.
.
.
VOL 1:
EXECUTION AND NORMALISM
.
.
.
Uh...
Where am I...
(he woke up)
What is this place...
?????- So finally, you woke up.
??????- (O_O) (turns behind) Hi...?
?????- Greetings, Mister... what was your name again? (looks back at the ID retrieved from him while treatment) Baizhi. SP Trainee under the Justice/Law Department and Mastery 1 in Vivid Render Resonic Skill.
BAIZHI- Oh... (holds his head) My head... feels heavy...
?????- I understand your troubles remembering everything.
BAIZHI- Kind of...
?????- You're required to rest. Don't move. Plus, you are required to be interrogated as well.
BAIZHI- Uh... why...?
?????- A person was found in one of the regions where liminal frequencies were so high that it broke one of our SSP's terminals. A person can't survive that level of frequency. And yet, not only did you survive there for almost 3 months, but you woke up and fired at the dead pixels coming from the liminal openings.
BAIZHI- Oh...
?????- Baizhi. Let me know when you're ready to answer me.
BAIZHI- Okay...
.
(after a few hours)
?????- (comes to check back) How's your health now?
BAIZHI- Better...
?????- Are you ready to answer me?
BAIZHI- Hmm...
?????- Tell me, what were you doing at that cave as an SP trainee under the Justice Department?
BAIZHI- I... don't remember... clearly...
?????- Are you sure?
BAIZHI- All I remember is... a voice... was calling me there... and then, in a blink... I saw them in danger... so I tried to push that thing away...
?????- Expected.
BAIZHI- What...
?????- I have bad news for you. You are cursed by the Liminality.
BAIZHI- What... does it mean...?
?????- Somehow, you survived the Liminality, which is responsible for thousands of deaths. But instead of getting you killed, you got cursed. And because of that...
BAIZHI- Because of that?
?????- You have a year left to live.
(silence surrounded the room)
BAIZHI- What... How...
?????- That's the question we are wondering too. You didn't fade or get eaten by the Liminality. But instead, it gave you a curse which will slowly rot your frequency inside, making you dead in the upcoming months.
BAIZHI- Is it... my punishment? By the nature itself...?
?????- I am not saying that. And it's not like we want someone to have such a terrible death. But that's the thing: if someone gets infected by the Liminality, then they can't be saved.
BAIZHI- So you're saying there's no cure?
?????- We would have saved several people if a cure existed.
BAIZHI- I see...
?????- But here's the thing, child. I don't want you to think that you have a year left to die. Think as if you have 1 year to live. You need to live in the moment.
BAIZHI- But... how?
?????- What do you mean by how? Do you not have any goals?
BAIZHI- I... don't remember having one... after...
?????- Getting kicked from Hidden Valley?
BAIZHI- (shocked) Hmm... I settled myself here, in Remiss City, and a lady was asking me to join the SP... Her name was... what was it...
?????- Astro.
BAIZHI- Yes...
?????- I remember. Now I also remembered I was the one who approved to let you enter without SP Recruitment Tests since she required one urgently.
BAIZHI- Right...
?????- And then during your trainee period, you chose to jump into a cave where the liminal frequencies were high. Cool.
BAIZHI- I told you- it was a voice calling me-
?????- I know. And it's interesting to hear.
BAIZHI- Uh...
?????- Since I can catch lies, and as much as this sounds like a lie, it isn't a lie.
BAIZHI- I don't understand...
?????- (looks at this hand) I have the blessing of Mirau. I can see the truth with the blessed vision I have.
BAIZHI- I see...
?????- Now the research was supposed to expand based on the data of that frequency around the cave. But they got injured, and your terminal is kind of compromised due to the, again, frequencies.
BAIZHI- Oh.
?????- While we fix your terminal to see if we can receive any recorded data from that, have this new one.
BAIZHI- This doesn't look like the trainee one...
?????- Hmm, you're promoted to SP.
BAIZHI- Huh- Why?
?????- I remember Astro saying that you passed your training before you went missing. So, I guess it's fair to promote you.
BAIZHI- Oh. Thank you... uh...
?????- Ramos. My name. [NAME: RAMOS, DATA NOT FOUND]
BAIZHI- (handshakes) Thank you, Ramos.
RAMOS- Well, let me get you aware of some things. The department got some new tasks, so you have to go through them. Also, Astro is not your leader anymore.
BAIZHI- What? Why?
RAMOS- She resigned.
BAIZHI- Damn.
RAMOS- So your new leader is Kae, I'm sure you know who she.
Kae...
Right... I remember her helping me during my SP Trainee...
She's a kind lady... and also made me feel good about myself when I was trying to move on from the Hidden Valley incident...
I hope her health is well too...
RAMOS- (snaps his fingers) You hearing me?
BAIZHI- (gets back to senses) Oh. Um. Right. I'll talk to her for the remaining.
RAMOS- Good. I shall take my leave. Welcome back to RSC SP Forces :)
BAIZHI- Thank you.
RAMOS- And, don't tell anyone about your curse. Keeping it a secret would be better.
BAIZHI- Wait, what about those 5 people?
RAMOS- They don't know the person they found there is you. Only the Executives know about your condition, okay?
BAIZHI- Got it.
(Ramos leaves the room.)
BAIZHI- Uh... my head still feels heavy...
.
[Listen to me...
The Forgotten One...
Become my aid...
Avenge me...
Be my successor...
And have my everything...
To rule over everything...]
.
Now, do I remember a little bit...
What that voice tried to convey...
And what did he mean by the Forgotten one...
Was that message from the Liminality itself...?
Ugh... I don't know...
I shouldn't overthink... it might have been a bluff to capture me...
Or else I would have never received the curse...
.
- / - \ -