The journey across the sea begins.
Rose and I stand side by side, watching the rising sun. The edge of the world brightens little by little. Morning air bites cold—my body is long accustomed to it.
Hers… clearly not.
"Are you alright, Rose?" I ask, noticing she's been shivering since we left the carriage.
"I'm not sure… I'm not used to temperatures like this. Do not worry. Hihihi."
Her voice trembles together with her body.
I adjust my cloak, letting warmth gather in it. "May I put this on you?"
"Eh—no need, Hiro. You'll get cold."
I shake my head. "I'm used to weather like this. Your clothes aren't warm enough."
"Huuuft…" she exhales. Her outfit is too thin—poor preparation on her part.
I drape my cloak over her shoulders, then pull her gently into my arms. Cold slowly shifts into warmth.
"Thank you, Hiro…" she murmurs, eyes not on me but on the half-risen sun.
"You know, the air will get warmer once the sun rises fully and climbs about a hand's length above the sky," I say.
"Really?" She looks up at me.
I nod. "My head has been noisy about it since the start."
"You mean… that?" she replies.
"The Sun and the Moon. What do you mean, Rose?"
"Oh." She taps her forehead lightly. "I forgot to explain it properly. Hihi."
"A thousand and one hundred and ten years ago, there was a great war witnessed by mankind—the War of Sun and Moon. 'The Sun' is the title given to someone named Lucifer. At first he was known only by initials… but after being punished by a god who descended to the mortal realm, he was cast into another dimension, burned by eternal flame. Thus he was named the Sun."
"Punished? For what?" I ask.
"You know that crystal… it is the reason he was punished, Hiro."
She points at my chest—the place where the crystal rests beneath my clothes.
"Lucifer killed the Moon, stole the crystal, and sought to break it. Do you know why?"
I shake my head.
"To become the Sovereign of Absolute Might—power equal to the Creator—known as the Omni Core. People of old believed the Omni Core would activate if a full soul entered its vessel. Simply breaking it or touching it… would grant its power. And that is what happened to you, Hiro."
"So I am the next wielder after the Moon? And Lucifer? Then who is the Moon?"
"The Moon is a person whose entire appearance is white. Those before us named him so because of the dark mark on his forehead—a reversed crescent moon facing upward, with seven long-short lines flaring beneath it."
"So… will I be punished by a god as well?" I ask, touching my chest.
Rose shakes her head. "No. The god wishes only to witness how you handle the power that will slowly flow into your soul, for you have touched the crystal."
"Then why do humans desire this so badly?"
"Because humans are full of greed, dissatisfaction, and envy. They want the crystal so they can stand above all." Her answer is short, blunt.
I fall silent. Thinking. If what waits ahead is heavier than what I've endured… will I be able to survive it?
"You know," she says softly, "I also wish to see how a god looks upon you, Hiro. But… I wish to see it beside the one who found the crystal. And that is you. My wish is fulfilled. For that, I am grateful."
She smiles.
I do not turn to her. My eyes stay on the sea. My head… and my heart… are both unbearably loud.
"Are you alright, Hiro?" she calls.
"HIRO?" Her voice cuts through the noise in my skull.
I turn. "Are you alright?"
I nod. "Just a slight headache. Maybe because you've spoken more than anyone has since my father died. I haven't heard people for a long time… so I take longer to process things. Hehe."
"Fine, fine… sorry. Huuuft… I'm getting hungry. Shall we have breakfast?"