Chapter 16: Lying is Bad, Okay?

[Floor Minus **]

I wake up lightheaded, my head lying on something soft but bony in the core. I like this pillow. It's very comfortable, smells nice, like gardenias after the rain, and it eases my headache a little.

Oh wait it's Liri's thighs. Even better— I mean, where is this?

A bunch of burning arrows on the ground lights up the place, but the flame is too weak to make anything specific in the room. Are those skeletons at the corner of the room? I don't want to tell.

I try to stand up but I find myself lacking the energy to do so. Instead, a massive headache assaults me for even trying.

"Hey hey, don't move so much. Try to stay still as much as possible."

A numb pain spreads from my left shoulder. I can't decide if this hurts or not. Peeking on it is probably the worst decision I have made so far, since under my ripped sleeve is an ugly purple splotch that covers the whole shoulder. It looks bad.

"What happened....?"

"You were poisoned by the spike back at the 34th floor, and it doesn't react to my healing spells."

"What the hell... isn't that poison at least a thousand years old...? You'd think after *cough* all this time... it would expire..."

"Please stop forcing yourself to speak, you're just making your situation worse... though I don't know how it'll get any worse at this point."

Eh? What is she talking about? My head feels too mushy to think straight.

"Don't... suddenly panic, okay? How do I say this. I, accidentally triggered a traphole during floor 34 while trying to drag your unconscious body around. So, we're stuck in this closed room with no exit, We don't have any supplies left them back there, and at the rate of the poison spreading in your body, I don't think you'll last long.... "

What? We're trapped? But it doesn't matter since I'm dying? What time is it anyways...?

"Get my... pocket watch... somewhere in my pockets..."

"I told you to stop forcing yourself. A pocket watch, right? Got it."

She searches my robe and indeed finds that golden pocket watch.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

It's been three days since I entered this dungeon, and I'm already dying. Wow. But just seeing this watch brings back the memory of that goddess' big stupid grin [imagination] as she beat me like a rag in chess. Fucking chess!

If she's so smart, why doesn't she become the hero, instead of bothering innocent people like me? Erika was way ahead of her time by ingeniously putting this stupid watch where it belongs: to the trash.

I'd rather die than be part of her mind games. Ahhhh, thank you wonderful poison.

"Hihi, you're strange. You're on the verge of death, but you're smiling."

"What about you...*cough* How will you escape...?"

Liri sighs, but her face is the same as usual. Cheerless eyes and a wavering smile. Like something so big yet so trivial at the same time is bothering her mind.

"Like I said, there's no escape. The walls resist magic, and the hole we fell from is gone. I already tried everything... but it's fine. At least I'll die with someone."

Silence fills the air between us.

I think we should look at the positives, right? Hmm... ah, I know.

"At least.... we got away from the ghost girl...."

Liri points to a corner of the room and WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ABOMINATION DOING HERE?? WHAT THE HELL!? I didn't even notice her. It's the ghost with the black eyes. She has literally zero presence unless I look directly at her, and now that crazy chilling atmosphere is back and is piercing through my every pore.

Great, just what I need. This is loyalty in its worst form. But, her being here is quite convenient.

"Ha... Ha.... Ha..."

I'm dying.

I don't want to die.

How can I protect Ela when I'm dead?

Ela. My sunshine, my all. How is she doing now? She's with the hero, if I remember... that guy from another world. Swordguy. It feels like ages ago.

Heh, funny. It's almost like Ela chose the life of an adventurer than of a boring librarian in the instant she was presented with a chance... Is that so? She's smart. Nothing good comes out of surrounding yourself with stuffy books. That's right.

I guess I should thank swordguy from taking her away from me?

If he's a hero, then he must be strong. Stronger than me, at least. Heroes are strong, they don't die on the ground just because of a little poison. I'm not a hero.

But I don't want to die. I won't lie to myself about this. I don't want to die. Who would want to die?

Liri wraps my head in her gentle embrace, as her pleasing smell caresses my nose. What magic makes you this fragrant even after days in this dungeon?

Sorry... this is all my fault. If I didn't go with you, maybe you could have lived. In exchange, I'll die here with you. I'll wait, and be with you, until you die... then I'll kill myself."

Hmm?

"Do you want to... die?"

She hugs my head tighter for some reason.

"Yes. I wanna die. Do you know why?"

She hugs me even tighter. I feel her body shaking, but I don't think it's from fear, or sadness, or anger. It's from laughter. She begins unloading everything hidden inside her heart.

"I don't care, I don't care. Death is just another thing that comes and go. At a very young age, our tribe taught us not to be afraid of death... among many other things. So I don't understand what it feels like to be sad about death. I can't even shed a tear for my closest friends! Why? Why don't I feel sad? I don't feel anything. Not even cold. This is unnatural for you, isn't it? I want to be sad. I want to cry. I don't want to be a dark elf! I don't want to... not feel anything. I hate this!"

She rambles on, and on and on. What is she so troubled about? I can't really understand her crazed shouting. Is she sad.. I don't know, because she can't be sad?

"*cough*... Hey... can I get a short version... of that?"

"Huh...? A short version? What don't you understand?"

"Everything...?"

"Dark elves can't feel any compassion at all. We're all brutish savages who only think of ourselves! There. Is that short enough?"

"Can you... limit that to... five words?"

"... Why do I feel so silly? You're acting more of a dark elf than me. The people who you were with just killed themselves in front of you moments ago, their killer just standing there freely, and you're happily talking to the person who doomed you to die here. You haven't even shed a tear all this time as well. A normal human would have been broken a long time ago. Are you... crazy?"

Oh no, the ugly violet splotch has taken over my whole arm and probably half of my torso... wow. Fast. I guess I can entertain Liri a bit.

"You see... Liri... humans and dark elves are very very different... from each other. Humans are selfish... they only do good things because... it clears their conscience... they only love... because being alone is not... profitable... they cry... because society demands them to... humans lie to themselves everyday... *cough*they lie too much that they start... to believe them... thinking them as true... but dark elves are different... they don't lie to themselves... they do what their heart tells them... without thinking of anything else... isn't that wonderful? Why are you trying to become a human... Liri? To lie to yourself...? Ha... ha... haaaa...."

I hack a concerning amount of blood, as it soaks through my robes and warms my skin. Oh shit. My eyesight's blurring... well, whatever. Not like I cared. Sun goddess is right. I should be more honest to myself. Start acting like a hero. Nah, nevermind.

"Are you telling me that, humans were lying all this time? That none of their love was real?"

"No... a lie can turn into truth... if you try hard enough... if you lie about wanting to live... you'll find yourself... believing in it... more than anyone else..."

"Ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the funniest crackpot theory I've ever heard! So if I, lie that we're gonna get out of here, and we're going to be happy, then it'll come true if I believe in it enough? That's delusional!"

I only weakly smile. I'm too tired to talk. Poor Liri.

"... But okay. It's not like there's anything else I can do. Then, I want to live. I want you to live. If you die... and I won't feel anything again... I don't think I can live with myself. Of course that's a lie, but it may come true. So please... don't die. Let's get out of here..."

I feel something wet and warm drop on my cheek. It falls like the rain. What is this? Is it raining? Deep underground?

"... Don't die... don't die... don't die..."

Liri keeps repeating those words like a mantra. Her legs are shaking uncontrollably. She's clutching my hand like her life depended on it. I still don't understand Liri. Maybe I never will. But I should try to get her out of here. It's the least that I can do.

I try to push some last words out of my throat

"Can you get me a piece... of the wall... scrape it with an arrow..."

"What? But why? S—sure."

She carefully puts my head on the cold floor, disappears for a while and returns with a small piece of stone she places on my right hand. This is good enough. The wall has self-regenerative abilities, so I'm not stealing anything. Just copying.

So with the last of my strength, I throw myself up to stand. Despite my wobbly legs and failing eyesight, I still stand. It's not straight, but at least it's something.

"Eh...? What are you doing? You shouldn't be wasting your strength like that!"

I wanna fall. The ground is tempting me, singing me a wonderful lullaby. Haha, jokes on it, I already slept. I walk, with unsteady legs like a baby learning his first steps, towards the solution. The only solution.

I already had three contingency plans drawn up in my mind as soon as Liri told me the situation, but only one will work thanks to this poison. Okay, maybe it won't work, but at least I tried. I wanna feel smart.

"Rose...?"

I walk towards that convenient superweapon, our ever-loyal ghost girl, standing in the corner and watching us coldly with her gloomy eyes. Haha, it's ironic how she's the only thing that can save us now.

I squint to get a clearer view of her, and I unceremoniously throw the piece of stone to her direction.

It disappears.

I smile. This is how I let Liri escape.

"Why'd you do that? Did you decide you wanted to lash out to her before you die?"

I think Liri said something, but I can't hear it well. Oh well. Here goes nothing.

I let out all the energy I have left in my body in a burst, and I push the freaking ghost girl towards the wall.

Ting.

The world distorts. Everything disappears. It's nothing but white. Words begin to flow from the aether. Heavy black words fill the white canvas.

NOTHING.

NOTHING.

NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING.

The world distorts again. From white, to yellow, to orange, to blue, to violet, to indigo, to orange, to yellow and finally back to white.

A thousand needles pierce my face. My whole body. Piercing every vein. Lighting courses through my every organs, frying everything without a thought. I don't have a mouth to scream.

But it hurts. It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts It hurts !

The world distorts once again. Huh....? The pain disappears like a snap.

I am floating freely in the middle of the night sky, surrounded by a thousand stars shining brightly like gems. There is no ground. It is only the pitch black sky, the stars, and me.

I become aware of another existence.

[Oh! Hello, Key Falen! I see you are hurt! I will help you!]

What the hell. This is a similar sensation to the one with the sun goddess, only smoother. And more cheery. Floating in front of me is the ghost girl. But... what is this? she has this uncharacteristic smile plastered on her face. And she's all happy-happy. What? Is this another dream? Delusion?

[Delusion? No! I am Mezaluna, the one who holds authority over the concept of space!]

Haaaa? Concept of space? Huh? What? Eh? What the hell, can I die now?

[No. Before that, Guide me to the soul you call Erika. I know you have a connection with her.]

Erika? So you've been following me all this time because you looking for Erika? Why'd you kill everyone who touches you then?

[Touching? I do not understand. I am sorry, I do not know many things about your plane. Nobody understands the words of Mezaluna. You understand. I need to tell the Erika something. It is about the fate of the Truth.]

... Is this a scam? Erika doesn't have anything to do with that.

[But I have to meet her. Let us go!]

No. You're a freak. I don't want you meeting her. If I even meet her here. I mean, I don't know, maybe she's in the last floor, sleeping like the idiot she is.

[That is great! Lead me to Erika.]

What? Wait, no! Don't follow me! Why don't you go by yourself? Shoo, evil spirit!

[Let us go! Do not get yourself killed, okay? I do not know how to navigate through your plane by myself.]

Ting.

The real world flows back to existence, in this cold dark room illuminated by a bunch of burning arrows. I'm still alive. What else, my hands are firmly touching the breasts of the ghost girl, who was back to being gloomy and all around creepy. I knead those breasts a bit. Hmmm, I'm not having any thoughts of killing myself. But holy shit they're big—I mean I retract my hands immediately.

What just happened?

Liri stands there, mouth agape, frozen in shock.

"Wha—Wha—Wha—Wha—What are you doing!? Are you crazy!? Are you having any unquenchable suicidal or homicidal thoughts right now?"

Hmm? I look at my shoulders, and that ugly purple splotch is gone. It's like brand new. I feel brand new, and the pain is all gone. There isn't even a trace of the wound from the spike. Wow, is it because of the ghost girl...? But she still killed Gaul and friends, there's that, so this isn't quite enough for a friendship cookie.

But most importantly is the ghost girl-shaped gap on the wall. Ha. HAHAHA! I knew it! Just touching her body (and her tunic,) will make things disappear! And the walls of this room isn't an exception, evident to how the piece of the wall I threw to her disappearing as well. As for the ground she's stepping on... is she even stepping the ground? She doesn't have any footsteps after all.

"Rose! You could have killed yourself! Or me! Why aren't you affected by her?"

"I... don't know."

I look at the ghost girl. She's all gloomy, and she's still staring at me. Ever unchanging. Too convenient. Why am I not affected? Is it because of my meeting with the sun goddess that made me immune to divine freaks?

No, that's the least of my concern. Why is she looking for Erika? Erika was a normal girl from the capital. Slightly paranoid, weirdly mature at times, but at her core was a lonely child with crazy thoughts... like killing the reviving Demon Lord by herself. I pull out the golden pocket watch from my robe's pocket.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

How did Erika come to this watch in the first place?

I don't like this feeling. I'll push it all away for the moment. I won't get anything from thinking in circles.

Right now, I know what I should do. As long as I'm alive, I'll protect Ela. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll bring her on an adventure. We could visit other kingdoms if she likes. Ela should have just told me if she was getting bored of the library. Yup, I should be the one protecting her. I won't shy away from this responsibility. Erika... she would be fuming mad if she heard my thoughts back then. I wonder why I even thought of it in the first place.

Ela is Erika's precious little flower. And she is mine as well.

"Liri... should we continue our adventure?"

Liri still can't decide. Just moments ago we were on the verge of death. But everything that happened yesterday must've have numbed me.

"...Is it okay?"

"Yup. We don't have any supplies at the moment, so we might die of starvation along the way. It's better to die together with someone else, right?"

"Hihi, right. I'll think about the hard stuff later."

"Yeah yeah. Let's get out of here."

So we escape from this room by pushing ghost girl's body on the wall, and carry on with our merry adventure,

with the little lie I planted on my heart.