Asylum's Games: Journey

Personal Story: Shattered Souls

“What are you doing here, Aiyoko?” I ask stepping up onto the steps of what was once the bandstand that stood in the centre of Saitama Park. She disappeared a while ago and I've only recently found her perched on one of the railing looking out into the emptiness of unfilled space. A tall and ornate mirror stands behind her reflecting the image of her small frame.

She turns to face me and I can instantly tell she’s been crying, her swollen red cheeks gave her away faster than Solace’s temper. “Thinking...” she states flatly

“It looks like you've been crying, what’s wrong?”

Stupid question to ask, given the circumstances, we’re in a life or death fight just to escape this hellish world. I would be shocked if she was perfectly fine with everything.

Aiyoko, the stoic, calm and tranquil Literature club member now sits before me about to crack into a million pieces.

“I’m fine...” her speech pattern always manages to get me confused but over the past few weeks, I've steadily learnt to interpret her different mannerisms in conjunction with what she says. It was relatively simple to put two and two together after conversing with her. When she is relaxed, her calm and tranquil face is on full effect but when she’s upset she’ll hold herself as if to reassure herself that everything is ok... exactly like what she is doing now, plus the sore glow of her cheeks also serves to help me decrypt her lie.

I lean against the railing next to her and gaze sown into the void I've come to know as the “Unshattered Land” and sigh. “What’s on your mind, Aiyoko? I’m always here to talk”

“It’s... nothing, Kazuya...” her breath catches as she resists another surge of tears.

I think I should avoid prying, she’s fragile at the minute and god knows what would set her off. “I never forgot you...” that last bit caught me off guard.

“What do you mean?”

“When you got dragged here... into this world, I never forgot you... not fully anyway. In the months after you disappeared... everyone just seemed to forget all about you. But I just felt something was missing, like how there were four chairs in the club room and only three members and how Fujimura-san sometimes brought in two bentos with no knowledge as to why she had made them. Of course I kept quiet about it; no one would have believed me.”

This is the longest length of time Aiyoko has ever talked about anything. I don’t know whether to be worried or happy. On one hand this could be a good sign, she’s opening up... on the other this could be the start of a catastrophic mental breakdown... I chuckle quietly.

“It does sound a little ridiculous. How can someone just disappear from existence and everyone forgetting about that one person? It would sound crazy coming from anyone...”

“I’d come out to this bandstand at night and try to put the pieces together... I tried to figure out what was missing. I’d sift through old club files and the name Kazuya Takahashi kept cropping up. It was so familiar but so distant at the same time. I did some digging... Kazuya, you’ve been whipped clean off the school’s system, you were never a student there!”

My existence gets erased in that much detail? But why did my club assignment work survive? I guess the best lies are half-truths...

From what I know of Shattered Souls, people from anywhere in the vast and endless ocean of the omniverse are assessed on their magical ability, processed and then they are dragged, with no warning what so ever, into this world along with a considerable portion of the environment in the individuals own world, in Aiyoko’s case it was Saitama Park and this bandstand. Of course, the environment is only copied and used to fill up the Shattered Souls’ interior.

This place can be described as a “Closed Space” it’s a pocket dimension that exists between universes, it lies within the very boundary between them.

The omniverse is the collective existence of all universes and dimensions. To put things in perspective, my own universe would be the size of an atom compared to the overall omniverse. It’s an ocean of endless possibilities. There are some universes that link together forming parallel worlds and there are unique ones all together. I may be getting all this wrong though, I’m no expert on inter-dimensional quantum boo-ga-loo.

I’d have to ask Doctor for the details. That man still gives me the creeps...

I look down at my chest and clench at the spot where the energy blade of Absolution’s hammer hacked its way into my body. The scar is still present at full effect, the trauma of the whole ordeal still fresh in my mind. Aiyoko almost lost herself when she found out I was technically a zombie... then again... so did I if it wasn't for Doctor’s... unique way of explaining things...

***

"Congratulations on coming back from the dead! Being a member of the Undead Club gives you valuable advantages such as; Reinforced body structure, the ability to use 100% of your body's natural power, Immortality, faster healing and a lifelong subscription to Doctor's 'Drop-in' Check Ups! Hey I'll even throw in a free 'Doc-Tan's Inspirational Quotes'!"

The small cartoon version of Doctor, known only to itself as Doc-Tan, yelled out dancing around on the small television screen. The real Doctor, rather comically, slumped over the desk with an aura of pure exhaustion

-Click-

“To... Noisy...” He forced out and then completely passed out soon after.

***

The runes now imprinted within my very body are the only things keeping me alive. So, to keep myself in top form Doctor needs to assess my Runes on a regular basis and perform top ups where is necessary. White Shroud talked about runes being similar to electrical circuit boards, if I were to put too much magical energy through them they will burn out... and the gods be my witness that feeling is like having barbed wire dragged through your bloodstream.

“What happened to Sayuri after I came here?”

“Sayuri became more reclusive and began skipping club sessions, the club was forced to shut down due to lack of interest but President and I still met up as per habit.”

“Oh... I’m sorry to hear that...”

The conversation goes on as though we were two friends gossiping like nothing was wrong. It was feeling but all good things must come to an end sooner or later...

-BOOM-

The ground shakes violently and both Aiyoko and I fall off the railing...

“What the hell?”

Behind us, flaming smoke slowly billows towards the sky in a thick, smoggy pillar. In the far distance I can hear what I dread so badly... the low bass tone of Absolution’s ‘Destruction of Morale’

Suddenly my Archive magic’s mental interface opens up on its own. A video feed of White Shroud starts to play. He’s contacting me...

“Kazuya! It’s Absolution, it’s attacking our camp! We’re suffering heavy casualties, Solace, Elda and I are doing the best we can to hold it off but we need back up!”

“Shit... alright, I’m on my way White!” without another word I set off at a run with Aiyoko right on my tail. “Aiyoko, I want you to help out Doctor any way you can, keep safe!” she nods in agreement and breaks away from me.

It’s time for some long awaited payback!

My whole body starts to glow and I feel a strange pumping sensation throughout my body. Power surges and focuses around my legs.

“Hold on Solace, I’m coming!"

With that I give one final but powerful push off the ground and my reinforced legs send me flying through the air towards the giant pillar of smoke where our camp should be. That bastard hunk of tin needs to die!

Project Story: Roberts Park Bandstand

The park was designed and laid out by William Gay (1814–1893) for Sir Titus Salt (1803–1876) and was opened to the public in 1871 by Sir Titus. It was originally named Saltaire Park but was also known as “The Peoples Park” and “Salts Park”. In 1891 the park was purchased by (Sir) James Roberts (1848-1935). In 1903 to commemorate the fifty years Salts Mill had been operating and the centenary of his birth, a bronze statue of Sir Titus Salt was erected by the main promenade. The development of the park included a widening and deepening of the river Aire for boating and swimming purposes, and the construction of a boathouse on the southern bank of the river.

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