After centuries of forced existence, there were not much first times left on Sef’s miserable life. From acts as mundane as breathing, to tasks as dangerous as void killing, there was no longer an event, nor a creature that caught him off guard. None until now.
He wanted to hide it, to pretend he was unfazed, but the longer he stared at the girl’s red eyes, the more puzzled he became. Why was someone like her here? Who sent her? Did someone finally found out? There were a lot of questions that circled his head, but only one managed to find its way out.
“who are you?”
“eh?” the girl tilted her head. “Sef forgot already?”
He shook his head. “sorry, but I can’t forget someone I don’t know”
“let me tell you who I am then”
The girl pulled up the ends of her oversized cloak and walked towards him, triggering Erze’s reflex to move on her own and point the spear at the girl’s chest.
“command me” she said coldly. “command me now, or I’ll use my hands instead”
The girl giggled and touched the spear’s tip. “so it’s true. Erze really is a brute in disguise”
“how did she hear---”
Before Erze could finish her question, she reverted back into her human form and fell face first on the floor. As promised, she got back to her feet and went for the girl’s neck. But the moment her nails dug in, an unseen force pulled her arms back and dragged her down.
“my...” the girl smiled at her. “for immortals, Sef and Erze are very impatient”
“impatient?” Sef said. “if that’s true, your chest should already have a hole right now”
The girl twirled her hair. “stop bluffing, I know why Sef hasn’t attacked me yet. It’s not because he's patient”
A myriad of clever comebacks circled Sef’s head, but none of them made it out of his mouth. As hard it was to admit, the girl was right. He was terrified, not of what monster she maybe, but of how similar their eyes and hairs were.
“why are you here? Who sent you?” he blurted.
“no one sent me. I’m here for my own reason”
Sef gulped. “which is?”
The girl held her cloak like a dress and bowed. “I would like to be Sef and Erze’s final puzzle. Please accept me”
“what?!”
“what?!”
The girl let out a sweet laugh. “is Sef and Erze surprised? Go ahead show your bewilderment!”
“you brat” Erze said. “how did you know about that?”
The girl smirked. “how else? Sef and Erze told me about it”
Erze raised an eyebrow at Sef, but all he could give was a nervous stare. He wanted be calm, to focus more on the melody of her soul, but the evidences in front of him disrupted his mind, forcing him to release the question he didn’t want to ask.
“are you the same as me?”
A wide grin stretched across the girl’s face. “so Sef finally confessed”
“confessed what?” Erze asked.
The girl tucked her head inside the cloak. “I will take a nap for now. Sef is free to summon my daughter once they’re done entertaining the tall guard”
“wait!” Sef rushed at the cloak but ended up clasping for air. The girl, together with all the clothes scattered on the floor vanished like bubbles, leaving the two of immortals more confused than when they entered.
“is something wrong here?” a boy’s voice came from the door.
Sef gathered his scattered brain and spun around as normal as possible. But it was too late. The guard’s thin face already crumpled into a scowl, and his long knobby fingers already scratched the back of his pony tailed head.
“h-hello Marcellus, it’s been a long time”
“right” the young hallower said, bouncing a pair of narrowed blue eyes at them. “are you okay? You don’t look as carefree as usual”
“we’re just...” Erze’s eyes went to the ceiling. “role playing! Yes, just role playing”
Sef shot a conversing glance at her. “don’t lie, you know it’s your fault”
“what?!”
Marcellus reached inside his business suit and threw three glass cubes on the floor. They bounced like marbles and grew big enough to be chairs. A sight that still amazed Sef even after countless demonstrations. “sit, we’ll smooth this out now”
“there’s nothing to smooth out” Sef said.
“I said sit”
Like well-trained puppies, both Sef and Erze obeyed the command against their wills. It was not the best feeling, but as prisoners, it was a bitter pill they had to swallow.
“speak” Marcellus said.
“you’re overreacting” Erze said. “we’re just having a little debate on who will clean outside”
Marcellus blinked. “pardon?”
Erze grinned. “I said, were just debating who’s going to clean the void flower outside"
“you mean... that hell flower...
Sef looked away and flashed the embarrassed face he mastered through the years. “i-it’s not like we cared for those stupid soldiers, we were just bored”
“you guys...” the boy drew a floral napkin and covered his face. “you don’t know how happy I am right now!”
Sef smirked at Erze. “really? It doesn’t look like that just now”
Erze smirked back. “yes, you seem more depressed than usual”
“this is nothing!”
“we already knew you back when you still ate boogers, fool. It’s too late to hide anything from us now”
“Erze’s right. Tell us what’s wrong, we’ll listen”
Marcellus studied their faces. “this won’t get out, got it?”
“I swear on my life” Erze said.
Sef nodded. “I swear on hers too”
“fine” the boy wiped his face and leaned forward. “it’s hard for me to say this, but I think gramps is losing his mind”
“hey, that’s not a good thing to say” Erze said.
“I know, but it’s not just me who thinks that”
“why?” Sef asked. “what’s Aurellius doing?”
“he keeps sending us to the wrong places! He’ll rile us up and make us prepare for a huge encounter, but when we get to the scene, there’s not even a shadow of a void present!”
“have you confronted him yet?” Erze asked.
“a couple of times”
“how did it go?” Sef asked.
Marcellus leered away and scratched his head. “he said he’s never wrong. That we’re just not looking hard enough”
“ugh” Erze massaged her temples. “that’s what old age does. It makes you as annoying as a child, but not as adorable”
“but he’s not even annoying! He’s still the same funny old man as long the sentries don’t sound”
For reasons Sef couldn’t fully grasp, the little girl's face kept returning in his mind. He had an idea as to why, but neither had enough clues nor will to confirm it.
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“Sef?” Marcellus blinked at him. “are you alright?”
He stared at his hands to avoid the boy’s gaze. “since when did your grandfather become like this?”
“about a month ago”
“no, I mean where was the first wrong place he sent you to?”
“you know something about this?”
“it depends on your answer”
“wait, let me see...” Marcellus reached again inside his suit and pulled out a black note book. “December nineteen... there! Reona kingom, military grounds”
The hairs on Sef’s neck stood, followed by a resurgence of memories he buried long ago in the depths of his mind. Here it was, the confirmation he waited for, straight out of the boy’s mouth.
“what’s wrong Sef? Answer me!”
Sef raised his gaze and looked the boy in the eye. “you need to go home now. Aurellius needs you”
Fear and confusion mixed on Marcellus’ face. “what do you mean? I don’t understand...”
“go home and ask your grandfather”
“why don’t you just cut the mystique and tell me now?!”
Sef took off his carefree mask and revealled the stern face Marcellus feared since his childhood. “your grandfather is in danger. You need to be with him as soon as possible"
The conversation ended right then and there. The boy stood, withdrew his cubes back to their normal sizes and shut the door with surprising politeness. Sef rushed to his wardrobe and slid his hand under the folded clothes, searching for the item he didn’t expect to use any time soon.
“you seem to have a lot on your plate” Erze said with a hint of hurt in her voice. “care to share some to me?”
He grabbed the cool object at the tip of his fingers and drew it out. A glass orb as big as a fist, painted with the same deep purple color owned by the sea below. “please bear with me for a bit, I’ll explain everything later”
Erze sighed. “fine, what do we need to do?”
“we’ll give the girl a taste of her own wine”
“how? By dragging her here with a magical instrument?”
Sef hurled the orb at her feet. “exactly”
“what’s this?”
“a heart”
Erze poked it. “isn't a heart supposed to be... rubbery?”
Sef scooped her up, took three steps away from the orb and sat the two of them beside each other. “it was when I still had it”
“hm?” Erze pressed her ear against his chest. “so what’s this thing I hear? Your stomach?”
“it’s the one I got from the king”
“oh, so this one was the gift you’re talking about?”
Sef pushed her head away and locked his hands. “I don’t remember telling you that”
Erze smirked. “yes you did, while asleep that is”
Despite the urge to ask a full account of the episode, Sef swallowed his curiosity and uttered a command. “come forth”
A mouth emerged on the orb and released a screech loud enough to make the hell flower’s noise seem hushed. It wiped the composure off Sef's face and replaced it with a grin he did not want to make.
“okay, that would do it”
With the snap of his fingers, he stopped the noise and ordered the orb to return to its smooth mouthless form. Erze looked at him with disappointment, but before she could complain, his hand was already clamped on hers, dragging it along as he climbed the stairs.
“we’re going outside?” she asked.
Sef pushed the door open and lead his partner to their usual spot. The night’s darkness was now at its last minutes, the horizon was at its brightest, and the death littered sea was so spotless, it looked tidier than both of their wardrobes combined.
“that kid overdid it again” Erze said.
Sef had a joke at the tip of his tongue, but chose to swallow it last second. Now was not the time to beat around the bush, she needs to understand the situation he found themselves into. “do you still remember the secret I’ve promised to reveal someday?”
“the one about your immortality? I knew it”
“you do?”
Erze flicked a finger at his nose. “you made a lame face back when the boy read from his book. It’s the same one you had when you promised to me years ago”
“oh” Sef nodded slowly, unable to decide wether to be impressed or to be afraid. “so yes, it looks like the time has come”
“are you sure?”
“I don’t want to, but unfortunately, yes”
Erze poked his cheek and pushed his head away. “fine, turn around and get on with it”
“why do I have to turn around?”
“I’m sure you’ll make the lame face again. I don’t want to see it”
“aw, are you concer---aw! Okay fine, don’t dig your nail deeper!”
Sef turned his back to her and cleared his throat. “have you ever heard of the word crimsonization?”
“not yet”
A mob of red hooded figures flashed in Sef's head. “it’s a ritual performed by an ancient cult back in my day. Me and Aurellius dealt with most of them years ago, so I didn’t expect to see someone with white hair and red eyes anytime soon...”
“but we saw the girl, and she knows our plan”
“right”
Erze poked his cheek again. “how did she know? Are your brains linked?”
Sef shook his head. “it’s much simpler than that”
“so it’s true? We told her directly?”
“yes, through the leiutenant’s ears”
“hm?”
Sef raised a finger. “listen, crimsonization is like a parasite's life. It starts when a cult member mixes a human soul with void blood then injects it into a host. Perfectly hidden, the mixture then matures inside the body until the time of its hatching arrives”
“so the girl was inside the leiutenant the whole time?”
“that’s the only explanation I can see”
“but how?” Erze asked. “who planted her inside him?”
Sef chuckled. “stop playing dumb. You know who it was”
“the old hallower, it's him right? The one who taught them how to use spirit treasures?”
“if he can make men use spirit treasures without the Hallow king’s blessing, then he’s not a real hallower”
Silence pressed against Sef’s ears as he waited for Erze to speak. He could sense her curiosity like needles piercing his back, but lacked the courage to pull the question out of her mouth. Thankfully, it did not take long. After an eternity packed in thirty seconds, the girl exhaled and asked the question he saw from a horizon away.
“so you... you came to be like how those tentacles did?”
He grinned. “you’re turned on about that aren’t you?”
She slapped his head. “fool, I’m disgusted to my bones”
“you better be. That’s not how I came to be"
“hm?”
Sef pointed to himself. “a complete crimsonization doesn’t look like this. It’s way more despicable”
“describe please”
He redirected his finger at her and prepared for the explosion to follow.
“me?! You're calling me despicable?!”
“crimsonization is a process that immitates the Hallow king's spirit treasures. When successful, it produces a weaponized soul that lacks free will. But when it fails, it produces a person with red eyes, white hair and a body that doesn’t die”
“so the girl was created because we killed its host?”
Sef shook his head. “she came to be because the lieutenant surrendered to the king. If he died in a normal way, his unclean soul will still be used for nutrition. But since he surrendered, the parasite was forced to leave the corpse in an incomplete form”
Another silent pause creeped in, but unlike last time, Sef was ready. He nudged Erze with his elbow and ripped the most probable question to stay in her head.
“aren’t you going to ask me about my past?”
She flinched. “right! Tell me!”
He chuckled. “she surrendered too, but just a little too late”
“she? Wait, don’t tell me...”
“yes, it’s---”
Erze’s arms wrapped around Sef's shoulders. She did not breath a word of comfort, nor showed any desire to do so. And still, her message was heard loud and clear.
“what’s this?” Sef asked jokingly. “did you finally realize that you love me?”
“shut your mouth and recieve my comfort, fool. You won’t get this for free next time”
“do you still want to the rest of the story?”
“I heard enough. Let’s tall about something else”
As Sef raked his brain for lighter topic, a sharp pain pierced through his chest. Erze noticed it right away, but before she could nag him about it, a dark melody rose from the trapdoor and sucked the words from her mouth.
It had the same playfulness, but lacked the soothing tone Erze’s soul possessed, resulting in a song that turned Sef’s flesh into concrete, and his bones into jelly.
“great, another unwanted visitor” Erze said.
Sef ignored her and proceeded down the stairs. Every step was a battle. His breathes shortened, and his will to push forward wavered the closer he drew to the door. The only thing that sustained him was the hand pressed against his back, forcing him to walk until he reached the source of the sinister soul.
“so it’s her after all” Erze said, leering at the same white haired girl whose neck was now chained to Sef’s black orb. She still wore the same ragged cloak and the same innocent face, but the air of uncertainty around her was no more, reducing into a normal child.
“wait" Erze scratched her head. “is she the same brat? She feels safer than last time"
Sef raised an eyebrow at the girl. “who are you?”
The child scooted away. “papa said I can’t talk to strangers”
Erze smirked. “did papa say strangers can run out of patience too?”
“that’s not how you talk to a kid” Sef said.
“show me how then, oh great kidsman”
Sef took a deep breath and filled his mind with good thoughts. Slowly, he approached the child with a hand reached out, offering it either as a means to connect, or as a lump of flesh to be bitten off.
“I said don’t come closer! I’ll bite you!”
A chuckle escaped Sef as he stroked the the girl’s hair. Compared to his, it was straight and smooth, a curtain that allowed his fingers to flow down without any stops or snags.
“your hair is beautiful. Did your papa tell you that already?” he asked.
The girl shook her head.
“will he come here to tell you?”
“he said he’ll sleep for now”
“so that means you’re going to stay with us”
The girl pulled away. “no, bring me back to our house!”
“aw...” Sef pouted to hide the grin rising underneath his face. “but that’s hard to do. I need to know somethings first”
“no, I can’t talk to strangers”
“my name is Sef. There I’m not a stranger anymore”
Surprise and disgust filled the girl’s face, followed by a defeated frown that marked Sef’s victory. “will you tell papa about this?”
Sef raised his right hand. “I swear, if you answer me honestly, I’ll never tell him you disobeyed”
The girl looked away. “first question”
“what’s your name”
“Bel”
Erze chuckled. “Bel? How bland”
Sef shot a glare at his partner before grinning back to the girl. “did your papa say anything about helping us?”
“he wants to be your final fish"
“why does he want to?” Erze asked.
Bel’s eyes narrowed at Erze. “because her soul showed him everything about you. He wants what the two of you want”
Sef raised an eyebrow at Erze and was greeted by the same face of disbelief. This was not supposed to easy, they should be the ones to find the final piece, not the other way around.
“are you sure that’s what he said?” Erze asked.
Bel folded her arms. “if you don’t want him then say it. We’re fine by ourselves”
“that’s not it” Sef waved his hand. “we’d love to have you. It’s just hard to take in at the moment”
“why? Did he do something bad?”
“no” Erze said. “but he sure made it seem like a possibility”
Bel stood and stomped. “my papa is good, he only hurts people who try to hurt me!”
“ha!” Erze stomped back. “and you think I’ll fall for that? You just came to existence an hour ago kitten, there’s no way you already met other people besides us!”
“but it’s true! My papa loved me even when I was still ugly! He made himself ugly for me!”
“stop making up stor---”
“wait!” Sef raised a hand at Erze and locked eyes with Bel. “what do you mean by ugly?”
The girl averted her eyes. “like the one that appeared outside”
“you’re a void?!” Erze asked.
“not anymore, papa accepted my heart so I can be beautiful”
“I see” Sef nodded. “so now he wants to join us in order to revert the two of you back to humans. Impressive”
Bell kneeled before Sef. “please take us. I don’t want papa’s soul to sound horrible. I don’t want papa to have no body. I want to hug him again”
Erze approached her and pulled her up. “if that’s what you want, then prove that you can take it”
“I don’t understand...”
Sef pointed at Erze. “to be our final piece, you have to harmonize with this sadist’s soul. Do you think you can do that?”
Bell nodded. “I... I’ll try my best!”
The sight of innocent determination painted a sinister grin on Sef’s face. It was not pretty, but also something he could not avoid. Like the girl and her father, he was just another broken soul seeking redemption, there was no point hiding it now. “please do, I don’t want to be disappointed”