𝐔𝐏 𝐍𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 ✔️

chapter vi

           "nice to meet you, i suppose. you look... peculiar. your skin glows. and your eyes reflect light in a way not like anything i've ever seen." midari rambled, staring into f/n's mesmerizing e/c eyes. this was unusually out of character.

"what's wrong with you? it's not like you to act so strange. and flustered, with that." mary mused.

"shut up," midari snapped, "if you weren't strange, you wouldn't be cursed imprisonment in this sugarcoated prison."

runa gasped.
        "mary, is that true? did you invite me to stay with you on purpose so you could have someone to suffer with? not cool, but it's not like i have anywhere better to be anyway."

"that's a sweet confession, thanks." a completely unbothered mary rolled her eyes and sipped her tea.

"wait, what did midari mean by 'sugarcoated prison'?" f/n queried softly, curious but still afraid to trigger her blonde superior. she was also curious about mary's backstory, but she wasn't willing to risk possibly scaring off mary any further.

"what do you mean? this dome is an extension of hell, f/n." mary claimed, continuously nonchalant and completely focused on the leaves in her teacup.

"my goodness, you didn't know that? no one ever told you?" midari quipped.

f/n froze in shock and confusion. the place she had known her whole life was part of the darkest place in existence? she almost wanted to forget that she had ever heard such a thing, but she knew mary was not one to lie or exaggerate even if it were for fun.

"at least now you know why you were never allowed outside of the dome." runa deadpanned.

"runa, you know i asked you that same question hundreds of times during my stay here."

the short blonde only giggled in response before sealing the end to their conversation,
        "as they say, the less you know the better you sleep."

"i believe it's time we said goodbye, we've been here for too long and wouldn't want to inconvenience you. goodbye!" ririka stated quickly before grabbing f/n's hand and running out of the cottage without looking back.

but f/n did look back.
       she saw mary avoid meeting her eyes only to quickly turn around with a conflicted look on her face. runa stared back with a slightly melancholy aura, quietly waving goodbye.
      however, it was midari's disturbing grin and frozen-in-mental-instability kind of expression that confused and disturbed f/n.

did midari know of more things she didn't know about the dome? were there more dark secrets she didn't know about involving how she had lived? how come neither mary nor runa had said anything regarding exactly who she was and why she was there in the first place?

"it's not that deep, f/n. where you remember growing up before official immortality, it's what it is and always has been. the dome was built specifically for people like you, to stay and be raised by qualified people until you turn 16." ririka read f/n's mind, mentioning so as they walked through a luscious forest, very far away from their previous location.

f/n watched their steps sink in and bounce off of the soft, candy like grass and gazed up at the equally luscious green trees, meticulously attempting to organize her thoughts.

"why hell?" f/n questioned.

"it's closer to consult if something goes terribly wrong with the person under confinement. terribly wrong as in trying to interrupt their progress, trying to escape the dome, or in rare cases, cursed by their caretaker. in exchange for this convenience, no angels are able to work as one of the caretakers, because angels near hell call for a whole different disaster, and vice versa."

"then how were you able to visit the dome with me? aren't you an angel, the opposite of kirari?"

"yes, but i was there with you, you're able to stay wherever for however long you want, unlike normal immortals. there isn't a place where you truly belong, because you would be accepted wherever you may go..."

"what does it mean to belong? would it mean being in a place you feel like you belong? if there is someone that tries to make you feel belong, but you still don't feel right about it, what would happen then?"

"it would be a bit harsh, that last part."

"huh?"

"i said, it would be harsh. because if someone is trying to make you feel like you belong, you should accept it. ignoring such efforts will bring you no luck or happiness, only continued discomfort and guilt."

ririka stopped walking and turned to f/n, staring deep into the e/c girl's shining orbs.

"f/n, don't worry about where you belong. isn't it obvious? you belong to- i mean with– you're–... with me, was what i meant. by my side, away from the evil. if you know what," her voice dropped, "or who, i mean."

"but how do i trust you? what if you're planning to cage me up like kirari did? it wasn't that bad, to be fair, but seeing the world is the most i can do for myself with my abilities, as you suggested earlier."

"so now you're seeing me as kirari? fine. two can play at that game. just this once, i'll do what kirari would do. so let's play a game."

the once bright and windy day had elapsed into a dark, hazy night. and before f/n could even hesitate, ririka had pulled out a timer out of the pocket of her white jacket. the intricate clock read a silvery 00:25, glinting in the faint moonlight.
         looking curiously at the foreign object, ririka pressed a button on its side as the 25 deescalated in value.

the presence next to ririka grew smaller from where the angel continued to stand in place, watching her love grow smaller as she sprinted away, further and further, into one unknown direction and through another .

sighing, the angel sat down on the warm grass, feeling a summer breeze run through her white hair.
        "my dear, there isn't a point in letting you go just to catch you. you're in a game that you can't escape, one that is just a little twisted, to say the least. a game that will always autosave, with no other option or possibility. i'm letting you go for a reason, like kirari was so brave to do."

ririka glanced at the golden timer; when she saw that the antique only held 11 seconds, she closed it with a smile. a strange smile that eerily matched her delicate features. a smile that looked almost sadistic.