Beep… Beep… Beep…
"(W-What?)"
"(Turn that off)."
"(Ouch)."
Why is this room so empty?
There's only a huge window letting in a fresh breeze.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch…"
"(Hello!?)"
"(Where the hell did I end up now?)"
I lean out the window with some effort.
"—!?!?"
"(Shit, shit— I really screwed up this time!!)"
Outside there were only huge buildings and skyscrapers whose tops I couldn't even see.
Looking down, I saw an uncountable amount of people passing by— some running, others walking… others flying?
"(Flying?)"
"Eh? (How is that even possible?)"
"(No… it shouldn't— this isn't…)"
—!!!
"AAaagh!!"A pain so sharp it knocked the breath out of me.
"(Shit— my head—)" I grabbed my skull as hard as I could, as if that would make the pain go away.
Tap– Tap– Tap– Tap. Tap– Tap– Tap– Tap.Tap– Tap– Tap– Tap. Tap– Tap– Tap– Tap.Tap– Tap– Tap– Tap—
"AAaagh— aaAAagh—! At least it's a bit more bearable now…"
"Huh? (That sound?)"
BAM!!
A door burst open, sending a strong gust of wind that made the curtains dance.
"ᚺᚨᛚᛚ ᚠᚱᛖᚾ ᛖᛉᛁᛊ!!"
A woman rushed in, speaking a language I didn't recognize.
The room's light shattered softly against the ash-colored strands of her hair, which gleamed silver for a moment when she moved. She wore a coat; beneath it, a soft dress that hinted at a color somewhere between blue and gray— impossible to tell which one dominated.
Eyes the color of a clear sky.
"(…Wow.)"
Wait a second—
"ᛖᛋᛏᚫᛋ ᛞᛖᛈᛁᛖᚱᛏᚫ!"
WHAT THE HELL IS SHE SHOUTING!?
"(W-what are you even saying!?)"
"ᛋᛁᛚᛖᚾᚲᛖ?"
"AH—" she tapped her own hand, as if something had just clicked.
She searched inside her coat for something.
"Aha!"
Hey— no way.
What she pulled out could only be one thing: a bullet. It had the exact shape of one.
Don't tell me— were you just waiting for me to wake up so you could kill me!?
But I haven't done anything!
My whole body trembled, my heart pumping blood through me like I was about to run for my life.
"(R-Right, I need to get out of here. Fast.)"
I looked again toward the window. The room wasn't that high up.
If I jumped, I'd probably break more than just my legs…
But broken bones are better than dying!
"(Okay… the moment she looks away, I'll do it.)"
"Ah! ᛚᚩ ᛋᛁᛖᚾᛏᚩ, ᛏᛖ ᛖᛋᛏᚩᚣ ᚫᛋᚢᛋᛏᚫᚾᛞᚩ ᚢᛖᚱᛞᚫᛞ?"
The woman noticed my uneasiness, so she took off her coat— honestly, it did make her look pretty intimidating.
The dress she wore underneath highlighted an incredible figure.
PAM! —Not the time for this. Focus.
She searched inside the coat again.
!!
For a second, time stretched thin.
My mind screamed something my body obeyed before I could think: run.
I saw her wrist turn, something metallic glinting between her fingers.
Without thinking, I jumped through the window.
Glass shattered into a rain of blueish reflections.
PAM!
I hit the ground hard and ran without looking back— I just needed to hide from that woman.
Don't look back, don't look back—
I couldn't understand anything anyone was saying. Every word around me sounded foreign and strange.
"(Where the hell am I!?)"
…
..
Alright, hey—
Huh?
SHE ESCAPED!?
...
(SHIT.)
(SHIT.)
(SHIT.)
(SHIT.)
(SHIT.)
Looking down the street, there was no one.
But in the woman's eyes, a faint trail remained— not just footprints, but a tiny residue of energy left by her runaway target.
"Found you."
...
..
In less than a blink, she was already beside her.
(wait—)
"!? (What— how the hell did she catch up to me?)"
Feeling a strange energy rushing through my whole body, I climbed up the street stands in desperation.
But before I realized—
"(Stop—)"
!!
A sharp pain struck the back of my neck, and I lost consciousness.
"Whew…"
"You sure run fast, little one."
"I guess those muscles aren't just for show."
"Well, let's get you back to your bed so you can finish recovering."
(murmurs)
"(Hey, isn't she…?)"
"(Looks like it… I've never seen her in person before.)"
"(Quick! Take a picture of me with her!)"
"(They say she's one of the hardest to find in the Academy.)"
"(You idiot, she'll think you're disgusting— look at yourself.)"
"(If it really is her, why is she here? Isn't this the opposite side of the Academy?)"
"Tch… we're attracting too much attention."
What people saw was one of the strongest—and most beautiful—students in the Academy, walking through the street. And beside her, an unfamiliar girl who rivaled her in beauty, still wearing a hospital gown…
One person pulled out a small, circular device, aiming it at the exposed parts of the fallen woman, but in less than a blink, there was only a flash, and the next moment, there was no trace of them, only a thread of blue smoke.
...
"Damn it, people are so gross these days. Good."
With the woman in her arms, Cielle placed her back on the bed, watching her and pressing a button for medical staff to attend to her.
(Sound of a door opening).
Just as she was about to sit down and wait, the door opened. A tall woman entered, with brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a completely white lab coat and uniform.
"Huh?"
"How strange—" The woman smiled, but that smile was completely fake; her eyes betrayed her. She approached Cielle.
—(Bonk!)
"Ow! Nara That hurts, this wasn't my fault!"
"Oh, really?" her tone was completely dry. "Cielle. Tell me: Is it completely normal for someone who has been in a coma for over a week, upon waking up, to jump out the window the moment you enter the room?"
Cielle rubbed her head.
"W-Well, if you put it that way…"
"Furthermore," Nara continued, ignoring the lament, "I was on the ground floor and heard footsteps echoing all down the hall. You are the one making the noise."
(Gulp).
"Tell me if all of that wouldn't scare someone you DON'T KNOW."
"I-I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me, you should apologize to her," she said, pointing to the woman on the bed.
Cielle approached the bed: "I'm sorry."
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to evaluate her."
"Yes."
(The doctor performed a body scan, a blue glow emanating from her palm.)
"Did she really jump from this floor?"
"Yes. And once on the street, she ran at great speed, even attempting evasive maneuvers."
"Interesting."
"Perhaps our friend received Noumena training. I'm impressed that her bones are intact; she only has some superficial skin wounds."
"But…" Cielle frowned. "When she woke up and I chased her, I didn't notice any fluctuations."
"Oh. That is even more interesting."
"Yes, that's why I was waiting for her to wake up. When I found her, she was in a very bad state."
"I know. Broken bones, malnutrition, deep cuts, a cerebral contusion, body inflammation, and that Rune on her back."
"Plus, she seems to have lost her memory."
"Well, that was to be expected."
"No, it doesn't seem like momentary memory loss. When I came in, she was too uneasy, scared, anxious. She didn't seem to know where she was. Plus…"
"Plus?"
"She didn't understand my words. I could see the confusion in her eyes from my speech."
"Hmm. When we did the analyses, we didn't note any damage to the memory centers of the brain. Perhaps her loss is due to trauma, likely related to how she ended up with so many fractures."
(Hiccup)
How strange, why do I feel a small pressure in my chest.
"Damn it."
"Well, that's just a supposition. You know perfectly well we can't jump to conclusions."
"Yes, I just hope she can clarify things for us with what little she remembers."
"Well, I think for now we should let her rest again."
"Yes."
...
Nara about to leave, was stopped by a question.
"Hey, Nara."
"Yes, what is it?"
"This—" Cielle's tone became more serious—, "Could you do an examination to see if there was an attempt at violation?"
"Well, I will. The truth is, I hope nothing our imagination comes up with about what happened to her is correct."
"Let me know if she wakes up."
"I will."
Without another word, Cielle left the room, while the doctor began the requested examination, and the hours passed.