Time Leaves All Behind

Looks like we're done for the day! Great job, Weiss!

Now I just need to return to Purgatory and...*yawn* turn in... my...report...

Hoohoo?

Oops, nearly drifted off there. It's just...such a nice day for a nap...

Mm...I really would like to get home so I can take a nap...

RAAAAAAAAAAA! HNNGGAAA!

What was that? A monster?

I think there's a town near here. I should check it out.

WAAAAH! AAAHH!

Ugh...

Excuse me, are you all right?

Shhh, please don't cry. The sound of your wailing's gonna drive me to tears if you don't stop soon. Please? *sigh* It's no use. Reliath would've stopped crying by now.

Dunarith?

Mazrika! Perfect timing! Would you mind lending me a hand?

Um, is that a baby? Why do you have a baby?

*gasp* Dunarith! Did you have a LOVE CHILD?!

What?! No!

When I woke up outside the tavern, this random baby was there with me!

I guess you could say it's been taking care of me, in a way.

You're in such a state that a BABY had to take care of you?! You're the actual WORST, Dunarith!

Hey, that hurts! Way to kick your big bro when he's down.

You are NOT my big brother!

Besides, this baby must have a family of its own. Where is it?

I think I can explain that.

Thank you so m?

Huh?

I didn't say anything.

Me. Over here.

The baby.

Oh right, the baby...

Wait a minute... THE BABY?

?!?!?!

Babies can talk?! Since when?

Not all babies, just this one! And yes, it is absolutely bizarre, bordering on horror, but it is what it is!

Ah, it's the aimless bard. What's he clamoring about this time?

Look, he has a baby with him! Must be a love child.

Why does everybody think that?!

Because you give them every reason to think that?

There's too many people here. We should go. Would you be so kind as to take me to Unigan? I'll explain on the way.

I see. You have memories of your previous life, and that's how you have the intelligence to talk?

Yes. I awoke to find that I was a baby, so I crawled outside to see what was going on... And that's when I found him collapsed on the side of the road. However, in this body, there's only so much I can do. So I started wailing in an effort to call for help.

Why didn't you just, you know, use your words to call for help?

I thought the sight of a talking baby might be somewhat terrifying.

Yeah, given how I reacted, I guess you were right on the money there.

Anyway, the bigger question is why do you still have your memories?

Past memories are supposed to be washed away in the waters of Purgatory. Maybe his soul wasn't purified enough?

Your memories should probably fade before long, but still...looks like we messed up with you.

In which case, I'm glad I asked you to take me to Unigan.

There's a woman in town that I absolutely have to see.

If you come to her as a talking baby, all you'll do is mess with her head.

Still, I must apologize to her.

I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark here, and guess she was once your lover?

Correct. I was born into a noble family, and hers was a merchant family. A forbidden love, so to speak. And as such, naturally, my parents forbade it. So, we were going to elope instead. The other night, after the National Foundation Day festivities, that was to be our wedding.

Odd...

However, I got into an accident on my way there and died before I could reach her.

And then the next thing I knew I was the son of a fisherman living in Rinde.

She's such a sweet girl, so I'm sure she's still waiting for me. So I must...

Okay, I understand. I'll help you.

But to do that, I need you to do something for me. I need you to get inside this gem.

Good thinking. Those gems can store both a body and soul together, right? Didn't realize you had one.

Carrying a baby around with us is bound to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. So please, get in.

As you wish.

Now to put the baby in my cage so I don't drop it...

Although, if you're worried about misunderstandings, it's a little too late for that.

Those people in Rinde treated me like I was a complete disgrace!

And it wounds me, it wounds me deep. I need something to take the pain away! *wink*...

I'm not buying you any smoothies, Dunarith.

Can't blame a guy for trying, right? Still, I gotta admit I'm surprised that you were willing to help this soul out.

I thought you'd be all, "no special treatment!" you know?

You cannot rejoice in a new life if your soul still has regrets over the old.

Now, where do we find this person you wanted to see?

Martha lives on the west side of town. That's where we need to go.

Excuse me, is anyone home?

What can I do for you?

We're looking for Martha. I believe she lives here?

Martha? Martha...

Oh, right. The woman that used to live here was named Martha. Now I remember.

I might be wrong, but I believe she said she was moving to Baruoki?

That is most useful. I offer you my heartfelt gratitude, madam.

Who said that?

Err, bye!

Honestly, what's wrong with you?! You're not supposed to speak, remember!

I'm sorry, I just really wanted to express my gratitude to her...

Oh, what a kind soul you are.

But if he draws suspicion, this whole thing will be for nothing!

*sigh* You could really learn a thing or two from him, Dunarith.

You want me to act like a baby? No problem!

Waaarghhh! *cough*

And now he's choking. Well, let that be a lesson to you.

Don't worry. If anything, it's a testament to your talents, that you have been able to survive... Despite being totally lacking in the personality department. You should be proud of yourself.

Yeah, thanks. That's got to be the most insulting compliment I've ever heard.

*sigh* Anyway, it looks like we're headed to Baruoki. Let's go, Dunarith.

No luck here.

Me neither.

Are you the ones looking for Martha?

We are. Do you know her?

I do, yes. She was a good friend of mine.

But...I'm afraid you're too late.

What do you mean, we're too late?

Martha got sick, you see.. And just recently it finally caught up with her...

The poor woman waited and waited till her dying breath for her lover to return to her, but he never did.

Where is she buried?

In Nuaru Uplands. She wanted to be able to look over the capital, where her beloved lived.

Thanks for your help. Next song I play at the tavern, I'll dedicate it to you!

Martha's dead? I was too late...

...Do you want to visit her grave?

Souls are reincarnated, aren't they? So even if I visited her grave...

Right, you wouldn't get to see her. But if you leave now, you'll continue to carry your regret with you.

And I really can't let that happen.

I appreciate the sentiment, but it's all pointless now.

It's not pointless! Not to your soul, at least!

Miss...

The thing is, I have some faint memories from my previous life.

You do?!

I hear someone's voice in my head, crying over my death.

I want to let that person know that I was happy.

But I can't tell them. I'm stuck here, haunted by memories of my past life.

So trust me on this. You need to save your soul while you still can.

Let's go.

It's better to do something than to regret not doing it.

Very well, take me to her grave in Nuaru Uplands. Even if I can't change anything, perhaps it will give me peace of mind.

I think this is it.

Stay close.

Ooh, is that a bottle of juice I see? Someone left her the good stuff!

Can I crack it open? Pleeease? Come on, just one little drinkie? We can raise a glass in her honor or...

Wait a minute. That's weird...Check out the dates on the headstone...

AD 235 to 299?

That doesn't make any sense. My Martha was only 20 years old.

And I only died the other day, the night of National Foundation Day.

Yeah, something had been bugging me about that. The festival wasn't a few days ago; it was decades ago.

Huh?

Purgatorians have a unique sense of time, so I'm not surprised you didn't realize that, Mazrika.

...You're right. I was so caught up in helping this soul I had completely forgotten...

What do you mean? What is going on here?

The flow of time is different in Purgatory.

There's no past and no future there. Or rather, the past and the future all exist concurrently.

It may have only felt like days, but decades have gone by in the outside world since you passed away.

But... No... Then she waited for me for nearly 50 years? All that time... She could have been happy... But I took that from her.

Martha...I'm sorry...I made you wait for such a long time... *sniff*

......

Um...

Hey, Mazrika? Can I talk to you over there a sec?

Sure.

...Thank you.

Is someone actually glad to spend some time with me? Never thought I'd see the day.

I didn't say that.

You wanted to give him some time alone with Martha, right?

I was trying to find the right words to say, but I couldn't think of anything comforting...

There, there.

......

Wait? You're not mad at me for petting your head?

No... There's something so comfortingly familiar about it... Have you ever done this before?

No. At least, I don't think so.

And I mean, how could I? You get mad at me for literally everything else I do!

That's true.

......

I wonder how Martha felt being left behind. Do you think she resented it?

It must really hurt to be left all on your own.

I don't know, I guess it all depends on the person. When I was left behind, I never resented her. I just hope that she's in a better place now. All I want is for her to be happy.

You just want her to be happy?

Turns out, those left behind feel the same way.

Hm?

Both sides want each other to move on with their life. Be happy, right?

That's exactly how I feel. So, I get it.

I see...

Well, anyway, I guess we should head back over there.

Thank you for giving me some time alone with Martha.

No problem. Did you say anything to her?

I just kept apologizing. My death forced her to live alone for the rest of her days. No apology can ever make that right, and yet, I can't help but apologize.

We don't usually see other folks around here. Did you come to pay your respects, too?

Yeah, we have a connection of sorts with the deceased.

Well, thank you. I'm sure Mom would really appreciate you coming to visit her.

She's your mom? But I thought Martha spent the rest of her life waiting for her lover to return to her.

Ah, you mean the man who jilted my mom?

Yeah, she did wait for him, but not like that.

She always said that if they ever met again, she'd make sure he knew how happy she was now.

Granny always seemed so happy when she talked about him. It's weird. I would've thought she'd be angry.

Oh... Martha...

Okay, let's go home.

Martha... She didn't wait for me.

Time keeps going for the living, leaving the dead behind. Change is an inevitable part of life. There is nothing you can do about it.

But your unchanging devotion to Martha is an incredibly precious thing. So what I'm trying to say is...

I'm glad.

Huh?

I'm so glad she was able to leave me in the past and move on with her life.

I'm sure she was only able to move on because of your kind nature.

She must have known you wouldn't have abandoned her for no reason.

And also that you wouldn't have wanted her to wait for you.

So instead, she chose to leave you in the past and be happy.

You're a kind woman, you know that?

Now, do you think you'll be able to move on, too?

Yes, I think so.

So, we're done here? Hooray! I was getting sick of babysitting.

Not so fast, Dunarith. We still need to take him back to Rinde.

*sigh* Fine...

Thank you for escorting me home.

Not a problem. I was just doing my job.

Yeah, it's all good. I even got some juice out of it.

Juice? Wait, you don't mean...

Come on, it's a shame to let a good bottle of juice go to waste! It's not like she was gonna drink it!

Besides, I earned it for all my help here today!

What's wrong with you?! Return it this instant!

Heh. You fight just like brother and sister.

Aren't you a sharp one? We were in fact siblings in a previous life!

Oh, please. Are you still on that?

...You can be so cold, Mazrika.

Well, what are you gonna do now?

As long as my former self remains, my new self will suffer.

So would you mind removing this former self so that I may move on?

It is possible to remove just those parts of a soul...

But please know that once it is done...

It's fine, I promise. The life I have now belongs to whoever this child grows up to be.

...Okay. Then I suppose this is goodbye...

Yep. This was short, but sweet.

It will be a shame to forget this, but I'll treasure this moment while it lasts.

May blessings be upon your soul in your journey to the next life.

...Sweet dreams.

......

......Waaarghhh! Waaargh! Waahhh!

That was quick. I would've thought he'd be a bit more upset to say goodbye.

Oh, I think he was.

They say in Purgatory that a baby's cries are... Actually tears of farewell to those they lost in their past life.

I think his tears now are his way of saying goodbye to us.

Reincarnation, a baby's tears... I think there's a good song in there somewhere!

Time to earn some coin singing about past lives. See you around, Mazrika!

Typical.

Will I ever be able to say goodbye to that person in my memories?

Will I ever get to tell them that I was happy? That they can leave me in the past?

So Mazrika has memories of her past life?

She clearly doesn't remember me, though...

Why....

I gave up my home, my friends, my horns... I gave up everything! WAS THAT NOT ENOUGH?! Take me, take my future, take everything! YOU CAN HAVE IT!

Just...please...don't take her...

......

Huh? What was that?

Ooh, now YOU I like!

You'll make a fine addition to my collection!

......