The Seeker | Volume 2

Shinso let out a yell as he awoke, holding his chest as a small amount of moisture built in the corners of his eyes.

"Am I…dead?" He asked breathlessly.

The two Aizawa's who had been in a confused daze for a last half a moment looked down at the indigo haired boy and shook their heads.

"No, you're not dead. But your memories are quite interesting." The other Aizawa said as he raised his alchemical goggles above his brows.

"My memories are…interesting?" Shinso asked.

The other Aizawa nodded. "Yes, they're very interesting, and almost terrifying too."

"My memories…I was on the roof before I died, the U.A roof." Shinso mumbled, leaning up with a groan. A small amount of fear was still eminent in his eyes.

"You've been alive since you've been here. You're not dead, what are you talking about?" Aizawa asked, kneeling beside the worried boy.

Shinso's breath eventually slowed as he wiped his brow. "I don't remember much, but I do recall a voice, a low voice calling out to me. They were asking me if I was ok…" 

"A voice?…" Aizawa looked at his own variant, who was silently observing Shinso's current state.

Shinso nodded in confirmation. "Yes, it sounded afraid; distressed by finding me on the roof bleeding."

"Do you know how you ended up on the roof in that condition?"

Shinso's expression contorted into one of contemplation. He bit his thumb as he attempted to recall what had happened. His eyes lost their look of ponderence and washed over with even more confusion as he shook his head.

Upon seeing Shieno's negative reply, the other Aizawa nodded in understanding. He then looked in the direction from where the memory strand had once been extruded.

"There were numerous dark patches in your memories. From what I could guess you either have memory problems or someone or something had altered them without your awareness." 

Shinso's eyes widened as he took in this possibility. 

"Why would anyone want to mess with my head?"

The other Aizawa fell silent for a few moments, he then took a deep breath and shook his head. 

"No one that I'm aware of." 

Shinso eventually mustered the strength to stand up. Even with his now lifted body, his posture and ability to remain upright was quickly dwindling.

Aizawa took note of this reaction and cocked an eyebrow. "It seems meddling with your mind makes you feel nauseous."

Shinso looked towards Aizawa and smiled self-deprecatingly.

 "Well, my quirk does allow me to mess with people's minds if they answer one of my commands. Perhaps my quirk thought your interference was some sort of backlash, so it began to attack me."

"Attack you? Why would you guess such a thing?" Aizawa asked.

Shinso chuckled dryly to himself before replying. "I've always thought the possibility of brain-washing myself was one of two options."

Shinso continued.

"One, I would remain in this current state forever unless someone broke me free, as in your other self."

"Another option would be if I tried to brainwash myself, my quirk would attack me, draining me mentally."

Aizawa nodded slowly in understanding. He then gazed towards his variant, who's expression silently told him that he had a viable guess. 

"The first option would be a good one. Brainwashing is often associated with all things regarding the mind and every corner of it. Perhaps our meddling triggered a false memory as a form of punishment or something?"

"Punishment?"

The other Aizawa nodded. "Yes, punishment. After all, your brain controls every aspect of what makes a person a person. Perhaps it installed a painful false memory in an attempt to break free from the control by making you feel pain."

"But could that explain the other dark patches of your memory?"

He suddenly waved his hand, conjuring Shinso's memory strand again. Shinso watched in astonishment as the illusory cord stretched from his nostrils. The sensation wasn't painful, it was reminiscent of the sensation of mucus leaving it.

"Dark patches you said?" Shinso asked as he looked at the numerous dark spots of the purple strand.

The other Aizawa nodded, grabbing a hold of the memory cord and expanding its size, peering in closer.

Within the illusory black spot, Aizawa's variant caught sight of the scene of Shinso bleeding out on the rooftop, the moonlight and stars shining on his dying form.

Shinso glared at himself with concern and a small pang of curiosity.

He saw that he was wearing the U.A uniform, the white collared shirt beneath the vest was stained with the vicious red liquid. His eyes were slowly lowering as the shadow of a person appeared into view.

Before anyone in the space could unravel any key features, the scene of his memory disappeared, traveling left quickly before disappearing among Shinso's other memories.

Shinso was silent for a few moments, taking in what he had just seen.

"If that was a false memory, why did I seem to recall it so vividly? Why do I still remember everything prior to what happened yet I remember dying?"

The other Aizawa turned back to Shinso as he waved his hand, causing the string of memories to disappear back into Shinso's naval passage.

"My guess is there was an outside force at play."

Shinso felt his heart sink slightly. "What deity could possibly take an interest in me? I'm so indifferent and small in the universe…"

"The Mother of Envy?" Aizawa proposed.

"Her"?" Shinso asked, looking back at Aizawa with a worried expression.

Aizawa nodded slowly. "It's always a possibility. Or it could just be your quirk attacking due to our interference." 

Shinso felt a tiny alleviation upon hearing Aizawa's claim, but the more dangerous and horrific option was a clear picture in his blurry mind.

Suddenly, the large stone door opened, and Katsuki, who was clad in orange and black armor walked into the room.

"The potion managed to help him slightly, thanks." He said nonchalantly as he gave a small smile to the other Aizawa.

The other Aizawa gave a faint smile, but behind the light expression he still felt a pang of curiosity and fear for Shinso.

…

"A sealed artifact regarding concealment of intentions?" Arden asked as he watched his sister dig through a drawer in the dark expanse.

Within the Silver Snake Committee, only members who had been involved for 3 months time were able to enter the Sealed Relic's room.

"Yes, it's an extra layer of protection. We could put it inside of the box to help us. It would possibly deter any suspicion." The girl replied as she took out a small bracelet with red and blue beads that seemed to glow dimly.

"This is Sealed Relic 1-736, it allows anyone to hide anything that doesn't exceed the given 1 pound limit. It won't conceal it as it makes it invisible, it will deter suspicion from it."

"So it doesn't make it invisible, it simply lets one ignore it?" 

Cosette replied with a smile, "yes."

She opened the black box and put in the bracelet besides the knife they will use to kill the noble. After shutting the lid she handed the box to Arden, who stuffed it into his trouser pockets. 

"Well, I assume we should look for something we could use to find information in regards to a not so suspicious time to enter the noble hall?" He asked as he left the Sealed Relic room and headed up the stairs.

After leaving the Pan Marché de Bolivar complex and taking a rental carriage back to their house, Arden and Cosette sat in their living room and picked up a newspaper sitting on the coffee table. 

"The most recent news is in regards to a series of events happening within Seraphis Kingdom. The most interesting one is a birthday party for one of the nobles' daughters, she's turning 19."

"When's the date?" Cosette asked, raising her head. 

"Tomorrow." Arden relied.

"We don't know how many nobles will be there, but we could enact a Miracle to increase our chances. Since we already have a box we could wrap it with a bow and pretend it's a present."

Cosette's idea made Arden chuckle in amusement . He seemed to find the idea almost instantly gratifying. 

"Sounds good, I assume we'll head to the department store on Timing Road?"

Arden and Cosette collectively nodded as they both stood up and walked out the door.