Now Liam Moore seemed barely alive. My hands trembled naturally, likely because I wasn’t ready to lose him. I touched his neck. A faint, almost imperceptible pulse flickered under my fingers. It felt as though it might stop at any moment.
“He’s held on for a long time. Even when he was thrown to be its prey, he kept resisting. It must have been a pain like having his nerves severed. Anyway, like father, like son, right?”
I had to keep talking. I had to buy time until I could think of something.
“What is this painting? Why is Liam Moore in a place like this?”
“Oh, it’s nothing special. I just needed a bit of Liam Moore’s power. Got quite a lot, actually.”
The voice explaining all this was gradually changing, sounding less and less like Herschel Hopkins. It was now a young man’s voice. I could see something behind Herschel. Black horns, those were the first things I noticed.
Herschel fell helplessly to the ground as the figure stepped over him and slowly ascended onto the painting. Just then, my vision blurred. It felt as though a thin veil covered my eyes, making it hard to discern its shape. Darkness was gathering.
[I was bored. Waiting so long made me hungry. But these impudent little creatures kept interfering. They are just ants, but if they keep crawling up your leg, what do you do?]
A black shadow approached me.
It spoke.
[Run. Don’t look back. Humans are inherently ugly. They can’t be altruistic, and if they can just save their own lives, that’s enough. You’ll act like a typical human. So run.]
I wanted to. The whisper was so sweet, I wanted to believe it. It felt as if it were trying to sever my will. Had Herschel suffered something like this?
I stopped myself from nodding involuntarily. If this was to be the end, I wanted it to be my decision.
Then a thought emerged. In this place where there was no solid ground, my remaining resolve whispered. But what about the others left here? Owen and Herschel?
I bowed my head and gently stroked Liam Moore’s cheek. There was still warmth. His eyelids slowly fluttered open.
“Hello, Liam.”
I smiled. The man squinted his eyes weakly. His cracked lips parted slightly. A faint, wheezing sound came out as he called my name.
“Shh. It’s okay. Everything will be alright.”
His feverish grey eyes looked at me. That alone grounded me in reality. He made me exist. My mind cleared. I knew what I needed to do.
It’s strange. While something, be it a god, a devil, or a monster, was urging me to abandon you and flee, you gave me the strength to move forward. Even if it meant facing an abyss or unending despair.
“Jane, how…”
His hand reached out to me. After several failed attempts, he finally grasped it. How did I come to be here? Well,
“I came to save you, you reckless, stubborn detective.”
So I’m sorry. A meaningless apology fell to the ground.
He seemed too weak to understand my words now. He was too exhausted. Where should we go? To which point in time should I flee to save him?
[Are you not going to run?]
Then the horned beast asked.
I saw ten horns. A black shadow, speaking like a dragon, lowered its head to look down at me. Its eyes were filled with curiosity, as if anticipating my choice.
With his battered body, Liam Moore pulled me closer. His lips whispered.
“Leave me.”
There was no undoing this. What was destined to happen had to happen. That was the natural order. But humans are not creatures that move strictly according to rules. I am simply one of those people—stubborn, unable to give up, yet desperately struggling.
“Indeed, you’re right.”
My voice trembled horribly. Even the mist covering my corneas couldn’t block out the power reaching out to me. My hand felt heavy. Through the hazy vision, I could see the light emanating from the ring on my thumb, barely shining in the vast darkness, warning me.
But I was certain, the greatest threat to my safety here was none other than,
“Liam Moore.”
It would be me.
I deliberately put on a cheerful front as I spoke. The gun felt heavy. My fingers ached. But I could do it.
“Don’t look at me.”
“Jane…”
His sleeve was pulled. Realising what I intended, the man hastily tried to get up, clutching his wound before collapsing again. His coughing was incessant. His heaving lips glistened red. He desperately clung to my hand. But it was not hard to shake off his weakened grip. For the first time, I looked away from him first. His eyes widened.
I gently stroked his hair. Saying goodbye to this moment of Liam. Perhaps asking for forgiveness, maybe.
I pressed my lips softly to his forehead. Liam Moore’s face contorted. He looked as though he was about to cry. Like a child. Holding his head, I whispered over and over.
Don’t look. It’s okay. I’m really okay.
“I will come back to save you.”
“No, Jane. Don’t…”
I’m sorry. But this is the only way I know.
A gunshot rang out. My mind went blank.
[FO(Fade Out)]
＊ ＊ ＊
So many choices appeared. Before Liam Moore disappeared, after he disappeared, after meeting Plurititas, after standing here.
I could go back. The stories were speaking to me.
Human relationships are, how should I put it, a kind of accumulation. The actions seen so far pile up and rebuild me.
The very first version of me says, I never intended to go this far for Liam Moore. He was just an NPC, after all. What did it matter? I thought. It was even unpleasant. I believed he could never become a real person to me, just something that mimicked one very well.
But at some point, it became natural. Liam Moore smiling at me, his body heat, seeing myself in his eyes—those things.
To Liam Moore, I am Jane, and he pulled me into reality. All this happened as naturally as rain soaking through clothes. Just like that.
Hesitation is always long. Looking at the blinking chapter, gazing at the save slots written in my handwriting, I fell into thought. The black space claimed to be my home until I returned.
Now I’m used to it. Like Liam Moore, this too.
Many things change.
I’m redefining the justice I knew.
“It’s a relief.”
I murmured into the air.
Just, it never happened. It’s truly a relief that it didn’t happen yet. Liam Moore won’t have to see my death, and I won’t have to see his.
Time is like a wave. The memories engraved are lighter than anything, so perhaps, the same moment will never return. My choice made a moment the future and at the same time the past. Just as there is nothing exactly the same on the shore’s waves…
Lost in thought, a breeze-like touch brushed past me. The presence filling this space welcomed my visit. A faint laugh was heard.
“What should I do?”
「…」
“Can I save Liam Moore?”
「…」
“What was that, anyway?”
Meaningless words spread like ripples into the air. No answer. Perhaps it was waiting for my choice.
Take pity on me, who wants to resist the nameless existence. The more the ripples echoed, the clearer my consciousness became. A song heard from a distant place pushed me forward.
“Help me.”
There are moments when determination wavers. When the firm heart cracks, and in the faint hope, one suffers, longing for salvation from someone, be it a person or a transcendent being.
My tongue felt bitter. The astringent taste seemed to numb my sense of taste. Swallowing poison wouldn’t be more painful than this.
Despair is also like a wave. The heart is like a sandcastle. Without a sign of solidifying, it crumbles helplessly when pushed in. Where despair swept through, only broken resolve remains.
Humans are indeed, funny creatures. I thought so. There are so many selfish people who care only about themselves, but strangely, the ones I’ve seen put others before their own bodies. Is it because only good people are around? Or because their own lives aren’t that important? Or are they just special? All wrong. Completely wrong. It’s just, that’s how it was. For these people, it was just natural.
Even an ordinary person has the courage to lift their head once in front of great adversity.
Perhaps it was because I was an ordinary person that I could resist the existence of trying to drag out the ugliness.
My eyes burned. Reality was stinging. Yet it made me move forward again. That’s why I begged.
Don’t just watch, help me. I’m willing to offer anything. Help me.