Haoyu was silent, trying not to anger Ria further. She was static, staring at the walls and thinking about something. Then, she broke the silence:
— Haoyu, was it? We should split up and look for a way out.
— Seriously? We'll be lost in no time.
— I can shoot my gun to call you if I find something.
— And if I do?
She clicked her tongue and then handed him the other revolver.
— The one you're holding has five bullets. Maybe if you shoot it, the ammo won't go down, since this is a dream.
— What if it goes down all at once?
— Try to believe that you have infinite ammo. Maybe your brain can trick this world into making it true. I can't, because I'm used to counting the ammo have left.
— Alright...
They went their separate ways. All they saw were walls and more walls. Haoyu reached a dead end. There was a picture frame on the wall, showing the blue-haired girl he had seen before. Next to her was probably her father, a fat, balding man, holding a shotgun. He and her mother had their faces erased. The girl was holding a teddy bear innocently.
She can't be Jing... She looks very similar, but that man wasn't her father. I haven't met her family well, but I remember their faces.
He turned to leave, but somehow there was a wall. He was trapped, so he turned around and saw the image. It was darker and bloodier. Only the girl was standing, her eyes blood red. Behind her, there was a man. He wore a black suit and purple tie. His face was not visible, but his hands showed a sign. Index finger and thumb together, the others upward. The other hand was upside down. The symbol formed was that of Infinity.
Ria wandered through the maze, until she too found a photo frame. She was in the photo, expressionless as ever, with a handsome red-haired man smiling at the camera.
— Tetsushi... Hey, is this a joke? Whoever put this here, I know you're watching me.
— It is indeed not a joke...
She turned around, but there was no one. The voice was decaying, tired.
— The person you see is deeply related to your past, and present, and future...
She looked at the photo again. The red-haired man was no longer there. Instead, most of the image was empty, as if something or someone important was missing.
— ...your desire to be in the first picture is infinite...
Haoran woke up in a random place.
Ugh... what happened? My head hurts...
He stood up quickly, looking around. He was in a shopping mall. It was endless wherever he looked. The ceiling was not visible, the hallways were as long as the eye could see.
Alright, I saw that girl and... I ran towards her, but I lost consciousness... probably because of the oxygen. I should have listened to Haoyu...
He entered the stores. They were full of everything a mall could have. He was interested in some of them, so he tried to steal from them. When he left the stores, nothing happened. There was only silence. Not even music could be heard. Until...
A shot from afar startled him. He ran towards it, even though he knew it could be dangerous. At least he wasn't alone. Before he turned the corner, he heard two voices talking to each other.
— So? What did you find?
— A picture... and you?
That voice... Haoyu!
— Same. A voice spoke to me-
Haoran quickly ran towards Haoyu and hugged him.
— Bro, you're here!
— H-Haoran?! You were here the whole time?
— Yes... You know that girl we saw on Everest?
— Did you find her?
— I saw her... she was dead in the snow. Her blood formed an infinity symbol on the ground. The moment I saw it, I lost consciousness...
Ria commented:
— Wait, infinity? When the voice said that word, I arrived here.
Haoyu said:
— Haoran, she's Ria, a powerful hero in Tokyo.
— I'm not powerful here. My power doesn't work because of some bullshit.
— And she's still upset...
Haoran smiled at her and extended his hand to her.
— Nice to meet you, Ria! I'm Haoran.
She hesitated, surpised by his kindness. Then, she shook his hand awkwardly.
— But you're from Tokyo, right? How can you speak Chinese so fluently?
— Heroes are busy, you know? I've solved a lot of cases in your country.
— Well, thank you for your services!
— Don't thank me, you don't know anything about me.
She looked at Haoyu, trying to avoid that conversation.
— What did you see in your picture?
— A blue-haired girl... the same one we saw at the Everest.
— Did you hear a voice?
— No... but behind the girl there was a man. He made a strange sign with his hands. It looked like an infinity symbol.
— Looks like we found our answer. We got here by seeing or hearing infinity. Just as I thought. I was investigating someone who had that power.
— Wait, so you were the one who left the tablet in the cabin?
— Maybe, I don't remember much. I was probably taking notes in case I mysteriously disappeared.
— Then I got here by reading that word...
— Sorry for dragging you here. It may not look like it, but I have a duty as a heroine.
— No worries. Haoran came here before me for another reason. It's better that I came.
— Let's split up again. We gotta end this quickly.
— Are you sure? Haoran doesn't have a gun...
— Go with him. Just don't waste much time.
She left. The boys walked, trying to find any clue. Haoyu said:
— The man I saw in the picture is probably the voice Ria heard. He's making us play a game, for whatever reason.
— Well, at least we're alive! That means he doesn't intend to hurt us, right?
— I don't know about that. Everything feels so weird here that it's hard to know what's real.
— Hey, are we in a dream?
— How did you know?
— Don't know, just felt. My senses are heightened here, just like in dreams.
— Now that you mention it, I feel lighter here. We should be able to run this entire place before we get tired.
— Just be careful, Haoyu. I walked into some of the stores and it looks like we're not alone.
— What do you mean?
— They are partially destroyed. I don't know if anyone had a fight in this world, or if they were just angry and hit everything in front of them.
— This place is as quiet as a library. We should hear them before they reach us.
They resumed their trail. Some of the shops had their items scattered or their windows broken. Haoyu asked:
— Just to be sure, you didn't go around stealing everything, did you?
— Hehe, how did you know? I did, but I didn't destroy anything. Someone got here before us.
— Alright, be careful. Wait, do you hear that?
They entered one of the stores. It was more destroyed than the others. It smelled of hatred and despair, as if someone had released all their anger within those walls. There was a TV on the wall. It was broken, but somehow it showed a picture and sound. After the static died down, a girl appeared.
The same girl with blue hair and red eyes. She was walking down the hallway, desperate and hitting everything. She stormed into the store they were in, punching things until her fists bled. She screamed like she was about to die, then calmed down and walked away like nothing had happened.
Suddenly, a man appeared on the TV. His face was not visible, but his fingers were touching, like a generic villain.
He's the reason we're here, I know it.
— You're condemned... to solve your confusions...
Haoran shouted:
— Why are you doing this?! Let us out!
— I can't... your essence claimed to be here...
Haoyu asked:
— What do you want from us?
— You have... to solve your confusions...
— What does that mean?
— You all have unsolved issues... your minds must be at rest before you return to your worlds...
Haoran asked:
— "Worlds"? So there are people from other worlds here?
— Your confusions cause instability... in the human realm...
Haoyu shouted:
— So tell us what to do!
— You're the only ones... who know what to do... The universe is infinite...
Ria was also watching a TV, but in a plaza. The huge screen showed her a familiar face. It was the red-haired man, in his last moments, smiling at his death. After that, a nuclear explosion in the sky, destroying the landscape.
— He was a pyromaniac... wasn't he...?
Ria turned around and saw a silhouette. Only his shape was visible, the rest was pitch black. She was feeling a little uneasy.
— Why...?
— Your only mistake... is blaming yourself... He could have avoided it... but his decision was different...
— You don't know anything about me or him. He had no choice. I did.