I felt a heap of fatigue pile over me as I stepped out of Sherman’s office. I had gone in there ready to give Sherman a lecture against playing pranks, yet why was I the one who ended up getting a lecture from him? Just remembering the ‘angry smile’ he wore made me flinch right then and there by instinct. It was impressive how one could simultaneously look so calm yet so fuming. Maybe that was his real Ability.
I lamented as I walked out, “What a bummer……” Turning my head, I checked the clock on the nearby wall. 2 pm. So I had been getting scolded for around two hours then. I suppose today’s breakfast has already become a dream. Another sigh escaped my lips. Walking down the corridors back to the dining room, my mind drifted back towards our final exchange, right after his lecture ended.
“Master Iv, I suppose you already knew what I was going to talk about regarding the Cracks and the Crisis?”
“Yeah, how long have we known each other? Don’t worry, I find that part about them rather suspicious too. I’ll investigate it when I get the leeway to do so.”
Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but realise once again that Sherman was far too sharp for his own good, which, I suppose is what one would expect of a former Overseer. I was grateful that someone as competent as him was willing to work under me even after retirement from his post, though the man himself had simply said he was “repaying his debts”. In any case, I wouldn’t have left this house for four years if I didn't have faith in whoever was in charge. Over the years, he had become one of the few people in the world I could actually trust, enough to let down my guard around him and subconsciously leak my Aura. Though his recent lecture is seriously making me rethink that last part. Maybe I do need to be on guard against him…
“But still, the Cracks, huh?” Despite his limited intel, Sherman was still able to piece together enough of the puzzle to be left with the same suspicions about the Cracks as me. In that, we both suspected the Cracks to have somehow detected my presence beforehand. Looking at it again, it was a little too convenient for both the breach in the first Crack, and the Crisis from the second, to have occurred immediately right after my departure. Though there wasn’t enough concrete evidence to prove these suspicions correct yet, I believed the Cracks somehow sensed my presence and avoided action until I had left. As to why, I was still a bit unsure. The theory is still a work in progress, okay?
Although this may also make the Cracks sound a bit too intelligent. As far as we knew, they were just “interdimensional rifts”, which is a cool word for saying we don’t know jackshit. The US government has been demanding more information about the Cracks, thinking we’re still playing dumb, but as far as I knew, the Cordiale was just as clueless when it came down to the true identity of the Cracks, or the monsters that came out from them.
Then perhaps someone is making them happen? An Origin? No…such a feat should only be possible from Origins of unimaginable power, and the “Cardinal Sight” would have detected any major Awakening or birth of such Origins, like it always has.
I suppose the old man would know a thing or two, thanks to his “Vision”, but if only he weren’t so vague and secretive. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if we’re even on the same side, much less a part of the same organisation. Well, there’s no point thinking about it now. I had already resolved myself over these past few days to move forward even without his guidance.
Going through such thoughts, I continued to make my way down to the dining room. Thanks to Blood Control, I didn’t exactly need to eat or ingest anything to survive, but it was nevertheless still a habit that kept me grounded with the rest of humanity. And so there I was, walking down the corridors again whilst humming lightly, before a bewildering sight caught my attention. In a perplexed daze, I walked over to the nearby window. I leaned forward on the glass windowpane to catch a better angle, before a small murmur escaped my lips. “......Abigail?”
Peering outside the window, I caught sight of the little girl, Abigail Everest, playing with two maids in the garden with a strange, balloon-like ball. They were running around the wide, grassy fields, trying to keep the ball from touching the ground. It seemed so simple and plain, but all three of them, even the two maids, seemed to be genuinely entertained. They were all smiling and laughing under the sun. A strange feeling washed over me as I watched over the picturesque scene. The scene of Abigail still being so up and lively was still peculiar in and of itself, even after our encounter this morning. Not only that, she was playing without a care in the world, as if she owned the place, although I did instruct the servants to be accommodating towards her requests. But going beyond that, just the sight of a child playing so innocently was something that struck a chord within me.
The job of an Overseer has always been demanding. How long has it been since I last properly interacted with a child? When was the last time I saw a child act so……in their age? The first thing that crossed my mind was Rhythm, but he was an operative, and between him and Beat, he was the more mature one. But if I remember correctly, even Rhythm used to be more lively back then too. Fragments of the past returned to me, of having to lightly scold him for sneaking out of training grounds, or for giving out ridiculous call signals during training. Remembering those times, he did seem to have a more energetic and playful demeanour than now. When did he change to be so much more reserved? The incident with Ezra, if I had to wager. I felt bitter just thinking about how Rhythm must have felt, if even I had been this affected. Unlike me, Rhythm actually lived, ate and slept with the other Inquisitors like family. And even amongst the Inquisitors, he, Beat and Ezra had always been particularly close. But then Ezra betrayed us, and in the end, Rhythm was left to bury his family with his own two hands, not before having to fight against Ezra alongside Beat. How hard must have that been for a child like Rhythm? Looking at Abigail, I couldn’t imagine this ordinary girl enduring the same pain as Rhythm had as a child operative.
A wave of melancholy washed over me, as I thought about the current mission him and Beat were on. I just hoped none of them would act impulsively. With that fringe organisation, the “Deuxieme”, having begun to intervene in Cordiale matters regarding Artificial Angels these past few years, I wouldn’t put it past them to somehow poke their heads into this mission as well. Though they’ve largely been playing nice and small so as to avoid other Overseers’ attention, I considered them quite a rising threat. As Ezra and Beat had shown, Artificial Angels were absurdly dangerous, and more than easily capable of dispatching dozens of trained Origins, and anyone involved with them was enough of a danger in my eyes.
I pondered as I continued to watch over Abigail. Rhythm had changed. But so did everyone else. Major-traumatic-incident-at-a-young-age or not, everyone changed over time. This was common knowledge. So I couldn’t help but ask myself,
When did I change? Or rather, have I even changed at all these past few years?
I briefly looked back on my childlike attitude. Why was I so childish? I was over half-a-century old. By normal standards, I should be an old man, or err, woman, like Sherman by now. Was it my Ability? An effect of eternal youth? That didn’t seem quite right either. It was all just a habit by now, something that came as naturally as breathing.
As I pondered on the topic, I continued to watch over Abigail playing around. The longer I stared, the more detached I felt. As I stared out the window, it gradually felt as if I was staring at an old tape recording. The vibrant scene I was looking at began to feel otherworldly, so different and out-of-touch. As if I were living in a different world, on a different time. I refocused my attention on Abigail. She had such a vibrant smile. Her eyes were genuinely gleaming. Her cries and laughter that filled the air were all genuine. They were all behaviours that I couldn’t imagine myself having.
……
Ah, so that’s it. I could always act playfully, but never innocently as her. In my heart, I just wanted to remain as a child, clutching on to a forgotten past that I knew was both painful and long-lost. But it was all so strange. These were surely things that I’ve thought over before. These questions were surely things that I had asked myself before. Why was this scene of an ordinary little girl playing around all it had taken for me to finally glean an answer? There was just something about it that resonated so deeply within me, as if I was missing a vital piece of myself all along. Unknowingly, the words escaped from my lips, “How envious……”
As I reached the end of my train of thoughts, it just so happened that at that very same moment, Abigail coincidentally turned her head right towards the window I was looking out from, before seemingly spotting my figure through the windows. I could see her cupping her hands to her mouth, trying to yell out something to me, though I couldn’t hear her over the distance and the glass window, of course. Tip-toeing, I reached out for the handles of the windows, trying to pull them open.
As I finally reached the handles, I pulled open the window, only to be immediately greeted by a fresh gust of wind to my face. Opening my eyes slowly, I could see Abigail waving towards me, calling out my name. The two maids by her side quickly lowered their heads upon catching sight of me. Smiling, I jumped through the open window, before landing on the porch with a small thud. Seeing the sight of Abigail running towards me under the sun was still surreal. I questioned whether or not this bright little girl really was the same disoriented, coma-stricken girl I had first picked up on a whim. How could she stay so carefree under these circumstances? It was still incredibly baffling. Perhaps it was just a childish innocence and trust that somehow made her feel safe and comfortable, even in an unknown environment. Either that or the maids in my house were all experts in childcare. In the first place, I wasn’t all-too familiar with the psychology of children, so who knows?
Abigail’s voice broke me out of my stupor. I couldn’t deny that the sight of her made me feel strangely warm inside, neither did I bother erasing the smile that had made its way onto my lips. Giving her a small wave as she ran up to me, I greeted her warmly, “Hi again Abigail, I hope you’re enjoying your stay here so far.”
In the beginning, I had only thought of her as an unnecessary intrusion, but now, I couldn’t help but think maybe this wasn't so bad after all.
I felt a heap of fatigue pile over me as I stepped out of Sherman’s office. I had gone in there ready to give Sherman a lecture against playing pranks, yet why was I the one who ended up getting a lecture from him? Just remembering the ‘angry smile’ he wore made me flinch right then and there by instinct. It was impressive how one could simultaneously look so calm yet so fuming. Maybe that was his real Ability.
I lamented as I walked out, “What a bummer……” Turning my head, I checked the clock on the nearby wall. 2 pm. So I had been getting scolded for around two hours then. I suppose today’s breakfast has already become a dream. Another sigh escaped my lips. Walking down the corridors back to the dining room, my mind drifted back towards our final exchange, right after his lecture ended.
“Master Iv, I suppose you already knew what I was going to talk about regarding the Cracks and the Crisis?”
“Yeah, how long have we known each other? Don’t worry, I find that part about them rather suspicious too. I’ll investigate it when I get the leeway to do so.”
Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but realise once again that Sherman was far too sharp for his own good, which, I suppose is what one would expect of a former Overseer. I was grateful that someone as competent as him was willing to work under me even after retirement from his post, though the man himself had simply said he was “repaying his debts”. In any case, I wouldn’t have left this house for four years if I didn't have faith in whoever was in charge. Over the years, he had become one of the few people in the world I could actually trust, enough to let down my guard around him and subconsciously leak my Aura. Though his recent lecture is seriously making me rethink that last part. Maybe I do need to be on guard against him…
“But still, the Cracks, huh?” Despite his limited intel, Sherman was still able to piece together enough of the puzzle to be left with the same suspicions about the Cracks as me. In that, we both suspected the Cracks to have somehow detected my presence beforehand. Looking at it again, it was a little too convenient for both the breach in the first Crack, and the Crisis from the second, to have occurred immediately right after my departure. Though there wasn’t enough concrete evidence to prove these suspicions correct yet, I believed the Cracks somehow sensed my presence and avoided action until I had left. As to why, I was still a bit unsure. The theory is still a work in progress, okay?
Although this may also make the Cracks sound a bit too intelligent. As far as we knew, they were just “interdimensional rifts”, which is a cool word for saying we don’t know jackshit. The US government has been demanding more information about the Cracks, thinking we’re still playing dumb, but as far as I knew, the Cordiale was just as clueless when it came down to the true identity of the Cracks, or the monsters that came out from them.
Then perhaps someone is making them happen? An Origin? No…such a feat should only be possible from Origins of unimaginable power, and the “Cardinal Sight” would have detected any major Awakening or birth of such Origins, like it always has.
I suppose the old man would know a thing or two, thanks to his “Vision”, but if only he weren’t so vague and secretive. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if we’re even on the same side, much less a part of the same organisation. Well, there’s no point thinking about it now. I had already resolved myself over these past few days to move forward even without his guidance.
Going through such thoughts, I continued to make my way down to the dining room. Thanks to Blood Control, I didn’t exactly need to eat or ingest anything to survive, but it was nevertheless still a habit that kept me grounded with the rest of humanity. And so there I was, walking down the corridors again whilst humming lightly, before a bewildering sight caught my attention. In a perplexed daze, I walked over to the nearby window. I leaned forward on the glass windowpane to catch a better angle, before a small murmur escaped my lips. “......Abigail?”
Peering outside the window, I caught sight of the little girl, Abigail Everest, playing with two maids in the garden with a strange, balloon-like ball. They were running around the wide, grassy fields, trying to keep the ball from touching the ground. It seemed so simple and plain, but all three of them, even the two maids, seemed to be genuinely entertained. They were all smiling and laughing under the sun. A strange feeling washed over me as I watched over the picturesque scene. The scene of Abigail still being so up and lively was still peculiar in and of itself, even after our encounter this morning. Not only that, she was playing without a care in the world, as if she owned the place, although I did instruct the servants to be accommodating towards her requests. But going beyond that, just the sight of a child playing so innocently was something that struck a chord within me.
The job of an Overseer has always been demanding. How long has it been since I last properly interacted with a child? When was the last time I saw a child act so……in their age? The first thing that crossed my mind was Rhythm, but he was an operative, and between him and Beat, he was the more mature one. But if I remember correctly, even Rhythm used to be more lively back then too. Fragments of the past returned to me, of having to lightly scold him for sneaking out of training grounds, or for giving out ridiculous call signals during training. Remembering those times, he did seem to have a more energetic and playful demeanour than now. When did he change to be so much more reserved? The incident with Ezra, if I had to wager. I felt bitter just thinking about how Rhythm must have felt, if even I had been this affected. Unlike me, Rhythm actually lived, ate and slept with the other Inquisitors like family. And even amongst the Inquisitors, he, Beat and Ezra had always been particularly close. But then Ezra betrayed us, and in the end, Rhythm was left to bury his family with his own two hands, not before having to fight against Ezra alongside Beat. How hard must have that been for a child like Rhythm? Looking at Abigail, I couldn’t imagine this ordinary girl enduring the same pain as Rhythm had as a child operative.
A wave of melancholy washed over me, as I thought about the current mission him and Beat were on. I just hoped none of them would act impulsively. With that fringe organisation, the “Deuxieme”, having begun to intervene in Cordiale matters regarding Artificial Angels these past few years, I wouldn’t put it past them to somehow poke their heads into this mission as well. Though they’ve largely been playing nice and small so as to avoid other Overseers’ attention, I considered them quite a rising threat. As Ezra and Beat had shown, Artificial Angels were absurdly dangerous, and more than easily capable of dispatching dozens of trained Origins, and anyone involved with them was enough of a danger in my eyes.
I pondered as I continued to watch over Abigail. Rhythm had changed. But so did everyone else. Major-traumatic-incident-at-a-young-age or not, everyone changed over time. This was common knowledge. So I couldn’t help but ask myself,
When did I change? Or rather, have I even changed at all these past few years?
I briefly looked back on my childlike attitude. Why was I so childish? I was over half-a-century old. By normal standards, I should be an old man, or err, woman, like Sherman by now. Was it my Ability? An effect of eternal youth? That didn’t seem quite right either. It was all just a habit by now, something that came as naturally as breathing.
As I pondered on the topic, I continued to watch over Abigail playing around. The longer I stared, the more detached I felt. As I stared out the window, it gradually felt as if I was staring at an old tape recording. The vibrant scene I was looking at began to feel otherworldly, so different and out-of-touch. As if I were living in a different world, on a different time. I refocused my attention on Abigail. She had such a vibrant smile. Her eyes were genuinely gleaming. Her cries and laughter that filled the air were all genuine. They were all behaviours that I couldn’t imagine myself having.
……
Ah, so that’s it. I could always act playfully, but never innocently as her. In my heart, I just wanted to remain as a child, clutching on to a forgotten past that I knew was both painful and long-lost. But it was all so strange. These were surely things that I’ve thought over before. These questions were surely things that I had asked myself before. Why was this scene of an ordinary little girl playing around all it had taken for me to finally glean an answer? There was just something about it that resonated so deeply within me, as if I was missing a vital piece of myself all along. Unknowingly, the words escaped from my lips, “How envious……”
As I reached the end of my train of thoughts, it just so happened that at that very same moment, Abigail coincidentally turned her head right towards the window I was looking out from, before seemingly spotting my figure through the windows. I could see her cupping her hands to her mouth, trying to yell out something to me, though I couldn’t hear her over the distance and the glass window, of course. Tip-toeing, I reached out for the handles of the windows, trying to pull them open.
As I finally reached the handles, I pulled open the window, only to be immediately greeted by a fresh gust of wind to my face. Opening my eyes slowly, I could see Abigail waving towards me, calling out my name. The two maids by her side quickly lowered their heads upon catching sight of me. Smiling, I jumped through the open window, before landing on the porch with a small thud. Seeing the sight of Abigail running towards me under the sun was still surreal. I questioned whether or not this bright little girl really was the same disoriented, coma-stricken girl I had first picked up on a whim. How could she stay so carefree under these circumstances? It was still incredibly baffling. Perhaps it was just a childish innocence and trust that somehow made her feel safe and comfortable, even in an unknown environment. Either that or the maids in my house were all experts in childcare. In the first place, I wasn’t all-too familiar with the psychology of children, so who knows?
Abigail’s voice broke me out of my stupor. I couldn’t deny that the sight of her made me feel strangely warm inside, neither did I bother erasing the smile that had made its way onto my lips. Giving her a small wave as she ran up to me, I greeted her warmly, “Hi again Abigail, I hope you’re enjoying your stay here so far.”
In the beginning, I had only thought of her as an unnecessary intrusion, but now, I couldn’t help but think maybe this wasn't so bad after all.
