The Sphere of Time

by TIME, S. O.

  “A healing burst?” Kou asks carefully.

  “Just accept the healing,” Isao retorts. “The victory dinner is coming up, and I need you healthy.”

  Isao turns to leave but takes a furtive glance at Hitori—she sees it and quickly looks away again, her energy in turmoil as her hands shake. Isao’s energy flinches at her second rejection, but no sign of this shows on his face. He leaves without another word.

  Dr. Patel gives Kou a reassuring smile. “The burst is completely painless.”

  Hitori nods and gives Kou a quick smile.

  “I might not trust my father, but Dr. Patel is true to her word,” she says.

  She sounds like she is trying to reassure herself as much as Kou. He relaxes at her tone, the tension gone from his body.

  “Alright. Fire away, Doc.”

  Dr. Patel places her hands on Kou’s chest. There’s a brief pause as she closes her eyes, and the white crystal in her condenser illuminates. Her palms suddenly light up and she makes a slight pushing motion down on Kou’s chest. The burst of light flows into Kou’s body. Then she steps back. I notice a considerable dip in her energy, but it appears that she was prepared for it as her energy flow remains strong.

  “That’s it?” Hitori asks, looking intently at Kou.

  “That’s it. Well, that and nine years of research,” Dr. Patel says with a wry smile. “How do you feel, Mr. Kurosawa?”

  Kou takes a deep breath and stands.

  “Woah, slow down—” Hitroi says, moving to push him back to the bed.

  “Wait, hold on,” Kou says, waving her off.

  He gets up, limber and free of any visible discomfort. He stretches, and then jumps around the room until he ends back on the bed. Dr Patel watches with an amused smile, and makes a few notes on the device attached to her forearm.

  “I can’t believe it.” Hitori gasps, hands covering her mouth. She turns to the doctor. “Will I really learn how to do that at the university?”

  “Yes. The curriculum has already been modified to include the bioelectric and fundamental pathology coursework necessary to understand the procedure. It may have taken me nearly a decade to develop the method, but you will learn it in weeks.”

  “Well thanks, Doc. I feel great,” Kou says, walking over and shaking her hand vigorously.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you two tonight at the Dinner.”

  Shortly after she takes her leave, someone knocks loudly on the door.

  “Ms. Matsuo?” a man’s voice asks.

  “Yes, Bernard?” Hitori replies.

  “You’ve been summoned to the fitting chambers. The Commander has requested the dress for the dinner be prepared immediately.”

  Hitori shakes off her surprise and sighs before calling back through the door. “I’ll be right there, Bernard.”

  “Perfect,” he responds. “And for you, Mr. Kurosawa, a special transport has been prepared. Commander Isao explained that you’d be feeling well enough to go home in preparation for the dinner.”

  “Of course,” Kou says under his breath. “I shall make haste to assemble my accouterments. You have my deepest gratitude for your diligent service, Bernard,” he says in a poorly affected accent before Hitori elbows him hard in the stomach.

  “OW!” he yells.

  “It is my pleasure, Mr. Kurosawa,” Bernard replies, with a hint of chagrin. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going now.”

  Hitori rolls her eyes at Kou and giggles. “You’re an idiot,” she says.

  “Yeah, but you can’t get enough of me.” Kou says before winking at her.

  “Ew.” Hitori says, throwing a pillow at him and flushing a faint red.

  “Ouch!” Kou yells, tipping over and putting his hand over his chest as if clutching his heart.

  Hitori walks over to the door, her energy calm once more.

  “Well, I suppose it’s my turn to ‘make haste’ and get this dress thing over with,” she says.

  “Let me know if anything happens. I’ll come running.” Kou responds.

  Hitori smiles.

  “I know.”

  Chapter Five

  K ou's transport pod gives off a faint hum as it speeds down the magnetized path leading between the mansions. The numerous trees along the path have been engineered to perfection. The leaves near the top are a beautiful pale purple, gently shifting to a blue shade near the middle, and finally green at the lowest part of the foliage. The smell of the damp earth and the scent of the leaves give the trip a dreamlike feel. Kou clearly agrees—soon after leaving the Matsuo mansion, he opens the upper portion of the pod and closes his eyes as the warm, late-afternoon breeze washes over him.

  After a few minutes, the trees begin to thin and we reach a large, cleared area with only one building—Kou’s home. It's a stunning structure, built in the shape of a horseshoe with gleaming white metal and artfully layered lines of reflective solar paneling. Soft green vines with lovely purple blossoms cascade over wide balconies that protrude from each of the three levels, while dozens of silver antennas attached to monitoring equipment reach up from the roof. A few small, silver security drones move slowly through the air.

  As we pull up to the front, Kou opens his eyes, a calm hum in his energy. As we enter the open end of the horseshoe, we are greeted by a beautifully curated garden filled with bioluminescent plants that glow like neon signs. Large, designer butterflies flutter around the plants while complex fountains fill the air with soft, fluting sounds produced by water running through their strange architecture. The pathways and open areas are paved with fractal mosaics, an homage to the mixture of science and art that this family so clearly appreciates.

  Kou’s pod slows as he smiles, enjoying the scenery despite his familiarity with it. The pod turns down a path leading left, to the south wing.

  We soon encounter a broad-shouldered man reading a glass tablet at a bench. He's bald, with a distinctive fluffy mustache and alert eyes. He’s wearing the same style of fitted suit that I had come to associate with Isao, tailored for style and maneuverability.

  Upon stepping out of the vehicle, Kou stretches and strolls toward the man.

  “Welcome home, Kou,” the man says, setting the tablet aside and standing.

  “Good to be home, Chives,” Kou responds. The man appears to walk forward to greet Kou, but moves right past him, and they both stop with their backs to each other. After a brief moment Kou side-rolls to his left as the man spins around with a short yell and punches the air where Kou had been standing. Kou swings back at Chives as he rolls to his feet, but the blow misses and Chives dodges back. Chives spins while lowering his body and tries to kick at Kou’s feet, but Kou lunges over the kick and grabs Chive’s arm. He twists it to get his body under Chive’s and shifts his weight to flip the older man onto the ground. After a short groan from Chives they begin laughing.

  “That’s twice in a row now, Chives. You gotta step up your game!”

  “I taught you everything you know,” Chives retorts, breathing heavily as he takes Kou’s offered hand. “Or, that’s what I’d like to say. I don’t know how you’re training now, but it’s definitely working.”

  While Kou and Chives are distracted with their conversation, I am startled to notice Isao standing next to a gated gazebo at the far end of the garden. A person in a coat joins him, shaking his hand and unlocking the gate. They disappear from my view, descending a flight of stairs inside the gazebo. I consider following Isao, but Kou is already walking toward the south wing with Chives. I decide not to leave him.

  Chives puts his arm over Kou’s shoulder as they walk.

  “After you enter Uni, I’ll never be able to catch up to you. You’ll be top ranked for sure.”

  Kou's smile is forced, tinged with embarrassment. "Hardly. I probably wouldn't even be going to Mirai University if it weren't for the Kurosawa name."

  Chives snorts. "Sure, you would. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you face off against someone who isn't a dec
orated war veteran," he replies with a knowing look.

  Kou sighs, shaking his head at his older friend's reassurances. "I'll make the most of every bit of training they can offer. Even if I have to start as the weakest one there."

  “I think you’ll come to find that’s not the case.” Chives pats Kou’s back as they reach a set of doors leading inside. He stops and turns to Kou. “Hana told me to send you down to the lab when I saw you. She says she has something to talk to you about.”

  “She wants me in the cave? No way, did she tell you what for?”

  “Wouldn’t say, but I think it’s about the dinner.” Chives shrugs.

  “Got it. Thanks.”

  Chives enters the wing, going into a large kitchen. From my brief glimpse inside, I can tell it is as sleek and modern as the outside of the mansion would suggest. Kou remains outside and walks further down to the inner curve of the horseshoe. He eventually comes to an impressive set of double doors marked with the Kurosawa crest—a horizontal rectangle with a triangle that starts on its base and protrudes out of it. Inside the triangle is the familiar, pentagonal shape of a condenser with all the known crystals in their slots. The condenser sits inside both the rectangle and the triangle. I don’t see a black crystal in any of its slots.

  The doors open with a near-silent magnetic hum, and Kou walks into a large entrance hall three stories high. Elegant lights hover silently over the foyer, and a massive spiral staircase leads up to the higher floors. People of all shapes and sizes move about the various levels, some at a businesslike clip while others pass by leisurely, chatting with friends. The sight of a couple children dashing along the bannister proves this is more than just a place of business. Kou heads directly for the back of the foyer. After pressing a hidden panel in the wall, a thick door whisks open and Kou enters a glass-walled elevator. He places his thumb on the glass control panel, and the door closes. There aren’t any lower levels indicated on the controls, but we begin descending, with nothing but smooth obsidian walls on the other side of the glass.

  We drop below the foundations of the mansion. After a few moments, the glass elevator comes to a brisk halt. The doors open to a massive underground facility that rivals the size of the mansion above. The floor, ceiling, and outmost walls are all the same shade of sterile white, with clear, glass partitions between labs and offices allowing us to see the scientists and lab assistants working on dozens of different machines. Kou walks straight ahead from the elevator, pausing occasionally to return a wave from one of the scientists in the glass-walled rooms he passes.

  My eyes pass over most of the various experiments with little interest, but one room catches my eye. Behind the glass a couple of lab workers scrape samples off a massive skeleton that is set up like a museum display. The creature has six legs, bent upwards at the knee, and a massive tail that arches over its plated spine like a scorpion. I notice its skull has four eye sockets and realize this must be the same type of creature I saw in the holo images back at the Matsuo training studio.

  Kou eventually reaches a large room filled with half-finished contraptions, active screens, and glass walls covered with drawings and equations. A second elevator stands ready at the far wall, protected by yet another security scanner. By far the most arresting feature of the room is the large, circular device in the center. It stands at least twice as tall as Kou, an upright ring made of blue metal, half a meter thick and mounted on a base riddled with wires and cables. It is hooked up to several massive condenser generators and a control panel that appears only half constructed.

  Kou walks up to the machine and places a hand on its smooth surface when a door to our right busts open and a woman comes barging through. She hurries up to Kou and hugs him tightly.

  She's tall and slender, with darker skin than Kou but an unmistakable similarity in the shape of her jaw and nose. Large, round glasses enhance her soft, light-green eyes, and her short hair is tucked into a worn red hat that looks distinctly at odds with the crispness of her lab coat. On her coat, the name, Hana Kurosawa, is embroidered. I’m sure this is my first time meeting her, but a part of me knows her, as if I’m stumbling into someone I grew up with after a long time of being away.

  “You get this thing running yet?” Kou asks as Hana releases him from her rib-crushing hug. Kou really must be healed since he doesn’t wince at it.

  “Nope. No matter how many generators we attach to the stabilizers, they can't keep up with the energy output of the portal,” she replies, scratching the back of her head. “I mean, these generators have enough energy to keep an entire star intact. This should be enough.”

  “Have you tried enough generators for two stars?”

  “Never mind that. I’m so glad you could come and visit.”

  Kou laughs. “It’s not like I live here or anything. Besides, you could always come upstairs.”

  “Oh, you know what I mean,” Hana sighs, patting the machine. “We’re so close to discovering a way to make condensers even more efficient. This is important work, Kou. Hang in there just a bit longer. I won’t be a cave dweller forever.”

  “Yeah, of course. So...will you attend the dinner?” Kou’s energy shivers, anticipating a negative response from Hana. With warmth that blankets over his fears, Hana’s smile remedies his uneasiness.

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” She smiles gently at him. “I still have a bit of work to do, sweetie, but I promise to be up in time for the dinner.” She raises her hand and swings it to the right. A panel on the floor opens and a few well-kept suits rise out of the ground.

  “I wanted to give this to you personally,” Hana adds. Her energy lowers as her complexion becomes more somber. She takes a grey suit with silver accents from the rack and hands it to Kou. The name, Toivo, is written on the collar in cursive. “This was your father’s debut design.”

  I remember this suit. From where?

  “Mom...I—”

  “He wanted you to wear it when you were old enough to fit into it.” She rests her hand on Kou’s cheek. “He’d be very proud of the man you’ve become.”

  The door that Hana came through bursts open and a lab tech appears, panting heavily.

  “We’re losing power to the accelerator and the pressure valves aren’t stabilizing!” she reports, eyes bright with anxiety.

  Hana and Kou look at each other momentarily before Kou speaks.

  “Go. I’ll put this on, and I’ll see you up there for the dinner.,”

  Hana nods and runs after the lab assistant.

  “Hey, mom,” Kou adds before Hana can leave. She stops to face him.

  “Thank you.”

  Hana’s energy warms as she waves at Kou and rushes through the door.

  Kou takes one last look at the circular apparatus and heads back to the elevator.

  #

  “That suit looks adorable on you,” Hitori smirks behind her hand.

  She stands at the top of the stairway on the third floor, watching as Kou walks out of his room to meet her. The suit Hana gave him does look a hint too large, but Kou straightens his shoulders at Hitori's comment and it settles more naturally on his frame. It's a heavy wrap, grey with a silver chain looped across the front and lines of silver buttons running halfway up the sleeves. The color scheme suits him. Hitori is wearing a long, fitted white dress with blue accents that match her vibrant blue eyes. On her waist is a sash with the Matsuo emblem on it. Her hair hangs free of its usual braid, adorned with nothing more than a silk headband. She wears a thin, silver necklace with a snowflake pendant made of faint blue glass that matches her blue earrings.

  As Kou walks toward her he appears to trip and falls hard to the ground. He holds his leg and lets out a short cry of pain—though nothing about his energy suggests that he is hurt.

  “Kou! Are you okay?” Hitori calls as she hurries down to him.

  “Help.” Kou groans. He lowers his voice as she gets closer. “Hitori...”

  “I’m here, I’m here,”
she says as she kneels down next to him. She prepares her crystal for activation, but Kou waves her over, signaling that he wants to say something in her ear.

  “Wh-What is it?” she asks.

  “Hitori, help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” he says, suddenly turning and giving her a kiss.

  Hitori’s face reddens and her energy spikes.

  “Oh my—You’re so stupid!” she punches him in the shoulder and leaves him on the ground as she walks toward the stairs. Kou jumps to his feet and runs to her, still grinning.

  “I’m sorry, I just had to!” he whispers as they stand side by side at the top of the stairway, gazing down at the gathering of guests below them. Hitori’s mouth twitches with a repressed smile.

  “I will get you back for this,” she asserts under her breath as she gives a crowd a polite wave.

  “Hello everyone and welcome!” Hana’s voice rings throughout the building, and the guests below settle down their chatter. She is standing next to Isao on a levitating platform, gliding above the guests. I briefly wonder if Isao descended those stairs in the gazebo to meet with Hana.

  Hana wears a dress that matches Kou’s grey suit. A unique violet flower is tucked into her impeccably styled hair—the petals ripple with light as she speaks.

  “Thank you all for taking the time to join us for Vitannia’s annual Victory Dinner.

  Today marks the eighteenth anniversary of our triumph over the nymian invaders. We would not be standing here today without the bravery of our fellow citizens, who under the tremendous threat of the unknown, rose to defend us with unwavering determination. This night belongs to them—let us celebrate their bravery.”

  The guests clap, some with a hint of tears in their eyes. It is clear from the clasped hands and somber expressions that the victory Hana speaks of came at a great cost—one that still weighs heavily on the people of this land. Kou’s energy shifts around as he watches his mother. Hitori gently takes his hand in reassurance.