12.
"Nagisa."
"It's not time yet. It's not time."
They repeat these words, body trembling, looking at the graying sea blue gem. Their body aches with the pain of tentacle swipes and knife cuts. It all hurts.
"Nagisa."
Their head swims. The goddess has not come, why won't she, why won't she end this for them? End this failure, this nightmare?
Kayano's laughter echoes in their ears. Her screams, her darkness. So much of it, so much of a killer's life is drowning in Nagisa's ears. They barely recognize Karma's voice. It's too heavy, too solemn.
"It's the new year, Nagisa."
Karma's voice cuts through the water at those words. No others. They look up at him. He smirks. "That got your attention. We can't find Kayano. Can you?"
Fear courses through them. Nagisa swallows sea water. They nod.
They have three months left.
Nagisa thinks they themselves have even less.
The Goddess touches their cheek. Nagisa smiles.
There is still blood to spill, regardless.
A/N: So, um, this is the end. *hides from tomatoes* Don't worry! I promise there's another fic after this. At least, there might be. This verse was a lot more fun than I expected it to be. But this part of Nagisa's story is definitely done. Once the manga ends, I'll see where else I can go with things. Until then, I hope this was worth the long wait for the end. Thanks so much for all of your support!