Chapter 3 (light novel 3)

Book of Twilight
Chapter 3 Episode 10: End of the Twilight World
Japanese Name	黄昏の書
Romanized Name	Tasogare no Sho
Volume	3
Release Date	December, 2008 (The Sneaker)
Pages	45
Adaptation	Episode 9

"Book of Twilight" is the 3th chapter of The Mystic Archives of Dantalian light novel, volume 3. It's divided into six parts and contains two illustrations. The chapter is labeled as Episode 10 in the story line.

Aira is a shaman apprentice worried about the traveling merchant Tito, especially when rumors circulate about attacks of huge human-eating insects. Fortunately, Hugh and Dalian are wandering around the region to investigate the event.

Summary

Located in a hill overlooking a wasteland, the old temple had been remodeled into a robust fortress filled with weapons. The walls have religious paintings covered by ivy and deep scratches serving as a record of the intense battles in the past, evidence of a violent society. It’s not a large place, but it has a geographical advantage and can support nearly three hundred men. However, there is no one around. Weapons and armors were left in the arsenal. The preparations in the kitchen had been interrupted, but the meal was still warm. Everyone left the stronghold overnight.

Hugh and Dalian examine the destroyed fortress. They look around the library of the old temple. The shelves are empty and the weapons are lying on the floor. There are signs of a fight, but even the corpses have disappeared. According to the girl in black, it's too late for that fort. Through a window, she notices a small town illuminated by the sunrise beyond the dark forest.

Part 1

Aira heads to her home.

During the sunset, stars are seen through the gaps between the clouds. A young girl walks on a familiar narrow road, carrying freshly picked wild grass in a basket made of knitted vines. She reaches a poorly constructed, small house in the forest, a place resembling a temple, emanating a mysterious atmosphere. Aira gives a medicinal herb to her grandmother, enough to produce an ointment for the whole winter. Aria talks about a vase she wants to borrow at Mr. Baptista’s the next day. However, the old woman knows about Aira's true feelings. Aira is looking forward to see the Galeazzo Caravan back in town and meet Tito. As an apprentice, Aira needs to know how to deal with her emotions. Aira blushes and complains about her mean grandmother. Looking out of the window, the elder notices three middle-aged men approaching the house with torches in their hands.

Aira is relieved after seeing a familiar face. Gianni, the responsible for the town’s security, wishes to see Aira’s grandmother. The old woman doesn’t welcome the men, believing that they were after medicines which could help them in their foolish battles. Her face distorts with shock when Gianni asks for Yakatsu. Gianni mentions the Micheaux Fortress' fall, but she doesn’t wish to hear stories of war. However, it were giant insects who attacked the men. The Broken Wings are creatures invulnerable to swords, arrow and fire. The people from Rostuni had disappeared overnight. The old woman hesitates, remembering how her son Robert died while handling the Yakatsu with his bare hands. Eventually she agrees in preparing what Gianni wants, but affirms it will take some time. The strict man should be back in three days.

Part 2

The next day was unusually warm for that season. Aira was getting ready to go to Salute’s shop. After some pondering, the old woman asks something from her. There is a vine-like tree in the northern forest where yellow flowers bloom. Aira must fill half of her basket with the leaves, without ever touching the sap. Aira will need two layers of gloves which should be burned soon after. The young girl leaves the house and sees her destination in the distance, a small town surrounded by a brown wall at the fogged base of the mountain. She likes the people from there. It’s said that the vibrant town was founded by mercenaries who lost their jobs after the end of the great war. Now they are merchants who support the place by purchasing goods from faraway countries and selling in the big city in the south. Because there are no industries nearby, most of the inhabitants travel for most of the year.

Aira arrives at an acquaintance’s grocery store. Salute was working while holding a baby and complaining about the cold. He pays for the medicines she brought. The old woman’s products are popular among the caravan’s people. Aira and Salute discuss about the Broken Wings. Rumors say that the cities in the south were attacked by the insects, who ate the men of the caravans and their horses. Noticing how Aira is worried about Tito, the old man tries to comfort her, sayin that the Galeazzo Caravan was trading in the North and should return tomorrow. While blushing, she notices a strange couple outside. The girl in black and the young man are wandering around the town since morning. Aira feels intense terror when the foreign girl looks back at her. Salute’s small grandson cries, as if feeling Aira's agitation.

Part 3

Aira left the town in the afternoon after calming down. It has been a long time since she visited the northern forest. She quickly finds the plant her grandmother needs as ingredient. She prepares to pick the leaves, wearing two pairs of gloves. Someone mentions her thick eyebrows. Dalian recognizes the plant Aira is handling, a poisonous species of the Gelsemium genus. Aira asks if the girl in black is a shaman. After all, only Aira's grandmother has such knowledge.

Aira introduces herself as a shaman apprentice. Dalian tells her to run if she ever sees the Broken Wings, affirming that the poison of the leaves won't work against them. Hugh apologizes for Dalian’s bad temper. Aira is not feeling intimidated by them anymore. He asks if Aira knows about a place in the vicinity where he could find a large number of books. There are no big churches in town, but she recalls about a printing studio recently opened nearby. Dalian scolds Hugh for taking her to the wrong place. Aira resumes her work while the couple walks back to the town.

Part 4

It was past noon of the next day when Aira tried to silently leave the house from the back door wearing her best shoes. The Galeazzo Caravan returned last night, a once-in-a-trimester event. However, her grandmother notices her. The old woman ignores Aira’s awkward excuses and gives her a small bottle containing a translucent yellow liquid. It’s Yakatsu in low concentration, not meant to be dangerous, but serving as a travel amulet for a merchant apprentice. Made of thick glass, the bottle has no lid, so the poison couldn’t be mixed in food or applied on a blade. It was perfect to be thrown at a Broken Wing if a traveler ever met one. The Elder wanted to clear Aira’s mind of unnecessary things. The granddaughter expresses her thanks and rushes to the town.

She reaches the outer wall twice as fast as normal. Part of it had collapsed, although there are no signs of cannonballs. It seems as if the town had been destroyed by giant insects. Only half of the gate was standing, with no man around to protect it. The residents had escaped abruptly, leaving household goods scattered across the road. Weapons were left broken, as if discarded during a battle. The corpses were probably eaten by the Broken Wings. Salute’s store was missing a wall, the owner and his grandson nowhere to be seen. When the outer wall on the northern part of the town is destroyed, Aira notices the flying monsters, huge bugs larger than humans, white colored as if coming from a place deprived of sunlight. The wings have plenty of cracks, hence the name of the creature. Although their numbers are not great, they destroyed the surroundings within a short period of time with their terrible power.

Aira is helped by Hugh and Dalian.

Aira heads to the town square, hoping to see Tito, but only finds deserted and damaged tents and carriages. A Broken Wing crawls out of a torn tent. The monster had strayed from the flock. Aira is so worried about Tito that, instead of heeding her instincts and running away, she furiously threw the bottle of Yakatsu at the bug. The Broken Wing stops for a moment, covered in yellow liquid. The poison of three leaves is enough to kill people. When produced by an experienced shaman, it's deadly to the touch. Nevertheless, Aira follows Dalian’s advice. Aira barely avoids the attacks from the monster, who presents incredible speed. She stumbles, exhausted, but someone catches her before she can hit the ground.

Hugh had prepared a fumigant, so the town was being enveloped by a white mist. The Broken Wings disappear, defeated by the fog. The young man asks Dalian how the insects passed through the barrier they set around the printing studio. Dalian examines the remains of a wrecked carriage and finds incunables inside wooden boxes. According to Aira, the goods are owned by Tito, a proud book dealer apprentice. Dalian argues that Aira should have said so before. Hugh interrupts the discussion, noticing carriage tracks leading to the mountains. Aira gets her hopes high. Tito probably escaped the Broken Wings’ attack while heading to her house to ask for help from the Elder. They missed each other because Aira used a shortcut to reach the town. The shaman apprentice guides Hugh and Dalian to her house.

Part 5

Dalian suffers to climb the slope, but Hugh helps her, apparently used to such environment. They finally reach the house. Its front yard is usually calm, but now a large number of people are standing next to a big carriage. Aira’s grandmother is being dragged out of the house. Tito is knocked down while trying to protect her. Those who had lost friends and familiars are angry, blaming the old woman for the tragedy. Gianni is covered in blood, missing part of his right arm. He points his sword at the shaman and affirms that things would be different if she had given the Yakatsu right away. Aira jumps in between them, revealing how the poison has no effect on the Broken Wings. The men calm down for a moment, but they lose their hope in the fight against the monsters. They start blaming each other until they see Hugh and Dalian. The couple examines the carriage loaded with a massive load of books. It would serve as bait to attract the Broken Wings. They are attacked by Gianni, but his sword cannot touch them, as if they are ghosts.

Hugh tells everyone to leave that place, but it's too late. Big as the walls of the town, comparable to the size of ancient dragons, huge Broken Wings were approaching while destroying the forest around. The townsfolk are desperate, watching the devourers of worlds. Hugh opens the Labyrinth Library. He reads an old book written in foreign language. The old woman recognizes the Labyrinth Library. Everyone cheers as the creatures agonize and disappear, their shells cracking and crumpling. Hugh puts the Book of the Sage back into Dalian’s chest. Hugh and Dalian are people from a different world. Aira asks if they are the protectors of that world. Dalian answers with a nostalgic smile. Dalian bids farewell to the future Great Sage Aira. They would meet again as soon as the Biblioprincess opens the book. The couple disappears.

Part 6

Dalian is cranky, complaining about the silverfish damaging her books during the prolonged rainy season. She tells Hugh to apply the poison and kill every single one. He’s organizing the underground library of the Disward estate, separating stacks of books with faded covers and traces of bites. The books will need fumigation and repair services. The humidity had attracted the insects. Influenced by the power of the Book of Twilight, the silverfish had evolved to eat the story itself. Hugh is stunned by the amount of books he needs to carry. Dalian affirms that she’s too busy to help. She needs to read a book, as she promised to a friend. The old book, marked by insect bites, is a fantasy novel set in a fictional world. The main character depicted on the cover is a shaman wearing sage’s robes, a young girl with thick eyebrows and a beautiful smile.

Trivia

• Silverfish are small, wingless insects considered household pests. They consume matter that contains polysaccharides, including book bindings, paper, hair and clothing. The species inhabits moist areas, requiring a high relative humidity.
• Aira gives Cnicus to her grandmother. It's a thistle-like plant native to the Mediterranean region. It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, besides improving wound healing and digestion.
• Aira mentions a man named Baptista (バティスタ Batisuta), but he's absent from the chapter.
• Rostuni (ロストゥーニ Rosutūni) may be a reference to Ostuni, a city and comune of Italy. During the Renaissance, it was ruled by Isabella, wife of Gian Galeazzo Sforza.
  • Tito is a merchant in the Galeazzo Caravan.