The Call of the Void

They wailed in anguish, their cries reverberating throughout the abandoned warehouse, tears streaming down their faces as they kneeled besides their deceased loved one.

Ahrana and Skadi glared at Mia through their tears, convincing themselves that it was Mia's fault that he was dead. Yet deep down inside, they knew it was also their fault. A moment of carelessness would lead to a lifetime of regret.

Mia stared blankly at Sky's corpse, her hands trembling as she tried to smile. "S-Sky? Sky! This isn't funny! I'll get mad y-you know~?! Get up right now!" Yet he didn't.

A week passed, then a month, then a year… Sky wasn't coming back. Many times the three of them made an attempt at their own life, yet at the last second, they refrained from doing so. Sky would want them to live on, they knew that themselves. And, in a way, they treated it as a way of atonement.

With empty smiles and even emptier eyes, they were husks of their former selves, as they felt that their life had lost meaning, their world had lost color, now becoming a sad monotonous gray. They would emptily look at their albums of pictures that they saved of him, smiling through their tears at the good times that they had together… before realizing that he wasn't around any more.

That he wouldn't be there. By their side. But just as anguish and hate is something that can drive people apart, it can also connect people. After Sky's death, the three of them fought. Many times, with the intent to kill each other. However, in the end, they realized that it just wasn't feasible. They were, for the most part, evenly matched, but most of all, it was because Sky wouldn't want it.

They were the three that were most important in his short-lived life. It would be a dishonor to him if they were to disregard that fact. Thus, through their shared anguish of losing Sky, Skadi, Ahrana, and Mia had eventually formed a genuine friendship. They would share each others' albums of Sky and even hold weekly "Sky Day"'s where they would talk about various stories of Sky and reminisce, all while in Sky's unoccupied apartment.

As they attended school together, they would talk to each other during lunch or during breaks, where they gained the reputation as "The Three Beauties". Many times someone would try to ask them out, only to be cruelly denied, and if they were to try something? Well. They wouldn't show up back for school. Ever.

During one such occasion of Sky Day, they suddenly felt something. Deep within their soul. A small spark, a dying ember, about to be extinguished. Yet it was there. Tears unwittingly streamed out of their eyes, before they laughed, for the first time in a year, they laughed, their smiles genuine, their joy authentic.

Sky was alive! That day, with Sky's used blanket as witness, they swore an oath of sisterhood. As Sky's three most cherished people in the world, it was now their responsibility to protect, cherish, and most important of all, love him.

After all, it was better to suffer a little yet know that Sky was alive than to suffer a lifetime, knowing he was dead. Three manic smiles accompanied with dull eyes ensued. 'Sky~. When you return, we'll make sure you're showered in our love for you~." They would make sure he didn't leave them again. Ever. Again.

Where am I? That was the only thought running through Sky's head. Was he dead? Struggling to open his eyes, he found himself in a vast void, floating freely. Who knows how long had passed. A day? A month? Maybe a year?

With no concept of time, Sky had nothing to do. Did he die? What happened that caused him to be here, in this void? Yet strangely, no matter how much he struggled to remember, Sky just couldn't remember what had happened leading up to his mysterious appearance in this void. With the ebb and flow of time, Sky's memories started to erode, his sense of self starting to grow mute. Who was he? WHAT was he…

Is Sky even a person? His features started to fade as he slowly seemed to fade into a mere silhouette; featureless and unable to be differentiated from another. And for a moment, Sky felt content. He felt so… free and unfettered, free of life's shackles and of the pain and responsibilities and the daily suffering that he experiences. As he basked in the consuming void, he felt… content.

"No." The silhouette suddenly seemed to tremble slightly. Its' figure started to shake, as it put its arms up to its head, clutching it almost as if in pain, yet one would never know as the silhouette had no features; no eyes, no mouth… It would not fade! HE WOULD NOT FADE! With an almost feral shout, the silhouette threw its head back, roaring in defiance.

The silhouette flashed and flickered, its features finally returning, blurry at first, much like a camera focusing, before being able to be seen in full clarity.

"I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO LIVE FOR, TO EXPERIENCE!" Sky screamed into the empty void. "So will it be." Sky thought he could hear a voice. Maybe in his head or maybe in the void, a voice so quiet that it could be missed by anyone, yet, to Sky, it seemed to be the loudest.

The void seemed to warp before him, the white giving way to lush greenery and a vast open sky, decorated with thin tendrils of white clouds. Sky's eyes squinted slightly at the bright sun overhead, causing him to cover them with a hand. Where… Where was he?

Getting up, he realized he was in the middle of nowhere. Crying out, he shouted: "Mia! Skadi! Arahna?! Anybody?!!"