Long-Term Mission
"Ugh..." My consciousness slowly drifted back, starting with a faint sensation in my fingertips. A crushing pain racked my entire body, accompanied by a violent headache that made my vision spin. Clutching my churning stomach, I covered my mouth and forced myself upright.
I rubbed my blurry eyes and looked around. A gentle breeze brushed past, and warm sunlight poured down from the sky. Below me, the rock radiated a comforting warmth. And scattered nearby were Rain and Shine. Seeing them, I let out a sigh of relief. Neither of them seemed to be injured.
I stood up and turned around. Beyond a hazy boundary, a massive crowd of people was marching in an endless procession. Towering skyscrapers pierced the heavens, and cars zipped along the roads below. The sheer volume of electromagnetic waves radiating from that place made my head throb. I immediately suppressed my ability and sank to the ground.
The gate was open. It was the exact same sight Shumain had shown us before. Which meant that if I just stepped through right now, I could escape this place. But wasn't this bad? Was it really okay to leave this portal wide open like this? Still, worrying about it on my own wasn't going to solve anything.
I picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it toward the rift once more. Just like before, the rift swallowed the pebble. But this time, I could see what happened on the other side. The pebble clattered to the ground and rolled right past the pedestrians. People who had been walking peacefully jumped in surprise at the sudden projectile, scattering in all directions.
I swallowed hard. If I go now, I can get out.
My frozen body suddenly began to move on its own. One step, then another. There was no hesitation in my stride.
"Jeff."
Shine's voice drifted over from behind me. I didn't answer. I just took another step forward.
"Jeff," Shine called out again.
My legs suddenly locked up. I slowly turned around.
"Jeff. Where are you going?"
Shine's white eyes were gradually bleeding into a deep, pitch black. The moment I saw that, I spun around and bolted toward the boundary.
"Jeff!"
Shine's voice was frantic, but I couldn't even understand my own actions. Why am I running? Shine is calling out to me so desperately.
Move. No. Move. No!
Crackle! Blue electricity sparked before my eyes. It felt as if two different people were trying to pilot the same body at once. I wanted to go right, but another part of me wanted to go left. Two conflicting wills clashed violently.
"Move!"
The shout burst from my lips. I gasped in shock. Those weren't my words. My mind was turning into a tangled mess. Sunken memories began to float to the surface. I fought desperately to halt my body.
Shine! Shine! I screamed her name internally, but the words refused to leave my throat.
I can't do this alone. I don't think I can hold on much longer. Please help me, Shine.
"Jeff!" Shine sprinted toward my trembling, hesitating form.
Blue lightning erupted from my head, clawing at the earth around me. Crackle! My vision blurred as the rising memories grew sharper and sharper. I desperately tried to look away.
No. I am Jeff.
You are Jeff.
The two of us spoke at the exact same time.
You worked under Dr. Hebrum.
"No, I didn't. I..."
You observed all those test subjects.
"No!"
Do you really think so?
"No!"
My frozen body began to move once more. Slowly, it took another step toward the rift.
"Jeff! Don't go!" Shine reached me and grabbed my hand. My body swayed under her sudden grip. Shine wrapped her arms tightly around me, pinning me in place so I couldn't take another step.
"Get out of the way."
The voice that slipped from my mouth was chillingly cold. Shine flinched.
"Jeff. You can't go weird on me." Shine raised her hands and cupped my cheeks. The strength that had been trying to shake her off began to drain away.
A furious roar echoed in my mind. Get off me!
"So there was still a bad part left inside you. It's okay. Don't worry." Shine's hands moved gently, caressing my cheeks.
I slowly raised my trembling hands. My body, which had been completely out of my control just moments ago, finally began to obey me.
"Shi... Shine." My sluggish tongue finally managed to form her name.
Get out of the way! You crazy little brats!
"Don't say bad words."
I pushed Shine away. It happened in that exact instant. Blue electricity exploded from my body in all directions. Zap!
"Jeff!"
Fortunately, Shine wasn't caught in the discharge. But control of my body slipped away once more. My body was highly agitated. My own ragged gasps sounded distant, as if fading away. I could see my reflection in Shine's black eyes. I was panting heavily, discharging wild arcs of blue lightning everywhere.
The fallen trees around us began to catch fire. As black smoke billowed into the sky, Rain, who had been lying unconscious, winced and began to sit up. I couldn't hear a thing. The girl reflected in Shine's eyes—me—was screaming something with bloodshot eyes. Shine's hands began to tremble violently, as if deeply shocked by whatever I had said.
Watching this, I screamed internally: Don't say bad things to Shine!
Shine shouted something to the newly awakened Rain. Instantly, Rain raised her hands and unleashed her ability. The water from the nearby lake surged into the sky, forming a massive wall. The white-haired girl—the remnant possessing me—looked utterly bewildered by the sight.
Crash! The colossal wall of water Rain created came crashing down on the white-haired girl. As the violent torrent swept over my body, my vision spun wildly. Up, down, and up again. My head spun so fast I couldn't even maintain my balance.
"Cough!"
The distant sounds rushed back to my ears. My body was soaking wet, and my physical senses fully returned. Shine immediately ran toward me. I slowly crawled over and leaned my back against a large tree.
"Jeff? It's you, right?" Shine's black eyes searched mine. I looked at her and nodded.
"It's okay. I'll... I'll fix you again. I'll get rid of the bad part."
"Jeff!" Rain was also running toward me now.
I looked at Shine and smiled.
"Think back to the very beginning, Jeff. Since when have we been together?"
Shine's voice echoed in my ears like a low hum. The voice inside my head began to grow quieter and quieter. The memories that had surfaced so vividly were dragged back down. This time, they sank even deeper, further down, plunging into the abyss. The intrusive voice sank right along with those memories. And on top of them, I built a massive house—a beautiful house with a red roof and a lovely yard—so they could never rise again.
"From the start. We've been together from the very start."
Shine let out a satisfied chuckle at my answer. Hearing her bright laughter made me feel better too.
"Jeff! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Rain rushed over and clung to me as I leaned against the tree, frantically checking me over. Seeing the sheer worry in her eyes, a soft chuckle escaped my lips.
I raised a weak hand and gently caressed Rain's cheek. "I'm okay now."
"Not yet," Shine said, grabbing the hand that was stroking Rain's cheek. She locked her gaze onto mine once more. Shine was digging deep into my mind. "Rain. Stay still. I need to fix Jeff."
"Ah... Oh, okay!" At Shine's request, Rain scurried a short distance away and sat down.
"How did it even survive?"
Crackle! Something prodded the deepest recesses of my mind. It was Shine—yes, her touch. A spark of electricity snapped right in front of her eyes, causing Shine to flinch and pull her hand back.
"Jeff. Undo that."
What is she talking about? Shine was telling me to undo something, but I had absolutely no idea what she meant.
"Jeff. Hurry. Someone is coming."
But Shine, I really don't know what you want me to do.
Shine let out a deep sigh at my silent response. Her gaze drifted toward the edge of the forest. She was growing anxious.
"Jeff. Don't blink, and bear with me. Okay?" Shine locked her eyes onto mine again. I nodded.
Her black pupils began to shift once more. Blood vessels stood out around her eyes, and her face contorted with strain. A moment later, blood began to drip from Shine's nose. Drip. Drip. Her blood splattered onto my face.
My surroundings began to bleach into pure white. I couldn't see anything but Shine. Shine's black eyes gradually paled, shifting into a deep, vibrant violet. She wasn't even breathing. The sensation of her breath on my face vanished. In contrast, the blood dripped even faster. What had started as a trickle from one nostril was now pouring from both.
Click. Something snapped inside my head. The moment I realized it—my vision plunged into pitch darkness, like a blown fuse.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Do you really not remember anything?"
"Yes."
Waking up in a hospital room, I nodded in response to Amy's question. I remembered going out to play in the forest with Shine and Rain. But how on earth had we ended up waking up in hospital beds? Shine and Rain also claimed to have absolutely no memory of what happened.
The room was packed with people wearing grim expressions: Jin, Shumain, Amy, Victor, and even Allen.
"An attack from the outside is impossible."
The adults began to discuss the situation. Everyone looked so incredibly serious that I didn't dare interrupt any of them. Clutching my throbbing head, I shuffled over to Shine's bed.
"Shine. I need to use the bathroom."
"The bathroom?"
"Yeah."
I crawled onto Shine's bed and leaned against her. Shine gave me a small smile, stroking my hair while casting a cautious glance toward Amy.
"Should we go?"
"Yeah. I really need to go."
At my words, Shine carefully slid off the bed. Neither of us had any physical injuries. Shine held her hand out to me. Naturally, I took it, and we began walking toward the exit of the hospital room.
"Ah. Rain~" I called out to Rain, who was sitting on her bed, hugging a pillow. She had been staring blankly into space, but she looked up at my voice.
"Huh? What?"
"We're going to the bathroom. Do you want to come?"
"The bathroom? Oh, yeah. I'll come too."
And so, Rain joined Shine and me. I offered my free hand to Rain. The three of us held hands, walking side-by-side until we stood before the door. The adults were still locked in their solemn discussion.
"Amy!" I called out. Shine flinched in surprise beside me.
"Huh? Jeff?"
"We're going to the bathroom!" I announced brightly. Amy offered a gentle smile in response.
"Alright. If Shine tries anything funny, you tell me right away, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Shine."
"Yes?"
"If you do anything weird to Jeff again, you're going to be in big trouble."
"I won't."
"And Rain, make sure to stop them if they start acting weird."
"W-Weird?"
"Yes, weird."
"Got it!" Rain nodded, her ears flushing a bright red at Amy's words.
With that, we slipped out of the room. The empty hallway soon filled with the patter of our three pairs of small feet. As we walked, I quietly asked Shine.
"Shine."
"Yeah?"
"Am I fixed?"
Shine's eyes widened, trembling slightly at my question. I asked her once more.
"I'm fixed, right?"
"Fixed? What do you mean by that?" Rain asked, completely out of the loop.
But the only answer I cared about was Shine's. After a brief hesitation, Shine nodded.
"Yes. Perfectly."
"Hey! Tell me too!" Rain whined, shaking my arm in frustration at being left out.
I giggled softly and wrapped my arms around her. "It's nothing. Everything is fine now."
"O-Oh... okay..."
As I hugged her, burying my face in the crook of her neck to take a deep sniff, Rain's tiny body shivered and shrank back. She was so incredibly cute that I couldn't help but burst into laughter.