Evolve (34)
Thud.
My heart pounded. Even though I had remained calm through the series of firefights, something—a stone out of nowhere—had pierced that composure.
Thud!
Ripples spread far and wide. Normally, once they've spread enough, they should settle, but these ripples showed no sign of calming down once they began.
Thud—!
The ripples turned into a massive tidal wave, sweeping away my consciousness. An emotional surge that far exceeded my limit had turned my mind into a complete mess. The part that should have acted as a fuse broke and could not fulfill its role.
In that instant, my legs went weak, and I almost lost my balance, staggering. My outstretched hand unconsciously touched the reactor.
The warmth of the reactor was no longer comforting. The heat was so stifling it became hard to breathe.
Celestia was barely standing as well. Maybe she was just as shocked as I was—no, perhaps even more. She had believed Ian Myosotis was dead.
A dead person suddenly coming back to life should never happen. It was something that must not be. But reality denied this in the most direct way.
The dead Ian Myosotis was alive. It was a nonsensical sentence. It needed correcting. Ian Myosotis, thought to be dead, was actually alive.
'Whose hand?'
Lobelia's. Subconsciously reaching this conclusion, I clenched my teeth. It was because the question of "then who am I?" immediately followed.
While I was still trapped in confusion, Celestia muttered weakly.
"...... That can't be."
Celestia couldn't deny the Ian standing in front of her. It wasn't just because she was flustered. It was what Ian had said.
"It took me too long, didn't it? Sorry. If I must offer an excuse, there were things I had to deal with. But it's okay now. I sorted everything out. Even though I'm terribly late, let's go together from now. I haven't forgotten our promise."
Ian, who didn't even seem to notice me, held out his hand to Celestia. The keyword he spoke: promise. I knew exactly what that promise meant. That by any means, he would definitely return. Words Ian told Celestia when the pureblood supremacist group drove Myosotis to ruin.
"... No... No... o—Oppa died......"
"Died? Me? I'm upset, sure, but I understand why you'd think that. After all, I took too long to come back."
As Ian Myosotis stepped closer, Celestia hastily raised her linear rifle and took aim. But that lasted only a moment. She startled at her own instinctive reaction and then lowered her rifle weakly. She hadn't relaxed her guard completely, but she was in an ambiguous state—unable to attack, unable to trust.
Confirming that Celestia's will to attack had faded, Ian gave a faint smile. He was defenseless. Even now, it felt like I could kill him if I used my power. Or so I thought.
But was that really true? I didn't know.
Celestia shrank back at Ian's faint smile. Ian came even closer—and took Celestia's hand. Almost simultaneously, Celestia's helmet, unable to withstand the crack, shattered.
About half fell to the floor. Sensing the breach, the suit activated its core and quickly deployed an EVA shield. The expression Celestia's helmet had hidden was now fully exposed. Her eyes, trembling uncontrollably, did not leave Ian.
Her lips quivered, as though she was trying to say something, but no sound left her. Ian held Celestia's hand and pulled it toward his face.
"Look closely, selli. I'm not dead. I suffered enough to die, but I came back, alive. I know you doubt me. But trust me—just once. Trust always starts from the smallest things."
"......."
Celestia stood frozen like a statue. She did not even breathe. The ECM chaff mist that had filled the interior was now gone, but its toxicity remained.
Yet Ian wore no protective gear whatsoever—the kind needed for respirator. It was as if he didn't need such devices.
I could belatedly feel the transparent force surrounding Ian. An invisible power was forming a barrier and filtering out the toxins.
'...... Psychokinesis?'
I sensed it instinctively. Come to think of it, the thing that smashed Orca was a steel ball. Such destructive power couldn't be achieved by normal means—but if a supernatural power had been used, it made sense. Supernatural powers could be applied to many things, depending on their usage.
Orca had been destroyed by Ian's hand. I reminded myself of that again. It was only after barely breaking out of confusion that I called out to Celestia.
"... Celestia, get behind me."
At my voice, Celestia finally came back to her senses, quickly jerked her hand free from Ian's grasp, and moved back. Only after hiding behind me could she finally let out the breath she had been holding. Like someone who had held her breath as long as possible, she gasped desperately for air.
Ian looked genuinely surprised that he'd been rejected so easily—and gave her a very hurt look. Even without seeing Celestia's condition, it was obvious to me, so I spoke as a warning.
"Get a hold of yourself, Celestia. There's no way that's really Ian. He's... dead."
"......."
"And I'm sure Lobelia is here. Only she can operate a warp gate without emitting a shockwave."
"......."
"And we both felt it in the control center—Blackout's gaze. They could be up to some trick again. No, they definitely are. That's what they do; they like to toy with people."
Why? I thought my words were logical and rational, but—somehow, there was desperation in my voice. I couldn't hide my trembling, like a child hiding some wrongdoing.
"... I know you miss your brother, Celestia. There's no way I wouldn't know. After all, I'm the one who pulled you out of that illusion. Don't fall for this. Don't go. It's all a trick. If they really came to take you back, why did he destroy Orca? Why now, of all times? Where was he until now, only to appear in this place?"
I brought up when we'd been trapped in an illusion that felt real. I hadn't seen Lobelia directly, but I was almost certain she was here.
Lobelia's presence meant everything had to be doubted. The mutants who followed her all possessed mental manipulation-type supernatural powers.
"... I know. I know what you're trying to say, Hyun-woo."
Celestia muttered, clenching her fists tightly.
"I read the records. Nearly four years ago, Ian Myosotis was disposed of in a subterranean lab. I know why you're worried.
That Lobelia might've sent a monster imitating my brother, I'm aware. That it's suspicious he destroyed Orca, that he appeared here out of nowhere, I sense it too.
That he's probably a fake, that I might be seeing nothing at all, that wavering here equals walking into the jaws of death—I know, I feel, I understand it all."
"......."
"But... but...!"
Her calmly continued words suddenly grew emotional. As if venting deep resentment. Only for a moment—then Celestia weakly dropped her gaze to the small terminal on her wrist, staring blankly.
On it, the Myosotis insignia glowed. A notice indicating a special code activated at the genetic level. That code wasn't Celestia's. It was Ian's.
"... It never activated once until just now. If it's not Myosotis, it doesn't activate, and it can't be faked."
The Myosotis special authentication code. Even if someone brought the corpse of the dead Myosotis, it didn't matter—if the life signal ended, the data was erased simultaneously.
Impersonation was impossible, and so was tampering. Had that been possible, the whole world would have been flooded with illegal certifications. But it hadn't happened. No, it couldn't.
The very reason the fallen Myosotis could prepare a foundation for recovery was because of this. Celestia had inherited that legacy as a real Myosotis.
It was only a fraction, not even a tenth—but since the original was Megacorp, even that could not be dismissed as trivial. And it had never activated before my eyes. Not even once.
That fact, that difference, suffocated me. It felt as if I were the fake. I barely managed to force out a voice.
"... Celestia."
"... Hyun-woo, what if that really is my brother...? What if I'm just deceived, or brainwashed? What then?"
I couldn't answer. As she lifted her head to say this, I saw Celestia was crying. There were no tears at the corners of her eyes, but the emotion etched into her expression was utterly despairing.
That emotion wasn't something accumulated over just a day or two. After years—waiting, and waiting, until she turned to stone—feelings that choked her now.
I wanted to shout, right now, that it couldn't be. That thing was definitely a fake. But—by what right?
I hadn't told Celestia about the confusion I was experiencing. Because I myself was not certain.
Exactly where did Lobelia's tricks begin and end?
Were these Ian memories I possessed genuine or fabricated?
What was the vision I'd seen in the illusion?
If that was fake, how could I explain the shoot sprouting after leaving it? What did Ian's vision say to me?
Why did the pureblood supremacists, who worshiped the holy tree, try to give me Ian's name?
Unable to confirm anything, I couldn't let go of Celestia. It was my stubbornness. I couldn't just leave things as they were.
At that moment—Ian and I made eye contact. He was smiling. Still smiling. Even while knowing things were strange, it was as if none of it could hinder him.
This is not your business. Ian's eyes clearly said that to me.
I knew I could be indecisive. But what held me back now wasn't indecisiveness, but fear. I bit my lip, unconsciously.
Ian was quicker to speak to Celestia than I was to step out of my hesitation.
"There's no need to hide it. Selli, your guess is right. Well, not all of it, only part."
"... Part? Only part?"
"Yeah, part. I survived thanks to Lobelia. You saw the records, right? She's the one who pulled me from that lab where I was experimented on. If not for Lobelia, I wouldn't be standing here."
Ian raised both hands, as if to show he had no intention of harm. Having realized he could use psychokinesis, I maintained my vigilance.
I should attack first. That thought filled my head, but I couldn't bring myself to act. Because—he was never beneath me.
Still confused, Celestia's expression hardened. She was desperately fighting to keep her composure.
"I can explain everything. But for now, getting out of here is the priority."
At his suggestion to leave, Celestia's gaze flickered toward the reactor. Before she could speak, Ian spoke first.
"Selli, I know what plan you have. But you can't do that. You have no idea how dangerous the Purification Protocol is."
"......."
"That's why I attacked that robot. We can't let the Purification Protocol activate. There's another way to escape Titan. So, come to me. Let me keep the promise I'm so late in fulfilling. If only you return to me, I can set everything back to how it was."
Ian emphasized the dangers of activating the Purification Protocol. As if saying, it's 'just' a robot anyway, he slowly advanced then stopped. Celestia gazed at him in silence, until she finally spoke.
"... Ten years. That's how long I waited for you."
"I know I'm terribly late. As you know, because of the aftermath of the experiments, I was nearly disposed of. I spent all this time floating in nutrient solution. My body only just stabilized, so I could come out. My body keeps breaking do—"
"Ten years is enough time for things to change. Even the harshest satellite can be terraformed in under a century—relationships between people can change even more."
"......."
Ian became silent as Celestia interrupted, quietly eyeing her. Before he knew it, a hardness had crept into his gaze. Celestia continued.
"I can't trust anyone who sides with Lobelia. She's one of those who caused this disaster. It's not just one planet affected, like the Immortality Experiment—there's never been a disaster of this scale in the universe, not until now."
"... Selli."
"Like you always said, trust starts with the smallest things. I still believe you're alive and never once gave up hope. But if you really are my brother, leave Lobelia and come here. I'm not the one who needs to come back—it's you. Wasn't that the promise?"
At her plea to let her believe, Ian scratched his cheek and then heaved a deep sigh.
"Sorry, selli. I can't do that. It's a contract. But I can't leave you behind, either. If things go on like this, everyone will die, and you're the only freedom I have left."
Ian muttered with his eyes shut. The moment he reopened them, the atmosphere shifted. My instincts screamed a warning—the strong psionic energy was manifesting as a supernatural power.
Suddenly, several steel balls floated above Ian's palm as he gazed at the ceiling, colliding and spinning in the air. The area was small, limited to his hand, but the energy was enormous—greater than I could currently wield.
"I've held out all this time for your sake, selli."
The steel balls hummed sharply. Spinning ferociously, they signaled an imminent attack. Revolving around a single invisible point, like satellites, the steel balls seemed impatient to be the first to strike.
Cursing, I telekinetically raised several metal spears into the air. While I might not be able to completely block the steel balls—whose speed matched linear rifle rounds—I could at least try to divert their trajectory.
We had our backs to the reactor. If it were destroyed, we'd lose our reason for coming to the Vaelum space port. With the Sky Whale in a rampage, the reactor was the only key to settling the situation. It had to be protected.
Thump—thud-thud—
With muffled pops, the steel balls were launched one after another. I flung my metal spears in response. A few, by luck, managed to collide with the balls and neutralize them, but the rest broke through my defense.
Unable to find proper cover, Celestia hurriedly used her linear rifle as a makeshift shield. Made of whiteout material, her rifle's durability surpassed ordinary ones and protected her from the speeding steel balls.
But that lasted only for a moment. The rifle's frame twisted with an ominous sound as steel balls pounded into it, and one flew straight through to strike Celestia.
"Aaagh...!"
Celestia let out a scream of pain. The suit's emergency defense system activated—the core powered up to maximum, pouring energy into durability. Just as the shock seemed partially absorbed, Celestia was suddenly propelled backward.
"Ugh..."
With a thud, a muffled groan escaped her. The wall had caved in where she landed, a testament to how forcefully she'd been thrown.
"Celestia!"
At my desperate cry, Celestia tried to respond, lips quivering as if to convey something, but she couldn't overcome the shock to her body and lost consciousness.
"Haa... So this is how it ends. I didn't want to use force. You—hmm, though it sounds odd to call you 'you,' since you're my clone, maybe I should say you're another me?"
In the end, it's just a fake. Spitting out the words idly, I gritted my teeth and glared at Ian.
"You crazy bastard...!"
"She's only unconscious—I wouldn't kill Selli."
Ian looked at Celestia in concern, as if even he felt uncomfortable acting this way. Then he turned his gaze to me.
"You look very confused. I understand. Lobelia told me about you. Said you protected my sister all this time? Thank you for that. Step away from Selli. I won't come after you. In a way, I'm your only mutual sympathizer."
"You..."
"Please, don't stop me. You know—it's time for the fake to exit, right?"
"......."
Wordlessly, I recalled my metal spears. Not having been properly made—just ripped out of facility structures—they were already worn out. The broken, bent spears took their places with difficulty.
"Pity. I didn't want to kill you."
Ian retrieved the scattered steel balls on the floor telekinetically. Returning obediently to his gauntlet, they began to spin intensely once more.
He moved exactly as I did, used the same powers, mirrored me in every way. Even though our appearances were different, it was impossible to tell who was who—no, even I did not know who I was.
'... No, that's not it either.'
I could not deny Ian's words.