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Directory
For those on mobile who can't access the index page.
Prologue–Music Box of Recollection
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4
Chapter 1–"Ma" Survival: Intro
Scene 1—-Scene 2
Chapter 2–"Ma" Survival: Ly
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7
Chapter 3–"Ma" Survival: Milky
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5
Chapter 4–"Ma" Survival: Elluka
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4
Chapter 5–"Ma" Survival: Irina
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4
Chapter 6–Whereabouts of the Miracle
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4
Chapter 7–The Song I Heard Somewhere
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3
Chapter 8–A Tale of Abandonment on a Moonlit Night
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6
Chapter 9–Chrono Story
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6
Epilogue–The Beginning of the Deadly Sins
Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5
Afterword
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Afterword
Original Sin Story: Punishment, afterword
This work is a sequel to the doujin light novel published by the “the heavenly yard” circle, “Original Sin Story: Crime”.
This is a novelization of the contents of the doujin CD “Original Sin Story: Complete Edition”, the portions covering acts two and three.
Thanks to the impact of Coronavirus it came out a lot later than planned, but I’ve finally managed to get it released.
In the time between the last work and this current one I was sponsored to write a new “Deadly Sins of Evil” song for a game and things like that, but in my head I viewed the series as finished with the publication of the “master of the heavenly yard” song and novel, so lately it’s been harder to remember my older story concepts…
For now, there were some points where I was…hoping here to put a final end to the “Deadly Sins of Evil” series this time with the publication of this novel here (Though I think I’ll write more if I’m commissioned to as a job).
That being said, I did completely cut out one of the song episodes (Barisol’s Child is an Only Child) from the work, so I also do have a bit of a hope that I can publish a complete edition novel with it included one of these days.
But that episode has a very weak connection to the original story (that was the reason I cut it here), so I do have to put some thought into how I would put it back in. Alternatively, I could also just put it together with other related Second Period episodes and release them as a separate novel.
It also seems that it’s a bit difficult right now to newly purchase previous “Deadly Sins Series” novels, so I would also like for those to be republished somehow. Or maybe do remakes of them while I’m at it…Assuming there’s a publisher who would help me with that.
…And having said all that it probably makes it sound like I don’t actually have any intentions of ending this series at all, so let’s just leave that to the side.
To touch on the contents of this piece a little bit, I did wind up making someone who didn’t show up in the songs in any shape or form into the central figure of the novel.
Aside from that, I did debut figures who “shouldn’t exist”, and maybe there were a few blatant inconsistencies in it.
I’d be really happy if you could recognize these as just “being how it is”.
It’s not that I’m trying to gloss over my own mistakes (…Okay, maybe that’s more or less what I’m doing).
I wrote this at the start, but this is a “sequel”…A sequel to what?
.
Well then, let’s meet again somewhere else if we get the chance!
.
AkunoP (mothy)
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Epilogue-The Beginning of the Deadly Sin; Scene 5
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 211-213
--That night, having taken a room in an inn at a town near the forest, Nyoze had a peculiar dream.
.
A woman was painting, running her brush across a canvas.
Painted there was the face of an ugly man.
.
A cook was bringing food to a rich-looking woman.
Upon eating it, the woman started to vomit up golden blood.
.
A girl stood before a guillotine.
But on her face, for some reason she bore a smile.
.
A clown was stabbing someone with a knife.
But the clown was shot by someone else, and laid down his life as though sleeping.
.
A woman’s head was on display on a hill somewhere.
A monk and a boy stood before it, their hands brought together in prayer.
.
A doll was surrounded by many items.
The doll called the man who watched over her “father”.
.
A girl was aiming her gun at someone while shedding tears.
The man she was aiming at was—
.
Nyoze himself.
.
These visions each appeared and vanished before him in turn.
When he awoke…Nyoze was covered in sweat.
.
Nyoze started to make preparations to return to Asmodean.
He still wasn’t sure…how he’d be able to grant his brother’s request.
.
Even so…Nyoze could feel it.
The “Original Sin” that had budded in the Magic Kingdom Levianta.
It was now changing shape, and beginning to sprout.
.
Yes—
From here, without a doubt—
.
The karma of “evil” will begin to move.
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Epilogue-The Beginning of the Deadly Sin; Scene 4
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 209-211
Lich continued to fly along the sky above the forest.
All he could see beneath him were withered trees.
Maybe if the whole forest were to die out this way, Held’s power would also diminish.
But…that wouldn’t be a very convenient way to go about it.
That “black wind”…Is it starting to weaken?
It was nothing more than intuition. It was clear that the “black wind” had some sort of component that had a negative impact on plants, but it wasn’t something that could be seen with the naked eye.
Just to be sure, Lich landed down on a branch of one of the withered trees and took a close look at it.
…Several new leaves had started growing there.
The power of nature, or even the world itself, to continue to survive—it’s starting to win against this “black wind”.
He didn’t know if he should be disappointed or elated.
At some point Lich was approached by Eater, who called out to him, “Big Brotherrr. I caught a fish!”
Grasped in his arms was an enormous fish the likes of which Lich had never seen before.
So it seemed that Eater was also quite accomplished at fishing.
“Very good, Eater.”
Lich hopped down from the branch and flew over to the bear’s shoulder.
“Big Brother…Have you quit trying to leave the forest?”
“Certainly not. But…I think I can stand to be a little more patient about it.”
“…?”
“Patience is a virtue, after all—Naturally, I won’t just be idly waiting. There are many things I can do even here in the forest. More humans pass through here than I once thought. First I will need to gain more information on the world from them.”
“I wonder if…Vlad and the others are doing okay.”
“Who knows…But the day may come where I rejoin my efforts with theirs once more. Until then—I shall wait here.”
Even if Lich didn’t take action, the world would keep going on its own.
Though some might call him timid…
That was just another way of living.
“Now then…I think I shall go back to examine that strange mud.”
Lich spread his wings.
“You don’t want to eat any fish, Big Brother?”
“You eat it. You’re much bigger than me, anyway. I…will be fine with your leftovers.”
Lich flew off into the blue sky.
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Epilogue-The Beginning of the Deadly Sins; Scene 3
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 206-209
A lone woman was walking through the forest.
It seemed she was returning to town, having bid farewell to Held.
Nyoze watched her closely from the shadow of a tree.
There’s no mistake…That has to be the real Elluka.
That blonde hair, those almond eyes…That was Elluka, the one he’d seen face to face so many times back in Levianta.
Ordinarily he probably ought to have called out to her right away.
But—
Something he couldn’t name dissuaded Nyoze from doing so.
What is this feeling that something’s off about her?
Certainly, she looked the spitting image of Elluka.
But even so…he could tell something wasn’t right.
All the same though, staying here like this…won’t solve anything.
Just when he was mustering up his courage, and preparing to jump out.
“Wait, Nyoze!”
Someone’s voice reverberated in his mind.
That voice just now…
There was no way he’d have forgotten it.
It was the voice of his blood brother—Gammon.
“That woman is dangerous. For now…don’t approach her.”
Gammon!? What is this? How is your voice able to—
“I don’t have much time. I have to do this before Madam Merry-Go-Round notices. …Nyoze. You must stay on guard around that woman. She will become a great key…towards either the world’s destruction, or its salvation.”
…
“Keep an eye on her. For decades, for centuries.”
What are you saying? Surely you know there’s no way I can live that long!?
“If anyone can, it’s you…Now that you were once a castaway of time…You’ve gained the power to reincarnate. You’ll lose your memories every time you’re reborn, but…A piece of your mission will remain in your heart in your next life.”
I don’t understand…What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense.
“Even if you don’t understand it now, you will one day. At any rate, make sure you see everything you can…of this being known as Elluka. And if she seems like she might become a key to destruction…Kill her.”
…Got it. Though I don’t actually get it.
.
Nyoze could only mentally nod along.
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Epilogue-The Beginning of the Deadly Sins; Scene 2
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 201-206
Asmodean, in the land of its eastern region.
A red-furred cat was walking along the road.
…I’ve gotten quite used to this body, Irina murmured to herself in her mind.
Seth had simply left, without giving Irina so much as a lecture on how to use this cat body.
But fortunately inside the body was a recording device called a “BlackBox”, and from there she’d been able to read the manual.
"Oh my, what a cute little kitty,” a kindly-looking old woman spoke up to Irina. “Are you hungry? You can have some, if you like.”
The woman set a dish down on the ground, and poured in some milk from a bottle she was carrying.
…Thanks.
Irina mentally thanked her and started to lap up the milk.
--This cat body did periodically need to intake energy to continue functioning.
With the white cat that Seth had made as a prototype, that was alcohol, but it seemed that with this red cat body animal proteins could serve as a source for energy.
And milk could be said to be the favored refreshment for this red cat.
“Oy, you old hag!”
Just as she heard that man’s crude shout, the old woman’s body was kicked aside.
“Don’t be giving out food to some damned stray cat! This day and age even milk is an expensive commodity!”
“I-I’m sorry…”
Though the old woman apologized, the man continued to kick her over and over.
This old woman’s family…Maybe a son, or a grandson…Either way, it’s none of my business.
As grateful as she was for the milk, that didn’t mean she was obligated to help her out.
…Though this might be perfect for a little experiment.
Irina looked around her, and laid eyes on a man who looked like a soldier, holding a spear.
He should be suitable.
She approached the soldier, and then nimbly hopped up to his shoulder.
“Wh-what…the…”
The soldier swayed for a moment as though he’d been knocked unconscious, but quickly righted himself.
And then he began to walk to where the man was kicking the old woman.
“…”
The soldier held the spear he was holding up over the man’s back.
“Grrgh!”
Then he brought it down with all his might.
“Argh!”
The man was knocked aside, and collapse where he lay, bleeding.
“Eeek!”
“Aaaaagh!”
Pandemonium broke out around them.
It doesn’t look like a fatal wound. Using a spear is hard.
Irina hopped down from the soldier’s shoulder.
At least I learned that I can puppet about even a male body with no issues.
Giving a side-eyed glance to the soldier as he stood there in a stupefied daze, Irina left.
.
The information that had been given to her by the “BlackBox” wasn’t just on how to use the body.
…Like what had happened in Levianta that day.
It had taught Irina some hints that indicated that answer for her.
.
Her big brother’s—Kiril’s rampage.
Someone had bewitched him into causing the Catastrophe to happen.
…Elluka.
She wasn’t dead.
But how? I know I delivered the killing blow.
Back then, Irina had still had left in her a small scrap of a conscience.
Perhaps it made the hand in which she’d held her knife hesitate, just a little.
She didn’t know.
Perhaps the information from the “BlackBox” was simply mistaken.
.
But, if it were true…
If Elluka really was still alive.
Then she—would have retribution against the woman who had stolen everything from her!
.
A young man was walking in front of Irina, followed by a great crowd of women.
“Wa ha ha!”
Irina stared at the sight of them with a cold gaze as they marched through the center of the road, loudly laughing.
You really will find such vulgar groups like that everywhere, huh
It seemed as though Irina wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.
She could hear two middle-aged women whispering to each other about it too.
“…I hear he’s a survivor from Levianta. Some third son of a distinguished family somewhere.”
“I heard he’d been heading east after leaving his country to rot.”
“And yet he’s got all those young women with him…He’s a conceited one for sure.”
The Magic Kingdom Levianta. Irina’s former homeland.
I’d rather he didn’t besmirch Levianta’s reputation…But whatever.
As Irina began to pass him by, however, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
…What is this? I sense…a strange presence from that man.
Irina stared intently at him.
No…It’s not him. It’s from that sword that he’s wearing on his hip.
She focused her senses on the sword.
When she did, she saw floating behind the man—
Was some illusory being.
…A ram? A ram with wings…
The ram looked at Irina.
“You…can see me?” he said to her, in a voice only she could hear. He asked further, “What manner of person are you, red cat?”
…Not sure. Perhaps I’m the same as you.
Apparently Irina’s thoughts could reach the ram. “Oh…? How very interesting.”
I’d like to exchange some information. Depending on what you tell me…Maybe we can help each other.
.
--A meeting between “malice” and a “demon”.
This was the beginning of everything, and also little more than an omen.
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Epilogue-The Beginning of the Deadly Sins; Scene 1
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 200
There are those who would bring malice into the world.
And there are also those who would try to guard against it.
.
Having followed along with various memories, Nyoze had learned of the existence of one such person.
.
But he could only heave a sigh.
.
None of it had any meaning.
.
Even if none of this had taken place—
.
This world…had already filled with malice long before.
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Chapter 9-Chrono Story; Scene 6
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 194-199
“—And that’s all that I know,” Lich said, bringing his story to a close.
There were many things that Nyoze wanted to ask about, but first and foremost—
“Elluka…She was alive!?”
“The woman you spoke of, and the sorceress that I witnessed…I don’t know if they’re the same person, but I am certain without a doubt that that was the name Held called her by.”
“Right, so there’s a chance that she’s someone else…Actually, the odds of that are probably higher than the alternative.”
“Why do you think that?”
“First, I verified Elluka’s dead body with my own eyes. That at least I’m sure of, she did die. Though naturally…maybe a god could bring her back to life…”
LeviaBehemo had enticed Kiril to the “Sin” using that as a pretext.
Only, that had been nothing more than a lure. It was somewhat doubtful that LeviaBehemo actually had the power to resurrect a dead person.
If they were able to do that, LeviaBehemo would have easily taken possession of the bodies of “Twins of God” a long time ago.
There was one other thing that didn’t coincide between the Elluka that Nyoze had known and the woman who’d appeared in Lich’s story.
“This ‘swap technique’…It’s a very high-grade spell. It’s said there’s hardly anyone who can use it. They would need to have a considerable amount of magical power—”
“You’re saying Elluka did not have that much power?”
“…I can’t say anything for certain. Her ability was high enough to make her suitable for queen. But from what I investigated during the queen selection process, I never found any indication anywhere that Elluka could use the ‘swap technique’.”
“It could be that your investigation wasn’t thorough enough. Is there a chance that she skillfully hid it from you?”
“You say that, but still—”
Now that the Magic Kingdom was destroyed, there was no way to know for certain.
There had indeed been rumors that the shrine maidens of Lighwatch would commune with Held.
But Elluka had given up being a shrine maiden, and in his research he had found no evidence that she had left the country at the time.
“It might be fastest just to meet with this sorceress directly…Lich, do you know where she is now?”
“I can only move about inside this forest. So it’s impossible for me to follow the whereabouts of anyone who leaves it.”
“I see…”
Speaking of people who had left the forest, he was also concerned about what became of those twins.
But of course, this too was something Lich didn’t know.
“Not if they’re alive, nor if they’re dead. …Though, now that they’ve already unleashed the ‘Demons of Deadly Sin’, there’s no point in you hunting those twins down and killing them, yes?”
“I…suppose so.”
“The ‘Demons of Deadly Sin’ will bring destruction…Assuming that your brother’s words are true, then it’s only rational that you should work to recover them, just like that sorceress.”
“Are you…okay with that? These ‘Demons of Deadly Sin’ are your friends, after all.”
“I have no memories. I’m not friend or foe to you. If you’re too discouraged to go on, that’s fine with me too. Even if you find the demons, recover them, and destroy them, then they’re just reaping what they sow.”
“…”
“Well, if a time ever comes where I leave here someday…I hope that it doesn’t result in me having to oppose you.”
Lich looked up.
A beautiful blue sky lay above them.
“Shall we bring this to a close now?” he uttered. “This is probably the first time I’ve ever spoken this long with a human. Most ordinary people tell each other that I’m mischievous, and so will run away from me out of fear.”
“Do the other animals really speak as you do? For example, that…bear that you mentioned in your story, Eater.”
“No. None of the older inhabitants of this forest can understand human speech, nor can they speak it themselves.”
“I see. I’d probably be able to get quite a lot of information if I were able to converse with them.”
“I would keep it to a minimum. Held isn’t as peaceful a being as humans imagine he is. If you pry too closely, you might incur his wrath.”
“I’ll bear that in mind, thank you.”
“Well then—farewell, human.”
At that, Lich flew off into the sky.
.
…
……
………
.
…Or, he was going to.
The black bird once more landed before Nyoze.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?” Nyoze asked.
“No…I have one last present to offer you, it seems.”
“…?”
“Or to be more specific, I suppose I should say it’s information. When I looked down from up in the sky just now…I happened to see her. That woman, walking through the forest.”
That woman—
He didn’t need to ask who.
.
It was Elluka Clockworker.
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Chapter 9-Chrono Story; Scene 5
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 192-194
Lich was forcibly taking a reluctant Eater along to where the tree of Held stood.
“It won’t do any good, trying to hurt Lord Held.”
“Scrounge up some determination, Eater. Don’t you want to see the world outside this forest?”
“…Nah, not really.”
“Why not!? Aren’t there things out there that you’ve never heard of? Don’t you want to see them?”
“Um, I dunno…But I might get punished, so…Still, no.”
“…Well, whatever. In that case…How about just trying to break one of his branches? I want to see if doing that alone will weaken Held’s power.”
“I mean if it’s just that…But, no…”
As they were discussing such things, the two of them came right up to where Held was located.
…Hm?
Lich noticed a presence there.
It wasn’t an animal, and it wasn’t Held either—it was a human.
Is someone there?
Lich hid in the shade of a tree alongside Eater, and the two of them wound up spying on the place where Held was.
…Yes, someone really is standing there before the tree of Held…Is that a woman?
It was a human woman wearing a robe.
It wasn’t all that unusual to have residents of the forest coming to the tree of Held to pray.
But this woman—she was very clearly conversing with Held.
“—Thank you, Held. You’ve helped me in supplementing my lost memories.”
“I’m glad to be of service…Then, will you hear out my request?”
“Hmm…Well, I suppose. My time is infinite, anyhow.”
“The swap technique…As long as you have that ability of yours, I’m sure you’ll be able to recover all of the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’ eventually.”
“I don’t mind, as long as it kills some time,” the woman said with a laugh.
“Killing time, hm…Very well. I cannot move from this spot. That is why I ask you in my place…Elluka Clockworker.”
The woman he called Elluka Clockworker nodded, and then went to leave.
Lich had been watching and listening in to this exchange carefully.
Elluka…So she’s an acquaintance of Held…He mentioned a ‘swap technique’. A witch…Is she one of those from the Magic Kingdom?
The more salient point was the words that Held had said, the “Vessels of Deadly Sin”.
He’s probably…talking about the vessels that the “Demons of Deadly Sin” dwell in.
So Held had already learned of their existence.
And now he had just tasked that woman with recovering them.
Held…You must really want to keep us locked away.
Still lying in hiding, Eater quietly spoke up to Lich. “Big brother…What’ll we do?”
“…Let’s pull back for now. It looks like a great deal more is getting started than I thought.”
“Alright, got it.”
The two of them left so as to not be noticed by Held--
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Chapter 9-Chrono Story; Scene 4
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 189-192
Fly away, seven sins.
The impurity born from our false mother.
Let the world turn and turn.
This evil, grave sin.
Purify it.
.
--Lich peeked in on things from outside the small shack the whole night through.
“--!”
Finally, the shack started to burn.
Is that…okay?
Though he grew worried, he couldn’t go back inside at this stage.
…
He just continued to watch over it as he had been doing—
And then a single light flew up overhead in a straight line.
Then two, then three…
The lights were gradually released into the sky.
After the seven lights had all risen, they then began to revolve around each other in the air.
And then—
They each scattered in all directions.
The seven lights, leaving only a fading trail as they flew away, eventually disappeared from Lich’s sight.
“It’s over…Or maybe it’s just begun.”
The hut continued to burn.
I hope the fire doesn’t spread to any of the surrounding trees…Huh?
Someone came out of the small home.
It was the children. The children that Seth had called the “Twins of God” were staggering out, each supporting the other.
Then, when they’d reached Lich, they fell to their knees.
“Are you okay?” he asked without thinking.
“…”
The two merely gazed into the sky, without responding.
“Sin has been released,” the boy quietly whispered.
“The seven sins have been released,” the girl whispered next.
The seven sins…I guess so. It was seven lights that were given off—
And there, Lich finally realized something strange.
There were…seven!?
What the heck!? There were five people, me not included, who became “Demons of Deadly Sin”…And if you count Seth, that makes six in total—
So the remaining light—
Just what had that been?
“H-hey, you two…”
Though Lich spoke to them, the twins still didn’t respond.
“…”
They stood, and started to walk off somewhere.
“We’ll go meet them.”
“Our real mother and father.”
That was what they murmured as they went.
“Just a seco—”
By the time Lich called out to them again, the twins were nowhere to be found.
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Chapter 9-Chrono Story; Scene 3
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 182-189
Three animals were already waiting for Lich and the others before the small shack.
“You’re late, birds!” the rat Marie screeched at Lich and Salem.
“No need to get so grumpy, girl. We came as fast as we could.”
Marie abruptly turned her face away, not paying any heed to Salem’s justification.
“…I don’t see Vlad with you?” said the ram, Gilles.
Fastened to his waist was a jar full of water.
A fish—Rahab—suddenly poked her head out from inside. “With his stubby legs it would take him a bit longer to reach this spot, don’t you think?”
Eventually Vlad showed himself, completely out of breath and sprinting in their direction.
“Wheeze…I finally made it…All of the ‘Six of Lights’ out in full force…Salem, just what is going on here?”
At Vlad’s question, Salem looked up at the small hut before them.
“It—would be faster to ask the man inside.”
“A man? The owner of the house?”
“No…At least, I don’t think it is.”
Salem rapped on the door once or twice with his beak.
“—Welcome, enter,” they heard in reply from inside.
Then the door opened.
.
Inside the small house there were various items all set out systematically on the floor, as though for some sort of ritual.
A glass, a spoon, a mirror, swords…
And in the very center of it all were two slumbering children.
“Welcome, ‘Six of the Lights’…It’s been a long time.”
Lich turned in the direction of the voice and saw a single old man standing in a lean against the wall in the corner of the room.
“A long time? Were you…an acquaintance of ours?”
“We were friends, in the distant past. Though we ended up parting ways and walking different paths… Now, after so many years we’ve been able to reunite.”
“How very interesting. You’re saying you know of our past, then.”
“I do. But I have no intention of telling it to you. We haven’t the time, and I have no way to prove that anything I’m saying is true.”
“Then we can’t trust you, I’m afraid.”
“That’s alright. What’s important is not the past, but the future. I came here to release you all from this forest prison. …That’s all you need understand.”
The old man started to totter over until he was standing over the sleeping children.
“These are the ‘Twins of God’…twins whose bodies can house the souls of gods. Unfortunately, however, we cannot move your souls into them. They were created for LeviaBehemo, after all. But…we can create “vessels” for you, using these twins’ power.
Next, the old man passed his gaze long the articles he had lined up.
“These are the ‘vessels’. Though, I just randomly picked out some items from inside the house. Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad selection.”
The rat, Marie, drew up to one of the items there and looked up at the old man.
“This mirror…It’s got cracks in it.”
“Ah yes, it does. But it’s quite valuable. The owner of the house probably splurged to buy it for his wife. Well, it might break one day and get divided up into three or four mirrors, but that shouldn’t be a big issue. What’s important is not the number, but whether or not it can fulfill the role of ‘vessel’.”
“You’ve been saying that word, but what exactly is a ‘vessel’?”
“You will each have your souls dwell in these items here. Through this, the curse on you will be broken, and you will furthermore be able to live an eternal life.”
“Will our memories return?”
“That…might be a bit tricky. The sealing of your memories was probably caused by the—‘Rules’ of this world. Not even I can overturn them.”
Vlad walked up to the red wineglass, and gave it a sniff.
Then, with dubious eyes he spoke up to the old man, “You would put our souls in these things, without any arms or legs? No way. If that’s the case, I vastly prefer how we are now.”
“But you’ll be able to leave the forest. And…if you feel like it, you can obtain other limbs to use.”
“What do you mean?”
“Through ‘contracts’. Through them, you, as ‘Demons of Deadly Sin’…can freely puppet humans who have contracted with you. In exchange, those humans gain special abilities that would ordinarily be impossible for them.”
The six of them each shared glances with each other.
They were all having trouble inferring if what the old man was saying was true or not.
Lich asked him, “What is your name?”
“Seth. Seth Twiright.”
“Mister Seth. Your proposal is extremely interesting. However…I have just one thing that’s been nagging at me this whole time.”
“Oh my…What is it?”
“You—are already dead.”
The other five animals’ eyes all widened in unison.
It seemed Lich was the only one to have noticed that fact.
“Your body doesn’t show any sign of having blood running through it. And your pupils are blown wide open.”
“…Hahaha, very impressive, Lich.”
Something rushed out of Seth’s sleeve. It slithered up his body, until it was on his shoulder.
It was—a single golden snake.
The snake opened its mouth.
“This is my current form…a snake built from a particular shape memory alloy that I obtained when I was searching for someone.”
“So that means—you’re already a ‘Demon of Deadly Sin’?”
“Exactly right. And now I am able to puppet about my own corpse. Naturally I could do the same to a living human as well.”
“…”
“But you see, I’m lonely all by myself. I want some friends…If you wanted to keep living on as simple animals, that would be alright too…But! I know! Your intelligence! Your ability! Your desire! Could you really be satisfied with letting all of that languish in obscurity!?”
Seth gave a striking speech.
And in response—the first to make concord was the ram, Gilles.
“…It’s true, we can’t…achieve anything like this.”
Next, Vlad and Marie voiced their agreement
“I’m already sick of the food around here.”
“I want to wear pretty dresses. And I want jewels, and to live in a fancy mansion.”
Salem hooted in satisfaction. “My heart was set from the very start. Living in noble poverty isn’t my style.”
Rahab poked her head out from the water in the jug. “I will go with the flow, here…That’s alright to do, every now and then.”
The other five animals aside from Lich had all clearly decided to get on board with Seth’s plan.
“Well then…what about you, Lich?” Seth asked.
“…”
Lich pondered and agonized for a short while.
--And then he made his decision.
“I…believe I will abstain. I made a promise to go to the river with Eater later.”
“Is that truly fine with you?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t changed…Very well. If you live long, I am sure…we will meet again someday.”
“…”
“But let me say just one word of advice. That Held…Don’t let your guard down around him.”
That was Seth’s advice.
But he needn’t have bothered telling Lich that.
.
When the ark was unleashed, an explosion had occurred…Why was that?
It hadn’t been a simple explosion—that was what Lich thought, at least.
He figured the one who’d rigged up that explosion—was Held.
To keep the people inside the ark from getting out when it opened.
To kill Lich and the others.
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Chapter 9-Chrono Story; Scene 2
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 177-182
Is that the song of birds that I can hear?
No, that is the cry of the forest.
Is that the light of the moon that’s shining?
No, that’s the burning fire.
.
A black bird that had its memory stolen from it and been forced into living in the forest was flying through the air today in search of food.
The impact of the “black wind” was grave, and fruits were few and far between. Even so, there was ample food left to satisfy the hunger of an omnivorous bird such as himself.
Tree fruits, animal corpses, earthworms…Anything was fine. Lich had no hangups about food, and as long as its quantity could fill his stomach, that was good enough.
It should have been simple for him to leave the forest by just continuing to fly in this way.
But he couldn’t do it.
A large tree with a will of its own named Held had cursed Lich to be so.
Any time he got close to getting out of the forest, his body would rapidly lose strength, and his vision would blur. Lich would have no choice but to pull back deeper into the forest before he fell and collided with the ground.
Held was the only one who could undo the curse.
Still, maybe if he were to wither, and his power grew weaker—
But unlike the other trees, Held showed no sign of being affected by the “black wind”. And in this bird body of his, it seemed unlikely he’d be able to do any damage to the great tree.
…I guess I’ll need to get ask for his help after all.
He required the aid of someone much stronger than himself.
.
After he’d flown for a little ways, he spied two animals facing each other.
A big bear, and a small pig.
If anyone not in the know saw them, it would probably seem to them like the bear was going to attack and eat the pig.
But the reality was different.
“…No harvest today either, huh? Honestly, what a useless lout you are.”
The bear hung its head in shame and apologized to the pig that was heaping abuse upon it. “I’m sorry…Vlad.”
“Is that gargantuan body of yours just for show? Go out and look! More carefully this time!”
“Okay…”
Lich landed between the two of them and chided the pig, “How about you go look for your own food, Vlad?”
“Lich…You again. Why are you always sticking up for a simpleton like Eater?”
“He’s an animal that’s been living in this forest a lot longer than we have. It’s only natural to pay respect to the original inhabitants here.”
The bear turned its big face to Lich, eyes growing moist. “Brother Liiich...”
“Erm…I’ve told you this many times before, but I am not your big brother, Eater.”
“I know. But I can’t help but wanna call you that.”
The pig, Vlad, let out a loud snort. “I know what your end goal here is, Lich. You’re planning to have Eater try to break the tree of Held, right?”
“…”
“Give it up. Eater doesn’t have that kind of pluck. Aside from us ‘Six of the Lights’, there’s no one in this forest with the kind of willpower to go against Held.”
The “Six of the Lights” that Vlad referred to were the spirits that had landed in the forest as bundles of light two years ago.
Lich, Vlad, and also Gilles, Rahab, Marie, and Salem.
They had all been changed to animals, and were living in the forest.
As they’d had all memories outside of their names taken from them, they even couldn’t recall what relation they’d all had with each other.
But there was something they all acknowledged among themselves.
That they were “criminals, and prisoners”.
That was why they’d continued to be sealed away in the ark, and why even now they were locked up in this forest.
Held was probably their warden. The notion of these “Six of the Lights”…and LeviaBehemo, scattering across the world…must have frightened him more than anything.
.
A different bird flew down from the sky.
It was an owl. Upon seeing him, a nocturnal creature by nature, Lich finally noticed that the sun was going down.
“Good evening, Salem.” Lich greeted the owl, who was one of Lich’s fellow “Six of the Lights”. “How unusual to see you here with the rest of us, always going at your own pace.”
“You’re the one who goes your own pace, Lich…But let’s leave that aside for now—Come with me, quickly.”
“…? Where?”
“There’s a human’s house a little bit northeast from here.”
“Ah yes, a husband and wife and their children lived there up until a short while ago. Though I haven’t seen them around lately.”
“Indeed. Something…interesting is happening there.”
“…Very well, let’s go.”
Salem turned to Vlad. “You come too, Vlad.”
“Ha? Why should I listen to anything you tell me to do?”
“Sigh…What a nuisance. You’re fickle and stubborn every time I meet you. Just come with us. It’ll probably be a good deal for you too.”
“…Well, whatever. It’s gotta be more lively than tormenting this bear here.”
“Do you know the place? You can’t fly, and you’re much too heavy for us to carry you. You’ll have to run.”
Eater flusteredly looked between the three of them, and then finally turned to face Salem.
“Um…What should I do?”
“Who are you?”
“Um…I’m Eater…the bear.”
“Sorry, but this has nothing to do with you. You should just stay put and relax over here.”
“…But…” Eater gazed at Lich with consternation. “Big brother Lich, what should I do?”
“Yes—You really should just wait here. It feels like Salem’s proposition…might be a bit dangerous.”
“…”
“I’ll come back right away. And we’ll go look for something to eat together. Over at the western river…We can probably catch some fish there.”
“O-okay!”
Eater nodded emphatically.
.
With a full moon shining in the sky, Lich, Salem, and Vlad all headed to the house to the northeast.
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Chapter 9-Chrono Story; Scene 1
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 173-177
He had met with the spirit, Lich.
Was this pure chance for Nyoze? Or an inevitability?
“Lich…do you know?”
“Know what?”
Nyoze told Lich all about the circumstances that had led him to this point.
.
That he’d been drawn into some bizarre space at the ruin of the castle, and that he’d met with his older brother there—
That said brother had ordered him to kill the “Twins of God”—
And that he’d met with the ghost of Meta at the house where Adam had lived with his wife—
.
After hearing him out, Lich nodded several times, as though to settle it all in his own mind.
“Mhm, mhm, I see…So you’re from Levianta, then.”
“Yeah. About that Catastrophe—”
“Naturally, I know all about that. I’m one of the interested parties.”
“…? Aren’t you a denizen of this forest?”
“I only came here just recently. Or rather…it might be more accurate to say I was forced to come here.”
“…?”
“When the ark ‘Sin’ was thrown open, and the Catastrophe occurred…an enormous dragon and six lights appeared from inside…Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.”
It was the sight he’d glimpsed in Irina’s memory.
“One of those six lights…was me.”
“--! Then you’re—”
“For a long…long time, we were locked up inside that ‘Sin’…That’s all I can remember. The moment we were unleashed from it, we were drawn over to this forest.”
“—You told me that you weren’t a ‘god’. But if you were inside the ‘Sin’ along with LeviaBehemo…Does that mean that you and your fellows were ‘spirits’ that served LeviaBehemo?”
“I’m not sure…I actually don’t know that much myself. We had our memories stolen from us by that being known as Held right after we came here. And we were changed into these animal forms. But as to who we were, and why we were locked up in there—”
“You don’t know, and you can’t remember…”
A being that had lost his identity.
But he didn’t seem to be hostile to Nyoze, at the very least.
“What is Held’s objective? Why did he draw you all here?” Nyoze asked.
“I don’t know that very clearly either, but…I can tell he doesn’t think very well of us. Not just us, but LeviaBehemo too. At the outset, Held had originally planned to draw in LeviaBehemo’s soul as well. It appears as though he failed.”
“LeviaBehemo…Where did that dragon disappear to? I haven’t heard anything of it being sighted in other nearby countries since the Catastrophe.”
“Well first, the dragon itself isn’t all that important. That’s little more than a soulless vessel. Something like that wouldn’t have survived for very long, I should think…About now it’s probably withering away somewhere in a place away from prying eyes, yes? LeviaBehemo, and their soul—must surely still exist elsewhere.”
“Hmm…Then, what about your friends, who got turned into animals? Are they in this forest right now?”
“…They would have been.”
“What do you mean?”
“Around the same time as we had our memories stolen from us, we were put under a different curse. But—perhaps it might be better to conduct this conversation where it happened.”
Lich alighted from the branch and headed off somewhere.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Nyoze hurried after him.
The destination they arrived at was the burned-out house he’d just been to.
“Just when I was wondering where you would go…here again, huh?”
Lich was waiting for Nyoze, having landed down on the ruin’s roof. “There was a matter that greatly interested me in the story that I’d heard from you earlier…and it would be this.”
So saying, Lich approached the small clump of mud—the remains of what had once been Meta Salmhofer.
“Was it just a ghost, or was that soul making itself manifest by donning a shell of mud…Hmhm, in either case it’s most interesting. I’d like to look into that properly once I have the time,” Lich murmured to himself as he walked around the mud.
“…You sound almost like you’re some scholarly bird.”
“Do I? Maybe I really was a scholar, before I became like this. I can’t remember.”
“Did you come here just to look at the mud?”
“There was that, but…More important is the matter of the man called Seth. What he did here, and what happened after—”
“That’s it. That’s something I’d quite like to know!”
“My my…Very well. You have told me of a great many things, and so I suppose I need to repay the favor. And if Seth wishes to prevent your interference, then I would like to take the opposite action.”
“Why?”
“Because I hate him. Seth…I don’t know the reason, but I feel an unspeakable loathing at his very existence.”
Perhaps something had happened between them before Lich had lost his memories.
Naturally, that wasn’t Nyoze’s place to know.
“How will I learn of it? Can you…make those gears materialize as well--?”
“I cannot. But there will be no need for that. I saw the whole thing from start to finish with my own eyes.”
“What!?”
“So I will simply tell it all to you. The story of Seth’s deed—how he used the ‘Twins of God’ to unleash the ‘Demons of Deadly Sin’ upon the world.”
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Chapter 8-A Tale of Abandonment on a Moonlit Night; Scene 6
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 166-172
“…”
“…”
“…Hey, hey hey! Wh-what was that, just now…” Nyoze asked.
Meta shook her head, appearing at a loss herself. “That…shouldn’t be possible. Even for Seth that’s extreme…To get interference from a person inside a memory. It’s nonsensical, in theory.”
The two gears lost their light.
--That wasn’t all. The gears, and even Meta holding them, too…began to melt away as though they were made of wax.
“Is this…Seth’s power…having become a ‘Demon of Deadly Sin’…?”
Nyoze cried out to the crumbling Meta, “Meta!”
“I am…a clone of Seth…but more that, right now I’m nothing but a ghost…I can’t go against his power…If you want to know what happened next…you must search. For Seth, and someone who is of equal power to him…”
“…”
“Assuming…such a person…exists.”
Meta could no longer keep up her human form.
But she just barely managed to whisper in the end, with what was left of her mouth, “Pale…it’s alright…I will always…be waiting here—”
“…”
Meta’s body crumbled along with the gear, leaving behind only a small clod of mud.
“Meta…”
Nyoze could only stand there, motionless.
.
--Meta had died a long time ago.
Her children had been raised by Adam and his wife…and Meta had watched over them as a ghost.
That glass bottle…Hänsel had picked it up somewhere.
But glass was a precious valuable even in Levianta. To say nothing of Elphegort; they didn’t even make it there. It was hard to imagine that someone had just dropped something like that in the middle of the forest.
If it didn’t belong to Adam and his wife…then that little bottle must have been a keepsake from Meta.
And that had guided the twins…
.
Nyoze moved a little further into the woods.
And then he dropped his gaze at a certain spot.
…Growing there were small mushrooms.
Nyoze picked one and looked carefully at it.
Their hue, their characteristic specks…They were the same as the mushrooms that the twins had eaten.
“…Poison mushrooms. Eating them wouldn’t kill them, but they are hallucinogenic.”
The house the twins had found.
The witch and henchman that had been there.
…Their real identities were clear.
.
Had Hänsel and Gretel simply not realized, due to the hallucinations--?
Or—
.
…It was all just speculation now.
Adam and his wife were dead, and the twins had disappeared to parts unknown with Seth.
And…he would likely never meet with Meta again.
No one would know the truth, now.
.
“…Well, what should I do from here?...”
He’d lost all of his leads.
Where had the “Twins of God” vanished to?
Had Seth taken them somewhere?
…I thought for sure he’d been killed when he got caught up in the Catastrophe in the first place.
It was…a bit hard to believe that he’d healed his wounds these last two years, participated in yet more gear memories, and then gained enough power to erase Meta’s ghost.
Meta said that Seth has become a “Demon of Deadly Sin”. Gammon told me to stop the “Demons of Deadly Sin” from being unleashed upon the world.
In other words…he really was too late to fix anything?
“Even if that’s the case…I can’t very well go home only knowing half the story like this.”
Hadn’t Meta told him that his only option was to search for “Seth or someone on his level”?
If Seth were some “Demon of Deadly Sin”, then he needed to find someone at the same rank as a “demon”, or even higher…
It was ridiculous
It couldn’t be…That would have to be a “god”, wouldn’t it?
No…Wait.
It was often said that a god outside of LeviaBehemo lived in this forest.
“The great land god, Held…”
He couldn’t. It took him long enough to find human twins, and now he was going after a god?
Should he pray?
Or make a supplication?
It would be all too easy if that was all it took to get a god to appear before you.
Even LeviaBehemo had needed to get a whole country involved to manifest on the ground world.
“Hah…”
Nyoze heaved a great sigh and looked up to the heavens.
A black bird was flying leisurely through the blue sky.
“If only you were a blue bird.”
It was said that a blue bird would take those who saw it to wherever they wished to go…Nyoze remembered that from a fairytale.
The black bird landed on a branch before Nyoze’s eyes.
Then it fixedly stared at his face.
“Are you hungry too? Unfortunately I don’t have anything on me I could use as bird feed.”
Naturally, he was only talking to himself.
But—
“—Thank you for the concern. However, I can find enough food for myself on my own,” the bird—replied.
“--!?”
All he could do was stare in shock.
A bird…was talking with human speech?
“I don’t believe it…are you ‘God’?” he asked the bird.
“’God’? What do you mean, ‘god’?”
“I mean, that is…you’re not the great land god, Held?”
“Ah, I see. If that’s what you mean, then no. Though I am something a bit similar, I suppose.”
Come to think of it…he had heard something like this from the people of the forest.
That there were beings known as spirits that served Held.
And that they all took the forms of regular forest animals.
“Then are you a ‘spirit’?”
“A ‘spirit’…I’m not sure, but I suppose that’s good enough. Call me whatever you like. However, I would appreciate it if you could address me by my proper name, if possible.”
“You have a name?”
“Of course. Well then…I shall tell it to you.”
The bird respectfully spread its wings, and then once more closed them again.
.
“My name—is Lich.”
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Chapter 8-A Tale of Abandonment on a Moonlit Night; Scene 5
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 162-166
A single robin perched on a tree branch, and began to chirp.
The two unthinkingly came to a halt, listening to its pretty song.
Eventually the robin stopped singing, and took off from the branch.
The two of them chased after it, and finally the bird landed down somewhere else.
It was…the roof of a small home.
.
“A house!”
Gretel stopped Hänsel before he could run towards it.
“Wait. Didn’t I tell you? That might be the witch’s house.”
“Oh right. Then that means it’s made of candy…Can I take a bite and see?”
“No. That’s the witch’s trap. To lure in children.”
After they looked upon it for a little while, the door to the house opened, and from inside came an elderly woman carrying a spoon.
At one look, the two of them were certain.
This was—the witch of the forest!
Hänsel dropped the glass bottle he’d been carrying in shock.
“…?”
The witch heard the noise, and started to slowly walk their way.
The two quickly tried to hide, but the witch found them before they could.
“Oh my, children!” The witch ran up to them and tightly hugged them both. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t myself…You must be hungry, right? Come on, come in the house. You’ve nothing to fear now.”
So saying, she took both of their hands and led them into the house.
.
Once they got inside, the witch lit a fire in the stove to start preparing dinner.
As she did that, Hänsel and Gretel started whispering to each other.
“…Hey, what do you think?”
“No doubt about it, she’s trying to put us off guard.”
“I bet she plans to throw us in that oven.”
“Yeah. We’ve gotta do something…before she makes us into a roast.”
Gretel slowly drew up behind the witch, careful not to make any sound with her footsteps.
The witch peered into the oven to check the fire level.
Now!
Gretel pushed the witch into the oven with all her might.
And then she shut the door and drew the latch.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaagh--!!”
The witch’s scream resounded through the room like lightning.
There was the sound of her pounding on the oven door.
Gretel covered her ears, and cowered there on the spot.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” she murmured over and over again, not knowing why.
She’d defeated the evil witch.
That was all she’d done, and yet for some reason she couldn’t stop crying.
.
There was no longer any sound or screaming from inside the oven.
The witch had finally burned to death.
--But that didn’t mean that it was all over then.
The door to the house opened, and a man carrying a bow entered.
“--! Y-you two—”
Drat.
The witch had a henchman!
Hänsel rapidly lunged at the man.
“Waaargh!”
The man fell on his back to the ground, Hänsel clinging to him.
But he quickly grabbed at Hänsel, and tossed him away.
As he stood, he looked down at Hänsel, tumbled about on the ground as he was, with an agitated expression.
“Just what are you—”
There was the sharp, stabbing sound.
The man’s eyes widened, and then he collapsed on the spot.
Behind him—at some point another old man had come to be standing there.
“Urr…rrggh,” the man groaned, looking up the old man. “You…!? …S-…Seth?”
“To think I’d be reuniting with you again…I’m quite surprised, Adam.”
“…”
“Still…it’s over now. Sorry, but I don’t have the time to concern myself with you anymore.”
“…Is this…karma…?”
And there the witch’s henchman expired.
Hänsel and Gretel could only stare on in shock at this unexpected course of events.
“Old man…who are you?” Hänsel asked him.
“I am your just and righteous ally, come to save you. …You’ve gotten quite big, Hänsel and Gretel…’Twins of God’.”
“You know about us?”
“Yes, that’s right, Gretel. Since you were little babies—Ah, wait just a moment.”
Seth suddenly looked around them…and rested his eyes on a single point.
“…Someone is watching us.”
Then Seth began to gently reach out his hand for that spot.
“I can’t tolerate someone reading another person’s memories—Nyoze.”
--Everything being displayed there abruptly cut off.
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Chapter 8-A Tale of Abandonment on a Moonlit Night; Scene 4
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 156-161
When their parents had taken Hänsel and Gretel deep into the forest, they had made them gather firewood and set a small bonfire with it.
Hänsel and Gretel had sat at the fire for a time, but eventually they began to nod off from exhaustion.
When they next opened their eyes it was pitch-black around them, and their parents were nowhere in sight.
While being abandoned in a place deep in the woods was naturally quite distressing for them, they did have a small handful of good fortune left to them.
“Mushrooms! There’re mushrooms growing here, Gretel!” Hänsel shouted.
This was a place that people rarely set foot in. So there were some mushrooms that had yet to be picked growing in its vicinity.
“Mushrooms…I don’t really like them much, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
The two of them roasted the mushrooms over the bonfire, and managed to stave off hunger for a while by eating them.
The mushrooms were tastier than expected, and their spirits were bolstered at least a little bit by that. Perhaps that said something about just how empty their stomachs had been.
“Still, we can’t stay here forever.”
Gretel thought about how they might get home, but no good ideas came forward.
And then, Hänsel cut in with a proud look on his face, “Don’t worry. We’ll be able to get home.”
“Huh? How?”
Hänsel showed Gretel a small, empty bottle.
He’d found it some time ago, and hung it from his neck by a string. It was his prized possession.
He was always putting things in that bottle.
“I was gathering pebbles in my glass bottle yesterday.”
“That’s right. Though I had no idea why you were doing that.”
“Yeah, it didn’t really have any meaning behind it. I was just gathering them because I thought they were pretty.”
“…Then what happened to those pebbles? Looks like they’re gone now.”
“I was dropping them one by one on the path until we came up here. ‘Cause they were heavy. But…now I’ve had an idea. I’m sure we can get home if we follow along those stones.”
“Ah, I see. That’s pretty clever, for you. Even if it was by accident. Well then, let’s go.”
Hänsel restlessly looked around them.
“Uh…Ah, here one is.”
The two set out along the path indicated by the trail of small stones.
But…their leads quickly ran out.
The interior of a forest had many pebbles littered about inside it already, and so it had become impossible to tell which ones had been dropped by Hänsel.
“…Yeah. I guess it’s obvious when you think about it. Rocks don’t make very good landmarks. You should have used something else.”
“You say that, but—”
“I guess I’m an even bigger idiot for having any faith in such a stupid idea from an idiot like you.”
“Uh-huh. We’re the idiot twins.”
“Huh? You say something?”
“…No. It’s nothing.” Hänsel held out his small bottle in front of him and stared at it. “Hmm…I wonder what I should have put in it?”
In that moment, the moonlight hit the glass bottle, and it began to shine.
Its light bounced off the pebbles on the ground, and illuminated a path.
“The path! It made a path of light!” Hänsel shouted.
It was a miracle…or was it luck? Neither of them knew, but they had no other clues left.
And so, on this path of light indicated by the glass bottle...they set out.
.
For minutes…for hours…they persistently walked.
And yet, they could not see their home anywhere.
Though the two began to grow nervous that it might not be the right path, they continued to walk.
They steadily grew tired, and they grew hungry again. The only thing growing on the path were more mushrooms.
Neither of them knew how to build a fire, so this time they consumed them raw.
Their anxieties abated some when they ate the mushrooms.
It’s fine…I know we’ll get home.
And they began walking again.
.
Midway through, Gretel suddenly uttered, “This…might be a trap.”
“A trap?”
“I once heard something. That a witch lives in this forest. The witch of the forest uses a spoon instead of a staff, and she can reduce all to ashes with lightning.”
“Urgh…”
“This path of light…It’s a bit too convenient. Maybe the witch of the forest is trying to lead us astray with her magic.”
“But…why?”
“Naturally—to eat us up!”
“Waaugh!”
Shocked, Hänsel fell right on his rump.
“Then let’s quit going any further,” he suggested, looking like he might cry.
But Gretel shook her head. “We’ll starve anyway, at this rate. So we have no choice but to push on.”
“But…”
“I hear that the witch has stockpiled food and treasure. She’s amassed so much that even her house is made of candy. So if we can defeat the witch, we won’t have to worry about food anymore.”
“Defeat her…How?”
“I dunno. I’ll leave that to you, since you’re the man.”
“No way! I’m against discrimination by sex!”
“Well, maybe we’ll manage if we do a surprise attack or something. I’m sure she won’t be expecting that, coming from children.”
The two of them continued walking.
Without even clearly knowing…what lay in wait for them up ahead.
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Chapter 8-A Tale of Abandonment on a Moonlit Night; Scene 3
Original Sin Story: Punishment, pages 153-156
--Gretel had known everything.
That her house had barely any food left in it.
The red fruits no longer grew on the trees.
Though they went to the village, they could not barter with anyone for food. It wasn’t out of any malice on their end. They were starving too.
Her father started hunting, rather than just cutting wood. But even the animals had their limits, and they were smarter than they’d thought (Well, smarter than Hänsel at least). It was only at the outset that they got any results. The days wore on with her father going out into the woods early in the morning with a bow in hand, and coming home at night empty handed.
--Gretel knew everything.
Her father, her mother, Hänsel, and herself.
The four of them were walking through the woods.
Mother had said they were going to another country.
That it was because there would be more food there than here.
But the country that her mother and father had been born and raised in was swallowed up and erased by that light.
The other countries were much farther away. They weren’t places they could get to by walking.
Inside the dark forest.
She already knew the whole truth.
That if they continued in this way, they’d soon be unable to return.
.
--Hänsel had loved their mother.
She was always doing strange things, but she had been kind to Hänsel and Gretel.
She would scold Gretel sometimes, but that was Gretel’s fault for always misbehaving. The worst had been when Gretel had fished two swords out of the river, and swung them around inside the house. The tip of one of the blades had hit Hänsel in the face. It hadn’t been just their mother, but their father too, who had harshly scolded Gretel then.
--Hänsel had loved their father too.
Their mother was mentally ill, so their father was always doing things for her recovery. He was a very smart man, and he’d told them that he used to be a scientist in the past. There were no schools here or in the village, so their father would give them lessons instead. But Hänsel hadn’t much cared for study. In the end he couldn’t understand addition or subtraction.
Mother’s illness had seemed to be getting better, little by little.
The number of times she did strange things seemed to go down, but at the same time she was becoming less kind.
The times she would make a scary face at Hänsel would go up. It was as though she saw some sort of monster or ghost standing there, when she looked at Hänsel and Gretel.
And now the four of their family were advancing through the woods.
Inside the dark forest.
He already knew the whole truth.
That if they continued in this way, they’d soon be unable to return.
.
--Gretel had known everything.
That Mother and Father weren’t their true mother and father.
That Mother and Father were always living in fear of something.
What they feared was surely Hänsel and Gretel themselves.
And the reason was surely not that Hänsel was slow witted, or that Gretel was mischievous.
Hänsel and Gretel were nothing more than a nuisance to Mother and Father. They didn’t work, only depleting their food supply. And so their parents must have resolved to get rid of the two of them.
.
--Hänsel didn’t love their mother or father anymore.
The two of them had let the twins loose in the forest somewhere, and disappeared.
They were somewhere far away that they’d never been before.
By the smallest light of the great moon, they couldn’t even tell the way back home.
If you have nothing to eat, it’s better to have less mouths to feed.
That must have been their reasoning.
.
…But that wasn’t the only reason.
Mother and Father had been afraid.
Of revenge.
Of karma.
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