Chapter 14

8. A TALE OF TWO GHOSTS They’d been deployed to a mine that was half a day’s drive away from Alestra Academy. It was a graimar-nuclear-alloy vein, essential for Exelia production, so the two countries often fought over possession of the resource. This was one of those contested areas. The location’s official designation was the Claw Mine. The East’s main forces had gathered there, forming a large military presence. However, the battle still reached the cadets rather quickly. By the time they’d arrived, the two sides had already been engaged in battle for three hours. The Claw Mine had been scorched by fire Bullet Magic, and the rear base had gradually filled with mangled bodies and wounded soldiers missing limbs. The living were hard to distinguish from the dead at this point. The cadets hadn’t been deployed to the front lines yet, but they knew that wouldn’t last much longer. The East’s army was getting desperate. Kirlilith’s command of the West’s forces had dictated every aspect of the battle thus far, so their backs were to the wall. “You’re sure, Air? That the enemy commander is Kirlilith, I mean.” “Yes. I have proof.” Air sat next to Rain as they remained on standby in the Exelia hangar. “The battle over this mine is her way of challenging me. With thousands of others caught in the cross fire.” She had the audacity to risk so many lives just to face a rival Ghost? “Every Ghost has a distorted set of values. We’ve fought through countless major battles over the ages and have gained knowledge that normal humans can’t hope to obtain as a result. I doubt Kirlilith would pick a fight with me in any old ordinary clash.” I see. That’s… “It’s disgusting.” “It sure is. And that’s why we have to kill her right here, right now.” Rain didn’t speak to Air after that. She was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to gun down Kirlilith, so he didn’t want to interrupt her. He knew there was nothing he could’ve said to help her anyway, since his human intellect was no match for hers. “…I’ll step out for a bit.” Rain left her alone and walked to the adjacent hangar. And there he found Athly, who’d been performing maintenance on her unit. She quickly noticed him. “Huh? Is it time to change shifts already?” Athly asked him curtly. It was an unnatural reaction coming from her, since she was usually such a cheerful person. “No, you’ve still got an hour left.” “Oh…” She never lifted her eyes off her machine as she spoke. She was just one of the many people had been adversely affected by the last shift in the world. “Say, shouldn’t you stay off the battlefield for a while?” “Why?” “You know why.” “My parents’ death doesn’t change anything.” The Reprogramming had put Athly’s parents among the thousands of victims in Leminus. A shell had hit their shelter, blowing them to bits. And it was all Rain and his silver bullet’s fault. “I’m fine, really,” Athly stated in a monotone voice. “Like, I’m sorry if this sounds kind of rude, but it hasn’t really affected me at all.” “It hasn’t?” “Yeah. Honestly, it’s changed so little that it feels weird.” “Weird how…?” “I mean, Mom and Dad were much stronger mages than me,” Athly said as she pulled out the gun holstered at her waist. “I figured I’d never match them, even though I shared their genes. That’s why I chose to become a manipulator in the first place. But then they died. Just like that, they were gone. And that made me realize something… A person’s potential doesn’t matter if they die in battle.” “…Athly.” “So I’m fine. I can jump into those flames…into the blood and the smoke, and I never have to worry.” Nothing she’d said made any sense. The words themselves were clear, but they didn’t connect to form a cohesive point. Rain knew they were the weak excuses of an emotionally wounded individual. “…Listen, Athly. If you need anything, just say the word.” “Sure.” Unfortunately, that was why he couldn’t bring himself to push her any further, and could offer her nothing more than a vague offer of support. And then they went their separate ways. Rain should’ve done more to keep Athly out of that battle, but by the time he realized that, it was far too late for regrets. Three hours after the start of the battle, the two sides were in a deadlock. “I’m so happy.” Someone was speaking through a wireless line that connected the thirty or so commanders among the East’s main forces. “You came for me… You really are amazing, Air.” And the one speaking was Kirlilith. She cleared her throat and began speaking in an official capacity. “Ahem… Now then, people of the East… Fifteen minutes from now, we will blow up the Claw Mine.” Blow up the mine…? Everyone from the East froze upon hearing the threat. “I’m sure you’re all aware, but in its raw form, graimar nuclear alloy is extremely flammable and combustible. Exposing it to high heat will produce artificial plasma that will induce a series of explosions and destroy the mine. Quite bothersome, wouldn’t you say? After all, this is your prime source of alloy.” Kirlilith was as casual as could be about this. “If you wish to avoid that fate, surrender Air to me.” Air… “Do that, and we will cease all hostilities and retreat immediately.” None of the commanding officers knew who Air was. Her existence as a Ghost hadn’t been disclosed to the public, so they likely assumed it was some sort of code. “Now, allow me to demonstrate that this is no mere threat.” The next moment, a light flashed in the distance. “Holy…!” A second later, a pillar of fire rose up from an abandoned mine to the south, razing the place to the ground. It’d been only a fifth of the Claw Mine in size, but it was by no means a small site. Yet that entire mountain…had been reduced to rubble. Kirlilith’s crimson flames coiled upward, painting the dark sky red and striking fear into the hearts of all who saw them. “Please hand Air over to me immediately. You have ten minutes. If I don’t get a satisfactory response by then, I’ll blow the Claw Mine sky-high.” “I knew all this was about me…” Air scratched her hair roughly in frustration and threw aside the device she and Rain been using to tap into the commanders’ communication line. “She’s insane.” “What do we do?” They couldn’t let Kirlilith blow up the Claw Mine. Without the alloy harvested there, the East would be forced into a bitter war with a hopeless deficit in resources. They knew HQ would seek Air out in order to meet Kirlilith’s demands; she’d already proved blowing up the mine was not an idle threat. “I can’t show my face.” “…What, you afraid of getting sacrificed?” “No. Weren’t you listening?” “Of course I was. Kirlilith said to hand you over.” “Don’t take what she said at face value. Think about it. Why? Why did Kirlilith make handing me over the condition? Do you really think she’d surrender the mine and retreat in exchange for one person? It doesn’t add up.” Air was right—it didn’t add up. Trading one person for a prime source of alloy made no sense. “Maybe it’d make sense if it was some famous officer, but no one knows who I am. The people at HQ are probably scrambling to find me, but Kirlilith doesn’t intend to fulfill her end of the bargain. I mean, sure, she’s got some clout in the West, but she’s still just one person in the chain of command. She can’t mobilize an army for personal matters.” In other words… “She’s going to blow up the Claw Mine regardless of what we do,” Air explained. “But what about her conditions?” “She lied.” Air had read Kirlilith’s true intentions. “You’re probably wondering why she even bothered to bring it up in that case, right? Well, the answer to that question lies with Kirlilith’s unique magic.” Kirlilith had the Traxil’s divinity, which granted her bullets the ability to inflict death on anyone and anything they hit. It was optimized for offense, unrivaled by any regular Bullet Magic, and it also gave her the power to destroy the Claw Mine. According to Air, Kirlilith’s bullets could easily collapse rocks and stones. They didn’t just mow things down with heat or mass. Instead, anything they touched died because it was destroyed on an atomic level. “Yes. And she said they needed significant heat to blow up the mine, correct?” “Which means…” Rain trailed off as he got lost in thought. Then he said, “Honestly, I dunno.” “It means Kirlilith is in charge of blowing up the mine,” Air replied, exasperated. “Kirlilith probably struck some sort of deal with her army. ‘I’ll blow up the mine for you, so let me talk with the enemy for a bit. Oh, and don’t worry—everything I say will be a lie.’ Or something along those lines.” “Ah…” “So do you understand why Kirlilith made that crazy demand?” It didn’t matter if her demands were crazy, since she didn’t intend to keep her promise either way. “…Wait, why’d she do that, then?” It didn’t make any sense. What was the point of bringing up a fake exchange? “I told you at the beginning, didn’t I? She’s only after the other Ghost here—me.” Ghosts naturally sought out other Ghosts. “In that short message, she dropped a number of hints. The first was that she’d blow up the mine regardless of the deal. The second was that she’d do it herself. Think about it—in order to use Bullet Magic to destroy the Claw Mine, she’ll have to be somewhere safe, and at the same time, she’ll need to aim at a place packed full of alloy.” In other words, Kirlilith was at a spot that met both those criteria…and she’d hid that fact in her little speech. “She’s trying to tell us exactly where she is.” She’d left a code, an encrypted message only Air would be able to decode. “It was a challenge to me. ‘I’ll tell you where I am, so hurry over to kill me. If you don’t, I’ll blow up the Claw Mine.’ Get it?” After Air had laid out her explanation, Rain spread out a map of the mine and searched for a spot that fit the description. There was just one. Reports were flooding in through her allied units. New information was arriving once every four seconds, and the one intercepting all of it was… Aren’t you coming? …a beautiful girl who seemed to be made of flames. A crimson soul who had been killed by a stray bullet to the head one hundred and forty years ago while she was running through fire and brimstone. Air… Kirlilith Lambert. Despite her dainty, frail visage, she was the oldest and most cunning active Ghost, a veteran of countless battlefields. Of course she’d noticed them. “Thank goodness. You’re finally here,” she said into the darkness. Soon after, a mechanical sound whirred near her. “That’s a rather absurd thing to say when I’m here to end your life.” A lone silver girl had arrived in her Exelia, with a sharp glint in her eyes. No, she wasn’t alone after all. “How…? How are you still alive?” Air’s gunner had arrived alongside her—the boy Kirlilith had shot through the eye. She’d killed him because he knew of Air’s existence, but he hadn’t stayed dead. “Can’t say I wanted to face you again,” he said as he trained his gun’s sights on her. If she recalled correctly, that cadet’s name was…Rain Lantz. “Personally, I hate to compare us, but you Ghosts aren’t the only ones who don’t stay down.” “A divinity? Or perhaps some kind of magic?” Kirlilith took a moment to ponder how the boy had survived, but she stopped soon after. It didn’t really matter, and she had all the time in the world to figure it out once she killed him again. “So why did you call me out here? Is there something you want to tell me?” “Yes. It’s very important… Listen, Air. Why don’t we join forces?” “Join forces…?” Kirlilith’s words had caught Air entirely off guard. “…What, do you expect me to betray the East? Because if you are—” “No, don’t worry.” It was already late into the night. The moonlight was waning, but the flames flickered brightly, making the scenery around them as bright as at sunrise. “I’m willing to defect, so will you accept me into the East?” A beat of silence followed. “Let’s fight together, hand in hand.” They couldn’t fathom what she was saying. Fight? Together? “Have you lost it?” “I’m not sure. Have I?” “The East isn’t in any sort of favorable position, Kirlilith. You’ve supported Harborant for so long—what reason do you have to double-cross them now?” “What reason? Well, you just said it yourself, Air. This time, the West is too strong. That’s my only reason, really.” “What…?” “The war will end at this rate.” It took Air a moment to realize what she was implying. “Just think about it, Air. This war favors Harborant too heavily. That’s not a good thing… After all, we Ghosts only exist during times of war.” Rain leaned toward Air and whispered, “Is that right?” “Yeah. When the fighting dies down, our consciousness starts to fade. Next thing we know, we’re in another war, decades later. It’s happened to me several times already.” Apparently, they didn’t know the logic behind how it worked. They couldn’t tell whether someone was working the magic that tethered them behind the scenes or whether the spell itself simply had a time limit. Either way, a Ghost’s existence was limited. Once the war ended, all of them would disappear. “So…what, you’re saying you want to betray the West, Kirlilith?” “Yes. I need the war to continue so that I can remain, too,” Kirlilith said, sounding utterly desperate. “Over the past hundred years, I’ve led the West to countless victories. But this time, O’ltmenia is too weak… No, it’s more that Harborant has grown too strong. Their advanced Exelias have superior mobility and durability, and they have Bullet Magic optimized for combat that almost anyone can use. They’re stronger than the East in every conceivable way.” “Is that why you’re gonna betray them?” “Rain, be quiet.” “Sorry, but there’s something I need to know.” Rain’s interruption had bothered Air enough for her to chide him. But that didn’t matter; he had the right to ask. After all, Kirlilith had orchestrated the massacre that had claimed the lives of dozens of his friends and comrades. But he couldn’t forget this was war. Even if they had been students, they had been soldiers above that. They’d chosen to fight knowing they might die. If she was a murderer, then so were they. Venting his anger at her was pointless; all he really wanted to do was find out what drove her. “Kirlilith, don’t you feel anything for the West?” “Feel…anything?” “Yeah. How do you feel about the country you’ve been helping for over a hundred years?” “How do I…feel?” She looked up to the sky, seemingly confused by his question. “Ha-ha-ha!” Kirlilith suddenly cackled. The grin on her face was lovely, yet terribly sad… “I’ve never once thought about that. In my eyes, wars and countries are but a means to live. A policy, a process…nothing more… Oh, I see. You’re worried, aren’t you? Well, don’t be. I assure you that I will not hesitate to kill the people of the West. And if you need proof, I can call my forces over and blow them up along with the mine.” I’ll show I can kill them… She was ready and willing to sacrifice her own comrades, the very people who’d placed their trust in her. And Rain finally realized the truth. Oh, she’s…empty. Kirlilith was a void. She didn’t have anything she wanted to protect or any sort of real purpose. She was just like a ghost from a storybook, acting to preserve her existence like a parasite. She had no friends or foes of any sort. She simply killed to suit her purposes. “Join hands with me, Air. We can stay in this world for as long as we wish—we only have to use your bullet’s ability to change history and my bullet’s ability to invoke death. Let us fight, together, and prove that we exist!” Her point was sound, but Air… “Sorry, I’ll pass.” …firmly rejected her. “That sounds boring. I didn’t think you’d be so pathetic, Kirlilith.” “…What?” “Use my power to continue the war? Use my power, which has the potential to shake the very foundations of this world, just to prolong my existence and delay the inevitable?” Air mocked Kirlilith’s suggestion as if it was the stupidest idea in the world. “Compared to your mind-numbingly dull invitation, this child’s offer is far more interesting,” Air said as she poked her thumb in Rain’s direction. “What…did he offer you?” “He’s trying to use my bullet’s power to end the war.” Air activated her Exelia as she said that. “And not just this war, either. He’s going to use my power to overwhelm the West so thoroughly that no wars ever break out again. His wish to end all future conflict.” “That’s…” “Oh yes. Without war, we Ghosts will have no reason to exist. Plus, no one’s ever been able to permanently end the fighting, so it’s most likely impossible.” “In that case—” “But it is interesting.” Air cut off Kirlilith to bring an end to her pleas. “If nothing else, it’s far more interesting than your ridiculous suggestion to keep fighting endlessly. This conversation is over, just like your existence as a Ghost.” “…I see. So be it, then.” Negotiations had concluded. After that, Kirlilith looked around with an icy gaze. After a few moments of hesitation, she lowered her head. When she raised it again, her eyes were dyed black and red. “That means…!” They were pitch-black, reflecting her unfathomable hatred. Those wasp-hued eyes were both proof of her identity as a Ghost and evidence of her malicious, murderous intent. “Good-bye, then, Air. I will miss having one more Ghost to fight.” “Yes, farewell, Kirlilith. I’m sure you won’t be so bored in the afterlife.” Their Qualia were honed to razor-sharp precision, marking the beginning of a battle between mages blessed with future sight. Every Ghost, without exception, was armed with divinities that set them apart. Ordinary Bullet Magic was akin to mass-produced weaponry, so it was easy to learn. But in the end, it was only a mock imitation of divinity. The Ghosts’ magic used real divinity at its core, leading to the creation of higher-level phenomena. “Horgo Bardas.” The moment the battle began, Kirlilith fired off a shot that turned into pure heat, swelling up to crush their surroundings. A single spell from her had created a deafening explosion, splitting the earth and scattering molten rock in all directions, and forming a stream of lava. Crimson flames kicked up all around them.