A Father’s Story Part 2

"...That is the truth."

After listening to his words, I discovered the shocking truth that the world I had considered normal for so long was actually never normal at all.

"...."

Apparently, government organizations, exorcists, and even entities akin to magical girls exist to maintain the facade of a "normal" world without society ever realizing it.

"...Haaah... You..."

Facing such a revelation, my immediate response was pure disbelief.

"Are you crazy...?"

I seriously doubted the sanity of the man sitting across from me.

"It is understandable that this would be your initial reaction, so here is the proof."

In response, after uttering those words, the man reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, pulled out a sleek smartphone, and after pressing a button on the screen, the very air around us seemed to vibrate.

"W-what is...?!?"

In turn, a sharp pain pierced right through my skull.

"A-aaaaahhh... Ugh..."

Thousands of bizarre, fragmented images flashed through my mind at breakneck speed, accompanied by a suffocating sense of nostalgia...

"...It's a lie... Fake... You're lying, lying, lying, lying, lying..."

...Absurd experiences, faces I had never seen in my daily life, news reports that never made the papers.

"AAAAAHHH!!!"

No, it was rather as if I had already lived through them at some forgotten point in my existence... And then I understood.

"...My... memories..."

I was terrified.

"Indeed. It is impossible for ordinary citizens not to encounter anomalies in this world; therefore, through various means, we ensure that those people return to normal so they can continue living in the tranquility of ignorance."

Everything I considered real had been shattered into pieces right before my eyes along with every single fragment I had just recovered, as though a dense fog whose existence I was oblivious to had vanished from my mind.

"Why... why me...?"

I could only ask while feeling cold sweat run down my neck, desperately trying to suppress the trembling of my hands.

"It is precisely because of your current situation."

The answer I received was just as cold and uncompromising as it had been from the start of the conversation.

"You are a man who no longer has anything left to lose due to a supernatural phenomenon, and you meet every single requirement for this job."

Hearing that response drove me out of my mind.

"What...? Are you saying that something like that is to blame for my ruin?!"

Ignoring the gun in his hand and my own existential dread, I leaned aggressively over the table, demanding answers through clenched teeth.

"We believe that your wife is being manipulated and controlled by another man through a highly dangerous substance currently in circulation, known as the 'possession drug'."

...I simply couldn't accept it.

"Why...?!"

Rage completely consumed my fear.

"Why her?!"

The mere thought that a stranger had stripped me of my life and was playing with the mind and body of the woman I love as if she were a puppet made my blood boil.

"Why didn't you do anything to stop it?!"

THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY UNFORGIVABLE!

"Aren't you people supposed to control these things?!"

Even while fully aware of the lethal danger the man represented, I vented all my anger, accumulated pain, and frustration right at him.

"Do you want to know why we did nothing...?"

But...

"...It was because there was nothing we could do, even if we had wanted to intervene sooner."

...The answer I received was just as cold and pragmatic as before.

(Ugh...!!)

I slammed my fist against the bar counter and fell to my knees on the filthy floor, utterly broken and helpless against the cruel reality of what had happened to my wife.

"However, there is still a way to save the victims of this substance."

At that moment, I wanted to believe...

"How?! Tell me!"

...Even if it was a burning iron... I... decided to cling to it...

"If you wish to save your wife... You must locate the source of origin to eradicate it and develop a definitive cure."

Those words echoed in my chest like an impact, bringing back something I thought was long extinct inside me.

"...However, the technology necessary for such a thing will only be provided to you if you agree to this opportunity offered to you."

At that moment, they gave me a reason to keep living... They gave me hope...

"The choice is yours... Please choose wisely."

...But what I didn't know at that moment...

"...."

...Was the true depth of the rabbit hole I was about to enter.