9 The trouble continues...

'Wha- what is going on? Why can't I control my body? Did I really get affected by Kira? Am I going to die? No! Not like this!' struggled Alma internally. But no matter how much he struggled, his body did not respond to his will.

Time slowly passed as Alma continued struggling internally, not giving up the slightest before his instincts told him that something is feeling off. Alma paused his struggle temporarily as he closely sensed the surrounding trying to find what is troubling his instinct. Although he had lost control of his actions and body, he was still able to maintain his thoughts due to the assistance from his multiple personalities and his experience in handling his blackout moments in which he lost his memories.

As he observed the surroundings, he felt some soft rumbling that is distinctly different from the usual rumbling sounds of a train moving. As seconds passed into minutes, Alma was still unable to find out the problem.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts from distraction, Alma was just bout to resume his struggle to regain control of his body when he coincidentally looked out of the window. The train has just entered a tunnel when his instincts immediately started blaring.

It all came so suddenly, the soft rumbling suddenly intensifies before he felt his body suddenly jerk forward a little only to be halted by the seatbelt he was wearing. Then gravity seemed to stop existing as everything not buckled in started floating. Alma briefly experienced a floating sensation before he was engulfed by a loud crashing sound as darkness immediately embraced him.

Alma briefly managed to regain control of his body at that moment due to the shock but he then saw something quickly enlarge in front oh him. The thing quickly revealed itself to be a luggage bag that had flown up due to the abnormal impact. It quickly enlarged itself in his vision before everything went black. The luggage bag had impacted Alma's head heavily, knocking him out.

*Bang* Crash* Rumble*

Everything seemed to become worse as the sounds of heavy impact and crashing made way for loud sounds of trembling and rumbling before an even heavier impact resounded throughout the train, knocking everyone unconscious.

The whole train seemed to have crashed into something as it was going through the tunnel. A landslide seemed to have happened and the tunnel had collapsed down. The tunnel collapsed onto the train tracks and onto the train below. Even if the impact did not injure many people, the collapsing stones and rubbles surely will.

A large number of stones fell and crushed multiple train compartment, killing a large portion of the passengers. A portion of those that survived became buried under many layers of stone and rubble. If the heavy pressure from being buried did no kill them, then they will probably experience being starved to death.

Many compartments failed to survive, but one lucky passenger compartment managed to get through the worse of it. The segment of the tunnels around it manage to hold out and did not collapse but the tunnel surrounding it had collapsed, trapping them between the both of them.

Though that segment of the tunnel did not collapse, some rocks and stones had still fallen onto the train and the few train compartments there had also flipped and collapsed on the stretch of the underground tunnel that had become a small cavern. Many passengers on board the train did not manage to survive but a very small group had still survived albeit with varying degrees of injuries.

A few of the surviving passengers, after getting ahold of themself, gathered their strength to help save as many people off the train as they could. They then tried to organise the group to hold out long enough for rescue to come.

---

[You have died.]

'No! No! Not like this! No matter what, I still haven't fulfilled my promise! I must not fall before then!' screamed Alma desperately. But no sound came out. Everything was still dark and he could no longer feel his body.

'I won't give up! This isn't my time yet! My promise!' shouted Alma once again as he continued to struggle.

Meanwhile, in a dark space, the 'something' seems to be pulsing with light as the fragments surrounding it starting glowing brighter.

[Your determination has overcome an insurmountable odd.

You have escaped from 'Death' twice. You have obtained another piece of the unique fragment.

The unique fragments have combined with each other.

Story: Unique fragments, is there something more to this?

You have experienced the hold of 'Death' but your strong will has allowed you to escape from its grasp. What exactly did you escape from? There still seems to be something more to this.

(Incomplete due to missing fragments)

Effect: Minor awareness of 'Death' when it is near you. ]

[Your stories have reached a certain threshold.]

[Your bond with '*****' is insufficient but due to the current circumstances, it has decided to reveal itself to you.]

In the depths of Alma, the 'something' that is usually blurry and covered by the darkness revealed itself to Alma attracting his attention causing Alma to calm down. As he calms his mind, Alma finally noticed the calling of the 'something' through their bond.

Directing his attention towards it, Alma could see that the fragments that usually revolve around it scattered around the space before glowing brightly. The fragments that usually let Alma feel that he is surrounded by the starry night skies started lighting up with such intensity that the night seemed to have become the day.

The light did not harm him at all, Alma just felt that he is being cleansed. Feeling the warm light on his skin, Alma closed his eyes to enjoy it. Feeling the warmth permeating his whole body tempering his determination. He opened his eyes again to see the surrounding that seemed to have changed to a bright clear sky on a cloudless day.

Following the beaconing of his bond, Alma's line of sight directed him onto a shining orb in the sky that seems to fall towards him. Reaching out towards it, the orb slowly floated atop his hand. It looked like a clear gem small enough to hold in his palms.

The orbs inside seem to glow softly, emanating a feeling of determination. Holding the orb, Alma finally realised the identity of the 'something' that he always felt inside him. Embracing the soft glow of determination that came from the orb, Alma slowly caressed it.

"My soul's core... is it?" said Alma slowly. Looking deeply into his eyes, one can feel a light glowing within that is similar to the light from the orb. As he held his soul's core in his hand, Alma could feel a weak pulling force emanating from it, pulling an unknown fragment towards it.

As the unknown fragment came towards the orb, it finally became the first fragment that touched the orb. The unknown fragment then glowed with golden light and then Alma felt something change within him.

[Your determination is resonating with your bond. Your soul's core has summoned the unknown fragment.

The unknown fragment is reacting to your determination and the current situation.

The unknown fragment has awakened prematurely and has revealed itself to you.

Story: Promise of a Lifetime.

An innate story that has been received from '********'. It typically reveals itself when a promise is done with an incredible will and determination that promises it will be done no matter what. It will then be etched upon your life and would no longer be forgotten.

(The story has degraded due to premature awakening.)

Effect: Soul bind.]

Resonating with the feeling, Alma then instinctively knew what his soul's core is trying to do and the meaning of the fragment.

"Hah! As expected of my own soul! You know exactly what we want! So go ahead and do it. No matter what, I will fulfil my promises." laughed Alma as his soul's core also glowed in response to his determination.

[<<Promise of a Lifetime>> has activated.]

The moment that happened, the fragments that are glowing brightly started to burn before fading away. The light that turned the surroundings into the day slowly faded into darkness. Additionally, his soul's core had cracked a little and it's glow had all but faded, signifying that Alma has paid a great price in order to fulfil his promise.

Some of the fragments that are still present began to glow with a soft light before scattering into luminescent particles that floated towards the soul's core to mend its crack. Even though his soul's core has become dimmer, it still continued to glow in the dark sky. Like a beacon shining in the endless darkness.

---

"Hey, hey! Are you ok? Hey Otonashi! He seems to be waking up!" called a brown-haired young man that looks to be having a bandage around his head towards a young man with red hair.

"Alright, coming. Don't shout so much Igarashi. Save your energy. Hello sir, are you alright? Does your body hurt anywhere? We managed to pull you out from the rubble so please check carefully for any injuries." said the red-haired young man who is called Otonashi before asking me whether I am having any problems.

*Urgh*

I groaned a little before sitting up. Moving my body a little, I told Otonashi that I am fine after feeling that there isn't any problem with my body. A little scratched up but otherwise fine. He also crouched down to check my body to be sure. He then nodded a little when everything seems fine before standing up.

It was at this moment I realise that the surrounding seems to be rather dark and dusty. Looking around, I realise that we seemed to be inside a cavern of some sort. I scratched my head, confused. I then asked the brown-haired man named Igarashi about where we are.

"Hmm? You don't remember? Did you hit your head a little? Well, you were unconscious for a whole day. We were on a train going through an underground tunnel before the train crashed and collapsed. Probably due to an earthquake or something. Now both side of the tunnel is blocked off and we are trapped here in this cave. We are now trying to make sure everyone manages to live until rescue arrives. That clear enough?" answered Igarashi.

"I see. By the way, what are you and the other person's name?" I nodded at his answer before asking for their names.

"You can just call me Igarashi. The other person who helped check your body is called Otonashi. You could say that we are currently the make-shift leaders here. We are trying to ration the food and water to make sure everyone gets some. You can talk to me later to get your ration since you had just woke up. Don't worry too much, rescue is surely on the way." said Igarashi before he gave me a pat on the shoulder for encouragement before leaving to check on the others.

After they had left, I just continued lying on the ground. Not wanting to move my body as it feels rather stiff and sore.

'Igarashi and Otonashi, huh... ' I wondered as I looked at the two going around checking the wounds and bandages of the various survivors.

'By the way, who am I? Why was I on the train?' I thought before my head started hurting. My vision started blurring as I held my head in pain.

*Urgh*

I let out a groan as various things started flitting through my mind.

[You have lost all of your memories.]

[Some fragments have sacrificed themselves. A part of your soul's core has been repaired.]

[You have recovered a portion of your memories.]

*Argh*

I clenched my teeth in pain when a portion of my memories returned abruptly. A large portion of my life did not return. Only the memories related to the promises I made had returned back to me.

*Phew*

I rubbed my head as I sorted through what I still remember. My name is Alma Laune. I promised to live until 30 years old and live a memorable life. To ensure the happiness of my sister and her livelihood when I pass away due to cancer is what I hope to do.

*Sigh*

Letting out a tired sigh, I calmed my mind and reaffirmed my determination. I did not remember how I ended up in this situation but I am sure I would have left some clues for myself.

'After all, memory loss is my friend right?' I chuckled internally before finally bringing my focus back to the situation at hand.

Looking around, I first noticed the giant wreckage of the train that crashed in the tunnel. Observing the debris scattered around, I could already tell that the group present here in this cave should probably be the only group of passengers that lived through the accident.

I felt kinda lucky that I wasn't buried under the rubbles instead of merely stuck under a few rocks. Because if I were, I wonder what would happen if I came back to life from that situation. In the best-case scenario, I suffocate. If not, I starve. I prefer neither and I should really stop thinking about it. Otherwise, depression might come running.

Chuckling at my thoughts, happy that I am still able to be optimistic in these circumstances. Satisfied with my mental state, I couldn't say the same for the other passengers though.

Observing the surroundings, I noticed that a majority of the people that managed to survive are students. There is an adult man that looks to be a teacher that is supposed to overlook this group of students. Sadly, it seems that he had sustained some head injuries and was unable to move. The students mostly got away scot-free, just with minor cuts and scrapes.

I noticed that those who were injured were bandaged and some simple first aid was done to help those who were more seriously injured. Counting the number of people here, there were only 13 people.

Seeing how the two men called Igarashi and Otonashi is organising the group and sharing the rations, I decided to go and see whether there is anything that I could help with. Standing up, I approached them slowly. I could see Otonashi helping the man that looks to be a teacher sit down in a more comfortable fashion since he looks to be injured quite heavily.

Straining my ears, I could hear Otonashi asking Igarashi about the food. Walking closer, I could hear that they still have a few snacks and a couple of homemade box lunches They also have five or six bottles of water and tea left.

Running some numbers through my head, I eventually ended up with the same judgement that Otonashi made. Which is that the food will probably last everyone here around three days maximum. Even with all the rationing, that is the best they could do regarding the current circumstances. So we can only hope that rescue will come sooner, rather than later.

Just when I am deciding whether to walk a bit faster to catch up to the two to have some talk regarding the situation, my thoughts were interrupted with some yelling. Looking at the source, I managed to see a male student trying to move stealthily to a part of the train which is more intact than the others.

It seems like they keep the food and water that is to be rationed there. The male student grabbed some of the bottles of water and stuffed them into his bag before a few other students noticed what he did.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

"He is stealing the water!"

"Stop him!"

The male student stated running immediately after hearing the shouts. A few of the students quickly stood up and chased after him to prevent him from running away with the water.

Seeing them running, my instincts immediately tell me that something bad is going to happen. I also began running towards them.

The male student running suddenly tripped on the train tracks before two other students manage to catch up to him. At that moment, I noticed the two who caught up are rather angry and are intending to beat up the male student.

The male student is still holding onto the bag filled with water bottles, knowing that if the two students attack him now, the water would probably be spilt onto the ground. They two students are obviously too angry to realise and the male student is too scared to notice that his careless actions are going to make the situation much worse.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, I quickly dropped onto a crouch and tensed up my muscles. I could feel my blood flow accelerating and my heart pumping. My eyes dilated before everything began to slow down.

I pushed off from the crouching position before dashing quickly towards them. Judging that the distance between them and me being 20 meters, I felt that I could make it. No, I have to make it!

Dashing quickly, the moment I reached within 5 meters of them, I dropped into a tackling slide on the ground. Sliding past the small opening between the two students who are just about to kick the male student who fell down, I managed to snatch the bag filled with water from his grasp.

I then slid to a stop a few meters away just as the two kicked the male student. Angry at the male student, they continued to attack him only to be stopped by Otonashi and Igarashi.

I then approached them slowly, holding the bag in my embrace. After calming them down, they finally noticed that the male student no longer has the bag and that I have the bag instead.

"Here you go, guys. Luckily I made it in time, if not, the water would have probably spilt onto the floor." I said lightly as I passed the bag to Otonashi.

*Sigh*

Otonashi, after seeing that the water bottles are fine, let out a deep sigh of relief. Glad that nothing had happened to the precious source of water. He then approached the fallen student who began angrily shouting at him.

"What now O' Great Leader? Are you going to tie me up and beat the hell out of me? I don't care if you do! It's not like anyone is going to make it out of here alive. We all know what is going to happen!" he shouted hysterically.

"That is not true. Help will come." said Otonashi, trying to calm the people down.

"He almost wasted our precious water!" shouted one of the students as some of them also became agitated.

"Calm down! What use does it do for you all to keep shouting? It has already passed and the water is safe. So calm down. Arguing isn't going to help anybody." I said, trying to calm them down.

"Somebody hit him! I won't be able to calm down unless somebody hits him." shouted a female student hysterically.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll deal with him later, rest assured." replied Igarashi as he patted Otonashi's shoulder in encouragement before shooting a look of thanks for keeping the water safe.

"Thanks for the help. You saved us there." said Igarashi.

"Yeah. Thanks for the help." thanked Otonashi.

"No worries, take it as my thanks for helping look after me when I was unconscious. Now, I'll go and have some rest, my body is still very stiff from not moving for so long." I said offhandedly before walking back to my corner to have some rest.

Looking at the two of them taking care of the current situation, I feel relieved that they are so reliable. Seeing everyone's mental state slowly settling down after being placated by Otonashi, I slowly relaxed my guard before falling asleep and resting for the day.

The next day, I woke up just as Igarashi is making his rounds. I had a piece of energy bar hidden in my pocket, so I'll just have that as my ration instead of receiving some from them.

The energy bar's packaging is rather amazing though. Considering that even after experiencing all those abuses being in my pocket when the crash happened, it still did not tear. Now I know why recyclable items aren't all that popular. I mean look at this plastic packaging! I'm pretty sure they could use what it had just gone through as an advertisement for its product. Though I am not sure what a company working in the food industry would do with tough plastic packaging since it will just make getting to the food harder. Hmm...

Anyways, I didn't continue to pay attention to the packaging after that as I opened it to have a bite. Taste like durian...

Why the hell did I even get an energy bar with durian flavour? Was I mad? Not saying that I hate it but I just find that durian flavours in energy bars don't really suit it you know?

"Hey, Otonashi. Otonashi! Things look bad. Get over here." shouted Igarashi.

Interrupted from my thoughts by the shouting, I looked over to see what is going on. A bunch of students seem to be surrounding an older man that looks to be a teacher. Looking at it closer, I noticed that he was the guy who had some head injuries and a broken leg I saw yesterday.

As Otonashi woke up, I noticed that he seems to be holding onto his side in pain. He gritted his teeth and ignored it before scrambling over to Igarashi's side to check out what is going on.

As I walked closer, I could hear a short gasp of surprise? Or was it horror? I did not have much time to ponder as I saw Otonashi performing some check-up before performing some CPR on the guy.

"Come back!" shouted Otonashi as he continued to perform the CPR. Yet there was no response from the man. Some of the female students turned away and seemed to quietly cry while some of the male students turned there heads away from the scene.

Otonashi continued his actions with gritted teeth only to be stopped promptly by Igarashi.

"He's gone Otonashi. He's gone. Please stop." said Igarashi with worry as he held onto Otonashi. After stopping his actions, Otonashi just slumped down in grief. Some of the students there gave them some space as Igarashi comforted Otonashi.

"You have already done your best trying to save him. I could see your efforts. But now, he is gone. You shouldn't linger in the past. We need you now in the present. He might be gone, but we are all still here. Keep yourself together. If not for yourself, then for everyone else here." I said to Otonashi when I reached his side.

"Huh?" muttered Otonashi in confusion as he looked at me after hearing what I said.

"You might not notice it, but everyone else could see it clearly. You are our heart. Our leader. If you do not stand tall in these circumstances and lead us. Everything will come tumbling down. Just look around." I said as I prompted him to look around.

"Yeah, what he said. Otonashi look... everyone is currently influenced by you. Look at their faces. You are their hope during these dark times. You are their hope. As long as you wholeheartedly belief that rescue will come, they will always have hope to persevere to tomorrow. Never give up." supported Igarashi as he too reassured Otonashi.

Hearing what we said, I could see him clenching his hands. I could feel Otonashi getting himself together after some pep talk with Igarashi. After getting himself back together, we lifted the man and placed him in a far corner. We covered the man with extra cloths and gave a moment of silence to pay respect to his passing.

With Otonashi back to himself, everyone seems to be a bit more hopeful as the days began to pass. I tried to ask Otonashi regarding his stomach injury that I saw previously but I couldn't find the right time to ask. He eventually noticed my glance and gave me a look and told me in a soft voice that he did not want to bring it up in case of demoralizing them. Especially considering the current situation where everyone is relying on him. I could only hope that rescue arrives soon to help.

Food and water ran out soon on the third day. Everyone tried to conserve what they could but it ran out soon enough and yet the rescue had not arrived. Time slowly passed and pretty soon, the seventh day had arrived. Everyone could be seen lying on the ground or sitting against the wall.

Everyone had become thinner and dehydrated from the lack of food and water. A look of despair could be seeing in their eyes. All their hope has been extinguished after a few days had passed as rescues seemed to still be out of sight.

In contrast to their thin limbs, I could be said to be in a better situation overall. I did not know why but I seemed to be able to control my body even more accurately now. I was able to put my body in a state similar to pseudo-hibernation. Reducing the functions of most organs and only to the vital ones was able to greatly conserve my energy, making me last a whole lot longer.

Looking around, I could see that most of them had lost hope of survival. The moral of everyone is at an all-time low. I could've sworn that they would've performed suicide if they could still move now.

As all hope seemed to be lost, I could hear the tired voice of Otonashi asking Igarashi for a pen. After Igarashi fumbled around his student uniform for his pen, he then passed it to Otonashi who seemed to have taken a card out from his pocket.

*Sigh*

"I swear..." muttered Igarashi after seeing what Otonashi was doing. He then proceeded to follow along reaching into his pocket before taking out a similar card.

A student lying nearby notices Igarashi's movement and asked what was he doing.

"If you sign this and for some reason, you die. Your life... could be used to save another. You can give some meaning to your life." muttered Igarashi softly.

Everyone managed to hear his voice as the surroundings are very quiet. After hearing what Igarashi said, everyone manages to regain some light in their eyes. They all then proceeded to take out similar cards and proceeded to sign their names on them.

Squinting my eyes a little, I could see it. A life insurance card. By giving your consent, you can use your life to save another by donating your organs to someone in need after your death. Quite an amazing person you are Otonashi.

"You know... you are really amazing Otonashi. Just look, they were in the pit of despair but now, they are trying to give hope to others. You save every one of our lives Otonashi. We owe you..." said Igarashi after seeing the response of everyone here.

You say it, Igarashi! I agree with you entirely. I would join you in praising Otonashi if I could but I don't seem to be able to do that currently as I have put my body into a deep hibernation state. I can still pay attention to the outside world though I can't do anything beyond observing.

"Hey, Otonashi. Hey. Can you hear me? Otonashi..." cried Igarashi when he noticed that Otonashi has stopped responding.

*Sigh*

Looking at Otonashi, I released a sad sigh internally. It seems that he has passed away. Looks like his stomach wound was more serious than he led on.

While I was mourning for his passing, I could feel a rumbling sound getting closer. As the rumbling gets even closer, some of the stones and rubbles blocking a side of the tunnel starting trembling before a small crack appeared.

The crack slowly grew wider and wider as more and more rubble is removed. Soon, light leaked through the crack that appeared. More and more light appeared before a large hole eventually formed.

"Here! Here! We found someone! Survivors! Medics, get over here!"

Loud shouting could be heard as some rescue troops and medics entered the cavern. Looking at the survivors, they quickly took action. They carried some of them in stretchers while the medics and doctors check on the wounded.

Seeing this, I could see that many of the students let out a sigh of relief before fainting. Finally sure that it was all over and that they are finally saved. Looking around, I can feel relieved as I manage to see that Otonashi has passed away in peace and that he had gone with a smile.

I too, let out a smile before letting my consciousness fade. Before falling unconscious, there was only one thought on my mind.

'How the hell am I going to explain this to my sister?' I thought anxiously as darkness embraced me.

---

[You have survived a dangerous situation.

A story has been created.

Story: Surviving ain't that hard right? Just don't die, forehead.

You have survived being trapped in a cavern for a week. Isn't that nice? Consider it as a learning experience. Good guys don't live long, but disasters live forever. What does that make you?

Effect: Increased survival chance in any dangerous situation.]

---