Anastasia sitting on her knees, shivering, her gaze down, as she subconsciously placed her hands on her shoulders. Ender who was aside her gradually extended his hand towards her back, his expression softened.. As soon he was about to touch her, he clenched his fist, as he relaxed his hand pulling it towards himself..
Nobody didn't bothered to look at them, except Zack who sauntered his steps towards him, kneel down and place his palm on Ender's shoulder.. He had an undreadable expression as Ender takes a glance over him. Before his glaze went towards Anastasia again..
Ruis sharp glaze glanced over them, everyone was silent as if silence wrapped them around it's cover..
"The crown.. What's with it?. That letter.. Everything. It seems this crown is the reason for this all events.."
Ruis blurted.. Everyone got distracted by his words, even Ender even if he doesn't glance over him. Along with Zack and Anastasia..
"Well.."
Leon mumbled with a sigh, trying to make sentence.. He continues with a pause.
"If you feel any signs of nauseous or not feeling well.. Let me know first.."
Leon's words, curled up in dread made everyone confused, puzzled, everyone unsure what he had just said.. Except Azon..
"The Bloody Crest.. Luck craved by hell.. It has an ability to control everything, any concept or anything which is alive or dead within a specific range.. Even some higher dimensional beings like a marionette.. But.."
Leon takes a deep breath, the crown infront of them was dazzling brightly than ever.. Everyone, some got a tingling sensation over their body.. Something wrong..
"The more you use it, the more you lose control over it and.. Yourself.. To the point it results in madness and corruption.. Here's the funny part.."
His words made them drawned their attention towards him, he had straight expression while the feeling was still lingering within all of them. Azon didn't looked at him as he continues to toned his sword quietly, it's sounds echoing the dreadful room.
"It requires fear to work, so to used it you need to scared someone like a freaking demon.. The more fear.. The better.. It also requires souls to utilized it's full power. So with this sense, those lifeless bodies floating in those tubes are just reactants, catalysts for this Crest. And there souls are entrapped within those jewels.. Trapped forever and screaming for freedom.. In this world, freedom is just a delusion.."
His words made Ruis feel unwell as he sneezed. Zack coughs hard while Lisa had only a tingling sensation.. Ender slammed his palms over the ground, coughing so hard till he bleed blood.. Anastasia, her expression seeing him got concerned as she placed her palm over his cheek.
"W– What this?."
Ruis sighs as he checked his palms who were covered in blood, his fingers trembled seeing it.
"I told you.. What do you think?. Knowledge always come with a prize.. It could be your corpse as well.."
Leon glared at him, his undreadable expression made him nervous..
"T– Then her!?."
Ender exclaimed as he shifted his glaze, his head towards him. For a moment, both stared at each other.. Until Leon's sighs..
"She was an Astran. You still can't used your mini brain.. The reason she's free is because she's.. -3.029.. Her existence has fused with it.. The reason why she's with us here.. Becuase her soul isn't average like other Marums.. She can't go outside of this house.. This mansion.. This is her curse.."
The room went silent for a minute, the sounds of sword honing were shattering the silence from building up.. Anastasia's lips quivered, she relaxed her hands as Ender clenched his both hands onto her hands. Gripping them, not that tightly, just enough..
She looked towards him with a fearful expression, while he had a concerned one.
"I– I'm a corpse.."
She mumbled, her tone darkened..
"No!. You can come back to life.. Just hold on!.."
He spoke with hope.. Zack was sitting aside them seeing this.. He had an undreadable expression.
"She can't.. It's impossible.. I told you before.. No one can escape death.."
Leon spoke firmly.. Ender lowered his glaze down as Zack patted him.. On his back..
"It's okay.. Now what should we do?."
Zack said with confusion, unsure expression, unsure of anything here.. As Anastasia's lips twitches..
"T– The souls.. Those souls.. Can't they be free?."
She mumbled, this made the whole room pondered for few seconds as Leon sighs, he says with a gentle expression..
"They can.. The thing is we don't need to break the crown or the jewels. Instead something connected to it.. Even if we destroyed it.. It's indestructible. Only something similar or something like an artifact way stronger or equal to it.. Can..."
Others had a feeling of hope, a little. Until.. Lisa got surprised, and replied..
"How the hell we're gonna issued an artifact right now?. Most likely we have -2 levels artifacts in our locker rooms. -3 level artifacts are hazardous to be used by us.. There's nothing we can do.."
Her tone had end feeling. Anastasia lips quivered, twitching as she mumbled..
"I can.."
"What!?. You crazy!. You realize what you're saying!."
Ender got baffled as he grabbed her hands, tightly, glaring her with a furious expression.
"But why?."
She muttered.. Her words made him perplexed.. Her lips twitches as she continues murmuring..
"Why are you doing this to me?. Why?. I'm already dead.. I'm gone.. I don't matter to anyone here.. No one.. Then why?.. Why are you acting like I matter?.. Who am I to you?.. A nobody.."
Her lips twitches as if she didn't wanted to say this to him..
"Yeah.."
He lowered his glaze..
"We're nobody to each other.. Here everyone is nobody to you.. But.. It doesn't mean if we're nobody, we'll be nobody.. Everyone.."
He stopped. For a moment. Everyone was eager to what would he day, subconsciously..
"Everyone here are.. Not much.. Not less.. I don't know truly.. But.. They're good.. They're kind.. Maybe deep down.. I can't read thoughts or heart.. But it doesn't mean they're cruel right?."
He titled his head up, towards her with a faint smirked over his cheek..
"It doesn't matter if you're dead.. It matters you were alive.. You were real.. Even if you aren't alive.."
He bit his lips before they curved.. To a smile..
"You're.. Real.."
She was speechless, didn't know what to say.. She couldn't think straight in this moment.. As she gently extended her arms, her palms over her face as she lifted it towards her.. A faint smile appeared on her face.. As if she had remember something..
[ Past Memories ]
It was the same dark, candles lighten room, the same circle with the crown. Infront of Anastasia who was kneel with Warner behind her back, a golden knife on his hand, twitching..
"What is your final wish then?.. Before this.. I would give my all to executed it.."
He asked, undreadable expression.. Something Anastasia was pondering about in this moment.. For a moment, she bit her lips, then mumbled..
"Well.. Just buried my corpse in nearby grave yard at least.."
Her tone curled in awe, dread, a little shivering.. Yet, her expression was calm.. To calm as if she had accepted her fate..
"I'll look forward to it.."
He replied..
[ Present scene ]
Anastasia's lips had curved to a faint smile. She said with a softened expression..
"Thank you.. Ender.. For believing me as real.. But if the world had given me a chance to ascend.. I need to help those souls.. Those innocent, beautiful souls.. I need to free them.."
"Well.."
Leon interfere, as he continues without a pause.
"You can indeed.. But it comes with a great cost.."
Leon cleared up his throat as he continues again..
"It would cost more than your remaining energy.. Maybe even your life energy?.. Remember if the life energy end.. You'll disappeared to cosmic dust.."
His words made Ender choked as he, controlling himself, his jaw slightly drops but he pulled it, his lips twitching.. Quivered..
"No!. Don't do it!."
She scrubs his hair, a faint smile lingering over her face.
"I'm not that selfish.. You know.. Yeah.. I always wanted joy and happiness.. But, fate has different plans. Well I guess I have to accept it.."
She gets up, Ender tried to draw her back but Zack grabbed him.. It was enough as Ruis had to interrupt as well.. His gaze opened, watching her stepping closer to the crown, step by step..
Everyone watched her, Azon stopped honing, Lisa could saw her doing this with a softened, gentle expression. Zack was murmuring Ender to calm down, Ruis was trying to cover his eyes.. Yet he keep screaming, like a horror nightmare.
"Anastasia!."
"Anastasia!."
"Anastasia!."
Despite numerous efforts of Ruis, he couldn't covered his eyes, he and Zack both had undreadable expression. While Ender, he was watching all of this, shoving his limbs, trying to get away to stop her.. Despite all of this, he hadn't shed a single tear.. As if he can't..
She placed her hands over the crown, her eyes went white but she control it and a huge golden energy, aura formed around her.. She extended her arm over the crown and roared..
"Aragh!."
The whole room was shrouded with intense light, this light had no feeling, no warmth, no cold.. It gradually lost as the room began to uncovered itself again..
Ender, kneeling to his knees as he opens his eyes, aside him were Ruis and Zack who were sitting on ground, then his glaze went towards the others, they had their same position, just changed in gestures.
Then his glaze went towards infront, there was Anastasia, turned around towards the crown, before her were many souls standing.. Ender was startled along with his fellows, Ruis and Zack.. Other were surprised as well.. As Anastasia turned around towards him..
"A– Ana?."
He mumbled, couldn't say her name properly. All the souls take a deep breath, then exclaimed together..
"Thank you!."
As they with great speed, starting moving out of the room, through the walls and floors, everything. It was a beautiful moment.. Until Anastasia was the only one left.. She began his steps towards him, towards Ender..
But as she walked, her body started crumbling slowly from everywhere..
"No!."
Ender rushed towards her, as he fell down in process, Anastasia place her crumbling palm over his cheek. He lifted his head up towards her..
"It's okay.. I did it.."
She mumbled, she didn't have much time left.. She gulped her throat and say with a gentle expression, tears shredding off her eyes.. Yet she had an exaggerated smile..
"Maybe sometimes we're empty is because we don't want to lose a memory lose to our heart.. You know Ender?.."
She moved herself closer to him.. Whispered in his ears..
"But.. Why doesn't your heart beat?."
She placed her other crumbling hand towards his chest. It was clear, it wasn't beating.. As she pushed her little off, to see his face all clear, it was a dreadful face, his black dead eyes, twitching of his lips.. He wanted to cry.. He wanted to beat.. He just can't..
She placed her another palm over his cheek. And pushed herself to kiss his forehead..
"It's okay, I like it. You're fine.. If I get a chance to live again.. I'll spend it with you.."
She pulled herself from him, her face almost gone..
"Just.. Remember me.."
She had an exaggerated smile, a ridiculous smile, an innocent smile..
In her last moments, she was feeling light.. Very light.. As if her burdens were lifted off from her..
~ This.. Is so warm.. So light.
Yet, despite this, she had two regrets..
~ If only.. I had chose myself. If only I had just little a bit more time..
Her last fragments of her face glance over the air, then at Ender, at last she closed her eyes. Accepting her fate..
It happened, she was gone now.. Zack with a worried face hugged him along with Ruis.. Lisa was shedding some tears, Leon and Azon were quite.. Ender lowered his glaze, his hair scattered over his face. He, still wasn't crying, but he wanted to.. Zack hugged him tightly along with Ruis..
"It feels familiar.."
Ender whispered, maybe this event remind him of something.. A memory.. Of somebody.. Very close to him..
The room went silent, Zack and Ruis dragged Ender and leaned him to the wall. As Zack takes a side, Ruis had watery eyes, yet it wasn't enough that tears could streamed over his cheeks, Ender had dried, tired; dead eyes, Zack had the same glaze as Ender.. Dead, dried and tired.. Ender leaned his head to Ruis shoulder. Zack was aside them..
Azon sighs and goes beside Leon.. Standing aside him, crossing his arms.. He mumbled..
"They're young.. With time.. They'll get used to it.. That's when they'll become men.."
His tone curled up in dread.. Leon chuckled.. Surprising him.. Leon sighs and whispered, not looking at him..
"You're wrong.. We aren't men, aren't Gods.. We're monsters.. Living up in wars doesn't make men, men... It makes men dead... We're just alive corpses.."
Azon listened to him with an undreadable expression, as Lisa who was just beside them before the door, she had listened to their words, yet she sighs, having an undreadable expression pasted over her face. Leon goes out of the room..
"Sometimes.."
Zack spoke with a gentle expression.. Everyone attention shifted towards him.
His lips twitches as he continues saying..
"Sometimes the hardest part isn't losing something.. It's remembering it's never coming back.."
His voice echoed through the room, piercing the air.. Azon gets outside without saying a word.. Lisa glaze glared upon him..On other side, when Azon got out, he saw Leon leaning there towards the wall on the side.. As if he had heard Zack's words.. His arms crossed.. For a moment, Azon could saw his expression softened.. As if he remembers something from his memory..
Nevertheless, Azon ignore him and continues walking.. Meanwhile, here Lisa asked..
"Those who have nothing to lose.. Who are they?.."
Her glaze fixed upon him..
"Nobody.. Yet everybody.."
Zack muttered.. His words made her speechless.. She sighs and pondered for a moment, wondering about something.. Her straight hairs scattered over her forehead..
~ We come here with nothing.. We die here with nothing..