Subtitle: In the Midst of Sins
When I opened my eyes, my head felt as if it were splitting apart. Before I could even gather myself, I sank down onto my knees and began to look around.
Everywhere was filled with screams, engulfed in fire, with not even a single grain of peace to be found. Strangely, the screams were heavy with guilt. The surroundings resembled a crimson sky, yet unlike the real one, it was neither comforting nor safe. On the contrary, it felt as though a demon could emerge from anywhere at any moment.
I took a deep breath. Strangely enough, I was wearing a white shirt. Although it was white, it was badly worn. A liquid was dripping onto the ground. Fearfully, I turned my head toward my left arm.
My left arm was shorter than it should have been. Bones, muscles, flesh… it was as if they had been torn away. In horror, I stood up and began to stagger.
"No… no… no…"
Eventually, I started to moan in pain. To avoid becoming one of the screaming masses, I bit down on the hand of my remaining arm. I swayed back and forth, writhing in agony.
When I gathered enough strength to lift my head, I saw a corrupted moon in the sky. It was pitch black, as though its center had collapsed inward, and from its edges flowed the blood of sinners. Clearly, that was what gave the ground its color.
The sight was so overwhelming that I forgot my pain and stood up, compelled to walk toward the moon. I tightly gripped the left sleeve of my shirt. Even though the shirt was not a part of my body, I could feel it soaking in my blood.
Like a limping old man, I slowly moved toward where the moon hung. My back was bent, my arm clutched tightly, and I walked in a staggering manner. My lips and throat were painfully dry. I would have given anything for a single glass of water.
Despite walking for some time, nothing seemed to change, as if only this place existed. Eventually, I could no longer endure the brightness and closed one of my eyes.
I must have been walking for hours. I knew my breath smelled like rot. Even breathing in had become difficult. My tongue clung to the roof of my mouth, desperate for a single drop of water. I was becoming more and more miserable.
Unable to bear the pain of reaching nowhere, I collapsed to the ground. I locked eyes with the ants beneath me. Some insects were already crawling around my body. I could hear the sounds of vultures above me.
"Sis…"
I didn't have the strength to continue. Amid the screams, I heard the sound of flowing water. Without a second thought, I ran toward it.
The water flowed from behind a crimson rock. With my remaining hand, I tried to move the rock, pouring my last strength into it.
As I struggled to dislodge it, my fingernails were torn out. Ignoring the blood that flowed, I clung to the rock with everything I had. In the end, I succeeded. The rock shifted, but my hand was no longer something that could be called a hand.
I collapsed and began to drink the water. Just as I was about to feel relief, I realized the screams were drawing closer. I grabbed a dry branch from the ground and staggered to my feet.
A mass of people was charging toward me, yet my tongue refused to call them human. Some were crushed beneath the crowd, crawling forward, while others shoved those in front to reach the water first.
Every kind of person was there, rushing toward me to claim the water. In my condition, I could never survive against so many. I fled as fast as I could.
The surroundings now resembled a crimson desert. The moon, instead of being cold, was hot. Scattered, withered trees stood around. Like a vagrant under scorching heat, I wandered aimlessly. Everything was covered in stone and mountains. Eventually, I leaned against a rock and stared at my body, now pale white.
"So there's only a tiny stream between death and me…"
As I wandered, one of the orcs I had seen before stood in my path. Hopelessly, I looked at the club in its hand. It was clear that my turn had come. I closed my eyes and drove the dry branch into its foot. As the orc screamed in pain, I thrust another piece of wood into its foot. Eventually, it fell. Just as I was about to plunge the branch into its mouth, it struck me with its club.
I was flung toward the mountain. Massive splinters pierced my body. The moment blood filled my mouth, I vomited it all onto the ground. With only three steps, the orc was already beside me. In fury, I ripped the splinters from my flesh and hurled them at it. They were useless, but at least I was trying.
"YOU!"
The orc's roar shattered my eardrums. I bit my lip and began climbing the mountain with the last branch in my hand. The orc's club was behind me every second. I gave everything I had to avoid being crushed. Eventually, I reached a narrow path and began running upward. The orc shattered the rocks ahead of me. After glaring at it with hatred, I forced my way through the stones. Some of them were sharp, cutting my body all over.
Strangely, I reached the peak, yet even then I barely reached the orc's stomach. I couldn't help but laugh. I tightened my grip on the dried branch and threw myself down the mountain. While falling, I drove the branch into the orc's stomach, using my own weight to tear it open from top to bottom.
At last, the orc collapsed. I stepped in front of it.
My body was now pale white from blood loss. My shirt was torn and soaked in blood. My nails were gone, and although I could barely feel anything, I felt as though I had achieved a victory. As the orc took its final breaths, I deliberately stepped into its line of sight and parted my dry lips.
"Only me, earth, and sky…"
Before I could finish, I collapsed. Even so, I was happy. I made a rude gesture at the orc.
Just as my eyes were about to close, I noticed a squirrel crawling over me. I cupped it in my hands and fed it nuts I had taken from other people. Its fur shimmered like golden thread. It felt as though it did not belong here. Despite the scorching heat, its warm fur seemed unaffected. I laughed as I watched it in my hands.
"You are pale white, yet the red in your eyes shines," the squirrel said. "Your body is badly worn. Your time is near."
Strangely, the squirrel speaking did not surprise me at all. All I could do was look at it and smile. I did exactly that. I closed my eyes and waited for death as the squirrel moved across my body.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a cool, refreshing place. The surroundings were dark, yet strangely comforting. Beside me, a gas lamp cast its light. I sat up to look around more clearly. My entire body was wrapped in bandages. There was something like a mattress beside me. When I swallowed, I felt pain in my throat. Leaning against the wall next to me, I stood up. I fell to the ground several times as I tried to walk. Eventually, I noticed a brighter area and, with a glimmer of hope, walked toward it.
This place was a cave. Despite water dripping from the stalactites and the surroundings being covered in vines and green plants, it was breathtaking. The particles of light did not bother me at all; on the contrary, I felt myself healing as they touched my skin.
There was a man leaning against the wall, constantly sighing. He wore clothes that resembled a white sheet. His gaze was sharp, yet fragile. He had black hair and black eyes. On his shoulder, the same squirrel was whispering something to him.
There was a woman sitting on the stones, playing with a moth in her hand. Her hair was very long, and she wore an extremely light purple dress. Above her head was something like a blue crown. Her eyes were covered with a piece of cloth.
Beside her stood someone whose mouth constantly emitted smoke. Their hair was red and wavy. Their skin was covered in red scales. Their teeth were sharp, and horns rose from their head. Unlike the others, their clothes were heavily worn, resembling a soldier from a battlefield. In their hand was a crown made of flames. Flame tattoos covered their arms, yet they looked like ancient relics.
There was another figure whose gender I could not fully determine, with transparent legs made of crystal. Their eyelashes were white and beautiful. Their arms were transparent as well. Their breath appeared strangely visible, as if the air around them were cold. Their hair was white, their eyes blue. They looked so delicate that it felt as though they would shatter at the slightest touch.
The blindfolded woman spoke.
"So, you have awakened."
She did not even turn her head as she said it. Her voice was just like Pandora's.
The squirrel quickly ran toward me and climbed onto my shoulder. The red-haired figure blew smoke into my face. Coughing, I tried to disperse it. When the smoke cleared, they were all standing right in front of me. Strangely, I felt terrified, because they carried a different presence. They were powerful, yet looked weak; dangerous, yet beautiful; decayed, yet conquerable.
"What is your name?" the red-haired one asked.
Their voice was furious, yet there was no real threat. Because of how loud it was, I covered my ears. They were shouting unnecessarily. Despite that, they looked friendly.
"Then let us start first," the red-haired one said. "I am Igneel."
"Zeref," said the black-haired man.
The others remained silent.
"Come on!" Igneel said. "You already know this snot-nosed brat—"
The crystal-bodied figure covered Igneel's mouth. They began walking toward me, a glass-like sound echoing with each step. They came very close and placed a sphere into my hand.
"What is your name?" they asked.
"My name is…"
I couldn't remember it. My limbs tangled together. I held my breath and stood frozen.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Igneel laughed. "You're one of those adolescents, huh?"
An adolescent? No matter how I looked at myself, I seemed like a child. I must have been short. I quickly looked at my reflection in a nearby pool of water.
My entire body was wrapped in bandages, their ends hanging loose. A black fabric, like a jacket, covered half of my arm. My feet were wrapped in strips. My hair was longer than before, with strands of red mixed in. A hood formed by my hair concealed my face from behind. I wore a long, worn black garment below, its shape so indistinct it almost looked like a skirt. I had grown taller, quite a lot. My body was no longer that of a child.
"If you have no name," Zeref said, "then how about we call you Zero?"
At that moment, it felt as though everything was pulled inward, and I stood frozen. Because I resembled him.
Suddenly, a sharp wind began to blow.
"Zero…"
"Don't tell me this was said by someone with a few screws loose," Igneel muttered.
"STOP SHOUTING!"
Igneel looked surprised, but it didn't last long before he burst into laughter.
"You can call me Pandora," the blindfolded woman said. "Here, most people remember almost nothing."
"Pandora?!"
Just as I was about to step toward Pandora, the real Zero appeared before me.
Behind him was a white fabric, and within that fabric was something like an entire universe. Memories were inside it. Everything was crystal clear, and the surroundings turned white. No one else was there. Only Zero and me. As everything shattered like glass—
"These are not the memories you are meant to possess," Zero said.
At that moment, Zero raised his hand—
End of Chapter