Chapter 2: St. Rollins’ Witch
Chapter 2: St. Rollins’ Witch
Day 1
Head Island’s Schoolgirl, Erie Reyer
Head Island
ALABASTER homes with fancy gardens, paved roads lined with perfectly manicured trees, sunlight streaming through green leaves onto clean stone walkways, sweet-smelling flowers, and leisurely commutes were the qualities of life that marked Head Island—the island floating above sea level a mere five hundred meters north of Chest Island. To the residents of Chest Island, Head Island stood as the epitome of heaven just out of reach.
The chiming bells of Torah Church’s Great Bell Tower resounded throughout the beautiful townscape. Under the protection of the Rabbis, the virtuous and affluent residents of Head Island lived in peace, without fear of crime or assault.
To the northern most edge of the island—the metaphorical forehead of the human-shaped archipelago—stood the prestigious Torah Church run St. Rollins Academy.
Yet another zealous lecture could be heard spilling from the windows of a classroom on this day as well.
“…Ultimately, Golemology is a sacred field of study by which we learn how to grant life to inanimate dolls through the imitation of God’s holy works,” lectured a gentle-looking, bearded man. His clear voice carried to even the far corners of the classroom.
“There’s a wide-breadth of Golem types. The standard or base form is the Dirt Golem. Wood Golems are the cheapest and most efficient for multi-purpose utilization. Metal and Stone Golems are suited for heavy labor. There are also Amber Golems, which are imbued with animal life…”
Every student who listened to the lecture had elegant and polished features, unlike the street children of Chest Island, and these fifteen-year-old boys and girls attended class in the Academy’s black school uniform.
The lecturer delivered an impassioned speech to those students. “Some Golem types have been restricted over time, too. In particular, Golems made from the human body or human bones have been banned. A number of accounts have come forward reporting this type of Golem moving with as many as four arms.”
Bored with the lecture, a girl stared out the window. Perfectly straight black hair cascaded down her back, ending at her waistline. Her large dark eyes stood out against her porcelain white skin. Those eyes locked on somewhere far in the distance. Gentle winds gusted through the adjacent window, fluttering the cape resting on her shoulders.
“Crafting a Prime Body in a shape closer and more faithful to the human body increases the Golem’s usability. With that said, life can be instilled in even the crudest of bodies if you get the Engrave Incantations exactly right. For example, you can even give life to something like this…” The lecturer procured a small cloth doll from a shelf underneath the lectern.
“I would like to give you an explanation on a basic Engrave Incantation using this doll today. We will be using the Engrave Incantation I taught you during yesterday’s lecture. Would anyone like to give it a try?”
Nervous energy shot through the classroom. Every student averted their eyes from the lecturer, praying they wouldn’t be called on. The lecturer forced a smile and pointed to the girl by the window as he usually did in these situations.
“In that case, Miss Erie Reyer, please form the Engrave Incantation to make this doll dance.”
Erie jerked her head from the window toward the lecturer as if he splashed her with cold water. She nodded, pushed to her feet, and approached the lectern where she held her hands over the doll.
Her hands instantly glowed with a faint light and the Engrave Incantation inscribed the doll within the blink of an eye. From her thin lips came a whisper of a voice, “My name is Erie Reyer. With truth as my witness, I give thee the name Ragdoll. Live as one with me and return to dust with me. I order thee to dance.”
At Erie’s command, the doll broke into a wobbly dance. The lecturer raised his voice in emphatic approval, “That was a marvelous example of Remote Engrave Incantation, Miss Erie!” He then addressed the rest of the class, “As you just witnessed, simple Engrave Incantations can be performed in an extremely short amount of time at the hands of an experienced expert.”
Half of the students applauded her success at a Remote Engrave Incantation, an exceedingly rare ability that could only be found in a handful of people even if one scoured the entire archipelago for it. The applause arose from a mixture of feelings: envy, respect, awe, and jealousy. Erie sighed quietly, to prevent anyone from noticing how she felt.
“Okay, now I want you all to create a dancing doll while analyzing this doll’s Engrave Incantation. Please engage in the task at hand while keeping yesterday’s lecture in mind.”
Erie returned to her seat as the lecturer described the details of the assignment.
A boy with glasses sitting next to the window smiled at her. She smiled back at him and sat down.
***
“THAT Professor Navarov is trying to live it up through you,” the boy with glasses remarked, striking up a conversation with Erie after class ended and lunch break began. “He isn’t capable of using Remote Engrave Incantation either, so he wants to leave all the hard work to you, Erie.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that, Heathy.”
“I’m begging you, can you please lay off the Heathy nickname? It’s Heath. My name is Heath Coleman. Between this horrible nickname and calling that Golem ‘Ragdoll,’ you’ve got a serious case of bad naming sense,” Heath complained, running a hand through his ashen hair. His attractive face held an air of keen intelligence, but more stunning was the fierce determination glinting in the eyes hidden behind his glasses. Oddly enough, the plain black uniform was becoming of him.
“Well, not that it matters,” he concluded. “Anyways, want to have lunch?”
“Sure… It’s nice outside, let’s eat in the courtyard.”
Heath nodded to her suggestion and walked out of the classroom ahead of her. As Erie stood to follow him out, her ears caught the sound of hushed whispers.
“Did you hear that? Sounds like the great and mighty Witch doesn’t want to eat in the same classroom as us.”
“I don’t care if she’s been recognized as a prodigy since day one. Isn’t she looking down on us too much?”
“Don’t forget, she’s gloomy as hell. I was stuck as her classmate in my first year too, and I’ve never held a decent conversation with her.”
“You gotta wonder why a cutie like Heath is hangin’ around a downer like her. It’s putting his good looks to waste.”
Erie could hear their conversation and mocking laughter. She slowly looked over her shoulder. A group of girls were having a nice lunch together in the middle of the classroom.
...I must be hearing things, Erie convinced herself as she left the classroom.
***
ERIE and Heath sat next to each other on a bench in the Academy’s posh green courtyard eating sandwiches they bought at the co-op.
“It’s already spring. Almost been a year since we enrolled here, huh?” Heath commented, his eyes sweeping over the back quad’s spring scenery.
Erie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Only two more years to go ‘til graduation. It’ll probably pass us by in no time too.”
That was how Heath saw things, but to Erie, two years felt painfully long. She felt depressed when she thought of how she would have to deal with two more years of this.
Heath kept talking, saying, “What’ll you do after graduation, Erie?”
“I have no clue. I haven’t decided yet.”
“You can go anywhere and do anything with your grades, Erie. You can become a Rabba with the Church or even a researcher at the Military Golem Laboratory—”
“I don’t like Golems one bit,” Erie spoke over him, “I don’t want work with them.” She lowered her eyes to her sandwich.
“Don’t say that. Didn’t you want to become a Golem Tamer, Erie?”
Erie shook her head. Apparently, she once told him about her dream to become a Tamer long ago. But for some reason, she couldn’t remember wanting to become a Golem Tamer no matter how hard she tried.
“…I wonder why I returned to this island,” she muttered to herself. She knew that on the bench beside her, Heath wore a complicated expression that reflected his mixed feelings on the subject.
Erie left her family’s home on the mainland to move into the Academy’s dormitory exactly one year ago. But that didn’t mean she had never visited the archipelago before. She once lived on Head Island for six months when she was six years old for her father’s job.
She met Heath during that sojourn. He occasionally spoke of their time together as kids.
“You know, one day you told me, ‘Heathy, let’s make a Golem.’”
But Erie couldn’t remember. She didn’t even have a memory of why she might have said it.
“You don’t remember? Didn’t you get all hyped up about wanting to become a Golem Tamer after meeting a Rabbi who was making some kinda awesome Golem during church worship service?”
Whenever Heath spoke of her wish to become a Golem Tamer, he seemed to be referring to that specific time. Erie didn’t remember a thing about it, but from what he told her, she and Heath dreamed of becoming Golem Tamers since that day.
She vaguely recalled trying really hard to turn a tiny doll into a Golem with Heath. It never did move, but they were engrossed in trying to make it work.
Eventually, the six months passed, and the time came for her to leave the island. They both cried, not wanting to part.
“Erie! I’ll keep on studying Golems! I’ll absolutely attend that academy! So let’s meet again at the Academy of Tamers someday!”
That’s what Heath said when they parted. Erie also vowed to him, “It’s a promise!”
She at least remembered that much. That’s why she left her parents and returned to this island after nine years. And then they successfully reunited. When she saw Heath’s face at the Academy’s entrance ceremony, nostalgia and joy brought tears to her eyes.
However, several days later Erie passed out behind the dormitory.
She couldn’t remember why she’d fainted. The dorm custodian who found her on the ground seemed worried to death. Since there was no physical trauma, the incident didn’t explode into a big ordeal.
But everything changed since that day. Erie’s childhood memories became terribly vague, and in return, she’d gained the ability to use the all-powerful Remote Engrave Incantation.
She didn’t understand how it happened either. Up until then, she had been an average student, but on that day she became a different person.
Erie was the only student in the Academy’s long history to have learned Remote Engrave Incantation while enrolled. With envy and jealousy, the students around her dubbed Erie St. Rollins’ Witch.
The coveted power that didn’t match her stature created a firm wall between her and everyone else, while her obscure memories leeched away her confidence. It’s around then that Erie developed an extremely introverted personality.
Heath occasionally talked to her about their past together, but their memories often ran counter to each other. Even though they were supposed to be Erie’s memories, she found them unreliable, almost like they belonged to someone else. Trying to force herself to remember only disoriented her, muddying her mind.
Since that fateful day, Erie was submerged in the strange feeling she wasn’t who she thought she was.
“…Hey, Heathy? I…wanted to become a Golem Tamer, right?” Erie asked Heath, the sandwich still gripped tightly in her hand.
He kindly answered, “You did. That’s why you’re here right now, Erie.”
Her dream came true. She had obtained a power beyond what anyone else could even begin to dream of.
But what did that matter? Erie no longer wanted to stay at this academy.
“I…don’t want to become some Golem Tamer… I hate stupid Golems.”
Her words ran contrary to her past with Heath, rejecting him. But to the Erie in this moment, it reflected how she truly felt.
Heath didn’t say anything in response. He simply placed his hand on Erie’s lowered head.
She didn’t know what he meant by the gesture. But, if nothing else, she could feel his warmth through his palm.
***
LECTURES continued in another classroom after lunch. The next lecture was given by a middle-aged lecturer named Crank Getz. Even Erie, who normally spent her lessons staring absently outside, listened attentively to his lectures.
“…To put it simply, great risk and responsibility go hand in hand with creating life.”
Erie had heard that Getz, the man who gave lectures in his white lab coat with an inscrutable expression, had once been a top-notch Golem researcher. But he lost his position when strict regulations were placed on his field of specialty, turning him into the humble adjunct professor she knew today.
Getz operated a private medical clinic out of his home on Chest Island where he lived alone. He had a way treating everyone coldly, which made him very difficult to approach. Erie also struggled with how to interact with his aloof disposition, but she didn’t dislike his lectures.
“Golem—this term actually means something incomplete or unfinished, like an embryo.” Getz raked his hand through his gray hair as he deadpanned, “A Golem is an eternal embryo, never meant to be given life through birth. Granting life to such a thing skirts close to imitating God. But there are various rules in place that dictate how you create and tame such a being.”
Getz pulled a birdcage from underneath the lectern. A tiny clay Golem was inside the cage. “In general, a Tamer can only control one Golem at a time. Their ability to accurately control each Golem inversely correlates with the number of Golems they simultaneously tame. Incidentally, it’s impossible to transfer a named Golem over to another person… Tamers must take responsibility for the Golems they create from inception until death.”
The Golem inside the cage suddenly began to tremble as Getz spoke. Watching it, he continued, “…But immense danger is involved in creating Golems, even if you abide by all the rules. Every Golem bears one specific, great risk.”
Red Engrave Incantations emerged on the body of the caged Golem. The letters on its forehead glowed crimson as if they were on fire. Then the Golem violently threw itself against the cage in a berserk fit.
“The risk is them going berserk, and it’s a state every Golem will eventually succumb to.” Getz observed the Golem throwing punches at the cage bars and pragmatically explained, “Golems and Golem Tamers are mentally linked. Just like how an embryo and its mother are connected through the umbilical cord. Any negative or hostile intentions the Golem Tamer harbors will be passed on to the Golem. Once the concentration surpasses what the Tamer is capable of restraining—the Golem will be free from the Tamer’s control and will go berserk.”
Getz wrote an equation on the blackboard.
Golem Tamer’s Force of Will − Golem’s Accumulated Aggression = Golem’s Lifespan
Erie found the equation to be of critical importance to anyone involved with Golems. But how many people actually took it to heart?
Newspapers covered Berserker Golem-related accidents from time to time and they were never pretty. The number one accident prevention method required rigorous supervision of Golem manufacturing and repairs to shoddy Engrave Incantations by the Church’s Rabbis.
“Furthermore, the cruder the Golem created by a novice’s hand the more likely it is to go out of control. This is why it is ideal to request an official Golem from the Rabbis. Official Church manufactured Golems last a solid five years. On the other hand, Illegal Golems last a short three months on average until going berserk. The worst cases documented indicate a loss of control within three days.”
Getz relayed the harrowing facts, but there was no end in sight to the illegal Golem manufacturing occurring on Chest Island.
Why do people bring life into the world without giving it a thought? Erie’s young heart ached whenever she wondered how people could be so thoughtless with creating life.
“Berserker Golems are freed from their Restrictor and will try to kill their Tamer. And they will attack every living being that stands in their way to do it. There are only two ways to stop a Berserker Golem: destroy it or let the Tamer die.” A distant look overtook Getz’s eyes, a hint of sorrow gleaming deep within their recesses.
“…For that reason, boys and girls, you must return your Golem to dust before they go berserk. That is our responsibility as beings who can never become God.”
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Getz erased the “e” from the caged Golem’s forehead with his finger. While watching the Golem crumble, he quietly announced, “Class dismissed.”
***
CLASSES were done for the day after finishing their Golem Tamer Drills. All that was left to do was return to the dorms, but Erie wasn’t enthusiastic about it.
She could talk to Heath during school, but she had no one to talk to in the gender separated dorm buildings. Erie liked one of her upperclassmen, but she hadn’t seen her around today. Her absence made Erie feel like she had lost her place inside the girls’ dormitory.
Sighing, Erie shoved to her feet. She exited the classroom into the evening sunlit hallway and spotted Heath speaking to a lecturer.
“Hello, Professor Navarov,” Erie greeted.
The lecturer turned towards her. “Hi there, Miss Erie. Thanks for helping out during the afternoon lesson.”
The lecturer was a bearded gentleman with an amicable smile, who served as both an adjunct professor and the custodian at the Academy’s dorms. A mild-mannered, middle-aged man—that was Benny Navarov.
“You know, you’ve arrived at just the right time, Miss Erie. I was just asking Heath about this, but let me put the same question to you too.” Navarov walked over to Erie and whispered in her ear to keep anyone from overhearing, “You see, it has come to my attention that one of your upperclassmen who boards at the dorm, Miss Lovel, has gone missing… Do you know anything about this?”
“Lovel went missing?” Erie repeated loudly despite herself.
Lovel Sinclair was the most popular girl in school with her friendly demeanor and endless cheerfulness.
Erie looked up to Lovel as a role model. They had never spoken before, but Erie wished she could become as cheerful as Lovel someday. But now Lovel was missing?
“Um…well…I wouldn’t really know where Lovel might go…”
“Don’t sweat it! It’s not a big deal if you don’t know! I just thought I should try asking.” Navarov waved his hands to reassure her in an overdone fashion and finished merrily, “I’ll be on my way then. Don’t let what I told you about Miss Lovel bother you. She’s probably just ditched class. What a problematic girl, that one.” He flashed them a smile before walking away. Erie watched his back disappear down the hallway.
“Erie,” Heath said, “my committee meeting is going to go late today. You can go back to the dorm first.”
“I’ll wait for you. Let’s go back together.”
“You sure? It’s going to be really late by the time I’m done.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Heath gave a half smile and walked off to his meeting.
Unlike Erie, Heath was both smart and athletic, so he was often invited to participate in extracurricular activities. Though he turned down every invitation to join a club, he was unable to continue refusing the school committee, since they followed him around every day pestering him to join. Erie recognized his kindness as one of his strong points.
If she hung around waiting for him in the classroom, her classmates could potentially say something antagonizing to her. With that in mind, Erie decided to wait for him in the empty Golem Tamer Practical Training Room.
“…I wonder how long his meeting will take.”
Erie took a seat and stared out the window, watching students on their way home. The campus steadily emptied with their departure.
Erie dozed off on the desk without meaning to.
***
ERIE woke up feeling uneasy, with a tinge of sadness lingering from what must have been a terribly upsetting dream. How long did she sleep? By the time she came to, the room had sunken into the shadows of dusk.
O-Oh no…! His meeting must be over by now…
Heath wouldn’t know Erie had switched classrooms. Would he think she’d gone back without him when he saw she wasn’t waiting in their classroom?
I wonder if Heathy is mad at me… I’m not there when I said I’d wait for him.
Erie’s shoulders sagged with the weight of her stupid mistake as she exited the practical training room. The hallways were dark and stiller than death. Pale blue moonlight streamed inside through the windows.
I have to hurry back.
With a sense of urgency, Erie increased her pace and turned the corner. There, she saw a figure at the end of the hallway.
“Heathy?” she ventured, hoping it was him. The figure didn’t respond as they walked toward her in silence.
The shadowy figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing a boy not much older than Erie. He wore pants ripped at the knees and a black military surplus jacket. Judging by his clothing, he may have been from Chest Island.
He stopped right in front of Erie and quietly stated, “So you’re Erie Reyer.”
“Excuse me?” The stranger gave her a bit of fright knowing who she was when she didn’t know him.
With his black eyes, even blacker hair, and skin white enough to be transparent, he seemed inorganic, somehow, as if he were made of porcelain. He was easily classified as handsome, but she still didn’t recognize him in the slightest.
“Who…are you?”
“I’m Jair. I’ve come to get you.” He stared straight at Erie. “I doubt any good has come of being here. The time has come for you to toss this unpleasant world aside.”
Erie’s heart thudded in her ears. It dawned on her that she had been waiting this entire time for someone to take her away.
Jair took Erie’s hand as if he knew exactly how she felt. She followed him without thinking when he started walking. Led by his hand, Erie went down the hallway, memories of everything that had happened at school until this very moment replaying in the back of her mind.
She had easily formed the Engrave Incantations her classmates struggled to string together on countless occasions, never needing to put any thought into the act. How many lessons had it taken before she became capable of doing that? Erie became a Golem Tamer without putting in any effort, without having to fight for it, but it wasn’t as if that had brought her any joy.
She felt like she was suffocating all the time. Whenever she stared out the window, she always dreamed of the day when she could go somewhere far away from here. And now, at long last, that day had come.
They slipped out the front entrance into the schoolyard where the scenery she stared at through the window for a whole year fanned out before her eyes.
She was ready to abandon her miserable everyday life, or at least she thought she was. And yet—
What filled her heart wasn’t eager anticipation of where she was going or the sweet relief of liberation from her self-imposed prison, but the memory of a certain boy’s kind smile.
…Heathy.
She recalled the warmth of his hands.
They had spent a whole year together. Not that anything particularly special had happened beyond that. Nothing but innocent memories of their sweet time together came to mind.
She often taught Heath, who struggled with Engrave Incantations, how to form them correctly. Yet, whenever he tried to teach her how to properly shape a Golem in return, she only ever ended up with an unshapely mess that lacked any semblance to his example.
She couldn’t forget his conflicted smile when he tried to find the right words to point out her mistakes. He never failed to look at Erie for who she really was. He was always considerate of her, even though being by her side only served to ruin his reputation. His eyes were devoid of the envy and jealousy everyone else looked at her with. Erie felt like he saw her as a normal person, not the freak the others saw.
One time, they named each other’s Golems. He had laughed at her horrible naming sense. For some reason, all of those memories felt incredibly nostalgic to her now.
Erie stopped walking. “…I’m sorry. I can’t go,” she said to Jair, who questioningly eyed her over his shoulder. Gazing straight into his scowling eyes, she explained, “I promised Heathy I’d go back with him.”
Jair didn’t humor her comment with a response. After a long pause, he muttered to himself, “I guess something like this is bound to happen after a year… I was told not to make you suffer in your final moments, but it seems that’s no longer an option.”
He released Erie’s hand and took a few steps back. Then he pulled what looked like a tiny stone from his pocket and buried it in the ground at his feet.
“…What are you doing?”
Ignoring her question, he raised his voice and chanted, “…My name is Jair. In the name of the 72 gods, I give thee the name Adamah.”
What’s he doing? Is he actually performing a naming right now? But he’s using different words from the usual incantation, and there isn’t even a Prime Body around…?
In the seconds those thoughts passed through Erie’s mind, the ground suddenly glowed and ballooned. A mass of dirt took on a human shape right before her eyes.
“How…?”
Before she knew it, a Clay Golem around two meters tall was standing in front of her. She stood there dumbly, staring at it, when Jair’s icy voice rang in her ears.
“Live as one with me and return to dust with me. I order thee to kill that woman!”
The Clay Golem immediately lunged at Erie.
“AAAAH!” Erie spun on her heel like hot coal was burning her feet and ran into the school building. She fled through the hallways, nearly tripping over her feet. Her heart hammered so hard she thought it would burst from her ribcage. She didn’t know what was going on, but she had a pretty good idea about one thing.
He said he came to get me, but he actually came to kill me?! Why me?!
Heavy feet pounded the ground behind her, growing louder with every passing second. Erie knew the Golem had caught up to her. Just then, she spotted a light farther down the hall. A door had been left cracked open at the end of the hallway. It was the security guard room!
Security at the Academy was handled by a Golem Tamer. Though he was advancing in age, he was a skilled Tamer with years of experience under his belt supporting his mission to preserve peace within the Academy.
I’m sure he will save me! Erie threw the door open and dove into the security guard room.
“Mr. Security Guard, help—” The rest of Erie’s words lodged in her paralyzed throat.
Fragments of a destroyed Golem were strewn around the back of the guard room. She found the security guard in a heap on the ground surrounded by the sharp fragments. His neck was wrenched at an angle no neck should go.
Erie touched the security guard with a trembling hand. When she held him up, his head lolled in her grasp, blood spilling from his gaping mouth.
“…!” Screaming inaudibly, Erie scooted back in horror. The security guard’s body slid onto the floor and rolled over.
H-He’s dead…! How can that be?! He’s really…
Just as her body began to shake uncontrollably, she sensed something looming behind her.
Slowly turning around, she found the Clay Golem standing in the doorway, blocking her only way out. Outside the windows she could see a countless number of shadowy shapes swaying as they came closer. They weren’t human, but Golems. The number of shadows multiplied. She couldn’t escape.
“Help me…” A wisp of a voice slipped past Erie’s lips. Golems were closing in on her.
I’ll be killed too! Help me—somebody!
“HELP ME, HEATHY!” she screamed.
“ERIE!”
She heard his voice from the other side of the Golem in the doorway after she screamed his name. Her gaze swung toward his voice in disbelief. Heath rammed into the Clay Golem with his shoulder faster than it could turn around.
Spraying dirt everywhere, the Golem staggered. Without missing a beat, Heath grabbed a nearby chair and braced himself protectively in front of Erie.
“Heathy!”
“I came back when I couldn’t find you at the dorms, but what the hell is going on here?!”
He came to save her. Just like he always did.
Erie couldn’t form an answer. Her overwhelming emotions deprived her of speech.
“C’mon, Erie, now’s not the time to cry!”
“Y-You’re right… I don’t really understand what’s going on, but this Golem is…trying to k-kill me…!”
“It is?!” Tension froze the muscles in Heath’s face. In those flurried moments, the Golem rose to its feet.
“Heathy, erase the ‘e’ from that Golem! We’ll be fine if you—”
“S-Sorry, Erie,” Heath interrupted, “that doesn’t seem possible…!” His voice was taut with panic. “This Golem doesn’t have ‘emeth’ written on its forehead!”
“What?!” Shocked, Erie strained her eyes against the darkness enshrouding the room.
She didn’t realize it earlier, but sure enough, no letters were engraved on the Golem’s forehead. How was that possible when Golems couldn’t move without “emeth” engraved on their foreheads?!
Is this Golem more than just an ordinary Golem…?!
The Golem, or rather the something called Adamah, lurched closer to Erie and Heath during the confusion.
“Uraaaaaaaaah!” Heath let out a war cry to embolden himself and swung the chair down on Adamah. Adamah blocked it with his right arm and seized Heath with his left. Then he lifted Heath to the ceiling and slammed him against the ground.
“GUAAGH!”
“HEATHY!”
Erie scampered to his side and helped him off the ground. Staggering to his feet, Heath picked up the chair and challenged the Golem again.
“Stay back, Erie!” Heath shouted.
He smashed the chair into Adamah’s head, splitting his clay skull in half. But Adamah continued to move. And worse yet, his head sucked in the broken fragments of clay skull, gradually restoring the missing part.
“It regenerated?!”
“Is this some kinda sick joke?! Damn it! Break already! BREAK!” Heath brought the chair down on Adamah from the left and the right, from above and at an angle. By the tenth hit, Adamah’s upper body had been battered to pieces, and he fell over motionless at last.
Shoulders shuddering with heavy breaths, Erie and Heath stared at Adamah’s deteriorating remains in sheer terror.
“What the hell is this thing…?!” Heath sputtered
“I don’t know! It’s a Golem birthed from the ground by the person who’s trying to kill me…I think…”
By now, Adamah had reverted back to nothing more than piles of clay dirt. Heath vigilantly watched as it crumbled away until his eyes went wide at what he spotted within the remains.
“What is this?” He crouched and picked up something from the middle of the biggest dirt pile. He held up a tiny black cube about three centimeters on all sides.
“Ah…!” Erie exclaimed in recognition, “A Golem suddenly burst from the ground when he buried that thing!”
She recalled witnessing Jair burying that cube in the ground, then naming it. Judging by the fact they’d found the same cube inside Adamah’s body, it meant that—
“This thing brought the Golem to life…?!” Heath hissed. Erie took the cube from him and examined it.
It felt smooth like obsidian. “emeth” was engraved in its surface.
“Heathy, what could this possibly—”
Glass shattered behind her before she could finish her question. Erie and Heath whirled around to see another Adamah smashing its way through the window into the security guard room.
“Let’s run for it, Erie!” Heath grabbed Erie’s arm and broke into a sudden sprint. Erie shoved the cube in her pocket and matched his pace.
They exited the room into the hallway, where three large shadows were looming in the dark.
“This way!” Heath shouted, dashing for the back entrance behind them. They raced down the hallway and propelled themselves into the back quad.
Unfortunately, there were several Adamahs waiting for them, and they could make out even more ominous shapes lumbering toward them in the dark.
“J-Just how bloody many are there?!”
“Heathy, let’s escape through the rear gate!”
It was possible to leave the campus through the gate behind the old school building. Heath nodded to her suggestion and took off for it, still holding her hand.
But a figure stood in the way of their exit through the rear gate too. Jair stood there, blocking their escape.
“That’s the guy! He’s the one making the Golems!”
“He’s the one?!” Heath made to sprint for Jair. Within a second of his foot kicking off the ground, an Adamah burst from the dirt, obstructing him.
“Not again!” Erie yelped.
“Damn him!” Heath cursed.
Confronted with yet another Adamah, Heath and Erie retreated back, but behind them was blocked as well, by the legion of large shadows that were catching up to them.
Erie wildly scanned the area for a path of escape. An open door jumped out at her—the old school building’s emergency exit.
“Heathy, this way!” Erie tugged him by the hand and hurtled into the old school building.
Heath and Erie held hands as they raced through the rundown hallways of the old, retired wood building. After a short while, Heath suddenly stopped in front of a door.
“This room is…” Erie strained her eyes to read the plate above the door and made out the letters spelling, “Service Room.” Heath carefully opened the door to hide inside. Erie quietly followed him.
None of the Adamahs had reached this room as of yet.
Erie let out a tired sigh and whispered, “Heathy, this is so messed up…! How can one person keep so many Golems under control?! It shouldn’t be possible!”
“Yeah… It normally shouldn’t be possible for one person to tame more than one Golem at a time…!”
The lecture they had listened to earlier that afternoon was still fresh in their minds. It shouldn’t be physically possible for one person to tame and control so many Golems at once, with that precision.
But what other explanation was there for what they’d seen? Erie and Heath exchanged doubtful looks, but neither of them had an answer.
“…Whatever’s going on, I want a weapon,” Heath said, starting to search for one in the old service room.
The outdated service room looked like it hadn’t been used for years. Rust had formed on the iron cupboards, and the stone sink had dried out and developed cracks.
Ignoring the room’s condition, Erie joined Heath in his hunt for anything that could be used as a weapon. Eventually, her eyes caught the gleam of a sharp blade that had been stowed away in the back of a cabinet. It was a large butcher’s knife with a blade length of thirty centimeters.
“Heathy, check this out.”
Heath rushed over to her and took the knife firmly by the handle when she handed it to him. “I can fight with this…!”
His expression hardened with determination. Erie gave him a firm nod in return.
Then, out of the blue, the edges fell away from his face, replaced with a soft gentleness as he gazed at Erie. As she looked back at him dumbfounded, he whispered, “Erie, if we manage to safely escape from this mess…will you go somewhere far away with me?”
“…What?”
“Wanting to become a Golem Tamer isn’t the only reason why I came to this school, you know? I came thinking I’d get to see you, Erie.” He simpered and confessed, “I can study anywhere. I don’t think there’s anything for you to learn from here, and there’s no greater teacher out there for me than you, right?”
His voice overflowed with tender emotion, despite their present dire circumstances. Something warm bubbled inside Erie’s heart.
“Let’s do it, Heathy.” She gazed straight into his eyes and gave him a clear answer. “I realize it now. Wherever you are, Heathy, is where I’m meant to be.”
Erie simply said exactly how she felt, but she felt like hands tightly squeezed around her heart nonetheless.
Did I…just say something incredibly important without realizing it?
Her face and chest grew hot. He smiled at her and hugged her with his free hand that wasn’t gripping the butcher’s knife.
“Let’s survive and get out of here.”
She softly nodded in response.
They walked to the door together. Cautiously opening it, they peeked into the hallway to survey the situation. The area remained cloaked in stillness, the enemy nowhere in sight.
“Okay, it’s now or never.” Heath entered the hallway first. Erie followed him out and tried to step forward, when—
The wall right beside Erie creaked loudly.
“Erie!” Heath shoved her out of the way in the nick of time. A fraction of a second later, the hallway wall was bulldozed to the ground, and a massive Adamah over three meters tall wedged its way inside.
“Kill them.” They could hear Jair’s heartless voice somewhere in the darkness.
“RUN FOR IT, ERIE!” Adamah’s right hand shot out and hooked around Heath’s neck during his shout. “AGH!” Agonized moans ripped from his constricted throat.
With one hand, Adamah lifted Heath by the throat, suspending him almost high enough to reach the ceiling.
“N-No, Heathy…!”
Heath’s neck was being squeezed tighter, and Erie could do nothing to stop it. Adamah mercilessly continued his assault by driving his left fist into Heath’s side.
CRACK! The breath tore right out of Heath’s lungs in a single voiceless shriek. From inside his body came the horrifying sounds of something snapping, as if he were made of dry wood. He couldn’t make a sound even if he tried—his throat was on the verge of being crushed.
“Heathy! HEATHY!” Erie grabbed on to Adamah, but a simple sweep of his arm sent her flying.
Adamah slammed his fist into Heath’s side again, and again. Hanging him in the air by the throat, the Golem pounded and pounded, battering his broken ribcage further and further.
The sounds of bones breaking transformed into splatters—the sound of organs rupturing. Blood gushed from Heath’s mouth. The knife slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the ground.
“Er…ie…ru…n…” Heath wrung out.
“Stop… STOP IT! You can do whatever you want to me, but leave Heathy out of this! HELP HIM!” Erie screamed desperately at the darkness—at Jair, who had yet to show himself.
From somewhere she couldn’t see, a cold voice answered, “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?! Heathy isn’t who you want!”
“I was ordered to kill witnesses if necessary. His death is unavoidable in this instance.”
Something snapped inside Erie when she heard that. “I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!”
Snatching the butcher’s knife off the floor, she swung it wildly, putting the full weight of her body behind it. The blade severed Adamah’s right wrist off, freeing Heath and sending him tumbling onto the ground.
“Let’s run, Heathy!” On the verge of tears, she lent him her shoulder, and they scrambled into a run.
They ran in a frenzy and flung themselves into one of the classrooms lining the hallway. Erie warily opened a window to find a horde of Adamahs outside.
“…I think…this is…beyond what we can handle…after all…” Heath slumped onto the ground in an intense coughing fit, blood spurting from his mouth with every cough. His breathing sounded strange; his internal organs were most likely crushed. “Looks like…my wounds are…fatal… Sorry…wish I could be of more help…” He smiled weakly at her.
Erie took his hand in hers, trembling, and wailed, “I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry, Heathy! I’m so, so sorry for dragging you into this!” Tears spilled from her eyes.
He softly touched her cheek. “It’s fine…really… Because…wherever you are…Erie…is where I…belong…”
His words made her sob with reckless abandon.
They heard heavy footsteps shake the ground outside the classroom and knew death was drawing in on them. The pack of monsters was undoubtedly right outside the door.
“I wanted to leave this place with you…! I wanted to go somewhere far away with you…!” Erie’s voice echoed in the dark classroom. Heath stared at her face, and then suddenly, his eyes went wide.
“…There’s one good way…out of this,” he muttered, a deep, dark realization washing over him.
Erie furrowed her brow and stared at him in confusion. His right hand moved, taking the knife from her.
“Heathy…?”
An unshakeable resolve overtook his face. Catching the moonlight, the butcher’s knife glinted. A terrible premonition washed over Erie and hit the bottom of her stomach like an anchor.
“Heathy, don’t…!”
Heath smiled at her. “Farewell, Erie,” he whispered, bringing down the knife.
***
THE classroom door was blasted to smithereens in an explosive boom. From around Adamah’s back, Jair took a look inside. His eyes went wide.
The interior of the classroom was smeared with fresh blood. Erie sat there, motionless, the spray of blood coating her face.
Heath was lying on the floor, face up. A deep slash marred his chest. A knife lay on the floor beside him.
“Did you turn on each other…?” Jair sauntered into the room, ten-odd Adamahs following him in single file. They moved to surround Erie. “Erie, this must’ve shown you: refuse to obediently lay down your life and die, and the number of those dying in your place only increases.”
Erie stared at Heath’s corpse without answering him.
Jair sighed his words, “Kill her, Adamahs.”
The Adamahs obeyed and lurched into an attack.
Suddenly, a voice that sounded like it had been ripped from the pits of Sheol tore through the room, “…My name is Erie Reyers.”
Jair sharply inhaled. Erie went on despite him, “With truth as my witness, I give thee the name Heath.” She lifted her head and flayed Jair with a piercing glare. Tears flowed from her eyes.
Yes, I am St. Rollins’ Witch Erie Reyers. I can turn anything into a Golem. As long as it has human shape.
“Live as one with me and return to dust with me.”
She finally understood her own feelings: she wanted to be with him forever, the way they were.
“This is the only way for that to happen now,” Heath had informed her, right before he brought the knife down on his own body.
Ever so slowly, the corpse slowly rose to its feet. Jair’s eyes widened at the sight before him. There was little chance he didn’t notice it—the letters “emeth” engraved in Heath’s forehead.
“I order thee to…” Erie shouted through the tears streaming down her face, “kill them all, Heathy!”
At that command, “Heath” picked up the knife and with a crack of wood exploded from his position at a supernatural speed.
The nearest Adamah was sliced cleanly in half and crumbled. The second swung at Heath but disintegrated when the blade swung through its chest, destroying it in a single motion. The third tried to get behind Heath while the fourth lunged forward, but Heath leapt onto its arm and rocketed off with such force that the Adamah’s arm shattered. Flipping upward, Heath landed on the ceiling, rebounded, and crashed into both Adamahs. Six more charged him. Facing them, Heath began slashing his way through the army of Adamahs.
***
IN less than a minute, all the Adamahs had been returned to mere dirt.
Having successfully completed his order, Heath now stood still, nestled closely to Erie. But Jair was noticeably absent from the room. He had disappeared using the chaos of the battle as cover.
He had run away from them. Biting the inside of her cheek in irritation, Erie clenched it tightly in her hand—the tiny black cube they had found buried in an Adamah’s chest.
This is my only clue. I’ll use it to track that man down. Her mind made up, Erie turned to Heath, and left the classroom with him.
She exited the school building and stared at the scenery stretching into the distance. Heath’s murderer was somewhere on this archipelago.
“Let’s go, Heathy.”
In her eyes, Heath seemed to nod. She gazed at his face, a face that had lost all expression and the ability to express itself. He truly was the most important thing to her.
She had made his Restrictor, “Be with me forever.” It was a Restrictor meant to grant their wish.
Goodbye, school. Goodbye, dorm. Goodbye, the me from yesterday. This is the person I’ll live out the rest of my life with. Because I belong where he is.
The Church’s bells tolled in the distance. The sound resonating in her ears, Erie took Heath’s hand in hers and walked into the night with him.