Did I hear that right…?
The ethereal being in front of me is staring like a machine waiting for a prompt. Even though she’s a beauty to behold, the weight of her words snaps me away from further enchantment.
“W-What did you just say?”
“I have come to end your world.” she repeats in the same tone.
Taking a step forward, another question slips out of instinct, one hardly fit for this situation.
“Are you… serious?”
She nods.
“Indeed, Magician.”
Her words reverberate inside my mind. There’s something about her gaze filled with warmth that makes me mentally slap myself in order to stay focused.
“If this had been according to protocol, then I would not have appeared before you.”
“Had I only waited eight more days, I would have been undisturbed in my mission.”
“However, I have a favor to ask of you.”
I raise my brow in suspicion. “Favor? To ask me?”
“I don’t know if you know what you’re doing, but if you come to this world making claims like the one you just made, it makes you my enemy.”
“I am…”
Before I can continue, she cuts me off.
“The protector of this world. You are the Eighth Prime.”
“I have known for a long time.”
“How could you possibly?” I fire back.
“Because I have watched humanity for a long time.”
Before I can repeat my question, she tilts her head upward, pointing to the strands of hair still levitating in the air. I was so on guard about her statements about the end of the world that I forgot about the veil-like threads attached from her head to the moon.
“Then…” I stutter. Surely she can’t be what I think she is, right?
“I am a Projection.”
“My form here is merely a visual projection to show myself as a being that humans would be able to understand. Though, after what you’ve faced in eight thousand years, I suppose I could have taken any form.”
My body deflates.
She smiles as I lower my shoulders, seemingly satisfied at my reaction to her reveal. By how she’s acting, I guess for now, it’s safe to assume that she won’t immediately try to tear me apart.
“I’ve read historical notes about how they’d seen a beautiful young lady under the moon, but I never would have guessed that those stories were real, or about you in general.”
“Indeed,” she replies while puffing out her chest slightly, “I have taken many forms. From a child to an elderly grandmother. However, I felt like this form suited me the best. It splits perfectly down the middle.”
“I see. What’s your name then?”
She half closes her eyes as if disappointed in my question.
“Unfortunately, I have no name.”
“Humanity has given me many, but I have none I can call my own.”
“Which is partly why I came down to this world.”
She walks towards me. Eerily enough, I can’t hear any footsteps as she does. The dust on the roof is pushed to the side by an unknown force.
It’s not like she’s using wind magic, no, it’s more like the world’s natural forces and obstacles are making way for this strange foreigner. It reminds me of how when a Queen would patrol the city, everyone in the crowd would simply move out of the way and make a path.
As she comes closer, my magical energy starts to feel a bit finicky, and so does my Soul Sight. If I had to describe it, it’s like someone’s constantly flickering the light switch on and off without warning.
I let out a quiet gulp.
The moment she stops right in front of me, her beautiful eyes steady my heart.
Her height is close to my own, just a few inches shorter. From a distance, she seemed much shorter, but I suppose that’s how perspectives work.
She then leans forward. Her slender fingers fidget across my own, and she begins to gently massage the palm of my hand as if she’s touching flesh for the first time.
“Oktavia,” she calls out my name. I don’t know how or why she knows, but I’ll ask later.
“Please help me find a name before you die.”
“For so long, I have been unable to give myself one, and with humanity having completely faded, there’s nobody else I can turn to.”
Suddenly, the seemingly unstoppable and untouchable angel in front of me doesn’t seem so high and mighty anymore.
“Why didn't you just ask one of the humans you’ve met in the past?”
“Also, I’m pretty sure everyone calls you ‘moon’ one way or another. Aren’t you satisfied with that?”
I feel bad for firing back at her like that, but there’s something about all this that’s making me uncomfortable.
She shakes her head slowly.
“Those names weren’t given to me by love.”
She lowers my right hand and grabs the left, repeating the same strange massage inspection process.
“So you want to name yourself?”
“Precisely.”
“Well, what’s the point of that though?”
“Nobody’s going to be able to use it anyways.”
The foreigner lifts her head and smiles, but it’s the kind that I’m all too familiar with. It’s the kind of smile that you do in order to hide what you’re truly feeling. In a way, seeing someone else make this face, any kind of face, after being alone for so long is calming.
Maybe it’s because I used to make that face a lot, but I’m not sure. Something tugs inside my heart, screaming at me to help her.
“I suppose you are correct,” she says calmly, turning around and walking back to the spot where she first appeared. As she walks away, the wind blows against my back, like it’s pushing me towards her.
My eyes fixate on the back of her dress, which is exposed. Pale skin surrounded by white cloth fit for royalty. She says that she’s the moon, and that this form of hers is just a projection of light, but when I look at her right now…
She looks so human.
Why does this feel so familiar?
Is it because I haven’t talked to someone in so long? Can that really be the reason why I’m feeling this way? The reason why my heart is tugging at me to call out to her? I don’t know her name, but I want to call out to her.
“If you want… “
“...we can leave at eleven. To retrieve your spellbook.”
Those were his words. Back when I was desperate to learn magic. It was a selfish request from me to ask him to steal a book, but he fulfilled it nonetheless.
Those words… They lit up my world like no other.
I remember cracking the biggest smile I ever had in my life, launching myself into his arms and embracing him like there was no tomorrow. My head was dug deep into his chest, appreciating his very heartbeat.
Ah… That’s why this feels so familiar.
In a weird way… She’s me. And I’ve taken his spot.
It’s my turn to now bear his role. For someone as hopeless as I once used to be.
If I’m the last person on this planet, that means there’ll be nobody else that’s capable of fulfilling her request. What would he say if he saw me turning someone away like this?
I’m sure he’d be disappointed. It may seem trivial to me, like how my problems probably seemed to him, but to her, this probably means the world.
“If you want…”
I call out to her, and only then do I realize that I haven’t been breathing that entire time I was thinking. She stops abruptly, looking slightly over her shoulder. Unfortunately for me, I can’t see her face thanks to the tremendous wall of hair obscuring it.
“...I can help you find a name you like.”
Her cold, royal-like demeanor seemingly vanishes as she turns around faster than my mind can process it. As she does, her long dress flows ever so elegantly while her hair flings around like a shower of shooting stars.
Before I can even react, I feel two slender warm arms wrap around my neck. Right after, I feel the same sensation on my chest, as she buries her face deep in it.
A few second passes. She finally leans her upper body back slightly, and looks at me with a smile. Before, she had the stone-cold appearance of someone who hated their life, but now, she looks no different from an ordinary girl.
“Thank you!” she exclaims, her eyes wide open in joy.
As the fabric of her dress settles down, I hear its flutter tingling in my ears. Chuckling, I lower my gaze down slightly to face her.
“That’s… not how I expected you to react.”
“I thought you’d give me a more formal bow or something.”
She pulls away, recomposing herself. Her face returns to a resting position, but this time, it’s brimming with a silent, yet joyful radiance. If someone told me she had a split personality, I’d most definitely believe it.
“My apologies. I got a little too excited.”
“Though I do try my hardest to keep my composure most of the time, it can prove to be quite difficult given my lack of human interaction.”
“However, if you had rejected me, I would have ended my projection right here.”
“So I’m glad you changed your mind, Oktavia.”
Her words catch my attention, and my short-lived moment of shared joy is interrupted.
“Huh? End your projection? Even though you claimed you came to end the world?”
“Ah… I may have expressed that poorly. I came here to observe the end of your world, but I don’t intend on destroying it.”
“So you didn’t come as an executioner?”
She shakes her head, “as an observer.”
You… can’t be serious. I was getting all riled up for nothing?
“Say that earlier then, you idiot.” I mumble under my breath, which I’m absolutely sure she heard, since she tilted her head slightly when I said it. Letting out a sigh of relief, I place both hands at the back of my head, walking forward casually.
“Excuse me?” she asks, and I can feel her scorn behind her smile. From now on, I’ll have to remember my manners. While everyone in the world used to respect me, that can’t be the same for someone who’s the literal moon.
“Nothing,” I say nonchalantly.
“Was that all you wanted then? A name for yourself?”
She nods elegantly.
“In that case, why don’t you travel around the world with me? I’m sure that looking at the leftover remains of human society will give you some ideas.”
“Travel the world? How will you do that in such a short period of time?”
“Hm?” I cock my head. “I thought you were watching us from space. Have you never seen me do a Manastream Jump before?”
She shakes her head. “Unfortunately, I can’t inspect every single individual. What I can observe from the skies are the advancement of society and the transformation of the planet’s overall land formation.”
“Then, how’d you know my name?”
She grins softly, “I simply guessed.”
“If you were the last one alive, then it was only natural you were this world’s soul tether.”
“Since this is the Eighth World, the only logical answer was that your name was Oktavia.”
“And what if you were wrong?” I ask.
If she really is the moon itself, what she’s saying completely checks out. Still, it’s really impressive she straight up guessed my name based on the changing of eras.
“In that case, I would have apologized.”
She shoots me a troubled glance, “Are you unsatisfied with the way I call you?”
“I’m not unsatisfied, it’s just…”
It’s just that it’s been quite a long time since someone talked to me, much longer since someone’s called me by my real, birth name. Yeah, I was born to be a protector, but there was once upon a time when my friends, allies, and even enemies called me by something else.
At first, I hated being called on, because it always led to being bullied or made fun of. But eventually, thanks to the love shown to me by the priceless friends I’ve made along the journey of life, I’ve come to accept who I truly was.
That was until I suddenly became the strongest mage in the world. I had to take up an official name, one that struck respect and admiration from everyone around me. My real name seemed so much softer in comparison, so much weaker.
But right now, there’s nobody to impress, and I don’t have anyone’s hopes to uphold.
“Oktavia…?”
The voice of the girl in front of me breaks my temporary trance like the tap of a small bell. She looks at me with a somewhat worried expression, which makes sense, seeing as from her perspective, I just stopped talking mid-conversation.
Dropping both arms from the back of my head, I let out a huff.
“Saya. Can you call me Saya?” I ask her. I don’t want to bear the Oktavia name anymore, not when I have such little time.
It doesn’t even take a second for her to reply, “Yes. Absolutely.”
“What about you? What should I call you in the meantime?”
Placing a hand on her chin, she enters a state of deep thought. In order to help her out, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give my own opinion as well.
“Can’t I call you ‘moon’ for now? That’s what most everyone refers to that big blob in the sky.”
“Please mind your words,” she furrows her brows, “that blob in the sky you’re referring to is my body.”
Crap, she’s staring daggers straight into my soul.
“Or do you mean to imply that I’m…”
“Stop! Stop!”
I wave my hand around to halt her. She turns her head, breaking into a pout. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I never expected the moon to act so cute, especially over things that would normally bother us humans too.
“That’s not what I meant. Sorry if it came across that way.”
“Hmm.” She maintains her glare.
“How about I just call you ‘foreigner’, or maybe ‘traveller’?”
Her gaze softens. “I believe ‘foreigner’ will do just fine.”
It’s honestly not a good name to call someone by, but I guess it’ll do for now.
“Alrighty then.”
“Oh, before I forget, are you able to project yourself in the morning?”
She stares at me like I’ve asked the most obvious question in the world, then blinks really hard, as if she’s shifting her mind back into focus.
“I am able to project myself, though I won’t have this kind of appearance in the morning.”
“Oh great. You look great, but this entire ethereal holy celestial being look isn’t really doing it for me. I can see the long dress and hair getting old really fast.”
“Worry not,” she says, placing a hand on her chest, “I chose this form merely to give a good first impression. By no means is this a permanent state.”
Good. I probably would have gotten blinded staring at her glowing body. The moon is beautiful, but its beauty is only enhanced tenfold thanks to the limited time we spend looking at it. At least, that’s how I feel.
Letting out a loud yawn, I twist my heel and start heading back to the door. Without looking, I wave goodbye.
“I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“These are the last few days of sleep I’m getting, so I want to savor every moment of it.”
Just before I can enter the building, I hear her call out to me. She’s still not raising her voice, but her volume is high nonetheless.
“Okt… Saya.”
“You had just mentioned that you would have gotten tired of my appearance quickly. Does that also apply to my speech pattern? Perhaps if it is displeasing to you, I could find a way to speak differently.”
“Agh.” I guess it really did bother her. Or maybe she’s just being considerate?
“I don’t think your speech would bother me honestly.”
“Are you certain? If you want, I could mimic a friend’s voice.”
I nod. “You’re fine. I’ll see you in the morning. I have tons more questions for you later.”
Turning back around, I make it inside the building.
I don’t even have to look at her to know she’s still staring at me. It’s an instinct that humans just naturally possess. I wonder if she possesses it as well since she has a human appearance.
As I slowly and carefully make my way down the stairs, I let out a short sigh. I actually feel really bad for my comment earlier. I really have to start brushing up on my etiquette soon. Preferably by tomorrow morning.
***
While the slender silhouette of Saya vanished before the foreigner’s eyes, she pulled her hands close to her chest. She couldn’t describe it, but there was a tinge of despair within her new friend’s voice.
Though she didn’t know why, she mentally made note of having to ask the magician about it later. As she was left alone on the roof, the wind’s gentle howls and the gleaming aura emitting from her body were all the noise the world around her had.
Trivial activities such as breathing were of no use to her, as her body was not biological in the slightest. Perhaps if she had projected herself at an earlier time, she would have been much more motivated to arrive as a human.
But with only a few days remaining in this world, there was little purpose in doing so.
Under the dark skies, her glowing body started to fade, becoming more and more transparent with each passing second. In the blink of an eye, the once radiant roof was once again left dormant, with the only evidence of anyone having been there at any point being the now clean roof tiles.