Ai am resolved to commit PATRICIDE　[And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive; but better than both is he who has not yet been, and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.]—Qoh.4: 2-3

　Ai am resolved to commit PATRICIDE

　“I cannot believe you are in earnest to carry out such plan, Ai.”
　When hearing the voice of an old friend through a mobile device, the dark-haired android who was struggling with precision instruments in a narrow cockpit where one adult man could barely sit wrinkled his brow. “Huh? Do ya have beef with my PERFECT plan, Flame?” “Ai, do you understand what you are doing?” The fire ignis leaning out of his Duel Disk overawed, through a screen, the dark ignis in a robot. The dark ignis replied in icy stare and lower voice. “…Is your life so dear?” “Ai!” “Anyway, Ai’ll do ANYTHING to save my buddy: Yusaku. Also, haven't ya e’er thought that our buddies could’ve lived ordinary happy lives if we weren't born?” The dark-haired android flipped switches, carefully checking the order. “Whate’er you say, Ai’ll NEVER bend my determination. Bye.”
　The communication was cut off violently with a blip. As the cold sound indicating the end of the call echoed, Flame folded his arms and let out a sigh. When the mechanical sound stopped, the sliding door of the room opened and his buddy and his buddy’s girlfriend came rushing in. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Flame.” “Hey, Takeru! There’s no time left before the event in Link Vrains!” “I know! …Flame?”
　Conversation between those who are almost family of the fire ignis interrupted his thought and made his conscious back to real. “Oh. Takeru, Kiku.” “Uh? Flame-chan, were you talking with someone on mobile phone?” Asked Kiku pointing a device near Duel Disk. Flame shook his head, indicating ‘no’. “By the way, don’t you need to hurry?” “Exactly. Let’s go Flame, Kiku,” said Takeru, picking up his Duel Disk and Flame dived into its monitor. The couple wore their own Duel Disks each and shouted, “into the Vrains!”

　Carrying an electronic life form, a metallic capsule was going slowly back to the past. Against this very, very slow journey—though it was at the highest speed he could with his own technical skills—he clenched his teeth, feeling unbearable frustration. “Jeez, why on earth does it take so long for time travel of less than a century?” He leaned on a backrest and looked on the ceiling, being unhappy about his lack of skills.
　[After our last duel, Yusaku has scraped up data fragments for months and restored ignis including me—except Lightning, of cource, ‘cause Lightning’s very existence hastens the end of the world (so even Yusaku hasn't restored Lightning). On the other hand, the result will be the same if Ai revived alone (this is why other ignis revived together). …Though it's not that I have any feelings for Lightning, Ai can’t help thinking; if he, the ignis with an incredibly wise brain, were to revive and create a time machine, time travel could be so fast that there would be no time for recalling bitter memories.]
　Thinking of his dead compatriot, a SOLtiS closed his eyes with an electronic life form in his body. Lying in a cold cradle, the android went into sleep mode. After a while, the time machine fell (or perhaps crashed) to a deserted grassland. Thanks to seatbelts, Ai avoided hitting his head but seemed to hit his knees instead; he froze for a while folding his knees after waking. As his legs returned to normal, he got off the time machine and saw outside. Brand-new but old-fashioned neon sign in dark indicated the dark-haired android succeeded to come at the desired land of the desired era and let him raise the corner of his mouth.
　[The best way to fulfill the scenario that we ignis weren’t born—Ai mean, the Hanoi project weren’t conducted—is to prevent the birth of Dr. Kogami, the mastermind of that fxxking project: to disturb the fusion of his parents’ gene. So Ai've already checked secretly his family registration and photo album for detecting his parents, when and where they met for the first time. Now, let’s get started.]
　“Dear my ‘father’, may Ai kill you? …Haha!”

　Noticing someone knock sliding doors, a maid stopped cleaning and went to the entrance. “I appreciate for your patience. …Um, may I ask who you are, sir?” She stared suspiciously at a man in an eccentric fashion like Dracula in foreign books. He smilingly started talking, showing no sign of being disturbed by her gaze. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am ‘Inoue’ from ‘Den-no town Marriage Counseling Room’. Today, I’d like to introduce a woman to Mr. Kogami’s heir. May I have a word with your master?” “I see. But my master has already selected his heir’s fiancé. Is that all? Then, I must ask you to leave.” When she started to close the sliding door, Ai disturbed her by his foot and continued talking. “Well, wouldn’t you just allow me to tell your master a splendid information? To tell the truth, one of the famous company president hopes Mr. Kogami’s heir for his daughter’s husband.” “I believe I’ve already told you that my master—” “Do you think your master would refuse to regain the authority?” “…!”
　The maid opened her eyes wide and froze in surprise. Seeing her expression that told she was surprised at the fact he, a young marriage counselor, somehow knew the hidden history of the Kogami—an old fallen aristocracy—, the dark-haired android convinced his victory and continued talking. “You wouldn’t like your master’s grandson to live a hard life in future, would you? This is the ONLY chance for the Kogami to return to the nobility. If you refuse this suggestion, there will NEVER be another chance. May I see your master?”
　[The maid seems to be considering Inoue’s suggestion… The time has come!]
　Holding his right forefinger on her forehead, Ai whispered to her. “Right?” As his eyes emitted gold flash, she suddenly allowed him to come in. After that he made the Kogami and the famous company president family accept to change fiancés of their heir and heiress in the same way. Also he succeeded to change the future husband of the lady who’d become Dr. Kogami’s mother; the dark ignis succeeded to erase Dr. Kogami’s existence completely.

　Lying down on the grass beside his time machine, Ai was gazing at the blue sky. A new history without Dr.Kogami, a history without the Hanoi project, would soon begin; that means Ai’s life would soon end at the same time, but his face was the calmest than ever. “It’s a piece of cake for me to even change the future!” When the dark-haired android clenched his right fist and raised it, it started to lose its color and to fade away. Though he had been in the afterglow of his victory, his expression turned gloomy at that moment.
　[Eventually, Ai achieved this plan. Everything went well. Ai know this was the best way for Yusaku and his fellows to live happy lives; they’ll be able to avoid that cruel experiment and live their true lives. Ai’ve, Ai should’ve, already made up my mind to sacrifice myself for their happiness. My final moment that no one will be present at, my death without anyone remember me that even links—bonds—among me, my fellows and my buddy can never prevent, a miserable end that erases, from the cyberspace and the real world, my existence and all evidence which shows Ai lived—Ai’ve already been ready for everything, though…Ai feel fear now.]
　“…Kusanagi,…Takeru,…Flame,…Yusaku…”
　A SOLtiS carrying an electronic life form vanished with his time machine as wind blew through the grass field.

　“…Oh? This place is…Link Vrains?” Regaining consciousness, Ai got up in surprise at a landscape surrounding him. His plan did certainly work, but he is now conscious. “Ai surely died, right? …Or dead electronic life forms also go to heaven after death like human beings?” The dark ignis folded and opened his fingers while looking around. Confused at this situation that he is in the Link Vrains, he found the fire ignis floating in front of him. “Don’t be silly, Ai.” “Flame!? Why are ya here?” “Soulburner brought me and Kiku here to watch Go Onizuka’s match. Then, I found an ignis-algorithm appeared suddenly on networks of Link Vrains. So, I left the stadium while Soulburner and Kiku were absorbing themselves in the match. Ai, it was you as I’ve thought,” said Flame with his arms folded and his eyes closed, floating in front of Ai.
　“Well… Ai’m not askin’ such things,” said Ai bewilderedly and unpleasantly. Flame ignored it and pointed out what Ai would want to know the most. “You must be wondering why you are here. In short, it’s because your plan failed.” “Huh!?” “It seemed you were planning to go back to the past and erase Dr. Kogami, but it was quite obvious that your plan would never succeed. Despite that, you were going to carry out your useless plan, so I said ‘I cannot believe you are in earnest to carry out such plan,’ ‘do you understand what you are doing?’ so that you wouldn’t make vain efforts.”

　“B-but, Ai certainly prevented his parents’ marriage—” “Do you know ‘parallel world’?” “Parallel…world?” “Every event in the universe has different parallel worlds correspond to all choices.” “Ah, just like branched scenarios of video games!” Ai hammily clapped his hands and smiled.
　Ignoring Ai’s reaction, Flame continued in a serious face. “Yes. And you were misunderstanding an important thing—you cannot affect other parallel worlds. I mean, the history we have lived never changes even if you go past and choose another choice; the corresponding history runs in another parallel world instead.” “T-then, the reason Ai vanished together with my SOLtiS body at that time is…” “A dweller of the parallel world where Dr. Kogami was born and the Hanoi project was conducted was simply deported back from the parallel world where Dr. Kogami was not born.” “Jeez! That means my actions were really vain efforts…” The dark-haired android looked obviously depressed: his head and shoulders drooped sadly. The fire ignis commiserated his friend and said, “However, I understand your wish to save your buddy even if you sacrifice yourself. Soulburner also has lived an unhappy life after that cruel experiment. Surely, we cannot, should never, forgive Dr.Kogami. Still, I’m proud of my buddy—Soulburner—who has overcome his tough days started from the Hanoi project and grown up strongly. Playmaker and other subjects have overcome the past through battles and they are now facing the future as well. Ai, it’s time to quit regretting the past and running away from the future.”
　“Flame… Yep, you’re right. Thanks, Flame,” said Ai. It’s clear and sunny at the main area of Link Vrains as usual. As Ai looked up at the sky in a radiant face, the sun illuminated his face gently. A few data materials were drifting slowly across the sky instead of clouds.
　Suddenly, a small window popped out, ringing in front of Ai. “Wow, here comes a message from Playmaker! Well… ‘I finished rebuilding my deck, so let’s play Duel-Monsters now.’ Oh, Ai gotta see him now! Bye, Flame!” “See you later, Ai.”

　[Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.]—Prov.23: 17-18