40. Reveals Always Happen Too Late

Yumino kept running.

Painful whines escaped his throat with every step, and whenever he would try to say something, only two words came out.

"Shut up... shut up... shut up..."

Only when he reached the forest did he slow down.

"Shut up..." he kept repeating, his legs barely holding him as his vision was getting blurry.

His mind was both clear and filled with terror. There was not a single voice talking to him, yet in Yumino's head, the fight he had with what used to be his friends repeated on and on.

Blond to what was before him, the elf soon hit a tree, collapsing in the leftover snow. Lacking the strength to keep going, he curled into a ball on the spot.

"Gauntmere..." he called. "Why did this happen? Weren't we supposed to beat Death soon?"

Making an effort to present herself in front of the elf, Gauntmere's shadow slowly took shape. She crouched down and caressed the elf, but her hand passed through him as this cruel world ignored her wish to comfort her hero.

"Yumino... I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier... I just couldn't."

"Tell me what?" the elf asked with a faded voice.

"It's about your revenge. In truth, it was never the Rider of Death who was your target. It was Lucien from the very beginning."

Telling Yumino this any other time would have brought on a huge fight. But not this time.He had been lied to again, but Yumino didn't care. No, he was too tired to care.

As such, the elf didn't bother. He didn't resent her. He listened to the witch and took what she said as another betrayal to end the day.

"I see..." Yumino said. "Another lie..."

The witch didn't answer. She couldn't deny it anymore. It was clear that she had deliberately kept this secret from the elf, and the reason was not hard to guess.

"Did you keep it from me on purpose? No, of course you did... Why would I even ask that..."

"It's true I did, but—"

"Did you also know about Nima? Was that also part of your plan all along?"

"Of course I didn't plan such a thing! Losing one of the last two elves hurt us all!"

"Then how come you became so certain of our win only after she'd left?"

The witch hesitated to answer. To Yumino, it seemed like she was betting on him being too tired to ask again, but the elf wanted to know.

"Gauntmere, please answer me..."

"Ah... I guess it can't be helped," the witch sighed.

"It all fell into place the day Nima died. I don't know the specifics of how it happened, but when her spirit left the world of the living, she joined the pool of spirits, and we were able to feel it. However, we never managed to single her out."

"I see..." Yumino answered, thinking about that one dream he had where he ran after a ghost. In hindsight, there were plenty of signs; he just kept his eyes closed to them.

"So, how does this lead to me killing Death? No, you said the plan had always been to kill Lucien..."

The witch panicked again, looking left and right in an attempt to dodge the elf's question.

"Gauntmere..."

"Ah, yes, sorry! At that time, I thought that with her aid we could take down the vampire lord once and for all. You know, since your power comes from the elven ghosts and all—"

"That's a lie," the elf interrupted her. "Please, tell me the truth."

Gauntmere sighed yet again and looked the elf in the eyes. Her faded expression wore a faint smile built on pity. Looking at the sorry sight of the fallen elf troubled even the witch who started it all.

"I'm sorry... I should really stop keeping things from you," she said.

"The truth is that, as much as Nima's death pained us, it gave us an important chance. Now, our interests are aligned. Now, we all have the same target."

Yuminocouldn't fathom why this would mean so much to the witch, yet he was too tired to think by himself.

"Does me being in the same boat as you really matter that much? I was listening to your indications just fine..." he said.

"Yumino, the stronger our bond gets, the stronger your powers get."

Gauntmere's timing lacked finesse, yet it was clear that everything she did had logic and reason.

"You've kept this from me so I don't force our relationship to grow stronger, right? Or was it out of fear that I would refuse to accept such conditions?"

"It was... both... and a bit more..." Gauntmere answered, looking to her side. If ghosts could blush, this was the moment her cheeks should have turned red.

"I think you've already noticed it, right? What happened was that our intentions finally aligned."

In Yumino's mind, the scenes from his fight with Lucien had been playing again and again. In one of those scenes, Yumino did something he shouldn't have been able to. With a single shot, he could have taken out both Averin and the vampire she was protecting.

"I see..."

Yumino had gotten his answers, but that alone wouldn't bring back what he'd lost. Demoralized, he grabbed his knees and closed his eyes slowly.

"Gauntmere?"

"Yes, Yumino. I'm here."

"Could you please take me back to my old world?"

"Yumino... I think you already know this, but in that world you are already—"

"Dead? I know. What difference does it make? You've seen who I'm up against. Your plan didn't work out. Death is all that awaits me regardless."

The witch took a deep breath, pained at the broken mind of the elf who was trying to get away.

"I'm sorry, hero. There is one more thing I have been keeping from you."

Yumino had no visible reaction. Only his lips parted to let him speak.

"Tell me..."

"In truth, for one person, only one of those many realities can exist at a time."

"..."

"That is to say, as far as you're concerned, that old world doesn't exist anymore."

Secrets, lies, deceit, and trickery are what Yumino hated most. He fought against them and scolded whoever tricked him.

The things Gauntmere told him now could have changed most of his actions. He could have been in a completely different place right now. Need be, maybe he could have protected the girl he cared about most, but it was also possible that he would have taken her and run away together. The spirits knew that, so they were very careful not to leak any crucial information too early.

Yumino finally understood the spot he was in. He was no hero; he was just a pawn of some elves hungry for revenge.

"I see..." he answered. "Then, if all I can do is sit here and wait to die again, please tell me one more thing."

"Ask away, Hero! As long as I have the answer, I won't keep it from you anymore!"

For some reason, Yumino doubted that, yet he asked regardless.

"It's about Lucien. How come it's come to this? Why is he the one target y'all want to take revenge on? What's his problem with Death?"

Upon hearing his questions, Gauntmere let out a soft laugh.

"Yumino, I think I've told you this before..."

"Yes, you did. But this time I want to hear his real story. Please, spare me the ants."

Gauntmere, keeping her form, and sat herself next to the struggling elf. She was careful to place herself with her lap right where Yumino's head was, yet the elf's head passed right through and hit the ground.

"So be it then," she said in a soft voice. "I will tell you everything I know about this Lucien—no, about Luciriel."