In Between Realms

The cold, sterile air of the cellar pressed down on Seyfe as he was led down a narrow corridor. The flickering overhead lights only added to the eerie silence that filled the space. It felt almost too quiet, as if even the walls were holding their breath in anticipation of what was about to unfold.

The room they entered was dim, with various medical equipment scattered about—some of it unfamiliar, others more standard, but all of it menacing in its own way. There was a steel table near the far corner, several medical instruments neatly arranged beside it. In the center of the room, a couch—old and uncomfortable-looking—sat beneath a dim light.

"Sit," one of the veilers instructed, his voice cold and detached as he gestured to the couch.

Seyfe hesitated, eyes narrowing at the sight of the room. Everything about it felt wrong. But with no other option, he lowered himself onto the couch, his back stiff with unease.

As he sat there, the faint sound of his own breathing was the only noise in the room, his heart pounding in his chest. The veiler who had led him in moved toward the table, fiddling with some of the instruments with practiced precision. Seyfe's gaze flicked to the door, but there was no escape—not now. The only thing waiting beyond those walls was more of the government's cold, methodical scrutiny.

Before he could fully settle into his thoughts, the veiler returned, holding a strange, metallic device in his hands. It looked almost like a headband—something between a mind-reading contraption and a primitive torture device. He approached Seyfe with it, his expression unreadable, his movements slow but deliberate.

"Relax," the veiler said in a tone that barely carried any emotion. "This will only take a moment."

Seyfe tensed, a ripple of unease running through him as the veiler gently secured the device onto his head. The cold metal made contact with his skin, and he immediately felt a strange tingling sensation, as if his thoughts were being prodded by an invisible force.

This feels like an execution to be honest, Seyfe thought to himself, his voice a quiet murmur in his mind.

The veiler didn't respond, but Seyfe could feel the device begin to hum, a soft vibration spreading through his skull. His breath caught for a moment as he tried to steady himself, but the growing pressure of the device only intensified his discomfort. 

For a moment, it felt as though his thoughts were being pulled in a dozen different directions. The image of the baby flashed before his eyes, followed by the ruins of the Dead City—the screams, the blood, the chaos of everything he had endured. The flickering image of the veiler Aki, her cold but calm demeanor.

Seyfe… calm down, he told himself, but the pressure from the device made it harder to concentrate.

A few minutes passed, and just as Seyfe was beginning to feel as though his skull might split from the pressure, the door to the room opened, and the officer from earlier walked in. Her uniform was crisp, her expression as cold and unreadable as the veilers who had been escorting them. She moved toward him without a word, her eyes scanning him as she approached.

"You're the civilian who was caught in the Shift," she said, her voice flat, devoid of warmth. "I trust you've already been briefed on your current situation." She glanced briefly at the veiler, who nodded in return.

Seyfe couldn't help but give a dry chuckle, despite the lingering discomfort. "Briefed?" He let out a half-hearted laugh. "I thought I was about to be executed. Do I really look like someone who's been 'briefed'?"

The officer didn't react, her face unreadable. She stepped closer, her gaze never leaving his. "We need to know what you saw during the Shift. What you encountered. Any relevant information that could help us understand the anomaly."

Seyfe's heart raced. He couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline as the veiler adjusted the device on his head, pressing it tighter against his skull. This isn't just about the baby, he realized. They're digging for more. They want to know what happened—what I saw… what I know.

His voice faltered for a moment, but he forced himself to speak. "I told you—I don't know much. I was just... there."

The officer raised an eyebrow, her expression sharp as she leaned in. "You're lying."

Seyfe tensed, but before he could respond, the veiler who had been adjusting the device gave a small signal, and a sharp jolt of energy surged through the metal band. The pain was immediate—a searing ache that radiated through his temples. His body went rigid, and for a split second, he thought he might lose control.

"This is for your own good," the officer said coldly, as if this was just another procedure.

Seyfe clenched his jaw, his muscles trembling as the pain slowly started to fade, but the aftereffects lingered—his mind buzzing, almost disoriented. His thoughts felt fragmented, like pieces of his own memories were being scattered, only to be pieced back together by someone else's will.

The officer straightened. "You will cooperate, or this process will be far less... comfortable."

Seyfe didn't respond. What was there to say? He was already trapped in this cold, mechanical web, and any resistance would only make things worse.

He glanced at the officer, his eyes narrowing. "And if I tell you everything, what then?"

Her eyes narrowed in turn. "Then you'll be allowed to leave with the baby. But that depends entirely on your cooperation. Tell us what happened, and you'll be granted the mercy of a life without further investigation."

Seyfe's pulse quickened. He didn't know if that was a threat or an offer, but in either case, it felt like he had no choice. The weight of the metal device pressed down on him once again, a reminder of how powerless he was in this situation.

As the room fell silent, the hum of the device was the only thing filling the space.

Seyfe let out a long, steady sigh as he leaned back against the couch, trying to steady his thoughts under the unyielding pressure of the device strapped to his head. The hum pulsed in his skull, sending tendrils of discomfort through his mind, but he knew he had little choice but to cooperate. The officer was waiting, her gaze unwavering, and the veiler standing beside him made no effort to hide the slight impatience in his stance.

With a reluctant breath, Seyfe began, his voice strained but clear. "Alright, fine. You want to know what happened... It all started when I found the baby. I was in the Dead City—no surprise there, right? We all end up in that hellhole sooner or later." His eyes flicked to the officer, then to the veiler, as though daring them to interrupt.

"The Shift started after that. One minute, I was looking at the wreckage of the city... the next, I found myself in the middle of the desert. Not exactly a vacation spot," he muttered bitterly. "I didn't have time to get my bearings before I was attacked. There were these... twisted birds. Like something out of a nightmare. Almost killed me." He paused, swallowing as the image of those creatures flashed in his mind. The sharp talons, the twisted, unnatural bodies that seemed to mock anything alive.

"They were fast, relentless, but I didn't have much choice but to fight back. I managed to use some exposed wiring—live wires, still surging with electricity from the ruins of the city—and I electrocuted them. They were... like something out of a machine's nightmares, but twisted. I don't know how else to describe them. It was either that, or I wouldn't be standing here now."

He could see the officer nodding, her eyes calculating. She was processing what he said, but he could feel the pressure of the device on his head tighten, as though it were reading into the very essence of his words. But he had to keep his story straight, keep it plausible.

"The... abomination. The one I found? It was like nothing I've ever seen. Humanoid, mechanical, but... wrong." He hesitated, choosing his words carefully as his mind raced. "It had a thousand eyes. Eyes all over its body, twisting and blinking like it was alive—more alive than anything else out there. It was wounded, or at least it looked that way. Like something had torn into its form, but it wasn't fully… broken. It was searching for something. For me, I think."

Seyfe's breath hitched slightly, but he kept his eyes steady on the officer. His heart hammered in his chest. The truth will kill me here. He knew what he was saying wasn't fully accurate, but he hoped the veiler's equipment couldn't catch his lie. The Echoform hadn't been wounded. No, that was just the way it appeared—an unnatural, grotesque form that looked like it had been stitched together from parts of something else. But he couldn't afford to admit that now. The truth would unravel everything.

The officer didn't seem phased by his answer, but the veiler standing beside him shifted slightly, his expression still unreadable behind his mask.

"Humanoid, mechanical... a thousand eyes," the officer repeated softly, tapping her fingers on the desk as she processed the information. "You say it was searching for you. For what?"

Seyfe felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He could sense they were digging deeper, trying to peel back the layers of his story, searching for cracks. But he had to keep his story airtight. There was too much at risk.

"I... don't know. It was almost like it was hunting, but there was something about it. Like it knew something, or it was trying to get something from me," Seyfe replied, his voice lower now. He was lying, yes, but the lie felt heavier with each passing second. "It was relentless. It wouldn't stop chasing me until... well, until I ran into that wire."

The officer nodded, her fingers tapping the table rhythmically as she seemed to consider the details. "And after the encounter, you escaped to where? You said you found the baby?"

"Yeah," Seyfe said, nodding. "I was lucky enough to find shelter in the ruins before... whatever that thing was could catch up to me. When I found the baby, the shift seemed to happen again. I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or if it was real, but everything changed after that."

A long silence stretched between them as the officer continued to observe him, her eyes cold, piercing. The veiler who had strapped the device on his head shifted again, the metallic hum of the headband amplifying the stillness in the room.

"You've given us the details we need," the officer said finally, breaking the silence. "We'll be examining your story more closely, and we will verify your claims. If we find discrepancies, things will... escalate."

Seyfe tried not to let his fear show, his throat tightening as he struggled to swallow. He couldn't let them catch onto the lie. He had to keep the truth buried, at least for now.

The officer gave a small, almost imperceptible nod before turning to the veiler. "Take him to the next phase."

Seyfe stood, his legs slightly shaky as he glanced at the officer one last time. "You really think you can make me talk?" he muttered, though he knew it was pointless. His voice barely rose above a whisper, but it hung in the air like a challenge. "You've got no idea what you're dealing with."

The officer didn't answer, but as he was escorted out of the room, the door closing behind him, he couldn't help but feel the weight of his own lie press down on him.