During this month, they did nothing but relax. No movements from the demons either.
The atmosphere was calm. The war was over. The country was in celebratory mood.
"What should we do? It's too boring." Belle said.
She is a battle junkie. So it's hard for her yo stay calm.
"Just relax." The cool Leah said.
"Do that. It's not hurting you. Also get a man. We are getting older. So we have to think about that too." Aisha who is like their mother said it.
But Belle was totally uninterested. Leah was also dispirited. They didn't like that idea.
They were all staying at their own place. The heroes were given residence in the nobles district.
Though they were heroes as well, they returned their house and returned to their own place.
So they haven't met Momoko and Mizuki for quite some time.
"I wonder how those two are doing." Aisha said.
"Yeah. They were good girls." Belle said. Though they didn't get along, it's not like they hated each other.
"But this hazy feeling is still there. That closed off space." Aisha said.
"Me too. It's not getting better." Leah said.
"But no one can answer our questions either. So who do we turn to?" Belle said.
That's when they got a mail. The mail suggested that they should go to that same grasslands.
"Is it about that? Is someone finally going to tell us everything." Belle got a bit impatient.
"Maybe. We should leave as soon as possible." Aisha said and all three of them left in a hurry.
They were going at full speed. And after a short while they reached the grasslands.
Only to be surprised by seeing Mizuki and Momoko there.
"Why are you girls here?" Aisha asked.
"We got a mail and after reading it we were transported here." Mizuki said.
"We also got a mail. But maybe we were closer, so we didn't get transported." Aisha said.
"So what is going to happen?" Leah asked.
"We can only wait for it." Momoko said.
But they didn't have to wait too long.
Soon someone appeared. A man sitting on a wheelchair. He had black hair and black eyes.
His face was very familiar to the girls.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming all this way." He said in a polite manner.
"Who are you?" Aisha asked warily.
All of them were in battle stances.
"No need to be on guard. As you see I cannot walk or move." He said.
He was sitting on the wheelchair. But he didn't have any limbs.
The girls eased up.
"Then let's get to the main topic about why I summoned you here." He said.
"Yes. But first who are you?" They asked.
"Maybe this will help." He snapped his fingers.
The next moment they all held their heads. Like they were in pain.
But they soon remembered everything that was blocked.
The haze covering their consciousness was gone.
They all remembered who he was.
But they couldn't believe it. Because the person before was Akatsuki.
"How can it be?" Aisha said.
"It's impossible. We saw you standing and walking." Belle like the junkie she is, gave her impression.
"Yes." Momoko said. Mizuki was also in agreement with them.
"Let the last person come. I'll begin then." He said.
They all knew who the last person was.
Soon Selene came. She looked like she rushed there.
"Everyone here," he asked in an apathetic tone.
All of them had disbelief on their faces. Like they have seen a dead person back from the dead.
"Then let's start." He said.
He then clapped and the scenery changed.
The grasslands became a white room.
Everything was white and the room was endless.
"This is the basic construct. My mind. Welcome." He humbly said.
There was a table with 6 chairs and some snacks.
"Let's take a seat and talk." For the moment only he was talking.
All the girls sat down and he also sat by the table on his wheelchair.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Akatsuki. A person who should have died a long time ago." (A)
He stopped. Because the girls clearly had a mountain of questions.
"Can I ask you something?" Selene said all fidgety.
"Go ahead." He said normally. Besides, it's his turn to do the explaining.
"Where are we?" Selene asked.
"We are currently inside my mind." (A)
"I get that. But how?" (S)
"Because we are not real. It's all my delusion." (A)
"Not real?" Selene was confused even more and shocked too.
"Yes. But you all exist and so do I. It's just a delusion of mine you are all inside." (A)
He said in the simplest of terms. But the girls couldn't get it. Selene was not looking like she would ask another question.
But the most curious one Leah asked.
"So it's your delusion. But what is different? A delusion is something you think of that is to your own liking, right?"
She was spot on.
"Bingo. You got it Leah." He praised.
Leah was smiling with a sloppy face.
"The difference would be you girls. Your behavior. That's all. The world itself hasn't changed. But I have in many ways." (A)
"Us?" Leah was thinking.
"You see, I told you that I changed. You saw the me who was a walking man. Then you are seeing the me who has no limbs. Which one is the real one?" He threw that question to them.
"I don't know. Can't say I know." Leah said.
Her answer was intellectual.
"This is the real me. I am a man who has no hands or legs. So I changed myself to my former self. Also my immortality and life was also changed." He said.
"Your life? What kind of life did you lead?" Aisha asked.
She spoke for the first time. But as expected, she didn't fool around.
"Well the reckless kind. I took life too lightly and now look at me. I lost my hands and legs. But I also saved five lives. So I guess that's worth it." (A)
"You lost your limbs while saving people?" Aisha said.
"Yes. But let's not go that way. Today I called you all here even though you are just my delusion is because I wanted to bid farewell." He said with a sad face.
"What do you mean farewell?" Mizuki who is his sister asked.
"Also I wanted to apologize. Sorry for dragging all of you into this mess." He said and bowed his head down.
He was bowing and sitting on a wheelchair. It looked like those six were the bad guys.
"Stop. But you said that you changed us. How and what did you change?" Aisha asked.
"Change but not something big. Even in real life, you girls are the same. And Mizuki is my sister nonetheless. But I instilled a feeling inside all of you." (A)
"A feeling?" Aisha questioned.
"A feeling or a spark. I gave you girls a bit of a push and you all fell in love with me. That's the feeling I instilled." His face was not cheerful when he said that.
"So you made us fall in love with you forcefully?" Aisha had a really sharp look.
The others were also staring a hole through him.
"Yes. I wanted to be popular at least once. So I created this delusion. You are all the same in the real world. So I guess you would never fall in love with me. So I just wanted to feel it. And now that's done." He finished.
"But do we even know you in the real world?" Selene asked.
"Not directly. But you do know me. I lost my limbs when I saved all of you from the explosion. You all were saved. But my limbs were so damaged that they had to be cut off." He lightly said.
But this was the biggest revelation. All of them were once again in dismay.
"No need to look so scary. I didn't lie. Nor do I regret saving all of you. So don't think much about it. Besides at the time you all were unconscious. So you guys don't know who saved you and I didn't tell anyone. So it's a secret only I know." He said with a smug face.
"Why you?" Belle who was patiently listening to all of it suddenly lashed out at him.
But her anger was justified. All of them were angry as well.
He sacrificed himself to save them and didn't even say anything.
But Mizuki had a question.
"You said all five. That means me too. So how am I in the real world?" She asked.
"A cute little sister who hates her big brother so much, she wouldn't even talk to him. You hated my guts so much that I had to move out of the house or you wouldn't eat." He said while sighing.
But Mizuki was mortified. She had no idea that she was like that.
"So I gave you some compassion towards me. I at least once wanted to see you smile looking at me. I got that. All my wishes are fulfilled now." He said with a satisfied smile on his face.
But they had no idea about what he would do.
"Now I have to complete my end of the deal too. Let's say our final goodbyes shall we?" He asked.
"You keep saying goodbye but why that?" Aisha asked.
"I am about to end this delusion of mine. Don't worry, you girls will be always in my mind. At least the way I want. The real life is cruel. I can't even talk you girls. So I will keep you girls in my mind. After my death, you girls will be free from me." He said.
"Your death?" All of them asked in a low tone.
"Yes. I have sold my soul to Lucifer. I will be sent to hell. So when I die, my thoughts would be scattered across the world and be captured by the Akashik records." He said.
"So it's goodbye. I enjoyed my delusion. It would have been nice to talk with all of you in the real life. But that won't happen. So goodbye." He said as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Then the white room suddenly vanished and the girls were thrown into an endless sea of darkness.
He was gone. Only the six of them remained.
"What happened?" Aisha asked.
"What did he do?" Leah asked.
All of them were trying to understand what did he do.
But Selene had a dark and gloomy look on her face.
"Hey Selene, do you know what's happening?" Momoko asked.
She didn't say anything to him but now is talking.
"He died. His soul was taken by Lucifer and is headed for the underworld." Selene said.
"You can say that?" Aisha said.
"Yes. He said that we have our own personalities. So I don't think we are different from our real self. So I can guess it. From my knowledge and what he said, we are his remaining thoughts. We are headed straight for the Akashik records." Selene explained.
"But what do we do? Akashik records is a library where the memories of the dead gather, right?" Leah asked.
"Yes. But we have a way. If we force our way out, we can go to our real bodies." Selene suggested.
"Is that possible?" Mizuki said in amazement.
"Yes. But I don't know if that could be done by us." Selene was unsure.
"Even so, we have to try." Aisha said.