act21side

Most of the guys who survived left already, but some stayed behind, and they need a place to go.

Even for you, that's one ass-backwards famiglia.

That's how it should be.

You're walking down a thorny path.

I know.

And eventually, I will stand in your way.

I know.

So, don't go dying on me.

The rain continues to come down hard, but Leontuzzo can still faintly hear a soft 'Leon' at the end of that last sentence.

Same to you, Demetri.

He lifts his head, and lets the raindrops strike his face.

You won't be needing most of this furniture anymore, right?

Guess not. Famiglia Bellone is no more.

Most of the old associates have already left. After all... it's not an easy thing to stomach getting betrayed by your own don.

Bernardo, who practically stood on the highest pinnacle of a famiglia's rule, has repudiated the very existence of famiglie.

He also repudiated many things once seen as priceless.

Honor, trust, loyalty, dedication to the famiglia...

Did my father teach each and every wise guy those rules without ever believing in them himself?

...I don't know.

I've been thinking a lot about it, the last few days. Did I ever know the real Bernardo Bellone?

The artistic director of Compagnia dell'alba was one mask that he wore. The cunning Don Bellone was another.

Then, is it not possible that the smiling, bright-eyed Bernardo who once shared his ideals with me was just another mask?

But, it doesn't matter. Not anymore.

Leon, the two of you, together, gave a chance for that new city to truly be born.

I guess so.

The movers will be here soon.

Alright.

None of this has been in vain, Leon.

I know.

In the new city area... Or, I guess it's a proper city now, we'll build something new.

Something brand new, that Siracusa has never seen before.

An order that belongs to everyone.

Leontuzzo looks at Lavinia, his eyes shining with determination.

Civilization.

Each wolf, from its moment of birth, knows that its existence is a symbol of the wastelands.

After countless eras and countless conflicts, they finally selected the alpha wolf through the rules of the game as it had been played up to that point.

For Zaaro, his defeat this round was, undoubtedly, a disgrace.

But they will continue to live on.

As long as there is another round of the game to be played, he will stage his comeback in time.

To this end, he has already started searching for suitable candidates.

And almost immediately, he found Lappland, wandering the wastes after having left Volsinii.

However—

*pant*... *pant*...

Are you done napping yet, Zaaro?

Zaaro and Lappland have been fighting in the wastes for the past three months.

During that time, Zaaro had countless opportunities to sink his fangs into the neck of this madwoman.

There was no way for her to defeat him.

But, he gradually comes to realize, it is actually he who has no way of defeating her.

No thought can be nourished in her blood and sinew, no victory can be proclaimed in her head, and no meaning can be derived from her death.

She is an empty husk that has been filled.

Is she also the wastes?

No, she is an overgrowth.

He understands in an instant that if Bernardo's betrayal was an unexpected act of rationality, the being before him is completely beyond his comprehension.

No, he has seen humans like her before. She is hardly unique.

But at this unique point in time, she indeed is the only such one before him.

An omen.

A summon.

And thus, for the first time in thousands of years and perhaps the last time, the incarnation of the wastes lies down next to a human being.

He chooses to surrender his dignity to the unknown.

Done fighting?

Our battle will continue for thousands upon thousands of years.

Until the victor is decided, I will walk with you.

Hah. Whatever you say.

Lappland's weapons slip from her grasp. She has already lost consciousness.

Before she falls, Zaaro walks over and supports her body with his own, as if it is the most natural thing to do.

Texas, we've chosen different paths to destroy Siracusa.

I'm so looking forward to seeing you again.

She closes her eyes, and falls into a deep slumber.

The vast wilderness is completely devoid of anything else. For a brief moment, it seems as if all existence between heaven and earth is but one human and one wolf.

Savagery.