So Close

As the moon lit the area around where we were still lying, Ren and I continued to laugh, our cackles keeping each other going.

However, at some point my chuckles turned into something else. They became little winces and cries as one or two tears squeezed themselves out of my eyes.

The tears clearly weren’t because I was in pain; nor did they feel like they were out of pure happiness either. I cried due to the tremendously strong sense of relief that finally pervaded me.

I felt a sense of completion that I had waited so long for. My body had cleansed something from within itself — not only because I had gotten revenge for Izumi, but because of the enthralling satisfaction I had gained from killing the leader.

Though my eyes had seriously deceived me, it gave me peace that I was able to do something so cold-blooded. It put me at ease somewhat, in that I was given the opportunity to do what I wanted to do to Junpei’s killer without having to suffer any of the consequences.

A twisted thought? So be it.

My wincing must've dragged on for longer than I had realised. Ren tried to stop it, clearly unaware that my tears were for a good reason. He grabbed me by the hand and squeezed it with a soft touch. It reminded me of how he used to guide me throughout my life just after Junpei had died; how he’d put up with me zoning out at every chance I got and probably ignoring his every word without even knowing.

Though I was feeling fine, Ren, as I said, wasn’t aware of that. He sparked yet another conversation, trying to take my mind off of whatever negative thoughts he believed I was having.

“Well, that’s it, Taro. Just one more mission to go and we’re finished. We’ll finally be out of this place. And that means Junpei will be with us again.”

“Is it really only one last mission?” I replied, knowing full well that the answer was yes. A little bit of reassurance was never a bad thing.

“Yeah…it is. We are so close to making this all…end. It’s crazy to think how so much has happened in such a short amount of time.” Ren paused for a moment and sat up. I didn’t look at him, but the quiet tone of his voice told me what expression lay on his face. “Just shows how much more we can do with our lives if we have a goal or purpose, I guess.”

I hummed a noise of affirmation, gazing at the oddly shaped stars above as they twinkled in the sky.

“Well, we can’t lie here forever,” Ren said with a huff as he rose to his feet. “Come on, Taro, let’s get this over with as quickly as we can. This is all becoming too tiring.”

Ren locked his two hands around one of mine and pulled me up to my feet.

For the first time, I didn’t let us walk in silence. What was to come of us remained uncertain, and so I thought taking advantage of the time we had left here together was important.

“As much as I don’t like being here, Ren, wouldn’t you say it’s strange that, at times, being here has been quite fun?”

“Huh?” Ren let out a little breath, suggesting he wasn’t quite sure what I was getting at.

“Well, I don’t mean the entire time. For me, anyway, I’m talking about once I pulled my foot out of my arse and actually started acting like the character I’m supposed to be.”

“You mean once you stopped being a big cry baby?” Ren smirked.

“You don’t have to rub it in, Ren. You know that’s what I meant.”

“Well, Taro, I am your twin brother. There are some things I can’t really ever let go and will always tease you about every now and then.”

“I guess that’s fair.” I said, slightly agitated, trying to get Ren back on track to my initial question. “But seriously, aren’t you having fun…even if just a little?”

“Of course beating up monsters is—”

A sudden thought crossed my mind and I couldn’t wait for Ren to finish. I barged into him out of excitement, accidentally brushing him in the face with my elbow.

“What an idea!” I gasped as I flung my arms into the air.

“What? Where did that come from?” Ren muttered as he rubbed his cheek.

I ignored Ren’s question and jumped straight to the point. “Man, imagine how cool it would be if someone was able to make a game like this. It would have to be virtual reality, of course, but imagine if they made it this immersive! How awesome would that be?”

Ren pondered in front of me, pushing his lower lip with his thumb as he stared upwards.

“Obviously, though, Ren, the stakes wouldn’t be this severe. It’s not like we’d actually die or anything if we failed to survive in the game.”

“Yes, I’d like to think so,” Ren joked.

Ren remained still for a few more seconds before offering his opinion on the matter. “I like it! But it would be almost impossible to create something so brilliant, surely?”

He then snapped his fingers, pointing at me with his gun fingers again. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, why don’t you start working on something like it? You’re really smart, right?”

I appreciated the compliment from Ren, but I had to tell him that he’d got it all wrong. “That’s not really how being smart works. I may be smart academically, but I’d have no chance making a game. Writing it and thinking of the story, sure. But actually creating it technologically — hell no. No chance.”

“I guess you’re right. Either way, I’ll be waiting for it to be released. You’ll let me have the game for free though, right?”

“Maybe if you trade some of your time to help me with it then there’s no reason I wouldn’t.”

We laughed together again.

I was having such a good time I didn’t let the conversation end.

“So, you said it’s the last mission. What are we to expect this time? I assume it’s a lot if it's the finale.”

“Strap yourself in. This might take a while.”

I locked onto Ren, preparing myself to understand everything he said in one go.

“We’ll soon reach the bottom of a tall, dark, and winding mountain enveloped by shaded clouds and thunderous noises. The path we walk is only lit by torches that guide us up to the entrance of the castle that sits atop the mountain. From the moment the doors open, the mission begins. Each room we move through is laced with unpredictable and cunning traps or puzzles. Though I know the quickest route through the castle so we don’t end up entering rooms that are purely there to trick us into thinking we are progressing, there are some we simply cannot avoid.”

Ren took a deep breath, and opted to begin speaking a bit slower.

“After that, we’ll come across an orange and strange-looking beast. We, of course, will have to fight it. But there's a catch. That beast isn’t the final boss. Though its mouth speaks as a towering voice speaks to us, it isn’t really his own. It is the final boss using his telekinetic powers to trick us. The whole point is to make us think that we have to expend our Pink Strawberries, if we have one, to fight this beast. Therefore, if we did, we’d struggle to defeat the final boss which, in my opinion, requires the consumption of a Pink Strawberry to defeat — unless you’re an absolute pro at the game.”

“And then?” I interjected, eager to hear the end.

“What comes next isn’t the most exciting. The final boss simply enters the room, with Izumi’s sister in some sort of cage that hangs from the roof, and then we fight him in the same room, or arena as they like to call it, until one side claims victory.”

Our chatter ensued. Even as we made our way up the mountain, we talked as though it was a normal day. It helped settle our nerves somewhat — probably why the both of us never let the conversation truly end.

We finally reached the doors of the castle, the air sharper and colder as the enormous doors came into view. They towered over us, their surface evidently scarred with age. As we approached, they squeaked open on their own, the sound echoing against the stone.

Just before stepping through, Ren lifted his wrist and flickered his glowing hologram which he randomly called upon. “Look at that,” he said with a smirk. “Nine hundred and ninety-nine kills."

My face creased out of confusion. “Wait—you can actually check that?”

“Yeah. Just call upon the hologram like before…and then swipe left on it. I didn’t tell you before because it’s not really relevant, but I thought it was worth checking.”

I did as he said and, not really to my surprise, the number displayed in front of me was nowhere near his. “Only two hundred and forty-three. Oh come on!”

Not exactly impressive.

Ren leaned over to peek, grinning wider. “Ha! I can’t have you stealing both of the last two kills. I’ve never hit a thousand before. This time, I’m setting a record.”

I rolled my eyes, but his grin softened into something almost nostalgic.

“Can’t wait to tell Junpei about it,” he added quietly. “If…we remember all of this, that is.”

The weight of his words settled in my chest. I didn’t reply, using my low kill count as an excuse to look sad.

Instead I stared at the vast doors yawning open, waiting to settle the score with this game once and for all.