In the busy town of Plaridel, where people are dependent on magical abilities called quip, lives a young lady named Nikumu. One day, she finds her father, who was away for almost ten years, unconscious on their doorstep. After seeking help, she and...
A day had passed and Nikumu was restless throughout the whole night. Her mother watched over her father so she had to stay in her bedroom which was across her parents’ room. She paused in front of her door for a second, wishing everything was just a horrible dream.
There were two layers of door again. The first door, which were already open, were two heavy wooden doors that opens inward and the second layer was made out from plywood and planks which were painted. It had a screen on the top part of the door which was used to see who was inside the room if the first doors were open. Nikumu was now facing the screened doors, hesitated to push it open.
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After letting a sigh out, she pushed one door open and it gave a creaking sound. The hinges were quite old now; it was there ever since she was just a new born baby so it was expected that rust would definitely take over.
“Nikumu, is that you?” her mother asked from the kitchen. Though the kitchen was far, her mother’s voice was loud enough for her to hear from her room.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“… I guess he’s still not awake yet.”
“I’m going to check on him now…” Nikumu’s room was only a few feet away from her parents’ room so she slowly and carefully walked towards her right, avoiding any disturbances that she might make.
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Before she could peek inside the room, she heard a loud crash from inside.
“TAY?!” She immediately opened the door and saw her father getting up from the floor. “Tay, what happened?”
“Nikumu? How long has it been? Don't worry, I just fell from the bed because it was so dark when I tried to get up… which reminds me, can you turn the lights on? Your mother usually leaves it on after she wakes up. She must have forgotten. Well, we aren’t getting younger afterall,” he chuckled as he reached out for Nikumu’s arms.
“Tay… the room is as bright as day. This isn’t one of your jokes again, is it?” Silence filled the room as a grim realization struck both of them.
