In a World without God

Chapter 13

Being alive is like being swallowed by a snake. You're trapped in a narrow stomach, squirming around, waiting for the day when your body will melt away. You watch and watch, and watch, as your flesh dissolves into stomach juices and your bones melt away...

Screaming is pointless. The screams only travel inside the worm's stomach and never reach the outside world. If there is no salvation in life, isn't it better to die early?

Marie squatted in the corner of the room, staring at the ceiling. A rotting wooden ceiling. It could collapse at any moment. It was like a reflection of herself. If it's going to crumble, just let it crumble.

It was long after sunrise, but no one in the room had moved, including Marie. They are all children trapped in the belly of a snake. Living dolls. Half-corpses waiting for death.

Looking around in a daze, Marie suddenly felt uncomfortable. One person was missing. Her younger brother Enri.

'When did he leave? Could it be....'

There was only one possibility in her mind. Enri's opponent was Tarik. She'd heard that Tarik wanted to brutally torture the witch's offspring so he could be popular with the crowd. Maybe he'd gone out to end his own life to avoid the pain.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Marie jumped out of her seat. She started to run out the door, but a sudden thought stopped her in her tracks.

"I'll go out to find him... and then what? Marie had been thinking about death herself a moment ago. If Enri wanted to take his own life, would it be right to stop him?

Unable to bring herself to go outside, Marie continued to pace by the door. Her love for Enri and her despair for life swirled in her mind. Enri was the brother she was closest to in Kaldura. Most of the few happy moments in her life had been spent with him.

'If Enri is dead... so should I......'

As Mari thought this, the door opened. Enri walked in. He was dirty, bruised, and battered. He reeked of sweat.

"Enri...! What a mess. Did your... family do this to you?"

Enri shook his head from side to side. Then he sank to the floor in a heap. Enri could barely find his voice. What the hell had happened to him?

"Enri.... Can't you tell me what happened?"

"No, sis. I'll... tell you later...."

With that, Enri passed out and fell asleep. Mari soaked a cloth in water and brushed the dirt off Enri's body and cleaned his wounds. As she examined his body, she noticed that a few areas were particularly bruised, as if he had been hit repeatedly. I wondered if the servants had beaten him without her knowledge.

Poor Enri. The kind and foolish Enri. She can't believe he's going to die in front of everyone...if that's the case, she'd rather...

While gazing at Enri's face, Mari suddenly pulled out a hidden dagger from her back pocket.

After some time, Enri opened his eyes. Mari had been by his side the entire time. Enri was surprised to see her.

"Sis? What happened to your head..."

"I have something to tell you."

Marie's hair was long and beautiful, like a galaxy falling to earth, but now it was chopped off.

"I want you to switch clothes with me, Enri. You have a beautiful face, and no one will think it's weird if you wear a skirt. You'll be Marie, and I'll be Enri, until the festival is over."

"Sister? Why would you........"

"My opponent in the festival is Lady Kurzina, and she is known for her mercy. If you become Marie, you will surely survive."