Falling From Your Sky

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Faradiso-Paradise

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There was a town in the East, named safest yet the most mysterious. Barriers of thick concrete aligning and separating the edges of ARIA and the safe zone. Hollows who knew of what's inside the safe zone were shot, punished for not keeping their curiosity on the low. Who wouldn't anyway? Having trained all life unwillingly and to follow the orders of those with jurisdiction. Who wouldn't wanna know what lies in that area known to give security and comfort?

"Line up and at attention!" shouts resonate through the long hallway, the dorms of ARIA nothing short to jail in a maze. The booming voice belonging to a short man clad in layers of green uniform and a bulletproof vest to complete the ominous look. He waits for everyone to get out of their rooms, new recruits rush outside typically frightened, fiddling with their clothes while others didn't even bother wearing any. The commander shoots them with a glare and notes that he'll have disciplinary action for the aforementioned. But don't get him wrong. Officer Hong was one of the kindest in all the blocks of ARIA. Hollows thrown out of other areas came to him and he gladly wrote them down.

Too bad he was in line for death row.

"Start!" He orders at the long line of students, taking sharp glances at each and everyone of them as a reminder of their current position. Everyone seemed to have followed the routine correctly and in unison but a girl at the end of the line had not even opened her mouth.

The commander stomped towards her in a way to notify her of his presence. "What's with you?" He grit his teeth as he questioned, seeming to get no response as the hollow in front of him was floating elsewhere. No other noise was heard as all of them became tense as always, a common feeling as to not anger the superior. The girl he approached was completely out of it yet she still did her best to speak even after being cut off with a harsh blow to her face.

"Halt! All of you repeat. Define!" Officer Hong was in no place to give sympathy for a trainee as the whole of them were preparing all day with no leniency given. That's right, no mercy. 'Mercy is the definition of weakness'

At least that's what they all say, brainwashing every single one of them to their breaking point just to have them suck up to each of their commands. "What is your motto?!"

"We, ARIA authority are loyal agents. To commit our life in protecting all living beings and to apprehend those who violate our judgement." Officer Hong looks back at Trainee 031 and decides to finally let her relax, visibly more exhausted than the others, a bad start painted on her fatigued features. He then proceeded to eliminate those that had not passed the previous tests and let the high ranking trainees remain, that included the student who he had put his attention to. "031, You have been in this institution for more than three years and yet you still show weakness. I am only letting you off as you are holding the top title. Take my words as a warning as your next trial will be the final test." Officer Hong pauses in his scolding, a flash of grief in his cold gaze

"If you fail, you know what will happen." the trainee does not move and remains staring at the ground. She was extremely tired for some reason, hair sticking out in all directions and her heart rate faster than usual. She was only hoping to fall asleep as soon as her bed is within reach, eager to sail away to dreamland. "Get back to your dorms and prepare for the second periodical" The superior addressed, taking less than a second to head back to his own office but an agent from the main department barges in, state no different from trainee 031. She heaves and passes the document to Officer Hong, whispering to him in between breaths.

"Stop right there" He points at trainee 031 who was just about to leave as well, head turning languidly. "You are given your first official case, I expect good results." Trainee 031 wasn't able to protest, she didn't know that the final trial would be given this early, heck, she was trembling and covered in her nasty body liquid. Her heart rate spiked, pounding in anticipation and fear.

The said agent didn't even give her time to catch her breath and walked ahead way too fast, leaving her to limp. Trainee 031 soon found herself entering the designated room and all eyes were set on her, making it look as if she had grown two heads before thankfully motioned to settle down. The previous agent who had gone to fetch her gave the same documents to a man at the edge of the room, standing beside a hologram that imaged a realistic map.

The man clears his throat, a disapproving glance thrown trainee 031's way as he observed her fidgety movements.

"As I was saying, Officer Lee of division 3 has reported a potentially dangerous aurum coming any time soon and we want to be prepared. Thus the reason why we need this special trainee" The man gestures to her and proceeds to ask

"You are in fact the highest in ranks of block-F correct?"

Trainee 031 tilts her head, trying not to make it obvious that she almost dozed off.

"and I assume you are not yet well informed. Your files state that you were picked up wandering in the mountains"

Trainee 031 didn't know why the meeting was suddenly about her, seeming to forget the breakdown she had on the way here.

"Let me explain the basics, you are here to have your first mission, expected to fight and professionally handle what may come your way." A short pause was shared inside the room as the foretold trainee simply listened.

The man clicks his tongue and interrogates further, "Do you know what you are?"

Trainee 031 perks her head up at the one thing she can actually relate to and curtly replies "a fox"

"Precisely, a hollow fox modified to be an aurum. Aurums are people with very strong power and not every single one of them are nice." The man continued talking and Trainee 031 wasn't sure if she should scold herself for not being interested in what they were telling her.

"Another classification we call are swans. Swans do not have aurum abilities as they live normal lives, also known as natural people. It's a bit hard to tell an 'aurum' from a 'swan' as their physical features are absolutely indistinguishable but do know that swans cannot see 2nd generation hollows which," he pauses, "you were a few weeks ago."

Trainee 031 twists her head at the statement, confusion spreading out as she tries to puzzle together the things they were telling her.

What were they talking about? For the past three years all that they made her do was fight, eat, fight and at some point get injected by some fluid, the same fluid that made her really forgetful. 2nd generation hollow? she thinks but she must've said it out loud as some of them in room rolled their eyes at her cluelessness.

Another informant chimes in before the prior man could reply, distressed at the situation. "Your partner for this trial will be Agent Jayson, somewhat similar to your kind."

The man named Jayson, who trainee 031 assumes is the dog hybrid beside her, grins at her and wags his tail. He was the only one in this room that trainee 031 felt at ease looking at, a gentle aura grazing his figure. The grumpy man from earlier clears his throat for what felt like the 5th time and asks "Do you understand the weight of this mission Trainee 031?"

"Yes" Trainee 031 mumbles, her lack of enthusiasm didn't really bother the others as they even sighed of relief. "If you ever have questions, you will always have Agent Jayson by your side. We hope for the best"

After that was said, everything else went by in a flash and before she knew it, The dog-tail agent was taking her out to eat. "So, as you've heard I'm Jayson. I'm sure you want a name for yourself other than 031?"

Trainee 031 eats the strange but tasty piece of baked flour with twinkly eyes, munching on it slowly before she blurts out "Happy" Jayson looks at her questionably and chuckles "Okay then fox, I'll think about that happy-thing later."

Trainee 031 lets out another squeak-sounding noise before muttering "I'm confused. they keep saying I'm a 3rd Gen."

"That's because you're like me. Let's just say we're branded." Another moment of silence followed before Jayson initiates the conversation once again "Did you know you can change your body?" The girl in front of him looks at him in curiosity, swallowing what ever she had in her mouth in an instant. "How?"

"I don't really know since that's not my specialty, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it" trainee 031 frowns, the thought of having done the so called 'change' clouded in her brain, all her sleep gone and it's all because of that stupid meeting the aurum people held.

They finish their meal and Jayson helps his partner claim her things out from the dorms and move it to her assigned apartment in Faradiso, bumping into a few other trainees of Block-F and waving her a goodbye of either jealousy or rejoice, a red flag, Jayson notes. He's been observing her since the beginning and he only felt pity for her, freedom stripped when she was kidnapped in the mountains then having spent more than three years down that cage along with other harsh animals. Even with all that treatment, trainee 031 was like an infant.

She was in awe of the littlest things, seeing the colorful billboards, and the cars, and the tall buildings like she never knew of the existence of it until now. Jayson holds her hand as she keeps getting distracted by the dandelions on the side of the street, he needs to be constantly pulling her in the direction of her home. "You really need to get out of that training suit. After we finish fixing your things, you go wash up, yes?"

Trainee 031 beams and agrees in delight after finally snatching the now-bald flower on the sidewalk, the movement of her tails causing nearby onlookers to glare at her in disgust.

They arrive and Jayson opens the door to the house, inhaling the fresh scents of pastel paint. He glances at the trainee's name tag, flipping the 031 over to reveal an indication of a fake name.

But Jayson remembers that she wanted to be called 'happy', so he directs a gleam at the woman in front of him, throwing open the doors of the cozy living space provided and says "Welcome to your new home, Agent Joy"

The move to Faradiso was a headache. Everything else other than the garden that greeted Cerise on the town's barriers was a headache. The sounds of the engine and the obnoxiously bright buildings and light that seeped through the tinted windows of the van had her groaning in her seat, constantly flailing her arms and accidentally hitting her best friend, Sal with her pillow.

"Don't even try sleeping anymore, we've got a lot to visit." In utmost concern, she throws the pillow harshly to the side of her head, moving away to the back seats so Cerise couldn't get her back. Sal was most excited for this, eager to live in a place that values nature unlike their previous home rattled in skyscrapers and noisy streets. This place wasn't that much different in terms of the structures but Sal sets the thought aside as she writes down more places on her checklist, now landing on Cerise's lap.

As soon as her eyes reach the paper she begins to feel her inner self give out, sliding down dramatically on an imaginary wall. "Can't we just rest for one day? We aren't tourists!" Cerise whines, crumpling the piece of paper with about 10 destinations written on it giving herself a horrified gasp from Sal before she takes it away, a string of curses falling from her lips as she straightens it out on the glass.

"We've arrived"

The door opens, the driver gladly opening it for Cerise and her luggage, A small 'thank you' about to spill from her mouth before Cerise hears her best friend shouting from inside the van. The door was apparently slammed shut before she got out. Cerise fumes, facing the driver with an angry look while he only reciprocates an oblivious one. "Can you please open the door the hollow can't get out." Cerise states, placing her hands on the handle to do it herself but she only struggled, her gaze trailing from the man's hand up to his face. He was holding it closed, a disbelieving look partnered his stare.

'Another headache'. Cerise counts. This man was a stubborn swan, keen enough to prove what he wanted to as he raises a brow. "you're either one of those crazy journalists or you're crazy itself. Tell me, where is the hollow?"

Faradiso was a very well-known place in the country. Reasons being named the town of blossoms. There wasn't an area here that doesn't have flowers all over the place. Another for its entertainment industry, many famous acts found and reside in this town including the international models Tiffany Love and Fleur Jean, but that wasn't the point right now. This place is an icon for its people, a population of five hundred thousand and only a few percentages of aurums in it.

Conclusion? Majority of swans in Faradiso don't believe in hollows, and this driver was one of them.

"Do you want your payment or no?" Despite being the gentle coward she was, confidence will always be in her senses if it's for her friend. No one has the right to treat her as if she doesn't exist. There was even a time before her graduation that she cried because they wouldn't allow her to attend, she bugged the organizers the whole day and it worked somehow.

Cerise's threat seemed to have pierced through the man's ego, dropping the cocky act, and pulling the doors open for her best friend. Cerise hears Sal muffle a quick thanks, the wheels of her luggage colliding with the steel of the van giving it a scratch.

The driver coughs to gain her attention, raising his brow once again as he waits for his payment.

Unlike the modern way of paying through the phone, Cerise spits out "Sal, can you give this kind swan his cash?" The man's face morphs from scandalized before turning into fear as a wad of money is thrown directly at his chest, none of it coming from Cerise's unmoving limbs but from the girl beside her.

After a minute of no response, Cerise thinks that she might've broken the poor man. Sal pulls at the red thread on her pinky, tugging Cerise along to walk through the park.

The red thread was for safety purposes, so Cerise wouldn't lose Sal. Speaking of swans, Cerise was one herself but a tiny bit special, she can hear hollows but she can't see them.

Sal was like a guardian angel if seen from another perspective, a voice nagging from either behind, beside or in front of her at all times of the day. She'd only ever seen her through her phone, the reason why her storage is always full as multiple selfies and videos of Cerise and her best friend fill it.

The only real contact ever shared was the thread, one end tied to Cerise's pinky and the other end tied to hers. A sad but the only reality Cerise and Sal's relationship could ever be. Shaken away from her thoughts, Cerise asks her friend to repeat whatever she was even telling her. "We're at Luce park. The flat should be around this area." She huffs, voice small and somewhat tired from all the navigating.

"Let's stop by a coffee shop" suggest, earning a grunt from her as Cerise paced towards the eye-catching shop at the other side of the garden before she could even agree. The Park was relatively empty, only a few swans here and there and Sal takes the chance to (illegally) pluck a good five of middlemist reds along the way.

"Good morning" The bells of the shop jingle as Cerise opens it, a warm welcome given by the woman at the register. Both Cerise and Sal move to a booth by the wall covered in paintings of castles, a childish tint to the retro-styled cafe.

Cerise asks her best friend for her drink as she finishes skimming through the menu under the glass of the table, chanting her orders in her mind as to not forget it. The cashier only made the place even better, her gummy smile bouncing off the sharp eyes yet calm features as she took Cerise's order. 'Jenny' her name plate read, a name Cerise would surely remember as she includes a nectar dessert to which she gives her a questioning look. "It's for the firefly." Jenny whispered.

Cerise's mouth forms an 'o' as she glances back to where her best friend is seated, a red thread floating on the table. "How much?"

"It's on the house" the cashier replies in an instant, arms crossed as a sign to reject Cerise's payment. Cerise's face flushes in deep pink, insisting that she take the money but she only shoo-s her back to their booth with a strange grin. The moment Cerise's bottom makes contact with the seat, Cerise hears Sal roar in happiness, the nectar dessert disappearing as soon as she touches it. "Thank you so much~"

"It's from the owner." Cerise lisped before chugging the matcha tea down, an exhale of satisfaction as she finishes it halfway. Cerise's best friend mutters something along the lines of 'sweet' and 'aurum', but that thought slid to the back of her head, preoccupied with how things are going forward from now on.

Overall the place wasn't bad, with only a few asshole swans and aurums outside, a clear balance to the haven-like town. Back in Omelaisse, Cerise never would have thought to sit down in a coffee shop, with calm winds surrounding the atmosphere. It was hell-coaster back there, something straight out of an overly-dramaticised action film in a busy city unlike now where everything felt like a dive through a child's imagination.

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Aurum - Gold

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Blind.

Cerise and Sal were blind.

For the next hour, the two of them had circled the entire garden trying to find the damned flat. Apartment after apartment stuck together like a piece of odd-colored bricks and neither of them bothered looking up to see the humongous sign that says 'Casa Apartelle'.

It lead Cerise to going back to Jenny's coffee shop for directions that she couldn't have asked for earlier and it's only then that both she and her best friend fume like kettles when she points outside the window, directly at a mansion-looking structure informing both of them that it's the place they were looking for.

So at this moment, Cerise had forgotten to admire and be thankful for her father's money as she lay face-down on the monochrome sofa. Sal, being the responsible and tidy person, had already fixed her things to the room that provided enough natural light as she left the other space of darkness and mirrors for Cerise's taste. The rest of her time was spent scolding Cerise, forcing her to wash up owing to the checklist awaiting to be completed.

The first five were already done, credits to her best friend who did practically everything with no verbal complaint but with a roll of her eyes as she drags away Cerise's bags like a dead body.

Get college schedule, groceries, Meet up with Father, Buy shoes-Sal snatches away the list, hearing the door of her bedroom close shut that she assumed the firefly didn't really want her to know what 9 and 10 was.

6th on the checklist then crossed out as Cerise's body slumps behind the door of the principal's office, pink furniture no longer in sight as she struggled to get the image out of her head. Like any other nervous student, Cerise start hating the fact that education is a fact itself. Home school doesn't sound like a bad option and Cerise would prefer social distancing from the horrible air around aurums. Thinking back, Cerise's education was only fun because she thought it was and that it would help her move forward. Without the wise words of her best friend through all that shit in middle school who knows where she'd end up now? and if senior year was ten feet underground, then college would be the earth's inner core.

Back to reality and 7th on the list was done by Sal, leaving Cerise at Dellancy College gates and unfortunately the reason for her lone frustration as she tries not to puke at the sight of brightly painted walls of the hall. Was this even a school? Cerise asked to herself, sure that it resembled a playground rather than a learning area for depressed, stressed, and dreamless young adults. The head of the school was no different. He was the definition of gaudy and a rich hypocrite on a garbage pedestal (no offense). That image of him came from the way he looked Cerise up and down like a diva, judging her fashion sense in silence.

Even as the cold breeze bit at her exposed skin, she couldn't shake off the weight on her head that keeps telling herself to just act homeless and let her body rest on the concrete but of course her pride as a living being wouldn't allow that. Instead, Cerise trudged with sore feet to the direction of her father's given address, not his home but Cerise's soon to be workplace. Before her stood a building that didn't match with all the others doused in rainbow liquid, a modelling company that didn't blend in.

Cerise's entrance was overlooked by everyone in the lobby, except for a man flirting with the poor boy at the front desk who then notices her appearance as he met her eyes with an icy glare. Cerise could have sworn she melted at that instant but she showed no signs of being affected much to the man's dismay. Cerise sauntered past his slim-built frame, sighing in relief and he only follows Cerise like a shadow, going unnoticed until the elevator moved upwards.

"What's your business here?" Cerise squeaks out in surprise at the voice behind her, his breath directed at her neck, sending her spine to quiver. Realizing that the situation can be seen as something else, Cerise turned her entire body to face him, the same cold look shown on his features as he observed her every move.

"I'm here to see my father" Cerise paused, expecting him to continue the small talk he started but he only waits. "and you are?"

Cerise question may have sent the man's brain in a frenzy, brows meeting before exploding with a laugh that angels sung. While Cerise is not supposed to treat people by their appearance, she couldn't help but notice every part of him anyway. He had a charming feat, eyes that shrunk into crescents and cotton hair hiding under a black baseball cap that added to his height. In terms of height, he was only considered tall because she was only so short but that did nothing to bring down her overall morale. Cerise focuses on his clothing, branded with all the expensive letters and accessories that glittered with his touch. He clicks his tongue, moving his hands to graze her jaw to motion her to look up at him and she did nothing to stop the gesture. Their gazes lock at once, searching for something deep in each other's galaxies as he chants his name under his breath, soft yet husky, wistful but so, so dangerous.

"Can you repeat that?" Cerise asks, voice coming out small despite her strong will to fight the sensations he gave her, and he only becomes more fed.

Wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong.

A word that looped around Cerise's dazzled self, drowning in the strong presence. Another 'never thought I would' moment, never thought that Cerise would easily fall victim to charm and heavenly-looks, a mistake that screams danger, but his name is the only thing that doesn't come out of Cerise's other ear.

"Fleur Jean."