episode_0054

When 32-year-old Yurik, a jobless young man with a doctorate, regained consciousness, he realized he had been kidnapped.

He lamented his situation inwardly.

‘Why on earth? I don’t have any money!’

They say luck and misfortune are two sides of the same coin, twin sisters who accompany you 24 hours a day, and that saying was not wrong.

The bait of a permanent research position, thrown by the mentor who had hounded him since his undergraduate days, was too tempting. To be able to join the research institute overseen by his former supervising professor as a full-time researcher after participating in a secret project for just a few months – it was a dream-like condition!

What kind of person was Doctor Sturges? Despite his old age, he was still a leader in academia. From what Yurik remembered of him during his doctoral studies, he was somewhat fastidious as an advisor, but as a scholar, he was a truly admirable figure.

That such a person remembered his incapable student, and directly contacted Yurik, who was working as a lecturer, to offer the position.

It would be crazy to refuse.

He heard it was a secret project being conducted as a sort of industry-academia collaboration, and they were short on personnel. He was told that after a short training period of a few days, he would immediately sign a contract and be deployed. The working conditions were a bit strict due to security issues. Still, the salary was good, and the benefits were attractive. The short duration seemed odd, but since it was a secret project, he couldn’t ask more questions, so he just accepted it.

But when he arrived home, he suddenly lost consciousness with a flash of pain, and when he woke up, he was in this state! His limbs were tied to a chair, and his eyes were blindfolded.

‘Robbers? A gang?’

He was scared. He remembered the crime incidents he had heard about through the news: office workers murdered by robbers, or a CEO who disappeared after a business dispute and was later buried alive by his partner. To think he would become the protagonist of a violent crime that he thought only happened to others…

No, surely he wasn’t going to die like this? He thought his life was finally starting to blossom? Damn it! Please!

His brief rational judgment melted away like snow, and fear instantly consumed Yurik’s mind.

Someone save me!

“…Where am I? What is this? Help me! Is anyone here?”

He screamed wildly. If he didn’t scream like this, he felt his frantically pounding heart would burst, and he couldn’t bear it. What was most unbearable was this darkness, the absolute blackness. He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t hear anything either.

Anyone is fine. Please respond!

“…Shut up.”

And his wish was granted in an ominous way. Hearing the stiff, heavy, modulated mechanical voice echoing in his ears, Yurik realized something was terribly wrong.

“I don’t know who you are, but I’ll give you money! I’ll tell you my account and card PIN, so!”

“Silence.”

The voice immediately dismissed Yurik’s pleas.

“I will ask the questions. For now, keep quiet. Nod if you understand.”

Yurik did as he was told. The distinctive cold metallic touch against his neck brought back a sliver of reason, buried under fear.

Soon, the modulated, inhuman voice began its questions.

***

“We’re doing this right, aren’t we?”

「Shh, quiet! Communicate over the network.」

We are currently interrogating the person we captured. Before preparing for the interrogation, we made a few preparations.

「The voice changer effect is good, isn’t it? Look how that person flinched when we spoke earlier.」

「Indeed, this is much scarier than interrogating them in our own voices.」

First, to avoid revealing our identities, we obtained a voice changer program. Now, when Number 46 in front of the laptop speaks into the microphone, a high-pitched, heavy-toned mechanical voice is transmitted to the subject through the speaker. It’s much more threatening than a girl’s voice, too.

For psychological pressure, we put our heads together. First, we imitated the way mafias and thugs spoke in noir films and crime dramas. This was to create an imposing atmosphere.

Of course, we had other methods prepared. “Yurik Pereira, age 32. During your middle and high school years, you achieved one excellence award, one encouragement award, and two honorable mentions in various competitions. Afterward, you graduated from Harmonia University with a degree in physics, and completed both your master’s and doctoral degrees consecutively at the same university.”

“You, how on earth did you…?”

“You currently reside at House 101, Building 51, located in Western District 13. No cohabitants. It seems you had a girlfriend, but you broke up. Your close friends are Maron and Naveon. One is a university classmate.”

“What is this…? What do you want…?”

“You keep an old dog. Is its name Godo? Shall we change the subject a bit? You… often enjoy K company’s chocolate cereal for breakfast, and your favorite beer brand is… Alpine.”

“…How did you know? Who are you?!”

The man listening to my words trembled, lost his composure, and shouted. It was closer to a shriek than a shout. Though it was a result I had created, I felt pity. If someone of unknown identity was listing off my personal information, I would be scared too.

「It’s almost like something the student council president would do, a perverted act.」

「Ugh! I can’t deny it.」

While we kidnapped the man and brought him here, the other Violets used the stolen cell phone and house key to gather as much personal information as possible in a short time. Fortunately, it had fingerprint recognition, so internal information was quickly secured.

Inside the house we opened, an old dog, too weak to bark, lay wearing a collar. Through the household trash can, the graduation album on the bookshelf, and various trophies in the drawer, we could roughly infer what kind of person he was.

Spouting all that information with the help of appropriate staging and environment made it simple to terrify the listener. Our acting was a bit awkward, but judging by the man’s reaction, he didn’t seem to notice.

「He’s a bit pitiful, isn’t he? Let’s release him quickly once this is over. We’re unknown evil corporate spies, got it?」

「Right, right. We’re bad spies.」

Seeing the man sweating cold and trembling, he looked as if he might faint from shock at any moment. It was time to stop the pressure and get to the main point.

“Who are you…? Why are you doing this…?”

“Do you understand the situation now? Yurik, we know a great deal about you. So it would be best for you to cooperate willingly. Whether you can leave here safely depends on your sincerity. Do you understand?”

“Yes! I understand! I will answer!”

First, there was something to confirm before asking questions.」

“First, have you recently undergone any magic-related security measures, or signed a sworn oath with a spell applied?”

“You mean like secret security spells? No! I haven’t! Never! It’s true, so please take the knife away from my neck!”

We had already checked when we stripped him earlier, but just in case, we asked one more time.

“Now, explain the research project being conducted by Polaris Academy. What is the project’s purpose or its intended direction?”

“…How on earth do you know that, too… Ah, I’ll answer. I don’t know. I really don’t.”

Was he denying it? We pressed lightly on Yurik’s neck with the blunt side of the knife.

“Don’t lie. We know well. There must have been many people curious about it.”

“It’s true! I asked too, but they said they wouldn’t explain until the training period was over and before signing the security oath. And they said we were just temporary fill-in personnel, so we couldn’t know everything.”

Number 3, who had been watching from the side, handed over three or four brochures taken from Yurik’s bag and nodded.

「It’s true, even what’s written here states that the project’s goals or direction are confidential and cannot be disclosed. The nuance suggests that they’re only supposed to do what they’re told.」

「Ugh… Was it a wasted effort? As expected, this task was impossible from the start.」

「It’s okay. There are still other questions left.」

Then, the next question.

“Tell us everything you’ve been told and know about the project.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Yurik slowly opened his mouth and began to explain.

“Well… I heard it’s an industry-academia collaboration plan supported by several corporations, with the academy as the main body. That’s why security is quite important… They said there’s a particle accelerator using Aetherium underground. How they managed to install such a thing beneath the school…”

“A particle accelerator? Are you referring to the large pipe underground?”

“Yes! Yes! That’s right! They said it’s essential for studying other dimensions and Aether.”

So the identity of that large pipe I saw last time was a particle accelerator.

“…They said it requires convergence, with people from various fields collaborating. My professor-nim directly suggested it to me…”

“Do they also conduct research related to Awakeners?”

“Ah… Yes! That’s right. They explained that understanding Awakeners, specifically the manifestation of their abilities and the mechanism of how magic affects the brain, is crucial. They didn’t explain beyond that, though.”

As the testimony was being recorded and filmed, we tried to organize the incoming information.

「It’s a highly confidential project gathering various people, and it requires knowledge from diverse fields.」

「It also deals with the manifestation of Awakener abilities and brain-related knowledge?」

We listened to his lengthy explanation, but there was no substance.

“Hey, is that all?”

“It’s true! I haven’t even been in the training for a few days, so I haven’t heard everything!”

Oh no, it seems we brought him in too early. We exchanged glances, and while we hesitated, Number 1 signaled us to snap out of it, and we finally did.

“…Excuse me? Are you all done? Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Explain about Doctor Walter Sturges. What is your relationship with him?”

“Doctor Sturges? He was my supervising professor back when I was in graduate school.”

The clones who had been investigating the data at Yurik’s house sent a positive signal. The name, clearly embedded in his doctoral dissertation, was visible.

Afterward, we asked several more questions, but there was no particular gain. He knew almost nothing about what we asked, and what little he did explain was merely superficial.

As the interrogation became pointless, half of the Violets began to devise scenarios: where to release the man and what identity to feign for ourselves.

Number 1, who had swapped bodies with the Violet on site, examined the tied-up Yurik. He was drenched in sweat, likely from tension.

Since there was time, we reviewed and compared the testimony with previous records and other transcripts. Was there anything else to ask?

Suddenly, a conversation between the Director and the Doctor, from a long time ago, came to mind.

‘…There’s no need to thank me. Doctor Sturges, the Aether Wave-Synchronization Theory you proposed in your youth has contributed greatly to this grand undertaking.’

Number 1 approached the microphone and sat down.

“Do you happen to know what the ‘Aether Wave-Synchronization Theory’ is?”

This name, which had come up once during a conversation between the Director and the Doctor, made me wonder if it was a famous theory, but it was hard to find any mention of a theory with that name.

I also searched academic journals and thesis-related websites, but Doctor Sturges in question hardly ever mentioned that specific name. Similar terms were mentioned only once or twice.

At first, I wondered if the information had been deliberately erased, but it felt a bit different. Had he only conceptualized it?

It was a question thrown out without much expectation, but Yurik thought deeply about something, then opened his mouth.

“…Aether Wave-Synchronization Theory? I’ve heard of it back in graduate school.”

“Explain.”

“It’s nothing grand. My professor-nim often talked to me or others about it. He said he was preparing something important, and that something he had conceptualized since his youth was slowly showing results. That theory’s name was it.”

“The doctor’s submitted papers, presentations, or related articles have never mentioned that name, not even once.”

“Is that so…? It’s not strange. My professor-nim said he wasn’t confident about it yet. He said it’s only theoretically possible in a natural state…”

“So what does that theory say?”

I urged him on with a threatening tone. I could see the pale-faced Yurik struggling to recall something.

“Ah… He only explained it briefly. Each Awakener has a unique magical wavelength they emit, and the difference between a simple Awakener and one with a unique ability is determined by the changes or characteristics of this wavelength, right?

So the claim was, if you adjust and synchronize Aether wavelengths according to a person, wouldn’t it be possible to create identical unique abilities?”

Aha, I see. I don’t really know.

As we held our heads, pondering, the outside was gradually getting brighter. It was dawn.

While we were silent, the bound Yurik seemed to grow anxious and lamented his situation in a small voice.

“Are you… a corporation? Or another clan?”

“Be quiet.”

“I’m sorry! But I really don’t know anything. If you release me, I’ll keep my mouth shut and live quietly! I’m known for being tight-lipped, it’s true. Anyway, I’m just a contract worker, so I don’t have the authority or the ability to access important information! The period is only 3 months too. I just joined because they said it was a confirmed full-time position…”

“3 months? That’s a bit short, isn’t it?”

“Yes! That’s right, it is a bit short. Usually, contracts are for about 6 months to a year. We just joined because they needed people to fill in at the very end.”

We all slowly, simultaneously, turned our gaze to Yurik.

“At the very end? What do you mean by that?”

“Yes, they said the entire project would be completed in about 3 months.”

A surprised Number 1 shot up from her seat.

“Say that again. What happens in 3 months?”

“3 months! 4 months at the latest. They also said it could end within one or two months depending on the progress speed. Why are you suddenly acting like this…?”

「3 months? How many days is 3 months from now?」

「Since we’re on the September semester, 3 months from now would be the end of the first semester, the short winter break, and the second semester. But you… Surely not…」

「Data, check the data! Those schedules and calendars from last time!」

The ‘I’ residing in the central dormitory sent the data, hard disk and all. Now that I think about it, the periods marked with asterisks or slashes…

I re-examined the photographic data. On the calendars and charts, slashes were marked between December and January, or “Deadline” was clearly written, or asterisks were distinctly etched.

For several minutes, we couldn’t understand the information. The gap between previous information and newly acquired information wasn’t easily bridged.

Information raced and connected, using the thoughts of the Violets as pathways. It merged. The empty spaces of the missing puzzle pieces began to fill.

The school’s sudden increase in student capacity over a few years,

A secret project gathering experts from various fields.

Huge research equipment installed underground.

The school landscape turned to ruins 5 years later.

Individuals who survived the catastrophe and transferred to other schools.

And, an unknown research project to be completed in 3 months.

At that moment, a fatal hypothesis struck our minds like lightning. Some of us, shocked, sprang up from our seats.

Some Violets, instinctively rejecting the shocking hypothesis, denied it.

「Crazy, that can’t be it, can it?」

「Right. That’s not it. Everyone knows. This school will be ruined in 5 years!」

Number 2 retorted.

「What do you mean ‘not’? That’s a misunderstanding. 5 years? What 5 years?」

「But, in the main game…」

Number 1, who had been silent, retorted sharply.

「No! You’re wrong! What we remember was ‘the ruined state of the school seen 5 years later.’ Not ‘it was ruined in 5 years’! Yes, now that I think about it, there’s no way that chaotic ruin could have appeared in just a day or two…」

Only then did we all grasp the reality.

While the shocked Violets were steeped in silence, a cautious request came from one side of the warehouse.

“Um, could you release me soon? I’ve told you everything you asked…”

「What should we do with that person?」

「Put him to sleep for now. Let’s think about it…」

The Violets approached and poured water mixed with a sleeping pill into Yurik’s mouth. He resisted for a moment, then swallowed the water. A short while later, he fell asleep again.

“…We have to run.”

I thought I had escaped the fate of a lab rat, but I was still a lab rat.

I thought I had become free after escaping the research institute.

I hadn’t. I had merely moved from one petri dish to a larger one.

I knew it was going to be ruined. But I didn’t know it would be ruined so soon.

If my hypothesis is correct, if my guess is certain, then this school will soon be ruined.

Polaris Academy will face destruction in 3 months.

Perhaps even sooner.

Whatever the case, it’s ruined. I guess I should pack my bags and prepare to escape.