NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57: Sad Whale (Part 2)
Kai and Mei descended the hill, their steps slow but steady, as if guided by the pull of the mournful song that seeped from the colossal beast.
"I like it…" Kai whispered under his breath, his voice faint, almost reverent. His eyes, empty. For once, his pain, his broken arm, even the exhaustion etched into his body — all of it seemed far away, drowned out by the haunting sound.
It took them a moment to reach the Sad Whale, but they managed. They arrived at the empty lake. In that waterless crater, fish flopped around, dying from the lack of water.
All that remained were small puddles.
Kai and Mei jumped into the empty crater, then began walking toward the whale, descending lower and lower. The melody drew them in like a magnet.
When they finally reached it, they sat beside it, in the mud, listening to its music, staring at it with their empty eyes.
The Sad Whale shifted its colossal eye, as large as the brother and sister together, and looked at them. For a moment, it stopped its song.
"I hear your souls… They sing a beautiful melody…" the whale said quietly.
"Please… continue your melody…" Kai said.
"Of course…" the whale replied, resuming its song.
Far behind them, in front of the Safehouse, stood Lily and Miyuki. They gazed at the whale, and then Lily turned to the woman in the Bunny outfit.
"Why is it singing such a sad melody…?" she asked.
Miyuki didn't turn her head. "The Sad Whale, or as it's otherwise called the Useless Calamity, is born from an egg, just like the Cataclyst. It undergoes a single day of growth, and then gains the power to dry up water…" Miyuki explained.
"So… it's sad because it can't swim anymore?" Lily asked.
"Yes… It's also said that it can hear the songs of others' souls…" Miyuki added.
Kai and Mei sat there, filthy with mud, staring at the whale, listening to its music.
"Brother…" the sister whispered softly, careful not to disturb the melody.
Kai turned to her. "Yes…?" he asked.
"The whale is grieving…" Mei said.
Kai nodded. "I know…"
Mei turned back to the whale. "Please…" the whale began slowly. "Kill me…"
Kai looked at the whale with sadness. "Just a little longer…" he whispered. "I love this melody…"
"And I would like to listen to the songs of your souls for a few more seconds…" the whale said, continuing to sing.
The siblings listened to the whale's melody, gently nodding their heads.
They listened for a few minutes, and then Mei pulled out a sketchbook and pencil and began to draw.
"I always wonder… where do you even keep that sketchbook…" Kai said.
Mei drew a knife, which immediately materialized in her hand. She stepped toward the whale. "Open your mouth…" she said in a sorrowful tone.
The whale slowly opened its mouth.
Mei stepped inside with one foot, then made a deep cut across its tongue. "Sorry I can't kill you right away…" she said with empty eyes, before stepping out of its mouth.
The whale closed its mouth as blood slowly dripped. "Farewell…" it whispered, then shut its eyes.
Mei sat back down in the mud beside her brother. "Should I kill myself too?" she asked aloud.
Kai didn't even look at her — in fact, he didn't even hear her. He was trapped in his thoughts.
Mei brought the knife to her neck. Her hand trembled as she prepared to pierce her throat.
Her brother finally noticed her intent, and snatched the knife from her hand. "Don't do that!" he shouted at her.
Mei looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Let me be…" she said, then sniffled and looked down.
Kai barely glanced at her — he couldn't bear to see her like this, broken.
"Kai…" Mei began, her voice cracking. "I don't want this anymore…"
"What?" Kai asked, also lowering his gaze.
Mei's voice broke through silence, fragile and trembling. "I want to go home…" she whispered, her eyes glistening as she stared at the mud beneath her feet.
Kai pushed himself up. He turned to her, a faint smile forcing its way onto his lips as he stretched out his hand. "Alright… let's go!" he said.
But Mei shook her head violently, her voice rising with desperation. "No, I mean our real home!" she cried, clutching her fists tightly against her chest.
Kai froze, his hand still outstretched, his eyes widening. "…You mean our universe?" he asked, his tone shifting — no longer confident.
Mei's lips trembled as she nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms tightly around her brother's legs, clinging to him.
"I want to go home!!!" she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her grief. The raw desperation in her cry echoed through the hollow crater.
Kai stood frozen for a moment, staring down at the fragile figure of his sister clutching him with everything she had left. His throat tightened, his chest heavy with a mixture of helplessness and guilt.
Slowly, almost awkwardly, he lowered his good hand and patted her head, fingers brushing through her hair. "There, there…" he murmured, his voice gentle but uncertain.
He didn't know what else to do, what else to say. All he could offer was the warmth of his touch, standing firm while she broke against him, the shattered shell of the sister he once knew.
"I WANT TO GO HOME!!!" Mei's voice tore through the air, louder, rawer than before. She clutched her brother's legs with such force that Kai had to shift his stance just to stay upright, his casted arm straining against her desperate grip.
"THERE I COULD DO EVERYTHING… I'D WAKE UP, WATCH ANIME, BE WITH YOU, GO TO SLEEP… AND HERE, HERE IT'S TOO HARD!!!" she wailed, the words tumbling out in a frantic, almost incoherent torrent.
Kai just stood there, silent, his heart heavy, watching his sister unravel before him. He wanted to say something, anything, but the truth was a bitter weight he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"I don't know if that's even possible anymore…"
he thought, his mind screaming, yet his lips remained sealed.
"TAKE ME HOME!!!" Mei screamed again, louder still, her voice cracking under the strain. She knew the demand was selfish, maybe even cruel to ask of him, but the intensity of her longing left her no choice.
Kai's jaw tightened. He looked down at her, heart aching with helplessness, torn between the impossible and the promise of being the anchor she needed.