As Clyde stood lost in bewildered contemplation, staring out at the ruined city before him, "blam," the emergency stairwell door suddenly burst open. A blinding flashlight beam locked directly onto Clyde, who instinctively shielded his eyes with his arm, startled by the sudden glare.
"Eeeeek!"
"Thud!"
The flashlight beam vanished as a girl’s echoing scream shattered the quiet night air. Clyde lowered his arm and spotted a young girl standing in front of him, clad in full military fatigues, a tactical vest, and camouflage trousers, with a carbine slung across her back. The girl had both hands pressed firmly over her eyes, her flashlight lying abandoned on the floor. Following her reaction, Clyde looked down, his eyes widening as he suddenly realized he was stark naked. Flushing bright red, he spun around to face away from her, slapping one hand behind him to cover his backside.
"S... sorry!" Clyde stammered.
"Who are you... why are you out here all alone and naked?" the girl yelled.
"Um... I don’t really know... I just suddenly woke up here," Clyde replied, his back still turned to her.
"Where did you come from?" the girl asked.
"Over there," Clyde answered, gesturing toward the milk-white, glowing dome with its flickering, iridescent light.
The girl went silent, and for a moment, Clyde heard no sound behind him until "pluk," a heavy piece of fabric landed squarely on his shoulders.
"Put that on and turn around," the girl instructed.
"Okay," Clyde replied.
Clyde picked up the fabric, which turned out to be a heavy military trench coat. Sliding his arms into the sleeves, he clutched the front closed with his hands before turning to face her. Standing before him was a pretty, wavy-blonde girl with bright blue eyes, her face slightly smudged with grime, holding a handgun pointed straight at him. Clyde instinctively started to raise his hands in surrender, but realized that if he let go of the coat, he would expose himself all over again.
"Um... sorry, but I can’t raise my hands," Clyde said nervously.
"What’s your name?" the girl demanded.
"Um... Clyde," he replied.
"Hmmm... okay. My name is Mary. What happened to you? Speak up, fast," Mary ordered, her pistol still leveled at his chest.
Clyde explained that he had woken up inside a pod, managed to break free, and discovered countless other tanks lined up around him; consumed by fear and confusion over what was happening, he had simply bolted for the exit. Naturally, he withheld the details about his horrific transformation and his encounter with the soldiers, knowing the girl before him was a soldier as well. Sure enough, Mary eyed him with a look of utter disbelief.
"How did you get out? How did you even bypass the Ravager stationed there?" Mary questioned.
"A Ravager?" Clyde asked.
"The giant, dog-like monster tasked with guarding the facility," Mary answered, her hand shifting toward the carbine at her back.
"Oh... I... um... snuck past it," Clyde lied smoothly, while silently wondering, Could that Ravager be the very monster I... devoured?
Mary studied Clyde’s innocent face, which showed no trace of deception. Letting out a soft "sigh," she lowered her weapon.
"Fine... that means you snapped out of their simulation hypnosis. Let me break it down for you: that facility you were in is a livestock farm. They breed humans to consume them, just like we raise cattle for slaughter. They drain our blood and suck out our vital life force while keeping us sound asleep inside a simulation," Mary explained.
"Huh... they?" Clyde asked.
"The Nephilim... you know, the giant hybrids born from Watchers and humans that prey on mankind? I thought everyone on Earth knew that story," Mary replied.
Clyde stood frozen, struggling to process the information. Of course he knew the story, it was written in the most famous religious scripture in the world, followed by millions.
"Guess you really don’t know anything, huh... Judging by your face and build, you’re 15 at most. You were born inside the pods, so it makes sense you wouldn’t understand," Mary noted, observing him closely.
"No... no... I’m a high school senior... I’m supposed to be 18... or maybe not... I don’t know... I don’t remember... honestly, I’m not even sure anymore," Clyde stammered, confusing even himself.
"It’s not that you forgot, you just don’t know... Come with me. We’re heading to the human city, the only one left in the world. A real human city, not a simulation," Mary offered, taking Clyde by the hand.
"Um... alright," Clyde agreed, letting her lead him away passively.
The two made their way toward the emergency rooftop door. As they walked, Clyde stole a glance at Mary beside him.
I don’t know this girl... but maybe it’s best I keep quiet and follow her. I need to figure out what’s actually going on... my memories... my life... and Celes, he thought to himself.
They continued descending into the stairwell, which grew darker with every step. "Trrrt," the flashlight in Mary’s hand flickered weakly. She smacked the side of the casing, bringing the beam back to life briefly before it died completely, plunging them into pitch-black darkness.
"Tch... battery’s dead... and I don’t have a spare... ugh, guess I have to use this," Mary muttered.
Mary held up her hand, and "blush," a magical circle flared to life at her fingertips. A bright plume of fire erupted, illuminating their surroundings and revealing the stairs ahead once more. Clyde gasped in shock, unable to believe what was unfolding before his eyes. With trembling hands, he gestured toward the light.
"Th... that... in your hand... what is that?" Clyde stammered.
"Oh, this? Flame magic. Humans born after the Great Transition can use magic," Mary answered casually.
"The... Great... Transition? What’s that?" Clyde asked.
"Ah, right, you just woke up, so you wouldn’t know a thing. Let’s get out of here first, it’s too dangerous. Once we reach the city, everything will be explained to you," Mary replied.
"Oh... okay," Clyde agreed, his eyes glued to the flame casting light over the dark passageway.
Upon reaching the ground floor, Mary doused her flame; even though it was night, the moonlight and sweeping aurora above provided ample light outside. Clyde felt a bit puzzled seeing no one else around, while Mary remained on high alert. The two moved swiftly down the street, keeping close to the shadows of the ruined buildings. Feeling increasingly curious, Clyde looked over at Mary.
"Are you all by yourself?" Clyde asked.
Mary went quiet, walking silently with her eyes fixed straight ahead. Clyde fell silent as well, regretting his question. But after a moment, Mary spoke up.
"I’m the only one left. I’m on my way back now... my entire unit was wiped out by three Ravagers that ambushed us out of nowhere. They’re still roaming around this area, so I hid in that building earlier," Mary said in a quiet, solemn voice.
"Oh... I see," Clyde replied, at a complete loss for how to comfort her.
Silence settled over them once more. Clyde struggled to spark a conversation; he understood so little of this reality, his mind still pulled between his fabricated life in the city with his loved ones and the lingering hope that all of this was just a bad dream. Then, Mary broke the silence again.
"Don’t worry, you’re safe now. Your big sister here will protect you," Mary said with a smile, adjusting her rifle.
Hearing her words, Clyde closely inspected Mary. She was shorter than him and appeared to be around 18 years old, roughly his own true age.
"Hmm? Big sister? She looks about the same age as me," Clyde thought.
In the end, Clyde simply nodded. As they walked, Mary carefully scanned every window, doorway, and alleyway they passed, clicking a small light on and sweeping the shadows as they moved. When they passed a structure with intact window glass that caught Mary’s light, Clyde froze in his tracks, forcing Mary to halt as well. He stared blankly at his own reflection gleaming in the dark glass.
Clyde touched his face. His features hadn’t changed into a monster’s like before; he was still handsome, with messy black hair. But to his astonishment, he looked distinctly younger, his frame far more toned and muscular than before despite his lean build. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at his reflection.
"That’s... really me... So what Mary said was true? I look like I’m barely 15... completely different from when I was with... Ah, all of this is so confusing, it’s going to drive me insane," Clyde thought, his mind spinning.
Noticing Clyde had stopped, Mary turned back and approached him. She glanced at the dark, intact window glass before looking back at Clyde.
"What’s wrong, Clyde?" Mary asked.
"Nothing... it’s nothing," Clyde replied quickly.
"Come on, we need to keep moving before we trip the enemy’s magic sensors," Mary urged, pulling him gently by the arm.
"Right, okay," Clyde replied, stepping forward even as he cast one last glance at his reflection in the glass.
They pressed onward, and with every step, a barrage of unanswered questions flooded Clyde’s mind, though he remained quiet, lacking the courage to press Mary further or confess his terrifying secrets to the girl pulling him through the dark.