He woke up like always. He didn't suffer from nightmares tonight either. Noah was glad. Other people's nightmares and dreams were just that, dreams. What their mind constructed from fragments of desires, needs, phobias in their sleep.
But he was different.
So, so different. His dreams were real. At least, they would become real. Noah got up from bed and headed downstairs. He kept silent the whole way through. As he washed up, as he ate breakfast, and as he descended into the stone corridor.
In that dark basement, only his footsteps could be heard, tapping against the cold stone, their rhythm uneven. This time, he brought a lantern with him. He didn't want to waste his Will by using his silver eyes.
They made everything he saw bend to his will, people, monsters, even darkness would bow to his glow. But the very thing he wanted control over most…
She would never care for his wishes.
Standing in front of the iron gate, Noah fiddled with the lock before opening it. Placing the lantern by the door, he stepped forward. The light of the lantern was stretched thin, barely allowing one to see a rotting corpse leaning against the wall.
Noah knelt beside her, grabbed one of her cold hands and spoke as he cupped and gave them warmth, "Good morning sissy."
The corpse had no answer to give. He caressed her rotting cheek. "You seem down sis, why? …Oh, I get it! Here, you must be hungry." Noah fished out a bundle from his coin pouch and opened it, revealing a sandwich.
He pinched a small part of the bread, placed it in her mouth and closed her jaw for her. Noah watched as she stared at him blankly, the crumb falling from her tongue onto the floor. "Oh, you're not hungry?" He paused.
A clump crept up his throat, causing his voice to sound deeper. "Don't worry, brother is going to give your appetite back." Just as he spoke those gentle words, his eyes began to shine.
The corpse gave off a faint silver glow. Her skin rejuvenated, the rotten parts falling to the floor as fair skin replaced them. Her fingers began to twitch and her face regained a faint luster of life. Her eyes moved up, meeting his.
He could only keep this up for a dozen seconds. Heartless didn't have a way to store Will. It consumed every last bit of Noah's Will, but as the silver shine giving her murky eyes life left, they regained their hollow, distant look.
Noah stared at his sister, watched as her skin turned deathly pale once more, watched as she rested her head on her shoulder again. As she was taken away… She would never care. Sissy would never smile.
Noah hugged her. Drawing her cold, still chest near as they shared the little warmth they had left. "Don't worry, I will bring him back." It was silent for a moment, a long stretching moment before soft sobbing resounded in the cell. In this dark basement, only his cries could be heard, bouncing off the uncaring stones.
"There's no need to cry. No need to be scared. Brother will fix it. Brother will fix everything…" She stayed unmoving, not caring for Noah's ever tightening grip.
"I will fix us."
…
Elyas woke up in the void. Without wasting time, he made himself "stand" upright by fixing the gravity around him and pulled at his Will. He had regained most of it.
I got a lot to do, so let's not waste time.
He imagined the void glass. A clear window through which he could see Mistwood and Noah's house. Elyas needed to see him. Yesterday he didn't get the chance to ask about when, or where he should go to enroll in the Protocol.
He opened a window and jumped in. On the other side, was a wide street filled with people. Most were startled by the sudden appearance of Elyas. He didn't feel much different.
Why am I here? He was currently in the north gate district. He could see the Library's spires peeking at him from above the rooftops. He could also see the neon lights of Telly Burger far down the street. He had expected the window to open in front of Noah's house in the east gate.
... Does this mean I can't control where the windows open? No, that doesn't make sense. I used it multiple times and it opened exactly where I imagined it to open. He fell into deep thought. Elyas closed the window and started walking with the crowd.
The only times he used the window to get out of the void were when he first escaped, when he learned about his Cost, and today. Elyas was trying to find a discrepancy between these three, and soon, he found one.
The only difference between today and other times is the location I opened the window at in the real world…
Elyas had a good guess about what that would entail for him. He couldn't use the void as a means of travel. It was something he thought about a lot after he learned of his Cost. He imagined that if he walked hundreds of kilometers in the void, then opened a window, he would find himself in a different part of the world. It would have been a great help considering the dangers that travel would entail for him especially. But he could do without it.
I didn't lose anything. In fact, I learned something new. The window I open from inside the void, can only open at the last place I opened a window in the real world. With that conclusion, his mood improved. He was getting closer to fully understanding the void and its rules. And soon enough, utilizing it for himself.
Elyas looked around, he had walked to town square without noticing. The crowd around him collided with another, the speed at which people walked slowing down in the process. A handful of Ford Model T's drove along the street as Artifact riders flowed high above. It was a busy day, the first week of spring would always be like this. At least that was what he was told.
He looked to his left, and picked his way towards a bakery near the Space Bender wearing a fedora.
CLING! CLING!
The door opened with the cling of the bell attached above it. Elyas straightened his clothes as he walked in. "Oh, it's you again." Said a man wearing an apron stained with flour. Elyas gave a slight bow. "Good morning Mr. Wise."
The baker gave a nod in response. "Bread again? Or are ya switching it up?" Elyas shook his head. "No, just bread."
"You keep it simple, I like that." Mr. Wise said as he walked behind a pinkish curtain. Most of the room was that color save for the ceiling and the decorative green beams. "So how's the job hunt going, still nothing?" The baker shouted from the back. There were no other customers, so he didn't have to keep his voice down.
"Actually, I have good news." Elyas said as he glanced at the various cup cakes and short cakes decorated with fruit and cream behind the display glass of the counter. His mouth watered because of the sweet smell…But he couldn't afford it. Instead, he chose to focus on the smell of fresh bread coming from the back.
"Oh, do tell son, do tell." Mr. Wise walked out with a hot tray holding several golden buns. The surface of the bread moved up and down as if they were breathing. Elyas could already imagine how soft they would feel in his mouth, how they would melt on his tongue…
Mr. Wise's bakery never disappointed his tastebuds.
"I chose to join the Protocol, I know the pay isn't that great, but it's better than nothing." Elyas reached into his pocket.
Mr. Wise raised an eyebrow as he placed one hand on the counter. "Don't ya think that's a bit dangerous kid? Being a peace keeper ain't an easy job."
Elyas put six copper coins on the countertop. Mr. Wise grabbed and put them in the cash register and after that, the baker gave him the tray of bread to pick. Elyas chose a golden bun and sat on the beige metal bench near the plate glass window. As he enjoyed his breakfast, he thought for a bit and answered the baker's question. "I know, but I have my reasons."
The baker nodded, "Well, I ain't gonna shove my head up your business. But be careful kid, it's a dangerous, unstable job." Elyas looked at the rough looking baker. He was a man with a face as solid as a brick and sideburns that had already turned gray. Elyas gave him a polite smile and finished his loaf.
"I'll keep that in mind." He got up, walked towards the door, and pulled the handle.
CLING! CLING!
"Have a good day." That was the last thing he said before leaving the bakery. Inhaling the fresh, always damp air of Mistwood, he picked his way towards Noah's house.