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Jett: The New Agent
If he wasn’t mistaken, the smile that was now on the other man’s face was now full of malice...
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Though not without its own troubles, his first case on the team came to a close.
With a frown, Hayden found himself staring at the screen of his computer, attempting to fix the dozens of mistakes that Dan had managed to find on his case report. Everyone else had left, though not before giving him a pitying look. He assumed that it was sometime past five in the evening. The team leader was at his desk, fully concentrated on his own screen.
“Done!”
Hayden thought, sighed softly, before glancing at Dan and getting up to show him the revised report. He didn’t seem particularly pleased, but muttered that the report was “good enough”. While it wasn’t a straight approval, it would do, Hayden thought in relief.
It was then that a sharp knock filled the room. Both pairs of eyes turned toward the door.
An agent whom Hayden had never met stepped into the room, a stern look on his face as he scanned the room. He couldn’t have been much older than he was, Hayden figured.
When the agent caught sight of the both of them, he stood up straight, “Excuse my interruption. My name is Jett Emmers. I presume that you must be Agent Rolmac. It is a pleasure to meet you.” An all too stiff, but professional smile was plastered on his face.
All the while, the man had not once cast even a glance in Hayden’s direction. Like the team leader had done with Hayden, Dan seemed to scrutinize the agent for a moment before murmuring a “Likewise.”
It took a moment before Jett, as the agent had introduced himself to be, acknowledged his presence. He could had sworn that the agent’s eyes had narrowed at him for a split second before the smile was back.
“Jett Emmers. Nice to meet you.”
Blinking, Hayden wondered if the lights were playing tricks on his eyes. Perhaps hours staring at a computer screen would do that. “A-ah, hello, my name is H-Hayden Griffith. It’s nice to meet you, t-too...” Hayden offered the man a smile, as well.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the smile that was now on the other man’s face was now full of malice—unlike the one he had given to the team leader. If Dan had noticed, the team leader made no show of it as he finished looking over the report.
The new agent took a few steps toward the two, the smile still on his face, giving Hayden an eerie feeling. His words were directed to the two of them, but Hayden couldn’t help but feel that they were pointed toward him. “I hope we can get along well.”
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Doubts and Hostilities
Ever since they had met, Hayden had a feeling that the other agent was rather hostile to him—and only him.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Several days had passed since the close of his first case on the team. With the perpetrators in custody, they had quite a bit of paperwork to process before the court date. Now that the rush was over, the team was exhausted.
Dan had had a meeting with the director, so the team took the chance to relax. Cad, sprawled out on his chair, was blankly gazing at the television, Evie was taking a nap at her desk, and Leanne was at her computer.
With a soft sigh, Hayden rested the side of his head against the cold glass of the windows that faced the outside of the building. He had made himself comfortable against the windowsill as he watched the leaves fall one-by-one off of the trees. Although fall was just starting, it was already getting quite cold. Not that he particularly minded.
From his peripheral vision, he could see Jett watching him closely. Ever since they had met, Hayden had a feeling that the other agent was rather hostile to him—and only to him. He was all smiles to the rest of the team. Evie practically doted on him, just about as much as she did to him when he had first arrived.
Even when he started up a conversation, Jett simply replied back with a snarky comment or found a way to quickly end the conversation.
“Did I do something the anger him…?” Hayden wondered, closing his eyes as he let the exhaustion win over. He didn’t think that they had ever met before. Perhaps he could consult someone...
The first person that came to mind was Dan. He was the team leader, the voice of authority. If anyone could handle the situation, it was him. On the other hand, he was—in all honesty—terrifying. Not even his father’s friends terrified him as much as he did.
According to the other agents, even the director, himself, was slightly terrified of the grumpy team leader. Imagining that scene was enough to bring a smile to his face—that was, if Jett wasn’t currently boring a hole in the side of his head with the intensity of his glare.
The next person to go to in terms of authority was Cad, who was considerably easier to interact with than Dan was. His eyes drew to the man, who certainly looked as tired as Hayden, himself, felt. He had been in the interrogation room for hours, trying to get information from the perpetrators. No…he couldn’t bother Cad when the other agent seemed so tired.
Next…
His gaze shifting to Leanne, whose back faced him as she still concentrated on her computer screen. She had told him specifically to come to her if he had any problems at all. If it was her, she would listen to his problems, but it was precisely for that reason that he hesitated to go to her for help.
The only other person left…
Evie.
Hayden’s eyes drew to the sleeping agent at her desk, then fell to the ground dejectedly. Admittedly, he had tried. It was just a light comment, wondering if she had noticed how hostile Jett was toward him. Evie had immediately brushed it off, insisting that Hayden just didn’t understand the other agent. She absolutely adored Jett, in every shape and form. He couldn’t go to her. Definitely not.
Slowly, he turned to look outside again, while simultaneously avoiding meeting Jett’s eyes. He couldn’t trouble them more than he already did as a newbie agent. Besides, perhaps it was only in his head. Maybe Jett really didn’t hate him. Maybe it was all his imagination…
When they had gotten dismissed for the day, Hayden was more than pleased to do so. He enjoyed his job, what he got to see so far, but with how Jett was acting, he found that he looked forward to getting to work less and less with each passing day.
The moment he stepped into his apartment, the exhaustion hit head on and he let his body rest against the door for a long moment. Two more days...his eyes drifted toward the calendar hung on the wall. Two more days until the weekend. He could make it.
After a quick dinner and shower, he let the exhaustion pull him into a welcome sleep.
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A Foreign War
“You’re not a knight—if you die here, there will be no praise, no honor. You have nothing to gain, but everything to lose...”
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
“As your daimon, I will be by your side at all times.”
At the reassurance, Hayden relaxed slightly, but Lexein’s words still deeply concerned him. Yukina was grumbling about something, but he couldn’t discern what she was saying.
“Milord, the Faceless are monsters, in every sense of the world. Thankfully for us, they also appear to be quite simple minded—their movements and actions are relatively straightforward. However, they cannot be harmed by regular weapons, such as those that can be typically found in the human realm.”
The human realm? The implications of the statement concerned him.
Without sensing Hayden’s dilemma, Lexein continued, “However, we daimones have a property within our bodies that allow us to fight and defeat the Faceless.” His eyes gleamed in confidence. “We can take the form of weapons that can be wielded by our assigned masters, the Pharmakoi. The form that we take is also largely dependent on the identity of the Pharmakoi.”
At this, Hayden unconsciously withdrew himself. “H-How can you be sure that I’m a…P-Pharmakoi…? Pharmakon…?” These new terms were beginning to jumble themselves up in his head.
Lexein chuckled, “Pharmakon is singular for Pharmakoi. Collectively, you are Pharmakoi, but you yourself are a Pharmakon, milord.” He said with a fond smile, “I understand that the abruptness of this whole matter is likely quite taxing on you. I ask that you please rest, for now. We can discuss the details later.”
Gesturing toward a room, he bowed once again and Hayden froze, unsure of what to do. “This will be your quarters, milord. Mine is just down the hall if you would like any assistance. As a whole, this building is free for you to roam and use as you would like. Please make yourself at home and do let me know if you have any questions or concerns.”
With a final bow, he said, “Please excuse me. I will make preparations for your bath and your meal, as I am sure the journey here must have been quite tiring.” Lexein disappeared, leaving he and Yukina in the room.
Hayden watched as the man’s—the daimon’s…?—back disappeared down the hall. An exclamation drew his attention to Yukina and he spun around in alarm. Yukina, thankfully, was not in any sort of distress—rather, she had a glint in her eyes. He froze, finally noticing the extravagance of the room. The room had to be as large as his entire apartment was, if not even larger. Granted, he had a rather small apartment to begin with, but it was stunning, nonetheless.
Below his feet and extending the entirety of the room, the ground was covered in a black wood—so well polished that he could practically see his own reflection staring back at him. In certain areas, floor was covered in a dark red carpet, giving the room a sense of nobility.
A large bed was covered in sheets in a similar shade of dark red, neatly made and tucked in. Beside the bed, there were two polished, black bedside tables. The same red shade of fabric was draped over the surface.
Across from the bed, there was a large desk—this time made of mahogany, unlike the previously black wood. A thick layer of glass covering the writing area and writing supplies were lined neatly. A black desk chair stood by the desk.
Bookshelves lined the wall, covered with books of all shapes, colors, and sizes. The windows were covered with the usual shade of dark red, but he noticed that one window in particular in the center of the room was larger than the others. It had a built in seat, which, Hayden noted, was probably a good place to curl up with a few books.
Black couches sat upon the carpet on the other side of the room, framing what seemed to be a living room-like area…in what was supposed to be his bedroom, no less. The sofas were directed toward a fireplace, where the fire lit the room in a warm glow. A small, square, black table sat at the center of the couches.
Lamps were scattered across the room, turned on low to provide needed—but not excessive—light.
“It looks like an expensive hotel!” Yukina clapped her hands together in glee, already running around to examine the place. It seemed like her initial weariness of the place had disappeared at the sight of the room.
“Did ICIS have a room like this?” wondered Hayden puzzledly. Having been only employed for a few months, he figured that he wouldn’t have had time to explore the building to that extent anyway.
Speaking of ICIS…
Hayden frowned for the nth time in the day. He still had little clue about just where he was. Lexein had mentioned something about this realm? And a human realm?
Did that mean he wasn’t in the so-called “human realm”? None of it made sense. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Yukina until she was blatantly staring at his face, too close for comfort. He stumbled back a few steps, making her giggle.
“It’s too easy to scare you,” She teased, a cheeky grin on her face, before her expression fell. “Wherever we are, I don’t really know either. But it feels…different? From usual, that is.” She crossed her arms in thought. “Did you notice earlier? This place looks exactly the same…just completely abandoned…and with a pure red sky.” She wrinkled her nose, “I never thought I would miss the blue sky so much.”
He gave her a hum of agreement, eyes glancing toward the window, where a sliver of red sky could be seen through the curtains.
“And the war…thing.” A crease formed in her forehead. “He’s suddenly throwing the problem onto you. You…” She paused for a moment, before correcting herself. “We’re outsiders…there is no need for us to get involved in a foreign war.”
Hayden chewed on his bottom lip in thought. She did have a point, but something about Lexein’s explanation sounded genuine.
“Look-“ She jabbed her finger at him, only for it to go through air. At this, she withdrew her hand and faltered, but quickly recovered. “You’re not a knight—if you die here, there will be no praise, no honor. You have nothing to gain, but everything to lose. It’s best not to get involved.”
Every single word she said held truth, but something in him, instinct?, told him otherwise. Yukina seemed to sense this from his silence, for her frown only deepened. A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts.
“Milord,” Lexein’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door, “The bath is ready. The door is right across the hall. Please feel welcome to make use of it.”
Reluctantly, he made his way out of the room, Yukina hovering closely behind, a displeased expression still plastered on her face.
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Pharmakoi and Daimones
As your daimon, I will be by your side at all times.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
They soon reached a very familiar sight, making Hayden’s jaw drop. “We’re at ICIA headquarters?” The buildings were identical, there was no mistake about it—no wonder the sights around him looked strangely familiar.
Lexein gave him a curious look. “The ICIA?”
Hayden blinked. Did he not know about it? It was a fairly new agency, after all, he surmised.
“It’s…where I work.” Hayden offered hesitantly. Though taking a closer look at the building, it looked more eerie than the building he had known—as if it had been long abandoned. There were no signs of any life anywhere.
To Hayden’s relief, Lexein accepted it without further question, gesturing for Hayden to follow him. “I’ve set up a barrier…I guess you could call it a force field, of sorts. It’ll prevent some unwanted visitors from coming in.” His face scrunched up at the words “unwanted visitors”. Yukina had a skeptical look, but reluctantly admitted that she could not sense anything concerning from within the building. Cautiously, she trailed along as he followed Lexein.
Once they were inside, Lexein then proceeded to show him downstairs. Even from the inside, the building looked identical to that of the ICIA headquarters. The interior looked to be in much better condition than the exterior, however. They were walking nearly side to side now, with Lexein leading slightly and Yukina beside him on his other side.
“This realm is called Tartarus. Unfortunately,” His face darkened, “It is ravished by war. Did you see the black clouds earlier?”
Realm? Black clouds?
Confusedly. Hayden gave a nod. He did recall seeing some storm clouds earlier. With that, Lexein continued, “When it rains, these…creatures…appear. We call them the Faceless, because they look like shapeless shadows.”
“We?” The word caught Hayden’s attention and he couldn’t help but blurt it out. Lexein didn’t seem bothered, though.
“Yes, there are quite a few of us here. And we’re expecting quite a few more, like you.” He gave Hayden a pointed look before adding, “We are daimones—guardian spirits, if you will.” Lexein took a step in front of him, stopping to kneel, with his right hand over his chest. “I am your daimon, milord.”
Stunned, Hayden stammered, “Y-you don’t need to do that…!” Something like that was reserved for royalty, for nobles, neither of which he was. “I-I’m just a regular person…it would t-trouble me if you do that.” Yukina looked equal parts amused and confused, crossing her arms across her chest in bemusement.
Lexein looked up at him with a small smile, giving one last bow of his head before standing up again. “You are a part of a group we daimones call Pharmakoi. Each pharmakon has a daimon that serves him or her. Surely, you will meet them shortly.” He paused, letting Hayden process the information. “All Pharmakoi can be identified by the use of an alias, typically that of an ancient Greek deity. For instance—I have gotten notice that Lady Aphrodite has awoken, recently, too, if I may add.”
The more he spoke, the more puzzled he felt. A quick glance at Yukina showed him that she was every bit as lost as he was.
“An alias…” Hayden frowned, “If I’m a P-Pharm…Pharma…kon? If it’s as you say…then w-would I have an alias too?”
Now, it was Lexein’s turn to look perturbed. “I was told that you would have gotten your alias as soon as you awoke.”
Both men looked at each other with equally confused looks. After a long moment of silence, Hayden decided that it would be better to leave the topic for later. “B-besides that, why would aliases be needed? Y-you mentioned a war? And…monsters?” It sounded like a plot straight from a zombie apocalypse video game, and the eerie blood red sky didn’t help dispel that feeling either.
“It is to protect your real identity,” Lexein responded easily. Hayden frowned. Well, if it was the dictionary definition of an alias, he probably could have figured that out. As if sensing his discontentment with the answer, Lexein continued, “Knowledge of each other’s true identities could bring about a large, undesired change in the human realm. It is a precaution, if you would. As for the war, we daimones have suspected that the cause of war is a dispute over the energy flow between realms—though we hardly know much more than you and the other Pharmakoi do, milord. We were tasked to defend this realm against the Faceless that I mentioned previously, but as of late, the attacks have been relentless.”
His expression was grim, lips set in a thin line. “It has gotten to the point where it is nearly beyond our control. We were told that assistance would soon arrive, in the form of the Pharmakoi. For this reason, we have been eagerly anticipating your arrival.”
Hayden recoiled, suddenly realizing what he was being asked to do. “I-I can’t fight something like that…!” He meekly argued. If they couldn’t handle it, how could he? Yukina, too, let out a cry of objection, despite the fact that Lexein couldn’t hear her.
Despite this, Lexein kept a calm expression. His expression melted into a warm smile. “I did not mean to imply that you would have to fight against them alone, milord. As your daimon, I will be by your side at all times.”
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The Chill of the Unknown
“Something feels a little off about him. Like…he doesn’t feel like you. I mean—he doesn’t feel human. And yet, he doesn’t feel like a spirit either.”
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Chromesthesia.
From as long as he could remember, his mind had unconsciously associated sounds with specific colors. Certain sounds and certain voices were accompanied by streams of colors. While it made for identifying others easy, it also meant that there was always noise going on in his head. This time, there was nothing—and it was terrifying, as if he had lost a part of him.
There was silence between the two of them before Yukina piped up, “You…what?”
Hayden flinched at the sound of Yukina’s voice, but the movement made him wince, blinking to clear up his blurring vision as Yukina frowned at him worriedly.
“Sorry…my head…hurts…” He managed to stammer out, though even to him, it sounded like a jumbled mess. Shifting his position, he pressed his palms to his eyelids again, the darkness bringing some needed relief to the pain.
Vaguely, he could feel throbbing pain on his right shoulder and back. It was nothing compared to the pain in his head though and he grimaced, wondering if he had a concussion somehow.
Everything before what had happened in the past few minutes was a complete blur—he was on a case with the rest of the team…and then what? If he had fallen, that would have explained the pain, but it told him nothing about how he found himself…wherever he was.
There was a cold, eerie feeling on his forehead and he blinked, peering up through his fingers. Yukina’s hand was hovering over him, but her face held an expression of pure shock. It would have been amusing, had it not been for the insistent pounding in his head.
Having seemingly recovered from her shock, Yukina’s hand shot out and to his surprise, completely went through him. Where she made contact with him, there was a chill, similar to the feeling that he had had earlier.
“I can’t touch you…” She managed to say, the shock still evident in her voice. In his dreams, they could interact as usual, but in—well, this place—it appeared that she had reverted to being a spirit.
A figure approached them, making any response he had die on his lips. Yukina spun around, body protectively covering Hayden on instinct. There was a young man, looking not much older than he, looking at him, an inquisitive look on his face. Perhaps he, too, had found himself lost in this strange place?
“You…must be Hayden?”
Blinking at him, Hayden gave him a curious look. His headache was fading away, allowing him to actually process the words. The lack of color to the voice still disturbed him, but the matter would have to be saved for later.
He was sure that he had never seen the man before, though, with his mind in the state that it was, perhaps it was playing tricks on him. Normally, the color of a person’s voice would help him identify a person, even if he didn’t immediately recognize the person by appearance. Pushing himself to his feet, Hayden gave a curt nod. The man relaxed into a smile before continuing. “My name is Lexein. I was told that you would arrive soon. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He gave a bow from the waist and Hayden confusedly mimicked the action.
Throughout the conversation, the man showed no sign of being able to see Yukina, seeing as she had strolled up to him and was now peering straight at him in equal curiosity. When that didn’t work, she began making faces at the man and waving her hands in his face, but to no avail.
“I-it’s my pleasure…” He resisted the urge to laugh by biting his lower lip. The man appeared to have more knowledge about him and about the new place than he did, so he figured that it couldn’t hurt to ask. “U-um…you seem to know me? H-have we met? And…do you know…where this is?”, ending the question with a wide gesture to his surroundings.
The other man shook his head with a smile. “This is our first meeting, but I have heard about you.” He took a brief look around before his eyes once again landed on Hayden. “We mustn’t talk out here. Please let me show you to your quarters.” With that, he began to walk away and Hayden took a step in the same direction, before being stopped by a frantic Yukina.
“Woah, woah, wait.” She frowned, placing her hands on her hips. “You don’t intend to trust him, do you? It might be a trap.” She glanced at Lexein’s back hesitantly. “Something feels a little off about him. Like…he doesn’t feel like you. I mean—he doesn’t feel human. And yet, he doesn’t feel like a spirit either.” Yukina crossed her arms over her chest with a deeper frown.
Hayden hummed to acknowledge her concerns. In a low voice, he replied, “But we have no choice.” He took a few hurried steps to follow after Lexein, Yukina hovering reluctantly by his side. “We can figure it out later—i-if it’s a trap.”
Looking not at all reassured, she pursed her lips. “Fine. I’ll go and scout ahead. Just to make sure.” True to her word, she made her way just ahead of Lexein, eyes wearily watching him. Ever since she has been able to communicate him, Yukina had been increasingly protective of him. Death had not taken away her motherly instincts, Hayden reflected amusedly.
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Introductions: ICIA and CIU
One fact about the ICIA that was not released to the public—its possession of exceptional technology that allowed for the efficient detection and persecution of perpetrators.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Stopping just in front of large black gates, Hayden gazed at the building that stood just beyond. Glass covered the sides of the building, reflecting the light of the morning sun directly at him.
One fact about the ICIA that was not released to the public—its possession of exceptional technology that allowed for the efficient detection and persecution of perpetrators. Each team possessed such a device and each device had a different role in solving a case. The Rolmac team—the team Hayden was assigned to—possessed the VsFB, a device that allowed the team to hear the final words of the victim. While such evidence could not be used in a court of law to persecute the suspected perpetrator of a crime, it had its uses.
“Name?”
A voice echoed from the speaker attached to the gate, starling Hayden from his thoughts.
“Ah….H-Hayden Griffith. I-I am assigned the Rolmac team starting today.”
“…”
There was silence for a moment, leading Hayden to wonder if he had said something wrong.
“I see. Agents are to enter through the side gate. Your ID should open the gates.”
The voice was notably more hostile than before. Or perhaps he was over thinking it…
“Thank you…”
As per instructions, he made his way to the side of the building. Two guards stood guard at this entrance, which was strange, considering that there had not been any security at the front gate.
“H-hello…”
The guards simply took a glance at him, then proceeded to look forward, a grim line on their faces.
“…”
Maybe he had not been clear enough in his greeting.
“M-my name is Hayden Griffith. I’m starting today…”
The guards didn’t show any sign of having heard him, so Hayden continued, albeit reluctantly.
“I-I was told that agents are to enter here…”
Again, no response.
“…”
“…”
One of the two guards jerked his head toward a small touchpad embedded onto the gate. Hayden gazed at the device, then back to the two guards.
“Good morning!”
A man’s voice came from behind him, a burnt brown shade in color. The guards’ frowns quickly shifted to smiles as they greeted the man—presumably another agent.
“…”
Puzzledly, Hayden scanned their faces for a moment before turning to the newcomer.
Underneath his ICIA jacket, he wore a cleanly pressed dress shirt and a tie. Confidence radiated from him from his stance alone. Unlike the guards, the man gave him a grin as soon as their eyes met.
“Good morning!”
His cheerfulness and enthusiasm was contagious.
“G-good morning…!”
“So you’re Hayden? My name is Cadmus. Cadmus Nevitt. But Cad is fine.” It seemed like he had heard the words that Hayden had exchanged with the guards earlier. “I’m what you would call the co-leader of the team. Or well, I like to call myself the co-leader.” He laughed.
Relaxing at the friendliness of his words, Hayden gave him a smile.
“Well, if you’re ready, let’s make our way inside.”
With one swipe of his hand, Cadmus ran his ID through the scanner, which glowed blue. The gates opened with a loud creak. “Scan your ID there. It’ll also scan your fingerprint. ICIA precautions.”
Hayden did as he was told and the touchpad glowed again.
“Great! Let’s go in.” Cadmus made his way in first, leaving Hayden trotting after him. Their height difference was quite noticeable, as he barely stood to the other agent’s shoulders. The agent was probably a good foot taller than him, Hayden guessed, and Hayden had to walk twice as fast to keep up with the long strides that Cadmus made.
“Don’t worry about them. They’re not supposed to show emotion—or so they claim. In reality, they’re probably just trying to scare you. They do that to newbies.” Cadmus gave him a reassuring smile. “Actually, you’ll find that most of the agents will do that to you here for a while. Dan will, I bet.”
Seeing Hayden’s confusion, Cadmus clarified, “Oh right, Dan is our team head. He might look intimidating at first, but he’s relatively harmless despite the permanent frown etched on his face. But don’t tell him that I said that. Tell him that you heard it in the lobby.” With a mischievous grin, the agent continued. “I’m sure Leanne and Evie would love to meet you. Evie’s been practically bouncing off the walls ever since that we got news that we would get a new agent on our team.”
They had entered the ICIA lobby. The floor was covered with black marble, polished to perfection. Sleet blue sofas stood to their left on top of a gray carpet. Several agents were resting there, whispering something to themselves. It seemed like they were being watched, for heads turned to look at them everywhere they went.
“Oh but, do me a favor?”
“Yes?” Hayden looked at the older agent curiously.
“You see, I didn’t get my coffee yet today. Overslept a little.” He scratched his head sheepishly. “I would appreciate it if you could help me carry some cups? Wish I could grow some more hands, but…” He chuckled, “Well, coffee will help dispel some of Dan’s irritation. He’s not a morning person. Or well…I guess he’s not an afternoon…or evening person either…” With a shrug, Cadmus led him to the lobby coffee shop. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air along with the chatter from nearby agents, which overpowered the low rumbling of what seemed like a coffee grounds processor.
Cadmus ran through the basics of ICIA: its background, the creation of teams, and the story behind their team, the Criminal Investigative Unit—shorted to CIU. Hayden looked at him in awe, wondering how he could remember and list off so much. After a while, he stopped, and gave him another cheerful grin.
“But I’m talking too much. Though wait until you meet Evie. Try not to lose your ears just yet, you’ll need them later.” It was then that they had arrived at the front of the line. Four orders were made, then the agent turned to him. “And what would you like, Hayden? Coffee? Tea?”
“Huh? A-ah, no that’s okay, I-I’m not much of a coffee or a tea person…”
Cadmus looked almost comedically shocked at his response. “Don’t worry, you’ll be one soon!” The agent replied with certainty before turning back to the cashier. “And a cup of ice water please.”
“I’m glad cupholders are a thing…” With the three coffee cups in the cupholder and his own in his hand, they were taking the elevator to the fifth floor. Hayden wondered why he was asked to come along in the first place, seeing as Cadmus didn’t need his help at all. He held the cup of water in his hands that Cadmus had gotten for him, insisting that he couldn’t let any of his agents leave a coffee shop empty handed.
The doors opened with a high pitched ding. Agents filled the room, some standing alone the hallways. All eyes turned toward them as the elevator opened and suddenly, it felt like déjà vu again like in the lobby. Did they really draw that much attention?
“Good morning!” Cadmus’s voice rang out and murmurs of greetings came from the agents in response.
“G-good morning…” He mimicked, averting his eyes to the ground. Again, a murmur of responses. Their eyes were still directed on the pair, however.
“Don’t mind them. Let’s go.” A low, reassuring whisper from Cadmus. He made his way through the rest of the agents and Hayden followed in turn.
“This is our place.” Cadmus stopped in front of a door. The letters C, I, and U were carved in a silver plaque and hung in front of the door. Underneath, the words “Criminal Investigative Unit” could be seen. “Sorry, could you get the door for me?”
“Ah, o-of course!” Hayden stepped forward to reach for the doorknob, only to pull back—though slightly too late—when the door opened on its own.
“-should be here-“
The door slammed open, startling Hayden backwards. A female agent, her light brown hair cut into a bob, looked equally surprised.
“A-ah…”
“Ah! I’m so sorry about that! I didn’t think there would be someone behind the door!” The woman exclaimed, hand flying to her mouth. Her voice was a bright orange color, Hayden noted. Before he could say anything, she continued.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, I promise! But ah, you must be Hayden! We were told that you’d me coming today and I’ve been dying to meet you! Well, not literally, but you get the point. Which, now that I think about it, that phrase doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I mean, why would someone be dying to meet someone. Oh, is that for me?” It seemed that she had finally noticed Cadmus, who had his an amused grin on his face. The flurry of words left him stunned and he simply blinked, unsure of what to say in response. Luckily, Cadmus came to his rescue, likely sensing his dilemma.
“Evie. You forgot something.” Simultaneously, he nodded to a cup on the cupholder, which she took gratefully before giving him a look of confusion.
“Huh?” She frowned, a pursing her lips before her eyes lit up. “Oh right! Did I not introduce myself? I didn’t, did I? My bad! I go off on tangents sometimes. People tell me that it’s a bad habit, but I don’t think it is, do you? It gets people to talk, so it all works out in the end. I’m Evie Kirchner. Actually, my real name is Evelyn, but no one really calls me that. My mom used to only call me that when I got in trouble, so it still freaks me out when someone calls me by my full name even today and-”
“Evie, you’re scaring him.” Another female agent came out from the room. This time, the voice was a burgundy color. Her dark hair was braided neatly over her right shoulder. She had a pleasant smile on her face. “Hayden? My name is Leanne Landreth. We’re also in the CIU. I suppose that Cad explained everything to you?” With a nod from Cadmus in confirmation, she continued, “Well then, please don’t hesitate to ask us anything if you have any questions. It can be quite overwhelming on your first day.” She took a cup from Cadmus, thanking him as she did so.
“I-it’s nice to meet you both.” He could already see that this would be one interesting team.
“Have you met the boss yet? Just you wait! Oh, but don’t worry, he looks like he’ll bite your head off, but in reality, he’ll probably just hold you in his jaws for a while until he deems that you’re adequate enough to his standards. Then he’ll gently place you to the side. Won’t lose any limbs, I promise! Though you might be bruised and battered and perhaps mentally scarred by the time it’s over, but he doesn’t have bad intentions!” Evie reassured him with Leanne and Cadmus simply smiling at him. Was their boss that intimidating?
“Can someone explain why we’re talking in the hallway and not inside?”
The steel blue voice startled him and he turned, only to find himself nearly face-to-face with a grim faced agent, who had stealthily somehow managed to make his way right next to Hayden without him even noticing.
With a deepening frown, the man began to visually scrutinize Hayden. His black hair was neatly brought back on his head. He wore a black dress shirt and gray trousers; his ID hung from the shirt pocket reading “Daniel Rolmac”.
“Oh, nice timing, Boss! This is-“
“Hayden Griffith.” Dan interrupted Evie’s ramblings. She didn’t seem to mind, however, and nodded enthusiastically.
“Yep! Isn’t he cute? So innocent! Try not to rip him up too much, we need him intact for now! After all, I don’t think a half-eaten agent will be of help at all. Honestly, a half-eatened anything isn’t really all that useful. Well, unless you consider that half-eaten food is still food and it’s still edible, even though it is half-eaten. I would eat it if I was really hungry. Half-eaten food is still better than no food. But a half-eaten Hayden won’t be any good, so don’t eat him up too quickly! Actually, scratch that, don’t eat him at all, that would probably be for the best.” Turning to Hayden she grinned, “Of course, I don’t mean literally. That would be unethical…and wrong on so many levels. After all-”
“We have a case.” Evie stopped midsentence at Dan’s words and her eyes lit up. Dan made his way into the room, stopping only to grab the remaining coffee cup from Cadmus, followed by a still chattering Evie.
“Yep, that’s everyone.” Cad chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “They may be queer, but they have the best intentions in mind.” Leanne too, gave him a reassuring smile and he found himself again relaxing.
Perhaps he could get used to this.
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A Little Girl and Her Cat
She really did look like the exact replica of her mother—if her mother had been her age.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Blinking at the sunlight that was streaming in through the window blinds, Hayden sat up sluggishly, scrubbing a hand across his face to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
“…”
Something about his dream had puzzled him, but he found himself unable to remember the dream entirely. Slowly, his eyes scanned the room, hoping that something would spur his memory, but his gaze stopped when it landed on the calendar hung on the wall.
September 9th.
The grogginess forgotten, Hayden shifted so his legs hung off the side of the bed. Anxiety crept up on him as he nervously picked a stray thread of his sheets. September 9th meant that it was his first day at work at the ICIA.
ICIA.
The Integrative Criminal Investigative Agency. A branch of the FBI that had recently been divided into a separate agency that specialized in high profile cases, especially those involving notable public figures or criminals particularly deemed dangerous to the public. Its director, Marcus Connelly, was a young former FBI senior agent, known for his unique—but effective—approaches to capturing criminals, a perfect fit for the agency that intended to integrate the latest technology into solving criminal cases.
The next hour was spent running around, getting changed, eating breakfast—whatever he could do to keep busy. When he had nothing to do, his mind tended to wander off, automatically shifting through things that could happen, which only served to make him even more nervous than he already was.
Uniform, ID, badge…
Sifting through his belongings for the umpteenth time of the day, Hayden made a mental check to assure that he hadn’t forgotten anything.
Firmly pressing the fingers of his left hands to his right palm, he quietly recited the list of things that he needed in his head.
ID, badge, lunch…
Everything was set. His eyes shifted to the clock on the wall, alerting him that it was time to head off. Nervously, he gathered his belongings for the last time and stood.
Breathe in…out… Five times…
Locking the door behind him, Hayden made his way down the stairs. The ICIA...
Ever since he was young, he had yearned to become a federal agent, and now here he was—albeit, still a probationary agent, but an agent nonetheless.
Breathe in…out…
It would be fine. Maybe a little crowded, but he would be fine.
Breathe…
A white light filled his vision and he started, stumbling a few steps back. A pure black cat peered at him, its steady yellow eyes gazing at him from its perch on the brick wall. Another white light as it meowed, the cat moving to rest its head on its paws, but still maintaining its gaze on him.
“…?”
While the cat seemed relatively friendly, something puzzled him about the look of the cat. Had he seen it somewhere before?
“Hina!” A burst of pale green-yellow light this time. Hayden turned to see a little girl, no more than five years old, run over to the cat. The cat gazed down at her calmly, tail freely hanging off the side of the wall.
“There you are, I was looking all over for you!”
Her light brown hair was tied into two ponytails with green scrunchies. She was wearing a pale green and white dress, with white stockings. Her light green shoes glowed with every step she took.
Having just noticed him, the girl suddenly took several steps back. She, too, looked strangely familiar. He blinked at her once, twice…then it hit him.
“Are you…Illysia, by any chance?”
The girl’s eyes widened and looked to the cat in a panic. The cat seemed less than interested, yawning at the two as it lazily looked on. From her response, he supposed that he was right.
Illysia.
Last he checked though, she was only a toddler. When did she get so big? She still looked the same as she did as a baby though, with her mother’s hair and her father’s eyes. Her parents had been his childhood friends, though they were quite a few years older than her. He had visited shortly after the little girl’s birth, but his visits had grown infrequent in recent times, so he wasn’t surprised that the girl had no recollection of him whatsoever.
With a troubled look, she stammered, “I-I…I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” She took a step away from him, alternating her gaze between Hayden and the cat, as if debating on whether she should grab the cat and run.
“O-oh, right… Let me…call your dad…” Fumbling in his pocket for his phone, he quickly sifting through his contacts, landing on a name.
Lucius Hathaway.
He paused, realizing that he hadn’t called the number for a long time…years, maybe? Hesitating for a moment, he decided to just dial the number, hoping that Lucius hadn’t changed his number since then.
“Hayden?!”
A dark bronze color. The voice startled him, but he mentally sighed in relief as he recognized the voice.
“A-ah, Lucius, u-um… I ran into Illysia-“
“Where are you?!”
“H-huh? Uh…” He looked around hurriedly before telling him the nearest crossroads. From the speaker, he could hear wind, suggesting that the man was running.
“I-I’ll put Illysia on…” He looked to the girl, who now looked more curious than fearful. He supposed that she had heard her father’s name. Putting the phone on speaker, he held it out to the girl, who gazed at the device.
“Illy?” The man seemed out of breath, “Stay there with Hayden, okay? I’ll be there soon.” The girl’s eyes lit up in recognition and she answered affirmatively.
Sighing in relief, he looked around for the man, before his eyes settled back on the little girl. Less guarded than before, she had now turned her attention back to the cat, although she glanced at him every so often.
“Your dad will be here soon …” He mumbled, only to get a nod from the girl. He was bad with children, that was always Talen’s skill, not his. Actually, cross that—he was bad with people in general, not just kids.
The cat leapt off from the wall, brushing its body against the girl’s leg, before glancing up at him again. The girl gathered the feline in her arms, then turned her full attention to Hayden. The cat looked less than comfortable, but did no more than squirm to get in a better position in her arms.
“You…really look like your mom. Ah-”
Hayden stopped midsentence from fear of how the little girl would take the comment. She really did look like the exact replica of her mother—if her mother had been her age. Her brown hair was the same shade and the strands curled up at the ends. Yukina had always hated her hair—that it was so unruly and hard to tame—but he had found that it had a certain charm. At his comment, Illysia looked at him with the same wide eyes as earlier.
“You know Mommy too?”
Hesitatingly, he nodded once. “We were….friends.”
The little girl’s face perked up. “Really? What was she like?”
“…”
‘Of course she wouldn’t remember.’
“She was…very…energetic? And…very determined. Once she set her sights on something, she would go forward until she got what she wanted. She also…loved you and your father more than anything in the world.”
He stopped there, unsure of how much further to proceed. The girl seemed happy enough though, evidenced from the bright smile on her face. “Do you…” he hesitated for a moment, “remember her?”
“Mommy? Mm…not that much—oh, but I know what she looks like! Daddy always shows me pictures of her.” Her cheerful demeanor quickly dampened as she continued. “The aunties next door always ask me if I want a new mommy… But I don’t. I hate when they ask that. But Daddy said that I mustn’t hate them for saying that…that they’re only saying that because they’re worried.”
Hayden blinked at the girl, caught off guard by her maturity.
“Daddy always gets sad when talking about Mommy. He said that he’ll do his best because Mommy isn’t here anymore.” He could hear the gravel underneath her feet as she shifted. “That means I have to do my best too! So I can protect Daddy too, someday!” There was a big grin on her face, “Because that’s what the good guys do, right? And the good guys always win!”
“…”
Before he could say anything, a man rushed around the corner, stopping abruptly in front of the girl and knelt down beside her. Wordlessly, he checked her over for any injuries, then pulled her into a hug. The cat gave an annoyed meow and squirmed out of the embrace, jumping over his shoulder and landing steps away from Hayden. He could her him quietly scolding the girl for going off on her own with telling him.
The man had gathered her into his arms, turning to Hayden. He was taller by several inches, so Hayden took a few steps back, nervously looking up at him. It had been a while since he had seen his friend and, while he did age slightly, he didn’t look any different from how he did several years before.
“Thank you for finding her, Hayden. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Hayden quickly shifting his gaze to the ground. “A-ah…no, I didn’t really…find…her…” To be correct, she was the one who found him. Or…well, she had found her cat, which had found him. Speaking of the cat, it was still staring at him, as it had been for the past few minutes.
“Nonetheless, I’m grateful. I’m glad you were the one that found her. It looks like Hina likes you too.”
Hayden frowned, “That means she likes me…?” The cat finally looked away from him and he was sure he saw something like a feline equivalent of a smirk on its face.
Lucius chuckled, “Yeah, she wouldn’t let you be that close to Illy if she didn’t like you.” The cat weaved its way between the man’s feet, brushing against the leg of his pants before glancing up.
“So what brings you out here? Class?”
Hayden’s eyes widened, “A-ah, I have work!” He fumbled for his phone again, checking the time. 7:15, still forty-five minutes left. He was suddenly glad that he had left an hour and a half early.
“Oh? Do you want a ride?” Lucius frowned, “It’s the least I can do.”
Hayden shook his head, “A-ah, n-no, it’s…nearby, and…I-I’m not late, I still have time.”
“It’ll be faster by car then.” Lucius smiled, gesturing nearby. “Come on, I parked around the corner.”
Hayden frowned, hesitating before he followed the two. Illysia peered at him from over her father’s shoulder, giving him a smile when their eyes met.
“I didn’t know that you started working. You never told me.”
Hayden trailed the two, lagging behind a few steps. “Y-yeah…I just got accepted…to the ICIA…”
“Woah-“ He spun around, making Hayden stumble back a few steps. “Isn’t that the new federal agency? That’s impressive! You wanted to become a federal agent, right? Congrats!”
Hayden shook his head nervously, “I-I’m still in training, so…”
“But that still makes you an agent, right?” He raised his free arm to pat his head. “I feel like a proud older brother,” he chuckled. “Well, I guess you’re the same age as Lily, so that’s probably why.”
Lily.
Lucius’s younger half-sister and another one of his childhood…friends. Although she was more hostile to him than friendly, he supposed that they could be considered friends. She was the type of person that he was the worst at handling—loud, impulsive, and pushy—nearly the opposite of her older brother.
The car ride was quiet, mostly Lucius asking questions about his life now while he stuttered out short answers. Illysia and the cat were in the back, the girl’s eyes on him quietly along the way.
“We’re here.” Hayden’s gaze settled on the headquarters. It was really a short distance, a fifteen minute walk from his apartment. It was less than five by car.
“Thank you…”
Lucius smiled, “No, thank you. It was nice to see you again. We should meet up once and a while, I’m sure Yukina would be happy to see you too.” In the mirror, he could see Illysia also smiling at him at the mention of her mother’s name.
“Well, you should head off now. Don’t be late.”
Hayden nodded, thanking him again and said a good bye to the father and daughter duo before closing the door behind him.
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Prompt: A Fever Calls for Cuddles
Inspired by @anonyony1 ’s prompt, thank you for the idea! (*´･∀･)
This is the second half of the prompt, might do the first part or a continuation of this prompt later! /Ilovesickficstoomuchcries
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Humming quietly to herself, Evelyn strolled down the hall to the CIU room, having finished her task for the day. The rest of the team, to her knowledge, was still out. Dan had split up the team for this case as, seeing as it wasn’t an active case, was safe enough to not need partners.
“Let’s see what I can do to surprise them this time,” She thought with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Startling the other team members was one of her favorite pastimes at work—it was one of the few things that could cheer up a normally grim atmosphere.
Throwing the door open, perhaps a little too forcefully, Evie frowned. It was much too warm in the room, she thought, automatically making her way to the thermostat. She nearly missed the body curled up on the couch, covered in heaps of blankets that she didn’t even know they had. The blond tuff of hair shifted and a face peered out to look blearily at her.
“Hayden!”
Happily, she crossed the room excitedly, only slightly disappointed that she wasn’t the first to come back. The face disappeared back into his cocoon of sheets, but this didn’t detour Evie, who plopped down on the couch in the little space that remained.
The body shifted only slightly to accommodate her, but the other agent had made no other move to acknowledge her presence.
“Aren’t you hot?” Evie frowned, a slight concern rising. She plucked a sheet away from the agent’s head before Hayden pulled the sheet down again with what seemed to be an annoyed huff.
With a deeper frown, she tugged on the sheets more forcefully, successfully pulling them away enough to see a paler than normal Hayden, half-heartedly glaring at her. He weakly reached to grab the blanket back from her, but she easily threw them off as she looked over the other agent. He was wearing his usual three (maybe more?) layers. Even in just her two, she felt that the room was much too warm for her liking. Hayden frowned at her, a pout coming up to his lips as he curled up into a tight ball, to her amusement.
She couldn’t help throwing her arms over him, despite the awkward position she had to take to engulf him in a hug. He squeaked, shrinking back as much as he could, though that wasn’t very far, considering that the two of them were piled onto the small couch.
This was pretty typical for Hayden—he normally hated being touched. Anything more than a pat on the head or back would make him immediately shrink away. She was the complete opposite, determined to get as much contact as she could with her teammates and friends. The other agents on the team had quickly gotten used to her touchy-feely tendencies and had (some more reluctantly than others) gotten used to it. Hayden was one of the newest on the team, and he had begun to reluctantly allowed her to hug him, but only for a moment before he would retreat safely back into his own bubble.
Gently placing her forehead against his, she bit her lip when she noticed how much warmer it was than hers. Hayden slowly blinked at her, concerningly glassy eyes sluggishly watching her movements.
“You have a fever…” She murmured the obvious to herself more than anything.
The others wouldn’t be back for quite some time, she figured, and she doubted that the room had any medication.
Pushing herself up to a sitting position, she blinked when she heard a small whine from Hayden, who had curled up on himself again. He was shivering—another cause for concern.
She ran a hand along his cheek and, to her surprise, he seemed to lean into her touch. With her free hand, she fumbled to grab her phone and scrolled through the saved numbers until she landed on a familiar name.
With a hum, she continued to rub small circles on the other agent’s temple, feeling him relax under her touch. His eyes had fluttered closed, breaths ragged. He was fine this morning, she frowned.
After two rings, Evie could hear the line being picked up. “Medical examiner Dr. Nayeli Landreth. How may I help you?”
Brightening at the familiar voice, she exclaimed—perhaps a touch too loudly, for Hayden flinched underneath her fingertips, “Nayeli! It’s Evie. I just came back to the CIU room and I found Hayden curled up on the couch and the room was way too warm-“
“Evie, your point?” The doctor interrupted, amusement evident in her voice.
“Anyway,” She figured she could save the details for later, “I think Hayden has a fever—though he was completely fine this morning, but all of a sudden-“
“A fever?” Again an interruption, but Evie paid it no mind.
With a nod, despite the fact that the doctor couldn’t see her, she continued cheerily, “No one else is back yet so I was wondering if you could check it out, he’s awfully warm,” her face scrunched up in worry, “And he actually let me hug him! Either he’s really sick or someone replaced him with a strangely affectionate Hayden when we weren’t looking, and I suspect the former but you never know-“
She could hear a hum on the other side of the line, “I’m tied up here, but I’ll send Tev on up. Have you taken his temperature?”
Hayden shifted on the couch and she briefly glanced down before replying, “No, I don’t have a thermometer—but I could find one if you think I should. I’m not sure where it would be, maybe the-“
“Ah,” The other woman replied smoothly, “No worries, I’ll send him up with the first aid kit. Is Hayden hurt anywhere? Is he sweating?”
Adjusting her phone between her ear and shoulder, her hands ran down the other agent’s sides, feeling for any injuries. Hayden’s eyes shot open and he weakly batted her wandering hands away.
Ignoring his garbled protests, Evie quickly peeled off his blazer and his jacket, leaving him in a thin t-shirt. “No, it doesn’t look like he’s hurt, but he’s sweating a lot.” She answered, frowning at the damp clothes in her hands before haphazardly tossing the articles of clothing on the back of the couch. With the layers of clothing off, he felt like a human radiator.
Hayden had seemed to resign himself to her touches, for he made no further protest, just curling up into a tighter ball than she thought was possible. Shifting so he could do so, she sat at his feet, running soothing circles into his trembling back.
“And he’s shivering a whole lot, but it’s really warm in here.” She grimaced, once again reminded of the temperature of the room.
“Got it. I sent the kid off and he should reach you soon. Keep him hydrated. We’ll monitor his temperature and if it gets too high, bring him to the medical ward. The kid’ll help you with everything. I’ll see you later then—call me if anything happens.”
Evie hummed hearing her hang up, fingers adjusting Hayden’s hair so it fell away from his face. His eyes had closed again, arms curled protectively around his chest as he tried to gather as much warmth as he could. Setting the phone on the nearby table, she sifted through the sheets that she had thrown off him earlier until she found a thin, dry sheet.
Dragging the sheet with her, she shifted to lie next to him, gently pushing his knees so she could actually do so. His eyes opened half-way, shifting to accommodate her with only a murmur of protest, to which she again ignored. He hadn’t pushed her away though, which she figured was a plus. Gathering the agent into her arms, she adjusted the sheet so it covered both of them. Hayden had given her a look of confusion before his head rested against the crook of her neck, evidently too tired to do anything else. Her arms wrapped around him protectively, one hand wrapping around his body to run through his hair soothingly.
“y’ll catch it…”
She heard a faint mumble and she giggled, pulling the agent closer.
“Then you’ll have to take care of me if that happens, won’t you?”
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The Abyss
You speak of justice, of love…and yet you commit the very things that you vow to rise against.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
A child’s scream permeated the air, muffled as if he was underneath the surface of water. Even with his limited hearing, he could detect the sound of sheer pain in the child’s voice.
“Who…?”
Vaguely, he could make out the sounds of other voices, but it was too faint to be able to distinguish.
Abruptly, a bright, white light filled his vision before it faded to darkness.
“…?”
Feeling around, he could feel nothing but the cold ground. A pair of yellow eyes peered at him in the darkness, causing him to jolt backwards.
“?!”
The eyes weren’t those of a human—more like those of a…cat?
Foolish humans…
It was as if the voice had spoken him directly through his mind. His hands flew up to his ears, eyes wide in confusion. No color filled his vision—just pure black. He had managed to sit up now, but everything remained pitch black, minus the set of eyes steadily gazing at him. Even with his hands directly in front of him, he couldn’t see a thing.
You speak of justice, of love…and yet you commit the very things that you vow to rise against.
Shifting his position by pushing himself up against the cool ground, Hayden frowned. While the voice seemed to be talking to him, the words didn’t necessarily seem to be directed toward him.
“W-who…are you?”
The voice continued, as if didn’t hear him, or chose to purposely ignore his words.
Or perhaps it is I who is the foolish one, for giving you another chance to redeem yourself. Take this as your final opportunity to show me what mortals are capable of accomplishing.
Before he could make a sound, a burst of white light engulfed him, pulling his body through as if it were swallowing him whole.
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The Prophesied Hero
“Maybe you’re the chosen one! Like the prophesied hero in stories!”
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
Even as the two of them were speaking, the park remained deserted.
There were no visible signs of wear, suggesting that the area had been recently inhabited—almost as if every trace of human existence suddenly vanished off the face of the earth.
“W-where…are we?” Hayden managed to say, his voice laced with uncertainty.
Yukina frowned at him, “You really don’t know?” At this, he mirrored her frown. He wouldn’t be asking if he had known the answer to his own question, he resisted barking out. The woman sighed, turning to gaze up at the blue sky.
“If I’m right…and I probably am,” She interjected with a grin at him, “Then we’re currently in your dreams.”
At her words, he raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t that he had dismissed that possibility before, but the Yukina in front of him was so…real, that it didn’t seem to fit.
“Why am I here in your dreams, you might wonder?” Yukina continued as if she had been able to read his mind. “Well—I don’t really know.” She finished with a sheepish grin. “This hasn’t ever happened before.”
Hayden looked at her curiously, “Have you been in other people’s dreams before? Lucius’s? Illysia’s?” It would have made more sense if she had appeared to them, not him. They had an actual connection to her, unlike him.
With a shake of her head, Yukina frowned, “I haven’t actually been able to enter a dream before. I mean, I’ve tried, but it’s always come up…blank.” So she had tried to…
He looked at her inquisitively, “Then you tried to enter my dream on purpose?” Again, she gave him a sheepish grin and a giggle that seemed to be a touch forced.
“Yeah…I didn’t think it would work…” She scratched her head, a lop-sided grin on her face. “Thought that I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a try.” She reached to grab his hands in hers. “But it did! Though your dreams are awfully dull, aren’t they?”
He shot her a look of fainted offense, before his expression returned to a frown. “So why me? If you had the chance to talk to anybody…it…wouldn’t be me, would it?”
Her face morphed into a look of surprise as she frowned at him. Her hands let go of his to give him a light slap—though it was little more than a tap—on his cheek. “Nonsense, you’re important to me as well.” She chided, “As for why it worked, I’m not quite sure myself. But recently,” She grimaced, as if reflecting on something. “I’ve been getting a bad feeling about something. Something’s not right… Just as I was hoping that my words would reach someone, I just happened to be able to enter your dreams.” She paused thoughtfully before adding, “Maybe you’re the chosen one! Like the prophesied hero in stories!” She grinned, ruffling his hair playfully.
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An Empty Sky
“I can’t see the color of your voice…”
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
As if finally pulled up from underneath the water’s surface, his chest heaved as he took in as much air as his lungs would allow.
“…!!”
When he fought away the light-headedness, Hayden slowly opened his eyes, only to have it yet again be caught in his throat. Instead of the brilliant blue he was used to, the entire sky was a deep blood red. In the distance, he could see looming, pitch black clouds.
Jerking himself up to a sitting position, he winced at the searing pain in his head. His hands immediately went up to feel for any injuries, but he found nothing there.
“Hayden!”
Startled by the sudden voice, his head whipped around, to be greeted by the sight of a frantic looking Yukina.
Before he could say anything, she rushed over to him, kneeling down and looking him over, as if looking for any injuries.
“Y-Yukina…?”
Her movements weren’t helping the massive migraine he was currently facing. They nauseated him and he clamped his eyes shut, palms pressing on his closed eyes to will both the ache and the nausea away. Yukina seemed to sense his pain, for she halted. She still remained lingering over him, however—he could practically feel the worry radiating off of her.
“Hayden…”
The sound of her voice made her freeze, though this time for a completely different reason. His head shot up, apparently startling her, for she again looked at him with wide eyes.
“I-I can’t…” He stuttered, making her face crease in worry. “I can’t see the color of your voice…”
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A dream...?
There was no mistaking it, the long brown, slightly wavy hair. She hadn’t changed in the slightest, looking not a day older than the day she…died.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
“…?”
Using the back of his hand to block out the glaring light of the sun, Hayden squinted ahead.
His gaze shifted to the trees, the flowers, the familiar fountain at the center of the part—the sights around him were familiar, although he had no idea how he had gotten there in the first place. Strangely, the normally bustling park was eerily deserted.
“…”
A sudden voice startled him out of his thoughts. It was a pale green color…something he couldn’t quite recognize, despite feeling like he had seen the color before. It was as if someone had taken a voice and suppressed it, judging by the muted color of the sound.
Curiously, he made his way around the fountain, toward the source of the voice. A woman was sitting on the side of the fountain, her fingers running along the surface of the water. At his appearance, her head jerked up sharply and their eyes met for the first time.
Both pairs of eyes widened.
“Y-“ The sound wouldn’t escape his throat.
There was no mistaking it, the long brown, slightly wavy hair. She hadn’t changed in the slightest, looking not a day older than the day she…died.
Illysia’s mother. They had met when he was still young, several years before she and Lucius had gotten married and many years before Illysia was born. Her naturally cheery, though quirky, personality made her much easier to get along with than other adults. Practically from the moment she had set her eyes on him, she had declared that he was to be her adopted younger brother, to Lucius’s amusement. She took on the mother hen responsibility seriously, scaring away many of the pint-sized bullies that tried to pick on him. Confusedly, he had accepted her actions without further question, though she had always piqued his curiosity. He hadn’t realized that people like her existed in the world.
“Yukina…” Hayden managed to mutter, eyes still wide in disbelief.
The woman stood up abruptly, taking a few hasty steps toward him, leading Hayden to back up a few steps in confusion. She quickly made her way in front of him, stopping inches away. Being roughly the same height, Hayden had no doubt that this was the same person as their eyes were locked on the other.
Suddenly, a finger jabbed him in the chest and he stumbled backwards, eyes even wider. Likewise, her eyes widened as well as her frown morphed into a wide, gleeful grin.
“You’re the real thing!” She cheerfully exclaimed, clapping her hands together, not unlike a child. He could see where Illysia got a good portion of her disposition from.
Rubbing the spot she jabbed—she really held nothing back—he mumbled, “T-that should be my line…?”
Her smile quickly dampened, giving her eyes an uncharacteristically empty look. “You…” She hesitated for a moment, “You can see me?”
Curiously, he nodded with a frown. This was unlike the Yukina he had known—the always bright, laughing ray of light. Perhaps, although he hadn’t doubted this before, he really had not known the real “Yukina”.
Yukina’s smile returned, along with the usual cheerful, albeit mischievous, gleam in her eyes. “Great!” She clapped her hands together again, “I was getting bored around here anyway! You really surprised me though—no one comes around here!” Abruptly, she froze, an alarmed look on her face, startling him yet again. “Wait, you’re not dead, are you?”
Blinking, he answered, “I-I don’t…think so?”
She frowned for a moment, looking deep in thought for a moment before her eyes returned to his. “That’s good to hear. I don’t think you are either”, she declared with a resolute nod. “I mean, you don’t feel like a ghost. On the other hand, I’ve never felt another ghost—not in that way—“ she added sharply even though he hadn’t said a word, “Not in any way.”
At least she hadn’t lost her quirkiness at all, he thought with an amused smile.
“Do you…know…” He hesitated, wondering if he should ask her if she knew that she was dead. Her eyes rested on him, a soft smile on her face.
“Do I know that I’m dead?” She completed, with yet another bright grin. “I do. I’ve known for a long time now.” Spinning on her heel around, turning her back to him, she gazed up at the sky.
After a long moment, she spoke, “Everyone’s growing up—Illysia’s gotten so big now.” She turned half way to look at him, her characteristically cheerful look in her eyes. “I mean, she was only this big-“ gesturing with her arms, “and now she’s…” Turning away from him again, she fell into silence. “Everyone’s growing up…and I feel like I’m being left behind.”
“Yukina…”
With a smile—though forced—she turned to face him again, “Well, guess it can’t be helped. There’s no future for me anyway.” Before he could say anything, she lifted a finger up, effectively silencing him.
“But you know what? It’s not all bad. I get to spend every moment with them. No one has a better seat than me.” She puffed up her chest, looking satisfied with herself. “And…it looks like they’ve moved on. That’s…all I wished for.”
“They…no, we’ll…never forget you.” Hayden interjected, resolutely. “Never.”
Yukina giggled, reaching out to ruffle his hair like she had done when he was much younger. Her eyes held a fond look as she smiled at him, “Thank you!”
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The Pursuit of Happiness
Everyone has the right to a happy life…
The only question is how to obtain it.
Author’s Note:
This story is a part of Pharmakon: Kairos, a time travelling story about ordinary people forced to travel back in time to save those that they love.
Character profiles/summaries can be read here.
With the sounds of mixed chattering—Evie’s voice among the loudest of the group—Hayden let his legs swing off the side of the ledge, a good distance away from the rest. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy their company, he did, but large groups still tired him quickly. He was still at a distance close enough to where he could see faint colors as the other agents talked. Along with the sounds of the voices, he could also see and hear the very faint rustling of the leaves below. Despite being well into December, it had not yet gotten very cold, only enough to need a light jacket.
December.
That also meant time was running out. Things had gone well so far in this world, but he was not naïve enough to believe that it would stay that way. At one time, he had hoped that it would—that there would be a “happy” ending at the end of one of these worlds. Time and time again, those hopes were dashed, leaving a bitter hopelessness in him. Even through the hopelessness, he had held that tiny sliver of hope, until…
A bright flash of white light filled his vision and his hands unconsciously clenched.
No.
Slowly opening his eyes—he hadn’t realized that he had closed them, to begin with—he took slow breaths.
After that incident, he had remembered consulting Illysia and Declan about their situation.
“What are we even fighting for?” He remembered spitting out bitterly.
The next moment he would never forget.
“Is it so wrong to strive for happiness?”
Illysia had growled with unfallen tears welded up in her eyes. He had never seen her so furious before, to the point where the sight of her alone was enough to make his next words die on his tongue.
“If you keep thinking like that, you’ll never find it,” Her words were like acid, gaze like needles boring through him. “Happiness is something you have to want, something that you have to be determined to get.” Her gaze softened at this point. “We’ve made it so far…you can’t be giving up now.”
Illysia.
She was probably the first person he had convinced himself to live for. He could never forget the confusion and terror plastered on her face as she leaned over her father’s lifeless body. Her quiet, desperate whispers as her trembling hands shook his body. She had lost so much in the few years she had been alive, he couldn’t—wouldn’t—let her lose anything else.
That was precisely the reason that he had kept all of his thoughts, his hopelessness, to himself. And that was, he reflected back amusedly, exactly how he had dug himself into the rut that he soon found himself in.
It was easier to just hide it all.
Having to wake up, introduce himself—“Hello, my name is Hayden Griffith.”
Time after time, world after world, he would introduce himself again and again. He knew no one would remember anything from the previous worlds—he was the odd one out, not them. Yet, he couldn’t help it when a part of him died every time the other person answered, “Ah, you must be the new agent!”
He knew each and every one of their names long before they even introduced themselves.
He knew every little quirk, the sounds of their voices, their hopes and fears.
He knew them much more than he knew himself.
At times, it took all of his willpower not to scream at them.
But he bit his tongue and smiled as if it really had been their first meeting…because it was, for them.
So he responded the same way every time, like a broken record…no one was any wiser.
It was easier to smile, to play the fool. To be the rookie agent, the baby of the team.
If he pretended not to know anything, he wouldn’t be bombarded with questions that he had no answer to. Questions that he couldn’t answer.
He had seen them all fall before him…and he couldn’t do a thing, not one thing.
Someone had to smile. So he did.
The more he did, the more shallow he felt. He couldn’t do a thing for anyone and he absolutely hated it—hated himself—for being so weak. There were days where he would see nothing but darkness looking back at him in the mirror. It was times like that where he would plaster his smile on his face, play the cheerful newbie agent that they expected of him. He wondered if anyone saw through his act…and if they did, he wondered if he only added to the darkness that threatened to creep up on him at every nook and turn.
Guess not, because it worked just about every single time, he remembered thinking bitterly. Even Illysia couldn’t tell at times. Later, he would realize that Atlas had never really fallen for his act, his unwavering, piercing stare could easily see through his façade. Ailis, too, had not been completely convinced. One time, she had scoffed at him.
“And you had told me not to smile only for other people.”
Smiling was the only thing he could do, he resisted biting back. But he bit his tongue and only turned away from her. At least if he smiled, the other person would smile back at him. If that brought them at least a little bit of happiness, it was fine. Even if it killed him.
It was fine, he had convinced himself.
No one needed to see the darkness inside. No one needed to know.
Tomorrow will be better. He just needed to make it to tomorrow and everything would be fine. With those words, he stumbled forward, forced himself to get out of bed to face the new day, his smile plastered to his face not unlike a marionette.
Slowly, things had started to improve.
Small signs at every turn. They gave him hope…and he found himself once again hanging on that sliver of hope.
A part of him didn’t—couldn’t—trust in others. Because trusting in others would mean revealing his vulnerability to someone else.
Atlas had quietly listened to Hayden’s outbursts and frustrations.
“Trust,” the older man began, “It’s said so easily, but it takes much more courage than that to truly trust someone. It may mean putting your vulnerabilities out there for others to see, but when the other person responds in turn…you build something that you would have never been able to achieve alone.”
It was then that he vowed to try…to trust others, and to smile for himself. He had to, for her sake.
Somehow, he had made it here.
“Is it so wrong to strive for happiness…?” He wondered under his breath, gazing down at the trees from below.
“Hayden?”
The voice startled him out of his thoughts. A soft, lavender colored voice—Miu.
He turned around quickly…perhaps too quickly, as he seemed to startle the girl with his response.
“I-I-I’m so s-sorry,” She stammered, “I d-didn’t mean to s-startle you!”
Her alarm only increased ten fold when he began to laugh. She looked terribly confused, her face a shade of bright red.
“Sorry,” He managed to wheeze in between laughing, “I didn’t mean to startle you either, so I guess we’re even.” He had managed to stop laughing and paused to catch his breath. “So what’s up?”
Miu shifted nervously, “I-I…um…t-thought you looked…t-troubled so I wanted…” Her face turned a brighter shade of red.
At this point, he had understood, but silent urged her to continue. She reminded him of how he used to be. Perhaps that was why he had quickly grown attached to her.
“I-I wanted to m-make sure that y-you’re okay…” She seemed to use all of her energy to stay those few words, as she looked completely exhausted afterwards.
A smile crept up on his face…a real smile.
“I was just thinking about some things that happened in the past.” His eyes shifted to the bright blue sky.
He was smiling now…but out of his own will. For himself, because he wanted to.
Miu still looked confused, but the line of worry on her face was now gone.
“Will you two stop flirting?!” Evie’s voice rang out, causing Miu to turn impossibly red at the suggestion. “The food’s getting cold!”
Miu’s face got even more red, to the point where he felt sympathy for her.
“I-I-I wasn’t-“ She began to stammer, but Hayden chuckled.
“I know. Evie’s just teasing.”
The girl looked relieved, although her face remained red up to her ears. He paused, getting up and brushing the dirt off his pants. “Thank you Miu. I’m okay now.” Turning to the girl, he continued, “Now, let’s go before Evie eats our share of the food.”
Even when there were days when he felt obliged to plaster a smile on, he now had strength—a reason to live—that no one could take away.
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