Chapter 9: Outbreak

Chapter 9:
Outbreak

 

CYRILL PRESSED HER FACE tight against her knees and sobbed. She was all alone. There was nowhere in this world that she could call her own. The sound of approaching footsteps broke her from her fugue, and she slowly turned to look in their direction. Would it be a friend or foe?

She already knew the answer to that question, of course, but this figure, whom she was obliged to consider an enemy, never treated her as such. After she lost consciousness the day before, Cyrill awakened to find herself in this secluded cabin. She wasn’t restrained; Mute was sitting by her side. Realizing the fear in Cyrill’s eyes, Mute went on to explain in her usual arrested fashion. She told her about the Children. About Origin. About what they really were.

It wasn’t long before Cyrill realized that her journey wasn’t really about slaying the Demon Lord at all. She had been manipulated by Origin into carrying out his will the whole time.

Now that she knew what that spiral of muscle and flesh on Mute’s face really was, her fear diminished slightly. It did little for how she felt about Mute’s mass murder spree. Mute knew this, but it didn’t change her attitude toward Cyrill.

Night approached.

“This one…is our biggest…job. I’ll be back.”

With that, she left the cabin.

Cyrill wanted to ask what she meant, but she was too afraid to. She was caught in a moment of change. A moment in which she couldn’t give anything her all, in which she was always hurting but would never break. She longed for the strength to push herself in one direction or another—to choose to either give up or recover.

She would do neither yet.

What she feared most was not abominations or strange powers, but how Mute could distance herself from everything and follow her own path with such righteous conviction.

“But…why did Mute help me?”

Did Origin order her to? It didn’t seem like it. Mute and the other Children acted on their own. Did she want something from Cyrill? Was she expecting something from her?

The questions ran through her mind unanswered until Mute finally returned.

“Cyrill, we must go.” She reached her hand out for Cyrill’s.

A look of hesitation crossed Cyrill’s face for a moment, but she pushed those feelings aside and grasped the outstretched hand. Even if she had refused, she got the sense that Mute would have waited for her until she came along anyway.

She didn’t comprehend why, but she was strangely, baselessly confident.

She stood up, and the two hurried out of the cabin together.

“Where are we going?”

Though she received no reply in return, a look of sadness washed over Mute’s face as she pressed forward.

Cyrill could hear screams and shouts of anger coming from the town square at the foot of the castle.

“How long will we keep running?” Cyrill raised her voice this time as fear took hold.

Still no answer. The clamor she’d heard earlier dwindled until she could barely make it out. Maybe so many people died that there weren’t that many left to scream.

Mute finally stopped, and Cyrill tried asking for a third time. “Why did we stop here?”

“…Cyrill.” Mute refused to face Cyrill as she spoke.

“Do you…know why I…brought you…with me?”

“I don’t know anything anymore. You’re angry that you were betrayed, and now you have nowhere left to call home, so you’re trying to leave some proof that you exist. I understand that much. I don’t get why you have to kill people.”

Though their values were worlds apart, Mute still seemed satisfied with this answer, replying with a firm nod.

“Yes. That’s why.”

“That’s why?”

“I will…die. Die…for Mother. Die…to leave my mark. But…the creature inside me…will live. The human me…will go away. I want someone…to remember me. I don’t want…to be a monster. I want…human feelings.”

“I really don’t want to get involved in all this.”

“Sorry. But you…won’t run. Nice. Strong. I’m glad…it’s you.”

The only reason she didn’t run was because she had nowhere to run to. It was hard to feel proud when your cowardice was praised as kindness. But whatever Cyrill was thinking was of little consequence to Mute. Ultimately, she would be there at Mute’s side until the end to offer her the “salvation” she sought.

“I have…nothing to give. I’m…an empty…shell. But I…want to…give you something. That’s why…I showed you.”

Cyrill gritted her teeth as the young girl worked her way through her words. It turned her stomach to be made to watch senseless slaughter just for the sake of proving someone had lived.

“You’re just trying to excuse what you’ve done!”

“That’s…all we can do. We aren’t human. We were born to kill. That’s all.”

“Even so…!”

“I’m thankful…to Mother. For giving…us power. Listening…to us. But this world…is far too small.”

The Spiral Children had spent their entire lives living in a walled garden. The five children lived in a contained world, set on predetermined paths from which they couldn’t stray.

However, Mute found the inhuman power lurking within her as a source of pride. That was why she couldn’t see Ink as a sister. She was, after all, a failed experiment from the first generation. Since Ink was able to live a normal human life, that made her something different.

These Children had great power within them. This same fact also meant that they couldn’t, and wouldn’t, back down. The second generation had their own shortcomings; their replacement by the third generation was an inevitability. Once they had Mother’s interest in full, the second generation would be slated for disposal. The church already saw them as a vestigial thing meant to be pared away.

Unlike Ink, they would never find a place to land.

The way they saw it, it was their time to play out their role in the script and die. As children of Origin, a swift and easy death seemed fitting.

But Mute still clung to her identity as a human. She wanted to repay Mother for raising them all these years. One way or another, she shared her siblings’ desire to be remembered—but in her case, it was not as a weapon or as a human, but as both.

“Cyrill…is different. You can…do many things. Help…and save others. So much more.”

“You expect too much from me. I’m no hero. I can’t even do anything that…’”

Mute clasped her hands around Cyrill’s and brought it to her chest. She smiled at the touch. “You’re alive. You have a heart. It beats. As long as you have that…you have potential.”

Mute had no such heartbeat. No sign of life.

For the first time since they’d first met, Cyrill looked deeply into Mute’s face. Finally, she understood.

She’d thought this whole time that their outlooks diverged purely because one was a monster and the other a human. It was natural they wouldn’t see eye to eye. And yet, they were racked by the same concerns. In reality, their only difference was…

“But then…why…don’t I…do what…I want?”

One had a future, while the other did not.

“I’m…finished. But Cyrill…you’re different.”

The words struck deep. Mute was stuck wandering down a dead-end street, but Cyrill still had the ability to choose her own path. It was a luxury she never realized she had. She was swept up in the chaos around her, failed to be the hero people wanted, and took that as reason enough to abandon her duties and flee. This eight-year-old girl standing in front of her didn’t even have that option.

“I…”

Of course, the suffering of one didn’t automatically inspire others. Someone choosing to take the easy path in life didn’t necessarily deserve to be criticized for it.

But there was just one answer that she could give.

However…

“Watch out!” Cyrill sensed something with murderous intent closing in on them fast and knocked Mute to the ground before an arrow whistled right over their heads.

“Cyrill, what was…”

“Linus. Run!!”

“No. I’ll…fight.”

“Wait!”

“I know. There was so much…commotion. I…can’t run. So…this is my stand.”

“Wait, you planned this all along??”

With the mess she’d made, there was no way anyone would ever forget Mute now. She already told Cyrill everything she meant to say. That meant that there was nothing to fear and nothing left to do but die. Mute slid her hand into her pocket and ran her fingers over the cold, round jewel inside.

“Get outta here, Cyrill!!” Linus closed in on them and launched another volley.

Cyrill wrapped her arms tightly around Mute and dove out of the way of the incoming arrows. “Cyrill…let me go. You…can’t do this. I’m a…murderer. Creature. Monster. I’ll just…hold you back.”

“Maybe so, but I… I…!”

She knew what Mute was and how stupid it was to protect her from Linus just because of a sudden bout of indecision. Stupid, sure, but now that she finally felt something again, she couldn’t turn her back on Mute, regardless of whether she wanted help or not.

“Maybe you’re a monster; maybe there is no other path for you to take. But I can’t just stand by and let you throw your life away!”

“Cyrill! What’re you doing protecting her?!”

Linus gave chase in spite of his confusion. He and Cyrill might have both been heroes in their own right, but speed was on his side; he closed in on Cyrill as they ran through the narrow streets. The buildings were so tightly packed that there was nowhere else to run.

Cyrill debated whether she should draw her sword or not when Mute finally spoke again.

She squeezed Cyrill’s hand tightly in hers and pleaded with her to stop. “It’s fine. Done. I’m…okay.”

There was something in Cyrill’s moral code that wouldn’t let her give up on this girl.

“Judgment…!”

A massive sword of light bore down on them from up ahead. Its light illuminated the darkened street. Cyrill swerved; the blow hit her square-on, but she managed to only suffer a light burn to her shoulder.

She lost her grip for a moment, which Mute took advantage of to push back into Cyrill, sending them both crashing into the ground.

A masked woman stood in their path. She ran her hands together and summoned a spear of light out of thin air.

“Sacred Lance!” Bringing her arms down, the spear of light shot straight at where Mute lay prone on the ground.

“Mute!”

“Aah…gaauh!”

The magical spear hit her leg, lighting the flesh ablaze. The wound twisted and churned until it sealed into a spiral.

“Be careful, Maria! We don’t want to drag Cyrill into this!”

“Hmm, but we probably won’t be able to stop the Child if we don’t.”

“You’re probably right…”

All Maria asked for was one day alone with Linus. Now that Linus made good on his promise, they’d moved on to searching for Cyrill and the Children.

Just as they noticed the crowd gathering in the town square, Linus and Maria picked up on something strange: There was a young girl dressed in a robe walking through the crowd, touching the adventurers and other commoners in the crowd. Moments later, each person the robed figure touched began to act strangely.

Linus had shot his first arrow at Mute after he determined that she was the likely culprit for what was going on in the town square.

“Maria, you’re…!”

Knowing what already happened to Maria, Cyrill wasted no time drawing her sword. She fixed her with a steely glare.

Seeing Cyrill show such hostility threw Linus into a state of shock. “Whoa, h-hold up, Cyrill! We’re not your enemies!”

“She tried to give me a core and use me like some kind of puppet!”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Did Mute mess with your mind??”

“No, Linus…” Maria looked surprisingly calm. “It’s true. I tried to turn Cyrill into a creature like me in pursuit of my own dreams.”

“No way…that can’t be. Why didn’t you tell me something like that?!”

“I…I figured that you’d hate me if you saw my darker side.”

Linus let out an anguished yell. Here he had thought that Maria trusted him implicitly.

What the hell does love even mean, then? She still hasn’t opened her heart to me!

He came to Maria’s side, hoping against hope that she would finally trust him. Somehow, he knew that what she needed right now was warmth and kindness.

“And not just Cyrill, either. I gave a core to Jean.”

“So that’s why Jean acted that way…”

Linus recalled the tirade Jean went on about Maria. So even he had a reason for his outburst.

“Now just wait a second. Even if you did do that, that doesn’t explain why Cyrill’s protecting that girl!”

Of course, Cyrill already knew that. Mute had committed so many atrocities that her death was assured. She was even prepared to face it.

“But…”

Did Maria really have the right to judge Mute?

“You…you can’t be trusted! Hyaaaaah!” Cyrill launched toward Maria.

It was impossible to gauge Maria’s reaction through her mask, but she seemed calm as she summoned up a thicket of luminous daggers, ready to launch them at Cyrill. She was fully prepared to kill her former comrade.

She’d already steeled herself for this eventuality.

“Cyrill…” Mute bit down hard on her lip.

A bright flash of light erupted as the two young women crossed blades in a shower of sparks. Mute ducked past them and started to run.

“What in the hell is going on here?! Hey, wait!!”

Maria, Cyrill, Mute… Linus just couldn’t wrap his mind around any of this. But there was one thing that was clear: Mute could not be allowed to escape. After a brief, agonizing moment of indecision, he took off after her.

“You two better tell me what’s going on when I get back!”

His voice was only barely audible above the clashing of steel and magic.

 

***

 

A hellish scene was waiting in the town square for Flum, Gadhio, and Eterna. There was nowhere left to stand; the flagstones were choked with ruined bodies and bodies creating ruin. The scent of blood was so thick that it made Flum gag.

Standing among the corpses were the handful that were still intact enough to kill. They were men and women of all ages, dressed for every walk of life the capital knew, brutalizing the living and the dead with adventurers’ arms, naked fists, bared teeth. What they did have in common were their blank, expressionless faces.

“Oh, my…”

Flum and Eterna scowled at the horrific scene.

“It looks like a mix of adventurers and normal people, but…”

Flum quickly cast Scan.

 

Ogis Cliarde

Affinity: Light

Strength: 4,871

Magic: 4,219

Endurance: 5,783

Agility: 5,236

Perception: 4,091

 

One down.

 

Ogis Cliarde

Affinity: Light

 

The second one.

 

Ogis Cliarde

 

And a third…

The fourth, fifth, and sixth person all had the same name, same affinity, and same stats.

“We’re too late. Mute already got to them!” Which went without saying, but Flum couldn’t stop herself from snarling in annoyance.

There were at least several dozen people in the town square, and all of them were S-Rank adventurer class. If even a single S-Rank individual was present in the mix, then it would boost all of the people to the same level once connected. If an adventurer with a high strength stat was combined with another with a high magic stat, this would result in a new person who had both stats boosted.

Adventurers, commoners, young, old, man, woman…none of it mattered. They were all on the level of an S-Rank now.

“Looks like the church knights aren’t here.” Gadhio glanced around the scene. The only clergypeople he noticed were low-ranking nuns and priests. The higher-ups were probably sitting in their ivory towers and sipping wine while the citizenry killed each other down below.

“Looks like they’ve noticed us, Flum.”

“Yeah, I’m aware…painfully so.” She might have been brave, but watching the sea of people all bearing the same murderous intent looming ever closer caused her chest to tighten and a cold chill to run up her spine.

Flum could feel the Souleater slip in her sweat-drenched palm. She was far outclassed by each and every one of them. She was more concerned about whether she’d make it home alive than whether she could eke out a win. Her mouth was dry, and her breathing grew ragged. She was terrified by these odds.

“There are still some survivors. We need to buy them time.” Gadhio drew his blade from the sheath on his back and leaped straight into the fray.

Flum couldn’t help noticing that he said nothing about winning.

Eterna focused her thoughts and began to cast a spell. The look of nervousness on her face was plain.

Flum was thinking about Milkit. The only way she could overcome her fear was to focus on the place that she planned to go home to. She clenched her hand tightly around the Souleater.

“Hyaaaaah!” Her voice shook, betraying her fear, but she still managed to summon up all of her courage and take a momentous step forward.