.Hack//Epitaph of Twilight:Volume 2

Novel Illustrations

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  Page 55

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  Page 135

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  Page 155

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  Page 197

Episode 5//discord

The Lands of Darkness were in chaos. Pale light shone through the darkness from the stalactite building that served as the palace of the one who ruled these lands – Queen Helba – who stared down from her balcony in silence. For on this night, the area surrounding her palace had become much more raucous than usual. Hundreds of spirits and phantom beasts could be seen in the distance as they rushed for the palace.

Standing there, the pale, purple robe that softly enveloped Helba’s slender, glamorous body swayed in a gust of wind, and her silken silver hair glistened in the light of the chandelier as it hung over her pale cheeks.

Silently, someone watched Helba’s back. She was an ugly, diminutive old hag compared to Helba, but she served as the queen’s attendant in place of her proper retainer, Bith, since he had gone out in search of the Twilight Dragon. She was Boa, a serpent spirit, and had assumed a human form and come to the palace at Helba’s request.

“You knew this was coming, didn’t you?” Boa spoke with a sigh, still standing behind Helba, who stood without indicating if she was listening or not, her arms crossed and a cold smile on her lips. “It’s hard to believe their actually cooperating with one another; this should be impossible. Well…… I will go and suppress them.”

“No, it’s fine.” About to leave, Boa turned back in shock at Helba’s words. “If you wish to fight them, then you may; but it will only hasten your death.”

Saying that, Helba quickly stepped out onto the balcony. And then in the blink of an eye― she was holding a snow-white spell staff in her hand. “Are you going to fight, then?” Boa asked and approached the balcony.

“If I do not, who then would defend this palace?”

Raising her spell staff high, Helba brought it down with as much force as she could muster into the floor of the balcony. And from that point of impact, a powerful shockwave spread out in all directions, continuing far beyond the center of the palace. The shockwave caused Helba’s robe to flutter about her, revealing a glimpse of her pale legs underneath.

“……”

After a moment, the shockwave Helba sent off into the distance bounced back to return to its origin point. “Very well done.” Boa noted with appreciation, and Helba gave her a slight smile.

“It is no use trying to lead those who have been led astray. Until this rebellion is settled, no one shall be allowed near this place.”

“Ah well― things won’t be settled for quite some time then, so long as the waves continue to consume the world, that is.”

“It cannot be helped.”

“Ah, however,” Just then, as if remembering something, Boa lifted a hand to her temple, then began to speak. “I think you know already, but……”

“?”

“I have heard rumors that the waves are chasing down those who search for the Twilight Dragon.” She said, and Helba nodded for her to continue. “As the Splintered Forest was, now Arche Haokar may have been swallowed up. It’s too much to be a coincidence. Although…… even if it were just a rumor, the journey ahead of them would still be difficult.”

“Difficult?”

“Of course. Even spirits who truly believe in the legend wouldn’t easily accept Bith and the others.”

“Ah, I see……” Despite the gravity of their discussion, the smile never left Helba’s lips.

“Are you not worried?”

“Why should I worry?”

“?”

“Bith is accompanying the shadow-bearers. Regardless of whether or not the waves are following them, no respectable spirit would dare impede them. Bith understands this― but more importantly, what do you make of his reports?”

Boa tilted her head.

“So, what you’re worried about― is that there is a human among the shadow-bearers? Or is it the appearance of that ancient monster they call Cubia? Or perhaps it is simply the location of the Twilight Dragon?”

“It is none of that.”

“Aha……” Boa pondered the question for a moment. “Putting aside the matter of if he is the right person…… it’s not so odd to think that one of the legendary shadow-bearers would emerge from the humans. Their curiosity has always driven them to become a part of events. And it’s not as though any spirit with a shadow would reveal themselves willingly.” She surmised, and Helba motioned for her to continue. “The legend itself never said whether they would be human or spirit in the first place. So I don’t think it’s anything to worry about after all.”

“Unless the legend were written before humans were born, in which case you would assume the shadow-bearers must all be spirits…… wouldn’t you?”

“I care little for the ancient past.” At her attendant’s words, Helba gave a wry smile. Boa was the only person who get away with speaking so plainly before her Queen. “Next, there is Cubia. I believe it may have been awoken by the waves. Though I must admit I am surprised to find that it really exists.”

“The Cursed Waves, and now an ancient monster.”

“There must be something to the timing of it all…… not that thinking about it will help anything.”

Seeming gloomy, Boa pulled at her long gray hair as she spoke, and when she did, Helba caught a glimpse of her eyes. Even though she had taken on a humanoid form, her distinctive serpentine pupils remained evident in her eyes.

“And that just leaves the location of the Twilight Dragon― a bit far away to reasonably travel, being fair. But you do still expect them to go, don’t you?” Helba simply smiled at Boa’s question, which she took as confirmation. “The legend is too abstract, and until we know how the Twilight Dragon will actually help us, I don’t think it is worth it to take any direct action.”

“……If it’s not there, we’ll find another way.”

Saying that, Helba looked back out of the window. From outside, she could hear the screams and shouts in the uproar of the spirits and phantoms below.

“Such fools…… they haven’t even noticed yet that I’ve placed a protective barrier around myself.” The queen chastised the rebels, and Boa’s lips twisted upwards in a crooked smile.



Meanwhile, in the Lands of Light, the deciphering of the ancient texts was still underway. Within the Great Archives in the basement of King Apeiron’s palace, any spirit who could read the ancient texts had been gathered from all over the country and were currently huddled together in order to decipher these documents.

The sounds of pages being turned echoed throughout the stacks, and though the occasional sigh could be heard, there was absolutely no superfluous conversation.

Seeking to shake off the dreary atmosphere,  Apeiron stepped out the Great Archives for a moment. “Still nothing……” Muttering that to himself, he made his way up the spiral staircase while rubbing the back of his neck to ease the stiffness in his shoulders.

He hadn’t expected deciphering the texts to be a simple task by any means, but progress was going even slower than he had anticipated. There weren’t any spirits left who could read the ancient script fluently, and even if they could, the information they truly wanted to know didn’t seem to be forthcoming. And that more than anything was causing Apeiron’s frustrations to grow.

Once he reached the top of the spiral staircase, Apeiron began walking through the connecting corridors of his palace with heavy footfalls. Warm light flooded in from between the thick pillars to either side. And looking between those pillars, Apeiron gazed out at the sky, frowning at the blinding brilliance.

“Hmm?”

A black dot became visible in the center of the sun. Then more dots gathered around the first before they flew out in a straight line heading straight for Apeiron. It must have been the shadow of something large, and Apeiron braced himself instinctively, but then realized what that flying shadow must be and waited for it to arrive instead.

When it drew closer, he saw that it was indeed a flock of pure white doves clad in golden light. They were Fili’s familiars, and as the doves approached Apeiron, one disappeared, then two…… until in the end only the dove with the weakest light in the flock remained.

That dove landed on Apeiron’s shoulder and brought its beak close to his ear, whispering to him and passing on a report from Fili.

“……” Apeiron frowned. Unlike the Queen of Darkness, he never did have much of a poker face. “Even though I have my hands full here…… you took on a request from a human?”

Apeiron complained, and then without telling anyone― he chased away the dove perched on his shoulder, and it disappeared in a puff of golden powder like brushing away burnt-out ashes. Then after staring at the spot where the dove vanished for a long moment, Apeiron sighed loudly and pulled at his hair with antipathy.

“It is a legend, after all……” Muttering that to himself, Apeiron summoned one of his aides, and one of the spirits came to him from the Great Archives.

Her name was Papi. Like Fili, she had gained tremendous trust from Apeiron. However― due to a weak constitution, she was unable to accompany Apeiron at all times.

She was like a shrine maiden with her lustrous, bluish-black hair tied back with a single band, but her porcelain-white cheeks were flushed red just from rushing over to him, and the deep rings under her eyes gave her appearance a gloomy cast.

Apeiron briefly relayed the report from Fili’s familiar to Papi, and her eyes widened in shock when she heard how far away the Twilight Dragon was. She looked like she was about to say something, so Apeiron motioned for her to speak her mind.

“I know that Fili went through many hardships to get this information, but it’s just so hard to believe that it’s true……”

“I agree. Relying on the legends like this feels the same as doing nothing.”

Hearing Apeiron say that, however, Papi tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Glancing back at her, Apeiron raised an eyebrow as if to ask what she didn’t understand. “There are spirits all over – even if we have the most capable here already, the more we get, the better – so we should hurry and gather them all together.”

“Gather them……” Papi shook her head as if she understood Apeiron’s meaning now. “No, you mustn’t! Endlessly recruiting soldiers would be the same as breaking your promise with the Queen of Darkness.”

“I’m sure she’s thinking the same as I am. In fact, she may have already gathered her own forces.”

But Papi frantically shook her head. “It’s wrong to say that we can do it just because the other side is. We should trust in the information that Fili―” Papi didn’t get to finish her sentence. Before she could, Apeiron grabbed her shoulders with all his strength. “King Apeiron……”

Without so much as blinking, Apeiron stared at Papi with an intense gaze as she faintly began breathing heavily. “The time to act is now.”

“But―”

“If Fili doesn’t make it in time…… if it turns out there is no Twilight Dragon…… I would regret having done nothing.”

With a perplexed look on her face, Papi timidly opened her mouth to say more.

“When the Cursed Waves appear― three shadow-bearers will set out to search for the Twilight Dragon that will save the world of spirits…… that is something that everyone who lives in this world knows. What are we to do if you – the King – don’t believe in the legend that everyone else believes in?”

“Is just believing enough? Should we simply leave it all to Fili and wait for the Twilight Dragon to appear? No, that can’t be right.”

“No…… it is right.”

“Papi, how many days has it been since you slept? No matter how tirelessly I search through the ancient texts, I cannot come up with a single technique to fight against the waves. Why they appeared, where they came from…… even their identities are a mystery to us. There is only one thing I know. Each wave has a name, and their number is eight. That’s all. You are intelligent, so you should understand why it is pointless to blindly believe in the legend that the Twilight Dragon will save us.”

Speaking in a way that seemed to leave no room for argument against him, Apeiron finally released his hold on Papi’s shoulders.

“Continue deciphering the texts. However, we must also remember to prepare the troops.” With that proclamation, Apeiron flipped his azure cape and took a step forward. But then, as if remembering something, he turned back to Papi. “And one more thing―”

“……Yes?”

“I am reluctant to do so, but I need you to find out what happened to the wandering humans of the Splintered Forest.”

“Humans?”

All spirits in the Lands of Light knew that Apeiron disliked humans and did not recognize them as citizens of their world.

Humans had shadows. For them, it was something they were all born with. So for spirits who had no shadows― the humans who possessed no powers yet had those shadows which they did not were nothing more than something alien.

During the conflicts between spirits of Light and Darkness long ago, humans were born by happenstance― and their numbers increased explosively in comparison to the spirits who needed more time to be reborn. They were so unlike the spirits who used spellcraft, so the humans, who fought with weapons for their own culture, were nothing but a threat to Apeiron.

So why did Apeiron want to hear about humans now? Papi turned a puzzled expression onto her King.

“It is a request from Fili. The human he is travelling with seems to have come from those wanderers, and he wants me to find out what happened to them.” Apeiron walked away without waiting for Papi’s reply, but under his breath, she   heard him add, “You’re asking for trouble, Fili……”

Left alone, Papi stared after Apeiron and sighed softly to herself. “Now is not the time for this.”

Whispering that to herself, Papi pulled out a white wooden spell wand from her pocket and drew a simple rose-like pattern in the corridor. The pattern began to emit a golden light, and then from it, thousands of jet-black butterflies flew out into the air.

Papi gave instructions to the butterflies filling the sky, and then watched as they split into two groups and flew away. And with that done, she rushed back to the Great Archives.



On the edge of a dark, suffocatingly hot underground lake of lava, there sat an old man. His name was Tartarga, and deep wrinkles were etched into his pale, green face. He had thin, short hair that was hard to see without getting close, as well as the long, pointed ears of a spirit. He was a wise spirit of Darkness, but he also understood the inner workings of the Lands of Light, as well as the human race, and the ancient lore of this world very well.

Before he was even born, Tartarga had been assigned a certain role. To – when the Cursed Waves appeared – guide the three shadow-bearers to the Twilight Dragon. But he was getting a little too old to do that now, and Tartarga had other reasons for not leaving this subterranean lake.

“It’s almost time.” He muttered in a hoarse voice, looking out at the far opposite shore of the lake.

Intuitively, Tartarga sensed that the shadow-bearers would soon come to meet with him. But he did not believe they could save the world. More to the point, Tartarga knew where to find the Twilight Dragon, but he didn’t think he would be able to guide them there, or that the shadow-bearers would be able to reach them. Because the place where the Twilight Dragon was said to reside was a dauntingly far ways away.

Still, he also couldn’t help but hold out for hope. Hope that those who came to him now would be able to reach the Twilight Dragon safely. And save the world……

The full moon – appearing oddly large – floated in a clear, starless night sky. And I looked up at that full moon in a daze, unconsciously holding my breath until a gust of wind blew past me as if kissing my cheek.

“……Ah!” I gasped and winced involuntarily.

The suffocating scent of things burning was filling the air around me. Still visible in the distance, the largest city in the world, Arche Haokar stood like a large hill, horribly burnt, and was still smoldering even now. All around the city, I could see the many spirits and humans who had escaped gathering in an uproar

“We can’t do anything about it if we stay here forever. We need to move on.”

Next to me, Gendor was sobbing because he hurt his back, but in front of us, Bith was standing firm with his arms crossed.

“It’s my fault.” Gendor muttered without looking up.

“It it’s lost, then it’s lost. Staying here isn’t going to bring it back.”

“But……” Gendor complained, but at his simpering tone, Bith raised his voice.

“If you stay here, the waves are going to swallow you up!” He spat out and grabbed Gendor by the collar to try and haul him up to his feet. Gendor’s upper body was lifted up, and I couldn’t help but wonder how Bith was managing it with his thin physique. “You too; stand up!”

Bith shouted at me, making me jump. I clutched at the hem of my cloak that was currently draped over the ground. He hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true, but despite Bith’s point, I couldn’t bring myself to stand. With the loss of the tear jar, it felt like my only lifeline had been severed.

(If I had only been at Gendor’s side……)

But no amount of regret would help me now.

“Hey, back off Bith! There’s no reason to take your frustrations out on the kid.” Lilith spoke up from behind me, reprimanding Bith for turning his anger on me. “We can’t leave until Fili gets back anyways, so there’s no point trying to rush them yet. Okay?”

Clicking his tongue, Bith’s grip slackened, and he let Gendor collapse back to the ground like a deflated balloon.

“Losing the tear jar is a big problem, though.” At Lilith’s words, Gendor started crying again, and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and sighed again. “But it’s too late to do anything about it now.”

It was obvious from her mutterings that Lilith was also irritated. So instead of facing her, I turned my gaze up to look at the city of Arche Haokar.

It was easy to imagine the panic that would ensue when people heard that the waves were coming, and with the ‘rebellion’ that followed in its wake. But who would have guessed that it would cause us to lose the ‘tear jar’.

(Hmm? This development……)

Perhaps this was connected to the feeling I’d had that I needed to proceed with caution back in the Shattered Forest. “Ah!” I tried to recall what I knew from the Epitaph of Twilight again, but when I did, a sharp pain ran through my head.

(No use after all……)

I was filled with a sense of frustration that made me want to cry.

I was sure that I was the only person in the world who could have anticipated this. However― my recollection of the Epitaph of Twilight was almost completely nonexistent.

Even though it was Gendor who had actually lost the ‘tear jar’, I almost hated myself more for not being able to remember. But seeing the grim atmosphere overwhelming me, Vesper, the black cat, spoke up to cut through my thoughts.

“It’s not your fault, Saya.”

“Vesper……”

“Honestly― I think this would have happened even if you could remember your stories of this world.”

“……”

“We need to make up our minds. Fili will be back soon.” Saying that, Vesper smiled. (Or at least it seemed like he did to me.)

“You’re right. Thank you, Vesper.”

I agreed with him, though my frustration didn’t just disappear. My heart was pounding like a morning bell, and I held a hand to my chest, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down a bit while trying to ignore the soot in the air.

It was more than not being able to remember the Epitaph of Twilight, though. It was getting harder and harder to remember anything from my life in the real world. Like almost every day, I think I had gone somewhere where a bunch of kids my age gathered, but I couldn’t remember where that place was or what the purpose of going there was. It took effort for me to even recall the faces of my mama and papa, but maybe I should just be glad I could still remember them at all.

“Sorry for keeping you.”

I looked up when someone spoke above us. “Fili!”

Fili dropped down to us, though he was clearly not in a good mood. “It seems the information from the city’s watchmen was correct. It looks different from the wave we saw before, but there’s no doubt that it’s heading this way.”

“So what do we do now?” Taking in Fili’s report, Lilith turned to Bith for an answer.

“We keep going to Tartarga.”

“Without the tear jar? We won’t be able to reach him without it.” Lilith noted, looking back to Fili. “You…… wouldn’t happen to know of any other spirits with tear jars, would you?”

Fili considered it for a moment, but shook his head. And having turned to see what he would say, Gendor lowered his head again when he saw the answer.

“It’s a wholly unique item…… as far as I know at least, Skunk had the only one.”

“I see. I guess we have no choice but to continue on without it then.” Lilith conceded, and Bith nodded in agreement.

“So let’s leave before the waves get here.” Still in a bad mood, Bith started walking while brushing soot off of his cloak.

“Wait……!” I stood up in a hurry.

“What now?” Bith turned back again to glare at me, and my voice caught in my throat at his tone.

“I…… Gendor still isn’t able to move yet.”

Bith glanced at Gendor, who was staring blankly at the smoldering city of Arche Haokar, clearly still in a daze.

“How long do you expect us to wait!”

“How long……”

“The waves are coming. We have to leave as soon as possible.”

“I know that, but……”

“We’ll replace him.” Bith stood in front of me. “Because of this guy, we might not even be able to meet Tartarga! That alone is bad enough, but this? You lost our most important item and now you’re too depressed to keep going? Stop acting like a spoiled brat!”

There was nothing I could say to that. It was all I could do just to meet Bith’s eyes as he raised his voice.

“You don’t have to say it like that! After how far we’ve come together……” Fili tried to pacify Bith’s anger, but he just turned to yell at him as well.

“How far we’ve come? You were against the idea of letting this flightless human join our group in the first place!”

“You’re bringing that up again? We all agreed to search for the Twilight Dragon with this group, so can we please not rehash this now?” At Lilith’s remarks, however, Bith fell silent.

“Let’s just go already. We don’t have time to argue here, right?”

Bith breathed out one long sigh, shot one last glare at me and Gendor, then turned on his heel and started walking. Even though nothing had been resolved, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Come on.” Lilith spoke to Gendor sitting next to me. But when I looked at him, his expression was as cold as ice.

(This is what happens when you go too far……)

Reaching out― I wrapped Gendor in a gentle embrace, just like he once did for me. Though with how much bigger he was, it felt more like he was hugging me than the other way around. I buried my face in Gendor’s shoulder, noticing he smelled like the forest as I did.

“Let’s keep going, Gendor.” I told him, but Gendor slowly shook his head, so I tried to hold him even tighter in arms. “It’s okay. It all going to work out in the end.”

Again, Gendor shook his head.

“She’s right. Even Bith admitted that it couldn’t be helped that it was lost.” Seeing that my words weren’t having an effect on Gendor, Lilith tried to offer a hand to him as well. “You can’t just keep sitting around waiting for things to change.”

“That’s right, so before the waves come―” I swallowed what I had been about to say. Around us, the spirits who had escaped the city were all starting to get riled up by something. “Huh……?”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The ruined, scorched city of Arche Haokar was slowly being restored. The whole city was shimmering like in a heatwave. And seeing it, I carelessly rubbed at my eyes.

“What is happening?” Noticing what was going on with the city as well, Lilith’s eyes went wide as she took it in.

All around us― another commotion similar to the chaos of panic when the city had been set ablaze started rising through the people. It was a mixture of people rushing back to rejoice at the city’s restoration, some running for cover in fear, and others still just standing around in a daze.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Vesper muttered from my shoulder as he watched the city being restored.

“Because of how sudden it is?”

“Yes. This isn’t natural.” Vesper didn’t look at me, but kept his gaze locked on the restored city.

“…Did betray all with false visions, and in so doing, did aid the wave to reach the heavens, then from the zenith, crashed down and rippled out, giving way for a new wave.” Fili muttered something.

“What was that?” I asked, but without giving any indication that he’d heard my question, Fili suddenly forced Gendor to his feet.

“We need to get out of here!”

“Huh?!”

“Now!” Fili shouted, grabbing under Gendor’s arm and trying to fly.

And seeing him like that, Lilith tried to help. Together, the three of them floated off the ground, but staggered in the air. Then, looking back to see me staring up at them in confusion, Lilith shouted to me.

“Come on, kid! You too!”

“But……” I couldn’t understand why we were trying to escape when the city had been restored.

Still, Fili spoke to try and rush me along. “I’ll explain later! Just hurry!”

“Even if I wanted to……” I looked to the broken broom on my back and shook my head.

(If I had known this would happen, I would have tried to fix it when were back at the inn……)

I regretted it now, but there was nothing to do about it now. If I couldn’t fly, I would have to run. Fili and Lilith had their hands full carrying Gendor, and I had no idea where Bith was in all this chaos.

“I’ll follow, so you go on ahead!”

I didn’t know how far I could get from the city on foot, and given Fili’s panic, I doubted it would be easy. But Lilith heard me and looked to Fili for his decision.

“……” Fili hesitated.

“Out of the way!” But then, a dark shadow suddenly flew by Fili as he floated in the air, jostling him so much that he almost dropped Gendor.

“?” And the next thing I knew, I was floating in the air, held by that black shadow. “Bith?!”

Bith didn’t look at me, but urged Fili onwards. And like that, we left the city of Arche Haokar behind us, along with all the confused spirits and humans around it.

I couldn’t even tell how long we flew for. It should have been dawn by now, but the sky was still dark. And below us, the grasslands had transitioned into a desert.

“This is good enough.” Bith declared and slowly began to descend, followed soon after by Fili and Lilith.

“Thank you.” I said to Bith with a smile as he rubbed his shoulders and twisted his neck.

“As soon as you get the materials, fix that broom of yours, okay?” Bith noted, still in a bad mood.

“Right, except―” Everywhere I looked around us now, all I could see was a landscape of sand and rolling hills. “Where exactly are we?”

“This is the Desert of Dakk.” Fili answered as he approached me and Bith.

“Dakk……? Is that why it’s still nighttime?”

“It’s not actually night. The sun just doesn’t ever rise in the Lands of Darkness for some reason.”

“What?” I gasped in surprise.

Every game depicted the world as a sphere that could be circumnavigated. At least, it was that way in every game I’d ever played.

(If the sun doesn’t rise, does that mean this world is flat? No, no, this wasn’t written with ancient roman sensibilities, was it?)

I lost myself in thought for a moment, and then Bith spoke up again. “So, why did we run away like that?”

“Yeah, I’d like to know that myself.” Lilith stepped closer with Gendor in tow behind her. “You were mumbling something to yourself, weren’t you? What was that?”

Looking around at everyone, Fili answered Lilith’s question. “While I was looking around the city, my familiars had returned to me. It seems that they were able to decipher some of the ancient texts stored in the Lands of Light, and the contents―”

“So that’s what you were mumbling about? What the hell is going on?”

Fili hesitated for a moment. “They say they found information on the Cursed Waves.”

Going silent, Bith nodded for him to continue. Though he must have been angry that he hadn’t told us this sooner, because he quietly clicked his tongue.

Unknown are the Cursed Waves origins.

After the stars doth cross the heavens,

When the eastern sky doth grow dark and the air fills with mourning.

From the fated land beyond the Splintered Forest, a harbinger of the waves come.

Skeith carves the path.

As the Shadow of Death, to wipe out all obstacles that stand before.

Innis, the Mirage of Deceit.

Did betray all with false visions, and in so doing, did aid the wave to reach the heavens,

Then from the zenith, crashes down and ripples out, giving way for a new wave.

This was the power of Magus.

Wherever the wave appears, sorrow and despair rule, extinguishing the light of hope.

Such is the power of Fidchell, to bring dark tidings of the future.

Even as the Cursed Waves consume all, Gorre continues to scheme.

Macha tempts with a sweet trap.

And there, the wave rages at the pinnacle, where none shall escape.

For Tarvos remains, to continue the hunt.

With even greater cruelty, to punish and destroy.

In furious retribution.

Thus, only a void shall remain in the wake of the waves.

And from the depths of that emptiness, Corbenik arrives.

So too may the waves be but a harbinger.

Fili recited the deciphered passages to us as smoothly as if he were reading them directly from the texts.

“I see…… so the city being restored was the work of the waves.” Bith remarked as he dipped into contemplation.

Then Lilith picked up his train of thought. “But couldn’t this help us take countermeasures against the waves?”

“It’d be simpler if we knew where they were coming from…… but they’re still working on deciphering it, so they’ll let me know as soon as they know more.”

“Did they decipher anything else besides what you’ve already told us?”

“Just a little bit about Cubia, the one we encountered in the swamp.”

“Well don’t keep us in suspense, tell us everything.”

“Cubia, the Hidden One. In regard to it, that was apparently the only thing they found.”

“I don’t get it. But in any case, I doubt that monster will show up again now.” Lilith said, then glanced back at Gendor. “Anything else? Or was that everything you heard from your familiars?”

“……Unfortunately, that was it.”

Looking between Fili and Lilith as they went at their own speed, I was left with my mind racing to try and keep up.

The information Fili told us about the Cursed Waves was something I’ve read many times before. Or rather, I must have. The phrases felt so familiar to me. And strangely, it didn’t cause a headache when I tried to recall them now.

Regarding Cubia as well, I felt like there was something I still needed to be careful of, but that part of my memory was still hazy; I couldn’t remember what it was.

(But……)

I told myself that it was a good sign that I wasn’t getting a headache trying to remember this time. It reassured me that I was not becoming a part of this world.

But I didn’t realize that at that time, I had already forgotten what I had been doing in the world I needed to return to. I should have realized…… that the lack of a headache was nothing more than the calm before the storm.

“In any case, we need to move on now.” Bith declared before beginning to walk into a desert that had no landmarks. There was no hesitation in his stride, though, so we all followed after him.

“It’s hot here, and dark.” I said to no one in particular while readjusting the cloak around my neck.

I had to walk faster so that my feet wouldn’t get caught up in the sand, but the effort naturally caused my body to heat up more. At first, I thought that was why it seemed so hot, but apparently, that wasn’t it. I could feel more heat coming from the sand beneath my feet.

“It really isn’t nighttime here. Just think of it as dark daylight.” Lilith explained, turning to face me as she walked ahead.

“Will it get hotter than this, then?”

“It will…… and considering the time of year, it will probably get to the point that you won’t be able to keep wearing that cloak.

Hearing that, however, Vesper stuck out his tongue in disgust while hanging from my shoulder. “I can’t stand it.”

“What are you complaining about? You at least get to enjoy a casual ride on my shoulders.”

“But unlike you, Saya, I have this lustrous fur. And I can’t just peel it off like your cloak.”

“A hairless Vesper, huh…… I’d like to see that.”

Laughing off Vesper’s complaints, I looked at the desert spread out before me. We walked on and on, and still I couldn’t see anything but sand. The sun wasn’t out, so I had no idea what direction we were going. I couldn’t even tell if we were keeping a straight path or not……

(How long will we have to walk like this?)

I couldn’t imagine what might lie ahead or how far we’d have to go in order to reach it. Bith wasn’t explaining himself, but since we were in the Lands of Darkness now, I guessed that we were heading for Tartarga― still, walking this long in silence was excruciating. It was so hot, and I hadn’t slept properly yet, either. So, when I started feeling dizzy, I spoke up.

“Hey, Bith?”

“What?” Bith responded without even looking back at me.

“I know we’re in a hurry and all, but…… I think I might be reaching my limit.”

And walking up behind me, Fili spoke up in agreement. “She has a point. We haven’t rested in a while. Shall we take a break here?”

Fili came to a stop as he suggested that. But Bith just kept on moving regardless.

“Hold on a minute……” I croaked out, trying to call to Bith.

I wanted to find the Twilight Dragon as quickly as possible, too; but I was afraid that if I kept going without proper rest, the wires in my brain would snap.

“Don’t worry, looks like Bith has it all figured out.” Lilith turned from watching Bith’s back to smile at me. “We’ll reach a place we can take a proper break soon.”

“Really?”

Lilith nodded. “I wouldn’t lie about this. I want to take a break at this point too, you know.” She said and motioned for us to follow her and Bith.

How many hours had passed since we last spoke to each other like this?

After crossing one more larger sand dune― I could finally see something like a small, dense forest in the distance. “Is that it?”

On my shoulder, Vesper squinted his eyes and looked at the forest. “An oasis…… huh?”

(Oasis?)

“That means there’s water there, right?”

Following Vesper’s gaze, I studied the small thicket. I could see something like a pit in the center of the trees, and guessed that was where the spring would be. And around its rim were spirits who looked as small as dolls. Suddenly feeling energized, I took off at a run towards the oasis.

The oasis was known as the Verdant Spring. It was located in the heart of the Desert of Dakk, and scattered throughout the thicket were small bungalow-like huts built for the travelling spirits and humans that commonly used the oasis as a rest stop.

Conflict still arose between the humans and spirits there, but it was kept under control thanks to a certain sprite that lived here called Jinn, who would act as a mediator for any arguments.

It was Lilith who explained it all to me when she saw how curious I was about the place.

“Look…… that’s him over there.” Lilith pointed to a man wearing a muddy robe over his head that was sitting with a fishing rod thrown into the spring. He was very tall, so tall that even though he was sitting hunched over, he still seemed to tower over everyone else.

“That’s…… Jinn?” I confirmed, and as if he noticed that Lilith and I were talking about him, Jinn slowly turned around to face us.

(!)

The sight of him was strange enough to take my breath away. Jinn wore an iron mask over his face that looked like a rusted gas mask, and I could hear his rough breathing from here.

Lilith waved politely to him, and Jinn nodded before returning his attention to fishing.

“Do you two know each other?”

“He’s like me.”

“You mean he has a shadow?” I said, but quickly thought Lilith might be offended by that and tried to correct myself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that how it sounded…… I just wanted to ask what you meant by him being the same?”

At my discomfort however, Lilith burst with laughter. “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize. His situation is the same as mine in that he was exiled from the country. But for him, it was just because he showed sympathy for the views of the Lands of Light. A stupid reason to banish someone if you ask me.”

But Lilith’s laugh somehow seemed self-deprecating to me, so I tilted my head at her. “Sympathy for their views?”

“They wanted to stop the conflicts so everyone could live in peace. You only have to look at Fili to see that.”

(Now I get it……)

Feeling like I’d finally solved a complex riddle, I looked to Fili as he emerged from one of the bungalows. “Thanks for waiting. We can rest now.”

“We’re staying here, then?” I looked at the bungalow behind Fili, and there on the veranda built into the small wooden structure, Gendor was sitting on his own. “……Gendor still looks depressed.”

Lilith sighed as I pointed that out and shrugged. “He’s only human, it can’t be helped. You can’t worry about it too much. Just get some rest.” She told me, then walked towards the bungalow and disappeared inside without looking back.

I was about to follow her in, but then I turned and realized that Fili was looking around like he didn’t know where he was.

“Is something wrong?”

“No……”

“Are you looking for someone; do you want help finding them?”

“No, I……” He started, but looking at his expression then, I realized why he was so restless.

“Are you worried about Pleiad?”

Fili sighed. The necklace he wore, which he’d said he had received from Pleiad, was swaying solemnly around his neck.

Pleiad – Fili’s childhood friend – had been living alone outside the city of Arche Haokar after being exiled from the Lands of Light for having fallen in love with a human and casting her own shadow. She entrusted her precious necklace to Fili, whom she hadn’t seen in many years, and then disappeared amidst the ‘rebellion’.

But Fili was the pragmatic type, so he probably thought that looking for Pleiad here would hinder our journey. That was why he was holding his worry in without saying anything.

(But that’s why you were late getting back, you went looking for her didn’t you……?)

And yet― looking at Fili now, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more. The fact that he was looking for Pleiad in this place meant that he hadn’t been able to find her anywhere in the city, or get any information on where she went.

And judging by the fact that the city burned to ruins in just the time it took us to walk to the Great Tree of Lios and back― the fire must have been incredibly strong. It hadn’t sounded like Pleiad left her house much, so she probably hadn’t had time to run away.

I felt a sniffle in the back of my nose. I had never met Pleiad, but I felt like I knew her from what Fili had told me about her.

“Fili……”

Fili’s head dropped when he realized I had figured it out. But it was all I could do just to call out his name.

“Sorry to have worried you. But it’s okay. I’m sure Pleiad managed to get away somehow.”

Fili was acting strong, but― it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me. Otherwise, I don’t think he would have come all the way out here and still be looking for her.

I empathized with how Fili must be feeling right now. Yet even while I was at a loss for words, Fili kept talking to me as if he knew what I was thinking.

“I guess that doesn’t sound too convincing when I’m still looking for Pleiad.” Fili said, then added under his breath, “This is hopeless……”

“That’s not true. I know how worried you are.”

Hearing that from me, Fili smiled. “Right. Now that we’re here, we can get that fixed for you.” Clearly trying to change the subject― Fili pointed at the broken broom I was carrying on my back. “With all these trees around here, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the materials for it.”

Realizing that was true, I started looking all around us.

And then suddenly, “Ah!” Gendor shouted and sprung to his feet on the veranda of the bungalow.

(Hmm?)

I turned to see what Gendor was looking at, “Ah!” and then shouted just like Gendor had.

Just ahead of us― Theo was there, sitting next to Jinn as he continued fishing at the edge of the spring. The two of them seemed to be talking rather casually with each other.

In a rush, Gendor scurried over to Theo, and without thinking about it, I ran over to them as well. And when Theo noticed us, he stood up, smiled that same smile he had the first time we’d met, and waved to us.

“Wh- what are you doing here?” Gendor asked and started looking around before he even got an answer. “Is the elder with you?”

“Yeah. Everyone is resting up in the bungalow over there.”

“!”

Without sparing another look to Theo, Gendor ran in the direction he had pointed. Then I spoke to Theo as he continued to smile at me.

“I knew it…… you saw that the waves were coming, didn’t you?”

“Somehow, I guess. I just felt like I had to get here before you guys arrived.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Besides, we couldn’t have moved from there before we introduced you to Gendor.”

“I see…… how much did you already know back then?”

Theo tilted his head as he considered his answer. “How much? I knew we had to introduce you to Gendor and then leave immediately after seeing him off. Then the city was going to burn, so I knew we couldn’t go there.” Theo paused for a moment in thought, then continued, “I feel like there was something else…… but I can’t remember. I forget things so quickly.”

From my shoulder, Vesper looked at Theo solemnly as he spoke so indifferently.

(I get it……)

Because of his precognitive abilities, it was probably harder for Theo to remember things that happened in the past. In the beginning, humans didn’t have the ability to fly or cast spells…… and they certainly didn’t have the ability to predict the future. It may have been that his body wasn’t able to completely adapt to its unique abilities― so it may be more difficult for him to do normal things that everyone should be able to do.

“If I had known you were going to pass through there though, I would have warned you…… but I can only really see what happens to me.”

“No, that’s okay; I’m glad we found you again. Gendor was very worried about you.”

“I told him that I would see him again before he left…… but Gendor has trouble listening.” Theo smiled again and took my hand. “Come on, let’s go fix your broom.”

I hadn’t said anything about my broom being broken, but I guessed Theo had known that this would happen, too. So I let myself be led to the humans’ bungalow where I could hear Gendor weeping with joy now that he knew the others were safe.

The broom was repaired quickly. And it was swapped out for a thicker oak branch than before so that it could bear Gendor’s weight better.

Then for the next few days after that, we gathered information while resting at the spring. There were others here who had fled the city after it burned and those who realized that the city’s restoration was a trick of the waves swallowing up their friends, so we had no trouble finding out what we wanted to know. Since they were at the top of their respective countries, Bith and Fili did most of the talking, and the rest of us just watched them work.

Gendor had regained his old sunny cheerfulness and said he was ready to set out in search for the Twilight Dragon at any time. The day before we left though― I went to talk with Jinn, who I had seen out fishing every day.

“What do you catch fishing here like this every day?”

But instead of answering my question, Jinn just continued staring at the water’s surface. I followed his gaze down, and the pit was too dark for me to make out much, but it didn’t actually seem like there were any fish in the water here.

“I don’t see any fish……” Vesper muttered, and I nodded.

“What kind of fish have you caught.”

However, Jinn still did not respond to me. No matter what I said, he didn’t seem to be willing to listen. I thought I must be bothering him then, but just when I was about to leave― Jinn finally spoke up.

“I don’t catch anything.”

“But if you aren’t catching any fish, then why are you still casting a line?” I asked, and Jinn turned his gaze on me, then pulled the fishing line up into his hand. “Huh?”

The line had no hook attached to the end at all. “Fishing is where I do my best thinking.”

“But if you know you won’t catch anything, you don’t really need the fishing rod, right?” I noted, but Jinn just returned his gaze to the surface of the water and continued his fishing. “Just sitting here all day; you’re a strange man.”

I’d said it in a soft, muffled voice, but when I did, Jinn patted the ground for me to sit next to him, so I did so and went silent.

“He is a bit strange, I suppose.” Vesper muttered, but I shook my head at him. I didn’t think it would be polite to say it where he would actually be able to hear.

“What are you thinking about? Perhaps talking about it will help you work through it.”

“I’m searching for something, but I haven’t found it. In fact, it’s possible that it can’t be found at all.” Jinn spoke with a measured tone as he spoke. His voice had a very calming effect. “Many travelers gather here. More even than the city of Arche Haokar. I’ve been there a few times myself, but not as often as here. And many items are gathered here as well, in addition to travelers. Not weapons and armor, but other things.”

(!)

Hearing him say that, I looked to Jinn and asked, “There wouldn’t happen to be a tear jar here would there?”

At that, Jinn gave me a curious look. “You are looking for a tear jar? I believe Skunk has it at the Great Tree of Lios, but…… I’m not sure he would let it go.”

“No, that’s……”

But I didn’t want to admit to him that we had already received it and then lost it, so I clammed up after that.

“Skunk is the only one who owns such a thing. What you seek is a one-of-a-kind item.

Given that answer, I instead asked Jinn about his ventures. “Is there anything in particular that you’re looking for?”

Jinn nodded. “Seeds of the World Tree.”

“Seeds of the World Tree?” I asked, wanting to know what that was.

“The World Tree is a tree that will never wither, with leaves that are said to hold the power to heal any injury. If strife is to continue in this world, no matter how minor, then I would like to collect something that can heal the wounds. That is what I desire; and I will search for it however long it takes.”

“That’s a wonderful ambition! I hope you find it soon.”

“I do wonder sometimes though…… wonder if it can be found at all. Every time I find a rare seed, I plant it, but it never grows into a World Tree. It was by repeating this process over and over again that this forest here came to be…… and if I were to continue on as I have, who knows how far this forest might spread? But in the end, I think my dream of growing the World Tree here will remain as just that― a dream.”

After explaining all of that to me, Jinn fell silent again. It warmed my heart to know there were such kindly spirits of Darkness out there. Yet even so, that kindness of his had been rewarded with banishment― it made me wonder what the Queen had been thinking, sending him into exile just for that. Was him wishing for peace really such a terrible thing?

“Come on, we’re leaving soon.” Bith called for me then, so I left Jinn’s side, and he continued his fishing as before.

Theo and the other humans came out to see us off, and with that, we stepped out into the desert again.

“I won’t cry anymore.” When we had walked far enough away that we could no longer see the springs behind us, Gendor muttered those words as if to steel himself.

(Me too―)

In order to get back as quickly as possible, I had to try to remember my greatest guide for this journey – the Epitaph of Twilight…… but it was at that moment that a thought struck me, and I froze in place.

Where exactly was I trying to get back to?

(Um……)

I massaged my temples as my head began to throb and tried desperately to recall my purpose.

(Where was I trying to get back to?)

Ahead of me, nobody else had noticed that I’d stopped, and were continuing on their way without me.

“Saya, what’s wrong?” But even when Vesper spoke to me from my shoulder, I didn’t react.

(I know that I have someone to get back to……)

The pain in my temples drilled its way deeper into my mind until it became a migraine. I lifted both of my hands to my head and tried to endure the pain. And seeing the way my face was contorting in pain, Vesper placed his paw against my cheek.

“Saya!” He called out to me, but still, I couldn’t move.

A haze hung over my mind that made me feel like I was about to collapse― so much so that I actually did have to sit down to try and recover.

“Get away!” But then in the distance, I heard Bith yelling at me.

And when I lifted my head again, I found that my body was being sucked into the sand.

“Huh?” Centered on me, the sand surrounding me was being drawn into the ground, creating a hole that reminded me of an ant lion’s trap. “Wh-what?”

Then something like a cold vine suddenly wrapped around my feet and tried to drag me deeper into the sand. It was too strong to fight against, and the more I struggled, the more I became buried in the sand.

“H-help―” Desperately, I tried to reach out for anything to hold onto.

Across the desert, I could see Bith and Fili racing back towards me.

“Calm down!” Vesper shouted at me while clinging to my robes. “Use the broom!”

Still panicking, I hurriedly grappled for the broomstick I was carrying on my back. But as I did, the vines entwined further around my legs and yanked me down as if trying to stop me.

“No!” I screamed in horror at the idea that I might get swallowed up by this thing.

“Aren’t you going back to your own world!? Don’t you have your Papa and Mama to return to!?” Vesper shouted as he pushed the broom’s handle into a position where I could more easily grab it from.

(Papa…… Mama……)

With Vesper’s words, the haze in my mind was pushed back.

(That’s right!)

I― I had to get back to that world where my Papa and Mama were. So I couldn’t let myself disappear, not in this game world based on the Epitaph of Twilight. Like a fish returning to the water, all the memories I couldn’t remember just now suddenly came flooding back to me.

“There!” Taking a deep breath, I took hold of the broom handle. Even if it didn’t let me shake off the vines wrapped around my legs, it should at least stall the process of it dragging me beneath the sands if I kept it flying.

The broom floated slowly upwards, and I desperately clung to the handle with both hands as it did.

“PhaJuk Rom!”

Fili chanted a spell, and a tornado-like spiral of leaves blew away the sand around me, and as if he had been waiting for that moment― Bith then burned through the vines wrapped around my legs.

With no more resistance, I floated up and away from the ground. “Thank god!” I said, but the moment after that sense of relief flooded through me― Lilith flew up at me while I was still clinging to my broom. “?!”

Lilith seemed faint, like she had also been attack by the vines that had wrapped up my legs. Unable to dodge out of the way, she collided with me, and both of us dropped back to the desert floor.

“What are you doing?!” Bith yelled again.

Unfortunately, it seemed that we had fallen back onto the edge of the antlion’s trap, and the hole quickly grew in size to try and swallow Lilith and me up again.

“Urm……” Lilith seemed to come to when she impacted the ground, and I tugged on her arm to try and warn her that we needed to get out of the hole. “Not good!”

Assessing the situation in an instant, Lilith shot a spell towards the sand as it tried to swallow her, and the hole solidified as if it had been frozen over.

Only the vine-like tentacles could still move, reaching up from the center as if reaching out for help.

“Bith, behind you!” Lilith shouted as she carefully watched the movements of the tentacles.

I followed her gaze behind Bith and saw what had thrown Lilith into the air before. “Wh-what is that……?”

It had a body like an ant, but it was much too big to be compared to one. And its torso – twice the size of Gendor on its own – had dozens of the same tentacle on it like the ones stretching up from the hole.

Those tentacles were wriggling in every direction, trying to repel anyone that got too close.

“It’s the Sandlion…… Lord of the Desert.” Lilith called, aiming her spell wand at the Sandlion and beginning to recite an incantation.

“!”

The sand at the Sandlion’s feet slowly started crawling up it as if trying to eat away at it. The tentacles stopped moving for a moment when they became covered in sand, but then began to rampage erratically in an attempt to shake it off.

“Get down!”

Fili raised his spell staff to protect Gendor from Sandlion’s tentacles. A pale golden light surrounded them, and the tentacles pulled back to avoid touching the light.

“This thing’s a real pain in the ass……” Bith muttered a curse and clicked his tongue.

As he did though, a narrow spell crest appeared above his head, and he plunge his arm into it like he was trying to pull something out of it.

It was a strange sight with his arm disappearing beyond the space of the crest, as if Bith had punched a hole into the air itself. And when he pulled his arm back out of the crest, Bith was holding a gleaming black scythe in his hand. It was large and ominous, and looked like something meant to be held by a Grim Reaper.

Bith held the scythe at the ready and took a swing at the Sandlion. Then a thin, crescent-shaped vacuum wave flew at the Sandlion’s joints.

It only took a moment.

The Sandlion was split clean in half and fell with a desperate cry, and once it had fallen, I let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Gah, that was pathetic…… is everyone alright?” Putting her spell wand away, Lilith began brushing sand off of her with annoyance.

“The Sandlion will try to swallow up anyone who stands still. And the further into the Desert of Dakk you go, the more likely it becomes that one will appear. Didn’t you know that?” Bith questioned me, but I just shook my head.

“I guess there are some things even the knowledgeable Little Witch doesn’t know. I’m surprised.” Lilith noted, then guided me towards Bith and the others.

I really was pathetic. I guess I could at least be glad that I hadn’t fully become a part of this world yet, but when I joined the others, I had to admit I had mixed feelings.

“There could still be more of them…… we can’t let our guard down just because we defeated this one. And spell crests won’t work on the main body…… so let’s hurry before another one shows up.” With the scythe now hanging on his back, Bith started walking again.

We continued onwards, and as we did, we all kept our weapons at the ready (although Gendor didn’t have any himself).

As we progressed, the desert gradually turned into a wilderness. Then after walking through that wilderness for a while, we came upon a mountain valley.

And there, in a part of that rock face that stretched like a giant wall to either side― a hole that looked like a gaping, pitch-black mouth appeared before us. From it, a stream of warm, fresh air was flowing out as if the mountain itself were breathing.

“This is……?” It looked like an entrance to the underworld.

We walked into the gloomy cave without much footing, relying on Bith’s flames for light. We progressed like that for a long time, but despite the flame, Bith and Fili did not cast shadows.

(Why is that?)

I tilted my head in thought, and noticing, Vesper spoke quietly to me.

“The secret lies in their clothes. I’ve heard there are materials that can prevent shadows from being cast.”

“Oh…… but they’re okay even when they’re in sunlight?”

“So it would seem.”

“Then you mean they can’t ever take off their clothes?”

“At the very least, they wouldn’t take them off while out on a journey.

“But if something like that is out there, why doesn’t everyone use it?” I asked, but Vesper just laughed at that. “That’s rude. What is it?”

“The material takes hundreds of years to make. So it can’t be made widely available, now can it?”

“It takes that long!!?”

“Well, those two are highly ranked spirits, so it’s not strange that they would have access to them.”

“I guess so.” After that, we walked in silence for a while. The path was damp and strewn with palm-sized stones lying around, so if I didn’t concentrate on walking, I could easily slip and fall.

Continuing further down, I eventually saw an exit to the cave in the distance. A red light leaked in from the other side, and the breeze coming from it was hot. But the moment I passed through what I’d thought was an exit, I stopped and gasped.

In front of us now was a boiling underground lake― the Hearth of Dakk.

But instead of water, however, the lake was boiling with lava, making it feel like a giant furnace, just as the name suggested. And occasionally, the lava would bubble and pop, letting hot steam envelop us.

“Is this where Tartarga is?”

I looked around the edge of the underground lake, but found that it was not a place where any living creature could survive. There were no plants, no springs carrying water. There was only the lava here.

“Probably,”

“But…… no one could possibly live in a place like this, could they?”

“That’s not entirely true.” Lilith said, turning back towards the cave we had just passed through.

“?”

There, next to the cave we had come through, another tunnel cut into the wall. It was too dark to make out exactly what they were, but looking almost like the inside of a person’s nose, dozens of little, furry creatures were watching us from their holes.

“Hold on a minute.” Lilith glanced at Bith and then walked up to the holes.

The furry creatures squirmed about as they saw Lilith approach them.

“Are those people Ancient spirits?” At Fili’s question, Bith nodded curtly. “I can’t believe there are still Ancients even alive!”

“It isn’t all that surprising.”

“But it is!” Speaking with enthusiasm, Fili watched closely as Lilith spoke to the Ancient spirits. “She can speak the ancients’ language?!”

“Back in the Lands of Darkness – though few in number – most of the higher ranked spirits can speak it.”

“Can you speak it too, Bith?”

“More or less.” Bith answered, then continued saying, “But I’m no good at negotiating. We’ll get better information if you leave it to Lilith.”

After explaining that to us, Bith looked out across the lake lava. But then, as if to take a bite out of him, Fili opened his mouth wide and shouted. “Then why?! If you could have read the documents written in the ancient language that are kept in our lands, coming all this way at great peril to yourself is―”

Bith looked at Fili and gave him a subtle, but derisive smile. “And when did I ever say that we could read it? We can speak the language, but that’s all.”

And hearing that answer, Fili lowered his head.

(So documents written in the ancient language are store in the Lands of Light, but the language itself was inherited by those in the Lands of Darkness…… how does that make any sense?)

Unfortunately though, no matter how much I considered that question, I couldn’t come up with an answer. I could barely remember anything important, but I felt almost certain that this relationship between the two countries and what they had inherited from the Ancient spirits had not come up in the story.

Yet I felt confident that this would be important to our journey going forward, I just couldn’t say why.

“Sorry for the wait.” Lilith apologized as she returned with one of the furry creatures.

Brought into the light from the lava’s glow, the full form of the creature was illuminated for us to see. They were shorter than me and covered in thick, dark hair long enough to drag across the ground. Beyond that, however, the only part of them I could see were their bloodshot, red eyes. I couldn’t see their arms or legs, or even really tell if they had any.

“It seems that Tartarga is on the other side of the lava lake.” Lilith told us with a sigh.

“Figures…… which puts us in a bind.” Fili looked up, down, and all around the cave. The lake of lava stretched from one side of the cave to the other, so there was no possible way to walk around it. “Looks like the only way to get to the other side is by flying.”

When Fili said that, however, all of us naturally turned to face Gendor.

“……Would it be better if I just wait here?”

“No, we should all go together. If we all work together to carry you, then there’s no reason for you to be left behind.”

Yet as if to mock him, as soon as those words left Fili’s lips― lava spewed upwards in a geyser towards the cave ceiling. All around the lake, columns of fire like that rose up at seemingly random intervals.

“Though it might still prove difficult……” Lilith muttered as she watched the lava.

“Still, leaving him behind is not an option. You never know when the waves might reach this place.”

We all fell silent at that. Even with the four of us carrying Gendor, avoiding the pillars of fire would be an extremely difficult ask. And if something were to attack us while we were flying, there would be nothing we could do about it.

But then, the furry Ancient spirit watching us poked at Lilith’s arm restlessly and said something in a high-pitched voice. And understanding what they said, Bith and Lilith met each other’s eyes.

“What are they saying?” Fili tilted his head at them.

“It seems this one is offering to be a basket for us.”

“Basket?” I questioned, not understanding what she meant by that.

“You’re mended broom can support Gendor’s weight now, right?” Bith noted and took the broom off my back― testing the flexibility of the handle in his hands. Then he returned it to me, as if to assure me that everything would work out fine, and I took the broom in a tight grip. “This spirit will be the basket. You’ll use them to carry Gendor with your broom. And then the rest of us―” Bith looked to Lilith and Fili. “We’ll deal with the columns of fire that try to strike at them.”

The Ancient spirit nodded enthusiastically at this, seeming to understand what Bith was saying. But I frowned as I took in the weight of the responsibility I was being charged with.

“But, what if it snaps?”

“Then the Ancient Spirit and Gendor will go plop.”

“……”

Fili met my hesitant gaze, but nodded in agreement. “It’s dangerous, but this seems like our only option.”

I had hoped that Fili would come up with some alternative, but it looked like I had no choice but to brace myself for the task. The humans from the village― they surely made my broom as thick and durable as possible to ensure that Gendor – who couldn’t fly – would no longer be a burden to us.

Thinking that way, I retightened my grip on the broom in my hands. There was no point in stopping here. If we reached the other side of the lake, we might be able to get the information we needed, so there was no reason not to go.

At that moment, we all had only one goal.

Meet with Tartarga and learn what he knew about where to find the Twilight Dragon.

(I have to do this……!)

After taking in a deep breath, I looked around at everyone and spoke. “Let’s go!” I said, and Bith, Fili, Lilith, and even Gendor nodded firmly in agreement.

In that moment, for the first time, we all stood completely united.

Episode 6//lost

The Little Witch’s group went to Tartarga to ask about the Twilight Dragon. However, Tartarga lived on the other side of an underground lake filled with lava, known as the Hearth of Dakk. They had no way of knowing when the waves might catch up with them, so they had no time to dither about.

With help from one of the Ancient spirits, the Little Witch’s group decided to cross the lava while carrying Gendor. As if the lava had a mind of its own, it struck out at the group as they tried to fly to the other side of the lake.

The Little Witch was unable to do anything herself while carrying Gendor, but Fili, Bith, and Lilith each fought to push back the spewing lava as they all flew around her.

The lava relentlessly shot up at the Little Witch while she was unable to defend herself. And although she managed to avoid dropping Gendor, there was a limit to how quickly she could move with the flurry of lava and rocks flying at her.

However, thanks to the resourcefulness of the Little Witch, they somehow made it safely to the other side of the lake. Even Fili was impressed, despite already knowing how knowledgeable she was.

And waiting there for their group was the spirit named Tartarga, who was said to be like a living encyclopedia of the world.

“I was wondering how you would get across― well done.” Without even waiting for the Little Witch’s group to catch their breath, Tartarga addressed them with a wry smile. “I would like to say you should stop and rest first…… but unfortunately, you don’t seem to have time for that.”

While keeping an eye out behind him, Tartarga watched the Little Witch’s group.

Behind Tartarga, there was large cave tunnel. And from there, a thick, bushy tail nearly ten meters long could be seen, which must have belonged to the guard dog said to protect Tartarga. And the tail swung wildly side-to-side as if it were flailing.

“So, regarding the Twilight Dragon’s domain―”

“We’ve already been told the general location.” Bith interrupted Tartarga. “We were told you would have the specifics for us, old man. So tell us everything you know.”

“I see you haven’t changed at all, Bith. But fret not, you have no need to panic.” Tartarga said, stroking his stubbled chin. “In the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings, if you can unlock the seal at the Great Falls of Arche Koeln, you can gain access to its temple. This temple will lead you on to the Land at the End of Land. And from there, if you pass through the Dragonbein Mountains, you will reach the place known as the Wavering Peninsula, where you can meet the Twilight Dragon. There will be no landmarks to follow once you reach that point, but if you go there, you will find them.”

“And what is this seal?”

“In a moment; I’m getting to that…… honestly.” Glaring at Bith for a moment, Tartarga sighed heavily before continuing. “To break the seal, you will need a key. This key lies with the residents of Eld Sleika, deep within the Forest of Everlasting Darkness― Garm!”

Tartarga seemed like he was about to say more, but he suddenly reacted to something and turned around. But it was pointless for Tartarga to try and reprimand his guard dog. Garm pounced on the Ancient spirit who had been closest to his cave. There was no time to run. The sound of chewing bone echoed through the cave, and black blood dripped from Garm’s mouth. And as he chewed, he looked up at the Little Witch with bloodshot eyes as if sizing up his next prey.

“Tch,” Bith clicked his tongue and tugged on the Little Witch’s arm, whose face had gone ghostly pale. “Let’s go!”

Fili ran ahead, trying to protect Gendor, and Lilith followed, quick on their heels. Yet despite seeing the others head out, the Little Witch was unable to move herself.

And then, there was a sound of something falling. Even with Bith pulling on her arm so hard it hurt, the Little Witch couldn’t help but look towards the sound.

Something had fallen at Garm’s feet. “……” Even though she should have already known what it would be, the Little Witch had to look at the fallen object to confirm it.

And it was indeed the arm of the Ancient spirit.

Stands of sinew stretched from the torn end of the arm, reaching up to Garm’s mouth; and once she saw that, the Little Witch turned on her heels and fled into the tunnels of the Underworld along with everyone else.



Beneath a pitch-black sky that didn’t allow even a single ray of light to pass through it― huge, almost primordial plants grew in such abundance that it formed a sprawling forest. It was known as the Forest of Everlasting Darkness, and it had once been the place where Lilith had lived.

In the deepest part of this forest, there was a castle – known as Eld Sleika – that belonged to the giants. The castle acted as a gate that led to a place that belonged neither to the Lands of Light, the Lands of Darkness, nor to the humans.

At the entrance to the castle, statues of dragons were placed facing each other with mouths opened menacingly. And joining the statues, one real dragon came to perch between them. If it didn’t move, it would simply appear as if it were a third statue.

The dragon shook its pale orange body as it landed. And at that moment― the dragon transformed to take on a humanoid form, and the large-bodied Mocaine giant passed quickly in front of the stone statues.

To the residents of Eld Sleika who walked these lands, this vast forest was like a garden, and though few in number, they were still highly respected in this world. And that was due to the role which they performed.

Passing by the stone statues, the Mocaine giant moved at a brisk pace to reach the castle entrance. And there in the royal chambers of Eld Sleika, the Mocaine’s King appeared to be waiting absent-mindedly for something. He noticed the other giant walk by the stone statues and enter his room, so the King turned to face him.

“Welcome back.”

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Let us dispense with the formalities. Tell me, how is it?” The Mocaine’s King urged him to make his report quickly.

“Half the world has already been swallowed up and reduced to nothing. There is no time to lose. We must guide the shadow-bearers as soon as possible.” Receiving the report, the king sat silently on his throne. He appeared to be deep in thought. “Also, there was movement in the Lands of Light……”

“What?”

“It seems that they are raising an army.”

“I see. In the end, I suppose the alliance was little more than a formality.”

“You mean it is the same for the Lands of Darkness?”

The king nodded with a sigh. “Even with them so nearby……” He muttered, then continued in a louder voice, “It cannot be helped. If both countries are moving, then we indeed have no time to waste. Please go and meet with them.”

At his king’s order, the Mocaine – who had only come to report – was puzzled.

Their role was to provide information and directions only when the shadow-bearers seeking the Twilight Dragon came to them. This was well known to all who lived at the castle. It was an immutable role that they had understood ever since they were born.

But if half the world had already been swallowed up, then it would be foolish to wait much longer― that seemed to be the thought process behind the king’s decision.

“They should be in the Forest of Everlasting Darkness. Before Lazeth can, find them and bring them here.”

With that command, the king returned to his contemplation. And accepting his new orders, the Mocaine left the king’s chambers without another word.



The sound of striking iron and clattering machines echoed all around. This was the palace armory of the Lands of Light. Called in with Papi’s butterfly familiars, hundreds of spirits worked tirelessly to create weapons and armor.

And to the side, Apeiron observed their diligence with satisfaction. “King Apeiron,” Then at the sound of his name, Apeiron turned to see Papi standing before him.

“What is it?” Papi held a large tome in her arms. Apeiron glanced at her for a moment, but then returned his attention to the progress of the blacksmiths. “Did you find out anything?”

“It’s about Cubia― there’s a certain passage that I’m worried about.” Papi told him, and Apeiron silently motioned for her to continue. “Here,” And she opened the volume to read from.



Among the shadow-bearers    The counterpart of Cubia    If they act    And should they merge    Cubia will appear.



The writings were scuffed, and the pages riddled with holes as though insects had chewed through them. If one hadn’t looked too closely, the passage could have been easily overlooked.

“The passage is curious, but― if that is all, it doesn’t tell us much. You needn’t come back to report every little thing.” Apeiron spat out, even though in truth he did want to look into the text. Still, Papi refused to leave his side. Seeing her remain there in the corner of his eye, Apeiron sighed and asked again. “What is it?”

“……I also spoke with those who had deciphered it, but if the Cubia which appeared in the swamp has a counterpart among the shadow-bearers, I worry that it will appear again to try and merge with them again.”

“And?”

“We don’t yet know why Cubia appeared, but if it were to merge with this counterpart and increase its strength, they might not be able to deal with it.”

Mulling over Papi’s words, Apeiron folded his arms. “In that case, we should try to isolate its counterpart…… or in the worst case, we would have to erase them entirely.”

However, Papi frowned at the use of the word ‘erase’. “Either way, I can’t help but worry. We should pass this information on to Fili. He will have to decide what to do from there.”

“That……” Apeiron held a strong distaste for Papi’s indecisive attitude. “If you have more to say, say it quickly.”

“Yes, sir. If we go by this passage, it could be interpreted that Cubia’s counterpart is a companion to the shadow-bearers. In which case, I have a strong idea of who that individual is……”

“Who?”

At the direct question, Papi hesitated only a moment before speaking her answer. “The black cat Vesper, who travels with the Little Witch.”

(So hot.)

I swallowed those words before they could come out of my mouth. We were flying over the lava that filled an underground lake in the Hearth of Dakk, and were quickly approaching the other side of it as we kept a careful watch on our surroundings.

The Ancient spirit whom we’d met near the edge of the lake – having the ability to change their shape – offered to help us by shaping themselves into a basket to carry Gendor in. And thanks to that, the rest of our group was able to concentrate on protecting us.

It was a struggle to fly with Gendor hanging from the basket that the Ancient became. And I couldn’t make the excuse that I wasn’t used to flying either. If I messed up now, that would be the end of us.

Was it my nerves, or was it just the heat making my throat feel so parched? My hands were uncomfortably sweaty from holding the broom handle, and I had to frequently wipe them on my cloak. Every time I did, the broom lost stability and wobbled a little bit, but I was worried about my grip slipping if I didn’t keep them dry, so I kept doing it. But in doing so, it seemed like some of the basket’s threads may have been loosened over time.

How long had we been flying already?

I couldn’t see either side of the lake from where we were now, and I was starting to worry if I would be able to reach the other side to where Tartarga was.

“Saya, are you oaky?” Clinging to my shoulder, Vesper watched my face with a look of concern on his face.

“They’re heavy…… but I’m okay. It hasn’t been that hard.”

“Well, if you’re sure……” Vesper said, but he still looked worried.

And when continuing to fly in silence got to be too much for me, I asked about it. “What’s wrong?”

“The lava’s been quiet for a while now, don’t you think?”

“Hmm?”

It felt like he was trying to change the subject, but I looked down below my feet at the question. As he said― the surface of the lava was no longer churning. It had stilled, looking instead like molten glass instead of boiling lava.

“It certainly is strange.” Then flying up beside me, Fili watched the lava with a look of suspicion. He held up his spell staff and cast a pale golden film of light to protect me and Gendor.

It was some kind of barrier that could knock back a few attacks. However, while he was casting it, Fili would be defenseless.

At the same time, Lilith and Bith carefully held out their own spell wands while flying ahead of us. “Here it comes.” Bith called out, and a moment later, the lava below us swelled up again.

The rising lava expanded out to form a dome as if trying to force us up against the ceiling of the cave. Then Lilith emitted a pale, sparkling light from her spell wand that caused the dome of lava to shrivel up as if in fear.

“Now!”

On Bith’s mark, I shot forward at full speed with the basket shaking below me. Vesper’s claws dug painfully into my shoulder, but I couldn’t afford to let that distract me.

Then I heard another eruption behind me. The blast rattled me, and in the basket, Gendor screamed in fright. Responding, Fili repositioned his spell staff, making sure to stay at my side. When he did, the golden light surrounding me disappeared.

“You push on ahead.” Fili said, then turned on his heel and moved back behind me.

(I will absolutely reach the other side of this lake safely.)

That was all I could think about right now. But then, a shout from Vesper cut through those thoughts. “Saya, below you!”

While I was focused on flying forward, I had neglected to pay attention to what I was flying over. So by the time I heard Vesper’s warning, it was already too late. A pillar of fire shot up, aimed directly at me, trying to swallow me up as if it had been waiting for Fili’s barrier to disappear.

I tightened my grip around the handle of my broom in a desperate attempt to escape.

(I have to fly as far as I can……)

For the first time, I felt ashamed of my inability to fight back. If the real Saya were here― she surely would have been strong enough and smart enough to overcome this trial.

(I……)

Without asking Vesper for help, I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t have even the faintest idea what I could do here. But, even if I did know, could I really……

“?!”

I caught the faint scent of something burning.

(Oh no!)

When I looked down, I saw that the Ancient was screaming while holding their shape as the basket. It looked like the pillar of fire had grazed and burned them. Still, Gendor sat within their basket and tried not to move as I reached for the spell wand in my pocket, wanting to try and heal them. But I had to concentrate on flying― so I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to handle flying at full speed if I tried to hold the broom with only one hand.

(What do I do……?)

I grew indecisive, and as I hesitated, my broom started to wobble under me.

“Just focus on flying!” Vesper yelled at me, but I felt so guilty leaving the Ancient to suffer their burns.

“But……” I felt so ashamed of being unable to treat their injuries while I was focused on flying. My vision grew blurry as tears started to stream down my cheeks.

“Saya!”

In front of me, several pillars of fire rose up with no space to slip between then, and no time to change my flight course.

In that moment, my mind went blank.

Despite my best efforts, I was about to fly straight into a pillar of fire.

(Not like this!)

I shut my eyes on reflex, and all sound around me disappeared. Everything suddenly felt like it was moving in slow-motion.

Strangely…… as I realized that I was about to be consumed in a pillar of fire, I found myself feeling suddenly detached from the situation. As if this whole mess was someone else’s problem instead of mine.

That’s right…… from that moment onward, I was gradually beginning to act differently from the Saya in the Epitaph of Twilight. Though at the time, I’d had no idea what that meant or how it would impact the story.

“PhaRue Zot!”

I heard Bith’s voice, and I was immediately enveloped in a freezing wind.

Startled, I opened my eyes― and found the pillars of fire frozen over, but melting fast.

“You idiot! Get out of the way!” I looked back towards Bith’s voice.

And saw him barreling towards me like a bat out of hell. Behind him, Fili and Lilith flew my way as well.

“Are you okay?” Fili asked as he placed a barrier around me again, and I nodded quietly. “This way.”

With Fili’s guidance, I proceeded to bypass the pillars of fire. And to the side, Lilith gave Bith a look and stuck close by me as we flew forward.

“You’re not in as much danger as it might seem, you know.”

“Sorry……”

I didn’t feel any relief in having been saved. I was too stunned to feel anything.

“Pull yourself together! You have two lives in your hands, you know?”

“Right……”

In the end, we managed to reach the opposite shore thanks to the protection of our three reliable spellcasters. And as soon as we touched down, all three of them slumped to the ground, releasing the tension from constantly bracing themselves to deal with the pillars of fire.

I’d almost died, and in the face of that reality, I felt mentally exhausted. And knowing I had given up without even trying, I was starting to loathe myself. Still, I somehow managed to muster up the energy to begin treatment for the Ancient spirit.

(In that moment― if I hadn’t given up, maybe I could have still done something.)

Vesper noticed my distress, and commented on it. “What’s done is done; you shouldn’t worry about it. Just be more careful next time.”

Those words probably didn’t seem like much to him, but they touched my heart all the same, and I started to cry like a child.

“I was wondering how you would get across. I didn’t expect the Ancient spirits on the other side of the lake to cooperate with you.” I heard a hoarse voice speak, and quickly wiped away my tears to look in the direction it came from. The owner of the voice – who only came up to my waist – had deep wrinkles carved into his pale green face. He had thin, short hair that was hard to see without getting close, as well as the long, pointed ears of a spirit.

“Are you…… Tartarga?”

“That’s right.” Tartarga stroked his stubbled chin as he answered my question. “I would like to say you should stop and rest first…… but unfortunately, you don’t seem to have time for that.”

Saying that, Tartarga constantly shifted his attention between us sitting on the ground before him and something else behind him. Following his gaze, I saw a large cave behind him, and from the entrance, a thick, bushy tail was visible that seemed at least ten meters long. That must have been the guard dog that protected Tartarga.

The tail was swinging wildly from side-to-side, as if it were writhing in pain.

“Are the three of you okay?”

At that question, Fili rose to his feet. “We came here because we wish to learn more about the Twilight Dragon.”

“I know this.” Tartarga said, then took a deep breath to continued, “So, regarding the Twilight Dragon’s domain―”

“We’ve already been told the general location.” Bith interrupted Tartarga. “We were told you would have the specifics for us, old man. So tell us everything you know.”

“I see you haven’t changed at all, Bith. But fret not, you have no need to panic.” Tartarga said, stroking his stubbled chin. “In the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings, if you can unlock the seal at the Great Falls of Arche Koeln, you can gain access to its temple. This temple will lead you on to the Land at the End of Land. And from there, if you pass through the Dragonbein Mountains, you will reach the place known as the Wavering Peninsula, where you can meet the Twilight Dragon. There will be no landmarks to follow once you reach that point, but if you go there, you will find them.”

“And what is this seal?”

“In a moment; I’m getting to that…… honestly.” Glaring at Bith for a moment, Tartarga sighed heavily before continuing. “To break the seal, you will need a key. This key lies with the residents of Eld Sleika, deep within the Forest of Everlasting Darkness― Garm!”

Tartarga seemed like he was about to say more, but he suddenly reacted to something and turned around. But it was pointless for Tartarga to try and reprimand his guard dog. Whether he was an emissary of the waves who didn’t want the information getting leaked, or he just wanted to protect Tartarga and the information he held, we didn’t know. But without the ‘tear jar’, it had been a miracle that we could even speak with Tartarga at all.

Garm pounced on the Ancient spirit who had been standing closest to the cave. There was no time to run. The sound of chewing bone echoed through the cave, and black blood dripped from Garm’s mouth. And as he chewed, he looked at me with bloodshot eyes as if sizing up his next prey.

(!)

“Tch,” Bith clicked his tongue and tugged on my arm as the color drained from my face.

“Run!” Fili called, running ahead to protect Gendor with Lilith quick on their heels.

Yet despite seeing the others start to head out, I couldn’t move. I was too overwhelmed by Garm’s presence. And then I heard something clatter to the ground. Even with Bith pulling on my arm so hard it hurt, I couldn’t help but look towards what had made the sound.

Something black had fallen at Garm’s feet. “……” Even though it was obvious what it had been, I couldn’t help but check.

It was the arm of the Ancient spirit. Strands of sinew stretched from the torn end of the arm up to Garm’s mouth.

I was so scared, I couldn’t even speak. I wanted to scream, but my voice was getting caught in my throat.

Unconsciously, I held out my spell wand. Even though I would no longer be able to use it to help the Ancient spirit, the tip of my wand began to glow faintly. But when Bith noticed what I was doing, he slapped my cheek as hard as he could.

(!)

The sound of it echoed throughout the cave. I held a hand up to my stinging cheek, starting to come back to my senses, and met Bith’s eyes.

“Are you going to let his death be in vain?!” Bith yelled at me, and Garm reacted to it.

Shaking off the Ancient’s arm dangling from his mouth, Garm pounced at Bith.

Next to the cave where Garm slept, there was a smaller, narrower opening.

We had no time to grieve or say thank you, as just in the nick of time, we plunged into the hole― and tumbled into a cave that looked like an animal trail known as the Underworld Tunnel.

Silently, we trudged through a cave so narrow we could only proceed through it in a single file line. I felt incredibly nauseous― though whether that was just because of the heat and humidity from the lake of lava before, or because of witnessing the Ancient spirit’s death, I wasn’t sure. But either way, I wrapped my arms around myself as I trembled at the back of the line.

Not a single ray of light made its way into this tunnel― so with nothing but Bith’s flame to guide us, we groped our way through the cave. Fortunately though, the path only went straight forwards, so there was no fear of us getting lost here.

(Why am I here?)

I couldn’t do anything on my own, or even help these people who were helping me. I ended up in this world by chance, and since then, I had only ever done what I’d been told to do in order to achieve my own ends…… but if I couldn’t do anything to actually help, wasn’t I just being a burden on them?

I didn’t feel like I was qualified to be here. Both Gendor and Lilith were at least part of this world with shadows and abilities (even if Gendor’s hadn’t blossomed yet). They had been born into this world, and had lived here their whole lives.

(But I……)

Behind this veil of the person called Saya, I was just an ordinary person who had nothing to do with this world. I didn’t know what I could do without Vesper telling me first, and even then, I wasn’t sure if I was using my abilities at 100% or not.

If there were any other conditions for the three shadow-bearers, or if they had to truly be a part of this world, then the Twilight Dragon definitely wouldn’t move for me.

Even though I knew that hesitating or second-guessing myself wouldn’t get me back to my original world, I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes now.

“Saya……” Vesper spoke kindly in my ear. “Nothing is gained by giving in to despair, we have to look forward now.”

“……I know.” I responded with a firm tone despite my runny nose. “You know, there are some things you just can’t help, right? I don’t belong in this world. Every time something happens, I can’t handle it at all!”

“What is this about?” Vesper asked as I lashed out.

I knew I was just taking things out on myself, but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop the outpouring of emotions that had been building up in me all this time.

“You’re thinking you would be better off if you were with the real Saya, aren’t you?”

“I don’t think that.”

“You’re lying! If I were the real Saya― she wouldn’t have almost run into that pillar of fire, and the Ancient spirit might have been saved.”

Vesper let out a deep sigh. I was sure my outburst was catching him completely off guard.

“Certainly― the pillar of fire could have been avoided, I think. More to the point, I think we could have fought back more.”

“See, you think I’m not strong enough, right?”

Vesper sighed again. “Saya― no, that’s not what I should call you right now. Lara,” He spoke, staring at me with his deep blue eyes. “Up to now, I have found it frustrating that you couldn’t do things like Saya. Even though I know you’re different people, I feel like you should be able to do these things.”

“……”

Hearing Vesper admit to it, my heart started to wilt further. It made me sad to know that even Vesper, who I thought was the one who understood me the most, saw me this way.

“But you know…… earlier, when you tried to heal that Ancient spirit. I respected that. Because Saya would never have tried something like that.” Vesper said with absolute authority in his voice, and I tilted my head at him. “There was no chance of healing them in that state. So Saya would surely have given up on them. But you didn’t Lara. Even in the face of that monster, you tried to heal them.”

“I wasn’t even thinking then. I was too scared to move, but somehow my arms just took over on their own―”

“Acting without thinking is fine. I’m still proud of you Lara, for not giving up.” Vesper’s words touched my heart. “I do miss Saya, but I think you are even more lonely and brokenhearted than she was, Lara. Although you may look the same, I can see the child inside you. But…… I still think you are doing the best you can, Lara.”

Doing the best I can.

For someone like me, who had always been too hard on myself, hearing those words made me very happy. It felt as if everything I was had finally been affirmed.

“So let’s just calm down and keep moving.”

“Yeah…… sorry for taking my anger out on you.”

“That’s alright, it’s no problem.”

After talking like that, we must have walked for hours― but eventually, grass started sprouting out of the muddy ground, and a pleasant breeze began wafting in from up ahead. Thinking those must be signs of an exit, our pace quickened almost instinctively.

Beyond the cave, we entered a forest thick with trees and grasses that were even taller than Gendor.

It was known as the Forest of Everlasting Darkness.

And in the dark sky― no clouds, moon, or stars could be seen. Though it felt strange that not even the moon was visible with the sky as clear as it was.

“This is……” I muttered as I looked around. Then, something like smoke zipped past us.

(Wh-what was that?)

I looked around restlessly, but there didn’t seem to be anything unusual nearby.

“What’s wrong?” Vesper asked while also starting to look around for something suspicious.

“I thought something just moved past us…… but maybe I just imagined it.”

“Maybe? Are you sure, though?” Vesper asked, then looked ahead at Bith to see him making a stern face while looking at a single bat in front of him.

“Let’s move.” Then seeing the bat disappear, Bith spoke with urgency and quickly made his way into the forest. Then, prompted by Fili, the rest of us followed after Bith with Gendor looking scared behind us.

“Is something wrong?” Fili called out to Bith, who seemed to be suddenly in a much greater hurry. However, Bith didn’t say anything as he continued forward;.

“That was one of Helba’s familiars, wasn’t it?”

“……”

“Care to share the information? Unless―”

“The Verdant Spring was destroyed.” Interrupting Fili’s speculation, Bith answered without turning to face us.

“The waves?”

“What else?”

“No……” Next to Fili, Gendor’s jaw dropped in distress. “Were the humans―” Bith didn’t reply. “Bith, please. I can take it, so tell me.”

Yet still, Bith remained silent.

But Gendor seemed to take that for a yes, because he bit his lower lip as if to hold back his grief.

(It can’t be true……)

I could still remember the warmth of Theo’s hands over mine and his carefree smile.

“I had a hunch when Theo started saying he couldn’t ‘see’ what was ahead……” Gendor muttered, quietly beginning a mantra of ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’ to himself. I knew he was upset, but I didn’t have a clue what I could do for him.

Every second we wasted brought us closer to the end. Even as we pressed onwards without rest, the waves were mercilessly swallowing up the world. But our journey would be meaningless if there wasn’t a world left to save when we reached the end.

We hurried after Bith in order to not lose sight of him as eerie, owl-like cries were constantly echoing down from the foliage above us. And noticing that I had an uneasy expression on face, Lilith tapped my shoulder.

“Pretty annoying, isn’t it?” Without even needing to consider it, I nodded. “I know it’s grating, but as long as they’re still squawking about, that means we’re safe.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, but at my question, Lilith looked surprised.

She seemed to have expected me to know what it would mean already if the birds stopped squawking. “If they go quiet, it means that Lazeth is nearby. So if they ever stop squawking, that means we need to be extra vigilant.”

“Who is Lazeth?”

Lilith sighed heavily like she was starting to get fed up with my ignorance. “Are you sure you’re the Little Witch? I don’t know what to make of you anymore.”

I knew it hadn’t been Lilith’s intention, but hearing her ask that hit a little too close to home. And after I had just been cheered up by Vesper.

(No, I can’t keep thinking like that!)

I tried to keep my spirits up, but it didn’t help much. And seeing me go quiet, Lilith hurried to change the subject back to the matter at hand. “In this forest― there is said to be a dragon of dreams with six heads named Lazeth.”

“Said to be…… so you mean you’ve never met it, Lilith?”

“No. If I had, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lazeth draws others into their dreams. And if you get drawn in, you will never be able to get back out. You will live in Lazeth’s dreams forever.”

Ahead of us, Gendor suddenly cupped his hands over his ears. Then the moment I thought that had been strange for him, my ears started to ring painfully, too.

“Wh-what is this……?”

Lilith’s response came too late. Bith – who should have been leading us – was nowhere to be seen. And Fili had also disappeared as if they had melted into the darkness.

“Oh shit!” I heard Lilith scream, but then I couldn’t see her anymore either.

Everything had gone pitch black around me, and I suddenly felt the sensation of falling in circles, as if my sense of balance had been disrupted.

Or maybe I had actually fallen. A shock ran through me a moment later as if I’d been struck with a rock, and the searing pain made it impossible to try and stand. “Ve……Vesper?” I managed to croak out that one word.

“I’m fine. What about you, Saya?”

Slowly opening my eyes― a reddish-brown wasteland spread out before me. And in the sky, there was a fiery red moon looming over us.

I slowly staggered back to my feet. “Where are we?” I looked around, but there was no one else here besides me and Vesper.

“I suppose…… this must be the dream of Lazeth.” Vesper stood at my feet, then added, “But it feels too real to be a dream.”

I readied my spell wand. I wasn’t sure what I would be able to do here, but I felt compelled to prepare myself anyways, because it felt like something was crawling closer right in front of me.

“Something is…… coming……!”

Immediately after I said that, the ground shook and cracked open― and from it, a monster I had hoped to never see again slowly emerged. The monster Cubia which had been mentioned in the ancient texts of the Lands of Light. My legs started shaking from fear. I tried to say something― but my throat had gone suddenly dry.

I knew there was no way I could beat this thing. And yet, I had to fight.

“Vesper……” I just barely managed to eke out a few words as I stared at Cubia rising from the ground. “Aren’t there any other spells I can use besides my healing abilities?”

Holding the spell wand in my hand, my whole arm was trembling like it was refusing to fight.

“It’s not that there isn’t, but it’s something of a forbidden technique. If you’re not careful, using it could mean death―”

“If I don’t try, it’ll end the same way.”

Vesper hesitated a moment, “Maybe it’s time……” he muttered, then climbed up my cloak and jumped onto my shoulder again. “Breathe life into the wasteland.”

(Breathe life into it?)

“A wasteland like this has no power to grow plants or feed animals. It is a dead land. That is why you must share your power with it.”

Not wanting to waste time asking questions now, I began to pray.

(Please…… I will share my power with you, so please help me……)

I didn’t know if it was really possible for me to breathe life into the wasteland or not, and I was barely managing to stay on my feet as it was.

(No matter what, I must survive this and return to my original world.)

I had no way of knowing if that thought had been conveyed as a part of my prayers― but after thinking it, the earth rose up before me as if to protect me from Cubia’s roots. But then the stone was shattered into pieces, and I was knocked back by the roots. I almost didn’t notice it, but Vesper was also thrown out of my hood.

“Ahhh……!”

I was slammed down into the wasteland and my whole body screamed in pain, and I started puking. I couldn’t even try to keep it off my clothes as I convulsed on the ground. Then, before I could even try to escape, another root attacked me.

Lying on the ground, I raised my spell wand. Many earthen walls rose around me to defend me from the twisting roots. But of course, the result was the same as the first time.

“Gah……!”

Just as I had finally gotten back on my feet, I was struck again by the roots and sent flying. Slammed down to the ground again, excruciating pain rang through my whole body. Bright red blood was pouring from a dozen cuts and scrapes in my skin, and the crushed earth rained down so much that it practically buried me.

“Hah…… hah……” I tried to breathe, but the pain coursing through my body was so intense that I could hardly manage it.

Desperately, I clung to the spell wand in my hand. The pain lessened slightly, and I finally managed to take a proper breath. But that relief didn’t last long― because many twisting roots were darting towards me again.

Even with the earth as my shield, the roots got through to reach me. My whole body was convulsing, and I couldn’t even muster the strength to grip my spell wand anymore as my vision started to blur.

(Papa…… Mama……)

Tears further distorted my vision even and I couldn’t see a thing anymore.

(Am I going to die here?)

The wand slipped from my shaking fingers.

“Saya!” Then I heard Vesper’s voice.

“You have to get back! Back to your own world!” His voice echoed through my mind.

(Get back……)

A sharp pain ran through my temples.

Memories suddenly came rushing back to me. My memories of Papa and Mama, of our house where we could smell the sea breeze blow in. Memories of school and my friends…… and memories of Uncle Harald.

(I can’t give up……!)

Somehow, I managed to bring my hands together. Without the spell wand, I tried to guide the prayer in my mind with clasped hands instead. There was something ironic in trying to use a deadly forbidden technique to survive, but― I would rather struggle to the end than give up without fighting back.

If I had known what the outcome of using that technique would be, though, I wonder if I still would have used it.

The earth rose with a tremor, stretching up like branches and leaves to pierce the body of Cubia faster than Cubia’s roots could strangle me.

It all happened in an instant.

The roots gradually slackened around me, and I fell to the ground like a worn-out ragdoll. Then Vesper stumbled up to me on shaky legs.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded slowly and looked up from where I was on the ground at Cubia floating overhead, having gone still, pierced by several jagged protrusions of earth. It didn’t seem like it was fully dead yet, but it wasn’t attacking anymore.

I picked up my spell wand that was lying at my feet and started healing myself. After recovering a little bit, I said, “I need to treat you too, Vesper.”

“I’m fine.”

“You are not fine!” I waved my spell wand over Vesper and started treating him.

Except, Vesper didn’t recover.

(Why?)

I was confused.

(Could it be……)

“Vesper, I……”

Vesper nodded slowly. “I knew this would happen.”

“When you said using the forbidden technique would mean death, I thought you meant death for me.”

“I used my own energy to power your abilities, Saya.”

“You mean―”

“You understand now, don’t you?” Vesper asked with a self-mocking smirk on his face. “Cubia was after my power. And this was the only way to use it all up.”

“Why……?”

“If I am on the side of preserving the world, then Cubia is on the side of destroying it. I’m afraid this is where I say goodbye.”

“No!” My tears overflowed and fell onto Vesper’s face.

“As long as Cubia is around, you won’t be able to continue your journey.”

I shook my head.

Again and again, I shook my head.

“I’m sorry, Lara. If I had left a little earlier, I wouldn’t have caused you to suffer this much.” Vesper’s body started to grow cold. “But I wanted to continue my journey with you for just a little while longer. I was worried about what lay ahead.”

“You don’t have to worry anymore, just don’t leave me!”

“No matter what happens, you have to get back to your original world…… right?”

One last time, Vesper tried to look up at me with eyes that had already lost their light― then he lost his strength and collapsed.

“……Vesper?”

He didn’t respond.

No matter how many times I called his name or tried to shake him awake, Vesper didn’t react at all.

“This can’t be real……” I muttered, unable to stop crying. “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” I screamed until my voice was hoarse, still holding Vesper in my arms.

But then the dream suddenly ended, and I sat alone in stunned disbelief― mentally drained and run utterly ragged. And Vesper was no longer in my arms.

(It isn’t true……)

Fili rushed over to me as I sat and sobbed.

“Saya, what’s wrong?”

All I could do in response was shake my head. Because the second I mentioned Vesper, I felt like it would become real.

(I could still find him if I keep looking……)

Ignoring Fili’s question, I staggered to my feet as if I were sleepwalking and started moving. And all the while, I called out for Vesper.

To the side, I could see Bith watching me with dubious expression on his face. Lilith must have noticed that Vesper was missing though, because she approached Fili amidst his bewilderment and started speaking softly to him.

I sat down again. I had to accept the reality that Vesper was no longer with me, but I just couldn’t. Vesper had been with me since I first appeared in this world. He had been the one to teach me how to use my abilities.

He was the only one who knew about my situation and comforted me. Vesper had even accepted me when I was weak.

“I can’t believe that Vesper was connected to Cubia, it just doesn’t make sense……”

Forgetting that I was in the Forest of Everlasting Darkness, I broke down in tears.

Then Lilith walked up to me and patted my back. “Hang in there. I won’t ask you to say anything yet, but we can’t stop here.” She said, helping wipe my tears away with a cold hand. “You can’t let yourself relax in this place when you’re not even a spirit of Darkness. The moment your heart becomes vulnerable, they’ll strike.”

I understood what Lilith was trying to tell me, but I couldn’t do anything about that right now. My heart felt like it was already in knots, so all I could do was shake my head at her like an impetuous child.

“That was all just Lazeth’s dream, wasn’t it……? Then why did it become real……?” Lilith put a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t have a single injury left on me now……”

“I get it now.” Lilith gestured for Gendor to come closer and had him carry me in his arms. “It’s a miracle you even managed to escape Lazeth’s dream. But we need to hurry.”

Lilith stood up, and Bith began to move forward again. Gendor walked as if he were chasing after Bith, periodically casting a worried look down at me. But during it all, I couldn’t stop crying.

I recalled Vesper’s last words to me.

“No matter what happens, you have to get back to your original world…… right?”

How much easier would it be if I could still believe that.

And true― I wanted to return to my own world no matter what. But I never could have anticipated Vesper disappearing.

(And what…… what did you think would happen?)

I realized that I had never expected that I might have to sacrifice something to get this far.

(I was naïve……)

I knew now how unprepared I had been. Vesper had given up his own life so that I could keep going; I couldn’t let that sacrifice go to waste.

I knew that much, but following through on it was another matter. I still couldn’t stop crying, even as I swung uselessly in Gendor’s arms.

And then, something else happened. At the front of the group, Bith fell back onto his butt.

“What- what is it?” Gendor stopped and stared at Bith.

Bith stood with a growl and held his spell wand towards the large tree standing in front of him. “I thought I hadn’t made it in time.” A voice said from above us.

We all looked up, and found that what I had thought was a large tree was in fact a leg. It was too dark to make out the details, so I had been able to easily mistake it for being a tree.

“It looked like you were drawn in by Lazeth, so how are you all safe?” The tree-like leg bent forward, and a face sporting a large, Santa Claus-like white beard appeared from between the trees, and golden eyes glinted down at us through the darkness. “Well, it looks like everyone is here…… so it’s good that you’re all safe. The king is waiting. I am here to show you the way.”

Saying that, the giant scooped us all up in his hands. He (I assumed he was a man from the low tone of his voice) held us close with great care as he began to walk with us.

(Not all of us are safe……)

My tears had stopped for a moment, but now they started up again. Gendor gently pat my head, but it only made me feel worse.

“I guess he’s going to take us to Eld Sleika.” Lilith muttered beside me.

“Eld Sleika? Does that mean this giant is one of the legendary Mocaine?” Fili asked, seeming to understand the situation, though Gendor only tilted his head as he held me close. Noticing his confusion, Fili explained quickly. “In this world, there exist spirits who are neither of Darkness nor Light. They make their homes in deserted areas, and build their own communities there. These giants, the Mocaine, were said to have built up a veritable country centered around the old castle of Eld Sleika in the deepest depths of the Forest of Everlasting Darkness.” He said, then looked up at the giant carrying them. “Though honestly, I never thought that they really existed.”

While everyone else was immersed in the conversation about the Mocaine, I just sat in his palm and stared ahead blankly.

After a while, the dark forest finally opened up― and beyond it stood an old castle as tall as a mountain with a warm, pale light shining from within it.

We passed through a gate framed by dragon statues facing in towards us that were nearly as tall as the Mocaine.

But since we were being carried by the Mocaine, we were able to get a clear look at the dragons’ faces. And save for their eyes, which shone with a bright red light, they were made entirely out of a marble-like stone. In addition, a mist flowed out of their mouths like breath that made them look alive.

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Gendor’s jaw dropped, and he shuddered. “Do you think this is what the Twilight Dragon looks like?”

“Oh right, I suppose you wouldn’t know, would you Gendor?” Fili spoke up again. “Those like the Mocaine who build their own communities like this worship the Twilight Dragon as their god. So I suppose they crafted these stone statues with the idea of the Twilight Dragon in mind.”

“I see……”

Satisfied with that explanation, Gendor looked more closely at the statues. Though it felt as though they could start moving at any moment, and the light of their red eyes seemed to twinkle suspiciously from time to time, the dragon statues watched us passively as we passed through the gates.

“But…… if the Twilight Dragon is as dazzling as this, it shouldn’t be difficult to find.”

“If that is what it really looks like, you mean?” Lilith poked at Fili’s statement, and the Mocaine, who had remained quiet so far, laughed at the comment.

“Regardless of the form that it takes, you will be able to find the Twilight Dragon. That is why we are here.”

Fili opened his mouth to say something, but Bith interrupted him before he could. “And here comes the king.”

From the entrance of the old castle, wearing a glittering cloak, came the giants’ king― who much like the one carrying us sported a long, Santa-like beard on his face. The king’s appeared to be a bit fuller than his, however.

And so, we were brought down before the king. “We have been waiting for you.” The king said, and then knelt down and bowed his head.

(The king is bowing to us?!)

After seeing that Gendor and I were clearly stunned by this act, Fili spoke up. “What do you mean that you’ve been waiting for us?”

At that question, however, the king looked up at us with a quizzical expression. “I mean exactly as I said.”

“?”

Fili tilted his head at that, and so Bith addressed the king as well. “You’ve been watching us, haven’t you?”

“I was concerned, so I sent a guide to find you before you encountered Lazeth― though I am sorry to see we were a step too late on that count.”

Hearing that from his king, the guide seemed to slump as he stood behind us.

(Why are they being so formal with us? Are people with shadows given high status here?)

Normally, Vesper would have been able to explain for me― but as I turned to ask him out of habit, I was struck with a fresh wave of grief to see him missing.

Vesper wasn’t here anymore. I had no one left to pose my questions to. From here on, I would have to face this world on my own.

The king continued to speak. “Besides the legend of the Twilight Dragon, there is another legend that only we know of. It had been passed down among our people, and in accordance with it, we have waited for you all this time. All in order to guide you to the Twilight Dragon.”

“We’d appreciate that.” Lilith tried to take a step forward, but Bith held out a hand to stop her.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘guide us’?” Bith narrowed his eyes at the king as if trying to see through to the heart of his words. “We heard from Tartarga that you have a key we need.”

“And of course, we shall give you the key. But already, more than half of the world has been swallowed up by the waves and reduced to nothing, and it is a very long way to the temple’s seal. For that reason, I shall be your guide.”

“But―” Confused, Fili tried to say something then, but the king interrupted him to continue.

“The Mocaine have, for countless years, guarded the key and waited for the three shadow-bearers of legend to arrive. And even as I prayed that this day would never come, there was also never a day that I did not wish to meet with you…… in order that I might assist you in any way I could.” Fili and Bith exchanged a look at that. They seemed to be considering how much of what the king said they could really trust. “However― there are conditions.”

And as if to put an end to their concerns, the king went on. Though his expression tightened as he spoke now. Was his condition something difficult?

“Well, what are these conditions?”

With a subdued voice, the king answered. “The three shadow-bearers must be asked to pass a test.”

Lilith frowned as if to say she had never heard of such a thing before. “A test? Just what would we be doing?”

“But I can’t do anything……” Gendor said at the same time.

“Worry not, this will be more of an interview…… I would like to speak with each of you to see for myself if you are the right people to entrust with the key which we have been protecting all this time. I understand that time is short, but we also cannot act rashly.”

“But―” Fili hesitated to object, but continued despite himself. “But then, if these three do not meet your standards, does that mean you will not hand the key over to them?”

With that tight expression still on his face, the king slowly looked to each of us in turn. “Unfortunately, it does.”

I was completely stunned by that declaration.

I was not of this world, (Or at least my mind wasn’t……) I couldn’t possibly be accepted as the right person to hand the key over to. If he spoke with me, I was sure that he would sniff me out in a second.

If the King of the Mocaine didn’t approve of us― would our journey end here? And without being able to meet the Twilight Dragon, would I be able to return to my original world or not?

“Don’t you think that’s a bit selfish?” Lilith glared up at the king. “So if we don’t meet your standards, are you going to allow yourselves to be quietly swallowed up by the waves?”

“All is the will of the Twilight Dragon.”

With an anxious look, I watched Lilith enter the old castle at the king’s prompting and felt like I might cry again.

Episode 7//merge

Around the Hulle Granz Cathedral, the water of the Alba Lake began to ripple for the first time. Light flashed in the sky to the distant south, and the earth shook. And in response, the Alba Lake stirred further.

In that place, something was beginning.

All around the Alba Lake – save for the land to the south where lights flashed – all three other sides had already been consumed by the waves. And each time, the waters of the Able Lake – which had always been so clear – grew muddier. It was now only a matter of time until the waves would consume the Alba Lake as well, despite having stood impregnable for all of history.

The world could no longer escape its ruination.



To the south of Hulle Granz Cathedral, at the base of a giant rainbow shining with its multi-colored light, there was an atmosphere filled with a sense of foreboding. Spirits wearing armor and robes, as well as bloodthirsty phantom beasts all looked to their monarchs, who stood glaring at each other in silence.

Apeiron was the first to break that silence. “Why are you here?”

“For the same purpose as you.” In response, Helba calmly smiled as she offered her reply.

With a heavy sigh, Apeiron shook his head. He had no idea what to say to that. He had been the one to break their promise first, so he could hardly blame her for doing the same. However, as reassuring as it was to have both the spirits of Light and Darkness here in terms of strength, it wouldn’t be easy for them to set their differences aside.

If anyone on either side started a fight, it would result in mass hysteria. And if that happened, it would extremely difficult to regain control of them all. Though even considering that, he could never actually say that he would willingly cooperate with her, even if he wanted to.

With another sigh, Apeiron considered how best to begin.

“Is sighing like that all you know how to do?” With her smile curling into something more wicked, Helba glanced below them. “I thought you had understood that this enemy is not one we can stand against with simple armor and robes woven with spellcraft.”

Helba’s gaze fell upon them all― the spirits of Light. There, she saw spirits holding spell staves which were too tall for them, or wrapped up in suits of armor that didn’t fit quite right, all looking up at their king with anxious eyes.

“Can you really mobilize like that?” Apeiron stammered at that. “Well, no matter…… now that we’re both here, I suppose we will simply have to work together.” Helba added, then pointed to the large snake at her feet, Boa, in her true form.

At the gesture, Boa hissed at the those who had begun taunting the spirits of Light, forcing them to pull back.

“Have you heard the news from Bith?” Not answering his question, Helba silently beckoned Apeiron to make his point. “The news regarding Gendor― it seems that because of that human, they could not receive the key from the Mocaine. Not even because he lacked power, but simply because he was a human, they refused him.”

“And what of it?” Helba’s response was steely. As if she had anticipated that it would come to this from the beginning.

“The Mocaine are said to live in the Forest of Everlasting Darkness. Can’t you do something about this?” Apeiron spoke harshly to Helba, but she only chuckled at his question. “Are you hearing me?!”

“I hear you.”

“Then how about giving me an actual answer for once?”

“I was simply being stunned into silence. After all this time, you are still being so short-sighted……”

“Short-sighted?!” Apeiron shouted, but Helba cut the sound of his voice off with one small movement of her hand.

“One correction― Eld Sleika, where the Mocaine reside, is not my territory. Therefore, I have no power to intercede in this matter.”

“We are talking about the fate of the world. Surely you understand that, don’t you?”

Watching as Apeiron’s face turned red with anger, Helba continued to smile as she gave him her answer. “Of course I understand that. Isn’t that why we are here?”

And with that, Helba shifted her gaze to the spirits of Darkness waiting at her heels. They were comprised of only those most loyal to Helba who had not indulged in their baser instincts or taken part in the riots they called a ‘rebellion’. There were still some hot-blooded individuals among them, but none so much that they wouldn’t fall in line.

And those tens of thousands of spirits were all watching as the dialogue between Helba and Apeiron unfolded. A moment of silence fell over them, but again, Apeiron broke it.

“So, what do we do now? We can’t afford to just keep glaring at each other much longer.”

Having never lost her smile, Helba answered him. And hearing her answer, Apeiron frowned― but in the end, he knew that they had no choice. They had to fight to survive. Even if they knew that they could never win.

Together― they formed a circle at the foot of the rainbow south of the Hulle Granz Cathedral. The giant rainbow lit the way to the Alba Lake which held the Hulle Granz Cathedral at its center. When the spirits heard their monarchs’ decision, however,  there was an outcry. For never before had the Lands of Light and Darkness worked together for anything.

But once they had finished giving out their orders to the spirits of Light and somehow persuaded even those who had opposed Apeiron, the king’s aide, Papi, let out a meager sigh. And retaking her humanoid form of an old woman, Helba’s attendant, Boa, called out to her.

“What’s with the sigh?” Surprised at being addressed, Papi jumped. “Though I look like this now, I still have good ears.” Boa said, cracking a crooked smile as she did.

Her distinctive serpentine eyes met Papi’s almost like she was trying to encourage her, but Papi just felt overwhelmed, and timidly attempted to reply. “Um……”

“?”

“Why did you have to set up here? There were other areas you could have gone……”

Boa’s eyes went wide at that question, as if it hadn’t even occurred to her. “If you are Apeiron’s aide, shouldn’t you already know the answer?”

“……” Realizing she had a point, Papi went silent. But she was still young by the standards of spirits, so she had not been a part of Apeiron’s inner circle for very long.

She did not know what it had been like before. It was only with the knowledge and support of Fili and other spirits that she had come to hold the position of Apeiron’s aide. However, even with that status, there were some areas she was sure to be lacking in.

“The Lands of Light are always so unreliable.” At Boa’s condemning words, Papi shrank in on herself. “The Alba Lake. We are here to protect that place.”

“Because it’s where the Hulle Granz Cathedral is?” Boa nodded. “But why then? If you have to protect it, you could have positioned yourself at the lake itself―”

But Boa interrupted Papi to explain. “Don’t you understand? There is something there that keeps evil at bay. That is why it hasn’t been consumed yet, even though the waves have destroyed everything else around it.” Papi listened to her go on in silence. “But nothing is enshrined in that cathedral. Do you know why?”

“No.”

“My guess…… is that the cathedral is intended to enshrine the Twilight Dragon.”

“Intended to enshrine the Twilight Dragon……?”

“When the shadow-bearers locate the Twilight Dragon― it is said it will come to that cathedral. Therefore, we must not allow that lake to dry out.”

Papi nodded firmly and looked into the distance― staring up at the northern sky, where the Alba Lake was located.



Yet with no way of knowing that both nations had raised their armies― the shadow-bearers were guided by the king of the Mocaine into the depths of the temple, still grief-stricken over the loss of Vesper.

And when they unlocked the door at the back of the temple, it opened into an underground labyrinth. However, it was no ordinary maze they found, but a living labyrinth. Bright pink passages like the inside of some giant creature were lined with thin, capillary-like veins. Occasionally― the passage trembled and narrowed as if it were convulsing. And amid the echoing heartbeats, the Little Witch’s group hurried onward.

Fili and Bith tried to send their familiars out so they wouldn’t get lost, but for some reason, they couldn’t summon them here. No matter how they tried, nothing happened.

They did not have much time left. “Get through as quickly as possible.” They recalled the warning given to them by the king of the Mocaine.

“We have to hurry!”

However, their desire alone would not help them.

Without warning― the living labyrinth let out a desperate cry, and the corridors began to decay. And though they pushed forward as much as they could, the shifting ground made it difficult to proceed as quickly as they wanted to. And eventually, a sticky liquid began to ooze out of the walls that seemed to dissolve any and all foreign elements.

The group tried to deal with it using their crests, but no matter how much they waved their spell wands, nothing worked. It appeared that any spellcraft they tried to use here would be absorbed into the labyrinth. So at that time, the groups cloaks and soles of their shoes began to melt.

They were being driven into a corner― at that time, they all had that same feeling.

Then one of the shadow-bearers – Gendor – roared as his body began to glow with a dazzling light. And at last, Gendor’s abilities bloomed.



And at the same time― the spirits of Light and Darkness were growing fearful at the prospect of the waves appearing at any moment. And just as the spirits disquiet reached its peak, a wave emerged from the east at the base of the rainbow. Knowing no retreat, the wave surged forward towards the circle of spirits.

Even those who had made up their minds to fight fell into violent confusion, though whether it was from their fear of the waves or the uncertainty of their ability to survive was unclear.

Apeiron screamed out a war cry, but it did not reach the panicking spirits. All of them were chanting spells, brandishing weapons, or trying to bite down with their fangs. And jumping into the sky to avoid the chaos, Papi watched the spirits fighting on the ground and muttered to herself.

“This isn’t right……” She stared into their eyes. “This can’t be happening!” Papi wrapped her arms around herself. She was not able to remain calm while watching what was happening below her.

On the ground― it no longer mattered if someone was from the Lands of Light or Darkness, it was simply overflowing with aggressors. Constant shouts and screams echoed through the air. It was truly a hellscape of agony.

“Why……”

“It must be the wave’s doing.”

Someone spoke behind Papi, and she turned to face them in a panic. There, Helba watched the chaos down below. Appropriately, the smile had finally fallen from her lips, but Papi still couldn’t tell what exactly she was thinking with her eyes hidden behind her bangs.

Without hesitation, Helba brandished her spell staff. From its tip, she released a shockwave towards the hoard of confused spirits. The spirits were struck by the shockwave toppled over one-by-one to the ground.

“What?” Papi grabbed Helba― but with how much taller the Queen was than her, she brushed Papi off with just a flick of her wrist. Knocked away, Papi glared at Helba. “Stop it…… you don’t have to do this!”

“Look closely.”

“?”

The spirits below staggered to their feet again. They all seemed to come back to their senses.

“Fall back! Retreat!” Apeiron’s voice echoed through the ranks, and after only a moment’s hesitation, the spirits began to flee to the north.

The wave was still moving towards them, but it wasn’t so fast that they couldn’t outrun it. “What happened……?”

“That strange odor emanating from the wave must have been what caused the divide. Didn’t you notice?” Papi shook her head at Helba’s question. “Well, I suppose it was faint…… perhaps it’s only natural you didn’t notice.”

With that, Helba flew over the heads of the fleeing spirits. Papi watched her go, frustration and embarrassment racing through her for not being able to so much as move while the wave had approached.

“What did he ask you?” As soon as Lilith returned from her conversation with the king of the Mocaine and Gendor had stepped inside for his, Fili jumped to question her.

“Nothing much, really. It was more like small talk than an interview. Seriously, what a waste of time.”

“Hm……” Taking in Lilith’s answer, Fili considered what it could mean.

“It can’t be helped. To them, this conversation is essential.” Bith said as he looked up at the great castle that Gendor had entered. There was nothing to be seen in the pitch black sky above, we couldn’t even be sure it if was actually night or day here.

“It’d be nice if Gendor could finish his interview quickly, but I guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up.” Lilith sighed, and then turned to face me. “Are you doing alright?”

I couldn’t even begin to answer that question. Barely any time had passed since Vesper disappeared, so I was still overwhelmed with a tremendous sense of loss. I knew I needed to be strong right now, but I just couldn’t accept what had happened. Despite myself, I started crying again.

“What exactly happened?” Bith asked with folded arms.

(Do I have to answer that……?)

I’d noticed that everyone was concerned over Vesper’s sudden disappearance, but even though I knew they had a right to ask at this point― I still felt like I needed more time to process everything before I could explain it.

(But……)

If Vesper could see me now, he would probably scold me. I was sure that he wouldn’t want me to linger on it forever.

“Hey, you know, you could try to be a little more delicate!”

“It’s okay.” I stopped Lilith from jumping to my defense and quickly began to explain what had happened in Lazeth’s dream.

Bith had seemed perturbed by what I told him at first, but by the time I finished my story, he looked oddly content with my explanation. Fili seemed stunned on the other hand, and was deep in contemplation.

“He sacrificed himself for us.” Lilith summarized once I had finished, and I nodded with tears still in my eyes.

I had to keep moving forward, for Vesper’s sake. “I know I need to be strong, but…… it’s not easy. I’m sorry, everyone.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Lilith said as she pulled me into a gentle embrace. She felt so warm, and has a soothing scent that reminded me of Vesper and brought tears to my eyes again. “I know it’s painful.”

I could only continue crying as Lilith offered me her sympathy and gently caressed my head.

“For Vesper’s sake, we will absolutely find the Twilight Dragon.” Fili declared and then looked back at the castle to see Gendor coming back out. But seeming worried about how quickly he had returned, Fili rushed up to question him. “How did it go?”

“We just talked.”

“I know that. But what did the King of the Mocaine say?”

Gendor tilted his head, thought for a moment, and answered, “He told me everything seemed okay, but he couldn’t give me the key without talking to Saya first.”

“I see……” Fili’s expression lifted. “Well, if they’re okay with a human like Gendor, then I’m sure that you will be accepted as well, Saya. After all, you’re a knowledgeable witch who is known by spirits of all kinds.”

I knew he was trying to encourage me since I looked worried, but right now, his words just fueled my anxiety. Even if Gendor wasn’t a spirit, he was at least still someone who actually belonged in this world. Me on the other hand……

Beckoned forward by the King of the Mocaine, I suppressed my anxiety that I would not be allowed to receive the key to unlock the seal and entered the castle.

Passing through a door made from a single large wooden board, I stepped into a hall that looked similar to a reception room. And the red carpets in the room gave it exactly the kind of appearance you would expect from a novel, though a few taxidermy animal heads would have completed the look.

(A novel……)

Feeling relieved that I could still recall things from my world, I looked to the king.

I was still uneasy, though. Without Vesper, there was no way I could lie and convince the king that I actually belonged in this world― the elder from the human village had understood what I really was, so now as well, I felt like I had no choice but to expose myself and speak honestly.

The king sat down on a large sofa and ordered me to sit as well, motioning to a smaller sofa across from him that I could use. “Now then……” Once I had taken my seat, the king began to speak. “Please tell me your name.”

At that, I frowned. But since I had already decided to answer honestly, I supposed that I should use my real name as well. “……I’m Lara Hoerwick.”

“Larahoerwick?” He repeated, but pronounced it like a single word, so I said it again more clearly.

“Lara. Hoerwick.”

And at that, the king gave me a quizzical look. “But, I had heard from the previous two that you were the witch of the wheatfield……”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

(How do I explain……?)

“This may be hard to believe…… but even though my body is that of the witch Saya from the wheatfield, my mind is not.”

“Your mind is not?” The king considered my words for a moment before beckoning me to continue.

And I managed to explain my current situation to him more succinctly than I had managed with Vesper, but also in greater detail than I had to the village elder.

That I did not belong in this world. Not just in this body, but the world as a whole, and that I came here from another world by accident (becoming Saya the Little Witch) and with her body, I had made it this far with the advice of her partner, Vesper. I told him that I wanted to return to my original world after saving this one― and that since coming to this world, I had been gradually losing my memories of my original world.

But the king did not look like he understood. Which I supposed made sense. If I had been in his position, I doubt I would have believed me either.

(What should I do……)

While the king silently mulled over my explanation, I turned my head away. Somehow, I had to make him understand and convince him to give us the key so we could move on.

“Um……” I called to the king, and he looked up from his contemplation. “I understand your hesitation. But I did not take this journey half-heartedly. Though it’s true that I joined the search for the Twilight Dragon in a moment of desperation, and there are times when I fear I might not be able to get back to my original world…… Still, I want to save this world so I can leave it behind with a smile.”

For the sake of Vesper, who disappeared with Cubia, and for Lilith and everyone else who believed in me and had become my friends― I couldn’t back down now.

“Please! Give us the key!” I bowed my head as I continued my plea. “I beg you!”

A long moment past in silence. And with each second, my anxiety grew. “Please raise your head.” The king finally said, sounding troubled. I slowly looked back up at the king, and as his tone suggested, he had a puzzled expression on his face. “Do you believe in the existence of the Twilight Dragon?”

“I do.”

“You said that if you died in this world, you would be unable to return to your own― yet you believe this is something worth risking your life to find?”

I nodded, and then asked a question of my own. “Well, let me ask you this…… is there anything other than the Twilight Dragon that could fight against the waves? If no one does something, we will all be consumed by the waves eventually. So in that case, I would die all the same, wouldn’t I?”

The king nodded. “You are right about that. But that is no reason why you yourself should have to act.”

(What does that mean……?)

I watched the king’s expression as if I might find his true intent there. But I couldn’t figure it out. “If you just want to survive long enough to get back, you could just run away.”

“I could never do that……!” I had become the hero of the story that this world was based on, and she never considered running away.

And if I could explain that to the king, I’m sure this would be much simpler. But I couldn’t tell him that, because of something Vesper warned me of before.

“You know, you shouldn’t tell anyone but me that this world was created as a work of fiction. I know you explained everything to me when you first arrived because you wanted to go back somehow, but I was beyond shocked. I couldn’t believe that the things I’ve done following my own will might all have been the result of a script― I don’t think anyone else would understand.”

Vesper was definitely right. I would be so confused and even angry if someone told me such a thing in my original world.

“Never, you say…… then why did you set out on this journey knowing you were helpless? Did you think you could handle it because you had Fili and Bith with you?”

(I did, actually……)

The king wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t entirely right, either. I did what I could do at the time, and I would continue to do so in the future.

I looked up at the king as he awaited my response. “Certainly, Fili and Bith being there offered me a great sense of security. Whenever I was in danger― I could trust them to help me. But it’s not like I haven’t done anything to help, and I will continue to use my abilities to their fullest for them.” I met the king’s piercing gaze. “Please. For the sake of Vesper, who is no longer here, I can’t stop now.”

The king stared at me in silence for a long moment. Time passed slowly, and then with a sigh, he asked, “Do those with you know that you are from another world?”

“They don’t. I didn’t think there was a reason to make them uneasy about me.”

“I see. Then did you only tell me because you didn’t think you’d be able to keep it a secret from me?”

“……That’s right. I thought it would be pointless to try and hide it from you, so I decided to speak plainly. I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any confusion.”

And again, the king fell silent.

(I knew it……)

Did this mean that the key couldn’t be given to someone from another world? The king didn’t seem to want to go on.

Without being conscious of it, I let my shoulder droop. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, but I still didn’t think I was wrong to do so. But if our journey ended here because of me, I would feel guilty facing the others.

(I wonder if it’s possible to somehow keep going without the key.)

Except― if there were, Fili definitely wouldn’t want to be wasting time here, and Bith would probably insist that we press on.

(I’m sorry, Vesper……)

Why did I have to come to this world? If the real Saya were here, I was sure that she would have been able to easily receive the key and move on.

(but why?)

Questions kept rising up in my mind. All I’d meant to do was play a little of the game that my uncle had made, but― had I really been the one to make that choice? The more I tried to remember, the more my head hurt, but the fear of forgetting completely drove me to keep trying through the pain. But I did feel like I could hear someone calling for me.

From the moment I had peeked into this world through those goggles, I’d had this strange sensation of a fog clouding my mind. A dimly lit, dusty room. Several monitors lined up on a desk. The word ‘Fragment’ on the screens. A welcoming scent. Then for a moment, the image of a large, pale, aurora-colored egg popped into my mind, and I felt dizzy.

I didn’t understand what it was, but I could picture it clearly in my mind― a pulsating egg. I didn’t have a clue what it could mean, but it felt important. But trying to dig any deeper caused my headache to become unbearable― I couldn’t do it.

Then, as if to save me from drowning in my sea of thoughts, the king spoke at last. “I understand.”

“Really?”

“You have been brought here from your world to save ours. This must be the will of the Twilight Dragon.”

“That’s……”

“I will give you the key. Please, save this world.” Saying that, the king held his large hand out in front of me, and in the center of his open palm was a proportionally tiny key that I reached out to take from him. “We should hurry. I will guide you now.”

Decision made, the king left the room, and I followed after him in a panic.

Fili looked relieved when he saw the king and I come out of the castle together. Even though he’d told me it would fine, he had probably still been worried about it himself. The king stepped up to the rest of the group, then let out a loud roar.

When he did― the king transformed into a pure white dragon like the stone statues from the entrance. Then, looking down at us with bright red eyes, he told us to climb onto his back. Fili, Bith, and Lilith worked together to fly Gendor up, then, once he had confirmed that we were all on board, the king silently took off into the sky.

Riding on his back, we gazed out at the Forest of Everlasting Darkness as it grew smaller and smaller beneath us. The forest where Vesper had disappeared.

Silently, I swore that I would never forget him.

After a while, the dark sky began to brighten. It seemed that we were passing out of the territory of the Lands of Darkness. The sun shone in the sky again and meadows spread out below us.

“Is that―” Lilith pointed out at a large waterfall ahead of us, and the king landed on a sheer cliff overlooking the waterfall that stretched for miles.

The sound of rushing water echoed out all around us, and the falls created a heavy mist that reached all the way up to where we were. And above it all, we could see a pale rainbow stretching out into the distance.

“The Great Falls of Arche Koeln……” I said, and beside us, the king returned to his original form and nodded.

“The key I gave you should be able to break the seal.”

“So you mean there’s a keyhole somewhere around here?” Lilith asked, starting to look around.

Behind us, there stood a large stone monument covered in ivy. Apparently, the keyhole was carved into it somewhere. But as we tried to push our way through the ivy, we found that it had grown so dense that we couldn’t pull it apart enough to find any keyhole.

“Get back.” So, raising his voice behind us, we turned to see Bith raising his spell wand, ready to shoot flames from the tip of it.

As soon as we rushed out of the way, Bith’s flames burned through the ivy, and cringing through the smell of burnt plants, I was able to find the keyhole engraved onto the stone monument and inserted the key into it.

“If someone who was not recognized as a shadow-bearer came here― then even with the key, that person could not break the seal.” The king’s words frightened me for a moment, but I shook my head to shake off the anxiety and slowly turned the key.

Then it happened. The sound of something cracking echoed out, and then the waterfall began to recede, allowing a large temple to appear from behind it.

“In the back of that temple, there is a path that leads to the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings. Look for a stone statue of a dragon like the ones at the entrance to our castle― that will be your sign. But unfortunately, I cannot accompany you any farther into the temple.” The king explained, and then took a small compass out of his pocket that was completely out of proportion with his size. “Here.”

I took the compass and looked it over. It didn’t have any indicators for north or south on it, just a golden mark on one side of the pointer.

“What is this?”

“A compass that will point you to the location of the Twilight Dragon. It will allow you to proceed without hesitation.”

“What about you?”

“Only those who seek the Twilight Dragon are allowed to enter the temple. I can go no farther…… though your path through the temple may still prove difficult.”

“Even without your help, we can carry Gendor from here―” Lilith started, but then behind her, a giant sea serpent-like creature jumped out of the water. Then with a loud splash, it disappeared into the lake again. “What…… what was that?” Her face stiffened as she turned around.

“What now……?” I looked down at the lake with trepidation.

And reflected on the surface of the lake were the shadows of several sea serpents, all dozens of meters long. And just as one of them seemed to disappear, it instead leapt out of the water with great force. A sea-serpent the color of lead rose and fell in a beautiful arc in front of us.

“Are we going to fly through here?”

“It can’t be helped.” Fili answered with a troubled look on his face. “There’s no other way forward.”

“Right, so if anything happens, we’ll use our spells to―”

“No, you can’t!” The king interrupted Lilith with a shout. “They are the guardian deities of this temple. If you harm them, you will incur the wrath of the Twilight Dragon and will never be allowed to meet them.”

“No way……”

But the king just smiled at our bewilderment. “It will be okay, though. I will throw you into the temple.”

(Throw us!?)

Even as we looked at him with skepticism, the king scooped us up in his large hands. “Please, wait a moment.” Fili begged, but without even hearing him out, the king hurled us towards the temple.

“Blessing of the Twilight Dragon……!”

(What is happening?)

We flew straight towards the temple in a clump so fast that we couldn’t even keep our eyes open. The wind hurt as it blew past my cheeks, and behind me, I heard the sound of one the sea-serpents jumping up out of the water.

(I’m scared!)

I could practically feel the sea-serpents jumping out of the water one after another, trying to gobble us up as we flew defenselessly over them. “Not good!” Lilith shouted.

I opened my eyes against the wind, and when I did, I saw us fast approaching the temple. Then beside me, Lilith clasped her hands together in front of her chest― and we were immediately enveloped in a sticky, watery liquid. The ball of water was strangely warm, but struck the temple pillars a moment later and burst open.

“Ow, ow, ow……” Standing back up, I rubbed at a bump on my head.

“What the hell was he thinking?!” Lilith rose and quickly readjusted the hem of her disheveled dress. “Did he even think about how we were going land?!”

“Thankfully, with your quick thinking…… we made it.” Fili brushed at his hair, soaked from the bubble of water, and looked around the temple, seeming to find something and becoming amazed.

I followed Fili’s gaze and gazed deeper inside the temple. There was no sign of anyone else here, and the deeper I tried to look in this large, auditorium-like place, the darker and creepier it seemed. And as we made our way through towards the back― our footsteps echoed off the walls. Without any real landmarks to guide us, we silently walked deeper and deeper into the empty temple.

“The king said we were looking for a stone statue of a dragon, right?” Lilith confirmed with Bith and Fili as we walked.

“It probably won’t be easy to find in a place this big.” Gendor noted with a sigh as he looked around with a restless energy.

However, those fears were soon deterred, because in the distance, we caught sight of something glowing with a bluish-white light. And as we moved closer, we realized it was a stone statue of a dragon. The dragon’s head was lowered menacingly with its mouth curled open as if to bite down on something― and at its feet, I could see a set of stairs leading down. The entrance was so narrow, though, so it was hard to notice without looking closely.

From the statue’s position facing the entrance, though, it looked as though the dragon was roaring at those stairs.

“Is this it?” Fili asked anxiously.

“Doesn’t seem to be anything else around here.”

We all began to carefully examine the stone statue. Then Bith released a large number of familiars around himself and sent them out to look for any other statues.

I tried suggesting that we could search on our own, but he brushed me off, saying he didn’t want us to get lost in here.

“Hey,” Then since we had nothing else to do while Fili and Bith sent out their familiars, Lilith approached me with a question. “What did he ask you? It felt like your interview took a while.”

It took me a moment to realize that Lilith was referring to the conversation I’d had with the king. “Uh……” I didn’t have a clue how to answer that. It wasn’t so simple a story that I could just blurt it out here and now. But keeping quiet about it would only make her suspicious, so I flipped the question on her instead. “Well, what did he ask you?”

“Me? He really just made small talk with me. Like, asking how I joined the search. Speaking of; what about you Gendor?”

Gendor had been distracted looking around at the temple, but turned towards us as soon as he heard his name and replied, “I―” But before he could say anything at all, Bith’s familiars returned all at once, interrupting him. Apparently, this was the only place in the temple with a dragon statue.

“Let’s go, then.” Fili took the lead and started the way down with the rest of us silently following him down the long stairwell.

And at the end of the dauntingly long stairwell― we found ourselves entering a living labyrinth. Bright pink passages like the inside of some giant creature were lined with thin, capillary-like veins, and the passage occasionally trembled and narrowed as if it were convulsing. There was faint sound like a heartbeat echoing through the place, and the walls pulsed in time with it.

“It’s like it’s alive……” I muttered, and Lilith frowned next to me.

“It’s like we’ve been swallowed by a giant monster.”

“It’s just your imagination getting the better of you.” Bith brushed off Lilith’s concern.

“Is that so?” Lilith gently placed a hand against one of the walls, and the part she touched contracted. “I really don’t like this. I don’t want to be here.”

Lilith retracted her hand and stared out at the path ahead of us. Just ahead, we could see a fork in the road.

(Which way should we go?)

The compass I was given was just spinning all around, so I didn’t know where to go in here.

(What is this compass even for……)

If we got lost in here, it would seriously eat up our time. And with no way of knowing how much of the world the waves had eroded, we didn’t have time to waste.

“Let’s see here.” Fili held up his spell staff, probably planning to summon his familiars. But when he tried, no familiars appeared. More to the point, no matter what he did, he couldn’t even get the spell crest to form for summoning them. “My spellcraft is being siphoned away.”

“I’ve already tried it too, but it isn’t working……” Bith said.

“So then, we have no choice but to just press blindly forward?”

“It would seem so.”

With no way of scouting the path ahead, I knew we had no choice― but I was still incredibly unsettled by the prospect. Even worse, no matter what happened in this place, we wouldn’t be able to fight back or heal without our spellcraft.

Aside from Gendor, everyone in our group was an unarmed spellcaster, which meant that in this place, we were completely helpless.

(We won’t get stuck wandering around this place forever, will we……?)

There was no way to leave any kind of markings on the walls, and no way to distinguish these passages from one another. “Let’s just get moving.” Fili decided as he took the first step forward.

But then without warning― the living labyrinth let out a desperate cry, and the corridors began to decay. With Fili in the lead, we all began to rush forward, but with the ground uneven and trembling the way it was, we couldn’t move as quickly as we wanted to. And as time passed― the walls began oozing with a sticky liquid that smelled like acid and dissolved any foreign objects it touched.

The path ahead of us began to twist and curve. It wasn’t an easy road to run through, but we still had to press on. Yet as I was tossed side-to-side, my cloak and the soles of my shoes began to melt away. And among us, only wearing her small dress, Lilith had the most skin exposed already, and when the liquid dripped down onto her from the ceiling, her pale skin burned red.

“……Grr!” But Lilith simply grit her teeth and tried to bear it without complaining.

I gripped my wand tight in frustration, but knew I would be unable to heal her if I tried.

(Why can’t I ever do anything……?)

Then for a second, something dark blocked my view of Lilith, “Huh?” And she was suddenly wrapped in a large black cloak― Bith’s cloak. “What is this for?

“You won’t get burned if you hold that over your head.” Bith answered bluntly, not turning to look at her.

Lilith was stunned for a moment, and her cheeks grew slightly flushed. Then, while continuing to run forward, she wrapped the cloak around her.

Having watched this sequence of events from just a step behind them, Gendor muttered, “Bith is such a nice guy.”

Bith’s ears twitched hearing him say that, but just then, Fili suddenly came to a stop. I slowed down to see what had caused him to pause, only to find a dead end in front of us.

“We should go back.” Fili turned on his heel and took a few steps back, but then stopped again.

“Hey……” Bith was speechless.

I looked back at where he and Fili were staring now. Behind us, the path that we had just come through had curled up so far that it was basically another dead end. “This can’t be happening……”

The liquid seeping from the walls and ceiling was still dissolving our cloaks and shoes even now. But not caring that they would get burned, Fili and Bith both tried to push back on the raised floor. I was shocked for a moment, but seeing the necessity of it, Gendor, Lilith, and I all joined in to help push the wall.

But it just wouldn’t budge. We had been driven into a corner― there was no other way to put it.

“Ooohhhhhhhhh!!!” Next to me, Gendor suddenly screamed and knelt down to the floor, clutching his head.

“Gendor?!” I shouted, but just when he looked like he might move again, a blinding light began emanating from his body.

(What?)

The light was so bright that I couldn’t help but shut my eyes against it.

“Are you okay?!” I heard Fili speak behind me and narrowly opened my eyes.

“Gen……dor?”

He had been right there a moment ago, but now Gendor was nowhere to be seen.

(What happened?)

Then as if in response to Gendor’s disappearance― the wall that had risen to block us in lowered down to its original position, and the liquid that had been seeping out stopped flowing.

“What happened to Gendor?” I looked all around us, but I didn’t see him anywhere. It was hard to believe that he could have just vanished in an instant, but he had― Gendor was gone.

And we all continued to shout Gendor’s name into the silent labyrinth.

Episode 8//riddle

Continuing their search for the Twilight Dragon, the Little Witch’s group were guided by Gendor, whose abilities had finally bloomed, through the frozen moors that stretched through the center of the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings. Exhausted from traversing a blizzard, the group found a small cave and decided to warm themselves up inside. They knew that they had to hurry, but they wouldn’t be able to do anything if they dropped here.

Then, as she began to slowly warm up, the Little Witch stood as if called by something and walked to the back of the cave. Finding her actions curious, the others all got up to follow her.

“!”

There at the back of the cave, there was something cold and glowing. A huge androgynous spirit with six wings sprouting from their back was encase in the ice, and a solemn atmosphere seemed to surround them, as if they should not be touched.

“Is that a spirit of Darkness?” Fili questioned, but Lilith and Bith quickly denied the supposition.

But the fact that he had to ask meant that they also weren’t a spirit of Light. Which meant that they must have been a spirit like the Little Witch and the Mocaine, belonging to neither land.

Which left one question― why they were sleeping on ice in a place like this?

“I’ve never even heard of spirit like this…… what are they?” Fili muttered to himself, while the Little Witch gazed up at the frozen spirit unblinkingly with their golden-blue eyes.

Then Lilith noticed that the Little Witch wasn’t moving at all, and addressed her. “Hey, are you okay?”

Lilith tried to put her hand on the Little Witch’s shoulder, but she stepped towards the frozen spirit instead, ignoring her. But her steps were unsteady, like she was sleepwalking.

Sensing her withdrawn state, the others watched with bated breath as the Little Witch walked forward. “……” Muttering something under her breath, the Little Witch reached out to touch the spirit in the ice.

And the moment she did, the ice instantly evaporated, obscuring the whole cave with steam. The vapors slowly dispersed as air cycled in from outside the cave, and the spirit floated before them, not yet opening their eyes.

Everyone stood transfixed. But then, with a faint smile tracing their lips, the spirit flew over the group’s heads. And after watching them fly away for a moment, the group was brought back to their senses by the Little Witch. “What are you all doing here?”

The six-winged spirit was tearing through the sky as they left the cave without even opening their eyes. Like something else was driving their actions.



Though there should have been sound from many spirits bustling about within the Palace of Light – which radiated a warm glow as it was illuminated by the sun – now, all was silent.

The entire palace was deserted and in shambles. The Great Archive was overflowing with scattered books littering the floor. This was not unexpected though― for at the king’s command, all the spirits in the Lands of Light had rushed to prepare themselves and gather at the foot of the rainbow.

From the moment they began mass-producing weapons and armor, they all knew that they would eventually have to march into battle. But none could have anticipated it would happen so soon.

The flags on the roof continued to sway in the breeze, seeming somehow forlorn in the silence. The sky had been so clear just a short while ago, but now it was shrouded in dark clouds, and a deafening silence enveloped the region.

As the dark clouds moved across the sky above the palace, a sound pierced the silence from somewhere. It was a lonely sound, like a single note being struck on a piano. And a moment later, the Cursed Wave appeared, threatening to engulf the palace. A thick, greasy, black mass spread across the horizon, slowly enveloping the palace.

The torches lighting the palace halls were extinguished. But the waves could never be satisfied with consuming just the palace, so taking the dark clouds with it, they began to encroach on the rest of the Lands of Light.

And when the Palace of Light fell completely― far away at the Alba Lake, the King of Light Apeiron sensed it.

“What is it?” Standing beside him, Helba was the first to notice the subtle shift in Apeiron. “I hope you’re not about to say you’re already tired out.”

“N-no……”

Apeiron certainly was exhausted. The chaos following the wave withdrawing was immense. The spirits of Darkness were able to manage their chaos well thanks to the resourcefulness of Queen Helba’s attendant Boa― but the Lands of Light were not so lucky. Unfortunately, Apeiron’s inexperienced aide Papi was finding it incredibly difficult to support Apeiron as he tried to rein in the confused and exhausted spirits in the face of imminent death.

Overlooking the spirits― when he finally settled down on a small hill by the lake, Apeiron felt a piercing pain in his chest. “Has the palace fallen……?” Helba asked, and Apeiron turned to face her with a twisted expression.

“How did you know?”

“……” Helba spared Apeiron a glance before turning her gaze back to the spirits below. “Because I’ve already experienced the same pain.”

“You mean, the Palace of Darkness has also……”

“It happened just after we set up here.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Helba showed Apeiron a self-deprecating smile in response to his question. “What would have been the point? I knew from the moment I set out for battle that there would be no going back.”

“……” Apeiron went silent at that, and Helba shot him an annoyed sideways glare.

“You didn’t really think we would make it out of this, did you?”

“……”

“You really thought you would make it through this? Tell me you’re joking.” Helba said, but when Apeiron did not answer, she turned and continued. “You really went into this battle with such naïve resolve? You thought your palace would be safe when more than half the world had already been swallowed up by the waves and reduced to nothing? If that is the case, you should have just stayed couped up in your palace instead of marching to battle.”

Having spat that out, Helba raised her long, silvery-white spell staff and began to heal the army of spirits, which were significantly fewer than what she had come here with. Light emanated from Helba’s staff and gently enveloped them all without regard to whether they were of Light or Darkness. The spirits of Light seemed puzzled for a moment, but accepted Helba’s aid without complaint.

“Sorry……”

“Don’t apologize to me.” Helba dismissed Apeiron’s dispassionate consolations.

“It wasn’t that I believed that I would return. Surely, I did expect the palace would fall at some point. I didn’t think I could face the waves and come out unscathed, I just― wasn’t prepared enough, I suppose.”

“Is that an excuse?”

Apeiron quickly went to deny that, but swallowed his words before he said them. “You’re right, it’s an excuse.”

Admitting it, Apeiron looked out at the spirits below. His expression seemed to reflect that something had broken. Apeiron sheathed the sword that lay at his feet, and held out one hand towards the spirits as warm light emanated from his palm.

Apeiron, too, was capable of casting healing spells, and without averting his gaze from the spirits, Apeiron spoke again.

“Helba…… thank you.”

“Well that’s rather unsettling. What’s that for?” Helba said with a coy smile on her lips.

But when over half of the spirits had been healed, Apeiron noticed something. “It’s coming.”

A dark cloud rose in the southern sky, accompanied by a deep rumbling, and all the spirits who saw it gasped. It was another of the Cursed Waves.

The waves almost seemed to be teasing the spirits as their advance slowed more and more with each assault. “This one appeared much more quickly than the last.” Apeiron muttered, and Helba responded.

“I suppose there isn’t much left for them to swallow up. Most of the major locales have already been destroyed.”

“I see.” Apeiron sighed before continuing. “I guess the Twilight Dragon didn’t make it in time.” Then he drew his sword from its scabbard. “I’ll give the order.”

“No, wait.” But Helba stopped him, noticing three figures flying with great speed towards them from above the wave.

It was Bith and Fili― and with them, a spirit with six wings that flew off in another direction.

“What is that?” Before Apeiron could get a good look at them, Fili and Bith descended before their respective monarchs.

“Sorry it took us so long.” Fili bowed to Apeiron and explained the spirit above them.

He explained how the Little Witch had broken a seal binding the spirit in the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings, and with their emergence, they were able to immediately leave the Wavering Peninsula to return here with great haste.

And upon hearing this, Helba and Apeiron looked up at the spirit floating above the battlefield. “What is that spirit?” Apeiron questioned, and Fili answered him.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I believe they are someone who will help us just as the Twilight Dragon will.”

“I see……”

“Very well done.” Helba praised Bith and Fili, then urged them to continue their report.

“We sent the others to the Wavering Peninsula a few hours ago, so I believe it will only be a matter of time before they find the Twilight Dragon.”

“Are you sure they will find them?”

Without a hint of hesitation or doubt, Bith answered, “I am certain they will.”

Apeiron muttered his understanding and gave a small nod. “Then for the sake of those who left in search of the Twilight Dragon, we must survive.”

With that decision made, Apeiron looked back to the spirits beneath him, many of whom appeared livelier now. Those with sharp ears had surely overheard Bith’s report.

“There is still hope.” And so, Apeiron spoke to inspire them further. But then, behind Apeiron as he stood atop the small hill, the rumbling of horses and scraping of metal grew close, gradually becoming more and more cacophonous. “Now what?” Apeiron turned back with a look of surprise. “W-why……?”

An incredible sight greeted him there. Tens of thousands of armed humans with a scattering of several hundred spirits and Mocaine marched towards them. And at their helm, as if leading them all, was Pleiad.

Shouting something, Pleiad then ran up to the monarchs with one human following her. “I’m glad we made it in time……”

Pleiad’s breathing seemed labored, as if they were about to collapse. Seeing that, Fili hurried to support her. “How are you here? Back in Arche Haokar―”

“I got out. The humans took me in.”

“Then……”

While being supported by Fili, Pleiad addressed the monarchs. “I asked the humans’ king for help.”

The human that had approached with Pleiad was Magi, the king of the humans. And on his back, he carried a large horn.

For the humans― it was an ancient rite for that horn to be played whenever they fought against the spirits. Its sound had the power to inspire one’s allies while making their enemies cower.

“I had believed that you spirits were the only ones the waves would destroy, and so it had nothing to do with me.” Magi glanced at Pleiad as they leaned against Fili, then continued. “However, I was cautioned by this girl not to turn a blind eye to what is happening in this world. I had been taking in the spirits who had escaped, but she convinced me that there was more I could be doing. This world does not belong to you, or to us. It belongs to everyone. So, the dangers that are manifesting here are not unrelated to us. I know we are late in coming, and though we lack your powers, we believed we could be of some aid, and are here now to lend it.”

Hearing those words, Apeiron shed tears for the first time in his life. He marveled at how hard it must have been for those who could not fly to have come all this way.

“I thank you.” Helba said, then shouted to the spirits who were now confused by the new situation. “You heard him; now is not the time for us to be fighting one another! I thank the humans for joining us here. Now let us all fight to survive! On our signal!” She declared, leading Magi before the spirits. “Will you use your horn?”

Magi nodded and took the horn from his back. “For all who fight in this battle……” He said, and taking a deep, deep breath, Magi blew the horn with all his might.

And the sound of that horn echoed out so that all could hear it.

We spent some time looking for Gendor after he had disappeared in a blinding light, but he was nowhere to be found. We searched all over, (or at least, as far as we could without getting lost) But eventually, we circled back to where Gendor vanished from.

“Where could he have gone……?” Fili muttered with a sigh as he looked around anxiously.

“We don’t have time for this.” Hearing the irritation in Bith’s voice, I painstakingly examined the spot that Gendor had vanished from.

(I was imagining it may have swallowed him or something like that, but……)

I couldn’t spot anything out of place. “I wonder if he actually went anywhere at all.” Lilith mused.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re assuming that when he was enveloped in that light, he must have transported somewhere else― but what if that isn’t the case at all?”

“You think he might not even be alive anymore?” Bith confirmed, and Lilith nodded.

“What do we do?”

“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’?” Bith answered Lilith’s question. “We don’t know how far away the waves are. If we’re not going to keep looking for him, our only choice is to keep going, right?”

(But……!)

I knew what Lilith wanted to say. It may be the correct decision to move on rather than continue wasting time here― but leaving without Gendor after he had vanished in this terrible place was not an option. Not to me, at least. “We can’t just keep going on like this.”

“Saya is right. Let’s look around a bit more.” Fili agreed with me and turned on his heel. Then suddenly― he hit something and feel down with a loud thud. “!”

It was Gendor.

“Where have you been?” Bith asked, but instead of answering, Gendor held a finger to his mouth to stop him from speaking.

“There’s no time. We have to hurry.” Gendor said, and just then, the labyrinth let out another desperate cry. And like the first time, the walls and ceiling began oozing with an acidic liquid.

(What’s going on?!)

However― without explaining anything, Gendor began to move through the labyrinth without any sign of hesitation, so we followed silently behind him.

We had been completely lost in this labyrinth before, but now, Gendor was able to find the exit with ease. We found a staircase leading out and started running when it looked like they were going to close on us.

(Not good!)

My foot got caught in a pool of the acidic liquid, but Bith grabbed me before I fell and helped me keep going. “Thank you.”

I was sure Bith had heard me, but instead of responding, he just kept glaring at Gendor as he led us forward.

Leaving the living labyrinth, we found ourselves in a wasteland where the wind blew dry. And a short distance away, a black gate stood at the foot of a large stony peak.

(Surely, this is it……)

This must have been the entrance that led to the End of Land. And once we were all clear of the labyrinth and taking a breather, Fili looked to Gendor skeptically.

“Where were you?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Bith snapped at Gendor as Lilith gave him his cloak back. “There has to be a reason you could find the exit as easily as you did. You can’t just say you don’t know.”

At Bith’s chastising, Gendor groaned and fell silent. He didn’t seem to know how to explain himself. So thinking quick, Fili tried to offer a helping hand.

“Gendor― do you remember your body glowing, and then you disappearing?” Gendor thought for a moment, then nodded. “And can you remember what you did after you disappeared?” Gendor nodded again.

“Then you do know where you were.” Bith chimed in again, and Gendor immediately looked like he was going to cry. Fili was trying to help Gendor through it, but Bith’s singular complaint broke him down again.

It was understandable why Bith wanted an explanation, though. We lost valuable time because of what happened, so he wanted to know why it happened.

(Still, that isn’t the way to go about asking him about it……)

Apparently thinking the same thing as me, Lilith berated Bith. “Give him a minute. It’s not like he’s intentionally withholding the information from us.”

Bith sighed, but silently motioned for Gendor to continue. “I don’t actually remember disappearing. My body started glowing and then― I was just flying through the labyrinth all of a sudden.”

“!”

(He can fly now?)

I was about to blurt that out, but I stopped myself, thinking I shouldn’t interrupt Gendor anymore while he was trying to explain everything.

“I was excited at first, since I was the only one who couldn’t fly until now. But after a moment, I realized that everyone else was gone and did my best to find the exit.”

Hearing him out that much, Bith and Fili both dropped into contemplation. They must have had some idea about what this meant for Gendor. “The life-threatening situation must have awakened your dormant abilities.”

“I guess.” The two concurred.

(Except……)

If he had just needed a life-threatening situation― the first time we had encountered Cubia or tried to cross the Hearth of Dakk should have been crisis enough.

“Well, this should make things easier for us moving forward, at least.” Lilith said. “I didn’t think there were any humans who could fly without the help of tools, but it seems I was wrong.”

She urged Gendor to give it a try, and Gendor thought for a moment and then made a small jump.

“Huh?” He jumped again. “How do I fly again?”

Gendor stretched up as high as he could and tried jumping, but there was no sign of him being able to fly.

“Strange,” Fili muttered, seeming to have noticed something as he watched Gendor and tilted his head. “Back in the labyrinth― perhaps you were only able to fly because the manifestation of your abilities put you into a kind of trance.

“So, you mean Gendor’s power was what put the labyrinth back to normal?”

“It’s possible. Though it’s not like we could just go back and check, his power could still be unstable.” Fili explained in response to Lilith’s question.

“Hang on. Does that make Gendor a spellcaster?”

“That would seem to be the case, since it looks like he used a state-altering spell.”

Suddenly, a shock ran through me like I’d been struck in the head.

(This is……)

Memories I hadn’t been able to recall until now suddenly came flooding back to me. So much so that it made me dizzy. Near the end of the Epitaph of Twilight, I remembered that the description of the three shadow-bearers had changed.

The three shadow-bearing spellcasters―

(That’s it!)

That had been how it was written in the story after the shadow-bearing human had manifested his powers in the labyrinth.

(But, why now……)

As if in mockery of my inability to remember any of it up to now, my memories suddenly overflowed in my mind without end. I’d already known that the tear jar would be lost, and I’d known that Vesper would disappear.

Furthermore, by now, both the Palace of Darkness and the Palace of Light would have already fallen to the waves. And if I was recalling correctly― on the path just ahead of us, we would soon meet with a mysterious dragon. If we could answer the dragon’s riddle, then we would be able to meet the Twilight Dragon almost immediately after.

Beyond that, the story was unfinished, so even with my memories restored, I didn’t know what would happen after that. But surely our future wouldn’t have such a bleak ending.

(I’m glad I was finally able to remember, but……)

How had things managed to progress perfectly according to the novel so far?

(I’m not the Little Witch Saya, so how……)

My thoughts and actions up till now couldn’t possibly have all been the same as hers. Not unless something like the will of the story itself had been guiding me through it.

(I don’t understand……)

Even if there had been something guiding me, I couldn’t believe it had all gone according to plan. But in either case, our journey was nearly complete now. Our narrative goal was nearly in reach.

(Papa, Mama…… I hope I can come home soon.)

Without Vesper to snap me out of it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it now.

“If you can’t fly, then that’s alright. Nothing has changed for us, so there’s nothing for you to feel guilty about.” Comforted by Fili, Gendor stopped trying to fly and calmed down.

(I can’t get sentimental just yet. We have to keep going until we find the Twilight Dragon!)

But just when it seemed time to leave, one of Bith’s familiars arrived. And as it spoke, the color drained from Bith’s face. “Did something happen.” Fili asked, and Bith shook his head in distress.

“The palace fell. The Queen’s status is unknown.”

“What?!” Fili reacted with shock, but neither me nor Lilith did.

I was prepared since my memories had just returned, but why wasn’t Lilith surprised? As I thought that, Lilith noticed I was staring at her and gave me a cool smile. “Is it that strange that I’m not surprised?”

“Uh…… well, kind of. After all, it’s the palace of the nation you used to belong to……”

Seeing my confusion, Lilith muttered something about me being surprisingly honest. “The waves have been appearing in key locations around the world. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the palace was swallowed up, too. I’m more upset at Bith for apparently holding out hope that it would be fine.”

Lilith stared at Bith with a stern look on her face after saying that, but he spoke up again without taking notice. “By the time my familiar arrived, it says that more than half of the palace had already been consumed.”

“No way……” Fili was at a loss for words. “Is there someplace they could have run―”

“Well, I don’t think they were swallowed up without a fight. I’m sure they’re fine.”

Suppressing the sinking feeling that the waves were closing in on us, we all began moving towards the gate in the distance that would lead to the End of Land, though our steps were measured.

Something was there in front of the gate which was built directly into the rocky cliff face behind it. A skeleton with eight arms and eight legs stood in our way. “An enemy?” Bith eyed the skeleton ahead of us skeptically. Yet after a moment, there was no sign of it moving.

Neither Bith nor Fili had any information on the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings. Not on the kind of people who lived there, or what their culture might be. We were in uncharted territory here and needed information badly.

But as we approached, the skeleton didn’t budge at all. It was standing as if it were guarding the gate behind it with four swords in its hands that appeared to have rusted over years of being exposed to the rain and wind. It was never mentioned in the story whether they had always been a skeleton, or if they had died and become one, but I knew that they were here to serve as a gatekeeper.

“Maybe they’re actually dead?” Lilith suggested, and Bith stepped closer to look into the skeleton’s face.

“Looks that way.” He decided, then noticed something else.

Hanging from the skeleton’s waist was one, singular key.

“Must be a key to the gate.” Fili stated, moving forward to take the key from the skeleton.

“Gigagigagi,” With the sound of clattering teeth, the skeleton’s head turned to face us.

“It’s alive!” I shouted and jumped back on reflex. Bones clacked menacingly, and the skeleton’s limbs slowly began moving like a wind-up doll.

“Get back!” Bith shouted― and with a level of force we couldn’t have expected from its slow movements, the skeleton swiped at Fili’s cheek with sharp, claw-like bones, and a single streak of blood ran down his cheek. If he had been any slower to dodge, his cheek would have been sliced open completely. “PhaVak Rom!”

Flames in the shape of a dragon emerged from Bith’s spell wand and rushed the skeleton while letting out a kind of roar.

“Get lost!” Bith’s flames engulfed the skeleton as it burned and charred.

Shaking within the flames, the skeleton dropped the swords it was holding one after another― while I stood motionlessly as if dangling by a thread. After waiting for the moment the skeleton went completely silent, the flames were extinguished.

“……It wasn’t dead?”

Bith put his wand back in his pocket and took the key from the now silent skeleton. “Let’s keep moving.” He said, throwing the key to me since I was closest to the gate. I snatched it up quickly, though it was still hot from being in the flames. “Got it?”

I nodded and inserted the key into the gate’s lock. However, once it was in, the key wouldn’t turn. I tried a few more times, but this key didn’t seem to work for this lock. “It’s no good.” I turned back to the others, and then saw the skeleton behind Bith slowly moving again without making a sound. Before I could even say a word, the skeleton’s arms reached out and grabbed Bith, Fili, and Lilith by their throats. “Everyone!”

In an instant, all three were captured with no way of resisting. “Gigagigagi,” The skeleton almost seemed to be laughing at us. Even without a face, it was clear from the way its mouth moved; he was giving us a sickening, victorious smile.

Then it tightened its grip around their throats to the point that they were all clearly in agony. “Let them―”

“Let them go!” Before I could raise my wand, Gendor raised his hands towards the skeleton.

(……Huh?)

I’d never seen Gendor act this way before, so his ferocity caught me off guard. However, when I looked close, I could see that his arms were trembling slightly. “Even I can do this much……”

Seeing Gendor muttering to try and encourage himself, the skeleton sneered at him. Gendor remained motionless with his hands raised. For a moment, I waited for something happen, but there was no sign that either would act.

Fili’s words echoed in my head. “His power could still be unstable……”

He couldn’t use his abilities the way he wanted, just like I couldn’t at first― but there was no time to think about that right now.

(I have to do what I can right now!)

I held up my wand and concentrated on trying to use the spell that Vesper told me was forbidden. With no plants around for me to manipulate in this wasteland, this spell was the only thing I could use to try and save everyone.

But the skeleton wasn’t stupid. It stretched out its five remaining arms and tried to grab me to stop me from casting the spell. Power welled up deep within me. I needed to pierce the skeleton from below, so I tried to focus on only the ground beneath its feet. If I made even the slightest mistake, it would hit everyone.

(Just a little more……)

I knew the skeleton would attack me, but couldn’t move from where I was. I knew that if I moved, I would lose concentration and my spell would fail. “Ah!” I crossed my arms in front of my face to protect myself from the attack while focusing on keep a firm grip on my wand at the same time.

(Please…… work quickly!)

The skeletal arms closed in around me, reaching for my head, and I shut my eyes without thinking. “……?” But the pain I was expecting to feel never came, and I slowly opened my eyes back up. “Huh?!”

The skeleton’s sharp claws had come to a stop, hovering just centimeters in front of my face. They were stretching straight out from each of the five arms, trying to pierce into me, but now they appeared to have been packed together like a bundle of needles.

“What?”

Then I noticed that one of the fingers had a different shape from the rest. Looking more closely at it, the finger looked to have the shape of a key. I grabbed for it, and it broke off the skeleton’s hand without issue.

“Is this……” It looked very similar to the key that Bith had taken off the skeleton’s waist. This had to be the real one though, so I stuffed it in my pocket to make sure that I wouldn’t lose it.

(But why……?)

I backed up, wanting to get away from the claws for the moment. Even though it didn’t seem to be moving anymore, there was always a chance it would again like last time.

“Saya, are you okay?” Gendor rushed over to me with his cheeks flushed red.

“Wait, are you doing this Gendor?”

“When I thought that I wanted it to stop, it did. If it hadn’t stopped, you would have died…… is that how spellcasting works?”

The skeleton’s rubbery arms had been halted by Gendor’s power. But behind them, the skeleton was still struggling to try and make them move. Maybe because Gendor wasn’t familiar with using spellcraft, his power hadn’t affected the skeleton’s entire body, and I realized then just how bad off the other three.

“Since it looks like he used a state-altering spell……”

Remembering what Fili had said, I took Gendor by the arm and spoke quickly. “If you were able to stop it, could you stretch out the skeleton’s arms? If you could get the arms holding the others away from its body, then I might…… I will be able to save them from it quickly.”

“Alright, I’ll try.”

Standing next to me, Gendor held his hands out towards the skeleton. Then at once― the arms that had been aimed at me began to move again. It looked like Gendor couldn’t focus on both spells at once.

And as if in response to the first spell ending, those arms began to stretch forward at an incredible speed. If I hadn’t stepped away, I would have been skewered for sure.

“Saya!” Gendor’s new spell took effect.

The skeleton’s eight arms all began to stretch out away from it like an octopus’s tentacles.

(Now!)

I directed the wasteland. But since I didn’t try to give it specific instructions this time― the earth below the skeleton’s feet surged upwards with incredible force and reached towards the heavens. Unable to withstand the force of the land striking it― the skeletons arms were all broken off as it was flung into the sky by the rising stone.

With that, the other three were freed from its grasp and collapsed, so Gendor and I rushed over to them. Coughing and gasping for air, they climbed slowly back to their feet.

“Thanks for the help……” Fili said, then looked at the pillar of land that had been raised up. “Saya…… you did this?”

“Y-yes.” I suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over me like I was going through a bout of anemia, and guessed that it was the recoil from using that forbidden technique.

“Your face…… looks pale.” Lilith gave me a closer look over while massaging the marks on her neck.

“You used a forbidden technique, didn’t you?” Bith questioned, and unable to meet his penetrating gaze, I turned my eyes towards the ground. Then Bith grabbed my arms and squeezed. “What if you had died?!”

“But, there was no other way―”

“That doesn’t make it okay to use a forbidden technique!” Bith yelled, but then let go of my arms as if he had noticed something. “I get it. This is what you learned from Vesper, isn’t it?”

“……”

“That explains it. I’d never heard of the Little Witch being able to use spells that harm others; but damn, he sure taught you something nasty……”

“Don’t say it like―”

“Never use that again, no matter what. It’s a miracle you’re even alive for me to scold you right now.”

I couldn’t say anything as Bith interrupted me with words of warning. “Got it……”

Seeing me sulk, though, Bith added crisply, “But, thanks for helping us out.” I raised my dizzy head to look at Bith, and seeing the way he looked embarrassed, I knew that he really was worried about me. “And I’m sorry…… I didn’t think there was any way it would be able to move after that.”

“How far did they get thrown, do you think? If it still has the real key, we won’t be able to go on.” Hearing Lilith mention that, I pulled the bone key back out of my pocket. “What is that?” She asked, and I explained that I had taken it from one of the skeleton’s claws.

“So the key on its waist was a decoy, then.” Fili muttered, sounding impressed, then looked up at the darkening sky. Back in the direction we came from― thick clouds were spreading out with a thunderous roar brought on by the waves. “Let’s hurry.”

Together, we stood in front of the gate again. The key turned easily this time, and the gate slowly opened with a creaking sound. It opened up to a long tunnel, but a few kilometers ahead, we could see a pure white light that seemed to be the exit. With Bith in the lead, we rushed through.

The waves were coming. By now, it was possible that the place we were moving towards was the only safe place left in this world.

When we came out the other side of the tunnel, we entered into a world of pure white. A raging blizzard made it impossible to see more than a few meters ahead of us, and the cold was immediately overwhelming. Still, before going any further, both Bith and Fili sent out their familiars to investigate our surroundings. Even if they trusted the compass to guide us, they wanted to know what might lie ahead of us.

We waited patiently for the familiars to return, but after just a few minutes, my body started to grow numb. Fili was able to use a spell to protect us from the blizzard, but he couldn’t do anything about the cold itself. As soon as the familiars got back, we had to move.

“We’ll need to rest soon……” Lilith had borrowed Bith’s cloak again since she was the most exposed among us, but it was still freezing, so she murmured a complaint as she hugged her own trembling body.

“It’ll take a few more hours of walking before we reach a place where we can rest. You’ll have to stay strong until then.”

Being told that, Lilith cringed with disgust.

(I want to rest too……)

And it made me wonder― Bith and Fili seemed fine; how did they manage to stay so strong? Despite how we felt about the cold, though, we had no other choice but to hurry onwards. But since the rest of us didn’t have the same fortitude, Gendor, Lilith, and I all ran out of stamina rather quickly.

Then when he saw that we were all slowing down, Fili told Bith that we had to rest. “Are you going to rake responsibility if they all collapse after coming this far?”

“……Alright, I get it.” Bith agreed with some reluctance, but Fili smiled brightly and turned back to us.

“There should be a cave just up ahead where we can rest. We’ll take a break there.” Thanks to that information which Fili’s familiars had collected on the snowfields, we were able to reach a cave to warm up in.

And with the dragon of flame that Bith conjured, we were able to quickly recover from the freezing temperatures.

“…………this way.”

“?” As Gendor was nodding off next to me, I could have sworn I heard someone calling me and looked into the depths of the cave. A winding path lead further in, but there was no sign of anyone else there.

“…………way.”

(Again……)

Fili and Bith were talking about something as they kept watch outside the cave with intense expressions. But they didn’t seem to hear the voice that I did.

“……Come this way.”

“!” That time, I heard it clearly.

Even if Fili and Bith were being distracted by the blizzard, Lilith definitely should have been able to hear it as she rested next to Gendor.

“Saya…… come this way.”

As soon as the voice called for me by name, I felt a strange sensation like I was having an out of body experience.

(I have to go……)

I slowly stood up and walked into the depths of the cave as if I had been invited in. The path had looked like it might wind down forever, but it didn’t take long at all to each the end.

At the back of the cave, I found something large, cold, and radiant. And when I approached it― I saw it was a huge androgynous spirit with six wings sprouting from their back encased in ice.

“Did you call me here?” I asked, but received no reply. That wasn’t surprising, though, since they were encased in the ice. “Why are you frozen here?”

Gingerly, I reached out to try and touch the ice― but I was suddenly overwhelmed by the impression that I shouldn’t and snapped my hand back away from it.

“Is that― a spirit of Darkness?” I heard Fili approach behind me, but I didn’t look back at him.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the spirit in front of me.

Everyone was here now, and in response to Fili’s question, Lilith and Bith shook their heads to deny that possibility. But the fact that Fili had to ask that question at all meant that they were not a spirit of Light either.

“I’ve never even heard of a spirit like this…… what are they?” Fili’s voice grew faint as he muttered to himself.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lilith asked me, but instead of answering her, I simply continued to stare at the spirit in silence.

(Maybe I’m just tired……)

I felt my consciousness fading, and as it did, I grew dizzy and began stepping closer the frozen spirit as if I were sleepwalking.

“……” In a voice so small I couldn’t even make out the words myself, I muttered something without meaning to.

(Is this the will of the Epitaph of Twilight?)

It felt like someone else had taken over, and I suddenly felt afraid of the idea that I was being moved against my will. I feared that I would be completely taken in by this world this time. Yet in spite of how I felt, my body still reached out to touch the frozen spirit.

(No!)

I had a gut feeling that I should not touch this spirit, but my body would not listen to me.

I felt that – the moment I was forced to play into the part of the Little Witch Saya – I would lose something important about myself. Something integral.

My memories of the world that I should return to.

(NO!)

My outstretched hand started to tremble as I prayed desperately for my senses to come back to me, but it was impossible.

“!”

The instant I touched it― the ice evaporated. The whole space was obscured by steam, and a gust of wind blew in from the cave entrance and slowly dispelled the vapors.

(What did I do?!)

I strained my eyes, and there in front of me with a smile on their lips, I saw a divine spirit floating in the air, their eyes still closed.

“Thank you……”

With a voice that echoed in my head, the spirit thanked me― then flew out over our heads towards the entrance of the cave.

For a moment, I just stood there dumbfounded. I finally felt like I had control of myself again, and I cautiously tried to move my hands. “I can move!”

For obvious reasons, everyone else looked at me with confusion when I shouted that.

What in the world had that been about? And why had I been able to release that spirit?

“So what exactly was all that about?”

“You don’t know?” Lilith questioned, and I shook my head. I was the one who most wanted to know what had happened. “So it’s a complete mystery why you were able to release that spirit, huh……?”

Times like this made me wonder if Vesper would have known more.

I had so many questions, but we couldn’t waste any more time here, so we started walking through the blizzard again, and after a while, we passed through the frozen snowfields completely.

The blizzard came to an end, and the scenery transitioned into a lush green valley. Though by the time we arrived, the sun had already set, and stars were twinkling overhead in the night sky.

“We’ll have to camp here tonight. But tomorrow, we should be able to reach the Wavering Peninsula.”

“Right. This will probably be our last chance to rest.” Surprisingly, Bith agreed with Fili’s suggestion straight away.

After gathering up some dry branches for a campfire, we each began to drift off to sleep around it. But I―

(What was that……?)

After that strange out of body experience in the cave, I realized that my mind was feeling strangely clear. And although I did feel an odd sense of loss as if something important had disappeared, I couldn’t remember what it had been.

But even not knowing why, my sense of urgency wouldn’t go away.

(What was it……?)

No matter how hard I tried to remember, I was drawing a blank. I had absolutely no idea what it was I was trying to remember.

“Oh well, I guess.” It felt strange, but by saying it out loud, it cemented how little it mattered.

(I need to sleep too……)

But just when I was finally going to lie down and rest, I realized that I was crying.

I didn’t feel sad, but I also didn’t feel happy. Yet for some reason, I couldn’t stop crying. That night― I dreamt of Vesper, although the Vesper in my dream had a very sorrowful expression.

And no matter what I said to him, Vesper remained silent with that sad look on his face.

At dawn, we began to move. Even if it had been to rest our bodies, knowing we had lost half a day of time spurred us on as we hurried forwards, passing through a deep valley surrounded by mountains.

“The Land of the Beginning of Beginnings is really empty……” Gendor muttered with a sigh.

“This place has always been said to be devoid of life. It only makes sense it would be like this.” Fili explained as we moved. “These mountains are known as the Dragonbein Mountains because they are said to look like a dragon lying on its side.”

“I wonder who named them in the first place…… the name has been passed down for so long, I never thought to question it until now.”

“Couldn’t it have been anyone who likes to travel?”

“And made it past that gatekeeper? Not likely.” Bith answered Lilith’s question.

“You’re right…… the route we took to get here is almost certainly the only way to reach this place. Old man Tartarga was known as a living encyclopedia, so if there was any other way, either him or Dorin at the Great Tree of Lios should have told us about it.”

“What if someone flew in?” I suggested, but didn’t really think someone could have flown over the route that we had to take.

“However it happened, we have the legends, so someone must have come here at some point in history.”

We’d meant to have just a bit of casual conversation to pass the time, but instead, the topic became one that left a weight hanging in my chest. But while we were talking, we eventually arrived at the end of the Dragonbein Mountains and found a very, very large dragon sleeping there. Its body completely blocked the path that ran between the mountains, leaving no way for us to walk around them.

“This doesn’t look good…… do we try flying?” Fili suggested, and Bith nodded.

“Can you carry Gendor with me?” Bith requested, moving to stand next to Gendor.

(Hm?)

The compass I was holding onto shook slightly and pointed towards the sleeping dragon in front of me. “This is……”

“Is this the Twilight Dragon?” Gendor let out a gleeful cry when he noticed the compass.

“No, I don’t think it is. We haven’t reached the Wavering Peninsula yet.”

They kind of looked like Dorin did sleeping under the Great Tree of Lios, so I wondered briefly if they might be the same species― and then, as if sensing our presence, the dragon slowly raised their head.

They looked at each of our faces in turn as if confirming who we were, and then spoke with a deep breath.

“My name is Sheraton, he who interprets the signs. For many years, I have awaited the shadow-bearers. Little ones who would stand up to save their world― answer my riddle. If you do, I will have completed my role and will leave this land.” With a leisurely tone, Sheraton spoke while looking down at all of us.

As a group, we exchanged glances for a moment and nodded to each other. If we didn’t solve this riddle, we would not be able to move forward.

Seeing that we were ready, Sheraton asked his riddle. “Though equal before the eyes of all, alone, few are able to seize it. What is this?”

Everyone tilted their heads. “What could it be?” I spoke just to break the silence.

Something that is equal before everybody, but that few could seize alone. I turned the riddle over and over again in my mind, but I couldn’t think of a good answer.

“Is it ‘opportunity’?” Lilith tried, but Sheraton shook his head.

“Are you dense? I’m sure there are plenty of people who would seize an opportunity without help.

“Yeah, well you don’t have to be an ass about it.”

“Is it ‘air’?” Gendor answered excitedly. But that was also wrong, and Sheraton shook his head again as if bored.

“You realize you can hold air in a bag easily enough……”

“Oh, I see.”

“Shadow.”

(Again……)

Without feeling like I had meant to do so, I answered.

“By ‘shadow’, you mean like the ones we have, right?”

“Exactly.”

“But, hold on a second! Bith and Fili don’t have shadows. It’s only humans and spirits like us who have those, right? But if we’re thinking about Sheraton’s riddle, the answer should be something everyone has.”

“I guess that’s true……”

I wasn’t even sure why I had thought of ‘shadow’. But for a moment, I’d had the impression that they were something that everybody should have. Maybe it was related to that feeling of having lost something, but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

“Though equal before the eyes of all, alone, few are able to seize it. What is this?” Sheraton posed his riddle again.

What could it be? Even though the waves were getting closer and closer, we were wasting time here. If only we could stop time, then we could take more time to think this through……

(Ah!)

“Could it be time― to seize the ‘moment’?” Sheraton paused when I gave that answer, and then roared and flew up into the sky. It seemed that had been the correct answer.

Seeing Sheraton disappearing into the sky, Lilith let out a shout of joy. “How did you figure it out?”

“I just thought about how much of a hurry we were in…… how we were running out of time, and I thought that might be the answer.”

“Well done!”

With Sheraton out of the way, we ran through the narrow passage that extended past where he had lain. Finally, the Wavering Peninsula where the Twilight Dragon resided was within reach. After running the winding path for a few minutes― the way suddenly opened up in front of us, and the ocean spread out before our eyes.

There, the eastern coast jut out into that sea and was swaying just slightly. We had found the Wavering Peninsula. “Let’s fly!”

With that declaration, Bith grabbed under one of Gendor’s arms in preparation to carry him. Fili followed his lead, and then supported by the pair of them, Gendor was lifted slowly into the air.

Then Lilith and I followed them and took into the air as well. At long last, we had finally arrived at the end of our journey. All that was left to do was to find the Twilight Dragon who would save the world.

Reaching the Wavering Peninsula― we landed in a field of plain, short grass. but It didn’t feel like there was any soil here, just hard stone, so it seemed odd that even that thin layer of grass could grow here.

“Let’s start looking!” I was feeling highly motivated now, but Fili and Bith stopped behind me and Gendor. “What’s wrong? We have to move quickly.”

Looking at me, Fili shook his head apologetically. “Unfortunately, this is far as we go.”

“What do you mean?”

“The legend says that you three are the only ones who can meet the Twilight Dragon.”

“Huh?”

“We were― our mission was just to get you three to the Wavering Peninsula.”

“So, our job here is done.” Bith finished, and Lilith nodded to him as if she had already realized this was coming. Like she was telling him to leave the rest to us.

“Then what are you two going to do now?”

“We have to reach the Alba Lake― and return to the Hulle Granz Cathedral.”

“But the waves are……”

“I can’t just sit back and wait while the Queen may still be fighting.

“……”

A single tear ran down Fili’s cheek. “I would have liked to be with you until the end, but that isn’t possible. Still, I am glad that I could come this far with you……”

“Why? All we have to do now is find it. The peninsula isn’t that big, so it would be faster for everyone to go together!” I insisted, but Lilith shook her head at me.

“If they did that, then we probably wouldn’t be able to meet the Twilight Dragon.”

“What does that mean?”

“The Twilight Dragon will only appear before the three shadow-bearers.”

“Why?”

“I wish I knew. But it won’t appear if there is anyone else with us.”

“……I understand.”

As quickly as it had come, my motivation turned to despondence. I had thought we would all be together until the very end, so I couldn’t imagine Fili and Bith leaving us now.

“If I hadn’t met you guys, I would never have stopped hating the spirits of Darkness. I am truly grateful to you all.”

Fili was tearing up as he spoke, but Bith watched him with a much more indifferent expression on his face. “I never asked you to like me.”

“Well that’s fine, because I wasn’t referring to you!”

Seeing them start to bicker, Lilith sighed. “You two are going back to the cathedral together, aren’t you? So what are you still doing here arguing with each other?”

“We can get back separately.”

“You just can’t be honest, can you……?”

“I don’t need you telling me what to do.”

“Is that so? Then do whatever you want.”

Much like the first time we all came together, I felt a warm, welcoming atmosphere envelop me. Thinking back, there were so many things that happened, and somehow, we managed to overcome all of them― I was still sad that Vesper was gone, but I was also glad to have made it this far.

“Me too, I…… thank you. I’m sorry for always having had to rely on you for help.”

“But I was the one really slowing everyone down.” Gendor said.

The mood grew melancholic after that, making it difficult for us to part ways, so we all just fell silent. But in the end, Bith broke that silence. “Time’s up; let’s go.”

“A heart of stone to the end, huh Bith?”

“The rest is up to you.” Bith said softly, then tugged on Fili’s arm when he made no move to leave.

Then, the two of them flew away. “You can do this! You three will definitely find the Twilight Dragon.” Fili’s voice echoed as he flew farther away.

“They’re gone……” Gendor muttered, and Lilith tapped Gendor on his shoulder to snap him out of his stupor.

“We’ll see them again. But to do that, we have to find the Twilight Dragon as quickly as possible, okay?” Lilith looked to me for support, and I nodded to her.

“Like you said, the peninsula isn’t that big. We’ll find it easily enough.”

Saying that, Lilith looked out across the Wavering Peninsula. It wasn’t even a full kilometer across, so really, there was nowhere for the Twilight Dragon to hide here. But still, we would have to search.

Yet even after slowly walking from the base of the peninsula to the tip, there was no sign of any life here, let alone the Twilight Dragon. The peninsula was completely empty, and I was starting to worry if the Twilight Dragon was even really here or not.

“It’s not here……” I muttered after walking the path back to the base of the peninsula.

“Could it be underground……?” Lilith suggested, so we walked back over the peninsula another time, knocking against the ground as we made our way out to the tip. If it was hiding, it would have to be underground somewhere.

The three of us split up to search, but after a while, Lilith shouted out to us. “The peninsula is breathing!”

Hearing that, Gendor put his ear against the ground. “It is! And it feels warm.”

“Really?” Hurriedly, I placed my palms against the ground, too. There was a slight pulse running through it, and it was giving off a gentle warmth, like body heat.

“No way……”

Using my broom, I flew out to the tip of the peninsula. From there, I thought the shape of it looked like a nose.

The Wavering Peninsula itself was the Twilight Dragon.

“Lilith! Gendor!” I shouted to the other two as they came to the tip of the peninsula to see what I was doing. “The peninsula is the Twilight Dragon!”

We had finally found it. And at the same time, a faint whistling sound echoed through the distant sky.

Episode 9//Twilight Dragon

The sound of the horn echoing around them was somehow both powerful and delicate at the same time. And as every race that lived in this world united to fight against a common enemy― those tones both comforted all who heard them and filled them with an intense heat that urged them to act.

“Protect the lake at all costs!”

With Apeiron’s call as the signal, the spirits all began to charge at the wave. Their goal was to prevent the waves from getting too close, so they had to strike back against them as far away from the lake as they could manage.

This was a battle with their very existence at stake. But the wave’s attack also came with a new level of ferocity. Neither spell nor sword seemed to have any effect, and both spirits and humans were swallowed up without being able to do anything at all. They fell one after another, happening so quickly that no spirit could even try to heal them.

Given no chance to counterattack, they were mercilessly swallowed up by the wave, and not even the humans’ artillery had any effect on the blubbery form of the wave.

Nevertheless, they had to fight.

Their monarchs watched from a small hill as they fought in what now amounted to a suicide charge. “Is it impossible after all……?” Apeiron muttered as the sword in his hand began to tremble. “We cannot let them fight alone any longer. Let’s move.”

Apeiron urged his aides, Fili and Papi, but Helba stopped Apeiron with a question as she watched the front lines. “Do you have a plan?”

“Not at all. Of course I don’t have a plan.” Abandoning any sense of decorum, Apeiron turned on his heels and leaned in towards Helba. “What sort of plan could repel something like that? We no longer have time to wait for the trump card known as the Twilight Dragon. And I cannot stand by any longer and watch my fellows fall.”

“And you call yourself the king of a nation…… it’s pathetic.”

“What about me is pathetic?! What is so wrong with me refusing to remain on the sidelines at a time like this?”

In response to Apeiron’s question, Helba broke character for the first time and raised her voice. “It is precisely at times like this that we must remain calm and observe! It would be pointless for you to rush in blindly; and if those below saw their king act in that way, they would lose their direction.”

“……”

“Bith, are you prepared?” Standing behind Helba as he listened to the conversation, Bith answered in affirmation. “Then go. Encourage those on the front lines.”

Without a word, Bith nodded and flew towards the front lines. “Bith!” Fili called out to him, but he did not turn or respond to him. “King Apeiron! Please let me go as well.”

“What……?”

“He is exceptional, but once he gets riled up, he loses focus. Having traveled with him up till now, I know this better than anyone. So let me go to support him.”

Meeting Fili’s determined gaze, Apeiron reluctantly agreed to his request. And in response, Fili smiled.

“Fili,” But Pleiad looked to him with concern in her eyes.

So, taking the necklace the she had given him― Fili placed it back around Pleiad’s neck instead. “You are the one who truly deserves to wear this necklace. You are not helpless.”

Growing frantic, Pleiad shook her head. “No, you’re wrong!” She said, yet Fili’s smile did not waver.

“I’m going now.” And without saying anything more than that― Fili flew out after Bith.

The front lines were already in complete disarray. Some fought, many fled, and other simply gave up and stood still…… and all looked up to the skies as they were enveloped by thick clouds.

Why had these waves appeared? If not for these waves, they may have been able to put up a real fight.



However, such wishes were not granted.



At the same time― having finally met with the Twilight Dragon, the Little Witch’s group were in despair as they spoke with them. The Twilight Dragon had told them of the long history which had been repeated without end, and how it was something that could not be overturned no matter how hard they tried.

And so, the shadow-bearers despaired. What had their journey been for? They could no longer see the purpose of it.

Before the now speechless shadow-bearers, the Twilight Dragon let out a mighty roar, and as if vaporized, the shadow-bearers disappeared.



The wave knew no retreat. Without hesitation, it swallowed up spirits and humans alike.

“Is this the end……?” Right before Apeiron’s eyes, he saw the Alba Lake – shrine to the Twilight Dragon – dried up by the wave’s corrosion.

“Don’t give up!” Yet from the hill, Helba called out to all who could still hear her. “Press on. This is the final battle……” She told them, and Magi nodded next to her.

Then, the spirit brought by Bith and Fili – who had remained silent all this time – finally began to move. Casting off the robe that covered their body, a spell staff with the shape of a key came into view.

“?” Mystified, Apeiron sensed something ominous about that staff as it produced a sharp ringing sound. “Get out of the way!”

The spirit swung the spell staff. Though it had seemed like it was aiming at the wave, its assault was unleashed on the spirits and humans instead. Suddenly caught between the wave before them and the attack from the spirit they had believed to be an ally― the panic reached a fever pitch.

Then the wave began to shimmer, and the light that came from it flew up towards the heavens. It was an incredible sight, as if those who had been swallowed up by it were ascending.

“Why……” Helba asked, but she received no answer to her question.

Everyone in this place was assaulted by the combined powers of the wave and this mysterious spirit― and then became a light and disappeared.

It truly was a magnificent sight, as one by one, the lights faded into the sky. And when they were all gone― all that was left was a dried up lake, an empty land, and a loan spirit floating in the silence.



Past this point, no more is known, as it was never written.

After discovering the Twilight Dragon, I returned to the top of the peninsula― or rather, the top of the Twilight Dragon’s head.

“What was that ringing sound?” With a look of astonishment on his face, Gendor stared out in the direction that the sound had come from. “Gendor, what is it?”

“That was the king’s horn.”

“King’s horn?” I asked, and Lilith gave me a simple explanation.

The king’s horn was an ancient instrument that the humans played when fighting spirits. It was said that the sound of it had the power to make their enemies cower while inspiring their allies.

“But why would the humans use it now?”

“I couldn’t say.”

“The king must have come to fight, too.”

“But I thought this had nothing to do with the humans.”

“I know, but I’m sure they’re fighting. Trust me.” Gendor said, then knelt down and struck the ground – or rather – the Twilight Dragon’s head.

“Hurry! ……Please, you have to hurry.” Again and again, Gendor repeated his strikes until his fists grew red with pain and he began to cry while on his knees. “Everyone will die.”

Losing his energy, Gendor dropped on the spot, unable to keep hitting it. We had just been watching Gendor in a daze for a moment, but eventually, Lilith and I came to our senses and started slapping the ground in the same way.

For a long while, we continued like that, “Has the time come……?” Until finally, I heard a voice from somewhere. I couldn’t quite tell where it was coming from though, whether from below, above, or just from inside my own head.

It was very similar to what I had experienced when hearing the voice of that frozen spirit, but this time, I wasn’t the only one who could hear it. Both Lilith and Gendor were looking around as if they had heard it too.

“Where are you?!” Lilith stood up and shouted into the air. “Show yourself!”

“It would not be possible for you and me to speak face to face, I’m afraid.” The mysterious voice answered Lilith.

“Are you the Twilight Dragon?”

“Did you all not come here searching for me?” A wry chuckle accompanied that question

“That’s right. Please, you must hurry to help everyone.”

“I cannot.”

(Huh……?)

I couldn’t believe my ears, but I was sure that I hadn’t misheard them. “I cannot do this.”

“But the legend said that you would!” Like a burning fire, Lilith quickly grew enraged.

“Lilith, is it……? Could you recount the legend once more?”

We all exchanged a look, then recalled the legend as we knew it.

When the Cursed Waves appear― three shadow-bearers will set out in search of the Twilight Dragon that will save the world of spirits.

“There, see? It says that you are going to save our world!”

“Precisely. It says that I will save the world. But it does not say that I will save you. O, little ones― do you not understand what that means?”

“What are you saying?” I looked all around me.

Saving the world wasn’t the same as saving us? I couldn’t quite piece together what the difference was supposed to be.

“I am so very tired.”

“?”

“Even so, you probably do not understand.” With that as a preamble, the Twilight Dragon continued to speak, and told us of a shocking truth. “You lot were born― as spirits, you have a long, long history. But now, there shouldn’t be a single spirit left from that beginning.

“But you know this much, don’t you?

“From the moment of your birth, you have been divided into Light and Darkness. And over countless years, you have clashed many times. Until the Cursed Waves appeared, you never tried to reach a compromise― not even once.

“You could have changed your ways while you were alive, but you did not. Your numbers did not increase, only more of the same spirits were born again. Then by chance, the powerless race of humans were born, but they were unable to change things, and the conflicts continued.

“All they need have done was evolve. What I desired was not a change to the system, but to the individuals.

“But unfortunately― it is too late to hope for that now. Once again, in order to be born anew, you must be returned to nothingness.”

Despite the Twilight Dragon’s relaxed tone of voice, their words carried an incomprehensible weight. “The world didn’t turn out the way you wanted, so you’re just going to rebuild it?”

“Precisely.”

“That isn’t funny! We are not your playthings!” Lilith’s harrowing cried echoed throughout the peninsula.

“Then why don’t you tell me. Do you think the world can improve the way it is now? No. The fighting never ends. Light and Darkness are a balance, yet they are convinced that their relationship is one of strife and conflict.”

“……”

“If it were only the battles between Light and Darkness, things could have still improved. But what is the point if you fight even among your own kind?”

Even spirits of Darkness like herself had despised Lilith. And Pleiad was left in isolation by her own sisters despite being bound by blood. The humans also persecuted those with special powers like the spirits…… knowing just how true it all was, Lilith and Gendor fell silent.

“I tire of seeing the world this way.” Then as if finally realizing something, the Twilight Dragon let out a sigh of relief. “Has it begun……?”

My heart raced. I turned to look back in the direction that Fili and Bith had flown off in.

“!” In the distance― countless golden lights were rising into the sky. Flying slowly towards thick clouds.

“There is nothing to be afraid of. They disappear with dreams of rebirth.” The thick clouds began to shimmer, and I was overwhelmed by this wholly unique sight. “O, shadow-bearers. Little heroes with whom I have spoken so many time. Please, do not come here again.”

“What are you……”

“It is as I said. History is repeating itself, you see. I have spoken with you many times now. Just before you were born anew.”

Unable to contain her pent-up anger any longer, Lilith jammed her spell wand into the Twilight Dragon’s head which spread out at her feet. “Don’t screw with me! This is the first time I’ve ever met with or spoken to you!”

“M-me too……”

“You would not remember, of course. The memories were erased.”

(Was the intent I felt in the cave the will of the Twilight Dragon, then?)

A tightening pain welled up within me, and I held a hand to my chest. There was something I needed to remember. I felt certain that I was the only one who could turn this situation around.

“The waves will soon complete their role. And you will sleep peacefully as well.”

“You were behind the waves all along, weren’t you?” Lilith realized, then grabbed my arm. “Let’s go.”

“Go…… go where?”

“To where Bith is. I’m sure that even that dogged queen will see reason once she knows the truth.”

“It is too late.”

“It is not too late!”

“―Bith. That man you love is already gone.”

“Liar! That man wouldn’t die even if you killed him. He would never just disappear on me like that.”

Placing a gentle hand against my back, Gendor spoke. “You should go.”

“Wait…… but, Gendor―”

“I know. I can’t fly, so I’d just be a burden to you and Lilith. That’s why, I’ll stay here.”

“But if you stay here……”

Gendor set his swollen hands against the ground, and dazzling light flooded out from him. “I’ll hold back the Twilight Dragon.”

“You won’t change anything just by repeating the same things you have done before.”

The Twilight Dragon said, though their voice sounded slower now than when it spoke before. So maybe that meant that Gendor’s spell was affecting. “I don’t believe a word you say.” Then after spitting out one last curse, Lilith flew out into the distant sky.

And I―

I couldn’t follow her. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t.

“Why do you struggle? You should all just return to sleep……”

The peninsula that was the head of the Twilight Dragon shook violently. Then right before my eyes, Gendor suddenly became light and was scattered into the air. And Lilith – heading towards Bith – was disappearing in the distance as well.

“No one wants an ending like this!”

“It is what I want.”

“This world doesn’t just belong to you!” I screamed, and as I did, a string of golden ‘1’s and ‘0’s appeared around me, clinging to my body. I tried to shake them off, but I couldn’t even touch them.

(‘1’s and ‘0’s?)

I― I had heard that phrase somewhere before.

“Why don’t you disappear……?”

Ignoring the Twilight Dragon’s question, I began to think aloud. “What is the point of erasing everything? If you erase our memories, you’d be rebuilding the same spirits with no experience from 0, so wouldn’t history just repeat itself over and over again? It’s only by experiencing various things that we can accumulate knowledge…… and feel deeper emotions. No matter what happens to you, you can start over again as long as you are still alive. That’s what it means to grow.” I wondered if the Twilight Dragon was actually listening to me. “I―”

I wanted to tell them about all the things that I’d experienced since I was born, but when I tried to think back on it, I found nothing there. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten and couldn’t remember― my memory was just completely blank.

“I……”

(Who am I……?)

My mind glazed over, and the Twilight Dragon questioned me again. “Are you not the Little Witch, Saya? Who are you? Why have you not disappeared? Why do you not return to sleep? The Rebirth program should have been triggered……” Program.

‘1’s and ‘0’s.

In my head, someone’s voice echoed through me. It was a warm, gentle voice.

“’1’s and ‘0’s. Working in a world of cutting edge technology―”

A world like that. Words that I had never heard before. It felt as if all the blood in my body was flowing in reverse.

The memories that had gradually faded since I arrived in this world – and had disappeared completely when that spirit’s seal was broken – they all came rushing back to me at the Twilight Dragon’s words.

“I came from outside. I am not Saya – I am Lara Hoerwick!”

“Outside?”

“Yes.” I said, but remembered my promise to Vesper.

(I won’t say anything confusing. I promised.)

“I wandered into this world by mistake. I didn’t know why at first, but now I’m sure it was to persuade you.” The Twilight Dragon roared. “This world could be reset any number of times, but my world is different. We can’t just reset, and to lose our body and go to sleep means we die. I can’t be reborn!”

“……How peaceful that world must be.”

“Not at all. There has always been conflict, and while it might be best if it could disappear, I don’t think that will happen any time soon. And maybe…… maybe sometimes fighting is necessary for us to understand each other.”

“Then why―”

“Because as long as you’re alive, you can start over. Because you can reflect on what you’ve done and use that experience to do better. We only have one life to live― that’s why we struggle to make the most of it. The spirits of this world are like that too, aren’t they? It’s not fair for you to take that away from them because of what you want.”

“……I loved this world. That’s why it would be better to let it be reborn―”

“But you don’t know the fear of losing your memories, do you?”

“……”

I shouted at the now silenced god of this world. “Give them back!”

“……”

“I understand― conflict is awful, so I understand why you want to stop it. But not everyone feels that way. After coming to this world, I learned the importance of friends and of my memories of the past. The spirits and humans I met in this world were all full of compassion. You say you love them, but that’s just your own self-serving declaration! This world belongs to everyone!” Tears began to well up in my eyes. “What you’ve done to them is horrible……”

“Horrible? How? I am thinking of the world……”

“Thinking of the world? You’re wrong. You have to think of all those who live in this world, too. You said earlier that you wanted to see individual change, but it’s meaningless if you don’t actually see them as individuals. You’re the one who needs to change the most……”

“I need to change……?”

I nodded. “If you really love them, and if it’s that important to you, don’t you think it’s just as important for you to watch over them?”

(Just like how Mama and Papa look over me……)

“If things have really gotten out of control, you can just leave. What are you even doing here?! Tell me; don’t you think it’s overbearing to make them all start over from 0 just because they got it wrong? We’ve all been through a lot, but we’ve grown from the experience.”

For a moment, the Twilight Dragon was silent. Then, with a sound like laughter, it seemed to consider what I had said. “……Growth from experience, hm?” The Twilight Dragon muttered, like they were turning my words over in their mind. Then they continued, “I see. Then let us turn back time and allow history to move forward. Let us leave them to do what they can to repair the places that the waves have left empty.”

“Thank you. Thank you for understanding.”

“What you told me― I would like to see what it means to make the most of your experience. That is all.”

“……Right.”

“However, since you know the truth, you could get in the way.”

The moment the Twilight Dragon said that, I heard a familiar rattling sound above my head. It was the sound of typing on a keyboard. “Uncle Harald! He finally noticed.”

The dark sky brightened into twilight.

When Bith and Fili returned― they saw many lights floating around them. It was an incredible sight.

Then the light burned into my brain and my mind went blank until I couldn’t think of anything anymore. And I slowly closed my eyes.

Everything I had experienced in this world flowed through my mind like a revolving lantern. Everything had been new and strange to me.

I hoped that my interaction with this world had changed something……

And with all of that in mind, I fell asleep.

Epilogue//"The World"

Slowly, I opened my eyes. My head was so foggy that for a moment, I couldn’t quite figure out where I was.

(This is……)

After a minute of feeling dazed, I finally remembered what this place was, with its white walls, simple furniture, and a picture frame on the counter.

(Uncle Harald’s house……)

“I’m back!” I jumped upright.

“Good morning, Lara.” Apparently, I had been sleeping on Papa’s lap, who smiled sweetly at me as he met my eyes. “Seems like you slept well.”

“!” I was so surprised to see him, I couldn’t speak for a second.

The time shown by the clock on the wall behind Papa was only three hours after we had arrived at the house.

(Except, I must have spent months in that world……)

I tilted my head. “You know, you shouldn’t have barged into Harald’s room without permission. And falling asleep in a place like that isn’t something a growing girl should do, either.”

“What do you mean?” The way Papa was talking about it― he made it sound like I had just fallen asleep in Uncle Harald’s workroom for a little bit.

Then I heard Uncle Harald’s voice behind me. “It’s fine, really. It was my fault for leaving the door open in the first place.”

“But I……” I looked at my body, but I couldn’t find any injuries.

(Maybe it had been a dream after all……)

Except― it had been way too real to believe that.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have entered the room without permission. But……”

Uncle Harald nodded. “Nothing happened, so it’s fine.”

“But I…… I became the main character from the Epitaph of Twilight―”

“What’s that? Did you have a dream?” Papa interrupted me.

“No, Papa; it really happened.” I insisted, but Papa didn’t look like he understood.

“Are you still half-asleep?”

“No, I…… maybe. I don’t know.”

But even as I said those words, I felt certain that it hadn’t been a dream. When Gendor and Lilith had hugged me, I could definitely feel their warmth. And when I fought Cubia, it had hurt so much that I really thought I was going to die.

But if I tried to put it all into words, it felt like it might actually become a dream, so I decided in that moment to keep it quietly in my heart instead. The world would be able to move on into a new future now. The day would surely come when everyone would be able to live in harmony under the blessing of the Twilight Dragon.

And I was proud to have been able to play a part in that. I would never forget anyone or anything that happened in that world.

A few years later― Uncle Harald disappeared. At first, Papa had laughed off the rumors as unbelievable, but eventually, we realized that it must be true, because no matter how many times we tried to contact him, we got no response.

Papa and I went out to Uncle Harald’s house again. Just like last time when I had fallen into the game― we drove past the woods, but I didn’t feel like talking about it like I had then.

Uncle Harald’s house looked just as abandoned now as it had then. But this time when we reached the door, Papa took a key out of his pocket and opened the door himself. “Shouldn’t we…… ring the doorbell first?”

“He’s not there now. There’d be no point.” He said simply, but as I followed him inside, another question occurred to me.

“Hey, Papa…… why do you have a key to Uncle Harald’s house?”

“When was it…… right, it was just after the last time I came here with you, Lara. He suddenly sent the key along with a note. I think he was planning to off somewhere since then.”

Explaining that much, Papa walked into the living room. Then with a glance off to the side, I told Papa that I would go check in the back and made my way to Uncle Harald’s workroom, feeling like I just had to go there and check for some reason, almost like something was guiding me.

As expected, it was the same as it appeared last time. Despite not having been here in quite some time, the room hadn’t changed at all. Several monitors were lined up on the desk, and piles of books littered the floor because the shelves were all full. The only difference was that there was more dust than last time― but then my eyes fell on something set in front of the monitors.

“What’s this……” I picked it up and found that it was a letter. It was addressed to me, but didn’t list who it was from. “……Hm?”

Under the letter, there was a box for an online game titled ‘The World’, but it was empty. Making sure that Papa wasn’t about to walk in on me, I opened the letter.

I don’t know if you’ll ever see this but…… I’m writing this letter to confide in you the truth. I suppose it will depend on your father, but I’m sure it will be fine.

When you and your father came to see me, he told me about you. About how you were interested in the Epitaph of Twilight. I’m sure you did some research through the internet, so I’m guessing you know a bit about Emma and Anthroposophy.

Well, I loved Emma. And she had often told me about the story for the Epitaph of Twilight. Those were very happy days for me, but those days and that story were cut short with Emma’s death. I felt that I had to finish it. I loved Emma, and so I considered it my duty.

Emma believed in reincarnation, so I tried to make the story about that. I am sure that Emma would have liked the story to end in that kind of way, at least. After all, the Epitaph of Twilight was itself a story about twilight.

It can be relived as many times as we like.

We can start over as many times as we like.

We can begin as many times as we like.

But that seemingly endless cycle of repetition was broken by you. But please, do not misunderstand. I am not angry with you.

I was testing out a program with that game, but I wasn’t able to play it myself. You understand why, I hope. Once inside, there was no way out without help from the outside.

I might have guessed that my brother would bring you along with him, but I hadn’t expected you to actually try to play the game. I had to make a lot of improvements, but thanks to you, the program ran smoothly. I was not mistaken.

Children are the key to the future. Just as you were.

So I have decided that I will name her Aura.

The shining child, Aura. It’s a good name, don’t you think?

Well, it’s about time. There is somewhere I must go now, but before I left, I wanted to tell you about this. Both for myself, and for Emma.

It will be dangerous, but I can’t stop now. Because this is all I can do. I’m not sure where it went wrong. Why, why, why―

The letter cut off at the end in a distressing way.

“Aura……” I was so shocked by the unexpected confession in the letter that I didn’t move for a few moments.

(What is this all about?!)

My train of thought was completely derailed.

The only thing I understood was that the adventure I’d gone on really hadn’t been a dream.

“Did he…… take advantage of me?” I wondered briefly, but I had no way of knowing what Uncle Harald’s intentions had been.

Why? What had his reason been? That question swirled around and around in my head.

I knew there were rumors that Emma Wieland had been devoted to anthroposophy, and I could see how my uncle could have become acquainted with Emma through that, but― Emma was supposedly in love with someone twenty years older than her, and I couldn’t believe she had been dating Uncle Harald.

(And what’s this about a child?)

Emma was already dead. “Oh, but……” If he was talking about programs in the game― he may have been referring to that like their ‘child’. I guess that was possible for a programmer like Uncle Harald.

But when I thought about it like that― this letter really started to read like a suicide note. So now I was sure that Uncle Harald was gone.

“Lara?” Papa called for me, and I realized that I had been standing in this room for several minutes now. “I couldn’t find any clues. For now, let’s get back home before it gets dark.”

I― I couldn’t show Papa the letter from Uncle Harald. It didn’t feel right to show it to anyone else. And even if I did, that wouldn’t bring him back.

As soon as I got home, though, I tried looking up ‘The World’. I found a lot of rumors that almost read like urban legends― but I believed that they were true.

The ‘Key of the Twilight’ was the Twilight Dragon, who was trying to help solve the problems of that world.

The Epitaph of Twilight would never end.

So long as there were people who would search for it― the story would continue forever.

Since I don’t think there are too many people who would buy the second volume without having read the first, I’d like to say, ‘long time no see’. My name is Miu Kawasaki.

Thinking up what to write for this afterword is honestly more agonizing than writing the story itself. Should I just write whatever comes to me? That was how I thought it should go, but it didn’t really work out that way.

After a few days of thinking about what to write― I received a call from my manager Mr. Nabae (I’m really sorry!) and we decided on a theme!

We called it “Miu Kawasaki and .Hack”.

I think this will be the last time I get to be involved with .Hack (Though if you have any questions, I would love to hear them.) But well…… that is why I decided to write on this topic.

I first became aware of .Hack shortly after I made my debut as a screenwriter. I received the serialization of ‘.Hack//Another Bith’ alongside the game (Unlabeled, I think?) And at the time, I was really going back and forth, but with the support of my magnificent mentor Kazunori Ito, and the support of Mr. Matsuyama of CC2 as well as others from various fields, I somehow manage to publish all four volumes. When I think about it now, I’m sure there are a lot of ways that a serial publication can be revised, but writing this entry really made me think about how nice it would be to have it serialized.

Then― I participated in the .Hack//G.U. project. I wrote a number of scripts at first, but my direction changed two or three times, and I eventually became the series director of .Hack//Roots, which put me in the position of supervising the screenplay. This made me realize just how hard yet fun it was to design a game, and thought that I’d like to give it another try someday.

With .Hack//Roots, though I had less experience writing screenplays than others, I was able to finish it without any problems thanks to the support of many different people. Any time I finish with an animated project, I go online and look for reviews…… and I remember feeling waves of both happiness and sadness when I did. And by rising to meet that challenge, I think I was able to grow both as a screenwriter and as a person.

Finally, we arrived at .Hack//Epitaph of Twilight, but seeing as I have already written about my feelings in regard to that in the previous volume, I will omit it here. What I wanted to convey through this was what Lara says in Episode 9 during her dialogue with the Twilight Dragon.

I am very happy to have been involved with this expansive project called .Hack. It would be no exaggeration to say that I, Miu Kawasaki, have grown with this series.

I sometimes wonder if my work will resonate with anyone.

Or if anyone will read what I’ve written at all.

I feel a lot of anxiety about things like that, but I will try to ease them by reading fan letters.

I’m almost out of pages here, but before I run out completely, I would just like to say ‘hello’.

To my mentor, who was looking forward to this sequel.

To Mr. Matsuyama, who took time out of his busy schedule to read my work.

To Mr. Nabae, who called me frequently and gave me advice.

To Ms. Shiina, for making art even for my more demanding requests.

To all the staff who were involved in the publication of this story.

To my family, for supporting me through the all-nighters.

To the waitress at the family restaurant who kept bringing me coffee throughout those long nights.

And of course― to all the readers who picked up this book.

I am well and truly thankful.

So very thankful to you all.

After a short recharging period, I hope to be in front of you again― thought whether it will be for an anime or a novel― I do not know. Over the years, we have all grown, both physically and mentally, and some people might say ‘I don’t read light novels anymore’ or ‘I’m not interested in anime’― but I would like to create works that even those people would want to see and read, so please continue to support Miu Kawasaki, as well as the .Hack franchise.

July 2008

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