*Crunch*
*Crunch*
*Crunch*
I walked along the narrow path formed by different-colored leaves that had fallen from the mountainous trees surrounding me. I heaved a sigh and saw my breath misting in the cold autumn night. Every so often, a leaf would drift and spiral down, landing on my face before I blew it off, and it landed ever so softly in the dirt. There was no sound of wildlife under the moon’s light, only the wind taking the last life the leaves had, and the crunching of my boots on the ground.
The silence was almost unnerving, as the moon’s light cast variants of shadows all around me, as if I was being watched in this silent hollow. Although who could blame me for feeling paranoid? I was now a fugitive on the run after all.
Her still-warm body rested in my arms as I trudged through the leaves, with her white hair reflecting the moonlight itself,
“Hey.”
“….”
“Hey! Stop acting like I don’t exist. We’re stuck in the same boat here.”
An incessant voice in my head continued trying to talk to me, but I ignored it. The near-hostile force of unknown origins that resides in my body has given me opposition at almost every turn. Acting cryptic like it’s above me, I won’t have it.
“Fine, if you won’t respond, I’ll just talk out loud then. I know you can hear me.”
“……”
“You canceled your ability when you had 10 seconds of usability remaining. I don’t know the exact time measurements here, but after that battle, you have about 10 years of life left in you. That’s being generous, mind you.”
“……”
“That’s also only if you keep a healthy lifestyle with both mind and body, and never use your gift at that time. Well, you can still probably use Scan and Disruption in the future, but certainly not immediately.”
“10 years?”
“Oh, you finally responded. Yes, 10 years. We need to think of a way to extend your lifespan in that time period. We’re not in a very good situation, and we don’t have long.”
“On the contrary, that’s far more time than I was expecting. I was worried I wouldn’t have much time, but that’s more than enough to accomplish all I need to accomplish.”
“…..Accomplish? Accomplish what?”
“I need to fulfill my promise and travel, meet people. I’ll find a hobby, and I’ll try to look at the world before me in an unbiased view.”
“It’s fine that you want to pursue a dream, but we have other matters to worry about.”
“Be quiet and listen, you foreign fool. I can’t possibly strike against Zagra and his whole organization if I can’t use my gift to my fullest potential. According to you, my body can’t handle it, right?”
“Yes, you saw how your skin was cracking during the fight. You can equate it to a small container trying to hold a water tank full of water; it will overflow and break. You should have let those brats come with you, allies will be essential now that you're weakened.”
“I said what I said to No.9 and No.5 because I don’t want them involved. They’ve been through enough. But I agree. I do need allies, and different forms of strength. Exploring the world will assist with that.”
“I’m not too sure it’ll work as well as you think.”
“Then leave, I don’t want you here. I’ve already said this.”
“And how many times do I have to say I can’t! You’re not the only one who wants to be shackled to a dying body; we’ve already fused.”
“Can you even do anything useful besides talk in my ear?”
“I can take over your body while you're unconscious, and provide nutrients through means you wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me. ”
“Do you believe in what you people call ‘Magic’?”
“Never mind. If we’re truly stuck together than you can take your time explaining it to me in the future. Do you have any special abilities?”
“I do, but using them with your body would be adding 5 more water tanks. That one spatial spell was all you could handle, and that was a last-ditch effort that I wasn’t sure would work.”
“Ok, so besides being able to assist me in being relatively healthy, which is something I can do myself anyway. You can also take control of my body, which I can’t see myself asking you to do, and have abilities that neither of us can use. Did I get all that?”
“That….is correct.”
“You’re like an energy drink with conditions. You’re utterly worthless.”
“Shut up, boy! If you knew who I really was, you wouldn’t be talking to me in such a way. And where are we even going anyway?! You’ve been walking for 8 hours already!”
“I’m going to a suitable place for her to rest in peace.”
“But where?!”
“While I was fighting Zagra, I saw an enormous tree that seemed to glisten with light even at night. It was bigger than all of the other trees and stood out in the forest. I’m going there.”
“Do you even know where it is? We can’t see it in this dense forest.”
“Can’t you see through my eyes?”
“Of course.”
“Then stop asking stupid questions and look forward, we’re here.”
The tree stood alone, unchallenged in a forest full of them. All of the others paled in comparison to the sheer size of it, making me wonder what could have spurred such a massive growth. Its roots spread all across what seemed to be the entire forest, and were so large that I couldn’t just step over them.
Each branch stretched out as if it were a giant’s limbs and clothed with a fabric of yellow, luminescent leaves. Despite it being almost winter, the leaves showed no signs of falling, and their figments hadn’t changed color in the slightest. The leaves seemed to be reflecting and projecting light, sending beams all around the tree causing it to be a permanent light source.
I walked up to the tree’s trunk and laid her body down right in front of it. I gently grabbed her arms and crossed them over her stomach. The flowers around her body glistened with light, as if accepting her newfound residency.
“I’m sorry. If I were stronger, we could have visited this tree together. You died protecting me, you died making sure I could live, but just like you, it seems I’ve been put on a time limit.”
I brushed her hair away from her eyes so she could have a full view of the horizon.
“Look, this tree is at an elevated point. You can see the sun rise from here, and it serves as a landmark in this vast forest. You can rest peacefully here, in a beautiful place that gives you a pure view of the world. Just like you, I’m going to make the most of the time I was given. And the next time I visit this tree, the world will be a far better place. I promise.”
I reached into my chest pocket and took out my diary. It was slightly charred from the battle, but besides that, it was almost untouched. I placed it under her hands and stood up.
“You always wanted to read it, so I’ll leave it here with you. You only read parts of it after all. Y'know, I never expected to complete every page. Well, there was one page left right before we left, so I filled it in with a message to whoever finds it. Hopefully, watching someone pick it up and inspect it with curiosity will give some entertainment in the great beyond. In exchange, I’ll take this. Just like you asked.” I said, reaching into her waist pocket and taking out a charred flash drive. It was barely intact, as if hearing her message to live on as well.
I looked up at the fluorescent tree, reminiscing about what it took to get here underneath its splendor.
Surviving the tests, killing in the tournament, fighting with all of the numbers. Uncovering truths, revealing lies, and gaining allies and enemies alike.
“It’s….been a long journey, hasn’t it?” I said softly.
“Oh? Now there’s something that’s piqued my interest. Why not tell me about it?” A voice suddenly said from my left.
I immediately jumped back and pulled out my gun. Leaning on the left side of a tree was a white man with short aquamarine hair. He was wearing a black kimono and a slightly torn straw hat, along with high-top open-toe sandals. A thin golden scarf rested on his neck, with part of it flowing in the wind in an almost ethereal manner. Due to his head leaning down, I couldn’t quite make out his face.
He smiled and put his hands up in defense without looking my way.
“Whoa there, I’ve been here this whole time, and you resort to violence just from me speaking? Come now, let’s not start something you won’t be able to finish.”
“You don’t know me. And what a bald-faced lie, I would have noticed you immediately, I’m more perceptive than you think. Now identify yourself.”
“I’m a mere traveler, resting from a long journey. Will that suffice?”
“It will not. Leave this place now or die. I’m in a position where I’m most likely being followed by unsavory people, so you must understand my distrust.”
“A child younger than a teenager, with dull eyes, pointing a gun at me. I can see it, you’ll really kill me. Ha! You really must have had quite an interesting story.”
I tightened my finger around the trigger.
“I’m not joking. Turn around with your hands up, and walk away right now. I’m not interested in your antics.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Then take the shot, it won’t make any difference.”
I immediately fired without any hesitation. I fired three shots at different angles, just in case he had a gift that allowed him to stop one of them. However, right when I fired the shot, he disappeared.
“What?!”
I got on guard and looked around, tensing all of my muscles.
That wasn’t speed; there would have been a gust of wind or a change in the air if something moved that fast, that was instantaneous movement! And if he hasn’t appeared in my vision yet…..
The battle instincts I’ve honed over my journey told me where he was located. I immediately turned around and aimed above me, firing two more shots. Yet, there was nothing there.
Was I wrong?
But before I had time to even turn around, a chill came down my spine as I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t be discouraged….you were right. I was up there. Very impressive.” A boyish voice said behind me.
I attempted to flip the gun around and fire behind me, but he grabbed my hand and stared at me. His eerie yellow eyes had cracks in them, like fractured glass. He stared at me as he could see through my very soul.
“Enough, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already.”
“I suggest you stop here, I can tell. You couldn’t beat that guy even if you went full power. Which you can’t anymore, by the way.”
Yes, thanks for reminding me.
I dropped the gun and put my other hand up, and he released me. “Good, now we can talk like civilized people. In another future, this battle continued and you would have ‘killed me’ twice before accepting my deal. I saw it, you’re quite fearsome.” He said with a smirk on his face, putting up air quotes.
“You-?”
“Saw it? Are you claiming you can see the future?” He said, perfectly imitating my voice. He then reached over and picked up my gun before I could even react.
“Here, I'll give you further proof.” He giggled, aiming the gun at his head.
“What are you doing?!” I screamed in shock as he blew his own brains out and collapsed on the floor. I stood there for a moment, absolutely bewildered at what I had just seen, when I felt a hand rubbing my head from behind.
“Boo.” His voice said right next to my ear.
“Gyah!” I screamed, jumping back and instinctively unsheathing Dawn’s katana. “How—?!”
“Many people in this damn world can regenerate?!” He said in my voice again, completely knowing what I was going to say next.
I don’t really trust your judgment much, interloper, but I’d have to agree that this isn’t someone I can take on. This isn’t like No.1, who I could tell was at least taking damage, and I’m heavily restricted in what I can do now.
I sheathed the katana and sighed.
“Ok, I believe you. Are you happy?”
He merely smiled and levitated in the air like a feather, taking off his hat. When he took it off, the hair I originally thought was short pooled out behind his head. His eyes were an eerie shade of yellow, and his complexion was perfect. If he weren’t over 5 feet, I would have mistaken him for a child like myself with that face.
“Not yet. I haven’t heard your story yet. How about this, I’ll answer any questions you have if you tell me what you’ve experienced!”
“…..no. Stay out of my business.”
“Aw, where’s your traveler’s curiosity? I thought we were one and the same, but you’re not interested in me at all!”
“If the information doesn’t benefit me, then why would I care? Too many strange things have happened to me recently for me to make sense of anything. I’m just going to focus on myself.”
“Hmm, I think I see what you’re talking about. There are two souls in that broken body of yours. Your story is getting more and more interesting by the second. And….ooooh! You’ve interacted with an anomaly, haven’t you! I have to hear it, I’m sure I’ll get inspired.”
“How do you—? What do you mean, anomaly?”
“I’ll answer your questions when you answer mine.” He said with a mocking smile.
I thought for a moment, but ultimately turned away. "I don’t care for your inspiration. If you have nothing more to say, please leave me be. I’m sure I’ll learn the truth in due time.” I said as I walked back over to Dawn’s body.
“A friend? Or something more?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, talking about things usually makes one feel better. And even if it doesn’t, it’s good to reflect on the past, but not dwell on it.”
I stopped and turned to look at him. He was sitting down crisscross on the ground, with an ink pen and a thin notebook.
“Besides, you did pull a gun on me without me doing anything. Regardless of your situation, it’s clear who’s in the wrong here. You can make it up to me by telling me your story, and I’ll even give you a reward afterward that I’m sure will help you in the future.”
“Why? What’s your goal here? If you wanted to kill me, you certainly would have. I refuse to believe you’re still sticking around just to hear my story.”
“Well, of course it’s more than that. But that’s not your concern, is it? It won’t benefit you to know, I assure you. Now come.”
I heaved a heavy sigh and walked over until we were a couple of feet apart. I sat down and faced him, telling him about my time with my parents, leading to my kidnapping. My time at the facility, the torture chamber, the tournament, meeting the other numbers, interacting with Dawn and No.1, the final fight with Zagra, and even the strange entity in my body. I hadn’t planned to talk much, but when I started, I couldn’t stop. It’s like deep down, I wanted to tell someone. I wanted to vent about my experiences, I wanted to let someone else know the suffering I was going through. The endless amounts of stress I had surviving and fighting in that place, the intense worry that I was becoming something inhuman, and the pain I felt losing someone I cared for. I found myself getting angrier and angrier as I kept talking, wondering to myself why all of this would happen to me. I never considered how rough it was until after it was all over, and reflecting on it made me only more determined toward my goal of striking Zagra down.
I was basically out of breath when I was done talking, and the traveler was calmly writing in his notebook with a focused expression. He then closed it and smiled.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? This tree.”
I looked back at the tree, and it was glowing even brighter than before.
“I could tell when I first looked upon it, it was manmade.” He said as he floated up and grabbed a leaf. “Haven’t you wondered why the leaves weren’t falling or changing pigments even though the seasons change? Some people must have combined genes from bioluminescent organisms with tree DNA. And the leaves continue to glow because of the enzymes in its system. You see, they react negatively to atmospheric oxygen, which is why the tree is so high, so if you touch the leaf…” He said as he dropped it in my direction.
I grabbed it and felt a slight shock before dropping it.
“It’ll shock you. The glow isn’t some weird light; it’s generating electricity. Now I ask you, does the fact that it’s man-made detract from its beauty?”
“I don’t think it matters all that much.”
“Exactly, regardless of the nature of its birth, if it serves its purpose of being a wonder, it’s fine, right? To the many people who can’t tell, this tree would just seem like a mystical phenomenon. They would go on to tell their friends and family, without knowing its true nature. But who really knows the true nature of things? I’m sure you’re going to leave here, and change your identity, am I right? And when you do, no one will be able to see the real you. You’ll only suit their perception in such a way, where if you act differently than predetermined, it’s seen as a betrayal.”
“What’s your point?”
“You understand that telling people about your problems won’t matter, because they don’t. The universe is vast, there are so many problems among so many people that everything you’re going through right now is inconsequential. Yet, you still push through because you have no other choice. Just like this leaf, unable to control how it’s seen, and no matter how hard it tries, it could never be something real. But what about you? Is the real you the cold killer who takes life rationally and logically? Or the hurt and helpless child who just wants the suffering to end? I’m sure we’ll both find out soon enough.”
He softly landed on the ground and put his hat back on.
“Thank you for telling me your story, it helped me more than you think. Knowing there are kindred spirits in this vast expanse brings warmth to this weary traveler. I believe that not fearing the unknown gives birth to an infinite amount of possibilities, and those types of people can even fool fate itself with what is real or not.”
“You sound a lot like No.1.”
“Ah, the undead boy you mentioned? I would have loved to chat with him, our constitution is quite similar after all. Maybe that’s why he thinks similarly to me as well? Although to go as far as to kill the people he cared about to feel is a bit too extreme for my liking.” He shrugged, lightly chuckling as if he knew him forever.
“You both overthink things too much. That’s why you have these insane thoughts in the first place. I don’t have the answer you both were searching for.”
“Sure, sure. We’ll have to agree to disagree. But in my defense, I am far older than you and have been to many places. I think I'd have a better understanding of things than you do.”
“If you sympathize with that maniac, I’ll think I’ll just stay quiet regarding that last comment,” I said, brushing him off with my hand.
“Haha! So be it, but you should think about what I said. I never say anything if it doesn’t have a purpose. Oh! And before I forget….”
He reached into his kimono and walked up to me, forcibly grabbing my hand and placing something in it. I ripped my hand away and opened my palm, and I saw a talisman with a strange symbol on it.
“Your reward. At any time in the future if you need my assistance, just tear that talisman and I’ll appear before you. Just once, I will help you with anything within my power.”
“Doesn’t seem all that useful. I doubt I’ll ever use it.”
“Who knows? You may be able to use it to prevent another unfortunate occurrence.” He said as he glanced toward Dawn’s body.
I turned to look, and more and more flowers had grown around her body, some with hints of thorns, as if she made a bed for herself.
The traveler gently put his hand on my shoulder.
“I can’t sense any signs of her soul in the body. She passed on happily with no regrets. You can rest easy.”
“Ha….I don’t need your false pity. So much for my problems being inconsequential.”
“Believe what you wish, but I have no reason to make you feel better, or to even lie in the first place.”
He released his hand from my shoulder, and I heard his footsteps moving farther and farther away.
“I made a poem in your honor. I think I'll call it…..The Boy Under the Tree.
“Your naming sense is terrible. And I’m surprised you haven’t just started spouting the lines from it, I figured you’d tell me even though I wouldn’t want to hear it.”
“I don’t share things that aren’t completed. This poem will be complete when your story is over. However, let it be known that I have borne witness to the start of an epic, though you may not know it. And before mine own eyes, the world has borne witness to your tale, your trials and tribulations being marked on your very being. We will meet once more in the future, and when that time comes, you will be forced to make a choice. But until then, from one traveler to another…..I wish you a pleasant journey.” He proclaimed, as I felt a searing pain across my neck. From where my designation of 963 was, there was now a strange mark. It resembled two sickles side by side with a spiral in the middle.
“What is this? Wait, you didn’t even start to answer—”
But when I turned around, he was gone, with no signs of him ever being there in the first place. The only thing that showed what just happened was real was the talisman he had given to me.
“—-my questions.” I said, inspecting the talisman. I flipped it over, and there was some small writing on the back.
“Ahem! To answer your questions, I’m a traveler! I’m not from here! And about the anomaly, you’ll learn about it when the time is right! Trust me, I saw it! Oh, and this next paragraph isn’t for you, but I know you’ll read it anyway! Tee-hee!”
“Scammer…..” I said to myself, reading his childish message.
“To the one residing on HER isle and fights against fate. Who finds themself in between this world and the next. The first core you have already attained in the Serpent. Whether it has accepted you as its partner, only time will tell. The second core acts as a counterforce to the flourish. You must travel through dreams and wade through memories to attain it. The final core will come to you....the moment you stop seeking it. Reclaiming these is the only way to achieve the ending you truly desire.”
I mulled over the cryptic message before placing the talisman in my chest pocket. After I made sure it was secure, a sudden gust of wind blew my hair in front of my face.
My left eye was blinded as a sudden light pierced my view. I put my hand up to look at the source, and the sun was rising on a new day.
“We were talking for that long…..huh?”
I took a step forward as the sky turned a beautiful shade of orange, with light starting to illuminate more of the forest.
“We should move, we’ve already spent too much time here.”
I agree, I spent the entire night talking to that strange man. It was time to go.
The sun shone through, and its light enveloped me completely. Unlike before, I didn’t need to put my hand up. My eyes had gotten used to it.
“Even if your soul is gone, I’ll be back. With many stories to tell and plenty of new experiences to share. I’ll laugh, vent, and complain about all of my problems, and I won’t cut corners; I’ll tell you the full story. So….until then.”
I walked forward as dawn broke across the land. Just like the sun rising forth after a long night, this wasn’t the end.
Just a new beginning.
Should I put No.9's perspective from when she went into the cabin as a special bonus before/during the Afterword?