Although she had already run several hundred meters farther away, in a certain moment she seemed to hear the sound of something being crushed underfoot.
At this distance, even if he really had died, she shouldn't have been able to hear anything. Logically, whatever she was hearing now must have been a mere hallucination.
Yet, when that sound rang in her ears, she spun around abruptly and looked back toward that pitch-black curtain.
In that instant, it felt as though she had been struck by lightning—her body stiffened, and then she sensed her very soul being violently ripped away from her.
At the same time, her mind fell into an emptiness devoid of immediate sorrow. She only felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and at some point her breathing had become strangely heavy.
Even her thoughts felt numb.
"Hah—"
A suppressed gasp escaped her lips. Artoria drew several deep breaths in rapid succession, struggling to halt the onrushing tide of her own thoughts. No matter what, she could not allow herself to contemplate the meaning behind that sound, and she could not permit herself to imagine what had unfolded back there.
She knew—she knew everything. Of course she knew what had happened.
But she must not think about it. Absolutely must not.
Because the moment her mind fully grasped the truth, she would lose all will to move.
But now was not the time to drown in sorrow. She could not allow herself to collapse under grief… because if she did, it would mean that his death had been in vain.
All of this was her fault—because she had forsaken her responsibility, because she chose to run away, because she had let Britannia slip out of her hands. That was why Britannia had ended up like this… it was all her fault.
Yet she could not continue down this path of thought. She could not think. Could not. Could absolutely not think any further, for if she did, her heart would ache so badly she wouldn't be able to breathe, a despair so overwhelming it would destroy her will to live.
[Reidra Bit carried you to the shores where Chaldea was located.]
[The people of Chaldea welcomed you.]
[You noticed that, at first, they seemed wary of you, but the moment they saw your face and Reidra's, that wariness abruptly transformed into enthusiasm.]
[After inquiring, you learned that other faeries from Manchester had also washed ashore here before—but because they had killed people and harbored ill intent, the advisors of Chaldea had quickly seen through them. When they tried to stage a rebellion, Chaldea's warriors had swiftly slain them.]
[Aside from that, the reason they let go of their guard around you seemed to be that your appearance bore a striking resemblance to a certain Servant they recognized.]
[You told the members of Chaldea about everything you had seen and heard in Manchester.]
[They expressed sorrow over your experiences and pledged to accept you and Reidra under their protection.]
[From the deck of Chaldea's strangely shaped flying vessel, you glanced back at Britannia, but all you could see was the coastline consumed by raging flames—and that monstrous beast roaring at the water's edge.]
[You knew that the one you loved could no longer be found anywhere.]
——
It was only when her gaze met the blood-red eyes of that enormous beast, only when she realized that it was truly over, that Artoria's legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.
Then, a wrenching, heart-rending scream echoed across the coastline.
[Since Britannia had become a forbidden zone, Chaldea temporarily abandoned any plans to land.]
[A month later, you gave birth—thanks to the help of Chaldea's members, you safely delivered your child.]
[Looking at the child, whose features bore a faint resemblance to Guinevere, you wept once more; yet, at the same time, you resolved that for Guinevere's sake, you would raise this child well.]
[After your body had partially recovered, you happened to overhear a meeting of Chaldea's members. You could not understand most of their jargon, but you caught them saying something about the "Collapse" phenomenon having ceased, and that there was no longer any need to linger in the Britannia singularity.]
[A few days later, Chaldea proposed leaving Fairy Britannia behind. A man called Holmes explained many things you could not comprehend, and in the end he said that you could come along if you wished.]
[You declined his kind offer and chose to remain in this homeland you no longer cherished.]
"It's my fault,"
Gazing at the island whose fires now seemed to be gradually dying down, Artoria gently held her swaddled child and whispered:
"I abandoned my duty. I did nothing for this island. I never once tried to save Britannia."
"Perhaps all of this I now face is the retribution for shirking my duty."
"At this point, how can I continue to run away?"
"Let me stay on this island—an island perhaps destined for ruin—and atone for my sins."
[Reidra Bit agreed with your resolve and decided to remain with you.]
[Chaldea respected your choice. After confirming that the fire in Britannia had ceased and the coastline was no longer dangerous, they left you and Reidra Bit on that shore.]
[Together, you and Reidra set out to search for the remaining faeries and humans of Britannia, gathering them to rebuild the city.]
[Although scarce, some fortunate souls had survived this great calamity.]
[While gathering the faeries, you asked them if they had any news of Guinevere—you thought that if it were Guinevere, he would surely have made a name for himself anywhere.]
[But, unfortunately, you heard nothing further about him. Instead, you learned some news about the "King of Calamity," Beryl.]
[It was said that at the height of his hubris, he was attacked by the faery knight Lancelot and was ultimately slain by Lancelot amid Mors's rampage—after which Lancelot himself vanished.]
[Because of his outstanding abilities, Reidra Bit became the leader of your group of survivors. Out of friendship with Guinevere, he cared for you and your child with great tenderness.]
[As for the child's name, after much thought, you finally named him Arthas.]
[Though you didn't know what the name meant, Guinevere once joked that if you named your child Arthas, he would grow up to be exceptionally filial.]
[When you asked him why, he only laughed and said that a child named Arthas would surely be very dutiful. To honor him, you chose that name.]
[Thus, you and your child spent several years in relative peace.]
[Five years later came the Great Calamity: the Calamity of Flame.]