11 / 03 / 2019 - Daito, Prefecture Osaka, Japan.
The noise of the TV echoed through the living room, drifting to the dining table at the side.
"Aka-nii, how could you recover so fast?~" the little girl mumbles, with puffed cheeks as she scoops out a pudding to her mouth. Her sky-blue eyes are clear, but there seems to be a hint of cunning at the depths.
Irina is watching her brother, who is sitting on the opposite side of the dining table, reading a book while casually sipping an orange juice, lowering his head.
Akane, who heard it, raised his head slowly towards his little sister, to those innocent and crystal clear eyes. Taking a sip with his left hand unhurriedly, "You know… recovery is such a simple thing for people like me."
A flash of suspiciousness or distrust clearly passed by in those eyes, clearly taking that word as bullshit, but she just took an "Oh, umu umu…" nodding her head and continued to eat.
Then, leaning on the backrest and closing the book above the table, feeling the coldness of the glass stinging him, the corner of his mouth upturned, "Why? Irina's mind cannot comprehend it, yes? Poor Irina… it must be hard to think right?"
Akane did not forget to taunt after all, because 'Haaahhh, this is why having a perceptive sibling and half as smart as you is such a bother…' he thought, this little devil is too curious for her own good.
He looked at the other side lazily, to Irina's face that was crumbling in an instant, looking and pouting at him with hatred… "AHHHH! You are such a hateful thing, stupid brother, lower than an insect!"
She spat these rude remarks as if they were free, ignoring others in this apartment: "Heeehhh, you have gotten a lot more creative, but spitting things without meaning it just ends up empty after all."
Akane just said calmly, grinning, while his crimson eyes were luminous like a gem in deep water, and then his eyes moved to her back, twitching slightly, holding something as he noticed it.
"You!-" fuming as she was about to go further, "-Ahhhh.." she screamed in pain as her cheeks were being pulled. Her eyes welled with tears as she noticed the one who pulled it.
Behind her stands Riscia, her eyes are cold as she looks at Irina, who is on the verge of tears, like a pitiful animal with red cheeks, "Nweeh-hann…" mumbling inaudibly.
But… she wouldn't be fooled by it. Standing in silence as she looked at Irina, still pinching her cheeks. One thing to note about them is that, sometimes, they can be more clever than an adult.
It is such a painful lesson that must be engraved in her mind, that every one of these siblings can be smart at times, even this little girl Irina can be more cunning than her brother could be.
"No sweets for a week, you understand, right?" Riscia just said calmly with a frosty voice and took back her hand. She ignored her pitiful stance and directly moved her eyes towards Akane, who was looking at the scene with interest.
He only shrugged his shoulder, erasing the smile from his face, "Well, it's not my problem after all…" he pushed back the chair and rose unsteadily.
As he walks slowly, a bit shaking, he passes by the silent Irina at the side, "Good night, baby~" then he goes directly up the stairs to the upper floor, into his bedroom.
Leaving Irina trembling while tears are still welling up in her cheeks, and Riscia, who is shaking her head in helplessness.
———
Thump. The door closed behind him, and the simple room came into view.
An open window on the left side, along with a desk and chair. Ignoring everything, he walked to the bed in front of him with difficulty and sat at the edge, a little breathless.
Sitting in silence at the edge of the bed, his eyes are unfocused and distant. 'I can't prolong this anymore…' his ears are ringing, it feels like someone is hitting the back of his head with a hammer all the time.
The sound of the tide echoed in his ears, of what was supposed to disappear in a range of time is now persistent. The mirage of the dark sea and three doors have plagued his vision since earlier.
"Haahhh…" Letting out a sigh, he let himself fall to the bed, gazing at the ceiling in silence.
'It has been two days.' After he is discharged from the hospital, he has been recovering in this new home, waiting, or maybe just wanting to enjoy his life for a moment.
Then again…
Moving his hands to the temple, to slightly ease the pain in his mind. Thinking of Irina's question, 'Recovery, huh…' he had some guesses as to why.
"For these nine months is not a coma, it is more like… sleeping after all." He mutters to the space, his eyes are heavy, this time he will and cannot resist the "call".
Nine months of something he cannot name, compressed into what he is now; gradually, his eyes begin to close… the tide swallowed him up, the ceiling dissolving, and the senses are liberated.
———
Slowly opening his eyes, blurry, bloody-ashen eyes, looking into the familiar view. It is the scenery that always haunts him now and then. Narrowing his eyes, abstract sound rises from the depths of the unknown.
There is no breeze, only stillness at the edge of everything. Standing on the surface of the dark sea, his eyes contemplating the three doors that stood in silence, Maroon, White, and Gold.
Raising his head a bit, the sky is full of stars, glittering in the light, and a comet with an unknown trajectory flies past in the far vision.
This time, ignoring other things, he moves his head to the far left. As the sound of the tide intensified, he could even feel phantom water hitting his feet, submerging them.
Without wasting any more time, he decisively walked towards the plain White wooden door. As he arrives, his mind seems dissociated further, but there is something…
Clarity and the still Desire…
His hand grasped the handle of the door and pushed it open. Silver light drowned him, and even illuminated the dark sea, until…
His figure disappears, the door closes, as it is with this world.
…
The silver light blinds his vision, but neither does it hurt nor feel cold. As he basks in the light, he feels his mind more active, like pouring cold water over a hot processor.
Then… the light receded, and he arrived in an unknown, alien place.
Opening his eyes slowly, his first instinct is to gather information about his surroundings; he dared not be careless.
But…
"Ackk…!" His back rolled forward in pain, and his two hands had already clutched over his head. Pain and dissociation assaulted his mind; his eyes that were halfway open are now welling up in tears.
'No… I can't… this foreign feeling…' Still in a slit, he can only look towards the ground in pain, the veins in his temple bulging as he struggles hard.
It is a ground that is utterly confusing. He could determine by his vision that the color itself is dark, but then again, as he stares long enough into it…
The ground trembled slightly, pulsing, light rippled at the depth of the material, as the blue light pulsed, circuits were briefly illuminated, extending and branching beneath the ground.
'It's just… like watching a network beneath a glacier…' an analogy spontaneously formed in his mind, easing the burden that he was going through right now.
For now, he just wants to stay like this.
Squeezing his head, feeling the rough and messy hair in his palm, the tears that are gradually seeping into the alien ground. Even in this state, he did not stop to think.
'Basically… this feeling is my body reacting to this alien space due to differential things that are exuded by this space…' When he realized this, an oppressive sensation enveloped his body.
After a while, he slowly straightened his body, trying to lift his head bit by bit, to acquire information in the surroundings, adapting to whatever exists in this space.
Clenching his hands on the side, resisting the shiver and alien sensation that tickles his body, he fully focused on what he could grasp from the structure around him.
'Passively waiting will leave me nowhere.' With this thought, his mind was basically running at full speed. Leftover tear marks marked below his bloodshot eyes.
Though his head is still aching, he converted his pain into a more meaningful action by surveying the situation.
Fully opening his eyes, he looked to his front.
Starting with the simple things, which are clearly not simple, in this flat ground… is a column. Cubic after cubic is placed and dynamically shifting in its place to form the shape of this column.
Through his blurred vision, he looked up at the sky, covering it, which was similar to a dome.
But the center of the sky dome was empty, leaving a blurred ceiling, simply a mosaic to his vision, unrecognizable and incomprehensible.
It is surely a strange sight, 'Just what the hell is this place…', but he leaves it be despite the question in his mind, back to the column, and behind it stood a gate.
Double door gate, embedded in the ground, it is not connected to anything nor seems to lead to anything at all, standing silently above the dark ground.
His eyes were twitching, noticing something of a slit or a groove that was connected to the door. Side-stepping to the right slightly, he could now look at it clearly.
"It truly is a groove…" A straight line extends from the double gate and is connected to the back of the column.
"Hmmm…" Now, the obvious structure is at least clear, then… turning his head around, the subsided pain now began to appear once again.
Biting his lips, his bloodshot eyes reflected a beautiful but eerie sight.
The air or the space, as far as he can see, is painted with a blue glow that dances in the air freely.
They are like fish, sometimes the blue glow leaves a trail and collides with each other, creating a spark that rippled through the air.
His mind cannot comprehend it; everything here challenged his established cognition of what is normal. Reality should be— and at this moment, everything also begins to click by itself.
Raising his head, in the depth of his dim eyes, a sliver of silver light passed by.
'Cognition… this is what alien cognition feels like, right?' Entirely strange technology and principle, what he sees is just the surface of which may be intersected by a little familiarity with his predetermined cognition.
'Furthermore… this blue glow is the same as in the depth below this ground.' Diverting his gaze to the column, the pain eased up slightly, just like receding water on the shore.
Letting out a breath, his eyes are weary after this short time; the bright, bloody-ashen eyes light up a bit. But still, he decided to walk to the most obvious thing that he could handle… the column.
"What to do now?" Gaze complex as he rested his eyes on the column that was as tall as him, looking confused about what to do and what he had to do.
"It can't be helped then…" A whisper escaped from his lips. Collecting himself, he raised his right hand cautiously, approaching the column with his bare hand, and with it, the air trembled around him.
…
The blue glow shifts freely across the sky, like a fish or oil paint spilled and floating in the air.
Sometimes… as two or more of these glows meet in the air, they will burst, bounce, and leave an excited ripple that spreads towards the surrounding area before gradually dying down.
Incalculable time has passed since Akane has been standing in front of the column, motionless like a statue.
Then again, despite the silence of his self, his hand did not stay put in place, roaming around, carefully touching the overlaying cube of the column.
The skin hovers above the white surface of the cube… some kind of force is isolating the two of them, like the same pole of a magnet, repulsive.
But… he did not mind it too much, immersed in his task, his hand dances along the surface, never actually touching it. And along the repulsive force, the cube is the one that is being pushed instead.
Unknown to him, Akane's eyes are now dyed in silver… three colors of ashen, blood, and moonlight immersed in one pool, flowing like water.
The blue glow, if one looks carefully, though moving randomly… they seem to resonate, synced with the movement of Akane's two hands and the rhythm of the column.
The concept of time is ticking, and the luminous moonlight is getting brighter with each turn; the scattered point is now dancing chaotically like water amidst rain.
Until…
His hands stopped, the dancing blue froze on their tracks in the sky.
Inside this gray dome, everything suddenly silenced… and the hands… on the side stroking the column upwards, gently.
The blue glow leaves a trail, organizing itself in the sky, surging like a river, drawn to the center of the column, aligning itself.
And at this moment, the bright silver as if done with its work is now dim… the eyes back to their bloody-ashen clarity, through his plain face, the corner of his mouth upturned.
The blue quickly filled the missing groove in the center, filling it and then flowing to the double gate.
All of this happened simultaneously under Akane's exhausted gaze… despite the weariness, his mind and calculation ability felt refreshed, as if heaven rewarded his effort.
Tilting his head, passing the column that blocked his view, the door is humming, a mosaic filter fills his vision as the gate is blurred, and he cannot perceive anything beyond this.
Incomprehensible in its sense, he cannot fathom its mechanism.
Then… in the reflection of his eyes, the door disappeared after a while, revealing another room and what's reflected beyond it.
A cosmos and a field of light that stretched to the unknown.
"Really… it really is exhausting…" He muttered under his breath, right now, though he solves all of it, there really isn't any satisfaction in knowing something.
Stepping lightly to the left, he looked over the unknown mechanism of the column beside him, and this is the root of his frustration.
"And I can't blame anyone about it though…", pondering leisurely about his state earlier.
This is the case, in the first hour of his calculation… he is simply messing around, trying to figure out something here.
And that's when something connected. Shifting his gaze to the now-empty sky of the gray dome… 'This column surely acts as a control tower or mechanism for the double gate.' His gaze deepened.
Each of these cubes is composed of a smaller structure that opposes or contains some kind of repulsive power… reacting with his smaller touch, he needs to find the connectivity and then calculate all possible configurations and outcomes.
And after decoding all of this and possible alien combinations, he spread his awareness further to encompass and even trace the logic of the column and reverse it.
'All of this is just a guess, but in the end, it worked, and that's all that matters.' Shaking his head, he smiled further, the bloody crimson reflected his next destination.
"The result is all that matters."
Unknown to him, as he gazes to the front.
Hidden at the back of the column is another glowing groove, like a formation of a three of spades, circuitry of unknown pattern, a mix of a spider and a fly.
Stepping out of the gate, the entire vision of this next room clears up.
Standing in front of the double-gate, with his hands in his pockets, overlooking the entire thing of what is to be a "control room"… "A familiar and understandable sight, at the very least."
But, before this…
Turning his upper body slightly, he looks back, past the double gate behind him that is obviously incompatible with this place.
Beyond is the still column, but anything other than that… is nothing. 'The white door is gone too…' It is just a hunch that since he came to this place, he won't be able to get out easily.
Then again, he can't care very much, since he is the one who seeks this place.
His plain face slowly turned back towards the control room in front of him, but… before everything and the gate itself is swallowed by a colorful mosaic effect.
Something that he notices at the edge of his vision, a pattern, perhaps? Behind the blurred column. He stops for a few seconds, watching the crumbling space, until… everything dissolves and merges into nothingness.
Dismissing it, he turns his head to the front once again, inspecting and analyzing the structure of the "control room" in front.
"First of all… the room itself." He mutters while turning his head periodically, taking notes of the station and the tools in this empty room.
This is a circular room, very wide, approximately as big as a hall or an entire floor of an apartment, but again… it is empty and seems isolated, again, there is no door, or an obvious way out, for now…
There is no wall in this circular room, leaving only an open window, with the purpose to admire a scenery, perhaps? And… locking his gaze to the center.
Walking past the empty white and flat ground, he arrives at the true station of this room… his fingers grazed the seat of an unknown material, his eyes were looking at the screen that displayed a status of another structure.
Frozen in his tracks, one hand grasped the backrest tightly… his calm beating heart is now in a hurry, and despite his expressionless face, his mouth and eyes are visibly trembling.
"Really… what the hell?" A mutter escaped from his lips as his head stiffly looked out to the open window, towards the entire starry sky that he had ignored previously.
Black expanse, filled with various points of light, the vast ocean where the stars are scattered in an irregular pattern. Some are dim and flickering, or maybe even forming a pattern.
Yet, amidst this vast expanse of darkness, a luminous soft yellow and white light is reflected in the bottom of his eyes.
Stretched upon a distance that he could not calculate. Sweat slid off his cheek; he is silent or perhaps shocked under this view… that is certainly familiar, nevertheless, he knows, it is impossible.
'It is like a formation of ice or rock that is orbiting a planet, then again… how could this structure come this close and safe? Furthermore…' his mind gradually calmed down, but the next view is his main concern, and probably… danger.
Disregarding the beautiful and shocking view, Akane walked close to the window, enough to see… the fortress of steel or perhaps, 'Space station? Space city?' some words came to his mind to anchor his understanding.
Squinting his eyes, the window shifts in, zooming to help. He is surprised for a moment, and he equally dismisses it with the appearance of the sight before him.
A vast structure, consisting of three rings, is what he sees.
Continuing with his task, he could not see the edge at all, but he is 80% sure of it, since the display screen was giving him the information on the status of the entire structure.
Then again… his right hand touching the window, feeling the cold touch on his skin… the faraway second ring is tilted upwards at an approximate 45 degrees, leaving him an open view of the bottom of this ring.
And… 'What kind of lifeform is that?' his eyes are wide, looking at the first ring that is tilted 45 degrees downward, presenting its surface view, which fills his vision.
In the center that serves as an anchor of this mega structure, there lies… he gulped down, hands sliding off the window. Pressing his face to the cold glass, either in magnificence or greater shock.
A beating green, pulsing, its tendril as big as the continent itself, slithering, frozen between the surface of this space structure, which reminded him of something… 'Parasite?'
His eyes flicked to its very center, blurred, his heart is beating very fast… even breathing seems like a struggle, a pressure of life level.
A black vortex, humming softly, is sending a pulse, or a rhythm that distorts space itself, like a paper that is crumpled, everything is blurred around that ideal point.
The window seems to be affected as there is a gradual noise that disturbs the projected faraway appearance, making the image blurry and… greenish, as if infected.
"Hahh…." A breath escaped from his lips, right as he was immersed in those magnificent life views… a loud noise broke his reverie. A glaring alarm rang in his ears.
Snapping back to reality, his head snaps to the leftmost window of the dark expanse, towards another concern of his, a behemoth that is frozen silently in space.
Running to its side, he looks at the practically silent steel behemoth, like a predator… its body is streamlined and strangely, elegant.
There is no unnecessary design or materials, like it is just a tool that is precise, to serve its function as it should be.
His mind instinctively analyzes to understand its structure: 'Divided into three parts, front, middle, and back.' The initial shock has passed, now replaced by full computational speed.
The front is like a four-pronged fork, in the center is empty, it is like a barrel or a muzzle of a railgun… this is the best description that he could come up with.
Then, the middle is like a hexagon shape with various open hangars. At this distance, he couldn't see most things; it was just enough to know its shape.
And lastly, his gaze moves to the very back or the end of this spaceship, a slim thruster, ejecting a strange white radiance that also blurs and burns the space itself.
Apparently, this spaceship is the source that triggers the alarm of this space station, and as for the reason why? 'I think it is obvious at a glance… Orbital bombing? Factional fight? Civilization war?'
Lamenting his fate for one last time, he sat in the seat with a floating projective screen around him. And letting out a pent-up breath, he is ready, "Let's see what he can do."
Leaning to the soft material of the backrest, he closes his eyes, his mind flows freely, a collision of information and data.
First, this is a "control room", since he can clearly see the second and first ring, he guesses that he must be in the third ring.
There is no way out of this room, so he is trapped here, and there must be a reason for that too… the appearance of this control station supports this argument.
Coupled with an open view that consolidated his position and power here, he can basically oversee the confrontation of the two sides.
Second, this mega-structure is very big, which is not an exaggeration if this place is maybe as big as a planet or even more; he couldn't directly feel the scale since the earlier "window" is giving him a zoom of what he needs to know.
Opening his eyes slightly, into a slit, he is a bit anxious, but this also dissolves in a moment… "That lifeform, a plant-based? Then there also must be a reason why it is here…" he mutters absentmindedly.
Trajectory of the bombing, as smaller laser-based weapons surfaced from each of the forks of the muzzle of the spaceship, they did not spare the space station at all.
Direct bombing of what appears to be a residential area? Or various cities at the surface of the rings. The tendrils or greenish tentacle is slightly burnt after the bombing, a minced combination of plant and meat seems to fly everywhere in the city.
But despite this, the vine plant is not silent. Right from its center, a dark ripple appeared, the blur effect gradually became stronger, and then spread outwards in space, in a conical area of effect.
And hit the barrier that is deployed around the ship, intercepting the attacks of the ripple itself, and yet… despite no visible damage, Akane discerned a tremor from the spaceship itself.
Time passes in silence as Akane is immersed, trying to discern behavior patterns, the bombing trajectory, and the response of the spaceship and vine plant.
"Let's try something…" he didn't want to be passive, and after watching for a while, he had a plan in mind. Raising his upper body, a slight color of silver flashed in the depth of his eyes once more.
His two hands reached to the screen, which is unusually solid, and for a moment, he felt a connection form between him and this control station.
This particular sensation at its base seems to be the same as in the earlier space, but different in its core. Akane mulled over it lightly but not too deeply.
For now, he knows the logic of the input or output in this control center, which is actually a command station.
Information and data streams entered his mind, processed further for a while to know the basic condition, and formed an input that he wanted.
"Determining and interpreting basic function…"
"Matching input and output of logic…"
"Tracing connective function of output and input…"
"Redetermining the combination… attempts begin…"
Time passes in an hour or two, contrasting with the silence of the command room; an explosion of varying colors decorates the vacuum and dark space.
Unnoticed by the forces of various parties, some parts of the city sometimes flicker, and the trajectory of the ring even moves, albeit slightly and silently.
"Building logical pathway and parameters…"
"The basic function of this alien system is fully open…"
After forming the connection, his hands did not stop moving once again… bright blue lights of the screen flashed in his vision rapidly, while he muttered a series of activities.
"I hope you would reconsider your choices for a while…" With these last words, he raised his head towards the window, complying with his orders, the windows zoomed in to overlook the entire battlefield.
"Second Ring - Rotational Degrees Adjustment, 30° Downwards and 20° Clockwise." As the command is issued, his hand pressed upon the screen, tilting his head to the side.
Watching the slow but surely moving object that is tilting and rotating, this is his first intention or plan, 'To give them a notice of a third party and also shield the vine plant.'
This is just an attempt for him; he then focuses his gaze towards either of the parties to gauge their reaction to plan for the next step.
And their response is surely immediate…
The spaceship adjusted to the interference immediately, and the bombing trajectory is moving within a new trajectory as if they had anticipated everything.
It is too fast for him to react, so he can only watch it passively, his face though expressionless is a bit grim, one of his hands clenched the solid screen hard, chill through his body.
Suppressing himself, he snaps his head to the side.
The vine-life at the center responds by spreading its tendril, accelerating its invasion and parasitism further towards the third ring.
Moving his gaze back to the screen, he is silent for a while.
"Conclusion is clear, the aggression from both sides has intensified, the situation is critical."
Still, what he needs is calmness, and what he can do is limited; to lament is a luxury, so… 'This is the worst possibility, but let's salvage as many things as possible.'
As he said earlier, even if it's the worst, he has another plan for this situation, though he now doubts if it still matters, by taking into account their high aggressiveness.
His hands moving once again, this time, he had to hurry, and even he had to venture deep into advanced functions and the baseline of this command center.
There is no time to waste, for, as if he had it from the start, in this critical situation, all he can do is just trial and then error.
Thus, another hour passed. Eyes flicking to the corner of the screen, analyzing the degree of invasion from the functioning camera of the third and second rings.
Sweat trickled down from his temples, "50% of the Third Ring is swallowed up… just a few more minutes." Muttering absentmindedly, taking into account and assuming their characteristics in the meantime.
And that's it as he is waiting, the screen flashed, changing rapidly.
"Communication online!" With these words as interpreted, he decisively activated it and set it up towards the external surroundings without a filter.
Even though they may not have understood him, even if this worsened the situation, he had no better option remaining. "This is the Main Command Center of Third Ring. Please cease the attack!"
Standing up, he said calmly, controlling his voice to the communicator and also looking towards the window.
At the same time, he is also trying to send a standard electric signal that he decoded towards the surrounding indiscriminately; the message content is roughly the same as what he said.
But then again…
The vine-life, as if baited by something, accelerated its invasion towards the place where he resided, and all of this is clearly seen by Akane himself.
The eyes reflect nothing but devoid silver, and ashen. Still repeating the same message towards the spaceship. Headache upon headache piled upon his head just like a phantom pain.
Thus, a flash of light.
First is the approaching waves of green on the horizon of his vision, exploding through the vacuum, a wave of white.
And the second falls near the tower or high place where he resides, the bombing then intensified, the entire Third Ring trembled like metal creaking.
For the second time, his plan failed. His attempt to speak made everything worse once again. Neither side has a framework to interpret its interference as a neutral observer.
"Force and communication… neither is working." He muttered lightly, standing at the window, watching the falling ballistics and light that travels through the sky.
Then, what is left is…
"Is this the end… how could this even be cleared…?" he is asking through this empty room, endless tremor and rain of heat falling from the sky.
He turns back towards the seat, walking and sitting back on it. Hands touching the screen once more, feeling the unreadable and tingling sensation on his skin.
"Sacrifice… and control." After muttering this, his eyes reflect a bluish light and silver light, total determination in this indifference. 'Activating weapon function, our task is now… survive.'
Though at long last…
The Third Ring, the Second Ring, and even the periphery of the First Ring.
Various bases and monuments spontaneously rise up from the ground, steel constructs weave themselves through the sky as if defying their own fate to be a chessboard.
"Steel Bases…. Interesting, generating robot and construct…"
"Heavy Railgun… what a thing, such a sci-fi weapon…"
"Gravitational Well… Ring of Unravel… Dark Matter Encases…"
Smiling slightly, only now and then, at the edges of everything that he could be at least free for a moment. There surely is regret, but in the end… he will do what he can.
Another hour passed, in the defense and offense positions.
Blood trickled down to the ground, sliding off from the nose.
His skin is pale, and cold sweat is running down his cheeks; his gaze is clear, crystal clear; a stream of bits and data passed through and reflected in his retina.
"Defense System, 20% Destroyed, huh…" a mutter escaped from his lips as he read and processed various statuses of the weapon, of which all is nearly scrapped despite its grand function and name.
The influence of the vine-life is already more than what it seems, corroding and stifling every single thing that exists in this space-station.
Right as he struggles to control and process everything in this overload of information, the screen picked up a signal, the source is— "The spaceship."
Silence fell as his hand stopped moving, thought stagnant, and activities were frozen in their tracks. Various warnings popped up on the screen in a minute of his silence.
In the end, he takes his hands back from the control and severs the connection, leaning his tired back towards the seat, slumped. Watching the notification absentmindedly.
"Final warning, huh? What's the point anymore?" a small voice, which seems to be like a sigh. He is tired of this.
The delay he created, the loss that he desperately needs to save, means nothing. From now on is total obliteration and annihilation; no partial outcome is available.
So—
He simply watches and stops.
The bombing intensified beyond redemption, a critical warning is issued, and the glaring alarm is now more urgent in turns, entering his ears.
The vine-life responds by accelerating beyond its previous behavior, as if aware of what's coming.
Tremor, light, green, mix of steel, and meat or plant, flying in the sky.
In this final moment, Akane watches everything silently, widening his eyes slightly, his mouth agape a bit.
The vine-life releases spores or seeds outwards, and yellow and purple gas decorated the mix of the debris, through the broken station, into the space.
"Unexpected." His expression is strange, almost unreadable, because he seems to take another possible interpretation from this.
Away from the spaceship, falling towards the asteroid field below, like a stream of water.
Then—
The spaceship aimed towards the center of the First Ring, the muzzle of the four forks heated up, and Akane's instinct screamed wildly so that even the submerged blood in his vision was now spreading.
An attack, a culmination that is superior to what this station had.
The falling sun, in a flash.
And a roar of the deep cosmos.
Everything goes dark.
…
…
In Akane's last second before darkness, through the spaceship's window and the function zoom, Akane saw the interior of the spaceship.
Focusing only on one thing.
Inside the cylindrical ship, growing along the walls in carefully maintained conditions, is a cultivated version of the vine-life.
Different from the wild one that predated the station.
But it is certainly the same.
'For what purpose?' the question floated in emptiness.
———
Ahhh.
A small cry, realization, clarity, and conscience.
He is alive.
Eyes open, blurry, facing the cracked ground. Sweat trickled down from his face, tick by tick, and it fell to the now broken asphalt.
'No….'
Gasping for air, as his two small hands clutching his chest, tears welled at the edge of his eyes… it is suffocating, it hurts.
'No…'
Lifting his head, around him is a sea of fire, burning smell wafted to his nose, causing him to choke, hardly able to take a breath.
'No…'
'This is not real… nightmare…'
His heart cried out in desperation, but on the surface, he couldn't do anything. The smell of rust and blood, the sky darkened as if pressing down.
At this moment, as he is looking lifelessly towards the surroundings, he could feel a touch on his shoulder, which makes him flinch in fright. He knows who it is.
"Akane, we can't stop here! It is just halfway, just in front… why do you stop?" His older twin brother, Ayato, stopped at his side, nudging him over his shoulder.
Akane turns his head slightly, his face expressionless with dried tears amidst heat… his school uniform is bloody, with scars that carved themselves into his body.
'It's you after all…'
"It's nothing, just nothing… you're right, we should go." Looking over that face, like his own reflection. A baby face, though immature, is now full of worry.
Its sky-blue eyes are tired but full of resolve, the black hair is dusted, and blood smeared across his face.
"Aka-nii… are you okay?" He patted the dust on his body calmly despite his inner cry or desperation, just like walking to his own purgatory, to face his own judgement on this very day.
To those questions, his lifeless grey eyes trembled slightly, looking over on the other side.
His petite little sister, Irina. Her once dazzling silver-white hair is now also dusted, and there are clear dried tear marks from the earlier time.
Her sky-blue eyes and her oval face are full of worry, just like her older brother's.
"It's okay, let's get going." Again, he reaffirmed mechanically, covering her tiny hands and gripping them tightly as if afraid of losing them, and she also smiled towards him.
Fully standing up, he nods to the two of them at his side, and then—
He ran for his life.
Braving through the blazing red in front of him, to the ruin of the steel jungle and the fallen sky.
Fire seems to burn through his body, his eyes are fully focused on the front and the sky, which is their inevitable destination.
A visible glow of light, and something that he could not fathom with his own knowledge, space is oscillating, time is stretched, and fire that burns in the darkness.
Silver light falls from the pressing darkness, just like a light that illuminated the dark corridor… artificial, and colorless, draining away his will.
He finds himself struggling through the winding, broken road and various corpses, a crater of unknown diameter is visible, and with it…
His time and life are numbered.
"Mother…" a mutter escaped from his lips, and then, in a matter of seconds, he finds himself shackled, just like in those endless dreams of the depths.
A flash of silver light blurs his vision.
The darkness of the sky is ruptured.
Crimson, orange, and silver intertwined.
'Ahhh…'
Those reptilian eyes are gazing at him across unknown distance, just like yesterday, a sense of deja vu perhaps, to which he remembers clearly than not.
'This is my sin, everything is my fault… my fault… my fault…'
His cry became louder; he didn't want to face it, but his face was still facing the sky despite his refusal, once again, his refusal, with the corpse of his mother at the periphery of his vision, just like a reminder for him.
"I'm sorry for being a failure, Akane…."
'Why are you doing this?! No one is asking for this!'
Face dead and pale, just like a corpse, watching the ferocious yet pitiful dragon swallow up its own pride and heart for its younglings.
And then…
Once again, everything went silent and dark.
Back to the depth.
….
….
"Haaahhhh…. Haahhhhh…"
Scream.
Then, eyes opened.
The same familiar ground.
Burnt smell, and a ringing in his ears.
He smiled while tears welled in his eyes.
"Akane, we can't stop here! It is just halfway, just in front… why do you stop?" The voice sounded beside him, along with the shoulder tap.
Straightening his body, 'Hahahaahh…' whether he is laughing or crying, only god knows.
"Yeah, we should get going—" To the place where everything begins.
'Ahhh… this is purgatory after all.' The thought passed as he absentmindedly looked over the worrywart figure of his little sister.
"I'm okay, everything is going to be all right…" placing his hands, feeling the soft touch of her hair, smiling widely to reassure her.
Thus…
The journey of endless time begins.
….
….
<2nd Cycle>
His eyes are still, watching, sketching the dragons and the form of the pressing darkness above the sky.
Before the darkness swallowed everything once again.
Even as he is dead, he did not take his gaze off, engraving everything in his memory; this is his obsession.
….
….
<3rd Cycle>
Standing on the edge of the crater, he decided to stand at the side, watching his father, who was clutching the corpse of his mother in his embrace.
A hole in her and his stomach, the difference between mortal and immortal.
Amidst the cry and the running figure of his siblings, he is alone, standing still over his transformed father.
'Mortal and Immortal… next life, surely.'
He closes his eyes, clenching his hands. Darkness swallowed him.
….
….
<6th Cycle>
He is running around the crater, chasing his father's figure…
"BE CAREFUL OF THAT SILVER RAY OF LIGHT!" as his voice echoed to the sky, he is gasping for air, his lungs burning, but he is smiling.
This is the first seed and attempt.
The dragon in the sky seemed to be still for a moment, and then danced swiftly, avoiding various lights.
His hands clenched, as if he were sure to win.
And that's it…
"Ahhhh…"
A ray of light hit him instead, his body losing function in an instant, dissipating and dissolving amidst the wind.
Pain and then darkness.
'Next time.'
A whisper, and a gradual restlessness.
….
….
<30th Cycle>
"FATHER, PLEASE READ MY MIND!" he screams out of his lungs from the crater, stopping his father in his path.
His lifeless and pained eyes gazed over him.
Akane could feel that his feet and hands went cold, as if facing the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.
After a moment, his expression changed slightly, confused, but then looking deeply at Akane with more of a pain.
But to which Akane brushed it with a smile.
Then…
It is no longer a ray of silver or a brown mist of corrosion.
There is no prelude.
Darkness enveloped his vision.
….
….
<66th Cycle>
"Father, I beg you, just avoid all its attacks… and then you will win!" Aldean turned a deaf ear to his son after reading his memories and decisively transformed into his dragon form.
Failed.
The sky ruptured further, to which it is wriggling, revealing flesh.
….
….
<80th Cycle>
After transmitting the accumulated information repeatedly, Akane's mind became more weary, hitting the limit of what he can fathom and accept.
He is tired.
But still—
"You don't need to attack it, father… save yourself first!"
Failed.
His father decisively attacks it.
….
….
<98th Cycle>
"You have no chance, you pathetic! There is nothing you can do here! Why don't you just bring me up and take our revenge later!"
Empty gazes, as always, those gray eyes are dim.
Slumped on the ground is Akane, lifelessly, with the same dim eyes towards his father.
….
….
<109th Cycle>
Every solution of knowledge.
….
<112th Cycle>
Every way of preservation.
….
<135th Cycle>
Every means of survival.
….
….
Standing on the wreckage, Akane is sitting in silence, his legs hanging on the edge of the charred steel, blood trickled but his body unresponsive.
There, clack
A step sounded, the steel croaking.
Carrying the weight of another person.
His tiny little legs are also hanging freely, swinging, both bloodied, but half-transparent to him.
Staying in silence alongside him.
Together, the two seem to be just waiting for this world to end.
Just like it has to be and needs to be.
But—
"Why did you need to win so badly?" It is clearly the same voice, to which the unresponsive one trembled like a twitching puppet.
His eyes are clear but cloudy, like a diamond in the dust, their brilliance is covered in dust and dirt, just like their state right now.
Turning his head slightly to the side, to the peripheral vision of Akane is another him.
He turns his head fully, looking in the Replica's direction, his figure reflected in those ashen-grey eyes.
'That's right…' his head fell hunched downward, looking at the broken hands covered in dried blood and scabs.
Despite that simple question, he doesn't know the answer.
Cycle after cycle, what does he need to prove, actually? He wants to know, too, to find the answer to that question through his own… act?
Hundreds of times, these hands never once held anything real.
Unconsciously, he falls silent. Various images that are buried, the act that he undergoes, what are they?
The vine that is releasing its seed to the space… for what they survive. It is such a simple act of surrendering their own self.
His hands then clenched hard, tick by tick, and a clear drop of liquid fell onto his knuckles.
The cultivated vine inside the ship, those vivid, indescribable feelings… they are preserved in the form, by the very things that they swore to destroy.
'Father… Mother…' gritting his teeth, his eyes are of luminous silver and bloody-red, devoid of any ashen-grey. His shoulder was trembling, biting his lips hard to swallow everything.
"Haahhhh… in the end, you are fighting not to win, aren't you? Hahah…" He laughed bitterly to the sky, to his own laughable self that he holds high.
His Replica at the side is still watching silently as he ever was and should be, but then again… the corner of his mouth upturned slightly.
His father didn't need to win. Winning was never available to him. What was available was to leave and release the seed into the space behind.
Akane didn't need to win, either.
Because…
His eyes are now fully consumed by luminous silver; the bloody-red receded, and holistic and divine feelings emerged.
"I understand it now… this test was never meant to win the game. It was to realize why I wanted to win, right?" he asked to the side indifferently.
And as he said it, the entire space is trembling, the earlier colorful mosaic reappears in this very space of his own memories.
But still, Akane didn't move from his seat, his now expressionless self is asking the silent reflection of himself.
To which the Replica is gazing at the sky, behind the veil of its own constructed spaces, curious, longing, but there is also the same indifference in its depths.
"That's right, you have to remember this lesson. And—"
Finally turning his head to the side, there is no more steel jungle and sea of fire, a crater, or even pressing darkness.
Replaced by a flat white ground.
Bright yellowish white particles danced in the air, drifting to the sky as if attracted towards the deep darkness above.
And the sky, it is a dark scape as it is said.
But… various stars, some flickering like a usual starry sky, forming revolution or rotation around, orbiting.
Aside from it, there is also various debris or even ruins of dead stars, which seem hauntingly deadly but evoke a sense of wonder.
Hopping off from the ruins of steel that are left, the Replica falls to the flat ground and turns his back, facing his direction.
"—Welcome and congratulations to you, Shirakami Akane, for passing the Border of Ascension."
This is your moment of Ascension.
Moment where you have pushed beyond your limit.
The border which Interpretation collides with the Self.
Upwards above the illusory steel skeleton, Akane gazed at the wonder of Border, hands on his lap.
"Finally."