As Kath walked onto the rooftop he felt as though he was missing something. As if an unknown eternity had washed over him and was tickling the palm of his hand. "Hello Kath," She called out to him. He finally spared her a glance. She was, no she had transcended. Was this woman he was looking at really human? She seemed to be a goddess, bathing in the light of an infinite sun. She looked so familiar, but why? He could barely even recall her name. It was as if she was from a distant dream from long ago, a phantom of the past, and she danced.
Oh the beauty of the world could not be summed up in this one singular dance. The phantom Goddess, basking in the golden hour. Her black veil forming as wings behind her and her feet glided across concrete as if they were on ice. There was no music but why should there be? Both Kath and Elena heard the melody. A riotous sound masked with dissonance and sharp beats. Yet she danced gracefully in a fluid undisturbed motion. She moved like water on a calm bay gracefully overlapping each wave of the dance with the next. As Kath watched this dance he was mesmerized. This girl was in true peace and accepted her fate. She danced, so gracefully even at the end of time.
"Kath," she whispered still in dance. He huffed in response. "Do you understand why this must happen?" "I do." Kath replied in a mundane tone.
"No Kath, you don't know what must happen. But it must for time must move on." Kath felt something, but what? He hadn't felt in so long, what was this sensation? "Kath do you know the difference between what is right and wrong?" Elena stopped her dance and set her eyes on Kath. The man who was made of stone. "You used to know what was right and what was wrong, yet, you forgot. Then you forgot you forgot and now we're here, brother." Kath could feel eternity piercing into him now, like an arrow crashing into his very soul. Kath bent over in pain, this crushing feeling felt infinite, it felt authentic. "Now Kath you know, we must fight.
She was fast, but she had no weapon. Elena dashed forward running at Kath, but it was a mistake. Challenging the person who taught you to fight is never a good idea. For while he knew all of her moves, she did not know his. While Kath had no physical memories of teaching Elena to fight. The muscle memory remained. While Elena seemed like the perfect strategist, in a fight she was too forward and reckless. Kath quickly sidestepped her attack and immediately defaulted into his fighting stance. It had been years since he'd fought and he couldn't remember fighting at all, but the muscle memory was still there. She came at him again, throwing her hands aimlessly in each direction. "Whoever I was in the past, I'm not anymore. I have no recollection of being your brother." Kath said through gritted teeth. Elena grinned at that, "even the slight chance that you're the same person makes me fear for the world." Kath stopped, stunned at the words Elena had said. "Well then, who was I?" She didn't respond, this time when Elena rushed him, Kath didn't move. The pain seared through his face as Elena punched him to the ground.
Blood rushed from Kath's face and nose and he felt dizzy after hitting the solid concrete rooftop. But none of that really mattered, Elena had basically just told him he was a monster. Kath thought he had accepted death and accepted the infinite that consumed his soul. The nothingness that plagued his heart. But in this moment he wanted to live, not for any selfless reason like protecting Sashe or finding out who he really was. He just wanted to live as Kath, the emotionless man who had still made the choice to save Sashe, still made the choice to live and protect her, still mourned silently for the people he'd watched die one by one, and who still couldn't shake the image of the dead child sitting next tot hat broken bench, with dead fireflies dropped around him.
Glancing around now, Kath realized there were many fireflies surrounding them. Elena rushed at him again, punch after punch Kath couldn't feel the pain. No matter what Elena did, Kath didn't fall unconscious. He was just staring up at the fireflies, numb.
Elena didn't know what to do, she couldn't hurt him. Even after her years of training, her kicks and punches didn't move him. He was truly a monster. Even though she knew he hadn't trained in the arts in years, he didn't even know he ever trained in the arts. Yet Elena was still nothing compared to this man, her brother. She was attacking a block of concrete, her foot hurt more than he probably did. Her hands bloody and rugged from punching so much. It was the first time she felt out of control in years.
(Sashe's Perspective)
Sashe started sprinting up the stairs as soon as she heard the commotion going on outside. The banging on the rooftop scared her even more. As she opened the door to the rooftop she gasped at the sight she saw. Elena, the girl that had carried Kath back to the hotel was rolled over next to him, crying. Kath was stoic as ever laying on the ground face dripping in blood. The world was desolate around them, an ominous feeling filled the air as the sun set.
...1 Year Ago
Sashe was never able to see the fireflies everyone else claimed their yellow lights were so beautiful, so mesmerizing. Had Sashe's eyesight gotten bad, why couldn't she see them? She walked with Asaka, a girl her and Kath had found a few months back who was really good at sewing. The two walked along the rundown city, they were scouting for some sort of food in the middle of the street. Asaka asked Sashe along to try to bring her out of her depression, Sashe knew that and still walked with her, after all it was working.
"Look there's cans of food on that shelf over there in that store." Asaka said as they were crossing an intersection. Sure enough a corner store, or more like corner building had many untouched canned food on its shelf, but something felt off. Why would there be food on the shelf when everything else looked raided? Before Sashe could say a word, Asaka ran for the food.
"No!" Sashe screamed as a group of bandits surrounded the building. They didn't pay Sashe any mind at all.
Asaka was stunned as the group of bandits surrounded her, but she wasn't shocked at the bandits. Swarms of yellow light flew down around the corner store, there were millions of them. If this was how she went out, she was fine with it. As the bandits rushed at her and started hacking at her with knives and hatchets, she didn't scream or even cry. Asaka felt content.
Sashe screamed and cried as she watched Asaka get trampled and mauled. She didn't care who or what heard her screams of pain and terror. She even wished someone, even the bandits could hear her pain, but nobody could. That night Sashe walked back to camp alone, and lonely.
...Present Day
Seeing Kath now all bloodied and bruised was a shock that sent Sashe spiraling to old memories. She dare not move for if she did it might be real. But wait something seemed off. She watched Kath with careful eyes noticing he looked unharmed, no it was more than that. This mans facial expressions didn't look like Kath at all. Sashe was staring at a completely different man entirely.