Terasu (After) - Beautiful Only on the Outside
The surface of the river reflects the night sky. Now, how many nights have it been since he left? I must have stopped counting quite a while ago...
I[1] look up at the purpling sky, looking for the lost Hope.
But of course, it's nowhere to be found. The whole thing fell apart last year.
Hope -- that's the name of that space station. It's supposed to be visible just around this time.
Oh, how foolish humanity has been... They just couldn't accept that the gods and the Kegai wanted nothing but repetition.
The sun is rising. I wonder, if he were still alive, would he still say it's not the sun rising, but the Earth going around the sun? I loved how he would always do that.
"But that's not right," I think to myself as I fold up my tent.
There's no point in pursuing the scientifically correct answer.
Myths -- the gods and the Kegai -- are real. Science doesn't make sense in this world. It's like there are two sets of laws of physics, and one of them hates the very existence of the scientific endeavor.
If science is to thrive, the gods and the Kegai must be destroyed. And that's only the first step of it.
To the very end, though, he never allowed himself to understand that.
Refusing to believe even the woman he loved... What a fool he was. Despite that, though, I never stopped loving him.
I extinguish the campfire, put my stuff away, and stand up. The cinders are a precious resource, too, so I collect them into an 18-liter steel drum.
How do people spend their days in a world without hope? Or are we just watching the dead rise toward the celestial realm?
I guess it's pretty much the same.
Okay, that got a chuckle out of me. There really isn't a difference between them.
The gods are rigid in their own ways. They could start over again and again, therefore they opted for eternal stagnation. The sun will still rise, but tomorrow will never come. Only the familiar past awaits.
That's right -- the gods will turn back time the very moment the Kegai attacks them[2].
There's nothing we can do about that. There's neither hope nor a future for humanity... Ugh.
It's sad, really. We're all like that no-nonsense princess who's being wielded around like a tool.
Is there anyone who can make this sadness end? I don't care who it is -- I just wish they'd come along and change things.
Alright, time to get going. I can't bring myself to go home yet... so I guess I'll wander around the town again today.
I wonder if there's any hope left in this world. If there is, I'd do everything in my power to help it prevail...
／＊／
I had a daughter. The most adorable little girl I've ever seen. She was only 4 years old when she died... on that day, when Hope fell apart.
The grief runs so deep that I can't say I'm quite over that loss yet. She loved her father so much that she just had to go with him. I still wish I had stopped them, but... no matter how many times I tried, nothing I did could change what happened. Yeah, imagine that -- there are some things I can't do.
Well, as sad as I am, I'm also hungry. There was a time when I couldn't even get food down my throat, but I'm beyond that now. The ability to get used to any kind of sadness -- it's a strength of humanity, and at the same time, maybe a misfortune. Leaving aside the question of whether or not I'm actually human, that is.
I see some parsley growing along the riverside. Alright, I guess that's what I'll be boiling for breakfast. After collecting some, I walk along the mountainside highway -- the construction of which resulted in the groundwater gushing to the surface -- to get some water. Yeah, I'm not about to drink from the river -- there's no telling what's in it. When it comes to water, the closer to the source it is, the better.
Aha, there's the drain pipe in the concreted mountain surface. I get some water from there, wash the parsley, and start a fire.
The trivial, everyday things keep the sadness away. Instant coffee helps, too.
While I enjoy my drink, a giant white salamander appears. It doesn't seem to be a divine messenger, so it's probably a god from somewhere.
Its eyes are cloudy white, and by giant, I mean it's about 2 meters long. It must have been around for quite a long time. Maybe it's safer to assume that it's a local god.
"What's up?"
"I come bearing news."
"Well, well. Thank you kindly."
The salamander turns toward me. It doesn't seem to be able to see with its eyes, so it must have faced the direction of my voice.
"One unidentified being from another realm has sent an individual our way."
"A Kegai?"
"No. And while the individual is quite different from the rest of us, it is safe to assume that they are worthy of worship."
"Hmm. I wonder if they're the one the bugs and the flying squirrels are fussing over. Alright, I understand -- thanks for telling me."
The salamander wags its tail and disappears into the mountains.
Honestly, I'm kind of concerned that it's just one person, not an army or even a team. Maybe they're here to scout ahead? ...Actually, if they're the same one the bugs are going to help out, then they're the one who will represent humanity in deciding the outcome of this conflict... which means they're super strong. Sure hope they're not an enemy of the major gods. I won't expect them to have time manipulation powers, though -- those of that bloodline aren't exactly easy to find.
If they don't, though, it'd be quite a shame. Not that their actions would be meaningless, but I reckon they won't amount to much. I should know -- I've been redoing this mess again and again, so many times, without success.
I look up at the sky, on which Takamagahara is in clear view. Seems like I'm in for another day of bad summer heat.
"It's beautiful... only on the outside, that is."
No matter how miserable things get down here, I don't think I'll ever go back there.
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Chapter 26 Character Profiles
↩[1] Terasu
For reasons unknown, she hides her true name.
In the game, you'll see her wandering around town all day.
First-person pronoun used: Boku
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Chapter 26 Footnotes
↩[2] "The gods will turn back time the very moment the Kegai attacks them"
Every major god has the power to turn back time.
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