2
Morning, five o’clock.
Along the skyline, between the gaps in the buildings, the faint sun began to rise. While most of the citizens were still in bed…
…a crimson explosion shook the quiet capital.
The asphalt roads were blown to smithereens and flew away. Buildings with broken glass swayed from the force of the impact and fell over each other like dominos.
“Ah?!”
“Uh?! What was that huge explosion…?”
Alicerose screamed at the thunderous roar. Next to her, Crossweil turned around to look at the disastrous scene.
“Is it a fire?”
Dense fog wafted up in the horizon, as well as embers that dyed the sky bright red. They were at the Eleventh Avenue Terminal. Almost a thousand people from the “first unit” had been boarding the first train heading to the border when the explosion happened.
“Is that at Castle Tower Seat?”
That was where Yunmelngen lived. But there was no way such a thing would have occurred there. It was the Empire’s most important building.
“Move, Crow.”
“What?”
Eve looked up silently at the sky and raised both her hands.
I call upon the outer layer of the planet.
The protection of the atmosphere.
He wasn’t sure whether it was the wind or just air, but some sort of invisible shield had spread, covering the terminal they had gathered in. He could feel it on his skin.
The first train in the terminal was also swallowed up by a raging fire.
The blast fell on them like an avalanche. Shock waves strong enough to form holes in the concrete walls rippled out in all directions. Before the steel could be scorched and the heat wave could reach them, the atmospheric shield stopped it.
“The train exploded?!”
They had barely made it. Had Eve not protected them, everyone near the train would have been blown away by the explosion.
…Based on the timing and location, it couldn’t have been a coincidence.
…They were trying to purge us as we were boarding the train!
He didn’t know who wished them dead.
The one thing they did know for certain was that someone had leaked their plan to escape. And the person who found out must have held ill will toward astral power contaminators.
“Wh-what’s going on here?! Musha was pale. “Th-that bomb was meant for us, wasn’t it?! Why?!”
They were only trying to leave the Empire.
They hadn’t been trying to create any problems for anyone, yet someone had tried to stop them in this way.
“Level one emergency.”
“All wards between First to Eleventh Avenue are ordered to evacuate.”
A warning had been issued.
It wasn’t simply coming from the Terminal, but also from the streets.
“Twelve locations, including Castle Tower Seat, have been bombed. The fire is spreading. Evacuate immediately.”
“The culprits are believed to be the Grand Witch Nebulis and her followers.”
…What?
Crossweil couldn’t believe his ears.
While he understood the words, he couldn’t grasp the meaning of them.
…The Grand Witch Nebulis? Isn’t that Eve?
…But she’s been by my side this whole time!
It must have been a misunderstanding or a false accusation. She was a hero who had saved hundreds of people from the bomb on the first train.
“Wh-what’s going on…Eve?!” Alicerose looked at her sister. As everyone stared at her, she looked up at the sky.
“I see.” Her voice was stifled and almost made them shudder. “So they will go that far to make me out to be a witch.”
There was another explosion. The flames shooting up from below and embers floating above were quickly turning the Imperial skies a dark red.
…The capital is burning.
…But we didn’t do this. Someone’s trying to pin this on us!
Their plan had been exposed.
That was when they had failed. Their escape from the capital had been changed into an uprising.
“The Grand Witch Nebulis has been spotted at Eleventh Avenue Terminal.”
“Those in the vicinity should stay indoors. All other citizens should take shelter as soon as possible.”
“This is no joke!” a middle-aged man wearing a backpack yelled. After his family had turned into astral power contaminators, even though he hadn’t, he’d decided to escape the capital with them. “We haven’t done anything! This explosion was—”
A bullet flew. As though to tear through his pleas, the sound of the opened fire rang out immediately after.
“Surrender.”
From within the flames that licked at the building, armored cars came into view. Lines of gun-toting infantry also appeared. Crossweil could hear an even larger tank coming from behind the lines.
“We have a message for the Grand Witch Nebulis’s sect.”
“We have come to arrest you for the attack on Castle Tower Seat and arson, as well as on charges of destroying the capital. You have nowhere to run.”
“Surrender.”
What would they do after conceding? Because they hadn’t resisted, hundreds of their own had already been imprisoned. They had learned down to their bones that surrender meant nothing in the past half year. Then what were they to do?
They could only run.
Everyone subconsciously knew that.
The train was destroyed, so they had to run on their own two legs. First, they needed to leave the Empire. But they were surrounded by raging flames closing in on them from all sides.
“Ruuun!”
“Scatter! Get out of the capital. Aim for the border!”
Dozens of voices yelled all at once. Over a thousand people fled in all directions from the burning front of the Terminal.
“Crow!”
“Over here, Alice! We need to run, too!”
He started to sprint with Alicerose.
…Who set the capital on fire?!
…And the Lord’s residence. What if something bad happened to Yunmelngen…?
But first he needed to focus on himself. If they couldn’t run from this place, they would be caught and thrown in prison.
“Crow! In front!” Alicerose pointed ahead at the main road.
“They’ve surrounded us?!”
Imperial soldiers were running out one after another from the side alleys with guns in hand. Tanks and armored vehicles were approaching them from behind. They were being closed in on from both the front and back.
“Stop!” Someone shouted a warning from the armored vehicle. “The Eleventh Avenue Terminal is surrounded. We are arresting you on suspicion of bombing Castle Tower Seat and setting fire to seventeen locations within the Imperial capital.”
“This can’t be real! We haven’t done anything!” Crossweil yelled back, spreading his arms out.
However, the pleas didn’t reach them, which he already knew would happen. That was because they had been basically caught red-handed. To the Imperial soldiers, at least, over a thousand astral power contaminators had gathered in front of the Terminal—that was all they saw.
They were the rebellion led by the witch who had set fire to the capital.
“This is your final warning! Halt.”
“If you resist or run, we will fire.”
Then someone answered that threat.
“Alice, Crow, get down.”
Flames rose. They were not the crimson ones that burned the capital. The wall of flames that seemed to envelop the tanks and armored vehicles were a bright violet.
“Urk?!”
As they were faced with these unknown flames, the vehicles stopped one after another.
“I’ll handle the soldiers. They’re likely after me more than anyone else.”
Eve stepped forward.
“You get out of the capital first.”
“Eve?!” Alicerose cried. “You can’t. You can’t do something so dangerous. You need to come with us!”
“Alice.” She turned around. Her astral crest, bigger than anyone’s, was apparent on her back. “I’m the older sister. Don’t worry about me.”
“Huh!”
“Come on, go. Crow, you protect Alice.”
That stirred something in him.
It wasn’t her words, but the way she seemed to carry the weight of being an older sister around her.
“Alice, we’re running!” Crossweil yelled.
He grabbed her hand before she could protest and broke out into a run.
The sky was dyed red.
To escape from the capital, which was being engulfed in flames, Crossweil chose alleyways instead of the main roads. Among the many narrow and complicated passages, there was one route that led to the outskirts of the capital. This was a path even the locals did not know about.
“Crow, everyone else is…”
“Everyone’s using their own path to escape. We need to run too, or we’ll get caught up in the fires!”
The flames enveloping the capital were spreading.
It leapt from building to building and onto private homes. There were people fleeing from their own homes with only the clothes on their backs.
…It’s not just astral power contaminators.
…The fire’s so big, everyone living in the capital has to escape.
They ran with the fires pursuing them.
“Alice, all we’re thinking about is running right now. If we get caught, we wouldn’t be able to face Eve again—ah?!”
He stopped in his tracks in the narrow passage. In front of him was a wall. Iron plates and planks of wood towered over them like a mountain blocking their path.
“They saw through it!”
This was what the Imperial forces meant by “surrounded,” then.
Their escape plan had been leaked. They must have closed off all routes the day before or the day before that.
“Crow, behind us!” Alicerose’s face crumpled as she heard combat boots approaching from behind them.
They had nowhere to go. Armed soldiers were behind them. Scrap wood had been piled in front of their eyes, obstructing their escape.
…What do I do?! It’d be impossible to force our way through their forces.
…Can we climb the barricade? No, they would attack while we’re going up.
Reality was beyond cruel. Eve was out there stopping all those soldiers on her own, meanwhile, he couldn’t even take what remained of his precious family to safety. Not with this mountain obstructing them.
…Wait.
…I’ve been in a situation like this before. When his way had been blocked.
When he’d snuck into the Lord’s residence.
The mechanical door had refused to move when he’d reached Yunmelngen’s room. What had he done back then?
“…Alice, get behind me.”
“Crow?”
“I’m going to try something reckless.”
With the pile of planks and iron pipes in front of him, he touched the astral crest on his neck. He needed the same inhuman strength from when he had forced open the door of the Crown Prince’s room.
For the first time, he prayed for it. For the first time, he prayed to the astral power that he had been trying to ignore until now.
…Please lend me your strength. It can even be a trade.
…If you can give me the power to get out of here, I’ll accept astral power for the rest of my life!
For a moment, his crest glittered. It was as though it was responding to his determination…or his offer.
“Mooooove!”
He ran at the wall, throwing all he had into ramming into it. The moment Crossweil tackled the towering pile that had to weigh hundreds of kilograms, sending pieces of it flying. It was as though he were a train running right through it. The wires holding together the barricade tore to pieces and scraps of wood flew about.
“……Huh? Y-you did this, Crow…?!”
“……Haah…ah…astral power that only works through brute-force doesn’t really look cool.”
He ran through the path that was now filled with the wreckage.
Crossweil worried for his other friends, who had scattered in all directions. They were all likely using any paths they could remember and any means they could come up with to also escape.
We got through the barricade.
…That only worked because I happened to have the right astral power possessing me.
There were more people than not who didn’t have that. Among the names in the witch list that the authorities of the Empire had revealed, there were many who simply had been possessed by astral power but didn’t have an ability.
That was the case for Alicerose. Because they were the same as ordinary civilians, they needed help from people like him and Eve.
“The barrier has been destroyed. It’s a higher-rank witch. You have permission to open fire.”
“We’re picking up astral energy readings! To the right!”
He could hear the loud orders being barked in the narrow alleyway behind them.
“Crow, they’re getting closer!”
“Run, Alice!”
He took Alicerose’s hand and turned right at the crossroad.
However, instead of losing the soldiers, the faster they ran, the closer the soldiers seemed. He felt something cold running down his neck as he made that realization. Their search was frighteningly accurate.
…The alleys we’re heading into are supposed to be like a maze.
…How do the soldiers know where we are?
Astral energy readings. He’d heard the unfamiliar term multiple times from behind him.
“They couldn’t possibly be…?!”
He touched the astral crest on his neck.
He realized the frightful truth. Had the Empire already created a device that detected astral power’s energy?
“Alice, we can’t use the alleys. There’s no point in even hiding!”
“What?!”
“They’ve got something like a heat sensor. They can detect astral energy. If they can find us in the alleyways, it’ll be faster to cross through the main roads!”
They’d use the fastest, most direct way out of the capital. As soon as Crossweil headed out onto the main road, in an instant, he knew that decision was a mistake. He saw something he shouldn’t have.
The witches being taken by the Imperial forces.
Some had been shot and were still bleeding, while others were crying and screaming.
However, the witches were not the only victims. There were just about as many Imperial soldiers bleeding on the ground as there were witches.
It was not a one-sided fight. Both sides had been equally harmed. Eve had led several astral power contaminators who wielded powerful abilities.
And they had put that power to use. The asphalt had been broken into pieces, the tanks torn in half, and the armored cars mangled to an unrecognizable degree. There were no victors here. Soldiers and witches alike had fallen, and both sides had bled.
“What is this…?”
The scene was so gruesome that he couldn’t say anything else.
How had things ended up like this? They had simply wanted to run to live in peace. The Imperial forces had come to suppress the witches and sorcerers they believed to have set fire to the capital. There was no true villain. All of them had just done what they could to survive, and none of them had done anything wrong by it.
Both sides continued to be harmed.
Among them was a girl called the Grand Witch.
“Eve!”
“Huh! Alice?!” Eve turned around, farther down on the main road.
Her face was covered in soot from the smoke and embers. Her cheek was cut, as though someone had sliced at her and blood from her forehead had run into her eye.
“Eve, your wounds…!” Alicerose went pale.
Eve had likely been grazed by bullets. She had protected herself from direct hits, but some had been unavoidable. She also had a deep wound that looked like it had come from someone gouging a knife into her.
“Stop, Eve! Let’s run!” Alicerose yelled when she saw her sister’s many injuries.
“After we save the others! You too, Alice! Don’t come out here. Hurry and get out of the capital!”
“…”
“Alice?”
She didn’t let her older sister continue. Alice shook off Crossweil’s hand as he tried to stop her and had run out of cover and straight into the middle of the road. She spread her arms in front of the Imperial soldiers and their weapons.
“Everyone, stop!”
Her lament echoed through the fiery capital. Eve and Crossweil didn’t have the time to stop her as Alicerose ran to a mother and daughter crouched in the rubble. They were both astral power contaminators and were simply looking for somewhere safe.
The Imperial soldiers even pointed their guns at them.
“Alice?!”
“Alice, stop!”
“Please, we haven’t done anything. We didn’t set this fire…!” Alicerose’s eyes were red and swollen as she begged the soldiers. She was protecting the mother and daughter from their weapons. “We’re just trying to leave the country! Please, listen to us. No one wants this fight. Why are—”
A shot rang out.
Amid the echoing cannon fire and the crackling embers, it was unlikely anyone had heard the shot.
Eve and Crossweil hadn’t.
And before they could understand what happened—
Blood spurted from Alicerose’s shoulder, and she fell back.
She didn’t scream.
Alicerose’s knees gave out, and she silently collapsed in front of the cowering mother and child’s eyes.
“Alice?!”
Crossweil ran as fast as he could.
…She was shot. Where? Her shoulder? Was it through her chest?!
…Was it only one?!
His mind had gone blank.
But then he realized the Imperial soldiers’ guns aimed for him next. He grabbed his sister as they were about to open fire.
So aves cal pile—come, staff of the heavens.
Crack.
On the other side, where space seemed to have fractured, the bullets aimed for him, his sister, and the mother and child had been swallowed up.
“I understand now…”
He heard a voice from above. The Imperial capital’s skies were dark, as though rain clouds had suddenly materialized. A sinister black miasma swirled about, blocking even the sunlight.
In the center of that, the Grand Witch looked down emotionlessly upon the Imperial forces.
“This world has no heroes or saviors. If there were, why would my family have gotten hurt…? Run…you’ll just be hurt…”
Dark currents of air began to coalesce. A black twisted staff appeared in Eve’s right hand.
“I will destroy the Empire.”
With her magic staff, she looked exactly like the witches of fairy tales.
“I am a witch, and the Imperial soldiers are enemies.”
She brought down her staff. The moment Crossweil saw that, the very air screeched. Space ruptured. Buildings blew away like they were sandcastles. The asphalt roads were stripped off the ground and turned into particles as they were blown up. Armored cars and tanks flew about likes leaves in the wind as they sailed into the sky. The destruction was not accompanied by any sound.
Before he knew it, the Imperial capital’s streets had transformed into a wasteland of rubble.
“Shut up.”
Using her staff, she once again mowed through them with the void.
A shock wave greater than a missile sounded out and blew five tanks—the reinforcement—across the horizon.
The road was quiet.
“…”
Eve looked down from the sky. She was likely watching the fallen soldiers, feeble and incapable as ants. The tides had turned.
Because the Grand Witch Nebulis had awakened, the Imperial forces were no longer the hunters. They had become the witches’ prey.
“I should have done this from the start,” Eve murmured, her eyes still hollow. “The Empire hurt my sister, so I might as well make it disappear.”
She held her staff at the ready. She aimed at the Imperial soldiers who had been observing everything from the shadows of the wreckage.
“W-withdraw! Hurry!”
Dozens of soldiers threw down their guns and ran.
Eve lifted her staff a third time.
“You think I’ll let you escape?”
“…Eve…stop…” Alicerose muttered from within Crossweil’s arms.
Crossweil had heard her whisper as he held his hand over her reddening shoulder.
“Stop it…I’m…fine. Stop. I don’t want you to hurt anyone else…just because I got injured…”
But her voice didn’t reach her sister.
The buildings crumbled with a thunderous roar. The flames crackled as they spread. There was no way Alicerose’s small voice could reach her sister.
“Eve…”
“Eve, that’s enough! Stop it!” Crossweil yelled in her place.
Faced with Eve’s cruelty, the Imperial forces were likely chilled to the bone with fear. That the witches had set fire to the capital—a scenario that had been spread through lies—now had become reality.
…Because of the battle with Eve, the Imperial forces have almost been annihilated.
…The buildings have been destroyed, and the ground has been pulverized.
They couldn’t call this a misunderstanding anymore.
Seeing this destruction, no person could say they weren’t frightened of witches. That they were dangerous monsters would likely be etched into the Imperials’ hearts forever.
“That’s enough, sister!” Crossweil yelled. “The flames have spread, and we need to get out of here!”
“…”
She didn’t act like his voice had gotten through to her, either.
And it was with great irony that it hadn’t. Though Eve had gone on a rampage because of her family being injured, she was so far gone in her rage that she couldn’t hear her family anymore.
“Disappear, Empire.”
The witch swung her staff.
She was bringing down the staff of the heavens on the Imperial soldiers who were running away when a small figure leapt out from the shadow of a building.
“Wait.”
It was someone small wearing a large raincoat.
Because of the hood drawn low over their face, Crossweil couldn’t see their features, but he was the only one to draw in his breath. It was the voice he was most familiar with only after his family—his conversation partner.
“Yunmelngen?!”
“Hey, Crow. Looks like things didn’t go well for either of us, did they?”
Yunmelngen removed his hood. When he did, Alicerose and the mother and child behind Crossweil screamed.
It was a beast. With giant ears on top its head, and a tail like a fox’s just barely visible underneath the raincoat.
“You don’t look too surprised, Eve. Well, I suppose we’re similar, when it comes to being monsters.”
“…”
The Grand Witch looked down on the beastperson from the sky. The two beings who possessed the greatest astral powers in the world met for the first time.
“Oh, perhaps it was bold of me to assume we’re on a first-name basis. That’s what Crow called you, so I did too, but I suppose Nebulis would be more appropriate.”
“You…”
“Even in this state, I’m still the Crown Prince. We met at the Planet’s Navel, remember? Unfortunately, I don’t, but Crow has told me an awful lot about you.”
The beastperson peered at the sky. Instead of staring at Eve, he looked at the endless embers flowing about.
“The Imperial capital will eventually be burned to the ground.”
“So what?”
“You weren’t the one who created the fire, right?”
“And?”
Her replies were cold, nearly heartless. The flames engulfing the capital were likely the work of someone’s schemes. However, Eve intended to destroy the city regardless. They had hurt the astral power contaminators and her younger sister. She knew that the Empire had done those deeds.
“I’d like to talk.” Yunmelngen looked up at the Grand Witch. “I’ll let you go. I’ll give out an order to remove the guards from the borders so you can leave. So if you please, don’t destroy the capital more than you already have.”
“……What did you say?”
“Look, the capital has been burned down.”
Under the red skies, the buildings were ablaze and being charred black. This was no longer a battle between astral power contaminators and Imperial soldiers. It was simply an unprecedented fire. If they didn’t work to put out the fire immediately, things would likely end in catastrophe.
“Tens of thousands have already lost their homes. I’d like to avoid any other victims.”
“You think you have the right to say that?!” she bellowed from the skies. “The Imperials! Who cares?! We faced persecution and abuse at their hands as their forces tried to provoke us!”
“Yes. And it’s my fault for not stopping it…as you can see.”
The raincoat went flying off. He showed his silver form as the flames continued to burn in the background.
There were bullet marks and purple blood on his fur.
Had he been a normal person, he likely would have died instantly. He had only survived because he was no longer human. It occurred to Crossweil that his injuries were bullet wounds.
…Only military police and Imperial soldiers have guns.
…Did they shoot him?!
It was proof that someone had tried to take the Crown Prince’s life.
“As you can see, Nebulis, there is someone who is trying to tear apart the Empire.”
Yunmelngen simply showed his bloody form to the witch in the sky.
“They were the ones who agitated the public to turn against the astral power contaminators. They deceived the Imperial assembly and the Imperial forces. I just don’t have concrete proof.”
“…”
“And Nebulis, I’m sure you’ve noticed, and that the astral power possessing your body has told you as well. There’s no meaning to fighting here.”
“Why?” she asked.
“The true calamity still remains at the core of the planet.”
Silence fell. Crossweil and Alicerose were also quiet. They didn’t know what this true calamity was.
…Yunmelngen, what are you talking about?
…You never mentioned that to me before!
“Sorry, Crow. I wanted to tell you during a less exciting time.” Yunmelngen kept his back to Crossweil. “But Nebulis, I know that you’ve felt it, at least. That I’m not lying. The astral powers coming to the surface were running from the planet’s core.”
“…”
“I need your powers. Your enemy isn’t the Empire.”
“Was that all you wanted to say?” She uttered it with such venom, almost like a witch’s curse.
As her voice echoed from above, Crossweil could feel the very wrath and hatred in her voice.
“The Imperials were riled up by someone, you say? That doesn’t lessen the severity of their crimes! I loathe the soldiers that hurt my sister and those that degraded my friends! Yunmelngen, I don’t care about this calamity you speak of!”
“So you’ll simply annihilate us?”
“I will! In order to protect my friends and family!”
“Unfortunately, it seems you’ve transformed into a witch down to your very heart.”
There was a flash from the beast. He had shown a glint of his sharp fangs from the corner of his mouth.
“In that case, I suppose I’ll need to stop you to protect my country.”
“You? Stop me?”
“With my power, it’s not impossible, even if a wrong call is made on who the winner is.”
A whirlwind began to form.
As the flames engulfing the Empire grew stronger, wind began to flow between the beast and the witch that was cold enough to freeze their sweat.
It was starting. Or rather, it had already started.
The two who had fused with their astral powers the most were about to fight, possibly to their deaths.
…Wait, they can’t be serious.
…Is that really the only thing they can do?!
What good would come from fighting?! But when he thought about it, the two had also come to the same conclusions about the future. That was where the escape plan had come from. Yunmelngen, who had made the suggestion first, had recommended that to Crossweil while deciding behind the scenes to stay in the Empire. Eve had also led the plan to escape despite being scorned by others as the Grand Witch.
…The two of them did more than anyone for astral power contaminators!
…Why are they fighting each other now?!
Was there really no other alternative? His beloved sister or his genial friend? He didn’t want to lose either of them. How could he stop them?
…There’s no point in just telling them to stop or calm down.
…There needs to be an incentive that will make both stop.
What could he do? The only route that would prevent the two from fighting right now was…
“Wait!” As the flames approached him, Crossweil shouted as loudly as he could. “Eve, Yunmelngen! Both of you!”
However…
Neither the beast nor the witch were likely to simply agree with him.
“Sorry, Crow, this is something that I can’t avoid.”
“Out of the way, Crow. You need to leave the capital with Alice as fast as you can.”
“…”
He stepped forward silently and stopped right in front of Yunmelngen’s eyes. Then, for the first time, he turned to Eve, who was floating above him, and spread his arms. He was protecting Yunmelngen.
“Crow?!” Eve’s eyes opened wide. “What are you doing?! Get out of the way. I need to wipe the person behind you off the face of the planet!”
“I thought about it…”
He addressed Eve, Alicerose, who was behind him, and Yunmelngen, who looked at him with surprise.
“I’m going to stay in the Empire.”
“Uh?! Crow!” Eve’s face twitched.
She couldn’t understand what her little brother had told her. But this was the only conclusion he could come to in this battle where every single second mattered.
“Crow…what do you mean?!” Alice shouted.
“Sorry, Alice. You couldn’t rely on me right at the most crucial moment.”
He turned away from Alice’s weak gaze. He couldn’t stand to look at her strained face. This had been his last resort, the option he had agonized over and had been uncertain about.
“But this is the only way… It’s all I can think of.”
He avoided Alicerose’s eyes and looked up at Eve.
“Eve, take Alice and the others and evacuate right now. You’re the only one who can protect everyone after leaving the Empire.”
“Crow, what are you…?!”
“I’m helping the prince out.”
He turned his head to look at the silver-haired beastperson who stared back at him in adoration.
“Even if you go on a rampage in the Empire, no one’s going to listen. He’s the only one who can change the Empire from within. But he can’t make public appearances like that, even as the Lord. Someone else needs to do it.”
“Crow…” He could hear a sob threatening to come out in Yunmelngen’s voice. The no-longer-human Crown Prince was on the verge of saying something.
Ris sia sohia, Ahz cia r-teo, So Ez xiss clar lef mihas xel—I will release it now. Listen to the song of the planet’s end.
The ground beneath his feet began to tremble from the planet’s core, triggered by the magic words spoken. And suddenly, Crossweil felt dizzy and a chill overwhelming him. For a moment, he thought he was going to lose consciousness.
…It’s getting colder still.
…What was that voice just now?! What did I just hear?!
It hadn’t been human. The moment he had heard the voice that seemed to have been issued from deep, deep within the ground, his whole body felt like it had been shackled. It wasn’t just him.
“…No, don’t come near me!”
“Yunmelngen?!”
Yunmelngen collapsed on the spot. He was panting and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
“…How was that…? You understand now, Nebulis… You must have felt its words of power. You still think you need to fight the Empire?”
“Tsk!”
The girl had fallen. She was kneeling on the ground and couldn’t stand, panting in the same way as Yunmelngen.
…It wasn’t just me.
…Eve and Yunmelngen felt it, too.
But it wasn’t the same for everyone. The mother and child behind Alicerose were looking around as though trying to locate what had happened.
“…Silence, Yunmelngen.” Eve gritted her teeth. She cursed her shaking knees as she stood up and staggered toward Alicerose. “I’ll allow you to live for Crow’s sake… But my hatred for the Empire has not abated in the slightest. You want to change the Empire? I’d like to see you try…”
She placed a hand on Alicerose’s back.
“Let’s go, Alice. You’re bleeding an awful lot from your shoulder. We need to get you treated before anything else.”
“W-wait, Eve! What about Crow?!”
“…” Eve was silent.
He knew it was his responsibility to answer her.
“Alice,” he said, this time not avoiding her eyes. Crow gave his beloved family the best smile he could. “Thank you. This is how we’re ending the half year we spent together in the Empire, but it was a lot of fun because you and Eve were around.”
“…Huh!”
“Take care of the wound on your shoulder. You need to get treatment right away once you get to safety.”
“Crow!”
“Please be careful,” he said.
He tried to show her that she didn’t need to worry about him.
He cursed his shaking legs and fought to keep watch until they left.
Then the twins disappeared.
It was Eve’s power.
They were engulfed in a black whirlwind. Then his family disappeared entirely from the Empire.
“Good-bye, sisters…”
As the capital burned, Crossweil bit his lip, all alone.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login