COMA: Fragmented Reality

They say that in many ways, the end justifies the means... that sometimes, evil must be done and destruction borne in order for good things and a new beginning to happen.

For Miyazono Ryuuichi, the entire rationale behind his desire to be a god has been and always has been as such... The end justifies the means, and in the case of his vision for humanity, all of the atrocities that he has performed can and will be justified as a necessary loss for the good of all of mankind.

"""Miyazono-sama...""" After he entered the staging ground for his Ascension into godhood, Ryuuichi addressed the people around him who immediately knelt after his arrival.

"...Stand, my beloved faithful. Today, we shall free mankind of all its burdens and limitations."

"Thank you, Miyazono-sama!!!"

"Finally! We will be free!"

Amidst the cheers and tears of joy of the people around him, he was surprised by someone who jumped into his arms and gave him a big, tight embrace.

"Father! You're back!"

Like a boy who was genuinely joyful after seeing their father after so long, Miyazono Keiji hugged his father and a moment later, reported his victory.

"We've managed to acquire the body of the "Prodigy" and his Replicant that will become the keeper and nourishment of it respectively. Right now, that Replicant is being implanted within the Trunk of Yggdra which he will sustain with his own life force until it takes the very last drop of it."

"Is that so? Haha! You're really dependable, aren't you, my son?"

"Father..."

Hearing his father compliment his achievement, Keiji felt a kind of happiness that he hasn't felt ever since he was created.

It wasn't a happiness caused by his actions that borders insanity, nor was it a sense of joy from the satisfaction of extracting despair and pain from those that he has wronged.

It was genuine happiness, one that has only felt at this moment as it fulfilled his heart.

"While your achievement has helped our cause greatly, there are still much more that I expect from you."

"Please do tell, father! I'm ready to answer to any of your orders!"

Keiji spoke out with exhilaration, acting like a boy who's very enthusiastic about helping out his parent in an errand. Seeing this, Ryuuichi showered his son with compliments and praise, wanting to boost his morale and remind him of what their grand goal is.

"Well then... I have a task that I will leave to you and Aishi."

As his plans slowly took form and he is nearing the moment when he will become the god of this world, Ryuuichi left the work of dealing with the last pockets of resistance to his children who trusted and believed him with all their hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the dream world between Sayaka and Ephraim's psyche, memories both good and bad played out, making the two of them witness some things that they didn't want the other to know about.

"R-Rai-san... are you telling me that all this time...?"

"...Yeah. For the past 2 or so years, this has been a part of my life and the reason why I haven't cared much about what's happening back there in the academy."

At some point in their excursion, memories that didn't come from Sayaka but instead, Ephraim, played out as they went about in their journey to find a way out. Few of these memories was Ephraim's life as a Psychic and an Agent of the S.S.S.

"I... I didn't know... I didn't know that you had it this bad! If I only knew, I wouldn't have been so inconsiderate..."

"..."

"I'm... I'm sorry, Rai-san."

"Yeah... apology accepted."

While it's true that despite their previous verbal and emotional altercations, Ephraim cared enough about Sayaka as a colleague, there's also this sensation in his mind that kept lingering as they went through this journey together.

In all respects, Ephraim is supposed to view Sayaka as some kind of person who is inconvenient to have around or at best, someone that he wants to keep in neutral terms... and yet, there's this sense of fondness that is beginning to bother him internally.

"...Let's take a short break. While we won't starve or become tired here in the dream world, our consciousness still follows the limitations of our physical bodies."

"Right. Let's do just that."

At a memory familiar to the two of them, the very place where they first knew each other, Ephraim and Sayaka rested under the tree located inside their school's campus courtyard. Unlike how it would normally be, the place was empty since it was in the middle of summer vacation.

As for the reason why this is a shared memory of theirs...

"I still remember it even at this moment... The scowl on your face scared me so much."

"Well, you're welcome to be scared more. I don't plan on changing it at all even after we get out of here."

"You ass! A normal person is supposed to laugh it off or comfort someone when they get told off like that."

"I'm plenty "not-so normal", Sayaka. Deal with it. That would be more convenient for the two of us."

"Argh... Why do I have to be stuck here and depend on some rude guy like you to get me out...?"

"Losers can't be choosers, Sayaka. If you want to get out, deal with my complaints while I'm getting even with a weirdo stalker like you."

Once she heard him finally call her a "stalker" openly, Sayaka's patience reached its end. She pounced on Ephraim while he's drinking a packet of juice, making him spit it out in shock.

"Why, you...!"

"BGWAH—!!!"

While he can easily overpower her to get her off him, Ephraim restrained himself, partially because he knows its his fault to rile her up by annoying her more. Hitting him with half-powered slaps and a lot of verbal gripes, Sayaka showed a side of herself that she hasn't shown anyone before.

"...Are you done?"

"W-wha—?! So you want more, punk? I'll show ya why not to mess with—"

Before she can hit him again, Ephraim caught both of her hands and held it with their fingers clasped and interlocked with each other. This inadvertently made her face burn into a blush as her voice began to shake in both nervousness and shock.

"HYIII—!!! R-R-R-Rai-san... w-w-w-w-what are you doing...?!"

"Forcing it out of you."

"F-F-F-Forcing what out? Are you insane?! Why are you—"

"Something has been bothering me all this time ever since we began to break out of both our own respective and shared memories. You... you somehow always have memories where I am around or I am in your mind, but never about your own self or your past."

Ephraim's instincts are telling him that it couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Unlike Sayaka, memories from his childhood, some of which was when he was at his most broken and alone, played out... memories that happened when his arrival in Japan and later on, meeting Sayaka, was still years apart.

Unlike him, all the memories that played out from Sayaka always included him or a thought of him. At first, he thought that this was simply because she owned this dream world and thus, her most recent and freshest memories are first to play out. But as soon as his own memories appeared and it spiraled down to his early years, the suspicion that he disregarded slowly became a hypothesis.

"I-I don't know... I seriously don't know, okay?! In the first place, the reason why I thought you'll be the key for me to get out is that you always appeared in the memories that I get stuck into! That's why I've been taking note of what you're doing in those memories! So stop accusing me of stalking you!"

"...There's still one more reason. I know it's not as simple as you say it is."

"W-Wha—?"

"Tell me... what am I really to you for your subconscious to make me the constant in all of these memories that are trapping you here?"

Cornered by Ephraim and unable to take it anymore, Sayaka muttered her answer amidst her flushed face and racing heartbeat.

"I... I like you..."

"..."

"I don't know why... what made me fall for you or when it all started but I... at some point, I wanted to know you more and understand you..."

Finally giving her answer, Ephraim unclasped their hands and gently held them while he intently listened to her confession.

"I... I don't know anything anymore other than that... all that I know is that I like you... and I want you to feel the same with me."

"...I see. That clears up a lot of things..." Ephraim spoke as he looked up at the still bashful Sayaka. Although he is just as surprised about her confession, he kept a neutral expression. "...hearing that now makes me both happy and contented."

"Contented?"

"Yeah. I've always been confused about what we are to each other, and why you always forced me to be in good terms with the others even if you knew that they'd never see me in equally."

"That's..."

"No need to apologize or feel sorry about it, what's done is done... we can't change that anymore." Ephraim paused for a moment to find the right word to use in his next statement. "Somehow, it feels nice to know that save for those who I've known for so long, and those who have put their lives on my hands several times, there is someone who likes me for who I am..."

"You dummy... just give me a straight answer, geez..."

"Ahaha... sorry, sorry."

Hearing those words from him made Sayaka feel self-conscious about the entire thing. She felt like she is being rejected even if Ephraim is clearly receptive about her confession. Because of this she muttered a complaint that Ephraim responded to with a dry giggle.

We've been through a lot and there is no shortage of moments when I wanted to give up on her since I don't understand what she wants from me or what I am to her... but now that it's clear... I believe I can be open about it now.

"Sooo... what is it going to be then?"

Sensei and mother are right... I can't fight this battle with just the survival of my loved ones, fulfilling my destiny or my burning desire to avenge those who died for this ending... all of these things would be an empty pursuit if I cannot convince myself that it is all worth it in the end.

After heaving in a breath, Ephraim asked a question that has been ringing inside of his head for a while now.

"Once we get out of here, Sayaka... Mind lending me an ear about all the things I wanted to do once all of this is over?"

"...Of course! That's a promise then."

"Count on it."

As a sign of their mutual understanding and shared promises, Ephraim and Sayaka entwined their pinky fingers and bumped their thumbs, chuckling a bit in joy that they've finally set aside their prior misunderstandings and gripes.

"Alrighty then! Let's get going and break out of here as soon as possible!"

"Right... let's do just tha—"

DHAG—!!!*

However, at the very next moment, a thud sounded and on the ground laid Sayaka's body which Ephraim quickly reached out to in order to check her.

"Sayaka! Hey... hey!!!"

Ephraim looked at her face and saw that her eyes are still wide open yet they looked lifeless, as if her consciousness was ripped out of her body in a single instant.

"Damn it! What just happened...?! What is this—"

{"Come here... child of Cecilia..."}

As he began to panic, not knowing anything about what just happened or what could've caused it, a soft, echoing voice sounded from within his head. In but a moment, all of the panic that he was feeling was forcibly erased... not like a pain being relieved through medicine but instead, as if the word and concept of "panicking" never existed in the first place.

"W-Who are...?"

{"Come forth, child of Cecilia... your cursed fates awaits you and the other singularity."}

Normally, Ephraim wouldn't listen or even follow the words of this strange echoing voice... and yet, similar to how his fear was forcibly taken away from him, his reluctance was also taken, forcing him to obey those words without question.

Carrying the unconscious Sayaka on his back, Ephraim walked into the empty school building where a dark rift formed as soon as he is within the visual range of where it is located.

{"Come, Child of Cecilia... your destiny awaits you."}

"What is this all about...? Why am I following your orders...? Why does it feel like my will is being stripped away from my self?"

After entering the rift, Ephraim saw an unfamiliar scene before him, one that can't possibly belong to either him or Sayaka.

It was a terrible sight... one that goes beyond even the horrendous images of death and destruction that he kept on seeing in his "visions" and "past memories".

From afar, he saw countless monstrosities walking through the surface of the earth, preying on mankind as if they are mere cattle to be slaughtered. The people, with utter fear and despair in their eyes and screams, prayed to be spared of this horrible fate.

"This is...!" Ephraim wanted to jump in and help the people who are being helplessly devoured by the Malignances, but once again, a portion of his will was robbed from him and the echoing voice brought him towards another rift that brought him to another unfamiliar and gut-wrenchingly cruel sight.

In this instance, he saw their enemies, the Miyazonos, successfully achieving their plan to usurp the title and authority of a "god" over all mankind and the world... only for it to collapse as soon as this "singular united human will" was born. In but an instant, all of it imploded into all kinds of horrific forms until literal nothingness abounded in all the senses that can use to observe it.

"What on earth is..." Ephraim muttered, unable to understand anything that just happened. He tried to think up reasons or ways to rationalize it but once again, that was robbed from him and he was once again led to a rift leading to another sight he has to behold.

This time, it was a normal world... all normal until one person was suddenly struck by lightning, causing his death. Yet instead of being intrigued or feeling scared, those that passed by his burnt corpse had nothing but indifference on their faces. It was only after the sight rescinded up to outer space that he saw a figure standing over the earth, watching over it and with a flick of his wrist, claimed the life of another seemingly random individual.

For the next sights that he was made to observe, Ephraim saw all kinds of things that after he finished observing them, the first feeling or thought that he did was taken from him. This lasted until the 36th sight where he finally received an answer after seeing a clue about what all the sights he was made to observe were really about.

"These are not "visions" or "premonitions"... nor are they my memories..."

It was an absurd statement... but not one that is impossible within the extent of the rules that govern the reality that he is now living in.

"...They are Ephraim's memories. Not mine, but at the same time, are mine..."

After uttering those words, the sight he was observing shattered like pieces of glass, giving way to an empty space filled with a gentle, white glow.

"Excellent, Ephraim... you've finally understood the truth concerning our role within the promise given by Lady Cecilia."

"You are... me...?"

Ephraim, after being robbed of most of his emotions and senses, spoke those words with a flat tone that he would otherwise have spoken with either a sense of hostility or wariness.

"Not just him... also me."

"And me..."

"And me..."

One by one, from out of nowhere, countless versions of him appeared, forming a sea of people to the very edges of his sight. All of them had slightly distinct features that each made them marginally identifiable from each other. One thing that was a constant on all of their identical faces though, was their expressions...

"What... happened to all of you?"

...They all had the expression of longing... and pain.

"We risked everything and did all that we can to protect her." answered one of them, followed by another.

"Our one and only..." and followed by another.

"...and most beloved and precious..." and finally.

"Amakano Sayaka... if not for her, none of us would've had the stomach or the strength to go on."

After hearing their reply, Ephraim spoke something that he should've said with a sense of annoyance and caution, but given his condition, once again came out with a flat tone.

"You lot are not making any sense... what do you mean that she's the reason for all of it?"

For a moment, there was silence... until one of the many Ephraims spoke up with an answer.

"Like all of us, you deserve to hear that explanation from her..."

"Her?"

With a snap of his finger, the countless versions of him disappeared and behind him came the sound of a gentle hum accompanied by the rhythmic sound of metal gently scraping porcelain.

"I see that one of you has come here again to receive a clue..."

"You are..." as he turned around and looked at the source of the voice, there was no doubt in Ephraim's voice about the identity of this otherwise strange woman. "Cecilia... Lady Cecilia Chronia."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After letting her lay down comfortably on a picnic blanket beneath a large umbrella nearby, Ephraim sat at the ornate tea table where his literal oldest identifiable ancestor was seated.

Cecilia Chronia, the legendary ancestor of the entire Chronian family tree from eons past, sat in front of Ephraim, brewing tea while humming a familiar lullaby. Her appearance was both simple and yet captivating. Her voluptuous body is dressed in a pure white robe with golden highlights. Her face, which bore a slight resemblance to his sister Hannah, is covered by a silken veil dyed with royal purple.

In many ways, she greatly resembled the appearance of the Spirits that Ephraim already met. Be it their clothing color and style, as well as the aura that she emanates... one that shows both regalness, grace and power.

Ephraim's observation of his ancestor was abruptly ended when after placing the tea leaves she prepared into a glass tea pot in order to steep it, she turned her gaze towards him and began a conversation.

"While we're waiting for the tea to be ready, I'll go and entertain one question."

"About that, I have so many questions... most of them starting with how..."

"How?"

"How... did this happen? I know that our family line are full of stories that would otherwise be considered as absurdities, such as affecting the Roman-Carthaginian Punic wars by sending tidal waves against Carthage, providing the cure for the Black Plague in order to ensure the survival of mankind and even literally shielding them from an apocalyptic meteor strike... but you being here... I don't—"

"If that's what you're thinking this is all about, you are very wrong, my child. I, and by that I mean, the real "Cecilia Chronia", am not here. The me that you're talking to right now is nothing more than a figment of her self that she left in the blood of all the firstborn children in her bloodline. The real Cecilia Chronia have died nearly 5000 years ago during the time when even her extremely long life span has failed her."

"Then that must mean..."

"Correct. I am only a piece of herself. I have neither her whoe boundless power nor her nearly infinite wisdom which she used to lead the entire Chronian clan during its darkest hours and resurgence into a powerful faction... Still, that doesn't mean that I am lacking in any of those two things. A portion of infinity is still an enormous thing, and one that cannot be easily underestimated."

At that very moment, the brewed tea in the glass pot began to change form until from being a dark, amber-colored liquid, it turned into a dark fluid with a very potent aroma that is familiar to Ephraim.

"Why did you turn the tea into coffee?"

"I have you as a guest. What kind of a host would I be to serve you something that you do not like... and besides, it also shows you my point about my power and authority."

Cecilia poured a cup for Ephraim and herself and the two of them took a sip. Although he wanted to express his joy for the rich and delicious cup of coffee, forcibly losing much of his emotions stopped him. It was only then that he remembered it and asked if he can have them back... but Cecilia declined, giving him her reason.

"Right now, you're at the very depths of your psyche. A part of you that is so apart from what your mind and body can usually access that if I gave you back your emotions and personality, you'll definitely lose your mind."

"Is that so? I guess that makes sense... Then can we get to the point already? You said that "one of us is here again to receive a clue". What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what those words mean... The "versions of you" that you saw before you got here are versions of yourself who all went through the same life as you, only that some of them had it worse or better than you. As they just said, they all met me here once where they consulted me about what they should do."

"T-That... doesn't make any sense. Are you telling me that they're versions of me from a different universe or dimension?"

"No. They are versions of you from their version of reality that a previous version of you bent to their will."

Ephraim couldn't understand a single thing about what she just said, but since even that was taken from him, he was forced to do all that he can to understand it.

"Think of it as this..." Cecilia spoke and levitated the remaining coffee from the pot, turning it into water and then mist where she made images to appear. "Think of the world as a piece of paper and you as the writer of a life story. You can write the world, and in that world, place your own self as a character where you'll subject yourself to all kinds of trials and tribulations. However, unlike a writer who has all the freedom to do as he wishes, there are some elements in the story you're writing that you are forced to make."

"Like a promise by a very distant ancestor passed down to me?"

"Right... and a relationship that you are destined to have, but will conflict with the prior passed down promise."

"These are..."

The image in the mist showed images of Ephraim and Sayaka together as lovers, from going on dates, spending time together, traveling around and even planning their future together, these are picture-perfect images of what a loving couple should be.

"The words spoken and expressions showed by the other versions of you earlier were all caused by these memories of theirs. In all versions of reality that they wrote, you have always been saddled with the promise that I made to the Spirits and the destiny of being with Sayaka... and thus, every reality where these two conflicting fates intersected, you always ended up fulfilling the future that you saw from Law's Truth Formula."

"That... I will end the world..."

This revelation shocked Ephraim even when that emotion has been taken from him. That was how severe this truth was to him... and yet, a question still lingers in his mind.

"But how... how are the previous version of me capable of writing reality to the point where it could rival a false god...? No... Lady Cecilia, please don't tell me that—"

"...Consequences. Those are the consequences of being handed that power and defeating the usurpers. That is the reason why from the very moment that you became Law's Vessel, you also earned another title."

"Divine Challenger..."

In one way, it can be seen as someone who aims to challenge those who desire to usurp divine power such as the Miyazonos... and on the other hand, it can also be seen as someone who wants to usurp said power as well.

"When all of your previous versions successfully defeated the Miyazonos and Babel, it was already at a point in time where they have melded all of mankind's will and consciousness into a single form and anchored its existence to the world itself. At that point, the only way to defeat them would also mean that mankind and the world would end too. Which ends up fulfilling the previous loops where you and only you are left to take the power that they left behind... and with that power, you would create another version of this world and your own self, with little differences to painstakingly drive it away from just creating another repetition of that same loop."

After learning all of this, Ephraim stayed silent for a moment until he had enough information to try and understand where he currently stands and where to go from here.

"Let me get this clear then... so it means that there are three constants in these realities. One, is your promise to the Spirits, two, is that Sayaka and I are destined to be together, and three, is that the only time when I get to defeat the Miyazonos and Babel is when they already took divine authority and became gods. All of these things contradict each other, forming an endless loop where we are all trapped in right now."

"Correct... it's connected to that logical impossibility called "the three body problem". Reality can still go around and disregard two impossibilities, but once three of them exists, both being the proof of each other's existences while also being an impossibility of each other, that's when it becomes a problem."

"Is that so... then that must mean—" Before he can continue with his brainstorming, Cecilia cut in and told him something that threw a wrench on the plan that he was making in his head.

"There is one thing that you have to know before you continue with that train of thought..."

"And that is?"

"All of these constants has already changed. If you're thinking that you can find a way to either invalidate or disregard one of them for the sake of the other two, your previous selves has already thought that up long ago and achieved it... but it's still not enough."

"How was it not enough?" Ephraim's question was met by Cecilia's answer that contained an incomprehensibly large number.

"For the past 31,415,926,535,897,932,384,626,433,832,795,028,841,971,693,993, 751,058,209,749,445,923,078,164,062,862,089,986,280,348,253,421,170,679 versions of the world and yourself, all three of these things has been affected by your previous versions' changes... and yet the contradictions still remain unchanged."

"Can you tell me then how they changed?"

"First of all, by separating the conditions required to nourish and grow the World Tree, became a complicated operation to even secure one of these conditions, because of it, you now have a chance to defeat the Miyazonos and Babel before they can successfully unite mankind into a single hive mind."

"What about the others?"

"For the second one, just like the life that you've lived that drew you two apart, you and Sayaka may still be destined to be together but you now have the choice to either follow your heart or fulfill the promise that was passed down to you. Right now, it may seem like an easy thing, but once I return all of your emotions and personality back to you, they would also be accompanied by the love and desire that your previous selves held for her. It wouldn't be an easy decision."

"I see... then what about the last one? The one about the promise you gave to the Spirits?"

Cecilia's answer was preceded by a short, uneasy silence. It was as if she was contemplating if it was the right time to say it.

"My promise to the Spirits has also been changed. At this version of reality, I made that promise to Law and only him. In this reality, Spirit Love died and her essence disappeared with her death... but in the previous versions of this world, I made that promise to both Law and Love. And just like how you became the Vessel of Law, someone also became the Vessel of Love... and that is..."

Ephraim turned towards Sayaka and even with a flat tone and a lack of expression, his shock was clear to him.

"Sayaka... She is the Vessel of Spirit Love."