"We are here to rescue you! Where are you now?" Amy shouted into the storm.
Suddenly, the monster with four arms, Neid, let out a terrifying roar that shook the air. "Shoooooooo!"
As his cry faded, something strange happened. All the other monsters, the Egoists, suddenly stopped moving. They became perfectly still, like statues in the pouring rain.
Amy held her breath, her heart beating with hope. Did Shirone hear me? she wondered.
But then, a disaster began. The frozen Egoists began to stretch and twist, as if they were being sucked towards Neid. The rainwater swirled around them violently. One by one, the Egoists flew through the air in long arcs and were absorbed right into Neid's own monstrous body.
The monster that was Neid began to change. It grew bigger and bigger, until it was over ten feet tall. Sharp, insect-like legs burst out from its shoulders, its sides, and its waist. Its backside swelled up like a giant bee's stinger. Its face stretched out grotesquely, becoming long and curved like a scary sausage. Then, its face split open like a zipper, revealing a mouth full of jagged, saw-like teeth. A long, slimy tongue slithered out from its throat, waving in the air like a snake.
"Keeeeeeeeeee!" it shrieked.
Amy's face turned pale with fear. She couldn't believe this terrifying creature was a part of Shirone. This was a monster made from all the Egoists in the area.
THUMP! The monster took a step forward, making the ground shake. Amy's mind screamed, I can't beat this thing! But she clenched her teeth, pushed her fear down, and got ready to fight. She was only on level 11 of this mind-world. If she ran away now, she would never save Shirone. Even if it meant she might get hurt, she was determined to stand her ground.
"Okay, let's go!" Amy yelled, ready to charge.
But just then, Armin ran past her. "Good job! Run now!" he shouted.
Amy looked back at him, completely surprised. Run? Now? But she trusted him. She canceled the magic she was about to use and turned to run. Reina was right behind her.
The three of them ran with all their might, their feet splashing through the deep puddles. Behind them, the Egoist's horrible screams echoed through the sound of the rain.
Finally, they ducked into a dark, narrow alley to hide. Armin slid down with his back against the wet wall, trying to catch his breath. Amy and Reina sat across from him, their faces tilted up as they gasped for air. The raindrops hit their hot faces like a cool shower.
Before she could even catch her breath, Amy asked, "What the heck was that? If that's a part of Shirone's mind, how could such a monster come out?"
"It is a defense mechanism that all humans have deep inside," Armin explained. "It mixes with the people you see here. The stronger the person is in real life, the stronger the Egoist becomes."
Amy remembered that Neid was one of the strongest people they knew.
"But was it really okay for us to just run away?" she asked.
"When an Egoist is attacked, it uses the people nearby to reveal its true form," Armin said. "But when it becomes a giant monster like that, it loses its connection to the real person. That means we can't figure out where Shirone is from it. It's really strong, and there's no good reason to fight it, so it's better to run away."
Reina put her elbows on her knees and covered her face, exhausted. Steam seemed to rise from her tired body. "Whoa… did we fail because our keyword didn't work?"
"We didn't fail. Shirone refused it," Armin corrected her coldly. "His mind has built strong walls. With the scary situation in the real world, his mind has no choice but to protect itself."
Amy hugged her knees. "Do we have to keep fighting those things over and over?"
"Right now, that's the only way. We have to keep trying to use the keywords until Shirone's mind accepts them. The only way to get down to level 1 is if Shirone's own spirit guides us."
"But those monsters are also a part of Shirone, right?" Amy asked, her voice soft. "Can we really convince him if we have to fight parts of himself?"
Armin shook his head. "An Egoist is a defense mechanism that every person has. It sees everyone who isn't Shirone as an enemy. That includes us, even though we are his friends. It's nothing personal. In the real world, we know the difference between ourselves and others, but an Egoist only knows 'me, me, me!' They don't understand the idea of a friend."
Remembering how blindly aggressive the Egoist was, Amy shivered.
"How are we supposed to fight them? They're so strong."
"Actually, this one is still weak," Armin said. "The closer you get to the deepest parts of the mind, the stronger the Egoists become. That's why we need to find the real spirit of Shirone here on the upper levels. If we enter the deepest level, the Egoist takes over most of Shirone's consciousness to protect him. It would have power equal to Shirone himself, the master of this whole world. That's why mind-divers never go too deep. I would have thought differently if Shirone's mind wasn't already weakened."
Amy's eyes lit up with a new thought. "Then what about Arius and Zion? If the Egoists get stronger the deeper you go, wouldn't they be in danger, too? They might die before they even find Shirone!"
Armin shook his head. "No. Arius will probably take a shortcut without looking for Shirone's spirit. He is an expert at digging through people's minds. This world may look normal, but everything in it has a special meaning. Arius will figure out those meanings and find a direct path down. He's probably aiming to appear deep below, where Shirone's unconscious mind is already weak and collapsing. That's why he jumped in."
Reina spoke up. "Then why don't we use Arius's method, too? Amy knows Shirone really well. Maybe she can figure out the meaning of things here."
"Hmm," Armin thought. "The shape of a person's mind is different for everyone. Some minds look like terraces and squares. Others look like long hallways or many layered rooms. But usually, the door to the lower levels is underground. That feels the most natural to our consciousness."
"Then shouldn't we find a cellar or a basement here?" Amy asked.
Armin almost laughed.
It seemed these two still didn't understand how scary and complicated a person's mind could be. But then again, they were only on level 11.
"That is the general rule," he said. "But the human mind is very complex and delicate. Unless you are an expert, you would have to search every single basement in this entire world. And even if you found one, you couldn't be sure it was the entrance to level 10. We can't get there faster than Arius that way. But if we can meet Shirone's spirit here, things might change. We have to keep trying with the keywords."
Reina looked very tired. "And the Egoist will find us every single time, right?"
"There is only one way to do this. That's why I told you not to come. It's funny for me to say that when your help is so important."
Amy didn't regret coming. She just felt sad that a part of Shirone was attacking her.
"Ha… This feels so strange," she sighed. "Having to fight a part of Shirone's own spirit."
Armin looked at her with a cold, serious expression. "Amy, you need to calm down."
"Huh?" she replied, confused.
"This is not the time for sad feelings. As you just saw, another person's mind is an extremely dangerous place. This is where Arius, and many other expert divers, have lost their lives."
"I know that," Amy said. "That's why I'm so nervous."
"Are you really?" Armin asked, his gaze intense.
Amy looked at him, curious. Of course I'm nervous, she thought. She was even prepared to risk her life!
"Don't be mistaken," Armin said firmly. "Shirone isn't bothering us. We have entered his world and are making a mess. This is an extremely private space, a place that Shirone does not want to show to anyone. And you, Miss Amy, have come inside. Even so, it is cowardly and unfair for us to be angry or disappointed by how this world reacts to us."
"I… I…" Amy was speechless.
Armin was right. She had never thought about it from Shirone's point of view. If someone came into her mind and looked at all her private thoughts and feelings… the idea was terrifying.
"We are not going to see the real Shirone," Armin continued. "We are going to meet the incarnation of Shirone—his truest spirit. That spirit is completely different from the Shirone we know on the outside. Amy, you can't give up. So, as sad as it is, it's natural for his spirit to be different. When you see it, no matter what it does, you will probably feel like it's not the Shirone you know."
Reina added softly, "Even though that spirit is actually the most real and accurate Shirone of all."
"Yes," Armin agreed. "The only thing humans can know about other people is what they show on the outside. But the spirit deep inside is different. All the emotions that make a person who they are are mixed together there. To be more precise, even the shameful and embarrassing parts that you never want anyone to see are all there. And we are going to see it."
Amy was quiet for a moment, thinking hard. Then she took a deep breath and slapped her own cheeks with her palms. Pap! Pap! Her face stung and turned red, but it helped her focus. Armin was right. She hadn't been truly ready for this.
"All right," she said, her voice firm. "I will never judge him."
Armin saw the new, cool determination in Amy's eyes and finally gave a small, satisfied smile. Without this kind of strong will, no one can survive inside another person's mind.
What if you found out the heart of someone who said they loved you was actually just being selfish? What if you discovered your best friend was secretly full of jealousy? How many people would not feel hurt and betrayed after learning that truth?
Armin emphasized his point one more time. "The place of true peace, Ataraxia, will be at least on level 3 or deeper. And it's a place where Shirone keeps the things he never, ever wants to show to anyone."
"I understand," Amy said, nodding. "I won't be nosy or get upset. I also have feelings deep inside that I want to hide. I'm sorry for being immature. I guess my feelings got hurt without me even realizing it."
Reina gave her a kind look. "It's okay. I hadn't even thought of that either. And I would have felt sad if my friend was pushing me away, too."
Amy gave a weak smile. "Shirone must be sad about me, too. I got it all wrong. No matter how strong his mind is and considered a transcendent being, he must be a human with the same feelings as everyone else."
Armin, who had been staring out of the alley, suddenly slowly turned his head to look straight at Amy.
"Wait… now… What did you just say?" he asked, his voice urgent.
"Huh? Ah, I said Shirone has the same feelings…" Amy started.
"No, not that," Armin interrupted. "Did you say… Transcendent Being?"
Amy blinked in confusion. Seeing how serious Armin's face had become, she answered quickly. "Yes. There is a famous monk at our school named Ms. Ethela, and she said that. She said if Shirone can use Ataraxia, he must have entered the realm of Trancendence."
"Gee, I'm so stupid…!" Armin yelled, hitting his own forehead with the palm of his hand.
Why hadn't he thought of that?
No matter how much a skill is engraved in your instincts, Ataraxia is too huge and powerful for a normal human mind to hold. Usually, it would be enough to destroy someone's mind!
But Shirone was using it perfectly. So the teacher, Ethela, was absolutely right.
"I'm sorry, Miss Amy," Armin said, a new energy in his voice. "I've been acting like I knew everything, but I was an idiot. I feel like punching myself in the head a few times!"
"What? What did I do…?" Amy asked, bewildered.
Armin put his hands on Amy's shoulders and gave them an excited shake. "You saved us! Follow me. I know how to find Shirone now!"
Reina straightened up and grabbed her bow. "Then are we going to fight the Egoist?"
"No," Armin said, a confident smile on his face. "We are going to take a shortcut, too. Just like Arius."
Now, Armin was sure they could succeed. This way, they could catch up to Arius. Best of all, it was a method that Zion and the others couldn't use, because they had to avoid Shirone.
Armin led the two women back out onto the main street. They waded through the rainwater, which was now as deep as their ankles. The giant Egoist was gone.
They arrived at the outskirts of the main road. There, a single carriage was standing still. The coachman sat in the driver's seat, getting soaked by the rain. He was wearing a narrow-brimmed magician's hat, but for some strange reason, his face was in a deep shadow, so they couldn't see it at all. He looked like a man with no face.
As Armin walked up to him, the coachman didn't even turn his head.
"There is no service today," the coachman said in a flat voice.
Armin pulled out all the gold coins he had left and held them out. "I have a place I need to go to urgently. Please, can you help us?"
It was more money than Armin was supposed to be able to have in this mind-world. The coachman's voice softened a little, but he still seemed reluctant. "On a day like this, driving is difficult. It's raining too much. Where in the world do you need to go in this weather?"
Armin glanced back at Amy and Reina, who were waiting nervously. Then he looked the faceless coachman right in his shadowy face and said:
"Let's go somewhere where it doesn't rain."
The coachman's head snapped toward Armin as if he'd been electrocuted. The movement was so fast and bizarre that the two women gasped and stepped back. The coachman, slowly turning to face the front again, picked up the reins.
"Let's get on, sir," he said.