The sterile, humming corridors of the Academy felt colder than usual as Jeff and Rover pushed through the sliding doors into Baizhi's lab. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and old books, an odd mix of science and history clinging to every corner of the space.
The sweet atmosphere they both possessed earlier suddenly vanished as if signifying it's time to return to business.
Baizhi was already waiting. She stood by a neat row of strange, glimmering instruments, her posture elegant yet sharp, like a blade sheathed but ready. Her pale fingers adjusted her clothes before she spoke, voice crisp and calm.
"I have the equipment ready," she said, not wasting time on pleasantries. Her dark eyes flicked from Rover to Jeff, studying them as if she could see beneath their skin. "I'll need to check both of your health statuses and monitor for unusual fluctuations. Now—" she clasped her hands behind her back, "—let's begin, if you're ready."
Rover shifted on her feet. The usually steady fire in her eyes dimmed a little, and she raised her hand hesitantly. "Wait… before we start, can I ask—"
Baizhi's brows lifted just slightly, curiosity sliding into her gaze. "Do you have any questions before we begin?"
Rover's throat bobbed as she swallowed. She glanced sideways at Jeff, almost as if hoping he'd speak for her. "Do we… really have to do this?"
A silence stretched, broken only by the faint hum of the machinery. Baizhi's expression remained unreadable, though her voice carried an edge of weight that pressed into the room.
"Based on the samples collected, the Tacet Discord you defeated was at least an Overlord Class. Afterward, you both absorbed its frequency energy with your bare hands—and split it between yourselves. That has never happened before."
Jeff's eyes widened. His fingers curled into his jacket pocket as a chill ran through him. What the hell? Absorbed it? How? That doesn't even make sense. Even though he saw it with his own eyes, saying it out loud sounds ridiculous and almost laughable even.
"An… Overlord Class?" Rover repeated, her voice quieter, almost disbelieving.
Baizhi's gaze sharpened as she explained, her tone like a professor before a chalkboard. "Tacet Discords are classified according to the concentration levels of their frequencies. The higher the concentration, the greater the threat. The classifications are: Common, Elite, Overlord, and Calamity. Additionally, there exists a special category… the Threnodians."
Jeff raised a hand, forcing a dry laugh to mask the unease in his chest. "Okay, but—uh—side effects? Am I gonna wake up with tentacles or something?"
For the first time, Baizhi's lips twitched—whether at his attempt at humor or his stupidity, he couldn't tell. "You've absorbed a very powerful Echo with your body. On the surface you appear stable, but there may be internal changes too subtle for even my resonance ability to detect." She paused, adjusting her posture again, "Based on every record I can find, humans require a Pangu Terminal to record or replicate an Echo's frequency. That is why I am… curious. How two individuals managed to absorb one directly into themselves."
Rover tilted her head, brows furrowed. "What… is an Echo again?"
Baizhi clasped her hands behind her back, reciting but not without fascination. "When a Tacet Discord is eliminated, its frequency energy may linger in the form of an incorporeal manifestation, called a Reverberation. A Resonator's Terminal collects and records these, turning them into Echoes that can be directed at will. The combat abilities of Echoes can be replicated through the Terminal's databank, enabling Resonators to fight with them. Some Echoes, in rare cases, allow partial transformation into their forms."
Rover blinked, intrigued. "So… you can become an Echo?"
"To some extent," Baizhi admitted with a slight nod.
Jeff's mind, however, was racing in a completely different direction. Transformations? Hell yes. Autobots roll out. Or, screw it—imagine me breathing fire as a dragon. That'd be sick. He barely kept a grin from slipping onto his face.
"Have you ever come across anyone else like us?" Rover asked, folding her arms.
Baizhi's eyes softened in thought. "Apart from the ancient legend Yangyang mentioned earlier… no. But perhaps your case could finally provide evidence for that myth."
Rover straightened her shoulders, determination glinting in her eyes. "Then… I'm ready." She turned her head toward Jeff, waiting.
Her gaze caught him off guard, and for a second, Jeff's heart did something weird in his chest. He cleared his throat, forcing a smirk to cover it up. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Baizhi's eyes flickered with approval. "Then… try to manifest the Crownless' frequency without using your Terminals."
The room fell silent.
Rover closed her eyes, brows drawn in concentration, but after a moment she exhaled and shook her head. "Nothing."
Jeff braced himself, spread his feet like a hero in some anime, and clenched his fists. "Hnnghh—!" His voice cracked halfway through the effort, sounding more chuuni than intimidating.
Baizhi stared at him. "…."
Rover covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. "Sorry. Doesn't seem like we can do it."
Baizhi's expression sharpened into something more serious. "Indeed. The Crownless' data does not appear in your Terminals. It was… consumed directly into your bodies. Leaving no trace behind. As though another mechanism exists inside you—one capable of absorbing frequency energy."
Jeff froze, the words sinking in like ice. His mouth went dry. "…Am I gonna turn into a monster?"
Baizhi's calm gaze landed on him. "How do you define 'monster'? For Resonators, such abnormal fluctuations typically lead to Overclocking."
"Over…clocking?" Rover asked, concern flashing across her face.
"When a Resonator's mental capacity is overwhelmed," Baizhi explained, "they may lose control of their Forte(Power). An overflow of Resonance energy follows."
Rover's voice dropped. "And if someone… Overclocks?"
Jeff's jaw tightened. He didn't need Baizhi's explanation—he'd seen it before in the game with certain characters. The broken look in someone's eyes when their own power burned them alive.
Baizhi's voice remained steady. "There are three levels of Overclocking, each more severe than the last. The energy harms the Resonator, and in extreme cases, creates Tacet Fields destructive enough to endanger everything nearby. Fortunately, both your waveform graphs show remarkable stability—far surpassing any Resonator I've ever encountered. Your risk is minimal. For now."
Jeff exhaled, part relief, part unease. "Yeah, but what kind of… impact are we talking about?"
"I cannot say. Not yet. Not without more data."
Rover bit her lip. "Does this have anything to do with my amnesia?"
Jeff glanced at her, lips twitching. No. That's on you. He didn't say it aloud.
Baizhi's expression softened just barely. "Your test results show no signs of trauma. So I don't believe your amnesia stems from an external wound. As for absorbing Echoes… I cannot connect that to your memory loss either. But…" She tilted her head, the light reflecting off her glasses again. "…it is as if another dimension exists within you. A hidden pathway connecting your bodies. A… creature, perhaps."
Jeff's stomach dropped. Wait, what? Abby can access my body too? What the hell is happening? This is getting worse by the second.
He scratched the back of his head, forcing out a weak laugh. "Sounds like a cool terrarium idea."
Baizhi blinked at him, then shook her head. "It was merely a metaphor. If such a thing truly existed inside you, scientists across the world would stop at nothing to study it. You are both… mysteries. Living anomalies."
Rover gave a faint smile, a rare softness slipping past her guarded tone. "Like… we've got a whole little universe inside of us."
Baizhi tilted her head, considering the words. "A universe. Poetic… and not entirely inaccurate."
Then she turned serious again, raising a sleek device from the table. "Which means the next step is clear. A simulated combat test. Only then can we observe what is hidden within you. Please—hold your Terminals tight. And stay very, very still."
Jeff swallowed hard, flexing his fingers around the weapon at his side. Combat simulation, huh? Guess it's time to see if all this crap I bought is worth anything. And figure out what the hell's tying me to Rover. I've got a bad feeling about this… a sneaky, fucking feeling I can't quite put my finger on.
The moment Jeff and Rover stepped into the simulation, Jeff blinked surprised by the landscapes
The air was thick, Damn, he thought, it really does look just like in the game… A strange déjà vu coiled in his stomach, but the cold gleam in Rover's eyes reminded him this was no controller-held safe zone. This was real.
Rover's stance shifted instantly—feet apart, shoulders squared, hand hovering the hilt of her blade. Her gaze swept over the terrain with razor precision, every muscle coiled like a predator's. Even without her memories, instinct screamed through her posture.
Baizhi's voice echoed in their ears, clinical and calm.
"This is the Academy's simulated training ground. Don't worry, Yangyang and I will assist you. Please fight the simulated Tacet Discords as you normally would."
The ground shuddered. Shards of light fractured the air, and twisted shapes began to crawl into existence—Tacit Discords, their cries shrill and grating to the nerves.
Jeff exhaled and forced a grin he didn't quite feel. "Here goes nothing."
He unholstered his pistol with his right hand, the familiar weight steadying him, while his left hand hovered near the sword strapped to his hip.
Rover drew her blade with a soft, lethal whisper of steel. Her voice was low but firm.
"Get ready."
They charged.
The first Discord lunged, claws flashing. Jeff fired, the muzzle flare briefly lighting his focused expression. The bullet struck, staggering it, and in that fleeting opening he ripped his sword free, cleaving the creature in a smooth arc. His movements weren't flawless, but they carried efficiency, killing the TD with minimal effort exerted to avoid exhaustion.
Beside him, Rover moved like water—fluid, graceful even. She parried a strike with a sharp clang, twisted her wrist, and drove her blade clean through the Discord's core. Energy rippled from her strike, resonance humming through her veins as if her body remembered a thousand battles like it was ingrained into her despite losing her memories.
Muscle memory, Jeff thought, almost distracted by the elegance of it. She fights like she was born with that sword in her hand.
They fell into rhythm. Jeff's gun barked, driving enemies back, each shot carving space for Rover's blade to finish the job. Sweat slicked his temple, but with every creature that fell, disbelief sparked in his chest—he was keeping up. Despite my limited combat experience with TD he was keeping up with Rover. It's strange. I can't be that adaptable when fighting something I'm not familiar with right, I'm not Mahoraga. What the hell. How the hell is this possible?
Baizhi's voice crackled again, cutting his train of thought.
"Hmm… as You'tan detected, your bodily functions are in good condition, and you both seem entirely unaffected by the Crownless' energy. Now… let us boost your Resonance Ability."
Their Tacet Marks glowed. Rover's hand lit with a fiery pulse, Jeff's neck burned faintly with silver light. The power crawled beneath his skin like a second heartbeat, amplifying his senses and reflexes. Holy shit I feel like a lot of adrenaline was suddenly injected to my body.
More Tacit Discords materialized.
Jeff cursed under his breath. "Seriously? That's overkill."
"Focus," Rover shot back, eyes narrowing.
They plunged into the storm. A Discord's claw swiped for Jeff's chest—too fast. He stumbled, eyes widening—
—and Rover was already there, blade intercepting the strike with a violent spark of resonance.
"Eyes up!" she barked, shoving him clear.
Jeff's pulse spiked. Another Discord closed in from her blind side. He spun on instinct, raising his pistol and firing. The shot tore through its head just as it lunged for her. Rover didn't flinch, only gave him the briefest nod—expressing her thanks.
The fight became a blur of movement and sound—steel against claws, gunfire cracking in sync with the hum of Rover's blade. They fought as though tethered by an invisible thread, each covering the other, each moving in anticipation of the other and fighting with such coordination and synergy.
Finally, silence. The last Discord dissolved into static and dust.
Jeff bent slightly, catching his breath, chest heaving. His knuckles were white against the grip of his pistol. Rover stood tall beside him, her expression calm but her shoulders rising and falling with quiet effort.
Baizhi's voice was steady, though tinged with something unreadable.
"We have gathered all the data we need. The test is ending soon. Rover, Jeff, you can find the exit straight up ahead."
A shimmering portal flared open. Jeff exhaled. "Finally…"
But when they stepped through, relief shattered.
The world warped into something else entirely—a distorted version of the simulation room, air heavy and suffocating. Static bled into their ears, Baizhi's voice breaking into fragments:
"Rover! Jeff! Can you… ¥%Hear… #¥%… &*"
"Comms are dead," Rover muttered, blade snapping back into her hand. Her face was taut, eyes scanning every shadow. "Something's wrong. Stay sharp."
Jeff swallowed hard. The atmosphere pressed down on him, every instinct screaming. "Yeah, no kidding… This feels like one of those Japanese horror games I used to play. Creepy as hell."
Then the moon appeared. Enormous, pale, and trembling as if it didn't belong in this sky, fading in and out of existence.
"Jeff…" Rover's voice was low, almost disbelieving. "Is that—"
A shadow unfolded from the darkness.
A colossal Tacet Discord, a scythe gleaming in its skeletal hand. Its voice scraped like a nightmare.
"Leave… Mother… Father…"
Before Jeff could process such overwhelming sight, the simulation snapped. The world fractured—
—then black.
He woke to Yangyang's voice calling urgently.
"Rover! Jeff! Thank goodness… you're awake!"
Jeff blinked, still breathless, the phantom image of the Tacit Discord burned into his eyes. Rover's hand twitched near her sword, jaw set like she was ready to fight again even here.
Yangyang turned to Baizhi, panic etched on her features. "What happened? The connection just… cut off!"
Baizhi's face was unreadable, eyes sharp behind her calm mask. "Rover, Jeff… do you still remember what you saw?"
They both tried to recall the sequence of events to the best of their abilities.
Jeff's throat was dry. He forced the words out, voice low. "A fucking giant Tacet Discord. With a scythe…appeared out of fucking nowhere"
Rover's brows furrowed, her voice quieter but firm. "And… an enormous moon. When we entered the portal to exit we appeared in a distorted version of the simulation room instead."
Baizhi froze, then slowly exhaled. "That… reminds me of sightings from a past war…"
Jeff felt a chill crawl down his spine. The war, huh? His fists tightened. Damn it. I need to brush up on WuWa's lore more and write it down so I don't forget.
Baizhi's tone dropped even further, clinical yet edged with concern. "Your arrival may have revived an abnormal frequency captured in the Sonoro Sphere. Manifestations of memory… or perhaps, something drawn out of your subconscious."
Jeff only half-heard her. The weight of that scythe, the sound of that voice, the image of that moon—they clung to him, stubborn shadows that refused to fade.
For once, he had no sarcastic quip to mask the tremor in his chest
Baizhi adjusted herself, the pale light of the monitors painting her sharp features in cold hues. Her voice was calm but laced with quiet intrigue as she paced slowly across the lab.
"I suspect it could have something to do with your unconscious minds," she said, her tone clipped, yet thoughtful. She stopped by the terminal, fingers tapping rapidly across the keys, her eyes narrowing at the flood of data scrolling down the screen.
Jeff shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the cot, elbows propped against his knees, his hands loosely clasped together. He stared at the floor, jaw tight. His heart was still caught halfway between the memory of that strange resonance and the sterile chill of the Academy's lab.
"Such anomalies," Baizhi continued, "could have been hiding in the simulation, and they 'resonated' with your subconscious." Her gaze flicked briefly toward them, studying their faces with clinical precision before returning to the screen. "Or perhaps…" she paused, tapping her chin with one finger, "they were lifted from your subconscious in the first place."
Jeff's throat went dry. Lifted—from his mind? He blinked rapidly, trying to shake the unease, but the thought lingered like a shadow at the edges of his awareness.
Baizhi sighed softly, a sound that held neither defeat nor reassurance. "I'm afraid I can't give you a conclusion yet. Not until we've run a thorough analysis of the data collected." She moved with quiet determination, already jotting notes on her tablet. "I'll also check the simulated Sonoro Sphere again, to see what on Solaris happened to it."
Her words were clinical, scientific, but Jeff couldn't stop the chill that ran down his spine.
Baizhi finally turned fully toward them, her arms folded loosely. "In terms of bodily functions, you both seem to be in perfect health. In fact, all the data look quite good." Her gaze softened briefly, though her face betrayed little else. "But—" her voice lowered just a fraction, almost personal now— "if you feel anything unusual, please come find me. Any time."
Rover nodded, her calm composure as steady as ever, though Jeff noticed the faint crease at her brow. She pressed a hand lightly to her chest, then looked up at Baizhi with quiet sincerity. "Thank you. I will." Her voice carried that quiet steadiness, but her eyes betrayed the flicker of thoughtfulness beneath.
Jeff swallowed hard, finally lifting his gaze. His eyes darted between Baizhi's cool, analytical expression and Rover's calm reassurance. He let out a breath, almost a laugh but not quite, rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Talk about unsettling," he muttered, his voice low, roughened with unease. Then, louder, though the words still stumbled a little: "I'll… consider it."
His tone was meant to be casual, but his tight grip on his own wrist betrayed how rattled he still felt. Even as he spoke, the memory of that strange event clawed at the back of his mind, refusing to let go.