his fingers were quivering ever so slightly ; teeth chattering as if he were cold.
numb hands held a firm grasp on the thin thread as he looked down on the sinners who
desperately clung onto the thread and climbed up. there was the familiar voice echoing
in this void once again. the question had surprised his for a second but nevertheless it
didn’t stop him from giving an answer. ❛ … to - to see my brother ! ❜ the last time he’s ever
seen him was back when he was just a young child – memories of his dear brother were
hazy and a mess, there was not a single memory that was vivid and innocent – everything
was dyed in b l a c k & r e d.
❛ i’m gonna make sure my mother gets up in paradise… ! ❜ he doesn’t care if this
thread breaks. all that matters is his mother. what happened to her after he died ? did she
continue feeding herself ? she couldn’t go to town often because she would get sick, she
couldn’t stand the daylight because it hurt her eyes – she would fall asleep anywhere and
sometimes too suddenly, what if she sleeps without her blanket ? ❛ i need to see how my
mother is… she’s old, she’s sickly… she can’t live without anyone helping her… ❜ he had to
see her – he just had to
he looked down once again at the pile of sinners who were getting near him and he
simply shouted, ❛ climb up if you wish– but none of us deserves such a thing ! ❜ they were
selfish. merciless. violent. just throw them in a pit of boiling tar – that would be a better end
for them. tear their body parts apart – break their bones – crush them, who would be there
to care anyways ? he continued to climb up but somehow he began to feel more and more
hesitant. his fingers would freeze and his back would ache – it was as if his body was slowly
being destroyed.
Perhaps this was what she feared all along.
“If you tried to climb up to PARADISE, you’d have to tolerate the pain. You’re technically already dead, and maybe that’s what makes it worse—the suffering would never stop. I haven’t heard anyone actually reach here by that method because they’d give up. It isn’t an easy task. The pain is physical at first, but when it gets to your head, you’re over.”
She should have listened. For the girl’s heart to be so heavy, and her mind clouded with despair, could she forgive herself for letting them through such a g o n y ? She caused all of this. She didn’t mean to give them so much torment—
Shirayuki wasn’t so sure if it was the look in his eyes that shook her back to reality. This was happening right now. She shouldn’t afford to be so distracted and careless as others’ fates were dangling by a thin thread.
“You can do it. Stay strong!”
After all, they didn’t seem to do it only for themselves. Family was really the strength of most.
Just a bit more. She tried pulling onto the thread to help them up, but it had grown too heavy. All she could do was watch them do their best.
The pain was almost unbearable, but never seeing your family again was more so.
