Chapter 206

I had a comfortable life. We were a family of four: me, my older brother, my mom, and my dad. Lunar was a tiny village, incomparable to the size of the royal capital, but I loved its peace and quiet. Yes. How could I forget? There were two suns in the sky back then. Until all of a sudden, there was only one. The same time that happened, my memories became hazy. “Do not remember. Think only of your revenge,” someone whispered. “Fuu, is your dish ready?” I heard my mother’s voice. It was the day before the festival. Lunar Village worshiped the god of the harvest, and the whole village got together to hold a ceremony for our deity a few times a year. My and Mom’s job was to make mochi. I got bored halfway through making it and started playing with the mochi, using it as clay to construct animal shapes. “Dear.” Mom held her hand to her cheek. “You shouldn’t play with food. Our god will get mad.” “…But I’m just so bored.” I always liked playing outside. I used to run around the village with my brother and his friends. Staying home to cook was tedious. “Everyone has to do their job for the festival.” “But my brother is outside playing.” “He’s not playing. He’s working with your dad.” I refused to believe her. I ignored my mother and made the mochi dolls fight one another. “Oh, geez.” She smiled, sighing at the sight of her daughter’s puffy cheeks. “Okay, then go deliver lunch to your father and brother.” “…! Yeah!” I nodded and accepted the lunch boxes before flying out of the house. Thump! Thump! I could hear hammering coming from the altar. The men were cutting down trees and carrying materials. The whole village was jittery with anticipation for the festival, and just walking down the streets made me feel weirdly excited. I couldn’t wait to see my brother. As I rushed over, I saw two strange people standing below a cherry tree. One of them was a tall woman, dressed head to toe in black, with a cigarette in her mouth. The other was also a woman, blindfolded and holding a musical instrument I’d never seen before. …Who are they? Clearly, they aren’t from here. Travelers? “Hey, foxgirl.” The one with the instrument called out to me. I walked up to her without any caution. There was no one more curious than me. Thinking that something fun might happen, I bounded over to them, excited. “Hello.” The woman with the instrument bowed softly. “Pretty bustling village, isn’t it? Is there a festival today?” “Not today. Tomorrow. It’s our god’s festival…” She gave me a nice smile. “Fervent believers, aren’t you? But there is something more important than your festival. Girl, have you ever seen a stone that glows purple?” She took a stone out of her pocket. I had seen it. Everyone in Lunar Village knew about them. “You find those on the ground, right…?” “Yes, and that means there’s treasure underground. The biggest treasure of all, one that has the power to change the world. With it, you could do away with all the pain and sadness in people’s hearts and bring peace for all eternity. Are you interested?” “Who are you? A traveling entertainer?” “My name is… Yes, my name is Yulinne Gandesblood.” “Oh, c’mon.” The woman in black chuckled. She puffed on her cigarette and looked at me. “Little fox, don’t believe what this bard tells you. She’s a crook.” “You don’t think she’s a fine vessel? Yusei would like it.” “She’s a kid. Are you sure?” “That’s why she’s so perfect. She can make a beautiful black flower.” “Ha… You really are a crook. You make me sick.” “We’ll serve this girl to Yusei. Even if she dies in the soil, her good deeds will be acknowledged, and she’ll reach the Land of Bliss. It’s for her own good… Ah, sorry, little fox. You probably didn’t understand any of that.” “Are you two coming to the festival?” “We are going to kick off the festival. If you could please, Lady Nerzanpi? Follow my lead.” “Okay, okay… At least it should be easy, since she’s still immature.” The woman in black languidly approached me. She threw away her cigarette and stamped it out with her foot. “Sorry, little girl. We need a base in the Netherworld, and this village is in the perfect spot. The villagers probably don’t know it, but those Mandala minerals are very valuable. And this lady…Yulinne…she wants a lot of money.” “I did away with monetary greed a long time ago. It’s Nefty who wants it.” “In any case, we need your assistance. Will you help us?” I had no idea what was going on. But they needed my help. Mom told me I should be kind to people in need. So I kindly nodded yes. “Poor thing. This is why I like obedient children.” The woman in black grinned. Then her eyes glowed scarlet. “Twisted Pedagogy. Now, listen to everything she says.” Plunk. The lunch boxes fell from my hands onto the ground. “Huh? What’s up, Fuu?” My brother was at the plaza, helping the villagers put together the altar. He was quite a bit older than me and really reliable. I loved him. “Oh, kiddo.” The villagers chuckled. “You missed your older brother?” “You gotta learn to let him go.” “Wanna help us out?” “Making mochi must be tedious, huh?” It was such a warm mood. In this world of killings and hatred, they were some of the few purehearted people around. My brother smiled timidly and looked at me. I think the next were his last words. “You’ll help us, right, Fuu? Go get some flowers from over there to decorate the al…tar?” He looked down at me in astonishment. I had stuck the knife in my hand deep into his stomach. Blood gushed out like a waterfall, painting the altar red. Cloing. The eerie sound of a biwa echoed in the air around us. “Fuu… Why…?” “N-no, I—I didn’t…” My brother fell to the ground, unconscious. His heart must have stopped. My gentle brother took his last breath. My mind crumbled completely the moment I understood that. “What are you doing, Fuyao?!” The villagers ran up to hold down the murderer. Cloing, cloing. But my body was no longer my own. I swung the knife with every note of the biwa. The villagers fell with a scream, one after the other. “Stop it, Fuyao! …Gwagh!” The next thing I knew, I was holding a bigger blade. The musician had slipped it to me. She whispered like the devil into my ear. “Go and burn down the village. Beast-folk shouldn’t be here. This will be our fortress.” I caught myself setting fire to the houses. The flames burned loud and extended from one house to another. Maybe I scattered oil while I wasn’t aware. The women cooking inside the houses ran away, panicked. One by one, I stabbed them with the katana. Some died before understanding what was going on, while others screeched and put up a fight, but they fell prey to my blade either way. Kill. Swing. Run. Kill. I repeated the cycle again and again like a machine. The flames engulfing the village grew and grew, like a monster. Countless foxpeople had been burned alive. “Fuu…!” Cloing, cloing, cloing. I slashed down the last one of them. Blood splattered, and my hands and feet went limp. I fell to the ground, and then I realized my mother had fallen before my eyes. “A-ah…” My voice came out for the first time in a while, but I was too overcome with emotions to form words. I clutched my head and tumbled down. That’s not me. I didn’t do this. It wasn’t me. It had to be a nightmare. This couldn’t be real. It all happened out of nowhere. My chest hurt. I couldn’t breathe. The smell of blood numbed my senses. My consciousness faded away. “Your enemy is Yulinne Gandesblood.” Cloing, cloing. Someone was standing right next to me. I was in too much pain to see her face. “Do not ever forget it. And if you wish to take revenge, then go and train.” Yulinne Gandesblood. She did all this? “…You’re so twisted. You’re blaming a complete stranger?” “I’m simply helping you. I heard that Crimson Lord is making your job in the first world harder. If this one happens to get strong and fulfill her revenge, then hey, two birds with one stone.” “I see. Thank you for your help. Who knows how many years that’ll take, though…” “Just be patient. Now then, should we go back?” “Hmm? Ah yes, the storm is close. Let’s take this girl, too.” “Don’t forget to alter her memories.” “What makes you think a Ruist can do that? I’m no hypnotist.” Cloing, cloing, cloing. The source of the voice departed, laughing. Yes. I didn’t do it. This was all Yulinne Gandesblood’s fault. …But the sensation on my hands remained. The feel of their flesh. The sound of their screams ingrained in my mind. The eerie cloing wouldn’t leave my head. I don’t understand. I don’t understand. My mind melted. Everything faded away. Color disappeared from the world. “Ugh…” Fuyao grimaced in pain. Obviously. Blood was spilling from her gouged shoulder. “You okay, Fuyao? Watch your step.” “I know…” Fuyao and I supported each other on our way through the purple cave. I could hear the sound of rocks breaking behind us; Tremolo striking with the black miasma. We had to get as far away as possible. No, but how will that help? Can we defeat that monster? “Ah.” Just then Fuyao lost her balance and stumbled. Being injured myself, I couldn’t hold her up. Both of us fell to the rugged rock floor. A shock ran through me. I hurried to pull myself up and worriedly looked at Fuyao. Her eyes were muddied with thought. She seemed more overcome with mental anguish than physical pain. “I… I…” Fuyao spoke intermittently. “What have I been doing this whole time…? Getting stronger to take revenge… Joining the terrorists… Hurting so many people…” “Fuyao…” “I won’t kill anyone who doesn’t want to die? That sounds so admirable… If only I could have put this into practice. It was all wrong from the beginning… My life has no meaning. I should’ve died back then.” Tears filled her eyes. I had never seen her like this. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t even imagine what could have occurred within her. I took her hand. “Don’t say you should’ve died! Let’s get out of here together!” “…It’s useless. I remembered everything.” Blood soaked into the ground. I took bandages out of my backpack and wiped her wound. I knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Fuyao stopped me and chuckled in self-deprecation. “It was me… I’m the one who destroyed Lunar Village.” “Wha…?” “I got back my memories. On that day eight years ago, I lost myself and wielded the sword. So many people died without a clue. Others went out screaming that they didn’t want to die…” She’d killed the villagers, set fire to the houses, and ruined the celebrations. Fuyao told me everything she had remembered. It was a heartbreaking story. And to top it all off, Tremolo and Nerzanpi were behind the whole tragedy. They had not only killed innocent people, but also forced an innocent child to carry the sin. Black willpower started leaking from Fuyao’s body. Power born from sadness and trauma—the same thing as the Varmints and the miasma filling everything. Oh no. Fuyao’s going to lose herself. “…Now I understand. I shouldn’t be alive. I have no right to have any dreams. Not after I stole them from so many people.” “G-get a hold of yourself! It’s not your fault! It’s theirs!” “No. I did it. With my own hands…” “That’s not right! Tremolo manipulated you!” I clenched my hands into fists and rose to my feet. This could not stand. When would they be satisfied with all the deception? “But…” “This is a psychological attack! Don’t falter! If you can’t take it, just count on me!” “Huh…?” Her fox ears twitched in surprise. I held my hand out to her. “Let’s go. Can you walk?” “…” She stared at me with eyes full of shock. After some hesitation, Fuyao looked down and silently grabbed my hand. It seemed like we were lost. I had no idea where in Star Cave we were. I could hear Tremolo making noise in the distance, but I think she’d lost us, too. We walked for a while before we reached an underground lake. Maybe it was where rainwater ended up. The water glowed purple. Even the lake was full of Mandala minerals. It was incomparably brighter here than anywhere else in Star Cave, though. “…There’s a mana reaction. There must be a lot of minerals,” said Fuyao. “Really? I mean, it is pretty bright.” I sat down on the ridge before the lake and took my flask out of my backpack to drink some water. I was running out of energy and had to rest before I collapsed. Fuyao clutched her shoulder in pain. Her wound would be beyond salvation if we kept wandering around Star Cave like this. We had to find Lingzi and Spica ASAP and leave this place. “You okay? You gotta be hurting, right?” I asked. “It’s no big deal. I get injuries like this all the time,” said Fuyao. “I’m sorry…” “…Why are you apologizing?” “You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if I’d done better.” Fuyao sighed in exasperation. Her expression softened a bit. “Don’t be stupid. It’s not your fault I got hurt.” “But I couldn’t do anything except stand back and watch…” “Now you’re weighing yourself down with nonsensical burdens. You’ll end up suffocating if you hold yourself at fault for the smallest things. Maybe that’s what’s keeping you so short.” “Wha—?! What’s that got to do with anything?!” “Just saying.” A smile escaped her. A pure smile unbefitting of a killer. Fuyao quickly looked away upon noticing my gaze. “By the way”—she changed topics hesitatingly—“while you might not have anything to apologize for, I think I do.” “Huh?” “My world is on its head.” She spoke falteringly, a pained look on her face. “I’ve been fighting for an ideal that turned out to be a sham. I’ve hurt countless people…people who fell victim to the lies I believed in. I’m beyond forgiveness.” “Fuyao…?” “Like with the Heavenly Paradise. I forced Karin Reigetsu, Karla Amatsu, and the Peace Spirits to bear so much sadness. Maybe I don’t have the right to say it at this point, but I still have to make things right. I’m sorry.” What happened? I thought she was a cruel, cold-blooded terrorist. Now she was lowering her head in regret for her past deeds. Maybe I wasn’t wrong for thinking we could talk things out and come to understand each other, even if we’d once fought to the death. “…You should say that to Karla and Karin.” I smiled. “Also…your ideal is not a sham. Your means were absolutely terrible, but there’s something I can sympathize with at the root of your idea. I realized that after talking with you. So don’t be so sad.” “I…” Fuyao’s ears twitched. “I’m not sad! Don’t be ridiculous.” “Yeah. Sorry.” “…” I sighed, relieved. The miasma surrounding Fuyao was fading. Maybe she’d cheered up a little. The tension between us eased. You really could come to an understanding with almost anyone, even terrorists. Now we just had to find everyone and go back home. Then we’d be good for a while. “Hmm?” All of a sudden, the light in the lake brightened. Something floated up, four inches from the surface. I squinted to try to get a better look and almost fainted from the shock. That’s…a sphere that shines like a star? “The Dark Core…!” Fuyao stood. The Netherworld’s Dark Core that was buried somewhere in Star Cave. How could such an absurd coincidence—? No, wait. The rainbow Blood Curse was still active. Immortal blood gave me unbelievable luck; the world took my side. This had to be the real Dark Core. “Let’s grab it. We can’t let Star Citadel get their hands on it,” said Fuyao. “B-but how?! I practiced swimming last summer, but I haven’t been to the beach or a pool since, so I’d probably drow—” “I’ll go.” “Wait! Keep your clothes on! You’re hurt!” I panicked and tried to stop Fuyao from getting naked. If only we had, like, a really long stick or something… As I thought hard on what to do instead… Cloing. “I see. So this is where our treasure was.” A violent sandstorm brewed in Star Cave. I shielded Fuyao and crouched down automatically. Boulders flew like crumpled pieces of paper. They banged into the walls with a rumble so intense, I was shaken to the bone. I looked up in confusion and found Tremolo standing there, shrouded in pitch-black miasma. Octopus tentacles wriggled as if they had inherited Rakshasa’s power, but were more sinister. I shuddered simply looking at them. She had dug her way through the walls of Star Cave to reach us. “I must thank Nefty for blowing up the cave. And you for running all the way here. Now we are one step closer to our wish coming true.” “Hey! Don’t you…!” Tremolo shot a tentacle at the lake. The miasma-infested feeler wrapped around the Dark Core and brought it swiftly to her hand. The biwa bard’s lips curled in an eerie smile as she looked at the shiny mana treasure in her grasp. “Ahhh… Yusei will be delighted.” “Th-that’s not fair! You gotta swim to grab it!” “Hee-hee. I’m not very athletic, you see,” she said, putting the Dark Core in her pocket. It’s over. Right when we thought we were back… “Don’t worry,” Fuyao whispered calmly. “I was told the Dark Cores won’t work until you find all six. The only thing it can do is reinforce her mana.” “But isn’t it still super important?!” “We can just kill her and take it back.” Tremolo sneered. Her eyes seemed to mock everything in sight. “Not happening. Your spirit is broken.” “What?” “I’ll tell you the truth. We never needed to destroy Lunar Village.” Fuyao froze. The devilish words gouged my heart, too. “The Dark Core lay somewhere in this land, and we wanted to unearth it. The foxes were in the way, yes, but we could have simply driven them elsewhere. So why did we enact that massacre? Because I wanted to harvest the miasma—the willpower of sadness. My biwa absorbs the miasma and becomes energy to make Yusei grow.” “What…?” “I’ve massacred countless villages throughout the Netherworld. Just like I did to Lumiere. But I never killed every single inhabitant. I always made sure someone survived.” The black tentacles wriggled. They could strike at any minute. I grabbed Fuyao’s clothes and braced myself. “Some of them are driven to revenge; some are taken over by wrath; some lose themselves to tears. The explosions of emotions become negative willpower that spills into the outside world and taints it.” “What are you even…?” “You were my magnum opus, Fuyao. Yusei will love the miasma coming out of you. Destroying Lunar Village eight years ago was the perfect choice.” “…!” Fuyao glared at her, full of hatred. “You… It really was all your doing… I’ll kill you…” “It wasn’t all me. Everything in this world has a destiny. Lunar Village was fated to end. Yet the inhabitants spent their time putting on festivals and celebrating. Aren’t humans such adorable creatures?” Fuyao screamed in anger. “W-wait, Fuyao! Uwah!” I was swept away and fell to my butt. She raised the Null Night Blade and ran toward Tremolo, surging with courageous intent. Slicing the tentacles attacking her, she managed to bring her sword within an inch of the bard’s chest, when… “Agh!” …she lost her balance and staggered. Was it the pain of her wound? The tentacles seized the opening and rammed her midsection. Fuyao let out a short scream as she was blown away. She bounced repeatedly on the ground all the way back to me. “You poor, poor thing. But rejoice—bliss is promised to you.” The black tentacles writhed upward, their tips shifting into the shape of a scythe. They were ready to end us. “Those sacrificed for Yusei can go to the Land of Bliss. There is no sadness or pain there. You will get to meet your mom and dad again, Fuu.” “—” Fuyao shuddered. She tried standing but couldn’t. She was too wounded to move freely. Anger, frustration, sadness… All sorts of negative emotions reduced her to a tearful, shivering mess. My heart beat annoyingly loud as I saw her tail shrivel and droop to the ground. It was too abominable. Tremolo had stolen everything from this girl. If it weren’t for her, the fox beast-folk would have been living in peace even now. She was just like Nerzanpi. Star Citadel’s methods were nothing less than pure evil. I couldn’t let Tremolo keep doing this. “…It’s okay, Fuyao.” “!” I gently placed my hand on her shoulder. “You did well. Don’t you worry anymore.” “Wh-what’s that look on your face…?! Don’t worry about me!” “I can’t! I worry about my friends.” “Wh-wha—?” Fuyao closed her eyes, trembling. “We’re not friends! I’m not like you! I’m a murderer! I deserve to die!” “No! It’s all Tremolo’s fault!” “That’s right, and I have to kill her! I won’t stop! That’s the least I can do…for my family and everyone in Lunar… I will put an end to her here and now!!” “But you’re hurt, Fuyao.” “This is nothing! Just a flesh wou—” “I’ll do it for you. Just lend me your power.” I drew my face close to her injury. Tremolo was not about to let me taste blood. The flock of tentacles stormed at us. “Run, Terakomari!” Fuyao yelled. But then Tremolo capsized, accompanied by the sound of an explosion. Her footing shifted unnaturally. “Oh my,” the bard said as she regained her balance. The tentacles’ trajectory drifted, and the whoosh of them slicing air reached my ear. My good luck from Lingzi’s blood ran out with an explosion of rainbow mana. Slurp. Then I licked Fuyao’s blood. “Ugh.” Fuyao frowned in disgust. Don’t react like that. I’m making sure we have a happy ending. Everyone’s dreams will come true. I’ll put an end to Tremolo’s evildoings and make Star Citadel repent. Ba-thump. Vast mana surged from within my heart. The world lit up in a flash. “Gah?! Wha…?!” Tremolo saw the light expand. That same instant, something plunged into her stomach. An incandescent light like the sun’s trailed behind Terakomari Gandesblood. The moment Tremolo realized the girl’s small fist had driven into her belly, she was blown backward without regard for any and all laws of physics. She heard her tentacles being ripped apart. Tremolo flew like a comet with a tail of miasma-sludge until she slammed back-first into Star Cave. The impact nearly made her pass out. The cluster of miasma dispersed, and the power she’d leeched from Rakshasa melted away. Then it hit her. It was bright like noon. She wondered if Star Cave’s ceiling had crumbled, but that could not be possible. She was deep underground, and even if the sky were visible, it was dusk. “Tremolo.” Then she saw something terrifying. The sun. In the middle of the wrecked hall stood a shining star—a vampire shielding the injured Fuyao Meteorite. She had foxlike ears on her head. A giant tail at her hip. This was it. The Blood Curse activated by beast-folk blood. Pretty unique shape, huh? Tremolo chuckled to herself. “Now it’s getting interesting. So what can you do with tha—?” Terakomari vanished in the blink of an eye. Tremolo looked around in a panic. To her right, a giant source of heat. “You’ll pay.” “?!” A weak-looking fist appeared before her eyes. It came at the speed of light.