Disclaimer: I do not own Taimanin series.
Between The Line - 04
"Ingrid-sama! Ingrid-sama!"
Surprised, Ingrid turned to look at the source of that cheerful voice. From a distance, the young demon girl was running along a bustling street. She stopped with a minor gasp in front of the Hell Knight and showed the advertisement letters in her hand.
"Look, Ingrid-sama! I found these while we were cleaning up the old storage!" Lina enthusiastically said.
A quick glance at the postcard attached on the outside cover, the image of a large tree caught Ingrid's attention. But Lina hadn't finished talking about it. The covers looked old, the light shade of colors other than white had taken over it throughout the years. When the content inside was read, Ingrid realized the original owners of these letters was not from the Dark World since they were written in human's language. If these items were found in the old storage, they could have been collected during one of the many raids Nomad carried out from a long time ago, the time when the organization was still trying to assemble its power.
"Also! Hot spring!" Lina pointed at the specific term. "I looked it up. It's good for your health, Ingrid-sama! Let's take a short break from duty and replenish our strength with this!"
"I appreciate your concern, Lina." Ingrid said. "However, I have no need for a vacation. There're still more works to be done before we can officially relax."
"But you have been working non-stop. Paperwork, training sections, disciplinary tasks. You've been doing everything a lot lately so I believe Ingrid-sama has the right to earn yourself a well-deserved rest! Even Black-sama would approve of your case."
Ingrid coughed into her hand. The young Hell Knight trainee just made a slight mistake in her words.
"Lina, we do not use Black-sama's name so casually. As he is currently busy with important matters, it is our responsibility to lessen the burdens and support him wholeheartedly."
"But at this rate, you'll overwork yourself. We don't want that."
"It takes more than this to drag me down. Worry not."
Lina pouted, the letters held close to her chest. However, the expression instantly switched to a mischievous smile. The change startled Ingrid for a bit.
"Fufu. I know you would be persistent about this so I came prepared, Ingrid-sama." The young demon girl pulled out a document folder. "Here! Me and my unit has made this for you!"
Ingrid accepted the folder and opened it to see the content. An organized list of papers consisting of weekly sale reports, statistical analysis of low and high-demand branch products of this month were carefully done and thoroughly observed. Ingrid was impressed, she was able to understand everything from this list Lina and her unit had created.
"I didn't expect this. You really want me to take a break from duty that much?"
Lina did a pose, hands on hip and a triumphant smile.
"All for your well-being, Ingrid-sama!"
"Thank you, Lina." Ingrid hesitated. "But, I'm not so sure about leaving my works at the moment."
"We had a discussion, the others can take care of it." Lina reassured. "They'll manage the position in your place."
"Working with Black-sama demands a competent mind and resourcefulness. You really believe they are capable enough to answer his expectation?"
"I do! After all, we've been working under your guide. Those documents are the proof of our capabilities!"
"My position requires more than just this, Lina. It's not so simple to manage multiple branches at once. I doubt Black-sama would approve of my absence."
Ingrid felt troubled after saying those words, it came out so naturally like an instinct. She hoped it wouldn't give Lina the impression she was making excuse. However, Nomad's business operations were not something one can easily run just by forming the deals and shaking hands. Considering the chaotic natures of most of the demons within the organization, Ingrid could hardly entrust the daunting tasks to anyone else.
"We took care of that, too!" Lina said much to the Hell Knight's confusion.
Ring Ring!
Ingrid picked up her phone to see a new message just arrived, directly sent by Edwin Black himself.
"I will give you five days. Take a break." It read.
The message was short and straight to the point. It didn't have the needless details and emotional tone. It was simply words from the man with supreme power. To Ingrid, it held a fragment of concern, and she would gladly do as told for his kindness.
"How?" The sudden chance of event was still a surprise to the Hell Knight.
"Well, we came together." Lina began explaining. "After a long debate, we decided to write a letter and sent it straight to Black-sama's office. Everyone wants you to have a good rest, but knowing Ingrid-sama is the most dedicated person to Nomad, we wished for Black-sama's approval. So, there you go! You've finally earned a short break!"
"Honestly." Ingrid sighed and pinched her temple. "You should not have bothered him like that."
"You won't rest unless it's Black-sama's direct order. That's why we did this to release Ingrid-sama from the heavy workload." Lina retorted.
Making use of Black-sama's precious time to force her to take a vacation might have been pushing it. However, she understood Lina and her team were doing this out of good will. If it eventually came to this, she wouldn't have the heart to disappoint her subordinates.
"Fine, I accept this." She took one of the envelopes. "Please refrain from doing this again."
"Yes~! We did it!" Lina celebrated the success by jumping up and down like a happy high school girl who won a special prize. "I'll go packing my stuff now! You should too, Ingrid-sama!"
"Eh? We're starting now?"
"Ingrid-sama only has five days, we can't waste any second by standing around here! I'll be your guide on this trip!"
Without waiting for Ingrid's respond, Lina turned and left. Her arm shot up, Ingrid found herself trying to reach the girl's petite back before she's lost in the crowd. It shouldn't have been a problem. They were in one of the main streets of Tokyo Kingdom, she and Lina would meet up again at the entrance of the bridge that connects to the main land.
Hm? For what reason did she reach out to Lina again?
Ingrid suddenly realized her action had no meaning.
It was strange. She was an experience Hell Knight, she understood her body movements better than anyone else. But what happened just now was an impulse. Why did she try to reach out to Lina? Was there something she wanted to say to that young girl and forgot in the spur of moment? Why did she feel like something was missing?
...
I'm truly sorry, Ingrid-sama! Something urgent came up, I can't go with you!
…
"I can't wait to see what that place looks like!"
Ingrid blinked. Before she realized it, time had skipped forward. They were traveling together on a bus, and Lina was sitting at the opposite seat to hers.
"Lina."
"Yes?"
"I thought you couldn't go." While speaking those words, uncertainty filled her voice.
"Eh? I've never said that."
"I see."
Ingrid should have been able to remember crossing past the bridge to enter the mainland with Lina and indulged in the joyful conversations throughout the trip. She couldn't do it, however, there seemed to be a gap in the memory lane. Either that was the case or time was flowing unexpectedly fast. Maybe she was just overthinking about many things and forgot the passage of time, to take some days off work was not something she has got used to.
That's right. All she needed at the moment was a short rest. The gap in her memory would fill in eventually.
As the bus was moving onward to the next destination, Ingrid closed her eyes and took a nap. Afterward, everything was calmed.
…..
"It's not often we have the chance to be off duty for a while. I did come a long way here so I don't plan to waste it either."
…...
The voice of a young man reached her in the darkness behind the eyelids. For some reason, it sounded very familiar.
Ingrid woke up from the slumber and found herself in another location. It was a small town, filled by many people walking around the streets and activities taking places at every block. Inside a dense forest, the whole place became so lively like it was in the midst of a festival. Lina was strolling ahead, looking at some of the food stands and traditional games with stars in her eyes. Ingrid was glad her subordinate was enjoying herself.
Hm? But it was certainly strange. Since when did they get here?
Something was off, she knew nothing about the dark yukata wrapping around her body. When did she put it on? They were on the bus just now. How did things progress so fast and she still had no idea about it?
"Are you coming along?" Lina waved at her.
"You can go on ahead. I will catch up later."
"Okay!"
When the young demon girl had left, Ingrid looked around for a place to sit down. She tried not to think too deeply about the situation. However, she could only ignore it for a short time as the memories in her head had been difficult to perceive clearly. The crowd of people continued to pass by as she watched. But the differences began to show, they started to become blurry in figure and shape. This wasn't good. Out of nowhere, exhaustion was taking over her body. Ingrid resisted the urge to lie down on the side of a crowded street. She didn't want to attract the attentions of the population here, things could be awkward for both her and Lina.
The eyelids were getting heavier, Ingrid could hardly keep her eyes open. She felt lightheaded at the embrace of a trance-liked state.
"A-Are you feeling unwell?"
Lina's worried voice snapped Ingrid back to reality. The subordinate'd already returned with a couple boxes of food in her hands. The concerned look on her face was enough to tell Ingrid she won't let this matter die down.
Lina panicked. "M-Maybe we should go back and let you get some rest. T-That's it! We ought to take a bath in the hot spring again!"
There shouldn't be a need for that, Ingrid wanted to say. But then, her thoughts had turned into a bubble of confusion.
"Do please enjoy our service."
There was another voice.
As she heard it, the world shifted. She was now back on the upper floor of the inn together with Lina, who was following closely behind. The young demon girl gave the impression she was afraid her leader would fall over. How cute. Ingrid was certainly tired, but she would never let her own dignity stained by a nonsensical course of action.
The old man, whom Ingrid recognized as the inn owner, watched them by the staircase. His gaze had been rude, it kept fixing on them for a while and didn't shift to anywhere else. He was brazenly observing them without an ounce of shame. This was a vacation, Ingrid decided to let it slide. Had the man intent to pose a threat, he would need to answer to the tip of their blades.
"That human?" Her companion muttered quietly. "What does he wants?"
The faint scowl on Lina's expression was telling a different story about her intention. If this went on, her straightforwardness might get the better of her wits. Lina would confront the owner for his impolite gesture.
"Hey! You over there, would you mind giving us some privacy?"
Sigh.
She was a step too late as Lina began showing her frustration to the owner's questionable behavior. She fully confronted him, made an aggressive pose with both fists rested on her hip and delivered a fuming glare. In respond, the man smiled at Lina's attitude. She didn't faze him.
"Oh, please do not misunderstand. My name is Kuchiki. I am simply here to regard lady Ingrid's well-being. You two are the honored guests on my list." He explained. "I hope you will enjoy your stay here for a long time. You presence has tremendous meaning to us, and to the Great Ashen Tree."
"I don't get it. What's your point?" Lina said.
"I wish you a good rest." Kuchiki bowed his head and walked out of their sight.
The conversation wasn't that long to leave a lasting impression. But the inn owner had certainly etched into their memory his first introduction, no matter how dubious he turned it out to be.
"Acting all creepy, what a weird human." Lina turned to Ingrid. Her scowl switched back to a worried look. "Let's have you rest, Ingrid-sama. I'll prepare the futon."
She opened the door and hurriedly went into their room. Ingrid was just about to walk in, however, her vision took a drastic change, getting blurry. The Hell Knight nearly collapsed on her feet, she leaned on the door frame for support while Lina was obvious to the circumstance as she was busy prepping the folded blanket on the floor. Her head felt heavy, as if someone had put a restraint on it to prevent her thoughts from reaching a definitive answer.
…..
"Care to join me in my room for a quick Go game?"
…..
Again, the familiar voice of a young man reached her.
Ingrid was sure it didn't echo inside her mind, that voice came from somewhere nearby. It was real as much as she could tell it originated from the next room, it lied at the further end of the hallway. Resisting the exhaustion, Ingrid approached the door which strangely intrigued her.
Knock Knock!
She knocked on it twice. The action happened naturally and Ingrid didn't give it much thought. All she cared about was to satisfy the growing curiosity that began to overwhelm her sense of weariness. She wanted to meet with the owner of that voice. The room, however, replied with a stillness. Ingrid tried the doorknob next and to her surprise, it wasn't lock. Just like that, she pushed it open and looked inside.
A soft gasp emitted from her lip.
She was staring into the darkness behind the door, lights didn't turn on, the room was empty. Despite what she was seeing, Ingrid could feel a presence in the room. It wasn't at all there, that presence didn't even have an appearance. But everything about it was vivid, Ingrid didn't imagine things due to her condition.
That presence, that person was her neighbor next door. They had been staying here, never left.
But who was it? Why did such a thing like this hold her attention so much? She couldn't explain these thoughts and feelings.
…
"The next time we face each other, you won't see fear in my eyes, Ingrid."
…
That was it. That was someone she knew.
Who were they to her? An acquaintance? An ally? An enemy? A friend? Or a companion? What was their name? When did her memory become so hazy? Why did she feel so tired all of sudden? It didn't make sense. Just how much of this was…..?
The realization struck her. How much of this was real?
"Ingrid-sama, where are you going?" Just in time, Lina returned to blend a hand and supported Ingrid's staggered form. "It's done. You should be able to rest comfortably now."
"Lina, wait. Who's staying in this room?"
"Eh?" Startled by the sudden question, Lina stared into the dark room, examined it carefully before closing back the door. "Must be a visitor like us. I don't see anyone in here though, maybe they forgot to lock it before going out?"
"You don't feel it?"
"I don't feel anything?" Lina raised an eyebrow, unsure about her own respond.
"Then answer me this."
Ingrid extended her arm to the side, opened hand waiting to grab hold of the sword she was about to manifest with the dark flame power. After a moment, nothing happened. Not even a tiny spark of flame appeared out of thin air.
"Why is my power not working?"
She proved her doubt. Dark flame manipulation wasn't working, the ability has always been a part of her. Now, the connection had been lost.
"M-Maybe it's because you are tired? You really ought to rest, Ingrid-sama." Lina insisted.
Ingrid frowned. Asides from Edwin Black, Lina was one among those who were the closest to her. The idolization the young demon girl had towards her leader would never allow Lina to respond to through such a weak reaction. That alone revealed enough hints.
"You ought to be more worried about this." The Hell Knight said.
"I do worry about you! Please, you must lie down and rest!" Lina claimed, panic started to show in her eyes. "What would Black-sama think if you weren't taking care of yourself properly?"
"Do not speak of his name so casually as a mean to persuade me." Ingrid warned.
"But it's the boss's direct order!" Lina backed away, hands raised up defensively. "You're going to defy him!? Ingrid-sama, you shouldn't have left that go to your head. You're acting strange!"
Those words shed light on the difference Ingrid saw in her young companion.
"As I thought." Ingrid confirmed her suspicion. "The Lina whom I know would never push it to this extent. That girl is earnest and emotional to the point it makes her look naïve to everything, but she understands the should and shouldn't when it comes to others. As my supporter, she's always looked up to me, respected my loyalty and dedication to Black-sama. She would never address him in such a discourteous manner. Under my guidance, Lina the Hell Knight trainee should be able to feel what I am capable of sensing at this moment. But you can't, you don't feel anything from this room."
The young demon girl who looked like Lina stood frozen, shocked by Ingrid's claim.
"You're trying to hide something from me."
"You're overthinking, Ingrid-sama. Can't you see? It's me! Lina, your companion!"
"Those words are not yours, they were from someone I knew about. They are my companion."
"H-How can you say that!? I found those letters that led us here to the inn and the hot spring!"
"Of course you did."
"It was me who requested the bos-I meant Black-sama to give you some days off from duty!"
"Indeed. But it wasn't just you, it was the whole unit."
"Ingrid-sama, I came here with you because I thought having another person to accompany you on a vacation would be a nice experience. I care about you!"
"You weren't wrong."
"Then WHY!?" Lina's face changed to a full grimace. Ingrid was almost caught off guard by the expression. "WHY ARE YOU ACCUSING ME LIKE I AM A FAKER!? Unless you forget, I am your supporter! I am your apprentice! You are my inspiration! I'm your one and only companion in this town! I could never be someone else like Ingrid-sama claimed to be while you're not even thinking straight!"
The Hell Knight didn't let herself be wavered by the outburst. Her composure remained stern and she spoke up.
"Lina was supposed to make the trip with me. But she couldn't, she had to stay behind to do some urgent works. Now, prove it to me."
"Eh?" The girl widened her eyes, baffled.
"If my memories are false, activate your ability and show me."
"…."
"…."
Lina couldn't. She stood dumbfounded under Ingrid's cautious stare.
"Oh dear." She scratched the back of her head and changed her body language. The tension and panic were gone as she smiled. "How unpleasant, Ingrid-sama won't believe me till the end."
"Urgh!"
Ingrid groaned. Her leg had lost all its strength and she fell on her knees. The exhaustion finally caught up to her body.
"Like I said, you ought to take a good rest."
With a snap of the fingers, Ingrid found herself in the warmth of the unfolded blanket. Instead of Lina's face, she was looking at the ceiling in their room. The whole world just shifted in a blink. The figure that looked like Lina, who was the culprit of the change, entered the view. The thin smile on her lip didn't faze at Ingrid's condition. The Hell Knight gasped for air in a mix of surprise and mental alertness reached its peak. Her body no longer obeyed her will, all connection to the movements completely disregarded at the touch of Lina, who was stroking her hair gently without the slightest bit of malice. The observant stare Lina was giving was nothing sort of a sign that she was about to inflict her cruel intention on Ingrid while the Hell Knight had become helpless.
"Who…..who are you?" Ingrid demanded. Her voice whispered from little to no strength.
"Easy, Ingrid-sama. Sleep, it will help. A beautiful dream should remain beautiful. You can forget this moment and we will start anew in the next morning. Perhaps, with a nice warm cup of tea."
Her eyes became heavy. Ingrid couldn't fight back the drowsiness that started to slip into her consciousness.
"Let's become whole like the rest of this town. The Great Ashen Tree welcomes you."
Just a moment ago, the streets outside were bustling with sounds. Everything went quiet. Lights flickered on their own and eventually gave in to the darkness. Ingrid's vision turned to the void behind the eyelids as Lina the imposter continued on stroking her hair.
In the embrace of the otherworldly being, she slept soundly.
The Great Ashen Tree possessed an awareness. Since its birth, the tree has always been a sentient being.
When the one it perceived as the perfect vessel had stopped resisting in both body and mind, flowers of ashen color began to bloom. It was feeling the wonderous joy of spring coming closer. The Hell Knight was the most fitting choice for the Great Tree to continue its plan and reach the long awaited rejuvenation. But it wasn't over, she hasn't fully succumbed to its influence yet. Somewhere deep down, another existence inside her managed to push back and openly defied its touch. Time was essential, the Great Ashen Tree would eventually find a way to break down that stubbornness and consume it whole. That existence was the last thing that stood between the Hell Knight's essence and the eternal spring.
Once upon a time, spring was a part of its life. The flesh, the blood and the souls residing in this world had showed it the true meaning of a season that would last eternal.
In its earliest memories, the Great Tree recalled itself as a small seed being brought into a foreign landscape where nature was nothing like its home. Unlike a barren wasteland repeatedly burned by multiple suns, where the ecosystem had little chance of surviving, the new place was stacked with endless amount of nutrition. Thanks to that, spring had been with it for so long.
When it began to sprout, the Great Ashen Tree met the first resident of the new world. A child had discovered it on the side of a trail. She'd taken interest in its natural appearance, something that didn't fit anywhere among the sea of trees. She brought it back to her village and willingly became its care taker. Through time, as it continued to grew and reached the mature phrase, the villagers had noticed the distinction. It became bigger, its significant height surpassed the peak of the surrounding forest and earned the status of a great tree. With giant branches pierced through the sky and shielded the village from harsh weathers, with the deeply rooted trunk that held together the earth, the village was saved from mother nature's wrath.
They started to believe in its unique existence, they started to regard it as a divine being. They built a shrine at its foot, and gave it the name Great Ashen Tree. On that day, the child who had planted it in the village garden was granted the position of a priestess. By her own will, she chose to stay in the shrine by herself to fulfill her duty as its care taker to the very end. That was when the Great Ashen Tree learned of the concept of devotion. She wholeheartedly understood it despite lacking the mean to communicate. When it needed more water, she asked the village to dig up holes that linked deep to the massive underground lake. When it wanted nutrition, she asked the village to hunt animals and bury them by its root. Days after days, buckets of water taken from the underground to nurture the great tree, more and more animals hunted in the wood to be offered. Unfortunately, it was nowhere nearly enough to satisfy the great tree. The next winter, the forest surrounding the village was already devoid of any sign of life.
But the Great Ashen Tree continued to desire more. Its skin hardened, roots and branches expanded, taking any source of food and drink it could find. In no time the underground lake went dried. Fearing the divine tree's anger, villagers sought the priestess for advice only to discover a cocoon in the shrine, untouched and fresh. Parts of the wall behind it was broken, the great tree's body was visible through the gap and from it an "arm" seemed to stick out and attached to the cocoon. The priestess had gone missing. They tried to hatch it in hope she was in there. All methods they could think of ended up in vain due to the solidified outer skin of the case. Desperate and without the voice of the Great Ashen Tree, they prayed, asking to be spared from a possible divined wrath.
Crack!
Like a miracle, the cocoon hatched by itself.
Inside, the young priestess was sleeping soundly. But her appearance had undergone an ominous change. Her skin turned pale like the color of ashes. There were tiny slits on her cheeks, arms and leg. They resembled little tree branches that engraved to the entirety of the priestess's body.
That was how the rebirthed priestess became the Great Ashen Tree's creation. She was its first avatar. Her dedication bore fruit to the blessing that would last a life time. Devotion brings eternal spring, for the sake of the Great Ashen Tree to stretch its hand to the endless amount of fleshes and souls beyond the forest's vicinity, the priestess would share to the rest of her people the story of how everything can become whole with the great tree once she woke up.
They believed in her words. They had found the idea of an eternal season appealing. Persuaded, they turned into full-pledged devotees and served their deity. From a secluded village, the place soon flourished into a small town. The expansion came along with a big rise in population. Fortunate travelers were allowed to participate in the weekly festival that the priestess organized. It was mean as a way she could offer her deity a step closer to reaching its goal. By the end of the festival, a selective group would join her in the shrine and listen to her story through the night, of how one can become whole with the Great Ashen Tree.
Then, she would always pray alone, in that same room where freshly made cocoons stacked up. Such was a bountiful harvest of nutrition she'd offered to her deity. The coming years, the same thing would repeat. The festival continued to hold onto the precious purpose that resulted in the disappearance of many.
The tree found its place in the new world. The eternal spring would last…
Until the day demons from Dark World begins their first invasion and plunges Japan into a secret war between both worlds.
As the last festival was held, a certain blacksmith found his way into the Great Tree's dormant. Within the shrine where the priestess began her story, the crimson blade unsheathed for her life.
From that moment, the Great Ashen Tree withered.
/
Author's Note: This BTL chapter shows insight into Ingrid's current situation and the backstory of the hidden town of the Great Ashen Tree. (Well, the first half of it)
Thank you for reading. Take Care!