Insecure Sociability

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"I’m trying to bring the man here!"
Something was grabbing me, practically dragging me...

"Hurry up! He’s going hypoxic!"

"He’s been exposed to too much electricity; he’s going to start seizing soon!"
I could hear faint voices. I felt things touching my body, but I was too exhausted to think.

"I stopped the internal bleeding in the girl!"

"Good, now help me."

"Got it!"

If I could just rest a little more, just a bit more…
I want to sit quietly, in a corner, thinking of nothing, like a docile child.
And yet, something inside me keeps gnawing at me.

"Kaen…"
A soft, melodic voice was calling my name. A fresh spring breeze rippled through the white curtains. The air was beautiful.

"Kaen, come on, it’s morning."
I felt a hand stroking my head. Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was lying in my mother’s lap.

"If you don’t wake up, we’ll be late for breakfast."
Her gentle voice made my body feel even more lethargic.

"Five more minutes…"
Was it all just a nightmare? I was a child again, back with my family. The cold blanket brushed against my hands. I could faintly smell the scent of clothes and shampoo.

"No, you need to wake up."
I noticed the smile in her voice.

"Why?"
I mumbled sleepily.

"You need to set a good example for Aeon. She’s probably still asleep. You’re always the one who wakes her up, remember?"
My mother started stroking my hair again.

"Yeah."

"You’ll take care of her when we’re gone, right?"

"Of course I…"
A bit more awake now, I turned my head toward her as I lay in her lap. When I opened my eyes, I saw her tender gaze.

"Then go and be with her. You’re the one she’ll need the most."
Drowsy and confused, I looked at her. She was right. It was something I had wanted and taken as my responsibility.

"I’ll go now, but I don’t know when I’ll be by your side again."
She looked at me with a serious expression. Her words made my throat feel like it was tearing apart.

"What?"

"Stay strong, Kaen. What’s inside you is capable of so much more. But still, stay by Aeon’s side and be strong, no matter what."

"Mom?"
I tried to touch her face, but it was drifting further and further away from me.

"Goodbye."
Her voice trembled, filled with emotion, as she looked at me. I could see the tears streaming down her face.

"Mom…"
Now I remember. It was all just a dream. And I…

I was in the middle of hell.

I opened my eyes, aching. Lying flat on my back, I stared up at a damp, dimly lit ceiling in a dark room. The first thing I noticed was an unfamiliar face, looking worried.

"S-sorry, it might have hurt. I reset your shoulder."
It was a girl, responding nervously. She had white hair and wore a dark navy outfit. Her blue eyes seemed darker in the gloom.

My head throbbed unbearably. I felt something wet at the corner of my mouth. There was a helmet-like device on my head, and both of my hands had IVs inserted. My body didn’t feel the pain, likely due to painkillers.

"Where’s Aeon?"
I managed to croak out.

"Aeon? Oh, if you mean the other girl, she’s lying just opposite you."
The girl looked at me with surprise.

"Aeon…"
I tried to lift my head and look at her, but my body trembled as I struggled to sit up. I couldn’t.

"P-please don’t move. Your wounds will reopen."

"Aeon…"
I needed to get to her somehow.

At that moment, an older woman suddenly appeared on my left side. She pushed me back down with her left hand on my chest.

"Are you an idiot? Stay down where you are. Your sister is fine, don’t worry. We didn’t kill her."
The woman glared at me irritably.

Since I was lying down, I couldn’t see where the woman was or what she was doing. All I could do was accept my situation. I sighed deeply and lay still.

"Good, at least you’re not completely brainless. Stay and rest; you shouldn’t be waking up so soon."
She grumbled as she left. Why was this woman so grumpy?

I turned my head toward the girl.

"What happened to me?"
My voice sounded like that of an old man.

"When I found you, you had collapsed on the ground. Kaida told me to carry you. When I scanned you, it looked like you wouldn’t survive the trip back."

"But I didn’t die?"

"W-well, yes. While carrying you, you started having a seizure. I think the adrenaline pumping through your body saved you."

"Wow… My traumas are lifesavers, huh…"
I spoke in disbelief, drained of energy. My voice still lacked spirit.

"Yes, it’s actually quite fascinating… After we brought you and Aeon here, we did our best to treat you with what we had. Honestly, it was really, really difficult."
There was a momentary silence. I noticed the seriousness and unease on her face. It was impressive they had managed to keep two people alive in such conditions.

"Thank you. I don’t know why you helped, but thank you anyway."
At first glance, they didn’t seem dangerous. For now, it looked like it was just the two of them. Then I noticed something odd.

"Aeon? How do you know my sister’s name?"
I looked at her anxiously. Had something happened to my sister? Or had news of her escape already spread?

"You just said it."

Damn it… Freshly awake, and I’d already let her name slip in my daze. What if they blackmailed me? Even just inputting her name into a chip system could lead to her being tracked. We were truly screwed.

"It’s a beautiful name. What does it mean?"
I looked at her in surprise. That wasn’t the reaction I’d expected.

"What’s it to you?"

"S-sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad…"

"How could I know that?"

I wanted to understand what she was trying to do. Why would she ask me such an absurd question?

"I…"
Narya looked down, frightened and uneasy. Perhaps I had been too harsh with the girl who’d saved my life. But in this world, that was how things had to be.

Still, maybe I could give her a chance.
"Whatever. It means eternity. My parents probably named her that because they’d love her forever."

"That’s beautiful…"
Narya gazed at Aeon in admiration.

I was tired from talking, but her innocent expression made me feel guilty.

"Even though you just saved my life, I might have been a bit harsh. Sorry."
The girl turned to me in surprise. Then, with a smiling face, she said:

“No problem.”

Strangely enough, despite the conversations I had with my brother earlier today, I found it much harder to talk this comfortably with the other people in this cell.

“So, this old woman’s name is Kaida…”

“W-well... yes.”
Narya seemed to regret letting it slip, her eyes wide with worry as she looked at me.

“And your name is Narya.”

“H-h-how do you know that?”
The girl stared at me in shock and horror. She was so expressive, her emotions written plainly on her face.

“I heard that old lady call you before I blacked out.”
“Oh! Right, that must be it.”

There was a brief silence between us. My drowsiness was beginning to set in.

“So, w-what’s your name?”
Narya asked hesitantly, as if worried I might react like before.

“Kaen.”
At this point, I figured we’d revealed enough, so it wouldn’t hurt to tell her.

“What does it mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I never asked that to my family.”
The girl stared at me in astonishment. I think I managed to max out her surprise quota for the day. Just then, Kaida returned.

“NARYA, WHY ARE YOU YAPPING AWAY?”
She shouted furiously. Narya bolted from my side, trembling with fear.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“And you, useless sack of bones, just sleep! You’ve got a long way to go before you recover.”

Her words irritated me, sparking a desire to respond, but I wasn’t in the mood for a shouting match. Still, I couldn’t resist.

“Sure thing, old hag. Or rather, Kaida.”
I turned my gaze back to the ceiling after that.

“What did you just say, you little—?”
Kaida stormed toward me, panicked and furious.

With a faint smile, I closed my eyes.

For now, I had no choice but to rest and be a burden to them, at least until I could stand up and escape this place.