Chapter 13: The Embodiment of Self Harm

MELODY

It’s been almost a week since I last spoke with Noah.
I wonder… how is he doing now?

All this time, I’ve been flying far from Hoshivalle, traveling beyond the clouds, searching for answers. I wanted to know if there were more of those Humanoid Hollows out there. But no matter where I went, I found nothing. Not even a trace of an ordinary Hollow.

So, after six long days, I finally returned to Willowmori.

There’s so much in this world, even after living here all my life, that I still can’t fully understand.

The Hollows… they’ve somehow changed.
They’ve learned how to fight back.

And that terrifies me.

All my life, I’ve fought these things. I know what they can do. The Hollows are not mere shadows, they are living despair. Dark entities that embody self-harm itself. Their very presence whispers to you, pushes you, convinces you that your life is no longer worth keeping.
They don’t kill you outright, they make you kill yourself.

I once felt their influence, too. They preyed on my greatest fear, being alone.
Alone in this world, forgotten, unseen.

But I fought back. I used my voice, my song,, and that’s when I discovered their weakness.

Still… the world I live in isn’t quite the same as Noah’s. His world is full of people, warmth, and sound. Mine feels… different. Empty. As if it were never meant to exist.

Sometimes I wonder how I came to be here at all. Why I was born without a mother or father. Why this world even let me live.

Oh, Noah…
I want to see you again so badly.
But if I don’t uncover why the Hollows are growing stronger, why they’re suddenly fighting back, I can’t risk your life.

You’re already too special to me.
Even if we only spent a few days together, those moments were enough. You’re the kind of person I’d want to walk beside, someone who truly understands what music means.

As I flew toward Willowmori, a sharp pain suddenly pierced my head.
It was so strong it forced me to land, otherwise, I might have fallen straight from the sky.

Then I felt it… that same suffocating aura.
The Hollows were manifesting here.

In Willowmori.
In Hoshivalle.

Why here?
Why now?

This… is where Noah lives.
I followed the Hollow’s presence through the misty streets, their influence lingering like a trail of static in the air.
Until finally, I spotted three of them, standing by the bridge.

This time, I was prepared.
I had found a microphone, small and cracked, but still functional. With it, my voice could reach farther, strong enough to push back their darkness.

If they tried to come near me, they wouldn’t get the chance to hurt me.

The moment they saw me, all three suddenly charged forward.
Their movements were crooked, jerking, almost human but not quite.

So I lifted the microphone and began to hum.

My voice trembled at first, but the melody spread, echoing through the night air, resonating across the bridge.

I expected them to fade away, like they always did.
But this time… they didn’t.

Instead, they covered their ears.
Their forms twisted in agony and then, without warning, they ran away.

"What…?"
My voice faltered. "Why did they—?"

Something wasn’t right.

I was about to chase them when I felt another presence.
Stronger. Closer.

Still in Willowmori.

I couldn’t let it escape.
This was my chance to end it.

So I flew, the air cold against my face as I soared toward the hospital on the hill.

But the closer I got, the more intense the pain became.
It started as a throb in my temples, then a pressure behind my eyes, until my wings trembled under the weight.

"Ugh—!"

The pain grew unbearable. My vision blurred.
And then, I lost balance, crashing onto the rooftop of the hospital.

The tiles shattered beneath me. I struggled to stand, clutching the microphone with both hands.

Then I saw it.

Standing above me.

The Humanoid Hollow.

It had taken the shape of a young girl, maybe around my age… maybe around Noah’s.

But something about her was broken. Her body wobbled with each step, her joints bending at unnatural angles.

Slowly, she tilted her head toward me.
Then, with a sickening snap, her neck twisted all the way around.

Two glowing red eyes burst open on her pale, faceless head.

She stared straight at me.

And then, she screamed.
A piercing, guttural sound that tore through the air.

The next moment, she lunged.

I tried to hum again, my voice trembling through the mic, but the pain shot straight through my throat.

"Ah—!"

I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t sing.
Couldn’t even scream.

My vision darkened as the Hollow’s shadow loomed closer.

"I… can’t… do anything…"

The world began to fade.

"I’m going to die—"