.Hack//Epitaph of Twilight Volume1 Episode2

Episode 2//imbroglio

Standing tall within the darkness, four spires appeared to stretch towards the heavens themselves. And at their center was the statuesque, stalactite building that served as Helba’s Palace and gathering place for the spirits of the Lands of Darkness. The exterior walls glowed with a pale blue light and stood at different heights so that from a distance, it gave the impression of a massive hand reaching up from the depths of the earth to drag people down to hell.

And from the top floor of that central spire, Helba looked down upon those lands of darkness. In fact, she gazed upon them with such fondness that it made one wonder if the dark world she saw seemed bright to her eyes.

“The Twilight Dragon, hm……” She whispered as she recalled the legend.

The legend had been passed down from times immemorial in this world, and all those who lived here in the Lands of Darkness, in the Lands of Light, and even the humans beyond all knew well what it foretold.

“When encroached upon by the Cursed Waves, three shadow-bearers will rise to search for the Twilight Dragon that will save the spirits from the waves.”

However, although humans possessed shadows, they had no power with which to counter the waves that threatened them in the world of spirits. And though the spirits held powers, most of them did not possess shadows.

As was written before, spirits disliked not only humans, but all those who bore shadows. Even one who was a spirit of the same race as themselves. For that reason, shadow-bearing spirits were forced to live in hiding or disguised as humans. It was difficult to believe that a spirit like that would voluntarily stand up to save the world of spirits that had persecuted them. And so, she had sent Bith out to search. That initiative wasn’t part of the legend, but it had to be done.

Helba slowly pushed open the window with one finger, allowing cool, chilling air to flow into the room. “So you’ve returned.”

She did not miss the many dark shapes that entered the room along with the cool breeze. Behind Helba, dozens of bats perches themselves across the ceiling. They were Helba’s familiars.

“You’ve done well.” Helba spoke without looking back and, and with a snap of her fingers, the bats all vanished like smoke.

Then Helba leaned against the window frame, and silence filled the room. The breeze coming in through the window ruffled Helba’s silky hair. But then the pleasant silence was broken by a knock at the door.

“Enter.” Helba turned, and the door to open room opened on its own. And standing in the entrance was an ugly old woman with a hunched back.

“Excuse me,” The old woman’s name was Boa. Like Bith, she was a member of Helba’s inner circle. The old woman had once been a great serpent, but in order to protect Helba while Bith was away, she changed her appearance to take on a human form and came to stay at the Palace. Taking a seat on a soft sofa in the middle of the room, Boa spoke. “Are things going well?”

“The bats didn’t say. We will simply have to wait and see how it plays out.”

“I don’t think the people of these lands will believe it. Even if your messengers deliver the news directly…… it’s just how things are.”

“The legend…… everyone living in this world knows of it, even if they wish they didn’t. Rumors of the waves will soon spread; I doubt we’ll be able to counter them with numbers, but we must act.”

“They’ve already left, haven’t they? Are you worried about them?” Helba smiled slightly when Boa asked that question.

“You may take as many precautions as you wish.”

Boa nodded firmly and slowly closed her eyes. “A shadow-bearer…… there is one around the forest, isn’t there?” She said as if only recalling it then, and Helba gave a heavy sigh.

“You mean Lilith?”

“Was that her name; the spirit of the night?”

“It won’t work.”

“Even with Bith taking charge?”

Helba closed the window and turned to Boa. “I mean it won’t work because of Bith.”

“Even though they both come from the Lands of Darkness?”

Helba nodded silently and drew two glasses and a bottle filled with a blood-red liquid from the cupboard near the sofa. She handed one of the glasses to Boa and poured some of the liquid from the bottle into it for her.

Boa downed the liquid in one gulp and looked up at Helba standing beside her. “Tastes like stag…… very good.”

Helba smiled at Boa and took a sip of the liquid in her own glass as well. “Lilith believes that Bith betrayed her.”

“Betrayed her?” Boa questioned, but then as if remembering something, murmured to herself. “Oh, was that it?”

“Lilith came to cast a shadow after a prank went wrong. Those who have shadows always end up persecuted, but Bith begged me to help Lilith.”

“That’s not a request I would have expected you to accept back then.”

“Lilith was very gifted. I wanted to do something to help her, as well.”

“Wasn’t there someone capable of sewing up a shadow after it had been cast…… couldn’t you have asked them for assistance?”

“They died in the war with the humans. It will require much more time before they are reborn.”

“I see……”

“So I had no choice but to banish her from these lands before she could be persecuted and killed for what they were.”

“And so neither young Bith, nor the spirit of the night could know how you really felt…… such is the weight of the crown.”

Helba smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s not so bad. It feels good to stand at the top.” She said, then with a stroke of her thumb, the glass in her hand shattered into pieces.



And as Helba spoke of her – another group approached Lilith’s lodgings on the winds.

Lilith lived in a dense forest known as the Splintered Forest. Even centuries later, not a day went by when she did not hate the person who had ousted her and gotten her banished her from her home, or herself for baring that cursed shadow that she had to live with every day.

That group banged on Lilith’s door, unaware of her current disposition.

“Who……?” Lilith’s wary expression contorted as she opened the door. Because the person who had ousted her was there, and with him was a denizen of the Lands of Light, whom she also abhorred. “What?”

But Bith did not open his mouth to speak, so Fili had no choice but to answer instead. He had not come to apologize for hurting her, but to ask for her help in saving this cruel world.

Lilith’s answer was obvious.

She did not care what happened to this world. If it was destined to be destroyed, then there was no point in trying to save it. Trying to change what had already been decided by force could only cause more trouble.

Lilith refused point blank, but Fili insisted. The waves were steadily closing in. They needed to gather allies as quickly as possible. They could not afford to lose one of the scarce few shadow-bearers in a place like this.

Lilith knew of the legend, of course. And she must have heard the rumors that the Cursed Waves had appeared. Yet despite this, her answer remained the same.

So when Fili refused to back down no matter how many time she denied him, Lilith told him of what Bith had done to her.

―She used to belong to the Lands of Darkness as a spirit of the night. One night however, in spite of her caution, she was suddenly burned by a flame. It had been meant as a prank by her friends, but by then, it was too late. The shadow that had been cast onto the ground behind her could not be taken back. And just as humans persecuted spirits simply for not having shadows, spirits in the Lands of Darkness would be persecuted simply for having one. Still, even after discovering her burden, Bith had acted as her friend and encouraged her when she felt depressed. He told her that he would do something about it, but ― in the end, she had been captured by the Queen of Darkness and banished. In all the Lands of Darkness, Bith had been the only one to accept her. He had stayed by her side for so long, even after she cast a shadow. If he just hadn’t told Helba, she could have continued living in the Lands of Darkness instead of being exiled.

Lilith shook her head as if to shake off the memory of her bitter past.

“Bith betrayed me.” In response to Lilith’s tale, Fili could say nothing. He felt disgusted at Bith for having sold out a friend to improve his standing. “Would you be able to work with the person that had ousted you?”

Fili didn’t answer. He couldn’t understand everything about Lilith’s position, but he felt that he understood enough.

“If you understand, then leave.” Having said her piece, Lilith closed the door without waiting for Fili to say anything more.

Meanwhile, Bith and Saya were waiting by the pond beside Lilith’s cabin while Fili deliberated with her. By the way he went silent after seeing her, Saya had guessed something must have happened between Bith and Lilith in the past.

Then Fili returned and silently shook his head. It seemed that the negotiations had failed.

The only shadow-bearer they had known of had been Lilith. They would need to decide what to do next before they move on. They had no time to be taking shots in the dark and hoping for a miracle; they just didn’t have enough information.

Lilith was watching them through the window.

“Is this also fate……?” Her skills had been among the best in the Lands of Darkness. That was who she was― and even though her friend’s prank had been meticulously planned, it would have impossible to cast a false shadow. “Only the three shadow-bearers will be able to find the Twilight Dragon.”

Long ago, when she had been barely more than an infant, someone had shared those words with her. But she had forgotten them until these three came here to call on her.

Perhaps her coming to cast a shadow had been an inevitability, rather than an accident. Perhaps her shadow had been cast so that she could help save the world.

“But still……” She did not want to believe that she had been forced to endure centuries of suffering because of that destiny.

Lilith recalled an argument she once had with Bith.



The knowledge that she cast a shadow had become widespread among the spirits. But as they lived in the Lands of Darkness, there weren’t any obvious signs of it.

“Why……?”

Lilith had already been in despair over simply having a shadow, so when that knowledge had been spread, she became even more despondent. In the midst of all of this, Bith had been the only one to show her kindness.

“I’ll do something about it.”

“What can you do? There’s no getting rid of a shadow once it’s been cast.”

“I’ll talk to the queen and convince her to let you stay here instead of leaving.”

“……Can I trust you?”

Bith had nodded to Lilith with certainty. And she knew Bith to be a man of his word, so she had decided to trust him. Holding onto that fleeting hope, Lilith had waited for news to come from the queen.

Instead― the next thing she knew, she was being cast out of her homeland. Worse still, it had been Bith himself who had thrown her out of the Lands of Darkness.

“But why?! You said you would do something! You told me I could trust you!”

“……”

“If you had just kept your mouth shut, I could have stayed!” But no matter how loudly Lilith shouted at him, Bith would not respond.

And shortly thereafter, Bith had been brought on as a member of the queen’s entourage― Lilith had heard the rumors on the wind. He had gained the position as a reward for reporting on her to the queen.

“You sold me out……”

Ever since then, Lilith had not been able to trust anyone. She spent each day resenting Bith and the spirits that played their tricks on her.



“Even if this was because of fate, I will never forgive you……” However, in spite of that conviction, Lilith found herself hesitating.

What should she do from here on? Bith caught her gaze as she watched them from the window, as if reading her heart and mind.

And yet, no matter how much Bith stared at her, Lilith could not become their ally. They would simply have to leave empty handed. But the moment that Bith turned to walk away, Saya turned on her heels and spoke to Lilith through the door, not yet convinced.

“The past is in the past. Surely you understand that, don’t you Lilith?”

Saya tried to persuade her, but Lilith still would not join them. Still, Saya’s words had seemed to leave an impact on Lilith.

And so Lilith gave Saya information on other shadow-bearers. “There are people with shadows in the village up ahead.”

They thanked Lilith and made their way in the direction she had indicated. And after walking through the forest for a time, the group found the village Lilith had spoken of. When Saya spotted a figure, she rushed into the village with Vesper without heading Fili’s attempts to stop her.

There had been a reason that Fili had stopped, though. Because the people of this village were all humans.

Left behind, Bith and Fili decided to watch Saya from afar, but then a large figure approached from behind them. Bith noticed first, but before they could determine who the figure was, both of their bodies had been lifted into the air.

“Now what are spirits doing in a place like this?” The human – who had managed to sneak up on them and pick them both up – had to be at least two meters tall.

Bith and Fili of course had no idea. No idea at all that this large man would become their second ally.

They had appeared suddenly, but now I was chasing desperately after Bith and Fili on my broom. The wheat field that I had started from in this world was now far behind me. If there had been anything there that could have returned me to the real world, I wouldn’t be able to search for it anymore.

I had no idea what was going on.

I had just meant to play a game that my uncle made for a bit, then return to the living room before he noticed I was gone. I could never have guessed that I wouldn’t be able to return to reality. I wanted this all to just be a dream.

But the scrapes I had from tripping over the field mice earlier were real. I could feel the pain, and I was still stunned by everything that had happened.

(I want to go home, but…… what on earth am I supposed to do?)

My vision blurred with tears.

(Am I going to have to live in this world until Uncle Harald notices what happened……?)

I had to believe that. But seeing the wave firsthand had me flaring with anxiety. Even if we found the Twilight Dragon, would we really be able to defeat the waves? Or rather, without knowing anything about this world, could I really do anything to help find it?

(But…… will he notice?)

The more I let my thoughts linger on the idea, the more depressed I felt.

(What if I can’t ever make it back to the real world?)

My anxiety shot up even more.

I didn’t know what was going on in the real world now that I was gone. It was just a guess that me and the Little Witch Saya had switched places. But if not― then where was Saya now, and what should I do in her place?

(I miss mama and papa……)

The tears stinging at the corners of my eyes were threatening to spill over. Vesper must have noticed, because he called out to me. “Are you okay? You look pale.”

“I’m alright…… I think.”

“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. We don’t know what lies ahead.”

“Right……”

This wasn’t the time to panic. I couldn’t allow myself to disappear in this world.

I guess I had to be prepared for the idea that there might not be a way back…… but deep down, I couldn’t bring myself to believe that was true.

“If you could hurry along, please.” Ahead of me, Fili the White suddenly turned to urge me onwards. “We have to move quickly to get away from the waves……”

Fili looked behind us as he said it, but when I followed his gaze, I couldn’t see the wheat field or that sickening thing they called the Cursed Wave.

“I think we’re far enough away already.”

“……you worry too much.” Bith the Black added with a sigh.

“Better safe than sorry, right?”

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us. It’d be foolish to waste all our energy right at the start.”

Making his point, Bith the Black lowered his flight speed. I had been feeling desperate to slow down a bit, so I was grateful to him. I would have to talk to him when I got the chance.

“So, who are you guys?” At that, Bith the Black looked at me with an expression of annoyance. He was a bit intimidating, but if we were going to travel together from now on, I wanted to know them better. “You should introduce yourselves. You both seem to know me already, but I don’t know who you are.”

“Not at all?” Fili the White sounded surprised.

“Did I say something strange? Should I know them?” I tried to whisper the question to Vesper, but they seemed to hear me anyways.

“……I would have expected that the Little Witch – being as knowledgeable as you are – would at least be aware of us.”

(I’m…… supposed to be knowledgeable?)

Suddenly, I felt like crying again. Would I really be able to make it in this world?

“Well, look who’s all conceited.” Bith the Black murmured, and Fili the White frowned back at him. The two of them didn’t seem to get along very well. “Everyone calls me Bith the Black, but…… since we’re going to be allies from now on, you can just call me Bith.”

“And you can call me Fili. We will be your guides until we find the Twilight Dragon.”

“Word is that Fili is a powerful spellcaster, and among the King of Light’s most trusted advisors. And the same could be said of Bith in regard to the Queen of Darkness.” Vesper explained in a whisper to me.

“Spellcasters, huh…… and I’m supposed to be one of the heroes who will save the world.”

“Hero?” Vesper tilted his head with confusion at my musings.

“It’s something from the story. Don’t worry about it.”

However, the legend said that three shadow-bearers would find the Twilight Dragon. But right now, I was the only one here who had a shadow. No matter how you looked at it, we were still two people short in this group.

Who would join us next, I wondered. It didn’t seem like we were flying this way just to escape the waves.

“So, where are we going now?”

Bith looked to Fili. It seemed like he didn’t want to be the one to deal with my questions. “We’re going to meet with a spirit who has a shadow. You know the legend, don’t you?”

“When the Cursed Waves appear, three shadow-bearers will set out in search of the Twilight Dragon that will save the world of spirits, right?”

“Exactly. And that will consist of you, the spirit we’re going to recruit now, and……” Fili started, but clammed up at the end.

“Do you not have a third in mind yet?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t…… but we are scrambling to gather intel.”

“We?”

“My fellows in the Lands of Light. Don’t worry, they will contact us as soon as they learn anything of significance.” Fili said all of this with a smile, but I could tell it was a forced smile.

“And what…… what if they don’t find any others?”

“At that point, we would have no choice but to begin the search for the Twilight Dragon with the people we have here.” Bith answered this without hesitation.

(But then it wouldn’t fit into the legend; would that really work?)

“We don’t have much time…… so I’m afraid it can’t be helped.” Fili lowered his gaze and fell silent.

“Do we really not have much time?”

At that, Bith shot me a glare as if to ask ‘did you not see the wave back there?’

“We don’t know where or when the waves will appear. For all we know, the next one could appear right before our eyes.”

“We could always run away again……”

“Be that as it may, if we just ran away every time, this world would disappear.”

(I guess that’s true……)

In the middle of our conversation, Vesper yawns in an oddly carefree way. “So, do you know where the Twilight Dragon is?”

“That is…… something else we need to gather intel on.”

“I see,”

“If they knew where it was, these people would go and find it on their own.” Vesper spoke up then to keep me from asking any more stupid questions. “You say we don’t have time, but it will be hard enough just to find someone who a shadow.”

“True enough……”

Vesper shifted his gaze from me over to Fili. “Wasn’t there anything in the ancient texts about the Twilight Dragon’s whereabouts? They keep them in the Lands of Light, do they not?”

“We are working on deciphering those, as well.”

“And do you know why you need three shadow-bearers, then?”

“That…… is something I would very much like to know myself.”

I couldn’t follow the conversation between Vesper and Fili, so I just stayed quiet and tried to listen. But I was extremely grateful that Vesper knew about my situation. It would have been impossible for me to survive in this world if I had been on my own.

(But what if I’m……?)

Another wave of anxiety threatened to overwhelm me again. “Hey…… so, hypothetically speaking, what if I was the only person in this world who had a shadow?”

“Well, if we count the humans, then there are countless people with shadows in this world. However, if we only consider those who possess both shadows and powers…… those are in much more limited supply.”

“And if those people don’t want to join us, we’re still going to search for the Twilight Dragon?”

“We don’t have any other choice.” And with that sullen remark from Bith, the conversation was brought to an end. Then he came to a stop in mid-air and looked down. “Is that the place?”

“According to my information, yes.”

The dense forest I had crossed when chasing the stag still spread out below us. And there within the forest, I could see a small pond with a log cabin covered in ivy standing next to it. From what my guides were saying, I guessed that this was where we would find the next shadow-bearer we needed.

Bith and Fili began to descend, and Vesper stared after them. “Saya, can you head down?”

“I think so. More importantly…… are those two on bad terms with each other or something?”

“They aren’t very subtle, are they?” Vesper sighed. “Bith the Black is a retainer to the Queen of Darkness, and Fili the White is a retainer to the King of Light. I mentioned that earlier, right? Well, even if there is a lull in the war between them, these two are still from enemy nations. It’s only natural they don’t get on well with each other.”

“So the fact that they’re working together must mean that the situation really is that dire……”

“Precisely.” Below, the two of them were waiting in front of the log cabin for me to descend as well. “Let’s hurry.”

At Vesper’s prompting, I tried to lower myself to the ground. But when I did, the broom suddenly dropped with incredible speed. “Aah!”

The world flipped upside-down in my eyes, and the ground was approaching fast.

Frantically, I tried to grab tighter to the broom, but in a panic, I let it slip through my fingers, and then we fell in earnest.

“Are you serious?!” I shut my eyes tight as Vesper screamed in my ear.

(Am I going to die like this?)

Fortunately, however, Vesper and I fell onto a pile of straw in front of the cabin that cushioned our fall.

(Why……)

Tears in my eyes, I crawled out while covered in straw. But thanks to that, I didn’t seem to have gotten hurt.

“Saya you fool! I thought you said you would be fine!”

“I’m sorry……”

“Without this straw, we would have been flattened – honestly!”

I’d been able to descend easily at the lake after chasing the stag, but I guess it had been naïve of me to think it would be that easy every time. Maybe my body didn’t remember as much as I thought it did.

Meanwhile, Bith and Fili watched my exchange with Vesper with bemused expressions.

“Um…… are you okay?” Fili sounded genuinely worried, so I flashed him a quick smile and told him I was fine.

“Then let’s hurry this up.” Bith had crossed his arms like he was upset, then turned to walk towards the cabin door. Quickly, I got back to my feet and followed. “It’ll be your job to persuade them, alright?” Bith told Fili.

“I get it. If you tried to negotiate with them, they’d be too intimidated to join us, right?” Fili stepped up to the door as he spoke, but then looked back as if something had just occurred to him. “Although…… as far as I know, the spirit that lives here is definitely from the Lands of Darkness.”

“……I didn’t know that. Must be a stray or something.”

“Hm,”

“At least, I’m pretty sure I have a good grasp of where all the spirits are who belong to the Lands of Darkness.

“Very well, then……”

Accepting that explanation, Fili took a breath and knocked.

“What are they talking about?” I asked Vesper in hushed tones.

“I don’t know; I’ve never been banished for having a shadow after all. In any case, be more careful from now on! There won’t be any haybales around to break your fall next time.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll be more careful.”

Fili knocked again on the door after a moment, but there was no sign of anyone coming to answer.

“Did they step out?” Fili cocked his head as he stared at the door. And behind him, Bith did the same with his arms still crossed. “Is anyone home?”

Fili moved to knock one more time, and finally a sound came from inside as the door creaked open. Through the gap, a pair of bright red eyes framed by long lashes peered out at them.

And next to me, Bith seemed very surprised to see those eyes. A look of total disbelief came over his expression as he caught sight of them.

“Who is it?” The person inside the cabin seemed to be a woman – and she sounded like she was scared of something.

“We’re no one dangerous. I just have a favor to ask of you……” Fili met the woman’s red eyes through the open door as he spoke.

“What?” But when she responded this time, the woman’s voice sounded harsh instead of scared.

“You’ve probably heard the rumors, but the Cursed Waves of legend have begun their invasion.”

“And so what? That’s not any of my concern.”

“I want you to leave this place and come with us right away. If you don’t you’ll be in danger.”

“But why should I leave with you? If I’m going to run, I can make my own way.”

“Why? Because― because you are one of the shadow-bearers from the legend.”

In response to her cold disposition, Fili spoke more plainly. But at this, the woman scoffed from behind the door. “So it’s not a request, but an order? Bit of an aggressive approach, don’t you think?

“Please, we don’t have much time; I’m begging you!”

Fili dropped into a deep bow, and seeing that from him, I felt suddenly self-conscious and did the same. Next to me however, Bith didn’t move a muscle. He had seemed so rude and callous before, but looking at him now, I could see something crack in his expression.

“Who else is here with you?” I heard the door open and looked up.

The woman’s skin was so white it was practically translucent in the sunlight. She had short silver hair that framed her small face well and swayed gently in the forest breeze. Her legs stood bare from the end of a short, one-piece, indigo dress, and she was surprisingly slender.

I couldn’t help but stare at her.

(Wow, she’s gorgeous……)

But the moment her eyes fell on Bith standing next to me – her expression reflected just as much shock as his had a moment earlier.

“Why……”

Fili and I looked between the two of them. And seeing embarrassment in Bith’s expression, I realized what was happening.

(They used to know each other, didn’t they……?)

“Why are you here……?” The woman lifted her hand to her mouth and looked on the verge of tears. Bith frowned, but just turned his back on her and started walking away as if to escape her gaze.

“W–wait a second!” I chased after him in a panic.

I didn’t know what happened between them, but it wouldn’t do any good for him to leave without saying anything. They were the ones always saying we didn’t have much time, so whatever had happened, we had no choice but to bow our heads and beg her to join us.

Bith went and kneeled down at the edge of the pond near the cabin.

I sat down next to him and decided to ask what was wrong. I’d been told off for being nosy like this in the past, but I couldn’t help being curious, and now didn’t seem like the time to be worrying about that.

“Did something happen between you two?” Bith shot me a violent glare at the question. It made me hesitate, but I felt like if I backed down, I would never know the truth, so I held my ground and tried again. “The way you looked at her…… I was worried about it. I thought that maybe you two must already know each other.”

If he didn’t answer this time, I didn’t think I’d be able to push any further. I never had been good at dealing with tense situations for very long.

For a moment, I stared at Bith’s profile as he hesitated and stared blankly into space. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to……”

“No, it’s fine.” Bith stared out at the pond for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “He won’t be able to convince her.”

“He won’t?”

“As long as I’m here― Lilith will never agree to help us.”

“So her name is Lilith…… and you used to know her?”

“A long time ago, yes; but she was exiled. I never knew where she went after that…… I didn’t expect to find her in place like this.” Bith gazed up at the sky as he spoke, staring at the heavy clouds that obscured the sun. “It’s my fault…… if I hadn’t said anything, Lilith would still be living in the Lands of Darkness.”

(His fault?)

I tried to quietly urge him to continue.

“I was the only who could protect Lilith…… but I betrayed her. I hadn’t meant to. It all just went so wrong.”

Having gotten the ball rolling, Bith calmly explained what he had done in the past. But the way he talked; it was more like he was talking to himself than to me.

―Hundreds of years ago, Lilith had belonged to the Lands of Darkness as a spirit of the night. But one night, because of a prank played on her by her friends, she had been burned by a flame. That flame cast a shadow on the ground behind her, and since then, the spirits began to persecute Lilith because she had a shadow. Bith had heard about her situation as well, but still tried to cheer up as her friend when she felt down. But then Lilith had been captured by the Queen and banished from the Lands of Darkness. And that had been because Bith of all people had told the Queen about her.

All I could do was listen quietly while Bith continued muttering to himself. “I’m unforgivable…… even if I only wanted to help……”

Bith dropped his head in shame at his own confession. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just sat there next to him as a gentle breeze sent ripples through the surface of the pond and waited silently for Bith to calm down.

(But……)

The past is in the past. I felt that― for Lilith, who had spent all this time in resentment over what happened, and for Bith, who had regretted it ever since, that should be enough. It would be far too tragic if their feelings went unspoken to each other after hundreds of years.

But, what if Lilith refused to join us? What if either we or Lilith were engulfed by the waves? Then Bith would never be able to tell her how he really felt.

“Sorry……” Bith apologized, but I shook my head.

“I’m the one who asked. I should be the one to apologize.” Bith replaced his hat on his head and stood back up. It looked like he might try to leave at any moment, so I hurried to stop him. “But, can I ask you one more thing?”

“?”

“You didn’t mean to betray her, right, Bith?”

“Of course not.”

“Then, does Lilith know that? If you don’t say anything, nothing can change, you know?”

“Have you ever ruined another person’s life before?”

“……I haven’t.” I couldn’t understand what Bith was feeling, but I was sure this was his only chance. “I haven’t, but― I think this is an opportunity for you to hear how Lilith feels about it, too.”

“That’s absurd.” Bith breathed a heavy sigh at my suggestion. “We should just get Fili and leave.”

“We can’t!” I grabbed Bith’s arm and held on with all my strength before he could walk away. “You might not see each other again, you know? You might never get another chance like this!”

“……”

“It might sound strange for me to being saying this when we’ve only just met, but…… I think if you don’t say something to her now, you’re definitely regret it later. Or rather, it seems like you already regret it, but it’ll only get worse if you walk away now.” The faces of my carefree Papa and gentle Mama floated through my mind. “You have to let people know what you’re thinking. You never know when you might lose the chance to see each other again.”

I accidentally let my own fears seep into my pleas, but that actually seemed to give them more weight.

“Bith……?”

After a moment, he finally opened his mouth to speak again. “……I never thought I’d see her again.”

“But now you have. You’re both here, and this could be your last chance.”

“My last……”

Bith hid his face behind his hat. I could see that he was at a loss for what to do.

“I’m sure Lilith would want to reconcile with you, too…… after all, you two were close before, weren’t you?”

“……” Bith kept quiet at that, though.

“Fine, I’ll go get Lilith, then!” Unable to sit and do nothing any longer, I ran back towards the cabin.

I knew what it was like to worry you’d never see someone important to you again.

(I can’t think like that― I have to believe I’ll see them again.)

I knew how painful it was.

Fili was still standing at the door when I approached, but Lilith was nowhere to be seen. It looked like she must have stepped back inside. And when Fili saw me, he shook his head.

“It was no good. It’s―”

“I know.”

“?”

“You’re going to say it’s Bith fault, aren’t you?”

“He’s the worst…… turning her in like that.”

Fili had been insistent with me, so I guessed he must have asked Lilith why she wouldn’t join us. He glared out in the direction Bith had walked off to, so I asked him to step aside.

“What are you doing, Saya?” Vesper asked anxiously, standing next to Fili’s feet, but I ignored his question and banged my fist against the door.

“Lilith! Hear me out!”

I banged on the door over and over again. Even after my hand started going numb, I kept knocking.

“Knock it off, already! What do you want?” But eventually, Lilith yelled at me through the door.

“I want you to hear Bith out.”

“Hear him out? I don’t want to listen to his excuses for turning me in.”

“That was a misunderstanding!” Vesper and Fili stared at me incredulously as I raised my voice in the doorway. “The past is in the past. You know it isn’t right to hold a grudge against Bith forever, don’t you?”

“……”

What had Lilith been thinking when she fell silent behind that door?

“I don’t think you realize just…… just how hard Bith was trying to help you.”

“What would you know about it!?”

Suddenly, the door flew open and threw me onto my butt. “Ouch……” Lilith’s eyes were wet with tears when she emerged from her cabin.

“After hundreds of years…… you expect me to just forgive him? After all this time…… even if he apologizes now…… it’s too late……”

Looking up at Lilith, I realized that she was trembling from head-to-toe. “But if you understand, isn’t that enough? Just like you, Bith has been regretting what happened all this time. He tried his hardest to help you, you know? He was trying to be careful; he just made a mistake. I don’t think I can even fully comprehend Bith’s remorse.”

A single tear fell down Lilith’s cheek as she stared down at me. “……Who are you?”

“Me? Um……” Vesper watched me with concern from my side. He seemed to be wondering if I even knew the answer to that question myself. “I’m the Little Witch Saya.”

“Little Witch…… you live in that wheat field, don’t you?”

I nodded blankly. “That wheat field is gone now, though.”

Lilith’s expression clouded over for a moment.

“How long are you going to sit there?” Lilith wiped her tears away and smiled.

“Ah……” I moved to stand up, but then Lilith’s shadow fell over me as she offered a hand to me.

I took her hand and let her help me to my feet. Lilith’s hand was so cold and thin that I worried I might break it if I squeezed too hard.

“I do understand what you’re trying to say.”

“You do? Then let’s-”

“But I can’t go.”

“Huh?”

“If I was exiled even though Bith tried his hardest, then wouldn’t the waves be the same? Even if I did everything I could to help, it’ll still end up the same.”

“That isn’t what I mea―”

“I’ve already given up.” Lilith spoke with apathy, then turned her back on me. “If it’s our destiny to be consumed by the waves, then there’s no point in fighting it.”

“But that’s……”

At a loss, I looked to Fili and Vesper for aid, but they just shook their heads. I had done my best, but I couldn’t reach Lilith in the end.

I couldn’t help but sigh. Even if Bith came and tried to persuade her himself now, I was sure Lilith wouldn’t change her decision.

Which meant that – at this point – I was still the only shadow-bearer we knew of willing to search for the Twilight Dragon.

“But……” Then, Lilith spoke again, though she didn’t turn back to face me.

“?”

“There are people with shadows in the village further into the Splintered Forest.”

“?!”

“That’s the most help I can offer you right now.”

Lilith’s voice was shaking as she spoke, and once she had said it, she stepped back into her cabin and closed the door again. All we could do was silently watch her go.

“……Let’s move on.” Fili called when I didn’t step away from the door for too long. “What Bith did isn’t something that can be forgiven so easily.”

“I know that, but―”

“We don’t have time to keep pressing her. If we use the information Lilith gave us, then at least this trip won’t have been a complete waste.”

Back in the direction we came from, thick clouds were starting to spread over the sky, heralding the waves approach.

The waves were already on their way. And I had no idea how quickly they would arrive.

Fili met my eyes. “I…… cannot forgive Bith. There must have been a better way to protect her. But― there’s no point in arguing that now.

It seemed we would have to give up on Lilith. I didn’t want to blame Bith for that, though. This was just the inevitable result of their crossing paths― at least, that was what I told myself.

I called out to Bith, who was still standing by the pond, and we decided to take the Splintered Forest by foot to search for the village that Lilith mentioned. I told Bith about my conversation with Lilith, but he didn’t give any response. It seemed like he also felt that it couldn’t have been helped.

I had no idea how far we would have to walk to find this village, but Bith said that we could miss it if we were flying, so it was better to walk. And during that time, Bith and Fili didn’t say a word to each other.

I took my eyes off of them to glance back one last time at Lilith’s cabin.

“Ah……” But when I looked, Lilith was there. standing by the pond outside. And it seemed like she was watching me specifically, so I decided to wave to her. “Thank you! See you again.” I called out. Because somehow, I felt certain that we would meet again.

Or at least, I couldn’t imagine this being our first and only goodbye.

Lilith frowned at me for that, though, and escaped back into her cabin. Then once she was out of sight, I hurried to catch up with Bith and Fili.

Without a word, the two of them traced a path through the forest as if they knew exactly where they were going. And with no option but to hope that they would eventually say something, I followed after them in silence.

But no matter how far we walked, they never did say anything. We just kept going on and on in silence.

“Where is it?” When I finally couldn’t stand it any longer, I asked a question to break the silence.

“We couldn’t have gotten turned around, could―”

Fili turned to look at me sharply. “If we have, then we should pick up the pace. Thanks to a certain someone, we’ve ended up wasting a lot of time.”

He glared at Bith ahead of us as he said that last part. “Fili……”

“I’m not saying anything that isn’t true.” Fili asserted, then suddenly picked up his pace as if he were trying to compete with Bith.

“I was just trying to lighten the mood……” I muttered, and overhearing me, Vesper sighed.

“You shouldn’t try to force conversation in these situations.”

“I couldn’t take the silence anymore.”

“Maybe, but you also need to be able to read the atmosphere.”

“……Sorry.”

Then Vesper’s nose twitched in the air as he hung from my shoulder. “I can smell it now.” He said as the setting sun dyed the forest in shades of red, turning everything the color of fire. “We’re close.”

“Close?”

In the middle of this otherworldly scene, Vesper’s declaration spooked me, and I turned to looked around at my surroundings.

Then up ahead, a village came into view made of several cloth tents with people walking around out in the open.

“There it is!”

“Wait!” I ran forward, but Vesper shouted at me as I passed Bith and Fili to approach the village.

“What?” I asked as Fili grabbed my arm to stop me from going any further.

“They’re humans!”

“Humans?” I hesitated. “Isn’t that good, though? Humans have shadows, right?”

“They have shadows, yes; but they don’t possess the power to help us.”

“Shouldn’t we at least talk to them, though? We don’t know that for certain.”

“No, we do.”

“How?”

“The legend says that the waves will invade the world of spirits.”

“I know, I’ve heard it a thousand times by now.” I argued, but Fili just shook his head.

“It has nothing to do with humans. They won’t risk their lives to help us deal with something that isn’t a threat to them.”

“How does it have nothing to do with them?”

“There is nothing to suggest that the waves will ever target humans.”

“But won’t it affect them here anyways?”

Again, Fili shook his head. “The humans have a king, too. But he didn’t attend the meeting at the cathedral. He said it didn’t matter because he wouldn’t be attacked by the waves as a human…… that’s all there is to it.”

With that, Fili released his grip on me and suggested we go around and continue on. “But didn’t Lilith tell us to check the village?” Bith cut in between me and Fili, and I nodded to him.

“There might still be someone here that can help us.”

“But they’re humans! Can’t you see from their shadows?” Fili raised his voice.

As he said, every person we could see walking from tent to tent had a shadow. “I don’t believe that Lilith would have lied to us.”

“She only said that we could find shadow-bearers. She didn’t mention if they had any powers.”

“You know……” Bith sighed loudly.

“Maybe she just said it to get back at you for betraying her.”

“Lilith wouldn’t do that!”

“Maybe she wouldn’t, but we are running out of time. Look at the sky!”

Hearing Fili yell, I did as he said and looked up. From back in the direction of the wheat field, the sky was being covered in the thick clouds that were brought on by the waves, and they were still growing closer, even now.

Bith seemed to realize that as well, and Fili sighed heavily. “You get it? It would be waste of time to stop here and look for someone to help us in this hamlet.”

“We don’t know that it would be a waste of time yet.”

“I’m telling you, we need to get moving again before the wave comes and swallows us all up.”

But while Bith and Fili argued, I slipped away and approached the village.

“You’re going?” I nodded in response to Vesper’s question.

I agreed with Bith – I didn’t believe Lilith would lie to us – so there must be someone here that could help us.

Besides, they were wasting enough time as it was just by arguing with each other.

“Um, excuse me……”

I called out to a boy in the village. He was wearing a sooty beige cloak, holding a stick, and greeted me with a smile as if he had been expecting me.

“Welcome. Are you here to speak with the elder?” The boy watched me intently as he spoke. His eyes were so black that it felt like he was looking right through my soul. “You want to ask him about the legend, right?”

I hadn’t said anything, yet somehow, he said exactly what was on my mind. “Huh…… um, yes. Can I meet him?”

“This way.”

The boy stuck the stick he was holding in his boot, took my hand, and started leading me through the village. And as we walked, the people around us watched me curiously.

Humans persecuted spirits because they didn’t have shadows. But I did have a shadow, so what do these humans think of someone like me?

“Hey……” The boy looked at me with a beaming smile and spoke to ease my worries. “Don’t worry about it. They’re all just staring because we don’t often get visitors.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” I asked, but the boy just snickered like I’d told a joke.

“How, indeed; pretty strange, isn’t it?” The boy asked. Vesper and I exchanged a look as we came to a stop in front of a large tent. “Elder! The Little Witch has arrived.”

The boy called into the tent, and then the entrance pulled open on its own.

“Go on in.” The boy let go of my hand and bowed his head reverently. “I can’t go with you, I’m afraid.”

“Thank you.” Unsure what to expect, I walked into the tent.

“Welcome.”

Inside the tent― an old man with a long beard and eyebrows covering his face sat in the center of the floor lit by torchlight. “Hello, sir.” I bowed politely to the man, remembering to pinch the hem of my dress in a curtsy.

“Theo told me you would be coming. Are Fili and Bith waiting outside, then?”

“Theo?”

“Pardon me a moment,” with a sudden cough, the elderly man picked up an oddly-shaped cup from the ground next to him and drank from it. “The child who brought you here. He possesses the power of precognition.”

“The power of…… precognition?”

“And he is not the only one. Every person in this village possesses one power or another.”

Now it made sense why the boy seemed to know so much. “Then, you must know that―”

But the elder held up his hand to cut me off. “I know. However, I am afraid that I cannot help you.”

“Huh……?”

“I do understand the situation. But I can offer you no aid.”

“Because it won’t affect humans…… is that why?”

“No,” The elder took a deep breath, warned me this would be a long story, and then began an explanation with a gentle voice.

―This village was a gathering of people known as psychics. And because of their abilities, they were persecuted and chased out of the human world. With nowhere else to go, they were forced to wander this world aimlessly. After a long and arduous journey, they finally found a place where they could settle with no spirits or humans to persecute them.

“We have all grown tired of wandering.” The elder said as he took another gulp of his drink. “If we remain here, we are sure to be swallowed up by the waves as well. But that too is our fate.”

“But that’s……”

“Our lifespans are not so long as the spirits. Many of us have spent half of our lives wandering just to find this place, and some were mentally broken by the time they arrived. I do not wish to send these people who have finally settled down on yet another journey.”

“But……”

“Not all of us possess the strength to protect ourselves. Some haven’t even fully realized their abilities at all. But all of them have fought hard to arrive here.”

“……”

“You have no right to disrupt our way of life. Do you disagree?”

All I could do was shake my head. There was nothing I could say. Nobody asks to be born different, I understood all too well what it was like for these people, born with powers they never asked for, to be persecuted by humans.

I knew it couldn’t be helped, but all the same, I couldn’t hide my shock. “I’m sorry……”

“As am I.” With the elder’s words weighing on me, I started back out of the tent. But he called out to me again at the last moment. “Why is it you try so hard?”

I turned back and tilted my head at him. It seemed like an odd question to ask if he knew what the legend said. The answer should have been obvious. The world was in danger; so why was he asking me that?

But the elder simply ran a hand through his beard and stared at me. “I am asking why you – who has been thrust into this world – are so desperately searching for allies?”

(Thrust into……?)

“This person seems to know who you really are.” Vesper whispered, though the idea of it sounded crazy.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the elder. “Was I…… mistaken?”

“……How do you know about that?”

“Because that is my power.” The elder smiled. “Though, to be completely honest, I don’t quite understand how it works myself.”

Desperately, I tried to explain myself to the elder. “I want to return to my own world. In order to do that, I can’t let myself disappear in this world― I don’t know how to go home, so until then, I have to do what I can here.”

The elder stared at me. “Then, if you knew how to go back, would you abandon this world?”

“Huh……?”

“Or are you prepared to live out your life in this doomed world?”

“That’s……”

I hadn’t even considered that. I just wanted to go home, that was all. I hadn’t given it a thought what would happen to this world once I returned to my own.

“You have every right to want to go home. But what will happen to this world if you leave it behind?”

“……”

“I will ask again – are you prepared to live in this world?”

My head felt like it was spinning and I lost my balance. If we were wrong in the assumption that Saya and I had traded places, then the moment I returned to my world, there would be no one left to take my place in this one.

My heart raced in my chest.

“Saya…… you don’t have to force yourself to worry about that.” Vesper said, concerned for me. But my heart still wouldn’t stop racing.

“I……”

I liked Vesper, who knew who I was and cared about me. And I didn’t dislike Fili or Bith, either. I even said ‘see you later’ to Lilith when she’d looked worried. In this world, I was sure there were many more people I could meet, and who I would remember when I left. But that was all. It would all just be a memory then.

I wanted to see my Mama and Papa again, but I didn’t want to regret leaving when I did. I clutched at my chest.

(Papa, Mama…… I’m sorry.)

“I don’t want to have any regrets.”

“Saya……”

“If I left this world now, I’m sure I would regret it later.”

“Does that mean you are prepared?”

“I don’t know, but…… when I go home, I want to be able to leave this world with a smile on my face.” I looked up to meet the elder’s eyes, and he looked back into mine.

At that time― I still didn’t understand the situation I was really in.

I was convinced that I could save this world and return to my original world unharmed. But if I had known then that would be impossible― I’m sure I would have answered differently.

How long had I stood there? The elder just smiled at me. “Very well.”

I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding him.

(What does he mean?)

“There is one person here who does still love to travel. I shall introduce you to him.”

“Huh……”

“Theo!” At his call, the boy from earlier entered the tent with a smile on his face. “Gendor should already be getting acquainted with the Little Witch’s friends.”

Then Theo squeezed my hand and gave me a big smile. “Good for you.”

“U-um……”

“Gendor has yet to awaken his power, but I’m sure he will still be useful to you.”

“What kind of person is he?”

“He’s just outside.”

The elder stood up and stepped outside the tent. Then, Theo pulled me along to follow after him.

It was already dark outside, and torches had been placed everywhere. Standing in that light in front of the tent were Fili and Bith, frowning next to a man that was twice as tall as me.

“Are you Gendor?”

“Nice to meet you.”

Gendor spoke with a deep, drawling voice and dropped into a deep bow. He had long silver hair tied behind his back, and held his large hand forward for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you as well.” His hand felt warm around mine as I shook it.

“You must be Saya. My name is Gendor.”

“So, you like to travel?”

“I do. I don’t know if I can be of much help, but I will go with you.” As Gendor said that, he patted Fili and Bith on their heads standing to either side of him.

(How odd…… they made it sound like like humans were no good, but they seem to be getting along fine.)

They looked uneasy, but I felt relieved seeing them there, so I smiled.

At any rate, we had one more ally with us. Though it seemed like I was the only one who was genuinely happy about it.

“No time to waste, we should get moving as soon as possible.”

Fili hurried us along, and Gendor nodded happily as he carried a large pack on his back.

“So, where are we off to now?”

“We’ll want to gather more information, so we should head to Arche Haokar.”

“What’s that?”

“Probably the largest city in the world.”

“Let’s go.” Bith said and flew away from Gendor.

At the sight of it, Gendor’s eyes widened in surprise and amazement.

“Hold on a moment.” But Fili called for Bith to wait before he went off ahead and turned to face Gendor. “Are you not able to fly?”

Gendor tilted his head slowly. “Could I fly?” He asked, posing the question to the elder standing behind us to see him off.

“What-!?”

At the same time, both Fili on the ground and Bith in the sky let out a shout of shock.

“You can’t fly……” Fili’s shoulders dropped in dismay.

“Could we carry him on my broom?” I consulted with Vesper, but he just told me that the broom would break if we tried it.

So although we didn’t have much time, it seemed we would have no choice but to proceed on foot.

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