Last Dream

1st Movement (Part 4)

The two head into the underground, and there lies...

1st Movement "Wonder Tree" (Part 4)

21m..

With our hands in each other's, Deemo and I timidly walked into the mysterious painting.

Beyond the brick passageway inside the painting was an awfully long dilapidated spiral staircase.

(It sure is a surprise to find a passage in the painting...)

This world was truly filled with mysterious things. No... Perhaps everything that I see in this world was part of Wonderland...

(I need to be careful or I'll lose my footing on these steps...)

This spiral staircase really was falling apart... I held tightly onto Deemo's long black fingers as I slowly descended the stairs, when I saw a dirty gold medal lying at a corner of the steps.

Gently I released Deemo's hand and picked up the medal while squinting at it. Perhaps a hint to the tree's growth was written on it, or so I thought. Straining my eyes, I used the sleeve of my dress* to wipe off the dirt and tried to read the letters written on its surface.

「———Piano Competition Winner: H...」

(No, I can't make it out...)

However, the medal is considerably worn down, and I could only make out faint traces of words that had been written on it. For some reason, a small sense of despair began to attack my heart. I unconsciously let out a small sigh as though to release that despair from my body. That was when it happened.

The ground began to shake violently like an earthquake, and from the room below, a thunderous "ZAAAAA——!" began to sound. It felt like a premonition of the birth of all life.

Deemo quickly ran to me and supported my tiny body with his shadow-like one.

(This is... the sound of water...!)

That was what I felt at the moment while I was still enveloped by Deemo's cold body.

"Deemo, let's try heading to the underground room!"

I shouted, gripping tightly onto Deemo's hand. What can I call it....? It felt as though it was a mission sent to us from God.

Something was bound to change if we went to the underground room——perhaps, things might change for the worst. However, right now, while the tree had ceased to stop growing, it was better for there to be at least a kind of change in this world, rather than none.

"......"

Deemo, while staring deep into my eyes, remained as expressionless as always. And then he firmly and quietly nodded.

♩

Immediately, with echoing footsteps, we dashed down the staircase and came to an underground room that looked like one where a witch might live: it was enveloped by the tree's vines, each with thorns growing on them.

(Wow...)

The veins looked like they were still moving, creating a sinister, eye-piercing atmosphere that felt as though it might consume me. Even so, my heart slowly regained its liveliness. After all, this underground room was sure to contain some hint to the tree's growth; that was what I felt.

However, even though there was definitely the sound of water, there was no water flowing anywhere...

——For a tree to grow, it needs both light and water...