Evolve (5)
A memory flickered past in an instant. What shimmered on my retinas was a third-person view of young Celestia and a boy playing and splashing in the water.
A panorama of a grand mansion and a beautiful lakeside unfolded before reality quickly came back into focus. These shimmering afterimages led me to three realizations.
First, that the boy was Celestia's older brother, Ian; second, that the place was the same as the one I had seen in the vision in the underground laboratory; and third, that I had just made a slip of the tongue.
To be precise, this wasn't the first time things had gotten tangled up.
I had been able to find Celestia, who had disappeared somewhere in the vision, because I was certain that the place in the memory was the same place depicted in my sole remaining memory—it was more than just similar.
Up to that point, there was nothing problematic. There had been no lie. The issue was what came after.
I remembered what I had said to Celestia when I had barely managed to find her—that I'd been able to find her because I faintly remembered that place.
That was where the trouble started. That particular scene from the vision wasn't something only I knew about.
Rather, Celestia should know it far better than I did.
Unlike me, whose memory was incomplete, Celestia could never forget that memory no matter how hard she tried.
In fact, hadn't she found the basement I didn't know about in an instant?
'No wonder there was a sudden bombardment.'
Up until now, I had thought it was just a ploy to kill us. It never occurred to me that it was the moment Myosotis had fallen.
'... But she didn't say much at the time, did she? Why?'
If it was Celestia, she would surely have noticed something strange about my words, but she hadn't said a thing.
I didn't think she was holding back on purpose. Really, what reason would she have to do that?
She'd been in a panicked state and totally out of it, so perhaps it made sense to think she just hadn't remembered.
My mind was spinning with unusual speed. I snapped myself back to reality under Celestia's gaze.
For now, I decided to smooth over the situation and carry on as naturally as possible.
I didn't want to gloss over my worries with a thoughtless slip like that.
"Hyun-woo, what did you just say?"
"What?"
"When you called me. Didn't you say, 'Celly...'?"
"I said 'Celestia.'"
"It sounded like 'Celly'."
"Did it? Maybe I stuttered because I was in a hurry. More importantly, why'd you come in here without a helmet? You could've gotten hurt when that thing shot up out of nowhere."
Feigning ignorance, I shrugged my shoulders, then, putting on a stern voice, pointed at a small pebble on the floor.
It hadn't really flown with much force, and it was only about the size of a fingernail.
Even if it had hit, it would have just stung a little. I had unwittingly overreacted, but in this situation, it was an excellent excuse.
Kyle showed no particular reaction. He had clearly been startled at first, but since I'd blocked it and because of its small size, he must've decided it was nothing.
Celestia narrowed her eyes. She stared at me quietly, and for a moment, there was inexplicable tension.
That only lasted for a second; soon, she gave me a remorseful look, as if to echo my stern tone belatedly.
"Sorry. I was careless."
"Looks like Kyle needs to give you a safety lesson."
"You're not wearing a helmet either, Hyun-woo."
"I'm fine. Didn't you see just now? I caught that thing midair."
Celestia looked dumbfounded at my answer.
She knew it wasn't normal, but since I'd proved it myself, she just opened and closed her mouth, unable to refute it.
When I lifted the fallen pebble with my telekinesis, Celestia's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
I drew on all the strength I could muster to put on a bit of a show in hopes of changing the subject.
It was just a pebble floating, but she let out a little "Wow."
Her childlike reaction made me snicker. And then, with a soft plop, the pebble fell.
"Already finished?"
"... Yes."
Even though I knew there was nothing to be done, my pride was oddly wounded. I wanted to show off something more spectacular, but the reality wasn't so easy.
Maybe sensing something, Kyle chuckled to himself, glancing between Celestia and me.
"You two aren't wearing any safety gear, so please step out. Hyun-woo, I know you're tough enough not to need it, but rules are rules. If I let things slide once, there's no end to it, so I'll have to enforce this and ask you to leave."
"Huh? All of a sudden? It was fine just now."
"Well, Celestia wasn't here before. If I keep bending the rules after the employer catches on, it'll damage my credibility. My reputation would take a hit."
"I'll just put on a helmet, then. Problem solved."
"Come on, why even bother staying here? You're just going to zone out anyway. Besides, you're not in great shape; if you don't get proper rest, you'll just get worse. Even your supernatural power, you finished so quickly earlier—it startled me. If you'd only used quickdraw and not telekinesis, I doubt I could've even said anything."
"I still have things to—!"
I resisted, not wanting to leave, but Kyle just kept nudging me out, oblivious to how I felt.
"At most, you're probably going to ask me to make something for you, right? With that rare metal you gave me last time. I'll take care of it. Opportunities like this are rare. Are you going to make Celestia go alone?"
Kyle winked at me behind Celestia's back. It was like he was hinting at something, but I couldn't quite figure out what.
I was certain, however, that it wasn't what I wanted. If it had been, he wouldn't be trying to chase me out like this.
'What's wrong with going alone? It's not like there's some dangerous monster taking humans as hosts running loose in the ship.'
But I couldn't say that out loud. If I kept resisting, things would get suspicious, so in the end, I had no choice but to leave the manufacturing room. Celestia came with me.
Just before leaving, Celestia turned back and said,
"Kyle, I meant it when I said to be frank. If there's anything you want or need, just tell me right away."
"In that case, please give me a raise."
Kyle responded without a moment's hesitation, looking rather serious. Celestia seemed a little flustered, as if she hadn't expected him to just come out and say it right there.
"Oh? Uh... Sure. I'll tell Eric, so you can receive it as soon as we get to Earth."
"Is there any way to not go through the boss? If she finds out, she'll probably work me even harder under the pretense of 'work for what you're paid.'"
Celestia, well aware that Kyle worked overtime more often than not, couldn't bring herself to say no.
"Hmm... I was going to raise Eric's, too, but just take a bonus instead. Once we get back, I'll check our finances and take care of it."
"Thank you!"
Kyle brightened up instantly. People say life isn't all about credits, but a lot of credits sure do make people happy. It was just the way it had to be for people who are part of society.
Celestia and I left the workshop, escorted by Kyle's enthusiastic sendoff.
"I've never seen Kyle that happy before. Up until now, he always looked like he was on the verge of death."
"He's pretending to be happy. He probably just said that about the raise, too. He already gets a lot of credits."
"But more is always better, isn't it?"
"Even if you get a lot of credits, without time to spend them, the joy is halved. Still, I'm grateful he continues working hard. He must be exhausted."
Maybe I felt that way because my own balance never left me satisfied, but on reflection, I think that's exactly what it is.
"Well, that probably means he likes Celestia that much."
"... They're all good people. Not just Kyle, but everyone in Myosotis. Even the people here and now."
Celestia smiled faintly. It was good to see how much she had distanced herself from the shadows of the past. I was relieved, too.
If Celestia had still been shackled by her past and in her worst state, I'd considered seriously whether I had to pretend to be her brother.
But it seemed I didn't have to. Besides, I didn't really want to go that route myself.
"Hyun-woo, where's the sprout?"
"It was just here... Oh, there it is, resting. Must be tired."
I found the sprout's sample vessel, which it used as its home, tucked behind my back.
No wonder it had disappeared from sight; it seemed too tired to even fly and had strapped itself onto my belt.
"Can you sense its location? Like, are you and the sprout linked or something?"
I looked at Celestia in surprise. She was the first one to notice. Everyone else was too absorbed with my telekinesis to realize.
"How did you know?"
"I'm always watching."
Unfazed, Celestia responded. Her eyes, the color of a clear sky, were filled entirely with me.
"Ah..."
Not knowing what to do or say, I settled for pulling an awkward face. My chest tingled for some reason.
With my mind constantly going in circles about Celestia, I felt like I was overreacting to everything.
There was no escape from her gaze, so I just stuffed the sample vessel into my belt pouch. I knew it wouldn't really fall, but I couldn't help but act fidgety.
Luckily, my discomfort didn't last long. Whether by chance or by her design, Celestia turned her head and the topic naturally shifted.
"I wanted to see more, but I guess I'll have to wait until next time."
"It might be hard next time, too. Maybe because it's still little, it gets embarrassed really easily."
"It's young?"
"Of course. Strictly speaking, it's just two days old."
I wasn't sure if the word 'days old' was right for the situation.
It felt odd to use the term for a plant, but this wasn't exactly a plant, so it might be fine.
Celestia seemed to have judged it by more than just appearance, too.
"Only two days? Even calling it 'young' is an understatement. Can it talk?"
"I'm not sure if it can't, or just hasn't learned yet. For now, it only communicates emotions—like boredom, tiredness, things like that."
"I see..."
Celestia nodded in understanding. I expected her to ask more questions, but she didn't. So I asked her.
"You're not going to ask?"
"Ask what?"
"Whether it's dangerous. Honestly, none of this is exactly normal. The situation, or the sprout."
Since I was mentally linked, I knew for sure it wasn't a threat to us, but others couldn't know that.
It made sense to be cautious. The unfamiliar tends to invite suspicion.
And besides, everyone, even if they weren't saying it out loud, probably suspected this sprout was closely tied to the Holy Tree worshipped by the pureblood supremacists.
We know very little about the Holy Tree. We know their groups are crazy fanatics, but anything beyond that is a complete mystery. And mystery breeds fear. The unknown invites wild delusions.
Celestia just laughed softly.
"I just trust you. The Hyun-woo I know wouldn't hide something if he thought it was strange, and he's not someone who'd be fooled like an idiot, either."
"Aren't you giving me too much credit?"
"I trust my own eyes."
It was definitely nice to be seen in such a good light. At the same time, I felt a bit guilty, because I *had* been hiding it even though I sensed something was off.
"Don't put me on a pedestal. I mess up plenty, you know."
"What do you mean by mistake?"
"A wrong judgment is a mistake."
I'm human, not a machine; sometimes my judgment is off. What I believed to be the best choice at the time can turn out, in hindsight, to be the less desirable option.
It was inevitable—as long as I wasn't omniscient or omnipotent, how could I make the right call every time?
"The way I see it, that's not a mistake. If you made a decision and gave up right after, that's a mistake. But if you take responsibility and keep pushing in a better direction, that's not a mistake. It's just a choice."
Celestia said it was too soon to call such a choice a mistake—because the path that comes afterward remains.
Maybe it was because she was the head of Myosotis, but her thinking was open. While I was mulling over that, Celestia turned to me and spoke.
"Hyun-woo, you taught me that."
"... Me?"
"Yes. In the underground lab, remember? You told me I had to move forward, no matter how hard or painful the present was. I remember every word you said that day. Not a single one is missing."
"..."
Looking at Celestia, who said she would never completely sink into the past, I felt a complicated mix of emotions.
She gave a faint smile, saying she didn't want to make any more mistakes, and I couldn't say a word back.
'If you give up it's a mistake, but if you move forward it's just a choice...'
Many thoughts filled my head. It was like she'd summed up my entire situation. No, she'd pierced right through it.
It almost seemed as if she'd said it on purpose.
We strolled through the ship as if taking a walk. Kyle had decided where we were headed, but we didn't go there straight away.
To be exact, Celestia made a couple of detours. Even though it was already getting dark, she asked if I could keep her company a bit longer since it was still too early to go to bed.
I wasn't sleepy either, so I walked with her. I couldn't quite resist the wistful look in her eyes.
'I should talk about that, too.'
I suddenly recalled the conversation I'd had with Licorice earlier. Myosotis would play an important role in the plans going forward.
They'd find out by tomorrow anyway, but it wouldn't hurt to mention it now. Actually, it might be better.
On the off-chance Licorice was thinking something different, I messaged her.
- Licorice.
- What?
Just calling her name got an instant reply, faster than a blink. She must not be asleep yet.
- Is it okay if I tell Celestia what we talked about earlier?
- Are you with her?
- Yes.
- Why?
- Huh?
As I was about to type the rest, Licorice's message popped up first at the bottom of the hologram window.
- Never mind, it's nothing. Just impressed you're still working even when you're unwell. Anyway, it's fine. It's not like we said anything secret.
- Got it.
With Licorice's okay, I glanced at Celestia, walking beside me. Sensing my gaze, she turned her head.
"I had a conversation with Licorice this afternoon. Want to hear it? It's about our plans going forward."
"I'd love to!"
I retraced my memory and shared what we'd discussed. It wasn't like we'd hammered out all the details, so it didn't take long.
"Hmm..."
After listening, Celestia paused to think for a moment before resuming her walk, looking like she'd sorted out her thoughts.
"Linking the purification protocol with Myosotis' support... It's not impossible. Actually, I'd say this gives us a better chance of escaping. The Reformist or pureblood supremacist forces may not have noticed, but Myosotis must still be in Titan's orbit. Just because we haven't seen it doesn't mean it isn't there, right?"
I recalled what Licorice had said—that Myosotis was a leader in optical camouflage tech.
"I heard your stealth tech is top-notch."
"Of course. No company can match our active camouflage. We haven't released the technology to the military, either, so even among the traitor-ridden pureblood supremacists, they won't easily find us if we're determined to hide."
A strong voice, not even "They probably can't," but "They can't."
She was brimming with pride and conviction. It was impressive, but there was also a tinge of bitterness.
It wasn't hard to guess why a company that had once specialized in terraforming had shifted to military tech after being brought down.
Without realizing it, I stared at her, and Celestia's ears turned red. She seemed a bit embarrassed to have boasted. With a clearing of her throat, she smoothed down her pride.
"Anyway, just in case, we also have an emergency warp gate construction kit. As long as we can break communications jamming, contacting them will be easy."
Celestia explained that she had a device capable of connecting directly to Myosotis, though she didn't look very happy about it.
"But the risks are too high, especially with installing the emergency warp gate. Even though it's 'emergency', it isn't small. The moment its presence is revealed, we'll be under barrage."
"That's extremely risky—no, so risky that failure is highly likely, considering we're surrounded by pureblood supremacist forces."
"That's the problem. Unless the Earth government sends additional fleets, it'll be tough to act for now. Still, I don't think it's entirely impossible. We don't know what the purification protocol is like, after all."
"True, but it's hard to just blindly rely on that. If Titan gets wiped out like Europa..."
"I doubt things will go that way from the start. Like how the security protocol transitioned into the purification protocol, I bet the process unfolds in stages."
Celestia said the real priority was to find a way to control those stages. She wasn't wrong. If we couldn't control the stages, there was basically nothing else we could do.
"I'll talk to Licorice. Actually, she might already know; she's always ahead of me."
"If you need my help, let me know anytime. I do know my way around systems."
Before I knew it, just walking and talking had brought me to the door of Celestia's quarters. We arrived just as the conversation reached a close.
Celestia glanced at her door with a trace of disappointment, then looked out at the now-darkened corridor.
"We're here. Thanks for walking me back."
"There's no need to thank me."
Though I'd tried to avoid Celestia all day, I'd ended up having a fairly long conversation with her. What I'd feared hadn't happened.
Maybe it was coincidence, but it felt like Celestia had been considerate of me.
"See you tomorrow, then."
"Yes."
Celestia waved her hand as she opened the door. Just before the door fully closed, her voice reached me through the crack.
"Hyun-woo, if you want, you can call me Celly. That's my nickname."
Hearing that she'd actually prefer it, I couldn't bring myself to respond.
Celestia, too, didn't seem to expect an answer, closing the door with that final statement.
For a while, I couldn't bring myself to walk away from her door.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】