City of Colors

Five

Year 146

Kira stood on the roof, her indigo wristband glinting in the sunlight. The wind blew by, making her shiver. It was cold. Too cold for this time of year. But here she was again, standing on the rooftop, watching the sunrise.

Alone.

She had passed the test. And with a decent rank to. Indigo. Not nearly high enough to be taken seriously by the council. But what could she do? She was still just a kid. Kira fingered the purple ribbon tied around her neck. A reminder. In another world, Aria might be standing here with her.

Tears started forming in her eyes as she thought of her fallen friend. But they didn't fall. They never did anymore.

Sighing, Kira looked around. The whole city seemed to be asleep, except for the few merchants who were up. Quiet. Almost peaceful, as the sun climbed in the sky. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, clouds still a dark haze. Below her, a figure pinned up an announcement. Their grey squirrel familiar scurried around their feet, rubbing against their legs. Kira watched them saunter down the street, tapping the paper upon each building. She could've sworn she seen that squirrel somewhere before...'Hey!" She called at the figure.

The figure looked up, surprised. They were considerably younger than Kira thought, about twenty or so. And they were definitely male. The man scanned Kira with curious eyes, probably what she was doing on the roof. "Hey, what's a kid like you doing up this early?" Their voice was deep and full of humor.

Wait. She knew that voice. That voice that was always ready to laugh. "...Sondor?" she asked hesitantly.

The figure grinned. "Naw, I'm just a newsboy passing through."

Kira let out a giddy laugh of recognition. Because there was no way this was the job he left them for. "Sondor! Where in the Councils name have you been?"

"Eh," He smirked. "I've been here and there. Odd jobs and monster hunting."

"Monsters?" Kira repeated, sliding down the roof and facing him skeptically. "Did you hit your head or something? 'Cause that doesn't sound like you. What happened to, 'I'm gonna make it big'?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. But what can I say?"Sondor shrugged. "The magicians are a little crazy." He handed her a flyer. "See, look?"

Kira took it. It was a clean piece of parchment, covered in elegant writing. At the bottom, the magicians crest was stamped.

Warning:

Based off of several reports, there has much been suspicion that colourless have been banning together in the Terra Forest. It is unknown where these colourless are coming from. While none of these sightings have been proven true, they may be hostile. They are described as aggressive, and dangerous. This may be a side effect of living outside the city. There have also been numerous sightings of 'dark shadowy monsters' lurking outside the city.While there is not enough evidence to support any of these sightings, they may be dangerous. If any are seen, please report to the magicians council.

"This is crazy." Kira said to him, waving around as if that settled it. It was, no one could survive out there. But she couldn't smother the bit of hope that was forming in her heart.

"Tell me about it." He said, walking away. "See you later, kid."

Kira scoffed at the word 'kid'. Did he really think she'd let that slide? Unbelievable, the things that could happen in ten months. "Hey!" Kira called after him. "Sondor!"

"Hm?" Sondor glanced back, acting like he hadn't noticed she was still their. "Oh yeah, what is it?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Could I talk to you later?"

Sondor raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Well, alright...kid. I finish my morning rounds right before lunch."

Kira couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "Thanks you." She said.

Sondor rolled his eyes, already turning away. "Don't mention it, kid."

Kira was too ecstatic to complain. Instead, she watched Sondor continue down the street, something swelling up in her. She could feel the sun on her back, slowly creeping up from behind the mountains. Kira turned around and faced the sun, soaking it all in. Smiling. Because this flyer was what she was looking for. It was that small little chance, that small little part of her that still hoped. That small part of her that still dreamed. After a whole year, she had finally found some hope. But Aria is dead, her mind told her. Don't get your hopes up. There's no way to survive out there.

But maybe she did, her heart replied. So she turned, and gave a victorious shout to the sun, hoping someone out there would hear her.

=|=|=|

alright this chapters kinda short- but it's important okay? This is the set up for the next part of the story, where Kira's defiantly gonna use Sondor's job to her advantage.