Whispers at Sunrise
We stood side by side, staring off the edge of the ramparts. The sky had already lost its blue hue and was shifting into a pale violet. It was brightening rapidly.
“Wow! The sun’s already rising!”
I quickly grabbed Ash’s hand. Sensing his surprise, I summoned Undain and scanned our surroundings with sharp eyes.
No one was watching, right?
There couldn’t be anyone, right?
Those Information Guild bastards or, worst of all, Lox. The biggest nuisance had been stuck in bed for a while now, so that was one less thing to worry about.
“Ash, have you ever flown through the sky before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Have you ever ridden a spirit?”
“No.”
Unlike his usual shape, Undain had flattened himself into a wide, stingray-like form. He positioned himself smoothly beneath my feet, waiting for me to climb on.
I stepped up and tugged Ash along by the hand.
“Then you’d better thank me.”
My eyes said let’s go. Though he looked bewildered, Ash followed me onto Undain’s back.
He carefully planted both feet, then gazed up at me with sparkling eyes, clearly amazed that we were floating.
“You stay right there.”
“W-a-i-t.”
Undain’s body, carrying the two of us, slowly began to rise.
Because Ash and I were standing, the ascent toward the top of the wall stayed steady. Still, the strange sensation of floating upward must have been intense; Ash refused to let go of my hand.
I couldn’t tell whether he realized it or not.
He simply stared with his mouth half-open like a child, unable to tear his eyes from the world shrinking beneath us.
I gave a small wave toward Rai, who was becoming a tiny speck below. I could hear his grumbling even from up here.
He’d come to see it himself just yesterday.
I brushed Rai off and looked around the top of the ramparts we had reached. The uppermost edge was only about a step wide—a cramped space just big enough for one person to sit.
I had discovered this spot and decided to climb here thanks to the morning sun over Daniz that I’d seen by chance. It had captivated me.
And now it was captivating Ash, too.
“...Oh my god.”
“How is it? Pretty cool, right? First time seeing anything like this? Glad you followed me!”
“Yes. It’s incredible.”
The sun was rising beyond the fields, and the view of the boundary between dawn and morning from this dizzyingly high wall was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Ash seemed to finally understand what I had wanted to show him. He smiled as he gazed at the sky where the colors blended together.
Then he looked at me and smiled even more brightly.
“It’s too good a view to enjoy alone, isn’t it?”
We were nearly fourteen stories up, so the wind was fierce. I leaned on Undain while Ash stood perfectly straight, as if the gale were nothing to him.
I couldn’t help admiring his well-trained body that didn’t sway even in such strong winds.
The actual moment of sunrise was surprisingly brief. It was almost instantaneous, which made it impossible to look away.
“I had no idea a place like this existed. Even though I see these walls every day...”
“Most people never think to climb up here.”
This spot was far from any guard posts, so it felt utterly peaceful.
It seemed like we were the only two people in the world. Wrapped in the wind as I breathed, I felt as light as if I had become a wind spirit myself.
When I closed my eyes, no other thoughts intruded at all.
The sky brightened quickly, and the clearing nestled within the shallow forest looked so small from up here that I could have covered it with my palm. In truth it was probably quite vast.
I sat on the wall, hugging my knees, and let the solitude wash over my entire body.
Ash settled down right beside me.
We stayed like that in silence, gazing over all the land where the wind flowed. Eventually Ash spoke first—right as I was trying to catch my hair that whipped wildly in the breeze.
“This place is truly beautiful... Which makes it strange.”
“What does?”
“Why you brought me here.”
“I told you. It seemed a shame to see it alone.”
“Is that really all?”
Ash’s eyes were utterly sincere.
No—his gaze. It was a gaze full of truth. Yet the face I could see was fake, which constantly stirred impulses in me. A burning longing.
And I was not a very patient person.
The real reason I had brought Ash here was my own selfish, sly desire.
“You know, Ephiros.”
The name that slipped from my lips was Ash’s other name. To be exact, that was his true name. Ash was the nickname he had used as a child. It was a pseudonym now, but...
When I suddenly spoke it, Ash looked at me with startled eyes for a moment. Soon after, his gaze grew calm, as if he had accepted it. That alone proved that many of the things we had suspected were true.
“Won’t you show me your real face?”
“...”
“I want to see the real you. I want to see your face.”
“...Jeanie.”
“Call me Jeanie.”
I shifted closer to him.
When Lox had been confined to his bed, I had sensed this was my chance. If not now, the opportunity to see Ash’s true face might never come again.
To get what I wanted, I first needed to be alone with him. I needed a space with no one else around.
So I could take off that necklace!
Perfect crimes were my specialty.
Crimes in general, too.
“Jeanie.”
“Yeah.”
“Things like this... aren’t allowed.”
My hand was already gripping his necklace. Since Ash was blocking me, I was bound to lose in terms of strength.
I pressed even closer. With his lips just half a span from my nose, I whispered.
“We can just keep it a secret.”
The wind blew, and I whispered again.
“Something just between the two of us...”
A devil’s whisper only truly shines when it is sweet.
I whispered as sweetly as if I would give him my heart, my liver, everything.
“I won’t tell a soul.”
“...Please.”
“Look, there’s no one here but us.”
Ash squeezed his eyes shut to escape my urging. But that reaction gave me plenty of hope.
I moved as close as possible—practically climbing onto him—so that if he pushed me away I would fall straight off the wall.
Our bodies touched in so many places that I could feel every frantic heartbeat. I couldn’t tell whose was pounding so loudly.
Why was he tensing up and breathing so hard?
“Ash. Ephiros.”
I took his large hand in mine. I acted gentle. I didn’t use it often, but I could speak in a coaxing, soothing voice.
“You don’t trust me?”
“...It’s not that. This is against the rules. If you didn’t know, that would be one thing, but you know everything and you’re still doing this. You know it all...”
“Of course I know. And I also know that as long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine.”
“...Jeanie.”
“That’s right! It’s me, Jeanie Crowell. Let’s be honest with each other, okay?”
Rules? Who cares about that.
We can just make it our own secret.
We can make it something only you and I know.
I whispered softly and tenderly, like singing a lullaby beside an infant’s ear.
I stared straight into Ash’s eyes. I knew it weakened him. The closer I got, the more he looked like he was doing something wrong.
I was only clinging to him to remove the necklace, yet he kept holding his breath and biting his lip.
I suddenly placed my fingertips on his tightly clenched jaw. It was right in front of me, so it was easy. While watching him flounder, I stroked his cheek too.
Was his cheek trembling, or was the magic destabilizing because I had touched the necklace?
“H-hand... No... Other places too...”
The longer I clung to him, the more strangely Ash breathed. It sounded like panting, like he was choking.
“I might fall. Just take the necklace off once.”
“Ugh...”
“Trust your big sis.”
“...I’m the older one here.”
“Never mind that. Just trust me this once. I’ll keep your secret! I won’t tell anyone. I just... I just want to see your face. It’s my greed, that’s all. There’s no other meaning, Ephiros.”
The top of the wall was so narrow that sitting down filled the space completely. Ash had nowhere to run.
I really had chosen the perfect spot.
“I just want to look at you properly.”
How much had I coaxed, cajoled, and tempted him? Finally Ash let out a sigh-like breath and relaxed the strength in his scarred hand—the very hand that had been stubbornly blocking me from removing the necklace.
“Sigh... Who could possibly win against you?”
“A dragon?”
“...It would probably take at least that. This has to stay a real secret.”
“Of course!”
“No one else can know. This is... this is really something just for us...”
“I swear! Should I seal it with a kiss?”
Excited at the thought of finally seeing his face, I asked. Ash firmly pushed me away and removed the necklace with his own hand.
It was that easy... I should have done this sooner...
“Are you satisfied now?”
I nearly gasped out loud.