Psyren ~Rebirthday Reborn~

Chapter 2

~I slept. How could I have slept? How was it possible to be unconscious through such horror? But I am relieved. Oh yes, I am relieved. I wasn't there to hear the tortured screams of pain. I wasn't there to hear the children, crying mournfully over the loss of their friends, their families, their world, their lives. And oh my, the things I wasn't there to see. The initial shock on the faces of the innocent. The destruction and brutal murder of humanity. Ahh, how pleasing it is to know that I slept through that, and never had to experience it. But yet I feel guilty and disturbed at that. Perhaps it was my powers themselves, or Yoyo, who didn't want me to see this? Perhaps the danger they foresaw would damage me mentally rather than psychically. Because after realising all I slept through, I know that I couldn't have witnessed it and still be sane enough to tell the tale.~

"Kirisaki! Go to the Root, now!" A voice yelled. To this day, I still can't be certain who said it. My head was such a mess that everything was distorted, and I could barely comprehend their words. I felt someone pulling at my arm, then putting it around their neck as they helped me to my feet. "Come on.. One foot ahead of the other.." Uncle Toji. I'd heard that voice enough in my life to pick it out, even in a situation like this. My head spun crazily as I struggled to walk, even with his assistance. I could hear a sound in the distance. Or was it right beside me? I honestly couldn't tell. But I knew it was bad, and I had to keep away from it. ".. Faster!!" I cried out in a panic, lurching out ahead. "Kabuto! Don't do that. Keep walking slowly. We're nearly there..." His voice was the last thing I heard before I blacked out, leaving that blurred hell behind.

~A Few Hours Later~

"Gah.." I sighed as I sat up in bed. But it didn't feel right. I was fully dressed-I always took my shirt off, or else I'd overheat. But I didn't even feel warm-I felt cool. It was then, as I was scratching my hair, that I realised that I was drenched in sweat. "Damn.. It must've gotten way too warm.. Why the hell did I do that?" I wondered to myself. "More importantly, why is my mattress so firm?" I patted it with a frown. It was a wonder I'd slept on this. Then I blinked. This wasn't my bedroom, nor my bed. It was significantly smaller, with silvery, metal walls and no furniture but a chest of drawers. Bewildered, I sat up into a sitting position then swung my legs off of the bed, shaking slightly as I gripped the headboard tightly, and stood up. "Where am I?" I asked myself, taking slow steps to the door. But I didn't need to reach it, as it was suddenly flung open by my uncle. I immediately noticed that he wasn't himself. He usually had a relaxed, confident posture, but now he seemed to be shrinking away from something in fear. He too seemed to be sweating. He was wearing a smile, however-but it was definitely forced. "You talking to yourself, kiddo?"
".. Uncle Toji? Where.. Where are we?"
His smile faded. "The Root, don't you remember what happened? You got sick and then.."
"Uncle Toji? What hap-" I paused mid-sentence as it all came rushing back to me. "The.. The Rebirthday..It's.. It's happened, hasn't it?"
"Hmph. Yes and no. It's still going on.. Your friends are out there fighting.. But I don't know. Things aren't looking good.. Whatever the hell's out there is really powerful. What if your friends get killed?"
I put a hand to my forehead. "I.. I need to get out there."
"Kabuto?! What the hell are you on about? You can't go out there! You'll be killed! Stop walking away from me, damn it!" He grabbed at my shoulder as I began striding ahead. I wriggled out of his grasp, then turned to face him. "Shut up! I'm not a fucking kid! Like hell I'll sit there while my friends, and innocent people, get killed by those monsters!"
".. This is a matter of your own survival! What if-"
"Kirisaki's awake!!" We both turned, surprised, to see Matsuri striding towards us. Her face was gashed, a long cut going across her forehead, and she was clutching her arm, which seemed to be bleeding intensely. She began running, and I immediately noticed a limp. ".. Yagumo-Sensei! Are you okay? Where is everybody else?"
"I'm.. Fine! Everyone else is still out there fighting. Well, except for Oboro and those kids. He's healing people up with Ian. That blond kid might be helping out a bit too."
"I want to go and help out."
"You? Really? I mean.. I know you're capable of defeating an opponent, but you could easily be lured into a trap. There's a LOT more W.I.S.E members than we thought there would be."
"What if I go alone and scout? I'll look out for survivors and bring them here, and only fight if I absolutely have to. Because I'm the only Psionist, we'll be much harder to detect. Plus I can foresee danger, so I'll know when to hide."
She looked thoughtful. "Well.. That could work, but are you sure you wanna do that?" She glanced at my uncle who had folded his arms and looked away in a surly manner. "Yes, I'm sure." I said calmly. She ducked her head slightly.
"You learned how to use Trance, right? You can use telepathy to contact one of us if you need it."
"Yeah, I did, but my telepathy will probably be a bit choppy. Can you show me the way out?" She nodded. I turned to look back at my uncle. He was frowning, though he looked more upset and concerned than anything. "You better not die is all I'm saying..."
"I won't." I gave him a small, reassuring smile before turning away and beginning to follow Matsuri out of the Root. Everything looked dreadful- There quite a few survivors here already, but all of them looked scarred, and broken. The majority were wounded-People in the gravest of danger were being tended to by healers. Oboro saw me and gave me a quick nod before returning to the bloody mess in his arms. Many people were crying too. They must've lost loved ones. Others just seemed to be in shock-and who could blame them? I don't know how I'd feel if my world was suddenly turned upside down by people with extraordinary powers. At least we Psionists could at least try and fend for ourselves and had a basic understanding of what was going on. We finally reached one of the Transportation Rooms, where Ran stood, looking anxious beyond belief. "I expect you two want to leave? Have fun.." He said in a shaky voice, gesturing to the panel on which we were meant to stand. We didn't respond. Once we were ready, he surrounded us in his Psionic cube, and we were teleported to the outside world. The changed, new terrifying world, which, whether we liked it or not, I knew we would have to adapt to.. For our own survival.