Aisha stared at the girl, her eyes clouded by tears. Slowly, she got to her feet as the wind continued to blow, playing in both girls’ hair. She looked into the starry abyss of the girl’s eyes, their points of light dancing aimlessly. And then, a second later, the girl’s bangs fell back over her eyes like a cloud falling over the night sky. Aisha was almost sad to see them go.
The girl hung her head as if she expected Aisha to glare at her, hiding her eyes from view. Aisha calling them “pretty” made her squirm with embarrassment. Still keeping her eyes downcast, she turned sideways, quietly grabbing Aisha’s shirt.
“Here... This way...” the girl said, tugging weakly. She lacked the strength to move Aisha’s body, but she seemed like she might actually be friendly, so Aisha didn’t resist. She allowed the girl to lead her wherever she liked.
The girl pulled Aisha along, not speaking a word. They took a few steps forward, to where the tree stood. It seemed to have absorbed all the nutrients from the surrounding soil; it was the only green thing growing in this desolate space. Attached to the tree’s thickest branch was a small, misshapen swing hanging from a simple rope. It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world, but it felt real.
“Sit here...” the girl said. The swing looked like it might break under the weight of an adult, but Aisha’s body was still small, much to her chagrin. She sat down, and the swing supported her weight.
The space they were in behind the back alley was shaded from direct sunlight but still mysteriously warm. Aisha felt the fierce whirlwind of emotions constricting her chest settling thanks to the simple knowledge that someone else was with her—that she was no longer all alone.
As Aisha struggled to calm herself, the girl broke the silence. “I’ve never done this before...” she said in an uncertain voice.
“Done what?” Aisha asked, nervous.
“Let someone else sit there...” the girl answered. “I’m always alone, you see...” She stood behind Aisha, not letting her see her face. When she continued speaking, her voice sounded sad, as if she was trying to sympathize with the tearful Aisha. “Nobody comes here. I can sit alone...play alone...think alone...cry alone...search for answers. But you’re alone too. So I’ll let you sit here...”
The girl sounded pained. For a while, an atmosphere of quiet sadness fell over the area. But the girl was clearly doing her best to be friendly. She’d let Aisha into what was one of her special places despite them having only just met. When Aisha realized that, her heart didn’t feel quite so cold. Even if the girl was only doing this to be polite, it was quite the gesture.
I should say thank you... Aisha thought. She turned around to speak, but the girl tensed up and hastily looked away.
It struck Aisha that they didn’t know each other’s names. “U-Um, my name is Aisha,” she said, stammering out an introduction. Her voice was shaky and she didn’t particularly know what to say. “I’m a half-elf, you see, so even though I look like this, I’m actually nineteen. I’m just growing up slower than normal people. But I am an adult, I promise! U-Um...would you tell me your name?” Aisha was very conscious of how little she sounded like an adult. This girl had seen her crying her eyes out only moments ago. Ashamed that she had declared herself to be an adult in such a state, Aisha curled in on herself.
“I’m Izuna...” the girl said, giving only her name in contrast to Aisha’s rambling introduction. The conversation died and silence fell. Aisha was at a loss for what to do, but Izuna spoke up once more. “You’re not from this kingdom, are you?” she asked. It didn’t seem like a question.
“Weh! H-How did you know?”
“Because...you said my eyes were pretty...”
“What?! B-But they are! They’re sparkly and beautiful! They’re almost as pretty as my mistress Nacht’s eyes! It seems like such a waste to hide them like that!” Aisha couldn’t help blurting out more than she probably should have. But Izuna’s eyes were so beautiful that, having caught a glimpse, Aisha found herself wanting to see them more.
“You’re the only one who’s ever called them pretty...” Izuna replied, shaking her head. “These are Demon Eyes. They were given to me by the god of evolution. They have the power of misfortune. So you mustn’t look at me, Aisha!” Aisha felt like that was a rather vague explanation, but Izuna would not wait for her to object. “Anyone who looks at me will find misfortune. Humans...plants...animals...all of them lose their mana and become sick. So you see, my eyes aren’t pretty. I mustn’t show them to anyone...”
Izuna sounded desperately, desperately lonely. She sounded like she was curled up somewhere impossibly cold, buried under ice or in the depths of the sea. More than compassion for the girl, Aisha felt real, bone-deep empathy. She knew what it was like to be alone in the world. She had felt just like that while wandering through the forest after her father’s death. And now that Nacht had left and she’d rejected her reunion with her father, she found herself all alone once more. She couldn’t help identifying with the girl’s words. But...
“But that’s such a shame!” Aisha said.
“A shame?”
“Yes! No matter what you say, it’s a shame to cover up such pretty eyes! I don’t really know what you mean by ‘Demon Eyes’ or ‘misfortune,’ but I saw your eyes and I’m fine! In fact, I want to see them more!”
Izuna gasped.
Aisha knew one thing for certain: nobody was truly all alone in the world. As long as a person lived, they were surrounded by others. One might delude themselves into thinking that they were alone, but only because their view of the world was too confined. It only took the slightest happenstance to trigger a meeting, be it coincidence, blessing, or misfortune. All it took was the courage to accept someone’s hand. That was what Aisha had learned, and what she wanted to teach Izuna.
Thinking that, Aisha felt even more foolish for how much she had been crying just moments earlier. She had let herself fall into the delusion that she was alone. Aisha placed her hand on her chest and felt the power deep within—the dark, boundless, yet warm mana that signified her bond with Nacht. She knew that her mistress believed in her and was waiting for her to find her conviction.
“Well...” Aisha said. “I’m alone right now. I know at least a little bit of how much it hurts. So...” She pressed her hand close to her chest, wishing to borrow courage from the people precious to her—courage that she could pass on to others in turn. “So...would you like to be friends, maybe?”