Episode 148 – Fragment (4)

Fragment (4)

Hypothesis formulation.

Execution verification.

Result recording.

Theory review.

In this [Fragment], where all resources are limited, and there’s not even a trace of ‘mana’, let alone reference materials or papers.

Elise has been steadily accumulating her own knowledge.

She was brimming with talent.

A genius who broke the shell with a single, desperate realization.

The Elise here is entirely different from the previous Elise. She even applied ‘magnetism’ to herself, activating more than 200% of her brain power.

She strongly connected the neural networks, including synapses and neurons, upgrading her brain function itself.

Perhaps… Elise herself may never be able to return to her previous state.

Anyway.

The more she studied, the more absurd one fact became.

“…It was really an uncontrollable coincidence.”

The cause of being drawn to this [Fragment] was a simple coincidence.

When she was scattering her magical sense in Planarium and exploring the fragments of time, a lightning strike, by sheer coincidence, struck the [Fragment].

At that moment, the [Fragment] vibrated greatly, and her magic resonated with it.

She was drawn into the [Fragment] by such a coincidence.

Well, she doesn’t regret it.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s my fault.”

Shion retorted.

By the way, Elise learned his big secret here.

That he is a ‘regressor’.

“The [Fragment of Time] was created because of my return, wasn’t it?”

“No, it’s not. It’s not because of you. Absolutely not.”

Elise frowned.

“The great miracle of return does not occur by your will alone, Shion. Rather, it would be the will of the world. If the world turned back time, the [Fragment] that was created as a result is not your fault. It’s the world’s fault.”

A voice full of Elise’s favoritism, as if to say it’s not your fault even if you kill someone.

Shion smiled a little.

“Okay. Now, write here.”

He then handed her a small piece of paper. It was a post-it-like memo.

“…”

Elise silently accepted it.

After pondering, she wrote just two lines.

[June 8. Open the farm.]

A note to give to Shion when she returns to the original world.

A medium that will help the two of us meet.

“Keep it safe and give it to my past self.”

Shion said, holding Elise’s hand.

“…Yeah.”

Boom───!

Again, the sound of collapse echoed. Elise got up and looked outside the greenhouse.

More than half of the world had already disappeared.

Shion asked.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Elise took out Shion’s card.

From now on, she will implement a special magnetism through this card.

“Do you know why it’s called ‘Monopole’?”

“Monopole?”

“Yeah.”

A magnet, also known as a magnetic monopole or a single-pole magnet, which has only one pole, either N or S.

It’s impossible to implement with modern science, but Elise can easily generate it—even at a magical level—magnetism.

“If I were to make an analogy, it’s like an infinite attraction.”

Elise will place a magnetic force in this greenhouse that endlessly pushes out all power, preserving her memory while pushing out destruction and regeneration.

In this way, she will survive.

“I’m all set.”

It’s not just Elise’s preparation.

Shion.

He is a very peculiar framework. A human who is naturally immune to the infinite regression of the [Fragment].

However, the current Shion is, fortunately, among misfortunes, in a very incomplete state. The time he has endured is so vast that it’s hard to maintain ‘consciousness as a human’.

Therefore, Elise will pull his vast Memories towards her with magnetism and connect them to herself.

In this way, the moment Shion exits.

The moment he leaves this [Fragment].

His body will leave, but his Memories will cling to her and won’t be able to leave this [Fragment].

He will be able to become the complete Shion again.

──Up to here.

This is the last gift Elise has secretly prepared.

“The remaining time is……”

She looked at the clock.

“Exactly 3 hours.”

Perhaps, this is the last regeneration.

Elise pointed at Shion with her finger.

“You go.”

And then she poked her own chest.

“I’ll wait.”

“……Okay.”

Shion nodded slightly and reached out his hand.

Elise gladly took his hand.

* * *

The two are walking together.

Step……

Step……

Neither one is ahead, both with the same slow pace.

The last walk.

They are moving forward, holding hands side by side.

Even if they can never meet again, even if they live forever in a state of misalignment without showing it.

Just ordinarily.

Looking at the scenery, they’ve seen hundreds of times as if they’re seeing it for the first time.

“……This place is all dried up too.”

The river leading to the exit, the cave, is completely dried up.

It doesn’t rain anymore. It’s because the Fragment is collapsing.

Thanks to that, the weather is good.

“Shall we cross?”

Shion asked Elise. Elise nodded energetically.

“Yes.”

The two crossed the river.

They reached the cave beyond.

Together, they looked at it.

There is a crack at the end of the cave. The only exit that can get out of this Fragment.

Of course, it’s an exit that only opens by Elise’s magnetism.

“……The exit is already open.”

Preparation is half the battle.

All Shion has to do is leave his body.

“So……”

Elise let go of his hand first.

He just looked at her.

Elise took a few steps back. She bent her waist slightly and waved her hand.

“Take care.”

It’s a farewell.

He is now leaving her, leaving the Fragment, forgetting everything.

I stay here, waiting for the collapse, still holding onto all of you.

“……I’ll remember.”

Shion, who doesn’t know this fact, just says that.

A very grateful promise to remember me.

But instead of answering, she just smiled.

Because you have to forget.

Even if you forget, it’s okay as long as she remembers.

Should she think of it as raising that young lad while remembering him?

“Uh huh. Thank you.”

Elise turned around.

Shion’s gaze was on her. She could feel the warmth of it on her back, but she didn’t look back.

Holding back tears that threatened to burst, she retraced the path marked by their footprints.

With a faster pace than when she came…

That’s how she returned to the greenhouse alone.

She sat quietly and looked around the interior.

There were many traces.

Signs of their presence were everywhere.

The first wooden camel horse she carved.

The book she wrote herself.

The bed they assembled together.

The sofa made by softening the soil and shaping it.

The clothes they designed for each other.

Not only that, the wooden desk, table, sink, hammock, Go board, chess board, everything… their jointly cultivated [Ascal Farm].

“…We did a lot.”

She smiled faintly, looking at the paper she held in her hand.

[June 8th]

[Open the farm]

Holding it tightly, she looked up.

She looked outside the greenhouse.

Kwaaaaaaaaa────.

The ground was slowly disappearing.

The sky was also fading to white.

The long time we spent together.

As she watched that time disappear,

Elise just stared.

And stared.

And stared…

* * *

The cave leading to the exit.

Shion is moving towards the place Elise had opened in advance.

One step at a time. He carefully walks.

Now, if he goes to this end, the ‘exit’ will appear.

He can escape from this Fragment and return to his own time.

Even if the memory of when that is faint.

Kwaaaaaaaaa────

Suddenly, the sound of the [Fragment] collapsing.

Shion stopped in his tracks.

His heart ached.

Despite the vast amount of time that had accumulated, he was worried about her, who had helped him maintain his humanity.

But…

It should be okay.

Elise will live while maintaining her memory.

She will be able to live without dying.

Because she will remember him.

Reassuring himself, he took another step.

───Shion!

From behind, a faint cry.

A voice that shouldn’t be here.

He tilted his head, thinking he had heard wrong, but then his eyes widened.

He quickly turned around.

“Shion Ascal───!”

Elise.

She was running towards him.

With a smile on her face, she was sprinting with all her might.

“You-”

Elise threw herself into his surprised arms. It was a more passionate gesture than ever before.

She grinned mischievously.

“I’m sorry. I have a confession to make.”

“…Confession?”

“Uh huh.”

She nodded, biting her lip hard.

“Shion, you’re going to forget me. You’re going to forget all the days in this Fragment.”

The words that he would forget her.

Shion stared blankly at her.

She also looked at him.

Their eyes held only each other.

“So, I’ve decided to forget too.”

“…Forget?”

“Yes. Even if I remember alone, it’s meaningless if it’s not with you.”

The corners of Elise’s eyes crinkled. It was a smile, but it also seemed like a cry.

“…Why would you do that?”

Shion asked, stroking her hair.

“You said you didn’t want to die.”

The 2,001 days contained in Elise.

The precious times filled with happiness and joy.

Since these define the current Elise, their loss is akin to the death of existence.

“…I thought about it. I didn’t want to die.”

Elise shook her head vigorously. She clenched her teeth.

“I didn’t want to part with you.”

Kwaaaaaa……

The other end of the cave was collapsing.

One block, one block.

One block, one block.

The collapse of the [Fragment] is approaching.

But the two of them don’t mind it. They don’t waste a moment of time.

They just focus on this moment.

“My memory is meaningless without you.”

Elise placed her hand on Shion’s cheek.

“Shion. I think we’re ‘Short Stories’.” (Note: 단편 can mean a short story or Fragment. So, not knowing the context, I just named the chapter titles Fragment, but it should’ve been a short story for this setup. So keep in mind the author is using 단편, but I’m making it flow into a more Western style.)

A Short Story That Wishes to Be a Novel.

But a short story that can only remain a fragment.

“But.”

Elise soon smiled and shook her head.

“I believe in myself.”

Even if it’s a short story now.

With the belief that it will someday become a novel.

“I’ll definitely remember you. I’ll come to remember. When time passes. So……”

A tiny droplet of water trickled down Elise’s cheek.

She spoke as if making a vow.

“I’ll come to like you again.”

Definitely.

She added softly, and bumped her forehead against his chest.

And then she carefully let him go.

“…I should go now. I’ve said everything I wanted to.”

She rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her clothes and stood up.

Until then, Shion stood still.

“…Elise.”

Kwaddddd───

In the collapse of the Fragment that had suddenly rushed up to her chin.

Shion answered the feelings Elise had conveyed with a single word.

“I love you as you are now.”

It was a short word, but his feelings were more sincere than ever.

It was the greatest gift to Elise.

“…Yes. Thank you.”

She will replay his words over and over again in the remaining time, and then meet her end.

“Go quickly. You’ll be late.”

Elise said, waving her hand.

He must leave before it’s too late.

“Okay. Take care.”

He turned around. He hesitated for a moment, but soon took a step beyond the exit.

He returned to his own time.

“…Farewell.”

The moment he completely left.

Elise activated her power.

While letting his body go── she firmly held onto his ‘Memory’ that was connected to Elise’s magnetism.

Swoaaaaaa…!

The masterless Memories flooded like a tsunami. They surged massively inside the cave.

Elise watched the scene unfold.

Now, all of these will disappear along with the [Fragment].

With the memory.

With me.

In the midst of it all, Elise…

“Goodbye, Elise.”

She bid farewell to herself.

The death of existence.

The loss of memory.

She accepted the ‘regression’ with her whole body.

* * *

“!”

She opened her eyes again.

She blankly looked up at the sky.

The sky, which had been purple, was now clear blue, and the sunlight shone like a lamp.

“…?”

She touched her eyes in confusion.

They were wet with tears.

“What is this…”

As she tried to rub her eyes, she realized she was holding two things in her hand.

One was a blue crystal, and the other was a note.

[June 8th]

[Open the farm]

“What is this?”

She tilted her head in confusion, but she started walking anyway.

It wasn’t that she consciously decided to do so; her body just moved on its own. Her legs moved as if they had a mind of their own.

It felt familiar.

As if she had been here dozens, hundreds of times before.

She walked without hesitation and arrived at a certain place.

[Ascal Farm]

“…A farm?”

The sign of the farm, and a white card stuck right below the sign.

Elise bent down to pick it up.

Suddenly-

The door opened.

“!”

Elise was startled.

It was Shion Ascal.

He raised his eyebrows as he looked at her.

“Who is it?”

“…What, what do you mean? What is this?”

The white card. Shion picked it up and stuck it back on the sign.

“It’s a card I drew, why? It’s very expensive. Don’t even think about stealing it since it’s my land.”

“…What’s so expensive about this? Are you playing Hold’em?”

Elise looked at the sign with a smirk.

“Ascal Farm…”

As she muttered in a somewhat subdued voice, Shion explained.

“It’s a farm, as the name suggests. We’ll be selling rice and fruits soon. Payments can only be made with achievement points…. What’s wrong?”

He looked slightly surprised.

“Why are you like that?”

To his question, Elise frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what? You’re crying.”

“…Huh?”

She blinked without realizing it. The droplets of water splashed.

“Ah.”

Tears were flowing like a stream without her knowing. Even her chest was aching as if it was being pricked.

Shion spoke with a puzzled look on his face.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“No, no. I just had a dream, that’s all. I’m not crying.”

“A dream? You had a dream?”

“That…”

As Elise was about to answer yes,

“…No.”

She shook her head.

It was strange.

For some reason, she didn’t want to say it was a dream.

“No, it’s not… a dream.”

“…You might need to see a psychiatrist. What’s that?”

Shion, who was smirking, glanced at the note Elise was holding. He unconsciously reached out for it, but Elise quickly pulled it back.

“No!”

“Wow, why?”

“It’s not time to give this yet.”

To give this to Shion, a big decision is needed.

Because Shion also has to make a big sacrifice.

…What kind of sacrifice?

What is he sacrificing?

“Strange. You looked tired since this morning.”

Shion shook his head.

Ah, right.

Then she remembered.

The camel.

She needs to buy the camel ‘Bianca’ by saving money in Bethune.

She also needs to find the Fragments of Time.

“Are you okay?”

He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

“…….”

But, just then.

That moment’s smile was so welcome to Elise.

Unconsciously, for a moment, her head went blank to the point where her whole body felt numb.

Unknowingly……

Thump-.

She bumped her forehead against Shion’s chest.

“What, what’s this? Why are you doing this?”

“……Uh, uh?”

Shion was hastily flustered, and Elise herself was similarly flustered, but more than that.

“Wha───!!!!!”

Suddenly, a very loud outcry exploded from the ridge of the mountain.

“Eeeeee, Elly!!! What did you just do!!!!!”

“!”

Looking down at them by chance from the foot of the mountain, was Layla.

Seeing that trumpet-like, loudspeaker-like, crier-like person, Elise’s eyes widened more than ever, even more than when she witnessed the end of the world.

“This, this crazy!”

She unknowingly cursed out loud.

“You, you, you saw everything!!!”

Layla, shocked, no, overly delighted for someone who was shocked, alternately pointed at Elise and Shion.

“Hey! It’s not like that! You, you come here for a moment!”

Elise tried to rush towards her, pushing her body into the mountain, but suddenly from under the bushes.

Suddenly-!

“Kyaaaak!”

Gerkhen appeared.

“You, what are you doing here!”

“……I came to check as the second largest shareholder of the farm.”

“What, what are you saying!”

Gerkhen, seemingly uninterested in Elise, robotically approached Shion.

While she was dumbfoundedly watching those people, again.

“I saw it- I saw it- I saw it- what Elly is doing to Shion-”

Layla, dancing a dance that was extremely annoying.

What kind of hula dance is that?

“You, you, come here when I ask nicely!”

“I don’t wanna~~”

Layla ran away again,

“Come here! Come here──!”

Elise, almost in tears, desperately chased after her.