Li followed the small creature up a set of stairs, into a long hallway lined by open doors.
"Come to my room. Sit down."
Li gulped, taking a seat on what seemed to be a custom made bed, almost like those large dog beds back on Earth.
"Li… I'm not sure if Aoki told you this, but you once an A+++ hero, which explains-"
"I WAS A WHAT?!"
"It true."
"M-Me?"
"Remember Chao Chu?"
"Xiao Shu?"
"Yes…"
Tears blurred Li's vision as a familiar face filled his mind—an old friend, a memory long buried but never truly gone. The warmth of the sun, a bright smile. His mind had let go, but his heart hadn't. His shoulders shook as he hunched forward, the weight of it all crashing down. Tears hit the ground, silent but heavy. The small creature at his side nudged him gently, offering what little comfort it could. Li wiped his face, steadying his breath.
"Xiao Shu… What happened to him? What happened to us? Tell-tell me, please!"
"Do you remember the dark field? The raining?"
"Y-yes I do! Someone called out that Xiao Xu had died. What about it?"
"You should have not been there… Do you know what division you were?"
"I can't remember."
"Investigator. You and Xiao were onto something. We still can't figure out what."
"How many people… how many know what happened?"
"Central Command center and a few of your friends from past. Too dangerous, Xiao Shu death covered up. We need you remember what you two looking for. One day, you disappear from Guardian list completely. Your friend Aoki took you into his squad on Flatlands Orange, to stay on low profile."
"What happened to me? I- the dreams."
"The anomalies. First you disappearing completely for some time. Then, you coming back, but you wake up somewhere else. S-tier investigator team figured it out. We're trying keep this from opening up. Something big on you, S-tier is afraid to put you into experimentation. They pretend they don't know and they try rehabilitate you to normal. Your memories come back slowly."
"So you mean something we've never seen before is happening to me? Something is behind all of this even the S-tier are scared off?"
"Yes."
It felt as if a cold wind blew his whole face. Goosebumps rose. The tears had gone cold, and dried up on his face, making it sticky.
He got a feeling that the next time he went back to China, there would be something there waiting for him.