Freedom... //Yakusoku No Neverland

47] Stories Of Old

暖かい日差しの下で愛が咲く...

{What are the demons? And the plantations?!}

What's happening our here? And what happened 30 years ago?

"Please, tell us... What happened to humanity 30 years ago? What's going on with the world?" Emma asked, begging for an answer

"Nothing" Sung-Joo answered which confused us "Nothing in particular. 30 years, eh... I've no idea how you came up with that number, but... The world has been like this for a long, long time"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked

"Could it be that" I placed my hand on my chin "This isn't Earth at all?"

"Huh?" Emma mumbled

"If this planet isn't Earth... It would explain the absurd biology we have been seeing..." I said

"Nay" He said

"The calendar, then? The dates were a lie, too? Were not in 2046 at all, but much-" I said

"Nay" Sung-Joo said "Were on planet Earth, yes, and precisely in the year of 2046. Well, according to a certain human reckoning, at least"

"But then, why...? How...?" Emma asked

"I'll tell you the stories of old. When the world was much bigger than it is today. It was a great wide world indeed. Back then, there were no "plantations". The land was huge and full of humans... And the "Demons" could just prey on them and survive. The "Demons" were the hunters... And the humans, the hunted. Some humans feared those beings and worshipped them. Others grew vengeful and they themselves became the hunters. In fear of being eaten, these humans ended up killing swathes of "Demons"... Who, in turn, started to actively begrudge the human race, too. Endless massacres ensued. Both sides lived in terror. Finally, when neither one could bear the destruction any longer, a proposal came from the human side. "We shall make a treaty as follows: "Human beings shan't hunt 'Demons' anymore. In return, 'Demons' shan't hunt humans either" "This world we live in shall be divided between both." Yes, that's when it all started... With that Promise. The ancient contravy between human beings and "Demons", sealed so long ago. It was to fulfill the promise that the world was divided... And severed into two. We live in a half allotted to the "Demon" side back then... So no, nothing in particular happened here. This place never belonged to the humans. Incidentally, you, the plantation children, are... A parting gift left behind by your ancestors, when they fled the "Demon" side" Sung-Joo said

"Left... Behind...?" Ray murmured

""Demons' shan't hunt humans"... So as to keep the promise, they've thence forth been keeping you as livestock. And the "Plantations" are institutions responsible for managing cattle. Among them, the Grace Field House is considered to be the very best grade. It's the top-ranking plantation... Among countless others, of all sizes and types. It's been some thousand years since the contract was sealed. Nothing much has changed since then. I'm afraid such is the world... That you've escape into. That you were born in" Sung-Joo explained

{Two worlds... Split? No FRICKING way! But... No I guess that explains it... The bizzare ecosystem... And why he said it's rare to see live humans, especially outside the farms... And it also explains how mom could've been plantation born, when she was born in 2014. 30 years? We've been fooling ourselves... This world belonged to the demons... For a long time! Our "worst case"... The worst case if there's no place at all got humans to live in this world. Worst case, indeed... This is exactly what we feared... And for a thousand years... In a world like that. No matter how far we run. It's simply no place for humans to live. We've worked so hard to find out the truth... So that's it. But... It's beyond even our}

"Ray, Y/n..." Emma mumbled, hope glistening in her eyes

"Yeah..." Ray and I said in unison

Emma jumped up in the air "Oh, yes! We can do it!!"

"Hmm?!" Sung-Joo said surprised at our actions

"It's the worst case, but!! But then, after that...!" Emma said happily

"Right! A lot's still up in the air, but the situation's way better than I could've ever expected!" Ray exclaimed

"There is a place for humans, after all! There's another world somewhere, and it's safe from Demons!!" I said, a huge smile forming on my face

"Yeah! We have a reason to go back for Phil and the others-somewhere to take them!" Ray said

"... Ah.. Nay... I hate to ruin your hopes, but... There's no way to cross into the human world. The pathways were completely shut down. "There shall be no crossing from either side." That rule was also part of the contract meaning-"Sung-Joo was interrupted by us

"It's ok. We'll find a way" I said

"We just gotta find out how to cross over" Emma said

"That small detail's not stopping us" Ray said

I hadn't noticed Emma was holding a cup of liquid (because you weren't sure what that was)

Emma gulped everything up

"Thanks Sung-Joo! I feel better now!" Emma said

"Is that so...? Well, that's good then..." Sung-Joo said

"Its already much too late. Go sleep" Sung-Joo told us

"OK!" Emma agreed

"Starting tomorrow... We'll teach you how to pass through this forest, at least. Under our guidance, you'll be sure to leave it safely" Sung-Joo said

"Thank you so much! Have a good night!" I said and we left

A thousand years since the contract... And it forbids crossing between the two worlds. Right... Then those books and toys and clothes and food, and architecture and technology, etc. Etc... All that stuff we've seen in the house... Is supposed to be some sort of fake human culture, painstakingly set up by the demons? Yeah, right!

{No way in hell that's all artificial. Even if it was possible. How come we only ever got stuff older than a certain date? And what about "The adventure log of Ugo"? How did Minerva's hidden message gets in?}

No, that's the work of humans. Human hands built all that... In the human world

{So there's a path. There has to be a connection so where!! What's more, if... If he's involved in that exchange as he seems to be... Then William Minerva himself is the one who's been crossing the barrier between worlds!}

"We have to find Minerva. We were right about that" Emma said

{I was very worried that we'd have to keep running for our whole lives... Whether we'd even be able to hide like that forever... Or worse, that the only way to survive would've been to exterminate them all... But no! There's a better Way}

"Liberation. Let's bring everyone... And break out if this demons' world"

Days/hours to finish: 90 min
Number of words: 1147