Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 123

　'Please...!! Stop it!! Give the child back!!'

　'I won't. Forget about it. Forget as if they're already dead.'

　'Such heartlessness...!!'

　A heated argument between a man and a woman echoed. One, with a voice filled with sorrowful beauty, the other, firm and oppressive, weaving words in a heavy tone. She couldn't discern who they were. The scene before her was blurry, the outlines indistinct, and she had no recollection of it in her heart.

　And the cries of a baby drowned out everything. The baby's vehement wails seemed to stem from the anxiety of being separated from its mother's embrace. It was as if its warm haven had been taken away. She herself felt a chill throughout her body, as if stripped of her very clothing.

　'Why...!? No, I refuse! Why, why like this...!?'

　The woman sobbed, desperately clinging to the man, questioning him. She resisted as if trying to prevent the theft of her precious treasure.

　'All of this is for the sake of our clan. We must cut off the cursed branch. Give up. Look forward to what's next.'

　The man's voice was cold and resolute. He spoke with a strong resolve and a clear sense of being ready. He gently pushed away the woman holding onto him and strode off.

　Holding the child in his arm, torn from her mother...

　'Ridiculous... Stop it! No, I hate it!? Why, please, I implore you!! My precious child... give me back my child...!'

　The woman yelled, spewing curses of resentment. She directed deep hatred towards the man who tried to take away her precious treasure, the very treasure she had nurtured within her womb.

　'Hmph. Such a stubborn woman. You can always make more children later.'

　Even when faced with unimaginable meanness, the man stayed distant and uncaring. The hurtful words from the woman became quieter and farther away. The baby cried even louder, wanting its mom. She felt even sadder, full of sorrow, wishing for comfort.

　And what the man bestowed upon her in place of warmth was "fate."

　'Forgive me. Curse the fate that brought you under an unlucky star. You are our human sacrifice, the vessel of our tormenting destiny.'

　The man murmured, holding the offering within his arms. He simply recounted the facts.

　'Don't hate me. Perhaps it's good fortune? If you're cursed anyway, wouldn't it be better to perish without knowing the burden of destiny and despair?'

　And the baby, she was carried away. As an offering, as a human sacrifice. Swept away by the water. Carried away by the water. Following the ancient tale, extinguishing the bloodline of the leader. A substitute for the end. Returned to Yomi (underworld). Passing on the intertwined fate, placing it back into the cycle of reincarnation. Trying to avert the curse of the clan.

　That's why the baby was sacrificed.

　'No! Stop it! I hate it! Please, I beg you! Stop... Aﾞaﾞaﾞ!!'

　The woman, who was supposed to be the safest, let out a loud scream. The baby's cries of discomfort seemed to get even louder, as if they were being pulled in. She reached out her hand, stretching her little arm toward the blurry shape. Then her sight turned dark. It was like a heavy curtain of darkness coming down. Darkness spreading everywhere. A night of darkness.

　And even within that darkness, she desperately sought. In the dark of the night, almost without thinking, she held onto a tiny bit of hope... And in answer to what she wanted, the "sacrifice" smirked. The decision was made. The choice was set.