03- Darkness in Light

"You don't seem to be pleased about it Arthur."

Asteria asked her younger brother who is seated near Xavier all across the large table in the room.

"Who would be?" He asked as he leaned on the chair and put his hands on the back of his neck.

"Now, now don't be like that dear brother. Let us prepare for the arrival of my old friend."

"Friend? Let me guess another guy right?" Xavier glanced at her who seemed to specifically ignored it.

"Technically yes. Well, his name is Haine, he is the one who insisted that treat each other as friends."

Kaiser raised and eyebrow. "A one sided friendship?"

Asteria smiled at him and put her chin in the palm of her hand.

"There is something to gain in our friendship which is the reason why I decided to keep it that way, other than that we have a lot of things in common. Surely adding another person in my life wouldn't hurt right? How bad can it be?"

"Let's just hope it won't be that bad." Lorrainne mumbled as Xavier nodded in agreement.

"Arthur?" The platinum blonde haired girl asked. "Do you wanna stay here throughout the meeting or do you wanna hang out with your friends?"

"How long will the meeting last this time?"

Asteria looked at her phone and it read. 4:37pm.

"We won't be ending till seven."

"Ok. I'll go home first. I'll wait for you till dinner." said Arthur as he carried his things and walked out of the room.

"What was that?" Kai asked in confusion.

Xavier and Lucas let out sigh of frustration as Kai always seemed clueless in some things.

They are obviously tired of this shit.

Asteria shook her head in disbelief as both guys wanted nothing but to strangle Kaiser and let their frustration out.

But this isn't the time for it.

"Never mind let us prepare the plan."

꧁___________________________________꧂

—4:45 pm. At the Lumiere's residence—

Arthur arrived at their house not that far away for school. It's been a few days since he knew about her sister being the council's president and had been the committee for years.

He entered the house and walked through the silent halls filled with nothing but emptiness.

All this time he never seemed to remember their own parents. No matter how hard he persuaded Asteria to tell him about them she just simply dismiss the topic.

Once he decided to look through their old photos and found nothing. There are few pictures of him and Asteria but no picture of their biological parents.

Some were cut out, some were burned, some disappeared.

He stopped at his tracks stopping at a particular painting that his elder sister had painted a very long time ago.

A person with ethereal looks, calm looking and overall breathtaking. His long blonde hair swayed as his back is turned staring at the crescent moon that shone brightly within the night.

The real question in his mind was.

"Who is he?"

꧁___________________________________꧂

—6:30 pm. Council's Room—

"Thus Helia and I decided to keep it low for a while. If any of you found something out of the ordinary give him a call immediately. And also, do not let Arthur knew about this."

Kai was confused why would Asteria wouldn't tell her twin brother. "But why won't you just tell him."

She glanced at him and answered coldly. "That is not your business right?"

"He deserves to know about it."

"And you don't deserve to stick your nose in my business Kaiser Reagan." Asteria replied as she stood up and arranged her things.

"You didn't even bother to tell us why? We are friends right?" Kai asked curiously.

Asteria stopped for a moment and stared at Kai from the doorstep. "It seems you had forgotten what I said earlier about my friendship with Haine,

I'll only join if I have something to gain.

In other words, you all are nothing but pawns for me to achieve my goal. It was pure coincidence that some of us have the same perspective and merely fate carved its way for us to walk in the same path.

But it never said that we will be walking side by side. For now I am way ahead than you Kaiser. I know a lot of things that you don't.

So I suggest you don't judge my decision too quickly. Everything will fall into place soon."

꧁___________________________________꧂

"I'm home." Asteria said as she entered the house and found her twin at the kitchen placing the food.

"Oh? Mari! So how did the meeting go?" Arthur asked cautiously.

"It was fun... I guess? If you can call it that." She bluntly replied.

"Hehe." Arthur sweat dropped at his sister's bluntless.

"Anyway there won't be any class for the next month." Asteria announced as she took a bite out of her food.

"Why?"

She looked at him blankly before replying in her usual monotone voice. "Reasons."

"And what is this 'reasons' that seemed important that canceling the classes in the middle of a semester is being overlooked?"

"You're asking too many questions." Asteria glared at him.

"Okay okay. Anyway one last question." Arthur said with a serious face.

She raised an eyebrow at him. Now that she think about it, ever since few days ago he seemed to be not cheerful the way he used to be.

"Sure."

"What happened to mom and dad?" Arthur asked.

Asteria looked at him with a blank look before replying. "It doesn't matter. Don't call them that."

"Tsk. But why? Why can't I seemed to remember them? Surely you do right?"

"That's because you don't." Asteria yelled at him slamming her hands on the table.

"Why don't I see any pictures of them in this house?"

"Because they never exist in our lives."

"They're still our parents right?"

"Technically speaking, yes. They are our so called parents yet they don't act like one."

"You know where they are?"

Asteria sighed. This will be a never ending question and answer portion. "You don't need to know about that."

"Surely I deserve to right? I have the right to know what happened." Arthur looked at his sister with a defeated look.

'He deserves to know about it.' Kai's words echoed through her mind.

"Whatever." Asteria walked away before the situation escalates further. "I'll be at my room."

꧁___________________________________꧂

—6:33 pm At the Council's Room—

–After Asteria left–

"What's wrong with not letting her brother know the truth surely he deserves to, right?" Kai asked the rest of the members as they stared at him with an unreadable look on their faces.

"Kaiser." Lorrainne said softly. He looked at her and saw a sad look on her face. Now that is something that he doesn't see every day.

"She knows what she's doing."

"And she did acknowledge us earlier." Xavier added.

Kai gritted his teeth. "Acknowledged? By what? Calling us pawns and it was a mere coincidence that all of us are now walking in the same path?"

Lorrainne looked at him worriedly. "She was all alone before."

"But she has a twin brother."

"In a crowd full of people, she always felt alone."

Lucas know what Lorrainne and Xavier will say next so he opted to stay silent.

"She is glad that she met all of us. Don't take it for granted." Xavier said to Kai who seemed to be taken aback from their words.

Lorrainne glanced at Lucas who seemed to get the message they are trying to portray.

"She wanted us to save her. But she is afraid to ask us." Lorrainne stated with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Can't you see? She's suffering."

꧁___________________________________꧂

'Breathe... just breathe.' Asteria thought to herself as she breathe in and out in an attempt to calm her erratic heartbeat.

'Why?' She asked herself as she gripped her hair tightly and was curled in her bed. 'Why can't I just let them be?'

A notification from her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Lorraine:

Sender: Lorrainne

Time: 6:49 p.m. —sent—

Message:

Good evening Mari, are you okay? By the way Kai said sorry about what happened earlier. It was just a misunderstanding and we cleared it. Also, please don't think that it is all your fault.

'Easy for you to say Rainne. You weren't there.' Asteria said thought to herself as a stray tear escaped from her eyes.

"I just wanna rest. I'm already tired of this never ending cycle of misery." Asteria thought out loud.

"Please.... Someone.... Just end it."

She started sobbing uncontrollably as she hugged her pillow tighter and let herself be surrounded by her own darkness.

꧁___________________________________꧂

—Lorrainne—

'She didn't reply.' Lorrainne thought as she looked at her phone. 'At least she read the message.'

"Lorrainne?" She perked up when she heard her cousin's voice outside her room.

She opened the door and saw Helia with his raven hair messy and seemed sleep derived.

"Yeah? You need something?"

He looked at her. "Something happened right?"

"What?" Lorrainne asked curiously.

"You're not the same person when you came home earlier." He pointed out.

"Yes. But its fine I can handle it." She said enthusiastically.

He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Be sure to sleep early kay?"

"I should be telling you that. You look like shit." She commented.

"Thats because I've been through shit this time."

She raised and eyebrow at him before replying. "Wow that is some humor."

"Whatever. I'll be going now." He said as he walked away from her room.

"Please come back safely. Helia."

꧁___________________________________꧂

A figure stood at top of a tall building overlooking the city.

"So found anything yet?" The person asked their subordinate.

"No data had been retrieved."

The person walked outside of the building staring at the moon with a longing look.

His dull golden eyes filled with despair stared at the vast sky.

"Haine." He turned around to see Stanley, one of his subordinates.

"You're gonna met her right?"

"Of course."

"But why now out of all times?"

'Haine' looked at Stanley with a calm facade. "I just want to see her that's it. She's a dear friend to me."

Stanley smiled at him. "A friend huh?"

"She is... and always will be." Haine muttered quietly as his dull golden eyes seemed to sparkle for a split second.

"Stanley? Do you remember what I told you back then? About what happened to me years ago."

"Yeah. You were saved by a person in the brink of your death right?"

"She saved me." Haine said with a smile, a grateful one. "Back then I was all alone with my own demons and surrounded by darkness, but she helped me tamed them thus I finally saw the light I've been longing for so long. Now it's my turn to save her."

"What do you mean by 'save' her?" Stanley asked curiously.

Haine stared at him before answering. "Lumiere. The name means 'light' yet there is darkness within her.

One that is very dangerous once she fell for it.

Though it is inevitable, I'll find a way to save her.

After all—" He smiled at Stanley with pure sincerity. "She's the light when darkness almost consumed me, it's my turn to do the same.

I'll be her light this time."