The silence weighed heavy, almost sacred. Sakolomé and Bakuzan faced each other at the foot of their father's grave, the wind tugging at their clothes as if trying to pull them apart. Their gazes met, unwavering. On one side, Sakolomé, eyes full of worry, features drawn by anguish. On the other, Bakuzan, impassive, frozen in an almost inhuman coldness.
It looked like two opposing worlds. Two brothers shaped differently by pain.
Sakolomé spoke, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and despair:
— Big brother… Have you even thought about Father? About Mother? About Salomé and Bakuran? And about me?
He took a step forward, almost pleading.
— You're sinking, Bakuzan… It's like you're becoming like that tyrant… Killer Man… It's—
— Sakolomé.
His voice snapped like a blade in the air. Sharp. Definitive.
Sakolomé froze, suspended mid-sentence. He raised his eyes to his brother, who now stared at him with a chilling intensity.
— I have to go, Bakuzan said simply.
— Go where? Sakolomé shouted, suddenly tense.
But Bakuzan did not answer. He merely rose gently into the air, levitating like a shadow freed from all gravity. And, without warning, he launched himself toward the sky in a gust of wind that split the clouds.
Sakolomé didn't hesitate. He took off in turn, his body leaving the ground in a flash of light.
They rose together, one ahead, the other behind, like two stars tracing their divergent paths. Bakuzan flew at a blazing speed, unshaken, straight toward the heights of the sky, then into space.
Sakolomé followed closely, muscles tense, eyes fixed on that familiar yet distant silhouette.
— Damn… He's fast… he thought. Where is he going?
They left the atmosphere in a silent crash. The blue of the sky gave way to the vast blackness of the universe. Planets whirled around them, gravity and light distorted like mirages. Comets brushed past them. The void enveloped them. They cut through space like blazing arrows.
They crossed the limits of the solar system.
One brother fleeing.
The other refusing to lose him.
On the other side of the world, the night slowly faded, giving way to a warm and bright morning. It was 9:39 AM.
Salomé walked with a light step, whistling a cheerful melody as she approached the immense skyscraper of Sally. The sun played in her hair as she looked up at the shimmering facade of the building. She already spotted the guard posted at the entrance, who immediately recognized her.
— Hey! Isn't that Salomé over there?
She raised her hand with a wide smile, full of energy:
— Hello, sir!
In a few steps, she was by his side. The guard greeted her with his usual friendly smile.
— You didn't come with your brother today?
Salomé shook her head, shrugging:
— No, he had other things to do.
The guard kept his smile, but his tone grew a bit sour.
— Good then.
— Oh? Salomé asked, intrigued.
The guard, now a little too enthusiastic, said with a tight grimace:
— Oh yes. That little bastard… I always thought he hung around here just to woo our princess Sally.
He clenched his fists, muttering aloud, sinking into his own delirium. In his twisted mind, he already imagined Sakolomé wearing a sly smile, stuck to Sally, touching her in a questionable way.
— That little pervert drives me crazy! He's only here for that, I'm sure of it!
Salomé looked at him, taken aback. She frowned, stepping back, uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the glass door of the skyscraper suddenly opened.
— Garry? What are you telling Salomé now? asked a clear voice.
Sally had appeared, elegant and visibly annoyed.
The guard immediately started stammering:
— M-Madam Sally! Nothing at all, I swear! We were just talking about… about her brother, that's all, an innocent conversation, I promise!
Sally cut him off sharply:
— Enough, I don't need your explanations.
She turned to Salomé, her expression softening.
— You came to see me, huh?
Salomé nodded, more serious this time:
— Yes. We need to talk, Sally.
Transition – Sally's room.
Soft light filtered through the curtains. The two girls sat on the bed, the conversation already well underway. Salomé had told everything, the disappearance of Sakolomé, his sudden departure, and the latest events.
Sally lowered her eyes, visibly troubled.
— Maybe I was too harsh with him…
Salomé stared at her intensely.
— Maybe? You went pretty hard, Sally.
Sally blushed.
— Did he tell you everything…?
— No, Salomé shook her head. I saw everything. I was hiding in a bush.
She stood up abruptly, climbing onto the bed, miming the scene with mischievous theatricality.
— You were there: Pow pow! You said: "Why didn't you do anything?" And you: Pow pow pow! You hit him, shouting even worse things!
Sally turned scarlet and covered her face.
— Salomé, stop… I'm ashamed…
Salomé looked at her, her expression softening.
— You must have been really angry to get that far, huh?
Sally remained silent for a moment. She lowered her head, fingers clenched on the blanket. In her mind, images of Bakuzan and Sakolomé overlapped. She murmured, more to herself than to Salomé:
— I acted badly… I put all the weight of Bakuzan's fall on Sakolomé. It was unfair. He's his little brother after all. He had the right to believe in him. Maybe even… to love him despite everything. But at the same time… he should have opened his eyes at some point…
Salomé, still standing on the bed, gently placed her hand on Sally's head.
— Everything will be fine, Sally. Don't worry, okay?
Sally slowly raised her head, touched by Salomé's kindness.
— I still have to apologize to him.
— You'll have to wait until he comes back for that. He left yesterday, and we still have no news...
Sally sat up straight, her gaze filled with worry.
— I hope… he's okay.
Salomé: Wait, Sally… I have something to ask you.
Sally (curious): Oh? What is it?
Salomé (more serious): Do you know someone named Gaius?
Sally: Yes, of course. He used to work here.
Salomé: Really? Could you put me in touch with him?
Sally: Wait a moment.
Sally got off the bed and went to the small phone on her bedside table. She dialed a number, waited a few seconds. The tone sounded, then the conversation started.
Sally: Hello, Dad? Could you have Gaius come here, please?
...Pause...
_ What? Since when?
...Another pause, her face changes...
_ Oh… okay. That's troublesome…
Sally hung up slowly, looking troubled, then returned to Salomé.
Salomé: So? What did he say?
Sally, sighing: Gaius doesn't work here anymore.
Salomé (shocked): What do you mean?
Sally: Apparently, he didn't even resign. He finished his shift as usual, was supposed to come back the next day… but he never returned. And since then, no news. His phone is off. As if he disappeared.
Salomé remained silent, her expression grave. She seemed to be running through hypotheses in her mind.
Salomé (half-voice): That's really not a good sign...
Sally: Why? Do you think something happened to him?
Salomé: Do you know where he lives? Even roughly?
Sally (hesitant): Roughly… But...
Suddenly Salomé grabbed her arm energetically.
Salomé: Then we don't have a second to lose! Let's go right now!
Sally (surprised): What? But… wait! Can you at least explain what's going on?
Salomé (already pulling her toward the door): I'll explain everything on the way, I promise! Come on, hurry up!