recording.
The child pointed accusingly.
"You said you were going on a mission!"
"But you were playing with another kid!"
The child immediately turned away from Light.
Then he ran toward Shade and clung to him.
"I'm not playing with Light anymore!"
In Shade's imagination, Light fell to his knees in despair.
"No! Rose! Please forgive me!"
Meanwhile, imaginary Shade laughed victoriously.
Back in reality...
Shade was laughing just as hard.
Tech stared at him.
"Definitely a maniac."
At the zebra crossing, Light suddenly spoke.
"Grim Soul."
"I'm going to give you Time Energy."
Grim blinked.
Then Light raised his hand.
A small green orb materialized above his palm.
The sphere floated gently in the air, emitting a soft glow.
Grim's eyes widened.
Like an excited child seeing magic for the first time.
"Whoa..."
"What's that?"
"A magic ball?"
Light laughed softly.
"Not exactly."
"It's Time Energy."
"If you absorb it, you'll gain the ability to control time."
Grim stared at the orb with sparkling eyes.
Without hesitation, he reached out and touched it.
The moment his fingers made contact—
A brilliant green light engulfed his entire body.
The glow lasted only a few seconds.
Then it faded.
Grim quickly examined himself.
Nothing seemed different.
When he looked up again, he noticed Light walking away.
"Wait!"
Light stopped and turned around.
"Where are you going?"
"I still have questions!"
Light smiled.
"I'll be back after I finish some work."
Grim immediately asked another question.
"But how do I control time?"
Light chuckled.
"We'll meet again soon."
"I'll explain everything then."
He turned and began walking away.
A crack in space slowly opened before him.
Light stepped toward it.
Grim suddenly remembered something.
"Wait!"
Light paused once more.
"What should I call you?"
The white-haired man smiled.
"My name is Light."
Then he stepped toward the crack.
Before he disappeared completely—
Grim shouted loudly.
"Big Bro Light!"
Light turned slightly.
A bright smile appeared on Grim's face.
"Thank you!"
"And come back as fast as you can!"
For a brief moment, Light froze.
Then a warm smile spread across his face.
The next second, he disappeared into the crack.
Silence returned.
Grim stood alone in the frozen world.
Yet unlike before...
His heart no longer felt heavy.
A cheerful smile appeared on his face.
He looked toward the place where Light had vanished.
Then he quietly murmured:
"I met a great person today."
To Be Continued...