Chapter 54:
"I'd really not want to go inside this castle again…" the experience I had last night wasn't the best. More like a nightmare coming true than a hallucination that created false alarms in my brain.
I stand before the small castle standing in the middle of a small lake. I still have a feeling of wanting to not go in and run away as fast as possible. My instincts are insisting that I shouldn't go in. But now that I'm required to go in, I don't have much of a choice.
*SQZZZZ!*
"Theodore"
*SQZZZZ!*
There's an old nostalgic smell that makes my blood boil. The smell makes me remember him. Of that day. Maybe because I haven't moved on from the images that still haunt me. Maybe because I know that my work isn't finished yet. Or maybe because…
*SQZZZZ!*
"Jared!"
*SQZZZZ!*
"Big Brother"
*SQZZZZ!*
I have both weapons in each hand. The DVL-10 on my left and the futuristic short-sword on my right. I also have other armaments underneath my coat that I picked up along the way. I mean I don't know what's going to happen so, following one of the rules of being a gentleman, 'A true gentleman must always be ready for any social event that may occur, before, during, after, or all of them at the same time'.
I walk across the bridge and make my way towards the wooden doors. From the edges of the doors, it seems that there's light inside. They are far more noticeable since it's extremely dark laminated by the lights of the stars. It seems we still have some electricity in this almost dead of a world.
I reach the door, knock on it a few times, and wait for a second or two. But no one is welcoming me. Ain't that rude. As a gentleman, I am extremely offended by the lack of hospitality. Feeling like an elitist, as the kids say, I kick open the wooden double doors out of anger.
*BAM!*
Upon opening the doors wide, I'm met with a bright room that I remembered was out of lights. I can see everything clearly now because of it too. The hall isn't that big, with green pillars and golden linings and accents on each corner of the hall. There's a giant red carpet in the middle of the room covering the checkerboard-like tiles that has 2 shades of green and 2 shades of brown. There's a chandelier atop of the middle of the room hang by a single chain, lit with white LED that is really bright.
And in the middle of that room is a girl with long sky blue hair and cerulean eyes which are accompanied by a pair of red glasses.
"Welcome to the place where it all began" she bows as she greeted me.
"I must beg your forgiveness for the lack of a welcome hospitality" she adds, still keeping her bow.
"I would like to apologize for one more as well, but may I ask you to bring out the Tome that your sister have requested?"
"I did" I answered.
"If you would be willing, then may I ask you to please present it to me? It appears she doesn't like to be disturbed at the moment" she said as she looks up to me.
"Are you denying me the right to see my sister?"
"Oh no, no. It was a request specifically from your sister. That no one disturbs her…"
"Oh but I am her brother, after all, I'm going to deliver this book to her whether you like or not"
"I believe…"
"…!"
"…I can't let you do that…"
The air around us suddenly dropped in temperature. And I can see icicles being formed all around me. The ground has evidence of snow slowly forming as it's been frozen over and my breath now releases smoke that is caused by my hot breath meeting with the cold environment.
"…Do you actually believe that my sister is going to revive the CPUs?" I ask her as I move my finger to the trigger.
"Of course she would. We have made a deal that would benefit us both"
"A deal you say?"
"Yes, but I don't have the obligation to tell you"
"That's just mean, pulling my heartstrings like that" I said as I shrug my shoulders as I look around.
"But Mina, let me ask you"
"…What is it?"
"Do you think those girls will tell appreciate what you did?"
"…What do you mean?"
"Do you think you'd have the same relationship you once had after you revive them?"
"…Of course"
"Are you sure? With so much blood on your hands?"
"...It's all for the sake of reviving the CPUs, I can endure"
"Endure you say? Endure the fact that you've killed every innocent human being out there in the world"
"…"
"…Or maybe endure the fact that you have sacrificed your humanity just like Nepgear has when she killed off those twins"
"…!" saying Nepgear's name made her look at me murderously.
"How many 'children' have you killed off just to revive a pair of hard-headed twins?"
"…S…!"
"How many hearts have you shattered just to revive those 4 girls that all they do is one-up each other?"
"…up…!"
"How many more things that those girls left behind are you willing to destroy just because someone took them away from you!?"
"…Sh… p…!"
"How many more times are you going to deny Blanc's hard work!?"
"SHUT UP!" she screams at me with every fiber in her being. I can see her sweat and breathe irritation from everything that I said.
"You don't know…You don't know… You don't know… You don't know… You don't know…"
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING THAT I'VE GONE THROUGH!" she screams at me as her eyes are raging with every emotion she has.
"…"
"THAT GIRL TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME! THAT GIRL TOOK THE ONLY FAMILY I HAVE!" she screams at me from the bottom of her heart.
"EVERYDAY I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT! EVERY DAY I WANTED TO GO BACK AND STOP THEM! EVERY DAY I JUST WANT TO HOLD THEM AGAIN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!?"
"EVERY SINGLE DAY I HAVE TO SUFFER! TO PRAY TO ANY GOD OUT THERE THAT IS JUST A DREAM!"
"THOSE GIRLS WERE ALL THAT I HAVE! AND SHE TOOK THEM AWAY FROM ME WITHOUT ANY REMORSE!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PAIN AND SUFFERING I HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE DAY!?"
"THOSE GIRLS DESERVES TO LIVE! THOSE GIRLS DIDN'T NEED TO DIE! BUT SHE KILLED THEM!"
"SHE KILLED THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORTED HER!? SHE MURDERED THE FRIENDS THAT HELPED HER!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE SUFFERING I HAVE TO GO THROUGH JUST BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO SAVE GAMINDUSTRI FROM THE DEITY OF SIN!?"
"SO I'LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO GET THEM BACK!"
"I'LL SACRIFICE ANYTHING TO GET THEM BACK!"
"BE IT MY ARM OR MY LEG! I'LL GET THEM BACK NO MATTER WHAT!"
"BECAUSE THOSE GIRLS WERE EVERYTHING TO ME!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND, PASSERBY!?"
"…Of course…" I do understand. I terribly do.
"...But unlike you, Mina…" I put down the rifle and pull out something from my inner pocket.
"..That's…!"
"…There was one thing I accepted…" I toss the book in the air and position the short-sword.
"...! Don't you dare…!"
"…I learned to accept my worthlessness"
The book falls down in front of me, reaching optimal height, I swing the sword across it, cutting it with relative ease. Its multiple papers scatter around, a shocked expression on Mina as she watches the multiple papers gently fall down to the tiled ground.
"You…!" the expression changed into unadulterated anger. She summons her staff, and multiple ice crystals fan out around her. Their sharp tips pointed at her.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
