And so I met him.
Can't say I was happy to see a stranger in my home. But also can't say I was so shocked by his appearance that I gasped and grabbed my head.
Rather, in between. Between the familiar and the impossible.
After all, no one had access to my abode. Or so I thought. Or I didn't notice a hole dug by ill-wishing moles.
Too many "ors", which means too little truth.
In any case, I knew he couldn't have just come here like that. Probably, I should tell what happened next? After that very first meeting.
Much changed after it. The unknown one, who called himself Avaley Le Fay, told me, no, even advised me to spawn mass life.
Although even without him I had thought about it. To expand the boundaries. Not to be content with one creation.
But it seemed to me that I couldn't repeat the miracle. Create something so beautiful. So flawless. So close to me.
— And? What next? Is that really all? All the beauty of your narrative? — her laughter sounded like wine long hidden in a cellar.
That's exactly how long she held herself before losing the game of "Who laughs first".
— It's you again, damned witch, — a voice without joy, as if Monday lies ahead.
— I may be a witch, but you are more damned, ehe-he-hah!
Laughter. The same hateful one. If there were a prize for the most irritating guffaw, she would have gotten it in the first minute.
It's all a deception.
Not the illusory kind. But the kind that is unpleasant to remember.
Clearer now. All this theater was created by the witch. Shards of memories. Our shards.
But why?
Does she want me to cry? Funny. It doesn't seem that those who cry survive by her rules.
So, the best way to understand a riddle is to ask the one who posed it.
— What is all this circus for? — I asked.
— Circus? Are your memories really just a circus to you? — she smirked venomously.
— (What a bitch) I'm not talking about the memories. I'm asking why you need them. If you wanted to provoke emotions in me, congratulations, it worked. So what's next?
— Egh-hyh, you have such an unpleasant face… Just one look at you makes me nauseous! But so be it, I'll tell you the rules of my game.
Tsk. Here it begins.
(And who has it easy now?)
— The rules are simple. It's a game of endurance, whoever withstands against me wins.
— And if not? — I interrupted her, as if trying to knock the pride out from under her feet.
— Then even your already useless tears won't help you!
So that's how it is. She had been watching me all this time. Watching me wander in my own past. Watching as the memories stabbed into me again with their sharp edges.
A good move. Too good to call it bad.
But the meaning? Where is the meaning?
"Endurance". A word resembling a verdict.
And suddenly she disappeared. Why? Did she get lonely? Did she want a date?
No. Out of the question.
Then, maybe she decided to explain the rules of a new game? Also no.
Maybe death has affected me like this. Since I can't even answer a simple question.
Although… who said it was simple?
My memories remained. As if everything that just happened was merely a commercial break before the movie.
After the conversation with the mysterious person. Although… how mysterious was he? Giving his name right away isn't too enigmatic.
Rather, he was just getting used to his new image. Or am I digging too deep into the void.
But his words stuck in me.
«The world cannot be colorful if there are no those who give it colors.»
A simple phrase.
A painful phrase.
A phrase that made me think about myself.
(Too many phrases)
Who am I? Who am I? Why did I appear?
If I can create life… then who am I?
The Creator.
That's when I understood, I am the one who spawned. The one who became the king of his creations.
With one movement of my hand I created a world. A world that called itself boundless.
Boundless. A word that has no end, only a beginning.
But a world is empty if you don't endow it with colors.
And I looked at her face, either surprised or proud. Proud of her father.
And I told her that she would not be alone.
A lie.
!?
A question.
Surprise.
Nonsense.
Absurdity.
Cruelty.
Thoughts swirled into a point, piercing right into the brain.
— Didn't you consider me the most important? Didn't you say you would never leave me alone? Tell me…
A quiet cry. Tears cutting the heart.
«Father!»
…
Ai…
I wanted to hug her. With all my strength. And never let go, wipe her tears and say something warm.
But…
I took a step.
And pain. Sharp, piercing every bone.
I looked down, my stomach was pierced by a katana. A Japanese sword, but without a hilt.
Blood gushed from my mouth. I tried to inhale, but choked on my own blood.
Burning pain. The blood boiled, ready to incinerate the body.
— Eh-heh-he-heh-ha-ha!
Laughter. Long, like the Great Wall of China.
— There it is! The most delicious part! The beginning of my magnificent game on Ryujima!
Her face contorted, as if ready to crack.
Now it's clear.
The witch.
The game.
The memories.
The meaning.
All of it for one thing, to catch me and finish me off. And then stage it as a suicide.
I wonder how he is? I wonder when all this will end.
Ai…
Forgive me.
The game has begun.
The witch made the first move.
Will Enua be able to endure and respond?