Chapter 79

“Gaaaaaaagh! Stop iiiiit!!” With each missing layer, I sensed myself feeling less. Becoming less. “Those are miiiiine!” I screamed into the void. “Give them baaaaaack!!” No matter how painful, no matter how nauseating, those memories were mine and not for others to touch!! “Aaaghhh! Ghaaaaah!!” It felt like someone was rooting around in my brain. I clutched tightly to whatever I could, so that nobody could ever take it away from me. These were things I swore never to forget. That I could never forget! “Gh…gah! Hah?!” With that single purpose in my mind, I spent what felt like eternity falling through space, before experiencing the sensation of crashing through glass and landing hard on my back. The noise sounded so distant and faded. “Eeeeek!!” Wh-what happened?!” “What’s with his getup, is he a cosplayer?” The oppressive warmth of my surroundings gave way to a crisp air I had missed. Yet I lacked the strength to even open my eyes. “They’re…mine…you can’t…take them…from me…” Still, I wrestled with the shadowy hand in the confines of my own mind. If I let my mind wander for an instant, I would forget everything. I would forget all about xxxx, and xxxx, too. I still remembered, even now, the names of all those who’d killed me, and the feelings of vengeance I cultivated. “Grrraaaaaaaaaaagh!!” I would never forget what xxxx did to me. I would never forget who killed my friends and family, and took everything away from me. Let go! Let go, let go, let go!! It’s mine and you’ll never have it!! “L-look, he’s in pain and covered in blood! Somebody call an ambulance!” “Shouldn’t we call the police? Who knows what he’s up to!” “Calm down, I’ll go get a teacher!” I held onto that thought with all my strength. I couldn’t let them take any more. And yet… “B-brother…?” At that moment, I heard a voice I’d wanted to hear for so long. To my hazy mind, it sounded little more than a whisper, but it struck through to my very core all the same. My mind completely empty, I raised my head and saw a familiar classroom filled with familiar school uniforms. Yet more than anything else, it was the sight of her that gripped my vision and refused to let go. “…No… No, you can’t.” Smooth and glossy black hair that fell to her knees, tied with a blue ribbon at the height of her thighs. She looked older than I remembered, and taller, too. I thought I’d never see her again. I had resigned myself to it. But I had seen her many times in dreams, each one a needle in my heart. “You can’t do this to me… You just can’t…” Everything I swore I wouldn’t forget. Everything I’d carved into my heart. It all fell like sand through my fingers and disappeared when I took one look at her face. “It’s just…not fair.” As I blacked out, the vision of my little sister Mai entered through my helpless eyes and took up residence in a dark, empty space. I watched Kaito disappear through the gate, then closed the portal with a contented smile. He was safe. Back in his own world, where for now he would stay. Ahhh, Kaito. Kaito, Kaito, Kaito. Wait for me. I shall cleanse this rotten world and call you through once more. The demon lord, those parasites who follow you around, and everyone who ever tried to hurt you will be gone. Then, there will only be me left to welcome you back. “Hee-hee-hee. I can’t wait to go on a journey, just the two of us…” Just imagining that day brought a smile to my face and put a spring in my step. “But first things first, I have to take care of these two…” “Sorry! I can’t really let you do that!” “Wh-what?! Who’s there?!” I spun around, searching for the source of the sudden unfamiliar voice. Behind me was a woman, standing as though she had been watching the whole time, floating in midair. Her shoulder-length hair curled tightly at the tips, and she wore a habit that looked deceptively similar to nuns of the Church. She chuckled, a mischievous smile on her lips. “…A Demilich? Some old agent of the Church, turned to heresy? Or perhaps a wraith, the ghost of some poor fool who sought to impersonate our number. Return to the land of the dead, foul spirit. Purify!” I unleashed my spell, and a white light enveloped the phantom. I couldn’t let any wandering specter interrupt my mission. However… “How rude. I’m not a ghost, thank you very much. Besides, you stole this off me.” “What?!” My spell had no effect on the woman. She just stood there, grinning back at me. “What manner of creature are you?!” “You know, I sometimes wonder that myself. Anyway, I’d better be taking these four with me before something happens. Oh, and I’ll take those two as well. Thank you!” “Not so fast! Come back!!” “Sorry, too slow!” I fired off an Aqua Lance spell, but before it could connect, a large hole appeared in the ground, taking all six people in the cabin with it. “Well then, buh-bye! I hope everything goes okay with your plan and all! ” “Come back!!” But the chuckling woman disappeared without a trace. The only ones left in the cabin were me and Gordo’s corpse. “Rrrrrrrrhhh!! I can’t even trace the teleportation spell! Why is there always someone trying to get in my way?! I just want to be together with Kaito for ever and ever!” I gave a long, deep sigh, as if exhaling my very soul. There was only one thing for it. For now, I would need to head back to town and come up with a plan. Kaito was in his own world, so no one could touch him. Even those parasites could no longer sustain their connection to him across the rift between worlds. I didn’t care who that woman was, as long as she kept her foul hands off Kaito. Thinking about it that way, I returned to town, only to receive a message so perfectly timed it had to be mocking me. The See was under attack by demons.