Later
"..." Meilian stares at the apartment front in disbelief, almost dropping her bag of food if not for Caelus' fast reflexes. The front is blocked with police tape, along with several officers keeping everyone away from entering.
"What happened here?" Caelus mutters in confusion. It was supposed to be a small visit, but for whatever reason, they stumbled upon another trouble.
"Woof!" Caelus didn't get the chance to react before he was tackled to the ground by a blur. Caelus groans as he hits the floor before he is assaulted by lick after lick. He pushes the culprit away to see Eugene wagging his tail excitedly.
"You really have terrible timing, don't you?" Caelus mutters as the dog simply barks in excitement. "And why are you even here?"
"Oh, come on, why are you here as well!?!" Caelus turns to see the same officer slumping in dismay as Eugene ignores his handler.
"...sorry," All Caelus could do was apologize. He had zero control over his supposed Disney-Princess superpowers, and the system didn't show any description for this power.
Either this is something the system couldn't even detect, or it was simply being a troll, refusing to show him any details and letting him suffer.
He wouldn't be surprised if the one responsible for his new powers is Aha of all Aeons. THEY seem like they would do such bullshit.
"What are you even doing here?" The officer asks as he tries and fails to drag Eugene away. Caelus notices the disdain hidden in his voice and sweatdrops.
'The guy hates me even more...' Caelus thought before clearing his throat. "I'm here with Miss Meilian to visit Officer Qingyi. I heard she has been absent for a few days, and I am concerned. She helped me since the first day I became New Eridu's resident."
"Oh..." The officer mutters before glancing away. Thanks to the gear he wears, he could hide his ashamed expression from the person he actively hates for a stupid reason.
"Young man, did you know what happened here? And is Lady Qingyi safe?" Meilian asks in concern.
"...I'm sorry, but I can't mention any details to civilians," The officer says, causing their hearts to sink.
"Caelus," Caelus turns to see Mem, who looks concerned. "I sense a huge amount of Memoria coming from the building. It's...like March 7th when she first visited Amphoreus."
Mem's words cause Caelus's eyes to go wide in shock before facing the apartment building. Now that he wasn't distracted, he could sense the raw energy flowing around the building and the chilling wind coming from the inside.
"...shit," Caelus mutters before looking at the tape blocking their path and the officer. He is tempted to rip the tape off and shove the officer away if the officer tries to block him, but he has promised both Zhu Yuan and Qingyi not to get himself into more legal trouble.
But before he could do anything, Zhu Yuan and Seth had approached them.
"Caelus? What are you doing here?" Zhu Yuan asked in surprise.
"I was hoping to visit Officer Qingyi after hearing she didn't come to visit Miss Meilian and come to work, but I wasn't expecting to get into this situation..." Caelus admits.
"I see. Unfortunately, you came at the wrong time," Zhu Yuan responds. "This incident involves Senior Qingyi."
"...does this incident happen to be Officer Qingyi getting trapped in a block of ice that no one could destroy?" Caelus asks as the officers stare at him with wide eyes; silence fills the area before Zhu Yuan grabs him by the collar with surprising strength and pulls him closer.
"Talk. What do you know about this?" Zhu Yuan demands.
"My...childhood friend was caught in that incident once," Caelus responds, causing Zhu Yuan to blink before letting him go. "The atmosphere surrounding the building reminds me of that incident, especially the chills."
He wasn't exactly lying. He had experienced the feeling when his brain was overloaded by 'As I've Written' memories. He remembered the feeling of cold wind when he was watching March covered in ice.
"Oh..." Zhu Yuan mutters.
"And I know how to deal with this," Mem decides to chime in, causing everyone to look at her.
"...and you are?" Zhu Yuan asks, a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"Call me Mem," Mem introduces herself.
"Mem? As in like 'Mem' from 'As I've Written'?" Seth asks in surprise, which makes everyone look at him.
"Oh, you read our finest work!" Mem beams, causing Caelus to panic.
"...Wait, I thought Caelus-!" Caelus moves fast and covers his mouth.
"Can we not talk about it here? I'd rather not have those crazed fans know and chase me till the end of the world," Caelus hisses, making Seth nod fearfully. He still remembers the incident yesterday, and he would rather not deal with it.
"...let's go find a more secluded space to discuss this."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later
"...I'm sorry, I need a minute," Zhu Yuan rubs her temple before leaning into a wall.
"....huh?" Seth looks at Caelus like he has gone crazy.
"I know this sounds very crazy," Caelus tries to apologize, but Zhu Yuan cuts him off.
"That is a massive understatement," Zhu Yuan groans. "Dealing with the Hollow and any incident related to it is crazy enough, but this? I have no words."
"...to be fair, I would like to keep everything a secret since people would just assume me as mentally ill person," Caelus admits. "But the situation involving Officer Qingyi didn't exactly allow me to do that."
"So...this Path...is the thing responsible for the senior's situation?" Seth asks.
"Yes. Think of it as a cosmic energy fueled by memories," Caelus explains.
"...that doesn't explain the ice," Zhu Yuan mutters.
"Think of it like your brain is filled with too much information to the point it shuts down, or a computer overload with too much 'memory' causing it to freeze," Caelus explains, earning an unintentional groan from both officers. "Sorry, pun not intended."
"...this is too much for lil old me..." Meilian admits as she sits down with Slyboo, fanning a handkerchief, trying to cool her down.
"This is not something we could deal with..." Zhu Yuan mutters.
"But we can," Mem says as she pats her partner's arm.
"How?" Seth asks curiously.
"The cosmic energy can be harnessed by walking in the said path," Mem says. "This incident was caused by the Path of Remembrance, a path involving remembering and preserving memories, either good or bad. Caelus and I walk in the said Path."
"...so, you plan to melt the ice with that fire of yours?" Zhu Yuan asks, remembering Caelus' weird power from the Canvas Street incident.
"That's the Path of Preservation, and before you ask, no, it won't work," Caelus explains.
"...I clearly remember the report from the Cunning Hares that it beat the Dead-End Butcher." Zhu Yuan points out.
"Yeah, but you do realize Qingyi is inside, and what if my flame was too much and melted her instead?" Caelus points out, causing Zhu Yuan, Seth, and Meilian to pale. The poor old goat looks ready to faint, and Slyboo fans the handkerchief faster.
"So, how do we handle this?" Zhu Yuan asks.
"Dealing with the root of the problem, the memory overload," Caelus explains. Zhu Yuan and Seth look at each other and nod.
"Alright, you two come with us," Zhu Yuan says with zero hesitation. "I'll get you two permission for entry."
"...you know, you're surprisingly accepting everything that I just told you," Caelus admits.
"I witnessed the power you possess with no sign of W-Engine from our scanners, and there's no time for argument when my senior is in trouble," Zhu Yuan responds. "...also, I think my brain is still processing everything, and I just ignore it."
"For me, I just stop thinking," Seth responds, earning stares from everyone.
"...that explains everything,"
"W-what was that supposed to mean, Senior!?!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later
"Oh, Aeons..." Caelus mutters in shock as he sees the mist and icicles covering the room.
"...the memories weren't as much as the one in Amphoreus, and yet, the Path energy is dense," Caelus mutters quietly as he touches the ice.
"Trying to repress the memories could worsen the situation," Mem explains as she sees one of the icicles grow slightly. "It's like trying to force more water into a bucket that is full of water."
"...is that really how it works?" Caelus mutters in confusion.
"Caelus, how is she?" Zhu Yuan asks, rubbing her arms due to the cold.
"It's much worse than I thought," Mem admits. "It's one thing if she's just overloaded with memories, but she actively tries to suppress them. The condition will only get worse if she keeps doing this."
"What happens if she keeps doing it?" Seth asks as both officers feel dread.
"...she may shut down forever...." Mem admits, horrifying everyone.
"W-we need to do something!" Seth exclaims as he looks at Caelus and Mem. "S-surely you guys know what to do!"
"We could find her consciousness in her mind convinces her to stop repressing her memories," Mem says as she glances at Caelus, who nods before they both extend their hands.
"Like in an anime?" Seth asks curiously.
"...no offense, but if this follows the rule of anime, how would it work? She's an Intelligent Construct," Zhu Yuan asks in confusion.
"Beings like Qingyi and every Intelligent Construct who learn and adapt human emotions enough will have their own conscious," Mem says with a smile. "She alone is like any other human, just with different biology. After all, if data could have its own consciousness, so can Intelligent Constructs."
With that, both Caelus and Mem gather Memorias from the air, forming a blue light orb on their palm. Using that power, they summon a beautiful pink gate leading to the unknown.
Both Zhu Yuan and Seth froze upon looking at the gate. They have witnessed a lot of strange things in their life, no thanks to Hollow, but this gate is different. Something about it feels mystical to them.
They have yet to fully process everything Caelus had told them, and this scene only made things worse.
"...oh, dear," Mem mutters. "It seems that we have broken them."
"To be fair, this is too much for anyone normal can handle..." Caelus rubs the back of his neck.
"You can handle it fine," Mem points out.
"I think we both can agree that I'm anything but normal," Caelus deadpans, earning a giggle from Mem.
"So, shall we go and save your Intelligent Construct friend?" Mem asks as Caelus nods. Before they could enter the gate, Zhu Yuan snaps out of her thought and stops them.
"W-wait," Zhu Yuan exclaims, getting their attention. "L-let me come with you."
"Sure," Mem agrees.
"....wait, just like that?" Zhu Yuan was honestly expecting resistance from them.
"Yup," Mem nods. "Having her friends will definitely make it easier to convince her."
"...fair," Zhu Yuan mutters.
"T-then-!" Before Seth could response, Caelus and Mem nodded.
"Yeah, you and Meilian could come," The officers blink before Meilian walks out of her hiding.
"...nah, (...hi)" Slyboo appears from her back and greets sheepishly.
"You stay," Caelus commands, leaving no room for argument. Slyboo simply salutes in response.
"...how did you-!?" Seth mutters, flabbergasted.
"Lady Qingyi had mentioned a lot of times that officers from the Public Security tend to be...very lax during their break," Meilian admits. "And she was right."
"...I swear, once this is over, I'm gonna complain about this to Officer Bringer," Zhu Yuan mutters. "That is, until he wakes up from the coma."
"...did something happen?" Caelus honestly wasn't expecting that. What happened that led to one of the antagonists falling into a coma?
"Sorry, Caelus. But that's classified," Zhu Yuan responds.
"...ok, I'll just peek into your memories later,"
"You do that, and I'll arrest you."
To be Continued