Standing in front of the rift, I stared into its center with an expression that mixed fear and determination. I was about to close that striking well of light, eliminating in the process the gateway to all the chaos and madness that had been plaguing this building.
"..."
But there was a problem, a rather serious one.
"How... how do I close this thing?"
[....No idea.]
".....No idea? What do you mean, 'no idea'? What does that even mean?"
[It means I don't know how to close a rift.]
"What...? Oh..."
It took me a moment to process those simple words.
"What do you mean you don't know? Isn't your job to help me do mine?"
[I'll say it again. I have no idea how to close a rift. The directive states that I am to ignore the use of fictitious energies by exterminators during missions.]
"Fictitious energies?"
What did the cube mean by fictitious energies? I remembered hearing that term before. The cube itself had mentioned it, and I don't think it has explained that subject yet, along with many others.
[The exterminator is authorized to do whatever is necessary to complete the mission, as long as the regulations are not violated. Everything will be approved.]
"There are regulations?"
[Yes.]
[Would you like to read them?]
"..."
At this point, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't even sure whether I was angry, desperate, or terrified.
"Shit!"
I decided to get angry first. I'd cry later.
I was about to unleash a considerable amount of swearing because of the situation I was in. But suddenly...
Just do what you always do.
Once again, I was saved by the specter.
"M-Mr. Specter."
I said joyfully, feeling hope begin to bloom inside me once more.
"You know, right? Please tell me how I can close the rift."
I already told you. Do what you always do.
"What I always do?"
Align your heart and mind into a single point.
"....."
Sigh.
"...Okay."
There was no need to ask any more questions. I already knew what I had to do.
"Thank you very much."
I said before kneeling in front of the rift.
I stared directly at the enormous well of light before me.
"....."
—Let your heart and mind synchronize into a single caprice.
Tak!
"...!"
The sound of a small knock against the wooden floor caught my attention and, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, something inside me, perhaps my instincts, warned me that I was being stalked.
I opened my eyes for a second and quickly glanced around, but contrary to what my instincts were telling me, there was nothing there. In this library, I was completely alone.
"Mmm..."
—Focus...
Maybe it would be best to ignore my instincts for now. I continued delving into my subconscious, searching for the caprice that my heart and mind would be willing to fight for.
—W-Wait... something isn't right...
I thought, because that sensation that appeared every time I tried to begin the synchronization felt far more intense.
—Wow, this is... different.
Unlike the previous times, when darkness emerged directly from within me and materialized in the outside world, this time it merely accumulated without any intention of leaving my body, like a balloon completely filled with air.
Relax. Let it flow through your entire body.
I followed the specter's instructions to the letter. I tried to relax by thinking about things that would calm my mind, but they didn't help. I was still stressed and alert, not to mention that every single one of my muscles remained completely tense, as though they were ready for another fight.
—T-This...
At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what was happening to me.
—It's a side effect of the injection.
Beep.
[There is still a large amount of adrenaline circulating through your system. If you want to relax, you'll need to try harder.]
"Wonderful..."
I immediately shut my eyes tightly and tried to breathe calmly, ignoring any sound or thought that might break my concentration.
—Just breathe, Robert. Inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale.
....
....
...
Makratiz.
"...."
Sniff... sniff...
"I'm so sorry..."
—Mmm?!
As I struggled to relax, I heard a strange sound...
No, it wasn't a sound. It was a voice. A woman's voice had just interrupted my concentration...
—Who's there?
I asked, but no one answered.
"I really ruined everything. It's my fault, my fault, my fault. I ruined his life..."
I tried to find the woman with my eyes, but I couldn't, mainly because I couldn't open them. No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible. My eyelids were tightly shut. The pressure they exerted against each other was almost ridiculous.
—Damn it.
I couldn't move either. I remained trapped in the same position I had been in just before closing my eyes, with both knees planted on the floor.
—H-Helloooo! Can you hear me?!
At this point, I could safely assume that whoever that woman was, she couldn't hear me.
—Ach...
I couldn't move, see, or speak.
—Well, whatever...
From my experience, there's a high chance that all of this is happening inside my head, so maybe the best thing to do right now is listen to the woman. I'll figure out how to get out of here later.
—Let's see what comes next...
"It's my fault for giving birth to that damned cockroach."
—...What?
For a moment, what that woman said left me stunned.
"If it weren't for that stupid law, I would have gotten rid of that baby the very moment I gave birth to it."
—What the hell is this woman talking about?
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
—Huh?
Out of nowhere, I could hear multiple consecutive footsteps around me. Someone had just walked right in front of me.
—I don't understand anything anymore...
That person... I think it was a person. I'm not entirely sure, but whatever. They moved carefully, and it was obvious they were trying to minimize the sound of their footsteps. In other words, it was someone who didn't want to be discovered.
"What?! No, I would never do something like that to you, I swear!"
Tap.
"I never would... and especially not with one of those things!"
Tap.
"I love you... please come back...!"
The woman shouted, but not even all of her screams could compare to the impact that the next word had on me... and I think on her as well.
"Mom..."
"...!"
"....."
—.....Oh.
I... think... I think I understand...
CRACK!
—...!
What was that?
Out of nowhere, a loud cracking sound echoed throughout the entire space, as if I were enclosed inside a glass dome and it had just shattered into thousands of pieces.
CRACK!
"What the hell is...!"
Before I could realize what was happening, my eyelids parted at the exact moment the cracking sounds grew even louder.
"Huh?... Oh... I can see... I can see!"
I was about to celebrate, but when I saw what the outside world had prepared for me, all I could say was:
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
That brilliant well of light, the same one that until recently had represented a peaceful yet dangerous existence, had now become a being of absolute destruction.
CRRAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCKK!!!
The rift had grown larger. Its edges stretched in every possible direction, fracturing space itself as it continued to expand.
CRAAAACK!
Seeing that was too much for me. Watching reality break apart as if it were nothing more than a photograph printed on paper, one that was being cut into countless tiny pieces.
"N-No... no... focus."
—Close the rift. You can do it, Robert.
I closed my eyes once again, focusing on the caprice of victory.
FFFUUUUUAAAAAASSSSSH!
And this time, instead of losing myself in another strange vision about family problems, I remained in reality. While staying there, I witnessed the darkness accumulated inside me shoot toward the rift, taking the form of enormous black tentacles.
FFUUUUAAAAASSSSHHH!
These new "limbs" embedded themselves into every single edge of the rift, creating an impressive sight in which light and darkness stood face to face.
CRAAACK!
And the battle began.
The black tentacles tightened. Before long, the fragments of reality destroyed by the rift began to rejoin, while the rift itself steadily shrank with each passing second.
CRACCCCK!
But then the rift began to fight back. Its rate of contraction slowed until it came to a complete stop.
"Agh, damn it...!"
Not like that.
The specter said.
Don't force yourself to cling to the caprice.
"I'm not..."
Use your will.
"Huh...?"
—Will? What does that mean?
You must desire it naturally, not force yourself to do it. The strength and intensity will come from your will to accomplish it, not from clinging to it.
"What I want..."
—How far am I willing to go for what I desire?
That question represented the entirety of my understanding of the specter's words, so I decided to change my approach.
"Alright!"
I stopped trying to force my mind into alignment with my heart. This time, I simply let myself go.
—What is it that you want?
That question surfaced in my mind, and if I had to answer it right now, at this very moment, I would say something like:
—I just want all of this to end...
—I want to win...
—I want... I want to complete the mission and close the rift.
CRAAACK!
This time, I focused solely on what stood before me, on what I desired. I let the current carry me away, and both my heart and mind followed it. For the first time, in that moment, all of us were moving toward the same destination without me having to drag either one along.
FUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSHH!
Suddenly, the number and size of the tentacles increased dramatically.
FFFUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHH!!!
Before long, the darkness devoured the light, erasing every trace of that beautiful white radiance. As a consequence, it also erased the source of all this chaos.
C... Crack.
And when not a single trace of the rift remained, the atmosphere began to feel... different.
"...?!"
Both the air and the light felt completely different. More specifically, the entire library had taken on a much brighter tone than before, and there was something in the air that made every sound seem far clearer and more intense.
"This is... too much."
It was as though I had spent all this time wearing some kind of glasses and headphones that prevented me from fully seeing the light and hearing the sounds around me.
"It's too bright."
I said while using my hands to shield my eyes from the intense light.
BEEP.
[Assigned Missions
Code: 78956129999
—Detect the dimensional rift that has distorted the space surrounding the building:
—Completed.
—Seal it using the Stigma Seal:
—Completed.
—Eliminate the Category 1 Ka'li roaming the upper floors.
Conditional Bonus Objective:
—Go to the rooftop once you are finished.]
As my vision cleared, I could see the screen the cube had projected in front of my face.
"Ha... haha... awesome."
That makes two completed missions.
[Well done, Mr. Robert.]
"Yay."
I was exhausted. Right now, I doubted whether I could even get back on my feet. Fortunately, my body was still running on adrenaline.
"Bless adrenaline."
I said as I stood up.
Sigh.
"Now there's only one left."
The final mission.
I had to defeat the Ka'li.
BEEP.
"Mmm?"
Suddenly, the cube displayed a new screen before me.
[Notification:
—You have received a new message.]
"Huh?"
A message. Who the hell would send me one? More importantly, for what purpose?
"Mmm..."
I looked at the screen with a degree of skepticism, thinking about the possible reasons someone might send me a message, and all of them revolved around the feat I had just accomplished.
"Mmm..."
[Would you like to read it?]
".....Sure."
Beep.
[Exterminator Robert K. Demigurus, the completion of your mission, "Seal the Rift," has been reported. Upon accomplishing this feat, your body has awakened a Stigma. A Stigma is a powerful tool created through the combination of the exterminator's internal fictitious energies and the interdimensional waves to which they have been exposed through contact with a rift.]
What does that mean?
"A Stigma...? A powerful tool?"
Check your arm, Robert.
The specter said.
Following his instructions, I carefully examined every part of my arms, searching for something I could call unusual.
"Mmm!"
That was when, on my left forearm just below my wrist, I came across a... tattoo?
"Is this a Stigma...?"
It was a small diamond-shaped mark, no larger than a marble and black in color.
BEEP.
—Another screen...
[Stigma: Ru'Valdriz.
Stigma (translated name): Celestial Emissary.
A divine mark that allows the user to manipulate with perfect control the fictitious energy to which they are connected and, to a lesser degree, all other energies that exist in the universe. The only condition for its use is that the greater the complexity the user gives to their fictitious energy, the greater their will must be when using it. Otherwise, they will be unable to manipulate it properly, causing it to collapse and, in the process, consume a large portion of the user's own energy.]
"....."
"When this is over, my 'bosses' are going to answer a lot of my questions."
I'm not going to waste my time searching for an explanation for every crazy thing I've encountered, or will encounter, in this building.
"...Manipulate with perfect control."
Right now, I had been granted a tool that could help me complete my final mission much more easily, provided I could figure out how to use it.
I extended my arm while trying to generate that darkness once again.
"Let's try an experiment."
I delved into my subconscious, trying to figure out what it was that my heart and mind wanted.
—I want to see what this thing can become.
Fuuuuaaaaassssh!
Less than a meter away, a small mass of darkness appeared on the wooden floor. It resembled a tiny flame, except it was black and emitted neither heat, embers, nor smoke.
"Huh?"
It was surprising to me because I hadn't expected the darkness to appear so far from my body.
"Mmm... maybe..."
I moved my arm in different directions, maintaining my concentration on that small "flame" so it wouldn't lose its shape.
"...!"
To my surprise, the darkness followed every movement almost instantly.
"Awesome..."
I tried compressing the darkness into a rounder shape and, since it was already nearly spherical, it was fairly easy to do. In less than a minute, I had shaped it into something roughly the size of a tennis ball.
"Looks pretty good..."
The next step was to test its durability.
Fiiiisssh!
I made a quick motion with my arm, imitating the movement I would make if I were throwing a ball. In this case, however, there was nothing in my hand, so all I actually did was cut through the air.
Fuuaaasssh!
But thanks to the Stigma, the sphere of darkness did exactly what I wanted. It shot forward precisely toward the spot where I had imagined throwing that ball.
"Perfect...!"
Before I could celebrate this achievement, the sphere of darkness dissipated after moving more than two meters away from me.
"....."
"My will wasn't enough?"
Rather, your caprice was too vague.
—So the problem came from my synchronization.
"Well, that's enough for now."
I haven't mastered it, but I know the basics. I'll have to settle for that.
"Cube... how much time do I have left?"
[8 minutes and 17 seconds.]
"....That's not enough."
[I know.]
"And I still have to find the Ka'li's hiding place."
[I think I can help you with that.]
"Talk."
[The rift is closed. Therefore, the building is no longer floating in darkness. Space and time have returned to their normal state.]
"And what does that mean?"
[That my scanner is 94% more effective.]
"WHAT?! Seriously?!"
[Yes.]
This is good.
No, this is excellent.
"Great, great, great!"
[Great.]
"Haha... what are you waiting for? Do it already."
[Initiating scan.]
BEEP.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I'd be completely screwed without this new information. In a building this large, it would take me hours to search every floor for the Ka'li.
[Bingo.]
"You found it?"
[Yes.]
"Where is it?"
[On the 27th floor.]
".....Oh."
Needless to say, that news did not make me feel good at all.
"Okay... okay, okay, okay."
I had to cover twenty-four floors... in seven minutes.
"...No."
—Don't give up, don't give up, don't give up...
"You can do it, Robert."
I couldn't give up. Not now. Not after everything I had been through.
Tap.
Tap.
I walked toward the rift, or rather, toward the hole where the rift used to be.
"....."
Through it, I could see sections of the lower floors all the way down to the first floor, where my encounter with the monstrous wolf had taken place.
"..."
I raised my gaze toward the sky, where the hole in the ceiling was. Through it, I could see that even higher up there was another hole in the ceiling of the floor above, and apparently the same thing had happened on the rest of the upper floors as well.
"What happened there?"
Beep.
[Most likely... something came down in a great hurry. Perhaps a group of superhumans desperate to evacuate.]
"Mmm..."
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter."
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
I turned around and started running toward the back of the library, searching for an exit.
[What are you planning to do?]
"First, I'm going to recover my weapons."
[And then?]
"....."
What I had in mind was risky in many ways. If I failed, I would die, or maybe survive. Either way, it was the only plan I could think of.
"I'm going to use the last grenade."