.Hack//Epitaph of Twilight Volume1 Episode4

Episode 4//raid

A large tree glowing with pale light stood on an island in the middle of a lake. It was bare of leaves and its trunk was as transparent as glass. In this place where the sun did not shine, the large tree grew with only the water from the lake for nutrients. And the lake’s surface constantly rippled gently even though there was no wind.

This place was known as Indieglut Lugh. And located in the center of the underworld, it was a place that no one dared approach. A place perpetually enveloped by silence which had not been disturbed in the thousands of years since the great tree was born onto this land.

But today, that silence was finally broken.

Overhead, a large, black bird of prey flew past the tree. And seizing the moment, a two-headed dragon and a group of leprechauns carrying axes as tall as they were crossed the land.

Their goal was to reach the place known as the Crystal Hill, but as the spirits flooded onto the hill, they quickly began to argue amongst themselves.

Some contended that they should fight back against the waves, while others insisted it would be impossible no matter how hard they tried, and yet more still claimed they would be fine as long as they could offer up a sacrifice― in the end however, none were able to understand the opinions of the others, and the spirits resorted to violence to make their points.

Yet not even those who wished to fight against the waves called for cooperation. They didn’t like working in groups to begin with, so it was already troublesome that Helba had sent a messenger to gather them together. The dark spirits’ anxiety grew into frustration and discontent― all of it directed at Helba, and so the spirits were beginning to consider the option of rebellion.



Thus the world – which had already been in a precarious balance before now – was beginning to collapse because of the waves.



Meanwhile, in the largest city of Alba― those disturbing rumors had reached even a certain mansion built on the outskirts of Arche Haokar. Vines tangled around the magnificent two-story brick building, and curtains were drawn over every window. Despite this, the gardens were meticulously maintained and full of flowers appropriate for the season.

Sitting at one of the windows, the mansion’s owner gazed out at the city in the distance. Even indoors, she was wearing a long coat that covered her body from head-to-toe with a hood pulled over her eyes. But those eyes held a lonely longing as she stared out at the city from behind that hood. And as if to suppress the desire to see if the rumors were true, she clutched the necklace that dangled in front of her chest.

The mansion’s owner was called Pleiad, and she was a spirit who belonged to the Lands of Light.

Pleiad lived alone in this grand mansion. The halls were all draped with bright red carpets, each room was decorated with antiques, and the bed in Pleiad’s sleeping quarters was far too big for her alone. And everything from the building to the furnishings had been prepared for Pleiad by her sisters.

Pleiad had fallen in love with a human― and for that reason, she had willingly cast her own shadow to try and become human. However, that love had been lost, and as a result, she was left to be persecuted by the spirits for casting a shadow. It was then that Pleiad’s sisters had taken pity on her and built this mansion for her on the outskirts of Arche Haokar.

And so, following the instructions of her older sisters, Pleiad had lived alone in this mansion for decades now. There was no one who could understand the depths of her frustration and loneliness. Still, there was no place for Pleiad to return to now, so she continued to endure the solitude, knowing it was of her own making.

Pleiad sighed, and was about to move away from the window when a figure appeared in her vision. No one ever visited her here, so Pleiad could not miss the lone spirit walking towards the mansion now.

“Who……”

Pleiad lingered by the window and watched the spirit with a dreadful sense of anxiety. But as the spirit grew closer, her expression shifted from one of apprehension to confusion.

“But why!!?”

Hurriedly, Pleiad left the window and ran down the stairs of the mansion. As she ran, her hood fell away and her long, purple hair fluttered down behind her. And if her hair had not been tied back like a pair of bunny ears, it would have been like ribbons of silk swaying in the breeze.

The sound of bells echoed through the mansion. And standing at the front door of the mansion was Fili, wearing a robe of pure white. He looked up sullenly at the grand mansion and sighed.

Fili and Pleiad had been friends during childhood. But only now did he know the whole story about how she had ended up here.

Pleiad was a truly innocent spirit. She loved flowers and plants, and treated all people equally without regard for nationality or race. She had been adored by her six older sisters, and Pleiad had grown up without being tainted by hate. But then Pleiad had fallen in love with a human while on a journey, and when she consulted with her sisters, she was taught that love with a human was taboo, and was told to give up on her feelings.

But there had been someone else who whispered to Pleiad like a devil. They had been a spirit of darkness, and they had lied to Pleiad.

“Your sisters are afraid that you will leave them to be with that human; that is why they really insist your love is taboo.” They had told her. “But if you were to become a human like him, then he would certainly return your feelings for him.”

And Pleiad had believed those lies and cast a shadow on herself without hesitation. She had not even consulted with Fili about it, who had been by her side the whole time.

But Pleiad’s love, for which she had cast a shadow, had not been returned. And when her sisters discovered what she had done, they had been furious and took Pleiad away.

Fili had not seen Pleiad since she had been taken away. In fact, he had only just today been told by the spirits in the city that she now resided here.

He was starting to think he shouldn’t have come. But Pleiad already knew he was here. It was thanks to her influence that Fili was always able to know of other spirits locations.

“If you know where everyone is, you’ll be able to help them more quickly when things happen.” Fili would never forget the smile on Pleiad’s face when she had said those words.

In front of him, the door swung open. And standing before him was Pleiad, still wearing the same smile as that day so long ago.

“Fili…… why are you here?” Pleiad was out of breath from having rushed to open the door. Her tan skin was glowing, and her golden eyes were wide with surprise as she began to look around cautiously. “Are you alone? I thought you were serving the King…… did you have business in the city?”

Fili didn’t respond. He couldn’t think of anything to say to her. But Pleiad had been alone for so long, so she welcomed Fili in just to have somebody to talk to. With joy in her voice, she continued to ask him questions.

“How long will you be staying? Will you return to the palace as soon as you’ve finished your business in the city?” It seemed as though Pleiad was still the same person she had always been. And yet Fili couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her. “What’s wrong? You look worried about something……”

Finally, Fili looked up. He couldn’t decide what kind of expression he should have, so he just showed her a fake smile. “It’s nothing, it’s just been so long, I’m not sure what to say…… sorry.”

“Well for starters, how about to try answering my questions? That way we can have an actual conversation.” Pleiad smiled again. “So are you going to come in? Hm…… I might be a little short on ingredients, though. If I had known you were coming, I would have gone shopping in town.”

Pleiad turned on her heel and walked back into the mansion.

“That’s fine. I have to head back right away, anyways.”

“Huh……” Pleiad looked back, a forlorn expression crossing her face for a moment before she quickly replaced it again with a smile. “No, I’m sorry…… of course you can’t stay. You work at the Palace, after all. Now’s not the time to be mixing business with pleasure.”

Fili choked on his words under the disappointment in Pleiad’s voice. He felt so frustrated with himself for being unable to do anything to ease her loneliness.

“……I’m searching for the Twilight Dragon.”

Dumbstruck by the sudden declaration, Pleiad stared at Fili with a blank expression.

“?”

“The legend is being realized. We need to gather all the information we can.”

It was a legend that all spirits knew. But it still stunned Pleiad to hear.

“……So the rumors were true?”

“If you’ve heard about it already, that makes things easier. Can you tell me what you know?” Pleiad clutched her necklace tightly in her hand. “Try to remember, we’re in a time-sensitive situation right now.”

Pleiad considered it for a moment before looking up again. “If you fight off the waves……”

“What?”

“Will you create a world where everyone can live in harmony, regardless of who or where they’re from?”

“Huh……?”

“I know it might not be easy, but would you try?”

“That’s……”

“In order to fight the waves, everyone will have to work together. That’s why I figure it will be easier to accomplish after defeating them.

“Is that―”

“Hm?”

“Is that really what you want after being deceived by a spirit of darkness and abandoned here all alone?”

Pleiad just smiled. “It is. Because bickering and holding grudges over the past won’t help make a brighter future.”

“I see……”

Even though Pleiad had grown so much since coming to live here alone without being able to interact with anyone― her nature and innocent way of thinking hadn’t changed at all. She was still the same gentle person who would love all without prejudice.

“Alright. I don’t know if I will be able to do it, but I will try.”

“Thank you.”

Pleiad shared what she knew with Fili. She didn’t know where the Twilight Dragon was herself, but she did know where to find the spirit who did. Then once she had told him everything, Pleiad saw that Fili seemed reluctant to leave and took the necklace which she treasured so much to put it around his neck.

“Take this, and think of me on your journey.” It was the necklace that Pleiad had worn ever since she was little, and Fili accepted it with a nod. “If you break your promise now, I’ll never forgive you.” She poked him on the nose as she said that to him. “You’re the only one who can do it. Find the Twilight Dragon, and create a new world.”

“Right……”

“Now go.”

Pleiad’s voice wavered faintly. Fili noticed it, but he knew there was nothing he could do for her right now. He couldn’t talk to her or remain here by her side. There were things he had to do, even if he had to force himself to do them.

And Pleiad understood that, too. So she could do nothing but usher him onwards.

“……”

Nodding silently to Pleiad, Fili turned and returned to the city without looking back.

“So, what the hell was that?”

Covered in scars, we sat down in the ruined lodge with Lilith, who asked the question was most pressing on all our minds.

Lilith had apparently used her powers to command the swamp to consume the monster, but it hadn’t been her who had turned the monster to stone before that. That part had in fact been Bith’s doing.

“No idea.” Bith answered her question bluntly while he wrapped bandages around his wounds.

“I wasn’t asking you!” Lilith shot a glare at Bith and then quickly turned away from him.

“More to the point― why are you even here?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“It is our business. Because if you say you’re here to join us, it’ll change what we plan to do next.”

“And is this how you thank someone for helping you?”

Sensing a dam about to burst, Fili intervened. I wanted to say something myself, but I had to concentrate on healing Fili’s injuries properly. Bith had refused my offer to heal his wounds, so I had no choice but to watch in silence while Fili spoke instead.

“Lilith…… we are incredibly grateful for your help. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t come along.” Fili bowed his head low. “But, why are you here?”

“I―” Lilith looked at me. “I came because I wanted to help out the kid.”

“The kid……” Vesper repeated the term to me as if to add emphasis to what she had called me.

“That’s the only reason?”

“I’m not intruding, am I?”

Panicking, I shook my head. “No, of course not. I’m glad you came; it’s just…… why?” Finishing with Fili’s treatment, I turned to speak more freely with Lilith. “I didn’t do anything to earn your favor, did I?”

“What you said before opened my eyes.”

(What I said?)

Seeing my obvious lack of comprehension, Lilith frowned at me. “Don’t tell me you already forgot the way you went off and lectured me.”

“Uh…… I hadn’t meant to lecture you.”

“No, it’s okay.” Lilith brushed aside her short hair from her face. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you let me join you?”

“Absolutely!” I answered quickly with a wide smile.

“So when are we leaving?” Having no injuries herself, Lilith looked around at the rest of us caked in mud and blood, then added, “That monster isn’t dead, so we should get out of here as soon as possible. With a certain someone’s shoddy spell work, it won’t be long before the petrification wears off.”

“What was that?!” Bith bolted to his feet.

“Did I say something untrue?”

“I don’t want to hear that from somebody whose only contribution was manipulating the swamp.”

“And remind me; which one of us was it that needed to be saved by whom?”

“I didn’t ask you to save me. I swear, you are so full of yourself sometimes.”

At that, Lilith’s expression grew dark. “Say that again!”

“I’ll say it as many times as I―” Bith went on, but then Gendor forced his hand over Bith’s mouth to stop him from going any further. He kept trying to speak anyways, but his voice was muffled behind Gendor’s hand.

“We shouldn’t be fighting with each other.”

“That’s right.” Fili interjected again to try and keep the peace. “If we’re going to be working together from now on, we should all try to get along a little better.”

That seemed to settle things for the moment, though Bith and Lilith both pointedly looked away from each other. It was enough to make me wonder if they had ever really been friends before.

“Lilith is right, we don’t know when that monster might come back. We need to get moving quickly.”

Bith finally pulled Gendor’s hand away from his mouth and clicked his tongue. “This is going to be a long journey……”

Hearing Bith mutter that with a dirty look in his eyes, Fili and I exchanged a look and sighed.

(You shouldn’t say that, Bith.)

At any rate, we now had three people who possessed shadows and some measure of power. Which meant that all that was left now was to actually find the Twilight Dragon.

(I doubt we’ll be able to find it quickly, though……)

I wanted all of this to be over before I lost my memories completely. Even if I could return to my original world, it would be hollow if I couldn’t remember anything about my own life. But with our objectives narrowed down to one, my steps did feel a little lighter as we continued on our journey.

We proceeded with caution through the swamp so as not to get stuck again, but eventually left Coite-Bodher behind as we came to an open plain where tall grass and flowers swayed in the wind. Dawn finally broke over the horizon, and the rains from the swamp vanished from the sky.

“Saya, look!”

Vesper pointed ahead towards a city in the distance where flags flew from some of the buildings.

“Is that where we’re going?” I confirmed with Fili as he walked ahead of me.

“That’s right. This is Arche Haokar, the largest city in the world.”

“I hope we can find everything we need to know here.”

“It won’t be a problem. They say every traveler in the world passes through this city at least once on their journeys. There’s no way we won’t find useful information.” Fili set a bright smile on his face to try and reassure me. “Don’t you worry; I’ll be sure to get what we need.”

“Right,” Feeling rather high-spirited, we entered the city of Arche Haokar together.

Passing through an open stone gate, we stepped onto a stone-paved road lit by torches that stretched directly inwards towards the center of town. A canal also ran alongside the road where numerous boats loaded with cargo were crowded together.

Flags of various designs fluttered on the roofs of the brick building, and the sound of flute echoed through the streets around us.

The streets were flooded with people― both humans and spirits carrying spears and axes on their backs as they passed through on their journeys, and pushing passed those who seemed to be merchants while we wove our way through the crowds to reach an inn.

Looking for an inn had been Bith’s suggestion. Even though there were a variety of people gathered in this city, he didn’t seem to think many would talk to us if they saw our shadows. So Gendor, Lilith, and I were to wait at the inn while Bith and Fili gathered information.

There were probably a lot of inns throughout the city, but Bith directed us towards a large on near the city’s entrance where we wouldn’t be made to feel so uncomfortable for having shadows. Though if I were to be honest, I really wanted to look around town a bit more.

“Can’t I go out at all?” I asked Bith before he left the room.

“If you’re sure you won’t be bothered by what others say or do to you, then you can do whatever you want.”

“……I understand.”

Bith was clearly concerned about Lilith. Neither I nor Gendor had ever been attacked by spirits, but Lilith was a different case. Despite having experienced the trauma of being persecuted, she had still come along with us. So, it was only natural we should try to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

If Bith were only honest with her about how he felt, Lilith might treat him differently, but he was so awkward about it. He left the room, and I turned to see Lilith speaking softly with Gendor by the window. He was listening intently, but then his expression suddenly grew sorrowful. “W-what’s going on?” Panicking, I hurried over.

“Gendor was just asking me if I had seen his village before I met up with you all.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Lilith looked back to Gendor as tears started streaking down his face and sighed. “It was swallowed up by the wave.”

(What?)

Lilith reached out towards Gendor, looking like she wanted to comfort him, but stopped short.

“Swallowed up…… you’re kidding, right?”

“I saw it from a distance, but–”

“But there was that boy who could predict the future, right? They wouldn’t have been caught up in that. Besides, the waves aren’t supposed to attack humans……”

“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. All I said was that the village was swallowed up. The doesn’t mean the people were swallowed up with it.”

“Then they must have found somewhere to hide.”

“I don’t know for sure, but…… if there was someone there with precognitive abilities like you say, then I would like to assume so.” Lilith agreed, though her words didn’t seem to reach Gendor. He was still crying, and tears were starting to hit the floor at his feet.

“Gendor, it’s okay. Theo would have seen it coming and run away.”

“But……” “ You have to have faith that they’re safe, Gendor. If you don’t, who will?” Lilith joined in.

“That’s right. You’re just imagining the worst-case scenario.”

Gendor sniffled and muttered with a strained voice, “I wish I could see everyone again……”

Lilith and I shared a look. I couldn’t really understand how Gendor was feeling, but right now, granting that wish wasn’t something we could do. We didn’t know where his people had gone, so we had no way of reaching out to them.

“I want to see them……” All Lilith and I could do was stare at Gendor as he repeated himself with a voice full of tears. Still, we had to press on.

“Gendor, why don’t you get some rest? You’re probably just imagining the worst because you’re tired.”

“She’s right. Bith and Fili won’t be back anytime soon.”

(Wait, that’s it!)

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

“What if we asked Bith or Fili to see if they could find the elder?”

“……Could they do that?”

“Well, they’re already gathering information from the city. They could at least look into it, couldn’t they? I’ll ask them when they get back.”

Gendor nodded silently and walked out to his own bedroom. I let him go and then sat down beside Lilith.

It was called a wave― so I always assumed that it would eventually recede after swallowing the wheat field. But if it just kept pushing father in, then it wouldn’t be right to call it a wave, right?

“How…… how far will it reach?” I muttered, and in response, Lilith answered me.

“It swallowed up a large part of the Splintered Forest up to that village before finally pulling back, so…… it probably won’t be long before it reaches this place.” She said, then seemed to think of something else and quickly added, “No one knows where they’re coming from, though. The next one could come in from the direction we’re heading in.”

“……We have to hurry and find the Twilight Dragon as soon as possible.”

“It’s a bit early to be saying that when we don’t even have the information on where to find it yet…… you’re really optimistic, aren’t you?” Lilith noted with a wry smile.

(It’s not optimism……)

Inside, my heart was pounding with anxiety. Even if it was only a minute or a second sooner, I wanted to get back to my world as fast as possible. I had to get back before I forgot everything; but in order to do that, I had to keep myself safe, too. I knew there was no point in trying to rush things, but I couldn’t help but want to move faster.

I needed to calm down, so I asked Lilith about the things on my mind. “So…… what exactly is the Twilight Dragon like?”

“Beats me. It is a creature from mythology after all, I doubt anybody alive knows the full details.”

“I’ve been imagining that it must be really big, since it’s supposed to be able to fight back the waves.”

“What does size matter? If you had enough power, I think you could fight off the waves no matter how small you were.”

“I see……”

“There used to be a few people who knew more about the legends. But after the wars with humans and the Lands of Light…… I don’t know. Are they still alive? Are they in hiding? We don’t know anything.”

“……”

“That’s why we’re hoping we can get some information here.”

“It’s hard to just sit and wait. I wish I could be helping them look.”

Wistfully, I looked down out the window and found there seemed to be some kind of commotion brewing outside. At the front, a small, leprechaun-like spirit was shouting something. I leaned in to take a closer look, but then Lilith spoke next to me.

“What do you hear?”

“What?”

“Who’s making a fuss down there?” She asked, but I just shook my head. “Right, your ears are more like a human’s― hold on a minute, I’ll listen in for you.”

Lilith’s simple observation startled me.

Was I a human or a spirit here……? I hadn’t given it any thought before now, but judging from how Lilith was talking about it, I guessed she must see me as a spirit. But in that case― Why did I even have a shadow like Lilith in the first place?

I asked Vesper about it in a whisper while Lilith was focused on the spirits shouting downstairs, and the answer he gave surprised me.

For me― it seemed that I had actually been born with a shadow already cast. “You are what one might call a ‘rare breed’.”

“Are there others like me out there?”

“I’m not sure…… I’ve never heard of others, so maybe there aren’t any.”

Thinking about that now, I wondered just how long Vesper had been living with the Little Witch. I was about to ask, but then Lilith turned to tell me what the commotion was about downstairs.

“Seems there’s a ‘rebellion’ brewing in the Underworld.”

“The Underworld…… you mean the Lands of Darkness?”

“Right. It sounds like the people below believe that if they offer up a sacrifice to the waves, they’ll disappear. So, they’re here to kidnap one.”

“Kidnap……”

I was at a loss for words, but Lilith just looked back out the window at them and continued, “It’s ridiculous, really.”

“We have to stop them!”

I moved to stand, but Lilith stopped me. “It’s fine. Lowly spirits like them wouldn’t even be able to kidnap a human if they wanted to.”

“But……”

“You worry too much. With Bith in town, there’s no way they could get away with kidnapping anyone anyways.”

“Because of Bith?”

“There’s no way that Helba’s retainer would allow spirits ignoring the commands of their leader to simply run amuck.” Lilith insisted, before a small smile touched her lips. “And speak of the devil, there he is.”

She pointed out the window, and I watched Bith approach the spirits who were shouting and start saying something to them. A moment later, I was relieved to see that the spirits who had been causing the commotion shrink back at his words.

Then I looked up at Lilith beside me. Her eyes held a tender gaze as she watched Bith speak. And from the smile on her lips, it looked like she had at last managed to forgive Bith.

“W-what is it?” Lilith’s face turned red when she noticed me staring at her, though. It seemed like she might actually like Bith more than I thought.

“It’s nothing.”

(I guess Bith isn’t the only one not being honest with himself……)

Leaving Lilith to sulk, I turned to look out the window at the city.

The buildings were built taller the closer they were to the center of the city― and it had the effect of making the city look almost like a mountain. Though if the city was full of quarrels like the one below, I worried it would be difficult for Bith and Fili to find the information we needed.

A moment later, the door opened behind us and Bith walked back in. “Back so soon?” Lilith pestered him, but he kept quiet and pulled up a chair to sit down.

“What did you find out?” I asked and stepped closer to him, but Bith shook his head in answer.

“I just got some news on the waves. Seems the first wave has receded.”

“I knew that already.” Lilith glared at Bith while leaning back against the windowsill with folded arms.

“And now these so-called ‘rebellions’ are cropping up all over the Lands of Darkness.”

“How come?”

“They’re panicking, and that makes them dangerous. They won’t think twice about attacking people, no matter who they are.”

“……”

We still don’t know how much further we might have to travel, yet more and more obstacles seemed to be appearing before us― Thinking about it all, I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. There was nothing more agonizing than not being able to see the goal ahead of you.

In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, I brought up the proposal with Gendor earlier to Bith.

However, his response to the request was a quick and definitive NO. “Ask Fili to do that kind of thing, not me.”

“……”

But it was some time before Fili finally returned with good news.

“Sorry for making you all wait……” When he returned, Fili was wearing a necklace with a magma-orange jewel around his neck. “There was a spirit in the city that I used to know very well…… and I was able to get some useful information from her.”

“Really!!?”

Fili nodded. “There’s a place just outside the city where the Great Tree of Lios stands…… and it seems the Sleeping Qi Lin there, Dorin, knows where to find the Twilight Dragon.”

Without missing a beat, Bith rose from his chair. “Then let’s go.” Then he flipped his cloak and strode out of the room, with Lilith close behind him.

“Hold on just a moment!” But before she could follow after Bith out the door, Vesper called for them to wait. “Aren’t you forgetting about Gendor?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

At that, Bith and Lilith turned back and checked on the bedroom, but when they didn’t immediately return, I had to wonder if Gendor had fallen asleep. Then I turned on my heel to find Fili staring at the necklace around his neck with the same look in his eyes that Lilith had when she was watching Bith outside earlier.

For a moment, I just stopped and stared at Fili.

(What is he doing……?)

Fili muttered something under his breath and tightened his grip around the necklace.

“What are you doing? We need to hurry and wake Gendor.” Vesper spoke up, snapping Fili out of his trance.

“Oh, um……”

The atmosphere grew suddenly awkward after that. I shot Vesper a look, but he turned his head and pretended not to notice.

(Seriously?!)

It was difficult to broach the subject, but I was just too curious, so I asked about the necklace.

“My…… old acquaintance gave this to me.”

“The one you got the information from?” Fili nodded.

“I was entrusted with this and asked to repel the waves and create a world where humans and spirits could live united.”

“Live united…… you mean world where people could get along regardless of whether or not they have a shadow?” Fili nodded again.

“She believes that even if someone has a shadow, their life is worth the same as any spirit.”

“I think so, too. I think it’s strange to judge people based on whether they have a shadow or not.”

“She― Pleiad has been in exile.”

“From the Lands of Light?”

“It was different from Lilith’s case, though. She actually cast her own shadow by choice.”

“By choice!!?”

It had seemed like everyone knew that spirits with shadows ended up being persecuted, so this was surprising to hear. But she made a chose that would lead to her being persecuted― so, why had she done it?

I waited for Fili to continue, but he seemed to be struggling to go on. It didn’t look like he was hesitant to continue― but rather, it was more like he was trying to find the right words to express it to me.

Only after he gave the matter some thought did he finally meet my eyes again and explain. “She wanted to become human. She had fallen in love with a human, and was willing to cast a shadow to be with them. But a spirit is still a spirit. Just casting a shadow didn’t make her human.”

“Oh……”

I’d come to meet a number of spirits on this journey, but I had started to realize something after reaching the human village― humans still looked the same as people do in my world, but spirits were different. Some had pointed ears, were part-animal or too short, and all of them lived for hundreds of years. So, simply casting a shadow wouldn’t eliminate the parts of them that were different from humans.

“At first, she had just been watching the human from a distance, but then……”

“?”

“But then she was tricked by a spirit of darkness. She ended up believing that if she only had a shadow, then she could be with that human.”

Fili spat out those words like they were a curse.

(So, that’s it……)

That was why Fili had always hated the spirits of darkness before now. Without rhyme or reason (or so it appeared to him), they had deceived others just because they could.

“……”

She must have loved that human enough to lose sight of the line between reality and fantasy. They say that love is blind, but…… I couldn’t really understand it. But it must have been bad enough that nobody else could have convinced her not to go through with it.

“And then, before she could even express her feelings to them, that human she loved disappeared. If only she had waited a little while longer…… then Pleiad would never have had to go through with casting a shadow for nothing.”

“Is that really true?”

I wanted to be honest with Fili. I hadn’t met her, but from what he said of Pleiad, it didn’t sound to me like she regretted what she’d done.

“If she regretted her decision, she probably wouldn’t still be asking you to create a world where people could live without discrimination.”

“Even so, I cannot forgive that spirit of darkness. The one who knowingly trampled on her pure heart.” Fili clutched the necklace and spoke with a voice trembling in anger.

“But…… if she isn’t even holding a grudge over what happened, isn’t it just sad that you still try to get angry for her?”

At that, Fili stopped shaking. “Sad……?”

“Yes. That’s why she gave you that necklace, isn’t it? She’s saying that she’s watching you, so you should try to get along with others more.” I told him, but then hurriedly added. “Or at least, that’s what I would think if it were me. But I don’t really know Pleiad, so I guess I can’t say for sure……”

Fili mulled over my interpretation for a moment. Then he muttered a few things to himself under his breath, and looked up as if satisfied.

“You’re probably right. Pleiad hated fighting, so me holding onto so much spite would only make her disappointed.”

“See?”

Hearing his answer, I smiled at him. I was proud to be able to help Fili recognize Pleiad’s true feelings.

“……Hey,” Just then, Bith reappeared at the bedroom door. But his entrance had been so well timed that I had to assume he had been listening in on our conversation. “What are you two up to; I thought we didn’t have time to waste?”

Fili and I started with sudden panic. “Oh, um……”

And watching me stutter, Vesper whispered to me, “Weren’t you going to wake up Gendor?”

“Right!” Dropping the conversation with Fili for the time being, I rushed into the other room. “Oh?”

But when I entered the room, I stopped. Gendor was already awake.

“Sorry…… I overheard you guys talking.” Gendor said with an apologetic look on his face, then added, “I guess everyone has their own problems. But I’m so pathetic, all I do is whine and moan……”

Gendor wiped a tear from his eye. And seeing him like that, I found myself at a loss for what to say to him.

“Let’s get moving.” Bith raised his voice and startled Gendor. And turning, I found both Fili and Lilith waiting at the door as well.

“There’s nothing you can do for them except believe that they are safe.” Fili told Gendor.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you.” Lilith added.

Everyone was concerned about Gendor in their own way, but we couldn’t wait around any longer. Unfortunately, there wasn’t even enough time to wait for Gendor to get back on his feet.

“Now let’s get out of here before we get caught up in this brewing ‘rebellion’.”

Bith led the way out of the room.

“He’s right. Let’s be on our way.”

Despite their insistence, we have no choice but to slowly drag Gendor along with us until we reached the Great Tree of Lios where Dorin, the Sleeping Qi Lin was. And on our way there, I asked Fili about finding out what had happened to the humans from the village.

“I was thinking about sending out envoys to gather more information for us.” Fili accepted the task gladly.

Then he muttered something under his breath, and a crest formed under his feet. A moment later, countless shining doves all flew out from the crest and burst into the sky around us.

“Wow!”

The doves flew away in the same direction as one flock.

“Were those doves all yours, Fili?”

“They’re my familiars. They’ll return within a few days.”

Gendor stared after the doves until they were completely out of sight, and we were left with a somewhat melancholic atmosphere as the sun set over the fields outside the city.

The Great Tree of Lios was located to the west of the city, and seemed to have become a popular destination for travelers, serving as a sort of guardian deity for spirits of light to pray for safety. Perhaps because of the Sleeping Qi Lin’s presence however, spirits of darkness rarely went there― which considering the commotion back in the city, may have been the main reason we could visit it without worry.

Walking alongside Gendor, something shining eventually appeared over a hill.

“So, that’s the Great Tree of Lios?”

Even from a distance, the massive tree was visibly emitting a pale golden light, though it may have only been noticeable now that the sun was setting.

“This is my first time seeing it, too. It’s huge.”

Vesper opened his eyes wide to stare out at the large tree in the distance. There wasn’t a soul in sight around the tree, but we could make out one large shape resting near its base. And as we grew closer, I realized that it was the Sleeping Qi Lin himself.

The Great Tree of Lios really was shining gold, and with a trunk well over ten meters across, it was so massive that there was no way to see all of it at once when we were up close. And at the base of that tree was Dorin, the Sleeping Qi Lin.

He had a rainbow-colored mane, deer-like antlers, and thick, horse-like legs. He was also much bigger than us, to the point that his neck alone was wider than my full arm span― and he was just lying there, sleeping comfortably in complete silence.

He wasn’t massive in comparison to the Great Tree of Lios, but next to us standing beside him, he was still a giant of a creature. “He’s not going to wake up, is he?”

Vesper prodded at the Qi Lin’s nose with one paw. “Well, I suppose they do call him the ‘Sleeping Qi Lin’ for a reason, right?”

With a sigh, Lilith walked to the side and took a seat on one of the tree’s roots sticking up from the ground.

“Do you think he would get angry at us if we tried to force him awake?” I turned to Fili, asking his opinion.

“Even if he does, we have to get him to tell us what he knows.”

Making up his mind, Fili reached out to place his hand against the Qi Lin’s neck. He may have been trying to shake him awake, but― with his size, it looked more like Fili was giving him a massage.

“If he won’t wake up……” Behind us, Bith took out his spell wand.

But when I realized he was about to try attacking the Qi Lin with a spell to wake him up, I hurried to stop him.

“Wait a minute! That would be going too far!”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

“Why not let Gendor have a try at it?” Lilith suggested, patting Gendor’s shoulder as he slumped down next to her. “You are the biggest one here; think you could shake him awake for us?”

“Me?” Gendor looked up at Lilith with surprise.

“Well, it’s either that, or Bith is going to try something profoundly stupid with his spellcraft.” Trying to spur him on, Lilith took Gendor’s hand and led him over to the Qi Lin. “You can do this, alright?”

It was a good idea― if anyone here might actually stand a chance at shaking the Qi Lin awake, it would be Gendor.

“Can I…… really do this?” Gendor muttered quietly to himself as he stared at the Qi Lin with an uncertain expression.

“Of course you can!”

“We trust you, Gendor.”

With me and Fili encouraging him, Gendor timidly shook the Qi Lin’s neck.

Slowly at first, his mane started to shift slightly. And watching the Qi Lin’s face, Gendor steadily increased the strength of his pushes.

“Hrm……” The Qi Lin groaned and frowned.

Noticing this, Gendor pressed his shoulder against the Qi Lin’s neck like he was about to ram him. And with that, Qi Lin’s body shook greatly, sending vibration through the ground that even shook the branches of the Great Tree of Lios. And then the Qi Lin slowly opened his eyes.

“Hast thou cometh at last……” He slowly raised his head, and when he saw us, the Qi Lin let out a contented sigh. “So, thou hast finally gathered?”

Fili stepped up to the Qi Lin. “You know why we are here, then?”

“Indeed, for I am Dorin. The legends begin anew…… and thee must hasten to prepare thyselves.” Dorin stated, then locked his blue eyes onto me. “Though I see there be a changeling among thee.”

Then Dorin lowered his head to bring his line of sight down to be level with me. His eyes were so deep that I felt like I could fall right into them. And momentarily stunned, I just stared back into that eye as he watched me.

“Well…… it shall suffice. Thou seeks the domain of the Twilight Dragon.”

Stating that, Dorin took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as if reminiscing about something, and in the sudden stillness, the sounds of insects echoed all around us.

“Hey, so…… how does he know all this?” It seemed like Dorin knew everything we wanted to ask him about before we had even arrived, so I found myself feeling doubtful of him and turned to ask Vesper about it when he returned to my shoulder.

“It is said that he is aware of all things happening in the world while he sleeps.”

“That’s incredible.”

“But it seems to be a very rare occasion that he actually wakes.”

“If it wasn’t, he probably wouldn’t be known as the Sleeping Qi Lin.”

“In fact, as far as I’ve heard, it’s never happened before.”

“So the fact that he woke up so easily for us is proof that the situation is that dire……”

Thinking that, I looked up at the silent Dorin who sat with eyes wide open, and silence enveloped the area for a moment.

Then all of a sudden― both Lilith and Bith rose from their seats to stand before Dorin. Everyone was waiting eagerly for Dorin to speak again. Dorin’s mane swayed gentled as a soft gust of wind blew passed us, and then he finally shifted his gaze back onto us.

“The Twilight Dragon― At the edge of the Lands of the Beginning of Beginnings they doth dwell, beyond the Dragonbein Mountains, over the Wavering Peninsula.”

Lilith frowned at that. “The Lands of the Beginning of Beginnings is quite a ways away.”

“Beyond the Dragonbein Mountains, over the Wavering Peninsula……”

Not knowing anything about the geography of this world, all I could do was tilt my head in confusion at the sight of even Lilith and Fili seeming to be at a loss.

“If thou wishes to know more, speak with Tartarga. The one of Black should know the place where he doth reside.” Dorin added, and with those as his final words, Dorin curled up again to return to his slumber.

“By ‘the one of Black’, does he mean you, Bith?”

“Seems that way. Except― well, I do know where old Tartarga is, but we’ll need something in order to meet with him.”

“What?”

“A tear jar.”

“?”

He said it so bluntly that I couldn’t help but tilt my head again at the odd statement.

(What is a tear jar?)

Thankfully, Lilith saw my confusion and elaborated for me. “You see, Tartarga has a terrifying guard dog that no one can control― or at least that’s the rumor people pass around. Really, it seems more like the guard dog chose to protect Tartarga on its own, if you ask me.”

“Because he knows something about the Twilight Dragon?”

“Who knows…… but that guard dog is merciless to anyone that comes near, so no one can really guess what they’re thinking.”

“Merciless……”

I was at a loss for words, but Lilith just gave me a bitter smile.

“So the tear jar is for distracting the guard dog.”

“How do we get one?”

“You don’t just ‘get one’. It’s not like they stock these kinds of things at street vendors. That cowardly Skunk should have it now though…… that’s right, isn’t it Bith?”

“Yeah, it’s definitely with Skunk.” Bith answered, though he had a sullen look as he said it.

“Skunk? You mean the spirit that lives in the cave up ahead?” Fili inquired, looking to Lilith.

“Well, you’re well informed.”

“I can track the location of any spirit in my mind.”

“Unlike someone else, you’re a pretty reliable guy.”

Lilith shot a glare at Bith when she said that last part, but Bith shook off her gaze and started walking again.

“We should get moving.” Bith said, but then laughter suddenly filled the air from somewhere above Dorin as if mocking his sense of urgency.

“?” I looked up at the big tree over Dorin’s head and saw a short spirit with pointy ears sitting on a branch with his legs dangling over the side. “Who is that?”

Everyone followed my gaze. “Skunk…… what are you doing here?”

At Lilith’s question however, the short spirit simply laughed even harder.

“I was summoned by Dorin. He said a spirit would soon arrive that needed my help.” Skunk answered before jumping down several meters to land in Dorin’s mane.

(What?)

“But you’re a spirit of darkness, and Dorin is a spirit of light―”

“Listen lady,” Skunk wagged his index finger at me before I could finish my question. “Now isn’t the time for us to be squabbling with each other, don’t you think?”

“No, I know that, but…… it’s still surprising.”

“Well, we’ve got an arrangement, you see. In exchange for me handing over the jar, Dorin here says that he’ll protect me.”

“A spirit of darkness seeking protection from a spirit of light…… how pathetic.” Bith glared at Skunk. “And appalling……”

Then Lilith asked Skunk, “So, where is it, then?”

“Right here.” Skunk motioned, and Dorin lazily lifted one hand to reveal an old, large bisque jar underneath.

The mouth was sealed with something like a cork top, and Skunk moved to pick up the jar and brought it to us.

“Now listen, you absolutely cannot open this lid until you’re ready to use it, okay? It’ll evaporate pretty quickly once you expose it to the air.”

With that warning, Skunk handed the tear jar over to Gendor, since he was the largest of us, and we could here the sound of liquid sloshing around inside the jar.

“Thank you.” Gendor took the jar from Skunk and held it up in one arm.

“Well, I’m getting back up there before things get dangerous.” Skunk said, and then quickly climbed back up the Great Tree of Lios and vanished into the leaves and branches.

Dorin watched him go, and then slowly closed his eyes again.

“Let’s head back to the city once more.” Fili suggested. “It’ll take time to reach Tartarga’s residence. No matter how fast we travel, it’ll take at least seven days by foot. We should make sure we get everything we might need from town before we set out.”

Bith seemed to consider that for a moment, probably having assumed we would set out immediately― but he reluctantly agreed to Fili’s suggestion, so we began the trek back to Arche Haokar to prepare for the journey ahead.

“Huh?” But as we crested back over the hill, Fili came to a stop in front of us, staring out in the direction of the city.

Then I stepped up to see what he did. “……It’s burning.” I stood dumbfounded.

The city of Arche Haokar – which had previously been alight with torches at night – was now engulfed entirely in flames. And even at this distance, I thought I could faintly make out the sounds of people screaming.

“What does this mean……?” Frightened by the sight of the city burning, Lilith stood stock-still with a hand covering her mouth in shock.

“The ‘rebellion’!”

Clicking his tongue, Bith leaped and flew towards the city on his own. And as if to chase after him, Fili flew off as well. And that left me alone in the middle of a field with a frightened Lilith and a dazed Gendor.

“Is it alright for us to stay here?” Vesper whispered to me.

“We can’t go back to the city like this……”

“I’m scared……” Gendor looked out over the city with an anxious expression on his face.

“But if we stay here in the middle of nowhere, will the other two be able to find us again?” Vesper asked, and it was a good point.

“You’re right.” Lilith’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Let’s go. There might still be something left in town that we can use after this.”

“……Right.”

And so, we began to hesitantly make our way back towards the burning city.

The city was in chaos. Everyone was in a panic trying to get away. And whether they were human or spirit, they were all fleeing the city; no one was trying to get further in.

(Oh no!)

Then before I could do anything, I was caught up by the fleeing spirits and humans and separated from the others.

“Lilith! Gendor!” I cried out, but my voice was drowned out by the sounds of fire burning, buildings crumbling, and people screaming.

“You have to get out, too! The waves are coming!”

Shouting into my ear, a spirit with the lower body of a donkey and upper body of human took my arm to pull me away.

“The waves?” I asked, trying to get more details, so the spirit rushed to explain.

“It’s been confirmed, the city guard already sent out the alert! If you don’t want to be swallowed up, you have to run now!”

“Wait, but……” I was going to argue further, but the spirit jumped into a boat fleeing downstream, and they were off.

I looked to the sky, but I couldn’t see any sign of the thick clouds that accompanied the waves before.

(But then, why is everything burning?)

“Perhaps we should get out of here, too.” Still clinging to my cloak, Vesper shouted to me. “This ‘rebellion’ was triggered by the waves. If we don’t leave quickly, we’ll be dragged into the ‘rebellion’ as well.”

Even so, I was stuck here because I had been separated from everyone. More than running away, I had to get back to the others.

“Ah!” And just then, I heard Gendor’s voice in the distance.

“That was Gendor!”

Desperately, I ran through the waves of spirits, trying to reach Gendor.

“We should have tried to repair your broom……” Vesper remarked― but I didn’t think I would be able to fly through this chaos even if I had fixed it.

It was easy to find where Gendor was, because the other spirits all had to run around his larger form as he bent over and curled in on himself.

“Are you okay?” I asked when I got to him, and Gendor wrapped his arms around me. “Hey! What wrong?”

“Urgh……” But when Gendor looked up at me, his eyes were brimming with tears. “The jar……”

(The jar?)

It took a second for my thoughts to catch up with what he was talking about.

“It was stolen.”

“Huh……?”

Gendor was holding me in his arms, which he could only do because he wasn’t holding anything else. But there were no shards of pottery to be seen around him, either. All I could see was the people around us trying to flee, and even if we tried to search for it, we’d just get overrun by the rush of spirits and humans again.

“How? Why? You were supposed to keep it safe, weren’t you?” I hadn’t meant to, but it came out like I was blaming Gendor. “Hey, who took it?!”

I shook Gendor’s shoulders and tried to get him to tell me what happened, but he just shook his head without answering.

(I have to get back to the real world before I lose all my memories. I can’t allow for any mistakes……)

But this was no simple mistake. In order to meet the Twilight Dragon, that item had been absolutely necessary.

For him to have lost it……

“Why……” I knew it wasn’t right to blame Gendor for losing the tear jar in this situation, but I couldn’t think clearly at that moment. My memories had been gradually slipping away ever since I came to this world. “What do I do……”

All I could do at that moment was stand stunned in front of a crying Gendor.

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