Chapter : The day after today
Step Step Step
…
Step Step Step
….
[Say where are we anyways?] Raiden Mei spoke her voice slightly confused
"To be honest I have no clue"
…
Step Step step
—
…
"Where the hell are we?"
[Weird. I could've swore we were travelling in a straight line.] Raiden Mei replied
[…] On the other hand both Raiden Ei and Raiden Bosenmori mei were completely quiet.
"Why are you two so quiet?"
[…]
"...That doesn't sound reassuring."
[We have been walking for three hours.]
Raiden Bosenmori Mei finally spoke.
"Three hours?"
[Yes.]
Stop
"Then why don't we know where we are?" Honestly you know, being told my Raiden Bosenmori Mei isn't exactly trusth worthy considering she's always forgetful but—Ah right they can read my thoughts
[…]
Silence.
"Guys?"
[What.] Raiden Ei spoke, tone harsh
"Nothing."
Sigh
Turns
Nothing.
Just more road. The forest we'd been walking through had long since disappeared, Instead, there were buildings.
Tall buildings.
Not skyscrapers exactly, but tall enough that I had to tilt my head upward to properly see their roofs. Some were made of grey concrete, others of red brick. A few had enormous glass windows reflecting the pale sky above.
There were older buildings mixed between them too.
Ornate facades.
Stone statues.
Large windows.
Dark rooftops.
Some looked as though they had been standing there for centuries, while others looked as though they had been constructed only a few years ago.
"…"
I slowly turned my head.
Cars.
Lots of them.
They moved along the roads in an orderly fashion, occasionally stopping at intersections where strange lights changed from red to green. There were buses too. And something else. A long vehicle moved along rails embedded directly into the road.
"A train?"
[Tram.]
Raiden Mei answered almost immediately.
"What's the difference?"
[One usually travels on roads.]
"Oh."
I stared at it as it passed.
Clang.
The sound of metal wheels against the rails echoed through the street. People were everywhere. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. Some wore suits. Others wore casual clothes. Students carrying backpacks. Workers rushing somewhere.
Old people sitting on benches.
Children running around their parents.
It was noisy.
Not unbearably so.
Just…
Alive.
"…"
I didn't say anything.
For some reason, seeing all of this felt strange.
Yesterday—Or was it today?
I didn't even know anymore.
Everything I remembered was fragmented.
But I remembered waking up in the snow.
I remembered the voices.
The sword.
The strange emptiness.
And now…
A city.
A normal city.
I looked down at myself.
Black gloves.
A sword.
Purple hair reaching all the way down my back.
I look exactly like Acheron, a character straight out Honkai Star Rail so….
"…Why isn't anyone staring?"
[Hm?]
"Look at me."
[I am.]
"No, I mean everyone else."
I gestured toward myself.
"I look ridiculous—to the normal people at least"
[You do not look ridiculous.] Raiden Mei spoke
"Thank you, Mei."
[I said you don't look ridiculous.]
"That's not what I meant."
[Then what did you mean?]
Sigh
"Forget it."
I continued walking
Step Step Step
Some people passed by me.
One person glanced at me then continued walking. Another looked at my sword. Then immediately looked away. A man wearing a suit bumped into my shoulder.
"Sorry."
He didn't even stop.
"…That's it?"
[What were you expecting?]
"I don't know." I looked down at my clothes again.
"Maybe someone screaming?"
[Why would they scream?]
"Because I look like this?"
[It's better to observe the surroundings.] spoke Raiden Bosenmori Mei first
"…Fair."
I kept walking and at some point. A group of teenagers passed by. One of them was wearing what looked like a demon mask. Another had unnaturally pale skin. A third had pointed ears. Yet
Nobody cared.
Nobody even batted an eye
Blink
Glance
Blink
…
"Okay."
I stopped.
Step.
I looked at the group that had just passed me.
Then at the people around them.
Then back at the group.
"…Something's wrong."
[What?] Raiden Mei asked.
"Everyone."
[Everyone?] Raiden Bosenmori spoke
"They're acting like this is normal."
[Perhaps it is normal.]
"But…"
I looked at the teenager with pointed ears. He was laughing with his friends as they walked down the street, completely unconcerned about anything around him.
"…Since when?"
Neither of them answered.
I looked around again.
A woman with what looked like small horns was standing outside a café. A man with scales covering one side of his face was reading a newspaper A child with what appeared to be a small pair of wings was holding his mother's hand.
And nobody cared.
Not even slightly. No one was staring. No one was taking pictures. No one was screaming. It was as if—This was normal.
"…"
[You seem troubled.] Raiden Bosenmori Mei spoke once more
"I am."
[Why?]
"Because none of this makes sense."
[Neither does our current situation.]
"…Fair."
Sigh
"Let's just assume this is normal here."
[That is a surprisingly reasonable conclusion.] Raiden Ei spoke, her voice while still rough sounded more.. restrained.
"Don't sound so surprised."
[I'm merely stating an observation.]
"Whatever."
Step Step Step
I continued walking.
The city itself was becoming more crowded. The further I walked, the more I began noticing the little things. Large screens displayed advertisements above buildings. A restaurant had a holographic menu projected beside its entrance.
A delivery drone flew between two buildings before disappearing behind one of them. There were bicycles everywhere. Electric vehicles. Trams. Buses. People carrying strange devices I'd never seen before.
Yet somehow…
It still felt familiar.
"…"
Step Step Step
I stopped in front of a large glass window. My reflection stared back at me. Long purple hair. Violet eyes. Black and white clothing. A sword hanging from my waist. I raised my hand. The reflection did the same.
"…Acheron."
[Yes?]
"That's still my name, right?"
[You chose it.]
"I know."
I lowered my hand.
"It's strange."
[What is?]
"Having a name that I know isn't mind."
Silence
I continued walking.
Step Step Step
Eventually, the smell of food reached me and instinctively I stopped.
"…Do you smell that?"
[Yes.]
"I'm hungry."
[You don't need to eat.] Raiden Bosenmori Mei
"I know."
Grumble
"…My stomach disagrees."
[Perhaps we should find food.] Raiden Mei replied
"Finally, something we agree on."
I followed the smell toward a small street filled with restaurants and cafés. There were people everywhere. Some sitting outside. Some standing around talking. Some simply walking past.
I saw a couple of people eating outside, some with pointed ears, others looking bulkier but shorter, some with green skin, and they were eating like it was completely normal… Had I been reincarnated in another world? Perhaps.
"…They really don't care."
[About what?]
"The differences."
[Maybe this is just the new normal of this world.]
"Maybe."
I looked toward a large screen mounted on the side of a building. A smiling family appeared on it. A human father. A human mother and a child with pointed ears.
The screen changed.
Another family.
Then another.
Different appearances.
Yet all of them smiling.
A slogan appeared beneath them.
TOGETHER, WE BUILD TOMORROW.
I stared at it.
"…Propaganda?"
[What?] asked Raiden Mei
"Nothing."
I wasn't sure why I'd said that.
Maybe it was just instinct.
Something about the way the advertisement presented everything as perfect felt strangely artificial.
I looked away.
"Let's keep walking."
A few streets later—
BOOM.
"What was that?"
The sound had come from somewhere in the distance. People stopped. Some looked toward the source. Others simply continued walking.
"…That sounded like an explosion."
[It did—] Raiden Mei spoke
BOOM.
This time louder. Windows rattled. A car alarm went off. People finally began moving.
"What's happening?"
[I don't know.] Raiden Mei spoke once more
[Something is approaching.] Raiden Bosenmori Mei's voice became more serious.
"Something?"
CRASH.
A vehicle flew across the intersection. It slammed into the side of a building.
BOOOOOOM.
"RUN"
"What the hell?!" instinctively I stepped backward Through the smoke, something emerged.
Step Step Step
A figure.
Humanoid.
But far too large.
A giant, not someone whose 200cm's or something
An actual giant.
His body was enormous, easily several times taller than any human around him. Black armor covered parts of his body while strange markings seemed to crawl across his skin.
His eyes glowed with an unnatural light.
And in his hand—
A massive weapon.
I stared.
"…What the hell is that?"
[…]
For once, nobody inside my head answered. The giant slowly looked around. Buildings. Cars. People.
Then—His gaze stopped on me.
"…Shit."
[What?] Raiden Mei asked.
"He's looking at me."
[Yes.]
The giant raised his weapon. The people around me began screaming everywhere
RUN!
GET OUT OF HERE!
MOVE!
The peaceful atmosphere from moments ago disappeared instantly as people scattered in every direction. Cars crashed into one another as drivers desperately tried to escape. Someone fell. Someone else pulled them back up.
A mother grabbed her child's hand and ran. And I—I simply stood there. Because my legs weren't moving.
"…Why is he looking at me?"
[Perhaps because you're standing in front of him.]
"That's not helpful!"
The giant took another step.
BOOM.
The pavement cracked and I could feel the vibrations in my foot.
"Okay…"
Instinctively I reached for the sword at my waist.
"Maybe we should run."
[Agreed.] All 3 said in unison
I turned.
And stopped.
The road behind me was already blocked.
A collapsed vehicle had fallen across it.
"…Of course."
BOOM.
The giant raised his weapon
"SHIT!"
I jumped sideways, well tried.
BOOOOOOM!
The street exploded as concrete shattered everywhere along with a mix of glass dust and many things as a shockwave pushed me
CRASH!
My body slammed against the side of a building.
"UGH—Hm?" It doesn't hurt?
[The body of an emanator is powerful.]
I slowly stood up.
My body barely hurted as I looked toward the giant. He was walking toward me.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As if he already knew there was no reason to hurry.
"…That's not good."
Glance
I looked around. People were running. Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road. Smoke was beginning to rise from somewhere behind me.
And the giant—
Step.
Was getting closer.
"Okay."
I turned around.
And ran.
—
Step Step Step Step—
[Run faster.] spoke Raiden Ei
"I'M TRYING—"
BOOM.
Step Step Step Step
The ground behind me shook. I didn't look back, I couldn't, I needed to find something.
An alley.
A building.
Anything.
I turned toward a narrow street between two buildings.
Step Step Step Step—
CRASH!
A massive hand smashed through the wall beside me.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
I barely managed to jump away. Concrete rained down around me. yet I kept running.
Step Step Step Step Step—
"Can't any of you do something?!"
[You possess our abilities.] Raiden Mei replied.
"That's not what I asked!"
[Believe inn yourself]
"Right."
I raised my hand while running.
Purple lightning flickered between my fingers.
ZZZT—
Then disappeared.
"…What?"
[You lost concentration.]
"I'M BEING CHASED BY A FUCKING GIANT!"
[That would explain it.]
"MEI!"
Another shadow covered the road. I looked upward. The giant's weapon was descending. as I jumped sideways.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact threw me across the street.
CRASH!
I rolled across the pavement before stopping.
For several seconds—
I didn't move.
"…"
Then I slowly raised a hand.
"…Okay."
The giant pulled his weapon from the ground.
"Running isn't working."
[It appears not.]
"Thanks. very helpful now."
I pushed myself up.
My legs were shaking. Not from pain.
Fear.
I looked at my hand. Lightning flickered across my fingers again. Then at the sword hanging from my waist.
Naught.
I didn't know how to use any of this.
Electro.
Origin.
Nihility.
Three powers.
Four people.
And apparently a very specific set of rules that nobody had bothered to properly explain to me.
But—
The giant took another step.
BOOM.
There was nowhere left to run.
I slowly reached toward the hilt of my sword.
"…Fine." I turned toward him.
"If running doesn't work…"
"…Then I guess I'll have to fight."