The Cause of the Nightmares
The next day...
Lydia and I went to the base to tell Ceres how we truly felt.
I'm still not sure this is the right thing to do.
If this goes badly... I'm blaming you for everything, Captain.
Trust me.
When we knocked, Ceres opened the door.
Captain, what brings you here?
Ceres stood as straight-backed as ever, but she couldn't hide her pale complexion or swollen eyes.
Did you sleep well?
...Not exactly, but I'm well enough to move around.
Did former Commander Venera appear in your dreams again?
Yes.
About those nightmares. I think we've found a way to stop them.
Really?
Talking with the Captain made me realize something too.
Let me start with this.
The reason you didn't have nightmares while we were doing volunteer work...
It wasn't because you exhausted yourself to the point of being unable to think about anything else.
Then why didn't I have them?
Because you were doing something you needed to do.
Something I needed to do?
Ceres. Have you ever thought about what you wanted to do after reclaiming the West?
Of course. I wanted to rebuild the West immediately.
Yes. Perhaps I'll keep volunteering, like we've been doing.
After that, establish policies to encourage migration, develop industries...
I'm not sure...
Then let me put it another way. Once the West was reclaimed...
Ceres' expression shifted from confusion to curiosity.
Didn't you ever make a promise with someone to do something?
Once people could look up and see the Daystar shining over them instead of a crimson sky.
Once the barren fields of the West turned golden again.
Hmm. Quite a few Liberators invited me to visit their homes.
There were also women who promised to show me traditional Western dishes.
I made plenty of little promises like that, but I didn't make a point of remembering every single one.
Are those the things I need to do?
...When I was a child?
I made promises with my sister.
But they're meaningless now. My sister is gone.
That's why I don't think I should remain bound to her.
She would want me to forget her and move forward too.
Lydia has something to say about that.
What is it?
Well...
Lydia hesitated. I could understand why she couldn't bring herself to say it immediately.
Even now, she was probably wondering if this was truly the right thing to do.
So I decided to give her a little help.
Basically, she says she can't stand serving under you anymore.
!!!!
When did I ever say that?!
Naturally, Ceres was devastated, and Lydia was horrified.
Wait. When did she even tell you such a thing?
I didn't! I never said that!
Right, right. She didn't exactly say she couldn't stand it.
Then what did she say?
She asked why you keep making her suffer like this...
Captain?!
I heard it with my own two ears.
Lydia, I don't know what I've done wrong, but I'm truly sorry.
No! That's really not it!
Because her Commander can't even remember the promise she made with her at the training camp.
...
What do you mean?
Because her Commander refuses to share any of the burdens she's carrying.
!
...*Sigh*
Lydia, the rest is up to you.
Lydia glared at me with an expression that was half resentment and half gratitude.
My opinion of your character just dropped two whole levels, Captain.
It's hard to raise, but it sure drops fast.
Lydia gave a brief smile at my complaint.
Well... at least I'm not nervous anymore.
Commander. You and former Commander Venera had a lot of things you planned to do after reclaiming the West.
And you've been avoiding every one of them ever since.
But those are the things you wanted to do. The things you need to do.
You're having nightmares because you're forcing all of that away.
...You're saying trying to forget my sister is what's causing my nightmares?
That's what the Captain and I think, at least.
I took out the clear bottle containing the Sunblossom we'd brought back from the lab.
Ceres' eyes trembled when she saw the yellow flower.
This is...
There's something between you, Venera, and the Sunblossom, isn't there?
Former Commander Venera told you something about the Sunblossom, didn't she?
That's why you froze back there.
Yes. It's always been like that.
No matter how firmly I tell myself to forget, no matter how hard I try not to think about her...
Whenever my sister crosses my mind...
She inevitably appears in my dreams that night.
She never says anything.
With the Daystar and Dawn embedded in her body...
She simply looks at me in silence.
I tell her she can rest easy because I'm protecting everything she fought to protect.
I even ask why she keeps appearing if she refuses to say a single word.
But she only watches me in silence before disappearing, and then I wake up.
Every time I wake at dawn, I can't stop thinking that perhaps she can't rest in peace because she doesn't trust me.
That pathetic thought refuses to leave my mind.
It was like that at the warehouse, too. The moment I remembered her expression, my body froze.
No matter how hard I try to forget her, I can't escape those memories.
And you're telling me to deliberately do the things I promised to do with her?
At Ceres' resistance, I glanced toward Lydia.
She'd finally found the courage to suggest this, only for Ceres to reject it outright.
But Lydia's resolve to help Ceres was unwavering.
Try it, Commander.
Anything is better than continuing to suffer alone.
And so what if it doesn't work?
We'll keep looking for another way, as many times as it takes.
Lydia spoke with firm but gentle resolve.
If it makes your nightmares worse... I'll stay by your side.
Claw me, hit me, blame me at the top of your lungs. Vent at me however you want.
I'll stay with you for as long as it takes, wherever this leads. We promised, remember?
Lydia...
Reclaiming the West wasn't the end, was it?
Not just the West. Everything that happens in this land from now on...
Former Commander Venera entrusted it all to us.
How long are you going to keep suffering alone?
Then Lydia smiled with renewed confidence.
If the burden is too heavy, share it.
And if I'm not dependable enough, then ask anyone.
There's Besta, Arisha, Ludvia, or any of the retired Liberators.
All you have to do is say the word, and every one of them will come running.
Lydia. I have never once thought any member of the Western Liberators was unreliable.
And among them, you have always been the best.
So if you're saying this... then I have no choice but to accept it.
Ceres let her gaze drift into the distance for a moment.
Yes. I think I knew it somewhere deep down.
The people who smiled even as they struggled to deal with the trouble we caused.
Those were the sights I wanted to see with my sister after we reclaimed the West.
With her beside me. Perhaps you're right...
Maybe fulfilling the promises I made with her is the way to put an end to these nightmares.
And even if you're wrong, and the nightmares only get worse...
Ceres looked at Lydia with complete trust in her eyes.
I think I'll be all right.
Because you'll be there beside me.
Hehe. Of course. Though, just so you know, I have some pretty bad sleeping habits.
You might lose sleep because of me instead of your nightmares.
Ceres responded to Lydia's joke with a perfectly serious expression.
Hmm. That could be troublesome. Do you snore a lot?
I don't snore!
I'm joking.
Lydia glared at Ceres for a moment before bursting into laughter, and Ceres soon joined her with a quiet chuckle.
It was a smile I could never grow tired of seeing.
Then... will you tell us the story behind the Sunblossom?
What did you promise former Commander Venera?
...It's not an interesting story.
I'll decide whether it's interesting after I hear it. Tell us, Commander.
Ceres looked reluctant, but Lydia's expression remained serious.
Eventually, Ceres gave in and began to speak.
It's just... a story about a silly little promise.