.Hack//Epitaph of Twilight Volume1 Episode1

Episode 1//No Way Home

Bathed in the golden light of dusk, countless white doves slowly circled above Hulle Granz Cathedral at the center of this world called Alba. From a distance, the doves flying in a circle through the fog overhead seemed to glow like an angel’s halo.

And standing there in white robes, one person gazed intently at that fantastical scene from the lakeside.

His name was Fili.

He was a retainer to Apeiron, the King of Light, and the doves that flew above were his familiars.

Fili was certain that tonight’s meeting was a trap. However, Apeiron had refused to listen to him, so he had no choice but to have his familiars watch the cathedral in secret.

Ordinarily, he would have been there by his king’s side― but Helba, the Queen of Darkness, had made Apeiron swear that only the two of them would be allowed into the cathedral this night. Therefore, Fili watched the cathedral that was obscured by fog, and prayed that nothing would go wrong.

Back before the lull, the Lands of Darkness had always tried to catch the Lands of Light by surprise. They forced them on the defensive, and for the hundreds of years that Fili had been alive, they had never once been able to mount a counter-offensive. They drove off the attacks, but by the time their forces could recover, they were ambushed again, and again, and again…… without end.

Fili didn’t like to think about those times. But then, something shimmered in the fog behind Fili, and he knew that someone had approached him covertly.

“What are you so worried about?”

Fili turned around in an instant and held out his spell staff. But the owner of the voice was blended in with the darkness, unseen.

“……Who is there?” He said, though there was a slight tremor to his words.

“So sorry to have startled you.” The voice in the darkness chuckled. “You people of Light must be terrified of the dark.”

At those words, Fili raised his voice, and the staff in his hands shined brightly. “Show yourself!”

“Hey now, are you really that eager for another war?”

Two hands emerged from the darkness and peeled something away from them.

“You are……”

Something like a hat was pulled away, revealing a man with slanted eyes before Fili.

His name was Bith. He was a retainer to Helba, the Queen of Darkness.

“Bith of the Black Cap……?”

“That’s right, Fili of the White Robes.”

Fili tightened his grip on his staff. “What are you doing here?”

“To ask–” Bith looked up at the sight of doves circling above the cathedral. “If you could you back off, please?”

“Why?”

“This is a meeting between monarchs. Even the smallest bit of interference could cause problems, you know.”

“I don’t have to listen to you.”

But Bith just shook his head as if chastising a child. “If she wanted to, my Queen could erase your little familiars in one strike. But she hasn’t yet, has she…… do you know why that is?”

“……”

“It’s because she doesn’t want to make things any worse than they already are. I don’t know how your King will respond, but from now on, we must cooperate with each other. If we squabble now, no plan will be able to save us.”

Fili glared at Bith― but with his naturally genteel face, he had no hope of scaring him away.

“Think about it this way; do you really want to be the one that caused negotiations to break down?”

At this, Fili wilted and let his staff fall to his side. “……Very well.” He said and drew a pattern on the ground with the butt of his staff – a crest to give instructions to his familiars.

A moment later, the spiraling doves disappeared into the darkness.

Bith watched this, and then sat down beside Fili, who stared at him warily.

“Are you keeping watch on me now?”

“You fool. We’ll be called upon soon enough.”

“?”

“It’ll save us time later if we can leave together.”

“What are you talking about?”

Bith, however, did not answer Fili’s question. Instead, he just continued to stare down at the cathedral.



After confirming the Fili’s familiars had disappeared, Apeiron turned his gaze away from the cathedral windows and back to Queen Helba.

“You certainly were thorough.”

Helba smiled and brushed back her long, silky gold hair as she sat upon the empty pedestal at the back of the cathedral.

“Shall we resume our conversation, then?”

“Yes.”

The tall, hulking Apeiron leaned back against the window sill and listened to Helba’s story while pulling at his beard.

“As stated earlier, our world has been invaded. But the Cursed Waves have only just begun their encroachment, so we still have time to find a solution.”

“……It’s hard to believe.”

“But it is the truth.”

“Helba…… what is it you’re planning?”

“Just what I said in my letter. I wish to initiate the search for the Twilight Dragon.”

“When the Cursed Waves appear― three shadow-bearers will set out in search of the Twilight Dragon to save the world of spirits…… could it really be true?”

Helba laughed softly as she watched Apeiron muttering to himself.

“You’re still so skeptical.”

“I am king of these lands. It is only natural for me to remain cautious.”

“But, there is a fine line separating caution from cowardice.”

Helba’s expression was almost unreadable behind the long bangs the covered her eyes, but by the smile on her lips, it was clear that she was looking down on Apeiron.

“!”

Apeiron hardened his expression and drew the sword at his hip, pointing its tip directly at Helba.

But she held her composure well and simply tilted her head as if confused. “And just what do you intend to do with that? Killing me will not stop the Cursed Waves.”

“……”

Helba rose from the pedestal and – without her feet touching the floor – floated forward to stand in front of Apeiron’s sword. Slender and radiant before, Helba raised one finger and held it out against the blade’s edge.

For a moment, all fell silent. Neither monarch moved a muscle as crimson blood oozed from Helba’s finger touching the blade and slowly dripped onto the stone floor.

Finally realizing that this moment of tension was wasted time, Apeiron lowered his sword and sighed.

“Let us dispense with the formalities, then.” Helba licked the blood dripping from her finger and tucked it back under her sleeve. And all the while, the smile never left her lips. “Do you have someone qualified on your side to take on this quest?”

“I would not have come here without one.” Helba nodded satisfactorily at Apeiron’s response and strode back to pedestal, gazing up fondly at the empty space there. “We don’t have much time. If you are ready, we will have them set out immediately.”

“Immediately? Just a moment, but it’s going to be a long journey, won’t they need time to prep―”

Helba turned and interrupted Apeiron. “Fili is out there right now, is he not? We can use him. If he had that many familiars to spare on us, he must have even more at the ready.”

“……Even still!”

“We must act now, Apeiron!” Helba gazed again upon the pedestal. “We have no time to waste. Not to pray to God, and certainly not to run away……”



As the talks progressed― far to the north of the Hulle Granz Cathedral, a girl stepped out of a windmill shed with drowsy eyes into a vast field of wheat.

The girl straddled a broom in her hand and flew up on it towards the windmill’s blades.

“Have to get it fixed today, Saya.” A black cat called to the girl from the attic window of the windmill.

“I know already! So stop making such a fuss when I’m just waking up.”

The girl’s name was Saya, and to those that lived nearby, she was known as the Little Witch because of her short stature. She was a peace-loving girl who possessed the ability to hear the voices of plants and animals, which she loved more than anything else.

And the black cat which had called to her was Vesper. He was a wise cat who lived with Saya in the windmill shed as her companion.

For the past few days, Saya’s work had consisted not of tending the wheat, but of repairing the windmill’s blades. Afterall, if they broke, the windmill would not be able to turn. So, Saya began her work repairing the blades while straddling her broom.

And all around her, the wheat field rustled gently in the breeze.

Then, hearing the voices of the wheat field, Saya looked away from her work. “Something’s wrong!”

Saya spotted something in the wheat field, grabbed onto her broom, and quickly flew over to it. A neat, straight line of wheat had been disrupted by something crashing into them.

Saya jumped off her broom and carefully approached whatever it was with her spell wand clutched tightly in one hand. And there, she saw that the wheat which had been knocked over was slick with blood.

“Oh my god!”

There in front of her, a silver stag with six legs was lying on its side. It was injured, but lifted his head weakly to look at Saya.

“Who are you……?” Saya rushed up to the stag and began treating him. The tip of her wand glowed with a warm light, and the stag’s wounds began healing in a flash.

“My apologies…… for the wheat.”

The stag spoke with effort, then dropped his head back onto the ground. With a gentle hand, Saya patted his cheek comfortingly. “Don’t worry, the fields will manage. I’m more worried about you.”

The stag was covered in wounds that were nearly fatal, and Saya’s spellcraft could not completely close the cuts immediately, so she pressed her cloak over the larger scars.

“It’ll take a bit more time…… but a few days rest and you should be good as new.”

But upon hearing Saya’s words, the stag opened his sky-blue eyes and turned them towards her.

“?”

“I can’t wait that long. I have to get moving now.”

With that, the stag stood up on unsteady legs and looked to the sky.

“Where are you going to go? I’ve healed the wounds a little, but you can’t fly in that condition.”

“I thank you. I will pay you back for this someday, I promise.”

Stamping his hooves with trembling legs, the stag raced up into the sky.

“No, please wait.” Saya spoke with a hollow voice. “WAIT!”

Then she straddled her broom again and chased after the stag. And below her, the wheat field rustled.

As if trying to warn Saya not to leave.

I was standing in the field of wheat. The gently swaying movement of it all was unbelievably realistic. Everything in this world felt like it actually existed, from the windmill in the distance to the wind blowing across my cheeks.

I couldn’t believe I was looking at a display through a pair of goggles. I reached out to touch to wheat stalks standing tall beside me, and I could have sworn I really felt the grain of it against my fingers.

It didn’t even feel like I was using the controller. It felt like I was moving my own body and the game was responding.

“Uncle Harald is amazing.”

As far as I knew, there had never been a game that could give you a sense of touch before. Uncle Harald must really be a genius.

And if this scene was the same as the one from the prologue, then there should be a certain someone in that windmill. Maybe I had a chance to meet the main character of the Epitaph of Twilight.

With that idea spurring me on, I rushed towards the windmill shed. The wheat parted for me as if it had a will of its own, opening the path ahead of me, and I quickened my pace.

I ran out of breath quickly, though. I wasn’t much of an athlete, so as soon as I reached the windmill, I slumped over feeling a sense of fatigue as if I really had physically run all that distance.

“What is this……?”

(This is a game…… right? Why am I getting tired?)

As I muttered to myself, a black cat drew close to me. It had short fur and gave off a sweet kind of smell. And it was looking up at me with quizzical, clear blue eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“A- a talking cat!” I took a step back in surprise, but the black cat just tilted its head as it watched me. “Oh, wait……”

(This is a video game, of course it can talk.)

I remembered there being a black cat in the Epitaph of Twilight. The main character – the shadow-bearer known as the Little Witch Saya – this was her companion.

(If I recall, the cat’s name was……)

“Vesper!”

Vesper frowned when I shouted his name at him. Well, it felt like he frowned, but his expression didn’t actually change much, being a cat. But if he was here, that must mean that the Little Witch Saya was somewhere nearby, too.

I started looking around for her, but then Vesper called out to me. “Saya…… did you hit your head?”

“Huh?”

“You’re acting strange.”

“Uh……” He’d said ‘Saya’, but he was clearly talking to me. “Am I Saya?” Vesper nodded. “And you are Vesper?”

He nodded again. “Did you lose your memory?”

“W-wait a minute, are we having a real conversation right now?

“Are we…… I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

“I mean, this is a game, isn’t it?”

“Game? What is that?”

“Well…… it’s like playing in a world of make-believe.”

“Make-believe? Come now, Saya, get a hold of yourself.”

The cat was getting upset with me.

(What does this mean?)

It shouldn’t normally be possible to hold a real conversation in a game. That could only happen in online games where you connect with other players over the internet and exchange information. Beyond that, as far as I knew, there weren’t any other games where characters could respond to anything you said.

“May I pet you?”

“Very well; if that means you will go back to acting like yourself. Go ahead.”

Tentatively, I reached my hand towards Vesper’s head. “You’re so warm!”

My fingers were really touching Vesper’s soft fur. I stroked him for a long moment, wanting to make sure that I was actually feeling the texture of his fur against my own skin.

“Saya, did you fall off your broom?”

“Broom?”

“You used it to repair the fan blades didn’t you?”

Vesper looked up at the windmill at the top of the hut, and I followed his gaze. The blades of the windmill were torn up in spectacular fashion.

“Still not fixed……”

“Yeah, they’re all scratched up.”

“They shouldn’t be! You…… didn’t do the repairs.”

Vesper looked like he was ready to bite me, so I just shook my head at him. “I just got here! I’m not here to fix anything.”

“What?” Vesper gave me a suspicious glare, so I tried to explain myself in the hope that he would understand.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get the full picture across to a video game character, but I did my best to explain it clearly― how I had secretly started up the game in my uncle’s room thinking it must be based on the story of the Epitaph of Twilight, and since I had started in a wheat field, had thought I could progress the story by coming to the windmill shed.

“So then― you’re saying that you are a Saya from another world?”

“My real name is Lara Hoerwick. But, well…… Saya is my name in the game, I guess, so calling my Saya is fine.”

“I don’t know what this ‘game’ of yours is.”

“Like I said before, a game is……” Vesper looked very deep in thought.

(Of course……)

I decided to look myself over until Vesper said something.

I still had my wispy, strawberry blonde hair – which I actually had a bit of a complex about – and even the nail polish I’d applied earlier today was still intact. It seemed like every part of ‘Saya’ I could make out was the same as my real self, from my flat chest to my slender arms and legs.

The only difference was the clothes I wore now – a dress, cape, and tall, pointy hat – all black. And I could smell a faint trace of lavender, like a perfume.

I tried pinching my cheek. It hurt.

“Hey,” My voice was shaking, but something was wrong with this picture. I was sure of it, so I got Vesper’s attention. “What kind of girl is Saya?”

“What kind…… how do you mean?”

“What did she look like?”

“?”

“Did the Saya that you know look the same as I do now?”

Vesper looked over me with a critical eye. “I don’t think anything has changed.”

“I see.”

I took another look over my body. It felt like mine, but when I looked more closely, I realized that my hands were rougher than in real life, with callouses that suggested hard labor.

(Am I just overthinking this……?)

But it had hurt when I’d pinched myself. I had a sense of touch here.

“……Hey,” Vesper looked up at me again. “So, you believe me, right?”

“If this world is one of make-believe, like you say, then where did you come from?”

(Where?)

“From the world of the people that made this one.”

“How?”

(How?)

I mulled over Vesper’s question. The answer should have been simple, but my mind suddenly went hazy thinking about it.

(How did I get here……?)

I held a hand to my head as it started to throb. My heart started pounding uncontrollably because I couldn’t seem to remember it clearly.

“Well, I put on something like a pair of goggles and selected the login from the display with a controller. After that……”

My voice was trembling. The more I tried to remember, the more my head hurt.

“Then where are they?”

I started at Vesper’s question, cutting through my thoughts. “Where?”

I looked down at where I should have been holding a controller with my hands, but of course, it wasn’t there. I touched my face, but I couldn’t feel the goggles at all.

(Where are they?!)

I tried shaking my head, but the goggles wouldn’t come loose. I reached out for the monitors that should have been in front of me, but found only air. “Gone! They’re both gone!”

(What’s going on?)

I patted myself down, searching for anything I couldn’t see, but all I felt was the soft fabric of my clothes. I looked around for the controller in a panic, but there was no way I could have dropped it. It hadn’t felt like I was holding it since the moment I had logged in.

“Gone……” My vision blurred, my legs gave out, and I slumped to the ground. “Where am I right now? This is just a game, isn’t it?”

I watched a tear fall onto the dirt in front of me. Vesper was staring at me with a look of bewilderment, but he sat down and looked up to meet my gaze.

“……May I try to see if I grasp the situation?” I nodded silently. “You have come to this world from another one.” Another nod. “You used some kind of tools to arrive here, but you don’t have them with you anymore.”

“……Yeah, they’re gone.”

“And without them, you cannot return to your original world.”

“Probably…… not. I’m not really sure.” I shook my head uncertainly.

If I had the goggles and controller, would I be able to log out? I haven’t been able to feel either of those accessories since logging in, so I couldn’t really be sure they would work even if I had them in this world.

“Do you have memories of being Saya?”

“Of course not; I’m still me, after all.”

“Can you use spellcraft?”

“Spellcraft?”

“Saya was skilled in the usage of healing spells. Are you able to do the same?”

“I can’t do anything like that. I wouldn’t even know where to start……”

Vesper sighed as he watched me descend into melancholy.

“Then what of the voices? Can you hear them?”

“I can hear your voice, if that’s what you mean.”

“Not me, I mean the voices of the wheat.”

“The wheat?”

“You should be able to speak with animals and plants. That was another of Saya’s abilities.”

“……I don’t hear anything like that.”

“Well, normally, you wouldn’t.” Vesper said with a mock grin.

Then he got up and walked off towards the wheat field I had started in.

“Wait!” My legs were still shaking, but I stood up and followed after Vesper.

Then, Vesper came to a stop in front of the wheat. “Listen carefully.”

Standing next to Vesper, I looked out over the wheat field before me. I didn’t understand what I was supposed to do, but I was desperate to not be alone, so I as Vesper told me and slowly closed my eyes.

(Please let this just be a dream……)

The wind stopped, and the silence it left felt suddenly deafening.

(What I wouldn’t give to hear the computer fan spinning right now……)

I took a deep breath, but a different sound that ignored my silent prayers caught my ear instead. It was faint, but it sounded like someone calling for help.

“Huh?” I cupped my hands behind my ears. “What?!” In front of me, the wheat all started buzzing at once, and my eyes shot open from the shock. “Vesper! Just now, I heard something―”

“Quiet!” Sitting next to me, Vesper had fixed an intense stare at something deep within the wheat field.

The buzzing from the wheat started getting louder. Even though the wind had stopped blowing, the wheat seemed to be swaying towards the same point that Vesper was staring at.

“W-what is it?”

“Something has fallen; let’s go!”

“Fallen? ……Wait a second!” Vesper hurried through the wheat field.

I chased after him. I was worried that I would lose sight of him, but it was like the wheat was parting for us, making a path to avoid us stepping on it.

And as we made our way through, I thought I caught the scent of blood. Then Vesper came to a stop, and my breath caught.

“Vesper! This…… what is―” My legs started shaking even worse than they were already.

The wheat was stained red by blood from a fallen stag. It had cuts all over its body, and its blood was pooling onto the ground around it.

Staring at it, it felt like the blood was draining out of my own body too, and it took all of my strength not to fall over again.

“Hey, is it…… is the stag dead……?”

Vesper approached cautiously and licked at its cheek, but the stag didn’t move.

“Hey……” Vesper turned and beckoned me forward.

I was scared, but I sat down next to him anyways. Well, it may have been more accurate to say my legs gave out again than that I sat down.

“Saya, heal him.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not too late to save him.” Vesper climbed into my cloak and came back out holding a small wand in his mouth. “Use this, and pray with all your heart for him to be healed.”

“What do you mean ‘pray’? What am I supposed to say?”

Vesper pushed the wand in his mouth towards me.

(……Umm)

Vesper was glaring at me, so I took the wand. “What do I do with this?”

“What do you…… We’re in trouble. Saya could pray and heal without saying a word.”

“But that’s……”

I looked between the wand in my hand and the fallen stag. I didn’t know what to do; I couldn’t think of any way I could help.

I was Lara Hoerwick, not the Little Witch Saya who lived in this world. I couldn’t believe that any amount of prayer would heal the stag. Without the controller or any kind of in-game command system, I couldn’t imagine how I was supposed to use spellcraft.

(What is happening……)

I sighed deeply while Vesper watched me with an intense look.

(I want to go back……)

As I stared at the stag lying motionless on the ground, I fought the urge to cry.

“Saya,”

“Hmm?”

“……Pray from the bottom of your heart for him to get better, and he will be healed.”

“From the bottom of my heart?”

“Yes. You must cast all doubt aside.”

“Cast all doubt aside……”

“You must help this stag now. Then we can take our time finding a solution to your situation.”

“……”

“Saya!” Vesper raised his voice at me when I hesitated, still holding the wand in my hand. “Are you going to do nothing with a wounded stag right in front of you?”

I shook my head. It wasn’t like I was refusing to pray because I didn’t want to help.

“But…… I really don’t know what to do.”

“Haven’t I already told you? You must pray with all your heart.”

I slowly closed my eyes again. Clutching the wand I had been given, I prayed that the stag in front of me would be healed.

For a moment, I set aside my desire to return to my own world.

If I could heal this stag right now with my prayers – like Vesper said – then I would pray from the very bottom of my heart.

(……Please, let the stag’s wounds be healed.)

Then, the wand started to feel slightly warmer in my hand.

“?!” I opened my eyes in surprised.

The wand was growing even warmer now, and the tip was emitting a soft light. My body seemed to remember how to use the healing spell. Slowly, I moved the tip of the wand over the stag’s body as if I were petting him.

The stag tensed for a second. “……Um, are you okay?” In response to my voice, the stag weakly opened his eyes. They were a clear, sky blue that seemed to draw me in.

“My apologies…… for the wheat.”

The stag wheezed out those words and let his head fall back to the ground. Reaching up with my free hand, I pet the stag’s cheek.

“I’m more worried about you than the wheat.”

His wounds healed slowly. However, the blood didn’t stop flowing from the worst of the cuts. I worried that my inexperience was keeping the spell from doing better.

Placing the wand down at my feet, I took off my cloak and pressed it against the area where blood was still pouring out.

“Can’t I help him recover any faster?” I asked, but Vesper shook his head while I continued binding the wound.

“You can’t.”

“Is it because I’m not Saya?”

“No, with Saya’s abilities, this was the most you could hope for. The wound is simply too deep.”

“But…… if we don’t do something……”

(Unless that wound is closed, he might not make it……)

With all my strength, I tore my blood-soaked cloak so that I could bind his still bleeding leg. One of six legs.

“If I could just……” I tried desperately to remember. To remember the Epitaph of Twilight I loved so much which this world was based on.

“Hmm?”

“Is this the shadowless six-legged stag?”

“What’s that now? Have you met him before, Saya?” Vesper asked, but then sighed. “But wait…… right now, you aren’t Saya. So then, how do you know him?”

“Because it’s written in the story……”

“Hm…… you mean that ‘Epitaph of Twilight’ you mentioned before?”

“Yeah. At least, I think so.”

I tried to recall more clearly, but memories of the story were so hazy, it wasn’t easy.

(But……)

“If I’m right, then I think he’ll be fine now.”

Vesper shot me a skeptical look, not understanding. “Is that part of the story, too?”

“I think so. I can’t remember it clearly……”

But Vesper must have decided to trust in my vague explanations though, because he turned to the stag and said, “You’re going to be alright. But…… with that wound, you’ll have to rest for a while. Saya’s spells aren’t strong enough to heal you completely right away.”

When he heard Vesper’s explanation, however, the stag lifted his head with purpose. “I don’t have time to rest. I have to get going right away.” He declared and stood up on weak legs to look towards the sky.

“Where do you have to go? With that wound, shouldn’t be moving at all.” I rushed to my feet. “Your wound hasn’t healed yet, right?”

“Thank you for your efforts. I will pay you back for this someday, I promise.”

Stamping his hooves with trembling legs, the stag ran up into the sky.

“Wait!”

My voice sounded hollow. The stag’s outline quickly grew smaller and smaller as if he were being swallowed by the sky. And as soon as the stag was out of sight, the tip of the wand in my hand stopped glowing as it had been.

“Vesper, what do we do?”

“If he wants to leave, there’s nothing we can do to stop him.”

“How cold!”

“Well, are you going to give chase then?”

“……Can I?”

“Call for your broom. Your thoughts should be able to reach it from here.”

(Call……?)

I just tilted my head in confusion, though, so Vesper added, “Can you try to call for it?”

“Do I pray like I did for the healing before?”

“That’s correct.”

I took a deep breath and tried to call out for a broom with my heart.

(Please…… come to me.)

However― no matter how long I waited, no broom arrived.

“It didn’t work……” Vesper muttered while watching the windmill.

“I guess I can’t call it after all.”

“Did you imagine the broom properly?”

“I imagined it…… but I don’t know what it actually looks like, so how would I know?”

“Eh?” Vesper froze with wide eyes.

“What, did I say something wrong?”

“You can’t be thoughtless when you call for the broom. You have to picture it clearly in your mind!”

“But like I said, I haven’t seen the broom before!”

“Ah, this is really troublesome……”

“So, what does it look like? If you describe it to me, I might be able to picture it properly.”

“The handle is made from oak, and the bristles are fashioned from straw.”

“Right…… so I should image a golden brush; is that right?”

“And a dark brown handle.”

“Hmm……”

Rather than the wire broom we had at home for sweeping the floors, I tried to imagine the bushy kind of broom like what gets shown in anime and manga.

(Hurry now……)

I looked over at the windmill shed. “It’s coming!”

The broom that I had imagined flew straight towards me. It came to a stop, floating in front of me, and I quickly grabbed it and hopped on.

(It’ll be just like when I used the wand…… my body will remember what to do, I’m sure of it.)

I slid the wand into my belt and clasped my hands over the handle of the broom. Slowly, the broom lifted into the air, and my feet were pulled off the ground with it. Surprisingly, the broom handle didn’t bow much under my weight, and as long as I held on tight, it didn’t seem like I would fall off.

“I’ll go with you.” Vesper decided and jumped onto my shoulder. The broom swayed slightly and floated higher. It was a strange feeling, like how it felt when I used to climb trees as a little girl and sit on a branch.

“This could be dangerous…… will you be okay?”

“I think so…… let’s go.”

The broom seemed to have sensed my intent, because it flew across the sky to chase after the stag. And it flew so fast that it felt like I was driving a car down the highway with the windows down, and behind us, the windmill shed quickly disappeared from view.

“Do you think we can catch him……?”

“I doubt it…… Stags have quick feet.”

We were flying over a dense forest now, and I already couldn’t see the wheat field beyond it when I looked back.

“This forest is really big.”

It was dark and gloomy below, and it seemed to continue on forever. Somewhere in the distance, though, I thought I could hear birdsong.

“This is wrong.” Vesper muttered to himself.

“What is?”

“That stag should live in the west part of the forest…… so why is he flying this way.”

“Because there’s someplace he’s trying to get to, wasn’t it?”

Vesper considered that. “I’m not sure what place that would be, though.”

Eventually though, we made our way out passed the forest and an iridescent lake appeared in the distance, and I started to just be able to make out the silhouette of the stag.

“There he is!” Even at a distance, I could tell the stag was at his limit as he fumbled through the sky. I pulled out my wand and pointed it towards the stag to try and heal him but when I did, the broom suddenly dropped. “Aah!”

I quickly snatched the broom back up in my hand. “Saya! What are you doing?!”

“I thought I might be able to heal him from here.”

“Don’t be foolish; he’s too far away…… and if you don’t focus on flying, you’ll fall!”

“Sorry……” I tried to focus on catching up instead.

As we approached the lake, the fog gradually thickened until I had to squint through it to see. The iridescent lake before us was larger than any lake I had seen before, practically the size of an ocean. A stone bridge was built from the shore and stretched out towards the center of the lake where a structure like an old castle stood tall.

The stag then disappeared inside that building. “I wonder if someone lives there.”

“They don’t…… nobody would take up residence at that cathedral.”

“Cathedral?”

“Hulle Granz Cathedral. Well, not that there’s anything to worship there; it’s really just an old building.”

“Then why is the stag going there?”

“I don’t know. Well, what will you do?”

I brought the broom to a stop.

After a moment, I decided to wait by the lakeside for the stag to come out. Something in the air told me I shouldn’t approach. However, from there, I was so far from the building that I couldn’t know what was going on inside.

I lowered the broom slowly towards the lakeside, and Vesper jumped off my shoulder to start grooming himself as soon as we reached the ground. I hadn’t noticed as much while on the broom, but there was a strong wind blowing here. Both my hair and Vesper’s fur were getting tossed by the breeze.

Pulling my hair back, I sat down on the mist-dampened grass.

(What am I doing……?)

I made a heavy sigh.

“So, Saya, what will you do from now on? Vesper asked me once he finished grooming himself.

“I decided to wait here, didn’t I?”

“Not about that. Saya― it still feels strange to keep calling you that. What do you want to do about your situation?”

“I – well – I want to go home……”

“But?”

“I don’t know how to get back.”

“Do you need the tools you used before?”

“I don’t think I can find them. I haven’t been able to feel them since I arrived……”

I felt like I was going to cry.

All I’d wanted to do was experience what a game based on the Epitaph of Twilight would be like……

(But this is more like Alice in Wonderland, now.)

In that story, a girl named Alice had entered the world of a book. She had to follow a rabbit to try and escape― but in the end, it had all just been a dream that Alice had imagined while taking a nap.

And I could recall the contents of that story just fine, but for some reason― trying to do the same for the Epitaph of Twilight just made my head hurt.

It felt strange, like someone had put a lock inside my head.

“I wonder if you switched places?”

“?”

“You and Saya.”

“That……” I was starting to feel hopeless. If we had switched places, would that mean I had to live in this world forever? “I don’t want that!”

“It would be problematic for me, too. I’d have to reeducate you from scratch.”

Again, I sighed.

(I wonder if Papa has come back yet……)

“That’s it!” Then I realized something obvious.

If Saya had switched places with me, then Papa and Uncle Harald would notice something was wrong. And Papa aside, maybe Uncle Harald would be able to do something about this.

It was a small hope, but it was something to hang onto.

I explained as much to Vesper, and although he had seemed to understand my explanation back in the wheat field, he looked a bit more confused by this, but nodded anyways.

“So, until then, you’ll just have to do your best here.”

“Do my best?”

“Those who don’t work, don’t eat. We can go back and repair the windmill first then.”

“……After confirming that the stag is safe.”

Vesper looked at the distant, mist-laden Cathedral. “What is he doing over there, anyways…… I can’t hear anything going on inside.”

“But there is someone else in there besides the stag.”

“And who would that be?”

“I don’t know. It just feels like there has to be someone.”

“He could have collapsed……”

Vesper said callously, and the words brought back the image of the stag covered in blood among the wheat, and I hurried to stand up, broom in hand.

“Wait a second.” Vesper stopped me. “You decided to wait here because you felt a bad omen, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but……” I looked at the cathedral obscured by fog. “Now I’m worried because you went and said something ominous.”

“So, you’re going to see what’s going on?”

“Yeah……”

But the moment I thought about it― a voice called out to me from behind.

“You won’t be able to enter the cathedral if you got there now.”

I whipped around in surprise, but I didn’t see anyone who could have spoken.

“Vesper? Was that you?” I asked, but he shook his head.

“It wasn’t me.”

“But, just now, that voice……”

“Of course, how rude of me.” Suddenly, a hand appeared floating before me, presumably belonging to the owner of the voice, and peeled something back from the air. “Hello……”

The sight took my breath away. The hand looked human, but the fingernails seemed to be several inches long. And then the hand pulled back a jet-black hat.

“W-what?”

The owner of the voice appeared before me when he took off the hat, and he looked at me through narrowed eyes. “Are you the Little Witch, Saya?”

“Yes…… but, who are you?” The dark-eyed man stared at me with a skeptical look in his eyes. He definitely seemed older than me, but with how tall his was, between the jet-black coat he wore with the collar up and his bangs covering his eyes, I couldn’t really make out his features. “Are you a spirt?”

“I guess this means the stag’s story was true, after all.” But the man just continued as if I hadn’t said anything. “And you do have a shadow, so I guess we’ll have to trust him…… I can’t explain the details right now; just wait here for a minute.”

I frowned at the condescending tone in his voice that didn’t give me a chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

(He’s being so demanding despite having only just met me……)

I hated being forced into things. I hated when strangers talked down me. Nobody should have to endure that kind of treatment.

And without waiting for a reply, the man in the black coat flew away without assistance from a broom or anything towards the cathedral.

“What…… what was that about?!”

Vesper shook his head in disbelief as he flew away. “That was Bith the Black. What was he doing in place like this?”

“Bith the Black? Who is that?”

“A retainer to the Queen of Darkness.” Vesper answered with a sigh, like he had expected me to be confused.

“Vesper, let’s go back home.”

Intuitively, I had a feeling that I shouldn’t stay here any longer, so I decided to return to the windmill shed with Vesper.

Once we were on the broom and in the air again, though, Vesper asked, “What about making sure the stag was alright, though?”

“Well, it seemed like that man was going to protect him.”

“But the stag is a spirit of light.”

At those words, I stopped flying.

Something suddenly came back to me from the Epitaph of Twilight.

Even with the lull in the war between Light and Darkness, the spirits continued to come into conflict. And among the spirits of darkness, one of their favorite foods was the lifeblood from those of light.

I remembered frowning when I had read that part. The thought of it had just been too graphic.

“What’s wrong?” Vesper asked frantically when I stopped so suddenly despite the forest – which I learned later was called the Splintered Forest – still being below me.

“Why didn’t you mention that sooner?!”

“Stags are cautious animals; I doubt he would meet with a spirit of darkness without a good reason…… that’s why I didn’t mention it.”

“Is it really okay?”

“That one wouldn’t just up and eat him for nothing. Bith is a greater spirit, he’s not some lowly beast.”

“But that’s not the point……”

“What then? Do you want to return to the lake?”

I was worried about the stag, but I had a feeling that if I went back, I would be heading into trouble. It felt like if I did that, I would lose something important.

Then, while I stressed over what to do, Vesper nudged me back to attention. “Saya, something’s coming!”

“?” Something rushed over us before I could even react to Vesper’s warning, and without thinking, I lifted us higher to get above it. “What was……”

A flock of black birds cawed as they flew by below me. My heart was racing; I could tell something was about to happen – something bad.

The birds were all flying in the direction of the rainbow-colored lake we had just left, screaming about something the whole time.

Vesper and I watched them in a daze as they hurried away. “What’s with them?”

“Do you want to go back and check?”

“No. Let’s get back to the wheat field.” That place had felt so foreboding, I just didn’t want to go back there. I had to keep myself safe in this world until my uncle noticed what had happened.

But once we made it back to the fields, Vesper urged me to try speaking with the wheat again, saying they might know what was happening.

(Please tell me what you know……)

I tried to communicate by praying to them like with the spellcraft, but what came back was a sudden cacophony of sounds that made no sense to me and I raised my hands to cover my ears. Had I not heard them, or could I just not understand what they were trying to tell me?

Vesper watched me anxiously, looking disappointed that I couldn’t communicate with the wheat. “This is a problem.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s disconcerting, but that’s no reason that you should have to apologize. Those birds are native to this forest; however, I can’t imagine they were just migrating……”

“That what are they doing?”

“I wish I knew. I’ve been considering the question this whole time, but I can’t think of anything.”

“You don’t even a guess?”

“What I keep asking myself is why - even with the lull in the war – would a spirit of light meet with one of darkness?”

Vesper seemed to be losing himself in thought. I held my aching head, trying to remember anything from my readings of the Epitaph of Twilight. If I could just remember, there must be something from the story that could help us get out of this situation. But I just couldn’t seem to get rid of the fog clouding my mind.

“Light and Darkness are enemies, aren’t they?”

“That’s right. Why do you ask?”

“But they’re still both spirits, right?”

At that, Vesper sighed. “I’ll give you the short version.”

―The spirits of Light and Darkness had a long, sorted history. Long before the birth of men, in the throes of twilight at the end of the tenth month, the lands and skies gave rise to spirits. That was who they were. And divided as they were between Light and Darkness, from the moment they were born, they have fought in order to dominate each other. As for why they came to fight…… perhaps it was simply fate. And whether by that same fate or simple chance…… humans were born from that conflict with whom they could not coexist. For the humans had shadows. They were obviously different from spirits in this way. So, it became a three-way war…… and the spirits were losing. Because where the birth of new spirits were seldom, humans multiplied constantly. And so, the spirits created their own world far from humans, and ever since, the war between Light and Darkness had entered a lull.

“My head is spinning……”

“That’s why it doesn’t make sense for that stag to be meeting with Bith the Black.” Vesper concluded, but then while we stood in front of the wheat, I heard footsteps approach behind us.

(What now?!)

But when I turned around, the man in the black that had appeared to us by the lake was there, accompanied by a kindly-looking man in pure white robes. He was a bit taller than the man in black, but he didn’t give off the same sense of arrogance as him.

“I thought I told you to stay put.” The man in the black coat said and glared at me with obvious disdain.

“That just would have been a hassle.”

“Oh, don’t be like that!”

I couldn’t help but poke at the hornet’s nest. And next to him, the man in the white robes had a confused expression on his face. “I’m terribly sorry, but we really don’t have much time. We need to leave immediately……”

“Wait!” Vesper interjected. “What are Fili the White and Bith the Black doing together?”

“You must be Vesper the black cat; have you not heard? The legend is being realized.”

“The legend…… you can’t mean–” At that, Vesper went very quiet.

(The legend? Being realized……?)

Again, the fog that had been clouding my mind cleared a little bit and something I had read from the Epitaph of Twilight flashed through my mind.

“When the Cursed Waves appear, three shadow-bearers will set out on a journey to search for the Twilight Dragon that will save the world of spirits…… is that what you mean?”

“You know of it?” Vesper asked with surprise.

I couldn’t before, but now I remembered it clearly. Was it because I had read the phrase so many times back in the real world?

(What is about to happen……?)

I tried to remember what came after that, but my memories were still hazy. I couldn’t recall the rest of the story contents. However, that meant that my ill omen from earlier had been right.

“Well, if you understand, then we can speed this up. Let’s leave now.”

“Leave…… to find the Twilight Dragon? Me?”

“You do bear a shadow.” Bith said simply, and I looked at my feet.

There was a shadow there, but when I shifted my gaze to Bith and Fili’s feet, I saw that they didn’t have shadows.

Following my gaze, Bith raised an eyebrow and stared me. “So, that’s how it is. Let’s go.”

“Hold on a second!” I stopped Bith and Fili before they could take off. “Do I really have to go?”

“The waves are coming. If we don’t hurry now, we’ll be in danger.”

“But……”

(If I go on a dangerous journey and something happens……)

I was afraid I would never be able to return to my own world.

And then, the wheat field screamed. Without words, it was trying to warn me that something was closing in.

The blood drained from Fili’s face, and he stilled like he had been frozen in ice. “It’s already here……”

But Bith just clicked his tongue and pulled a wand out from his breast pocket. Their reacts were polar opposites, but they were looking in the same direction.

“!” I followed their gazes upwards and gasped.

It was just southeast of the wheat field – a cloud so thick it blotted out the sun was leading a translucent, blubbery mass across the horizon, engulfing everything in its path.

It seemed like it was moving slowly, but with how massive it was, it must have actually been extremely fast. Already, the wheat field was starting to erode.

“The waves……” Fili muttered under his breath.”

“That’s the Cursed Wave?”

I had always pictured them more like a tsunami, but the sight of the real deal stunned me. And now I understood why they were willing to rely on a legend to defeat them.

It couldn’t even really be called a wave. I doubted there was an appropriate word for something as dreadful as this. Even seeing a real world missile would have been a less terrifying sight. Just then, a nest of mice suddenly ran through the wheat field as they tried to escape the wave, and I got caught up in their scampering and fell.

Vesper screamed at me to run, but I just sat there and silently shook my head, stuck dumb by the terror.

“What are you doing?! Weren’t you going back to where you came from?”

(That’s right…… I have to get back home……)

I pounded on my trembling legs.

(Calm down!)

Bith and Fili wouldn’t know what we were talking about – they just wanted me to go with them on their journey – but either way, I needed to get out of here.

Vesper ran up to me. “Saya…… let’s give up here and go with them.”

“But–”

“It’s not safe here anymore.”

“Are you okay with that, Vesper?”

“You expect me to stay?”

“I mean with me.”

Vesper laughed. “I am Saya’s partner.”

“Thank you.” I stood up slowly, looking up at the wave that was making its way towards us.

(There’s no way I could stop something like this……)

“Are you coming, then?”

I nodded to Bith and mounted my broom. “There’s no point staying here any longer, so…… I’ll go.”

“Please, just one more moment.” Fili said and handed me a black cloth. “A replacement for the cloak you used to treat the stag’s injuries.”

I accepted it without a word and put on the fresh cloak. The lining was the same sky blue as the stag’s eyes.

“Let’s go.” Bith and Fili lifted into the air without even needing something to help them fly. I put Vesper up on my shoulders and followed them on my broom.

Back to Prologue

Return to Main Page

Forward to Episode 2