Chapter 15

Prologue An Ancient Lullaby 1 It had always felt strange to me, even from a young age. Why did my sister and I have such different personalities? We were identical twins and raised in the same environment together, so why? “That’s because there’s more than one way to look at things.” That was Father’s response to my childish confusion. I could feel his warmth against my shoulder as he sat next to me. His answer made sense to me, but my spirited younger sister, sitting on the other side of him, was not satisfied with that. “Ehhh? If we see things differently, won’t that mean arguments? We’ll end up fighting with each other.” “Well, that might happen from time to time. Do you not like the idea of fighting with your sister?” “Of course not. I don’t like starting fights I know I’m going to win.” Father chuckled a little at her unshakable confidence. “That’s a wonderful principle to live by. Listen here, both of you. You mustn’t hate anyone indiscriminately. From time to time, people might do something you don’t like, but that’s—” “That’s not all there is to that person, right? I know, I know. You’ve told us that a million times already.” “Ha-ha, sorry about that.” It was something we had been told many times before. My sister puckered her lips in annoyance from hearing it so often, but even though I had heard it just as often, I didn’t feel any of her irritation. That was yet another way the two of us were different. “You and your sister are both a little different from most people, but as long as the two of you stick together, you’ll be fine. You can make up for each other’s shortcomings and support each other.” Father patted both of us on the head with his reassuring, strong hands. I liked when he did that. And I liked my sister’s sullen face as he did it, too. I liked the fact that she couldn’t argue with that final conclusion Father always finished with. “Understand, you two?” Both of us nodded like always. Seeing that, Father’s expression softened, and he broke into a gentle smile. “There’s my beautiful girls.” And I liked when he said that, too. 2 “” Sensing that something was a little bit off, she slowly opened her eyes. Wispy clouds laced the clear sky. A soothing breeze blew as the early-summer sun shone down just after noon. She had apparently dozed off, lulled to sleep by the tranquil ambiance. It felt like she had dreamed of a memory from long ago during her brief nap. Putting her hand to her eyes, she felt a small tear fall on her finger. It was an almost nostalgic feeling. “—Sister.” As she dwelled for a moment in her emotions, someone called out to her from behind, addressing her with a dignified tone of voice that spoke of an iron will. It was undeniable that the speaker possessed an unflappable mental fortitude that didn’t waver at much of anything. In fact, she couldn’t recall ever having seen her younger sister shaken or unsteady. “Are you listening to me?” “I’m listening. Sorry, I just had a dream from long ago.” “You don’t have to apologize. If anything, I’m the one who’s usually dreaming.” “Hmm? I didn’t mean to be accu—” “I know! I know! Argh!” When she tried to apologize for being inconsiderate, her sister’s hands literally covered her mouth to stop her from interrupting. The tussle caused a bit of a stir, as the younger sister leaned over the seat from behind, drawing the attention of the other passengers. They were making a scene in a bus currently on the road. It was only natural that people would stare. The bus’s destination was a large nearby town, and there were around twenty people on board. There were no stops along the way. Everyone had their own reasons, but they were all headed for the same location. “It’s obvious this is pretty much the only place around here that even resembles a town,” her younger sister muttered, as if perfectly guessing what she had been thinking. For a second, she wondered if she actually had read her mind, but when glancing over, her sister just responded with an exasperated, “You’re just an open book—that’s all.” She was the only one who ever said that, though— “What good sisters you are.” As she pondered that, the polite older woman sitting beside her spoke up. She had a tranquil expression on her face that was filled with well-worn smile lines as she glanced at the two of them. “You have quite the strong resemblance. Are you by any chance twins?” “We are. I mean, yes, ma’am, we are. I’m the younger one, and the unreliable-looking one here is my older sister. Though most people guess the opposite.” There was something funny about watching her switch to a politer tone that she was clearly not comfortable with at all. But when she noticed her older sister’s expression softening, she issued an annoyed “what?” The older woman cut in and said, “Now, now, don’t fight. Where are you coming from?” “We’ve been moving from place to place from up north. But that’s how it is for everyone, right? I’m sure you…” “Yes, from farther north, and east as well. It’s just not livable out there anymore…” The older woman turned her lonely gaze down as the younger sister quietly averted her gaze out the window. The sky was still clear and bright, but there were not many people left who could call those blue skies beautiful and majestic. Not in Europe at least. The open skies had become a symbol of terror. “” It had been more than a year since northern Europe had fallen under enemy control. Humanity’s habitable lands were gradually being stolen away. To survive, people departed their homelands, enduring with the help of others in the same position as they fled to other countries. But no matter how far they ran, the enemy’s advance seemed unstoppable. Everyone realized it, even though they pretended not to. Extinction was slowly but surely closing in on humanity. Just like with the older woman, nearly everyone on the bus was a refugee from one land or another. And she and her strong and reliable younger sister were in a similar position, too. However, in their case, they never stayed in any one town. Theirs was a never-ending life on the run. “I see, I see. Sisters always stick together, eh?” “Heh-heh. That’s right. My older sister might look like she has her act together, but she’s utterly hopeless without me.” Her younger sister and the older woman had continued chatting comfortably while unease filled the older sister’s heart. Her sibling was a force to behold, hitting it off with the older woman in less than a minute. She had a talent for getting other people to smile. It was a natural gift. But not every innate gift was a blessing. “—Dear?” Suddenly, the older woman’s voice rose in surprise. Looking back, the girl saw her younger sister had suddenly leaned all her weight against the back of her seat. She caught her sister’s body and cradled her just before she collapsed entirely. Their neighbor looked shocked at the practiced ease of her movements. She lowered her head slightly. “My apologies for giving you a scare.” “N-not at all. It’s not a problem. But is she well?” “Yes. It is almost like a chronic disease of sorts…a sort of spasm where my sister suddenly falls asleep. There is nothing actually wrong with her body, though, so please do not worry. But more importantly…” “More importantly?” “—Please tell the driver to accelerate.” Struggling to keep up with the unexpected developments, the older woman let a bewildered “what?” slip out. It was only natural, but she didn’t have time to explain everything carefully— “Leave the two of us behind and take shelter. Just go straight into town.” Saying that, the older sister slung her bag over her shoulder, lifted her unconscious sister in her arms, opened the window of the bus—and leaped out. Because of the rules of inertia, leaping out of a car driving at speed was practically suicidal. But the older sister’s long, slender legs touched the ground as she spun her body in a big circle, dispersing the shock and softening the impact as she landed safely on the road. She took a short breath. Her long blond hair swayed in the wind, and the water bottle in her bag sloshed loudly, but she was uninjured. And her sister was also safe and sound in her arms. But she was quivering. Having a nightmare. “—Don’t stop!” After checking on her sister, she shouted to the bus up ahead. The driver had started to brake to check on the seemingly suicidal sisters, but he could not afford to do that. And the people on the bus soon realized why. A dazzling white light suddenly appeared from inside the large forest off to the east. It took on a cylindrical shape that shot up into the heavens. A pure tower of light. Despite its beauty, it was a loathsome symbol of disaster to all humanity. “—A pillar.” Murmuring softly, the older sister adjusted her grip on her younger sister. The bus started accelerating, gunning it to escape the pillar that had suddenly appeared. The elder sister saw the older woman at the back window of the bus, looking apologetic and worried about the two of them. She was grateful for that kindness. Both of her hands were full carrying her sister, so she couldn’t wave. Instead, she lowered her head deeply, and while it was by no means her specialty, she kept a smile on her face to reassure the kind stranger. The only thing they could do was pray for each other’s safety. “I suppose I should pray that any good fortune we might have should be given to you all.” With that, she started running, cutting a gallant figure with her sister still cradled in her arms. She headed away from the road and in the opposite direction from the pillar in the east, into the forest stretching west from the road, in order to throw off the enemy’s search as much as possible. Even though the younger sister was slender, the older sister was running faster than should have been possible for someone carrying another person. In fact, she was sprinting at a speed even a well-conditioned soldier would have trouble matching. “” Her sister’s sleeping face was all twisted up. She was clearly suffering in the confines of a nightmare. And as if laughing at the younger girl’s distress, the tower of light behind them began to spawn enemies. She was not fool enough to look back and let her speed drop. Either way, they would end up coming into view before long anyway. Because they were the ones the enemy was after. “—Hljóðs bið ek allar helgar kindir.” She picked up speed as she crossed into the woods, and what crossed her lips was not a cry, nor a condemnation cursing the world for its unfairness, but a song. Singing in a whisper, she wove ancient lyrics passed down through the ages from long, long ago. It was a song of prayer. Their mother had sung it for them as a lullaby, and her mother had sung it for her. “—Meiri ok minni, mögu Heimdallar. Vildu at ek, Valföðr.” Her sister stirred in her arms, her pained expression easing slightly. The little sister had always liked that song. Not to sing it herself, though. She liked to have their parents, or sometimes her older sister, sing it for her. And that had never changed. Just as the fact that they both cherished and cared for each other had never changed. And so— “—Vel framtelja forn spjöll fira, þau er fremst um man.” She kept singing as their flight continued—across the green earth, through a world being drained of life, beneath a sky dominated by light. Running on and on and on until the end of the world arrived. —Never knowing whether their flight or the world would end first.