Three Spheres

Chapter 108 - Blue

As the first rays of morning rise in the horizon, Johan delivers the final blow to his opponent, some kind of cat walking in two paws, and wearing his Alium genus uniform. The battle against that creature was particularly hard, but Johan managed to capture it with his left arm and behead it with his right. There is almost no blood when the ghostly cat drops dead, but Johan still feels his hands dirty, soaked with the evanescent life of innocents.

He moves away from the body. "I have nothing left to lose", he thinks, mourning himself.

Since Shina Busia's death, the prize for Johan's head has increased and the hunt has grown even more fierce. He doesn't regret, however, having killed that traitorous puppet, but he feels terrible for doing so in front of Keisha and for... scaring her... "Ah...", he sighs, "I'm just a murderer now..."

Fleeing the daylight, he climbs a shady tree and hides in its canopy, resting his hair, now reaching his neck, on the twisted branches. Whose fault is all this? He doesn't know whether or not he can blame Fate, as he doesn't believe it. How did he get involved in this chaos? Why he? He always led his life in a quiet way, fleeing from unwanted attention. He just wanted to be helpful to the world, and find out a little bit about his origins. Is it too much to ask? He never had extravagant dreams or unattainable desires, so why did he have to pay so dearly for choosing to just... live?

_ Tsk!!

His remorse manifests as a sudden shortness of breathe, that gets worse when a thought emerges in his mind: "Why did I get involved with Amadeo?!"...

Sighs. No, he doesn't regret that... Not in the bottom of his hearts. But how he wished everything had been different!

"There was this one time...", he thinks, watching the dawn, "...he... dreamed of killing me, right?". He squints, exhausted, "If it's him... I wouldn't mind it..."

As much as he feels sleepy, he can't sleep.

His partial rest is interrupted by a sudden tinnitus. He sees a faint, purplish light out of the corner of his eye, but he can't make out what it is. The sound, however, gradually evolves into an intelligible voice:

_Johan? Good morning. I'm Sayuri. Do you remember me? From the North Sea Unit...

_ The pink... otter? _ He draws his dagger.

_ Y-Yes, that!

Johan remembers the Kawauso's deeds and perks, and is clear in his mind that she isn't an enemy he can beat. He plans an escape route...

_ Do not worry! I came as an ally. I heard just recently about what happened to your friends and to the young Paragon... _ The voice replies _ We defeated the Witch who destroyed our Unit so I traveled here to help you from now on.

_ Two Witches remain... _ Johan says, in a mournful tone. _ If you're an ally, show yourself...

Gradually, the lilac light that discreetly gleamed takes the form of the small otter, wearing some kind of white kimono with pale pink flowers. She smiles. Johan doesn't notice any hostility coming from her. He relaxes...

_ How may I aid you? I imagine you have other friends too? I don't belive I'm fit to fight for you, but I might be useful, especially in what refers to the Spirit Sphere. _ She sits down in front of him _ You look tired... May I?

Carefully, she leans over the boy and rests her paws on his leg. A small shock is triggered when she starts a kind of softly prayer. Gradually, the sensation subsides and is replaced by a cozy warmth. Johan feels his body, always ready to fight or flee, finally relaxing. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep.