Spoiler:
A lovely suntouched meadow, and a gentle breeze. A small basket atop a homely blanket, with an extravagant amount of food on display. A young individual with three fair maidens, all sharing a special moment together that they will forever treasure in their hearts.
Yet-
"Do you not feel ashamed to see your cooking displayed beside the grand cuisine of Rome, Caster?"
"Ohoho, shouldn't it be the other way around? See, just look at what you've prepared. You've even brought bugs again!"
Wasn't there something wrong with this scenario?
"Do not underestimate the savory taste of salt-roasted escargot! Besides, how can one expect to be sated from your meager portions of seafood and rice?"
"That's because it's for people of class, Saber-san. I wouldn't expect a beastly woman like you to be satisfied with something like this."
Hadn't we just gone through this?
A new territory had been found, Nero had said. With SE.RA.PH expanding day by day, occurrences like these were common. In this case, it was a land where fire and ice not only coexisted, but thrived together: an implausible concept, yet one that existed nonetheless. Some had already taken to calling it the 'Norse Area' for its similarity to a certain region on Earth.
Since a place so unusual was bound to be beautiful, Nero had suggested we go there for a picnic. A great idea, I had thought. What better opportunity to show Altera the new budding SE.RA.PH? Besides, with all we had been through, and all we were still going through due to the influx of new citizens, an afternoon picnic would have been the perfect retreat.
Yet why didn't I feel relaxed?
"Hmm, well I must concede, Caster. Perhaps your food can serve as suitable appetizers. After all, being a product of civilization, it too was made with a touch of Rome!"
"Not this again! You're beginning to sound like that old meat-brain!"
A memory came to mind. Only a few days after we had decided to go on the trip, Archer had come to me in secret. Apparently having caught wind of our plans, he had surprisingly offered to prepare the food we would need for our picnic. However, knowing Tamamo and Nero would feel depressed not being able to pitch in, I had been forced to decline. Looking back, it was hard not to think that he had been pitying me for some reason...
Oh, Archer. My vision has cleared now. Why didn't I grasp that hand of yours, and let you save me?
"Let this stubborn fox know the truth, Praetor. It is perfectly acceptable to admit my Roman cooking is unparalleled!"
"Ignore her, my beloved. Nothing will get through that thick skull of hers. Come, let us feast on the delicacies of Kyoto~!"
Before I could respond to either of them, I caught movement from the corner of my eye. Something had just ventured out of sight, moving behind a nearby boulder.
Altera?
I scanned the picnic area. As expected, a certain someone was missing. Tamamo and Nero had yet to notice, having fallen back to arguing about the deep intricacies of Japanese and Roman culture. I thought about letting them know about the situation, but quickly decided against it. It wouldn't be right to ruin this chance for them to bond, after all. I'd have to handle this one alone.
Once I spotted an opening, I sneaked away, and followed in the direction of our escapee. It did not take very long to catch up to her, as I was soon met with the sight of a small girl running up a hill, seemingly without a care in the world. Seeing Altera like this, something caught the better of me. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let her have some fun. I continued up the hill, making sure to keep my distance.
However, I soon realized it was not hard to avoid detection. Altera had already been lost to an entirely different world. Every other moment she would stop to gawk at a new thing she had discovered, or to start playing around. Whenever she came across some vegetation, she would spend a few minutes gathering what she could into a bundle, before eventually discarding it after being overwhelmed by something else. Nothing seemed mundane to her: the pebbles on the ground could be collected and thrown; the boulders could be climbed; the grass could be rolled around in. It was like she was an adventurous puppy on a walk, eager to see anything and everything. All of it was new and wonderful, and she would be the one to experience it all.
I smiled. It was strange to think of the first time we had met. Back then, she had been an instrument of destruction, an unstoppable force whose sheer presence was capable of overwhelming someone. She had changed so much since then, since that fateful finale. I wondered, was this side of her - the one running through these meadows, her expression glowing as bright as the sun - what that person had seen in her?
Honestly, I couldn't blame her for being so excited. Walking through this area, even I found myself caught in its splendor. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in SE.RA.PH. The scenic landscape before me was so undeniably earth-like in its appearance that it was hard to believe we hadn't stumbled back in time, back to the days when Earth was once lush and beautiful. If this place was a sign of what SE.RA.PH intended for humanity, maybe it really wasn't that strange to believe a new home could be found here.
That said, watching Altera run around blissfully like the child she was, I actually began to feel a bit worried. Maybe this was what they called 'parental instincts'. A while back, there had been some reports of animal life being spotted in certain regions of SE.RA.PH. Nero had actually told me a particular case about a lion, and how she'd like to see it. Which would have been an interesting idea if it weren't for the fact that this 'lion' also had a goat's head growing from its side and the tail of a snake.
I glanced back, in the direction of the others. We had gotten rather far.
Yeah, it was probably time to get going.
Altera had stopped once again, and was taking a rest on the edge of an incline. She stood there, staring off into the distance, and I naturally followed her gaze. Once again, I was taken back by how magnificent the view was. Down below was an area populated with great geysers, a few gushing forth sporadically. Further than that, lying on the horizon, were massive snow-capped mountains - though considering what I heard earlier from Archer, I wouldn't be surprised to learn they were actually volcanoes. Vast expanses of land were placed in between these two focal points, and it was far from barren. Vegetation, hubs of water, and while I couldn't see as far as I'd have liked, what even seemed like signs of movement. Small shapes were spread across the territory like seeds planted in soil, making enough movement that proved they were something more.
Still, rather than staying on the magnificent view, my eyes somehow kept drifting back to the small girl on that incline. The sight of her fixed there, the outline of her figure looking almost transient, reminded me of a certain dream. It was not a dream of mine, but one I was able to recall regardless. It was a dream of a young woman on horseback, atop a grassy hill, looking towards the coming horizon. Watching Altera, I had to wonder: what was she feeling? What was going through her mind? What exactly did she see out there, in those rolling hills and far-away mountains? Was it at all similar to that young woman from the dream that ended so long ago?
Without my knowing, my body had gotten rather heavy. I suddenly got the urge to rid myself of this stuffy feeling.
I crept closer to the edge of the incline. Altera was still lost in her own little world, and completely unaware of her surroundings. There'd be no better chance than this. She'd never see me coming.
I'm sure if Master Li would have seen me then, he would have 'ka-ka'-ed with immense pride.
"-ah!"
I pounced, and captured my target. However, to my surprise, she made no attempt to escape. Even the noise, which I expected to be a fearful scream, was more of a quiet yelp. Had I overestimated my skill?
"How'd you know it was me, Altera?" I said, laughing and loosening my grasp.
When she turned around, my heart collapsed. Her entire face was a mess. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and her lips were in a pout. The biggest frown that I had ever seen was plastered on her face.
"I-It's not right to bully", she said, sniffling as she did. It sounded like she would collapse into tears at a moment's notice. "Bullying is wrong."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was just a little joke!"
She didn't seem amused. As she continued to rub her eyes, my mind was in a panic. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? Had all my parental training been for nothing?
"You know", I said, trying my best to sound angry, "you shouldn't have run off by yourself in the first place. I'm sorry for scaring you, but that was your punishment."
She looked up to me expectantly. "Was I bad?"
"Yes, you were." Although she obviously wasn't doing it intentionally, the glossy eyes of hers were once again reminding me of an innocent little puppy. Being a parent was hard. "It's very dangerous to go off by yourself like that. Something could have happened to you."
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
I knelt down, and placed my hand on her head. "It's alright. Just don't do it again, okay?"
She shook her head, and the smile of hers began to return. Maybe I wasn't so bad at this after all.
While the last tears of hers dried, I noticed a small mark of colour on one of her hands.
"What's that?"
Surprised that I had noticed, she immediately tried to hide it, as if in embarrassment. But it only took a few seconds for her to give up, and then she showed me her left hand. A clover, as green as the surrounding area, was carefully tied around her ring finger. She must've picked it up just recently.
Ah, I finally realized. So that's what she saw.
Eyeing me nervously, she asked: "Do you like it?"
"Of course. It's beautiful."
When I saw her reaction, I knew the same thing could be said for her expression.
"Let's head back," I said, standing up. Before she could object, I added, looking back to the scene from before, "I'm sure Nero and Tamamo will want to see this, too."
Without a word, she grasped my hand, and the two of us returned together.
--
There once existed someone in this world whose existence had been destined to be short-lived from the very beginning. Having no memories; no desires of their own, they had simply been prepared to await their fate, like a prisoner awaiting their execution date.
However, in the void that was there existence, something that could be called a desire had been born. This desire had not been born from nothing, but rather from the whimsical dream of the one person they could consider their partner.
To return to those beautiful fields. To leave something meaningful behind. To live on, even if her hands were stained from past evils… these were the wishes of a weapon created only for annihilation. Transient and shallow, just like the civilizations she had once destroyed.
This person had taken upon these wishes, and in the end, sacrificed everything to transform them into something concrete.
For the sake of her future.
Today, we saw that future, in SE.RA.PH's beautiful flora and decorated landscapes. And while the person who created this future is no longer with us, rest assured, I will do everything in my power to protect it.
I swear to you.
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Originally Posted by Imperial
