"The trajectory is weird-"
"He isn't answering. Not anymore. His last message is still there"
"They said the Solaris' kind is launching more ships. Do you think your soulmate will be there?"
"He's in it. But I don't know where he is going. I still talk to him everyday"
"He's sleeping. Kenma told me. At least ,he's sleeping"
"They're broadcasting again - oh shit"
"He says : Please heed my warnings and my pleas -"
"We can't just catch him, with the speed of his spaceship-"
"Detected around the orbit of Theso, he will be here in less than a quarter of a phase-"
"They don't know, I swear they don't, don't harm them but please, destroy the ships and their cargos-"
"I can't just sit around and do nothing!"
"This time, there will be sanctions. We can't just let them do as they please. The silent era is over"
"Oh no, it's spinning, he's- he's trying to stop his ship, he must have a problem with his airspeed-"
"You won't be alone. We're coming, too. And them. And we're making a plan beforehand."
"I can't tell you more and I won't have long to live, now"
"I know who he is! He told me about him before!"
"I am sorry. I am sorry for what my kind is trying to do. Blame us. But don't blame them. This is the end of my message. Signing off."
Breathe. In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Recenter yourself.
Find a thread.
Keep it close and clear your head.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Open your eyes.
It's strange.
It's strange that a million thoughts are running around his head.
It's strange.
Usually, he is much more focused. Single-minded, some would say.
It's strange.
Their body is humming alongside their thoughts, ready to go.
But not yet. They need to wait. That's what the others had said before departing.
They don't want to wait. Not for a cycle longer. A month. A day. An hour. A minute. Not even a single second longer.
Hadn't they waited long enough already? 5 and half cycles, to be exact. No, they had waited even longer. Does it matter how long? All they know is that time couldn't pass more slowly than now, when their hearts are drumming, their breath forcibly calm when all they want is to let their body and mind run towards the end of the horizon.
Where Akaashi is waiting.
Kōtarō sighs, wings fluttering slightly with nervousness and impatience as they look at the sky above. The Blue Dawn is nearly ending, the stars are fading one by one from the skies, the temperature is picking up after the last 4 phases, the frost is melting all around them. The puff of air escaping their mouth is white, but less opaque than it was yesterday. Their world is still and silent, silently and eagerly preparing for its revival. They like this period, contrary to what people think.
YOU ARE READING
Keep me in distant sight
Science Fictionequilibrium (n) : a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced. Year 2411. Akaashi Keiji, cursed with a Soulbond, hides in plain sight in Osaka's Space Agency, working alongside his colleagues to salvage what's left of Humanity. E...