『Gazing through crystal eyes』
Internships are supposed to be a taste of what a Hero was expected to take on after graduation. After struggling to get his provisional license and being a step behind his classmates, Akihiko Mochizuki finally has the o...
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A tangibly thick fog obscured anything that the natural eye could see. Blank whiteness smothered Akihiko's vision, leaving him blind beside the colors adorning his clothes and hair. The farther he trekked through the mist, the less he could see. Eventually, he was only left with the hue of his hair's brightness. Perpetual was what the fog seemed to be as it stretched onward for an eternity.
His right hand reached toward nothingness. The thought of possibly feeling something other than the vapor damping his skin would have been refreshing. To his dismay, he found none at all. Bringing his hand back to his chest, he felt his heart pounding against his ribcage. Each thump collided with the edge of his sternum and threatened to break free from its bony cage.
Trembling breaths left his lips as his periwinkle eyes flicked back and forth, trying to make sense of his current situation. However, without any means to see what could and could not be around him was proving to be complicated. Not even Akimitsu's thumps of worry racked against his skull. A small part of him wanted to yank at the mental string connecting their consciousness for a response, but the idea quickly evaporated in a bout of fear.
Stiff and withered leaves-or would it have been cherry blossom petals? Akihiko had no clue, but he would not take the time to figure it out. Whatever it was, the sound of them being crushed underneath one's soles was the boy's companion alongside his ragged breaths. But it was not for long. Blood rushed through his ears, echoing against the vibrating bones and drowning out the noises.
Like the sea parting at command, the fog's density rose in one spot. It was despairingly slow as a contorted figure bathed in shadows began to reveal itself. Ethereal light bounced off the darkened lenses of the person adorning a familiar leather plague mask. Their arms swished back and forth at their sides while their twin tailcoats billowed behind them.
A shiver crawled down Akihiko's spine as the frigidity of the air froze his lungs. Fidgety fingertips brushed against his wrist, and his eyes widened in surprise. Bringing his arms up, Akihiko was met with his bare wrists. The bracelets embedded with glass beads were not present as if they were not there in the first place. This should not be the case considering he only took them off when he was asleep, and even then, they were never an arm's length away from him.
Above the person, the mist thinned out a bit more, revealing the haunting shakes of cherry blossoms. With branches extending out like claws, their jagged points dragged against the air. Petals once bright and healthy were suddenly weightless and drained. A simple tug from the incoming zephyr was enough for the blossoms to be plucked free. They tumbled, descending with quiet shrills as they corroded into nothingness.
Despite anxiety and fear crawling up his skin like a spider nimbly pricking its victim, the crystal attempted to keep his face bare of emotion. A feeble attempt of bravery flickered in his irises, and a question danced on the tip of his tongue. But coughing the right words up proved to be more complex than the boy expected.
