9. ESCAPE The Ghost Kirlilith Lambert. Her final shot had pierced through the bedrock, reached the mine’s alloy, and caused a massive explosion. The entire mine began to crumble and cave inward. The trees caught fire, the terrain shifted, and the raging shock waves scattered mineral dust and ashes, painting the whole area Kirlilith’s crimson color in seconds. And within that raging inferno, the Ghost Air regained consciousness, jolted awake by the spiraling flames. “Aaah, the fire...!” Her field of vision swirled and shook as the pain overwhelmed her. Looking down, she realized her left leg was trapped under a large rock. This is bad… She tried moving it, but that didn’t do anything. I can’t… This is it… The rock hadn’t budged. And unfortunately for her, the flames didn’t die down at all as they gradually closed in on her. Oh. Air hadn’t expected her life to come to an end in such an anticlimactic manner. I… She’d tried to think about how many times she’d repeated the cycle of war as a Ghost, about what exactly she’d gained over those endless ages. ...... She’d been sent to the gallows on false charges. And when she’d first awoken as a Ghost, she’d found a peculiar silver bullet in her hands—a silver bullet with the power to change the world. She’d thought that maybe, just maybe, she could use it for good. That perhaps, with that power, she could fix the broken world. But she’d failed. Why am I so…so… When she lowered her eyes, her gaze fell on the countless scars on her body. …so filthy...? The betrayals from those she’d loved had torn her heart apart. Time after time, she had been plunged into the pits of despair. I… After being stabbed in the back so many times, she’d gradually started to fear growing close to anyone, until eventually, the thought of someone touching her body repulsed her. Air had feared the idea so much that she would lash out at anyone who even attempted it. She’d assumed anyone who touched her would see her true, disgusting self. Air had only gotten over it, just a little, at the very end, when she reached out to save the boy as he fell. It had lasted a mere moment, but her body had moved on instinct and touched him. What’s going on...? In the end, she’d only managed to conquer that one nasty habit. Air had absolutely nothing else to show for her long life. Someone… The flames moved to consume her; they didn’t care that she’d never found someone who truly accepted her. Someone—anyone, it doesn’t matter who… As she drew her last breath, Air decided to put her desires into words. “Please, save me…” In that moment, she wasn’t a Ghost or some genius mage. She had no appearances to keep up, no reason to hold her tongue. She was just a lonely, wounded girl begging for help. And those pure, honest words… “There you are.” “Huh…?” …reached a certain boy’s ears. A familiar voice called out to her from beyond the flames—low, rude, and cold. “…Hard to find, aren’t you?” “Wh-what…?” “Why’re you acting all confused, Air? We’re getting out of here. There’s too much fire and smoke.” As he spoke, magic pulverized the rock pinning Air’s leg. The boy had fired Bullet Magic within the searing flames, even though he was struggling to breathe himself. “Why are you still here…?” “Why? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but this is just a coincidence. I saw that thing on your neck reflecting the flames.” Rain pointed at the object dangling from Air’s neck as he said that. It was the silver necklace, the very same one he’d gifted to his younger sister, Rilm, seven years ago. “It has some alloy inside it, and alloy scatters longer wavelengths of light. Red light, like these flames. That’s why I could see it even through the rubble.” Rain picked Air up while he was explaining, and as he carried her on his back, the girl struggled to understand the true meaning of his actions. Why...? Rain and Air advanced together through the flames, the latter leaning against the former’s back. “Why…?” Air mumbled out from behind him. “Huh? Like I said, it was a total coincidence.” “Why did you save me?” Why did this boy...? “If I die…you’ll be set free…” When Air had granted him her divinity, she’d also bound him to her with a pact. In exchange for the Devil’s Bullet’s powers, Rain relinquished the ability to disobey her orders. But part of the agreement was that if she died, he would be freed from that curse. The cadet Rain Lantz harbored a deep-seated rage within him due to the unjust deaths of his friends and family. The war between the East and the West had claimed everyone he’d ever loved. And Air had taken advantage of those feelings. She’d always known the outcome of giving him the Devil’s Bullet. His anger didn’t burn like a flame. It was terribly calm and almost indifferent. It had been obvious to her that he’d use the Devil’s Bullet to change the world and conclude their endless war. That meant that in his eyes, Air and her pact of absolute servitude were nothing but a nuisance. Of course, Air’s own rage wasn’t to be trifled with. Nothing had ever wiped that moment from her mind—her unjust execution one hundred years ago. That memory lingered within her, festering like a deep wound. When she had been reborn as a Ghost and gained the Belial’s divinity, there was only a single thought at the forefront of her mind… I wish everything would just disappear! And the power she’d gained stemmed from that state of mind. So I… She’d used the boy. She’d offered him an appealing power and coerced him into battles between Ghosts. And as a result, the lives of many of his classmates and friends had been forfeited. “Rain… Did you forget?” “Forget what?” “If I die, the pact binding you will dissolve.” She was offering the reminder at the most inopportune moment. “Huh? How would I forget something that important?” “So why?” “You’re smart.” “…Huh?” Air mumbled, clearly confused. She thought she might have misheard him. “Much smarter than I am, really,” Rain stated firmly. “Plus, your Exelia handling is crazy good. I totally would’ve lost that fight with Kirlilith if you weren’t around.” He’d given such a simple, practical reason. “You’ve got it all backward, Air. I’m the one using you. Don’t you die before I’m done.” “That’s…” “And honestly…I feel bad for you, too.” “Ugh…” “You Ghosts lead pretty tragic lives, huh?” The flames had spread out so far that every breath burned Rain’s lungs, making his voice especially husky. “You died in the middle of battle, still full of regrets… And every few decades, someone you don’t even know resurrects you and forces you to fight, until it’s time to start the cycle again… You’re like a heat haze, appearing and disappearing at random. It’s probably the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Rain’s stamina should’ve been at its limits. He’d depleted his mana reserves during the battle with Kirlilith, so he should’ve been on the brink of collapse. And yet he never once let his hold on Air slacken. He just resolutely walked on through the raging flames with her on his back. “Don’t you wanna beat the crap out of them, Air?” “…Huh?” “Those people who use the dead like toys. Don’t you wanna drag them down from their pedestal and beat them to a pulp?” “Well…” She obviously did. If Air had simply disappeared one hundred years ago, she wouldn’t have been forced to keep fighting in her wounded, blemished body. “Of course I do…” “Then don’t you dare die!” Rain insisted. He was telling Air to let him save her. What’s with him...? She’d never met anyone quite like him. In all her time as a Ghost, no one had ever treated her so kindly; no one had ever tried to save her. I don’t understand… You’re saving me? As a ghost, she’d been continually resurrected against her will, and with each life, she gave her bullet to countless different people, taking advantage of them and being taken advantage of in turn. Some were kind to her at first, but the power of the Devil’s Bullet soon painted their souls black. Overwhelming power was fertile soil for greed. And all those who’d grown arrogant upon gaining her power had, without exception, tried to claim her life. That’s…right… It hadn’t just happened once or twice. All of them… Every single one of them had tried to erase Air’s existence to claim her power. Not all the scars on her body were a result of the battlefield. More than half had been inflicted by former partners, the people she’d granted the Devil’s Bullet. That’s just how…people naturally are… She’d believed in others, entrusting them with her Devil’s Bullet. She’d had no choice but to believe in them, because if she hadn’t, the solitude would have crushed her. Ghosts lived outside any regular perception of time, so they were often filled with an unbearable loneliness. They had to fight through countless battlefields, claim countless lives all on their own. Air couldn’t handle that, so she’d decided she needed someone by her side. But whenever she’d found someone to help stave off that solitude, they’d betrayed her. Time after time, one trusted companion after another. I decided to never trust someone again… Before she knew it, she’d lost faith in humanity as a whole. She’d told Rain as much during her first meeting with the boy during the fourth war. “If I die, the pact binding you will dissolve.” Any normal person who’d heard such words after receiving the Devil’s Bullet would have gone after her, making them easier to read and pacify. However, instead of trying to claim her life, Rain had told her to live and get revenge. I can’t…understand him…at all… It would’ve been hard to escape the flames even on his own, yet he still wanted both of them to survive. And that action shook the very foundations of her soul. Why...? It broke the seal locking her heart away… Why am I so...? …and filled her with warmth from the inside. The feeling was surprisingly hot amid the flames, but it was not at all unpleasant. It was a type of pain she’d never felt before. What is this...? Something in my chest…feels strange… And as she leaned into it, the boy’s back felt extremely warm. I… For some reason, even though she hated being touched, she felt calm instead of agitated. Her body did not reject the boy as she nestled into him. “Dammit. It’s burning over here, too… Where can we even go?” They’d completely lost their way out as the flames beat at their backs. “Rain.” “What? We’ve got no time for chitchat.” “Let go of me.” “Ah!” The moment Air spoke, Rain’s body acted against his wishes to fulfill the order, and he released her. And without his arms holding her up, she dropped straight to the ground. Of course, Rain hadn’t intended to let her fall, but he had no choice. “Ughhh… Ouch… I should’ve told you to put me down gently…” “What are you…?” “Oh, one additional order. Don’t move off that spot.” Rain had started to walk over to her, but his legs had suddenly frozen in place. He desperately tried to keep going, but he couldn’t even feel his stiff legs. The order had clearly been enhanced with magic. Air had invoked the pact. “What are you doing…now of all times?” “There’s no escaping the fire at this point.” “That’s why we have to find somewhere to hide…” “Nowhere around here is safe,” Air said as she lifted her body using her one good arm and wobbled to her wounded feet. “It’s pointless. I have this mine’s terrain memorized, so I can tell how far the fire has spread.” The entire area would be engulfed in three minutes. “And that’s why…we have to use the Devil’s Bullet,” Air stated as she reached a hand to her belt and whipped out her pistol. Of course, the Devil’s Bullet changed the world by erasing a person, so they needed a specific target. Through the flames, Rain saw Air hold on to the gun’s grip. “I finally, finally”—Air paused, then lowered her voice to a whisper—“understand.” “You and I—” —are the same. They were extremely alike. Both of them had once been far too weak to accept the absurdity of war and how quickly lives could be extinguished. But they couldn’t remain weak, so they’d sought greater power…and ended up with a burden that no one should’ve had to bear alone. A more ordinary person would’ve buckled under that pressure, but those two still elected to fight. And she’d never met another like her. She’d never met a person who’d understood a Ghost’s way of life, her way of life. Within the deadly environment of a battlefield, no one had ever tried to understand Air. Instead, they’d simply deemed her too unlike themselves. But not this boy. We’re the same… They were completely different people, but they shared something at their core, since they’d shouldered the same burden. And that was why he’d instantly told her to live when she’d accepted her own death. Seriously… Air sighed, feeling rather forlorn. You really are quite pushy. But… She’d gathered her thoughts and decided to put them into words. “Now, Rain, listen well.” The boy had fallen to his knees, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, and the girl proudly stood before him. She knew entrusting the rest of the war to him was unfair, but she also truly believed he’d be fine. She believed he’d succeed, no matter the odds. “I have a few things I need you to hear.” “What?” Air’s voice was calm but also somewhat playful, much like her usual tone. “First, I want you to end this war at any cost.” Air didn’t aim her muzzle at Rain. Instead, the gun moved toward her own temple. “This is an order you must obey. I want you to stop the war, even though no one’s been able to do that over the last one hundred years. It’ll be your hardest task, but you must accomplish it. I won’t let you refuse. I mean, you even said you’d do it earlier.” The flames drew ever closer to their bodies. “Second, I want you to make sure you use the Devil’s Bullet justly. It’s corrupted the heart of every mage before you, but I know you’re different. Fight hard.” He’d known something had felt off. What the hell are you saying, Air?! But he’d guessed the girl’s intentions far too late. “And third…” Unfortunately, her order bound him, so he couldn’t move. “Don’t forget me.” She looked directly into his eyes as she said that. “Anyone who has their existence erased is forgotten by everyone aside from the bullet’s user. Honestly, I’m not all that attached to this world, but…I suppose I do want to live on inside at least one person… Just a bit, though.” You can’t be serious, Air! She’d ordered him not to move away, but that meant he still had use of his upper body. So Rain pulled out his pistol and shot at the gun in her hands. The feat required incredibly precise aim, but it wasn’t at all impossible. His bullet drew a tight arc, heading straight for Air’s gun. But… “Oh, and get stronger, would you?” …she easily evaded his shot with a slight twist of her body. It was one last message to the boy, spoken through actions instead of words. “I am the Ghost Air.” This was the end Air herself had chosen as she pressed the barrel of her gun into her throat. “That’s the one thing I don’t want you to forget.” And then she fired the silver bullet, the bullet that shifted the world. The next moment, everything distorted, and a distinct sensation ran through Rain’s body. It was proof that the Reprogramming had commenced. The world warped before his very eyes. “…Air!” he screamed, a desperate cry from a boy who loathed the world just as much as she had. But the world still transformed…into one where she’d never even existed.
Chapter 17
14 min read