“Today’s topic is compassion, and we’re taking it a step further by figuring out not only how much you are willing to give but how much of yourself you are willing to divest for the sake of another.” Miss Thabit’s voice barely reached Gwayana as he slouched on his chair near the back of the class. He was a lanky young man whose brows seemed permanently furrowed. His dark skin seemingly glowed with how smooth it was, and his dark brown eyes lazily hung to the side as the seconds of the afternoon ticked by.

  “Hey, Yana?” Came a chirp from the table to the right. The small voice belonged to a short boy who had messy, long, golden hair and a smile that rivalled the sun in its brightness. He had pale skin, bright blue eyes and a missing front tooth.

  “Mmm?” Yana grunted, although not even his moody self couldn’t help but soften when facing Kiln, who leaned over.

  “What are your plans for the holidays?”

  “Quiet, both of you. The teacher is speaking.” Nozh whispered from behind the two. She had long auburn hair that was bound in a neat bun and eyes that were a dull green. Her skin was fair and littered with freckles.

  “If you really wanted to hear her, then you’d have sat in the front.” Yana scoffed.

  “Yeah!” Kiln chimed in, which made Nozh’s eyes flare with anger.

  “We don’t get to pick where we sit!”

  “Oh- forgot about that.” Yana lazily yawned.

  “Ma’am, could you remind those three that classes are still in session?” Kōritsu, a prefect and class representative, spoke up without turning to face the trio behind him. All Yana could see was his dark, neatly trimmed hair and pale skin.

  “Keep it down, alright. The day’s almost over anyway, so just keep your stories to yourselves a little longer, okay?” Miss Thabit asked in her usual patient manner. Her small frame stood in front of the relatively massive whiteboard, and her voice was as delicate as the petals of a blooming flower. Her silky brown hair hung in a ponytail, and her bronze-coloured skin was littered with little dark spots.

  Yana didn’t care for what she had to say, though.

  He just wanted to hurry home and procrastinate the rest of his day away.

  That’s how it was every day as of late.

  Wake up, trudge through school, fill in the time until sleep and repeat.

  Motivation was a rare feeling and he desired less with each passing day.

  He had tried a few things to light a spark in his heart but sports, academia and socializing only served to drain him even more.

  Part of him knew he was just being lazy and that he’d live to regret some of what he was doing but he really didn’t care.

  Well… there was one exception in the monotony.

  “So… what are you gonna do? Where are you gonna go?” Kiln whispered while keeping a comically narrowed eye on Miss Thabit, who was writing something on the board.

  “No idea. Probably gonna rot away in my bed or something.”

  “Aww… I’d come over but we’re going to the sports camp next week.” Kiln pouted, only to start grinning again soon after.

  “We should still have a few days to hang out when I come back, so hang in there, alright?”

  Yana once found the short blondie annoying, what with his ceaseless chattering and dopey expression, but those things quickly became parts of his day he cherished, although he didn’t have much of a choice since Kiln was made to sit next to him.

  “Alright.” Yana only ever smiled at school when he was in Kiln’s presence. Almost as if, for a moment, he’d forget just how miserable he made himself, circumstances aside.

  “Heck- if you can’t wait a couple of weeks, you could always come with us—“ Kiln stopped as the ground violently shook.

  “Earthquake?” Kōritsu jumped to his feet, his dark eyes scanning the visibly shaking room.

  “Everyone, please get under your tables!” Miss Thabit cried and all of her students complied, as they had practiced.

  In this moment, Yana turned to Kiln and watched as dread filled his friend’s eyes but even in this moment, the fool put on a nervous smile even as the entire school shook and as the sky darkened.

  “Well, this is one way to start the holidays, right?”

  Yana, who had been clenching his jaws with fear, shook his head and smiled back at his friend.

  “Yeah—” Yana wasn’t sure if his voice reached his friend, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a large chunk of the ceiling collapsed, crushing Kiln and several other students.

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  Yana’s mind rattled with horror as he looked for even the slightest hint of his friend within the rubble, but he couldn’t see anything, not even a bit of blood.

  The school continued to shake as the air filled the dust, dust that lined Yana’s tears as they welled in his quivering eyes. Each panicking breath only served to stretch his aching chest.

  He then heard the sounds of something loudly cracking above him but before he could even think of looking up, his body was crushed as another chunk of the school fell.

  .

  ..

  That brief moment of agonizing pain, the last thing he felt before he died, followed him across an ink black eternity.

  The feeling of his head being pressed onto the floor and his brain being forced out of his skull rang like a million headaches.

  Then came a relief unlike any other.

  All was quiet and at rest.

  After this second, brief eternity came a gentle drifting motion.

  Yana felt something pull him into a terribly cold place but he felt no pain nor discomfort.

  He then took a breath and felt as though something now occupied the empty expanse.

  Then came vision.

  He opened his eyes to find himself in a place that was so bright, all he could see was white light everywhere.

  He looked himself over and saw that his body was different.

  He was taller and muscular, and his skin was pearlescent in colour and texture.

  He squeezed his hands and felt a great strength that was both new and yet felt natural. As if it was always his.

  He could also see himself and the space around him from a third person perspective, allowing him to see that, while his facial features remained mostly the same, he now had bright golden irises, a brilliant white halo and a pair of wings that reached out to the edges of the expanse, allowing him to perceive all that was.

  Including a few other winged beings who drifted in the bright white space.

  He tried to move towards them, and by the simple thought of it, his form shifted through space until he was before several of them.

  [Yana?] One of them called shakingly, and he immediately recognized her as Miss Thabit.

  [Ma’am?] He gasped, and his teacher, now a pale winged being, moved closer to wrap her arms around him.

  [I am so… so sorry!] She wept and it looked like she had been crying for some time. Something he felt in his chest as a deep ache.

  Yana gently tapped her shoulder while looking at the others, who wore various expressions, most of which were grim.

  [W- what happened?] He asked, his voice filling all of existence.

  Miss Thabit looked like she was having trouble finding the words to say as she let him go, so it was Kōritsu who answered.

  [Unless I am personally hallucinating all of this, or if this is some sort of shared delusion, it’s possible that we died in that earthquake and were somehow brought to this place afterwards but… I don’t know for sure.]

  Yana’s classmates muttered among each other and it was here that the new, powerful heart in Yana’s chest fell.

  [Ma’am?] He called out with a fear that resonated in the hearts of the others, their feelings seemingly seeping into each other.

  [Yes, Yana?] Miss Thabit whimpered, and at this point, she already knew what her student was going to say.

  [Where’s Kiln?]

  Miss Thabit’s eyes lowered, forcing Yana to turn to Kōritsu, whose brows furrowed a little.

  Yana clicked his tongue and as despair pooled within him, he closed his eyes and searched as far as his wings could reach, feeling out for anything that resembled his friend.

  He searched for a brief eternity until he felt a massive pulse that tore across all of space, prompting Yana to return his focus to his body, where he joined the others in watching as an incalculable amount of matter flew out from a single point in the endless space.

  Stretching out from this point were the primordial seeds that went on to form the stars and galaxies.

  Weaving in and out of all things was also a network of reddish gold tendrils that were teeming with the power of creation.

  But it also felt… familiar. Like the warmth of a hug or the assuring words of one most dear.

  Yana reached out and touched on of the tendrils, and he immediately began weeping as he saw visions of his friend, nestled in the heart of all things, his form bled into all that was as his essence fed all of existence. Each tendril was like one of his veins and they stretched out to the edge of the newly born universe.

  [Kiln!] Yana called out but his friend was in a place was in a place his voice could not reach.

  Sorrow followed.

  A deep ache that permeated through all things as Yana cried.

  All his classmates could do was watch as he futilely clung to one of the primordial veins, as if trying to hold something that wasn’t quite there.

  [Well, that answers some of my concerns. We have indeed been reborn. Why and by whose hand have we been brought here? I don’t know but it would be best if we stuck together. That’s the least we can do in this bizarre situation.] Kōritsu said, prompting the others to nod as the universe formed around them. With each second that passed, Kiln gave more of himself to fuel the persistence of all things.

  All while he slept curled up in that distant, inaccessible place.

  Yana let go of the Vein and floated over to the others as they watched reality unfold before them. Great clouds of dust gathered to form the stars which cradled little worlds as they spun around nascent galaxies.

  [Fogo. See if you can land on one of those planets.] Kōritsu instructed one of his classmates who always had a buzzcut and a pair of bushy eyebrows. His rounded head betrayed his once chubby appearance. One he had long shed, even before his rebirth.

  [Huh? Why me?] Everyone felt Fogo’s hesitance and frustration in their own brows.

  [Because, of everyone here, you were the most athletic when we were alive. I just think you’ll have the easiest time manoeuvring the terrain.]

  Everyone could feel that Kōritsu was appealing to Fogo’s pride, and Fogo knew this as well.

  That said…

  [Tsk! Fine, but you owe me one, especially if I get burnt.]

  Everyone held their breath as Fogo descended onto a world of fire and rock. It was incredibly close to its star, but even in these extreme environs, Fogo stood unfazed.

  If anything, his light and presence were pushing at the star and planet a little.

  Fogo landed on the little rocky work,d and just as his bare feet touched the ground, the contact sent out a massive shockwave that pushed away the lava and fire.

  [If we can survive this, then I'm pretty sure we can survive underwater too!] Fogo reported from below.

  [I reasoned as much, given the fact that we are floating in space without suits.] Kōritsu muttered, although his thoughts were clear for the others to feel.

  Tears had also started falling from all of their eyes and it was from the combined sorrow and grief they felt.

  They all mourned their now evident departure from the Earth, the fact that they’d never be able to see their loved ones again and they even mourned their own deaths.

  Yana hadn’t stopped crying from earlier either, his every conscious thought being dedicated to his friend who, whether willingly or not, gave of himself to all that was.

  Without wiping his tears, Kōritsu turned to the stars.

  [We’ll need to find a place to rest and gather our thoughts. That’s the first step.]