Vortex Reincarnated

Abruptly, the boy woke up…

The place looked like the school infirmary. Modern equipment surrounded him, and he lay on one of the beds. With the power out, the only light came from a window behind him. It seemed to be late afternoon… 

—"Where… am I?" he muttered, confused and disoriented. 

From a distance, an excited voice responded: 

—"You're awake! How do you feel? Are you okay?" 

A girl rushed toward him, worry clear in her eyes as she checked on the injured boy after his fall. 

—"Who… are you?" he asked, his voice serious and cautious. 

—"Don't worry. My name is Mika. I'm a student and part of the medical club. May I ask your name?" 

She smiled warmly. Her long, wavy hair, a peculiar shade of pink, and her striking emerald eyes made her stand out. 

—"You're… beautiful." 

—"H-huh!? M-me? B-beautiful?! What are you saying…?" 

Mika turned red, looking like a tomato at his unexpected words. 

—"Ah—! Forgive me! I only thought it—I didn't mean to say it out loud…" 

—"U-uh… my name is Jason," the boy said, attempting to sit up. 

—"Ah! Don't try to move! You seem to have broken some bones… if you force yourself, you could make it worse." 

—"Agh… yeah, I get it. It hurts like hell…" 

—"I'm sorry… There's not much I can do with the equipment here, and I don't have enough experience." 

—"Nice to meet you, Jason. Can you tell me about yourself? What happened? How did you end up on the ground?" 

Jason averted his gaze, looking down at himself. Then, glancing around the room with growing concern, he asked: 

—"Where are my clothes?" 

Mika turned bright red. 

—"Ah… about that… they were covered in blood, so I had to take them off…" she admitted nervously. 

—"Ugh… but I'm not wearing anything underneath!" 

—"D-don't worry! I have a spare change of clothes from the infirmary—ones the doctor used. I think they'll fit you…" 

Still blushing, she hesitantly handed him the clothes. 

—"Thanks…" Jason took them. 

An awkward silence settled between them. 

Jason looked at her and, raising an eyebrow, asked: 

—"You're not planning to leave the room, are you?" 

Mika, visibly flustered, hesitated before quickly nodding. 

—"S-sorry!" 

Jason tried to dress himself, but pain shot through his body. A sharp, agonizing scream escaped his lips. 

—"Agh!" 

—"Are you okay?!" Mika asked, alarmed. 

—"No… help me…" 

For a moment, Mika forgot Jason was injured. 

—"I-I'm so sorry!" 

As she helped him put on his clothes, her eyes inadvertently wandered to his body. His muscles were well-defined, like those of a high-performance athlete. She found herself staring at his abdomen, feeling a strange urge to touch it… 

—"Are you okay?" Jason asked, noticing her distraction. 

—"Ah! Y-yeah, I just spaced out… hahaha…" 

Trying to change the subject, Mika said: 

—"You haven't eaten anything. It's almost nighttime… Do you want an energy bar?" 

—"If you don't mind, sure." Jason smiled. 

Mika pulled a few energy bars from her small sports bag and handed him one. 

As he ate, Jason suddenly remembered. 

—"You wanted to know how I ended up on the ground, right?" 

He placed the bar on his lap. After a long pause, he finally said: 

—"Alright… I'll tell you." 

He recounted everything in detail. As he spoke, his eyes grew heavier, dimmer… yet, he pushed forward. By the time he finished, his gaze was empty. 

He regretted it. 

Fear had consumed him. 

Clenching his weak fists, he suddenly yelled at Mika: 

—"You would've done the same thing as me, right?!" 

Tears welled up in his eyes. 

—"I never wanted to be responsible for anyone's death… I just wanted to live…" 

Mika remained silent. She pulled a chair close and sat in front of the bed. She lowered her gaze to the white, marble floor before finally speaking. 

—"I… went through something like that too." 

Jason's eyes widened.

—"My class and I were running laps around the track when we saw that thing fall near us." 

Mika closed her eyes, reliving the moment. 

—"It was a capsule… radiating intense heat, emitting white smoke, and making strange noises. It was gray… We just stood there, watching. Then, our teacher shouted at us, telling us to stay behind him. We obeyed without hesitation." 

»He stood in front of us and ordered us to run—but no one did. Everyone was mesmerized. They pulled out their phones and started recording. 

»The capsule opened… and something emerged. 

»A robot. 

»It raised its head to the sky, then looked around… and finally, lowered its gaze. It lifted its arms, and something in its hand began to glow—brighter and brighter… 

»We froze. 

»The teacher shouted, "Everyone, get down or you'll die!" but no one listened. 

Mika swallowed hard. 

—"And then… it happened." 

»One of its shots hit a classroom. Your classroom. 

A shiver ran down Jason's spine. 

—"I was standing beside my best friend… We held hands tightly. But… the last thing I wanted to happen, happened." 

Her voice trembled. 

—"She took the second hit." 

Mika clutched a necklace in her hand, her eyes wide with the memory. 

—"I saw her body burn… and I broke. My best friend, since childhood… disappeared in an instant." 

»I collapsed, defeated. Her hand… was the only thing left of her. I held it tight, praying that this was all just a nightmare… 

»The teacher yelled at me, but I couldn't hear him. I just stared at my friend's remains. 

»The robot slowly approached me… and I just ignored it. It raised its arm again. 

»At that moment, the teacher…" 

She paused. 

—"…The teacher threw himself at it." 

—"What?" 

—"He always bragged about being in the military. But… he only bought us a little time." 

»And me… I just ran. Tears streaming down my face. 

»As I ran, I saw something else fall from the sky. 

Jason held his breath. 

Mika looked at him and smiled, her voice carrying a nostalgic tone. 

—"I saw you." 

»A figure falling from the window. 

Jason's heart pounded. 

—"And that's how we ended up here…"