The Dark Water

I kept Yumi's book as a memento so that I would never forget her. It was a valuable treasure that I was determined not to lose. Yumi would live on in my mind as long as I had this. In the rain, nothing would be washed away.

That said, I didn't have the energy to do anything for a while after that. It was the most agonizing thing that had ever happened to me in my miserable life. I didn't have a friend to read to every night, and I couldn't share my laughter with other loved ones. But I had no intention of breaking her promise to Yumi, a promise Yumi couldn't keep.

I would resolve to protect my promise with Yumi, just as the main character in the book did when unable to fulfill a promise. However, before I could seek happiness in the outside world, I needed to leave my familiar surroundings.

"How does one find happiness?" I asked teachers, soldiers, and even other children at every opportunity.

The other kids had no idea and were easily perplexed. "If you devote yourself to His Majesty, only blessings will befall you," the teachers pretended, and "When this camp is completed, you will be able to walk around with great pride as a comrade of the kingdom."

I thought to myself, "What a useless bunch," but politely nodded to their responses. I didn't have time to think about it all in my room because it was a busy time.

Regardless of how many interesting stories I heard, none of the other children knew the answer to my question; however, I did discover that many of them were willing to share her ambition.

"If I were to go out, I would undoubtedly want to seek happiness with you. Would you mind if I accompanied you if that's okay with you?" When a boy named Yoshida said that, many of the other children followed suit, flocking to me, who welcomed them all with a smile.

I was never bothered by how many companions joined me. I approached the situation with optimism. They appear tense, but the kids who stayed with me became true comrades. I was truly grateful from the bottom of my heart.

The final day arrived: the day when the experiment ended and the surviving children were to join different sectors in His Majesty's honor. I clasped my hand in desperation for survival. Of course, I nodded in agreement. Looking around, the other students were also assuring those around them. At the assembly, all of the trainers stood up, including the one I saw smoking the pipe earlier. It was the kingdom's commander.

"Everyone's attention! You've done well up until now. The final stage of being in this camp is about to begin. Those who survive this final test will be among the select few who have transcended their humanity. It would not be an exaggeration to call those who survive this the sun's embodiment "The commander began his speech with a tired expression on his face.

When I saw the teacher, I wondered when she had become so tired. There had been many before, but now there was only him. His hair was unkempt, and his face was ragged. His eyes were hollow, and his musculature was reduced to skin and bone. His kimono, which was once spotless white, was now stained in bright vermilion spots here and there.

"The troops of the kingdom are not a failure. Don't let your brothers and sisters' sacrifices up to this point go to waste; you must survive. My... my plan was not a failure, and you are proof of that. Our time has arrived!"

In his excitement, the teacher poured a glass of the black fluid. It was still incomparable darkness, to the point where it was clearly visible, even to me, whose eyesight had deteriorated.

"Finally, I'll join you all in a toast. With a common spirit, I dedicate this to the 'blood of the sun,' and it is an honor for me to taste it firsthand."

The Commander raised the stagnant glass, a grin on his face. The kids also raised their glasses. "In celebration of graduating to be fine comrades of the empire, and in prayer for further honour to the Horsheido Empire... We Drink!"

The teacher was the first to drink, his eyes closed in preparation, and the children quickly followed. I muttered a delayed 'cheers,' and drank grudgingly, telling myself that it would be the last time. I persevered as I approached freedom. "… ah…"

The reason I didn't want to drink it became clear right away. I felt a burning sensation in my stomach, and soon after, not only my stomach, but my entire body, began to burn. The teacher had collapsed and was screaming in pain. The children had also all collapsed. I also tried to scream, but the pain was so intense that no sound came out. I coughed up something red, and strange fluids ran from my eyes and nose.

I heard a loud noise and saw a red flame flourish before my eyes. It wasn't like the sun's rays, and it wasn't pleasant.

Nobody could understand what was going on, but it was obvious to me. It felt like the end of the world. As my consciousness faded, I sensed the reaper looming over them. A dark something had lightning-like flashes before my darkness fell, but my senses were already too dull to fully comprehend. I discovered that Akuma's power was rushing towards me.

My eyes opened with the sensation of something cold pressing against my cheek. I had no idea where I was because it was pitch black. The sound of buzzing and dripping water could be heard. When I tried to move, I was stymied by something soft and something hard. I shoved them as far as I could and crawled under them towards a dim light because there was no other option.

Something clung to my hand and made a strange noise. I snuck out of wherever I had been like an ant crawling from its nest. I collapsed on the spot from exhaustion while heavily breathing. The ground had become muddy due to the heavy rain, and sharp rocks bit painfully into my flesh.

The freezing rain pounded down from above, stealing my body's heat. For the time being, I stood up to avoid the rain, and while surveying my surroundings, I discovered exactly where I was. What had crawled from was more than just a hole. It was a grave, and it wasn't the only one in the area; others dot the landscape.

I didn't realize it at first, but there were many corpses in the hole. She noticed several familiar faces when she looked closely. It was my parents, Hina, and my brothers, as well as all the maids, approaching me, and I was startled by the commander of Amida and Sora as they passed by.

The old corpses had turned into skeletons, but the new ones had not yet lost their original forms. The pile of bodies was infested with maggots, and the buzzing sound was caused by adult flies.

I was now terrified, and as I took a step back, my foot got caught in another grave. I jumped involuntarily when I felt something squishy. What I had stepped on was a female child's body. Yumi's face was half collapsed, but I'd seen it before.

Because of how close we were, Yumi was the only face she could clearly recognize. When I lifted her foot, some of the corpse's flesh peeled off of its left arm. It was a gooey chunk of her hand and skin with an eerie feeling to it, but I couldn't bring myself to brush it off.

"It looks like we're not leaving together," I muttered as I brushed off the crumbling hand.

My eyes were filled with a warm liquid. I'll find the happiness you couldn't.

With that in mind, I prayed by the grave while sobbing. I screamed, cried, and screamed some more. My sobbing voice was drowned out by Crying until it hurt, I knew what my power was meant. I once again regained my senses. I looked again to my surroundings. Wiping the rain off my face, I stood in the violent rain.

"I made it. I'm the only one who has survived." I burst out laughing. My emotions had surpassed those of terror and grief, and a new mood had emerged in me. It was ecstasy. I survived in order to find a way to be happy; to keep everyone's promise. I am now the only one who can be shielded.

I took my most important book from beneath my kimono. It had become tattered due to the rain and soil. I took a look at Yumi's body. Rather than leaving the book there, I thought i should bring it with me.

When I survived, the commander was supposed to appoint me as the last surviving comrade; however, he had most likely died himself, along with that teacher, so it didn't matter. I didn't feel sorry for him at all. I couldn't forgive anyone for abandoning me to the grave because I wasn't dead.

People who can't keep their word are garbage, and their words have no sway over me. Who would want to work for His Majesty in the first place? I yelled from the depths of my soul.

With a nod, I scooped up mud in both hands and reburied her martyred friends. It would have been impolite to leave the bodies exposed in a field, but I did it for those who had been good companions. As for the teachers, I couldn't leave them alone, so I burned off all their belongings with them, demonstrating what they'll face in hell. The rain had stopped in the time it took me to finish the job, and the sun had risen in the sky in its place.

I decided to sleep on the spot because I was tired and in the warmth of the sun.

"Clear days are my absolute favorite. After all, it warms both the body and the soul, so I'm sure everyone enjoys it." I slowly closed my eyes while quietly smiling.

I'll look for a way to be happy and show them all my calm heart. Then they can rest easy. Please bear with me for a little longer. I was at peace when I finally fell asleep, no matter how many times I repeated it.

I chased down a moving ship that was going aboard after taking a rest and paying my respects to my fallen friends. As I tried to stop, I saw a lady in a veil accompanied by others and jumped to the board where a man tried to stop me.

"Hey Who are you?" a sailor asked.

"Umm, I'm a traveller, is it okay if I travel in this ship?" I politely asked.

"No, this boat does not accept visitors; it is a trading vessel, not a tourist vessel," he exclaimed.

But the man was abruptly stopped by one of the ladies dressed as shrine maidens (Miko).

"Sir, the village elder's wife wants to allow him to visit our island, and we will offer him the opportunity to sail with us in exchange for working at the docks to pay for the trip, don't you agree, kind sir?" said the maiden.

"Yes, take it as a payment," I said as a gesture of thanks. "Well, if the Elder lady insists, welcome aboard and take a shower, then I'll assign work for you," said the sailor as he walked back. "Don't thank me, thank the lady who got you in," said the elder's wife.

I thanked the lady, but she didn't move because she appeared to be one of the wife's maids, who were not allowed to move. Despite this, I thanked him and went to assist the sailors.

Working was difficult for a seven-hour journey where I had no idea where I was going. I was about to vomit when someone handed me a cup while I was sitting. It was the lady in the veil who assisted me.

I thanked her and she didn't say anything but sat next to me. "What's your name?" the lady asked, "Shi...Shinji."

"Do you know where you're going?" she wondered.

I shook my head, claiming that I had no idea.

The lady who didn't say much and was covered in a veil began shaking and laughing.

I was taken aback to see a silent woman laughing.

The lady surprised me by opening her veil. She was a beautiful lady who looked like an angel, her lips were red like a rose and she had shiny black hair, her smile was beautiful and my heart was thumping. "You're funny," said the girl, and I couldn't help but admire her looks. She then stands up and points to a piece of land.

"There's our island, Kaishima, you will love it there," the girl said.

"Kaishima!... interesting," I said as I turned and looked at the girl's smiling face.

"You're funny, and it was the right decision to take you to our home," the girl smiled as she got up and kissed my cheek, "welcome to Kaishima, Shinji."

I was at a loss for words and tried to stop her by asking, "What's your name?" I inquired.

"Keiko, Matsuura Keiko" smiled the girl as she ran blushing

I turned and look at the island waiting for my new journey to start, "Kaishima,let's see what you have in me" i said as I rubbed the kissed cheek.