Follow Me. There’s a Way to Survive...
We three—Elia, Red, and Makahina—made our way back to Sandrobel a noisy bunch. Red never shut her mouth, and the spunky little brat clung to my hand the whole way, so of course the journey was pure chaos.
“Wow, it was super cool!” Makahina burst out, arms spread wide like he was showing off the biggest hug in the world. “A monster jumped me and—bam!—Elia sliced it in half in a blink. It was like the heroes in those old comics!”
His eyes were sparkling with pure, unfiltered wonder, the kind that only a kid who’d been saved by the impossible could have. He kept going, voice rising with every heroic tale, until Red let out a loud, satisfied “Hah!” and slapped his shoulder.
“That’s right, that’s right!” she laughed, rough and proud. “Kid’s got good taste. Our Elia’s always been a looker~”
“Yeah! The coolest and strongest person I’ve ever seen!” Makahina nodded so hard his hair bounced.
I let the empty praise roll in one ear and out the other, the way I always did. Then Red suddenly leaned in, arm slinging over my shoulder like we’d been doing this for years.
“Elia’s always been like this. Super kind, super gentle. She’d throw herself in front of danger for anyone, no matter how reckless it looked—like a moth to the flame, burning herself out to save the rest of us.”
Sacrifice? Me?
No way.
I’m just telling the old story, right?
I answered slowly, tone flat and distant. “That’s all ancient history now. I’m not the kind adult you remember. I just do whatever my heart feels like.”
“Hah, lies. You look exactly the same as you did back then.”
…Do I really?
Am I really that different?
I’m a monster now. A villain.
“After a spore storm like that hit, you still crawled into the building just to drag this little brat out.”
“I don’t get infected by spores anyway. It didn’t matter.”
“You didn’t even have to come here. You could’ve pretended you didn’t see and left me behind. But you didn’t. No matter how you look now, your true self is still the same as that day~”
That day…
I let out a long, tired sigh.
“You’re still stuck in the past. How long are you going to chase after a dead man’s ghost?”
I looked at her with obvious exhaustion and disappointment, the way someone would at a fool who refuses to learn.
…Well, I guess it’s not the worst thing.
Part of me was secretly enjoying every second. Watching someone so obsessed with an old version of me was way more entertaining than I expected. Red kept forcing past and present into the same person. It was deliciously annoying.
“Back then… what was it like? You were way cooler than now, right?”
Makahina jumped in, eyes wide and innocent. “Elia-ssi was amazing. Not just cool—she was like a savior guiding hundreds of people!”
“Useless talk. Keep it short.”
“But it was true! Her light was so bright it could blind you!”
Bright?
I didn’t even have light-attribute powers.
I knew exactly what he meant to say.
“You still think of me as the real Elia?”
Red’s steps stopped dead. She tilted her head, confused, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
She was pretending not to understand.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
I pointed at the ruined city of Phaestus behind us and at the little boy still clutching my hand.
“After the storm calmed, seeing a kid who should have died… I started thinking about the past. Did you forget too?”
“Hah, all that’s long gone. Just old memories~”
“Yeah, memories. I remember them vividly. The day I first met you.”
…
The laugh vanished from Red’s face in an instant.
I slowly reached out with my free hand and brushed the strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek, tucking them behind her ear with surprising gentleness.
My voice dropped to a low, almost venomous whisper.
“The day I saved you when you were dying… you’re asking if that memory still burns in me?”
…
“Shall we talk about the old days?”
◆◇◆
CRASH! BAM! KRA-KOOOM!
Heavy metal doors groaned and crumpled under the weight of dozens of monsters slamming against them from outside.
“Fuck! The gas mask lenses are shattered! Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”
Red hurled the ruined mask to the floor, the lens exploding on impact. She didn’t even flinch. Instead she grabbed her own head and yanked at her hair.
“How the hell did this happen?!”
Outside, the spore storm was still raging. The moment those doors gave way, the inside would be flooded in spores. Either monsters would tear me apart, or I’d turn into one and meet the same end.
“Hah… how did I end up like this…”
Leaning against the wall, Red’s legs gave out and she slid down to the floor.
Screams echoed from the hallway. The door wouldn’t hold much longer.
“Fuck… this is bullshit…”
A hollow laugh slipped from Red’s lips. She’d probably known this day might come—dying in some filthy pit like this.
“Hah… I’d rather become a monster than…”
Her hand trembled as she gripped the pistol at her waist.
Better to end it myself than turn into that thing.
She pressed the cold muzzle hard against her temple. The iron felt like it was crushing her lungs.
Can I pull the trigger?
Can I pull it?
Tears slipped between her tightly shut eyes. Her finger on the trigger started to tighten…
“Anyone there?”
Over the thunderous banging, a calm, steady female voice cut through the noise like it was nothing.
“…?!”
Red jolted, breath catching in her throat.
Still holding the gun to her temple, she turned toward the sound, down the dark corridor.
Thud… thud… thud…
A figure in a gas mask walked toward us from the shadows.
Even in the gloom, her white hair glowed like fresh snow, the tips faintly tinged red, as if blood had touched it. Through the cracked lenses, piercing blue eyes met ours.
Red’s blood ran hot at the sight.
“You little bitch! How the fuck did you get in here?!”
She pushed herself up on shaking legs, fury boiling over. “You opened the door and let the spores in! A selfish asshole crawling in here just to survive!”
I was already doomed, but the thought of someone else’s selfishness forcing me to die anyway made her rage boil hotter.
“…No. I got here before the storm hit. The building’s still intact.”
“What…?”
“There are no spores inside. You can relax.”
She smiled gently, like she was offering a kindness no one asked for.
It felt pathetic.
Red’s gaze locked on the gas mask.
She could survive. Take that mask, and it was over.
She aimed the pistol straight at the woman, eyes burning with murderous intent.
“Take it off. Right now. Or I’ll put a hole in your head.”
…
“Hurry up and take it off, you whore!”
The woman stared at the muzzle for a long moment, then lowered her eyes with a sad look.
“Unfortunately, the filter’s gone. It’s not working anymore.”
“Shut the fuck up and take it off!”
“If you’re going to shoot, at least give me a chance. I’ll give you the mask if you want it.”
She loosened the straps. The blue eyes behind the cracked lenses finally came into view.
Red caught the mask mid-air. Her face twisted into something ugly. The filter was hollow. Rubber seals were torn and useless.
“Hah, fuck! It’s completely broken!”
The last lifeline had rotted away.
“You fucking bastard…”
Red hurled the mask straight at the woman’s face with every ounce of strength left.
It slammed into her forehead. The woman took it without flinching and simply stood there, silent.
“Hah… fuck…”
Red collapsed to the floor, drained of all energy.
“This place is a complete shithole. I figured I’d die alone in a dungeon, but at least now there’s company. Lucky me.”
The woman’s voice remained soft and gentle, unchanged. “It’s not too late to give up yet.”
“…What?”
“Follow me. There’s a way to survive.”
She turned and walked into the darkness without another word.
Red’s expression was wild, like she’d seen a ghost. A way to survive? She followed the woman’s back into the gloom, hypnotized.
The lowest level of the building was a damp, moldy basement.
At the bottom of the stairs, a dark pool of water stretched endlessly, sloshing softly against the walls.
“We’ll go underwater from here.”
“What? You’re joking, right?”
The woman spoke with total calm, no trace of panic. “Spores don’t dissolve in water. If we dive, we won’t get infected. Underwater is safer.”
“Who the hell doesn’t know that?!”
Red grabbed her own head with both hands, pulling at her hair in frustration.
“Where does the exit lead?! What if it’s blocked? How deep are we supposed to go? How long?! What if I drown halfway?!”
“There’s no other way. You said you want to live, right?”
“But…!”
One bullet would be cleaner. Drowning was pure torture. Too painful.
“I know how painful drowning is. I’d rather put a bullet in my own head and go out easy. If you’re going, go alone!”
Red gripped her pistol again, the hand on the trigger shaking like a leaf.
The woman watched her with quiet, steady eyes.
“I understand your fear. Diving is hard. But you can’t just stay here and die. I’ll help you. We can escape together and live.”
“Who the hell are you? Who the hell are you? Who the hell are you?!”
“Me?”
Red glared at her, ready to tear her apart.
“Everyone who promises to help just to stab you in the back is trash! Trusting a complete stranger with my life?!”
“I’m not asking you to trust me. We’re just escaping.”
That was when she stepped into the water first. The surface closed over her waist.
She reached out a hand toward Red.
“I’d like you to come with me.”
That pure white hand, smiling with blue eyes full of reassurance.
“Fuck…”
KWAAAAAANG!
The last iron door exploded outward with a deafening roar.
Kyah! Grrrk—!
Monsters were coming. It was truly over. Only seconds left.
Spores would swallow the building soon. I’d turn into one of those beasts.
Red squeezed her eyes shut tight.
Drown… or become a monster. Either way, it was hell.
“Fuck this shit!”
She shoved the pistol back into her waistband and plunged into the black water.
◆◇◆
Makahina, still listening to Red’s past stories with wide-eyed fascination, suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, Red-ssi, why do you keep swearing the whole time?”
“Shut up, brat.”
Red coughed and glanced away, annoyed.
I watched her silently. It was a shame, but I opened my mouth again.
“My story isn’t over yet.”