“A-Alice…?”
Even though Parang knew she couldn’t hear, she called out Alice’s name softly. It was a sign of how shocking the scene before her was.
Alice’s frail body, which seemed like it would break with just a gentle tap, was swiftly recovering as she continued to devour the Kraken’s tentacles, one bite at a time.
Her emaciated limbs were regaining vitality, fresh flesh was filling in the gaps of her battered skin, and color was returning to her pale face.
But at the same time, Alice was gradually transforming into something that was no longer human.
A light lavender glow began to radiate from her entire body, and the skin that had just regained its color was turning as white as a winter snowfield at an alarming rate.
And then, the status window.
[ Warning: Influx of an unknown existence confirmed. ]
[ Warning: Incomplete ‘fusion’ confirmed. ]
[ Excessive amounts of memories have been injected. ]
[ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■. ]
[ User’s designation has failed. ]
[ Redefining user. ]
[ Redefining user… ]
“What nonsense is this, failing to define?” Parang bit her lip, staring at Alice’s status window that was merely spouting incomprehensible jargon.
“Injected with memories, and what’s with those broken letters…?” Had Alice become an existence even the status window couldn’t define?
Alice’s eyes, tightly shut as she diligently munched on the tentacle, were the only thing Parang could focus on, watching her with a desperate gaze.
After what felt like an eternity, Alice finished devouring all of the Kraken’s tentacles.
‘…’
A suffocating silence followed for a brief moment.
“Guhk, gack, GAAAAAAAH…!!”
Suddenly, Alice clutched her head and began to wail.
Her eyes squeezed shut, she clawed at her head with both hands, rolling on the floor and banging her head against the nearby wall, tears streamed down her face from an unknown source.
The destruction she unleashed was unlike anything one would expect from someone who had just been on the brink of death, as statues and buildings around her shattered and crumbled indiscriminately.
After a long while, during which Parang could do nothing but silently watch the scene in shock, she accidentally found herself covering her mouth when Alice’s rampage abruptly ceased, and Alice began to sigh wearily.
Then, after a little more time passed, Alice opened her eyes and spoke.
“…Parang.”
“W-What?!”
Parang jumped at Alice’s sudden address, startled. Was it even possible for Alice to speak to her while she was just looking into memories?
‘S-She’s not talking to herself, is she?’
Flustered, Parang glanced around, but she couldn’t find anything that could remind Alice of her.
“You were calling me, right, Parang? I know, it must be confusing.”
Yet, even in the midst of this, Alice was looking straight ahead, accurately naming her.
“A-Alice…? H-How…?”
“I have things I want to tell you. But I won’t be able to hear what you have to say. I’ll just let you know a few things you might be curious about.”
“U-Uh? Okay…”
The absurdity of the situation left Parang nodding with a blank expression, unable to grasp what was happening.
“After eating… the Kraken, it feels like I’ve gained some sort of foresight ability. I’m confused and don’t really understand what’s happening, but you’ll be able to see my current memories in some way I don’t yet know.”
‘Some way I don’t know yet…’
Parang couldn’t precisely know what kind of future Alice could see, but she understood it was something extremely fragmented. At this moment, Alice didn’t even know she would be using ‘evidence.’
“The reason I was clutching my head and rolling around was because so many overwhelming ‘memories’ came flooding in.”
‘Memories…’
Parang recalled the message she had seen in the status window.
‘Contextually, it’s safe to assume it’s the Kraken’s memories.’
But seriously, what kind of contents would be in the Kraken’s memories?
‘I didn’t even know such a being could have memories.’
“And the reason I specifically mentioned you…”
Alice seemed to hesitate for a moment, trying to find the right words.
“…Well, I had a vision of a future where someone was watching these memories, and you were the only one there. So, I called you. There’s no other reason. And.”
Alice closed her eyes for a moment as if concentrating on something.
“And yes. I have three things I need to tell you.”
Parang leaned in closer, listening more intently than ever.
“First, yes. Soon, as in based on the time frame you’re seeing these memories, the ‘monster fish’ layer will rise. It will rise to places you can’t even imagine.”
The shock of Alice’s first message left Parang questioning her own ears.
‘The monster fish layer? It’s rising? W-Why? How? How high? W-We can’t stop it?’
“You can’t stop it. So prepare as much as you can. I believe you’ll do well. I’ll do my best to help as much as I can too.”
Even amidst the urgency, Parang tried to grasp what was being said. If the monster fish layer rises… even if it just rises up to 100m, no, even if it rises to 200m, the monster fish will reach the surface.
That would turn every ocean on Earth into an otherworldly horror. A disaster would occur.
‘I have to prepare.’
If such a calamity cannot be averted, then at the very least, preparations must be made to keep people from being swept away.
‘I’ll inform Silo, and I’ll do what I can as well.’
After finishing her mental preparation, Parang awaited Alice’s next words.
“Are you all set? I only waited for 30 seconds. Next are my words…”
Parang perked her ears again, listening closely.
“Um… it seems you have something urgent to take care of right after watching these memories. Am I right?”
‘Something urgent to take care of…’
It must be talking about the matter with the association head, Natsuko. She’s already finished repairing the ‘evidence’ to eliminate her.
“Finish that up, and come to the place where we parted ways the next day at noon. I believe you know where I mean.”
‘The place we parted…’
There is only one place where Parang and Alice parted. That day, it was the location they were exploring together.
The place Alice was drawn into the depths of the sea.
A spot she could never forget for the rest of her life.
Parang nodded silently.
“If possible, come alone. I’m begging you.”
‘Alone? Why…?’
She was a bit puzzled. If the others in Oceanos learned that Alice was alive, and that they could meet again, they would be just as happy as she was.
“There’s a reason I have to insist on that. I also want to see the others badly. But for that day, it would be best if it were just you.”
‘…’
Having heard that much, Parang nodded, deciding there must be a reason for such a request.
“And the last thing is a simple favor; remember that photo we all took together last time at your house?”
‘That photo…? Ah.’
There was exactly one. The photo taken at Parang’s house, where they all celebrated her birthday the year Alice had gone missing.
A photo where everyone was smiling like the happiest people in the world, that moment frozen in time.
“I want you to always carry that photo with you. When you go into the water, when you are outside, when you go somewhere. You must keep it with you.”
‘A photo…? Out of nowhere?’
Parang’s mind filled with more question marks, but since Alice could see the future, she figured there must be a good reason behind her insistence—so she resolved to do as asked.
“And really, really lastly, I want you to never forget that you are, without a doubt, my most precious friend in this world. That’s all I wanted to say. Goodbye. See you next time.”
“W-Wait!! I still want to hear more…!!”
Parang hurriedly reached out to Alice, but her consciousness was already being pulled away somewhere.
Just like when entering the memories within the ‘evidence.’
And so, Parang’s consciousness returned to the present.
#
Mariana Hive, at the bottom.
In the cave located at the deepest part of the ocean, Alice plopped down onto a crudely hewn stone chair.
With her legs crossed, she kicked her feet, which sparkled with a pale lavender hue.
She looked just like a lonely princess sitting on a throne all by herself.
‘By now, you’ve seen everything, haven’t you?’
She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.
Countless futures whirled through her mind.
Destruction. Destruction. Salvation. Repeat. Salvation. Repeat. Emptiness. Destruction. Salvation…
Countless endings that this world could face.
As she quietly counted them, Alice opened her eyes again.
‘Yes. If I don’t want to face destruction as you said, I have to move and struggle, Parang.’
She waved her hand a few times, and stones began to peel off from the cave walls, crystallizing and forming the shape of Capulus.
“Awaken.”
Like a queen giving orders to her servant, she spoke to the stone.
Kuwrurr—
The once motionless T-shaped stone began to grow eyes and eventually floated up and out.
It was the moment Alice’s eyes expanded into the wide ocean.
‘Status window.’
Since the day she survived eating the Kraken, Alice formed the habit of calling upon the status window whenever she felt anxious.
[ Status Window: Alice Melville ]
[ Personal Skill: The One Who Reads the World ]
[ You have seen what you should not have seen. ]
[ You are responsible for this. ]
[ Skills ]
[ World Reading (S), Bookmark (S) … ]
[ Status Effects ]
[ Incomplete Fusion, Monster Fishification, Complete Awakening (完全開眼), Memory Injection: Yu Parang ]
This does not significantly improve Alice’s state or serve any psychological therapy.
It simply serves to remind her.
Of what she must do, and of the precious friend she must save.
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