It’s rain. Pure… rain.

drip. Drop. Drip.

The rain splatters against the ground. Droplets spreading across all of the concrete.

“This isn’t a part of the deal!”

Someone was yelling. It’s so foggy… it’s so dark. It’s so blurry.

Shiya: “Brother… sorry…”

Shiya reaches for the body in front of her. blood pooled around his body. Blood pooled around hers. She reached as far as she could with her hand and crawled. Crawled because she couldn’t do anything else. The pain only increased. She couldn’t feel her legs. The bandage slowly slipped.

Shiya: “I’m so sorry… Kaize… I’m so sorry…”

And her body gave out. Her hand barely away from her only hope. Her only reason. Shiya’s eyes went cold. It felt heavy on her. And then, her eyes closed.

“Sorry…”

…

[some time ago…]

Shiya: “Brother! Kaize? Kaize!”

Shiya shakes her brother awake. He’d been up all night, he must’ve forgotten about the annual festival. A family photo of four traces the desk.

Shiya: “Heyyyy… sleepy head! Wake up! If you don’t, we’re going to be late!”

Shiya gently began to slap his arm. Kaize finally groaned a little bit before inhaling and exhaling.

Kaize: “I hear ya, loud and clear Shiya.”

Kaize lifts himself off his desk and stares at his younger sister. She’s not even dressed up to go out yet and she’s waking him up. He scoffs a little before patting her head. Shiya’s ears flatten a little to make room.

Kaize: “Festival. I suppose mom would be yelling at me if we missed it then huh? Yeah. I’ll get ready. You should too, you look like you under-prepped. Unless of course, you’re planning to go looking like that?”

Shiya looks at her brother a bit comforted before taking his hand off her head.

Shiya: “I’m not that little anymore, you can stop doing that. Also, I wasn’t sure if you were actually going to get up or not. I assumed you wouldn’t.”

Shiya steps away from the workbench and opens the door out to the rest of the house.

Kaize: “What makes you think that?”

Kaize looks back at his desk, a mess of metals and parts. He quickly begins to put away tools left out all over it.

Shiya: ”You were awake all of yesterday! And you fell asleep this afternoon. You don’t think I’ve noticed your horrid sleep schedules? I told you to get some rest.”

Kaize chuckles a little bit as Shiya disappears into the hall.

Kaize: “Hehe. Always looking out for me?”

Kaize closed his drawers. Within the next few minutes, Shiya and Kaize went outside of the house. Unarmed, today was the day of the festival. To celebrate those who have fallen, celebrate loved ones who had passed. Shiya and Kaize alone would go to spend time with their mom and dad.

Above the grave stones, rain fell down from the night sky. Kaize held an umbrella to cover him and Shiya.

Shiya: “It feels like just yesterday still…”

Kaize: “More or less.”

The patterns of the rain allowed stories to traverse. Shiya carefully lit her Mother’s gravestone, a fire that lasts through rain. Kaize gives his father the peace he deserved and had not been able to enjoy. A great man who fell into “their” hands. Shiya took a deep breath before turning towards the city.

Shiya: “Okay, let’s go.”

And off the siblings went to participate in the festival.

…

The sirens rang.

It was already almost sunrise.

The umbrella depressingly hit the ground. Rain targeted its victims instantaneously. Kaize gets roughly pinned onto the puddled ground as Shiya takes a step forward in worry.

Kaize: “Stop! Shiya…”

Shiya freezes mid-step as two suspiciously dressed officers block her path from her brother. Kaize lets out what seemed to be a small smile before frowning.

Shiya: “W-Wh-what…? W-why…?”

Shiya looks up at the men and then back between them at her brother. One moment, Shiya and Kaize were leaving the festival premises and the next, Kaize’s under arrest. Shiya was frozen in pure shock and by the order of her brother to stay back, she couldn’t sprint forward. This looked to be the law after all, she couldn’t just attack the officers. She looked around for anything that could disprove identity but these were the real deal.

Shiya: “K-Kaize you- you would never-“

Kaize: “Listen… Shiya… there’s something… I’ve never told you.”

Kaize looked down at the ground as he was hauled to his feet. His arms were cuffed behind him, cuffed unreasonably tight. Shiya’s ears twitch. She didnt know what to do so just listened. It was all too sudden, a part of her wanted to scream and fight but it felt like her tail was warning her to stay calm and away. Her hands visibly twitch, her legs visibly shake in place.

Shiya: “Brother…”

Shiya’s expression is mixed with pure dread but also worry, concern, and panic. If her brother was being taken away…

Officer: “You can stay silent.”

One of the officers quickly click a muffler to Kaize’s face. He tries to turn away from it but inevitably has to suffer as it clicks itself locked. He looks at Shiya with sorrow in her eye. Tears slowly begin to erupt in Kaize’s eyes before the officers take him away walking him somewhere. The last one crouches to Shiya’s level of height.

Officer?: “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep shut alright?”

Shiya is taken aback from the sudden mannerism and shakes herself from her shock, throwing on a scowl.

Shiya: “Hey! Wait! What is this for!? That’s my- my brother! He would never break the law you can’t-!”

The officer stood back up and pulled out a card.

Officer?: “Wildom Security prison. If you wanna see him, call and go there. Your brother has a warrant for his arrest including… well, let’s just say you won’t be seeing him for a while. You have two weeks before he’s moved into a maximum security prison.”

Shiya: “But-“

The officer dropped the card since Shiya didn’t even reach out to take it. She still seemed like she wanted to fight, but this was an adult police officer she was talking to. Not security or a school officer. A real law enforcement, people that have access over all the cities. Not just one. But, if Kaize did anything that big, how could Shiya have not known? How?

Officer?: “I don’t have to disclose to you anything. If you want answers, take it up with the station documentaries and why not pay your brother a visit while you’re at it.”

The officer scoffed loudly, looking at Shiya with a sense of disgust and pity. He stomped his way toward his buddies as Shiya was just left there, still shocked and processing the quick matters of events. This was the first time anything like this had happened. This was the first time she’d be outside… alone. The first time… she would have no one to turn too.

Shiya’s fingers trembled as she dropped to her knees for a moment.

Shiya: “what…?”

Shiya was on all fours before she had realized it. She took in a deep breath and rubbed her eyes with her sleeves before fidgeting to pick up the wet contact card and scrambling for the umbrella that had dropped. What should she do? What could she do? Does she just… go home? With no friends and no family to help around…

Shiya: “K-Kaize…”

But her brother was no longer here.

…

[Continue to Prologue: Part 2]