Bottom I

He's late.

Most of the families present have already left after reuniting with their loved ones.

The less fortunate have been called by a nurse to the tent where the injured soldiers are brought.

The ones still waiting grow more anxious with every passing minute.

After a while, a man arrives—Gurumi recognizes him as her brother's group instructor.

He begins announcing the names of confirmed casualties, each one followed by a wail or a collapse.

With every name, her mother grips her hand tighter.

"That's everyone we could recognize. Sorry for your losses, I myself had to part with my daughter today."

"What about my son?" Shouts a man. "His name is Mota. We're still waiting for news about him."

"There are bodies we weren't able to recognize. You can go see if your son is among them, but I don't recommend it."

"What about my daughter Rei? If you haven't found her body it means she could still be alive, right?"

"I can't deny that possibility, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. It's better to be ready for the worst rather than live on false hope."

Her mother can't hold herself up any longer and collapses to her knees, hugging Gurumi so tightly she can't breathe—even though she was already struggling for air before.

"I…" Tokei, silent the entire evening, finally speaks. "I'm leaving for now. If you need anything, I'll be around." He walks off briskly. Just before she stops being able to see him, Gurumi notices him wipe his face.

It's my fault, I should have prevented this. I took too long to talk to my brother. Had I started scolding him sooner, had I forced him to abandon the idea of fighting, he would still be with us.

Who will take care of our mother?

Who will take care of me?

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

Hundreds of people fill the area, yet dinner is quieter than ever. Even those reunited with loved ones stay silent out of respect.

"Ma, please eat." As Gurumi speaks, her mother's hand trembles.

"Y-yes, sorry, I got distracted." She takes a spoonful, but starts coughing and quickly reaches for her water.

"Yeah, this food tastes terrible. Even Nii's burned stew is better."

She nods. "I always found it delicious." A sniffle, then a quiet gasp—she's barely holding it together.

And Gurumi is no different.

Silence lingers through most of dinner, until slow, deliberate steps finally break it.

"Pardon the… umm… intrusion, may I speak with you two?"

Her mother doesn't respond, so after a few seconds, Gurumi gives a small nod.

The man—Raba—speaks up. "I know I've never been on great terms with Kaji, but… he did help me a bit during the previous battle, y'know? He wasn't a bad… I mean, he was a great man… probably. His reputation may have been a misunderstanding and—"

"Please," her mother interrupts, biting her nails, "stop talking about my son."

"S-sorry, I meant no offense. I just wanna say that, if ya need any help, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask me." His next words are almost a whisper. "I owe him my life."

He bows slightly before walking away.

The silence returns, unwilling to leave anytime soon.

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

Darkness fills everything. There's nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to feel.

Is this what it means to be dead?

But something remains: thoughts. And with them, emotions.

Is this all there is to it? Am I going to spend the rest of eternity like this?

This endless void, forever?

I don't want this.

With nothing here but his own mind, he can't tell if his thoughts mean anything at all.

Is anyone out there? I don't care if you're a god or something else, if you can hear me, please, give me another chance.

Had he known this was what awaited him, he wouldn't have been so reckless.

He never thought much about dying, but he at least expected the gods' existence meant there was something beyond.

…

No answer comes to his prayers.

It doesn't take long for him to scream—or at least, what he believes is screaming in this place. All the anger he's carried with him. His violent response to anything that threatens him.

He unleashes it all.

…

…

In the past, his fury could at least make waves in the world around him.

But now, it's as if it doesn't even exist. What's the point in getting angry at things you can't change?

If nothing else… let me know if my mother and sister are fine. Tell me my life was worth something, I beg you.

He waits—an hour, maybe a year. Still, nothing. He clenches his fist in desperate frustration, so tightly he would bleed if he still had a body.

Then, he releases it, too tired to keep struggling. No strength left. Just voids of thought. The only thing that remains is the pain in his hand... it...

...

I can feel pain again?

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

When Kaji opens his eyes, everything is blurry.

I can see!

The realization jolts him, making him inhale sharply, but a sting pierces his chest.

It hurts. A lot. And I'm so glad it does.

He takes a few slow breaths, and the pain subsides, though it doesn't vanish.

His surroundings are dark, faintly lit by some kind of torch on the ceiling. He lies on a large cushion, a few feet off the ground.

The next thing he notices is the damp, sticky bandages wrapped around his torso and right arm.

No wonder he's sweating so much—it's as hot as the worst summer days.

We were almost at the end of Autumn, how long have I been out?

Slowly but steadily, he tries to rise. His body is weak, but walking might be possible if he takes his time.

Then something else catches his attention: a small rope stretching from his left arm to a pole. His right arm won't move, so he has to figure out how to untie it with only...

What the heck is this!?

The rope isn't tied—it's piercing his skin. He doesn't know how deep, and the last thing he needs is another wound.

He leaves it as it is. Luckily, the pole is light, slides easily on the ground, and can serve as a small support—if it doesn't break.

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

The place is unlike anything he's ever seen. He moves at a snail's pace, giving him plenty of time to try to make sense of what he sees.

Leaving his starting room behind, he finds himself in a tunnel lit by more of those white torches. The walls appear to be made of metal. Who could afford something like this? Maybe he's been captured by the enemy—perhaps they have so many resources they can build entire castles out of ore.

At the end of the path, he encounters what he presumes is a door. Slightly ajar, it moves aside with a light push, revealing what's beyond...

"Ho, hoo! You finally awake, big boy?" A man who looks older than time greets him, seated beside a low table. His way of speaking is stranger than Hoshina's people, though still understandable."

"Whe—" He coughs, each exhale feeling like being punched from the inside.

"Don't talk yet. Here, have some soup." He hands him a small metal cylinder filled with yellow, steaming liquid, then points to a nearby cushion for him to sit.

Though his skin is wrinkled like dry meat, the man seems to have a bulky frame beneath his clothes. Despite his strong accent, his attire isn't too unusual, except for his oddly shaped headwear.

"You must have a million and one questions," he says, stroking his grey beard. "Let's start with the basics, okay? The name's Genta, call me Ge."

"K-Kaji."

"Nice to meetcha, Kaji. Did you wake up just now?"

Kaji nods. "H-how long?"

"You've been unconscious? Not too much. Barely a month. Your body is pretty damn resilient, gotta hand it to ya." Kaji glances around again. Two more doors. No windows, no plants—nothing to give him the faintest clue about where he is.

"Where?"

"Where's your friend, you ask? She's in a different bed, still unconscious." Is he talking about Hoshina? Kaji had meant to ask where he was, not about her.

Wait a second…

Kaji jumps up, and his body punishes him with a sharp pain in the chest.

"S-she's… not my friend."

"Then your sister? Or mayhaps your lover?"

"No!" The shout triggers another coughing fit.

"Calm down, boy, you are in no condition to raise your voice."

"S-she's dangerous. She almost killed me."

"Uhh… you sure about that?"

"Yes. All this." He gestures to his bandaged body. "Is her doing."

"Well that doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?"

The man stands up. "Follow me, it will be easier if you see it by yourself."