The Road Not Taken
Once I returned, I told Asherah everything that had happened so far.
I wondered whether I should leave out the parts that would be hard to believe, but decided to tell her everything.
And Asherah...
So that's what happened, right? Got it.
Huh? Well, you're the one telling me, Captain. I always trust you.
I was wondering why you'd been saying things like that...
So that's what was going on.
...Thanks.
You don't have to thank me. Of course I believe you.
But... no one else remembers the time that's repeating...
So why do you remember everything from one loop to the next?
Are you the only one going back in time...?
I'd thought of several possible reasons, but they were all just guesses.
Then... what should we do tomorrow?
What if we join forces with Ceres and try to win the battle together?
We haven't even fought that monster, Olberos, head-on yet, have we?
If you and I attack alongside Ceres, maybe things will turn out differently.
Like when we fought Gille, we can split its attention while keeping up the attack. We might be able to change the course of the battle.
...Or maybe, for now, we should gather as much information as we can before time repeats again.
It was still hard to tell which would be the better call.
For now, we decided to go with Asherah's suggestion and get some rest for tomorrow.
I can't... sleep...
From across the room, I could hear the sound of Asherah sleeping peacefully.
I quietly got up so I wouldn't wake her, opened the door, and stepped outside.
I stepped outside, hoping the night sky would calm my mind. In the clearing ahead, I saw a familiar figure practicing a solitary sword dance.
...This takes me back to Monastir.
*Huff...* *Huff...* Whew...
Ceres was drenched in sweat, swinging her sword as if she had been there for hours.
Just as I tried to slip away without disturbing her, I must have stepped on a dry twig, and...
Huh...?
Who's there?!
It's me! The Captain!
With Ceres's blade leveled at my throat, I hurriedly raised both hands and shouted.
So it was you...
You're no child. What were you thinking, sneaking up on someone with a sword?
My apologies...
Broken swords lay scattered across the training grounds, as though reflecting Ceres's state of mind.
The scene at the Monastir Knights' training grounds on the eve of the final battle with Gille came back to me.
When your mind is cluttered, the best remedy is to keep your body moving.
Work yourself until you collapse, and you'll sleep just fine afterward.
Seems a little extreme for the night before an operation.
Hmph. Still as soft as ever.
If I'd only been stronger, I would've been able to resolve everything.
At that, Ceres lowered her gaze. Her lips parted slightly as if searching for the right words before she finally spoke.
No. True [strength] is something else entirely.
What I have is merely [power].
Nothing more than something to cut things down.
Ceres raised her sword and swung without hesitation at the practice target.
The target split cleanly in two, but so did her practice sword.
[Strength] means not breaking.
It means never breaking, no matter the circumstances, until you finally reach your goal.
...That's what my sister told me.
Your sister...
[Venera]... the former commander of the Western Liberators, who is also my older sister.
She was the strongest, the greatest person I'd ever known.
A flawless warrior. The perfect commander.
She always put her duty as commander above herself.
She never once showed weakness... or lost her composure.
Someone like me could never compare.
...
That is why I am not strong. A blade forged from meteoric steel chooses its own master, but...
Unlike my sister, I lack the worth to be chosen by this sword... [Daystar].
It hasn't chosen you?
I still cannot fully channel my power into this sword.
The sword itself refuses to accept it.
...For now, all I can do is wield it blindly.
A single bead of sweat ran down Ceres's bowed forehead, brushing past the corner of her eye.
That faint trail was like the feelings she could never bring herself to let fall, weighing heavily on the silence between us.
Yes. Whether I'm worthy or not, I succeeded my sister as commander of the Western Liberators.
I will overcome this. Without fail. No matter what stands in my way.
I think that's incredible.
H-huh...? You mean me?
Everyone carries burdens of their own. Sooner or later, most people try to run from reality.
And yet, to keep carrying that pain and still move forward for someone else's sake...
That must be the very strength Ceres spoke of.
I'll make sure I'm of help, too.
That's...
...You have my thanks.
...
If only you... had come to the West a little earlier...
As she slowly reached out, Ceres's gaze wavered with uncertainty.
The hesitation she could never quite let go trembled at her fingertips.
But then, unable to resist any longer, she reaches out for the man before her with trembling hands...
...Ngh!!
...Huh?
The moment their hands finally meet, sweet rapture overtakes her, and she can no longer bear to let him go...
...Ecstasy.
...
...Adjutant. What are you doing here...?
Oh dear. I am terribly sorry for intruding on your pillow talk.
I meant to watch silently from a distance, but I'm afraid I gave in to my instincts.
...Pillow talk?
Yes. A man and woman. Alone in the dead of night. Ragged breathing. Sweat-soaked bodies. And your flushed eyes, Commander.
Every clue points to one conclusion.
Outdoor ●●●!
What are you even talking about?! Have you lost your mind?
H-ha, haha... Only you would barge in at a moment like this, Ms. Lydia.
A subordinate witnesses her superior being utterly conquered... then challenges the rival man in a battle for her body.
A timeless cliché, truly.
As for the finale, how about a ●●●●●●●●●?
Don't drag other people into your weird delusions!
*Sigh*... Commander Ceres. You still weren't back, so I came out looking for you.
You're still out here the night before the operation?
So I've disturbed your sleep as well... My apologies.
Yes, whatever. Just hurry inside and wash up. You'll catch a cold if you stay soaked in sweat.
Tomorrow of all days, when everyone's gathered to destroy the Void Core...
Imagine having to say, "Everyone, I'm sorry, but the Commander caught a cold. We'll have to postpone the operation...!!"
It'd be way too pathetic.
...Ahem. Understood. I suppose I've moved enough for tonight.
Then I shall take my leave.
Journey Captain, you should go in and rest as well.
...Tomorrow, I'm counting on you.
With that, Ceres and Besta left the clearing.
...
...
Somehow, I ended up alone with Lydia.
There were plenty of things I wanted to ask if I got the chance... and it seemed I wasn't the only one thinking that.
I could feel Lydia's gaze scrutinizing me from head to toe.
...Aren't you going in, Captain?
I should head in now.
Hmm...
I couldn't very well ask her point-blank, [You're not planning to disappear during tomorrow's operation, are you?]
Just as I was wondering how to bring it up...
...Why did you come to the West, Captain?
Lydia spoke up first.
I told you earlier, didn't I? I came to assess the situation in the West—
Not because of the Void trial?
...Huh?
This time, I hadn't breathed a word about the Void trial to anyone in the West.
This version of Lydia had no way of knowing that we'd originally come for the Void trial.
...Wait, are you...
I suppose that was the wrong question.
Then maybe you'll answer if I ask it this way.
Captain.
Do you want to help Commander Ceres carry the operation through and destroy the Void Core? Or...
...Do you hope that doesn't happen?
The unexpected question left me at a loss for words.
I couldn't answer. I still didn't know which outcome I was hoping for.
As I hesitated, unable to answer, Lydia's expression cooled as if she'd lost interest.
Hm... Well, never mind. I figured you wouldn't be able to answer anyway.
Then I'll head in too. If you [intend to join us] tomorrow, you should get some sleep too.
Wait!
Yes? What is it?
...Who knows.
Shouldn't you answer first, Captain? Until then...
...It's none of your concern.
With those cold, mocking words, Lydia turned and walked away.
Today, at last... we put an end to this long fight.
Move out.
We're taking back the West's golden fields!
Western Liberators, advance!
Liberation!
At daybreak, the Western Liberators' offensive began.
This time, Asherah and I were with them from the start.
Let's make sure this ends differently this time.
Yeah. We will.
The advance route the Liberators had secured stretched through the cracked red earth.
Signs of past battles were scattered all along the route.
The blood-red sands seemed to bear witness to the price the Liberators had paid to carve out this path.
There were small clashes with Voidborns here and there, but the Liberators subdued them swiftly without breaking formation.
Nothing unusual so far, Commander.
Do not let your guard down. The Void aura will grow denser the closer we get to the center.
I first felt the Void energy growing denser just as the silhouette of a colossal Voidborn emerged on the horizon.
Olberos.
...We meet at last.
All units, assume attack formation!
Liberation!
As the formation deployed, I noted Lydia's position.
Lydia stood at the head of the left flank, calmly watching the swarm of Voidborns. One foot was angled slightly back.
Captain. Lydia, she's...
Yeah, I see her.
I was still wondering what to do when...
...Captain.
Go after Lydia.
Ceres spoke in a low voice, still facing forward.
What about Olberos...?
If Lydia disappears again... even with you two in the fight, the outcome will not change.
Find out what Lydia is doing, and tell the [next version] of me.
...Though I do not know whether [that version of me] will take you at your word.
Then the battle...
Leave it to us.
...Got it.
Asherah, was it? I am counting on you as well.
Leave it to me.
The moment the battle began, Asherah and I quietly slipped out of formation.
The war cries and the clash of weapons faded behind us.
As we moved away from the battlefield in the direction Lydia had gone, I soon found traces of her.
Flattened weeds. Scraped sand. Footprints leading onward.
She definitely left on her own.
Where is she going by herself in the middle of battle?
Let's follow her for now.
The farther we followed the trail, the deeper red the soil became, until the trees and grass vanished entirely.
The trail was clearly leading to the very heart of the Void Core's crash site.
By the time I felt the Void energy grow even thicker, we found ourselves standing before an enormous fissure.
I couldn't tell whether the ground had split open to form it, or whether something had come out from within.
The fissure dropped straight down, wide enough for a couple of adults to climb down.
Inside lay nothing but crimson-black darkness.
The footprints broke off at the edge of the fissure.
As we descended into the fissure, faint light filtered through the narrowing rock walls.
The space that opened at the end of the cramped passage was larger than expected.
Void aura hung thick throughout the underground chamber. At its center, dense black masses drifted sluggishly like living mist.
All of that Void aura was being drawn in the same direction.
That's...
The Void aura lingering in the space was being pulled into Lydia's open book in a swirling current.
As if it were trying to swallow all the Void that had built up in this place over the years.
She was crouched beside the book, quietly murmuring something.
...Yes. You're doing well.
Just a little more. Almost there.
Lydia didn't seem to have noticed us yet.
Keeping our footsteps silent, we crept closer until her quiet voice came through clearly.
Oh my.
You arrived earlier than I expected.