「 Xaiyoya, take off your shoes. ...Xaiyoya? 」 I turn around. He's dazed. 「 Alph-Xaiyoya! 」 「 Ah! Y-Yes? 」 「 Take off your shoes... you're being disrespectful. 」 「 O-O-Of course! R-Right away! 」 I take this time to do the same... On cue, a blue butterfly flutters around us. It glows hypnotically, flickering, like fire in the dark. But once were done, it quickly drifts away, returning to the side of its four-legged owner; the white furred goddess, standing and staring at us from afar: White Ash, Princess Agehatate.

For us to arrive and for her to be standing instead of her usual resting position... She must be getting serious... 「 Xaiyoya, if you want to stay out of this, this is your last chance. 」 「 Ah... I-I... can hold out. I've come too far to go back now anyway. 「 Like Alph-Goz... I as well, want to see what will happen next...」 Saying that whilst a monstrous beast stares at you is surely the epitome of something, but I won't stop him. 「 I understand. Then... 」 I lead the way, walking forward, away from the old stone stairway, passing underneath a tall red arch, and crossing into the temple courtyard. With each step, Agehatate's towering stature becomes more apparent, and behind her, a grandiose building even more so. I stop, having reached the half-way point. This is the distance we talked at last time.

Me, and Agehatate... Finally. We're back. I look down at Sing, nestled in my arms. She's staring off into space. Really, a bundle of joy... I nudge her head softly with my arm. 「 Sing... it's time to wake up. 」 She blinks slowly. Giii... I suppose that means she's awake... So I crouch and set her down slowly, holding her up so she can find her footing. She fumbles with her footwork but... she stands on her own relatively quickly. Except her swaying makes me feel as though she might fall any second. Is she dizzy? What's wrong? I look to Xaiyoya, he gestures me to relax. Well... if he says it's fine... I glance at Agehatate over Sing's shoulder. She's tilting her head from side to side slowly. Is she... examining us? What is she doing...? My attention snaps back to Sing once she stops swaying... more or less... Just one more test. I lift up her hand and rest my finger in her palm. Her fingers curl around mine. Good... she's still autonomous. I smile. Sing doesn't react. 「 Well... Agehatate, here she is. 」 I put my hand on Sing's shoulders and turn her around. Sing, and Agehatate, make eye contact. 「 One of the girls Mak promised to bring you. 」 I feel my hands shaking. Wait... My hands aren't shaking... It's... Sing? 『 ℕ... 』 I hear something. I lean closer and hover my antennae around her mouth. 『 ℕ𝕚...𝕟𝕚... 𝕟𝕖... 』 My attention darts to Agehatate who is slowly approaching us. Sing starts trying to step back, but I hold her in place. 「 Sing... don't worry, I'm here. 「 She's a good goddess... 」 I whisper as softly as I can. It doesn't seem to help. 『 ℕ-ℕ𝕚𝕟𝕖... ℕ𝕚𝕟𝕖... T𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕤...? 』

SING CRIER CH.17 - Our Fate 「 Yes... Nine-Tails... 」 Nine tails? What...? Checking again, Agehatate clearly only has two, but that's beside the point... Agehatate... can understand her? 「 I as well, remember you...」 I hold Sing closer as she shivers, struggling to produce words. I don't know what's going on... but it's clear to me she's scaring her. 「 What do you mean... you remember her? ...What do you know? 」 Agehatate looks down at us silently. Then she turns, and starts walking, circling around us with quiet prowling steps.

「 The World Fall. 」 「 ...What about it? 」 「 How many moons have come and gone? 「 At least... a few thousand years worth?」 I glance at Xaiyoya. He's holding his hand over one ear... He might need more time to get used to hearing her projected "divine voice." At least for now, I shouldn't expect him to say anything. 「 Two thousand... seven-fourteen. 」 「 Two thousand, seven hundred, and fourteen years...」 Sing's breathing quickens. I squeeze her hand... Can Sing... understand Agehatate as well? 「 My... I could almost laugh. 」 She walks back to where she started. Time is running out, we don't have time for these games! I stand up- 「 I will test her now. Walk forward, Sing. 」 ...and let go of her. I look down; she looks back up at me. Her eyes are wide, lips parted, pupils shrunk and darting. ... I hug her and give her as bright a smile as I can. 「 He chose you for a reason... You'll be okay, Sing. 」 She blinks at me, then looks down at my waist. ...Mak's dagger, she remembered where I put it. I hand it to her. She takes it with both hands. With her size, it's practically a sword... She holds it, hugs it almost, over her chest. I almost laugh. 「 ...Get going. 」 I give her a slight push on the back. She stops for a bit, but cautiously walks on. Agehatate is lying down, waiting for her. 「 Stop. 」 Sing jumps. 「 Far enough. She is undead, yes? 」 「 Y-Yeah... is that... 」 「 An exception is mandated by the circumstance. 「 I will test her... but the test will not accommodate. 」 Blue butterflies hovering around Agehatate gather in the air next to her, before slowly warping into two orbs of fire with an ascending wail. What kind of test is this...? The orbs crash against the ground. When the flames disperse... Two four-legged creatures in Agehatate's likeness emerge. They each have one tail and their own markings. One with sharp markings, the other with curved ones... Wait... a fight? I take a step forward. 「 If you interrupt, she will fail immediately. 」 I bite my lip. I'm overreacting. Agehatate knows what will kill her, surely. This is most likely a test of character than anything else... ...Sing takes a step back. Then looks back at me. Stay. You can do it. Stand your ground. Her arms are shaking, her knees bent improper, but she holds out the dagger to defend herself. 「 You've done this before. Do it again... Defeat them. 」 The creatures bend down... then sprint forwards. Sing stays put and points her dagger at them. The sharply marked beast leaps first... Thud! Sing is launched back, tackled with its full weight, and sent tumbling to the ground. Having jumped through her, the beast runs past me, and circles around. Is she okay? Wasn't that... a little too rough? On her stomach, she pushes herself off the ground. I notice it then, the beast's sharp markings have transferred to her. She's grasping her chest... trying to catch her breath. In the distance, the other beast with curved markings has opened its mouth. Blue fire gathers within it. Get up quickl-! Fwoom. A blue lance of fire. In under a second, it's sent spiralling past her. It cuts through the side of her torso, knocking her away, before she's rolling on the ground to a halt. She's lying on her side. I...I can see it. The side of her torso... a bite burned away. Her face is rife with shock. Her mouth open, but no sound coming out. Looking at her hurts... I snap to Agehatate. 「 What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill her?! 」 She doesn't even look in my direction. 「 ...Kill? Are you implying the dead can die-? 」 「 Yes, you psycho-goddess! Are you out of your bloody mind?! 」 「 Make quiet. I have no obligations to you or Dream Eater. 「 The precept that a goddess can owe mortals anything 「 is a construct of pity and nothing more. 「 Whether she dies, I will decide completely independent of you, 「 and anything you've ever done. That is the value of your concern. 」 Sing rolls onto her stomach. Without any blood, she doesn't bleed. I can't believe this. 「 You're insane... 」 「 Knowledge is cheap paired against understanding. 「 If you must ask me to discard Dream Eater's efforts, 「 I shall deliver, at least, a piece of that understanding.」 The twin beasts gather and slowly approach Sing. She's on all fours again, trying to get up. The sharp markings have disappeared from her skin, and returned to the beast who gave them to her. 「 I have been asked to make this girl my avatar. 「 This is a ritual I can only complete only once for as long as I live. 「 Answer me this. Is this girl, the best candidate in all the world? 「 Is she more suited than everyone else who exists at this very moment? 」 「 Yes, she's one-of-a-kind... There's no one like her! 「 She's the most valuable girl to exist in the world right now!」 The beast - with curved markings this time - charges at Sing as she's getting up. Thud! She's knocked away like a ragdoll... 「 And the next generation of new-born? 「 Of all those individuals, is she still the best candidate? 「 The next generation? The one after that? 「 One thousand years of candidates? 「 Can you earnestly say that she is the most deserving, 「 the most capable, and the most passionate to ever exist in that time? 「 The young, the middle-aged, the old... aspiring and desperate. 「 Can you say to the face of each one, "This girl is more deserving than you"?」 「 ... 」 Sing gets up again, this time, with curved markings on her skin. The beast that gave her the marks continues to throw her about, charging, and using all its weight against her. 「 Ask me again, if I am insane for executing such a rigorous test. 」 I've... I've had enough of this! I reach into my pocket. My arm is grabbed. I open my eyes and glare at Xaiyoya. 「 Alph-Polimion! Where is that trust you spoke of earlier? 「 Did you not say you trusted Dream Eater more than you trusted yourself?」 「 Have you lost it too? She's dying! 」 「 As opposed to the alternative?! 」 I close my eyes again, and catch my breath. 「 She's... undead. I'm not sure why she's autonomous, but she's still undead. 「 Reanimation... is only temporary, so... let her fight for her own life. 」 Fight... for her own life? What kind of sick circumstance is that? Making a child fight for the right to live... 「 She made the decision to fight when she first walked forward. 「 She's already passed the first hurdle, and it's still not over. 「 Have faith in what you've worked towards-」 Sing lands near us. 「 ...!」「 ...!」 I cover my mouth. 「 This... 「 This isn't okay... 「 This isn't a fight...! 」 「 And that is the other half of understanding. 」 The twin beasts gather by Agehatate's side. Mak's dagger is lodged in the snout of one... 「 I am the truth. 「 This was wholly a test, but for more than one purpose. 「 The first was, to evaluate her viability as my avatar... 」 Agehatate stands up and faces Sing, directly. 「 The second, to determine if I could forgive my personal genocider. 「 One who participated in killing me, and my temple's inhabitants, 「 numerous times. Each time, with a regretless smile on her face... 」 I don't know what she's talking about anymore... How could I look at anything... but what's before me? 「 Sing... 」 I kneel by Sing's side. I don't know where to begin. This is... too much... 「 P-Polimion... 」 「 Shut up! 」 Her eyes are closed... I hold her hand. Her fingers curl around mine. I... feel like my heart is breaking.... Mak... what is this? Why is this happening? I did exactly what you said. Everything is still going wrong... 「 ...She has failed both tests. 」 「 ... 」 「 Do not weep, for this is simply fate. 「 She was born to end up here, receiving just punishment for her actions. 「 Dream Eater was born to die, fighting for the things he believed in. 「 You as well, it is your fate to be swept up by collateral damage. 「 Some may justify it in the irony that you profit off that very thing, 「 but do not be misled... 「 Fate happens to everyone without rhyme or reason. 「 It is inescapable, even for the divine. 「 Do not weep and do not mourn. 「 Instead, rejoice, for she will meet fate itself. 」 ..."Will meet"? 「 Polimion! Above! 」 I turn. I hear an ascending wail. I see a thin spiralling lance of flame. By the time I understand what I've looked at, it's gone. I turn back to Sing. It's the flame lance. [END]