Flamm opened every door in the hallway behind the chapel.
Perhaps snapping after killing Dain, her body isn’t following her directions. She puts her hand on the wall to support herself and dragged her legs forward. Countless eyeballs were still closing in from behind her…it seems like even after her fight was over, the crisis still goes on.
At the end of the hallway, she opened the last door. In that room that was slightly wider than other rooms, she found Ink.
“I…Ink…?”
However, her voice was cut short, for there was a woman about 180 cm in height whom she never saw before.
…no, are they truly a woman?
The person was wearing a dress and a wide-brimmed hat, and her blazing red hair extends down to her jawline. It’s a feature that was hard to miss, even in a glance. However, their limbs were muscular, their shoulders wide, and their face looks like it belongs to a man.
“That voice…is that you, Flamm?”
“My oh my, that man lost that easily, I see. I didn’t think you would come this quickly.”
The person’s voice was throaty, indicating that he’s unmistakably a man.
“So you are Flamm, yes? It’s a pleasure to meet you; I am Mother, the mother, the mother of these children…the Spiral Children.”
Flamm took out her sword. She had heard of her existence from Ink, but she completely thought the person was a woman.
“I wonder why can’t I leave her alone? Besides, the person that called Ink terrible things like monster and whatnot was you, is it not?”
“Since you called yourself their mother, you must know about her power, right?”
“Why of course. I was the one who replaced her heart with a Core anyways”, replied Mother immediately.
Since the person called himself Mother, he must be the leader of the research program, which probably means that he is the researcher belonging to the church.
“In short, that was the ceremony of a second birth through a mother’s womb that allows me to become their mother! So all of the girls, including Ink, are truly my children, and I am truly their mother.”
Mother kept talking, spilling out even the details Flamm shouldn’t have heard.
Rather than calling him a fanatic believer, the person was too absorbed in fulfilling his role that he loves to emphasize in being the children’s mother.
“But…I’m…”
“You’d like a human instead? Why though? While it’s true that you’re a failure , it is still a wonderful power to have. It’s a power to give birth to more children, a power to become a mother! Look at that!”
The man pointed behind Flamm, where the white eyeballs gathered beyond the door Flamm left open. The eyeballs, however, didn’t come into the room. Is it because its owner, Ink, is present in the room?
“Ink’s lovely little children are looking this way~”
“Children…you mean…!”
“The things you lost,” Ink puts her palm on her eyelids. “…and the things you wanted most. Origin-sama’s power multiplies that desire, and so your body can spit them out. And then as you housed Origin-sama’s power, it follows Ink-chan’s wishes and they protect us.”
“Noo…I didn’t…!”
“Don’t be ashamed, you did very well. You are a splendid mother, Ink-chan. I am happy that my beloved children became a splendid children” Mother said, before hugging the little girl.
The power of Origin Flamm had seen was repulsive in another meaning. It brought chills to her spine and it nauseated her greatly. Flamm didn’t think that the love expressed by Mother existed.
“I’m sorry to do this in our first meeting, but Mother, or whoever you are.”
“What is iit?”
“I think you might not be suited to be a mother.”
“Why? Why would you say that even though you don’t know anything?”
“Because you’re not properly looking at your children. You kept pushing your ideals to them and manipulating them to wish for what you want them to do…despite clearly no one wanted that kind of body or heart!”
“But even if it’s not for me to decide, it’s not for you to decide either, you know? Hey, Ink-chan, you clearly feel my love for you, right?”
The man brought himself even closer to Ink. He even went further and rubbed his cheek against the girl’s as his breathing turned rough.
Perhaps she’s used to it, Ink herself didn’t seem overly troubled by it, but at the same time, she doesn’t seem pleased. However, the girl timidly opened her mouth and said,
“I…don’t want it. Humans…are fine…I don’t want to be a monster that hurts anyone!
“…Really.”
The smile that never left Mother‘s face disappeared. Expressionless, the man stood up and stood in front of Ink. He grabbed the girl by the collar and, with a loud smack, he slapped the girl across the face. Ink was slammed to the floor as she received the brute strength of a man.
“Then I don’t need you. You’re nothing more than a piece of garbage to me. Get yourself disposed. How ungrateful of you. Even though I raised you with love and care despite your uselessness.”
“Ink!!” Flamm rushed to the girl and held her in her arms. Her worries dissipates slightly as she could faintly hear Ink calling out to her in a low voice along with a powerless smile. Flamm immediately moved the girl to the corner of the room and glared at the man’s wide back.
“MOTHER!!”
Responding with voice packed with anger, the man stopped on his tracks and turned around.
“How scaary. You’re really not suited to raise kids.” The moment he said that, four children appeared behind him. They were either concealed with magic or they teleported in. To Mother‘s left was a boy with a wavy green hair that was smiling for no reason and an irritated-looking blonde boy tapping her toes in a rhythm as he faced away. To Mother’s right was a cheeky-looking, scowling blue-haired boy who was holding his swollen cheek and a girl who had her eyes covered by her long bangs, holding a human-shaped stuffed toy.
“Oh my, what’s with that injury, Nect?”
“I was defeated…I swear I’ll kill that fucking bastard the next time I see him…!”
It was Nect, the boy who fought against Gadio. They fought so violently that the sound of them fighting could be heard across the city, but it seemed that Gadio had managed to safely drove the boy back, and now he retreated here.
“That’s right, I’ll introduce them to you, Flamm. These kids are my most precious children…the Spiral Children.” Mother spreads his arms wide and spoke proudly.
The children looked like they’re either Ink’s age or younger. They all looked like normal humans, but their face would definitely change into that disgusting vortex of flesh when they have to use their powers.
“The green-haired one on the left is Hewis-chan, and the blonde boy next to him is Rook-chan. The blue-haired one is Nect, and the girl on the very right is Mute-chan. What do you think? Aren’t they such cuties?”
Flamm swallowed her saliva. She’s sure that if they were to try to kill her right now, she would undoubtedly lose. She couldn’t run away otherwise she’d be erased, not even leaving anything behind.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that they’re holding animosity against her, but…
“My, you don’t have to be so cautious, you know? Even between Origin-sama, they’re still uncertain if we should kill you or use you, so we who are neutral will not try to kill you.”
“Between…Origin?” Flamm was puzzled with how the man implied that there are more than one Origin.
Mother giggled; “You will see in due time.”
“Mother, let’s get out of here quickly!”
“Hewis is right. How long are we gonna waste with these garbage? Just throw Ink away already.”
“My education policy is to give every child a chance, Rook-chan.” In response to Mother‘s advice, the foulmouthed Rook averted his gaze once again.
“Mother, pee pee.”
“Oh my, that’s not good, Mute-chan. We need to hurry. Nect-chan, can you please help her?”
“Okay, Mother.”
Nect held his open hand aloft, and Flamm immediately thought that some sort of power is whirling on top of his palm.
“Oh, right, about the disposal of that thing,” Just before Connection activates, Mother called out to Flamm as if she just remembered about Ink. “Honestly the eyeballs are kind of in the way, so can you please destroy her with your powers? Also, it’s better for you not to even think of saving her. It’s not possible anyways. Besides, she’s physically weak and she doesn’t have any strong points on top of being completely blind, so she’s just a complete garbage.”
Flamm grits her teeth.
He’s beyond saving. He’s too selfish and unreasonable, and—
“Is that something a mother should say!?”
“We’re complete strangers now, so she’s nothing but garbage. That’s all there is too it. Well, see you again, Flamm-chan.”
“Connection”, declared Nect, and at the same time, Mother and her children disappeared.
“Wait!!”, Flamm shouted, but her voice didn’t reach them and instead they echoed in the room. Instead, she could only clench her fists in frustration with a grunt.
Hearing the girls’ voice Ink voiced her uneasiness and said “…I’m sorry, Flamm.”
“Why are you apologizing, Ink? I’m the one…who’s at fault. I…I said something terrible back then.”
“But it’s true…isn’t it? When the sun sets, I turn into a monster…I produced a lot of things I’m don’t know about…I’m creating problems just by living…!”
“That’s—”
—Not true, she wanted to declare, but she couldn’t. If she keeps her alive, there will be more people that would fall victim to her eyeballs. Flamm and her friends would be pursued by them until they die, and they couldn’t possibly have a peaceful sleep unless they can keep Ink in check. it would’ve been fine if the consequence is only several days of sleepless nights, but for the rest of their lifetime after this point, they would live a life that’s comparable to dying.
“It’s…fine…”
“Ink?”
“It’s fine already…I’m already happy that I get to talk with you in the end.”
“W-wait, don’t just give up all of a sudden—”
“THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO!? As long as I live, I will keep hurting people, right? If I went that far then I don’t even think that I want to live! If I can’t live and try to be happy like a normal human can, then I would rather be dead than live in eternal misfortune…!”
Flamm truly wished she could tell her otherwise, that she could do something about it…but Flamm understands her own powerlessness. She bears the pain of knowing fully what she can and cannot do.
Sometimes…giving up is the correct choice for one to take.
Ink stood up, breaking herself away from Flamm’s arms. Before long, she sat back down on the ground with her legs to her side, and as she smiled at Flamm, she opened her eyes and said,
“…alright, go ahead.”
Childishly, she begged for death.
Flamm’s lips wavered, her teeth gnashed. She tried to hold back her tears, but they came streaming out anyway.
She couldn’t do anything.
She couldn’t make any difference unless she destroys the girl’s core…but if she does, the girl would die. Even if there’s another way to solve the problem…can she even do it by her lonesome? All she has are her Soul eater, the ability to freeze, her Reversal, and her Prana. Even if she racks her brain and fiddled with those ideas as if they were pieces of a puzzle, she can’t come up with anything.
“You know, I can be happy enough if I get to be killed by you, Flamm. I mean since…you know, at least I’ll be able to die as a human”, Ink said in a cheerful voice.
That tone of her hints that what she said was not meant to convince Flamm; instead it’s a tone that indicates that she accepts her death.
Flamm obviously didn’t want to kill her…but not being able to choose when it counts is also a form of irresponsibility. She removed Dain, prepared to die, just to get to where Ink is. To choose whether to let her live or kill her…and the answer had showed itself. Even the girl wished for it. Which means,if there’s no other way, the only option…was to kill her.
“Uu…kkh…haah…aah…AAAAHH….”
Her shoulders shaking and her face flooded by her tears, Flamm slowly stood up. Like a ghost, she swayed and stumbled as she gazed at Ink’s smile behind her blurred vision. The little girl’s fake smile only made it more painful.
Her cheek twitched, and even more tears spills out as she squeezed her eyes shut…but even then, Flamm advanced forward to fulfill her responsibility. She pushed her limbs that even still refuses to move…and stepped forward. With every step she takes, her body grows heavier and heavier.
“HAAHH…!”
She puts strength into her abdomen, moving her left foot this time along with an exhale.
The Soul Eater’s blade rings as it scrapes the floor, and Flamm’s shirt clings to her uncomfortably as it was bathed in cold sweat.
“A…UAAAH…!”
She will reach the girl before long.
Flamm gripped the handle of her sword with both hands, and with the pointed tip of the blade trembling, on Ink’s chest. Feeling the coldness of the metal blade, the girl twitched.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Ah, but please finish me off quickly, okay? …I guess I really don’t like pain…”
The girl is truly putting up a very tough front. There’s no need to even think about it; nobody truly wishes to die. If one could, they would want to live happily as a person. Even Ink should have that thought right now. A 10-year-old little girl…wishing to live, yet the world couldn’t grant her that wish.
“…Flamm?”
Ink’s question was only replied by Flamm’s erratic breathing and wheezing.
“You can’t do this, Flamm, you can’t stop here. You’re scaring me. You can do it in one swoop, like fwish!”
Despite sounding cheerful, Ink’s voice also wavered. If she could open her eyes, she too would perhaps have tears flowing down her cheeks.
“…Hey, Ink…you’re actually holding yourself back, right?”
“I’m not”
“Of course you are! Because…If you’re not then it’s weird! Don’t lie to me! Tell me what you really think!”
“Is there any meaning to it even if I tell you? If I were to tell you my true feelings right here, would it bring any meaning other than to make it harder for you and me?”
There’s…no such thing.
If putting up front was for Ink’s own self-satisfaction, knowing Ink’s true feelings was Flamm’s selfish wish.
“Even if there isn’t…I want to hear it.”
She didn’t want her to die leaving lies as lies. At the very least she would want her to die honest to her desire. It was her cruel, yet kind wish she had.
“I…I actually…I too…!”
Hearing Flamm’s wish, Ink crumbled, hinting her immaturity. Her bluff was transient, and once it crumbles, she wouldn’t be able to rebuild that wall around herself as it disappears. She would be able to act her age, and her wish, her hope, and her desire…would all spill out selfishly.
“OF COURSE I WANT TO LIVE! I’M STILL 10! I’VE ONLY LIVED FOR 10 YEARS, OF COURSE I WOULD THINK THAT IT’S WEIRD THAT IT’S JUST GOING TO BE OVER!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“WHY DO I HAVE TO DIE!? WHY DID I BECOME A MONSTER!? WHY CAN’T I LIVE NORMALLY!? I DON’T NEED ORIGIN’S POWER!! It would’ve been fine…It would’ve been just fine if I could live like a normal human…!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“But even as I’m saying this…I know that I can’t do anything…that’s why I didn’t want to say it…I wanted to keep my silence since there’s no choice but to die…!”
“…yeah.”
“You’re cruel, Flamm…”
“I’m sorry.”
Flamm was aware of what she did, so she obediently lowered her head and apologized.
Since her answer came out immediately, Ink chuckled lightly…showing a genuine smile.
“But…thank you. I think I feel better now.”
Letting out what’s left of her lingering attachment, she felt like she removed some weight off her shoulder. That weight would then be carried on by Flamm…but that was what Flamm herself had wished for.
“Now that I feel better, please finish it quickly, Flamm.”
Following what the girl said, Flamm put more strength into her palms.
“Okay”
Just a bit more and she will thrust her blade forward, and after pouring some mana, everything will be over. From now on, even amidst all other pain and suffering, Flamm would continue to shoulder the lives she had taken today. She swore to not let this happen for a second time. With that thought as her fuel, Flamm would continue her fight with the church.
It’s not something she chose to do. The moment Flamm met Ink, she already ceased to be a human. Her heart was transplanted by the Origin Core, and she had became the Spiral Children who can use inhuman powers. That’s why, unless she can turn back time, Flamm couldn’t save her.
It was over before it started.
In all honesty, this feeling of guilt isn’t necessary in the first place. As Ink had told her, she only need it to make it quick; release her from this living hell and move on forward.
“…move…on.”
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
…which way is forward?
What’s the proof that the direction she’s moving on is forward? It was certainly to kill the girl who was had the power of Origin within her, and to continue fighting might be to go down the path of righteousness.
However…is that really the way “forward” Flamm wished for?
“That’s not it,” she muttered.
What she wants is completely different.
She had met the little girl. Even if they only know each other for several days, it was just like the time with Milkit; she didn’t care about how long they’ve known each other. Flamm just wanted to save Ink.
That was her idea of moving “forward”.
Common sense or ethics didn’t matter to her. Progressing the way she wants to continue on for her is moving forward.
“This isn’t it.”
Killing someone she wanted to protect was…backwards, and a degradation of who she is.
Doing that is equal to the death of Flamm Apricot, and she is not going to let that happen. As if she’s going to let that happen.
She’s not going to let that happen!
“This is wrong…definitely. I am…!” Her grip slackened, and her sword fell from her hand. “I am not going to kill Ink! I won’t give up until the last moment! If I just give up right now, I won’t be anyone’s hero!”
“Flamm…it’s fine already…”
“As if! You want to live, don’t you!? You have stuff you wanted to do, don’t you!? Then we have to make it come true!”
“But what can we do? What can we do to fulfill that!? Don’t just randomly say it if you can’t think of a way!” The two girls’ voice echoed around the room.
“A way…if it’s a method…!”
What is something she needed to save the girl?
Destroy the core, obtain something to replace it and transplant it into her. The first problem is that there is nothing else Flamm can do, while the main problem is the second and third problem.
She decided to think about them one by one.
First is the core’s substitute…no, in the first place, the core is the substitute, functioning in place of her heart; the core is the substitute for her heart.
“Substitute for her heart……substitute?”
Is there something they needed for a substitute? Can they just use an actual heart? A heart that lived and beat? A heart that could be active, and it doesn’t matter if it’s dead…someone else’s—
“Dain’s…heart…”
Take it, and transplant it to Ink.
Flamm looked like she was about to laugh at her own absurd idea despite saying it herself. Even if it is possible, how would she keep Ink alive after she destroys her core and while she’s in the process of having the heart transplanted? She needed the “power of life” to keep her alive, even if it’s just for a moment.
Once again, Flamm scoffed at herself, thinking “is there even anything that convenient?”
However…there’s something she had in mind.
“I’m telling you it’s not possible…stop it!” Ink snarked, angry at Flamm who were quietly mulling it over.
At that time, an explosive wind blasted through the entrance of the room. The wind blew away the eyeballs flooding the hallway in one strike, creating a pathway for the people to walk in.
Those people are—
“Flamm, you’re okay!”
“We finally get to meet again…thankfully it seems like you’re still alive.”
“Masteeerrrrr!!!”
It was Gadio, Eterna, and the Flamm’s most precious person. Seeing her master’s figure, Milkit immediately broke into a run and tightly hugged Flamm, who immediately returned her hug with the same intensity.
“I’m glad…I’m soo glad…I really thought I would neber zee you again…”
“Yeah…I really wanted to meet you too, Milkit…I’m really, really glad you’re okay….!”
Flamm thoroughly felt Milkit’s warmth and the sweet smell of hers. The two were elated that they could meet again as the two exchanged hugs as if they were trying to ascertain each other’s warmth.
However, that happiness only lasts for a brief while. Even if they managed to reunite with each other, the problem that was infesting Ink still persists.
“She’s Ink Riesekraft, one of the Spiral Children.”
“I’m glad you’re alright, but looking at the situation it doesn’t seem to be something to be happy about.”
Eterna quickly judged the situation just by noticing Flamm’s greatsword lying on the ground and the two’s tear-stained faces. However, knowing that there are some people that didn’t know, Ink decided to explain herself.
“Actually…those eyeballs that has been chasing after everyone…I made them all.”
“Huh? Ink-san made them?” asked Milkit after she separates herself from Flamm.
“Origin’s power would surface when I lose consciousness and it’ll turn me into a monster. I can’t control it myself, so I wanted to end it all by having Flamm kill me…”
“I see, but when Flamm was about to kill you, she stopped, right? That’s what she’d do”, Eterna voiced her objection, sounding slightly exasperated.
“There could still be ways to save her though right?”
“I don’t know about the condition of her body in the first place…”
“She had her heart replaced by an Origin Core the moment she was born.” The person who answered her question was Gadio.
“Thanks for explaining. So in short, Ink will die if we destroy the core. I see now…so there’s no saving her unless we find a replacement.”
“That’s why, I…”
Since she had nothing to lose, she started explaining her train of thought, not even minding if the rest of them are going to laugh at her ideas;
“I thought that I might be able replace Ink’s core with a heart from Dain’s corpse in the chapel.”
“Flamm…there’s no way that’s going to be possible.”
“I know! But We won’t know if you won’t listen—”
Flamm turned sentimental, but Eterna managed to cut through before she finished.
“It’s possible.”
With that one phrase, the room fell silent.
Obviously, Flamm thought it was a joke at the start. She never heard about transplanting organs from another human body.
“You’re talking about a heart transplant, right? I can technically do it.”
Perhaps understanding that the rest of the people might have taken it as a joke, Eterna declared for a second time, and by the time her words reached Flamm’s ears, Flamm didn’t doubt it any longer.
Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s possible, maybe she can.
“I’ve heard that transplanting organs were common practices before the invention of healing spells, but…”
“I’m a big fan of lost techniques and pharmacy after all. It’s just that it requires a high level of magic control given how delicate it can be.”
In other words, she’s the only magician that can do it.
“It’s Eterna’s field of expertise huh.”
“You could say that”, Eterna showed a small peace sign with her hand as she said that.
What a hero…to be able to make possible what’s absolutely impossible, Flamm thought, once again realizing how great heroes can be.
“By the way, speaking of Dain’s body, do you mean that disgusting lump of flesh we saw earlier? It is still moving.”
“T-That’s right! We can use that!”
“There’s several miracles that must to happen including the miracle of the two having the same blood type, the miracle of Ink’s body not rejecting the organ and several others, but we can try if you want. Also, how do we keep her alive after destroying her core?”
“That’s…um…I know it might sound stupid, but…” If it can help with the transplant, then she only had to say it. “Gadio-san, Prana is initially something like a life force…the life energy of a person, right?”
“You can interpret it that way, yeah.”
“Then can I not use Prana to prolong the life of someone who’s on the verge of dying?”
Can her Prana keep Ink alive if they need several hours…no, several dozen minutes?
After a bit of thinking, Gadio gave his answer.
“It’s probably quite difficult to use it that way, but it has been used to heal wounds and extract poisons, so I think it’s not impossible.”
The possibility is finally born. All that’s left is if it can be executed well or not.
Flamm approached Ink and crouched down to lower herself to Ink’s height before telling the girl;
“We might be able to change you back to human.”
“Is it…really possible?”
“The probability isn’t zero, but we wouldn’t be able to recover you if we fail…”
Of course, there’s a chance that she might die…but there is a chance of being able to attain happiness and live as a human, a chance that she never thought even existed.
She didn’t have to give up for there is a choice she can make. Even if it failed, it was not because of something arbitrarily decided for her; she’ll die as a result of something she herself chose.
Nobody had any idea how much that difference had saved her.
Without hesitation, the girl made her choice.
“If there’s even a small chance, I want to bet on it.”
Afterwards, it’s a battle against the clock. Eterna immediately returned to the chapel, wrapping Dain’s corpse with water and carried it back to the room. Perhaps since it was too grotesque for Milkit who was sitting away in the corner of the room, she couldn’t help but to bring her hands to her mouth.
However, it wasn’t so much the case for Flamm and Gadio.
“I’ll match my timing with yours. On your go.”
“Yes!”
Instead of her greatsword, Flamm was puts the pointed end of the shortsword she took from Dain to Ink’s chest.
“It will hurt, but please endure it, okay?”
“…yeah, I’ll do my best.”
Flamm closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering the mana pooling in her body. She imagined the mana collected in her body into a sphere and sent them flowing; from her body, into her hands, into the hilt of the shortsword, and into the blade itself.
Her target is the Origin core. The power of her Inversion would flow into the core and destroy it the moment the blade makes contact. She burned the image of the flow in her closed eyes.
All that’s left is to follow the procedure and move her hands…she put strength into her arms and the blade was driven into Ink’s torso.
“Nn…Guh…”
“Reversal!”
Crash!, the moment she infused her mana, the core started to swirl in reverse, creating a negative energy that split the crystal in two as it couldn’t bear the energy flowing to the direction it’s not built for.
Ink felt her strength leaving her body. At the same time, the eyeballs surrounding the church started to turn grey, withering as they deteriorate.
It’s likely that they won’t have to see that repulsive scenery ever again.
“Humph!” Without a moment’s delay, Gadio put his hands on Ink’s body and started to pour his Prana with his bare hands.
Thump!
He injected a huge clump of life energy to the girl. With the core destroyed, Ink’s body that was gradually turning cold suddenly starts to increase in temperature to the point that she was burning.
“Ugg…a, ack…”
Ink’s body curled backwards as she twitched violently.
“Hang in there, Ink.”
The girl’s lips formed a smile, indicating that she perhaps had heard what Flamm said.
Next, Eterna came closer and begins the transplant process.
“It’s going to hurt a lot more, so grit your teeth.” As Eterna said that, she pushed the girl’s hands aside and evoked water blades of various sizes around her. One of them quickly approached Ink and cut her skin like a scalpel.
Its movement were…quick and delicate, and even Flamm who were looking at it from very closely still wasn’t able to grasp what it’s doing. The dozens of water blades worked together with several water tentacles that appeared sometime afterwards to perform the surgery on Ink.
Blood splattered from the opening when Eterna first pulled out the shattered core from inside her body, but she immediately closed the open wound with a water ball.
She needed to prevent blood loss and maintain the hygiene of the wound…something that normally require several people to do, but Eterna was able to do everything by herself using nothing but spells.
Ink desperately endured the pain even as she breathed heavily to the point that her throat trembles violently.
In reality, her sense of pain was dulled thanks to Gadio’s hands which greatly reduced the pain she experienced, but even after that, it was still an amount of pain she wouldn’t have normally experienced.
The one thing that supports her from crumbling was the single hope that after this process is finished, she will return to being human.
Before long, Milkit who was watching from far away had moved closer to the girl, holding onto her hand tightly as she prayed for her safety. Flamm, too, held the girl’s hand. Without looking away, Flamm looked over the process with an earnest expression.
At times, Eterna would heave a soft sigh as she wipes her forehead that started to get sweaty with the back of her hand, indicating that even for her, this is a very difficult thing to do. However, she proceeds through the operation in a speed no normal human hands could manage.
Flamm looked in blank amazement as she witnessed Dain’s heart being extracted from his flesh and put into Ink’s body. The water spell then created a thread that it used to sew the heart in place and confirmed if it’s functioning normally. Finally, after it closed the incision with a suture—the surgery is finished.
“…I’ve done all I could,” said Eterna, falling to her rear as a sudden rush of fatigue assailed her all at once.
Perhaps reaching her limit, Ink lost consciousness, her face showing how she suffered in pain. Under her undulating chest was a working, beating heart that used to belong to someone else.
“did we…save her?”
“I hope so” said Gadio as he glanced at the hallway littered with ash and dust.
“The rest depends on the post-surgery development,” Eterna said expressionlessly, though despite that, the woman was praying for Ink’s recovery.
“Thank you very much…I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own.” Flamm deeply bowed at the to in front of her.
“You could say the same about me.”
“Would’ve been impossible if it’s just me too.”
“I think…it would have been fine if I’m not here” said Milkit, being humble.
In response to that, Eterna flashed a grin before saying;
“Flamm wouldn’t have had the determination if Milkit isn’t here, so you were useful.”
“You’re saying as if I never had any determination in the first place!” Flamm prattled on quickly.
“She’s right though, Flamm’s really different from before and after they met.”
“Not you too, Gadio-san…”
Seeing the pouty Flamm, Eterna and Gadio’s expression softened. Milkit, on the other hand, turned bashful before inching closer to Flamm. She ended up sitting next to Flamm, and while trying to be careful not to be seen by other people, she silently piled her hand on top of her master’s.
“Milkit?”
Their eyes met by accident, and Flamm decided to call her out. In response, the girl whispered in a voice that only the two of them can hear:
“It seems like I too am no good without you, master.”
Even if I’m away for just a bit, it’s so painful that I feel like I’m going crazy. It’s like my chest is always squeezing with anxeity, and it was so hard that it gets harder to breathe…so please…stay with me.
That thought seemed to be transferred through her hand, which caused Flamm’s face to turn beet red.
Flamm wasn’t the only one who had experienced the pain of losing someone. The two suffered through each other’s absence, which is why their feelings for each other only got stronger.
Flamm squeezed the hand that was merely placed on top of hers.
“Ah…”
“Isn’t it fine to just let them see?”
To Flamm’s suggestion that was accompanied by a wink, Milkit replied with a quiet “yes”.
In reality, however, both Eterna and Gadio have noticed about the two of them since long ago. A bunch of amateurs really can’t deceive the eyes of the heroes.
“I hope she opens her eyes soon.”
“Yes…there’s a lot of food Ink-san wanted to try.”
The two peered at Ink’s face.
No one in that room had even thought that the girl wouldn’t open her eyes. Everyone was convinced that the procedure was a success.
The capital bathes in the morning sun, driving away the darkness and turning the sky to a bright orange color.
The long night had finally ended, and a new day begun with no one left behind.
Flamm opened every door in the hallway behind the chapel.
Perhaps snapping after killing Dain, her body isn’t following her directions. She puts her hand on the wall to support herself and dragged her legs forward. Countless eyeballs were still closing in from behind her…it seems like even after her fight was over, the crisis still goes on.
At the end of the hallway, she opened the last door. In that room that was slightly wider than other rooms, she found Ink.
“I…Ink…?”
However, her voice was cut short, for there was a woman about 180 cm in height whom she never saw before.
…no, are they truly a woman?
The person was wearing a dress and a wide-brimmed hat, and her blazing red hair extends down to her jawline. It’s a feature that was hard to miss, even in a glance. However, their limbs were muscular, their shoulders wide, and their face looks like it belongs to a man.
“That voice…is that you, Flamm?”
“My oh my, that man lost that easily, I see. I didn’t think you would come this quickly.”
The person’s voice was throaty, indicating that he’s unmistakably a man.
“So you are Flamm, yes? It’s a pleasure to meet you; I am Mother, the mother, the mother of these children…the Spiral Children.”
Flamm took out her sword. She had heard of her existence from Ink, but she completely thought the person was a woman.
“I wonder why can’t I leave her alone? Besides, the person that called Ink terrible things like monster and whatnot was you, is it not?”
“Since you called yourself their mother, you must know about her power, right?”
“Why of course. I was the one who replaced her heart with a Core anyways”, replied Mother immediately.
Since the person called himself Mother, he must be the leader of the research program, which probably means that he is the researcher belonging to the church.
“In short, that was the ceremony of a second birth through a mother’s womb that allows me to become their mother! So all of the girls, including Ink, are truly my children, and I am truly their mother.”
Mother kept talking, spilling out even the details Flamm shouldn’t have heard.
Rather than calling him a fanatic believer, the person was too absorbed in fulfilling his role that he loves to emphasize in being the children’s mother.
“But…I’m…”
“You’d like a human instead? Why though? While it’s true that you’re a failure , it is still a wonderful power to have. It’s a power to give birth to more children, a power to become a mother! Look at that!”
The man pointed behind Flamm, where the white eyeballs gathered beyond the door Flamm left open. The eyeballs, however, didn’t come into the room. Is it because its owner, Ink, is present in the room?
“Ink’s lovely little children are looking this way~”
“Children…you mean…!”
“The things you lost,” Ink puts her palm on her eyelids. “…and the things you wanted most. Origin-sama’s power multiplies that desire, and so your body can spit them out. And then as you housed Origin-sama’s power, it follows Ink-chan’s wishes and they protect us.”
“Noo…I didn’t…!”
“Don’t be ashamed, you did very well. You are a splendid mother, Ink-chan. I am happy that my beloved children became a splendid children” Mother said, before hugging the little girl.
The power of Origin Flamm had seen was repulsive in another meaning. It brought chills to her spine and it nauseated her greatly. Flamm didn’t think that the love expressed by Mother existed.
“I’m sorry to do this in our first meeting, but Mother, or whoever you are.”
“What is iit?”
“I think you might not be suited to be a mother.”
“Why? Why would you say that even though you don’t know anything?”
“Because you’re not properly looking at your children. You kept pushing your ideals to them and manipulating them to wish for what you want them to do…despite clearly no one wanted that kind of body or heart!”
“But even if it’s not for me to decide, it’s not for you to decide either, you know? Hey, Ink-chan, you clearly feel my love for you, right?”
The man brought himself even closer to Ink. He even went further and rubbed his cheek against the girl’s as his breathing turned rough.
Perhaps she’s used to it, Ink herself didn’t seem overly troubled by it, but at the same time, she doesn’t seem pleased. However, the girl timidly opened her mouth and said,
“I…don’t want it. Humans…are fine…I don’t want to be a monster that hurts anyone!
“…Really.”
The smile that never left Mother‘s face disappeared. Expressionless, the man stood up and stood in front of Ink. He grabbed the girl by the collar and, with a loud smack, he slapped the girl across the face. Ink was slammed to the floor as she received the brute strength of a man.
“Then I don’t need you. You’re nothing more than a piece of garbage to me. Get yourself disposed. How ungrateful of you. Even though I raised you with love and care despite your uselessness.”
“Ink!!” Flamm rushed to the girl and held her in her arms. Her worries dissipates slightly as she could faintly hear Ink calling out to her in a low voice along with a powerless smile. Flamm immediately moved the girl to the corner of the room and glared at the man’s wide back.
“MOTHER!!”
Responding with voice packed with anger, the man stopped on his tracks and turned around.
“How scaary. You’re really not suited to raise kids.” The moment he said that, four children appeared behind him. They were either concealed with magic or they teleported in. To Mother‘s left was a boy with a wavy green hair that was smiling for no reason and an irritated-looking blonde boy tapping her toes in a rhythm as he faced away. To Mother’s right was a cheeky-looking, scowling blue-haired boy who was holding his swollen cheek and a girl who had her eyes covered by her long bangs, holding a human-shaped stuffed toy.
“Oh my, what’s with that injury, Nect?”
“I was defeated…I swear I’ll kill that fucking bastard the next time I see him…!”
It was Nect, the boy who fought against Gadio. They fought so violently that the sound of them fighting could be heard across the city, but it seemed that Gadio had managed to safely drove the boy back, and now he retreated here.
“That’s right, I’ll introduce them to you, Flamm. These kids are my most precious children…the Spiral Children.” Mother spreads his arms wide and spoke proudly.
The children looked like they’re either Ink’s age or younger. They all looked like normal humans, but their face would definitely change into that disgusting vortex of flesh when they have to use their powers.
“The green-haired one on the left is Hewis-chan, and the blonde boy next to him is Rook-chan. The blue-haired one is Nect, and the girl on the very right is Mute-chan. What do you think? Aren’t they such cuties?”
Flamm swallowed her saliva. She’s sure that if they were to try to kill her right now, she would undoubtedly lose. She couldn’t run away otherwise she’d be erased, not even leaving anything behind.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that they’re holding animosity against her, but…
“My, you don’t have to be so cautious, you know? Even between Origin-sama, they’re still uncertain if we should kill you or use you, so we who are neutral will not try to kill you.”
“Between…Origin?” Flamm was puzzled with how the man implied that there are more than one Origin.
Mother giggled; “You will see in due time.”
“Mother, let’s get out of here quickly!”
“Hewis is right. How long are we gonna waste with these garbage? Just throw Ink away already.”
“My education policy is to give every child a chance, Rook-chan.” In response to Mother‘s advice, the foulmouthed Rook averted his gaze once again.
“Mother, pee pee.”
“Oh my, that’s not good, Mute-chan. We need to hurry. Nect-chan, can you please help her?”
“Okay, Mother.”
Nect held his open hand aloft, and Flamm immediately thought that some sort of power is whirling on top of his palm.
“Oh, right, about the disposal of that thing,” Just before Connection activates, Mother called out to Flamm as if she just remembered about Ink. “Honestly the eyeballs are kind of in the way, so can you please destroy her with your powers? Also, it’s better for you not to even think of saving her. It’s not possible anyways. Besides, she’s physically weak and she doesn’t have any strong points on top of being completely blind, so she’s just a complete garbage.”
Flamm grits her teeth.
He’s beyond saving. He’s too selfish and unreasonable, and—
“Is that something a mother should say!?”
“We’re complete strangers now, so she’s nothing but garbage. That’s all there is too it. Well, see you again, Flamm-chan.”
“Connection”, declared Nect, and at the same time, Mother and her children disappeared.
“Wait!!”, Flamm shouted, but her voice didn’t reach them and instead they echoed in the room. Instead, she could only clench her fists in frustration with a grunt.
Hearing the girls’ voice Ink voiced her uneasiness and said “…I’m sorry, Flamm.”
“Why are you apologizing, Ink? I’m the one…who’s at fault. I…I said something terrible back then.”
“But it’s true…isn’t it? When the sun sets, I turn into a monster…I produced a lot of things I’m don’t know about…I’m creating problems just by living…!”
“That’s—”
—Not true, she wanted to declare, but she couldn’t. If she keeps her alive, there will be more people that would fall victim to her eyeballs. Flamm and her friends would be pursued by them until they die, and they couldn’t possibly have a peaceful sleep unless they can keep Ink in check. it would’ve been fine if the consequence is only several days of sleepless nights, but for the rest of their lifetime after this point, they would live a life that’s comparable to dying.
“It’s…fine…”
“Ink?”
“It’s fine already…I’m already happy that I get to talk with you in the end.”
“W-wait, don’t just give up all of a sudden—”
“THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO!? As long as I live, I will keep hurting people, right? If I went that far then I don’t even think that I want to live! If I can’t live and try to be happy like a normal human can, then I would rather be dead than live in eternal misfortune…!”
Flamm truly wished she could tell her otherwise, that she could do something about it…but Flamm understands her own powerlessness. She bears the pain of knowing fully what she can and cannot do.
Sometimes…giving up is the correct choice for one to take.
Ink stood up, breaking herself away from Flamm’s arms. Before long, she sat back down on the ground with her legs to her side, and as she smiled at Flamm, she opened her eyes and said,
“…alright, go ahead.”
Childishly, she begged for death.
Flamm’s lips wavered, her teeth gnashed. She tried to hold back her tears, but they came streaming out anyway.
She couldn’t do anything.
She couldn’t make any difference unless she destroys the girl’s core…but if she does, the girl would die. Even if there’s another way to solve the problem…can she even do it by her lonesome? All she has are her Soul eater, the ability to freeze, her Reversal, and her Prana. Even if she racks her brain and fiddled with those ideas as if they were pieces of a puzzle, she can’t come up with anything.
“You know, I can be happy enough if I get to be killed by you, Flamm. I mean since…you know, at least I’ll be able to die as a human”, Ink said in a cheerful voice.
That tone of her hints that what she said was not meant to convince Flamm; instead it’s a tone that indicates that she accepts her death.
Flamm obviously didn’t want to kill her…but not being able to choose when it counts is also a form of irresponsibility. She removed Dain, prepared to die, just to get to where Ink is. To choose whether to let her live or kill her…and the answer had showed itself. Even the girl wished for it. Which means,if there’s no other way, the only option…was to kill her.
“Uu…kkh…haah…aah…AAAAHH….”
Her shoulders shaking and her face flooded by her tears, Flamm slowly stood up. Like a ghost, she swayed and stumbled as she gazed at Ink’s smile behind her blurred vision. The little girl’s fake smile only made it more painful.
Her cheek twitched, and even more tears spills out as she squeezed her eyes shut…but even then, Flamm advanced forward to fulfill her responsibility. She pushed her limbs that even still refuses to move…and stepped forward. With every step she takes, her body grows heavier and heavier.
“HAAHH…!”
She puts strength into her abdomen, moving her left foot this time along with an exhale.
The Soul Eater’s blade rings as it scrapes the floor, and Flamm’s shirt clings to her uncomfortably as it was bathed in cold sweat.
“A…UAAAH…!”
She will reach the girl before long.
Flamm gripped the handle of her sword with both hands, and with the pointed tip of the blade trembling, on Ink’s chest. Feeling the coldness of the metal blade, the girl twitched.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Ah, but please finish me off quickly, okay? …I guess I really don’t like pain…”
The girl is truly putting up a very tough front. There’s no need to even think about it; nobody truly wishes to die. If one could, they would want to live happily as a person. Even Ink should have that thought right now. A 10-year-old little girl…wishing to live, yet the world couldn’t grant her that wish.
“…Flamm?”
Ink’s question was only replied by Flamm’s erratic breathing and wheezing.
“You can’t do this, Flamm, you can’t stop here. You’re scaring me. You can do it in one swoop, like fwish!”
Despite sounding cheerful, Ink’s voice also wavered. If she could open her eyes, she too would perhaps have tears flowing down her cheeks.
“…Hey, Ink…you’re actually holding yourself back, right?”
“I’m not”
“Of course you are! Because…If you’re not then it’s weird! Don’t lie to me! Tell me what you really think!”
“Is there any meaning to it even if I tell you? If I were to tell you my true feelings right here, would it bring any meaning other than to make it harder for you and me?”
There’s…no such thing.
If putting up front was for Ink’s own self-satisfaction, knowing Ink’s true feelings was Flamm’s selfish wish.
“Even if there isn’t…I want to hear it.”
She didn’t want her to die leaving lies as lies. At the very least she would want her to die honest to her desire. It was her cruel, yet kind wish she had.
“I…I actually…I too…!”
Hearing Flamm’s wish, Ink crumbled, hinting her immaturity. Her bluff was transient, and once it crumbles, she wouldn’t be able to rebuild that wall around herself as it disappears. She would be able to act her age, and her wish, her hope, and her desire…would all spill out selfishly.
“OF COURSE I WANT TO LIVE! I’M STILL 10! I’VE ONLY LIVED FOR 10 YEARS, OF COURSE I WOULD THINK THAT IT’S WEIRD THAT IT’S JUST GOING TO BE OVER!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“WHY DO I HAVE TO DIE!? WHY DID I BECOME A MONSTER!? WHY CAN’T I LIVE NORMALLY!? I DON’T NEED ORIGIN’S POWER!! It would’ve been fine…It would’ve been just fine if I could live like a normal human…!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“But even as I’m saying this…I know that I can’t do anything…that’s why I didn’t want to say it…I wanted to keep my silence since there’s no choice but to die…!”
“…yeah.”
“You’re cruel, Flamm…”
“I’m sorry.”
Flamm was aware of what she did, so she obediently lowered her head and apologized.
Since her answer came out immediately, Ink chuckled lightly…showing a genuine smile.
“But…thank you. I think I feel better now.”
Letting out what’s left of her lingering attachment, she felt like she removed some weight off her shoulder. That weight would then be carried on by Flamm…but that was what Flamm herself had wished for.
“Now that I feel better, please finish it quickly, Flamm.”
Following what the girl said, Flamm put more strength into her palms.
“Okay”
Just a bit more and she will thrust her blade forward, and after pouring some mana, everything will be over. From now on, even amidst all other pain and suffering, Flamm would continue to shoulder the lives she had taken today. She swore to not let this happen for a second time. With that thought as her fuel, Flamm would continue her fight with the church.
It’s not something she chose to do. The moment Flamm met Ink, she already ceased to be a human. Her heart was transplanted by the Origin Core, and she had became the Spiral Children who can use inhuman powers. That’s why, unless she can turn back time, Flamm couldn’t save her.
It was over before it started.
In all honesty, this feeling of guilt isn’t necessary in the first place. As Ink had told her, she only need it to make it quick; release her from this living hell and move on forward.
“…move…on.”
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
…which way is forward?
What’s the proof that the direction she’s moving on is forward? It was certainly to kill the girl who was had the power of Origin within her, and to continue fighting might be to go down the path of righteousness.
However…is that really the way “forward” Flamm wished for?
“That’s not it,” she muttered.
What she wants is completely different.
She had met the little girl. Even if they only know each other for several days, it was just like the time with Milkit; she didn’t care about how long they’ve known each other. Flamm just wanted to save Ink.
That was her idea of moving “forward”.
Common sense or ethics didn’t matter to her. Progressing the way she wants to continue on for her is moving forward.
“This isn’t it.”
Killing someone she wanted to protect was…backwards, and a degradation of who she is.
Doing that is equal to the death of Flamm Apricot, and she is not going to let that happen. As if she’s going to let that happen.
She’s not going to let that happen!
“This is wrong…definitely. I am…!” Her grip slackened, and her sword fell from her hand. “I am not going to kill Ink! I won’t give up until the last moment! If I just give up right now, I won’t be anyone’s hero!”
“Flamm…it’s fine already…”
“As if! You want to live, don’t you!? You have stuff you wanted to do, don’t you!? Then we have to make it come true!”
“But what can we do? What can we do to fulfill that!? Don’t just randomly say it if you can’t think of a way!” The two girls’ voice echoed around the room.
“A way…if it’s a method…!”
What is something she needed to save the girl?
Destroy the core, obtain something to replace it and transplant it into her. The first problem is that there is nothing else Flamm can do, while the main problem is the second and third problem.
She decided to think about them one by one.
First is the core’s substitute…no, in the first place, the core is the substitute, functioning in place of her heart; the core is the substitute for her heart.
“Substitute for her heart……substitute?”
Is there something they needed for a substitute? Can they just use an actual heart? A heart that lived and beat? A heart that could be active, and it doesn’t matter if it’s dead…someone else’s—
“Dain’s…heart…”
Take it, and transplant it to Ink.
Flamm looked like she was about to laugh at her own absurd idea despite saying it herself. Even if it is possible, how would she keep Ink alive after she destroys her core and while she’s in the process of having the heart transplanted? She needed the “power of life” to keep her alive, even if it’s just for a moment.
Once again, Flamm scoffed at herself, thinking “is there even anything that convenient?”
However…there’s something she had in mind.
“I’m telling you it’s not possible…stop it!” Ink snarked, angry at Flamm who were quietly mulling it over.
At that time, an explosive wind blasted through the entrance of the room. The wind blew away the eyeballs flooding the hallway in one strike, creating a pathway for the people to walk in.
Those people are—
“Flamm, you’re okay!”
“We finally get to meet again…thankfully it seems like you’re still alive.”
“Masteeerrrrr!!!”
It was Gadio, Eterna, and the Flamm’s most precious person. Seeing her master’s figure, Milkit immediately broke into a run and tightly hugged Flamm, who immediately returned her hug with the same intensity.
“I’m glad…I’m soo glad…I really thought I would neber zee you again…”
“Yeah…I really wanted to meet you too, Milkit…I’m really, really glad you’re okay….!”
Flamm thoroughly felt Milkit’s warmth and the sweet smell of hers. The two were elated that they could meet again as the two exchanged hugs as if they were trying to ascertain each other’s warmth.
However, that happiness only lasts for a brief while. Even if they managed to reunite with each other, the problem that was infesting Ink still persists.
“She’s Ink Riesekraft, one of the Spiral Children.”
“I’m glad you’re alright, but looking at the situation it doesn’t seem to be something to be happy about.”
Eterna quickly judged the situation just by noticing Flamm’s greatsword lying on the ground and the two’s tear-stained faces. However, knowing that there are some people that didn’t know, Ink decided to explain herself.
“Actually…those eyeballs that has been chasing after everyone…I made them all.”
“Huh? Ink-san made them?” asked Milkit after she separates herself from Flamm.
“Origin’s power would surface when I lose consciousness and it’ll turn me into a monster. I can’t control it myself, so I wanted to end it all by having Flamm kill me…”
“I see, but when Flamm was about to kill you, she stopped, right? That’s what she’d do”, Eterna voiced her objection, sounding slightly exasperated.
“There could still be ways to save her though right?”
“I don’t know about the condition of her body in the first place…”
“She had her heart replaced by an Origin Core the moment she was born.” The person who answered her question was Gadio.
“Thanks for explaining. So in short, Ink will die if we destroy the core. I see now…so there’s no saving her unless we find a replacement.”
“That’s why, I…”
Since she had nothing to lose, she started explaining her train of thought, not even minding if the rest of them are going to laugh at her ideas;
“I thought that I might be able replace Ink’s core with a heart from Dain’s corpse in the chapel.”
“Flamm…there’s no way that’s going to be possible.”
“I know! But We won’t know if you won’t listen—”
Flamm turned sentimental, but Eterna managed to cut through before she finished.
“It’s possible.”
With that one phrase, the room fell silent.
Obviously, Flamm thought it was a joke at the start. She never heard about transplanting organs from another human body.
“You’re talking about a heart transplant, right? I can technically do it.”
Perhaps understanding that the rest of the people might have taken it as a joke, Eterna declared for a second time, and by the time her words reached Flamm’s ears, Flamm didn’t doubt it any longer.
Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s possible, maybe she can.
“I’ve heard that transplanting organs were common practices before the invention of healing spells, but…”
“I’m a big fan of lost techniques and pharmacy after all. It’s just that it requires a high level of magic control given how delicate it can be.”
In other words, she’s the only magician that can do it.
“It’s Eterna’s field of expertise huh.”
“You could say that”, Eterna showed a small peace sign with her hand as she said that.
What a hero…to be able to make possible what’s absolutely impossible, Flamm thought, once again realizing how great heroes can be.
“By the way, speaking of Dain’s body, do you mean that disgusting lump of flesh we saw earlier? It is still moving.”
“T-That’s right! We can use that!”
“There’s several miracles that must to happen including the miracle of the two having the same blood type, the miracle of Ink’s body not rejecting the organ and several others, but we can try if you want. Also, how do we keep her alive after destroying her core?”
“That’s…um…I know it might sound stupid, but…” If it can help with the transplant, then she only had to say it. “Gadio-san, Prana is initially something like a life force…the life energy of a person, right?”
“You can interpret it that way, yeah.”
“Then can I not use Prana to prolong the life of someone who’s on the verge of dying?”
Can her Prana keep Ink alive if they need several hours…no, several dozen minutes?
After a bit of thinking, Gadio gave his answer.
“It’s probably quite difficult to use it that way, but it has been used to heal wounds and extract poisons, so I think it’s not impossible.”
The possibility is finally born. All that’s left is if it can be executed well or not.
Flamm approached Ink and crouched down to lower herself to Ink’s height before telling the girl;
“We might be able to change you back to human.”
“Is it…really possible?”
“The probability isn’t zero, but we wouldn’t be able to recover you if we fail…”
Of course, there’s a chance that she might die…but there is a chance of being able to attain happiness and live as a human, a chance that she never thought even existed.
She didn’t have to give up for there is a choice she can make. Even if it failed, it was not because of something arbitrarily decided for her; she’ll die as a result of something she herself chose.
Nobody had any idea how much that difference had saved her.
Without hesitation, the girl made her choice.
“If there’s even a small chance, I want to bet on it.”
Afterwards, it’s a battle against the clock. Eterna immediately returned to the chapel, wrapping Dain’s corpse with water and carried it back to the room. Perhaps since it was too grotesque for Milkit who was sitting away in the corner of the room, she couldn’t help but to bring her hands to her mouth.
However, it wasn’t so much the case for Flamm and Gadio.
“I’ll match my timing with yours. On your go.”
“Yes!”
Instead of her greatsword, Flamm was puts the pointed end of the shortsword she took from Dain to Ink’s chest.
“It will hurt, but please endure it, okay?”
“…yeah, I’ll do my best.”
Flamm closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering the mana pooling in her body. She imagined the mana collected in her body into a sphere and sent them flowing; from her body, into her hands, into the hilt of the shortsword, and into the blade itself.
Her target is the Origin core. The power of her Inversion would flow into the core and destroy it the moment the blade makes contact. She burned the image of the flow in her closed eyes.
All that’s left is to follow the procedure and move her hands…she put strength into her arms and the blade was driven into Ink’s torso.
“Nn…Guh…”
“Reversal!”
Crash!, the moment she infused her mana, the core started to swirl in reverse, creating a negative energy that split the crystal in two as it couldn’t bear the energy flowing to the direction it’s not built for.
Ink felt her strength leaving her body. At the same time, the eyeballs surrounding the church started to turn grey, withering as they deteriorate.
It’s likely that they won’t have to see that repulsive scenery ever again.
“Humph!” Without a moment’s delay, Gadio put his hands on Ink’s body and started to pour his Prana with his bare hands.
Thump!
He injected a huge clump of life energy to the girl. With the core destroyed, Ink’s body that was gradually turning cold suddenly starts to increase in temperature to the point that she was burning.
“Ugg…a, ack…”
Ink’s body curled backwards as she twitched violently.
“Hang in there, Ink.”
The girl’s lips formed a smile, indicating that she perhaps had heard what Flamm said.
Next, Eterna came closer and begins the transplant process.
“It’s going to hurt a lot more, so grit your teeth.” As Eterna said that, she pushed the girl’s hands aside and evoked water blades of various sizes around her. One of them quickly approached Ink and cut her skin like a scalpel.
Its movement were…quick and delicate, and even Flamm who were looking at it from very closely still wasn’t able to grasp what it’s doing. The dozens of water blades worked together with several water tentacles that appeared sometime afterwards to perform the surgery on Ink.
Blood splattered from the opening when Eterna first pulled out the shattered core from inside her body, but she immediately closed the open wound with a water ball.
She needed to prevent blood loss and maintain the hygiene of the wound…something that normally require several people to do, but Eterna was able to do everything by herself using nothing but spells.
Ink desperately endured the pain even as she breathed heavily to the point that her throat trembles violently.
In reality, her sense of pain was dulled thanks to Gadio’s hands which greatly reduced the pain she experienced, but even after that, it was still an amount of pain she wouldn’t have normally experienced.
The one thing that supports her from crumbling was the single hope that after this process is finished, she will return to being human.
Before long, Milkit who was watching from far away had moved closer to the girl, holding onto her hand tightly as she prayed for her safety. Flamm, too, held the girl’s hand. Without looking away, Flamm looked over the process with an earnest expression.
At times, Eterna would heave a soft sigh as she wipes her forehead that started to get sweaty with the back of her hand, indicating that even for her, this is a very difficult thing to do. However, she proceeds through the operation in a speed no normal human hands could manage.
Flamm looked in blank amazement as she witnessed Dain’s heart being extracted from his flesh and put into Ink’s body. The water spell then created a thread that it used to sew the heart in place and confirmed if it’s functioning normally. Finally, after it closed the incision with a suture—the surgery is finished.
“…I’ve done all I could,” said Eterna, falling to her rear as a sudden rush of fatigue assailed her all at once.
Perhaps reaching her limit, Ink lost consciousness, her face showing how she suffered in pain. Under her undulating chest was a working, beating heart that used to belong to someone else.
“did we…save her?”
“I hope so” said Gadio as he glanced at the hallway littered with ash and dust.
“The rest depends on the post-surgery development,” Eterna said expressionlessly, though despite that, the woman was praying for Ink’s recovery.
“Thank you very much…I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own.” Flamm deeply bowed at the to in front of her.
“You could say the same about me.”
“Would’ve been impossible if it’s just me too.”
“I think…it would have been fine if I’m not here” said Milkit, being humble.
In response to that, Eterna flashed a grin before saying;
“Flamm wouldn’t have had the determination if Milkit isn’t here, so you were useful.”
“You’re saying as if I never had any determination in the first place!” Flamm prattled on quickly.
“She’s right though, Flamm’s really different from before and after they met.”
“Not you too, Gadio-san…”
Seeing the pouty Flamm, Eterna and Gadio’s expression softened. Milkit, on the other hand, turned bashful before inching closer to Flamm. She ended up sitting next to Flamm, and while trying to be careful not to be seen by other people, she silently piled her hand on top of her master’s.
“Milkit?”
Their eyes met by accident, and Flamm decided to call her out. In response, the girl whispered in a voice that only the two of them can hear:
“It seems like I too am no good without you, master.”
Even if I’m away for just a bit, it’s so painful that I feel like I’m going crazy. It’s like my chest is always squeezing with anxeity, and it was so hard that it gets harder to breathe…so please…stay with me.
That thought seemed to be transferred through her hand, which caused Flamm’s face to turn beet red.
Flamm wasn’t the only one who had experienced the pain of losing someone. The two suffered through each other’s absence, which is why their feelings for each other only got stronger.
Flamm squeezed the hand that was merely placed on top of hers.
“Ah…”
“Isn’t it fine to just let them see?”
To Flamm’s suggestion that was accompanied by a wink, Milkit replied with a quiet “yes”.
In reality, however, both Eterna and Gadio have noticed about the two of them since long ago. A bunch of amateurs really can’t deceive the eyes of the heroes.
“I hope she opens her eyes soon.”
“Yes…there’s a lot of food Ink-san wanted to try.”
The two peered at Ink’s face.
No one in that room had even thought that the girl wouldn’t open her eyes. Everyone was convinced that the procedure was a success.
The capital bathes in the morning sun, driving away the darkness and turning the sky to a bright orange color.
The long night had finally ended, and a new day begun with no one left behind.
