Eve Story | Judgment Fable | Ella and Yoru | Episode 17: The Invisible Map, The Found Color
Ella had disappeared.
The presence that I had taken for granted was gone.
That alone made it feel as if the ground beneath my feet had vanished.
Ella and Yoru Episode 17
[The Invisible Map, The Found Color]
It's the same as the scenery of this mountain.
There are mountains.
There is a sky.
But... everything is painted white, and it becomes invisible.
I checked my luggage while still feeling the weight remaining in my body.
Watching me, Oto says,
"Are you planning to look for Ella?"
I nod silently.
"Yoru. I will help you look for her."
Oto's gaze is serious.
However, I shook my head.
"Ella is strong. Whoever could take her away so easily must be quite experienced."
"I cannot let you get into danger as well, Oto."
My clenched hand trembles.
I don't know what I can do even if I go.
But I cannot leave Ella alone.
That feeling alone was what moved me.
I drew my dagger and stared at the blade.
The face reflected there was not afraid.
――I have barely used it.
Even though Ella had taught me how to fight several times during our journey, it felt terribly heavy.
Whenever there was danger, Ella always handled it.
As long as Ella was there, I never felt anxious.
"Even if you say you'll chase after them, how will you do it?"
Oto's words echoed.
I bit my lip.
The dull pain made me keenly aware of my own naivety.
"There is... a way."
I answered while staring at the black Minia floating in the morning glow.
"Magic?"
Oto asks, peering into my eyes.
"I have used it before."
"But..."
I had no confidence.
I had only managed to use it for the first time when I was lost in Limbgard.
――It's okay. I found Ella that time, too.
I stared at the black color and chanted.
"Dark night... where is Ella?"
The softly floating black does not move.
Last time, it stretched out thinly as if responding to my feelings.
But now, it is just floating there.
I slump my shoulders while staring into the void.
Oto took a sudden breath.
"Beyond that white veil ♬"
"A single shadow of an unmixed color ♬"
"Scoop up the scattering signs ♪"
"And show me the form for this moment only"
It is not a song.
It is an incantation.
The area around Oto began to glow softly, and something vague and transparent floated in the empty space.
"It's my magic."
"I don't know the color, but I can tell where the Minia are."
"But I can only see the outlines. I don't even know what kind of Minia they are."
I stared at the transparent Minia that had emerged.
――Is that!?
There are countless Minia.
Among them, only the black color I see is strange.
While others drift separately, only the black Minia is always attached to a transparent Minia.
"Oto... do Minia mix or overlap with each other?"
The question spilled from my lips naturally.
Oto thinks for a moment.
"They don't. I've used this magic many times, but I've never seen Minia get this close to each other."
"I've never seen it..."
"Then, this is..."
I gasped.
The black Minia I see and another transparent Minia are overlapping.
I saw the same thing a little further away.
I have no certainty.
However, I believed in it more than standing still.
"I found it..."
For some reason, I was smiling.
The invisible color looked like a color I had seen before, for some reason.
――It's Ella's color.
There was no proof.
Even so, I knew the landmark.
"Oto, could you come with me?"
I bowed my head.
Even if I can see the black color, I cannot see the other colors.
With Oto's magic and my eyes, I can follow Ella.
"Of course ♬"
Oto's voice is cheerful.
"However..."
"You have to call me big sister ♬"
Oto laughs.
As expected, this person resembles Ella.
I stared at the overlapping Minia and took a step forward.
There is no map.
But the sign that I won't get lost is right here.
▶️ Click here for the story of the two who drifted apart
note Creative Awards 2026 Fantasy Novel Category Entry