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Author's Notes: Written for two competitions hosted in Gaiaonline by Psychotic Maniacal Sanity and Daisy. This story can be linked to 'A Predator's Fallacy', but it's also a stand-alone. Just so you know, heh. Enjoy, and if there's anything you think I should improve in my future works, drop a word behind. Thanks.
Un-identical Reflection
“Describe it to me… please.”
Upon hearing the familiar voice, a pair of brown eyes turned from the window to gaze at the beautiful lady sitting by the large mirror and a small smile crossed her lips. She turned her gaze back to the outside world and watched the multi-coloured clouds fly by slowly. She wanted to ask why the clouds changed their colour so drastically, but Anna knew better than to voice it. The world was dealing with enough questions as it is without needing to add another pointless one. She would just have to enjoy what she could see and be done with it. The origin of the colours should not matter much – it was probably just a side-effect of something bigger anyway. With a hesitant sigh, the young girl curled her fingers resting on the windowsill and spoke;
“The skies are a mixture of different colours now, Miss Lynette. Blues, whites, reds, purples, oranges, blacks. Name them all, I’m sure that somewhere, the colours will exist in the clouds above us. However, scary as that might sound, it is very lovely. It’s beautiful. For even in this ending, beastly world, such beauty can be seen for it is very much unique. Singular, in a way.” She said softly.
“Take my hand, Anna.” Lynette replied after a small pause. She held out her white hand, blindly searching for those of the girl’s. Without hesitating, Anna crossed over to her mistress and clutched her hand reassuringly. “Is it that beautiful?”
“Not as beautiful as your eyes, Miss Lynette.”
She smiled. “My eyes… my eyes are long gone. You can’t love something that’s no longer there.”
It was called an Asterisk because of its six-legged form and almost unnoticeable body. Created by scientists a century ago, it was said that an Asterisk was originally adapted from a living human being, then injected with a sort of scientific data that was now lost to this world. Some said that an Asterisk was created by technology, and some said that it was formed from another animal, perhaps now instinct. It was possible either way, but like many others, Alphonse wouldn't want to care more. The truth was that the creature was destroying their land with its madness and thirst for human life, and that was enough of a reason for Alphonse to protect those he love by going into battle with these strange beings - and to capture and research.
A chimera, or an artificial human – it was the enemy of the world, as far as everyone’s concerned.
Alphonse knew where they originated somewhat, however. It was written in the books, even though most of their knowledge was lost in the Third World War; and he had spent most of his time following the footsteps of his grandfather, Kenny Rise, who had tried to research most of the events happening in the world back when he was alive. His own father, Alex Rise, had committed himself into doing research upon the matter, but was killed in battle during the war those long years back, leaving Alphonse to carry out his footsteps that had been passed on from the last generation.
According to the books, a century ago, a group of scientists were found dead – killed – in an accident in their own laboratory. None escaped alive, however, the inspector in charge had said that some of their creations might have done the deed of killing their creators. If so, they were roaming the lands free and none really knew of their tale. The only lead they had was from a book called ‘A Predator’s Fallacy’ written by Alphonse’s grandfather, Kenny Rise, but was actually published under the name of his stepfather, Michael. The truth of this matter was not known until more than a decade afterwards, in which searching for Kenny Rise would have proven pointless.
After discovering that fact, the case was abandoned.
Kenny lived; and as he lived, he searched. According to his books, scientists performed experiments on the homeless or those who were supposed to be persecuted for their crimes. It was mostly done in secret, but a number suspected the government to be slightly involved. Not only that, labs were stationed around the globe which then sparked the Third World War between countries once discovered. Not only did they manage to destroy themselves, they also managed to destroy knowledge that had been researched for centuries. Research notes were burned and incinerated, and a sort of virus was inserted into the World Wide Web, deleting all that was present, annihilating all hopes left of creating a beautiful world.
What was once advanced was thrown into ruins, and the Asterisk took over what remained soon after the war.
“Anna… Thank you for staying with me.”
“What do you mean, Miss?”
“After I lost my sight, you could have just gone somewhere else.”
The features on Anna’s face softened somewhat and she sat down, still holding her mistress’ hands. Or, to her, her friend’s hands. Gently, Anna placed her hand on Lynette’s forehead and swept back the long chestnut hair with a serene smile.
“Look at us, Miss. A few decades ago, we were in a modern world. And yet, it’s as if we’re back in the Victorian times.” She smiled.
Lynette laughed. “You’re right. I feel like such an old-fashioned person. Has Alphonse returned?”
“No, Miss.”
“Stop calling me that. Lynette is fine.”
“Very well. Thank you.”
“Anna told me what the sky looked like. This world turned into such a beastly place, yet she said it looked beautiful.” Lynette said softly. “I missed you.”
“I do too. Lynette, I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you.” Alphonse said, his voice strained. Sensing this, Lynette reached forward and her fingers touched his nose. She moved them down somewhat, caressing his lips instead.
“Hush, Alphonse. It’s not as if you can manage everything.” She answered.
Under normal circumstances, Alphonse would have asked her to look at him straight in the eye and tell him that she didn’t hate him, pardon the pun, but this time, it seemed as though he was too afraid to know the truth. His hands moved down to her neck and his fingers suddenly felt the gold chain resting on her neck. “You still keep this?” He asked, surprised, pulling the chain out.
“Of course. It was a gift.” Lynette replied. Her hand moved to the chain, feeling the locket that came with it. If she opened the locket, she knew that she would see two mirrors – that is, if she could see which, unfortunately, she no longer could. Her fingers tightened around the locket and she felt the coarse surface of the carvings around it. Tugging it fiercely, the chain snapped and she felt it fall around her wrists.
Alphonse’s eyebrows drew up, not expecting this sort of reaction from one so gentle. “Lynette?”
“There are mirrors in this locket. What use is a mirror without eyes to look at it? Tell me, Alphonse, what is a mirror to you when you have no eyes to explore what’s inside it?” She asked.
Taken from the research of Dr. Kenny Rise, titled ‘Truth of the Predator’.
In his mind, he was trying to get rid of the Asterisks because he needed to protect Lynette. But now, he wondered if that was really his true intention. Could it be that he actually loved this beastly world? That he was trying to protect the world and not just this woman in front of him? It was possible. After all, Alphonse always wanted more. It was in his blood, passed down since the creation and birth of Kenny Rise. It was inevitable for one to want to know more when given the chance.
He always praised himself because Lynette loved him. Lynette, a twenty year old, falling in love with a thirty-five year old like him was a case which was rarely heard nowadays. Many younger men wanted Lynette for themselves. Her bright green eyes always managed to catch them off-guard and her figure and complexion was one which most would love to lay their hands on. And yet, she chose him above the rest. It was an honour.
Her question remained unanswered.
“What is a mirror to you when you have no eyes to explore what’s inside it?”
What could he say to that? Alphonse had to admit, all this time, he always loved her vibrant eyes more than any other feature she had, but now her eyes were damaged because of the Asterisks. What was once beautiful to him was now ghastly. Could it be that all this time, Alphonse only loved her because of her beauty and not her personality? Admitting that to himself didn’t even seem like a hard task, but could it really be true? After all, he was saving the world, but he hadn’t come to save her. Alphonse always thought that what he was doing to the world mirrored the way he treated Lynette… but now, he doubted it.
Could it be that he loved the world more than he loved Lynette? And even so, why would it matter?
A small chuckle escaped his lips as he realised what he was thinking about. It seemed as though the Rise family always had debates against themselves – at least, that was what he learned from Kenny Rise. Even though Alphonse never met his grandfather personally, the book that was written based on his past told him as much. And judging by his father’s behaviour back when he was alive, it wouldn’t take much to notice that Alex Rise often had debates over his own decisions himself.
Somehow, Alphonse found that highly amusing.
“What is a mirror to you when you have no eyes to explore what’s inside it?”
If Alphonse decided to take the key words from the paragraph he just read from Kenny Rise’s research, he guessed that he could explain what that question meant to him. After all, his love for the world mirrors his love for Lynette, correct? Glancing back at the sleeping figure, Alphonse stroked her hair and examined the paragraph again, wording it in his own way;
“In general, a mirror is made from clear glass with the back painted black, or some other dark colour. If placed in front of each other, one side would mirror the other exactly, which in turn would mirror the other side continuously. In language, a mirror can be a symbol for a metaphor. In beauty, a mirror can be used to indicate someone performing an action which was done at the time to avoid mistakes from the customers, or self. A mirror is also often used to correct a mistake which cannot be seen from one’s own gaze. The word mirror itself can also be used to emphasise the similarity of something else when another adjective is not available.”
In Alphonse’s idea, that sounded correct enough. Taking into account the similarities between an Asterisk and a mirror, if his condition between the world and Lynette was mirrored, then the only explanation possible was that the mirror, like the Asterisk, would be his enemy. However, he had given the mirror to Lynette as a symbol of his love. Thus, the only conclusion Alphonse could gain from that would be that all this time, he either never have loved Lynette, he had never loved the world, or one thing could never mirror another exactly. Because if taken lightly, everything could mirror another, which again was far from the truth.
A mirror was made from two sides – one dark, the other clear. If the dark spot was Lynette’s blindness in which she could no longer see anything other than darkness, then the world would perhaps be the clear side. However, it’s thanks to the dark surface that a mirror was present, and such a small, insignificant human being would not be responsible for how the world goes. But, one small, insignificant human being would always be able to influence the world. After all, all is one and one is all where without one, all would not exist.
Knowing this, he might be able to answer her question. Without sight, a mirror was still just a mirror, insignificant to oneself, but useful to others. Therefore, to Lynette, a mirror might not mean anything. Without being able to explore what lies inside the mirror, Lynette would have to explore it in another way. To Alphonse, that might be his answer. To one who had such the advantage of being able to see, they would immediately gain the easy way out, however, to those who does not, they would need to explore.
Was that the message he had been trying to tell himself?
Leaning forward, Alphonse gazed at Lynette for a while before pressing his lips to her forehead. So he managed to answer her question now, metaphorically speaking – that still did not tell him whether he really loved her or not.
If there’s anything he found hard to admit to himself, it’s the fact that he needed to use the research book on Asterisks to find out how he really felt about Lynette.
Running to the captured creature, Alphonse knelt down by it and allowed himself to once again be amazed by the inhuman thing which looked so much like a real asterisk. It struggled helplessly under the net, now pinned down from all sides to prevent it from attacking. Alphonse watched it struggle, examining its wounds and movements carefully, trying to remember what was previously researched to make sure he had all advantages. After a while, he nodded and stood.
“Take it to the lab, Sam. We might be able to experiment on it later for more information.”
“Sure thing, Al.” The bulky man replied. “By the way, you might want to go and see Thomas over there. He’s got something he would like to tell you.” He informed, joining the small party to start moving the still-struggling creature.
Alphonse nodded and watched them handle the Asterisk for a short few minutes before walking over to the man standing nearby. “Thomas.” He greeted. “What seems to be the problem?”
The man had blue eyes and blonde hair, a rare trait nowadays. He looked over to Alphonse and smiled slightly, turning his gaze back to study the Asterisk. “Strange, don’t you think? A century ago, we were performing experiments on humans to make this Asterisk, but now, we’re performing experiments on the Asterisks to know more about it. If you ask me, we should look at ourselves. This is our creation.” He said coldly.
“So you’ve been researching along with Rise’s theories?” Alphonse asked, amused. “If you checked Liesel’s theories, they made sense somewhat. Aliens.” He chuckled, receiving a curse from his companion. “Hey, it’s not that bad, Thomas. You have to admit, we’re talking about things from outer space. The possibilities of finding something alive out there are limitless.”
“And yet, look at this! All which our ancestors have achieved in their research were destroyed, no thanks to the f-”
“Chill, Thomas. No need to get worked up with what our fathers did. It was war.” Alphonse said, narrowing his eyes. “But you still haven’t told me what you want with me.”
Thomas’ clenched hands loosened somewhat and he managed a small sigh. “I wonder why I even care about this world.” He muttered. “Anyway, I realised that the Asterisks’ movements are somewhat stopped around white surfaces, as I’m sure you’ve noted before: You’re a Rise after all. According to Kenny’s research, these things are humans injected with some sort of scientific information – DNA of some sort, so this might be some sort of trauma they still possess. But how they reached this sort of asterisk-shaped being is beyond me. It could be possible that the humans injected were made to adapt. We could use the theory of evolution.”
Alphonse raised his eyebrows. “You do know that Kenny was a possible experiment himself, Thomas?”
The other nodded. “Of course. I’ve read ‘A Predator’s Fallacy’, thank you. But in that book he wrote, not only is it fiction, it’s published under the name of his stepfather who was also a writer, so the book might have been tainted. And he was… what, sixteen when he wrote that? Who knows? The story said that he was an experiment that failed. Something went wrong in the genes.”
“I know the tale of my own grandfather, thanks.” Alphonse answered. “The theory of evolution might work. We don’t know exactly what sort of scientific information was injected into these beings. Guess the only way to know is to relearn genetic information and rebuild the machines. I’ll have to take the optimistic approach and hope that we can relearn all this again. The Asterisks aren’t running out on us just yet, at least.”
“I wonder where they went. You know… before they emerged. Do you have any theories on that, Al?”
“Anywhere. These things are possibly smarter than us. They were created at a time where their technology surpasses us by miles. You can’t underestimate an Asterisk. Who knows what they’re capable of? We just need to hope that we can relearn what was gained since centuries ago.” Alphonse answered. “If that’s all, I’m going. I need to see what info we can gain from that Asterisk. I curse whoever that had decided to transfer that virus through the World Wide Web during the war.” He said bitterly, walking off.
At one point, she asked Anna to leave her and her servant – now friend – did so dutifully. Bless her. Unlike Anna, Lynette was only gentle in name, not in heart. She was never a gentle person, but her blindness and her frailty after the attack gave the impression of it – not that Lynette was about to complain. If Alphonse truly didn’t love her anymore, she supposed that she could use the opportunity to change herself.
Lynette did not realise how long she stood there alone, but eventually, she felt a familiar pair of hands circling her waist. Alphonse’s chin rested on her shoulder and she tilted her head slightly to acknowledge his presence. His breathing was deep, but Lynette could not tell whether it was from exhaustion or nerves – at times like this, she deeply wished that she could see his eyes. She moved her hands to clasp his carefully and a small breath escaped her pale lips. All was silent, each waiting for the other to say something until, in the end, Lynette decided to break the tension;
“Tired, Alphonse?” She asked.
She felt him shook his head. “No. Just somewhat frustrated that we couldn’t make a faster progress.” He answered; his voice toneless. “Lynette… I need to tell you something.”
“It’s alright.” Lynette answered, not allowing the explanation to come. “I understand. It’s okay. It’s… fine. When someone is promised greatness, it’s hard not to accept the challenge.” She said quickly. “Go. The world needs you.”
Alphonse laughed slightly, but his eyes were tight. Tightening his hold, the man nuzzled his chin along her neck. “The world’s dying, Lynette. I don’t know if there’s anything else I can do to it.”
“There’s nothing else you can do to me either.” The reply was cold.
“Lynette –”
“Alphonse, we never loved each other. Or, more specifically… you never loved me. You love the world, Alphonse. You love what’s natural. I’ve heard, countless times before, how you said that you loved my eyes, green and vibrant like the forest leaves in the wilderness. You gave me a locket with mirrors large enough for me to see both my eyes when I gaze into it. And now this is destroyed, I can sense the change. You only loved that part of me, but that part is gone. You want to know more about this world and serve it.” She gave a small chuckle. “Typical for a Rise.”
“How so?”
“I asked what a mirror meant to you and you took hours searching for an answer. If I ask you what an Asterisk meant to you, no doubt, you’ll manage to answer easily. Anna works for you. She saw how well you dealt with an Asterisk and how it differed to how you treat me. You love an Asterisk more – and the world. The knowledge of it all pulls you to your research. You thought you loved me, but you didn’t. One can’t love what’s no longer there, Alphonse.”
“I did love you –”
“But it’s impossible now. We both know that. You want to study Asterisks, get to understand them and find out if they have any link with Kenny Rise. But an Asterisk attacked me and got rid of the only thing that you actually love about me. It’s inevitable for you to feel more attached to the world. It runs in your blood. You can achieve a lot more if you leave me with Anna and just go and do what you were meant to do. Your love for me never mirrored the way you love the world. It’s the other way around.”
“I can leave all that.”
“But will you?”
Alphonse fell silent. The blind girl took the hesitation as an answer and smiled. To have the love of her life snatched away by a mere scientific being – something inhuman and foreign… It was painful. She desperately wanted him to leave and just go away. The love they had shared before was only a metaphor of something bigger. The love he had for her eyes, mirroring the love he actually had for the world.
A dying world, but a world nonetheless.
There’s always something about the world which a human would find hard to develop some sort of hatred to it. Love, friends, beauty… Anything. Yet, she was touched despite their ruined relationship. To be able to learn the truth, even without needing to look into his eyes: At least she knew that once, they shared something. A sort of understanding of each other, even though understanding was never that much of a big deal. A teenager would still resent the fact that their mother had always been so protective, even if they did understand that it was for their own well-being. In this case, Lynette’s understanding on why and how Alphonse loved the world for how it was would be enough for her to accept, but still resent.
“Go.” She whispered, pressing her cheek against his hair.
“Just… let me hold you for a while. One last time until it’s time for me to leave.”
“…Okay.”
