Origin (26)

Tonight, under an unusually blurry night sky, the Town was shining alone amid the icy mountain ranges. It was the aurora phenomenon.

A faint band of light lingered over the mountain ridges, and any sounds from inside the Town could not escape to the outside.

People, who had forced themselves to march on in increasingly dangerous circumstances, were now dispersing, marking the end of the day. Fatigue filled their eyes to the brim and even started to overflow, but at this moment, there was strength in their steps.

Words of encouragement—"Thank you for your hard work today," and "Let's do our best again tomorrow"—spread quietly among them. None seemed to have lost hope.

And there was someone watching over those people—a woman with long blond hair draped at her side, sitting on a windowsill. That was Celestia Myosotis.

She stared absentmindedly out the window, her expression utterly sunken. At the end of her gaze, there was nothing—only the dimness that blurred boundaries.

"Celestia."

A man's voice sounded from behind, and Celestia turned her head. Eyes that contained not the sky's blue, but the darkness of the deep sea, gazed at him.

"I have a report."

"... A report. Eric, you truly never change."

"This is my duty."

"Even though the world has changed like this?"

"Rather, it's because it changed that I must continue."

Eric bowed his head politely. It was not simply because Celestia was the master of Myosotis. He owed her his gratitude.

In the past, Eric had been a soldier, falsely accused due to politics. Everything he had built up as a soldier, as a person—he saw it all evaporate in an instant, which sapped his will.

His loyalty, effort, and sacrifices—everything he had devoted to the military, even including his fiancée, were all denied in that moment.

Eric still remembered what Celestia had said to him the first time she came to see him.

'... Did she say she would help me take back what I lost?'

A mere child still in the early years of the academy had boldly made that promise. He hadn't known then that she was part of the fallen Myosotis; so, he'd said she could do as she pleased.

Celestia had kept her word. In less than a year, what he had thought extinguished returned to its rightful place. It's already been eight years since she saved him.

Eric cleared his name, recovered his honor, rose to an even higher position than before, and felt the way people looked at him changed. When he asked Celestia what she wanted in return, her answer was clear: help her from then on.

The day he regained his honor, Eric quit the military. All Celestia wanted from him was one thing. When he tired of his soldier's game, that he retire and devote himself to Myosotis. That was all.

Celestia, without hesitation, asked if he wasn't retiring too soon, if he didn't regret regaining what he had only to throw it away. Eric answered firmly.

Now that he knew how easily everything he'd built could vanish, he had no regrets remaining.

Putting the past behind, Eric focused on the present. He gazed at Celestia, who seemed to be submerged in gloom like one sunk in the deep sea.

He had watched everything she'd endured. How harsh the world was to a girl not even yet an adult. If Eric hadn't quit the military when he did, Celestia wouldn't have had a single decent day.

She set Myosotis upright after its fall, and afterward, whenever pressure came from all directions, Celestia overcame it with strong will. Eric had no doubt that she would do so once again.

"Lee Hyun-woo is involved with the pureblood supremacists."

"... I've heard that too."

Celestia was certain of Lee Hyun-woo's connection to the pureblood supremacists. The script he read and deciphered was the same as what she saw before at the supremacists' satellite.

Seeing them study that script, it was more likely that Lee Hyun-woo was a victim rather than a participant.

Just being connected did not make everyone involved an enemy.

"Well... It's probably a case like mine."

Seeing Celestia mumble softly, Eric cautiously continued.

"Celestia, is there a chance Lee Hyun-woo is the one you're searching for—?"

"We've already confirmed that's not true."

Celestia cut Eric off sharply. Whenever her older brother came up, she reacted with a cutting edge.

"That person didn't pass the Town's authentication. The lack of the special code inserted in a Myosotis's DNA means he's not Myosotis."

"..."

"And he doesn't look like the brother I remember. My brother had the same blond hair and blue eyes as me. He doesn't have the birthmark on his shoulder, and although he's got a scar on his back, it's not the one I remember."

"Celestia..."

"Eric, let me warn you: don't make me repeat myself. Lee Hyun-woo isn't my brother."

Even at Celestia's icy reaction, Eric shook his head as if that wasn't what he meant. His eyes showed sympathy.

"That's not what I mean. How did you know about the things you just said?"

"..."

Celestia pressed her lips tightly shut. Eric sensed her mood and didn't press further. He genuinely felt sorry for her. Even knowing it wasn't him, she searched desperately for any trace.

Eric changed the subject.

"You seem to think highly of Lee Hyun-woo. He's certainly not of a bad nature."

"... He's just a little easier to talk to than most."

Celestia herself didn't know why. Because of what happened in her childhood, she found it hard to trust others, always wary that they might suddenly change.

But with Lee Hyun-woo, that wariness seemed ineffective. Perhaps because, like her, he was also a victim of the pureblood supremacists. But even before she learned that, she'd felt the same.

To be honest, as soon as Celestia learned Lee Hyun-woo had no memories of his past, she considered the possibility that he was her brother.

So she investigated from every angle. Observed him, tested him several times. But no. He could not be Myosotis.

Even if appearances changed, there were things unique to Myosotis that should remain: the special authentication code inserted in the DNA. He didn't have it. Unless one's entire body—including the brain—was swapped, it was something that never disappeared.

"But are you really going yourself?"

"If you mean to the refinery, yes."

"I see. Understood."

"That's surprising. I expected you to argue as usual."

Celestia paused at Eric's unexpectedly calm answer. She'd practically decided to go without consulting him, expecting him to scold her.

"I simply obey your decisions. And, have I ever directly opposed you?"

"Well... No."

"There you have it. If you'd said you'd go alone, I would have stopped you, but Lee Hyun-woo is going with you."

"You like him too, Eric."

"I can't deny it. He's reassuring to have around. If I were still a soldier and he was my junior, I'd give him full support."

Whatever Lee Hyun-woo thought of him, Eric saw him as a comrade. The most useful way to judge character was to watch someone's actions in battle.

The split-second decisions made at the very brink show true character. Having fought back-to-back numerous times with Lee Hyun-woo, Eric knew he was not one to betray others, nor abandon them easily.

"It's late. I'll take my leave now. If you need my help, call me anytime without hesitation."

"... Alright."

Eric dipped his head slightly and left the room. He didn't bother saying "Have a good night" or "Rest well."

He knew it wouldn't matter.

Saying such things wouldn't reach her, and nothing would change until she found her family. In fact, such words might only hurt Celestia further.

Silence enveloped the room again. Now that even the people outside had all gone into buildings to enjoy a sweet rest, stillness began to fill the empty space.

Unable to sleep, Celestia, as usual, activated her bracelet and displayed a hologram window. It was filled with information she had desperately gathered—traces of her attempts to hack into the medical sector's system.

But she never did find the core evidence she sought.

'I'm sure there's something in the medical sector.'

Clone. That word clearly appeared in the remaining data from the medivac obtained in the waste disposal sector. Celestia had seen a lot as the head of Myosotis.

That people working in the medical sector illegally cultured clones was nothing remarkable to her—those things were more common than most would think.

But what Celestia wanted wasn't merely that; she sought traces of her brother—specifically, traces that were definitely connected with the pureblood supremacists, not just ordinary illegal activity.

The result had been an obvious failure. Was there nothing at all, or did she simply have to see it for herself? That was why she resolved to go out personally.

'I didn't decide to go out on a whim...'

She didn't think it was rash. She believed if she went outside and directly authenticated herself as Myosotis, bypassing any backdoor routes, a new path would reveal itself.

She didn't care if that path risked her life. She had come here to break free from the past and see the end. Others were not her concern.

Terribly selfish. She knew that herself.

'... I'm tired.'

Ten years. Others might say it's only ten years, but to Celestia, those ten years were hardly trivial. How much had she gone through restoring the fallen Myosotis?

There were more than a few times that crushing fatigue piled so high she wanted to give up completely. Celestia bore all that pain just to meet her brother again.

Once—no, even now—her desire to see the one who was everything to her turned into longing, and longing became obsession. An attachment that would never let go, not even if she tried.

The infiltration operation into the robot factory. If, by staking her own life, she could strike a blow to the pureblood supremacists, it would be nice, but chances were slim. She'd be lucky to barely escape.

She could try to open communication via a channel linked to the pureblood supremacists, but doing so risked exposing this location.

But it was the easier path. She could survive by simply abandoning this place and not going herself. She was momentarily tempted, but reason held her back.

She couldn't sacrifice the others' lives. She needed them, for her own survival if nothing else.

"... Even if I could just buy everyone some time."

She decided to buy time for those in the Town to escape and to ask the pureblood supremacists where her brother was.

Or maybe, in truth, she was looking for an excuse to give up. In the midst of her tangled, rambling thoughts, Celestia considered that.

If so, her only option left was to go herself and talk. She wasn't counting on a conversation succeeding—she only hoped it would. They had made her a promise, after all, and should keep it.

'Celly, hide! Don't ever come out!'

Celestia could vividly remember being forced into a secret bunker by her brother Ian, watching her cradle burn. Even now, when she closed her eyes, the memory was clear as day.

Some power had annihilated the Myosotis stronghold, burning everything down to ash—a dreadful hell. She knew that power was connected to the pureblood supremacists.

What a cruel fate. To have to flatter those who killed her family just to beg for information about her lost brother.

"... Brother, where are you?"

You said just to hide for ten nights. But it's not ten nights—it's been ten years. After waiting endlessly and you never came, I finally rose to find you myself. For I knew I'd achieve nothing just by freezing in place.

Celestia's "tenth night" still had yet to end. Perhaps it never would.

Staring at the majestically looming ringed planet, Celestia drew her knees to her chest and buried her face between them.

Resenting a situation where no answer came, no matter how desperately she called out.

It seemed that tonight, too, she would not be able to sleep easily.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=It's a sad backstory.Again, I really think Hyun-woo's DNA and his information got altered.He is Celestia's brother.【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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