[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 9 Ch 1 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.

"There is." Shion stood up. "There is a hospital."

Inukashi and Rikiga turned to each other. They peered into each other's eyes.

"Hospital―? Where?" Rikiga asked in a hoarse, scratchy voice. Shion's gaze slid to the side. On the other end of it was the special alloy wall, illuminated brightly by the flames.

"Inside."

"No. 6!" Inukashi and Rikiga's voices overlapped.

"Yes. We'll find plenty of hospitals there."

"That's absurd!" Rikiga blurted. "How are we going to get inside? My car won't even be able to pass the gates. They'll register it as a suspicious vehicle and it'll get blown up within a few metres of even entering. Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Wait, I know! Shion, how did you escape from No. 6? Can't we go back in that way?"

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 9 Ch 1 (a)

So this was No. 6.
This was Elyurias.


CHAPTER 1
That which I say I saw

Gracious my lord,
I should report that which I say I saw,
But know not how to do it.^[1]
-Macbeth, Act V Scene V

They were falling. Falling, almost straight down.

It was faster than anything Shion had imagined. He knew it was impossible, but he heard the sound of the wind. It was the same wind from that stormy night.

It was September 7, 2013―Shion's twelfth birthday. The Holy City of No. 6 had been directly hit by a hurricane. The rain was pounding on the ground, and the wind was roaring. The trees in his yard careened wildly, and leafy branches broke off and whipped through the air. It was an extremely large and severe hurricane, a kind not seen in recent years, but he was sure that no one living in Chronos felt threatened or anxious. Shion and his mother, Karan, had been the same.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 4

CHAPTER 4
To the evening breeze

For more than a thousand years sad Ophelia
Has passed, a white phantom, down the long black river;
For more than a thousand years her sweet madness
Has murmured its romance to the evening breeze.[1]
-Arthur Rimbaud, "Ophelia"

Nezumi fell very slowly and quietly. It was like watching a slow-motion film. An ancient, monochromatic film...

A dull impact hit his chest. Nezumi had fallen on him. Shion caught the boy's weight and heat in his arms. Suddenly, the black-and-white screen regained its repulsive colours of reality.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 3 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.

"Don't tell me the whole building is going to collapse." The excitement faded from Rikiga's voice, and uncertainty crept in.

"All's good and well if it collapses," Inukashi replied. "Once this place becomes a mountain of rubble, I'll be the first to plant a memorial tree." I'll plant one for Getsuyaku, my black dog, and the countless people who were murdered here. A tree that'll grow huge and bloom with pure white flowers.

"You sounded so happy the other day wishing this place would come falling down, old man," he added.

"That was a form of expression. I don't mind the Correctional Facility falling down, but I have a bit of a problem with this building becoming a pile of rubble."

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 3 (a)

CHAPTER 3
Cease from the struggle
of war's impartial contention

"Zeus-sprung son of Laërtes, Odysseus of many devices,
hold back, cease from the struggle of war's impartial contention,
lest wide-thundering Zeus son of Kronos be angry against you."^[1]
-Homer, The Odyssey

The door of the elevator was open by a crack. Nezumi hooked his hand on it.

Give me strength. Please. He prayed, but not to God. He prayed to the girl with the wilful gaze. Safu, give us strength. A little more, just a little strength for us...

The door opened, but not by enough. They could not escape yet. Nezumi heard laboured breathing behind him.

"Shion..."

Shion was getting to his feet. He silently stretched his hands out, and his fingers grasped the door. They looked at each other. Tsukiyo poked his face out of the folds of superfibre and cried once, loudly.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 2 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.
Please hover over the image to see the text.

"How long do we have to stay like this for?" Rikiga stifled a yawn. He fished out a flat metal bottle from his jacket pocket. The stench of alcohol stung Inukashi's nose.

"That stinks. What's in there?" he asked as he pinched his nose.

"Do you want to know?" Rikiga flashed a vulgar grin, and lightly shook the bottle. Inukashi could hear liquid sloshing inside.

"I don't even have to ask. It stinks of cheap booze. Ugh, that smell! Makes me wanna throw up." He pulled his face into a scowl. It was no act. The bottle was not even open, but the nauseating odour radiating from it assaulted his nose.

"Don't ask if you already know," Rikiga said.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 2 (a)

CHAPTER 2
I've done

"I've done with fancies, imaginary terrors and phantoms! Life is real! haven't I lived just now? [...] The Kingdom of Heaven to her- [...] Now for the reign of reason and light... and of will, and of strength... and now we will see! We will try our strength!"^[1]
-Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

Lili was sleeping. She breathed softly, lying on the tattered sofa at the back of the shop.

She was in a fetal position, and with her furrowed brow and her pursed lips, she looked anything but peaceful. Tear streaks still stood out on her face. Out of anxiety, perhaps, she had curled up into a ball, clutching tightly onto the blanket Karan had covered her with.

"Lili... poor thing." Karan smoothed the blanket's wrinkles out. Lili's lips moved imperceptibly.

"Daddy... don't go," she mumbled in her sleep. Her fingers closed tightly around a corner of the blanket.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 1 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.

"Thank you. I am grateful." Safu clasped her hands, and bowed her head.

"I don't need any thanks. Destroying the Mother is like shooting the Correctional Facility through the heart. I could have wished with all my might and still not gotten this opportunity. It's worth a try, if this column will really open and expose the Mother, even for a moment."

Nezumi's eyes glittered. It was like the glitter of a finely-sharpened knife.

The control panel lit up without warning. Words emerged in the air. Nezumi gave a short whistle. He placed his fingers on the control panel.

"Unlocked, unlocked, unlocked... heh, a miracle transformation from haughty queen to meek lady. Now even I can handle her."

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 8 Ch 1 (a)

You don't feel it?
Feel? Feel what?
Something off.


CHAPTER 1
Ring the alarum bell!

I gin to be aweary of the sun,
And wish the estate o' the world were now undone.
Ring the alarum bell! Blow, wind! come, wrack!
At least we'll die with harness on our back. ^[1]
- Macbeth, Act V Scene V

I love you, Shion. I love you more than anyone else.

Brains floated in the middle of the transparent columns.

Human brains.

How many? Ten, twenty, thirty... perhaps more than fifty. There seemed to be a light source at the base of the column, for the entirety of it emitted a soft, white glow.
A scene he had never seen before. It was orderly, inorganic, and sterile. Not a single stain marred the smooth floor. The chamber was odourless and almost soundless. But that in itself was terrifying. Shion felt that this scene was more terrifying than any he had seen until now. He couldn't hear the tearful cries, the screams, or groans. There were no corpses, no flowing blood, no faces distorted in agony. But this scene here was so much more wicked than the picture of hell in the basement that he had witnessed and burned into his memory.

[Novel] NO. 6 Sidestory - Days in the West Block

This booklet was included with Volume 4 (special edition) of the manga.
A big thanks to Annamirka for scans.


SIDESTORY
Days in the West Block

There was not a cloud in the sky that day in the West Block, and it was bright and clear. It was truly a cerulean sky.

But of course, since the West Block lay in the shadow of No. 6, daylight hours were always short no matter how sunny it was. In the winter, it was especially so.

Shion looked up at the sky, and gave a huge stretch. The suds on his hands turned into small bubbles that floated into the air above.

They reflected the light and sparkled in rainbow-coloured hues.

"It's such a nice day today."

The blue of the sky and the light from the bubbles stung his eyes.

"Hey, Shion. Get a move on." Inukashi looked up from making soap suds in a bucket to glare at Shion. The light on his raven hair made it look even more black.

"Take your sweet time, and the sun'll be down before you know it. We gotta finish washing the dogs by afternoon. 'Cause if they don't get washed by then, we'll have to burn a whole extra fire just to dry them off. It's a waste of firewood."

"Oh, right. Yeah. Sorry about that."

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 5 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.
Please hover over the underlined text to see notes.

"E-Escorting me... where?"

There was no answer. The two muscular Bureau officials, alike in height and shoulder width, remained silent with their guns pointed at Getsuyaku.

Nothing spoke louder than their lack of words.

Destruction was approaching. Getsuyaku understood that he was in no position to escape. But he couldn't relent.

No. No.

"Wh―why am I... what are you saying I've done...?"

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 5 (a)

CHAPTER 5
A Treacherous Joy

A deep, inexpressible joy filled her heart, a treacherous joy that she sought to hide at any cost, one of those things of which one is ashamed, although cherishing it in one's soul . . .
-Maupassant, "A Life"^[1]

"Is Daddy home yet?" Lili sighed. "Did Mommy get to see Daddy? Did she get to say 'welcome back' to him? It's getting so dark. I wonder what happened? Yuna's daddy and Ei's daddy are already home. They always come home on the same bus. You know, sometimes me and Yuna and Ei go and meet them there."

"I see. And Daddy's very happy, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Really. He picks me up, and kisses me on the cheek. But it's kind of embarrassing. I don't need to get a kiss from Daddy to be happy. I'm not a little girl, you know. But Daddy still thinks I'm a little girl. That's why he kisses me in front of all those people. It's kind of a problem."

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 4 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.
Please hover over the underlined text to see annotations.

Whoosh.

He felt a breeze.

He smelled flowers. The faintly sweet smell of wildflowers.

Whoosh.

The breeze touched his cheek, and caressed his bangs.

Oh, it's that again. It's... that.

He opened his eyes.

The light stung.

A field stretched out before him.

[Novel] NO.6 - Vol 7 Ch 4 (a)

CHAPTER 4
Are you sad?

"Are you sad?"
"Yes, I am."
"You're not really, are you?"
"No, I'm not."
-Hoshi Shin'ichi, "Bokko-chan", Short Short 1001^[1]

Two conveyer belts were running. Humans lay on them. Someone had put them there.

They were not alive. He could tell clearly even from where he stood behind the glass.

Bodies. Several dozen, maybe even a hundred, were being carried down. A half-moon shaped device of enormous size was operating beyond.

The bodies were sucked in one after another into two square openings. It seemed like the glass was of a special kind, for he could hear nothing of what was occurring on the other side.

Bodies slipped by continuously in this silent scene.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 3 (b)

Continued from PART A.

They were at the top of the stairs. It was such a cramped space that they had barely any room to stand.

"Shion, there's no exit."

There was no handle or button to be found. Only a blank wall.

We've messed up.

His heart pounded. Cold sweat streamed down his back. If this was a dead end, then there was no escape for them. They could not fend off the pursuers coming from below.

"Up," Shion yelled. "Push the ceiling up!"

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 3 (a)

CHAPTER 3
The Arms of Reason

. . . but he who, provoked and nettled to the quick by an offence, should fortify himself with the arms of reason against the furious appetite of revenge, and after a great conflict, master his own passion, would certainly do a great deal more.^[1]
-Montaigne, Essays Book 2 Chapter XI

The shutters closed.

Shion sprang up, and took in his surroundings. Teal walls and a teal hallway stretched out before him. The floor was made of a smooth, glossy material polished to a spotless sheen, and reminded him of the cleanliness of a hospital.

However, unlike a hospital, there were no windows or doors.

He felt like he had been shut into a durable box. No, it wasn't like a box―this was a box, a sealed box. There were three barriers between where he stood now and the prisoners' wing up ahead. Once all of them came down, the box would further seal itself into multiple compartments.

These were spaces designed to capture escaped prisoners, if not execute them on the spot.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 2 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.

Rikiga peered into the bundle in Inukashi's arms, and exhaled a breath that reeked of alcohol.

"Mama," he echoed.

"What? You miss your Mama, old man?"

"My mother went six feet under a long time ago. She crawled into that grave when I was ten, and hasn't tried to crawl back out since."

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 2 (a)

CHAPTER 2
If one's human soul

If one's human soul should completely disappear, one would probably be more likely to find happiness. But even so, the human inside oneself feels horror towards it like nothing else. O how so completely terrifying, grievous, and painful he thinks it! For one to lose his memories as a human.
-Nakajima Atsushi, Sangetsuki ^[1]

She had awakened.

Safu had awakened, and understood everything.

She knew now what had happened to her.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 1 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.

There was a cotton handkerchief in Shion's coat pocket. He used it to cover his nose and mouth. It wasn't to shield against the smell; it was to hide his face. This way, the risk of being spotted would lessen. Nezumi also pressed a white handkerchief to his mouth.

They climbed the stairs. The odour gradually grew stronger. Still, the security alarms didn't go off.

A chime sounded, and his feet froze on the spot. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

"Commencing odour removal. Commencing air filtering. Operational level 8.5. The air quality of the building will return to normal in approximately two minutes, sixteen seconds."

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 7 Ch 1 (a)

Finally, you are here.
I have been waiting for you.


CHAPTER 1
Your Last Embrace

O here
Will I set up my everlasting rest
And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars
From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last.
Arms, take your last embrace!
-Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act V Scene III ^[1]

A white light stabbed at his eyes.

It was blinding.

The light was overpowering.

The place overflowed with light, and glittered.

It was unmistakable―it was the world of No. 6.