VI
Olivia had pushed herself beyond all her limits. She collapsed right there where she stood, her arms and legs spread out in all directions.
Who was that woman? she wondered. As she recalled the mysterious scene she had just witnessed, Felix, beaten black-and-blue, came walking unsteadily over to her.
“I thought you were dead,” Olivia said to him.
“I’d thank you not to write me off just like that,” he replied with a wry smile. “In any case, you finally did it.”
“It was thanks to that woman in the end. Who was she?”
“A woman? Who are you talking about?” Felix extended a hand to Olivia. She took it, then stood up and took a look around her, but of course the woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Does that mean you couldn’t see her? She came out of your sword like fwoosh,” Olivia said, miming it out. But Felix just looked confused. Given his reaction, Felix had not been able to see the woman, but she had been too blinding for Olivia to doubt what she had seen. If the woman hadn’t held Xenia back, she and Felix would have reunited in the unknown realms of the Land of the Dead. She gave Felix’s fallen sword a long, hard look, but then thought, I guess it doesn’t matter.
As Felix looked puzzled, something strange appeared behind him. But it was a strangeness that Olivia was very familiar with. A tear opened up in space, then a black shadow extended out from the roiling storm-like backdrop.
Before Olivia could react, Felix had picked up his sword, then before she could stop him, he slashed at the shadow. With a high-pitched screech, the sword flew up high into the air. Felix looked shocked.
Your eyes make it obvious where you will attack. On top of that, you lack commitment.
“What...?!”
“Felix, that’s Z!” Olivia called to him. “Z!”
“It’s—? Eh...?”
Shoving Felix aside, Olivia threw herself into Z’s arms. “I beat Xenia!” she said.
You did very well. Z stroked her hair. It had been so long that Olivia couldn’t help but smile. Z turned to the dumbfounded Felix. I wish to speak with her. I shall send you ahead back to your comrades. Felix hesitated, but without waiting for him to respond, Z took him by the arm and vanished. Less than ten seconds later, Z was back.
“What do you want to talk about?” Olivia asked.
It is thanks to you that I was able to put a stop to Xenia’s rampage. For certain reasons, I could not have done it by my own hand. I wish to thank you.
“Huh? Oh, um, right. But I mean, I did it for myself, so...” Olivia mumbled, embarrassed at being thanked by Z for the first time.
After defeating Xenia, the right is yours to exact an equivalent price. What is your wish?
“Do you mean,” Olivia said slowly, “that you’ll grant me a wish?”
Z nodded. Olivia hadn’t seen this coming at all; it was completely out of the blue, and yet she spoke without hesitation.
“What if I said I want to be with you forever and ever and ever?”
After Z had vanished without a word, Olivia had thought just being reunited would be enough. But after their actual reunion, over the course of her training, she’d started to want more. She’d come to think that she wanted to live together with Z again.
Z answered her without any sign of hesitation. If that is what you wish, it said.
Z did not lie. It really would grant her wish. She could live with Z just like they had before. She shouldn’t have hesitated.
Am I hesitating? Why? She couldn’t figure out the reason, and the more she thought about it, the more lost she became. As she scratched her head in frustrated confusion, she heard something fall to the ground at her feet. The moment she saw what it was, the reason for her hesitation became clear. As if it were drawing her down, she dropped to her knees, then picked up the fallen item and held it tight.
“You’ll really grant anything I wish for?” Olivia asked.
Instead of answering her question, Z asked, What is your wish?
Olivia rose, then looked up at Z with resolution in her eyes.
“I wish for...”
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