cetsyr

Because she was the one who drenched it...

I... couldn't help it. The water came out, just like that.

It kept flowing from my face, and no matter how I tried to stop it, I couldn't... in the end, the whole letter was soaked.

The cloudbeast lets out a somewhat astonished 'hm' upon hearing Amiya's answer, and jumps onto Amiya's shoulder.

As if conducting a physical examination, the cloudbeast carefully examines Amiya's face, even raising its front paw to cautiously touch her cheek in different spots. The feeling is somewhat familiar... like a doctor's touch.

This isn't right.

Water should not be seeping out from puppet faces.

We need to consider the possibility of malfunction, or even failure of bodily functions... and figure out a solution.

Amiya also touches her own cheek and shakes her head.

I don't know...

The cloudbeast jumps up to Amiya's head, contemplates for a moment, then jumps back into Amiya's arms.

It looks like a creature deep in thought.

I understand. You should look for the magician.

The magician... oh yes! The magician can do anything!

Good. Let the magician fix you, so water no longer seeps through. This way, the letter won't be soaked and unreadable.

Once you can read the information written on it, you'll know where they went.

If you say so... I will!

...But where do I find the magician?

I walked through the whole field, climbed to the top of the giant mountain, but I haven't seen anyone else other than the kid who woke me up, and you...

Is that so? That is somewhat strange... When you meet the magician, ask for an eye exam too.

But I have to find the magician first...

You can find the magician. You're the only one who can.

Could you at least... tell me which direction I should head in?

The cloudbeast lowers its eyes, as if from exhaustion. Amiya notices it trying to stifle a yawn.

You need to go at once...

The cloudbeast shakes its head as if to stave off its drowsiness. It leaps once more onto Amiya's head—

Amiya feels a gentle kick on her ear, and feels the weight vanish as the cloudbeast leaps into the fading light, disappearing into approaching dusk.

Amiya looks up, trying to find the creature, but the open and flat mountaintop is completely deserted.

She puts the letter back into her jacket. After patting her pocket, Amiya makes up her mind and closes her eyes.

She is a little nervous, but fortunately, she can do it.

Like the leaping cloudbeast earlier, she runs a ways, then jumps off the edge of the cliff—

Amiya's long ponytail draws arcs in the air as she runs, captured in the shadow's eyes.

Amiya leaps off the cliff, into the formless air.

The shadow raises her pale face.

Amiya does not turn back, and the shadow remains standing, far behind her.

The shadow sighs softly, recalling the earlier conversation between Amiya and the cloudbeast.

She reaches out, and the cloudbeast emerges from thin air, standing on the shadow's palm.

I have done what I had to do.

...Is that what you think?

She needed a guide. That has always been 'my' responsibility.

If we were talking about your true self... I actually think you should have given her something else.

'I' shouldn't be the one to grant her those things.

Why not? She's always been so dependent on 'you'...

My point is, 'you' are more suited to the role than I am.

You know she and I made a promise. I'll appear whenever she calls for me.

She knows I'm always there, but she's been calling for me less and less the past few years.

She's no longer a child.

The shadow recalls when they first met—oh, sorry, the shadow always gets it wrong. 'When they first met' actually happened a little later.

Amiya was once a girl who would snuggle up to her, burying a few tears into the fabric of her shoulder. She would then raise her head to look at the shadow's eyes, and smile.

The shadow spent some time learning these smiles, so she could use them too.

But time passed faster than she could perceive it, something she originally found hard to grasp.

Though, it's not as if she doesn't know why Amiya no longer calls for her.

Amiya is growing up, the shadow thinks.

Actually, it isn't so much about how 'you' think, but what she wants, no?

Of course. After all, 'I' am one of the people she's looking for.

So why would she seek solace from 'me'? 'I'... have become one of her responsibilities too.

She will not allow herself to remove her 'emotions' from her 'responsibilities'.

...*sigh*.

Though, perhaps <i>that one</i> can.

Are you going to follow her? Do you... want to meet the magician?

...I'll accompany her. It is the reason I exist in this form.

If she's willing to ask the magician for help, I won't have to break our promise and show up without her summoning me.

If not... I shall decide then whether or not to fulfill my obligations.

I thought your 'promise' and 'obligation' were one and the same?

Logically speaking, yes.

...Alright. I'll leave it to you.

The shadow and the cloudbeast bid each other goodbye. Their conversation lasted longer than she expected.

As twilight draws near, she has to catch up with Amiya as soon as she can.

Amiya leaps off the cliff, but does not fall. She rises into the sky, stepping on air and sparks of dusk, searching for the magician among the stars and clouds.

Strange. The magician isn't among the stars.

Amiya jumps onto a cloud, then another, asking them to move aside so she can see what lies behind, then asks them to congregate, becoming a soft bridge.

Amiya has always been a patient girl, and never fears disappointment, so she manages to find the magician in the end.

Hello, great magician. There's something I need urgently... Could you please fix me?

I lost people very important to me, and I have to find them as soon as I can.

But I don't know why, my face keeps leaking water, soaking the letter they gave me, so I can't read a single word...

Why would water even leak from a puppet's face? The cloudbeast is right, maybe I'm broken...

O great magician, could you please fix me up quickly? I'm really in a hurry... I have to read what's on the letter and find them.

Amiya, you're not broken. You're just crying...

Tears don't mean you're damaged inside.

So a puppet... can cry too?

The river of tears is already long enough...

It's alright, Amiya. It's alright. Everyone cries. We can't stop the river of tears from flowing even if we cover our eyes and faces. If the river dries up, the heart does too.

If your heart shrivels up, there won't be space for those dear to you to fit in, right?

The magician wipes Amiya's cheek, and the spot turns damp again.

Amiya, you can't see it, but your tears are shining... Oh, maybe because the stars are out, and their light is reflecting on your face.

Trust me, Amiya.

I do... I always have and will. But, the letter...

I'll help you. This won't be hard.

The magician summons ten clouds, enveloping the two. Bright red clouds like the sunset that feel warm, even a little hot to the touch.

The magician asks Amiya to unfold the letter, hold it in her fingers, and hang it from a cloud.

In just a short while, the fiery cloud's shade of red fades into a grey and turns damp.

The fiery cloud nods to the magician—never mind where its head even is, it's what the magician says—and strolls into the troposphere.

This happens ten times, and Amiya picks up the letter, now dry and firm, no longer damp and flimsy.

The letter's words stand up straight in a neat line, every stroke now rendered clear.

Amiya takes a quick glance.

Phew...

Having done all of that, the magician droops, settling onto a thick cloud.

Are you alright? You seem exhausted...

Calling these clouds out and making them proper is no easy feat... But I'll be fine after a brief rest.

So, what does the letter say? Where did they go? I can look for them with you.