"If my life had been something that was to be shown in the great theater, it would be something of a tragedy that failed to evoke any catharsis within its audience. I have but one purpose, one that is petty, pathetic, and absurd. This is the only meaning that is left for me."
I repeated my mantra in my head over and over again as I finally spotted the beast I've been searching for, an abnormally massive Menacer the size of a truck that has rampaged the sandy shores for many months. However, It didn't seem to notice me as it hypnotically ate away at the blue slush at the edge of the Ocean. Its back was turned against the shore. I crouched below the bushes and opened my old dusty bag: 3 bottles of Ocean's Plasma, a vial of suppressants, a giant butcher knife, a huge meat sack, and a small finely patterned wooden box. Hopefully, I won't need to use what's in it today, not this one, it's saved for him, and him only. Taking the three bottles of Plasma out of my bag, I tucked it to the side of my pocket. Checking my sides, was my long nail like weapon, and a knife that seemed pointless against this beast of a Neolife.
One shot, stab this long nail directly into the skull of the beast. Piercing its shell and skull, severing its brain from its body. It hasn't heard me, greedily feeding itself. Untying my tattered shoes and gently leaving my bag on the ground, I crept towards the Menacer slowly, and silently. The wind picked up and blew small specks of sand into my face, the salty smell of the Ocean, revolting as it entered my nostrils. Uncomfortable as I crawled towards the unaware monstrosity. The sound of the waves filled what would be silence, its rhythmic noise drowns out any needless thoughts. I crept closer and closer towards the Neolife, until I could practically smell its horrid salty and stench filled aroma.
This is it, my one chance, fail, and I will turn into just another Assimilated to be hunted down by The DDA and other Fishermen to be exchanged for quota and petty cash. No, I will not end like this. With these thoughts I leapt into the air, from up there I could see the beast in its entirety. Its large scattered shell covered back, its disgusting brown blueish fur, and its abnormally large skull, covered in numerous daggers and knives. A clear sign of a mutation.
"Shit!- "
As I whispered underneath my breath, the beast that was previously docile sprung up from its limbs, its head previously dug into the Lawn sprung up, the force sent the slush high above itself, splashing it across my face and eyes, temporarily blinding me. I fell heavily onto the beast's body, its hard shells hitting against my torso and chest.
"Ghk–"
I forced myself to recover through the pain and rolled off the back of the Menacer just as it jumped and tried to knock whatever was just on its back high into the air. Pushing my aching body off the sandy ground, I faced the beast who exerted the intention to kill whatever it was that disturbed its rest. Dashing and ramming itself at a horrifying speed towards me, I nearly dodged out of the way by sprint rolling out of its path. Its feet are perfectly designed to dig itself deep into the sands to stop itself from ramming too far out of the way. It came once more, using its advantage to charge at me with terrifying speed. This time, I attempted to side step the beast while allowing myself to stab my nail as hard as I could into the Meanacer's skull, hoping my previous observation about its skull to be false, but no, it stopped merely half an inch into the skull of the beast, rendering it basically no harm. My nail was taken away from me as the monstrosity rammed past me. I was outmatched. I can only barely prevent the beast from ending my life right now, and I wouldn't be able to keep up for too long.
The Menacer opened its large mouth and its slimy Lawn covered maw, filled with only a couple of flat teeth. It rammed towards me once again, this time with much more precision and control aimed to shatter every solid part of my body and send the rest into a grinder. A desperate idea appears in my mind. As the Meanacer rammed towards me with its large gaping maw, I took the knife in my pocket and jumped into the beast's mouth. Lodging myself right at the thing's throat. The beast, sensing that I was in its mouth, slammed shut and clamped down on my hips. A loud shattering crunch rang throughout my body. The force broke every bone on my hip, a pain more excruciating that anything I've ever experienced surged through my body. I tried to scream but the disgusting stench and mucus entered my mouth and blocked out my scream. The warm and mushy texture of the beast's maw covered my upper body in dark and damp flesh. But just as I've thought, the Menacer, being a neolife that feasts primarily on Lawns, shouldn't have that strong of a bite force, it only managed to crush my bones and flesh, not chopping it right through in half. The pain was still unbearable, but I can't die here, I don't want to die, not before I kill him with my own hands.
"struggling so much… for what?"
The voice of The Ocean ranged in my ears.
"HAHAHAHA!!! YOU DON'T HAVE ME!!! I WILL NOT FUCKING DIE HERE!!!"
I screamed out maniacally in the beast's maw, its mucus dripped into my mouth as I spat it out and kept laughing. I held the knife in my hand firmly and stabbed the beast over and over again through the top of its maxilla, hoping to bypass the solid bones protecting the top of its brain. kill the creature, kill it! Kill it! Die. Just die already! The beast felt the sharp sensations of my stabs and began trying to throw me out of its mouth, swinging its head back and forth. Stabbing my blade into the throat of the creature, I held onto it, being thrown out would mean certain death.
"YOU WILL NOT KILL ME!!! HAHAHAHA!!!"
I kept stabbing the beast where I could insert my knife into, over the course of what felt like days and months. Finally, with one last stab to its maxilla, using all but the last bit of my remaining strength. The beast crumbled and fell onto the sand. I awkwardly crawled out of the beast's mouth and stared at the vast Ocean in front of me. The very horizon seemed fully visible to me
"Hahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHA! "
A laugh exploded from the deepest part of my soul, the thought of me coming closer to my goal can only be expressed in such a way. My laugh spread out through the sandy shore, mixing itself along with the waves to form something unhinged, and insane. I would've thought this deviant back then, but who am I now, from what I was? I slowly grabbed the 3 bottles of Ocean's Plasma from the side of my body and drank all of it in one gulp.
"How much more?"
Immediately, small, blue tendrils began stitching whatever broken bones and flesh back together, I can feel my spine and hip restored to its previous state, a curtain of transparent wrap seemed to hang itself from my mind and my memories, dampening it.
"Is it worth it?"
The voice came back for a bit, asking me a strange question, how ridiculous, if this "Blessing" would allow me to one day take my vengeance against that bastard, then damned I shall be, damn me to the 10th circle of hell if that would suffice. With that thought recirculating within me, each time stroking the flame of my hatred even more. I stumbled off the sandy shore, covered in that horrid mucus and blood, but I didn't mind that compared to the joy of getting one step closer to my goal. A vial of suppressants hung off my mouth as the liquid slowly trickled down my throat. I flipped the beast over to its belly. Grabbing the butcher knife from my bag, I began dissecting the beast, chopping its head off, and collecting whatever worth this Menacer can provide; Organs, blood, shell, skull, brains, and whatever valuable it had within its stomach. As I pulled the intestines out, I squeezed along its tracks and pushed everything out, a method employed by only the most desperate and filthy of Fishermen. I felt something move and wriggle along one of its tracks. Pushing the organism out, a small fetus-like thing covered in blue mucus and veins appeared before me.
"Holy shit…"
A newborn Gracer, a highly sought after and illegal specimen within the black market, though I'm not too familiar with its highest potential value. I stopped a second to look at it a bit more, making sure it matched the features of a Gracer. Do I smuggle it back? His face flashed before my mind once more. This, yes, this, would finally allow me to kill him. I took the newborn Gracer and stuffed it into the skull of the Menacer, hopefully that would be able to hide it. Carrying the large bag behind my back, I began my trek back to Forceouna.
After roughly two hours of walking, it finally stood before me. A massive enclosure of walls, its height reached hundreds of Feets, made of blueish matter and occasional inorganic materials, composed of the organs and shells of Neolives as well as steel and other materials. What it should've protected, was all I had known, but it failed. A hideous towering structure made for necessity; perhaps in a few years, when all of humanity died out, it would be this, as the proof of our existence on this planet we can no longer call ours.
A squad of DDA Personnel stood at the entrance to the city, a single heavy metallic door separated me from the narrow hallway repurposed for 'customs', used almost exclusively by fishermen. Ironic isn't it? It was eerie no matter how many times I went through this procedure. A single inspector along with 2 other guards, stood on the opposite corners of the dimly lit hallway. The inspector sat behind a thick shield of glass fused with Neolife tissues, the slight hinge of blue obstructing his face and blurring his voice mildly.
"ID."
I slowly reached my hand into my pockets and took out a piece of dried skin and slid it to the Inspector. He looked at it a bit, his fingers scratched the skin, methodically playing with it for a bit before piercing his gaze right into mine through the thick glass.
"Syn Siljon."
"You with the guild?"
I hesitated a bit, but I managed to respond to him.
"Yes."
Hearing my response the man chuckled a bit, his voice bouncing and ricocheting along the dark tube I was standing in.
"Bull. Shit. No member of the guild goes out fishing to come back looking like a miserable pile of vomit with no one accompanying them," the man scoffed at me. "Don't fuck with me, drop the bag in the chute."
Fuck. But what choice do I have? I followed his instructions and placed my bag into the metallic chute on the side of the clear barrier. The inspector began searching through my bag. Rubbing his hands against the organs to check for any hidden contrabands, holding the bag of blood above into the LED light to see any potential secrets, and finally spilling everything out onto a large tray. Thankfully, the fetus within the skull didn't fall out. The inspector parted away the various instruments and meat just to inspect upon the old wooden box. His expression changed and softened in nostalgia upon seeing the box closer, before switching to the skull and beginning to inspect it. He reached his hands within the skull, clenching and rubbing his hands along the rims. My skin felt one size too small for the flesh beneath it as I waited for my judgement.
"Interesting…"
The inspector leaned in towards the glass, his face clearer as a result, signs of age and scars labeled the man's face. My heart sped up more than it was ever before.
"One last question, When The Sound of Screech Rang Through The Street? "
The man whispered in a lower tone. I stared blankly at the man before a surge of old memories re-emerged from within my subconscious. Memories of my family living joyfully in my true home. Words escaped my mouth before I could even process it.
"Down to The Bar, For Joy and Song We'll Meet… "
The old man exhaled a bit and nodded slightly. His mouth raised a bit but quickly returned to normalcy.
"...Alright, you are free to enter Forceouna, the last standing sovereign of the old age."
He slid my bag back from the chute.
"Stay strong. ", after the man said this he remained silent and watched me leave..
The heavy cold door beside the two guards creaked open. I stepped through the door, a sensation of heat and moisture splashed onto my face. I have returned 'home', Farside. I wandered in the area for a bit, spotting the usual dogs of the factories, and deadmen crawling around, it's normal, like it should be. I began to swoop the area for merchants. A stall caught my attention with quite a few already in line. Laying on the merchant's shelves were countless displays of various Neolives, mostly limited to the mildly to moderately dangerous sorts. The quality and quantities of the trades he's getting should mean he should be a decent trader. Waiting until the others have left, I placed my bag before him and showed him the Menacer corpse.
"How much would this get me?"
The merchant leaned forward from his stand, he reached his hand into the bag and examined around for a bit, his expression changed from one of calm calculation to one of interest, though quickly masked back to normalcy.
"This Menacer? You trading for ration or currency?"
"How much for either?"
"60 Witherers, 20 bottles of Plasma, or 400Cs. ", the man lifts his hands up slightly from the counter.
He definitely felt the Gracer in the bag, though his hunger was brief, I sensed it quite clearly. Even the relatively honest still need to make a living huh?
"Thanks, but I'll go somewhere else."
As I began to walk away, the trader yelled to call me back. When I returned to the stall, I noticed the merchant sigh a bit.
"600Cs"
"Thank you, but no." I began to walk away once again.
"Lad, yer not going to get a better price elsewhere." the man said firmly, his words of warning both out of genuine concern and personal greed.
"I'll try my luck."
"...Last offer, 1000Cs. ", his face looked slightly defeated.
I smiled a bit out of his view.
"...No, but thank you for your offer."
"Are ya playing me? ", the merchant changed his demeanor and spoke with an infuriated tone. "I'm running a business here, I can't if twats like you don't know the rules."
Just before the merchant might've done something troublesome I grabbed my bag and ran away before anything could escalate, leaving the angered merchant behind. Luckily, the true value of this chip has finally been revealed. Those assholes, commissioning me for no more than half of its worth, not even mentioning the Gracer they definitely knew about. Those gluttonous researchers from the Ministry of Dawn, at least they'll know how I can find him.
They left me a piece of skin with their location on it, wait a second, the words aren't in Opiuman. Maybe I can ask someone nearby? No, I can't just leak this location to anyone. How would I find him now? A feeling of anxiousness swelled up within me, I can't afford to not appear in this meet up, I can't miss this chance. No, no, no, I just can't!
As my anxiety builds, a finger touches me on the back of my shoulders. It was a gentle touch, one that seemed to calm all the manic voices in my head. Who would touch someone like me? I turned around to see a woman, and she was unimaginably clean and stainless. It's nigh impossible to find someone in Farside who didn't look at least a bit tainted by the blood and dirt. Her smile radiated a warmth I hadn't experienced since then.
"Miss, are you in trouble?" the woman spoke softly.
A title I haven't been called for a long time. How could she even tell? Her voice was smooth as the chimes of a silver bell. Her dainty features were gorgeous and elegant, it made me assume that she was a rich daughter of someone from the Eternal District. Why would she even approach someone like me? I was stuttering for words to form a coherent sentence.
"Miss?"
The angel, yes, an angel, that's how I would describe her asked me once more as she reached her finger to poke my nose. I was a bit flustered as my mind was instantly drawn back to reality.
"Mi– Miss!?", I panicked at the intimate touch.
"Ah! Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rinata. ", the girl flashed a smile at me that sent my heart into a bit of a tantrum, one I didn't know I was still capable of.
I can't help but think that this isn't real, that I am imagining a wonderful daydream. The smile was truly pure, no signs of any hidden hostility lied in even the most depth of her soul. The girl named Rinata stepped back and bowed a bit before me.
"Miss Rinata, it– it's fine, there's nothing to worry about. ", I couldn't maintain eye contact with her, she was too much for someone like me to look at.
"But, I could sense that you were feeling quite anxious. ", her eyes blinked, and her voice sounded a bit hurt.
How could she be so sincere? How can anything like her even exist in this forsaken city? And why me of all people?
"...Miss Rinata, is there something you want from me?"
Rinata looked a bit shocked after I asked her this rude question, her head lowered in mild embarrassment.
"Actually… I do want something," Rinata continued, she raised her head back up, her eyes remained as sincere and calming as they were. "I just thought you'll look much better in a smile."
"..."
"Actaully, I can't seem to understand what direction this is telling me. ", I squeaked after the silence. I gestured a bit at the skin in my hand.
Rinata grabbed my hands and took the skin of a Neolife to examine it closely. Dirtying her hands in the process. Her expression of focus and deciphering was quite… cute.
"Miss, this instruction is telling you to head towards the 5th room in the 3rd street of the Main from Block 42. "
She then started to draw a map on the back of the skin, pointing the exact direction and way to get there. Rinata took my hands once more and stuffed the skin back into it along with a small object in a wrapper.
"Something to remember me by, I'll see you again when fate has it."
With that, the girl elegantly ran off to a group of people wearing robes and followed them out of my sight.
"Thank… "
She left, and only a whisper of gratitude managed to leave my mouth. For a moment, I forgot about my purpose. I lost in a battle for my presumed unshakable will. The only thing lingered in my mind was the girl who came and left just as a fleeting dream. I examined the small object she handed to me, unwrapping it revealed a small piece of brown colored cube. Its aroma was good and flowery, popping it into my mouth, a taste so foreign and forgotten to me spread across my tongue, but it felt as if my tongue was built with this flavor in mind; it was sweet.
This moment of tranquility was soon intruded by him, he grasped me by the neck, he forced my eyes open, he made me watch. I can never forget nor do I want to.
"If my life had been something that was to be shown in the great theater, it would be something of a tragedy that failed to evoke any catharsis within its audience. I have but one purpose, one that is petty, pathetic, and absurd. This is the only meaning that is left for me. ", I repeated these words underneath my breath.
As the sweetness dissipated from my mouth, my mind was focused back. I turned my attention onto the map in my hands, the adorable scribbles desynced my heart once more, and I felt a crack within my soul.
After trekking through the various trodden downed blocks and narrow streets in Farside, I arrived at the location written on the map, a three story building covered with rust and decay. I can't help but sigh at my own willingness to just go in straight away. As I walked up the stairs, I took the newborn Gracer from the bag and stuffed it into my pocket, its beating frame vibrating slightly. I opened the creaking door, and a figure sat before a table in front of a window surrounded by two men in DDA uniform.
"Welcome."
The figure's face was obstructed in the dark, the light behind them contrasted with their hidden figure. Their voices portray one of a machine, neutral, flat, and non-descriptive. Are all of them like this? I looked at the two uniformed men, my hand readied on my hilt.
"Don't be scared, they won't bite."
The figure laughed a bit at their own attempted joke. I found no humor in his distasteful remark. I kept my hand on my hilt and walked into the darkly lit room, my shadow further obstructing the figure's face. Sitting down on the chair across from them, I laid the bag onto the wooden table making a loud thump.
"Open the bag. "
I pulled the bag open, the spills of blood and guts colonized the wooden table. The figure sprung up, they dug their fingers deep into the flesh and parted it aside, their eyes focused hungrily on the picnic of red. After a while of my bewilderment at the scene, the figure stopped, returning to their seat.
"450Cs, for everything. "
Their demeanor returned to one of calm, collected, and sanitary. No signs of their gluttony existed as if. Seeing that they are ready to negotiate and bargain, I stated my case.
"Sir, I believe this special Menacer is worth a lot more than what you've promised. "
"How so?"
Their response revealed a bit of uncertainty but it was quickly masked by his confidence.
"Its anatomy is peculiar, its bones are a lot denser and thicker than regular Menacers yet it is still just as nimble and ferocious as it should be, " I paused a bit, I haven't used such refined words in a long time. "I can find another merchant who will be willing to pay a lot more than what you've offered. "
The commissioner shifted a bit in their chair, their posture leaned slightly onto the side. A small unnoticeable sigh of relief escaped from his chest, and a faint smile showed beneath his excessive hair. Was it excitement? Playfulness? Or interest?
"Very well!"
"How much are you asking? ", the figure leaned forward and extended their arms towards me openly.
Seeing my chance, I took my shot and blurted out my only request.
"Do you know the whereabouts of James Corneas from the Virgo Association?"
"HAHAHAAHAAAAA!"
The researcher before me bursted out in creepy laughter, one that lasted for a lot longer than was comfortable.
"For a mildly interesting specimen? What makes you think I'll 'betray' the DDA's affiliate for such a minor reward like a Menacer?" the glutton said mockingly. "600Cs, that's the last final offer."
It seems it's not enough… It seems nothing in this world could satisfy him. Should I tell this glutton I know?
"... "
I need to kill him. What else could I do to bargain with him? It's my only chance. I have to try at least.
"... "
"...I know the whereabouts of a newborn Gracer."
It was as then the figure stopped for a bit, then their posture relaxed, their face leaned back towards the window, the sunlight exposed their features. Wrinkles covered their face, eyes sunken deep into their sockets, and an insatiable thirst that betrayed their obedience to the law.
"So you know, huh." the figure said coldly.
"Run!"
A voice played out in my head, it was different from the Will of the Ocean, it's softer, more tender. The sound of footsteps approaching behind me became clear to me at this moment.
Fuck.
A metallic bat swung towards my skull, sinking onto the chair allowed me to evade the attack. Rolling quickly beneath the table, I spotted the two men blocking the exit, one of them held a bat, and the other held a cord of rope. I withdrew the nail and quickly kicked the table towards the two men cornering me. Using the back of the nail I shattered the window behind me and leapt through it.
The ground embraced me with its solid touch. My body resisted my will to live. I ran, and I ran. I stumbled through blocks of creeping deadmen, I hid. I dragged this flesh across streets of rundown structures, I crawled. I slumped down against a wall, in a valley, I stopped. I tried to reach for the nail on my side, but it was gone.
Have I lost them? I slowly shifted my body around the corner of an old, damp wall. The quiet shouts of two men made its way into my ears, their voices getting more distinct. I tried to take another step forward, but my body failed me and crumbled onto the ground, my leg twisted in an unnatural shape, a patch of solidified blood blocked a bit of my vision. I laid on the wet ground, my body trembling in excruciating pain.
Is this it?...
The slight throbbing of vibration from my pocket became the only sensation I could feel besides from pain. I reached my trembling hand down into my pocket and took the Gracer before my face. Its blue visage, its infantile state, and its slimy mucus.
If I– eat this? I would regenerate, surely. The powers of a Tear would be mine, but the curse; what about the curse? I've seen, Deadmen, on their last breathes. Their mind, thoughts, and identity, were nothing but a splatter of dirt, no resemblance of their former self. My brother, how helpless yet foreign he was when he laid on that table. How horrible. That's right, him, he was the one who did it. I need to kill him, to watch him squirm and writhe in pain as I pull his sick head from the neck up.
...
... ...
... …. …!
I bit the head off of the Gracer and stuffed the rest of the body into my mouth. The crunch of its bones spread throughout my mouth. The taste of salt and bitter blood filled my cavity along with its small undeveloped organs.
I heard my body scream. I saw visions of joy. I felt, everything.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
…
What am I?
"Join us, come forth! We are here for you! You don't need to run. We, will give you purpose. You are one of us. We need you."
I was covered in blood. The whole valley was covered in blood.
Who am I?
"You are our family. You are us. You are enough. We will accept you. We will love you. We will never abandon you. You have been reborn, without the burden."
Two headless bodies laid on the ground.
I raised my hand into my view, blue throbbing veins wriggled underneath my skin. My mind evaporated into the air. My brain was shoved out of my skull, and grinded within a massive machination. Voices filled the void within, voices, voice, voice, and more voices.
If my life had been something that was to be sho– shown in the great theater? It–it would be something of a tragedy that can't(?) evoke any ca–cathar–catharsis– within its audience. I have but one purpose?– I have but one purpose– I have but one purpose…
Wait. Who was it?
Who is he?
What is my purpose?
What is my purpose!?
WHAT IS MY FUCKING PURPOSE!?
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
My bag, right, my bag. The box, yes. The box. It will tell me, it will tell me. I stood up from the ground and sprinted towards that building. I darted over the buildings, my speed unmatched by anything I've ever experienced. I felt the tendrils repairing the cuts and holes in my flesh as I scuttled over steel and concrete, one that was different from the blue tendrils I usually felt. Not after long, I was back on the roof of the three story building. I broke the door open to the room, and saw the researcher who sat in the room, waiting for his men to capture his prey.
It was the moment the glutton saw my form, he let out a cry. He rose from his chair and slowly stepped forward towards me.
"GHA!... ", the man let out the purest and most primal sound he was capable of.
"Wha– what beauty…"
What is he even talking about? Before the man could even register, I brought the man down onto the ground, his back crushed against the floor beneath him, blood and flesh splattered and smeared around him. My hands pushed against his chest and diaphragm.
"WHAT DID I ASK YOU!? ", spit sprayed out of my mouth onto the man.
"Ha… wha– what an honor… "
My hands pressed against his diaphragm harder, digging into his flesh with my fingers, breaking ribs and crushing collagen.
"WHO DID I ASK YOU TO LOOK FOR!? ", red purple strains appeared around my grasp on his neck.
"To be able to witness…"
Why isn't he responding? Why isn't he responding!? WHY ISN'T HE RESPONDING!?
"Such, –beauty… "
"..."
The man became motionless. I rattled him up and down. No, nothing.
I let go of the man and scurried over to my bag. My hands thrashed its ways into it, returning with a small wooden box. I ripped its hatch open, throwing it against the concrete wall. A single syringe and a small bottle revealed itself, filled with a small amount of amber colored fluid. The only word written on its side is, never forget.
What does that mean?...
My knees hit the ground. Tears rolled down from my eyes. My cries escaped towards the sky. Blending among the countless other sounds. Among all this, another footstep slowly approached me, the vibration of the ground now visible to me, the movements of the very air now seemed clear to me. A sense of familiarity and quietness came over me.
"Shhh. I'm here. ", a pair of slender arms wrapped around me in a hug.
The voices in my head stopped, the twitching and writhing stopped, and it was as if everything had stopped. The loud commotions outside, the rumblings of factories, and the overwhelming whispers in my head.
"...Rinata?"
Among the coop of my mind, Rinata's visage remained clear. Her sweetness, her gentle touch, and her crisp voice.
"Yes. It's me. I'm here. ", she turned me around to face me and held me tighter in her soft arms.
More tears rolled down from my eyes. My cries devolved into the wails of a child.
"I–I–I…"
"I know, I know. ", her fingers brushed against my blood stained hair.
"How am I supposed to?– What should I?–"
"That is up to you," Rinata smiled gently, her touch and caress soothed me more. "You can start anew."
"...I– I don't know…"
"Then you can choose me. We will love you, we will care for each other, and we will never be apart." Rinata giggled in slight embarrassment
"Really?– ", why did my cries not stop? "You won't leave me? Abandon me? Or discard me?"
"As real as the sweetness in your mouth."
She shoved another piece of sweet caramel into my mouth.
"Don't worry. We will help you. You are our family! ", she hugged me harder once more. How comforting.
I finally relaxed and fully accepted her embrace, hugging back as much as I was able to. Our embrace lasted for a few minutes as I felt every facet of her touch and warmth. She helped me stand up.
"But, before we can leave, we have to clean up this mess."
The distorted body of the researcher laid on the ground.
"Synsie~ I believe you might be able to help me with it. ", she took my hands with a smile and placed them onto the body.
My face blushed slightly even though we just hugged each other for so long, and even more so hearing her call my name in such a way.
"Try to imagine grabbing and swiping away everything you feel here. I believe in you."
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what she described. My hands shaked a bit but her words of encouragement removed any doubts or fears I had. Then a strange sensation arose within me, one that seemed to devour and consume anything I described.
When I opened my eyes once more, the body before me disappeared entirely. Not a drop of blood or flesh remained on any of the surfaces around the room.
"Good job! ", Rinata hugged me once more.
"Thank you, Rinata… Thank you! ", tears once again dripped from my eyes.
"You're such a cry baby~ ", Rinata gently wiped the tears away from my eyes. Her eyes locked with mine. Her smile never ceased, etching itself into the depths of my soul.
"Let's go! Towards our new life!"
My compass was embraced by the ocean