Chapter 85 – The Last Run

“Lope!”

When I called her name, Saya let out the sadness she had endured and looked this way. The sight caught my breath for a moment, but I first turned my eyes to the blind girl who had fallen to the floor. Then the limp, dead leg came into view.

I approached Haru without a second to enjoy the joy of reunion. Then, while breathing heavily, he took out the medicines he had brought with him.

“It’s okay. I brought everything.”

“Rope…”

“Now all I have to do is give it an injection. That’s all it takes…”

I grabbed Haru’s arm almost like a madman. Fortunately, I could still feel the blood pulsating inside him.

However, perhaps because of the relief that he had achieved his goal, his whole body felt weak and he did not think to stop the trembling of his hands. Even so, I inevitably took out the syringe with only one blind purpose.

Eventually, Saya stopped me. Then he snatched the pills from my hands.

“Lope. I’ll do it.”

“Huh…”

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m… Fine.”

“Thank god.”

With that one word, Saya suppressed all his emotions and turned to Haru. I finally lowered my head and leaned my back on the rock where I was supposed to rest yesterday.

No. Isn’t it yesterday It’s hard to keep track of how much time has passed. Looking up at the sky, I tried to regain the scattered notion of time, but to no avail. In the meantime, Saya picked up the medicine and started preparing the syringe.

Her hands were also shaking. I couldn’t bear to look at her, so I lowered my head. At the end of another difficult time to measure, a word soaked in sweat came out.

“I’m done, Lope.”

“Do you think it went well?”

“…I don’t know.”

Saya let out a weak breath, but that didn’t show her dismay. Because it wouldn’t work right now anyway. Even so, I carefully put my hand to my forehead in the hope that Haru would regain consciousness.

“Haru. Are you okay?”

“…”

“Day.”

“…”

“I think you should get some water, Lope.”

No matter how many times I called, there was no answer, so Saya nervously lifted the water bottle. But she didn’t know if she herself was doing the right thing, so she trembled her hands. What should I do if water gets into my airway? Or what if watering itself has a bad effect?

What if we’re killing the day right now?

Such questions kept wandering through our heads. However, I was more anxious about not doing anything, so I opened my lips and let the water flow.

Then, for the first time, Haru moved his finger. Then, as if he had regained consciousness, he opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Ah…”

“A day? Are you okay?”

“Ah… Uh…”

“Please say something…”

“…”

But one day, he lost his strength and let his hands hang down again. I wondered if I was dead, so I lowered my head urgently, and I felt weak breathing. Of course, I didn’t feel happy at all.

“Shit.”

“Lope. It will take time for the medicinal effect to appear anyway.”

“Yes. I know.”

“For now, you’ve done everything you can.”

“You’re right, buy it.”

…

“Sorry for being so late.”

The last word was directed at both of them, not just one. Only then did Saya shake off the frost clinging to her body and release the emotions she had been holding back very slightly.

“I want you to come back.”

Then, with a slightly resentful expression, he punched me on the arm. Seeing that, I felt sorry for him belatedly, so I smiled faintly, albeit belatedly.

In the warmth that rose for a moment, we quietly held hands. The equally wounded hands interlocked like gears and connected more firmly than anything else in the world. I didn’t want to face the worst anymore, so I even thought that I wanted to stay in this moment.

But now was the time to go for the best, not the worst. When I raised my head, I began to see a deep blue horizon under the rising sun in the distance. The port that seemed so far away was now visible to me. I wanted to be sure of the fact, so I opened my mouth and asked.

“According to the map, that’s right over there. Is that right, buy it?”

“Yeah. And don’t you feel it too?”

“What?”

“It’s a pattern.”

Saya suddenly held out the back of her hand to me. Then, the pattern that burned brighter than ever lit up in front of my eyes. Looking down, the back of my hand was shining deep blue like the moon rising alone in the night sky.

In addition, I felt the warmth as if my skin was burning, just like when I first received the pattern. Now I could feel with my body that the end had come.

And from the back, as if proving that the end was approaching, hot heat rushed in.

“Ehe eh eh !!!”

“…”

“They’re bastards.”

“Now it seems that the time has come for the mother to come.”

We looked behind us with anxious eyes. I don’t know if it’s because of my mood, but it seemed that the sky, which should have been blue, was dyed red with fire. As if the world had been split in half, the border between the blue sea and the red sky crossed over our heads.

It may be the image of the hands of a clock tightening toward the world. A cruel alarm clock that didn’t even tell where the end was. The clock that woke me up that morning at the academy finally started to signal the end.

And the moment the hands of the clock reach the end, everyone’s fate will also come to an end.

When we realized that fact, we stood up at the same time.

I was thinking the same thing, so there was no need to mix things up. I shook off the items in my bag and packed only the minimum amount of items, took off the outer clothing I no longer needed to reduce weight, and even tied my shoelaces tightly so that they would not get in the way. Having finished our preparations in an instant, we finally reached out for the day.

“Day…”

“…”

“…Now this is really the end.”

After Saya finished my words, she carefully picked up the day. And finally, he made eye contact with me.

It felt like I had to say something. But I didn’t have anything more to say, and most of all, I didn’t have time to do that, so I couldn’t bear to say it. Saya seemed to have the same thought, but just took a deep breath and looked ahead.

And, with all my might, I started running forward.

The sun was still gazing in this direction, leaning over the horizon. That shy gaze was too dazzling for humans to accept, and I had to frown slightly. Then the sun, which had only been round, distorted along with the field of vision and changed into a cruel smile of a certain girl.

It was as if they were laughing at us. That you wouldn’t be able to come here It just seemed like it was ridiculed like that.

And it was the same for hatchlings that glowed from behind. As they shoved our backs with ferocious cries, they announced high in the sky that their time had finally come.

“Keeeee!!!”

“…”

Is there anyone who can refute that? At least not among humans. If I listened carefully towards it, I could hear the sound of a huge flapping of wings that I had never heard before.

Then, all of a sudden, the fear started to creep in. Maybe we’re too late

If there is a fixed date for the end of this world.

Maybe we missed a day on that date.

The thought, once started, continued biting tail after tail. Even in the midst of the background around my eyes, I came to think of it without knowing it. The days I just spent because I was stupid, weak, and ignorant.

One day I spent meaninglessly stuck in my dorm because I felt there was no hope anymore.

The night I spent the first time being hurt by Rogeria’s demon and being wary of the whole world.

The day that I first came out of the island and spent it weakly, soaked in happiness.

And last night, when I couldn’t protect a girl by my side, so I had to helplessly let go.

Maybe those countless days have brought me to this moment.

…

If that’s true, that’s too cruel.

Still, I thought I did my best and ran all the way here out of breath.

Really just one night. Except for that moment when I ran backwards instead of forwards for the day yesterday.

And yet, if the world were to say that it would lead me to death for that one night’s delay, I would…

…

I am…

“Lope! Run!”

“…!!!”

At that moment, Saya’s words brought me into reality. As I instinctively jumped up, a deep pit quickly passed under my feet. I landed narrowly on the floor and exhaled a heavy breath.

“Haha…”

“Are you okay Lope?”

“Yeah. It’s okay… Cool…”

As soon as I faced reality like that, the pain in my chest came back again. Even though he chewed and swallowed the painkillers he had brought from the bunker, the intensity of the pain was still the same. But, paradoxically, it took me out of my thoughts. Whatever the day had passed, I had to run now.

Even if this is the last day of destruction.

I quickly jumped over the fallen tree with only that thought in my mind. However, I was not feeling well, so I ended up cutting my forearm on a hard branch.

“Ugh…!”

“Lope!”

“…Never mind me. Keep running!”

“Eww…!”

Saya continued running, kicking the air while looking back at me worriedly. And I, too, took a deep breath and jumped over the wide pit once more.

“Haa…Huh…!”

Each time he jumped over an obstacle, his breathing was suppressed and minor wounds increased. However, my lungs have long since exploded anyway, and my body is already full of scars. Because there was nothing rough, I was able to be bold, and thanks to that, the speed did not decrease. Even though it was slower than the elves, I nevertheless ran towards the end at the fastest speed in my life.

“Ha…Ha…Ha…!”

“Kwueeeee!!!”

And the hatchlings also raised their voices. Now it felt like the voices of baby birds calling their mothers. However, I erased those ominous thoughts and with all my might kicked up the fragments of the collapsed building.

At that moment, the sight of the pure white harbor filled his vision.

“Ha…!”

I let out my last breath and witnessed the destination I had finally reached. The waves crashing ceaselessly beyond the shore gave me the full smell of the salty sea.

“Ugh!”

But before I had time to savor the joy, I fell to the floor. After almost rolling down that long slope, I somehow got myself up again.

“Lope!”

“Go ahead and buy it!”

You haven’t reached your destination yet. Beyond the pier, you have to board the elves’ boat to finish everything. I came all the way here just for that one thing. Even if there were moments like yesterday when I sometimes stumbled, fell, and ran backwards instead of forwards.

I did everything I could.

So please.

“Please…”

Please don’t be late

“Please…!”

Please just one more day

Please give me just one more day.

Hoping for such a simple wish, I earnestly shouted out.

“Please!!!”