Warm Winter

Warm Winter is Hilda's personal story.
== Prelude ==
A gray dampness hangs in the air, it feels like rain is on the way… perfect weather for a funeral, really. Ignoring the suppressed sobs of the mourners, Hilda leads the ceremony in her flat, emotionless voice. This is when an undertaker’s professionalism is most needed, when a ceremony has to be carried forward no matter how difficult the emotions involved are.
“We will cherish her memory from now until forever… as a mother, as an artist, as a child. She will become one of the stars in the sky, always watching over us. Let us offer up to Madison a final blessing… to dearest Madison.” As Hilda reaches the end of her script, the suppressed sobbing in the crowd suddenly becomes much louder. The family gather around the coffin and say their goodbyes. While they do this, Hilda steps down from the podium and begins to pack up her things.
“I don’t even want to talk to her!” A little kid suddenly yells.
“Don’t do this, just try to be polite.” The kid’s mother tells him.
“...can I help you?” Hilda says in confusion.
“Hello, this is my son Charles.” The kid’s mother says as she gestures towards the little kid, who seems pretty angry. “We appreciate you leading Mom’s funeral for us.”
“It’s what I do.”
“You’re very professional. I hadn’t thought I would be able to make it through the ceremony, but… Something about the way you spoke helped me to keep it together and gave me this sense that you had earned your familiarity with death.”
Hilda sighs. “...is that a compliment?”
“It is, we really are grateful for today. I won’t take up any more of your time. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
The little kid suddenly speaks up. “That look on your face! What’s wrong with you? I wish it was you we were burying and not Madison!”
“Charles! You can’t talk to people like that! I’m so sorry, he’s not normally like this.”
Hilda hurriedly packs away the rest of her things, but before she has finished she is struck by the sense that someone is watching her. Hilda feels a sense of deja vu. She zones out for a moment, then a voice from somewhere nearby snaps her back to reality.
“Hilda? Hilda?”
“Ha… Hailey? How did you get here?”
“I was just walking nearby, saw you, figured I’d come say hi. …you alright? Here, this fell out of your bag. What were you looking at?”
Hilda takes the thing from her; a plain envelope. “I’ve never seen this before.”
“It fell out of your bag.”
Hilda opens the envelope and skims the contents of the letter. “Hmm… it’s from Tevor. He wants me to go handle some ‘anomalies’ in an abandoned area outside Accro.”
“Something only an Other can handle apparently… Another Other?”
“I’ve no idea. A job’s a job though, all I can do is follow orders.” Hilda puts the letter in her bag and walks towards her car, Hailey following close behind.
=== Act 1: A Departure ===
While Hilda drives, Hailey sits playing with a cube in the passenger's seat. The highway stretches on towards the distant city, forests of towering conifers lining the roadsides.
“Uh… hmm… Why did you say you wanted to come along with me?” Hilda asks.
“That, uh… well… “ Hailey looks onto a seashell chime that’s in Hilda’s car. “Wow, this seashell you’ve hung on your mirror is beautiful!”
“Really?... It’s just something my father left me.” Hilda then shakes her head. “Don’t change the subject.”
“Ach, do we have to get into it? I’ve got some stuff I’d rather not be thinking about, best to keep myself busy.”
“You got dumped?”
“You could say that. Just let me tag along. I’ve been curious about what you do for a while anyway, maybe I’ll be able to help you out a bit! Do your friend a solid, I could really use a change of scenery. I need to clear my head. Pretty pleaseeee~”
Hilda glances over at Hailey. She’s batting her eyelashes at Hilda in a joke-pleading manner. Then Hilda sighs. “Sure, but try not to get in the way.”
“Alright, alright! So, where next? Accro?”
“No, we need to go to Hazlitt first.”
“Hazlitt?”
“Yeah, I agreed to officiate a funeral there. I need to check in and ask some questions, make sure I’ve understood everything properly.”
“Hmm…” Hailey fiddles with the cube absentmindedly for a while, then suddenly stops. “Lemme ask you, undertakers… it’s your job to deal with dead bodies?”
“Yes. If I want to be sure the funeral will satisfy the family, I have to do all sorts of things to get ready for the ceremony. Depending on what the family needs, I might organize the deceased’s personal belongings, plan out a theme for the funeral, prepare the corpse… You have to know who somebody was if you want to give them a proper funeral.”
“Not like they even know they’re taking part in the funeral…”
“Of course. It’s all really sensitive stuff, you get the preparations wrong and it’s very easy for people to get upset. I always hope I can give the family the best possible funeral… that’s the job, really.”
“That’s a lot more complicated than I had realized. I hadn’t thought about the emotional side of it.” Hailey looks Hilda up and down. “I guess you’re pretty well-suited for the job.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind…” Hailey doesn’t say any more, and keeps fiddling with the cube.
=== Act 1: Commissioned Among Shadows ===
As the car slowly pulls to a halt, Hailey spots a figure that is standing, waiting for them outside the building. “Ah… you are…”
“Hello, Hailey.” The man says.
“Oh? You two know each other?” Hilda asks.
“We work together. You are… Ms. Hilda, I presume?”
“I am. You would be the Mr. Hali, who put in the request for this job?”
“I am, although in truth, I was acting on behalf of somebody else. Mr. Leon, the gentleman over there.”
A tall, thin man steps out from the shadows next to the building and slowly walks towards them.
Startled, Hailey releases a slight scream. “Ach! You startled me. You’re still as unnerving as ever… were you even breathing?”
“Hailey.” The man shakes his head, ignoring her remark. “I’ll wait for you inside. I haven’t moved any of the deceased’s effects, feel free to look through them if you need to. My brother Joseph has been dead a long time, but I still haven't given him a proper funeral. Doing this was Hali’s idea. A good idea. We don’t need to complicate things though, a simple ceremony will suffice.”
“I understand.” Hilda says in her flat tone.
“If you need to ask me anything, I’ll be nearby. You can come and find me whenever you need to.” Hali says in a similar, but fuller, tone.
“Alright.”
=== Act 1: Empty Streets ===
The streets of Hazlitt have stood empty for a long time. There is no sign of life. Hali stands beside the entrance to the building while Hailey squats beside the road, idly playing with her phone.
Hilda comes towards Hali first. “Hello.”
“Hello, what can I help you with?”
“It would be helpful to me if you could explain how you know Leon and tell me why you reached out to me.”
“Hmm… this is important?”
“I understand a funeral is a private affair and I don’t wish to pry, but since you seem to be playing an important role here… It would help me if I understood a little better, that way I can make sure that the ceremony will be appropriate.”
“Ah… well…” Hali sighs. “Hailey seems to see you as a friend. I don’t suppose I would be able to hide any of this anyway. We’re members of an… illegal organization. Leon and I have faced death together over and over… he… Leon’s treated me like a brother. I have brothers and none of them ever treated me as well as he has. I trust him completely. This is the least I can do for him.”
“You’ll have to pardon my asking, what do you mean by ‘trust him completely’?”
Hali gestures towards his eyes and Hilda realizes he’s blind. “My brother, my actual brother, he was overly protective of me. I might not be able to see, but that doesn’t mean I’m useless. Even after my transformation, he wouldn’t allow me to become an Ops Chief.”
“Fear of losing the people we care about can become a kind of madness.”
“Perhaps…” Hali’s voice drops away for a moment, but he quickly regains his composure. “At least here I’ve found a place for myself, somewhere people recognize my abilities and are willing to put their trust in me. When Leon told me about his brother, told me he hadn’t been given a proper funeral… The thought has been there at the back of my mind ever since. So I sent that letter, reaching out to you.”
“Makes sense. I understand now. I’ll go talk to Leon, get into the specifics with him.”
“Alright.”
“I’ve handled a lot of funerals. It’s rare to see a friend taking responsibility like this.”
“Ah… I… Honestly, thank you… I was worried you wouldn't be willing to do this for us.”
“Why?”
“Everybody sees us as villains, no? Joseph, though, I can promise you he…”
“None of that matters, my father once told me… ‘All living things are equal. In the end, we all return to the state from which we came, good and evil alike.’”
“Thank you, Ms. Hilda. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Not right now. I just need to do the work to understand the situation properly.”
“Okay, thank you again.”
Then Hilda walks towards Hailey. “What are you doing?”
“Watching stuff… look, this video I posted is doing great! Three thousand likes already! Look, look!” Hailey is pretty much pushing her phone into Hilda’s face, while Hilda just remains quiet. “What’s wrong?”
Hilda sighs. “...I remember you saying you were going to help out?”
Hailey stands up and bats the dust off her trousers. “Hailey, at your service!”
“Help me find some flowers.”
“All the flower shops around here are closed…”
Hilda stares at her in silence, causing Hailey to flinch back. “Alright, alright! I’ll go look! Seriously though, this is really weird…”
“What’s weird?”
“I never thought I’d see Leon like this. He’s… how to put it… I always just thought he was a stone-cold killer.”
“Really?”
“You don’t know about him? He spent three years picking off every single member of a mercenary group here in Hazlitt, did it all by himself… And now… now I’m off to pick flowers for him.”
“Off you go, then. Best to keep these thoughts to yourself.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going. You can be a real cold fish.”
“I still have some other things I need to get ready.”
=== Act 1: Fragments of Memories ===
Hilda goes into the apartment building and finds Leon waiting for her in the kitchen with a cup of hot tea. He’s made it for her himself. “Thank you.”
“No one lives here anymore, but I try to keep things looking like they always did. My brother’s desk is over there, feel free to take a look.”
“Everything is very neat and tidy, it’s hard to believe no-one lives here.” 
A collection of vinyl records are arranged tidily on the shelf, with one white-sleeved record poking out. “‘For Leon, who might not be the best at talking, but more than makes up for it with his kindness.’” Hilda looks at Leon, his face seemingly unruffled.
“It’s the first saxophone piece that Joseph recorded, back when he was in high school.”
Hilda then flips through a notebook that is on the desk. There are some utility bills taped onto it. “This was Joseph’s?”
“Yes. I was always busy with work, I never had time to keep up with household things.”
Hilda then comes up to Leon after she finishes looking through things. “Can you tell me a bit about the two of you?”
“Sure.”
“What was Joseph like?”
“Joseph… Joseph could be terribly naive, he only ever saw the positive side of things. Our parents died when we were very young but, even when we were in the orphanage, he would never complain about anything. I sometimes wonder if I over-protected him, didn't give him space to learn about the darker side of things properly.”
“Can I ask how old he was when he passed away?”
“He was twenty.”
“...I’m really sorry. What was Joseph into?”
“Jazz… he was totally obsessed with jazz music.” Hilda notices a rare smile cross Leon's face. Talking about his brother seems to have allowed him to relax for a moment. “He’d get lost in the music, not eat for a day at a time. He loved all sorts of things; food, making new friends… he really loved life.”
“How did Joseph die? I’m sorry, I know this is difficult to talk about.”
“It’s fine, this is your job.” Leon sighs and looks out the window. “Someone came after me looking for revenge, they ended up killing Joseph… He got into music school but the fees were so expensive… I took out a loan from a loan shark and did whatever they told me to do. I did some things which are hard to justify. Debt collection, contract killing… you name it, I probably did it. When I nearly had the loan paid off, I told them that once I’d cleared the debt, I was done, they said ‘sure’... Then they went out and found Joseph. They beat him to a pulp. By the time I found him, he was hardly breathing… He said, ‘Try to live a good life, Leon’... and then he died. I’ve been trying to do what he asked. Well… I mean, I got revenge first. If he hadn’t said what he did, I would probably have killed myself by now.”
No hint of emotion makes its way into Leon’s voice. Hilda takes a little time processing everything she has just heard. “Alright. Okay, I understand.”
“Good. How long will it take to arrange the funeral? Hali and I have cleared our schedules for the next few days to give ourselves time to deal with this.”
“Two days, give or take. It shouldn't take me too long to get everything ready. Can I ask an unrelated question?”
“Ask away.”
“Do you… Does Hali remind you of your brother?”
Leon seems slightly taken aback for a moment. “Why would you ask that?”
“Funerals are very private things, but you’re letting him help you organize this… Maybe you both see a bit of your brothers in each other.”
Leon grows quiet, which causes Hilda to apologize. “Sorry, I could have put that better. Still, I’m sure if your brother is watching you from wherever he is, he’d be happy to see that you have friends, that you have ties to other people.”
=== Act 1: Goodbye, Joseph ===
Hilda arranges for the funeral to take place in a graveyard between Hazlitt and Gyrate, the same graveyard where many of the souls lost in the Shackled Anomaly incident are buried. Typical funeral weather again. Hilda stares out into the grayness and is unable to suppress a thought.
“That rain completely soaked my shoes.” Hilda chooses to ignore Hailey's grumbling and walks over to the record player. She drops the needle onto the platter. A sedate jazz number wafts through the air.
“Good afternoon everyone, we’re here to commemorate the life of Joseph. This will obviously be a somewhat unusual funeral, Joseph passed away thirteen years ago. I’ll ask Leon to come up and deliver the eulogy.”
Leon walks to the front, gently running his fingers over the freshly placed gravestone as he passes it with the slightest of pained smiles on his face. “Joseph left us thirteen years ago. This is the first song he wrote for me. Our parents died when we were very small and we grew up in the orphanage. He was a couple of years younger than me. I always wanted to do my best to protect him. The little time he was granted on this earth he spent with his beloved saxophone. He absorbed himself in jazz. I might have been his brother, but I could never express myself the way he could. In his hands, that saxophone was something magical… I remember the first time he got up on stage to perform. I was sat in the audience and I was as nervous as he was. It wasn’t the best performance in the world, but he got through it. I took him to a cheap restaurant around the corner from the venue afterwards to celebrate… That was the best I could do.” Leon’s smile slowly fades and is replaced by a cold gloomy look. “It wasn’t long after that when, to pay Joseph’s tuition, I took out a loan and started doing some pretty unspeakable things. I became afraid to go home, afraid to see him, afraid to look him in those clear, pure eyes of his. If he had known what I was doing, would he have been able to forgive me? I was very stupid back then, I thought I was giving him the best I could give him, I wanted to give him everything… But maybe that wasn’t what he wanted.”
Leon sighs again and stares out beyond the crowd into the far distance. Hilda notices that the glowing deer has appeared behind Leon. Hilda glances around at the mourners in a panic, but it seems no one other than her has noticed the deer.
“I’d willingly… I’d give all the time that I have left, all my money, everything I have… Give my life if it meant that Joseph… But I won’t be getting a second chance. …Goodbye, Joseph.” Leon leaves the podium and the mourners stare silently at Joseph’s gravestone. Hilda notices the glowing deer has disappeared.
Hali lays a wreath before the gravestone, the mourners close their eyes and offer up their prayers. Hilda whispers, “Rest in peace and dream sweet dreams, Joseph.”
With the ceremony over, Hilda and Hailey tidy up and are preparing to leave when they hear Leon calling to them. “Hilda, please wait a moment.”
“Is something wrong? Did I forget something?”
“Oh, no, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did getting the funeral organized.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my job. You should thank Hali though, he’s the one who really made this happen.”
“It was really nothing.” Hali replies humbly.
“No, she’s right. Thank you.” Leon’s expression seems to soften. “The funeral has fulfilled a wish I've had for years. Just now, I had a feeling of ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’.”
“Okay.”
“...It’s different for you, Hali. You still have a chance.” It seems Leon wants to say something else, but the words don’t come. He bids farewell to Hilda and returns to Joseph’s gravestone. As Hilda drives away, a light rain begins to fall.
=== Act 1: The Long Way ===
The road stretches onwards endlessly. Hilda and Hailey are continuing on with their journey. Hailey is still absent-mindedly playing with the cube with her feet up on the dashboard. “I mean, wow, I’d never heard Leon say more than 10 words in total before today. Today was an eye-opener.”
Hilda keeps herself silent, and Hailey speaks again. “So, we’re going to Accro now?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh? Why do I feel like we’re going in the wrong direction then?”
“Why are you so interested in my work?”
“Hmm? I’m not really, you just seem unusually professional. Has anyone ever told you you seem like you were born to be an undertaker? Emotionally stable, direct, a real ‘I don’t care’ attitude.”
“That’s how you’d describe me?”
“That was a pretty unusual funeral. Normally, you’d have to deal with a corpse, right? I don’t think most people would be able to handle that. What made you want to become an undertaker?”
“I don’t think you’re wrong about me… I only became an undertaker because I had to take over my father’s business though. My father was different from the rest of us, he believed that death was just a part of change, an indispensable stage in everyone’s life. Even being a corpse is just another state of being. It’s a step along a path, not an ending.”
“Is that what you think too?”
“I think so, yes. No matter how much we try to pretty up death, try to make the dead appear as they did in life, in the end they’re gone whether we like it or not. For most people, their fear of death is just them projecting, what they really find hard to accept is change itself.”
“Oh?”
“But… It seems like it’s different for me.”
“How do you mean?”
“After my transformation, my appearance stopped changing. It’s strange for me to be this still and calm all the time, isn’t it…”
“Probably has its upsides.” Hailey seems to have missed the shift in Hilda’s mood and just keeps fiddling with the cube.
“...I can’t feel anything, I have no feelings whatsoever…”
Hailey stares at her, in confusion, like she missed what was said.
“It’s nothing. I want to space out for a bit, you play by yourself for a while.”
Hailey tries to find a way to respond, but ends up saying nothing, instead just staring out of the window.
== Interlude ==
=== Act 2: Fork in the Road ===
The scenery outside the window begins to change and the air becomes drier than it was before. “Did we take a wrong turn? I thought Tevor asked you to go to Accro? Hey? This… Why are we heading into the desert? Hilda, this is taking us towards Debia!”
“It is. I need to deal with a few things. We’ll go to Accro after that.”
“Oh…”
The glowing deer appears again. Hilda stares at it, feeling lost.
“Hilda, eyes on the road! Hilda!!!”
Hilda makes an emergency stop. Ignoring Hailey’s complaints, she pulls the car over to the side of the road and sits there, staring blankly into the distance. The glowing deer has disappeared like smoke in the wind.
“What happened just now? Your eyes totally glazed over, did you not get enough sleep or something? I wrote a list of funny ways to die once. ‘My friend falls asleep at the wheel and turns us into the world’s longest blood splatter’... I hadn’t thought of that one.”
“I didn’t fall asleep.”
“Oh, great! Well I guess in that case there’s nothing for me to complain about!”
Hilda and Hailey argue for a while. Someone knocks on the car window unexpectedly, startling Hailey all over again. She whispers to Hilda, “Hey… what’s going on? Did you hit someone just now?”
“Don’t say that. Hello, what can I help you with?” The two people outside the window are Others. They seem to have just been in combat and are both still on edge.
“I’m Jin-hee. This is Bardon.” The girl at the window says.
Hilda notices that the young man is holding a dying kitten. “Take us to the nearest town!!! Do you have anything we could use to treat the kitten? Painkillers even… I don’t know if it can hold out much longer… Please… It won’t last long like this!”
“Don’t shout, Bardon. There’s no reason to scare these people. I’m sorry, we’re not bad people. We can pay you for the ride.”
Hailey whispers to Hilda, “Hilda… That’s Hali’s brother…” However, Hilda remains silent.
“Can you take us to the nearest town? Please!” Jin-hee pleads.
“Get in the car, we’ve got this.” Hilda replies.
=== Act 2: An Unexpected Request ===
Before the car has even stopped, Bardon jumps out and rushes into the clinic, startling the nurse at the reception desk. The others follow him into the clinic. The smell of disinfectant is so strong, Hailey starts sneezing. “Doctor! Where’s the doctor!”
“Please wait a moment, I'm calling the doctor now!” The nurse rushes to call the doctor.
“Doctor! Doctor!!!” Balder is really frantic about this.
The doctor comes out, slightly annoyed. “Stop shouting, there’s no reason to be making a racket like this.”
“Here… Over here!”
The doctor takes the kitten from Bardon and places it on the examination table. “This kitten is dead.”
“What? No… check again? It was still moving a minute ago!”
“There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”
“Please take another look! Isn’t there anything we can do? Money isn’t an issue, please check again…!”
Hilda walks to the examination table and opens the kitten’s eyes to take a look. She shakes her head.
“...No, no, no…!”
“Don’t do this, Bardon.” Jin-Hee tries to comfort her friend.
“This can’t be happening, I promised him!” The tall young man crouches on the ground, covers his face, and cries. Jin-hee kneels beside him and gently pats his back, trying to console him. “If only I was faster, if only I could have been faster… Why…”
“Bardon, this isn’t your fault.” Jin-hee helps Bardon to a chair. Hailey stands off to one side and keeps her distance, a disbelieving look on her face. The doctor nods curtly to the nurse and heads back to her office.
“I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do.” The nurse says.
“I understand.” Jin-hee appears somewhat hesitant but turns towards Hilda. “Ms. Hilda, I have a request for you. If I’m not mistaken, you’re an undertaker… would you mind taking on a commission? A funeral for the kitten.” 
Hilda looks at the pleading expression on Jin-hee’s face, glances at Bardon curled up in the chair, and nods. “I’ll need time to prepare.”
“Thank you.”
=== Act 2: Clinic ===
They agree on a time, later that afternoon, and Hilda begins to make some simple preparations. “I need to know more about the kitten.”
Jin-hee stands in front of the reception desk and replies to work messages on her phone. Seeing Hilda approaching, she stops and says hello. “I’m sorry about before.”
“It’s fine, he just needs time. I need to ask you some questions though, it’s a professional thing.”
“Sure.”
“How did the kitten get hurt? Seeing that both of you are injured, should I assume you ran into an Other?”
“Yes. A report came in this morning. When we made it to the campsite, it was worse than we expected. We managed to take down the Other, but we couldn’t save the family who had been camping there. Bardon took the kitten out of the arms of a dead kid. They sent out more people. They’re dealing with the scene. I’m just worried about Bardon. He’d been working a lot of overtime. He wasn't really in a great head-space to begin with. He’s always been the most diligent of the younger Ops Chiefs. Thing is, the more people praise him, the harder he works… he tries to do too much. Failing to save that family was no one’s fault… right?”
“Right.”
“I knew you’d understand. We do very different work, but we do all face death on a regular basis. Thank you for agreeing to organize this funeral. Bardon really needs this.”
“It’s my job. When it comes to matters of life and death, everyone is equal.”
“Thank you.”
Hilda knocks on the doctor’s office door, then pushes it open and walks in. “Doctor, can you store the kitten’s body in a cool place for us?”
“We took care of that, already. The young lady at the door paid extra to cover the storage fees, the other Ops Chief. Have you decided what you want to do with the kitten?”
“I’ll give it a simple funeral.”
“I see. That young man was quite emotional. I didn’t feel like I could tell him the whole truth. The kitten was already stiff when it arrived.”
Hilda just sighs. “I’m sorry for taking up your time, Doctor.”
“It’s okay. Here, take this.” The doctor hands Hilda something. “It’s just canned food and it’s going to expire anyway. You can use it as an offering, a little gift for the next life. We invest animals with a lot of emotional weight, but to them things like ‘the past’ and ‘the future’ don't exist. They have no concept of time. Having someone hold a funeral for the cat, this way its life ends in love. There’s something that feels right about that.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Alright, I have to get back to work. If there’s nothing more?”
“There isn’t. Goodbye, doctor.” Hilda leaves the doctor’s office. “I think that’s everything I need to know.”
=== Act 2: Prodigy ===
Graywater is bustling, the town center seemingly prosperous. In an alley near the clinic, Hailey leans against a wall and plays with her phone. She doesn’t see Hilda approaching. “Hailey.”
Hailey yelps. “Wh… What! You startled me… Now I’m going to have to start this level all over again.”
“I was just speaking to you at a normal volume.”
“What’s up? Just need to bury a kitten, right, nothing too complicated…”
“Facing death, all living things are equal.”
“Oh! You’re really taking this seriously… Anything you need my help with?”
“I need to make a small biodegradable coffin. There should be something suitable for us to use somewhere around here.”
“Biodegradable? Makes sense.”
“I’ll leave that in your capable hands then.”
“While we’re talking about this… You do know who Bardon is, right?”
“He’s Hali’s brother, you told me before.” Hilda then whispers. “Actually, I wanted to ask you… You don’t seem uncomfortable having some Ops Chiefs here.”
“Oh, I almost never interact with anyone other than my direct supervisor anyway. I don’t think anyone knows who I am… Hah, we’re getting off-topic. Bardon is a rising star, a really popular guy. He’s won awards for saving people’s lives, that kind of thing.” As Hailey is saying this, she gets up Bardon’s social media on her phone and shows Hilda how many likes and reposts he gets. “Can’t say he looked all that impressive today though!” Hilda didn’t respond. “Hali mentioned his brother drew attention as soon as he joined. Everyone was talking about the kid. A model of heroism! Pfff… that said, he really didn't seem as impressive as people have been making him out to be.”
“He’s been through a lot, I wouldn’t make assumptions.”
“I’m not, I’m not! You don’t like me talking about people like this?”
“Just hurry up.”
“You can be very stern sometimes. I’m off. I’ll find something we can use for making that coffin.”
Meanwhile, Bardon stands on the corner outside a flower shop. He sees Hilda approaching and greets her enthusiastically. “Ms. Hilda! I’m sorry about before, I lost my composure a bit there.” Bardon is back to being his usual, cheerful self, but he still looks tired.
“You’re preparing a wreath?” Hilda asks.
“Yes, I feel pretty terrible about what happened today. Although Jin-hee and I dealt with the Other, none of the civilians survived… I don’t even know the kitten’s name… Sorry, I’m going on about myself. What kind of flowers do you recommend?”
“Any simple wreath will do just fine.”
“Maybe this one?” Bardon shows Hilda some white flowers.
“White is pure, the color of the soul at the ‘beginning’ and again at the ‘end’. That works.”
Bardon takes the flowers handed to him by the shop owner and looks at the white petals for a moment… His expression softens. “Ms. Hilda… As an undertaker, can you tell me what death means? I always thought I was a strong person. I can’t understand why a kitten dying would make me break down like that. Maybe it’s because I think it’s my fault… Too slow, too weak… I couldn’t save them.”
“Before I answer your question, let me ask you one. Are you a god? Do you think you’re a god?”
Not expecting a question like this, Bardon blinks. “Of… of course not.”
“Don’t kid yourself. You don’t have power over life and death. Death is part of the cycle of life. It’s an unavoidable, natural state of being. Death may be unacceptable to the living, but it is a natural state. Our bodies become cradles for new life. I don’t know you and I can’t say for certain why the kitten dying has hit you this hard… What I do know is that most of the time people obsess over things like this when they can’t accept change, when they won’t allow themselves to feel regret. You’re still alive and part of the world of the living. Don’t lie to yourself and let yourself believe that you’re an all-powerful god, capable of controlling life and death.”
“...I’m sorry. Should I not have asked that question?”
“...Maybe I was too harsh… but Bardon, please don’t take responsibility for things you’re never going to be able to control.”
“Thank you, Ms. Hilda. I’ll think about what you said.”
“I’ll see you at the funeral.”
They say their goodbyes and Hilda returns to her car. She begins her preparations for the ceremony.
=== Act 2: Sleeping Beneath Sunlight ===
The desert sun is intense. Hilda keeps the kitten and its biodegradable coffin in a refrigerated compartment in her car until the funeral begins.
“The sun is shining so brightly today, doesn’t seem like the right weather for a funeral really…” Hailey grumbles but no one pays her any attention. Jin-hee and Bardon bury the kitten at the edge of the desert and then Hilda clears her throat. “With heavy hearts, we offer up our blessings to this little one. Has anyone prepared a eulogy?”
Bardon walks over to the kitten’s grave and lays the wreath. “I’m not good with words and my voice can be a bit too loud sometimes. I don’t know what to say at times like this. A lot has happened recently and I’ve been thinking a lot… I’ve always taken helping others and fighting monsters for granted. But the more I do, the more suffocating trying to be a hero becomes. The fact of the matter is, when death came, I couldn’t save you. Perhaps you came into my life as a reminder, making me realize my own arrogance. I won’t forget you, little one. You’ve reminded me of how fragile life is and how fragile I am.”
“Bardon…” Jin-hee mumbles to herself.
Bardon stands by the gravestone, holding the wreath. A glowing deer appears beside him, seemingly to comfort him. “Goodbye, little kitten. May your soul find peace in the afterlife…” The deer nuzzles Bardon’s face for a moment, then turns to leave… Hilda watches as the deer moves off, vanishing into the desert.
After the funeral, Hailey dives into Hilda’s car and turns on the air conditioning as fast as she can. Jin-hee and Bardon say their goodbyes to Hilda.
“Thank you, Ms. Hilda. What you said yesterday really sobered me up.” Bardon says.
“You’re welcome.” Hilda replies calmly.
Bardon then looks at his companion. “And thank you, Jin-hee.”
“This is the first time I’ve felt so calm at a funeral. I think half of the credit goes to Ms. Hilda. I’ve already transferred the funeral expenses. Thank you so much.” Jin-hee smiles cheerfully.
“Funerals are not solely for the departed. They allow the living to say goodbye. Often, the words people can’t say face to face are left for the funeral. However… Whether those words are heard or not is another matter. Cherish the present, Bardon, Jin-hee. Good luck.”
=== Act 2: Starry Sky ===
The glowing deer stares at Hilda with eyes that seem to be lit by the light of another universe, a universe intent on pulling Hilda into itself…
“... Come…”
“Come where?”
Hilda wakes up with a start and realizes she is outside. Hilda lies back down and stares up at the stars, lost in thought.
“Hey!” Hailey shouts, but Hilda seems absentminded. “What are you doing?”
“I want to sleep, but I’m here talking to you.”
“I saw you weren’t asleep, so I came over. Are you worrying about something?”
Hilda sighs. “I don’t know why but today’s events have made me a bit agitated. Life that has passed will never return. Why can’t people let go of their obsessions and simply accept that?”
“Are you really agitated because of other people’s obsessions?”
“?... Why did you come on this trip with me? For what matter, when are you going to give me the gas money?”
“Eh?! Don’t be like that…” Hailey stares at Hilda for a moment and then sighs. “Speaking of which, I have a commission for you.”
“What commission?”
“Well… I wanted to ask, can a living person have a funeral? If a funeral is just a metaphor, can it represent ‘the end’ itself?”
“Who… do you want to hold a funeral for?”
Hailey scratches her head awkwardly. “Um… Me. I’ve thought about a lot of things these past few days with you. Actually, I left because, um, I found out an old friend had completely blocked me. It’s a bit embarrassing. She used to be more important to me than life itself, but… some things happened… Wait a minute!” Hailey digs through her suitcase and pulls out a small box, handing it to Hilda. “I’ve shared a lot of these inventions on my social media accounts. Not to brag, but they’re quite popular. This is a dancing doll I made for her. Look, when I catalyze it with divine power…” As Hailey’s divine power catalyzes the intricate invention, it begins to spin in her hands. Hilda can’t help but marvel.
“It’s so intricate.”
“I wanted to give it to her at the time but I never got the chance. So… Uh. never mind… Having a funeral for yourself is weird, isn’t it? Hahaha.”
“How about a firework funeral?”
“Huh?”
“Set the past on fire. Seems like something you would do.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“Funerals are paid for upfront though.”
=== Act 2: Goodbye, Old Friend ===
The desert night is exceptionally cold. Hilda and Hailey drive to an open area. Hilda sets up fireworks and a small podium, then takes some artificial flowers out of a box. “It’s short notice, but I make sure I always have supplies.”
“It… looks quite decent. Thank you.”
“What are you talking about? I’m a professional.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Before lighting the fireworks, do you have any eulogy you’d like to say for yourself?”
“Um… let me think… Sasha used to be my best friend, and at one point, I thought having her in my life was all I needed.” Hailey looks down at her prosthetic limb. “After the Anomalies descended, I ended up disabled because of an accident… Sasha took me in when I was lost and unemployed. But she also held a lot of resentment towards me for being content with the status quo and barely getting by. Maybe that’s why… She became a member of an anti-Other organization. Before our relationship completely broke apart, she returned all the little inventions I'd given her. Uh, she said that inventions driven by divine power were disgusting to her.” Hailey places her little inventions one by one into the firework box Hilda had prepared in advance. Hilda hands her a torch, but Hailey doesn’t seem ready to light it yet.
“Well, I admit I’m not the most ambitious person, and sure I was always late with the rent… But it was Sasha herself who encouraged me to make these little inventions… Then, when she wouldn’t respond to my messages, I called her like twenty times in a frenzy. I even ran to the front of her apartment building, crying and begging her to talk to me.” As Hailey speaks, she lights the fireworks. Watching the fireworks explode in the distance, she smiles. “The first blast, I dedicate to the foolish me, who thought beautiful things would never change! The second blast, I dedicate to the me without a sense of boundaries, clinging desperately onto the past!”
“Is this… a funeral?”
“The third blast, I dedicate to the past me… Are you awake yet, Hailey? Wake up!!!”
“Uh… Pfft… Hahahaha… What are you doing?”
“Hey? You were laughing just now, that’s too much! I’m seriously saying goodbye!”
“Sorry… This makes me look unprofessional, but I couldn’t help myself. What are you up to?”
“I don’t know! I thought I’d be sad, but seeing the pieces of my past self exploding in the sky is just kinda funny. It’s not that sad. It actually makes me feel relieved…”
“...Thank you, Hailey.”
“What for?”
“I’ve officiated so many funerals, but rarely have I experienced this kind of... atmosphere. Maybe it’s what I needed. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good laugh.”
“Wow, so my funeral made you really happy? That’s so like me! Watching the fireworks explode, I was silently saying my goodbyes in my heart. This is a new beginning. Do you want to give it a try?”
“Well… I think it’s time to make a break with the past…”
“Oh? What are you planning on doing?”
“I’ve been restless recently, probably because I saw a ‘harbinger of death’... It must be that. I want to go to Accro and bury myself. Maybe that’s the purpose of this trip. Anyway, I can take you to a nearby city first.”
“Wait, when you say you want to bury yourself, is that a metaphor, or do you really want to…? Never mind, it’s not important! You’ve already held such a fantastic funeral for me, I’ll definitely accompany you to Accro.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, we’re friends.”
== Surging Tides ==
=== Act 3: End of the Road ===
Hilda drives towards Accro while Hailey looks at the map on her phone. “I checked, the town was very close to Estero Harbor, but it disappeared during the Cube Anomaly incident. It probably had something to do with the Anomaly, but since the area is completely uninhabited, it’s hard to say for sure.”
“Well, let’s head that way first. …!” The glowing deer appears again and runs along next to the car. “It’s back again, can you see it?”
“Where?”
“Right outside the window, to your right.”
Hailey rolls down the window and sees nothing but the trees whooshing past. “Ah! I think I saw a rabbit! Or maybe it was a rat… You really think it’s a ‘harbinger of death’? Maybe it’s just a hallucination, have you been tired lately?”
“I’m fine. I definitely feel awake now, excited even.”
“Are… are you okay?”
“I might have just been waiting for the end all this time, and I’m scared… But isn’t that a sign that I’m alive? It’s the nature of living beings, no matter how splendid life is, we all eventually come to the same end. Chasing this ‘harbinger of death,’ I feel calmer than I’ve ever felt. At least I no longer have to worry about being ‘unchanging,’ which was like having no life at all.”
“Is that your fear? Is that what you mean by ‘unchanging’?”
“Yes. I feel like I’m… incomplete. Don’t you think so, too? I’m a ‘natural-born undertaker.’”
“Hilda, I meant that you’re very professional, you know how to do your job! I didn’t mean you look lifeless, you misunderstood me…”
“I know what you meant, but I'm not just talking about how I look or even just about my job. I’m talking about how I feel, the way my brain works… For a long time, I couldn’t feel anything. No sadness, no joy… no feelings at all. It’s weird, these past few days… having you around has made me feel a bit happier than I usually do.”
“... Thanks?”
“But that glowing deer keeps appearing and I feel like it’s a sign… where and when it appears, it’s always somewhere that means something to me. My father was attacked by an Other, descended thirteen years ago, he died on his way home.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”
“I… I had just left Accro the day before. We’d agreed to go sightseeing together, but my dad postponed our plans by a day because of work. I left angry, didn’t wait for him to join me. Who knew that would be our last goodbye… I found a gift he bought for me in Accro among his belongings.” Hilda shakes the ornament hanging on the rearview mirror, the small seashell making a crisp ringing sound. “After my father was gone, it felt like time had stopped for me… I inherited the job he loved, but not the feeling he had towards it. Maybe this is my punishment, and my end is coming soon.”
“...I’ve never thought you were unchanging.” Hailey whispers softly, but Hilda is staring at the deer and doesn’t hear what Hailey is saying.
=== Act 3: Return to Accro ===
As they get closer to Accro, the surrounding landscape becomes somewhat eerie. “Are you sure this is the right way to get there?” Hailey asks.
“I’m not, but the town hasn’t been on the map for years now. We’re going in the right direction.”
“Why do I feel like the trees outside the window are all bent out of shape?” Then Hailey gets startled. “Ah!! What is that?”
“?... What… is that…?” Looking where Hailey is pointing, Hilda sees a massive white object in the ruins of the distant town. The white object sits in the center of the town, glowing ever so slightly.
“... Come… Come…”
“Huh?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“It… The deer, it’s talking!”
“... Come… Save… Save… Come… Save us…”
“What?”
“Hilda! Stop talking to thin air! You need to be on the lookout for Others!” Just as Hailey says that, a robotic-like Other roars.
After the battle, Hilda looks around, but the glowing deer is gone.
“Who were you talking to just now? That ‘harbinger of death’ of yours?” Hailey asks.
“Yeah, it felt a bit strange. We’re already in an area where Others are active. No wonder Tevor commissioned me specifically. I can feel that white object in the town has probably been made using divine power. You’re an Other, you can feel it too, right?”
“Yes, we should go take a closer look.”
=== Act 3: Abnormalities ===
Just as they are about to reach the town, the landscape around them changes abruptly. 
“What... What’s going on? Where are we?” Hailey looks around, confused.
“!... It’s okay, we should still be going the right way.”
“You… You can still see that glowing deer?”
“Yes.”
“Uhm… I’m starting to regret getting myself involved in something so strange…”
“This place is too weird, I’m going to pick up the pace!” Hilda starts to run.
“Hilda, slow down a bit, Hilda!”
With a blinding flash of white light, Hilda finds herself in a bustling town center. Her car, Hailey, and the glowing deer are all gone. “Hailey? Hailey! …Where is this… It feels like I’ve been here before…”
In the glaring sunlight, everything looks remarkably ordinary… Hilda looks around. “Sorry, do you have a moment? Can I bother you for a second?” She asks a nearby man. “I have a few questions. First, where am I?”
“What is this place? You’re a tourist, right? Did you get lost?”
“Huh? Well…”
“No wonder, Accro may be small, but there’s a lot to see.”
“Accro?!”
“Where do you want to go? I can help you with directions!”
“I… Have you seen a glowing deer?”
“A glowing deer? You saw it with your own eyes? Um… Did you see it online or something? I live here and I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“My friend and I got separated. I wonder if you might have seen her. She’s quite tall, strong, brownish-orange hair, pretty disheveled-looking. Oh, one other thing, she has a mechanical left arm.”
“Well, in that case, I haven’t seen her. Why don’t you try the tourist center?”
“Can I ask… what time is it?”
“3 p.m.”
“3 p.m.?” Hilda looks in shock and thinks to herself, ‘It wasn’t even noon when I arrived…’
“What’s the date today?”
“The date? Oh… it’s the ninth of June.”
‘It’s… almost spring…’ Hilda shakes her head. “And the year?”
“Did you travel through time or something?”
“Please just tell me what year it is!” Hilda grips the passerby’s shoulders harder than she should have, scaring him.
“It’s 20xx!”
“Wha… What…?! How did this happen… is this…?”
“Let go, what are you doing…”
Hilda’s mind in turmoil, the passerby walks off with a suspicious look, leaving Hilda standing alone at the side of the road. “Thirteen years ago? June 9th? Is this… a dream?”
“No!” Hilda suddenly hears a voice, that’s coming from a… black cat? “Follow me.”
=== Act 3: Her World ===
Hilda follows the black cat through the winding alleys. “Hurry up and come with me!”
“Are you… the glowing deer? No, wait, your voice…”
“What glowing deer? It’s me, Tevor.”
“Tevor? Wait, you…”
“I’ve been trapped here for a while, I need your help.”
“Why do you look like this? What is this place? Where’s my friend? I can’t find my car… A passerby just told me it’s 20xx, did you know that?”
“You ask too many questions, don’t worry so much. This is a world created by an Other, a world that loops over and over through June 9th and June 10th.”
“A time loop? It’s been repeating for thirteen years?”
“I’m afraid so. This place exists independently from the rest of the world, your companion is probably somewhere in here too.”
“Will she… turn into a cat too?”
“I don’t know about that… You were able to keep your original form when you came in because you… know her, or you’ve seen her before?”
“The creator of this world, who made this place?”
“Look over there.”
Hilda looks in the direction Tevor is pointing with his claw and sees a silver-haired girl running out of her house. “I can’t take this! You never understood me! What I like or what I really want! Also, I hate green peppers! I’ve said it so many times!” The silver-haired girl disappears around the corner, leaving Hilda and Tevor staring at each other.
“Uh, I’ve no memory of her.”
“That’s Marianna. Wait, haven’t you seen her before?”
“That said… I was in Accro on that day, thirteen years ago.”
“Really? Maybe her subconscious recognizes you. As you can see, she doesn’t recognize me so I’m not even human here.”
“You didn’t look all that human in the first place…”
“Ahem, anyway, this world was created by that girl using her divine power. To leave this place, we’re probably going to have to talk her into letting us leave.”
“How long have you been here? Have you talked to her?”
“It took me a couple of loops to figure out her movements, I’m onto my fourth loop at this point. I can’t talk to her, but through my observations, I have a rough idea of what’s going on. Uh… Basically, she wants to go to school in Hazlitt, but her mother won’t agree to let her go. They’ve been arguing about it… The Cube Anomaly descends early on the morning of the second day, and then the loop resets.”
“...Yeah, I don’t get it, you’re pretty bad at telling stories.”
“...Fine. I’ll just take you to see for yourself.”
=== Act 4: Her Days ===
Hilda and Tevor sit off to one side, observing Marianna and her friend from afar. The girls are chatting in the warm sunlight, everything feels very ordinary.
“How’s it going with the school application? Deadline’s coming up.”
“No change.”
“Your mom still won’t agree?”
“Yep. Nothing I can say seems to change her mind. I don’t know what’s going on with her. She’s been leaving early in the morning, not coming back until late. It’s hard to find the time to talk about it, and as soon as I mention Hazlitt, she brushes me off, this excuse and that excuse. Tells me off, even. She’s completely against it.”
“Why’s she being like this? Your mom’s usually really chill.”
“I don’t know. Feels like she’s changed these past two months, like she’s going to lash out no matter what I do.”
“Maybe she’s having trouble at work?”
“Doesn’t give her the right to take it out on me. Does she even think about how it makes me feel? I’m already eighteen. I know what I want to do and I should be allowed to make my own decisions.”
“Mari, you need to be honest with your mom, you can’t keep coming and training in secret. Who knows, maybe she’ll support you once she understands you better?”
Hilda and Tevor sit in the stands. Tevor stretches lazily.
“Hmm… Such a sensitive age.”
“Were you like that when you were young?”
“Complaining about my parents to my friends? No, I didn’t have any friends.”
“...I believe that Marianna reconciling with her mother might be the key to breaking this loop.”
“Let’s go and watch what happens next.”
=== Act 3: The Other Girl ===
Marianna stands upset beside the platform. Hilda and Tevor watch her from not too far away. “According to what you’ve told me, Marianna probably hasn’t realized that she’s in a loop yet.”
“Yes, I’ve tried to communicate with her, but it hasn’t really worked. Since she can recognize you, why don’t you try and see if you can help her to understand that she’s in a loop?”
“!... Tevor… Look over there…”
A girl with green hair in black clothes is holding a map of the town and asking Marianna for directions. Her whole look stands out, clashing with the town’s relaxed atmosphere.
“Is that… me?”
“So this is why Marianna recognizes you? You were here on June 9th?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait, Hilda, don’t go over there!”
But Hilda doesn’t listen as she walks up to her 14-year-old self. “Hello.”
“...Hello? Who… Who are you?”
“I… Uh… I’m your cousin, a very distant cousin. I have a message for you.”
“My cousin…?”
“Don’t leave town, your father will come looking for you in a few hours!”
“Who asked you to tell me this? I don’t know you… Besides, I’ve already bought a bus ticket. My father is late. I’ve told him I’m going home. I’m not going to stay here and waste my time.”
“Trust me, your father will be here soon, and you’ll be able to see him!”
“...I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Past Hilda leaves without looking back, ignoring Present Hilda’s calls.
“Wait, Hilda, that’s not the real you… It’s just an illusion that exists within the loop.” Tevor says.
“An illusion… Then, on this street, which people are illusions and which are real people?”
“! Do you mean…?”
“I get it now.”
“Wait… What do you get?”
Not answering, Hilda heads straight over to Marianna. “Marianna.”
Marianna looks at her in confusion. “You… You asked me for directions earlier? Not quite, but…”
“I’m Hilda. I want to tell you, everything you’re seeing right now isn’t real.”
“What are you talking about?”
“None of this is real, Marianna.” Hilda grabs Marianna’s arm, making Marianna nervous. “Accro doesn’t exist anymore… I haven’t fully figured it out yet, but this place we’re in is probably just a barrier created using divine power.”
“What are you on about?! Let go or I’ll call for help!”
Hilda lets go of Marianna’s hand and stares into her eyes. Marianna runs away, scared. “...An obsession so strong it becomes your armor… Trapped inside a shell, unaware.”
Tevor comes up to Hilda. “You were a bit too rough. From Marianna’s perspective, what you’re saying makes no sense.”
“People can get too caught up in appearances, but that won’t change the essence of things. There’s nothing wrong with taking a direct approach.”
“And how well did it work?”
“...Con… tinue…” The glowing deer flashes past, then disappears into the crowd.
“Seems I didn’t take the wrong path…” Hilda mumbles.
“What do you mean?” Tevor asks.
“Nothing, let’s follow her.”
=== Act 3: Market ===
Hilda and Tevor follow Marianna to the market, keeping their distance from her. “Look, there’s her mother.” Tevor points out. Hilda just gives a subtle “Okay.”
“Mom has been at that stall for a long time. What does she want to buy, anyway?” Marianna mumbles to herself.
The stall owner takes out a red string with a small, simple ring attached to it. “How about this? It’s a peace charm from Tangton. Might look plain, but it can protect the wearer from harm.”
“A peace charm?” Nori questions.
“That’s right. The peace charm is a traditional piece of craftsmanship from Tangton. Like the name suggests, it wards off evil, protects against disasters, ensures safety wherever you go.” 
Hearing this, Nori’s eyes light up. “I’ll take it.”
“No problem, let me wrap it up for you.”
“Can you wrap these as well, please?”
Money changes hands and the stall owner wraps the purchases skillfully. The shape of the package catches Marianna’s attention. “That package is what mom wanted to give me! So that’s it, mom had already planned everything, but I… I have to stop this. I have to stop all of it.”
Marianna doesn’t notice Hilda and the black cat approaching her from behind, and carries on muttering to herself.
“Marianna.” Hilda suddenly speaks.
“Hm?! You again… What do you want?”
“Do you want to clear the air with your mom?”
“I… I guess I do… How did you know?”
“You… know that you’re in an unusual space, right? You’re the only one who can help everyone, Marianna.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
“There’s not much time left.”
“Get out of my way!” Marianna pushes Hilda out of the way and runs off into the crowded marketplace.
“You shouldn't have been so direct… It didn’t work this time either.” Tevor sighs.
“No, I don’t think that’s true.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think Marianna is aware that she’s in a loop, she’s already discovered clues within the cycle.”
“She can’t have, I’ve been watching her for several loops already.”
“You really think she doesn’t understand? From my perspective, she’s trying very hard to reconcile with her mother… If she reconciles with her mother, the Anomaly won’t descend, right? It’s not like that, is it? She must have gone through the cycle a few times before starting to look for solutions. But this isn’t a real time loop, is it? This is a space created by Marianna, and the so-called loop itself is just an illusion.”
“That makes sense, so you mean…”
“My divine power can soothe lost souls, and since I entered this world, I’ve felt very uncomfortable.”
“Are you saying…?”
“Here… besides us, I don’t really feel the presence of living people. We need to confirm this.”
=== Act 3: Their Story ===
By the time Hilda and Tevor arrive, the Cube Anomaly has already begun to descend. “Look over there!”
“Watch out!!!” Tevor hisses.
Marianna hugs her mother tightly. “I don’t want this.” She mumbles, with teary eyes.
“Silly girl… isn’t this what you always wanted? Why are you crying…?”
“I don’t want to leave. I want to stay. I’m happy here. I wish… that this moment would last forever.”
And then, the sea turned dark. Waves came rushing in, followed by a cube, in its center, acting as its eye of the storm. A huge wave came, rushing higher and higher, over the town. Over Marianna.
“Mari!” Her mom calls her as the wave crashes down onto her. The wave took her down, as she resided in the middle of a huge vortex. Surrounding her were a bunch of strange creatures. And protecting her was a huge conch, which she then extended to cover the whole town. As the wave hit, it dissipated, as if it was glass.
Hilda, holding the black cat and struggling to get up, stares at the huge conch shell created by Marianna’s divine power. The conch covers the entire town. When the dazzling white light has faded, Hilda looks up and sees an empty sky. It’s as if nothing had happened. “Did you see that, Tevor? When I was driving here, I saw something like a conch shell from outside the town…”
“Yeah, I saw it on the way here too…” Tevor responds.
“But I don’t know how I got in here, and we seem to be inside some kind of alternate space barriered off from the outside. Marianna and her mother have already reconciled, but we still aren’t able to leave this place… The Cube Anomaly descended thirteen years ago and everything here is still an illusion.”
Marianna and her mother laugh as they swim back to the shore. Marianna helps her mother out of the water and they walk home together, smiling.
“Marianna!” Hilda calls out, getting Marianna’s attention. “Marianna, can I talk to you alone?”
“Is this a friend of yours?” Nori asks.
“It’s okay, Mom, wait for me for a moment. What do you want?” Hilda had gotten Marianna’s full attention.
“It’s time to let us out, don’t you think… Where’s my friend?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“How many times have you lived through all of this? You should have realized by now that this isn’t a time loop.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wake up, Marianna… It’s been thirteen years since the Cube Anomaly descended.”
“You’re lying! Mom, let’s go!” Marianna grabs her mother’s hand and runs off in the direction of the town. Nori looks back at Hilda with a puzzled expression.
“Stop!” Hilda calls and runs after them. Hilda, holding the black cat, looks up and down the street. The vendors are cleaning up from the previous day. “Damn… Where did they go? Marianna! Marianna!!!” Hilda, losing her cool, runs down the street and bumps into a middle-aged man. “I’m sorry, I’m looking for…”
“No problem, just take it slow.” The middle-aged man responds.
“...Dad?”
== Finale ==
=== Act 4: My Ending ===
“You… You look just like my daughter! This is quite a shock… My daughter just graduated from college this year.” The man stares in shock.
“...I’m sorry.”
“Are you alright? You look very pale, do you need to rest for a moment?” The middle-aged man helps Hilda sit down on a bench by the roadside. Hilda feels her pulse accelerating. The scene turns pure white, the crowd and street disappear, and Tevor is nowhere to be found… Hilda notices none of this. “My name’s Mark. Want some water?”
“No… I’m fine.”
“You keep staring at me. Do you have something you want to ask?” Mark chuckles.
“Uh… Not really… Are you here for sightseeing?”
“Yes. I originally planned to come here with my daughter, but I was delayed a day, work stuff. So, my daughter went home and I’m just strolling around all by myself.”
“I see… I… “
“I’m curious, looking at your outfit, you’re an undertaker too?”
“Yes.”
“There aren’t too many of us, we don’t tend to run into each other much. Are you working nearby?”
“Yes… and no.” Hilda suddenly sits up straight and stares at Mark. “You must have been doing this work a lot longer than I have. I want to ask you something.”
“You’re very serious all of a sudden. Go on then.”
“The longer I do this job, the more I feel like my heart is turning into stone. I see so many deaths, they don’t even affect my feelings anymore… Constantly facing the end of things, it feels like life has stopped.”
“Do you see death as an ending?”
“I don’t think so, but feeling like I’ve stopped changing has made me start to doubt myself…”
“Stopped changing… You think you’ve stopped changing?”
“Yeah. I can’t feel anything. I buried my father myself and I didn’t even shed a tear. He… He was an undertaker too.”
Mark goes quiet. Hilda apologizes. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think that that was you being indifferent. Doing this work, I’ve seen people say goodbye in a lot of different ways. I think everyone expresses their grief differently.”
“I’ve heard that before…”
“Your situation and my daughter’s situation are similar, really. She was never very expressive with her emotions, even when she was little. Emotions aren’t always conveyed through language. Many times, you don’t even realize you have emotions.”
“What do you mean?”
“My daughter often tells me that she never gets angry and has no emotions. For example, when I called her yesterday and told her that I’d be delayed a day because of work, her tone was completely calm, but then she decided to go home alone. She was disappointed in me and she expressed it to me with her actions.”
“Maybe she didn’t think that much about it…”
“That’s possible. I’m not wrong though. After all, she is my daughter. I know that apologizing repeatedly is meaningless, so I got her a gift.” He shows Hilda a seashell chime.
“This… This is…”
“A little thing I bought on the market here in Accro. It’s kind of cute. In any case, I don’t know what you’re going through, but I really don’t think you need to worry too much. After all, someone who can worry about this kind of problem can’t be heartless, right?” As Mark speaks, Hilda remains quiet. “I need to get going. Oh, one more thing. I don’t think this job of ours is about facing the end. This job is about rebirth. From beginning to end, life is a process of returning. We can always be reminded of the nature of existence. Isn’t this a wonderful job?”
“My father… said the same thing.”
“Really? He must have been a wise man! Hahaha, goodbye.”
“Wait!”
“What’s up?”
“I…  Goodbye.”
“...Goodbye, young lady. Good luck!”
Hilda watches Mark leave and then everything around her turns white again. She touches her face… It's still dry. “I… I thought I was crying, but I’m still unchanged, huh.” Hilda then sees the glowing deer again. “So, you’re here… Where am I, exactly? What is all this… Is this what Marianna wants me to see? That little… Will this be the end for me? When will all this pain stop?”
“When you awake.”
Hilda slowly opens her eyes and wipes away her tears. Her car is parked by the side of the road. The engine is off and Hailey is asleep in the passenger seat. The sky has darkened quite a bit and a faint white glow can be seen in the distance. It’s coming from the white conch shell. “So, that’s what it was… Hey, Hailey! Hailey!”
Hailey awakes with a jerk. “Wah-! I didn’t take the ice cream from the fridge, I swear it wasn’t me!!!” She then sees Hilda just staring at her. “What’s going on… I feel a little dizzy.”
“Be careful not to fall asleep again. Let’s get moving.”
“Huh? What happened? I was just in a beautiful seaside town eating ice cream…”
“Let’s go.” Hilda restarts the car and they drive into the ruins of Accro.
=== Act 4: Dilemma in White ===
As she drives, Hilda tells Hailey about her experiences in Marianna’s world.
“So… This Marianna used her divine power to create that huge conch and then trapped us in a dream?” Hailey asks.
“It’s not exactly a dream, more like an alternate reality.”
“I was in there too then? I felt like I was lying down sleeping the whole time… Where’s Tevor?”
“I’m still looking for him. Keep an eye on the roadside, he must be nearby.”
“I’m getting more and more confused… Does Marianna know she’s in this space that she created?”
“I’m afraid so…”
“She’d rather stay inside, repeating those two days over and over again? For thirteen years?!”
“Not everyone can accept what life is, Hailey. Obsessions can become beautiful shells, trapping you inside them forever. But the only constant in life is change itself. No matter how much you want to hold on to the past, you can’t go back.”
“Did you see your past self in there?”
“Yes.”
“Then… Did you see your father as well?”
“Yes.”
“...I’m sorry.”
“Over there. Is that Tevor?”
“And an Other. Get ready, Hilda.”
“Okay.”
After some battling, Hailey delivers the final blow to the Other… Tevor is lying by the roadside. Hilda runs over to him. “He looks a bit weak. I don’t know how long he’s been trapped here…”
“I’ll get some water from the car.” Hailey says as she goes over to Hilda’s car.
“Tevor, Tevor?” Hilda gently shakes the feline, who finally begins to stir. “Tevor, are you okay?”
“Hilda! Save them, they’re trapped inside!!! They were asking me for help after you disappeared!!”
“Tavor, trapped inside… It was just us and Marianna in there.”
“What?”
“I don’t think there are any living people left here other than us… Hailey and I have checked around, there are no traces of anyone else living here. The thing I was feeling inside that world, it was probably just the spirits of the deceased. What we saw in there was the fruit of Marianna’s obsession… She did try to protect her mother and the rest of the town by unfolding that conch shell as the Anomaly descended…”
“But she couldn’t save anyone…”
“She trapped herself in the past, trapped herself inside her own regret.”
Tevor takes the water bottle Hailey hands him, stares at the faintly glowing white conch off in the distance, and takes a big gulp of water. “Let’s go.”
=== Act 4: Marianna ===
Hailey touches the white conch shell and then pulls her hand back. “This… It was made using divine power.”
“Yes. I can’t think of any other way. Give it a try, Hailey.” Hilda says calmly.
“Alright.” Hailey swings her gigantic hammer, and brings it down hard on the conch shell. Boom! A small crack appears in the translucent white shell. Hailey swings again and again, the crack expanding slowly until an opening the size of a door has been created.
“So according to the plan, we’ll go in together, Hailey will stay here and guard the exit.” Tevor says.
“Okay.”
“Don’t fall asleep, Hailey.” Hilda jokes.
“I know. Um…  Come back safe, you two.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a professional.” Then Hilda and Tevor enter the opening, and as soon as they do, Tevor turns back into a black cat.
“I’ve turned back into a cat…”
“Yeah, you seem to have gotten used to that.”
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you so certain? There’s nothing here… I can sense divine power, but I don’t feel any presence.”
“Can you see… a glowing deer in front of us?”
“What deer?”
“Never mind. Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon.”
“Who are you talking to?”
“Death.”
“What… Have you figured out how to persuade Marianna? We might have to resort to violence.”
“We’ve already used violence to break open this shell. I’m prepared. Whatever it takes, I’ll get that girl out of here.”
“Right! Up ahead… The exit!” Tevor and Hilda make it out back to Accro, back at the platform they were at before… but this time, it is really destroyed. “The atmosphere here… It’s a bit eerie…”
The once bustling town is empty, and Marianna stands alone by the sea, looking out at the distant Cube Anomaly.
“Marianna…” Hilda mumbles.
“Why did you come back?” Is this really Marianna? Her skin is black, her eyes are completely taken over by blue, and she gives off this weird ghostly pallor.
“Marianna!” Tevor yells.
“He… Isn’t a cat, is he…” As soon as Marianna finishes speaking, Tevor returns to his original form. “Go away, you’re not welcome here.”
“Leave this place with us, Marianna.” Hilda walks closer.
“Why? This is my world. If it weren’t for you walking in here, nothing would have happened! Please leave!”
“Staying in the past won’t change anything. Deep down, you know that you’re looping these two days over and over, trying to relieve the guilt you feel. Your divine power exists to protect others, not to trap them!”
“In here, they can live on!!!”
“You’ve trapped the souls of the people of Accro here for thirteen years!”
“I’ve kept them alive for thirteen years!!! I don’t want anything to change! I just want to keep things as they are now! What’s wrong with that? This way, everyone can live on!”
“Stopping time won’t change anything! There’s no past or future here! This can’t be called living, you can’t even call it dying! Listen to me, Marianna!!! I was confused once too. I used to think death was the end of life, but it’s not!”
“You’re lying! People die, then they’re nothing!”
“Nothing can be eternal, change is the true nature of life. Your mother wouldn’t want you to stay trapped in an illusion.”
“DON’T YOU DARE MENTION MY MOTHER!!!” The howling wind whirls seawater around Marianna, and the white conch shell fragments begin to disintegrate. The sky peels back and Marianna can no longer hear anything. “Get out!!!”
=== Act 4: Sleep Soundly ===
After the hard fought battle, Marianna turns back into her original self, and falls out of the air, landing on the solid concrete ground, causing a crack to form in it. She hears voices calling her name as she looks up. There, she sees a countless amount of people, all with different bodies, but sharing her face—or a face similar to hers, but contorted into creepy grins, while behind them all is the 14-year-old Hilda. And then everything cracks. “No, no… no… No!!!” Marianna cries out, looking up at a crack in the ceiling.
There, there was her room, with her as a child crying by a wall, holding her legs close to her chest, sniffling gently. “No… no… don’t leave me…” And then a hand reaches out to her.
“Don’t cry.” As she looks up, she sees her mother. “Mom’s here.” Her mother gently brushes her daughter’s cheek.
“But you want to leave… to never come back.” Young Marianna cries softly.
“Yes.” Nori looks off to the side. “Life is a stream that follows in one direction, there is no going back. I want to travel on to the next place.”
Marianna hugs her mother tightly. “But I’m scared… I want to stay with you forever, mom.”
“I don’t want you to hold onto me like this forever.” Nori holds Marianna’s shoulders and slightly pushes her back. “I want to travel on to the next place. You should too, Mari. You’re all grown up.”
Eyes widening, Marianna was back at the destroyed city. But she isn’t alone as Hilda comes and gives her a hug. “Onward then, the road ahead is yours. Life, anew.” And then everything around them started to crack like glass. And below them, a field of white flowers started to blossom. And a familiar glowing deer was there as comfort. “This doesn’t need to be the end, it can be the beginning of a whole new adventure. Your mom’s heading off on an adventure. She told me she hopes you can do the same. You should say goodbye to her. So, are you ready?”
A tear fell down on a flower as Marianna was crying. But then, she looks up and even through tears, she smiles. “Sure.” The night sky, filled with stars, calls out to her. And then she sees a strange phenomenon; an aurora borealis has formed in the sky. Above all of them. Hilda mumbles something underneath her breath, and it looks like the glowing deer is absorbing energy. It then gets closer to Marianna as she hugs it, before then running away into the night sky, leaving behind memories.
The bridge to the Netherworld was open. The souls of Accro’s deceased could finally cross it and go into the afterlife. Marianna looks at it and waves. “Goodbye, mom!”
One lonely grave was in greenery overlooking the destruction of Accro. A lonely grave with a wreath of white flowers. “Goodnight, Accro.”
=== Act 4: Goodbye, Accro ===
Marianna clutches her clothes hesitantly, her eyes still looking out at the grave by the sea. Hailey and Tevor help Hilda load the boxes and funeral paraphernalia into the car.
“Hey, kid, come help us.” Hailey calls.
“Don’t bother her, give her some time. She’s been through a lot.” Tevor replies.
“Ah? Isn’t that all the more reason to throw herself back into the world of the living? She has thirteen years to catch up on!”
“Hey, I’m telling you…”
“It’s okay.” Marianna suddenly speaks up. “Where do you need my help?”
“Oh, back to life! Help us with these boxes over here.”
“Alright.” Marianna joins the group, helps out, while Tevor complains about Hailey not being able to read the vibe of a situation.
Hilda looks at Marianna. “Have you thought about where you want to go? Do you have any other relatives? I can give you a ride.”
“Well, I want to go to Hazlitt.”
“I don’t want to give you more bad news, but… Hazlitt was also destroyed in the Anomaly’s descent two years ago.”
“What?”
“However, many survivors have moved to Gyrate. It’s become a new city.”
“I see… Please take me to Gyrate then.”
“Are you… okay?”
“Yes! Although I don’t know if i’ll be able to find the person I want to see, best not to assume anything before I get there. After all of this, I think I need to come at life from a different perspective. After all… Change is an essential part of life, right?”
“...Good girl, get in the car.”
Then Hilda drives all of them to Gyrate. The impressive sight of the city attracts Marianna’s attention, to her this is a new beginning. Hilda parks the car by the roadside and says goodbye to Marianna and Tevor.
“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.” Marianna says in her gentle voice, feeling grateful.
“I’m an undertaker, it’s my job. If you want to thank someone, thank Tevor. Without his letter, I wouldn’t have gone to Accro.”
Tevor looks at Hilda in confusion. “What letter?”
“Huh? The one you sent me… asking me to work in the uninhabited area?”
“I was investigating nearby and accidentally entered that area. Looking at the date, I’ve been trapped there for over a week… I never sent you any letter.”
Hilda and Tevor look at each other. Even though winter is coming to an end, the air has suddenly turned chilly.
“Alright, alright! You can talk about this later. Don’t keep Marianna waiting.” Hailey interrupts.
Tevor just looks off to the side. “Anyway… I can’t leave Marianna on her own, I’ll help her find her father. You guys can continue your work, no need to worry. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye!” Marianna waves.
“Bye.” Hailey waves back.
As soon as Marianna and Tevor have disappeared around the corner, Hilda can’t help but ask Hailey. “Did that letter really fall out of my bag?”
“Yeah, when you were staring off into space.”
“Oh… That was the first time I saw that glowing deer… After we got out, I couldn't find that letter… Did the deer send me a letter?”
Hailey shrugs. “Either way, it’s not important now.”
“Yes…”
Hilda and Hailey get back on the road. The seemingly endless road makes Hilda daydream. She has never felt so refreshed in her life. “Winter will be over soon.”
“Another year…”
“How long are you planning to hitch a ride with me?”
“I’m almost ready to go back… Well, just drop me off in a convenient city, and that’s it.”
“Okay.”
“You’ve changed.”
“Isn’t that… natural?” Silence falls over the two of them for a while before they both start laughing. “It’s been so wonderful having you along on this trip. But seriously Hailey, you need to pay me gas money.”
“Huh?!”
<>WARM WINTER: END<>
Category:Personal Stories
Category:Estero Harbor Saga