2008, March 24; 8:44 PM
“I guess we’ll have to sleep here tonight…” a silhouette mutters, sitting on a public bench. The night’s dark and rainy, but she’s thankful. Lying down, she tries to get comfortable and closes her eyes.
Meanwhile, Yasuka wakes up in a vast, ruined city, the sun and moon locked in a twisted eclipse casting shadows on the wreckage. She glances at a wall marked with tally lines, then at the blood and gore scattered among the rubble. The air is thick with smoke. "N-Not here again..." she murmurs, walking down the shattered sidewalks.
A distant voice echoes: "WHERE IS OUR HOME..."
"I-I don't know," Yasuka whispers, finding shelter under a concrete slab. She gathers bits of wood, starting a small fire to keep warm.
"DON'T LIE, YASUKA…" the voice taunts. Yasuka wraps her arms around her legs, eyes clenched shut. But when she opens them, it's there.
In front of her stands a melted humanoid mass of flesh, eyes fixated on her. "WHERE IS OUR HOME..." it groans. Yasuka flinches in fear.
"It... it was destroyed!" she cries, crawling backwards as the creature stands, revealing bony wings and bloodied limbs. "P-Please... leave me alone..." she whimpers, curling into a ball.
"YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME..." it says, making her glance up.
"What?"
"I AM LIKE YOU... YOU ARE LIKE ME..." it says. Yasuka stands, trembling with anger.
"I... I am NOTHING like you!" she screams. The creature turns, then faces her again, stomping her into pieces.
She wakes up, back at the starting point. Picking up a rock, she etches another tally onto the wall. She sighs, feeling rain hit her nose. She looks up as the sky unleashes a downpour.
Behind her, the voice returns.
"What now..." Yasuka groans, turning to face it.
"DO YOU REGRET MEETING ME?"
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"YES," she says, her confidence firm.
The creature steps forward. "DID YOU KNOW... OUT OF ALL THE HUMANS I'VE MET... NONE COMPARE TO YOU..."
Yasuka’s confidence wavers as it steps closer. She falls to the ground, trembling.
"LOOK AROUND YOU... YOUR MIND... IS TAINTED." the creature says as Yasuka breaks down.
"T-THIS ISN’T MY HEAD... THIS ISN’T MY HEAD!"
"BUT... IT IS," it whispers, silencing her denial.
…
Yasuka looks around desperately, searching for anything that feels real. She meets the creature’s eyes, her voice breaking. “S-Sometimes I wonder how I… we… even met…”
The creature tilts its head, eyes gleaming with interest. “DID YOU FORGET…?” it whispers, its voice growing more intrigued.
Yasuka squeezes her eyes shut, bracing for another crushing blow. She counts the moments in her head—one… two… three… But nothing happens. Slowly, she opens her eyes to see the once-ruined city now thriving, a surreal shift before her.
“W-What…?” she stammers, confusion settling in.
“LOOK AT YOU... SO YOUNG... SO EAGER... FILLED WITH HOPES AND DREAMS.” The creature’s voice has softened, now standing beside a younger version of Yasuka, barely 14.
“Why are you showing me THIS day…” Yasuka’s voice quivers, dreading what’s coming.
“TO REMIND YOU,” it whispers, leaning in closer, eyes glinting with a chilling curiosity.
Yasuka’s eyes dart around, piecing together memories she’d buried. The sky is no longer eclipsed but a bright, cloudless blue. Her gaze lands on a woman standing beside her younger self.
“No…” Yasuka mutters, closing her eyes, refusing to relive it. “No…”
“WATCH IT...” the creature insists, voice lowering.
Yasuka feels its cold fingers on her eyelids, prying them open. She struggles, but it’s futile. Her eyes are forced open. Forced to see.
She opened her eyes. She opened her eyes. She opened her eyes.
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2008, March 25; 12:06 AM
Meanwhile, a sleek black Toyota Century pulls up to a familiar bench. Two B.S.A. operatives step out, their umbrellas shielding the back passenger from the rain as she steps out. “Miss Miyako, is this her?” one of the operatives asks, staring past her.
“Mmm, delightful work,” Miyako murmured, eyeing the woman sleeping on the bench. She looked distressed even in her sleep. She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, mumbling softly. The woman jerked awake in a panic, as though pulled from a nightmare.
“Lovely,” Miyako comments, watching the woman blink at her in confusion.
“W-Who the…” the woman begins, ready to curse Miyako out—until she notices the operatives in their crisp suits.
Miyako smiles. “Yasuka, I have a proposition for you.”
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