FINAL CHAPTER The Maggot-Eaten Bride and the Bleached Village There were six days remaining until Lucia and Kril’s wedding. I had said my farewells to Master and Shuria, then set off alone on a pilgrimage back to my birthplace, pulling a wagon behind me. “Ho, trader. Back again?” A traveling merchant on their way to sell wares to the village. Such was the guise I had assumed to hide my true identity. A huntsman with a leg-bound rabbit slung over his shoulder had called out to me. His was a face I had always been happy to see as a child. Now, the sight of him only brought me a sick sense of nausea. “Yes, I figured you could use some basic necessities,” I said, concealing my displeasure behind a fabricated smile. “With the wedding coming up, you’ll surely be in need of wine aplenty!” “Ha-ha-ha! That’s a merchant for you, ever on the lookout for an opportunity. I seem to recall you doing much the same thing during our last wedding!” “…You’re quite right, I did.” “Well, speak of the devil, here’s the happy couple now! Hey there!” Suddenly, the huntsman spotted the newlyweds of which he spoke over my shoulder and called out to them. The man was accompanied by a far younger woman, and the two clung so closely to each other it was obvious of their relationship. The face of the man was one I would never forget. “Well, who do we have here?” he asked, walking over. “Perfectly timed, if you ask me.” My, Father. Gotten a few gray hairs now, I presume? I’m afraid I cannot tell, for when I look at you, all I see is the face of utter contempt that was scorched into my mind forever. I can hardly bear to stand in your presence a moment longer. “Been a good while, hasn’t it, merchant?” Why are you smiling? How could you smile after what you did? Have you forgotten how you cast my mother and me aside? Do you think this new woman of yours can absolve you of your sins? Answer me, Father. “How’s the newlywed life?” I croaked, fighting the urge to leap at him immediately. Threads of logic bound my screaming heart, and my illusion magic spun my voice into something approaching respectable. Oh, just go to hell already. I couldn’t even find the words. My mind went blank as I saw him get all cuddly and giggly with his new wife. Pure white, like frosted snow, as if a part of my brain had been sliced out. My blood dripped down my nails, alerting me that I was clenching my fists hard. The cuts were deep, but I felt no pain. Only emptiness. I licked my palms, allowing the blood to linger in my mouth. That rusty taste swept across the canvas of my mind, painting everything red in an instant. If I didn’t have Master and Shuria to consider, I would have torn him to shreds right then and there. “Well, I have you to thank for providing for such an amazing wedding,” he said. “And our new home is looking prettier than ever, because of the furniture you supplied,” said the wife. “Not to mention this bow I bought off you. Never had one like it. It took down a warblefowl nearly three meters long the other day! You should have seen it! One shot, straight through the head!” “Oh, honey. How many times are you going to tell that story?” The woman giggled. I was not particularly surprised to see this neighborhood girl filling my mother’s shoes. I still remembered how gleefully she’d thrown her stones. I wanted nothing more than to rip the two of them limb from limb on the spot. To watch them die. To watch the light leave their eyes. However, I had to be careful not to say too much, or I would ruin everything we had worked for. “I’m just glad to see you two spending a happy life together.” Stay calm, stay calm. Just for this moment. Try to guide the conversation toward eliminating this nuisance huntsman as quickly as possible. I waited for my chance, and soon one arose. “I was thinking of swapping out the leather strap on this bow. Have you any to sell?” “…Of course. I’ve finished my negotiations with the elder, so I have a few left over that I would be delighted to show you.” “In that case, why don’t we invite him to our place, dear?” “Excellent idea, honey. It’s getting late—how about stopping over at our house and continuing your journey on the morrow?” All laughter, all smiles. What are you so pleased about? By all means, enlighten me. “I would be most grateful for your hospitality. Pray, lead the way.” Ahhh, so close now. So close I can almost taste it. Bear with it and be grateful that these fools have so unwittingly invited destruction into their own home. “Gladly. It’s just down this road here…” I walked a familiar path, my father and his new wife leading the way, and soon we arrived at my childhood home. I passed through the door expecting to be overcome with nostalgia, but reality shattered that illusion. I didn’t recognize a single item of furniture. It had all been replaced, and the smell I remembered was completely gone. My mother had always preferred plain wooden tables and chairs, but the new stuff was decorated and smelled of iron. This was the place my mother and I had lived. But it was no longer our home. “How’s the room? Splendid, don’t you think? ’Course, I know next to nothing about decorating, so I let the missus take care of that. You should have seen the old place. Let me tell you, it looks a lot more livable now than it did back then!” “Yes, the old look was so musty. It’s not a big house, but I hope you’ll make yourself comfortable.” “Of course, thank you.” The pit of my stomach felt like boiling acid. Yet it was not their happiness that brought me grief. For if they were happy, they were full of hope. If they were happy, they perhaps believed that tomorrow would be brighter still. …So it would be all the more delightful to show them the hell that truly awaited them. Dear Father, it’s your turn next. Look how much life rewarded you for abandoning us in our hour of need. Don’t you think it’s time that dream came to an end? Don’t you think it’s time you faced the consequences of your actions? “…Corrupting Needle.” Each of them felt a tiny pinprick on their skin as my needles of frozen poison found their marks. “Pardon the intrusion, so to speak.” “Hrh…huh…? I feel…so tired…” “Wh-what’s…happening…?” The two collapsed to the floor. It was the sound of my shackles falling loose. “Have you enjoyed these last five years? I sure hope so, because I’m afraid that’s all you’re going to get.” As I spoke, I dispelled the illusion, revealing my true identity. “Wh-what…?” “No…this can’t be…” “Hello, Father. Now it’s my turn to be happy.” “M-Minnalis…? Th-that’s impossible…,” he said, looking up at me witlessly. I smiled. “Enjoy your final rest, Papa. When you wake up, you’ll be entering a world of endless pain.” Welcome to the hell I’ve been living in ever since you turned your back on me. Hey, Kril. Do you remember that time we got in trouble sneaking into a hunting lodge on another one of your adventures? Hey, Lucia. Do you remember that time we “practiced being wives” together by making food for the whole village? Do you remember how I laughed and smiled back then? I can’t. I’ve already forgotten. Even after torturing Kril to within an inch of his life, I can’t recall anything. “Don’t you think it’s about time you stopped pretending to be asleep, Father? We need to talk.” “…M-Minnalis…? Gaaaaaagh!!” The sound of my name from his lips so incensed me that I plunged my knife into his hand. We were deep in the forest, where I had dragged them after leaving the house. “What about you, Father? Do you remember how I used to laugh?” “Goddess, no…the pain…curse it all!” My father rolled around on the forest floor like a grub. His palms were slashed, his right arm burned, his left ankle pulverized, his right leg twisted in the opposite direction, and countless poisoned needles had been stuck into his waist. From the neck up, I had left him untouched, as I wished to hear his screams for as long as possible. His face was a perfect mess of drool, tears, and anguish. “Then, again,” I admitted, “that was so very long ago. Perhaps you’ve already forgotten, just like you forgot about us. Is it that refreshing to be living with a new, young wife? Perhaps the sound of her screams will jog your memory?” “What?!” I walked over to where the woman lay faceup and stepped on her. I had fastened her in place by her arms and legs, then stripped her naked. Now her skin was covered in welts, holes, and unsightly blotches where I had burned off the upper layers of flesh. When the skin turned blackened and crisp, I cut it out with a knife, and pressed dirt from the forest floor into the wound. The welts and holes were from where I had lashed her countless times with a needled whip. I’d kept feeding her potions so she wouldn’t die, and the further her torture progressed, the more delightful my father’s screams became. “Please! Don’t hurt my wife anymore!” Ah, why is it only now I’m hearing those words? “Look at you, acting all brave,” I taunted. “As if I have any interest in what you have to say now.” Even merrier than before, I resumed his wife’s torment. “Ghhhhhh! Stoff! Lady, have merfy!! You’re cruffing meeee!!” As I stomped on her abdomen with my hard-soled boots, there was a crunch, and she started foaming at the mouth. I must have destroyed some of her organs. “Whoopsie-daisy! I guess I overdid it. My mistake! ” I didn’t want her to die so early, so I poured another potion into her gaping mouth. “P-please…not her. She means the world to me,” the thing that used to be my father begged. Begged me not to kill her. It was the last thing I wanted to hear out of his foul mouth. Where was all this when we had been suffering? Had we not been important enough to him?! “…Does she, now? Then let’s make her suffer even more! ” “Guph?!” I walked over to the man who was once my father and unleashed my emotions on him, kicking his face upward so he could watch. Then I went back to the woman and lit a flaming torch, bringing it close to her face. “Eek?! Pleafe…no…not my fafe— AAAAAAAGHH! NOOOOOOO!!” “Stop… Please…stop… No more…” “Tee-hee-hee! Nope!” The woman’s protests, the man’s delicious groans. Neither of them quelled the anger in my heart. “Come on,” I jeered, “how stupid do you have to be to spout rubbish like that?” The woman’s features looked truly ridiculous now. I dusted my hand with cooking salt and rubbed it all over her face. “Mmfff!” “Spare her? Why? Because you care more about her than your own life? So what?! Hey, listen to me! So what?!” “Mmmff?! Mmff! Mmmmff!!” I twisted my hand, grinding the salt into her. She screamed in agony as the crystals scratched at her sensitive flesh. “Listen, your dear, dear wife is crying out in pain. Do you want me to stop?” As I asked the question, I saw his face light up with the faintest hope, almost as if he thought there was some chance of salvation. “P-please, st—” “Nope! Sorry!” I picked up the torch and thrust it at what was once my father. “Gyaaaaaaaagh!!” “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Surely, you’re not that stupid! Did you really think I was going to let you go?” “Gah… Ghh… Grh…” He could only manage to mutter incoherently in the face of my scornful laughter. Perhaps it was time to turn up the heat. “Do you know how long my mother suffered? How many times she apologized? What good do you think it did her? I’ll tell you: as much good as it’ll do you.” The flame of hatred burning within me was much, much brighter now. Like a roaring bonfire. “…We have a long, long way to go. I’m waiting for you to reach the depths of despair, the very pits of what this world has to offer. Then, and only then, will I kill you.” “Ugh…uurghh…” “Now, I know we’re just getting into it, but how about we take a short break? After all, leaving this poor woman alive a second longer would be an insult to my wretched mother.” “Mmmff?! Mmmfff?!” From my bag, I produced a large pair of gleaming scissors. I opened the blades wide and stuck the points into the ground so that they were positioned across the woman’s face. Then I cut free the woman’s cloth gag with my knife, letting it drift softly to the ground. “P-pleafe… You don’t haff to do thif…,” she begged. “Oh? Are those to be your last words?” “No…wait! Helf! Helf me! I’m forry! I’m forry!” “Stop it! STOP IIIIIIT!!” With both hands, I squeezed and the scissor blades gouged in the earth and closed them around her head. “Stof it…it hurtf…thif isn’t…funny— Ukk.” The blades swung together and ended the woman’s life. “Aaaaughhh!! Aaaaughhh! Aaaaaaaaaughhh!!” “Tee-hee-hee. Now it’s your turn, Father. The pit you’re bound for is darker yet, by far. A swamp of blood and despair without end.” “Th-this isn’t right… Th-this can’t be happening… I-it’s a dream…it m-must be… It c-can’t be real… I’ve n-never done anything to deserve this…” The man I once respected, my ex-father, gave a hollow laugh. “I need you to go to sleep now,” I said. “A restless slumber, without solace… From nesting place in haunted soul, your wretched wingbeats end it all. Summon Whiteclear.” My chant produced a milky-white maggot about five centimeters in length that squirmed in the palm of my hand. It was special, far more magical than my other insects. I kicked the man onto his back and dropped the worm into his open mouth. “Don’t worry, Father, you won’t be alone. You’ll be bleached white, just like the rest of them! Tee-hee! Tee-hee-hee-hee! ” A while later, I was letting myself cool down when the others returned. “Minnalis! We’re all done on our end!” said Shuria. “I’m finished with my part, too,” said Master. “And it looks like you’re almost done here.” “Yes,” I replied. “Nearly there. There’s only the finishing touches to go.” Master was looking a little pale after activating the Sword of Sin. I had attempted to persuade him that such suffering was not necessary, but he had told me that he would endure any fleeting pain for the sake of my eternal vengeance, and I couldn’t very well say no to that. “Okay,” said Master. “Then it looks like we’re on track to begin tomorrow, as planned. I can’t wait.” “I’ve seen to it those worms stay on their best behavior,” said Shuria. “So I’ll be waiting in the wings from now on. I’ll make sure no one comes to interfere!” “Thank you so much, both of you.” As I spoke, a frigid wind blew, and soft flakes of snow drifted down from the sky. “Ah, snow,” I remarked. “Of course; I suppose winter is drawing near.” From the consistency of the flakes and the way the snow was falling, I expected the next day to be clear skies, with a thick blanket of white upon the ground. “It’s like I’m picking up right where I left off…” So fall, snow, fall. Recreate the conditions of that fateful day. “Tee-hee-hee. Tee-hee-hee-hee.” Look, Lucia. This is how I laugh now. Will it feel strange to laugh with you like this? Will I remember how it used to be? “Oh, I just can’t wait for tomorrow. My past will finally meet its end in a hellish winter wonderland.” And your life will be bleached clean, like everything that lies beneath the pure-white snow. It was the morning of the tenth day after I’d witnessed Minnalis’s act of violence and Kaito had taken me away. The cold air stung my cheeks, rousing me from shallow slumber. “Ah, Leone, you’re up. How are you feeling?” “…Lousy, obviously. Why are you pretending you care?” “Who said I don’t care?” Kaito was keeping me in an abandoned hunter’s lodge on the outskirts of Quiquitto village. It was a dilapidated shack, just enough to keep the wind and rain at bay. In these colder months, it saw relatively little use, so he and the rest of my party were the only other people around for miles. Thick rope bound my hands and feet, and I sat in a pile of straw, occasionally assailed by a gust of cold air that blew in through a crack in the walls. “I’d say you made it pretty clear you don’t care by bringing me here!” “That’s your own fault; you ignored my warnings. I told you to stay away, but you didn’t. The only reason you’re here is because you chose to be. You could have easily decided not to meddle, and you’d be passing your days peacefully in Karvanheim right now.” “…If you weren’t so obsessed with revenge, it wouldn’t have to be this way.” Kaito gave a gleeful chuckle, as though it were none of his concern. “Well, I can hardly do anything about that, can I?” Then he took a sip of the tea he had boiled over the fireplace. “What do you mean, you can’t do anything about it? You’re strong enough to choose your own path, aren’t you? So why this?” He sighed. “Why? Let me tell you a little about myself. I tend to sleep in a lot, and my little sister always used to come into my room and pull the sheets off my bed to wake me up. My dad was the same; my mother had to drag him out of bed by the ear. She was always clumsy and could never make toast just right. When I walked to school with my friends, we used to goof off and show up late. There was one teacher who always gave us a beating for it. “Mr. Corporal Punishment,” we used to call him. Those people were important to me, you know. I cared about them.” “…Then you need to do them proud. What would they think if they saw you now?” “Oh yeah, they’d hate it. They’d be embarrassed to see what I’ve become.” That was what Kaito truly thought. I didn’t need to use my skill; the wistful look in his eyes was all I needed to see. He had said the purpose of his journey was to find a way home, and I still thought there was a grain of truth to that. That was why I could never persuade him. “Give up on this. I’m sure you’ll find a way back someday…” “But it doesn’t matter what they think of me. They’re all dead. The price of my summoning was the two hundred people physically nearest me at the time, as well as half a dozen members of my closest family.” My hollow words fell on deaf ears. “…What…the hell?” “At the time I was called to this world, I had been in school. We were joking around before classes started, when a magic circle appeared underneath me from out of nowhere, and I was enclosed in a sphere of light. The people around me at that time…were my friends and teachers.” Each of his words sounded like he was driving a knife into his own heart. I knew I had to say something, but whenever I opened my mouth, nothing came out. It was like the ground beneath my feet was beginning to crack, and I feared taking a single step farther, lest it give way completely. “You said I’ve been given a second chance,” he said, his voice as black with hate. “So tell me. How do I get them back? My friends, my family, my life. Tell me. If you think you know me so well, then tell me how to get them back. Make it all go away…” “…I…I…” “…I’m sorry. This has nothing to do with you, Leone. I’m just jealous of you, you know. You’re hopeful. Optimistic. Everything I used to be and more. It drives me mad.” At that moment, I saw a longing in Kaito’s eyes. A longing for something far away he couldn’t have. “I know it’s not right. I know it’s disgraceful. I tell myself that every day. And yet…and yet…” Despite it all, I found myself pitying the man. But I couldn’t speak, couldn’t find the words, and soon I heard the sound of a far-off door swinging shut. “…Break time’s over. For you and me both. It’s time to go back into the box.” A shiver traveled down my spine. In an instant, he was no longer a lost child. He was my captor, a dark flame in his hollow eyes. He opened his lips, and a voice that was not his own escaped them. “Let us play. Let us play. In my box you’ll find the way. Any garden, any hill. Anything you need to kill. Fester, sicken, splutter, cough. I won’t let you flutter off. Is it dream, or is it real? Tell me how it makes you feel. Pretty colors on the wall. Soon enough you’ll hear the call. In my box you’ll be my friend, and in my box you’ll see the end. Sword of Sin: Lusty Little Girl.” The moment he finished speaking, there was an oppressive silence, like the air had been sucked out of the room. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! I’m free, I’m free! ” A girl who looked roughly seven years of age appeared out of thin air. Her long, straight hair had red roots and violet tips, and it cycled through all the colors of the rainbow in between. She had an angelic smile, wore a thin white dress, and there was a band around her wrist connected to Kaito’s right hand by a multicolored string. “Hey Kaito! Can I play? Please, please, pretty pleeease?” Her innocent voice scared me. It was the voice of the devil. Behind me, I heard my three companions waking up. They had all been tied up like I was. “Urgh… Dammit, this hurts.” “Ugh… Not this again.” “If this is a nightmare, I’d sure like to wake up around now…” Kaito turned to the girl. “Yep. They’re all yours, Lust. Multicolored Toybox.” “““Hrh!!””” Suddenly, a seamless glass box closed around us. It was filled with a sticky, transparent fluid that was neither warm nor cold, which miraculously allowed us to breathe. The first time this happened, it had felt like paradise, like swimming in a boundless ocean. But now it made my skin crawl, because I knew what was coming next. The fluid began sucking the mana out of our bodies. The pleasantness would only last until it was done. It was like our last meal before a painful execution. “Gaaaaaaghh!! Grhhhh! Make it stop! Please, I’m begging you!!” Dan was the first to run out. His MP reserves and magical resistance had always been the lowest among our group. Then it was Zanck and Spinne. “Gh… Grrrrh! Gaaaaah! Grhhrhh…” “Ahhh…ahhh! Please…no more…” “Stop this!” I shouted. “Do whatever you want to me, but leave my friends alone!” “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Your pain alone isn’t enough to suit my needs. Keeping Sloth active requires quite a lot of MP, so I need to stock up. There’s no use complaining.” Kaito refused, and as I began to drift out of consciousness, I felt my own mana reserves, restored through rest, reach their lower limits once more. “Don’t worry. This is the last time. After this I’ll have all the mana I need. Then you can sit and watch until it’s all over.” As he finished speaking, my MP hit zero. The pleasantness across my whole body suddenly flipped, and I felt like the surface of my skin was being stripped away, making me one with the world. As my essence flowed out of me, I thought I felt something else making its way in. It hurts make it stop I can’t take it can’t bear anymore please help me I’m scared I’m all alone I need saving I want to cry it’s so dark it’s so cold I don’t want to be alone I want to go away I want to disappear I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die. “Hrrrgh! No, stop! Stay out of me!!” Fighting its way inside me was a darkness so pure, a single drop would stain my whole mind like a cancer. It was crossing my skin, soaking into my flesh, shooting through my veins, making its way to my heart and spreading through my entire body. It was a pain I was deeply familiar with by now, but I could neither block it out nor adapt to it. Once exposed to the sensation, it was difficult to even stay sane, let alone think of a way out. “Everyone loves the inside of my box,” said the little girl. “Take everything I have, and I’ll turn it all into mana.” “…I think you’re coming on a little strong, Lust. Lay off a little, or they won’t last three days. I’ve got plenty of your mana stocked up in the Clothes of Dark Spirits already, and I need these four to be able to watch. Keep it up until they’re on the verge of passing out, but no further.” “Aww, but I was just getting started! I won’t stop now, I won’t, I won’t!” “Don’t be selfish. Just do what I say.” “Hmph. Okaaay…” The girl with rainbow hair pouted and spun her finger, and the oppressive feeling backed off. “Krh…Cough!! Cough!!” I was still in excruciating pain, but at least I could think again. I gasped for air, not even knowing what it was the box had taken from me. “…Have your fun, Lust. Picture Box.” As Kaito spoke those words, the hut disappeared, as though a large box had been drawn around us. “What’s…this…?” When I came to my senses, I was looking down on a small village surrounded by snow-flecked trees. “Oh, is this mine? Can I play with it, Kaito? Wheee! ” “Wait, stop!” Ignoring Kaito’s words, the girl gestured in the air with her hand as casually as she might scribble on the wall, and all the trees in one location were knocked flat. “Ah-ha-ha-ha! Look at that, I squished them— Hrk!” The girl’s laughter suddenly stopped as the multicolored thread grew in length, wrapping around the girl’s throat and squeezing. “Listen to me, Lust. This isn’t a toy, understand? It’s not for you to play with.” “Rrrgh! Rrrgh! Rrrgh!” The girl struggled, flapping her arms and legs, swinging her head from side to side. Meanwhile, Kaito turned to us, a vicious smile on his lips. “It’s time for Minnalis to begin her revenge. This way, you guys can watch, too.” “…You mean, this is…?” The gears of my hazy mind began to turn, and I realized what I was looking at. As I turned my gaze toward it, the scene came closer, as though revealing itself to me. From the confines of the clear box, I was looking down on Quiquitto Village. Using the power of my soul blade, I had created a miniature version of Minnalis’s village so that Leone and the others could watch along. I’d panicked when Lust suddenly destroyed some of the trees, but on second glance, the location was far from the town, and also far from the area where Shuria had corralled the innocent village children. Shuria also informed me via Soulspeak that she was already on her way back and hadn’t been harmed. Reassured, I glance down at the village once more, just in time to notice a church collapse, its tall towers falling into piles of rubble. Minnalis had already begun, and it was time for me to play my part. I’d done all this to give her the best stage possible on which to play out her revenge. A voice belonging to someone else issued forth from my lips. “Let me linger, let me languor. Do not raise your fist in anger. You’re the one who bothered me; it’s only fair you leave me be. Make it simple, make it quick. Run around and never stick. All this rushing to and fro. Can’t you see it has to go? See what effort you can save, when you dwell within my cave. Here you’ll rest all through the day, until my workshop goes away. Sword of Sin: Grotto of Death’s Neglect” A huge man appeared, the size of a troll, but with dwarven features. He was dressed like a blacksmith, with a tarnished gold and silver hammer hanging from his waist. “…What is a smith without materials? I’m going back. Put me back.” Although the lot of us appeared to be floating in the air above the village, he slumped down onto his side as if there was a floor beneath. “You can’t go back until you’ve done your job, Sloth. Here, just one thing, then you can go back to sleep.” Before Sloth could shirk his duties completely, I took out the Bloodcurse Blade I had prepared earlier and tossed it to him. “…This isn’t as good as what you gave me last time.” “That was Lichie’s Staff of Despair. You don’t see quality materials like that every day. Be grateful for what you get.” I sighed, remembering what a hassle it had been to obtain. Then I looked down once more at the diorama my soul blade had produced. “Get to work already. Blackwheel Workshop.” “Urgh. What a drag.” Sloth took the cursed item and held it over the miniature village. Then he lifted the hammer from his belt and swung it down on the Bloodcurse Blade with a clang. Suddenly, the item disintegrated into countless shimmering motes, and a wall of black gears, slowly turning, appeared around the village. Now the entire region was in the domain of the Blackwheel Workshop. I turned to Leone and told her this: “Now all of you are going to see just what it is you’ve been working so hard to prevent.” “…” She didn’t answer. I turned back and sat down, watching what happened next. All I had to do now was make sure the workshop stayed up; otherwise, I could sit back and enjoy the show. That was the reason we had been funneling mana from Leone and the others into the Clothes of Dark Spirits. “Over to you, Minnalis.” “…And so, the warrior slew all the evil monsters with his magic sword, and he and the village girl got married and lived happily ever after. The end.” “Aww, it’s over? C’mon, Lucia, read us another one!” “I’m afraid that’s all we have time for today,” I said, closing the picture book in my hands. “You have to go to bed soon or you won’t be able to get up in the morning. You have to be up bright and early to celebrate my wedding.” “Hey, how come the warrior didn’t marry the princess at the end? He woulda become the king then! Isn’t a king super powerful?” “That’s because he loved the village girl. Love is more powerful than anything else, and it gives you the strength to conquer every obstacle in your path. Just like mine and Kril’s love does.” I tucked the children into bed and blew out the candles before sitting next to them and stroking the tops of their blankets as they fell asleep. Tomorrow was the big day. Kril was supposed to be back in the village already, but he had sent a message saying something had come up, and he would instead be arriving on the day, alongside Eugace and Cataleya. Kril was always getting waylaid by this or that, so this came as little surprise, but I thought he’d at least be on time for his own wedding, so that we could spend our last night together not as husband and wife, but as lovers… “Hee-hee! I’m going to be a wife! I can hardly believe it!” I was getting married to Kril. It was something I’d dreamed of all my life. All my hard work was about to pay off. I’d made him notice me, fall in love with me, and cherish me more than anything else. I learned how to cook for him and how to make myself look pretty for him. I’d toiled and toiled and toiled. I studied magic, made my connections, and used any means necessary to eliminate all threats to our union. And Kril still trusted me through it all. I cast my mind back to our other friend, the one who’d been chased out of the village. She was surely lying dead in a ditch somewhere by now. The grown-ups had tried to pretend she was living somewhere far away with her mother, but I knew that they had really sold her into slavery. And good riddance, I say. Now nobody could stand between Kril and I. I’ll wake up early tomorrow to pick fruit and bake a lovely pie. He loves his fruit pie. I thought back to the pastry I’d made that day, when the nuisance was gone from our midst. No effort was too great for the sake of Kril’s smile. Hee-hee. I just can’t wait for tomorrow! The red fruit of happiness would be in my hands tomorrow. Dawn broke on a clear sky the next morning, and I stepped out into snow as deep as my ankles. I was up a little earlier than I needed to be, so I was taking a walk around the village to kill some time, reminiscing about everything in my life with Kril that led up to this point. I walked by the plaza we’d used to play in, passed the abandoned house where we used to play hide-and-seek, and arrived in front of the church where we made our silly vows. Later today, it would be the place where we exchanged them for real. The village priest was usually up early; I wondered if he was about. I gently pushed open the door and entered the chapel. It was empty, and a solemn silence presided over the inside of the building. I approached the altar and clasped my hands together in prayer. “Thank you, my Lady, for watching over Kril and me. I swear to live a happy life with him.” Suddenly, I heard the door creak open behind me, and in walked a gentle old man with a graying mustache. “Oh, Lucia? What brings you to the house of our Lady?” “Good morning, Father. I woke up early today, so I thought I’d come and offer my prayers.” “I see, I see. Worry not, Lucia, for our Lady is always looking over you. Her mercy shall fill your lives with happiness.” The priest’s warm smile was filled with love and kindness. I imagined the entire village standing around us, offering their support. “Thank you, Father. I promise to lead a happy life.” …However, the blueprint of my happiness was not long for this world. “So you should, Lucia. You’ve come so far. I’m still sorry I never noticed that beastfolk living among us. I’ll always regret not noticing your mistreatment earlier. Now that monster is gone from your life, you can move on and— Hurk?!” …A few drops of blood trickled down onto the blueprint, staining the whole page red. “Oh, Father. You always were an early riser. But I’m afraid I can’t have you interfering in this.” “…Huh? Wh-what…?” With a sound like slicing fruit, the priest’s attacker retracted their bloodstained blade from his back. “Ngh…ugh… The blood… I’m dying… Help…me…” “Oh, don’t be such a crybaby. I didn’t hit anything important. You’ll live…for a while.” “Ughh?!” The woman holding the knife smiled as though she were looking fondly upon an old friend. She kicked the priest aside, and he collapsed to the ground. “Agh…please…I don’t want to die…” “Don’t worry. Isn’t your goddess watching over you? What happened to Her mercy?” The priest floundered on the floor, clutching the hole in his torso. I could do nothing but watch on, stunned. Then she turned to me. “What do you think, Lucia? Personally, I wouldn’t be happy with a goddess who merely watches and does nothing to help. Do you think you can sympathize with that?” “M-Minnalis…?” It was her, the childhood nuisance I’d tried so hard to get rid of. The same flaxen hair and eyes, the same rabbit ears atop her head. Only now, she wore a bewitching smile and a maid outfit that showed off her slender arms and womanly charm. “H-how? I thought they sold you into slavery!” “Oh? That’s interesting. Kril didn’t know about that, but you do. Listening in on the grown-ups again, were we? Don’t you remember what they used to do when they found you?” She giggled, sending a chill down my spine. “Wh-what business do you have here?” I demanded. “I don’t recall sending you a wedding invitation.” “Oh, but I simply must give the new bride my regards,” Minnalis replied. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t make an appearance?” She smiled, but the malice on her face was plain to see, almost as though she saw no reason to hide it. “Is that so? Well, I hate to break it to you, but murderers aren’t allowed to attend… Save myself, of course. Festering tongue of earth and fire, answer to my heart’s desire! Lovers’ Snake!!” The air suddenly flickered with heat, and a large serpent of molten lava appeared. She’s a beastfolk, so she’ll dodge it and try to get close. When she does, I’ll roast her alive with Wall of Flame. However, my prediction was quickly overturned. “I haven’t murdered anybody,” she said. “Yet. Icicle Spear.” “What?!” Minnalis’s ice magic collided with my own, and the completely frozen snake clattered to the ground. “A combination Fire and Earth spell,” she noted. “Not bad at all.” “How did you do that?! Beastfolk shouldn’t be able to summon spears without even chanting!” “Because beastfolk mana gets weaker the farther it is from the source? Don’t be silly, Lucia. It doesn’t drop off that quickly. You’ve heard of beastfolk warriors who enchant their weapons, haven’t you? Don’t they teach you that at the academy?” “Grrr. O, fire sprites who dance at dawn, by sacrifice your breath is drawn! Breath of the Fire Spirits!!” This spell possessed the same destructive force as dragonflame and could burn away everything it touched. The fire rushed toward Minnalis, but she didn’t even bat an eye. She ran inside the building, leaping out of the way. “Oh, Lucia. Giving up the initiative so quickly with a long chant? And your spirit magic is impressive in might only. Do those mock battles actually teach you anything or are they merely for sport? They could replace you with a fixed cannon and lose nothing in the way of flexibility.” “Grrr! Shut up and die already!!” The tide of battle was turning against me. This was not good. Mine was merely a support role; I couldn’t compete with a beastfolk in terms of physical ability. If Kril were here, he’d be able to protect me, but since he wasn’t, I would need to kill Minnalis before she got close. I have no choice. The next spell has to take her down!! I still didn’t know why Minnalis had come here, but it didn’t matter. There was no place for her in our world. She wasn’t even supposed to be alive!! “Tee-hee-hee. You haven’t changed, either. Remember how you always used to fall behind in our races? Here, I’ll help you, just follow the sound of my voice! Tee-hee-hee!” “Grrr! I didn’t want to have to use this, but your face is really starting to tick me off!!” I reached into my item pouch and pulled out a stone brimming with Fire magic called a Fire Orchid Stone, which was used as catalyst to call upon the full power of the fire spirits. They didn’t come cheap and were good for only a single use. Plus, unleashing it here would likely destroy the building we were in. But right now, I couldn’t afford to hold back. “Fire and brimstone, be my shield! Let thine anger be revealed! Wrath of the Fire Spirits!!” For a moment, all the mana in the surrounding area was sucked into the stone, and it glowed with an incandescent light. The next moment, white-hot flames spread out from me, devouring everything they touched. By the time the dust settled, I was standing in a pile of rubble and debris. “I…I won? Ha…ha-ha… Stupid woman, coming here only to die.” I felt a wave of relief wash over me and breathed a heavy sigh. No ghost of the past could kill me now, not when I was on the verge of realizing my dream. “Oh, but now the church is ruined. What am I going to do about the wedding?” “I think you have other things to worry about.” “Ah…” The voice, her voice, carried softly into my ear from behind. I spun around to face her, when she plunged a knife into my shoulder. “Aaaagh! No!” It hurts… I have to do something!! I took a few steps back from her before falling to my knee and chanting a healing spell. “Grh! Ghuh! O s-spirits free, hear my plea! Heal!” “I’m always appalled by how callous you can be, Lucia. Weren’t you worried about the poor priest? Or is your wedding more important than his life? Hee-hee-hee! It’s a good thing I rescued him, or else he might have gotten off easy!” The soothing green light slowly caused my pain to recede, but it did nothing about the chill that gripped my heart. Minnalis glared at me like I was merely a worm wriggling in the dirt, and that filled me with dread. Just then, the other villagers began to appear, drawn to the noise. “Wh-what happened here?!” “The church! It’s been destroyed!” “Has anyone seen the children?” “What’s going on here? Hey, look! Isn’t that Minnalis over by Lucia?!” However, Minnalis didn’t seem afraid. If anything, she looked happier than ever. “Tee-hee-hee. The stage is set. It’s time to begin.” “B-begin what…? Grh!” Just then, a black wall suddenly appeared around the entire village. Embedded in its surface were ebon gears, slowly clunking and turning. The mere sight of the obstruction was enough to instill in me a deep feeling of dread. “Tee-hee-hee! Tee-hee-hee-hee! At last! At long last! Lucia, it’s your turn next. I’m going to destroy everything you hold dear! Tee-hee-hee! Tee-hee-hee-hee! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” For the first time in my life, I was not angry or disgusted at Minnalis. I was afraid of her. Deeply, deathly afraid. A crowd was forming. The villagers stared at me with eyes filled with curiosity, save Lucia. Hers were filled with terror. “How has it been, my old family? I do hope you’ve been well. Tee-hee. For my part, I have been keeping exceptionally well, if I do say so myself! Tee-hee-hee! Ahhh, what a beautiful morning. It’s like—” “Hey, what’s this stinkin’ beastfolk doin’ back in our villa—? AAAAAAGH!!” Minnalis’s spear of ice flew into the man’s foot, pinning him to the ground and causing the soil beneath to run red with his blood. “I believe I wasn’t done speaking,” she said. “Do they not teach basic manners in this village anymore? Why is what you have to say more important than anyone else’s, hmm?” “You! You’ll pay for— Gaaaaagh!!” “Where do you think you—? Aieeeee!!” Two yapping dogs, deeply lacking in imagination, started running toward me, each earning themselves an impaled shoulder. “Please, exercise a little self-preservation. Or can you just not comprehend that the little girl you persecuted is now in a position to fight back? You really are a bunch of fools.” Some of the other villagers rushed over to protect those that I’d harmed. In their eyes I saw a mixture of bewilderment and anger. “Ahhh, those are the eyes I’ve longed to see,” I said, letting a chuckle escape my lips. The red and black distillation of my heart’s desires worked its way up and out of the inner recesses of my soul. “I have one thing to tell you all before we begin,” I explained. “I do not intend on holding back in the slightest. There is not one reason why I should show mercy to a single one of you. My partners in crime have worked tirelessly to ensure that I can cut loose completely tonight. Allow me to provide a demonstration.” “Guh! Ghhh…gfff?!” Before the man creeping up behind me could swing his ax, I spun around and stabbed him in the heart with my sword. “I should have known it was you, Calif. Simpleminded as ever. Shouldn’t you be a little more careful now that you have your family to worry about?” “Calif?! Noooooooo!!” I kicked the poor soul off my sword, and his wife Yuria came running over in despair. Anyone could see that his wounds were fatal—and if luck was on his side, he would already be dead. But strangely, Calif kept on yelling. “Aaaaagh! It hurts so bad! I’m gonna die!” “C-Calif…?” The wound was so deep you could almost see right through him, and blood was pouring out of him like a flood. Yet he was still writhing in pain, kicking and screaming. “Oh, don’t worry, he’ll live…for now. That’s the nature of this magical prison. It prevents your souls from leaving your bodies, which means you’ll have plenty of time to suffer! Tee-hee-hee! Tee-hee-hee-hee! ” “Huh? Oh…uh?” Yuria seemed unable to comprehend that her husband was not in fact deceased. That, or perhaps her brain was simply refusing to accept the cruel reality that he would be stuck in a waking nightmare forever. And so, I turned back to Lucia to give her a hint. “Come on, Lucia. Calif is going to die unless you use your healing magic.” “Y-you’re insane!” “Oh, now that’s not nice. Hee-hee. Who do you think made me this way?” She glared at me with abject hatred. No appreciation for my kind and thoughtful words. “Okay, then in honor of our friendship, I’ll give you a little motivation. How about this? The village children have all been taken prisoner somewhere. That sounds like what a hero would get involved in, doesn’t it? I know you always liked that sort of thing.” “What?! What have you done to the children?!” “What do you think I’ve done?” I said, with a suggestive smile. “Why, is that still not enough for you? Then how about this one? There are too many wounded for us to deal with alone.” “No…stop!” I sneered and drew a handful of throwing knives, tossing them into the crowd. “Gaaah!!” “Aaaargh!!” “Aghhh! My leg!” “H-how could you be so cruel?! You know I just expended all my mana! Have you no sympathy?” “Ah-ha-ha-ha!! I’m afraid you destroyed that a long time ago! Each and every one of you! You broke it into tiny pieces with your stones!” Ahhh, this was it. I could feel my heart crying out for more. It was time to taste the fruits of my diligent harvest. “Why don’t you try paying attention?” I asked. “It’s starting.” “Huh…?” Something was happening to the wounded. “Look, it’s nearly here,” I said. “The seeds are beginning to sprout.” “Ghh! Ggh! What’s that…? Get it out…!” “S-stop…what’s happening to me…what the hell is happening to meee?” “Wh-what are they…?” “…They’re my darling maggots! ” I grinned a vicious grin as the villagers descended into a hell far deeper than any they knew. “Eurgh!! Gaaaagh!!” Like pus, dozens of milky-white maggots spilled out of the townspeople’s deep knife wounds. “C-Calif? Wh-what’s happening to you?!” “Y-Yuria?! Oh, craaa— Aaagh?!” “Tee-hee. Oh, it hurts, doesn’t it? That makes me so happy! Tee-hee-hee!” Their eyes were filled with a sublime mixture of malice and fear that I couldn’t get enough of. It was like they’d finally realized their place: as swine who were beneath me. But my little piggies had a long way to go. They had reached but the first perch on the cliffs of a steep chasm. I couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they saw how deep the bottom really was. “Lucia, please! Do something for Calif! If you don’t, he’ll…huh…?” Yuria’s impassioned plea turned to dismay, and all the villagers, Lucia included, watched in shock. “You’re married, aren’t you?” I said. “And couples ought to share everything. Isn’t that right?” I watched gleefully on, my lips arcing into a crescent smile, as Calif drove his maggot-ridden teeth into his own wife’s neck. He rubbed his face into the wound as if trying to push the larvae inside her. “Eieee! Stop…Calif! That hurts! OwowowoOOOWWW?!” “Aah… I’m sorry…Yuria… I can’t help iiiit!!” “Aaaaaaagh!!” “Aha! ” That scream was the first note of the ensuing symphony. Once it began, a host of other voices joined the resounding chorus. The next to join in was the stingy, mean-tempered old lady who ran the apothecary. “…Gh… Agh…? What’s…happening? Aaaieeee!!” Her wrinkled skin bulged like an overfilled water balloon, revealing the shape of the maggots multiplying inside her. They burst out of her flesh, slurping up her blood with sounds as disgusting as their appearance. The wriggling creatures spilled from her eyes, her ears, her nose, her mouth, clogging her throat as she tried to scream. After her, it was the hunter’s wife, then the elder’s son. Then the old trapper, and so on, and on, and on… One after the other, the villagers began experiencing the same symptoms, until about one in five of them were infested with the maggots. One man, unable to endure the sight any longer, tried to run, when another victim lying on the ground grabbed him by the leg and sunk their teeth into his calf, allowing the maggots to enter his body. “Eieee! What are you doing?! Get…get off me! Aaaagh!” “Tee-hee-hee! It’s a village-wide game of tag! I think you’d better start running; you’ve seen what happens to those who get caught, haven’t you?” “Nooooo!!” “Run awaaaay!!” “Wh-what the hell is going oooon?!” The townspeople all fled in different directions, screaming their heads off, while the few who didn’t immediately run became food for the beasts. Once the maggots entered them, they began roaming around, seeking to infect others in the same way. “Tee-hee-hee. Now then, I’d better see where Lucia went.” Leaving the villagers to their own devices, I went off in search of the girl who had conveniently disappeared in the confusion. Just as I’d suspected, I found her attempting to engage in some deeply shameful behavior. “Dammit! What’s this wall made of?!” She clawed with futility at the black wall that surrounded the village. The sight was so amusing, I couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s no use trying to escape,” I explained. “According to Master, even the evil dragon couldn’t escape this wall. A grub like you doesn’t stand a chance.” “Grrr… Minnalis…” She turned and glared at me, and I chuckled again. Just then, I noticed another villager a short distance away, beating his fists against the barrier. It seemed he had the same idea as Lucia and came face-to-face with the walls of the pen Master created. “This can’t be happening!! Let me ooout!! No! S-stay back! Noooo!! Gh!! Gaah!! Grhh… Gggh!!” With no way out, the man was quickly surrounded, and the slavering beasts descended on him. Moments later, he was another one of them. Lucia winced at the sight before turning back to me and giggled. “Ah, Lucia, there’s no need to worry. The townspeople won’t come after you; I’ve got something far more special planned for my good friends. Doesn’t that make you happy?” “…Do you really think you’re going to get away with this? This is essentially an act of treason against Karvanheim itself! Plus, my friends from the army will be arriving at any moment. They’ll put you to death for this, mark my words.” “…Hmm. Well, I can’t say I expected that.” “Give it up, Minnalis. I’ll put in a good word for you. Maybe then you won’t face execution.” As soon as Lucia saw the look on my face, she gave a sneer of superiority. She was looking down on me again. Yes, that’s it. Let’s start from there. Right where we left off all those years ago. That’s the only way I can get closure on the world I lost that day. “What I mean, Lucia, is that I never expected you’d be this slow to catch on. Do you not get what’s happening here? You do remember I said I have something special planned for my good friends, don’t you?” “…Huh?” Her face froze. Using the power of the Transcendent Blade of Translocation, granted to me by Master’s activation of the Sword of Lust, I called over the pet I had so lovingly trained for this moment. “Hee-hee-hee. One must take good care of their friends, mustn’t they, Lucia?” “Wh-what…is this? What are you doing…?” A magic circle roughly a meter across appeared beside me. The spell was imperfect and only brought him to me slowly. “At first I considered doing the two of you together, but then I thought, I mustn’t get greedy.” “Wh-what…do you mean? What did you do…?” Bit by bit, tiny motes of magical light began forming together within the circle. “I mean, it just isn’t fair to either of you if I split my focus, is it?” There he stood, head hung, his skin a ghastly color. He was covered in dried and blackened blood, and his arm bones zigzagged wildly, while his legs had swollen to an unnatural size. “I think it’s time to show you what’s become of Kril,” I said. “After all, I need to make sure both of you get tortured equally.” “K-KRIIIIIL!!” That’s right, show me how it feels to look upon the suffering of the one you love so much. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!! Did you think he was coming to save you? Well, too bad! I’ve already had my way with him, and this is what he’s become!! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” “Wh-what did you do to him?! You’re…you’re insane!!” “Tee-hee-hee. Well, first I beat him to a pulp…” That’s it, show me. “Ahhh, no, no, this can’t be happening…” “Then I carefully broke the bones in his arm and healed them back into place. After that I buried his legs beneath scalding rods.” Show me more, more. “Then I poured boiling water mixed with slime powder over his entire body to make it nice and sticky.” “S-stop… How could you…?” Yes, run your fingers through your hair. Let your voice quaver. “Then I left him with a frozen block of my special potion. If he stretched his tongue, he could just about reach it, and it would relieve the pain for a while. What he didn’t know, however, was that the potion caused his insides to rot and bruise like moldy fruit! “Aaahhh… Ahhh… Aaaahhh…” Show me a face warped with grief. Let me hear your hopeless wails. “And do you know what I did after that? I filled him with maggots, just like I did to the villagers. But I knew you wouldn’t be able to recognize him if I let them eat him. So what I did was, I covered him in a special serum to preserve his skin. It made him go a little off-color, but you can still tell who it is, right?” “MINNALIIIIIIIIIIIS!!” “Ah-ha-ha-ha!! That’s it! That’s the face I’ve been waiting for, Lucia!!” She was furious, like a child whose favorite toy had been broken. She launched a fireball at me, but as a result of her temper tantrum it was sorely lacking in both power and accuracy, and I neutralized it without any effort. “Why do you always, always, always get in my way?! I was finally, finally happy!! Why did you have to show your ugly face again?! I was so close! So close!!” “Yes, I know. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to destroy that dream you worked so hard for! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” Ahhh, what a glare. What defiance. But it wouldn’t last long. She was out of MP now. “…Krh… I…can’t…” Lucia crumpled to the floor like a limp puppet. Sitting there in the mud, on her hands and knees, she looked just like my miserable mother. “…Just end it already,” she said. “That’s what you want, isn’t it? To kill me.” “Yes,” I replied. “I do. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve wanted to end your life.” But it was still too soon. She was perched on an upper cliff, while I stood far below. It was time to give her exactly what she wanted. So I could trample all over it. “…Tee-hee-hee. Go on now. Lucia’s waiting for you. Be by her side.” “Bubuhh…buuhh…” He opened his mouth to respond, spilling maggots, and staggered over toward his fiancée. He pushed on, even after he tripped, crawling on hand and knee to reach her. “The maggots start out by nibbling away at the host’s flesh, ignoring the brain. Anything they devour they replace with a sort of false flesh that gets incorporated into the body, which becomes food for the other maggots. Once they fill up, the host is driven to find somewhere for the excess specimens to go. The reason they bite is because the mouth is where they breed quickest.” “It’s…too much… Too much…” “I’m sorry, Kril… I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you… I’m so sorry…” Lucia reached out toward him without hesitation. “Tee-hee. Oh, that’s right. It’s your wedding day, isn’t it?” I teased. “Why don’t you give him a lovely kiss?” “…You’ll pay for this, I swear,” she shot back in a voice thick as mud. “You really are a monster. A fiend in human skin.” “Ah, well then I suppose you had it coming. What sort of person crosses a monster and doesn’t expect to meet a grisly end?” I saw resignation in her eyes, along with a burning hatred she would never be free of. Oh, Lucia. I can see straight through you. Maybe I could have fallen for your wiles in the past, but not now. “I love you Kril. I always will. More than anything else in this world.” “Help… Please… It’s too much…” “We’ll always be happy together. It doesn’t matter what happens to you, I’ll be there to save you.” The hero, his dreams all but shattered, and his lover holding him in her arms. “I…Buuh…” “Minnalis, I don’t know if you’re doing this for revenge or what, but I won’t let you come between me and Kril. He is my hero… And I won’t let you have your way… What’s mine is yours: Song of Life.” She kissed him, like the end of a fairy tale. It was just the kind of ending Lucia always loved. “Gaaaaaaaaaagh!!” A warm light spread through his body; the light of the Spirits’ blessing. This was a highly classified Spirit Art, one that only a few practitioners were permitted to learn. It could bring back a victim on the brink of death, no matter their condition, all for the cost of a portion of the caster’s life span. Plus, the target would receive a significant stat boost for a short period of time. “Hmm,” I said, watching on. “So this is the ultimate form of spirit magic.” The light forced its way inside the body, pushing everything else out that didn’t belong. The parasitic maggots, the rusted iron stakes I used to ensure the cover held, all of them vanished in a scattering of light. “Tee-hee! ” That’s right, Lucia. This is how it all ends in your head, isn’t it? I can’t imagine it’s easy giving up your own life like that. I don’t know how it works, but I expect you’d need to spend half of it at the very least. But I think I understand. For just as you have chosen the object of your obsession, so have I chosen mine. Still, Lucia, there’s something I haven’t told you. That day is far, far in the past now, and I’ve had such a long time to think about it. “Haah… Haah… Now you’ll get what’s coming to you. Once Kril is back on his feet, you’ll see. With the Spirit’s protection, he’ll—” “Lucia.” I’m afraid the story in your head bears very little relation to reality. “When did I tell you that was Kril? I don’t remember saying that, do you?” “…What?” I had been waiting so long for this moment. The moment everything was washed away, swallowed by the tears of a shattered world. “It…it’s not…?” After forcing everything out of his insides, the magic set about purifying the exterior, dissolving away the facade I had made. His arms, his legs, his torso, and his face, all returned to normal. “Listen to me, Lucia. There’s something I want to ask you.” As she watched on in shock, I leaned over and whispered. “How were you planning on bringing Kril back? He’s been dead for three days.” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” “That was just his skin! The rest was all eaten away! Oh, Lucia, how does it feel? Tell me, how does it feel?” “Agghh… Aggghh. Th-this can’t be happening… It can’t…” “Ugh…gh… Ah…ha-ha-ha… I’m back. Just as I was about to die. Ahhh… aaahhh…” As Kril’s skin slowly dissolved away, the true identity of the person beneath was revealed. It was none other than the man whom I’d once called my father. “How does it feel to know that you just gave up half your life to save him? Tell me, tell me!! Tee-hee-hee-hee!! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! ” “Minnalis!! Rgh! Aaaaaaaaagh!!” Ah, how long I’d waited to see Lucia’s face, looking up at me from the mud! How wonderful it felt! “You’re sooo stupid! Did you really think everything was about to turn around? Did you? Did you? Did you think Kril was going to get up all strong? That he was going to save the day? That he would hold you in his arms and tell you it’s all over now? Well, I’m sorry, but he can’t! I killed him! Whoopsie! Tee-hee-hee! ” “Aaaaaarghhh! I’ll fucking kill you, Minnalis! Rrraaaaagh!!” She lay in the mud, kicking and shouting abuse as the dirt-caked snow melted into slush around her. She’d used up half her life and was completely out of energy, her face marred with unsightly tears. “Die, die, diiiie!!” she screamed. “Get out of my sight! Wrraaaaaagh!!” A pleasant tingle coursed through me. It was a whirlpool of sugar and salt, tinged with just a little bitterness, that made it feel like I was melting away. “Why did you have to come back now, of all times?! I was just about to be happy! Go away! Disappear! Diiiie!” She screamed wildly, as if to shred her throat, the air, and her very soul. This was what I wanted to see. All those years of waiting. This was what made them all worthwhile. “Give him back!! Give him back! You thief! You home-wrecker! You— Ghk!” “How dare you… How dare you bring me back to life!! I was finally about to break… I was finally about to die!! Why did you have to bring me back here?! Now I have to start all over again!! No…no, no, no, nooo! Please no!!”
Chapter 76
54 min read