XXXVIII - Journey’s End?

There is no Demon Emperor.

...

I made it up.

...

....

......

Pan’s voice slowly faded, swallowed by the sound of waves breaking against the quay.

What... what does she mean by that?

“There... there is no Demon Emperor?” Haku repeated.

Pan shook her head.

“No...”

For another moment, Haku said nothing.

“You mean... you lied about what he was called? Is that it? The threat is something else?”

Pan blinked.

“N-no. Haku, there is no threat. No evil shadows coming to attack the world. There is... nothing!”

Her voice grew smaller.

“Which is why... I can’t be that Great Hero you’ve been looking for either...”

Silence fell between them as Haku stared at Pan in confusion.

She... made it all up?

Her hands tightened around the harbor railing.

Something ice-cold seemed to spread through her stomach, sending a shiver down her spine.

For an instant, she was back in those first days after awakening north of Castran.

But... if there is no Demon Emperor...

The realization hit her all at once.

“...Then why am I here?” she gasped.

Pan moved closer to her.

“Haku, I...” she began hesitantly. “I’m sorry I lied to you. But maybe...” She touched Haku’s arm. “Maybe there’s a reason you ended up in a world without some great evil. Maybe you’ve already completed your task, mm!”

Haku stared absently at the dark water as the last rays of sunlight sank beneath its surface.

“Complete...?” she echoed dully.

Her gaze snapped back to Pan.

For the first time, anger flashed across her face.

“You think anything is complete?”

Pan pulled her hand away.

“I-I only meant...”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

The words came out so sharply that they sounded foreign even to her own ears.

“Why...?” she finally forced out. “Why did you do it? When you knew how important my task was?”

Pan took a step back, her breathing unsteady.

“A-at first... all I cared about was finding a way home, and you were so strong, so I thought...”

Haku flinched.

“That’s why you lied to me?” Haku snapped. “So I’d escort you here?”

Pan shook her head violently, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“It wasn’t just that! After you told me your story, I felt so sorry for you, and I just didn’t want you to throw your life away without...”

“So you did it because you pitied me?”

Pan struggled for words.

“N-no, I-I just wanted...”

Haku lowered her gaze as memories flooded her mind.

Their trips to the markets together, where practical reasons had gradually faded into the background.

The hours spent on coaches, ferries, and whatever else carried them onward.

With every passing hour, she had cared less and less about taking the quickest route and more about taking whichever one they might enjoy most.

And finally, the quiet evenings when, despite knowing she needed to sleep, she had kept her eyes open just a little longer to watch the occasional twitch of two black ears.

Something stabbed at Haku’s chest.

She lied to me.

When she turned back to Pan, there was no anger on Haku’s face.

Only pain.

Her hand gently brushed over the singed scarf as the first tears began to spill down her cheeks.

“Was any of it... even real?”

For a moment, there was silence.

Pan opened her mouth.

But Haku didn’t wait for an answer.

She spun around and ran.

“W-wait! HAKU!”

Haku had already disappeared around the next corner.

***

She ran through narrow alleys and deserted streets that wound their way up through the dark city, without any idea where she was going.

Only the heaps of snow along the roadside caught the light of the first stars appearing in the evening sky.

Pan’s voice echoed in her head again and again.

'I’m not the Great Hero!'

She’s been telling me that ever since we met.

Why didn’t I want to believe her?

Did I... just want her to be the one?

She thought back to all the signs that had seemed so obvious.

Pan’s hidden strength.

The way she always helped people in need without ever asking for anything in return.

How, little by little, she had seemed to become the Great Hero Haku wanted her to become.

What have I been doing here all this time if none of it was real?

At some point, she passed through the northern gate without even remembering how she had gotten there.

The night watchman called after her, asking where she was going, but she didn’t answer.

Instead, her own words came back to her.

There are no coincidences.

She swallowed.

Was I wrong?

Was everything that happened… really nothing more than some meaningless accident?

Before long, the houses had disappeared behind her as the road climbed higher.

Snow-covered pines rose on either side, and somewhere beyond them came the distant roar of the sea.

Between the trees, Haku passed a small frozen lake, its frozen surface dusted with a thin layer of snow.

She kept following the path until the trees finally gave way to a broad, snow-covered cliff bathed in moonlight.

Only then did she stop.

Cold tears clung to her cheeks.

“If none of it was destiny… what was it?” she whispered.

Her feet carried her slowly toward the edge, where the waves crashed against the jagged rocks far below.

The sea breeze caught her scarf, sending its singed ends whipping around her.

She took it off and stared at it for a moment.

Her other hand drifted over the simple clothes she had grown so used to wearing.

Was all of this... fake too?

“It’s my own fault…” she murmured. “If I had just kept my distance… stayed the Sword Saint I was supposed to be…”

Her fingers tightened around the scarf.

She drew her arm back.

The wind picked up, icy against her back, tugging hard at the fabric.

Haku pulled her arm back farther, when a sudden tickle seized her nose.

She sneezed hard enough to bend forward.

Her arms lowered again, her gaze dropping back to the scarf.

This’ll keep you from catching another cold, mm!

Haku dropped to her knees.

“AHHH!!!”

The scream tore from her throat, carrying across the dark sea.

Everything between us began with a lie.

And yet…

The thought of leaving her hurts more than anything else.

Slowly, she wrapped the scarf around her neck again and stared out into the distance for a long while.

She let out a deep breath.

“I don’t want to go,” she admitted at last, rising again.

“But I have no choice.”

Her gaze fell to the jagged rocks below.

Every day I remain here is a day I refuse the purpose I was made for.

If this world does not need me, then I have to return and wait for one that does...

Her hands trembled.

Wanting to stay isn’t enough.

She raised her head toward the moon, its pale light reflecting in her silver eyes.

“I guess this is the end of our journey.”

Next time, I’ll do nothing but fulfill my duty.

Nothing more…

She took a step closer to the edge and drew in a deep breath.

...

“HAAAKU!”

The voice came from far away.

Not from the city, but from somewhere in the direction of the western pine forest.

Haku knew it immediately.

“Pan…” she breathed, turning toward the sound.

Why did she follow me?

She already got what she wanted.

Another shout came from farther away.

“HAKU! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

A sharp ache twisted through her chest.

Don’t answer.

No farewell.

That’ll only make it worse…

She stepped closer to the edge of the cliff.

Behind her, Pan called out again, but the wind snatched the words away before Haku could make them out.

Haku clenched her teeth.

Now.

Jump.

But her body did not obey.

Her hands began to tremble.

“Why... can’t I do it?”

She turned back toward Pan’s voice.

“HAKU! PLEASE COME BACK!”

Is it because of...

Beneath the roar of the sea, a faint sound reached her.

For one heartbeat, even the wind seemed to fall silent.

CRRRACK!

The sound came from the direction of the frozen lake.

A high, startled scream followed.

“W-WAH!”

Then came the splintering of ice and the heavy splash of something hitting the water.

Haku froze.