The door to my hospital room creaked open, and the person I was speaking with this entire time revealed himself. "Hello, Noria. Now that I've confirmed who you are, we should get out of here before they find us."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74F9F0jgWa
"Who are you talking about?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bsgqI4slw
"I'll explain it, but only after you see it for yourself."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9xJH2FZQm
Null was much taller than myself, and wore clothing that looked like something straight out of a fantasy world. His skin was as clear as a ghost, like he never felt the sun in years.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2y17TsCOZ8
I followed him outside of the building, only to see the true meaning of loneliness. "There is no one, not a single person on the street, where did they go?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegEs8dVnbD
"To another world." Null answered bluntly. "A world safe from the invaders."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLs6CMo4RU
"Invaders?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzkbKkNjwK
"Yes, invaders. This world is trapped within a paradox. After the festival three years ago, alien lifeforms invaded this planet. At that moment a set of metaphorical dice was rolled..."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8N4odcma6
"Three years?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ann6fJYeC
"...that roll caused the month of the celebration to loop, and until that dice stops rolling, time will not move forward. The only one who can stop the dice is the person who rolled it, but the person who rolled it has no memory of it existing."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSFtgDV6Ci
"W-What? You're serious?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfR9RvFwrx
"Of course I am. It's called 'The Merchant's Dice Paradox'. There were only a few people left on the planet when the dice was rolled. That list so far includes the two of us, the invaders, and the orphans on top of the hill."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulEJu9vYGd
"Melonia Falls Orphanage?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2teJmJ3s5
"Yes, but do you remember what the celebration was about?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrMCuAUdiu
"It was the renaming ceremony of Melonia Falls. They were planning on changing the city to just Melonia. The mayor didn't want the orphanage to be considered a part of the city anymore."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwY0kkrpkGd
"Correct. Now, for the question you were about to ask. Yes, I meant three years. That's how long this loop has been going on for."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFJdS0GOgj
─━━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━─118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE196ERGI3y
I had a long time to think as we walked around the city. "So, the aliens are after us? How do you plan on fighting them off?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoinU0Zf4Im
"That's the thing, I can easily take them on, but that could only happen if I knew you and the orphans were somewhere safe. The few of you just happened to get dragged into something you shouldn't have. It's just another inconvenience I guess."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8bVaDcxzp
I just saw it as a stupid amount of overconfidence. He held the door open for me as I stepped inside a small restaurant. "Great place, but who is going to cook the food?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtHmZ78NDt
"I will. According to your hospital schedule, it should be time for your lunch."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOrNeSmkOt
"The more stuff you know, the more I start to think you're a creepy stalker."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlBmMR2Jdn
As I saw him cooking a short distance away, I still didn't know anything about the orphans. "Hey Null, have you ever talked to the orphans before?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgEDAPaqEn
"Yes, but I only talked to one of them. That was just before the dice got rolled... huh, what is this switch?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMooXye0S8
A radio turned on... somewhere. "This isn't the type of stuff I would expect in a place like this." Null said softly. "I guess I'll leave it on for now. Do you have any other questions?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIScI8X0hAL
"No, not at the moment anyway." Null laid a cup of coffee in front of me. "I always wanted to work at a cafe, on a not-so-busy day somewhere in the summer. I guess this will have to do."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMYjlfi2u7
As he finished making my lunch. I noticed that he didn't make anything for himself. "Aren't you hungry?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgMtlhMrsM
"A little bit... but I'd rather wait. I don't like eating around others."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq5UeFRxgx
"I'm not going to judge you."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1JMjEr7MR
I couldn't change his mind. His gaze wasn't focused towards me, it was staring through the window. He was already lost in thought, his mind traveling through another universe.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3Ta9rdhHh
"You know..." he started. "I find something so euphoric about being alone in a world. No one can control you, no one can judge you, and most importantly... no one will need to cry when the time comes. It's only you, and the million miles of absolutely nothing. It gives you all the room in the world to think."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeAqzqKak1
What was he evening saying? I wasn't expecting any of this from a person who was cooking so cheerfully a moment ago. "Don't misunderstand, I'm not ill in any way, shape, or form. I'm just someone who is naturally fond of being alone."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAXkOhamEl
"I don't know how. I almost went insane when I was inside that hospital room."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJEzy8v1Io
"Or you might've been approaching a psychological breakthrough. I once reached a point when I 'needed' someone, but with nobody around I realized what I had was..."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tfdLEXh2e
"...nothing and everything at the same time."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhtL4auDKR
He was ill in some way, he had to be. It might be hopeless to convince him otherwise, so I stayed silent. If I questioned his way of thinking, I would only end up driving him away. "What were your parents like, Null? Did you get along with them?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM7wFfHYiO
"Of course. I'm just too busy to visit them anymore. Once I get out of this loop or whatever it is, they'll be the first stop on my list."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6V9OWr3v9z
Was he lying to me? It felt like a lie for some reason. Now that I think about it, how did he find me? How can I trust this alien crap, or this constant nagging thought that he might be the actual problem. I...118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxiP1A5OJT
He wasn't even looking at me, but he somehow knew what I was thinking, chuckling under his breath. "Feeling stressed? It's the same thing I felt when I first woke up. You can call me an alien if you like. I was only born this year; however, I've been conscious for more than twenty."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJ6Ne0Z4fS
It was honest, but to believe such a thing... would make me crazy. "You know what I'm saying is true. You can feel it, you can feel the Melari-Sha."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZw1dqpRdT
"M-Melari... -Sha?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73c1D4lyAb
"Yes, it's an emotion that emanates from me. When I tell a truth or a lie, Melari-Sha points out which one it is. If it's a lie, it creates hatred. If it's a truth, it creates sympathy."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuyC0tEX3S
"W-What the hell even are you?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlIfguX3Cq
"I... don't know how to answer that. I was born from a fleshy bubble, in a very dark place... until I was finally cut out, free to explore the universes around me. I wouldn't worry too much though. I'm not that different from you, or any other creature."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0x6saCBQTa
I stared down at my coffee, scared to take another sip. This was all true, I could feel it, but everything about this man scared me. He showed no sign of hostility, no sign of sin, almost like a... messiah? No, he probably wasn't that either. I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and smiled back at him.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFYSeEBxOf
