The Falling (Book I)

Rayi

Rayi

She awoke early the next morning and rushed to the bathroom to examine her face. The swelling in her cheek had gone down and the injury was not as irritated looking. She touched her unhurt cheek, feeling the smooth skin beneath her fingertips.

She rarely got to see her own reflection. She and the girl were inverted versions of each other. Irsya was the only one to maintain her black locks, while Rayi and Kopa's hair lost all their color. She fingered an ear length strand and scowled. Longer hair was her preference but the girl insisted on chopping it when it got a little past her shoulders. She accidentally cut it a little too short in the back last time; most of the strands barely reached the nape of her neck.

"That angel's medicine certainly helped," she whispered, glancing at the wound one last time before turning away from the mirror and to the tub. She watched the tub fill with steaming water.

She had a limited opinion on the angel. She would be the first to admit she found him attractive and interesting, but certainly not enough to risk her life. While she was intrigued, she was also repulsed by the idea of having a relationship with him. She could not believe the girl's mother did such a thing and produced an abomination powerful enough to become God.

The funniest part to her about all of that? None of the angels knew a Semifacta was their master.

Once the tub reached an adequate level, Rayi turned the water off and got out of her dressing gown, sighing contentedly as she stepped into the tub. She settled in and closed her eyes. It was silent on the second floor, Zane's and Mikayla's heartbeats slow and steady in slumber. On the third floor, Tavor was moving around sluggishly. He would be leaving to go to the palace soon. In the kitchen, the servants were gathering the stored souls for breakfast.

Normally the girl skipped breakfast since she seldom woke before noon. She was a night owl. Rayi was not. She preferred having an early start and getting breakfast after a soak. Her foot twitched as she thought about how she would spend the day. She considered asking Zane to spar with her and grinned at the thought.

She scrubbed her body down before getting out of the tub. She drained it and stepped out, drying herself with the fluffy gray towel on the counter. The ends of her hair were wet from where they came into contact with the water. Going back into her room, Rayi waltzed over to her closet, pulling out the girl's training clothes. She tugged them on and slipped her feet into the ankle-high leather shoes.

Unlike her host, Rayi did not like walking around barefoot. Feet should be cared for better than that. It disgusted her to no end their feet were so hard.

As she walked down the hall, she could hear her siblings stir. She went to the kitchen and sat at the small table, remaining silent as the servants placed the souls in front of her. They did not react to seeing her running the body. She did not bother with the fork and knife on either side of her plate, grabbing a soft pink soul. It was warm and thrumming; a child's soul. Zealously, Rayi popped it in her mouth. It tasted like happiness.

The door swung open behind her and Mikayla's heartbeat spiked before leveling out again. Rayi looked over her shoulder to give her a coy smile before turning back to her meal. She hesitated, then came over and sat across from her twin.

"You are in charge today?" Mikayla asked conversationally as a servant set a plate in front of her.

She nodded, her mouth filled with two souls. "The girl needed a holiday."

Mikayla said nothing and cut a soul in half. As the two ate, Zane came down and took the seat between the two. He stared at Rayi for a couple of minutes, his expression stricken. Rayi was amused when she realized why he made such a face.