Staring into Acrono's eyes, Captivant says, "I don't know your name. I believe you said it, but I can't remember, and for that I apologise. Because you do have a name, you do have an existence worthy of understanding. In this moment you are causing me pain, more so than you could ever know, yet I don't get to write off your existence and my faults due to that. I will never reach a point of such abject perfection where I can do such a thing without consequence, and I wish for that to truly be known right here and now.
Your hands my be small but they allow you to grab what you need to sustain yourself, your stature maybe tiny but from that stance you view all of human life, your eyes maybe clouded with furry but they have allowed you to see through the darkness of existence up until this point. You are someone who deserves to be seen, and someone who deserves to be respected."
His hands shake even more and more, yet as his anger flares, he says, "It doesn't matter what you say, because no matter what lies you loose from your tongue, your eyes only focus on what I hold in my hand, not on the hand that holds them. If this knife of mine wasn't pressed against this throat, it wouldn't matter at all, because all you said IS A LIE!"
"No, it wasn't; it was not a life, not a single world of it."
"Shut up, I am no fool. You cannot deny the reality I've felt inflicted on this flesh each day of my life: the wounds buried beyond the curse, and the shivers sent down my spine at the thought of defending myself is all the proof I need!"
"You do deserve to be seen, but beyond that truth, there is another truth. No one deserves to be seen, there is no law in this world that makes one have any right to be seen by the another. Your efforts, your kindness, your will can go unrewarded. It's improbable, but you do exist. Those who, no matter all of their efforts, will be buried by a swarm of hatred, a legacy that defiles your life.
And there are people like me who, despite the legacy pushing me towards glory, I keep fighting against it; I keep destroying what a man like you would hold dear. I can see it in your eyes; you wouldn't scream at your parents, you would learn how to play with the others, you'd devote yourself to what you find interesting, and if you met a woman like Ai, you'd stay at her side and keep her safe. Yet you don't have any of that, and no right to it for you even exists."
His rage continues to grow as a sadness emerges from it, as he says, "Then what am I supposed to do? If my life is like this, why shouldn't I rob it from you? Why should I have to even keep breathing while people like you exist and get everything?"
"It doesn't matter if you do any of that? Because in truth even if you kill me, even if you rob us from the world it doesn't matter our work will live on and Siegrund would end your life, because even betraying all your principles and giving into what you hate will not guarantee a greater future, the world is fickle like chaos rewarding whatever it wants to whoever it wants for however long it wants."
Standing up, Captivant takes one step after the other and says, "So what lies beyond all of this, the world, the people, even the self, what lies at the end of that rainbow that makes life worth living. Even the purpose God himself set out is so nebulous it has been reinterpreted in a way that has led planets worth of people to their end. But in the principles of Telonism, maybe there is something at the end of it all, an existence that surpasses us.
I hate humans; I am sure I would hate Beastkin, Nephilim, Seraphs, Yugaku, Dragons and Seers if I ever met one as well. But I love people; I love the version of people that exist at the end of their humanity, the version that lives on through their actions, the version that would still exist if they stood alone in this world.
That existence is beyond nature; it's beyond the world, and the forces that craft a true hero are those overtaken by it. People who hell would reject. This wonder, I think it's something we all start out as; it's something all the lifeforms who live on this planet are given from birth, but we lose a bit of it every day we exist, and regardless of whether we admit it or not, try to reclaim it as what we call happiness.
Many fail, many become confused, some even only have it for certain eras, but it's what we all aim for in the end. I think that's why Telonism speaks of restrictions ones desires and practising humility in everything to reclaim that. I have tried many times to reach that point but have failed, over and over again. Yet I will continue walking that path, and I have one thing to ask you."
Placing her hand on Acrono's shoulder, Captivant says, "Would you please walk this path with me, in a different way, taking your own path and combining it with my own through the legacies we leave on this earth to find it? So that a happiness beyond what anyone could take from us could become our own, so that me and you, and all those who inherit what we leave behind shall be one step closer to it?"
The humanity in Captivant's face fades almost as if he has become inhumane, and remaining in Acrono's sight is the soul of Captivant's emotions overwhelming his senses, and forcing his eyes to tear up as his grip over Ai loosens.
Seeing this, Captivant grabs Ai and grants Acrono a hug in the same motion as he says, "Let's keep on living," before passing out himself.
-Break-
Location: Village of Zaad Ziener; Captivant's room
As his eyes force themselves awake, he is met by familiar scenery, causing him to say, "I am back home?"
Beside him, he turns his head, and there sitting at the side of his bed in his mother with her head laying on his body, unconscious.
He quickly tries to rise, yet a pain surges through his body, knocking him down, so he raises his hand slowly and rubs his mother's head, as he says, "Thank you for being here for me."
Walking through the door to his room, Zackery says, "GOD HAS INFORMED ME OF YOUR AWAKENING!"
Zackery's voice shocks his mother awake and gets Captivant annoyed as he shouts, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM, YOU BASTARD!"
Holding up her fist, his mother slams it into his face and says, "No bad words!"
-Break-
Sitting up on his bed, Captivant says, "So I've been asleep for a month? Did I really get that injured?"
"Your broken bones were bad, but according to Siegrund, it's the fact you spiritually overexerted yourself as well. The medical connections between the body and the soul are very nebulous, to put it simply, yet it seems that even if you recovered somewhat, your soul needed some more time."
Turning to face his mother, he says, "What about Ai, and Acrono?"
"Acrono is currently back at Blestemate; he turned himself in for punishment," Zackery says.
"Huh? I need to g-."
"No, you don't. He said he wants to take the punishment upon himself. Apparently, during the time he tried to get in contact with Destino, he sold some Nightmare body parts, and regardless of what he did to you and Ai, he still wants to pay for his crimes against his people. You should respect his resolve to repent."
Gripping his bed sheet, he says, "I understand, but what about Ai? Is she alright?"
His mother, grabbing his hand, says, "You should come and see for yourself."
-Break-
Location: St. Mika's Church
Standing in front of a bed with her body laid out against it with Siegrund at the side, Captivant says, "Is she still alive?"
Nodding, Siegrund says, "She has some ridiculous life force; her body has shut down multiple times over this month, only for her willpower to force itself back to life. It seems that she doesn't want to die till she sees you again."
Getting on his knees before his mother and Zackery, shocked, he grabs her hand and says, "Thank you for staying alive, thank you for not dying. Thank you for not leaving this world without your legacy."
He cries, and seeing this, Domita directs two other men out of the room as she sits and comforts her son.
-Break-
Location: Captivant's Room
Φ There are many things my heart feels, many terrors which take my mind over and over again, yet I can't help but find a joy in them; I can't help but wish to mould them in front of me.
Ai, I have so many things I want to tell you. I have so many feelings that exist in my chest, yet I still don't understand who I truly am; I still don't know how I can continue to be me. So I will keep on moving forward until I can one day shape that into something worthy of praise.
My hands moved that day, like they did every other day, using the same skills and techniques I had built up through all my experiences to try and craft a chair, a tiny and inconsequential piece of furniture.
But to me, in those moments over those days when I sat in that same spot, barely moving as I continued to work, craving and shaping with all my heart and soul over and over again, I smiled. I wielded a smile that could shatter the very world in two at its exquisite radiance.
I stopped caring about my body, my neuroticisms, my goals, my restraints; all I did was get moving, trying to grasp all the tiny fragments of perfection put in my soul and reform them into a piece that was just for me, into a soul that remained my own, into a reflection of it all.
My mother, my father, my allies, my rival, my gods, my goddess, my heros, my enemies, the love who got away, the sword who stood at my side, and even the one I hated deep inside for so long, all of it weaved together taking in my very existence as well, and in that pinnacle of creavity, I felt the world melt away as all the sensations blended into one and surpassed themselves guiding me forward.
It was like I was touched by the Messiah itself, leaving me with tears as my hands got moving over and over again. "Thank you, thank you for allowing me to meet them all."
I don't understand it fully, and I don't even know if you are the true path towards my future or merely an illusion my mind has cast over me like, but I feel no fear walking towards you, because I know even if I fail I have one who wishes towards the same path as I do, so in this moment Messiah I give everything I am onto you, and please I ask that you help me reach a path that can allow me to go beyond what I am today.
Φ The man's hands continue to move, and with each movement, with each detail sculpted from his soul, the weight of his flesh is ripped back for even a moment and in the face of his own art, of his own soul, all that remains is a smile in the shape of a boy.