The end of the second night is approaching.
Soon the sun will descend through the fog, yes-yes, precisely through, and illuminate this place with its bright rays. It would seem everything is going according to plan. As it should be. Could it be otherwise?
When the moon leaves, the sun takes its place. When night leaves, day replaces it. And then comes… well, at the very least, light. And maybe joy. And maybe even merriment. Possibly.
But the nature of the world, or rather, let's say "the essence of being", sounds more pretentious, is the same everywhere. Almost everywhere.
But not here.
This place is special.
It does not acknowledge the sun's rays. It does not acknowledge the concept of "day". And it certainly does not acknowledge joyful faces.
Because here, these things simply do not exist.
There are no people. There is no moon. There is no sun.
Absolute emptiness.
Only a semblance of a shell, an illusion. A set, a fake. A parody of reality created by the witch of this island. What else can you call a copy created without knowing the original? It's like trying to draw the face of a person you've never seen. It turns out… strange.
It's quite strange, really, that I even started thinking about this?
Before, I wouldn't have lingered on such thoughts. Before, I would have just… scrolled past. Did I even think before? Did I live?
Before meeting them. Most likely, no.
Before meeting her. Definitely not.
And these thoughts shouldn't have been in my head. Not on my level. And certainly not by habit.
But a meeting can change a lot, can't it?
My inner world, which used to seem like an empty gray room with a single light bulb, suddenly started to resemble… a gallery. With colors. With sounds. With reflections. With mad paintings.
«By the way, is she even a girl?»
«Never thought about it. And I never asked her.» (Strange, right?)
We were already in the library.
Cheryl stood with his eyes closed, in silent observation, almost like a statue, almost like a judge. The other participants were immersed in the silent agony of decryption. Books, open, scattered, in disarray. Not a single one lay as it should.
Me and Morgana nearby, without words. Just watching, waiting. Until Yahweh's voice pierced this pause like a stone through glass.
— Hey, why are you just standing there? I think I called you to help us with this, not to stand around idle! — cheerfully, as if he was enjoying all this.
He was full of energy. Joy was bubbling inside him, perhaps from finally finding the right book. The book-link. The book-translator.
Without wasting time, which, by the way, we had in abundance, I joined them. I asked Morgana to stay aside. To observe. Not to interfere.
She wanted to help, of course she did. But that wasn't her role. Not now, not here.
— While you were gone, we already managed to learn the translation of some hieroglyphs, — with that same smirk, as if time wasn't moving here, said Kamiki. — By the way, where were you all this time?
— Worried about me? — Aragi replied. — I just went after Morgana. Didn't want her wandering the mansion alone.
A light laugh. A book in his hands. A gaze downward.
Tiamut nearby, silent, but clearly not indifferent. Watching, listening, reading.
Who is she to him? — the thought slipped through Aragi's mind. (It slipped through everyone's mind, to be honest.)
Unlike the others, her personality is like a blind spot. A blank, and that, as we know, can be a problem.
— Anyway, listen, — Yahweh became the center of attention again. — Hov and I discussed it and decided it would be better if each group with their members takes one sentence.
— This way we'll save time. This way it will be more efficient. This way we won't die before dawn, finally.
— I can only agree, it's a good idea, — Kamiki, waving his arms like a conductor without an orchestra.
— I'm not against it either. Let's do it that way, — Aragi agreed.
And so again, division, distribution, solving. Teamwork that almost looked coordinated.
Yahweh and Hov — the third sentence.
Me and Enua — the first.
Kamiki and his group — the second.
Only the last one remained.
— Cheryl and I can take it! — Morgana, as always, right on point.
Everyone agreed.
— Hov and I will step away, — Yahweh said. — Better not to disturb each other.
They left.
— Us too, — Tiamut followed Kamiki. He left first, without a word. (That means something. Probably.)
Me and Enua remained. Behind us, Morgana and Cheryl. Calmness, divided by four.
— Well, let's start then.
避けられない定めを拒み,争うことは,ただ自らを滅ぼすだけだ.
— Look, I've already found hieroglyphs similar to the beginning of our sentence.
「避けられない」
— Seems like it's some kind of adjective.
A few pages. A few minutes.
避ける — to avoid.
避けられない — unavoidable.
定め — fate, destiny.
— This is an association with inevitable fate, — said Aragi. — But where does this lead?
But at that moment, I wasn't worried about that. But about Enua. His silence, his distraction, his… detachment.
— Are you okay? — I asked.
— Everything's fine… just thinking about who could have written this.
— Don't lie to me, — I said. — If something's wrong, tell me. I'm on your side.
— Thank you. You've already done more than necessary, — Enua replied with a slight shadow on his face.
We continued.
を — accusative case particle.
拒み — from the verb 拒む, "to refuse".
定めを拒み — "refusing fate".
争うことは — "struggle/fighting".
ただ自らを滅ぼすだけだ — "only destroys yourself".
The result:
「Refusing an unavoidable fate and fighting against it only leads to your own destruction.」
Or:
「Struggling against an inevitable destiny leads to self-destruction.」
11 PM.
An hour had passed since we started. It turned out to be easier than thought. Faster than expected. Morgana and Sheryl were still discussing theirs. Yahweh and Hov hadn't returned. Maybe they went far. Maybe they got lost. Or maybe they're just stupid.
But what was surprising was Kamiki.
He hadn't appeared.
(Strange. Very.)
— Aragi, I need to tell you something important…
— Huh? — me.
— Promise you'll understand me correctly.
— …
— The thing is…
Time stopped.
(Not literally. But it felt that way.)
— All this time… I knew the translation of these lines.
...
...
I didn't answer. I couldn't.
— So, you…
— I don't know how it happened myself. Just… saw it. Understood and got scared. Scared that even you would start suspecting me. But, please… believe me.
He was pleading. Almost physically, like a doll whose soul had been taken away.
And then…
— Once, a certain vampire acquaintance told me: "To make someone believe you, you don't need to prove you're right. Trust your heart — it knows."
— I believe you, Enua, — said Aragi. — I believe.
A hand is extended.
The gesture is direct.
The meaning is clear.
— Even if the world turns its back on you, don't renounce yourself. Your truth is your truth.
— Aragi… you really are… an amazing person.