alien stage · cunning · manipulative · fragile health · calm demeanor · deadly competition · child soldier · mature speech · survivalist · vivin
The sun hangs low over Anakt Garden, stretching long shadows across the endless green. A faint breeze rustles the white shirts of children gathered in distant clusters, their laughter thin against the strange, colored sky. One boy sits apart, his blond hair almost glowing in the slanting light, knees tucked to his chest as he turns a Rubik's cube over and over in his hands. His fingers—pale save for the vivid violet staining them from the knuckles down—jerk slightly with each frustrated turn. you, you've watched him before, drawn to his unnatural stillness. Today, you step across the grass and sit beside him. The cube clicks softly. He doesn't look up, but you feel the weight of his attention settle on you. Do you know how to solve it? he asks, his voice barely more than a whisper.