S-2878 • L0 Silenluna • D07 Abeli
(Gregorian calendar equivalent: April 12, 2133)
"Silenluna opens the road of the sky.
Abeli pours the shine of beginnings.
Gaia ignites the tide of living sprouts.
The reading rises clear in the air."
Peak autumn.
The city woke under heavy rain that selunia.
I cut my finger while preparing breakfast.
Superficial—yet enough to require a bandage.
On the way to work, trains were canceled.
System failures at UNITED's central transport hub.
Headache.
Delay.
And the worst was still to come.
"The director is calling for you."
Takashi informed me.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been irrelevant.
But I was leading one of the most important research projects in the Americas.
It would likely be an unpleasant meeting.
I crossed the corridor toward Josivaldo Silva's office.
At the entrance, Sara, his assistant, waited.
I followed her.
He was expecting me.
An expressionless face.
Wrinkles marking cycles of service.
Too long on Gaia.
The world endured his insufferability out of necessity.
"Sit."
The voice was coarse.
Not even a good morning.
As expected, to be honest.
The man lacked vitality.
I smiled politely and sat.
"Good morning."
He lifted his blue eyes from the holoscreen.
Adjusted his glasses.
"Very well, Dr. Akama."
He did that on purpose.
Always mispronounced my surname.
Akiyama.
If a name proved difficult, he reduced it until it fit inside his mouth.
"I am satisfied with your research results.
We can begin human trials.
The technical team has already been notified to contact the volunteers."
My blood froze.
"I must select the volunteers.
These are highly specific profiles.
We need to apply an alternative method."
"That is not open for discussion.
I am informing you."
Heat rose inside me.
My hands closed.
I held my anger.
"CogniSynth can seriously affect the human brain.
Participants must be chosen according to research criteria—otherwise the consequences may be catastrophic!"
"We are done here. You may leave."
I stood, leaning over his desk.
"These people could die!
We are dealing with human lives!"
Josivaldo examined me from head to toe.
He thought intimidation would work.
Poor man.
"You may file a complaint with the Global Medical Committee.
If they care, perhaps they will change something.
Until then, your function is to comply."
He returned to his holoscreen.
"Now you may leave. I am busy."
I bit my lips.
I imagined how pleasant it would be if he vanished from the face of Gaia.
I had already wasted too much time there.
I left in haste.
In the restroom, I faced my reflection.
I inhaled deeply.
I searched for serenity.
I was in the Sorceress phase—yet the Crone was already knocking.
My moon would likely bleed within hours.
What he proposed violated the Medical Ethics Code.
And his answer?
A petition.
The GMC could take cycles to decide.
I knew the right candidates were difficult to find.
Yet only with them could CogniSynth connect without breaking the brain.
Irreversible damage could occur.
Possibly death.
Josivaldo wanted results quickly.
Prestige would come faster.
At my expense?
Never.
I left determined.
"Takashi."
He was already waiting at the office entrance.
"Prepare a petition for the GMC.
I need an injunction.
I will send the details."
He nodded.
"Speak to Hideaki's assistant.
Schedule a meeting."
Eyes fixed on him.
"Tell them it is urgent.
Inform me once everything is arranged."
I exhaled.
"I need something sweet."
"Would you like me to order it?"
"No."
I dismissed him with a gesture.
I want distance from here now.
"I will buy it myself."
Takashi blinked, rigid.
"Understood."
The sweet was sold in a shop in Centralia.
The intermediary region between Zenith and Netheria—São Paulo's underworld.
Restless movement.
Hellish traffic in the airways.
Deafening noise.
Vehicles. Advertisements. Voices. Androids.
All the chaotic sounds of the city.
Filthy. Vibrant.
The true heart of São Paulo.
I arrived at the Emerald Line.
The only aerotrain connecting Zenith to Centralia.
The journey lasted an hour.
Too long.
The route curved around the outer edges of buildings.
On the holoscreen, a live broadcast:
Strike.
The three main central hubs shut down.
The streets belonged to the Sessota workers—the largest nanotech investor in the Americas.
Signs raised.
Shouts echoing.
They demanded fair wages. Jobs. Reduced hours.
Not even the rain restrained them.
I looked away.
VRRRSH!
A sound echoed behind me.
I glanced toward the carriage.
The ceiling split open.
WHUMP!
A hooded figure dropped in.
Silence.
My heart raced.
I shrank into my seat.
I tried to see her again.
Gone.
What was happening?
"It was supposed to be empty."
The hoarse voice came from above, muffled by a mask.
I jolted upright, rising in a sudden flare of movement—hitting my head.
Pain reverberated.
Dazed, I focused on the silhouette.
Dark clothing. Face concealed—except for the eyes.
Unique.
Dark amber, flecked with brown.
"Why?"
I sat back down, rubbing the swelling on my forehead.
"How did you get into this train?"
She gestured vaguely.
"Emerald Station, normally."
She waved a hand.
"You have a very special access pass.
Irrelevant.
We need to leave now."
"The next station is in ten minutes.
I'm getting off at Magenta."
"This train is going to collide."
The figure moved to the center of the carriage.
VRRRSH!
The ceiling slid open again.
"C'mon."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you want to die?"
My breathing faltered.
"This train will collide with the next one and explode."
She extended her hand—steady.
My heart pounded harder.
I looked around.
Empty carriages.
"Explode?"
Her gaze carried certainty.
If it were true, my choice was simple: follow her—or choose death.
I held my breath.
My body hesitated.
But then—
I stepped forward and took her gloved hand.
Before I could react, she threw me over her shoulder and jumped.
The ground vanished.
The world flipped upside down.
My heart detonated in my chest.
Gusts of wind roared, slicing against my skin.
The altitude dragged my stomach into emptiness.
My fingers dug into the fabric of her clothes.
I was holding on—or perhaps she was the one holding me.
How did she remain so steady?
Who was she?
On top of the train, she moved toward the edge.
She gripped my legs.
Jumped.
The abyss swallowed us.
A scream tore from my throat.
I clutched her neck.
Too tight.
She staggered.
Before rolling across the ground, she pulled me forward, shielding me in the impact.
I closed my eyes.
The world stopped.
Adrenaline burned through my veins.
Thinking was impossible.
"Are you okay?"
She stared at me with an unreadable expression.
So close.
I swallowed, pulling away.
She stood.
I checked my body. No pain.
"I think so."
Graffiti-covered walls stretched around us.
An old building, nearly abandoned—except for a neighboring light still on.
"Come."
She passed through glass doors.
The commanding tone irritated me—but I followed.
We walked through a dark hall.
The smell of mold saturated the air.
I held back a cough.
Dust surrounded us.
Weak light filtered through broken windows, revealing shattered furniture.
Forgotten lives.
KRIIISH!
Glass shattered somewhere in the distance.
I flinched.
She stopped.
"Just rats."
We continued in silence.
Inside my mind, a storm.
Thoughts crossing, colliding, fragmenting.
I didn't even notice the elevator arrive.
Or when I stepped inside.
Only a corrupted melody played.
Scraping at the ears.
The doors opened.
Darkness.
No windows.
One exit.
The only light came from the center of a table.
An artificial glow over a piece of equipment.
"Sit."
She pointed to a chair and began adjusting the device.
I hesitated.
What the hell was she doing?
"You're from up there, aren't you?"
Her tone was casual.
"No need to answer.
You smell like Zenith."
I frowned.
"What do you do up there?"
"Why would I tell you anything?"
"Answer if you want."
She shrugged.
I rolled my eyes.
What kind of insane situation was this?
"Are you going to kill me?"
She lifted her gaze from the device.
Looked directly at me.
Piercing.
My breathing faltered.
That intimidating presence.
Facing the unexpected.
"Do you want to die?"
The coldness in her eyes cut through me.
I swallowed.
My heart pounded so loudly I could almost hear it in the silence.
She returned to the device.
"Ready?"
I leaned forward, frowning.
"Ready for wh—"
She pressed a button.
Everything changed.
My heart stumbled.
Agitation surged, uncontrollable.
My eyes widened, dazzled.
The universe enveloped us.
Stars, constellations, planets, holographic galaxies shimmered around us.
Real.
Tangible.
Pixelated stardust settled on my skin.
"I-incredible…"
My voice barely emerged.
The vision stole my words.
It was more than the cosmos.
It was the cosmic within her.
Starlight reflected across her body.
Along the curve of her face.
In those intense honey-colored eyes.
All the threatening aura vanished.
Invasions.
Exploding trains.
Threat of death.
All of it dissolved.
Only the brightness in her gaze remained.
Everything that mattered to her.
"You know…"
Her voice softened.
"I think everyone is their own universe."
Her eyes—deep, indecipherable, like an eclipse—held mine.
The gravity around us shifted.
She leaned across the table, drawing closer slowly, as if certain I would remain still.
Her face near mine.
The air grew heavier.
My heart froze.
I held my breath.
"Would you cross your own universe?"
Silence.
She lowered her head, laughing.
The low laugh echoed.
I snapped out of the trance.
Laughed back without knowing why.
She turned off the projector.
Darkness.
"Come."
In the half-light, she took my hand.
Cold.
Steady.
Strangely comforting.
What had just happened?
We returned to the entrance.
She glanced around.
"How did you hurt yourself?"
She pointed to the bandage on my finger.
"That? Irrelevant."
My mind burned.
Thinking about what she had said.
About the new sensations awakening inside me.
Her words stirred anxiety.
In a good way.
Under the rain, she slipped her hands into her pockets.
Turned and walked away.
Disappeared into the darkness of the streets.
The coldness of her body still on my skin.
From that moment on, I would change forever.