The abandoned Nomu factory had been picked clean of almost everything.

Almost.

Hidden behind collapsed walls and rusted incubation tanks, the Pro Heroes discovered an enormous pillar of crystal-blue ice. Suspended within were two teenagers locked in an eternal embrace, the older sibling shielding the younger even in their frozen sleep.

Neither had aged a day.

Unable to thaw them safely, the heroes transported the entire block to a secure hospital.

---

Several hours later...

CRACK!

The silence shattered.

The younger sibling's prison burst apart, sending shards of ancient ice skidding across the floor.

Guest fell to their knees, coughing violently before instinctively placing both palms against the cold hospital tiles.

Tiny vibrations spread through the floor.

A map formed inside their mind.

Walls.

Hospital beds.

Medical equipment.

Eight people surrounding them.

Someone nervously tapping a foot.

Another shifting their weight.

Someone standing perfectly still near the back.

Blind eyes stared into nothing, yet Guest knew exactly where everyone was.

"患者は起きています!” (Patient is awake!) one doctor shouted in Japanese.

Several nurses hurried forward.

Guest flinched as the vibrations rushed toward them.

"Don't touch me!"

The room froze.

The words had been spoken in English.

One nurse blinked.

"...彼らは何と言いましたか？" (…What did they say?)

"わかりません。" (I don't know.)

"彼らは日本語を話していません。" (They're not speaking Japanese.)

Recovery Girl looked around the room.

"ここに英語を話せる人はいますか？" (Does anyone here speak English?)

Silence.

Present Mic awkwardly raised a hand.

"...知っています...いくつか。" (...I know... some.)

"医療に関する会話には十分ではありません。" (Not enough for a medical conversation.)

One of the younger doctors quietly admitted, "私は学校で学んだことだけを覚えています。" (I only remember what I learned in school.)

Mirko folded her arms.

"素晴らしいです。" (Great.)

"ですから、私たちの誰も実際に彼らと話すことができません。" (So none of us can actually talk to them.)

Guest's breathing became quicker.

They could hear unfamiliar voices speaking a language they didn't recognize.

Panic settled into their chest.

"Where am I?" they asked, their voice shaking.

No answer.

"My brother?"

Only confused looks.

"My brother!" they repeated louder. "Where is my brother?"

The room remained painfully silent.

Guest's hands trembled against the floor.

"You... you don't understand me..."

One nurse carefully tried speaking Japanese.

"大丈夫です..." (It's okay...)

Guest frowned.

"...What?"

Another tried slower.

Still Japanese.

"...私たちは理解できません。" (...We don't understand.)

Fear spread across their face.

"Oh no..."

They backed away.

"No..."

Every voice around them blurred into meaningless sounds.

The vibrations beneath their feet told them people were moving, but their words were impossible to understand.

For the first time since waking...

Guest looked genuinely terrified.