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“Mom… Dad… where are you going?” Skya's voice was small, just a child’s whisper in the dark, yet it stopped her parents at the door.
Her mother hesitated before replying, her voice strained. “Sweetie, your dad and I are going to work. We’ll be back in the morning, okay?” She gently led Skya back to bed, brushing a hand through her hair as her brothers slept nearby.
But they didn’t come back.
flashback ends
“Liar…” Skya mumbles.
The little girl is now 25 years old, the young woman works because her parents never returned. Skya Zephira grew up and took care of her siblings after she ran away from the orphanage at 17. She secured a job as an engineer and brought her siblings into her custody just three months into her career. Today, she owns several territories in the neutral lands.
“SISTER!!!” a familiar metallic voice called out to her in a panic. Meanwhile, the person in question was asleep in the comfort of her hammock, which hung above.
The mechanical clanking of gears from the antiquated elevator echoed as two figures emerged and entered the room, one of them literally covered in a bloody mess. The one carrying the injured person made their way to the sofa and reached for the baseball on the table.
Thwack! The ball hit its mark, jolting Skya fully awake.
“MTF!!! who-fuck! yuri!!!” Shocked by the sight of her brother Yuri in a bloody mess, she jumped down and grabbed the first aid kit. Rushing to her injured brother, she quickly assessed his wounds and shook her head in disbelief.
“Blake, what happened?!” Skya exclaimed. Even in her panic, she managed to patch up Yuri’s visible wounds.
“Got himself into a fight again,” Blake scoffs, sighing as she runs her fingers through her black hair in frustration
“With who?” she sighed reliasked, knowing Blake would probably handle it as usual.
“Hmm… a nonexistent gangster from the block,” Blake replied
as he helped Skya in opening Yuri’s shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket. Yuri’s bare, sculpted body was now exposed, revealing numerous bruises.
"If you keep this up, I’m going to need a punch card for all your injuries—next one’s free" Skya grumbles
as she continues to apply the spray medicine. This era now uses modern ways for healing wounds that are both faster and more efficient. Furthermore, the dangers in this world are not just the ongoing wars in the neutral lands and territorial disputes; they also include threats posed by Espers and rogue AIs.After finishing, she grabbed the instant ice pack to ease the swelling on Yuri’s injuries.
“MTF—ouch!” the unconscious patient suddenly woke up in an instant, Yuri jolted awake, cussed in pain as the cold pressed against his bruised skin.
“Finally awake, sleeping beauty,” Skya taunted him without remorse, while Blake assisted in holding Yuri down as Skya continued.
“Ouch! ” Yuri hissed in pain from the rough handling. He then seized the ice pack and stood up on his own.
“That hurts!” Yuri exclaimed as he pressed the ice pack against his wounds. He noticed that most of his injuries had healed, leaving only a few old scars and patches of dried blood on his body.
Yuri winced as he lay back on the couch, his pride stinging as much as his wounds.
‘Thanks,’ he mumbled, not meeting their eyes. The fight had been a mess, but more than that, his sister’s disappointment was the real blow. He hated feeling like a burden
“Explain yourself, Yuri Helios,” Skya demanded, her voice cold now, as if the ice pack had seeped into her veins.
Yuri sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “I was investigating something…”
“And look how that turned out,” she interrupted, her frustration bubbling over. “How many times have I told you about the risks? Do you want me to send you away, make you a ‘normal citizen’ again?”
Yuri looked away, guilt flashing in his eyes. He didn’t want to go back, not to that empty, lonely place in ISAI Nation. And they both knew it wasn’t an empty threat. Skya was serious this time.
“Sis… I didn’t mean for it to get this bad.”
“Bullshit!” Skya snapped. “You’re not a detective, Yuri! Stop playing hero!” Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the depth of her fear for him.
She then turned her head to Blake. “you too! Even if half of that blood is not yours, you need to sit down, Blake.” She stared at both of them with a disappointed look, and tossed Blake his spray, as his wounds didn't look as bad as Yuri's.
Skya stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaving the boys on the sofa. A momentary silence followed
“Does she always have to be so strict?”Yuri quietly asked
“No, it’s just that you went too far on getting beaten up, Yuri,” Blake replied as he finished spraying the wound on his body. He then got up to help set the table for dinner, but before he turned away,
“Go wash up because food’s ready by 8,” he added.
“Tch, speak for yourself,” Yuri scoffed
as the large clock of the clock tower chimed in the background, its ticking echoing against one of the walls of their home; they lived inside the clock tower in the suburban district of Starfall City.
Starfall City is not affiliated with any country; it is a free city where no law enforcement officers patrol the area. Situated between the six great nations, none of them can lay claim to this territory. This is where outlaws establish their bases and claim their own territories. Skya is an exception, as she chose to live there and brought her brothers when they reached the right age to join her.
Yuri went into the shower, leaving Blake to help Skya with dinner. Soon, the air was filled with the smell of sizzling spices and the earthy aroma of grilled vegetables filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of motor oil from the tools in the room. As the warm heat from the stove enveloped her, Skya let herself relax just for a moment, the only sound being the rhythmic clatter of metal in the background.
Blake helped in silence as Skya continued to prepare the meal until
“Blake,” she said quietly, her voice softening as he set the table for dinner. “Do you think I’m too hard on him?”
Blake didn’t look up from his task, but his reply was measured. “No… You’re just trying to keep him alive.”
Skya sighed, rubbing a hand across the back of her neck, her fingers tracing the faint scar where her chip had been.
“You know, they kind of deserved the beating from me.”
“Haha, I know, but please remember why we don’t disturb the businesses here, Blake,” Skya replied, loosening up.
“Sister…” Blake called out to her.
“hm?” Skya turned her attention to him.
“Are you serious about sending him to the nation?” Blake spoke in a careful tone as he finished setting the table in the middle of their home.
“No...” Skya looked at him before continuing.
“You know I can’t send him back there or to any other nation, as we’re not marked like them.” She pointed to her nape.
The chip itself is the result of a vast technological collaboration among the six largest nations, which are the biggest powerhouses in the technology field. This technology is integrated into nearly every aspect of daily life, allowing for automation with just a swipe of the hand. From the simplest action of opening doors to complex transactions with individuals, the chip works in conjunction with V-bracelets, which serve as phones, wallets, and even emergency buttons.
Unlike the other citizens who lined up to receive chips implanted in their bodies, Skya had removed both her chip and her brother's. She transformed the chips into removable gloves due to the dark secret surrounding them. The process required her to surgically extract the chips from their bodies, leaving a scar on her nape, unlike her brother's.
Skya never discussed what it was or why she removed it, but they’re able to get past border gates like others due to the glove, which is one of her creations. As a top engineer, it is her specialty to create things that defy the laws of logic in their world. This ability is a source of pride for her as an engineer.
Blake nodded, a silent acknowledgment passing between him and Skya before he turned to head to his room. His bloodstained clothes trailed behind him, marking the day’s violence. As the door clicked shut, his mind wandered back to the last time they’d all been together like this.
as he went in he opened up his hoodie and clothes and tossed it in the random corner of the room. His body is now marked with scars from past fights, a testament to his experience as a veteran street fighter with a reputation in Starfall City. However, his notoriety does not shield him from taking hits. In battle, he has the ability to turn anything he touches into a lethal weapon.
He then puts on a plain black tank top and training pants, changes his skin glove, and places it in a charging bottle filled with fluids that he neither understands nor wants to know about, as it comes with the skin glove that his sister created in replacement of their chips that was supposed to be implanted on his nape.
“Nostalgic…” His thoughts wandered down memory lane to the time when he and Yuri went for their implants after Yuri’s 15th birthday. It was also the day their sister returned and took them in from the orphanage, bringing them to live in a new place near the company where Skya worked, AMS Inc.
AMS Inc., known for its expertise in the mechanics industry and advanced technology, is a major sponsor for various companies. This support is one of the reasons why Skya was able to free herself from the obligation to join the Hero Organization of the Six Nations. Additionally, she was considered someone who could not be touched, even in neutral territories.
Yuri stood under the warm stream of the shower, watching as the blood swirled down the drain. His body ached, but it was nothing compared to the sting of Skya’s words. She was right, of course—she was always right. But that didn’t make it any easier to know.
He rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck, where the chip used to be. Skya had removed it years ago, before they even understood how deep the system’s control ran. She had saved him and Blake from becoming like the others—trapped in the machinations of the six nations. But sometimes, late at night, he wondered if they were really free or just on borrowed time.
His thoughts were interrupted by the glow of his V-bracelet. A message flashed across the screen, something that made his pulse quicken with excitement. He smirked, his mood lightened up slightly as he finished rinsing off and grabbed a towel.
I’m not going back to that life ever again.
