Operation story: 13-10

Operation

Story

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Characters
Amiya Amiya? Logos Nachzehrer King Theresa Sarkaz Myriad Souls?
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After operation

Summary While unconscious, Amiya has a dream. She dreams of becoming the Lord of Fiends that destroys the world, as prophesied by Patriot. The myriad souls of the Sarkaz wish for Amiya to accept her fate, only to be met with rejection.
Where... am I...? Pain, rip, shatter. Every bit of suffering is piled upon my body, every person killed silently is myself. No, I must...
<Background black>
But, why can I not summon the strength? Someone seems to be urgently calling my name...
"Amiya!" "You promised me—" *Incoherent voices*
Is that the Doctor? I can't tell. I want to reply. I try opening my mouth, just to tell the Doctor I'm fine. The pain starts to fade away as the chaotic scene finally becomes clear. I search for what strength remains in my body.
"I see cities, devastated." "I see Originium, blanketing the land." I see you—" The fuzzy echoes get further away as I open my eyes.
<Background 1>
Amiya	I... This is... a battlefield. My battlefield, the battlefield of the "King of Sarkaz".
An army lies dormant behind me, silently raising their banners up high, soaked through with blood, pain and suffering... ...of ours... of our enemies.
[The Nachzehrer King appears before Amiya.]
Nachzehrer King	We will take this last city. Their resistance has reached an end.
Amiya	You are... the king of the Nachzehrer Court. What's your name?
Nachzehrer King	I have no name. I am merely your loyal subject, "King of Sarkaz". This is your fate. You will bring us salvation. All that we fervently wish for, all that we have finally achieved... salvation.
I nod slightly. A droning cry fills the air, declaring a new chapter of destruction. The earth beneath my feet, it squirms, it curls, all because of me. This is the grace the "Lord of Fiends" has bequeathed the lands. The formation begins advancing.
Nachzehrer King	Your will is our will. You have answered the prophecy, and thus it will yield its rewards. Please leave it to us. This battle will not drag much longer.
Prophecy? Prophecy. I once heard that...
[Theresa appears before Amiya.]
Theresa	You look exhausted these days. Amiya, you can't go on like this. You need to rest.
Amiya	...Theresa?
Is that it? I'm... exhausted?
We fought a difficult battle at the Defense Forces' control tower, with Dr. Kal'tsit taking a serious injury. Norport Borough has been locked down, all its residents left for dead. We are at the tender mercies of Victoria's Catastrophes... But our military is yet to give up. Within the Sargonian City of Gold, the Zhayedan millennium-old roars nailed shut in their coffins. Zwillingstürme's spires rotted and crumbling, not a tune ever to ring out again. The eternal holy city of Laterano, its pure white cathedral dyed in black, their ancient betrayal paid in full. Even under the tides... The arrogant Ægir bow their heads to me. For those still try to uphold their dignity, I claim them one by one. In all of these, one solitary figure remains constant. Is all of this my doing?
Amiya	Is all of this... my doing?
Theresa	These are all things you need to do, Amiya. You have come to the origin of it all. This is also our fated end.
I feel something flowing out the edge of my eyes. Theresa raises a gentle hand and wipes my tears away.
Theresa	Don't be like this, Amiya. "King of Sarkaz". I personally placed this crown upon your head, and brought to you this pain... and glory. We will face it together. This is... the will of the myriad souls. We cannot deny it. The more you reject it, the more you suffer. The more you resist it, the weaker you are.
Theresa's face begins to blur. All of them are telling me this, all at once. Across millennia, all the Sarkaz within the myriad souls, they are all telling me this. There is no rebuke, no terror. They just... truly wish for me to be at peace once more.
Theresa?	We have seen so much defiance of fate. Prophecies manifest early before those who defy it, and it is clear as day where they will ultimately fall. We are grateful for those pointless challenges. Through their struggles they weave an ode to heroes, yet the heroes themselves are destined to perish. The more you reject it, the more you suffer. Because you understand. All choices, all struggles, all fatigue, the sorrow you swallow, they bear no meaning. Rejecting it only embitters the gentle hand of fate. The more you resist it, the weaker you are. Because you realize. All fights, all resistance, the blood we spill, our haggard words, they have no destination. Resistance only fills your destined home with thorns. Why bother... why bother. We only wish for you to rest. Close your eyes, Amiya.
<Background black>
Close your eyes. Millions of kin bow down before my rusted throne. They will bear Kazdel here. The King spurs them, the King drives them, the King enslaves them. This is your mission. This is my mission. This is my... predestined fate.
"A good ending, is never earned." "This is fate. I tasted, too much." "I fought fate, so many years... in the end, I could not win." "But you... maybe you're..." "Will you... admit it?"
"You're afraid, little King." "You know, my ending. You believe, all the prophecies, will be realized." "You will be, the origin of ruin. You will be, the harbinger of disaster." "You decide, you accept." "...Really?"
I... I—
Without exception, Amiya. Even he, Buldrokkas'tee, succumbed to fate. Are you stronger than him? Braver than him? Do you think those soft shoulders of yours can bear the weight of the frost and blades he's borne? At the end of your journey, you will regret, you will suffer for your sin. Your sin of not being able to accept who you are! Look at your hands, child. Look at your hands.
<Background black>
I glance down, feeling at my hands. I try curling my hands into fists. Is this my will?
<Background 2>
On the vast battlefield, I stand alone. Innumerable corpses. The Black Crown hovers above her head.
Amiya?	"I see you, black crown on your head, melting millions of lives, into nothing but memories." "I see the, Lord of Fiends, enslaving all peoples, everywhere." ...... You will regret. You will fall in regret, just like me. The final destination... is still here. When death approaches, you will realize, that all prophecies, are inevitable. I... am the most horrific disaster to afflict our world.
I am the most horrific disaster to afflict our world. I step forward, towards Amiya, towards myself. Towards fate itself.
Amiya	Then...
Black Arts weave into a sword, stabbing the Amiya in front of me. Stabbing myself through the chest.
Amiya	Then, I will kill you. Even if, you are me, you are the "Lord of Fiends".
Amiya?	I once... made the same choice as you. I thought that I was strong enough, powerful enough to unbind myself from fate's shackles. You can't do it. Amiya... you can't do it.
[The other Amiya turns into someone else.]
Amiya	Really. Maybe. You may have tried once, you may have faced all sorts of bitterness and still fallen into the same abyss in the end. But I haven't.
Amiya	I have not walked on your so-called "fated path". ...... I will challenge you, in my, the King of Sarkaz's name, "Amiya". If the end of it all was set in stone long ago by those prophecies you espouse, if the meaning of our lives are just to prove your inevitable conclusion... Then why do we live? Why do we exist? The Patriot's lifelong struggle, Dr. Kal'tsit's assiduous choices, Dr. {nickname} holding my hand and affirming our path— All this just to become a footnote in fate's manuscript? I refuse to accept it.
Theresa?	Amiya, this will only beget pain. It will be, an endless torture.
Amiya	Myriad souls of Kazdel, I ask you. Did Theresa break out of her own fate? Even Theresis, did he face you head on?
Theresa?	......
Amiya	Theresa... She handed over this crown to me, for this. She didn't believe in the predestined tragic future that you paint.
["Theresa" turns into a Possessed warrior.]
Sarkaz Myriad Souls?	So she is suffering now... Listening to our voices with nary a rest! If only to relieve her burden, "King of Sarkaz", you must—
Amiya	No. Theresa doesn't need any rescue. The "King of Sarkaz" will no longer be a symbol of conquest and revenge. Maybe... that's why I must be the one.
Sarkaz Myriad Souls?	How arrogant, how conceited—
Amiya	No, it is only because I have worn this black crown, that I brandish my sword at you.
Sarkaz Myriad Souls?	You cannot escape fate's choice. The further you run from it, the faster it will come—
Amiya	I won't run. I'll wait here for it. "Fate". When your plans have dissipated, when your taunts fall short. I'll show you all— We... The peoples of this great land, can choose an ending for ourselves.
I find the strength in my body. They call this power the King of Sarkaz. But I know, it was never about the King. This power was never meant for conquest, for subjugation. Its true objective is— "Survival".
<Background black>
The battlefield abruptly shatters. I hear a distant sigh. It carries no anger, no fear, no sorrow. Just a sigh. Was this a reply from the myriad souls, or... just myself sleep-talking as I awake from a nightmare?
<Background 3>
Amiya	...... Mm—
Amiya, you're awake!
A familiar voice beckons. I feel those lingering emotions dissipate.
Do you feel alright? Any pain? You got hit by Confessarius witchcraft. Did you have a nightmare?
The Doctor's voice always calms me down.
Amiya	I'm fine now.
I lift my hand, the black Arts sparking out as usual.
Amiya	...The "King of Sarkaz". Doctor, this power is not a curse. It's not forbidden witchcraft that brings disaster. Theresa passed it to me, so that... we can use it to find our own path.
I trust you.
The Doctor holds my hands tightly.
Logos	You're up, Amiya. I'm sorry.
Amiya	It's fine... Logos. Whether or not I was caught by Confessarius witchcraft, I would have had to face this... self-reflection eventually. In my dream, those voices proclaimed the prophecy again.
Logos	Prophecy?
Amiya	Yes... The prophecy The Patriot spoke of before he died.
Logos	No matter what voices they were, it's all a trick of the Confessarii. Don't worry about it.
Amiya	No. Was that a method of Confessarius torture, or are the myriad souls still deeply connected to my heart? Or maybe I... still hold on to that scary prophecy deep down inside. It's not important, though. I already rejected their offer. Again.
Logos	...Good. I still want you to get a full checkup from Dr. Kal'tsit, though. Your rings...
Amiya	I do. Um, Logos, where are we though...?
The sound of footsteps approaches, it's... some Sarkaz mercenaries? They're moving a crystal shard the color of blood onto a truck not far away. I recognize the girl leading them, Paprika. The Doctor said she freed the workers in Highbury.
Logos requisitioned the use of this Sarkaz transport squad's vehicle. In the name of the Lord of the Banshees. We need to escape the Confessarii pursuit.
Logos	Yesterday, Closure's drones found us. W's safehouse that they were staying at were also attacked by the Confessarii, and Nightingale was captured.
Amiya	...The Confessarii.
Logos	We let our guard down against this Sarkaz squad named after the Confessarii. Theresis's plan also allowed them freedom of movement. However, they've finally left the shadows they've been hiding in. Doctor, Paprika and the others are loading the Originium samples you need on board. But they're still wary of us. Right now, they're only listening to me because they fear me. I might have to resort to threatening them with real curses soon.
Five batches of crystals should be enough. Amiya's recovered as well.
Logos	Then, we will head to Brentwood next and meet up with Dr. Kal'tsit.
Amiya	Doctor, you look uneasy... What's worrying you?
I fear that Theresis isn't looking for any sort of Vampire witchcraft device. What he wants is... an even more unsettling power.