Date Acceleration II (Complete)

Chapter 22

"So, is this the path you have chosen?" Nia asked Accelerator, who was sitting on the couch.

Accelerator's eyes turned to her.

"I don't know, and honestly, it doesn't matter; this road is shaky," Accelerator replied in a soft voice.

Nia then reached out for a handshake. Gripping Accelerator's hand. Giving his soft and pale hands a gentle squeeze. Like a teddy bear touching a hand.

Accelerator did not know how to respond.

Nia let out a warm and light smile that can be a candle to the dark. 

"You're on the right path, one-way road," she said happily. 

"Sometimes, the right path is always the hardest and the one you have to figure out with no guidance. You have been through a lot, and of course that doesn't excuse all the evil things you have done, but take pride in how much you kept moving forward and how you accomplished it," Nia said to Accelerator proudly. Pressing her hands on Accelerator's hands.

Accelerator only stared at the adult woman with glasses and messy white hair.

"I know Shido really messed up in trying, but give that poor boy some slack. He is doing what he knows. Not different from when you were your old self. Sure, Shido can't be compared to what you have gone through, but you both struggled. That's just life, I guess."

Nia sighed with a smile.

One long talk later. Accelerator then let slumber take him away from this waking nightmare. Happy to take in the calm before the upcoming nightmarish storms that will shake him to his core.

Accelerator, with his serious face, then faced Nia. 

Nia then spoke before a single word was able to come out of Accelerator.

"Don't worry, you don't need to go on another search. It's up to you to decide if this is your path. There is no need to ponder all of this. I know your head is messed up and you're struggling with what's right and wrong." 

Nia continued as Accelerator looked on the floor to process Nia's words. He didn't respond, but his hands behind his back curled tighter as if holding something in.

"Even if you take a step back from something you truly regret, just acknowledging it and trying to be better is a step forward. You're lost because many people are trying to tell you what's right and wrong for evil and misguided intentions. You don't have to worry about that for now." 

Nia ended with a comforting smile. One that's almost caring. When he finally looked up, her smile met him. Protective and understanding in a way that made his chest tighten. Almost like something he'd forgotten long ago, or more accurately, someone.

◈

Neryl Island had changed.

"Patrolling the island almost makes you wish for a spacequake." 

A lone person drowned out by hundreds and walls called out

What was once an ordinary top-secret base, uninhabited rock in the ocean now bristled with layers of new defenses. The base, originally built to house a single spirit, was being reshaped into something far more ambitious. A scientific complex. A fortress. A testing ground.

Thicker walls rose from the earth, built from denser, darker material. The old structures were swallowed by concrete and steel. New cameras blinked in every corner. Hidden traps sat nestled between stones. Turrets were scattered to protect from all types of threats from air, sea and land, all of them still but watching.