Chapter Eight: Only ten days

When Itsuki arrived. The place where the trees were cut down, he headed to the river, and when he arrived, he found Yotsu drowning again

Itsuki sat by the river and watched Yotsu sink

Half an hour later, Yotsu came out of the river by himself. He wasn't confused or surprised, and when he saw Itsuki, he said to him

(I thought you wouldn't come today, did something happen)

(Oh, I'm here to tell you a few things.)

Yotsu sat down near Itsuki, a bit confused, and asked him if there was anything to which Itsuki replied

(Tell me ya...

It doesn't matter can you tell me how long I was in the river when I fell)

Yotsu was surprised at the question he asked and said

(I can't believe you forgot my name again, is your memory broken or something)

(This is not important now, let's go back to my question)

(Are you serious? I didn't spend any time under water. I tripped on something and got out as soon as I fell into the river.)

(I understand, but this is not true. You did not stumble upon anything. You lost consciousness and fell into the water. It took you half an hour to get out of the water.)

(Wait a minute, I'm sure I got out as soon as I fell into the water, and you say half an hour, in which case I would have died)

(That's true if you're still alive.)

( What do you mean )

(You were born in the city of sky. True, this means that you are not human, right)

(Right after all we are "fenix" you can tell by looking at our wings)

(huh i didn't know that after all you don't have wings)

When Yotsu heard this, he quickly stood up and started looking at his back, but there was nothing

This was something that was not possible for the Phoenix, because even if their wings were cut off, they would return again, and this made Yotsu in a state of great confusion, so Itsuki told him)

(Didn't you try to think about it for once, why is this village deserted, why do trees not decrease in number, even though you cut them down every day, why do you fall every day into this lake, , and why is your sister in this state)

(what do you say what my sister has to do with what is happening here)

(Do you remember when this village was attacked, do you remember how many people died in that attack)

(My memory is a bit fuzzy but I can remember at that time no one died)

(No, someone has already died that person.

was you)

When Yotsu heard those words, he was shocked and his head began to ache violently. He was trying to understand what Itsuki was saying to him, and he answered him (What are you saying, Mr. Itsuki, please stop joking, how did you die while I am still here in front of you)

(One month ago, your sister was attacked by a koken and fell into the King's Lake because she was investigating something

She went home to get some treatment and take a short break

Ten days ago, this village was attacked by the Fourth Commander of the Koken Army. The goal was to eliminate Arya Rose.

One of the people disguised as Arya came out and headed towards the lake, and the koken army caught up with him. At the edge of the lake, the fourth leader killed him and he fell dead in the lake. Can you now tell me who that person was)

When he was speaking Itsuki remembered what happened and told him that he was the one who did it and at the edge of the river that person stabbed him when Yotsu realized what happened he did not accept the truth of what happened and tried to deny by saying if you are dead then why are you still here so Itsuki said to him

(Tell me what power fenix has. You know humans have yin and yin. Elves have unique wings.

what do you own)

Yotsu replied that he had never heard of such a thing before Itsuki's explained to him and said

(The "fenix" are semi-immortal creatures who live in the Kingdom of sky

The moment the fenix dies, it creates a fire that we call the boundary. Anyone who enters the boundary field becomes a vessel for the fenix's souls.

For you, the body is just a shell. At the time of the death of the "fenix" body, its limits appear for choosing a new vessel. Of course, the body that becomes a "fenix vessel" dies its owner.

In the event that there is no person within the borders, the "fenix" spirit disappears within a specific time that differs from one person to another.

And in the event that there is a person within those borders, but the "fenix" did not want to take him as a container, the borders continue until the death of the person within those borders)

(Limits what does that mean are you trying to say we've been in my limits for ten years don't mess with me I can't believe something like that)

(Your belief in the matter or not does not change the situation you are in, and it is also not ten years, but rather ten days within the borders, the course of time differs from the real world, so spending ten years here means ten days have passed in the real world

And in the time I've been here, I've realized something else

Border embodies from the spirits of "fenix" and in order to survive as long as possible, the border devours what is left of its own soul and uses it as fuel to survive until the soul finds its new vessel.

So tell me how can someone whose soul has been burned for so long stay alive)

(By devouring the souls of other people within the border right)

‏(It is true that I usually have a strong immunity against cold and diseases, but since my arrival here, my condition has worsened, as if my age is decreasing

I realized that my soul is consumed by something

(Wait a moment, you arrived only ten days ago, if what you say is true, that means)

(You realize it's too late, right? I spent ten years here devouring your sister's soul to stay reincarnated in this world

If you stay here in the end, you will devour your sister's soul until you both die.)

Yotsu didn't believe what Itsuki was saying, although he was aware of what was happening, but he was trying to deny it by saying that Arya would have noticed it and that she wouldn't have done it for me. Itsuki replied, "Stop yelling like girls, that's a disgrace to you. You're a man. You have to face things face to face. You know that." Your sister wasn't that bad before you fell into the river.

Yotsu told him that this is strange, why do I only see Aria? There are other people in this place, like the person who buys these trees from me or the person who brings medicine to me every week.

Itsuki told him

The world of borders is illogical, you can see things in it that you don't usually see, the sun is in the middle of the sky, it's always hot in the day and cold at night

Trees after cutting them back to normal the next day

It is not surprising that there are imaginary people like those you mentioned.)

( but)

(Tell me, do you realize why you fell into the river every day? Have you thought about why?)

( I don't know )

(Your soul has been looking for a place to go every time you try to return to your body, but it is dead every time

If all this did not make you believe, you can swim in this river and look down, then you will see that this is not a dream or some fantasy

As for me, I'll give you just one day, you can do whatever you want, and then I'm out of here, even if it means breaking your soul.

If you want to die or take your sister's body as a container, that decision is up to you.

Hearing those words, Yotsu realized that he could take Itsuki's body now that he was within the boundary. When he looked at his face, Itsuki's looks suggested to him that he knew what he was thinking, and he said cold and calm words to him.

(If such a body suits you, you can take it.

To be honest with you, I'm really tired of everything. A brother taking his sister. Something like that. I wouldn't do it

I told you one day you can do whatever you want. If you want this life, miss it and take it. See you later)

Itsuki left the place and left behind Yotsu shocked by the words Itsuki said to him and he was thinking to himself ("those eyes" as if he knew what I was thinking even though he knew that his life was in danger but he did not show any fear or panic but acted kindly to me and came to me his body

While I was thinking of killing him, when did I become such a heartless person?")

‏Yotsu stood bewildered for a while, so he decided to throw himself into the river to make sure of what Itskoi said, and he found his body inside the river, and it began to rot, so he came out shocked by what he saw

("I'm dead

I only have one day left

I realized then that I was the only one who was aging in this world. I died ten days ago when I was 6

I spent ten years in this place and now I realize that my sister was not getting old, I just thought it was normal because my sister didn't teach me anything about this life, even the fish, I didn't know what it was

For this reason, the lake was devoid of fish. Borders are a world built on the imaginations of its owner. Since I do not know fish, it is natural that it does not exist in my imagination. I do not remember winter. This is why the weather was always hot. I do not remember a place without trees, so the trees always returned the next day. Always normal because I was ignorant

But I realized that I was the cause of my sister's suffering all these years. I was the cause from the beginning."

Yotsu returned to his house and went to see his sister, and when Arya saw him, she knew that he understood everything, so he told her with sadness on his face

(Why didn't you say anything all this time, you didn't have to go through all this pain)

(Do you expect that you would have believed it even if I told you because no one would believe that he actually died)

(But I believe it because I saw with my own eyes and I remembered what happened at that time. I tried to save you, but in the end, I caused you pain worse than death itself.)

(I couldn't accept the thought of my little brother dying then You were 6 You were my only brother The person I go back to The person I call my family I loved you more than anything else At that time I couldn't protect you I was too weak to do anything Then I thought I'd never see you A second I couldn't take it I was going to die of loneliness But at that time you came back Even though you're just a soul You came back I didn't know what to do Should I cry because you died Or rejoice because I could live with you again On top of all that How do you want me to tell you How do you expect me to kill my little brother again)

(I remember at that time I cried a lot, I thought you were happy that I came back, but I thought you were exaggerating a little, I didn't realize then why)

Aria's tears began to fall from her eyes and she told him that there was no need to think about it, he could forget about it and continue living here.

(My sister, you have always cared for me. I think you were taking the place of my father and mother in raising me. You did not want me to feel the need for anyone. When I realized that, I knew why you were so important to me. Why was I exhausting myself with work, even though it was useless? I wanted at that time to see you smile. I wanted To see you live freely and get rid of this disease, I wanted to see you achieve your dreams

Knowing that, I can't accept living like this.

‏(Don't do yutsu, you can't leave me alone, I'll be alone forever, then I won't be happy)

(You can even everyone can do that after a few days You can forget about me forever Then you can have friends but make sure you can count on them Then you can marry someone who will be able to protect you Then you will have a family other than me You can smile among them without worrying about me because then I will be very happy for you

(You say this because you will die, but it is not that easy. Even if you do that, I will never be able to forget you. Keep living, it is not that easy.)

(On the contrary, continuing to live is not that difficult, no matter how dear the person is to you. With the passage of time, you can forget him. This is what makes everyone able to continue living, and you are no exception to that.)

Yotsu stood up and headed towards the door while Arya was trying to talk to him

("Goodbye, Aria, thanks for raising me. 16 years. I lived so long. I didn't know what it meant to be alive. But I feel like I understood now on this day. Life is very beautiful. No matter how hard it is. No matter how hard it is. You can smile when you see your loved one. And the most beautiful thing that can happen. In this life, he has to die and leave a smile on the face of the one you love .")

Yotsu went to meet Itsuki, and when he arrived, Itsuki asked him about the decision he had made, and Yotsu answered him

(Can I ask you something, in the real world, are there many people like you?

(I don't know what you mean by people like me

But there are all kinds of people in this world out there, even idiots like you would rather die than lose something precious.

(It seems a really horrible world, but if there are people like you, it would be a beautiful thing. I wish to see such a world.)

(You can still change your mind. Instead of dying here, you can take this stranger's body. No one will blame you. No one will know you. In the end, I'm just a wandering person.)

(I can't live a petty life like me that doesn't deserve to take the place of someone like you

In these few days you have saved me many times even though you know I will not die although you are so afraid of water you never stayed standing you were always throwing yourself into the water to save me)

Itsuki was surprised by Yotsu's realization and a smile appeared on his face

(Did you think I wouldn't notice that every time you rescued me your hands were shaking so much it wasn't because of the cold or sickness you were just so scared to jump into the water and yet when you see me drowning you don 't hesitate even for a moment when I think about it I feel so happy that I could meet someone like you before i die)

‏Itsuki laughed at Yotsu's words and with his sad looks told him that this means they look alike and that he was also happy to see him.

(I know it is a big request but if my sister needs help can you help her)

I will do my best but don't expect too much from me

(Thank you, I can now die with peace of mind

make it quick)

Itsuki took out his sword and prepared to strike, when Arya came out of her house, barely able to stand, and tried to stop him.

But Itsuki stabbed Yutsu in the heart and as light radiated from Yutsu's chest his soul began to fade into thin air.)

("In the end, there was no meaning in my life. Everything I did caused harm to others. Even I was tormented all this time with the thought that I really had to protect her. What did I do all this time?

The only special thing I've had is meeting Itsuki in the last few days. I've been feeling alright, and at this moment, I feel like I'm living for the first time. Uh, what did they call it.. Uh, I remember")

(Bye, Itsuki, take care of yourself

My friend...)

(Oh, bye, see you later )

It was then that Yotsu disappeared and the borders around the village vanished

The cover that was isolating that house from that village was revealed, and the villagers had returned to it 7 days ago and repaired all traces of the damage caused by the "koken" attack ten days ago.

Itsuki exhumed Yotsu's body and buried it by an oak tree

He placed the ax with which he was cutting firewood on the edge of his grave and wrote his name on it

While Itsuki was standing in front of the tomb, Arya was standing behind him, dressed in the clothes of the king's knights, and the signs of fatigue and illness that were evident on her face disappeared, and Itsuki said to her

(Your condition seems to have improved a lot. That's good.)

(All credit to you I owe you)

(Don't look too upset, don't you hate me for killing your brother a while ago)

(Why do you say that my brother was killed ten days ago? You have nothing to do with it. Think about it. Perhaps I should thank you here. If it weren't for you being here, Yotsu would still be suffering in that place. Thank you for saving him.)

(You're a really strong person. If I were you, I wouldn't be able to stay so calm. Now I know why Yotsu was so attached to you

But every strong person has his limits, even you

You still haven't fully recovered. It's true that your return now to the King's Knights won't do you any good, and most likely it will be the reason for your demise.)

(Actually, I do not mind that after my brother died, there is nothing left for me in this life. All I have is the task that I used to do. If I retreat now, I will certainly die of loneliness, so I do not mind dying in this way.)

(Oh my God, we're both going through a tough time, what can we do?)

(Have you heard the story of this river by Mr. Itsuki)

(story ?)

(Yes, when I was young, this river was not here. There was a small dam to collect water at the edge of the village

It was a poor village. My father used to work as a lumberjack, cutting wood near the dam

He wished that this village would prosper to give his children a comfortable life

When I was young, I used to play in this place where the river now flows

One day when I was playing as usual here there was a flood that demolished the small dam and swept a lot of people into it, including me.

My father threw himself to save me from drowning, and he succeeded in that, but he did not survive. When I asked the villagers, they said that they found me lying on the bank of the river, and they did not see my father at that time.

But I still remember his face at that time, the sign of happiness was visible on his face, as if he realized what happened to him, and then my father died, and his desire remained alive, which made this river for us at this time

Several years later, when my brother grew up a little, one night, a serious epidemic struck the village, which caused the death of many, which made the neighboring villages abandon assistance for fear of the spread of the epidemic. Of course, we were no exception, but the disease was much worse for us, which made our death inevitable.

At that time, my mother began to go out every night, sit by the river, and tell him about the state of the village and what happened there. The matter continued for three days, and on the fourth night, my mother did not return home.

After searching for her for two days, we found her body lying on the edge of the river

The corpse was intact, but branches with strange roses were sprouting on top of it

After the villagers examined her, one of them said that she might be carrying the medicine for that epidemic

And it was true, the flowers that came out of my mother's body were a medicine for that epidemic, and thanks to her, no one died after that day from that epidemic

After thinking about it, my family died while trying to save this village. Even my brother, his death was the reason for the retreat of Koken's forces, and thanks to him, there were no casualties.

When I think about it, I say to myself: Is this our destiny to die for this village, and will my death be a reason to save this village like what my brother and father did? What do you think?)

Itsuki was thinking that believing such words would only bring misery to his owner and replied to her as he was leaving the place (I don't know but one thing I'm sure of

Your family wasn't trying to save the people of this village at that time. The person they were trying to save was you, because they loved you that much. They gave up their lives to stay alive, if you know what I mean, stop thinking about dying for someone else and try to live for yourself for once.

bye) Itsuki left the village, leaving Arya at the grave alone, with sadness filling her eyes at the loss of the last member of her family, and that was the beginning of her short journey.

Chapter Eight _End_