Chapter 18: Point of No Return: Fragmented Core and Identity of Kirigaya Kazuto, (Part 2)
**Ping—beep…**
A new beep from the terminal pulled him from his thoughts of determination.
[Do you wish to proceed with the extraction of the Fluctlight?]
Warning: this process is irreversible.
[Accept] [Cancel]
A new window appeared on the screen requesting confirmation to extract the Fluctlight, now synchronized with the main system of the room.
It was a complex situation.
Kirito found himself between two systems:
One, the one that had imprisoned him, created by others to subdue him.
And the other, the one he had built himself, with the purpose of isolating his consciousness and freeing it from the imposed shackles.
The golem hands, thanks to their programming and their auxiliary eyes —the spiders connected on the table beside him— understood perfectly what they had to do.
**Click**
Accepting without further delay, activating the new command.
The system began to manipulate his virtual soul.
That dry sound reached his ears just as he slightly turned his face.
**Tkk—fsshh…**
The sphere under his hands shone intensely.
In its center, a blue point of light ignited strongly.
—("...!")
Kirito felt something sucking him from his palms.
And at the same time, from within him.
A chill ran through his body.
The pain began.
First mild.
Then sharp.
Then unbearable.
—"Aark…"
His mind and will were being tested once again.
(—"This body is not real. It is just an image… It doesn't matter if they cut me into a thousand pieces.")
He forced himself to resist.
To endure.
Not to yield.
To console himself amid the onset of agony.
**Tzzzt—whummm…**
Meanwhile, the luminous sphere in the center began to emit an even more intense light.
As if it were being born from him.
**Ping—ping…**
Warnings continued to appear on the screen.
**Tktktk—clack…**
But the hands kept typing.
**Fsshh—drzzzt…**
The spiders kept transmitting.
**Fzzzt—pulse… hisssshh**
Kirito felt how the sphere under his hands began to suck him more intensely.
**Tsshh—drip… hisssshh…**
From the surface where he was restrained, tiny, almost invisible particles began to detach, slowly rising into the air.
They looked like fragments of light, but they were not light.
They were parts.
Fractions of him.
**Whummm—glow… drift**
The particles headed towards the center of the sphere, as if attracted by an invisible force.
—"Grr...!"
And with each particle that detached, the pain increased. It was not physical pain, nor even mental; it was something deeper.
As if his being were being extracted layer by layer.
As if something essential were slipping away from him without being able to stop it… He could no longer.
—"Ghhrrr…!"
He gritted his teeth tightly, trying to resist.
But the agony was growing.
**Vrrrnnn—tkk…**
His virtual body trembled.
His consciousness clung to the little that had not yet been touched.
**Fsshh—sparkle… orbit**
When the particles reached the center of the sphere, they began to shine.
They rotated around the larger midpoint, much bigger, as if it were a sun, and they, stars or planets trapped in its orbit.
The image was beautiful.
And terrifying.
**Zzzzt—shift… pulse**
Once gathered in sufficient quantity, the central point shifted.
It moved slowly toward its new destination: the crystalline diamond connected to the sphere in front of Kirito, where he was restrained.
**Thmp—glide… sync**
The larger point of light positioned itself precisely at the center of the diamond.
**Prrnn—tsshh…**
And the particles followed it.
One after another.
Like ducklings following their mother.
As if they knew that this was their new home.
**Fsshh—link… glow**
At the same time, a line of light began to form between Kirito's fingers, tracing a path toward the trajectory of the others.
It was as if his nerves had extended beyond his body, linking his soul directly with the core of the system.
**Zzzzt—pulse—shock**
Thanks to that open path, the extraction accelerated for the other particles leaving his interior.
The flow became more intense.
—"Aahh...!"
And then, his voice, which until now had been contained by sheer will, escaped.
—"Aaaahhhhhh…!"
A heart-wrenching scream, born from the deepest pain.
Not from weakness.
But because there was no longer any way to contain what was happening.
Despite the agony coursing through his virtual body, the system did not stop.
**Tktktktk—zzrrnn…**
The golem hands continued working at the terminal, maintaining synchronization, executing new commands and multiplying processes at superhuman speed.
**Fsshh—glow… drift**
The luminous point that had reached the diamond began to rotate slowly.
It was not a violent turn, but a controlled one.
As if an invisible force were guiding it with precision.
**Whummm—swirl…**
**Whummm—swirl…**
The particles that had followed it began to spin as well, trapped in that rotating movement.
**Whrrr—sshhhlmm…**
They formed a smooth spiral, like a contained tornado.
And inside it, the diamond was illuminated with a pure whiteness, a reflection of the essence it was receiving.
**Trrnn—vsshh…**
The lines of light connecting Kirito's fingers with the diamond also began to spin, as if they were being pulled by that same force.
**Zzzzt—ascend…**
Gradually, the central point was drawn upward.
The diamond pointed directly to a new sphere: a floating container for the next phase of the process.
Higher up, another identical diamond awaited it, suspended at the upper vertex of the room.
**Ping—Zzzzt—beam…**
Upon reaching the tip of the lower diamond, the light concentrated like a laser and quickly passed to its new chamber: the floating sphere.
**Fsshh—pulse… glow…**
However, its intensity did not diminish.
On the contrary, it increased with every new particle that arrived.
The light became so intense that it blinded the sight.
**Thmm—snap…**
And then, it was shot toward the upper diamond.
But it left behind a line connecting with the white diamond below.
**Click—ping**
A dry sound emerged from the terminal's keyboard.
It was then that the golem hands reacted instantly.
**Thmm—snap…**
That click activated a new sequence: the upper diamond shot another light, almost identical to the previous one, which descended straight toward the sphere, approaching at great speed in its direction.
**Fsshh—impact… pulse**
The light collided with the floating sphere.
The sphere received the impact at its exact center.
As if the system had traced a millimetric route, point by point, with no margin for error.
**Kzzkt—whmm… clk**
The sphere was being pushed unevenly from the start by the upper and lower diamonds, more by the first than by the second.
**Tktktktk—zzrrnn…**
However, the golem hands did not wait.
With total precision and mathematical calculation, they entered the command into the system to control the power of both parts.
And, making it seem simple from the outside, they corrected the variation effortlessly.
As if it had never existed.
They managed to stabilize the sphere and control its position in the middle of the room.
**Whummm—stabilize…**
The shining sphere remained suspended at a neutral point, thanks to their spectacular work.
Neither too high nor too low.
Right at the gravitational center of the room, joined by two lines that were like ties connected to the diamonds…
And, more importantly....
—"Graaarr... Aaaahhh!..."
To Kirito, who could barely perceive all this due to the pain he felt throughout his being.
**Prrnn—tsshh…**
**Prrnn—tsshh…**
At that moment, the new particles coming behind, guided by the path traced by their initiator, followed the line of light.
One after another, they joined the floating core amid all this complexity.
Each new particle that detached from Kirito's body —the product of his pain, of his resistance— followed that invisible score.
It was as if the system were composing a symphony with his soul.
**Fsshh—strain… pulse**
The pain was so intense that his virtual skin turned whitish, almost translucent.
He looked sick.
His eyes, once clear and blue, were now reddened.
That blue had darkened from the effort, reflecting the internal battle he waged.
(—"Just a little more…")
And yet, he did not give up.
Because each particle that detached…
Was proof that he was still moving forward.
—"Aaaah...! Ghh... AAAAAHHH!"
Unlike his internal voice, screams of agony and heart-wrenching pain erupted from his outer mouth, as if his soul were being torn apart piece by piece.
**Thrrnnn—Krrrnk**
Kirito roared, as his body arched against the restraints.
**Whmm—Fsshh—Zzrrnnn—plsshhht!**
The extraction had accelerated to its maximum speed, and what were once particles now seemed like comets: bursts of light traveling from his body, firmly restrained, to the sphere floating above him, suspended in the center of the room.
**Tsshh—Vrrrnn—blink…**
Each comet left a bright trail, as if Kirito's very spirit were being disintegrated and absorbed.
**Fsshh—whisper… drift**
The particles following the traced path ascended gently.
They looked like tiny comets, each with a faint trail, like threads of silk floating in the air.
They made no noise.
They only emitted a charming whisper, almost musical, as if the system welcomed them with reverence.
**Whummm—glimmer… hush**
Upon reaching the center of the floating sphere, there was no explosion or violent impact.
Only a silent fusion.
As if each particle slid into its exact place, without disturbing the balance.
**Tinnnn…**
The sound was barely perceptible: a soft tinkling, like crystals touching in slow motion.
—"Ghaaah... AAAAAHHH!"
Meanwhile, Kirito's scream still resonated in the room. His pain was real, raw, human.
But the system, in contrast, seemed to operate with an unbreakable calm. As if it did not feel the suffering…
Only the harmony of the transfer.
—"Ghh… AAAAHHHHH!"
Kirito screamed from time to time, and at other moments he forced himself to hold back tears, gritting his teeth, trembling.
For him, that was eternal. He didn't know how much longer he could endure, whether his mind would break before the process ended.
But reality was cruel: when someone suffers, the longer the wait.
Only a few minutes had passed... but for him, it was another story.
In the midst of that agony, things were happening that Kirito could no longer notice, distracted by the pain.
His body was beginning to turn transparent, a faded silhouette.
He could be seen through without difficulty, and his eyes were losing the brightness that kept them alive.
The glow that once vibrated in his gaze was slowly extinguishing, covered by a fog that was rising from within.
They didn't turn white, but they were opaque; the light that inhabited them seemed to have completely drained away.
Two spheres without reflection, without defined color.
Death had already touched them... though it had not yet claimed them.
The sphere, for its part, could no longer be seen with the naked eye.
**Fwoooom...Hmmmm...**
It had mutated into a beautiful blue star, so bright that it overshadowed all the other lights in the room.
Its radiance was so intense that it seemed to devour the surroundings, leaving everything else in shadow.
The only witnesses to this scene were the golem spiders, scattered throughout the room.
They waited their turn to participate in the plan, motionless, with their multiple eyes shining like dark jewels.
**Tktktktk—zzrrnn…**
Meanwhile, the golem hands kept typing the next command, like soulless machines, indifferent to what was happening to their creator, who continued to scream incessantly.
—"¡AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
It was heard once more, his voice broken, almost unrecognizable.
It was, once again, a beautiful scene from one side... and from the other, absolute horror.
The agony, from the outside, lasted a couple more minutes.
Minutes in which Kirito became so transparent that he could easily be overlooked.
**Tsshh**
And then, from that almost invisible body, the last particle emerged.
The one that completed the extraction.
**Tzzzzzz-whum...**
When it touched the sphere —that mini blue sun suspended in the center of the room— a wave was produced that traveled across its surface.
**Shhhhhhh...Wuuuuuum-Fwoooosh...**
The wave took a few seconds to generate an echo.
A silent echo, but deep, that crossed the entire room.
And even more, it crossed through Kirito.
—"..."
At that moment, he was no longer screaming.
He was no longer moving.
He was breathing very slowly... too slowly.
He seemed more like a ghost than a living being.
If Alice or Asuna saw him now, it would be like seeing the same Kirito again with empty eyes.
As if he were no longer there.
As if someone had stolen his soul.
And that, in part, was the truth.
**Zzzzap-Huummm...**
Each wave that passed through him made his body convulse, but not violently.
It was a convulsion in harmony with the sphere.
**Vmmmm-tik...**
Even the line that connected him to the mini sun vibrated with each pulse.
...
After emitting that echo, the sphere kept a terrifying silence.
The golem hands, which had already finished the next command long before, made not a single click.
They waited.
As if they knew that this silence was part of the ritual... And then, one of them touched the new window on the terminal with a single click.
**Click**
That sound was so clear and crisp that it was heard all the way to the end of the room.
The new order had an immediate double effect.
**Vwoooomp...**
The line —or bond— that connected Kirito to the sphere doubled in size.
**Shiiink...**
And its color changed from white to blood red.
**Fwoooosh!**
The sphere made a sudden explosion.
But it produced no sound.
Only light.
**Pling... ting... shaaaa...**
From its spherical shape came many particles, as if they were fragments of a star.
But they did not drift away.
As if they had no permission to go too far, they remained suspended around, shining with their own light.
Each with a different size and brightness.
**Gasp!**
At that moment, Kirito awakened.
As if coming out of a deep coma.
—"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
And he screamed again.
A long, desperate scream.
For a moment, he felt an overwhelming need to reclaim what had been ripped from him.
A desperation that completely pierced through him.
But it disappeared as quickly as it came.
—"..."
And suddenly, he felt no more pain.
No more agony.
The clarity of his thoughts began to return.
First slowly.
Then, like a rapid flash.
He had his eyes closed.
He tried to open them, worried.
According to theory, there should be no comfort or calm until the end.
Something was wrong.
(—"¡¿What does this mean?!")
When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with a surprise that surpassed anything he had thought possible.
He was in the sky—rather, in the middle of the room—but to be more precise, he was the blue sphere, the mini sun.
And he could see, in a superhuman way, everything around him. Below him, he saw his transparent body.
—"¡AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
He screamed non-stop, as if he were another Kirito. But there couldn't be two, because he could feel his whole body... without pain.
Trying to understand the logic of what was happening, he made his body below open its eyes.
Those opaque, reddish-blue eyes met his gaze.
And, at that moment, Kirito felt something that wasn't in the plan: confusion and concern for this new variant amid the manipulation of his Fluctlight.
Kirito tried to control certain parts of his body, the one lying beneath him. And he partially succeeded: he could barely move it a little, but not entirely. Furthermore, his body wouldn't stop screaming.
The best comparison would be like someone touching a high-tension electrical wire: the body trapped by the current, unable to let go, barely moving the affected limb.
That was how it was... but throughout his entire body.
(—"Come on...")
As he tried harder and with willpower, he suddenly felt a pull downwards.
His vision darkened.
—"¡GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Calm vanished in an instant, replaced by extreme, multiplied pain.
When he opened his eyes, he understood: he was no longer in the sphere.
He had returned to his body.
And as if his previous absence had triggered a reaction, the pain felt three times more intense.
He felt a stabbing regret.
(—"Why did I try? Why did I reactivate this torment?")
He reproached himself, realizing that he had caused his return to hell with his actions. That was just a brief moment of reason, a last luxury before the fall. And, in an attempt to find comfort, he thought that perhaps it was for the best. That was how the plan was supposed to be: without mercy, without rest.
Ten more seconds passed, and as if the system mocked his previous thought, he felt another pull, this time upwards.
—"..."
Calm returned, without pain, accompanied by a strange serenity.
He was once again in the blue sphere. This time he did nothing strange; he only felt a mixture of relief and uncertainty about his strange condition.
**Bzzzt... ping, ping, ping...**
In that brief calm of his mind and consciousness, the particles floating around the sphere —or around himself, in that state— began to shine more.
When he tried to concentrate on one of them, he saw something new.
**Fwip—vwoooom...**
The particle opened like a portal.
And inside it reflected a first-person scene: him, trying to learn to ride a motorcycle for the first time.
He understood it immediately.
(—"It was a memory...")
To confirm his theory, he searched for another particle.
**Fwip—vwoooom...**
And in this new scene, also in first person, he saw his classmates laughing at him for being alone in a corner, without friends.
It was something that hurt him.
And as he stayed watching longer, it was as if he experienced it for the first time, despite having occurred many years ago.
He diverted his attention to other particles. And the story repeated itself over and over again.
(—"It's true...")
Confirming him.
All those star-shaped particles were memories.
And it made sense.
Because what defines who we are in the present are all our memories, whether good or bad.
That is what makes us who we are.
All those particles were what made him who he is:
Kirigaya Kazuto.
Or Kirito, as he likes to be called by his friends and family.
(—"And that one?...")
In that moment of reflection, he was drawn to a very, very tiny particle.
Almost invisible.
To his sight, it was the smallest of all.
He tried to discover what was there, with curiosity and great interest.
**Fwip... Fwip**
But no matter what he did: the particle wouldn't open.
Although it did react.
There was an effect, albeit minimal.
Kirito felt that there was slow progress.
So he put all his effort into trying to open it.
Perhaps, by doing so, he would discover why it was more difficult than the others.
Without giving up, and without realizing it, his consciousness focused entirely on that goal.
**vwo....**
After about five minutes, he managed to open a gap.
**Hnnnng—VWOOM!**
And without thinking, he clung to it with his will, widening it a little more.
But then the unexpected happened.
**SHWIIIIIP!**
As soon as he did, he was sucked into the particle.
(—"What?...")
With a force that didn't allow him to think or resist.
And he was dragged into total darkness.
*****
**Shoooop—glug...**
Kirito felt a viscous and sticky substance covering him from head to toe. His eyelids remained sealed, plunging him into absolute darkness.
—"Like this…"
—"A little more…"
—"Don't...give up…"
—"¡Gaaarrs!¡Aaaahhh!"
He only heard distant voices, very vague, like distant echoes and screams of a woman conveying a heartbreaking pain.
—"¡Aaaaaahhh!"
—"You have to...push...harder..."
And somehow, he understood one of them: someone was telling another person to push with strength.
(—"¡...!")
His mind went blank for a moment.
(—"¡¿Is this?...")
But then, an idea began to form.
**Shoooof... pum, pum...**
A dim light appeared above his head, coming from an opening ahead.
And then he understood:
His premonition was correct.
It was the day of his birth.
—"Here he is, finally... the strong boy..."
Upon hearing that breathless voice, Kirito made a superhuman effort to open his eyelids. Although he managed to crack them enough for the now painfully intense light to reveal the figure of the doctor in surgical attire holding him with firm hands, he immediately knew that this act had not been a result of his will, but an involuntary spasm of the body he now inhabited.
(—"I see..." )
In that instant, he understood the terrible paradox of his existence: a lucid consciousness trapped in a foreign body. He felt every sensation —the cold air, the touch of the hands holding him— but he couldn't control a single muscle. It wasn't him moving his arms or kicking; it was the newborn body, acting purely on instinct.
—"Waaaaah! WAAAAAAH!"
(The sound of the strong and vigorous cry of a newborn, full of strength and vitality)
Then, a cry erupted from his chest without his consent. It was a rough and trembling sound that, however, dragged along with it his first breath. Although sobs continued to escape from his throat autonomously, something deep within him recognized the transcendence of the moment: he had just been born.
(—"I can't intervene in anything...")
Kirito understood that he couldn't do anything by his own will.
But he knew that this was a memory hidden deep within his unconscious.
An impossible memory.
—"Cut right here."
**Snip**
His past self was handed to a nurse, who with stylized scissors severed the umbilical cord, thus cutting the physical bond that connected him to his mother.
The doctor said in a satisfied voice:
—"Congratulations, Mrs. Narusaka. He is a very healthy boy and shows no problems."
A feminine voice, tired but warm, replied:
—"Thank God... and to you for your work."
The more experienced nurse added:
—"Not just us. You too, Mrs. Narusaka, for your hard work."
The other nurses and the doctor nodded in agreement.
Then the silent protocol began.
One nurse applied drops to his eyes to protect them.
Another administered a small dose of vitamin K.
They placed an identification wristband on him and carefully cleaned the umbilical stump.
There was no bath, but there was a gentle cleaning, enough to protect him without erasing the warmth of his birth.
—"Waaaah... aahh..."
He cried less, but his tears continued to fall in the new, strange, and cold environment.
**Shhh-swish...**
A white blanket wrapped him, and a little hat was placed on his head to keep him warm.
His body trembled, but he was no longer alone.
**Shhhhh...**
Meanwhile, just a few steps away, the mother was being cared for.
They briefly examined her, cleaned what was necessary, and confirmed that everything was in order.
Only then, when her breathing stabilized and her eyes reopened, did the most experienced nurse gently carry him, wrapped in that little white blanket, and take him to his mother.
—"Here is your son, Mrs. Narusaka... And here is your mother, dear."
Those words were for him.
Without a doubt.
—"Hic... sniff..."
He stopped crying as he felt himself enveloped by his mother's arms. Then he saw for the first time that person looking at him with maternal, tender, and overflowing love.
(—"Mom..." )
It was his biological mother. Someone he had only seen in pictures, but who was now right in front of him, face to face. Even if it was just a memory, that moment surpassed any other experience of his life.
—"Hello... I am Aoi, your mom, little one..."
She said in a tired voice yet filled with undeniable genuineness.
Kirito felt that pure love coursing through his entire being. It was a unique trust, born from the unbreakable bond between mother and child.
(—"I never imagined..." )
Kirito felt like crying.
From happiness... And sadness, for experiencing something so unique… and knowing that he was no longer there.
—Your dad is outside... I'm sure he's very nervous, not knowing that you were born... You know? We've decided to name you Kazuto. Narusaka Kazuto, do you like it? —Aoi asked happily, as she took his little hand that was trying to touch her face with curiosity.
—"Mmn… ah..."
Kirito felt, involuntarily, how his body emitted a sound that resembled assent.
—"What a beautiful smile."
—"He's so cute."
—"Ssshhh… let's go out and leave the mother and her baby alone for a moment. Let's give the news to the father."
The young nurses were affectionately scolded by the more experienced one, who also signaled to call the father.
—"I will notify Mr. Narusaka right now."
One of them left, followed by the others who had already completed their tasks. In the room, only the doctor and the most experienced nurse remained. The doctor removed his mask with a slight smile, revealing a face in his forties that showed genuine joy. He loved his job, especially in moments like this.
—"I will let her rest for now. It is best that she does so. In a few days, she will be able to go home, Mrs. Narusaka."
—"Okay, doctor... And again, thank you very much..."
Aoi nodded and sincerely bid him farewell.
—"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Narusaka... And goodbye to you too, little one."
The doctor left the room, while the nurse finished cleaning —which was very little—. When she was done, with a bow and a smile, she said goodbye to both. His mother returned her focus to the new being in her life.
—"You are a very clever boy. And those dark eyes… I think you resemble me in that. The nurses were hooked on you."
Aoi said to Kazuto, and it was true, in part. Although they shared the eye color, hers had a more intense and beautiful shine. As for the face, the little one resembled his mother 80% of the time, and the rest to his father.
The door to the room finally opened, admitting a Narusaka Yukito who entered with contained emotion. After long hours of waiting in the hospital, where he could do nothing but pace the hallways over and over, the nurse had finally given him the news he longed to hear: he could come in.
He arrived directly from the office, as indicated by his impeccably cut gray suit, although it now showed some wrinkles after the tense waiting period. His black hair, carefully styled with gel that morning, appeared slightly disheveled from the nervous gestures of someone who had been awaiting news for hours. Although he had left with permission from his boss early on, he still retained that formal aura from his work environment, now mixed with the visible excitement of the moment.
(—"Dad..." )
Kazuto recognized the man with a robust and masculine build, a physique he had barely inherited.
—"How are you, Aoi? And the baby? Is there anything wrong?"
—"Ha, ha... both of us are fine, dear. Only I am tired."
Aoi couldn't help but laugh at her husband's concern, feeling a mix of joy and tenderness at his characteristic attentiveness.
—"Haaa, thank God..."
Yukito felt relieved. His wife, with a sweet voice, proposed:
—"Wouldn't you like to hold our little Kazuto?"
Upon hearing that, Yukito became excited and replied quickly and lovingly:
—"It's something I've wanted since the moment I entered this room."
Without further questions, he accepted the proposal and took the baby in his arms with the utmost care. Upon seeing him more clearly, he couldn't help but comment:
—"Kazuto, you look a lot like your mother. And I'm happy about that outcome…"
—"What are you saying, Yukito? I would have liked him to resemble you too…"
—"He has some of me, but I prefer it this way…"
—"Hehe."
—"Ha ha ha."
They both laughed and then embraced, holding Kazuto between them. A very happy beginning for little Narusaka.
And in the midst of that joy…
—"So this was my first day of life... with my parents."
…
His vision darkened again.
He felt a new suction and left behind that beautiful reunion that he had never felt or experienced… until now.
*****
**Kkkrr—shift…**
Kirito instantly regained the sensation of his body.
He immediately recognized the soft and cozy texture of a comfortable bed beneath his back, a brutal contrast against the cold restraint of the laboratory.
(—"I can't"....)
However, no matter how much he wanted to open his eyes, his eyelids refused to obey his will once again.
Just as it had happened in the recent memory.
At that moment, he heard a nearby voice.
A young, female voice that said joyfully:
—"Where is my favorite nephew?"
And then another voice, calmer, that he recognized from having heard it recently:
—"You're just going to wake him up…"
It was Aoi's voice, his mother.
She said it helplessly, with that tone of affectionate resignation.
—"And so what? You told me he hasn't woken up since yesterday. He's been sleeping longer than necessary… And I have my Suguha, who sleeps a lot."
The young voice suddenly stopped.
And with growing excitement, she exclaimed:
—"Ah, he's waking up Kazuto!"
Kirito felt how his eyes, still sleepy, began to open, overcoming the muscular resistance.
Looking up, lying on his back in bed, he saw three faces leaning over him, watching him attentively, silhouetted against the dim light of the room.
One was his mother, Aoi, whom he had already recognized.
And the other…
—"Midori, how can he not wake up with your racket?"
Aoi's voice confirmed it.
The second woman, with hair a little longer than he remembered, was his aunt Kirigaya Midori.
His second mother in life.
**Mmmn—grnn…**
Kirito moved his head from side to side.
Or rather, his past self did, while yawning upon waking and stretching slowly, his tiny fists clenching in front of his face.
(—"I imagined it... This is another...")
Once again, he understood that he was living another hidden memory. He experienced it from the front row.
He felt everything around him, every part of his body completely… the softness of the pajamas, the warmth of the environment.
But he could do nothing more than live it as it happened.
At that moment, he was in a crib.
Or rather, his crib.
—"Look, my dear Suguha... Your cousin Kazuto is watching you with all his attention."
What Midori said was true.
His eyes were drawn to the third person in the room: his cousin Suguha.
She was being gently held by her mother.
With hair cut to her ears, a little chubby, big bright and curious eyes, and a pink baby dress, complete with diapers.
By her appearance, Kirito estimated she was about six months old.
—"Ñaaa… Maaa..."
Baby Suguha reached out her hands toward him, her chubby little fingers opening and closing.
—"Aaah..."
And his infant self sat up from his lying position, imitating the gesture in her direction, a joyful babble escaping his lips.
It was clear that time had passed since his birth.
(—"At least, almost a year.")
And judging by how comfortable he felt in her presence, it was evident that he had already developed a bond with them.
—"Ah, I envy you, Suguha. How is it possible that you prefer to be more with your cousin than with me, Kazuto?"
Midori pretended to complain about the interaction between the two babies.
For Kirito, it was a surprise.
From what he remembered about his aunt, she used to be more reserved, less lively.
(—"But I suppose the tragedy that came later hardened her…")
He thought with pain and sadness for what would happen later, a familial oppression tightening in his chest.
**Shhh—rustle…**
As he reflected, he felt large hands swiftly yet gently take him.
—"Nuuaaa..."
When his past self saw that it was his aunt, he babbled and placed one of his tiny hands on her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin.
—"Mna-ña-ma…"
—"Ñaa-maaa..."
And he extended his other little hand toward his cousin, who wouldn't stop pointing at him with enthusiasm, making joyful sounds.
—"Ha, ha, ha… It seems they don't want you right now, Midori."
His mother, Aoi, laughed elegantly from the side, her eyes squinting from the smile.
—"What are you laughing at, Aoi? I don't see anywhere that your beloved son is looking for you too."
Midori defended herself with an exaggerated pout, but Aoi, as if she didn't care about that point of view, calmly replied:
—"Kazuto is a very spoiled baby. And when it's just the two of us, he gives me all his attention and love…"
Then, with a teasing smile, she added:
—"And I'm not as stingy as others, who don't lend their child to interact with those who spark his interest…"
—"Are you really so...?"
Midori couldn't find a way to reply to her sister, who was teasing her mischievously.
—"So my mother had this kind of personality..."
Kirito thought in amazement.
It seemed he had inherited part of that character unknowingly.
That would explain why his aunt smiled nostalgically every time he did something similar with others...
Including his cousin Suguha.
—"It must be that I remind her of herself..."
He thought with a pang of pain inside, a bittersweet taste flooding his consciousness.
In the midst of the interaction between the two babies, his aunt Midori, determined not to be separated from him, offered to hold both of them, one in each arm.
This allowed the little ones to interact freely: they laughed together, hugged, and touched each other's faces affectionately.
It was clear that they had good chemistry since they were just babies.
**Tap, tap—giggle...**
All this was happening while the two young women went down the stairs of the Narusaka house.
And as it happened, Kirito —from his adult consciousness— observed every corner of that place.
That home that once belonged to him.
That home that was his... with his family.
The four of them arrived in the living room.
Aoi and Midori carefully laid the babies on a soft padded carpet on the floor and, so as not to lose sight of them for a moment, sat right beside them, chatting while keeping watch over them.
—"How are you enjoying your vacation, dear little sister?"
Aoi asked, settling into the large sofa with a sigh of comfort.
—"I don't know... it feels strange not being able to work at the publishing house. It's my passion."
Midori replied with a sigh, absentmindedly playing with the edge of her sweater.
—"You know that not everything in life is work, right? And remember the reason why you're home."
Aoi said as she began to serve the tea that was on the coffee table, prepared for guests, the steam rising in spirals.
—"Don't get me wrong. I love taking care of my dear Suguha. What feels strange is that even my husband forces me to rest and doesn't let me work on anything related to my publishing house."
—"Sure, I understand you. Being a first-time mother isn't easy..."
**Clinksss**
Aoi said in a tender tone, sliding a cup of tea toward her sister.
—"You talk as if you have more experience than I do. There's only a six-month difference between our children, so don't get too cocky."
Midori replied with a playful smile, accepting the cup of tea. Meanwhile, Aoi watched her son, who was playing quietly at her feet.
—"Ha, ha... true. But I feel like this comes naturally to me. Being at home, taking care of Kazuto, having the food ready for my husband... makes me happy."
Midori smiled knowingly.
—"I get it. You're happy being a housewife and a mother.
I know we're different in that. I love writing, talking about technology... and you not so much."
—"Yes, that's fine. You were the one who taught me how to use a phone. It's so complicated!"
Aoi put a finger to her chin, remembering while looking at her smartphone on the table with a feigned exasperation.
—"Don't remind me. It was frustrating teaching you. I'd tell you one thing and you'd do something completely different..."
Midori rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed.
—"You know my inclination was always more towards tradition... and the kendo that Dad taught us. In that, I did surpass you."
—"Yes, yes... I know you surpassed me. Let's say it's a tie: you to your thing, and I to mine."
Midori didn't want to continue down that path.
Seeing her sister laugh with her hand over her mouth irritated her a bit more... though she couldn't help but smile too.
**Coo—gurgle...**
While all this was happening, Kirito saw everything.
Or at least he heard it while his infant self crawled on the carpet, playing with his cousin, their laughter forming the soundtrack of that domestic peace.
**Thump**
At one point, Suguha toppled him to the floor with a clumsy baby hug, and they both laughed with that pure, guttural laughter that only children can have.
Kirito felt deeply moved by that atmosphere.
He liked it.
It comforted him like a warm hug for the soul.
But, as often happens…
Sometimes, all good things come to an end.
**Tick… tock…**
**Tick… tock…**
About fifteen more minutes passed, and at that moment, the front door of the house opened.
It was his father, Narusaka Yukito.
—"I'm sorry for the delay... you can't imagine how the traffic is outside."
He said, apologizing while lightly shaking off his jacket.
—"Hello, dear. Don't worry, we didn't even notice how much time has passed."
Aoi replied affectionately, getting up to welcome him with a kiss on the cheek.
—"Hello, Yukito. Don't worry; I've only been waiting for less than half an hour."
Midori added, downplaying it with a wave of her hand.
—"I really appreciate you understanding me."
Yukito said to both of them before looking at his wife.
—"Are you ready, Aoi?"
—"Yes, I was just waiting for you."
Aoi picked up the purse that was on the other sofa in the living room.
—"Thank you in advance, Midori, for taking the time to take care of Kazuto while we run an errand."
She said with a genuine smile.
Yukito added:
—"It's true. You helping us means a lot to us."
—"Yes, yes... whatever you say. Just go have your date."
Midori replied teasingly, knowing they hadn't had much intimacy since Kazuto was born.
This made them both embarrassed, blush, and look away.
—"You can't just pretend... I guess you're getting your revenge."
Aoi murmured under her breath, her cheeks tinged with pink.
—"Huh, hmm, well, I think it's time for us to go."
Yukito coughed several times, uncomfortable, and hurried to the door.
—"Ha, ha... that's what you get for messing with me, little sister."
Midori whispered into Aoi's ear.
Aoi made an adorable pout, but then sharpened her gaze and responded quietly:
—"This won't end here, little sister. I hope you call me to help you at your house..."
Midori felt a chill and replied with a forced smile:
—"Okay... Ha, ha..."
Then she picked up the two babies who were still on the carpet and said:
—"Suguha, Kazuto... say goodbye to your uncles and parents."
Both, as if they understood, raised their tiny hands in a farewell gesture.
Aoi and Yukito approached.
While Midori held them in her arms, they couldn't help but smile at the gesture.
—"Mom and Dad are going out for a while, dear Kazuto."
Aoi said, bending down to give him a kiss on the forehead, her soft scent enveloping him, and then another to her niece Suguha.
—"I'm leaving you the house. Right now, you're the man of the house, Kazuto."
Yukito said, extending his fist with a proud smile.
Kazuto returned it with his own, as if it were a gesture they had practiced many times.
It was all laughter and joy.
The farewell seemed brief, inconsequential.
But for Kirito, who experienced it from his adult consciousness.
—"Something wasn't right..."
He had a bad feeling, a knot of ice forming in his stomach.
And as if that feeling transferred to his baby body, upon seeing his parents leave in the car, he reached out his hand toward them.
As if wanting to go with them.
As if wanting to stop them.
They simply smiled before getting into the vehicle, a final flash of unconscious happiness.
And that emotion…
That pain tearing inside…
Was the helplessness of seeing something that cannot be changed.
**Click—snap**
The door closed.
The three —Midori, Kazuto, and Suguha— entered the Narusaka home, the atmosphere subtly changing.
**Tick… tock…**
**Tick… tock…**
A couple of hours passed.
**Brrrring—brrring…**
The house phone rang.
Despite being a baby, Kirito directed his gaze toward his aunt, who answered without much importance.
—"Hello?"
It was a routine call, like so many others.
(—"...")
But Kirito's premonition was different, a dark certainty growing inside him.
And then he saw it.
He saw how Midori's eyes went from indifferent to wide, the blood leaving her face.
She almost dropped the phone while listening to the person on the other end of the line.
A tragedy.
**Gasp—hic...**
**Drip... drip... plic, plic...**
Tears began to fall down her face like a waterfall, silent at first.
**Hnnngh... shhhk...**
She covered her mouth, unable to believe what she was hearing, a tremor running through her entire body.
**Clunk.**
Then she lowered her head, her eyes darker and emptier than ever, and hung up the phone with a mechanical movement.
With effort, as if her legs weighed a ton, she approached Kazuto.
She separated him from Suguha, who also sensed her mother's atmosphere and remained silent, her eyes wide open.
—"Kazuto... your mom and dad went on a very long trip... hic... And they told me to take care of you for as long as necessary... hic."
**Huuuh... shkk...**
Midori held him tightly, as if he were an anchor in a sea of pain.
**Splash... drip, drip...**
The tears kept falling, staining the baby's clothes.
—"I promise... hic... that I will take care of you with all the love of a mother... more than an aunt. I promise you... I promise you..."
**Hnnngh—crck**
And unable to contain herself any longer, she hugged him, burying her face in his small shoulder.
—"Waaaaah!"
She cried bitterly, a heart-wrenching sound that filled the room.
—"Waaah! Aaah!"
—"Buaaaah... buaaaaah..."
And as if that pain transferred to the babies, Kazuto and Suguha began to cry in sync with her, their innocent wails mixing with Midori's inconsolable sobs.
Kirito, from within, felt his heart breaking.
He felt that shedding tears wasn't enough.
The warmth of the memory was freezing, transforming into the cold marble of a monument to pain.
It's surprising how such a happy and joyful moment can transform into something so tragic and heart-wrenching.
**Vwoooom—pull…**
In the midst of that suffering, he felt his consciousness being sucked back into darkness, the scene fading around him.
Leaving behind a day of memories that changed his life… forever.