345 342. Now 60 layers are filled with birth. To be born on the same day as you..txt (1/2)

--A thousand years ago.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides and covered in ”demonic poison”, the Hooziyaz nation was on the verge of extinction.

The death toll continues to swell due to hunger and epidemic diseases, and piles of corpses are piling up on the back roads.

The hastily added wards were always filled with countless sick people.

It was not a splendid house.

It was not a splendid house; it was a ward with a boarded-up partition and a not-so-clean cloth covering it.

In that ward were patients who had been poisoned by the ”Devil's Poison”, abandoned by the doctors and just waiting to die.

One of them is a child.

Next to her was a mother, holding her child's suffering hand tightly.

She was encouraging her sick child, hoping that he would ”live” as if she were chipping away at his soul.

I suppose I envied that father and son when I saw them.

I wish I could have been like them.

I was born as a Jewelcrus, treated like a tool, and had no parents, so I longed to see that scene. Without a doubt, parent and child was a dream for me.

When I too was in pain and suffering, I wanted this hand to be held tightly.

I wanted unconditional love from you just because I am here.

I wanted to be blessed by you and live in the world as your child.

Otherwise, I didn't know what it meant to be born.

I was too scared to walk through this dim world without even feeling born.

I also wanted to be wished to be ”alive” - I was too scared.

It became an 'unfinished business' and I perfected my power as 'the one who steals the reason for the light'.

And a thousand years later--

At last I had fulfilled my 'dream'.

On the forty-fifth floor of Hoozeyer's Castle, your father extended his hand to me.

The image of me and your father overlapped with the image of the father and son in that ward.

''--Nosfi!

Your father called me by the name he gave me, and he looked at me alone and wished for me to ”live” with my life.

It was an act that was enough to make me feel loved.

I think I felt the same way as the child in that ward that day.

Without a doubt, the 'unresolved' should have been ...... gone.

--I didn't disappear.

It wasn't because your father was killed afterwards.

Even if Ragne didn't show up, there was no sign of disappearance for me.

Of course, being loved as a daughter was not unrelated to my 'undead', but I was definitely beginning to weaken as a 'stealer of the truth of light'. There is no doubt that that one act is the 'meaning of birth' that I have been seeking for years.

However, it could not disappear.

My 'regrets' had not been completely cleared.

--You're going to be able to find out if you're going to be able to get a good deal more than you think.

I am aware of this.

Your father added the word ”die” for me next to the word ”live”.

I'm sure his mother in the hospital ward must have felt the same way.

But, of course, I never once wanted my father to die.

Even if I were to survive, there was no way I would want to be the only one who survived.

The kids in that ward would feel the same way I did. He was muttering ”I don't want to die” not because he wanted to survive alone, but because he didn't want to leave his mother. He was suffering so much because he didn't want to be alone more than he was dying.

The 'most' important thing is not to be saved, but to be with the people you love.

It's being with the one you love.

--Yes, I have my answer.

Of course, it can't be done in the same way that it was done a thousand years ago when you and your father were married. Two people together have no meaning unless they have a heart to heart relationship. Your father was not able to maintain himself when he was sleepwalking, and he thought I was someone else. With that, it was impossible to say that we are together.

--You really know what you're talking about. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

You'll be able to see the inside of your own mind, which was so messy and dark, thanks to the World of Bright Light.

I was really jealous.

What I really needed.

The true meaning of my 'unfinished business'.

My 'unfinished business' is definitely [I want a reason to be born].

So I wanted to be reached out to 'live'.

However, there were a few special conditions for this 'elation' to be completely achieved.

That would be my overly extravagant selfishness.

Compared to the same 'reason stealers', it is not a modest wish. If asked around Titi, I'm sure they would poke at me for being too picky about my preferences.

But I'm a greedy, bad boy, so I wished.

--You can't have one or the other.

--We're only as good as the sum of our parts.

Yeah.

Just like that little boy in the hospital wing.

Even if they die and are buried in their graves and laid to rest forever.

The most important thing is that we are both in the same place and communicating with each other.

So if I alone survived, it would mean nothing.

Even if I was the only one living apart from your father, it wouldn't be worth it.

We live together, very close, heart to heart: ......!　Because that's what real parents and children do: ......!

-- and that's my real 'magic (...)'.

The mechanism of that ”magic” is very simple.

I will die in your father's 'place' and he will come back to life.

To be clear, it is inevitable that the existence called Nosfi will die from now on.

But even if I lose my life, I will not lose my thoughts.

I am 'the one who steals the truth of light'. As long as I have the thought, I can continue to exist as light.

I will continue to shine my light in your father's mind.

I will always, always be with you.

--That's the 'magic (...)' ”The Light of the Substitute (No Life Nosfi)”.

I, the light that is me, will be the 'replacement' for all that torments your father.

But before that, the greedy me opens my eyes.

Although I'm in the middle of activating 'magic', I'm going to tell you my last ego.

If I hear it, it's over (・・・・・・・・・).

Even though I know that, in order to completely fulfill my ”unconsciousness” and completely succeed in my ”magic” - now, I get up.

◆◆◆◆◆

The rooftop of Hoosier's.

The World of Bright Light, where everything is so clear.

Here, the reasoning of the world, magic, people's thoughts, and everything is clear.

Feeling the success of the magic construction of No Life Nosfies, I pull out my right hand that I had inserted into it.

The right arm that I pulled out shook.

It blurred and distorted, as if reflected in the rippling surface of the water.

A single wind blows and it is replaced by a weak light that disappears.

That feeble light will soon disappear.

As long as you have succeeded in your magic, it is absolute.

However, there is something that will be born instead.

The tip of my right hand.

My father, whose limbs were severed, his lungs and heart were punctured, and his neck was on the verge of being shredded.

All of that was back to normal.

The limbs he had lost on the forty-fifth floor, including his clothes, were attached to him as if nothing had happened. His lungs and heart were working normally, though they were emitting a vague, flickering light. The big wound on his neck and the small scrapes and cuts on his cheek are all healed.

And now, slowly, I open those eyelids.

The black eyes that were behind the eyelids waver.

His gaze wandered slightly, but he turned to me, standing right next to him.

Your father recognizes me, awakening his consciousness, and his lips quiver.

'Nos, fee ......?'

First and foremost, he called my name.

I'm so desperately happy about that much that I almost cry a little.

I answer with a quiver of my lips too.

'Yes, it's Nosfy. ...... Good morning, father .......

With the biggest smile of his life, he wakes up and says hello.

And with a single-minded desire to be closer to your father, he tried to take a step forward.

But my legs tangled and I almost fell backwards. As quickly as possible, he tried to poke his hands into the ground, but both hands were insubstantial and he fell flat on his buttocks.

When I checked my body carefully, I found that my right arm was not the only thing that had become a light.

All of his limbs were glowing with light and were blurred like a fog.

That would be the proof that he carried your father's dismemberment 'instead'.

I had finally lost my limbs completely, but I didn't have any of the pain I was worried about.

All the pain that had tormented and consumed me so much is gone from my body. This is proof that I am trying to stop being a living organism and become 'magic' itself.

However, the conversion to 'magic' seems to take time, and like milk dripped into a lake, I am slowly in the process of fading away.

The reason for that delay is simple.

I am extravagant, and I believe that I have not yet fully cleared my 'unfinished business' as 'the one who steals the reason for the light'. That's why my body is fighting to remain in this world.

''--!　Nosfy!

Your father jumped up and quickly got off the pedestal.

With his usual unusually quick thinking, he must have grasped the current situation.

With his healed hands, he lifts my torso and holds me tightly.

It looks at me with its wide eyes, looking only at me.

I'm so seriously happy that this longing has been fulfilled that I feel like crying again.

But I gingerly suppress the heat in my eyes as I decide to say goodbye with a smile on my face.

I smile back at the person right in front of me, right in front of my eyes and nose.

Your father must have understood what that meant.

He moves his eyebrows languidly, his two eyes continue to shake, and with a small shake of his head from side to side, he asks me the reason for my actions.

'Nosfi, why are you ......?　There's no point in helping me anymore: ......

I am relieved to hear that he is dead once, as usual.

I reply to my father, who speaks in a futile, self-deprecating tone and is very off the mark.

'Father, please help me ....... I can't reach Ragne with my voice .......

'Lagne with ......?　No, if you're dealing with Lagne, Nosefy is the one to fight: ......!　With the chemistry between the two of them, Nosfi is a definite winner. ......!

'No, you can't win ....... Because it's not going to be a fight between me and Lagune ....... That's what I've decided to do and I've come here ....... Didn't your father do the same this morning?　Just like that one.

Yeah, that's ......--

When I told him that I was just imitating your father, he lost the words to return.

All the while, your father continues to stare at me.

Looking at the body that is becoming not just a person but even a living organism, his face becomes more and more contorted and then he screams.

''--!　Oh, shit!　--magic, ”Dimension, Thousand Counting”!

He tried to use dimensional magic to unlock my magic, the No-Life Nosfies.

But to no avail. If you want to do something about this, your father will have to use real 'magic' too.

''Father....... More importantly, would you like to talk to me one last time?　Because this is the last time I want to have the kind of 'discussion' that your father and I are good at - the kind of 'discussion' between parent and child that we have been unable to have for a long time.

If I let it go, your father is in danger of using real 'magic'.

Not wanting to let that happen, I reached out my right hand. With a blurred and shaking hand of light, I caress your father's cheek and distract him.

'Now, finally, ......?　Finally, we couldn't (・・・・・・・・・) parent and child (...) 'discuss (・・・・)' for a long time (...)?　Ahhhhhh, ......--!

Your father unexpectedly moaned harshly when he heard what I wanted.

I may have provoked one of his many traumas.

I hurriedly looked for a topic to 'discuss'. I turn my head around and find the topic of a father and son that I had once wanted to try.

'Let's see ...... that, father ....... Was I a good boy?　Or was it a bad boy?

Even though I knew I knew what I was doing, I wanted to hear an assessment from someone other than myself.

I especially wanted to hear what your father had to say about it.

'I've done a lot of things ....... I cheated, used, and sacrificed a lot of people in the hopes that your father would look at me. I have tried my best to be a good girl, but I ended up doing a lot of bad things. Will ...... titi forgive me?

As of late, ”The One Who Steals the Wind's Reason” titty is the one I have the most regrets about.

I couldn't be honest with Titi, who tried to be my friend so much, until the end.

''--!　Titi definitely forgives Nosfies: ......!　On the contrary, I was worried about Nosphy the whole time. He was wishing him well right up until the very end, right before he disappeared. He even called you his ”proud friend. Yeah, Titty knew. ...... Titty knew better than anyone that Nosphy was a good boy. And yet, I'm ....... I'm ......--

I'm the 'proud friend' ......?

Here I am, knowing Titi's last words, and I'm about to cry again. Now it was my turn to lose my words in return.

'Nosfi is a good boy. After everything we've done here at the Hoosiers, anyone would say that. A thousand years ago and a thousand years later, Nosfi hasn't been able to use the Hoosiers after all. He hasn't sacrificed enough. Nosfi may think he's wrong, but ...... rather than being used and sacrificed, Nosfi is the one who was used and sacrificed. And it is 'we' who have been sacrificed. If it wasn't for me and the 'apostles', Nosfi would be more ...... He would have been much happier .......

My kind father would keep repeating that I was a good boy.

But it was also as if he was telling me that he himself was different.

'Unlike some idiots (children), Nosfi did his best ......!　To the end, he kept his faith in people with a clean, righteous, straight heart!　There was more reason to doubt it than there was for me or Ragne. ...... And yet, Nosfi believed it!　I'm such an idiot: ......!

'Your father ....... But I have a lot of bad qualities too. I tried to remain the 'number one' in your father's mind, even if I was an enemy. It's a very cowardly way of trying to attract your father's attention. When you think about it--

That's not true!

When I tried to somehow stop your father's self-flagellation, I was strongly interrupted by the opposite.

'That was a natural right ....... Every child had the right to do that. But we (...) just couldn't do that natural thing ....... Instead of complaining, we couldn't even get a single word of confirmation: ......

Now that we (...) are ”Aikawa Uzumi” and ”Ragne Kaikwola”, I can faintly understand that those two of us (...) are ”Aikawa Uzumi” and ”Ragne Kaikwola”, now that I have become light and ”connected” with your father.

While I was away from the castle for a little while, the two of them confirmed it alone.

That's why they're both so weak.

Two people who were so strong are now showing unprecedented weakness.

However, I don't think that this weakness is a bad thing.

For better or worse, for better or for worse, stronger or weaker, I think they are moving forward on their path now.

But the path they are on is too dark. So, I...

”Father, but (・・・・・)--never give up until the end! If you keep moving forward, keep moving forward, keep moving forward and forward, ...... one day, your wish will surely come true!　It's true!　Eh, I was real: ......!　Your wish will come true!　It can be done!　Father!

It's going to be okay, I assure you.

If you keep moving forward, I emphasize that no matter how dark, scary, and painful the road is, the last thing waiting for you is light.

When your father heard this, he squinted his eyes dazzlingly. Then, he meditates hard once, and then slowly and forcefully answers.

'Yes, I'll move on too ....... Just like Nosfy, I'm moving forward. I'll stop looking backwards. I promise .......

My relief increases from his voice and expression.

'Hmmm, that's good to know: ......'

The more I talk about it, the more I feel the regret, the regret, disappear.

I can really see how my own emotions are moving through it.

Thanks to the absence of any obstacle to hide my mind (stuff) in this light.

'Oh ....... Father, it's really bright here .......

Here, there is no need to embellish my words.

I will 'honestly' tell your father my final purpose.

'Please ....... In this bright place, a word (...), one last thing, please .......

I'm done with the rest.

That's why I'm here.

It hurts, and it hurts, and it hurts.

Pain, pain, pain, pain.

I was in pain, and pain, and pain.

Even though I was afraid and scared.

I came to the ”summit” for that one word.

One word: ......?　......--!

Your father understood at once what I wanted.

That's why I turn blue in the face and keep my mouth shut.

''Please, father. That's the finishing touch to my true 'magic (...)'.

But your father shook his head repeatedly, trying to stretch the completion of the project.

'Well, I'm still ......!　I still have more to talk to Nosfi about: ......!　So many, many things that need to be said!　There are too many to count: ......!　So, just a little more!　I just need a little more time: ......!

He tries to move away from that one word and tries to find another topic to talk about quickly.

'Good or bad, right or wrong, it doesn't matter either way in the end: ......!　If Nosfies are Nosfies, that's fine by me: ......!　It's not critical that they're related to each other by blood or that they were 'magic stone humans' (Jewelcrus)!　Sure, it's important to 'talk it out' too!　I just want Nosfi to be there for me. ......!　Nosfies are Nosfies, so Nosfies are 'daughters', in a real family!　So, so, so ......--oh, I can't put together what to say!　d*mn it!　Nosfi, wait until I get it together!　--Just a little more, wait!

It's all right. I know exactly what you mean, father. Because that's exactly what I'm 'not ready' to do.

But no matter what we talk about, it will eventually come back to my 'Untried'.

The 'Unforgotten' ......!　Nosfi, wait!　I'm still on Nosfies: ......!　Still at ......!

My unfinished business was a little more than one thing. What's important to me is--

I was still left to check this.