From his room, he held a cup of coffee while opening a window. The wind slipped inside softly, moving his black hair. He let out a quiet sigh of calm and turned his back to the window.
"...That boy is in danger. I gave him the chance to leave, yet he stayed here."
Touka shifted his gaze toward the mirror beside him.
"I really… don't even want to think about the future. At some point I'll probably have to find a way to intervene, though my strength wouldn't help much depending on who I face. Still… my knowledge…"
He paused.
"No. Walkers like me… like her… died a long time ago. It's not my place to talk about them."
He sat down on the couch in his living room, took a sip of coffee, and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling.
"Shiro Mimosa… if luck isn't on his side, he'll die in less than a week. And from what I can sense, the other one has taken that same path. In my opinion… they'll meet very soon."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
In the central department, Mizuki wrote as her routine dictated. She picked up her phone while continuing to write on paper with her other hand without any trouble. Her expression looked uninterested, though a faint smile lingered on her lips.
She was looking at a photo of Kaede. Kaede had two fingers raised in a peace sign, and beside her, Shiro was asleep. From what could be seen in the background, they were inside a helicopter.
"Those two… she sent me this photo hours ago. Maybe they've already arrived in Solarin…"
She was interrupted by the sound of her door suddenly opening and closing just as quickly. Yuzuki sighed in exhaustion and sat down in front of her after taking a few steps.
"Ugh… what a mess. They're going to repair Department 9 in a few weeks. That's going to take a while…"
"That seems normal to me. The windows were shattered on every floor, and the floor we use the most is disgustingly full of debris and glass."
"Well… that's true," Yuzuki replied.
"How did it go with… the core regeneration?" Mizuki murmured.
"Oh, that? I had to give more ether than usual. Akira didn't come today, and they said maybe he won't come tomorrow or the day after either. Something strange is going on…"
[...]
"Do you think they'll come back alive?"
"That's not something you ask, Mizuki. If they didn't come back alive, it would only mean they weren't strong enough. And from what I can tell, it's a fairly simple operation."
"Yuzuki… what do you know about the desert?"
The question came suddenly, considering where the conversation had been heading.
"Huh? It's infested with crystallized beings and filled with relics from ancient civilizations left behind by walkers, scattered across thousands of dungeons."
"And what caused those dungeons?"
"...The death of two walkers at the same time," Yuzuki said, as if bringing up a subject that was complicated even for her.
"Anyway… they're almost cursed places. It worries me a little."
"Why…? I mean, they're not going to a dungeon…"
The two fell silent. Mizuki stopped writing and placed her phone aside. She stood up and walked toward a board next to her desk, flipping it around. Yuzuki looked slightly surprised.
"Don't remind me of that, would you? It took me a while to accept it…"
"...I know. The massacre from a decade ago."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Shiro, Shiro, Shiro… SHIRO! Hey, Shiro! Wake up!"
He opened his eyes, feeling a little tired and with blurred vision. Beside him, Kaede was shaking his shoulder. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.
"What's wrong…?"
"We've arrived."
Selina said it while glancing slightly to the side. The entrance to what, for anyone, would look like a utopia stretched before them. Hundreds of buildings larger than any in Erithan rose before their eyes, hundreds of lights shining everywhere despite the altitude.
"This place is… Solaris…?"
"It's Solarin…" Calius said, speaking half-asleep while Selina tried to wake him.
The helicopter approached one of Solarin's many rooftops, descending slowly. In the pilot's seat, the pilot glanced briefly back. He was an older man wearing glasses.
"A vehicle is already waiting for you downstairs. You're authorized to go down through the elevator in this building."
"Thank you, Khitan."
Selina said calmly.
She was the first to step out of the helicopter, her elegant stride something that would stand out anywhere. After her, Calius stepped down with a long yawn.
"I'm tired…" he muttered to himself as he followed Selina.
After them, Kaede and Shiro stepped down at the same time. Shiro's vision blurred slightly for a moment before he began walking beside Kaede, following Calius and Selina.
Selina was having a conversation with Calius that the others couldn't hear. Kaede looked thoughtful for a moment and glanced at Shiro's back.
"And your backpack?"
"H-huh?"
Shiro quickly looked behind him. The pilot was standing below with his backpack, waiting for him to notice.
"Sorry…"
The pilot chuckled lightly and tossed the backpack to him.
"Take care, kid…"
"Thanks…"
Shiro returned to Kaede's side. The two began their own conversation while Calius and Selina waited for them so they could head down.
After walking a bit across the top floor of the building, they reached the elevator. The four of them entered, and Selina pressed the button for the first floor.
"We'll have to wait a bit…" Selina said.
When the elevator began descending, Shiro could appreciate the view of Solarin. Since it was already night, more lights were turning on. The city was filled with buildings. Shiro couldn't believe that not long ago he had been in the middle of a desert.
How is it possible… for a city this big to exist in the middle of a desert…? Shiro thought.
Kaede had a faint smile on her lips as she observed the view alongside him, but then she looked to the side, slightly downward.
"Selina… why are you holding Calius's hand?"
Selina turned to Kaede.
"Is it strange? I always do it. He gives me trouble sometimes."
"Even inside an elevator?"
"Not specifically, but he's like a dog. You have to train him."
"Don't use such a disgusting example with me…"
Selina laughed softly.
Shiro leaned his back against the wall and took a deep breath to relax. His hands rested in his pockets. His red eyes quietly observed the surroundings, searching for something to think about.
"Bored, Shiro?" a sweet voice echoed in his mind.
"I'd rather you didn't talk to me like that out of nowhere. I guess you can hear me if I speak in my mind, right?"
"Yes. But only when you allow it."
"I allowed it…?"
"Well, the last time we talked you never told me not to listen to your thoughts. In here I see the same things you do and I can feel your emotions. But snooping through your memories isn't my business."
"Then… what does that mean?"
Alma Rigel sighed with quiet understanding.
"It means we're connected."
"I never asked you before, but… I'm curious."
"About what?"
"About all of this. Thinking about it now… should I even be here?"
"You're thinking about that now? Not when you were given the chance to return to where you belong?"
"That's true… I was just considering it. After all, I chose to stay… but there are other things I'm curious about."
"Where is my soul?"
[...]
"Alma Rigel…?"
Shiro's gaze had grown distant as he focused only on his thoughts. Kaede touched his shoulder.
"Are you okay, Shiro?"
He blinked, a little dazed, but quickly regained his composure.
"Ah… yeah."
The elevator doors opened. Selina took the initiative and stepped out without letting go of Calius's hand.
Kaede followed them, and Shiro walked behind.
After walking a bit more, they reached the reception area of the building. Chandeliers hung everywhere, red carpets covered the floor, and people dressed elegantly filled the place. What Shiro heard most were the laughter and voices of the crowd.
Eventually, they left the building. Waiting outside was a completely black, spotless vehicle.
Selina gave Kaede and Shiro a slight nod and began walking.
Once inside, Kaede and Shiro sat in the back. In front of them were Calius and Selina.
"The hotel is thirty minutes away."
"Huh? Isn't that too much?" Kaede said.
"Solarin is enormous. No matter how well-known our family is, reserving a hotel isn't easy…" Selina murmured while looking out the window.
"Family…?" Kaede asked, tilting her head.
Calius slightly raised his gaze, and Selina let out a soft laugh.
"I thought Mizuki had already told you about us."
"We're step-siblings…" Calius murmured.
Kaede looked slightly surprised.
"Oh… I didn't know."
"Our last name is Valtherion," Calius said.
Meanwhile, Shiro looked out the window, admiring the views of Solarin while still paying attention to the conversation.
I thought they were just partners or something… they seem closer than that, he thought.
But… thinking about it… those two… don't look very similar…?
Shiro glanced briefly toward Calius and Kaede, but eventually closed his eyes. Due to exhaustion and fatigue, he let himself relax. His muscles loosened, his breathing slowed, and he fell asleep.
Shiro opened his eyes as if not even a second had passed.
In front of him floated Alma Rigel's card, its edges burning with green flames. Shiro sighed calmly and looked up.
"What is it…? I want to sleep properly. When you call me like this I wake up feeling empty, like I didn't sleep at all."
"Well… technically you are empty inside, aren't you? You don't even have your soul."
Shiro felt a chill run through him. The place where he spoke with Alma was always eerie, completely dark, as if he were surrounded by smoke.
"Well… I wanted to ask again. Where is my soul?"
[...]
"Soul…?"
"I'm sorry, Shiro. I can only say… keep moving forward. Eventually you'll reach that place."
"Move forward, Shiro. Until the two of you meet and mark the end of the world… just as she predicted long ago."
"W-wait, what are you talking about…?"
He stepped back slowly, unable to take his eyes off the card. Even though he was asleep, he could feel the sweat on his skin—and above all, the growing fear.
"Don't you think you're being too calm? You could die tomorrow."
Shiro clenched his fists and lowered his gaze.
That's true…
"You forget that I can hear your thoughts here, don't you?"
"Ah…"
The card moved slightly to the side, floating higher.
"I thought… you were the type of boy who was afraid of everything, Shiro."
[...]
"That's what I thought until I saw you moving forward so decisively. You fight beside her as if you have nothing left… I can see everything you see, to a certain extent. Touka gave you the chance to leave, yet here you still are…"
Shiro lowered his gaze again, but this time his expression was more thoughtful.
"Alma… can I ask you something?"
"What is it, Shiro?"
[...]
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Soft sighs and quiet gasps escaped him. Even in sleep, his face looked like that of someone frightened.
"What's wrong with him…?" Selina glanced sideways at Shiro, who had completely drawn Kaede's attention.
Kaede grabbed him by the shoulders. Her expression resembled that of a girl on the verge of disappointment or worry. She leaned closer to him without caring about boundaries.
"Shiro…? Shiro, are you okay? Answer me!"
Calius glanced at the situation from the corner of his eye but decided to focus his gaze back on the window, trying to give them some space.
"Ten minutes left until we arrive…" he murmured while the car continued driving through the streets of a city that, one day long ago, had been the battlefield of a single day.