Fractal Plane: Purgatory Survivors

Chapter 1 - A Surprise Visit

1

"Big Bro, breakfast is ready!"

Hikari's call snapped Kazuki out of his stupor, and he got out of bed. The scent of a luscious breakfast greeted him when he stepped out into the living room, and he felt his mood lifting a bit.

It was all in spite of his bandaged chest and stomach area still aching with some soreness.

The two siblings shared some greetings before they took their spots on the dining table.

"Thanks for everything these past two weeks, Hikari. Must be a lot more trouble taking care of me."

Hikari, who was in the midst of drinking her glass of milk, paused a bit before chuckling.

"What caused you to be so sentimental all of a sudden, Big Bro? Of course it's your loving sister's responsibility," she said as her pigtails bounced happily along with her. "Seeing you eat well the past few days has made me so happy. You're so much brighter and better now compared to just after the festival. Make sure to enjoy the food and have a good rest after breakfast, okay? I'll take care of the dishes."

"You're too kind, Hikari," commented Kazuki, "It makes me feel bad letting you spoil me like that. You really okay with doing all the work?"

"You're joking, right?"

"You also got hurt at the Fuyusato Grand Festival."

"It's nothing compared to how you looked that night," shrugged Hikari. "Every day, I tell myself how thankful I am that nothing else happened that day. Hmmm, but considering that I sometimes get dreams of Uehara and Amagi being some anime heroes with their magical weapons, I guess I'm a bit wrong. But whatever! It's just a dream and all. As for the school festival, talk about an unlucky day for an earthquake to strike!"

"Yeah. I'm glad that you're fine," smiled Kazuki while he began eating his pancakes, allowing his sister's motor mouth to continue talking in various tangents.

Yet, he was fixated on one statement.

Nothing else happened, huh?

It was an innocent statement that inadvertently brought back feelings of regret within him. What Hikari said was a complete lie, even if it was no fault of hers.

It was true that nothing short of a miracle happened to have everyone survive, most with just minor bruises and injuries. To the lot, an earthquake struck, and everyone just fell unconscious, awaking with vague memories of what happened.

Medically, it was caused by a rush of adrenaline.

Kazuki, however, knew the truth.

The earthquake and all were false memories implanted by the Temple of Recollections.

Others, like Hikari, started getting vague dreams of the things that did happen. Some manifested in uplifting dreams of getting saved by people with magical weapons, while others got recurring nightmares of the shadow hands.

"Oh, right. I remember it now. Someone did go missing," followed Hikari in an uncertain tone.

That statement caught Kazuki's attention, and he temporarily stopped eating.

"It's the Ishida person. How could I forget after it being the hot topic in the news for days on end? There was a missing person report, and no one could find any leads."

Just like that, his mood deflated.

It was true that Reijy Ishida went missing after the incident, and he was the second victim of the Fragment. He's not who Kazuki was thinking of, however.