AN: Hello readers! I have returned with Part 2 of the finale for the Level Upper Arc:)
Due to how these events play out, I thought it would be best to maybe save the last part of this day for the next chapter, as things take a fairly depressing/dark tone as a small word of warning so be prepared...
Well with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
As always, please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter:)
Disclaimer: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or any of its characters...the only things I own are:
1. My characters and
2. my ideas
Chapter 31: Too Late
July 24th, 11:00AM
Somewhere within the 7th District
When Asher and Uiharu called Dr. Kiyama about their findings about the Level Upper, she gave them the confirmation that they needed to see that they were on the right track. It sounded like they were even closer than they thought, since she said that this bit of information could potentially grant her access to the greatest supercomputer within Academy City, Tree Diagram.
This intrigued Uiharu enough to ask for permission to see it in action, getting even more excited when Kiyama gave her the go ahead that she could see it for herself. Just as the call ended, she had invited Asher to go along with her as well, considering she didn't want to leave her all alone in the office, but knew at the same time that the esper was probably about as interested as she was to see the supercomputer, taking up her offer without any kind of hesitation or even an inkling of a sigh from the thought itself.
So, the two were currently walking side by side towards Kiyama's office, chatting briefly here and there to pass the time. Surprisingly, this had probably been one of the first times that they had ever really been alone with each other before, usually having someone within their group of friends around them most of the time.
Normally this would make Uiharu nervous from being in such close proximity to someone known to be one of only 8 Level 5's in the city, a person she would have never thought she would meet ever within her life even when Shirai told her about knowing her other level 5 counterpart. She can't lie and say that she wasn't to some extent, wearing a brave face of determination to try and hide it as best as she could. But after getting to know Asher for a while, it didn't take long for her to take her off the pedestal she imagined for her and the Electromaster, seeing them both just as ordinary people who just so happened to carry the title as a Level 5 esper.
This was seen even more so from the similarities Uiharu had noticed between her and Asher, both of them having a massive sweet tooth and sociable best friends that took a liking to teasing them at times.
As Uiharu looked over at her, though, she had seen a concerning sight that had been going on for a while. She was looking down at her phone intensely as well as rubbing the back of her incessantly, something she had gotten to know to be a nervous tic of hers that appeared whenever she was either stressed or uncomfortable in some way.
"Asher?" Uiharu called out to gain the esper's attention. "Is there something wrong?"
Asher nearly went to speak before she pulled back. She wanted to say that there was nothing wrong in order to not worry the girl next to her, but at this point she would just be lying to not just herself but also a friend, a person she could be open with no matter how much it made her uncomfortable.
So, she slowed to a stop and let out a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck for good measure before she looked over at Uiharu with worry shining in her gaze.
"Yes, there's something wrong…and has been for a while now ever since we were at the restaurant with Dr. Kiyama a couple days ago..." She began hesitantly. "It's about Saten."
Asher stood there and told Uiharu practically everything relating to her worries of one of their friends, finding herself at a point where she just couldn't hide her worry anymore and hoped that the girl who was the closest to Saten could relieve the pit in her stomach in some way.
Uiharu's face fell after a while as Asher's gaze fell towards the ground when she had finished, letting out a small sigh as she felt the phone shaking in her hand.
"I just can't get this bad feeling to go away. And I just want it to disappear and believe that she wouldn't have lied to me. But it doesn't make any logical sense of why she has been avoiding us these last couple of days. I know that I tend to do that myself but…she just doesn't seem like the type of person to do that at all…which…"
"Asher," She heard Uiharu say, looking up and seeing a reassuring smile on her face. "You're not alone in this worry of yours and I don't blame you for not saying anything about it after all this time as I had the same suspicions and worries as you do."
Asher's gaze widened slightly at that. "Wait, you thought the same about the music player?"
Uiharu nodded her head before her expression fell slightly. "Like you, I was hoping she would come to me or one of us about it. But she never did and has been about as distant with me after that day at the restaurant. I hardly ever see her at school anymore."
A silence fell between them for a few moments before Asher let out a sigh as she came to a decision.
"Uiharu, how about we split up for just a little while? While you go see Dr. Kiyama, I'll go over to Saten's dorm and confront her about this." Asher suggested.
"Well if that's the case then I should come too!" Uiharu remarked.
"Logically, I would say that's a bad idea, since one of us should go see Dr. Kiyama just in case she figures something out about the Level Upper, leaving you as the prime candidate since my brain tends to shut down whenever I'm around her. And then I could just go see Saten and meet back with you sometime later." Asher stated stoically.
Uiharu let the retort slip in her mouth from Asher's words, knowing to some extent that she was right in the fact that it would probably be best for one of them to go see Dr. Kiyama. Even if she didn't feel right about it, she was about to agree with this plan but stopped when Asher continued talking.
"But even with that, I guess it is best to ignore the logic in this situation. I'm not as equipped as you are to deal with Saten either from my own inability to prevent myself from overthinking during situations like these that end up making me very uncomfortable." Asher stated before she rubbed the back of her neck as a small blush fell on her face. "I'm not the best at forming how I feel into words at times, which makes it difficult for me to actually help in the way that I want to. You seem to not have that problem to the extent that I do…so…"
She felt someone wrap their arm around hers, causing her to stiffen up slightly until she looked down and relaxed when she saw it was just Uiharu.
"You know you don't have to convince me to go with you, right? So, you shouldn't be so nervous in wanting me to tag along." Uiharu said with a smile, smiling even further when Asher's blush deepened.
"I'm n-not nervous at a-all. I just w-wanted to let you know that bit of information." Asher stuttered as her face heated up even further, letting out a sigh when Uiharu began to laugh. "Don't blame me for what my face decides to do Uiharu. It's not my fault it decides to be illogical at the worst times."
"It's not that I'm blaming you." Uiharu said with a wave. "It's more like it amuses me to see that happen."
Asher's shoulders deflated slightly from hearing that. "That doesn't make me feel any better about it…"
Uiharu began to laugh even more, leaving Asher in a rare position of being at a loss for what to really do. Unconsciously, though, it seemed she did to some extent, laughing along with her after she stopped trying to restrain that feeling for a while.
When they had both settled down, Asher walked a little ways away from Uiharu and called Kiyama to let her know that they would be by later than they had planned. The woman didn't seem to mind it, but she knew that there wasn't probably anything in the world that would logically allow her to gauge what she was really thinking, not even using an inkling of her energy to try anymore.
After she had gotten off the phone, she was about to walk towards where she knew Uiharu was before there was a notable buzz coming from her pocket. She reached down, expecting that it was most likely Misaka or Shirai texting her to see where they were.
But…
It was someone else entirely that she had been wanting to hear from for a while now, but not the text that she read what felt like 100-200 times within the span of seconds she saw it.
Asher, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I haven't texted or talked to you at all. I just couldn't bring myself to look you in the eye after a while from the decision I made behind your and everyone else's back.
At first, I thought making you feel better was all I wanted to do whenever I saw you. But I realized after a while that I was being selfish in wanting to do that, because I wanted to feel better about myself at the same time, which seemed to happen whenever I was able to make you happy in some way and I'm sorry for that too.
There's probably no amount of apologizing I could do to make it up to you for what I've done. I even lied to you, something I just rationalized was to not burden you with my problems but was only an excuse to not tell you something that I was too stubborn to give up.
I spent each day trying to figure out how to write this, to work up the courage to say this to you.
I used the Level Upper. And I think I made a huge mistake, and it's probably too late for me to fix it.
And I'm sorry.
-Saten
No… she didn't, Asher thought to herself as her phone trembled in her hand, feeling her knees shaking almost to the point where she nearly fell to the ground.
Th-This has to be some type of joke. Saten wouldn't do something like this. She isn't that type of person…
That would mean that I…
I-I…
"Asher!" Uiharu shouted as tears streamed down her face.
When Asher had walked away, she had gotten a random phone call from Saten. She had felt relived and happy that she finally tried to communicate with her, but it immediately turned into fear and concern after hearing all that she had told her of using the Level Upper before the line disconnected abruptly.
"A-Asher!" She called again after she didn't look in her direction, grabbing onto her shoulder when she made her way to be next to her. "It's Saten, sh-she-!"
"She used the Level Upper…R-Right?" Asher remarked.
Uiharu stopped in her tracks from hearing the amount of restrained emotion in her voice, knowing she was trying so hard to keep it down that was only seen when the lone tear fell down her face and the tremble of her lips.
"Uiharu, w-what dorm does she live in?" Asher asked after a while, trying her best to keep herself composed as thoughts of guilt kept rushing into her head.
She felt…no she knew that it was her fault that this was happening. She had known this entire time that something was up with Saten and whatever she was wanting to show them the other day.
She was just too uncomfortable, or the word was probably worried to say anything about it though, not wanting to create any unnecessary panic or a divide between her friends that she had gotten so attached to during the short time she had known most of them.
After Uiharu had told her which dorm Saten lived in, Asher made no attempt at allowing her to keep up with her as she ran full sprint towards the dorms for the girls of Sakugawa Middle School.
This is my fault...A-All my fault that this is happening again, she continuously thought as she bit down on her cheek.
For so long in my life, I've lost basically everything I hold dear to some extent.
My Father…
Mikoto, Miss Yomikawa, Miss Yoshikawa, and literally everything else when I basically lost all of my memories of them for a time from my own damn mistakes….
A-And…
My Mom, she was taken from me even though I had the power to save her and keep her safe from Silas. But was too illogically scared to cross him.
This situation. I-It's happening again.
Saten has become someone I've liked talking to…s-so much an-and…
Now that very thing may be another thing I lose because of my insufferable trait of being so damn cautious and nervous all the time.
["There she goes. Always trying to run away instead of committing to something." Silas said amusedly. "You always seem to remind of Ryo in that way. Never being able to fully set out on want you want to do because of that weak will of yours."]
Th-That's probably the one thing I can agree with him on.
He would be the one out of everyone to know, since…
He was the very person responsible for those events even happening.
About Two years ago…
Asher was casually walking back home after the school day at Tokiwadai had ended not so long ago. It had been rough these last couple of weeks with Silas's experiments, to the extent that she had been hospitalized after her body had nearly shut down on itself due to barely being able to endure the amount of strain he forced her to undergo.
She doesn't remember all that much of what happened, only hearing that she had collapsed and had fell unconscious as her body nearly shut down on her when she had due to some type of adrenal overdose. She only remembers the morning she woke up in the hospital, surprised and somewhat shocked to see that her mother had stayed the night watching her to make sure she was okay.
Ever since then, she hadn't allowed her to do any of Silas's trials, allowing her to finally get a break she hadn't known she even needed. The ringing in her head was still there but had gradually went away about as much as the voice had, feeling a little like herself again after her mother had given her something that made this begin to happen somehow. Today was when the trials were supposed to start up again to a lesser degree than Silas had them before.
As she reached the front step of her home, she paused in slight surprise of seeing the door slightly ajar and light coming from the hallway inside. She's usually the first one home, but she shook her head at this after a while since she had stopped by her dorm to talk to Misaka before she had left to come here.
So, after hesitating for a few moments, she went inside. Before she even got her shoes off, she was taken aback by the sight in front of her as it looked like the house had been ransacked: multiple decorations on the walls were now chipped and broken on the floor, glass from vases and windows were scattered everywhere, and miscellaneous items were littered among the chaos as if someone was looking for something.
Her eyes widened slightly when they came across splotches of red on some of the walls, feeling the heart in her chest speeding up as she tried to maintain her stoic face. She closed her eyes and widened out her senses to pick up any residual fluctuations that could be in the area. When she came up without anything, she could tell that the house was both empty and it had been too long of a while to sense if any espers had come in here.
As she walked further inside, the first room she came to was the kitchen. She had nearly passed it before her eye caught something on the floor, looking down and seeing the form of her mother laying on her side, facing away from her.
It startled her to some degree, since she hadn't even sensed her mother's presence. But upon sitting there and looking at her, she honestly couldn't sense any of the fluctuations that espers such as her would give off in the area unconsciously even when not using their ability. She could also sense that her gravity field had changed to some degree as well, feeling a heaviness that she had never felt in her life before from her or anyone else.
"Mom?" She called out, hesitantly stepping in her direction.
When she made it over to her, she reached to grab onto her shoulder.
"Hey are you-"
In that moment, it felt like time had stopped when she looked down at the sight in front of her, feeling her trembling every passing second that she did. From the small amount of contact, it was enough to cause the completely limp form of her mother to roll towards her direction. The blues in her eyes that were usually just a shade off from Asher's own eyes were completely dull and dilated, blankly staring right at her as remnants of tears were located in the corners of her eyes.
There was an alarming amount of blood that she hadn't noticed before that had pooled below her, running down the corners of her mouth and the side of her face. It was still fresh from what Asher could tell, letting her know that whatever had happened, it hadn't been all that long before she found her like this.
Even though there was a hollow feeling in her chest, there was still rare hope somewhere inside of Asher that what she was seeing and thinking were not true.
That her mother was just severely injured and had some time left to transport her to the hospital that wasn't too far from their house.
But…
When she reached down touched her neck to find a pulse, she had nearly pulled back in that moment from feeling how cold she was, feeling her composure beginning to slip as her lips began to tremble. She sat there with her finger in the same spot for what seemed like forever, finding not even a semblance that her heart was beating even a little.
This…was made more apparent when she looked down at one of her wounds, seeing a small hole going directly through her shirt where she knew someone's heart was usually located in the human body.
She knew at that point…
That it wasn't logical to any degree to even attempt CPR or use her ability to artificially get her heart going, knowing that organ was probably too damaged from what she could tell from her mother's current state.
Tears had already been rolling down her face as her head bent down in defeat, nearly bringing her hands to clutch her face before she noticed that her mother's blood was on both of her palms.
She tried wiping the remnants on the floor, but the only thing that did was leave smear trails in front of her and left her hands still bearing the heartbreaking stains of something she couldn't even fathom was there.
She numbly walked away, practically staggering towards another wall. She slid her back down against it as she went down to the ground, with her mother's still body remaining in her line of sight. She brought out her phone to call Silas, hearing the line go out upon the first ring as if he had ended the call.
She felt her heart tighten in her chest, instinctively clutching onto it as her breathing was becoming labored. She didn't know why she couldn't get out a deeper breath in comparison to shallow ones she was currently doing as her anxiety increased higher than it had ever been.
She forced her trembling hands to dial the next number that she knew would pick up instantly and would be able to get Anti-Skill here in a timely manner by calling a number the girl had forgotten to ask for during all of their meetings they had with each other so far.
It rang for a small while, before she heard the line pick up, lining up with the first sob that had escaped her breath.
"Asher? Hey Asher, what's wrong?" Yoshikawa asked in some form of panic. For all the several months she had gotten to know her, she had never once heard such cries leave her mouth before, knowing that something bad had happened to even warrant them.
"I-It's Mom…" Asher sniffled, gripping the front of her face as her head dipped down even further. "I f-found her o-on the floor w-when I g-got h-home…with b-blood everywhere ar-around her…and sh-she's….she's…."
"Zierdan, slow down. Your breathing is getting too erratic and you need to calm down. I'm on my way now, but what's wrong? What happened to Himari?" Yoshikawa asked.
"I-I don't know…I don't what happened…Bu-But she isn't moving…an-and her he-heart has stopped beating Mi-Miss Yoshikawa….I think sh-she's…sh-she's…"
Asher never finished that sentence as she softly cried under her breath, with Yoshikawa falling silent for a few moments.
"I see…" Yoshikawa said after a while. "I'm going to get there as fast I can, alright? I'm going to call Aiho really quick to get Anti-Skill there fast, so I'm going to have to get off the phone with you right now. But as soon as I'm done talking her, I promise I will call you back."
Asher didn't even respond after Yoshikawa had said that, dropping her phone on the floor unknowingly as she tightened her hold around her knees, muffling her cries in an attempt to prevent anyone from the outside from hearing them and come to a scene no one should have to see.
Present…
Saten's Dormitory
Uiharu ran up the steps in a panic as she tried to get to Saten's door as fast as she could. She didn't see Asher anywhere in her line of sight, feeling concern flood her system from her mind constantly running back to the expression she had saw on the esper's face from before.
She knew she was about as hurt as she was with this situation, but she had never seen such despair in her blue eyes as she had at that moment, trying her best to hide it even though she had already seen tears gather in her eyes before she ran off and used her ability to increase her speed tenfold.
When Uiharu arrived to Saten's open door, she made no hesitation to walk inside. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Saten's limp form on the floor along with Asher's bent down on her knees in front of her.
"Saten…No." Uiharu said tearfully.
She walked until she was standing right next to Asher. She hadn't noticed it before, but her entire form was shaking as her breathing was becoming rushed and labored, seeing one of her hands clutching onto her chest. She didn't know what was happening to her, seeing her growing pale within seconds as her grip on her chest tightened and tightened.
"Th-This i-is…m-my fault. M-My f-…fault that it's ha-happening again. I l-let her di-die again." She heard Asher mumble under her breath, somewhat confused on whet she was taking about.
She could tell that Saten was still breathing even though she wasn't moving all that much, knowing that the girl was just in a coma like the rest of the Level Upper users. But for some reason, Asher had thought otherwise, something she tried her best to convince her that what she was thinking was wrong and untrue.
"Asher, she's alright. We'll be able to find out how to wake her back up so don't lose any hope!" Uiharu said confidentially.
But even then, it still looked like Asher could not even hear what she was saying, mumbling the same phrase over and over as her body began to sway to the side. Uiharu was alarmed when she saw her body practically fall over, rushing to her side and turning on her back.
"Hey what wrong!? Asher!"
Again, the girl didn't respond to her as she stared right though her with an expression of pain and discomfort on her face. As Uiharu went to reach down and touch her skin, she felt how hot and sweaty it was in comparison to hers, reaching down and touching the side of her neck and felt how alarmingly fast her pulse was going.
From her experience in Judgment and what she knew of the esper below her, it took her some time to actually figure out what was happening before her eyes widened.
Is she having a…?
"Asher! Hey Asher, look at me!" Uiharu pleaded, trying to get the esepr's attention from seeing that she was starting to fall unconscious.
It took a while, but she finally saw some recognition in Asher's eyes as she slowly but surely looked in her direction.
"Ui-Ui…ha…ru-ru…" Asher rasped out, feeling herself falling into darkness as Uiharu's face took up all her vision. "S-Saten…I-I….c-can't…"
"I know. I understand it's hard, but you've got to get your breathing under control somehow. Saten is fine and you are fine as well. Just try to keep reminding yourself of that." Uiharu said as she quickly got her phone out of her pocket.
Before she was able to dial for anyone to come here, she felt something weakly grasp her arm, looking down at the panicked blue eyes below her.
"M-MK….pl-please c-call….Mi…koto….I n-need h-her…N-Need h-her...h-here…to…."
"Okay okay okay, I will. Please stop trying to talk, you're only stressing yourself out even more." Uiharu stated, reaching down and softly grasped Asher's hand for comfort. "I promise, everything is going to be fine. You just need to try and keep yourself as calm as you can, okay? Shirai will get here with Misaka in no time, so don't worry."
Asher didn't try to respond to that, only sending a small squeeze into her hand as she watched Uiharu bring the phone up to her ear.
It took just a few moments to hear Misaka's voice come over the speaker.
"Hey Uiharu, Kuroko and I are almost done here. How are you and Z-"
"Misaka, I need you and Shirai to get to Saten's dorm. It's urgent!" Uiharu shouted, cutting off the Electromaster from what she was about to say.
"What's wrong?" She heard Shirai ask in the background. "Did Dr. Kiyama not find anything?
"Asher and I never made it there. We rushed over to Saten's house after we found out that she used the Level Upper. She's lying on the floor here unconscious and hasn't been responsive at all! And Asher…"
Uiharu trailed off for a few moments, not knowing how to form what she wanted to say into something that would prevent them and even her from worrying or freaking out about the esper's current state.
"What's wrong with Zierdan, Uiharu? Is she with you or out doing something else? Misaka asked in concern, breaking her out of her stupor.
"No, she's isn't out there doing anything else because she's with me, but…I'm pretty sure that she's currently having some sort of panic or anxiety attack right now and hasn't been able to calm herself down."
As this was going on, Asher eyes were starting to flutter shut, trying her best to fight this overwhelming feeling of light headedness from the low amount of oxygen she seemed to actually be taking in. But it was all for nothing after a while, passing out the moment Uiharu tried calling out her name to stop her from doing so.
One hour later…
School District 7 Hospital
Asher was sitting at Saten's bedside, grasping her limp hand into her own as she lied there in a deep slumber that had no indication that it would be broken any time soon.
After she had regained consciousness, she had nearly been forced into a medical bed herself from Misaka and the other doctor's relentless attempts at doing so, with her declining each and every time. With the usual drink her doctor tended to give her whenever she came to the hospital, her anxiety had leveled out to a manageable level. She was able to breath without much difficulty, honestly just feeling drained more than anything from the severity of the reaction that occurred when she had seen the usually energetic and lively Saten just lying there in a heap, clutching onto the Goodluck charm her mother had given her before she came to Academy City.
At that moment, she had tried her best to stay calm and not get swept in the waves of emotions piecing her soul. But she got caught up in the memories within her head after while of trying to keep them suppressed, finding herself stuck in the same position when she had found her mother deceased on the floor right in front of her just as Saten had been and closely resembled.
I'm the 5th ranked Level 5…someone given this position for my high degree of proficiency with my ability that only 7 others have reached a point such as this…
But why is it that I'm always powerless to stop something from getting taken away from me?
And why do I make it so easy for others to do so….including myself?
Her stoicness had basically shattered at the sight of her friend in front of her, allowing her sadness to actually show as red ringed her eyes. She had been sitting here alone since Uiharu had left to go see Dr. Kiyama and Misaka went out with Shirai to go and talk about something in private.
They all tried to make her feel better by saying none of this was her fault and that they understood why she hadn't said anything about her concerns for the item that Saten had on her person.
But...
None of it made any of what she was feeling go away, it only seemed to make it worse from not being able to see the logic in anything they were saying to her. She was the one to blame for this. She was the one who had a choice and chose the one that only seemed to have her best interests in mind from not telling them anything.
As she clutched Saten's hand even tighter, just wanting the girl to let on some inkling that she knew she was there, she felt a comforting hand land on her shoulder. She sighed and didn't even have to look or sense the esper's EM waves to know that it was Misaka standing there.
"Was this how you felt when I was like this, Mikoto?" Asher asked dejectedly, causing Misaka's face to fall. "If it was...th-then…I'm sorry."
About as much as Asher was, Misaka was also blaming herself for this situation, feeling she hadn't allowed their friend to be able to confide in them after the comment she made about her level the other day.
["Aw Saten," she began with amuse in her voice. "Does your level really matter that much to you?"]
I should have never said that to her, Misaka thought to herself, clenching the hand at her side into a fist.
Maybe if I hadn't, this whole situation could have been avoided. Saten wouldn't have felt like she was alone and…
Zierdan wouldn't be sitting here depressed as she is when she had just started getting past what happened with Silas a couple days ago.
Asher wasn't one to get upset like this so easily, but when she did it honestly was one of the worst things for Misaka to watch because she knew she was feeling down enough that she couldn't hide it from anyone at all.
"You don't have to apologize for that. It was not your fault that happened like how this situation with Saten isn't your fault either." Misaka comforted.
"But it is…Everything about this entire situation is my fault, Mikoto. Please just stop saying things that you know I want to hear. It's not going to work right now at any capacity."
"What do you mean by that?" Misaka asked in confusion. "I'm being 100% honest about this. I'm not just telling you what you want to hear because I know you are not to blame for what happened at all."
"But that's the thing…You should because I am the one who is to blame for this….For all of this." Asher said, trying her best to keep her voice steady. "If hadn't accepted to do Silas's experiments, none of this thing involving the Level Upper would have been possible. Or at least, had been created as easily as it possibly was with Silas's research on my naïve belief that he actually wanted to h-help me. Saten and all of those people wouldn't be in a coma, Project WaveInflux would have never happened, and….my mother would still probably be here today, but I was stupid….And I'm still stupid by repeating the same mistakes of my past from my own inability to actually change as a person."
Misaka immediately twisted Asher's chair around as she sat in a chair of her own right in front of her. Asher didn't even try to look at her, looking down at her bandaged hands that still hadn't stop shaking since the time she read the text Saten had sent her.
"Zierdan, you have changed. You have finally become the person you've wanted to be without Silas's abuse hanging over your head. You're allowing yourself to trust again and allowing yourself to actually enjoy things in life instead of closing yourself off to it." Misaka pressed.
"Sometimes I wonder if that was even a good idea to do. If I even deserved allowing myself to get comfortable around other people when I hated the thought of trying to do it in the first place for such a long time, with this situation maybe the very reason entirely." Asher sniffled. "The pain and loss I felt then doesn't even compare to what I feel right now. I used to be able to numb and desensitize myself from all of it. But here I am now barely to keep up any of my composure. "
Silence fell between them before Misaka wrapped her hands around Asher's form.
"Z, as hard as it may seem to feel and go through this, it's something that people naturally feel." Misaka explained. "I'm about as upset and feel at blame for this situation as you are. Kuroko and Uiharu probably feel the same way, meaning you are not alone in this and should not feel that you are to blame for all of it, alright?"
Asher didn't say anything in response to this, with her only agreeance being a small nod of her head as she reciprocated the hug.
When they leaned off of each other they looked over at the door and saw Shirai rush into the room.
"Hey Sissy, I need you to come with me for a second!" Shirai stated.
Misaka nodded at that as she rose up to her feet. She looked back at Asher in surprise when she had done the same, grabbing onto her arm before she could move any further.
"Z, I think you should stay-"
"I'm good to do this, MK." Asher reassured. "I know you and Kuroko are probably trying to lessen the stress I've gone through today. But it isn't logical to keep me out of this investigation because of it."
Misaka thought on it for a second before she let out a sigh. "Alright fine. But at the first sign I see that you show me you need to take it easy or rest, I will not hesitate to drag you into one of these beds, even if I have to knock you out to do so."
"That seems a little counterproductive, but okay." Asher remarked bluntly as she sweatdropped.
They all headed out into the room where Heaven Canceler was sitting in, nodding over at them as he brought up a couple of brain wave scans on the computer.
"Now, what you three are currently looking at are the brain waves from each of the Level Upper victims." He stated.
As he continued to click through for a while, Misaka's and Asher's eyes widened slightly as Shirai looked over at them.
"Seeing the same thing I'm seeing?" Shirai asked.
"But that shouldn't even be possible." Asher said in slight surprise. "All of these shouldn't look so similar to the other…"
"You're exactly right, Miss Asher." Heaven Canceller remarked. "Brainwaves are supposed to vary from person to person, which should be relative in unique waveforms for each individual. But a common thing I've been seeing from all of the Level Upper victims is that they all seem to have a common brain wave pattern."
"Do you have any idea why this could happen?" Misaka asked.
"Well, it could possibly be due to an outside influence is causing their brains to fall in these particular patterns, essentially allowing them to control the function of their bodies." He elaborated.
"So, what you're basically saying is that whoever created the Level Upper is using their brainwaves for some reason or another, in which led to all of the victims falling into a coma?" Asher speculated aloud.
"But why would they even want to do that?" Shirai questioned.
"I honestly don't know what to tell you. I'm just a humble doctor reporting this bit of information to you, hoping it's valuable in some way to use to help these kids. Determining the motives related to this incident would fall on you to find."
The three girls nodded at that as they left the room, standing out in the hallway in different phases of surprise and shock.
"What do you guys think we should do now?" Shirai asked.
"Well for starters, it would probably be best to go back to the Judgment Office and piece all of the info we have together." Misaka suggested. "This theory relating to the similar brain patterns may be our in to finally figure out who this person is that's behind all of this."
"Yeah, all we need to do is have Uiharu run a search through the databank and…"
Shirai paused for a few moments before her form deflated. "Crap, we can't even do that. She's not going to be back from seeing Dr. Kiyama when we get back there."
"Right, well dang. How else are we going to be able to do this then?" Misaka questioned.
Silence fell between the two girls for a while before it was as if light bulbs went off in both Misaka's and Shirai's head simultaneously, looking over at Asher who sighed in the face of this from knowing she was probably going to be their backup plan.
I hate when they decide to gang up on me…
A little while later…
Dr. Kiyama's Office
"I see." Kiyama said after a while as she crossed her legs. "That girl I met the other day..."
Uiharu came over to give her all of the information that they had on the Level Upper, in hopes that she may be able to wake up Saten and everyone else.
She felt bad, guilty even that her best friend was going through such an inner turmoil by herself and she didn't even have any real clue to what extent she would go to achieve the power that she wanted until it was too late.
This feeling escalated more in the state she had left Asher in at the hospital, leaving her in the room by herself to handle her own despair of the situation by herself.
"I feel so responsible." Uiharu said as her head dipped down in defeat.
"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to her." Kiyama remarked as she rose up to her feet. "Sit here and calm down. I'll get us some coffee started."
"This is not the time to be calm and relaxed!" Uiharu exasperated.
Kiyama paused at that as some inkling of empathy fell in her eyes, lowering a comforting hand on Uiharu's shoulder after she had walked up to be next to her.
"The results of the analysis haven't come through yet. If that girl wakes up to find that you've collapsed, it wouldn't do either of you any good now would it?" Kiyama rationalized as surprise lit up Uiharu's face. "It's going to be okay. I'm sure it will work out somehow."
Uiharu watched her back as she left through the door, narrowing her eyes in thought as she turned back around. She wiped a few tears that fell from her eyes, before she looked over in surprise at one of her file drawers, seeing 2 papers hanging out of it.
One she could tell was titled "Synesthesia," while the other was hard to see fully.
When she got up and opened the drawer to see what it said…
All she could see was the title page of the packet that read: "Project WaveInflux."
Judgment 177th Branch Office
Asher was typing away on the computer in front of her as Misaka and Shirai patiently waited behind her.
"Wow, Zierdan." Shirai said in surprise. "I didn't realize you had such skill with computers."
"It's not something I have to use all that often. But having it I guess has it's upsides at times." Asher stated as she scanned all of the information that was in front of her. "Though I am a little rusty with this side of things, so it's going to take a minute or two to fully access the databank."
"What happens if the information isn't in the databank?" Misaka asked.
As she asked this question, Konori came in through the door, looking over in surprise of seeing Shirai and Misaka gathered around someone she could only conclude to be Asher, since she met the physical description she had of the esper.
"That's actually not a possibility that we have to worry about MK." Asher informed, not seeing the confused look fall on Misaka's face as she focused on the task in front of her.
"The data has to be in there somewhere, Sissy. Data is stored on any adult who has been to the hospital or has taken a vocational aptitude test or on students who are undergoing ability development." Shirai explained.
"Meaning all we have to do when I get access into it, is run a scan through the entire system to find a match to the brainwaves all the Level Upper users seem to be running at currently." Asher added.
"What's going on over here you three?" Konori asked.
"Oh, hey Konori!" Shirai and Misaka said at the same time as Asher took some time to look over at her.
"We're just working on a lead we have involving the Level Upper. Apparently each of the user's brains are following a particular wavelength from what it sounds like." Shirai stated.
Konori nodded her head before she looked over and smiled at Asher below her.
"And now I don't think we've met each other before. Your name is Asher Zierdan correct?" Konori asked.
"Yes, that does happen to be me. I'm guessing one of the two behind me or the others have talked about me in some way?" Asher surmised as she went back to her task. "If they did, then I hope it was at least logical to some extent."
"I've only really heard good things about you," Konori reassured as she brought her hand for Asher to shake. "My name is Konori Mii by the way. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Konori. It's nice to meet you as well." Asher stated with a small smile of her own as she went to shake her hand. She went back at looking at the computer in front of her.
After a while of watching Asher work to crack the code, something popped into Misaka's head.
"I don't know why but I'm still confused on this matter of how using the Level Upper can reprogram someone's brainwaves in the particular way that it is." She stated aloud as Shirai looked over at her.
"Or how even doing that could raise someone's ability level. It honestly doesn't seem possible." Shirai added.
"Logically, I guess you could see it that way Kuroko. Though, I think I understand what's happening to some extent." Asher remarked. "Each of the Level Upper users must be connected in some type of network to allow this to happen. Kind of like a parallel network for computers, as more and more people are added into this sort of thing, they're most likely able to increase the effectiveness or power of their ability at an accelerated rate by combining their brain power to do so."
"Wait, a computer's performance can increase because of a network?" Shirai asked, hearing Asher hum to confirm.
"So, what you're basically saying is that someone is trying to create a network of brains with the Level Upper." Misaka summed up.
"That could be a possibility." Konori said off to the side as she leaned down on the table Asher was sitting at.
"Then what would even be connecting all of their brainwaves together?" Misaka asked.
Asher paused in her typing to think through that, before a small idea popped into her head.
"it would probably be an AIM Diffusion field, which is something I hadn't considered up until now. Every esper emits this field unconsciously that I technically am able to detect to some extent by being able to sense the fluctuations that happen within the 3-dimensional space around me." Asher stated. "Whenever we came across someone we presumed had used the Level Upper after the fact, all of their fluctuations were off from what it should have been. I thought it was most likely due to the boost in power each one of them had, but now that I think about it, it could be due to the particular connection that they all have with each other to this specific brain wave pattern their brains are following."
"But then with that, it brings me to my next question. If we're sitting here comparing people to computers, wouldn't we all be operating different computer systems?" Misaka asked. "How would it be possible for each of us to link then?"
"Well even computers in networks each run different systems, but if certain protocols are put into place, it could allow for this network of sorts to work." Konori explained.
"So, you're basically saying that this particular brain wave pattern is serving as the protocol that connects all of the computers or in this case brains together to run the network for the Level Upper?" Shirai summed up.
"Theoretically yes. That could be the case. Though, it's lacking in the evidence department from it only being speculation." Asher stated as her eyes narrowed slightly. "However, with this it does allow for everyone within this network to create a high amount of computing power that each of them can share to power each of their abilities in a way."
"And with the collective thought patterns each of them has, they would be able to manage their ability much more efficiently." Misaka said as she brought a finger up to her chin.
"So, it sounds like our hypothesis is that all of the brain activity of the coma patients is being used to power this network." Konori summed up.
Asher was finally able to narrow down her search and open the databank from her end, pressing down on a button that instantly scanned and found the brain waveform they were searching for.
"I think I got it." Asher said stoically, gaining the attention of everyone around her. "The Brain Wave Agreement rate here is 99%."
When she pressed it, Misaka's, Shirai's, and even Asher's eyes widened from seeing the person who was on the screen. The long brown hair and notable bags that appeared on the woman's face were enough to connect the dots almost instantly.
"No but…how? Why did she…" Asher asked in shock.
"But this can't be? Are you sure you ran the scan correctly, Zierdan?" Shirai asked, seeing the girl in front of her hesitantly nod.
"But the registrant's name is…" Misaka said in surprise as her eyes couldn't believe what was in front of her.
"'Is Dr. Kiyama!?"
Word Count of Chapter: 8168 |Page Count: 16 pages |Reviews: 124 | Followers: 75 |Favorites: 60
Review Replies
emiya unlimited blade works: Chapter 31 was going to end the Level Upper Arc, but I decided to stop where I did due to the overall depressing tone that this chapter takes. I want to save the more exciting/action bits of the last part of this arc for the next chapter in order to keep the tone as a significant part of this chapter.
I know, it's been a long journey in a way with this arc. I'm glad that you've been enjoying it so far though, and I hoping the pace will go a little faster since the groundwork for Asher's character was laid out during the front half of this arc and will be built even more in the Side story I have for her.
Thanks!
velvetsthetic: Sadly, the quirk given to Asher's personality (in comparison to the other Level 5's), is both her logic and her inability to fully stop herself from overthinking about something. And with her brain damage in full effect during that chapter after not taking her medication that day, it goes to show how hard it would've been for her if she wasn't able to reduce it to some extent.
Asher does have the possibility of getting a power up if the theory relating to her second personal reality is correct. Even though Gravity is the weakest force in terms of the other fundamental forces, you are right that someone like Graviton in the marvel comics can go to show that you can be powerful in your own way if you make that power into your own.
Asher was the 3rd ranked when she became a Level 5 before Misaka had. Meaning the goal of Project WaveInflux was probably more of value to Aleister at first and then pushed back as a backup plan for Project Radio Noise for some reason or another just as Kakine is the backup plan for Accelerator. She is the only one among the Level 5's to change rankings such as this, so the reason behind it will be revealed at some point in time.
Blankow: Hmmmm, which love story is better: Mikoto and Gekota or Asher and Chocolate? That's probably an impossible question for me to answer lol. They both seem to be a pretty good way to get into the hearts of both of the espers and can lead to cuteness at times as well.
Silas is probably safer in prison than the outside world, due to the very fact that he already has 3 Level 5's angry at him. Unlike Misaka and Asher, Shokuhou probably wouldn't be as lenient in holding back against him as she cares about Asher in her own way as well no matter how much she would try to deny it. Wonder if he would be smart enough to not try poking into the anger of Accelerator, Kakine, and Mugino as they would probably just get mad at him for just trying to talk to them. Gunha wouldn't be as easy, but he probably wouldn't be amused by the amount of GUTS he has to use others for his own benefit.
True, Accelerator would probably punish them with his crutch or use other means that don't lead to too much injury. Touma would probably try to stop him with Asher probably standing back and allowing it to happen from understanding the logic in Accelerator's actions at that point.
Asher actually has already met Komoe. Due to usually being a big rulebreaker in not following the rules of wearing the Tokiwadai uniform and roaming after curfew at times, the Head Resident usually assigns her to tutor at a Certain Highschool, most likely due to Yomikawa's efforts. During these spans of time, she has gotten use to the illogical existence of Komoe, which has mostly just been seen within Chapter 3 of their current relationship. She holds her in high standing just as much as she does with Yomikawa and Watanabe at Tokiwadai, meaning she's more inclined to listen to them.
Jintolin:
Chapter 24
Yep, Asher is finally starting to trust others more by allowing them to do something that she would usually take upon herself to do alone no matter how hard it would be on her physically. Sadly due to her weakened state, Asher was not able to stop Misaka from doing damage to the electrical grid of the city. She's already at a disadvantage since Electromagnetism is a stronger force in comparison to Gravity and with her still recovering from what happened during the Graviton incident, she wasn't capable to fully canceling out the blast. But even with that, Index was able to enter the city due to Misaka's efforts.
Chapter 25
Silas will probably be the most hated character of this series since he's on the level of most likely being classified as some type of Kihara. Due to all of his connections, most of his abuse he did towards Asher had been overlooked for a long while before he went too far to be able to be saved from his own arrogance.
Harumi will probably hurt everyone's brains no matter how logical she tries to be. Just as Yoshikawa knew Asher's mother, Harumi does in the same sense within the research field. Her connections with her and other researchers will be explained in the near future. I wonder how Asher would take the hilarity and illogical nature of someone like Harumi becoming her Aunt.
I'm glad to see that you like how Asher's and Saten's relationship is developing. It's some of the rare times that the shy side of Asher has the highest potential of coming out whenever she's alone with her.
Chapter 26
Since Asher was already suspicious before Saten ran off, I thought it was necessary for her to go along with Misaka since she was the first out of the both of them to notice that something was wrong. I'm glad that you liked that Asher went back to converse with Saten. I thought this was probably a good moment that shows how much she has developed so far to actually be one to show her humanity since she usually tries to hide it unconsciously by not showing her emotions to others.
I think that in the manga/anime that since Saten hadn't gone with Shirai and Misaka to find out that the Level Upper users have begun to fall comatose, I honestly don't think Saten knew the actually danger of using the device for herself. I think she just thought they wouldn't understand why she wanted to use it, furthering her belief that it was okay for her to use it for herself and hide it from them.
I'm glad that I was able to grant the hug that you were hoping for:)
Chapter 27
Since Asher is more reserved in terms of Misaka is when it comes with her ability, Touma's residence has a low potential of being destroyed due to Asher's usual efforts to not destroy/attack things unless she really has to.
It would have been too easy if Asher had believed in magic right from the get-go. Even though she doesn't think Touma was lying to her, she couldn't bring herself to try and figure out the logic behind such a concept that would combat with her knowledge of science.
Poor Kuroko probably can't get her perverse thoughts of Misaka out of her head in any given situation (well unless if the Electromaster herself was erased from there at some capacity).
Asher and Saten definitely deserve every bits of positive reinforcement:`)
I wonder if Asher's clones (if there are or will be any) would be the opposite of Misaka in the way that the Sister's are in comparison. Instead of inheriting the sheer bluntness the original has, I wonder if they would embody the more playful side of Asher that is usually hidden behind her shy/stoic nature at times.
Chapter 28
Aiho Yomikawa is probably one of my favorite minor characters as well. I like that that you and others like the relationship she currently has with Asher. Silas sadly is the center at Himari's and Asher's division. Even though it didn't look like it to him, they both still loved each in their own way from a distance emotionally.
Serious Kuroko is always a great sight to see, which was probably highlighted the most during season 1 of Railgun during her fight with Trick.
So, I was close in having Saten admit to Asher that she had the Level Upper. But I ended up deciding against it. She knows full well that even if they are close, Asher is the closest when it comes to Misaka. If she had told her, there would have been a high chance that she would try and talk her out of it, while she would also most likely tell Misaka in concern that Saten was going to do something she was and will regret in the end.
Saten didn't want the choice of using or not using the level upper being taken away from her, so she sadly couldn't bring herself to confide in Asher to any degree.
Thanks!
Thanks for your reviews!
-PurpleClover99
