“How dare you to lie to me, you shithead! What a shitty plan! Do you value human life that lightly, Johann?!”

Adel slashed the projection screen in front of her as it faded away. She is looking at the person with glasses, with her sharp gaze filled with intense emotion. She thinks that the plan Johann had just proposed is purely rubbish.

“I know this one is going to have a huge impact and definitely got the potential to force the volunteer back into the future. A surefire plan.”

“Listen here. Those people—the human lives you said were necessary to stop this time travel journey for once and all… is that how your stupid head works, huh? I told you before that I’m agreed to work with you if we exclude those innocents out from our plans. And now, you want to the people here indiscriminately, be it they’re from the future or not, just because of your ego? Then, how are you different from the person who killed your father? Much worse, damn you!”

Johann doesn’t budge. Gazing deep into his eyes, Adel understood what kind of person he was.

“Go to hell,” Adel curses at Johann and leaves the room.

Just when Adel is about to open the door, her footsteps stop. The person behind her back is pointing at her a laser gun.

“Haha, really? Johann, how low can you be?” asked Adel sarcastically.

“I can’t just let people who know about my plans to walk out. There are no guarantees if you betray me later.”

“Alright, let me say it straight, loud and clear. I have no interest in getting involved in your business anymore. I’ll just go home and, who knows, perhaps I can find peace in the hell hole called our planet? Do everything you want, I don’t care. Now, lower the weapon,” Adel ordered.

However, Johann doesn’t faze at all. Adel grits her teeth.

“You do it, and you’re dead.”

The laser gun starts to gather energy as Adel quickly faces her companion.

She throws something that looks like a rope as it hits Johann’s gun and pulls it off forcefully. The weapon is flung to the side of the room that Johann can’t reach. He didn’t expect that Adel still had something on her sleeves.

—an electric whip, something else that can’t be found on the past timeline.

“Are you treating me lightly, you safe zone citizen?”

Adel slams the door hard and walks away until her footsteps are gone.

Johann retrieved the laser gun and let out a slight relief. However, he bit his lower lip when he understood Adel had left him for good.

“Ah, damn it,” he curses as he hits the wall.

Adel is finally going outside without any further harm. She clicks her tongue, glancing at the building behind—a factory that had been abandoned for a long time.

“Damn with everything. I’ll be out of here soon.”

She adjusted her scarf before stepping away from the building, shrouded in the silence of the night. Adel is thinking of catching the night train to leave this town for good.

The train station is located at the southern end of Tantoris. Adel walks toward the place at her own pace when she’s done checking the GPS on her communication ring. It was still not too late at night, so many vehicles were still around when she arrived at the sidewalk near the highway.

Adel doesn’t care much and continues to walk. To get there, she must cross the south bridge that connects the two sides of the city from which the Major River separates.

As she continues walking to the middle of the bridge, a familiar figure leaning against the fence while gazing towards the dark river catches her eye. The said person seems to enjoy her ice cream while looking at something far away.

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I never thought that I would run into her again.

As she approaches, the girl who wears an ice cream hair ornament doesn’t notice her presence.

“How come he is difficult to find, huh...”

The girl wearing a scarf is leaning against the bridge fence beside Arisa. When Arisa realized someone was present next to her, Adel swiftly grabbed the untouched ice cream in the box Arisa had brought.

“Ah—that’s my ice cream!”

Adel doesn’t respond. She stares back at Arisa for a second while unwrapping the ice cream and then putting it on her thin lips. Arisa tried to let it go with a heavy heart seeing Adel enjoying the snack she had intentionally saved for last.

Adel’s gaze softened as her tongue tasted the cold sensation. The sky is dark already, and a cold breeze welcomes the girls on the big bridge. One could say this is not the right time to enjoy ice cream.

But Adel doesn’t care. She wants to stop for a moment, enjoying the sweet sensation on her taste bud amid the sparkling lights of the town on either side of the Major River, whose headwaters are located in the north, nearby the mountains. Slowly, Adel can feel that her head feels light. Even her quarrel with Johann just a while ago doesn’t bother her anymore.

“What are you thinking right now?” asked Arisa, looking at Adel in surprise.

“A lot of things, previously. Until I tasted your ice cream which cooling down my head. Are you a super scientist that able to calm others with your cold snacks?” Adel takes a glimpse of the ice cream stick before looking back at Arisa, “it’s a coincidence that we meet again. Are you in search for someone?”

“Yeah, I’m currently looking for someone.”

“His name is Johann?”

Arisa’s facial expression changes upon hearing that. “How’d you know—”

Adel put her index finger on Arisa’s lips before she could continue. The girl with the scarf smiled, beckoning Arisa not to say anything further.

Adel pulled her finger back to continue eating her almost-finished ice cream.

“For your information. Johann uses a firewall that blocks all future applications or technologies that try to track his whereabouts. He is pure genius, you know. So, whatever your efforts to find him using your ring, Johann has already anticipated it.”

“Ah… no wonder he’s so difficult to find. In fact, the police division also can’t do much for matter,” said Arisa.

“That’s why I’ll tell you his current location. I don’t think anyone can find him but you.”

Adel opened the projection to transfer the relevant information to Arisa’s ring without being seen by the passing vehicles behind them. The transfer of information was completed when Arisa’s ring vibrated.

“A-ah, thank you. With this information, I can meet him again.”

“Here’s something you should know: you better bring someone else when you meet him. Don’t be alone, because he is armed. Bring someone who can guarantee your safety. He is in a place surrounded by energy generators that he brought from the future. It takes a large of energy to carry out his ambitions,” the scarf girl explained while playing with the ice cream stick on her tongue.

Arisa tilts her head in confusion. There was something she still didn’t understand from Adel’s statement just now. “Why does Johann need that much energy? What will he do?”

Adel looks at Arisa with a cynical look as she sighs softly.

“…Johann plans to upload a shred of evidence regarding the existence of people from the future like us. He is also trying to rewrite the scientists’ record of the past as well. Especially for his second goal, a lot of energy is needed because he is dealing with a pseudo-hierarchy that affects a the original population of people of the past. Limited only for this town, tho.”

Listening to Adel’s explanation, it was clear what Johann would do. Arisa nods and looks at her interlocutor earnestly.

“Then, I have to hurry now. Thanks for everything you’ve told me just now. With this, my search is over.”

“You’re welcome,” Adel responded lightly.

“By the way, how did you know that I was looking for Johann? Actually, who are you to know the information related to his whereabouts? Can I trust you?”

The row of questions made Adel look back at Arisa. She considers something to say carefully before answering a complete stranger.

When I think about it, He didn’t want me to tell his plan to others, so he pointed the laser gun toward me. Then look what I did right now, telling someone I’ve only met twice about it. Haha, I’d be lying if I said I don’t care about his ambitions anymore.

There must be something telling me that this person is the one who should know everything about Johann. So…

Adel smiled faintly. “Instinct.”

“Instinct?” Arisa doesn’t seem to understand.

“That’s right. I’ve always followed my instincts to survive until now.”

“...”

“Feel free to trust me or not. However, I’ve sent you the coordinates of Johann’s location. I also recommend that you invite someone else for safety reasons. To check the place or not is entirely your wish.”

There was silence between the two of them. Only the sound of the engine of vehicles passing over this bridge is present. Arisa looks at Adel to consider whether she can trust her or not.

She nods as she turns around to run to where Adel told him. In the middle of her run, Arisa waves at Adel.

“Thank you so much! See you later!”

Arisa had disappeared at the end of the bridge heading towards the southeastern part of the city before Adel could reply. She sighed with a smile.

“You’re welcome. I’m not sure if we’ll meet again after this. However, there’s nothing wrong with being optimistic.”

She is going back to walk to the station. The night breeze hits her face again to remind her that it’s getting late. She lifted her head, looking at the sparkling stars in the dark sky.