Omar: I've finally arrived in America... the country that participated in a crime of genocide against those I lived with.
(He takes a long, deep breath. In his first days in America, Omar starts to look at the people passing by in the streets, not knowing what he is supposed to feel.)
(He returns to his house, and Sophia arrives.)
Omar: Sophia, as you saw in the game's script, I have a question for you, since you've already read it.
Sophia: Go ahead, I'll answer any question.
(Omar holds his book.)
Omar: What do you think the hero is supposed to feel?
Sophia: That's not an easy question, Max, and you're asking about "Max"... Well, I'll tell you. Let's say it's really a fictional story, although after reading some of these pages, I found there's no reason for it to be fictional other than the stones and swords... Alright.
(She takes a deep breath.)
Sophia: "What he did, or what he was forced to do in Japan... is terrifying. The idea of being just a tool in the hands of a power greater than you, of thinking you're fighting for what's right only to discover in the end that you were paving the way for a massacre... that's something unimaginable. Anyone else would have broken down, or become a monster.
But Max... Omar... didn't do that. And that's the thing I can't understand. I see in his character a man condemned by power. He doesn't want it, doesn't enjoy it. For him, immortality isn't a gift; it's an eternal prison. Every battle he fights is not for glory, but another step in a long and painful journey of atonement for a mistake he never intended to commit.
He is the loneliest person I've ever seen, even if he's just a character in a story.
When I read about what happened in Japan, I don't see a monster or a hero.
I see a very tired man. A man who has seen enough death and destruction to know that 'victory' is just another lie told to him. His reaction wasn't revolutionary anger, but... a quiet and sad resignation.As if he were saying, 'So this is the world. Filthy and unjust. I am filthy, and you are filthier.' So, my opinion is... he's an incredibly tragic character. He's not a hero in the sense we read about in stories. He's closer to a character from a tragedy, a good man cursed by a fate far greater than himself, yet he refuses to completely bend. He keeps getting up, not because he's strong, but because he has no other choice. And his story... it made me understand the man who gave me everything. I understood why he always seemed so detached and sad behind that smile. He wasn't looking at me as 'Sophia'; he was seeing through me the ghosts of everyone he had lost over the centuries. And I... I am grateful that I was a small part, even for a moment, of his long and painful journey." I might believe you in the end, from my perspective of a twenty-something man who owns money and companies but has no clear family or relationships. But at least he had me. I don't want to sound sad or make you sad, but you're the person who gave me a path I can follow, just as he wished for a path for himself. And for that, he must continue on his path to achieve the dream he wished for: peace and family.
Max: Well done, girl. You've made me feel the pain. You can ask for whatever you want today.
Sophia: I was hoping to get your signature.
Max: Seriously? That's it? I told you to ask for anything.
Sophia: Just a signature.
Here ends the second side chapter of Sword of Eternity: The Long Covenant's Journey.