Snow-covered Forest (Sayaka Arc Part 1)

Nova's eyes glistened at the sight in front of him. It was a pure white world, a world full of snow. The sky was cloudy with snow falling down. Forests with snow covered trees had spread out on both the east and west. The middle of both forests was a path blanketed with snow. The snow was pure white, save for one noticeable speck Nova noticed in the distance.

When Nova took a step forward, he tripped. He bemoaned ruining the pristine snow path, but he noticed the snow wasn't cold; it felt like cotton. He touched the sleeve of his shirt and felt how smooth and silky it was. It wasn't because his body was numb. He was able to feel in the Spirit World. He got up. His clothes were not wet either; he did not feel cold. He had to press on; he couldn't just admire the snow. He needed to find what that speck was.

When he got closer, he saw that the speck was actually a person with long black hair. He stopped at a distance. He was still a bit far from the person, but still at a distance where he could see them. He admired the long black locks; they reminded him of the night sky. The person turned around; a petite young woman with jet black eyes gazed upon his lavender ones. She wore a tattered jumpsuit that did not match the current climate of this place. In her arms resided a sleeping white rabbit.

"This forest wasn't always enveloped by snow." Her voice was raspy, which did not match her relaxed expression. "The reason why it became like this is because time stopped for this child." She looked down at the rabbit. Nova noticed her sunken shoulders that made her look hunched over.

Nova knew this woman was Sayaka Minami. When he looked at her memories, she was someone so devoted to making the best of her life; now, she looked lifeless as if she had given up on everything. He found it a saddening sight.

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. I don't care." She then took a good glance at him. "Lavender eyes. Tell me, why are you here?"

"I'm here to grant your wish."

Sayaka scoffed. "So, you are the lavender-eyed charlatan."

"Excuse me?" Nova furrowed his eyebrows.

"In my hometown, there's an urban legend about a psychopathic lavender-eyed woman claiming to be able to grant wishes, but actually kills people. It's a scary story that adults and the elderly like to tell to keep children in check."

"Urban legend…?" He tilted his head; he wasn't sure how he became such.

"But, I can see that while you bear lavender eyes, you are no woman."

"I'm here to grant your wish, though."

Sayaka's eyes widened and her mouth gaped; he could tell she was genuinely surprised. She approached him. "Is it even possible for a passing soul like me to have a wish?"

Her hostility seemed to only be a front, Nova assumed. He hadn't sensed any negativity from her earlier behavior. Her words about him being an urban legend of sorts did not seem to be lies as well; the Spirit World did not allow them.

"Yes, because of a wish, spirits are now considered alive. My goal is to grant wishes to all living beings on this planet–this includes you and Kori."

"Are you really able to grant my wish?" Sayaka asked; there was a spark that came and went in her eyes that Nova saw. Nova was surprised to see it, but it gave him hope.

He reached his right hand out. Four feathers materialized and floated above it. "Take my hand."

Sayaka removed one hand from the rabbit and almost reached out; she hesitated. Nova found it a normal reaction, but also a sign that passing souls are as alive as they were when they were physically present. He gazed into her eyes; he could see fear and doubt. She feared what would happen if she did take his hand; she doubted his capabilities. What she needed was encouragement; he knew the definite words to say to reel her in.

"Wishes are the magic formed from the heart. In order to make them come true, you need to move forward; magic cannot happen when you're hesitant."

He saw her reassured as she grabbed his hand. The feathers started glowing underneath her hand. One shot out from the gap between their hands and shot up towards the sky like fireworks.

The scenery changed from the snowy, desolate forest into a dimly lit field. From the minimal lighting, Nova saw barbed fences enclosing the area. There were two people, a young girl and a hulking tall man.

"Now, Sayaka, show me the fruits of your effort." He had a loud, intimidating voice that startled Nova. "Come at me with all you got."

The young Sayaka charged towards him. She threw a kick at him, but he defended with his thick arms. He then threw a punch at her, which she dodged by bending down. She used her left leg to kick his legs, but he also dodged by jumping with his legs up in the air. Their sparring continued by hitting and dodging until the man caught Sayaka off guard and punched her in the stomach. She reacted poorly to the impact; she knelt down, clutching her stomach as she gasped and wheezed.

"You still react poorly to one punch in the stomach?"

His question caused Sayaka to become silent as her visage contorted with fear. She slowly looked up to see her father's intimidating eyes freezing her. Nova heard her heartbeat increasing gradually.

Sayaka tried to speak, but fear paralyzed her. The man just sighed. "This is why girls are useless. It would've been better if you had been born a boy." He turned around.

Sayaka sputtered out, "Father, wait…" as she clutched his ankle. "One more time, please…"

"I cannot work with someone who gets hurt easily."

"I can do it."

"And how many times have you said that? Soldiers at war get hurt all the time, but they steel themselves to withstand any hit. You and I have been training together for five years and yet you still react poorly to getting your stomach hit. I cannot and will not train weak people."

Sayaka gripped his ankle. "Father, please…" In a flash, Sayaka found herself staring at the night sky. There wasn't any time for her to laze about because she felt a strong grip on her neck, seizing away all her chances of breathing. She gripped her father's wrist and mustered all of her strength to remove it; the lack of air and the fear she felt within were making her weak.

"What will you do in a situation like this, Sayaka? Your breathing is diminishing. An enemy is taking your life away. How will you survive? Can you survive?"

Sayaka wanted to live. She needed to. She had to prove to her father that she was strong. She gripped his wrist and mustered all of her strength onto her leg to kick him in the groin. The power of her kick did cause a reaction in him as he loosened his grip, allowing her to breathe. She took the opportunity to grab a switchblade hidden under her shirt and pointed it at him.

Her father just looked at her amidst his pain; he took a deep breath and stood up. "I commend you for your quick thinking, but that's not enough. You lowered your guard so much that you weren't aware of me grabbing your neck. Next time, try to be more alert."

Sayaka lowered her hand and then her head. Nova heard thoughts about her frustrations with not being able to meet her father's expectations. He could sense how strong her mental stress was. It felt like a strong pressure pushing his shoulders.

"Sayaka, I'll test you again next week, so get stronger." He turned around and left.

Sayaka was bewildered at the time limit. She dropped the knife and fell onto her knees. I can't take this anymore! Her thoughts were like shouts as she clutched her head.

Someone, please take me somewhere–anywhere but here! I hate it here. I hate how I am bound to this fate. Why am I here? Why do I have to be here? Why did I have to be born here? She clutched her chest and gritted her teeth; she looked as if she wanted to cry, but could not.

Her distraught emotions were making Nova stagger. He couldn't handle how much sadness and frustration she was feeling; it was resonating into his soul. The way she was tearing herself up from anguish made Nova want to do the same.

Control yourself, Nova. Souhait remarked. Those words were enough to give him focus. He needed to be strong and not succumb into negative emotions.

I wish I could escape from this place. Mother and Father don't love me. They don't see me as a person, only a tool. Everyone else in this household sees me like that too. I don't want to be here. I don't want to become a soldier like everyone else.

She looked up at the night sky. The black sky was so clear, but there wasn't a moon in sight. It was an empty black void. Despite that, she knew it was more free than her. The sky was endless; she was not.

"I want to be like the clear sky. I want to be free and go wherever I please…"

Nova heard soft sniffling as he turned to see the current Sayaka shedding tears and sniffling. Seeing her cry made him uneasy. "What's wrong?"

"Ever since I was born, my parents raised me to become a soldier of high status. All my life, I only knew violence and pain. All I wanted was to be free. I did what I could to achieve that, but now I'm dead. Did I live a fulfilling life? Did I truly live as free as I wanted? Did I become like the sky?"

Nova sensed tremendous sadness overflowing within her. He responded, "That's for you to decide."

Seeing her pouting face made Nova recall what he had seen from her memories; her life began and ended tragically, but he also recalled the good moments–the moments where she had been truly happy.

"Sayaka," Nova grabbed her hand. "I believe you did live a life as you desired. You just need to realize it."

"How?"

"Follow me!" He ran while dragging her along. He ran towards the fence, which they phased through, startling Sayaka in the process; she kept blubbering about how they were able to go through the fence without the need to climb.

"Where are we going?" Sayaka asked; her voice was loud due to her fears.

"Hang on tight!" He held her hand tight as they jumped off a cliff.

"We're going to die!" Sayaka yelled; her voice echoed as they ventured further down.