''The imperial army... will not be moving this ti.''
Kaiser, the emperor, wearily speaks. Unlike the other people in the room, he seems rather composed.
''Your Majesty!''
''Silence. I will not change my decision.''
After shutting down every further objection, the emperor promptly rises to his feet and exits the room, leaving both the officers and quite puzzled. He never explains the reasoning behind his commitnt, which is definitely strange.
Moreover, even if it's just faintly, I sense a crack in his facade.
Sothing about the tone in which he speaks tells anxiousness. The words he lets out feel unstable despite how they sound. It's suspicious.
So, I follow him to his study.
''Hah...''
Right upon entering the private room, the emperor sighs. Kaiser tiredly lifts his robe and throws it onto the couch, then he himself slumps onto it, his movents slow and fatigued.
''My head...''
Whether he is unaffected by the shifting or not, I feel bad for him.
Being overworked constantly is not fun, and considering I have essentially kidnapped his daughter and niece, the pressure he is under must be imnse.
...Yeah, I almost forgot that. I kidnapped Sierra and Nydia.
Of course, the world doesn't know that the two are in Zircon, but the emperor might have suspected us of being the culprit. He might be afraid that we would hurt them if they pressed too hard.
But that theory isn't perfect. If there's such a good reason for the raid's halt, why didn't he ntion it?
Maybe it's faster to ask him directly...
''I did as you requested.''
The emperor's slightly hoarse voice fills the dimly lit room, catching my attention.
Who is he talking to...?
''Good job.''
...!
For a brief mont, my heart stops beating.
Not only does the voice co out of absolutely nowhere, but it is one I am familiar with—Buezrith's voice. Out of instinct, the sword of nihility almost appears in my hand, yet the rational part of manages to calm my mind.
Let's hear what kind of conversation they have first.
Just like the Buezrith I encountered a few days ago, this one appears as a young woman, presumably in her early twenties, with black hair and blood red eyes. Her face, as I see it, is also identical, and so is her deanor. The only difference is that she now wears a nun outfit, which is true to the original, if that even ans anything anymore.
If I hadn't seen the 'other' Buezrith intervening that day, I would have jumped in imdiately.
''I appreciate your effort, emperor.''
Sitting opposite Kaiser, Buezrith says, sowhat lacking the arrogance the other day. The emperor has his gaze fixed on the ceiling, keeping a stubborn silence before replying, ''...Can I really see my wife as she was again?''
''Yes. You've glimpsed my power.''
What is this conversation...? Did they make a deal?
But to my frustration, neither of them speaks further, leaving oblivious as to what their arrangent is. Even as the emperor retreats to his bedroom, saying he will fulfill the remainder of the agreent, things stay veiled.
Now, Buezrith is alone in the room.
''...''
As if waiting for soone else to arrive, she sits well in her place, fidgeting with the empty cup in her hands. That person... is probably .
''...I didn't expect you to be here as well.'' She smiles upon seeing , ''Good evening, Aurora Heathcliff.''
''...''
Without saying a word, I settle where the emperor used to sit—opposite Buezrith. I just have a feeling... that I shouldn't be hasty here. This woman is not the enemy that I know.
Not at the mont, I suppose.
''So, who are you?'' I ask. ''What is your objective?''
Keeping the sa benevolent smile, with her hand neatly placed on her chest, she replies, ''I am Buezrith, a version of myself born from improbable possibilities. I ca from a distant tiline, a distant future, to prevent myself from destroying this reality.''
...What?
''...Once again, I am pleased to et you.''
*****
Dreadful wind blows at the top of the world.
Aurora sits on the edge of the sky, her feet swaying gently. Her long, molten black hair flows with the breeze, a drifting universe. Her eyes—as deep as the void—gaze far beyond this planet.
At the black sun.
''What's on your mind?''
Disrupting that tranquility is an even male voice. A masked man in a lab coat approaches Aurora, his gait full of curiosity.
Aurora doesn't reply.
She only has her attention on the massive point of anomaly in the sky, almost obsessively. Undeterred, the man, Valstein, stands beside the woman,
''I discovered the world beyond this cage when I was five.'' He says, ''Since then, I have been chasing the stars. One ti, a woman held my hand and promised to take there—to the vast universe.''
''...''
''For it, I did countless wrongs. I trampled on lives, even insulted them... but I don't regret it. For , curiosity and freedom are all I have, want, and all I cherish. Those are what make us all humans, don't you think?''
''...''
''Oops, I rambled on too much, didn't I?''
Turning his gaze toward the black sun, Valstein, no, Lucius Calistaire interjects, ''That woman... said to that the universe is lively and fascinating. I wonder what you, who have been drifting through it for countless years, think?''
Aurora lowers her gaze, hugging her knees, ''...It's lonely.'' She mutters, ''Not a place you'd want to be.''
''Hahah...! Is that so?''
''Yeah. Your boss lied to you, it seems.''
''She's a bit much sotis, really. A theatrical play this, a lore piece that... she's a crazy person, you see. If fate had allowed us to et earlier, I would have followed you instead. Alas, it is perhaps too late now... isn't it?''
For the first ti, Aurora's gaze lands on the masked man. A deep shudder creeps up his fra.
''...Maybe.'' The goddess lightly shrugs, ''People are shaped by their environnt. Maybe you wouldn't have turned out this ugly.''
''Ugly... hahahah! It's the first ti I've been called that.''
''...''
''So, my goddess, will you punish this evil ?!''
Valstein exaggeratedly exclaims, opening his arms. Yet, Aurora doesn't show much reaction. Evidently bored, as if she were watching a boring movie on her own, she sighs, ''No. That's the job of this world's Aurora. The karma you have accumulated has been in this tiline, so it's only just that soone from that sa tiline does it.''
''How rigid...''
''Besides, I'm tired now.''
''Oh? Hasn't it been a few months since you went out of your way to defeat Yggdrasil?''
''Not that. I'm tired because...''
''...?''
...because I alone have been narrating this story for so long.
But I suppose I should do it until the end. A story better have an ending, even if it's a bad one.
Oh, these three lines shouldn't be in the final draft, should they?
*****
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