Chapter 38 : IF-108 ‘Nessho’ Part 4

[Object Number: IF-108]

[Object Name: Nessho]

[Object Class: High]

[Danger Level: Neutral]

[Fake]

Nessho is a cryptid known to inhabit Loch Ness in Scotland, UK. 

It has a long neck and a small head, leading to speculation that it is a plesiosaur that survived the mass extinction. 

It has garnered significant attention since the 1930s, with countless investigations attempting to prove its existence. 

However, the most famous photograph of Nessho was later revealed to be a hoax.

[Reality]

IF-108 is an unidentified aquatic creature that resembles a plesiosaur-like marine reptile but remains unconfirmed. 

It appears to be the original basis for most of the “long-necked cryptids” such as Nessho, Champ, Nahuelito, and Lariosauro.

IF-108 generates an optical phase shift around itself, continuously prisming the surrounding space. 

Since there is no way to observe the inside of this phased space without harming the entity, its true form remains unknown. 

The refracted space created by IF-108 constantly shifts and can expand up to approximately 15 meters in size.

IF-108 has the ability to teleport. 

It can create a wormhole about 3 meters in diameter at the front of its refracted space, typically perceived as its “head,” allowing it to leap through space. 

During this process, IF-108 appears to “shed its shell,” leaving behind the phased space overlapping the wormhole while it moves forward. 

The wormhole disappears within a few seconds after IF-108 moves through it, making it impossible to interfere with. 

The maximum distance it can teleport is unknown.

[Containment]

IF-108 must be contained within a specially designed phase-locked isolation chamber known as “Hofmanni.” 

The chamber’s internal quantum coherence index must be measured every hour, and if it exceeds 0.7, a Code Blue alert must be issued.

(Omitted)

***

[Excerpt from an Encounter Report:]

“Squeak!”

Thud.

“Wall!” 

“Pass through!” 

“Use!”

“Hurry!” 

“Hurry!”

The small snake twisted and curled its body, narrowly dodging the incoming beak.

It sent a desperate mental plea to its ally.

A frantic push to do something quickly.

“Waaah, my passage…!” 

“I can finally rebuild it…!”

Yet, the ally merely mumbled with its wavering form. 

Even though the red lever had clearly been pulled down, it wasn’t helping.

The small snake grew more desperate.

“Help…!”

The bird’s beak struck the wall forcefully, but the snake couldn’t relax. 

When the bird shook its beak violently, the wall melted and freed its beak again.

“Squawk.”

The bird lunged forward. 

The small snake scurried away frantically.

“Me.” 

“Help!” 

“Quickly!” 

“Help!” 

“Help!”

It cried out toward its uncooperative ally. 

Toward the transparent prison where the ally was held. 

But the bird, still focused on the small snake, also rushed toward that same spot.

At last, the ally reacted.

“Eh??” 

“Why, why is it coming this way…?”

And then—

Crash!

***

The bird, unused to flying in confined spaces after being imprisoned for so long, crashed headfirst into the transparent wall of the ally’s prison.

A confused “Beep?” followed as it processed the situation.

The bird slid down, momentarily dazed.

The small snake cautiously backed away.

“Ugh…”

Hiss…

The transparent wall, impacted by the bird, began to melt in the shape of the collision. 

With a thud, the bird fell right into the ally’s prison.

The ally’s form rippled violently. 

It shook its head, watching the bird rise unscathed.

The small snake glanced around, processing the situation.

“What… just…?” 

“Huh…??”

The snake reassessed its predicament.

There was now only a small hole in the shape of the bird where the passage had melted. 

The ally was still inside. 

The bird was also inside. 

But the small snake was outside.

“So…?”

As the snake turned to check, it locked eyes with the bird. 

The bird, now inside with the ally, was staring at it.

“Squawk.”

The bird smashed its beak against the transparent wall.

Crack!

The transparent wall began to melt, fractures forming as its beak pushed through.

The small snake thrashed in a panic, urging its ally.

“!!! Hurry!” 

“Hurry!”

“Ugh, the hole’s already big enough!” 

“You’re just too stuffed to fit!” 

“You’re tiny, but why do you take up so much space…?!” 

“Lose some weight, you fat snake!”

Smack, smack.

The ally suddenly started smacking the small snake’s rear.

It didn’t hurt much, but the indignation was immense.

The small snake suddenly felt a deep fear. 

It recalled its ancestor’s warning— 

“Could it be… that it really was turning into a chubby snake…?”

As images of a future where it had become so plump that it could neither slither nor jump properly flashed through its mind, the little snake violently rejected the thought.

“No!” 

“Bad!” 

“Denial!” 

“Nonsense!”

The little snake protested even more fiercely.

Crack, crack. 

Sizzle.

The bird had already managed to push its entire head through.

It looked like it would escape at any moment.

At the same time, the ally continued slapping the little snake wildly from both sides.

The overwhelming stimulation was almost too much to bear.

“Kweeeek…”

Whoosh.

A bead, heating up its lower jaw, forced the little snake to snap back to reality.

It shuddered in fear—if not for that, it might have ended up somewhere even worse without its ancestor.

And then—

The ally suddenly grabbed the little snake’s mouth and pried it open.

“Hey, this is why we can’t get through…!” 

“You’re not even a priest, where did you get that bead?!”

“We’re all going to die, spit it out!” 

“Spit it out!!”

“Bead?” 

“Spit?” 

“No!” 

“Absolutely!” 

“No!”

The little snake was outraged at such a ridiculous demand.

It didn’t fully understand the significance of the bead, since it couldn’t even eat it, but it was a gift from its ancestor.

There was no way it would spit it out.

To the little snake, the bead was more precious than life itself.

The little snake thrashed violently.

The ally was larger than the little snake, but it lacked fingers, so it couldn’t easily take the bead away.

They squabbled so fiercely that, for a moment, the little snake forgot it was in mortal danger.

And then, everything went still.

What became quiet?

First, the bird, which had been melting the prison wall in a frenzy to escape, had gone silent.

And then—

“Bad!” 

“Bad!” 

“Bead, protect!”

The little snake bit down hard.

“Aaah! 

“Don’t bite me!” 

“It’s coming, it’s coming!” 

“I don’t wanna die yet…!”

The little snake had been struggling so desperately that it had completely forgotten about the bird.

And then—the bead cooled down and went silent.

“Because of you, chubby snake, I couldn’t— wait, I can?” 

“Huh?” 

“Eh??”

“What?”

The little snake didn’t understand, but at least the ally wasn’t telling it to spit out the bead anymore, which was a relief.

Only then did the little snake finally take in its surroundings.

The bird was approaching, but that didn’t seem important anymore.

“Alright!” 

“This time, we’re really going!”

With a whoosh—

The little snake was instantly sucked into the abyss.

It was supposed to be going to see its ancestor.

But instead, it found itself being tossed around in a chaotic swirl of tangled currents.

It had no idea why.

“This is my passage!” 

“Just hold your breath for a bit, we’ll be there soon.”

The water stung the spot where the ally had smacked its rear earlier.

The little snake flailed about.

It was irritating.

Not as irritating as that annoying person who kept poking at its horns, though.

That was more manageable.

It could just shake them off.

“No, Lug… don’t go…”

What the hell was this dream showing? 

It was just shaking off a horn, and yet, in the dream, it seemed like something far more dramatic.

Seriously…

Something felt off. 

It felt like it had forgotten something.

By now, it should have remembered everything.

But it just couldn’t recall it, as if it was something so insignificant that its mind refused to retrieve it.

“What was it?”

It was like that frustrating moment in human memory—when you open a search engine but completely forget what you were about to look up.

… What kind of analogy was that?

As it pondered over this mystery—

Pop.

With a deflating sound, a small circle appeared in the air beside it.

‘What the hell was that?’

Hmm… 

‘The guys in black vests weren’t reacting, so maybe humans couldn’t see it?’

It seemed to be connected somewhere.

The little snake peeked inside.

And then—it remembered what it had forgotten.

“Gyaoo…”

It was coming.

That insignificant thing…

‘But who was that next to it?’

That presence felt familiar too.

‘Could it be…?’

‘… No way.’

“Gyao.”

No way.

There was no way it had that many unknown descendants…

The little snake shook its head.

“Lug…” 

“Ah.”

As a bonus, it accidentally smacked that annoying person’s face with its horn.