How we met

    Three thousand seven hundred ninety nine….

    Three thousand eight hundred…

    Three thousand eight hundred and one…

    Rein continued counting in his head as he listened to the announcer laughing on stage while he himself sat in a rolling cage, tucked away in the dark. The announcer cracked some jokes, and the audience erupted in raucous laughter. Rein closed his eyes, and soon it felt like he didn’t know if he was truly awake or not. He could slip into slumber without sensing it. He leaned his head against the bars.

    The announcer laughed again and boasted, “As you know! Only at Salvia Enterprises do we have the best items up for auction! This next item has ranked third out of all items from the last ten years!”

    Rein chuckled half-heartedly to himself. He was that rare, huh?

    How goddamn special.

    The curtains opened, and someone wheeled Rein out onto the stage. The blinding lights caused him to wince, and he held a hand up to shield his eyes. People in the crowd went “oh” and “ah”, holding up their smartphones and taking pictures. They murmured among themselves, remarking how beautiful he was. 

    “A Wishwing! Bidding starts at $100,000! Bidding opens now!”

    People typed in their bids which were shown on the large screen behind Rein. Within a minute, the bid was up to $500,000. It continued, but it eventually slowed down once it reached one million. It continued intermittently in increments of five thousand dollars. When a minute passed without bids, the announcer smiled.

    “$1,200,000! Going once! Twice!”

    No response.

    “Sold!”

    After this declaration, Rein was wheeled off stage and down the hallway. He entered a room where a young man with pink hair and pale skin sat. He carried an air of amiableness, but something didn’t feel...right. That smile was unnerving, and Rein’s ears perked upon seeing it. 

    The staff member greeted, “Hello, sir. This is the merchandise you’ve won.” 

    The man’s soft gaze grew sharp, predatory. “What types of powers does this one have?”

    “All we know is they’re destructive powers.” The staff member unlocked the cage and took Rein out.

    “Very well. You may leave.” Once the staff member left, the man and Rein were alone in the room. The man introduced himself with a sickeningly sweet voice, “I’m Nemora. It’s good to meet you.”

    “...Rein.”

    “Well, Rein, I’m sure this is the start of a wonderful relationship. Let’s go to your new home.” Nemora gripped Rein’s wrist and pulled him along. Walking down the hallway on their way to the car, Nemora casually greeted each person in a friendly manner. When they got into the car though, he chuckled darkly. “Stupid humans.”

    Rein’s eyes widened slightly and then they narrowed. “Are you not human?”

    Smirking, Nemora looked over at him from the driver’s seat. With a snap of his fingers, his appearance changed. “I’m a Wishwing too.”