Eve Story | Judgment Fable | Era and Yoru | Episode 23: The One Who Came at Night

The night was quieter than I had expected.

I didn't feel like I could sleep, but I think I spent a long time with my eyes closed.

The stone walls remained cold.
Only the moonlight coming through the narrow window fell thinly onto the floor.

Era and Yoru Episode 23
[The One Who Came at Night]

On the bed opposite mine, Oto was wrapped in a blanket.
It looked like she might be asleep, and it also looked like she might be awake.

I was probably the same.

I checked the paper tucked inside my clothes with my fingertips over and over.

'Yoru. I'm sorry.'

Only those short words were stuck deep in my chest.

If you intend to come back, then just come back.
If you can't come back, then just say so.
Leaving only 'I'm sorry' and disappearing on your own is unfair.

Even though I think that, it's not something that can be settled by anger alone.

That was when it happened.

--Scrape.

There was a sound like something rubbing against the outside of the door.

I lifted my head immediately.

On the bed opposite, Oto sat up in the same way.

The sound wasn't just once.
Someone was outside, small and cautious.

I stood up.
Oto also got off the bed without making a sound.

There was the sound of a key.

Slowly.
As if checking.

I held my breath.

The door opened slightly.

A thin line of moonlight shone in from the hallway.
Standing on the other side was--Seas.

I stepped back reflexively.

Oto moved slightly behind me without saying a word.

After looking around the room just once, Seas closed the door quietly.
He didn't lock it.

'So you were awake.'

'Do you think we could sleep?'

When I said that in a low voice, Seas lowered his eyes just a little.

'...I suppose that's true.'

His voice was the same as when I heard it in the mountain hut.
It was calm, and his emotions were hard to read.

But now, it was somehow different.

He looked a little tired.

'What do you want?'

I asked while keeping my back to the wall.

'It's time for the guard shift. We can talk for a little while.'

'So you actually talk like that.'

When we spoke in the mountain hut, his voice was gentle and soft.
Now, it was a detached voice, as if he were suppressing his emotions.

Even when I mixed in some thorns, Seas didn't get angry.

'Are you curious about what's happening here?'

'Obviously.'

'I see.'

I was left speechless for a moment by that answer.

Seas didn't come to the center of the room.
He stood near the door and looked at us.

'I came to talk about Era.'

At that moment, the air changed.

'...Where is she?'

My voice came out faster than I thought.

Seas furrowed his brows slightly.

'For now, she is still in the building in the back. She is being treated as an apostle.'

'An apostle?'

I repeated it, unintentionally spitting out the words.

'You locked her up?'

'Yes.'

'That's ridiculous.'

Seas didn't deny it.

'Era is called "Lady Apostle" here.'

I fell silent.
Beside me, Oto was also holding her breath.

'Here, they worship dragons as sacred beings. To be precise, the "True Dragon".'

'And the one who serves it is considered the apostle.'

It was a story that made no sense.

--Why was Era chosen as an apostle?

Before I could even think about that, there was something else I was worried about.

'Is Era safe?'

'She isn't injured.'

'Is that all?'

Seas hesitated for just a moment before answering.

That silence alone was enough to give me a bad feeling.

'...They used a Dragon Stone.'

My throat made a sharp sound.

'A Dragon Stone?'

Oto asked quietly.

'It's a stone said to be able to control dragons.'

'Control dragons...!?'

Oto gasped.

'I don't know if that's true. However, it has an effect on certain humans.'

'It only reacts to those who possess dragon factors...'

'That stone reacted to Era?'

I muttered, staring at Seas.

His expression didn't change.
But the way he spoke so detachedly looked different from how he looked in the mountain hut.

'Yes.'

'If you use a Dragon Stone, you can interfere with memories and perception. If you use it strongly, you can even make someone think that the place they are in is natural.'

I couldn't say anything.

The strange sense of discomfort that had been drifting in the mountain hut back then.
The blue light.
It all connected into one.

'Did she forget everything?'

'Not everything.'

Seas shook his head.

'Probably, it's still there. It hasn't completely disappeared.'

The paper in my pocket felt like it had suddenly become hot.

'Yoru. I'm sorry.'

That was proof that Era was still thinking for herself.

I glared at Seas while remembering that.

'Then what is it? Does that mean it's fading away?'

'...Yes.'

'You're the worst.'

'I suppose so.'

It was that answer again.

He didn't talk back.
He didn't justify himself either.

That, if anything, made me feel sick.

'Why are you doing something like that?'

My voice was so low it surprised even me.

'"Lady Apostle," my foot. You brought her here on your own, you're keeping her locked up on your own, and you're even messing with her memories on your own.'

'It's because I believe that is the right thing to do.'

I gritted my teeth.

'That's not a reason.'

'...I know.'

The room became quiet.

Seas was standing in a place where the moonlight didn't reach.
Half of his expression was invisible.

'I hate this way of thinking, too.'

At those words, I furrowed my brows.

'Now you say that?'

'Yes, now.'

'After you brought Era here yourself?'

'Yes.'

'After you locked us up?'

'Yes.'

Every time he answered straight, I got even angrier.

But apart from that anger, I was also starting to understand things little by little.

This person didn't come here to make excuses.

He was probably here to say something else entirely.

Oto opened her mouth quietly.

'...Seas, have you always thought that way?'

Seas lowered his gaze just a little.

'No.'

That one word was terribly heavy.

'I was raised here. From the time I was born, I was taught that this was right. To protect the apostle. To keep outsiders away. To obey before questioning.'

It was a detached voice.

But because it was detached, it sounded like there were no lies in it.

'I didn't know anything until I received the mission to go outside with Dia.'

I lifted my head slightly.

'Outside, I saw it for the first time. A normal town. People laughing normally, living normally. People who decide for themselves how to live, even without faith.'

There was a slight tremor in those words.

'At first, that was all. I thought it was different. But that didn't mean I could change anything.'

Seas exhaled just once.

'...I was pretending not to see.'

The way he said that was directed at himself.

'Even if I thought it was strange, I made excuses that it was my mission. I thought it would be fine if I just obeyed. By using the words "protecting the apostle," I tried not to think about what I was doing.'

I listened in silence.

I think that's probably the truth.

It's not a pretty confession.
I don't think he can be forgiven just by regretting it.

But at the very least, it wasn't light.

'...Then why are you talking about it now?'

When I asked, Seas didn't answer immediately.

'Why did you come this far?'

He answered a question with a question.
I really don't like this guy.

'We're just travel companions with no blood ties, right?'

'And you, the bard, must have met her for the first time too.'

Seas looked at Oto as if he found it strange.

'Is Era really such a special existence?'

He said that while staring at me.

I exhaled and answered.

'There's no reason.'

'But Era didn't choose this herself. So, I just came to hear the answer.'

Seas seemed a little surprised by those words.

He looked toward the door once, then turned to us.

He looked at the floor where the moonlight didn't reach for just a fleeting moment.

'...I was ordered by the Bishop.'

'To do what?'

'To kill you all.'

I felt the air in the room freeze.

Oto gasped softly.

I couldn't get any words out.

Seas's voice didn't change.
But that lack of change was scary in itself.

'Not immediately. It could be before dawn, or a few days later. People who come from outside cannot be left alive. He said to take care of you before you return any unnecessary memories to Lady Apostle.'

I clenched my fists.

I didn't even know if it was anger or a chill.

'...And?'

'I didn't want to do it anymore.'

'So, you decided to help us?'

'It's not such a noble story.'

'If I can't do it, I'll be the one erased.'

Seas shook his head.

'...I'm just sick of it.'

Only those words were a little stronger.

'Being ordered around by someone. Locking people up under the guise of protecting them. Taking away someone's life with a face that says it's right.'

I looked at Seas.

In the moonlight, his face was terribly quiet.

But it also looked like he was falling apart while remaining quiet.

'I want you to take Era out of here.'

Those words were clear.

'...What did you say?'

'I'll get you out of here.'

Seas continued.

'In exchange, I want you to take Era out. I can't do it alone.'

I furrowed my brows unintentionally.

'You should do it yourself.'

'I can't.'

It was an immediate answer.

'If I move, I'll be found immediately. It's not unnatural for someone originally in a guard position to approach Lady Apostle. But it's a different story if I try to take her out. I'll be stopped before I can leave the village.'

Oto asked quietly.

'Seas, what do you intend to do?'

'I'll make up a pretext for going on a search.'

'A search?'

'There are intruders from outside. They might harm Lady Apostle. If I say that, it will be a reason to leave the village.'

I thought about it for a moment.

Certainly, that might work within the logic of the religious order.

But there was something else that bothered me.

'...What about Dia?'

Seas's eyes wavered for a moment.

'I don't know.'

'What do you mean you don't know?'

'I haven't told her.'

That was a little surprising.
Because those two looked like people on the same side.

Seas continued in a low voice.

'Even within the religious order, Dia believes much more deeply than I do. Unlike me, who obeys while doubting, she still thinks that protecting is the right thing to do.'

There was something a little bitter mixed into the way he said that.

'So, I can't tell her. She'll stop me.'

I bit my lip.

In other words, this is a story from which there is truly no turning back.

Seas has come here alone.
If he fails, it's over.

'Why do you think we'll cooperate?'

When I said that, Seas narrowed his eyes slightly.

'I don't.'

'Huh?'

'I don't. But you want to take Era home, don't you?'

I didn't answer.

'I don't want to follow this place anymore. But I can't do everything by myself.'

It was a terribly clumsy way of putting it.

It wasn't quite like asking for help.
It wasn't an order either.
Even though it was close to a deal, it wasn't just about calculation.

'...Did you come here to consult us?'

Oto said softly.

Seas looked at Oto as if he were a little surprised.
Then, he nodded slightly.

'Maybe so.'

I exhaled unintentionally.
I thought it was unfair.

After being told something like this, there's no way I could refuse.

I want to save Era.
That hasn't changed from the beginning.

But now, it's not just that anymore.

Within this world, something is starting to crumble little by little.
It might not be a story that ends just by taking Era and running away.

Even so.

First, it's Era.

I pressed the paper through my clothes.

'Yoru. I'm sorry.'

Just remembering those characters made me feel like this wasn't the time to be hesitating.

'...How much does Era remember right now?'

Seas shook his head.

'I don't know. She can have normal conversations. But when she tries to think about things from before she came here, there are times when it cuts off. Sometimes she gets stuck on names or words.'

It's still there.
It hasn't been cut off yet.

I lifted my head.

'If we can take her out, will she return to normal?'

'It might not be immediate. But if we take her away from here, there's a high possibility that the influence of the Dragon Stone will weaken.'

'Possibility?'

'I can't say for sure.'

The fact that he didn't fudge that part made me trust him a little.

I looked at Oto.
Oto was looking at me too.

With her usual soft face.
But only her eyes were wide awake.

'Oto?'

When I asked, Oto nodded after a beat.

'I want to take Era home.'

It was straight.
With her usual softness, there was no hesitation.
Just that made it a little easier to breathe.

I looked at Seas again.

'I have a condition.'

'What is it?'

'Don't lie to me.'

Seas was silent.

'I'm not saying you have to tell me everything. But if you proceed while hiding things that are inconvenient, I won't trust you.'

After a short pause, Seas answered in a low voice.

'Understood.'

'And one more thing.'

I stepped forward just one step.

'I'm the one who's taking Era home.'

Seas nodded quietly while looking at me.

'Do that.'

That answer was strangely straightforward.

As if he hadn't thought of any other way from the beginning.

There was a faint sound of footsteps outside the door.

Seas's expression changed.

'I'm going back now.'

'What about next time?'

When I asked, Seas answered while keeping his hand on the door.

'Tomorrow night. I'll come again before the guard shift changes. By then, I'll create a way to get out of the village.'

'What if you fail?'

'In that case.'

Seas looked back just a little.
The moonlight turned only the outline of his profile white.

'In that case, I'll be the first to die.'

The door opened and closed.
The lock was not engaged.

What remained in the room was the same coldness of the stone as before, but also a stillness that could no longer be the same.

I exhaled slowly.

Oto didn't say anything either.

After a while, I sat down on the bed.

I thought there was no way I could sleep.
But now, the reason I couldn't sleep had changed a little.

It wasn't just a night where I was angry.

When tomorrow comes, things will move.
Probably, for real.

I checked the paper in my pocket with my fingertips once more.

Era is still over there.
But it's not over.

I looked at the night beyond the narrow window.

Even if I can't see them, the stars are probably still there.

'...Wait for me.'

I didn't even know who I was directing that at.

But those words, even if small, were properly facing forward.

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