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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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This wasn’t the time for diary entries.
I set aside my writing and focused on Amy, asking her to scan my body.
“…Well?”
I looked at her expectantly, hoping for good news,
But Amy, as always, was brutally honest in her assessments.
“Your cells are mutating in an unprecedented pattern. Correction: they are continuously mutating in an unprecedented pattern.”
The news made my legs weak. But I refused to collapse, to give in to fear.
“…Keep reporting. In detail.”
I was afraid, of course. But I wasn’t going to cry and whimper over this.
I already had Alraune living inside me. I had long since passed the point of being afraid of some alien disease.
If they thought a change in eye color,
Or seeing strange, shimmering shapes, would break me, they were mistaken.
“There is no significant difference in functionality compared to your original eyes. Aside from a slightly delayed pupillary response, there is no immediate threat to your life.”
But despite Amy’s reassurances,
I heard a clock ticking in my head,
A countdown, a constant reminder of my dwindling time,
And the vague, unsettling feeling made me irritable.
If they were going to tell me something, they should just tell me.
This constant buildup of suspense, without any concrete information, was maddening.
“Damn it, I have a bad feeling about this.”
And there was one thing, in particular, that was bothering me.
The increasingly vivid nightmares,
Eroding my sleep, weakening my body.
They were simple dreams.
Just a white silhouette, something I thought I had seen before, slowly approaching me,
And with each dream, the silhouette became clearer, its features, its skin, more defined,
The distance between us shrinking.
“That’s enough for now. I need to talk to Arachne. About the dreams.”
I felt like if it caught me,
I would never return.
That’s where the deep, pervasive anxiety stemmed from.
A slowly tightening noose,
A vague, unsettling premonition.
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“Dreams?”
Arachne offered me a cup of warm tea, her expression curious.
I had come to her because, a few days ago, she had mentioned having unsettling dreams, advising me to rest and take care of myself.
“The dreams, and my eye… something’s not right. I have a bad feeling.”
“What kind of dreams?”
Arachne was eager to hear about them.
“I don’t know. Something white… approaching me. I can’t quite explain it.”
I had no reason to hide it from her, so I described the short, simple nightmares in as much detail as I could.
“Something white?”
“A… white shadow, I guess. It’s blurry. At first, it looked like smoke, but now… I can see its shape, its outline.”
Arachne stroked her chin, lost in thought.
Then, after a few minutes, she asked an abstract question.
“Juho, what do you think dreams are?”
“A series of images created by the brain during sleep?”
“…Are we even speaking the same language?”
Arachne, dissatisfied with my answer, offered her own definition of [dreams].
It was simple, yet profound.
“Dreams are revelations, Juho.”
Human ancestors had also viewed dreams as mystical, significant events. From their perspective, it was a reasonable assumption.
“They’re trying to tell us something.”
“Who?”
Arachne took a sip of her tea, then,
Spoke, her voice soft.
“The gods and the moon.”
The same phrase the previous Queen, Arachne’s mother, had used when she swore her oath to me. When I had threatened her with her mate’s life, she had sworn [on all the gods and the moon] that she wouldn’t pursue us.
“They’re watching over us.”
Arachne was unusually calm, almost serene. She seemed to be enjoying this.
“Is that… a good thing?”
“Of course. It means we’re on the right path.”
But she was still concerned about my health. Arachne finished her tea, then sat beside me, wrapping her arms around me in a gentle embrace.
“Perhaps your illness, the change in your eye… they’re all part of the revelation. How are you feeling?”
“Terrible.”
“You’ll get better. It’s okay.”
Her calmness, her unwavering confidence, made me suspicious.
I had to ask her about her own dreams.
“…What kind of revelation did you receive?”
Arachne’s finger pressed against my lips, silencing me as she whispered.
“They told me to wait. It’s not time yet.”
Her finger prevented me from speaking.
I had more questions,
But Arachne had ended the conversation.
“Now is the time for forgiveness, for nurturing our children.”
She stroked her lower abdomen,
And my heart sank.
“What?”
“Go to the desert, Juho.”
Arachne, unprompted, mentioned the desert.
“I won’t stop you. I’ve changed my mind.”
She took my hand and placed it on her belly, her words surprisingly generous.
“But don’t… play around with other females too much.”
She seemed a little annoyed.
Despite her calm demeanor and gentle touch, her grip on my wrist was firm, almost rigid.
“It will make things… complicated for me and our children. Understand? Behave yourself.”
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Having received her unexpected permission,
I left the spiders’ territory and headed towards the river.
“Are you okay?”
Aria was there, as always, sitting by the riverbank, splashing the water playfully. We hadn’t made any plans to meet, but she always seemed to be there, waiting for me.
She smiled and waved as I approached. I waved back and sat beside her, dipping my feet into the cool water.
I couldn’t keep them submerged for long,
But it was a welcome relief.
“You look pale. Are you still feeling unwell?”
“Yeah, well… sort of.”
My mind was a mess. I was already struggling with the dizziness, and now, with Arachne’s pregnancy, I felt like my head was about to explode.
And I didn’t feel comfortable burdening Aria with my problems.
“Don’t go.”
Aria’s reaction was predictable.
“Just stay here. It’s too dangerous out there. Besides, your male friend is here, and you play such an important role, mediating between us and the spiders…”
She tried to persuade me, her words a desperate plea, but it wouldn’t change anything.
I had to leave.
“…If you’re really leaving, take me with you.”
“Aria, it’s a desert. You wouldn’t say that if you knew what a desert was.”
“What does that matter? I’ll help you. I’ll pack my things tomorrow.”
There was no water in the desert. Taking Aria, who suffered even on land, to a desert would be a suicide mission.
“Aria, you can’t come.”
But Aria’s eyes pleaded with me, her hands clasped tightly together.
“Why…? Why can’t I come?”
“A desert is a dry, barren wasteland. It’s not a place for you. You can’t survive without water.”
“Th-that’s not true. I’ll find a way. Take me with you. Please?”
Aria’s beautiful face was filled with sorrow, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Her unexpected display of emotion flustered me,
And Aria, unable to control her feelings, continued her desperate plea.
“What’s wrong with the desert? No, that’s just an excuse. You just don’t want me to come, do you…?”
“That’s not it! I can’t take you to the desert…!”
Aria’s thoughts, spiraling out of control, trapped her in a cycle of desperation and denial. She was clinging to me, refusing to let go.
“Ahaha, I knew it… I knew you wouldn’t want to take a mermaid with you… I’ve already tried to trap you several times…”
“Sigh- good heavens. Aria, please.”
“Then what’s the problem?! Why don’t we just go back to the cave…!”
Aria, overwhelmed by her emotions, lashed out.
“Ah…”
Then, realizing she had pushed me away,
Her face crumpled, and she started crying.
“…I’m sorry.”
Red marks, imprints of her fingers, appeared on my wrists,
And a throbbing pain began to spread.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt. Don’t apologize, just… please don’t say things like that.”
Even though my wrists ached,
I pretended to be unconcerned.
I didn’t know what she would do if I pushed her any further.
I couldn’t relax, worried about her.
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