The first day of the new Era, I awoke to an awful sound: deep, raspy coughing. I woke up, flung off my sheets and ran out of my room only to find my mother hunched over the table by the door, her hand on her chest, and she coughed violently. Her other hand was atop the table reaching towards the basket, as that hand lifted, she let out a deep cough, the type of cough that sounded like her throat was being damaged. She collapsed to the floor, and I rushed over and grabbed the basket, pulling the glass vial of black liquid out. With the vial in hand, I crouched down and presented it to her. She nodded. I opened the vial and held it to her lips. She reached up and grabbed it, drinking only a sip. Before she could swallow it, she coughed it out, spilling the black liquid on the floor. She retched and heaved for a moment, her fist pounding her chest just below her collarbone, as if trying to get something out before trying the medicine again. After a moment, her coughing stopped for a moment, replaced with laboured breathing. I again held the vial to her lips, but she didn't reach for it this time. She looked up at me, her eyes were vacant, and tears streamed down her face. I cupped the back of her head and tilted it back as I poured all of the liquid into her mouth. I placed my hand over her mouth so that if she coughed, it wouldn't spill. Her throat convulsed as if fighting a cough, or as if her throat was trying to clear the way. After a few seconds of this, she swallowed the medicine.
Suddenly, she let out a loud gasp as if she could finally breathe again, coughing, but this time the coughs were light, not deep, and raspy like before. Her coughs gave way to grunts, which gave way to screaming. She lay on the floor, clasping her throat, her eyes wide as she panicked. I stood watching, unsure of what to do. She crawled towards the fireplace, her arm reached out towards the bucket next to it, the water bucket.
I ran over and grabbed the bucket, bringing it to her. It was still half full since we spent most of yesterday away from home. As soon as the bucket was near, she sat up, grabbed it with both hands, lifted it to her mouth and tipped it. Most of the water poured out onto her nightgown and onto the floor, only a little entered her mouth, but she drank. She drank and drank until it was gone. Once the water was gone, she collapsed back onto the ground and breathed heavily. She seemed okay now.
Only then did I notice my heart was racing, my breathing was loud, and my legs were trembling. I collapsed down to the floor next to her, and she looked up at me, her hand reached up and cupped the side of my face. A faint smile on her lips, but her eyes hid a quiet anger. Between breaths, she spoke a syllable at a time.
"That…really…fucking hurt."
After a while, things calmed down. She explained to me that over the past two weeks, she's had a persistent but small cough that only appears first thing in the mornings, but as time went on, it got worse. For the past week, she had been taking medicine first thing upon awaking to clear her throat. But last night she forgot to take the medicine with her to her bedroom. The medicine is also only meant to be taken in small mouthfuls, not all at once. Apparently, it literally dissolves whatever is stuck in the throat; too much at once could be dangerous. I apologise, and she told me it's okay, I didn't know. How could I have? She kept this a secret till now because she didn't want me to worry. Thank the Saints that the water was there, if I had to draw water from the well…I don't dare think what could have happened.
That day, I bid my mother to stay home, and I went to town to get more medicine. I had the doctor change it from one large vial to last a week to eight smaller vials, one for each day. Even though the additional glass would cost more.
Almost a full month passed, and her condition worsened. She became bedridden, and the medicine was no longer enough. It made her morning coughing fit subside for the most part, but the coughing would remain throughout the day now, and she was noticeably weaker, but she still insisted on working around the farm.
Gradually, I took on more roles, and I tended to more of the crops, harvested the eggs, and fed the animals. She would only get up to prepare food, though she would barely eat, she would sit and watch me eat. Every time I tried to give her some of my food, insisting she eat more, every time I did, she took a bite, but otherwise, she wouldn't touch the food.
The doctor came and visited to check her condition. He told us he didn't know what was wrong and that he sent a letter for a doctor from Vilta to come. It would be costly, but I had been saving up, and this was worth any price that was asked, though it would take a week for the doctor to arrive. I noticed my mother tended to wear her nightgown almost exclusively around the house. Perhaps because she was in and out of bed constantly.
She enjoyed cooking for me more than usual. Perhaps her way of thanking me for doing all the farm work now. Every few days, she would wander out to harvest some mushrooms from the woods out back, though when she did not, many were used in that day's meal. I guessed that while I was working, she cooked some for herself to eat. Those mushrooms quickly became our favourite food and the only food she would eat of her own will, so at least she was eating something when I wasn't literally holding a spoon to her mouth.
It was nearing the end of the month of Vekal, and as time went on, I became more worried. Her condition was no longer getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either. She had managed to find a routine where she's able to actually get up and do things around the house again, even if just a little bit. It was the last day of the week, and she told me not to worry about any work today. Go and relax, you need to take a break.
She was right, of course. Even still, I spent the first few hours of the day trying to do what little was needed to be done that day so she wouldn't do it in my stead. She didn't protest this, only watched from afar. I finished just before midday and told her to relax, drink water, eat something and with that, I left to head into town.
As I walked to town, I thought about what I should do to unwind. Normally, I just explore the woods for fun, but I wanted to do something a bit different today. I headed into town and decided to visit the small bakery I had gone to during the New Year's celebration.
Upon entering, the counter only had the mother behind it. I ordered a croissant and left. Strange, I didn't hear anyone in the back and come to think of it, I haven't seen the twins around for a while. Maybe they did decide to volunteer.
As I left the store, eating the Croissant, Stéphane ran up to me.
"Shinya, je t'ai enfin trouvé." [Shinya, I've finally found you.]
"Hein? Vous me cherchiez?" [Huh? Were you looking for me?]
I said with a half-full mouth.
Stéphane nodded, and from his pocket he pulled out something to show me.
"Regardez ceci" [Take a look at this]
He showed me a black mushroom, much like the ones we now grow near our farm. But this one was a bit different; it was…massive. Easily double, if not triple, the size of the normal ones.
"Nous l'avons trouvé plus loin dans les bois" [We found it further on in the woods]
"Pouvez-vous me montrer où?" [Can you show me where?]
Stéphane led me to the northern woods entrance, where Louis and Pierre were waiting. The four of us went into the woods. We crossed into the forbidden part of the woods and kept going north, deeper than I had ever gone before.
As we went, the ground felt softer, the trees were all hollow and dead, and there was a noticeable lack of birds or insects that you could hear. The others were walking carelessly. I reminded them to stay near the trees and to avoid open spaces, but they ignored my warning. Even though they were walking wherever they pleased, the ground seemed quite solid; perhaps it was safer than I thought.
Just then, I saw them all bunch up a little too close together. As Pierre stepped closer to the other two, the ground suddenly gave way, a hole emerged, and the three fell with a loud yelp and a soft bang. I walked carefully to the edge of the hole and looked in. It wasn't that deep, and the three were okay for the most part. They stood up and brushed themselves off as Louis was insulting Pierre's weight, blaming him for what happened. Louis was the tallest of the three, and with his arms fully extended, he could reach the edge of the hole, so getting out was easy enough.
"Je vous avais prévenu" [I warned you]
"Taisez-vous et aidez-nous à sortir d'ici." [Shut up and help us get out of here.]
I knelt and extended my hand into the hole for Louis to grab to help him climb out. But rather than grab my hand, he stopped and looked around.
"Attendez, c'est comme un tunnel" [Wait, it's like a tunnel]
"Je me demande où cela mène" [I wonder where this leads] Stéphane piped up as he stood and stretched his back.
Louis waved my hand away and grabbed the edge of the hole. He easily pulled himself out and back onto the surface. He turned and looked into the hole again.
"Stéphane, tu peux l'escalader, n'est-ce pas?" [Stéphane, you can climb it, can't you?]
Stéphane jumped, grabbing the rim of the hole and pulling his head above ground.
"Oui"
"Bon. Redescendez, je veux l'explorer." [Right, then. Come back down, I want to explore it.]
Right, then. Come back down, I want to explore it.
Stéphane dropped back into the hole, and Louis climbed down as well. Obviously, if the two of them can get out, they can then pull Pierre out of the hole. Louis looked up and waved for me to come down. I sat at the rim of the hole and jumped down.
It was cold and damp, the floor was rock like but the walls were soil and roots. My biggest concern was a collapse, so I told them not to touch the walls. We looked down the two directions we could go. Both were dark.
"Devons-nous revenir avec une lanterne?" [Should we come back with a lantern?] Pierre said timidly.
Louis shook his head and started to walk down the tunnel that leaned north.
"Il y a de la lumière par ici." [There's light over here.]
He was right, if you stared into the darkness for a few seconds, you could see a faint light. I went second, and Stéphane followed close behind with Pierre following him.
We travelled down the tunnel towards the faint, dim light, though as we went, the light never really got brighter; it was almost like the light was coming from the cave walls themselves, though if you looked close at the wall and then at your hand, they were about just as bright.
We walked for a while, our pace slow due to the darkness of the tunnel. As we went, our tunnel intersected with another and joined a tunnel that was a bit larger. We went down the larger tunnel that continued north. We walked and walked, and eventually we came upon something.
The tunnel opened up into a large cave. This area, unlike the tunnels, was entirely made of rock; it was the rock that was glowing softly. This room was brighter than the tunnel. We also spotted the distinct trace of daylight. The room we were in had about eight tunnels branching from it. Seven went out in a straight line, except for the last one, which went up. It was from this one that the faint trace of daylight was coming. We peered up the angled tunnel and could see a faint light. Assuming whatever we fell down was just by accident, this must be the main entrance.
"Alors... nous sommes dans une mine ?" [So... we're in a mine?]
One of us said. Just then, a sound echoed from behind us, coming from one of the tunnels. The tunnel is directly opposite the exit. It was darker than the others. Louis approached it slowly and peered into the darkness.
"Il descend" [It goes down]
As he edged closer to the ledge, he leaned his head over as if looking down a sheer drop. Just how steep was this tunnel, I wondered. Just then, a yelp. His foot landed on a loose rock that gave way, and he fell forward and tumbled down the tunnel.
The three of us ran towards the mouth of the tunnel. All getting down on all fours as we peered over the edge, it was steep, but it looked like you could climb your way up easily enough.
"Louis!" We shouted in the void over and over.
"Je vais bien" [I'm fine]
A voice sounded back. He didn't sound that far away. While both Pierre and I sighed in relief, Stéphane hopped over the ledge and started to climb down feet first, sliding down on his rear here and there.
Pierre froze up as he watched Stéphane descend into the darkness. I realised something then.
"Avez-vous peur de l'obscurité?" [Are you afraid of the dark?]
Pierre nodded, embarrassed. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a nod.
"Attendez ici" [Just wait here]
As I started to also descend into the depths of the earth, I heard a faint and timid "thank you" come from above. Did Pierre just speak Imperial to me? He didn't know the language, and nobody in his family spoke the language. Was he learning it just for my sake? That thought made me a little happy.
I descended to the bottom of the steep tunnel and saw a faint light. The tunnel continued a short bit, and the light was coming from there. Walking forward, it opened up into a wide room. The light was only being emitted by some scattered rocks on the ground near the entrance to the room, and the rest of the room was pitch black. The rocks of the walls and floor here did not glow; the few rocks on the ground must be from the cave above. Standing at the entrance were Louis and Stéphane. And from the other side of the room, from the side that was pitch darkness, a faint sound echoed, the sound of metal…chains?
I peered into the darkness before me, and to my horror, it peered back. Eyes, red eyes, glowing in the shadows. I feel like I've seen them before somehow.
Just then, it felt like the eyes grew, or got closer, it was hard to say. They became all-encompassing, all I could see, and those red eyes, like they were drawing me in. Everywhere I looked was red, there was no other colour. The red faded into pitch blackness. I was alone here, I felt weightless, like I was floating. I felt…annoyed? Not afraid, or horrified in any way like anyone else might be, but the same level of annoyance as when I would roll out of bed in my sleep and hit the floor. It just…felt like a dream.
In that void, I felt strangely calm, like I had been here before. From the depths of that dark place, I heard voices calling out, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. I recognised them, though, it was Louis and Stéphane. As I reached out to try and grab the voices, they grew louder and then suddenly fell silent. Of course, I was alone in this space. I knew what this place was. It was my mind. Then…what was happening?
I sat in this void for a time, even hearing Pierre's voice for a moment, but that too faded. I felt like something was rocking me, as I sat floating. Then I saw it again, the red eyes returned, they grew closer and larger, but this time, whatever it was, was actually approaching. The eyes hovered in front of my face. I could feel a hot breath against my skin, but I couldn't see anything other than its eyes.
"Shinya Akame"
The thing called my name in a low-toned growl. It knew me, how the hell did it know me?
It repeated again, and again, the voice distorting and shifting into someone else's, it grew louder and became a man, yelling my name.
I awoke.
My vision blurred, my head pounded, my body ached. Had I fainted? Before me was a man yelling my name; upon seeing my eyes open, he stopped. I didn't know this man, but he was wearing armour, and he held in his hand a pike. Wait, I had seen him. This is the guard for the town hall.
I then noticed that between us were iron bars. There was a cold feeling around my neck. I reached up to touch it, and it felt metallic. There was something metal around my neck? As my hands flopped down onto my torso, I felt something…wet? Not wet like water, but something else. I rubbed my hand over my shirt and lifted my hand to my face.
Blood.
I snapped awake at the sight. My senses returned all at once. I leapt to my feet and examined myself. Blood, blood everywhere. My heart pounded, my breathing quickened. My clothes, my hands, my face, blood…I felt around my body in a panic before collapsing to the ground. My rapid breathing gave way to choked tears. This blood, it's wasn't mine.