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| December 31st of the year 779 He had once told one of his pupils that although he was gnawed by guilt over many of the deeds he had committed in the past, if time were to turn back, he would act exactly the same way every single time as he did the first, because regardless of the outcome, there was nothing in his motives for which he could be ashamed before himself or Arteria. But that was a lie — ever since he returned home from Reginleif at the start of this year, he had not been certain until the very end about the rightness of the path he had chosen. Yua, who at first gifted the residents of his city with beautiful dreams and then endeared herself to them all, was a homunculus created by Filia Idolatrize and nurtured by the power of Kayano Sayaka's stigma with but a single purpose — to oppose Queen Sofia's plans. His old commander planned to unleash a great Visterian war and repeat Aganzo's "Blood Tax," only now with the aid of modern technology. The "Steel Ring of Serberia," once its true function was activated, was meant to ignite aggressive emotions in the hearts of the kingdom's inhabitants, increasingly motivating them to support the war while more easily harvesting the life energy of the fallen; afterward, the railway would also be extended into annexed territories, further amplifying the scale of this sinister plan and the tragedy bound up with it. Whether the queen wished to heal Albert and attain eternal life alongside him was hard to say, but Gungnir, like the head of the Church, agreed that this future must be prevented by any means necessary. Yua, being in essence an avatar of the tree element of Visteria, was supposed to neutralize the "Steel Ring" and thereby put an end to the artificial valkyrie, but she needed time to unlock her potential and a genuine desire to protect those dear to her at any cost — precisely why Filia tasked Gungnir with creating conditions suitable for cultivating such emotions. As a father, Filia Idolatrize's scheme was repugnant to his very nature, but as a man of faith and a ruler responsible for the lives of many people, he found no strength within himself to resist his fate. Sending his pupils to roam across the lands of the kingdom, Gungnir von Brekkendorf pursued three goals: - Preparing them for the inevitable war on an unprecedented scale so they might not lose their composure amid the chaos awaiting them in the future. - Following Filia's ideas, exposing them to danger so that the poor girl would feel the real risk of losing her brothers and sisters and, on the appointed day, be ready to sacrifice herself for their safety. - Though he never admitted it to himself, somewhere deep in his soul the old warrior harbored hope that his pupils, having gained experience during their travels, would manage to stop him and find another way out of this situation... But that was not destined to happen. On the fateful day, December 31st, Gungnir and Yua descended into an ancient, moss-covered structure west of the city, known among Baldr's residents besides himself only to Veserod. It was in this sacred place that the girl, upon whose shoulders hung the fate of millions, was to sacrifice herself and halt the mad plans of the iron queen. - Grandpa Gungnir... - Yua's small hands wrapped around the old man's calloused palm. - I understand everything... So please, don't be upset! "Oh, Goddess, why do you test me so..." Gungnir knew that Arteria had long possessed neither will nor even consciousness of her own, merely responding to the prayers and desires of Visteria's inhabitants — hence the major shifts in the distribution of her power, the church schism, and many other things troubling our era's theologians. And yet, at this moment he could not help feeling his soul torn in two, with regrets accumulated over the past year threatening to burst forth. Even now, when she faced accepting a fate imposed upon her by others, Yua worried about his state of mind, which she managed to discern through his grim, seemingly emotionless face. He knelt down beside her on one knee and embraced her tightly. - Grandpa? - Forgive me, little one... Forgive this fool for everything... In the end, the old baron decided that this could not be what Arteria would have wanted and, moreover, was not what he himself desired. Gungnir von Brekkendorf found no strength within himself to carry out Filia Idolatrize's commission, and he and Yua returned to Baldr. Several days later, feeling as though the lion's share of a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Gungnir von Brekkendorf leaves this world. |