59. A: Limit And Three Colors

 

 

That pair of eyes were tired, helpless, empty, and even... hopeless. Nevertheless, the light of desire, obsession, and anticipation still lingered in them, as they overlooked everything... Starting with the cracks and fissures reaching everywhere, to the foreign and random stream of colors tainting all, and even... the rubble and half-broken buildings floating in the air...

 

And like that, even as the fragmented ground sank, and the mixed colors defied gravity, that pair of eyes stayed still, overlooking everything, as the cityscape of monochrome slowly... reached its limit.

 

Nevertheless... This is not bad...

 

Thinking so, that pair of eyes blinked, and then suddenly... its attention shifted.

 

From the meaningless, fragmented ground and even from the mixed, dirty colors, its attention suddenly shifted, toward there. To that building at the center of this scene, and to that rooftop high above, where those three stood...

 

First was... Twisted Horizon’s child...

 

“... Licia.”

 

Second was... Midnight Guild’s Zeroth Phantasm...

 

“... Leo.”

 

And then finally, there was... Monochrome World’s Observer...

 

“... Alice.”

 

Those three... From all the possible recollections, and viable combinations... it was precisely those three... Truly, what an interesting scene that is... Nevertheless, it was also...

 

“Lonely?...”

 

......

 

Feeling my empty gaze lingering on her, the little girl in front of me titled her head and spoke... Nevertheless, it’s not that I am lonely, it’s just...

 

“No, it’s just I expected more...”

 

“... More?”

 

“Yes...”

 

I expected more. And so, even if the three here are not a bad result, but... Yeah, there is no escaping that feeling of disappointment... after all, they...

 

“They are not here, you know?”

 

Saying so, Leo cut in and then glance at me, but hey... it’s not like I don’t know, okay?... Because clearly this...

 

“Of course, because clearly this is not WhiteField... so it’s expected.”

 

Saying so, I glance back at Leo, and then with both of us falling silent, we just stare back at each other for a while, before then slowly moving our attention and looking to the side, where a little girl, holding her chin and closing her eyes, is thinking... I guess? Or maybe she is just acting cute? Hmmm? Well, I don’t really kno-...

 

“It’s different...”

 

“hmm?”

 

“This is similar but different...”

 

Opening her eyes and saying so, Licia glanced at us, before then slowly walking to the rooftop fence and speaking.

 

“Here is different... it’s not like WhiteField, it’s more like the opposite, I think?”

 

Saying so, Licia leans forward on the rooftop fence and then.... and then nothing. She just silently stands there, staring at that cityscape of monochrome.

 

And hmm... what a picturesque scene that is. But sadly, I have no camera with me. Though on the other hand, I doubt a camera will really be that helpful. Heck, even the SR drive will probably be useless in translating the image. At least, if it’s still disconnected, but that’s not important for now. Not compared to clearing my head.

 

Deciding so, and looking at Licia for another moment, I then turn back and instead look at the one next to me, with abyssal black hair, eyes of that same color, and height barely reaching my neck, as I then take a step, a second and another, until finally, we are both standing in front of each other, and staring each other. Still... I don’t stop.

 

Instead, I silently take another step, and then with the distance between us shrinking, even more, I swiftly hold Leo’s arms. Then ignoring those sudden sparks of lightning liting up and that feeling of burning friction on my hands, I just slowly trace those arms, reaching the shoulders, and then holding the neck, until I finally clasp Leo’s face and then with curiosity stare... at those eyes right in front of me for a while...

 

Doing so, and calmly staring, I slowly open my mouth and then...

 

“So? What do you think?”

 

And then I ask.

 

“About your psychosis?”

 

“No, not that...”

 

Saying so and letting go, I push Leo back. Before then, turning around and staring first at Licia, second at the world of monochrome reaching its limit, and then finally at Leo once more, but...

 

“What do you think about this whole situation?”

 

Spinning in place and saying so, I point around me, before then glancing once more at Leo... Nevertheless, all Leo did was shake a head in denial...

 

“I don’t know...”

 

Saying so, Leo looked up at the sky for a moment as if thinking, before then temporarily looking at Licia, and then at me...

 

“... Though it’s not like ‘I’ can’t guess.”

 

Calmly smiling and saying so, Leo fixes the collar of that guild uniform, before then passing by me and slowly moving next to Licia... Still, this is it, ha?

 

Watching the sparks on my hands slowly dissipating and thinking so, I clench and unclench my hands a few times. All, while closing my eyes and focusing, but... it’s interesting... The feeling of Primary Colors, that is.

 

Though, speaking of interesting things...

 

“I wonder who will win?”

 

Smiling a little and unconsciously saying so, I look to the side, and then momentarily locking gazes with Leo, we both fall silent as we move our attention to the ‘0th’ on the uniform’s arm. And so...

 

“With the Zeroth not counting, just...”

 

““... Who will win that bet?””

 

Curiously saying so and looking at each other, both Leo and I then avert our gazes, thinking of this question, but...

 

Yeah, it’s not important who wins. After all, as long as I reach the top of this game in time, then I am technically the winner. Even if I am not really a participant in the bet, and so...

 

“And so, this much should be enough for now...”

 

Calmly saying so and feeling satisfaction, I slowly turn around and then with leisurely steps follow Leo next to Licia. Before then, putting my hands on the rooftop fence and leaning forward, with my attention, this time, not on the two next to me, but...

 

““It’s reached the Limit””

 

But instead at the empty gray sky above, at the rubble, fragment, and colors floating in air, and also... at that black vortex emerging right at the center of all of that.