"Please stop , this isn't right…" A child's voice filled with sorrow , one could see her face was bruised , her clothes wet as they were splashed with water , she was crying as one could see her undergarments.
"That's what you get for defying me , bastard." continued an arrogant voice yet that of a child , his voice full of sneer like looking at a lower life form
"Go on, call a teacher , and I'll kill you." he continued as one could hear cheering from nearby , other boys who looked at this like it was fun , like it was an act only a noble from a fictional story would do.
HIIK
The girl's quiet sobbing could be heard , she tried her best not to cry too loudly as she knew if she sobbed , the boy would just bully her even more , thus she tried her best to stop crying , of course they were just kids , what can you expect?
—
"Urggh…" I said as I could feel my head pounding , my thoughts blurry my memories in shambles , did I drink too much yesterday? I could've swore I just drank a single can.
"That dream again…" The memories that returned to me were also unpleasant , of the past that happened back in the day. As I opened my eyes and gaze on the white ceiling , just like that one scene from Evangelion , except the fact that I'm no protagonist
And in front of me was a blue screen showing [3] yeah—Wait. What? As I grogily woke myself up I could see a blue screen showcasing the number [3] Huh Am I drunk again?
[No.] the screen went before turning to [2] , damn I must be really drunk , I'm even hallucinating a fucking screen like one of those isekai protagonist… I'm probably still in a dream…
[Roll to your left!!!] it went before turning to [1] Damn I must be in a game or some—
BOOOOOOOOOM FSHHHHHHHHHH
1 second , that was all it took for my normal morning to be ruined , smoke came in as rubble could be seen everywhere
Crumble Crumble
"Cough—Cough , damn that hurts…" I swear I could feel one of my ribs broken as breathing hurted , my vision slightly blurred as I looked at one of my hands
"Blood" as the warm red liquid touched my arm , my thoughts were jerked awake as I had a single question running through my head What the fuck is this shit ???
[Fragment of Quirk : Explosion] went the screen before turning to [0]
"There you are" Her voice filled with rage and sorrow as—BOOOMM
Even more explosions could be heard concentrated here ,
"Who-?" I muttered as my blurry eyes captured a figure wearing a black hoodie , long hair and slightly protruding front tells me it's a 'she' . I couldn't recognize the person in front of me.
"Wowwwww , you don't even remember me? Even after everything we went through-?"
SWISH
As she opened her hoodie the scars were revealed , scars that could make kids wretch on sight. That was how bad the scars were , half her head was bald with permanent scars everywhere.
"I was supposed to be an idol and just because I rejected you—YOU SPLASHED MY FACE WITH SULFURIC ACID AND RUINED MY LIFE? AND YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER MY NAME"
"Ah I get it you must've done this so often you can't be bothered to remember every single victim's name , am I right?"
I don't know , I couldn't remember—No I don't want to remember , Is this Karma? Is the past finally catching up with me? Maybe I could finally die? That way at least my parents would get some money from my Death insurance.
"Kill me" I said , my words hollow , empty with no emotion waiting for my death , whether she kills me painlessly or tortures me completely , for as long as I die , then everything will be alright.
At least that was what I thought , a saying goes that people who often say "I wish to die" when the time actually comes for them to reach the end of their life , for some reason they'd suddenly wish to live.
The brightest stars will fade the fastest , someone on their death bed will suddenly regain all their energy right before their death Terminal Clarity they call it and of course the same could be said for me.
*Snap BOOOOOOOMMMMM
She's not done. Through the smoke, I saw her. Her palm was raised, crackling with orange energy, ready to fire again. Her face—the ruined half, the scarred scalp, the eye that could no longer fully close—was twisted with decades of hatred.
"Any last words?" she asked. Her voice shook. Not with fear. With the effort of holding back tears. I should say I'm sorry. I should beg for forgiveness. I should—What was Bakugo's weakness again?
The thought surfaced from the same place that knew every fictional universe I'd ever consumed. The catalog of powers, weaknesses, counter-strategies. It had been useless knowledge.
A way to escape my worthless life. But now—Water. Nitroglycerin sweat. Water-soluble. I looked at my kitchen. The explosion had shattered the sink. Water was spraying everywhere.
A fire extinguisher hung on the far wall, half-buried in rubble. Get to the extinguisher. Immobilize her hands. Don't let her touch her palms together.
"I remember, I said." My voice hoarse.
"Not your name. I'm sorry—I don't remember your name. But I remember what I did. Sulfuric acid. Because you said no. Because I couldn't handle rejection. Because I was a monster."
"Shut up." Her hand wavered. Just slightly but only for a bit.
"I'm not asking for forgiveness. I don't deserve it. But I remember, I'm—"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" She fired. But I was already moving—not toward her, but sideways, toward the fire extinguisher.
BOOOOOMM
The blast caught my leg, and I screamed, but my hand closed around the red cylinder. I spun, pulled the pin, and sprayed.
The foam caught her arm mid-swing. For a second—just a second—the crackling energy in her palm sputtered.
Water. Nitroglycerin. It was working. I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. I tackled her, grabbing her wrists, forcing her palms apart , yet she was persistent as she resisted
CRASHHHH Crumble Crumble
We crashed into the rubble together, and she screamed—not with rage, but with the raw, breaking sound of someone who had waited years for this moment and felt it slipping away.
"Let me go! Let me—I have to—you ruined my life!" The girl continued screaming , trying her best to shake me off and
"I know." I was crying. When did I start crying? "I know. I know. And you can kill me. But not yet. Not until I've done something—anything—to make up for what I did." Her struggles slowed. The explosions stopped.
HIIIK HIIIK HIIIK
She was sobbing , her scarred face pressed against my ruined floor, as I held her wrists pinning her to the floor , I know. The urge to atone for my past sins were there , but so was my will to live.
Funny—Reminds me of that one character from ORV , Nirvana was he called? An immortal who wished to die yet when finally faced with death by Kim Dok Ja , he changed his mind almost instantly.
Except I am no immortal , just an ordinary person who made bad choices.
"I wanted to be an idol," she whispered her voice weak filled with snot as she continued to speak in a voice full of acceptance
"I wanted to perform. And you took that from me. You took everything from me. My entire life , my entire career gone because a single rejection."
"I know."
"I hate you. I hate you so much. I want to kill you."
"I know."
Crackle BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP Crumble
We lay there in the wreckage of my apartment—the girl whose dreams I destroyed and the man who couldn't even remember her name.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"I know sorry won't fix anything but I'm sorry." She didn't answer. Her sobbing echoed in my ruined apartment as I held her wrists waiting for whatever is to come.
Ah… I could feel my consciousness slipping away , has the adrenaline—
—
"Huh. a white room" I muttered as I could tell I was laying down , this reminds me of that Shinji scene from Evangelion when he just woke up.
"Hey you , you're finally awake" the voice of an aged man returned me to my senses , yet all I could think about was how this reminded me on that iconic Skyrim Opening scene.
"Quit dozing off , you're an adult don't be one of those kids who can't even stand still for a second." he continued , I could finally see his face , his body was in fit shape , his hair combed nicely.
"Ah yes—and you are-?"
"You can call me… Mr. G , apologies even my name is a classified information for ordinary citizens like you." Mr G replied in a blunt and strict manner , like those drill sergeants you see in the military.
"Ah I see—Wait, where was that girl?"
"Girl?"
"The Human Girl with a disfigured face."
"Ah. That Remnant" Mr G continued his face remaining the same , without a single change in his expression.
"Remnant-?" I asked , curiosity got the better of me.
"It is classified information , we might need you to sign an NDA for this or even erase your memories , but a Remnant is quite literally… Characters. Those from fictional worlds."
"Whether it be the Japanese anime's and manga's , the Chinese's Donghua's and Manhua's , the Korean's Manhwa's , even including those Korean or Chinese Drama's , or even the TV series you see."
"Marvel , DC , Dr. Who , Breaking Bad or even The cartoons like Tom and Jerry , Sophia the First , My Little Pony , Adventure time , The world of Gumball and many more , reaching even the novels , whether it be classical or modern"
"Popular titles including Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint , Lord of the Mysteries , Shadow Slave , Harry Potter , Reincarnated as a Slime and countless others , those beings exist , and we call them Remnants."
"Beings originating from fictional worlds , does that answer your question Cael Lucian?"
"How did you—" as I listened to his words , my name coming out there was definitely not on my bucket list ,
"Cael Lucian , age 35 , high school dropout , born in 1995 , you had changed schools 50 times , with 120 bullying cases , you were born in New York , but had moved through several states in your lifetime. Now living in Flint , Michigan in a dilapidated apartment"
"The FBI?" my first thought instantly went through , having access to even such private information must mean this is the FBI.
"No—Our name is also confidential , unless—You become one of us."
Like those ominous scenes you see in the SCP foundation or the kind perhaps , like Seoul Object Story , Anomaly or even I became a slime , unlike them however , I was an ordinary human , not an anomaly , object or SCP that needed to be contained.
"I'm not going to be treated as a D-Class now won't I-?" My first thoughts , after all if I were a D-Class , It would've been the same as a death sentence
"Depending on your skill set."
"… What if I say no"
"Then you'll have your memories erased , as simple as that , but tell me Cael Lucian , do you truly want to go back? Living in a dilapidated apartment , waiting for death , drowning in sorrow , can that truly be called living?"
"Of course , the choice is absolutely on you , whether you choose to join us , or not that is your freedom , we are after all the land of the free" Mr G's words it was nectar and I was a bee , like the devil's deal to an unfortunate man.
"I'm in…" There was no need to hesitate , at the very least even if I were an disposable pawn , it would've been better than what I was doing for the past 5 years.
"Well then Cael Lucian , welcome to The Silentium"