Vireo didn't say anything after that, not when he left the alley, not when the streets started to get slightly busy with early bird workers, and not even when the sky began to shift from dark blue to grey. Morning was coming, and something felt already wrong.
He was still holding it, his Alter. It hadn't moved since he picked it up from the alley. It was the equivalent of a plush, motionless. It rested in his arms, unaturally light. Thin, fractured lines ran across its body like broken glass pieces; within these cracks, a dimly pulsing light was emitted unevenly. Now and then, it shifted, not by much, like something inside the Alter was trying to settle or struggling to.
"Shouldn't it move on its own?" Vireo questioned the two ahead of him as his brow furrowed in curiosity.
Their synced movements were slowed, pausing as they exchanged glances with each other.
"Yeah," the boy replied, his voice laced with a hint of uncertainty.
Vireo glanced down again with a mix of frustration and confusion swirling inside him like a storm. He bit his lip, trying his best to suppress the annoyance from their one-word answer. His voice was soft, but demanding.
"Why isn't mine?" he asked as a frown began to crease his brow, as he struggled to mask his vexation.
The air thickened with a tense stillness as they strode forward, their backs turned to him, oblivious to his unanswered question. The weight of unspoken thoughts hung between them, deepening the silence that enveloped the scene.
"Right… I forgot you guys don't like explaining things," he finally broke the silence while exhaling through his nose.
"We only explain what matters," the girl said.
"And this doesn't?" Vireo replied as the frustration crept into his tone.
She didn't respond, and that answer was enough for him to understand that they don't know everything. Regardless, they knew more than he could ever know at his current state.
Vireo exhaled loudly to express his annoyance with both of them.
"Names," he suddenly demanded, "If I'm going to trust you, I need names, or I'll be turning around to go…."
A shockwave pulsed at his heart. He had to go somewhere important in his mind, but he couldn't remember where. He started to question himself as to what it was, eventually shrugging it off as he looked down at his Alter. He had an urge to check his phone, but couldn't because his hands were occupied.
The girl glanced back, "Lily Tempest."
The boy followed right after, "Cassian Tempest, and yours?"
Vireo nodded once, "Vireo Vale."
They both locked eyes after hearing his name as if they saw a ghost, quietly dismissing it, returning to their original demeanour, or at least pretending to as they continued their walk.
They stepped out on a wider, busier street. A few cars passed by while walking. The world felt normal for a moment. In the back of his mind, he knew getting back to normalcy was harder than believing he was in a dream. Vireo glanced down at what was in his arms, then back at the road.
"Hold on a second," Vireo said, pausing, "They can't see these things, right? Can they?"
Lily shook her head, "No, they can't". Cassian added as he stopped momentarily, "Normal people can't see Alters," before he resumed his walk.
Vireo looked back at the passing car, no reaction, no hesitation, just a boy trying to make sense of his new reality.
"So, I'm just walking around holding nothing to them?" Vireo asked.
"Pretty much, but you'll get used to it. Just be prepared when people call you insane," as a playful smile danced on her lips, Lily said teasingly.
"I don't want to get used to it," Vireo replied, clearly frustrated.
"That's not your choice anymore," Cassian slid under his breath.
Vireo's tongue clicked quietly. He was struggling to get along with either of them. He had no choice but to follow; the uncertainty in his mind about whether they were friend or foe still lingered. Only one thing was on his mind: he needed answers, and a lot of them. The Alter in his arm twitched. He noticed something new that the Alter had done during their walk, which made him feel uneasy. Its head slowly tilted upward towards him, meeting his gaze. Vireo froze and stared back at it.
"It's syncing," Lily said, "Keep moving, almost there."
To Vireo, it didn't seem like it was syncing with the way it looked at him lifelessly. Vireo glanced at both of their Alters. Lily's Alter sat perched on her shoulder. It was a similar size to his but had the features of a fox, white like snow. Its body was sleek with glowing lines that traced smoothly along its limbs. It had nine tails that shifted ever so slightly with precision and eyes that were sharp, which scanned everything around them. It noticed Vireo's gaze as its ears pulled back like it didn't trust his presence, almost hissing.
Cassian's Alter moved beside him, slightly larger and noticeably heavier than Lily's and his. Its body looked like compacted sand and stone, with grains constantly shifting but never collapsing onto the ground. Each movement was slow, controlled, and grounded, which had turtle-like features. Its faintly blue, glowing eyes stayed locked on Vireo, watching him intently.
"Mine doesn't scare that easily," Cassian commented, "but even it knows something is off with you."
Vireo curled his lips in a deep scowl, "So what, mine is just broken?"
"No," Lily replied softly, "It's just different than ours."
Vireo exhaled aloud as they rounded another corner, his brow slightly furrowed while both lips formed a thin line. A hint of frustration flickered in his eyes as his gaze darted around, realizing the streets were starting to wake up as he noticed a few people passing by. His eyes followed them as they didn't react to their alters or anything at all.
"They really don't see any of this, huh…" he muttered.
Lily nodded in agreement.
"So… can you answer me what Alters really are?" Vireo pleaded calmly.
"They're a reflection of yourself, simply put," Cassian added.
"So what do they actually do?" Vireo asked, quieter now that he received a proper answer.
Cassian didn't respond; instead, he lifted his arm slightly with his phone in hand. He navigated to the star-shaped app, but from being behind, he couldn't have seen what he was doing properly. Immediately afterwards, the sand-like alter beside him started reacting. Its body began to collapse inwards, not breaking or deforming, but compressing into a hazel brown light. Grains tightened rapidly, folding into themselves and reforming anew spontaneously. In seconds, the Alter was gone from beside him. A shield formed, it was layered with sand, tightly compressed into a dense, curved barrier along his arm. The surface shifted constantly, grains sliding over one another as it reinforced its weak points in real time. It wasn't flashy or extravagant.
"That's insane…" Vireo said.
"It's practical," Cassian replied.
The shield shifted slightly as if reacting to his stance, as it began to loosen, collapsing into a hazel light once more, reforming back to the Alter he had beside him as if nothing had happened.
Vireo looked down at his Alter with a twist in his stomach. Its cracks pulsed again.
He gritted his teeth and asked, "What does this say about me?"
Neither of them replied; complete silence surrounded them. Their eyes conveyed enough meaning as they remained fixed on him, which intensified the feeling of discomfort. A sharp pulse struck his head, and a flash of another nostalgic memory appeared. A birthday cake, decorated in chocolate sprinkles and cherries, candles flickering with a familiar warm laughter, and claps enveloped the background.
"Make a wish-" from a familiar voice, but he couldn't put his finger on whose.
He snapped back into reality, stopping completely.
"What was her voice like?" He shouted, his face contorted in pain.
The silence hung heavily and was stagnant in the air as tension enveloped the three of them. Vireo stood in the center of the street with both feet planted firmly as his heart raced while he glanced between both of them. Lily, with her soft features framed by her tousled hair that blew in the cold morning breeze, took a hesitant step towards him.
She gently rested her hand on his shoulder; her touch was both reassuring and painfully real, bringing him back to reality.
"What…?" with a concerned look as she analyzed his terrified facial expression.
Vireo's gaze dropped to the ground, his voice barely audible.
"My mom… what does she sound like?"
The question slipped from his lips like a fragile leaf falling from a tree. A single tear traced a path down his cheek, falling off his chin.
"You don't remember?" Lily lowered her hand from his shoulder slowly, now walking beside him rather than ahead.
"I think I do…" he replied.
"That's how it starts, you slowly begin to forget things until you remember nothing other than your first encounter with your Alter, and like that it starts a totally new life, another reason why you shouldn't have gone home," Cassian interjected while staring at his own Alter.
Vireo tightened his grip around his Alter. It reacted as its body pulsed with light while the cracks emitted a purple hue. The Alter shifted; this time, it leaned closer into him like it was trying to stay near.
"Don't forget me." An unfamiliar voice echoed, resonating from within his Alter.
"Did you guys hear that?" Vireo enquired with both of them.
They nodded but kept walking, "It's stabilizing."
Both of them came to a halt, followed by Vireo, at the front of a worn building that was easy to miss.
"Welcome to what we like to call our base of operations," They both spoke simultaneously.
Vireo raised his eyebrows, unimpressed, sighing in acceptance. Cassian pushed the door open with a loud creak. The moment Vireo stepped inside, the world changed. The air felt heavier than usual, not thicker… just wrong. The lighting became dim and uneven, coming from the flickering bulbs overhead. The walls were worn down as paint peeled in long strips, exposing the cracked concrete underneath. It didn't look abandoned; it looked used, with
a couch, old and torn, up against a wall, a table with empty bottles and scattered paper that cluttered its surface. Nothing was clean, nor was it organized, but everything had a purpose. Vireo slowly stepped into the place, coughing due to the buildup of dust.
"People live here?" Vireo asked.
"Something like that," Cassian replied.
Vireo realized that his voice sounded quieter, as if the space absorbed the sound instead of carrying it. Vireo glanced behind him, seeing that the door had been shut, and there was no more of the outside world that could have been seen or heard. No street noise, no cars, not even the sun's morning rays could've gotten in.
"This place feels off," Vireo said, holding his hand over his mouth.
"It should, it's the only place that doesn't overlap," Lily replied.
Before Vireo could question it, his Alter moved; it twitched, which made him loosen his grip, then it happened again as it slipped from his arms. Vireo instinctively reached for it but stopped midway. The moment his Alter touched the ground, it didn't fall; it held itself, barely, but enough. The cracks on its body flared while purple light surged through them in uneven pulses. Its shape began to change. The jagged edges of its outline began to soften slightly, pulling inward. Its body settled into a small grounded form. It wasn't human nor resembled any animal he had ever seen. Its posture rose from being on all fours, as its weight shifted onto its hind legs. A short, thick tail formed behind it as it dragged lightly against the ground before lifting just enough for it to balance itself. Its newly formed arms were small but structured, ending in faint, clawed tips.
Vireo's eyes widened, frozen in place. "Well, that's something I didn't expect."
The Alter tilted its head, slow and curious. Its face wasn't fully detailed, but a snout-like shape formed where there had been only a blur before. Its purple eyes glowed softly as it became more aware.
It took a step, one after the other, adjusting to the sensation, becoming more confident. For a brief second, its frame elongated, sharpened, and grew taller, as if something dangerous was trying to force its way through like a glitch; it contracted back down to its normal size, almost as if it had been a balloon losing air, without anyone noticing; its body was not unstable and no longer incomplete. Vireo was oblivious to what had just transpired in that moment as his attention was diverted to the text in his peripheral vision.
[SYNCRONIZATION: 37%]
[ALTER GENERATION: COMPLETED]
[MEMORY INTEGRATION: STARTED]
"It went up?" Vireo remarked, "Do you guys have synchronization texts? It keeps bugging me."
"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.
Vireo explained the strange messages that had been appearing within his eyesight since his encounter with the silver-haired girl. It felt as if he was speaking gibberish, as they hadn't experienced any of the things he described. They listened attentively, but it still wasn't enough, as it didn't correspond to the knowledge they had.
Vireo's Alter walked contentedly beside his leg, looking up at him.
"What am I even going to do with you?" he murmured, staring back at it. His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, making him break eye contact. It was a message from his friend wishing him a happy birthday.
"Didn't know it was my birthday today," whispering under his breath as he visibly shrugged off the message and placed it back into his pocket. Deep down in his mind, he knew what Cassian said earlier was happening, from the text that was shown in his peripheral vision to him not even remembering his mother's voice. He worries that his days are numbered until he forgets how his life was before he encountered Alters.
Moments after, Cassian's face shifted in discomfort, as if he were uneasy. He walked towards the couch, pushing it, revealing a metal hatch that led deeper.
"Let's get going," he said sternly, in a commanding voice.