I'll Be the Bomb

Seira couldn’t move. The thing standing just beyond the door was a monster far larger than she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was. Clumps of dark, wet blood matted its fur into grotesque spikes, and yellow fangs glinted between jaws stretched wide.

Hot, damp breath rolled across her face in a nauseating wave. She had to run. But her fingers refused to release the doorknob. Only shallow, strangled breaths scraped out of her throat.

The monster lowered its body, muscles coiling, eyes fixed on the nape of her neck. It was about to spring.

At that instant a familiar voice cut through the air.

It was Ria.

Seira dropped to the floor on pure reflex. A black shadow exploded from the side. The wet crunch of metal punching through bone echoed as the tip of an old spear drove straight into the monster’s skull.

The creature’s massive body jackknifed backward. Claws raked empty air. A raw, tearing scream burst from its ruined mouth.

The spear hadn’t gone deep enough. The hide was too thick.

Ria clenched her teeth and shoved the shaft with all her strength, forcing it the rest of the way in.

“Ugh…!”

A small, pained sound slipped between her lips. The monster convulsed violently, then dropped with a heavy thud beside the threshold.

Seira sat frozen on the floor, staring up at Ria in a daze. Ria kept her grip on the spear, chest heaving.

“Ha…”

Her fingertips trembled. She had been lucky. It was only a low-grade specimen, smaller than most. Its attention had been locked entirely on Seira, and Ria had happened to be carrying the old spear she kept for self-defense. That was the only reason the single strike had worked.

Ria released the weapon and spun toward the girl.

“Seira.” Her voice was hoarse. “Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Seira’s lips moved, but no sound came.

She needed to say she was fine. She needed to apologize first—say she was truly, deeply sorry.

But when she saw Ria’s deathly pale face, the words jammed in her throat. Everything she wanted to say tangled together and choked her.

Then the monster’s claw scraped across the floor.

Scraaape.

Ria’s breath froze.

The spear was still buried deep in its skull, the tip protruding from the back of its head. No living thing should have been able to move. Yet the creature stirred. Its twisted neck turned with a sickening crack. Cloudy eyes fixed on Seira once more.

Ria threw herself forward without thinking. The monster’s jaws snapped shut around her arm with a wet crunch.

Ria’s vision bleached white. Sound vanished. Razor teeth punched through flesh and sank into bone. White-hot agony raced up her shoulder and exploded inside her skull. Her whole body jerked. She had to rip it off. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she let go now, the next target would be Seira.

Even while its teeth were buried in Ria’s arm, the monster’s milky eyes remained locked on the girl. Its body was already twisting in Seira’s direction.

“No… you don’t.”

Ria shoved her bitten arm deeper into the creature’s maw, past torn flesh and broken fangs. She crammed every last scrap of magic power left inside her into the wound—not the clean, controlled release she usually used, but a violent tearing, as if she were ripping her own insides out and forcing them in.

The brand on the back of her neck flared like molten iron.

“Hah…!”

Her breath locked. Her heart twisted inside her chest. Ria ground her teeth until they creaked. Blue light bloomed inside the monster’s body.

Then, with a dull whump, the creature’s torso folded inward as if something had detonated within. It slammed into the dirt and lay still.

Ria staggered backward. The jaws slackened and her mangled arm slid free. Blood pattered steadily onto the dirt floor. Her fingers refused to obey her.

She glanced at the wound once. She couldn’t afford to look longer.

“Cough…!”

The magic she had dragged out by force scraped her insides raw. Her heart squeezed a beat too late. A metallic taste surged up her throat. Ria clapped a hand over her mouth, but dark blood still seeped between her fingers.

She stared at the monster’s eyes. It had kept moving even after its head was impaled. Even while biting her, it had tried to reach Seira. And faintly—very faintly—she had caught the scent of black magic inside it, the same stench that clung to the brand on her own neck.

It had never been alive. It was simply a corpse bound by a black-magic command, forced to keep moving.

Ria’s gaze returned to Seira.

The girl sat on the floor, speechless, staring at Ria’s ruined arm with violent tremors running through her small frame. Blood had soaked the torn sleeve and was still dripping. Ria’s fingertips shook helplessly.

Yet the first thing Ria did was check on the girl instead of her own wound.

“Seira.” Ria forced a smile. “You must have been so scared.”

Seira couldn’t even shake her head. Yes, she had been terrified—of the monster, of its breath, its teeth, its body that refused to die. But none of that was the most frightening thing anymore.

Ria looked as if she would collapse at any second.

She had come looking for me. She had shielded me from the monster. And because of that, Ria was hurt so horribly.

That was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what terrified her. The thought that Ria might fall right here. That she might vanish before her eyes. That she might never see her again.

And yet Ria was worrying about her first, before even tending to her own mangled arm.

“It’s all right.” Ria’s trembling hand gently settled on top of Seira’s head. Her fingers were ice-cold and smelled of blood. “It’s okay now.”

It’s not okay. None of this is okay.

Seira’s lips quivered as sobs broke free.

“S-Sis… hic… Sis…”

She had to speak. She had to say it was all her fault, that she was sorry. She had deliberately ignored Ria’s calls earlier. Even though Ria had been shouting her name, she had sulked and run away like an idiot. If only she had answered then. If only she hadn’t thrown a tantrum and fled.

Her throat closed tight.

Then the forest fell unnaturally silent. The wind, the insects, the rustle of leaves—everything receded at once.

Ria’s eyes flicked toward the clearing’s edge. Low growls. More than one. Claws raking dirt, branches snapping, something heavy being dragged. They were closing in from every direction.

Ria swallowed hard. In that moment she understood. The burst of magic she had forced out to explode the first monster had sent ripples through the woods. Every creature scattered among the trees was now converging on them.

“Ria… Sis?” Seira’s voice shook.

Ria couldn’t answer. Could she run while carrying Seira? The answer was immediate: no. Seira’s legs had given out completely. One of Ria’s arms was nearly useless, and every breath brought the taste of blood.

Outside, the sound of claws multiplied, growing louder. It wasn’t just one or two. A whole pack was coming.

If they ran now, they would be caught. Hiding was impossible—the shack’s walls were rotten and thin. One solid hit and the whole thing would collapse like paper.

That left only one option.

She had to create a path for Seira to escape. She had to make sure the monsters never saw the girl. Never saw the shack. She had to make them see only her.

The decision was instant. Ria seized Seira’s shoulders.

“Seira.”

“S-Sis, your arm—there’s so much blood…”

“Listen to me carefully.” Ria’s voice dropped, low and steady. Seira froze.

Ria pushed her toward the deepest corner of the shack, behind a pile of old crates and straw where the wall recessed—the only blind spot.

“Hide here and stay completely quiet.”

“No!” Seira shook her head fiercely. “No, Sis. Let’s go together. Together—”

“Seira.” Ria lifted her voice and looked straight into the girl’s eyes. “Stay right here and do not move.”

Seira’s lips trembled. Ria’s face was the color of ash. Dried blood crusted the corner of her mouth, and fresh blood still dripped steadily from her arm.

“Soon you’ll hear a very loud noise outside.” Ria took a short, tight breath. “When you hear it, run toward the merchant road and don’t look back. Not even once.”

“…”

“Understand?”

Seira could only nod through her sobs. She wanted to scream no. She wanted to beg Ria not to go. But one look into those eyes told her this was not the time for tantrums.

Still, there was one thing she had to say. One thing she had never managed to tell her.

“Sis.” Her voice cracked. “I really, really have something I need to—”

A branch snapped loudly outside. Ria’s head whipped toward the door. There was no time left.

“I’ll listen later.” The words were urgent, but the warmth inside them was the same endless gentleness as always.

Seira pressed her lips together until they hurt. Later. The word felt impossibly far away and terrifying. If she didn’t say it now, she might never get another chance.

Yet she nodded. Because Ria had told her to. Because Ria was amazing. Because she had just slain a terrifying monster. Because every time Seira had cried, Ria had appeared out of nowhere with a calm face and found her.

So this time would be the same. It had to be.

Seira forced herself to believe it.

“…You promised.”

At the tear-choked plea, Ria offered the smallest, faintest smile.

“Yeah.”

Then she closed the door. The old planks creaked as they swung shut, cutting Seira off from the outside.

Through the narrow gap, she caught one last glimpse of Ria’s back—so small, so fragile. A back not much different from her own. Blood kept dripping from the sleeve, yet Ria never looked back.

She took one step, then two, moving away from the shack. The monsters’ sounds drew closer—low growls, claws tearing earth, branches shattering.

Ria clutched her ruined arm. The scent of blood was already thick, but it wasn’t enough. These were not ordinary starving beasts. They were puppets bound by black magic. So she would give them something that smelled exactly like it.

She focused every ounce of will on the brand at the back of her neck. Her breath cut off. The mark burned and twisted, as though she were prying open an unhealed wound. Like dragging fingernails across a raw scar, she forced the brand wide open.

“Kkh…!”

Black energy leaked out in thin threads. The lingering stench of the black mage still lived inside her. Ria let it spill into the air.

The forest noises stopped dead, as if someone had poured ice water over them. Howls, scraping claws, breaking branches—everything went silent.

Then every pair of eyes hidden in the darkness turned toward Ria at once.

It had worked. The shack no longer existed to them. The door where Seira hid, the small sounds of her breathing—none of it mattered anymore. They saw only Ria.

She wiped her blood-smeared mouth with the back of her hand, drew a breath, and felt her fingertips turn to ice. Her knees shook. Her body remembered what her mind tried to forget. Every instinct screamed at her to run.

But Seira was inside that shack. A small, timid, candy-loving child who trusted her enough to hide and wait.

That was enough.

She could not let that child die here.

Ria moved farther away from the shack, drawing the monsters after her.

“This way!”

The creatures that had caught the black-magic scent wheeled toward her. A chorus of hungry growls rose.

Ria inhaled. Magic power began to boil inside her. The brand flared. Her heart wrenched. The pain in her arm and the taste of blood all spiraled toward a single point.

Ten. Twenty. Far more than she could count.

The monsters charged.

Ria did not look back at the shack. She knew she would hesitate if she did. Instead she prayed silently.

Run. Don’t look back. Please.

KWAAAAAAAANG!

The shack shuddered. The ear-splitting roar made Seira clamp her hands over her ears. Dust poured between the wallboards. The floor bucked violently. The old door rattled on its hinges.

Ria. Her lips shaped the name, but no sound emerged. Her ears rang. Her whole body shook. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Seira hugged her knees and stayed frozen for a long time.

In a little while you’ll hear a really loud noise. Ria’s gentle voice echoed in her mind. Run toward the merchant road and don’t look back.

Seira wiped her tears on her sleeve with trembling hands. She had to get out. She had to leave right now. Because Ria had told her to.

With shaking fingers she pushed the door. It creaked open. Outside, the air was thick with dust. The smell of scorched flesh and blood hung heavy. Black smoke drifted low across the ground.

She wanted to look back. She wanted to see the spot where Ria had been standing. But—

Don’t look back. Just run.

Seira clenched her teeth and ran.

Her legs wouldn’t obey. She tripped over her own feet again and again, nearly falling. Tears blurred everything; she could barely see the path. Still she ran. She never once looked back. Because Ria had told her not to. Because Ria had said so.

She ran and ran.

In her small fist she still clutched the crumpled candy wrapper—sweat-soaked, dirty, torn. She refused to let it go. The faint sweetness of strawberry candy still lingered on her tongue.

It was sweet. Even now.

“Seira!”

Voices called out. The merchant caravan. People were rushing toward her. Her father’s face appeared, white as a sheet. Noah was there too, along with the others.

Only then did Seira stop. Her legs gave out completely.

The merchant leader dove forward and caught her just before she hit the ground.

“Seira!” Her father’s voice rang beside her ear.

She opened her mouth. She had to tell them. That Ria was still back there. That Ria had stayed behind to save her. That they had to hurry and rescue her.

“Ri…”

But her voice wouldn’t come. Her throat was scorched dry; the words stuck fast.

She gripped the candy wrapper tighter.

“Ria… Sis is…”

That was as far as she got. The sounds of the world faded. Her father’s face, Noah’s face, the trembling sky—all of it blurred and slipped away.

The last thing that remained in her hand was the crumpled wrapper of a strawberry candy.

Seira lost consciousness.