The note was written on skin. It flapped and fluttered about the mouth of
the cave, teased by the jungle wind. At first, Harata had mistaken it for a
simple covering, leather perhaps, hung to hide the opening in the rocks. When he
drew nearer, he noticed the words, written in a slanting and elegant hand- words
written in blood. His stomach crashed to his feet as he realized that he looked
upon the flesh and blood of all that remained of Qian Ra’s Guardians.
“By the gods,” he whispered, aghast.
“Oh, gross! That’s- it’s… ewwwww!” Chieko exclaimed from behind
him.
“What’s it say?” Mina asked curiously, while Blue reached out to
take Takaeyama’s hand and Ayame hugged herself, shivering despite the jungle
heat.
“I don’ wanna know,” Kazuki said firmly.
Harata, despite his rising nausea, peered closer, and somehow forced his
breaking voice to read the words aloud.
My
dear ‘Champions’, chosen ones of Qa Haran,
You have come to this place- once Holy, now cursed- for the purpose of
completing your Task, your duty to a world that despises you all. I realize that
I cannot dissuade you with logic to abandon this course, much as I wish to. As a
result, I have been left with no other choice but to apply force. It is merely
some sport- a game, if you will- to test your willingness.
Should you choose to continue, in the chambers below you shall each meet
with an aggressor. None may accompany a challenger but his or her antithesis.
Should my minions puncture your Circle, you will be unable to complete the Task.
Though I would wish you to turn back, to inform the world that its corruption
has brought about a fitting end, I have little doubt you shall proceed. In that
case, I wish you all the luck of the twisted gods you worship.
~C.
“He warned me that he would send manifests. I thought he was
bluffing,” Blue said softly.
“Guess not.” Harata’s voice was sullen.
“We… we have to fight something?” Chieko asked, fear shivering her
tones.
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Mina responded, steeling her nerves.
They stood about, shuffling uncomfortably, feeling strangely chilled
despite the heavy, humid air. For a time it seemed that fear would freeze them
in place, monuments to failure. With a cold abruptness that shocked the others,
Keisuke snorted derisively and strode forward. Without hesitation, he tore the
skins down and cast them aside. He turned to the rest of the Champions, his
crooked, evil smile showing on his face, and said,
“Come on, let’s get this over with.”
He walked purposefully into the cave. The others followed hesitantly.
Yukiiae placed Kinjal gently in some bushes. I want you to stay here. It’ll
be dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Just wait for me here.
She then stopped to gather up the remains of the Guardians which she
arranged lovingly on a boulder beside the mouth of the cave.
“They should be given the proper Rites. You’ll do it later, won’t
you, Blue?”
Only Takaeyama noticed the shadow that passed over Blue’s expression as
he answered,
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
The mouth of the cave opened into a dark chamber, with barely enough
space for the Champions to fit inside. The ceiling arched high overhead, lost in
blackness. Behind them, the weak sunlight of the dreary day spilled into the
cave, highlighting an opening on the far side.
“What do we do now?” asked Chieko in a whisper.
“Just keep going, I guess,” Harata answered somberly and plunged
ahead, through the space in the wall. When Chieko tried to follow, she found
herself repelled, knocked off her feet by both the impact and the shock.
“Ouch!” she cried, rubbing her nose. “I can’t get through!”
Kat was next to try the opening, but she too, found that she couldn’t
pass.
“Harata!” she yelled, pounding her fists against what should have
been an open space. “Come back,” she whimpered.
“Move,” Ayame instructed coldly, giving Kat a shove. “I’m the
only one that’s gonna be able to get through. That note said so. Get out of my
way.”
Ayame pushed past Kat and disappeared into the darkness.
The Empirian, without even an attempt at self-control, crumpled to the
ground, hands pressed against the barrier, and cried disconsolately.
As soon as Harata entered the adjoining cavern, a heavy weight of despair
crashed over him. It was stupid to just push ahead like this, not knowing where
he was going or what he was doing, not having any idea what lay in wait. He
realized that was all he’d done since he woke on that bright morning after the
dream. All he ever did was rush ahead without consideration. You’re not
even the Clanless! He told himself bitterly. Your soul didn’t even have
enough potential to be a Champion. You’re just ordinary, nothing special.
You’re not like the rest of them. There’s no way you can do this. You just
haven’t got it in you.
Harata realized that he’d always felt that way, from the very first day
he’d learned of his mission. He never wanted this, was always stumbling under
the burden of leadership. For a moment, his heart burned at the injustice done
to him. The others? They were Champions. They had power and potential. He was
just an average guy. Why should he be forced to carry the weight of the Task
with them? He cursed Qa Haran, the gods, his own bad fortune.
It was then that he heard the hissing sounds, the soft scrape of scales
on the rock.
“Do be careful. If one of them bites you, the poison is quite
deadly.”
There was a woman seated on a rock within the cave, barely visible in the
darkness. Her whole body seemed to undulate, writhing. Harata realized that she
was covered in snakes.
“They won’t harm me,” the woman informed him, answering and unasked
question, “for I am their master.” Her voice was pleasant, soothing.
“You aren’t going to let me pass,” Harata observed.
“Of course not. Caiaphas sent me to keep you from reaching your
goal.”
Harata drew his sword.
“You won’t stop me. Nothing has yet.”
“Ah, but you won’t even be able to touch me. My snakes will poison
you long before your steel could slice my flesh. And then you’ll die here,
alone.”
It was true. Harata felt for certain there was nothing he could do, no
way he could pass the woman and her snakes. He would surely perish- and who
could be surprised, really? He wasn’t made for this Task. He was nothing more
than Qa Haran’s folly. For a moment, he convinced himself that it was for the
best, to die in this dark place and never have to face the others again.
“Not alone,” a voice said from behind him. “I’m here with you.”
“Aya,” Harata said as the soft fuzz of relief spread through him.
With it came memory, a recollection of his desire to do right, and of the tools
he’d been given to aid him on his course. He no longer felt powerless, but
empowered instead, recalling that his actions were that which made him
legendary, not the validity of his title.
He said nothing to the woman. He had no desire to address her, to face
her taunts and arguments. Harata cleared his mind, one desire burning only. He
would find out what he needed to know. He would look into the mind of his
obstacle and find out how it was she kept the snakes at bay.
The woman screamed, one long howl of anguish, when she felt the snakes
turn on her. They struck repeatedly, until she fought no longer, but lay in a
lifeless heap. The serpents dispersed, slithering off into the darkness.
With the boundary broken, Kat fell with a grunt on the floor of the
cavern. She rose quickly, and seeing Harata in the darkness, she ran to him.
“By the gods, by the gods…” she whispered over and over as he held
her close. The others were filing into the chamber.
“It’s alright, Kat,” he said softly, with rising embarrassment.
“What if… what if you hadn’t come back? There’s so much I
should’ve said.”
“It’s okay. It’s alright. I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah, I do,” he smiled down at her and kissed her lightly on the
forehead. Breaking the embrace, he looked over at the others and said, “At
least now we know how this is going to go.”
The Champions nodded a bit dejectedly and moved forward to test the next
barrier. Only Blue and Kat were able to pass, leaving the others to wait in the
dark. Yukiiae moved to stand next to Takaeyama, who was staring at the fissure
in the cavern wall, gnawing on his lip.
Kat was surprised to find the chamber hung with rich tapestries and
lanterns casting a soft, diffused glow. There was an air of wealth and nobility
about the place, instilling within her a sense of awe. She turned to Blue with
raised eyebrows, but his gaze lay elsewhere. She followed it to find he was
focused on the man seated near the far wall. A king? A warrior? Kat couldn’t
discern… a god. He had to be a god. So regal, so noble was he.
“Come forward, Little One,” he commanded. “Come here to me.”
Kat did so, walking with soft and purposeful steps until she stood before
the handsome, armor-clad man. She fell to her knees.
“My Lord,” she whispered.
“Yes, my child. Now you see. All of your worldly power will mean
nothing without a world to wield it in. How fleeting, how unstable your position
is! Even with the world intact, a simple misstep could cost you dearly. Have you
not felt the unending need to be perfect in all you do?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“How strange and silly your world is! And how far you have fallen in
its eyes.” He drew a sword, a huge ceremonial blade, glistening with gems. He
held it to Kat’s throat. Unafraid, she gazed with adoration into his dark
eyes. “But worry not, beloved daughter, for I can give you a new world, one
where you shall reign on high, loved and obeyed by all. You shall be mine, and I
shall cherish you and protect your power.”
“Kat…” Blue’s voice was laced with warning. “The only thing he
offers you is death.”
“My child, do not heed that fool. Do not believe him- he knows nothing
of the need for power. He has never sought to be obeyed. He will be forgotten,
while your memory will never fade.”
“Kat, the world you need is this one. Yes, you could leave it, but at
the cost of those you love. They’ll die here, while you turn and walk away.”
“You have never been loved,” the god said with cold finality.
I have never been loved. I have only been judged. Kat felt a
torrent of rage and despair break over her. No one had ever cared what became of
her, or how hard she tried to meet everyone else’s expectations. When she’d
done as she was supposed to, mouth tight shut, behaving herself, no one seemed
to notice. It was only when she cracked, when she made mistakes, that people
seemed aware of her.
No, someone had cared, someone had loved her- Karae, whose broken body
had been collected in pieces from the Underground, killed by those Dauern scum
who were too cowardly to simply ask that their place in society be
changed. There had been no dialog, only slaughter. And everyone felt sorry for them.
The burning rage built within. Yes, even the Champions- everyone pitied
the poor, forlorn Ayame, who bled freely in public, telling of her hardships and
her loss. None of them knew of the trials Kat had faced. Not one had been told
about Karae, not a single one would have cared, anyway. They thought her cold
and distant, but how else was she meant to behave? She could only play the role
she’d been raised to play. It seemed that they, too, only noticed the things
about her that they wished could be different. Not even Harata knew the
innermost secrets of her heart.
Harata. Kat felt the blade on her throat, felt the pinch of her skin as
it drew blood. Suddenly, she saw his face clearly in her mind, smiling down on
her as he so often did. What did he see when he smiled so? What did it matter?
Her heart wrenched as blood welled around the blade, knowing that she’d be
leaving him, too- leaving him to perish, blameless, for the wrongs done by
others. It became clear, the difference between what Blue had said and what had
been claimed by the other. It was not a question of the love that she received,
but a question of that she felt.
Kat stood suddenly, hardly noticing the pain caused by the sword as it
was wrenched away from her neck. She looked down upon the man seated before her
and saw not a god, not a demon, no king, no warrior. She saw nothing but a man.
She would not be defeated so. She would not fall to this. She gazed down upon
him, and felt the truth of her own will echo within. Slowly, as Kat forced her
will outward, the tide of adoration began to change. The shift was subtle at
first, but grew as Kat felt herself gaining ground. She did not cease pushing
until she felt the man worship her with abandon. She looked upon him with
contempt.
“My world is this one, and it matters not the measure of my power upon
it. What matters is that it goes on, as you will not after you turn that blade
upon yourself.”
The man, the simple, powerless man, did turn his weapon on himself, and
died in silence, staring fixedly into Kat’s pale brown eyes.
“You’re cut,” Blue said with concern as he hurried to Kat’s side.
“Not so fast,” came a voice from someone hidden behind one of the
numerous silks. “You may have defeated my twin, but you have me to contend
with as well.”
“And you are?” Blue asked coolly.
“Your salvation, if you will it to be so.”
A person of indiscriminate sex, graceful and nymph-like, slinked out of
hiding. This creature smiled serenely upon Blue, who watched with calm interest.
“Salvation from what?” he asked.
“From yourself, from those that seek to corrupt you. You were so pure
when you started out- don’t let Caiaphas’s little tricks fool you. You have
it in you, Blue. You can be holy. Just leave this rubbish behind you.”
“But, to damn the world-“
“Don’t you see?” the creature asked pleadingly. “This world
is unholy. It’s nothing but the world itself that’s caused you to falter. It
was your Task to save it that sullied your once spotless being. You’ve been
led astray. Allow yourself the grace to step back onto the path of
righteousness. Allow yourself to become detached once more from this world and
its perils.”
Become detached. Am I attached? Blue knew, from the pain he’d
felt in Pandemonium, the broken-heartedness that had yet to fade, that he was,
in fact, attached to something. With a sudden, aching nostalgia, he
remembered himself as he had been- serene, without want, able to accept his
passing life and its circumstances as one accepts the water that flows around
ankles submerged in a stream. He was destroyed now. He was as hopeless and
sullied as any of the others. That even now he could feel regret was proof
enough of that.
“You have been broken,” the creature spoke softly. “I can make you
whole.”
Wordlessly, Blue moved forward. Kat watched in horror as he passed by,
pain she’d never knew he had etched on his features. Say something.
“Blue…” was all she could muster.
He turned to look at her.
“Don’t…”
“It’s true, Kat,” he said with heaviness. “This world is a
terrible place, a corrupter of souls. It shouldn’t be… and neither should
I.”
He faced the nymph with calm determination.
Kat’s mind worked frantically.
“That’s what it’s meant to be!” she shouted. “At least,
you’re always saying stuff like that- that the world is a test. And you know
what? I don’t think you were all that great to begin with. Yeah, you were
detached, alright- so unattached that you didn’t think all that much of
threatening two poor, frightened girls with death unless they did what you told
them! Yeah, you’ve changed, Blue, but if you want my opinion, being a little
more compassionate hasn’t hurt you any!”
In Blue’s mind, a night flashed by, one in which he’d truly felt
for the first time, a night in which he’d finally begun to understand what it
means to care about someone other than himself. A Holy Life.
The elegant creature struck, curved dagger aimed with deadly accuracy at
so close a range.
But Blue was no longer there. Both the demon sending and Kat cast about
in surprise. Where could he have gone? Kat watched as he seemed to come into
focus to the left of the creature, who he quickly took hold of. Pressing his own
dagger to the throat of the demon, he spoke.
“I know what lies in wait for me if I depart with you. Let the gods
judge my soul. Go back to your master, sending, as broken as you claim I am.”
Blue slit the creature’s throat.
After a few seconds in silence, Blue moved to the mouth of the cave and
poked his head out.
“All clear,” he said with a grin.
Chieko was disheartened, then terrified, to learn that the following
barrier yielded to her. She swallowed hard, turning to look back at the others.
Yukiiae was busy tending to the gash in Kat’s neck. Chi felt a shiver of fear
convulse her. What was waiting in there? What if it was another sword wielding
man? Chieko felt she’d never be strong or brave enough to face something like
that. Yet there was no question of bravery left for her, no option but to pass
through the fissure in the rock. Kazuki looked down at her with a smile.
“Don’ worry, Little Chi. I’ll be there wit’cha. I won’ let
anybody do you no harm.”
Yeah, Kazuki would be there. Taking heart that she wouldn’t be going on
alone, Chieko smiled weakly back. To the other Champions she called,
“I’m going, guys! I’ll do my best!”
“Good luck.” A spattering of voices echoed one another as the
GelbFaust disappeared from view.
Taking a deep breath, Chieko looked around the cavern, terror chewing
through her guts as she searched for whatever horror lay in wait. There was an
opening overhead, through which light spilled. The shaft of sunshine seemed
white in the darkness, falling on a patch of the cavern floor where plants had
sprung up. In the center of the light and greenery there sat a child.
“What are you doing here?” Chieko asked, her heart moved with pity
for this small, abandoned boy.
“Playing,” he replied cheerfully. “Come play with me!”
Chieko moved closer and sat down beside the boy. She joined him in his
games as he yammered away about all manner of childish subjects. After a time,
he turned to her and smiled broadly.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked.
“No,” Chi replied, puzzled.
“I’m the spirit of all the innocent souls who died for your Clan.”
“Died for… for my Clan?”
“That’s right. Of course, you must’ve realized by now that the
GelbFaust have been responsible for the deaths of millions.”
“You mean about the Dauern?”
“Yes… but you’ve forgotten all the others. What about all the
Pantagruel who died cruel deaths in barely maintained factories? Or those that
were poisoned slowly by the chemicals they were surrounded with every day? And
of course, you forget the Angemal. So easy they are to forget, the necessary
evil of your consumerist frenzy. How many of them have died, waging their wars
for the sake of the raw materials your Clan requires? And how many of the native
peoples of the Otherlands have been annihilated in the name of your progress? Do
you even feel any guilt, knowing as you do that you are part of the greatest
evil in the world?”
Chieko could only stare at the boy, who looked so much like her brother
had in his childhood. Heartbroken, she could think of no words in her own
defense.
“So many people live lives of misery and wretchedness- and it’s all
your fault.”
She couldn’t stand hearing this. She’d know it for a long time, but
the guilt she felt at her position was something she’d always swallowed, never
faced. She brimmed with self-loathing, tainted with helplessness. She detested
herself, but there was nothing she could do to change. Sobbing, she clawed the
ground below, tearing at the plants as she wished she could tear out her own
heart.
“Chieko,” Kazuki’s voice was soft. “Don’t cry. And don’
listen to this kid. He talks like we’re all pawns, like we ain’t got any
lives of our own. Look at me- yeah, I work in a factory, an’ it’s hard an’
hot an’ dirty. Yeah, one time a crucible ruptured, buryin’ a buncha my mates
in molten steel… but that’s not all there is to me. I got a home, a family.
I love them, and I’m happy. Yeah, sometimes our lives get cut short. We bury
our friends… but it makes ya remember to love all the good times ya get to
have. Ain’t sucha bad way to live- not the easiest, but I wouldn’t trade it.
An’ Keisuke, too. Think he’d wanna do anything other than what he’s done?
Think that wack-o boy would be happy without those swords a his? We all got our
own way a livin’, an all the pieces fit together. An’ the bad stuff? I tol’
ya before, Chi. You don’ like it? You’re the one with the power to change
the works. Don’ listen to this guy. Came from Caiaphas to tell ya only half
the story.”
Chieko looked down at the child, who no longer appeared contented and
innocent, but whose face had taken on a cruel cast. Listen to Kazu, she
told herself. You can change the things you want. You’re not helpless…
and yeah, this boy- or whatever he is- came from Caiaphas. You need to do the
right thing- complete the Task. The rest will follow.
The boy gnashed his teeth, which Chieko saw were long, dirty and sharp-
an animal’s.
“I do feel guilty,” she whispered.
Almost reverently, she reached out and touched the child’s face. He
tried to pull away, and Chieko saw what was coming, but steeled herself. She
wouldn’t break contact, no matter what the cost. She howled in pain and shock,
recoiling as he bit down on her littlest finger- but it was too late for the
devil boy to save himself. Already, the bloom of gold was spreading across his
cheek. Chieko didn’t watch as he transformed, but sat staring at her hand from
which blood pulsed, marveling that she now had but four fingers where she used
to have five. She supposed that small piece of her had also turned to gold
within the belly of the sending.
Kazuki called to Yukiiae through the opening in the rocks and she came
forward quickly. As she knelt beside Chieko, who’d grown numb and silent with
shock, Keisuke tested the doorway to the adjoining cave.
“Had a hunch I’d be next,” he explained as his hand passed through
the open air. “This Caiaphas has been keeping to the Clan Order.” He turned
to Yukiiae and asked, “You want me to wait for you? I could just go on, if you
want to stay here.”
“No, wait a couple of minutes. I don’t think we’re meant to be
going by ourselves.”
“Whatever you want. I don’t care much either way.”
Yukiiae took her time tending to Chieko’s hand. When she’d finished,
she hugged the GelbFaust tightly and said,
“You did great, Chi. You did your part. Just try to relax for now.
You’ll be fine.”
Chieko only nodded vacantly. Sighing, Yukiiae turned to Keisuke and said,
“Alright, let’s go.”
Keisuke grinned at her approvingly, seeing that she was as unafraid as he
was.
The Commander barreled into the chamber, swords drawn, ready to rip apart
whatever demons waited. What he found was that the cavern was empty. It was
damp, darkness illuminated by veins of glowing lichen. By the eerie,
green-tinged light he saw- nothing.
Of course there wasn’t anything there. Keisuke nearly laughed at his
own lack of vision. Hadn’t the note said that those sendings had been put
there to test the willingness of the Champions? He had nothing to test.
Why was he even doing this? I was because… because…
Because of the Oath? Was that it? Two Oaths he’d sworn since he’d
come face-to-face with Harata- one to aid the Clanless, the other to annihilate
him. I’ve negated myself- the highest dishonor. Then Keisuke realized
that through Caiaphas and his plot, whatever the man’s intentions might be, he
would be spared. He had no willingness to test, and therefore they could not
move forward. The world would be broken apart, as Keisuke had always wanted it
to be. There was no negation- his heart had always beat with the same desire, a
hidden wish. He turned to Yukiiae, twisted grin spreading on his face, and said,
“Go back to the others.”
“Keisuke, what-“
“Go on!” he instructed, giving her a shove toward the opening through
which they’d come. Looking over her shoulder at him, she moved forward a few
steps. She yelped in pain and surprise when she hit the solid form of the
barrier which would not let her pass.
“I can’t go though,” she said, “and I don’t want to, anyway.
What are you doing?”
“Nothing, apparently.”
“What do you mean, ‘nothing’?”
“Look around you, Yukiiae. See anything?”
“No…”
“There you have it. Sorry, kiddo. Looks like I only ever wanted to damn
the world after all.”
“Keisuke, c’mon…”
“Well, there’s not much I can do, is there?”
Yukiiae shook her head.
“So, you’re just going to give up? You’re going to sit here,
trapped, until you die?”
“I have you for company. Funny, I always imagined that we’d go down
together. And I don’t see what you mean about giving up. I can’t do anything
at all- we can’t go forward, can’t go back. It’s not giving up, it’s
accepting the circumstances.”
“We’re only stuck because you never made a choice, Keisuke. I made
mine, Harata made his, but you’ve just been sitting on the fence, waiting to
see which way the wind blows. Of course you can’t do anything! There’s
nothing for you to do until you decide- surrender to Caiaphas, to
yourself and your own point of view, or fight with the understanding that the
world you defend is one that goes on outside your peripheral vision.”
He stared hard at her, and she returned his gaze, unwavering. She stepped
up to him, unblinking, and stood straight before him.
“I won’t judge you, whatever you choose. I know you have your
reasons- that in the end, we’re just different people.”
Keisuke held Yukiiae tightly for what felt like a long time. He thought
about her, such a small person to carry such heavy burdens. He’d always been
confused by what he saw as the mixture of strength and weakness within her. He
would never understand her motivations, but admired her fortitude. She lived her
life with Honor, and with compassion. He knew that it was true she’d never
damn him for his choice, but felt moved to make this woman he admired proud.
“How sweet- a last embrace.”
The woman’s voice was cold. Keisuke looked over his shoulder to see an
elegant beauty, a warrior, watching him.
“So there you are,” he said.
“Here I am. Are you ready to go, or do you need a few more minutes?”
She smiled a sly, crooked smile, mirror of Keisuke’s own.
“I’m ready,” he replied, kissing Yukiiae swiftly on the cheek and
squeezing her hand. He crossed to where the woman waited with arms outstretched.
As they came together, she held a serrated blade to his chest. He simply relaxed
against her, one hand over her breast, and winked at Yukiiae.
“What, no fight?” asked the woman in surprise.
“No need,” Keisuke answered in idle tones. “I go with Honor, and
I’ve made my choice.”
“So be it,” the woman smiled again, but her eyes suddenly widened in
shock as her heart ceased beating, dead in her chest.
“No need,” Keisuke repeated coldly as the body of the sending crashed
to the cavern floor. He looked up to see Yukiiae beaming at him with joy and
pride.
Bodies. The cave was full of bodies, not neatly laid to rest, but strewn
about as though discarded like worn-out dolls. Though Takaeyama paled and looked
aghast at the corpses all around, Mina felt nothing. They were only dead people,
and they wouldn’t hurt her. In fact, the only people that were
guaranteed not to hurt her were dead. She noticed nothing else at first, until
her eyes finally came to rest on a young woman, blue-skinned and empty-eyed, who
sat upon one of the piles of human flesh.
“Hello, Mina,” the woman said brightly. “Do you remember me?”
“Of course. Number 16-09, subject for test 31B. You died quite nobly-
no crying or begging like some of the others.”
“You remember all of us, don’t you?”
“Naturally, though some more clearly than others.”
“You always had so much more heart than anyone gave you credit for.
Didn’t that ever annoy you?”
“All the time.” Mina grinned.
“It’s hard for me to find fault with you, Mina. I want to be furious
that you used my body to get revenge for pain caused by others… but you knew
exactly what you were doing. You couldn’t do what you wanted, so you did what
you could. And you never forgot about us, but kept us all constantly in mind,
using our sacrifice to calm that spirit that might’ve devoured you otherwise.
You empathized with us- simple victims of the same system that turned your heart
to ice. You loved us. We became your husbands, your wives, your closest friends.
“I’ve come to remind you that you can get that revenge you
always wanted. You can take it now, stop the world from torturing people like
you, those that don’t quite fit in. You can make everything stop.”
Make everything stop. Make it stop. Make it stop.
Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop! A memory jolted Mina’s unwilling mind, the
boy with his hand up her skirt in a quiet corridor. She barely knew him, though
they’d shared a class or two. She was twelve years old and terrified, her
insides being probed by the older classmate. Later, when she’d tearfully told
a teacher what had been done, the woman gave her some advice.
“Maybe if you didn’t call so much attention to yourself… Try
fitting in a little more. And wear pants.”
Appalled, the young Mina had left the office with her heart heavy and her
eyes downcast. She never wanted to look at another human being again. She hated
them. She detested them all, and longed for the day that would come when she’d
burn them all in the hellfire of her spirit. That day was now.
“You’re right,” Mina murmured. “Why have I been trying to
convince myself that this world is worth anything? What has it ever shown us but
agony with an angel’s face?”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Mina…” Takaeyama ventured. “It is hard, the way the
world’s set up. Sometimes it feels almost impossible to live in… but
that’s just humanity. There are so many things outside humanity that
will be destroyed along with it. And there are people that don’t deserve to be
cast off with the rest. I’m sure you could think of some if you tried hard
enough. You did the right thing, Mina, separating yourself from the people that
did you no good. You learned to live your life in silence, and you found your
own peace… something I never learned to do. And you loved your life. You’ve
already overcome. You don’t need revenge- you have serenity.”
Serenity? Yes, she supposed, she had been content- happy, even- with the
life that she’d built. Though at times the sting of bitterness rose within, it
was only in passing, and faded quickly with the realization that she was doing
exactly as she wanted. The journey may have been difficult, but the destination
proved worth it. That she could not regret, despite any memories that might’ve
haunted her sleepless nights.
Mina looked hard at the sending who’d come to her dressed as the corpse
of a girl she’d experimented on all those years ago.
“Sorry, but I’m afraid logic dictates that I agree with Taka here.”
“Then you die.”
“How cliché,” Mina laughed, but as she did so, the corpse-like
sending moved with amazing speed and kicked her hard in the chest. Mina fell
with a grunt of escaping air and lay stunned amidst the dead. Takaeyama aimed a
fireball at the sending, but she had already moved, and it simply hit a wall,
fizzled and died, leaving a patch of black.
“Get up, Mina!” he yelled.
She struggled to stand, but was punched in the face. She heard a funny
noise, kind of a squish and a crunch simultaneously, as her nose shattered with
a spurt of blood. She fell back again as Takaeyama tried another ball of flame.
Once more, the creature was far away but the time it reached.
“Dammit, Taka, be careful!” Mina yelled as the body nearest her
caught fire. Her voice sounded strange, not her own, speaking through her
broken, bleeding nose. Focus! She commanded herself, rolling and coming
to stand, casting about for her enemy. Still moving with blinding speed, the
sending moved toward Mina, who managed to sidestep, but was unable to connect a
retaliatory punch. Damn, she’s fast! I’d have to be a fortune-teller to
know where she was going.
Gods, I’m dumb!
Mina realized that she had become a fortune-teller, after a
fashion. She watched her enemy move, dodged a few more attacks, gathered the
information that she needed and felt her mind accelerate. Then she saw.
She knew. Eventually, knowing exactly where the creature would be, Mina moved in
first, and thrusting her arm out in midair she caught the creature in the
throat, crushing her windpipe.
Mina watched in silence as the sending crumpled, struggling, no longer
able to draw breath. It was then that she realized that she felt dizzy and
disoriented.
“You’d better do something about your nose,” Takaeyama instructed.
“It’s still bleeding.”
Mina complied, a bit surprised by the amount of blood that had spilled on
her shirt and gummed her mouth closed. She was so distracted that she didn’t
notice the body, who would’ve been unfamiliar to her, rise up from where it
lay. It was that of a young man, with dark hair and grey eyes that stirred
unwanted, bittersweet memories in Takaeyama’s heart. It wasn’t Keita, but
the resemblance was close enough to make him take a step forward.
“Poor soul,” the young man said softly. “You try so hard.”
Takaeyama stopped where he was, looking at the man who so resembled the
one he had once loved.
“What is this to you, Takaeyama? You save a world you won’t even be a
part of in a short time.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Takaeyama replied. “I can’t turn my back
on the rest of the world. It’s not only mine. What’s important is that it
goes on, with or without me.”
“That’s a beautiful sentiment, if wrong minded.” The man sighed and
shook his head. “You’re only aiding the cycle that turned you into what you
are. You’re condoning all the things that drove you insane, telling all those
who turned their backs on you that it’s okay. How many more people, just like
you, are you damning with your actions? And what about yourself? All that
you’ve lost? What about the things you managed to gain that will only slip
through your fingers as you lose yourself within the quagmire of your mind?
You’ll only suffer through this. You were right to try to end it. Let me help
you now. End it, Takaeyama. You don’t owe anyone a thing. They took your
sanity. It’s okay to take away their world.”
Doomed. That’s how it felt when Yukiiae had told him, in soft and
empathetic tones, that those periods of blackness and confusion would never
cease. In his mind he was drowning, as in the sea he’d tried to. It would
never end. Forever he would tread shallow water, exhausted and without purpose.
He would live in fear, never knowing when he was to be pulled under. He would
never live again to walk on land and feel the firmness of soil and rock beneath
his feet. There was no floor beneath but the shifting sand of the ocean, and
ocean of magic and thoughts, and ocean of tears. He had been abandoned there by
those he’d loved, and nothing would save him.
Takaeyama’s shoulders sagged and his head fell. Defeated and doomed, he
stood before the young man who would take away his pain, his burden of
responsibility to people who had destroyed him.
“You’re just like me, Taka,” Mina’s voice struggled to emerge
through her swollen nose and blood-caked lips. “Same problem, different
reaction. I fought. I killed. You just… shut down. But you were right- this
world isn’t yours alone, and what you said to me- it’s not only people
that will be destroyed, but everything. All of the beauty will disappear along
with all the twisted, ugly things. You’re sick, Taka, but it’s not your
fault, and might not be anyone else’s either. And there’s a lot of people
that want to help you. Don’t give up. If you can overcome this, complete the
Task and live the best you can, you’re not condoning any wrongdoing. You’ll
just be standing as an example to all the people like you that their lives are
not in vain.”
In a reflexive motion, Takaeyama reached into his pocket and touched the
creased and crumpled letter he kept there. Blue had known… He’d known what
Takaeyama had done- had tried to do- that night when the storm had crashed down
upon them. When he awoke in the hospital to find Blue gone, Takaeyama discovered
the note, written in bright blue ink, lying beside him. The words on that page
had struck Takaeyama’s heart- words laced with regret, with hope, and with
encouragement. He was not alone, and would face whatever demons were to come
with a serene and beloved soul by his side. He couldn’t change the fact that
he’d been blighted, but he’d been given everything he could ask for under
the circumstances- a loving circle to care for him. Blue, Kieran, Yukiiae- even
Chieko- would remain at his side, for better or for worse. He had nothing to
fear.
Mina’s eyes widened in shock as the bodies all around her rose up,
animated through Takaeyama’s will. They surrounded the young man, vague
reminder of a bittersweet past, and he was soon lost in the mass of their flesh.
No one made a sound.
Yukiiae turned to face her trial as soon as she’d finished treating
Mina’s broken nose. Nervousness, anxiety prickled at her. She looked at
Keisuke, who smiled and nodded, signaling her to proceed. She took a deep breath
to steady herself and stepped with determination into the cavern which held the
sending that lay in wait to challenge her.
Unlike the cavern she’d entered with Keisuke, this one certainly was not
empty. The sending within was enormous, and ogre-like creature that carried a
sword the size of Yukiiae herself. Her jaw dropped at the sight of him, and her
mind went entirely blank.
The ogre-man laughed, a sound Yukiiae could feel in her chest.
“Don’t worry. I’m not the enemy you’ll be facing,” the ogre
said in a booming, jovial voice.
“You’re not?” Yukiiae asked, puzzled.
“No. Your enemy is behind you.”
She turned around.
“Keisuke?”
“That’s right,” the sending smiled indulgently, revealing crooked,
yellow teeth. “The Angemal. He’s the one you stand against.”
“But… I don’t get it.”
“What’s not to get? The Angemal are all your enemies, aren’t they?
You couldn’t have forgotten the burning hate that keeps you warm through all
those lonely nights.”
“But-“
“Who killed your family? Who destroyed the life you were trying to
rebuild? Who killed you? You’re doomed to die. You’re nothing but the
dead walking. Who did that? The Angemal. They are your enemies. I am not. I am
here to aid you, and when you’ve disposed of the fiend behind you, I will
erase all the pain, all the memories. I’ll give you the rest that should’ve
been granted to you long ago.”
As Yukiiae stood, staring at the humungous being before her, lava-like
hatred welled and bubbled within. God forsaken Angemal! It was true; they
were the cause of all her sorrow. They’d killed her father, leaving her mother
to waste away in sadness. Her traumatized sister faded into herself. They killed
Rain. They took everyone, and left her with nothing. All they ever did was rape
and kill and burn, a cancer on the face of the planet, existing only to destroy.
They were everything she stood against, and one of them was right here.
She spun to face Keisuke, rage and hatred burning in her violet eyes.
“You can’t fight me like that,” the Commander said calmly, drawing
his swords. “I’ll only kill you.”
He handed Dawn to Yukiiae, who gripped the sword and continued to glare
at Keisuke with malice.
“That’s a bit better, though you’ll still end up dead. This is
silly, Yukiiae. Think about what you’re doing.”
“I hate you! I hate all of you! You ruined my life!” she screamed.
“Yeah, I know all about how the Angemal ruined everything for you.
Think it’s any different for me? Where are my parents, Yukiiae?
Where’s my brother? And now I have to kill you with my own two hands. When the
Task is over, I could even be forced to hunt down Ayame and kill her, too.
That’s what we do, Yukiiae. We kill people. It’s our duty, and it’s in our
nature.
“But you can’t place all the blame on us. Our choices shape our lives
and our destinies. My father died because he turned traitor, his own decision.
He was too weak to accept that my brother died doing his duty. My mother was too
weak to accept her shame. The people that you lost made decisions of their own
that led to their demise. The presence of my Clansmen was merely a catalyst.
“If you face me now, if I am forced to strike you down, the Task
won’t be completed. The world will end, and you will die in dishonor, for you
would’ve turned your back on the most sacred of all your duties. That creature
doesn’t offer you peace, Yukiiae. He gives you the promise that your soul will
be tortured forever by your own weakness. And I can assure you, if you truly
despise me and wish to face me, we can settle this when the Task is completed…
but not before. There’s a time and a place for revenge, beloved, but this
isn’t it.”
Eyes still burning with malevolent passion, Yukiiae raised the sword.
Suddenly, she spun around and ran at full speed toward the ogre-sending.
Before he could react, she plunged the sword with all her might into his chest,
piercing his heart. The giant creature slumped forward, defeated.
Once again, Yukiiae faced Keisuke.
“I know I can’t blame you, can’t blame every
Angemal I see for what happened. I’m learning to accept that there aren’t
going to be answers for a lot of my questions. I can’t pretend that I’m the
only one who’s suffered loss. You were right when you said we had a lot in
common, Keisuke. Only you had the dignity to accept your pain, while I let mine
eat me alive.”
He moved his mouth to answer, but not a word escaped as his eyes widened,
then narrowed. In an instant, he had shoved past her, calling out a warning.
There was a sickening sound as the gigantic blade of the sending passed through
Keisuke’s body. Yukiiae watched in silent horror as he slid from the blade
with a trail of blood and organs. The huge creature fell back once more in
death, Dawn still lodged in his chest.
“Keisuke…” Yukiiae whispered, crouched over his torn body. She
looked on in shocked fascination as the air escaped his useless lungs, causing a
bubble of blood to burst at his mouth. Unblinking, even through the tears that
were beginning to form, she watched as the spirit faded from his eyes, leaving
them empty. Keisuke, the Commander, legend in his own time, was dead… and
Yukiiae had promised not to bring him back.
