Chapter 14

CHAPTER NINE When dawn broke, the old man led Asuna and Morisaki to the village dock. “You may use this,” he said, providing them with a canoe-like boat. Wordlessly, Asuna hugged the elder, and he patted her on the back. “It felt like my daughter was here again.” Asuna didn’t know her grandparents, but maybe this was what it was like to have a grandfather. Maybe that was why this parting was so painful—or maybe not. Maybe the biggest factor was that she simply hadn’t felt human warmth—except for Morisaki’s—since coming to Agartha. Maybe leaving that warmth was what hurt. Right now, Asuna really couldn’t tell which it was. “Elder…take care. Manna, too.” With that, Asuna hugged the little girl close. The old man gazed at them, his eyes affectionate, then spoke to Morisaki. “In about a day and a night, you’ll arrive at the village of the individual you seek. From there, after another day and night, the boat should reach the lake. The place you’re looking for will be near.” “Thank you for everything.” What had these two discussed the previous night, after dinner? Asuna was just a little curious about that. “Asuna,” Morisaki called, and she climbed into the boat. She wanted more time to linger over her good-byes, but if she asked for that, she might never manage to leave. That was why she could appreciate Morisaki’s rather heartless attitude. Maybe he was feeling lonely, too. Asuna turned back. “Mimi, come on.” Mimi was sitting on top of Manna’s head, but she only meowed in reply. She wouldn’t budge from her perch. Asuna stared at her cat with fretful impatience, and then… “She may have fulfilled her role,” the old man said. Asuna didn’t understand what he meant. “Huh…?” As calm as ever, he went on. “Humans can’t dictate the actions of Yadoriko.” …Yadoriko. Mimi wasn’t a god. She couldn’t be. She was just a cat. And yet— “No, but… We’ve always been together! Mimi!” Asuna wailed. But Mimi didn’t move. The one who stepped in to help her let go was once again Morisaki. “…Asuna,” he said quietly. “I think we’ll just have to accept it. Elder, please, take care of her.” Slowly, the boat began drifting away. …But Asuna wasn’t ready to go. “Mimi!” It wasn’t too late. If the cat jumped into the boat now, she’d still make it. “Mimi!” However, as before, Mimi only gazed at her steadily. “Mr. Morisaki, wait! It’s not—” Mimi was getting farther away. Farther…and farther away. “…Manna! Please take care of Mimi! Mimi! Listen to Manna!” And then— “I’ll miss you…” Her voice was so quiet, even Morisaki might not have heard it. After that, their voyage went smoothly. Morisaki kept rowing quietly. As they headed downriver, they saw several villages along the banks—and ruins, wastelands, and grassy plains. The water was clear, and they could see lots of fish swimming through it. “Mr. Morisaki.” When their journey had gone on for several hours, Asuna called to him quietly. “……” Morisaki didn’t answer. He just kept rowing. “Do you remember the story you told us in class? The myth of Izanagi and Izanami?” “—Yeah.” Apparently, the subject had intrigued him. Morisaki stopped rowing, sat down on the edge of the boat, took a cigarette from his jacket, and lit it. “I wanted to know more about the ending, so I read the rest in the library,” she said. Quietly, the tobacco smoke dissolved into the air. “What Izanagi saw underground was his wife’s rotting body. He was horrified. Are you sure it’s all right to bring people back from the dead…?” Morisaki didn’t answer her question. It was possible that he didn’t know, and that was how Asuna decided to interpret it. As Morisaki smoked his cigarette, he said, “We’re nearing the end of our journey. Asuna, decide for yourself what you’ll seek at the Gate of Life and Death.” Decide for herself…what she’d seek. Maybe it was Shun’s resurrection, and it could have been her father’s. But she got the feeling it was neither of those things… Then why was she traveling in the first place? She didn’t have an answer. The long night came, then passed, and then it was morning. Morisaki spotted a small dock and steered the boat over to it. “Hey, Mr. Morisaki.” “What?” “I hadn’t asked, but—who are you looking for?” As Morisaki tied up the boat, he said, “I’m told a person who’s actually resurrected someone lives in this village. I’ve read the literature and heard that old man’s story, but the best place to get information is straight from the source.” They left the river and started toward the village, which was much smaller than Amaurot. Putting on the cloaks the old man had given them, Asuna and Morisaki went into the village. “Excuse us. We’re researching the resurrection of the dead.” When they introduced themselves to the first villager they saw, his face promptly clouded over. “I’m sorry, I don’t know anyth—” “There’s someone in this village, isn’t there? Someone who was successful.” Morisaki wasn’t beating around the bush. The other man had already shown weakness, so their best bet was to push until he cracked. The tactic was successful, and the villager looked down. “Don’t let anyone know I told you,” he said. Morisaki nodded. “A woman lives in a hut on the edge of that forest over there. Ask her. That’s all I can say…” “No, that’s enough. Thanks.” With that, Morisaki promptly began walking toward the forest. “Um, Mr. Morisaki…” “What?” Asuna was a bit nervous about this, but— When Morisaki turned to look at her, she didn’t know what to tell him. “No… It’s nothing.” “Let’s go.” They knew which house it was right away—after all, there was only one house by the forest. A wooden wall stood around the other houses, protecting them from external threats. But this one had been built outside the wall, all alone and ostracized. “Hmm… It does look like there’s a story here. Well, if all the villagers know the taboo of raising the dead was broken, we shouldn’t be surprised.” “……” The idea of visiting that house made Asuna feel something very close to fear. However, Morisaki didn’t hesitate. As they drew closer, the condition of the house grew clearer. Hovel was a better word for it; it was hard to believe anyone actually lived there. Reaching the front door, they knocked on it three times. “Excuse me. Is anyone there?” Morisaki called. There was a short pause, and then… “…What did you need?” The voice belonged to a wary-sounding woman. “Um—” Asuna started to speak, but Morisaki held up his right hand, stopping her. “Don’t say anything unless you have to. Don’t say anything at all, actually.” “…Okay.” Asuna was a little unhappy with that, but she did think it was probably for the best. Morisaki would be better at talking than she was. Apparently, that was the right move. “We’re researching the resurrection of the dead,” he said. “We were told that someone who lives in this house has actually done it. Could we speak with them?” “……” This time, several seconds passed before the woman responded. “I’m sorry, but no one here has resurrected the dead.” Morisaki banged his fist against the door. “They know it all the way over in Amaurot!” he shouted, but then he shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry. I’ll be honest with you.” Keeping his voice as calm as possible, he went on. “The part about research was a lie. I want to resurrect my wife. And I’m gathering information to do it.” “______” Behind the door, they thought they heard a gasp. “I’m sorry to ask, but can you tell us about it?” With a creak, the door slowly opened. The woman who peeked out was in her twenties, and she was too pale to be healthy. Like its exterior, the inside of the house was miserable and decrepit. It made Asuna a little frightened and sick, but she kept those feelings from showing. The woman invited them to sit on a couple of cushions she’d placed on the rotting wood floor in an attempt at hospitality, then sat down facing them. Morisaki introduced himself. “My name is Ryuuji Morisaki. I lost my wife ten years ago. I’ve come from the surface in order to resurrect her.” “…!” Why hadn’t Morisaki lied? Maybe he was trying to demonstrate his sincerity to the woman. In fact, if he hadn’t lied to the villager, it might have caused an uproar, but he’d decided that wouldn’t be the case with this woman. “You’re…a Topsider?” “Yes.” “As I told you before, there is no one who has resurrected the dead here.” Morisaki started to say something, but the woman cut him off. “However, there is someone who was resurrected by her lover.” Morisaki gasped. For a moment, Asuna wasn’t sure she’d understood. “Are you familiar with the price of a resurrection?” “…A price?” The woman nodded. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Nami. My lover’s name was Eve. It’s been five years since I died.” It was very odd to hear a dead person speak, Morisaki thought. An experience like this wasn’t anywhere near possible on the surface. “What is the price you mentioned?” he asked. The woman lowered her eyes for a little while. “The god who governs death would never spare people for nothing. Doing so would release humans from death itself and obstruct the great flow of life.” “Hmm.” That was— That’s probably true, Asuna thought. If nobody ever died, the world would be overrun. The conversation Morisaki and Nami were having was a little more complicated than that, but Asuna was in sixth grade—this was a level she understood. “Consequently, a heavy price is required to escape death. Long ago—” Nami paused for a moment. “Long ago, before Agartha was cut off from the surface by the claves, many Topsiders came here.” “In search of Agartha’s knowledge and wealth,” Morisaki continued, picking up where Nami had left off. “An old man in Amaurot told me about it.” He was hurrying the conversation along, eager to get to the main topic. However, Nami spoke slowly, as if she felt she needed to tell him this part as well. “One of the great powers that Topsiders sought from Agartha was immortality. There was a heavy price for that as well, and so no one obtained it—or almost no one. There were a handful of exceptions.” “Exceptions— You mean there’s someone who gained immortality?!” Morisaki sounded startled. Nami nodded. “Don’t you have tales about it on the surface? Legends of great individuals who were believed to be dead but were actually alive?” Asuna reflected on that. The legend that came to mind immediately was the one about Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune. She thought it might have been true of Himiko as well. Those were the only ones Asuna could come up with, but Morisaki nodded. “True, there are multiple examples. There are plenty in my home country alone—and countless more if you look at the rest of the world.” “I couldn’t say whether the subjects of all those legends truly gained immortality. However, there are some who have paid an enormous price for this gift,” Nami said. Morisaki sounded a little irritated. “You keep telling me about this price, but you still haven’t explained what it is. What are you required to pay?” “It varies depending on the time, the situation, and the individual,” Nami said. She looked rather sad. For just a moment, Morisaki seemed to hesitate—but he eventually chose to ask. “Is that why Eve isn’t here?” Slowly, Nami nodded. “The price for bringing me back was Eve. A life for a life.” What a cruel thing that was, Asuna thought. It reminded her of the O. Henry short story, The Gift of the Magi. Of course, that was a heartwarming story, while this was cruel and heart-wrenching. “It was a sacrifice for nothing. What meaning could I find in this world alone? —I only… “I only wanted the one I loved to live on.” Morisaki and Asuna had returned to the boat, and neither of them had said a word since then. Finally, Asuna quietly asked. “Is resurrecting people really the right thing to do?” “……” Morisaki didn’t answer. Softly, she went on. “We don’t know if the person who died even wants to come back.” “That…” As Morisaki spoke, he began to row. “…is something we can’t know unless we bring them back.”