Reaper Graesham Campaign: Sixth Interlude
#13 of Reaper 2
Interlude: Coal
"Memory is a mortal's foundation. Without memory, every step will always be new... but you will have no sense of direction because you will never know where you've been."
Antonio Shanks
From a Lecture at Dianna University
Rocky Rose
I watched Jacob and Max argue... Their voices carrying across the atrium of Eden.
I could see the reasoning of both sides...
It wasn't right to sacrifice a person... even if it was the save everyone else...
... but at the same time, what choice did we have?
I knew the extent of the Unsealed Factory beneath the Emerald Crown. It was a relic from my... from Conway's reign as Elemental Lord. I had it shut down the instant I came into power. MODD insisted I not destroy it. Since I was a MODD agent after all... I couldn't go against their will... no matter how much I wanted to.
I stood as the barrier between MODD and Graesham...
... but with Rose's memories inside me now...
... and with my body...
... how long would my barrier stand?
Everything... Everything just felt so wrong now...
Before, I didn't hold a shred of doubt in my mind... I could stand up to Jacob's taunts and criticisms... I could slay an army of Unsealed stretching from one horizon to the next... Even in the face of a terrible plague that had sapped others of hope... I held onto that hope...
But now...
Jacob took a threatening step towards Max. "I didn't see you out there fighting Conway." His fangs were bared and while he looked just like how the media had portrayed him as a mass murderer and psychopath... his eyes revealed the hurt soul inside. "It's so easy for you to call me a coward when I'm out there fighting and you're here playing doctor!"
Even in all my doubt... I guess I still held hope that deep inside... Jacob Reaper wasn't a bad person.
Max swept his staff in a broad gesture at the crowd around him. "I'm looking out for these people! I've been patching them up! Healing injuries that you were incapable of preventing!"
Injuries I could have also helped to prevent... I had trusted Conway... and how did he repay me...? He obsessed with who I had been and tried to bring that person back... even going as far as to sacrifice the souls of countless people in a devastating plague...
How could I call myself the Elemental Lord of Earth when I couldn't protect my people from one of my subordinates?
And now... more doubt was cast into my world as Norton had gone mad...
I gazed at my paws...
How could I find my footing and answer these questions when I didn't even know who I was?
"You are Rocky Groundwater."
That voice... It was one that had always guided me throughout my entire life... A voice that always reminded me of who I was... and who kept me on the path I had chosen... For so long, I had trusted that voice... but now...
... I realised that voice was just a Seal filtered my current memories... keeping me from being someone else...
In a way... I felt like I should be grateful to it... but at the other side of the spectrum... I doubted if who I was now was just so heavily reliant on that filter... that I had lost the opportunity to grow... I couldn't help but wonder... 'what if?'
"Never doubt. Never question. When you question, you falter."
But I was faltering... The earth beneath my feet was shaking... and I couldn't find even footing.
"So you honestly think you could've done better!?" Jacob's roar shook me back to reality and I turned my gaze back towards "You think that you could've somehow prevented all these injuries, stopped Conway and Norton at the same time!?"
"Hell yeah!"
The conviction in Max's voice made me reflect on a time when I was exactly like that...
... and I also realised how naive I was...
"That wasn't naive. That was smart... determined."
Shut up.
The crowd cheered Max on... and I slowly realised why the people cheered me on. They didn't praise my words... They didn't love my actions... They gravitated towards my conviction... my strength. I was a beacon of hope for them... and I realised that while hope was a powerful weapon... it was also dangerous when wielded by the naive and ignorant.
"You weren't naive. You were as well-informed as you could have been at the time."
It doesn't change anything... I made foolish decisions...
I allied myself with Conway and inadvertently gave him power and access to what might have practically damned Graesham. I trusted Norton... and now he was going to unleash hell on everyone.
My decisions... had led to this...
"I respect your efforts to defend me, Max," Father Belford suddenly said, stepping in between both Jacob and Max. "But the decision is ultimately mine and I can see the value in making this deal with Norton." He folded his arms as if trying to protect himself. "I will go."
All fell silent...
I oddly felt hollow inside...
I know I should've felt shocked or pained that a major figure in my life was willingly sacrificing himself for the good of all... even if he did manipulate me.
But I... I just felt empty...
Like every time I tried to muster that emotion, doubt would creep in and question it...
"Never doubt. Never question. When you question, you falter."
I will falter when I damn well please!
"You realise he's going to execute you, right?" Jacob asked, looking perplexed. I guessed he had planned on dragging Belford kicking and screaming to Norton. Probably would've enjoyed it too.
It made me chuckle softly at how Jacob tried so hard to be evil... He was bad... but he wasn't evil.
I swear... If I wasn't convinced I was a guy, I would be hitting on him so badly...
"But you are_a guy."_
I chose not to comment on that.
"I do," Belford answered, nodding his head in a slow, grim pattern. "It is a necessary sacrifice. I have sinned and it is time for me to face judgement."
"Not afraid you'll burn in the deepest depths of the underworld for what you've done?"
The smile on Belford's lips was somewhat cynical but also saddened. "I can only pray that all my deeds bring me the appropriate judgement. No more, no less."
The crowd instantly began their protests, demanding Belford not give himself up for all of us.
Then, Gabriel stepped up and slammed his hammer into the metal floor. "This is absurd!" he roared, pointing his hammer at Jacob. "Even at half strength_all_ the Branded will be able to defeat Norton! Furthermore, you have the support of two Elemental Lords! Why go through the sacrifice of an innocent soul when you can destroy a corrupt one with no casualties!?"
I saw Kerry suddenly sweep forward, an icy wave of air washing over the crowd as she slammed her spears against Gabriel's hammer and pushed it to the ground.
"Because there are some of us who agree with the deal," she said with an icy stare.
Gabriel tried to shove her away but she was much quicker than he was. She pinned his hammer to the ground and levelled her other spear at his neck.
"I should've suspected a demon-witch like you to have sides with this criminal."
Oooh... Bad form there, Gabe...
_Everyone_knows that the first person to start throwing slander around is the one to first lose face.
"Would you just shut up and listen to what everyone is saying?"
I was surprised when Taylor stepped up and flanked Jacob. He always seemed the quiet time... though I guess with the impending Purge... everyone is a little on edge. "Belford wants to go through with it not because Jacob backed him into a corner. He wants to do it to save people. Jacob did the same. He made the deal to prevent people from getting hurt."
Good point... If that is why Jacob made the deal... I suspected he just wanted to get rid of Belford. He wasn't exactly subtle about how much he despised the priest.
Leonardo's gargantuan form rose up behind Jacob and he hugged Jacob tightly. "You view us as expendable. You treat us like fodder for the cannons on the wall."
"Cannon fodder," Jacob offered.
"Yes, cannon fodder," the big - and I will admit, very adorable - Tribal said, hugging Jacob tightly. "We are people too. Are our lives less valuable than Belford's? Are you not risking more by sending us all against Norton than simply losing one life?"
Envy crept into me as I recalled Leo's odd mix of innocence and intelligence... He was insightful and intelligent... but at the same time, the subtle nuances of everyday life made him seem addled mentally... Which was cute... at least in my opinion.
"You can destroy Norton with ease!" Gabriel retorted. The ram swung his hammer -
Clang!
...but suddenly had Rex's sword levelled at his neck.
Wow... Rex had really changed... I wonder what had changed in him...
"You know what you're afraid of?" Rex asked. "You're just afraid of the unknown. You're sure Belford will die and you don't want that. But you're not sure about what will happen after Belford dies."
"What would you do if the one sense of security in your life was being offered to be sacrificed for some hare-brained scheme!?" Gabriel asked, his eyes wavering and his fear clearly showing.
I saw Rex exchange smiles with Jacob...
I wondered what that meant...
Actually... No I didn't.
I do not want to know what happened between them.
"I'd go with their decision," Rex answered firmly. "Even if they're my light... they still have their life to lead."
"A life they're choosing to end because some idiot with a criminal record as long as the galaxy is wide suggested it!" Gabriel roared.
Suddenly, Belford placed a resolute hand on Gabriel's shoulder and pushed his disciple back. "Gabriel... my son. This is my decision. If Jacob Reaper had not suggested it, I would have willingly sacrificed myself for the good of our people." He then turned Gabriel to face him, placing both hands on the ram's shoulders. "You are using your prejudice against Jacob to guide your actions. Would you be this insistent had I suggested it?"
Gabriel's eyes faltered again... It was clear he was hiding his own hatred for Jacob and just pretending to fight for Father Belford as a means of getting back at Jacob. "Of course, Father!"
The ram fell to his knees, clutching the gorilla's hands firmly.
I felt a strong compulsion to followed his lead... but I shook that thought out of my system... and managed to remain standing. I was no longer tied to Belford... He was a major part of my life... more so than I would have wanted... but I had my own mind and will... I would not bow to him.
Everyone else did, however... Well... Excluding the MODD soldiers and the Branded.
"You are the sole sense of faith and light in this grim city!" Gabriel pleaded. "You have guided us in times of disaster! You have kept this city aloft with your teachings and your kind soul! Do not leave us in our hour of direst need!"
Laying it on heavy there, Gabe...
Belford gave a big, heavy sigh.
"No, my son..." the priest began softly but still loud enough for his voice to carry around the atrium. "We are all in need... Norton cries for blood... my blood. A sacrifice must be made. I am willing to pay it so that this bloodshed will end." He turned to the crowd, arms wide. "Come children, for this will be my last sermon. If anything, regardless of where I go in the afterlife, take heed of my words and my soul shall rest easy."
Belford glanced over his shoulder at Max. "Would you kindly ask Eden to raise a platform for me so that I may address my charges?"
Eden raised a platform for him. Jacob turned away in disgust and headed off into the hallways of Eden, followed by Max and Kerry. I was tempted to follow them but, for old time's sake, remained and listened to Belford's words.
"All mortals were forged from coal," Father Belford began. "When the Might Creator came down from his throne and graced our blackened world, he took all the coal in the ground and from it forged mortals. In each mortal species, he planted a different aspect, a different strength that would forge their species. Just as there are impurities in the coal we find today, there are impurities in us.
"He tasked all mortals with the goal of achieving perfection... of cleansing themselves of these impurities so that they may be worthy of entrance into Heaven and to sit by his throne! We are coal... and we must turn ourselves into diamonds."
The basic doctrine of the Holy Mountain... We are imperfect... and we much make ourselves perfect to enter paradise. Having believed that for so much of my life, I was now devastated upon realising that I was so far from perfection... I was as flawed as they could get... Everything I had done was essentially a lie...
"No it's not. They were done by you, Rocky Groundwater. If you were to be judged, it would be as Rocky not as a memory-less Rose Earthsire."
For once since regaining Rose's memories, that voice made sense... and actually helped me a little.
No doubt Father Belford would go through his entire repertoire of sermons in the three hours we had. He would have to breeze through a few sections but I had no doubt he could do it. One of the reasons I decided to leave him behind in favour of MODD - apart from keeping the peace between the two factions - was that I could never stay awake through any of his sermons.
Even now, I was fighting back a yawn.
I had to turn away and start heading after Jacob so that no one would see me stifling a yawn.
I wanted to talk to Jacob before we headed off to Norton...
I needed his assurance that... if I stopped being me...
Well... I would like to die as Rocky Groundwater... and no one else.
"But you are_Rocky Groundwater. How can you die as anyone else?"_
Sometimes... that voice is really annoying.
I decided to ignore it for now. I didn't need any more distractions.
I pushed Rose's memories back... and pushed forward... but where was I going?
What was left for me here?
Graesham was decimated... My command was shattered...
What good could come of this...?
I... I had failed...
My body just collapsed and I suddenly found myself leaning against one of Eden's walls. Tears streamed freely down my cheeks... and my heart ached...
My home was destroyed...
There was nothing left for me here...
How could I rebuild from this world?
I felt a warm touch against my cheek... and a finger brush away my tear.
I looked up... and found a familiar face... A face that I recognised... and that Rose recognised too...
"Soot..."
"Girls don't cry," he said in his dull, emotionless voice.
I had to straightened myself... In all the commotion, I had forgotten about my one remaining lieutenant... But knowing now that he had been my - no, Rose's boyfriend in the past... Could I really trust him?
What if he just wanted me to become Rose again...?
That was the last thing I wanted to happen...
"I'm not a girl!" I retorted, brushing him away and taking a few steps back.
"Mentally, perhaps," he answered.
"How did you get in here?" I demanded, drawing Earthborn. "Did Max let you in?"
Soot chuckled mildly and placed a paw on Eden. "This Animus is very wise... perhaps as sentient as Reaper's Animus... Spectre..." His eyes narrowed. "Hmmm... No... Not quite. It responds to emotion instead of actually having a soul... It can differentiate friend from foe with their emotions... Unsealed are repelled because of relentless hunger... enemies for their hatred and dark hearts...
"But as for myself... I have no emotions... Perhaps the only weakness of this otherwise impenetrable fortress."
No emotions...?
How was that even possible?
Could he be that heartless?
"How can you have no emotions? That's impossible."
"Not so when you are nothing but a hollow shell held together by a magical symbol."
A hollow...?
I staggered back in horror. "You're a Puritan!"
Soot chuckled and nodded. "Indeed. Ironic, is it not, that the weakest of my species are so monstrous and yet the most powerful are so similar to your Mortaelians that it is difficult to tell them apart."
I levelled by weapons at him. "Stay back! I'm warning you!"
A Puritan!
This was bad... This deep inside Eden... with so many people around... No backup and Eden being unable to help...
I was in trouble.
Puritans were frightening in power... In my young career as an Elemental Lord, I had only ever encountered one and it nearly killed me!
And now one of my lieutenants was one!
He would know all my tricks!
"I will not harm you," Soot said, raising a paw calmly. He leaned against the wall, arms folded. "I have just come to talk."
I didn't want to believe him... but there was just something... about the way he spoke that made me trust him. Even if he spoke in such a dry, emotionless drawl and his eyes were like empty discs to me... I did feel a degree of benevolence from him.
"Then what do you want?"
Soot didn't answer.
I waited for what must have been five minutes to get a response... Nothing...
I guess I'll have to get this conversation rolling. I didn't dismiss my Seal Weapons, however.
Topics... Topics... Hmm... What do you say to the guy that was supposed to be your boyfriend but you don't ever remember that...? Or, for that matter, you think you're a boy and you aren't gay?
Yeesh... I should start with that...
Actually...
"So... If you don't have emotions... Do you feel anything... about me...?"
Soot regarded me and shook his head. "What feelings Luke felt for you are long gone. I am not Luke. I am an amalgamation of Luke and all the relationships that Rose Earthsire had forged before Belford made you. I am Soot. A collection of impure carbon particles formed from combustion."
I guess that was true...
A thousand incomplete memories... all come together to form Soot...
I wasn't sure if I should feel pity for this creature or heartbroken that he didn't feel anything for me.
Then again... I suppose it's better this way... No complications.
He has no emotions for me... and I have nothing for him.
It worked out well.
"So why did you join MODD and my division if you don't feel anything for me?"
"What else could I do?" Soot answered. "I am a Puritan Unsealed. MODD would hunt me down. They have the means. However, if I joined MODD, their own ranks are where they are least likely to look for an Unsealed."
I suppose that's true... MODD is so secure in our own power that we hardly screen our own troops anymore... I guess that's how Soot managed to bypass our security measures.
"May I ask you something?" Soot suddenly asked.
"Curiosity is an emotion, you know," I answered with a smirk.
"The answer is not for my benefit."
Oh... it was one of those questions.
"Would it be truly bad if you were to accept that you were Rose Earthsire at one point in your existence?"
I was tempted to slap him but I held back. "I am not Rose."
"You aren't now but at one point, you were."
"No I wasn't!" I jabbed his chest with Earthborn. "And if I have to accept I was Rose, you have to accept you were Luke Armstrong at one point! Rose's lover!"
He narrowed his eyes at me. I still couldn't detect any emotions from him. "I have accepted that." He turned his gaze away from me, eyes still narrowed. "I find it fascinating... There are five of us... perhaps six who have had our memories drastically altered."
He lifted a finger and began counting the individuals off.
"First there was Conway... Whose very purpose of living was stolen from him... He was tasked by his wife to forever love their daughter but when his love was permanently snatched from him, the core of his being crumbled and he was forever haunted by the terrible things he performed during his time as a madman. His memories constantly haunted him... and he chose to dedicate his life to righting the wrongs that cannot be righted."
Soot uncurled a second finger. "Then there was Norton... Like Conway, he was haunted by his past. His reason for living was snatched from him but he chose to hold it close to him and has worked tirelessly to ensure that the tragedies of the past never repeat themselves again. To this end, he has attempted to distance himself as much as possible from his pain but was never aware or rather, refused to acknowledge that he was carrying it around with him the entire time."
A third finger came up. "Then, of course, there is myself. I am not Luke Armstrong. I am Soot. My memories are a combination of all the memories of those that were connected to you and Luke's. However, unlike the others, they have merely collided with one another and negated one another. I am simply left with emotionless images. I see them. I acknowledge they are mine. But I could not care less."
His fourth finger rose. "Gabriel is another. Supposedly a vessel empty of memories so Belford placed your original Seal into him, giving him some degree of personality to reforge more memories. An empty creature of no memories... Quite the opposite of me, really."
Soot tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Of course, that leaves us with you, Rocky. You have two sets of memories. Two different personalities. Two seemingly opposite personalities from all accounts. You've essentially had a fresh start. But now the first set of memories is coming back... and one has to question which one will prove to be the dominant one.
"I find it mostly interesting how you are somewhat an opposite to Jacob Reaper. While he accepts his past, that perhaps he could have been a totally different person to who he is now, you reject it, constantly insisting that you were never that person. Even before Conway was killed and his Seal released to you, you vehemently rejected the idea that you were Rose Earthsire at one point or another... Perhaps it is the work of a Seal... perhaps not."
I was starting to draw some pretty crazy comparisons here...
Conway and Norton... Conway got stuck in the past... Norton pulled away as far as he could...
Gabriel and Soot... Gabriel was an empty soul with no memories but overly emotional... Soot was overflowing with memories but emotionless...
Then there was me and Jacob... both he and I had our pasts erased in a way... but where I rejected it... He accepted it... or rather, he didn't care.
Who of us was better off?
Ultimately, when the end came, who of us would survive.
"Well," Soot said, lowering his paw and pushing off the wall, "I assume that since you are not attacking me, you won't kill me." He turned his back and began striding away.
"Wait!" I cried but found myself unable to actually stop him.
I knew he was an Unsealed... I knew that I had to because of my duty to MODD... but to my duty to a friend...
I suddenly began to doubt again...
Maybe all we knew about the Unsealed wasn't true...?
I expected that voice to come back and start telling me not to doubt because doubt gives way to weakness or something... But it didn't say a thing.
"One more question," Soot said, stopping in mid-step and turning around to face me. "What is it about that aniga, Starboy, that has both you and Luke so fascinated?"
I didn't want to answer that question...
... but I found myself searching deep into my memories - Rose's memories - and finding a time in the distant past...
I saw Luke... and Rose... Back then, Rose had long hair and Luke... She called him 'Sooty' because he was a polar bear with permanently black splotches all over his fur from working in the foundries. Rose was constantly in training from Conway... but at night, when everyone thought she had gone to sleep, she would sneak out and meet Luke.
Together, they'd sneak out to Luke's house where his father would keep them fed and entertained with shows from Luke's aniga collection. Apparently, Rose liked Starboy because the protagonist reminded her of Soot. She would glance at him bashfully every now and then when she thought he wasn't looking. He was so kind to her... Everyone else at the base treated her either so delicately like she was a princess made of glass or a weapon for war to be forged into perfection.
She cried... at the ending...
It surprised me that I had somehow maintained the same appreciation of that show after having my memory erased...
"No. That was not something inherited from Rose. That was simply something you desired. It has no relation to Rose whatsoever."
I really didn't believe that...
I think... I think some part of me does remember being Rose... and that has translated into who I am today... There is some part of us... that will always remember... No matter who we turn into... no matter how our memories are affected... It will remember. It is what is judged by the Divine when we pass into the realm of the dead.
And... I think it is there to try and steer us in our everyday lives...
Maybe... maybe I should be like Jacob... Maybe I should accept who I was...
"Rose thought that the Princess was a lot like her and that Black was a lot like Soot," I answered softly. "She always imagined that in the end, the Princess would end up with Black... and in her heart, that is how she wanted her story to end. Unfortunately..."
Soot nodded. "I see." He turned around again and began heading away once more. "I wish you luck in your endeavour Rocky Groundwater. Remember, however, that memory is simply a recording made by you about events that have transpired. Learn to view them objectively... and perhaps you will see the truth masked by the memories."
What was he talking about...?
What truth?
What was I missing?
*****
It was like a funeral procession... and in a way... that was exactly what it was.
Father Belford's followers were dressed as dark as possible. No one had managed to grab any spare clothing on their way out of their homes so they tried to convince Max to give them some dark clothing. It would've been a pain to make black clothing for everyone so Max simply gave them all black armbands to wear.
They all marched solemnly towards the Unsealed Factory with Father Belford at their lead...
I was really regretting not having destroyed that goddamn factory...
I straightened myself and took a deep breath... Whatever happened... I had resolved that it was because of my actions... my decisions... not something that Rose made me do. Okay... fine... I was Rose Earthsire at one point -
"No you are not. You are and always have been Rocky Groundwater."
Shut up, Voice!
Anyway... I am Rocky Groundwater... I was Rose Earthsire.
"You -"
Not listening to you!
But... I am Rocky Groundwater now...
I looked towards Jacob who flanked the door leading down into the factory.
He just radiated confidence... not a single shred of doubt... and to think that all came from his acceptance of who he was... of who he might have been. He wasn't stuck in the 'what ifs' or 'what could've beens'. He learned from his mistakes... he moved forward... and he became stronger.
I wanted to be just like that.
Gaining strength from my newly found inspiration, I straightened my back and began marching down into the factory. I took my stand beside the Branded and watched as Belford stepped up to Norton. A few words were exchanged... Then Norton held up a Universal Release Switch. He strapped it to Belford's neck... and I instantly knew he planned on decapitating the priest.
Not going to say I approve... but that's pretty damn clever.
Resigning himself to his fate, Father Belford accepting the dark gift and spun around to face us.
"My actions were not always steered by the light!" he announced, lifting his hands into the air as if welcoming death. "I am mortal. I am prone to succumb to my flaws and I have made many, many, many mistakes. In my position of power, I have used many of you... unwittingly or not.
"Ultimately, the source of this suffering can be pointed to me."
I guess... I didn't want to believe that simple truth... That Father Belford... someone who I had accepted into my life was at fault for everything that had occurred in my life... Whether he ruined it or not... I can't say...
But after this... It'll all be over...
"I was once a MODD researcher...I was delving into the possibilities of creating a Seal that did not require mortal sacrifice. Yes, in the days past, a Seal was the soul of a loved one given up for power. The greater the connection between the loved one and the user, the greater their Synchronisation with the Seal."
Yes... I knew that... I remembered reading his profile... In fact, I had invited him to come back to MODD when I became an Elemental Lord. I firmly believed that everyone deserved a second chance. That's why I offered that chance to Conway... I had dreamed that with the former enemies under the one roof, I could instil a lasting peace upon Graesham.
Boy was I naive...
"It was ultimately my research that led to the production of more powerful Seals for MODD as I discovered that personality traits could be sacrificed in order to produce as Seal. You can sacrifice your tendency to laugh at inappropriate times or your beautiful singing voice and that could all make a Seal.
"I researched the greatest source of this newfound resource of Seals... and I discovered that the strongest emotion that can produce a Seal... is by far the simplest... Love." Belford was actually starting to tear up as he lifted his head to the ceiling. "I convinced Conway Earthsire to sacrifice his love for his daughter, Rose, to become a new Seal that he could use."
I jerked my head up towards the priest...
I didn't know that...
... Conway... He gave his love... for me...?
What... What would've his life been like?
A life without love...?
Father Belford closed his eyes briefly, a tear running down his cheek. I could see his knees quaking. "But my experiment failed. Love is the core of all existence and by taking it out of Conway, I had deprived him of his core... and he was left with nothing but a deep, longing emptiness that he could not fill. However, the Seal could be compatible with his daughter and I made my second mistake by convincing Conway to give the Seal to Rose... and telling him to train her in its use in the hope that their bonding experience will revitalise the love in his heart..."
I had been empowered by my father's love...
... and I had used that love against him...
Oh Conway...
Now, Father Belford was openly crying. "I was wrong... Rose grew bitter for Conway's actions as such actions were one made by a commanding officer and not a father. Rose grew up without a father... and she resented that existence. She lashed out and fled MODD... Conway gave chase not for love... but in desperation of losing the one source that could fill that hole in his heart...
"Rose, however, did not die that day... She was barely alive... and brought back to the Emerald Crown."
I was encapsulated by a deathly silence...
Vague memories flashed through my mind...
I remembered lying on the ground with Conway standing over me, looking disgusted... maybe disappointed... Around me were the bodies of countless MODD soldiers and the wreckage of their equipment.
I had killed so many...
"A waste..."_Conway snarled. _"Get the Eternal Seal here! I want everyone here_used to become a Seal! Maybe we can salvage something out of this operation..."_
I see...
My Seal... the Seal of Earth...
It came from the souls of all those people I had killed as Rose...
I clutched at my heart... I knew Seals came at dire prices... but the irony burned me hard that the sins I had caused in one life empowered me in this one.
"I realised my mistakes then," Belford cried. "So, in an attempt to rectify my sins... I attempted to give Rose a new lease on life... A new beginning."
I may have gotten a new lease on my life... but I was still stuck on the same, old mortgage plan...
You can't run away from your past like Norton... You can't undo the past like what Conway tried to do... You can't pretend they aren't there as Soot claimed... and you certainly can't become consumed by them like Gabriel...
You have to acknowledge them... and grow from them...
I know Jacob hasn't really been exposed to his past yet... but his ideal... They way he approaches it...
... I think...
I want to be like that.
"Thus, I took from Rose her memories of the past and made it into a Seal..." Belford said, his voice growing softer with every word. "I then created a Seal with the purpose of constantly sacrificing her present memories and leaving only fragments that will maintain her current personality... Lastly, I took the memories of everyone else and made them into a Seal, leaving only what is now commonly believed...
"These three Seals I gave to Conway Earthsire, Norton Manx... and Soot. Unfortunately, because of this, I gave Conway the means by which he could create the Fossilisation Plague in a twisted attempt to resurrect his daughter... He may have created the Plague and he may have been the forefront of all the suffering you have endured... but it was I who had set the gears in motion."
Belford lowered his head. "And for that... I am sorry."
Norton lifted his blade for the finishing blow. "Your forgiveness comes with your death, old man!"
I wanted to stop him...
... but... at the same time, I just wanted this nightmare to end...
I wanted to get rid of my past... so that I could finally stand and be myself...
SWISH!
...
Thunk...
... Ka-thunk...
THUD!
I held my breath... And it took me a moment to realise I had shut my eyes.
Slowly... I opened them...
... My heart froze when I found Father Randall Belford's eyes staring directly at me... dead... The Universal Release Remote lay sliced at the base of his severed head.
"That was sort of anti-climactic..." Max grunted, turning around and bullying the crowd out. "Okay! Show's over! Everyone back to Eden!"
No one wanted to move... but slowly, people began to filter out of the chamber...
"Damn..." Taylor murmured softly. "I can't believe it's over... just like that..." He shook his head in confusion. "I was expecting a fight or something..."
"Does every step of progress we make have to end in death...?" Joanna sighed.
Rex clapped her shoulders. "It's not over yet. We've still got that Purge to deal with."
Right... of course... It isn't over yet.
The Purge...
At least now we can all focus on it.
"A Purge you called if I recall correctly," Max chuckled bitterly. "But at least we won't have Norton or Belford to worry about anymore. Come on" - he seized Rex's arm - "you called the Purge, you're helping us stop it."
A large portion of the crowd left the scene... Some lingered to pay their final respects before they too departed. I took a few steps away, torn at the sight of a great rock in my existence having crumbled so easily. At the same time... I finally felt free...
Some part of me realise that the voice that had been nagging me to be just Rocky...
... it was Belford's voice...
... and now that the real Father Belford was gone...
... I could finally rest easy...
"What the hell...?"
I froze...
... and spun around.
My eyes widened in shock.
Jacob had a glowing paw facing Norton.
What was he doing!?
_"You..."_Norton snarled.
What -?
Zzzzap!
Jacob fired off a beam but Norton swiftly dodged to the side, drawing his double-bladed weapon with a frustrated cry.
"This was all part of his plan, wasn't it!?" the mole demanded. "Fake his death so you could get close enough to kill me!?"
What? Fake his...?
He looked for Belford's body...
... and only found a mannequin...
No... He didn't...!
I spun around to check if anyone else lay witness to the scene... But everyone was mostly at the far exit! There were no true witnesses except myself and the remaining Branded!
No!
Jacob lowered his arm and summoned his blades. "Nope. I was going to kill you anyway."
This had to stop!
CLANG!
Norton and Jacob engaged in a blindingly fast sword fight. "I knew it! He's got you following him! That's it! No more mercy!" Norton cried. A wave of darkness erupted from his body, spreading over me but I managed to remain rooted in position. I quickly summoned Earthborn.
I knew this wouldn't be easy.
"Get them out of here!" Jacob yelled.
Norton made his move.
No!
I surged forward and -
KA-CLANG!
Barred Norton's blade alongside Taylor and Kerry.
"I will destroy you all!" Norton roared.
Another wave of darkness erupted from him, throwing me back. I managed to remain standing but the others fell back. Norton threw back his head and let out a pained, frustrated cry. Black spears of rock began erupting from the ground and circling him ominously.
"I'll drown you all in a sea of Unsealed!"
Jacob acted quickly, jumping to his feet and firing off beams at the spears that Norton summoned. He shattered many of the spears but others slammed into the vats and shattered the delicate glass holding back the copious amounts of green liquid.
Unsealed poured out!
"Not good!" I exclaimed, bringing up my shield.
A paw fell on my shoulder and I spun to meet Jacob's fierce, laser-like blue eyes.
"Get out of here!"
I was momentarily stunned.
Why?
"What!? Why!?"
"Norton is going to die," he answered grimly. I could tell that was the truth... As much as I wanted to deny it... it was the truth... No more denials for me... I can see the truth. I'm looking at this objectively... just like Soot told me to.
I could see Norton would die.
"When that happens," Jacob muttered, "that Seal he's holding will go straight to you. The further you are away from him, the greater chance we have of stopping it before it gets to you. And you like thinking you're a boy, right?"
No... I don't like thinking I'm a boy...
... not if I stop being me...
But... Would I still be me if that Seal entered me...?
I would fight to the bitter end to maintain myself... but I might lose...
... So...
I nodded at him. "Don't die."
He gave me a sly grin and a cocky snort. "Can I get a good luck kiss?"
Hmmm...
I quickly pressed myself against him, pressing my muzzle against his and pushing my tongue deep into his throat. I felt his warm breath rush into me in that gasp of shock...
I realised something with that kiss...
Yeah... I was a girl.
But more than that... I'm Rocky Groundwater.
I pulled back and returned that cocky smile of his. "Good luck."
Without another word, I spun and bolted for the exit, yelling at the horrified onlookers to get up those stairs and out of the Emerald Crown. I pushed them all as much as I could. There was a resounding boom behind me and I spun around to find the stairway into the Factory suddenly blocked by a titanic wall of rock. I guess Joanna must've blocked it...
I stood there... in the middle of the stairway... just watching those rocks...
My fists clenched tightly...
They were in there fighting for me... against Norton...
Belford had betrayed us... and now... Norton had gone mad...
Why...?
I don't understand that! Why did Father Belford betray us!?
"You think I betrayed you, don't you child?"
I froze...
That voice again.
I spun...
Looking down at me, haloed by a benevolent, golden light... was Father Randall Belford. His smile was so welcoming... so warm... I almost fell back into his spell.
Almost.
"You -"
He lifted a hand. "Child, judge me not until you have learned the facts for yourself. Come... Let us save your friends..."
His voice sounded distant... otherworldly.
What happened to him...?
Father Belford approached the rock barrier barring us from the Factory. He lifted his weapon, the mace-like Earthen Incense. With a single blow, he shattered the barrier. I had never seen him fight before... but such strength!
I looked into the chamber...
... and my eyes widened.
I had to have been gone for about five minutes!
And Norton had already won!
Jacob lay on the ground... Taylor and Kerry were unconscious several metres away... and now Norton held Joanna by the throat, lifting her up into the air as she desperately tried to kick at him.
"Jacob!" I shouted.
Norton's eyes looked past Joanna... and they widened when they focused on Belford.
"You!"
"Cease this madness now, Norton,"_Belford said calmly. _"The battle is already over and you have lost."
A lot of confidence considering we're up against a guy that just beat four Branded!
I brought up my shield and Earthborn. This was going to be tough.
"Rocky!" Norton cried. "Why are you allying with him when you saw that he betrayed us!?"
Why... Why indeed...?
"I'm not his ally," I snarled, glaring at Belford. He caught my gaze and seemed unfazed by it. "I'm just here to stop you!"
Belford sighed theatrically... that same sigh he gave so many times... For the first time... I realised that it wasn't a benevolent, tired sigh of one who had a terrible burden on his shoulders... it was a sigh of a man who knew his plans were being met... and was bored!
I can't believe I misjudged someone else... again!
"That truly is a pity, girl... But I suppose there is little you can do now."
"What!?"
WHAM!
The floor hit me hard. I saw stars... I never even saw Belford move but I certainly felt his mace strike my chest! My vision began to clear as Belford suddenly vanished in a blur of light and slammed his mace against Norton's armoured form. The gorilla - despite his age - was demonically fast! And he was titanically strong too!
A dangerous combination... the Elements of Light and Earth... Light for the speed... and Earth for the strength.
No!
I won't give up!
I pulled myself to my feet.
_"Pitiful child,"_Belford whispered into my ear.
What!? He had just been bashing Norton!
In fact... he still was!
...
Clones!
That's how he managed to avoid being executed! He used clones!
"All mortals are destined to become perfect... and you shall be the first to achieve such perfection. Stop trying to fight destiny."
I spun around, slamming my shield into the clone. The glowing image of Belford merely held me back with a well-placed hand. "If I turn out to be your version of perfect, I'd rather be flawed!"
"You have no choice in the matter."
WHAM!
I staggered back, my shoulder aching from the clone's strikes. To my horror, countless more clones began appearing in flashes of light. More of them began attacking Conway, bashing at his armour. They were too fast for him to -
Wait!
Earth and Light!
I reached into my power...
"Laser Leaf!"
Glowing, emerald leaves erupted from my body, hung in the air... and then shot straight into the forms of the clones. Many grunted and other cried in pain as their forms dissolved, leaving behind clay mannequins.
Yes!
"Norton! Use fast area attacks! Get rid of them all!"
My lieutenant - yes... he has always been a loyal lieutenant - grinned, gave me a thumbs up and hurled his paws into the air.
"Obsidian Rain!"
A huge black rock erupted from the ground behind him... and instantly shattered, turning into a shower of black, earthen blades that peppered all Belford clones around him. Many of the clones fell. They tried to block the barrage but there was just too many spears of earth for them to defend. Their bodies crumpled to the ground, turning into the clay mannequins that they were with black shards embedded into their forms.
Others managed to survive...
... but not for long.
"Laser Leaf!"
My lasers killed the rest of the clones, the clay mannequins hitting the ground.
I rushed to Norton's side, pressing my back against him and grinning broadly.
"Glad to be fighting by your side again, ma'am," Norton chortled.
Strangely, I wasn't insulted by that.
"Do not resist perfection!"
Belford sprang from the shadows and charged at us head on!
I blocked him with my shield -
... and Norton quickly followed up by leaping up on my shoulders and spearing Belford's shoulder. He leapt back and kicked Belford's face hard. As the dark priest staggered, I took the advantage. I surged forward, spinning Earthborn in my paws and unleashing a barrage of kicks, punches and swipes that threw Belford hard against one of the vats!
This time... his form didn't vanish into a clay mannequin.
Yes!
We won!
...
At least I thought so until Belford began to laugh.
A hand fell on my shoulder...
Belford!
"What the!?" I cried, leaping back.
"Take a closer look at the man you defeated, girl."
I spun to the other Belford...
... and his form shimmered... and melted away...
... revealing Norton...
What...?
My eyes fell down to Belford's weapon... Earthen Incense...
No...
I remembered... his mace... the head of the weapon was shaped like an incense dispenser... When swung, the weapon spread a hallucinogenic mist... He used it often in the 'golden days' when he was working in MODD!
No!
He... He tricked me!
"You -"
I swung at him -
CLANG!
"Girl... The end has come for you,"_Belford chuckled. _"The last Seal needed to break you is not free."
No! No! NO!
I turned towards Norton's body... just as a green burst of light erupted from his prone body and -
WHAM!
Slammed hard into my chest.
My body suddenly felt numb... and I found myself falling to my knees without any control over my body whatsoever.
I... I could see it...
My past as Rose...
... I am Rose...
... but...
...
A grin crossed my features... and I locked gazes with a horrified Belford.
"Guess who?"
"Impossible!"
WHAM!
I slammed my shield against him, sending him reeling. He staggered back, managing to keep standing but his resolve clearly broken.
"You should be the perfect soldier now! No emotions! No mind! You should be obeying my orders! Stop this!"
I swung Earthborn in my paws and got ready for the fight of my life. "That was assuming I never accepted I was Rose beforehand!"
"That shouldn't be possible! Norton's Seal -"
"Seals don't make a person. My heart is my own! No Seal can change that!"
Belford's eyes narrowed at me.
"I see... Then I will just have to go to my contingency plan!"
Contingency plan...?
"Sleep, girl!"
He threw his hand forward. A searing blast of light erupted from the tips of his fingers and slammed into my chest. I felt no pain... and I just grinned.
My heart was stronger than my memories!
Yes... That's what I've come to realise...
My heart... is who I am. It is what defines me... What remembered who I was even when I cannot!
With my heart, I was -
... I glanced down at my chest.
My eyes boggled...
Thick, clear crystal began spreading all over my body... crawling up my chest, my shoulders and down my legs! It froze my entire form! I couldn't move.
"No!" I cried.
But... my heart...!
I couldn't move... but I could still see...
The crystal enveloped me completely in a crystal coffin, my arms planted firmly at my sides. I tried to scream... but my lips wouldn't move. I tried to cry... but the crystal wouldn't let me. I wasn't breathing... but it was still keeping me alive!
What was this!?
Belford hovered over me... and smirked. "Now... Let's just see how well you can hold on under the weight of more_Seals."_
Was he going kill Soot!?
No!
I... I may not be Rose Earthsire... but I still felt those emotions for him... and it broke my heart that he didn't love me back... I loved him...
He would always be my Sooty...
Luke...
Belford strode out of the chamber... I was horrified to find Norton still alive... I could see him breathing... Out of the corner of his eye, he gave me an apologetic look... and a tear run down his cheek. He reached out towards me...
No! Don't resist!
He'll kill you!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Black coffins emerged from the ground...
His Obsidian Maiden attack!
But... I couldn't see any spikes inside the coffins!
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
The coffins enclosed on Taylor, Joanna and Kerry's bodies...
He was...?
"Still alive?"_Belford scoffed. _"My aren't you persistent." He lifted a hand... a crystal spear hovered over his fingertips. But the gorilla stopped. "Hmmm? What's this...?"
Norton flicked his paws towards the air. The coffins containing the Branded shot into the air, breaking through the ceiling and vanishing from sight.
"Using the last ounce of strength to safe the fools who were blinded by my trickery,"_Belford chucked, lowered his spear and letting it vanish. _"For your bravery, I will let you die slowly. Relish the small victory you achieved in saving their lives for you have only sealed their fate to die in the fires of destruction I will bring."
Belford headed out of the Factory, my crystal coffin carrying me with him. No one was in the Emerald Crown and for that I was relieved. The gorilla suddenly picked up speed, his mastery over Light giving him that ability.
The world sped past my eyes... I saw the desolation of Graesham... I saw the ruins of the Emerald Crown... and I saw the lives I had ruined due to my foolishness.
I should never have trusted Belford...
Before I knew it, we were suddenly in a barren, desolate plane far beyond Graesham's gates... I saw the footprints of where the Fossilised once stood...
We were in the Grey Grounds Graveyard.
"Rejoice, my children!"_Belford exclaimed, spreading his paws wide. _"I have returned from the dead and come to bring you deliverance!"
What!?
Belford dragged my coffin across the Graveyard and I saw the shocked, relieved and joyful faces of the Graesham survivors as we passed them. The way they looked at Belford... It was with admiration... pride... They had given themselves entirely to him!
This was the last bit they needed to truly have complete and utter faith in him!
Resurrection from the dead!
I was such a fool!
But... what did he want from me?
"Perfection is at hand, my children!"_Belford exclaimed, rising on a podium of rock above everyone else. _"I was destroyed and have returned in perfection! Now I have come to take you to paradise! To perfection!"
All the people cheered.
They had been too far to see Belford's deception... They probably just thought that Norton went nuts! I barely saw Belford's mannequin... so what did they see?
... probably exactly what Belford wanted...
"Gabriel! My loyal son! Come!"
"Of course, Father!"
Gabriel... No!
Gabriel appeared beside Belford, looking up at the gorilla with shining eyes.
No!
Belford placed a hand on the ram's shoulder."You have been a loyal right-hand, my son... Now, it is time to fulfil your ultimate destiny!"
"Anything, Father! Anything at all!"
I saw the gleam in his eyes...
"Now... be the Destroyer..."
SHLICK!
If my eyes could widen, they would.
Belford had just shoved his hand right through Gabriel's chest!
"Destroy this world... so that it can be reborn in perfection!"
Gabriel looked horrified... but the crowd... they just ate it all up. They were under Belford's control completely and utterly.
The gorilla pulled his hand out of Gabriel's chest, holding up a Seal. There were no physical injuries to Gabriel's body... but I could see him quake from head to toe... and his eyes fading into a solid, green form...
The eyes of an Unsealed!
Belford lifted the Seal in his hands above me... and I remembered.
That was Rose's Seal... My Seal!
Oh god... Oh god no!
Please no!
"And with this... Ascension!"
He slammed the Seal against my coffin... piercing the crystal frame... and pushing it deep into my chest...
... I felt numb...
... I felt nothing...
... I... I couldn't think...
...I... I didn't even know my own name...
Wait... I think... Yeah... I think I can...
I... I'm Rocky... Rocky Groundwater...
I'm... I'm Rose Earthsire...
Rocky... Groundwater...
Rose... Earth... sire...
Rocky... water...
...R..R... Rose...
I... I'm...