i opened my eyes again, a bit partially this time. i was able to hear faint sounds of conversations going on. my senses were quite disoriented from the impact, as the sound began to fade in and out simultaneously. slowly, i regained my senses, and looked around again.
i was seated in a chair, tied up like a prisoner for their crimes. i tried to break free by moving around, then a man came. he was familiar, the same one i have seen through my blurred vision when i was almost knocked out. he was wearing a suit-in-black, his forehead and eyes were completely unseen with the hat he had on.
he spoke up first, his tone felt like a flicking voice machine in my ears. "hideyoshi izumi," he mentioned. i wasn't surprised, he might have seen my student ID in my shirt or so. "it was a wonder you survived that earthquake," he responded again.
my reaction delayed for a while, when i realized my eyepatch was missing. i panicked a bit, and spoke in a loud voice, "bastard, where is my eyepatch?!". the man remained quiet and nonchalent, and spoke up again, "you got a filthy scar,". his reply was irrelevant to my question, as i was pissed off more. i gritted my teeth in anger, and clenched my fists. the mark around the patch eye spreaded a bit, maybe it started reacting too much.
"stop it," he replied, in a warning tone. i thought to myself for a while and recollected the whole scene at school. the man approached me and reached his hand out to my eye which was patched before. i, obviously, moved his hand away and gave a glare at him. the man hesitated again, and sighed.
"i won't do anything, i only want to take a look since it's not hidden anymore." he answered. although i can possibly never trust him, i was reluctant, and let him perform his results. the man attempted to reach out again, moving my hair away and taking a look at my eye. it was in a vivid, yellow colour with a slightly darker sclera. there was a black coloured, thin mark around it.
the man removed his hand after slight examination, and stepped back. the room was silent for a moment, the only sound able to be heard were both of our breathing sound and ticking of the wall clock.
"if you wish, you have two choices," the man responded, breaking the silent tension in the room. "you may as well kill yourself since almost the whole country is wiped out, or" he paused, continuing it again, "you will be attending a provisional academy and risk yourself in helping us." i was tensed, torn between those two choices. i would give my life away, but there won't be any meaning to my life, resulting in a pointless execution.
but, i would try recreating my resolve and discover my potential, if i were to attend an unrecognized academy. it was simple, i didn't want to give my life for nothing, and replied again, "i'll attend this provisional academy you're talking about." the man smiled. it seemed quite intimidating. "good, i expected it." he responds.
there was obviously nothing special about that reply, even a child would answer this question as simple as it is, who would resort to execution without actual meaning when you got a chance to rebuild your current resolve? i felt like i was in a fantasized anime scene, where one would be really serious about asking the most simplest questions honestly.
The man took out the straps tied on me and gestured me to follow him. i followed him like he told, without making any thoughts. with the man, i was walking in a hallway, which looked somewhat royal yet abandoned, pictures of medieval people hanging unsteady and a lot of grease stains on the carpets.
a few minutes we go in, and i was standing in front of a large door twice my height. it was pretty rusty and there were a bunch of scratches on it. The man in front of me opened the door in one push, revealing a bright light behind the small openings. i had to cover my eyes, and moments later i uncovered them, and saw a huge academy inside a large facility. it was recognisable since the sky was clearly videographed. there were survivors but i couldn't find anyone in my country.
i pulled the man's sleeves, and asked him. "could i get a spare cloth for covering my eye?" The man didn't hesitate to lend me a handkerchief which seemed perfectly clean. i took it and folded it in a way it would be a fine line of cloth. then i placed it on my left eye and tied the ends on the back of my head.
after adjusting it a bit, i nodded at the man, gesturing i'm ready to go. The man understood my gesture and i was seen following him.
although i felt reluctant, i didn't remove his hand off, and allowed him to pull me. i was silent, and kept a blank expression on my face, as i continued walking towards the academy. The area was luxurious, as from my viewpoint.
i thought to myself then, that i made a worthy and simple decision back then. i had kept everything aside and focused on my current view, the new life i might lead. it wasn't much i had thought back then, but i felt a happy feeling inside me, while i kept walking with a neutral expression― or so i thought i might lead.