Chapter 4: The Show Begins

Chapter 4:
The Show Begins

 

SATUHKIE HEARD a knock at his door and paused where he sat amid the clutter of paper that covered his desk. He spun in his chair and gave permission to enter. A moment later, Ottilie and Nekt walked into the room.

“Master Satuhkie, I have returned with Nekt, just as you requested.”

Nekt kept her hands shoved deep into her pockets and huffed in annoyance.

“I don’t think we’ve met before,” said Satuhkie, “but I remember that I came to talk to Mother a few times.”

“I guess so. As far as us members of the Children project are concerned, you’re still one of our enemies.”

“I don’t see why. Unlike the other cardinals, I’ve had no involvement with the church’s research. I’m too new an addition to trust with such matters.”

“So a newbie like you can just build a secret base right underneath the cathedral, huh? Sure, the entrance is a ways from the cathedral itself, but it’s still impressive that no one’s found it yet. I guess the base of a lighthouse is one of the darkest places at night.”

“Power is the great lubricant; with it, you encounter far less friction in doing as you please. Particularly when you’re a member of an organization as powerful as the church.”

The place they found themselves in was solely owned and operated by Satuhkie, though it was hard to deny that he pulled strings using his church connections.

“I’d best be going,” said Ottilie. “I have many other things to attend to.”

“Thank you for your help. I’ll add this to your payment later.”

“We can wait until this is all over. I’m just fighting for my sister, anyway.” With that, Ottilie left the room.

“A mercenary who has no interest in money is a difficult asset to manage.”

“You were the ones to kick her out of the military, you know.”

Nekt dropped heavily onto the sofa and arrogantly placed her feet up on the older man’s desk. She made no effort to hide her hostility toward Satuhkie, a fact that he could only grin wryly at.

“Ah, but we did no such thing. Right before the military was to be disbanded, Henriette sent Ottilie away. Once she had no one to report back to, I simply scooped her up for myself. Henriette had already guessed this was how things would play out; it’s the only reason she let Ottilie go in the first place.”

“The church knights wouldn’t just look the other way. Letting a soldier slip past the official phases of the purge just because her sister saw it coming would defeat the purpose. I guess that’s where you came in, to protect her? You’ve distracted me—let’s just accept the subject surrounding Ottilie for what it is. What I really want to know is why you had her bring me here and what this reversion core is all about.”

“Of course. In fact, that’s why I called you here.”

Satuhkie stood from his desk, grabbed a paper, and sat down directly in front of Nekt. She reached out and took the paper, giving it a quick skim.

“A core containing the inverse of Origin’s energy…a trump card against the Chimeras…huh? And I guess this is also the core that helped you resist the baptism when you became a cardinal? I suppose that’s why you don’t sound like a crazed zealot.”

“I’m relieved to see that you’ve caught on so quickly. You’ve got wits enough for me to skip beating around the bush with you. I want to use you and your siblings as test subjects for the reversion cores.”

Nekt snorted at his suggestion. “No thanks. There’s nothing in it for me.”

“I’ll make it worth your while, of course. If the test is a success, then I promise that we’ll turn you back into normal humans.”

“Well, you see…”

“Flum Apricot’s promised the same, yes? But she doesn’t have the time for such things right now, or possibly ever. We do. I doubt you’ll find a similar deal with better terms.”

Nekt clenched her jaw, anguish clear on her face. After seeing the joy Ink now knew, living the life of a normal child, she couldn’t help but covet the same for herself.

It was almost enough to quiet her suspicions about the cardinal’s actual intentions…

“I don’t know where the other Children are.”

“I’m well aware. Would your opinion of my offer change any if I said that searching for your siblings and bringing them to me was part of the deal?”

“I’m going to search for them in either case. The church knights prowling around town don’t make that any easier, though.”

It would be fair to assume Nekt had staked out the guild this long in faint hope that Flum would help if she asked. Not that she was convinced Flum could be trusted.

“Even if I do find them, I can’t say for sure if they even want to be normal humans. Without the church, they don’t have a home to go back to. They might be pretty desperate. I just don’t know.”

Satuhkie had clawed his way to one of the highest ranks within the church of Origin’s dark empire. He could never be trusted—but he did have access to the resources Nekt needed.

“You’re not going to make me look for the other Children all on my own, are you?”

“Of course not. I’m fully prepared to provide you with whatever resources you need, whether it’s Ottilie, soldiers, or something else.”

“Well, I remember Ottilie said she was busy…but sure. In that case, I’m in. I can’t guarantee the other Children can be convinced to take part in the experiment. Deal?”

“I have no intention of pressuring them. I accept your terms. Doctor Chatani!” Satuhkie leaned toward one of the walls and called out.

Nekt looked in the same direction and cocked her head to the side in confusion.

When Ottilie had first broached the reversion core to her a short while ago, she’d mentioned they were made by someone named Doctor Chatani. What kind of person was this doctor?

(Considering the unique properties of the core, Flum could very well be involved…but why’s he talking to a wall?)

Just as Nekt began to ponder over the question, the semi-translucent head of a man slid through the wall as if in response.

“A g-g-ghost?!”

Much to Nekt’s surprise, a scruffy-bearded man with black hair slowly climbed out of the wall, slid his hands into his lab coat, and made his way to Satuhkie’s side.

“I believe introductions are in order. This here is Doctor Chatani. He is a duplicate of the man known as Chatani, who lived in the days prior to the downfall of the old civilization.”

“Greetings. I am the ancient known as Chatani, from the year 2198. Pleased to meet you.”

Nekt unconsciously brought her hands to her head as she tried to understand what was being explained to her.

 

***

 

The church knights were housed in barracks right directly behind the cathedral. In Commander Huyghe’s quarters, two decapitated heads lay discarded in the corner—a result of the recent purge conducted after receiving the report that his men failed to capture Nekt and Mother.

Rischel cackled at the all-too-familiar sight as Bart quaked in his boots.

“I’m telling ya, Gramps, there’s no reason to get so worked up. Besides, these two were ex-royal army anyway.”

Huyghe casually slid his sword back into his sheath.

“You’re not wrong, Rischel, but I can’t let anyone else get off scot-free either. Next time, it’ll be one of our own.” He spoke in a calm, measured tone. His position necessitated a certain basic callousness. “I guess there isn’t much that you could do about it if you were interrupted by Henriette’s loyal mutt and the hero. Anyway, preparations for the floating city are progressing well. We will be focusing our efforts on that from now on.”

“And just let the Children run free?? Who knows how many citizens of the capital may end up dead at their hands!”

“And what’s the problem?”

Huyghe cocked his head to the side and fixed Bart with a firm, unwavering stare. Though it was clear that he was neither hostile nor angry, Bart still felt a cold chill run through his body and found himself immediately at a loss for words.

“We are the soldiers of Origin, not the people’s army. We live and die for Origin. In fact, perhaps we should be happy for those citizens lucky enough to lose their lives for our cause; wittingly or not, they serve as we do. What do you think, Bart?”

“I, uh, I mean…well, I-I-I agree, sir!”

Huyghe’s gaze refused to waver, though it was otherwise impossible to gauge his reaction. The fact that he didn’t kill Bart, however, was a satisfying enough answer for him.

“Hey, Commander, what’re we going to do about the other ones?” said Rischel. “They seemed totally fine after the baptism. Didn’t even flinch when we put down their subordinates. I guess they’re completely broken now, huh?”

“Henriette and Herrmann? Leave those husks be. I’ll find a use for them in due time.”

“Gotcha. And Werner, too? I think Echidna brought him back.”

“He’s always been Echidna’s little pet. Just leave him be. We need only focus our efforts on killing the demons and releasing Origin. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Huyghe stood up from his chair and stepped out of the room, followed shortly thereafter by Rischel. Bart stood alone in the room with the two severed heads, blood still oozing from the fresh wounds.

He dropped to his knees, overcome with worry. “What happened to our beloved country? I didn’t become a lieutenant commander for this!”

He was too afraid to put his own life on the line by defying Huyghe, even if he knew by now that the entire organization was run by madmen.

 

***

 

Flum and Gadhio’s first day of searching for the Children yielded nothing. They found several places around the capital where fighting had recently broken out but no hints as to where the combatants may have gone. If a young child in the capital wanted to disappear into a crowd, they tended to stay disappeared.

As night fell on the city, they returned to the West District guild to exchange information before parting ways. The next morning, Flum and Milkit roused and left the house earlier than usual. When they opened the postbox, Flum found another letter waiting for her.

“Two days in a row. This is beginning to seem a lot less like a simple prank.” She unfolded the paper and found a familiar message: “Three days remain.”

Unlike last time, however, there was more.

“‘We hold fast as we march toward our goal, chopping away branches without worry.’ …?”

“What the heck’s that about?” A man called out from right behind Flum, a curious grin plastered to his face.

“Waugh!!” Flum stumbled forward in surprise, sending the letter flying out of her hand and falling to the ground.

The man picked up the paper and quickly skimmed the message.

“Linus!”

“Sorry for scaring you like that, Flum. I just was really curious about what caught your attention.”

“Nice to see you again, Linus. But what brings you here so early?”

“I just wanted to make sure this was really where you were living, is all. I wasn’t figuring I’d happen to run into you. Between the fancy house and the threatening letters, I’d say a lot’s happened since we last spoke. Mind sharing?”

“Let’s head inside at least. No sense standing around catching up like this.” Flum gestured toward the house’s entrance.

“Far be it from me to turn down the offer. But…one thing first.” Linus stopped where he stood and slowly knelt down on the ground before leaning forward to press his hands and then his forehead on the paving stones below.

“Wh-whoa, what are you doing all of a sudden??”

“I’m so, so sorry!” Linus poured all the embarrassment and regret he felt for his foolishness into the apology.

“If you’re apologizing for me being sold off as a slave, you really had nothing to do with that.”

“I can’t let all the blame fall to Jean. I…I was rather cold to you too, Flum. I even self-righteously told myself that it was for the better, for your benefit even, that you return home.”

It was a shock to hear him say that to her face, but Flum couldn’t deny the fact that she’d been little more than deadweight back when all her stats were stuck at zero, before she’d discovered the usefulness of cursed equipment.

“I’m sure my thoughts showed in how I treated you, no? That’s why I kept putting pressure on you. It’s pretty pathetic that I could have done all that without even noticing it. Anyway, that’s why I had to apologize before I could accept your offer to join you in your home.”

Flum never really considered whether or not to forgive Linus. Jean, of course, she hated from the depths of her soul, but that was because he went out of his way to make her suffer.

“Well,” she said, “I never really knew anyone around your age back in my hometown.”

“Huh? Um…oh. I see…”

“It was easier for me to maintain my distance with much older people like Gadhio, but for young and distinguished people like you and Jean, well…”

“No need to gift him with such formal stuff. ‘Scum-sucker’ would work just as well.”

“It was a lot harder to communicate with the scum-sucker because of the age gap between us.”

Flum surprised even herself by how easily she reverted to such language. Putting that aside, however, she’d pretty much just summed up the majority of her difficulties in dealing with Linus.

“I mean, you were a man, tall, older… It was all just kind of…different. So I don’t think it’s necessary for you to apologize, or for me to forgive you. You say that you were cold to me, but honestly, I never noticed.”

“Well, I guess the apology is just to make myself feel better then. Sorry for the hassle.”

“No, no, not at all. I’m happy that you’d go out of your way for me. But anyway, let’s head inside.”

 

***

 

Flum called everyone in the house to gather in the living room. Milkit was already awake when she heard Flum call her name, though Eterna and Ink were still dressed in their pajamas and rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they stumbled downstairs.

“W-well, hey, it’s been awhile.” Linus gave Eterna a hesitant greeting as he saw her stumble into the room.

“Yeah, it has.” Her voice was locked into a distant monotone.

However, it wasn’t just the sight of Eterna that caught Linus off guard. The sheer variety in Flum’s housemates—the maid with the bandaged face, the little girl with her eyes sewn shut—astonished him.

“Hey, uh, Flum. Who are all these people?”

The question came out of Linus’s mouth before his brain had a chance to catch up. Flum herself wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Well, Milkit here is my partner. We met when I was sold.”

Milkit bowed her head from her seat next to Flum.

“So she’s a slave too, then? I guess it’s best to not ask what’s under those bandages.”

“My face was deformed by an old master’s poison. I have Master to thank for my recovery.”

“Huh? Then why leave the bandages on?”

“Only Master, the one who saved me, is allowed to see my face.” Milkit’s tone was a mixture of embarrassment and pride.

Linus smiled and turned to Flum. “So, uh…what exactly is the relationship between you two?”

“We live together and help keep each other going, really. I don’t see a problem with that, do you?”

“Not a problem, no. I guess you’re like…teammates?” He still didn’t quite understand but figured it best to not think too hard about it. “And that little one over there?”

Eterna responded before Flum had a chance. “This is Ink, my patient…and friend. That’s why she lives here with me.”

Ink, clearly still tired, swayed back and forth in her chair as if she were on a boat bobbing in the ocean.

“I guess it’s fair to say you guys have been pretty busy, too.”

“That sounds like a roundabout way of saying the same about yourself.”

“That’s what brings me here. Cyrill’s missing.”

“Wait, really? Cyrill? It can’t be…”

Flum was obviously taken by surprise at this revelation, but it didn’t take long until she reached the obvious conclusion.

“Did…did someone tell Cyrill about what happened to me?”

It had been rough going for a while, but now Flum felt she could understand the grief Cyrill had to be experiencing. After all, the time they’d spend together had proved to her that Cyrill was just a sixteen-year-old girl. The power of a hero, the expectations of her comrades, and her own sense of duty weighed on her heart.

And as she slowly began to bow under the pressure, in came Jean to offer his own sinister thoughts. Borrowing some of his sense of superiority probably did help alleviate a few of Cyrill’s anxieties at the time.

But alas, powerful medicines came with side effects of their own.

Once Flum had left the party, Cyrill was racked with a sense of guilt. Learning Flum’s real fate was her inevitable breaking point.

“I really should have been more careful. I figured we’d have to tell her someday, but I didn’t think she’d overhear me arguing with Jean. I’m so, so sorry Flum. This is all my fault.”

“Jean’s the real bad actor here. There’s nothing for you to feel bad about, Linus. But what was this argument you…”

“Oh, that narcissist’s never going to repent for his actions. If heaven and earth overturned themselves to prove him wrong, he wouldn’t be convinced. He may be smart, but he’s little more than a child in a man’s body.”

“If he were only a little more self-aware, perhaps none of this would have even happened to Master.”

“Exactly. Though there’s no way you’d ever be able to drag an apology out of him.”

“I wasn’t exactly expecting one, so that’s not a problem. Cyrill’s my real concern. There’s a lot going on in the capital right now, and she could get swept up in it if somebody doesn’t help her.”

A look of sadness washed over Flum’s face at the thought of Cyrill suffering out there alone. She wanted to be Cyrill’s rock, as Cyrill was for her once. Cyrill was still an immensely important person to her.

“A lot going on, yeah? If you don’t mind, could you tell me what? I’ve dug around, but I can’t help but feel like I’m missing something huge.”

Flum could hardly hope for a greater ally in their battle against the church. She was more than happy to summarize what came to pass in his absence.

“Wow, Flum…I’ve missed out on a lot more than I thought.” Linus sounded impressed. “I’m amazed you went through all that and came out alive.”

Flum laughed wryly.

“So the very same church that’s been pulling the old party’s strings assimilated the kingdom in all but name. Now hardly seems like the time to concern ourselves with slaying the Demon Lord.”

“The Demon Lord may actually be an ally.”

“Neigass even saved our friend Sara,” said Milkit.

“Neigass? You mean the Demon Chief? Helping a human in need? So does that mean that all of our fighting was for nothing?”

“Not as the church sees it.”

“Gah, I feel like the world’s biggest sap. What a bunch of scoundrels those church types are.” Linus slouched a little in his seat, soaking in the revelation for a moment before he snapped back to attention, newly animated as the pieces of Flum’s account slotted into place with his own. “I think I ran across one of those Children yesterday.”

“Where??

Flum instantly latched on to this new information. Her reaction was so strong that it caught Linus completely off guard.

“Uh, right here in the West District, actually. There was this really big woman…I think…who had been attacked by some church knights. I ran ’em off, and this chunky little kid with green hair showed up out of nowhere.”

“Chunky…that must be Fwiss.”

Ink nodded in agreement with Flum’s assessment.

“Master, do you think that large woman may have been Mother?”

“Does she have something to do with the church?”

“Yes, Mother was the head of the Children project. And is actually a man, by the way.”

“What? No way. I would have stopped him if I knew.”

Though Linus may have felt bad about it, in his defense, he didn’t even know about Origin cores at that time.

“It’s good enough just knowing that they’re still here. Thanks, Linus.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But now that I know that the church knights have free rein of the capital and will kill anyone they please, I’m going to have a hard time turning a blind eye to that kind of abuse.”

Linus’s gaze was filled with determination. He may look like a flippant and glib young man, but nothing could be further from the truth.

“Listen, Flum, I want to join the fight against the Children and the spiral creatures. It’d be pretty tacky for me to stretch out on the lush grass of the castle grounds while a little girl like yourself keeps putting her life on the line.”

Flum beamed. “I’d be honored to have you by my side!”

But though Linus’s tone was positive and cheerful, the same couldn’t be said for his expression. And that was because of the spiral creatures.

When he first heard mention of these creatures with the gyrating muscles covering their face, Maria instantly came to mind.

 

***

 

The day before, Linus slipped free of the castle, draping a nearby robe over Maria and taking her with him. He had already disabled the majority of the guards on his way in; leaving had presented little challenge. They also knew it would only be a matter of time until the church knights came after them, so Linus decided to take Maria to one of the safe houses he had set up around the capital.

“Sorry about the dank smell.”

“I’m impressed. How many places like this do you have?” She tried to keep her face as covered up as she could while she scanned the room curiously.

The walls were festooned with blades and Linus’s best bow; the shelves were filled with food, quivers, and explosives.

“I share it with some friends now and again. I’ve been slowly moving away from life as an adventurer, so I haven’t had as much of a chance to use it. So, anyway, where did…I put…that…aha!”

He fished around in a basket, pulling something out and holding it high up in the air.

“A mask?”

“Well, I figured it would give you a way to cover your face. Not keen on the design?”

“No, no. I appreciate it. But why did you have a mask here in the first place?” Maria took the mask and affixed it to her face.

“I’ve got a lot of friends from complicated backgrounds. Some do jobs they don’t want their names and faces attached to.”

“And you as well?”

“I don’t, no. I could hardly work in the gray sector the way I get paraded around these days.”

Maria giggled. “I guess you’re just so cool you can’t help being seen.”

“Whoa, hey. I’m just going to tell you now, I’m weak to flattery. I’m liable to ham it up.”

“Then ham away. I enjoy seeing you like that.”

“Ooooff! You’ve done me in, Maria!” Linus dropped to his knees and rolled to his side on the floor.

Maria laughed at the sight. It was a true, honest laugh, straight from the heart. The two spent the night together before Linus left through the front door in the morning, leaving Maria waiting for his return.

 

***

 

Linus enjoyed their time together; their gentle, mutual teasing eased the darkness surrounding them both. But Maria never once brought up the Origin core or the church with him.

I guess she still isn’t ready to talk about it with me.

From what he could tell, she never lied to him. His best guess was that she was doing all she could to avoid confronting the reality of her situation.

But with Flum and the others facing off against the church like this, it’ll only be a matter of time. What’ll we do about Maria then? I mean, I just can’t…

Eterna suddenly interrupted Linus’s silence. “I’d like you to tell us what you know about the church.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything at the moment.”

“At the moment?”

“What I mean is that if I think about it some more, I might come up with something about how they work.”

Flum interrupted, her voice a mere whisper. “…Linus?”

He may have come up with a reasonable-enough excuse, but she had picked up on the uncertainty in his gaze. She felt like he was hiding something, but whatever it was, it wasn’t with malicious intent. He would probably tell them in due time. She wouldn’t have minded if she had longer.

She tried to figure out what connection Linus would have to the church.

“What’s going on with Maria?”

“Maria? Hard to say. She’s gone off somewhere.”

“And you didn’t go see her?

“I was too busy searching for Cyrill. From what you told me, I’m getting a little bit worried about her, so I might need to change tack, maybe see if I can turn her up. Is there anything you’d like me to ask?”

Recognizing Flum’s angle, Linus chose not to lie. There was nothing in his behavior or in the movement of his eyes to suggest that he was nervous, just like Maria, it wasn’t like he’d told Flum anything untrue. His tone, however, let slip that he was confident he could see her any time.

“To be honest, Linus, I have serious suspicions about Maria.”

The corner of Linus’s eye twitched. It was a nearly imperceptible movement, but it was clear to Flum that she’d stumbled across something important.

“I mean,” he said, “that’s only natural, considering that she was the only member of the church on our journey.”

“If we have to fight the church, then the time may come when we need to fight Maria.”

“That won’t happen.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I want to believe in her. Or, hell, that’s not right; I do believe in her, no matter what may be thrown our way. She hasn’t lied to me yet—of that much I’m sure.”

“That’s no proof. What if she were some kind of evil witch—then what?”

“Maybe she is, Eterna. But I have faith in my ability to see into a woman’s heart, and I can say with confidence that she’s no witch.”

In short, he had no incontrovertible evidence.

Listening to his conviction in the face of uncertainty, Milkit finally broke her silence to speak up. “…So you’re in love then?”

Flum and Eterna tensed up in surprise. Linus just puffed out his chest. He didn’t miss a beat.

“Yes, I love her.”

“I see…” Milkit nodded once and looked down at the ground, as if lost in thought about her and Flum’s relationship.

There was something about Linus’s answer that concerned Flum.

“Hmm…”

“Still not convinced, Flum?”

“I’ve seen too many people die in the worst ways in Origin’s name. Maybe you’ll be fine, but I’m still worried that Maria might be killed.”

“That won’t happen. Not with me watching out for her.”

“Listen, Flum,” said Eterna, “I don’t think continuing this line of discussion will get us anywhere. Linus has made up his mind.”

She was right. Flum had little choice but to let the issue drop.

“Besides, it’s not like we can see Maria anyway.”

“That’s true. Listen, Linus, if you happen to go to the cathedral to see her, please keep your wits about you. Even if Maria is still on our side, we can’t say the same for other members of the church.”

“I appreciate your concern. Fortunately, I’m good at running away, so if anyone does come after me, I’m confident I can make it out of there alive. Anyway, I think it’s about time for me to be on my way. Sorry for the early visit.” Linus stood from his chair and left.

It was only after his footsteps could no longer be heard that Ink finally spoke up. “That Linus person sure is confident.”

“Love makes you blind…though I hope that’s not the case here. We don’t have a lot of extra time or resources to expend, so we’ll just have to leave Maria up to him while we look for Cyrill and the Children.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Not only were the Children running free throughout the capital but so were the church knights, Cyrill, Linus, and Maria. There were so many fires to put out all at once. They were standing in a minefield; it was no wonder Flum felt anxious.

“I want to start looking right away. Eterna, please keep an eye on Milkit and Ink for me.”

She felt like she’d be crushed by her unease if she didn’t start moving. Flum ruffled Milkit’s hair, said her goodbyes, and left the room. At least she could feel secure knowing that Eterna would keep things safe back at home.

 

***

 

Flum ran into Gadhio shortly after leaving the house. His black coat flapped in the wind as he ran straight toward her.

“Oh, Gadhio! Did you see Linus?”

“Looks like I just missed him. I was hoping to catch up, but now’s hardly the time for that. A ‘contorted body’ was discovered in the East District.”

“Do you think it’s…??”

“The work of the Spiral Children. They’ve started moving again, apparently.”

This was the first explosion she’d been worrying about, though it wasn’t a full-blown fire yet.

Flum and Gadhio made their way toward the East District.

 

***

 

They finally arrived at a small, derelict backstreet in the East District.

A small crowd was still gathered around to gawk at the scene, even though the church knights already disposed of the better part of the remains. The copious blood coating the walls and floor, however, hinted at how hideous the scene had been.

“What should we do? The guards moved on this a lot faster than I thought they would.”

“I’ll talk with the crowd and the owners of the neighboring houses. You go and talk to some of the people passing by, okay?”

Flum nodded firmly and left Gadhio behind, making her way to the main street. Unfortunately, the grisly scene had attracted everyone that it was going to; everyone else was eager to be somewhere else. With few other options, Flum chose to scope out a nearby park for witnesses.

The East District was home to many of the capital’s wealthiest citizens, so it was little surprise that the park was filled with spectacular play equipment, well-maintained flowerbeds, and fountains. Even the woman sitting on a park bench, watching her child play, looked regal. Flum was a bit nervous to speak to someone from such a different world, but it had to be done.

“Umm…d-do you have a moment to speak?”

No reply.

The motherly grin stayed plastered to her face as she watched her child play, completely ignoring Flum’s presence.

“Excuse me, c-can I talk with you?”

To go to such lengths to ignore her…it was likely the woman wouldn’t stoop so low as to speak to a slave. Figuring it was useless to press on, Flum decided to find someone else to question.

Just as she started to walk, she heard a squishing sound coming from behind her.

“Huh?”

Flum turned around only to find that the woman had ripped open her own arm and was losing large quantities of blood right before her eyes. She didn’t appear to be in pain. She continued to peacefully watch the child play, occasionally reaching back down to tear chunks off her arm.

As her body drained itself of its blood, the woman took on a pale, waxy look. Her movements began to slow, and finally, she slumped over on the bench and died. The smile never left her face.

“Wh-what was that…”

The child watched on from the swings as his mother died, making no move to interrupt his play. Upon reaching the top of his swing, he let go of the chains and flew through the air before smashing head first into the ground and breaking his neck.

As Flum cast her eyes around the park, she witnessed multiple people in the act of committing suicide through a variety of means. Another child grabbed the sides of his head and managed to snap his own neck. An onlooker pressed his thumbs against his temples and began to twist back and forth as he applied pressure.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaugh!!”

He drove his thumbs through his skull, pulpy gray matter trickling through the gaps.

Flum stood by, watching helplessly as a wave of senseless suicides rolled past her in every direction. There was no doubt in her mind that the Spiral Children were behind this, but that certainty was poor comfort. There was nothing she could do to stop the tragic display. She was at a complete loss for words.