75 – Common Ground

Falling.

Falling into a very deep darkness.

I felt no resistance, certainly,

but I could feel, without a doubt, that my body was falling.

I tried to move my body in an instant,

but my body would not move as I wished,

and so I fell for a long time.

Falling, and falling again.

Just as I began to tire of waiting,

The rate of descent slackened, a hair’s breadth at a time,

Until finally, my back met the unyielding floor.

A soft thud as I landed, weightless, and then –

A whisper of scent brushed my nose.

A scent that cleaved through my mind in a single stroke.

No, not a scent, but scents.

“Ho now…? A human has wandered in here?”

“…Speech?”

More bracing than fragrant, a freshness.

A perfume I’d never encountered, anywhere.

The words arrived alongside it, and

Instinctively, I turned.

And from the direction of that aroma,

As if leaves swayed on the wind,

A snow-white horse rippled into existence.

“Humans? How did *they* get all the way here?

Did a hole open up or something?”

That wasn’t the only thing to be wary of.

The voice wasn’t alone.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ignil.

You can’t just waltz in here through some cranny –”

“Ugh! Shut it, stop yapping, you wolf mutt!”

“…Both of you be silent.”

From within the darkness, different-colored glints ignited.

Three pairs of eyes – red, blue, green – shone,

Creeping closer.

Yet, faces remained hidden.

Even this near.

“Hey, hey! How did you even get in here?!”

“Really, is that any way to greet someone you just met?”

“Why bother with pleasantries? Could be an intruder.

Hey!! Who are you?!”

I felt something nudge my shoulder.

A gentle tap, at first.

But the pressure intensified with each passing moment.

And that wasn’t all.

The point of contact, ever so subtly, seemed to burn.

I shifted, trying to evade it.

But it pursued me, relentlessly.

“Hey, where are you looking? What about us?”

“Why won’t you answer? Can’t you speak?”

“Hm, doesn’t seem mute to me, though.”

The voices and glimmers around me

remain faintly visible, but

beyond that, I can neither see nor feel anything.

“…She’s being rejected.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, rejected by whom?”

“An explanation I can understand, please, Plante.”

Breaking through the incessant chatter of those two,

a calm, languid voice cuts in.

“…Her, human. And here, the spirit realm.”

“…Explain it a little easier.”

“Hoh, I think I understand.”

“What? Don’t spout nonsense, you mutt?”

Amidst their bickering,

a clearly mocking sneer is mixed in.

As I quietly listened,

a palm, not of a normal human size, but

remarkably small, felt like it touched my head,

and at that moment, the darkness vanished.

“We’ve allowed you to see us…

How is it, can you see now?”

“Huh? She couldn’t see us before?”

“Of course not, it’s strange in the first place for a spirit to be

visible to the human eye.”

“Y-you just didn’t know either!!”

Finally, the owners of the three voices come into my sight.

A massive wolf, its form comprised of such blue, such blue liquids,

resembling the legendary Fenrir.

A small girl wearing a dress that seemed to be formed from flames,

its skirt trailing long.

And an adult woman, gently stroking the girl’s head,

with hair as fresh as leaves.

At last, their forms began to enter my vision, and

as if waiting for it, the girl rushed towards me.

“Hey! So who are you?!

How did you get in here?!”

“W-wait…”

“Ignil… stop—”

“Keh..keh..hahahaha!!”

She came straight at me, seizing my collar without a word

and shaking me to and fro.

The wolf, trailing behind, tried to stop her, but just then,

another voice boomed with laughter from behind.

Indeed, it was the voice of the fellow I’d first encountered.

“Hahahaha…Spare me the mirth, Ignil.”

“What’s so funny, you horse-head!”

“Can’t you see it plain as day?

The Mother sent a human, didn’t she.”

At those words, I felt all eyes

swing to focus on me.

The fortunate thing was that

no negative emotions emanated from those stares.

Rather, I sensed curiosity, perhaps even longing.

The reactions that followed were as varied as could be.

“M…Mother did?!”

“Yes, the Mother’s aura clung so heavily to him when we first met; the information is sound.”

The red-haired girl called Ignil

couldn’t hide the incredulous look on her face.

“It has been long indeed since Mother sent a human.”

“Truly, a time long past.”

The vast, cerulean wolf wore an expression

reminiscent of one dredging up old memories.

“…So, what is the purpose?”

“She has bestowed a direct blessing, so…

No doubt, it is a contract she wishes us to form.”

The woman who had been idly toying with verdant leaves

seemed wholly unconcerned.

As I dazedly observed them,

the wolf somehow drew near and lapped at my face.

“Ugh…!”

“Hmm, his affinity for water is… passable.”

“U-uh?

Hey, mutt. You’re really going to make a contract?”

To the girl’s query, the wolf responded with a look that said, *Are you truly that dense?*

His earnest face caused her already large eyes to widen further still.

“Hey! Are you out of your mind?

We’re still spirit kings, you know…!”

“What does that matter?

I am simply following Mother’s will.”

“No..! Even so, for us to directly contract─”

“W-wait a moment…”

The gazes of blue and red, previously locked in argument,

slam into me.

The red one’s seems to hold the unspoken command to shut my mouth,

but the blue one’s is a truly curious stare, wondering what’s going on.

“…Spirit king… What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

“Hmm? Looks like you didn’t know.

These four here are all spirit kings.”

“….”

“Well, it’s no surprise you’re taken aback.

From a human’s perspective, you shouldn’t even be able to see spirits.”

“Ah, about that.”

Their identities far surpassed my wildest imaginings,

leaving me speechless for a moment,

a gap the pure white horse was quick to seize.

“That human, for some reason,

seems to be able to see spirits?”

“…Say that again.”

“”…””

The atmosphere shifts in an instant, somehow.

The air, so refreshing until now,

suddenly carries an immense weight,

stealing the very breath from my lungs.

“A human… can see spirits?

And… Mother sent *that* one?”

“Your joke goes too far, Sylph.”

“..Agreed.”

Even the woman called Plante, who had remained silent until now,

joins the conversation.

Just like the other spirit kings,

her eyes hold a hint of dissatisfaction.

“Woah, woah, calm down.

“It’s not even confirmed they sent him.”

“Shut your trap and speak plainly, you horse-head.

Before I roast you crisp.”

“For once, we find accord.”

Silph, the snow-white horse, tried to calm them, but

it was all for naught.

Flames surged behind the little one called Ignis,

and likewise, behind the wolf, droplets of water shaped themselves into keen blades.

“Calm yourselves. The child truly is innocent.”

“..Then explain.”

“Tsk tsk, such fiery tempers.”

He clicked his tongue once, quite audibly,

a clear display of displeasure.

“This child is but another victim.”

“..What?”

“Don’t speak nonsense.

Humans have always been beloved by the gods—”

“Do you truly believe that?”

She cut off the wolf, who was gathering more droplets.

Wind swirled violently around her.

“If humans were loved by the gods,

then what of those who perish from starvation and disaster?

Those whose flesh is torn by monsters,

murdered by their own kind,

driven to suicide by the weight of a weary existence?”

“…”

“Are we to say those who die like that are forsaken,

deprived of the gods’ love?”

“….”

“The gods are petty, selfish, hypocritical.

A truth we all know far too well.”

“….”

“Do they truly seem to love humanity?”

“..Then why did those b*stards choose only humans as their proxies..!”

“Because they are weak.”

A wind stirred from somewhere.

A fierce and cutting gale.

The winds rushed towards her,

obscuring her form completely, giving rise to a small tempest.

Moments later, a fragile woman’s arm tore through the vortex.

Hair like spun glass, proof she was other than human,

and skin of a pale, almost blinding white.

From that small mouth tumbled words of startling chill.

“Humans crave trust, don’t they?

When they plummet towards the abyss,

do you know what nine-tenths of them do?

They search for something to be their pillar.

A bulwark that demands no payment in return.

Perhaps three-tenths among them manage to find it,

what they desire.

But the remaining seven?

Do you know where they collectively cling,

right at the very end?

Religion, gods.

Whispering the slightest thing to those driven to the edge

reaps boundless faith as reward.

Where else is there such a worthwhile investment?

When they weep, confessing

their most hideous sins, one by one,

bestowing just a scattering of light is enough

to fill them with rapture and bliss.

Even if her faithful use the power of the divine

to satisfy their own selfish desires,

the faith gained by that outweighs

any diminishing of divine authority it might cause.

What creature is more rewarding to bestow grace upon

than a human?

Who wouldn’t keep a pet that offers affection

beyond measure for a mere scrap of a treat?

I thought the reason they favored humans

was obvious from that alone, no?

…Why, would you also do so?

Wish to return to that time?

Forget the past and fawn over them—”

Silence fell swiftly over the room.

Was it the iciness of her voice, so frigid it stung,

or the emotion woven into each and every word?

None present dared

address her lightly.

She seemed so precarious, as if she might shatter

at the slightest touch.

“…”

“Forgive me… I got a little carried away.”

She swept her hair back once with a flick of her head,

and pointed directly at me.

“In any case, what I’m trying to say is,

that one over there is in the same boat as us.”

“””…?”””

Following her finger, three pairs of eyes turned to me.

As those differently colored pupils fixed on me,

I felt a momentary surge of unease,

“..Are you saying I have something in common

with the likes of Spirit Kings?”

“Indeed.”

“But… where, exactly…?”

She made a small ‘tch’ sound, as if it were ridiculous,

and leaned her face close to mine.

Her face, so close, wore an expression as if to say,

*Did you really think I wouldn’t know?*

She then withdrew her face,

and placed a finger on my chest.

“You, me, all of us… we all despise the Gods.”