Something Is Changing (2)

After bidding farewell to Kim and Kiyona, who dispersed to attend to their own affairs, I made my way to the science club room to check on Aerial.

To my surprise, the room was empty and devoid of the usual chatter and activity. A sense of déjà vu washed over me as I scanned the room, realizing that Aerial was nowhere to be found.

"She's not here...?" I murmured to myself, feeling a twinge of concern gnaw at the edges of my mind. Had something happened? Was she alright?

My thoughts immediately turned to the possibility that she might have gone to the shop again. It wasn't the first time she ventured there to procure parts for her experiments... Though the last regression didn't went well for some reason.

"If she's not here, she must be out in the city... Perhaps at the shop," I reasoned aloud, trying to quell the rising unease within me. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that she should have informed me or sought my assistance if she needed it.

With that thought lingering in my mind, I exited the school and made my way toward the city, determined to find Aerial and ensure that everything was alright.

...

..

.

"Vallen?"

...I totally forgot about our meeting.

Staring at the dragon boy in front of me, I noticed his tail wag excitedly. William, who had a bright expression on his face, appeared towards me.

"Vallen!"

"He—" I began, but my words were abruptly cut off as he lunged toward me, catching me off guard. I coughed up blood as his weight crashed into me, and he quickly noticed my discomfort.

...Great, he's heavier than he looks.

"Sorry..." William scrambled to his feet, his expression bright but faltering as he saw my pained expression. His tail, once wagging with excitement, stilled.

This guy... Does he ever remember that my body is fragile?

"...How do you always manage to forget that my body can't handle roughhousing?" I muttered, wiping the blood from my lips with the back of my hand.

"Hehe... Sorry~" William chuckled sheepishly, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that told me he wasn't entirely sincere... This son of a bitch.

I rolled my eyes, slipping my hands into my pockets. Some things never change.

As I began my conversation with him, I quickly forgot about finding Aerial. We walked around the streets until we eventually parted ways at the park.

".....Right."

As soon as I remembered what I wanted to do, I smacked my head hard and heaved out a heavy sigh.

[7:23 P.M.]

Once I checked the time on my phone, I decided to head back to Jack's apartment since it was almost past the city's curfew. It would be a bad situation for me if the police mistook me for the Resistance.

...I don't want to be sent back to the mansion, you see.

While walking alone on the dark street, I felt my eyelids becoming heavy.

"...?"

Though confused, I proceeded to make my way to the door. I was only a few steps away from it when my body felt a stinging pain. My abdomen felt like it was breaking apart as I fell on my knees in agony.

"What...."

I tried reaching toward the doorknob, but my hands felt as if they had lost their strength.

While I was experiencing this, the door began to open. I thought it must be because they heard the noise I made after falling on the floor.

Just when I was finally about to get hope, it was soon shattered upon seeing a person standing before me.

With a face that is beautiful yet sharp, and a hardly distinguishable appearance, covered in red blood, the person crouched down to my eye level and looked at me straight.

This... She looked familiar for some reason, but I couldn't place who she was.

"...!!"

Soon, with my blurry vision, her face began to overlap with a certain someone from a faint memory.

"ATHAN"

The figure in front of me was unmistakably HIM.

Despite the blood covering ATHAN's face and clothes, and my blurry vision, I knew it was HIM.

There was no doubt about it.

My mind screamed that this person was ATHAN.

Before I could react, ATHAN held my chin to prevent me from falling flat and spoke, "A fragment of mine, you can never face down unless you are looking down at someone."

Then, ATHAN kicked me to the side, and my back hit the wall, causing me to spew out blood.

With a cold expression, ATHAN continued, "Repeat after repeat... It's your fault that I'm still like this. When are you going to free me from this loop, you motherfucker?"

There was a moment of pause before she continued.

"How many times do I have to repeat AGAIN?"

At this point, my body had succumbed to its limits. However, my eyes never left HIM.

"Ha... Haha... Hahahaha....."

Using my last bit of strength, I began to let out my last laugh. Even with my aching body, I pushed myself forward to show a bloody crescent grin.

"You should have never CREATED me..."

Even I wasn't sure how I lasted this far, but I didn't question it.

"...I never created you."

Her response silenced me.

"So you're not the original, too....."

Wait, what did she mean by that? Was she not ATHAN, but a fragment just like me?

Before she could continue, she was suddenly sent flying after being hit by a purple figure covered in lightning.

"I told ya Vallen was the person we've been looking for~"

A familiar voice emerged from the lightning figure. I raised my head to see that it was Kiyona.

"...I have my suspicions too, you know."

Suddenly, Kim appeared from the sky, with black wings attached to his back and a sharp horn on his forehead. He was describable to a fallen angel... What the hell was he?

While pondering this, Kiyona pumped her fist and slashed it downward, creating a spear out of thin air, which she held with both hands.

"I don't know who you are, but I won't let you touch a strand of my friend."

Kim noticed my gaze and approached me, speaking out, "To me from the next regression, protect him at all costs and bring him back to the base."

He suddenly raised a revolver and pointed it towards my head.

"Oy, what are you doing!!?"

ATHAN(?) also looked at him, seemingly confused. Soon enough, she realized his plan and looked at me.

"You're the reason why their world keeps reversing...." She mumbled in a low tone.

Kiyona, while defending herself from the barrage of magic elements being thrown at her, interjected upon noticing him.

However, Kim ignored her and put his index finger towards the trigger.

"Let's meet again, ⬛⬛⬛."

...

..

.

Bang—!