Playful Days (Part 10)

It's midnight. I can't sleep. My body still filled with energy, refusing to let me rest.

It's me, Mayu, again. I've been living in this fort for quite some time now. Maybe too long. Somewhere along the way, amidst all the warmth and playful days, I lost sight of my goal. I was supposed to be searching for answers—figuring out why I was brought to this world.

But instead, I've been lazy. Just playing with kids, taking on easy adventurer quests to get by.

I stare at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"After this week-long festival, I'll leave. I'll travel and find my purpose."

With that decision made, I close my eyes.

Just as sleep starts to take me, a sudden explosion shakes the ground. The sound is close—too close.

"What's happening? Everyone should be asleep. The festival is still going on tomorrow…"

I rush to the window and throw it open.

Fire.

The fort is burning. Shadows of adventurers battle against monstrous figures in the streets. Chaos has overtaken Elesis Fort.

I grab my sword and bolt out the door.

As I run, I glance up at the sky—morning should be breaking by now, but the sun is nowhere to be seen. Just darkness.

By the time I reach the city, people are already fleeing in terror. The joyous festival from earlier is nothing but a memory, swallowed by fear and destruction.

Monsters—low-level ones—have broken through. They shouldn't be here. The fort has protective barriers to keep them out. So why—?

"Wind Slash!"

I cut down a wolf-like creature before it can tear into a child.

But there are too many of them.

Something is very, very wrong.

…

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Meily moves with purpose, her newfound power crackling at her fingertips. Her eyes burn with hatred.

She heads straight for the adults who had insulted her mother.

"You… are you one of the people who killed my mother?"

The man stares at her, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Liar."

Meily grabs his child and, without hesitation, fires a magical beam through the child's body.

A scream. The mother falls to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"What have you done?!"

Meily doesn't answer. Another beam erupts from her palm, piercing straight through the woman's chest. She collapses, lifeless.

One by one, Meily continues her rampage.

The city is in complete chaos. The knights are overwhelmed. No one can stop her.

In a matter of minutes, she has killed 25 adults, 15 young adults, and 9 children. Yet her eyes remain empty. Even as the bodies fall around her, she feels nothing.

"All of you should just die!"

Her scream echoes through the night.

…

By the time I arrive, it's too late.

I see her standing there, surrounded by corpses. The girl I played with just yesterday… is now a murderer.

Her eyes—once bright and full of life—are now a deep, violent red.

"Meily… what happened?"

She flinches at my voice. "Mayu… don't come closer. I might kill you."

"Did you do this?" My voice shakes. "Did you kill these people?"

"This is revenge."

"You threw away your humanity for revenge… Do you know what that means?" My hands tighten around my sword. "It means you're no better than a monster. You became one."

"They were the monsters," she spits back. "They made our lives miserable!"

Magical orbs float around her, glowing ominously.

Without another word, she fires.

I barely dodge in time. A second blast follows. Then a third.

Meily charges toward me, her small fists clenched. And when she punches—

I'm sent flying.

My body crashes through a building, smashing through wooden walls and streetlights.

I cough, gasping for breath. "Is this even real… or am I dreaming?"

As I lift my head, I see Meily approaching.

She's crying.

"That's why I told you to leave…" she whispers. "I didn't want you to see this. I've already killed too many people. There's no going back."

She wipes her tears away roughly. "I had to do it. They killed my mother. Those stupid adults… they killed her."

"Lainy… is dead?"

She nods, her lips trembling.

Meily… she loved her mother more than anything. She would've done anything for her. Because her mother was all she had.

I take a deep breath and step forward. "I'm not angry at you, Meily."

She looks up at me in shock.

"You're still my friend," I continue. "No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."

Meily's eyes widen. Tears spill down her face.

She rushes into my arms, clinging onto me as she sobs.

"I don't want this to end…" she cries. "Let's keep playing, Mayu. Let's make more happy memories."

I hold her close, tears slipping down my own cheeks.

"Forever and ever… we'll be best friends."

Even in this broken world, even after everything that happened—

"Let's have our never-ending playful days together."