Chapter 40: "The Last Word"
The wind howled across the frozen tundra, biting and harsh, as Dr. Light and Proto Man trudged through the thick snow. The skeletal remains of Dr. Wily's Skull Castle loomed ahead, jagged and hollow against the frozen landscape. The frost-laden air seemed to whisper of battles long past, a cold echo of lives claimed and dreams twisted. Proto Man led the way, his visor casting a faint glow, while Dr. Light followed, his gaze distant, as if Mega Man's presence still lingered beside him, a warm memory against the biting chill.
When Proto Man had arrived to inform him about Wily, the news of Rosalina's passing still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. Dr. Light had decided then not to take Roll with him. "You're needed at Peach's castle," he had told her gently, masking his concern with a calm, steady voice. It wasn't an easy choice, but he couldn't risk bringing her into Wily's domain. Not after everything that had happened.
As they approached the entrance, Light's mind wandered back to Mega Man. He could almost see him, standing tall and determined, a smile on his face even in the face of danger. The memory was warm, bright, and full of hope—a stark contrast to the cold, darkened halls of Wily's lair. It was as if the castle itself was suffocating, determined to snuff out any trace of warmth. The place reeked of decay, of power that had long since faded, yet lingered stubbornly, like a ghost that refused to depart.
Proto Man led him through the dimly lit corridors of the castle, his visor glowing faintly as he navigated the familiar paths. "He's in here," Proto Man said, stopping outside a large, metal door. The tension in the air was palpable, and for a moment, neither of them moved.
Light took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go."
As the door slid open, a sharp hiss filled the air, revealing a stark, sterile room. In the center was a bed, surrounded by flickering monitors and machines, tubes snaking out and connecting to a frail, withered figure lying motionless on the bed. Dr. Wily. The once-feared scientist was barely recognizable, his body weakened, kept alive by the very technology he had prided himself on.
Standing beside the bed was Bass, his posture relaxed, almost serene. The rage that had once burned in his eyes was gone, replaced by a calm acceptance. As Dr. Light and Proto Man stepped inside, Bass glanced over, his expression unreadable. "I'll be outside," he said quietly, before walking over to them. "He's... different now. Not the man I fought against all those years. You should talk."
Proto Man and Bass left the room, the door closing softly behind them, leaving Dr. Light alone with Wily. For a moment, Light simply stood there, staring at the man who had been his greatest rival, his hands trembling at his sides.
"You've aged, Thomas," Wily croaked, his voice weak but still carrying that familiar sneer. "I almost didn't recognize you."
"Neither did I," Light replied, his tone controlled but cold. "The Wily I knew would never let himself be this vulnerable."
Wily gave a raspy chuckle, his thin chest rising and falling laboriously. "Oh, I'm still here, Thomas. As sharp as ever. Just... a bit more constrained."
The room fell silent for a moment, the only sound being the steady beep of the monitors. Finally, Wily spoke again, his eyes narrowing. "Do you know what I hate most, Thomas? That I created so much. So many robots, so many advancements. And yet, I will always be remembered as second to you."
Light's jaw clenched. "If you had used your creations for good, I would have gladly let you lead. But you didn't. You twisted them, used them to hurt people, and for what? Your pride?" He stepped closer, his voice tightening, his words pointed. "You could have been great, Albert. But you chose to be a villain."
Wily's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "Ah, there it is. That anger. I wondered if I'd ever see it from you." He turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting Light's. "You always were so soft. That's why Mega Man had to die."
Light flinched, the words hitting him like a punch to the gut. "Why?" he whispered, his voice shaking. "Why did he have to die, Albert?"
Wily's eyes gleamed with a cruel satisfaction. "Because you loved him, Thomas. In your eyes, he wasn't just a tool or a robot. He was a son. More than you ever gave Proto Man or any of the others you built. And that love made him weak. It made you weak. Too weak to activate X."
Light's breath caught, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. "X was never meant to be activated," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not until the world was ready for what he could become."
"And that's why you failed," Wily spat. "You kept him sealed away, thinking it would protect everyone. But it only left you vulnerable." He let out a weak, rattling laugh, the sound echoing in the room. "I perfected the reploid design, you know. Zero was the culmination of that work. But even now, I can't control him."
Light's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" he asked, his anger momentarily giving way to confusion.
"There's something inside him," Wily continued, his tone almost casual, as if he were discussing the weather. "A virus. A side effect of his programming fighting against his constraints. It's unstable, dangerous. But it's there. A flaw in the system." He looked at Light, a twisted grin spreading across his lips. "Free will in reploids is a failure, Thomas. And it's dangerous in robots too."
Light's heart skipped a beat. Wily's words struck deeper than they should have, and he fought to keep his face impassive. Did Wily know? Had he somehow deduced what Light had done for Roll? He forced himself to hold Wily's gaze, but the unease lingered, refusing to fade.
Finally, Light broke the silence, his tone controlled but defiant. "I gave Roll her own choice, her own path," he said quietly. "Not as a tool, but because I loved her… just as I loved Mega Man."
Wily's grin faltered slightly, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Ah, yes... I've been meaning to ask about that." He shifted slightly, as if gathering strength. "Why did you upgrade her? What did you do to her after Mega Man's death?"
Light's eyes flickered with hesitation. "I made her stronger. She wanted to fight, to protect what Mega Man gave his life for."
Wily's gaze sharpened, and his voice dropped to a whisper, laced with malevolence. "You gave her free will, didn't you?" His eyes gleamed with a flicker of triumph. "And that same dangerous spark—autonomy. Perhaps she's more unpredictable, and even more dangerous than Zero ever was."
Light stared, struggling to keep his composure. His mind raced, caught between defending his choice and the fear that maybe, in some small way, Wily was right. But he forced himself to meet Wily's gaze, his voice steady yet resolute.
"Roll will be nothing like Zero, Albert. She's free to choose—and she chooses compassion. That was never something I programmed into her. She created it herself. She's fighting for a cause greater than you ever dared to imagine. Roll's strength isn't in what she was made to do, but in who she chose to become. That's something you could never understand."
Wily's grin faded, but he held onto a semblance of smugness. "Ah, well. We'll see, Thomas. We'll see what becomes of your precious Roll."
Light turned sharply, his heart pounding, and stormed toward the door. He paused, his gaze falling on a nearby console, his hand hovering over a switch. With a resolute expression, he flipped the switch, cutting the feed to a monitor still displaying fragments of their old projects, relics of a rivalry that had spiraled beyond reason. The screen flickered off, and with it, Light felt something lift—a burden he'd carried for too long. The past would no longer bind him; his focus was now on the future, a future that lay with Roll, and with hope. "I'm not here to save you anymore, Albert," he said, his voice cold, resolute. "But before I return to Peach's castle... I need to tell Roll something. Something important."
Outside, Proto Man and Bass were waiting, their expressions tense. "What happens now?" Proto Man asked, his voice careful.
Dr. Light's eyes softened for a moment, but his resolve remained. "Wily will pass soon, but not because of anything I've done," he said quietly. "But Roll needs to understand who she is and why I gave her this gift. She deserves to know."
Bass nodded, his usual defiance softened. "Then let's move. We've wasted enough time here."
As they left Skull Castle behind, the wind howling around them, Dr. Light felt a strange sense of closure. Wily's venomous words would still echo, but they would no longer dictate his actions. He had shut the door on that past, and now, he had to prepare for what lay ahead. The future wasn't certain, but as long as he had the chance to make things right, he would hold onto that hope.