"♪"
Raelion opened his eyes to the rhythmic humming of a girl. A soft, melodic, and feminine tone, something he had never heard in his life.
His entire body ached. He could barely muster the strength to move.
When he looked down, he noticed his wings were wrapped in neat bandages. They weren't tight, but enough to hinder his wings from flapping.
He was lying on soft pastel bedding, his head supported up by fluffy mauve pillows.
'What the...' he thought.
He glanced around. Warm peach walls. A candle collection lined the shelves. A guitar stand that held both acoustic and electric guitars. A compact synthesizer sat just below. Pink rubber panels hung on all the walls, soundproofing, no doubt.
His gaze drifted toward the desk.
She was sitting there, wearing nothing but an oversized white T-shirt, completely absorbed in her setup. Headphones on, eyes glued to a curved monitor. Fingers tapping softly in rhythm.
'What the actual…?'
A canary bird slept peacefully inside a cream-colored, spacious cage nearby.
Raelion groaned as he shifted his weight, using his bandaged wings for support. He glanced at the floor and immediately looked away.
'Why are her undergarments just lying around...?'
'Does she think she rescued a bird?'
He was human. Like any other. Just... a little different.
"Oh boy! You're awake, finally!" she exclaimed, spinning her chair around to face him.
She didn't look like a hunter. He could sense her core flickering. Uneven resonance. But he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Not because she was the only person in the room, but because he felt a little nervous.
She was, oddly, stunning.
"Were you hit by a car or something? Your wings were torn up. I treated your wounds. Don't worry, I'll set you free once you're better!" she said, standing and walking over with careful steps.
"A peregrine falcon and a black one at that. Do you know how rare you are?"
'What?'
She gently scooped him up and placed him on her desk. Raelion gripped the keyboard pad with his claws, straightening himself, watching her silently.
"Easy there~" she murmured, brushing her fingers over his head.
"Wait... hold on."
She opened a nearby cabinet, pulled out a small red can, and clinked it open with a groan.
Moments later, she returned with a ceramic plate and set it gently beside him.
"There. I thought you might like these more than dry seeds," she said, nudging the dish forward.
"These are Milo's special mealworms. Organic. They smell like death, but apparently they're delicious."
Raelion didn't move.
She tilted her head, folding her arms. "Why are you just… staring at me?"
'This is going to be difficult…' he thought.
"Is this your way of saying, 'I don't eat anything touched by peasants?'"
"…"
"Don't scream," Raelion said in a low tone.
She froze.
"W-what?" Startled, her voice cracked. Then she screamed.
"I said, don't scream," he repeated, a little louder.
"A-a-speaking falcon!" Meloni stammered, stumbling back a step.
Raelion tilted his head. "Yes. And if you're done flailing, I'd like to explain."
"Oh my god. Oh my god." She took another step back. "This is n't-n't-this isn't normal. I'm losing it. No, maybe I just passed out. Worked too long on that track. Right, this is a dream..."
"Try waking up. I'll wait," Raelion said, turning briefly to glance at the now-awake yellow canary staring at him.
Meloni pinched her palm. "What... are you?"
"I'm a human. Like any other," he said evenly. "This form is temporary."
"Wait…Are you li-like one of those conduits?" she asked.
"You can say that. Since you're aware of conduits, then you must know you're one too," Raelion said.
"I-I just… yes. But I only realized that a few days ago!" she murmured, then pointed her finger at Raelion. "So is this your power? Shapeshifting? Mister-?"
"Ray. You can call me Ray. And yes, this is one of my abilities. Though it's not natural, I developed this technique," Ray answered.
Meloni pulled her gaming chair forward and sat down in front of Ray, clasping her hands together, head bowed. She stayed quiet for a while.
Ray didn't utter a word, just stood there, watching her.
For a while, the only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the soft flaps of the canary in its cage.
Then, resting her palms on her shoulders, she lifted her head and looked at Ray.
"Why can't I just be left alone?" she whispered.
Her mood changed. Rather, swiftly at that.
"Every day, I get a call. Every second day, an agent shows up at my doorstep. Ever since they discovered I have powers, they've been dead serious about their contracts. They want me to be part of their organization. Every single day."
She exhaled shakily.
'Is she trying to vent?' Ray thought.
"I've been doing my best to avoid people, but now… I saved another conduit. What is it? Why can't I just be left alone? Why do I have to be part of some organization? Why does it even matter?"
Ray tilted his head, holding her gaze. He thought for a moment before speaking.
"First of all, I'm not a part of any organisation. And I did not come here willingly, but was rescued by you. Second, organisations won't leave you alone because you have a core that awakened naturally."
Meloni frowned. "What difference does it make? Whether it's artificial or natural? I just want to live a normal life!"
"From the looks of it, the local organization contacting you hasn't relayed all the information to you…" Ray said.
"What do you mean?" Meloni asked.
"There's a big difference between artificially awakened conduits and naturally awakened conduits. First, naturally awakened ones are rare-extremely rare. And their growth potential surpasses that of artificially awakened conduits." Ray paused, letting out a sigh.
"Second-naturally awakened conduits do not survive." His voice dropped lower.
Meloni furrowed her brows, a grip of fear tightening around her chest. "Wa-wait…What do you mean, don't survive? Am I going to die?"
"Look, Miss-?" Ray hesitated.
"Meloni," she added.
"Right, Meloni. This whole concept… it's abstruse."
"I get it-from your perspective, you could hear, see, or feel things that seemed abnormal. Then that sense slowly developed into control, and you realized you had powers. But how were you found? Resonance Index.
"Cores exist in every person, lying dormant throughout their life. Only a very rare few cross the threshold to channel their life force. If the process is deliberate-meaning, if you're trained to circulate your life force in a specific way to awaken your core-you develop powers artificially.
"But when your core is naturally strong-when you already have an uneven force breath-your core starts to resonate in a way that has never been observed before."
Meloni stared into Ray's eyes, listening carefully.
"This process unlocks new abilities. It reveals that you have power. And since you can't control it yet, the force breath leaks-and that resonance is picked up by organizations.
"And since naturally awakened conduits are rare, you're a precious, unpolished diamond to them."
Meloni inhaled deeply. "So I'm radiating energy all the time? Is that the reason? Then what does this have to do with my survival?"
"Absolutely, you're radiating energy all the time. And about survival, that's the second and most important aspect of your whole existence." Ray paused again, he slid the ceramic plate with worms aside and stepped forward to the edge of the table, his claws gripped the surface lightly.
"This whole world, this whole----this entire reality has a mirror. That mirror is what we call the Abyss, or the Endless Void. It is separated from this world by a thin fabric of reality. And within the Abyss exists a creature, deities as we call them, and one of them possesses the same powers as you."
"Right now, your abilities are weak. But after stage one, two, or even three-if the creature that mirrors your power is strong-it will sense the resonance of your core. That cannot be avoided. And once it does, it will target you. Because it has a purpose. It will find a way to cross into this world and kill you, devour your core."
"But the story is different for artificially awakened conduits. The deity tied to their power has already been killed by their elders. That is why you... are both a threat and an opportunity for the local or worldwide organizations."
Ray had said it all, but he already regretted it.
Meloni was terrified. Her knees tucked up against her chest, arms wrapped tightly around herself as she trembled in her chair. Silent tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't speak. She just curled inward.
"So- so there's a monster out there in the world, that will come looking for me? It will kill me? And I can't do anything about it?" Meloni kept muttering on her own.
"No- You can do somet-"
"Wait!" Meloni cut of Ray's words.
"Is the creature that…Sometimes I see in my dreams? I mean-", She asked, but she couldn't voice out her exact thoughts.
"Did it show itself in your dream? What did it look like?" Ray asked, concerned.
"Yes-it was. Like a doll of a man. Stitched together, and always plays a-a new instrument everytime I dream of it." She tried to remember how it looked like, but it was vague, despite being in her dreams for the past year, it was vague.
"How often do you dream of it?" Ray asked.
"Once, or twice a week" She answered.
"…" Ray stayed quiet. He looked down from the table, velvet coloured fluffy floormat. Fur swaying with the wind of the fan.
"Is it bad?" Meloni asked looking at him.
"I'm a naturally awakened conduit. Just like you. But make sure, you never tell anyone that the deity after you has shown itself in your dreams. Because the moment you do that, the moment your tongue slips, the whole world will be after you life." Ray said.
"I don't understand", Meloni murmured.
"There are two types of deities, Meloni. One that we call hounds. They don't have pride, they're not strong either, but definitely strong for their reflected core. They consume cores to become strong, and some even move in herds." Ray began.
"And the other?" Meloni asked.
"And the other, are mythical deities. These deities, they're intelligent, strong, fierce, prideful. They only consume their reflected core. And they wait, wait until you are strong enough to face them. And then they come after you." Ray said.
"So, the deity that comes in my dreams is a mythical deity?" Meloni asked.
"Yes, only mythical deities show their connection with you through dreams," Ray answered.
"What if I just don't train? I mean, that's what I was going to do. They won't come after me then, right?" Meloni asked.
"They wait to savor your core. But if you remain weak for too long… they'll come anyway. And take it."
"Then why will the whole world be after my life if this is revealed?" Meloni asked.
"Mythical deities are a walking catastrophe. If they descend, and their personality is twisted one, they'll pose a threat to the whole world. And let me tell you this, you are the eleventh naturally awakened with ties to a mythical deity in history, and currently you're the second naturally awakened in the whole world to have the ties to a mythical deity." Ray said.
"So now you get it? How precious you are?" Ray asked.
"That just means I'm bound to die? Right? I mean, look at me? How can I fight a fucking disaster?" Meloni spat out.
"Not particular-"
"Wait! I'm currently the second naturally awakened to have ties with a mythical deity, right?" Meloni cut off Ray's words again.
"Wha-what if I somehow contact that first person? He's alive, has been alive for long, he would help me, right?" She asked.
Her voice was turning hoarse by the minute. She was welling up from the inside.
"Yes that's right. I will reach them, and solve this problem just like they did", She murmuered.
"The first person you're going to look for in the future is sitting on your desk, right in front of you" Ray said.