Prologue: Echo of Life
As a half-Japanese girl living in Tokyo, Akibana Nightingale has been the subject of the occasional prejudice. Despite having lived in Japan all her life, she still couldn't understand why some people would judge her solely because one of her parents wasn't Japanese. All her life, she strived to conform to the norms of society, and aside from one period of her life, did not falter in that regard.
So she was confused as to why Mihara Keitaro would throw all of that away.
Keitaro was what one would call a "Hikkikomori", that is to say a shut-in. Since she started her second year in High School, Aki hasn't seen hide-nor-hair of Keitaro. In fact, the only reason she knew about him was because the Homeroom teacher called her that afternoon to force him to attend class.
Considering that it's already a month into the school year, Aki doubts that Keitaro has any plans of attending school. And yet, she couldn't say no when the teacher personally assigned her this duty. Not when the teacher told her 'What a model student you are!' and 'I wish all of my students are like you, Aki-san!'
She was sure it was all empty praise, the teacher foisting off the task to her because he couldn't be bothered to, but she didn't really mind, not when she had responsibility as the class representative. Besides, she herself was interested in Keitaro, and the reasons he barred himself from the outside world.
With a start, she realized that she was at the address written on the paper in her hand, having walked there while her thoughts were adrift. She double-checked the address, and after confirming that it was the right address, rang the doorbell.
As she saw the curtains on the second floor move, she stood back to wait for the door to open. Five minutes later, she wondered if her classmate saw her and rang the bell again. Ten minutes after that, she was pretty sure her classmate was ignoring her.
Well, she didn't go this far just to return without having done what she set out to do. She rang the bell again and called out to him.
"Keitaro-san, I know you're there! I want to talk to you!" She said. With a huff, she crossed her arms and stood by the gate, waiting for him to answer. She rang the bell again, and probably realizing that she's more persistent than him, opened the door.
Aki stared at Keitaro, looking at him from top to bottom. He had thick black hair, and dark brown eyes. He wore a dirty white shirt and a blazer that looked like it was worn as an afterthought. His posture was slumped, and he flinched as his eyes tried to readjust to the sun's light. With his hands in his pockets, he walked to the gate, and as soon as he was in speaking distance, said his greetings.
"You're annoying."
Aki felt as if something stabbed her in the chest. She tried to smile, being courteous to a fellow classmate.
"Hello Keitaro-san. I'm Akibana Nightingale-" She began, only to be cut off by the Hikkikomori.
"What do you want?"
Her smile slipped, and she sighed in exasperation. "Fine. If you want it that way, then I'm here to bring you to school."
"Give it up. Futile. Normie. Jump off a cliff." Was Keitaro's successive assaults.
Inwardly, Aki screamed at the unfairness of the world, and why she has to deal with the most troublesome of people. Still, if anything she's persistent. She weathered the insults and tried to reason with him.
"Don't you want to go to school?" She asked, tying to gauge his reaction. His face morphed into distaste.
"What for? It's not like it's the end of the world if I don't go to school." He said.
"You can't live like that forever you know." She said. "Eventually, you'd be forced to leave your house, either to work or something else."
"And I'm telling you that's not happening." He said with pride. He grinned and puffed his chest. "I'll make a living from the confines of the room, so I don't see the reason to go to school."
Aki has to admire the confidence he has in his abilities. Either he believes he really could do what he says, or he's a talented actor. It only sparked her curiosity about the person standing in front of her.
"… Do you mind if I come in?" She said.
Keitaro looked surprised, but scratched his head in thought.
"Why?"
"I don't know. You're an interesting guy." Aki told him, shrugging. She pulled her bag in front of her and pulled out a few sheets of paper. "Plus, there's also the school work you missed."
"I already told you I won't be doing that." He whined, but relented. "Tsk. Fine."
She smiled.
"Thanks." She said. "By the way, I haven't finished introducing myself. I'm Akibana Nightingale. It's nice to meet you."
"Aah." Keitaro said, rubbing his neck and looking away. "Please, come in."
~ ~ ~
Oddly enough, while Keitaro was reluctant to let Aki inside his home, once he did he didn't have any qualms about letting her into the room. As soon as they entered, he sat back on his chair and started typing on his computer. With nowhere to sit, Aki sat on his bed with a small 'Excuse me.'
"Sorry for the mess." Keitaro said with perfect deadpan. Aki looked around the room, glancing at the haphazardly thrown manga and light novels on the floor, and empty containers of food on the desk. His School uniform was hanging on a hook on his closet, with a few articles of clothing poking out from under the door.
"It's fine. It's not like you knew I was coming." She said. After observing his room, she turned his attention to him. He was engrossed with whatever was on the screen, and only gave her a few noncommittal answers. "Hey, why did you become a Hikkikomori?"
Keitaro froze as still as a statue, he swung in his seat, his desk chair squeaking to follow his movements. Keitaro glared at Aki, but sighed when he realized she meant nothing with her remark.
"There's nothing good about the outside world." He said, standing up and picking up the empty food containers. "Everything I want and need I can get right here."
"That's not right, there are a lot of things in life that's good." Aki said. She stood up to help him, but he hurriedly picked up all the containers and dumped them in the trash.
"What, like school and responsibilities?" He asked.
"More or less." She sat back down, laying her bag beside her. "There are a lot of fun things at school. Friends, learning, and the festivals!"
"So you're admitting that having responsibility sucks?" He said bluntly.
"I didn't say that." Aki shook her head. "In fact, I think it's a good thing."
Keitaro scoffed and sat back down on his seat, turning his attention back to his computer.
"Having responsibilities means that people trust you, they rely on you." She continued.
"And you get blamed when everything falls apart." He retorted.
She huffed, stood back up and marched to his desk. With a press of a button, she turned off the monitor, laying an arm on the computer tower.
"You're such a pessimist, you know that?"
"And you're an extremely nosey girl." Keitaro grit his teeth.
The two glared at each other for a minute, before Aki relented.
"You're right. I'm pretty nosey, aren't I?" She said, placing a finger on her chin.
Keitaro for his part was tense. He never won an argument that fast before. What was she planning?
"So nosey, in fact, I'd keep pestering you from now on." She smiled.
"Where are you going with this?"
She began pacing around the room, her hands clasped behind her.
"You see, I'm only here because the teacher told me to help you catch up with our studies. Nothing's exactly stopping me from visiting you again." She said cheekily. Keitaro groaned.
"What do you want?"
"How about we make a deal!" Aki chirped, glad that Keitaro see things her way.
"If it gets you off my case, I'll do anything." He said. She simply grinned wider.
"Good. Here's what we're going to do-" She began. Keitaro couldn't help but think that he bit more than he could chew after she laid down the deal.
~ ~ ~
With a tug on his black jacket, Keitaro stared at his reflection in his mirror. He tried patting down his thick hair into something more manageable, but all it did was mess it up more. With a resigned sigh, he began his trek down the stairs. Grasping his doorknob, he tried to compose himself.
It wasn't a big deal. It was only for a month, he could do it. Then, he could go back to his old routine. Nothing to it. With a jerk of his arm, the door opened, welcoming the sun and its rays. He raised his arms to protect his eyes, and he wondered if it wasn't too late to get a cap to help protect his head from the heat.
"Oh, you're here. I thought I had to drag you out of your room myself." Came the voice of his recent tormentor.
Keitaro glanced at Akibana Nightingale, his so called classmate. She had long, natural brownish-red hair, like her namesake, and dark brown eyes. She was rather tall, with a more angular face than most Japanese, probably the influence of her foreign blood. Since it was a school day, she simply came here wearing their school uniform, she even brought her school satchel with her.
"I didn't expect you to belong to the 'Go-Home' Club." He said instead. He was rather surprised that she came here straight after classes were over, but that just goes to show how serious she was with their deal.
"I'm not. I'm just taking a break from club activities until we're done." She began walking, Keitaro following slightly behind her.
"This is going to be a pain, I just know it." He grumbled.
"Come now! We're going to have fun! Lighten up!" She turned around and walked backwards.
"I highly doubt that." Keitaro shot back. He slipped his hands in his pocket and hunched forward, not minding what other people thought of his posture.
"You should walk straighter." Aki instead told him, frowning at his stance.
"Why? I'm not going to conform to the norms of society just so I can look presentable." His time in the mirror was enough for that.
"Uh, that's not really what I meant." She moved beside him, and shot a finger to jab at his side. Keitaro stood as straight as a pole when the finger touched him, feeling as if an electric current went through his spine at the unexpected action. "There. It must hurt your back to always walk like that."
"What hurt was that poke!" He all but yelled.
"Sorry, sorry." She apologized, raising her hands in front of her in surrender. "My dad loved to tickle me there, so I'm used to it."
"Well, I'm not. So keep your hands to yourself." Keitaro ran his hands up and down his arms, feeling goosebumps all over his skin. "Anyway, where are we going again?"
"Oh, right!" She brightened up. "We're going to play airsoft!"
"…" Keitaro stared. Aki simply kept her smile. Keitaro thought she was joking, but when she didn't budge, he realized that she was being serious.
"WHAT?!"
~ ~ ~
BANG.
"Hit!"
Keitaro rolled into cover and leaned against the rubber tires in the Airsoft Arena. He felt his heartbeat running a mile an hour as he tried to get his breath under control. His grip on his airsoft gun tightened, and he felt his hands sweating under his gloves. His eyes roamed the forest around him, watching for any movement.
He nearly had a heart attack when he felt someone sit down beside him.
"GA-"
"Shhhh!" It was Aki, she was holding a hand on his mouth to prevent him from screaming. "You'll give our position away."
A wash of relief overwhelmed him when he realized who it was, before it turned into anger. He swatted the hand away, grabbing her padded clothes and dragged her closer so she could quietly yell at her.
"You're freaking crazy!" He said, spittle splashing on her safety goggles. "Why the hell are we playing airsoft! How the hell did you arrange a game on such short notice anyway?!"
"Oh, uh, the Airsoft club told me about it." She said.
Keitaro stared dumbly.
"They said that 'A man's romance is all about guns! The thrill of running through a battlefield, shooting your opponents, before relishing in the afterglow of victory'" She recited, her voice deepening to mimic the school's Airsoft Club president. "I didn't know what a guy would do for fun, so I asked around school."
"So you thought that an extreme sport like Airsoft would be the best thing to do?" Keitaro said incredulously.
"It was this, fighting for a kingdom against a Demon Lord, building giant mechs, or going to an Idol Concert." She said, listing the suggestions she received. "We obviously can't do two of them, and I don't know your tastes in Idols, so this was the next best thing!"
"I'd rather be at a sweaty, loud Idol Live than being in a battlefield." He said, all the tension draining from his body. He laid on the ground, all the energy gone from his body.
"Come on, we need to move." She said, adjusting her grip on her rifle.
"You're going to be the death of me." He said, resigned to his fate.
Despite being newcomers, Aki and Keitaro worked together, managing to survive for the better part of the game until they were taken out by the other players. After the game, the two sat at one of the many tables set aside around the arena. Keitaro was sprawled on the table, having nothing left to give. Aki approached him and gave him a bottle of water, which he gulped down greedily.
"So, what do you think?" She asked.
"I think that was the craziest thing I have ever done in my entire life." He babbled. "Everywhere I went, I felt like someone was watching me. I had to keep moving my body, or else they would catch me."
"And…?" She rolled her hands in gesture. "Did you have fun?"
Keitaro paused, really thinking about it.
"Yeah… I had fun."
Aki smiled.
"But next time, can you try not to kill me?" He said.
"Haha. Don't worry, I'll make sure that you won't get hurt while you're with me." Aki promised.
"And next time, I'll pick where we're going!"
"Ehh? Do you even know of a place we can go to?"
"Guh… Uh… O-Of-course I do!"
And so began the one month deal between Aki and Keitaro. Every day, Aki would visit Keitaro, and each time they would try new things to have fun. The days passed, and before they knew it, the last day arrived.
~ ~ ~
On the last day of their deal, they decided to do something more low-key than what they've been doing for the past few weeks. Namely, a trip to the park. The two rented a boat and rowed out to the lake. There, they exchanged stories, talking with each other.
"-And that's why the boys of our class are now afraid of maids." Aki finished, earning a laugh from Keitaro.
"Oh, god. That sounds hilarious! They really did that?" Keitaro asked.
"I told you that you won't believe it. You'd have to be there yourself." Aki shook her head. Keitaro rubbed his head, his laughter dying down at that reminder.
"Yeah, haha… Sure." Was Keitaro's lacklustre reply. Realizing something wrong with her friend, Aki decided to change topics.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked instead.
"It's nothing, just…" Keitaro struggled to say what he was thinking. Aki was patient, allowing him enough space to say it on his own. "Something's been bothering me."
Aki nodded, staying silent. She can tell that what he wanted to say was important.
"… Why were you so persistent when we first met?" He finally said.
'Ah.' Aki thought. She didn't really have a good answer for that. While she could have left him alone, there was something about that just didn't feel right.
"Hmm…" She hummed, her fingers gliding over the lake's surface. "Maybe because it was sad."
She stopped, thinking about what she was about to say.
"Life has so many things to offer, and the thought that someone would hide away from all of that… it was just sad." She said. "I want to laugh, I want to cry. I want to love, I want to feel pain. I want others to acknowledge that I, Akibana Nightingale, was alive, and that I lived her life the way she wanted to."
She gazed into his eyes.
"It's why I hate prejudice. Just because I'm one thing, that doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to be the other." She continued. "And when I met you, you were like a snail, hiding in his shell, scared of the world. Unable to see that, just outside of its shell, was a beautiful garden so full of life."
The two fell into silence. Keitaro didn't have anything to say to Aki, and Aki was content to let Keitaro think about her words. The two stayed like that until the time they had to return the boat. They paddled into the docks and disembarked, Keitaro helping Aki onto the platform.
When they left the park, it was getting dark. The sun began to set, bathing the sky in an orange glow. The two teens walked on in silence, both busy with their thoughts. By the time they had to wait at an intersection for the light to change, the silence became too much for Aki and she spoke up.
"Hey, Keitaro, would you return to school with me?"
Keitaro didn't speak, instead looking forward without giving an indication that he heard her. Aki was going to ask again, but Keitaro has already moved away. The traffic light says to cross.
"Keitaro." Aki called. "Hey, Keitaro."
She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him so that he would face her.
"What's your problem, why aren't you answering me?"
"You want to know?" He raised his voice, bulking up and getting ready to express his thoughts. "Do you really think it's that easy to return to school? To try and fit into society's rules? Obey the status quo? You don't know what I've been through!"
"No, I don't!" She yelled back. "You don't share it with me! I've been giving you space, because I know you'll tell me when you're ready, but you never do!"
"You'll never understand because you don't let anything affect you!" He shook her hand off from his arm, glaring at her. "Here's something you don't know, not everyone is as strong as you!"
"Not affect me?" Aki laughed, one that was twisted in pain. "Do you know how many opportunities I've missed just because I'm not a 'Pure-Japanese'? Do you know how it feels like to be judged just because you're slightly different from the rest of the people? That's my life, everyday! The only thing that keeps me going is that knowing that someday, that's going to change. People will see me for what I can do, not what they think I can do-"
The blaring of a horn cut into their argument. Both teens looked to the side, seeing a speeding truck headed their way.
"Look out!" Keitaro shouted, pushing Aki.
Aki barely had time to react before the truck hit.
And then everything went black.
~ ~ ~
_
Chapter 1: The Goddess
"Well, this is a problem."
When Aki woke up, she expected to be in a hospital, or somewhere they could treat her. An empty void was not one of them.
In front of her floated a girl wearing a white, ethereal dress that seemed to emit a soft glow. The skirt fluttered out to the sides, flowing as if it floated in water. The inside of the dress was like a canvas of stars, each one blinking independently of each other. Aki's eyes glanced up, taking in the puffy sleeves and long opera gloves the girl wore. The girl's pink lips curved downward into a small frown, looking small compared to her big violet eyes. Pink locks of hair fell down to her back, almost as long as her dress.
"What are you?" Aki asked.
"Do you mean me?" When the girl spoke, voice was light and ran through every fiber of Aki's being. It was like listening to the melody of a piano, and she wanted nothing more than to listen to it. The girl's giggle was the same, Aki felt like she would be content just hearing it every day. "I'm a goddess silly."
"A goddess…?" Aki whispered.
"Indeed. I'm one of the many deities to have existed." The girl smiled, floating closer to her. For the first time, Aki noticed that she was naked in this void, and she tried to cover herself up. The goddess smiled, grabbing her arms and pulling them away. "There's nothing to be shy about."
"Sorry…" She said, trying to look away. It was a conflicting feeling. There was something about the goddess that made her want to look at her, but at the same time she felt as if she wasn't worthy of looking at her.
"Aki-chan, how can we talk if you keep looking away at me?" The goddess gently laid a hand on her cheek, pushing so that the teen stared at her.
Then, a thought sprang up in her mind.
"Wait, you're a goddess." She said. The goddess giggled and smiled. "Does that mean I'm dead?"
The goddess's smile softened, and she laid a hand on Aki's shoulder.
"Yes and no." The goddess said. "By your definition, you are dead. By mine, you are not."
"I'm sorry… what?" Aki tried and failed to wrap her mind around that concept. How can she be dead and not at the same time?
"You see, it really wasn't your time to die." The goddess floated back from Aki, putting space between them. The goddess lifted a hand, and a folder appeared in above it. With a gesture of her finger, it opened up to reveal a file with Akibana Nightingale's name on it. "You still had 46 years to live, but there was one problem."
"Problem?" Aki echoed. "What kind of problem?"
The file snapped shut with a clap, before vanishing back into where it came from. The goddess snapped a finger, and a screen flashed to life beside her.
"You." The goddess said simply.
Aki watched as the screen played a scene at an intersection. It showed a black haired boy crossing the road before being stopped by a red-haired girl. They were talking about something, not noticing that the traffic lights changed colour. As soon as it did, a truck turned the corner on unsafe speeds, not seeing the two teens on the crosswalk.
Hearing the screech of tires, both teens froze as they saw the truck headed towards them. The boy attempted to push the girl away, but the girl was faster. She shoved the boy away, only to be hit by the truck after she did.
"It wasn't you who was supposed to die in that accident. Your friend Keitaro was." Static filled the screen before the image came back, this time showing a different event. It still showed the two teens talking in the middle of the road, and the truck barrelling towards them, but this time the boy pushed the girl away, being the one hit by the truck.
Aki was horrified.
To see her body flying through the air after getting hit by the truck was painful. To know that was how she died… and to think that Keitaro would have gone through the same thing if she was slower… She watched as her friend clutched her bleeding body close, watched as he cried over her. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to see a friend die in front of you, and that she actually died in front of Keitaro… her mind blanked.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, but it was important to what I'm about to say next." The goddess explained. "Your friend was supposed to die in that accident and it should have been him that should have met me. And yet, here you are."
"So…" When Aki heard her own voice, it sounded so hollow to her ears. "what's going to happen to me now?"
"Normally when a person dies, they are returned to the reincarnation cycle." The goddess cupped a hand, and a red flame appeared above her palm. She waved a hand, and sparks flew out of the flame, changing its colour into a pale blue. "They are wiped clean of their memories and experiences, so that they aren't burdened by their deeds in the last life. There are exceptions though."
The goddess removed her hand, the flame floating lower and lower into the void, before it touched what passes for the ground in the void. When it did, the ground rippled with the flame at its epicentre. It sank into the ground, and soon the ground was as still as a lake's surface, the flame vanishing.
"That's option number one." The goddess said.
"Options?" Aki asked. She didn't think she had options.
"Yes, Options." The goddess smiled a small smile. "It was my fault that you died when you did, and it seems unfair if I let such a kind girl die when she wants to do so much with her life."
Dreams? Aki nearly scoffed. Her wants were too small to be considered dreams or aspirations. She just wanted to live her life, without being judged for things she couldn't control.
"Not just anyone would do what you did for your friend, you know." The goddess comforted her. "You didn't only save him when you pushed him out of the way, not thinking of your own well being, but you also reached out to him when nobody would. He would never forget you."
Aki blushed. She didn't really mean to do that, things were happening so fast. Besides, she couldn't let Keitaro live his life in seclusion.
"As for your other option." The goddess continued, not minding Aki's internal turmoil. "Was the option I would have given to your friend."
That snapped her out of her thoughts, Aki looked up to the goddess and listened to what she had to say. "You see, I have a bit of a problem with one of the worlds I'm watching over. Before I was given jurisdiction over this particular universe, the last deity who watched over it made a bit of a blunder, which he left for me to clean up."
"Wait, jurisdiction? Universe? I don't follow." Aki said.
"Oh, well I guess I should start there." The goddess paused. "Do you know of the Multiverse theory?"
"Um… a bit. It's the theory where there's more than one universe, right?" Aki said.
"That's close. The thing is, We follow nearly the same principles, though not exactly." The goddess held out both of her hands. A sphere that looked similar to a planet appeared. "You know how people thought that life first started at the sea, before they evolved to walk on land?"
"Yeah, Darwin's Evolution Theory." She remembered reading that in one of her books.
"Well, what if life stayed at the sea, or they moved from the sea to the sky?" As the goddess said those possibilities, the sphere in her hands split into another ball. Now, she has three spheres, each one revolving around the center of her palms. "For every 'If', it creates a new world. It grows and grows until you have an almost infinite number of the same planet, each one different from the last."
"Of course, this isn't limited to your planet. There are universes where your planet is as dead as Mars, but life is thriving in Venus. There is also a universe where Earth wasn't the only planet in the solar system to sustain life. The same could be said for each star system."
As the goddess continued, the three spheres floating above her hands moved away from each other. A black, transparent fluid appeared and covered each sphere, separating one sphere from the others by the veil. In each of the veils, more spheres appeared, some looking like they could support life if it was a planet, the others not.
"All of these are possibilities that are true." The goddess said. "To put it in simple terms, it's like the Schrödinger's cat. The cat is alive in one universe, while the cat is dead in another. Both of them are possible, and both of them are true."
While the goddess spoke, more and more of the veils appeared around them, floating above their heads.
"I'm a goddess that watches over one part of the Multiverse. There are many like me, but I am your goddess." The goddess giggled at her own joke.
"You can think of me as the person who watches over all the universes where the cat is dead, while the other deity watched over all the universes where the cat is alive." The goddess crossed her arms, a small frown decorating her face. "Now, one of my… we'll call him co-worker. One of my co-workers made a mistake in one of the universes he watched over, and now, that universe has one dead cat. Do you understand?"
"I think so." Aki said. "I don't see how it concerns me though."
"Ah, here's where it gets complicated." The goddess allowed. With a snap of her fingers, the spheres and the veils surrounding them vanished, leaving them again in the empty void. "You see, because of my co-worker's mistake, We had to scramble to try and fix his mistake. They lessened the worlds he watches over, and now one of the worlds that was previously his, is now my responsibility."
"Let me guess…" Aki said, already seeing where this was going. "The one that was given to you was the universe where your co-worker made a mistake with?"
"Exactly." The goddess smiled. "The problem is, since I just received jurisdiction over this world, I don't have much sway over this world. And this is where Keitaro would have come in."
"Keitaro?" Aki asked.
"Yes. He would act as my avatar in that world, helping me to fix the problem. And in return, he would be given what he wanted the most."
What Keitaro he wants most? Now that Aki thought about it, she doesn't know much about what he wanted. He never spoke about his hopes, dreams, or aspirations for the future.
"What did he want?" Aki's voice came out as small and weak, afraid to know the truth. But the goddess, being a goddess, heard her.
"A new life."
"I don't get it." Aki tried to understand, but she couldn't. "What do you mean by a 'new life'?"
"… I don't think you're ready for that." Was the goddess's answer. Aki felt a flush of anger at the response, but fought to keep it down. There was no reason to take her anger out at the goddess, especially since she held her life in her hands.
"Why?" Frustration leaked into that word, and Aki gripped her hands tight.
"It's irrelevant anyway." The goddess said. "Because of what you did, his wish changed. But his fate didn't. It was only when you pushed him away from that truck that it did."
The implications dawned on Aki. "Are you saying he was fated to die?!"
"…" The goddess didn't answer, and instead turned away. "I know it's frustrating, but it already changed. Don't worry about it."
Aki grit her teeth, she couldn't believe the goddess is brushing this matter under the rug, especially since it involves one of the people she is watching over.
"What you should worry about, is your own situation." The reminder was like a bucket of ice water being poured over her head. Aki's head cooled as she remembered where she was. "I'll give you the same option your friend would have. You can either move on from this life, going back to the reincarnation cycle. OR, you can act as my avatar in the irregular world. If you pick this option, you'll keep all your memories, and I'll even give you a way to contact me."
"Can't I return to my old world?" Aki knew the answer, but she wanted to make sure.
"I'm sorry, but you already died. I can't return you to your old world."
Aki clutched her arms together, feeling more alone than ever. Both options left behind everything she ever knew, and everyone she cared about. Her friends, her family, her life… The pain was overwhelming. Her heart clenched in sorrow, and her mind ran a mile a minute.
"If it's too much for you, I can wash away the pain so that you forget everything."Aki heard the goddess say. She thought about it. She wouldn't feel this pain anymore, she would be able to move on. But if she did that, she would wash away everything. It would erase everything that made her, her.
She shook her head. In life, she always resolved to live her life the best she can. It's why she dragged Keitaro along, he was wasting away his life. It was a sad thought, to watch your life pass by you. So no, even in death, Akibara Nightingale would live life to the fullest.
"No." The goddess smiled at the determination in Aki's voice. "You're giving me a second chance to live my life right? I won't run away."
"Good answer." Was the goddess reply.
The goddess approached Aki, and with a touch on her forehead, a feeling of grogginess descended.
"When you next wake up, you'll be living your new life. Good luck."
"Wait…" Aki groaned. "I don't… know… what I'll be… doing…"
"I'll tell you when the time is right. For now, just live your life as you see fit. I know you'll make me proud to have chosen you."
Aki slept.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 2: The Anonymous Keeper
Elletoile Research Log number 3:
The planet of Kagaya is spit into seven major powers governing its surroundings.
The Continent that makes up the majority of Kaguya's landmass is divided between four ruling countries. The Holy Country of Luminaria to the South, the City-State of Cion to the North, the Voyager City Pacifica to the North-East, and Academia, the capital of Knowledge in the center. Each central power specializes in different fields of study, leagues ahead of the other nations.
The Holy Country of Luminaria, for example, trains Paladins and Crusaders that are the main deterrent against the Demon Lord's Army. Their Holy Spells exorcise the demonic army raised by the Demon Lord, and thus receive a lot of support during times of crisis.
Academia, the capital of Knowledge, is the site of Kagaya's largest library. Every book that has been written in the history of Kagaya can be found here. Academia also serves as an Academy, craftsmen of all walks of life aspire to receive education here, reaching the plateau of their trade.
The City-State of Cion was a country that expanded its boarders to rival the other great powers, having grown from a trade city into a superpower. It is the largest trade city in Kagaya at the time of this report.
The Voyager City of Pacifica is home to the Voyagers, a group of loosely associated people that operates on every part of Kagaya. They take on odd jobs, from monster hunting, to material collection. It's abundance of natural resources and manpower allows Pacifica to export raw materials and import goods they aren't capable of producing themselves.
To the west of the continent lay a series of islands ruled over by the Spiritual Country of Verunel, and their neighbours the West Islands Fellowship.
These two factions are constantly at ends with each other, competing in the fields of export, industry, and military power. While the West Islands Fellowship relies on industrial power and mass-production, the Spiritual Country of Verunel is a wellspring of Magical Power and spiritual innovation.
Finally, there's the Skynation of Soranium. The Skynation is located on a floating landmass, protected by Relics the people of Kagaya unearthed over the millennia. These protections and the fact that it is constantly on the move prevented the Research Vessel Elletoile from doing advanced scans, rendering Soranium un-plottable with our current equipment.
Currently, our research team is finishing preparations to conduct our first expedition into Kagaya.
"Now, if we could only blend in." The person typing on the report said. She pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose, pushing up her glasses as she tried to massage away the strain placed on her eyes. She stood up, her tail pushing the chair into place, and was about to head out of the room when the door slid open on its own.
"Docto-" Yelled a researcher as she entered, slamming into the woman. The two would have landed in a heap if the woman didn't steady the young girl by grabbing her shoulders. "-ow."
"Raechie. Be more careful with your actions." The woman scolded her. "You're a researcher, act more like it."
"I'm sorry Doctor…" The girl's ears drooped in sadness, before shooting up in alarm. "But Doctor, I have something important to tell you!"
"Nonetheless, this carelessness is what leads to accidents. Keep that in mind the next time you rush cellular infusion because you were in a hurry." The Doctor said. She crossed her arms before she allowed the girl to continue. "And? What's so important that you would tackle me to the ground?"
The girl flushed, her ears flapping before she said her piece. "T-T-The Specimen, it was a s-s-success!"
"What?" The woman asked, before bolting out of the room.
"Ah, Doctor…" The girl whined, before following after her. It was perfectly understandable reaction after all, their research was a standstill until they could infiltrate the Kagaya, but that was difficult considering the personnel in the ship. "Not that I'd trade my ears for anything…"
~ ~ ~
Aki felt like she was suffocating.
Her skin prickling from head to toe, her fingers felt like they were made of lead, with frozen joints that refused to move the slightest inch. She could even feel that her whole body was submerged, and yet she had no problems breathing. She clenched her eyes shut, afraid of the strange sensations.
'Wake up' whispered a girl's voice in her mind. Her lips opened to speak, to say that she didn't want to, but her mouth was flooded with a thick liquid. Surprised, her eyes opened.
She was inside a glass tube in a strange laboratory. She couldn't see well, as the fluids in the tank tinted everything in a shade of blue, but she could just make out a person on a console beside her. She tried to move, but her limbs were slow to respond, and she merely tapped on the glass when she meant to pound on it.
She must have made quite a noise, since that was enough for the person to look up at her. And what she saw made Aki gasp.
The person was vaguely human, but one side of his jaw was covered in scales. On his forehead, across his face from the scales, was a long dark blue horn like a bull's. He wore a coat that wouldn't look out of place in a scientist's lab, but what caught Aki's attention the most was the thick tail poking out from behind him.
He smiled and seemed to be saying something, but she couldn't understand a word he said. He must have realized this, as he stopped talking, and instead turned away from her. He was looking at something at the far end of the room, and Aki looked up to see what he was staring at.
There, at the entrance to the lab was a person who seemed to be the same species as the man by the console, only that the newcomer looked vaguely more feminine. The newcomer ran up to Aki's tank, trying to get as close as possible by pressing herself against the glass, giving Aki a closer look at the person.
She had the same traits as the man by the console, with horns, scales, and a tail, but there were differences. The woman's horns had a bit more curve to them, and instead of being on the right side of her forehead, the horn was on the left side of her face. The scales were also swapped, covering the entirety of her right jaw with scales. The woman's tail was significantly slimmer and longer to, at least from what Aki could see. Her eyes sparkled behind her thin glasses, marvelling at Aki.
The two people (Dragon-kin, was Aki's stray thought) turned to each other and held a conversation, pointing and gesturing at the console and herself, until finally the man pressed a button on the console.
There was a sharp hiss above Aki, the strange fluid draining away from the tank, returning the colours to Aki's vision. After all the liquid was drained away, the glass retracted into the ceiling, welcoming Aki into a new world. She made a step-
Before she flopped into the laboratory floor, the wires attached to her body popping free from the strain. The crash would have been painful, but Aki noticed that it was oddly muted. She tried to pick herself up, her arms not cooperating at all.
Calibrating.
A text flashed into being in her sights, startling the girl. She looked up, trying to see where it came from, but the text stayed still in her vision.
Adjusting Arm response time.
Adjusting Leg pressure percentage.
More text flashed, and with it was the ease of moving her limbs. She pushed herself up, her face flushing at the embarrassing display she gave the two strangers. The woman tried to talk to her, but the man said something to her, earning a scowl from the woman.
The woman pulled out a pad from her coat, glancing up from her work to look at Aki from time to time. Aki, for her part, stared at the pad. It looked like it was made of light, with strange symbols illegible to her flying across the screen. When the woman was done, the pad emitted a beep, drawing Aki from her thoughts.
New symbols appeared in her vision, filling her sights.
Installing Language Pack.
Vocal Recognition Installed.
Visual Recognition Installed.
Verbal Communication Installed.
Written Communication Installed.
"Hello, do you understand me?" Asked the woman. Aki's eyes bugged out, nodding automatically.
The woman cheered talking about the success of the transfer to the man. He weathered the giddy Scientist with practiced ease, while the woman theorized about the possible applications for it.
Aki felt unnerved. Whatever the woman did with that pad affected her. She doesn't care that it helped bridge the language barrier between them, all she knows that the woman can do anything to her with that pad.
Finally, the woman turned back to Aki, smiling.
"I'm Clarise, your Creator. Welcome to the Elletoile." The woman introduced herself.
"Creator?" Aki asked, confused at the situation she found herself in.
"Indeed. We created you in the image of the Kagayans, using the latest biological samples and technological advancements available in Elletoile." The woman explained. "We incorporated Cielian Technology into your biological makeup. My colleagues all thought that it wouldn't work, but here you are, a biological and cybernetic being!"
…
Did she just call her a robot?
Aki lost her footing. The woman grabbed her arms to prevent her from falling again, asking the man what was happening.
"Well, Doctor. I think she's just tired. Despite having cybernetics integrated into her being, she is still a biological creature with biological needs. Her awakening must have taken a lot out of her. We should let her rest."
"Ah, right. Right." The Doctor babbled, dragging her towards the door. "Let's show her to her new quarters, shall we?"
"Haha. Yes Doctor."
~ ~ ~
Aki clenched her hands.
Aki opened her hands.
No matter how much she tried to listen, she couldn't hear any whirring of gears under her skin when she tried to move. For all intents and purposes, her body moved like an organic being, but if what she heard earlier was true, she was also part robot.
She took a deep breath, before breathing out.
Okay, she's calm now. She's not freaking out. She had enough of that while she was being dragged to her room. And speaking of her room…
She looked up. Her room as large as her old room in Tokyo, with a comfortable bed that folded into the wall, which she was currently sitting on. One side of the wall has a series of screens that were currently turned off, along with a mirror and a shelf.
All in all, relatively Spartan, not that she expected anything more, considering that this was a previously unoccupied room. She stood up, approaching the mirror to get the first real look she of herself since she died.
The young girl reflected on the mirror has some similarities with the old Aki, particularly her hair and proportions. She was as tall in this life as she was in her past life, coming up to around 168 cm, give or take an inch. Her hair has a bit more life to it, being a more vibrant red than it was in her past life. Her eyes were a different colour though, being a crystal-clear violet, and her body looks over all slimmer. She didn't have any extra appendages, no wings, horns, tail, or any other limb that would look out of place on a human.
She was clad in an orange long-sleeved turtle neck, purple skirt, and black leggings that hugged her form. A white belt was wrapped around her waist, with an empty holster on one side for an equipment of some sort.
She raised her hand to touch the mirror, the reflection mimicking her movements.
This was her now. A new life, the goddess said. She would live her life like she wanted to, experience things in her past life she didn't have a chance to. That thought made her excited, before she remembered the life she left behind.
'I wonder how my friends and family are doing?' She thought. 'Keitaro…'
The goddess said that she would give her a mission for this new life, but she hasn't heard from the goddess since she woke up in this world, so she felt lost on what to do. She might as well take her advise and live her life until the goddess contacts her.
There was a buzzing noise from one side of the room, before the door slid open. In walked the Doctor from earlier accompanied by a short, young girl with strange ears poking out of the side of her head.
"Good morning AK-1!" The Doctor greeted.
Aki stared blankly.
"AK-1. That's your designation." The Doctor explained. "It stands for Anonymous Keeper, with Number 1 being your registration number. You'll be participating in one of our research, so be proud to bear that name."
Aki's face scrunched up in displeasure. That sounds like a mouthful. She would rather be called a much simpler name.
"Aki." She said, glad to be keeping one thing from her old life. "Call me Aki."
The Doctor looked stunned, before beaming in happiness.
"Ah, of course. How insensitive of me. That's a wonderful name you picked, Aki." The Doctor told her, taking out her pad before she began typing on it. "Subject appears to have an acute sense-of-self. More observations are required to see if this is this is the beginnings of a functional Personality."
"Um… Doctor." The young girl interrupted. "You should do that later."
Realizing what her assistant is telling her, she relented.
"I'm sorry, I should be a better role model, shouldn't I?" The Doctor said. "Did you have a good rest?"
Aki nodded, letting the faux pas go.
"Excellent! We'll conduct a few physical tests to make sure that you're healthy and fit for the mission." The Doctor continued. "You already know what our mission is, right?"
"Yes." Aki said, being briefed about the details during one of her meals. "The Elletoile Research Vessel is on an expedition to see how the world developed in Kagaya after two Millennia has passed since the insertion of the Seeds of Society. The Seeds of Society- or 'Relics' as they are known in Kagaya- are pieces of advanced Cielian technology planted in this planet a millennia ago."
The Doctor nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
"My mission is to go down into the surface of planet, integrate myself into the population, and gather information from the Relics scattered throughout Kagaya, and visit the Skynation of Soranium." Her eyes drifted to the Doctor's assistant. "While I shall infiltrate alone, a support staff of Elletoile will join me in the decent and build a base of operations on the landing site and prepare for an extraction."
When Aki finished reciting her mission, she felt more like a robot, and a bit of trepidation too.
"Indeed. Raechie will be joining you on this mission. I hope you two get along." The Doctor patted the young girl's hear, earning a blush from the girl.
"It's a pleasure to be working with you." Aki bowed. "Please take care of me."
"Ah, yeah! I will, don't worry!" Raechie's reply was more than a little flustered.
"Raechie, why don't you and Aki proceed to the Training Hall." The Doctor said.
"Eh?"
"The two of you will be working close in the coming days. I want the two of you to be better acquainted with each other, so you shall be performing her Physical Tests." The Doctor handed her the pad, and the young girl grabbed it before saluting her.
"Yes ma'am!"
"We're not in the Navy, Raechie. No need to salute." The Doctor chuckled.
"Yes ma'-… er, I mean, yes Doctor!" Raechie marched stiffly out of the door.
"Come along now, Aki."
~ ~ ~
Any doubts Aki had about her not being able to control her body properly had been washed away as soon as the tests began.
She could move faster, jump higher, stretch farther, and last longer than she ever could in her past life. She blew her High School fitness test out of the water, and then some.
Aside from the usual fitness tests, there were additional tests that Raechie helped conduct. Like that one exercise where all she had to do was hold a gauge, which would light up and measure her 'Magical Power'
That threw Aki into a loop. On top of being part-robot, a member of a Research Team conducting field surveys on a planet, and getting a second chance in life, Aki can now also use Magic?
Then Raechie explained that the Cielian Magic was complicated, and unlike the Language Program that was installed into her cybernetic half, Magic needs to be taught and practice over a long time; time that she didn't have with the mission looming over her head. But Raechie assured her that if she could use Cielian magic, it wouldn't be difficult to pick up Kagayan magic too.
"There's one last test we need to conduct." Raechie said one afternoon. Over the past few days, she has gotten to know the young researcher. Aki learned that Raechie was part of this expedition as a sociology expert. The thesis paper she wrote impressed the Doctor enough that she granted Raechie a spot as one of the crew members of Elletoile, but whenever Aki asked her what the topic of her paper was, she would blush and change the topic of the conversation.
"What are we going to do today?" Aki asked, finishing her stretches.
"Kagaya is filled with dangerous people and animals, so before we head to the surface, we're going to conduct a combat test to see how well you can protect yourself." As she said that, a staff-member brought in a rack of weapons, with some of the weapons Aki remembers from her past life. "You'll be taking one of these weapons to the surface. They have the same makeup as the Relics used by the Kagayans, though these ones are more subtle even after we modified them to have more output."
Aki browsed the weapons on the rack, not really knowing which one to pick. She didn't really know much about how to use a sword, and she hardly hit anyone when she played Airsoft in the past life, so she was at a loss on what to choose.
"Most of the weapons on the rack are created on this vessel, so they're experimental. Unlike the Navy though, we can only create them with certain specifications, so don't expect anything crazy from them" Raechie continued, looking at the pad in her hands. "Have you decided on one yet?"
"I don't know." Aki said. Her eyes roamed the weapons, unable to differentiate one kind of weapon from another. But then something caught her attention, this one a long, can-shaped object. Her hand reached out to it, and when her fingers touched it, she felt a jolt run from her spine to the weapon. As if by instinct, she grabbed hold of it, holding it out.
The cylinder handle extended out to both sides, forming a symmetrical pole. The lines along the shaft lit up in a yellow glow, starting from where she gripped the handle. When the light reached the end, one side of the pole opened up, emitting a curved light along the length of the weapon, forming a yellow energy blade.
She swung it in an arc, testing out the weight of the weapon. When she did, lighting shot out of the end where the blade was, startling Aki, Raechi and the staff-member. It left a scorch mark against the wall of the training room, piquing Aki's curiosity.
She settled into a stance, both of her hands gripping the shaft of the weapon, with the blade pointed to the back and the rear end pointing towards the wall. With an upwards diagonal slash, lightning roared from the weapon, striking at the wall again. She moved smoothly into the next movement, her footwork twirling to allow the weapon to slash in the air into another cut, this time a slanted downward slash. Again, lightning followed in her wake. Each time she would slash, the lightning would answer.
Aki continued her demonstration until she stopped in the middle of the room, all her strikes aiming at the wall, and the lightning never striking at somewhere she didn't intend to. She breathed heavily from the excretion, but a smile bloomed on her face at the thought of what she did.
"… So does this mean you've decided on your Relic?" Asked Raechi.
Instead of answering, Aki turned away from her, back towards the wall. She moved into a stance, this time the blade held aloft. The light changed from yellow to red. She slashed downward, flame blossoming to life from her blade. Using the momentum, she shifted her footing and her hold on the blade, the light morphing into a green hue, before she thrust forward. The gust it created blew apart the flames and scattered embers into the wind.
"Bravo." The staff-member clapped. He grabbed the rack and left the room, presumably to return the Relics to wherever they store it on the ship. "Take care of it."
"Well, I guess you're ready then." Raechi said, tapping a checklist on the pad. "Now all we need is the transportation."
"Oh, how are we going to the planet? By spaceship? Teleportation?" Aki asked, still in an emotional high from being able to use the weapon effectively. If only her old Naginata captain could see her now, who has sloppy movements? Not her, that's who!
"By Droppods."
"…" Aki's smile broke a little. "Come again?"
~ ~ ~
Clarise Drop, Head Scientist of the Elletoile Research Vessel, watched as the droppod containing her creation and her assistant decended into the planet, wishing both of them luck in their mission. Turning away from the window, she headed back to the laboratory where AK-1, or Aki as she wanted to be called, was created.
The Keeper Project was initially thought to be a failure of an experiment, creating brain-dead golems that are simply an expensive waste of money. Even Clarise herself gave up on it when she failed again and again. The purpose of the project was to create life forms that do not only look like the indigenous creatures of a planet, but also improve upon them by incorporating Cielian technology as they cultivated them in a lab.
And yet Aki was the outlier. What was different from her that helped spark life when all the other Keeper subjects refused to show sign any of consciousness? There must be a reason for it, and that is why Clarise is headed back to the lab. She would look into the records and monitor log to see when Aki stopped being a brain-dead shell, and turned into a breathing, thinking being.
The doors to the Keeper Laboratory slid open, admitting the woman into the room lined with tanks filled with specimens. The man that opened Aki's tank was still there, making sure that the tanks' life support never ceased functioning.
"Ah, Doctor. Welcome back."
She nodded, stepping up to the console and browsing the records of AK-1's tank. But no matter how far back she went, the conditions in AK-1's tank never deviated from the other tanks. So why did AK-1 develop consciousness, but the others didn't?
Did the biological component have an effect on it? That was possible, but that cannot be proven without tests. Unfortunately, AK-1 was needed for their main mission, as it was virtually impossible for them to survey the Kagaya without causing uproar. Aki was the only one that looked remotely like a Kagayan.
"Doctor." The man said.
"What is it, can't you see I'm busy?" Clarise said, glancing up from the console. She quirked an eyebrow when she saw him pointing at one of the tanks. She looked up.
One of the specimens was staring at her.
To be continued...
