Red Nocturne

by Shūsuke Amagi

  Layfon's cold reply had an opposite effect and made Karian more excited.

  "When we solve that problem, we can perhaps find new ways to deal with filth monsters."

  "By talks? But would they not eat us rather than listen to us? They're hungry." Layfon's experience at the orphanage placed him firmly on Karian's opposite side.

  "We might have to kill the larvae, but it's different with a matured form that possesses knowledge and the capability to negotiate."

  "So what do we do?"

  "We've to understand why they attack cities! Is it really just for human meat? Human meat and any other animal meat is the same in terms of being nutritious. We just need to make food that caters for them. Besides, we can replenish the loss of food in the city by selenium."

  Layfon shook his head. Allow filth monsters to come into the city to buy food? Filth monsters to buy food with money......Ridiculous. Impossible.

  "Reality isn't like that though!"

  "But it's worth trying. And........."

  The filth monster slowed as the ground evened out. Karian put his hands together again.

  "That filth monster didn't attack the city without reasons. It requested the head of the pack to attend the negotiation, and that really bothers me!"

  "........."

  Then Layfon realized that it wasn't the speed of the bike that had changed. It was the filth monster. They were getting close to their destination.

  "I wonder whether anyone has ever gone to a gathering of filth monsters?"

  Shocked by Karian's curiosity, Layfon sensed the atmosphere around them. No killing intent from hungry filth monsters.

  But next came the change of scenery. Layfon quickly gripped the handle and made an emergency stop to the bike's movement.

  "What?"

  He heard Karian's muffled voice. The sound came from outside the helmet. The psychokinesist's support had been cut off. His vision had turned narrow.

  "Please reply!"

  No matter how many times Layfon called, the psychokinesist did not reply.

  "What's going on?"

  "Psychokinesis is blocked off here. Please be careful."

  Layfon took out his Dite but Karian stopped him. "Wait, we're here to negotiate. Don't do anything to provoke the other party."

  "But......"

  "Let's see how it reacts," Karian slid off the bike.

  Endless plain surrounded them. The dry earth looked like it had been cut apart by a blade. However, the color of the air was much more transparent. The color of the sky where the filth monster was, remained the usual rusty red, but the scenery here was what one could see only in a city. The air that was clear as water. This place was obviously different from others.

  "Is this space a 3D image? What's going on?"

  "This kind of technology......"

  Layfon looked around to confirm Karian's words. The gear he wore for outside city use prevented him from having contact with the air, so looking around did nothing to help him discern whether this reality was true or not.

  "Uhah......? Layfon, what is it?" Karian pointed.

  Layfon strengthened his vision with internal Kei. He took the bike further up and saw a rocky mountain that sat like teeth, blocking his way.

  "Eh? ......Impossible!" his eyes widened in shock.

  He returned to Karian's side.

  "What is it?"

  "Come and see!"

  Karian took his seat and Layfon pressed on the accelerator with his foot, pressing all the way so he couldn't press on it anymore.

  "What did you see?" Karian asked.

  The time it took them to arrive at the place seemed so much longer than Layfon remembered.

  "This is......" Karian understood. He slipped off the bike to stand as of someone sleepwalking.

  The sound of rushing water shook their helmets.

  "A lake.........or a waterfall?"

  In the middle of the mountain range that resembled teeth sat a large lake. A waterfall fell on the opposite side of Layfon's location. The rumbling of water and a screen of hazy water shrouded the lake.

  "This doesn't look like a 3D image!" Karian wiped the surface of the helmet.

  A few droplets of water had also splashed onto Layfon's helmet.

  Green grasses and small flowers adorned the side of the lake. Pollutants had conquered the arid world. All animals and plants besides filth monsters were dead......That had always been Layfon's belief. But this place that the filth monster had shown them.........

  "This? This isn't affected by pollutants?" Karian said calmly.

  "How, how is that possible........."

  "We won't know till we bring this back for investigation. Besides, the filth monster here is already different from the ones we know!" Karian dug up a small plant and put it in the bag hanging around his waist.

  "So you've shown us what needs to be seen. Isn't it time to show yourself?"

  "Uh, you've noticed?" The filth monster was already above the lake. Had it hidden itself? Or had it used teleportation just like the time when it appeared in Zuellni? Karian couldn't tell.

  The filth monster spoke as if it was already holding a conversation with him. "You do hold the air of a leader!"

  "Thanks. But I still don't know your true purpose," Karian replied without shock.

  Layfon held tight to his Dite, observing the filth monster solemnly as he suppressed his urge to snatch out his Dite and restore it.

  The huge body of the filth monster was on top of the lake, but the surface of the water remained calm without a ripple.

  (Illusion.........?)

  But the pressure of the body felt real. That long neck, that gigantic body, those huge, curved wings. They all felt so real.

  "Uh........."

  "Speaking of which, what is your name?" Karian asked, unafraid of those massive eyes of the filth monster's.

  "Though I hadn't used it for long, people have called me Cloud-cell Separation Interface IV Harpe."

  "Can I call you Harpe?"

  "As you like," Harpe nodded with its long neck.

  "Then, Harpe. I'm guessing that this is the real meaning behind your negotiation. One, you want to prove that humans and filth monsters can communicate. Two, humans are a threat to the survival of filth monsters in what we call this world, but there is a bigger mission. Three, you don't wish to fight humans. That's all," Karian said it all in one breath. He lifted his head to look at Harpe, and waited as of a student waiting for a response.

  "Hohoho, we'll leave the first two points. Do you think I don't want to fight humans?"

  "Yes, if you wished to fight, Zuellni would have been destroyed. You didn't do that, so I think you don't wish to fight. All the same, you don't want Regios to enter this territory."

  Harpe called through its nose. Its eyes studied Karian. "Got a good brain there. Well, to want to hear the words of another creature's heart isn't something that can just be done. How about we just say the truth and hear the truth?"

  "It's my wish for a beneficial negotiation," Karian nodded in satisfaction.

  "Then allow me to start the question. What made your city enter this territory? A normal city wouldn't have come here."

  Karian answered that question honestly, telling Harpe about the contact with the ruined city, the invasion of the Haikizoku, the City's Electronic Fairy on a rampage.

  "Haikizoku...... The insane Electronic Fairy? I see.........Does it hate us?" Harpe said with his long neck bent in apology. Its short foreleg scratched its lower jaw. "The invaded system caused the city to go on a rampage?"

  "Yes. This isn't our will, nor is it Zuellni's will. I hope you understand this point."

  "All right, I forgive you for entering the territory."

  "Thank you."

  Harpe and Karian actually held a conversation. That fact didn't keep Layfon from abandoning the belief of this as something unbelievable.

  "But this only holds in the present. The city has not stopped moving, and if the Haikizo
ku forces it to invade the territory further, we'll do all we can to eliminate it."

  "I understand," Karian said.

  "Then onto the next topic. I heard what you said while you were riding that thing."

  "Well......"

  "I'm Cloud-cell Separation Interface IV. I know everything that happens in my area."

  "That's amazing."

  "Um, well, the business trade you talked about, I'm afraid, the implementation is impossible. It's not impossible to happen in the area that I control, but I can't do anything about filth monsters outside my area. Besides, no city can enter this territory."

  "What a shame."

  "You want to resolve this quickly, I see. For humans who are limited in their movements and are weak in survival, it must be extremely difficult for you to fight your enemies."

  "I'm afraid so, so we're looking for solutions. Harpe, do you know the way to fight against the Haikizoku?"

  "No. I'm Cloud-cell Separation Interface IV Harpe. My purpose is to guard the boundary between the edge of the world and the Aurora Field. I do not have any information that lies outside the management of the Human Preservation Plan."

  Aurora Field. Human Preservation Plan. Terms that Karian had never heard of.

  (And why is this the only filth monster......)

  "......I see. I understand," Karian nodded.

  Layfon felt uneasy.

  "Then let's find a way to solve the problem of the city. Harpe, please allow the city to stay here for a while."

  Harpe had lifted its long neck. "......There's no need," it said. Its gaze turned to the sky and it spread its wings.

  "Your city is moving away from my area. You better hurry and catch up to it."

  Layfon was surprised at those words as he supported Karian under the beating of the wind.

  "The city is moving......?"

  And it was moving away......So the city had started evading filth monsters? Meaning......?

  "Hurry, the city moves as fast as the bike. It'd be troublesome if we end up having to chase after it," Karian said.

  Harpe was gone. The presence of the filth monster that had a name had disappeared, as if it was just an illusion.

  "I know."

  They mounted the bike.

  (Captain......Is she safe?)

  That wasn't his naive dream. He must confirm the reality. The tires of the bike bit the dry ground and the bike began its mad dash. The scenery changed after a time of riding.

  "Oh, Oh!" Karian's voice drowned out the engine's call. A group of matured filth monsters stood in a file as they watched Layfon and Karian leave.

  "Such grandeur!"

  Layfon felt like he was a doll under those gazes, but Karian's attitude remained unchanged. The same as when he held the negotiation with Harpe, except his voice was now different.

  "......Let's hurry!"

  Layfon accelerated to the maximum. There were more than ten filth monsters watching them, and all of them looked like Harpe. Filth monsters that were born from the same mother shouldn't all look the same in their matured forms.

  (I feel.........Something feels really bad.)

  The bike continued to run madly.

  "Not working. Still can't contact Zuellni! Are we heading the right way!?"

  "The direction is correct."

  But they would miss Zuellni if they erred in the direction. Harpe had said the city was moving, so it must also know Zuellni's direction. Layfon and Karian had left the sight of the filth monsters.

  Layfon saw something ahead of them and stopped the bike.

  "What's wrong?"

  "These are the city's footsteps!"

  A human made pit in the shape of a square. Not dugout, but pressed with a huge weight that could cut through the dry earth. Layfon looked far ahead and saw similar footsteps.

  "We won't get lost if we follow them."

  The problem now was whether they could safely catch up with Zuellni.

  "If we can contact them, the city can come back for us."

  "Anyway, let's catch up!" Layfon started the engine and the bike ran for a whole day.

  Night. Layfon could keep on going but considering Karian's strength, he had found someplace to rest instead.

  "Anything wrong?" Karian said. He had climbed off the bike for a rest.

  "Nothing........." Layfon felt as if something was lurking behind them.

  (Filth monsters? Or is Harpe watching?)

  They might be monitoring them to make sure that they left. And that feeling didn't sit well with him.

  (Well, it is a machine.)

  He meant Harpe. That filth monster moved like a robot.

  (So humans in the past made filth monsters?)

  He couldn't think of any other explanation. Pollutants filled this world, and only filth monsters could live in it. But reality was that the machines that humans made had taken on unusual changes – that must be it?

  (I wonder what the Student President thinks?)

  He wanted to ask but Karian probably wouldn't say anything here. They were still in Harpe's territory, and anything they said was apparent to it. That hateful presence was still here.

  (Can't fight it.)

  Karian was already asleep.

  (The Aurora Field, the edge of the world.........)

  Layfon returned to the bike and fell into a shallow sleep.

  (Is that place really the edge of the world?)

  They had lost the map of the world. Was there really an edge? An edge like the Regios edges? If there was such a place, why the monitoring.........? The light sleep stopped Layfon from thinking further, besides, returning to Zuellni was their main problem now. About the reason behind Zuellni's movement – he needed to find out whether it matched his speculations......

  He and Karian moved from their camping spot before dawn. It was during the day when contact through psychokinesis recovered.

  "Finally found you."

  "Felli?"

  Layfon and Karian exchanged a glance at the sudden voice inside their helmets.

  "Did you get the doctor's permission?"

  "Saying this means you two are ok! I got permission this morning and went to search for you. A bit of a confusion at the start because I couldn't use psychokinesis in the area."

  "That's good. Please give us the directions."

  "Right."

  "......If possible, please find a route that the Student President can drive on," Layfon cut in.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Here they come!" he pulled out his Dite while the bike was still rolling across the plain. He inserted a card into one of the slots on the Dite.

  "You can drive?"

  "Ah, yes, but......"

  "I sense a number of presences behind us, 0402 and 0840."

  "What?" Karian looked back.

  Layfon stopped the bike. "Filth monsters!"

  "How come?"

  Filth monsters were flying towards them.

  "Are they not the same as Harpe?"

  "They've been hiding in this area."

  The presence of murderous intent born out of starvation. The presence that Layfon was familiar with.

  "So Harpe's control isn't absolute," Karian sighed. Layfon stepped down to the passenger seat of the bike.

  "Please don't mind me when you drive."

  "All right," Karian pressed on the pedal and the bike started running again. Layfon connected the handles of the Adamantium Dite and the Sapphire Dite and restored them.

  "Layfon, the flow of psychokinesis is obstructed in my investigation of the filth monsters," Felli said.

  "What's happening?"

  "I don't know, but is there a reason why the filth monsters can't let you go?"

  "We're still in the area......It's not strange the use of psychokinesis is affected. We can't deny the possibility that Harpe might have changed its mind. These filth monsters might be as powerful as Harpe. Anyway, it has its own purpose," Karian speculated.

  "How far can you use psyc
hokinesis?" Layfon asked.

  "Not for long distance. It'd work better if I can come to your side but that isn't possible.........If you go inside the group of filth monsters, your transmitter and visual aid would fail. I might even end up losing your position."

  "Pretty bad?" Karian said.

  "If it is just fighting, I don't find the situation too bad."

  A number of matured forms. They wouldn't be cut open with the steel threads as easily as did the larvae. Karian immediately understood the implication in Layfon's words.

  "I'll be troubled if you don't come back. Is there a way to make some of them head another way?"

  "I don't think so. Perhaps this is their first time coming across food other than pollutants. They've been enduring for a while. Now they can't wait anymore."

  What should they do? It was useless to ask. Layfon was the only fighting force in this situation. None of the filth monsters were in their aged phase, but they were matured, males that were probably in phases 1-3. Lintence was the only Heaven's Blade who had the skill to slaughter a large number of filth monsters at the same time. But Layfon hadn't managed to learn all of Lintence's skills.

  "If you're correct, then they're just heading over for a change of taste. Felli, please find a route that the Student President can drive on at full speed. If possible, find one that isn't too far from Zuellni."

  "Got it."

  The Dite changed into its steel thread form in place of the sword form held in the Sapphire Dite. The Adamantium Dite did well to support jumping on steel threads over a large area.

  "Did a lot of thinking?"

  "Just thinking on what I can do."

  "I don't mean that. I mean you," Karian said. "Academy City is like a passage. All who associate with it will leave after they graduate. Is this place really worth protecting? It isn't because the Military Artists are yet to mature that explains their weak fighting strength. It's because they all hold the same doubts. What can they protect? Is what they're protecting important enough to them that they should die for it? Military Artists lose courage and flee because they fail to solve that problem."

  The bike made a huge leap. Karian's body shook violently when the bike landed, and Layfon steadied him to prevent him from falling off. His helmet smashed against Karian's.