Глава 14

You're wondering whether the Theresa out there's real or not again, aren't you?

Hmph, enough of that already. I'm not the one you need to convince.

I wasn't the one who called her a fake first either.

Ugh... Did I ever tell you your Arts are disgusting?

I didn't need to read your shadow. You've been pretty anxious for a while now.

What will you do, if you run into her again?

I told you. It's a fake. I'm gonna kill it and be done with this.

And what if it's not?

Then I'll rescue her and get to the bottom of everything.

That's Theresa.

I know.

I think you don't. You haven't figured out how to treat Theresa, how to handle an... <i>enemy leader.</i>

That's a taboo, and you know it far better than I do.

*Sarkaz expletive*, Ines. You know what pisses me off the most?

I remember a lot of stuff. I remember the crystal on the head of the old fart who taught me how to make explosives. I remember the prices on your heads...

I remember how Her Highness wrestled with that door, and how Kal'tsit once got her hair caught in the same door.

I remember all these things that don't fucking matter!

...But I don't remember—

I can't for the life of me remember when the last time I saw her was, or even... what we talked about.

Yeah, yeah, I barely ever had a normal conversation with her.

There were so many of us on the ship. I was small potatoes, and she was Babel's chairman. It was probably a joke, some silly complaint or nagging—

But it definitely wasn't... a goodbye.

This time, I'll make up for that and say it. Then, I won't forget.

Anyways... I've gotta get my mercs checking over their equipment. This is gonna be one hell of a job.

Whatever you say.

But if your legs give out on you and you need somebody to give you a good kick in the ass, you know who to call.

Yeah.

This nightmare has gone on long enough. We should be looking straight ahead.

All preparations are complete. The airship is ready to take flight.

Yes.

It will all be over soon.

Come, walk with me one last time, Theresis.

Very well...

The Military Commission of Kazdel has secretly constructed airship docks just like this one in the support layers of several sectors throughout Londinium. This is the largest among them, and it is where the airship was born.

The ship is seen as a terrifying weapon of war, a herald of destruction, and a flying fortress.

But very few are aware of the original intent behind the airship's construction. It is to uncover a buried secret...

And, beyond that, it is to break free of an eternal shackle.

The brother and sister are walking in the great ship dock, down a long passageway, where every Sarkaz they pass stops and greets the two of them.

When was the last time they had a nice walk like this together? Thinking about it, compared to the amount of time they have spent together, the days that have passed is nothing.

But they were also long enough.

What's on your mind, Theresa?

I suddenly remembered that when Kazdel was rebuilt into a nomadic city, we stood next to each other on the city walls, shoulder-to-shoulder, just like this.

It was supposed to be a happy day, but then it rained.

Some said it was a bad omen, but I still remember how the Soul Furnace's flames looked all the brighter in the rain.

And there's more. I'm suddenly remembering so, so much... It's been too long.

It has been too long indeed.

From Kazdel to Kazdel... our goal lies right before us. There is but one last step in our plan.

Those who walk after us will find a great city standing tall upon this land, and we Sarkaz will do as we wish, seizing control of our own fate.

I need you.

Yes... I know.

The warriors who once firmly believed in your path, the girl who is called the King of Sarkaz... They've all come before you now.

Of course they came. I've always believed they would.

Have you decided how you will confront them?

I've never once been confused, but... I had hoped this day would take longer to arrive. Now that it's come to this, I actually feel...

I underestimated those I should have had faith in.

Theresis, I'm delighted.

I'm delighted that even after we made this decision, they are still willing to stand up against us.

They are decisive and strong, and they are growing at an unimaginable pace. Perhaps they will make their way to you in the end.

They may be much stronger now than the woman I was... the one who couldn't accomplish anything.

I'm looking forward to it.

Then... It's time for me to leave, too.

Theresa steps onto the airship's gangway, while Theresis remains where he stands, quietly watching her.

Theresa.

This time, we should bid each other a proper farewell.

Theresa reaches her hand out and smooths out the creases on Theresis's cloak.

...(Ancient Sarkaz language) Goodbye.

(Ancient Sarkaz language) Goodbye.

The silence lasts until the steel door closes and its thick shadow shrouds the two of them.

They say nothing more.

The pulsing of the myriad souls is ceaseless. Theresa lightly closes her eyes to bear with its surge.

The endless murmurs are like the tide. It exhausts, it drags those within it ever downward, and it suffocates.

Perhaps within it once existed brief moments of happiness or the occasional delight... but there is simply too much pain... so much that the pain permeates every word and sentence.

O myriad souls... Even though I have almost completely exhausted myself, I still cannot see the other side.

Shattered hearts abound on these lands.

And so, even if I have only grief at my disposal... even if my body was wrought of tears...

Be my oar, and be my ark.

Let tears carry tears, and let suffering lift up suffering.

It's time that we... set sail.

Logos is examining the bone whistle in his hands. He knows every pattern carved into it and every wear and tear on its surface.

He remembers receiving this from his mother when he was still a small child. Its sound was not nearly as sonorous and vivid as it is now.

So this is a Banshee's bone whistle. It's my first time seeing the real thing.

Banshees are a rare sight among mercenaries to begin with, much less one with a bone whistle.

That said, I've heard plenty of stories about bone whistle—

It's a symbol of terror. Its sound foretells death's pursuit.

The Banshees portend death, and willingly serve as the embodiment of death and danger.

But I rarely ever saw you use the whistle, not at Babel all those years ago or at Rhodes Island now.

The Vampire... accused you of rejecting the power of your bloodline.

It already sounded. It need not sound again.

Metaphors about death itself are a dime a dozen, but what comes <i>after</i> death?

True, the Banshees portend death, but nothing more.

If death wasn't the end of all beings and there was more than nothingness after the toll of the death knell, then this foretelling would have been meaningless.

That's why we set down the bone whistles for bone pens.

New meaning is born from the pens' tips, while the past... is only recorded by the same tips.

This is why we stand together now, Hoederer.

Is that right?

Yes, toward the other side of death. Rebirth.

It matters not what Theresis intends to accomplish. This war will not and cannot be allowed to develop into a raging fire that destroys the Sarkaz, as history has seen countless times before.

Having burned for so long, this hatred cannot be easily extinguished, but we can stop it from engulfing all souls upon these lands.

That includes each and every race there is.

Dr. {@nickname}, hold on tight.