While you huddled together in your warm houses making merry, it was I, and the Vine-Bead Court, who would go where you were unwilling to even look at, to the homes of the impoverished and destitute.
Adso
It was I who soothed them, I who kept preaching to them that 'none shall be abandoned'... 'Even if you were born into a lifetime of suffering, there is still a god who loves you'...
Yet She is aloof, magicking up some 'miracle' every once in a while to show her power...
Adso
Why is it only ever barely a handful of people saved?!
Adso
Now, you even wish to go see this monster, this tyrant, to ask Her to deny me, to deny the order we have so painstakingly built.
Adso
I... I cannot—
What more is left that could support this old man? He collapses into the dirt, crying out in anguish, as if his frail body were struck by some invisible hammer.
Adso
...Speak, tell me.
Adso
Why does She not know? Why does She not understand?
Adso
Why do you stay silent...?
Elena
Um...
Joanna
Great Elder... Why is he so upset?
Enya
Elder Adso... I understand where you are coming from.
Enya
We are not allowed to witness the true face of God. Only through Her admonishments, Her creations can we describe Her.
Enya
But I still wish to believe...
Enya
That no matter what I see at the other end of this cave, my faith shall not be swayed. The virtues and commandments, the knowledge and wisdom She has conferred upon us. They have meaning.
Enya
I merely wish to see clearly...
Enya
what road the children of Kjerag have followed.
Enya turns and walks into the deep cavern without the slightest hesitation, towards where her faith lies.
It has been five hours and fifty-seven minutes since we sent our ultimatum, Your Grace.
Duke of Caster
Hmm...
Duke of Caster
I must say, I did not expect Enciodes to choose to respond this way.
Duke of Caster
'Tis a pity things had to end like this.
Duke of Caster
Relay the order, all men are to—
Duke of Caster
That...
Caster's Guard
Your Grace! We've sighted one of Kjerag's high-speed battleships!
Duke of Caster
You don't mean... How many?
Caster's Guard
Just... the one, Your Grace.
Even without the aid of binoculars, those standing atop the deck can see it.
In the distance, a battleship slowly emerges from a snow-draped valley, its hue that of silver ash.
Perhaps everyone is thinking the same thing at this moment: This ship, no matter if you compare it to the fleet it is facing, or the mountains behind it, is rather on the small side...
Duke of Caster
Silverash...?
Caster's Guard
Your Grace, the ship is hailing us on a public frequency.
Caster's Guard
Their message states that this is Kjerag's high-speed battleship, and her captain is Enciodes Silverash.
Caster's Guard
He sends his greetings to the Victorian Duke of Caster...
Duke of Caster
Oh...?
Duke of Caster
But does this stunt of his mean he is here to negotiate, or to start a war?
Caster's Guard
He says he hopes he can have a pleasant discussion with Your Grace... and he hopes that discussion can take place aboard Your Grace's Gloriana.
Seems like there's some sort of statue here, I nearly bumped into it too...
Elena
Let me turn my emergency light on.
The shimmering light dispels the darkness, revealing the thing that is blocking their path.
Joanna
Huh? An ice sculpture? Why's it crawling across the ground?
Elena
It's not the only one.
Elena
Look, there's another one there... Hmm, seems like there's even more of them this way...
Elena
They're clothed the same way the ancient peoples of Kjerag are described in historical records, but did those people have the technique to sculpt like this?
Elena
Craft and sculpture of the time were cruder. Enya, what do you....?
Elena
Enya?
Enya
...
Enya
I am afraid that these are not statues.
Elena
They're not?
Enya
They are... past Saintesses.
Enya
They are from the last time Kjeragandr vanished. They who offered themselves up as sacrifices to beg Her to return to Kjerag.
Enya brushes her fingers against a 'sculpture's' face. Her wrinkles. Her flesh. Her cheeks puffed up by gritted teeth. Her eyelashes. Her tears staining her cheeks, unevaporated.
A girl dead from hypothermia, her delusional relief and trembling from the cold merged into a single expression.
Enya
They were encased in ice after their deaths, preserving their faces and postures. They were... all looking in the same direction.
Enya
They were all looking for Her... answer.
The women follow the gazes of the 'sculptures', turning to look behind them.
I just saw it—its shadow darted through the grass and vanished. Did I lose track of it again?
Past experience advises her to stoop down. She was still a child the first time she set foot into the forest. What was it her father taught her then?
'Listen up, Joanna.'
'Hunting isn't easy. You need to be careful, you need to be brave, you need to be determined, and you need to be merciful.'
'You need to pay attention to the tracks left by every animal.'
'Footprints in the snow, scratches on bark, fallen hairs, spoor and traces of buried food...'
She walks by an expanse of snow, trees and bare soil. Still no sign of her prey.
Her gigantic prey, nearly the size of a small mountain, seems to have disappeared into thin air.
Joanna
'Don't rush, even if you can't find anything. Don't rush... Joanna.'
Joanna
'You're a hunter. You'll find your game.'
Joanna
'For She has promised you that you may enter the forest with bow and crossbow, and the forest shall give you the meat and fat you require. You—'
Joanna
——!
Joanna
I see it, over there!
The shadow fleeing out from the underbrush is swift, shooting out over the trail towards the depths of the forest on the other side.
The girl waves her arm behind her as she shouts.
Joanna
Dad, head into the forest from the side, let's pincer it!
A voice replies from the empty forest.
Male Voice
Go, Joanna! You and me, we'll catch it!
'Go, you'll catch it.'
'You're such a faithful girl, never missing prayers or ceremonies, always concentrating when you carve statues of Her, even telling Her your thoughts every night.'
'She will grant you a full belly, happiness, and a tomorrow to wake up to. Because of your piety, and the time you have given Her.'
Joanna
If... Hah, if I can actually hunt that thing down....
Joanna
We won't have to go hungry this winter!
Joanna
It'll be enough to feed my brothers and sisters, and I can even... I can even give some to the old lady next door, and the lady who just had a baby across the road...
Joanna
The horns can be carved into figures of Kjeragandr, and the skin can be made into a new set of clothes for my sister.
There is a warmth in her chest to go with her joy, as if something were swelling within, fit to burst.
Her legs are faster than ever. Her hands do not tremble. She closes in on her prey.
Joanna
Nearly... Nearly got it!
Joanna
Please, bless my hand, Kjeragandr...
Her crossbow bolt flies through the air, its scream shattering the serenity of the snowfield.
The girl sprints after her quarry into a bush. She can almost reach its thick fur—
Joanna
Ah...
There is nothing in her grasp.
Only a chunk of Originium crystal in her arm, growing like wildfire.
Savage Beast
What use is your faith?
Savage Beast
Kjeragandr will not protect you. The land shall have its fill, and you are but its prey.
This room is very familiar to me. Though I have never seen it, I am well aware of what this is.
The cramped, gloomy room is filled with the scent of pine oil, thick to the point you can barely walk through it. It is joined with a dry heat that resists description.
Adso
This is one of my thoughts.
The old man gets up from his chair. He steps forward, as if he were about to measure the size of the room with his feet.
One step, two steps, five steps, ten.
Adso
Ten steps. Ten is enough.
Adso
A narrow compartment. Soundproofed, insulated, unknown to others. Suited for clandestine discussions.
Adso
If I had put it that way, if I had extended the invitation that way, then the Silverashes...
Adso
...
Adso
What did I say when Luca came to meet with me?
Adso
Did I advise him to not commit this unpardonable sin, or did I not? Did I advise him to return to the righteous path, or did I not?
Adso
Did I agree with him, or did I not? Did I believe the new things that couple brought with them would destroy the soul of Kjerag, or did I not?
Adso
Did I tell him how to build a hidden room within the parlor of the Browntail manor, or did I not...?
Adso
...Did I tell him how to store pine resin, flammable materials, dry wood and firestarters, or did I not?
The fragrance intensifies, to the point that it stings the nose.
???
You forgot our deal.
Adso
Brother...
Luca Browntail
You were supposed to take control of the Vine-Bead Court and work with me, so that all of Kjerag would serve under the Browntail name.
Luca Browntail
Why are you always such a do-nothing coward?!
Adso
No... It wasn't supposed to be like this...
Luca Browntail
You know how much blood is on our hands just getting us to this point.
Luca Browntail
Look at these two girls, Ratatos and Sciurus. They're your own flesh and blood.
Luca Browntail
You're not going to close your eyes as the Silverashes and Paleroches put them to the sword when they grow up, are you?
Adso
...
Adso
All my life, I have told many lies, cheated many people.
Adso
Including those I love, and those who love me. Those I trusted, and those who trusted me...
Adso
I once sincerely believed that great power was the answer to everything.
Adso
But I was wrong.
Adso
My decades in the Hall of Writings washed my heart clean of my arrogance and stupidity. I understood that the only thing left in my life was a mission.
Adso
A mission to serve the truth, the very virtue that Kjeragandr carved upon each and every one of our souls.
Adso
And so, to repent deeply...
Adso
For the injurious plots against my neighbors. For my despicable tearing away of parent from child. For my lust for power. For the lies that poured from my deceitful tongue.
Adso
...
Adso
If... If Kjeragandr truly existed, how could She ignore all I did?
Fire. A fire from out of nowhere.
Or rather, it is a fire lit decades ago. A well-crafted trap that has finally found its prey.
A fire that has burned for thousands of days finally sweeps in furiously, engulfing all that Adso sees.
...Get out of here. It was us who found this unfreezing lake first!
Zalak Clanswoman
Nonsense, we were the ones who found it first. Our brains and agility let us look out from atop the tallest branches, so we're the real masters of the lake!
Ursus Clansman
Sure, you've got good eyes, lets you spot water and fruit, but you've got weak limbs. You can barely do anything without wobbling like a baby.
Ursus Clansman
If it wasn't for our strong arms smashing those rocks to open up the mountain pass, nobody would be able to get here!
Feline Clansman
And what about us?
Feline Clansman
It was us who crossed the streams, us who led the way for you, and us who guard the lake day in and day out. We're the ones who make sure parasites don't dirty the water, so we're the ones who should own the heart-lake!
???
Why must you fight among yourselves again...?
???
There is enough water here for all to drink, and enough forest for all to build homes.
Zalak Clanswoman
My word... These fruits and crops... How are they growing out of nothing?
Ursus Clansman
Is this one of your miracles? We should make you our leader.
Feline Clansman
From now on, we wish to hear your will, to follow your teachings.
???
It was all of you together who awakened me.
???
I have seen all the hardships you endured as you came here from every corner of the land... Your instincts tell you to slay one another, and your instincts tell you to aid one another.
???
But what can be achieved through strife can also be achieved through sharing and communication. It is already so difficult to survive upon this land. Must you add harming each other to the mix?
???
From here on, you need not regard each other as enemies. Enjoy what this land has to offer as equals.
It was the beginning of it all.
She appeared amidst the people, worked Her miracles, resolved their disputes.
The three clans began to live together. From then on, this land had a name.
Your Majesty... This book recording the history of Kjerag is complete. Pray, look over it the once.
Royal Minister
We do not dare forget a single line of Your teachings. We shall abide by Your every commandment.
???
No... No need.
???
You must remember my words, and the road you have followed here, but most importantly, remember the first kindness you felt in your hearts.
???
You must reflect upon yourselves, see clear your own hearts, and make them clean. So long as you hold goodness within your hearts, you shall not walk down false paths.
???
I have nothing more to teach you. The road ahead is yours alone to walk.
???
I believe... It is time for me to rest.
Royal Minister
Her Majesty has left...
Royal Minister
She told us to live as we have, but if there is nobody to command the Three Great Clans, how can we have faith in others?
Royal Minister
No... We must hurry back to our lands and warn our people. We must beware invasion from the other clans!
Kjeragandr left, and as She did, She returned authority to Her people.
The wheel of history turned back to the beginning, and it seemed that the peaceful days of the past were but a fleeting dream...
Indeed. You are the next Saintess. Please prepare your luggage.
Chosen Saintess
My family still needs me. It's sowing season, after all. They won't be able to till the soil without me, and if that happens, they'll starve come winter.
Chosen Saintess
What about the lady from before? Where did she go after she came back from the mountains? Didn't you say that only she needed to climb?
Vine-Bead Court Cleric
...
Vine-Bead Court Cleric
We need an answer, and need someone to bring that answer back to us. She was unable to fulfill her duty, and so the task falls to another.
Vine-Bead Court Cleric
It is a great duty. The weight of the lives of all Kjerag rests upon your shoulders. Please come with me, Saintess.
Rubbish! Complete nonsense! I can't believe you would lie to a little girl like that!
Don't listen to him! Go tell your family that you shouldn't throw your life away like that!
