Chương 42: Ch:42

Tatsuya jolted awake, disoriented and confused. "Where am I?" he muttered, glancing around. The familiar surroundings of his dark room came into focus, lit only by the eerie glow of his computer screen. The atmosphere was heavy, filled with the remnants of countless late-night gaming sessions—empty cola cans, discarded wrappers, and half-eaten junk food littered the floor.

His eyes locked onto the computer screen, which displayed the game "Cyborg Online." With a sense of foreboding, Tatsuya approached the glowing monitor. "Huh, it's my character... Raika?" he whispered, recognition dawning on him. His gaze drifted downward, and his breath caught in his throat. There, on the floor, lay his own body, motionless and pale.

A wave of panic surged through him. "Is that... my body? Am I dead?" He reached out to touch his prone form, but his hand passed through it as if he were a ghost. The reality of his situation hit him like a sledgehammer. "No, this can't be happening!"

Desperation clawed at his chest as he frantically tried to grasp his body, his fingers slipping through with no resistance. "Help! Help! Somebody, please help!" he cried, his voice echoing in the dark room. Tears streamed down his face as he sank to his knees, hugging them tightly. The crushing loneliness and fear were overwhelming. "Am I really a ghost?" he sobbed, the weight of his new reality bearing down on him.

The room remained silent, save for the hum of the computer and the faint, otherworldly glow of the screen. Tatsuya was trapped in a liminal space, his body unresponsive, his spirit untethered. The image of Raika on the screen flickered, a haunting reminder of the life he was now disconnected from.

Tatsuya's ghost remained motionless, his face darkened and expressionless, his head hung low in silent despair. The room was a cocoon of grief and regret, the glow of the computer screen casting an eerie light over the scene.

A soft knock on the door broke the stillness. "Tatsuya, are you still there?" his mother's voice called out, trembling with worry. "It's been days since you came out. Please, Tatsuya..." Her voice cracked, the weight of her fears evident.

Tatsuya's ghost didn't move, his anguish deepening as he heard the pain in his mother's voice. Suddenly, the door burst open, his father standing there with panic etched on his face. They both froze, taking in the sight of Tatsuya's lifeless body sprawled on the floor.

"Tatsuya, no!" his mother screamed, her hands flying to her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "You had such a bright future ahead," his father choked out, his own tears flowing freely. "Why, Tatsuya, why?"

His mother rushed to his body, her movements frantic and desperate. She reached out to touch him, her hand passing through Tatsuya's ghost as if he weren't there. "No, no, no!" she wailed, her voice breaking. She cradled his lifeless form in her arms, rocking back and forth, her tears soaking his shirt.

"Tatsuya, please wake up. Please..." she pleaded, her voice a broken whisper. "You can't leave us like this. We love you so much."

His father stood over them, his face contorted with grief, his sobs silent but no less heart-wrenching. "Tatsuya," he whispered, his voice filled with sorrow and regret, "we should have been there for you. We should have seen how much you were hurting."

Tatsuya's ghost watched, his own pain mirrored in the agony of his parents. He felt a crushing weight of guilt and helplessness. "I'm here," he wanted to say, but no words came out. He was trapped in this liminal space, unable to comfort them, unable to ease their suffering.

His mother's cries filled the room, raw and unfiltered, as she clung to her son. "Tatsuya, noooo!" she screamed, the sound echoing off the walls, piercing the stillness of the room.

The scene was a tableau of heartbreak, a family shattered by loss, their lives irrevocably changed. Tatsuya's ghost remained, a silent witness to their grief, his own despair deepening with every passing moment.

Suddenly, the room around Tatsuya shifted, and he found himself in a familiar, yet distant, setting. His family's dining room, bathed in the soft glow of evening light, appeared before him. At the table, his mother and father sat, eating dinner, their expressions somber. His sister, now five years old, sat in a high chair, her innocence a stark contrast to the heavy air in the room.

Tatsuya's mother stood at the sink, washing dishes, her movements slow and mechanical. His father sat at the table, flipping through a newspaper, though his eyes were distant, barely skimming the words. The silence was heavy, punctuated only by the clinking of dishes and the rustling of paper.

"Mom," his sister's small voice broke the quiet, her curiosity evident. "Where is my brother you mentioned?"

His mother's hands froze over the sink, the plate she was holding slipping slightly in her grasp. His father's hand paused mid-page-turn, both of them caught in the painful memory of the past. Tears welled up in his mother's eyes, and she swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady.

"He... he's just having a trip," she said, her voice trembling. "You might not see him again."

His sister tilted her head, her young mind trying to grasp the concept. "Far away?" she asked softly.

"Yes," his mother whispered, her tears now falling freely. "Far away."

Tatsuya's ghost watched the scene unfold, his heart breaking anew. He reached out, his hand trembling, tears streaming down his ethereal face. The sight of his family's sorrow, the weight of their unspoken pain, was almost too much to bear.

His father's face contorted with grief, the newspaper forgotten as he stared at the table, lost in his own memories. "He was so young," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "So much potential..."

His sister, sensing the sadness in the room, looked down at her plate, her small face scrunched in confusion and concern. "I miss him," she said quietly, her words simple but profound.

Tatsuya's ghost knelt beside the table, his fingers brushing through the air as he tried to touch his sister's hand, his tears mingling with theirs in a sorrowful symphony. "I'm here," he whispered, though he knew they couldn't hear him. "I'm so sorry."

His mother turned away from the sink, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "We miss you too, Tatsuya," she murmured, her voice breaking. "Every single day."

The room was filled with an overwhelming sense of loss and longing, the love they felt for Tatsuya hanging heavy in the air. His ghost remained, a silent witness to their pain, his own heart aching with the realization of how deeply his absence had affected them.

In that moment, Tatsuya understood the true weight of his actions, the ripple effect of his choices. He could do nothing but watch, his hand outstretched, his tears flowing freely, as his family continued to live with the gaping hole left by his departure. The sorrow was palpable, a constant reminder of the love that had been lost, but never forgotten.

As Tatsuya watched the heart-wrenching scene of his family's grief, a sudden shift interrupted his thoughts. A soft, feminine voice echoed in the background, cutting through the heavy atmosphere.

"System memories complete. Recovering Raika's body."

Tatsuya looked around, confused and disoriented. A countdown appeared in the air before him, the numbers ticking down steadily.

"10, 9, 8..."

"Wait, wait!" Tatsuya shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "I want to relive this memory!"

"7, 6, 5..."

Panic surged through him as he tried to hold onto the fading image of his family, their faces blurred by his tears.

"4, 3, 2..."

"Please!" he pleaded, reaching out futilely.

"1, 0."

With a final flicker, the scene disappeared, and Tatsuya felt a jolt as he was pulled back into reality. Raika's eyes fluttered open, tears streaming down her face. She blinked rapidly, her vision clearing to reveal the sterile surroundings of Doctor Aquinas's lab. The pain and sorrow from her memories still lingered, the emotions raw and overwhelming.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, her body trembling. The tears continued to flow, a mix of the lingering grief from her past and the relief of being alive. Doctor Aquinas stood nearby, his face a mix of concern and relief as he monitored her vitals.

"Raika, you're awake," he said softly, stepping closer. "How do you feel?"

Raika wiped at her eyes, trying to compose herself. "I... I remember everything," she whispered, her voice trembling. "The memories, the pain... it felt so real."

Doctor Aquinas nodded, his expression serious. "The system needed to access your deepest memories to aid in your recovery. I'm sorry for the pain it caused, but it was necessary to save you."

Raika took another deep breath, her mind racing. The emotions from her past life as Tatsuya and her current existence as Raika collided, leaving her feeling disoriented and overwhelmed. But amidst the chaos, one thing was clear: she had been given another chance.

"I won't waste this opportunity," she said quietly, determination shining through her tears. "I won't let their sacrifices be in vain."

Doctor Aquinas nodded, a small smile of encouragement on his face. "You've been given a second chance, Raika. Use it wisely."

As she lay there, recovering her strength, Raika knew that her journey was far from over. With the memories of her past guiding her, she was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. The tears continued to fall, but they were now a mix of sorrow and hope, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Raika, still lying in the recovery chamber, whispered to herself, "Analyze all Earth databases. Search for Tatsuya's death."

Her eyes began to glow as her hacking and search systems activated. In her human form, the interface displayed a complex web of data streams. The process started, scanning through historical events, records, and countless systems across the world.

"Searching... matching... match not found," the interface repeatedly displayed as the hours ticked by. Raika lay motionless, her eyes flickering with information.

"Matching... matching... match not found," the system continued, sifting through mountains of data, hacking into secure servers, and accessing hidden archives. The tension built as Raika's determination drove the search forward.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the interface displayed: "Match found."

Her eyes widened as the data began to download, revealing the truth about Tatsuya and the events leading up to the world apocalypse. She braced herself, her heart pounding, as the crucial information started to unfold.

Just as the final piece of the puzzle was about to be revealed, the screen flickered ominously.

"Data retrieved. Displaying... 3... 2... 1..."

The screen went black, leaving Raika staring into the void, the anticipation hanging heavily in the air.

What had happened to Tatsuya? What catastrophic events led to the apocalypse?

The answers were right there, but she had to wait just a moment longer to uncover the full truth.

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