[Author's Note: I hope you will like this next episode of Rei no Kigen To... Translation of Chapter title: Rei's Self-Speculation!]
Chapter 4: Rei no Jibun Suisoku!
Where am I?
There is nothing here but darkness...
It feels so nice, nothing to pull me back, nothing to hold me down. It's like I'm floating.
In a world of nothing.
Rei was there, no one else was. Everything of the outside world faded away when he transformed. Rei's euphoria didn't last though, he had no one to interact with. "Ryu, Nina, Momo..." Rei wispered.
"So what am I supposed to do here?" Rei asked himself.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by a blinding light. A new world formed underneath him. The ground now kept him from floating, but it made him feel confortable. Rei was now in a large room, mostly white in color, with desks, computers and various unidentifiable technology throughout it. He could make out he images of a few people wearing lab coats, one had reddish-brown hair with the same ears as Momo.
"It is an honor to make something for a goddess, but I wonder why she needs this?" One female scientist said.
"I wonder if this will supposedly protect the world like Myria wants it to," another person in a white lab coat speculated.
"All we are supposed to do is get him to act like a normal being and send him off to Caer Xhan," said the other scientist.
"This is going to take a while, he's not talking to anyone. At least he's eating and walking around," said the Momo-esqe scientist, his voice sounded depressed.
Then Rei heard a knock at the door, and when it opened he was shocked. Rei saw a small boy, about five years of age with the ears, tail, and markings just like him being escorted by another scientist.
Everthing suddnly froze.
"Who are you?" Rei asked.
"I am you," said the young boy.
"Who are they?" Rei asked as he pointed to the scientists.
"I am you, if you don't no then neither do I..."
Time continued again.
"Professor, he is still not talking to us," said the escort.
The Odd-Eared Scientist kneeled down to the young Rei. "Hello, how are you?" The professor asked.
The boy just stared at him, not saying a word. He let go of the escort's hand and pulled on the white gown he was wearing. It was too big for him. The professor sighed and stood up.
The door opened again and a small girl in a blue outfit and red hair walked in. She looked like Momo, but much, much younger. "Daddy, I want to go home," the girl asked the professor as she tugged on his coat. The girl saw the young Rei. "Who is that?" The young girl asked.
"Momo, this is.."
"Rei," the young boy said.
The scientists were shocked, so was Rei. "Why is Momo here?" He thought to himself.
"What luck that your brought your daughter, Professor!" said the female scientist.
"Hmm, he won't talk to us, but he will to her," noted the Professor.
"Well, Rei, do you want to play? Oh, my name is Momo, nice to meet you," the yound Momo said as she grasped the young Rei's hand.
"Um, I guess.." He replied.
The scientists watched as Momo and Rei played a little game of hide and seek. "I would like to study this alone," said the Professor.
The scientists left the room. "He's like a real human being. He can think for himself, and feel for himself. That mechanism inside does not effect him in this form. What does Myria want with him?" He noted aloud.
Rei thought to himself, "Why don't I remember any of this?"
"Momo, Rei, I need to see you for a moment," the Professor announced to the two playing children.
The children ran over to him and waited for him to respond.
"Rei, here are some clothes. Momo will show you to the changing rooms," said the Professor.
Momo led Rei to the door and they shut the door. The professor gathered his possessions, and put some papers into the trash. He lit the wastebasket on fire to destroy the information there. "I'll take him home and raise him as my own son, I'll tell them I took him to Caer Xhan. I'll have to tell Myria that the experiment failed. But the device is still active, I can't change the programming unless I go Caer Xhan myself," the Professor said to himself as he changed the passwords on the computer.
Momo and Rei came back into the room. Rei's new outfit was the same as the current Rei's. The difference is that the vest still fit him on his younger self. "Are you ready to go?" The professor asked. The younger Rei nodded. They left the room and Rei followed, no one could see him, apparently.
"Where are you going?" Asked one of the scientists.
"I'm taking Rei to Caer Xhan, please inform everyone for me," the Professor responded.
"Yes, Professor."
Outside of the laboratory, a train awaited them. "Good, it's unmanned," said Momo's father.
They got on the train and the Professor turned it on. The train started and moved quickly across the rails. The older Rei got on with the rest of them and wondered why he didn't remember any of this. The train was moving through a forest when it was ambushed.
"Oh, no they're after Rei!" The Professor shouted.
The professor grabbed Rei's arm as the shadowed figure grabbed is other arm. The young Rei struggled against the shadow figure and broke free of his grasp. He was hanging on the side of the train holding on to the Professor's hand. "Rei! Hold on!" He shouted.
But the Professor's hand slipped and Rei fell into the forest, where he was knocked unconscious.
"Damnit! At I can't stop the train or else the kidnappers will get him. He'll be allright. He can survive in there," said the Professor as he ran to protect his daughter.
Momo was also knocked out when the train stalled from the ambush. He woke her up again with some smelling salts that he carried in his pockets. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Rei. We could have been a family..."
Everthing went dark again.
"So that is how I came to be..." Rei said to himself.
"That's right, you're a chimera. You shouldn't exist in this world," said a voice identical to Rei's. The voice laughed.
"Who are you?!" Rei shouted into the darkness.
"I am you, or really a part of you," said the voice.
A figure appeared that looked just like Rei.
"I will have to kill you and rid the world of evil like you," the figure laughed.
The figure started to strangle Rei. Rei could feel the life leaving his body as the air stopped entering his body. "Teepo, I guess I'll be joining you. But I can't die... yet..." Rei tried to say. The figure continued to strangle him and laughed.
"Why... are you.. the part of me... that.... I ...hate?"
The figure just continued to laugh.
Rei took out one of his knives and stabbed the figure in the chest. The figure loosened his grip and Rei escaped his grasp.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I've commited suicide! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The figure shouted as the blood seeped out of him.
The apparition of Rei dissapeared, leaving the echo of its menaiacal laughter.
"I want to return to the real world! I deserve to live in the world! I want to go back!" Shouted Rei.
He could hear his friends talking in the background.
"Will he snap out of it?"
"I don't think so, Nina."
"Ryu, do you know why Rei would attack you?"
"I... don't know..."
"Could that be Ryu speaking?" Rei thought to himself as the voices became clearer.
"Rei, snap out of it! Please! Get up! I want you to come back! Rei!" Momo's voice rang out.
Rei opened his eyes and saw eveyone looking at him, watching over him.
"Hi, everyone. Did you miss me?" Rei said when he came to with a smile.
"It really is you then! I'm so glad that you're back!" Nina said.
"Welcome back, Rei," Ryu said.
"Hey, Ryu, how come you are talking now when you never used to say anything before?" Momo noted.
Ryu shrugged. Everyone sighed and they felt comfortable again.
"Shall we go on, my dear?" Rei said to Momo in a joking way.
"Shut up, Rei!" Momo shouted back.
The group continued into the maze of lights and hallways until they reached a large doorway.
"This is Myria's laboratory," said Momo who was looking at the machine, "It's quite shocking that all of these hallways are still intact."
Rei walked up to the door, put his hand on it and pushed to door open.
To Be Continued
On the next episode, the group enters the laboratory to find out how Rei is connected to Myria's conquest to "protect" the world. They find out almost all the answers when...
Next Episode
Chapter 5: Shinjitsu wa Kurushii Desu!
Truth is Painful!