Rebirth

The sky... It's so blue.

Am I fated to die as a teenage soldier in the prime of my youth?

Ah... Damn it! Screw this! I wanted to experience the joys and luxuries of Earth!

Pfft... Heh...

W-Who's there?! Come out!

Hey, hey, don't shoot! I'll come out!

You're... From Eastrise?! You're crossing the border illegally!

Wait, wait! I'm a merchant! I have my papers, hold on, I'll show them to you.

But I'm not sure I'd compliment you on the poem.

Show me your papers! Cut out the nonsense! I'll shoot you!

No, no, don't. I'll get them right now.

Sound of Explosion

Huh? What happened now?

Is the sound coming from over there? Oh no!

Hey! Why are you running? I haven't finished checking your papers. Wait...

(This was my first encounter with Sunflower. The story of a teenage soldier and a merchant.)

Hey... Wait for me...

Huff... It exploded... Huh?!

Shh! Get down!

?

See for yourself.

Soldiers from Bifrost Industries... are killing their own people? Why?!

Looks like we've stumbled onto something serious.

Hm? There are survivors? Kill them all!

Oh no, oh no. What do we do? Do we fight back?

I don't want to die here!

Hang on, Sunflower, I've got to treat the wounds first.

I'm so dead. This guy's a sergeant. I actually killed one of my own, and he's a sergeant too.

Looks like the situation is more complicated than you think.

Don't move.

What are you doing? Aren't we allies fighting side by side?

Who are you? How do you have such strength?

Seriously? Now?

These are my trade papers. Check if it's me.

Sunflower? So that's your name... It's not so special...

Why are you attacking my name? Are you still mad about the poem?

Hmph!

... (Groaning)

Hey, there's a survivor over here. Come have a look.

Wha...! Oh my god...

G-G-General?!

Okay, I've administered first aid and anesthesia, but she needs more.

You're unexpectedly good at treating injuries.

There are always conflicts when you travel. A first aid kit is a must.

She's... so light.

I thought she looked tall on TV. She's much lighter than I thought she'd be.

So carry her on your back. Where should we go now?

Definitely not back to camp... I know about an old bomb shelter. It's a little messy, but we can go there.

A while later.

You call this a little messy? What's this gear?!

Shut up and get in.

Phew... This is so much trouble.

What's so bad about it? You're a merchant, so you should be patient.

Of course. I'm not the type of merchant that tolerates bargaining.

Your business must be doing poorly...

Hm... Ugh...

Oh... She's awake.

The person who actually assassinated you is Yulia?

I'm not surprised.

You're an outsider... Don't cut in when we're talking!

Bah...

Yulia's obsession with the Joint Council... It's greater than her patriotism.

I'm afraid war will begin soon.

What do we do? We have to stop the war.

Ha! You can stop the war? We don't even know where we're running to now.

Look for Panther. Only she will be willing to help me now.

But first, we have to get past the city police Yulia put in place...

How are you going to get past them? You guys are up against the might of Bifrost now... I'll cheer for you but I'm going first. Bye.

How dare you!

I know a place that can help us.

Welcome to Dark Road, a gathering place for outcasts.

As expected of Dark Road. This place is full of anti-Niz and anti-Yulia posters.

General, let's first agree that you won't bulldoze this place if you're rescued.

... I never bulldozed anything.

Hey, Doomer! Did you hear? We're going to war again.

I knew that already, Bloomer. This cruddy country and war are meaningless. Just let me die on the battlefield if you wanna fight.

Why do you say that? Dying is bad. We still have so many important things to do.

Besides, this world is going to be destroyed sooner or later. It's just a matter of time before we die. Okay, don't bother me anymore. I'm listening to a song.

Sorry... I'll do my best, whether it's war or the end of the world.

Huh? Why are you apologizing?

You're a little too self-conscious, eh?

Ahaha... It's okay, it's nothing. Don't mind her.

General, public opinion is abuzz now, and it's even more heated on Dark Road. You'll be ripped apart if you expose your identity here.

O-Okay...

Hey guys, some arrogant soldiers are here again to inspect Dark Road. Help me rustle up some fellas to chase them off.

Sure.

They are such simple people...

Let's take this chance to go.

There is no need, General Niz.

Huh?!

Vedfolnir?! You... You've been hiding here?

No need to catch up, my dear former leader.

You, on the other hand. You're still alive.

Maybe fate is telling me that it's not my time to die.

So what are you going to do next?

Contact Mori, and call a worker's council to stop this war.

You think that's possible?

I still have to try.

It's impossible. You're lucky you're not dead now. If you really do take action now, you're definitely going to die, and that's no surprise.

Those war-hungry idiots, how dare they...

Why wouldn't they dare? They're the guys in high places. The law bends to their will. I wouldn't have resigned otherwise, right?

...

Listen to me. Hide first, and cool your head. There is no way to stop the war now, even if you and Mori combined forces.

Hey, strikebreaker! Come out! Take your guest away!

Ah... I hate losing money.

Don't forget, Niz, you're the only one who can stop the war in its tracks now.

I have to say that having money is really nice.

We can eat well and sleep well.

You guys... You've been staying here for two months and three days, and your estimated costs are 20,042 Bifrost coins.

Go get to work! Gather some intel about Yulia and report back!

Aaah... Yes, ma'am!

How much intel did you get, Sunflower?

What did I get? I have an obvious Eastrise face. I hid instead of risk getting beaten up by you Bifrost folk.

How dare you skive off! Damn it!

How about you? What did you manage to get?

...

They say that General Mori has mustered her forces and is heading to the border.

The war is about to begin.

What?!

Let's hurry back!

Niz! Niz!

Hey, keep it down!

Niz, come out! It's time for you to be useful!

... How disrespectful. Do you not know where you are?

...

The war is about to begin! Why are you still holed up here?

Step forward now and stop this war, Niz!

I can't do it.

What are you talking about?

The situation now is that Yulia has whipped the masses into a frenzy, and the entire government is being pushed forward by the wave.

Nothing can make them stop until they experience suffering. Even me.

But you are the fuse that led to all of this! We can put out the fire before everything explodes.

It's already too late. The explosion has happened.

What do you mean it's happened... You obviously had your chance... Now countless people are going to die...

So what did I save you for...? You might as well just die!

SUNFLOWER!

Snezhana! Why are you stopping me? Your Bifrost people are going to war too!

And it's all because of this person's weakness! What public opinion?! You're just weak!

But without the General, we will only get a worse ending.

Calm down, Sunflower.

I... How am I supposed to calm down...

Sunflower starts sobbing loudly and painfully.

For months after that, we kept gathering intel on the war.

Until that day...

Mori should have noticed, right? The next battle will plunge all of Bifrost into a swamp.

And there are many people in Bifrost who have realized that this war is wrong, and started to resist.

Next, I have an important mission for you, Snezhana, Sunflower.

What is it?

Snezhana, tell Mori that I am still alive, and tell her of my willingness and plan to stop the war.

Sunflower, you just have to pass on a message to General Firentia that I want to put a stop to the war. Please do this for me.

If I do this, will the war end?

This is the most likely way to put an early end to the war. Trust me, I've tried to keep the damage to a minimum.

Okay, I believe you.

I'll wait for good news from the two of you then.

I can only count on you two after all.

We got it.

We got it.

Let's begin, then.

The last step toward peace.

A while later

General.

Snezhana! You're back!

Yep, I delivered the message to General Mori!

Phew... Good...

How about Sunflower? Is Sunflower not back yet?

Sunflower... Not yet.

Damn it... I keep having this bad feeling. I'm going to wait for her at the border.

Let's go together then. I'm coming with you.

No, you have to keep staying here, General. All our efforts will have been in vain if you are exposed now.

Uh oh, trouble...

Hey, show me your papers! Cut out the nonsense! I'll shoot you!

(Why is this one saying the same things as Snezhana did? Are all you Bifrost troopers so lacking in manners?)

Over here. Take them.

Hm... S-Sunflower?!

Hands in the air! Turn around!

What? What's the matter with me, officer?

Shut up!

(Tch... I've been discovered... Should I make a move now?)

(Or should I wait...)

... Hey.

I, !

The only one who can check her ID is me!

Hah... Hah... Solved it...

Pfft...

What's so funny?

The only one who can check her ID is me!

...

Huh? What's wrong, are you mad? Don't cry...

I thought you really were gonna die.

Ahaha! Why would I die? I won't die until peace comes.

Mm... Waah!

Oh, you're really crying now. Are you going to run now, or stay here and keep crying until the pursuers come?

I can... Run and... cry...

Hahaha... There you go!

Now let's pick up the pace!