0
Knowing there would be no more clues at the inn, Carla let out a sigh of frustration. It's not that she wanted to stay; quite the opposite. She desperately needed and desired to stay. She didn't care if she had to go by broom and there were only three people in the carriage.
Although she wouldn't say it, the guilt gnawed at her, squeezing her heart very, very tightly. Why? She told herself that, with Harold, she would have a fresh start; that with Dylan, things would be different.
But, apparently, the wolfwiz wouldn't leave her mind. He was her main concern now, something she knew was too selfish to share. How could she? Not with the two people standing there. Two people who were going through a worse time than the rest, others who were worried just like her, others who were the girlfriend and father of her friend.
They have been searching for over a month, and they haven't found anything….
"Don't worry," Harold said. "We'll find him."
But in truth, there were no signs of that.
"We must be fast," Fuyumura said. "Otherwise, I'll lose my job."
"How can you be so insensitive!?" Elizabeth asked with rage.
"Hey, don't you talk to me about being insensitive; or did you forget that you were against this mission in the first place?"
After Fuyumura's counterattack, Elizabeth fell silent.
"That's what I thought," Fuyumura muttered.
So much forest and nothing, so much jungle and nothing…
"…."
Carla was staring ahead, lost in her thoughts. What if they didn't arrive in time? What if they killed Dylan? What if she would never see him again? No, she couldn't allow that.
Suddenly, the ground shook, and out of it, like simple papier-mâché—fast and easy to break—an Anabis appeared. The closest comparison Carla would have for this beast, compared to one from the Nium world, would be an anaconda.
"Fire—"
"Terra Cut."
There was no need for Elias to try; rather, he had to be warned that Roberto could be harsh on the battlefield.
The cut was born from the hint of the attack itself, forming a sound of separation. It took earth from the floor and went rapidly toward the Anabis, which couldn't avoid the imminent avalanche. Its head flew off like a leaf in the wind, rolling and rolling, far away.
"Hey!"
Elias frowned angrily, but it burned away when he saw the death stare of his friend's father.
"What?" Roberto asked.
His voice was hoarse, cold; it was scary just to listen to it.
"Nothing…."
Carla watched it all and thought to herself that it was better if she stayed behind, if she didn't want her head to fly off too.
"Hey, Carla," Harold said. "Are you okay?"
The girl forced a smile, looking at the boy.
"Yes, of course," she said animatedly.
Harold only looked at her one more time before turning his eyes forward again.
"If you need anything, let me know."
Only Elias, Elizabeth, Fuyumura, Roberto, Harold, and she were on brooms, searching the surroundings. The rest remained in the carriage with Barry.
Carla felt more guilt than before, because right now, she couldn't reciprocate feelings other than her own or Dylan's.
How selfish she is.
1
"Dylan."
I open my eyes, and there on the grass, Lisa is there, without the bottom half of her body.
"Please, save me, please, I beg you."
Her pleas make me hyperventilate, make me want to vomit.
"Dylan."
Several hands touch me. Enough, enough, enough, stop, STOP.
☆☆☆
I wake up abruptly, hyperventilating, sweaty, in the room with white sheets. The necklace is still on my neck; it's inevitable, it will come to me one way or another.
I touch it desperately; I touch the scratches I made on my knee. They are still there.
What a relief.
"I didn't die," I muttered.
I let out a sigh as I stared at the closed window. The laughter comes to mind, and I clutch my abdomen tightly while I start to tremble.
"Come on…" I tell myself. "You have to move."
I get up, only to fall again. My body won't stop shaking. This….
"Come on Dylan-kun, you can do it!" Lisa cheers me on.
"Yes Dylan, don't let them defeat you!" Elizabeth cheers.
"FUHAHA, if you could handle the stones, you can handle this!" Elias cheers.
"Come on Dylan!" Carla says.
"Of course you can!" Harold says.
I get up from the floor with difficulty. My body is still trembling, but my mind isn't. It's weird, you know? Like, I have high spirits. But even so, my heart trembles.
Anyway, scientists don't achieve anything by staying still.
2
I left the room, crossing paths with Michael.
"Oh, does grandpa let you out now?" he asked.
"Um, yes," I replied.
"That's good," Michael said. "Hey, Lupin is asking about you."
"Eh?" I said.
"Yes, he asks how you are."
"AND HE HASN'T COME YET!" I yelled.
"Hey, calm down," Michael said. "Hey…, will you help me—?"
"Michael," I said. "Tell Lupin to come."
"….No, forget it."
"What is stopping you from doing it?" I asked.
"Nothing…."
"…."
Without another word, he left. Again, another month is going to pass, and the only thing I've managed is to become friends with that old man again. I don't know anything about Michael. Nor about the ritual, nor how to escape.
I went through the hallways. After arduous research, I came to the conclusion that this place is a maze, literally and figuratively. Why doesn't Lupin come? What could Michael have told him?
Anyway, every hallway has false doors that cannot be opened (at least I couldn't). Wait…, what if I make a contract with an Evo? That hadn't occurred to me before. I've never used it.
"It should work."
Apart from the main exit, the only exit to the outside is the window, so…. I can set up a contract.
"Dylan," my grandfather's voice calls me.
"Ah, yes?" I said.
"Come with me," he said.
I start to hyperventilate. My heart is beating very fast, not because of something romantic, but because of fear. I could wet my pants right now. The last time he said that… nothing ended well.
"Y-y-yes," I said.
I get up with difficulty, stumbling blindly. My breathing increases. We pass the previous hallway: 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44.
I'm scared. I'm counting every minute to know that at least I did something. 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37.
36, 35, 34, 33-
"Hello, Dylan," a familiar voice said.
"Eh?"
We are in grandfather's office. Now that I think about it, I was following him with my eyes closed. The familiar voice leaves me mute, but at the same time, with the urge to scream.
His gray, almost white hair, next to his pleasant golden eyes, could make you think he is your salvation, but in my case…. it only makes things worse.
"Morty…."
3
"I see you're surprised," Morty said. "Me too. What's more, I didn't think you would be the candidate."
"…"
I don't want to, or I can't move. My body is stiff; there is no other explanation.
"I think you want to know everything. Come, take a seat," Morty said.
It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. I sat in silence, staring fixedly at Morty.
"Morty, I…."
"You are the chosen one, Dylan Tyler," Morty said. "You have large amounts of mana, which fits us like a glove."
"…."
"You know? You can revive someone from the dead," Morty said. "With a fragment."
"…."
"The fragmentation of the soul, which is only achieved with two conditions: The first is that someone has gone through a situation so desperate that they release the substance called agony.
And the second, the blood of anyone with high mana."
He looked at me for about five seconds, only to laugh again.
"But don't think that's enough. No, no, you need something, or someone, who can open a threshold between the living and the dead; a flying whale, with completely gray skin, black eyes, and red stripes."
That is a very unrealistic description. What is he talking about?
"Koygre, the cursed whale. The whale that if you try to kill, you might die first. Of course, they say you can revive someone from the dead, although it's only a myth."
Morty lifted a jar. It had a gray substance that smelled horrible.
"The smell of ashes is what attracts the whale, but to attract it immediately, you will use ashes from an amoeba from the Nium world."
After that, he threw the jar to the floor with force. My grandfather tried to stop him, yelling at Morty that he was an idiot. I can't react; the bottle broke into a thousand pieces. As a consequence of the noise, I jumped.
"Nhg" the smell was horrible.
I looked up at Morty, who was still smiling.
"Don't worry, old man," he said to my grandfather. "The ritual is starting. With luck, the rest might survive, but it is for sure that you and I are not going to die."
"Neither will I," I said, lifting the chair and hitting Morty with it.
I managed to run out of there without hearing the shouts behind me. My breathing, heart, and the rest of my body were trembling. I ran in zig-zags to avoid any weapons behind me.
I ran and ran. I must leave, I want to leave, I must, I want, I must and I want, I must….
"Dylan?" Michael said.
He stops me.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Michael, there is no—"
The sound of a scream screeched in my ears. It was loud, but it followed a melody. Everything started to shake out of nowhere, and suddenly, there was a sudden explosion.
I went flying, hitting the floor with everything, spinning, scratching myself. I try to see what's happening, but what I see is red in one eye, and an arm full of blood that isn't mine.
I screamed, throwing it far from my field of vision. My legs hurt a lot. I look toward them, but I can't; the pain won't let me. I manage to see that Michael is dead, completely torn apart.
I want to vomit, I want to cry (which I do). My legs keep hurting, a lot, a lot.
"Hang in there Dylan," Lisa tells me.
"I don't want to anymore," I say, my voice already broken and crying. "I don't want to."
The sound of a blizzard was heard, while I feel as if I were being hit in the abdomen and neck.
I hate you all… except Michael.
Red…
Dylan Tyler died, the wind finally cut his neck.
Thus, the world existed no more….