Soul Sealer

Enigma

As of 2025, a mysterious mass of land rose suddenly from the depths of the ocean on the eastern side of the earth between The Philippines and Japan. The land was named Stroveria, and it had officially become part of Asia by 2030, after much dispute. Not only had Stroveria appeared seemingly out of thin air, but it was also a vast land of around three million square kilometres with never-seen-before vegetation, climates, and a staggering amount of natural resources, leading people from around the globe to build up a country and settle in strover grounds. The capital of Stroveria was the city of Milos, and that is where the story picks up, precisely, at the thirteenth street of Milos, the year 2102.

To him came that feeling again. Eyes! From his room, Asther could feel eyes watching him, inspecting his every move. A feeling nothing foreign, disturbing, nonetheless. He turned around, reaching for his translucent window and searching for the source of his discomfort, yet he could see nothing strange, at least, for him. The thing is, his room was something very peculiar on its own: there were dozens of board games, card games, jigsaws, and toys all around. It was like a toy store. The floor was particularly interesting. It had several constructions, palaces, and castles made out of cards, legos, and his favourite of them all, dominoes. Ever since he was a kid he fancied building unrealistically huge things with toys, and piecing jigsaws together, those were his only real hobbies. Most kids his age thought it was weird, calling him a man-child. Asther never really cared, all he cared for was winning whichever game he came across, and solving all puzzles no matter how hard.

"Asther!" yelled his mother. "You're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry!"

"Just a second," he said in his monotone voice, putting a deck of playing cards inside his black backpack, and looking at himself in a nearby mirror, scavenging for any misplaced clothing item. His black pants were secured by the brown belt, check. The long-sleeved, white shirt was tidy and tucked inside his pants, check. His blue necktie was wrapped correctly around his collar, and his navy jacket with the embroidered emblem of Milicia Academy on the left chest, an eagle with cyclamen in its beak, was pristine, check. Always the perfectionist. "Coming."

Walking through the floor, carefully avoiding the numerous toy constructions that he had built there, he opened his room's door, dashing across the narrow hall and down the wooden set of staircases that connected the second floor with the living room. His rushed footsteps could be heard all over the house as he descended. "Asther, don't run around the house, especially if you're going down the stairs. How many times do I have to tell you?" said his mother.

"I won't fall again," he said. Not down these staircases, not ever again.

He made it down. His mother waited for him with a scowl on her elderly face. As soon as she caught a glimpse of him, she grasped his arm. "Wait a moment!" she ordered, spinning him around and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Never run down the stairs, ever!"

Asther sighed, slightly rolling his eyes. "I was rushed to get to school. Teachers don't like me already, all the more reason for them to scold me if I arrive late."

"Then, you should have gotten up sooner. I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself once again."

"I did get up soon, but the domino replica of the Streiden palace I built last night collapsed, so I had to rearrange it. As for the accident, that was already two months ago and my shoes were wet from the rain, hence I slipped, isn't that what you said? It hasn't happened since then," he replied, avoiding any eye contact.

"Your mother is right, Asther," said his father, as he got up from the couch and approached them. "Your mom and I were scared to death when you nearly cracked your small head open. Don't make her repeat it. Don't run down the stairs."