Embodiment || Nine Percent Lin Yanjun

Chapter 1

A shattering glass sound jerks me straight out of my sleep. My eyes snap in the direction almost causing me to fall off of the thin concrete railing I was sleeping on.

I look off to the grass flooring below where a vase had broken and shattered from falling numerous stories up.

"Ma'am, you could have hit me!" I whine my eyes driving back up to the floors above, my body still fully on the wall.

I see a dark-skinned older female harpy leaning over the wall. Her old dark bark color feathers nearly grey from age.

"Then Fan Lei, how many times do I tell you not to fall asleep there!" Her small beak-like mouth squawks back down at me.

"Can't help it! If I get tired. I get tired." I shout back.

"Then find a safer place. You'll fall off one of these days!" She gives me one last glare before turning back and disappearing back over the rail.

"Aww Mrs. Cartendez, I'll be fine," I shout hoping her hawk-like ears will pick up on it.

I sigh before sliding off the wall and back into the hallway leading down some apartments and then out.

'At least I fell asleep on the first floor. The fall wouldn't be that bad from there.'

I pick up the bag that I had set against the wall. I sling the messenger bag's strap over my shoulder. As I make my way down the hall I start putting my long caramel hair up in a ponytail. I skip out of the entrance and onto the streets of Persephone.

My eyes scan the streets as I walk toward the city's main Zōion portal. Just like any zodiac constellation, the species range from all wonders of mythology creatures; Minotaurs, phoenixes, sphinx- though most of those like the dryer planets of the zodiacs. Most of the population has the structure of a human but abilities range on not just their true species, but also their Zodiac.

A thunderous crackle from Persephone's atmosphere roams through the air. I grab the umbrella from its resting place on the side of my bag. I push open the clear umbrella just as everyone else on the street does the same. All expecting the unavoidable weather of Virgo's main planet. Just as the plastic umbrella reaches my head the clouds break loose of the water they are carrying.

I exhale my head shaking side to side. My right-hand clings to the handle while my left slightly sticks out, grazing rain as it falls upon it.

I reach the center main portal of Virgo. Luckily at this time, a few other students of Astéri Academy were traveling through the portal. I follow through with them.

The pass through the Zōion is short-lived. On the other side, I am greeted by a large corridor-like hallway with twelve Zōion portals lined in a row, one for each of the Zodiacs. Not to my surprise, the hallway isn't really full of students. Not many Zodiac student body choose to live and travel from earth and back from their home constellation.

I shake the droplets of water off of the umbrella onto the flowers of  Virgo's maiden statue. Though the flowers running across her chest and lower body never die I didn't seem to think that the extra water would do any harm.

I close up the umbrella and start to head out of the portal room. I start to make my way out of the main building when a wash of sleepiness flows over me.

Feeling my self slowly drift, I push myself into the nearest room which happens to be the girls' bathroom. I slide into a stall and lock it once I'm fully in.

I sit on the hard toilet seat and set my head against the wall. Before I have the chance to really get comfortable my body falls numb and I fall deep into the darkness of my subconscious.