“R-Red, are you still losing it?” Stuttered Midorikawa. “What’s this ‘other world’ you’re talking about?”
It wasn’t such a surprise to see someone in denial upon hearing the notion. After all, being transferred to another world wasn’t exactly what I’d consider ‘normal’. Even I didn’t believe in it until I experienced it for myself.
But wasn’t this world only part of a game? Why would these people be aware of it? Or were they just aware of the fact that another world existed, but they didn’t know that their world was never real?
Meanwhile, Akabane was surprisingly calm. “It’s a long stretch, but I have my ways. Remember that raid against the Shinjoura?”
“You mean the one you ran away from?”
“… I have no excuses for it.”
“Let it go for now, Green,” I let out a sigh. “At least he’s here, and it looks like he has something that’s important, right?”
Turning to me, Akabane gave a bow. “Thank you, Yakushi-kun. For hearing what I have to say.”
”Well, it’s not like I have nothing to do with it.” I took a seat down, my hand tapping on Midorikawa’s armor, signaling him to sit as well.
But even as all three of us were stationed, each with a cup of cold tea in front, an air of awkwardness still lingered. In the end, Akabane was the first to break the ice.
”Now, Yakushi-kun, about that question from before…”
“How did you know?” I wasted no time to ask one of my own.
“So I’ll take the answer as a yes?”
“Think however you want. Just answer my question first. Remember, you’re no longer in a position to be demanding anything from us.”
“… You’re right,” with a sigh, Akabane nodded. “I have no right to question you anymore. So please, Yakushi-kun, your confirmation means the world to me… no, to this entire world.”
Taking a deep breath, he brought out the mysterious scroll at last, and laid it down the table. With each turn, more and more drawings of various people and events showed up. And the more they appeared, the more I couldn’t believe my eyes.
From the beginning of the scroll, there was a figure of a giant serpentine-like creature, whose destructive nature was depicted with scribbles of fire and the scattered people beneath it. The group of people seemed to have defeated this serpentine creature and split it into different parts in the second picture, and in the third, the pieces were scattered away, but by the third picture, the creature had already been revived . Then, another person clearly different from the rest—as shown in the ink drawing of them being in a different color—came about and finished the creature off.
”What do you make of this scroll’s contents?” Akabane asked, his eyes still fixated towards me.
”It’s a divination of sorts, isn’t it?”
”Correct,” nodded Akabane, “To be precise, it’s a prophecy that has been passed down between generations of Mujin chiefs. It goes as follow:
“Long ago, a Dragon God roamed our lands. With His dual swords and beating wings, He protected our people from harm with slashes faster than the eye could see. We revered and pledged loyalty to Him, but it wasn’t enough. Just like how His might was unquestionable, His lust for battle was always unquenched. When He ran out of creatures to satisfy his bloodlust, He turned his blades onto us. He brought forth storms to destroy our homes and devour our people, His slashes rent mountains and forests alike. Our forefathers, even banded together, couldn’t vanquish Him, instead only sealing Him away by severing His body. But our seal was weak, and one day He will return for vengeance. Only a Hero from another world, an Heir to Onisatsu, the blades He once wielded, can unite the people of the world and defeat the wicked God once and for all.”
I could barely hold a chuckle at the story. It was similar to the standard tall tale I’d usually see on Earth, or those cheesy chosen hero’s stories from different forms of media—the fact that this world originally was a game didn’t help its credibility. But before Akabane’s serious expression in front of me, and Midorikawa’s clear sign of nervousness beside me, even I knew better than to crack a laugh in this atmosphere.
Instead, I chose to word my answer based on the fact that this story was true. “Then you’re saying that this otherworlder would be the hero to save you, right? But I fail to see how this and everything else is connected.”
“But they are,” Akabane, expecting my reaction, nodded. “Do you remember what the Shinjoura said to us?”
“Um… A bunch of gibberish?”
“They’re all real. Let me explain.
“Omushi can evolve. They do so by killing and consuming humans, Unborn and Evolved alike—a trait granted to them by the Dragon God of old. Recently, signs of Omushi being so hostile to us is proof that the Dragon God part sealed within this forest is acting up. That’s why cases like the Shinjoura appeared—by feeding on us, they were able to gain our intelligence and grow in power, enough to overpower us in any way. And with the way things are going, similar cases will only grow, both in number and in danger level.”
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“Hold on,” I interrupted. “If all the things that the oversized queen bee said were true, then wasn’t there a part where she called you that phrase you mentioned? ‘Heir to Onisatsu’, was it?”
“The Mujin chiefs had taken that name ever since our foundation, yes,” nodded Akabane. “And our partner when we were Unborn was always an Onigiri like you. However, we’re never the real deal—in fact, none of us had managed to get our partners to evolve into an Onisatsu, the reason being… well, you can imagine why.”
“I see what it is now,” I concluded. “Then you mean that I have a special talent to let Akari evolve without letting her eat people, correct?”
“That’s the only conclusion I can think of.”
It was what I expected. However, I knew that it wasn’t everything they were hiding from me. I had to play my cards correctly to get the answers I needed.
“I have one more question…”
Before I could finish, however, Midorikawa had already placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Kid, don’t,” the man shook his head. “I know what you’re about to ask. Turning back right now is still good for you. Trust me.”
“Don’t stop him, Green,” Akabane frowned at the gesture. “He deserves to know—it’s his right. And he’s strong enough to take the truth.”
Midorikawa, however, was having none of it. “Strong enough? Is he really? Was any of us really strong enough to take it? Did you forget how Yellow cried for days when she went through hers? Did you forget how I was thrown into jail and beaten up before I was forced to accept it? No one’s as cold-blooded as you, Red!”
“Do you think I wanted to? I wasn't born like this, Green! I’m the current head! The so-called Heir before the boy came around! Someone had to be the adult here, and if not me, who else? You and Yellow were no-gos, and both Blue and Black were new additions not long before Yakushi-kun! Only now do I get rid of this burden, and you’re trying to stop me?”
“He’s not ready yet, damn it!”
Looking at these two fight made my blood boil. In the end, adults were the same—selfish jerks who thought that they knew how I felt, and tried everything to force their views on me.
I had enough with them the first time around in my old world. I certainly wouldn’t accept things the way they were another time.
“Enough, both of you!” I shouted. “I’m the only one that gets to decide my fate around here! I’ll hear things out, but if I don’t want to do it, I want out! And I’m only accepting the case on those conditions!”
At the sound of my scream, both of them cooled down and returned to their seats. Akabane was the first to answer with a sigh. “… Fine. I’ll tell you everything.” He finished with a gesture towards my cup, suggesting that I drink it before continuing the story.
I downed the cup in one gulp. “Please continue.”
Following my request, Akabane pulled the scroll one more time, revealing the rest of its content. But the images following it were much more haunting than what I expected.
For one, the ink used for this part was a shade of crimson, unlike anything else that was shown before. And the contents within it justified that decision.
The drawing depicted a person and a monstrous creature—it didn’t look like any real-life animals, however, having fangs, claws, scales and insectoid wings. The two beings were shown standing face-to-face with each other, seemingly ready for battle. From there, two arrows were drawn beneath it, implying two different results that could be.
In one direction, the human was dead, looking at the corpse lying down on the “ground”, while the monster now gained a human body but still keeping its head and wings. But on the other arrow…
The human was drawn to be victorious, and their body was now adorned with claws and wings of their own, even having a monster head for a helmet. If it hadn’t been for the remnants of monster bits beneath them, I wouldn’t have been able to distinguish the two pictures.
“This… this is…” I stuttered.
“You once asked us what an Evolved meant, and what the Evolution ritual was.” Akabane, taking a deep breath, answered in a somber voice. “This is what it means to be an Evolved.”
“Is this some kind of sick joke?”
“It’s not. Just like how Omushi can devour humans, humans can also devour Omushi. Unborns are given a partner or found one on their own. Through growing up together, we developed a special understanding and bond with each other… all accumulating in the final Evolution ritual.”
“A bastardized killing festival where Unborn and Omushi fight to the death,” concluded Midorikawa. “And the winner fully absorbs their partner’s corpse to ascend to a higher level.”
“It’s a necessity,” argued Red. “As Unborns, we’re helpless. We don’t have fangs or claws to fight against the hostile Omushi, while our tools and traps stood no chance against their overwhelming physical power or sheer number. This is the only way for us to survive, and the Unborn partner is exactly for that—by forming trust with another Omushi, we can minimize fighting, and ensure they at least have a painless…”
“Enough.” I said.
“Yakushi-kun, it’s not as bad as…”
“I said enough! You sick bastard! Is that all what Omushi means to you? What your childhood partner means to you? These are living, breathing creatures! They’re just like us, as you’ve said it yourself! Why are you taking away their choices like they’re not even alive? That’s it! I’m done! Screw you and your village; I’m taking Akari away, and you can’t make me do anything else!”
Contrary to my rage, Akabane remained calm as a river. “… I knew things would come to this,” he concluded with a sigh. “Sure, you can go.”
“I don’t need you to tell me twice!”
When I turned around, however, his chilling voice echoed in the air. “If you can, that is.”
As the words came out of his mouth, everything spun around like never before. I lost my balance in a heartbeat, and before I knew it, my body had already fallen down like a cut log. Another “thud” sound ensued next to me, signaling that Midorikawa also suffered from the same fate.
“I know that Shinbachira poison can’t hurt you, so that’s another extract,” commented Akabane. “Much less potent in terms of lethality, but much more concentrated in its stunning effect. I can’t have you leave, Yakushi-kun. If this is what saves my people, then I don’t mind being a villain in your eyes.”