May 28th, 2013

Yan and Wen had arrived at the hospital rather quickly. Too quickly. " Wow, that was fast..." Wen remarked, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at the hospital doors.

Yan shook his head. " This can't be the hospital. I didn't see any of the landmarks that should be nearby. "

Wen glanced at him, her lip quivering a bit. " Are you sure? Maybe you just weren't looking..."

She then proceeded to nod and get out of the car as they entered the parking lot , with Yan following close by. " No...you're right, I've lived here since I was born, even with no traffic it should have taken us at least ten more minutes to reach the hospital..."

Yan watched as a nurse approached him directly from the building, her expression was dull and lifeless, as of her very essence had been sucked out of her body. No life was present in her step as she just moved towards her destination. " Abandon your search. " The woman said plainly, only to vanish soon after, dissipating into complete nothingness, even at an atomic level.

" I'm severely creeped out right now..." Wen sighed, looking around the area, wondering exactly what was happening, and more importantly, what was even real.

Yan felt a strange gust of wind strike him, however, he didn't see anything else move within the sudden wind. However, consumed by the sensation or feeling that the wind was blowing down upon him, he immediately fell over, hitting his head on the concrete beneath him.

Wen was approached by another, similar individual from behind, who placed a hand around her neck. " Abandon it, yes? Your search. "

Wen began to close her eyes as she felt the grip tighten, upon doing this, she quickly realized that nothing was touching her, as she didn't feel the sensation any longer. She glanced back over to Yan. " It's all in your head, whatever ability this is...it's using the placebo effect. The only reason why any of this is happening is because your brain is convincing you that it is happening! "

Yan shook his head, getting up as he glanced over at her. " Wen...I don't feel at home...when you're not around me...but right now, there's something I need to ask of you...get the car and change the route. If this is some kind of advanced illusion, it must have some kind of radius or target limit...every ability that I've encountered has some kind of caveat towards it. "

Wen's face flushed up a bit, and she promptly covered her mouth, not saying anything and doing what she was told. She got back into the car and drove around Yan, knocking over some of the illusion figures that were walking about the area. She continued to drive until the scenery suddenly changed.

Wen glanced behind her to see not a hospital, but instead, a run down supermarket, crystals abundant in the area, coursing through the building and pounding deep into it from several angles. Yan standing alone. One that had been abandoned for some time now. She continued driving and punched in her GPS to make sure that she was headed towards the right spot and not another illusion, if there even was one.

She had to admit, she didn't like the fact that Yan was fighting alone, however, considering the fact that he had abilities and she didn't, it was probably for the best that he was the one at the epicenter of the chaos.

The young detective quickly pulled up to the hospital, frantically searching for the woman that Yan had talked about. She had managed to piss off a lot of traffic on the way with her reckless driving trying to get there, but this was a matter of immeasurable importance.

- - -

Yan had managed to get a good footing in the area, walking through the illusions as they approached him, no longer able to feel their presence as he remembered that they were not real. " I have to admit I was a bit worried when this started out...but now..."

Yan's thoughts were suddenly cut off as he felt a series of blows strike his body. He could see the general outline of some kind of tendril, but beyond that, the thing was damn near invisible. He fell to the ground, and with the pen he hoped to jot down Wen's number, was cut in the side of his leg.

Yet another illusion would manifest near him. " It's time to forget about the past..."

There was something strange about this voice, it felt closer, and more intimate than the others and their monotone pattern of speech. Glancing nearby, he could see a silhouette in the distance, the most notable feature being a long...black skirt.

- - -

Wen had managed to get to the corridor where Joan Akihito was supposed to be located. She looked around the area, unable to find her. She saw a shadow form behind her, and quickly glanced over to see a woman, adjusting her glasses. Looking over at the sign above the room where she stood, it had to be Joan. She didn't look like much of a scientist, all she did was stare into the frilly flowers on her skirt. " You uh...like them? " Wen asked, stretching her skirt a little bit to give her a better view.

The woman continued to just stare blankly. So much that Wen almost thought she had walked into another illusion. " You're that news reporter girl, aren't cha? " She asked, playfully poking her arm.

Wen quickly shook her head, very confused as to what was going on. " No, I'm not..."

Joan quickly placed a finger on her chin, smiling. " I know it's you, everyone in this town may have forgotten the day when your wig fell off on live television, but I still remember, how does a young girl have all of her hair already gone...it's quite tragic...hell I'm older than you and I've still got my hair. "

Wen quickly tugged against her bangs. " This. Is. Real. Hair. "

She continued to argue with Joan, but she was clearly not having any of it, ignoring Wen with each protest and fact and dismissing it. In her mind, she was convince that Wen was some kind of news reporter.

Wen just dropped it after a while, her face becoming far less flustered and lost as she stared towards Joan. " I need you to tell me everything you know about the Gem of Life that your husband possessed. "

Joan looked over at Wen, a serious expression upon her face, however, before a response could be given, she was immediately approached by a doctor. " What are you doing here? " He asked, raising an eyebrow at the youth.

" She's that news reporter! The one who lost her hair during the big storm! "

Wen shook her head, a bit annoyed that they were still on this. " No, I'm a stranger, I just need- "

" You don't need anything except to get out of here, you have no authorization to be here. " The doctor remarked, pointing Wen towards the exit.

The young detective was about to protest, however, as she saw two security guards pass by in the hallway, she knew that it was going to be in vain. She saw herself out, exiting the hallway. Joan looked carefully over at Wen, sensing the presence of the bacteria upon her. " It seems like she is beginning to manifest..." She thought to herself, before being led back to her room by the doctor.

- - -

Yan began to run through the illusion area, however, the silhouette seemed to only get closer. " It's adapting to my movements and changing direction with each turn I make..." He thought to himself, gritting his teeth as he was suddenly struck once again by the mysterious tendrils.

He proceeded to run towards the illusion hospital, however, it simply changed directions again, and before Yan could do anything, he was grasped by the tendrils once again, and pulled down onto the ground, his face now brutally dragging against the concrete. " So long as I stay within the radius...the illusion has me trapped...with only one person in here, it must have been made easier to manage..." He continued to think, feeling bits and pieces of his epidermis tear off as he was dragged, digging his elbow into the ground in hopes of stopping the advance of whoever was attacking him.

" This is how most horror movie characters die...when they're damn isolated..." Yan muttered, proceeding to lock on to where the grip was on his body and firing a volley of energy blasts towards it, causing it to break away from him.

There was a bit of a feminine groan that could be heard in the distance. That must have been the origin of this ability. This couldn't have been a random attack, someone must have been targeting him deliberately. His mind began to wonder who exactly that was.

He continued to attempt to run, this time, only ever looking at the concrete, if he kept headed straight, he could emerge from the radius of this ability. As he ran, his eyes met a framed photograph lying on the ground. He suddenly paused as he stared at it. A mother and father, hand on shoulder with their son and daughter. Yan began to wonder if he even had a real family, there was a sense in longing about him throughout the observation that he had made.

He quickly shook his head, and continued running. Eventually, he made his way out of the illusion, and glancing back, he saw the supermarket that laid in place of the false hospital. As he ran, he could feel a soft breeze of wind brush against him, inspiring him with a newfound hope.

The trip was surprisingly uneventful, besides his injuries slowing him down marginally, he was not pursued for the time being, and made it to the hospital entrance in decent time. However, he still felt the breeze brushing against his body even as he stopped. It pulled against the back of his clothes and squeezed it tightly, the invisible tendrils immediately constricting his hands this time. " Do not advance. I'm warning you "

Yan turned over to see that the woman behind him was the maid of the Wilson household, Xia Yijun, although this time, he noticed a ring on her finger, similar to the one that Declan wore, but a distinct green color upon the gem. He relented, loosening up his body. " If you don't wish me to go in there. Then I won't. I'm indebted to you for healing my injuries the other day. "

It dawned upon Xia, almost like a revelation, that something was amiss. " What are you after in that hospital. Is it truly your past? Or is it the Gems? "

Yan proceeded to lift up his shirt, throwing it to the ground, revealing the strange character that had been imprinted upon his back. " I'm after my past. If it means I'll have to learn about these gems then so be it. "

The maid shook her head, sensing only truth in Yan's words. " My brother has thrown away his entire life on his quest to find the Gem of Life. He is perpetually trapped in that crusade, something I don't even know he can escape from. I don't want to wish that fate upon anyone. "

She placed a finger on her chin. " Besides. That power isn't something anyone should have...the only reason I wield one of my own is because I wish to deter others from obtaining them. " Xia added, holding up her hand and revealing the ring she wore, a character in the same strange script written on it.

- - -

Wen was looking around the area, she couldn't find Yan anywhere. She had to admit that she felt a bit worried about what was transpiring. It wasn't something that she liked to admit to herself, but what began as a chapter in her journey, quickly became something she was infatuated with, even a little.

Her stream of thought was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of two nurses that were exiting the area. " Her condition worsens with each day. Her mental state deteriorates with each passing moment. It's only a matter of time before she's a vegetable. "

" I heard her when husband was murdered, the grief got to her so bad that she moved out of her own house. "

" I heard that she was forced out...literally nobody goes near that house anymore...no one who lives to see another day anyways. "

Wen couldn't help but smile a bit at the last comment, being a proud survivor of the Akihito house, even if it was ultimately Yan who was doing the heavy lifting in the fight. Although, the former comment was much more distressing, they were on borrowed time. They only had a certain window of knowledge, and it was held down tight.

- - -

Xia and Yan had moved to a much more discreet location, an alley not too far from the hospital. " It has come to my knowledge that Declan possesses one of the five gems...these gems often are attracted to others..."

She held up her ring, revealing a character in the same style as the marking on Yan's back. " This is the Gem of Deception. That is the word inscribed on the gem. It took my brother a while to decipher it, but I can read the secret calligraphy well enough. It allows me to manifest illusions. "

" What about those tendrils I felt...those were real..."

Xia shook her head. " Those are not a power of the ring, but the bacteria within the ground. It's an ability I unlocked sometime after working in the Wilson estate. It is telekinetic force manifested in the form of ethereal, invisible tendrils. "

Yan crossed his arms. " I want to know more about myself...where do I fit into all of this..."

The maid took a deep breath. " I have studied some of the secret calligraphy. I do not know who created these rings, or for what purpose. That has become trapped in my brother's world. But when I saw the symbol on your back, beyond your innocence and honesty, there was another reason why I didn't attack you. "

She paused, as Yan quickly got fed up with her stalling. " What is it, tell me! " He shouted, walking up to her more closely.

She placed a hand on his cheek, looking up at him. " Yan. The symbol inscribed on your back is life. You are the Gem of Life. My gem is attracted to you as we maintain this proximity. It calls out to you. Can't you feel it? "

Yan thought about it for a moment, but he did feel the connection between him and the ring, it was entirely subconscious, like breath, but once thinking about it, something immediately clicked within him. " I'm sorry...but that is all I can tell...I do not know all...but there must have been a reason that you came when you did. "

Yan nodded, and soon walked away, a bit fast, the revelation given to him sparking a sense of haste. " I am indebted to you a second time. I cannot thank you enough for this clarity you've given me..."

The fact that he was not normal was something that brought comfort and unease to him. Now it made sense why he didn't have what many others possessed. But, on the other hand, he wondered if, as he was not a real person, could he form bonds with other real people? Was he only bound to form connections with other gems...

Yan wondered how he was even brought into this world, why was he a human whereas the other gems were mere gems. His mind was puzzled, but he quickly began to focus on the fact that Declan must have known something about his origins, given the fact that he had a lot of Akihito's documents.

He thought about telling Wen about it, but ultimately decided against it. He was frightened once again. Scared to lose her if he said something. He proceeded to backtrack to the hospital, making his way to her, and reassuring her that all was well.