Chapter 21: Awakening and Departure
Chapter 21: Awakening and Departure
(From the Memoirs of Oliver Jones)
This, too, is a story I did not personally witness.
But later, through Master Dan’s report, the confession of Saint-Germain Magnus Cain himself, and the testimony of the woman who had been his adjutant, I came to know it in detail.
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5:00 a.m.
The very moment he awoke from deep slumber, released from Gold sleep, Magnus Cain first heard the sound of the artificial respirator.
“…Checking activation log. Gold sleep, release complete.”
The one who welcomed him was his adjutant—a woman.
Her hair was cut short, she carried herself with calm authority, and she had been the last subordinate to remain at his side on the night he went into hibernation.
“Welcome back, Major Cain.”
Through blurred vision, Cain finally managed to ask:
“…How long have I slept?”
“Three years and twelve days. It is now May 28, 2028.
You were the last—everyone else who had been in hibernation has already awakened.”
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Yes—three full years.
From that night when Barnes Dan set off with me and Raffaella to the past era, three years had passed.
Cain’s first concern was for Master Dan.
“Master Dan… is he safe?”
The adjutant lowered her eyes as she answered softly.
“He was last confirmed just before passing through the Crystal Gate.
He vanished together with Oliver Jones and ‘Las.’”
That “Las”—that was the last time she ever saw Raffaella as well.
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“What of this world? How has it fared?”
To Cain’s question, she hesitated before replying.
“…It is peaceful. But that peace has been manufactured.”
It was then that the name Vermilion Jones entered the conversation.
With the “hibernation gun” he had staged a “war without death,” and by now he had become something like ruler of the world.
War had turned into a game, into entertainment, and peace itself had become something to be provided.
Prices fell, labor was shared between robots and humans, work grew easier.
And whatever money was lacking—was distributed.
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“Then I will go. To that age where Master Dan awaits.”
Thus resolved, Cain armed himself and advanced toward the Gate of Light—the Crystal Gate.
With his adjutant’s salute, he vanished from the world of 2028.
Magnus, too, set out for the past, in pursuit of Dan.
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When I heard this tale afterward, I could not speak for some time.
Cain was not directly connected to me.
Yet he was a comrade whom Master Dan had trusted with all his heart and fought beside.
That his journey would not be in vain—
I prayed for it, with all my heart.
