Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 66: The Land of Ash [5]
While polishing his sword, Marco directed his attention to Mitsuki, who stood out the most by being so far away from everyone. He watched him in silence for a brief moment, as if judging him, before returning to his task. Mitsuki noticed and could only look down at the ground in discomfort.
’Why is he looking at me like I owe him money? I haven’t done anything wrong or slowed the journey.’
Putting aside how strange that had been, he finished eating and wrapped himself completely in his blanket. No one had gone to sleep yet, but Mitsuki felt truly exhausted. Walking for so many hours without stopping had drained all his energy, so he couldn’t pass up the chance to sleep more than the others.
He closed his eyes, expecting whatever the next day might bring, and drifted off. Monar glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but continued talking with Azel and Marco. Later, the night came to an end as the others also chose to sleep early.
Just like before, Mitsuki descended into the realm of dreams, as if something had dragged him into the depths of the surreal. Darkness swirled around his body within his mind, transporting him to a bustling town lost in the past of a land consumed by ash.
’This... is the same town?’
Beautiful rustic houses surrounded the scene, accompanied by the blinding sunlight that highlighted the people moving from one place to another along the wide streets. Children ran and laughed, workers carried heavy loads from one place to another; others simply chatted cheerfully. However, when they saw him walking through the city, everyone’s attitude changed.
"Prince! What brings you here?!" said a man carrying a sack of vegetables to his cart.
"Mom, look! The prince is here!" said a little girl, excited as she tugged at her mother’s hand.
Mitsuki felt a strange warmth emanating from the words of the people, who seemed happy about his arrival. Though confused, when he looked at his hand, he understood.
’This is another memory of Arthur, right? He was in this city, apparently. But why should I dream about this? There doesn’t seem to be any key point to all of this. The trigger for the memory is simply the fact that I’m in this city.’
He reflected as he walked forward, ignoring the cheers around him.
Suddenly, he felt a soft bump against his shoulder that made him lean slightly to the side. Confused, he looked in that direction and found that girl smiling at him.
"Cinder... if you keep doing that, you’re going to cause an accident."
Cinderella laughed, taking Arthur’s hand.
"You looked so distracted that I thought you needed a little push to come back to reality. Anyway, stop thinking about what that blockhead Morgan said. He doesn’t know what he wants and just needs time to figure it out."
Arthur (Mitsuki) shook his head.
"It’s just that something doesn’t sit right with me. There was something wrong with him at that moment. What if it gets worse over time? What if his thoughts only keep getting darker and darker?"
Cinder looked at the road, thoughtful. Before answering, she gently squeezed Arthur’s hand.
"Morgan has always liked manipulating others, Artie. Ever since we were kids, he’s been like that. I’m sure this is just another one of his tactics to get your attention and make you do what he wants. The best thing you can do as his younger brother is to make your stance clear."
Arthur sighed, uncertain.
"I know, but it’s... complicated. Still, I appreciate the advice. We’re the same age, but it feels like you have the mind of an old lady."
Suddenly, Cinderella squeezed Arthur’s hand with incredible force—so much that his bones began to creak.
"Ow! Ow! Cinder! Wait! That hurts!" Arthur groaned in pain, writhing as she smiled at him in a passive-aggressive way.
"There’s a golden rule every man should know, my dear Arthur. Never joke about a woman’s age, or she’ll break all your bones. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"But I didn’t mean it like that! Cinder!"
The people around them began to laugh at the prince. It seemed everyone was fond of him, because their laughter wasn’t mocking, but rather amused at how adorable it was to see the pair perform their little comedy routine from time to time whenever they came to town.
"Wait! You’re going to break my hand!"
"Don’t worry. I’ll heal you with my magic afterward."
"Magic shouldn’t be used like that!"
The laughter grew beneath the beautiful scenery of the distant forests. Everything in this town was wonderfully fine; everything seemed too perfect to even imagine the tragedy that would strike them all later. That was what Mitsuki felt deep down—a pain that tormented him every time he saw these memories, yet it wasn’t his pain.
Darkness devoured the memory, and Mitsuki floated in nothingness with a lifeless gaze.
’I always feel this whenever I see these memories. That suffocating sadness deep in my chest... Are these your emotions, Arthur? Are you suffering as you watch how everything ended through my eyes?’
Even though Arthur would never answer him, Mitsuki knew the truth. Perhaps a part of that prince still lived deep within, since the foundation of Mitsuki’s body belonged to him—the statue of ash that refused to accept its fate until the very end.
’I’m sorry it has to be this way, but there’s nothing I can do. Maybe when I claim the Mystery of Cinder, your people will finally be able to rest forever, but they will never return to how things once were. That’s the difference between the living and the dead.’
He closed his eyes and finally woke up. Strangely, it was still night, and the others were awake, sitting with grim expressions as they stared at the dying campfire. Before he could make any noise, Marco looked him in the eyes and gestured with a finger for him to stay silent.
’What’s going on?’ he wondered, keeping quiet because even he could feel that something wasn’t right.
Marco stood up, and the others followed. Then he unsheathed his sword, followed by Monar pulling out his magic staff. Azel cracked his knuckles with a confident smile.
"Looks like it already realized we’re here. There’s no point in staying quiet anymore, Poison Pastel. There’s a bastard watching us with the intent to kill."
Marco stepped toward the darkness. At that moment, a mysterious shadow moved from one house to another in the blink of an eye. It made a sound similar to a flame being stirred. It repeated the same movement an instant later, then again, and again...
The group watched in every direction the shadow moved, visible only through the faint silhouettes its body cast under the campfire’s light.
’An enemy? Weren’t Ellegaard and Jeanne supposed to have taken care of all the monsters?’
Perhaps they had overlooked the being that now watched them with its ethereal eyes.
