BASILISK

Those words felt like an electric shock, but Chinatsu didn’t understand why. If Peony liked Miyabi, then so freaking what.

“It wouldn’t bother me at all!” Chinatsu scoffed. He pulled away and faced the fire. Chinatsu didn’t want to let his embarrassment show. Maybe he could use the heat of the fire as an excuse–though Peony didn’t seem the type to tease about that sort of thing. He liked that about them.

“I see,” Peony replied. They rested their back against Chinatsu’s. “Why don’t you tell me a story to pass the time, then?”

A story? Chinatsu felt put on the spot. What kind of story did Peony want to hear? What would the Elf like? What did he even know well enough to recite?

He took a deep breath. “So it starts with this one ring…”

Chinatsu talked until the sun had fully risen. He felt Peony doze off several times, but never made any attempt to wake them when they did. Peony would wake back up and play it off like they were still listening. Chinatsu didn’t call them out on that either. More than anything, he was just glad to have a distraction from thinking about anything too hard.

“And so finally, they threw the ring into the volcano–”

“Oh! Miyabi is awake! Good morning!” Peony scurried over to Miyabi. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“Wait! That’s not the ending yet. I didn’t get to the part where–”

“Chinatsu, I’ve been hearing you talking for the past hour. Why don’t you give it a rest?” she grumbled. Even if he wanted to continue talking, it seemed like Peony had completely lost interest anyway.

After everyone was finally awake, they ate a little and then were on their way.

Chinatsu couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Joel and Masha as they traveled. The two of them were–well, Joel was–pretending like nothing happened the night before, though Masha seemed to cling to him more than usual. Chinatsu decided he would just take their secret to his grave.

But watching Peony and Miyabi walk together and in high spirits just made him feel weird in a different way. Even though he said that it wouldn’t bother him if Peony liked Miyabi, seeing the Elf fawn over her made his chest hurt.

Well, at any rate, Miyabi said she liked someone from their world, so it didn’t matter. He tried to put those kinds of thoughts out of his head and instead kept his eyes on what was really in front of him.

Since it had first come into view, they had been getting increasingly closer to the tower at the center. The day’s journey alone had finally brought it fully into view–a single, stone tower tall enough to dwarf the walls of the labyrinth around it. The sharp spire at the top made it seem like a spear piercing the heavens. At the top was the exit.

Chinatsu couldn't help but think about how many stairs he was going to have to climb.

The path they had taken from their campsite was direct, with very few branching paths. It seemed that the closer they got to the center, the more straightforward the route became. Like everything was being funneled to the center.

At the end of the path they were on, the walls opened up to a grove of trees growing neatly in rows. It was an orchard full of fruiting trees. It had been a few hours since they last ate, and the prospect of fresh fruit was making Chinatsu hungry again.

“We pass through here, and then we’ll be on a direct route to the tower,” Peony explained as they entered the orchard. “Then, we part ways.”

Chinatsu had hoped that he could convince Peony to return with them, but knew now that was going to be an impossible task. Peony was alive in this world, but had been dead for fifty years in their own world.

“Actually…” Masha averted her gaze from the rest of them as she spoke. She seemed to have difficulty getting the next words out. “I want to stay here too.”

“Why!? What the hell do you think we’re all doing this for!?” Joel shouted.

“That’s right,” Chinatsu meekly agreed. He understood Joel’s frustration even if he didn’t agree with the delivery. But Chinatsu was holding himself back, too. “Weren’t we all trying to leave?”

“Masha, are you really sure about this?” Miyabi’s voice was kind and gentle. Free from judgment.

“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I think it would be best if I made this place my home. I don’t think there is anything worthwhile for me where I’m from,” she said softly. Masha smiled, but tears streamed down her face. “I think that I can give my life meaning if I help guide people through this place alongside Peony.”

“You! Are you even okay with this!?” Joel said, pointing to Peony.

“If it’s what she wants,” Peony shrugged. They had a look on their face that Chinatsu hadn’t seen since he first proposed the idea of all of them leaving. Peony’s eyes said “pity,” but what did that smirk say? Amusement? Curiosity?

“Thank you all so much for everything!” Masha bowed from her waist, then straightened up. She wiped away her tears and smiled. “I’ll see you all safely to the end.”

Chinatsu took a look around the orchard. The walls they had entered from seemed to curve around the space with incremental openings leading to paths within the maze. On the other side was a small hill leading up to more curved walls circling the tower in the center. The tower, he posited, was likely surrounded by concentric circles.

The trees in the orchard were full of peaches, and in a spectacular stroke of luck, most of them were perfectly ripe. Their aroma filled the air. Chinatsu picked a tender peach off a tree and took a bite. It was unbelievably sweet–like the essence of a peach-flavored candy or soft drink. The mood, however, was bittersweet.

Everyone was using the orchard for an opportunity to rest. Joel smoked a cigarette while flipping his knife open and closed. Masha and Peony were chatting about what Chinatsu could only assume was what their life together might look like in this world.

He saw Miyabi sitting under a tree with a notebook, writing something. Was she seriously doing homework in another world!? Studying was one thing, but homework? Chinatsu cringed at the thought.

As Chinatsu wandered, he realized that for the sheer amount of trees in this spot, there was a complete absence of birdsong. He stopped in his tracks–no birds were a bad sign. Chinatsu got goosebumps.

He stayed within sight of the others, but he had still walked a considerable distance away from them. Chinatsu began to hurry back to them, but didn’t pay attention to his footing in his haste. Chinatsu crashed down to the grass and rolled.

Somehow, the armor he was wearing made the fall hurt worse as it rattled around on him. The helmet flew off his head again when he hit the ground, even though he had tied the strap around his chin. He pulled himself to his feet and looked around for the helmet.

The helmet had landed near a mound. Was that what he tripped over? He bent over to pick up the helmet and realized he was staring into a hole in the ground. A hole big enough for a sumo wrestler to crawl into comfortably.

Chinatsu picked up the helmet and backed away slowly, keeping his eyes on the burrow. It was impossible to tell whether it was empty and its owner would return, or if he had just inadvertently knocked directly on Death’s front door.

From the burrow, a soft shuffling sound turned into hissing as a massive snake slithered its way out. Its blue scales looked almost iridescent in the speckled sunlight of the orchard. On top of its head were ridges like horns.

Chinatsu’s legs felt weak from fear, but he knew that inaction could mean death. He drew the katana and raised it in defense as the giant snake raised itself into the air. The serpent angled its head directly at Chinatsu. He couldn’t help but be transfixed by its bright, golden eyes. When every cell in his body was screaming at him to attack, run, yell–anything–he realized he was frozen in place.

He realized too late what he was facing–a serpent of legends. A Basilisk.

The Basilisk reared back and opened its mouth wide, ready to strike. The fangs on it looked as long as his legs. He couldn’t even close his eyes or avert his gaze–he was completely frozen. The thought of having to watch this thing attack him while he was completely helpless was more terrifying than his imminent death.

Chinatsu’s ears were ringing, and all he could hear was his own heartbeat. His eyes were watering, and even he couldn’t tell if it was from fear or just because they were being held open. With his vision blurred, he saw the arcing movement of a sword.

Hot blood from the Basilisk hit his face. He was able to move again.

Chinatsu wiped the blood from his face. He saw Miyabi, Masha, and Joel attacking the Basilisk–though Masha and Joel’s small weapons seemed ineffective on a creature this large. It was now directing its attention to its attackers.

“It’s a Basilisk!” Chinatsu yelled. “Don’t look it in the eyes or you’ll be paralyzed!”

What to do? He knew the Basilisk’s weakness from books, but obviously, that wasn’t going to help them right now. The small weapons could work if they were able to drive them into the eyes. But for fighting something like this, only the katana and longsword were going to be effective.

“Are you hurt!?” Peony called out to him, pulling him away.

“I’m fine! But you should stay back!” Chinatsu commanded. He positioned himself in front of Peony, the only one without an adequate weapon. Peony was the last person they needed to get hurt. “Be ready to heal us if something goes wrong.”

The Elf nodded in affirmation. With that, Chinatsu lunged toward the Basilisk with his katana.

He slashed, flinging blood with the swing of the sword. The Basilisk flailed at the pain of the cut, and Chinatsu finally felt good. He finally felt capable. He finally felt like he could hold his own and protect the others. Chinatsu knocked his fist against the armor on his chest–this would be his own protection.

The Basilisk once again directed its gaze at him. Chinatsu closed his eyes–he knew better this time. He was going to let the Basilisk think he was frozen, then stab into the roof of its mouth as it was striking.

Or so he thought.

Something heavy hit him from his right side, sending him flying to the left. After he hit the ground, he opened his eyes again.

In the mouth of the Basilisk was Masha. She had pushed him out of the way.