PUZZLE 4: THE ENDLESS FALL - ACT 2
As I fly through the heavens, I feel the distance between myself and her to be even greater…
It's almost… unbearable.
"We'll land soon," Yaeko reassures me. "Just ten more minutes."
I guess I've failed to hide my displeasure.
"Good," I respond, staring blankly at the clouds outside the plane's window.
She takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry about your mother being in Hell, sister. Really I am."
I turn to her with my eyebrows raised. "Is it really that bad down there?"
I hope for her to reveal more about her past, but she just smiles a little.
"Sister, I don't want you to have nightmares for the rest of your life."
But I do have nightmares, Yaeko… almost every single night.
⧗⧗⧗
The detective and I fly in a helicopter over the countryside of Ehime, and eventually over Mount Ishizuchi.
The landscape from above stretches on for miles. The blue mist contrasts with the many lush green trees and plants that top the countless hills.
As we near the mountain, my eyes are greeted with emerald green fir trees lining the terrain, with red and yellow bushes adding further color.
But as we near our destination, the beauty of nature becomes a distant memory. We're soon hovering over a part of the mountain top which is made up of flat, black stones, and is flooded with grey mist.
The helicopter lands on this desolate area, and Yaeko and I jump out.
Yaeko gives the pilot the thumbs up, he nods, and the craft flies away.
I immediately check my surroundings. The area is dark and grim, even though it's just after mid-day, and it's kind of difficult to breathe being this high up.
"Jeez…" Yakeo mutters, kicking a stone with a hint of anger. "I never thought I'd come back to this old place. Still as beautiful, I see."
I place my hand on her shoulder. "It's alright," I gently say. "Let's make this swift."
She tenses her mouth a little and nods, then I nod back.
I don't want her around here for longer than we have to.
I look around, and through the fog, I see two objects in the distance.
On the left side is a small stone cube suspended between two stone pillars. On the right side is a lone, leafless tree.
I walk over to the cube, and notice that it and its pillars are made of granite. I touch the cube, and find that it spins around on a smooth, stone axis.
I then head over to the tree.
"Keep your distance," Yaeko advises in a dark tone.
I stop, then squint at the base of the tree. Some of the mist clears, and my eyes widen in surprise as I see a huge drop just after the roots.
I move a little closer to this hole in the middle of the rocky mountain, and observe that the walls of this abyss have a slight slant, like a giant funnel.
"An ironic shape, huh?" the detective comments as she arrives by my side. "Most don't wanna go to Hell, but the few who choose to can."
I cross my arms. "Is… this hole a gate… or a mouth?"
"It's a one way ticket, sister. For most people."
"Huh?" I glare at her in shock, then look back at the abyss. I feel my eyes getting drawn deep into it.
Yaeko grabs my shoulder, and jerks me sideways to her.
"Don't."
Her advice feels as cold as the abyss. I force myself away from the hole and go back to the stone cube.
I squat down, and look closer at its surface, then run my hand over it.
Yaeko joins my side. "I suppose the latitude's inside it."
"Perhaps. But I doubt this puzzle is as easy as breaking open this cube. "I'll need photographs of it from all angles, photographs of the tree, and a rough measurement between the two objects."
"Consider it done."
I pause for a moment. "Were these two things here when you entered that hole?"
Yaeko looks around with her hands on her hips. "Yeah, they were. I just… didn't really notice them at the time. I just wanted to get in, then maybe get out…"
"And your actions… were they of your own free will?"
"Yeah…," she replies quietly, looking away.
She's distant like a star in the sky.
A seriously unfortunate event happened to her. I was right to not ask her to go down there.
Hmm…
If she acted alone… then no other Angel influenced her. It's likely that she's the first Angel.
But she's clearly not their leader. She barely understands them.
Hmm…
I look around again.
Wasn't Mother driving me around this mountain before she was killed?
