episode_0017

Lieutenant Colonel Librev’s office could be described as modest at best and shabby at worst.

A cluttered desk with a few books and documents strewn about, a large but barren brown pot sitting in a corner of the room, and a frame containing a paper with Librev written peacefully in bold black ink, apart from these, there were no remarkable furniture or items in sight.

The commanding officer of the 15th Infantry Division located southwest of Librev was just as extravagant as the Manchester Garrison Commander’s office, but due to the lack of funds and resources from Manchester (the mere existence of Librev’s autonomous military force was a miracle), Colonel William Phelps led a frugal life, resulting in his office being exceedingly plain.

Meisa didn’t particularly dislike Colonel Phelps’ office. She sometimes thought it could use some tidying up.

“Hello, Colonel Phelps.”

“Long time no see, Meisa.”

Meisa greeted Lieutenant Colonel Librev appropriately.

William Phelps was a middle-aged man with gray hair and a bushy beard, sporting round glasses. Rather than a military commander, he seemed more like a poet worn out by the burdens of creation.

As Meisa entered, Colonel Phelps stashed away the papers he had been reading. They were not documents meant for civilians like Meisa.

“Looking at your tired face, seems like you’ve had quite an eventful week.”

Upon hearing Colonel Phelps’ words, Meisa chuckled bitterly and replied, “It wasn’t a week, more like a day or two filled with excitement.”

Recalling the nightmarish events of the past two days—rescuing Eliza who had collapsed inside the van, encountering the eerie illusions Eliza experienced, the departure of the Monyu disease from the camp, waking up to find a strange creature sleeping beside her only to strangle it with her bare hands as it introduced itself as a fairy, meeting the bizarre entity that spoke ill-fated words, and witnessing the transformed entire family of Eliza blocking their path—Meisa recounted everything from start to finish.

While Colonel Phelps laughed during the part where they desperately fled from the Monyu disease, his expression darkened as he listened to Eliza’s story, disappearing joyfully when the topic shifted to the cross.

As soon as Meisa finished speaking, Colonel Phelps spoke up.

“It’s not surprising that Eliza was attacked by the mechanical Elizas. They hide in the darkness where we can never find them, even though they seem wiped out. But… those Black Bloods…”

“There’s nothing unusual about them either, right? As long as Eilena is to the north, it wouldn’t be strange for them to attack anytime.”

“The northerners might be unrelated to this. It seems that the family combined with the cross became Eilenises through the eldest son’s prayers.”

“What?”

Meisa was astonished by Phelps’ words. It was a term she had never heard before.

“It seems there are people who have become Eilenises due to their faith. Surprisingly, many are unaware of this. There were enough cases of Eilenisation before the Day of Tribulation that there were books compiled on the subject, so it must have been quite common.”

“So, they chose that crazy path out of their own will?”

Colonel Phelps nodded.

“That’s what I think. The writing on the wooden plank you saw is evidence of that. The moment one can’t bear the pain of loss and accepts the black blood, it’s all over.”

“I used to think that was just nonsense, but it gives me chills. But is that such a big deal? As I mentioned before, those Eilenis… no, Sir Rusta burned them all.”

“The place where mutations occur through faith is highly likely to become an Eilena.”

Maysa’s expression froze upon hearing those words.

“So… another Canterbury could arise?”

“Yes. There might even be a more vicious Eilena born than Canterbury. It’s a serious matter; we’ll have to seek help from the military. It’s something we can’t handle on our own.”

With that said, Captain Phils rose from his chair.

“But… are you not interested in other matters?”

In response to Maysa’s question, Captain Phils quickly replied.

“The stories about Sir Rusta and the fairies were interesting, but they won’t pose a threat to Libra.”

Upon hearing this, Maysa snorted and challenged Captain Phils’ opinion.

“If it were me, I would have killed that monster first. I’m sure it will kill and devour someone tonight.”

“Listening to you, you seem quite patient. Sir Rusta seems to be controlling that fairy well.”

“No, he’s the one being controlled.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Huh? Why are you saying that?”

Captain Phils looked at Maysa with a puzzled expression.

Maysa looked at Captain Phils, sweating coldly. Captain Phils didn’t seem to realize that Maysa had heard the voice.

“Oh… it’s nothing. I suddenly thought I heard something.”

Maysa spoke the truth.

“It’s not a hallucination. I exist. I am a living being with a soul.”

The cheerful voice denied being a hallucination.

“Recently, other soldiers have been complaining about severe headaches. How about going to the Libra infirmary for a check-up?”

Captain Phils was concerned about Maysa.

“Yes, I’ll go when I have time. It’s probably better not to go to the infirmary in the land of cripples… but if it’s an order, I can’t help it.”

Upon hearing this, Captain Phils chuckled, bid farewell to Maysa, and left the office, saying they would meet again.

“Oh, was that bad timing? Sorry. It might be confusing… I couldn’t talk to you because of the barrier of your ego for a long time, so suddenly being able to do so made me too excited. I apologize, so please don’t be angry. Please.”

The voice apologized to Maysa. There was sincerity in the voice apologizing.

“…Am I finally going crazy?”

Maysa muttered with a trembling voice.

The voice laughed joyfully and said to Maysa,

“You’re not going crazy, so don’t worry. Like I said earlier, I definitely exist within you.”

Saying this, the voice chuckled happily.

‘Who are you? What are you?’

Maysa muttered in her mind, hoping the self-proclaimed voice she heard would respond. However, there was no answer.

“Maysa, it seems I can’t transmit thoughts, words, and images to you. I’m not sure why. Could it be due to inevitable differences in brain structure caused by racial differences? Anyway, if you want to talk to me, say it out loud. I can feel things like hearing and touch.”

The voice continued without giving Maysa a chance to respond.

Maysa realized that the voice could sense her feelings and instinctively felt repulsed by this fact.

‘Surely, when that thing left yesterday, it did the same… Or not?’

It was a secret that nobody else would know.

“My name is Kaliya, a mystical and pure fairy of the moon! I look forward to working with you!”

Fairy.

Mayssa’s bewildered mind was filled with a word exuding darkness.

“A fairy? Are you saying you’re of the same species as that monstrous creature?”

“Yes, indeed. Though we may look quite different… I am undoubtedly a compatriot of the Fairy Princess!

Oh, the day I meet the Fairy Princess, it feels like a dream! I’m glad to be alive!”

“The Fairy Princess? Are you talking about that monstrous creature?”

“The Fairy Princess, sharing a bit of the blood of our great ancestors, travels far to protect us from external evils in place of our departed ancestors! But what does ‘monstrous creature’ mean? I don’t understand difficult words.”

Listening to Kali’s cheerful chatter felt like a stab to Mayssa.

It bothered her that this foreign entity had taken residence in her mind, speaking only its mind (even though Mayssa wasn’t crazy, and the voice’s words were the absolute truth).

“That Fairy Princess seems to have messed up her duties. You fairy folk, whom you call the Fairy Princess, have never met creatures as vile as yourselves until you meet that so-called monstrous creature.”

Mayssa’s colorful profanity made Kali fall silent momentarily, then she spoke cheerfully as if nothing had happened.

“I don’t know what ‘vile’ means. But judging by the tone, it’s clearly a bad word! Tsk! Bad words are not allowed!”

Mayssa felt dizzy listening to Kali’s admonition, akin to a child scolding a sibling.

“…So, what do you want exactly? To take control of my body and roam this damn world?”

“The frail human body is unnecessary. The fairy body is far superior.”

Kali rejected Mayssa’s words confidently.

“I wish to go outside. It’s too stuffy here. I prefer places with grass and trees. It’s even better with the moon!”

“If you wish, you could sit here for a lifetime. You wouldn’t move an inch even if you were starving to death.”

Mayssa vented her resentment towards Kali.

Kali remained silent.

“Hey? What’s wrong? Miss High-and-Mighty Moon Fairy? Why suddenly silent like a mute who ate honey?”

Mayssa taunted Kali with all her might.

“Sob… Sob…”

“Wait, what? Are you crying?”

The mournful sound of weeping filling her mind frightened Mayssa.

The conversations Mayssa had with Kali so far were no different from everyday dialogues except for having someone in her mind. However, the weeping, spreading through her mind, was different…

“Sob… Mayssa, you’re mean… I’ve been trying hard to get along with you…”

“Stop… Please… stop…”

Mayssa felt an excruciating headache, as if her head might split open.

Both Mayssa and Kali were unaware, but as the barrier between the subject of channeling and the sacrificial lamb’s ego weakened, the lamb experienced headaches in resisting it.

For Mayssa, being able to hear Kali’s voice without a headache was a very serious situation. It meant the barrier had significantly lowered, making direct communication possible.

A solution needed to be found before the barrier disappeared. Not for Mayssa’s safety, but for Libra’s and Kali’s safety.

“Why are you doing this? Why say such harsh words? I haven’t done anything wrong to Mayssa; I just wanted to survive.”

‘Remember, that’s a monster. No different from that damn bitch. The moment you forget that, you’re finished.’

Mayssa felt guilty for her reckless behavior but controlled herself through self-imposed reminders to prevent guilt from consuming her.

“Then damn it, get out of my head! Disappear from my life!”

“No! I refuse! You disappear instead!”

“Shut up! This is my body! You’re just a parasite living off my mind!”

“I’m not a parasite! No!”

“Shut up!”

“No way!”

“For fuck’s sake, shut up!”

“No, no, no, no!”

“Um… Are you okay?”

Maya turned her head towards the voice.

Beyond the open door, several soldiers looked at Maya with worried expressions.

The woman soldier who spoke to Maya was familiar with her face but unknown by name.

“You’ve been shouting alone for a while now…”

Maya smiled through Kali’s wails and headache.

“Yes… I’m fine… I’m okay…”

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Are you really okay?”

‘I’m not okay at all. Not okay.’

“Well, um… don’t worry about it…”

“Are you ignoring me now?”

Kali spoke sadly, like an abandoned child.

“That’s too much… I’ve been kind to Maya.”

“I shouldn’t have been kind to humans after all.”

“Was expecting more than being a toy from humans unreasonable?”

“What are you saying?”

Cold sweat ran down her back in fear.

“No more talking now. I’m leaving right away.”

Even with Kali’s words of leaving, Maya couldn’t find peace. She imagined a fairy coming out with blood on her hands, splitting her stomach open.

“You’re leaving… What…”

“I’m going to kill you.”

As Kali’s chilling voice reached Maya, immense pain struck her head.

“Huh? Ahhhhh! Aaaahhh!”

It felt like someone was drilling into her brain with multiple drills, causing excruciating pain. It seemed like countless drills were turning her brain into mush from all directions.

“It hurts! Stop it! Please! Aaaah! Ugh…”

Unable to bear Kali’s inflicted pain, Maya fainted.

“She… she fainted! Hey, are you okay?”

“This damn… quickly to the infirmary!”

Hearing the bewildered soldiers’ shouts, Maya retreated into her own psyche.

*

It was a white space.

“…Is this inside my head? It’s empty.”

Everyone’s inner self looked the same. An empty white space that seemed to stretch endlessly without an end.

“…Is there a way out?”

Maya took a step forward, then two, three, six, thirteen, nineteen steps.

When she reached twenty-three steps, Maya started running.

She ran and ran, but the end was nowhere in sight.

“Heh… heh…”

Exhausted, Maya knelt, placing her hands on her knees, catching her breath.

“Damn… How do I get out of here…”

As if in response to Maya’s words, a lilac-colored crack appeared in the white space in front of her.

“This damn…”

Through the crack, two eerie blue hands with sharp nails emerged, spreading apart.

Only darkness could be seen beyond the crack, hiding the entity on the other side.

“I’ll kill you.”

Kali’s chilling voice echoed in Maya’s ears.

The voice emanated from the widening crack.

“I’ll kill you and leave this place…”

Seeing Kali’s hand, Maya recalled Vinnie’s hand, which she had crushed that morning. Just squeezing it with force had made Vinnie scream and die.

If that hand pressed on Maya’s head, it would probably burst out brains and blood like a ripe watermelon.

“I will reclaim myself!”

As Kali let out a battle cry, something shot out from the crack and attacked Maya.

“Whoa!”

Caught off guard, Maya was defenseless.

“I’m going to kill you!”

The Kali Maya faced was far more grotesque than Vinnie.

Vine, though alien in appearance, bore a resemblance to humans overall. Cali’s appearance was insect-like, particularly resembling a moth.

The horn protruding from its forehead, reminiscent of a rhinoceros beetle’s horn, made it seem somewhat devilish when viewed up close.

“… Looks more fucked up than that bastard Wang Jaesoo.”

As Meisa pondered upon Cali’s appearance, Cali swiftly drove its nails into Meisa’s throat.

“Gah!”

“Die! Just die!”

In response to the owner’s rage and madness, Cali’s moth wings, resonating with the frenzy, fluttered emitting a purple mist.

“This… shit!”

Meisa gathered her strength and landed a punch on Cali’s arm.

“Aaargh!”

Cali’s left arm twisted upon impact, and in shock and agony, it withdrew its hand from Meisa’s neck.

“…Kkng! Kkng!….”

Meisa whimpered while clutching her bleeding neck. She wasn’t dead, but her legs refused to support her weight.

“…Perhaps this is due to Meisa’s own psyche… She’s tougher than I thought… I’m also struggling to muster strength in my body… Ugh…”

Cali sobbed as it clutched its twisted left arm.

“It’s okay… Humans can’t defeat fairies… Haha… Ugh…”

Blood continued to flow incessantly from Meisa’s damaged veins. While she avoided instant death due to the arteries remaining intact, bleeding out would soon lead to fatal blood loss.

However, Meisa had no time to worry about going into shock due to anemia.

Cali slowly approached Meisa.

“No… Stay away…”

Meisa stumbled backward, gripping her neck. Her bladder yielded to fear, warm urine soaking her thighs.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you die in agony.”

With a sinister smile, Cali’s obsidian-colored nails gleamed as it plunged three intact arms into Meisa’s chest.

“Aaargh! Aaaargh!”

As Cali peeled off layers of Meisa’s chest skin down to the fat layer, Meisa screamed with her eyes rolled back.

A gush of blood unlike anything before sprayed from her throat, drenching Cali.

“Stop! Stop it! Aaargh!”

Ignoring Meisa’s pleas, Cali grabbed her yellowed ribs. With a gruesome sound, the ribs tore as Cali exerted force, tossing them carelessly onto the ground.

“Humans are truly feeble. They’re only useful as toys for amusement.”

Cali ripped out Meisa’s lungs like children playing with mud.

“Gah! Gah!”

With her lungs torn out, Meisa could no longer breathe.

“Hey, Meisa. How do you feel right now?”

Meisa couldn’t respond.

“…Can’t even speak, huh? You’ll be dead soon. Farewell.”

Saying so, Cali tore out Meisa’s still-beating heart.

“Let’s meet again later.”

Cali bit into Meisa’s still-beating heart with sharp teeth, chewing on the tough muscle.

Witnessing the surreal and grim sight of her heart being devoured by the demon, Meisa died.