Strings of Fate Prologue (Part 1)
A lone puppet sits on a stage, lights flickering above it as the air around was dead quiet. A collection of seventeen letters with wax seals keeping them closed suddenly land on the wooden surface of the stage, the first thing that pierced the bone-chilling silence.
“Soon, this school will be filled with new faces. New minds to pull and twist, to see if they can fight the path that fate has planned for them or if they will be manipulated like a puppet on strings.” A voice says in the darkness, picking up the set of letters with gloved hands. They smirk as they stare at each name written down, running a finger along one of the carefully written letters of a student’s name.
“I suppose we’ll see in due time... won’t we?” They ask the puppet on the stage. The wooden figure’s eyes lighting up with a red glow and a twisted giggle coming out of its hollow body.
Kanaye looks at the address on his letter envelope, carefully reading it over before looking up at the towering school building in front of him. The Academy for Talented Youth, he didn’t know much about it, but what he did know was that he was ready and prepared to take classes alongside other ultimate’s like himself. He inhales deeply and gives two hard pats to his cheeks before letting out a lengthy exhale, smiling as he stepped through the gateway and down the stone path towards the front doors of the academy.
The large doors creak open as he stepped inside. The main hall of the building was completely void of people save for Kanaye, his footsteps echoing around him as he walked across the polished marble tile floor. Large, solid white pillars support the ceiling above him, while smaller ones displayed busts of what appeared to be the founders or significant alumni of the school. He swallows softly as was soon stopped by another set of double doors, his slightly trembling hand reaching out and gripping the door handle.
He soon jumps back and lets out a sharp yelp as a pair of metal doors close over the formerly wooden ones once he attempted to open the door, letting out a loud clang sound. He swiftly turned around when he hears the same sound behind him, the entrance doors being covered by the same metal covers. A soft hiss soon replaced the still echoing slams of the doors.
Kanaye covers his mouth and starts to roughly cough as the air soon filled with a sickly sweet smell. “Wh-What are they doing...?” He thinks to himself as the unknown substance pollutes the air and fills his nose. His body sways and stumbles as his mind grew foggy, his eyelids drooping as he slowly but surely succumbed to the gasses effect. His body makes a soft thump as he collapsed to the ground, his eyes fully closing as he drifted off.
“Hey. Hello? Can you hear me?!” A female voice asks as Kanaye stirs from what felt like an eternal sleep, a soft groan passing his lips as he sits up. His head was pounding while the rest of his body still felt like it was made of jelly. “Oh good! You’re finally up! I was starting to get worried.” The same voice breathed out, holding a mixture of both relief and concern.
Kanaye looks around his new environment to try and find the owner of the voice, soon pausing his search when he sees a girl that appeared to be around his age with chocolate-brown hair looking at him, her green eyes holding a mix of both relief and slight concern. “Wh... Who are you?” He asks as he slowly rises to his feet, a barely noticeable blush forming on his cheeks as she helped him stand.
“Oh, right. Forgot to introduce myself. I’m Rose Anderson, the Ultimate Matchmaker! Nice to meet you!” She says with a small but cheerful smile on her lips.
Rose Anderson, Ultimate Matchmaker. A transfer student from America, this young lady has been helping others find their perfect life partner since the tender age of three. Ever since her first pairing, she has had a perfect record of finding the right partners for her clients.
“Rose huh? Nice to meet you too. My name’s Kanaye Taigen and I'm the Ultimate Cyclist.” Kanaye says, sending Rose a small but pleasant smile of his own in response.
Kanaye Taigen, the Ultimate Cyclist. Known as “The Breeze Rider” in competitive cycling. Kanaye holds the record of being the youngest winner of the National Japanese Cycling Tour at the age of 14. Ever since, he has won a multitude of other famous cycling competitions and has earned international fame for his feats.
“Ultimate Cyclist? So you compete in bike races? That’s so cool! Have you ever competed in the Tour de France?” Rose asks, her eyes glimmering with excitement as she looked up expectantly at Kanaye. Though she didn’t seem to notice the pale pink blush forming on his cheeks from her enthusiasm and from his own embarrassment.
“N-No, not yet. But, it is my dream to one day compete in it.” He answers with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. He was used to people getting excited around him, but somehow, this girl’s excitement felt different. It felt as if she was actually excited about and interested in his talent rather than his fame as a widely known cyclist.
His eyes soon wander and look around the room that he and Rose were currently in. It appeared to be a deserted classroom. Desks were neatly lined in rows and the chairs were properly placed on top of them. Despite the room seemingly being abandoned, the floor was neatly polished, to the point that Kanaye could see his own reflection on the floor.
“Hey Rose. Do you happen to know where we are exactly?” He asks, looking over at the matchmaker, frowning when she shakes her head. “No, I don’t really have a solid idea on where we are. I can only assume that we’re still in the school based on our current location, but I’m still not entirely sure.” She says with an apologetic look on her face, the sadness on her soft features making Kanaye’s heart hurt just a bit.
“Hey, cheer up. I’m sure we’ll find out for certain if we’re still in the school or not.” He says, flashing Rose a reassuring smile. This, in turn, causes Rose to smile and let out a soft sigh in what Kanaye could only assume was relief. “Yeah, you’re right. If we’re in the school, then we shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Though, that doesn’t explain why the teachers decided to knock us out.” She says, softly muttering the last part under her breath to try not to worry Kanaye again.
“Come on. We should scope out the rest of the building.” Rose says, pointing at the wooden door of the classroom. Kanaye nods in agreement and walks over to the front door and grips the handle, slowly and almost cautiously sliding it open to reveal the empty hallway on the other side. He peaks his head through the doorway and looks up and down the hall, motioning Rose to come over when he sees that the coast was clear.
Both teens step out and walk down the hall, their footfalls echoing around them with each step they took. They both wince when the light at the end of the hall hits their eyes, allowing themselves to adjust before stepping into a new room. This one seemed to be a smaller version of the main hall, save for the fact that there were multiple doors and halls that connected to different area’s of the school, or at least on that specific floor. There was also a set of double doors that seemed to lead to somewhere outside of the building.
“Which way should we go?” Rose asks, her green eyes looking at each door and hall that they could possibly go down. Kanaye could only shrug and go with his gut instinct as he chose a hall at random, soon going down the the hallway to the left of the main room. This hall was lined with pictures of nature or of a variety of flora and fauna. At the end of the hall were two more doors, one brown and the other blue.
“Terra and Aqua. I wonder what those mean?” Rose asks, earning another shrug from Kanaye. “Only one way to find out.” He says before walking over to the door labeled Terra. He slowly, cautiously, opens the door and steps inside, motioning for Rose to follow after him after making sure it was safe. The room was filled with multiple tanks, shelves, and books. Reptiles and amphibians where inside each of the plexiglass terrariums, though on closer inspection they seemed to be taxidermied alongside the different species of small mammals that were on display at the top of the shelves. Jars of venom from different species were also held inside of a plexiglass cabinet.
“I guess this must be the biology lab.” Rose says, her tone soft and cautious as she looks at one of the bookshelves. She carefully takes a book off of one of the shelves, blowing some dust off the cover and reading the title.
Ring the Bell: The Study of Animal Psychology
“Interesting title...” Rose mutters to herself before putting the book back on the shelve. She looks back over at Kanaye, who was looking at a taxidermied snake in one of the terrariums. It had tan scales with patches of darker brown, along with dark brown lines across its eyes.
“Hey, Rose. What kind of snake do you think this is?” He asks without removing his eyes from the specimen. Rose could only shrug due to her knowledge of animals outside of dogs, cats, and a few birds was rather limited.
“It’s known as a Mamushi, also called the Japanese pit viper.” An unknown and near monotone voice speaks, the owner soon stepping out. A girl around Kanaye’s age walks over to the two with a rather bored looking expression on her face. She was wearing a white blouse with a green skirt, a brownish-red ribbon decorating her shirt collar. Her long brown hair was tied into two tails that draped behind her shoulders.
“Oh! Hey, didn’t know someone else was in here.” Kanaye says, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. The girl only shrugs her shoulders in a way that didn’t really give away how she felt, her static expression not helping as well.
“It’s fine. Most people usually don’t ask or look around area’s before barging in. It’s just human nature.” She says in a flat, unamused tone. She looks down and into the tank of the stuffed Mamushi, her eyes now showing a bit more interest than before. Both Rose and Kanaye look at each other, each with an awkward expression on their faces before looking back at the girl.
“Well... since we don’t really know each other, I guess we should make introductions. I’m Rose Anderson, the Ultimate Matchmaker.” Rose says with a small smile on her lips. “And I’m Kanaye Taigen, the Ultimate Cyclist.” Kanaye adds, a smile of his own on his face, though this one was a bit more awkward and unsure. The girl simply turns around and blinks before she begins to speak.
“I’m Yumi Rumiko, the Ultimate Herpetologist.” She says in what was already expected to be her usual neutral tone. Her pale green eyes staring at the two in what seemed to be an unemotional gaze.
Yumi Rumiko, the Ultimate Herpetologist. This stone-faced researcher was fascinated by all things scaly and slimy, so she dedicated most, if not all, of her free time to studying the reptiles and amphibians around her hometown. However, this behavior also made it difficult for the other townsfolk to properly connect with her.
“Herpetologist?” Rose asks, tilting her head slightly to the side in confusion. The look on her face almost akin to a curious puppy. This soon earning a confirming nod from Yumi.
“Correct. I am in expert in the field of herpetology, which is the study of both reptiles and amphibians.” She explains, her voice still neutral despite talking about what was her expertise and talent. “I came into this room in order to see what kind of specimens the school might’ve acquired for the students to do further research on. But, sadly, it seems like they only had mere models instead of actual live creatures to study.” She adds, letting out a soft sigh that seemed to be of disappointment.
“Oh, well, do you want to come along with us and look around the school? We’re still trying to figure out the layout of this place, so an extra set of eyes would be helpful.” Kanaye asks, giving her a small, but patient smile. Yumi simply shakes her head before looking at a tank with small frogs of varying colors inside.
“No. I’d rather stay in here, rather than interact with more loud and intrusive people.” She says, a barely noticeable difference in her tone giving away that she was finished with their current conversation.
Both Kanaye and Rose exit the biology lab without another word, making sure to quietly close the door behind them as to not disturb Yumi any further. The let out a collective sigh before looking at the door labeled Aqua.
“Well, let’s see what’s in this room next.” Kanaye says, Rose soon nodding in agreement as she watches Kanaye walk forward towards the teal blue door. He opens it and looks around before motioning for Rose to follow him inside. The interior was similar to the biology lab, though this room was more centered around marine biology. Fish, crustations, mollusks, and cephalopods were all preserved inside of tanks that were filled with a gel-like substance that mimicked water, though much thicker than the material it was mimicking.
“Guess this room is dedicated to ocean life...” Kanaye muttered softly to himself, a small shudder running down his back as the taxidermy fish seem to stare down at him with their glassy, lifeless eyes.
“You would be guessing correctly!” A female voice speaks up, another girl around his and Rose’s age soon stepping out to greet the two. She wore a black and white striped tank top and a pair of blue shorts. Her hair was a sandy yellow in color and had a sea star hair clip placed in it, both seemed to match her tan skin. “Oops! Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you two.” She apologizes, rubbing the back of her neck in a somewhat of an embarrassed manner.
“It’s alright. Though I have to ask, who are you exactly?” Kanaye asks, watching as a flash of realization goes across the girls face.
“Oh, right. My name’s Madoka Kawa, seafarer extraordinaire and the Ultimate Marine Biologist! Nice to meet you!” Madoka greets happily, placing both hands on her hips and smiling proudly at her own introduction.
Madoka Kawa, the Ultimate Marine Biologist. The daughter of a male Japanese scientist and a Hawaiian woman, this ray of sunshine has been known as The Girl of the Sea and has been know to spend more time out on the water rather than on the land.
“Marine Biologist? So you study sea animals?” Rose asks, placing a finger on her chin and tilting her head slightly.
“Yep! That’s exactly what I do. Though I also do much more than just study them. I also play a role in ocean conservation by keeping track of the population of certain species, making sure that the ocean stays clean, and doing check in’s to make sure that the coral reefs are healthy and growing properly!” Madoka explains, her smile growing a bit bigger with each point she made. She pauses for a moment, her expression changing as she seemed to suddenly remember something important.
“Hey, sorry to change the subject, but did you guys wake up in here like me?” She asks, rubbing the back of her neck in a slightly awkward manner. Rose and Kanaye look at each other before looking back at Madoka, both shaking their heads in response.
“We both woke up in a different classroom.” Rose says with a small frown on her lips. Kanaye nodding his head in agreement, a similar looking frown on his face, though his eyes also held a glimmer of curiosity, wondering what Madoka was thinking of. The blonde tapping her chin in thought while letting out a soft hum.
“I guess that means... whoever knocked us out... put us each in separate rooms. Though, I’m not sure why. You would think that they would want us to meet each other at the same time, right?” Madoka says with a slightly nervous chuckle. She taps her chin some more, furrowing her eyebrows in what seemed to be a combination of both concentration and worry. Both Rose and Kanaye look on, both with expressions of varying concern on their faces.
“Hey... we’re going to keep looking around if that’s alright with you.” Kanaye says, earning just a hum of acknowledgement and hand wave from Madoka. He shrugs at Rose and turns around before leaving the room.
“Well, she was certainly interesting.” Rose mutters, earning a nod of agreement from Kanaye. The two walk down the hall before they arrive back in the main area, both looking around for any other possible areas to search.
Cafeteria, Laundry, Nurse...
Kanaye and Rose both approach the largest of the set of doors. The surface of the doors colored a dark aubergine with the handles coated in what appeared to be pure gold. They both look at each other, then back at the doors.
“Ready?” Kanaye asks, his hand reaching out slightly in preparation to grab the door handle.
“Yeah, let’s go.” Rose answers with a nod, a slightly nervous smile on her lips as she responds.
Kanaye gulps softly as his slightly trembling hand moves closer and closer to the handle. His tanned knuckles turn pale as he tightly grips the handle of the door, his fear of the unknown making it difficult to move forward.
He shakes his head and takes a breath, steeling himself for what was ahead as he opens the door. He and Rose stepping forward, fully ready to explore what else the school had prepared for them...
