When Morgan's words, heavy with endless fatigue and regret echoed through the silent living room, it felt as though the entire space sank into a sorrow so deep it could crush an entire era.
Artoria could no longer repress her emotions. All the strength she possessed as king, all the endurance as a warrior, was shattered in this moment by the purest of blood ties—ones that came 1500 years too late.
Suddenly, she stood up, rushing to Morgan, who was also shedding tears. With outstretched arms, she embraced her trembling sister tightly. Artoria had been waiting for this embrace for so long. And this time, she embraced her not as king to retainer, nor as enemy to opponent, but simply, as a younger sister to her elder.
Morgan's body tensed initially, but the ice forged from a millennium of loneliness melted entirely within this warm, pure embrace. Reaching out with trembling hands, she hugged the sister she had lost and finally found again, burying her face in Artoria's shoulder, letting her long-held tears flow.
There was nothing of the witch's madness or fay detachment in those sobs—only a sister grief-stricken for all the wrong she had done, pouring out millennia of regret and longing upon her beloved sibling.
Steve, watching these sisters reunite and embrace in tears, felt a relieved smile form on his lips. He knew well that from here, this moment no longer belonged to an outsider like himself. Silent as a ghost, he rose, quietly leaving the wooden home suffused with both sorrow and warmth.
The air outside was chilly and fresh. Steve wandered along the lakeshore, smooth as glass, gazing at the reflection of the majestic, almost otherworldly starry sky above. Emotional outbursts such as this weren't to his taste. Being the third party always made him feel a bit out of place.
He much preferred observing, quietly savoring a perfect ending to someone else's drama.
How long he waited, he couldn't tell—an hour, maybe more. Gradually, the crying and conversation within the cabin dwindled. Then, behind him, he heard the sound of light footsteps.
Turning, he saw Morgan emerge alone from the cabin. Though her eyes were still red and a bit swollen, her face bore a strange smile Steve had never seen before, a complex mix of endless loneliness and relief.
"She's...gone, hasn't she?" Steve asked, even though he already knew.
Morgan nodded lightly, stepping over to stand beside him, gazing with him over the starlit lake. Her voice was gentle and ethereal. "The knot in her heart has finally been undone."
"The fetter that bound her to this present world—the regret of failing to save Britain—is gone."
"And so, she has returned to where she truly belongs."
Her soul had gone back to Avalon—her own eternal utopia.
Hearing this, Steve was momentarily at a loss for words. He shouldn't have been surprised—after all, this was the most perfect ending he had planned. And yet, in that moment, a strange sense of loss and regret rose within him.
He let out a long, deep sigh before asking, "And what about you? Why didn't you go with her?"
"With your power, it wouldn't be difficult to travel to the Reverse Side of the World, would it?"
At this, Morgan silently shook her head, smile fading to something lonelier.
"Ah...it would be too embarrassing to meet her again."
Quietly, with the weight of deep-seated guilt and determination, she said, "I've done too many awful things to her."
"It's not something that can be forgiven with a single embrace."
"Merlin foresaw Britain's fate and, rather than act, imprisoned himself in Avalon's tower for eternity. I would have liked to punish that bastard for his own punishment's sake."
"But as for me... the punishment I've chosen is to remain in silent solitude here, away from people, living on until the end of time."
"I...will never see her again."
Silence hung between them. Steve understood this resolute decision well. For someone as proud as Morgan, seeking forgiveness from others brought less peace than punishing herself. She had saved her sister, but chose exile for herself.
Perhaps this was the most fitting ending for the character "Morgan le Fay."
"I see," Steve nodded, giving up on persuading her. Having accomplished his ultimate goal, a contentment gradually replaced his disappointment. He prepared to leave.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave now."
He signaled Morgan to prepare the Shadow Border for departure.
But just before he was set to go, a long-standing mystery from another worldline suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"By the way, Lady Morgan," Steve asked as if on a whim, "just out of personal curiosity—do you have any descendants with the surname Sajyou living in the modern age, perhaps in Japan?"
At this unfamiliar surname, a trace of doubt flickered in Morgan's blue eyes, usually calm. She frowned slightly, extending a slender finger to softly tap the air before her.
Instantly, the tranquil surface of the lake erupted into countless ripples. The reflections of stars spun and quickly recombined, while innumerable threads of light representing lines of blood descent intertwined, spiraling out across the water.
Morgan followed the strands intently with her delicate fingers, searching for their origin. After a while, her brows finally relaxed.
"...It seems you're right."
Looking somewhat surprised, she said, "It's a very distant and thinned-out bloodline."
"The current generation is inheriting techniques from their maternal line—which means what's been passed down is their gentle side, the magical heritage of the 'Vivian' bloodline."
"Why do you ask? Does this family have something to do with you?"
"Of course not," Steve quickly waved his hand and replied with a smile, "I have nothing to do with that lineage now, nor do I plan to."
"Just a mystery from long ago that I wanted to clear up for myself."
With the answer in hand, the last piece of Steve's mental puzzle clicked into place. Without further delay, he snapped his fingers, and the black Shadow Border silently materialized on the lakeshore.
"Farewell, Lady Morgan."
"I hope you find your own peace beneath this beautiful starry sky."
With a final nod, Steve boarded the vehicle. Morgan asked nothing further, simply standing in silence on the lakeshore, watching as the strange black craft began its surreal descent, morphing into twisted beams of light before vanishing entirely from this secret, timeless realm.
Long after the lake had regained its stillness, she turned and walked back, alone, to the now-empty wooden cabin. She would live there in solitude from this day forward.
…
Moments later, ripples once again spread across the streets of Fuyuki City. The Shadow Border quietly returned, just as quietly departing. Steve stepped out, breathing the exhaust-and-dust-laden air of the modern metropolis. Amidst it all, he felt an odd sense of peace.
Thus ended the script of the Knight King.
…