Confusion

Year m113 x115

Ilios’s home

As the night unfolded, a refreshing breeze whispered through the atmosphere. Inside his room, Ilios found himself consumed by anxious thoughts about the evening's incident. At that very moment, his little sister, Marie, strolled by.

(Endowed with extraordinary physical abilities yet a bit lacking in her studies, Marie was a lively contrast to her calm and thoughtful brother. Her temperament was hot-headed and quick to ignite.)

Marie glides into Ilios's room, an air of unmistakable superiority emanating from her, all the while adorned with a captivating smile that hints at a playful secret.

Marie: Well, well, it seems my brilliant brother has finally acknowledged he's a mere peasant in the presence of genuine talent! Is it the so-called study that stresses you now, or is it something else?

Ilios: Says the one who stumbled twice in a row with the same question. And yet, you dare to consider me your equal—how truly regrettable.

‘Marie, with a vengeful glare, cracked her knuckles. 'What the hell did you say? I think your face needs a reshape.'

Ilios replied, 'You heard me right. A meathead like you, who can’t even think things through in her brain, is not capable of understanding what I am thinking.'

Marie, growing more furious, lashed out to punch her brother but failed as he skillfully used a metal box for defense. 'Ow, ow... It hurts.'

Ilios retorted, 'Don’t you have an exam tomorrow? Go and study instead of trying to hit me. Who knows, perhaps that might improve your perception.'

Marie left, anger evident in her mood, tears streaming down her face from the emotional damage.

Ilios sighed in frustration. 'Okay, now where was I? Damn it, I forgot. Maybe I'll shoot Albedo a message and find out what prompted that unexpected move of his.'

he pulled out his phone and messaged Albedo, extending an invitation to join the Chatcord voice channel. Albedo responded with a simple "Okay" and promptly joined the voice channel on Chatcord.

Ilios: So, what prompted you to ask Mr. Hristos about his identity?

Albedo: Nothing much. He just happened to pique my interest, that's all. By the way, did you notice anything unusual about him? It seemed like he was taken aback when I inquired about his identity.

Ilios: No, I didn't. Maybe it was just your imagination. While he does emit an intimidating aura, I don't think he's a bad person.

Alithini stealthily entered the channel. Unbeknownst to Ilios and Albedo, he had been listening to their conversation.

Alithini: Hey, hey! I overheard something intriguing.

Ilios: Who invited you?

Alithini: I came of my own accord. Anyway, Albedo, so you sensed that strange feeling around him, huh? What do you think that guy is up to?

Albedo: I'm not sure. Has anyone reached out to Elena? I'm worried about her; she thought she got caught.

Alithini: I'm sure she'll be fine. She always bounces back.

Ilios: I don't know; she seemed a little too scared. I hope she's okay.

Alithini, yawning, said, "Whatever, let’s get some sleep; we have school tomorrow."

Albedo: Yeah. We can look into the situation tomorrow. Signing out.

Ilios: Okay.

Everyone logged off, and as they were getting ready for bed, they all received a message from Shilona saying, "Meet me at the clubroom after class, and make sure all of you are present."

Ilios: What! I wonder what it’s about.

The next day at Korolev Household

As night faded, Lumara's (Lumara is the name of the star orbited by K2-18b.) gentle light bathed the world. Alithini woke to the sound of a familiar voice conversing with his mother. Shaking off sleep, he headed downstairs, curious to see whose voice it was. To Alithini’s surprise, he saw Hristos talking with his mother. Suddenly, chills ran down his spine. Mustering up his courage, he walked into the living room.

Hristos: If it isn’t your son. He sure has grown a lot.

Alithini: Hello, Mr. Hristos…

Lorelei: Oh, have you crossed paths with him before, dear?

Alithini: Yeah.

Hristos: We had an unexpected rendezvous outside my lab yesterday.

Lorelei: I see. That sparks my curiosity—what's kept you occupied these past 10 years?

Hristos: Oh, nothing extraordinary. And you? Last we spoke, you were diving into the mysteries of time. Any breakthroughs?

While Hristos and Lorelei exchanged words, Alithini discreetly beckoned Lorelei to the kitchen.

Lorelei: Hang on. I'm coming; he must be starving.

Hristos: No rush.

In the kitchen, Alithini, with a quizzical expression, whispered, "Mom, how do you know him?"

Lorelei: Oh, I forgot to mention. He's an old college buddy. Used to swing by when you were just a tot. The photo in the corridor? That's him, holding you. He's just swapped his natural white hair for a sleek black.

Alithini: What!

Lorelei: I know, right? Took me by surprise too. Other than the hair makeover, he's frozen in time, just like a decade ago.

Alithini: …...

Alithini quietly finished breakfast, lost in thought, while Lorelei strolled back to the living room.

Lorelei: Now, where were we?

Hristos: Time travel.

Lorelei: Ah, yes. Progress report? Not much, I'm afraid. It turns out, trying to keep things intact at light speed is like trying to catch a comet with your bare hands.

Hristos: Back to square one, huh? I was hoping your journey would uncover more secrets.

Alithini, who had been eavesdropping, absorbed the conversation. The air hung with anticipation until Hristos abruptly excused himself, citing a call from headquarters. Alithini, deep in thought, also headed off to school.

At the school

Everyone had arrived at school except Elena. Ilios and Albedo were worried.

Alithini: Hmm… It seems she couldn’t bounce back this time.

Albedo: Maybe we should go and check on her after school.

Ilios: Don’t forget we have to meet Shiliona after class.

While they were talking, Elena arrived, sneaking up on them. She had a smirk on her face, and everyone was astonished, as if they had seen a ghost.

Elena: I see you guys talking about meeting Shilona. Did you guys receive the text from her too?

Alithini, a bit irritated: So what? Where were you this whole time, huh?

Elena: I was unable to wake up, is all. After all, I was watching the latest episode of the anime we started.

Ilios: It’s on the air already!

Albedo, quiet and deep in thought, wondered, 'Hmm, why is Elena lying? Was it that intimidating? The latest episode airs today. I'm sure she was thinking about the incident that happened yesterday.

Alithini's eyes widened with a sudden realization, a shadow of concern crossing his face. 'I forgot to mention that Mr. Hristos from that facility paid an unexpected visit to my home this morning. It's terrifying—he seems to know everything about me. I confirmed that he is, indeed, a scientist and a friend of my mom from college, as well as a research colleague. However, he disappeared 10 years ago; perhaps my mom forgot to mention it because of that.

Ilios: What!?

Albedo: It appears that he is indirectly threatening us. He must have noticed that we were trying to sneak into the facility...

Elena: Guys, drop it. You’re scaring me.

The school bell rings, signaling the start of class amidst the lingering tension in the air.

Ilios: See you all at the club room then.

After class at the club room

Shilona: Thanks for coming, guys. We need to discuss something about the facility you were writing a story about for the weekly mystery.

(Suddenly, a palpable tension filled the room, leaving Ilios and the others in a state of shock.)

With a worried mind, Albedo wondered, Did Mr. Hristos contact her or the school? It can’t be. Plus, it’s not like we did something wrong yet. Although Mr. Hristos did notice us, he wouldn’t take such action unless something else...

Shilona: What happened? Why do you guys look like you’ve seen a ghost?

(Alithini whispering to himself: You are the demon after all…)

Shilona: What?

Alithini: Nothing...

Shilona: So, I was saying that I would also like to join you guys on the investigation.

Elena: Heh!?!?

Shilona: Yes. You heard me right. After all, it is the duty of literature to publish stories that will amaze students.

Ilios: So, you wanted to talk to us about that only?...

Shilona: Yes.

Alithini: Ahaha, why not. You can come with us.

(Ilios whispering to Alithini: Psst, don’t you think she will be angry when she finds out how we are gathering info?)

Albedo signaling the others to calm down: You can come with us, but don’t expect any formal investigation. After all, we don’t know who runs that facility, so we are intruding in a sense.

Shilona: I know that. Don’t worry; after all, we are not harming them.

Ilios: Ahaha. Okay, then, so we have another person to spare now.

Shilona: Okay. Ready all your gear; we are moving out now.

Elena: Now?

Shilona: Is there any problem?

Elena: No. It’s just I need a little time to prepare, is all.

Shilona: No problem; we can wait.

While Elena was preparing, Albedo asked Shilona, "By the way, do you know any man named Hristos Machievos?"

Shilona, a bit surprised but controlled herself, and said, "No. But I did hear the name somewhere.

Everybody got ready and headed to the facility in Merelony district.

At The Facility in Merelony District

Shilona: Hmmm. This facility sure is big. So, how are we getting in?

Alithini: We are going to get through the back of the facility. There is a vent. My guess is this facility has underground floors.

Ilios: Where did you get that info from?

Alithini: Nothing special. I just scouted the area while coming to school.

Ilios, a bit surprised, said, "You've got some guts! I will give you that."

Shilona: Keeping tabs on the subject isn’t bad. It is most appreciated.

Alithini was a bit surprised watching Shilona praising him.

They went to the back of the facility.

Albedo: Okay... Elena, bring out the wire cutter.

Elena shivered as she tried to cut the wire. Noticing her struggle, Albedo took the wire cutter.

Albedo: Let me handle it. I've got precision skills.

With a smooth cut, Albedo opened a hole in the wire fence, and everyone slipped into the facility's backyard.

Elena: These screws are like nothing I've seen before.

Alithini: No worries. I've got the same screwdriver from our 'shchoover' science project. They're a bit bigger, but some fillers should do the trick.

Shilona: How about using wood from that tree? Elena, pass me the chisel from your bag.

Ilios: what chisel?

Elena: Ahh that chisel? I get it now. That's why you insisted on bringing the chisel along.

Shilona quickly curves out some fillers and hands them to Alithini.

Alithini unscrews the vent, and Ilios lends a hand. Together, they open the vent and find a short duct.

Ilios: HMM. This duct can fit one person. Okay, we're going in one by one. Albedo, you come in last and keep a check around the parameters.

Albedo, standing guard, nods in agreement as the team prepares to enter the facility through the narrow duct.

Everyone squeezed into the vent. Albedo took charge, mapping out the facility by peering through the vents for the AC units. Finally, they crawled out into a storeroom.

Ilios: Did you map the areas, Albedo?

Albedo: Yep. Open this door, and we'll find an empty room. Next to it, something strange—some odd machines.

Ilios: We'll figure it out as we go deeper.

Alithini, with excitement: Machines, huh?

Ilios: Don’t get distracted, fool. If we get caught, there will be consequences. Now, how do we unlock this door?

Shilona: I got it covered.

Shilona effortlessly lockpicks the door, leading everyone into the adjacent room.

Elena: Where did you learn that? Did you break into facilities like this before?

Shilona: No, just taught myself to open shelves when someone loses the keys.

Alithini, looking guilty and stuttering nervously: Ahaha...

Albedo: Shh. Keep it down; people are nearby.

The team embarks on unraveling the enigma within the facility, diving headfirst into the mysteries that await.

To Be Continued