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 when he saw it was 2 am, training his mind and body to wake up for this exact moment was worth it.
'Alright, let's do this,' he said to himself as he closed his eyes before opening them again a few seconds later hut when he tried to stand up after that, his legs gave out.
He stumbled and crashed into the wall with a loud thud, holding onto his abdomen as his whole body felt like he'd just been hit by a truck.
"Ugh… damn," he muttered, holding his side. Everything hurt, he thought as he held onto a dusty old shelf to stop himself from falling, breathing hard.
"Especially these stitches," he said out aloud, 'Selling my kidney better be worth it.' he thought as he looked around.
The room around him was a mess. Old, dirty, and full of junk. Broken crates, trash, and who-knows-what scattered everywhere.
It smelled bad too, which was understandable as it's been years since it 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," he said, looking at the knife in his hands, reminding him of a similar knife, in his own hands, both covered in blood, washed in it.
"He must be, a demon." He said looking at himself again in knife, somehow, he felt as if he is seeing himself smiling in blood covered face, with a Demonic 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, as he forced a smile again towards Uncle John, making him realise that he has so forgotten to smile that he has to force it every time he smile.
"You are right," John said, looking at the food for a while before he looked ahead, mainly at the people from investigation department that have arrived here.
"Don't worry tho, the killer will soon be found, they won't let a killer roam freely on Pegasus, especially on middle levels." Uncle John said as Aura too sighed.
Of course he knows this, no commoner has escaped after doing a crime on Pegasus in the past 20 years, no only because of the insanely good investigation method but also because there is no where to run to.
Everyone here is trapped, with no way of leaving, except for those at the top level, which have basically everything.
As for those at middle and low levels? Things are not that good, while low level basically living a slums like life, where they barely manage to meet end meets, pay thier tax, staying in cramped rooms and put food on the table.
Many even failing to achieve that and Aura knows that if he fails to pay the monthly tax, he with his siblings might also be demoted to a lower level, fortunately he has enough money to pay the tax for all 3 of them for atleast 2 more months, excluding the food, electricity and water prices.
But after 2 months, they won't be able to maintain thier current life anymore and will be demoted for sure, that's why, Aura knows he has to act fast.
Not only does he have to earn money, but also escape the murder, either frame it on someone else 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.
However, getting it isn't easy either, you have to born with it which is the probably the easiest way to get it, or make a contribution big enough to the whole human race which a few in the Pegasus had made in its 90 year long history.
Last and the most dangerous way to get it is by awakening, and it doesn't stop there as even after awakening, auxiliary gifts are mostly ignored and are just employed as Pegasus management group with silver citizenship.
Till they are too higher rank that is, but those with combat and support gifts can immediately be given gold citizenship, though not everyone which is weird.
However, 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...
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P/S:- Ended with a bit of info dump lol, anyways, tell me if u spot a mistake plz, ima fix it 😭☝️