Chapter 14: Article in the making and the tainted song of the rell

A week later, Lud is being interviewed by a news reporter that works on the Elysium's newspaper called "Hypocrite's Elysium". They are sitting in a cafe that is quite popular in Elysium and the reporter lady starts by asking Lud "So, Lord Faust, it has been nine days since the conflict started with the neighboring kingdom of Rucksta. How are things going in your opinion?" Lud answers "On our side, things have been doing quite well. The supplies that Vortias has sent to us, while few, are appreciated by the soldiers fighting on the front lines. Also the rehabilitation of our prisoners of war has shown some fruit, though we are still careful to not let anyone with ulterior motives out just yet."

Then the reporter asks "And how about you Weiss?" To which Weiss answers "It is clear to anyone who has been in the front lines, be it Elysium or Rucksta, that who is winning. It is unfortunate what happened to king Jeremaja and how he nor prince, or I should now say, acting king Soramaja haven't agreed to the terms set by king Faust."

The reporter then asks Weiss "There is a rumor that you have joined Elysium's legion. Is this true and if so, which battalion have you joined?" To this, Weiss answers "While it's true that I have formed the contract with Faust in regards to joining his legion, I am currently in the process of training myself to join any of the battalions officially. Sarah seems quite eager to have me in her battalion, but so far there have been many objections from the other battalion commanders as well as special officer Li Last."

The reporter then asks "Speaking of the tenth battalion commander, what is your take on the incident that happened in Ruckterra?" To which Weiss has a sad look for a moment, but gathers herself and says "While it pains me that my former countrymen have perished in that incident, it is the prize that countries have to be willing to pay when starting a war."

The reporter asks further "Are you resentful at the tenth battalion commander?" To which Weiss says "I… don't know the answer to that yet. Some of the people she killed were people that I knew personally and had shared precious memories together. I… understand that this is the prize of being in a war but… I feel sad to think about it…" There is a pause before Weiss continues "But… I heard that Sarah is doing some special training with the special officer Li Last that we hope will help her control her destructive instincts. Also Faust himself promised to me personally that he'd do his best to avoid such a tragedy repeating."

The reporter says "The king himself made a promise to you? Now that is something. Your thoughts on the matter, Lord Faust?" To which Lud answers "It is because of my shortcomings that the incident in Ruckterra was allowed to happen. So I would have made that promise to myself even if Weiss wouldn't have joined Elysium's legion."

The reporter looks at her notes and says "I see, I see. So now that I got the bigger things, how about we go to the little juicy parts. So how is your sex life, Lord Faust?" Lud spits out the coffee he just drank and is choking on it a little. Weiss tries to help him as she asks the reporter "Isn't it a little distasteful to ask something like that from your king?" To which the reporter says "Oh, it is perfectly okay to ask these things. According to the founder Lenlylelu "The most exciting news is often about people's sex lives. Especially the celebrities. Sure, they aren't useful news to most people, but they are something normal people just can't ignore." Or something along those lines."

Once Lud has gathered himself, he comments "So it was one of Lenlylelu's antics again. Typical." And the reporter says to that "Oh, it doesn't end there. The late king Roland also said regarding the subject, "oh let me take a look, I brought the news from back then with me." The reporter digs a newspaper from her bag and starts to read "King Roland said regarding the subject: "Good question. Since I'm minor in real life, I think these kinds of things shouldn't be asked from me. But if I'm being honest, I dig Asian chicks quite a bit. Add some "gal" motif to it and perfection. And also I think I'm a total sub, by the way."

Lud feels huge second hand embarrassment, but the reporter continued "Then Tina's part says "I'm bisexual woman. Not gay or gaysexual. Just bisexual." Then Tina started to say heatedly "No matter what Tod says, I'm not gay. I've had three boyfriends, of which one I was engaged with. Now I'm married to the woman of my dreams and we have three kids together." During the interview, Tina rose up from her chair and started to say the next words quite loudly "Even if Tod has doctorates in all kinds of fields, that doesn't mean that he can say "I diagnose you with gay" and s**t! I know that he is smirking behind that basket and it pisses me off to no end!" Then the founder Tina proceeded to hail insults at Tod after this and the interview ended." End paragraph."

Lud then reminisces, "Tod would always find a way to get on Tina's nerves, that's for sure." Then the reporter says "The next noteworthy paragraph is Lenlylelu's. It said "I'm a 16 year old virgin girl and I'm totally into guys above thirty or so. I totes have hots for one of my teachers right now and I plan to try to lead him on a bit. Hopefully he doesn't end up like the other three" After asking Lenlylelu to elaborate, she said "Those three went too far with a minor and are now in jail. I've also gotten several people in a lot of trouble on the internet and I'm not planning on stopping. So far the teacher that I have hots for right now has told me to not continue with my teasing he calls "Antics", so I have great expectations from the guy. I even managed to get his work phone number and I'm trying to get him to get me his private number. Hopefully he won't bite before I am a legal adult so that things won't turn out troublesome for him. Also he is single and probably a virgin. And if you are making dad take this kind of interview, then I have a little something for you. For you see, I once saw a cosplay outfit in the laundry, so I asked mom about it and then she showed the wardrobe full of her cosplay outfits. She didn't say what they were for, but I saw some maid, succubus, nurse and police outfits in there." End of the paragraph."

Weiss is starting to have a doubtful look at Lud after hearing what information respected people in Elysium have given to the public. Then the reporter continues "And we also have Tod's interview and it says "Sexual preferences are but preferences! They do not tell about the truth of the mind necessarily, but can allude to something greater! For example, just because someone likes to see someone in cosplay, doesn't mean that you are necessarily into it! It also does not mean that they AREN'T into it, but all you have to do is ask and they deliver should their tolerance to it allow it! As for myself, I prefer someone shorter than me for sure and luckily, I have a wife that is just that! I do not care about other puny matters since I have a broad mind that has escaped the box of confinement!" Then after asking about Lenlylelu behavior towards older men, Tod answered "My child knows how to handle herself! When she hadn't even hit the double digits and saw one of her upperclassmen being harassed by a teacher, she dropkicked the guy right in the face! She got into trouble that day, but luckily she was smart enough to record the teacher's behavior before showing her kick of JUSTICE!" Then Tod said in a very serious tone of voice "Come to think of it, I think that's the event where she developed the fixation of catching predators. I hope I didn't spoil her too much." And then right back to yelling "Yes! She has been trained well in all kinds of matters and she carries a stun gun for self defense just in case! PERFECTLY LEGAL one I might add!" Then after asking about the 69th Finger of Xu, Tod gave an answer "69 is the sex number! There is an idiom that says "Popping kids like rabbits" indicating a lot of sex! What else is there to say?!" The reporter at that time was about to end it there, but then Tod continued to speak loudly "And if it weren't for those devs and the limitations they have put on this game, I would have made the number of fingers go to the thousand! There is 420 which is the weed number! 666 which is the mark of the beast, aka. the devil's number. And then there is the 911. Kids in this age would think of it mostly as the emergency number, but there is a darker history to that! Yes, I would have made a mechanical girl based on one of the most horrific events of the last century! If we can joke about A.H. We can joke about that day as well, damnit! Yes! I would have made that mecha girl be…" And due to certain reasons, further commentary was recommended to not be published by one of the more older founders. Tod was severely reprimanded by said founder with arguable results according to our sources. End of the paragraph."

Lud is facepalming hard, but the reporter is relentless and asks him "So, how about that answer, King Faust?" To which Lud answers "No comment."

Then the reporter says "Also, Tod said in the article that "If Faust doesn't answer truthfully, then he has failed."" Lud just looks at the reporter for a second and eventually says "I don't have any romantic interests at the moment." As he said that, Lud felt a nagging feeling that statement was false, but he couldn't understand why that was.

Then the reporter asks another question "So the rumor about you and the tenth battalion commander going out is also false?" To which Lud asks "Where did that come from? No, I'm not going out with Sarah nor any of my subordinates." That statement felt a little more true than the last one, but Lud could't pinpoint why that was.

Then the reporter asks "Since we are back on the topic of tenth battalion commander, where is she right now? People have been wondering about her absence for the past week." Lud then says "He is…"

And the scene changes to Sarah and Li sparing on the Turris Sepulcrorum. Neither is using any weapons and they keep attacking each other in rapid succession. Sisu, who's watching on the sidelines, can barely keep track of the two's moments.

While sparing, Sarah starts to smile a little, and Li says to that "You are losing focus Ms. Livendig." And Sarah pauses for a split second and calms herself. 

After one particular strike that Li landed on Sarah, Li says "I think we can take a break for a moment. Remember to not overexert yourself, Ms. Livendig." Sarah whines a little as she says "Eeeeh?! But it was getting good! My heart is pounding so fast that I want…"

Li stops Sarah from speaking by saying "This training is for your self control. Overindulging will only be detrimental for your growth. Rest." Sarah says with a disappointed voice "Yes old man Li."

Then Sarah goes to sit where Sisu is sitting and Sisu hands her a bottle of water. Sarah says "Thank Sisu." To which Sisu responds with a nod."

While Sarah is drinking some water while sitting, Sisu says to her "Hey Ms. Livendig. Do you…" And Sarah stops her by saying "Didn't I tell you to not call me that. Just call me Sarah like everyone else. I don't want another old man Li in my life."

Sisu says "I see. Well then Ms… Sarah… Do you think that the way Mr. Li is acting is a little bit strange?" Sarah just says after swallowing some water "I mean I did ask him to teach me something strange and the ana he's pouring into me is making it harder for me to control myself. But I don't think that he is acting anything out of the ordinary. At least not so much that'd I notice."

Then Sisu says "I feel like Mr. Li is the type of person who'd enjoy teaching others. But when you came to ask him to teach you to control your bloodlust, he refused repeatedly until Mr. Faust got involved. And when he is teaching me, he has an aura that is welcoming or happy, but when he is teaching you, I can feel a certain distance and sadness in him that he doesn't do very often. Is it only me who is thinking that?"

Then Sarah ponders for a moment and says "Well… if I'd have to make comparisons, he was a lot more… inviting than he was when we fought in the tower. Back then it was like… "If you'd defeat me, I'd be happy" type of vibe. Hmmm… I'm not good with anything like this, so why don't we go and ask him directly?"

Sisu says "We can't just do that. I'm sure he wouldn't give us an answer just like that." And Sarah responds with "Here he comes now. I'm going to ask him." Sisu tries to stop her by saying "Wait don't…" But Sarah said to Li "Hey old man Li, is the break already over? But before we start, I want to ask you something."

Li says "Sure." And Sarah asks "Why do you feel different now compared to when we first fought?" To which Li answers "There are a lot of things you don't know and a lot of things you shouldn't know." Sarah gets a little offended by this and says "What is that supposed to mean? I know I'm not very smart, but that's mean."

Li says "I'm only doing this because our lord wished it to be so. Do you still want to continue or…" Sarah says "I want to continue! Sheesh, what's with your attitude? Sisu was right, you are acting strange." Li says while looking at Sisu "She said that?"

Sisu thinks for a moment and then says "I only thought that you not wanting to teach Ms. Sarah was a bit odd. Nothing more." Li looks at her for a while longer, but then turns away and says "You remember what I taught you yesterday Sarah?" The two continue the training.

Li is thinking "I'm teaching my own flesh and blood to control herself. Something I thought I never had to do. Her technically being a half rell and me teaching her something reminds me of those peaceful days I had with my siblings.

Combat. Combat was something that we as a rell trained just for the sake of it. An art form so to say. But when the gods came, it turned into something much more… deviation of what it was originally learned for.

Having to teach her to control bloodlust, something I once thought no rell would experience, with the use of ana. I explained to her that some non-rells may be born with the ability to control ana like a rell, but while that was true, it was mostly only to the players. Using ana to bring out bloodlust feels wrong to me. Ana was never meant to be used like that and I feel like I'm feeling like I'm doing the same thing as gods of our world did. Bastardizing the gift that our parent gave us.

It's been a while since I came to see her as my own, but I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I am going to keep it hidden for my whole existence, that hasn't changed. I just… I don't know how I should… guide this child. Do I do it like I did to those players or do I go for a different approach?

Then there is the whole matter of me teaching the cross between me and Kalpa to… to learn how to not go to a rampage. Why did it turn out like this? … I know the answer to that already. My malice must have been absorbed to her when she was but an egg. The will to… see everything turn to ash. Consequences be damned.

There are also a lot of things that I don't know about Kalpa or her power over death and rebirth. I can no longer go and ask her and all that I have left is what this child in front of me is.

Are these thoughts… something that those who are in charge of guiding the next generation also feel. No… What parents also feel. I'm at a loss. Since those two have noticed something off of me, I have to reconsider my approach. 

Am I acting for others, or myself? I… have thought only to watch over others for so long, guiding them along the way. But has the only moment when I acted for myself led to… the path of self annihilation? When she… died… I simply waited for several ages to just pass on by, not caring for anything other than grief of my loneliness. The grief that… I no longer had someone… to share the gift that our parent gave us. And through that loneliness, the answer I came to, to achieve the end that others around me had. To create… the final dot in the book that is my life. The last breath of air that flows when my song ends. Yes, when I once truly acted for myself… I gave life… to end life. And watching what I'm doing now makes you feel some level of irony if you know the full context.

And now, whilst teaching my own daughter to restrain herself, I feel disgusted by many things. Iprove? You who was created for the nihilistic ideas of your father?! Ideas that scream out that there is no point in continued existence! The only path to salvation, my salvation, is to find that end that eludes me! Your existence is to destroy everything! To destroy the world! Destroy everything so that there is no longer need to be a witness to watch it all! You say to me that you don't want to cause trouble for others, but you are the answer to all life's troubles! The end! The very end of the world! Why are you…

…

…

…

*Sigh*

Look at yourself Argus. You are letting your needs come in front of others again. And where has it led you? Look at yourself. That is no way to treat people, let alone a child born of your and Kalpa's essence. 

…

…

…

Watch her. So obvious, she is. Trying to do something that defies your own existence.

And watch me. A man who, if given the opportunity, will lead the world to its destruction. Feeling that my needs come on top of others and feeling disgusted otherwise.

God killer? No, I'm more than that.

No you are not. You want the world to end. More than a god killer? No. You are less than that. Aiming for bigger fish is less. Wanting to be more means that you'd want to be like the girl in front of you. Someone wanting to better the world. Your desires have long gone from a simple watcher to seeker of the end.

I truly am… a despicable excuse… of a living being."

The will of the rell has long been pressing on Li's mind. The remaining rell that formed into that tower have passed on their will to Li. If you only look at the surface, you see the will to preserve what is left of the rell. But if you look deeper, you see the hatred of things that was once foreign to the rell.

Wanting to take revenge on those who took the gift of their parent. The childish thoughts of "If I can't have it, no one can" running through the songs that are sung in the tower of mythril.

"Why is it that we had to go?"

"Why is it that they get to have it?"

"Why can they continue, but we cannot?"

The tainted songs of the rell have hunted the last rell for so long. The songs once sung to see the joy in things are now sung to pave the path to an end.

What is it that Lud wants?

What is it that Sarah wants?

What is it that Elysium wants?

What is it that the world wants?

What is it that Maumar wants?

What is it that the gods of this world want?

What is it that the rell wants?

What is it that Li Last wants?

And finally.

What is it that "Argus" wants?