Глава 14

That is far more valuable than any physical bridge between our peoples.

Motes of light float above the water's surface, casting clear shadows beneath them.

Just like the bridge that Kal'tsit spoke of.

Theresa steps atop this bridge spanning the void. Time speeds up, the waves matching its speed, and she finds it difficult to control how her consciousness advances.

Kal'tsit. Kal'tsit...

Theresa tries her best to turn her head back, to look upon her friend, and her friend's friends, new and old, standing behind her.

Until they merge together with the motes of light.

The motes expand.

The former King of Sarkaz finds herself standing in the middle of a church, bathing in the purest light. A holy light.

She stands 'face-to-face' with the Sankta Pope, his bright halo ringing his head.

The young Messenger met by chance by the riverside, the gentle old man in front of the church windows... She remembers him, and time has not changed her judgement.

It has been quite a while since any new names have emerged.

Is that a good thing?

We've had many new 'saints' within a few short years. With some of their number, I have found myself hard-pressed to agree on their appointment.

We still do not know what roles these saints will play in the future.

Since there have been no further saints chosen, Your Holiness, does this mean that the crisis might have already passed?

You are very optimistic.

I hope that our Laterano can stay as optimistic as you for a very long time.

However...

It has never fallen silent in the past.

Agh—!

Your Holiness, for a moment, I wasn't able to feel...

No! How could this be?!

The light dies out.

First, a lantern. Then, an entire city block.

From the Tower of Revelations to the Notarial Hall in Pagus Michaelion, then on to the Sunset Chapel in Pagus Saint Marcel, then the chapel square...

It all plunges into darkness.

It is swift. It is chaotic. It cannot be held back.

The icefield, the ocean, the land.

All the signs foretell the suffering that the people of tomorrow will face, just like the suffering she has seen many a time within Civilight Eterna.

She emerges from the darkness. Soft golden sands shift beneath her feet.

Ruins, crystal clusters, sand dunes... Everything before her eyes looks strange and unfamiliar.

Raising her head above the sandy squall, she hears, sees, feels the presence of that lonely girl.

The one walking right towards her, her figure wrapped in a cloak. The girl raises her hood.

Originium blooms under the girl's feet like marks in the snow. Theresa sees her rhomboid pupils.

You are...

The sands sweep across her view, covering her eyes.

This is not the end, but this is the furthest that Theresa can go.

The darkness presses in on her, barring her way forward. It covers her eyes, smothers her thoughts.

Only her passionate emotions remain, still echoing through the eternal darkness.

She once held countless questions as she walked upon her journey, but once she reached her end, all that she desired was a simple answer.

'In these futures, and perhaps ones even further away...

'Are the people I love still there?'

Theresa urgently searches, turning towards the only light within the darkness.

She has found the answer.

'Not every meeting has a beautiful ending, Amiya.'

'A lot of stories end suddenly. A lot of stories keep us tossing and turning in our beds. And some stories end... with a long, long sigh.'

'In a wilderness without end, people meet and go their separate ways. But at the crucial moment when we cross paths...'

'No one knows if we should really be saying such solemn goodbyes.'

Come in.

Theresa, you're back!

Amiya?

What's the matter? Look what time it is. You should be in bed, if you don't want Kal'tsit getting angry with you.

I know, but... I can't sleep.

Want me to sleep with you?

I-It's okay! If you still have work to do, I—

You've been waiting for me all day, haven't you? Did something happen?

Nope! I... Everyone's been very nice to me, and I'm keeping up with my homework, too. I've finished all the assignments Dr. Kal'tsit gave me!

But...

I know you've been really busy and I shouldn't bother you, but... I don't know why... I really wanted to see you today.

Is that right?

Come, Amiya. I'm here.

Theresa kneels down and hugs Amiya.

I'm here for you now.

Alright.

I... I saw you standing here, waiting by yourself while everybody else was gone for so, so long... I still remember the look on your face. I don't get it...

Are you worried about something? Isn't everyone saying we're about to win?

Yes, there's always good news.

Our fighters captured another town. We advanced our position once more... Kazdel, our home, is closer than ever.

But...

Amiya, Babel still has a very long journey ahead of us. Our goal is so far away... I don't actually even know if we're still sailing toward our original destination.

Theresa lets out a brief sigh and looks into the distance. Amiya follows Theresa's gaze, but finds nothing.

Babel does not exist to win <i>victories.</i> It never has.

Victories and scars go hand-in-hand, and... those scars are far more difficult than we ever anticipated to heal.

Or rather... Can they even be healed?

Theresa's voice is very soft, almost like a dream melted away in water. As a cloud of mist rises, the brief, momentary smile that she had before now seems distant and hazy.

The young Cautus girl thinks that, for a moment or two, the woman holding her hand all this time almost seemed to have disappeared into the mist herself.

And so Amiya makes the effort to stand on her tiptoes and stretches her hand out. The young girl's soft fingertips touch the forehead between the eyes of the King of Sarkaz; she tries to smooth those knitted brows.

They can... They will.

Theresa, I still remember what you told me.

'Perhaps, one day... We'll be able to let everyone on this vast land fall into peaceful slumber.'

Right. That includes you... and me.

Go, Amiya. We have lots of time to talk about the future, but if you stay up all night, you won't be getting any taller.

What are you going to do if you're still a teeny tiny bean by the time Rhodes Island is proudly sailing across the vast lands?

*whimper*...

If I... If I point my ears up, I'll look taller, won't I?

Pff... Haha...

You really don't want to go back to your room, don't you?

I-I'm not being naughty! I'm just—

Alright, let's not tell Kal'tsit, then. You can stay a little longer.

It's been a while since I told you a story, hasn't it?

It's okay. I still remember all the stories you told me!

'A long time ago, there was a great, big desert and a tiny, little doll made of sackcloth. The little puppet swore he would cross the desert to find the legendary Plains of Hope...'

But you've never told me how the story ends—

Oh, that one, huh...?

There were a lot of scary things out there in the desert. If I were to tell you, you'd never sleep again.

I'm not scared of them. Besides, with you telling the story, I'm sure it'll have a nice ending.

Alright.

The desert...

It was so vast and wide, like there was no end to it.