Trigger

Liam...

It felt strange to refer to him as such, but he and I were not the same. The world he lived in differed from mine in a few key ways. 

Technology was both more advanced and more primitive in different fields.

Medical technology here was years ahead of the world I knew, far surpassing what we had… but it was expensive even more so than ours… 

But in other areas, they lagged behind us. 

As I sifted through his memories, one thing stuck with me.

Something worth looking into, something that might be a way to make money here.

Money...

In my original world, I never lacked it. But here, in this world, that wasn't the case. My—no, Liam's—father worked just as hard as mine, but they still struggled…

And in this world, just like in mine, the family was always plagued by tragedy.

"Huff..."

I took a deep breath as I left the washroom. The pain was gone, and I felt better than before.

[Liam White] 

[Quest: The Door]

...

I glanced at the quest window from the corner of my eye.

So be it. I'll do whatever the system wants.

I'll go above and beyond.

Go ahead, pull your creator left and right. 

I was able to create you… I will achieve anything I set my mind to.

***

As Aiden left the classroom, no one said anything to him; some might have even sighed in relief. But he couldn't care less.

His expression was solemn as he headed straight for the washroom, where Liam had said he was going.

Aiden felt even worse now than before.

Liam had a pained expression on his face, and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the pain that surfaced from time to time seemed excruciating.

However…

He didn't need to reach the bathroom. Liam was right there in the hallway, looking out of the window, his expression no longer pained.

He seemed relaxed, which was uncanny after what Aiden had witnessed firsthand—the drastic change his brother had gone through.

Aiden couldn't recall either of them being seriously ill, but Liam had looked like someone at the end of his rope. Now, he looked burden-free, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Liam!"

Aiden called out to his brother, but there was no response.

Liam seemed deep in thought again…

'What is going on with him?'

Liam was never someone to overthink anything, but since the morning, he had been lost in his thoughts half the time Aiden saw him.

...

A vicious smirk crept onto Aiden's lips as he thought back to the morning and how abruptly Liam had awoken him from his peaceful slumber without a shred of remorse.

Slowly sneaking up behind him with steps as quiet as a cat's, Aiden readied his body, his grin widening the closer he got.

His calves tensed as he prepared to pounce on his big brother, who was lost in thought—a mistake Liam was about to sorely regret.

Bang.

Delivering a swift smack to his brother, Aiden's expression turned blank, void of any emotion.

...

Liam was silent, staring at his brother with his mouth agape like a fish.

"…"

"I just checked up on you, brother, but you seem to be doing fine now." Aiden nodded, then swiftly turned and headed back to the classroom with hurried steps while Liam just stared at his back.

'How dare he…?'

***

It wasn't a powerful slap, but it wasn't about the pain. It was the sheer audacity of him daring to strike his benevolent older brother.

Such disgrace…

He dares to do this?

I was too lenient on him this morning…

He's going to sorely regret this.

I just stared at Aiden as the joy slowly faded from his face. The gloating was gone, replaced by unease.

He was on edge now, bracing himself for retaliation.

But that never came.

Instead, I walked toward him, closing the distance without uttering a single word.

I could see the cold sweat forming on his forehead as he involuntarily stepped back, his confidence slipping away.

But I never laid a hand on him—there was no need.

As I got closer, I smirked, watching Aiden instinctively step back. I continued advancing until I was right in front of him.

Then, with a sudden shift, my expression turned blank, and I stared at him with a deadpan look.

Clap

I brought my hands together right in front of his face, the sharp sound echoing through the empty hallway.

"Hah! You flinched."

Aiden's expression was priceless—completely dumbfounded.

The sight was so funny I had to stifle a laugh, especially when I saw him on the verge of punching me but thinking better of it.

The effort not to burst out laughing was real, but I knew if I did, he'd probably go through with it.

Brrr Brrr

The school bell rang, signaling the end of classes. Almost immediately, the hallways were flooded with students pouring out of their classrooms, their chatter and laughter filling the air. But the mood shifted as soon as they noticed me and Aiden standing there.

Their expressions stiffened as if their brief joy had been snatched away.

I could sense the disdain radiating from each and every one of them.

What did this Liam and Aiden do to earn such hatred?

I could feel that the bond between my brother and me was even stronger in this world than it had been with Aiden in my world.

But, that closeness seemed to come with a price—hatred from nearly everyone else. Only the girl beside me seemed to be an exception, not harboring any resentment towards me. 

It's strange… I'll need time to adjust to this world. But more importantly, I need to retrieve the rest of the memories, I need the remaining 20% if I want to have a chance in this world.

The pain from the rush of memories had subsided, I was dreading the rest of that pain… it was so agonizing that I wouldn't wish that exculpating pain on anyone… well, one person comes to mind… 

But now that it was over, I found myself craving the rest of that missing 20%, the missing memories do nothing but make me stand out, that's the last thing I want.

I had to seem normal until I recovered it all, all I could do was hope that it wouldn't be as excruciating next time.

As I glanced at Aiden, I noticed the same hatred in his eyes that I had seen reflected in those around us. But what could have possibly happened?

Back in our world, Aiden was wild and stubborn, hell, some could even call him a delinquent, I know, I did—but he was never outright hated. 

Yet here, both Aiden and I were loathed. This entire situation was making my headache worsen.

Why am I even in this world? 

Was it the system? 

And if so, how and why?

I just stared at the blue screen in front of me that showed nothing that could answer my growing questions… useless piece of crap.

For now, I just needed to get through the day and make it to the theater club. If these new memories were accurate, Liam wasn't welcome there either, despite all the hours he had poured into acting.

I almost chuckled involuntarily before Aiden and I headed back to the classroom, I could feel his eyes stare a hole into my back after my joke.

***

The rest of the school day passed in a blur without anything interesting happening.

No one spoke to me or Aiden; it was as if we didn't even exist. We were outcasts, except for that one guy who hung around Aiden during every break—the same one I saw with him this morning.

But what the hell did I do?

Since the morning, the influx of memories had stopped, and my head was finally pain-free.

Each time I opened the system, there was no increase in the memory fragment percentage.

It was odd. Was it her face that triggered the memories this time?

If the memories are tied to triggers, how can I access the rest of them? I had hoped that time would bring more answers, but instead, it only brought more questions.

A dull headache started to form, not the kind from the memory fragments, but still enough to make me sigh in frustration.

Well, the school day is over, it's time for the club activities.

But first, I needed to stop by the washroom.

I had to at least freshen up before facing the inevitable headache that awaited me at the theater club. 

Whatever Liam had done, they were sure to make it far more dramatic than necessary.

Reaching the washroom, I turned on the sink without a second thought and splashed my face with the ice-cold water.

The chill helped clear my mind.

I ran my wet hands through my hair, brushing it back, but after the cold sensation dissipated I couldn't help but look up at the mirror where a pair of emerald green eyes stared back at me.

They felt foreign.