The Aetherway
Cleansing
Ahead, a towering waterfall roars, the crash of water rising into the air and lifting a veil of fog.
Rocky terrain gives way to patches of green grass, all washed in a bluish tint.
Fire press the cold stone and damp earth beneath his bare feet.
A slow yawn follows, eyes barely open. He lifts his arms and looks himself over. Pajamas? He tugs at the loose sleeves, smoothing the fabric until it sits right.
Stone surrounds him on all sides, jagged rocks rising close around his body, their surfaces thick with moss. Fire tilts his head upward. Beyond the narrow opening above, he sees the blue sky and clouds drifting slowly across it.
He walks a little further. Behind the water curtain, dozens of swifts cling vertically to the rock face. On scythe-shaped wings they dart through the spray, high-pitched calls ringing out as they catch insects in midair.
He closes his eyes and lets the gentle breeze brush through his hair.
Opening them, he sees her in the distance. The familiar line of her back, the Japanese sailor school uniform, the long braid falling neatly behind her as she sits on the cliff’s edge.
He walks toward her until the stone beneath his feet narrows to a ledge. He lowers himself and crawls forward, peering over the edge at the immense drop below. Waterfalls plunge through open air, their streams shrinking into the distance as they feed a distant river.
Fire stops behind her, hesitates, then sits, pulling his knees close and wrapping his arms around them.
Lady Thread sits with her feet dangling freely over the abyss, gazing into a small hand mirror, its surface dotted with fine droplets of mist. As she turns it just so, her reflection slips away, replaced by a pale flash of sky drifting across the glass.
She tilts her head left, then right, searching for the best angle in the light. She gives herself an exaggerated wink and raises two fingers in a soft V beside her cheek. A tiny kiss follows, then she rotates the mirror, leaning closer before pulling it away again. She puffs out her cheeks, presses them gently with her fingertips, then practices an innocent smile that slowly twists into a mischievous smirk.
“Oh, loved that one!” he says, letting it slip in his excitement.
「u really think so〜？」 she asks, eyes closed, preening slightly, absorbed in the mirror. Then she tilts the mirror just enough to catch his face reflected in the background.
「kyaaah〜！ i didn’t see u there ne〜！」 she screams suddenly.
Fire jumps. She puffs her cheeks, then bursts out laughing.
She stands up, stepping backward along the cliff path.
「ah！！ yabai！！ this is super off limits ４ u！！」 she exclaims, pressing the mirror against her chest to block its reflection.
Fire stands as well, slowly, carefully moving a step toward her. He scratches the back of his neck and averts his gaze, cheeks warming.
“Huh? I thought it was cute,” he says, voice soft, eyes darting between her and the mirror.
「of course it is cute！！ that is not what i mean〜！！」 she insists. 「listen ne〜 this mirror is dangerous ４ u！！」
Fire freezes, eyes narrowing, his lips pressing into a tight line. “…For me?”
「not everyone is prepared ２ see it！！」 she says, tilting the mirror slightly.
“Huh?! I’m not prepared?!” His voice rises sharply. He stomps a foot, hands clenching at his sides, and his shoulders tense. His face flushes, lips trembling slightly.
「it shows who u truly are！！」 she says, voice sharp.
“Give me this thing!” He steps forward, hand outstretched.
She places the mirror against her back, and walks backward slowly, keeping her eyes on him. 「ah〜 see！？ this response・・・ it tells me everything！！」
Her expression shifts suddenly. She frowns, meeting his eyes with a quiet seriousness.
The moment stretches.
Fire finally exhales, taking a deep breath. He runs a hand through his hair, glances down, then to the side.
“C’mon…" he says, softer now “I can handle a mirror.”
She watches him for a long moment, unreadable. A breeze passes between them, stirring her skirt, brushing against his sleeves, carrying the scent of moss and stone.
Behind the curtain of water, the swifts cry out sharply. Then they fall silent again.
「well〜 if u really want ２・・・and u think ur ready・・・i don’t have a choice ne〜 besides・・・」 She glances up with a distracted little grin. 「nobody is ever ready anyway〜 fufu〜」 she chuckles.
She stretches her arm just slightly, the mirror facing down. 「then it is decided・・・」
Suddenly she snaps it back. 「with one condition！！」
“Sure,” Fire mutters.
「u have ２ tell me which expression was ur fave〜」
He drops a hand onto his head and squeezes his eyes shut. “Huuuuuh…”
Then, without opening them, he sticks out his tongue and scrunches his face. “The one like this.”
「eh！？！」 She laughs. 「i did not do that one！！」
“Let me see, okay?”
「okay〜」 She stretches her arm again. 「here it is〜」
「stop stop〜 one more tiny thing！！」 she exclaims, pulling the mirror back quickly.
“Whaaaaat?”
「after u see it・・・・・・u cannot unsee it！！ i am warning u properly ne〜！！」
Fire’s throat tightens. He freezes, right hand suspended in midair. Inches away.
He looks down. Closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath and holds it. Then he opens them, decisively.
His heart pounds. A cloud of mist drifts by on the soft wind, partially hiding her from view.
Suddenly, the clouds split. Sunlight pours through, striking droplets in her moving braid, sparkling in the sudden sun.
The wind stops. The roar of the waterfall fades, the swifts’ cries vanish, even the distant river seems to hold its breath.
She stands there in radiant clarity. The grin on her lips is satisfied, but her eyes betray a quiet melancholy.
He exhales.
Then, slowly, reaches for the mirror.
Fire inspects the back of the mirror. Its surface is silvery, covered in intricate details. A spiral pattern stretches from the center to the edges.
He looks up, scanning the area. Where is she?
His gaze returns to the mirror. He runs his fingers along its surface, tracing the curves of the engraved threads. Slowly, he rotates the handle, then raises the mirror to eye level.
A normal reflection? Just a simple mirror?
A patch of reflected light spreads across his face, shaped by the mirror in his hands.
He stares at his own reflection for a moment longer. He tilts the mirror and looks down, confused. Did she trick me?
His gaze lifts again
Fire leans closer. His eyes narrow.
A familiar face.
But… red?
The hair is longer. Horns?
“Ah!!”
He recoils, startled, and lowers the mirror. When he looks away, the world around him has changed.
A rugged desert stretches endlessly before him, colored in shades of black and gray. The sky hangs dark and heavy above. A smoky mist blurs the horizon, and the setting sun is little more than a pale stain in the distance.
He looks at his hands. Red skin. Black, pointed nails. His bare feet ache.
He touches his lips. Dry and cracked.
Fire walks.
The terrain is uneven. Jagged stone. Loose gravel. Every step stings his bare feet.
He keeps going.
Nothing changes. Black. Gray. Silence.
A dry wind carries ash across the ground.
Then he sees it.
A human figure stands in the distance, perfectly still.
“Hey!”
No response.
Fire walks closer.
He stops in front of the figure.
Black. Charred. Brittle like coal.
He reaches out and touches its shoulder.
Black flakes drift to the ground.
A crack.
Then another.
The figure collapses into a heap of ash and brittle fragments.
Fire stares at the remains. His hand slowly curls into a fist.
He keeps walking.
Another figure appears.
Then another.
Black silhouettes stand in every direction. Silent. Motionless.
The smoke grows thicker.
Fire covers his mouth and nose.
He raises the mirror.
His human reflection stares back at him.
Behind him, only television static.
He tilts the mirror.
The frame moves.
The reflection does not.
Staring straight ahead. Unblinking. Motionless.
He lowers the mirror.
“Hello?”
No one answers.
His chest tightens.
“Anybody?!”
Only silence.
Each breath is harder than the last.
The smoke scratches at his throat.
He coughs once.
Another follows.
He tries to swallow the next one.
He can’t.
Something reaches him through the smoke.
Footsteps.
The crackle of embers.
The roar of flames.
Fire turns to his right.
A figure stands burning.
His legs give out.
He falls to his knees.
Wide-eyed.
I… I did this?
The realization sinks in.
No… No… No… I did this.
The burning figure approaches.
“I’m sorry!”
Fire’s voice breaks between violent coughs.
It gets closer.
He curls into himself.
Knees pulled close. Hands over his head. Elbows pressed against his chest.
“Please forgive me!”
He sobs.
“I’m sorry… I’m trying… but I still don’t know how to control it.”
The figure slowly kneels.
It reaches out.
It holds him gently.
Warm.
But not burning.
