Interlude: The Sword's Memory
On a day when the blizzard raged, I was leaning against a tree.
I could remember nothing—who I was, or why I was even there.
“Ah, look! There’s someone over there!”
Crunch. Crunch.
A girl with orange hair pointed at me and came running.
“Krimhild, unnie! Over here!”
She seemed to be calling for someone.
“You… are you all right?”
A blonde woman approached and held out her hand.
Who was she…? Should I really take her hand…?
Grab—
She caught my hand before I even realized I had reached out.
“…Your hand is freezing. Soleil, if you would.”
“You got it! Leave it to me!”
Whoooosh—
Warmth flowed in through my fingertips and spread through me.
It was warm.
“What’s your name? Why were you collapsed out here?”
“I don’t know… I can’t remember anything…”
My name… I knew nothing at all.
“Let’s get you inside first. We need to warm you up.”
Swoosh—
Without waiting for an answer, she lifted me into her arms.
Where were we going…?
Before I could finish the thought, my consciousness began to fade. I never even had time to decide whether to accept their kindness or refuse it before everything went dark.
Crackle. Pop.
“So what exactly is this kid?”
A red-haired woman tossed another log into the fireplace as she asked.
“No idea. She was collapsed beside a tree nearby, so I brought her back.”
The blonde woman answered while carrying over a blanket, which she gently laid over the unfamiliar girl.
“Like picking up a stray cat.”
“Jealous?”
“What are you even talking about? Out of nowhere.”
“You’re a cat too, aren’t you?”
“…Get over here.”
“You two, stop fighting and take care of the child first.”
The orange-haired girl stepped in to mediate.
“Mmm…”
I opened my eyes at the sound.
A small house with a fireplace. The inside was warm, a stark contrast to the freezing world outside.
So these people had brought me here…
“Ah, she’s awake.”
“Ugh, seriously… This is your fault.”
“But you’re the one who got mad, aren’t you?”
Smack!
The red-haired woman bonked the blonde one on the head.
“Ow.”
“I hit you because I wanted it to hurt, you idiot.”
“Um… are you feeling a little better now?”
The orange-haired girl ignored their bickering and peered at me with concern.
“Yeah… Thank you.”
“More awake now?”
The blonde woman placed her hand on my forehead.
“…You’re still so cold. Is this normal for you?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt anymore, though.”
“That’s a relief. You were completely unconscious when we first brought you in—I was so worried.”
The red-haired woman stepped closer.
“I’m Brita. What about you? What’s your name?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Amnesia… That’s rough.”
Brita pressed a hand to her own forehead.
“Calling her ‘hey you’ feels wrong. We should give her a proper name…”
“True. Any pretty names come to mind, unnies? Oh, right—I’m Soleil! Nice to meet you!”
The girl named Soleil waved at me cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you too.”
“Mhm!”
“I can’t think of anything… I’ve never named anyone before. What about you, Krimhild?”
“…Mist.”
“Mist?”
“White hair, white snow, and a blizzard raging outside. So, Mist.”
“Wouldn’t Snow work just as well?”
“That doesn’t sound like a person’s name. Besides, Mist feels cooler.”
“Cooler?”
“Yeah.”
“…I will never understand your taste.”
“Let’s ask the child herself! What do you think?”
Soleil jumped in and turned to me.
“I like it… Mist.”
“See? She likes it too.”
“Hah… Well, if she likes it, that’s what matters.”
“And this person…?”
I looked at the blonde woman.
“I’m Krimhild. It’s nice to meet you, Mist.”
Krimhild gave me a small, gentle smile.
“Yeah. Nice to meet you too.”
A name had been given to me.
Mist.
A name is one of the most fundamental things that defines a person. When a nameless, abandoned child was given one, she finally found her own color.
Mist began to move forward.
The people who had shown her kindness.
The people who had called her name.
She wanted to stay by their side. She wanted to walk the same path they walked.
Together, they spent happy days. She believed those happy days would last forever.
Years had already passed since that day.
There was no one left by the girl’s side.
Everyone had been reduced to ash.
Their journey was over. Without ever seeing the dawn of a new day, they had sunk into the abyss at twilight.
Step… Step…
The ruins of an old city.
The warm, life-filled breeze no longer blew here. Only the cold scent of death remained. All across the land, the undead who could not truly die wandered aimlessly, and vengeful spirits hungry for the lives of the living dragged their rotting feet.
The only proof that this place had once been prosperous were the decayed, fallen letters.
Windenstadt.
This was… the place where Lady Krimhild had begun her adventure.
I had retraced her every step. It held no meaning anymore, but… it was the only way I could remember her.
“Grrrraaah…” “Shaaaa…”
The specters stared at me, then shuffled closer.
“…” “Grr…” “Krrrk…”
They soon lost interest and moved on.
Even mindless creatures like them could sense it.
I could not be killed.
It was a curse. Even though this land was completely covered in Void, I… could not die. No matter how many times I cut my own body apart, it would simply restore itself after a while.
Clack.
Something caught on my foot.
A strangely familiar feeling washed over me as I picked it up.
A small stone engraved with a pattern.
“Ah… this is…”
Anyone else would have dismissed it as a curious little rock, but the moment I saw it, I understood.
It was an object connected to Lady Krimhild’s sword—a fragment that could draw out the blade’s true power.
In that final battle, she had rushed onto the field without ever learning the sword’s full strength. If she had possessed this that day, would the outcome have been different?
Haha… What did it matter now?
It was already too late. She was no longer in this world.
“Ahaha…”
Drip… Drip…
Hollow tears fell from my empty eyes.
Could I… meet them again?
I miss them so much.
Just once more. Even if it’s only once.
I want to see that smile again.
Somewhere beyond the Weisskamm Mountains.
Step… Step…
I walked without destination. My body required no rest anyway, so I simply kept moving with no goal in mind.
After passing through a land where even the wind had died, I eventually stepped into a forbidden realm.
“Who are you?”
A sharp voice pierced my ears. Startled, I lifted my head.
“Ah…”
A lake stained black. A massive, rotting tree. And three women staring directly at me.
“Speak. Why have you come to this place?”
“…I don’t know. I simply ended up here while walking.”
The woman stared at me intently before speaking again.
“You… have forgotten your own memories. Begone! One who has forgotten the past has no right to exist here!”
Her attitude was completely hostile.
“…My apologies.”
I turned to leave, but—
“Wait, wait~ This is worth listening to, isn’t it, big sis?”
The smallest of the three laughed playfully.
“Even if someone threw away their past, they can still dream of the future, right? You have a wish, don’t you? Tell us. We were bored anyway—this is perfect timing.”
“Skuld… Do you view your sacred duties as nothing but entertainment?! That is—”
“Shh! Let’s hear what the little one has to say. Heehee.”
“…It’s already in the past.”
“Aww~ No gloomy stories! Tell us properly. Who knows? This goddess might just help you out~”
A… goddess? She said goddess?
Could she truly help?
“Skuld, you…”
“Big sis Urd, let’s just listen for a moment. There may be meaning in this child coming here.”
The woman of medium height gently dissuaded the one called Urd.
“Even you, Verdandi… Fine. I understand.”
Urd shook her head in resignation.
“I want to reverse the disaster… and bring back the people precious to me.”
“Heee~”
Skuld’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“…”
“How absurd.”
Urd stepped forward beside the silent Verdandi.
“The past of this world has already been burned away. How exactly do you intend to restore it?”
“Aww~ Come on, big sis. You’re secretly hoping she can, aren’t you?”
Skuld grinned at Urd.
“Who knows? If this kid really can do something, maybe it’ll lighten your workload too?”
“…Weaving the past is my duty. Even now, it would simply take a long time. It is not impossible.”
Urd crossed her arms and glared at Skuld.
“Or… tell me. What does the future look like in your eyes?”
“Hmm-hmm~ The World Tree burning completely to ash.”
Skuld pointed at me and continued.
“Or this child heading into the ‘Darkness’ to revive it.”
“The… Darkness?”
“Skuld. What lies at the end if this person enters that domain?”
Urd cut me off and asked Skuld directly.
“Nothing. There’s nothing there.”
“What? Are you toying with us?”
“It’s true. I can’t see past that point. It’s cut off.”
“Hah.”
Urd let out a dry laugh.
The goddess called Skuld seemed able to see the future. The fact that even she could see nothing beyond a certain point—what did that mean?
“Big sis Urd, let’s believe in her.”
“Verdandi. What are you thinking?”
“How should I say this… I just feel that this child can do it. It’s only intuition, but…”
Verdandi looked up, lost in thought for a moment.
“Still, she is a stranger. If you have something you wish to do, you must act quickly. The present is still burning even now.”
She pressed a finger to her lips and continued.
“If you hesitate, the flames will catch up to you.”
It meant time was running out.
“Hmm… If it is your intuition, I will trust it.”
“What~ Why don’t you trust me?”
“Visitor. If you wish to fulfill your desire, head east. The answer you seek lies there.”
Ignoring Skuld completely, Urd addressed me.
“Remember this one thing. No matter what you do, the fate of the world will not change.”
She looked down at me with cold eyes.
“That’s all right. Just telling me this is enough.”
It meant there was still something I could do. Since nothing else remained for me anyway, there was no harm in trying.
“Then take my hands, child.”
Verdandi offered both of hers.
Grasp—
I took them.
“In the name of the goddess Verdandi, I bless your path ahead.”
Verdandi turned to Urd.
“What about you, big sis Urd?”
“I will pass. This one will only end up buried in the past there.”
“Aww~ So boring. Well then, on behalf of goddess Skuld and the sulky Urd standing over there, I hereby… congratulate your future!”
“It is ‘bless,’ not ‘congratulate,’ Skuld.”
“As long as the meaning gets across, it’s fine. Heehee~”
“Then… I’ll be on my way. Thank you, goddesses.”
“All right, here we go. Ei!”
“Eek!”
Bang!
With a popping sound, my vision blurred.
What had the goddess Skuld just done?
When I looked around, the scenery had completely changed. It felt somehow familiar, yet it was different from the Adelgard I remembered.
Where was I?
Ping—
A voice echoed inside my head.
Oh right! Go to the Moonflower Forest! There’s a small ancient library deep inside, you know?
Look for that girl’s story there! Then this Skuld-nim is signing off~☆
The voice disappeared.
She really was a willful goddess.
Still… she had helped me. I was grateful.
The Moonflower Forest…
I would go there. If I could truly accomplish something and bring everyone back to life… then, just like they had done for me in the beginning, I would call their names and hold them tight.