HEO 78

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠boot strap://experiment_begin

The sunny day was drawing to a close. The late afternoon sun was doing its best to cast its light out over the sea. Perched like a bird’s nest at the edge of the coastal cliff, the farmhouse was enveloped in the sound of the waves. On top of the orange roof, a rusty whale-shaped weather vane creaked and turned with the wind. In the vegetable patch on one side of the yard, potatoes and cabbages stood side by side like best friends.

“Peek-a-boo. Peek-a-boo.”

In the farmhouse living room, a newborn baby babbled in the arms of an elderly couple, and beyond that peaceful noise, a woman hung out the laundry. Clothes and diapers strung on the clothesline fluttered in the sea breeze. The woman who had been wringing out the laundry, looked back. In a corner of the yard, a man sat on a shaded bench under a tree, turning the pages of a book.

“Honey. The world’s getting scary these days.”

The woman sais as she spread out the laundry.

“Shouldn’t we evacuate before it’s too late? They say demons rising from the edge of the sea are raiding coastal villages indiscriminately.”

“Demons?”

The man chuckled as he turned the page.

“They’re just people who’ve come from places we haven’t heard of yet. The world is vast, and the map hasn’t been fully drawn yet. To call unknown neighbors ‘demons,’ I’m always in awe of the Atanians’ foolish imagination.”

At those words, the woman glared at him angrily. She pointed the laundry she was clutching at her husband, then quickly lowered it.

“Don’t say things like that. It’s because you keep acting like this that the villagers suspect you’re a sorcerer. You’re always spouting bizarre nonsense that sounds like spells… Do you really want to end up tied to the stake?”

“I was just stating the facts.”

The man replied without taking his eyes off the book.

“The truth about this world. Hmph, I suppose to fools it might sound like a spell.”

“Don’t laugh. Those fools are the very people we rely on! I’ve been losing sleep these past few days worrying about Luca and my parents. And to make matters worse, your hair is blond too…”

“What’s wrong with being blond? It’s just a color.”

“You didn’t know that either? All those demons are blond.”

The man looked up.

“Blond…? All of them…?”

“Yes.”

The woman spread out the laundry and shook it out.

“Every single one of them is blond. They look so much alike that you can’t tell them apart at first glance.”

“Every single one of them is blond…? And their faces look alike…?”

“Yes, just like statues cast from the same mold! Doesn’t that sound bizarre? I heard that survivors of villages attacked by those demons even repaint the hair of the saints in temple murals to a different color.”

The man’s face contorted. His complexion turned extremely pale, and his eyelids twitched.

“Everyone… identical phenotype… maintained…?”

Disjointed words poured out of his mouth.

“All bl-bl-blonde… all-all-all… it can’t-can’t-can’t be… genetic… Absence of genetic variation… probabilistically… impossible…”

“Honey? You are starting again?”

“Genetic… reproduction impossible. Variation… lack of diversity. A homogeneous phenotype… long-term survival… reproduction impossible…”

“What are you getting worked up about now? Ugh, I can’t take this!”

The woman hurried over to the man. The latter jumped to his feet and stared out at the sea.

“Blond… blond… single… phenotype… group… all…”

“Honey, calm down! Breath! One, two, one, two!”

“G-g-genetic… impossible… a, a single group… g-genetic… probability… converging… toward impossibility… cannot occur naturally… a, artificial intervention… or… a designed framework… who… is forcing… this world…”

“Okay, calm down. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly…!”

The woman, who had been patting her husband’s back, suddenly froze. She noticed that several ships had been approaching from the open sea for some time now.

“What is that? They don’t look like fishing boats…”

The woman muttered, unable to hide her anxiety. A strange, eerie silence hung over every one of the ships approaching the village. The woman stared at the ships, then she grabbed her husband’s sleeve.

“Honey, let’s run away. I’ve never seen ships that big swarm into this village all at once in my entire life.”

The man said nothing. A bluebird, flying in from somewhere, landed on his shoulder. The bird tilted its small head at an unnatural angle and gazed out at the sea. The boats were now much closer. The woman fell on her knees.

“Honey! Can’t you see? Those sailors–they’re all blond! They’re demons!”

“Samples… test group…”

The man murmured under his breath. The woman clutched her husband’s ankle with trembling hands.

“Honey, what are we going to do! What about our Luca!”

Instead of answering, the man smiled. His face was blank, as if he were lost in thought. The woman turned and crawled toward the farmhouse.

“Mother! Father! Qu-quick, the carriage…! The demons…!”

An elderly couple rushed out of the farmhouse in a panic. The baby in their arms burst into tears. The woman gritted her teeth, stood up, and ran toward the stable. Amid the commotion, the man’s gaze remained fixed on the sea.

“A group of… genetic anomalies. Physical … samples… have arrived.”

The crimson sunlight bathed the man. He slowly spread his arms wide toward the sea, as if he were welcoming an old friend.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠under cover://false_captive

1.

The escape plan was brilliantly simple when he pictured it in his head.

The pirate ship sails out to sea. Silver grabs Charcoal Bear by the collar and holds a dagger right up to her face.

‘Head for the nearest port. If you don’t listen, your nose will be the first thing to hit the water.’

The pirate ship changes course. As soon as they reached the port, Silver leaps onto the dock. The end!

But reality was different from what he’d imagined. Well, when had it ever been any different?

From the very next day after he decided to escape, it started raining. Damn it, it was an autumn storm. Waves blocked the harbor entrance, and all the Shark Teeth Gang’s ships were tied up at the dock, endlessly battered by the wind.

For days, Silver had been lying in bed at his lodging. The house the pirates had given him as “rookie lodging” was essentially a shoddy wooden box. Rainwater dripping from every corner of the roof (?) formed small puddles on the floor. Only the bed where he lay managed to avoid all those streams of water. It felt like a survival zone the roof had conscientiously left just for him.

Starry Eyes poked his head out of the belt pouch.

[My wings are heavy from the humidity, Silver.]

“I’m heavy too. This damn face mask.”

He wasn’t joking. The human skin mask on his face had absorbed water and was swollen. No matter whose face it was, they were having a hard time even in death. However, after spending a few days in this wooden box, wearing a human mask became a trivial matter. If only they’d move him to a house with a proper roof, he could have kept it on for another ten years.

When he did nothing, random thoughts made a racket in his head. Silver’s thoughts rewound back to the past again.

‘Silver! What did I say last night?’

Black Weasel asked as soon as he sobered up. Silver, sprawled out in front of the fireplace warming his hands, replied gruffly.

‘Why do you ask? Do you think you said something you shouldn’t have?’

‘Uh…’

Black Weasel scratched his head vigorously with both hands.

‘I don’t know if it was a memory or a dream, but I said I was your bio–’

‘It wasn’t a dream.’

Silver interrupted Black Weasel.

‘You said I was your biological son. And I replied that I knew.’

Black Weasel gaped at Silver. After a moment, he swallowed hard and managed to speak.

‘Look, Silver. I’m your biological father. But… you have another father.’

‘Really?’

Silver shrugged.

‘You spent one night with a married woman from some remote tribe and got her husband to buy you a drink, right? That husband is my father?’

But as far as Silver could remember, his mother never had a “husband.” She just had a lot of lovers.

He was so young at the time that his memories were hazy, but it seemed his mother was a drifter. She’d stay with some man for a few months, then leave after a big fight.

It was a common story in Stoll. A woman who was sick of her husband and ran away.

‘Do you think he’d take me in now that I’m looking for my father? Pfft, I’d be lucky not to get beaten up. They say a child born out of wedlock is only loved when the couple is getting along.’

‘It’s not that simple.’

Black Weasel glared at Silver for a moment.

‘There’s a story behind it. I can’t go into detail right now, but your father was a remarkable man. You’re his only son. Just remember that much.’

‘…Huh? That man?’

Silver frowned.

‘Saying that just makes me even more curious. What is it? Tell me now.’

‘Later.’

‘Then at least tell me who hired you to kill my mom’s lover! You were going after her lover and accidentally killed my mom too, right? That’s right! Who was the middleman who gave you that task?’

Black Weasel shook his head.

‘I can’t tell you that. I have a code of ethics.’

As always, the argument escalated into a fistfight. At this point, Silver stopped reminiscing. A doubt suddenly reared its head. Is this memory… really true?

What if it’s just a delusion I made up because I’m going crazy?