Chapter 72

〈Chapter 72〉 Star (4)

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#8

She said there wasn’t much to prepare.

Stella had her eyes tightly shut, as if deeply engrossed in thought, while I stood beside her, idly watching the stars pour down.

Still, as Stella had said, I focused to avoid missing any scenes. I wondered how it would be shown. I was a bit excited.

About five minutes had passed.

“...It’s strange.”

Stella, who was holding my hand, tilted her head slightly.

“Why, why... can’t I hear it?”

Her delicate brows furrowed. She bit her lip and let out a groan.

“Is something wrong?”

“...It’s just, there’s no response. This has never happened before... I’m sure my voice is reaching, but there’s no answer. I definitely wished for your fate...”

I can’t imagine how she feels, not being the one involved. But I can clearly tell that something has gone wrong. Stella looked extremely troubled, not knowing what to do. An unexpected situation. I remained calm and spoke sparingly.

“W-wait. I’ll try again.”

“Take your time.”

“Mm... phew, haa.”

With a shallow breath, Stella refocused. The strength in her hand, which was holding mine, seemed to increase slightly.

I took in the white dots in the night sky as before, and then, noticing that Stella had her eyes closed, I slowly closed mine as well. Except for a faint light, complete darkness enveloped my vision. The surroundings were entirely pitch black, and my mind naturally drifted deeper into the darkness.

That’s when it happened.

“...Still, I can’t hear it. Today, of all days, it should be the clearest, but it’s really strange. Why is it like this...”

Thump.

My heart gave a large throb.

“...Ezio?”

All my senses were instantly cut off.

The cool sensation of the earth, Stella’s voice beside me. I felt nothing. Was it because I was too focused? No. I was alone in a distant, starry world. A pitch-black space where no one else existed. The more I tried to escape, the more I stumbled and sank deeper, like an ant trap.

Even a small cry for help couldn’t reach the outside world. My consciousness gradually sank.

Without my senses, I couldn’t tell where or in what position I was floating. The only thing I could see was a faint, reddish light seeping through the darkness, spreading out like an artificial panorama and soon enveloping me in a bright white.

My eyes hurt.

Splash. A sound of water.

Was my hearing returning? Or did sound finally become possible? My ankles were cold. My sense of touch had returned. In the same vein, I fell to the ground as if kneeling, and my body was half-submerged in water. I coughed, lying in a position that seemed to express despair. The water, deep enough to reach my calves, wasn’t as deep as the ocean.

And.

I couldn’t help but vomit.

The face reflected on the water’s surface was not the new face of Ezio Crani, which I was just getting used to, but the old, short, and frail Ezio Crani.

Slightly reddish black hair. The face of a boy with blue eyes, wide with disbelief, was clearly reflected on the water. My mind, momentarily paralyzed by the incomprehensible scene, soon saw something rise in the middle of the shimmering sea at sunset.

Whoosh. A pillar of water appeared, and the water streams flowed like peeling fabric.

The arms and legs that emerged from it were completely dry. It was blinding. A glowing mass floated in the sky, illuminated by a burning crimson sky.

“Remember. Boy, remember the contract with me. Until you do, no one will be able to glimpse your inevitability and mortality.”

That was—

Like a sun.

#9

“—Ezio!”

With an urgent voice, I finally came to my senses.

“Cough, cough. Hack... haa, haa...”

All my senses, which had been cut off, rushed back at once.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the cold ground, and sweat droplets fell from the tips of my wet hair. My body was drenched in cold sweat. A lump rose in my throat, and I heaved a deep sigh.

“Are you, are you okay!?”

What happened? Stella was holding my back and shoulders, lying on the ground. When I turned my head, I saw her eyes glistening with tears. I seemed to have unintentionally worried her.

“...Yeah, I’m fine. Phew.”

“You don’t look fine at all...”

“No, really, I’m fine. I’m okay, so...”

As I tried to steady my breathing and regain a sense of reality, Stella’s magic suddenly washed over me.

My sweat-soaked clothes and hair returned to normal. My body, which had been cold, suddenly felt warm. After taking a few deep breaths, my heart, which had been pounding, returned to a comfortable rhythm.

“I, at least I can do this...”

“No, this is enough. Thank you.”

I straightened my posture and sat up, feeling drained. I turned to look at Stella, who was watching me with concern.

“Ezio... what happened?”

“I was about to ask you.”

“I, I was suddenly startled when you lost consciousness and fell forward. I kept calling you, but you didn’t respond... and the stars still didn’t answer. I, I thought something terrible had happened...”

I had lost consciousness at some point. The last thing I remembered was closing my eyes while holding Stella’s hand. After that, it was a continuous series of terrifying sensations.

Just thinking about it made my stomach churn. If I kept thinking about it, I might vomit everything I had eaten today.

Despite what just happened, the night sky remained peacefully unchanged. It annoyed me. There must have been some connection.

“...Stella.”

“Y-yes.”

“What does the star look like?”

“...What does it look like? Why... don’t you think...?”

“No, I don’t know yet. That’s why I’m asking.”

Stella, hesitating to speak, quietly answered.

“...Well, I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah... it doesn’t show its form very well... I only know its voice. Actually, even that changes every time, so I can’t really describe it...”

“It’s complicated.”

“Yeah...”

She looked embarrassed, as if she had nothing to offer. Not knowing isn’t a sin. Since Stella didn’t know either, I couldn’t determine the nature of what I had seen. Seeing my deep, contemplative expression, Stella asked cautiously.

“What... happened?”

“Ah, um.”

How should I explain this?

“...I saw the sea.”

“The sea?”

“Yeah. The sea... and the evening sky. And a glowing mass like the sun. It spoke to me. I don’t know what it was saying, but it told me to remember. It mentioned something about inevitability, but I don’t really understand. Sorry. It still feels like a dream...”

“Ah, no. That’s normal. Yes. Keep talking.”

“Yeah. And... it said that without the past, there is no future. It showed me something. I’m not sure what...”

As I spoke, I looked down at my hands and feet. They were fine. I touched my face. It was the new body, not the old Ezio Crani.

I’m relieved. I didn’t go back. A sigh of relief escaped me. Stella watched my actions with a puzzled look.

“Anyway, I don’t think I saw my future fate there. It might have been the opposite. It definitely didn’t seem like the star you mentioned.”

“Then, what was it...?”

“How would I know? But one thing is certain: I had an amazing experience that anyone else couldn’t have. Thanks to you, Stella. Thank you.”

“Ah, you’re welcome...?”

Whatever it was, Stella’s ability definitely affected me. Even though she didn’t see anything herself.

After a moment, Stella straightened her disheveled cardigan and other clothes, then closed her eyes again. This time, she didn’t hold my hand but clasped her own hands tightly.

After a short while, Stella opened her eyes.

“...Ezio, you said it wasn’t the star, right?”

“Yeah.”

If it was a deity, I wouldn’t know.

That was my intuition.

“Is there a problem?”

“Well, if it wasn’t the star, then what was it? My voice isn’t reaching at all now. This means I’ve used up all my chances to communicate with the star.”

“...What? Really?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. And I was supposed to see your fate with you. I was supposed to hear it first and then pass it on. But this time, you saw something alone. This is the first time it’s happened.”

Stella’s face, as she spoke, was mostly filled with confusion, but there was also a hint of interest.

The Stella who had been worried and on the verge of tears a moment ago was now back to her usual self, with a faint smile. She turned to me and spoke.

“You are a special person, Ezio.”

Special.

...Is that so.

The more I have secrets that I can’t easily share with others, the more I feel like I’m being pushed into a corner. I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

#10

Late at night.

Somewhere on the second basement floor of the Frontier Headquarters.

A long, narrow corridor with a steel floor, under the glow of fluorescent lights, lined with cold steel chairs.

A man in his second year as a professor was checking his tie. His well-pressed suit, bought in a hurry from a high-end tailor the day before, was neatly ironed.

He also carefully checked his analog wristwatch. After a moment of hesitation, he stopped the watch’s movement. He was worried that the ticking of the second hand might irritate the person on the other side of the door.

“Phew, phew.”

He placed his hand on his chest, trying to calm himself, and took deep breaths. He seemed to be repeating something in his mind.

Creak.

The door next to him opened, and a man, looking exhausted, shuffled out like a zombie.

Without even glancing at the man sitting in the chair, he silently moved towards the opposite exit. He looked at least ten years older after his session.

“Last person, come in.”

The man, who had been sitting with his eyes tightly shut, got up stiffly. He moved his body unnaturally, like a jointed doll or a toy soldier.

Following the maid in a maid’s uniform, who seemed out of place, he walked down the corridor and stopped in front of a door.

“You can go in.”

“Yes, sir.”

He bit his tongue. The taste of blood was bitter, but he had no time to think about it. He grabbed the handle of the round door. It was cold. As he turned it and opened the door, a puff of acrid cigarette smoke filled his nostrils.

Even the man, a regular smoker, wrinkled his nose in disgust. The smoke was extremely toxic. But he didn’t show it. He closed the door behind him with a thud and saw a small, single-room structure.

The room, bathed in a bluish light, had a long table in the center, with two chairs facing each other. Someone’s legs were crossed on the table, resting on the edge. They were very long legs.

The man swallowed hard as he approached the chair to sit down.

“Stop. Who told you to sit?”

The man’s body stiffened.

The person, who had been smoking one cigarette after another, roughly stubbed it out on the ashtray on the table. It was more like he threw it onto a pile of dead cigarettes. He had probably smoked two or three months’ worth in one day. The man was inwardly horrified.

Despite his thoughts, the person on the opposite side was still very agitated. The man immediately bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Elena.”

“Hmm.”

She waved her hand, as if it was too much trouble to answer.

Elena wasn’t originally this rude. Although she had been specially requested by the Frontier Headquarters, they were still valuable and important human resources.

There was no need to belittle them. Because of this, Elena initially treated them with respect. At first.

This damn big city had a lot of professors. After that day, Elena had been practically living here, unable to leave until everything was finished. She had thought about quitting halfway through countless times, but she had made a promise. Her motivation had disappeared two days ago. Elena had become twisted.

Her greasy black hair hung loosely. She wore a tight black tank top and loose training pants. Her face, covered in cigarette smoke and grime, resembled an old, sick beast.

But even if she was old and sick, she was still a beast. Her left eye, sharp and piercing, glowed a brilliant gold.

“So, did I tell you to sit?”

“...What?”

The man, who had been about to sit down, froze. Elena didn’t answer. She silently flipped through the documents in her hand, quickly scanning the last page.

She recited the man’s name and personal details, checking each item. When he confirmed they were correct, it was almost over. This was the formal part of the questioning.

Elena tilted her head.

“Stay there. You don’t need to speak.”

“Yes, yes?”

This was the real start.

Elena removed the eye patch covering her left eye. Or rather, she took it off. The man instinctively stiffened his body. He was as rigid as a stone.

“I will verify all the facts myself. You won’t be able to lie to me. If you hide anything from me from this moment on, you will die here. Do you understand?”

Elena’s left eye, now revealed, was completely black, as if it had been swallowed by darkness. The inhuman eye, staring directly at him, made the man feel a fear he had never experienced before, gripping and suffocating every cell in his body.

The man, trembling, nodded frantically.