Hexus

=25= Bronze

[7:29AM, November 1, UTC +08:00]

“This is a boarding announcement for British Airways flight BA-298 to London Heathrow. All passengers please proceed to Boarding Gate 12...”

Kingsford Smith Airport was busy as usual, holding way more Asians than one would have thought to find in a place like Australia. The tall man with wavy auburn hair walked ahead, his pace slow and resolute, ignoring all the chatter as he went through the departure lounge. The airline check-in counters seemed eternally occupied, holding queues of travelers which he maneuvered around, giving the occasional apology. He made his way to the unmarked counter, located beside one bearing the logo for Korean Air. The young woman behind it looked up, offering the plastic smile that was required of her job.

“May I help you?”

The man slid the tickets across the counter, two rectangular leaflets which, when tilted at the right angle, gave the lettering an iridescent sheen. She raised her eyebrows.

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said with a frown. “But this check-in counter is closed.”

“Sokai awatori,” he said.

“Of course.”

Sparing a sideways glance at the neighboring desk, she confirmed that they weren’t looking before she picked up the tickets. They burst into flames in her hands and the ashes fell away in a kaleidoscopic dust that disappeared within seconds.

“Please,” she said. “Follow me.”

She got up to leave, but stopped and peered over the counter. Her smile – more  genuine this time – was focused on the little boy who stood behind the customer.

“Oh, your son is so cute! How old is he?”

“Three hundred and one.”

=----------=

The sounds of the airport disappeared as soon as they stepped through the sliding doors. The square passage was illuminated in warm white, with no obvious source of lighting or shadows falling across any surface. The man followed the woman calmly, and slowly began to disintegrate. His shape fell away like bandages around an invisible mould, which faded into nothing on reaching the floor. Soon, all that was left – suspended in midair where the man’s torso had been – was a bronze-skinned small creature with glossy black birdlike eyes, pointed ears and long gray hair tied in four limp ponytails at his nape. His olive-green travelling cloak brushed the floor as he floated down, reflecting brown light from its numerous brass buttons. The boy behind now looked significantly taller, and had to slow down his pace to make up for the creature’s shorter legs. The woman slowed down too, coming to a stop in front of another pair of sliding glass doors. The passage beyond, as far as they could tell, was pitch black, and only their reflections stared back at them.

“This way leads to Security,” she said, turning around. The sight of the creature did nothing to jar her professional composure; if anything, she looked slightly more pleased. She bowed curtly and began to walk back. The boy stared after her and sighed, before turning around to push an orange ‘OPEN’ button on the wall. The doors slid open and he cautiously stepped into the blackness, feeling strange as his feet landed on a sturdy invisible surface. The shorter creature stood back.

“Aren’t you coming, Cysti?” the boy asked.

“I have other tasks of immense importance to which I must attend. There would be another to meet you upon arrival.”

Cysti bowed to the frowning boy just as the doors slid closed. As soon as the boy turned around, the room was lit, and he hissed against the brightness and covered his eyes.