Chapter 7: The Last Straw

My eyes opened to the sight of a black abyss. This sight is nothing new for me as I barely ever dream anymore. Since I never dream of anything happy or sad, it's only natural that there is absolutely nothing in my mind when I'm asleep.

That should be the case but then why is there…

'…A door?' I noticed a normal wooden door in the black abyss. I moved my body toward it. And after what felt like an eternity, I reached the door and twisted the doorknob. And then…

'W-Where am I?' I thought to myself because even here the words that I wanted to say wouldn't come out of my throat. I looked all around me, as I noticed that I was in a grassy landscape. There were no buildings in the distance. Just grass for what seemed like miles on end. But, while that was surprising to say the least. There was something far more surprising in front of me.

'…S-Saber?' I thought to myself as I saw the knight who has protected me a little over a day in front of me. Except, he was clearly different. Saber had none of his armor on him. Instead, he wore an old pair of shirt and pants that were from centuries ago. Saber was looking at a sword that was piercing a stone. It wasn't just any stone, this was the sword in the stone, Caliburn.

However, Saber wasn't alone. There was another person watching the events unfold. This person was a young woman with short white hair that was moving up and down due to the wind. She was also wearing a white and black outfit with a purple bow where her-um never mind that. I don't know who this woman is. My first guess was the wizard, Merlin. But, Merlin's a guy.

"…" The white-haired woman sat on the grass without a care in the world. It was almost like she knew what would happen next before it happened. Even still, she stared eagerly waiting for what Saber was going to do next. Fulfill the legend by pulling the sword from the stone.

"Whoso pulleth out this sword from this stone and anvil is duly born King of all England." The white-haired woman spoke to Saber. Wait. Those are the exact words that Merlin spoke to King Arthur before he pulled Caliburn from the stone. Then does that mean she is…

"…" Without saying a single word, Saber pulled the sword from the stone thus fulfilling the legend of King Arthur. The rising sun behind the young man who will become king shined onto Caliburn as he raised it into the bright, blue sky above him.

"Thou are no longer human." Merlin spoke as she stood up and bowed toward Saber. Saber proceeded to walk forward as Merlin followed behind. But then…

"You have many trials and tribulations awaiting you. Suffice to say, it's a long road ahead of you before you can claim that omnipotent wish granter…" Merlin spoke as she then turned around to face me.

"…See you later, Ayaka." Merlin spoke with a smile as she snapped her fingers. With that action the world that was presented to me turned back into black darkness. I had so many questions, but the one that baffled me the most was…

'…How did she know my name?' I thought to no one in particular when suddenly…

"Time to wake up now." An unfamiliar voice said to me as my real eyes abruptly opened to the sight of Bern licking my face.

'Ding~dong!' The sound of my alarm clock proceeded to echo throughout my bedroom. The insufferable sound was like nails to a chalkboard as it pierced my ears without any mercy to speak of.

"Meow, meow!" Bern meowed. Rough translation: Turn that off right now!

"Yeah. It annoys me too, Bern." I spoke as I jumped out of my bed and turned the cursed device off. Then, Bern walked toward me and nuzzled into my legs.

"Aw, cut-ow!" I spoke as Bern bit my leg. Mostly likely this was punishment for the alarm clock going off. I think I heard that cats have more sensitive ears in comparison to humans. So, if that's the case then something that sounds loud to me must sound like a heavy metal concert to Bern.

"Sorry, Bern." I spoke as I unplugged the alarm clock so it wouldn't hurt the black cat's ears ever again. Just before I pulled out the alarm clock, I noticed that the time read '6:01.'

"Phew." I sighed in relief as thankfully, today I woke up on time. That means I don't have to hurry to get ready before school and I can go at my pace. So, I proceeded to undergo my morning routine which should be all too familiar by now.

First, go to the bathroom. Second, brush my teeth. Third, take a shower. Fourth, change into my school uniform. And fifth, make some break-

"-Fast." I spoke as I noticed that Saber was in the kitchen with plates of food on the table as breakfast as already been prepared.

"Good morning, Ayaka! Are you hungry?" Saber asked as my stomach grumbled in response.

"Y-Yeah." I answered matter-of-factly as I sat down.

"Great!" Saber spoke excitedly as he sat down too. What was in front of us was a quintessential English breakfast. Scrambled eggs, sausage, buttered toast, and…

"…Beans?" I spoke.

"Do you not like beans?" Saber asked.

"No, I do. But, um, I didn't know beans were served for breakfast." I replied.

"Of course! Beans are beloved by all of the citizens of Camelot! Eating beans together with my fellow Knights of the Roundtable was a tradition for us all!" Saber admitted with satisfaction. I guess Saber is a certified bean lover. So, I won't say this out loud. But…WHO EATS BEANS FOR BREAKFAST?!

"Itadakimasu!" Me and Saber said in unison as we then proceeded to eat. I used to always eat eggs and toast for breakfast but they both taste much better when they are made by Saber. I have to admit it, Saber is definitely a great cook. All of this food is very delicious.

Even the beans are excellent. Though beans will always remain a food to be eaten during dinner and nothing will ever change that for me. I tried to think of a conversation topic that me and Saber could discuss. But nothing came to my mind. Until I remembered…

'Ok. Saber, I need you to leave my room for a little while so I can get changed. You can borrow the book though.'

"Right. Um, how was the book?" I asked.

"The one about me? It was, mostly true, I guess." Saber replied.

"Mostly?" I asked.

"Well, other than the fact I've never had a beard in my life. They got several things right. For example, me pulling out the sword in the stone, Caliburn." Saber admitted. That reminds me of the dream I had earlier today. But was it a dream?

"That reminds me…I saw it." I admitted.

"I see." Saber replied.

"You aren't surprised?" I asked.

"No. It's very common for a Master to see events of their Servants previous lives. Honestly, I would be more surprised if you didn't see any by now." Saber explained. Huh. So, seeing Saber's memories is normal. I guess. I then remembered her.

"I guess, one of the things the book got wrong was that Merlin is a woman." I spoke.

"That's correct. The Merlin I remember was indeed a woman. A mischievous one at that." Saber admitted.

"Mischievous? You mean she used to prank you?" I asked.

"Calling her actions 'pranks' would be far from the truth. This one time, Merlin had the mindboggling idea to replace my willy with a-" Saber spoke, but I interrupted him.

"STOP! I do not want to hear that while I'm eating! Or ever!" I yelled. Like hell I'll accept that as a fact! There's no way Saber will be a girl! NO WAY! Never gonna happen!

"I understand. Sorry Ayaka." Saber apologized.

"It's ok. But, let's never ever speak about 'that' again." I demanded.

"Agreed." Saber agreed.

About ten minutes later, Saber and I finished eating around the same time.

"Thanks for the food, Saber." I spoke with a smile.

"No problem, Ayaka! But, I got to say I'm impressed!" Saber spoke.

"Impressed with…what?" I asked.

"Well, you really know how to put down food!" Saber replied. I then walked to over him and gave him a finger flick to the forehead which made him say 'ouch' in response.

"Idiot. Don't say that to a girl." I demanded.

"S-Sorry about that, haha." Saber awkwardly laughed.

"Apology accepted. Anyway, I'm off to school. I'll see you late-" I spoke but then…

'…See you later, Ayaka.'

"Is everything alright?" Saber tilted his head.

"Y-Yeah. Everything's alright, um, later." I spoke as I opened the door and left my house. That woman. She is definitely Merlin, that much has already been confirmed as fact. But, what did she mean by 'see you later?' I pondered on those words but couldn't figure out what she meant by them when I suddenly realized that I already arrived at my school.

"Ah." I gasped in surprise as I noticed several students casually strolling into the building in front of me. Huh? I know that I got at least eight hours of sleep last night. So, how was I so out of it that I didn't even notice what I was doing till now?! I mean it was a dream so it shouldn't have any effect on me in real life! Right?

"Ow." I slapped my cheeks to abandon my thoughts of the past and focus on what is in front of me. Though I didn't notice that some of my classmates were around me…

"Ha~ha! Does Sajyou enjoy pain or something?" Girl A asked her friend.

"Eh? You didn't know? Sajyou definitely has cuts all over her body!" Girl B replied.

"Scary! That means she probably has a knife on her! I don't want to get anywhere near that psycho! Hahaha!" Girl C chimed in as the trio hurried past me. That means nothing to me. That means nothing to me. That means nothing to m-

"Ah." I gasped as I noticed I was biting into my lip hard. I touched it and saw that blood was on it. My blood. It then dripped onto the ground. Before I could remember the events from the other night, I closed my eyes and rejected those memories completely.

"Tch." I clicked my tongue and made my way to homeroom. I walked toward my seat without looking at anything else like a machine with one purpose and one purpose only. When suddenly…

I noticed that I fell onto the floor. I then heard a familiar laugh and knew exactly who it belonged too. It was Akari.

"Ha~ha. I just had to stretch my legs. But I'm sure you're used to it by now. Right, Sajyou?" Akari spoke as with an innocent look. I stood back up and sat in my seat. Which earned a 'thought so' from Akari. I didn't pay attention to the lecture or anything else. I just stared at nothing in particular until lunchtime arrived. All of my classmates all walked away in pairs as I patiently waited for them to leave.

"…" I stood up from my seat and was about to walk to the cafeteria when someone grasped my shoulders.

"Hey, Sajyou. Want to eat some lunch together?" Akari asked.

"I'll pass." I replied and tried to walk away but Akari was not letting me go.

"You can't just pass. Come on. I don't have all day. All the good stuff will be gone in no time if you don't-" Akari spoke but I cut her off.

"No." I spoke as I shook her hand off of my shoulder and walked away only to fall onto the ground.

"Oh well. Suit yourself Sajyou. See you later. Hahaha!" Akari laughed and friends joined in too. They would have all left and nothing would have happened…but I had enough of this.

"Why?" I asked as I stood back up.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Akari replied with a shrug.

"You know what I mean!" I snapped back. The other girls noticed and chimed in.

"Is she an idiot or what?!" Girl A asked. Shut up.

"No. She's worse than an idiot! She's a dumbass!" Girl B replied. Shut up.

"Yeah! Dumbass Sajyou never knows what's going on around her! Hahaha!" Girl C laughed. Shut up.

"Right! You should pay more attention to your surroundings, Sajyou. If you did then you would have noticed that I was stretching my legs. Too bad you only care about yourself. No wonder you don't have a single friend to speak of! Hahahaha!" Akari spoke as she pointed at me. Akari and her friends laughed obnoxiously.

No one had the guts to say anything. It was only natural because those girls were popular. No one wanted to be hated by them or they would suffer the consequences like me. So, what do I got to lose?

"SHUT UP!" I grabbed Akari's shirt collar as I screamed in her face.

"L-Let go of m-" Akari tried to speak but I cut her off.

"What is your problem with me?! Huh?!" I yelled.

"Sajyou! You're hurting her! Let go of-" Girl A spoke but I cut her off.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Girl A let out a gasp as she backed off.

"W-What are you so mad about? It's just a game…I wasn't actually trying to hurt y-" Akari spoke but I interrupted her again.

"A game? All of those times you called me a disgusting dumbass…all of the times you tripped me…or pressured me into doing something that I didn't want to do…that was just a game to you?" I asked.

"Of course, it was! We were all just messing with you! Can't you take a joke?!" Girl B asked.

"A joke. Saying that I carry a knife…to cut myself…that I like feeling in pain? If I had a knife right now…the last person I would use it on…is me." I spoke while staring into Girl B's eyes. Girl B let out a gasp as she backed off too.

"Let go of me!" Akari yelled as she pushed me away from her. I then fell onto the ground once more. Only to stand back up without making a single peep. And then…

BAM! Something hit my face. It was Akari's hand. Akari slapped me. She must have used every ounce of her strength for that blow. It stung a bit. Even my glasses fell off and landed on the floor. But compared to the pain I felt before…

Losing my index finger.

Losing my heart.

Losing my family.

That pain was nothing.

"Is that the best you've got." I asked with a smirk.

"N-No way. That didn't hurt you? Just what the hell is wrong with you?!" Akari yelled.

"I can say the same thing to you…all of that torment…the hell you put me through…that was just a joke. Was what you said to me the other day a joke too?" I spoke.

"W-What are you talking about?" Akari asked as she moved backwards.

You don't remember? You asked me if I was scared to be eaten alive. That was you just messing with me?" I replied.

"Fine. I'll admit it. I hate you. No, I despise you. Everything that you do pisses me off. You are always so detached. Like nothing matters. Like everything around you is irrelevant. How can you be so dead inside? Oh wait, I know! It's because your family doesn't love you." Akari asked as she pointed at me.

"Ah." I gasped. What did she just say?

"So, it's true, isn't it? Your family doesn't love you. They hate you. It's probably because you've always been this way. That's why they can't stand the sight of you. I bet even if they died, you wouldn't even cry. Ha. Haha. Hahahahahahahaha!-" Akari laughed as all I could do was stare at her.

'I probably won't return tonight, Ayaka. But just know that everyone dies eventually. So, you don't need to do anything as meaningless as crying over my demise.'

I did not want to remember my father's parting words. But, I did. That was when something snapped inside of me. Or was I broken from the beginning? Either way, that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Hahaha-AUGH!" Akari continued to laugh until she stopped. When my fist hit her in her jaw.

"Ow! Y-You bitch! AAHH!" Akari was about to punch me back, but I struck first. With a chair. I bashed it into her body. Akari tried crawling away from me. But, it was no use.

"P-Please stop! I'm sorr-AAAHHH!" Akari screamed again as I slammed the chair into her body again.

"AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO ME, YOU'RE SORRY?! GO TO HELL!" I roared at the top of my lungs.

"H-Help m-me! AAAAAHHHHHH!" Akari screamed only for her friends to run out of the classroom out of fear.

"HEY, AKARI? DOES THIS HURT? HOW ABOUT THIS? AND THIS? ARE YOU HAVING FUN?! I roared once more as I slammed the chair into Akari's body again and again and again and again. Ha. This is kinda fun. She's finally getting a taste of her medicine. Maybe I should put her out of her misery. Right? Akari should just die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. You agree with me, right? Then I think I really will kill-

"P-Please save me…Father!" Akari screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Huh?" I dropped what I was holding. I couldn't see that well without my glasses, so I looked for them. I noticed one of the lenses were cracked but I was able to make out what was in front of me. And then…

"I-I did this." I spoke in absolute horror as I saw someone that looked familiar. No. I saw me. Looking at Akari was like looking at my own reflection. I then noticed that she was bruised and bleeding and crying her eyes out.

Just like I did.

"I-I didn't mean to go that far! I-I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I was a broken record as I backed away from Akari. I almost killed her. No. If I didn't see myself in her. I'm sure I would have-

"I'M SORRY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and dashed out of the classroom. I didn't look back. Not for a second. So, I ran out of the school.

I ran…

…And ran…

…And continued running…

…Until I made it back to my house.

"…Ah." I finally gasped for air after all of the running I did. Sweat was dripping from my forehead and onto my glasses. They made everything very blurry. I could barely see. But I knew I was safe. With the key in my hand, I unlocked the door, and successfully es-

"Hey, Ayaka. You're home a lot earlier than you were yesterday. Did something ha-ah!" Saber asked me but gasped when he saw my injuries. I couldn't look him in the face. Not after what I did. So, I ignored him and walked past h-

"Who did this to you? Who hurt you?! W-Wait Aya-" Saber attempted to grab my shoulder to stop me from escaping. Without a second thought, I slapped his hand away.

"Aya-ka." Saber was utterly shocked and could only utter my name. For a second, I noticed his expression. And the blow was incomparable to even Archer's weapon that pierced my heart.

"I…Just leave me alone for today." I muttered and retreated into my room and immediately locked the door to my room. And with that, the strings that held me up were cut, and I immediately crumbled to the floor. And then…

I finally cried. Tears wouldn't stop pouring from my eyes. Nothing could stop my weeping now. I was sobbing uncontrollably. It's always been like this, hasn't it? That's when I remembered a memory from a time, I thought I had long forgotten.