trust me. // wraith x crypto

Prologue: Crypto

[The night after Mila went missing.]

Pellets of freezing rain collided into the black asphalt outside the parking garage, dispersing into an unforgiving mist before being carried in the winds of a harsh Gaea winter. From his stance shrouded beneath the concrete coverings, Taejoon could barely make out the structures of the city that laid before him, his vision clouded with an impassable fog. The icy breeze overtook his skin with a heavy blush of frost, but nature stood quite pitifully below the true perpetrator of Taejoon's warmth.

The tips of his fingers grasped at the black metals of the cybernetic neck pieces, the cold sensations of the material clashing against the burns on his hands from slowly constructing its configuration. He looked at the outlines of its intricate mold, the edges of his eyes softening wistfully as though longing to expose an unrequited longing. Thoughts of a girl with red hair and a crass smile began to flood his mind, snapshots of memories endlessly seeping shame and guilt further and further into a hatred he would grow to manifest for himself. He thought of the deep focus hidden within the teal green strokes of her irises when studying codes and all the times she'd shoved him around playfully growing up - never with hate, but always with a loving intention behind her gestures. His greatest reminiscence, however, was bitter and constituted only of the words he used to comfort her within the dead of midnight, when she was convinced that both of their lives were fated for perpetual hopelessness.

That's all they were: words. Abundant in intention, but destitute of meaning. Promises and plans slipped off his tongue so easily, fantasizing about the second chance he could provide for her: a home without obligations, a place for her to be free and happy, to truly be a kid for once in her life, to love and be loved without fear. But when it came to meeting the ends of his ambitions, he felt as though a knife had been taken to his heart and mind. He had every chance, every opportunity, and every advantage, yet he wasn't there when she needed him the most.

Mila. God knows where she is.

Jolting awake to reality for a split second, Taejoon pursed his lips as he fastened another cybernetic element onto the side of the neck piece, his eyes upturned in an expression of disgust and determination. He felt a stinging pain dully stab into his hands as he applied pressure onto the metal to finish tailoring it. He paused for a moment, losing his own conscience in his thoughts, nothing but the sound of pattering rain and thunderous claps ringing in his ear. His hand trailed a straight pathway from its grasp on the metal neck piece up to the rectangular black rim of his glasses. Gently pulling the spectacles hold off of his face, he felt a sense of liberty as he watched the glasses pull further and further from his body- as if he were losing a part of himself. He allowed the glasses to clatter to the floor, crushing them immediately after with his boot, the sound of their fragile frames slowly cracking bringing pleasure to his ears. His eyes remained somewhat in a daze of conviction as his free hand reached across his chest and clasped onto the cream colored fabric of his trench coat, unveiling his wrinkled white work shirt beneath it. He threw it to the floor with great force before moving his hands to rip off the blue satin silk of his partially undone tie from running away. His fingertips meticulously gripped onto the buttons of his shirt, undoing them all the way down, allowing the thin white fabric to fall off his torso. Though his chest and back were exposed with skin crawling at the bite of the wind, Taejoon felt his body warm with a sense of security and relief to have departed with his old clothes.

He fixed his attention back to the metal neck piece still held in his other hand. Holding its edges with great concentration, he placed it around his neck, letting the back harness itself onto his skin into an immovable state. He inhaled sharply through his nose, closing his eyes, feeling the pressure around his throat for a moment, struggling to breathe. It was over in an instant, yet Taejoon felt impossibly infinite. The edges of his lips curved upwards slightly in an uncharacteristic manner of relief. Each change was a stepping stone to some sort of emancipation- a slow knife to the throat of his pathetic past self.

He rolled his shoulders back, stretching his neck slightly, before running his hand through the freshly shaved undercut of his hair, the long overlays of his black locks brushing against the backs of his fingers. He swiftly turned to approach the black bag next to him, carefully unzipping the sides to reveal leathers of white, meshes of neon green, belts, and more cybernetics. His bare skin met the textures of his new clothes, and black metallic shards adorned the premises of his left eye. Thin black leather ropes hung small bolts and chains around his neck. Taejoon emptied the last of the bag, transferring its contents to his appearance, before finding himself in the reflection of the black car next to him. He allowed himself to gaze upon the unfamiliarity of it all.

He smirked at his reflection, before shoving his hands in his jacket pockets and walking away from the remnants of his old clothes. Each step he took harnessed a newfound strength and determination. His eyes sharpened at the edges once more as he embraced the sound of the rain ringing in his ears.

"안녕," Crypto muttered to himself.