Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [225]
Two sides of the same coin.
“You could go to the Goddess on bended knee and beg to change your little meaningless destiny…or you could grasp all of Vision and your world in your hands. All would bow to you, and do exactly as you say. If you told your father not to carry emptiness in his heart, he would not. He could not. If you told your mother to love you she would, dutifully. And if you told your father’s lover she wasn’t needed in the world, she would simply cease to be. If you said that her baby never existed, it never did. The whole world would change as you see fit, and you wouldn’t feel a shred of guilt. You will be enlightened.”
The world would exist for you alone.
“What happiness, what joy! What a beautiful way for the world to be. Don’t you think so, Wataru?”
For a moment there was silence—an utter absence of sound.
Wataru slowly shook his head. “I won’t do it,” he whispered. “I won’t.” The trembling faded from his voice.
I like Kee Keema and Meena because of who they are. Their kindness, their gentleness touches me—that’s why we’re friends.
And Togoto—he carried me through the sky not because I willed him to do it but because he respected the station of a Highlander. And Kutz, when she followed me into Meena’s hospital room, she did it out of a sense of duty.
Their actions have meaning because they act of their own free will. What would be the point if everything happened as I wished it? I don’t think that would be beautiful at all.
“You’re wrong,” he said quietly. “What are you, really? Why are you telling me these things?”
The whispering of the waves. More silence.
“You really disappoint me, you know that?” the sweet voice answered in a low tone. “But, fine. Do whatever you like, my little goody-two-shoes Brave. You still have time to reconsider. I have a feeling you’ll end up following my advice.”
“Never!”
“Now you’re shouting. Here, let me tell you something. You’ve been duped, right from the very start.
“That young starseer doesn’t know all there is to know about the Great Barrier of Light, or the sacrifice necessary to maintain it. In fact, he was unaware of the most important part. Not only him, but most of the people here in Vision don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?!”
“Not only one person is sacrificed,” the sweet voice said slowly. “To rebuild the Great Barrier requires two sacrifices: one from Vision, and another, a Traveler from the real world. Each of these…is called the Half.”
Wataru had trouble understanding what he was hearing.
“It’s like I said. Vision and the real world are two sides of the same coin. How could something as great and powerful as the Barrier be built from only one side? A sacrifice from the real world is necessary too.”
Once every ten years, the Porta Nectere opens, and a lone Traveler comes from the real world burning with a passion to change their destiny.
“The Porta lets in a Traveler and delivers them to the Goddess—a sort of sharing of blood between Vision and your world. But, once in a thousand years, when it comes time for the Mending, things are different. Two Travelers come to Vision and one of them, the Half, must give himself up as a sacrifice. If he does not, both the real world and Vision will be plunged into chaos forever.”
Duped. Tricked.
“And Wayfinder Lau saw fit to tell you nothing of this, did he? What was your friend’s name—Mitsuru? You are the two Travelers. One of you has been chosen to be the Half already…and that old coot didn’t tell you a thing, did he? Be sure of it, he knows the truth. He just didn’t want you to become frightened and try to go back to the real world. Of course, Mitsuru doesn’t know what’s going to happen, either. Though, he’s much, much smarter than you are. I should think he’s gotten an inkling of the truth by now.”
Wataru heard bubbling laughter in his ears. Who could be laughing?
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the voice apologized. “It’s just, you looked so cute there, staring at the sea, frightened out of your wits. You don’t have to be so worried. We don’t know that you are the Half yet. But be warned: