Chapter 102.2: Heat flower (2) Part 2
***
"..."
Eight hours had passed since I had fallen into this surreal dreamscape.
I couldn't be sure of the exact time, but that's what it felt like.
"Are you alright...? You seem out of it."
"Let's give him some space. It seems like he understands the situation now."
"Yeah, he needs time to process everything..."
I sat there on the ground, frozen in place.
The two boys, both reflections of myself, stared at me with a mixture of pity and concern.
"..."
I met their gazes, my mind racing.
Waves of nausea washed over me as I struggled to make sense of everything, but I refused to shut down.
I sat there for a long time, desperately searching for a flaw in their logic.
For some inconsistency, some discrepancy that would prove them wrong.
"The status window... It told me that I possessed Raiden."
It didn't make sense.
The status window had offered me a contract, a chance to stay in this world.
It had told me, time and time again, that I was the possessor.
"Something's not adding up..."
"We told you, there's someone out there who tampered with your memories."
"Who do you think it is?"
It wasn't really a question.
More of a statement disguised as one.
"The status window... manipulated my memories...?"
It felt like I had been punched in the gut.
Lies.
I wanted to deny it, to scream that it wasn't true, but the words wouldn't come out.
The realization that the status window, something I had relied on so heavily, had betrayed me... it was too much to handle.
"It's just a guess, but... If the status window is really 'that person,' then everything falls into place."
The world tilted around me.
Who was this person they kept talking about?
I opened my mouth to ask, but they stopped me before I could speak.
"We can't tell you. It's forbidden... by a being of absolute power..."
"We don't have the strength to defy them."
"The only hint we can give you is... he's famous."
"Yeah, famous everywhere."
They exchanged glances as if they had just shared some incredibly valuable piece of information.
I couldn't keep up.
My head was spinning.
I closed my eyes, trying to fight off the dizziness, but it was no use.
I slumped back against the ground, my body heavy with exhaustion.
"Just accept it."
"This is the truth. You can't run from it any longer, Raiden."
Their voices washed over me, their words a relentless assault on my senses.
I laughed, a dry, humorless sound.
"Accept it...? How can I possibly accept this...?"
If what they were saying was true...
"Then everything I went through... the hatred, the fear, the misunderstanding... it was all my fault."
They were saying that the responsibility for all the pain and suffering I had endured...
For the fear and suspicion that had nearly driven me from this world...
Rested solely on my shoulders.
That all the injustice, all the anger I had felt...
Was the result of my own unconscious actions.
"You saw how much I suffered because of them..."
"..."
"You heard what I said to Rachel, to Ariel... when I decided to leave this world..."
Ariel, Lucy, Rachel.
I had hurt them, left them with scars that might never heal.
"I caused so much chaos... and now you're telling me that I was the cause of it all...?"
"..."
"How can you expect me to accept that...?"
Tears welled up in my eyes.
I wiped them away angrily, but they kept coming.
Bubbles of air escaped my lips, rising to the surface of the water that surrounded us.
"I resented Raiden for so long... and now you're telling me that he was me all along...?"
"..."
"Damn it..."
A curse escaped my lips.
I bit down hard, trying to contain the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.
The two boys approached me, their expressions softening.
"That's why... you need to get a grip."
"Wallowing in self-pity won't solve anything."
They pulled me to my feet, their touch surprisingly strong.
I swayed for a moment, my legs unsteady, before finding my balance.
"Think about it. You are Raiden, through and through."
"What does that even mean...?"
"It means you can finally accept the love that people like Rachel and Ariel have for you. You don't have to push them away anymore."
You're Raiden, you're Naru, you're us.
Their words, spoken with such conviction, gave me pause.
Love.
People who loved me...?
I stared at them, my mind struggling to grasp the concept.
Raiden stepped forward, offering me his hand.
"I understand... After all, we're just fragments of your memories. We're data."
"..."
"All the pain you experienced, in both lives... it's a part of us too."
He smiled at me, his expression gentle.
"We know it wasn't easy, Naru. Life has been cruel to you... But even so..."
"..."
"Even so, we have to keep moving forward, Raiden."
Naru and Raiden.
Two names, two lives, both intertwined with my own.
"You said you didn't want to leave... You said you wanted to live, to be happy..."
"..."
"You'll never find what you're looking for if you keep running away."
So take our hands, Raiden.
It's not too late to fix this.
There are still people who care about you.
"..."
I stared at their outstretched hands, my heart pounding in my chest.
I could see my own reflection in the water, shimmering and indistinct.
I took a deep breath and reached out, my fingers brushing against theirs.
-Thud...
"Good choice. Leave everything to us."
"Listen carefully. We're going to fill in the gaps in your memories, in your emotions. And when you open your eyes again..."
"You'll finally be able to accept who you are, Raiden."
They reached out, their hands covering my eyes.
Their touch was cool, yet strangely comforting.
I closed my eyes, surrendering to the darkness.
"Don't be afraid. It's just like waking up from a long dream."
"We'll count to three, and then you can open your eyes."
"Ready...?"
One.
Two.
Three.
"Remember."
Their voices echoed in my ears.
I opened my eyes, but...
Everything went dark.
.
.
.
"Cough...! Hack...!!"
I woke up with a gasp, my body jerking upright.
I was lying in bed, my sheets tangled around my legs.
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