Normally, I would have been on guard, but before I could even register it, I was already inside a completely white room. It was a space where nothing existed. I had only been here once before, and normally I would have forgotten it, but now, with a sensation I couldn't place, I was resigned to the fact that I was dead. The emptiness in my chest was palpable, and when I looked down, I saw it was literal. There was a massive hole right in the middle.
I really died... I knew it.
"Hello."
The Man-God appeared before me again, smiling. He wasn't annoyed or sad about it. Maybe it was because of the hole, or maybe because I already knew what death felt like. Now that I have my soul and the body of my past life, all that's left is resignation. That's why, in this moment, I didn't care.
"What do we have here? The great 'God Hunter,' reduced to a wandering soul after running into the Dragon God. What a pity."
He rested an elbow on his knee and propped his cheek on his hand, looking at me like someone observing a curious spectacle.
"What was it you said? Ah, yes... 'Even humans can hunt gods.' I admit, it was very entertaining to watch."
...What do you want? If you came to mock me, go ahead. At this point, it makes no difference.
"Oh, not at all, not at all..."
...Who was that guy? And who the hell is Darian? He attacked us the moment we spoke your name. His hatred toward you wasn't normal.
"That's because he is a terrible Dragon God. Despite how virtuous and kind I am, he feels an irrational hatred toward me. He's a spiteful fellow."
...Virtuous? Ha. Absurd. Why didn't you warn us? Did you run out of manipulator coins? If you were so all-knowing, you would have told us not to go that way.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm serious. The truth is, I can't see anything related to the Dragon God. Neither his future nor his present. I am blind to him. I had no idea you were going to cross paths."
...So?
"So?"
...Let's say I believe you. You can't see him, but you seem to know him too well. That aura... it's a curse, isn't it? That's why Ruijerd was terrified. Leaving that aside, you could have simply said we should be careful about saying your name out loud. We would have been spared all this.
"Sharp as ever, Darian Stonehold."
...Darian... Stonehold?
The moment I heard that surname, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.
—Young Darian, are you alright?—
...I don't know this Darian person. I didn't even know of his existence until now.
"Interesting, isn't it?"
...Don't change the subject. Orsted's curse... I didn't know something like that existed until now.
"Yes. Didn't they exist in your world? People born with unusual power or a negative affinity due to a magical anomaly."
I was one of those—one of those anomalies—but I couldn't afford to talk to this creep about that.
...Yes, I suppose so...
Before I could say anything else, I felt another presence. Turning around, I saw a white figure beginning to form. Little by little, it began to take physical shapen, When the light dissipated, it revealed a girl with white hair and golden eyes. She looked directly at me, ignoring the "God" and the void.
"Daiki... can I see you?"
I recognized the voice, but it no longer sounded robotic. It had nuance. It had life. She walked slowly, stumbling as if she'd never really walked on her own before. As she drew closer, her beauty became undeniable.
"A-Ayam?" Somehow, I knew. It had to be her. That's why she managed to enter with me, because she is a part of me. "Is that you?"
She simply came closer, sat beside me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm just as surprised, brother."
Then she turned her gaze toward Hitogami, who took a step back but didn't stop smiling. Perhaps he was seeing a new anomaly to use.
...I am not a goddess, nor am I powerful or anything of the sort. I am Daiki, and Daiki is me. When his previous life ended, I was part of his soul, but something blocked me during the transit to this world. At first, I acted like a machine because it was my most "primitive" way of processing reality.
"Primitive?" He moved closer to us. "How curious... This event was certainly not in my forecasts..." He waved his hands from side to side. "That you are telling me all this so openly, when Daiki is always suspicious..."
...I tell you this because my greatest defect is that I lack the human capacity to lie. Daiki is my human counterpart, and I am his memory, not his engine.
"Engine?"
...His heart. What pumps the blood and allows him to exist in this world. That is what I am.
"So that's what this is about... Well, in that case, I have good news."
He paused, and I didn't know what to say.
"You aren't dead."
Before I realized what was happening, the hole in my chest vanished. Hitogami faded away, but Ayam remained there, in a white space that felt totally different yet strangely familiar.
"Daiki..." She hugged me and buried my face in her chest with no intention of letting go. "I always wanted to be able to touch you, idiot... And sometimes hit you for the stupid things you say."
"...You're real. You have a physical form," I stammered. "You are more real than I thought. I can even hear your heart."
I looked around, trying to process what was happening. It definitely wasn't something I expected, but I wasn't complaining. I'm still alive, I managed to speak with my mental sister, and now I'm in some sort of "Inner World," or so I assumed.
But Ayam began to fade again.
She said goodbye with a kiss on the top of my head until everything turned black.
...
Suddenly, my eyes snapped open. The first thing I saw was Eris, right in front of me. I was lying on the ground, looking only at her and a bit at the stars. I felt the absence of Ayam in my head once again. I could feel warmth on the back of my neck and understood it was because she was resting my head on her lap. Her face went from anxiety to surprise, ending in unparalleled joy. It was as if she were looking at something she hadn't wanted to see. I didn't quite understand, but when she realized I was okay, she pulled my face to her chest with those red eyes of hers and hugged me as if I were the last thing she had left.
"Daiki... you're awake!?"
I tried to shift my weight or say something, but she wouldn't let me, so I hugged her back. An action that spoke louder than a thousand words. That managed to loosen her grip enough for me to look into her eyes again.
"Eris... You're... you're okay," I tried to process it, but all I managed was clumsiness. "I mean, because of me, I..."
"Daiki..." She hugged me even tighter, completely ignoring my babbling. "Always saying stupid things... It really is you..."
When she finally let go, I looked around searching for my brother's presence. He was sitting nearby, gazing up at the stars.
"Rudy... You're okay too."
Hearing me, Rudeus turned his head. There was no surprise on his face, only infinite exhaustion and a grimace that attempted to be a smile. He touched his chest distractedly, right in the same spot where I had the hole.
"I woke up a while ago... I checked that your wound had closed and that you were breathing, so I just thought Eris deserved that moment. I didn't want to interrupt her eroge story."
"Don't ruin the moment with your comments..." I let out a sigh. "Only you could think of that after what happened."
"Someone had to calm things down..." He shrugged. "He punched through both of us, Daiki. Like we were nothing."
After that, he looked at the sky again and then at me.
"And how is it that we are alive?"
"Just a moment ago, when that girl said something, Orsted—or whatever his name is—used magic to heal you..." Eris was the one who decided to speak this time. Maybe it was because she wanted to be heard, or because she needed to be the voice in this moment.
"A girl, you say?" That girl who looked at me curiously. I remember she said something before I lost consciousness.
"He called her Nanahoshi."
...Nanahoshi. That girl from before. Orsted had called her that, but I hadn't given it much importance at the time. "Seven Stars" is what it means in Japanese.
"Are you saying he only healed the people he had just murdered...?"
...It was clear there was a huge inconsistency. I understood that she wouldn't have a clue, or that they simply told her nothing regarding why we are alive. But given my deductions, seeing as she is Japanese and recognized me, she was a significant part of our resurrection. However, I still have that unknown variable. Who am I really?
Putting that question aside, I looked around for my sword, but Temphestalis was nowhere to be found. The only things I found were the pieces of its blade, scattered like simple crystals, but there was no trace of the hilt.
"He took it..." Eris said. "He said something about, uh... 'it will work' and that for now, he won't return it to you. The girl seemed relieved when he put the sword at her waist."
"'It will work'?"
"He didn't say more. He simply said that and left."
While she told me this, I took out the small pouch Sylmeria had given me and used it to store the pieces of the blade. Carefully, I finished closing it with the drawstring.
It seems he shattered it so Nanahoshi could carry it at her waist, since most of its weight was attributed to the blade.
"Did Ruijerd wake up?"
"He's still sleeping."
"That guy..." I looked at my hands and then touched my chest. "He is a complete monster. I was just an ant in his path. Worse yet, a simple drop of rain that got in his way..."
Then I looked toward the edge of the road, where Ruijerd was. The carriage had also been parked to the side, and a campfire crackled nearby.
"Eris took care of everything, brother," Rudeus changed the subject the instant he saw me trembling. "I must say that, while you were sleeping, she gave you a..."
"RUDEUS, SHUT UP! DON'T YOU DARE!"
I laughed. I couldn't help it. I was alive, and that was all that mattered.
"Thank you, Eris."
She took out a stick and handed it to me without warning. It had some meat with spices she had collected.
"Hmmg!"
"Eat! You lost a lot of blood!"
"Mhank... you, Eris..." I said with my mouth full.
I finished eating, enjoying every bite.
"Here you go, to your future hus—"
But he didn't have time. He barely dodged an attack from Eris using Shockwave.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything!"
After a few minutes, Eris came over and hugged me. I could hear her heartbeat deep down, and from above came the soft sound of her crying. She was weeping silently. "Thank God..." she murmured.
.....
You could say I never believed in myself. Moreover, I often saw myself as the source of all the misfortune around me. I felt I was part of it, just as I was with the elements. However, since being in this world, I've realized how irrelevant and small I was. Somehow, in my past life, I was quite narcissistic to believe I was someone special just for talking to the elements, but the reality is that I had lost my parents in a fire and almost failed to save that girl from the truck due to my insecurities.
Three days had passed since that incident, and the four of us finally arrived at the Asura Kingdom. It was right in front of us, or rather, we were right on top of it. The events of that day still troubled us, and we spoke little during the journey. Eris wouldn't let go of me, Ruijerd walked in front, and Rudeus got lost in the horizon. What was once an unbreakable bond had now become unstable after experiencing defeat. The only thing left were somber looks on our faces.
I felt the absence of Ayam, of my sword, and even of the strength I thought I had. But Eris, somehow, kept me anchored to this carriage during these days when she never strayed from me. There was a moment when our thighs touched, and I noticed some skin peeking out from the hem of her shorts. It's human instinct to want to touch what you can see, so I wrapped my arms around her neck and settled in.
It was on one occasion, while I was doing exercises with Eris's sword, that she didn't stop looking directly at me.
"Did something happen?" I asked as I lowered the sword.
"Daiki, why are you so strong?"
"You had a curse that prevented you from moving forward due to an irrational fear, and even so, you tried to do something. You are strong, Eris." I totally avoided the question, perhaps because I didn't believe it myself.
"That... That's not true. I didn't do anything. I just stood there crying while I watched you die."
"You held me. You kept me anchored after that."
She didn't answer me and lost her gaze over my shoulder.
"Eris, are you worried?"
"Worried?"
"I know you well. Are you worried about the fact that you were defeated easily the other day?"
"...Yes."
"Then we are the same."
It wasn't her fault, nor mine. We were overwhelmed by a Dragon God who easily defeated Ruijerd. Even with all the teamwork alongside my brother, we didn't manage to even annoy him. So I understood how she felt, and I didn't plan to change her mind.
"You know you almost died, right? Why do you...? How is it that you guys can be so calm?"
...I died before, and I know that sensation. It isn't something new to me. Or at least, that was before. This time was different, as I almost died having people who loved me. It was still hard for me to accept that I was genuinely worried about dying.
"I don't want to die."
"It's true, you don't want to die, do you?"
"I will do whatever it takes to become stronger. So that when we are in a similar situation, I can defend you all, or at least, grab you and run."
Eris had a complicated expression on her face.
"Well, no matter what happens, we have to become a little stronger."
...
When night fell and Eris went to sleep, my brother and I spoke with Ruijerd. He had never been someone very expressive, but since then, he had become quiet in a way that evoked suppressed anger. He surely blamed himself for what happened, partly because he had promised to take us home safe and sound and hadn't been able to protect us. But we were still alive.
"That man, Orsted, is apparently the Dragon God," my brother said. "Number two of the Seven Great Powers."
He started the conversation with that fact. He was telling him that he was an opponent far too strong and that it was normal to have lost against him.
"So it was him. There is no doubt he was so..."
"Strong? That word falls short, Ruijerd. After you were knocked unconscious, I couldn't do anything. Despite using the dual style, I was just an annoying fly in his ear," I told him. "I was just noise."
"This is the first time since Laplace that I look at someone and feel I cannot defeat him."
Ruijerd didn't know about the curses. He didn't know that he had been defeated in physical combat by an opponent who was holding back. If he knew the truth, it might disconcert him.
"Even I don't think I have any chance against the elite of the Seven Great Powers. Those people are monsters beyond any comprehension. It was bad luck that we met someone like that on the road. It can only be considered good luck that we managed to survive."
"Rudeus," he continued. "If we ever meet someone like that again, under no circumstances should you start a fight with that person. Don't even look them in the eyes. That is, if you don't want things to end the same way as this time."
"Yes. Well, next time I'll probably just look away and keep walking."
Then Ruijerd slowly turned his head toward me.
"Daiki," he continued. "You kept the promise. 'With my life,' you had told me you would protect Eris..."
He was upset with my brother; that was evident. If he hadn't said anything, we would have passed by without issue. Even with my incident regarding Darian, Orsted would have seen it as a simple coincidence and ignored us.
"Well, what is bothering you?" Rudeus broke the silence.
Ruijerd looked intensely at Rudeus.
"Who is the Man-God?"
So that's what this was about. I was also interested. My brother had been talking to that "God" and never told me, perhaps because he already knew me and knew I would tell him to go to hell. But what exactly does he want with us? Maybe he was just bored or something; that would explain how he knew so much about Shirone and why we met Aisha first. So I also looked at him with the same intensity. I wasn't going to scold him or anything like that; I only hoped he would say something convincing.
"At first, he seemed to have the intention of letting us go. Despite the aura he radiated, in reality, there was no bloodlust in his eyes. But the moment he heard the name of the Man-God, he directed all that hostility toward you," Ruijerd continued.
I remained silent while I lay back and closed my eyes to listen. Finally, Rudeus decided to be honest. He explained everything, from the dreams and the advice to how that entity had guided them to help him. Ruijerd listened despite how absurd it sounded to talk about gods and millennial enemies in the middle of a forest. Even so, the atmosphere changed completely when Rudeus touched on the subject of the curse.
He revealed that the origin was not the wickedness of his race, but Laplace's spears. At first, Ruijerd let out a bitter laugh that hurt to hear, for he was resigned to the fact that a curse is something eternal and immovable. But when my brother clarified that, according to the Man-God, it was fading and that the simple act of shaving his head had helped dilute it, the warrior's wall crumbled.
I could notice the change in his breathing. I didn't need to open my eyes to know he was crying. They were tears of relief, those of a man who has carried the unjustified hatred of the world for centuries and who, finally, saw a real possibility of redemption. Rudy decided to end the chat and pretend he was going to sleep so as not to embarrass him. I did the same and kept my breathing steady. We let the leader of Dead End have his moment of humanity in the darkness.
"Rudeus," I called him without using "Rudy."
"You're angry, aren't you? For not telling you about that..."
"I just want to know one thing. Thanks to him, you decided to go to Shirone, and that was how we found our sister?"
"Y-yes."
"Go to sleep, Rudy... Though you owe us a long talk."
Eris clung to me. Because yes, during these past few days she has been sleeping with me, and honestly, I'm not complaining.