Victorious META staggers dragging her feet, barely able to walk straight, back to her usual hideout. Again and again, she escapes the vengeful grasp of a former friend. The only difference right now is that she's not unscathed. The freezing properties prevent her wounds from healing on their own and even prickle her inside.
"You're still alive after all" Hunter META leans by a nearby wall
"I got lucky she wore herself out from healing her fatal injuries. If I didn't land a fatal blow before that clash, I might have lost my head"
Victorious META rubs her neck, mockingly laughing at herself. For someone who has done nothing but flee once the situation goes against her, Victorious META doesn't take her life or death seriously half of the time.
"That shocked enough in bringing the old Tirpitz back. Kind of like waking up from a falling dream, right?" Hunter META shrugs her shoulders
"At best, it only scarred her. The one person she thinks she can trust had been going against her and ends up stabbing her"
"You're more upset you couldn't suppress the normal Tirpitz and purge unnecessary memories"
"I wanted to remove any form of resistance from the normal version...and effectively leave it vacant for my Tirpitz to occupy"
As the wounds worsen due to Tirpitz META's power lingering effect, Victorious META summons the fragment to absorb some of the prickling ice stopping her wounds from closing.
"I thought you wanted to save both of them" Renown META walks in
"I do. The Tirpitz of this timeline wasn't supposed to live..." Victorious META sits on a pile of boxed scraps
"Clinically dead" Hunter META straightens herself
"Exactly. Tirpitz META was only revived in this vessel because that Tirpitz died for a few seconds. What I did was extend her life"
Until now, Victorious META sees her actions as appropriate in a horrible situation but she's well aware it's not "just". She never excuses herself as some form of savior and seeks gratitude. Someone like her is just desperate to achieve her struggling wish.
"The only way for Tirpitz META to be fully revived is by sacrificing someone for it. Even if it costs my life, I will make sure she will be alive again" Victorious META looks them straight in the eyes
"Wouldn't the META one be miserable in the end? You will revive her in the body of another Tirpitz who will die in the process and she will be stuck in this timeline" Hunter META marches in front of her
"This is the only way for her to have a fresh start. She can do as she wishes after she gets rid of me" Victorious META faintly smiles
"You want to be killed by the friend you both betrayed and murdered" Repulse META scratches her head
"Isn't that an ending we all expect? We all know my selfishness will be my undoing"
"For the love of - if you want to seal your fate that badly, why didn't you stand and let her kill you?" Repulse META puffs up her chest
"It's not done yet. Until I can integrate them, I have to live a little longer"
Victorious META gently rubs her left eye badly wounded by Tirpitz META. It initially left a deep cut that destroyed her eye, but the fragment in her possession emits a faint light. The dried blood disintegrates in thin air and the gaping wound reconnects the skin.
"Tirpitz is resisting, so it's a matter of a tug-of-war between their two egos" Victorious META grunts
"Can't they just coexist?" Repulse META walks towards her
"It's not that easy, Repulse. There could only be one person in the driver's seat. That's how it works, isn't it?" Renown META furrows her eyebrows
"Exactly. You can't have two egos in one body. Their personalities are contradicting each other and cause friction with each clash"
The wisdom cube fragment is then used to reconnect the skin and flesh on the right side of Victorious META's abdomen. Tirpitz META nearly gutted her open if it wasn't for her weakened state.
"Even if Tirpitz META's personality wasn't altered by her deaths, she wouldn't get along with her past version. Our Tirpitz is suicidal, aloof, and much more stubborn" Hunter META shrugs her shoulders
"That fool only fought to die. She threw herself in dangerous battles hoping she could be killed" Victorious META tightly clenches both of her fists
"Why do you think it is the best choice for her? You dictated her death and now you wouldn't even let her die"
Renown META steps forward, prompting Repulse META to take several steps backward while Hunter META sighs in annoyance.
"Calm down, Renown" Ark Royal META walks into the scene
"..." Victorious META's expression becomes dim in mild hostility
"Your actions caused more friction between the two egos. Her emotionless state made her more passive and less resistant, but you deliberately forced her through extreme shock"
Ark Royal META grabs Victorious META's arm and forces her to stand up. The two battlecruisers at the side become tense with how the two aircraft carriers are likely to clash if the situation escalates.
"That Tirpitz is nothing but memories etched into the wisdom cube now, so I believe she may not survive if Tirpitz META is forced out" Victorious META replies with little to no emotion
"So this mercy and kindness to you?" Ark Royal META pulls her closer
"...No. I put them together so one of them can let go. The wisdom cube cannot sustain two egos, so..." Victorious META continues to be unfazed
"How is wiping away the normal Tirpitz any good?"
"I told you this before. The Tirpitz here was meant to die. What I did simply gave her another chance. On the other hand, my Tirpitz willingly got herself killed so she didn't have to fight over and over again anymore. She just stood there when the blast went through her chest!"
Victorious META loses her calmness in a second and her repressed anger booms out all over the spacious hideout. This briefly makes Hunter META widen her eyes in shock and even straighten her back against the wall.
"You toyed with someone's fate, Victorious. Tirpitz chose to die, but you deprived her of a willing death and brought her back. People like that don't return how they used to be and not all of them return whole" Ark Royal META loosens her grip
"This is morally wrong, but I had no choice back then. It was the only way to give them the second life and peace they needed" Victorious META sits back down
"Peace? What do you mean?"
Victorious META keeps her head lowered and gently puts her hands close together, manifesting the cube's fragment in her palm again. It emits a calm and gentle glow, reflecting how its owner used to be.
Iron Blood headquarters...
Hours after the latest incident with Victorious META, everyone managed to return home without casualties and intact. For Victorious herself, Bismarck immediately has her detained in a special detention room first.
"..."
Instead of Bismarck questioning her, the only other person in the room with Victorious is Tirpitz META still in possession of Tirpitz. The only way to tell them apart is the META one having a permanent scowl and sharper gaze to show how her personality devolved as someone who distrusts the world and lost interest in humanity's affairs.
"Where's Tirpitz...?" Victorious weakly asks
"She isn't dead if that's what you want to know"
Tirpitz META refuses to sit down and chooses to lean her back on the wall with her arms crossed.
"Let me guess, she doesn't forgive me"
"That much is obvious...but it's because her mental state is too weak to properly function" Tirpitz META scoffs
"Too weak?" Victorious META blinks in confusion
"When you resuscitate someone, do they immediately get up and walk?"
"...I don't get it"
"Tirpitz wouldn't be able to function properly. She's in a constant state of mental shock. I don't talk in gibberish but she couldn't think properly right now"
"How about her emotions?" Victorious stands up
"...That...I cannot guarantee"
For a split second, Tirpitz META's expression becomes softer and even displays a hint of sadness for another.
"What do you mean?"
"There's no telling if her emotions have returned because she can't even move or talk right now" Tirpitz META swings her arm in the air
"I don't understand"
"It means she can't properly function as an individual. That's why I have to be in control or else this body wouldn't even move" Tirpitz META clicks her tongue
"All I wanted was to help Tirpitz by separating you two. The other me made me believe it's the best choice I have" Victorious couldn't look at her
"She is you, so it's obvious why you were easily fooled. Not to mention you're too trusting"
Unlike before, Tirpitz META is less hostile to Victorious, but her disappointment and irritability towards her are clear. For Victorious, it's at least better than the META being somewhat in a mood for a normal conversation than thinking of breaking her neck.
"The other me wants you to take that body. It means my Tirpitz will essentially die..."
"To make me truly alive again, I have to overtake sn active wisdom cube. My original body was no different from a walking corpse"
Tirpitz META faintly grunts and shakes her head, uncomfortable at the memory of her original self, but her current situation isn't so different either. Even someone finds her state of speaking and moving using a past version of her to be "wrong" in more than one way.
"I would have to eliminate the consciousness of the vessel. It's not just possession but complete take over" Tirpitz META lifts her left hand and gently squeezes it
"You don't want to do that..." Victorious widens her eyes in surprise
Just not too long ago, Tirpitz META would force control the second Tirpitz drops her guard or if Victorious META is present. Now, she explains it in a rather displeased with explaining.
"Will you be able to live with the fact that you have to essentially kill and replace another version of yourself? I'm angry and desire revenge, but I'm not like Victorious META" Tirpitz META walks towards the table
"I didn't know that was her plan and that I was being used for something horrible..."
"There's no room for regrets now when your Tirpitz is just an attached existence" Tirpitz META mumbles her breath
"I...deceived Tirpitz and ended up destroying her trust. That's why I'll accept any kind of punishment"
"Hmph..." Tirpitz META turns away
Victorious is genuinely regretting her mistake and even on the verge of tears, but Tirpitz META neither forgives her nor resents her for it. She's well aware of how Victorious has been ignorant and naive of what length Victorious META will go, but what sets Victorious apart is she's less desperate for a solution due to her morals.
(It's too late for regrets because there's nothing that could be done anymore. Even I have to accept this reality sooner or later...)
As soon as Tirpitz META exits the room, she thinks to herself rather than speak it out loud to the three battleships outside.
"You're calmer than I expected" Bismarck is somewhat surprised
"That'd a good thing..." Alabama sighs in relief
"I find it...uhm...awfully strange to see Tirpitz grumpy and disgusted" King George V speaks first
"..." Tirpitz META continues to walk away
"I'll speak to her first" King George V follows after her
Bismarck looks like she wishes to speak to Tirpitz META first, so King George V cuts off the idea and follows after the displeased META.
"You're talkative, grumpy, and harsh compared to the normal Tirpitz. You're the polar opposite of her"
King George V finds Tirpitz META leaning in one corner, but her gaze implies she's lost in her thoughts and couldn't even hear the echo of the knight's footsteps.
"It's like you're someone else with another person's name attached to it" King George V stops a meter from her
"People change, and I'm no exception. Dying and living twice warps both your mind and soul. You wouldn't know who you are anymore..."
After ten seconds of delay, Tirpitz META realizes King George V is standing near her and speaking to her.
"Is that how you felt?" King George V expresses sympathy
"Perhaps. All I know is that I sometimes forget I'm the battleship Tirpitz who behaves as the Queen of the North"
"You act grumpy and tough to hide your sorrow and confusion. That's not healthy for both you and Bismarck" King George V's expression softens
"The Queen of North's image has been warped to my wisdom cube. Instead, this reanimated META is the aspect spiteful and bitter to humans. That was the sunken aspect..."
In life, Tirpitz META admits that part of her is lonely, but she has long lost that part of her 'soul'. The one standing before King George V is part of her that Iron Blood left to rust and die a coward's death. It's the source of her anger and bitterness toward everyone.
"I want to let go of this lingering bitterness for the sake of the future" Tirpitz META sighs
"For the sake of the future?"
"...Tirpitz may not survive if this situation gets resolved. Her wisdom cube is severely damaged from past battles and her consciousness is weakening" Tirpitz META reluctantly confesses
"You're saying Tirpitz is practically an inch from death..." King George V frowns
"Even if Tirpitz survives by unexplained miracle, she can't return to a normal life..."
As angry as she is at Victorious META for her death, Tirpitz META is still capable of pity for her past version. It's as if she's upset in her steed.
"What if Tirpitz doesn't survive?" King George V softly asks
"Would you rebuke me if I tell you?" Tirpitz META returns with a question
"..."
"The answer should be obvious. My cube's fragment would assimilate hers and that leaves me freshly incarnated in this vessel"
Tirpitz META lifts both hands with her palms outwards as she stares at the back of her hands. There's no short way to explain her current experience to King George V. She can freely move and speak her current body as if it's hers to begin with, but the discomfort itching inside is from the unforgettable reality she's inhabiting a living version of her from another timeline.
"I'm not just taking her body, but I'd be stealing her existence. To replace someone without telling anyone, how cruel can that be?" Tirpitz META lowers her hands
"Is that your last resort?"
"...Probably" Tirpitz META stares at the floor
"You asked me earlier if I would rebuke you. My answer to that is...uncertain. Pretending to be someone dead is cruel, but..."
From King George V's perspective, even though she is uncertain what's the best course of action, she admits it will inevitably lead to a cruel fate.
"You know it's wrong, but you can't help feeling pity" Tirpitz META pities the knight herself
"This would affect both Victorious and Bismarck. As a knight, I'm against lies and deception - but you suggest deceiving them to spare their feelings"
"That's why it's better if I die in battle instead. It's more acceptable than suicide"
"It's as if you're implying that fate is inevitable"
"Who knows...?"
Since Tirpitz META isn't fully certain or at least she refuses to confirm anything, she deliberately leaves her only answer vaguely.
"Don't die like a coward, Tirpitz. You may be dead, but the owner of that body isn't" King George V turns around
"..." Tirpitz META closes her eyes
Tirpitz META keenly listens to the knight storming off with heavy footsteps. Each second that passes, the sound of her boots fades from her hearing until it dies out completely.
"You're a sneaky one, Prinz Eugen" Tirpitz META opens her eyes and sighs
"I was...curious. Bismarck didn't order me or anything, so don't worry about it"
Prinz Eugen quickly steps out a corner nearby, raising both hands as a gesture of no ill intent.
"I hate scheming people like you"
Ice crackles on both of Tirpitz META's hands and even lowers the temperature enough that Prinz Eugen's breaths are faintly white.
"Tirpitz, you're not the kind to hide secrets. So what did you omit from George?" Prinz Eugen isn't intimidated
"I didn't hide the fact there will be no happy ending for Tirpitz"
"I'm prepared for that, but there's still something you're not telling" Prinz Eugen walks closer to her
"There's nothing left to hide other than only I get to sink Victorious META. After that, then I hope I can finally be put to rest"
"Hope? So you're not sure you'd die and give the body back?" Prinz Eugen narrows her eyes
"..." Tirpitz META looks away
"Now I'm more intrigued"
"You really won't stop until I confess everything, huh"
"Fufufu~"
Tirpitz META returns the surrounding temperature to normal and the ice forming on her fingertips quietly evaporates.
...
...
In the quiet landscape of snow and cloudy sky in an inner world, Tirpitz META's feet instantly sink into the two inches of deep snow surrounding her. Tirpitz stands in front of a leafless tree shouldering snow on its branches, not noticing the approaching META behind her.
"You've been quiet all this time and made me do all the talking" Tirpitz META nearly raises her voice
"...Ah, you're there"
Tirpitz only notices her when the META grabs her shoulder and forces her to turn around and face her.
"You look terrible..." Tirpitz META frowns
There are icy blue glowing cracks on Tirpitz's neck and her wrists albeit barely visible unless she pulls up her sleeves. It's difficult to notice up close either, but specks of blue particles escape from those thin cracks.
"My body is at its limit, isn't it? Even if you repair my wounds, I'm still taking the brunt of the damage" Tirpitz touches the left side of her neck
"Your wisdom cube is already cracked. Each fatal damage spreads the crack further. I can return the body to its former state but not your soul"
"Tell me, if I undergo metamorphosis by accepting you, will it undo the damage entirely" Tirpitz frankly suggests
In her current state, Tirpitz returns to her nearly emotionless state, so she asks without little anxiety or even fear for herself.
"I don't suggest that" Tirpitz META pulls away her hand
"...but it's the best choice, isn't it?" Tirpitz tilts her head
"You'd rather be dead than be like me"
"I want...to live"
"Even after your friend deceived and betrayed you"
"..."
Tirpitz META believes her normal version resumes being emotionless, but she blinks a few times after seeing tears drop from the left side of her face. Tirpitz's eyes are nearly dull and probably having difficulty perceiving her surroundings, but the sadness in her eyes couldn't be masked by her behavior.
"You're willing to give her a second chance..." Tirpitz META realizes the reason
"I want to learn to forgive my sister. I want...to regain my normal life and start all over again"
Tirpitz tightly clenches both of her fists because she couldn't hide her wish - her motivation to continue living.
"What I want is to truly forgive Bismarck and to rebuild trust - both to her and Victorious" Tirpitz wipes off her tears
"...but that's..." Tirpitz META couldn't remind her
"That's why I'm willing to become a META just like you if that's what it takes for me to live"
"How can you say all of that knowing you might not live long?"
"As long as there's a chance, I will take it..." Tirpitz firmly replies
"Tirpitz, even if you survive, you will not be the same Tirpitz that Victorious loved as a friend"
There's only silence between them, especially on Tirpitz META's side since she couldn't force herself to be her angry self with pity in both her heart and mind.
"Is that because you'd have to be the Tirpitz living not long from now?" Tirpitz is ready to accept the truth
"That's one of the possibilities, but the other is as bad as that" Tirpitz META sighs
"..."
"You'd still be essentially dead because Tirpitz wouldn't exist anymore. What made you who you are will be erased. Just a Tirpitz who's a blank canvas and living a clean slate...while everyone remains unaware"
Tirpitz META tries to explain it in the least harsh manner she could think of. Both options are horrible, but she couldn't accept their "best choices" - the choices with the highest chance of actually succeeding.
"Then there's no alternative..." Tirpitz drops her shoulders
"I'm not saying there isn't one, but it's the only ones that don't rely on miracles and chances" Tirpitz META briefly closes her eyes
"It's either I get replaced by you...or my current self ceases to exist. No matter what I choose, someone will suffer" Tirpitz scoffs at herself
"I will find a way. It doesn't have to end here" Tirpitz META refuses to give up
"How come you're the hopeful one between us?"
"I indeed returned as a vengeful ghost, but I want to die more than anything. Ghosts like me can't pass on with regrets. That's why my consciousness has persisted up until now"
"It only took you this long to realize..."
The two versions of Tirpitz stand next to each other and watch as bits of snowfall from branches and be lost amongst the endless snow on the ground.
"I want revenge before I die, but I don't want Victorious' mistake to be repeated here. It's as simple as that" Tirpitz META scoffs
"Is that so..."
"Victorious META knows she would most likely die to atone for her sins, but I can't pity her compared to you. That's why I'll take her down along with me"
"Do as you wish. I...will no longer resist you"
Tirpitz raises her head and stares at the snow-filled tree with her still dull eyes. She's losing hope in herself. A future version of her friend murdered the future version of herself. Even the current version of her friend ends up betraying her.
...That's because I made my choice already