Notice:- Edited on June 29th 2025.
-----
It's weird. The only part of my life I remember being my sister, and that only being her presence beside my deathbed towards the end of it. I've even forgotten everything else: who I used to be, what I used to be, my aspirations, ambitions, everything... The most abnormal thing is that I feel like whatever has happened to me is guiding my thoughts, even though I don't remember anything.
"It's been a short while, Victor," she casually states.
I'm left speechless with several questions swirling within my mind. The primary one being, where am I right now, and why is my previous life's(?) little sister standing in front of me? It's all so absurd when I consider the fact that I just found out my name from her mouth.
"Don't worry, I will answer every question you ask, as long as it is within my power to do so," she explains.
Well, let's start with a basic question, "Who am I?"
A weird question to ask, I know, but I really have no idea who I am. Just a reminder that I just found out my name from her mouth. (Not counting being called 'Haru' by the silver-haired girl prior to ending up here.)
"I don't have the authorization required to answer that yet," she says.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" I find myself retorting, annoyed by the response. What authorization? From whom or what?
She doesn't say anything but only stares at me. Great. Now, what am I supposed to ask her? Who is she?
"Who are you?" I ask, expecting another moronic answer.
"Your guardian angel," she responds somewhat nonchalantly.
What the heck? What's with that answer? Is there a deeper meaning to it, or is she just messing with me? With everything that's been happening, I'm not so sure anymore. Though, it's quite likely the latter, but there is still a possibility of it being the former.
"Some guardian angel you are, unable to prevent my death." I goad her, hoping to drive a response out of her by irritating her or something.
"There wasn't much I could do about it."
"You literally just appeared out of thin air in whatever this place is. I'm pretty sure miss teleporter has more than just that in her arsenal of supernatural abilities."
"Why are you being like this?" She questions with a slight frown.
"Being so confrontational? You tell me." I shrug.
"It seems like this will take longer than it's meant to, so I've decided to give you a brief report over your current situation before sending you over to the other side," she states, her frown relaxing.
"You are currently a part of what you originally once were: a creation of your own wish. Certain events led to an unfortunate outcome, which led to you making a risky choice," she explains. "I will now move you over to the other side. It would be much easier for you to understand. Time will be sealed on this side once we do so."
Before I can even ask her what she means by "other side", my vision goes black for an instant before it returns. I am no longer in the endless white space. I look around and notice that I am familiar with the place—Italy.
Foro Romano—The Roman Forum. Ruins of the ancient Roman civilization. I look around and realize that there aren't many people around right now. In fact, there is none.
Once again, the oddity of me recognizing this place strikes me. I have no memories, but I just know.
A little blue orb forms in front of me, floating stably a few meters above the ground.
[Follow me.] My sister's voice resounds within my mind.
The orb guides me in the direction of the Roman Colosseum, right towards its center. As soon as I'm standing at the intended(?) spot, another headache hits me; this time I remember—no, I receive(?) a message of sorts.
"If you are currently in the Colosseo and Juno is nearby, then we have succeeded. We made a choice. A choice that would affect your whole being. I was very skeptical of the suggestion you made. The chances of it succeeding were nigh impossible. Yet here you are."
"We used to be one of the great ones, but due to the interference of an outsider as well as a traitor among us, we fought and lost in a war. Facing the reality of our situation, you made a suggestion that required the two of us to sacrifice something of great importance to ourselves. You sacrificed your power, while I am to sacrifice my sentience for the cause."
"Your powers should be in a sealed state right now as well as your memories. I used my Code Core to reverse the cause of our destruction, giving you the time you require to regain your strength. Your power should gradually unseal itself as time passes. I wish you the best of luck in facing off against the upcoming calamity."
Janus. That was the name my mind immediately associated with the message's sender. Okay... The message itself didn't answer most of my questions, but it cleared some stuff up for me at least. The thing is, it also gave rise to a dozen new questions. Who is Janus, what were we exactly (wasn't I just some normal human?), and what is this 'Code Core' he referred to?
[Prepare for transportation to the Rift.] Juno's voice resounds within my mind once again.
My vision turns dark and returns abruptly. I find myself lying on the bed I had woken up in earlier. My body feels normal. I lift myself up from the bed and notice a presence. The silver-haired girl. She's sitting on the ground with her head placed on the side of bed, her eyes shut.
She must've been worried sick... and it bothers me, considering that I'm the cause of her distress.
I extend my hand and brush her hair with my fingertips ever so slowly. Her hair is silky and smooth. Her scent is sweet. I wonder what she is to the current me. Family, perhaps? Or is she my girlfriend?
I get off the bed and move towards a mirror on the wall. What I see leaves me dazed for quite a while.
Short, silver hair with gray eyes. I don't know how, but I look both fragile and toned at the same time. My height is something I'm not sure of, but I do know that I'm shorter than what I used to be. I take a good look at my body and notice that there is a glow that seems to be at the center of my thoracic cavity. It's made of several different colors - each having a different intensity, with the following being the order from most vibrant to least: Red, violet, and yellow.
[There is a Core within every Code that is the amalgamation of their power.] Suddenly a voice resounds within my head, almost scaring me to death.
"Juno!? Where are you and why can I hear your voice inside my head?"
[I have a faint imprint left on you, in order to see your state of mind and take actions accordingly. It should go away in a minute or two, so feel free to ask me any questions you have right now.]
"What am I supposed to do now?" I ask bluntly.
[Get stronger.] An answer as equally blunt.
Get stronger, huh? Well, if that isn't an ominous sentence depicting hardships, I don't know what is.