snhunt

There were a lot of people from Kjerag who... ah, you know what, forget I ever said anything.

Joanna fights back tears. She wants to prove her father's innocence, but she has no evidence.

About my father... could you keep it quiet?

Of course. We don't want to be caught up in those rumors either. If anyone asks, you never came here.

Here, take the things.

Joanna walks through the market absent-mindedly, as though she is in an empty room.

She passes by the monument with her father's name etched on it, but could not bring herself to gaze upon it. It is as though a veil of untruth has been pulled over his passing.

Grisha, her father, devoted to Kjeragandr.

He whose faith should have been unshakeable may have betrayed Kjerag.

She does not have the strength to pull away the veil.

I saw the man push those kids out of the station moments before it collapsed. I was standing just a few meters from the place.

And then it was the sound you heard. I saw him praying to Kjeragandr as the roof fell on him.

By Kjeragandr... why do bad things always happen to good people...

This Catastrophe made me wonder if Kjeragandr always protects Kjerag.

Perhaps She needs to rest from time to time. Perhaps She laments like all of us. Perhaps we're asking too much.

Is it too much to ask to live? If I were there myself, maybe I would have...

Don't say maybe. I know I couldn't do it.

By Kjeragandr...

The streets in the distance buzz with activity; Joanna's heart is filled with noise too.

The only thing she knows for sure is that her father set upon this path because of her illness.

If abandoning Kjeragandr can cure me, then I'm the one who's guilty.

Perhaps she should be angry. In her heart she wanted to shout, 'You're not worthy to be my father,' but all she feels is self-blame.

I wish I could forgive your blasphemy, but I can't.

But I can't hate you either. I have no right to.

Perhaps I'll find your confession in the bolt that you left behind, but those pieces of evidence make it impossible for me to see you clearly.

She looks up at her father's name on the monument. It seems so glaring, as though it belongs to someone else.

She takes out the bolt and runs its head over her father's name.

Rift Cloudbeast licks her cheeks, and she feels a sliver of warmth from reality.

Hello.

Can I pet it?

...Who are you?

Stop fooling around. Mom and dad said our savior's name is on this rock. Let's look for it.

The children stand on tiptoes and look up at the monument.

It's too tall, I can't read it. Can you take a look for us?

Who are you looking for?

What was his name again... Grisha?

Yeah, that's right.

Are you sure that's the name of the one who saved you?

The children nod, their eyes sincere.

What's going on?

I think I found it! Over here...

But what's with all the marks on it?

What are you doing?

Joanna pauses and drops the bolt in her hand.

Why are you marking Mr. Grisha's name like that?

Joanna comes to her senses and sees the confusion in the children's eyes.

I... I came to look for Mr. Grisha's name too. I wanted to mark it...

Mr. Grisha pushed you out too? But we didn't see you there.

No... I just knew Mr. Grisha.

How did Mr. Grisha save you?

It was during the Catastrophe. The adults were all praying, so we prayed too, but he shouted at us to get out.

We were scared... and then he ran up to us and pushed us out.

I lost a front tooth when I fell.

What happened next?

Then... the station fell over, and Mr. Grisha was gone.

The adults say Mr. Grisha has returned to Kjeragandr's embrace. We're going up the mountain to pray for him in a few days.

Do you know Mr. Grisha? Do you want to come with us?

Joanna takes the children's warm hands and embraces them.

Thank you for telling me... I will.

Warmth returns to her face.

Her father's tombstone, covered with snow, overlooks the valley with the surrounding trees.

'Dad will find a way to make you better, my girl. Trust me...'

'I must pretend to have abandoned Kjeragandr completely, in order to overcome my regrets for working with them, and find the money to treat you.'

'I will accept any punishment that She has for me...'

Joanna listens to her inner voice. Perhaps her father would have said those words, if he were still alive.

Father... you must have spent a long time struggling with yourself.

Maybe this is just how things are. Good things don't always happen, even after doing our best, even with Kjeragandr's blessings.

Her father's bolt is plunged into the ground. Inside the tube sits a secret between father and daughter.

No matter what you wanted to say to me at the end, I'll understand...

I know how hard it must have been for you to write this, whether you wrote it to confess your sins, or to tell me about your hardships...

She hears scattered voices in the distance. The courage that she mustered to face her father is interrupted by children's laughter.

Get back here! Any more trouble from you, and you're grounded in the prayer room for the rest of the day!

Line up now and be good. Now, let's practice the hymns again...

The sound of young voices singing is pleasant to the ear. Her father earned the song with his life.

A fowlbeast on the branches takes flight in surprise. Joanna pulls out her father's bolt.

Kjeragandr on high, I know you haven't abandoned my father, or our family.

He carried out your will, so that these lives may continue.

Perhaps... I don't need to apologize to you on his behalf in order to prove my faith.

But please, forgive my weakness... I cannot bring myself to bear witness to his pain and regret...

Joanna takes the bolt and nocks it onto the crossbow that his father made for her.

By Kjeragandr... let this be his final confession.

She fires her father's bolt in the direction of the mountains.