Kingdom of Lies Read online

  Prologue

  In a world far, far away from Earth...

  There was a boy.

  A boy who knew that there was no salvation in this rotten world.

  Here, the strong would eat, while the weak were eaten — that was the irrational law of this world. Scavenging for leftovers, begging on the streets, suffering violent abuse, and being forced into crime... Every day, this boy was exploited as a slave. His mind had long since been worn down. And yet, the boy still thirsted for something more.

  He wanted to live — live, and kill a certain man; he’d go so far as to eat dirt to get it done. He clung to that one desire...

  The morning sun shone through the window of a dimly lit room, just barely casting light on the interior. The smell of rusty iron permeated every inch of the small room. Dead bodies were scattered about the blood-soaked floor; a single sack sat in the corner. It was a sack just big enough to fit a small child—

  “Mm! Mm, mmrgh!”

  A muffled sound came from inside the squirming sack. The boy’s heart thundered in his chest. He held his breath to stop his trembling and approached the sack. Fearfully, he untied the drawstring. The sack fell open with a soft sound. Sure enough, there was a young, pretty girl in an elegant priestess dress curled up inside. She had long, cascading lavender hair and purple eyes.

  Ah, I knew it.

  The boy had known.

  In this world...

  There was no salvation.

  Chapter 1: Past Life

  Several years earlier, on a hot summer day in a residential area of Japan, the summer sun scorched the spanse of asphalt with its rays.

  Here, a little boy and girl were saying their tearful goodbyes to each other.

  “Don’t go, Haru-kun!” the crying girl said. She clung to the boy beside a parked moving van. Her name was Miharu Ayase, and she was only seven years old at the time.

  “Don’t cry, Mii-chan,” the little boy said. “We’ll meet again, okay?” he added, trying to reassure the sobbing girl.

  His name was Amakawa Haruto, and he was seven years old at the time.

  Haruto was about to move far away to the countryside with his father; his parents were getting divorced, and he didn’t know when he’d see Miharu again, as he and his father had no plans to return anytime soon. His mother was staying in the area with his little sister, but they had already terminated the lease on their rented apartment.

  Haruto’s father and Miharu’s parents were standing back and watching on with rather regretful expressions.

  “No! I don’t want you to go, Haru-kun!” Miharu pleaded through her sobs.

  Seeing her tears made Haruto want to cry too, but he couldn’t. He had to be brave in front of Miharu. That’s why he continued to act tough, telling Miharu that it’d be alright and that they’d see each other again. He wanted her to stop crying... even though he was frustrated and upset himself, and wanted to bawl, too.

  Haruto loved Miharu...

  And Miharu loved Haruto.

  Their meeting had been a twist of fate; their parents just happened to move into the same newly built apartment building, just happened to lease rooms next to each other, just happened to have kids born in the same season of the same year. Thanks to that series of events, they somehow ended up as family friends. Haruto and Miharu were even named for the same reason: they were given the name haru after the Japanese word for spring — the season they were born in. As both of Haruto’s parents worked full-time, the boy would often end up at Miharu’s place. Since the two of them had been raised together since they were babies, they were perhaps the epitome of what one would call “childhood friends.” That was probably why they were naturally drawn to each other before they even knew it themselves. Though they had no idea what love meant at the time, they knew they were incredibly precious to each other. It didn’t matter whether or not they had a reason for falling in love, they just did.

  They were, plain and simple, head over heels for one another.

  “Haru-kun, Haru-kun... Stay with me...”

  Haruto wanted to do something to stop Miharu’s tears. Seeing her sad made him sad too. But Miharu’s tears showed no signs of ceasing — she only continued to bawl, leaving Haruto at a complete loss. He felt powerless. What could he do? He couldn’t even prevent this farewell with his most beloved childhood friend from happening. With that thought, Haruto clenched his fist.

  Haruto was happy simply being together with Miharu, but that wasn’t possible for him right now. They were still children, after all. Instead, he would make it possible one day — one day, he would be next to Miharu, walking alongside her forever. That’s why he had to convey his feelings to her; it was the only thing he could do in this moment.

  “I’ll come get you when we’re bigger! We’ll get married!” Haru said, mustering all his courage to make the first and last confession of his life. “That way... we’ll always be together, I’ll always be beside you, and I can protect Mii-chan with my life!”

  Thump, thump. He could hear his own racing heartbeat.

  “Is that... okay?” Haruto asked with a trembling voice.

  Miharu had stopped crying at some point, staring at Haruto’s face blankly instead.

  “Yes,” she answered after a beat, beaming with a dazzling bright smile.

  “Yes! I want to marry Haru-kun!”

  Seeing her smile made Haruto so happy. He vowed to fulfill that promise. No matter how many years passed... He would protect it — he would protect her smile. And so, with that promise and a small kiss goodbye, Haruto and Miharu went their separate ways.

  It was a faint and fleeting promise, with no binding power behind it at all. It was an innocent promise, made when they had no idea what the future held... But that promise was wedged firmly into Haruto’s chest, continuing to support his life to a nearly foolish degree.

  After their separation, young Haruto pushed head-on into moving forward, dreaming only of his reunion with Miharu. He wanted to see her... but in order to do that, he couldn’t afford to stop. As long as he put all of his effort into everything he did, he believed that their reunion would come faster. He threw himself into his studies and helped with the chores on his family’s farm. His strict grandfather even taught him ancient martial arts to train his mind — which was rare to see nowadays. Thanks to that, Haruto grew into a diligent and honest adult. And his unwavering efforts didn’t go unanswered: his father allowed him to enroll in a famous prep school in the town where he and Miharu grew up. As a result, Haruto reunited with Miharu in the most shocking way...

  In another twist of fate, the two of them enrolled into the same high school.

  Though they were in different classes, the sight of Miharu’s name on one of the class lists made him freeze in shock. He froze once more when he saw her. The sight of Miharu in a school uniform took his breath away. There was no mistaking her — despite the time that had passed — because she had always been precious to him. She was so near, yet so far.

  Her silky-straight black hair reached all the way down her back. Her facial features were elegantly refined, and her skin was porcelain-white. She had a small stature, but her figure was well-balanced, and though she seemed somewhat reserved, she had a certain graceful air about her that attracted the gaze of anyone around her.

  Miharu had grown into a picture-perfect beauty.

  Haruto felt his heart skip a beat — he was overwhelmed with joy at seeing his beloved childhood friend again. Yet, at the same time, he was dumbstruck... Next to Miharu was a boy that Haruto didn’t know. Seeing Miharu chatting intimately with this unknown boy shook Haruto to his core. He lost the will to talk to Miharu on the day of the entrance ceremony. On that day, Haruto went home deep in thought.

  I
t wasn’t as if he fully expected their promise to be unconditionally fulfilled upon their reunion... but Haruto’s memories with Miharu were special to him. And it was because of those memories that he’d been able to come this far without wavering. The thought of Miharu forgetting their promise — the thought of there no longer being a place for Haruto — made him feel as though he’d lost his way. They might never be able to return to their past relationship. Miharu might have someone else she loves... and Haruto may have been the fool for having such dreams. And yet, even so, Haruto still wanted to talk to Miharu. Tomorrow, he’d gather the courage to do so.

  But then... Miharu disappeared from Haruto’s sight. She was absent for a few days after the entrance ceremony before suddenly dropping out of school completely.

  There were several other students who dropped out in a similar fashion to Miharu, which caused quite a bit of a commotion amongst the students. But the school never disclosed any details, citing the protection of personal information. As he was but a helpless high school student at the time, Haruto could only watch as time passed by with no further hints or leads. He came to resent himself.

  Why didn’t he speak to Miharu on the day of the entrance ceremony?

  If he had spoken to Miharu that day, at that moment, the future might have turned out differently. He had no proof, but he couldn’t help believing that. With nothing left in him but regret, Haruto’s feelings for Miharu intensified and grew twisted.

  He couldn’t give up. He didn’t want to give up.

  A silent scream of agony reverberated through his body. He’d received romantic confessions from girls before, but the thought of a future with a woman other than Miharu left him with an indescribable sense of panic and guilt. And yet... despite his strong feelings, there wasn’t a thing he could do to find Miharu. With no path to follow, Haruto became more and more detached from the world around him.

  ◇◇◇

  Four years passed since Miharu’s disappearance.

  Now, in the present day, Haruto was a 20-year-old sophomore attending a university in the city. But time had stopped for the young man. He might have been attending university, but he didn’t put effort into his studies and had nothing he wanted to do, other than a part-time job at a tidy little cafe. He woke up in the morning, went to university, went to work, and came home — every day was an unchanging, fixed routine. To an onlooker, it might have seemed normal for a university student. But that’s all it was. Haruto was wandering aimlessly with no goal, and time continued to pass in the world — until that day.

  It was in the middle of summer; just like that summer day when he parted with Miharu, the sun hovered in the clear blue sky and shone down brightly on the asphalt-covered ground. But contrary to the summer weather, Haruto’s expression was cold as he boarded the bus near his university campus. As it was still early in the afternoon, there weren’t many passengers on board yet. After a few of them had gotten on, then off, there were only three passengers left on board: Haruto, a female student probably on her way home from extracurricular activities at the high school associated with Haruto’s university, and a primary-school-aged girl. Other than the occasional announcement from the bus’ PA system, the rumble of the engine was the only sound that could be heard as Haruto stared out the window at the passing scenery.

  ...Hm?

  Haruto suddenly felt someone’s eyes fixed on him. At the other end of the gaze was the primary-school-aged little girl.

  She’s... Endo Suzune-chan, if I recall correctly.

  It just so happened that Haruto knew this girl. One time, she’d fallen asleep on her way home and missed her stop. She burst into tears when she realized how lost she was, and Haruto had helped her back to her house. Every now and then they’d end up on the same bus again, with Suzune looking his way. It made an impression on him. This time, Haruto returned her gaze and watched as she panicked and looked away.

  ...Did I do something wrong...?

  Nothing came to mind, obviously. The only time he’d ever spoken to her was the time he’d saved her. He’d taken her to her house and was thanked by her mother, so it was hard to think of any issues.

  Was he just imagining it...? He considered asking her directly, but didn’t want to be mistaken and end up coming off like a creep. After all, people were extremely wary of child predators nowadays.

  No matter how you look at it, only a creep would talk to a little girl they barely know on the bus, right?

  Yeah, better not. It was a little bothersome, but Haruto gave up with a small sigh and forced Suzune’s gaze out of his mind.

  “ —!”

  The bus gave a sudden, lurching jerk. Haruto felt a soaring sensation before intense pain rippled throughout his body — he was launched through the air and slammed into the roof.

  “Gah... hah...”

  Everything hurt. He couldn’t breathe.

  His body felt hot, like it had been doused in boiling water. The horribly crushed interior of the bus reflected in his darkening vision as his consciousness rapidly slipped away.

  D-Did we... crash...?

  Despite his extremely hazy mind, Haruto somehow managed to process that thought. He was aware of his probable death. Everything should have been in pain, yet he was slowly losing feeling in his body instead. He could tell he was on death’s doorstep. With that thought, he was suddenly wracked with fear.

  “Nnnh... gah...”

  He mustered the last bit of strength he had to open his mouth, but all that escaped was a cough filled with blood.

  Mii... cha...

  As his heart called out Miharu’s former nickname, a single teartop fell from his eye and mixed with blood. But just as Haruto was about to lose consciousness...

  Haru......

  A melodic voice echoed in Haruto’s head. At the same time, a huge, circular, geometric pattern started to rise from the ground, emitting a glowing light.

  “And now, the news. A truck collided with a bus in the Tokyo metropolitan area at 3:23pm today. Three passengers on board the bus have been confirmed dead, while the drivers of both vehicles are critically injured but miraculously alive. The cause of the accident was determined to be the driver of the truck falling asleep at the wheel...”

  Chapter 2: Another World

  Year 989 of the Holy Era.

  The continent of Euphelia. The kingdom of Beltrum and its capital, Beltrant, were located in the Strahl region, towards the west side of this land.

  It was here in these lands that a mother and child lived modestly — but happily — in a small house. The mother was a lovely and attractive woman, and her son was comparably cute in an androgynous way.

  On one fine summer day...

  “Hey, mom. Why do we have black hair? No one around us has black hair.”

  The little boy peered up at his mother with caramel-colored eyes. Indeed, there were no other black-haired people in the capital they lived in. Because of that, the two of them were treated as oddities in their neighborhood.

  His mother looked troubled by his question.

  “You’re right, Rio,” she said, taking a moment to answer him. “Perhaps it’s because we came from somewhere far away.”

  “Do all of the people who live far away have black hair?”

  “Yes, that’s right. It’s not just you and me. Your father’s hair was black, too... and so was your grandmother’s and grandfather’s hair.”

  Her son, whose name was Rio, had asked so curiously — his mother couldn’t help but smile as a result as she answered him. Seeing her smile made the boy so happy, making him beam right back at her. To the young boy who had just turned five, his mother was his everything.

  “Huh! I’d like to meet grandma and grandpa someday.”

  “...Yes, that’d be nice,” the mother replied. “I’ll take you to see them when you get bigger. They’re in a place called the Yagumo region.” Her smile had become troubled again as she spoke.

  “Really? You promise?”

&nb
sp; “Mmhm. I promise.”

  ◇◇◇

  Two years later, in the year 991 of the Holy Era. Early spring.

  In the slums of Beltrant, the capital of the Beltrum kingdom, there lived a small orphan boy. He was curled in the corner of a dark and shabby wooden shack, the air dry and chilly.

  “Hah... hah...”

  The boy panted for breath, his cheeks bright red. He groaned openly, tormented by his nightmares. The dirty rags he wore on his body were soaked through with sweat; at just a glance, it was clear that he had a fever. There were traces of multiple people living in the run-down shack, but none of them were present to nurse the sick boy. Who knew how long the boy had been alone like this? He was alone, left lying on the cold floor in a single layer of clothing. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d died like this. And yet—

  At one point, a warm, gentle light began to shine and embrace the boy’s body. It was a different kind of heat from the fever that had been tormenting the boy... This heat was warm and comfortable enough to entrust oneself to. Color rapidly returned to the boy’s face, and his breathing evened out. For some reason, the fever that ailed the boy’s body was gone, and the light that covered his body disappeared with a subtle flash.

  “Mmh...”

  The boy blearily opened his eyes sometime later. Lying on his back, he blinked until his vision cleared and a dimly-lit wooden ceiling came into focus. His mind was still hazy, as though there was a fog preventing him from thinking clearly. The fever was gone, but not without consequence. He was still weak, and had yet to recover his strength and stamina. Overwhelmed with fatigue, the boy stared blankly at the ceiling. His mind managed to recover to a point where he could process his thoughts again; pushing his weary body up into a sitting position, he started to wonder about his situation.

  “Ugh...”

  A dull pain ached in his muscles, making the boy wince. It might have been a result of the cold he caught, or perhaps from sleeping on the hard floor. A glance around at his surroundings revealed a dismal room with some shabby furniture placed in the middle.