Story with an Unwritten Ending

Long, long ago, in a faraway land, there lived a king named Pygmalion.

Excuse me, I have a question! How far is "far, far away?" Where is this place?

Is it America? Maybe it's America!

No, it is not America. It's an island nation known as Cyprus.

It was located on the eastern edge of an inland sea in what is now called the Mediterranean.

It had lovely temperate weather and lush greenery, which made it a very pleasant place to live.

...Granted, I can't say how it compares to other lands, since I never lived anywhere else...

But I always thought it was lovely.

Teehee. Your sentiments are just as lovely as your face.

I'd love to go there on a picnic someday. I wonder if all the other statues would be glad to see us?

Of course they would. You're welcome to visit anytime. I'd be glad to show you around.

Pygmalion was a wonderful king, but he was so despondent about the state of his relations with women that he grew to despise them.

He swore up and down that he would never marry for so long as he lived.

Why not?

Um... Good question... (Glance)

I don't know exactly why. All I can say is that he

Hold up! Hooold up! Give the guy his privacy, will you!?

It'd be one thing if he was an irredeemable villain, but he was just a nice king who didn't wanna settle down, right?

He must've gone through some real tough times when he was growing up. I can picture them all too well...

All those 3D women tearing his pure, innocent heart to pieces with their stares, their whispers...their snickering...

Ahh, poor Pygmalion-senpai. He had it so hard!

So stop reopening old wounds and leave the poor guy's heart alone!

I don't...quite understand what you're saying, but I appreciate your concern for King Pygmalion's honor, Lord Blackbeard.

All right, let's leave that part a mystery and continue with the story, please.

I can't speak to that aspect of King Pygmalion either...

...but I can say with certainty that it has no bearing on this story's accuracy, either.

Understood. Very well then... Ahem.

King Pygmalion was also an exceptional sculptor.

So one day, he decided to sculpt his ideal woman in place of a real one.

...And what a spectacular sight she was.

His work was seamless. Even the gods would stand in awe at her perfect form.

Her skin was as smooth and beautiful as any real woman's, and her gaze was so deep and piercing she seemed to be truly alive.

Here, see for yourselves...

...You're too kind.

Wooo! Ga-la-te-a! Ga-la-te-a!

As King Pygmalion spent more and more time with the statue...

...be began to fall truly, deeply in love with it.

He held its hand as if it was a real woman. He lost himself in its soulful eyes.

He whispered heartfelt professions of his love.

He began dressing it in beautiful clothes, and adorning it with the finest jewels and accessories in all of Cyprus.

He even gave it a pillow and laid it down to sleep next to him. Eventually, he began telling those around him that the statue was his wife.

(That's beautiful, Pygmalion. You're an inspiration to us all... Dammit, if only I'd paid Cyprus a visit back in the age of pirates!)

Such was the king's devotion to the statue that...

...he began to wish it was a real, human woman.

However...

King Pygmalion's feelings continued to grow, much to his detriment.

He could no longer bring himself to eat. He could no longer get a restful night's sleep.

Over time, he became more and more emaciated, but his love for his statue never faltered.

Emaciated?

I may simply be passing by, but I cannot just continue on my way, having heard that.

Were his loss of appetite and sleep deprivation the only causes? Did he have any other symptoms?

We can't rule out the possibility that he developed a rare disease. What else can you tell me about

Ah, please, Doctor, you mustn't interrupt. I mean, I'm normally very grateful for doctors, as they reduce one's risk of dying, but, um...

I understand you are in the middle of an important ritual. My apologies for the interruption. Do not pay this idiot doctor any mind.

...Very well then, getting back to our story...

It was then that Cyprus began preparations for its annual Aphrodisia festival in honor of Aphrodite.

If I may, it's said that after Aphrodite was born from sea-foam...

...she eventually washed up on Cyprus.

That is why the island came to enjoy Lady Aphrodite's blessing and protection.

So that place always had a deep connection to her, huh? Hmm. I wonder what that entails...

Despite his poor health, King Pygmalion worked diligently to prepare for the festival. He lit incense, held ceremonies, and made magnificent sacrifices.

Sacrifices? You don't mean

Don't worry. He used pigs and cattle, not humans.

Phew.

Then, during the festival itself, King Pygmalion prayed fervently to Aphrodite.

Or perhaps Aphrodite took notice of his wish while looking down on the festival from high up on Mt. Olympus.

King Pygmalion's wish was simple. He asked for his pure, all-consuming love to be returned to him...

...by transforming his beloved statue into a human woman.

...And so, the goddess Aphrodite granted his wish.

The king returned to the statue and gave it a gentle kiss, just as he had countless times.

But then, wonder of wonders, he felt warmth where before there had been only cold stone.

Astonished, the king embraced the statue more fully, and felt it yield in his arms with all the softness of a human woman.

He touched the statue's body over and over, scarcely believing his own senses.

But there could be no mistaking it. Blood now pumped through the statue's veins. Breath now passed its lips.

Itshe, was alive.

Overcome with joy, the king gave her another kiss.

As their lips touched, the statue's eyes fluttered open, her cheeks flushing...

...and she joyously returned the king's gaze.

Soon after, the two were married, and then were blessed with a son and a daughter.

They named their son Paphos, and to this day, there is a city in Cyprus which bears his name.

And so, their union blessed by the gods, the couple lived happily ever after...

The end.

？！

Oh man, I'm tearing up so much I can't even see (my life choices)... I don't think I've ever felt this way before!

I'm sorry I did such a poor job telling your story.

I did my best to honor what you told me and fill in the details, but I may have taken a few too many dramatic liberties to be entirely accurate.

I hope you can forgive me...

Please, don't be sorry. I thought that was wonderful.

All right, everyone.

I specifically asked Lady Scheherazade to refrain from describing King Pygmalion's appearance.

But since she told his story in such great detail, I think you can all picture him for yourselves.

I can!

Me too!

He looks like a very kind older gentleman to me!

Hell yeah! He strikes me as a dangerously dapper Casanova, just like the one I see in the mirror every day!

And as you all picture him in your minds now, I too can see him quite clearly.

In fact, since I featured in the story myself, I can see him even more clearly than you.

What's more, I can once again feel my heart fluttering with the same fiery love I felt for him back then.

...Lady Scheherazade, I must thank you again for telling my story.

Though I could never forget what happened, it was my hope that hearing the story told from another's perspective would help me see them in a new, clearer light.

I'm happy to say, I think I was successful in that.

...Then, does that mean

Yes.

I'd like to give it a shot.

Of course.

Not at all.

？！

In fact, as my cherished Master, I would be grateful if you were to stay and watch over me.

I think it will help me draw out what power my Spirit Origin is capable of producing.

...Servants are meant to be with their Masters.

That is why their true talents shine brightest when they fight at their Master's side.

Isn't that how it works?

？！

Although this battle is very personal to me, it is also tied to my reason for existing.

I was always going to have to face it sooner or later.

So please...let me fight this battle, Master.

And if it's not too much to ask, I would also ask you to fight at my side.

？！

Thank you, Master.

All right, let me make sure I have everything one last time.

Materials: check. Tools: check. My concentration remains stable at peak levels.

Aphrodite Unit engaged. All systems green.

Everything seems to be in order.

All right...I'm going to start sculpting.

And I'm going to pour all my love into the work, just as he did for me.

Here goes!

'Sup, Galatea! We heard you finished!

We wanna see!

I hope you don't mind that I came to take a look as well.

Oh my. So this is him...

Yes. Please, take a good look.

This is the best likeness I could carve of my beloved King Pygmalion.

He seems so vital. Just looking at him is filling me with ideas for countless more stories.

Yeah, he looks like he's alive! And he seems just as kind as I'd imagined.

Whoa. I can tell he's a hard worker, passionate, a little high-strung, and a gentleman's gentleman...

Hot damn! He kind of reminds me of mysel

He was nothing like you.

Aww.

So, um, what's the verdict...?

I don't know yet. The judge should be here any moment n

Hey, heeey! I'm here.

Oh, you're done. Wow, you did suuuch a good job.

I should have you sculpt the devotional statue of me the next time I have a temple built in my name.

You're too kind, Lady Artemis. Thank you so much for taking the time to come here yourself.

So, um... What do you think?

Hang on, let me see. Hm hm. Aha. Hmmm...

I'm sorry to have to tell you this...

...but I can't see any sign of life in it whatsoever.

Oh. I see.

？！

I guess this means my wish...

My dream to be reunited with my king...just wasn't meant to be.

I thought that, if his love was pure...

No. That I exist at all is proof of how pure his love was.

So this time, I thought I could use my love for him to bring a statue to life as well.

But, it seems I was wrong.

It turned out so spectacularly well. I wonder what's lacking?

Don't look at me.

Aphrodite helped you two out the first time way back when she was much more easygoing...

I, on the other hand, am just my Servant self, so there's not a lot I can do here. I'm sorry.

That's okay.

I'm neither discouraged nor despondent.

I wouldn't give up after just one attempt. This challenge means far too much to me for that.

I'm going to try again at the same time every year, like an artist revisiting to a motif.

I'll try as many times as it takes, as though it were my life's work.

Even when a sculptor's work fails to live up to their vision, that failure just becomes more grist for their mill.

It's no reason to stop trying to create my ideal masterpiece.

So that's what I'm going to do: keep trying.

My technique wasn't up to the task this time, despite everyone's kind support. That's all there is to it.

？！

I, um... Thank you for helping me. You really didn't have to, though. I could have managed on my own just fine...

？！

...I see. You say you enjoyed watching ordinary stone carved into a statue before your eyes? You're too kind.

Oh, don't worry about cleaning up around the statue. It'll get dirty again soon anyway, so let me finish the job.

？！

Yes.

...Just give me a moment to steady my breathing.

？！

？！

Of course.

I will miss not being able to look at a facsimile of him anymore, but the fact is, it just wasn't good enough.

If I kept that imperfect statue of him around...

...I would end up so focused on King Pygmalion's countenance that I may find myself coming to use the statue as a reference.

I would end up making it my goal, and my future statues would become no more than attempts to reproduce it.

And that simply won't do.

If I let myself take shortcuts or go the easy route, even just a little...my heart's desire will never come true.

So I had to destroy it.

All I seekall I really want...

...is to see him smile again just the way I remember from back when I was alive. That memory is deeply engraved in my mind.

？！

No, I'm not.

I may have had Lady Scheherazade tell my king's tale, hoping to draw out my feelings for him even more...

...but needless to say, King Pygmalion himself will always live on inside me.

It doesn't matter how much time passes, or that I've become a Heroic Spirit of humanity.

My heart will always yearn for him...to see him again.

Ever since my stone-cold heart beat its first...since my eyes met his...

...I've never forgotten the warmth I felt from him that day.

Once engraved, it is never again lost. Once embraced, it never weathers or degrades.

That...is love.

And as long as my love for him is true...

...there is no reason I shouldn't be able to reach him again one day.