Глава 14

Hah, you're always so impolite with me. Want it out of your sight? Just dispose of it. Or... you could give it to me?

Leave. Do not step into my laboratory without my permission ever again.

Why are you so... offended? The Leader and you have such different temperaments... well, it's fine. You'll soon become as gentle as he is.

Who knows, I might even miss your current personality...

Goodbye, Qui'saršinnag.

She looks through her mask at the girl on the stone bed, who returns her gaze.

There is still work to do, and her father will not allow any delays.

This altar, this laboratory... and the bloodline she was born into together form a cage around her. In the face of the Confessarii's calling for the past several millennia, her sorrow and suffering are insignificant.

She does not control her own limbs, they are extensions of her father's will.

She cannot stop or leave this altar fiddling with life and death, nor can she drop the soul-engraving white sword in her hand.

Suddenly, a drop of water falls onto her busy hand.

Who is the one shedding tears here...? Her, or the figure on the bed, who should be completely unconscious?

'Qui'saršinnag.'

Distracted, she lifts her head, and sees a blue fowlbeast fly out of the cave and into the dusk outside.

Cracks appear on the cage.

A consciousness that should not exist, yearning for freedom it could not possibly have.

From this, hope is born.

A Confessarius and a pure white receptacle.

Qui'saršinnag and Liz.

Shining... and Nightingale.

I'm hearing a din of discontent.

Do not worry, Leader! Only a few enemies have broken into this place.

They want to destroy the altar and stop the ceremony.

Annoying pests. Send someone to clean them up.

Surely I need not sully my hands with such trifles?

Of course not—

We shall eradicate all obstacles in your stead.

Hm...

The Confessarius Leader looks at the girl dressed in white. She's so deep in sleep on the stone bed that she almost looks like she is not breathing.

The 'Receptacle's' Originium Arts are stable, the ceremony will soon be complete.

We're only a step away before Amnannam will open a path for you to the myriad souls.

You will surpass the King of Sarkaz, supersede the myriad souls, and become the father of all Sarkaz.

With our journey spanning thousands of years... this is how things should be.

Before that, I will have to reunite with my kin to witness it together.

Right on time, sister.

I have been waiting for you.

More Confessarius guards incoming...

Maryla, let's part ways here. I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep you and your companions safe in our next fight.

The roads should be safer once you leave this place. If you're willing to do so, you can continue heading east all the way out of Victoria.

Your Highness... I'll never forget your kindness, no matter where I end up!

But what are you guys planning to do?

This blade of mine is still usable, if you need it.

Don't worry, we have our own mission, and we're set on it.

Please... take care of yourselves, and then... um, I hope you can live the life you want to live.

Your Highness...

Maryla takes a step forward and kneels on one knee before Amiya. The other two follow suit, all three faces bearing a rare solemn look.

You've gained the undying loyalty of a... no, three Sarkaz.

Huh? Please... you don't have to do this...

The mercenaries hesitate for a bit before turning to leave, fading from your view.

Good luck to them.;I hope Logos is doing well...

We have little time left, and the Confessarius altar is close.

Logos helped us dispel the Confessarius illusions, and I can feel an unsettling energy disturbance here...

So are we going in loud?;Any secret passage to the altar or something similar?

Time isn't going to let us slowly figure a surefire solution.

We can't overlook the risks, but it's also important to take rational risks in our war strategies.

Fortunately, the Sarkaz have done as much, and sent all their troops to the front lines. So we need only deal with the Confessarius's men.

Theresis must trust Qui'sartuštaj a lot.;Why are the Confessarii in charge of the Amnannam advent ceremony?

The Confessarii play many roles in Kazdel. They are the King's advisers, bodyguards, shamans, and scholars.

They travel between the Royal Courts, and have always been dedicated to exploring Sarkaz history, and researching the power of their blood.

Theresis already planned to use the Shard to control Amnannam before invading Londinium, and the Confessarii definitely helped him out.

Qui'sartuštaj's plan to usurp the King is also closely tied to Amnannam.

What does Amnannam have to do with the King?

Qui'sartuštaj wants more than just the crown.

He too, once possessed the King's power thousands of years ago.

He did not manage to get the full picture, but he definitely sensed the King's power to influence others.

'Control'. The more you experience absolute power, the harder it is to resist temptation.

Be it Theresa or Amiya, Qui'sartuštaj has been watching every single King and their successors in secret for a long, long time.

His obsession with power compels him to extend his life by maniacal means without hesitation, just to seize control of that power once more.

There is only one thing that can let him achieve his goal.

...'Originium'.

Yes.

Through Originium, Qui'sartuštaj will be able to control the Sarkaz more than the King ever could.

Shining and Nightingale... are also victims of his.

They never stopped resisting their fate... especially at such a critical moment as now.

We have to stop Amnannam and its uncontrollable effects—;We have to stop the Confessarii from harming Rhodes Island's Operators—

It's time to move.

Mon3tr, hold off our enemies.

Amiya, destroy the altar.

Dr. Kal'tsit, I'm sensing something's up...

I can't quite control... the King's power...

That altar's influencing—

I've told you before. We've been researching the Crown for thousands of years. But you? How long has it been since you learned how to use it?

I welcome you all to bear witness to this grand ceremony.

...Qui'sartuštaj.

Everyone here is waiting for you.

The Confessarius Leader smiles as usual, spreading his arms wide open as if welcoming his own child back after a long time away from home.

Dozens of Confessarii stand on both sides of the mountain path in silence.

Their eyes behind their masks hold fervent deference, completely ignoring the blood drenched Shining as she walks up the steps with her sword in hand.

I'm here to kill you.

I know.

How could I... not know that?

Many years ago, mother showed up before father, before me, just like you have now.

She always knew her own duty, and never thought to disobey me.

But as you slowly grew, she developed a hatred to our family, the love I gave her... and the Confessarius's calling.

I don't blame her at all, nor do I blame you. You are the same. Merely made a tiny, forgivable mistake.

I will always accept you returning to my side.

You are a monster. Who are you to speak of love?

Love and hate, life and death. They are fundamentally part of the same whole.

Generations of Confessarii have passed their souls down through the same rites. This is my way of loving my family.

Souls in death are purified in rebirth. Through death after death... we close in on the original, the purest and perfect being.