A Novel to Read When You Want to Cry: "CALAMITY" Vol. 11

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As the prayer progressed from the first section to the second, the bonfire for the ritual grew larger.

At first, the flames were only as tall as a person, but they soon became a pillar of fire that must have exceeded three meters.

The speed of the drum beating also increased in time with the progression of the prayer.

The initial slow tempo gradually became more intense.

Then, the moment the third section ended, five thin, long red lights shot up into the night sky.

The lights intersected above the shrine grounds and eventually transformed into a single orb of light.

After a while, the orb of light began to descend slowly.

And it came to a stop in the center of the shrine grounds.

The chief priest asked me for one final confirmation.

"You can still turn back now. Are you sure you don't want to quit?"

I stared intently at the orb of light, steeling my resolve.

However, when it came down to it, my true feelings spilled out.

Yukina. Truth be told, I wanted to spend more happy days with you.

I wanted to do more things that a big brother should do for you.

I wanted to spend fun days surrounded by Dad, Mom, and my little sister, Yukina.

If I jump into this light, everything will end.

The days when I was happy, my own life, and Yukina's suffering as well.

I shook my head at the priest's words.

Wait for me, Yukina. I'm going to save you from that suffering right now.

I take a step, then two, toward the light.

As if treading firmly with every step. As if looking back on my life.

My time in the orphanage with no memories of the past. I didn't understand the meaning of being alive.

Life with my foster parents.

My foster parents thought of me as their own son, but even so, I was bothered by a single photograph.

The days of wandering through many towns, searching for my younger sister, come back to me.

I had been searching for so long. I had been chasing after it for so long.

And then, I met Yukina.

They were happy days.

They were blissful days.

The days I spent with my father, my mother, and my younger sister flash before my eyes like a revolving lantern.

Just one more step. If I take one more step, everything will be over.

I have no regrets left.

Thank you for the short but happy days.

Yukina. Live happily for my sake, too.

That was when it happened.

Something passed by me from behind and dove into the light.

At the same time, I heard a scream from behind me.

"Nooooo!"

It was my mother's voice.

I couldn't understand what had happened. When I turned around, there was my mother, collapsing in tears.

My father is nowhere to be seen.

Then, the light gradually begins to fade.

As it weakens, something comes into view.

Something that looks like a human silhouette.

It did not take long for the light to vanish completely.

I screamed at the figure that appeared in the place where the light had been just moments ago.

Father!!!

As the priests watched on, my father's form gradually became clearer.

However, his appearance was gruesome.

Patches of his skin were peeling away, emitting a red glow, and his eyes were shining as red as blood.

I recalled a passage written in the ancient documents.

It said that since ancient times, the calamities of this land have been exorcised, sealed, and continuously accumulated within five shrines.

And to maintain those seals, the life of Yukina, the shrine maiden of calamity, was being eroded.

The true nature of the orb of light is likely the calamity itself.

Moreover, it is a mass of calamity spanning hundreds of years. It all flowed into my father's body at once.

Yes, the "Rite of Humanization" was a ritual to release the shrine maiden of calamity from her duties while simultaneously breaking the seals of the shrines.

I stood there, stunned, having forgotten even how to shed tears.

Then, my father looked up at me and, straining with all his might, spoke.

"My... child..."

"What kind of parent... would let... their own..."

"...die... in this world..."

Though his voice sounded hollow and weak, I could feel the sincerity of his thoughts in those words.

I could not utter a word. I could only stare in a daze.

"Masato..."

"You must... live..."

"I leave... your mother... and Yukina... to you..."

In that moment, as if I had understood everything, I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face.

Then, my father's form began to darken, and eventually, his entire body turned into black ash, and he vanished.

Novels to read when you want to cry: "CALAMITY" vol.12
Continuing to the epilogue...

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