The end of the second night approaches.
Soon the sun will descend through the fog, yes, right through it, and illuminate this place with its bright rays. Seems everything is going according to plan, as it should. Could it be otherwise?
When the moon leaves, the sun takes its place. When night leaves, day replaces it. And then comes... well, at least light, or even joy. Or fun, perhaps.
But the nature of the world, no, let's say "essence of being," sounds more pretentious, is the same everywhere. Almost everywhere.
But not here.
This place is special.
It doesn't acknowledge sunlight. It doesn't acknowledge the concept of "day," and certainly not joyful faces.
Because none of that exists here. No people. No moon. No sun.
Absolute emptiness.
Only a fake shell, illusion, decoration, decoy. Parody of reality created by the witch of this island. How else to call a copy made without knowing the original? Like trying to draw a person's face you've never seen. It turns out... strange.
Pretty strange, really, that I even started thinking about this? Before, I wouldn't linger on such thoughts. Before, I'd just... scroll past. Did I even think before? Did I live?
Before meeting them. Most likely no. Before meeting her. Definitely no.
And these thoughts shouldn't be in my head, not by level. And certainly not by habit, but a meeting can change a lot, right?
My inner world, which before seemed an empty gray room with one bulb, suddenly started resembling... a gallery, with colors, with sounds. With reflections, with mad paintings.
By the way, was she a girl? Never thought about it, never asked her.
(Strange, right?)
We were already in the library.
Cheryl stood with eyes closed, in silent observation, almost like a sculpture, almost like a judge. The other participants immersed in silent agony of decryption. Books open, scattered, in disorder. None lying properly.
Me and Morgana nearby, without words. Just watched and waited. Until Yahweh's voice broke this pause like a stone through glass.
"Hey, why are you standing there? I called you to help us with this, not stand idle!" cheerfully, as if he enjoyed all this.
He was full of energy. Boiling with joy, perhaps from finally finding the right book.
The link book.
The translator book.
Without wasting time, which we had plenty of, by the way, I joined them. Asked Morgana to stay aside. Observe, not interfere. She wanted to help, of course. But that wasn't her role.
"While you were gone, we already managed to learn translations of some hieroglyphs," Kamiki said with that smirk, as if time here didn't move. "By the way, where were you all this time?"
"Worried about me?" Aragi replied. "I just went after Morgana. Didn't want her wandering the mansion alone."
Light laughter. Book in hands, gaze down. Tiamut nearby, silent but clearly not indifferent. Watching. Listening. Reading.
What is she to him? the thought slipped through Aragi.
(She slipped through everyone's, honestly.)
Unlike the others, her personality like a blind spot. A gap, and that's known to be a problem.
"Anyway, listen," Yahweh became the center again. "Hov and I discussed and decided it'll be better if each group takes one sentence. We'll save time. More efficient. So we don't die before dawn, after all."
"Can only agree, good idea," Kamiki, waving arms like a conductor without orchestra.
"I'm not against it either. Let's do that," Aragi agreed.
And again, division, distribution, unraveling. Teamwork that almost looked coordinated.
Yahweh and Hov — third sentence.
Me and Enua — first.
Kamiki and his group — second.
Only the last remained.
"Cheryl and I can take it!" Morgana, as always, on point.
Everyone agreed.
"Hov and I will step away," Hov said. "Better not interfere with each other."
They left.
"We too," Tiamut following Kamiki. He left first, without a word.
(That means something, probably.)
We with Enua remained, behind Morgana and Cheryl.
Calm divided into four.
I looked at the inscription, and it looked at me. As if it knew: I want to understand, but not right away.
避... "avoid," right? Or just "escape"? Escape from what? Immediately from somewhere inside me emerged the thought that escape is impossible.
避けられない... "inevitable." More interesting, meaning no matter what I do... no. Can't escape, even if you really want to. Even if pretending you don't.
定め. "Fate." Predestination, loud word, and heavy. Like placing a stone on your palm and saying: "Hold it."
Someone wrote this... not just like that, I muttered aloud.
Enua said nothing. His silence was strange, almost... attentive. As if waiting for me to dig to the end myself.
拒み... "refusing" what? Fate? Or yourself?
争うことは... struggle, struggle with what? Struggle with inevitable? Don't know. Don't know. Don't know...
ただ自らを滅ぼすだけだ... Just destroy yourself, but who destroys? Me? Or someone else? Or all of us at once?
"You okay?" I asked.
"All normal... just thinking who could have written this," Enua said quietly. His voice sounded almost like an echo of my own thoughts.
And then the meaning slowly came together. Not immediately, not fully, piece by piece. As if each hieroglyph detail a small key, and I stand before a door that opens itself, but only if not rushed.
Refusing inevitable fate and fighting it, you only destroy yourself.
11 at night.
An hour passed since we started. Everything turned out easier than thought. Faster than expected. Morgana and Cheryl still discussing theirs, Yahweh and Hov not back. Maybe went far, maybe got lost. Or just stupid.
But what surprised, Kamiki didn't appear.
Strange.
"Aragi, I need to tell you something important..."
"Huh?" Me.
"Promise you'll understand me right."
...
"The thing is..."
Time stopped. Not literally, but felt exactly that way.
"All this time... I knew the translation of these lines."
...
...
I didn't respond. Couldn't.
"I don't know how it happened myself. Just... saw, understood, and got scared. Scared that even you would suspect me. But please... believe."
He pleaded, almost physically. Like a doll whose soul was taken.
And then...
"Once, a certain vampiress acquaintance told me: 'To make someone believe you, no need to prove right. Trust your heart — it knows.'"
"I believe you, Enua," Aragi said. "Believe. Even if the world turns away, don't renounce yourself. Your truth is your truth."
"Aragi... You really... are an amazing person."