Chapter 43: Please (2)
The familiar color of the sky seen from lying down. Ronan slowly rose to his feet. Below the hill, he could see a village standing and a river winding along the village.
A murmured whisper escaped Ronan’s lips.
“Nimbuten.”
Even after rubbing his eyes and looking again, it was the same. His hometown, Nimbuten.
Ronan walked down the hill as if he were enchanted by something. The sensation of the grass leaves rustling under his feet was vivid.
“Is this my imaginary world?”
The sound of flowing water that faintly reached his ears, the wind that tickled his nostrils, everything felt real. Yet, only the emptiness at the waist where the scabbard usually hung subtly implied that this wasn’t reality.
Soon, as Ronan entered the outskirts of the village, he raised his head with a grin.
“Did this really exist?”
Next to a sign with the name “Nimbuten” written on it, a tall birch tree stood. Its height and lushness made it seem like you could see it from anywhere in the village.
If this existed, I wouldn’t forget it. After shrugging his shoulders, Ronan entered the village.
The village scenery was almost the same as what Ronan knew. The vegetable garden where Aselle’s parents used to farm was unchanged, and the bustling Lambert Inn from every night was as it was.
The only strange thing was that there was no sign of life in the village. In the silent streets, it was only Ronan’s footsteps that could be heard, as if all the residents had vanished.
“This doesn’t feel good…”
Even the blowing wind was eerily calm. Ronan was about to take another step forward when the laughter of a young child reached him from behind.
“Hehehe!”
Ronan quickly turned his head. A fluttering white dress disappeared around the corner. The light footsteps were quickly fading away. Ronan ran towards where the child had vanished as if he were enchanted by something.
“Hey, wait!”
Ronan turned the corner. The house where he and his sister lived appeared. Normally, it would have taken a few more minutes, but he didn’t have the luxury to care about such contradictions.
Nothing was attached to the overgrown walls. Just then, the child who had gone ahead appeared behind Ronan.
“Heehee!”
“Damn, that scared me.”
She looked about five years old at best. Seeing the child’s face, Ronan furrowed his brows.
“…Noona?”
“Mama!”
Ignoring Ronan, the child ran straight into the house. The wooden door opened and closed. Ronan stood rooted to the spot as if his feet were anchored to the ground.
No matter how young she was, he wouldn’t fail to recognize that face. Large irises tinted with sunset colors, pale white hair like starlight. Without a doubt, it was his younger sister from his childhood.
“So this is…?”
Unfamiliar birch trees, slightly less worn buildings. His younger sister. Ronan finally realized that he was wandering through a past version of Nimberton.
wah! wah!
Suddenly, the cry of a baby resonated. It came from Ronan’s house. Grabbing a shovel leaning on the fence, Ronan’s eyes darted around.
“…Better than nothing, I guess.”
He had to remember. This was an imaginary world created to rid him of the curse that had attached itself to him. Since the goal was to break the curse, he mustn’t mistake this world for being friendly.
With that thought in mind, Ronan pulled the doorknob. The door, which didn’t have a latch, opened smoothly.
Three chairs were placed around the dining table. Ronan perked up his ears at the sound of voices coming from somewhere.
“Is this my brother?”
“That’s right. Iril.”
The conversation was coming from the bedroom with a bed. It was Iril’s room now. Ronan, clutching the shovel, cautiously took a step forward.
He leaned his head out while hiding his body by the doorway to get a glimpse inside. Young Iril was lying on the bed, propping her chin on her hands and her eyes twinkling.
“I’ll protect you. Because you’re my cute little brother.”
“Hehe, impressive, my daughter.”
A woman with black hair lay beside her, gently stroking Iril’s head. Ronan’s eyes widened.
The woman’s face resembled Iril’s exactly. Even though he had never seen her before, Ronan instinctively knew. That woman was his birth mother.
“Mother…?”
Ronan hesitated before entering the room. The mother and daughter continued their conversation without showing any reaction to his presence.
It was as if they couldn’t see him at all. Ronan extended his hand to touch his mother but it passed through her as if he were swatting at thin air.
“Then, you must be…”
Ronan’s gaze shifted to the bed. Between Iril’s face and her mother’s, a newborn baby was nestled in a blanket, making tiny sounds.
“Mewnya…”
“Hehe, so cute.”
When Iril reached out her hand, the baby grabbed her finger. Iril giggled and kissed the baby’s cheek. Their mother watched her two children, her face adorned with a gentle smile.
“So, there were… times like this in my life.”
Ronan observed the harmonious family scene, forgetting his purpose. Just then, the sound of a door opening came from behind.
Creak!
“…”
In that moment, an eerie sensation he had never experienced in his life swept over Ronan. Clutching the broken shovel tightly, he turned his head.
There stood a shapeless shadow, indescribable like mist. At that moment, Ronan realized that this was the curse he needed to break.
“I have to break it.”
Just as he was about to swing the shovel, the shadowy figure that had been lurking in the doorway began to speak.
“■…?”
Ronan’s body froze at the sound.
“■■■? Iril? ■■■ ■■ ■■■?”
‘Huh?’
It was a bizarre voice that was difficult to recognize as speech. The only thing he could make out was his sister’s name. Before long, the shadow spoke, and the mother and daughter responded warmly.
“Iril, ■■ has arrived, it seems. Go out to meet them.”
“Wow! ■■~”
Young Iril jumped with her arms wide open. The elongated shadow on either side embraced Iril.
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With Iril in its arms, the shadow entered the room. It gently greeted the mother who was lying under the covers.
“How did you time it? He was just born yesterday. How is he? Cute, isn’t he?”
“■ ■■■…”
“Ahaha, he seems more like you than me… but why the strange expression? Did something happen?”
“■■■.”
The shadow that had set Iril down then picked up the newborn baby. It looked at the baby for a while before turning its head towards the mother.
“■■■. ■ ■■■. ■■ ■■■.”
“Yes? It’s dangerous? What’s that…”
“■■■…”
“Why, why are you like this, ■■?”
In an instant, the shadow roiled as if boiling. Both the mother and Iril collapsed as if they were asleep. Ronan’s eyes widened, as if they were about to pop out.
“No… way…!”
A sharp cracking sound came from Ronan’s mouth. His muscles were already swollen as if they were about to burst. Since his body had stiffened, he had been exerting all his strength just to move.
“■■■… Iril…”
The shadow’s agitation subsided. Unbidden, tears flowed from Ronan’s eyes. He wasn’t sure how to explain this situation, but he could sense that the shadow was deeply saddened.
The shadow placed Iril and the baby beside their mother. Then, it extended part of itself to cover both the newborn baby and Iril.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
For a fleeting moment, Ronan saw the curse’s symbols that had come out of his body swirling within the shadow’s body. They were flowing into the newborn baby’s body.
“■■ ■ ■■■…”
The murmuring shadow moved outside the door. The moment the shadow left the house, the restraints that had bound Ronan were released.
Thud!
Ronan bounced off the wall after being pushed away. It was because the energy that had been pent up in him was suddenly released all at once.
But there was no time to feel pain. Ronan immediately rushed toward his family. The mother, daughter, and baby were all lying still, as if dead.
“No… No…!”
He struggled to prop them up, but he couldn’t get a hold of them. As darkness encroached on his vision with despair, he heard the rustling breaths of someone nearby.
“…Huh?”
Regaining his senses, Ronan saved his family. Iril’s swollen belly was slowly rising and falling, as was the mother’s and the baby’s. Fortunately, they were all merely asleep.
Even in her sleep, Iril clutched the baby tightly. Ronan, clutching the broken shovel, slowly stood up. A voice, almost animalistic, emerged from his mouth.
“This… damn bastard…”
Despair was quickly turning into anger. The wooden handle of the shovel broke in half. Ronan, who had been lurking around, picked up the obsidian sword leaning against the entrance.
Why was the obsidian sword here? Such a fact was as insignificant as the fact that this was an imaginary world. Whether this was a mere delusion or a representation of past memories was also unknown.
There was only one thing that mattered: the fact that he had committed something unforgivable.
Thud!
Ronan slammed the door and dashed out of the house with all his might.
The moment he left the house, the village’s buildings scattered like mist and disappeared. Ronan dashed through what remained of Nimbuten’s streets like a madman.
Before long, he saw the distant bird tree and the shadow collapsed on the ground. With part of his body drawn out like a sword, Ronan approached the scene with his breath heaving.
“■■■, Iril…■■. ■■ ■■■■ ■■■…”
Suddenly, tears welled up in Ronan’s eyes. A mixture of sorrow and anger, much greater and more intense than the anger that had consumed him, surged within his chest.
Instinctively, Ronan sensed that these were the emotions the shadow was feeling. However, he didn’t slow down his sprint.
The distance had significantly shortened. The shadow still hadn’t noticed Ronan’s presence. He concentrated the sourceless emotions within his throat and shouted them out as if expelling them.
“Stand there! You bastard!!”
“■?!”
The shadow turned its head. At that moment, Ronan’s body shot forward like a flash. The fastest sword strike he had delivered so far surged toward the shadow’s body.
Ching!
Black sparks flew out into the air.
“What?!”
“■···■■?”
The ambush had failed. The obsidian sword, which had come into contact with the shadow, was slashing through empty space. Ronan, who had spat on the ground, swung the sword again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of strikes too fast for an ordinary person to see were unleashed. However, the shadow easily evaded or blocked all of Ronan’s attacks.
“Damn it…!”
No matter how he changed his swordsmanship and attacked with unconventional moves, they were all either avoided or blocked. Ronan gritted his teeth. It felt like he was being toyed with, rather than being properly engaged.
After exchanging about twenty blows, the shadow, which had been solely on the defensive, suddenly surged like an explosion.
“■■■■!”
“Argh!”
The atmosphere had completely changed from before. The eerie blackness of the shadow penetrated Ronan’s chest.
The blows he couldn’t defend against tore at various parts of his body.
Thud!
In an instant, a thrust pierced through Ronan’s thigh and wrist.
“Ugh!”
Clang!
The black iron sword fell to the ground. Ronan fell to one knee and collapsed. The shadow aimed the tip of the sword at Ronan’s neck. While he was prepared for the worst, the shadow didn’t take any further action.
“······”
“Huh, what are you doing…? Ugh, why are you not killing me…”
The shadow stood still, only staring at Ronan. Intense sorrow and anger flooded into Ronan’s mind once again. The shadow sheathed the sword.
“■■.”
Then, the shadow swung its sword through the air like pulling out a root and started walking away, turning its back. Ronan, who had stood up unsteadily, grasped the obsidian sword with his left hand.
“Damn it… Ugh, stand right there…!”
The shadow didn’t stop. It sent a gesture of farewell to the cut bird tree and continued walking. At this rate, he was about to lose it completely.
Ronan took a deep breath. He needed something to stop the shadow. An idea emerged, but he really didn’t want to say it, even if it meant his death.
Three chairs placed around the dining table. Iril, who hugged him with a bright smile. His mother’s words that she resembled her more than me.
He had realized it in his mind a while ago, but he didn’t want to admit it. Facing the truth was scary. It felt like denying himself the moment he spoke it out loud.
“Damn it.”
But there was no other way. Blood was still flowing from his leg and wrist. Taking a deep breath, Ronan shouted toward the shadow.
“And you call yourself a father, even after all that! You bastard!”
“···■?”
The shadow stopped. Clear fluctuations of emotion passed through it. Soon, an indescribable thrill surged through Ronan’s entire body.
“A chance only comes once.”
Ronan clenched the sword handle.
Whoosh!
The swirling shadow charged toward Ronan.
His vision narrowed and time seemed to slow down. He had to end it with this surprise attack while the opponent was off balance. The shadow that had come so close raised its sword.
“Huh?”
At that moment, a faint shimmering caught Ronan’s eye. It was like a stream of water, yet it seemed to have been tinted by the wind.
The worn-out obsidian sword had transformed into a smooth rapier. Ronan swung the sword toward the shadow that was almost upon him. However, it wasn’t a reckless swing; he followed the flowing stream of water in the air.
Slash!
The shadow was cut in half.
