47 Chapter 41 - "The One" (1/2)

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ーThe Washuu King

Thoughts and Anxiety start to conquer his mind. He's left speechless. Breathing starts to become more hard. He only looked at her, everything else surrounding him was nothing but darkness. The fact that the Witch of Greed, Echidna knew about the Washuu King, Furuta Washuu, truly was troublesome.

Jens : ”T-The Washuu King… Did you just say that?”

He repeats her answer, just to be sure. His voice is somewhat scared and curious, and Echidna notices it. As a response, she puts on a wicked smile.

He didn't trust this woman, but he had no choice but to try. He needed information, and needed to take the trials to keep everyone safe.

Echidna : ”Do not be mistaken. Like I already told you, I am a creature of Greed. There is a limited amount of things that I don't know of. You are partly one of them.”

She raised her voice on the ”You” of her last sentence.

He started thinking. What did this woman mean with that? Have the two of them already met before? In addition to that, what did she mean with partly? But something more interesting would be, how did she know of Furuta? However, perhaps that was something that could wait as well.

Jens : ”Echidna.”

With a firm, prideful voice, he calls out her name. She looks at him in a curious way and smiles at him. His eyes glister in the abyss.

Jens : ”I… I want to take the Trials.”

Hearing this, Echidna narrows her eyes and smirks at him, disturbingly.

She opens her arms up, and then widens her eyes.

Echidna : ”Amazing. Fascinating! You really are a mysterious creature Jens! However…”

She lowers her arms, and stands up.

Her hair starts to wave because of a non-existing wind that he didn't feel. There was nothing around them that could be the source of a breeze. However, as he looked at her beautiful snow white hair, he feels somewhat charmed by her black Aura.

Echidna : ”I personally don't care if you'll face defeat or victory during the Trials. But I can already tell you… Victory is the last thing you would meet after the first trial.”

She turns around, and looks into the black sky. There's nothing but a single, shining star. Somewhat disturbed by what she said, he questions what she meant with it.

Jens : ”What do you mean? Am I not strong enough to succeed the Trials?”

The Witch of Greed chuckled.

Echidna : ”You foolish little boy. Don't you understand the basic concept of success? A tale of Victory for one, is the epilogue of the other's defeat.”

Still somewhat concerned with what she meant with it, he raises one eyebrow out of confusion. Noticing this, Echidna shrugs.

Jens : ”From where would I gain that kind of Knowledge?”

That single question trembles within Echidna's head. After confirming what he asked, she walks towards him, and grabs his hand.

Echidna : ”Follow me, and I'll show you whatever you want, and need to know!”

She pulls his hand into the shadows. Jens doesn't want to follow her, but his body does not respond to his will. He isn't able to refuse her, because his mouth isn't able to scream. He's completely calm, despite being extremely scared deep within his own body.

Entering the shadows, he sees nothing, feels nothing, and does nothing. He simply exists in a shadow. He tries to move, but his body doesn't act. Until…

Echidna : ”Are you there?”

He then opens up his eyes, and finds himself again, in the eternal grass field, a starry sky, and a Tea table. However, this time, the table was way bigger than the previous time.

There were in total, eight chairs. One for Echidna, one for her guest, and the other six remained a mystery.

Echidna : ”Good, you finally woke up. Now, lets start our first Question and Answer session. Perhaps this one will be truly amazing.”

He looks around, just to be sure that he's alive.

His fingers move. His mouth makes noises again. His eyes can see things. Everything is back to normal again.

Jens : ”Echidna… I have a question.”

Echidna : ”Yes?”

He's somewhat troubled to ask it, but still does it.

Jens : ”How… Do you know who I am?”

Echidna : ”Well well. You introduced yourself a few minutes ago, no?”

Such a clever response, but it was nothing but a lie.

Jens : ”Echidna, you knew me before this meeting, didn't you?”

Echidna : ”Yes. But what's the fun in revealing that in the beginning? Now you truly understand who I am, and what I know.”

Despite it sounding a tad rude and cruel, she was right. It would be more weird to reveal that this was a reunion, instead of a meeting.

Jens : ”I see… So, you're willing to answer whatever question I have?”

Echidna : ”Despite being something greater, I still have capabilities. I'll answer to whatever question you have, if my superior self knows the answer to it, yes.”

He starts thinking. He starts brainstorming, but there are way too many mysteries to ask. Everything just starts crossing his mind. The Wardens, The Warriors, The Washuu King, The Leo King, The Lost King, Vincent, There is just so much to ask. Her saying that she doesn't know something wouldn't be too surprising, as those subjects do sound somewhat Not from four hundred years ago.

Jens : ”What are the Sanctuary Trials, and what are the necessities to succeed in them?”

The woman known as the Witch of Greed chuckles again. She hides her laughing mouth with her right hand and closes her eyes in the process. After that, she grabs a cup of tea and starts drinking again.

Echidna : ”Despite your appearance expressing the atmosphere of stupidity, you're truly intelligent to ask such a question to the Examiner of the Trials.”

He starts asking himself, why are the most beautiful woman always the deadliest? She lowers her head, and takes a sip of her Tea.

Echidna : ”The Trials are three different events that take place at my Grave.”

She raises one finger, and looks at Jens like a smug.

Echidna : ”The first Trial is the ”Face Your Past” trial. Who ever enters the Trial Grounds is shown a fragment of their past. The only way to succeed is to get rid of any regret by either accepting or rejecting their past.”

Those words, especially the word ”Past”, left him breathless. He gulps out of anxiety, as he doesn't know if he's capable of witnessing his past, as he has no idea what happened, and why everything happened. Before he can clear his mind, Echidna already continues with raising a second finger.

Echidna : ”The Second Trial is ”Seeing the Unimaginable Present”. The trial taker experiences themselves living a different life. A life which could have been yours, but only if you weren't embraced by the sins you burden.”

That was even more for Jens to let sink in. Seeing the unimaginable present is something that was on his mind for a while. How would everything be if he hadn't have an amnesia, or if he never met Emilia? What if he never met Furuta, would things be better, or perhaps worse?

She raises another finger, and blinks a few times her finger before she lowers her hand slowly.

Echidna : ”The Third Trial is ”Face the Impending Disaster”. The trial taker is shown probable futures they might, or might not experience. Only when the trial taker accepts the tragic future. Once you succeeded those three trials, only thenーー Will the Sanctuary Barrier rise.”

It was indescribable how much it was for Jens to sink in. Him seeing his past which he's burdened with, a present which he might have desired, and a tragic future which might end him.

He just didn't know what to say, what to think, or what to expect. Entirely filled with possible things to witness, his head starts to ache and malfunction. His mind isn't thinking despite being completely filled with thoughts.

All that remained in his brain was anxiety and stress of what kind of things were coming next.

Echidna : ”Did you swallow your tongue, or are you just admiring the beauty of a Witch?”

He heard what she said, but the nerves from his brain, to his spine, to his muscles did not work. Nothing was processing other than his brain starting to hurt even more, and more, and even more.

Echidna : ”You're looking pale. I know I give others a white impression, but I didn't think that was to be taken in a literal matter.”

Making fun of what was going on that moment, Echidna simply chuckled and hid her teeth with her hand.

He looks at her, but can't see her.

He hears her, but doesn't understand her.

He knows she's there, but can't accept it.

He starts to cough, and his vision starts to become all blurry. Before he knows what just happened, he fell off the chair and landed on the green grass under the sky filled with stars.

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Desperation had eroded away the heart of Jens.

Jens : ”————”

He couldn't move. He was not worthy enough to move. Nothing good would happen, even if he moved. He had proven it. Jens was naturally incompetent— no, if he was incompetent, there would still be some hope for him. Rather, he proved that he was nothing more than a plague, an odious person, a pest to God.

Jens : ”————”

If you cage up all your despair in your chest, it will kill your heart, and would erode away your soul before your life. If that happens, you would not be able to stand up. You would not be able to oppose anyone. That would be a natural consequence if you realize that you have genuinely, irrecoverably harmed yourself.

I want to disappear. I want to end up disappearing and becoming non-existent. I should have had made my decisions earlier. Before coming to this different world. Before coming to this other world, I am supposed to have had known all that, no?

Why, just by existing, must I bother others' hearts? Am I not worthy enough to occupy even a small corner in others' hearts? I am merely a dirty stain on the wall. The dust that has accumulated in the corner of the room, a wasteful maggot that deserves to be in the bin. A scar that never disappears, a leftover scratch that can always be seen.

Jens, the boy who caused all Calamities, why won't he just die off.

Even if he dies, all that awaits him, is another restart? Who decided that? Who made sure that it will stay that way forever? If once was not enough, he can die ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times.

Die until he disappears.

Until everyone's memory of you disappears, and you no longer have any influence on others, until your name, your presence, your trace no longer remains.

—I love you.

Be quiet. Disappear. Let me disappear.

—I love you, I love you, I love you.

Shut up. Don't talk to me. Don't get in my way of disappearing. Disappear, I want to disappear.

—I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

I want to die. I want to disappear. I want to be shattered completely. I don't want any traces of me left. I want to become something that doesn't exist. I want to erase my existence. I want to disappear from all history. I want to disappear from all memories. I want to disappear from all memorable moments. I want to disappear from the girl who said that she also won't forget. Nothing is worth it. Nothing has any meaning. I cannot take anything. Nothing can be taken. Anything, everything, disappear, stop existing, from this world.

—I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you.

Despair dominates his mind, as everything in the world becomes covered by a black shadow, as a confession dripping with hollow and endless love washed upon this disposable garbage shaped like a person.

If I get swallowed by that, will I disappear? Will I be immersed in void, far from death? Will I be thrown into a place so convenient, like a dark space that will never be reached by anyone's eyes?

If, I die there, I will—

I will—

Jens, as if perfectly fitting in all of it, within the despair—,

??? : ”Jens… It's me.”

—A voice chimed

Denying the end of the world, is a voice that was reminiscent of a chiming silver bell.

I heard a someone calling out to me, and I felt something fall into my own chest that right moment.

The boy is laying down in the depths of shadows. In the distance, there was a single light which was calling for him. A charming, beautiful light, but his body didn't respond to it.

There's nothing but a world that was about to be completely painted in darkness.