I was officially part of the Council of Elarion.
Asrar stood up, brushed a single piece of lint from his shoulder, and cleared his throat.
"Well, I'll take my leave for now. I still need to brief the expedition team with Aimi. Kazutoshi, my daughter Jane will show you your apartment. It's in the same building, same floor as Ilyana, Jacob and Jean, so you'll be well surrounded. I wish you all the best. We'll talk again tomorrow."
He walked past me, patting my shoulder before exiting with Aimi.
Ilyana had stepped out briefly before and returned with two crutches. She handed them to me, steadying me as I rose.
"Better?"
"Much better. Thank you."
Jane stood up, moved to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway, she turned back and glanced back at me.
Her eyes — cold, expressionless, yet so vividly blue — met mine.
"Are you coming, Kazutoshi?" she asked, putting weight the last syllable of my name.
"Y-Yes, I'm coming."
I walked along the table toward her.
"Have a good day, Kazutoshi. Maybe we'll see each other later," Jean said.
"Yes, exactly," Ilyana added with a smile. "We're neighbors now. Asrar welcomed you in quite generously. He's usually rather distant."
"Ah, then I must be lucky. See you around, Ilyana, Jean."
I left the room with Jane, who closed the door behind us. We moved quietly down the corridor, side by side. Her gaze never wavered, fixed ahead, her expression taut with something unspoken.
What was on her mind? What was weighing on her?
She guided me down the stairs without a word, and together we crossed the square to a nearby apartment building. It looked pleasant enough from the outside.
Inside, she went straight to a drawer near the entrance, unlocked it, and began searching through a box of keys.
I seized the moment.
"So… you're Asrar's daughter?"
"His adopted daughter. He took me in when I was twelve." She kept searching without looking up.
"Oh. I didn't mean to intrude…"
"It's fine. You didn't. But it's kind of you to worry." She allowed herself a faint smile, eyes still on the keys.
"And… do you have a role here?"
"Not really. I help out where I can. I wanted to join missions, but my father says I'm not mentally fit for it." Her voice softened, and her smile faded.
At last she found the right key, and we climbed to the top floor. At the end of the corridor, she opened the door to my apartment.
Jane opened the door and stepped inside first, I followed. The apartment had a large room with a kitchen, a round dining table, and a living area. The walls were painted a bright red, the tiles were wooden. A bedroom opened on the right, a small bathroom on the left. Next to the kitchen, a door led out to a narrow balcony.
"Not bad at all," I said.
"You should pick up some clothes soon," she replied. "That white t-shirt and black pants won't do forever."
She was right — those same clothes had been on me even in the ashlands.
"I'll take care of it."
Jane stepped back toward the door. "Then settle in. Take care."
"Thank you. You too."
She closed the door behind her.
I sank into a chair and let out a long breath. Alive. Against all odds.
How had I survived two years? And who was the man in the white cloak?
Speaking of… I quickly rushed into the bathroom, pulled off my shirt, and stared at the three deep scars carved intro my chest.
So it really happened.
But before I could dwell on it, there came a knock. Hastily pulling my shirt back on, I opened the door.
"Unbelievable, man… For two years I thought you were gone. I gave up hope. But you're alive — Kazu!"
Jake crushed me in a hug so tight I couldn't breathe.
"I'm glad to see you too, Jake" And I was — truly glad. A piece of my old home, right here.
We sat and spoke at length.
"Waking up on that beach," Jake sighed, "southwest France… it felt like I just came out of a nightmare. But the real nightmare was the world after. I heard you woke up in the high ash zone. Worse than me — and two years later, like you were in come."
"Fits my luck. What about the explosion? Were you in the club, drunk as usual?"
"Ah, Kazu… 2 years of passing out definitely hasn't changed you… still throwing punches," he said in a painful voice. "For the record — I was in the club back then — but but but! I was already out by 11:30 PM and wanted to walk back to our apartment. Before I arrived, the earth suddenly shook. I fell onto the street and I could hardly get up again. I looked around and saw the sky ripping open in white light, then a massive sphere that was expanding rapidly. Just before it hit me, I blacked out. Next thing I knew, I woke up on that beach. I started walking around, discovering the new corrupt world. After some time, I found a group of surviving French people in the area, completely frozen in place. We banded together for the time being and hiked and survived, starving. We reached the Provence after about two months and found a ruined town. This is where I discovered the initial Elarion. Asrar, his daughter, Jean and Ilyana were already here, living in a city full of tents and leading the rather small survivor group. We got friends and became part of the group. As the group got bigger, we started to expand and improve. Thus began Elarion, which gradually became a city."
"And now you're part of the council — because of your 'physics master's degree'?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Hey, it's a bachelor's at least."
"All the same, I'm glad you're here, Jake. Feels like fate."
"No, that's no coincidence. This must be fate — a higher power. Something brought us back together. You believe in that?"
Another knock cut him short.
"Man, seriously? Now?" Jake complained loudly. He opened the door — and froze.
Asrar entered, his white coat flowing, the metallic mask on his left cheek gleaming.
"Jake." he said evenly, "I'm sorry to interrupt your… monologue. But I need a word with Kazutoshi. You can return later."
"All right boss, see you later!" Jake replied quickly, slipping out.
Asrar turned to me, shaking his head.
"I trust you've had a chance to breathe. You're still missing a few essentials — clothes, food. Everything here is purified before consumption, but you'll see. I've left you some money." He placed an envelope on the entryway drawer.
"My daughter Jane will guide you tomorrow morning. With your leg, you'll need the help."
"That's kind of her. I'll be ready."
"Good. You'll begin work next week, once you've recovered. Until then, rest. Clear?"
"Yes."
"Perfect. There's food stocked already. Make yourself at home."
"Thank you, Asrar."
He departed, leaving the apartment silent again.
In the evening, I boiled some pasta with boiling water, mixed it with jarred tomato sauce, and ate alone at the table while the ash-dimmed sun set. The moon glowed faintly through the gray sky.
I thought of Aunt Shiori, of Professor Albers… Were they alive? The thought of losing them sat heavy in my chest.
My aunt had been there since the beginning. The professor… without him, I would never have come this far.
…
It was the summer of 2027. I was 18 years old, freshly graduated from high school with top marks, and eager to study physics like my aunt did. We were already living in Boston back then and Professor Albers was a full-time lecturer at MIT. I didn't know him yet, but my aunt had already told me a lot about him.
My admission to the university was as good as certain, because my aunt was a renowned physicist who studied at the same university and a friend of hers was a lecturer there. Nevertheless, she wanted me to meet him at the café and introduce myself to thank him for the good word he had put in for me.
That day, we went to the same café where we met shortly before the Dreadfall.
I still remember that café. He regarded me quietly for a long moment before smiling.
"You look so much like your mother, Kazutoshi. A tragic fate, hers…"
"You knew her? What was she like?"
"She was a charming, radiant, kind-hearted lady. Always smiling. She carried an aura that lifted everyone around her."
He sipped his coffee. "I see that aura in you as well — different, but there."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe a special future awaits you. A destiny you haven't yet discovered. One day, all the cards will be on the table. Then it will be up to you to accept it — or not."
Another sip.
"'Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.', have you ever heard this quote?"
"Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment."
"Exactly. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. Again and again, he was tormented by the question of whether an evil means could ever sanctify a good end. Was it not conceivable that a single murder could alleviate the suffering of many, that one victim could open the way to a better world? But the longer he clung to this thought, the more clearly he felt the weight his guilt. Dostoevsky's answer lay inescapably before him: no 'higher cause', no dream of relief and knowledge could erase the shame of blood. True responsibility is bearing that burden without excuses."
He took another quick sip and leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Can a good or higher cause be achieved by an evil means? Isn't that a great question, Kazutoshi? What is your answer to it?"
I thought about it for a moment… and answered.
That conversation stayed with me. It shaped everything that followed. Perhaps… it was fate.