Introduction of Inase 4: The Aftermath

"Huh?"

Inase tried to leave the museum but was met with an invisible wall at its entrance. He touched it, confused at first, then frustrated, he hit his fists against it.

He was eager to get out of the building, but he seemed to be stuck inside.

"What the hell…?" The man clicked his tongue. "So I'm trapped in here with a corpse!?"

Did the monster have the ability to seal off an area, too?

Heh, he highly doubted it.

If that were the case, then not only would this creature be able to hypnotize, but also to lock people inside its own domain. That would be pretty overpowered…

"So annoying."

Many theories ran through his head. One of them was that:

Either the monster was so strong that it exhibited many abilities, or perhaps it had been trapped here by something else, starving for who-knows-how-long before Inase—a tasty treat—appeared before it.

If it was the latter, then the probability of a more powerful being somewhere out there was high… But fortunately, it wasn't around. The higher entity might not have noticed the thing was dead just yet.

If that were the case, the ability should fade with time. At least, that's what he hoped for.

It was either that, or the cooldown period before the portal rebooted would end. It felt like a contest to see which would set him free first. So far, he was stuck here until then.

The big question was: how long would it take?

Inase sighed.

In any case, he couldn't prove his deductions right with so little information. So, rather than dwelling on it endlessly, he was better suited to taking action. Unable to stay still, he returned to the creature's remains to take care of it.

He already ripped out its core barehanded—its colorful blood stained his gloves and dripped onto the floor.

Then, after picking up and putting back on his jacket, he hid the core in the inside pocket. What a shame it was now full of holes…

At the very least, this spherical marble—cracked by a knife—would make a nice souvenir for the people at the Facility. It resembled a crystal ball with its smooth surface, nearly the same size, though perhaps a bit smaller.

Surprising that such a tiny core had been the source of the massive monster's nightmarish abilities—the unknown can be terrifying sometimes.

The man wiped the blood from his face, cleaned himself up with whatever he had at hand, and patched up his wounds as best he could. It didn't change the fact that his bandages looked like a three-year-old had done the job for him—not that he cared.

"Can't do anything but wait, I guess."

His ribs still hurt anyway—a good rest was much needed.

Scratching the back of his neck in frustration, he decided to plop down on the corpse. It was nice and squishy, with just the right amount of bounce to serve as a comfy bean bag, despite the smell; fitting for a perfect spot to take a nap on.

"..."

Hours had passed.

"..."

Then, a day.

"..."

On day two, Inase's stomach started to growl. His emergency snacks were already long since gone, and nothing else was left to eat in this place.

Nothing but…

The man looked at the corpse beneath him. It seemed like it hadn't even started to rot yet. Well, it didn't contain acid or poison; otherwise, his skin would have already melted during their battle.

Then… Eating it was the only option to soothe his hunger.

Ripping and cutting out big chunks of meat, he didn't even wince at the bad taste, nor did he dare to complain about it. Once he got used to it, it wasn't half bad.

"..."

After his filling meal, feeling bored, he walked around the place and read all the labels in the exhibition.

With the danger gone, the moonlight coming through the big windows added to the serenity of this place. It allowed him to see the museum's items more clearly—ancient artifacts, old parchment records, rusted weapons, and even their new modern replicas on display.

Judging by the majority of the exhibits, it seemed to be some sort of ancient war museum.

Unlike when he was inside the world created by hypnosis, this place wasn't too convoluted to navigate. Simple rooms and straightforward corridors—that was all there was to it. No labyrinths or portal-like doors, just the usual museum interior.

While walking around, Inase even passed the entrance's information plaque.

Melbourne, year 2000, it showed.

He finally knew to where and when he had been sent. It wasn't too far back—only about 50 years ago. The cooldown of the time machine shouldn't take much longer. His portal home ought to appear any moment now, in the same spot he had been dropped off—the coordinates hadn't changed.

"I wonder which will come first."

The disappearance of the barrier or the appearance of his way back, he uttered with a smirk, taking a gamble.

For the last forty-eight hours, he had been trapped in the silence of the night. Time in this place seemed to stand still, so when the sky finally brightened, signaling dawn, it felt like a strange shift. It could only mean one thing,

The barrier is fading.

It indicated the museum would return to normal before he could leave this place.

Warm rays of sunlight greeted him through the windows when he went back to his original spot. The sunrise bathed the spacious room in light, flooding through the windows, reflecting off the glass, and creating meticulous, yet beautiful patterns on the ceiling.

Everything seemed to return to normal.

And suddenly, Inase's portal materialized before him—the entrance to his timeline shimmered with a familiar glow.

Took it long enough.

"Hah, I see. You decided to appear at the same time."

If both simultaneously were to release him from this antique prison, then, of course he would choose the path that brought him home.

Before stepping into the light, he took one last look around, taking it all in. His gaze shifted to the shattered glass he had been thrown through. The exhibition stand now stood empty, missing the weapon it was meant to display.

Then, it clicked.

The weapon.

"Ah, shite-"

Inase's eyes landed on the lone spear—the same one he had thrown. It was still lodged in the wall, its steel marred with patches of rust, yet its sharpness remained undeniable. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

He forgot to clean it.

His throw was certainly worthy of praise—enough to make him whistle in satisfaction. Albeit, the weapon was no longer in its original place, which would, without a doubt, cause him trouble later.

He was supposed to take care of it, but… he already had one foot through the portal. It was too late to put it back, and quite honestly, he didn't care enough—cleaning up after himself just wasn't worth the effort.

"Whatever, forget it."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, he left without a second thought.

The world around him began to spin again, gradually distorting as his surroundings warped and wavered.

Once he stepped through to the other side, the portal sealed shut—just as the last remnants of the monster's prison vanished, allowing clueless people from the 2000s to enter the museum.

***

When Inase smelled that familiar scent of the laboratory, he opened his eyes. A handful of researchers stared at him with an appalled look, which, he could only guess, was because of all the blood that drenched him from head to toe.

"I'm back."

He casually tossed the core into the air like a tennis ball, aiming it at the head scientist—a man of few words—who swiftly dodged aside. This left another researcher scrambling to catch it, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process.

With his nerdy reflexes, he managed to save it just in the nick of time.

Such a precious item, yet it was being treated so poorly… And to make matters worse, the unlucky fellow who caught it was the same one Inase had stolen snacks from earlier. He nearly whimpered at the thought of the brittle core shattering on the floor. Poor guy just couldn't catch a break.

"A new species." Inase curtly added.

The nerdy analyst—such was his role—nodded and scurried off to work on the diagnosis while it was still warm.

Inase, following him with his piercing gaze and an intimidating expression, scanned the room. Some scientists appeared to be scared of him, or rather, disgusted by his awful odor.

Well, spending so much time with the corpse of a smelly monster had surely dulled his senses. He got used to it enough not to pay it mind.

After a soft huff, he cracked a sarcastic smile.

"Missed me?"

He knew the scientists valued the data collected more than him, a living, breathing human, so the question was rhetorical. They didn't need to answer—after all, he was their lab rat from the start.

But one did.

"Not really." There it was—that scornful tone of the woman who had prepared him for the time dive earlier. "You were only missing for less than three hours—Hey!"

Though, her retort was completely ignored, and without so much as a care for permission, the man went outside, leaving bloody footsteps behind. He was craving a shower, which was only a few doors down in the changing room once one entered the corridor.

Seeing the mess he left for them to clean up, the woman shook her head at her colleague.

"He's messed up, but at least so far, we can always count on him for these jumps."

"And that's precisely why the institute recruited him."

Her colleague pulled out a clip folder and ticked off a few checkmarks on a piece of paper, thus concluding the report of Inase's state.

"I still can't believe a maniac like him was the best fit for—"

Her complaints ceased the moment she picked up an old newspaper, using it as a reference to the past.

"?"

Upon reading it, she realized that the events Inase dove into had… changed.

"That… bastard!"

She crumpled the papers in anger.

***

Ahhh~, what an amazing shower it was.

Warm water droplets poured down on him and washed every dirt off his body.

It had been days since he had experienced such luxury, as water was scarce in modern times. Inase, being one of the Facility's most important assets, had the privilege to relive this lavish experience over and over again, and savor such splendor in peace during these private moments.

He didn't want to get out of there quickly, but pleasures like such had to come to a close—potable water had to be cautiously saved.

Once he stepped out and dried his hair with a towel, he heard the heavy tapping of heels grow louder, followed by the changing room door swinging open with force.

"I—NA—SE—!!!!"

The female scientist stormed in without a care for his privacy, seething with anger to the point that she didn't even realize Inase was completely naked.

"What the hell did you do!?"

She threw the newspaper at his face so he'd see for himself. Unfortunately for her (she probably wished it would smack him), Inase caught it just in time—his reflexes had never failed him.

The paper from the 2000s covered a topic of a certain museum. On it was written:

"Striking News! An alien specimen found in the Museum of Melbourne!

On the morning of June 22nd, a giant corpse was found inside the Roman Empire exhibition. The mysterious being appeared to have been wounded by gunshots, stabbed to death, and then eaten, according to forensic results. Police also suspect a cover-up break-in or a malicious prank concerning a fake body of the monster, however, no traces lead to finding out the culprit. The crime weapon was found abandoned in two pieces on the museum's floor. The exhibition is partially closed until further notice due to damages caused by the incident."

Additionally, the newspaper covered some minor details describing the damages found at the crime scene, such as the spear stuck in the wall, bullet holes spread across the room, the weird color of blood that painted the floor, and ruined cabinets with glass scattered all around. People were questioning the heavy marks left on the floor, too.

All of it was the result of his scuffle, which changed the flow of events in the past.

"Explain yourself!" The angry woman was adamant, while Inase was still reading.

It would be so much easier if they didn't know that stuff, he cursed in his mind.

Normally, humans wouldn't have noticed the changes made by time-divers, but for some reason, this institute created its own impenetrable time bubble, allowing those inside to perceive alterations to the original timeline.

Meaning, the whole facility was not affected by these differences at all.

Unlike the world outside, the scientists were able to recognize and remember the altered history. It was one of those timey-wimey situations that no one could explain, other than the fact that they were so close to the time machine, it affected them as well.

But it made things easier when they had to cover up historical events with fabricated stories if there was a need for it.

Not that it mattered in their timeline, where eldritch beings were as common as morning wood.

"Save it for later."

Inase gestured dismissively, which enraged her even more.

"No!" She stomped so hard that her heel nearly snapped. "Now!"

The man snarled when she didn't seem to be willing to back off.

"Whatever." His brow furrowed. "If you don't mind staring at my naked crotch while talking, then be my guest."

Quite unhinged, wasn't he?

"What?"

The scientist looked puzzled for a moment before she stealthily cast her eyes downwards. Her face turned twenty bright shades of red—a mix of embarrassment and anger—but she quickly collected herself, turning her head elsewhere.

"A-anyway! I told you many times before to keep in mind events of the past!" Flustered, she continued. "What happened, happened. You can't add or change it. The only thing you should be doing is getting rid of the eldritch influence!"

"And I did just that. I got rid of the unknown monster, didn't I?"

"Sure, but that doesn't change the fact that you left its body on display for the public and destroyed the museum's interior during your fight with that thing. Maybe if you had been more careful, I wouldn't have to snap at you every time you..."

While she rambled on, Inase turned around, opened his locker, took out a stack of clean clothes, and properly dressed up. Her every word went in one ear and out the other—he didn't listen.

When would this woman ever stop?

It was starting to irritate him. He had heard the same words a hundred times already and didn't need to listen to them a hundred and one more.

Her death glare and her judgmentally crossed arms were enough to put unnecessary pressure on him.

"Listen here-" He tried to cut in,

"No, you listen!" But she stopped him from doing so. "You have to follow the rules. You can't be this risky anymore. The fate of the whole world lies on your shoulders!"

The moment she said it, she stepped forward and snatched the newspaper from his hands, jabbing a finger at the picture that served as evidence of his misbehavior.

"And I said it before: no more guns! You smuggled that one, didn't you?" Inase rolled his eyes. "What would happen if you traveled to ancient times? You know that's possible! One bullet left on a crime scene could change the flow of history!"

"Yes, yes…" The man responded automatically, defeated at the scientist's yet another long lecture. "No more guns. Got it." He massaged his neck with an annoyed sigh, only half-listening to her constant yapping.

"02!" His lack of care fueled her temper further. "Inase!"

He still ignored her, so she was forced to take on a harsher approach.

"Whatever. Clean the corridors of the whole facility as punishment for a week! Starting right now!"

Maybe that way he would finally listen.

"Ehhhh—?"

But they were so dirty!

***

Nevertheless, his punishment was inevitable.

Soon, Inase found himself mopping the floors with a bucket of dirty water in the hallway. He took on the role of a janitor, his mop moved in silence right and left repetitively.

"Hey, did you know? The head scientist recruited a third-time traveler into the project."

Whispers bounced off the walls from around the corner, coming from some minor researchers whose names he had never bothered to remember.

"Already? I thought it would take more time to find another compatible human."

"Huh, yeah. Apparently, he's very knowledgeable about the occult stuff."

So am I, idiots. Inase pouted slightly but never opened his mouth to butt in. It wasn't the first time he eavesdropped on rumors and whispers.

"And, you see, he is supposed to come here today…"

Many people passed by with various reactions to his punishment.

Some chuckled at his fate of a cleaning boy once they recognized him, while others were too absorbed in their conversations to notice the freshly cleaned floor—walking over the wet segment as he struggled with the mop in the corner.

But there were also those who paused to greet him, puzzled by what he was doing since it wasn't his usual job.

Then, a person in a white coat strode past Inase without so much as a glance. His white hair caught Inase's attention for blink of an eye before he turned back to focus on his work.

Not his business, nor did he care.

...little did he know that the two, whose fates were soon to intertwine, had just passed each other in silence.