What artist has not romanticized the concept of death? Of the afterlife? As we get older as a people, the less terrifying he seems at first glance. He is nothing but a friend, and at very least, young folks long for his embrace. We have almost welcomed him in our lives, making peace with his unprompted visits. His first visit was an odd one for Kutsuki. No one was leaving with Death, this encounter with him was different. Death, he left people behind when he met Kutsuki, at 4 years old. Businessmen, doctors, actresses with blonde hair, warriors with scars-Death anointed the Kutsuki child his conduit, and only her. Tomoe Kutsuki could see dead people. Surprisingly, for a child, she was calm. She seemed indifferent when her power manifested, earlier than normal. You see, her powers manifested at four, four years earlier than supposed to. And she was berated and pitied for it.

Having a power such as hers, that was horrible. How could a person bear to live with all of humanities greatest and worst leaders, soldiers, and citizens? And at such a young age? The adults in her hometown Etrille pitied the girl. Dead people? That’s not a cool power. Seeing dead people is creepy and only for divorced grandmas who don’t get visits from their children and grandchildren. Kutsuki really drew a short straw in the power department. None of it ever scared Kutsuki. It didn’t scare her when her brother was born, with a cannibal ghost mumbling about how delectable Akio looked. It didn’t scare her when she walked home in first grade and saw a ghost weeping at the bus stop. It didn’t scare her when she woke up at night and saw the ghosts standing at the foot of her bed. It never scared her because she could control them. “Stop that, he’s a baby.” “You’re taking up space on the bench. Cry elsewhere.” “Go away. I wish to sleep.”

They obeyed her commands, not objecting to her once. Kutsuki liked that idea, that she is somehow more powerful than Alexander the Great (who she’s met, and she’s gotta say : not that great) and all those American presidents. As she grew, she noticed that she could control new ghosts too, and that no one was safe from her control. She also noticed she was the only one able to see the ghosts. She was the only one able to gain their skills temporarily if she commanded it. She was the only one able to use the ghosts to better herself. It made her powerful. Unstoppable. She had the largest army in the world, and if she wanted to, she could expand it, and no one could object. She could be the strongest warrior this world has seen! She could have the world! And that is why, Kutsuki vowed to never use her powers.

If anything, the mere idea of having such power in her hands terrified her. The kids her age were right, she has the worst power to exist. She can’t afford to mess up once and ruin the entire world! She would be the person who sends the world into damnation if she dared used her powers. So she locked them away. She pretended as if they didn’t exist. Even if the ghosts tried to lure her in, make her wish they had disappeared, stopped talking, or moved, she refused. She would help in the shelter her grandparents worked at, to help everyone she can. If there’s anything about this world she loves, it’s the warmth of the shelter, how everyone felt like family. She would help as much as she could, after school, during the summer, spring break- whenever.

She was going to be a normal kid. She would be a detective, like her mom - a job not customarily suited for powerless people. Her mother was a top notch detective, better than the other detectives in the city, and this was an accomplishment, for a woman born without powers. Tomoe Miyoko, 356 successful cases. Kutsuki’s hero. She was going to be a normal kid. She would travel in her free time. Her father often did, as a journalist. He would write about heroes from the west and he would bring things back to show Kutsuki and Akio. Kutsuki’s favorite souvenir: Diamond Life. A jazz album by the beautiful Sade Adu. Kutsuki was never good at singing, but she loved that album dearly, and would sing it everyday. Her favorite souvenir. It earned her nickname, Sade, and from the age of 8, she went by that nickname more than Kutsuki. She was going to be a normal kid.

But things changed when Akio earned his powers. Things changed when she saw that white haired boy in the diner. Things changed when she met Detritus. When they moved from Etrille to Avices. It all forced her out of the idea of being a detective. It all forced her to dance with luck. Sade wasn’t going to be a detective. She wouldn’t be able to help in the shelter anymore. She’ll definitely travel. As a hero. •

Akio, unlike his sister, was 8 when his power manifested. The fact that the two even got powers was a marvel- two powerless people parenting child with terrifying powers. Granted, Akio’s powers were no were as terrifying as Sade’s, but the cards always have potential to be. Croupier. That’s his hero name, he decided on that Thursday afternoon. He was learning how to multiply things by 12 when he noticed that he had a card on each of his arms. Intricately designed, the boy stopped paying attention to the lesson to gape at the new tattoos! He’d have to show Sade after school.

He touched the card on his left arm and with a soft pop! A real card emerged from his skin! Akio picked it up, it looked like a regular old playing card. A three of hearts. He was stunned for a moment, until he ultimately decided this was a stupid power. He wishes he could freeze things, maybe set things on fire. Maybe he’d be able to melt the whiteboard away, since math bored him. He threw the card to the window, wishing he could blow something up. And he did. The moment the card touched the window, the window blew up, exploding only the window and leaving some glass on the floor right by it.

This disrupted the class, but Akio couldn’t be happier. His cards blow up! How cool! He wondered what else the cards could do, so he touched his arm again and wished to fix the window before throwing it. And just like that, the window was as if Akio never threw the first card. He was stoked! He was going to show Sade as soon as he could! Akio was more than satisfied with his newfound ability! He just knew that he was going to be a hero with this power. As long as he had his cards, we was going to one day, be as big as a hero as Batman. Not Superman, no one likes him. Plus he has boring villains, and Akio wants to shine with an arch-nemesis like the Joker. And when Sade saw his powers, the 12 year old girl was terrified.

Destructive powers. They both had them, they could both easily hurt people, or worse, each other, and since she had no idea what the cards were capable of- “Who knows what would happen if we pushed the other to damn all of humanity.”

“I thought you’d be happy. I have powers like you too! And look!” He held out what looked like a tarot card. It must have come from his right arm. “Death. That’s you! The cards now what you’re like! This is good! I can tell what people are like and I’ll be able to stop bad guys quickly!” “No! This is dangerous!” “I’m serious! Mommy will help me! She fights bad guys every day!” “Akio, those bad guys are powerless!! Actual villains have powers and you don’t know if they can overpower you or not! You just got your powers!” “So? If I train-“ “NO!” “WHY NOT?!” “BECAUSE IT’S NOT SAFE! YOU CAN SERIOUSLY GET-“ “I’M NOT LISTENING LALALALALALALALALALALAAAAAAAA.”

She huffed and crossed her arms. Akio did the same. “Look, you could possibly get hurt, maybe the person you’re saving gets hurt, or the villain gets away or worse! You can die!” “Why’s that a bad thing? It’s okay if I die, cuz if I do, I can just talk to you. You can always take my powers to help people too! And we can still hang out!” That made her cry. “Sade?” She hated that so much.

“Sade?” Akio looked up at her. “Are you okay?” “Don’t ever say that it’s okay for you to die, you hear me?! I don’t care if I’ll be able to see you still, that’s a stupid thing to say!” She sniffled. “I’m sorry Sade.” He hugged her. “But can I still be a hero?” “I-I don’t know. I…I can’t control you.” He let go of his sister, and they were quiet. He touched his arm, a card popped out, and he gave the card to Sade. She took it, and it turned into a marigold. It was her favorite flower, but she couldn’t help but hate it’s symbolism. Flowers of death, that’s what they were, amongst so many others.

Noise was still. Nothing but the light buzz of the TV and the occasional thud from the ice maker was heard. How horrible of a sister, she was. How did she allow him to believe death was so nonchalant? How is he only 8, and not fear the idea of death? That he’ll be stuck with her until she dies herself? “Sade?” “Yeah?” “Do you wanna be a hero too?” “Well, since I tried to convince you otherwise, I’d say no.” “Oh.” She crouched down to meet his eye level.

“Akio, just promise me, you’ll try to be safe. Please promise me that.” “Okay!!” And he giggled. Sade smiled. “Also promise to remember me when you get all famous and stuff.” Akio pretend to think about it before giggling and saying “No.” Sade fake frowned. “Why not?” “Because you’re ugly and smelly.” He stuck his tongue out at her.

She gasped loud. “How DARE you!” She said in a fake-hurt tone while scooping Akio up, making him squeal. “Let’s get a snack, okay?” If he wanted to be a hero, that was fine. She didn’t want to crush his dream because of her own paranoia. It wouldn’t be long before she would want to have the same path as him. After all, she’ll meet that boy in that diner later that week, making an unlikely enemy before the two even knew each other’s names.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

I cannot tell you who he is that’s a spoiler /lh

WOOO!!

Thank you!!! :D

Yeah! It’s a nickname he gave her!