The shadow opened the door and light spilled onto Riko's face
It was him
The same eyes, the same hair, the same features of the Riko I had known since childhood
But
There was something else beneath it
Tense features, sharp lines around his eyes
As if he hadn't slept for days
Or came from somewhere far away… a feeling in a place beyond my mind
As if he was analyzing what was happening and what would follow
He stood for a few seconds looking at me
And I was unable to tell if this was the real Riko or just an echo
An echo of someone who looked like him
He said in a calm tone
"Ginso… are you okay"
I didn't answer
I was searching around him, behind him, inside him…
Any sign that could separate what I was seeing now from what I had felt moments ago
Riko said
"I was unconscious… I brought you here"
I took a small step back without realizing
"You brought me… where"
He breathed slowly
As if preparing for a long explanation he didn't want to give
"To a safe place… temporary"
I looked at the cold walls, the dirty floor, the metal door
This was not a safe place
This was a place hiding something… or someone
I said in a low voice
"Riko… were you alone here"
He froze completely, as if he hadn't expected the question like that
"Why do you ask"
I stepped closer and said
"Because I felt… someone else was here
Someone who isn't you"
His eyes flickered for a fraction of a second… a brief, fearful look
But it betrayed him
I said
"Riko… who was here"
He opened his mouth to reply… but didn't
As if he was chewing on a lie… or a truth
Then he said in a very short sentence
"Ginso… don't try to use your ability now"
My chest trembled
I felt fear creeping along my spine
"How… do you know what happened with my ability
I don't even understand it myself"
He didn't answer directly
He just said
"Because I saw you… before you woke up"
I froze
"Saw… what"
He sat on the only chair and rubbed his face with his hand
He said in a low tone
"Ginso… you didn't just collapse
Your ability changed
Something broke in your head when you tried to see three possibilities at the same time
And when that happens… it results in"
I stepped closer and said quickly
"Results in what"
He lifted his head slowly
And said
"Reading the place"
I didn't understand
"Reading"
He nodded
"You are not just seeing the future now
You are seeing the traces of what happened in the place before you were there
Things that no longer exist
People who passed through
Even their feelings"
My pulse rose
Everything I had felt moments ago suddenly made terrifying sense
But the question struck like a knife
"So… the person who was here just now… who is it"
He looked at me directly
That look was not a friend's look, nor a fearful one
It was the look of someone hiding something heavy
He finally said
"Ginso… you won't like the answer"
I felt the ground leave my feet
"Riko… are you working with the organization"
His expression changed completely
He didn't answer quickly
And his silence was more dangerous than anything I had seen today
And before he could say anything
We heard a faint sound behind the door… as if someone was moving in the corridor
We turned together
A room with traces of an unknown presence
Echoes of strange footsteps
And Riko, who hadn't answered my question
And for the first time I felt that the answer wasn't "yes"
Nor "no"
But something much worse