Iyago sat on his roof, staring into the distance. The late evening sky was awash with blazing reds and golden yellows. Faint traces of the stars sparkled through the last vestiges of sunlight on the horizon. He took a deep breath and started off toward his apartment. The air was crisp with a gentle breeze whistling through the trees. Every second of the fading light seemed to take an eternity. His mind meandered through many thoughts as he watched the day fade into night.
The day he'd helped the girl looking to get to the church. Her hair flowing like a flag in the wind as he rode up the hill on his bike. The way her shirt hung loosely on her shoulders. How he was betrayed as payment for his kindness.
Those first moments waking up in a strange room of crimson and shadow. Learning that his whole life was forever changed, his entire being was now tainted. Rias' kind tone and patient attitude as he took in his new reality.
His battle with Riser in the rating game. The need to prove that this was who he was, and that this would be his life from that day on. How he let his craving for destruction overtake his mind and body, letting go of his opinions and setting aside his ambitions to attune himself with the sole purpose of victory.
Five and a half months. It all changed just over five months ago. The very thought just couldn't register. So much was different in so little a time. His entire perception of reality from his youth; tossed to the wind, replaced with the strength of a god and the cold reality of a world of conflict, hidden behind a thin veil of ignorance and deception.
The sun sank down below the horizon and the sky darkened as it went. One by one the stars of the heavens flickered to life, like a million tiny candles they glowed in the stark night sky. The air felt colder without the light of the sun. He was at peace. The calm silence enveloped his body and mind as he watched the world go by.
With a sigh, Iyago slid a hand through the window and pulled out a violin case, and set it on his lap. Flicking back the latches, he gently lifted out the polished wooden instrument. With his right hand, he rosined the bow with care. He hefted the violin to his shoulder and let it rest under his chin. Bow in hand, he pulled it across the strings, a low, quiet note filled the air. With slow gentle strokes he played. The melody was soft and low. Iyago closed his eyes and let his heart guide his hands; feeling the strings under his fingers, sliding be bow over them, letting the notes come from his soul.
His foot tapping the edge of the roof in tempo with his song; he pushed out his emotions with every stroke. The sky was growing ever darker with each passing second. Finally, Iyago let the violin down to his lap and closed the case. He rested his head in his hands; the final note reverberating within his mind. He was still for just a moment before, he let out a long sigh as a single tear rolled from the corner of his eye.