Shadow and Ash

Sigh...

Forget it, I'll pay for it myself. The repairs here cost too much.

We'll just have to cut back on the afternoon tea and sweets.

Your Holiness! I heard the sound of fighting coming from the Basilica! Are you alright?

What... You were attacked by heretics?! I'm sorry! I failed in my duties!

Fret not, Paolario. Did you forget who won the Basilica's last arm wrestling tournament?

You did.

I was just exercising my wrist a bit, and ended up causing a bit of an accident.

The unrest within the city has already subsided.

Yes, they've dispersed. I didn't even get a chance to grill––

Excuse me, can I come in?

Ahem, my apologies. Your Holiness, I'm making a fool of myself.

What I meant was, the ones you asked for are here.

Please come in, my children.

Salutations, Your Holiness...

Good day, Your Holiness. I am Cecelia.

Ah, welcome. You'll have to forgive me for the mess here.

As for you two...

What sweets do you like with tea?

Do you... need me to make something?

Hmm, let me think...

Maybe add a few cubes of sugar into your teacup?

Ezell, perhaps you should add a few more. Some sweetness will mellow out your nerves.

Ah! Y-Yes...

Your Holiness, if I... wanted to leave Laterano, would you let me go?

If I said no, would you obey me?

Maybe not.

Then go.

...Your Holiness?

I'm just a poor old man whose greatest wish is to spend the rest of his life in a soft rocking chair. How could I muster the effort to manage a young girl's travel plans?

But, Cecelia is...

Is what? Do you still think she's some hybrid of angel and devil, a saint who will usher in the Revelation?

Cecelia is just a little girl who wants to go outside and see the world, is she not?

......

You're still carrying your mama's guardian gun, right?

Ah, I'm sorry! Should I leave it with Mister Ezell?

But...

It's fine, my child.

The acquisition of a patron firearm is a solemn affair. It is supposed to require a grand ceremony, the presence of a guardian, the approval of a mentor, as well as lots of troublesome paperwork...

But, you aren't even of age to obtain a guardian gun. So, just take it with you quietly.

Is that really okay?

I wouldn't dare say call this my boon to you. Each and every gun is a valuable asset to Laterano.

But, if this is the only keepsake a child has of her mother, I'm sure no one could oppose that.

Take it with you, my child. You may not have the physical ability to pull the trigger and take out a bad guy... but it will always remind you that wherever you go, your journey began in Laterano.

...Okay, thank you, Your Holiness.

Ezell, go with her. Call it your long-term field mission.

Just remember to stop by every now and then.

......

Do I... really have the right to do that?

Of course you do. Is this not the choice that you made?

I will do everything in my power to fulfill this mission.

Look after Cecelia well.

Alright, now be on your way. Time waits for no man. When you get to be my age, all you think about is taking your next nap.

Mister Pope...

I promise to follow this path to the very end.

Oh?

In that case, I will pray for you.

Your Holiness, are you satisfied with this outcome?

I got to enjoy some sweets with them. I am satisfied with that.

The man has left, just as you instructed.

Should I have kept him around a bit longer? Maybe a piece of chocolate would've cheered him up?

Your Holiness... you're too soft-hearted.

No, Velliv, the dream of becoming torches in the cold night is doomed to failure. For all of us.

But, serving a functionary a hot cup of tea... that's something we can always do.

'This world is hostile to beauty...' May those who reject this aphorism find success.

It is time for us to move on to our next task as well. Now that the riots have subsided, let's convene the foreign envoys.

The Revelation is clear, I will do what I must.

That's not true, Fiammetta. You don't have to shoulder anyone's burden.

No, that is my choice.

I don't care what power he was lusting after, what secrets he was trying to uncover, what answers he was trying to find.

I don't care about his ideals, his lofty cause, who he redeemed, or who he guided.

I will not forgive him.

Not because of my beliefs, not because of Laterano, not because of the Pontifica Cohors, and not even the time that I've lost...

I will not forgive him, because––

Andoain, you betrayed the people who trusted you.

My old friends.

How come you're here in one piece?

How come even His Holiness can't...

How come...?

How come... you're asking me that again... The path was never there in the first place. What good does it do groping around in the nothingness?

Is this your penitence?

Penitence? No, I have nothing to repent... Where can I repent? There is no light, no path. Those who suffer must continue to suffer, those who grieve must continue to grieve.

There is no salvation, no paradise. This is Laterano, and it is the only thing that belongs to us.

If the light has always been a lie... No, not a lie... It's real, but not as we wished...

There has never been a light... let alone illumination...

What are you babbling about, Andoain?

Have I given up? Why would I be here if I had given up?

With a barrier this thick, how am I supposed to embrace them? How am I supposed to embrace them?

Maybe I am nothing more than a swindler peddling false hope... who deceived myself into believing it...

I don't understand. What is Its judgment? Where does It want me to go? Its very presence has already blocked my path...

Where shall I find my path?

Andoain! Wake up! Look who's standing in front of you!

Who... Ahh... Fiammetta...

Why are you losing your mind again?! Where did your honey tongue go, your righteous air? Have you lost your spine?!

How am I supposed to convict a husk of a madman? Take a good look at who's standing in front of you!

...I'm in Laterano, Fiammetta. I'm above the Basilica.

I'm glad to see you all again... No, I'm not glad at all.

......

Are you trying to get in the way?

You still dare to get in my way?!

......

Apologize, Andoain.

Right now. Get on your knees and apologize to Mostima and Lemuen!

......

Do you think you did nothing wrong?!

I have made countless mistakes.

You're still pretty damned smug, aren't you?!

God forbid.

Listen up, Andoain. I don't give a damn what your beliefs are, nor do I care if all your beliefs have gone to shit.

Lemuen forgave you. Mostima forgave you. Yvangelista XI forgave you. Even if all of Laterano forgives you... I will not.

I'm so sorry, Fiammetta.

I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.

If I had the chance, I'd probably do the same thing all over again.

Are you for real? You'd say that in front of Fiammetta?

And right now, you're not...

Very good, Andoain.

Take out your gun.

You know that won't accomplish anything.

You think I care about accomplishing something?! I in malam crucem! You think that if I kill you right here, Lemuen gets eight years of her life back?! Or that Mostima gets the whole rest of hers?!

Pedicabo ego te et irrumabo! Accomplishing something!

I want revenge for the sake of getting my goddamned revenge! Do you get that, Andoain?

Are you so completely obsessed, Fiammetta?

So what if I am?

I'll say it one more time, Andoain–– Take out your gun!