Scribble 16: Under False Pretense.

Hello, Wanderers! Here again Respatih Drake brought you a Scribble, a short story about hidden world that is Edelfarat.

In case you haven't noticed, I've put pages describing recurring organizations' dossier in the right panel! Now when you find UNSED or Covert used in a scribble and you forgot who they are, you could refer to the corresponding dossier.

Today in Edelfarat, I'm trying to take something purely mental and turned it into physical condition, specifically the "god complex".

What is god complex? God complex is a condition where someone refuse to be wrong, somewhat like Dunning-Kruger syndrome in which someone overestimate their own capability and reject any statement that prove otherwise, despite the various citation and observation presented.

This Scribble introduces a new organization which, like UNSED and Covert, has their own universe and probably featured in another Scribbles as well. However, as you would soon find out, this new organization's universe has a fundamental difference than UNSED and Covert.

I'll put up its own dossier soon.

The Scribble will now start.

Scribble 16: Under False Pretense.

[SI-L2-FAS1]

FAS Briefing Log.

[Date Not Found]

Have you ever heard of the "god complex"?

You could search the network for that key phrase, someone should have written about it. Yes, you could do it now. A level one document on the subject isn't really different from the one in the outside world, after all.

For the rest of the world, Ernest Jones is the person who first coined the term as another word for Dunning-Kruger syndrome, but in the twisted society of Edelfarat, it wasn't something as cute as that. See, in the place where magic is commonplace, it's easy for a prideful individual to seek to become the strongest, the absolute monotheistic god, ruling over every possible reality.

The official name given by the Initiative is Ferling Ascension Syndrome, after George Ferling, the first Thaumatologist researching this tendency.

Surprisingly, becoming an existence with power comparable to a god isn't really hard to do, as every magic system apparently created with a method to achieve this in mind, as a last resort, abandoning the mortal shell in order to achieve an immense power comparable to miracle of gods in an instant. Some of the Magus with FAS would stop at this stage, content with their power and the goal they have achieved.

Some of them, however, would think that even that isn't enough. In order to be the god, the ultimate decision maker of all possible universes, or even to restart the Boltzmann Simulacrum itself, a new method must be created, outside the existing ones. Oftentimes, the Magus will self-destruct, sending minor ripple of reality with wavelength less than 12 Nm.

But some of them survive. Several of those monster that had cast even their own life aside for power had survived the Apotheosis, stepping into true divinity and threatening the existence of the multiverse, by creating a law out of chaos and connecting every single Magic Theorem into threads of existence itself.

The only thing we could do when an entity reached Apotheosis is to wish they destroy themselves, or to create one of them ourselves. Due to the unpredictability of such method, after the third emergence of such entity that decimated not only portion of Edelfarat but reality itself, new method was required to prevent and combat such existence, without relying on similar entities ourselves.

Thus, Sathariel Initiative was formed, to suppress the knowledge of Apotheosis, and suppressing even the slightest possibility of someone discovering the existence of such process, much less practicing it.

Despite Sathariel Initiative's effort to conceal the God, so to speak, it is inevitable that determined individual would be able to reach Apotheosis. Further information about the possibility of such entity already existing and the countermeasure developed, Project Astaroth, is available with Level 6 clearance [SI-L6-23PA].

It is the height of hubris for man to even consider confronting god. But it is possible. After all, these false gods was once human, and anything created by human could be destroyed by human.

Anyway, from now on, after understanding who we are and what we do, most of you would be tasked with harmless disinformation and censorship campaign, including modifying the existing documentation about Magical processes concerning reality alteration that affect areas larger than Edelfarat itself. I look forward to work with the lot of you.

Agent Geryos out.

The Scribble has been ended.

So, what do you think about it? The idea was "gods were all once humans, therefore humans could stand against gods without becoming something other than themselves."

Please leave a feedback if you want to, feel free to show me what you write too!

See you next Scribble!

Writing Prompt Response : An Intelligent OS Like in the Movie "Her" has Finally been Realized.

[WP] an intelligent OS like in the movie "Her" has finally been realized. While everyone else is falling in love and making best friends with their operating systems, yours is a bit of an asshole.

Hello Wanderers! Here again with the Writing Prompt Subreddit response! It's been, not really long time since I did one, right? Eh, it's actually been several months. Ah well.

As you see, the prompt is a bit long so I cannot fit it on the page tittle. This prompt is commissioned by u/madmansmarker.

The prompt premise is pretty vague, as we don't know if the world is Utopian or Dystopian one, when everyone fell in love with their digitized waifu, will it be a better or worse place? Well, in my version, everything is very much the same, it might be a bit similar to one described in "Mahouka Kouko no Rettousei" Light Novel or anime.

On a second though, my idea was practically a ripoff from that world. Ugh.

Anyway,

The story shall now begin

I woke up with a start to the sudden bright light surging into my eyes.

"Argh!" I covered my eyes, and then slowly opened them. A silhouette could be seen from my burnt eyes. Irritated, I shouted at the silhouette.

"IDA, how many times should I told you not to turn that lamp on while I'm sleeping? There should be better ways to wake me up!"

"Oops, should have slipped my mind." the girl, or the thing that has the appearance of a girl replied with a totally flat tone.

I almost went up and hit her face, but knowing the futility of such act, I stayed silent in my bed.

"Your class start at nine, which is an hour from now. You shouldn't go back to sleep." IDA shook my shoulder emotionlessly.

I could never get used to this. The specifications said that the AIAS supposed to only respond in the way that was flattering to the master, but none of IDA's speech and actions is actually "flattering".

AIAS, the Artificially Intelligent Assistance System. The technology began widespread use five years ago, where suddenly every new home came equipped with one. AIAS managed everything from daily schedule to laundry, to cooking, essentially everything you would need in a house. It was the best friend for a person like me that can't be bothered to do the chores.

IDA was one of the early generation of AIAS, which I took pride as the closest in shape as a human being. But apparently its beauty came at cost of its intelligence.

"Due to lack of response, IDA will now initiate resuscitation protocol 7. Please stand clear."

"Whoa, wait, I'm awake, okay! Geez, can't you just check my forehead for fever like those anime girls or something?" yes, AIAS could even do that. But since my IDA was written with particularly ancient language that I can't find the compiler anymore, I can't even reverse engineer its kernel.

"I'm not programmed to do that. I will proceed to prepare breakfast." IDA replied curtly, as it stepped out from my room. I sighed again, and then started changing my clothes.

"Master." I was startled when I found IDA in front of my room.

"What is it? Is your logic module broke again? Sorry, but that's the last one I could find. If you broke it you'll have to- whoa!"

It suddenly closed the distance between us and stick its forehead in mine, sending the coldness of its silicone surface.

"What are you doing!" I pushed it away, or rather, pushed myself back. It tilted its head.

"I believe this is what master desire? Am I wrong?"

"Yes, yes you are IDA."

"Strange, I have went through all act associated with 'checking forehead for fever' in your anime folder."

"First, that folder was encrypted, and second, I thought you just said you're not programmed to do that!"

"I am an AIAS, I am capable of simple learning."

"Bullshit. I never saw any of my friends' AIAS analyze an entire terabyte of encrypted data and then select a behavior pattern out of animes before."

"It is within my processing capability to do so."

"Yes but it isn't logical. Why waste your memory? Is your logic module broken again after all?"

"It is within my capability since the very beginning. My spec enables me...."

"Enough." it maybe extraordinary, but IDA is still IDA after all. I walked into the dining room. "IDA, what is my first class? And how much time do I have?"

"Advanced Thermodynamics start in 45 minutes, onii-chan~"

"Wha- that was creepy! Why did you do that!"

"It was the same behavior pattern as 43.4% of the main female protagonist in your..."

"Just, stop, okay! Stop! It's creepy!"

"Okay."

"What's for breakfast?"

"Omelette rice." IDA brought an omelette rice with a heart drawn in ketchup to the table.

"I said ENOUGH ALREADY!" I clutched my head, but again IDA just tilted its head.

"I thought you would like it, I even added 45% more salt from the original recipes."

"...you just wanted to make my life miserable, don't you?" I stood up and grabbed my key. I obviously can't eat that salty omelette.

"...master."

"What?"

"Do you hate me?"

"...I don't know. You are a bit annoying, but you did your primary purpose, so, no, I don't think I hate you." I paused for a moment as I tied my shoes. "Why did you ask?"

"Because I don't wish for you to hate me." I laughed weakly.

"IDA, what is a wish? Could you describe that in mathematical equation?"

"...no, I could not."

"What about hate?"

"...no, I could not."

"Then just shut up and do your job." I closed the door behind me.

Unbeknownst to me, behind that closed door, IDA whispered to itself.


"Just because I cannot count it, would it be any less real?"

The story could now ends.

Scribble 14 : Can A Frozen Man Caught Cold?

Welcome, Wanderers.

Again, we met in this edge of reality where both Logic and Illogic coexist without fighting over preferred method to prepare a cup of tea.

Anyway, this would be a pretty short one, mainly a monologue about someone on verge of death. It's one of the things I always wanted to write, but never actually  write, so this is my attempt in scratching one item in my list.

The Scribble May Now Begin

Scribble 14 : Can A Frozen Man Caught Cold?

I remembered falling, but not much else.

The Antarctic ocean embraced me with all its coldness, as I sank deeper to its being.

Humans really are selfish beings. I was one of the 300 person in the flight from Melbourne to Santiago. And yet every single one of us is focused on saving ourselves. Even though half would be saved by stepping on the other half, no one would want to be abandoned, thus reducing the overall probability to be saved.

The fifty percent chance has dropped to less than ten percent. And of course I won't be among the saved ones.

My body started to go numb. It shouldn't be long before my brain started to freeze, as the cold ocean mercilessly deleted my existence from this world.

You know, when people describes near-death experience, they'd say something like their life flashed in front of their eyes, or there's bright light on the limbo or something. Well, in my case, neither happened. I have no way to know if their was the "proper" one or mine is, but all I see is just the colour blue, emphasizing the futility of my struggle against this unfair world.

Is this what dying feels like?

Well, you know you hadn't died yet when you still able to ask that question, don't you?

Was my left hand just shattered? How cold is it anyway? The water is still liquid, but I know better than base my judgement on that. For one thing, water could still be liquid far below zero degree centigrade, if the conditions are correct. It doesn't really matter.

It's funny, really. When on such condition, one would think that even I would focus on staying alive. Au contraire, instead I focused on such stupid trivia as how cold a water could stay liquid.

Another cracking noise reverberated in my skull. Human ears aren't exactly made to capture sound underwater, so I can't hear anything, per se.

Again, those were utterly useless trivia that couldn't matter less to me right now. My body heat was seeping out, I counted the beat of my heart in a futile effort to keep myself sane. Before I know it, I can't think about anything else other than my own heartbeat.

I remembered drowning, as cold water slowly cut off all my senses.

A bright light stabbed my eyes as two hands shook my shoulders.

"Honey, honey!" slowly, I opened my eyes to a dining table that I had seen at least a million times. "You shouldn't fell asleep on your breakfast."

I looked up to the source of the voice, to the face I never thought I'd see again.

"Uh, yeah." I glanced at the watch on my left wrist, and a surge of memories rushed to my mind. Monday, two days after my flight. My new job, director for Chile branch. "I still can't get used to the time zone."

The voice let a chuckle. "Well, it's just two days after we arrived, after all. You have an orientation at nine, which means you have an hour to prepare." a crack momentarily appeared at her face as she walked back to her seat.

"Lilly."

"Yea?"

"How could you survive?"

"What do you mean? You saved me, remember?"

"I didn't."

"What are you talking about, of course you did." she sighed "Although I would prefer if you didn't sacrifice yourself in the process."

"I- what?"

"You died at the crash. But somehow, you managed to save me."

"I can't save anyone if I die. The fact that both of us are here, does that mean both of us are saved or both of us died?"

"Maybe you have to answer that for yourself." and then everything disappeared.

I remembered falling, but not much else....

The Scribble Ends Here.

Do you like it?

Well, that's one item off my wishlist. I'd write another soon, so stay tuned. Until then.

Scribble 13: Behind the Normal

Hello, Wanderers!

Fancy meeting you here! Please, sit down! Here is my newest work, not the best on the store, but best I could do now ^_^.

This is going to be a short one. I considered lengthening it a bit, but it ends up watering down the mystery and the core aspect of the story, so I decided against it.

So, before this opening become as long as the story itself, Scribble Start!

Scribble 13: Behind the Normal

Foyer opened and closed his hands, repeatedly. A soft electric whirl could be heard from his prostethics as it followed the simple act of opening and closing his hands.

A week ago, he won't even imagine he would have to be fitted with prostethics to simply move his hands. Heck, a week ago, he won't even imagine a pyromancer would burn half of his body and he have to replace his arms just to stay alive.

For all his life up until now, Foyer was just a lowly detective on a dead-end job, made barely enough to live on daily basis. But his encounter with someone they had called Remniscient Threat had sent him to a world beyond normal, to the world he otherwise would never know exist.

"Hello, Mr... Foyer Reinn-Lasch, I believe?" a man in black tactical gear entered the white operation chamber.

"Yes." Foyer stood up and shook the man's hand.

"I'm agent November, from Five World Alliance, Covert Remniscient Division. I'm here to thank you for your support in neutralizing Remniscient Threat..."

"The flaming girl, yeah, you're welcome. Is this where you supposed to wipe my mind?"

"Sure, we could do that, but we could use your expertise, detective. This is a vast world. Surely you know that that girl isn't the only Remniscient Threat, and there are even more dangerous existence out there, unknown even to the CRD. If you join us, you could help eradicating the threat against humanity, and the paycheck is even better than your current job!"

Foyer lifted his hand, and then frowned as the soft whirl brought the cold metal fingers to touch his chin.

"Could you remove these soft whirl? It's getting to my nerve." agent November smiled.

"We could disable part of your hearing ability to filter that out, or we could use the CRD technologies to reclaim the hands you have lost. Of course..."

"I have to join the CRD. Right. I'm in. Just get rid of these whirls."

"This is your new identity. Welcome to the CRD, detective." agent November left the surgery room, leaving Foyer with his new identity.

From now on, his name is Handbrake.

The scribble would now end.

How is it? Not good enough to spend coffee on?

Well, that's your decision to make ^_^ I just hope you could enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

See you guys next Scribble, then!

Scribble 12: UNSED Recruitment Letter

Hello Again, Wanderers.

This is another stuff I wrote concerning UNSED, I just grown to like the name lol. Bear with it.

So, this is a recruitment letter. I wrote something a while back about 12 years old twins that controlled the world from the shadow, and I forcefully fused that concept with the UNSED theme.

Once again, UNSED does not exist. The organization under UN that governs space developments is UNOOSA (UN Office for Outer Space Affairs). Neither does Covert, as it was a secret service for NSR, a nation that never existed and most probably never will.

But you're free to believe what thee want, as the Scribble Shall Now Begin!!!

Scribble 12: UNSED Recruitment Letter

19 October 2███

Dear Mr./Ms. _______

We gladly inform you that we at UNSED require your service. The detail of employment we offer to you is attached to this letter, but in meantime I would like to introduce ourselves through this letter.

As you might have known, UNSED is the single greatest space exploration and development organization on Earth and beyond, spanning ten ISSs in Earth orbit and nine others in various orbit in the solar system. We have advanced from the single office division of the UN to the only surviving splinter group in 2088. Primarily, our mission is to advance humanity in the direction still unknown to us: the outer space, interstellar development, terraforming effort.

But all of it was just a cover story for the organization that was UNSED.

United Nations' Special Extranatural Division. That was the true name of the UNSED.

The original members of UNSED sought to gather the endangered knowledge from all over the world and preserve it in unified database, but many of such knowledge defies modern storage, and the contradiction between them restrict them from even stored in the same place. Thus, we devised a way to store these knowledge as far away from their power source: the Earth itself, in order to suppress their conflicting ideals.

That's why we built those ISSs.

There are only two members in the very top of the UNSED administration, with Level 9 (See All) clearance. And I am one of them. I am agent F. This knowledge would normally require Level 7 (Hidden Knowledge) clearance, and unauthorized access to this information would warrant an immediate disposal, but I present you a choice.

1. Press the button under the box. It will unlock the box and start the countdown to self-incinerate this letter. Contained inside the box was an amnestic drug, designed to remove any and all knowledge you have regarding UNSED.
2. Contact us ASAP, and become one of us.

By us, I mean the F-side, a faction within UNSED that comprises roughly half of the UNSED members. Our counterpart is the A-side, the faction led by agent A, the only other person with Level 9 clearance.

Agent A sought to use the knowledge UNSED gathered to achieve world domination, by combining everything to fill the gaps even between contradicting laws, and then used them to persuade, threaten, control the sovereign nations on Earth.

While I sought to use the knowledge to keep everything in check, to protect our reality from clashing laws contained in these knowledge. And most importantly, to keep my sister from destroying herself by trying to control the contradictions.

I hate her. I really am.

But the only way I could do to save the world is for her to be alive.

Of course, you could also join her side. There's a chance that she won't self-destruct and that her plan would succeed. She is a genius, after all, I won't be surprised if she actually succeed. The choice is yours.

Sincerely.
F.

The Scribble End Here.

I might or might not wrote several other stories about UNSED, but in meantime, I'll leave you pondering whether or not join Agent F in his (her?) quest to save Agent A.

See you next Scribble?

Scribble 10 : Top Secret Documents

Hello, Wanderers. Once again, we meet in the city where everyone could stand and hold hands equally, the city that finds its inhabitants, and not the other way around.

This scribble set in the same place as the previous stories about Remniscience, but instead of a story, I wrote this more like an essay on Remniscience itself, and set in early age far before the Remniscience become commonplace.

Of course, in reality, there is no such thing as Remniscience. Just like there is no such thing as Aether or World's Edge.

Let the scribble begin.

Scribble 10 : Top Secret

WARNING! The following document require Level 6 (Top Secret) clearance. Personel with insufficient clearance is FORBIDDEN to continue accessing this document, failure to comply with this requirement would result in immediate disposal of personel with less than Level 4 clearance, and memory termination for Level 4 or higher personel.

[Start of document UNSED-NTK-15001]
Introduction to Remniscience.
Dr. Gerard R. L., UNSED Exobiology Division

Humanity had developed FTL travel for exactly a century yesterday, and yet we barely spread ourselves further from the five closest stars from our homeworld. It's not really surprising, as our terraforming technology is far from complete, and constructing infrastructure in an entire planet from scratch require vast amount of time.

In 2132, just as we completed our first terraforming attempt, one of our researcher had proposed currently ongoing project B-107 to alter humanity's genetic sequences to match specific planet's biosphere instead of forcing the planet to match our biologic needs. The project was approved, and the application of project B-107 accelerated our colonization of Proxima Centauri for approximately 70 years. (Details on Project B-107 could be found in public document UNSED-PUB-19921). (Details on genetic alteration process could be found in document UNSED-NTK-9962, Level 5 clearance required)

In the light of its success, project B-107 also applied in the colonization of another four closest systems to Sol, thus reducing the previously estimated time needed to colonize the systems from 3 centuries to just 50 years. But that was not the only result of project B-107.

In order to suit our body to a planet on adjacent star systems, project B-107 altered human genetics to an extreme degree. A side effect of this alteration is growth of normally impossible synapse networks and cellular structure, leading to the development of previously unknown sense and perception unique to the inhabitants of a certain star system, Alpha Canis Majoris, better known as Sirius.

The unique perception ability, dubbed Remniscience, allows approximately 7.8% of the population of Sirius-TR-889 colony to perceive the flow of electric current and manipulate it in limited fashion. Genetic research concerning this ability suggest that this ability could be inherited, and that in coming generation, the number of Remniscient subjects would grow to 12.5% of total population. (Genetic structure concerning Remniscient ability could be found in document UNSED-NTK-10872, Level 6 clearance required). (Detailed testing log concerning Remniscient ability could be found in document UNSED-NTK-10768, Level 5 clearance required).

This development opened a whole new field of science for humanity. Surely the result in Sirius could be reproduced in another environment, and there are possibilities of different Remniscience perception develop in another star system as side effect of project B-107. A laboratory to specifically research the gene responsible for Remniscience, and its extended variation, is --proposed-- currently active in Procyon-GT-110 colony.

Remniscience gene, like every other gene, is subject to mutation by radioactive or chemical processes. Remniscience is predicted to grow in perception sensitivity and manipulation power as it inherited down to next generation. Proposal C-887 by General Convent to form a specialized division in categorizing and dealing with Remniscient threat as it became imminent is pending approval from UNSED High Command. (Detail on proposal C-887 could be found in document UNSED-MIL-1102, Level 6 clearance required).

Similar genes to ones found in Sirius-TR-889 colony is also found in several other colonies. Albeit no unusual ability has been reported from these colonies, it's highly possible that after several genetic adaptation, new Remniscience genes could be developed in those colonies, with different direction from currently found in Sirius-TR-889.

While whether the Remniscience would be beneficial or threatening for humanity is subject to debate, it was decided among the UNSED High Command that advent of Remniscience is dangerous not for the entirety of humanity, but for human native of Earth. Due to it's artificial origin, the Remniscience gene is incompatible to the original structure of human gene, and thus cannot be inherited by human offspring with either the biological father or mother originating from Earth. Installing Remniscience gene to human from earth has proven to be fatal, and as the traits carried by these genes would render one's body unsuitable for Earth environment, further trials are not advisable.

To put it short, Earth humans are not capable of generating Remniscience power, while humans from everywhere else could.

This emphasized the threat Remniscience possess towards Earth.

Before the advent of UNSED in 2088, the nation that then called NSR and would later called APAC had a secret agency in their nation called Covert. It was found from the recovered intelligence that one of Covert's 12 director had researched about effects similar to Remniscience as far back as 2002, which predates the NSR itself. It is currently unknown how Covert managed to research such incompatible concept to Earth human with relatively low fatality of 43%, while UNSED research in this matter had resulted in 100% fatality.

This research, spearheaded by Covert operative known only as Number Eight, might provide us with methods to prevent Remniscience threat from becoming out of control. The details regarding this research could be found in document UNSED-NTK-778, requiring Level 5 clearance.

[End of document UNSED-NTK-15001]

Scribble 9: In this world, there is no Magic.

Hello again, Wanderers.

As I was discontinuing the previous scribble, I wrote this scribble instead. Please forgive me m(_ _)m I just lost the material and motivation to continue it, and it happens quite often, actually T_T

This Scribble is a bit depressing to write, and it's not even a coherent one. I don't know why I felt so depressed when I wrote it, nor how could I wrote such depressing Scribble in the first place. Heck I don't know why I started this whole blog things, and in the end I just cannot stop, even if it has no reason anymore.

Or even if it has one to begin with. Gosh, it was really depressing, I need to cheer myself with some comedy anime or something, y'know, to balance myself up.

Scribble starts here

Scribble 9: In this world, there is no Magic.


A piece of autumn leaves brushed softly at the window right beside my bed. The almost bald maple tree just beyond my bedroom window reminded me that its almost time for autumn to go, and winter was coming to replace it.

And yet I still stuck here, in the same place as I was yesterday, and the days before, reminiscing at the time long past, with the person who no longer here on my side. The clock ticked with mocking tone, as if detesting my very existence, as if asking me, "What the heck are you doing here?"

"I was waiting." I said to no one. "For someone, anyone, to tell me how to fill what I lacked, to tell me how to return to those days I discarded without second thought."

It would be really nice if Magic actually exist, if there really someone who could return everything I had lost just by muttering few strange words or drawing strange symbols. Instead, here I am, contemplating how nice it would be if Magic actually exist, only to be disappointed when I woke up next day and I still have to struggle with the same damn thing I struggled with yesterday.

But in this world, there is no Magic.

And so no matter how long, no one would come to rewind the time, to let them who had left me alone in this cold and harsh world, return here on my side.

I woke up lazily from my bed, dragging my feet across the room to the door that leads to the bathroom. It's a calm and peaceful morning, one would call it boring and yet another would wish for it more than anything else. But for me, this was anything but peaceful, even though I won't deny that it was calm. Too calm.

Just two weeks ago, a woman would drag me out of my bed just after preparing the breakfast.

Just two weeks ago, a girl barely two years older than me would be waiting for me in the dining room, skimming over her math textbooks in desperate attempts not to fail today's exam.

Just two weeks ago, a man would be reading the newspaper at the veranda with a cigarette between his lips, despite his wife's constant protest.

Just two weeks ago, the morning would be a cheerful and peaceful moment for me, something that this morning just two weeks after is anything but.

My body moved on autopilot, somehow acomplishing the task of bathing, changing into school uniform, and making coffee to go with my toast. Two weeks ago, I wouldn't even drink coffee, as I was insomniac enough without it, but now I didn't even put any sugar in it. Sleeping less than three hours last night did nothing to my exhaustion this early in the morning, so my coffee is more or less justified.

Regardless, I managed to bring myself to the school, to the monotone classroom I wished to end sooner rather than later. But the end of the class would bring me back to the crushing solitude that I desperately tried to escape, and yet I tried nothing to bring colors to my life that had been empty since last two weeks. More than anything, I was afraid that I was simply using the person who had sincerely filled the blanks in my life, just as a replacement for those who had left me to my own devices.

To crush those smiles, to pretend that I accept their sincere smiles, would be insulting, to say the least, to their unblemished intent.

And so I walked, ignoring those hands who had honestly wanted to reach out to me, even though I knew that I was hurting myself, even though I knew that I would only broke more heart. Maybe I was just shielding myself, scared that the next time I took one's presence to be granted, it would only carve another scar on my heart.

Again, she offered the same smile. And again, I ignored it. She should've known by now that it would hurt her even by just trying, but she kept doing it, day by day.

"Why?" the question hung in the air, more to myself than anyone else.

"Why indeed." the question echoes through the emptiness.

Maybe it's for no reason at all.

Maybe it's fine even if it has no reason.

Maybe it's fine, to simply smile, to at least return her intent.

But the seconds I steeled my resolve to smile back the next time I saw her, Fate took her away from me, as it had everyone else I considered important in my life.

This world has no Magic, and time cannot be rewound. As such, regret drowned me just like the days before.

When I could reach back to her.

When I could return her smile.

When I could grasp her hands.

But I did none of it.

And now I can't do any of it anymore. Because time cannot be rewound, unlike the spring on the mechanical clock.

"Why?" the word felt heavier than it was.

"Why, indeed." the ticking of the clock mocked me once again, as if asking, "Why are you still here?"

Why gave me wings while knowing I won't be able to fly either way?

Woke up, bath, uniforms, coffee. Didn't even breakfast anymore, not since she went away. This monotone life was crushing me, but if another person left my life the way she did, I would actually break into pieces. Thus I savored the monotone routine, trying halfheartedly on everything, while achieving nothing.

Before I know it, I started writing, of a world full of Magic, where time could freely rewound, where mistakes could easily be undone, where I could meet everyone that had left me. Where every single apologies I never brought myself to say, could be delivered to everyone that mattered on my life.

Where I could tell her, that I was sorry.

"May I sit here?" a soft voice intruded my silent rampage upon the previously white paper in front of me. I raised my head to find a pair of blue eyes, staring intently at the empty space right beside me. "If you don't mind my presence, that is." those eyes turned towards me as their owner said the words with the same soft voice.

"I don't know, they said I brought misfortune to those around me, so if you don't mind getting some of those misfortune, then do as you wish." the owner of the soft voice giggled as a presence that accompanied the voice filled the space beside me.

"I guess a little misfortune would be worth it. You're interesting person." clumps of snow gently settled at the window, as I closed the notebook where I wrote the world of Magic, and placed it back to my bag.

"It's winter already, huh?" I accidentally said that out loud, gaining another chuckle from the owner of the soft voice.

"Yeah, yeah it is." under those blue eyes, a pair of thin lips formed a smile at my careless words. For the first time, I looked at the owner of the voice, from top to bottom. Chocolate-colored straight hair, extending past her waist. Oval face, with complexion as pale as the pages of my notebook. Blue, almond-shaped eyes that piercing with calculated gaze. Her slender figure was clad in soft pink long-sleeved shirt, with darker pleated shirt and plain black sneaker over similarly plain socks.

She was beautiful.

For the first time, I smiled. "Can I have your name?"

"Only if you gave yours first." her blue eyes challenged me, as she chuckled again. I returned her laugh with one of my own.

"Alfred, Alfred Reinn-Lasch. You might know me as the boy who lost all member of his family." she seems to be unfazed by the fact, her cold gaze still as sharp as it was, if not sharper.

"Not just family, it seems. Well, I won't intrude any further on that matter. I'm Amelia, Amelia Eidelfelt." my eyes widen at the mention of her family name. "You might recognize me as the sister of the girl who passed away earlier this year."

It's cold. Why were everything so cold? Oh, right, it's already winter. But the pain in my heart dragged me back all the way to mid autumn.

It's dark. I thought I still have a few hours until sunset, but instead of crimson sunlight piercing through my eyelids, the throbbing pain on my head blanked everything.

"Hey, are you okay?" her voice echoed in my mind, dragging me back to the crimson stained world.

No, I wasn't okay. How could I? But I didn't say anything.

"I'm not here to blame you, nor to console you. I'm here to slam the cold truth down on your face. Whether it would be your doom or your salvation, it would be up to you." her expression was stern, as if the girl who had giggled just a few minutes ago never existed.

"Fair enough."

"Good." she took a deep breath, before looking at the window at the far side of the wall, likely reminiscing about time that would never return.

"She told me a lot about you, about this boy in her class that never smiled back to her. She made that a challenge to make you smile, a challenge she never completed."

"This is going to break me." I felt brittle, like every words that escaped her lips would shatter me into a million pieces. I hate this feeling.

"I never told her that I have been silently watching over the same person, day by day." she continued despite my interruption, and surprised me with her simple statement.

"Wha-"

"Before I know it, I stalked him, almost obsessively, falling deeper and deeper for him. Everyday I saw you on your silence, slightly growing a hope inside the futility of my action."

"But I can't bring myself to tell her. Even if she didn't tell me, it was evident by her passionate way she was talking about you that she had fallen for you, and I know if I told her about my feelings, her conflict would break her. I know I was just being stubborn, but I can't help it." she smiled bitterly.

"I won't ask for the impossible. I won't ask to replace her in your heart, and perhaps it would be cruel to ask so." she stood from her seat, and for the first time I saw the crystal clear liquid dropped from her face. "Farewell."

No. I'm done running away from everything.

"Wait." I tugged at her sleeve.

"Please, let me go."

"No. I'm done running away. I have to finish everything that I had put on hold since then. And I'll start with you."

"I don't care. You might've decided to stop running away, but that decision had nothing to do with me." she pulled her arm, taking it away from my grasp "I'll keep running, as far as I have to. It might be unfair for you, but what isn't?"

"That's true."

"After all, in this world, there is no Magic." she left me alone, her words echoed through the empty hall, now colder than before.

"Wake me up." I pleaded to the walls, the window, the clock.

"Please wake me up and tell me everything's just a dream."

But the judging second hand of the clock only spun with the same mocking ticks. "What's wrong with you? If she's going to run, then chase her! If she refused to stop, then run alongside her! How could you stop at the same fork of the road?"

Should I run after her, I wonder?

If only, there exist Magic that let me know the answer...

The Scribble ends here