In music class, the walls are plastered with Mozart and Beethoven, their works of sheet music spread out for all students to sample. Takei’s love for music held since the days of her mother. The sweet voice she possessed planted like a seed, sprouting and rising from the ground. A sign of life in the afterlife. Her mother struck a voice that could set weeping faces. The recording of one saved to an old recorder. “Sweet darling bird set upon the nest, sleep tightly and know mother is here. I will fly and gather food. Before long, I’ll be home again soon.” The last remaining of her voice and Takei’s favorite lullaby.

  They set up their instruments and the atmosphere around was differing. Everyone of them could feel the absence of souls in the room, Keiko being the first to speak.

  “Hey, hey? Where is everyone gone? This place is a ghost town, utterly and diabolical ridden with a bunch of nothingness.” Pouts Keiko.

  “Maybe they all went home early? This is an optional class after all.” Takei reminded. This class was set up to keep kids out of trouble, it wasn’t a necessary one.

  “Don’t matter anyway. Today is a personal practice day, so let’s get this over with so I can go home.” Okazaki prepared to play.

  Three dings and the crackle of the announcement speaker clang through the room. All of their attention is struck up at the box, a voice seeping.

  “Attention students. Please make your way to the assembly hall for an important announcement.” The announcer cuts.

  “What could that be?” Takei wonders.

  “They never made an announcement like that before. Somethings not right.” Okazaki says.

  “I’m sure it’ll be all right.” Ishimoto is the first to place his instrument back in his seat as he raises up. “Let’s get going.”

  #

  The assembly hall chatters. Everyone is clueless and more clueless to empty seats. Friends missing friends, amiss is gathered.

  The chairs fill and the friends take ones next one another, Okazaki kicking his shoes over an empty seat.

  “Hey, any of you guys see Shoji?”

  “He’s out sick today, remember?” Ishimoto pondered the room. “Aoi, Chiba, though… That’s a mystery.” Aoi was a student council member, her being absent looked bad on her resume. He spoke to her a couple times, her parents were like his own, they wouldn’t allow it.

  “You’re right, I don’t see Harada either. Harada is perfect attendance right?” Keiko recalls.

  Takei didn’t know them personally, but everyone in school knew these people. They were the definition of students in the top 10 of every semesters test scores.

  “This isn’t good.” She whispers. Her breathing became more labored, is there a weight on her? Was the though, as the sound of footsteps. Deafens the room.

  The world is a cold and iced-over image. The only thing that moves is the birds. In the sky, they’re going south. It isn’t winter, it’s spring. She glances at them as they break away, and one bird cloaked in black sits on the window. A raven, one stilted in time?

  The clacking of her shoes clink like a hospital hallway. The air a similar heaviness, a touch going up her back cool like a wraiths grasp. She arrives at the window and lightly taps it, curious to the bird. The bird doesn’t move, staring into her eyes, its beak perching up at her like a guided missile.

  “You and them.”

  The words burn in her head. Her heart beats. Her pupils dilate, and the wonder of this supernatural occurrence is beckoning softly on her sanity. Is this actually happening?

  The raven moves now, looking at her other friends frozen in their seats.

  “You and them. You are the ones? My, what great things you will do, and what a wonderful world you’ll bring. Or so, I hope.”

  “W-what?” Confusion engulfs her. This is a dream, yes? No, she sees something past the bird in the bottom alleyway of the school near the gymnasium fence.

  “Yasui, Usagi?” The raven’s pecks her direction. “A fine warrior. A warrior now, she is not. Go to her immediately.”

  “Who are you? What’s going on?” Takei holds various questions.

  “All will come into fruition as time goes on. Trust me, please?” It begs.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  There is a compelling force in her to follow this request. She isn’t sure why. She only finds the reason to do so, feeling it in her gut as she leaves out of the hall, the world returning to its normal pace and her friends noticing now.

  “Hey, uh, where did Takei go?” ask Keiko.

  “Dunno, she’s on the end seat, isn’t sh-“ Okazaki sees the empty seat kicking his feet down. “Oh, damn where is she?”

  “I think we’ll search for her in a moment.” Ishimoto points the podium, the principal taking stage. “Right now, we need light on this situation.”

  #

  Usagi gains footing in the alleyway. Her contact is soon to meet her, her heart pounding like a bronco. It always pained her to do this, to feel the betrayal, the uselessness, the slave-like audit of it. Yet, no choice was given to her and she holds the envelope with the grasp of a mother and her child.

  “Hold that any tighter, you might make it gasp for air.” A melodic male says in the shadows.

  “Don’t speak to me in that wretched friend-like manner. You’re no friend of mine, just my contact.” She says knowing the risk. “You want your money for your master, here, come and get it.” She offers it out to the dark corner of the alley knowing his hiding place.

  A young man eighteen years of age, steps out, his jacket is decorated with the notes of music, a clef, rest, and a sixteenth note scattered across it, and the jingle. The jingling of a charm, hanging by his chocker, a Remnant giveaway as all possessed it, his unique set of power laying in the charm, a sixteenth note.

  “I don’t fancy calling him a master. A master is someone you serve with every fiber of your being, someone close, like a dog. I’m no dog.”

  “Could have fooled me.” She remarks.

  “Your tone is enough to make me want to nip your tongue.” His pale blue eye shines. “Yet your patronage is keeping me from doing as such.” His hand grips the envelope. Yanking it away she can feel his superhuman strength. In this small gesture he can rip a brick in half, she knew well of Remnants and their power from The Void.

  “I hate everyone of you.” She stands tall in her fearlessness.

  “I hate you. I wish I could be rid of you. Though I fall back on my statement,” he retrieves a file from the envelope. “You’re useful to us in all your personal uselessness.”

  “You’re a waste of a Remnant. Not like the heroes who mattered.” She sneers.

  Takei is around the corner out of sight. Peeking in she overhears their discussion, she fears acting now will cause more problems, and then, the words burn in her mind. ‘Inaction is the gravest sin of what could have been.’ She doesn’t understand, is this the bird? Why was her mind so cluttered with the burning words that flashed like a screen in her vision.

  “You are a feisty one.” He says to Usagi, unbothered by her banter. “Maybe I’ll go against their wishes and ax you here, like a lovely split of wood.”

  “Don’t give me that.” She tries to hide her fear, a sweat droplet coming from her head. She isn’t stupid, she knew her instigating him is dangerous, but she chooses to be this way. It is who she is. “If you kill me your master will be angry with you.” She smirks. “Don’t want him pulling the collar now do you?”

  His face is visible, he is angered and takes a step in her direction wordless. Takei sees this and as if some invisible force, pushed herself out revealing herself. “H-hey! Don’t step any closer to her, y-you got that!?” She trills her words.

  “Huh!?” Usagi sees her. “Takei! What are you doing here leave!” She warms as he now sees the girl.

  “A friend of yours? I see, she’s much prettier than you that’s for certain.” He mocks growing closer to Takei who is in a defensive posture. She has no idea how to fight, she’s never be in one or has she seen boxing matches or live fights or written. She is by all means out of her league as he shadow now overcast her body, her stature of 5’4 overcome by his 5’11 height.

  “I won’t let you hurt her… You…”

  “You can call me Mr. Music, cutie.” Her body shudders uncomfortable with that remark. She freezes unable to move at all.

  “Get away from her!” Usagi shouts now going over to him. He plants his hand on her shoulder immobilizing her, to Takei, it looks like he will attack her and before he could and by pure instinct, she gave him a right sloppy hook to his cheek. It didn’t affect him, his head in the same place not a scrunching of flesh, it was like punching tungsten.

  “That wasn’t nice, you know?” He turns his attention to her and pushes her to the ground, a violent thud and a pain shattering up her spine followed by a whine. She swears her bones broke, but her squirm of agony shows it didn’t.

  “YOU BASTARD!” Usagi screeches flailing at him. A volley of punches hits his body, everyone a useless attempt of damage.

  “What did I say?” He grips her throat raising her into the air. She gasps and rustles trying to get free. Her lush green eyes staring down at him in hatred. “Useless. Like a prey little bunny. Now be good and take your money and your friend.” He picks a letter from his jacket and tossed it to a puddle in the ground throwing her over to it, her hands clamoring to cushion the fall.

  She stares into the puddle, his boots relocating further away as he leaves them both. The letter filled with yen missed the puddle and its contents none-messy. She takes it and levies herself up in a pitiful manner to herself. The money wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth it to have her friend hurt like this.

  “Takei…” Her knees squat to see her friend. Her body is in immense pain but thorough it, she manages a smile.

  “He’s really strong, huh? I never knew Remnants were that strong.”

  “Takei… I’m so… I’m so sorry…” her head falls. “I didn’t mean for you to get involved in this, never…”

  Takei wasn’t upset, she didn’t hate her. Though, one thought popped into her head, one that slowly dwindled away at part of her. She couldn’t protect her.

  “I’m sorry that punch didn’t do much, I thought we could escape if I did it just right.” She confesses. Usagi was only silent and Takei started to get up. Despite the overwhelming pain her body was intact and she could walk. It brushes off with the passing moments and she reaches her hand down to Usagi.

  “Come on, Usagi. Let’s get back to the others. And I want you to know, it’s okay. Whatever reason you had to do this, I know you had too.” Softness in her words making her take her hand lifting. Usagi back on her feet meets her eyes.

  “I don’t deserve a friend like you.” She struggles a smile.

  “I know, I’m just too good for you, huh?’ Takei teases lightening the mood.

  “Takei, Usagi!” The shout of Keiko surprises them both as their other friends run to the alleyway spotting them. “You guys!? We need to go to Shoji’s house now!”

  “Yeah, like right now!” Okazaki reinforces, he runs with Keiko leaving Ishimoto.

  “Shoji, he can be in danger.” He speaks.