I was dismayed about my potential memory issues, but discussing them was a good way to pass the time, one that managed to get Hizen to stay still until nightfall. I tried to recall everything about the time I had spent with Doccia, in the hope that it would make the memories less likely to fade. Doccia, my first friend...
“...You know, she told me that she used to have a friend who was taken by a Worm Feeder. And now I’ve been taken by one, too...she’s probably very sad right now...”
“…”
“I wish there was a way for me to tell her that I’m alright...more or less. And I’d like to tell her about you, and how much I’m learning about my past…!”
“…”
“She and the others have definitely reached the Elliptical Point by now. Soon she’ll be on Earth...even if I could escape the Worm, I’ll never see her again…”
“…”
“...You’ve been very quiet. Are you finally relaxing…?”
“...I…”
“…?”
“…I do not believe there is a discernible difference between the Protocol’s directives and my own desires. I will work constantly towards my ultimate goal of throwing you headlong into the Worm’s ravenous maw. And if asked, I cannot say that I want anything else for you.”
“…”
“This is the requested information.”
“...Oh...well, I don’t even remember what prompted that. But why are you telling me now?”
“This...‘Doccia’...seems to be one that could have made you happy. And it is...unfortunate, that I am incapable of doing the same.”
“...Ohhhh. Aw, Hizen...could you perhaps be a little jealous…??”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“…”
“I guess I can understand, since I’ve been talking about Doccia all day...and you’re right; for all intents and purposes she does make a better friend than you do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you!”
“Only because you claim that I give you these subconscious compliments...you have taken a liking to a past version of myself that I am not even aware of, and because of this, you ignore the present version of myself that cares nothing for you.”
“It’s...not that simple, though. There’s things I like about you, even as a Worm Feeder! Like...those big-word lectures you do are kind of annoying, but they always sound cool!”
“…”
“...And, uh...well, there’s the way you got embarrassed about me acting silly in the city. I thought that was kind of funny~. And that was all you, the present you! Wasn’t it?”
“...Perhaps.”
“You see?? There’s nothing to worry about. Just because you’re going to kill me, doesn’t mean we can’t be friends!”
“...You are a very strange person.”
“Thank you~! And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry if I made you feel bad, talking about my old friend for so long...maybe we can talk about you now.”
“What is there to discuss about me?”
“What do you mean, ‘what is there’?? What about what the Servant at the Repository said, that you’re one of those Centurions??”
“Custodians.”
“Yeah, those! Didn’t that make you think? Maybe that’s how we met; maybe you were guarding the shrine where I used to work!”
“…”
“...Come to think of it, why didn’t you tell me about that before? You recognized my markings, but you didn’t recognize yours...?”
“...I...did not think it was important.”
“Well, it is important! Like I said before, learning about me means learning about you, which means learning about you means learning about me! You have to tell me anything you know that might be a clue!”
“…”
“Like, for instance: we’re going through all this so I can remember my ‘sins’, but what about yours? I mean, if you’re a Worm Feeder, you were discarded too...and if we really did work in the same place, there might be a clue there.”
“...”
“...What’s wrong? Do you not remember either? Or maybe you need time to process it...?”
“...Meissen...I cannot lie to you.”
“Um...okay...”
“At the same time...I cannot tell you what I have done. Except that it was an abomination in the eyes of Our Lord, and a betrayal of our World Order and everything that it stands for.”
“…”
“And I know that...it must have hurt you immensely.”