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The coat, snow and people in Shibuya all made the temperature balance out. The buildings had a white sheen to them, akin to a suitcase wrapped in smooth plastic before boarded -whether it was from the snow or just another effect of this reality, he couldn’t tell.
At least he still had the street below his shoes -dark grey, rough and imperfect. He briefly wondered why the doctor hadn’t changed it to smooth marble, was it just something he’d forgotten to do, or had no person tripped and wished for it yet?
Well, someone would have to trip for that to happen, and we can’t allow that kind of slip-up in this perfect world, now can we?
He sighed and saw his breath leave his mouth in a cold cloud. He tucked his hands back in his pockets and rose his head, scanning the crowd as he walked: lively conversations, a skip in some’s step. Others smiled to themselves, entertained by the act of thinking. A few stopped by shops to pick up falling snowflakes, joyous laughs bubbled up children’s throats.
A sudden freezing wind overtook him, he shivered. He turned his head, trying to find the source, and saw no one had even flinched.
The glow of the buildings melted onto the crowds. A white filter, the signature light of this reality, he was sure now.
He retreated from the streets and sought shelter below the roof of a store entrance, a meek attempt to escape it. He saw it trace the ocean of countless heads and figures, made a home in each one, the clouded sky claustrophobic as he waited for it to reach him.
Like ice, it crawled the floor, but cracked bare centimeters from reaching his soles.
He moved his foot in dangerous curiosity, but it only retreated.
“Are you scared you can’t join them?”
The voice pierced him, painless despite expecting it to be.
“Over here.”
He faced the near store’s display case. In the glass was a reflection of him, wearing his Metaverse outfit and folded black wings attached to his back.
Golden irises peered through his soul.
He took a step back “What are you doing here?”
His reflection shrugged, “The world is on an unstable blend with the Metaverse, something like this to happen is only expected. ” the Shadow glanced to the people behind him “ You’d think more of them would notice this kind of anomaly, but oh well, can’t have a perfect world with someone’s inner self parading around, no?”
He scrutinized it “What do you want?”
He put a hand to his chest as if struck by an arrow, closed his eyes to truly highlight the injury “You wound me, we’ve never even formally met before ” he winked an eye open “ But then again, I’m sure there’s no need for that.”
The boy huffed and began pacing the sidewalk, that layer of light creaking and folding like old cellophane before every step. The Shadow caught up, strolling from window to window.
“Do you remember the promise our common acquaintances made you after they destroyed my theater?”
“...They said they’d never leave me behind.”
The winged thief hummed in response, and walked along in silence as if either were considering what to say.
“I did some digging inside the madman’s Palace. It’s impressive, we aren’t too dissimilar from him.”
He eyed the Shadow carefully “What do you mean?”
“We allowed Yaldabaoth to continue his reign under the guise of protecting them , that really doesn’t ring any bells?”
The student's eyes widened, and the Shadow had the gall to laugh.
“Oh, I didn’t know you hated me so much! But before you go, I hope you know how close you are to the end~”
He ran back into the crowd, the icy layers of white around him burst like bubbles wherever he went. He needed to get to Odaiba fast.
“Good luck!”
It went on forever, each step colder, he buried half his face in his scarf.
Thunder clapped, it made him jump. Nobody paid any mind.
The once-delicate snow shone like stars, his pupils turned to dots the same way they did when staring at a lit lightbulb for too long. He closed them, otherwise he’d start aching soon, yet the rays still filtered through. He could feel his skin raise in an attempt to shield him from the artic sensation.
Something in him gave in, and before he knew it his knees were scraped against asphalt. The sound of footsteps surrounded him, perfectly content to leave this stranger be.
He found he couldn’t force his eyelids open. They remained taut shut, unable to bear witness to those suffocating smiles.
He tried to focus on something else, to distract him, to find comfort, anything.
He thought of Leblanc, the mornings where the sun did just enough to wake him from his slumber. Morgana would be tucked next to him, purring soundly,
The human laughed sheepishly at the teasing thrown at him, content and relaxed.
He clutched his sides.
He thought of the ramen shop he’d gone to with Ryuji, where they talked about it all,
The track team cheered for him as he ran the lap, his legs giving him everything they could.
His head fell on his knees, he needed to preserve warmth.
He thought of the thousands of conversations he had with Ann between classes, some showing her fierce determination,
She beamed as Shiho talked about the volleyball team and her success in nationals.
The frost turned into numbness.
He thought of Yusuke’s painting, Desire & Hope , when he spoke about how he had been inspired,
The Sayuri sat at the museum's center of attention, and Madarame smiled, proud of his pupil.
The numbness turned to static.
He thought of Makoto, renewed motivation in her during their study session,
She and Sae eagerly discussed how dinner would go with their father.
It was unbearable.
He thought of Futaba showing him her favorite game, giving him all the facts about it,
Wakaba set down food for all of them, and Futaba danced around in glee, bragging about her grades in Shujin.
The static had been an error.
He thought of Haru when she told the employee how she felt,
Kunikazu Okumura gestured to a nearby establishment for purchase, her daughter prepared to open her cafe.
The lights dimmed.
A dead man waited at the foot of a laboratory, a chill on his spine as he realized Akira Kurusu was taking far too long to reach him.