Arcturus was greeted with a strong tremor as he fell back and collided with the wall of the vehicle he was on. He caught Nova before he could do the same. He quickly scanned his surroundings. He noticed he was up in the sky, meaning he was in a floating vehicle. The interior was very metallic with a lot of monitors; a familiar scarlet-haired young man occupied one of them.
"I know this from your memories," Nova stated, "This is an airship—a ship that can sail the sky. Technology sure has advanced so much. I never knew such a thing existed in today's society."
"This is the control room." Arcturus's face contorted as he kept staring at the person typing frantically onto the computer.
"Abort! Abort!" The voice belonged to Arcturus four months ago. He had shorter hair back then. He typed furiously on the keyboard; fear was plastered on his face. He kept yelling into the headset he had before he threw it onto the floor in frustration.
Kori then rushed into the room. "Arc! I disposed of the corpses into the ocean!" Despite his ominous words, Kori's face looked livelier than in the previous memory. He looked so much like a human now.
"Good job. Now, come help me hack into this computer!"
Kori rushed towards Arcturus. One of his fingertips bent back, revealing a metallic harddrive; he inserted it into a socket and pressed his earring. A holographic screen appeared in front of Kori at eye level.
"Oh? The screen appears when he touches it." Nova remarked.
"It's because he's the owner of the earring; I am able to use it because I registered my fingerprint data. Shiftie owners are required to do so just in case their Shiftie starts malfunctioning."
Kori suddenly gasped. The past Arcturus became worried. The screen disappeared and Kori's finger reverted back to its idle state. Kori then stared at the past Arcturus straight in the eyes with his expression full of worry. "Arc, I am sorry. I cannot break the final firewall. Nathaniel has put in a strong code that even I, his creation, cannot crack. Now, there are only ten minutes until the airship's core explodes."
In frustration, Arcturus cursed. "Damn that Nathaniel Hope. He really is intent on killing me!" Fear became plastered on his face as he questioned Kori, "What should we do now? The airship is going to explode and we're the only ones alive!"
"Do not worry. I found a lifeboat and placed it on the deck. Let's get out before the explosion consumes us."
They scurried; the present Arcturus slowly got up and followed them with Nova tagging behind. When they reached the deck, there was a lifeboat bobbing on the ocean's waves; it was tied to a pole via rope. The past Arcturus was amazed with how fast and efficient Kori handled the tasks he did with his own free will; he did not order Kori to find a lifeboat.
"Arc, this lifeboat is only fit for one person."
Both Arcturuses' faces contorted into fear. The past Arcturus knew who was going to board while the present knew what was going to happen.
"One person? You can also get on! Change into your rabbit form and we can go on together…but shifting your form would take a few minutes since you are an older model…" He furrowed his brows at the thought of this harsh situation.
Kori shook his head. "I refuse. You need to survive."
Arcturus groaned. "Look. I can handle an explosion because of my Plasmian blood. You're just a normal person. Normal people can't survive an explosion. That's why you should get on the boat with me."
Kori stayed firm despite Arcturus's protests. The present Arcturus knew how much frustration he had accumulated during that moment. Kori had never refused a command before, so he had wondered what could be the reason for his rebellion.
"Even if you were to survive the explosion, your lifespan would gradually diminish. You could die days after recovery. I'm different. I'm created. I can be replaced if I die."
The past Arcturus's face contorted into anger. The present Arcturus could sense how much anger he had during that moment; it felt like a raging typhoon in his bloodstream. The past Arcturus lashed out; he grabbed Kori by the collar. "Don't say shit like that! Did Nathaniel program you to think like this? Screw him, then! You have meaning! Your life is important! Have more value in yourself, damn it! The four years we have spent together mean nothing to you? Are all Shifties like this?"
Kori remained expressionless despite being bombarded with questions. He reached out and grabbed Arcturus's arms; he pried them off with great force. "There are six minutes left. You need to survive."
The past Arcturus wanted to retort but did not. He had known that he would be the one to survive; it aggravated him because he did not want to lose Kori—he was important to him.
"Arcturus," Kori gave him a sullen smile. "If you don't mind, can I rummage into your satchel for a second?"
Arcturus gave him his bag; Kori quickly got out the old book and handed back the book. Arcturus was very confused. "Why did you take that out?"
"Nathaniel lured you into this trap by feeding you lies about this lore. You love this lore very much. You know all of it without the need to read the contents. It connects you to your father and your friends. However, that connection can be a weakness. You're so bound to this book—you're like a slave to it. I want you to be free. Be free to make your own choices. Be free to decide on whether or not the lore or Souhait is real even if you reach Castle Lavender. Be yourself. The way you are now, I love that most about you."
"Kori…" Arcturus did his best to hold back his tears.
"Let me die with this book. It's important to you, but it's only an object. I want to die with a part of you with me."
He then removed his earring and handed it to Arcturus. "Here. Take this with you. For us Shifties, our earrings are our life source. It helps us function our movements from animal to human and gives us access to all sorts of devices even if we are separated. Think of it as carrying a part of me with you. I'm sure it can help you tremendously in the future."
Arcturus clutched onto it as he gritted his teeth. He slung his bag over his shoulders.
"Three minutes left. Arcturus, please prove to the world that Souhait is real. Please prove to society that you have a place here. Make it so that we anomalies can live peacefully. Go get your wish granted."
Arcturus took one final forlorn look at Kori and rushed towards the edge of the dock. He took a deep breath and yelled "Thank you, Kori!" as he climbed and jumped out of the dock and onto the ocean; the present Arcturus and Nova followed, but they immediately swam to the boat while the past Arcturus struggled. They sat on either ends as they witnessed Arcturus's past self in the sea.
The present Arcturus remembered how cold the water was. No such coldness could be described in words. He remembered how much strength he had to muster in order to move his limbs to swim; he didn't want Kori's sacrifice to be in vain. Enduring the freezing water was something he did not want to remember a second time. He felt chills down his spine when he remembered how cold he had been. The water was cold, but climbing up the boat and being drenched in water in the cold wind was more excruciating.
Once he got on the boat, he shivered for a brief moment before he covered his ears as the airship exploded. The rope incinerated, separating him from the explosion site. The boat started drifting away, and he couldn't go back because the noise left his ears numb; he curled up in order to withstand the pain. The present Arcturus could only watch his past self with a sullen countenance.
Suddenly, the surroundings changed; the explosion sight was gone and the boat was in the middle of the ocean. The present Arcturus started scanning the vicinity.
"I fast-forwarded your memory." Nova said as he had his hands in a snapping gesture. "With a snap of a finger, I can fast forward or rewind your memories." He snapped to show an example. He snapped once to go back to the scene where the airship exploded and then snapped again to show their current location—the middle of the ocean. The emptiness made Arcturus remember how empty he had felt too; there were no animals or land at sight.