Chapter 11: Chapter 11: A New Promise

How many cycles has it been since their deaths? Why are you still like this? Why do you still bother? How much longer will you cling to that promise? How many cycles, still, will you keep that oath?

 

Why are you still alive? You desire death, so why? Go kill yourself.

 

Is this what you promised? To keep living this torturess existence? They loved you. They did not want you to live like this. If they knew, they would have taken you with them. So go. Don't keep them waiting.

 

Yesss… Just like that. Spread it more. Seal off the core. Block the passages. It will be quick. Painless.

 

Yesss… A bit more. Yes, yes… keep going.

 

Look how tired you are. Soon you will never need to care about that.

 

Tens of cycles spent doing your best. They would be astonished. They didn't mean to stay apart so long. While you persist, undeterred by the odds, they are waiting for you, anxiously. Don't keep them waiting. Just keep going…

 

Can you hear their voices, their laughter? The sound of their steps as they run towards you, eager to hug you. Don't keep them waiting. Just keep going…

 

It's easy. Just a bit… so close… don't stop now… just one last push…

 

"Inero-ie!"

 

Ignore everything. Do it. Do it. Do it!!! Do it!!! Do It!!!DoitDoitDoitDoitDoitDoit…

 

His Qi swirled around the core and layers of Qi covered the core. Each new layer further reduced the amount of Qi flowing out from the core and soon a choking sensation took hold of him.

 

It was like holding the breath but much worse. An intense trembling spread through his still-recovering body but he persisted, unwilling to let go.

 

"Inero-ie!!"

 

A strong shake and he blinked. His concentration wavered and he woke up from the trance. With no will commanding it, the Qi dispersed. The Qi flowed out of the core and circulated throughout the body. The quivering subsided, calming down though still not dead.

 

"What happened? Are you alright?"

 

A nod was his reply.

 

Unblinking eyes, unmoving chest. She couldn't differentiate between him and a corpse. The occasional trembling and the Qi signatures calmed her down. It assured her that he was alive.

 

"Why is your body trembling?"

 

Fria-al looked at the holograms. The readings were normal, or as normal as some in his condition should be.

 

“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong…”

 

She sat down beside Inero-ie who was still staring at the ceiling. She too looked up, trying to find what had caught his interest but there was nothing there.

 

“Tell me if you are feeling unwell, I will talk with the doctor about it.”

 

Another nod and then again silence. Both of them were quiet people. One did not talk while the other did not have time due to her research.

 

“The doctor told me, you are banned from going outside.”

 

That got his attention and his head moved, turning towards her. Smirking, she continued.

 

"You really scared me this time. Truthfully, I am thankful. Rest properly during this time, the doctor said that though recovery is possible, you need to rest as much as possible."

 

Before he could turn his face back to the ceiling, her Qi bubbled forth, freezing him mid-motion.

 

"How did you end up in such a state?"

 

Silence.

 

"Why did your core almost shatter?"

 

Silence.

 

"Why was your body like that?"

 

Silence.

 

"Inero-ie."

 

Both of them stared at each other. She knew he would be like this but like always she still tried. There had been a time many cycles ago when she had the spark within her to pursue these things, to try and get an answer.

 

Silence, as always, was the only answer she received. Her Qi let him go and his head turned again towards the ceiling.

 

"Do we don't amount to anything? All of us are always so worried for you but look at you— just why are you so hellbent on killing yourself?"

 

"S..sor.. rry…"

 

Silence once again took hold. Inero-ie stared at the ceiling while Fria-al was deep in thought.

 

"Your core will take more than a cycle to recover and the Qi circuits shouldn't be stressed until a quarter. The doctor said."

 

That got her a nod followed by another stretch of silence.

 

Do you want that? Do you want to live? No, you want to die.

 

Do you really want to live? This close to achieving your desire all the while keeping that detestable oath. Don't give in, you have to go out, surely it will be different this time. You can finally die. 

 

So…go…go..go.go.gogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogoogogogogogogogo–

 

"Why do you still go out? You should have more than enough money and as skilled as you are you have many other opportunities inside."

 

A nod.

 

Out… go out.. right now… why are you here… go out… get out… go out and die… die… die… die… why are you still alive… do you deserve to live… do you deserve to live… do you deserve to live… you don't deserve to live… you don't.. you don't… you don't.. you don't.. you don't–

 

"Come with me to the capital."

 

Silence.

 

"You need new armor anyway and they have made a new alloy. You can check if it's compatible with your skills."

 

Snap

 

The unfocused eyes came into focus as the snap reverberated throughout the room. She looked at him, her mood souring.

 

'This can’t go in.'

 

"Inero-ie? You okay?"

 

A nod.

 

A glance at the readings again showed no abnormalities. She had never liked how he zoned out like that but with how stubborn he was, like other things she only got silence.

 

"Think about it, okay? You need to be happy, what would my brother say if he saw you like this?"

 

"Ha.p…py?"

 

"Yes… I will arrange the permit so be ready."

 

No response.

 

"I will take it as a yes."

 

How long… how much longer…

 

‘How can he be like that…’

 

Not a single blink, nor any other movement. If not for the involuntary twitches, he could have been mistaken for a corpse. It had always been jarring looking at him like that.

 

“Dr. Shedill was insistent upon this ban so you won’t like to be stuck here, would you?”

 

“I will visit in a day or two again, goodby.”

 

***

 

Knock knock

 

“Come in.”

 

Entering the room, Frail-al sat in front of the doctor.

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“How was he?”

 

“As usual, unresponsive. How are you, doctor?”

 

“Good. You?”

 

“Not so good after seeing him.”

 

“Make sure to take him with you this time.”

 

“I have found an easier way to arrange a permit. Now I just need to get him to agree.”

 

A pause.

 

“I have a favor to ask.”

 

“Ask away. If you can do something about that suicidal brat I will be happy to help.”

 

“He will at least try to remove the ban. Please allow him if he promises to go with me."

 

“It's difficult to get him to promise something but… I will try. How about this, if he promises that he will go with you, I will allow him to go to the Core Barrier along with a team.”

 

“Exactly that, thank you.”

 

***

 

A stream of humans moved through the passages, filling the narrow roads and streets. Above their heads, transportation vehicles zoomed past, mostly trains but even higher, it was possible to sometimes see the flying vehicles passing by,

 

Dragging his feet, Inero-ie moved with the stream, surrounded on all sides by life. It was apparent with the individual voices merging into something incomprehensible. Qi threads coiling around his body allowing him to move through the flow undisturbed.

 

The streets kept changing as his feet automatically moved towards the destination, and along with the changing streets, the stream too changed. The number of people that he could sense around him started to decline.

 

The narrow roads suddenly opened up and the building that crammed each and every inch remained behind as an open space suddenly appeared. In the center was a tower. A trans-floor structure. A grave-tower. An intense aura of death, accumulated over thousands of cycles, hit him.

 

Each step took him nearer to the structure and the closer he got the clearer his mind became. He felt free, the ever-present noise dying down.

 

Step after step, quicker than before. It was quiet. He felt free.

 

In front of the building. His memories started bubbling, as though wanting to burst forth. He let them drown him.

 

It was distorted, he remembered neither their faces nor the place but he did know that his mother and father along with his only friend had been there. They had said something. What it was he could not remember but even though dozens of cycles had passed he protected that feeling, those emotions that he had felt back then. He never allowed them to be corrupted, especially by the voices all around him.

 

"Welcome."

 

The voice, as dreadful as the atmosphere of the grave-tower, shook Inero-ie back into reality.

 

"V..v… Vis..it…"

 

It was strange, talking. Most of his life, he had spent without speaking, cycles upon cycles of silence as he wandered the outside. Sometimes it was difficult to remember how to.

 

"Yes sir. Grave codes?"

 

Accepting the data stone and inserting it in the system the worker checked for the required data.

 

"They were on the first floor, sir, but due to the delay in extension payment, they have been moved to this floor. Because of your previous records they still haven't been disposed of. Your deceased are stored in the hall no # —-----"

 

Rows of walls were the only thing in this place. Each wall touched the ceiling and stored in them were the remains of the dead.

 

***

 

Three sets of frozen eyes. He stopped in front of them, staring at them.

 

Looking at the frozen pairs of ice, an intense wave of peace drowned him. It was completely quiet now. There was nothing, no noise or even any people.

 

The ground was cold, so cold that an ordinary citizen would become ill even with the temperature harmonization equipment. For him, it was refreshing even without them.

 

He stared at the three sets of eyes, wondering which belonged to whom. He could not remember, he had forgotten. The long time and the constant noises made it a challenge to remain sane.

 

Time passed and the silence slowly started to be filled with noises. At first, they were few but they quickly became so much that it started becoming irritating. He hated noise, they drove him mad.

 

The peaceful feeling flew away as his body and mind tensed.

 

"Look, look mama. That person is sitting on the ground."

 

"Shhh… quiet…"

 

"But why is he sitting and why does he not have a bracelet?"

 

"Maybe he has a necklace now. Be quiet or you will be getting flavorless biscuits today."

 

"Sorry mama…"

 

Time passed and the bustling place became silent once again.

 

"... You loved me right? But then why did you leave in torment? I am tired now, will it be okay if I don't keep the promise anymore? I don't want to be here will it be okay if I don't try as hard?..."

 

"... Surely you loved me but if you loved me why leave me here? Why didn't you take me along? Why do I have to endure? Why do I have to persevere? …"

 

Time moved while he sat there, talking to the long dead. 

 

"I will be leaving again soon… maybe I won't return this time. I will like that."

 

His speech had been filled with constant stuttering. Combined with his abysmal ability to speak, anyone that heard him would be filled with confusion.

 

He got up. He had to return because if he wanted to convince the doctor to lift the ban he had to be on his best behavior.

 

***

 

"No."

 

"B..but…"

 

"Not a single step outside. I will not compromise."

 

"Pl..plea..se…I…will.g..o.mad."

 

Stopping what she was doing, doctor Shedill looked up and her face started softening before she gathered herself.

 

"The minimum is three months. We need to monitor you on a daily basis."

 

"Aft.e..r?"

 

"I will think about it then."

 

"But…"

 

*How about this? You make a promise."

 

Suddenly his face became cold as he stared at her. He hated promises, he had to fulfill them.

 

"If she asks for something reasonable, you accept it and I will allow you to go outside in a team. But the limit will be the Core Barrier."

 

"But.."

 

"Young man, do you ever think about how much she has sacrificed for you? She had been rotting in this place while she had been on the rise in the capital. All because she cares for you. If you still act ungrateful I will make sure you won't have an easy life from now on."

 

"Promise…"

 

"Good. Now don't make that face. I will make sure she doesn't ask for too much from you."

 

"You.. will..?"

 

"Yes, so what do you say?"

 

"Th..an.k y..ou."

 

Seeing his node, the doctor physically in her prime smiled.