“You never should’ve come.” Silent Dagger said
“No, I need answers. You keep talking about a time for atonement, a time for the proper price of my sins, yet you never tell me what they are.” Jerome answered
“You’ve never used a Mind Displayer Machine?” Silent Dagger asked
“I didn’t find the need to, I was contented.” Jerome answered
“But now, Destroyer found voice recorders that linked to me, and I need to know why.” He continued
“Then perhaps its only fitting that you should know what you did before I place you six feet below the ground” Silent Dagger said.
The mind displayer machine was shaped like a projector with a helmet. The projector had no lens, and all it could do is process the lost memories of a person and recover them, displaying them inside the mind of the user.
Jerome sat on a chair and wore the helmet. Silent Dagger powered it up and exited the room. The sounds the machine made were the only ones accompanying Jerome. Nobody else was in there with him, other than his mind and the memories he had lost in the even three years ago.
A minute passed, and nothing happened. Jerome stood up and removed helmet.
He looked around and saw no change. His surroundings were still the same, and the sounds the machine made were still the only ones that accompanied him, other than his footsteps that echoed through the wooden floor.
He approached the door and felt the knob. It was cold, which was odd since Silent Dagger just touched it a minute ago.
He opened the door, but what he saw was beyond what he expected.
The sky was blue, the birds chirped, the children ran around, and the scent of the air was as fresh as the newly bloomed spring. Earth flourished with life, a complete opposite of the world they lived in now.
Unlike the fallen Earth, the world before him thrived with humanity and activity.
He was right outside a two-story house with three people inside. One opened the door and walked out.
Jerome approached him and waved his arm.
“Where am I?” he asked
The man didn’t look at his eye, nor did his pace stopped. He gave no answer and walked right past Jerome, as if he were a ghost.
“Wait, is this a projection?” Jerome asked
There was no one to answer, and no one to clear his confusion. What he was certain of was that all that he saw before him was false. None of it exists, or rather, none of it existed anymore. Life isn’t as beautiful as the sight before him, nor was it as thriving.
It could be considered that Life itself is dead in the modern Earth. But in this projection, it was alive, it was moving, and it never died.
“Jerome, wait up” an unknown girl called out
Jerome looked behind him
“That’s me” he thought
He then looked at the woman who called his name. The woman looked like Silent Dagger. Perhaps they were friends before the fall, or perhaps she was a special someone. One thing that did matter was that something ruined their relationship.
“Why are you two in such a hurry? A third voice called out
Jerome looked back, and his entire soul dropped. His eyes widened, and his mouth could barely say a word. His body stiffened, and he felt like he lost control of it.
The third man was no other than Destroyer.
“Well, you’re running late, Nicholas.” The other Jerome said
“That’s Doctor now. Doctor Nicholas Johnson.” The other Destroyer said
Jerome leapt up and was caught by Silent Dagger. She removed the helmet and gave Jerome a towel for all his sweat.
“What was that?” Jerome asked
“A projected dream. It was one of your memories.” She repliedreplied
“We were there.” Jerome said
“I know, I’ve seen that memory too.” She said
“Why? Why were we there?” Jerome asked
“We were siblings.” She replied
“Siblings?!” Jerome said
"Crystal." She said
"Excuse me?" Jerome asked
"Crystal is my name." She said
“And yes, you two were my brothers. I was the youngest.” Crystal said
Jerome stood up and placed the towel down. He walked up to Crystal, then looked out the window.
“But, none of this makes sense. Why are you trying to kill me then? Shouldn’t we be helping each other?” Jerome asked
“The reason for that is in another memory.” Crystal replied
“Then bring it to me. I’m ready to go again.” Jerome said
“You can’t. You have to rest for five minutes before the next jump, or you’ll overwork your brain.” Crystal said
“Enjoy this room, and this peace, for a while. Once you know everything, things will start getting hostile.” She continued
“Does Destroyer know?” Jerome asked
“I’m sure that Nicholas already knows his identity.” Crystal said as she walked towards the doorway
“I left water on the table. Rehydrate often.” She continued
The door creaked open, then slammed shut, leaving only Jerome in the room.
He stared out the window and observed the evening sky. The sky which was once filled with planes was now empty. The distant sounds he used to hear were now gone. The busy lives of humans were ended by a catastrophe, an event that killed all.
Up until now, he kept living a false life as a convenience store employee, refusing to take part in the inevitable war between the remaining humans. With no leader to rally the people, and with the lack of a powerful individual, only the strengths of a person as a breaker can serve as basis for the next leader.
Until somebody could reach the absolute peak of a breaker’s power, the war will continue.
Jerome sighed as he sat down on the chair again. He drank the glass Crystal left for him, then looked up to the ceiling.
“This is quite the annoying life.” He said to himself
He took the helmet and wore it. With the press of a button, the machine turned on, and Jerome, once again, experienced the same. He was alone in the room he was in, with only the sounds of the machine keeping him company.
He stood up and walked straight towards the door. The knob was still cold, but he could hear almost no activity from the other side.
He twisted the knob, and what blew in was the cold air of a hospital room. He saw faces which he could not recognize, but the one on the bed shattered his heart the most.
He saw himself, holding the hand of the person in the bed, crying and hopelessly weeping for a miracle to come, while Nicholas stood behind him, looking down unto the floor.
The person on the bed was no other than Crystal, diagnosed with cancer.
“I’ll save her! I will I swear!” Nicholas yelled
“Just shut up for once!” the past Jerome yelled back
“Let her rest” he continued
“You don’t believe in me?” Nicholas asked
“Its not that I don’t believe in you, it’s just that—that perhaps—screw it let’s continue outside.” The past Jerome said
The two men went to the hallway and stood across each other.
“So?” Nicholas asked
“What can you possibly do? The doctors said that it has gone up stages.” Jerome said.
“My research is based on molecular reformation through subatomic reconfiguration. I can reset my work and focus it on killing the cancer cells.” Nicholas said
“Will you be able to save her in time?” Jerome asked
“I can.” Nicholas said
Jerome’s eyes opened once again. He looked at the window and saw that the sun was out. A long time has passed since he entered his mind, but he was unsure how long. Another glass of water was right before him. Noticing how parched his mouth was, he drank it before heading out.
The other side of the door was a bedroom. From all the stuffed animals and fancy designs, it was not hard to determine that the room belonged to Crystal.
He walked across the room to the door on the other end. It led him to a dark inner hallway of the apartment. His footsteps creaked the floors, but a sound louder than that was made by a bunch of people from far below.
He passed through the old wooden staircase, going down to the very first floor. The smell of food entered his nostril, and his hunger made him follow that trail. It led to him to a makeshift dining room, where everybody was seated, except for him.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to save a seat for you, brother.” Crystal said
“How?” Jerome asked
Everyone looked at him. His face displayed a face of shock and surprise.
“How are you alive?” he continued
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