Ch. 5 "SHATTERED GLASS"

After the disappearance of Rei, Ken ended up being depressed that he was told to stay at home and calm himself down after losing his temper at the hospital when two days has passed and there was still no trace of Rei. Both Amithy and Claire kept Ken company at his house but his care for his brother was overwhelming, that he would go out of his house in the middle of the night and scream his brothers name. 

A week has passed after Rei's disappearance, Ken has not gone back to school nor did he leave his house again, Claire had a unanticipated longer stay at that house.

"Ken, isn't it time you go back to school?"

Claire said as she stared at Ken's lifeless eyes, but she did not receive a reply from him. Ken was so depressed that he would not even move an inch from his seat at the sofa, he would stare at his hands and cry while asking where his brother could've gone it. Claire had no idea on how to comfort Ken as she knew that Ken cared for Rei more than himself, Ken would do various things so that he could create a conversation with Rei. 

"When ice melts it turns into water, water that has no shape and is now spreading everywhere as it has lost its direction, and that's what you are right now Ken, do you think Rei would be pleased to see you in such a disgraceful state?" 

Claire declared while trying to feed the unresponsive Ken.

Another day passed, but there was still no leads to where Rei was, another day passed and it was the same, and another passed again, all have lost hope on finding Rei.

A huge earthquake suddenly hit their city, houses were shaking, the roads started to crack. After the earthquake a phone call suddenly rang at Ken's house.

"Who is t-?"

Claire answered the call but suddenly got interrupted when the one calling suddenly sounded out of breath.

"I-is this Ken?"

"No, my name is Claire Smith, I apologize for Ken's absence at the academy it's just a family matter has had him off track on his academics, by the way why do you seem out of breath"

"Well we have had the gist on his situation as Ma'am Amithy has told us a few parts, don't worry only the ones at the faculty have the news. But well you see, this might seem very, very shocking to the two of you, but right now Rei is currently standing at the Railings at the academy rooftop and is staring at the sky for no reason at all. Can you please bring Ken here, the doors to the roof top are closed that both teachers and students could no enter."

"I understand, I will tell him"

The call ended, Claire was hesitant on telling Ken as she knew nothing on what Ken's next action might be, she slowly walked to Ken and held his hand as she stared directly at his blue crying eyes.

"Ken, Rei has been found, but something is di-

Before she could finish her sentence, Ken finally stood up and wiped off his tears, he moved swiftly fixing his things and rushing to bathe after only a few minutes Ken was ready to finally go to school or more over he was ready to meet his brother again. Claire smiled as she saw Ken who was very well-known ice king soften so much because of his twin.

But some things didn't make sense for Claire, she had question in her mind that she didn't bother asking to Ken. She is not fully convinced that the person who is currently at that place is the Rei they knew. As they rushed their way to the academy, Claire was still unsure on some things such as why would Rei suddenly disappear, why suddenly show up at the academy, and did no one see him as he entered the building.

"Calm down Ken, if those at the academy see you in that state your reputation as an Ice King would be ruined" She sarcastically said.

 "I never wanted to be called that, I mean friends were never necessary for me in the first place" Ken replied.

"really now? friends are unnecessary so you choose to have a girlfriend and after getting dumped you find another one?"

"The hell are you saying, can we just leave such stupid conversations like that at the past, plus you can't blame me that she liked me."

"Okay, we'll leave it in the past, just want to tell you that something is very fishy"

"what do you mean?"

"nothing"

As they arrived at the gates of Horizon Academy students and teachers were gathered around staring at the guy on top of the building, they were yelling at him yet he did not even bother to look at them. Claire and Ken made their way in front of everyone, as Ken was finally in front his eyes sparkle and he began crying knowing that he has finally found his brother, but those emotions suddenly faded when he saw half of Rei's face, it was pitch black and had sharp white eyes and also a horn attached to it.

Ken and Claire both face each other at the same time to what they saw, they looked around but the ones around them seems to have not noticed it.

"KEN!!" a womanly voice called out to Ken.

"Ah, Ms. Amithy, is the doors still locked?"

"Yes it is, no one knows what his doing up there or why is he even there, the only thing everyone noticed was Rei talking to air for like minutes"

"talking to the air?"

Ken suddenly grabbed Amithy by the shoulders and stared at her teary yellow eyes before asking..

"What can you see up there?"

"Just Rei standing on top of the academy, why?"

"What else?"

"Huh? What do you mean what else?"

"What about his face?" Ken asked who was starting to tighten his grab on Amithy's shoulder.

"His face? I can't see it properly since he's quite far but there's nothing on his fa-- KEN!! THAT HURTS!!"

Ken finally snapped back and released Amithy as she was getting hurt, Ken once again looked at Rei and finds himself staring at someone else. Rei's face was full black and has two horns, the only thing that can be seen from his face was the sharp white eyes Ken saw earlier, the two stared for a while before Rei collapses and fell from the railings that he was standing on.

Ken rushed to save his brother not realizing that there were multiple foams that was stacked together, but luckily he sees it allowing himself to stop before hitting it. Rei fell straight at the foams which broke his fall which prevented a fatal injury. The teachers then carried the unconscious Rei to the schools infirmary, and all the students were sent back to their classes as if nothing had happened.

The nurse called for the hospital while the other teachers went back to their class to continue the day, Ken and Claire were the only ones allowed to stay with Rei at the infirmary. Ken didn't intend the conversation of what they saw but suddenly uttered it out unconsciously.

"You saw it right?"

"Yeah"  Claire replied as she looked outside on the window of the infirmary.

"Do you know anything about it?" 

"Maybe"

"Maybe?? so you have an idea what the hell that thing on Rei's face was?"

"Maybe"

"SO WHAT WAS IT" Ken yelled.

"Something you shouldn't know"

"WHAT?! CLAIRE I DEMAND YOU TO TELL ME WHAT IS IT THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT THING!!??"

Ken stood up and grabbed Claire by the collar of her shirt and lifted her up, yet Claire did not give any response she just kept on looking outside while Ken continued to yell at her.

"SPEAK UP CLAIRE! TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT THING?!"

"TELL ME WHAT ON EARTH WAS REI DOING?!"

Ken began to succumb to his anger that he unconsciously shifted his hands from the collar to her neck which choked her. Claire suddenly slapped Ken waking him back to reality, Ken finally realized what he was doing as she saw Claire angrily staring at him with tears falling from the side of her eyes. Ken gently released her and the moment her feet finally touched the floor she immediately walked out of the room slamming the door of the infirmary.

Ken sat on the chair beside Rei's bed and scratched his head apologizing to Claire even though she was no longer in the room, Ken then grabbed Rei's hand.

"Please wake up Rei" Ken said while crying.

"*yawn* Yo! Ohayo Nii-san"

"HAHAHA you always say that to me when you wake up"

"Nii-san this doesn't look like the hospital"

"Cause this is the schools infirmary"

Ken lifted his head finally realizing that Rei was awake and was having a conversation with him, Ken then gave his brother a very tight hug. Rei stared at his brother and began hysterically laughing as he saw his brother crying.

"Why the hell are you crying Nii-san HAHAHAH"

"I'm just happy too see you back to normal"

"Normal? was I not normal before?"

"Rei what have you been doing this past week?"

"Past week? hmm.. I was at the hospital right because I was sick or something??"

"Is that all you can remember?"

"Well I do remember seeing you flirt with you ex in front of your new girlfriend"

"Not that idiot! how the hospital do you know what happened after we brought you to the hospital?"

"Ah I remember you brought me to the hospital because I had a bad fever and then I had to stay there for another day and then I woke up here, which is very weird?"

"Fever? do you not remember what happened to your eyes?"

"Why what happened to my eyes? they seem okay to me"

Rei grabbed a small mirror beside his bed and looked at his eyes, but could see anything different.

"Do you not remember what happened last week?"

"All I remember was sleeping after staying at the hospital, I even have no idea how I reached the school infirmary"

"I knew you were possessed with something or someone"

"Possessed what the are you saying Nii-san?"

"Well you see Rei, this is very hard to believe, but well you see you cried blood and had to be sent to the hospital last week, but the doctors know nothing on your situation so you ended up being confined for a day and was asked to stay for another. But after that you suddenly disappeared from the hospital and was announced missing for a whole week until we were called by the school that you appeared here" Ken explained situation they were in.

"That's hard to believe in many ways"

"Yeah, I know but it's the truth"

"Well I know you would never lie to me Nii-san"

"Hey Rei, do you know what happened to your face earlier?"

"No, I told I woke up just now"

"I see, so you don't even know that"

"Why? what happened to my face?" Rei once again used the mirror and stared at his face which looked very normal to him.

"Well you see your face wa-"

Ken was cut when Claire suddenly barged in the door and was out of breath.

"KEN! REI! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!"

She yelled at them, but the two were confused and just stared at her.

"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? WE NEED TO GET OUT NOW!"

She yelled again before going to Rei helping him stand up, Rei was able to stand up but was too weak to walk, So Ken helped so that they could get out of the infirmary. As they got out no one was at the corridors of the school it was all empty allowing them to easily get out of the building.

"Why are we in a rush Claire?"

"No time for an explanation, we just need to get away from this building as soon as possible"

"Is there a bomb here or something?"

"Just be quiet for a while"

They were about to exit the gate when a loud cracking sound echoed from above, the three of them looked up and saw the sky cracking and with a loud bang the sky shattered revealing a dark night sky outside of their own sky. A large piece of glass fell straight at the building killing all the people inside a strong gust of with fragments of the building were about to hit the three when a car suddenly parked in front of them catching all the fragments and leaving the three unscratched.

Both Ken and Rei were shock but Claire calm and opened the door of the car in front of them, all three entered the car and it drove off very fast.

"Did you know this would happen Claire?"

"No, it was all so sudden I only got to tell the two of you"

"What was that up there, behind our sky?" Ken asked.

"That's the true sky"

"Hey Claire Nee-san, is there a moon up there?"

"There is one but it's something not good to look at"

"Claire, mind explaining what is happening right now?"

Claire took out a glass of water and asked the two to drink it, she also drank some and was about to explain the whole situation when a sudden black figure smashed the hood of the car activating its passenger safety mode which ejected half of the car saving the three from a monster beyond human imagination.

The smashed front of the car began melting, Ken stared carefully at the black figure in front of them, It was about 10 feet, is black in color with a few red cracks all around its body it had bee like wings and had white eyes with  a horn on its forehead. Rei looked at the broken piece of their sky and saw more of the black figure diving inside, Claire pulled the two to a safe corner where they began to feel very dizzy. The drink that Claire gave to them had sleeping pills as she predicted a situation like that to occur.

"Sorry, Rei, Ken but this world is not what you think it is. A greater horror is happening outside of this your dome and I must do something to save those who are important to me"

She said before leaving the two and walked towards the beast who destroyed their car. She then took out a bracelet and wore it on her left hand.

"Professor I'll be entering fight mode" she spoke to the bracelet.

"Granted" a voice from the bracelet replied.

The bracelet then activated which created a bright white light that slightly blinded the monster in front of her. As soon as the light disappeared a White colored Scythe appeared on her hands, she then used  it to cut the monster in half. But the monster just duplicated it was no a two to one battle with black monsters trying to eat her. The fight ended as she sliced the head of the monster which revealed a red core which Claire sliced into pieces a blood like substance were sprayed all over her face and clothes.

"Damn this Demons always ruining my clothes" 

She said as she barged straight into the hordes of monsters behind the one slashed in half.  

[Chapter End]