Your Big Bro

A young man strolled through a cemetery with a colorful bouquet tucked under his arms, his boots crunching the gravel path. His dark brown hair caught the cool breeze, and his ocean-blue eyes gleamed under the afternoon sky. 

When he arrived, he glimpsed at another bouquet resting in front of a gravestone, pondering for a moment before smiling. He carefully placed his gift beside it and sat on a patch of grass, leaning against the gravestone. He pulled out a game console and started playing, gradually relaxing his shoulders.

“Hey, Zain,” he said. "Sorry for not showing up these past few weeks. Work’s been crazy. It’s been paperwork after paperwork, and when I finally got a job in the field, Axel still made me do boring things like collecting evidence.”

He sighed. “Then again, we ended up fighting plenty of criminals, but now that I've trained hard, I was finally strong enough to take them down! Most of them, at least! Haaah… a few did get away, but we’ve found them after a few days. Maybe if you were there, you’d help us chase them down and finish the case much sooner. Yeah, you’d kick so much ass, big bro.”

He chuckled. “It's been ten years now, but I still remember the first time I called you ‘big bro’ and made you cringe so hard. I get it now. I’m almost embarrassed remembering it, haha.”

Silence ensued as he continued playing his game, smoothly clearing dungeon runs in seconds. “Ten years later, Cosmic Arcania is still thriving. Did you know? The community was wondering where the number one global player went.” 

He lowered his console and stared at the gravestone. “I was so young at that time. I never knew you were number one. Why didn’t you tell me? Were you just not the type to brag? Honestly, I can see that. You never really tried showing off. You were just… doing your job, I guess. You’ve played it because you liked it when you were human, right?”

A soft, wordless breeze answered him.

He slumped his shoulders and stared at the grass under his feet. “You know, I’m still mad at you for dying like that. You could’ve survived. You could’ve walked away and received a lighter sentence with Axel’s help. You wanted to live, didn't you? Why throw it away?”

He grasped some grass blades, ripping them as he squeezed his grip. “I’ve always thought it was because you’d rather die than go to jail, but…”

He stared at the other gravestones resting around him, loosening his fists. “After I joined the Elite Investigation Division and went through a few cases, I… finally realized that you just wanted to remember your humanity at the brink of death. I get it now. After getting those plenty myself, I… finally get it now…”

Tears welled in his eyes, and he started swearing under his breath.

“You’re such an asshole, Zain,” Noah croaked. “What about me? What about Axel? Did you know, that after you died, he almost quit his job? It took days for me to convince him to keep going! Even Mom and Sergeant Kirena tried cheering him up! You weren’t there. You’ve never seen how much your death broke him—broke us! ‘Noble sacrifice,’ my ass, why’d you have to leave us like that?”

He gripped his pants so hard his knuckles turned white. “Sorry, I’m... still not over it. I miss you a lot, Zain. I… I don’t remember if I told you before, but I seriously wanted to fight alongside you and Axel. I wanted to learn some cool moves from you… and fight with you. I wanted to repay you for saving me, Mom, and everyone else. I wanted… to hang out and learn more about you. I wanted to play more games with you. I… didn’t even get a chance to thank you properly…”

He sniffled and wiped his face, but tears continued to stream. Defeated, he sobbed and stained his sleeves. “Ugh, I thought I would stop crying by now. I’ve barely known you for like, what, a day or so? I can't believe it. You became the coolest guy I’ve met after only one day.”

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and dusted his clothes before standing face-to-face with the gravestone with a proud smile. “I grew up big and strong like you wanted me to. I also managed to surpass you in that game—after some heavy grinding, of course. I was also careful with people I’ve met online too, haha. I’ve met plenty of cool and weird people, but it’s so hard to tell who’s a good person behind the screen. Wish I had your judgment.”

Another breeze flew past him, brushing his hair and gray trench coat. “Also, my mom’s doing alright too. It sucks that there’s no cure for her amnesia, but at least she knows that I’m still her son, so we’ve been making plenty of new memories to make up for the ones she’d lost. As for Dr. Flint, you don't have to worry about him either. After you destroyed his radio tower, all his robots shut down, including his main bodies—so yeah, he’s gone for good now. After finishing his case, Axel did take a break, but he went back to his old self again after some time. He’s still reluctant to let me work with him, though.”

He stretched his arms high into the air, wearily groaning. “That just means I gotta train some more. It’s been pretty difficult without you, but we’re all okay now. I’m sure that’s good enough for you to hear, yeah?”

A distant bird interrupted the silence with a chirp, dropping a white feather in his direction. Noah let it land on his hand before tucking it into his bouquet. He looked up at the sky again, his gaze calm but slightly anxious. “You know, now that I got this job, it’s scary to realize that so many people still suffer because of machines. Even though this city has so much advanced technology, they’ve taken over so many jobs and opportunities. It’s gotten so bad that they can take over our lives without us realizing it, just like what happened to you, Zain." 

He clenched his fists, his expression steadfast. "I swear, as long as I have this job, I’ll make sure there won’t be another tragedy like yours. I swear it.”

Another long silence drifted through the scene. Noah took a minute to soothe his nerves, taking slow breaths as he faced the gravestone for one last time. He lowered his chin, his expression glum. “Also, the city lights… don't look all that cool anymore. All those 3D fish circling Nexus Pratum make it look more like we’re in an aquarium than an ocean. Plus, light pollution sucks. I don’t think I can even remember the last time I saw the stars.”

Noah sighed again and glanced at his watch. “Well, I think that’s enough of me rambling. It’s about time I head back to work. If my hunch is right, Axel should call me at aaany moment now…”

His watch beeped right on perfect cue, prompting him to open a holographic screen. “Hey rookie,” said Axel. “Where you at?”

“I’m just visiting Zain. I’m already done though—I’m about to head back right now, actually.”

“Oh, you're visiting him too?”

“Yep. Was the other bouquet from you?”

“Yeah, I went there this morning.”

“I see. Figured it was yours.”

“Heh, what gave it away?”

“That look you had this morning.”

“Damn, your deduction skills are pretty good for a rookie.”

“Or maybe I’ve known you for a while already.”

“Right, right. Anyway, we’ve got a new case on our hands. See you in the office.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Noah hung up and started walking, glancing over his shoulders and waving at the grave with a beaming smile. “See you next time, Zain. Wish me luck!”