The sky was overcast, as melancholic as Amara's thoughts.Disappointment and sorrow consumed her as she descended the steps of yet another hospital. It was another failed attempt. Another door shut. She let out a heavy sigh as she gazed up at the dark clouds multiplying above her. She had been rejected in yet another job interview — and, as usual, didn't even get the chance to hand over her résumé.
Mixed-bloods lived on the fringes of society in Mizuki, the city where she was born, due to a stupid national law that prohibited Aokai citizens from forming relationships with anyone from another nationality. Her father, however, ignored that law when he got her mother — a citizen of Khalawa — pregnant over twenty years ago. He was imprisoned, tortured, and thrown into the outskirts with the family, as if they were animals.
The fact that her father was paraplegic and her mother was ill had forced Amara and her twin sister, Amina, to rush back from Khalawa to Aokai to help their parents. They had been living in their mother's homeland for a few years to study, all paid for by their maternal grandfather. But the diplomas they earned seemed worthless here, and the money the maternal family had provided for their mother's treatment was already running out.
Amara was lost in thought, sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. Going back to work in a factory wouldn't earn her enough money, and her sister Amina hadn't found a job in her field either; she was currently working at the family bookstore. Amara found herself considering, once again, the possibility of moving the entire family to Khalawa — even if it would be difficult — when...
The silence of the late afternoon was pierced by a shrill siren.Amara looked up, startled. People were running. Screaming. Horns blaring.Sudden chaos, as if the world had flipped upside down in a matter of seconds.
Frightened, she tried to stop a woman running with a child in her arms and asked:— What's going on? Is it an earthquake warning?
The woman pulled away from her touch and replied, terrified, before running off again:— It's them! The Nefaris crossed the border and are coming to the city!
Amara was overtaken by deep shock and a sliver of disbelief. The Nefaris were dark creatures that lived beyond Aokai's border, and there was a magical barrier that prevented them from entering human territory — one that had never failed before. She stood in a daze as pedestrians rushed past, bumping into her. Amid the screams of terror, she could make out the words "Nefaris" and "attack."
Amara didn't waste another second and rushed to the family's old car. As she sat in the driver's seat, she didn't even have to dial — her mother's call was already on the screen.
— Hello? Mom, what's happening? Is it true what they're saying? — she answered, her hand slightly trembling from the shock.
— Sweetheart... — her mother's tearful voice came through. — It's true, our city is being invaded by Nefaris. They're calling them Sombros, they say they can copy people's appearance...
— What!? But what about the barrier? — Amara's heart pounded furiously.
— I don't know, it must've fallen... Sweetheart, they're telling everyone to go to the city's underground shelter, but I... I...
— You what, Mom?? — Fear seized her, dreading what her mother might say next.
— Amara, the owners of the market locked everything! No one can leave! Your father's alone at home — go there with Amina, please! — Her mother sobbed on the other end.
She tried to stay calm, to keep control of the situation and not worsen her mother's obvious panic.
— Okay, Mom, I'll stop by the bookstore, pick up Amina, and we'll go get Dad. Don't worry, please!
— I already called him, you need to get there as fast as possible, our house is very close to the border...
That piece of information only worsened the storm of worries swelling in Amara's heart.
— Don't worry, I'll be as quick as I can. — And without another word, she hung up and sped the car through the chaotic streets of Mizuki.
When she arrived in a rush at the family bookstore, her sister wasn't there. A sign reading "Closed" hung on the front door. Amara assumed her sister had already gone to the shelter or was also heading home — for now, that was all she could do: hopeful guesses. So, she got back into the car and, while driving, called her mother and explained everything. Her mother promised to video call the other daughter and urged Amara again to hurry — their father's life was in danger.
The family's old car struggled to climb the long slopes of Mizuki's outskirts. Accelerating and dodging panicked people on the streets, Amara finally made it to the Hisakawa family home with great difficulty. Along the way, she saw no sign of her sister, and that ate away at her.
She burst through the front door like a storm and shouted for her father:— Dad? Dad, are you here?
— Here! — his hoarse voice called from the bedroom.
Amara ran there and sighed with relief to find her father apparently safe and sound. He sat in his wheelchair, in front of a suitcase on the bed. Beside it was a .22 caliber gun he had bought many years ago to protect the family. He adjusted his glasses when he saw her, and his expression became distressed when he realized she was alone.
— Where's Amina? Wasn't she with you?
— I don't know. I was dropping off résumés at a hospital when the news broke about the Nefaris crossing the border. I stopped by the bookstore, but she wasn't there. Mom said she'd call her. I tried calling too, but it went to voicemail.
— My God, then we need to go and find that girl!
— Yes! I'll take the suitcase you packed to the car... — Amara hastily closed it and moved ahead to carry it. Her father followed, wheeling himself forward with his hands.
— Sweetheart, the gun! Take it with you — it only has three bullets, but it should be enough if we run into one of those demons on the way — he said.
— Oh, right. — Amara returned and grabbed the revolver from the bed. — Dad, please don't strain yourself. I'll come back to push your wheelchair. Stay here, I don't know if any Nefari is lurking near our house.
That said, she walked down the hallway with the suitcase and the gun in hand — but stopped suddenly when she saw her sister in the middle of the living room.
— Amina!
Her sister looked just as she had earlier: almond-toned skin, a face identical to hers, and the only thing that distinguished the twins — her straight hair braided back. Amina's expression was full of panic, her shirt and jeans were muddy, as were her boots — clear signs that she had been running.
— Sis! — Amina cried, and Amara stood frozen in shock. — I ran here to help Dad, there wasn't time to wait for you at the bookstore. I was so worried about him.
Slowly, Amara lowered the black suitcase from her right hand, gripped the revolver with both hands, and raised it toward Amina when she took a step forward.
— Stay right there! — Amara commanded in a deep, firm voice.
— What is this? Are you doubting me, sister?
Amara remained silent, the gun still aimed at Amina's forehead.
— You think I'm a Sombro, is that it? — Amina looked stunned.
— I just want you to tell me one thing. But say it loud and clear... — Amara spoke in the same tone. — Can you hear me well, sister?
Amina laughed and said:— Of course I ca—
The sound of the gunshot cut her sentence short. The creature dropped to the floor with a dull thud, black blood seeping across the ground.
Amara panted. Her chest heaved. Her hands trembled. She didn't know whether to cry in horror or relief.
— My sister... — her voice cracked, eyes filling with tears — my sister is deaf, you bitch!