68 - An arm away

*

Long past the golden dew of the setting sun, the world around them is submerged in a mellow blue. The cold breeze gently flits through the steel mesh fences lining the perimeter of the school rooftop. With how this world is structured, this planet is covered in a layer of numerous zones.

There were no 'countries' nor were there any 'seas'. The ocean has been covered up by said zones, a giga structure spanning the earth and accounting for its curvature. Who knows how many years it took, a certain event happened 11508 years ago. It created the new calendar, but the first few zones... Could have just been built before the creation of the new calendar.

Sariel sat against the steel mesh, her expression had visibly darkened as her palm laid inseparable from her waist. 9 pm, the day was almost over. That tree... It was a symbol of Lastia's resolve, THIS Lastia's resolve and her resignation. It's because they couldn't do anything for her, that the culture mini zone bore absolutely no results, that this happened. They couldn't give her the hope she wanted, or the will to pass it on to her predecessors.

'I don't want to die', a universal desire shared even among less intelligent beings. Even Traces exhibit the will to continue existing, compared to animals they have a critical flaw of not knowing it's possible to run away and fight another day, but they still fight to the end. For themselves.

How could anyone tell a lone girl that it's okay to die? That she should accept it because her life spans a single day compared to other's decades...? It was what Sariel did. She urged her to give up, to not make the most out of her remaining life, even if it was a futile struggle against fate... Even if it inconvenienced other people's livelihoods... Obviously, none of that mattered to Lastia.

"... Ughh, how do we fix this... Will it all go back to normal tomorrow? Will the tree simply ungrow?

What will the police do if they found her in place of the tree? She'll be experimented on!" (Arin)

"... Should we be doing anything? This is what she wanted... And this is what I paid for going against her wishes... " (Sariel)

The other girl frowned in response, Sariel didn't expect her to be completely receptive, but this was more expressive than she expected. Honestly, it was difficult for Sariel to tell what Arin was thinking. Soon after Lastia awakened as a magical girl, Arin confessed to being one as well, that she had been one for a long time but hadn't taken part in Trace subjugation to keep herself safe. She was always cheerful around Lastia, kept the mood lively and amicable, and she also had knowledge comparable to Sariel.

All of it was a front, wasn't it? I mean, it's normal. Her goal was to keep the 3 together as good friends, she wasn't doing anything particularly out of the ordinary. She spoke when 'it was her cue to', and didn't otherwise. That could be attributed to her reading the mood and not wanting to interrupt others... No matter what, it was impossible for Sariel to find fault with her behaviour. Perhaps that's why it all seemed like a front, it was too perfect.

Yet, there was nothing wrong with that. What was she supposed to tell her? 'You're too perfect and it's creeping me out'? It all goes back to how Sariel can't read her, Arin knows more than she let's on. However her goal was to... Keep them close as best friends? Make Lastia happy? {Barter}... A debt... It took an incredibly long time, no matter how long she waited, Arin would never reveal the name of her skill. So Sariel simply asked her, and that was the name she gave.

It sounds nearly omnipotent, she could sacrifice anything no matter how insignificant and get whatever she wanted. Or perhaps the value of the items being {Bartered} is judged in a way other people can't understand. When asked about it, she said it was strong but not all powerful. There was sso much she didn't know, so much that... Sariel herself was also hiding. Things were never as close or amicable as it seemed, it was all... Ostentatious.

Everything was exactly as shallow as how Lastia saw things... At the same time, this made it so it wasn't superficial. What every Lastia observed about their relationships was authentic, it was as shallow as it looked, so it was truth. Even if Lastia was assuming that it only looked shallow because she hadn't spent much time with the other two.

Yet, the two had already spent copious amounts of time with each other, day after day... The only explanation was that they kept each other at arm's length, it was hard not to notice after a while. Each Lastia was new, so they preferred not to develop too deep of a friendship, lest they risk making her jealous or left out. Shared experiences are seldom mentioned, and this was also another result... Their refusal to delve too deep into each other's lives and dispositions.

"... Hey, I'll make it clear. If not for her vehement refusal, I would want her out of that tree. What about you? What do you prefer?" (Sariel)

To support or condemn her cries. A tantrum with her own life at stake, it must look so bleak that she can no longer think of anything else.

" I... don't know... " (Arin)

She spoke after a long silence. Slowly mulling over her feelings. Was it outside of her expectations? I guess it would be, for anyone. It might be a hunch, but Sariel believed any close friend of Lastia would have a strong opinion on this. Even if there were only two of them. Rather than hesitance, she'd expected opposition.

Depending on whether Arin valued 'what was best for her' or 'What she thinks is best for herself'. This indecision was incredibly ordinary, it was reasonable to leave without an opinion too... But it was peculiar because it came from Arin who was supposed to be closer to Lastia. This was her only hint.

From what she heard from Arin, Lastia didn't always have this curse. She lived a relatively normal life throughout middle school. It was some day in the first or second year of high-school that the curse took root, it happened without warning. Lastia tried to hide it as well, it was nearly impossible to pinpoint the start date.