Глава 7

All dreams sink to the bottom of the lake~♪

...'tis a reality that even time cannot shake~♪

*cough* *cough*...

Damnit... What an ugly song.

Damn it!!

Why was FrostNova so good at it? I really... can't sing well...

It's snowing...

This old man...

His crystallization rate is over sixty percent now. Even a Sarkaz shouldn't be able to move.

His consciousness has already dissipated... However, his iron will continues to ripple from his body.

...Buldrokkas'tee.

Resentment. Hatred. Remorse.

It's all gone now.

The only thing that's left is wrath.

The unwillingness to accept FrostNova's fate. The hostility towards Talulah's actions. The endless longing for Ursus and Kazdel...

A fiery and unquenchable wrath. For all the injustice around the world. For all those who fell around him... Towards those that would play with the fates of others.

To resist fate is to resist everything. Everything that contributes to the idea of 'destiny.'

Buldrokkas'tee's wrath... scorched this entire world.

...This entire, injustice-filled world.

...Mr. Patriot...

Move your hand.

You, Cautus Infected.

...We will complete the Captain's unfinished business.

...It's enough.

Do you want him to die for nothing?

He didn't want any of you to die. He wanted all of you to find another path.

He chose to die alone so that all of you could live...!

Who said we'll be the ones who die?

And we also heard what he said.

...Cautus. You're the source of all the ruin to come.

The ancient prophecies have all been fulfilled.

But FrostNova put her faith in us!

...Still...

FrostNova... and now even the Captain...

Of course he wouldn't just buy into FrostNova's assessment!

He just happened to ignore his daughter's opinion...

He didn't go into any of this on blind faith.

The decision he made... is truly just!

And you choose to believe some prophecy?

...No, it's not that we believe in the prophecy.

We believe in the Captain.

...FrostNova's candy was spicy.

...What?!

Yelena... let you try her candy?

I trusted her, and she trusted me.

If you really want to take someone's life...

At least be there to see it yourself!;Don't blindly follow someone else!;You must follow your own will until the bitter end.

No.

Rhodes Island, we get some of what you're saying. But we'll never see eye-to-eye.

We've followed the Captain our entire lives, but we we didn't do it blindly.

If... one day, that Cautus girl there turns into a tyrant like Talulah...

We will end you.

The Captain fought against all those people... against slavers, oppressors, corrupt rulers, and those who brought ruin. None could escape.

The Captain knew. About all the people in Chernobog who lost their lives to the Catastrophe. About all our battle brothers who died in vain.

He had his regrets, but knew he couldn't escape. He has set us free now, though. We belong only to the Captain and the ideals he fought for, not to Reunion.

We will take up his 'Aegis' from now on. Not as the Aegis of the Infected, but as defenders of all the enslaved.

We'll keep an eye on you, Cautus. If you take even a single step onto the wrong path, we swear to hunt you down.

We will treat these prophecies... as our secrets.

Because before that, we have a tyrant waiting for us in the control tower.

...The person who pushed you into a war against us and brought about this chain of tragedies is the leader of Reunion, Talulah.

We're going to regroup. We need to tell the guerrillas the news.

As for you... Continue to carry out your mission, if that's what you want.

Snow... flakes...?

This heavy snow... Is Yelena coming to pick up the Captain...?

Amiya, don't be too concerned about it.

The Sarkaz people have a long history with Originium. Their memories mix with Originium and become one with the land, returning to their own bodies.

Sometimes, certain tribes that have long passed down these Originium crystals will gather this information in one place.

Through the continuous use of Arts, this information, mixed together unexpectedly, manifests in different ways.

Most of these messages are lost to time, their contents jumbled or outdated. There is no basis for these prophecies.

But, they directly affect other people.

Like... someone hears these prophecies and starts to try to fulfill them, right?

I can't tell if these ideas are just vague whispers... or seeds that can bloom into reality. I really can't tell, but...

He could have killed me.

But... he thought...

I'll kill her now.

Stop. How are you so sure that she's our enemy?

She is Kashchey's heir! She'll poison us all, just like that old serpent!

No, you stubborn old man... You're wrong.

Even if she's bound to turn out like that in the end, we can't kill her now.

Because she's not Kashchey right now. Eh, who even is that? I can't understand you. All I know is, she's just Talulah.

...Who put these ideas in your head? It will twist your will to fight.

Twist? ...As if, old man. This whole idea of a pure warrior's spirit? If you really had that, I never would've met you.

If you really had that, we wouldn't be able to sit around a fire and have soup like we are now.

You're... just sixteen.

Did your soup get cold?

Always been cold. It's better that way.

I'll listen to you this time.

No, Father. That's not how it works.

If you believe you're right, then... no matter what happens, you should keep on believing that.

Because if something happens to Talulah, that's between her and her people.

But reality is just what's in front of us. Right, Father?

No matter what the future has in store, right now, I am I, and you are you.

No matter how much you dwell on it, we are who we are today. The only ones who we can change are ourselves, and we are the ones who will make that decision.

Let's try walking her path and see what happens.

...You'll be a great leader in the future.

I don't want to become a leader. I just want a comfortable life with my brothers and sisters, my uncles and aunts, and you.

I'll remember that.

Are you sure?

I won't forget.

Rosmontis... Dr. Kal'tsit... Doctor...