'I need to find a way to kill him while he's unconscious...'
I issued a command. Robotic syringes emerged from the walls. The objective was simple: pierce his skin to obtain biometric data. His genome, his quantum signature, his true origin.
The needles, thick and vibrating, approached.
But just a few millimeters away...
BOOM
A sound wave shook the room.
Then, everything seemed to collapse in on itself. Gravity intensified abruptly. I was thrown against the glass, then sucked inside, kneeling on the ground. My vision wavered. The pressure crushed my limbs. The floor cracked into crevices.
He finally moved.
He slowly sat up, observing the surroundings.
"Where am I?"
"Oh~..."
He hadn't seen me yet.
'Is his power acting independently? Or was it intentional?'
He leaned forward. For the first time, I saw his eyes: black sclera, double golden irises.
"You're quite pretty, even if you're filthy..."
'I don't know any race with eyes like that. I need to search the archives as soon as I get out of here...'
I activated my power. Flames burst from my body. The pressure eased for a moment. I leaped, grabbed his face, and hurled him away. Then I pierced the roof.
But he stabilized effortlessly and blocked my escape.
'Damn!'
An invisible force grabbed my leg and slammed me to the ground.
"You capture me in some kind of lab, and now you attack me while trying to escape. Are you... afflicted with some sort of madness, filthy girl?"
I tried to keep a cool head and a professional demeanor, not mixing emotions with work, but this Bastard! I so want to tear him apart with my own hands.
Tears began to stream down my face, all the emotions I'd tried to contain spilling over. Nadir's death, his family, I'd failed to stop him again. An entire galaxy had been destroyed. I'd even be court-martialed soon. I've lost everything. And now this bastard is still mocking me, and I'm fucking incapable of killing him.
"It's YOU who's calling ME crazy! YOU KILLED BILLIONS, INCLUDING NADIR WHO WAS LIKE FAMILY TO ME! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME, I—" I took a deep breath and stood up.
"I swear I'll tear you apart and make necklaces out of your entrails..."
"..."
An awkward silence fell. His face went from slight surprise to confusion, but he remained silent. Which made me even more frustrated.
When you throw a ball at a wall, you expect it to bounce back. I wanted at least a reaction, for him to show his true deranged personality! And to admit his amorality. But...
He simply nodded and sat back on the dissection table, saying: "Wow... The young people today are quite violent..."
"Huh? Are you mocking me—"
He patted the spot next to him: "Come sit down, and tell me calmly and serenely who you are~"
"WHAT?"
"Well, you say I killed this... Nader?" when I don't even know who you are?"
"What are you talking about!? You're still trying to bullshit me with your nonsense!"
"It's a bit hard to understand each other if communication isn't working... You're from a civilized race, right? Make an effort."
"I—You... Are you saying you don't know who Ashera is?"
He tilted his head to the side.
"Was I supposed to?"
'Is he bluffing? No, why would someone of his level use this kind of method, and there's no reason for him to do so. Did he really lose his memory? Because of the Pulsar?'
"So you really don't remember anything?" I stammered.
"It seems important? Is it related to you? Tell me more~" He crossed his legs, staring intently at me.
"No, tell me what you do remember."
"Now that you mention it, my thoughts are quite blurry. I was returning from an important mission assigned to me, I ended up witnessing the explosion of a planet. And I think I lost consciousness, and now I'm here."
"That's quite confusing... And what year is it?"
"It's hard to pinpoint... But I remember my mission had something to do with the Second Intergalactic War."
"The second, so you don't know about the third?"
"There was another one? ...Ah, I remember my name. Zrahel Trinity Nihil.
I froze.
Zrahel Trinity Nihil.
That name... I needed to search it immediately in the databases. "Nihil" sounded familiar. But most importantly...
if he didn't even know about the Third War. It meant he wouldn't know he was The Fool, the one who caused it.
I'd been silent for about a minute.
"And you?"
"I... I'm Ashera Ibn Asad. Spade Commander."
"That name sounds imposing~. So, Ashera, what am I doing here?"
End Of POV
"I… Actually, you…"
Ashera bit her lip. The words stuck in her throat. She couldn't tell the truth. It was out of the question. He still didn't know who he really was — and that was better this way. Keeping him in the dark might be the only way to prevent the universe from suffering his attacks again.
But did that make him a good person because he didn't have his memories? Absolutely not. From the moment he woke up, he'd proven he was dangerous. Instinctively, brutally.
"It's complicated," she finally managed to say.
"Hmmmmmmmmmm… I see."
He rose without haste, scanning the room, arms crossed behind his back.
"It seems I've inadvertently forgotten certain things. I can only rely on you, Ashera, to rekindle the moments we've shared."
Ashera's face turned cold. She simply nodded, unable to respond. At that moment, she had no idea what to do.
"The environment is... unsanitary. There are more bacteria here than living beings on this planet. You lack hygiene, Ashera."
"Shut up! This is a sterilized chamber."
"I doubt it. Anyway, do you have clothes for me? White, preferably."
"Yes. Follow the hallway… I don't think you need me to show you the way."
"True. I've already located your wardrobe. There are also other... original clothes."
"Don't look at them! Pervert!" she shouted, red with embarrassment.
"Alright, alright."
A signal echoed in the room.
[This is Heart Lieutenant Kireak, under the command of Elder Asad. We request permission to land.]
Ashera headed to the hologram console. A military ship was already in low orbit.
'Looks like my father wants to lecture me...'
"Permission granted," she replied curtly.
She turned to Zrahel.
"Don't cause trouble. I need to step out for a moment."
"Why would I cause trouble? I'll just explore the place a bit. I'm a peaceful person, you know!?"
She didn't respond, just gave him a cold look before leaving the room.