Sometimes, I think about how great life could be if I was immortal. The things I could do if I lived on forever. The memories I'd be able to create, how many friends I could make. How many families I could have.
But immortality is just one of the worst things to have. Imagine that you can live on forever, unable to die. You'll see the death of everything around you, while you... are alive. Forever. The end of the world, end of the universe.
And you'll still be there, drifting in the eternal, endless void of space.
Death is better than immortality. Because even when you're dead, you won't feel pain anymore. You won't suffer anymore. Death is blissful. However, people say that people who can't handle their immortality would try to commit suicide but I wonder... Is it really suicide when you don't feel anything?
March 26, 2065 [https://img.wattpad.com/8c82ad0c3ad06bda4012e901f3d18a484816e211/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f55753537784c62454d304b3343773d3d2d313334363531343430372e313736323763646536333263633338313930363435333230373631382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
March 30, 2065
POV: Ryousetsu Shinagawa
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Currently 8 PM in the heart of Ultima City, there stood a 16-year-old girl, leaning on the railing of a bridge, mourning the death of her long-time best friend, Nazuki Mihara. She knows who has killed her, because Andrei had told her a couple of days ago, but Andrei has not told her what the actual reason was.
All that she knew is that Natsuha Inose, was no longer her friend, but the murderer of her friend. The girl looked up at the stars, with her hands supporting her body's weight. Her eyes were glued to the night sky. She wondered how the stars were shining at this very moment, because of the cold breeze.
Her eyes shifted as she looked at the moon, with the full moon being a big source of light. She looked around the area and saw that not a single soul was there with her. It was just her, the moon and the stars.
She sighed, and let go of the railing she had been leaning on, taking out her phone and hovering over Andrei's number. She couldn't press on it however, feeling incredibly depressed and weighed down of her friend's death. How could such a monstrosity even happen? And the fact that Natsuha was the one who killed her... it felt like she was betrayed.
"Nazuki..." Ryousetsu muttered, reminiscing of her friend's smile.
The sound of footsteps were heard, as Ryousetsu put away her phone. The footsteps were familiar, and she knew who it was. It could be none other than Andrei himself, who just stood next to Ryousetsu, staring at the beacon of light of Heaven's Fall.
"..." Ryousetsu kept silent, unable to even say something because she doesn't want to break down in front of him. She would look to the left, completely removing him from her eyesight, and then spoke. "...Are you okay?" She asked with a low voice.
"I'm fine." Andrei answered, as he looked down at the water of the lake. He couldn't see the bottom because the darkness was too deep, and he couldn't even tell what the color of the water was. All he knew is that the water was black, and that was the only thing that could be seen. "Why are you out here?"
"...Reminiscing."
"About what?"
"The past, the fun times, the good times, the memories." Ryousetsu simply replied, as Andrei was trying to figure out what she meant. Memories? What memories? But, when he looked at her, he finally understood what she meant.
"... Nazuki didn't deserve to die. Natsuha had no right to kill her." Ryousetsu fistballed, genuinely angry. "What was even the reason? What did Nazuki ever do to Natsuha?"
"I don't know." He was clearly lying.
"... You saw her, didn't you? She must've told you, right? There is no way that you don't know!" Ryousetsu fully turned towards Andrei now, looking him deep in the eye. Ryousetsu really wants to know the reason behind Nazuki's death. Was it really murder, or was she forced?
"..." Andrei was silent.
Ryousetsu's eyeballs were filled with tears. The sheer pain and the guilt that she carried was unfathomable. How she wasn't able to spend more time with Nazuki, how she wasn't a better friend than she was supposed to be... How she couldn't help her. How hearing all of this was like a bomb thrown right at her face.
"... I did... I did see her." Andrei said reluctantly. "She was already dead when I saw her. Natsuha was carrying her all the time. I couldn't do anything..." He said, as Ryousetsu looked at him with teary eyes. "I failed to save Nazuki... I failed to save Natsuha. I failed to save her sister." He looked at the deep water that was flowing below the bridge.
"..." Ryousetsu was in shock. "... Andrei..." She said his name in the most painful way possible. "... Is it true?"
Andrei looked back at her.
"Is it true? The clones, the Dark Infinite Project... Was it happening all over again?" She asked, and Andrei knew the answer.
"Yes." He said, as he looked at the ground. "Natsuha was being tested on again, and knowing just how gruesome, painful and inhumane such an experiment is, I couldn't just stand by and let it happen. I had to save her."
"But, did she really need to kill Nazuki? She had nothing to do with this!" Ryousetsu yelled, as Andrei kept quiet. "What are you not telling me, Andrei!?" She yelled.
He answered, looking at her once again. "...I'll tell you. The truth about Natsuha, the truth about you and Nazuki, and the truth about the real reason of why I'm here." Andrei looked at her. It was time that he told her.
"..." Ryousetsu stared.
Andrei looked at the water and started talking. "A month ago, when Natsuha awakened and fought that Magician that attacked our city... She was being monitored by HP in the hospital. Her apartment was left unattended, and when I was heading to her apartment to give her a present to cheer her up, she wasn't there."
"I saw 2 people in black, incinerating the apartment, and dragging their little sister out. I thought that she was being kidnapped, so I beat the men in black up, and brought her little sister to safety. But her apartment was a lost cause, and all I could do was ask Miko and someone else for help to put it out."
"When I went outside again, her little sister was gone. I then found out that Natsuha was in the hospital, so asking HP about whatever happened could've given me the answers I was looking for."
Ryousetsu listened, her eyes screamed sadness, despair and confusion.
"HP told me that Natsuha was in the middle of something, and didn't give me the details. A few days later, I spotted someone that looked just like Natsuha. She had a grey shirt and grey sweatpants, kind of the things you see in a mental asylum. Her hair was just as long as Natsuha's. I couldn't see their eyes, they had a blindfold on."
"I was interrogating that someone and found out that they were a clone, designed to be killed by Natsuha. They were experiment toys, ready to be thrown in the bin after being mutilated. That's when I realized, something really bad was happening to Natsuha."
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"I spotted Natsuha herself a few more days ago, and asked her all those questions. All she did was just smile defeatedly and tell me to not worry about it. But she eventually told me and she said that she was forced to partake in a repeat of the project that shot her up to Class 10 so many years ago."
Ryousetsu was in shock. She was just filled with nothing but sheer confusion and sadness.
"She told me the truth. She had to kill all those clones, have her AFR and OCR regulated, kill even more clones... fight people, do all of that... Just to reach a Class that will kill her the second she attains it."
Andrei then looked at Ryouse, and spoke the next word with emphasis. "Class 11."
"... What?" Ryousetsu looked at him, completely shocked. "No... No way! But it's like you said! No SPEC can handle that Class, even if they were the strongest in the world!" She yelled, but Andrei kept quiet.
"There's no way... How could Natsuha go through that!?" Ryousetsu yelled, and Andrei was silent. "... Is that true!? You're lying, aren't you? You have to be!" Ryousetsu started panicking, feeling like the world is ending.
"Calm down, Ryouse" Andrei said.
"How could I calm down!? You just told me that my fr... Natsuha... is going to die, and is going through a repeating experiment, just like in the old times!" Ryousetsu yelled, but then calmed down.
"... She was forced to kill Nazuki, wasn't she?"
"Yes." Andrei nodded. "It was either Nazuki or her little sister." He then added, giving her the actual truth of the reason that Nazuki died. "That was the ultimatum that Ultia gave her, and that is what she had chosen. She chose her family, over Nazuki."
Ryousetsu stared at the water, angry, but understanding.
"I'm sorry, Ryouse... I know I failed to save Nazuki... I failed to save Natsuha and her little sister too. But I promise... I promise that I will save them both." His voice was breaking. "I'll save them..."
"I'll save them..."
"I'll save them... I have to."
Andrei then moved behind Ryousetsu.
Ryouse smiled. "As much as I pity Natsuha... there is no way I can ever be friends with her again. Nazuki meant so much to me, but I understand... You would choose family over friends, that's normal." She said, and Andrei was silent.
"Save them, Andrei... Only you can, at this point." Ryousetsu said with a tinge of melancholy. "Yeah..." Andrei was fully behind Ryousetsu now, crying and his voice broken extremely. "I will. I have to."
"I will..."
"With all my might..."
"I will never lose someone dear to me ever again."
Then, Andrei pulled out a pistol, cocked it, and aimed it right at Ryousetsu's head. Ryousetsu, who heard the cocking of the pistol behind her, turned around, and then...
"Andre-"
Boom.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Time stopped.
Ryousetsu had just been shot, right in the head, by the person she trusted the most.
Ryousetsu stood there like a doll, with Andrei still holding the gun, with his hand shaking. His eyes were devoid of any light, as if someone else was controlling him. What he did was unforgivable. He was a murderer, and he murdered Ryousetsu in cold blood.
"..."
It was at this very moment,
when Ryousetsu's heart shattered into a million pieces,
and her consciousness faded away almost instantly,
all that was life,
all that was her own creation,
everything that she did,
everything that she owned,
loved,
adored...
Dead.
She was dead.
Ryousetsu Shinagawa was no more.
The recoil of the bullet caused Ryousetsu to stumble backwards, pushed against the small railing, and fell over it, falling out of the bridge, into the cold waters of the river.
Andrei looked at the gun, and dropped it on the ground. "..." He stood there, unmoving, for a minute. "I'm sorry..."
March 26, 2065 [https://img.wattpad.com/8c82ad0c3ad06bda4012e901f3d18a484816e211/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f55753537784c62454d304b3343773d3d2d313334363531343430372e313736323763646536333263633338313930363435333230373631382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
March 30, 2065
POV: Natsuha Inose & Esthic
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"Several decades ago, the exact date being lost to obscurity, after a large disease pandemic, people around the world begun to be born with special powers... Magic."
"Magic is the belief and ability to use special abilities that science can't explain. For decades, instead of being born into select families, Magic was everywhere. As science begun to advance technology, new archaeology techniques begun to be discovered - allowing for new artifacts and fossils to be discovered. Including this, came with the world-shattering revelation - that Magic came from previously unknown gods."
"A large underground temple was discovered - worshipping Five of Six Gods, believed to have ruled over aspects of the world and created them billions of years ago. As well as this, a humanoid fossil was found - having anomalous and borderline fantastical properties being discovered hidden under the sands of Iraq."
"Since magic and its origin, Magic has grown to become an integral part of Earth's new society, with several organizations, etiquettes, traditions and a class-system being formed. However, while the world advances into a fantastical and unknown direction, there are some who do not want to turn to magic - be it they simply do not have it or do not wish to. These people fled... to Ultima City."
I kept listening to him about the history of Magic. The reason why I was here in this room was because I asked Esthic to tell me about it... well, partially. I was actually brought here by Esthic because not only is he going to tell me more about Magic... but he's also going to tell me what I'm going to do for my first trial. I'm glad that Esthic is willing to help me out here. I can't save Tsuki and my friends by myself. If I need the power to be able to kill Ultia... I need it from him. I need the power from a God.
"My Lord - Sahadume, created what we call... Humans. He is the God of Creation and Death. Way back before Humans even existed, a conflict took place. A conflict that caused the creation of Humans."
I look at Esthic with an interesting face. He continued, not even looking at me. "Like I told you before. There were Six Gods that were in control of the universe. They were kind, prideful and cerebral in nature. However, when the world was done - it was time to imprint their creatures."
He emulated the reality around me, further explaining what happened.
"While the God of Change and Wisdom created the fish in the sea, and the God of Nature and Balance created the animals we eat today... One God... My lord, would be denied his place in adding his creatures to the world - turned away for being monsters. My Lord was not one to take no for an answer, and continued to beg and plead for his creations to be added - however was denied and eventually cast outside into a mortal form to rot away and be forgotten. But, with his power remaining - He would use the dark side of his magic, and create a large army of monsters and a new creature - Humans."
Esthic looks at the window with a dark expression. He then looks at me with a smile.
"Humans were the first to have the ability to question the world around them... they were the first to have free will, the first to have morals and beliefs, and the first to have a will of their own. It was a shame that the other Five Gods hated them. To my lord, Humans were the first true creations. And now, I will help him."
Esthic stands up and walks towards me.
"Natsuha. Do you know why you are here today?"
I looked at his 12 eyes, almost half of them obscured by his long and thick hood. His Magic sigils and lines pulsating on his body while he excreted a certain kind of smoke from his body.
"... Are you finally going to tell me what I will be doing for my first trial?"
Esthic then walked back with a bigger smile on his face, almost smirking. It felt villainous, yet divine and exquisite.
"Yes, My Lord's child. The first trial will be the start of your evaluations, to know if you are eligible to become a Magician, and to be worthy of my power. If you truly want to save your sister from Ultia's hands, then this will be no problem, I might guess?"
"... Not at all." I said with a hint of reluctance. "... I'll do anything to save my sister, even if it meant killing someone. If it meant throwing my own life away, I would do it in a heartbeat."
I don't know how Tsuki will react when she finds out about all of this. She might not even trust me anymore... ...But I still have to do it.
I clenched my fist as tight as I could until my knuckles turned white - trying to get rid of the fear and doubt inside of myself. I was getting ready to step forward again into danger once more; there was nothing left but darkness. But what made me continue was knowing that saving Tsuki would help me bring light into my eyes again. I want to be able to see colour again, free of burden.
"Very well." Esthic looked at me, as if he understood that I was ready for it. He then sat down on his chair and cleared his throat, a small smirk on his face. He waved his hand around and emulated reality around me again.
"Your first trial is to bring about a Personalized Switch. Essentially meaning that you will have to overwrite your personality, to avoid being weak in all situations. You will make sure that you will bear no mental instability from this, as there will be no second chances. You fail, you fail for good, and you will no longer be worthy of my power."
Then, the emulation showed Joan Elise, the Fifth-Ranked Class 10 of Ultima City, living her life talking to an interviewer. She was talking about how she acquired the nickname 'The Sunshine of Ultima City' and was boasting about it.
"Why are you showing me her?" I asked him.
Esthic then stood up and started walking towards me, a big smirk appearing on his face. "Joan Elise is the perfect candidate to be your personalized switch. She is strong, determined, and she is well-known amongst the Class 10. Now, why am I showing you her?"
"It's because you will have to kill her."
...
...
...
...
What?