The island slowly grew larger as our boat drifted through the thick morning mist.
The air was strangely quiet.
No birds.
No waves.
Nothing.
I frowned.
"How hard could this mission be?" I thought.
"Very."
Amanda answered without even looking at me.
"...Did I say that out loud?"
"No."
She smirked.
"But your face did."
The boat came closer.
Then...
I heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Beautiful.
It echoed across the sea like a lullaby.
"If you don't love me, say it, say it...
Stay with me...
Please don't leave...
Say you need me...
'Cause I can't breathe...
Stay with me...
Don't let go...
If you leave me...
I'll be alone..."
My heart skipped a beat.
That voice...
It sounded exactly like...
My mother.
Beside me, Amanda suddenly stood up.
Her eyes became empty.
Without a word...
She stepped off the boat.
And began swimming toward the island.
"Amanda!"
I grabbed her arm.
"It's a trap!"
She didn't respond.
Instead, she kicked me square in the face and continued swimming.
She was completely hypnotised.
I wasn't.
For once...
Kaijunoo's presence inside me protected my mind from the Siren's spell.
Then...
The world around me disappeared.
I found myself standing in front of a small wooden house.
Warm sunlight shone through the trees.
The smell of fresh food drifted through the air.
The front door opened.
My mother stepped outside.
She smiled.
A real smile.
Not the one I barely remembered.
A warm one.
"Kyoren..."
"You finally came home."
Behind her stood my father.
He laughed.
"Come on, kiddo!"
"We've been waiting for you!"
Yamato stood beside them, waving.
"You've gotten stronger."
"I'm proud of you."
More people appeared.
The elders.
The hunters.
Even Dr. Akira, trying his hardest not to smile.
Everyone...
Was smiling.
Not a single hateful face.
Not a single lie.
For the first time in my life...
I felt accepted.
I slowly walked toward them.
Tears blurred my vision.
"This..."
I whispered.
"...is all I ever wanted."
My mother held out her arms.
"Come here."
I took another step.
Then another.
I was only a few metres away.
"...Even though I never wanted you."
I froze.
Yamato's voice followed.
"I only ever saw you as a tool."
Creature looked away.
"We only needed you while you were useful."
Then all of them spoke together.
"When you're no longer useful..."
"...we'll get rid of you."
Something inside me snapped.
"OH, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!!"
The illusion shattered.
Reality returned.
Amanda was still swimming toward the island.
I grabbed her and threw her safely back onto the boat.
Then I faced the island.
"RAKHTARAHMBHA!!"
From somewhere deep within the mist...
The Siren answered.
"RAKHTARAHMBHA!!"
Its song stopped.
The spell vanished instantly.
Amanda blinked.
"Huh...?"
I didn't wait.
I launched myself toward the island.
One punch.
The earth split apart.
The sea exploded upward.
The island...
Simply disappeared.
Reduced to rubble beneath the waves.
A few minutes later...
We sat silently on the boat as it returned to shore.
Amanda looked at me.
"...Nice punch."
"Yeah."
She smiled.
"So..."
"...what did you see?"
I stared at the ocean.
For a long time, I didn't answer.
Finally, I spoke.
"...Nothing."
I forced a smile.
"I just saw..."
"...the truth."