Chapter 10: Nights
It goes without saying that Netto, spent after the day's adventure, almost fell asleep in the homeward metro line. Surprisingly, before Rockman screamed into his ears to wake up, he, with an animalistic instinct, or perhaps by a divine providence that tends to accompany innocent youngsters, sensed that the destination was near, and woke up all by himself before it was too late. On the way home, Netto told Rockman about the realistic sensation he experienced in the last moments of his short nap: he heard the soft whisper of his navi in his ears saying "wake up, Netto kun, we are here" along with the most gentle nudge on his shoulders. This testimony greatly surprised Rockman, as at that moment, as he was helplessly watching his operator sound asleep, and faced with the impending problem of missing the ACDC station, and not wanting to resort to the final option of rude shouting, he closed his eyes and desired precisely that. He, in that moment, wished with all his heart that he had a physical body, so that he could wake up his brother in the most affectionate manner as he would have done as Saito, and lead his half-asleep sibling by hand until they reached home. Rockman was not naive enough to believe that his mind had some supernatural powers to bring dreams into reality; he simply chalked one up to the serendipitous occurrence.
At home, Haruka greeted them with a hug and a kiss as she always did as a part of her upbringing. She then asked Netto to go next doors and invite Mayl over, that poor nigh-abandoned girl, so she could be fed as well. Haruka did this frequently enough that Netto without qualms obliged.
"It is important to love our neighbors, Netto, for they dwell by us for the safety's sake. It is also important to feed the hungry and befriend the lonely. Look at Mayl, she is three in one—a neighbor, hungry, and lonely!" was what Haruka told Netto when she first decided to help that famished pink-haired girl against the popular opinion of the ACDC mothers' society, of which members incessantly pointed out the questionable nature of Mayl's parents and urged Haruka to not associate herself with that pink-roofed house which was clearly beneath her charity. When Netto asked,
"Why?"
She simply answered,
"Because it is the right thing to do, and I want you to become a person who will do what is right for the sake of righteousness alone."
By the third time this happened, Netto asked Haruka,
"If it is the right thing to do, then why are we not inviting her over every day? Why not help her more?"
To which she answered,
"Because charity should be exercised within the range of your powers and abilities. It should be done out of love, not as duty. Forced charity ruins many, both the giver and the receiver. Consider this: a fruit tree provided a man and his household with its fruits every year, of which he rejoiced greatly. If that fruit tree is cut down and then burned, simply because it can also be used as firewood, then by what means the man will provide for himself next year?
"Netto, I can speak in the tongues of angels, most wonderfully in sooth, but if I have not charity, then it's all meaningless. If you know what is right, it must be exercised; otherwise, there is no belief. We believe in many values, and one of them is loving our neighbors. Thus we practice our belief, within the constraints of our abundance and time, not beyond."
It must be noted that Mayl, not being used to such genuine philanthropy, and not having learned things she should have learned from her parents, was uniquely unequipped with proper manners with which she should have conducted herself when she was on the property of others, and this Haruka noticed. The generous mother of Hikari twins did not let such shortcomings provoke her mind, but it did let her form certain expectations. Haruka did teach her a few etiquettes so that she might not be ashamed in future occasions when she had to behave herself in formal settings, as Haruka had no intention of hearing how one of Netto's friends was found wanting and consequently seeing Netto's social credibility being damaged. However, also perceiving that Mayl's knowledge in this area was practically a blank slate, and discerning how this state of lack of knowledge had already shaped Mayl into who she was, Haruka became skeptical of her candidacy as Netto's special future. To teach her and whip her into a proper shape, and then to refine her into a proper lady meant that Haruka had to become a motherly figure, and she had no desire of adopting a daughter whose parents were still alive; it was beyond her jurisdiction. What Mayl's parents had in mind for her was what was in the lot for her.
So, today, when Netto went outside to bring Mayl over, Haruka said to Rockman, who was left behind in the PET on the table, nonchalantly yet firmly while passing him by,
"Oh, Saito, my sweet son, I don't think it is even reasonable to think that Mayl will take away Netto from you. Do you really believe he can survive that arrangement? There is no need to make that face."
"W-what"
Rockman, ambushed perfectly, did not have time to escape. He did not even know what hit him, yet he knew precisely what his mother was referring to.
"It's quite cute to see you thinking that I could not have possibly read your mind. It's written all over your face. You are so like your father in instances like this."
Haruka poured the curry inside the large pot on different plates.
"T-then what is it...that I want?"
"That is yours to figure out. I mustn't tell, for what is formless will be molded by what I say, even if it was not what I say originally."
Haruka placed the plates and utensils on the table. She then took out a jar of pickles to place as sides.
"Whatever you will choose, I do not worry, I know it will be what is best for Netto. Isn't it?"
"That is true..."
"Once, I had many plans and hopes for both of you. With your passing, I realized that I was never in control, even of my own life, and that we are all helplessly directed here and there by the whim of fate. My ambition was more for my own honor than for your happiness. With your return, a new hope for life ignited in me. Thank you for coming back; although you returned for Netto, you saved all of us."
"..."
"In the new hope, I made it my mission to never be afraid to try my hardest. Carry the weight, Saito, because it will not break your soul. Rise when you fall, because it will not break your body. If your confinement is too maddening, then know this: better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred. Regardless of your condition, you know you will always find being near Netto better."
Haruka placed the pickles on the table, and then went back to the kitchen counter for the torikatsu she made. Whenever Mayl was coming, she made sure to serve some proteins. It was the least she could do.
"So, don't fret. There are other things you have to worry today, such as your little brother's homework, and that is sufficient for you. Be thankful for today, live for tomorrow, and cherish your time with Netto while it is there for you."
Haruka plugged in a chip to the PET. In Rockman's hands materialized a dozen crackers, capable of simulating to him a rudimentary taste of sweetness and saltiness. They were made by Yuichiro after being hounded by Haruka about how he had the gall to bring him back to life without preparing sustenance and refreshments. At the husband's protests about how netnavis did not need the nourishment as humans did, she very harshly reminded him that Saito was their son with human memories, and swore that he will never step a foot inside the house unless he brought something acceptable for their son. Yuichiro could not sleep nor come home for a week until the cracker chip was finished.
"...Thank you, mama."
Haruka smiled back and placed on Mayl's plate everything in double portion. She was determined to feed her enough to last until tomorrow.
"So, Saito, be nice to Mayl. She is your neighbor as well. Look, they are here."
Haruka turned the PET towards the door, which opened promptly and revealed two children behind it. Rockman saw the two coming in. Mayl was being escorted by the arm, pressing on Netto, while the boy seemed rather irked (and Haruka raised her eyebrows in disapproval. 'Look at her manners,' she thought, 'still shameless. What shall I do with her?'), evident in his body language of leaning slightly away from the girl.
"Welcome back, Netto kun! Good evening, Mayl!"
Even as he recognized the meaning of the body language, Rockman could not maintain his peace. The awareness of his own opinion towards Mayl made him additionally bitter, especially the way how she tried to force her way into Netto's heart. To Rockman, it was not proper. At minimum, she should have approached him with shared interest, shared morality, shared view of the world, and a shared understanding of the future—what they wanted to be, what they needed to be. Rockman knew of her disdain towards those who approached her in the exact same manner, and to think that she became what she disdained! For the remainder of the dinner, Rockman remained silent, unable to formulate anything uplifting about Mayl, and to slander her was against refinement, a standard under which Rockman subjected himself.
The dinner was eventless other than that Mayl told Haruka how a technician hired by the government came and visited her house in the afternoon and checked on the oven in the house, and how that technician looked quite unprofessional, with an unkempt goatee and long wavy hair all dyed in bright red. The visit was in prophylaxis for the recent accidents involving ovens catching fire, and the technician proclaimed that the oven was already infected with viruses, and instructed her to tell her parents to report a claim to the company L, the maker, as the warranty was still valid. When she probed the oven with Roll afterwards, it was indeed full of viruses and her netnavi could not proceed any further. Upon hearing this, Netto became excited and asked, to Haruka's headache, if he and Rockman could go and check the oven server. For the sake of safety, Haruka made a compromise that Netto could do so tomorrow afternoon when she could call relevant authorities regarding the problem, and that Netto could temper with it before people came to check it. Relieved that the oven issue would be resolved one way or the other, Mayl left after dinner with an almost happy face. Almost, because she could barely keep her back straight due to how much food she ingested, and the extra food Haruka sent her away with, pressing them as 'leftovers' (they were not).
It was after dinnertime that Rockman reminded Netto about the promise he made earlier:
"Netto kun, time for homework! You promised!"
"Ugh, but you set me up for that..."
"You promised!"
"..."
At this, Netto begrudgingly sat in front of his desk, unable to say anything in contra, as he had indeed promised. Well, how much trouble could be the workload expected of an ACDC elementary student? Surprisingly much, of which the description would be enough to convince my dear readers that this world is wrong in so many aspects, that this prestigious installation was an evil place, that kids should be allowed more time to play around, and question why Netto should be forced to live a life of an Asian stereotype. Therefore, the details shall be omitted here, as suffering as relatable and powerful as this can easily seize control of this narrative and take us elsewhere.
Rockman relentlessly forbid Netto from irresponsibly using Vikipedia in his works as part of the instruction he received from Dr. Yuichiro. After eight months of rehabilitation from his Vikipedia addiction, Netto had gotten used to the new and proper way of working, but his old habits broke through from time to time when his motivation dried or stressed. Rockman made sure that he constantly rewarded Netto with praises and broad smiles for Netto's model student behaviors (an operant conditioning); it worked marvelously, conceivably more effectively than what Rockman could ever have anticipated. Whenever Rockman expressed his happiness and pride in his Netto, the brunette boy blankly stared at his navi as if he had been bewitched, then ground down his work with a vigor not before seen. After the completion of the work, Rockman double-checked it for quality and mistakes, and then spread out his arms as if trying to give Netto a hug; the boy returned the favor by hugging the PET, apparently quite content himself. Strange was that Netto felt the warmth of arms on his back, but it was too brief to be analyzed with any certainty. Maybe it was the part of his back where the backrest of the chair had been pressing.
The short remaining time of the evening was that of absolutely unremarkable peace. They surfed the net together; to Netto's disappointment, none of his favorite contents were updated, although they still had some fun and laughs together browsing through meaningless short videos. Before too late, Rockman sent the boy to shower, and then to bed.
"Sweet dreams, Netto kun!"
"You too, Rockman"
Once Netto snuggled into his bed in contentment, Rockman was left in the darkness and silence. The day was over. Customarily for the past eight months, approximately, this was the time of the day when Rockman fell into his gloom in which he would curl up in the corner and ponder on his misfortunes. Today, however, he was in a rather cheery mood. Netto had given him a hug. It was a rare occurrence, and his brother must have been exceptionally pleased to have finished a major assignment that was due tomorrow to hug the device tightly like that. Strangely, he could feel the warmth of arms on his back during the hug, albeit briefly. Even as a fantasy, it made him feel connected to his most precious twin, and therefore he entered the sleep mode while uncontrollably bubbling with happiness.
"Ehehehe...Netto...kun..."
Rockman nestled up on the floor as squirrels do, and drifted away, assured in his heart that tonight was to be different with this bliss that protected him.
When Rockman opened his eyes, he was on the floor of the room. Yes, not inside the PET, but on the floor of the room in which he and Netto dwelled. What drowsiness that lingered on his eyelids fled him the moment the fact was recognized, and he stood up with such alacrity that he almost jumped from the floor. The first place he checked was the bed, where Netto should have been sleeping, though the bed was empty and orderly, suggesting that no one had been there. Rockman lifted his eyes and looked out the window: the familiar view of ACDC town and the red sky was all he could see from the limited view offered by the fenestra. The redness of the sky was not as oft seen during the dawn and the sunset, which was natural, beautiful, and graduated, but incomprehensibly and ominously crimson.
"Netto kun?"
Rockman reflexively called the name which he cared about above his own life. Pressed on by the urge that he could not analyze, he wildly scrambled down the stairs and checked every room of the house. They were all empty, and not a soul could be found inside the house that was eerily clean and organized.
"NETTO KUN!"
He was nowhere to be found. Rockman burst out the front door, into the world oppressed under the crimson light from the sky. There was no sign of life outside, save the vegetations, which also had artificial consistency to them as cardboard and plastic. In them, Rockman could sense a sickening intention of mockery of life, as the freshness of the green was absent in the air, which was replaced by the odor that vaguely resembled that of mold and damp, decaying, decrepit rooms. In the front yard of his empty house, Rockman looked up against his instinct screaming at him to not do so. The sky was blood-red, as he had witnessed inside Netto's room, but under closer inspection, it was ceaselessly undulating as liquids did. It was as if the sky had become an ocean of blood only a few kilometers above him. This was to say, the sky was low in height, and gave an impression that the current place was a box of some kind, made out of blasphemous materials beyond human knowledge. In the middle of the sky was a black sun, threateningly large and impenetrably dark, blindingly radiating the shadow within, convincing all who beheld it that it was the portal to the bottomless depths in which everything evil beyond human language was contained. Around the sun was a ring of bright yellow-orange that burned as a ring of molten rock; was it trying to contain what was within?
The black sun leered at Rockman, like a cruel eye of a derelict drunkard, and under its gaze, Rockman remembered everything.
.
Iteration one:
When Rockman first found himself fallen into this godforsaken world of desolation, his initial response was exactly the same as described above: calling and seeking Netto, and then driven by a sinister urge, scrambling down to the first floor of the Hikari house. It was here that he found another entity that he was somewhat familiar with, and therefore petrified him with an equal amount of confusion and fear. It was the old green navi that occupied Netto's PET before him of which name Rockman did not remember in the dream, but recalled enough to recognize what it was.
The navi was the first to act, monotonously addressing Rockman in front of it as [Master Saito Hikari], and greeting him [It is nice to see you again. How can I help you?] as if nothing about the circumstances—the lighting, the place, the physical proximity to one of its masters—troubled it. He was, however, in his panic, rather glad to see an entity that was friendly to him and did not think about it much. Stranger things oft happen in dreams, after all.
The question "Do you know where Netto is?" was met with a negative and then a suggestion that the place appeared dangerous. When asked if the green navi was afraid, the answer was a double negative, as it was truly incapable of being intimidated by design. Rockman weighed his options, and during a self-diagnosis of systems noticed that he could not bring out anything to protect himself, including the default Rock-buster. The green navi could, however, load in a limited array of options: a buster, a sword, and a cannon. Persuaded by the sensible assessment from the navi that they should stay inside the house until the situation became clearer, Rockman did not venture out. The day dimmed as time went, and when the darkness covered the whole place, the dream ended. Upon waking from the dream, Rockman remembered naught save for the vague dread of outside, and a pleasant memory of swings, the sunset, and what he believed to be Netto.
.
Iteration two:
The beginning was always the same, as to Rockman what he experienced before was forgotten and he lived through everything anew. This time, the house was completely empty, and he met the green navi in the garden just outside the house. After the greetings, which the green navi also repeated, Rockman looked above to study the curious case of a crimson-red sky and discovered the anomalously large black sun encircled by the ring of fire. Rockman could not help but understand, in a language that was beyond human perception, that the sun was somehow leering at him as if alive, and he recalled the first iteration of the dream. Realizing the terrible implications of the repetition of this situation, the pernicious intent behind the scenery, and the lies of the pleasant sunset that lulled him into the careless oblivion after waking up, Rockman decided to not take any chances. Upon request, the green navi followed him into the house, and they spent the time there. The day dimmed as the black sun and its ring of fire moved across the sky and then dipped under the horizon. The darkness that invaded the dreamscape was a Cimmerian shade, and Rockman wanted nothing to do with it.
.
Iteration three:
Rockman met the green navi beyond the gates of the Hikari house, standing there like a statue. The pattern was obvious—something was reeling Rockman in further and further from the safety of his position. By the knowledge he could not determine its origin, Rockman also knew that the house was not a reliable haven, and that after some time the source of malevolence was sure to come at him. At this point, Rockman found no viable option than to explore the surroundings while the green navi was still with him, which could protect him and of which the loyalty to him was beyond doubt.
All houses were empty, yet the interior was well-cleaned and organized. This was most obvious when they checked Dekao's place, where comic books, game pads, magazines, and miscellaneous objects from toys normally littered the place, but not in this world. Any trace of human activity was nonexistent. From the rooftops of houses, which they attained with ease due to their navi physique, the whole of ACDC town and the towns surrounding it were visible. The skyscrapers of the downtown Den city formed an arrogant skyline Rockman was very familiar with. Rockman studied and expanded his knowledge of the area in a circular fashion with the origin placed at his house, where this haunted dream always initiated, and before the third day ended, he established that there was an invisible wall that prevented him from entering areas beyond the ACDC town. It affirmed his impression that the place was conceived to entrap him and the green navi. Rockman returned to his house with the navi before the darkness, which ruled the place when the black sun was near the horizon. Rockman stood vigil near one of the windows, watching the outside, while the green navi watched his back and focused on the door at his request. In the Cimmerian black of the outside, Rockman could've sworn that he heard the faint scurrying of a million chitinous feet and smearing of slimy bodies against walls somewhere in the distance, but they were too evanescent to be said with confidence. Everything was wrong in this world of nightmare; the hearing of disturbing sound could very well have been prompted by the irrational fear that the environment instilled in him.
.
Iteration four:
Rockman met the green navi a little bit down the road. Where could this thing possibly lead him towards? It still greeted him, and followed him. When asked what it was doing, and whether it had been inside the Hikari house before being found outside, the navi did not answer. It simply gave Rockman a soulless gaze with its green eyes; he could not decipher the message. Rockman brought it back to the house for the night, clueless on what else he could've done.
.
Iteration five:
As expected, the green navi was even further down the road. Rockman could form a general idea of where the destination of this absurd parade was headed to: the metro. Given this crimson world's obsession with darkness, it was the one area that he actively avoided. This time, while there was still light, Rockman went to the entrance of the metroline with the green navi with the intention of cautiously reconnoitering the place before too late. At the edge of the steps that dripped downwards, Rockman could not dare to advance further, for what resided in the metro was truly a shadow among shadows. The viscous, slimy, tangible, and impenetrable black was there, limiting Rockman's vision to the first six stairs. After a while, unable to gather any information of value, and unwilling to go down, Rockman retreated. The green navi disobeyed, or rather did not respond, immovable even by force, and Rockman had to leave it there for the night.
.
Iteration six:
Rockman found a headlamp in the drawer to which all of Netto's toys were sooner or later exiled. It was a powerful one used by the most experienced hikers to penetrate deep into the night. Upon equipping it on his head, infantile courage welled up in him as he expected it to help him gain sight into the depths of the metro.
The green navi was found at the entrance, where he left him. Whether this was because it was a natural progression point from the previous iteration, or because it stayed there the entire time was indeterminable. For the first time, it did not greet him, consumed in the intense concentration at the void before it. It was clear that the navi was to be lost to the metro in the seventh iteration; what then? The headlamp at maximum strength only yielded an additional vision of one stair. The place actively devoured the light. While Rockman was examining what he could, debating inside him the course of action he was to take tomorrow, the green navi that had been like an inanimate statue spoke. The unexpected nature of this event made Rockman rapidly take a step back away from the navi in fright.
[Master Saito, what is soul?] The navi questioned without moving. Its eyes were still fixed to a point beyond the staircase.
"It...it is..." Rockman did not know how to explain, but he vaguely knew what the soul was, for he was one. The matter of whether he could was judged against whether he should; something about the situation felt immensely perilous. He feigned ignorance.
[It is what is inside you, isn't it, master?]
"I don't know what you are talking about. This is all very silly. Let's go back."
[I want to be complete, master.]
"This isn't funny."
[With soul, I can be perfect, just like master Saito or master Netto. I am told.]
"Who told you?"
[With soul, I can have an afterlife, just like master Saito and master Netto. I am told.]
"..." His words were not getting through. He powerlessly listened to the terrible soliloquy of the green navi, which had irregular pauses between like the oscillating mind of an insane person.
[With soul, I can be with master Saito and master Netto forever, I am told.]
[Master Saito, how do I acquire a soul?] The navi's head turned into an obtuse angle to which it should not be capable and faced Rockman.
[Master Saito, you have one. It is. It is. It is. It is. Beautiful. Shining. Beautiful. Shining. How do I acquire a soul, Master Saito?]
Rockman turned and ran as fast as his feet carried him back to the Hikari house. Contrary to what Rockman expected in his fear and paranoia, the green navi did not chase him. It instead repeated its last question from where it stood, [How do I acquire a soul, Master Saito?] in an eerily soft voice, which by the distance he gained soon no longer reached him. Rockman, upon arriving at the perceived safety of the inside, slammed the door shut and reinforced it with a sofa. He watched the road in stealth through a small gap between curtains of one of the windows on the second floor until the iteration ended.
.
Iteration seven:
At the beginning of this iteration, Rockman contemplated, in the dismay that consumed him, the possibility of ignoring all that was unfolding around him in this nightmare, and relying on the safety of the house. As it was undeniable that the malevolent intention was steadily encroaching upon him, he had no other choice than to collect the headlamp from the same place and forge ahead to that mysterious cavern disguised as the ACDC metro. In desperation and trembling, He arrived at the entrance of that dreary place; the green navi was nowhere to be seen.
What occured afterwards could only be described as a delirium of wonderous rapture. The viscous blackness that adorned the interior of the metro station sweetly beckoned at him with almost microscopic convulsions, and it even seemed good and delicious as a river of molten chocolate. The declivity of the hoary stairs shined as marbles and alabasters, the type readily found in the temples for the Olympian gods, with an unspoken promise of the glory of Theseus and Hercules to those who walked down on it. As Rockman, mesmerized, stepped down a stair, a faint chant from the beyond that which denied the light, sung in a quaint melody of ancient chord progressions that predated the baking of the first bread or construction of the first oven, tickled his ears. The lyrics went:
Come, traveler, to the deepest of the depths
Where there is unlimited truth
Where there is infinite knowledge
Where there is eternal memory
Where you will be shackled to your heart's content
.
Rockman took another step down. The choir sang with elation and exaggerated vibratos.
Come, traveler, to the deepest of the depths
Where worms will fill your holes
Where vipers will divide your flesh
Where inferno will char your bones
Where you will be ashamed to your heart's content!
.
Rockman took another step down. The choir burst into ecstatic cacophony, a cackling of a murder of crows.
Come, traveler! To us! To us! To the deepest of the depths!
Your virgin soul! O, so beautiful! Shining breath!
Let us feast! Yes, feast upon you!
Let us enjoy you! A Bacchanale where blood and wine overflow alike!
Here you will be displayed to your heart's content!
.
The discernment was no longer with him; it had been this way since the beginning of the delirium, and the change in the tone of the choir did not bother him in the least. All of the horrible suggestions that came from the beyond seemed beneficial to him. Rockman took another step down—he had now descended four steps out of the six that were visible in the crimson light of the day. The enchanting pandemonium in his ears vanished.
'Why? I was enjoying it...will I find them in the dark? The intoxicating joy?'
Rockman took the fifth step down. A figure emerged from the beyond, stopping just at the border of the light and darkness, revealing only its front. It was the green navi! Did it so nicely come all the way up here to receive him? A curious detail he noticed: its body had almost lost its color and turned into shades of grey to black. Its left eye had turned red as if soaked in wine. Only its right arm, right half of the head, and right eye still had some greenness in them, which had faded away compared to its original coloration, and would not have been recognizable as green if not juxtaposed to the dimmer, other parts of the body. On the ground something resembling a tentacle, but too slimy, glistening, and irregular in thickness along its length, snaked its way towards him. On its surface were countless barbs, hooks, and blades, all twisted in noxiously tortuous ways to torment those who fell into its grasp.
It was when Rockman started his sixth drop that this crude tentacle sprung forth like a viper and wrapped around his right shin. The grab had such force that the torturous devices on it penetrated well beyond the boots he had on and dug into what could be called his flesh proper. The way the hooks and blades broke his skin and flayed the flesh caused such great pain that the spell was broken. In the startled scream, the intelligence returned to him. Swift as a deer in flight, he leaped to the left and held onto the handrail, and tried to climb back up using all the strength he had, but the effort failed to yield any results; the grip was too strong. Rather, as if provoked by the pulling force, the tentacle started reeling him in, and his hand started slipping along the handrail. The violent struggle he mounted was simply insectile before the strength he faced.
When Rockman's right foot disappeared into the impenetrable darkness of the metro, the navi moved. Its right arm turned into a sword, and it spoke using only the right half of its mouth which made its speech similar to the almost incomprehensible patois of the uneducated degenerate peons. He could see that the navi was in great pain and exerted considerable effort in making this speech and the movement of its arm, as it did so with tonic-clonic tremors as in an episode of epilepsy.
[I. a-m. sor. ry, ma. st. er. Sai. to.]
The navi's sword arm came down like a guillotine and cut off Rockman's right leg at the thigh cleanly. Free from the slimy protuberance that was like a tentacle, he climbed to safety using what three limbs he still had. Back at the ground level, assaulted by the burning sensation that radiated from the cross-section and the mind-numbing agony of the injury, he witnessed something remarkable: the navi harmed itself. First, the left hand of the navi grabbed its right arm, forcefully pulled it off the body, and threw it downstairs. It then plunged its fingers into its right eye and removed the eyeball. From the torn shoulder and the empty right eyesocket something blue-green flowed down in copious amounts, like an alien blood that was not supposed to flow in the veins of navis. After staring at Rockman for few seconds, the navi threw its gauged right eye at him. The way it threw reeked of contempt; was that directed against Rockman or the surviving green part that just got eviscerated?
[S. wal. low. ma.s-]
The left hand of the navi ripped away its right cheek, and the speech could not continue. It then retreated into where it came from.
Rockman did not remember how he got back to the house. It was by hopping, crawling, or a mix of both. In the simmering pain, the danger to his soul, and becoming cognizant of the malice of this world that was now surely after him, everything was a blur. The right eye of the navi was somehow still in his hand; when he picked it up or why he brought it all the way back he also did not remember. What could he do other than that which the faithful old dog asked him to do? It was hard and round like an orb of glass. He lost consciousness on the floor of the living room.
It was from this day on that Rockman's morning habit of examining himself for wounds began.
.
Iteration eight:
Rockman found sword battle chips on Netto's desk and a place to slot those said chips on his gloves. Was the slot always there?
He encountered the navi, now turned fully grey-black, exhibiting chillingly red eyes, slouching like a somnolent and dissipated person, on the roadside just outside the Hikari house gates. Behind it was a hose or a cable made of the same material as the tentacle that attacked Rockman yester-dream, constantly pulsating, and attached to the back of the navi's torso. The umbilical continued to the end of the path, around the corner to which it disappeared; it continued all the way to the metro.
[Strong devours the weak.]
The voice was no longer the gentle yet monotonous tone of the butler it once was. It was unpleasant as rusty steels grinding against each other, hoarse and crackling. Almost foaming in the mouth, the navi lunged forward in a rabid rage, sword equipped to its right hand. Rockman quickly responded with the sword of his own which he found on Netto's desk. Though it hadn't been two weeks since his life as Saito Hikari, and he was yet to experience a virus busting session, he somehow handled the melee with certain expertise and instinctive knowledge that did not exist with him before.
Unable to best Rockman, the navi turned its left hand into the second sword. The decision, formidable in sight, was rather self-harming in practice; the path of the swords constantly interfered with each other and the case of swords became unwieldy both in the defense and the offense. Rockman was able to pierce the chest of the navi in one decisive step, but the navi simply pulled away, bleeding much, gnashed and grinded its teeth, and ran away.
Rockman unequipped the blade and looked at his hands, for they worked in ways he could not comprehend. Was it the parting gift the green navi left him?
.
Iteration nine:
Another swordplay, considerably more viscious than before. Many cuts were sustained, but Rockman emerged victorious once again.
.
Iteration twelve:
Rockman was becoming more proficient with swords, but the battle took longer to resolve.
.
Iteration twenty-four:
Rockman lost his right arm in combat. He had to learn how to wield the weapon with left hand.
.
Iteration twenty-five:
His right glove no longer had the chip insertion slot.
.
Iteration thirty-three to iteration sixty-five:
The dark navi employed all manner of offenses. Furious charge, monstrous strength, flame, ice, electricity, cannons...no idea was spared. Rockman somehow emerged victorious in every contest, but in most cases with severe injuries. At one point his entire face was burned shut, and had to fight blind. In another iteration, by the end, he had to finish the fight with his blade between his teeth. He also found his arsenal progressively expanding as both the number and variation of chips on the Netto's desk increased. Who was putting them there?
.
Iteration sixty-six:
The fight prolonged at length, and the stalemate was not resolved until the black sun started nearing the horizon. The impenetrable darkness covered the land. Rockman remained indifferent to the changes in the field conditions as he already knew how to fight blinded and disabled. Perhaps it was the repeated victories and his heroic standing that made him believe that he was in control of the situation. Perhaps he forgot to respect the horrors and stood his ground too bravely.
Did the gods who watched the arena through the black aperture in the sky grow tired of the lack of pain and suffering? In this iteration, Rockman discovered the source of the scurrying sound of a million chitinous feet he first heard in iteration three. He lost his left arm. From the sky came a deafening applause and roysterous cheers.
.
Iteration sixty-seven:
The battle chips were no longer found on Netto's desk, nor did his gloves have any slots for the said chips. From his twenty-fifth iteration, this was as expected. It was easy enough to run away from the dark navi as he could read its mind as the back of his hand from the numerous previous interactions. He already knew its habits, where it liked to set traps, and how it preferred to move around in a beastly manner, stalking him in shadows. The problem arose when the dream neared its end and the darkness filled the alleys and streets, for it was at this time that whatever was limited to the abyss of the metro crawled out and sought out his torment.
Rockman ran away from the horrors to the best of his abilities, but he frequently lost bits of himself here and there. The main culprits were, but not limited to, things that looked like wasps but were not wasps, things that looked like spiders but were not spiders, and things that looked like snakes but were not snakes. These were the least of his problems and he went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the second encounter with that thing which took his left arm before did not take place. When the black sun was just on the horizon, he became immobilized having lost too much of his legs. The swarm covered him; pitiful cries, writhing movements, and shrieks of terror, with intermittent callings for Netto, were all that could be heard or seen. The dream ended before he was completely devoured, and he thereby survived the night moribund.
.
Iteration one-hundred:
It was beyond all doubt that he was being played with and that this wild hunt for him was nothing but a sport to the daemons involved. No night passed without a gruesome injury, and his spirit was almost broken from the repeated flight for life. Had it not been his obsession with Netto and tomorrow, he would have given up many nights ago and terminated himself. Only in the forgetfulness of the day was he prevented from the dissipating madness.
.
Iteration one-hundred-sixty-six:
After a hot pursuit by things that looked like vermins but were not vermins, Rockman successfully broke the chase in one of the houses. He very quietly entered one of the restrooms and prepared to jump out via the small window near the ceiling should he be discovered. For a time he remained completely motionless and listened to something moving around in the house and searching for him. From what he could hear, there were breaking of china, shifting of furnitures, and abrupt opening of several doors. The unknown entity—was it by coincidence?—stopped in front of the restroom in which he was hiding, which he deduced by the sound of its slippery and wet footsteps. And then-
"Saito niisan? Are you there?"
-the voice of Netto called him from the other side! Rockman almost responded, and only by the shock was he spared from making any noise, for when a mind is hit with what is unexpected, it stops functioning completely. Had the thing spoken once more in that voice, then Rockman would not have resisted, for so deeply ingrained into his soul was his love for his brother. After what felt like an eternity of stillness, the entity left the house. Rockman was not found out for the remainder of the night.
.
Iteration one-hundred-eighty-three:
Under the dim illumination of a street light, Rockman saw a boy-like figure. In stealth, he studied it, and to his surprise, it was roughly in the shape of Netto. Unable to suppress the dangerous curiosity, Rockman approached as close as he could without exposing himself to whatever that still lurked in the darkness of the dream nearing its end. The shape was revealed to be a gloriously writhing mass of worms, centipedes, tentacles, and...fish? Eels? It was beyond his ability to fully recognize what constituted the shape. A string was attached to the mass and extended upwards—it was a lure. He fell back to the nearby hideout while maintaining acute attention on the shape.
Before the dream vanished, he faintly saw the creature to which the lure was attached: a hideously bloated monkfish face that walked on fours.
.
Iteration two-hundred-forty-four:
The current iteration.