Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Epilogue Arc 02 “Regalia of Felixia: Antequam Aurora” (Part 03)

“Uncle?”

Stared at by his own nephew, the young man simply fell silent. He felt no blood or family connection at all. So foreign, feeling indifferent and just put on a flat expression to the little boy.

The young man himself understood, from the beginning there was something wrong in him. From then on, something was missing from his heart. Not only because of the accident he had experienced first or strange events at that time, but many things he had experienced so far slowly made his way of thinking more damaged.

Gazing straight at his Sister on the other side of the table, the young man glimpsed. Branded dresses worn, expensive bags of reptilian animal skin and luxury watches. But of all the jewelry and luxury items she carried, her sister did not wear a wedding chicin.

“What ... is it true? Your husband ... died?” ask the young man.

“Hmm ...” The Little Sister simply nodded her head, then gloomily explained, “That was already half a year ago. Milo ... died at the border …. According to his colleagues, there were five guided missiles that struck the central headquarters at the border. It was crippled with air defense, but one of the missiles fell into the rear substation where it was guarding. The report I received also written that the incident shrank six victims, including him.”

The young man did not seem to care or empathy at all despite hearing the chronology of his sister's husband's death. Taking a light breath, the Young man still thought of himself and just said, “So yes, unexpectedly it ended like that.”

The brother was surprised to hear his brother's reaction. She had put up a nose of anger, then back dim quickly because she understood as a mother should not exemplify bad things to her daughter. Especially as angry at his own brother.

Staring with a restraining sense of resentment and trying to compromise, the Little Sister put on a stiff and insinuating smile, “Is that just the reaction of Big Brother? Though your sister just became a Widow and was confused …. Are there no other words you want to say?  Brother's heart is numb too, huh? Or indeed from the beginning Brother does not care about my husband?”

The young man did not change his face at all, the words did not touch his heart and only went into his ears. After sighing, he started to lower his face and replied, “Sorry, I don't know what to say either. It feels ... This feels unreal. Honestly, as long as you're okay, that's enough. This is enough for me.”

His sister's words made the Brother jerk and began to feel something strange in the mind, it told him that his sister had not changed at all. Either in appearance or attitude. He was always apathetic towards others except his own family.

Controlled by anger in the mind that for a moment rose, the Little Sister also without restraint said, “Kakak indeed never changed, huh? Whether it's a disgusting appearance that doesn't fit that age or the terrible attitude of Brother. Is Brother really human?”

The meaning still did not reach the heart of the young man. If the words can make his heart moved or even hurt, he may put on a thin smile and feel relieved to feel the sensation of life. Yet it was not at all, only a void felt in his heart.

At that moment, the young man noticed it. He no longer considered the woman before him as family. The little sister he had always been proud of and could count on had disappeared from him.

Losing interest in the conversation and stopping hoping, The young man looked straight at me with a gloomy face and said, “Okay, I am also starting to doubt him. As you can see, I'm not aging at all. If only I had not held the company, by now I might have been arrested and completely dissected for research.”

“Kakak ..”

For the first time the brother was afraid of his brother. Slowly and with certainty, the intention to ask for help to him began to disappear. But when his son pulled his clothes and asked again, “Why is Mama angry with Uncle?” It made him stunned and returned to his original purpose when he invited his brother to meet.

“What's wrong, Mama was just having a little chat. We had a fight because it was so familiar, so don't pack it. Come on, just eat your ice cream .. later the hunt melts.”

“That's gelato loh,” connect the Youth.

“Eh? I know it! Anyway what's the difference, both from milk, ‘kan!? Ah⸻!”

Seeing his mother back in a yell, the boy's eyes glazed over and cried.

“Ma-Mama angry …! Uwah~! Ja-Don't get angry …. Lia good boy, ‘kan? Mama don't be mad at Lia ..”

The conversation halted for a moment, waiting for the woman to calm her daughter to sleep tired of crying. After almost half an hour had passed, he looked back at the young man and intended to directly talk about something important. Staring at each other, the first to open his mouth and say was the younger brother.

“I want to ask for help. What can⸻?”

“Of course can.”

“So, I'm not done talking! Listen to me until it's over, don't just accept it like that dong! Because of your nature I did not like and left home!”

“More or less I understand what you want to say.” The young man turned his eyes out the window, put up a slightly irritated face and again said, “After your husband died, you who lived with your Mother and Father-in-law began to feel uneasy, ‘kan? Considered as strangers and bullies. Finally, instead, leave your late husband's house and choose to live independently with your daughter. However, you do not expect raising a child alone will be very heavy, especially in the current condition of society.”

The young man's words were very precise, as if he had read the minds of his interlocutors. With a slightly pale face and cold sweat beginning to pour out, the Little Sister asked, “Why .. Brother can know?”

Looking back at his sister, the young man sighed again and casually replied, “Before coming here, I had thought of many possibilities. After seeing the princess and the look on your face earlier, I narrowed it down and that was the conclusion I could draw. You also have a lot of mind burden, yes.”

“How to talk to a Brother like A.I whom I created, like a machine. Don't-don't the one talking at me right now is a robot that looks like Brother.”

“Because, I'm your biological brother's real. Well, it's not weird that you think that way either. Their base is me anyway, a copy of the neutron network and various other things.”

For a moment the conversation stopped, the Sister felt hesitant to ask for help even though she had asked her Brother to come. Deep down, she was afraid to stay with her brother.

Not only because of the personality or company held by his brother, but also the reason why he chose to leave home a few years ago.

“Kak, about that ...”

“Are you afraid of living with a killer like me?” the young man said without hesitation.

He really does not care about other customers or one version of the Public Security System in the cafe. All the system that creates is itself, it is impossible for A.I to attack or subdue its creator. That's why without hesitation he said a taboo word like “Killer” in the public center.

“Eng, of course I'm afraid …. Although at that time the trial said Big Brother was under the influence of others, as well as there was even a possibility of a third party doing so and Big Brother being framed …. Still, I know the truth. Until now I felt a little sinful for not reporting it to the authorities. That time ... I don't want to make Dad and Mom more anxious.”

The murder they were talking about was a Massacre of All Class Members at a top university, taking place a few years ago just before the Third World War climaxed. At that time for several reasons, in order to meet the standards in order to inherit the company of his father the Youth is required to continue his education. Despite having to enter a class containing people younger than him a few years, he went through it without protest and was quite enthusiastic at the beginning.

But in the final semester before graduation, the incident happened. With a handgun, the young man shot everyone in the class including the Lecturer. Initially, in the demand for public kneeling services it was said to be a crime of pure murder and misuse of firearms. But no matter who said it, another speculation arose. It is said that the young man who commits a crime is being influenced by others and not by his own will.

Fingerprints on the assembled weapon were found that it was once held by someone other than himself, making the argument even more firmer. Reviewing the personality of the Youth during learning is fairly disciplined and diligent despite having an ill-fated background because it had a severe accident, the argument strengthened again. In the end, it was decided that the crime was committed by someone else and not purely by him.

For almost a month after the investigation, it was discovered that blood spots from TKP showed that the young man was also attacked with a firearm. However, he only got a minor injury to the head.

In a matter of months, the young man escaped without any meaningful legal record in his life in society despite having killed all members of the class. The external conflict experienced by the country at that time also made the case and the documents of its investigation into a collapse so that it was difficult to be re-investigated. The case was completely closed about four years ago, just after the influence of the Oarlam Orgin began to reach its peak.

Although his brother was legally found not guilty, the Sister knew that the one who had committed the crime was her Brother. Two things that convinced it is a homemade gun that he had seen at home and the physical condition of his brother that can be said to be abnormal.

Seeing the look on his sister's anxious face, the Youth slightly turned her eyes and said, “I won't do that again. Really, back then I just wanted to make sure of it.”

Hearing the ambiguous thing, the Sister frowned and asked, “What do you want to make sure?”

“Can I die or not …. I don't want to die lonely, which is why I did it. I really wanted to die back then.”

“Then, what Brother ...”

“As you can see, I'm not dead. Despite shooting me in the head, I'm still alive. Honestly, at that time, I was hoping to die, clearing up the mess afterwards was very troublesome. Why can ... I still be alive today?”

“Entailah, don't ask me ...”

The Brother showed a pitying expression to his Brother, feeling that his fate was not much sad with him now. Many things went unplanned and wishful thinking, as if God was laughing at the efforts of the brothers.

Staring straight at the Youth in front of him, the Sister again asked, “Kak, what do you want to do ... after this?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you can't die and don't age like that, chances are big brother will continue to live for hundreds of years. Did Big Brother try to find out the cause, why did Big Brother's body get like that? Sister never eat Khuldi fruit or anything like that, ‘kan?”

“It's a shame that I'm not Adam and have never eaten anything like that. After all, the Khuldi made man alive and become impermanent.”

“Keep why can a Brother be like that? Have you ever tried to research it with existing medical technology? Brother has acquaintances with famous medical experts in the world, ‘kan?”

The young man took a deep breath, lowered his face and replied, “I've done it. With the most advanced technology owned by my colleagues, it was also free. The conclusion obtained is only a condition like normal humans in general. Like the time played that was replayed, after death I returned to normal. Really silly.”

The younger brother was stunned to hear that, feeling that his brother was facing a more complicated problem when compared to him. Wanting to change the unpleasant atmosphere that was slowly strengthening, the woman replaced the topic of conversation with a question.

“A-Did Brother hear the news? He said that a month ago there were those who eradicated the world's internet network and broadcast something. They claim that they are the gods who have been watching the development of this world since prehistoric times and guiding humanity. According to Brother, that's how?”

Surprisingly, it was even that heavy topic that he chose. Maybe because of the effect of the news he heard before seeing his brother or indeed influenced by something else, but he clearly asked what he did not want to ask now.

“Most Only children hackers who want to be famous and show off. The condition of the world has not fully recovered, so they can easily hijack the network. The proof is that they can't hijack the network I created. Well, they did attack my network but failed anyway.”

What the young man said was only a big lie. In fact, anxiety definitely perched in his heart. The topic that his sister had picked up to change the atmosphere was something that the Youth had been thinking deeply about for the past few weeks.

Things that are not understood, something that can not be explained by the level of human science today does indeed exist. The real proof of this is the body of the Youth itself.

A group of individuals who declare themselves to be God in charge of guiding humanity may be the truth. Eradicate the global internet network, routinely broadcast it without being able to know where the source of the signal came from. It has proven that they are capable of shaking the world.

But what the Youth worried about was not that, but their purpose after that. The meaning behind their statements.

The Youth does not mean not to believe this, the news that is often heard lately is always related to the statements of mysterious individuals.

The fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of mankind. It was still firmly attached to him, then slowly pushed the young man to do something.

“If they were really God, what would Big Brother do?” ask the Brother.

“Eng, how ya?” The young man looked away, then half-heartedly said, “I will beg them to turn back the clock and return my body to its normal state. Humans should remain human, no need to hold power or power greater than themselves. We must understand our nature as human beings, only a small component of this vast world.”

“Eng, I don't understand what you mean. As usual Brother likes to talk weird like that.”

“What yes? Well, this is just my point of view. You don't have to think about it.” The young man took the coffee that had started to cool, then drank it a little. While putting it back on the table he asked, “So how do you want? Are you sure you want to stay with me or not?”

Talk back to the main topic, discussing the request of the younger brother. In the end, he and his daughter chose to return to live with the older brother. Although there were still many doubts, the woman thought it was the best choice for her daughter.

.

.

.

.

The step towards the subway station was silent between them. The Little Sister simply walked in carrying her daughter in front, while her Brother simply fell silent without starting a conversation. Decisions have been made and there is nothing to talk about, which is why they keep quiet.

But in the footsteps, a long-forgotten nightmare returns to the surface. When the Youth and Her Brother went down to the underground station, in the crowd the Youth again saw the woman he had met at that time.

The woman who asked him to speak before the accident, who also swung an axe at him while in the hospital. One individual who held the truth about his body, the figure clearly stood among the crowd under the exposure of the underground station lights.

The young man's steps came to a halt, staring with both eyes open and his breathing began to pant in fear. The white-haired woman looked back at him with glowing red eyes, slowly moving her mouth and as if to say.

“What have you achieved all this time?”

It was exactly like the fear of the Youth, like a time and opportunity that held him accountable for what he had done in the past.

Her anxious sister called, “Kak?”

It made the young man flinch and turn his head. When he looked back at the crowd of people, there was no longer the woman.

“Tadi ... It looks like I saw kuntilanak,” said the Youth.

“Cuntilanak? In an age like this Brother is still superstitious like that? Strange basis.”

“Haha, true too. Where there might be such a thing huh.”

Although the anxiety still enveloped the Youth, they eventually still took the train to return to the Trial City as agreed. But before arriving at the intended stop, suddenly there is a constraint on the means of transportation and they have to stop at a station that is four stops from the destination.

The young man and his younger brother are forced out, rising to the surface in search of alternative means of transportation. Where they are located now is the border between cities, where the range of the Public Security System is low and transportation routes are quite rare.

“Huh, unexpectedly we even have to walk up to two kilometers to get to the stop. Why there is also a path damage event all the way,” complained the Brother.

Sensing different things, the young man instead seemed afraid of what would befall them. A sign had appeared just like that time, as if to tell him that a very bad thing was about to happen.

Walking on the sidewalk surrounded by buildings that are not too high, the Youth seemed to always be vigilant and continued to look around. His eyes swam to and fro, like a paranoid person whose heart was completely overpowered by anxiety.

“Why is Big Brother so kept from earlier anyway? Haha, lest Big Brother still be afraid to leave the house just like before?” jest the Brother.

“Eh? Ah ..., maybe yes⸻!!!”

Very suddenly, the young man's hair stood up and fear instantly overpowered his body in a matter of seconds. Although he had not seen it directly, his instinct had known the whereabouts of the woman and warned her.

Slowly looking ahead, there clearly stood a woman of white hair, in a white dress, and had pale skin. He walked over and a smile spread across his face.

The woman was not an illusion or an existence that only the Youth could see. The Little Sister clearly saw it, felt the same fear and began to tremble. Although the white-haired female looked like a human, the unknown element clearly felt them from her.

“Good afternoon, O Youth who became our backup.”

Hearing his voice and ascertaining the terror emanating from him, The young man immediately pointed and loudly snapped, “Don't approach!”

At first he did that to attract the attention of many people and take advantage of the opportunity to run away with his sister. But when he realized around the place there was no one else but them, it was too late. Completely silent, it felt very unnatural as if the situation was deliberately made by the white hair woman.

The fishy smell of blood mixed with foul so stinging the nose, the atmosphere was quiet even to the inside of the building along the way. All of that made the contents of the young man's mind filled with bad speculation about the fate of the people who should live on the border between cities.

Salam did not heed the warning of the Youth, the woman spread her arms forward and said, “My spirit has only come to inform you. Look at me and look carefully, no need to worry like that! Oh, dear soul ter⸻”

“Ignore limit, serial code 826! Nine direction coordinates, head shot!”

The Public Security System obeyed the orders of the Youth. A light firearm hidden in surveillance cameras around her place immediately aimed at the woman's head, then shot very accurately. The hot tin really got into his head and blood splashed onto the pavement, making the woman fall down quickly.

“A-What Brother did! Why did you shoot him!!” snapped the sister to make her daughter carried awake and cry loudly.

“A-I didn't mean, I warned you earlier but she⸻!”

“Just relax, just one shot in the head won't kill me.”

The white hair woman got back up. The tin that was lodged in the head slowly came out pushed out by the flesh, then the wound on the head was in seconds closed again as if the previous shot had never existed. Only traces of blood on the pavement and tin grains alone are proof he was shot.

“Ke-Why are you still alive? What the fuck are you ..?” The young man stepped back with his sister, staring fearfully and unable to think clearly.

“Of course it's alive. If I can give you immortality, of course I have it too..” The woman grinned, then raised her index finger saying, “Ah, don't worry. I didn't come to take it. Eternity is already yours, whatever you want how you develop or use it for what is not my business anymore.”

The sweet smile that the woman showed looked terrible in the eyes of the brothers. It is not just like seeing a ghost or the like, more terrible even though it should look like a beautiful woman.

“Who are you ...? Why are you⸻ AKh?!”

The black pole that came out of nowhere directly hit the young man's neck, almost making his head break and his body slammed backwards. Blood splattered everywhere, some splashing onto the faces of his sister and the child he was carrying.

“Ka-Sister!”

The younger brother could not move from the spot, his legs were too limp and slowly sat down in fear. Her daughter in arms kept crying, hugging her mother who was also helpless.

“Whisper once the boy, shut up!”

Just by flicking a finger, the woman made the child's body explode in her mother's arms. Crushed scattered and splattered on the pavement. Like a watermelon that falls from a high place, the red color is scattered with chaos.

The mother losing her daughter instantly trembled in madness, her eyes instantly filled with darkness. Her tears started to flow mixed with blood, then with all her might screamed.

“Akkhhhh!!! No!! No!! My princess!! Liaaaa!!!! Lia!! Lia! Lia!! No!! No way! Why …!! Why are you doing that!!! My daughter …!! My daughter! Nah! Nah! Nah! This is impossible! No way! Why is this happening!! My daughter! My daughter ...!!”

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