Heart of Steel

......

Honestly. This is no place to be sleeping.

Hm?

Hello there, Minalca.

Oh, it's you. Guess you are just about the only mek willing to talk to an arbiter.

Heheh. I always choose my opponents.

Anyway, something strange happened last night while I was sleeping. A vision of you appeared before me.

A vision...of me?

Heheh. So meks dream, do they? Who knew. And? Did I execute you or something?

No, quite the opposite. You smiled kindly at me. You looked so happy.

What?

Tsk. What a stupid dream. Smiling kindly, was I? I can't even imagine myself doing that.

No, I can see it.

You're...

...lca... Minalca?

Aldo?

Were you sleeping standing up again?

......

You okay? Were you dreaming?

No, it's nothing. So, did you want something?

No, I just saw you standing there, so thought I'd call out. Sorry for waking you.

Heheh. If you're feeling guilty...

Why don't you apologize by doing some wake-up exercises with me?

Wh-Whoa there! I thought I told you I wasn't going to fight you?

But you know, it's quite impressive how you can sleep literally anywhere.

Well, that's what you get when you've lived my life. I've never had the time or place for some good sleep. Now that I have Tetra, I don't have to be so vigilant, but I guess the habit's kinda stuck.

On that subject, what exactly is Tetra? I mean, a creature made of steam that has the power to heal is hardly commonplace...

There you go again, crossing my boundaries. I don't care what Her Ladyship says, you and I have a delicate relationship.

Oh, don't say that. As far as I'm concerned, both you and Tetra are my comrades.

Hmph. You're free to think that. *sigh* Fine, I'll tell you. Tetra's a beast that eats meks' lightspark.

What? It eats...lightspark?

Yes. I think...

Wait. An Imperial order's coming through.

I-It is?

...... Oh...

The time for talking is over. I must get to work.

Work? What were your orders?

A terrorist group claiming to be a faction of the Acacia Stargliders has made a declaration to the Empire. A declaration of war. Heheh. Sounds like they've still got a few die-hards left.

WHAT?!

My orders are to investigate immediately, and to execute targets upon detection. I'm off to the Underbelly. Later.

E-Execute? Minalca, wait! I'm coming, too!

Eep! An arbiter!

They really fear you.

Of course they do. An Imperial arbiter's main duty is to execute meks. We are the most hated of all the Imperials. If we weren't, we'd be ineffective in our posts. Even among us, some will resent it.

......

Why did you come to the Underbelly? All you've done is stand here. Are you looking for the terrorists?

Don't be silly. I'd never find them searching this one spot. I'm waiting.

Waiting? For what?

Hey, Minalca. You're looking as menacing as ever.

You're late. I don't like to be kept waiting.

Is this who you were waiting for?

Yes. He's an information broker. He knows pretty much everything going on in Omegapolis.

A broker, huh?

Just so long as those bearings keep rollin' in, I'm happy to consider arbiters my valued clients. So, what d'ya wanna know today?

I want to know about the idiot group who decided to pick a fight with the Empire. Names, locations, anything. Give me all you've got.

Sure, I've got information on them. But...

But, what?

Nah, it's nothing. The group leader's called Cogito. Their base is near the Tree of Time.

Cogito? Tree of Time? Got it. Why did they make this declaration against the Empire?

I dunno his motives. Maybe he lost his head with Darius gone. He's pretty young, by the sounds of it. Only just changed from a kid's body to a youth's one.

Cogito, eh?

What is it? Do you know something?

......

That's all I've got. You know my price.

Yes. Here you go.

Heheh. 'Preciated.

Let's go, Aldo.

Y'know, you're a lot more amicable than you used to be.

What did you say?

When you first came to town, you were so scary. You looked ready to stab anyone who annoyed you. I heard you got up to all kindsa trouble as a li'l orphan kid, till you got taken in as an arbiter.

......

Don't look at me like that. What did you expect? I'm an information broker. I do my research. Is he why you've gone all soft? You sure seem close...

Hey! That's enough!

You're very loose-tongued, aren't you?

Eep!

I hope my blade hasn't gone blunt. Perhaps I should sharpen it on your body.

I-I'm sorry! I'll be quiet!

Minalca, stop that!

Hmph.

Don't get carried away, you little rat. Don't ever speak unless asked again. If you leak my information, I'll kill you. Now get out of my sight.

Minalca, are you okay?

Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?

It's just, you seem to be acting strange.

No? I'm the same as ever. Just doing my job as a loyal servant of the Empire. Now then. We know this Cogito guy's whereabouts. Let's head to the Tree of Time in Rust Town.

What's Tetra doing?

Following the scent of lightspark.

The scent?

Yes. If there's any nearby, Tetra will sniff it out. The only meks living here will be the ones I'm after.

Ah, I see. You did say before that Tetra eats this lightspark. Why is that?

Oh yeah, we were cut short before. I think that Tetra's a higher existence...a spirit, so to speak.

A spirit? Really?

Tetra is clearly different from other steam lifeforms that run on steam engines. Have you ever seen another creature made entirely of steam?

No, never. So why is Tetra with you?

Right after I came to this world as an arbiter... Things got a little too violent on the mission, as per usual. I was so badly injured that I couldn't move.

So you've always been this reckless?

Fail, and you're dead. Though back then, I didn't really care about that...

Then I came across Tetra, and she healed my wounds.

Oh. So Tetra saved your life.

After that, she started following me around. Guess she realized that sticking with a mek arbiter was a good way to ensure she'd never go hungry. But if I try to kill someone not due to be executed, she always stops me. I don't know why.

Oh yeah, I remember that with the kidnapping incident. But why does Tetra eat mek lightspark in the first place?

Not a clue. But whenever I defeat a mek... She consumes their lightspark and heals my wounds, like perpetual motion. She's a good buddy.

Tetra's reacting to something. Has she got a scent?

Looks that way. Go, Tetra.

All right, so we just follow her?

Wait. We should be extra vigilant from now on.

Why? Is something here?

Haven't you noticed? Everything's been going a little too well so far.

Actually, that thought had crossed my mind, too. You'd only just received your orders, yet that broker already knew the name and location. He was suspiciously well-informed, if you ask me.

Precisely. The informant wouldn't lie. So unless the enemy is incredibly stupid...

It's a trap. But why? What do they get out of this?

Maybe they want something from me.

Huh?

So don't let your guard down, okay? I'm not helping you, even if you lie there dying.

Noted. I'm ready.

Tetra's stopped? Then...

She must have sniffed out the scent. That's enough, Tetra.

Come out, come out, wherever you are. There's no point in hiding. Where's your leader, Cogito? Tell the truth, and I'll play nice.

Cogito? Who's that then?

What the?

Don't look at me like that.

I want to see that kind smile of yours.

What?! Yu...ki?

Long time no see, Mina. I've been looking forward to this day for so very long.

Truly.

Minalca! Watch out!

Minalca? Are you okay?

Yes. It's just a scratch.

Good job. If you hadn't gotten in my way, I could have killed her. But it's not really "just a scratch" is it, Mina? It's quite the deep wound.

Ngh!

Don't let him fool you, Minalca! That isn't Yuki! We saw it ourselves, remember? His thoughts, his last moments...

I know.

Stop this stupid farce, Cogito, and take off that terrible disguise.

......

Terrible? How mean! It took a lot of time to make that disguise, you know. I'm quite proud of it.

You are? That's hilarious. It's the worst disguise I've ever seen. I'm a pro at hunting down meks. Did you really think your little costume would fool me?

Doesn't matter, it did the job. I only needed to confuse you for a moment.

Why would the leader of a rebel group need to do that? What happened to your comrades?

I don't have any. It's just little old me. Always has been.

But your declaration...

It was fake. A rumor he himself spread.

Bingo. Everything I did, I did to lure you out, Minalca.

I thought so. Then you...

You know what's going on?

Yes. Yuki mentioned his name a few times. He was a miserable kid Yuki tried to save. He always was so good- natured...

Shut up, you Imperial dog! Now answer me this! Is Yuki really dead?

As a doornail. I saw it with my own eyes.

I knew it! You killed him, didn't you? Imperial arbiter, Minalca!

What? Wait a minute! Why are you jumping to those conclusions?

I've seen her with Yuki time and time again. What other reason would an Imperial arbiter have for being around him?

So you're here to avenge Yuki?

Yes, I am. He gave me a reason to live. I was kidnapped by black market merchants soon after I was born. They were the lowest of the low. They stole lightspark from innocent meks and sold it illegally. They used me as a disposable tool. They forced me to help in their schemes.

That's just evil.

Then they went too far, caught the attention of the Empire, and got wiped out by the arbiters. I was found innocent and released. But my true torment came after that.

In the Underbelly, they treated me like a criminal. They looked down on me, wouldn't go near me. I couldn't work, had no means to survive, and no one to rely on.

I was all alone. I didn't care about anything. Not this world, not my own life.

And then one day, I met those two.

You Cogito? From the criminal group?

Who wants to know?

I'm Darius. I'm starting up a group for people unhappy with the way things are. Would you like to join? We will change this rotten world.

Leave me alone. I don't care about anything anymore. And if you're gonna change the world, are you going up against the nobles and the Empire? 'Cause that's stupid. That's impossible.

It's not impossible. Even the weak can become mighty if we work together. We'll turn our hatred of the world into force, and strike them down! Maybe we are but a band of fools!

......

If you change your mind, come see me. Anyone who shares our goal is always welcome.

He says his speech, then he leaves immediately. He can be so rude.

I'm sorry about that. He's not so bad once you get to know him. I hope you'll forgive him.

I don't care. Just go away.

......

Listen to me, Cogito. Neither Darius nor I can understand your pain. But we can share your journey with you.

You can?

I'm Yuki. I have the same dream as Darius, but I walk a different path. To change the world, we don't need power, and we don't need to fight.

Whatever. Our life is decided the moment we're born. If you stray from your path, you can't ever go back.

We're only cogs in the machine of this world. We're totally replaceable. If we break, we just get thrown out and replaced with a new part. We can't possibly change the world.

Recently, I've been talking with an Imperial soldier.

Huh?

She's in a similar situation to you. She rejected me at first. But the more I talk to her, the more she's starting to open up. I really enjoy talking to her. She's taught me much about the world. And...

And?

No, it's nothing. But if nothing else, my world changed because of her. That's what I wanted to say. I want to know about you. So let's talk some more.

You want to know about me?

Of course I do. And when you're grown up, then you can choose what you'll do. Will you accept your fate and move on? Will you follow me or Darius? Or will you tread your own path?

See you later, Cogito. I'll be waiting for you.

Yu...ki...

So that's what happened?

After that, I used to talk with Yuki, and I was always so taken in by his personality. I knew that when I was old enough to choose, I'd follow him.

But you executed him before I was old enough to do that!

You're wrong! Minalca didn't execute Yuki!

Don't lie to me! That radio broadcast is all the proof I need! It was a message to tell me that you were his killer!

No! The broadcast...

Aldo, just forget it.

Agh!

Minalca! Are you okay?

So is this what you chose? Revenge?

I don't have a choice. He's gone.

So I will kill you...and then it will be over!

Not going to happen!

Don't protect her. Besides, with a wound that deep, she's beyond saving.

Beyond saving, am I? Heheh. You sure about that? Tetra!

Wh-What is that thing?

What a poor endgame, Cogito. You've made such a mess of this, I can easily take your lives.

I am Minalca, an arbiter of the Chronos Empire! Let me show you what I can do!

Kill her!

I've got your back, Minalca!

I should've known I'd fail. You arbiters sure are strong. But I've never seen anyone fight while taking so much damage. You fight like a crazy lady.

You think? To me, that's normal. The only way to stand up to an adult with a kid's strength is to let go of rationality and surrender to madness.

Huh?

I also lost my parents when I was young. They held positions at the center of the Empire, but were arrested on suspicion of treachery. I don't know what happened after that... But I assume they were executed in secret.

Minalca, I had no idea...

I've been alone ever since. I had to do bad things in order to eat. There was nobody to help me. It was a life worse than death. Until the arbiters took me in.

So we're the same, you and I? Is that what you're saying? You really didn't kill Yuki?

Even you don't truly believe that I did, do you? You don't think that radio broadcast was proof. You just wanted to vent your anger at someone.

Yeah, I guess you're right.

I understand how you feel better than he does.

So... Let me put an end to your suffering.

Minalca, no!

Why are you stopping me? This is my job, Aldo.

But... You both looked up to Yuki. How could you execute him? It's so...so...

Cruel? Such a stupid sentiment. Besides, he's ready to die.

I am. I never intended to live long.

Quite right, too. Bye then.

What the...? Why won't my arms... do as I tell them?

No matter what anyone else says, you're strong and kind, and you're my hero.

Grr! Now is not the time for this! Move! Just swing your arms! Like you've done a thousand times before!

No, I can see it... You have a kind and noble heart, Minalca.

......

Minalca?

I am an arbiter. I have taken countless mek lives. There's no going back now.

What? Tetra, what are you doing? Get out of here! Get out of the way!

Why are you being like this? He's due for execution! I thought you wanted to eat his lightspark...

Tetra's trying to stop you. Because she knows this isn't really what you want.

What?

That's what she always does. She stops you from doing something you'll regret.

Huh?

Listen, Minalca. You always seem to be pushing yourself too far. Like what Yuki said to Cogito... You can also make a choice.

A choice? ......

You're not going to kill me?

I will report that there was no rebel group, it was an individual attack targeted at me. I'll be detained for three days and nights for questioning. Urgh, such a hassle. So, go somewhere, anywhere. Lashval, maybe. Make sure I never see your face again.

......

I will. But I have just one request first.

What is it?

I want to see where Yuki died.

So this is where Yuki died? I never thought it would be so close. I tried to hurt someone you cared about in the very land where you rest. How could I be so stupid?

Cogito...

I'm sorry, Yuki. I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you.

Even now, I'm jealous...that your broadcast wasn't a message to me, it was to her.

......

At least I'll be with you in the end.

Huh?

Ngh!

Hey! What did you do?!

Did...did you just remove your own lightspark? Won't that...

If you let me go, another arbiter will just take up the chase, won't they?

They will.

Then I'd rather die here. This is my first and final choice.

But...

Where do the souls of meks go, who failed to complete their full lifespan? Do they wander the darkness alone forever? Maybe I'll see Yuki again. Still...

Tetra...

Hand over that lightspark, Cogito. We'll feed it to Tetra.

Huh?

The souls of all the meks I've hunted dwell within Tetra. I don't know where you'll go... But at least you won't be alone.

Okay.

Hey, is that true, what you said? Do the souls Tetra eats really dwell inside her?

How should I know?

Wait, what?!

But every one of them said the same thing as Cogito before they died. So my guess is... That Tetra circulates the souls of steam lifeforms that have lost their way.

Really? Is that why you've been feeding her the lightspark of all the meks you've executed?

Are you trying to suggest that I'm kind? You think far too highly of me. And it doesn't change the fact that I take their lives. Whatever happens to their souls, they're still dead.

I am an arbiter. I may have no loyalty to the Empire... But when fighting is all I know, it's somewhere I can belong. So I'm not noble, and I'm not kind.

I see. But even so, I do think you're starting to change, just ever so slightly.

What did you say?

I noticed it with Yuki, and with Hart, too. So I trust you, Minalca. You are a dear friend.

Friend? Does that mean you'll help me if I'm ever in trouble?

Yeah, of course.

Interesting. Then get helping.

Huh?

I have so much pent-up anger that I need to vent. So come on, let's have some fun.

Not this again?! I told you, I'm not fighting you! Think of something else to do!

Heheh. You're so stubborn.

I don't need friends. But it must be fate that we met as we did. So if you insist, I will accompany you.

Great! I'm looking forward to it!

But... How will you report this incident?

I'll have to use a little deception, as per usual. Head back first. We'll meet up once I've sorted this out.

All right. See you later.

Fate, eh? In the end, you were right. How annoying...

Right, Yuki?

Listen, Minalca. I firmly believe... That one fateful encounter can change someone. You can still change.

Me? Hah! All I do is follow orders from above and execute meks. I'll never have such a fateful meeting.

Don't say that. You met me, didn't you?

Oh, so you'll change me? Over-confident much?

I'd love to say yes...

But the truth is, I don't know. I could die at any moment.

So I pray that our meeting... And all those you meet in the future, will bring good fortune to you, Minalca.