Chapter 2: The Line Between Accomplice and Bystander.

  Taiyo awoke to the gentle sounds of his ceiling fan slowly blowing cool air throughout his room. The light of the day was just barely visible as he drowsily sat up in his bed and picked up his phone as usual.

  "So early? Why'd I wake up..." he said to himself with a yawn. The time of 5 A.M. stared back at him in bold as he stood up.

  Tai did a quick stretch. He walked over into the kitchen of his apartment and cooked a simple meal since he had the time. He silently made himself a simple bowl of rice with a few eggs and ate quietly on his couch as he turned the T.V. on.

  He had an hour of free time before he had to get ready for school and do his exercises so he found himself staring at the ceiling again, contemplating what had happened to him the day before. He had so many questions on what he had done and why he of all people, the guy who just wanted to keep to himself, had access to such a potentially dangerous power. The more he thought, the more he realized how little sense his past made sense.

  He had no memories of his past before the age of 9 and even then, all he could recall were faint details that didn't even make sense together. Whenever he closed his eyes for too long or thought just a bit too hard about it, a cryptic haze would fill his head. Disjointed images and symbolism filled his head.

  An angel and a devil holding hands with their hearts torn out, their chests burning away like a paper slowly losing itself to ash. An inverted spiral tower falling into a pit of ice, crashing waves towering high into the sky like walls, threatening to crash upon the wasteland at any given moment. Eleven figures stood off into the distance, too far to be made out clearly. Every day Tai would see these things yet they would constantly shift and morph.

  "Guess I shouldn't think too hard about it..."

  Once the clock struck 5:30, Taiyo did his daily routine, got dressed, and headed out a bit earlier than he usually did.

  ***

  The streets were still fairly dark since the sun hadn't fully risen yet. He walked while scrolling through his phone, slowly passing the time as he went to school.

  A scream pierced through the silent streets, the noise jarring Taiyo as he looked up.

  "What the hell..." Tai said, confused.

  Instinctively he started running towards the sound. He didn’t know why. He hates attention and anything that could start drama. To him, it's annoying and unnecessary for him or anyone else to stick their nose in something that's not their business. But, something about this scream sounded so desperate and sad that even he couldn't help but check it out.

  He rounded a corner at a high speed and stopped right in his tracks.

  "Ahh~ why'd you have to make so much noise, huh? We're just having some fun," one guy said while pressing himself closer to her, pushing her against a wall.

  "You should learn to appreciate the company of others, don’t be so ungrateful" another guy said with a sick grin.

  "P-Please just go away..." she said with a wince.

  "Come on! Let's just have some fun before anyone shows up," the first said. He didn't seem to notice Taiyo yet... But, the girl did. She mouthed words of help as she looked over at him desperately. Her eyes stared deep into his own and all he could do was look back at her. No matter how much his gaze drifted, her eyes were locked onto him. He bit his lip and took a shaky step backwards. Her eyes opened wider and she started to speak more desperately, still mouthing the words discreetly so her attackers couldn’t see.

  Taiyo couldn't do anything, He stood there frozen as he found himself thinking terrible things and cursing himself for being so weak.

  "Hey, do you mind if you could cut that out?" a feminine voice rang out over the empty streets.

  A silver light shone from the sky, slowly twinkling over the alleyway. A cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows, wearing a white fox spirit mask beneath their shadowy robes. All attention had turned to her as she stood perfectly balanced on the top of the wooden pole to a power line.

  "Hey who'd you think you are? Do you think we can't take a woman in cosplay?" the second guy said while cracking his knuckles.

  "I... am nothing an no one... I am merely a servant to the sun," she said. Seemingly disappeared for a second before starting to walk upside down on the lines themselves. It was as if she was walking a tightrope yet completely flipped.

  The masked woman drew a sharp katana from a hidden sheath, its details elegantly shining in the light. The boys seemed to realize she wasn't bluffing at the sight of the glimmering sword.

  "Now, I'll rephrase my previous statement. I'll give you to the count of five before I break you"

  Everyone stared at her in fear as the words left her mouth.

  "You wouldn't dare!"

  "One"

  "You better stop before we hurt you!"

  "Two"

  "I swear you don't know what you're doing!"

  "Three"

  "Hey lady you better chill..."

  "Four"

  "Y-You think this crap is funny? I'll... I'll kill you, you dumb woman!"

  The masked lady stopped counting and snickered. It wasn't too long until she broke out into a burst of cold laughter.

  "You think that's the first time I've heard that? The first time I've been threatened? Compared to you fakes, I’m the real deal, " she continued laughing. "You won't even get the chance to kill me."

  Wires spread out from her long nails, their metallic nature dangerous but just barely visible to the naked eye. The wires rose from beneath the delinquents, breaking the ground they stood on and lifting them into the air. They became entangled in the wires, holding them up in the air like an elegant spider web. The more they struggled, the tighter the wires constricted, drawing blood from them.

  "Lunar Phase One: First Quarter."

  A mist slowly rose from the air around the masked woman, its form vague and mysterious just like its wielder. It slowly crept onto the two thugs and the girl behind them. Immediately, all three of them collapsed, their bodies limp from the first contact with the mist. The boys hung in the metallic wires, unmoving. The girl completely sprawled out on the ground. Taiyo took another step back, his eyes wide with fear. Throwing his hands over his nose and mouth, his breathing quickly got heavier and his body shaking in place.

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  The masked woman dashed at a high speed, her physical form blurred. Her sword sliced in a half-circle shape through the wires and the unconscious harassers, leaving huge cuts across their chests. Blood dripped down from the now permanent scars that would form on their bodies.

  "What are you doing!? You can't just kill normal people!" Taiyo said, finally breaking his silence.

  Without saying anything the woman sheathed her sword and walked up to the girl and picked her up. "Can you please define normal? What makes them normal and you, anything else?" she said softly.

  "Don't play dumb! You have some weird powers or something! You probably know I have them too!" Taiyo yelled angrily.

  What he said was a total shot in the dark. After the fiasco with the basketball hoop, Tai had been utterly baffled and somewhat disturbed by the whole situation. He had so many questions. How did he do that? Why did it happen? Why is no one except talking about how much of a freak he is because of it? So many things swarmed his mind and this woman just presented herself on a silver platter, someone he could bombard with his many thoughts.

  "So you are aware of them now... That was a lot sooner than expected..." she seemingly mumbled to herself.

  "I knew it, you did already know! Tell me everything about this weird magic crap!"

  "That is impossible."

  "And why is that?!"

  "Because you have broken your word. Not that I’m any better of course."

  The woman walked over to Taiyo and gently put the unconscious girl in his arms. Taking a step back, the mist slowly rose from her feet and enveloped her body and the wire slowly started to disintegrate completely.

  "That girl goes to your school so take her to the nurse's office and she'll soon wake up on her own," she said. “The effects of my mist can have memory altering effects if I choose to. I’ve never found much use to it but she and those attackers won’t remember anything that they just saw tonight. Their own consciousnesses should fill in the blanks accordingly.”

  "Yeah, whatever," Taiyo said, annoyed. He sat silently for a second and looked at her once more. “You really can’t tell me anything?”

  “In due time.”

  The mist dispersed and Tai was left in the quiet alley.

  "I 'broke my word'... what the hell does that mean?" he groaned.

  It was still early but by now the school had opened so he headed there while he still had spare time, shifting the girl onto his back for an easier carrying position.

  “Walking an unconscious girl into a school is definitely not a great look.”

  ***

  Lyra flicked Taiyo on the forehead as hard as she could.

  "Ow, what the heck are you doing!"

  "Why'd you flake on us? We're supposed to be friends and it isn't very gentleman-like of you to leave a lady waiting for so long."

  "Yeah man what's up? You've been staring into space almost all of the homeroom," Kendall asked concerned.

  "It doesn't matter to you guys okay? Just be quiet for a bit," Taiyo sighed.

  "No screw that! Do you know how suspicious it is for you to show up to school while carrying someone unconscious?" Lyra yelled. "We're your friends, like it or not we're always going to be there and in your business. So we can do this the easy way or the hard way, you can just tell us what's happening or we'll bother you and your family and force you to tell us what's going on at home!"

  Taiyo tensed up. What Lyra said had struck a nerve. He was living on his own but apparently some far off relative had been supplying him enough money to live on so he could have an apartment but he could never really confirm this since he’s never met them.

  Taiyo got close to Lyra to the point where their faces were only inches apart. "Don't try to stick your nose in something that isn't your business. You’ll find out the hard way that it would’ve been better to just leave it alone."

  Lyra seemed shocked for a second but her eyes hardened once more. “Try me you gothic loser.” the two of them glared at each other, neither backing down.

  "Hey guys, let's all calm down a bit. M-Maybe we can talk things out," Kendall said.

  "Alright then Mr. Vitale, I guess I'll have to go straight to your parents and see what's up," Lyra ignored Kendall, her eyes piercing like daggers.

  "I live on my own and that's how things are going to stay," Taiyo said coldly.

  “What? Is mommy and daddy on vacation? Don’t act so tough just ‘cause you got the place to yourself.”

  “Vacation?” Taiyo laughed. “Sure you could say that. They’re on a nice and looooong holiday. For - let’s see - the rest of my life? Sure they’re definitely enjoying the warm sandy beaches six-feet-under.”

  Silence followed. No one was saying anything and Taiyo could feel his anger slowly subsiding.

  "Look, Tai, I'm so sorry... I didn't know... really I just thought you were being a jerk for no reason." Lyra had a soft look in her eyes, one that was filled with worry and pity.

  "Whatever," Taiyo stood up and jumped onto the railing of the roof and looked out to the sky. "All of this to say that this is my life now and I'm going to figure things out on my own. That’s how it’s always been.”

  He jumped down and picked up his bag, slinging it around his shoulders. Kendall and Lyra picked up their stuff too without saying anything more.

  The group walked to their next class, none of them saying anything. Lyra would sneak in a few looks at Taiyo but she never tried to make conversation. Taiyo was annoyed by the way the two of them tried to meddle in his life but he knew deep down that he was grateful for them to try and help.

  "Well, we have gym class next. I heard today we'll be doing some practice sword fights." Kendall said, breaking the silence.

  "Yeah, I'll be watching Taiyo carefully," Lyra said with her usual peppy attitude. "Just because I feel bad for him doesn't mean I've lost interest in him."

  "Yeah, now that you mention it, I'll be rooting for you Tai!" Kendall said with a grin.

  "I don't need you to do that. I'll be good without it."

  "Nah I'm still gonna cheer for you!"

  "No."

  "Aww that's the cutie we know and love," Lyra laughed.

  "Lyra I swear to God if you call me that again I’ll-”

  ***

  Taiyo walked into his math class as usual. Nothing eventful had happened in the day's martial arts activity day besides Kendall surprising everyone with his insane swordsmanship within kendo.

  "Jeez, a guy that energetic shouldn't become that focused with a weapon..." Taiyo said to himself.

  Kendall's display reminded him of the woman from earlier that saved that girl from before. The sight of her skills and techniques seemed so nostalgic and sad. It was as if the sight of them made him want to cry like he was a little kid all over again. Not like he really remembered the life he once held dear as a child.

  Taiyo was still deep in thought until he felt a quick, sharp pain that warmed itself against his cheek. He didn't even have time to comprehend the first hit until the second one had already sent him to the floor. He held his cheek as he looked up to see the girl from this morning staring at him with a look of pure anger in her eyes.

  "Dang another nuisance..." Taiyo muttered to himself. "Now what’s wrong with you? Why did you hit me?"

  "Don't give me that crap! Listen carefully, pretty boy, I don't know if you're actually slow or just a jerk but why didn't you help me this morning?" she yelled.

  "Don't yell at me! It didn't concern me so why should I have stepped in? I carried your lame butt to school so why should I have helped?"

  "You can't be serious! You see a lady getting harassed and you don't do anything?!"

  "I'm starting to get tired of that word. You aren't a lady. You're a tiresome high school girl."

  "And you're an entitled selfish brat that needs to get taught some manners!"

  "Why is this school such a pain," he groaned.

  The girl sighed as she looked at Taiyo. He was handsome but he had no emotions and was rude. "Look, just because you have a good face doesn’t change the fact that you're the rudest boy I've ever met and you have a terrible personality," she said bluntly.

  "And?"

  "I don't know why but for some reason I can't bring myself to completely hate you. So just stay away from me and my life and we can act like this never happened and we never met."

  "Deal. I wouldn't want it any other way."

  "Haha good. But the last thing I want to say to you is to never just stand off to the side when you see an injustice. You can always do something to help because if you just watch you aren't any better than the one who's causing all of the trouble."

  "Yeah, sure. Your lecture sure is helpful."

  "Disregard me if you want but that’s just reality," she extended her hand out and helped him up. The girl punched him in the shoulder and walked away.