Once he reached the top, Haru stared out at the bustling city. He closed his eyes as he inhaled one last time. This was it. The moment of truth. He couldn't control what happened before, but he'd be damned if he couldn't control this moment. He noticed the air grew colder suddenly, as if the world was berating him. He paid no mind to it. 'Fuck the world,' he thought, and just as he was about to step off the ledge, he heard a rustling noise behind him. He turned and saw his aunt.
'How did she know I was here?'
His aunt stared at him with feigned exhaustik as if they had been looking for him for years. "Young man, what is it that you think you're doing? You'll catch a cold out here in this weather!" she called out.
Haru looked perplexed. Since when was his aunt the caring type? She had never once asked or cared about him. She was usually a horrible person.Behind her eyes, Haru felt something cold. Something sinister even.
"We've been looking for you everywhere. Your father's estate attorney has papers he needs you to sign. Please come down to the house," she urged.
Haru narrowed his eyes. He wasn't a scholar, but he wasn't dumb either. He had already signed papers with the family attorney right after the funeral. What scheme was she up to? And who was "we"?
Suddenly, someone grabbed Haru from behind. "What is the meaning of this?!" Haru shouted as he caught a glimpse...
His uncle!
"Akio, I told you to let me handle it! We would've gotten him back to the house!"
his aunt Keiko, scolded.
"He was becoming suspicious. Hurry and forge his signature so we can feed him the poison and be done with this brat!" Akio replied.
Haru struggled, but his uncle was unbelievably strong. He regretted not learning martial arts like his mother had insisted. His aunt walked up and grabbed his finger, placing it on a tablet to record his signature. As Haru struggled, he saw why they'd go so far. It was a digital power of attorney, relinquishing all assets to his aunt and uncle in the event of his death.
"Don't worry, the poison is painless, and when they do an autopsy, it'll show your lungs just stopped working," Keiko assured him.
They didn't just want his signature; they wanted him dead!
Haru's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't let them win. He suddenly remembered his uncle breaking having a bad ankle, and immediately stomped on his uncle's foot, breaking free, running towards the cliff.
"Idiot!! Don't let him jump; his death has to be accidental or natural causes, if he dies from jumping, the power of attorney is void!" Keiko shouted. Realizing Haru's intent, Akio rushed after him. Just as he was about to grab Haru,due to his ankle, his foot slipped on the rain-soaked ground. This gave Haru just enough time to create space. As he jumped, he turned and flipped off his aunt and uncle, who stood in rage. He had won.
Haru plummeted down, not once opening his eyes. He feared that if he did, he would regret his decision. He wanted to keep the thought that this was in his control. He fell for what seemed like an eternity and then nothing happened. Eventually, he slowly opened his eyes and saw what appeared to be a marble floor beneath him. Glancing around, the thought hit him, he was floating? Suddenly, he crashed into the ground as if awakened from a dream.
Haru slowly tried to get up, his body felt as if it was being torn apart and reassembled. But compared to his guilt, it was nothing. As the feeling subsided, he tried to take in his surroundings. It was too bright at first,his vision swimming with blurriness, but once it adjusted, he saw two people sitting in the room with him. One was a silver-haired teenage boy who looked both annoyed and bored at Haru's appearance, while the other was possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She could easily be a model or pop star. She looked similar to the boy, so Haru assumed they were related.
He tried to speak but couldn't, as if air was trapped in his lungs. Eventually, he got his words out. "Where am I? Is this the afterlife?"
The teenage boy looked at Haru in disdain. "Priscilla, are you sure about this? He seems kind of... well, dumb," Dimitri said, suddenly appearing next to Haru and startling him. Haru bounced back, trying to keep the weird boy away from him. He immediately tried to crawl away. "H-How did you do that?" he stammered, pointing at Dimitri. He hadn't seen him move, yet somehow he was suddenly next to him.
Priscilla stood up and walked over to them. Her lace was steady elegant almost as if she was gliding. She reached them, bent down and extended a hand to Haru. "Where are our manners? I'm Priscilla. I am the current Ruler of Space. That overly curious one there is my brother Dimitri, Ruler of Magic. Nice to meet you, Haru," she said with a warm smile.
Haru was even more terrified. "You know who I am? How?"
Priscilla kept her hand extended. "Yes, we know everything about you. Take my hand; let me help you up."