Return

A horde of otherworldly horrors come stampeding towards me.

All similar in appearance to the previous ones that have chased me.

My body freezes.

There are too many.

They pour into the street from every direction, crawling over fences and stumbling out from between the houses.

Some run on two legs.

Others drag themselves across the pavement.

I don’t even know how many there are.

My heart pounds against my chest.

A few minutes ago, I was terrified of facing one.

Now there must be dozens.

“What am I supposed to do here?”

< Do not panic. >

“Easy for you to say!”

One of the creatures lunges forward.

I instinctively raise my hand and yell.

“Stop!”

The creature suddenly halts.

Its body trembles as it struggles against my command

It worked.

But the others keep coming.

I look around.

It’s a horrific sight.

A writhing mass of creatures.

They aren’t even aware of each other.

The one that I had just stopped has already been trampled by the rest of them.

All they can see is me.

They won’t stop until they get me.

There has to be something I can do.

I have power now.

I just need to use it.

“Stop!”

My voice echoes through the street.

Several creatures stumble to a halt.

A wave of exhaustion hits me.

I can barely remain standing.

Did stopping more than one at once do this to me?

I’m exhausted, but the creatures don’t give me a chance to breathe.

One of them moves.

Then another.

The others begin pushing forward again.

My confidence evaporates .

“Why isn’t it working?”

< Your current authority and desire are not aligned. >

“What does that mean?”

< As you are now, your power cannot possibly match the scale of your command. >

The creatures continue closing in.

I take a step back.

“So what am I supposed to do?”

< Watch. >

The air around me becomes heavy.

I barely have time to react.

The creatures suddenly stop.

Every single one.

Their bodies freeze in place.

Then—

< Kneel. >

BOOM

Every creature is forced to the ground at once .

The pavement cracks beneath them.

I cannot believe the scene in front of me.

She didn’t even raise her voice.

“You…”

I struggle to find the words.

“You can really do all of that with one word?”

< Of course. >

Her answer comes immediately.

Almost smugly.

I look at the creatures scattered across the street.

Not one of them is moving.

“Then why didn’t you just do that before?”

< Because you needed to learn. >

“What if I died?”

< I assure you that I wouldn’t let that occur. >

Her voice remains composed.

But something feels different.

Her voice is quieter than before. Almost as if she’s short on breath.

“Are you okay?”

< I am fine. >

“You don’t sound fine.”

< I would call it fatigue. >

< Do not mistake it for weakness. >

“I never said you were weak.”

< Good. >

< Because I am not. >

I can’t help but sigh.

I look toward the carnage she had just caused.

“Still, you can do all of that even though you’re tired?”

< Under normal circumstances, such a horde would scarcely be worth my attention. >

< But after transferring my power to you, even this has become more taxing than I would have preferred. >

“Then why did you do that in the first place if you were tired?

< I cannot allow you to die. >

For a moment, I don’t know how to respond.

She says it so simply.

Like there was never any question about it.

I look at the creatures scattered across the street.

Every single one of them is still pinned to the ground.

Just stopping a dozen of them completely drained me.

She really used all of that power just to keep me alive?

“You’re willing to push yourself that far for me?”

< Of course. >

Her answer comes without hesitation.

< You are my knight. >

< It is my duty to ensure that my knight does not perish in my presence. >

“I see…”

< And what sort of ruler would I be if I could not protect those who serve me? >

“You make it sound so obvious.”

< Because it is. >

< To diminish myself before my knight would be unbecoming. >

“That’s what you’re worried about?”

< I am concerned with many things. Your opinion is not among them. >

“Right…”

I sigh.

Of course.

She could barely admit that she was tired in the first place.

But before I can say anything else, I hear something.

A low crack echoes through the street.

I turn toward the creatures.

One of them moves.

Just slightly.

Their bodies begin to twitch beneath the invisible pressure.

Then another creature begins to stir.

The pressure holding them down is weakening.

My stomach drops.

“They’re getting back up.”

< I know. >

Her voice is quieter now.

Much quieter than before.

I stare at the creatures.

“I thought they wouldn’t be able to move again.”

< That was the intention. >

“Then what’s happening?”

She doesn’t answer immediately.

For the first time, I hear something other than confidence in her voice.

Not fear.

Something closer to restraint.

< It pains me to admit it, but I have already spent far more strength than I would have liked. >

The ground beneath one of the creatures begins to crack .

< We are leaving. >

I blink.

“What?”

< We cannot remain here. >

“But Mina—”

< I know. >

Her voice cuts me off.

“I can’t just leave her here!”

< And what do you intend to accomplish by staying here? >

< Die alongside her? >

I freeze.

She continues before I can answer.

< You have only just received my power. You cannot wield it properly. >

< And I am not yet restored to my former strength. >

The creatures continue to slowly rise one after another.

They won’t be held any longer.

< If we remain here, we will accomplish nothing. >

“But—”

I stop myself and clench my fists.

She’s right.

I hate that she’s right.

I came here to find Mina.

But I don’t even know where I am.

Worst of all, I don’t have a single clue where she could be.

For all I know, she might not even be here.

Everything I know about this place came from a source I can’t even trust.

And now the one person keeping me alive is running out of strength.

It would be foolish to continue searching.

I look down the empty street.

For the first time since I received her power, I realize something.

Having power doesn’t mean I’m ready.

And having her beside me doesn’t mean she’s invincible.

“How do we get back?”

< Leave that to me. >

I wait.

Nothing happens.

“Do I need to do something?”

< Be patient. >

I look toward the creatures.

They are getting closer.

One drags itself forward with its arms.

Another has already gotten back onto its feet.

Then another.

They’re coming toward me again at an alarming pace.

“Are you sure we have time for this?”

< Just do as I say. We have no time for your questions. >

“Okay…”

One of the creatures is already more than halfway down the street.

< Now, close your eyes. >

I listen to her.

< You should be slightly more accustomed to my power by now. >

I don’t understand what she means.

But before I can ask, something changes.

The voice in my head feels different.

Closer.

Almost like she’s no longer speaking from somewhere inside my mind.

I open my eyes.

And freeze.

Someone is standing in front of me.

A woman.

Her form is faint. She’s almost completely transparent.

I can see the street through her body, as though she’s nothing more than a reflection.

Even so, there’s no mistaking her.

The woman from the vision.

It’s her.

For the first time, I can actually see her.

< I should have a form by now. >

Her voice isn’t coming from inside my head anymore.

It’s coming directly from her.

I stare at her .

“You can actually appear now?”

< It seems so. >

She glances down at her own hands.

Even through her translucent form, I can make out the details of her clothing.

The same elaborate dress from my vision.

The same crown.

RAAARGH

Another growl echoes through the street.

I look past her.

The creatures are getting closer.

Much closer than I would like.

“Why didn’t you do this before?”

< Because you were not yet capable of perceiving me. >

She looks back at me.

< Now, you are. >

I don’t know what to say.

After everything that’s happened, seeing her standing in front of me is somehow the strangest part.

“... So you’re really the woman from my vision.”

< Naturally. >

She raises one hand.

The air around us begins to tremble.

Behind her, the nearest creature suddenly launches itself toward us.

My eyes widen.

“They’re coming!”

She doesn’t react.

The creature is going to land on us at this rate.

I instinctively raise my hand

“Stop!”

The creature suddenly freezes in midair.

Its claws are only a few feet from my face.

I actually did it.

But my arm starts trembling.

The creature begins to shake against my command.

It’s already resisting.

“I can’t hold it…”

< Great work, my knight. >

< Now, close your eyes again. >

“Again?”

The creature twitches in front of me .

Its claws move another inch.

< Do as I say. >

I grit my teeth.

“Right.”

I close my eyes.

For a moment, I hear nothing.

SCRAPE

My heart jumps.

The creature is still there.

I can hear its claws dragging against the ground.

I keep my eyes shut.

“Is it working?”

< Your command? Barely. >

“That’s not very reassuring.”

SCRAPE

The sound is getting closer.

My grip tightens.

“I don’t think I can hold it much longer.”

< You do not need to. >

“What?”

A low growl rumbles through the street.

Then another.

More creatures are approaching.

I can hear them surrounding us.

My breathing grows heavier.

“Remind me what you are doing again?”

< Preparing our departure. >

I swallow.

Something moves in front of me.

I can hear its claws scraping against the ground.

Closer.

Closer.

Then I feel something rush past my face.

I flinch.

“It’s getting through!”

< Remain still. >

“I can’t just stand here!”

< You will. >

Her voice is completely calm.

I grit my teeth.

Another growl.

This one is so close that I can feel the vibration in my chest.

My command is weakening.

I can feel it.

“Please hurry…”

< … >

The sudden silence makes my heart drop.

But then I hear her voice.

Not from beside me.

Not from inside my head.

Somewhere deeper.

< Yusuke. >

I freeze.

< Open your eyes. >

I slowly open them.

The world around me is changing.

The air itself seems to ripple.

The street bends at the edges of my vision.

The creatures are still moving, but something about them looks wrong.

Their bodies are stretching.

The houses behind them distort.

The sky twists into impossible shapes.

“What is happening?”

The crowned woman stands before me, her translucent form flickering.

For the first time, I can see her expression clearly.

Pure concentration.

She raises her hand.

< Return. >

The world shudders.

Everything around me is swallowed by white.

The creatures vanish.

The houses vanish.

The pavement beneath my feet disappears.

For one terrifying moment, I feel like I’m falling.

I reach out instinctively.

“Wait!”

I don’t know what I’m reaching for.

I don’t know where I’m going.

I only know that the entire world is being pulled away from me.

“Where am I…?”

My voice sounds distant.

Almost like it isn’t mine.

I look around.

There is nothing.

Just an endless white space stretching in every direction.

It feels strangely familiar.

I’ve been here before.

My vision begins to blur.

My body feels heavier.

I can barely keep my eyes open.

< Do not resist. >

Her voice echoes through the emptiness.

I try to answer.

But I can’t.

My thoughts begin to fade.

The last thing I hear is her voice.

< Rest. >

And then, I feel myself drifting away.