The stars were lovely.
Feeling the cold lawn on his back, he muttered into the emptiness.
Even now, the stars, which appeared to be falling, kept flickering.
The sky looked deep and distant, as it always was.
It was not something that could be grasped just by reaching out your hand. Even if it had been possible, his battered body, which had been lying on top of a hill, didn"t have the remaining strength to lift his arm.
His blue clothes were torn. His white cheeks and golden hair were covered in dirt. His body had already been losing its ability to function for a while. Under this moonlight, his fleeting consciousness would disappear before long.
He was sinking to his death.
Even as the stars were lovely, the moon was dazzling.
...As if it was falling down.
He hated that moon. Wanted none of its bright light, he dragged his dead arm up to cover his eyes.
Cold drops from the corner of his eyes were falling down his cheeks.
Suddenly, the wind stirred. It was only strong enough to flutter a dress, but it was enough for him to notice that someone was present.
"...Who"s there?" He asked faintly.
The arm that had been covering his sight, slipped down to his chest.
A large umbrella intercepted the moonlight. The person who had been standing by his side was actually a very young girl. Luxurious black dress. Golden hair tied up to two parts. Her age seemed to be 10. ...No, she might be about 6 or 7 years old. Didn"t she have an umbrella, too?
The spectacle appeared right before his eyes, yet the details were fuzzy and incomprehensible.
The only certain thing was that the girl wore big ribbons similar to a rabbit"s ears. She also had red eyes.
The girl looked into the distance and whispered to no one.
"...Soon, it will be born."
It was a very ominous voice, but had a strange kind of affection in it. As if she knew that it was the beginning of something about to be born.
He understood what she said. Even when that something had not been explained, he knew what it was. It had to be killed by his hands no matter what.
The girl, the scent of flowers wafting around her, slowly turned her face to him. A pair of crimson eyes looked down on him. A cold gaze unlike that of a little girl"s, yet similar to moonlight.
He recognized those eyes. It was in his distant memory but seemed almost as if it was yesterday. But that memory quickly disappeared, like a frozen flower broken into pieces.
"Mr. Hero."
The girl"s lips teasingly spoke.
"How would you like to become a real hero?"
The wind blew through the girl"s hair.
For him, it was a moment of one"s end, and one"s beginning.
Before long, a rumble could be heard from far away.
It gradually grew larger and more violent, shaking both the night sky and solid earth... and became a beast"s roar that was thundering throughout the world.
It was a roar that made every existence shiver. The being that would be called Black Beast, a monster that drove the world to destruction, let out its first cry.