As the battle underground where the Sarcophagus was hidden continued, the war on the surface entered a strange stalemate. The horde of possessed zombies was firmly controlled, but another battle was on the verge of erupting.
-"Reunion brutes!"
-"Kill them!"
-"Revenge for our brothers and sisters!"
-"They don't deserve to live!"
Countless such voices echoed from the refuges; if not for Alexandrina firmly keeping them in check, they would have rushed to kill long ago. Still, the situation grew increasingly tense, and even the Reunion fighters could not help but respond to the heckling.
-"If not for your cruelty, would we have to fight like that!?"
-"Had you ever treated us, Infected, as people?"
-"How dare you!"
Soon, some stones started to fly between the two forces; had it not been for the biting frost Yelena was emanating, the Reunion might be unable to keep even this relative calm. She looked to Alexandrina, and as the gazes of the two met, both could feel that this state couldn't continue. As they tried to think of a way to calm everyone down, the sound of a cello appeared in the surroundings.
Calm and quiet at first, it soon drowned out all the loud screams and sounds of combat, leaving only a harmony of instrument and emotions. Both Alexandrina and Yelena were alarmed, fearing that this would bring all the resentment and hatred to the boiling point, but surprisingly, no such thing occurred.
Instead, countless emotions hidden underneath that rage slowly emerged to the surface. Fear, exhaustion, empathy, compassion, even some sympathy and understanding. Those who could survive in the heal the Chernobog became couldn't be fools; the naivety also died in the ruins of their homes.
Both sides knew why the hatred existed; they lived through it, but they also knew why everything happened as it did. But that speck of empathy and understanding was previously buried deep under the hatred and anger; without that seemingly normal music, there would be no chance for all those emotions to sprout.
-"Sigh, My Dear, as worrisome as always."-Arturia appeared by Alexandrina's and Yelena's side and sighed.-"But that's why we are here, aren't we?"
Three of them shared a smile before turning to the people behind them.
-"People of Chernobog! I ask you, has not enough blood been spilled already?!"-Alexandrina asked with a blade in her hand.
-"I ask you the same, my Reunion brothers and sisters! Isn't the pain we experienced and caused already enough?!"-Yelena's frost gathered on the Reunion's white cloaks.
-"The line between perpetrator and victim has blurred long ago; what I see here are not villains and their sufferers, but a people without a home, those thrown away and discarded."-Alexandrina looked around the two crowds.-"In your heart, what is it that keeps you fighting? Revenge or hope?"
-"We fought countless battles, killed and lost who knows how many lives. Yet what did their sacrifice amount to? Heaps of hatred and endless sins. Will this endless cycle ever end, or are we always destined to harm while trying to avoid being harmed?"-Yelena also scanned the people standing around.
-"I don't ask for your trust; this is too heavy a demand of you right now. I don't dare to claim that everything will be good from now on; I'm no god who can make miracles. I only plead that you give me time."-Alexandrina bowed to the crowd.-"I, Alexandrina Victoria, shall never betray your pain and hope."
Yelena was also about to speak, but a hand on her shoulder prevented her from doing it.
-"You…"
-"So shall I, Talulah Artorius, pledge to all of you. All the sins and faults, I shall carry them to the end. May my life be spent repaying them; the hatred that we all carry, I will bear it all."-Talulah stood by Alexandrina's side and knelt before the gathered crowd, her black claymore placed before her.-"I ask you to give me time to prove it."
-"What right do you have to stand before us?"-Someone asked from the crowd.
But before others could follow his question, a blinding light descended behind the two bowing and kneeling women.
-"I give them the right."-I spread my wings, illuminating the faces of the crowd around.-"I, Enoch of Laterano, will be the guarantor of their promises."
As I spoke, all the gryphon riders and Valkyries slowly descended around, taking over the battlefield.
-"I won't waste empty platitudes; I shall only promise you that this tragedy won't end like this. But it's not your place to judge who is guilty or not. First, rebuild your homes, and when you no longer need to fight for survival, all those who caused you to suffer will be brought to light."-I looked to my Knights standing behind me.-"Shining, take your healers and make sure no more blood is spilled."
-"Leave it to me."
-"Margaret, let your cavalry clean all the zombies."
-"On it."
-"Cellinia, make sure no riot or brawl occurs."
-"Sure."
-"Viviana, take Valkyries and come with me."
-"We'll follow you."
I glanced at Alexandrina, Talulah, and Arturia, and after seeing them nod, I left the rest to them. While most of the red-hot anger was calmed, the resentment and hatred would take a long time to dissipate; even I couldn't do much to resolve it quickly. I could only hope that three of them could create a miracle.
-"Yelena, I need you to come with me."
-"What's going on?"
I explained my plan to have Patriot enter the Sarcophagus, laying out all the dangers and benefits clearly. Hearing that her father had a hope of living, Yelena was ecstatic, but after understanding the dangers and risks, her emotions calmed down.
-"It's his only possibility, isn't it?"
-"His Oripathy is too advanced for any conventional approach to work."
-"I'll talk to him."
-"Thanks."
-"No need. Both of us get what we need from this."-She shook her head, not minding that her father was to become a test subject.
In the end, I just nodded.
When we entered the underground, we were greeted with an intense fight between the coalition and the beast. Looking around, I quickly understood the battle situation here, and I had to give it to the Old Lynx and that Evil Spirit; they indeed acted in the best way they could.
-"Viviana, go and assist the Casters in containing Mephisto's Art."
She nodded and quickly joined the crowd. Moments later, countless candle flames started to manifest around, not only helping those fighting, but also single-handedly forcing all the Originium dust in the air to disperse, thus resolving the Art that caused Kal'tsit so much trouble. After years of training in Miracles and Magic in Artoria's Britain, each of my knights was a Champion few could face here in Terra; even such powerhouses as Patriot would find it hard to meet them head-on now.
-"Go, make sure that beast can't harm anyone anymore."-I told the Valkyries around.
-"Yes."-They responded and flew into battle.
Before many on the ground could understand what was going on, a volley of spears made of pure light met the flying beast. To the surprise of many who saw that beast easily shrug off almost all their previous strikes, each spear pierced its thick, Originium-infused hide, causing it to plummet amid a cry of pain.
Yet even before it could strike the ground, a group of Valkyries already struck it again, closing the distance with a quick flap of their wings. The sudden arrival of the flying 'Sankta' caused not a small stir among the people below, but before any questions, the battle needed to continue.
With Valkyries joining the fray, the beast was quickly pushed back, and as its wounds mounted, what remained of its strength was quickly sapped. Minutes later, the beast could no longer raise its head, lying and waiting for its final breath.
When I approached its head, I could see that some light returned to its eyes; at least in its last moments, the beast returned to being Mephisto. I could feel the pain he felt, the despair and loss; I was one who allowed it to happen to him. But there was no pity in my gaze, no mercy in my heart. I might be a knight who upholds virtues, but those are reserved for my people; an enemy only deserves the ruthlessness and utilitarianism of a mage.
Taking my standard into my hand, I quickly ended his life, sending his body into Azure Dream for Mobius to dissect. I ignored the people lying around and resting, turning my attention to Kal'tsit and Patriot.
-"Great job."
-"How's the situation on your side?"-Patriot asked directly.
-"While not everything is resolved, she is back, safe and sound. The war is over; now is the time to rebuild and prepare for the battle of diplomacy and words."
-"I hope you won't have us enter that mess."-Old Lynx crossed her arms.
-"I will need your statements and reports; your credibility as a mostly neutral third party will be priceless in my plan."
-"We can do that, but don't expect much more."
-"Don't worry, I also wish that Little Rabbit won't need to dirty herself with politics."
-"Good."
-"Patriot."-I turned to him.-"I have a matter that requires your assistance."
-"What is it?"
-"Yelena knows all the details; let her explain everything."
He nodded and stepped to the side; there were still myriad matters that needed to be finished before we could proceed with making a new mess.
The next few days passed rather quickly, with everyone who could help doing their best to clear the rubble and restore the city plates to working order. Utilizing experts from Lungmen and Laterano, each Chernobog's city plate was diagnosed and judged whether they could be repaired on were beyond saving.
In the end, only three-sevenths of the plates were in working order, with another fifteen percent easily restorable. Talulah and Alexandrina divided the work on restoring them to working order between refugees and the 'New Reunion', managing to reconnect them all into a new city after ten days and nights of work. They and all the people behind them agreed that Chernobog was a name that should remain in history, so the new city was simply named 'Hope'.
After working hand in hand, some of the tension between the two groups disappeared, but years would have to pass for any real unity to truly appear; at least, there were no conflicts happening at the drop of a hat now. Everyone understood that if they wanted to live a good life, they had to use everything at their disposal.
As this was going on, the situation in Yan and Ursus was much different. Yanese emperor received the report from the Censors and decided to treat the situation here much more seriously, contacting Laterano to work out an agreement. I haven't involved myself in that negotiation, but from what Old Man told me, Yan was ready to use Lungmen as a chip, so their new plan was much greater than simple cooperation as before.
Ursus, on the other hand, used this 'accident' to purge those who opposed the new tsar, unifying the power and restoring order to the empire. Their attitude to us was that this was a misunderstanding caused by a few 'rebellious elements' and that we could work on resolving this 'peacefully'. Old Man also stepped up here and secured our interests while also gaining Ursus' support for his Summit of Nations, making them lower their pride and sit at an equal table with everyone else.
My only focus of those negotiations was securing the path for Talulah and Reunion, making both Yan and Ursus put all the blame for everything on the rebels and radicals, turning Reunion from terrorists into the white-glove they used. While this was not enough to get rid of their infamy, at least they could continue to exist.
Whether Reunion truly became the beacon for the Infested or if their history will drown them in the end, all that will depend on Talulah and those who still stand on her side. I could only assist her from behind, but Laterano couldn't get mixed up with Reunion before it cleaned itself of the mistakes from its past.
And hidden behind all that, in the underground that Laterano secured to 'ensure Sarcophagus wasn't utilized incorrectly', Patriot entered into the device that would decide whether he could live or not. I watched from the side as Mobius operated the machine, thinking about what it would bring me.
-"Worried?"-She asked despite not looking at me.-"You can always avoid that risk; it's not like your wound is deadly to you."
-"No wound is deadly to me. The very concept of death was stripped from me long ago."
-"I know. That Rune and Originium Glintstone."-She shrugged.-"But death can also be a relief; don't become something that you can no longer recognize."
-"You are the last person who can lecture me on that."
-"True. We are the same type of being inside."-She looked at me.-"A cruel mockery of life."
-"Indeed."-I smiled and met her gaze.-"Two monsters who toy with and desecrate existence."
She also smiled at that, before returning her attention to the Sarcophagus.
-"It's done."
-"The outcome?"
-"He is still him. The Originium fused into his being in a similar way you exist now, but to a lesser degree. He is lucky that his will and bloodline overcame it."
-"Then get everything ready for me."
-"Eno, I can't be sure what will happen if you undergo the same procedure he did. Your origin as Sankta and Teekaz is something fused into you."
-"Whatever my fate is, I have to face it. Not to mention…"-I looked at my right hand that was still slowly seeping blood.
In my red blood, I could see an image of what I saw thanks to Old Man of the Mountain.
-"…Fate tried to stop me before, yet I stand here."
Mobius nodded, returning to work.
-"Give me two days."
-"Sure."
So I spent two days visiting others nearby, arranging plans in case I had to be under for longer than expected. Those close to me seemed to notice some strangeness in my behavior, but before they could find the reason, I was already lying in the iron coffin. As I watched how it closed around me, my consciousness slowly disappeared.
Mobius watched over everything that was going on, but almost instantly an anomaly occurred. When I fully fell into unconsciousness, my vitality seemed to react to the Sarcophagus, erupting into flame that covered it whole. Sometimes blue, sometimes gold, dark red one moment and like a starfire the next, each of those flames possessed power that could destroy the Sarcophagus in a blink of an eye, yet they didn't even scorch it.
As Mobius was panicking in the control room, a figure appeared over the Sarcophagus, holding an orb that I would find familiar. She smiled lightly, expectations unable to be hidden in her eyes as she shattered it, letting the shards fall onto the device. As she disappeared, all the flames seemed to find some strange equilibrium, slowly mixing into each other.