Psychometry.
It was the ability of Grandfather, who had been an A-rank Esper. Grandfather must have guessed the artifact’s use through information obtained with his psychometry ability.
The problem was ‘why’ he hid that fact.
The Center, which belatedly learned the artifact’s use, made efforts to recover them all. Anyway, those who would possess stones known to be useless for anything were generally wealthy tycoons with strong collecting desires, so it was easy to narrow down the targets, and since embedding an ability into an artifact required an A-rank or higher Esper who could control their ability with precision, tracking itself wasn’t difficult either. Because they said that for a certain fee, they would implant an Esper’s ability along with an imprint.
Based on that, the Center gained enormous funds and the authority to manage artifacts, and those who obtained artifacts received a one-time opportunity to use an Esper’s ability even with an ordinary person’s body and official recognition, so it could be called killing two birds with one stone.
‘Surely they could have registered it officially back then.’
After that, the Center defined possession of unregistered artifacts as illegal and cracked down on it, and strictly controlled so that stock wouldn’t be released to the market.
Center monopoly.
It meant it was an item that caused such a big stir that when you said artifact, you’d think of the Center.
I heard that the method used for my clinical trial was also created based on the artifact’s principle.
Such an item, which wasn’t illegal at the time of acquisition but has now become illegal, was in Grandmother’s hands.
…Is it a family trait?
Our family had a temperament that was docile but once we set our minds to something, we’d jump in without thinking or cause an incident.
Just like how I chose clinical trials for Grandmother’s sake and jumped into the isolated research lab to save Do Ganghyun.
“Why are you giving this to me when Grandmother could use it?”
There was no meaning in asking why she still had it now. She might have been worried about the fact that she realized the artifact’s use but didn’t report it, or worried the Center would recover it, or worried about the necklace’s damage from imprinting.
There would have been reasons, so what was more important was why she wasn’t using an artifact meant for Grandmother. If Grandfather’s ability was contained in it, it would surely be an opportunity to see the face she’d longed for so much.
“You can meet Grandfather.”
Although it would be nothing more than reading recorded memories, it was still the last chance to see Grandfather alive. The only chance, perhaps, to retrace the most brilliant memories of the two of them.
“I’m fine. I don’t have many memories with Grandfather, and I have plenty of memories with my parents even without an artifact.”
I waved my phone. Unlike the early days of gate generation when the world was chaotic and it was difficult to preserve things, the period when my parents were alive was when many things had been restored. Naturally, various memories like photos and videos remained vividly.
“And since Grandmother was wearing it, Mom and Dad will treat me like they would Grandmother, won’t they?”
I added with a playful smile.
Since memories would have been recorded based on the wearer, the appearance of my parents would ultimately have been captured from Grandmother’s perspective too. So the ability would be implemented from the point of view where the other person thinks of me as Grandmother.
I knew Grandmother was trying to pass the necklace to me out of worry for me being left behind alone. However, I hated that the premise of all these actions was ‘me being left behind.’ I also didn’t want to steal Grandmother’s memories.
“Take it.”
However, Grandmother firmly stopped me from trying to lighten the mood playfully and brush it off. Rather, she grabbed my retreating hand, pulled it, and pressed the necklace into my hand.
Then she wrapped her own hand over it so I couldn’t open my hand. When I couldn’t say anything at that action and raised my head to meet her gaze, I saw Grandmother smiling gently.
I could instinctively know in that moment. That what Grandmother wanted to convey to me wasn’t simply an opportunity to recall memories. That there was a secret greater than hiding that the necklace was an artifact.
“The ability of his that I put in the necklace isn’t psychometry.”
It was a shocking statement. If not psychometry? Then what ability on earth did she put in?
Grandmother had clearly said she’d put in Grandfather’s ability. Grandfather’s ability had no great utility in combat, but Grandfather made a great contribution to creating the early database by reading and providing much information during the period when gates first appeared. Based on that, the government had reestablished order. After serving that purpose, he was forgotten without even leaving his name, but at least Grandfather’s ability was clearly recorded.
“…If not psychometry?”
I asked in a somewhat trembling voice. In my head, I was already imagining whether it turned out we were a criminal family.
Reading my pale expression, Grandmother continued speaking with an amused laugh.
“Do you know that those with rare abilities develop other abilities to assist that ability?”
The beginning was a rather random and disconnected story. However, knowing it would ultimately connect to Grandfather’s hidden ability, I listened quietly.
“It’s a phenomenon that also appears in high-rank Espers, but it usually appears a lot in ability users with rare abilities that are difficult to control.”
Esper Hyun Yoonseo’s case came to mind for a moment. He possessed a nature-type ability that was said to be difficult to handle—fire ability at that—along with an ability to reduce the sense of incongruity to those around him. They said it was like a derivative skill or passive skill that couldn’t even be caught by measuring devices.
At the same time, I thought I understood what Grandmother wanted to say. Grandmother was saying that Grandfather had a derivative skill like Hyun Yoonseo.
“Psychometry can read records contained in objects, various senses, can’t it? And during the age of chaos, what he read most were monster corpses, gate byproducts, and… people’s bodies.”
“……”
“For an ordinary person, it would have been normal for their mind to collapse.”
“Then Grandfather—”
I looked down at the necklace pressed into my hand. Since Grandmother still had her hand overlapped on it, I couldn’t see the shape, but the necklace’s form was clearly conveyed through my palm.
“That’s right. He was right on the verge of going mad. And that’s when he gained a mysterious ability. The ability to erase emotions by designating specific memories or records.”
‘He mainly used that ability when using his psychometry ability.’ Grandmother added lightly.
However, the content wasn’t light. Then it meant the ability contained in the necklace was the ability to erase emotions. And thinking of what he’d said when passing the necklace to Grandmother, ‘I’ll protect you for life’ probably meant—
‘Forget your feelings for me.’
It would have meant to leave the memories built with him but forget the emotions and live comfortably.
Considering Grandmother’s illness, Grandfather’s judgment could be seen as correct, but it was definitely an extremely cruel choice. At the same time, my heart ached because I couldn’t fully fathom what state of mind Grandfather had been in when he handed over such an ability. Even more so seeing Grandmother who ultimately chose to get this illness of the heart without using the necklace.
“Anyway, he was a foolish man. After things turned out that way, I resented him so much I couldn’t bring myself to use the necklace. To meet him again in the afterlife and give him hell, wouldn’t I have to go holding these feelings as they are?”
‘What if I erase the emotions and forgive him completely?’ Grandmother added jokingly.
Grandmother didn’t say romantic things like she didn’t want to forget her feelings of loving Grandfather. However, I choked up knowing the weight of the emotions rising up from within.
“Grandmother, I—”
“But now that the situation has become like this again, I understand. He probably had exactly the same feelings as me now.”
Grandmother smiled gently and overlapped my hand holding the necklace again with her other hand. Warm warmth spread from where it was wrapped in Grandmother’s both hands.
I felt like I was going to cry suddenly. As if knowing everything, Grandmother patted my hand while holding it and opened her mouth with difficulty. I could feel her trying to carefully convey her words after choosing them as much as possible.
“So Eunha, much later, if it’s too hard without this old woman, use the necklace.”
‘It’s okay to do so.’ At the added words, tears finally poured out. Tears had to fall. Because ultimately, Grandmother was talking about her own absence.
“Grandmother hopes our Eunha will come as late as possible. I hope you try everything you want to do, and that you won’t even have time to be sad.”
Grandmother spoke as if vomiting out her last wish. It seemed like she was making a vow to herself with desperate yearning. Since she couldn’t do that, telling me to do so.
“Grandmother…”
Through that wish, I could tell that Grandmother had been suffering greatly all this time. And also that she ultimately couldn’t make the choice to erase her emotions.
At the same time, even while making such a request, Grandmother continued speaking as if she knew what decision I would make.
“If you absolutely can’t do that, then just ten things you want to do. Without caring about other people at all, come after doing just ten things that only you, Eunha, want to do.”
‘Then it’s okay to follow me.’ Grandmother’s last words came across heavily.
