Möwe, Original Sibyl 

Pregnancy, birth, mention of slavery and suicide.

The fate of the Sibyls was always the same in the world of the miniature garden.
This story began a long time ago, when the four powers of hope descended upon a girl who wished for people’s happiness.
Her name was Nefeshé.
Wielding the power of God, the girl filled the miniature garden little by little to create the utopia she envisioned – a world where everyone can enjoy equal happiness.
Her blessings spread across to all parts of the world, and the once desolate land began to overflow with blessed rain and lush greenery.
Eventually, the inhabitants of this world worshiped the girl as a goddess who would bring fertility.
The blessings bestowed by the goddess would continue forever – as long as people offered their prayers.

However, the path to the utopia Nefeshé had envisioned had somehow strayed far off course.
She faced countless hardships.
Even those who had believed in her were now few in number.
Even the power she once possessed had begun to fade.
What remained in her hands?
Even she no longer knew.

But she had to go on.
To repay the many who believed in her.

North, north.
Forward, forward.

No matter how fierce the winds howl, she had no choice but to move forward.
Clinging to a gleam of hope in the oracle that was given to her.

Nefeshé and her companions’ journey took them westward through the rugged mountains of Agidis, approaching a hilly region covered in desert.
Strong winds blew all year round, and the sunlight was so strong that it burned the skin mercilessly.
Compared to Luthra and Agidis, it was a land with little greenery, yet it had formed an ecosystem that seemed to have evolved uniquely.
In this region, there were few places to escape the strong sunlight. Nefeshé smiled slightly at the strength of the life thriving in such a harsh environment.

“Life is sprouting even in a place like this. It’s wonderful…”

Nefeshé walked while looking around, but her steps were somewhat unsteady.

“Lady Nefeshé? You don’t look well… Ah!”

Before her companion could finish her sentence, Nefeshé stumbled and collapsed, sitting down.

“Lady Nefeshé!!”
“Ah…”

In just a moment, Nefeshé fell asleep.
No matter how much they shook her, she showed no sign of waking.
For some time now, she had increasingly fallen asleep suddenly even while walking.
It was as if she was being lured by something.

“What should we do? We need to find somewhere to rest.”
“There are some shaded spots, but…”
“Wait, look over there.”

Looking in the direction the guard was pointing, faint smoke could be seen rising in the distance. Sliding their gaze downward, they saw a massive boulder lying on its side.

“Let’s go.”

The guards nodded to each other and continued walking.

As they drew nearer to the giant boulder, its sheer presence overwhelmed the guards, drawing gasps of awe.
Upon further inspection, they noticed a path carved out of the rock, stretching ahead like a trail.
They continued along the cliffside path and soon emerged into an open area.
At its center, rocks of various sizes stood side by side, supporting one another. Looking closer, they realized it was a dwelling skillfully constructed using the rocks.
Some were skillfully carved from rock, while others were reinforced with walls of packed earth.
The people who lived there had a strong will to coexist with nature.

“Anyway, let’s go see if there’s anyone here.”

Just as the guards were about to move deeper into the village, a sound suddenly came from behind them.

“…Who are you?”

Turning around, they saw several men and women with exposed tanned skin standing there. They had animals on their shoulders that looked like they had hunted nearby, and each of them was holding a bow or a stone knife.
The guards were vastly outnumbered.

“Damn…!”

The guards looked around for some way to protect Nefeshé, and put their hands on the hilts of their swords.
However, the leader of the group quickly noticed the guards’ gazes and put his hand forward to speak softly.

“Put away your blades. We do not fight.”

There was no hostility in the man’s eyes.
Realizing this, the guards reluctantly lowered their guard.

In a land of sparse greenery and desert, Nefeshé and her companions encountered the “Möwe,” a human hunting tribe that lived in harmony with nature.
Originally a nomadic people, they had drifted to this land and now used it as a base for hunting.
This was explained by their leader.
They had a name for their tribe, but it seemed that their culture did not have individual names.
They spoke with a unique accent, but communication was not impossible.
The guards, without revealing anything about Nefeshé, told them about their circumstances and purpose thus far.

“…We know the red sky in the east. Why did you come to the desert?”
“We must escort her to a place far north of here.”

The man looked at Nefeshé, who was lying down behind a rock.
Children were gathered around Nefeshé and her guards.
They were all curious about Nefeshé’s translucent white skin and golden hair.

“We mean no harm, overlook that.”
“Ah, uh…”
“The north is a place we can’t approach. If you can’t reach it, come back here. You are always welcome.”

The man pointed to a hut built further back.
He meant for them to use it as a place to sleep.

“Thank you. We appreciate your offer, but we will depart as soon as Lady Nefeshé has recovered.”

The guard who parted ways with the man carried Nefeshé to the hut with the other guards.
After laying her down on the hay, they sighed in relief.

“I’m glad nothing happened…”
“Ah, the people here have a different vibe compared to those in Luthra and Tioquia.”
“In any case, we want to avoid a repeat of what happened before.”
“We must escort Lady Nefeshé no matter what.”
“That is our mission.”

Nefeshé was still in a deep sleep.
Ever since her powers were stripped away, she had been losing consciousness more frequently.
The frequency and depth of these lapses were worlds apart from what they had been in Luthra.
All she had left was the power of wind.
If she were to lose even that… what would become of her?
The guards were worried, but no amount of pondering could bridge the gap between the world they saw and the one she perceived.
They couldn’t fathom the feelings of someone with an immortal body, and vice versa.
If anyone could truly save her, it could only be the god she saw in her dreams… Idea, the Demiurge.

The guards prayed.
That she would be saved, after all the hardships she had faced.

I was having that dream again.
Surrounded by the sound of a babbling brook, I listened to the voice speaking to me.

At first, it was just a tiny whisper.
But as our meetings grew more frequent, it slowly grew louder.

You always reached out to me on a road that seemed to have no end in sight.
It was the same when I was consumed by worry, suffering, and sorrow.
Whenever I needed you, you always appeared.

Perhaps that is why.
I have come to cling to your voice.
What does your face look like?
What does your smile sound like?
If I could meet you, I would be able to overcome any hardship that awaits me.

Just a little longer, just a little longer, I can reach you.
Then, I would…

“…shé, Nefeshé…?”
“Hm… Ah… I was asleep again…”

I was woken up from a deep sleep by the voice of the girl in front of me.
I felt like I was about to say something, but I couldn’t remember what it was.

“Thank goodness! I thought you were dead, you were not waking up!”

It’s no wonder she thought that.
Everyone says that I sleep as if I were dead.
At first, waking up from that sleep wasn’t pleasant. But ever since I started hearing that voice clearly, I’ve been able to wake up feeling refreshed.

“Nefeshé? Are you dead again?”
“No, I’m awake. Anyway… What’s your name?”
“Name? We possess no name! We are Möwe! We hunt in the desert!”

The girl calling herself Möwe said this, then giggled while shaking her thin body.
Despite living in the harsh desert, she looked like she was having fun for some reason.
I couldn’t help but ask her.

“Are you happy now?”
“Happy…? I don’t know. But I have father and mother. I am always having fun!”

She smiled happily again.
I don’t have much power over this area. But the people living here seemed incredibly happy and content.

“…It’s so different from Luthra, where I came from.”
“Nefeshé, I do not understand! But it is fun!”

At that moment, I realized.
Perhaps for those living their daily lives, it didn’t matter at all that someone like me had never existed in this world.
There was no meaning in the blessings that were simply given.
That’s when I finally realized.
What I was seeing was not the future of those living in the world.
Rather, I felt that she was seeing much further ahead than I was.
Even though I have lived for so long, what have I been seeing all this time…?
If only I had realized sooner, perhaps I wouldn’t have lost everyone.
If it were possible… I would try again-

“…uh!?”
“Nefeshé, what’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt?”

A sudden pain hit me.
At that moment, I felt something.

…Was that… A voice?

It was the final blessing I bestowed upon this world,
having despaired of myself.

It was early in the morning.
Guards who heard Nefeshé’s moans rushed to the hut to find her crouched on the ground, unable to move.

“Lady Nefeshé!?”

As they rushed to examine her, they suddenly noticed the ground around Nefeshé was damp.
There were no visible injuries.
But when they turned her over on her back, they finally discovered what seemed to be the cause of her great suffering.
Nefeshé’s lower abdomen was greatly swollen.

“No way… Could it be…!?”

Given her agony and the extreme swelling of her abdomen, the answer was obvious. But it was too sudden.
There had been no signs, and she had suddenly become pregnant.
Even the guard officers, who had never faced such a situation, urgently sought help from the women of the village.
The ones who came to the hut were the girl who had been playing with Nefeshé the day before and her mother.
The woman saw Nefeshé’s belly and face and immediately realized her water had broken.

She pushed the panicked guards, who could do nothing but fluster about. Then she placed her hand on Nefeshé’s lower abdomen.
A few hours later…
As the sun began to set, the woman came out of the hut holding a baby in her arms.
Nefeshé had safely given birth.
Exhausted beyond measure, she had fallen into a deep sleep before the woman could speak to her.

The woman was about to place the baby next to its mother when she finally realized that something was wrong.
The baby had barely uttered a cry at all.
No, there was something even stranger than that.
Looking closely at the child’s head, she felt something rough and hard just above the ear.

“What is this…?”

It was something that would not grow on a human child.
However, it was something the mother had seen often.
Yes, it closely resembled the horns grown by the beasts the Möwe people hunted.
Pitch black horns that curled inwards.
No one spoke at the sight of the baby’s unusual appearance.

“Did I… give birth to this child?”

Nefeshé regained consciousness and tilted her head slightly at the baby in front of her.
The baby that had suddenly been born from her womb.
It had an appearance that no one had ever seen before.

Brown skin, two small curled horns.
A normal human child would still be crying at this moment.
Yet this child never once wailed, instead breathing peacefully in sleep.
While no one else could comprehend the situation, Nefeshé pondered alone.

“…Because I wished for it back then…”

Then Nefeshé closed her eyes, turning her consciousness inward as if to confirm something.
After a short while, she spoke.

“…It seems that the power of wind has been transferred from me to the child.”

Ignoring the shocked guards, Nefeshé remained perfectly calm.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she spoke to them.

“I have a request. Could you all raise the child?”
“La-Lady Nefeshé?”
“I have lost all power of hope. I can no longer be called the goddess of fertility. However, if I meet Lady Idea in the “Primordial Void,” the next era will arrive. At that time, she must be in this world.”
“But… we have a mission to escort you…!”
“There is no future for you if you come with me. Meeting Lady Idea is my final mission, having lost all my power. But that child has a future and hope. Please, I beg you, protect that child instead of me.”
“…”

It was the first time that Nefeshé had been so stubborn. She must care deeply for this weird infant.

“…We understand your wish, Lady Nefeshé. However, we want to protect both you and the baby, and we want to see the outcome at the expense of our own lives.”
“Those of us who remain here will live here with the Möwe people. Until the day you return, Lady Nefeshé.”
“Everyone… Thank you…”

It was the first smile Nefeshé had shown in a long time.
That smile, which could be interpreted as either compassion or sorrow, seemed almost as if a weight had been lifted from her.
As everyone stood speechless and frozen, Nefeshé took out something from her pocket.
It was a dagger.
It was a ceremonial item covered entirely in jade and decorated with gold.

“Please protect Möwe…”

Nefeshé kissed the blade as if imbuing it with prayer, then handed it to the guard.
That same day, she and her companions left the village.
Heading for the Primordial Void, where Idea was awaiting.

Nefeshé and several guards headed to the place where Idea, the Demiurge, was waiting for her.
Half of the guards chose to stay in the village and raise Möwe, but their life there did not last long.

At night, a group of bandits attacked the village while they were asleep.
Though the men and guards fought back against the surprise assault, overwhelmed by the bandits’ numbers, their resistance proved futile, and they were slaughtered.
Except for a woman who killed herself after her husband was killed, the women and children were captured as slaves.
And then, the bandits’ evil hands reached out to the hut where Möwe was sleeping…

“Ah… Maa…”
“Huh!? I thought there’d be treasure since they were defending it so fiercely! Turns out it’s a dud!”
“We might be able to sell it to some weirdo, but it’s just a hindrance, let’s kill it.”
“Hehe,that was the plan all along. Kids are soft, best to tear them apart bit by bit… Ah? What the hell is this?”
“What’s up?”

The man who was about to lay hands on Möwe turned around to look at the other one.
Just then, the man who was about to lay hands on Möwe grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and lifted her up.

“What the hell is this? There’s some weird thing stuck to its head!”
“Uhh… Ah…”
“Hahaha! It’s acting all tough! Come on, cry already!”

The man grabbed Möwe’s feet, turned her upside down, and swung her up to slam her into the ground… And at that moment, a gust of wind blew into the hut.

“Whoa?! Cough, what was that wind just now?”
“Why is it here… Hey, you! What happened to your arm?”
“Huh? What’s all the fuss… Huh?! My arm! Aaaaaaaaaa!!??”

The arm rolled at the feet of the crying man.
Next to him, Möwe was flapping her little limbs upwards.

“Wha…”
“No way, you brat-“

Those were the man’s last words.
Suddenly, a violent storm raged, powerful enough to wipe out the entire village.
People, objects, everything was blown apart by the wind… After everything was blown away, all that remained was Möwe, breathing peacefully in her sleep, and a jade-colored dagger lying nearby.

From the outside, Möwe looked like just a baby.
But her body, shaped by the power of hope, was constantly consuming energy to keep her alive, just like Nefeshé.

Ironically, it seemed to be draining the very power of fertility that Nefeshé had brought.

As the power of hope tried to absorb the energy of the surrounding area to keep Möwe alive, the environment became desolate, decaying beyond recognition.
The winds ceased, and silence enveloped the land.
The land of wind and sand, barely habitable before, had instantly transformed into a harsh, unforgiving environment.

–The next time Möwe woke up, it had been about 100 years since Nefeshe had traveled to the Land of Death.

Having absorbed the power from around her, her body had grown while she had slept.

In human terms, she might have been around 12 years old.
Exposed to the scorching sunlight, Möwe simply stared blankly at the endless desert.
Suddenly, perhaps intrigued by the sun floating in the sky, she stood up to try and grab it.
But somehow, she lost her balance and buried her face in the sand.
Her legs had gotten caught on her horns that had grown so large.
Möwe rolled over and over again, but finally, as if she had gotten used to the feeling, she stood up and began to walk slowly.
She had nowhere to go.
She had no one to rely on, no words to speak.
All she could do now was continue to wander the vast, endless desert.

“Maa… Maa…”

Möwe, the girl born as an abnormal child.
What would she see in this world? What would she feel?
As Nefeshé prayed, whether she would walk the righteous path remained unknown.