25_Sheena 3

"Dr. Tony mentioned that the collective is achieving perfect harmony even at this moment," Sheena said.

The next instant,

THUD

A thunderous sound, like lightning striking, reverberated around us. A wind, strong enough to blow us away, attacked, filling the air with smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the tree that was trying to merge with Sheena was deeply pierced by a "Spear Tree."

I looked up at the sky. It was Gracia.

As a precaution in times of danger, Gracia senses our presence and provides support from the sky with "Spear Trees" when she feels we are in danger.

"She's a monster, as always," Sheena commented, standing up while peeling off the "Tree of Life" that had clung to her body. Despite being on the verge of merging, Sheena was far too calm.

I was still too stunned by the situation to find the words.

Approaching me briskly, Sheena stopped in front of me and inquired, "You're not really trying to stop me, are you?"

Her question gave me no time to think, and she continued, "Were you going to let yourself be swept away with me?"

The expression Sheena flashed for a moment was new to me. It was different, filled with various emotions, as if I was seeing the real Sheena for the first time.

"Did you think of getting caught up in the confusion, intending to vanish as well?"

"......"

The moment I heard Sheena's words, I realized.

I was also on the brink of disappearing, of being engulfed along with her.

Sheena said nothing about my demeanor, but she seemed somehow pleased.

In that moment, I felt a conviction beyond words that Sheena and I were alike.

I could tell that my expression had changed, and Sheena's satisfied look made it visually clear as well.

"Yeah," was all I could respond.

Sheena walked confidently to the edge of the branch and looked down. Below, the amalgamated plant writhed.

"Shall we fall together?"

As usual, Sheena said it with a smile on her face. Normally, one would think it's some kind of joke. But for some reason, I was convinced she was serious.

She was definitely serious.

At that moment, I felt an overwhelming desire to just disappear.

The roaring sounds echoed again from several places nearby. Looking over, I saw three figures, trees it seemed, had approached, and spears effortlessly pierced through them.

"It's noisy here, isn't it? Shall we move a bit?"

Saying so, Sheena was about to smash a bottle on the ground. I grabbed her arm to stop her.

An inexplicable sense of urgency arose, irksome. I wanted to talk, even if just a little sooner.

Seeing my expression, Sheena looked a bit surprised, then smiled again,

"You're too strong."

I hurriedly lessened my grip. Sheena looked at me as if waiting for my next words.

"Why?"

I wanted to know the reason. Perhaps for the first time, feeling a certainty that she and I were alike, I developed a strong interest in Sheena.

She kept her eyes fixed on me without looking away.

"There's no significant reason. ...Neither for dying... nor for living."

Sheena's gaze then shifted to a collective crawling on the ground,

"One can't decide anything on their own. There's no choice but to be swept away by others. I know that, yet, that is unbearable. Always feeling a void. It makes one even less inclined to do anything. But with a collective, there's no such thing as an individual, right?"

She glanced at my face briefly, tilting her head,

"Mr. Luti, what kind of expression is that?"

I, too, had lost track of what my expression was.

A whirlwind of emotions, already too bothersome to process. Just Sheena's thoughts deeply permeating my heart.

Not understanding my own way of living, not utterly despairing because I was fulfilled, just sluggishly living without vigor, gradually wearing down. Before I knew it, everything felt troublesome. And at the same time, feelings of loneliness and alienation grew stronger.

In the midst of this, sometimes that sense of loneliness intensified. It was as if everyone around me no longer appeared human but seemed like dolls. The world felt extremely narrow, suffocating.

It was then I felt somewhat relieved from the loneliness for the first time. The world felt oppressively narrow with just me in it, but when Sheena entered it, the suffocation eased a bit.

Before I knew it, we were holding hands.

"Let's go," 

At that moment, my mind was filled with the desire for relief and the reassurance of having Sheena by my side, putting me in a state of excitement.

Taking a step toward the edge of the branch.

Then, my other hand, the one not holding Sheena's, my right hand, began to grip unnaturally tight, independent of my will.

The frequent booming sounds around us. The trees, parts of the collective that we had remained in place, were gathering. Gracia was desperately trying to save us by using the "Spear Tree."

Dozens of trees, parts of the collective around us, were being pierced by the "Spear Tree" raining down from the sky. The fleeting sound of leaves rustling, followed by the booming echo that resounds in a fraction of a second. Trees leaping towards us. In an instant, they disappear, struck down to the ground by the force of the "Spear Tree" falling from the sky.

Gracia is trying hard to protect me.

My steps halted. My legs froze, my body stiffened, and I trembled all over.　Gracia is trying so desperately to save me, yet here I am, about to shake that off and embrace death. I feel terribly guilty about it.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

But it's no use anymore. That's what I wish for, yet my body remains immobile.

The surroundings were chaotic. Nearly a hundred trees were crawling around, rampaging, attacking us right before our eyes and noses, only to be pierced by the spear, and fragments of wood were tearing my skin.

Amidst all this, Sheena's voice sounded unusually clear.

"Isn't it enough? If you're in there, you don't have to carry such worries."

The moment I heard her voice, my mind cleared up, leaving only resignation behind.

...I don't care anymore.

Slowly, I shifted my weight forward. The tips of my toes exerting more and more force, and then, as I leaned to a certain point, I felt no more strength from the tips of my feet.