Lie 5 – Homo faber suae ipsae fortunae est I

Thatched huts fell apart, a searing fire burned the vegetation away as shouts of desperate voices filled a village. Core, in someone else’s body – a relatively older young woman with long turquoise hair, who wore a moon-shaped necklace –, ran hopelessly towards the center of the commotion: the battlefield.

...

In another, more contemporary reality, 8-year-old Core also rushed alone with might and main. The people around her knelt down begging for mercy, soldiers tried to hush them. A dizzy spell hit Core and then she passed out.

...

Back to the first reality, a red hooded boy held his hand out to Core. A thick red liquid dripped from the palm of his hand as he gave a half-hearted smile. That same smile exposed several wounds, physical and psychological. What looked like tears were drops of blood.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

...

A blonde lad the same age as Core with dark green eyes and a black cross around his neck took the red hooded figure’s place, the two realities became one. That’s when the fair-haired kid’s orbs flashed fiendishly… He was the Leader. Her savior.

“Are you ok?”

...

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10:35 AM.

Core finished rewinding the dream from eight years ago… She hasn’t had these elaborate and terrifying dreams in a while.

Nemo must have infiltrated the police force by now as planned. A few days have gone by since she met Naomi and Iduma, the latter resembled the red hooded boy very much. What about Eve, why did she saw her now…? Core kept walking.

...

“Who is he?” Susumu thought.

So as not to leave Tatsuo waiting, Susumu shook Nemo’s hand.

“Tomorrow you work. Today is a day to celebrate!” the cheerful Tatsuo said before stepping out of the office.

“Well, I’d better get going too. See you tomorrow... Senpai” Nemo said goodbye to Susumu.

…

Susumu had his head in the clouds on his way home. He couldn’t push aside a feeling of uneasiness. The detective was called upon by the Chains Man to his soul.

“He’s one of them” the Chains Man said.

“How do you know?!” Susumu asked.

“Use your intuition.”

“Does that mean he has been infiltrated in the police since his training days? If that’s true, then how come I never came across him? Why doesn’t his name ring a bell, despite being so well known among the officers?”

The Chains Man slithered over the surface as a series of linked metal rings that followed him made a rattling sound. The silhouette thereafter handled the endless chains in a skillful manner to write a single word: Memoriam, latin for “memory”.

“The answer is memory manipulation.”

“Memory manipulation, you say?!”

“Correct. This child, Nemo, manipulated the memory of every police officer, including your father, making them think he’s someone who doesn’t even exist.”

“Impossible...”

“One by one he implanted false memories into their minds. A flawless disguise.”

“How... can such a thing be possible?”

Susumu felt partially defeated. The shadow smirked.

“Just as you can see reminiscences of the past by touching an object. The possibilities of the spirit are... infinite.”

“The spirit…” Susumu remembered something Martyr mentioned “’Visibility’. It’s the same trick?”

“No, not exactly, it’s more complex in this case... Susumu, he will most definitely try to put you under his control. After all, you’re the only one left with his memory untouched.”

“…I’m outnumbered and almost without intel.”

“Are you giving up?”

“No, but I find it odd that you’re cooperating with me when my defeat benefits you.”

“It’s hard to explain, but in this situation we would both lose.”

“Hm...”

“Given the circumstances, why not flout the agreement for the time being?”

The teenager weighed up his options before replying.

“Fine. How should I fight back?”

The shadow smiled with total confidence.