Subtitle: Definitely Grey
"Where is Naiadler?"
Odasaku remained silent. When I finally dared to look at his face, I saw that terrifying expression. His eyes were pitch black.
Odasaku: "What do you mean, where? Weren't you together?"
Odasaku was clearly shaken. He suddenly stood up. Was he angry with me? I grabbed his leg.
Odasaku: "I'm going to look for Naiadler. Let me go."
— In that condition? I can't allow it! Are you out of your mind?
Odasaku completely ignored what I said and kept walking toward the door with the same determination. I wanted to find Naiadler too—but not like this!
Odasaku: "Let me go, kid."
The Hunter stood up, as if to put an end to all of this.
Hunter: "Mr. Odasaku, please calm down. She might have disappeared along with the others. You know well enough they couldn't have killed the whole population that quickly."
The Hunter seemed to be implying something.
Odasaku: "So you're telling me to just sit here and wait?!"
Hunter: "I understand how worried you are. That's why I'm asking you to calm down."
Odasaku clenched his fist. After taking a deep breath, he sat back down.
Odasaku: "If that brat hadn't gone missing, the streets would still be echoing with his voice. He never stays quiet."
Odasaku seemed a little calmer. The Hunter raised his hand.
Hunter: "I think we should focus on what we can do next."
Odasaku: "You're right."
Hunter: "Then how about we split into Teams A and B?"
Li: "I don't think we should split up right now."
Everyone turned to Li in surprise. She looked deadly serious—too serious for her age.
Li: "We have one injured person and two children here. If we divide up now, that could mean our end. Since I'm a member of the Tang Clan and skilled with poisons, I'll take care of Mr. Odasaku. Apollon isn't strong enough. You all should stay here and protect us. And even when Mr. Odasaku gets better, we won't separate, because we have no way to contact each other. The best thing is to move together."
Everyone was astonished. I'm sure none of them had thought it through like that.
Odasaku: "Good thinking, girl!"
Li blushed and lowered her head.
Li: "I have to think that much. After all, I'll be the one leading the Tang Clan in the future."
Odasaku looked surprised. He probably already knew the situation. All he could do now was support her.
Odasaku: "Big goals for someone your age, huh? I'd like to see that next time I come to China."
Li straightened proudly and stood up with confidence.
Li: "Leave all the planning to me!"
The Hunter chuckled and rolled his eyes.
I felt a bit relieved. The tension in the room eased slightly, and I let out a deep sigh.
Odasaku: "Apollon, bring me some water."
The water was just behind me. I stood up and poured it. When I turned to hand it to Odasaku, no one was there.
Startled, I dropped the cup. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to turn around, but I couldn't. The person behind me leaned in close to my ear.
Zero: "We can't exist in this world at the same time. It's my turn."
It felt as if I were disintegrating piece by piece. There was no pain, no sensation.
Odasaku: "Come on, Apollon, you couldn't even bring water in three hours?!"
Zero: "Sorry, I spaced out. I'll bring it right away."
The knight drank, suspecting there might be poison in the water. He clearly didn't trust me. His eyes were filled with doubt.
Odasaku: "Brat... you seem different somehow."
Inside, I laughed with pure joy. He noticed immediately, though I didn't show a single sign. Not even the faintest line gave me away.
Zero: "What's changed about me, huh?"
I pretended to be angry—maybe I could get away with it that way. It wasn't because I couldn't defeat him; it was because I wanted the story to continue.
The knight rose to his feet, furious.
Li: "Your wound will open! You can't move right now!"
The little girl's voice carried worry. The knight, with a noble grace, placed his hand on her head.
Odasaku: "I'm fine. You girls should go outside. I need to talk with Zer—Apollon."
The Hunter and the little girl quickly left the room, though she clearly didn't want to.
Odasaku: "You make me sick."
Zero: "You know who this body belongs to, don't you? No one can stop me from tearing out this heart."
The knight was completely defeated. He had no words left—no scraps of defiance. All he could do was clench his fist until something reddish dripped out.
Odasaku: "Get out of that child's body! I won't let you interfere with his life!"
Zero: "Or what? You can't even touch me. Everything you say is just empty talk. Regret... it's such a human emotion."
Odasaku: "... I will destroy you one day! When that day comes—"
Zero: "I'll be waiting. But for now, there are things I must take care of. Follow me, my knight."
Sometimes Odasaku was like a loyal dog; sometimes he was himself. It was probably because of me—but what could I do? I wanted to see a child kill his own family with his own hands.
Odasaku: "Who are we going after?"
Zero: "I'll start with Pandora."
The knight was obviously taken aback.
Odasaku: "... Give me a moment to think. A little time..."
I turned toward the door to call the others. My body was slow to respond, so I turned only my neck.
Zero: "Find me a red umbrella."
The young knight was surely worried—wondering if the body was damaged.
Odasaku: "HEY!"
Zero: "Don't worry. Nothing happened."
I opened the door, the creak shrieking like a scream. I greeted them with an unreadable smile.
Zero: "We're done here. Come in."
The Hunter looked at me sharply. Of course, he suspected something—but he couldn't understand.
—What?
I made sure to say it with childlike innocence.
Hunter: "Nothing, just..."
Better not to push him.
Zero: "I think we should split into groups now, don't you agree?"
Li: "Weren't you listening, Apollon?"
Zero: "The reasons you gave made sense. Even though I'm a child, I'm quite strong. You embarrassed me by saying that."
Li: "What are you talking about?!"
Zero: "You clearly looked down on me. 'Li, you're strong despite being a child.' That's what you said."
Li: "Apollon!"
Zero: "The Hunter will be with you. You're both women—you can protect yourselves, and you have so far. All you need to do is what you've already done before."
Li: "You're right, but Mr. Odasaku is still injured."
Zero: "No, he isn't. Do you really think a First Battalion Commander would withdraw from a battlefield that easily? He said so himself."
The knight slowly nodded. After all, his strength wasn't what defined him.
Li: "BUT—!"
Hunter: "He's right."
Odasaku: "Smart kid, but don't let it get to your head."
Zero: "Then it's settled. Now disperse."
The Hunter, like a deer escaping danger, grabbed the little girl and ran off.
Zero: "Now it's our turn. You know what I mean, right?"
Saku brushed a lock of hair from his face.
Saku: "What do you think?"
Zero: "Sorry, that question was my mistake."
Saku swiftly snatched the book from my hands.
Saku: "So he trapped himself in this place to hide from us."
I could see that twisted smile on Saku's face. He wanted to kill someone. That was his true nature.
Saku threw the book to the ground in fury. The pages merged with the earth and the sky. When we opened our eyes, we were inside a black hole.
Zero: "So you sought help from him, huh?"
Pandora: "I thought it might work."
Saku picked up the hourglass. He looked at it with the terror of a child staring at a star.
Pandora: "And why did you bring him here? Oh wait, I already know the answer."
Pandora softly began to hum the lyrics of a song. Odasaku realized what was happening and started to strangle himself.
All I could do was hold my breath. I turned to Odasaku.
Odasaku: "No, it's not that. It's all based on time."
Zero: "Then you start."
Odasaku: "What do you think?"
Zero: "I don't know."
Odasaku shattered the hourglass. The sand gathered, forming a long and sharp sword. Slowly, he began walking toward Pandora.
Pandora: "You're a monster!"
Odasaku didn't care. Some of the sand from his blade scattered, and wherever it spread, disease stopped.
Pandora: "Did you really think you could beat me with that?"
Zero: "No."
Odasaku lunged at Pandora and gathered the remaining sand. With one precise strike, he cut off her head.
When Pandora's head hit the ground, it turned into ants that spread everywhere. Odasaku released all the sand in the air, raining it down like a storm. One grain brushed against me—it cut my cheek.
Before the ants vanished, they turned into corrupted creatures. Odasaku took a step back.
He gathered all the sand into one final move and fled from the horde of monsters. Even a single touch from those flesh pieces would corrupt him completely.
Odasaku: "You don't even know who they are, Pandora!"
Pandora: "They're just tools!"
Finally, her body reformed. She turned one arm into a long, sharp needle and aimed it at Odasaku. Her hand exploded into a massive swarm of mosquitoes.
They swarmed over Odasaku. While he struggled, Pandora took advantage of the opening and sliced his waist.
Odasaku slashed at her, but it was futile. After the mosquitoes disappeared, he rubbed his sword over the wound. The sand sealed it, but all he had left was a dagger.
Pandora: "Is that all?"
She was trying to provoke him. I couldn't hold it in anymore—I started laughing.
Pandora: "Strange, isn't it, seeing your friend in this state?"
Zero: "Friend? He's the last person you should provoke, Pandora. Look ahead and tell me what you see."
Pandora quickly turned her head.
Pandora: "Damn it!"
Odasaku had gone mad. Without hesitation, he gathered the sand into his sword and began cutting everything in sight.
Before Pandora could shrink into a smaller form, Odasaku thrust his sword into her body and spread the sand through her veins.
I stood up and began to clap.
Zero: "Brilliant! Brilliant! Magnificent, Odasaku. Imagine this—your reward is complete recovery."
Odasaku looked at his waist; the wound was gone, and the poison's effect had vanished. He reassembled the hourglass.
I gathered the scattered pages of the book. As I wandered through them, I wanted to say we'd returned to reality—but instead, both of us were pulled to another side of the black hole.Right when I left the body.
Zero: "Next is Li."
End of Chapter.