Aekira stood alone on the balcony, the cool night air brushing through her light grey hair, making it flow in the breeze. The town below her, with its towering buildings and strange beauty, seemed to shimmer in the darkness. Despite its mystery, it wasn't enough to calm the frustration building inside her.
She stared out at the horizon, her blue eyes reflecting the distant lights. Her thoughts raced, trying to make sense of everything.
"Okay... this is ridiculous!" she muttered, her voice sharp in the quiet night. The weight of it all—the destruction of Earth, her rebirth, this bizarre new world, and the fact that she was now part of a powerful and dangerous family—felt too much to handle.
"How the hell did I get myself into this?!" Aekira exclaimed, her voice echoing into the quiet night. She gripped the edge of the balcony, her small hands tightening as her thoughts raced.
She shook her head, trying to process the absurdity of it all. One minute, she was on Earth, watching it be destroyed by some monster, and the next… she was here, in the body of a child, part of a royal family in this strange, dystopian world. It made no sense.
Aekira's gaze drifted to the vast, towering buildings in the distance. They were impressive, but they also reminded her of how foreign and disconnected everything felt. This wasn't her world. Not yet, at least.
Aekira clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white as she tried to force the memories of her past to surface. But strangely, there was nothing—just a frustrating, empty void. No clear images, no familiar faces. Just fragments of her old life that refused to piece together.
"WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER ANYTHING?!" she shouted, her voice breaking through the night air. The sudden outburst only made her feel more powerless.
She gritted her teeth, her breath coming in short bursts. She could remember Earth, the destruction, and that terrifying monster—but beyond that, everything was a blur. Who was she before all of this? Why couldn't she recall anything meaningful? It felt like part of her had been erased.
Suddenly, Aekira felt a presence beside her, something unsettlingly close. Her breath hitched as she quickly turned to look—and froze.
Standing next to her on the balcony was a tall, slender figure. Its body was hidden beneath a long, flowing cloak that seemed to shift with the wind, its face completely concealed. The only visible part of it were two glowing white orbs, staring directly at her from beneath the hood. They were the only features she could make out—cold, unblinking, and otherworldly.
Aekira's heart raced, but for some reason, she couldn't scream. It wasn't fear that held her voice back—it was something else, something deeper. She simply couldn't bring herself to make a sound. And strangely, she didn't feel the need to.
Her wide eyes stayed locked on the figure, her body tense, yet unable to move or cry out. The silence between them was deafening.
The figure's hand, long and sharp, with fingers that looked almost demonic, reached out and gently touched Aekira's hair. The coldness of his presence deepened as his voice, a sinister whisper, slithered through the air.
"...Yes..." he hissed, his words barely audible, but they sent a shiver down her spine. His touch, though light, felt like ice against her skin, and the darkness surrounding him seemed to grow thicker.
"...You are the end of the puzzle," he whispered, his breath cold and heavy as if the words themselves carried a weight too dark to bear.
Aekira's heart pounded in her chest, and though every instinct told her to move, to fight, she was frozen. Her mind raced, but her body refused to react. The cryptic words hung in the air, their meaning as chilling as the figure before her.
Aekira blinked—just once—and in that instant, the figure vanished. The cold, sinister presence that had filled the air disappeared with him, leaving only the faint sound of the wind rustling through the night.
Her heart was still pounding, her body trembling slightly from the shock. She quickly looked around the balcony, scanning the shadows for any sign of him. But there was nothing—just the empty night, as if the figure had never been there at all.
Aekira swallowed hard, trying to calm herself, her thoughts swirling with confusion and fear. What had just happened? Who—or what—was that? And what did he mean by calling her "the end of the puzzle"?
Her hands slowly unclenched, and she backed away from the edge of the balcony, still feeling the lingering chill of his touch in her hair.
"...What the fuck was that."