No real escape

[absolute_perception]

Characters: Elian Zigmarl and Ryuho Ryu
Setting: Room 1-12
Format: Prose
Summary: Elian has to help out a friend from his world. It's not going to be easy.
Warnings: Death talk, emotional breakdowns, and seismic upthrusts and a lot of other things that might not make a lot of sense.

With the arrival of Ryuho came the complicated matter of taking care of his leader. He had to choose his words carefully considering now that he had no memories. Elian made his way through the halls from his current location at the infirmary, to his friend's room. There really wasn't much that he could do other than to help Ryuho understand what was going on.

The navigation came easy to him, since he worked on these floors. It was a menial job but it had its benefits. The trek through the halls allowed him time to think. It was important to make sure that Ryuho knew precisely what was happening and he left very little to chance. It was a gamble he chose not to take by leaving his friend to face his issues alone.

The otherwise stoic boy didn't show any happiness on his face through his walk. It was as if it was business as usual with the same impassive expression. All those years of discipline and training made him socially invisible and rarely has he gone out of his way to explain anything other than to those that needed to know.

This was one such incident. His small hand reached up to knock on the door upon his approach to room 1-12.

Comments

[absolute_perception]

[He nods and recalls the information.]

There are two ways to get a job here. One way is to ask over the network, the other is to go to the appropriate places yourself and apply. The jobs are, security, library, janitor, infirmary, cafeteria, or you can create your own business.

[calculatedfire]

Even if food is provided here, I would not feel right if I was not working somehow.

[absolute_perception]

[That was exactly how Elian felt about it. There was no way he was going to mooch off the system and feel obligated when he could contribute and be a part of something more.]

There are teachers here. Perhaps you could start a school. I teach language courses on the side.

[calculatedfire]

I'm not sure what I could teach. Are there many children here?

[absolute_perception]

[Elian nods again.]

Yes. They have formed their own group. I am among them.

[calculatedfire]

How many people are here in all? How many are children?

[absolute_perception]

[He forms the familiar green and orange orb around him as he tries to gather a count. The readings fluctuate because of the heavy static and it's a struggle for Elian to keep it. The numbers scrolling down fizzle in and out of focus.]

From the life force readings that I have been able to count, there are approximately two-hundred and forty-four people.

However, this number can be off since my Absolute Perception has been blocked on several occasions. At last count, there was an estimated twenty children under the age of sixteen. However, that number is not accurate either.

[calculatedfire]

[Ryuho tracks on the alter, somewhat fascinated by the apperance, even though he was told that he had a similar power.]

From dead worlds...

Do the children have any family here?

[For some reason that reached him at an emotional level and he wasn't quite sure why. He had no memory to attach the feeling to.]

[absolute_perception]

[Elian looked to Ryuho with a distant look in his own eyes. He just lost his father the moment he was brought here. His moods have fluctuated lately because of the grief of losing Scheris and Cougar the same day. It was as if it hit him a lot harder than he appeared and he hasn't had the time to grieve for them.

Up until now, he didn't the reason to. The thought of the other kids not having families here or the possibility of really hit him deep in his core. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.]

I don't know.

[calculatedfire]

[Ryuho's eyes are unfocuses for the moment.]

I don't... even know who I should be missing.

[Elian did though. That child had lost everyone, and they were the last two from their world.]

I'm sorry.

[absolute_perception]

[He opened his eyes in mild shock. He wasn't sure how to respond other than with his expressions. Words couldn't describe the pain.]

It's...it's not anything I can change. I can only watch. Thank you.

[He couldn't tell Ryuho everything just yet. However, his incomplete Alter, much like his father's, has saved lives and that was important.]

[calculatedfire]

[Ryuho placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture of comfort that had been alien to the person he'd been for so long.]

Feelings are their own purpose.

[absolute_perception]

[The primary Alter bubble Absolute Perception shattered instantly the moment Ryuho's hand touched his shoulder. It meant a lot more to him than the other could realize. Just this small gesture of acceptance when he was used to being distanced from others and sheltered by his father as HOLY's trump card in espionage, any contact surprised him.

For the longest time, Elian had watched Ryuho grow and change. Elina's hands tightened into tight fists at his sides. He knew the circumstances that surrounded his father's death. It wasn't Ryuho's fault. It was a choice he made and he was prepared, just not that soon. It was the fate of any Alter user to die once they reached their peak.

Elian's emotional wall broke. His arms wrapped around Ryuho without thought and broke into tears. He wanted to tell him, but he couldn't.]

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I failed you and I'm so sorry!

[calculatedfire]

[Ryuho was supprised by the sudden movemtnbut he knelt slightly to be closer to Elian's height and wrapped his arms around him, holding him and not sure what to say.]

I don't remember what happened, but you did everything you could, didn't you? You can't do everything.

[absolute_perception]

[Speaking between sobs, he felt his own self returning. He allowed himself to break free now and no longer felt like a clone or just some face in the crowd anymore. It was also accepting his place among the residents as a person and something more, it took a lot to understand that now.]

I watched you vanish into that light. I wanted to tell you my father's plans but I wasn't allowed to. I shouldn't have stayed quiet.

[calculatedfire]

It's not something I remember at all. [Ryuho admitted, although that wasn't much comfort.]

It's okay. You had a lot of input didn't you, and it wouldn't be easy to know which way to turn.

[absolute_perception]

[Elian nodded against Ryuho's shoulder. Ever since his arrival, he's been trying to sort it all out. Some of it was easy, others weren't. There were several paths he could have taken, true. He wiped his eyes and pulled back.]

I am happy to see you. Even if you don't remember me, it's okay.

[calculatedfire]

Hopefully I will regain my memory at some point. If it is as dangerous as everyone says, I should try to use my alter again.

[absolute_perception]

Without your memory, it might not help you. I can try to help you regain your memories, but I don't want to cause you significant damage. I have never tried to hack into a living mind before.

[He steps back to sit on the footlocker. There are lots of advantages to being small.]

[calculatedfire]

Perhaps that can be saved as a last resort then. You could try telling me what you know about me.

[He had a sudden unsettling feeling that Elian knew the people that he should be mourning now, and knowing would likely hurt.]

[absolute_perception]

[Elian agreed to tell with a reluctant nod. He's been trying to avoid the painful parts but he was really only stalling for time. Now, he had to oblige since he was asked to do so and he gave his word that he would try.]

[He gulps and begins.]

You joined HOLY in the pursuit to find and destroy the Alter user that killed your mother. Your father allowed you to join because he believed that your pursuit in your ideals was the most important step in your development.

You quickly rose in the ranks as one of the best, if not THE best Alter user known in the Lost Ground. You control the power of Zetsui, and the only one that has single handedly beaten many Native Alters that obstructed your ideals of justice and social order.

You worked closely with Scheris Adjani and you were childhood friends with Mimiori Kiryu, the daughter of the chief financial backer to the Lost Ground. You were friends with a little girl named Kanami Yuta, who was later kidnapped by Kyoji Mujo, a Mainland Alter user that tried to gain complete control over the Lost Ground.

In the effort to help Miss Yuta and to save the Lost Ground from complete domination, you teamed up with Kazuma and infiltrated his fortress. It was there you faced the Alter user that killed your mother and you were killed in the process.

Scheris...[pause] died to save your life so you could finish what you started. Cougar died protecting Mimiori and my father, Commander Zigmarl, he died while he awakened your true power.

[His fists tightened on his lap.]

You managed to destroy Mujo in a joint effort with Kazuma and saved Kanami, which is why I'm here. With Mujo gone, the entire building collapsed in on itself.

[calculatedfire]

[Ryuho listens to all of this, feeling guilty and confused. He knows it is hurting Elian to tell him all of this. And he didn't even remember his mother. How could he not have any image at all? The only things that really struck a cord with him were the names 'Kazuma' and 'Zetsuei'. For Kazuma, he felt that momentary surge of anger again, and for Zetsuei, he remembered a dog.]

Did I have a dog? A doberman?

[That was getting beside the point, but it was at least something he could wrap his mind around.]

[absolute_perception]

No.

[Elian shook his head.]

Zetsuei is the name of your Alter. I can't explain it to you. It is something that you'll have to rediscover yourself. I can't awaken it for you...

[He lifted his hand and gave a small push with enough air pressure to push the average person back.]

...unless I use force.

[calculatedfire]

[Ryuho stumbles a little, catching himself instinctively with the skills his body remembered, even if he didn't. He glows breifly, instinctively seeking an alter that didn't come.]

[absolute_perception]

[There was something deeply rooted inside Elian's psyche that he had to release. It wasn't against Ryuho. He felt anger that he never had the chance to tell his father just how proud he was to be his son before he died. There was a lot of pain held back that he never talked about to anyone. His life in the Mainland lab, his lack of living like a normal child, his inability to voice his opinions all crashed around him upon his arrival.

His father's last words weren't even to him or how proud he was of Elian. He was jealous. His brow showed no signs of emotional change but the seething cauldron boiled just under the surface that threatened to run over the sides.

His hand raises again with an even harder push of air pressure. His body glowed brighter in the prismatic light. The unformed Alter was his father's incomplete Alter before refinement. Elian gave it a name of Jetstream for a reason.]

You took him from me.