Ch 2 "He must be, a demon."

It was mid night, around 2 am. The world outside was silent... no footsteps, no wind, not even the sounds of machines.

The kind of silence that feels too quiet, like the calm before something unnatural... Especially on places like Pegasus.

Then suddenly, two black eyes snapped open, in the dead of night... It was Aura.

As soon as he woke up, he checked the time, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

It was 2 am, exactly on schedule. All that effort to train his body to wake up at this exact hour—it had paid off.

"Alright… let's do this," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes for a few seconds to focus.

But when he opened them again and tried to stand, his legs gave out almost instantly.

He stumbled forward, crashing into the wall with a dull thud, one hand gripping his abdomen as pain shot through him like a shockwave.

"Ugh… damn," he muttered, holding his side. 'It hurts', he thought as he held onto a dusty old shelf to stop himself from falling, breathing hard.

"Especially these stitches," he said out aloud, 'Almost selling my kidney better be worth it.' he thought as he looked around.

The room around him was a mess. It was lld, dirty, and full of junk with broken crates, trash, and who-knows-what scattered everywhere.

It smelled bad too, which was kind of understandable as it's been years since this place was last cleaned.

Basically, his room was like a forgotten storage room. Not a place anyone would want to live in, but it was all he had.

Shaking off the pain, Aura pushed himself up straight and limped toward the metal door. It creaked as he opened it, and a cold breeze hit his face from the hallway outside.

The hall wasn't much better but moden. The lights flickered on as he walked out of his room and took a deep breath looking at the rooms beside him.

Two room to be exact, one of Rin and other belongs to Lala, his little siblings and as he looked at them, he felt, a little guilty... For what he is about to do is going to have a big impact on his future, and thier too... For better or for worse.

That was to be seen, it's good that it's better but even if it's worse, Aura didn't care, he has already decided he is about to do what he is about to do it, and he gonna have no regret about it.

He took a deep breath, stepped out, and muttered to himself, "Alright… let's do this." saying so, he put everything else at the back of the mind and focused on the task on his hands and he walked towards the kitchen, taking a knife with his gloves covered hand.

And as he got a hold of that, his hands trembled, ever so lightly as he finally had a few double thought before he shakes his hands and looked towards his parents room.

With a deep breath, and a knife in his hands, he slowly walked towards the the door, as his heart breath increased so much so that he himself could hear that, his hand slowly unlocked the door and...

"So who do you was the killer,"

The words from Uncle John brought him out of his thoughts as he looked at the food in front of him and sighedbl before slowly, picking up the knife and fork, before looking at his reflection in the knife.

"Who knows but," he said, looking at the knife in his hands, reminding him of a similar knife, in his own hands, one covered in blood.

"He must be, a demon." He said looking at himself in knife, somehow, he felt as if he is seeing himself smiling in blood covered face, with a menacing laugh echoing in the back of his mind, and a figure identical to him laughing behind his back.

"I am sure, he will be catched soon tho." He said, cleaning the knife in his hands, before finally started eating...

"It's good." the blood soaked Aura said, covered in blood head to toe, as he eat the food, sitting alone on the dining table in the dead of the night.

"I never thought food could taste this good," Aura said, forcing another smile toward Uncle John.

It hit him then—how much effort it actually took just to smile. Like he'd forgotten how, and now had to fake it every time.

"You are right," John said, looking at the food for a while before he looked ahead, toward the people in uniform, standing near the edge of the garden. Members of the investigation department, freshly arrived and already scanning the area.

"Don't worry," John added quietly. "They'll find the killer soon. They don't let criminals run loose on Pegasus, especially not on the middle levels."

Aura let out a small sigh, nodding. Of course he knew that, everyone does.

No one had successfully escaped after committing a crime on Pegasus in the last twenty years. Not just because the police were good... but because there was nowhere to run here.

Everyone here is trapped, unless you're part of the top level. And even then, no one really knows what that looks like. The people up there are almost like myths—untouchable, unseen, and unbothered.

But for everyone else… especially those stuck in the middle and lower levels, things are far from good.

The lower levels are barely livable. It's basically slum life down there. People packed into narrow hallways, sharing tiny, cramped rooms with paper-thin walls.

Most are working themselves to exhaustion just to make ends meet, trying to stay out of debt, trying to pay their taxes on time. Some days, just putting food on the table is a struggle.

And the middle levels? Sure, they look better on the surface, with cleaner and more order but underneath, it's still the same thing.

People stuck in a system they can't escape, always watched, always one mistake away from losing everything.

Freedom doesn't exist here... Only different versions of control.

And it's not even free... everyone here have to pay the tax... tax to live, a tax that many even fail to achieve that and Aura knew that if he ever failed to pay the monthly tax, he and his siblings could be demoted to a lower level... forced to live in the slums like so many others.

Thankfully, for now, he had enough saved to cover the tax for all three of them... for at least a few more months, including money for food and water if he includes the the money he gonna recieve due to his dead parents but that's it.

After a few more months, they wouldn't be able to keep up with their current life on middle floors with whatever stability they had... all that would be gone.

And once you're pushed down to those floors, there would be no coming back. That's why, Aura knew he couldn't wait around. He had to act and he had to act fast.

Not only does he have to earn money, but also escape the murder, either frame it on someone else or get a gold citizenship.

There are 3 citizenships on Pegasus, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

With all those in slums having Bronze citizenship and having no rights to enter middle levels even if they have enough money to till they get silver rank citizenship.

Gold however is different, not only does it gives the right to enter Top Levels, but also comes with special privileges, some of which can even save him from murder charges.

But getting gold citizenship isn't easy either with the most straightforward way is being born with it which, honestly, is probably the easiest method.

Beyond that, only a handful have ever earned it through personal contribution, by doing something significant enough to benefit the entire human race. In Pegasus's history of more than 90-year history, barely a few have managed that.

The last and most dangerous path is through awakening but even that isn't a guarantee.

Awakening alone doesn't secure you a golden citizenship. Most who awaken with auxiliary-type awakerers like data processing, are simply offered silver citizenship and quietly absorbed into the Pegasus Management Group.

Unless they climb high enough in rank, they rarely move beyond that but on the other hand, those who awaken with combat or support-type gifts have a higher chance.

They're often granted gold citizenship immediately… though not always and that inconsistency? Yeah, that part's still a mystery.

Aura have no idea how these people are sorted as the process is done behind closed doors but for all he knows, it's the only way he can get the gold citizenship, and save himself.

Probably even live a better life, or so he hopes to...

"So, what are you planning on doing now?" John asked, as Aura finished with the last bite, before picking up the napkin from the table.

"Isn't it obvious?" He said, looking at his supposedly good uncle, through he was just yet another two faces bastard to him, "To attend the awakening ceremony." He said.

John, who heard his words, was about to say something else before he processed the words he heard as his eyes snapped wide.

"What?!" He said, knowing the dangers that come with awakening ceremony, with even possibility of death and, "DON'T YOU KNO-"

"Excuse me, sir," a voice said suddenly as Aura turned to see a middle-aged man approaching, dressed in formal black.

He stopped a few steps away and gave a small nod. "All the preparations are complete," he said, eyes briefly meeting Aura's before dropping.

Aura gave a quiet nod, pushing back his chair. "Let's talk later, Uncle John," he said, standing up without looking back as John sighed, not saying anything, and got up to follow.

As Aura made his way toward the two graves, the shift in atmosphere was subtle but noticeable.

Conversations began to die down, and forks were slowly set aside as one by one, the guests began rising from their seats, falling into step behind him to end the ceremony.

Realizing what was happening, they did what was expected... walked over to offer a few soft-spoken words, lines that sounded sincere but didn't carry much weight.

Condolences, practiced and polite as Aura didn't respond to most of them and just kept walking. He already knew which ones meant something, and which ones were just part of the show.

"They were remarkable people," a man said said, as he walked upto me. "Your father once helped me settle a nasty contract dispute. I never forgot that."

"Your mother was a great person," another women said walking upto me, "I still remember the day I met, it's shocking how things ended."

"Stay strong boy," a burly guy said patting my shoulder... Thier voices had pity, condolences, and compassion but it just made me more and more... cold.

After all, none of them came forward when he needed them, not even once even though a few knows everyone, like Uncle John... Even he is but a fake.

However, Aura still didn't say anything and just forced a smile and replied to them all before walking up and standing in front of the grave, the only one in the whole garden.

Aura didn't speak a word. He just stood there in silence, his eyes fixed on the twin graves as more people formed a semi-circle behind him.

Then came the sound of a microphone screeching slightly, and a voice rang out through the nearby speakers... It was time for his parents to leave Pegasus.

"Today, we gather not just to mourn the passing of two extraordinary souls, but to honor their legacy, the lives they touched, the kindness they shared, the family they raised."

"Arlen and Serah were beacons of strength, and their memory shall continue in the hearts of those who knew them. We may grieve today, but we do not despair, for love never truly dies."

Saying so, he speaker looked at Aura in the front as a guy walked upto Aura, giving him 2 roses.

"Thier firstborn, Aura, will now say his final goodbyes." He said, as he put down the mic, his work here is done as he slowly disappeared in the background while Aura just looked at the roses in his hand.

It was his duty to do this, just as the traditions dictates for the last 90 years but, he can't, no matter what, he can't bring himself to.

After all, he isn't thier son but thier Killer right now and even though he has little to no regards for such traditon, he still wasn't able to bring himself to do this.

And so, he looked looked at the flowers before his gaze shifted to his right as he looked towards Rin and Lala.

.

.

.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

With clapping all around, Rin and Lala walked towards the graves, to say the final good byes.

"A R L" Lala read slowly, as she stand in front of the grave of her father as she remembered the first time she learned to read those words.

"E N... ARLEN!! DADDY!!"

"Yes little beauty!! You really are smart! Just like your dad ahaha!"

"I... Can't..." Lala said, as tear started falling from her eyes, as she hold onto flower tightly, almost breaking it in half before she felt a hand on her head as she looked behind slowly.

It was thier brother, Aura, "Go on, you must do this." He said with a gentlest of voices and a smile... Clearly a forced one.

As she looked at him, Lala tried to see thier father in him, but even though, he looked like him, sound like him and smile like him... What she felt wasn't comfort but fear.

"Ye-yes!" She said as she forced herself to put the flower on the grave as clapping lasted for a few more seconds before coming to a stop.

""It's over," someone said quietly from the back as Lala looked up, just like everyone else.

The sky... so beautiful just a second ago was now gone. The soft clouds, the gentle sun, the endless blue… vanished.

In but an instant, the illusion made through advanced technology was dissolved, and what remained above them was just a plain white ceiling.

The endless garden, the wide grassland beneath their feet... it had all been nothing more than a projection, just an image.

All that remained were two graves, and a rectangle platform around both of them, below the ground level compared to normal... As if it has sinked below campared to before.

Of course Lala knows what's going to happen to it now as She just stood there, completely still.

Her mum and dad along with their graves would soon be lowered into that platform and move through a special system built into Pegasus... A tunnel that led directly outside.

Outside of the graveyard, outside of all floors, outside of... Pegasus.

To Earth... A place that, once upon a time, was home to all of humanity. They made Cities there, travelled through oceans, and carried the history of thousands of years... All that, everything began there.

But that was a long time ago as now, Earth isn't a place where humans can live... not anymore since Earth is filled with what is knows as Null Monsters... The Monsters of Null World, a world where no one dares to return except a few.