Atoms and combinations

“This has to be a joke, right?” a kid asked his father, who was dragging him away from the crowd.

“Yes, it’s what magicians do, haha. He’ll just pop out of somewhere else in no time. But we have to head home for now,” the father replied, trying to shield his son from the messy ending.

Many people who couldn’t bear watching such a violent accident had already left, while some remained, frozen in shock, staring at a woman being reeled back into a helicopter. She wasn’t moving.

Laila Grace was rushed into a nearby hospital. Outside, people started to gather. News reports flooded every screen, announcing the sad death of the magician.

That same afternoon, Grace awoke from treatment. She had no family, only missed calls from colleagues and friends waiting anxiously outside. But she pretended to rest. She unlocked her phone under the bedsheet.

Few hours ago, I was enjoying my leisure time. And now… I’ve taken a life.

She blamed herself for suggesting the trap.

Why... why did you choose me? This doesn't make sense. If he really wanted to die, he would've shown me his face. But he didn’t. And still, when I saw his eyes in that final moment... they told me I wasn’t supposed to be there, trying to save him. His intentions were something else.

Even if he was a stranger, he fell to his death just seconds after we got separated. He must have died. There’s no scientific reasoning that explains how he could’ve disappeared from that coffin.

Even after such trauma, Grace—true to her brilliance—didn’t break. She neither collapsed in guilt nor abandoned the questions.

To understand what really happened during the show, we must go back a few hours—to the exact moment Grace saw through Genshi’s true self. That’s when it all began to unravel.

Five seconds remain on the timer.

Okay, any moment now—

A strong vibration hit Genshi. He lost position, bracing for impact.

You’ve got to be kidding m—

"The moment I break through—grab the rod!!"

The coffin’s lid was blasted open with violent strikes. Light poured in.

A face peeked through, struggling, angry, desperate—offering him the rod.

In an instant, Genshi made his move. He said nothing. His eyes, emotionless, locked with Grace’s.

The coffin gave out. His body fell—toward the array of swords below, all ready to kill.

Laila Grace... She is a spectacular woman who wears her emotions openly. She never felt pain, yet shows such struggle. Her fear of betraying her ideals outweighs her fear of death. She tried to save me... should I accept her efforts?

No. I already fell—

Yes. Any human falling onto that spiky surface would be pierced, crushed, vaporized.

But Genshi Arisawa didn’t fall to his death.

He fell beyond dimensions—for a woman from his own world.

Love… she’s the one.

The swords pierced the coffin like butter. Fourteen of them stabbed through Genshi’s body.

And yet—he kept falling.

The blades slid between him like water through open fingers. Genshi entered into the Earth, like a quantum particle tunneling through a solid wall. He passed several meters underground before landing in a hidden tunnel—onto a padded surface that absorbed most of the velocity.

Just minor injuries.

In a simulation that mirrors the real world, there is only one miracle:

The one with the greatest hunger for a certain power will gain it.

Genshi Arisawa is the creator of this simulation—and the current wielder of Phasing: the ability to pass through matter without interaction.

He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes.

Whoa... this is so wrong.

Don’t be foolish. You’re falling for lines of code. You can recreate her anytime.

If a bunch of code can make me feel something... I need to know. Is my ideology really unshakable? Or can it melt against an AI?

We’ve done this before, countless times. What’s so special about her? Recall the ideology.

...All feelings are just brain activity. A delicious smell? Certain compounds hitting the nose. Good music? A mix of waves arranged with symmetry. Attraction? Mere faces and mannerisms—beneath it all, just muscles and bones. Even touch is an illusion: atoms repelling atoms. There is no contact, only repulsion.

Everything we enjoy is just trickery. A lie. Yet we call it life.

I’ve seen the core: electrons around nuclei. That's all. Life is the structuring of matter in ways that deceive us into thinking we’re alive. I derived every aspect to its base. And the result? Nothing but atoms and combinations.

This is my ideology.

He recited the belief again to himself—calmly. His emotions dulled—not by anger, but by clarity. No contradictions remained.

Except one.

"So what? What am I even supposed to do in this world if I’ve seen through it all!?"

His voice echoed through the tunnel.

"If I truly cracked the meaning of life... then why do I still want to survive?!"

He screamed. Not expecting an answer.

Emotion broke through logic. The only reply was instinct.

"I’m alive... to prove life isn’t just about meaning. Because if it were, I should’ve died the moment I figured it all out."

He stood up—victorious.

I pulled off my magical performance... and I found her.

Nothing slips past me. And if it does, maybe I’m not meant to grasp it yet. But I’ll show her my truth. I’ll show her this world.

“YEEAAAH!! Let’s do this—”

An arm suddenly reached out—and ripped Genshi’s mask off.

“That was a lovely self-motivation,” said a man in casual clothes, grinning as he appeared from nowhere.

My face is out, is he a by passer, doesn't seems like it.

Genshi immediately elbowed him—but the man dodged like a glitch.

“Hey now, easy, sir.”

Genshi stepped back with a warning and raised his arms.

“Hahaha, ya really can’t say that after such a warm greeting now, can ya?” The man laughed, stepping forward.

“We know your power.", he said it with a serious tone. " Now let’s have a talk, shall we? I didn’t want to interrupt your little thinking session.” He sat down in a conjured chair.

...He heard it all?! UGHHH.

That means he’s saying the truth. He could’ve attacked any time. But he waited, showing he meant no harm... or he’s just really, really dangerous.

“I see,” Genshi said, straight-faced. “Then I assume you want to work with me. You must know I’ll need some answers before cooperation.”

The man chuckled.

“She was right. We’ve hit the jackpot.”

He extended his arm.

"Talk to the hand..", he spoke dramatically.

Genshi accepted the handshake.

A faint shock passed through him. His hand unphased instinctively to make the contact.

Genshi smiled.

My creations... I finally meet them.