Taiyo fell to the ground with a thud as he groaned in pain. It's finally over. I looked around and saw that only few buildings of the school were left from the destruction. The veins in the building remained even after being crushed, making veins spread across the rubble. I walked over to Taiyo and watched him struggle to get up but the pain he felt prevented him.
"You got me there," Taiyo said as he held his stomach. "To think there is something that can beat time. No, what's more surprising was that you were able to think of one."
Zou, now that's he incapacitated, we can initiate the integral part of the plan. Should be a while before he can get up and actually do anything.
"Oh right." I said. Creuset really surprised me there…
I need you to touch Taiyo's forehead. I'll take over his access from this world.
I crouched and tapped Taiyo's forehead like a kid.
"What are you doing?" Taiyo asked with an annoyed face.
"Keep quiet. I'm doing something."
Okay, just stay like that. I'm going to revoke his status first.
His annoyed face was later replaced with amusement. "So, what are you going to do now? You've won. The world is yours again."
"It's not mine and it's definitely not yours either. I'm just doing the right thing."
"You really are a fool."
Zou, I can't seem to access anything unless I am directly in contact. You'll have to do it.
'I don't know anything about hacking, Creuset. All I use a computer for is browsing, watching, and playing.' I said to her in my mind.
No worries. I'll upload my skills to you. It'll be weird and overwhelming but you'll get over it. Besides, knowing these skills really help in a world like this.
'What do you mean upload—'
And before I could finish my sentence, I suddenly knew about programming, coding, and all that relates to software manipulation. It was really funny because it really just felt like I remember something I forgot a minute ago and now just by thinking I knew how to unlock a password protected WiFi, which really sounds illegal and I should probably not do. Unless I need WiFi.
Great, you took that well. I'll look into the other parts of the simulation. You should know what to do since I uploaded my plan into you as well.
Wait a minute, how can Creuset upload her knowledge? Or did she just uploaded a bunch of ebooks in my head? Creuset's human so… Ah, who cares? She's a super computer genius. But that doesn't explain this skill transfer…. It's almost like she's an AI…
"What's wrong? You've been silent for a while." Taiyo sarcastically said. "Something happened?"
I then noticed his scarlet red eyes.
Something's not right here. Or rather, something's connected here.
Creuset and Taiyo.
Both had red eyes.
Both can hack like gods.
Both had dark brown hair.
But both seemed human. No, they both already did something human can't do
Taiyo can send his consciousness into the simulation, and as far as technology is today, no human being can do that.
Creuset sent her knowledge of programming in less than a second. No one in the world has the ability to convert human brain activity into data.
Right now, they're both suspicious but Taiyo was more so. Also, I've seen Creuset in the real world. Taiyo on the other hand only claimed to be human. He often claimed he had a body to return to but that body could be an android one.
"Come on, now, Zou. We're the same, aren't we?" Taiyo said as he smirked.
The same? He's probably referring to being human… Unless he's… also a clone? Who's clone would he be?
"Hey, I'm talking to you—"
Enough thinking about this creep. I touched his forehead again so I can remove his control over the simulation. It was surprisingly quick and now I was in control of the simulation. According to the plan of Creuset, I should launch the system restore program of this world. The programming of the simulation changed too much to fix by just removing Taiyo so a restore was the best chance. This means everyone's memories will be reset…
But Sawako will be alive.
I let go of Taiyo's forehead and stood up. I generated a screen in the air and loaded the system restore.
"Oh? A system restore? Think you can bring everything back to normal, huh?" Taiyo said.
I didn't look at him and only stared at the screen. "It's the only way after all the ruckus you caused. Now keep quiet and let me fix this mess."
"I see. Too bad that won't bring back your girlfriend."
My hand froze as I was about to initiate the restore. "What?"
"Your system restore won't bring her back."
No, he's just saying that so I don't undo his work on the place.
"I did say I would make you regret refusing me. I didn't just delete her there; I deleted every piece of data she has on this plane of existence. That goes as far as the backup drives."
I felt my hand shaking. Would he lie at this point? Of course he would. But he does have the ability to do that. If he's as good as Creuset, then…
"In the end, I will win." Taiyo laughed fully. "Even if you detain me now, I have an automated ejection from the simulation. I only stay in this place three hours a day. AND while we were beating the shit out of each other earlier, that was my third hour. Which means I only have to stay here for twenty minutes! You may have taken this place back but I'll find another way and I'll make you regret it even more than when you lost your precious digital girlfriend."
I felt like something in me snapped. I think I should rethink what I was about to do next.
But I don't really care right now.
I sat next to Taiyo and placed the palm of my hand on top of his stomach.
I whispered, "Rasengan."
I generated a ball of raging wind inside Taiyo, making scream in absolute pain along with a chain of swears.
After than, I looked at him in the eye. His eyes were of hatred. I don't care. I need him to suffer. I raised my right hand and aimed at his chest, as if I was going to penetrate him. Well, I actually was going to.
And so I did. There was a sickening sound of my hand piercing through his chest. His warm flesh was an unusual and unfamiliar feeling.
But I don't care.
Taiyo's eyes widened. "What are you doing!?"
I ignored him and created a program then inserted it into him.
It was a program to generate pain. The most painful one can possibly feel. Taiyo began to scream and squirm.
I kept my hand in place, making sure he didn't escape the pain I was giving him.
After ten minutes, Taiyo became tired of screaming. I got used to the feeling of flesh on my hand. Wait, if he's still here, then why should Sawako be gone? He should just disappear, so no one else can suffer.
I created another line of code and added it to the program.
The code that will end him.
Kill him.
"Any last words?" I asked him weakly.
His eyes were bloodshot and wide. His gaze turned to me. "I'll make you… pay…"
"But you won't be able to. Because you will die."
His face turned to shock as he stared at my nonchalant face. He knew I wasn't lying. I expected him to look at me in hatred but instead, he looked calm.
"You're going to kill me?"
How can he be so calm?
"Taiyo, you are not human, are you?" I asked him as I stared into his eyes.
Taiyo scoffed. "Of course I'm human. Are you mocking me?"
His eyes. I can't help but think of another set of eyes that mirrors his. The only person he can be a clone of.
It was Creuset.
She wasn't showing any signs of recognition to Taiyo though. Does this mean she was copied without her consent? But who can do that? Creating AIs is difficult enough but copying a personality from another person? I can't think anyone else but Creuset who can do such a feat. Then again, Taiyo and Creuset were two very different persons individually. Maybe only parts of Creuset was copied.
Like me.
"If you're human, prove it." I said to Taiyo.
"Why you're so interested now?"
"Just prove it." I said to him sternly.
Taiyo let out a chuckle. "Unlike you fakes, I have a family. A mother and a little sister."
"What?" was all I can say.
"You thought I'm some AI; is that what you came up with?"
"You could be saying empty words."
"For the love of god, you're demanding." Taiyo closed his eyes. Then, an image photo above his head. "Here's a photo of them."
I took the photo above his head and glanced at it. In it were three people. On the left was Taiyo, who didn't look all that different. His hands were on his back and he wore a dress shirt and black pants. As always, Taiyo had a smirk on the photo. Classy. The person on the right was a girl that was bit shorter than Taiyo. She also had red eyes and looked at the camera with a passive hair was long as her height and had the same color as Taiyo's. How do you even grow hair that much? Still, she looked very adorable.
In the middle was a tall woman who smiled at the camera… Her smile reminded me so much of Mona Lisa… Elusive… But she's also a very pretty woman. Maybe on par with Holly? Her eye color was brown… What? Her hair was a bob cut matched with even bangs. Her hair was black… They obviously didn't inherit anything from their mother's looks.
"Where's your father?" I asked.
"Don't know, didn't ask."
So he's human? But where does that put Creuset? A missing sister, maybe?
"Are these people your only relative?" I showed the photo to him.
"No one else. Just my mother dearest and my beloved little sister. Now you know I'm just as human as you are, maybe we can compromise?"
"No."
"Oh well. I can never make a deal with you. You win." Taiyo closed his eyes and laid on his back.
He then turned his gaze to the sky. For a minute, we didn't say anything. It's like Taiyo had accepted his fate. Or more like he had no choice.
"Tell my sister that I dearly love her."
"Odd words for someone like you." I still kept my hand inside his chest.
He chuckled. "I did all of this for her."
For his sister?
"We have this… problem since we were born. Mother said it was genetic and there was no cure for it. I've been looking for a solution since."
"What's wrong with you two then?"
"Let's just say it makes us become… Hmm, I guess emotional? But even I am not sure." Taiyo closed his eyes. "So when I found this place, I knew I can save her. I can test on these people since they're not real. The simulation's so realistic to the point you can actually research diseases."
Creuset… Now that I had her knowledge, I knew it took her time to create this place. But why was it so real?
"I think… I may have overdone things… Pretty sure my sister would be mad like you if she knew what I did here." Taiyo opened his eyes and looked at me. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
No. Why are you apologizing?
"It's too bad I wasn't able to figure out anything from here. I wanted to see her one last time."
No. Why are you regretting?
"If you do get the chance, tell her for me. That I really love her."
Taiyo reached his hand to the air, as if reaching out to the sky. "I'm afraid I won't be coming home, Eirene."
And then his hand wiped my cheeks. "Why are you crying?"
I touched my own face with both of my hands and felt tears. "I don't know."
"In the end, you're just too kind." Taiyo kept wiping the tears off my face. "Maybe that's what I lacked."
In a blink of an eye, Taiyo was gone.
I stood up and saw the gray clouds covering the sky. Is it going to rain—
It rained.
I lost track of time with all that happened. I think it was supposed to be late afternoon and yet the sky was bright as it can during a rain. Perhaps Taiyo messed with the weather. I felt the rain on my face as I stared at the gray sky.
I killed him.
And he had a family. Loved ones.
I'm just as bad as him. No, I was worse. I stooped down to levels of villainy. No matter how wrong a person is, killing them is not the answer.
Would Sawako forgive me? I think the answer's pretty obvious. And now, someone else had to feel the same feeling of losing someone. If they ever find out that he's gone. Even then, that little girl will keep waiting for someone who will never come back.
What have I done?
I noticed that the system restore window was still floating. I stood up and went to it. It was still waiting for the input to start. I was supposed to save this world without sin. Now, I just feel like a hypocrite.
Zou?
Creuset. She's back.
Zou, what's going on? I can't detect Taiyo anywhere. Don't tell me he got away?
"He's gone." I said.
Huh? How? I'm pretty sure he couldn't do anything after all that beating he got. Did he had some sort of backdoor? Then again, I made sure he wouldn't be able to use anything—
"He's gone. For good."
What do you mean— Wait, no. You wouldn't.
"I'm restoring the system now."
Hey! You can't brush off what you just did! What exactly happened here?
"I can't save her. So now, I can only save her home."
What? Once the system is restored Sawako will be back.
"Taiyo deleted her all the way to her backup files."
You can't believe everything that he said.
"He wasn't lying."
Regardless, don't start the program just yet. Once you turn that on, the system will lock down and I won't be able to make contact with you for three months.
My right hand hovered over the confirm button on the window.
Zou? Please, listen! We have to talk this over first. There's a lot of things we don't know about Taiyo so we should discuss this first!
I pressed the button.
"See you in three months, Creuset."
Zou, wait! Don't do it! You're making a big mistake! Zo—
The window disappeared.
This is for the best.
This is my punishment.
Now, I have to live in a world without her.
I'm sorry, Creuset. Everyone in the real world. But I don't belong there anymore.
Quite frankly, I don't belong anywhere.
