A World without Misery (now with images!)

Chapter 9 - A Daydream in the Nightmare (part 1)

Chapter Nine – A Daydream in the Nightmare

"Hatasuko, you've changed the world! Nothing will ever be the same," said a familiar voice from the edge of the tempest.

The storm of screaming souls had transformed since the night that he defeated the Interfectus. Though he was now enormous and gifted with a power of unparalleled strength, Hatasuko was still cursed by the tempest in the depths of his mind. Their screams had never faded away, but they were different than before. The lost souls were in an insentient state where they could not actually perceive the world itself, but they could feel the world through the emotions that charged through him. His sense of hope grew stronger every day since he defeated the Interfectus, so the lost souls felt his hope and grew calmer as a result.

"Both the outside world and the tempest within me have rediscovered what it means to feel hope. Even I am optimistic for the first time I can remember. We've all known despair for so long, but now there is a light at the end of the tunnel," he replied to the voice.

"You are the light at the end of the tunnel," Adishina said with an upbeat tone.

"I don't want to take credit for something I haven't actually done yet, but... I know I gave a lot of people hope. I believe that hope itself is dangerous, since people can start to expect something that was maybe never possible, however... I know that this is possible because it is my destiny. Besides, Lazaro says that word of my success has spread across Agrideī. People want to join us; people want to help us! There's a handful in each city. He's more excited than I ever could have imagined! And Vaida's happier than I've ever seen her. She won't stop wearing that damn eyepatch, but at least she's found hope. Maybe I can give her happiness. I want more than anything to give her happiness."

From the depths of his mind, Adishina whispered, "You give me hope, too. You've always given me hope. When my parents left me to die from the Interfectus, I thought it was normal that they had neglected me. I let myself believe that it's just human nature to leave each other behind. Every man for himself, kill or be killed, survival of the fittest, right? It made sense to me. But when I met you, I realized I was wrong. You are the fighting spirit of humankind, Hatasuko. You care about everyone in the world around you – even the souls that were already lost to the darkness. You've said that Vaida hates herself more than anything else, so you made it your duty to give her happiness. I felt like the whole world had left me behind, but you proved me wrong. You didn't just give me hope because you stopped an Interfectus; you gave me hope in humanity itself."

Though his body still slept as the sail-rana rolled northward through the southeast desert, Hatasuko stirred in his sleep. Through her tired eye, Vaida saw this movement from the other sail-rana. Hatasuko sat alone in his vehicle since he was now much larger than his friends; Lazaro was forced to sit behind Vaida as a result.

"Adishina, that really means a lot to me. All I've ever wanted to do is take the misery of this world and paint over it with hope. I know your misery isn't gone; you're still scarred by the actions of your worthless parents. But even that will end in time."

"Thank you. I originally reformed myself and brought my soul to the edge so I could warn you of an attack, but I guess I got overwhelmed with emotion. I'm so sorry I got off-topic," she said.

"A warning? What kind of warning? What do you mean?" Hatasuko asked.

"The Interfecti communicate with each other just like people. Though I am inside them just as much as I am inside your head, I cannot understand their language. All I know is that they talk, and they've demonstrated their intelligence. The other Interfecti know about you by now, and I can feel a counterattack. I can feel that they're going to attack the forest city of Pomasylva, and it won't be long until then. I hate to be the messenger of something so bad. I just want to help you on your journey," Adishina spoke as Hatasuko began to fade away from the edge of the tempest.