Chapter 03: “Gray Echoes or the Melody That Began to Tremble”
The morning in Elnea was a mixture of sea breeze and the scent of bread.
There was a refreshing feeling typical of a port town‚ and usually it would make my chest feel a little lighter—but today was different.
As I checked my belongings in front of the lodging‚
“Aria‚ good morning! Ready?”
Rinne came running‚ arms full of luggage.
…No‚ it wasn’t really luggage—it was “armament.”
“Rinne‚ isn’t that bag… kind of bulging?”
“Spare leeks‚ spare leeks‚ and… special soup!”
“The proportion of leeks is insane!?”
Rinne puffed out her chest.
“Because the forest is dangerous‚ right? Leeks can be weapons‚ food‚ and even a talisman!”
“The last one is new to me!”
At that moment‚ a shadow fell over us‚ a mass of muscle.
“Good morning‚ Aria! Look at this physique!”
Kurosu swung a greatsword over his shoulder‚ showing off his muscles to the maximum.In the morning sunlight‚ his biceps looked almost divine.
“Kurosu… do you really need that pose?”
“It’s necessary! Muscles shine best in the morning!”
“I don’t know that theory…”
Tap‚ tap‚ tap.
Fingertips tapped out a light rhythm.It was a calm tempo‚ unlike the nervousness of yesterday.
(...Strange. My heart feels calmer than before.)
Just then‚ someone popped her head out—
“Good morning‚ Aria!”
It was Iris.With a smile like the sun‚ holding bread in one hand.
“Today’s bread is super delicious! Here‚ let’s share!”
“Eh‚ really?”
“Yeah! It tastes even better when I eat it with you!”
Rinne choked slightly.
“…You two are so friendly first thing in the morning…”
Kurosu laughed.
“All right! Everyone’s here! Let’s check our gear before departure!”
“Kurosu‚ your bag… only has supplements for your muscles‚ right?”
“Of course! Muscles never betray!”
“No‚ we’re surveying the forest!?”
Rinne’s bag had leeks sticking out‚Kurosu’s bag was stuffed with supplements‚And Iris was skipping while eating bread.
(...Is this team really okay?)
Yet‚ strangely‚ there wasn’t much anxiety.The blue pulse of my pocket watch quietly pushed me forward.
“All right… let’s go. To the Northern Forest.”
The morning sun streamed in‚ stretching our shadows long.Our shadows seemed connected by a single line.
As we left the port town of Elnea and moved north‚ the color of the air changed.The refreshing sea breeze faded‚ replaced by a harsh‚ metallic scent that pricked the nose.
“…From here on‚ it’s the Northern Forest.”
I muttered‚ and Rinne gripped her leeks tighter.
“The air… feels heavy. My chest feels tight.”
Kurosu crossed his arms‚ frowning.
“My soul… feels uneasy. This is a dangerous sign.”
“It’s not your soul‚ it’s just a danger signal‚ Kurosu…”
Tap‚ tap‚ tap.My fingertips naturally kept rhythm.Even though I should have been calm‚ standing before the forest made my heart restless.
The entrance of the forest looked like a world that had lost its color.
The trees were blackened‚ the leaves gray and withered‚and from the tips of the branches—
Drip… drip…
A viscous gray liquid fell.
“This… the residue concentration is pretty high.”
I took out my pocket watch-type control device and switched it to measurement mode.
The moment the blue lens detected the mist—
Click‚ click‚ click…!
Warning sounds blared‚ and bluish sparks flashed inside the lens.The measurement needle trembled as if it would snap‚and the entire device began to warm.
“…Five times the normal value…?No… the needle can’t keep up…”
I instinctively held my breath.
Iris peeked over my shoulder‚lowered her eyebrows‚ and whispered quietly.
“Aria… this forest… seems to be crying.”
“Crying…?”
“Yeah. It’s suffocating‚ it can’t breathe… it’s like it’s asking for help.”
At those words‚ my pocket watch pulsed *tokun…*
(...It’s resonating?)
The gray mist swayed in the wind‚and the forest seemed to be breathing as a whole.
Rinne anxiously tugged at my sleeve.
“Aria… are we really going to be okay…?”
“…We’ll be fine. We’re going to investigate it.”
Even as I said that‚ my chest still felt uneasy.If it weren’t for the sunlight of the sunflowers yesterday‚I might not have had the courage to step into this forest.
Kurosu swung his greatsword over his shoulder‚laughing in his usual way.
“All right! Let’s go! We’ll break through this forest with our souls!”
“This is not a forest you can break through with your soul!!”
Still‚ that noise was a small comfort.
We stepped into the forest where gray mist drifted.
—The colors of the world began to change quietly.
The deeper we went‚ the thicker the mist‚ the heavier the air.The soil beneath our feet was damp‚ discolored gray in places.
“…This ground isn’t normal.”
The moment I muttered that—
—Rustle.
The bushes shook.
“It’s coming!”
A beast dyed in gray leaped out.It resembled a wolf‚ but its fur was solid black‚its eyes a murky red‚ with residue dripping from its mouth.
“A mutated magical beast…!”
Rinne raised her shield‚ and Kurosu lifted his greatsword.
“Leave it to me! Soul charge!!”
“I told you‚ souls don’t self-cleanse!!”
But Kurosu didn’t listen.He stepped in full force—the moment he did—
*Thud…!*
“Whoa!? The ground… collapsed!?”
The soil beneath Kurosu rotted from the gray residue‚and the impact of his step made it crumble.
“Kurosu! That’s not a ‘tactical fall’—the ground is just rotten!!”
“Damn… that forest‚ it’s cheating…!”
The beast lunged at the fallen Kurosu.
“Kurosu!!”
Rinne intervened with her shield‚swinging her leeks as she shouted.
“Aria! What do we do!?”
(What do we do…!?)
Tap‚ tap‚ tap‚ tap.Fingertips tapped faster.In my mind‚ the magic formula assembled.
“Iris! Hit it from the right with ‘sound’!”
“Okay!”
Iris hopped lightly forward.
*Pii-ro-rin♪*
The cute sound echoed—the air trembled like a tuning fork.
The black residue covering the beast’s body shattered with a sharp‚ glass-breaking sound.
The beast froze for a moment.
“Now…!”
I held my pocket watch‚channeling magic in sync with Iris’s spell fluctuations.
The blue light overlapped with Iris’s sound—they resonated.
“—!”
Heat raced through my chest‚light shot from my fingertips.
The light enveloped the beast‚purifying the residue as if burning it away.
The beast lost its strength and collapsed to the ground.
“…We did it…?”
Rinne held her breath.
Kurosu‚ still on the ground‚ gave a thumbs up.
“Aria… that was… amazing…!”
“No‚ first get up!!”
But my chest certainly trembled.
(...We… fought together.)
Our first “ensemble” melted into the silence of the gray forest.
After the first battle with the mutated magical beast‚ we found a relatively safe spot in the forest and sat down.The gray mist was thin‚ but the air remained heavy.Whenever the wind blew‚ the blackened leaves rustled.
“Phew… being alive is wonderful…!”
Kurosu stuck his greatsword in the ground‚ inhaling deeply.Well‚ breathing in this air was probably a bad idea.
“Kurosu‚ you shouldn’t take such deep breaths…”
“It’s fine! I’ll purify it with my soul!”
“Soul doesn’t have self-cleansing powers!!”
Rinne‚ watching us‚took out a soup pot while still hugging her leeks.
“Aria‚ want some? I made the ‘Cheer Up Special—Forest Edition’…”
“Forest edition…?”
“I quadrupled the miso!”
“It increased!! The danger level just went up!!”
Amid this noisy break‚Iris quietly touched a withered tree a short distance away.
“…It hurts. This place… really hurts.”
Her voice was different from her usual brightness.It was so quiet it almost melted into the coldness of the forest.
“Iris?”
The moment I tried to approach—
“…!”
Iris’s shoulders shook‚and she kneeled‚ clutching her chest.
“Iris!!”
I rushed over‚and she drew a painful breath—
“…I thought I smelled bread!”
“No way!? That was definitely not bread! Right!?”
Iris grinned sheepishly to cover it up.But I noticed her fingertips trembling slightly behind that smile.
(...During the resonance just now…I forcibly matched my magic waveform to Iris’s spell…Did that exceed her capacity…?)
My chest felt uneasy.Tap‚ tap‚ tap.My fingertips tapped a restless rhythm.
“Aria‚ it’s okay. See‚ I’m fine‚ right?”
Iris said that and stood up‚but her steps wavered just a little.
Rinne furrowed her brows in concern.
“…Don’t push yourself‚ Iris.”
“Yeah‚ I’m fine! Besides‚ I haven’t eaten the bread yet!”
“Your standard is literally that!?”
It was then—
—Goooo…
A low rumble like the earth was vibrating came from afar.It was weaker than the impact of battle‚but subtle enough that you could miss it if you didn’t listen carefully‚ traveling from deep in the forest.
The gray viscous liquid beneath our feetshivered slightly.
(...Was that… a warning?)
The pocket watch pulsed *tokun…* weakly.More like probing than a warning.
“…That’s an unpleasant sound.”
Iris whispered softly.Her voice felt colder than the chill of the forest.
(Iris’s trembling… and this sound…Neither is mere coincidence.)
I looked around at my companions‚tapped my fingertips *tap‚ tap‚ tap*.
“…Break’s over. Let’s move forward.”
It wasn’t “certainty” yet.But a feeling lingered in my chest—something was beginning.
The deeper we went‚ the heavier the air‚and the gray mist clung to our feet like a living thing.
Rinne muttered softly‚ gripping her leeks.
“…It feels like the sound is closer than before.”
Kurosu shouldered his greatsword‚ frowning.
“My soul… is trembling. This isn’t just a normal magical beast.”
“I don’t trust soul sensors normally… but I agree this time.”
Tap‚ tap‚ tap.Fingertips tapped a restless rhythm.The pocket watch had been pulsing faintly since entering the forest.
(...This pulse… it’s like something is calling me.)
Then—
—Gooooooon…!
The faint tremor from before was nothing in comparison.A shockwave pressed down the very air‚ resonating from deep within the forest.
The vibrations through the ground intensified‚and the gray viscous liquid writhed‚ searching for escape.
The withered trees groaned in agony‚and gray powder flew up‚ covering our sight.
“…!”
Iris clutched her chest‚ wincing.
“Iris‚ are you okay!?”
“I-I’m fine… but this sound… it’s awful…”
Her voice trembled.That tremor felt like it was touching “something” different from the forest’s chill.
(...This sound isn’t just an earth tremor.The magical waveform… no‚ it’s more irregular… broken?This waveform theoretically… shouldn’t exist.)
At that moment‚ the pocket watch pulsed strongly *tokun…!*The blue light flared briefly—
Then‚ it weakened as if being crushed.
“…!”
(That just now…?The light “lost”…?This dissonance is swallowing the normal rhythm of magic…?The device… can’t handle it?)
A chill ran down my spine.This isn’t just a warning.The “sound” of the world itself was beginning to break.
“Aria… that device just now…”
“I know. That was… a ‘sign of the limit.’”
I took a deep breath and looked around at my companions.
Rinne bit her lip anxiously‚Kurosu gripped his greatsword‚
Iris clenched her trembling fingertips tightly.
(Scary… but we have no choice but to go.)
Tap‚ tap‚ tap.The rhythm of my fingertips matched my heartbeat.
“…Let’s go. Deeper in.”
When I said that‚Iris smiled faintly.
“Yes. As long as Aria is here‚ it’s okay.”
Those words quietly lit a flame in my chest.
The gray mist swayed‚and dissonance echoed again from the depths of the forest.
We began walking toward that sound.Toward the unseen “core”—.
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