"Are you alright?!"
Seconds after she screamed out these three words, she was kneeling besides Brøø, shaking the girl's shoulders. Part of her knew Brøø was probably fine, but the sheer panic of seeing her lying there, quiet and unmoving, was...too much. Especially after her own misadventure in recent times.
"Uhhh? Oh, hi there," Brøø yawned, rubbing her eyes, "Looks like I can still doze off in this place! I sure need some good rest, after the last few fights."
She heaved a sigh of relief, before letting go of Brøø's vest.
"Just to give you a heads-up, more shadow people are popping up lately. That big earthquake must've woken them up. Still dunno why that happened—"
"There's an earthquake in the real world too." She cut Brøø off before the girl could finish her sentence.
"Oooh?"
"And I nearly got strangled by one of those shadow phantom things in a well. Whatever they've been doing, it's...shaking up this plane, so if you have any helpful clues, please spill them out? Now? Before another interdimensional tremor traps us forever in our respective places of imprisonment?"
"Of course!" Brøø smiled, "Who are 'they'?"
"Oh. Darn. I haven't updated you on my current situation. They are a pair of long-dead Goddesses brought back to life in a world not of their own, trying to revive someone else with a rock that may or may not be an artifact of the ancient monster civilizations, which wouldn't have been a problem if I haven't gotten myself stuck inside the same underground space with them, and only by flying can I get out of the last exit! Which I can't!"
"Wow. That's exciting and very concerning at the same time." Something about Brøø's expression told her that the girl had been very selective in her listening. "Perhaps a pair of cool mechanical wings will help? Or a hot air balloon? Miss Infocom has taught me how to make one with baskets and giant cloth bags!"
"...The dungeons you'd been in are a lot more packed than mine, aren't they?"
"Aww. Sorry. It must've sounded like I was not taking this seriously enough." Brøø scratched her messy hair, before leaping up from the ground, "Rest assured, I am, and apart from the usual scavenger hunt for missing pages, I'll commit myself fully to my search for the Prophets of Saint Lisa!"
"Pardon me?"
"Yeah, that's one of the many things I forgot, and have only picked up recently. I always thought the pretty orb in our family shrine is just a fancier version of Saint Lisa's Apple. Turns out there's a neat legend attached to it, too. That some kids, after touching it as a baby, will grow up to become 'her prophets'. Maaaaybe that's what we are?"
"...I'm not even from the Silver Republic, but the truth in wild conspiracy theories no longer surprise me at this point!"
The lines of the Anti-Clockwork Rune were spinning, blurring into a tangled web, despite Verdna's best effort to concentrate on it.
Don't act so surprised. You always know Sosaria's idealism will be her undoing. You know it from the moment you leave her behind, to blindly charge into danger, to trust the wrong person and give that liar another chance—
No. Focus on the living. There was someone else in mortal danger, and she shouldn't be stewing in her emotional messes. Focus on understanding what was going on. For knowledge was the key to survival, and the only thing she could offer at the moment.
Knowledge didn't prevent you from dying, did it? Her gift gives you another life, yet you didn't even bother to learn about her death. You ran away because you wished to hide in a safe bubble, without all these pesky distractions and changes. Yet you were still hoping, blindly, that everything would stay the same while you were gone.
"I'm not hearing it."
Verdna's eyes narrowed at the familiar voice. These two must've believed she was off wandering somewhere. Good. Getting furious at them was much easier than snapping herself out of this internal downward spiral.
"I, I haven't even said anything."
"You don't need to."
Floating in midair, Verdna leaned as closely towards the thin wall as possible, carefully making sure that she wasn't passing through it.
"But you heard her! The inscription keeps talking about memories, bearer of crowns, whatever the last one is supposed to mean, and I'm just thinking," A pause, "Maybe, for the ritual to succeed, some other person with her memories will also have to die. And you know who..."
"We don't know for sure."
"Well, what will you do, if, if that's true? Will you give up altogether?"
"It might be easy for an emotionless murderer," Lynka answered, "Who can go back on a promise whenever she gets desperate enough. But no. I'm not sacrificing anyone apart from us, unless there are no other options."
"I, I—!"
When Ryll started talking again, it was in that oh-so-familiar monotone. "I shouldn't have killed her. Or Amber Heart. But Filina deserves to die for her crimes against countless innocents. And you know it."
"Is that what you've always believed? Oh, if only I had handed her over to you, I could've avoided it all, and you only dare to say it to my face in this form?" The edge in Lynka's voice was sharp enough to hurt now. "Lady Cyan Heart's decree is law. Doubly so, after it has been renewed by my sister. I would never commit treason against my own nation, especially when your demand looked just like an excuse for war."
"It is not."
"With the way it was written, I had no way to tell. I might have believed it against my better judgements, was Tari not standing directly in your way to topple the 'Tyranny of Purple and White'. That's how it always goes with our neighbors. First they asked for a small favor, then another, and another, until they were so sure of our weaknesses, they saw no problems in marching onto our doorsteps."
Lynka took a deep breath. "I bet you'd sent a letter to Amber Heart too. What was your excuse for that? What transgressions had her little island nation committed? Wanting to keep to itself, perhaps?"
"My—" Now it was regular, anxious Ryll again.
"Your Oracle. Right. You had trusted everything she said, up until the moment she stabbed you in the back." Lynka let out a quiet laugh. "Tell me. Tell me, with absolute certainty, that you would not have been manipulated into declaring a war against Tari anyways, after I handed Filina over."
Silence. Dead, rotten silence that seemed to last for an eternity.
"You can't. I doubt you'd never realized what 'uniting the entire continent under one banner' meant in practice. That's why you've been hanging onto that 'greater good' mantra like a lifeline, thinking it would make you less of a monster than those you claimed to be fighting against."
"Wake up."
Judging by how it felt like someone had gently jabbed a popsicle against the inside of her skull, Verdna must've reached her hand right through her forehead. Groaning, she sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"W-Whah? Are they starting another earthquake again?"
"No," Verdna leaned even closer, "But you might very well be at its origin point in the immediate future, provided that you could live long enough to feel it."
"They are...bringing me into it now? Why?"
"One of them is having ideas. Dangerous ideas." Verdna shook her head. "And with how volatile everything's been so far, I don't think it will take long before she starts acting on them."
"I, uh, appreciate the warning." She nodded, "But I don't feel like I can fight back and win? Yet?"
"This is going to sound like I've gone absolutely mental. But promise me, if everything fails, kill yourself before they can get to you."
"...That escalated quickly."
"I'm not saying this in jest, young lady. They were wondering if they had to sacrifice someone else for this foolish endeavor to succeed." The coldness aura around Verdna had gotten a lot more chilling, all of a sudden.
"And the more I think about what they are attempting, the more unsettled I am by the possibility of their success. Just so you know, when these two were brought back, they only have a fragment of their respective Sharecites with them. I am assuming that Lynka would use hers as the target of the ritual, and what will happen to it when time starts flowing backwards?" Verdna paused. "It's like using the artifact on the decapitated head of a human being!"
"Will it even...work?"
"A complete failure is the best case scenario. Theoretically, it may result in a head that is technically alive, minus the rest of their body parts. But Shares and anything involving divinities...work differently." There was real fear in Verdna's voice now, as she uttered the last two words.
"I truly hope I'm just being paranoid, and they are not on the verge of creating an abomination who's either going to be very unhappy with the person who brings her back, flat-out insane or not self-aware enough to realize the havoc she's wreaking. But the chances for horrible unforeseen consequences are pretty high, however, because no one, including me, knows how their plan is supposed to work."
The instant ramen on the table had gone cold, when Rei walked back into the living quarter of the ranger station. It didn't taste too good either, as she mindlessly scooped up the food with a plastic fork. That was probably how the rest of her stay would go, just holed up in here, feeling bad about herself.
And she should, shouldn't she? All she had was just hopeless naivety, and a quick encounter with the cold, hard reality was enough to remind her of how incompetent she actually was, even if people did agree with her. Only good for sitting on the sidelines while the qualified professionals did all the real work.
Sighing, she put down the fork, and leaned back in her chair. No, no matter how little difference she made, her tries had to count in the grand scope of...something, right?
The sudden beeping noise, coming out of the radio, was a mercy. Rei nearly knocked over the chair in her charge towards the living room, and grabbed the instruction from the nearby desk, just in case.
"Hello there!" The voice announced, after Rei jabbed her finger down on the receive button. "C-Sha here, calling Ranger Station 32. Are you a soldier, Guild crew, or volunteer?"
"V-Volunteer."
"Oh, it's you! Are you having a good time in there?"
It was embarrassing, really. How her stuttering was so easily recognized. "I guess? Is there anything you want me to tell...the agent I'm partnered with? She's out there, and won't be back in a while."
"Eh, yeah, kinda, not really?" C-Sha said. "We just wanna drop by for dinner. Maybe spend the night at your place, before heading off to the Sim City countryside tomorrow—they got a few suspicious case reports there. If there's enough space for the four of us, that is!"
"Of course. It's quite roomy. With how empty this whole place is, I'm honestly a little scared, but I'm sure t-that's just me being all jittery again..."
"Aww. Cabin fever's a real headache, even for Lowee natives, but it does get better with company!" C-Sha replied, and added, "You don't happen to have an oven in there, do ya'? I've collected a bunch of ingredients on the way, and if there ain't anything to cook with, I might have to start gathering some firewood."
C-Sha's "bunch of ingredients" turned out to be a giant sack of mushrooms, raw meat slabs, and what appeared to be the severed tail of some scaly reptilian creature. Rei wasn't particularly eager to find out where it came from, or how it tasted like.
That was the least unnerving thing, compared to the three people that streamed into the room after her, made worse by the fact that Rei could recognize all of them.
Asa looked even more stiff and unfriendly than before. She greeted everyone, but soon disappeared into the living quarter, dragging her luggage behind her. Even the old man's boisterous chiding didn't get a response out of her, other than "I'm coming, after I unpacked my stuff."
Rubis was...Rubis. Calm and smiling, carefully tidying up her skirt as she sat down next to Rei, while C-Sha and the old man headed for the kitchen area. It was hard for Rei to not feel like she had failed her expectations, before she even knew what these expectations were.
"How are you doing?"
"I've been...doing absolutely nothing. Sorry." Rei lowered her head.
"Please, there is no need to apologize. Apart from C-Sha's valiant effort at hunting down our soon-to-be meals, none of us has done many notable things, either," Rubis said. "Have you met Mr. Esaka and Asa, by the way? You seem spooked by their presence."
"O-Only once. I haven't talked to them at all, t-they were just arguing nearby."
"Oh dear. These two could really get carried away over the smallest things." Rubis shook her head. "Perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself to them? I'm sure Mr. Esaka would be glad to have another person he could talk to, though his life lessons can get a bit outlandish at times."
"My bad, I-I have something else to do...I just remember that I haven't finished eating my leftover ramen yet, and it's a bad thing to waste food! I'll be right back!"
Rei jumped up from the living room chair. She would've darted straight into her room, had she not looked back. Rubis was not annoyed or puzzled by her nonsensical behavior—she was just glancing at Rei, nodding, like Rei actually had something important to do, even if no one else thought so.
And that just made her feel too awful to keep running. Slowly and stiffly, she turned to Rubis, hands clasped in front of her chest.
"I'm sorry, I'm just scared and talking gibberish again." Rei sighed. "Asa doesn't look like she wants to talk to anyone, really? B-But I guess helping out in the kitchen is fine, even though I'll probably cut myself on something..."
"No need to pressure yourself. Again, none of my suggestions are an order, but perhaps you'd be willing to sit down and have a talk?"
"About...what?"
"Something you are interested in." Rubis replied, and added, "Or, if you have nothing in mind, I can do most of the talking, though you are welcome to chime in at any time."
Rei was pretty sure she shouldn't take this as an invitation to stay silent. It was a very appealing way of interpreting it, however, so she nodded.
"Asa reminds you of someone, doesn't she? Not a particular person. Just a lot of angry, unhappy folks all blended together into one giant warning sign, and you must've run into such people for quite a few times before."
No, all the time, Rei nearly blurted out. All the time she thought she could just be nice and not get angry, and they wouldn't get angry too.
"And, quite frankly, some people are just belligerent because they think the world owes them favors. You aren't being unreasonable and foolish when you avoid them. It's just a way to protect yourself from the unpleasant experiences you knew were coming," Rubis said, "At the same time, it does block out plenty of happy, exciting experiences too."
"Maybe people like me just...don't deserve that kind of thing."
"If you hear someone else say that to you, will you agree with them?" Rubis's gaze gained a slight sharpness, "That they don't deserve to be happy, and should live in fear and self-isolation for the rest of their lives?"
"No! That's an awful way to think about themselves—" Rei retorted, before she realized her misstep, and hesitantly added, "I-I just answered my own question, didn't I? But it still feels different, like, what I want for others...are just too good for me."
"And I bet a lot of people feel the same as you. They may try to hide it in different ways, behind a façade of anger and coldness, because if they act like the villains they see themselves as, then they may finally get the treatment they believe they deserve."
"Are you saying..."
"I'm not referring to anyone in particular." Rubis smiled, "Certainly, I'm not pushing you to become friends with every antisocial, grumpy malcontent. But, since you are committed to helping people—and I believe you are, even if you don't accept my offer—learning how to talk with those who are hurting, despite your fears, might be a good start."
"H-Hello." Rei waved in Asa's general direction, after inching her way into the kitchen, "I don't know if you still need my help on anything, you clearly don't, from the looks of it..."
With a cracking sound, the flames at the center of her left palm disappeared. Asa handed the meat skewers over to Mr. Esaka, who was busy arranging all the food in a fancy pattern, before turning to her.
"But, uh, do you want a cup of tea?" Rei held up the paper cup in her other hand.
"Rubis asked you to come talk to me, didn't she."
Asa didn't even sound angry, just mildly irritated. But the unexpected bluntness was enough to make Rei drop the cup, spilling the tea all over the floor.
"Ah! I-I'm sorry, and...yes!" Rei practically shrieked out the words, while frantically glancing around for a piece of cleaning rag. "I-I agreed because I want to try to talk to people without sounding like a nervous wreck, a-as you can see, I'm failing pretty badly at this whole 'confidence' thing—"
"Did someone say CONFIDENCE?" Mr. Esaka glided to her side, nearly knocking over half a stack of paper plates on the way. "Well, if Rubis didn't mix up the names, then she sure was asking the wrong person!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake. Not again." Asa rolled her eyes, before yanking a piece of cleaning rag out of the nearest cabinet.
"Asa girl here's just salty, because no matter how good she is with her fancy flame tricks, she's no good teacher!" Mr. Esaka turned back to wink at the woman, as she started wiping up the puddle on the floor. "And her martial arts style is too grim. Certainly not one that can help stuttering shrinking violets gain confidence, if you know what I'm talking about!"
"I'm sorry, I...don't?" Rei took a step back, as the man made a chopping gesture with his hands, before sneaking another glance towards Asa. "B-By the way, you shouldn't be cleaning up my messes, l-let me help you—"
"Now, old chap, I'm sure you'll find a student. Eventually." C-Sha called out the back of the kitchen, "But I kinda need a helping hand here, so leave the chatting to dinner time, alright?"
"M-Martial arts? Oh, uh, I'm not good at this at all, and I don't really feel like getting beaten up today—"
"Gah, no! Only bullies beat people up against their wills! And it isn't about how well you do, it's about how committed you are, and how many friends you have. Like—"
"Get your own chopsticks and stop snatching mine!"
"It's for the sake of metaphor, Asa girl, so bare with me. You see this chopstick over here? Ka-chuck!"
"...It's cool and all, b-but I doubt snapping chopsticks can help me fight off anyone?"
"Now, now, you see this giant bundle of chopsticks? GRRRRAAAAH! Was I at the height of my martial prowess, I could've snapped all of them in one go, but because they stick together so tightly, they can withstand a much stronger assault—"
"Until they can't."
"Asa girl?! First, using flames is cheating and you know it, second, I know you are strong, there's no need to show off! Really, it's about a demonstration of the power of teamwork, not the literal destruction of all of our chopsticks!"
"Phew! The noodle's finally done! Would someone please pass me a pair of chopsticks?"
"Oh, uh, about that..."
There was no way they could finish so much food, even with four people around the table. C-Sha was in a category of her own when it came to eating, but even she got her job cut short for her when Mr. Esaka vanished for five minutes, staggered back inside with an empty beer can in his hand, then proceeded to topple the table while slurring about a demonstration of "drunken fists".
"How. How the fuck did he sneak beers into our shared luggage again." Asa was looking remarkably calm for someone with sauces and soup stains all over her clothes, and a guy in her double wrist lock.
"Don't be too hard on him while I'm cleaning up this mess, alright?" C-Sha briefly turned back and yelled, before lifting the table back to its original position, "Someone gimme a mop, please—"
Rubis's red ribbon flashed across Rei's view. Seconds later, a whole stack of cleaning tools flew through the air, and came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the room.
"Y-Y-You have a-another sibling I dunno nothin' a-about?" Mr. Esaka mumbled, still struggling against Asa's iron grip. "Y-Your mom must've been pretty busy, n-not that I wanna talk crap about her behind her back, but s-she wasn't such a great mom to ya', or your sisters, was she..."
"Are everyone his long-lost daughters while he's drunk?"
"As for now, yeah," The discomfort in C-Sha's voice only grew stronger when the sobbing broke out, "Not always."
"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to s-search for me, I'm real sorry—"
The awkwardness of this situation had finally gotten too thick for her, which wasn't bad, considering she had had enough times breaking out of her comfort zone tonight. Rei uttered a farewell that no one seemed to hear amongst the chaos, before slowly backing out of the living room.
She was heading straight for her living quarter when she caught a flash of motion, brushing past the edge of her vision under the dim corridor light.
Rei made an abrupt turn to the side, but at a second glance, nothing was moving. It wasn't a cockroach, as she originally thought (and dreaded with every inch of her being). Just this weird doodle on the opposite wall—
Wait. Was that little stick figure there before, when she first entered the building?
Rei sighed. All these hectic moments must've taken a toll on her mind. She really needed some good rest. Maybe that would give her enough courage for another round of...socializing, before everyone left tomorrow.