Arknights story · Episode 8: Roaring Flare
JT8-2 Behold, the Twilight Comes
Amiya helps Ch'en come to understand the Talulah before her, and they discover that Talulah's consciousness still lives somewhere within the shadow.
2 scenes, 494 lines
1. Before Operation
229 lines
Haah!
......
Don't even think of touching her!
Do you intend to protect her, Hui-chieh? This traitor to the Infected, this executioner of our kin?
I'm disappointed, Hui-chieh. How shameful that you would even turn your sword on me...
Amiya?! What are you doing here?!
Watch out, Amiya! Talulah has inherited all that is Kashchey. She's already...
She's no longer that innocent girl who was kidnapped from Lungmen.
Madam Ch'en. That's not right. She's not just the 'successor'......
...I will tear off its disguise.
What? What disguise?
You're that Cautus from Rhodes Island.
Where's Buldrokkas'tee? Did you test your mettle against his halberd, or did you just see his mangled corpse?
Oh? I'm asking with the utmost respect. I'm merely asking for the truth.
He never took off his helmet, did he?
His helmet hides the exposed greyish-white skull of the Wendigo. If the people were to see his true appearance, they would surely be frightened out of their wits.
Yet, their hate and zeal would drive them onwards, and the force of the crowd would have broken through the guerillas' defensive line.
Buldrokkas'tee would not have allowed the Shieldguards to attack a single civilian... They are not spies, after all.
Buldrokkas'tee would have been torn to pieces by the raging mob. He would have allowed himself to fall to their rage and ignorance, just as he knew that this day would arrive, as he decided to give up and surrender to his humanity.
Since you've appeared here, that can mean only one thing. Buldrokkas'tee is dead.
Tell me, how did he choose to die? He was a noble warrior. I would like to know how he met his end.
You?
What sort of firepower did you have at your disposal? That was... Buldrokkas'tee.
Even so, you've appeared here all by yourself, just like my pitiful sister.
Alright. The last person in this city who could kill me is now dead. Now I have nothing left to worry about.
Should I congratulate you, slaughterer of my kin?
Amiya, don't fall for her tricks!
She's already played many such tricks on me... Don't believe a single word she says. Even if she's... telling the truth.
I know, Madam Ch'en. She wants to kill you.
The Talulah standing before us still holds some untainted strands of memory deep within her heart. You are the only remaining link to her past.
You... huh. What are you talking about?
What are you looking at?
——What do you wish to see?
You can't stop me.
......
Are you telling the truth?
Why else would she challenge you to a fight?
Talulah will only truly die when she kills you with her own two hands.
You've stopped making any sense.
Madam Ch'en, the Talulah in front of you has not completely died yet. This tyrant is still not yet in full control of her mind.
Tell me more, Cautus. Tell me about that outdated chicanery of yours, absurd as it may be.
You should have died when Talulah stabbed you. You should be gone.
Mind-reading rabbit... I've never considered this. Even if you can read minds, you should not know these things. Where did you hear of them?
Am I reading your mind?
You've always bragged about being able to protect yourself completely using your psychic Originium Arts, Duke of Kashchey. It was your pride, as your political opponents remained helpless against it.
......
All I see are memories. I have no idea what you are thinking about right now, but I can feel your emotions.
I glimpsed the secret within your memories. I saw the curse that haunts your body to this day.
You are not Talulah.
I suggest you look out for your own skin before jumping to conclusions.
Amiya! Don't just stand there, avoid that fire!
Ugh!
You... you withstood it?
Hfff... Not... not for long!
You're surprised too, are you not? Heh. She did it once before.
The exact same black lines back at Chernobog.
How much longer can you hold on? Your warriors have fallen. Were their sacrifices for nothing? Will you die meaninglessly to my flames today?
How is it? Can you still peep on others' thoughts while desperately casting your Arts? Such a dirty little trick. It reminds me of...
......
Which is your real Originium Arts?
...Buldrokkas'tee dying by your hand...
What kind of joke is that.
Amiya, I'll clear a path through the remaining flames! Fall back and jump to the right! Jump as far as you can!
Strange. Amiya, Talulah seems to be... very surprised by you.
Madam Ch'en, that's not the least of it. Please don't let your guard down, no matter what happens next!
I'll try my best. I don't think there's anything more important than both our lives, nor anything more shocking than the fate of Lungmen!
You... you're called Amiya?
Cautus, if I were to ask you to build me an illusion that would entrance me forever... would you refuse?
Nnh...!
Would you hold back and avoid using this kind of power?
I won't answer you.
Your expression and hesitation betray your thoughts, self-proclaimed kind Cautus.
I've never said that!
Your actions speak louder than words, false Infected warrior.
Black Arts that absorb memories but do not differentiate between consciousness. Not a unilateral extraction, but rather proliferation and acquisition that goes both ways...
How can this be... How can this be? Cautus, what is this? Can you answer me? Have the Sarkaz of Kazdel all gone mad?
——Devil——Sarkaz——
A lord of a different race?
Was the previous Lord of Fiends an idiot or a lunatic? I can't even remember its name anymore. It seems that the extinction of the Sarkaz is indeed imminent.
Oh, the Sarkaz mercenary... W. The Sarkaz behind them...
So that's how it is. So that's how it is.
The Cautus Lord of Fiends. Haha...
(Do you believe what she's saying, Madam Ch'en? )
(Does it matter?)
(I believe the choice is yours, Madam Ch'en. Besides, these facts wouldn't change your mind anyway.)
(Correct. In fact, I think she's trying to buy time until we suffocate.)
(But, we're trying to buy time too!)
(Huh? )
Where are your deputies? The nobles of your royal court? Your citizens?
Who else did you bring? That ghoul who's been rotting for several centuries, or that pink-eyed bastard who can't bear the slightest bit of light?
Did you personally take care of Buldrokkas'tee, or did someone do it for you?
You cannot do it, young, false Lord of Fiends. You cannot take control of them and their royal court. You are not a real Lord of Fiends. You're not even a Sarkaz. You're just a little Cautus.
You don't have the power to fight against your enemies. Should try, you would be swiftly eradicated.
Alternatively, you are just the newest toy of the Sarkaz rulers. Do you feel sadness at being a test subject, immature Cautus?
You are an outsider. You cannot do anything but wait for others to take your life and the symbol of the king. And with it, your entire being.
I can do that for you. I will help you depart this world without the slightest trace of pain.
Deathless Black Snake... are you afraid?
——
What?
You've said a lot, Duke of Kashchey.
Yet, if your life was really as long as the legends told, and if the dread you showed from time to time was not part of your performance...
Then, I believe I understand.
Kashchey?! Amiya, is that true?
The one in front of you is Talulah, and at the same time, Kashchey. My intuition is not wrong.
......
Interesting.
However, the time for jokes is over.
I need some time to clean up the current act. This play has greatly exceeded expectations.
For now, I will have to ask you to leave the stage, Cautus. I never expected you to play such a large role. I've underestimated you.
If you can feel my 'dread', that can only mean that your Arts are still too shallow.
——I feel whatever I wish to feel. Even if I am unable to shield my memories, emotions are still a specialty of mine.
...You're not lying. That just proves my point. The you right now is definitely not completely Talulah.
Should I give you some more time, so that you may dig out some other truth from my mind? Yet my past is just that, and it can only be that. You cannot prove anything.
My mastery over thoughts is such that none who have ever tried to comprehend them have ever succeeded. Yet, you did not see what I wanted to let you see. You're honest, Cautus.
You did not lie. You can only feel emotions and backtrack along memories. You cannot see my actual thoughts.
Then, let me warn you, Cautus...
You don't know me.
You don't know 'Talulah'.
All that you've said is built upon your own hypotheses. You fundamentally cannot comprehend me.
How would you know who I am?
Nnng...
...Talulah. Or should I say, Kashchey... I don't care who you are.
No matter who you are... No, that's not right. You're Talulah. It was Kashchey that created you.
Talulah, you're not touching a single strand of her hair.
How brave you are, Hui-chieh, to point a sword at your own relative over an outsider.
No matter who it is by my side, Talulah, a good person would never strike at my friends to get at me.
Hui-chieh, you have not seen the Northern Plains of Ursus. You're just like a delicate flower grown in a greenhouse. You haven't seen how cruel this world can be.
You don't know what changed me to become like this.
Of course! I want to know... How would I not?
I want to know everything that's happened to you. I want you to tell me yourself.
Then... why not come to my side? Right now, Ch'en... I don't want to fight you anymore. I don't want to harm you again.
Hah.
You've got it all wrong.
——The reason I want to know is so I can prevent such things from happening ever again.
I want to know, so I can judge your actions, figure out your motives, compare your deeds.
...I want to know, so that I can see clearly what you want to do, how you want to do it, how far you want to go with it...
I want to know, so that I can see the extent of your sins!
As for you, Talulah...
What's done is done, Talulah. Despite my wishes, you've grown up and become as you are now.
You too, Hui-chieh. You've become something that saddens me.
My actions sadden you? Reunion invaded my city, killed my friends, harmed countless Ursus citizens and decimated so many Infected... who's saddening who?
I watched as Reunion members helped each other at Lungmen, willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their comrades. Even in the wilderness, they have nowhere to go. Who's saddening who?
You are their enemy. You are the one who stopped my people, you prevented them from taking Lungmen.
Sorry, Talulah. I wouldn't believe you if you said that sending them off to die in Lungmen wasn't just a way to get this moment here with me.
You've never believed anything I said, Hui-chieh. You've never trusted me.
You asked if I knew Talulah, I do. You asked if I believe Talulah, of course I do.
That's why I came here of my own free will, to verify this thought of mine.
But, I did not come here to prove your innocence... No, definitely not.
Why? Didn't you just say that you trust me, Hui-chieh?
Right now, we are both Infected. Why can't we just stand together? Isn't our reunion supposed to be something happy?
(Her thoughts are really shaking... ugh...)
Don't change the topic. You're the leader of Reunion!
I need proof, judgment and verification.
The L.G.D. Officer Ch'en and the present Ch'en Hui-chieh... I'm not trying to prove that 'you are innocent.' No, how could I?
The Talulah of the past? Excuse me?
No matter what caused you to become like this, since when can we look at Talulah as two distinct halves?
It's because I knew you in the past that I want to understand even more... Who and what turned you into this!
The pain and suffering you've experienced, the truth behind your father's death, your hate towards Wei Yenwu. I can understand all that. Maybe they all pushed you down this road.
But what was it that caused you to become someone so cruel?
What was it that turned you into the vanguard of the Ursus invasion? Did you deceive your people too, Talulah?
You're judging me? You abandoned everything to come here, just to tell me off?
Was it Wei Yenwu who turned you into such a blind, cold-blooded person? Shouldn't you be asking the reasons behind my actions?
No. That can wait for later. I can reconstruct the flow of events from the garbage heap.
I came to fulfill my duty.
If you really weren't responsible for these, I would fire a flare. It wouldn't matter even if you killed me, I'd still be able to prove that you didn't deserve death.
But if you're conspiring to do harm, then we will gladly give up our lives just to stop you.
I want to see to what extent you're wrong. Taking a life without a trial? That's murder. And the city is guilty of murdering the Infected.
Right now, I see it all clearly.
My sword, my thoughts, my ideas, they're all on you.
As for the past, let it remain in the past. The past...
Will never return.
I will never forgive a schemer who toys with lives, no matter who they are.
You cannot break the law with impunity.
Heh heh...
You wish to cut your ties with me, Hui-chieh.
Hmph...
It's pointless to try and taunt me. Feel free to guilt me or whatever.
This is who I am. A woman of my word. You're the one who's forgotten all this.
Amiya, I won't ask what else you need to prepare. Instead, what do you want me to do?
Ah, Madam Ch'en... I need a bit more time.
How long?
Three minutes at most.
Then I'll give you at least three minutes.
This time, we're really fighting 'shoulder to shoulder', Amiya. It's just the two of us.
But we're carrying the burden of countless lives. You know as well as I.
Three minutes, Amiya. In the next three minutes, you will not die. I guarantee it.
So, once we're done with this, I really hope you'll give me a proper explanation.
You have to help me to understand exactly what my sister's become...
Also, I want to know if we'll be able to face this thing's true nature in the end, instead of just an empty shell with a theatrical streak!
I'll accept the outcome, no matter what it is!
Alright, I promise, Madam Ch'en. And, thank you... thank you for your perseverance.
I'm relying on you, Madam Ch'en!
Cautus, I don't know how you manipulated my sister's thoughts, or what sort of dirty deals you have with the Sarkaz.
Is the shadow controlling you and the mastermind behind W the same person?
Don't bother answering. I need my flames to teach you a lesson... You should not have attached yourself to the Sarkaz. You should not have used their power to disgrace the relationship between my sister and me.
Dirty deeds and sinful pasts are acceptable. The generosity and benevolence of one's country would still be willing to accept you and your repentance.
Yet, to go along with the Sarkaz and fall in with Kazdel?
... Both you and the one who raised you should be exiled forevermore, to roam aimlessly in the wastelands, thirsty without any hope of water, hungry without a dream of food, to be eaten alive by maggots as you struggle to live, yet unable to find peace as you die.
Hui-chieh, if you want to know the truth, stop protecting that seed of evil by your side. She is tearing us apart, twisting the truth and using my memories to mislead you...
Cautus, you! Buldrokkas'tee left in search of the light, yet you walk towards darkness... You're not worthy of killing him!
......
If the devils you're talking about are the Sarkaz I know, and if the people you're talking about are like you...
If the light you're talking about is slaughter, spreading pain, harm and deception, whereas the darkness you refer to is to salvation, sympathy, and the fight for justice...
Then I am willing to continue onwards together with the Sarkaz!
Has your identity as an Infected blinded you? Did you misunderstand their goals because of how the Sarkaz use the Infected? Are you not aware that you are the pawn in their hands?
You're trying to drag my sister into the abyss for this?
My flames will burn through your deceit and reveal the truth hidden behind you. Take care, for this will hurt. However, I have no choice but to do it.
You should ask my permission first.
I don't wish to do this, Hui-chieh.
Haven't you already done this before? I've had enough of your... hypocrisy.
Your hate is blinding you, preventing you from seeing yourself and escaping your upbringing...
You're the one who hasn't left that fire still, 'Talulah'!
2. After Operation
265 linesStill not enough. You won't be able to overcome my flames like this.
*Pant* *pant*...
With neither wisdom nor courage. Who would enjoy such a performance?
Ch'en Hui-chieh, how much longer will you swing your sword for the sake of others? Have you ever drawn that sword for yourself?
Lord of Fiends, haha... Perhaps the courts managed to create an inferior piece of trash.
Still not enough. Just not enough, you two.
Actually, it is enough.
If you continue speaking to my mind, I'll have to ask you to leave.
It's enough.
Madam Ch'en's emotions...
They're flowing towards me from the Chi Xiao.
Before, we didn't know each other at all. It's the things that happened here that have bound us together, the fate of the Infected that has brought us here...
Because we believe that the coming dawn will always be better than today.
Hui-chieh is different from you, Cautus.
Rhodes Island is just a scarecrow for the various political entities. For them, you would kill your own kin while speaking of kindness, waiting for a chance to sow chaos for your own benefit. You don't care about the Infected at all.
Who else do you want to kidnap? Are you still planning to feed those lies to Madam Ch'en?
You used Talulah to hijack Reunion. You used Chernobog to seize the Ursus Army, dangling a carrot in front of the people of Ursus. Who else are you planning to kidnap now?!
It's easy to see through your lies, since you only ever talk about the results and motivations, without ever saying what steps you take to achieve them! Your promise to Talulah was the exact same!
Oh...
You promised Madam Ch'en and Reunion that you would create a home for the Infected. You promised that the Infected would rise up after a great battle. But Talulah would never have made such a promise again.
Because the first time she made that promise brought so much pain...
Amiya!
Madam Ch'en...?
Amiya... I have my regrets. If only I had met you sooner, so much may have turned out differently.
But I've made many mistakes.
I think the old Madam Ch'en wouldn't have agreed with me anyway.
Not Madam. Just call me Ch'en.
Miss Ch'en.
That's fine, it's a bit more formal. Or is it too formal?
Sorry to drag you into this sisterly quarrel. I thought our reunion would be a little more dramatic... or at least a little more conventional.
I think that no matter how conventional it is, the feelings we have when reuniting after a long time are one and the same.
Is crying very clichéd? I don't think so. Any normal person would cry.
Very eloquent, Cautus. An impressive assault on the emotional front.
However, such a skill is better suited to persuade the royal court and senate, to subdue the parliament and those spineless bastards, to incite the blind soldiers and irascible citizens... rather than me.
'Kazdel fell thrice to great fires. It was rebuilt multiple times, receiving millions of new souls and being reclaimed by the royal court each time. Yet, the previous residents have all been reduced to ashes in the wind.'
In Chernobog, you once raised a barrier, stopping my breath... I let you go, because the noble warrior who sacrificed his life for you was worthy of my respect.
But now, you've caught my attention once more. You won't get another chance to escape.
Survive this immolation, Cautus.
Damn it...! Amiya! Over here, quick!
I'm not talking to you, sister. Now——
——I wonder what her burning flesh will smell like.
Amiya!
Violent flames flash into existence, the searing waves of white fire roar towards Amiya from all directions, completely enveloping her and even the very ground she stands upon.
You!
Just try it. If you struck now, would you cut both my Arts and her?
Let her go! Let her go, Talulah! I'm the one you want dead!
Too late.
The three minutes are up. Enough time has passed.
Their thoughts shift over Lungmen and Chernobog. Their memories cross the Northern Plains and the lands of Ursus.
She is intimately familiar with Ch'en's thoughts. She has experienced all of Ch'en's battles to this point. She has branded Lungmen, Chernobog, and all of the Northern Plains upon her body.
Black lines surge outwards from the ball of flame, forming into distinct threads that carve through the flames.
The white fire fades away.
... How...
What cut through the flame prison...?
Amiya violently gasps for breath.
She shuts her eyes.
Countless ideas form within Amiya's mind, and dissipate just as quickly.
She remembers FrostNova lamenting through gritted teeth.
She sees the Wendigo's corpse standing tall.
She hears Alina's irrepressible whispers.
She sees Ace and Scout, and remembers the elite operators dancing at the party.
She recalls Lisa taking gingerbread out of the oven. She thinks of Mimi's handmade badges. She sees the light that shines faintly at Sunty's chest as he walks through the corridor during a power outage, a silly grin on his freckled face.
She thinks of her parents.
She sees her mother holding onto her shoulder as she tries to grasp the fiddlestick. Her mother's fingers are long and fair, though she is displeased at all the scars and calluses.
She sees her father falling over after pushing her out the door. She cannot remember exactly what her father said, only that he had tears in his eyes. 'Goodbye. Live on, Amiya.'
She sees Theresa stabbing a sword into her chest.
She sees Theresa wishing her goodnight and turning off the lights.
She sees Theresa picking out a white dress for her, with a smile brighter than her own.
She sees the Doctor walking in front of her. She sees the Doctor looking back, waiting for her to catch up before continuing onwards.
She sees a Sarkaz.
A great fire. The very same great fire. A great fire that burns all, yet is unable to eradicate malice. A great fire that itself was born of malice.
Inside a tent surrounded by the great fire, the Sarkaz roars aloud.
We have been betrayed once more! They have broken the agreement, attacked our camp!
They are just normal civilians, not soldiers! They are just normal Sarkaz!
Why did you kill my wife? Why must my people suffer such injustice?!
Why do we not have the right to live?!
We just want to live in peace! A place to call home!
Is it just because we are Sarkaz?!
Amiya's tears evaporate in the scorching flames.
Is it just because we are Infected? Amiya asks.
Are we lower than the vilest beasts, a blight upon this land, simply because we are Sarkaz?
The Sarkaz's roars pierce through the tongues of flame, through the Arts, through the eras.
What crimes did they commit? Are they not innocent?!
Do you hate them? Amiya whispers.
A memory will not answer.
Yet, this great Sarkaz does so, as if he knows that this question will inevitably be asked.
No, perhaps he is the one who never stopped asking himself——
Do they hate us?! To massacre our kin without rhyme or reason, to renege on their promises, to cover up their crimes by committing an even greater crime!
Are they toying with us, or is this manipulation? Do they seek benefits, or is this purely abuse? Is this a moment of paranoia, or is it malice buried deep within?
Are we the ones they should hate?
They should hate themselves! They should hate themselves for reducing the land to this state, for turning us all into villains.
The Sarkaz raises his sword.
Black and cerulean engulf the entirety of the longsword. That weight presses heavily on Amiya's shoulders, the longsword that Amiya grips in her hand.
Do I hate them?
Rage. Rage.
An endless rage, encapsulating all the pain and injustice upon this land.
It breaks past the Sarkaz's bottom line, past Amiya's guard.
An enmity that cannot even be destroyed by hate. How can that which raises malice overcome malice?
Yet... This fury is different.
Even if I don't take revenge, even if I never hold a grudge, I still have the right to rage on forever! The Sarkaz roars furiously.
They should never have done so if they didn't expect this!
The flames tremble beneath his mighty roars. They shrink back, transforming from orange to cerulean in a display of self-mockery. The cerulean flames burn ever brighter.
The Sarkaz draws his longsword, the black blade long and sharp, wisps of blue flame trailing across it.
His fury swells forth.
If this is the end, come at me! I will bring the end to you! To all of us... To myself!
If this land will not permit myself to lay down my weapon, then I can only continue to fight, until the end of time itself!
Amiya knows, she knows that after killing all the oathbreakers, this great Sarkaz had committed suicide.
Amiya also knows that this sword had turned into little more than ashes, as if it had never existed.
Yet, the cerulean fury, and the history, of the Sarkaz lord have long become a part of Amiya.
'As move unsheathing blade, cleave now as cleft.'
'As move at teardrop's point, once known be deft.'
'As sword ere shadow's trace, cast off as cast.'
'As sword of stratus rent, once stood stand fast.'
Many more memories fall into Amiya's mindscape, the river of time gushing through Amiya's consciousness.
It's not a happy ending. But, Amiya has run out of time.
Amiya sees Ch'en's rage.
Amiya sees Talulah's flames.
Amiya understands clearly that they must resolve this matter here.
This sword of fury will not be just a sword of the past. It must become a sword of the present.
Amiya grips the hilt tightly.
... Sword...
... Sword.
From spinning to cutting. The embodied power did not increase, but the form has changed.
It's genuine. Congratulations, Cautus.
You're not a fragment, not an experiment, not an impostor.
You are indeed the Lord of Sarkaz... the enemy of humanity.
That doesn't matter right now...
Maybe. But actually, it matters a lot to me. Why are you holding a sword that looks so much like Chi Xiao? Why do you know the sword techniques that I've diligently practiced for over ten years?
(Miss Ch'en... Is it that serious?!)
Nevermind, let's leave it for next time. How similar is this sword to Chi Xiao?
You can think of it as another Chi Xiao.
Alright, Amiya. How much of my sword techniques do you know?
All. All that I've seen, all that I've found within your heart, I know it all.
...What did you find in my heart?
Erm, Miss Ch'en... D-don't worry, I only saw those things that you wished for me to learn. I can distinguish these things. I-I really didn't look at anything else.
Forget it all.
Wei Yenwu always said that handling Chi Xiao relies more on one's state of mind rather than one's mastery over the sword.
I always thought he was bullshitting, but I have to admit I'm unlikely to ever reach his level of swordsmanship.
So, you can just ignore him when he's waxing lyrical about cooperation and principles, but when it comes to the sword you must listen to us both!
Got it!
Two swords. You actually had the gall to choose such an evil weapon like Chi Xiao.
Since when have weapons been evil or not? What kind of weapon could be more evil than you?
Listen up, Amiya!
If your resentment and my fury are one and the same, then so too are our swords!
Let's go, Amiya! Take her down, dead or alive!
Huh?! Can we really...?
Don't act like we have a choice!
You've gained so much confidence from such a weapon?
I've been through this tomfoolery once already today, and I don't fancy an encore.
Let's test your sword, Cautus. I'll see your skills for myself.
Too slow! Chi Xiao!
Unsheathe!
Ah...
(Dr. Kal'tsit was right. Chi Xiao is a sword that can cut through Arts...!)
The formless flames that endlessly devour their surroundings dissipate into nothingness after the flashes of cerulean, black and red.
A wound.
How could this...
Ever since I revived through my sheer hate, this body has not taken a single scratch.
We only managed to cut her finger... Her Arts are too tremendously powerful!
Don't underestimate that little scratch!
Every little wound and cut we give her will build up and accumulate. We'll wear her down eventually!
That's really sad.
Who do you think you are, talking like that while wearing that face?
The L.G.D. really raised a kind-hearted girl.
You seem very happy carving up your sister's body with an outsider, Hui-chieh.
You dare call me that?
Kill me if you wish, Hui-chieh.
You...
I can never return. I hate all of this. I hate you. I hate this land that raised you. It made you like this.
Kill me, release me from all this. Otherwise, I will kill you.
At least... at least... Hui-chieh, Hui-chieh... Don't make me kill you. I don't want to, I can't...
Even if it's your fault I'm like this.
...I... That time twenty years ago, I...
You didn't come with me.
You backed out. You ran away, Hui-chieh. I became like this... Something that even I hate... All because of you.
It's all because of you. Because you went back on your promise.
Ah...
That night, under that torrential rain...
Why did you willingly stay by that evil dragon's side?
He killed my father, caused our mother's death... He split us apart!
And now you're doing his bidding?
......
The sky was clear. I will never forget... That night, there was no moonlight, no stars——
But it was daytime when you dragged me out. It was during the day.
That means...
No. Talulah, Kashchey's Originium Arts didn't begin taking effect after his death...
He had already been using his Arts on you from that moment on.
Just think! How many of your thoughts has he twisted? How many memories has he warped?
Even if he didn't tamper with your memories, he was still exploiting those fuzzy corners of your mind!
Talulah, if you are still Talulah——
Even if you wanted to start a war, even if you ended up sacrificing many people...
Would you have let them all die in vain just for yourself?
If there had to be sacrifices, wouldn't you have let yourself be the first?
Would you have let the Yetis and FrostNova die helplessly? Would you have used the thing Patriot was protecting to destroy him, you who greatly respected him? Would you have allowed countless Ursus and Infected to die for that?
Enough. You cannot shake my resolve.
Your actions are completely the same, down to the very rhythms... Disgusting.
Those two swords are still unable to best me.
You will eventually run out of stamina, yet my flames are endless.
Your swords are an extension of your bodies, whereas I embody power. You will fall to your fatigue, and I will claim your lives.
Talulah, open your eyes and see... Do you truly wish for such an ending, such a tragedy?
Is this really what you want?!
Enough!
It's pointless to hide in your shell. Face me.
Amiya raises her head.
She speaks as if describing a simple fact.
Ch'en looks at Amiya. The girl next to her is unrecognizable from the Amiya of ten minutes ago.
Her unusual tone is surprising. It feels as though a third of it is coming from Amiya herself, another third from subtly imitating her, and the last third...
Ch'en does not know either.
The Draco pinches her lips together.
After much hesitation, she opens her mouth once again.
What sights did you see this time? Whose last words did you hear?
Cautus, only those who face imminent death like to spout such platitudes. The events of the past cannot harm me.
At the same time, she taps the hilt of her sword, lightly pulling apart the shaking air ahead of her and sending the scorching heat towards the two Infected.
Ch'en roars. Just before she moves, it occurs to her that it may be better for Amiya to deal with this.
Chi Xiao - Fleeting Night!
She turns to look at Ch'en, a smile on her face.
Um, sorry. It's something like this, right?
Blue? Black... probably cerulean. It looks good. Compared to this, Chi Xiao is a lot bloodier.
At this moment, Ch'en considers that perhaps this battle should have just gone like this.
The oxygen supply devices have all been destroyed during the battle. To fight a fire dragon while carrying an oxygen supply is nothing short of suicidal.
With a huff, Ch'en discards her extraneous equipment and laments the fact that she was far too hasty with her preparations.
Amiya, there's not much time left. She's planning to burn off all the oxygen here.
The rabbit beside her is also a veteran of many battles. This reminder should have been unnecessary, but it's enough to divert her attention.
There's only one reason to do so. Ch'en wants to draw her attention. Ch'en breathes in deeply.
She's struggling to keep calm.
Refusing to be bound by its scabbard, the temporarily restrained Chi Xiao trembles violently, as if eagerly awaiting its release, to the point of madness.
Though, it may be because her own hand is shaking.
After all these years, only now... only now does Ch'en feel the tenacity of Chi Xiao. She fears that she will lose her grip on the sword, yet she is unable to stop herself from rejoicing together with it.
Ch'en comes to a realization. Chi Xiao possesses no will of its own. Its will is the will of the wielder.
It wasn't that she was unable to draw Chi Xiao before. She just hadn't reached a point where she needed to use it.
But now, as she faces a veritable wall of flames and the villain in front of her, the person she longed for, that friend, sister, criminal, along with a sense of total despair, it all weighs down heavily on her.
The trembling gradually stops. It's time, Ch'en feels. Chi Xiao has been waiting for far too long.
And she has, as well.
Miss Ch'en, please wait. We may be able to hurt her, but even if we have the power to do so—— Killing her is meaningless.
Amiya doesn't feel as if she is the one speaking.
She feels like a sharp blade, a sharp blade bent from injustice and tragedy. Even so, Amiya feels that this blade will return to its original shape, as sharp as ever.
She feels a little like Ch'en.
That's not a bad thing. She cannot actually be Ch'en, after all.
Amiya gazes at Talulah.
Miss Ch'en, did you arrest suspects just so you could flog and humiliate them? To take away their lives?
Yet, her nameless anger is nothing like Ch'en. She feels betrayal, manipulation, isolation. She is experiencing a story that has yet to reach its end, a gloomy future that which still exists.
That is just an outcome, I believe. Besides, we don't possess that authority.
I know you'll say that just washing away her suspicions is too easy.
No, Madam Ch'en... Miss Ch'en. That's not right.
Whether or not her suspicions can be washed away must wait until this matter is resolved.
Ch'en bites down hard on her lip, drawing blood. Why does she feel joy at blood kin harming one another? She cannot answer.
She stops herself from raising Chi Xiao.
She sighs.
Exactly. That's just an outcome. I want them to be judged for their crimes. Death can come after they are sentenced.
Where does your confidence stem from?
Ch'en holds her head up high.
It's our duty.
On the other hand, Kashchey, you possess nothing.
Your body is borrowed. Your deceptions are laid bare. Your flames falter before Chi Xiao.
You chose this place as your battlefield, relying on your weapons and disguise. Staying in the core city is proof of your arrogance and folly.
You've driven yourself into a corner. You cannot escape.