『A crystal can only reveal its hidden structure when fractures thread through its inclusions』
Jewelry embedded with the finest of gemstones will always capture a person's attention. Whether it be through the flurry of colors running through the glas...
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『ARC TWO: CAREFUL STEPS』
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Akihiko recalled the vague sight of a butterfly lingering around the pile of broken cinnabar sitting in a metallic bin behind the bar. The crystal was shattered, glops and spots of mercury lingering on the pieces of crimson. The insect fluttered its wings rapidly a few times, lavender sparkles coming off of its antennas. Its tiny legs neared the poisonous crystal.
For some unknown reason, Akihiko reached his hand out, almost wanting to stop the small creature from becoming destroyed. It was a feeble attempt, one that had no effort in it at all. He blankly stared, watching with no emotion as the insect crumbled like dust once its legs grazed the poisonous silver substance.
His arm fell to his side and he stayed seated on the concrete floor behind the bar. The five-year-old cocked his head to the side once the butterfly disappeared entirely. His small body was settled in a corner beside a crate of lapis lazuli hairpieces. He was hiding. For what? Who knows? His parents would find him eventually. His mother had dragged Tanami to the other side of the building to the part of the bar that was actually open. He was hiding in the closed one. Kiyoko was probably flaunting Tanami's Quirk with glee. Her Quirk had fewer restrictions than his.
So here he was alone, cinnabar and lapis lazuli his only companions for this night. He brought his knees to his chest, bandaged arms wrapping around them. Akihiko winced, a wound opening underneath the cloths. He noticed a red stain beginning to appear on the bandage. The child only released a puff of melancholy air and ignored it. It was nothing new anyway. He would have a few more wounds by tomorrow night.
He craned his neck back, head lightly thumping against a cabinet door. The lightbulbs above him were blinding yet he did not have the motivation to tear his periwinkle eyes from them. He liked the light. It was not dark like the small room they occupied. It was much, much too dark in there even with the faint light of their hair. He and Tanami did not like the dark.
Breathing in the air spiked with the scent of alcohol, Akihiko finally tore his gaze away from the lights. He was beginning to see black spots swimming around his vision. Pressing his small and cold fingers to his closed eyes, he relished in the cool feeling as his skin felt abnormally hot. Could it be a developing fever from exhaustion? Overuse of his Quirk?
Pressing his fingertips together, Akihiko began to wonder how much trouble he would be if he snuck into the medicine cabinet. Surely his parents would not notice if a single pill went missing? His lips pursed together. He was not going to take the chanc-
The sound of a door swinging open and the doorknob colliding with the wall hard entered his ears. The skittering of shoes scraping across the ground and angered footsteps echoed across the room. Startled by the sudden noise, Akihiko scrambled to his feet and peered over the granite island.
