Worlds Apart | Ssamkkura

1: Don't Leave

Chaewon POV

The neon lights blind you, making it difficult to navigate your way through the seas of people. The lights make the city thrive with energy, energy that never comes down from its high. Yimrell, the city that never sleeps, quite literally. You can only imagine that all forms of life inhabit the city, nocturnal and diurnal.

You listen to the footsteps around you, deciding when to move slightly to the right. Then a human toddler falls in front of you, and you bring yourself to a sudden stop. Looking down at the toddler, your eyes meet its green eyes that stare at you. You smile softly and lift it from the ground with your serapha. It looks at you with a face full of awe, or is it horror? The toddler bows when its mother nudges it softly, then the pair walk away, the mother holding her child's hand.

"Did that girl use serapha to help me, Mama?" You hear the toddler questioning its mother.

"Yes, but you should be more careful next time. What if it was—

And they're out of earshot before you can hear the woman finish her sentence, except you know what she said.

What if it was a rogue seraph?

You sigh.

The amounts of people wary of rogue seraph humans are rising, and it doesn't help that tensions with planet Raeix have been on the rise as well.

A select number of humans in the universe are born with the power of serapha, allowing them to use their mind to move anything at their will. Either they inherit the power from their parents, or they develop serapha over time. Although, humans that inherit serapha are far more powerful than the humans that develop the power throughout their childhood.

Along with the planets Raeix and Paridiy being significantly different, there are also differences on how seraph humans are perceived. Raeix humans with serapha are praised, looked up to for their achievements on behalf of their planet. They complete various missions, some that only the bravest seraph humans can complete, and that is more than enough for them to earn their fame. They get their pictures framed in the beautiful Hall of Heroes, surrounded by gold, silver, and other signs of riches. The Raeix government has no set budget for their so-called heroes, apparently.

On Paridiy, a planet with more poverty than anything else, seraph humans are feared. Only a couple hold spots in the planet's government, and still they are talked over. With that in mind, seraph humans of Paridiy turn to follow a darker path, one with crime and substance abuse. And although some choose to not follow that path, they are still brought down because of the reputations of the others. Like yourself, Kim Chaewon, someone that has not committed a single felony in her life, is still feared and judged for being "gifted" with something not of her choice. A gift? No– to you, it is a curse.

You pull your hood up and lower your head, so you can ignore the stares you receive. You stuff your hands in your pockets and walk at a slightly faster pace than before, now impatient to meet your friends in a more secluded space rather than be in the open, where you are vulnerable and alone.

You thought that kids would be different. Maybe they could see that you are no different than the others. Of course, it all leads back to the parents of the children. If the parents fear the seraphs, then the children are likely to fear them as well.

It makes you wonder. What if their child was born with serapha? Would they fear their child too? Yes, most likely. Your parents hate you, so much that they kicked you out as soon as you did one little thing wrong.

They were itching to get rid of you.

You feel a surge of power in your head, and you instinctively lower your head more. Another side effect of having serapha is having color changing eyes, and you have no control over them. Your eyes turn red once your emotions are heightened.