.Hack//Epitaph of Twilight Volume2 Episode7

Episode 7//merge

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

In that place, something was beginning.

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

The world could no longer escape its ruination.



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

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

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

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

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

With another sigh, Apeiron considered how best to begin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I hear you.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No.”

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

“Intended to enshrine the Twilight Dragon……?”

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

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



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

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

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

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

“We have to hurry!”

However, their desire alone would not help them.

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

“Why……”

“It must be the wave’s doing.”

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

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

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

“Look closely.”

“?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Do I have to answer that……?)

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

(But……)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We just talked.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

(A novel……)

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

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

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

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

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

“Lara. Hoerwick.”

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

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

(How do I explain……?)

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

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

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

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

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

(What should I do……)

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

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

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

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

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

“I do.”

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

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

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

(What does that mean……?)

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

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

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

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

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

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

(I did, actually……)

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

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

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

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

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

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

And again, the king fell silent.

(I knew it……)

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

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

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

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

(I’m sorry, Vesper……)

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

(but why?)

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

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

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

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

“Really?”

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

“That’s……”

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

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

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

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

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

Silently, I swore that I would never forget him.

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

“Is that―” Lilith pointed out at a large waterfall ahead of us, and the king landed on a sheer cliff overlooking the waterfall that stretched for miles.

The sound of rushing water echoed out all around us, and the falls created a heavy mist that reached all the way up to where we were. And above it all, we could see a pale rainbow stretching out into the distance.

“The Great Falls of Arche Koeln……” I said, and beside us, the king returned to his original form and nodded.

“The key I gave you should be able to break the seal.”

“So you mean there’s a keyhole somewhere around here?” Lilith asked, starting to look around.

Behind us, there stood a large stone monument covered in ivy. Apparently, the keyhole was carved into it somewhere. But as we tried to push our way through the ivy, we found that it had grown so dense that we couldn’t pull it apart enough to find any keyhole.

“Get back.” So, raising his voice behind us, we turned to see Bith raising his spell wand, ready to shoot flames from the tip of it.

As soon as we rushed out of the way, Bith’s flames burned through the ivy, and cringing through the smell of burnt plants, I was able to find the keyhole engraved onto the stone monument and inserted the key into it.

“If someone who was not recognized as a shadow-bearer came here― then even with the key, that person could not break the seal.” The king’s words frightened me for a moment, but I shook my head to shake off the anxiety and slowly turned the key.

Then it happened. The sound of something cracking echoed out, and then the waterfall began to recede, allowing a large temple to appear from behind it.

“In the back of that temple, there is a path that leads to the Land of the Beginning of Beginnings. Look for a stone statue of a dragon like the ones at the entrance to our castle― that will be your sign. But unfortunately, I cannot accompany you any farther into the temple.” The king explained, and then took a small compass out of his pocket that was completely out of proportion with his size. “Here.”

I took the compass and looked it over. It didn’t have any indicators for north or south on it, just a golden mark on one side of the pointer.

“What is this?”

“A compass that will point you to the location of the Twilight Dragon. It will allow you to proceed without hesitation.”

“What about you?”

“Only those who seek the Twilight Dragon are allowed to enter the temple. I can go no farther…… though your path through the temple may still prove difficult.”

“Even without your help, we can carry Gendor from here―” Lilith started, but then behind her, a giant sea serpent-like creature jumped out of the water. Then with a loud splash, it disappeared into the lake again. “What…… what was that?” Her face stiffened as she turned around.

“What now……?” I looked down at the lake with trepidation.

And reflected on the surface of the lake were the shadows of several sea serpents, all dozens of meters long. And just as one of them seemed to disappear, it instead leapt out of the water with great force. A sea-serpent the color of lead rose and fell in a beautiful arc in front of us.

“Are we going to fly through here?”

“It can’t be helped.” Fili answered with a troubled look on his face. “There’s no other way forward.”

“Right, so if anything happens, we’ll use our spells to―”

“No, you can’t!” The king interrupted Lilith with a shout. “They are the guardian deities of this temple. If you harm them, you will incur the wrath of the Twilight Dragon and will never be allowed to meet them.”

“No way……”

But the king just smiled at our bewilderment. “It will be okay, though. I will throw you into the temple.”

(Throw us!?)

Even as we looked at him with skepticism, the king scooped us up in his large hands. “Please, wait a moment.” Fili begged, but without even hearing him out, the king hurled us towards the temple.

“Blessing of the Twilight Dragon……!”

(What is happening?)

We flew straight towards the temple in a clump so fast that we couldn’t even keep our eyes open. The wind hurt as it blew past my cheeks, and behind me, I heard the sound of one the sea-serpents jumping up out of the water.

(I’m scared!)

I could practically feel the sea-serpents jumping out of the water one after another, trying to gobble us up as we flew defenselessly over them. “Not good!” Lilith shouted.

I opened my eyes against the wind, and when I did, I saw us fast approaching the temple. Then beside me, Lilith clasped her hands together in front of her chest― and we were immediately enveloped in a sticky, watery liquid. The ball of water was strangely warm, but struck the temple pillars a moment later and burst open.

“Ow, ow, ow……” Standing back up, I rubbed at a bump on my head.

“What the hell was he thinking?!” Lilith rose and quickly readjusted the hem of her disheveled dress. “Did he even think about how we were going land?!”

“Thankfully, with your quick thinking…… we made it.” Fili brushed at his hair, soaked from the bubble of water, and looked around the temple, seeming to find something and becoming amazed.

I followed Fili’s gaze and gazed deeper inside the temple. There was no sign of anyone else here, and the deeper I tried to look in this large, auditorium-like place, the darker and creepier it seemed. And as we made our way through towards the back― our footsteps echoed off the walls. Without any real landmarks to guide us, we silently walked deeper and deeper into the empty temple.

“The king said we were looking for a stone statue of a dragon, right?” Lilith confirmed with Bith and Fili as we walked.

“It probably won’t be easy to find in a place this big.” Gendor noted with a sigh as he looked around with a restless energy.

However, those fears were soon deterred, because in the distance, we caught sight of something glowing with a bluish-white light. And as we moved closer, we realized it was a stone statue of a dragon. The dragon’s head was lowered menacingly with its mouth curled open as if to bite down on something― and at its feet, I could see a set of stairs leading down. The entrance was so narrow, though, so it was hard to notice without looking closely.

From the statue’s position facing the entrance, though, it looked as though the dragon was roaring at those stairs.

“Is this it?” Fili asked anxiously.

“Doesn’t seem to be anything else around here.”

We all began to carefully examine the stone statue. Then Bith released a large number of familiars around himself and sent them out to look for any other statues.

I tried suggesting that we could search on our own, but he brushed me off, saying he didn’t want us to get lost in here.

“Hey,” Then since we had nothing else to do while Fili and Bith sent out their familiars, Lilith approached me with a question. “What did he ask you? It felt like your interview took a while.”

It took me a moment to realize that Lilith was referring to the conversation I’d had with the king. “Uh……” I didn’t have a clue how to answer that. It wasn’t so simple a story that I could just blurt it out here and now. But keeping quiet about it would only make her suspicious, so I flipped the question on her instead. “Well, what did he ask you?”

“Me? He really just made small talk with me. Like, asking how I joined the search. Speaking of; what about you Gendor?”

Gendor had been distracted looking around at the temple, but turned towards us as soon as he heard his name and replied, “I―” But before he could say anything at all, Bith’s familiars returned all at once, interrupting him. Apparently, this was the only place in the temple with a dragon statue.

“Let’s go, then.” Fili took the lead and started the way down with the rest of us silently following him down the long stairwell.

And at the end of the dauntingly long stairwell― we found ourselves entering a living labyrinth. Bright pink passages like the inside of some giant creature were lined with thin, capillary-like veins, and the passage occasionally trembled and narrowed as if it were convulsing. There was faint sound like a heartbeat echoing through the place, and the walls pulsed in time with it.

“It’s like it’s alive……” I muttered, and Lilith frowned next to me.

“It’s like we’ve been swallowed by a giant monster.”

“It’s just your imagination getting the better of you.” Bith brushed off Lilith’s concern.

“Is that so?” Lilith gently placed a hand against one of the walls, and the part she touched contracted. “I really don’t like this. I don’t want to be here.”

Lilith retracted her hand and stared out at the path ahead of us. Just ahead, we could see a fork in the road.

(Which way should we go?)

The compass I was given was just spinning all around, so I didn’t know where to go in here.

(What is this compass even for……)

If we got lost in here, it would seriously eat up our time. And with no way of knowing how much of the world the waves had eroded, we didn’t have time to waste.

“Let’s see here.” Fili held up his spell staff, probably planning to summon his familiars. But when he tried, no familiars appeared. More to the point, no matter what he did, he couldn’t even get the spell crest to form for summoning them. “My spellcraft is being siphoned away.”

“I’ve already tried it too, but it isn’t working……” Bith said.

“So then, we have no choice but to just press blindly forward?”

“It would seem so.”

With no way of scouting the path ahead, I knew we had no choice― but I was still incredibly unsettled by the prospect. Even worse, no matter what happened in this place, we wouldn’t be able to fight back or heal without our spellcraft.

Aside from Gendor, everyone in our group was an unarmed spellcaster, which meant that in this place, we were completely helpless.

(We won’t get stuck wandering around this place forever, will we……?)

There was no way to leave any kind of markings on the walls, and no way to distinguish these passages from one another. “Let’s just get moving.” Fili decided as he took the first step forward.

But then without warning― the living labyrinth let out a desperate cry, and the corridors began to decay. With Fili in the lead, we all began to rush forward, but with the ground uneven and trembling the way it was, we couldn’t move as quickly as we wanted to. And as time passed― the walls began oozing with a sticky liquid that smelled like acid and dissolved any foreign objects it touched.

The path ahead of us began to twist and curve. It wasn’t an easy road to run through, but we still had to press on. Yet as I was tossed side-to-side, my cloak and the soles of my shoes began to melt away. And among us, only wearing her small dress, Lilith had the most skin exposed already, and when the liquid dripped down onto her from the ceiling, her pale skin burned red.

“……Grr!” But Lilith simply grit her teeth and tried to bear it without complaining.

I gripped my wand tight in frustration, but knew I would be unable to heal her if I tried.

(Why can’t I ever do anything……?)

Then for a second, something dark blocked my view of Lilith, “Huh?” And she was suddenly wrapped in a large black cloak― Bith’s cloak. “What is this for?

“You won’t get burned if you hold that over your head.” Bith answered bluntly, not turning to look at her.

Lilith was stunned for a moment, and her cheeks grew slightly flushed. Then, while continuing to run forward, she wrapped the cloak around her.

Having watched this sequence of events from just a step behind them, Gendor muttered, “Bith is such a nice guy.”

Bith’s ears twitched hearing him say that, but just then, Fili suddenly came to a stop. I slowed down to see what had caused him to pause, only to find a dead end in front of us.

“We should go back.” Fili turned on his heel and took a few steps back, but then stopped again.

“Hey……” Bith was speechless.

I looked back at where he and Fili were staring now. Behind us, the path that we had just come through had curled up so far that it was basically another dead end. “This can’t be happening……”

The liquid seeping from the walls and ceiling was still dissolving our cloaks and shoes even now. But not caring that they would get burned, Fili and Bith both tried to push back on the raised floor. I was shocked for a moment, but seeing the necessity of it, Gendor, Lilith, and I all joined in to help push the wall.

But it just wouldn’t budge. We had been driven into a corner― there was no other way to put it.

“Ooohhhhhhhhh!!!” Next to me, Gendor suddenly screamed and knelt down to the floor, clutching his head.

“Gendor?!” I shouted, but just when he looked like he might move again, a blinding light began emanating from his body.

(What?)

The light was so bright that I couldn’t help but shut my eyes against it.

“Are you okay?!” I heard Fili speak behind me and narrowly opened my eyes.

“Gen……dor?”

He had been right there a moment ago, but now Gendor was nowhere to be seen.

(What happened?)

Then as if in response to Gendor’s disappearance― the wall that had risen to block us in lowered down to its original position, and the liquid that had been seeping out stopped flowing.

“What happened to Gendor?” I looked all around us, but I didn’t see him anywhere. It was hard to believe that he could have just vanished in an instant, but he had― Gendor was gone.

And we all continued to shout Gendor’s name into the silent labyrinth.

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