Chapter 328: Ouroboros (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 328: Ouroboros (3)
Some would think her foolish. Everyone died someday, and everyone experienced loss at least once in their life. It was an all-too-common tragedy. Some would probably be surprised that this cold-blooded woman would willingly walk toward certain destruction just because she had been unable to deal with the death of a family member. Some would consider her weak because, for twenty years, she hadn't been able to get over something everyone else could. Amelia thought the same.
Stab!
Nevertheless, her sister would have brushed her hair—Amelia being younger and requiring more care—and said: "It must have been very hard for you."
Not bothering with pity, not even bothering to reprimand her for doing such a thing, her sister would have hugged her tight and told her she did a good job. Even if everyone in the world considered her terrifying, even if they pointed fingers and called her a cold-hearted woman, to Laura, she would always just be her crybaby younger sister. She had been the only person in the world to ever treat her that way.
Yes, she definitely would have...
"Sorry..."
"Who are you apologizing to?"
Amelia closed her eyes, ignoring the pain radiating from her abdomen. "Laura..."
In the end, she'd achieved nothing. Although she had spent the past twenty years getting stronger in preparation for this day, it hadn't been enough to defeat this man. Even though she'd tried to speak to him to clear up the misunderstanding, she tried to explain that she was not a part of the Order of the Rose, the man would not listen. In the end, a battle broke out, and she desperately bought time for her sister to escape. But that was over now.
"What, are you seeing a hallucination?" The man sneered and twisted the sword. A burning pain radiated from her injury. "Did you think I'd let them escape?" The excruciating sensation brought her back to reality. "You need to see what I had to go through."
The sword slid out, and Amelia collapsed to the ground, at which point the man began to drag her along by her hair. The events that were about to unfold were very clear to her.
"That way I can show you what loss feels like."
This man was going to slay her sister right before her eyes, just like he did that fateful day.
Splash!
With every step he took, her heart dropped more and more. Her consciousness faded and each time she opened her eyes, the scenery around her was different.
"As I expected, they didn't get far," the man muttered.
"L-Laura..."
"You go first! I'll take care—!"
The same conversation had happened that day as well.
"Amelia...!"
The sword was aimed at her younger self.
Stab!
Her older sister hugged her.
"Laura...!"
The man's sword ran through her sister's chest, just like it did back then.
In the end, I changed nothing...
That was when Amelia realized that this was what twenty years of hope had gotten her. The happily ever after these two girls sought only existed in fairy tales. In reality, all that was left was a weak, foolish human woman.
"That's a nice look."
Stab!
The man pulled out the sword embedded in her sister's body. At that moment, her consciousness faded and the scenery changed again. The dark sewer reeked of blood.
Kwaaang!
A roar filled the passage, and she felt a warmth on her cold skin.
"Jeez, why are you crying? It's not even over yet."
Not over yet? What could that possibly mean? She couldn't figure it out.
"You did a good job. Now leave it to me and get some rest." At those words, the tension in her body disappeared, and her eyes fluttered shut on their own. "When you wake up, it will all be over." That was the last bit of awareness her consciousness allowed her.
***
As Amelia lost consciousness, I shouted, "What are you doing?! Take your sister and run!"
The shout was directed at Amelia Fetus—Amelia F for short.
"A-ah—!" Amelia F seemed momentarily confused by my instructions, but she quickly draped her sister over her small shoulders and started running.
Whew, then I can leave the rest to the old man...
I shifted my gaze.
"You...!" Lüchenprague, clearly stunned, looked around. It seemed he was trying to check if the Knight of Light was with me.
What a comedian.
"If you were going to run, then just run. What did you come all the way here for?"
He did not answer my question—he simply avoided my eyes, a strange look on his face.
A thought suddenly popped into my head, and I decided to ask just in case, even though I was sure it couldn't possibly be true. "You... did you end up here while trying to find your way out?"
His response was brief. "...Destiny led me here."
"Ha, destiny, my ass."
I laughed at how ridiculous that was, but come to think of it, I realized destiny wasn't that far off. If things went a certain way, no matter how hard you fought, how was that not destiny?
As I was thinking that, the guy asked me a question of his own. "Anyway... did you come alone?"
"Yes." The Knight of Light and I weren't even comrades to begin with, so I confirmed it—I didn't see a point in hiding it anyway. "Hey, let me ask you one more question. Why are you so obsessed with this woman?"
"...You don't need to know."
"Rude," I said and slid my eyes over to check on Amelia. Her injury was visibly recovering at a rapid rate, thanks to the fact that I tore one more Bind scroll before intervening. Put simply, as the three of us were now bound together, Amelia was no longer affected by Nullification, either.
This would have been easier if she was fully awake.
That was a bit of a letdown, but what could you do? If it were for the right to recruit a clanmate (SSR), this was nothing.
"Move. If you give up that woman, you—"
"What are you saying, you one-trick pony?" I beckoned with a finger. "Shut up and fight me."
This would be the last battle of my time travel journey.
***
Huff, huff...
The girl running down the sewer huffed out hot breaths. Her overheated muscles showed no signs of cooling, and even more heat radiated from her wet back.
"L-Laura... a-are you okay...?" Even as she ran with all her might, to the point that she couldn't even breathe properly, Amelia continued to talk to Laura on her back.
Kwaaang!
A roar filled the passage, and she felt a warmth on her cold skin.
"Jeez, why are you crying? It's not even over yet."
Not over yet? What could that possibly mean? She couldn't figure it out.
"You did a good job. Now leave it to me and get some rest." At those words, the tension in her body disappeared, and her eyes fluttered shut on their own. "When you wake up, it will all be over." That was the last bit of awareness her consciousness allowed her.
***
As Amelia lost consciousness, I shouted, "What are you doing?! Take your sister and run!"
The shout was directed at Amelia Fetus—Amelia F for short.
"A-ah—!" Amelia F seemed momentarily confused by my instructions, but she quickly draped her sister over her small shoulders and started running.
Whew, then I can leave the rest to the old man...
I shifted my gaze.
"You...!" Lüchenprague, clearly stunned, looked around. It seemed he was trying to check if the Knight of Light was with me.
What a comedian.
"If you were going to run, then just run. What did you come all the way here for?"
He did not answer my question—he simply avoided my eyes, a strange look on his face.
A thought suddenly popped into my head, and I decided to ask just in case, even though I was sure it couldn't possibly be true. "You... did you end up here while trying to find your way out?"
His response was brief. "...Destiny led me here."
"Ha, destiny, my ass."
I laughed at how ridiculous that was, but come to think of it, I realized destiny wasn't that far off. If things went a certain way, no matter how hard you fought, how was that not destiny?
As I was thinking that, the guy asked me a question of his own. "Anyway... did you come alone?"
"Yes." The Knight of Light and I weren't even comrades to begin with, so I confirmed it—I didn't see a point in hiding it anyway. "Hey, let me ask you one more question. Why are you so obsessed with this woman?"
"...You don't need to know."
"Rude," I said and slid my eyes over to check on Amelia. Her injury was visibly recovering at a rapid rate, thanks to the fact that I tore one more Bind scroll before intervening. Put simply, as the three of us were now bound together, Amelia was no longer affected by Nullification, either.
This would have been easier if she was fully awake.
That was a bit of a letdown, but what could you do? If it were for the right to recruit a clanmate (SSR), this was nothing.
"Move. If you give up that woman, you—"
"What are you saying, you one-trick pony?" I beckoned with a finger. "Shut up and fight me."
This would be the last battle of my time travel journey.
***
Huff, huff...
The girl running down the sewer huffed out hot breaths. Her overheated muscles showed no signs of cooling, and even more heat radiated from her wet back.
"L-Laura... a-are you okay...?" Even as she ran with all her might, to the point that she couldn't even breathe properly, Amelia continued to talk to Laura on her back.
There was no answer. However, Amelia ignored the spike of fear she felt and kept moving. But it seemed she had hit her physical limit while carrying Laura on her back.
"Ugh...!" Amelia was running at a gallop when she lost her balance and fell. Her foot hadn't caught on anything—her legs had simply given out. "L-Laura! Are you okay? Huh?" Before worrying about her twisted ankle, Amelia checked on Laura, concerned the injury had been made worse by the fall.
The shock seemed to have woken her sister up. A small voice escaped Laura's mouth. "Amelia..."
"L-Laura! I-It's okay! We're not far now. Don't speak and—"
"Your own..." The weak voice petered out before it could reach the end of the sentence, but Amelia knew what would come next. Laura was probably telling her to leave her behind and keep going. If she had the energy, she would surely have added all kinds of reasons, pointing out she was already done for and that it would make more sense for Amelia to go on her own.
"Sorry, I don't know what you're saying." Amelia pretended not to understand and propped Laura's limp body up as there was no way she had enough strength to do so on her own. Laura, who was six inches taller than her, felt particularly small in that moment. And maybe it was just her imagination, but Laura also felt lighter than before.
"Blood..."
It was because of the blood that she had lost. As the life that once filled Laura's body escaped, she became that much lighter. Amelia leaned her sister's body against the wall and tore off her clothes to apply pressure to the wound. Then she poured out all the potions she had on her. She hadn't had the presence of mind to do it earlier, too overwhelmed by the sole thought that she had to get out of there, but she should have done it ages ago.
Why am I such a moron?
She felt ashamed. Her ever-calm sister would have been able to do exactly what needed to be done even in a situation like this.
"Ugh...!" As her wound began to heal from the potion, Laura writhed in pain. Thick veins protruded from her neck and forehead.
"L-Laura! Please hold on..." Amelia lifted Laura's body again. But just as she was about to stand up, the passage shook with a loud rumble.
Kwaaaang! Crumble.
The ceiling above them collapsed and rocks poured down. At that moment, Amelia's body lurched forward. Someone had pushed her from behind.
Boom!
Clear of the debris, Amelia hurriedly whirled around, and there was Laura. The sight of her beloved sister's lower body crushed under a giant rock didn't seem real.
"Amelia..."
"L-Laura..." Amelia reached out to her like a girl possessed. When she did, Laura swatted her hand away. "W-What are you doing?!"
As Amelia cried out, Laura's eyes feebly shifted toward her. "I once... resented you..."
"I-I know. E-Even someone like you would have felt that way. But stop being stubborn and—"
"Listen!" At Laura's shout, Amelia bit her lip. Her voice was wheezy and it couldn't even be called a shout, but Amelia was rendered mute by the overpowering command it carried.
Tap.
Laura placed her hand on Amelia's cheek and, unlike before, spoke in a soft tone. "You... wished. You always... wished for this..."
At those words, something flowed down Amelia's cheeks. She couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears, but she knew one thing for certain.
Thump!
Amelia's heart began to race like it was broken. Perhaps even if her mind tried to deny it, her heart knew what was happening here.
"W-Why... are you talking like that?" Laura's words were missing one key thing—herself. She was speaking like this moment was her last. "L-Laura... don't give up. You took a potion, right? We just have to go a little farther... D-Don't worry about the rock. I-I'll clear it soon. I-I'll make sure to do it... Huh?"
At Amelia's plea, Laura pursed her lips with a pained expression on her face. Of course, it lasted only for a short moment. "Forget... all the painful memories here. A normal life... this is the start for you." Laura forced her twitching jaw muscles up to give her a bright smile.
From there, it all happened in an instant.
Tap.
Laura reached out, pulled out the dagger strapped to Amelia's waist, and inserted it into her own neck.
Stab!
"N-No...!" Amelia hurriedly pulled out the dagger. Pouring the remaining potion onto the wound, she pressed down on it with both hands in an attempt to somehow stop the bleeding. "N-No. No, no..."
It wasn't enough. The blood choking Laura stopped.
Chhhhhh.
The same was true for the blood that had been sizzling in reaction to the potion. The warmth flowing through her fingertips disappeared. The blood was sticky, but no longer hot.
"Ahh... A-Ahh..."
Amelia realized at that moment that her sister was no longer there.
"Ahhh!" Amelia let out a terrible, gut-wrenching scream and hugged Laura's upper body to her chest. Right at that moment, the ceiling began to collapse once again, dropping an avalanche of rocks.
Dddddd!
Amelia saw it coming but did not avoid it. She intended to stay with Laura like this until the end. However, this cruel world wouldn't even allow her that.
"...Ugh!" Her body flew back as if someone had yanked her by the back of her neck.
Boom!
The back of her head must have hit the wall because Amelia's vision blurred. As her consciousness drifted further and further away, Amelia stared at her sister, still buried in the rubble.
Step.
She heard a footstep nearby and reflexively turned toward the source of the sound. An old man was walking toward them.
"Who...?"
At Amelia's murmur, the old man looked at her impassively. When she took a closer look, however, she noticed that he seemed to be worried about something. After a moment of silence, he sighed, then opened his mouth. "Whew, so many requests. Auril Gavis. That is this old man's name."
There was no answer. However, Amelia ignored the spike of fear she felt and kept moving. But it seemed she had hit her physical limit while carrying Laura on her back.
"Ugh...!" Amelia was running at a gallop when she lost her balance and fell. Her foot hadn't caught on anything—her legs had simply given out. "L-Laura! Are you okay? Huh?" Before worrying about her twisted ankle, Amelia checked on Laura, concerned the injury had been made worse by the fall.
The shock seemed to have woken her sister up. A small voice escaped Laura's mouth. "Amelia..."
"L-Laura! I-It's okay! We're not far now. Don't speak and—"
"Your own..." The weak voice petered out before it could reach the end of the sentence, but Amelia knew what would come next. Laura was probably telling her to leave her behind and keep going. If she had the energy, she would surely have added all kinds of reasons, pointing out she was already done for and that it would make more sense for Amelia to go on her own.
"Sorry, I don't know what you're saying." Amelia pretended not to understand and propped Laura's limp body up as there was no way she had enough strength to do so on her own. Laura, who was six inches taller than her, felt particularly small in that moment. And maybe it was just her imagination, but Laura also felt lighter than before.
"Blood..."
It was because of the blood that she had lost. As the life that once filled Laura's body escaped, she became that much lighter. Amelia leaned her sister's body against the wall and tore off her clothes to apply pressure to the wound. Then she poured out all the potions she had on her. She hadn't had the presence of mind to do it earlier, too overwhelmed by the sole thought that she had to get out of there, but she should have done it ages ago.
Why am I such a moron?
She felt ashamed. Her ever-calm sister would have been able to do exactly what needed to be done even in a situation like this.
"Ugh...!" As her wound began to heal from the potion, Laura writhed in pain. Thick veins protruded from her neck and forehead.
"L-Laura! Please hold on..." Amelia lifted Laura's body again. But just as she was about to stand up, the passage shook with a loud rumble.
Kwaaaang! Crumble.
The ceiling above them collapsed and rocks poured down. At that moment, Amelia's body lurched forward. Someone had pushed her from behind.
Boom!
Clear of the debris, Amelia hurriedly whirled around, and there was Laura. The sight of her beloved sister's lower body crushed under a giant rock didn't seem real.
"Amelia..."
"L-Laura..." Amelia reached out to her like a girl possessed. When she did, Laura swatted her hand away. "W-What are you doing?!"
As Amelia cried out, Laura's eyes feebly shifted toward her. "I once... resented you..."
"I-I know. E-Even someone like you would have felt that way. But stop being stubborn and—"
"Listen!" At Laura's shout, Amelia bit her lip. Her voice was wheezy and it couldn't even be called a shout, but Amelia was rendered mute by the overpowering command it carried.
Tap.
Laura placed her hand on Amelia's cheek and, unlike before, spoke in a soft tone. "You... wished. You always... wished for this..."
At those words, something flowed down Amelia's cheeks. She couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears, but she knew one thing for certain.
Thump!
Amelia's heart began to race like it was broken. Perhaps even if her mind tried to deny it, her heart knew what was happening here.
"W-Why... are you talking like that?" Laura's words were missing one key thing—herself. She was speaking like this moment was her last. "L-Laura... don't give up. You took a potion, right? We just have to go a little farther... D-Don't worry about the rock. I-I'll clear it soon. I-I'll make sure to do it... Huh?"
At Amelia's plea, Laura pursed her lips with a pained expression on her face. Of course, it lasted only for a short moment. "Forget... all the painful memories here. A normal life... this is the start for you." Laura forced her twitching jaw muscles up to give her a bright smile.
From there, it all happened in an instant.
Tap.
Laura reached out, pulled out the dagger strapped to Amelia's waist, and inserted it into her own neck.
Stab!
"N-No...!" Amelia hurriedly pulled out the dagger. Pouring the remaining potion onto the wound, she pressed down on it with both hands in an attempt to somehow stop the bleeding. "N-No. No, no..."
It wasn't enough. The blood choking Laura stopped.
Chhhhhh.
The same was true for the blood that had been sizzling in reaction to the potion. The warmth flowing through her fingertips disappeared. The blood was sticky, but no longer hot.
"Ahh... A-Ahh..."
Amelia realized at that moment that her sister was no longer there.
"Ahhh!" Amelia let out a terrible, gut-wrenching scream and hugged Laura's upper body to her chest. Right at that moment, the ceiling began to collapse once again, dropping an avalanche of rocks.
Dddddd!
Amelia saw it coming but did not avoid it. She intended to stay with Laura like this until the end. However, this cruel world wouldn't even allow her that.
"...Ugh!" Her body flew back as if someone had yanked her by the back of her neck.
Boom!
The back of her head must have hit the wall because Amelia's vision blurred. As her consciousness drifted further and further away, Amelia stared at her sister, still buried in the rubble.
Step.
She heard a footstep nearby and reflexively turned toward the source of the sound. An old man was walking toward them.
"Who...?"
At Amelia's murmur, the old man looked at her impassively. When she took a closer look, however, she noticed that he seemed to be worried about something. After a moment of silence, he sighed, then opened his mouth. "Whew, so many requests. Auril Gavis. That is this old man's name."