Forgotten Harmony of Germane Errant
Chapter Four: Departing
“May I present you to my mistress, Shinki. The Goddess of Devil’s World and creator of Makai.”
Yumeko announced, standing next to the crystalline throne before bowing. Staring at the woman the maid called a goddess, I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder and pull me down to the ground. Veering to see the owner of the hand, I saw Youki also on one knee, his other hand holding Meira in a similar position.
“Lady Shinki, it is an honor to see you once more.” Youki said with his face focused on the floor he kneeled on. Next to him, his ghost-half just floated lazily.
“Ah, Hermit Konpaku, it is always a pleasure to have you visit me. You look well. I see that you now have a student.” The goddess spoke composedly to the old man, placing her cheek on her fist as she observed us. Since that was the first time I was in the presence of a deity, I temporary forgot why we had even gone there in the first place, and ended up as the mute.
“I have acquired two, milady. One is this girl who hails from Gensokyo… and the other is this boy from the other world.” Youki announced before turning to look at me, his glance pointing me out.
“Ah, so that is the outsider? I was led to believe that he was a bit older.” Shinki smiled down at me, standing up soon after.
“Milady?” Yumeko blurted out as she watched her mistress approach me, standing a foot away from my person. Paused and hushed, she stared down at me with a small smile, but when I gazed back up into her sky-blue eyes, I saw something else in her expression, something more… distressing. What was it? Back then, I could not tell.
Due to me being focused on the discovery of her hidden emotion, I also remained still in front of Shinki, my stare oblivious to distractions. After a while, the Goddess of Makai giggled, causing mostly everyone to jump in their place.
“Well, Hermit Konpaku, you have certainly found a strong-willed pupil.” She told my half-ghost teacher, finally breaking the chains that locked our eyes together. Blinking once, I was greeted by confusion from the white-haired woman’s comment, and I was not the only one.
“Was that a test, milady?” the blonde maid asked as she arrived next to her employer with an eyebrow raised.
“Why of course.” Shinki replied simply to her maid, her smile growing a little wider.
‘A test? A test for what?’ I asked myself in my head, not bothering to say the question out loud. Detaching myself from Youki’s grip, I rose up before the Goddess, my false confidence playing another part once more.
“Didn’t you want to ask me something?” I said to Shinki, a gasp coming from maids around the giant chamber, the loudest from Yumeko. Before I knew it, a short sword emerged inches from my neck, the blonde maid holding it there with a glare at me.
“How dare you address my mistress with such boldness! As her vassal, I demand that you show the proper respect!” Yumeko roared at me, her blade gaining an inch towards my flesh.
“Blanc-kun!” I heard Meira shout from somewhere off to my right, but I did not even make an attempt to glance at her. It was hard to do so with a lethal weapon at my throat.
“Stand down, Yumeko. He is our guest. We do not treat them in such a manner.” Shinki stated coolly to her maid, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“But Mistress! He is a human! Insolence like that from his kind…”
“…Is accepted in my presence. Now, sheath your sword, Yumeko.” Shinki interrupted, finishing Yumeko’s sentence. The maid only stared at the Goddess with disbelief before submitting, retracting the blade away from me. Finding that I was holding my breath, I began to take in air again, right as Yumeko stashed her weapon away guiltily.
“Please, excuse my servant. She is very dedicated to her work.” The white-haired goddess said to me, causing Yumeko to look away.
‘That was dedication?’ I asked no one in my mind, though not bothering to say it out loud also.
“Now, let us get on with business. Hermit Konpaku, I must ask that you and your other student step out for a little while, if you may.” Hearing Shinki’s command, Youki’s head snapped up quickly, his eyes slightly wider than usual.
“Milady, since you have allowed me to live here in Makai, I will gladly complete any task you place before me. However, after what I have just witnessed, I am forced to reconsider your request.” The old man pleaded back as he prepared to stand up. That was the first time I ever saw my teacher like that, without his usual calm demeanor.
“Konpaku Youki, do not worry so. It will only be for a short while. I will keep this boy safe. I give you my word as the ruler of this realm.” She countered, making my teacher stop with just one motion of her hand. Without a solid argument against it, Youki bowed his head once, finally standing up.
“Very well. As you wish, lady Shinki. Meira, come along.” The old man spoke quietly that time, grabbing the scruff of the female samurai’s red vest to basically drag her out.
“H-Hey! Sensei! Are you really going to leave him here alone? Sensei!” Meira shouted at the old man as they passed through the massive entrance, the colossal doors closing on their own a few moments later. It was then that it dawned on me. I was alone in a room with the goddess of a demon world; an army of her subjects waiting for her orders. Thankfully, Shinki must have had noticed my wariness.
“Yumeko, take the maids out as well and stay with them. I believe that they are making our guest uncomfortable.” The Goddess ordered the blonde maid, who only nodded her head once silently before going off to complete her order. In spite of having threatened me with her sword, I did feel a bit of sympathy to Yumeko. Whenever Youki scolded me, I felt like crap afterwards, too.
In a minute, the chamber was rid of all cleaning staff, leaving only Shinki and me in the massive crystalline chamber.
“Well, now that me are alone, may I have your name?” the white-haired deity smiled to me, staying a certain distance away. I remained still, but I did reply.
“I thought you already knew my name.” I said, my false confidence acting up again. “I mean, miss Yumeko went looking for me with it.”
“Ah yes, but I would rather have you formally introduce yourself. Is that acceptable?” Shinki asked serenely, making me remember an event six days ago, outside of a certain train station. When I first met a girl named Maribel Han, and how she wanted to introduce herself. I pushed the thought to the side then, but not so far away that I would forget it.
“My name is Emil Blanc. From America.” I announced, the uncomfortable feeling materializing again in my chest after days of disappearance. I doubted then that the goddess would know what America was. I was right, too.
“Ah-meh… -rika? What world is that?” Shinki asked, tilting her head slightly to the right in thought.
“America is not a world. It’s a country in the world I come from.” I explained, the uncomfortable feeling growing in me with the mention of my world. Figuring that she probably still having difficulty understanding what I was talking about, I continued on.
“A country is… How do I put this…? A country is like a section of the world, each one with a different culture and ruled by different people.”
“Oh, I see. So they are like kingdoms. That would also be a explanation behind your name and odd clothing, correct?” The white-haired goddess said to me, her smile still present.
“Yes.” I confirmed, looking at my raggedy school clothes. They were the only proof that I was from the outside world, but they were also beginning to rip in places.
“Mister Emil, may I ask you something else?” Shinki inquired, making me glance back up.
“Uh. Yeah. Go ahead.” I replied back, caught a little off guard.
“You are not a native to this world, yet you somehow managed to speak your words perfectly. How is that?”
My mind registering the question, I realized that even though I had figured out that another language was spoken in that world the day I woke up in it, I did not think about it the slightest afterwards. It was the same back in my world, with me not questioning my ability to translate and speak other tongues. However, after six days in a realm with a crimson sky, I found myself asking; ‘how can I do this?’
“I’m not sure. Back in my world, I was living in another country, and when I arrived there I instantly knew how to talk to everyone there, even though they were using another language. To me, everyone talks in English, and to everyone, I talk in whatever they speak.” I said to the Goddess, though explaining more to myself than to her.
“Hmm… Well, I must say you are certainly an interesting human. You did not submit when Yumeko held that blade against you, you seem to hold a power to understand any person’s words, and let us not forget how you have already become accustomed to the air here. I think you will do.” Shinki remarked before taking a step forward, which made me subconsciously take a step back.
“What are you talking about?” I asked hesitantly, being brought out of my thoughts. How was I interesting? The only way for me to have moved when Yumeko held that sword to my neck was if I had wanted to be impaled through the throat. I had only gotten used to the poisonous air thanks to Youki’s tonic, and the so-called ‘power’ I had I did not understand the slightest.
“Let us not worry about that right now. Instead, may I hear how you came into this world?” Shinki responded, avoiding my question altogether. Puzzled, I regarded the Goddess with caution, but answered nonetheless.
“I… don’t know much about that either, but I do know that I was sent into some sort of hole or portal-thing by a… by a blonde woman holding a parasol.” I muttered as I brought my head down, not able to escape the memories that were triggered.
I was not angry with the woman or anything. I was just… confused. Why did she send me into Makai? Why me? Was it because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Probably. I mean, why else would someone pick a piece of scenery like me?
“As I thought. Mister Emil, I know who sent you into my world.”
My eyes enlarging, I stared back at the white-haired goddess, astonished.
“W-what?” I stuttered to Shinki, the uncomfortable feeling vanishing completely. She knew who the woman was?
“You know who she is? Please, tell me!” I exclaimed, my normally passive curiosity taking the best of me the second time in my life. Seeing my face, Shinki stared at me for a moment, and then spoke once more.
“The blonde woman you encountered goes by the name of Yukari. She is a youkai who has the power to manipulate borders. From what I have heard, this is not the first time she has abducted a human from the outside world. In fact, I hear that it is a common habit for her. However, you may be the first one to land in Makai. Most appear in Gensokyo.” Shinki revealed; her smile replaced by a serious frown. As she spoke, my mind ran rampant.
I was not the first one? There were others? So the reason I was taken out of the world I knew was because of some habit?!
“Why are you telling me this now?” I asked Shinki with a pained expression, my left hand over my eye on the same side. The goddess only looked at me with a somber face, her eyes being the same way they were back when she was testing me.
“Because I have a task for you, and I wanted to be sure that you would to your best to complete it.” Shinki answered, taking another step forward. I, however, did not move back.
“I wish to send a message to a girl named Hakurei Reimu. Unfortunately, she resides in Gensokyo, and I hold too many responsibilities here in Makai to leave for a time. I would have had Yumeko or one of my maids deliver it, but I wish for this matter to be kept hidden from others. Thankfully, word of your arrival came to me at the most proper time. Since I wanted to see if you would be able to complete this task, I asked my maid to retrieve you under the excuse that I was curious about you. Seeing you before my eyes, I can safely conclude that you are indeed capable. I do not desire to impose on you anything that you would not do, but this matter is far too important, so I hope I have given you a goal. Do you understand what I am telling you?” the white-haired goddess continued, ending up two feet away from where I was.
“I don’t underst-.” I muttered; my eyes focused on the ground. I was still thinking about the plausible reason I was there.
Then the facts in my mind connected.
The woman Shinki referred to as Yukari, who she said was the woman who sent me to that world. All of the other humans that were abducted, and how they all ended up in Gensokyo. The girl named Hakurei Reimu, who the Goddess wanted to contact, who lived in Gensokyo…
“You want me to go to Gensokyo, with me hoping that I might find the woman who brought me here to Makai, all the while doing what you asked.” I declared, bringing my face back up to meet Shinki’s, ridding my mind of most of the confusion I had. The white-haired deity’s eyes widened a bit when I spoke, but then they returned to normal, the smile returning to her face.
“Yes. That is what I intended.” Shinki asked as she tilted her head a bit to the right again, her smile remaining on her face.
“Will you accept it?”
Opening my mouth to respond, a thought came to my mind, and I decided to answer back with a question.
“What about Youki and Meira? What will happen to them?”
“They may go with you if you wish. However, they must not know about the task, so it is recommended that you leave without them.” Shinki frowned a little, the harmful air around me growing a lot colder with the statement.
Despite the daily beatings, despite the harsh training, despite the inability to comprehend my situation, I found that the thought of leaving the old man and the headstrong girl was not something I wanted to come true. Unknowingly, I had grown to like old man Youki, and even Meira. I was grateful to them for tolerating me for those six days, and I was not sure I could survive without their help.
“I can keep it a secret from them. I don’t know how, but I will find a way. I still need their help.” I said to the goddess, though I needed them more for moral reasons than assistance.
“Very well. I take it that you will accept my selfish request then?” Shinki asked, her light-blue eyes staring into my own dark-grey ones. Taking a moment to think, I nodded, rare determination in my eye.
“Yes.”
“Excellent.”
Smiling wider, Shinki took two more steps to me; reaching the point where our bodies were so close they almost touched. My face heated up as a result, growing warmer still as the Goddess talked into my ear in a whisper.
“Remember my words carefully, mister Emil. A misinterpreted message is at times more dangerous than the sharpest sword. I will speak to you as if I were speaking as you to Miss Hakurei herself. I want you to repeat what I say in the message to her exactly. Are you ready to receive my words?” Shinki mumbled into my ear, her breath causing shivers down my spine. First the blonde woman with the parasol, then Meira, and now the goddess of Makai was talking into my ear. How was it that I somehow ended up in situations like that?
Swallowing my insecurities, I only nodded again, which the goddess seemed to take as confirmation.
“Splendid. Let us begin.” Remarked Shinki before clearing her throat to commence reciting.
“Miss Hakurei, I come bearing a warning from the Lady Shinki of Makai, whom you have visited some time ago. Word has reached her that there has been some turmoil occurring in Jingoku, turmoil that may spread into Gensokyo. Since the Lady has heard that you have become the primary incident solver of that land, she feels that you are the most appropriate being to handle this information. It is hoped that you would act upon this news as you see fit, for Gensokyo’s sake and for Makai’s as well.” The white-haired Goddess muttered to me, my face growing warmer with every word.
“That is all, mister Emil. Please repeat it to me so that I may feel assure that you have memorized it.” She said, not moving at all. Clearing my throat, I tried my best to recite the whole message. After I was done, Shinki clapped twice before stepping away, the smile still present on her lips.
“Close enough. Now, you should depart for Gensokyo immediately. The faster the message arrives to Miss Reimu, the better.” The crimson-robed deity declared as she pointed me to the door, walking over to her throne.
“Um… yeah…” I said back, turning halfway to leave. However, a question arose in my mind that I just had to ask.
“Miss Shinki?”
“Yes, Mister Emil?”
“In my world, we never really meet gods. I was just wondering… are you a god?” I asked sincerely to the now-seated white-haired woman in red robes, who stared at me, probably thinking how stupid the question was. After she looked at me for a good solid minute, her shoulders began to move slightly up and down, and her mouth twitched up a bit, as if she was trying to hold something back. Suddenly, without warning, the ruler of Makai unleashed a fit of soft laughter, causing my heart to drop to my foot. I honestly thought that she was laughing at me for asking the question. Bringing my glance down to the crystalline floor, I took a step to leave before being stopped.
“Mister Emil.”
Turning back around, I found Shinki standing, her serene light-blue eyes smiling along with her mouth. As I watched, she brought her hands slightly up in the air, closing her eyes as she did so. Puzzled by the action, I faced the white-haired woman completely, wondering what she was trying to accomplish. Waiting for whatever was to happen, I blinked once…
…And saw Shinki with six sharp, scarlet wings behind her, each with a set of ominous glowing runes.
“Does this provide a suitable answer to your question?”
Dumbfounded, I almost fell back, but caught myself before I lost my balance. Seeing my surprise, Shinki giggled, and continued to speak.
“You will find many unusual beings in Gensokyo, some of them with abilities as great as mine. However, do not be dissuaded by that minor fact. You yourself hold a great power, one that equals mine in an unknown way. I wish you a safe journey, and… may you be blessed by good fortune… Emil-kun.”
It took me a moment to realize that the warmth had returned to my face, but I ignored it. I had a power that matched hers? I did not see how my ability to understand other languages could rival that of a god’s. Though… the compliment felt…
Nice.
“Thank you.” I said to Shinki before walking away, overlooking the white-haired goddess’ resemblance to a certain diabolic deity acknowledged back in my world. As I left the decorated crystal throne room, I became conscious of the fact that I was smiling.
“You want to go to Gensokyo?” Meira said with a chest-fallen expression as we left Pandemonium, Youki’s ghost-half remaining next to her while its human-half walked ahead.
“Yeah. Shink- I mean Lady Shinki told me that I might be able to find a way home if I go there.” I replied back, avoiding the amethyst-haired girl’s gaze as I walked. I did not want to lie to them, but Shinki had asked me to keep the true reason a secret.
“She did now? Are you sure you can trust her? She could be leading you on to get you killed!” warned the female samurai, who leaned towards me to get her point across, making me subconsciously face her. Her dark eyes looking intently into mine, I proved myself the weakest by looking away.
“Emil-kun should not need to be concerned about the wishes of Lady Shinki. Am I right, Emil-kun?” The old man plainly shot back to Meira and me without even turning back, setting off an alarm in my head. ‘He knows. He knows.’ I repeated in my mind, trying not to display my thoughts on my face. The act was a lot harder than I had first thought.
“Um… yeah.” I answered quietly, staying at the same pace as Meira, who looked at me with confusion. Walking through the crystalline forest once more in the opposite direction, I looked down to the ground, watching my steps. I felt a drop of water fall on my head, but that I disregarded. How did he know? I never said anything. I only mentioned wanting to go to Gensokyo. Did he assume that Shinki had given me a mission to do? Wait, why was I panicking? Youki had agreed to train me until I found a way back to my world. Why would he stop me? Why did he care?
Lost in an abyss of questions, I closed my eyes, unaware of a presence looming behind me.
“Blanc-kun!”
Snapping my eyes open, I felt myself being violently shoved to the side, landing on hard dirt. Blinking a few times, I looked back to Meira to yell at her, but found my words frozen with the sight I saw.
In the space I had been in a moment ago stood Meira, her katana interlocked with another weapon, an axe. Its wielder was a tall, young looking man with lengthy dark-blue hair.
“Tsk. You are fast for a pupil. You taught her well, Konpaku.” The man shouted to my teacher, causing Meira to look away for a minute. Capitalizing, the man quickly lashed out with his foot, connecting with Meira’s mid-riff. As she doubled-over in pain, the man then turned his focus to me, his eyes a shade of yellow.
“Now, for you.” The attacker muttered behind a black mouth cover, charging at me with his weapon raised high. Since everything was happening so fast, my mind could not register the charge, and I sat there staring like the idiot. However, once more the assault was deflected.
“What do you want with my student, youkai?” the stern voice of the old man demanded as he suddenly appeared under the path of the axe, stopping it in between his palms. Crawling back a few feet without taking my eyes off Youki or the man, I could not say anything, my words stuck in my throat.
“Nothing to concern you with, hermit. My business is only with that human. So move out of the way.” the man taunted as he removed his axe from the old man’s hands, quickly bringing it down for another strike. Rolling to the side, Youki landed on his knee and extended a hand out, his face bearing a solemn glare.
“The affairs of my students are also my responsibility. Therefore, I shall show you the proper punishment for harming my students!” my teacher yelled as his ghost-half flew to his hand, its shape suddenly altering in shape. Before I knew it, the white specter had formed an almost transparent katana sword, resting firmly in the old man’s hand.
“Impressive trick there, Konpaku. However, I do not need to fight yo-!”
“I will kill you!”
Had Meira not screamed her threat, she might have landed her blow from behind. Instead, the blue-haired attacker effortlessly ducked under her blade and spun around, catching the female samurai by her back with his boot. The kick sent the girl staggering towards me, and I managed to catch her as she fell.
“Ow…” was all she said, her face clenched in pain. Her sword had remained next to the man.
“What a nuisance…” the man growled, looking at Youki a second after.
“You are both in the way of my operation. So prepare to be pushed aside, hermit.” The attacker hissed as he rushed towards the old man, who stood with his blade parallel to his face. As the two began their bout, I felt Meira’s fist clench my shirt, causing me to look back down to her.
“Meira?” I asked before hearing a foot fall behind me. Without a second thought, I held onto the female samurai and rolled with her over to the left, just in time to avoid being impaled by two spears. The attacker was not alone.
“Get him!” one of the spear-wielders cried as she tried to stab Meira and me once more, the other following suit. Once again, I avoided the strikes by rolling, my heart almost bursting my chest as I found myself over the female samurai, staring with disbelief at the two spearmen.
That was an actual life-or-death situation. Adrenaline had already taken complete control over my body. Beneath me, I did not feel Meira move, and assumed that she was still hurt from the kick she had received. The man must have had godly strength to be able to damage the amethyst-haired girl so badly. Gulping, I managed to stand up, grabbing the wooden sword strapped to my belt, feeling my legs shaking as I drew it. By then, the rain had picked up to a downpour. What was I planning to do? Fight them off with a slab of polished wood? Holding it the way the old man taught me, I could feel sweat begin to form on my forehead, which fused with the falling water that landed on my face.
What was I planning to do?
“Die, human scum!” the male-half of the two yelled as he lunged at me, his helmet hiding his face. Seeing the strike approaching, I gritted my teeth and held the sword at both ends in front of me, catching the trident-shaped spear by the space in-between its blades. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated about the spearman’s strength, and an overwhelming wave of agony attacked my body as the point of his weapon penetrated skin.
Despite the pain, I kept holding the sword strong, keeping the spear from entering my chest completely. However, I could not stop the blood from oozing out.
“Emil-kun!”
My arms straining against the spearman’s strength, I did not respond to Meira behind me. Rather, I saw the reason why she called out to me before she did.
To my left, the other spear wielder came at me to finish the job.
At that point, time slowed down.
As I stood there, with the tip of a spear centimeters from my heart, its counterpart rushed towards my head, aimed for my face. The point approaching me, my eyes widened, the doom coming at me splitting a raindrop along the way to me.
At that moment, I truly believed I was going to die.
Yet, I was proved wrong.
“PIERCING WIDE WAVE!”
A split second before my life was about to end, several crescent-shaped projectiles collided with the spearwoman who had charged at me, sending her flying away with weapon and all.
“By the Lady, what was that?!” her companion exclaimed as he jumped back, taking his spear with him and allowing me to fall to the ground clutching my chest. Panting, I quickly looked back, finding the person who had sent the attack that saved my life.
“Get up. You only have a flesh wound.” A green-haired woman said to me as she walked, or rather floated, next to me, a staff headed by a white crescent and a knife in her hands. I just gaped at her, shell-shocked.
“What do you think you are doing!? The Lady will hear of your betrayal!” the spearman yelled at the purple-dressed woman, who had large bluish-purple wings emerging from her back. To me, she seemed almost like a dark angel.
“I’m sorry, but the Lady is not my master. Tell her that once I send you back to Jingoku the hard way.” The woman jeered as she aimed her knife forward. A second later, a laser was suddenly shot out towards the spearman. Dodging it, the spearman quickly pulled out a horn from behind him and blew into it, the sound ringing throughout the crystalline forest. As he did so, however, he could not dodge the second shot the woman sent him. Falling to the ground after taking a laser to the chest, the spearman did not move afterwards, joining his partner in the moist dirt.
“Hey, what did I tell you? I said get up.” The woman shouted at me as she grabbed my arm, pulling me up from the muddy ground. Still clutching the bleeding wound on my chest, I held onto my wooden sword with my free hand, gripping it with wet and dirty white knuckles.
“Listen, you have to run. Now. That man called for reinforcements. Go and deliver Shinki’s message. Hurry!” The woman commanded me, turning away to check up on Meira. Hearing Shinki’s name, I was brought out of my state of shock.
“Wait, how do you kno-…”
“There is no time for an explanation! Keep going west. Eventually, you will reach a cave. Go through it. It will get you to Gensokyo. Now go! We will keep them away!” the green-haired woman yelled to me, helping the female samurai up to her feet. As the water continued to fall from the crimson sky, I could hear Youki and the blue-haired attacker still fighting, but I could not see them. However, above everything else, I heard the sound of metal clanking nearby.
“But…”
“Don’t you see that we are doing this for you?! Or do I have to force you to move?!” Pointing her knife at me, I hesitated for a moment, and then brought my head down, physical and emotional agony mixing together.
“Meira… Youki… I’m sorry.”
Spinning around, I tripped on the wet reddish grass, but quickly recovered.
Standing up, I began to run towards where the woman had pointed, still holding my hand over my wound.
As I got farther away, I could hear people yelling and more explosions, but I just kept running.
I do not know how long I ran for, or if I was still heading in the right direction. I just continued to sprint away, ignoring my pain, my fatigue, and my thoughts.
However, the blood loss I could not ignore.
Falling down to my knees, I slid a little before falling forward, the rain pelting me in the back. Out of breath, I laid there in the soaked grass, my head spinning from exhaustion.
Just go to sleep, I told myself, as my eyelids grew heavy. Just go to sleep, and wake up from this nightmare. Just go to…
“Become something greater for me, okay?”
My eyes snapping open, I sat up and looked around frantically, my hair matted to my forehead. I could have sworn I heard the woman Shinki called Yukari. Was she there? Where was she?
Not finding anything but crystalline trees and falling rain, I fell back down to the ground, staring up at the crimson sky, the bleeding in my chest only getting worse.
I could not stay there.
I had to get help.
I had to go to Gensokyo.
Gritting my teeth, I got up once more, swaying a little before I managed to regain my balance. Staring ahead, I could see a dark stationary form in the distance. Pressing my hand against the cut over my heart, I fought against the wave of nausea, and looked up at the sky again.
My body sodden, I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
Then, I took a step forward, opening them instantly.
Finally, I began to run.
End of Chapter Four.