Gifts from the past
It was in the midst of darkness.
The entirety of the world was painted black.
To the right, left, above, and beneath, darkness swirled, enveloping everything in its black waves.
Darkness so deep, nothing could be seen.
Alone in this world, Kasumi realized.
It was a place that instilled unease just by being there.
” ………… “
Amidst it all, Kasumi stood alone.
In a place devoid of any light, her form was oddly clear.
Without knowing why, Kasumi began to walk forward. Stepping forward, she walked relentlessly into the darkness.
No understanding of why she had to. No thought given to the reason. Just walking forward with single-minded determination.
” Ah…… “
Then, far ahead in the direction she walked, numerous figures appeared. Despite being in the darkness, the figures were oddly visible. Squinting and gazing intently, Kasumi felt a blossoming light in her chest.
” Everyone! “
The figures were Kasumi’s old comrades. The people from the village four hundred years ago stood in the darkness.
Kasumi’s heart raced as she rushed towards them. Unable to contain her excitement, she ran to her old friends, panting from the sudden exertion.
” Everyone, you’re safe! “
She stopped beside them, catching her breath. Her heart pounded wildly from both joy and the sudden exercise. Her face naturally broke into a smile, tears of nostalgia threatening to spill.
” Thank goodness! I thought you all had died! You managed to escape safely! That’s great! Really great! “
” ………… “
Though Kasumi spoke quickly, she poured her joyous emotions onto her friends. Her face flushed, tears welling up as she rejoiced in the reunion with her village companions.
” ………… “
But her friends remained silent. Despite the joy of reuniting with Kasumi after so long, they offered no words of happiness and made no move to approach her.
” ……Everyone? “
” ………… “
There was a small distance between Kasumi and her village friends. They made no attempt to bridge that gap. They simply stood there, not moving, not accepting Kasumi as one of them. That small distance felt incredibly vast.
And then Kasumi realized. Her village friends were looking at her with intense hatred.
” ……You’re the only one who survived. “
” ……Huh? “
One of the villagers muttered in a low, ominous voice.
” …You’re the only one who survived. You’re the only one who reincarnated. “
” Huh…? Uh…? “
” You’re the only one who survived. “
” You’re the only one still alive… “
As one spoke, others began to mutter with murky voices. Kasumi shuddered violently.
” You’re the only one who reincarnated… “
” We couldn’t reincarnate… “
” You set us up… “
The villagers began to hurl words of resentment at Kasumi one after another. Their eyes were bloodshot, tainted with hatred. Those eyes weren’t looking at a fellow villager; they were looking at something akin to a demon.
“N-No, that’s not it… That’s not it at all… Ah, no, I… “
Kasumi’s face turned pale, and her body trembled. The joy from before had completely vanished, replaced by a voice as cold as ice that accused her, making her eyes dart around in intense agitation. Her voice was shaking.
“You had planned from the beginning to be the only one saved…”
Everyone’s gaze pierced through Kasumi. The dark shadows around them clung to her body, eroding her heart. Faces filled with jealousy, resentment, and anger, all directed at the one who was supposedly the only one to have survived, surrounded Kasumi.
“I really didn’t mean it that way…!”
Kasumi trembled, and tears began to fall from her eyes
” You left us to die. “
” Verdi… “
Among the crowd was a woman with short black hair. She was Aoi’s childhood friend, skilled in hunting.
” You abandoned me at that time. You left me to die. “
” Uh… I… “
She fought to protect Aoi and the others, sacrificing herself.
” Knowing I would die, you fled. You left me to die. “
” That time, I only…! I’m sorry… Sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry…! “
Accused by her former friends, Aoi’s heart was filled with fear and guilt.
” You’re the only one who survived! “
” You’re the only one still alive! “
” The reincarnation spell failed! No, it was deliberately sabotaged! “
” You arranged it so only you would survive! “
” No, that’s not… That’s not true…! “
“You were the leader, but you didn’t save a single one of us!”
“It’s your fault we died!”
“You rigged the reincarnation magic to save only yourself!”
“No! That’s not true…! I don’t even understand why the reincarnation magic activated for me! I really, truly don’t know…!”
Everyone shouted accusations at Kasumi all at once.
Kasumi trembled, covering her ears with both hands.
Still, strangely enough, the voices of everyone’s hatred seep through her hands. Her heart is at its limit, and each of their words is trying to crush her glass heart like a blunt instrument.
Her vision warps, making even standing difficult.
“Traitor! “
“Betrayer!”
“back-stabber!”
“No, no, no…! I really don’t understand! Please forgive me! Forgive me…!”
And Irias steps forward. she was her childhood friend and closest companion, someone she had spent her whole life with in the village.
“Irias…”
“…………”
Irias’ beautiful golden hair sways heavily, and she looks at Kasumi with the same resentful eyes as the others in the village. As Irias takes a few steps forward, Kasumi is pushed back as if by an invisible force.
///
///
Irias hurls curses at Kasumi.
“I won’t forgive you.”
“…………”
“I won’t forgive you…”
There’s a sound of Kasumi’s heart breaking, and she is swallowed by the darkness around her.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“Aaahhhhh…!”
She wakes up screaming. The comforter draped over her body slides off the bed.
“Aaahhh… Ahh…”
Looking around, she realizes she’s in her own room.
It has turned into a magical laboratory, with papers covered in magic circles and various tools needed for rituals placed around.
She surveys her room, her eyes darting around, confirming her whereabouts. She’s wearing pajamas, soaked in sweat. Outside the window, it’s dark, still the dead of night.
Kasumi had only been dreaming.
“Ugh…”
Feeling a pressure rising from her stomach, Kasumi covers her mouth with her hands. Then she rushes out of the room, heading straight for the nearby bathroom.
“K-Kasumi? I heard something, are you okay!?”
“Kasumi, are you okay? Feeling sick again?”
Upon hearing the scream just after waking up, her parents also rush out. Kasumi emerges from the bathroom, her face pale, her father supporting her unsteady body.
“Kasumi, are you really okay?”
“……Y-yeah.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Kasumi? Shall we go to a different hospital?”
“…………”
Kasumi shakes her head weakly in response to her mother’s words.
“I’m okay… really…”
“Kasumi…”
Kasumi has had episodes like this many times before. Despite being taken to the hospital numerous times by her parents, she was never diagnosed with anything abnormal.
And for good reason, Kasumi mutters to herself. She knew well that it wasn’t her body, but her mind, that was sick.
She had dreamt the same dream countless times.
Calming her worried parents, Kasumi returns to her room. It’s still dark outside, with plenty of time for another sleep.
But Kasumi doesn’t sleep. Rubbing her tired eyes in the dim room, she fiddles with her phone on the bed. The internet news reports an increase in the population of small animals like mice and sparrows in her area over the past few years.
Scared to sleep, Kasumi stays awake until morning. She’s terrified of experiencing the same dream again.
Morning comes, and Kasumi puts on makeup. She applies makeup to make herself look healthier, hiding her extremely pale complexion. Her face looks so bad that anyone would worry immediately, so Kasumi has no choice but to hide it.
“Whoa, Kasumi, are you covering up your complexion with makeup again?”
“Kasumi, are you okay? Feeling sick?”
“Hahaha…”
However, when she meets up with Yuki and Tiffy as usual after leaving the house, her two close friends immediately notice her bad complexion. Kasumi has become adept at applying makeup, and others don’t notice it, but her close friends always do.
Every time, Kasumi laughs and brushes it off.
And they arrive at school.
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