The carriage sways side to side, wood and metal creaking along as it struggles to maintain a stable position.
We're in a large tundra, and the weather seems to have gotten much colder the more north we've headed. Lagomia seems to be the 'Norse' part of the world. I haven't seen any vikings, but I hope I do.
I'm sitting next to Kors in the front, watching as the weird lion thingies pull us along. They're mostly a deep blue and purple, with their manes seemingly larger than half of their bodies.
This world seems to like using predators for transportation purposes rather than conventional animals like horses or cows. I find that to be exceptionally strange.
The air is cool, whispering past my ear as it sings a silent symphony.
The grass along the tundra is a deep scarlet mixed with accents of yellow, evident from the cold weather. The sun is setting as well, contributing to this main color palette.
"Kors." I start.
We've been traveling for about seven hours, yet I haven't said anything to him despite all this time. I guess we're due for a conversation at this point. That's how people are honestly, they can't sit still forever, or they'll go crazy.
"Hm?" He asks, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him.
"Why do you…"
I glance him up and down, double checking that he looks the way he looks. When I say that, I'm referring to the fact that he looks human.
"Why do you look human? I thought you were a Wight or whatever it's called."
He smiles.
"While it is true that our initial appearance as Wights resembles the Skeletal system of a sapient, we possess the ability to morph into a sapient form when our hollow points are deactivated. This is still optional however. I simply prefer to remain in this form to… feel as if I were like you."
"Oh. By the way, what is a Wight?"
I lean back in my seat, gazing at the sky.
Of course I'd ask such a question. After all, who wouldn't ask why there's talking skeletons hanging around? I never really asked, but seeing how this topic's been brought up, I feel inclined to ask.
"A Wight is a being that can fall within the classification of a sapient, as we can utilize and Gaze at the Pattern. As for what we are…"
Kors bites his lip. His grip on the reins tightens.
"...When a child is born dead…"
He swallows.
"When a still born is brought to the world, the parents will often grieve the loss of their child."
Wow. That went south surprisingly quickly.
"Grief is directly connected to the activation of Hollow Points within a person. It is said that during grief, Hollow Entropy may occur. The grief of a parent is so exponential, it may spread to the still born, resulting in the birth of a Wight."
"However, the Wight only emerges alive when the parents have long left its corpse. It remains dead until then. When the parents leave a radius of about five kilometers, it will rise. Once the corpse has risen, it will begin its Inversion. The body will slowly begin inverting its outer layer with the inner. Wights are measured in age depending on how many internals are visible."
"Once in its developmental years, the Wight will begin to copy the first living thing it sees. Due to not possessing parental figures, guidance is absent, resulting in the Wight following the first thing it sees."
"Prior to possessing the personality I have now, I had actually imitated the behavior of a Kobold. I was running on all fours, killing small animals, and lurking in the dark."
"Did you actually manage to kill a bunch of stuff? Were you strong?"
Kors raises an eyebrow.
"I did kill a great deal of things. I killed so many creatures in fact, my entire body had been converted into scarlet."
"Yes, that was my entire life. That was the sole purpose of my existence. To survive. To copy. I was neither content nor sad. My brain was large and spacious, yet I focused on that one purpose. That was all I thought I needed."
The wight gazes down.
"But I began to question my entire way of existence when he entered into my life."
He takes a deep breath.
"A wight is a useless existence in reality. Everything has a purpose to exist. The Fog exists to cull the unnecessary number of creatures. Wyverns exist to instill fear into those who set where they should not be. Cattle exist to keep the population of grass at a constant. Yet, for the Wight, there is no reason."
"They, we, I, merely exist. Emotion, longing, and desperation all exist within us. Yet there is nothing for us to latch those things onto. Development exists within us, yet it is solely a self-focused aspect. We are not Aberrations. We are not truly Sapient. What are we?"
"Why do we exist?"
"When I asked him that question, he could not formulate an answer. This man, who taught me on how to act gentlemanly, how to compose myself and articulate myself, could not answer this question. This man, who changed my entire lifestyle within a few months, who I believed knew the answer to every question in the world, did not answer."
The Wight smiles.
"But was it his fault? It was not. He was not a Wight. He was a sapient. Furthermore, he was born alive. I was born dead."
"Soon after, I bid farewell to him and took off to join an organization known as Sable Veil, a place where I presumed meaning would find me. Yet, despite serving for all this time, I still have not inched closer to my answer."
"Now. I wish for one thing, and one thing only."
"I wish to meet those who had given birth to me. I feel as though, being the ones who created me, they would hold a reason as to why I was brought to this world in the first place. Perhaps, no—hopefully—They would give me an answer."
I turn.
"You're strong though, aren't you? Isn't that reason to exist already?" I place my hand on my chin. "By the way, what's the key to getting a Severant? I think I want to be a Severer, given that I get a cool weapon and all."
"..."
"Hm?"
"Kaito. Do not hold back on answering this question. Please be as honest as possible."
"Sure?"
"...Do you get along with the members of this team?"
"Of course I do."
The shadow of a cloud casts over us.
"I get along with everyone here. Yes, we had our differences at the start, but I think we've managed to overcome those differences."
I smile.
"I might not be super close, but I think I'm on the right foot with everyone. I especially think I've been hitting it off with Navi. She looks all mean and stuff, but once you get to actually know her, she's kind. Arivia is a close second, too. She's way too cheerful and a bit airheaded, but past that, she's got a good heart. Asakawa just keeps the whole emotionless thing as an act, but I've managed to share a few laughs with her. Maybe in the future, we'll all become close friends, I can see it."
My eyes crept towards Kors.
He looks disgusted.
Korshak Vilheim Von Grimm looks utterly appalled. The first person who had shown me true kindness upon stepping into this world is looking at me with disgust. He is not looking at a human, but rather a piece of shit stained on the wall. A smile has formed on this fecal matter as it looks back at him.
He's most probably unaware that he's making such a face, but I can read it. I can read even the slightest tinge of emotion on human faces. That's because I'm always watching, even if it seems like I'm not.
Do I feel offended? Do I feel sad? Do I feel exposed?
Exposed? What do you mean by " exposed? This is me. This is the true me. I don't hide anything at all. I'm as authentic as anyone else can be. I just seem appalling to other people, but in reality, I'm just naive to others. Yes, that's me. This is an evaluation of my true personality.
I'm not lying…
I'm…
"Haha," I laugh. "I know, I know, it came off as cheesy." I scratch the back of my head.
"Clearly, you're just not used to hearing me say things like that. " I chuckle again.
"Yes… that is true…" He mutters before turning to the path again. He doesn't seem like he wants to take this conversation any further. That's fine with me.
Keep your eyes on your path, and I'll keep my eyes on mine.
____________________________________________________________________________
"We do not want to repeat the same strategy used to conquer Volaria." Grand Chancellor Hagen said as he walked. Next to him was the sole Hero of Volaria, Siegfried.
Both men were incredibly tall, towering over the rest of the Volarian citizens that past by them. They had also been outfitted with cloaks to conceal their identities. After all, two ultra-celebrities in the street would surely lose their patience if swarmed by interested citizens.
It was a bright morning, one that brought incredible promise to future crop farming. The city stood twice as tall, the mechanical gears that operated elevators hanging off each building. Factories used to create weapons pumped out smoke, which dissipated into the air shortly after levitating. The main palette, consisting of the city, was a deep gray and bright brown.
Children ran past, chasing after each other. Parents followed close by as well, discussing their day-to-day lives. All was well within the empire, even with the immensely large walls that blocked off this capital, Munich.
"Hmph. Why can't I just invade the city? I'd be able to take out Odin and the other heroes there." The white-haired man asked, a small piece of chocolate in his mouth.
Hagen shook his head and sighed.
"It is always the most drastic choice with you, isn't it, Sieg?"
The man finishes the chocolate he had been eating and licks his lips.
"If it isn't drastic, then I wouldn't deserve the moniker of Hero, would I?"
"Still, preserving your livelihood for the sake of others' safety is still within the scope of being a hero."
A hero.
This was the title given to Votaries who had been given Divine Gifts, and chose to serve the respective Celestial that had given it to them. Heroes were among the world's finest. Worshiped by their citizens and given special treatment by their respective Celestials. But perhaps there was an aspect of being a hero that many did not talk about…
"Yeah, Yeah. So, what do you suggest doing?"
The two men turned a corner.
"We should wait out the conflict that will inevitably occur in Asgard."
"Inevitably? Isn't Asgard located deep in Lagomia, which is practically in a corner of the world? Invading lands would have to somehow make it all the way inside, with Fog Zones around every corner."
"No."
"?"
"While Lagomia is thought to be a kingdom, its people are very far and few between. The land is mostly empty tundras and lakes, with the occasional village of tribesmen. Said Tribalsmen only care about the state of their respective village, and will not interfere in the affairs of Lagomia as a whole. I presume this is due to the great fog long ago. Asgard itself could be said to be the actual Lagomia, as it is the only place with a large population that contains laws, a police force, and a Celestial."
"Anyway, a large force would surely find it difficult to make it far within the kingdom…"
Hagen raises a hand, his azure eyes squinting.
"...But not a small, capable force. Remember, it is mostly organizations and criminals that seek Gungnir, not actual kingdoms and countries. They have their own wars and things to worry about."
"So then why are we focused on entering so badly?" Siegfried asked.
"Because we are amongst the top in the world. We are not involved in any large-scale conflict, despite butting heads with Soraya many times. Because of that reason, His Majesty, the Kaiser, has ordered me to commence an invasion of Asgard. He believes that if we were to seize Gungnir, we'd be able to reverse engineer it somehow, and instill it into our forces."
"I see."
Restaurants had begun to enter the view of Siegfried, who, despite listening to his companion, had about thirty percent of his attention focused on the various signs.
Noticing his companions' diverging attention, Hagen had found it time to swiftly wrap up his explanation.
"To make it short, I believe that if a small enough, capable force were to invade Lagomia, they would easily make it outside the walls of Asgard. Because of that, I believe it is best to wait out the oncoming hordes of mercenaries and paid soldiers that will infight amongst each other. After that, we will deploy the Blitz Corps—which specializes in invasion—and finally, send you in."
At the mention of the word 'You'. Siegfried's attention was returned to Hagen, who let out a laugh.
Sensing this, the hero of Volaria swayed his gaze to the side, his white hair trailing behind him. His scarlet and violet eyes were suddenly full of embarrassment at being noticed.
"...I'm hungry."
"I know, my friend. I know."