"Merid, your parents have been killed, and so have Nix's."
'Huh? My parents are dead? How? How?! I made sure to protect them, plus.. dad worked for the royal guard with Nix's family, I'm sure he didn't go down without a fight.' Merid thought to themselves, tears welling up in their eyes. "But how?" They asked.
"We're not sure, but it's guaranteed they were murdered. Your dad's body showed signs of a struggle, though."
The soldier pat Merids head, their indigo hair bouncing with it.
"No," Merid paused. "That's impossible, they couldn't have died, right?"
The soldier looked at Merid, despite his eyes being covered. "We've made sure, they weren't breathing. Even if they were alive, there would be no way to save them, as the blood loss would've killed them."
Merid slammed the door to their home shut, and choked out a sob. Guilt was the only thing they felt. Guilt. Just guilt. If they had gone with their parents to work, would it have prevented it? Would their parents still be here? They can't turn back time, so it's impossible to know. Merid fell to their knees, hitting the wooden floors. They held their head and kept sobbing. The soldier kept knocking on the door over and over, but Merid wouldn't answer. Infact, how would they answer? The guilt they were feeling was too much for them to handle. They didn't want to move, or even talk to anyone about this for that matter.
"Hey, leave them alone!" A voice spoke. "Give them time to process it!"
The soldier fell with a thud, on the rock hard concrete. The door flew open, nearly hitting Merid. Merid fell back, and then came Nix. A red haired, 6'2", blue eyed boy.
"Merid, you ok?" He tilted his head in concern.
"Ye-yeah. I'm fine." Merid shakily got up, they looked to their right. Their fathers cape was sitting on a coat hanger, Merid grabbed it and immediately put it on. Previously the cape was a reddish color, but it changed to a shade of purple when Merid put it on somehow. "...This is hard to process, afterall."
"Understandable, I'm still working it out myself." Nix responded, before sitting by Merid. He held his knees with the palm of his hands.
"Do you have any clue who could've done this, Nix?" Merid asked, nervously.
"All the clues go to Noe. But I'm not exactly sure, They're under trial." Nix answered.
"...Really? Weren't they highly respected by the royalty, even your family? Who are the king and queen of this place?" Merid hit the ground in frustration. "How? Will they get away with this? They shouldn't!"
Nix held up his hands. "Merid, calm down. I'm still not sure."
"HOW CAN I BE CALM? I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SEE MY PARENTS BEFORE THEY DIED, NIX." Merid shouted.
"Merid please-"
"NO! THEY'RE GONE AND I WASN'T THERE TO HELP!" Merid wiped a tear from their eye. "Just leave.…"
Nix stepped towards the door, dragging the knocked out soldier with him back home.
Merid unbuttoned their father's cape, it returning back to the red color it had previously. Hanging it back up on the coat hanger. They got up and walked to their room. Their room had lavender painted walls, all of the furniture were different shades of pink and purple. Merid laid flat on their bed, hoping they would fall asleep.
With enough time, Merid had finally dozed off.
----
Noe was basically a runaway criminal. They were hiding from authority under Nix's command, hiding in an alleyway. Their teal hair was messy, and their frail body was damaged. Noe most likely had a broken nose, and it wouldn't stop bleeding. 'Neptune.. Neptune. I have to find Neptune and get her to safety.' They thought to themselves.
"Stop it right there." Familiar, a familiar voice had demanded Noe.
"Wh-who are you?" Noe asked, their eyes watering.
"Nix."
"..Get away from me!" Noe seemed to disappear, or that's what Nix thought. They were behind Nix and had stabbed him in the back before running off, hoping they would get to Neptune.
Eventually, they arrived at their house. It was mostly teal themed, the furniture looking like something you would see out of a sci-fi movie.
"Neptune!"
"Huh? Oh, hey Noe!" Neptune spoke, smiling. "What is it?"
"Get somewhere safe, they're after me." Noe demanded with concern.
"You did it, didn't you?" Neptune questioned Noe.
"No, I didn't, I swear!"
"Like I'd believe that for a second." Neptune slammed the door shut on Noe. "Go outside with the riots going on because of you, see how that works out."
Noe froze in place, shocked. They thought Neptune would believe them, yet she didn't. Noe snapped back to reality and walked off, to the riots they go.
"..I should've known, dangit." Noe dragged their feet in disappointment. They looked up, just see another riot going on. People were screaming, and blood had been spilled. Noe ignored it and walked away from it, avoiding getting hurt or noticed.
----
Merid slowly woke up. They weren't in their home, instead they were in Nix's home. Nix was sleeping in a separate bed beside Merid. The house seemed royal, due to Nix's parents being the king and queen of the planet. There are red and gold curtains covering the windows, the furniture was silk, the beds are both king sized, with red covers and gold colored pillows. "Nix, wake up.." Merid quietly called out as they got up, stepping towards Nix. Nix didn't seem to budge, he was fast asleep. "C'mon, wake up!" Merid called out again, louder. Nix still didn't wake up. Merid sighed and gave up, walking out of the room to investigate.
Merid was immediately stopped by a royal soldier. "Don't leave this room just yet." The soldier spoke, his voice deep and demanding.
"A-alright." Merid squeaked. The soldier closed the door in front of Merid, keeping them in the room.
Merid looked at the table, which had a red tablecloth on it. The table had two glasses of water sitting on it, Merid grabbed one and drank it until it was empty. Despite Merid's species not needing to eat, they still need to stay hydrated, or else their body will fail. They turned to Nix once again, wondering when he would wake up.
While Merid was waiting, something had been going on in the dark, stone, basement of Nix's home. An execution.
"Alright, Noe. You've been caught." A light blue haired man spoke, he looked like he was in his late 20s in earth years. The man had yellow eyes, a ripped black t-shirt, and a light gray jacket hanging from his shoulders. His name was Gemini. He seemed nice at first glance, his job was to execute those under death penalty.
Noe spoke, barely above a whisper. "Please, I don't want to die just yet."
"It's orders, strictly orders. I apologize, but I cannot allow you to get out of here alive." Gemini cut Noe off. "You've killed the royal family, the orders from their son tells me to get rid of you. I am just following what I've been told to do. This will be painless."
"Wait, I-" Noe immediately went unconscious. Due to Gemini's ability to knock someone unconscious without having to do anything.
"May you rest in peace." Gemini sighed, and pulled a lever. The lever activated the electric chair Noe was hooked up to, killing them immediately.
Gemini buttoned his coat and walked out of the basement, heading to the bedroom Merid and Nix were staying in.
"You may come in, Mr. Gemini." The soldier by the bedroom door said.
"Thank you." Gemini walked inside the room as the soldier opened the door for him. "Merid, come with me please."
Merid's head perked up, and they stood up from the silk couch. "..Yes sir."
Gemini nodded and walked into the hallway while Merid followed behind him. The hallway had banners of what the royal family once was, a long red rug sitting on the white tile, and walls as white as paper.
"What is it?" Merid asked, slightly nervous.
"I've executed Noe, the one who murder your parents." Gemini towered over Merid, who was just 5'0".
Merid processed what Gemini had told them. "Thank you, sir."
"Please, call me Gemini." He smiled.
"Thank you, Gemini." Merid smiled back.
A window shattered, and Gemini was shot directly in the head. Merid screamed in fear, stepping back and barely dodging a bullet. Gemini was bleeding out, collapsed on the ground. Merid made a run for it, dodging several bullets. "HEY! SOLDIER GUY!"
The soldier was also dead, stabbed in the chest with a throwing knife. Merid stopped in their tracks, seeing the corpse in front of them. Fear was in their eyes, a bullet came rushing towards them.
...The bullet hit the wall. Merid was a spirit. They didn't die, instead they subconsciously switched forms as a defense mechanism. "Woah- My parents told me about this. A spirit form, it takes after what you looked like before the most major event in your life or something…"
"Correct!" Nix walked out of the bedroom, ready to fight. "Ah, Nix." Merid grinned. "Let's get them!" Nix manipulated electricity towards the enemy, immediately frying them from the inside out. "Already ahead of you, they should be dead now." Infact, they were. Merid saw it, there was no way anyone could survive from that, Nix had the power to stop a whole city's power if he wanted to.
Merid ran over to the enemy, holding their body in their arms. The corpse had brown short hair with a fade of bright green, and an olive green that was falling apart due to the electricity. The body was fairly damaged, and the clothes were part ash. When Merid was finished investigating the body, they dropped it back on the ground. They looked up from the ground to the outside, just to see..
...One of the largest riots they've seen in their life. Fires everywhere, and people dropping dead like flies by the second. There was so much going on, and Merid couldn't handle it. Nix grabbed Merid by the back of their shirt collar and dragged them away quickly, as rioters were entering the castle. Nix was shooting electricity behind him and Merid, forming a temporary boundary around the rioters as they left.
Nix had dragged Merid to a warehouse, he let go of Merid to catch his breath. Merid was still in shock from what they had just seen. The warehouse was all steel, besides the rock flooring, and old worn out furniture was set around the warehouse, giving it a more house-like feel.
"Hello?" A female voice spoke, it sounded monotone. "It's me, Nix." Nix answered, distressed. A olive haired, yellow eyed woman holding a brown haired, purple eyed woman's hand walked out of the shadows and into the light. "What is it, Nix?" The green haired girl questioned. "My friend here, Merid needs a weapon." Nix pointed to Merid. "They have to fight, they're perfect for it." Merid directed their gaze at the girl talking. "Who are you?"
"Andromeda. You can just call me Andro, or An." Andromeda answered bluntly. "I'm being hired to make Merid a weapon. You're Merid, correct?" Merid nodded their head. "Good, follow me, Merid." Andro demanded. Merid picked up their feet and followed Andromeda to a dimly lit hallway. "Alright, I need to measure you and weigh you so the weapon you choose to wield will be comfortable to use. Are you ok with that?" She asked, adjusting her glasses. "Yes ma'am." Merid calmly spoke. Andro set Merid on a scale, they weighed 98 lbs. Next, Andromeda measured Merid's height and wrote both down on a notepad.
"Come with me." She walked to a room, it had various weapons that were pre-built for Merid, and just Merid. "Which one do you want to try out first?" She turned to Merid, who was amazed by all the weapons set on the wall and table in front of them. "Um, I'll try a sword first." Merid smiled. "Sounds good, which one?" Four differently colored swords sat on a table, green, red, blue, and purple. Merid grabbed the purple one, and inspected it. "..I'll choose this one." They looked to Andromeda, who had lead Merid to a dummy. "Test it out." Merid raised their left hand, grabbed the sword with their right hand aswell. Merid took a deep breath and swung diagonally, cutting the dummy in two. The dummy immediately regenerated as soon as the sword left the surface of the dummy. Andro nodded and took notes, she went into a closet and pulled out a small cylinder and handed it to Merid. "Try this, hit the button on the bottom and it'll turn into a pole." Merid pushed the button on the bottom and it did just as Andromeda said, the pole was a few different shades of purple, with a bright, magenta, gem on top. "Now, inhale and focus on the pole." Merid closed their eyes and took a breath in, focusing on the pole. A blade, a scythe blade extended out. "That blade is made of pure electricity, enough to cut through metal. But not enough to cut through bone." Andromeda was instructing Merid. "I've made that scythe to where you can use it in your spirit form once you learn how to control it."
"That's cool! But, how did you know I would be a scythe wielder..?" Merid tilted their head, their hair getting in the way of their vision. "Simple. By the way you swung the sword." Andromeda adjusted her glasses. "Now let us go back, shall we?" Merid nodded and followed the girl with the glasses as she left.
----
Nix and the brown haired, bandaged girl were arguing. Andromeda quickly stopped it and questioned the two, making sure everything was alright. "She started it! She provoked me!" Nix argued. "No? YOU provoked ME." The girl contested. Andro shut the two up and split them apart, she turned to Merid and walked over. "You see, the brown haired girl is Carmen, we're partners." She smiled, her smile was bright for someone who seemed so cold. Merid perked up, wondering what she meant. "What do you mean by that, An?" Andromeda slightly blushed, which was odd. "Romantic and business partners." She chuckled, bringing her hand to the back of her neck. "Oh! That's cool!" Merid happily praised the two. Andromeda smiled and walked to Carmen, who was readjusting her bandages. Carmen looked at Andro and immediately hugged her, squinting at Nix and sticking her tongue out mockingly. Nix did it back and the three laughed, Merid stood in front of the two, not reacting. 'They were closer than I thought, huh?' They thought to themselves. Merid walked towards the door and was stopped by Nix. "No no Merid! We're staying here." Nix turned his gaze to Merid. "We have to train, afterall."
"Train? For what?" Merid looked concerned, their eyes refocusing every few minutes. "Merid… we're fighting. That riot you saw was one out of thousands, this is a war." Nix looked to his bottom right, and grabbed his arm. "But, we got this." Merid slightly winced. "Oh, is that it?" Nix nodded, and put his hand on Merid's shoulder, touching their purple t-shirt. Merid walked away from Nix, his hand leaving their shoulder.
'A war..' Merid thought, their purple eyes losing their sparkle. 'Did Noe really cause this?' A blonde haired man walked in, his eyes were a dull red, he was wearing a baby blue button up shirt, and some black pants. "No, they didn't." He walked to Merid, and had slightly towered over them at 5'9". "Huh-? Did you read my mind or something?" Merid spoke, disturbed. The blonde nodded. "I can read minds to a certain extent. My name is Mike, your Merid I'm guessing?" Mike said his name, it was pronounced very similarly to milky. "Yes, I'm Merid." Merid replied. "Great, nice to meet you." Mike held out his hand for a handshake, Merid looked at his hand for a moment. 'Scars…' They snapped back to reality and shook Mike's hand, his hand was rough, scratches everywhere.
"You finally came, huh?" Andromeda spoke up, her voice sounding disappointed. "Ah, sorry An." Mike walked over to Andro, and gave her a fist bump. "Did you bring Neptune?" She asked, and Mike nodded.
Yelling could be heard from outside. The door slammed open, and a soldier was seen carrying a teal haired girl, who was covered in her own blood. She coughed, wounded. "Egh- Who.. are you?" Her voice sounded dry, her throat most likely damaged. "Mike, you're Neptune." He spoke, it sounded like a demand from a strict mother. Neptune nodded, shaking. "Why did you.. do this to me?" Neptune's voice was raised, yet it was still quiet. "Your sibling killed Merid's and Nix's family, you're being held in custody." Mike explained, his voice still sounding demanding. Neptune processed that statement, and immediately collapsed. Merid and Nix both watched this in shock. '...That's harsh, even if her sibling killed my parents.. she didn't deserve that.'
A hand smacked Merid in the side of their face, and they fell back. Merid looked up, Mike had slapped them. "What was that for!?" They shouted.
"For what you just thought. Don't go against the authority here." Mike demanded. Merid sat on the concrete flooring, progressing Mike's statement. They didn't like him, not a single bit. Andromeda quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, and threw him into a room, locking the door. "Merid, are you alright? Your nose is bleeding." Carmen ran over, she sounded panicked. Nix also had ran over, using his cape to absorb the blood coming out of Merid's nose. "Yes, I'm fine." Merid answered. They got up, and noticed their shirt was stained with their blood. "..Can I have a new shirt?" They asked. "Yeah, hold on." Nix walked off into a closet, and came back with a spare t-shirt, the shirt looked the same as the one on their layered shirt. The purple color was nearly the same as Merid's eyes. Merid grabbed the shirt and walked off into a spare closet, switching their old shirt out for the new one.