Chapter 93: Life or Death, It Doesn’t Really Matter (4)

“Al, Alice…?”

Even knowing she couldn’t hear, Parang softly called Alice’s name.

That’s how shocking the scene unfolding before her eyes was.

Alice’s body, which had seemed so frail that it might shatter at the slightest touch, was rapidly recovering as she continued to eat the Kraken’s tentacles one by one.

Her emaciated limbs regained vitality, new flesh filled in where her skin had been pitted and torn, and color returned to her pale face.

But at the same time, Alice was gradually transforming into a being that was not human.

A lavender light began to emanate from her entire body, and her skin, which had just regained some color, quickly turned back to a white as pure as a winter snowfield, rendering its recovery meaningless.

And then, the status window.

[ Warning: Influx of unknown entity detected. ]

[ Warning: Incomplete ‘fusion’ confirmed. ]

[ Excessive amount of memories injected. ]

[ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■. ]

[ Failed to define user. ]

[ Redefining user. ]

[ User identification in progress… ]

‘Failed to define? What nonsense.’

Parang bit her lip as she looked at Alice’s status window, which was spouting incomprehensible messages.

‘Memories injected? And what’s with those broken characters…’

Had Alice become a being that even the status window couldn’t define?

Alice’s eyes were tightly closed as she held the tentacles and ate diligently.

Parang could only watch the scene with anxious eyes.

And so, after what felt like an eternity, Alice finished devouring all of the Kraken’s tentacles.

‘….’

A suffocating silence lingered for a moment.

“Ugh, aagh, aaaaaaargh…!!”

Suddenly, Alice began to wail, clutching her head.

Eyes tightly shut, tearing at her hair with both hands.

She rolled around on the ground, then started slamming her head against a nearby wall, tears streaming down her face from an unknown source.

With a destructive force unimaginable for someone who had been on the brink of death moments ago, the statues and buildings around her were smashed and shattered indiscriminately.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After a long while, as Parang watched the scene in silence, unable to speak or act, she unconsciously covered her mouth.

Alice’s rampage ceased, and she began to pant heavily as if exhausted.

And then, after a bit more time had passed, Alice opened her eyes and spoke.

“…Parang.”

“Wh-what?!”

Parang was startled by Alice’s sudden address.

How could Alice be speaking to her when she was merely looking into a memory? It seemed impossible.

‘Is… is she talking to herself?’

Confused, Parang looked around, but she couldn’t find anything that would make Alice think of her.

“Yes, I’m talking to you, Parang. I know, it must be confusing.”

Even as Parang searched, Alice continued to look straight ahead and address her specifically.

“A-Alice…? H-how on earth…?”

“I have things I want to tell you. But I won’t be able to hear your words. I’ll just tell you a few things you might be curious about.”

“Uh, oh? Okay…”

The situation was so bewildering that Parang could only nod stupidly after hearing Alice’s words.

“After… eating this Kraken, I seem to have gained an ability similar to foresight, to see the future. I’m confused too and don’t really understand what’s what, but you’ll see this memory of mine through some method I don’t know about yet.”

‘Some method she doesn’t know yet…’

Parang couldn’t exactly understand what kind of future Alice could see, but she knew it must be quite fragmentary. After all, Alice at this point didn’t know that she would be using ‘evidence’.

“The reason I was just clutching my head and rolling around was because such a vast amount of ‘memories’ entered my mind.”

‘Memories…’

Parang recalled the message she had seen in the status window.

‘Given the context, it must be the Kraken’s memories.’

But the Kraken’s memories? What kind of content could they possibly contain?

‘I didn’t even know it was a being capable of having memories.’

“And the reason I’m specifically addressing you is…”

Here, Alice seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing.

“…Well, I saw a future where someone was watching this memory, and you were the only one there. That’s why I’m calling out to you. There’s no other reason. And.”

Alice closed her eyes for a moment, as if concentrating on something.

“And, yes. I have three things to tell you.”

Parang listened more intently than ever, ears perked up.

“First, yes. Soon, that is, soon according to your time as you’re watching this memory. The Monster Layer will rise. To a depth you can’t even imagine.”

But Alice’s first words were so shocking that Parang couldn’t help but doubt her ears.

‘The Monster Layer? Rising? Wh-why? How? How much? C-can’t we stop it?’

“We can’t stop it. So prepare as much as you can. I believe you’ll do well. I’ll do my best within my capabilities too.”

Even in her urgency, Parang tried to commit the contents of the conversation to memory. The Monster Layer rising. Even if it only rose to about 100m or 200m below sea level, the Distortion could reach the surface.

Then the world’s oceans would become an eldritch realm. It would be a catastrophe.

‘We need to prepare.’

If such a disaster couldn’t be prevented, they should at least prepare to keep people from being swept up in it.

‘I’ll inform the Silo too, and do whatever I can.’

Having organized her thoughts, Parang waited for Alice’s next words.

“Are you done processing? I waited exactly 30 seconds. Next is about me…”

Parang listened attentively once again.

“Um… It seems like you, Parang, will have something to deal with right after seeing this memory. Right?”

‘Something to deal with right away…’

She must be referring to the matter of Association President Natsuko. Now that the ‘evidence’ to be used for her removal had been repaired.

“After you finish that, come to the place where we parted that day at noon the next day. I trust you know which place I’m talking about.”

‘The place we parted.’

There was only one place where Parang and Alice had parted.

The place where Alice and Parang had been exploring together that day.

The place where Alice had been dragged deep into the sea.

That unforgettable place.

Parang nodded silently.

“If possible, come alone. Please.”

‘Alone? Why…’

She was a bit puzzled. Surely the others from Oceanos would be just as happy as she was to know Alice was alive and that they could meet her again.

“There’s a reason why it has to be this way. I’m dying to see our other friends too. But for that day, I’d like it if you could come alone first.”

‘….’

Parang nodded for now. If she’s insisting this much, there must be a reason.

“And lastly, I have a simple request. You know that photo we all took together at your house?”

‘A photo like that… Ah.’

There’s only one. A photo taken together at Parang’s house.

The very year Alice went missing, on Parang’s birthday.

A commemorative photo taken after gathering at her house to celebrate.

It must be referring to that photo where everyone is smiling more happily than anyone else in this world.

“I’d like you to always carry that photo with you. When you’re in the water, when you’re outside, when you’re going somewhere. Always. Keep it with you.”

‘The photo…? Out of nowhere?’

Question marks popped up in Parang’s mind again, but since Alice, who had seen the future, insisted this much, she figured there must be a reason and decided to do as asked for now.

“And really, really lastly, I hope you never forget that no matter what anyone says, you’re my most precious friend in the world. That’s all I wanted to say. Goodbye. See you next time.”

“W-wait!! I still have things I want to hear…!!”

Parang urgently tried to reach out to Alice, but her consciousness was already being sucked away somewhere.

Just like when entering the memory within the ‘evidence’.

And so, Parang’s consciousness returned to reality.

#

Mariana Hive, bottom.

In the cave that serves as her dwelling in the deepest part of the sea, Alice slumped down onto a crudely carved stone chair.

She crosses her legs primly and wiggles her snow-white feet that glow with a pale purple light.

Her appearance is like that of a lonely princess sitting alone on a throne.

‘By now, she must have seen it all.’

She closed her eyes and concentrated her mind somewhere for a moment.

Countless futures flashed through her mind.

Destruction. Destruction. Salvation. Repetition. Salvation. Repetition. Void. Destruction. Salvation….

The countless possible endings this world could face.

After quietly counting them, Alice opened her eyes again.

‘Yes. As you said, if we don’t want to be destroyed, we must move and struggle. Parang.’

As she waved her hand a few times, chunks of rock detached from the cave wall with a rumbling sound, clumped together, and eventually formed the shape of a Capulus.

“Open your eyes.”

Like a noble queen giving orders to her subject, she spoke to that rock.

Rumble-

Eyes appeared on what was just a T-shaped rock with nothing on it, and soon it floated out on its own.

It was the moment Alice’s eyes multiplied, drifting in the vast sea.

‘Status window.’

Since that day, after surviving by eating the Kraken, Alice had developed a habit of calling up the status window whenever she felt anxious.

[ Status Window: Alice Melville ]

[ Personal Skill: Reader of the World ]

[ You have seen what should not be seen. ]

[ Take responsibility for this. ]

[ Skills ]

[ World Reading(S), Bookmark(S) … ]

[ Status Abnormalities ]

[ Incomplete Fusion, Monsterification, Complete Opening of Eyes, Memory Injection: Yu Parang ]

This doesn’t improve Alice’s condition or have any sort of psychotherapeutic effect.

It just reminds her once again.

About what she needs to do, and about the precious friend she must save.