Chapter 194

“Please take care of Mulnite. Keep the world close to your chest.” That letter. During the Vampire Riots, when I had been in the Dark Core Zone, Karla’s brother gave me a letter from Yulinne Gandesblood. I still couldn’t figure out the mystery behind that message. The world? My chest? Is that a metaphor of some sort? Mom often told me I would “pull the world forward.” I still didn’t understand what she had meant by that. Charlotte the camel had told me my mother was the boss of Full Moon. She was a mercenary who fought for world peace. The Hero of Twilight. Amazing, huh? I could never be like her. My fate was to die in the middle of my journey, my goals unachieved. I felt a sharp sting in my chest. The physical pain wasn’t that bad—it was my heart that hurt the most. Vill and Colette. Esther and Nelia. The people of Lumiere Village. Were they all okay? I reached out from pure, vehement loneliness. I didn’t want to lose at the hands of Star Citadel. I wanted to reunite with Vill and everyone else ASAP. But my body wouldn’t move. Mom, what am I supposed to do…? “Easy! Come with me and kill everyone in your way!” Someone grabbed my hand. It wasn’t Mom. It was someone more wicked. Colder. A cynical yet sincere vampire. A girl who’d been my foe countless times before—that little terrorist. I opened my eyes with a snap and couldn’t believe what I saw. Spica La Gemini’s upside-down smile filled my entire view. I had to clench my gut hard to stop a shriek from escaping. …Not yet. Keep cool. Surely that wretched terrorist couldn’t be in my room. This had to be a dream or an illusion. That grin was sure to vanish from my sight given enough time. “Te-ra-ko-ma-ri!! You’re finally awake!!” “Waaah?!” The ceiling and the floor switched places. She pulled the blanket off me, and I rolled off the bed like bacon wrapped around a stalk of asparagus and crashed loudly onto the floor. It hurt. Tears came to my eyes. My belly was in the most pain. I looked down and saw it was covered in bandages, a little blood oozing from it. “…!” The numbness dissipated from my head. Right. Tremolo Parcostella almost killed me. I was shocked I was still alive. Or wait, could it be I’m in heaven…? I looked around with dread. The room was dark, brightened only by the light of the setting sun streaming in from the window. It looked like the interior of a warehouse or something. It smelled of mold and was full of wooden boxes and broken barrels. Beside me was the shabby bed I’d been sleeping on. But the weirdest thing of all… “Good morning! How are you doing? Awful? Great!” “…Are you real?” “Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not.” Spica took a lollipop out of her pocket and put it in her mouth before taking a friendly step forward, like she’d just come across an old pal. “But it’s true that you’re alive! Tremolo Parcostella of Star Citadel beat you to a pulp. You’d be dead if I hadn’t shown up in the nick of time! Thank me.” “N-no way! You had no reason to help me!” “Do you think one always needs clear motives to act? People’s hearts are like falling leaves floating aimlessly on the wind. Looking for solid cause and effect for everything is nonsense.” “What’re you talking about?! Don’t use those big words!” “Absolutely! I’m just talking out of my ass!” “Could it be…you don’t know how to hold a conversation?” “Don’t worry—I didn’t just help you on a whim! The reason why I did is simple! Basically, that belly wound of yours looked so painful, I felt bad for you, and being the merciful person I am, I saved you!” “Now that’s talking out of your ass! There’s no way a crazy terrorist like you would be that nice! You must be thinking about throwing me into your witch’s cauldron and eating me!” “You want me to eat you?” “I don’t!” “Then it looks like I’m having Komari for dinner tonight!” “STAY AWAY!!” “Ah-ha-ha!” Spica cackled as she threw herself on me. I desperately crawled away from her. What in the world was going on? I’d miraculously avoided Vill’s prediction I would die in a week, but now that terrorist was gonna gobble me up anyway? Preposterous! But even stronger than my fear of impending danger was a simple question in my mind: Why? Had Spica really nursed me back to health? What happened to Tremolo and Lumiere and my friends? “Komari!” The moment Spica tried to bite my arm, I heard a voice. I raised my head and looked at the door. A girl dressed in peafowl-like clothing stared at me as if she’d just found her long-lost sister. “L-Lingzi…? Lingzi, is that you?!” “Thank goodness! You’re awake…!” Tears formed in Lingzi Ailan’s eyes as she ran to me. I noticed she had bags under her eyes, and her pretty green hair was disheveled. Her radiant smile contrasted with her worn-out appearance. “Are you okay now? Does your belly hurt? You’re really alive? You’re not a ghost, are you…?!” Spica turned around and bounced away from me. “Terakomari is fine! She’s even got enough pep in her step to play tag with me!” “No way, that was just the adrenaline rush from the imminent danger! B-but whatever…” I turned to the green-haired girl. “Lingzi, thank goodness you’re all right…! What happened? Why are we here? Also please give me a little room to breathe…” “S-sorry!” Lingzi pulled back a step, her cheeks rosy. She fiddled with her hands. “But,” she said hoarsely, “but I’m so glad. You bled a lot, so I was really worried. I thought you would die.” “I’m surprised myself… I still can’t believe I’m alive.” “You have Inverse Moon to thank for that. Spica helped me, too.” I looked at Spica, my eyes wide. She stared back with an eerie smile. “You heard her! Lingzi was fading when I picked her up. You were dying when I saved you. You two owe your lives to Spica La Gemini!” I could not believe it.