Chapter 78: Illusions and Truth

Meanwhile, in the hospital, while Craig was talking to Lyra and telling her about his adventures in the new world, Lyra grew more and more silent. Suddenly, she raised both hands and began hugging herself, her body trembling. Her previously smiling face turned abruptly pale and looked terrified.

Craig froze as he noticed the change in Lyra’s expression. He took Lyra’s hand and clasped it tightly with both of his, understanding because Lyra’s memories had just returned and, naturally, the last thing she remembered was,

"I... I thought... I thought... I lost you, Craig... I saw it right in front of my eyes, those cables wrapped around you... forcing their way into your mouth... your body glowing like it was about to explode... and I was genuinely terrified watching you turn into half-iron, half-machine with no memory of anything... after that... everything hurt... it hurt... so much," Lyra stammered, trembling.

Craig couldn’t say a word. He leaned forward, pulled Lyra into a tight embrace once more, and stroked her hair.

"It’s okay... you’re back now... I’m right here with you... everything’s okay," Craig whispered softly.

Then Craig glanced over to see Nate and Dana, who seemed to have fallen back asleep, though their bodies were visibly shaking and their hands were tightly holding onto each other across the gap between their beds. Craig understood that their memories had just awakened as well, and naturally, the AI apocalypse and their transformation into mechanical zombies within the simulation were their final memories.

Craig felt Lyra’s body trembling violently and pulled her closer still, his tears flowing as his jaw clenched and his brows pulled together in a fierce expression of anger.

"Cr... Craig... it... it hurts,"

Hearing Lyra’s gasp, Craig snapped back to reality, realizing he was squeezing Lyra too tightly. He loosened his grip and pulled back, holding her by both upper arms.

"I... I’m sorry," Craig muttered haltingly.

"I... it’s fine... where... where is this? What’s the condition of our city after that event... what happened after I was assimilated?" Lyra asked.

Craig fell silent. He couldn’t bring himself to answer that everything Lyra and he had experienced was merely a simulation. He simply stared at the trembling Lyra in front of him, who was clearly waiting for an answer. Suddenly, someone tapped Craig on the side, and he turned to see Clyde, Celes, Casca, and Corie standing before Lyra’s bed.

"Oh, right. Lyra, meet my siblings," Craig introduced.

Lyra turned her head to look at Clyde, who smiled and nodded; Celes, who waved slowly with a smile; and Casca and Corie, who stood with crossed arms, frowning and glaring at her through narrowed eyes. Craig introduced everyone one by one, also introducing Lyra to them.

As Lyra stared at Craig, then shifted her gaze to Clyde, Celes, Casca, and Corie with a puzzled look, she turned back to look at Craig once more.

"Your siblings? How come... I had no idea? It feels like your siblings never once came over to your house when we were kids," Lyra asked Craig in confusion.

"That’s because your house was in the simulation, and obviously we weren’t there," Casca piped up.

"Exactly, your whole life with Brother Craig was fake," Corie chimed in.

As Lyra turned to look at them, Clyde clapped a hand over Casca’s mouth while Celes covered Corie’s. Both Clyde and Celes smiled awkwardly before pulling their twin younger siblings back a little ways. Clyde stared hard at Craig, his expression practically screaming, "Tell her the truth, she’s still in shock."

Understanding immediately, Craig nodded, then turned back to Lyra with a serious expression, taking both of her hands in his.

"Lyra... there’s something I need to tell you... and you guys too, so stop pretending to be asleep, Nate and Dana," Craig called out.

"Oh... sorry, Craig... I thought you still needed some time alone with Lyra," Nate said, slowly sitting up.

"Yeah... honestly... we stayed quiet because we’re still confused and everything hurts... it really, really hurts," Dana added, trembling as she hugged her body while Nate held her hand.

Craig fell silent for a brief moment, let out a heavy sigh and then looked at Lyra, Nate, and Dana with absolute conviction.

"This might sound impossible and completely defying all logic... but it’s the truth, and right now I need you all to listen to what I have to say," Craig stated.

After that, Craig told them the whole truth, how their lives together in that four-person household in the city had been a massive simulation that became their reality. Lyra, Nate, and Dana’s faces registered shock, and naturally, they looked entirely incredulous, yet nobody laughed or dismissed Craig, listening with deadly seriousness instead.

Then Craig slowly explained everything about the real world, starting with the state of the globe, the war against the giants, where they had previously been asleep, and what the purpose of it all was. As they listened to Craig’s story, the expressions of Lyra, Nate, and Dana shifted gradually; at first, they looked utterly unconvinced.

But when Craig pointed toward the women and girls of various races, such as those with angel wings, rabbit ears, wolf-like traits, blue skin, and ant-like antennae, all of whom had come from Utopia and were receiving medical care nearby, the three of them looked stunned and began to believe him, even if doubt still lingered.

Craig could see that his three friends were struggling to process it all, but he pressed on with his story, especially detailing everything that happened after the Great Transition. He even showed photos of the GEMA, the Chimaera Z-X, and the city of Utopia on his smartphone to his three friends. Meanwhile, Clyde, Celes, Casca, and Corie could only watch from a distance without interfering. Celes turned to Clyde.

"Um... you know, if I just went inside their minds, I could implant all the facts directly without any need for storytelling. Why aren’t we allowed to do that?" Celes asked.

"Because if you alter their minds, there’s a very real possibility they might not remember Craig anymore, or they could go insane from failing to accept it, so the risk is too high and dangerous. Do you understand?" Clyde answered.

"Ugh... I get it," Celes pouted.

"Hah... honestly it wouldn’t even matter, since Brother Craig has Corie and me anyway... pathetic," Casca grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"True... why is he going through all this trouble to explain everything and try to convince them when Sister Celes could sort it out in a second... so annoying," Corie chimed in, equally disgruntled as she crossed her arms.

"Okay... okay... let’s just get out of here and go home," Clyde invited, slinging an arm around Celes and his two twin sisters.

With that, Clyde pulled the three of them toward the exit. As he passed Craig, he glanced over to let him know they were heading back ahead of time so as not to disturb him further. Craig nodded in acknowledgment, then turned his attention back to his friends, answering the questions they were still firing at him while examining the photos on his smartphone regarding the truth of the world and the simulation.

Once they stepped outside the hospital, Clyde steered Celes, Casca, and Corie toward a tall building right next door, an apartment complex that served as Mary’s residence. Clyde glanced back at Casca and Corie, who were trudging behind him and Celes with sour expressions.

"What’s wrong with you two again?" Clyde asked, turning back to look at the twin girls trailing behind.

"That girl named Lyra... she’s pretty... it’s annoying," Casca muttered bitterly.

"Yeah... even though she’s skinny and still weak... still... I have to admit she’s pretty... it pends me off," Corie added.

"Huh? You guys are pretty too, why are you even thinking about stuff like that?" Celes asked, finally turning around in genuine confusion.

"Ugh... you don’t get it, Sister," Casca replied.

"Yeah... you’re pretty... and Brother Clyde keeps holding your hand the whole time," Corie added.

"Oh? What’s wrong with that?" Clyde asked, growing even more baffled.

"What is actually going on with you guys?" Celes asked, completely lost as well.

"Never mind... let’s drop it... it’s irritating," Casca and Corie snapped, crossing their arms and turning their faces away in a huff.

Clyde turned his gaze back to the front. He knew precisely what was going on; their memories of one another had just returned, and they had only recently reunited. Back when they were little, both Casca and Corie had been extremely close to Craig, always forming a trio, unlike him who loved to tease and joke around with all of them, or Celes who embraced everyone equally. Clyde offered a small, knowing smile.

He understood that his two twin younger sisters were feeling a twinge of jealousy because Craig cared so much about his friend from the simulation and had practically ignored them just now.

"If Monica had been the one inside that hospital... would I have ended up losing you too?"

Hearing Celes speak beside him, Clyde turned his head to look at her. Celes was staring back at him with a look of quiet anxiety in her eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it again; this time, he didn’t just give a casual, offhand answer to comfort Celes.

He genuinely pondered it, because seeing Craig back there in the hospital made him wonder, what would happen if he actually succeeded in saving Monica, his parents, and his two friends? Would he end up forgetting his siblings and Celes? That became the heavy, pressing question running through Clyde’s mind at that very moment.