My mind is numb; it is as if I’m floating, levitating. It’s a strange feeling indeed. Amidst this. Silence. It is quite nice. However, it is a little muffled—oppressive, even. Hm? I can’t breathe. Am I submerged? It doesn’t feel suffocating. How strange.

 Slowly, Alum opened his eyes. His vision was blurred and foggy, but the world was shaking. His sight became clearer again, and he found the culprit behind the earthquake.

 “Noel, you can stop shaking me,” Alum hushed somewhat resentfully.

 “Finally!” Noel exclaimed, looking relieved. “You slept for so long I thought you’d become sleeping handsome!”

 He’s talking nonsense again. Alum thought. He then noticed a girl with pure white hair and ruby-like eyes chop Noel on the back of his head.

 “Ouch…” Noel let out a monotone cry. He turned around and saw Miu with a displeased look. “Don’t tell me you’re here to say “it’s sleeping beauty” are you?”

 Playing surprised, Miu gasped. “Huh? How did you know?” Miu then shifted her gaze to the youth still lying down. “Jokes aside, how are you feeling, Alum?”

 “No different.”

 So you say, but you look around with caution—you aren’t even looking at me or Noel…

 Miu shook her head. “Well, if you’re feeling better, you should go see Miss Emely; she’s quite stressed out and has a lot on her plate; it’d do her good if you went…” Miu suggested.

 Adhering to her advice, Alum got up and said, “Thanks,” and was about to head over to Emely. “So…where is she?” he inquired.

 Confused, Noel raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. “So…you’re not going to mention anything about the scenery change?”

 “Oh? The grass plains? We got kidnapped, right? Thinking about that comes later,” Alum replied.

 So…he’s not even surprised? Like…at all? Even if it was a kidnapping incident, I think people would panic and become alarmed. Well…he’ll be surprised one way or another.

 Noel pointed into the distance. “You see that lake over there?”

 Alum affirmed with a nod. “Yes. Thanks,” he said before leaving.

 My steps are light. It doesn’t feel like anything special. But there is this strange warmth inside of me, and I can’t label the feeling other than that. Warmth.

 Alum decided not to think too deeply about the circumstances, but that did not mean he ignored them. He observed the situation as he walked. Students curled up in a ball, seemingly falling into despair. Others joyfully and blissfully laughed—more like insanity. Alum thought.

 The murky dark atmosphere, the dread and despair. Their eyes, hallow. Those who have not. Slowly dwindle to insanity. Did they realise? No matter... A hallucination or illusion—whichever it may be.

 He continued to observe those around him and also the terrain. He stood on soft grass, but upon closer inspection and plucking one of the strands, he managed to cut himself.

 It became a little sharper…? Or was it my imagination?

 He looked up at the sky; it was blue—pale, cloud-filled as it should be—about what he’d expect; however, he did find an additional celestial body which did not belong in the usual sky; it was bright, but not too bright; he concluded it was either a planet or a dim star. More intrigued, his eyes swam around. It didn’t seem unusual for a plain; he even saw an ominous forest in the distance from which the stream of water originated.

 He looked up again—it was the same. The dim object other than the sun or moon was there. However, the moon also seemed slightly larger upon closer inspection; so did the sun. He crossed his arms, contemplating.

 Is this another planet? If so, how did we get here? My body feels the same; I have not aged. There was a slight warmth spread evenly throughout the body—is it a symptom? In that case, of what? I fail to comprehend.

 Alum took a deep breath; he did not want to overthink, or perhaps it was better not to. Once he closed in on Emely, he counted, in total, twenty-two people.

 “Emy,” Alum reluctantly called her name.

 Emely, hearing a familiar voice, turned around. Slightly, her heart faltered, her chest became heavier, and her breaths became irregular. A stream of warm drops of tears ran down her cheek as she innocently, perplexed and hasty, embraced him.

*Hic*

 The mellow sobs, the flow of tears, which the stream emphasised, were heavier and stung his chest more than he’d imagined. Calmly, he enveloped her in his arms and slowly pat her back. For all he knew, Emely was like a figure in a blue melancholy painting, with two warm spots on the canvas; they were the windows to her soul—her pure, gentle golden eyes. Such warmth invited other pigments, but still was it a—blue, pale, and sad painting.

—Because of me.

 Emely continued to sob. Her students watched; they were not close to her or anything of sorts, but to them, she was simply a good teacher. Even in this dilemma, she kept them together so that they would not fall apart. In the twisted circumstance, either by kidnapping or another thing, they knew this was far from home. Rather…some might even question their own being. The sudden strength they’ve gained, the odd feeling as if they could perform some sort of…trick. 

 Emely, who’d been crying, came to. With tears in the corner of her eyes, her vision still blurred. Yet, the concerned youth she’d been embracing gently wiped her tears. Slowly, she blinked, regaining clarity.

 “Al? You’re…alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Feeling strange any place?”

 Flustered, she left his embrace, twirling around him, inspecting for injury or other. He seemed fine, and she let out a sigh. Relieved, she gently smiled but noticed a cut on a finger of his. With a pout, she grabbed his hand.

 “What’s this?” Emely worriedly inquired.

 Alum shrugged. “Just some cut when I plucked grass…” he causally replied.

 “…why would you pluck grass?”

 “It’s nothing of the sort; I was simply curious; the touch felt real, and the dull cut stings as it should.”

 “Still.”

 “Yes…?”

 Emely reached into her handbag; inside were some band-aid, disinfectant, etc…

 “It’s no need for that…” Alum tried to protest the notion.

 However, Emely stared at him. Her gaze was intense, stern, yet warm. “No can do! You never know what sort of bacteria lives around here.”

 “…We’re all hallucinating the same thing?”

 “You should know everything is perfectly clear, so you don’t have to pretend not to,” Emely said while applying the disinfectant.

 “…so we really are somewhere else?”

 Emely didn’t affirm, however. Anyone could judge by the look of her face. She put the band-aid on the small cut. Satisfied, she happily smiled.

 “There you go~!”

 “Thanks…”

 Alum’s eyes wandered yet again, and he noticed a few gazes directed at them. The gazes were somewhat clumsy, warm or filled with a hint of confusion. However, Alum didn’t mind—his eyes were not even cold. Not that he’d notice the change or difference anyhow. He soon turned his eyes back to Emely, who seemed to be in deep thought.

 “Do you have a plan?”

 At his question, Emely’s gears turned, her eyes as if sparkling—glistering like glitter.

 “He~he~ sort of! First, I want to make the students less depressed; you saw them on the way here, did you not?”

 “Yes, I did,” Alum affirmed.

 “In instances like this, democracy. Can work. However, you see how their eyes hollow, which even light doesn’t reach the bottom of; thus, we need a leader.”

 “I can see that being the case. Yes.”

 Emely’s eyes suddenly lost their shine. “I’m soft, and some students are almost as old as me…”

 “…Yes? That is correct.”

 “…Al, can I…ask you?” Emely asked; her voice was muffled, and her eyes were slightly damped with a hint of sorrow.

 “You’re not asking me to play the role of a leader, or are you?” Alum inquired.

 “…It’s exactly what you think—b-but! I’ll pamper you plenty to compensate.”

*Chuckles*

 “No need,” Alum expressed with a soft smile.

 Anxiously, Emely grabbed the hem of his shirt. “Al…thank you, you’re the only one I can ask this of.”

 Alum shrugged. “I’m already disliked,” he casually mentioned. “I hardly regard it a challenge, or do you believe otherwise? Emely?”

 “Is that so?” Emely giggled at the response. “But…if you feel sad or lonely, I—”

 “No need,” Alum said. He turned around and waved, not looking back.

 Let’s see, the perfect leaders for this would be Noel and Miu, who are both influential. They may be young, but it’s better than other larger infants. They crumbled and curled up in a ball—unlike Miu, she helped those down on their knees—emotionally supporting them; unlike Noel, he helped do the heavy lifting and cheering them on. Their quality is different from that of Emely.

 “—What do you know!?”

 A sudden cry rang in his ears as he was in deep thought. Alum turned his attention to the voice. He saw Miu and a man. Miu seemed slightly frightened and taken aback by the man’s outburst.

 “Are you telling me to calm down?! How can I be calm and collect myself!? My child is at home alone! Look at where I am; I’m in the middle of fucking nowhere! Where’s the snow? Are you telling me I’m hallucinating!? In that case, why the hell does my body ache so bad? This is too real to be a bloody vision I’m having! Look up at the sky, the moon’s bigger, there’s another damn sun in the sky!”

 “U-Umm I—”

 Before Miu could utter a word, the man’s hand was engulfed in crimson flames. Alum, who’d been spectating, became bewildered, but it did not seem like the others were too surprised. The man’s hand was essentially ablaze, but he did not seem hurt or bothered by it.

 “Look at this! What is this dammed hand!? How am I supposed to get home?! Screw possibly being kidnapped by aliens; this ain’t even our universe anymore!”

 “We need to work together.” Miu stood firmly and resolved. But even so, anyone watching could tell the fright in her eyes. Yet, she stood there, trying to de-escalate the situation. “Therefore, please, co-operate. We need abilities like yours.”

 “You’re maybe too young to understand; perhaps it’s like some game to you, but… What does surviving mean, knowing my child will be fatherless? He doesn’t even have a mother, and I’m raising him all by myself, for god’s sake!”

 …Where’s Noel? Alum wondered.

 The man’s rage was uncontrollable, and his flames more intense; Miu backed away, her legs shook as she clenched her chest in fright. The man approached her with his fist raised, and Miu froze in place like a statue.

 But, as the uncontrolled man tried to punch her, his fist came to a halt. Slowly, Miu opened her eyes; next to her was a youth with flat, cold eyes; even though they had such a warm gold colour, they were indifferent, making those who gazed directly at them shudder. Additionally, Miu noticed he held her pretty close by the shoulder as if in his embrace. His other hand stopped the uncontrolled man’s fist. The flames were hot, but Alum did not make a pained expression—rather, there was a lack thereof emotion.

 “Y-You!” the man exclaimed loudly.

 “That’s enough; it’s a pathetic sight to behold.”

 “What did you say!?” the man cried, this time even angrier—like a volcano about to erupt.

 Alum shook his hand off. The man was stunned—he then realised something about the youth; his eyes were cold, ominous. The man didn’t intend to punch hard, but the strength behind it was nothing to laugh at; someone could be sent to the hospital from concussion but also burns.

*Gulp*

 “I don’t empathise, nor do I sympathise with you—”

 “Of course, you don’t, you damned psycho!”

 “Affirmative, I simply do not care,” Alum calmly replied. He released Miu and, with his gaze, told her to leave.

 “I don’t give a damn! I don’t need your pity!”

 “Then what is it? Why are you lashing out? It is to the point you engulf yourself, do you not realise?”

 “…..”

 The man was silenced. He faltered and looked at his surroundings as if coming back to his senses. He fell to his knees, and his flames extinguished. Looking down a little, his hands were shaking—lamenting at the fact he almost severely injured someone.

 “Or is it simply to knock the others down as low as you? You were even trying to injure someone who was trying to understand you. Whether your reason be petty or otherwise, what do you think you almost painted yourself in? Grey anguish? Or is it perhaps pitch-black guilt?”

 “I…I…”

 The man was wordless, unable to utter even a single word; he broke down in tears. Alum simply walked closer and placed his feet on the man’s shoulder, pushing him down on the ground.

 “See, pathetic,” Alum voiced. As if the whole area had become a frozen hellscape, everyone felt a disturbing shock from the chills running through them. “Sobbing and wailing, what is it you seek? The pity you so saucily rejected?”

 The man was so shocked he couldn’t move. Who in their right mind would kick down a man sobbing and lamenting over his actions and being unable to see his child? He let his eyes wander a little and saw resentment and rage all around him—but it was not targeted at him, who attempted such a horrible thing.

 Alum could feel the hateful glares targeting him, but before he could further escalate his provocation, Miu pulled him away. Teary were her eyes; she stood between him and the man, spreading her arms wide as if protecting him.

 “Alum! What are you doing?!” she cried. Her voice was hoarse, and her body trembled.

 I suppose this is good enough.

 Not replying, Alum simply turned around. There stood a friend of his, eyes wide and a dumbfounded look. Noel gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Slowly, he approached Alum.

“…why did you do that?” he questioned as he kept his voice calm and reasonable, but the words that followed were hushed and sorrowful. “You didn’t need to go that far…”

 Alum simply shrugged and bumped into his shoulder as he walked past him. All Noel could do was to listlessly and wordlessly watch Alum walk away.

—Alum…why?