108 Salvation (1/2)
If only I had never taken the deal. Why did I take the damn deal?
Reed buckled under the weight of what he'd been forced to carry. The decision he had been burdened with was beyond his ability as an individual.
He wasn't prepared. He wasn't ready to handle the consequences that would come with making such an important decision. Not even close.
This was a decision that should not have fallen upon a seventeen-year boy, of all people. The decision required proper judgment and a clear, unbiased viewpoint — something that he most certainly did not possess.
For the first time in his short life, Reed felt the weight of a life.
Despite having been embroiled in numerous conflicts over the better part of a year and a half, he'd never taken the life of another person.
At least, not intentionally.
Who was he to decide whether another person should live or die? What qualifications did he possess to make such an important judgment?
His legs suddenly felt as if they were made of lead. He couldn't move.
As if to pressure him even further — force him into choosing — the fight outside had taken a turn for the absolute worst. Everyone in the control room had witnessed the dramatic turn of events and the destruction of the south-western coast.
The fleet had been completely destroyed in an instant. The fight had ended. An angel had arisen from Hell to save the world and its people from themselves.
”…What is it?”
”An adult. It has severed the final tie that once connected it to the World and has chosen to walk down the path set by its masters. Think of it as a Child of the Outsiders and not an expendable pawn to be discarded like Infested you have previously fought,” said Lu'um.
It was a wholly unique existence, separate from its former brethren.
It could no longer be described as 'it'.
A clear and gentle voice suddenly entered the minds of everyone on the continent at the same time.
”Hear me and listen, children of this hidden realm. My name is Sephira, Emissary of the Blessed, and I have come to free all of you from the unfair pain and suffering that your creator has burdened you with!”
”No longer will you grow old and sick! No longer will you starve or hate! No longer will the curse of death take your loved ones from you! I have come to deliver you all to a better place, a boundless land of eternal peace and prosperity!”
Even now, more than ever, Sephira believed in what she had said. She would save them all, even if it meant destroying the continent in one fell swoop. It was the responsible thing to do.
Reed's expression darkened when he heard the creature's speech and said, ”It has a name? Why is it trying to—”
Kanosis fell on his knees and said, ”What can we do to help, Heiress of the Moon? Is there anything we can do to assist both of you in this task?”
Lu'um grimly said, ”No. There is little we can do in the way of fighting it ourselves. Even when we were at our prime, it still took a fully armed fleet to take one of them down and even then, the losses were still very severe…”
”Most of the time, only a couple of battered ships would return to relay the outcome of the fight. That is why we actively hunted as many Infested Pupae as we could during the Great War. We simply could not afford to fight too many of these damnable Adult-forms.”
”......…” Reed simply stared at the large, obsidian monolith in the middle of the control room, unconcerned with the discussion.
It had caught his attention. Felt like something was calling to him from within it. There was an odd pull that was trying to get him to walk, but he had stopped himself from following it. He was rejecting the call out of an instinctive fear that he couldn't pinpoint accurately.
The fear he felt came from the fact that he had glimpsed what his answer would be. What he would choose in the end. What he needed to do.