29. K: Black Wraiths and Her Laughter

Free falling.... forever.... and ever.... just falling.... into nowhere and from nowhere... No, wait... that has, for some reason...

“seemed familiar?....”

But.... that’s weird... I have... never tried free falling... So, how can I.... think it’s familiar.... weird, free-falling... it’s wei-

??

Open eyes.

“what’s going... on...?”

Suddenly saying so, my head starts clearing, as I start waking up... when abruptly...

!!!

When abruptly, a sharp feeling of pain that I... have... never f-felt before, assaulted me.... and finally getting conscious of it, I noticed...

My surrounding.... but can this place be called so?....

After all, what’s surrounding me now is a weird scenery of...

“Black Wraiths or something?”

Saying so, I finally notice just how abnormal this pla-...

Abnormal? Right, of course, how could I forget it…. that abnormal wave of stagnating black, as it crawled its way for-

!!!

“Pfuu....”

Spitting blood.

P-painful... I-it’s painful...

Just w-what is happening... Thinking so, I t-try ignoring p-pain, and headache w-while also glancing at the weird things around me, a-and so, I n-notice...

Just h-how a-abnormal everything is...

Just how abnormal, those w-wraiths or s-specters or w-whatever as they try r-reaching me, with some a-actually succeeding, and the stab at my side b-being the p-proof...

But that’s not all... N-no, because, it O-only grew more a-abnormal from t-there...

Barely focusing enough to think so, I look around me, at t-the weird b-barrier-like light as it p-protect... me?

In what seems like a weak purple s-shell?

N-no, I guess it IS a shell.... one that’s p-protecting m-me from those black wraiths...

Nevertheless, why? Just why is my sword in the middle of this shell? And w-why is it f-floating, glowing in purple, AND c-creating an energy f-field? Just...

“w-why is this happening...”

Saying so, I t-try calming myself and getting a better look around me, but...

Crack.

But, it doesn’t seem I have a lot of time.... not with cracks suddenly... appearing on the barrier...

Gulp.

Just what’s happening.... just how did I get into this... just how... I was just supposed to take my sister out.... so just how... just why.... waking up inside a game.... getting forced into a trial... and now this.... is this what they meant by ‘it’... is this really just ‘it’ to you.... j-just w-what’s going on...

Just what’s goi-

Crack.

“Pfuuu...”

Spit blood.

I-it...

“H-hurts....”

Saying so, I look at an arm that has suddenly broken through this glass-like barrier and that has...

Stabbed me?

N-no, ev-... even i-if its stabbed m-me, it s-shouldn’t h-hurt this m-much, r-right? T-there should b-be a p-pain l-limit, r-right? S-so why, am I-

“I-it h-hurts...”

Blood flow from lips.

Why? Why does it hurt so much?...

Crack. cRack.

Why does it feel so real? Why? why? Why? why? Why? Just...

“WHY?”

Why am I here? Why? I should have just been with Hi-...

!!!

“Himari?”

Saying my sister’s name, I am suddenly...

Silent.

Because if.... just if... if Himari was currently in a pain similar to mine.... if... just if...

If Himari was also lost into a hell-like landscape, surrounded by these wraiths, blood flowing from her wounds, and tears flowing from her eyes...

I couldn’t stop.... those images just grew so vivid in my mind... and with my current pain and fear getting channeled there... I...

Crack.

Could not stop..... because, just the thought of Himari.... going through something like this is...

Crack. cRack.

Just the thought is...

“terrifying... horrifying....”

Just the thought is so.... because if, even I, could not stand this pain, then how? How can she, my little sister, stand it? Just how?

Crack. cRack.

No, she can’t.... she won’t... instead, she...

She will cry.... she will scream.... maybe, call for my name?.... but, I-... I am afraid... I am w-weak.... and even now, I am...

cRacK. CraCk.

Doomed.

Thinking so, I fearfully glance at the only thing protecting me.... a cracked fragile, glass-like barrier... one that’s barely stopping the wraiths from reaching me, even if.... at some points, it breaks momentarily, before fixing itself again...

And so, I look, even as afraid as I am, because the only thing I can do, is to look, stare, and wait.... until I-

‘Do you really think so?’

“Huh?”

Did I just hear a vo-

‘that the only you can do is to look?’

Again... I heard it... a voice...

‘How sad’

Again, it’s the same voice.... and though I don’t recognize who the owner of this voice is... somehow, she seems...

Familiar?... No, now’s not the time for that, instead, I should...

‘How pitiful’

“w-who are you?....”

Saying so, I try asking for the voice’s owner, but...

‘your weakness that is’

but instead of answering me, the voice’s owner is just...

Mocking me...

‘so why don’t you cry? Pitiful one’

Ridiculing me...

‘Maybe beg for help?

“???.....”

‘Who knows? You may...’

‘end up dying Faster that way.’

“......”

Saying so, the owner of the voice suddenly grew silent, before then...

‘Hahahaha.....’       ‘Hahahaha.....’

             Hahahaha.....’          ‘Hahahaha.....’

                   ‘‘Hahahaha.....’

Before then exploding with mad laughter.... as her voice filled the world.... as her voice echoed around.... and as...

Grit teeth.

And as my wrath rose...

‘Pitiful one.....’    ‘Weakling....’    ‘Crybaby.....’

‘Siscon......’   ‘Loser....’   ‘Dying Flea....’

Especially with her words becoming personal insults... It’s just...

Infuriating...

‘so are you ready to die? Flea’     ‘did you give up now?’    ‘is that your all?’

‘weakling’   ‘Loser’    ‘Insect’    ‘Crybaby’

So infuriating.... the fact that this...

‘Hahahaha.....’       ‘Hahahaha.....’

             Hahahaha.....’          ‘Hahahaha.....’

                   ‘‘Hahahaha.....’

‘Hahahaha.....’          ‘Hahahaha.....’

             ‘‘Hahahaha.....’

“Bitch.... Saying whatever you want....”

‘Hahahaha.....’       ‘Hahahaha.....’

             Hahahaha.....’          ‘Hahahaha.....’

                   ‘‘Hahahaha.....’

‘Hahahaha.....’          ‘Hahahaha.....’

             ‘‘Hahahaha.....’

“JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? HA....”

cRacK. CraCk.

“YOU DAMN BITCH....”

CrACk. cRack.

“SAYING WHA-... pfuu..”

Spitting blood.

CraCk. cRaCk. Break.

“shi-... Cough”

Cough. Cough.

Damn it... Cough.

Getting fed up with a bitch’s insult, I end up madly lashing out at her, nevertheless, just I did so...

The barrier has suddenly fractured, with cracks quickly...

Spreading through it.