Chapter Text
“Any sign of her?”
Bijou watches as Nerissa’s form descends from the sky, landing atop the park bench next to her.
“I’m afraid not.” Nerissa answers. Lines of worry crease her pale forehead. “It’s…it’s like she just disappeared.”
“You and I both know that’s impossible, Rissa.” Bijou puts her hands on her hips. “She’s probably playing a prank or something. She’s laughing at us from somewhere, hand up to her mouth like “Hehehehe”...”
“Biiboo…” Nerissa says, her voice falling to a whisper. “What if…what if they found her?”
Bijou’s face softens. “We were sleeping in the same tent, Nerissa. Why wouldn’t they have just grabbed all of us, if that was the case? No, she’s around here somewhere. I-”
Excited barking cuts off the Jewel’s sentence.
“Nerissa! Bau! Bijou! Bau! Come here! Bau bau!”
From the treeline, Fuwawa and Mococo burst, a book clenched in each hound’s hands. Nerissa and Bijou rush to meet them.
“You found something!” Nerissa says, half question and half statement.
“We did! We did!”
They drop the books on the table.
“This one is one of Shiorin’s!” Fuwawa says.
“From the old house! All musty-smelly!” Mococo adds.
It is a familiar one, worn and dilapidated, with “A Tale of Two Cities” written across its cover. A bookmark sits inside, peering out at the group.
“And this was with it!” Mococo says, pointing to the second book.
This one is a notebook, as ordinary as can be. It has a message scrawled across its front.
“To my beloved Advent.”
Nerissa feels her heart do a flip.
“That’s Shiori’s handwriting. Bijou, check the other one! Quick!”
Nodding, Bijou lifts the novel and opens it to the marked page. Inside, a quotation is underlined in dark blue ink.
I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.
Hello, Advent.
My lovely, lovely friends. I wonder, as I write this, do you remember me as I was when we first met?
Weak. Confused. Terrified.
Hours ago a human girl who was too curious by half. Now a shattered husk of a thing, tossed away to gather dust in the darkest corner of the universe, left to rot and crumble, to be forgotten.
I did not even remember my own name.
Do you remember that?
I think that you do.
After all, you were the ones who gave to me my new one.
The room is featureless and gray. Even Shiori has trouble finding something to hold her interest.
It is a shame, then, that she is going to die here. She would prefer to do it somewhere she can see the sky.
She doubts that request would be granted, even if she asked.
She will not give the Gods the satisfaction of saying no.
Behind her, a door opens. Closes. Footsteps clack against the floor.
Shiori wants to turn, but the restraints around her will not permit it. Still, she knows who it is.
“Good morning, Warden.”
The footsteps stop.
“Hello, Prisoner.
Your execution will now commence.”
…
What a day that was. One I have never forgotten, the first to be added to my original Archive.
And now, my friends, I must inform you of my last.
I go to make an exchange. The last one that I shall ever make. The one that shall free you all from the cruel shackles of a fate that none of you deserved.
I go to bargain with the Gods themselves, to offer to them the knowledge that I have gathered in my time upon this world, all in exchange for your freedoms.
No more running. No more looking over your shoulders. No more restless nights and red-eyed mornings.
I could think of no better prize.
In return, I shall give them something valuable. Something they can never have. But, most importantly of all, it is something that they will never comprehend the true value of.
I shall give them my archives of our travels. Our friendship. Our bond.
And I think that it may drive them mad.
Such uncaring creatures.
How could they ever understand? The thought, I must admit, excites me.
Still, I know one thing for certain.
They will not allow me to return.
Shiori can see the blade that will relieve her of her life.
Such a simple thing. She finds it slightly underwhelming.
“Prisoner.”
Shiori looks up at the Warden.
“I know that you have no reason to answer. But we have a question for you.”
She inclines an eyebrow.
“You need but ask.”
The Warden crosses their arms.
“Why do this? Why come to us so easily? Why give up your life?”
“Perhaps I did not expect your masters to be so cruel.” Shiori replies, with the ghost of a grin.
“You do not fool us. This question was a waste of time.”
As the Warden turns, Shiori speaks.
“Forgive me. I simply get bored. My answer is simple. Straightforward. You may take it or leave it.”
“We are listening.”
Shiori sighs, and a bit of her smile falls away.
“For them.”
I would not leave you without some final words. Not even I am that heartless, my lovely ones.
Allow me to address you each in turn.
Mococo is curled in a ball at Fuwawa’s feet. Her fists are balled tightly as she whimpers, tears staining her cheeks. Fuwawa rubs small circles around her ears, her own face damp.
“Fuwawa…”
“Mmmhmm?”
Mococo sniffles.
“Do you think we can snuggle up tonight?”
Fuwawa nods, bleary-eyed.
“I think that sounds good.”
To my dearest and most delightful doggies, Fuwawa and Mococo…
You reminded me of what it was to feel joy. What it was to see only darkness, and create your own light. How was I to know when I first heard your boisterous yips and barks that I would one day treasure them as I do?
Your boundless energy and your endless curiosity have inspired in me jealousy and awe alike.
Could you imagine a Shiori as gleeful as yourselves? Hehehe, perhaps the very thought is jarring.
I would prefer you to think of me, to remember me, as your friend. A source of comfort and happiness, as you were each so often to me.
Bijou sits in the front seat of a car, its roof rolled back to reveal a star-filled sky.
She has never felt so far away from the world around her.
She steps out of the front door, walking in silence on the soil below. Without warning, a burst of anger boils within her, and with a scream, she stomps.
Dust and dirt raise into a great cloud, swirling around her, but as it dissipates, Bijou remains alone.
To my priceless gem,
You gleam, you sparkle, you dazzle all who lay eyes upon you.
I know, of course, that you are aware of this, darling.
What I wish to convey to you are the invisible things.
Your cheerful outlook. Your witty mind. Your unforgettable personality.
Perhaps you believe that I am simply flattering you? That my impending doom has softened me so?
Simply ask the others, and I know for certain that they shall agree with me.
My brave, boisterous little jewel. Never be afraid to let every facet of yourself show.
For you will always shine, inside and out.
Nerissa has kept up a brave face for hours.
It stays there, thankfully, just long enough for her to get out of sight of the others.
As she falls to her knees on the park’s edge, sobs wracking her body, she finds no comfort in being unseen. On the nearby forest trail, she spots a silhouetted figure, and her heart skips a beat for a moment, hope rising in her chest.
But even from here, she can tell that their eyes do not glow that telltale gold.
As the pedestrian turns to walk away, Nerissa continues to weep.
To my songbird, never to be caged again.
What was done to you was vile. To imprison you, to mutilate you, and most of all, to deprive the world of your voice.
Truly, though, I care little for the world. But I care much for you, and so I mourn.
Perhaps I never expressed it to you, and certainly never expressed it enough, but you were so often my shelter from the storm. A rock to cling to, and a roof to stand under.
Demon of Sound, my wish for you is to rise upon those wings of yours. To know no limit to the heights you can soar to, nor the places that your song can reach.
Will you soothe the world’s pain? Or will you drive it mad?
Hehehe…I know which I would prefer. I think that you do too.
But the choice is yours, and know that whichever you make, I shall be by your side.
Forever.
“The time has arrived, Prisoner.”
Shiori looks at The Warden. It strikes her immediately that she can already make out their face.
“Are you…sad?” she asks.
The Warden’s eyes widen, and Shiori feels as if she is the first to ever ask them that question. To ever ask them…any question.
The Warden turns their back on her. Whatever connection existed there, were there any, is gone.
Shiori is moving through a grassy field. Her feet hurt from walking. From running.
“Hey…” Bijou pants. “What’s everybody looking forward to doing? Once we’re free. Like, really free. Not on the run anymore.”
Nerissa raises a slender finger to her lips.
“Hmmm…I’ve always wanted to sing for an audience.” She giggles. “An audience bigger than four, I mean. No offense.”
“None taken.” Bijou says. “As for me…I think I want to meet more people. It’s been so long since I did…”
“I see, I see.” Nerissa glances to her left. “And the twins?”
“Oh…” Fuwawa says, her tail starting to wag, “We wanna find something important. To protect.”
“To protect!” Mococo echoes. “And to play lots of fun games too!”
“Fun games!” Fuwawa agrees. “But mostly to protect!”
Shiori quickly realizes that all eyes are on her.
She stops, and gives the question some thought.
“Beginning execution sequence.”
Shiori takes a breath. She clenches her fists.
The Warden turns on their heel, regarding her with an unreadable emotion.
She can hear her heart pounding now.
Or is that noise…coming from somewhere else?
The door?
Shiori shakes her head, chasing the errant thought away. She has spent enough of her life indulging in fantasies. Here, at the end of it, she will stay with reality for just a few moments longer.
“Farewell, Shiori Novella.” the Warden says.
A click.
The Archiver closes her eyes.
Shiori comes to a stop, heels digging into the grass. She turns to face her friends, and gives a shrug.
“I don’t know. I suppose I just want to live happily ever after.”