Chapter 16

CHAPTER ELEVEN The sun was setting. Asuna simply sat where she was. The gun Morisaki had left was still on the ground at her feet. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed everything else, and she couldn’t think. Only the quiet sound of the wind quietly kept the world from fading away entirely, and before long, night had fallen. She hadn’t forgotten. But she had finally noticed. The Izoku had begun to poke their heads out of the ground. With a shriek, Asuna grabbed the gun and ran. The sun hadn’t set completely yet, and she managed to make it out into the light. She hastened down the ridge, toward the lake. She had to get to the water—that was the one thought in her mind as she ran. When she reached the river, she stumbled in the mud and nearly fell, then raised her head. A shudder ran through her. She was surrounded by Izoku. Their red eyes were everywhere, in a seemingly endless sea. Asuna began running upriver for dear life. Onward, onward. The horde of Izoku matched her, running along the riverbanks. Forward, forward. When Asuna got winded and stopped, the Izoku stopped as well. She had to get upriver. She walked and walked and walked— Asuna. Shun’s voice rose again in her mind. I’ll give you a blessing. That night, Asuna had asked her mother about it. “Mom? What’s a blessing?” Her mother had looked perplexed. “A blessing?” she’d echoed. Asuna kept quiet about the kiss. “…Like if you said you were going to bless someone.” “Did someone say that to you?” Asuna’s mother might have known that a kiss on the forehead was a gesture of blessing, and she may even have guessed that someone had kissed Asuna there. This thought didn’t occur to Asuna, however. “…Yes.” She nodded. Her mother had smiled. “It means they’re glad you were born. I am, too.” Countless thoughts rose inside Asuna. Memories with her mother. Memories at school. Memories with Shun. Memories with Morisaki. …And memories with Shin. “Asuna.” She felt as if she’d heard Shun’s voice. “Why did you come to Agartha?” Why did I come to Agartha? When she arrived at that question, one she’d never truly considered—Asuna finally realized it. “—Oh,” she murmured, sinking to her knees. It was a simple, easy, incredibly plain answer. “I was just lonely.” That was all it had been. That was why she’d come to Agartha. Just then, she heard uncanny breathing by her ear and came back to herself with a jolt. It was an Izoku. “—!” She’d been careless. Maybe she’d been lost in thought, or maybe she’d been concentrating solely on walking. But the water had receded—and she’d strayed from the river. Asuna finally noticed the danger. “When did I—?!” The Izoku drew closer. And closer. They were innumerable. “……!” Asuna snatched up a wooden stick and struck at the nearest Izoku with it. The stick snapped. The Izoku didn’t even seem to notice. It grabbed Asuna by the neck, lifting her off the ground. She couldn’t breathe. As her consciousness dimmed, she remembered the gun in her hand. She fired. Then fired again, and again, and then three more shots, one after another. She’d emptied the gun, and not one of the bullets had struck its mark. The strength left Asuna’s hands, and the gun slipped from her fingers. “Un ean” The Izoku’s voice was eerie. “Uncl n” Its mouth gaped open, baring its fangs. Asuna waited for the end.