*Beep-beep*
The morning light filtered through the curtains as I opened my eyes, feeling every muscle in my body sore, as if I had been crushed by an invisible weight. The insistent beeping of the alarm pulled me back to reality.
I turned off the alarm clock and got out of bed. Obāchan must be awake by now; I ensured she was okay last night.
Everything that happened yesterday... seems like a crazy dream. I'm still a bit worried that those people will be able to find me, but it doesn't seem likely. Yato took that man's body, and I don't know what happened after that.
'Speaking of which, who could he be? Yato...Mugenkami.'
Despite being very suspicious, he still saved my and Obāchan's lives; I should at least thank him the next time I see him.
But his actions are entirely meaningless. According to his words, he did all this just because he wanted to have fun, but is that all there is to it?
'So many powerful beings around me, but I'm too imposing to deal with any of them.
I felt insignificant...
Yato doesn't seem like someone I need to worry about, but these awakened humans... I'm pretty sure they were responsible for my parents' deaths!
I clenched my fists in hatred as memories flashed through my mind. My hands started to shake... I'm scared but don't want to live in the dark forever.
'Bastards!’
'I'm going to find out the truth about everything that happened.’
-
"Obāchan, good morning.”
After coming downstairs, I saw my grandmother sitting while watching TV.
"Oh dear, good morning. See this report, there's been an accident near your work. Rael... are you sure you need to go to these places? The money your parents left is enough for us to survive for a while."
"Report?" I approached the sofa with curiosity.
""Good morning, Kyōtoshu. In Ha Long yesterday, an unexpected explosion in a series of abandoned buildings caused a major disturbance,””
'That's where those two awakened ones were fighting...' I recognized the place while imagining the supposed reason they would give.
Ha Long is the name of the city I live in, in the country of Kyōtoshu. And the name of the planet is Kytherra.
“”Investigators concluded the cause was a gas leak due to outdated piping. Authorities have reassured residents that similar infrastructure across the city is undergoing urgent review.””
*sigh*
'As I imagined...'
"Obāchan, you don't have to worry about me; I can take care of myself," I spoke in a firm voice to dispel her fears.
...
“Rael, when I lost your mother, I thought I’d lost everything. But you... you brought me back to life. You’ve always been strong. But strength is more than anger—it’s knowing when to hold on and when to let go.”
"Obāchan…”
‘I’m not strong—I’m desperate.’ But I can’t tell her that. She’s already lost so much; I can’t burden her with my fears.
"Our life was always difficult, but we always stood shoulder to shoulder. Your father was one of the people who helped us the most. He was a brilliant boy, and he got a great job and later opened a company, so our life improved from there. Until that fateful day..."
My expression darkened as I imagined everything that had happened.
"Obāchan, can you tell me everything that happened? I know you avoided telling me certain things, but... I'm not a child anymore."
"..."
"Very well. I think you should know everything. Rael... Your parents were killed during illegal experimental research. At the time, it was broadcast in the newspapers that they, along with another team, were conducting an illegal experiment and ended up being killed during the experiment. The explosion in the laboratory killed everyone... except you. They found you passed out far from where the explosion happened."
"Illegal experiment?!"
I stood up with a thoughtful expression. So it was reported that my parents were criminals?!
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
'I don't believe it...'
If I had known about this before, I might have believed it, but not now.
"But I don't believe anything they've said! I know my daughter, and I know she would never do those things-"
*Cough* *Cough*
"Obāchan!"
My grandmother suddenly started coughing and shaking. Her health isn't good, and she's having a crisis.
"Calm down!" I tried to calm her down by hugging her.
"You're an adult now, and I have little time left... *Cough* Promise me you'll always move on... always."
And then she closed her eyes.
"Obāchan! Hang in there!" I tried to feel her breathing and saw that she was still alive.
I immediately called the ambulance, my fingers trembling as I held the phone.
"Hang in there, Obāchan! I can't… lose you now."
-
-
【3rd Person】
Rael was sitting in the hospital chair with a worried expression. His feet kept moving, indicating his anxiety.
Then, a doctor walked towards him.
"Your grandmother's condition is stable, don't worry. However, she will have to stay in hospital under medical supervision."
Rael let out a relieved sigh.
"All right..."
-
After spending some time in the hospital with his grandmother, he returned home. She was still unconscious, so he could only watch from a distance.
When he got home, he lay down but couldn't sleep.
"Damn!"
Seeing that he couldn't calm down, he visited the house's basement. His grandmother kept the family's things there, and some brought back good memories for him.
-
The basement smelled of dust and time. Boxes stacked haphazardly held remnants of our family’s life—faded photographs, forgotten toys… and the memories
-
-
"Rael, don't run in the corridor, or you might get hurt." A female voice spoke with a sigh. "Ah, those children..."
"Don't be so hard on him. Children are full of energy. Weren't we just like that?" A male voice replied with a weak laugh.
This was Shizuka Kazehiro and the man with her was Tetsuya Kazehiro.
*Quick steps*
"Mom, Mom! Look what I picked up in the garden!"
And then, Rael Kazehiro suddenly arrived holding a lizard. The poor gecko struggled in the child's hand.
"Rael, let go of this thing now! You'll catch a disease!" Shizuka tried to catch her son, but he ran off.
"Rael, come back now!"
"No, Mom, I won't let him go. I'll put a name on him!" Rael said as he ran away from his mother.
"Hahahaha!" Tetsuya laughed and started running after them, too.
-
-
Rael smiled as he held up a photo of him running away from his mother with a lizard in his hand. His father took the picture.
‘The sound of my father's laughter. The aroma of flowers from the garden mixed with the scent of the hot soup my mother was preparing. Everything felt so simple, so safe back then.’
*sigh*
'I'd better try to sleep.’
When Rael was putting things back, he knocked over a bunch of boxes.
'Shit.'
He heaved a sigh and started picking up all the papers scattered on the floor, but then...
"Huh?"
[Research topic: Awakened humans]
"What..."
*Ring* *Ring*
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the telephone. He didn't want to answer it, but perhaps it was someone from the hospital telling him about his grandmother.
"Rael-San, are you? Thank God you're alive!"
"Kirishima?"
Rael was surprised to see the voice on the other end of the phone. It was Kirishima, and he seemed fine.
"Rael-San, I need to talk to you urgently! That day, I returned to the scene after a few minutes because I was worried about what might have happened to you, and I found something on the mans body."
"What did you find?!" Rael immediately became interested.
"Meet me at this address: ###### we'll talk better there."
*Hang up*
Rael put his cell phone away and immediately got ready. This is something Kirishima found that could lead him closer to the truth. He would also have to check all the papers he had seen.
-
-
Arriving at the location Kirishima had said, Rael saw that it was a warehouse.
"Rael-san, this way." Kirishima suddenly appeared and pulled him inside.
'It looks like an abandoned warehouse.’
"Rael-san... First of all, thank you!" Kirishima bowed his head. "Without you, I wouldn't be alive today. And I'm glad you're okay."
"No need to thank me; I just did what I thought was right. And I'm glad you're okay, too." Rael replied. "So, what did you find?"
"Look at this." Kirishima reached into his pocket and pulled out two items.
One of the items looked like an insignia shaped like a sword. The other item was shaped like a triangle.
"I found these two items in the dead man pocket," Kirishima said.
"Do you know what they do?" Rael picked up the two items with a curious expression.
"The insignia seems to be an identifier. It's probably to confirm identity in certain places. This triangle is a kind of voice transmitter, but it's a bit broken, probably because of the fight."
Kirishima then pressed the triangle, and a blurry figure of a man suddenly appeared. Rael stared at the scene in disbelief.
'It doesn't look like something 100% technological; it must be done using some awakened person's skill.
“Listen, ##%%##%#. Don't fight to the death; he's powerful awakened; try #$%#%####@. Meet us on Varhel Island on the agreed date. The coordinates are at ##$#%$####."
And then the figure disappeared.
“Varhel Island...” Rael muttered.
"Unfortunately, it's not possible for us to find the location of that island; I've already tried. And we don't even know how to fix this thing." Kirishima said. "Anyway, Rael-San, I don't intend to get involved in these things. We can't do anything about it... we're just ordinary people. When I woke up the next day, I thought it had all been a crazy dream, but no."
Kirishima looked down with a complex expression. Rael remained silent with a thoughtful expression.
"Thank you, Kirishima. You've helped me a lot, and I now know how to go."
"W-What? What do you mean? Don't tell me... Do you intend to go after these guys?! Rael-san, it's too dangerous-" Kirishima approached Rael, trying to convince him.
"Don't worry about me. I need to find these people; this triangle is my only clue. If I don't discover what happened to my past, can I live in the present?"
Rael clenched his fists. Kirishima looked at him with a complicated expression. He hadn't imagined that showing Rael these things would lead to this. He didn't even know what kind of past Rael had.
"I have to go. See you, Kirishima."
Rael took the two items and prepared to leave. Kirishima looked at his back with a worried expression. Then...
"Rael-San!"
Rael looked back.
"Be careful."
Rael smiled. "I got this."
-
-
"Yato, come along. I accept your agreement."
【Welcome, Rael Kazehiro】
【The Tower watches its chosen】
【Decision: Confirmed】
‘If the truth lies in a place beyond the reach of an ordinary human, then I shall leave my humanity behind.’
【Good luck on your journey, Trailblazer.】
-
-
-
High in the sky, his silver eyes emitted a glow that even the moonlight would envy, and a smile unfolded on his face.