Arcana userāthe moment the man introduced himself as such, the āfoundation of hopeā within Mary crumbled completely. For better or worse, she couldnāt afford the luxury of dwelling on it.
Mary instinctively took a step back, putting some distance between herself and the man. Suddenly, an unseen force grazed her shoulder, ripping through her dirt-stained dress and tearing the surface of her skin.
āW-whatā¦ Noā¦ Iā¦ I donāt want to dieā¦ I donāt want to die!ā she exclaimed, turning her back on the man and breaking into a sprint.
The man chuckled, amused by her actions. āPlaying tag, huh? I actually enjoy that kind of thing. Used to play it a lot with friends back in the day! Of course, I was always the one chasing! Always the one chasing because Iām a demon, you see! Ahahaha!ā
Ignoring the echoing laughter behind her, Mary ran on, determined. The desolate forest offered no hiding places, so her only chance was to create enough distance to vanish into the darkness of the night. But she was nothing more than a sixteen-year-old girl, unable to wield even a hint of magic.
No matter how hard she pushed herself, her pace couldnāt match the effortless strides of the man pursuing her.
āHaaā¦ Haaā¦ Haaā¦ I donāt want to dieā¦ I donāt want to dieā¦ I donāt want to die!ā Mary kept repeating to herself as she ran.
āHey, miss! Slow down, will ya?! Ahahaha! Where do you think youāre scurrying off to with such desperation? Nothing but a garbage dump awaits you up ahead, filled with rotting corpses! Or perhaps youāll meet your demise all on your own before I even have to lift a finger!ā
Whether his intention was to provoke her or he genuinely reveled in the chase, he persisted. Until then, Mary had refrained from looking back, but the widening gap troubled her. Without stopping, she turned her head for a glance.
āFinally giving me a glance!ā the man remarked, a twisted smile creasing his cheek.
Quickly refocusing on the path ahead, Mary continued her frantic sprint. After running for a while, she risked another look over her shoulder.
āDo you find me that fascinating?ā the man questioned.
The distance remained unchangedāalmost unnaturally so. No matter how many times she looked back, regardless of her increased speed or even as exhaustion set in and her pace waned, the gap remained constant.
āHey! Wait for me! Ahahaha! Itās so much fun! Tag is always a blast, donāt you agree?!ā
Iām merely his playthingā¦Ā Mary realized the harsh reality but pressed on, her struggle increasingly futile with each passing moment.
Once again, she glanced back. āHuh, heās gone?ā She then redirected her gaze forward.
āWell, well, we meet againā¦ā
Right before her eyes stood a smiling man.
āEeeeek!ā Her lungs constricted, and she let out a strained cry, desperately gasping for breath. She attempted to flee, but something held her firmly in place. āW-whaā¦?ā
An unseen force seized her right arm, rendering her futile struggles to break free. In the blink of an eye, that āsomethingā exerted a slight pressure, causing Maryās arm to snap.
āAā¦ Ah, nooo, ahhhh, it hurts, ahhh!ā Overwhelmed by intense and excruciating pain, Mary let out a piercing scream.
Cold sweat poured from her entire body, her trembling lungs struggling to catch a breath as she writhed in agony. āMy arm! Myā¦ my armā¦ itāsā¦ it hurts!ā
āOh, what a delightful expression you have! Playing the role of a demon was truly worth it. Well then, letās start the second round, shall we? Hurry up and run away! If you donāt, Iāll break your legs next. But you know, a weak little girl like you without any trace of magical prowess, thereās no way you can escape! Ahahaha!ā
āN-No! Noooo!ā Crawling with her remaining arm, Mary desperately attempted to flee from the man.
The man intentionally ignored her, observing with a mocking grin. Eventually, Mary managed to stand up, wobbling, and began running. She rushed through the withered forest, making her way toward the Valley of Death.
Confronted by a vast and treacherous ravine, Mary came to a sudden halt. āAhā¦ā It wasnāt that she was trapped; she had discovered something.
Resting near the cliffās edge was a dead body of a woman.
āItāsā¦ itās a lieā¦ it must be a lieā¦ā
With one arm lost and her abdomen contorted, blood streaming from her mouth and nose, it was the lifeless body of her beloved sister.
āYouāve promisedā¦ Hey, Sister, ahhhh!ā Mary wept uncontrollably, clinging to her sisterās motionless body. Her skin was already cold, no longer able to gently caress her head as she always did.
āMmmā¦ How touchingā¦ I canāt help but shed tears at the emotional reunion of loving sisters! Amazing! This spectacle is nothing short of a grand, dramatic masterpiece!ā The man rejoiced, reveling in the scene before him.
Tousling his hair and contorting his body, he erupted into maniacal laughter. Even in the face of such a man, Mary had no means to fight back.
Iām hollow, empty. Even in the face of my dear sisterās demise, Iām utterly powerless. Despite the wretched villain standing right before me, Iām utterly helplessā¦! All I can do is desperately cling to the lifeless shellā¦
Mary clenched her teeth, but no hidden power awakened within her. Reality was merciless, reminding her of her own helplessness.
āBut I yearn for grander horizons! To radiate with even more brilliance in this wonderful world! To ascend to the summit! To the apex of greatness! Guide me, my dear girl, to even loftier stages of entertainment!ā The man pointed at Mary.
Suddenly, Francis, who was supposed to be dead, sat up, staring expressionlessly at Mary.
āSisterā¦!ā For a fleeting moment, hope flickered in Maryās eyes. However, it quickly faded as she saw her sisterās lifeless face. This was nothing more than a shell.
As if to emphasize that realization, Francis enveloped Mary with her remaining arm, immobilizing her. Mary writhed, desperately trying to break free, but the grip was so powerful that it felt as though her lungs would collapse.
āUghā¦ Ohā¦ Sisā¦ Pleaseā¦ stopā¦ I begā¦ youā¦ā
Naturally, such pleas fell on deaf ears. With Mary still captive, Francisā lifeless body stood at the edge of the cliff.
āAnd now, presenting the grand finale orchestrated by the illustrious director of the The Hermit Arcana, Magrat! Behold the spectacle!ā As Magratās words echoed, Francis leaped off the cliff, dragging Mary along with it. āUntil we meet again in the next life.ā
A sense of weightlessness enveloped Maryās entire being as she descended, voiceless.Ā Ahhā¦ In the end, Iām going to dieā¦
A free fall of several dozen meters. The chances of instant death were high. Even if she miraculously survived the fall, the possibility of escape was zero. There was nothing left but surrender.
So, Mary gently adjusted her sisterās lifeless body, holding her close, hoping for a slightly more dignified demise. āSisterā¦ I love you.ā
Splat.
The sistersā bodies collided with the rotting corpses below. A violent impact shook Mary to her core, and darkness claimed her consciousness.