Man is a terrible genius when it comes to imagining the dark. The more one fears, the deeper the darkness and the more the light closes.
　The more one closes, the more one's imagination grows to an astonishing degree.

　The origin of manufacturing is delusion. One imagines in one's mind the perfection of a fantasy one has. They work backwards and trace the path to that point.
　Before creation, there is imagination, and then there is delusion.

　I had an older sister, Victoria.
　We found the source of the magic in a cave in the village. It was emitting light particles all around.
　It wasn't long before I was able to light the darkness with fire from nowhere. That was the first magic.

　One day, a merchant stopped by the village and found the same source as us.
　His name was Detrillite. We invented magic, and it spread to the world in an instant. And with our name.

　Our magic had already leaked to the world before we found the source.
　And people scrambled to uncover the magic and create magic.
　Many sorcerers were born, and when they saw the light of magic, their dreams were dashed and they died. But many of those who lived in the early days of magic continued to dream of magic even when they were dying, saying they were not living long enough. It was a golden age.
　At that time, Bannome was united by only one nation. It was the only world where there was no conflict. It was a time of dreams, when magic was as magical as it could be. But people get used to their dreams. Man's greed is unfathomable. They seek it to the death, but by the time they have it, they have another desire.
　It was the same for us. And because of that, our village was attacked. Our family was killed. Through magic we created.

　We threw ourselves into the pit with them.
　But we didn't die. Unaware of the abyss that dwelt within our bodies, we began to travel the continent, believing there was some meaning to our survival.

　One day, he encountered a strange creature that had crossed the ocean. It took the form of a man, but had two white ears on its head. It also had clear white hair and white skin.
　He was the founder of the tribe now known as the Beastmen in Bannome, the Beast King. The future King of Beasts.
　When I met her, my sister and I were troubled by a problem. It was that, despite her age, she still looked like a child and never grew up.

How old was Adams?

　Neitzert asked with interest.

'I'm seventeen and Victoria is twenty, I've been like this since before I was six years old. I've been like this since before I was about six years old, and Victoria was maybe nine or ten.

　It was a restaurant in a busy town where people were coming and going. We used to sit around the terrace when we were having lunch.
　I can still remember the flowing chaos of the street. I think it was because I remember the stuffy feeling of a scream in my throat. At that time, I had let my sister take over the pessimistic look in my eyes. I knew I shouldn't despair or go crazy.

"It's the abyssal influence.

　We are the Abyss? I asked him what he meant by that word.

There were people on the continent where I was from," he said. ─ There were people on my continent who, after a certain period of time, had become physically obsolete, and they were very strong, skilled in magic. He was very strong, he was also very skilled in magic. He said that if you use too much magic, it will make you lose your age, it's like time has stopped.

We don't want that!

　Victoria sat up with a serious look on her face.
　The story of Neitzert was painful for Victoria. It was the same for me.

　My sister left the shop and stumbled across the empty land in desperation. I and Neitzert followed behind her.

Victoria, let's see if we can remove the abyss. Neytzhart has offered to help us.

I can't!

　Victoria said.

'Adams, I know it's hard on you too, isn't it?　You know you can't remove this one.

What makes you think that? What makes you think that?

'We understand what this is all about. We know that something unexplainable has been born within us since we jumped down to the bottom of the valley, and we know that we are superior to all the sorcerers around us because of it!

　But I couldn't feel it at the time. I guess I didn't understand the abyss any better than my sister did. I didn't understand the meaning of that word.

"The Abyss understands!

　There was something morbid in Victoria's expression of words.
　I couldn't help but express my disgust at the time. But I should have been sympathetic - and by the time I thought that, it was too late.

"You don't look at me like that...

　She turned her back to me. She pretended to be frightened when she saw me and looked at me in annoyance and disgust. She spread her black wings from her back and flew away without telling me where she was going.

　I couldn't stop it. I didn't have the courage to stand in front of my sister after I had told her everything with my eyes. She understood her sister better than anyone else, and she understood me....

　She kept the pain to herself. She dismissed the comfort and sympathy of others as hypocrisy. Her own thoughts and feelings were the real thing, and those of others were something else entirely.
　Those who knew my sister well creeped her out as a child and played the good guy by saying they understood her at best and when. Others were the same way. I guess the only way to protect myself from them was to reject them.
　The only way to protect yourself from them is to reject them.

　--After a while, King's Landing was destroyed.

　The ringleader was Victoria, the story was passed down from the survivors of the capital, and the Detourites told me. There is no direct link between my sister's wound and the royal capital. Either it was just an impulse, or else I don't know anymore.

"Adams, we have to stop Victoria.

That's not Victoria anymore. It's not my sister either. The Victoria I knew was already down at the bottom of the valley.

　It happened at a camp site for refugees from the capital.
　We sat in a makeshift tavern and argued about my sister. Neitzert left me to it and watched.

'We heard that your home was attacked. Isn't she your only living relative?

The people we meet in our short lives are miracles. It's a life-changing experience. But look at me, Detlelight. I'm 23 years old.

Victoria was 25, three years older than you, right?

You'll always be six years old. Is this a human being, is this life?　Will the body eventually be destroyed...?

Not that it matters. It doesn't matter that I'm your sister.

She resented people's common sense. You don't understand. ─ You don't understand. If you remain a child, the world will think you're a fool. Neitzert, where you come from, wouldn't they call someone like your sister an abyssal fool?

'Yes. When swallowed by the abyss, the ego is lost and that person begins to attack indiscriminately.

"How can we save the fool?

I'll have to kill him. I'm going to have to take his body.

Wait, then Victoria!

　Detrillite's voice was tinged with grief. He really wanted to save his sister, he thought.

'It's okay, the fool was dyed before she was swallowed by the abyss, and her consciousness will not die.

How much of a monster we are, we're...

　I couldn't help it because I know my sister's cry.
　Words have no meaning. People never truly understand each other. It's a delusional kind of thing. People think they can understand in some kind of ideal. They are convinced by a series of canned statements.
　The deep understanding we seek deep inside ourselves is the kind of nonsense that most people just snicker at. My sister understands it just as I do.
　Such a gathering of people must have seemed silly to her, my sister. So she attacked King's Landing. I was uncomfortable.
　I approved of her....

　The Detlelight waited for my answer.
　But before I could answer, the ground shook.
　The refugees screamed, and there was confusion in the camp. The screams of women and children, the crossed voices of commands and orders.
　-- In the sky, some great light passed by.

'What the hell was that...?'

　Dettlelight was speechless, and Me and Neitzert followed it with their eyes.
　The light moved through the sky and gradually began to fall.

''That direction...''

The Great Forest. Come on, Neitzert.

Wait, guys!

　We finished the story of the detritus and continued our journey.



　The place where the meteorite fell was a dense area of large trees, known as the Great Forest. We set out to find the general location of the fallen meteorite, just out of curiosity.
　At that time we were full of innocence. We ran through the trees, forgetting our sister, just enjoying the adventure.

"I'm the best!

　When they arrived at their destination, Neitzert was puzzled and staring at something.

　The place where the light seemed to have fallen was a lake. There was a small patch of land, and someone was there.

'Who's there?'

　It turned as if it recognized the voice.
　It walked slowly over the lake and approached.

'You are...'

　He kept a good distance from us and stopped in the water.
　A bull's horn on his head. Bat-like wings on his back. And a tail like a dragon sprouted from the base of his rump.
　We were puzzled by this creature, which we had never seen before, and wondered who it was.

"Hey, girl, copulate with me!

　These were the first words of the first demon king who later became the ruler of the Great Forest - Rosef.

　Neitzert disliked him terribly at first.
　When he met Rosev, he was, in a word, a newborn child.
　He was not fluent in the language of the continent, and sometimes he could not communicate. But that improved as he continued his journey. He was uncommonly fast. His ability to learn was far greater than that of humans and beastmen.
　However, the one thing that wouldn't go away anytime soon was his memory loss. Rosev couldn't remember who he was or why he was in that lake or anything before that.

　Every now and then, Rosef looked up at the sky.
　Sometimes his mouth was gaping open and he looked like an idiot, as if he was out of it. He had a screw in his head somewhere.
　But that was one of the good things about Rosef. He didn't care how big the bowl was or how small it was, he never complained about the taste. I'm a terrible cook and I always eat Neitzert's homemade food without complaining. Even the immortal me would get sick to my stomach at the sight of such bad food.
　But it's in the big forest. When he stepped out of the forest, his temper grew fierce. He shivered with anger, wondering why the earth was dying.
　But if he returned to the Great Forest--.

''Even so, there's no greenery in that area at all. It's a far cry from the Great Forest, it's nice here.''

　He loved nature. Particularly the green land.

　He did not want to talk about his sister's son. But even Rosef, who was a natural wonder, began to notice his discomfort.

Whenever I tell you something about the wasteland, you ignore it.　Do the two of you have some other means of communicating information besides words, such as telepathy? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

　I couldn't lie to the innocent Rozev, and I told him the truth about when it happened. I told you why most of this continent is dying. Why most of this continent is dying. And about Victoria.

"It's a complicated story.

　Rosef looked up at the sky with his mouth hanging open. The silence that followed was the longest ever.