"Giving up is the easy way out." — a common hackneyed saying.
To say that giving up is easy would imply that preserving was difficult. Though there may be some truth to such a saying, I find the opposite belief to be true.
In other words, giving up is the most challenging task in the world.
It's far more comforting to believe that what is lost can resurface, that the things we cherish most in this world will continue as immutable marble statues.
That's precisely why we continue. We live our lives joyfully, preoccupying ourselves, only to inevitably come face to face with the real world, which human beings cannot handle.
We can only persevere until the very end, and yet, we all come crashing down, forced to come to terms with the truth.
The failures of the past cannot be written. The paths you walk converge into a single point. The dreams you once aspired to were destined to come crumbling apart. From the very moment it all began, you had already lost, and you didn't even know it.
And yet, life keeps going, as insipidly as ever.
It's a beautiful thing, really. To believe that after all that, even ordinary humans could find their own happiness — hope was the single greatest painkiller ever to exist.
After all, to accept one's failure is a blow so fatal, so detrimental to the human spirit, that one could no longer call themselves a human being.
I, Cassius, was one such defective human being. I was so vile, so worthless that I could no longer find the will to continue. And thus, I forfeited my pass as a human being.
I chose to give up.
An ordinary high-schooler couldn't be exceptionally handsome, exceptionally intelligent, exceptionally strong, or even exceptionally popular.
I was the very pinnacle of average, never too hungry and never too full.
So why? Why did she tell me those words?
Save me, Cassius.
It was a ridiculous demand, an impossible demand — a demand so far out of my reach that even hearing those words filled me with revulsion.
And yet, she said them with nothing but earnestness. Her words did not elicit a single lie or unspoken arrangement.
She truly, desperately, believed that I could save her.
I was moved by her faith in me, even if it was incredibly misplaced. After all, if I were a truly worthless person, a defective person, then why did she reach out to me? Why did she believe in a me that didn't exist?
The answer didn't matter right now. Whether or not the "me who can save her" exists, the woman before me still needs help. She's reaching out to me. I couldn't live with myself if I abandoned her.
I'm a failure of a human being, without a shadow of a doubt, but that doesn't mean I have to fail as an Aberration, too.
After all, this was a world between '1' and '0', a world in which one could see the color of infinity.
———
"Our target is the White Crow — a special class Aberration on par with the great disasters."
Aussie, now in a business-casual outfit, wrote down the objective on a large whiteboard. I had no idea where she got the whiteboard from, or why a whiteboard would even be in a middle-class apartment to begin with.
"It's no secret that our fighting power alone won't be enough to take down the White Crow in its entirety. Thankfully, however, the Aberration seems to be...fractured, in a way."
"...Fractured?" I asked with a quizzical expression.
"Yes. Fractured. Aberrations often struggle to maintain a consistent form, splitting off into various sub-aberrations depending on their instability."
I looked down at my right hand, my human hand, with a strange mixture of curiosity and disgust. "So what does that make me? Another sub-aberration?"
"Yes...and no."
"...?"
Aussie's drawings were childish to say the least. It was difficult to make out exactly what they were, and the chicken-scratch handwriting didn't make for efficient communication.
"Is that...a rabbit?" I asked.
"No, it's you."
"Then what are those...ears?"
"Those are your hair vents, silly."
"Oh..."
"You said that in a strange manner just now. Is my artistic skill not to your liking?"
"I wouldn't exactly call what you have a skill."
"I see..." She shot me a piercing glare. "Well, it's clearly the fault of your dysfunctional eyes, of course. I've studied countless artists across the era, and I can say, without a doubt, that my drawings are masterpieces of the human form."
...Is she sensitive about her artistic ability? Well, that's one more thing to know about her, I guess.
"Okay, okay, sorry. Just finish the presentation."
My half-assed attempt at calming her nerves seems to be somewhat effective.
"Ahem," she cleared her throat with a light cough. "Anyways, you are a special case, something akin to Assimilation. You are an Aberration, but you've also incorporated some aspects of the White Crow. It's a rare phenomenon, but it's not impossible. The level of assimilation is usually based on a personal connection."
"So the White Crow and I share something that makes us compatible."
"Yes...but I don't know what."
The very idea made me nauseous. Me? Having anything in common with that thing? I couldn't even consider the idea. It must have been a mistake — a terrible outcome skewed by poor probability.
"Luckily, the sub-aberrations aren't nearly as strong as their origin. They should be around your level, as long as you dare to fight."
"That's fine and all, but I have no idea how to fight."
"You won't need to. You've already beaten your first aberration, right?"
"But there's no guarantee I'll be able to replicate that. I can't trust something like that, something so nonsensical can't be trusted.
"…"
Aussie shot me a devilish glare. Did I say something wrong?
"Haaa..." She let out an exasperated sigh. "It seems my frequent attempts at improving your self-confidence have yet to provide any long-lasting results. My methods were a bit obtuse, I'll admit, but you'll never overcome the wall at this rate."
At that very moment, a chilling sensation penetrated my skin. It was as though I had been dumped into the Arctic with nothing but the clothes on my back.
"Aussie…?"
"…"
No reply.
The aura surrounding her was dangerous. If I made even a single move, I knew that my life would be over in an instant.
After a brief silence, Aussie's voice cut through the air like a blade. "Cassius."
"Yes…?"
"Do you have a fear of heights?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Well, that's just too bad."
"…!?"
In a dizzying display of speed, Aussie moved to my side, grabbed my collar, and threw me through the wall. Her movements far surpassed my perception. I couldn't even tell where she was until she spoke to me, standing atop the air itself.
"If I cannot grant you courage, then you must find it within yourself to stand tall."
"AUSSIE!" I shouted in desperation. "DO YOU REALLY NEED TO GO THIS FAR?!"
I was once again hurdling towards the earth, now without the aid of a reliable partner.
"That is my question, Cassius. Do you really need to go this far?"
Damn it. Talking to her while she's in this state is impossible, and I'll be splattered across the pavement in just a few moments. I need to think of something!
Aussie was an Aberration, but she wasn't irrational. There must have been a reason behind this, so come up with something, Cassius!
Did you know that crows hold funerals for the dead?
The first thing to come to mind was a line from one of Aussie's nonsensical rants about crows. Why did that, of all things, come back to me now?
When one of their kin dies, they let out a specific alarm to every crow in the vicinity.
One of…their kin?
You are an Aberration, but you've also incorporated some aspects of the White Crow.
Damn it! I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I think of that before?
This was the space between life and death, a world of infinite possibilities. As long as the possibility of the White Crow exists, borrowing its power would remain well within reason, just like my fight against the amphibious Aberration!
"EVERYONE!" I shouted as loudly as I could. No matter what, I needed them to hear my voice. "I NEED YOUR HELP!"
"I told you, there's no reason to…?" Aussie trailed off, as though distracted by something. "I see…so you've figured out the basics."
Even though I couldn't wield a significant portion of the White Crow's power, I could at least borrow the assistance of smaller crows!
Dozens, no, hundreds of crows gathered beneath me, cushioning my fall. If I had been just a second late, I would have likely met a grizzly fate.
"There…" I said, my words interrupted by heavy breathing. "Does that…make you…happy?"
Aussie met my exhausted expression with a kind smile. "Yes — that made me very happy. Can you fly?"
"I'll try…"
The surface of the crow-bed was unstable, so much so that I thought it would collapse. However, with caution and a sound state of mind, I managed to reach Aussie's latitude.
"How do you feel?" She said.
"I feel…calm. It's like I've always been like this."
"That's good. Then let us make haste."