"Let me see him", he adamantly stood in front of the door that had just been shut on him."You better leave him, Lancelot", Tristan patted his shoulder, with a solemn look on his face."Sir Tristan, I-""Lancelot", Tristan tightened his grip on his shoulder.He needn't say anymore. Looks were telling enough stories in the court. Lancelot knew what everyone was thinking. He couldn't care less if anyone else understood it. But he couldn't bear the thought of having hurt his King's trust. But King Arthur had refused to see him ever since the news got out.Lancelot could see everything deteriorating and he couldn't do anything about it. He knew he needed to see King Arthur though and he'd been trying his utmost to get to him somehow. It came on the morning when all hell broke lose. The news of an attack came in that morning. All out warfare was inevitable now. And then Lancelot finally heard from the King. He had been summoned.It was all a haze to him. He didn't remember how he'd gotten
"It'll all fall apart", Silver said, as Grey faced off against her.Grey has snatched a sword from the storm. It probably belonged to one of the knights. Silver and Grey clashed over and over again and pushed each other back. Even though Excalibur didn't look it, it was still quite strong. "Grey!!", Silver howled before surrounding him in her ice and launching at him. Grey had no trouble parrying her, before undoing the ice and getting out of her way. They went back and forth wounding each other while Sight and I were putting our all in eradicating the curse. I wasn't sure we'd hold out as long as we had, but I was getting a hang of it. I thought we might just be able to do it. I suppose Silver saw that we were making good progress. That spelled trouble for her. Undoing the curse meant undoing Excalibur. And that was death. Silver was going to try her best to get in our way. The biggest obstacle that stood in her way was Grey. Arthur had said earlier that something was preventing
I could hear Sight's breathing as he carried me on his back, treading back towards the camp. I had passed out at some point. Sight and I decided to leave the garden as it is. We didn't think it'd be found anyway.I felt light-headed and hungry. And as Sight was lugging me at his back, the ground seemed so far away, like I was floating in the sky. Sight was quite tall, after all. When I woke up, I wanted to drift back to sleep. But we both knew we'd have to answer some people. And I didn't want to leave Sight alone to do it. So I just waited motionlessly, even though Sight had realized I was awake.Nothing seemed fair to me. Did Grey really have to kill Lancelot and the other knights? Where was Yngvi now? Knowing what Silver was, did Grey really have to die for her? Actually, I think he intended to die even before we set out to find the sword. He had decided on this course of action. So if there was one person who succeeded in achieving their goal, it was Grey.And Arthur. Was it reall
My throat felt sore, and my whole body was burning. Sight lugged me all the way home, but I'd fallen sick on the way, so I didn't remember the journey. I just remembered that I'd been heaving my breath for a long time, and that made my insides hurt.Sight had delivered me to my room, and as luck would have it, Lady herself was nursing me. The only problem with her was that she wouldn't stop talking when I wanted to sleep and wouldn't say a thing when the air was heavy with tension. I would silently just glare at her with my eyes burning, but I bet she was just torturing me."Do you understand why they died? Do you understand, Seraph? Why did Grey and Silver have to die? Have you asked that question? You must ask such questions, Seraph. This is important for people like you. Understand, Seraph?"And of course, she thought I didn't understand what she meant. But I feigned ignorance."People like me?", I barely managed to say this much."Yes!", my rare responses made her excited, "People
"Whatever happened to you, Seraph?", Chopper inquired, as if he was one to ask. He'd appeared next morning and looked like he'd lost about 20 pounds. I could tell he'd just butted heads with Lady. He didn't yet know what had happened in the ruined city where I and Sight were sent off to. I didn't feel like telling him about the knights. As rational as he was, I wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his head cool about those people."Chopper-san...help", I was overjoyed, seeing as he could be my savior. I couldn't really take anymore of Lady nursing me and luckily, Chopper arrived in the nick of time. To be fair, his being here just meant that Lady wouldn't bother with me. Chopper didn't exactly nurse me, he just stood guard to prevent Lady from coming to our bunker. Since I was bedridden, Chopper had to sleep on the ground. He didn't think anything of it. He would just lie flat on the ground, unbothered by anything that might have been down there with him. And when he slept, he slept li
"You...something is wrong with you", that gentle face he believed in, was distorted with fear, "You can never be loved." *****************The toys sprawled before him were all in blocks. They always seemed to break apart like this. Toys were no fun for him. He felt a gaze on him. As he turned his head to look at the door, his mother who had been peering from behind the door, hid behind the wall. She didn't want to be seen by him at any cost. His beautiful eyes that had only grown even prettier, were no longer something she loved gazing into. But he had never called her mother. He was a silent boy, perhaps because he was always alone. The only thing that made him think of his mother as family was her white hair, much like his own.His childhood was hazy, he didn't remember what his mother's face looked like. He'd never had a father. And he didn't remember how long he'd been around. His hands had grown bigger, and his
"Why?! Why did you...?""Dalia", he lifted his hand as she took a step away from him, "I did it for-""Don't say it was for me! Weren't you just scared of him?", her faced twisted into a hysterical expression and she laughed, half mad.He didn't have any words to say. Of course, he wasn't scared. Scared of that little midget Hodel? He didn't even feel a tingle all the while that man was spouting nonsense and yelling at him. It had happened in the spur of a moment. He didn't realize it until he'd heard Dalia's scream in the distance."Murderer!", he saw fear in her eyes as she ran off but he followed her.She had run towards the abandoned block where he chased her. Realizing she had nowhere to go, she really thought she'd be killed just like Hodel."You...something is wrong with you. You can never be loved."She said and looked at him like he was a stranger. And seeing that fear on her face, he thought she was just like the other
"Sorry, I haven't really been considering you all this time", his mother said, looking dead into his eyes.He watched her bland face with his mouth hanging open. She'd been drinking again."But you're my child, alright."Why she thought it necessary to drop this confirmation on his head like a boulder taken off her own shoulders, he didn't understand. But he never saw her again. *******************Chopper looked towards the abandoned ruins he'd left behind not too long ago. There indeed was a man dead at the theater. He'd been massacred quite brutally but at the same time, it was a clean job. And he knew it was the same killer. But then, he didn't need to see the body to know who the killer was anymore.That tall white man, who seemed to be unaware of himself, was still somewhere in those ruins. But Chopper had a feeling he didn't want to be the one to pop his bubble yet. After all, Lady had some plans for the man.
I would like to think to myself that this isn't the end. But seeing as her story went back to where it all started, I realized that my role wasn't saving her at all. I just made sure she'd continue to exist, eternally.In eternal suffering and forgetfulness and new encounters and the last times, in every world, she'll continue to exist.As for me, I couldn't bear to live in a world knowing she was somewhere out there, helpless and torn, just as she'd been when I first found her.When did I first find her?Who can say? I had always been talking about how I wished I'd met her sooner. In fact, I had always known her. Our existences were intertwined so much that I don't think either of us could just pull away and be happy all on our own without thinking of the other.After I'd returned Lady's power to her, I floated away in an empty space for an eternity. I was foolish enough to think that the sorrow would fade away one day. But no matter how long and far I floated away, the memory and th
It was the coldest I'd felt in ages, and there was an aching heaviness in my head that I simply couldn't seem to shake off no matter how much I walked. I don't know when, how, or why I was walking through the snow towards the top of some hill I didn't even know.For that matter, I didn't remember who I was, how I'd gotten there, or where I was going.And just like that, before I knew it, I had collapsed in a den of wolves. Luckily, it looked abandoned, so I didn't get eaten off right away. I figured it'd be a long, slow death. I found the idea of such a gentle death appealing, despite the fact that I was walking mindlessly just seconds ago.I must have passed out, for when I came to, I was stiff as a rock. And yet, I wasn't that cold anymore. I lifted my head to find myself covered in a bear pelt. Someone had been so kind as to cover me up. And yet, the pelt was rather old and shoddy. Who cared as long as it could keep me warm?I stood up, looking around, getting accustomed to my surr
"I didn't imagine we'd ever come to a crossroads such as this", I let out a puff of smoke, standing opposite her."But, as a matter of fact, I always had a feeling we would", Lady answered with her signature smirk."Sure, you did", I said sarcastically.It was surprising at first. But things made sense soon enough. Lady had sent all of us away on a mission. She'd isolated herself at Valhalla. Chopper had left of his own accord. She'd sent Sight to look for him. Deli had gone to see her children. And she bid Lubbock and June farewell. She'd even given her fur coat to June. Grim was on a mission, too. And I was looking for Jean V. to deliver her letter.It was all exactly as it had been back then. When I'd return from meeting Jean V., Lady would already be beyond saving. Back then, all I knew was that the person who sent her that blank letter was the one who came to kill her. I never ventured to find out much else.It all made sense now as I stood be
"Must you leave without fulfilling my wish, Seraph?"He had some guts to ask. I looked up at the red sky. There was nothing but barren, burnt land all around us."What else could you ask for?", I looked back at him."You look so old, Seraph", he chuckled, "What exactly did you give the others?"I looked behind me without answering his question. There was no one and nothing."What? It's a long story", I answered without looking at him."We've got time to kill", he grinned."I don't", I said, but went on to answer him anyway, "I gave everyone what they wanted.""Really?"I glared at him, "Yes, really, Grim. I took a fee, of course."He laughed."And what will you take from me?", he asked, grinning.I looked around and then rested my eyes on him."There's really nothing."He seemed to agree."So how'd you manage?""Well, Grim, you could almost call it travelling back through time. Though, it really isn't that. I split the worlds to create new ones. Time doesn't exist for me anymore. Ever
"I will take death in any way and form it comes to me, anywhere and anytime."That had to be the most brazen statement I'd heard. It took me a bit to take that statement in."You really have no special requests? If I can, I'd like to make it up to you", I sat down and stared at his bloodied face.He shook his head."Make up for what?", he asked.He didn't know me yet to call me "boy" but I suppose that's the way it had to be.I had become better at rewriting the reality. I could write quite far back in certain cases. For example, in Sight's case, I made it so he never met Lady and Chopper on the night he killed the prima donna, Czarna Dalia.Before meeting them he didn't know anything about what he'd been doing. He didn't know what an outcast was, even though he himself was an outcast. Ignorance is indeed the greatest of all blisses. And I thought for Sight, it had to be the biggest saving.Lady was right. People who see things differently are the most dangerous of all. Especially tho
"This isn't what I asked for, Seraph", she complained, fixing her glasses on her tiny nose."I don't get what the hell it is that you want exactly, June", I was beginning to get tired."You don't understand at all", she folded her arms."You're damn right, I don't. What kind of crazy a-""One thing.", she looked at me sternly, "One thing I'm asking for is a place to be happy. Not a mother, not a wife, not a hero, not any of the other things you're trying to come up with.""What'll make you happy, exactly?", I folded my arms and leaned against the wall of Valhalla.Everyone else was off to fend the red sky off. June had been left behind in a protective barrier.She fell silent."How about Lady? Isn't she your favorite?""I could care less about her", she answered, bluntly, "I hate her.""Huh?", I wasn't sure I'd her heard her right."She does everything on a whim. She claims to understand everything when rea
"They are waiting for you, Monsieur Lubbock", a dark woman poked her head into the dressing room, "It's almost time for the show."The bajillion young ladies that were powdering his nose scattered away.His face was pink with heat and he wore a long fancy coat. It almost looked odd on his somewhat small figure."I'll be right there", he answered, gussying up in the mirror."Aww, you're leaving already, Monsieur?", some of the girls came up to him.He chuckled modestly."What can I say? The life of the greatest singer in the world isn't so relaxing, my dears.""You might be the greatest singer, but Monsieur is also the life of all women's hearts", one of the cheekier ones commented.Lubbock laughed. He didn't try to hide how much he loved being pampered like this."I'm sorry, girls. My audience awaits!"Saying so, he shot out of the room and hurried towards the stage. Backstage was always heated just before his shows. He was the one star that every theater wanted to have. But he was a
"Do you blame me for mother's death, father?", she asked, placing the empty cup of tea on the little side table.Her father wasn't facing her. He was still locked up in his study, reclining on his chair and looking out of the window at some distance lands.She sat straight, with her back erect. The weight of her gown was enough to tire her but she was made up, as befitting of a noble. She had to look all the more perfect since she was visiting her home for the first time since her marriage."Blame you?", the lord of the house spoke in his grave voice after a while, "I simply don't think you were worth her death. Esme was a wise woman. A level headed, understanding, noble woman."Faye looked at her lap."You refuse to carry out the will of the house of Vlad. You'll go as far as to commit a heinous crime to that end. I'm disappointed beyond measure."Faye pursed her lips. No one but she herself had been hurt the most by what she'd done."Vlad was born to you twice. And yet, you ungratef
"Tell you what, Seraph, this one time, I met a girl and she had these enormous scars all over her arms and legs. I couldn't help noticing her, of course. When she told me she did it herself, I couldn't help it. I killed her then and there", he chuckled to himself, "I didn't want to do it, of course. Something just came over me. It wasn't that she told me she did it herself. It was how she said it. She was smiling.""I'm sure she wasn't smiling because she was happy", I answered, with a solemn look on my face."I'm sure of that too. I was sure of it back then too. That's probably why I killed her. But do you know how many people I've saved?"He looked at my face. I stayed silent."I've saved more people than I've killed. I've been counting since the beginning. I know, for sure, that my atonement is over. At least, it ought to be. But does it look like I'm still repenting?", he asked, smiling vaguely, knowing my answer."You do.""That's because I am. No matter how many I save...the ato