A Life-Changing Choice

          “Wind of Change to whoever you are,” said Dairyu after the communication was open towards the unknown, yet similar, ship. “I have a reason to believe that you are one of our alternate realities. Do we have a chance to talk about this…confusion?”

          Dairyu was betting on the fact that the ship in front of him was the Wind of Change, but from a different reality that was not the opposite of his. He’s heard many fictional stories about a mirror reality where everything was different, while everything else were the same. In the story, the crew, the ship, and its technology were similar if not identical, but the personality and the story of the ship were vastly different. Where one of them was benevolent, the other was malevolent. When one refused to kill blindly, the other used killing to justify the means. It was like a mirror, facing each other.

          Now that the fiction had a chance to become reality, he had to wait for their response, and the five minutes of silence was uncomfortable and tense. At the end of the five-minute period, they received a reply, but it was completely unexpected.

          “This is the Azure Dragon,” said a voice that was undeniably Dairyu. The fact that the ship used the Wind of Change’s previous name, albeit differently, was also a point of interest.

          “Yes…Azure Dragon. We receive you,” said Dairyu, still confused of what happened. “I…hope you can open your viewscreen so we can explain clearly.”

          The viewscreen monitor turned on, and everyone expressed their surprise with the figure on the screen. It was clearly Dairyu, but his physical appearance of a rotund Orient was similar to the Dairyu before his self-imposed exile. There were glimpses of a crew behind him, but it was hard to determine who’s who.

          There were also other noted interest of the Dairyu on the screen. One of his eyes was scratched away and only a white pupil of what once a full eye occupied it, along with the scar. His hair was never cut, and it ran wild behind him. The armor he wore was undeniably a Warrior’s armor, but had been modified. He had no visible sword on his back, and his body was, of course, rotund, unlike the skinny Dairyu.

          “Are you…Dairyu Tsukasa?” asked the prime Dairyu.

          “Hmph. I’d ask the same thing to you, too, but you’ve beaten me to it,” said the other Dairyu. “Things have gone pretty hectic in your side, huh?”

          “How about you?”

          “Take a guess. One second we were running from an Empire Destroyer, and the next thing we know, the whole place’s swarming with one of these anomalies. We ran into one, and ended up here.”

          “I…suppose we can sit down and talk?”

          “Are you sure you’re not hit in the head? You have a fucking situation and you want to talk?”

          There was an off-screen voice that was hard to identify, but upon hearing it, Dairyu sighed and said, “Alright, then. I guess it is a change of pace. Just...just come over and we’ll talk.”

          The viewscreen went off. Capisa and Seiryu maneuvered the ship so it could be connected with each other. As the ships were identical, it was like fitting a puzzle, and without adjustments, they connected.

          The door to both ships opened, and everyone on the crew, including Capisa and Seiryu (who had turned on shields on the ship and putting the ship on autopilot) walked through the connector. They were greeted by an Orient who was identical to Dairyu in many ways, but fatter and more battle-rugged than the prime Dairyu. His armor was clearly more revealing than prime Dairyu, with most of the midsection gone and many parts of his body were left in the open, most notably his arm and thighs. He also had a cybernetic prosthetic replacing one of his legs, and he replaced his claws with something like prime Dairyu’s sword: a high-frequency, elemental-sensitive metal.

          As they walked into the ship, the alternate Dairyu looked at Capisa, and all of the sudden, his expression became solemn and sad, as if he had remembered something about him.

          “Capisa…,” said the alternate Dairyu with a face that was clearly in grief. He then turned towards Seiryu, but sensed something wrong about him.

          Just then, a different Orient who was an adult, but also had black scales, approached them and looked at Seiryu. He smiled, but it was clear that he was astonished.

          “Well, now, that’s peculiar,” said the Orient. “You’re not supposed to be that young.”

          “That’s because I’m dead,” said Seiryu. He quickly knew who the Orient was. “And I guess he saved you.”

          “Guessing won’t help us understand the situation,” said prime Dairyu. “We really need to talk.”

          “I don’t think that’s wise,” said the other Dairyu. “You do realize that we have a similar crisis, right?”

          “You’re right,” said prime Dairyu. “But let’s talk history for a sec. That’s Seiryu, right? A properly aged Seiryu?”

          “Why? What’s wrong?”

          “Because our Seiryu’s not alive. He’s a Solid.”

          “Oh, well…that explains his youth. Seiryu, maintain the ship’s helm.”

          “You too, Capisa,” said prime Dairyu. That name seemed to cause the other Dairyu to make an expression of grief and guilt. He shook it off before inviting prime Dairyu and prime Seiryu into the ship, and towards their common area, which was identical to the Wind of Change, except that it was rugged and messy, which caused Dairyu to remember the condition of his previous ship, the Azure.

          Then, he noticed Xsatuki, but apparently not the ship’s cook (the ship was equipped with a replicator). The Viper was wrapping his serpentine body, curling it like a spiral, as he slept on it. He had more scars that prime Xsatuki, and there were marks that were clearly branding on parts of his serpentine lower half. Prime Dairyu also noticed the arm-ring and bracelet on him, but the Orient felt that they were not for accessories, given how they looked similar to a collar wrapped around his neck.

          The other Dairyu, noticing prime Dairyu’s attention, said, “Poor snake. He was sold into slavery at an early age, sold so many times, fucked too many times, and now his mind is broken. A fucking waste, I must say.”

          “Those restraints…”

          “Are quite hard to get off. When we found him, he was inside this black, glossy suit covering his entire body like one of those Black Creatures. Let managed to reverse it, but somehow those restraints are more advanced than what he knew. He’s a nice fellow, but he needs more time to recover.”

          “Oh…”

          “I also noticed you have your own snake. Same guy?”

          “Yeah. Ship’s cook.”

          “Huh. How life choices are so different,” said Dairyu. “I lost my Capisa, you lost your Dairyu, and we got a different taste of the same fucking cake.”

          “How did you lose him?”

          “Got shot by one of the troopers,” said Dairyu shaking his head. “I…comforted him as he dies, and I made sure that he never knew what happened to his home planet. The Aqura…is now a rare species.”

          This horrified Dairyu, before the mention of troopers intrigued him.

          “You still have the Terran Empire?”

          “Not really. They’re losing the war against the Federation,” said Dairyu. “What encompasses five sectors are now down to one. They clearly did not account for the Black Creature destruction that devastated Terra. Stubborn as they were, they fought back, but well…morale is low when your home planet is no longer supporting life, and millions of your people are dead, and your greatest weapons betrayed you to the Federation and…well, you get the idea.”

          “How about you?”

          “Me?” he laughed. “A drifter caught in the moment. A smuggler with the heart of gold, they say. Hah! I’m far from being nice. They haven’t known pain as much as I do. I can’t afford to be nice when everybody around me is fucking dead!”

          He smashed the table with his hand, shocking everyone nearby. Someone approached him, clearly Let, and talked to him about the readings and stuff. Prime Dairyu pondered on the situation his counterpart was facing. Was there a crucial moment in time that cause the future to be vastly different? He had an idea what, but he wasn’t sure about it until he asked.

          “And Seiryu. You saved him from the Arrowhead ship?”

          “We deserted the Empire ever since then,” said alternate Dairyu. “The operation was a total failure and the Empire suffered heavy losses. I don’t blame ‘em for being too dependent on one suicide attack and fail. Unfortunately, it did not change anything and the Empire’s still up and running, well, until Terra became a dead planet, and shit went down.”

          “The Empire lost a lot of strong allies, slavery became a norm because, well, everyone wanted a good Terran slave, the Aqura started to rebuild, The Scyllans are fucking ruthless, the Saurians are assholes, and the Aldoons…well, the Aldoons are neutral about this, but they contributed.”

          Prime Dairyu decided not to ask about it. Whatever involved the Aldoons would never be good. The Aldoons were helping in this crisis, but they had an ulterior motive, just like when they were bargaining partially illegal slavery, as it was their custom. They were warned by a recently joined Terran government that they would be kicked out of the Federation if they did not change their ways. The Aldoons did not take that lightly, but it was clear that they were no match against a better organized and open Terran government. It was hard, but it slowly worked.

          “Well, enough of my story. How about you?” asked alt. Dairyu. “You did not save Seiryu, right?”

          “I did not, and like you, things didn’t work well, in my own way,” said prime Dairyu, reminiscing. “But the Terran Empire crumbled as I was exiled from Terra, and they became a xenophobic isolationist who hated everything not Terran. We saved Terra from the Black Creatures as they went to the planet, and the Empire…finally crumbled. I wasn’t there to see it, and I…exiled myself.”

          “Hence your famished look,” said alt. Dairyu, smiling. “Guess our lives had gone to shit either way. Oh, well, I suppose the past is the past, and here we are, talking to each other, thinking of what kind of life that we can get.”

          “You do not regret your choice?”

          “I never do, but there are times when I…regret everything I did, and the choices I made for my life. But, saving Seiryu isn’t one of them. If he wasn’t here…I’d have taken my own life a long time ago, when everyone I knew on Terra…was gone. Seiryu’s the closest I get as a family, and we are inseparable, I tell you.”

          This suddenly gave prime Dairyu an idea, and he shivered at the thought. But he asked anyway.

          “Are you and Seiryu…?” asked Dairyu while pointing towards the older Seiryu and his counterpart.

          “Uhmm…kinda. Well, he is a sweet kid, and he’s grateful for saving his ass, and well…he confessed.”

          “Oh, shit,” said Dairyu. He looked towards his own Seiryu, who scoffed and looked away.

“But, wait,” said Dairyu, remembering. “Doesn’t he have a girlfriend back on Terra?”

          “Never worked,” said alt. Seiryu, butting in. “I’m not attracted to her as much as her to me, so…she married someone. Then, I came out when I…uh, saw Capisa.”

          “Naked?”

          Seiryu seemed to be blushing, which quickly made things awkward between the three of them. This was also a turning point, as Seiryu and Capisa from the prime Dairyu’s reality did not come out well at first. It’s a good thing they became fast friends.

          The conversation was quickly interrupted by a call from the Wind of Change. Dairyu turned on his comm and asked what happened.

          “The St. Vincent and the rest of the fleet are here,” said Capisa.

          “Good,” said Dairyu. “Maintain position. Let them know he’s not an enemy.”

          Capisa turned off the connection. Dairyu chuckled and said, “Oh, what I would do to hear that voice again.”

          “Were you and your Capisa close?”

          “Quite close. He was one of my first Aquros friends,” said alt. Dairyu. “And I bet you too.”

          “I am,” said Dairyu.

          “Dairyu,” said Seiryu, approaching from behind him. “St. Vincent called. It’s urgent.”

          Dairyu nodded, and turned towards alt. Dairyu. “I must go now. We’ll keep the ship connected. Now that the fleet’s here, it’s time to move on, if you care to join.”

          “Thanks, but let me tell you one thing,” said alt. Dairyu. “I have a very bad feeling about the center of the galaxy. I think it…conceals more than we all know.”

          “It’s still mystery to us, too.”

          “No, can’t you feel it? Can’t you see how anomalies started becoming common here? Are you…oh, right, we may be Dairyu Tsukasa, but you and I took different choices to get here.”

          “What are you talking about?”

          “Spiritual awareness, my counterpart. I can see that you lost it a long time ago…when he died.”

          Dairyu understood what he was talking about. Most, if not all, Orients could sense ‘spirits’, or in this case, fifth-dimensional beings, when they were younglings. However, as they age, the link to this sense could either grew stagnant or develop further. The black Orient also once heard that a developing link could be severed entirely when faced with life-changing events, or traumatic events. For Dairyu, failing to save Seiryu, the one person he vowed to protect, caused him to change his ways, rebelling against the oppressive Empire, and becoming a new government’s hero.

          But, his counterpart, one who chose Seiryu over anything else, clearly maintained his spiritual awareness. Capisa’s death wasn’t very life-changing for him except it caused him to brood, unlike Seiryu, who had been a close friend since youth. As the worlds around him crumbled, and the galaxy turned to the worst, he maintained the one power that defined an Orient.

          This could be an answer, thought Dairyu. He knew his alternate counterpart could be able to at least explain the situation that he and most others who follow this journey did not. He quickly tried to find a way to get a concise answer.

          “What can you tell me about it? Please, this is important,” said Dairyu towards his counterpart. “You said you can feel the pattern of the anomalies?”

          “I only say that it’s getting common here, but you’re right. What I felt upon getting into this reality is how dense the spiritual aura is.”

          “Dense?”

          “Weird, right? My sensei used to say about this universe always having spiritual aura, whether it’s in space, or on a planet. The moment we crossed that anomaly, the spiritual aura suddenly increased ten…no, twenty-fold. It’s like a highly pressurized chamber that could pop you any moment, except it won’t.”

          “That doesn’t really explain anything.”

          “Oh, but it is. If the spiritual aura increased that much, then there are more spirits that will manifest, hence what you called Solids, and why your Seiryu is resurrected. However, if the Solids becomes more and more common…”

          “It will cause this universe to explode,” said Dairyu. “And the dead…”

          “Outnumbers the living.”

          “Not only that,” said the alt. Seiryu. He quickly pulled out his sword. “That also means that we can be boarded at any time.”

          As if turning his words into reality, a group of warriors from bygone era quickly boarded both ships. Dairyu knew how to deal with them, but he wasn’t sure about his recently arrived counterpart. They used bullet-based weapons that managed to damage parts of both ships, but not the crews with their personal shields.

          Before Dairyu managed to pull his sword, the alternate Dairyu used his claws to create piercing and cutting winds that cut many of the attackers in half, with gore and blood flying everywhere like a food fight. This level of brutality was unheard of, even for Dairyu, who was not as wild as his counterpart, despite of both being the same age. He only did a slight damage, yet meaningful ones, to vital organs, like an assassin, while sparingly used his air control to suffocate those he did not manage to attack with his sword. The pressurized interior of the spaceship worked for him, as the air was limited, and it meant better control.

          Before long, the boarders were all killed, with no one left alive. One curiosity, however, soon came to light.

          “They don’t vanish,” said Seiryu upon realizing the leftover carnage. He then repeated it one more time to emphasize his meaning.

          “This is peculiar,” said Dairyu. “Are we killing real boarders?”

          “No, they’re solids,” said the alt. Dairyu, licking blood of his claw, to Xsatuki’s disgust. “Their spiritual aura is far too dense for a living being. They’re composed entirely of it.”

          “But why?”

          “Like I said. This whole space is full of it. We might as well kill a living being here. It has finally started.”

          Dairyu looked towards Seiryu, who could only shrug. The whole affair was already far beyond his knowledge of the crisis, and of course, it quickly became the worst crisis ever in the galaxy’s history.

          “I suggest we stay together,” said alt. Dairyu. “It’s better in numbers than none.”

          “Agreed,” replied Dairyu. They both then returned to their own ships. “Maintain contact. We almost lost our big ships. We don’t want to lost another ally.”

          “Ally, huh?” said alt. Dairyu with a chuckle. “That’s a word I’ve never heard for a long time.”

          “Everyone turn on you in the end?”

          “Everyone except those I invite and willingly travel with me on Azure Dragon. I trust them with my life. But allies, well…I simply don’t trust them.”

          “Not even yourself?”

          “Having three million credits on your head can make others think about what they can spend on. Trust is hard to earn these days, you know.”

          “Then trust me,” said Dairyu. “We’ll get out of this together.”

          “Let’s hope so.”

          They then walked towards their own ships and decouple the connector. After both separated their ships from each other, they quickly asked their trusted allies about each other, whether they could be trusted or not.

          “He may look unfriendly, but I think you’ll be alright,” said Capisa. “Besides, there’s no gain for him in this reality.”

          On the Azure Dragon, alt. Dairyu asked alt. Seiryu about prime Dairyu and his aura, to which he responded.

          “I’d be lying if I say that he’s suspicious of your intent,” said alt. Seiryu. “He’s just like you.”

          “The killing part of hate traitors part?”

          “Both. You two may walk different paths, but it’s the same for him and you. You two are naturally suspicious.”

          “Well, let’s hope his suspicions don’t turn into paranoia. If that’s the case, I have no choice but to put a bullet on his head.”

          Back on the Wind of Change, Dairyu, who tried not to get overly suspicious, turned to Rose, who was talking with Richard about her research. Right as she reached the werewolf’s working area, he was stopped by her counterpart, Rosa, who hitched a ride with the group to ‘keep an eye’ on her lupine counterpart.

          Dairyu knew that Rosa was level-headed, but it was clear that the hatred on werewolves was very apparent on her. She was still surprised that there was an alternate reality where she was the one thing she hated, and that one thing struggled to fight against people who turned against them when Terra’s moon, Luna, forcibly changed people into werewolves due to a longer than usual eclipse that’s unnatural.

          Rosa was still unsure whether to trust her own counterpart, mostly because of her form. She then confided with Dairyu, both because he trusted Rose and because he was the ship’s leader.

          She took Dairyu away from Rose for a while, then she nervously tried to ask something, one which Dairyu had a guess.

          “She’s not what you thought she would be?”

          “That’s one,” said Rosa. “And also, the fact that she’s a scientist.”

          “Oh? Why so?”

          “I never wanted to be one when I was young, but she claimed to be inspired by beast race scientists that she could do anything. I mean, I sympathize with the fact that she’s being discriminated because she’s a werewolf. I mean, for me, it’s justifiable because they’re dangerous, but seeing her…”

          “There’s nothing wrong with trusting your own race, right?”

          “Yes, and well, she’s not the kind that goes rabid, but that make me question my own actions. Did I do the right thing? Did I simply…kill innocents?”

          “There’s no point regretting that now,” said Dairyu. “We all did mistakes.”

          “But…”

          “There are things to regret in our lives, but it defines a person. It’s a good thing that you feel regret instead of justifying it. I mean, second guessing is one of the many things that prevents you from becoming a fanatic.”

          “I’m not a fanatic!”

          “I’m not saying that you are. Look. If werewolves in your reality are the menace, then so be it. It’s the course of nature there. But, not all things considered are menaces, so you must think that way, too. It’s one of many ways that separates you from a serial killer. I trust you have choices in many things, right?”

          Rosa stared at Dairyu for a moment before nodding. She felt calmer after that.

          “How are you and her getting along?”

          “Pretty good. In fact, she’s quite understanding,” said Rose. “I’ll be appalled to know my people are hunted and killed, but she understands that they are different from hers, unless, well, unless I lose control. Also, she seems sweet, like a dog.”

          “Don’t say that in front of her. She’s a proud werewolf.”

          “I know, I know. I’m still surprised that it works out between a dragon-man and a werewolf. I mean, I know it’s not surprising, but still…”

          “You’ll be very surprised how people are in the 24^th century,” said Dairyu smiling. “Also, I want to talk to Rose about something. Ask someone on the ship about entertainment.”

          “You have books?”

          “There are tons of them, translated for…”

          “I mean books, not scrolling texts. You know, the one with spine and paper?”

          “Ah, well…I have some on the bookshelf over there. Word of warning, though. Some of them are confusing as hell, even for me. Some are straight up science fiction, and some are classics.”

          “I’ll take the classics, then.”

          Dairyu then gave the titles he recommended before Rosa left. He sighed and walked towards Rose.

          “How are you doing?” asked Dairyu when seeing her working on a plant.

          “Fine. I noticed you talk to Rosa. She’s a nice fellow, isn’t she, even if she reeks of death.”

          “Wow. I mean, you’re fine with a werewolf killer?”

          “I’m not exactly that innocent, either. We all are. Anyway, take a look at this basil.”

          Dairyu looked at the plant she was referring to. It was hard to notice, but for a draconian’s eye, it was clear that something peculiar is at work.

          “The leaves are shimmering,” said Dairyu. “How’s that possible?”

          “It’s one of my herbal plants. I ask Xsatuki to put it on the steaks since I don’t like plain meat. I have some other plants in my room that is similarly affected.”

          “Does basil do that?”

          “No, unless they’re wet. This one is completely dry, but it gives an illusion of being wet. Of course, you can’t see it with naked eyes, but it’s happening microscopically.”

          Rose then directed Dairyu to a nearby microscope and she asked him to consider the lens. He did so, and saw something impossible and interesting.

          “I’m not good in biology, so explain,” said Dairyu. “It’s like a slide show in there.”

          “So, you’ve noticed that too, huh? The leaves, or in this case, the whole plant, shift its characteristics a couple of seconds, but it’s not a fixed interval. If you notice the cells of these plants, they exhibited different conditions. Some of the cells can appear dead one second, before it changes into a state of mitosis, which is cell division. Also, the vacuole, food reserve, can appear full one second, before nothing’s in there. I conclude that the whole plant is undergoing a ‘reality shift’ as our travel takes us in and out of tears.”

          “So, are you trying to say that we are also affected, just like your plants.”

          “I have no definite proof for it, but I have a feeling that this madness will cause us to think twice of our identities. I don’t want to think about it, but…I am scared, Dairyu. Believe me, I am.”

          “We all are,” said Dairyu, embracing Rose.

          “I kept thinking about my sons, and my husband. I want to know they’re alright, in case, well…”

          “We won’t go that way,” snapped Dairyu. “We’ll survive. I’ll ensure you will. Just…calm yourself down and…do you want to talk with him? Sub-space is bad, but…”

          “I’ll take your advice,” said Rose, calming down. “But…I have something to say to you.”

          “Is it her again? The wolf goddess?”

          “Her warning is quite repetitive at this point, but one particular warning struck me and intrigued me. It’s not much a warning, though, but…”

          “Said it. It might be important.”

          “She said to expect the past to haunt us, if we succeed. What does that mean?”

          Dairyu had an idea what it meant, but he knew it was simple speculation. He needed to witness it. The warning did not seem to be a life-threatening one, so he just kept it in mind until it happened. He said so to Rose, and she nodded in approval, before returning to her work.

          It was a hard day, but Dairyu managed. Times like that were important for him to keep his sanity. He managed to talk his counterpart, one that, in his eyes, took too many wrong decisions that changed his life, one that was different from him. He started to think that, if he knew everything that would come to him, would he pick the ‘right’ choice. Dairyu knew there’s no such thing as a ‘right’ choice. He liked the surprise, but at the same time would regret it.

          Still, it was life, and he learned not to think that everything would work his way. If that’s the case, he would simply know what his fate would be. What kind of life was that? He was the ‘at the moment’ kind of guy, and wanted to keep it that way.

          He just hoped things he did following that point would not be things that he would regret for the rest of his life.