*Tsuki Shizukana*
I couldn't stop shivering. I realized, soon after laying down on the bed that we had reached a point of no return. We crossed Siran Bridge and were staying at an Inn. It wasn't cold, the blanket kept me warm but I was still shivering. It felt like my blood thickened and was building pressure in my arteries.
"He said he is just downstairs. Calm down, Tsuki. Huuuuuh..." I tried convincing myself.
I just wouldn't stop shaking. No matter what I did. Putting another blanket on myself, controlling my breathing and focusing on Mana didn't help the shaking at all.
"I should... I should-... just once... Intuition."
The Mana danced around me. A calm wave washed over my mind and I felt a familiar warmth in both mind and stomach.
"Nothing? How?"
My Salan ability didn't tell me anything. Not a small sense of danger, safety, or tragedy appeared. I didn't know what to expect.
But my shaking suddenly stopped. I laid back on the bed, covered myself with the blanket and tried to sleep again. 'I need rest. The upcoming days will be exhausting. I have to get as much sleep as possible.'
My mind drowned in a series of thoughts. Flashbacks of the events in Central Superio, on Siran Bridge, in the hospital and the impact of Salan played in my head.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't stop myself. Niam wasn't around to take my mind off of things. It had been a long time since I slept in a room alone.
"Kaito... I'm sorry."
*The time of the impact*
"Kaito! Stop! They're... gone."
*At the time of the impact*
We were just watching the asteroid pass outside our house. After Salan disappeared from sight, we wanted to go inside and watch Salan on TV. Suddenly, the earth started shaking and a gust of air flung me, my brother and my parents away.
When I came to, the first thing I noticed was the sounds of chaos coming from all directions. Buildings collapsed, the ground shook and people nearby screamed.
I stood up, dazed. The shockwave had hit pretty hard. With a ringing in my ear, I yelled for Kaito.
"Kaito!"
I couldn't see him. Only my parents were near me. They didn't move.
["Mom! Dad! Come on... Wake up."] I pleaded.
I shook them, slapped them and opened their eyelids.
"No! No, no, no, nooooo!"
I couldn't think of anything else except for them. It didn't matter how or what caused all of this. What only mattered was that my parents had died.
"Tsuki!"
I turned around. Kaito stood a few meters away, amidst the smoke caused by fallen debris. His shoulder-long, black hair was tainted with a crimson liquid. His blind, right eye was shut and bleeding. His black, left eye, wide in horror, staring at the our parents.
"Mom! Dad!" He rushed over, ignoring me at first.
I pulled Kaito back.
"They're gone, Kaito."
"Huuuuuuuuu!" He cried.
My world shattered. Everything I came to know was destroyed. 'How did all of this happen without anyone predicting this catastrophe?'
Between sobs and gasps for air, my mind managed to form some ideas that would help me overcome the upcoming hardships.
"We need to go somewhere safe!" I stated.
I wasn't sure if Kaito was even listening. He stood over our parents, shoulders and head dropped, tears flowing out of his eyes and snot flowed out of his nose.
"We should cross Jianxin Bridge. We can't stay here, Central Superio is destroyed." He suggested.
"What should we do about them?" I asked, unsure.
"We have to leave them, I can't carry dad even with your help."
„How can you think about leaving them?!"
„[Sister], this situation is not normal! We can't use common human sense anymore! The way it looks, Salan must've crashed into earth and caused earthquakes. Look at the damage!"
Slowly, I became aware of the aftermath. Destruction and chaos surrounded us. Buildings had collapsed, the ground had split and most importantly, the only other people I saw on the streets were dead.
„Come on, we have to go." Kaito rushed.
"All right, let's take the car." I suggested.
I took the keys from my father's pocket and looked at my parents for the last time. Their skin was pale and their bodies were tense.
We walked over to the car, Kaito following close behind me. The time it would take to go to Jianxin Bridge was 20 minutes by car.
*Click*
I pushed the car-key.
Nothing.
*Click*
I clicked again.
Still, nothing.
"Why isn't it working?!"
"I don't know."
I clicked over and over. Nothing happened.
"We'll have to walk."
Kaito nodded, agreeing.
The 20 minute drive turned into a 2 hour walk through the chaotic city.
***
The streets were full of dead bodies. Occasionally, we saw survivors, just like us. And just like us, their faces were full of sorrow, shock and denial. Kaito started to cry midway to Jianxin Bridge, which made me remember the sight of our parents laying on the floor.
'I have to stay strong. For Kaito, for me, for us. I have to as the older sibling. A 12 year old boy can't possibly come out unharmed after such events, be it physically or mentally. Even I struggle to maintain a straight trail of thought. If I relax, I might just collapse.'
People with different ethnic groups ran through the streets. All of them panicked and only a few of them were composed. It seemed like they had the same idea as us, they wanted to cross the bridge to their respective Land.
Around the time we walked on the highway that led to Jianxin Bridge, a crowd formed of around 1000 people.
I heard several Asian languages being spoken, as well as Japanese.
["Did you see the asteroid suddenly stop above The Ancient Storm?"]
["I did. It must've been fake and the asteroid was fated to crash into earth all along. The governments must've kept it a secret."]
Those who were in a good mental condition, conversed and discussed possible government conspiracies. Even I thought it was strange. An asteroid thought to be on a non-threatening trajectory, somehow crashed into earth, causing a catastrophe unlike any other.
Looking like settlers that searched for a new home, we walked to Jianxin Bridge. Cars filled with the dead became a usual sight. The impact killed indiscriminately.
We had arrived at the bridge. Kaito looked unsure, scared, worried.
"We'll find a new life after crossing this bridge. We'll live with our relatives in old Japan. You like them, right?" I tried to promise Kaito a good life.
He was silent while crossing the bridge. Looking at his feet as he walked and sobbed.
*Rumble*
The ground began to shake and soon pieces of the bridge cracked and broke apart. A crack formed right between my legs and it started to widen, letting me see the lake under my feet.
"Kaito!" I yelled, trying to warn him.
It was too late. The bridge completely collapsed after, bringing the hundreds of people standing on it, to their demise.
Kaito who had turned to run into my direction lost his footing and fell.
"Tsuki..."
'This can't be happening. Kaito...'
Time seemed to slow down as I watched Kaito plummet into the lake, never to come back up again.
'Why did I survive? Why was I lucky enough to stand on the part of the bridge that didn't collapse?'
"KAITO!!"
My vision turned blurry, my ears rang and I lost balance. I drifted away with a feeling of denial and sadness accompanying me.
***
"Hey. Are you okay? Some people brought you here after telling us that the bridge you wanted to cross collapsed."
A girl explained.
"What?"
I was still in shock, not remembering the recent events.
"My name is Melina. I know where we can go."