Chapter 6
When Sora's eyes opened… she found herself immersed in a boundless white space… Every droplet of water that fell around her shimmered in the same pure whiteness, and light seemed to pierce her from every direction, infinite and isolating. She could only move forward. Her bare feet felt unsteady on an invisible surface, and her hands floated as if everything around her were weightless. The light stretched endlessly ahead, without any visible end.
Suddenly, a frail, childlike voice echoed from behind… Her eyes widened—it was her own voice. The voice from a time when she wandered aimlessly, a time when she was painfully aware she was an orphan. Her life had never been whole, especially during her childhood. She had been born around 1942 or 1943 in Hiroshima… and from the moment she gained awareness, she knew loneliness intimately, for her family had perished by 1945. That voice haunted her—it was the voice of herself in a time of hunger and desperation.
???
> I… I'm so hungry… Please… Give me something to eat… Even a single loaf of bread…
Sora's hands trembled, nausea spreading through her body. She didn't dare look back—couldn't face her past. Her muscles recoiled in fear, veins bulging uncontrollably on her hands. The taste of nausea filled her mouth—the gnawing memory of scavenging through trash, eating leftovers off the ground, even begging American soldiers, the very people who had destroyed her family, for a morsel of food. Sometimes she had eaten spoiled meat, or decayed scraps, and her body shivered in response. Her voice quivered as she tried to pretend ignorance, to suppress the memory.
Sora
> Get away… Stop… I'm not involved…
Her lips trembled, and her hands shook even more. She didn't dare look behind, but the surrounding space shifted into black—as if white paper had been soaked in ink. Then, a hoarse, trembling voice sounded behind her as a cracked, filthy hand grasped hers. Sora didn't need to look to feel the dirt, the grime, the metallic stench emanating from that arm. The trembling voice spoke again.
???
> Please… Sister… Just give me something… Even a little frost… Or a moldy piece of bread…
Sora's eyes widened further, her hands shaking as horrific images from the past flooded her mind—memories she could never forget. Hunger and pain defined her childhood: a life without family, without friends. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her hands quivered. She didn't dare turn back. Darkness enveloped her, and tears began to fall. Fear pressed on her, and she sank to the ground, sobbing.
Sora
> Go away… Leave… All of you…
But then, suddenly, thousands of voices rose, layering over one another:
A trembling, exhausted voice from behind:
??? (2)
> Don't give up… We are still alive…
Another voice, desperate yet faintly cheerful:
??? (3)
> Why… Why am I… I'm insane…
And then, thousands more, whispering into her ears like a thousand knives slicing through her heart. Pain radiated through her body. Her eyes filled with fear and despair. Her hands shook violently. She dared not look back. Her body felt as if it were collapsing, as if she wanted to tear herself apart, to strangle herself.
Then, a hand grasped hers—then another, and another. They were the hands of her subconscious. Slowly, her eyes opened again, this time inside her mind.
Sora… but with red eyes, sat drinking tea before her. Beneath a veil of thick black despair, the cup of porcelain in her hands was filled not with tea, but blood—an immense, almost endless supply of blood. She sat calmly, sipping, while Sora on the ground sobbed and vomited, unwilling to witness the horrors outside her subconscious.
Red-eyed Sora
> How boring… I'm alone here… And you, outside, only know how to cry.
Red-eyed Sora rose, and immediately, the luxurious table and chair she sat on crumbled into bones, rattling onto the ground. Her footsteps drew closer. She bent and gently patted Sora's trembling back, comforting her, before speaking again.
Red-eyed Sora
> Perhaps I have been inside you for a long time… I've stayed silent because of loneliness. You still have a world out there… Hundreds, thousands of years to live. I only have this space… Nothing else…
Her voice was tender, almost maternal, though tinged with melancholy.
Red-eyed Sora
> I also want to see the world outside like you… I'm afraid… Every time you return to me, it is always despair… And the frequency grows… I am afraid of it. But you must push forward… Don't pretend to be cheerful anymore. Live as yourself…
Sora looked up. She only saw a faint shadow of a foot as the surrounding darkness cracked. Slowly, she emerged from her subconscious, opening her eyes. Though still desperate, she turned back. The Anti-World around her began to shift, crumbling into white fragments. Doves appeared. Her gaze, the characteristic golden light of her eyes, touched the frail, torn, suffering child of her past. The cracks multiplied, and young Sora smiled at her older self before closing her eyes.
Young Sora
> Keep going… Sister…
The space collapsed, leaving only patches of black as Sora sank into the dark waters, eyes closing, merging with her past self. A warm sensation enveloped her.
---
Elsewhere in the Anti-World, where Lucas is…
Lucas slowly opened his eyes. A suffocating sense of infinity gripped him. His body began to freeze. Stars outside watched him drift helplessly, an oppressive, isolating vastness. Yet his eyes held neither despair nor lifelessness. He spoke, commanding the space itself:
Lucas
> Uta JP-725… That's enough…
His eyes narrowed like blades. Pain from thermal burns began to register in his nerves, but his voice remained firm, authoritative.
Lucas
> According to reports from the Organization… She doesn't just control the creatures written in the books worldwide… She can manipulate even… the Anti-World… And she was born from it.
As if confirming his words, the surrounding space collapsed rapidly. The sun and moon shrank and exploded simultaneously, forming clouds of radiant dust, drifting like nebulae. The world around him crumbled.
---
Meanwhile, Mei…
Rain poured over towering buildings and the ancient architecture of Beijing. Outside, cars moved along the streets. Pedestrians trudged home exhausted, indifferent, some stopping at convenience stores. Lightning struck randomly. Children wandered the sewers, scavenging for food, or anything remotely edible. Most were orphans or abandoned, for whom even a single loaf of bread was a fortune. Pain and uncertainty defined their days.
In an alley, thunder rumbled. Lights from nearby shops barely cut through the darkness. Mei lay on the grimy ground, opening her eyes. Her six-year-old body, small and filthy, shook. She wiped dandruff from her hair, inspecting her tiny hands. Head throbbing, she struggled to stand, recalling the fateful day Lucas and Qu found her and her sister. Step by painful step, she moved forward, memories burning her.
Mei
> Qu… Don't die…
A weak scream echoed from ahead. Laughter, cruel and deranged, from two men approaching their prey. Mei's eyes widened in shock and rage. Ignoring her pain, she grabbed a metal rod from a trash bin, advancing toward them. One was obese, tattooed, bald; the other, gaunt, eyes bloodshot, addicted, reaching for Qu.
Mei
> Put your hands down… You animals…
The fat man grinned mockingly, the thin man laughed, underestimating her.
Fat Man
> Mmm… Another snack… One for you, one for me…
Qu's eyes pleaded silently for Mei to run. Though nude, she shivered in fear and desperation. Fueled by adrenaline, Mei swung the rod, shattering the thin man's hand. Blood spurted everywhere. The fat man's expression turned to rage. Mei grabbed unconscious Qu, backing up, glaring at the two fiends.
Mei
> Get out… Leave… Or I'll kill you… Both of you, dogs…
The thin man drew a knife, eyes blazing with malice.
Thin Man
> You bitch! I'll kill you… Take your corpse for my dogs to play with…
He spat, asserting dominance. But Mei, calm like a wolf amidst the rain, blocked his knife with her hand, letting blood cover her. In a sudden, savage move, she lunged at his neck, biting deeply. He screamed in agony as blood gushed, body breaking under her attack. She then leaped at the fat man, crashing into him, teeth sinking, blood spraying as the environment around her shattered.
[To be continued]
Author's secret revealed: Sora wore a pair of shorts instead of underwear and Sora's shorts were white and were washed by Lucas. I. I. I