467. Hunting, 7

(Rose)

Blume appeared petrified, as if she realised something horrible happened.

I think I saw her shedding a tear. My eyes opened wider. Have I seen that right?

A dragon appeared in the sky. It looks like Yaelun. No, it’s much, much bigger and further...

R - Blume, what is going on?

B - I...

She doesn’t know what to say. How to say it...

Blume is struggling with something emotional like I’ve never seen before. Meanwhile, the dragon is getting peacefully closer. It has many more wings than Yaelun. But it has similar overall appearance. It must be another creation of Nightmare.

Blume heard something I couldn’t and she’s terribly conflicted about it.

R - Blume... What is it?

B - I’m... I can’t find the words.

She’s struggling, but eventually finds the words. She looks straight at me, into my eyes to say it.

B - Rose... A daiûa is coming to play you...

She insisted on every word. I see her running to hide then and leaving me alone outside, to welcome whatever is coming.

A second later, the flowers on my chest make a wind chime sound.

Blume is telling me she’s with me. I don’t know why she hid her body, but it must have something to do with what’s coming.

~

The dragon is lowering its altitude and slowing down slightly. Given how Yaelun used to lift off and land, I think such a huge beast must provoke quakes when it does. How something that big can exist? It’s longer than whales or dinosaurs, and it flies...

The dragon does land abruptly before me.

It blows away a cloud of dusts with strong gusts of winds in its final flaps, right before it hits the ground, with each segment of its body in right order, starting from the distant tail.

I cover my face against the wind far before the head lands.

I’m shaken on my feet.

Then the dust settles.

I notice my flying ship in the sky behind. It means they’re there too!

I’m quite happy.

The black human shape that first appears isn’t that girl though.

R - ... Nightmare?

N - Hello...

I can see details of her silhouette, and a true shadow on the ground. She’s with a material body?

She hugs me suddenly. That’s... very odd. From her especially.

R - I’m happy to see you Nightmare, but... What is going on?

N - I need you to save my life...

She sounds scared and sorrowful. It’s really weird to find her like that.

R - What from? How?

N - A human is trying to kill me.

As she says that, the human she had in mind appeared, as she wasn’t far behind. She was on the dragon too.

The dragon eyes are shut. It might be sleeping already?

Myls is rushing toward us, with a sword in hand and fury in the eyes. She’s attacking us?

Nightmare hides behind my back like a scared child, holding onto my shoulders.

N - There she is! Please save me! Kill her before she gets me!

It sounds wrong, but as someone is about to attack me blindly, I react first by instinct to defend myself.

Myls doesn’t seem to realise it’s me in front of her. She’s going to kill me.

I really think that for a moment. I have a moment of panic and terror.

I can feel myself dodging the attack, and being about to stab her in reflex. I feel things I can’t put a name on. I stop myself in time.

I manage to only punch her in the stomach, stopping her where she stands.

She’s shocked, surprised, but her face still twisted from suffering, she tries to kill me again, slashing the air where I just stand.

R - Myls! Calm down!

M - Fuck you!

I’m very limited with just one arm, but Myls is rushing without thinking. The more I step back, the better I can actually see this.

Myls is tearing up... I don’t have the time to ask about it. They pushed me in a situation where I’m not allowed to take my time to think over about what is going on. Were I not in a sudden situation where my life was at stake every second, it would have been easier to figure out what they all had done and meant.

At that moment, I just tried my best to survive her blind assault, without killing her preferably.

Talking didn’t quite work. Some of her words and mine were scrambled. We couldn’t communicate.

A darkness was surging everywhere. It was a trap... And I was falling.

I dropped my knife to hold onto the one of Myls. I head-butted her with all my strength, nearly passing out. It all went black for a second.

Then I managed to disarm Myls, barely.

She’s crying. I can’t hear what she’s seemingly speaking.

Everything around is dark as if night had fallen... But I’m not in that frame of mind exactly...

I realise at last that Nightmare has been right behind me all along. Close to my neck, her hands over my shoulders or my head... She’s been playing me and what I perceive of reality.

I turn angrily around to face the fake child.

R - Nightmare...

N - Oh... You’re no fun Rose.

The following instant, the masks and veils fall. The light of day returns around us.

Myls too looks around with sudden shock, and falls sitting where she was. She’s still sobbing.

N - I wanted to see if you would kill a human to save one of us.

R - And that was you best idea?

Myls shrieked.

M - She killed Zes!

Something breaks inside of me. A cold anger I think it’s called.

R - Tell me it’s not true Nightmare...

N - Who cares? I was hungry.

I feel awful. But I don’t know how to react.

N - So. Are you going to kill me for it? The young one cannot. You might.

Myls looks defeated and hopeless. She must have tried in vain. Vanquishing a demon is no easy feat.

Another kind of moral murk is running through my veins... I don’t know what to do... Blume, please help me!

As I call for her help in my inner thoughts, her roses repeat that chime sound only.

That’s all...

N - Isn’t it what you do, Rose?

I raise a pained look at her. Is she implying what I think?

N - Don’t you want to kill gods such as me?

I feel a shade of guilt and pain.

My mind is too shocked to realise that the play is still going on.

We’re still playing a part in Nightmare’s little game.

As I couldn’t strike Myls to save our lives, I can’t decide myself to attack Nightmare for that either...

Zeslinry...

I can’t decide to strike Nightmare down to avenge my friend.

After a minute or so of torment but without any decision, Nightmare just gives up.

N - I expected more colourful wrath...

B - I think that’s enough. You lost.

Blume has shown herself, and spoke to Nightmare.

She was in the trick...

They act so... human.

Actors... A play... Nightmare seems to pout. She acts like it even. I can’t believe my eyes.

Because I know it’s not her.

I finally realise that every word and movement Nightmare has done so far was nothing like her. I finally realise the reality behind.

R - You were playing an act! A prank?

N - A bet. With Blume.

B - I won.

I’m flabbergasted. Myls looks as agape as I. They pranked us. Blume too...

We’re pawns in the hands of mischievous gods...

Goodness...

As we’re still petrified in shock from the realisation, Myls and I; Nightmare calls out the dragon, called Snake it seems.

The beast pushes its giant head a little closer while its mouth opens. A weird kind of undefined tongue stretches out to the ground before us, to put a body there. Zeslinry is left lying before us. But she’s...

Myls jumped, while my heart skipped a beat. Then I can feel myself cry a little in relief as well.

~