Zack and Ruis were now ready to take the potions as they face the fancy steel cup in their hands, sitting on chair.
"Don't be afraid. It only make things worse."
Leon said with a smirked on his face, gently tapping the table.
As everyone attention was drawn to them, the cups gradually lifting to their mouth.
GULP!
"Don't die idiots."
Ender spoke with a grin.
"Nah, I have many things to do in my life so I won't die that easily."
Zack snorted, wiping the liquid from his mouth with a tissue.
Ruis was unusually silent.
"What's wrong? You good Ruis?"
Sara asked with worried expression as she was sitting beside him.
He didn't reply as he fell down as she touched his shoulder.
Leon teleport to him as he checked him.
"Don't worry. He's just showing different signs. It was pretty fast for him to reach Stage two this fast."
"So you're saying he's right now."
Ender said with amazement yet calm tone.
"Yes, he is currently interacting with his zon, or in simple his unconscious mind."
"Then what about me?"
Zack intrigued while continuing.
"I don't even feel pain or any symptoms in my body right now."
"It can have different reactions with different people, you already know that and Arknights usually don't get physical pain but rather mental which is way worse than any trame."
Leon said with a calm tone glaring at Zack who was lost in his thoughts.
"Okay then what about me? How do I get to know my strength and powers."
"You aren't having whispers inside you or any voice right now."
"No... "
–Shut up idiot.
~Huh?Who are you?
–You!
Leon starred at Ender's puzzle face while making a slight smile.
"Ah yes so it's working now."
Leon said with a smirked.
"What is this? That voice."
He looked with awe face.
"It's you. Your very own unconscious and zon merged together."
"What!?"
"Relax it's with all of us. You're not the only one."
–Why am I with this guy?
***
Ruis was space with stars and other galaxies shining at the distance. Beneath him was a large Galaxy in which he was somehow standing on it.
"Huh?"
He looked around everywhere but he could only saw stars flickering and beautiful galaxies shining in the void.
"You're here."
A voice came from behind him as he turned around to saw a shadow of a big tall man wearing a space coat of stars itself, only his purple glowing eyes were visible through the cloth.
"Who are you?"
Ruis tried to keep his cosmpure as he asked with awe expression.
"You."
He spoke with a calm tone.
"What is this place?"
"Your world."
The man lifted his hand as a projected screen started to appear in the space.
"What are you trying to do?"
But the man didn't reply as we see a young Ruis wearing a teared gray clothes.
"What?..."
Ruis tried to speak but he couldn't. Maybe he remembered something from the past.
"Remind yourself."
[Flash back – Past memories]
Ruis was getting beaten up by his alcoholic man who was beating him with a belt point in a very bizarre way.
"Ahh! Please... stop it. I won't do it ever again!"
Blood was pouring from his skinny legs and arms, his face was bruised and his left eyes was swollen.
The man stop it as he was tired of it. Ruis breathing heavily as the man kicks him in his stomach and throws him out of his shop.
Ruis who was so severely wounded he could barely move but he gets up as the people around him started whispering and some throw trash at him.
He runs away from there and came through dirty streets with just a apple at his hand. He goes to a broken house far away from the town where water was slowly dropping from the ceiling as he went to the room where a woman was coughing badly. He knocked at the old door which was broken from some parts as there was tape to cover them up.
"Come in."
The woman spoke, still coughing.
As Ruis open the door and a woman was laying on her bed which was not in good shape too.
Ruis hugged her while crying.
"Sorry mama, this is all I can get today."
As he gave her an apple. Which she gradually takes it. Still coughing.
"What is this blood dear?"
She intrigued.
"Ah just slipped over, nothing much."
He said with a smile, trying to hide his scars.
"Stop lying. Your eye and your whole body has bruises or scratches."
"I– I told you it's nothing serious. I have these everyday."
As the mom went silent as she layed back down with Ruis cleaning the apple and coming back to, cutting the apple to small pieces with knife and giving it to her mom.
"You eat too."
"It's okay mom. I have eaten just right before I came."
His stomach grunts slightly, just for him to feel it.
Few days later...
His mother's condition get worse and worse day by day and that day had come now.
"Mom!"
Ruis spoke with a excited tone.
He had a large piece of meat along with fruits in his little hands. Knocking the door but there was silence, no sounds of coughing or any movement.
"Mom?"
He said with a pause, worried expression.
Beating the door hardly than ever.
"Mom!"
He opened the door and run to his mother.
"Mom!"
He checked her but her skin was cold and she wasn't breathing.
"M– Mom.."
Tears started to come out of his eyes as he embraced her. The meat and fruits laying on the stool near the bed.
Some days later Ruis was in his mother's grave, telling her about how his days went without her. As a man came to him wearing a cone straw hat with traditional samurai outfit of their town.
He puts his hands on Ruis shoulder saying
"Come with me kid. You got it."
"Master kensi!"
Ruis eyes widened as he was shocked to saw a big figure like him to appear in his sight.
Kensi Takumara was the samurai master of the shoni village. He was known for his brilliant swordsmanship skills around the town.
He takes Ruis with him and Ruis lived a pretty normal life than after but he wasn't able to forget his mother's death as he thinks he was the reason for it till this day.
Ruis came to city for higher studies as he lives in a rent house and his university fees which are covered by his master but other than that, Ruis have to take care of all things like his food, clothing and other daily life things which he covered by working as a receptionist in a store near his house.
***
Ruis was silent as the projected screen scattered.
"W– Why do you show me this?"
"Remembering yourself and be true to yourself is a great and pure act."
Ruis face become furious as he try to hit the man but as he tried to hit him, he felt a strong force on his body as he fell down.
"Do you think if you became an Astran? Change yourself for it and then change yourself for others. Can this all forget our past we gone through. Can this change it?"
"I know this all can't change my past, can't change my written story. But!. It can change the story which is not written yet!"
Ruis spoke with furious tone. Getting up with all his might.
***
[Present scene]
"Yoo. Why is he shining?"
Ender exclaimed looking at crystallized Ruis while Zack was also crystallized. Moments ago he felt a burning sensation in his stomach before falling out.
"This is how you were shining few moments ago."
Misha spoke with warm and cozy tone.
"Damn, so this is how it goes."
He leaned to his chair calmy watching crystals with one of them shining while the other was dimmed.
He looked at Leon who was stretching his arms.
"By the way, you didn't tell your trame to us?"
"Matrix is my trame."
He said with a pause, like he was lost in his thoughts.
"When will you both choose and become us?"
Ender intrigued, glaring at Sara and Misha.
"When these two passed it."
Sara spoke with irrated tone.
"Sounds relevant."
– Dumb guy. Trying to impress girls.
~ They're my friends and wash yourself with holy water first before speaking.
– You mean us.
~ ....