Allelea
I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. I knew I was not built to be a night owl at all, unlike Cyto, who by the time I awoke, was still in bed. I couldn’t help but crack a small smile as I drew a parallel between the snoring young man and a dinosaur straight out of Jurassic Park.
I rubbed my temples, the headache persisting like an unwelcome guest. The room spun slightly, and I wondered if the stress of the resistance was finally catching up with me. Cyto’s peaceful slumber seemed like a cruel contrast to my own restless night.
As I reached for my phone, hoping to find a remedy for the throbbing ache, a new message notification blinked on the screen. It was from Lead, a name that had become synonymous with quiet strength, unexpected kindness and somehow — a particular favorite song of mine.
“Morning,” the message read. “I found a hidden garden near the river. Want to explore it together?”
I stared at the words, her headache momentarily forgotten. The invitation was simple, yet it held the promise of something more—a respite from the chaos, a chance to breathe amidst the struggle.
I typed my reply, my fingers trembling slightly: “I’d like that.”
And just like that, in the quiet of Cyto’s room, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, amidst the turmoil, there were still pockets of beauty waiting to be discovered.
I realized that Lead would be an important asset to the resistance as a whole. I thought to myself — maybe I could recruit him. As I was seated on Cyto’s chair, lost in thought as I opened the document of Lead’s story and started to read.
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Third Person
Around half an hour passed. Cyto stirred, the morning light filtering through the curtains. His eyes blinked open, adjusting to the new day. The room was quiet, the remnants of dreams fading like mist.
And then he noticed it—the soft curve of Allelea’s lips. She sat by the window, her gaze fixed on the awakening city as she had just finished reading. The headache from last night seemed forgotten, replaced by a subtle glow that danced in her eyes.
“What’s got you smiling?” Cyto asked, his voice still thick with sleep.
Allelea turned toward him, her expression a mix of surprise and warmth. “You,” she said simply. Well, it was one reason. “You snore like a dinosaur…”
He chuckled, sitting up. “Correction — if dinosaurs were still around, they’d envy me.”
“Haha, very funny.” she replied, shaking her head. “You kept smiling in your sleep”
He looked at her, and noticed the black bags around her eyes. “You were up late, weren’t you? Come on, babe, you need rest. Also, wait, I smile in my sleep?”
She reached out, brushing her fingers against his cheek. “I was,” she admitted, before taking a slightly more sarcastic tone. “But when your night-time smile happens, it’s like the world holds its breath.”
Cyto studied her face—the lines of determination, the spark of rebellion. Maybe they were different, but in this quiet morning, he didn’t care much. As the sun climbed higher, casting golden rays across the room, Cyto leaned in, capturing Allelea’s smile with a kiss.
Allelea broke it quickly, not wanting to burn daylight — especially not by kissing. She had plans to draft, and a new friend to meet. “Cyto,” she started, “remember Lead, from the café? He invited me to check out a garden of sorts. A rarity here in Berlin. I’m going to go there, and… maybe even recruit him. He knows a lot about the past.”
Cyto’s smile faltered slightly, a hint of concern flickering in his eyes. “Lead seems like a good ally, but be cautious,” he said, the protective edge in his voice barely concealed. “We don’t know much about him yet.”
Allelea’s patience waned, her headache returning with a vengeance as she felt the familiar tug of Cyto’s overcautious nature. “I can handle it,” she replied, her tone carrying a passive-aggressive note that she didn’t bother to hide. “I’m not going in blind, and we need all the help we can get.”
He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, realizing he had struck a nerve. “Alright, I trust you,” he conceded. “Just… keep me updated, okay?”
She softened a bit, acknowledging his concern with a nod. “I will,” Allelea assured him, though she had no intention of letting Cyto’s worries dictate her actions.
With a final glance at the man who could snore like a prehistoric creature yet care with the fierceness of a modern-day warrior, Allelea grabbed her bag and headed out. The city awaited, as did Lead and the mysterious garden that might just hold the key to their next move against BioSync.
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Lead
The hidden garden lay nestled along the riverbank, a secret oasis in the heart of Berlin. Its existence defied the sterile precision of the city, and I had stumbled upon it during one of my walks, while thinking of story ideas.
As he waited for Allelea, I traced the veins of a delicate fern. The morning sun filtered through the foliage, casting dappled shadows on the ground. I wondered what had drawn her to this place—the same curiosity that had led me here, perhaps.
When Allelea arrived, her expression was a mix of determination and… annoyance, for some reason. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the garden, taking in the riot of colors and the way the plants seemed to defy the very laws of nature. I had seen that look before—the one people wore when they encountered something beyond their understanding.
“Lead,” she said, her voice clipped. “I hope this garden lives up to your mysterious message.”
I chuckled, gesturing for her to follow me deeper into the greenery. “Patience, Allelea. Gardens like these don’t reveal their secrets all at once.”
She shot me a sidelong glance. “I’m not here for secrets. I’m here because you mentioned the past.”
Ah, yes—the past. The one thing that connected us all, even if they didn’t remember it. I know all too well about that forgotten world—the one where elemental powers had shaped destinies, the one I caused to be forgotten. But I kept my memories close, sharing only what was necessary.
“Everything I know and remember is in that manuscript I sent you.” I replied, keeping a composed tone. “Well, most of it, at least. The book isn’t complete yet, after all.”
Allelea simply nodded, wanting to cut to the chase as soon as she could.
“Allelea,” I began, trying not to probe too much. “you and I both know that the world we live in now is a mere echo of what once was. The Elemental Storm changed everything.”
Her annoyance flared. “And yet, you’re content to remain cryptic. What do you know that the rest of us don’t?”
I paused, choosing his words carefully. “I know that some of us still carry traces of that power within us. Not everyone, but a select few. You, for instance.”
Allelea’s eyes widened. “Me? But I’m not radioactive. I don’t have any—”
“Radioactivity isn’t the only marker,” I interrupted. “It’s deeper than that. Your affinity for the natural world—the way plants respond to your touch—it’s a remnant of what once was.”
She scoffed. “And what am I supposed to do with this knowledge? Water the flowers to death?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No,” I said, in between chuckles. “I’ll explain later. But for now, I can’t keep avoiding this.”
My laughter softened as I watched Allelea’s frustration. I stepped closer, my expression turning earnest. “Allelea, I know this is hard to grasp, and I understand why you’re annoyed. It’s a lot to take in, especially when the world around us wants to forget. But you’re not alone in this.”
I reached out, gently touching her arm. “You have a connection to the natural world that’s rare and precious. It’s something to be embraced, not dismissed. And I believe it’s the key to understanding not just our past, but also how we can shape our future.”
Allelea’s gaze met mine, searching for sincerity. She found it in the steady look I offered her, the quiet confidence that seemed to say I knew more than I let on.
“Look around us,” I continued, gesturing to the garden. “This place, it’s a sanctuary from the sterile world BioSync is trying to create. It’s a reminder that life, in all its messy glory, finds a way. Your gift, it’s part of that. It’s a piece of the puzzle we’re all trying to solve.”
The tension in Allelea’s shoulders eased slightly. “I just… I don’t want to feel powerless against BioSync,” she admitted, her voice softer now. “Or the Algorithm, for that matter… there’s just a lot going on right now, and… I don’t know what to do.”
“Hey, don’t worry,” I replied, slightly stuttering as I tried to comfort Allelea. “It’s okay to not know everything. Neither do I, or anybody for that matter. Hell, even that Algorithm you and Cyto escaped from didn’t know about you two. And it’s apparently programmed to know everything. And BioSync doesn’t know about the garden.”
“Makes sense, Lead…”
“Exactly,” I said, my eyes meeting Allelea’s with a spark of understanding. “There’s a whole world out there that algorithms and organizations can’t predict or control. Like this garden, like us.”
Allelea couldn’t help but smile, despite the turmoil that had been clouding her thoughts. “I suppose you’re right,” she conceded. “It’s just… frustrating, feeling like you’re always one step behind.”
I stepped closer, our hands almost touching among the ferns. “Maybe we are,” I admitted. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Being one step behind means we see things others don’t. We notice the details, the hidden paths.”
Our eyes locked, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The garden hummed with life, oblivious to the sterile order that BioSync sought to impose.
“And sometimes,” I continued, his voice barely above a whisper, “being one step behind gives us the chance to take two steps forward together.”
Allelea’s heart skipped a beat. “Together,” she echoed, the word hanging between us like a promise.
I nodded, my hand finally brushing against hers. “Together. Against BioSync, against any force that tries to dictate our fate. We write our own story, Allelea. And I have a feeling it’s going to be an incredible one.”
But as I saw her, standing in front of me, her thoughts racing, my thoughts were taken back to the day I froze time. The Elemental Ball. To every moment since then… till the roast I delivered… which changed everything.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the nervous energy that Allelea’s presence always stirred within me. “Together,” I echoed, feeling the weight of the word. It was a commitment, a shared path forward, and yet, my mind couldn’t help but wander back to her. The girl of my dreams-turned-nightmares.
She, with her laughter that sounded like the tinkling of glass, her smile that could outshine the radiance of any star. She had been my weakness, my kryptonite. The way she played me, like a masterful musician plays a violin, still left a bitter taste in my mouth. I had been naive, thinking that our connection was something special, only to realize I was just another pawn in her game, or to.
But that was the past, a past that I once had the power to change, and yet chose not to. The temptation was always there, lurking in the shadows of my abilities. I could turn back time, undo the hurt, rewrite the history where she left me broken. But some things are meant to be learned the hard way, and some stories are meant to be left as they are—unfinished symphonies that echo through the corridors of time.
“Lead?” Allelea’s voice pulled me back to the present, her hand squeezing mine, grounding me. “You zoned out for a moment there. Are you okay?”
I managed a smile, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… old memories, you know?”
She nodded, understanding more than I gave her credit for. “We all have those,” she said softly. “But we have now, and we have this fight. That’s what matters.”
Her words were a comfort to the turmoil inside me. She was right. We had a purpose, a cause to stand for, and perhaps, in this fight, I would find the redemption I was seeking. Not from her, but from myself, for all the times I let my heart lead me astray.
“So, about this garden,” I started, eager to shift the focus away from my inner demons. “It’s not just a place of beauty. It’s a symbol of resistance, of life thriving against all odds. And I think it’s the perfect place for us to start planning our next move.”
Allelea’s eyes lit up with a renewed fire. “Then let’s get to it. BioSync won’t know what hit them. Also, come with me. I need to show you something.”
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