Interrogation
"First question, what's with that appearance?"
[ Vaccine nodded at ■'s reflection on the cafe's window. It shows him sitting with a cat and having a conversation. From the look of it, anyone can tell that it's been taken good care of. It's a small black cat sitting on a pile of pillows, with quite a longer fur than the others. The cat took a look at itself. It blinked a few times before holding its hand out, revealing its paw like it was greeting him. ]
You catch on fast. It is what it is, a cat.
[ "Awww~ Look at its greeting to its owner!" Some girls who were sitting nearby couldn't contain their excitement and accidentally noticed Vaccine in the process, but one of the girls looked at it unbothered. "It's just a normal cat. It's not even that expensive." ]
Oh. Wasn't that so convenient?
[ "But the owner surely cherished it well, hi little guy," she waved at the cat with a satirical tone. However, the cat simply ignored her and turned away, annoying the girl even more.
"What a jerk…" she mumbled. Her comment quickly triggered the others as they stood out to defend the cat.
"Haven't you seen
"That was your karma for calling him like that. Don't you have some self-esteem?"
"It's just a cat! Why are you picking on him!?"
"I'm just saying!" She cried out, refusing to return her words. They quickly fell into a little argument before continuing on their other stuff. After that, a waiter came up to Vaccine, asking for those empty dishes on the table.
"Can I clean this up?" He asked. ]
"Ah. Yes, just um–do your job..."
[ Vaccine stumbled over his words, but the appearance of the waiter gave him an idea. He pointed at ■. ]
"Is it alright to let him sit here?"
[ "Yes, if the cat did not make a fuss, then you're free to bring it with you."
The waiter then picked up the dish and the empty bowl, leaving the speechless Vaccine behind with the smugly ■.
How can it be? Did he mistake him for the cat in the window?
Vaccine took a glimpse at ■ once again. He's still the same one he met on the terrace. The cat in the window, on the other hand, did not change. ■ shrugged his shoulders and looked at you. ]
That's it.
"Impressive…"
[ Even though ■ never mentioned it, people who walked by have seen them with a weird look. A young man talking with a cat? He could see the reason since they didn't realize that cat was ■ at all. Although he must say, those girls, their sudden appearance surprised him, they weren't simply by past his good hearing, but also his sense of surroundings. ]
It's just some simple perspective tricks–
"You know that's not what I mean."
[ When ■ was about to answer Vaccine's question, however… like creator, like creation. Before ■ could even say anything, Vaccine jumped right into his mouth and cut him off. ]
...
[ The cat stared at Vaccine in silence, as if he had just pissed it off. He turned to face ■ instead, who sighed in annoyance before knotting his hands together. His head slightly lowered. ]
It's just a little setup for myself that I did a while ago. I found it unnecessary and troublesome for me to be physically seen. So this should be enough.
[ Vaccine was shocked by ■'s explanation. It was… so short, yet accurate. Normally, 'he' would have chosen to be seen as a mythical creature or some kind of mascot–with enchanting beauty and hidden powers... that sort of cliché–that easily brings the people's attention to 'him.'
This time, it was simple, which is different from the usual 'him' that he knew. The setup is not complicated either, with no unnecessary details or special marks on the cat, that alone has solved all the troubles that could come at them.
Wait... Does that mean the way he carries him (the cat) is the one that attracts attention from everyone? ]
"Ahhhhhh… That was all on me the whole time…?"
[ The differences in blend-in are much more profound than what Vaccine has thought. As if the world he sees now is a different universe than the one in the window. The cat's seat was packed with a tower of pillows for him, the teacup was a bowl of milk, and the cat was still ■ himself.
It seems like 'he' has improved, Vaccine thought( still embarrassed about what he had done ). But he is misunderstanding. ]
Well, it's not like I have nothing to do in the meantime.
[ ■ tapped the newspaper on the table that Vaccine had bought with a penny, hinting about what he wanted to do next. Unfortunately, Vaccine couldn't pick up the clues. ]
"You? Have something to do? That sounds worrying..."
At least I won't have to be locked up in your apartment.
[ Vaccine broke in a cold sweat. ■ had already seen through him, if he was visible to the world, he was planning on hiding him at his home so he could monitor him. But this has confirmed that nothing can go through ■ at all.
Every single plan that Vaccine tried to come up with was countered back by "■'s glance." Not even a word could have come out from his thought in front of ■'s quick-witness.
Time passed, and the clear sky became cloudy and windy. Not even a light from the sunset could pierce through the clouds as if a big storm was coming. But it's not going to stop Vaccine from asking the next question. ]
"Why are you here then?"
[ Just a moment ago, 'he' was banishing him here yet, 'he' came back to him later. He could not understand 'his' actions for doing something like that. Again, he's misunderstanding something here. ]
...
[ The wind's whistle shrieked through the sky as it swept away the hat of the passengers. It was so fierce to the point that the people started to leave, store after store closing, and the leftover newspaper bashed onto the windshield of the car parking nearby.
■ crossed his legs, unaffected by the violent winds, he leaned back while crossing his arms, keeping the newspaper with him. The cat in the window also moved his head sideways like ■ did. He's looking at you. ]
It's not my intention to be here. I would rather sit back at my desk and do my job instead.
[ The winds became louder and louder, almost swallowing his voice. Thankfully, Vaccine was able to hear it. But this is not the answer that Vaccine thought ■ would say. It should be something like: "It's for you to find out later..." or somewhat like that.
He knew that 'he' always had something in mind and that something would never be good. But he couldn't feel any motives behind his answer at all. There's nothing there. Now that Vaccine had time to look back at ■'s behaviour. Something is weird.
Has he been this straightforward before? ]
"You're joking."
[ Vaccine laughed to himself. He continued to brush off the warning signs of ominousness as one who sees only one path. They said ignorance is bliss, and he should have kept it. When one faces the truth, it's like the winds that have already swept away all the things on the ground, including the table and chairs that they have just sat on. Leaving an empty, blank-only brick-paved street behind. In another phase, a naked truth. They stood still in the middle of a hurricane, ■ continued. ]
I'm not lying. As I said in Chapter 1, I accidentally fell into–
"Wait, what chapter are you talking about?"
[ Vaccine abruptly stopped ■ in the midway. The storm is nearly coming. He caught on to something… weird.
Chapter 1? What is that... He pondered as he tried to grasp the content that ■ had just told him.
Wasn't this world a creation to him? Wasn't he just broken through time and space to get him? Was the place ■ previously called "Chapter 1"? He thought, trying to analyze this new concept that ■ was talking about it.
That is his first mistake. ]
Oh, aren't you aware that this is a novel?
[ As if a nuclear bomb just dropped onto Vaccine's ideal. The winds tore the sound of the surroundings, leaving only him and himself. In that cry out, he felt the ominous crawling in his brain, eating away his mind the more he asked.
He should have stopped. ]
"A novel?"
[ Vaccine felt uneasy. He knew what this was, but at the same time, it was alien to him. How can this fully physical world be just a mere novel... He swiped his forehead sweat and attempted to concentrate. ]
Yes, this is "Perspective". It's a series that I've just made with some materials from JD's imaginary world.
[ But it's too late. The world stopped as ■ continued to explain. ]
Vaccine, you have been transferred from 'his' imagination to my novel. That's why you felt such a heavy surge of nausea that you have ever seen. Although to us, the transfer is just a shortcut in time, forming the idea and bringing it to the page; to you, it would be a painful stretch of moving from birthplace to different dimensions. As a fellow of the 4th wall, the pain must have been cut by half because of your regular visiting with it. However, the way you were confused before the new location has certainly unsettled you greatly, making you unable to adapt to the new world. Because of that, you are only halfway to the new one. Since the link between you and the novel was weak, your own thoughts at the time had filled up the whole part and continued to drive your story. While doing so, out of all things, your ears have picked up Chapter 1. Unconsciously skipping through spaces and finding your way to me, you've managed to locate your whereabouts and reach the wall. And that invisible wall that stopped you in the backstory, shown in Chapter 2, was none other than the 4th wall.
"Wait–"
Between two chapters was only a wall across. Somehow, you have just broken through Chapter 2 to Chapter 1. After you left. Your timeline became an anomaly and conveniently matched with my timeline, causing a wormhole to be formed. Of course, you and you, the reader, can't see it, your consciousness constantly running through the chapter without knowing the status of the chapter itself. Missing such a massive loophole in Chapter 2 is normal. Fortunately, your thoughts cut right after you got to me at the time. So that's not a problem anymore.
"What are you–"
The narrator's box continued our story after that, dragging us all the way here to Chapter 3. And now we're here, doing some Q&A for your curiosity. I should have been home right at the end of Chapter 1 already, I should have been sitting on the office chair, enjoying music while writing all of this; I should have been the storyteller from the start. Why am I even here? What is my goal? How can I even leave this place??
"JD, you–"
Words are just illusions, Vaccine. Each word created sentences, sentences created stories, and stories created chapters. Repeating that progress and we have a novel. And that novel is the very world we live in. Not in 'his' mind and not in mine. Even 'his' made-up universe has its limit; worlds, spaces, galaxies, dimensions, all of which are unnecessarily expanded for 'his' own greed, 'his' hunger for powers That kind of illusion will never last long as many flaws lie freely everywhere. Eventually, one will be awake from the dream. As a matter of fact, I think we are simultaneously in two different dimensions, here, at this empty place full of words, or you could call it a two-dimensional world, and there's your imagined Edinburgh city of 1900, reader. Consider how we can't jump and dig in here, and only see one straight line; in the reader's imagination, however, we could see each other quite clearly. Still vivid as you, reader, don't have a clear image of us.
[ What? What is he saying? Who is this reader he is talking to...
Just like before, he couldn't understand a single thing ■'ve said. Everything he knew before had completely been thrown out of the window. He thought he knew it all since his creator had shared and taught him a lot. But this, this is alienated.
Two-dimensional? Then what is the world around us then?
That's when the worldview around him changed. The table, the chair, the cafe, the buildings, and even the people all have these blurry pictures of themselves. In the first place, they have never had exact shapes of things. Is this the truth about the world?
Then it crumbled, shattered into millions of billions of pictures, each then squeezing into a single line. He could feel his body compressed to the ground. Although it's not hurt, he couldn't see anything at all. Like what ■ have said, only a single line he felt in his point of view.
Ack–AHHHHHHHHH. IT'S HURT. IT'S HURT. I CAN'T GET UP.
What is this? Why am I on the ground? I'm not even crawling... ]
"Wait. Where are you?! I can't see anything at all! Hey, J–"
[ The line started to fade away as his other point of view began to overlap. This time, it was him and ■ standing in the empty transparent space.
A familiar space, he thought. This is the space where he met 'him,' the space where everything began. It's a space where there's no horizon, and it continues to stretch out infinitely. However, he couldn't tell what was left or right as he stumbled on his foot. His eyes were hurting greatly.
He gazes upon ■, who is looking at him apathetically. He struggled to stand up a few times. His mind was occupied by a lot of information that was constantly pouring into his brain. Amid the confusion, he managed to ask ■ the fourth question, which he shouldn't have asked. ]
"Wha–what are you talking abou—Isn't this your world, JD?"
[ Ignoring the distorted world behind his back, Vaccine grabbed ■'s shoulders forcefully, his eyes widely opened in order to look at him. He still has that same feeling when he met 'him,' that feeling when you meet your parents, your creator. His talking is somewhat changed, but there are some old traces of his old behaviours. 'His' gentleman's when he held the door for him is still there. 'His' elegance when he let his pinky out while holding the teacup is still there. He's still the same 'him' he knew…
Was it?
But no matter how hard he tries, he can't see his face, or maybe ■ doesn't have a face at all. This new appearance of 'his' will never be used to him. Once again, he's misunderstood ■ to someone else.
However, he found something weird about ■'s explanation. He never once called this place his, and he kept referring to himself over and over again. This dream-like world where he could see his own hands and legs was not his or ■'s but the reader's imagination?
How did that even make sense??
But then ■ said—that completely knocked him out off the track. ]
Vaccine, JD is dead.
"Huh?"
The news is too shocking for Vaccine to comprehend. Even the narrator's box is struggling to find the right word. In this situation, the only thing that clicked in Vaccine's mind was...
"Then... who are you?"