Chapter Ten: The Knight of Sword and Shield

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If it were so, since the creation of the world, he would have suffered many times. But now, in these last days, he has appeared, offering himself as a sacrifice to remove sin.
—Hebrews (one book of the New Testament) 9:26

On the door of that secret chamber, I saw an inscription. Whom did these words describe?

But that was trivial.

I pushed open the door. The room was pitch-black. I stepped into the darkness, feeling the temperature drop sharply, an unnatural chill invading my skin, slowly freezing my blood.

I could neither advance nor retreat. I was immobilized.

Vaccha said, "Leave quickly! It's a brainwave attack, all hallucinations."

But it was too late. I saw the faces of many children in the room, like stickers plastered onto the dark walls, their eyes hollow, their gazes numb.

They spoke in unison, "Save us, sir."

Those dense faces surrounded me; I moved my eyes left and right—faces everywhere. As if their bodies had melted away, only the faces remained, fused with the darkness, merging into one.

Merged into one.

I said, "Child... children? Let me go, I mean no harm."

A vision flashed before my eyes—countless blood-red hands. But in an instant, the red hands vanished, replaced once more by countless pale little faces.

I forced myself, summoned all my strength, but could not move a finger. I felt cold little hands touch my palm, gripping it tightly.

I said, "Don't come closer! Stay away from me!" I was in agony, as if molten lava was injected into my veins, my most sensitive nerves undergoing the cruelest torment. I heard myself scream, and halfway through, I couldn't breathe.

They said, "Sir, that's what they did to us."

I said, "That was the doing of Ulysses and Longinus. I am here to save your kind."

They said, "Those who came long ago said the same. Where is our sister?"

I said, "She... she... I don't know. I was only sent to retrieve something important..."

My other hand was seized as well. My mind felt as though needles were inserted, fluids drawn out, others injected. This strange operation terrified me.

They said, "What wrong have we done, sir? Why are we treated like this?"

I said, "Vaccha was once treated thus."

They said, "But Vaccha lived, and we died."

I asked, "You died, then what are you now?"

They said, "We are simply ourselves. We do not exist, yet we remain here."

I said, "You are merely... lingering brainwaves."

They said, "We are evidence of humanity's evil."

My rigid knees suddenly bent—they allowed me to move. Vaccha's voice rang in my ears again. She said, "Mr. Fishbone, don't move! It's a trap. If you force your body, you'll suffocate, just like the people from Charon Corp! Your brain's nerves are scrambled."

I thought, "Evidence of humanity's evil? I don't know you, and those who wronged you are long dead."

But Vaccha lives, Vaccha is the sole survivor of this hellish evil. If there is justice in the world, if good is rewarded, it should manifest in her.

Evil has been cleansed. I am the knight who comes to save.

You are merely a group of jealous spirits.

The inscription by the door suddenly appeared in my mind.

I whispered, "If it were so, since the creation of the world, he would have suffered many times. But now, in these last days, he has appeared, offering himself as a sacrifice to remove sin."

I recalled the village's final moments—the dark room, the sweet songs, immortal life, all familiar faces transformed into monsters, yet claiming to be my saviors.

That was the first time in my life I prayed to fish, prayed to darkness.

This is the second.

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Vaccha said, "What's wrong with your hand?"

I knew my fingers were melting, dissolving into pitch-black oil, but I couldn't see it—my eyes were melting too. Only darkness remained, everlasting darkness.

Darkness exists to oppose light.

Death exists to end life.

They asked, "What are you?"

I said, "I am Fishbone, the remnants of a fish."

I drank the black oil; pain dispelled pain. I could see the darkness clearly now—those faces were not faces, but fluctuating waves.

Their methods failed.

In the center of the chamber lay a dead boy, his eyes open, head shaved, a cross-shaped scar upon his crown. The thoughts emanated from him.

He said, "I can destroy an entire army, but I cannot destroy you."

I said, "Why must you destroy me?"

I smashed his skull, and all hallucinations vanished. From his hand, I retrieved what Vaccha desired.

Vaccha asked, "Mr. Fishbone, are you alright? Your EEG is a mess."

The fish was coming.

I raised my mangled hand and picked up the little component. I asked, "Can you read it remotely?"

Vaccha said, "I can try."

She guided me through the process. I took out the Vaccha-brand headset; the component had a port, and the two matched perfectly. I asked, "What's inside the component?"

The Vaccha headset replied, "It's me, the me before I became Vaccha."

I said, "Your parents?"

Vaccha murmured assent.

I said, "Your friends, your childhood, your home, your pet, your garden, your sunlight, your world."

Vaccha murmured again, "Thank you, Mr. Fishbone. Come back, I want to see you. I will fulfill my promise."

Such wonderful gratitude—this was more than enough.

I said, "I cannot. The fish has found me. I must leave far away."

Vaccha asked, "Will you give up your reward?"

I said, "My reward? I've already received it, little princess." I tried to smile, but my throat was dry. I walked toward a wall, and a black hole dissolved in the wall—I passed through it.

What was happening, I could not explain. Perhaps I could no longer distinguish reality from illusion. Perhaps I opened a door and imagined myself passing through the wall. After all, I was nearly blind.

I reached outside, smelled the wild air. As I walked, blood flowed from my eyes and mangled hand, though it wasn't blood, but black liquid. Instinctively, I walked in one direction, anywhere, as long as it was far away.

Far from Vaccha, far from Lamia, far from... who else?

Suddenly, a blade pierced my leg, shackles locked my hands, and I fell.

Many people were shouting. I heard them cry, "Target found! We've got him!"

I saw blurry figures, all clad in black armor, an exoskeleton like cold machines.

They were members of the Sword and Shield Society.

Someone asked, "Who is he?"

Another said, "Wait, I know him. You're Orchid's apprentice? Milsay's friend?"

Someone close to me asked, "He's from Waterless Village?"

The old acquaintance said, "Yes, sir, his name is Longinus. Last time I passed through Waterless Village, I saw them."

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Wrong, wrong, that's not my name. I am Fishbone, the leftovers after a meal.

The officer asked, "Longinus, what are you doing here? What happened in Waterless Village? Why is everyone dead?"

I asked, "Is Milsay alright?"

The old acquaintance said, "Answer the officer's question!"

I asked, "What are you doing here?"

My jaw took a heavy punch. If someone hadn't held me down, I would have rolled several times.

The officer said, "Listen, Longinus, listen well, you traitor and trickster. I have no time to play games. I have an important mission. You seem to have come out of the garage—we've surrounded it. If you have accomplices inside, they won't escape our net. If you don't want them to die, you'd better cooperate."

I said, "Is Milsay not among you?"

Years ago, the Sword and Shield Society took Milsay because of his exceptional martial skills. He was always outstanding, so he escaped the calamity.

But if Milsay were still here, perhaps nothing would have happened.

He escaped hell, ascended to heaven.

Dahlia, Dahlia, I almost forgot you. Where are you now? You must be living well, right? Perhaps you've already met Milsay?

The officer's blade pressed against my throat. He said, "I'll ask one last time. What happened?"

I said, "Orchid... discovered the village's deepest secret."

The officer asked, "What secret?"

I said, "The secret of life, the secret of eternal existence. He was driven mad by that secret."

The officer asked, "What did he do?"

I said, "He released the secret. He changed. He appeared normal, but was no longer human at heart. Villagers kept dying—first Mr. Chatterbox, then Old Trash, then Aunt Orlay... We sensed something was wrong, for someone was always missing at meals."

The Sword and Shield Society members exchanged glances. The officer said, "Tell me, what kind of phenomenon is this secret of life? Describe it clearly."

I said, "Sir Orchid, he could dissolve into a pool of living flesh, then reconstitute into a normal person. That flesh, if it touched someone else's skin—even a fingernail-sized piece—it would dissolve them and consume them, unless the contaminated part was cut off immediately."

The officer asked, "And then?"

I said, "He secretly consumed many people, took their forms, and carried out more murders. But those people... they did not die, absolutely did not die. They all lived, they all gained immortality. They live forever inside Sir Orchid. No, that's not quite accurate."

The officer pressed, "Then give me an accurate description."

I said, "They are symbiotic. They told me it is a state of life fusion, the most perfect realm. One for all, all for one, eliminating all disputes and differences, living in harmony, beyond kinship—everyone is... themselves. Sometimes, they can split off and become individuals again, but those individuals will do everything to contact others, to merge, even using sweet words and deceit to get close to normal people."

The old acquaintance said, "This is valuable information, officer. First-hand eyewitness."

The officer nodded and asked, "How did you survive?"

I said, "The fish tank. I prayed to the fish tank. I cut off the fingers contaminated by the flesh, dropped them in the fish tank, and let the fish eat them."

The officer said, "Fish tank? That ancient fish tank?"

I said, "Yes, sir, and then the fish came, just as it does now."

I looked up. The fish appeared before me, as vast as the heavens and earth, making shadows its sea. Its numb, emotionless fish eyes stared at us.

The knights of the Sword and Shield Society turned, eyes wide, looking at the violet-black sky, at the immense fish. They were more astonished, more terrified than I.

Darkness exists to oppose light.

Death exists to end life.