Chapter 3 Always
After seeing himself smile, X felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Yet, the images continued. Suddenly, he found himself standing at a glacier, but the chill didn't touch him; instead, he felt an unwavering superiority over the towering expanse of ice. It was as though he could dissolve it with a mere thought. This newfound confidence and dominance felt entirely foreign to him.
His parents had instilled in him the value of humility, making this overwhelming arrogance he now experienced deeply repugnant. He noticed his hand raised, almost involuntarily, and the rays of the sun that had been illuminating the glacier faded, plunging the scene into night. Raising his hand once more, the sun reappeared. He repeated this motion tens, hundreds, even thousands of times.
X watched, perplexed, as each movement of his hand alternated day and night, causing the glacier to shrink gradually. Though he couldn't comprehend the connection between his involuntary hand movements, the sun, and the glacier's changes, he felt a sense of sorrow as the once-beautiful natural wonder dwindled away, leaving behind a desolate expanse of gray dirt.
In this moment, he was reminded of the previous vision with his white-haired self and the gray planet.
"Wake up, X. Wake up."
Opening his eyes, X's vision was filled with red. Sam was fully awake and as vibrant as ever.
"Hey, Sam, what time is it?" X asked, his mind still groggy from being abruptly awakened from his dream. He knew that something was amiss and that he needed to discuss it with his family.
Sam checked the virtual clock on the wall and replied, "School has just ended, but we missed our last three classes. They're probably aware of the situation, so we should be fine. But X…"
Sam seemed to sense that something was off, and X knew she had picked up on it since morning. He smiled and said, "We have a lot to talk about at home."
Understanding that he had grasped her doubts, Sam started to walk home.
With the advancement of technology, transportation naturally became a top priority. Not only were all service tasks tied to transportation speed, but also the movement of people needed to be faster and less resource-consuming. This led to the development of automated taxi cabs. These cabs could accommodate up to five people and lacked a steering wheel. The seats could rotate to face each other, and they reached speeds of over 150 miles per hour on the freeway, all thanks to self-driving technology.
However, some found driving or walking entertaining. For them, local roads were specially maintained, while the freeway was built directly above the available roads.
The walk home took about 30 minutes, but X and Sam found it far from boring. Having known each other for most of their lives, they had a multitude of topics to discuss. Sensing that their conversation at home would be serious, they lightened the mood by sharing jokes.
Between chuckles, Sam said, "Our homeroom teacher looks like an old lion standing on its hind legs. And his personality is so bad, I couldn't tell if his cane is in his hand or up his ass. Hahaha!"
X and Sam nearly stumbled from their laughter.
Sam laughed a bit more before responding, "That metalhead almost killed me with that first kick. Crazy bitch. If you hadn't told me to duck, I doubt I could've attended school for the rest of the week."
X nodded with a smile. "Yeah, she was crazy. I was so scared she was going to take your head off. I didn't sense any killing intent; otherwise, I would have thrown all those bags Sam suddenly stopped, her eyes fixed on X in silence. X halted as well, puzzled. "What?"
Sam asked, "Since when can you detect killing intent?"
Sam was the daughter of a regional commander and had been gifted in combat from a young age. Her father had progressively taught her more advanced skills. However, detecting killing intent wasn't something one could simply learn. You needed to feel it. How could someone know the scent of a flower they had never smelled, or explain a sensation they had never experienced? This was why mastering the skill of detecting killing intent was so challenging. Even with the extensive training her father provided, Sam still couldn't do it. She had never faced a situation where someone wished to kill her. And neither had X, based on their mutual understanding.
Seeing the uncertainty in both of them, X and Sam conveniently stopped just a few steps away from X's house. Their faces bore the lingering shadow of their previous conversation. Opening the door using facial recognition, they entered the house. X's parents were already home, with his father watching the news and his mother busy cooking. Although food could be prepared automatically, cooking was his mother's pastime. Upon hearing the door, both parents turned to greet the two children but froze upon seeing their expressions.
Isabell was the first to recover this time. "Whatever happened, go change and get ready for dinner. Afterwards, we'll discuss it."
They both nodded and headed to their respective rooms. Sam dropped her bag and was about to go next door to her own house to shower and change, but Isabell stopped her. "Honey, you left some clothes here. You don't need to go back. Just shower and—"
Her words were abruptly cut short by a loud bang from upstairs. The three of them rushed upstairs to X's room. Ben spoke in a low voice, "Son, what happened? Open the door."
A click was heard, and the door swung open to reveal X's bare upper body. What terrified the onlookers were the scars that covered every inch of his skin. His well-toned muscles were defined, devoid of any fat. Upon closer inspection, straight and diagonal cuts formed patterns on his chest. Ben grabbed his son's hand and led him to a mirror at the back of the room, making him face his reflection.
In the mirror, the cuts seemed more uniform. Gazing at them closely sent shivers down everyone's spines. The cuts formed tally marks that started on his chest and wrapped around his body.
Sam felt an inexplicable urge and moved closer, lifting one of X's pant legs. Tally marks spread in a circular motion across his leg in perfect uniformity. All four of them were left in shock. It was then that they remembered that X often wore shorts and half-sleeve pajamas at home. And the pajamas from yesterday were still hanging on the hook behind his door, visible to all four of them.
They moved to the living room couch and sat down, with X in the middle. His mother held his right hand, and Sam held his left.
Benjamin, usually the composed one, paced back and forth. Today had been filled with unexplainable occurrences. X and Sam recounted what had transpired at school, along with their conversation outside.
As more thoughts swirled in Ben's head, his pacing grew faster.
"I had a dream," X's voice cut through the silence, freezing Ben in his tracks.
"In the first part, I saw myself with white hair. I was looking at a gray planet, sadder than I've ever been. Then my hair turned black again, and the planet became green. After I saw it turn green, I started smiling again. The second part felt strange, like watching a movie but I could feel what was happening. I couldn't see my face, but I knew I was looking through my own eyes. I was staring at a glacier, and my hand movements made the sun and moon advance."
Sam interrupted in confusion, "What do you mean by 'advance'?"
X responded, equally puzzled by her question, "Like I was fast-forwarding them."
Ben, frowning, looked at his shirtless son, then at the cuts more closely, and finally at his hands. He hadn't noticed due to the concern over the cuts, but X's young hands were covered in calluses. X had never done physical labor or trained with weapons. Even his knuckles bore old wounds and scars
Ben gazed at his son's clear blue eyes, identical to his wife's, confirming his identity as his only son. Slowly, he said, "X, you're not the same X as yesterday."
Isabell interjected angrily, "What do—"
She felt the rough, callused hands and understood what her husband was implying.
Ben smiled and confirmed without needing to hear the full question, "He's our son, but his body appears to be from the future. Somehow, his mind is still in the present."
Everyone scrutinized Ben's face, searching for any hint of falsehood.
X's next words, however, affirmed his theory. "Since I got out of the bathroom today, I've felt out of sync with my body. It looks like me, but it doesn't feel like me. Even though I can control it, it's as if I don't have full control. Kind of like buying new shoes. They feel so new that you're not used to them."
X looked at his father and asked, "But if I'm from the future, why can't I remember anything?"
"I don't know, my boy. We often form theories as scientists to explain or prove something. This is just my theory until we learn more. But for now, a few basic facts are clear. First, you are indeed X. You didn't have scars on your body yesterday, and your abilities were different. These changes, as you said, occurred since you got out of the bathroom this morning. Does anyone disagree with what I've said so far?"
Seeing everyone's agreement, Ben continued, "Our next goals are: to uncover the time your body originates from, why your body came back, and your current power. Does anyone have another goal?"
Sam spoke up, "Uncle Ben, I want to know what the cuts on his body are and who inflicted them."
The one to respond was Isabell. "The cuts were self-inflicted."
Sam inhaled sharply, unable to believe it.
Isabell went on, "And the reason was to count. Now what he wanted to count, I have no idea. But I do know he was unhappy while doing it."
Ben nodded in agreement, "It's as though he wanted to feel something, anything. These cuts are needlessly deep. If he only wanted to leave marks, he didn't need to cut through muscle fibers. Cuts like these serve no other purpose than to cause pain."
Hearing this, Sam trembled, holding onto X's hand even tighter, her face shaking.
Isabell looked at her precious son and asked, "But what could make you feel this way? Add that to your dream about the white-haired version of yourself, and it's clear he was in absolute despair."
Recalling the image of his white-haired self, X was overcome with a sadness he couldn't even fathom. He answered his mother's question, "I don't know, Mom. The look on his face was so sad, as if the world had ended."
This casual remark left the others speechless.
Ben nodded and marked it as if making a note, "For now, let's assume that's the case."
X, taken aback by his words, questioned, "Dad, isn't that a bit much?"
Ben nodded to his son and explained with a reassuring smile, "Son, that's why I said 'for now.' Once we gather more information, we can pinpoint exactly why your future self sent you back."
Isabell added, "Also, keep a journal of all your dreams and their details to help us keep track of clues. We'll discuss them every day. Don't worry, son. We'll always be here for you."
X nodded, a grateful smile lighting up his face. As his body began to shake, similar to that morning, he assumed it was because he had been shirtless for too long. He stood up, but Sam held onto his arm, refusing to let go. He sat back down with a resigned sigh.
Isabell laughed, "Looks like you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."
Hearing this, Sam released his arm, saying, "Sorry." She returned to her usual cheerful demeanor, playfully putting him in a headlock. "But tonight, you're sleeping on the couch!"