Chapter 160 - Frigid Assault

Zwei ran around the manor, but no matter where he searched the situation was the same. Several hundred meters out from the manor, the surroundings faded into a dark grey fog.

The landscape wasn’t completely clear around the whole manor. There were patches where the rocks were slightly blurry, or the brushes and grasses were sparse. 

The places that were clearest were the places where Zwei had spent the most time. In these locations the limits of the fog were further away from the manor. Likewise, the parts that Zwei only briefly visited in his memory were the ones where the fog encroached closest to the manor.

Clearly, this world was built upon his memory of the past.

Zwei wandered for a while, but no matter where he walked into the fog, he’d always end up walking out in the same place that he’d entered.

“It’s useless.” Zwei shook his head as he found himself back at the front of the manor, “There’s no way out.” 

Rain began to fall as the dark clouds rolled in overhead. Twisting shadows churned within the storm clouds, peeking out in intervals like a school of fish playing under the surface of a lake.

The shadows along the horizon were rapidly closing in on Zwei. They were no longer a line, but a thick inky wall filled with uneven, ever changing shapes.

Zwei stood in the rain, letting the raindrops run down his face and soak into his clothes. Surprisingly, though he felt the chill of the air, he didn’t fill cold. Nor did he feel tired or out of breath from running for an extended period of time.

“I didn’t go out during the rain…” Zwei muttered as he looked around, “But the area around the manor is so real. Is this really a memory?”

Zwei nearly jumped in surprise as he heard a voice in his head.

“The memory is influenced by your psychological state.” The soft, feminine voice said to him, speaking for the first time since he’d entered the memory, “Your mind fills in the blanks to the best of its ability.”

“Is that why the manor is surrounded by fog? Because I don’t actually know what’s beyond it?” Zwei wondered.

“It could be.” The voice replied.

“I remember visiting the dock, though.” Zwei murmured, “I can’t even get far enough to reach the plateau that I was on earlier.”

“Perhaps because you didn’t explore the island at this time of day.” The voice said, “It could also be a side effect of the corruption.”

“You said I have to find the source… but if I can’t leave the manor, what am I supposed to do?” Zwei asked.

“Sorry, I don’t know.” The voice replied hesitatingly, “But you’ll have to find it quickly and overcome it… Things aren’t looking good in the real world…“

“What do you mean?” Zwei frowned.

“Your partner-“ The voice was about to explain when she was cut off.

“Zwei, what are you doing out here?” A high pitched voice called to Zwei, interrupting his conversation with the mysterious voice. 

Yuzu was peeking out of the front door to the manor, bracing her thin body against the heavy wooden door as the clean light dress she was wearing buffeted in the wind.

“Nothing,” Zwei replied, hesitating before walking toward her, “What are you doing out here?”

“I saw you wandering around from my window.” Yuzu replied, “You shouldn’t be outside, mom told us to stay in the house.”

“No- You shouldn’t be outside.” Zwei rebuked, but as soon as he spoke the words he caught himself. His brows knit together as he asked again, “What are you doing here?”

After all, this interaction had never happened in the past.

The deeper meaning of Zwei’s question went over Yuzu’s head as she smiled at him.

“Do you want to play with me?” Yuzu asked, seeing that Zwei was coming inside, “Uncle Zhao has some mahjong tiles, he said he’d teach us how to play.” 

“I’m busy.” Zwei replied, his thoughts racing.

In his memory, he had holed himself up in his room after dinner and didn’t spend any time with Yuzu. He didn’t even know what she’d been up to that night, before the storm ripped through the house.

Yet if this was a memory, how was Yuzu here, interacting with him?

Up to this point Zwei had followed the sequence of events in his memory, but he hadn’t considered that something would change if he deviated. He’d just assumed it would carry on the way it had in the past. After all, if it changed too much, could it be considered a memory anymore?

“What?” Yuzu asked, looking indignant, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

In his memory, the only people in the manor at this time should be him, Yuzu and Uncle Zhao. Yuzu’s presence here was already a deviation from the past… Could there be some significance to it?

“Where is Uncle Zhao?” Zwei asked, ignoring Yuzu’s question.

“I dunno. I was going to go looking for him when I saw you outside.” Yuzu said, “He said the mahjong set was in the basement, so maybe he’s down there.” 

“The basement…” Zwei frowned. This was one part of the manor that Zwei had never visited. He suddenly felt very curious as to what the basement would look like, given that there was no way he could know about it.

Would his mind make something up? Or would that part of the manor be shrouded in fog?

“Okay, let’s go look.” Zwei said.

A short while later Zwei stood at the door to the basement. He paused as he placed his hand on the door knob. Would he be greeted by a blurry place invented by his mind, or a grey mist that led to nowhere?

He glanced down at Yuzu, who gave him a quizzical look. If there was something strange beyond the door, how would this memory of his sister react?

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing.” Zwei said, turning the door knob and swinging open the door.

The basement beyond was plain, yet surprisingly detailed in its normalcy. A sturdy set of stairs led down to a plaster walled hallway with faded stone tile floors. There were several crates lined along the wall, as well as other rooms which were used for storage. Various brush paintings lined the hallway, their parchment yellowed with age.

Yuzu led the way, searching the shelves and rooms with a determined look as she tried to find the mahjong set. 

Zwei walked casually behind her, idly peeking into the boxes and glancing into the rooms. Nothing was amiss or strange about the basement. 

“Is this really a memory?” Zwei said softly, running his fingers along a folded up rug.

“Yes.” The illusory voice spoke to him, “It feels real, but it’s all generated by your mind.”

“Strange.” Zwei muttered.

There was a hesitation in the voice as she asked him, “What’s strange?” 

“Just, I’ve never been down here but it’s so detailed. Is my mind really making this place up?”

“No, that doesn’t seem right-“ 

The voice gasped softly as Zwei simultaneously came to the same realization.

At that same moment Yuzu opened the door at the far end of the hall. As soon as she turned the handle it blasted open with great force. Yuzu flew backwards with a yelp of surprise, tumbling across the floor as an icy cold gale blasted out of the doorway.

Rain and debris flooded into the hallway as a torrential storm materialized in the basement of the manor.

Zwei’s eyes widened as two men stepped out of the door.

The first was a man with long, wild hair and a greenish tinge to his skin. His skin was smooth and glossy, and shimmered softly as if it were covered in scales. His naked body rippled with muscles as he led the trio.

The second man wore a long trenchcoat that was buttoned up to the chin. His hair was slick and spiked, and he had a clean shaven face and a sharp nose. As he stepped into the room he locked eyes with Zwei in a cold stare.

Though the first man was undoubtedly the more stunning and powerful in presence, Zwei could not tear his eyes away from the second man.

Without a doubt, this was a past version of his supervisor, Locke.

The Locke that Zwei had met had rashes all over his body and hid his face behind a mask, but his stature, cold eyes and terrifying presence were a perfect match.

The answers clicked into place in Zwei’s mind as he realized the significance of the basement’s existence. The basement was not part of Zwei’s memory, it was Locke’s.

In the past, while his parents were out at sea and Zwei was in his room, Yuzu had come down to the basement and ran into Locke and the wild looking man as they infiltrated the manor.

“Zwei!” Yuzu scrambled across the room, eyes wide with tears as she ran into Zwei’s arms. He hugged her protectively as he looked at the two men who had taken notice of him.

The air vibrated with a low hum as the wild man’s eyes glowed white. The hallway shook as the storm raged around him.

“This is the critical point. Don’t lose hope!” The illusory voice spoke, “You need to find a way to fight back!”

Fight back? Zwei trembled as he looked up at the two powerful, imposing figures. How am I supposed to fight against this?

“There’s children here.” The wild man said, his voice dark and rumbling. “What should we do?”

Locke stared Zwei in the eyes, his raspy voice coming through unnaturally clear above the roaring winds.

“Kill them.”