About Things That Haven't Occurred Yet — Chapter 19

LET'S REST HERE FOR THE NIGHT.

WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. WHY STOP?

I'M FINE, SO LET'S KEEP GOING.

WE'RE ALREADY RUNNING LATER THAN EXPECTED.

FOR ME, IT'LL BE OVER ONCE I RETURN, BUT...

DOESN’T YOUR HIGHNESS HAVE TO GO TO THE MOUNTAIN OF TIME AS WELL?

IF YOU PUSH YOURSELF LIKE THIS NOW, YOU WON’T HAVE ANY STRENGTH LEFT INSIDE THE MOUNTAIN.

...YOU’RE RIGHT.

BY THE WAY, DO YOU BELIEVE I'M REALLY ENTERING THE MOUNTAIN OF TIME?

WELL... THE CAPTAIN GAVE THE ORDER, SO I'M SIMPLY OBEYING.

I'M NOT HERE BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS...

I'M HERE BECAUSE I TRUST THE CAPTAIN.

...YOU SAID EARLIER THAT YOU TRUST THE CAPTAIN.

WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS YOUR CAPTAIN?

QUITE RIGID, TO BE HONEST.

YET FAR TOO COMPETENT TO REMAIN JUST A KNIGHT COMMANDER.

THAT'S REMARKABLE.

I'VE NEVER SEEN THE CAPTAIN FIGHT, SO I WOULDN'T KNOW. HOW WERE THEY ON THE BATTLEFIELD?

THE CAPTAIN IS BETTER THAN MOST STRATEGISTS.

HAVE YOU EVER SPOKEN WITH THE CAPTAIN, YOUR HIGHNESS?

NOT JUST POLITE GREETINGS, BUT A DEEPER CONVERSATION?

YES, OF COURSE.

YOU HAVE?!

WHY SO SURPRISED?

THE CAPTAIN IS RATHER BLUNT AND NOT MUCH OF A TALKER, BUT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE PLEASANT TO CONVERSE WITH.

NO, IT'S NOT THAT...

HONESTLY, I WAS SHOCKED WHEN THE CAPTAIN ORDERED ME TO ASSIST YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS.

BECAUSE YOUR HIGHNESS... ISN'T THE SORT OF PERSON THE CAPTAIN WOULD FAVOR.

...THAT WAS RUDE OF ME. I APOLOGIZE.

NO. I KNOW FULLY WELL HOW SCANDALOUS THE RUMORS ABOUT ME ARE.

AND IT'S TRUE I CONTRIBUTED TO THEM.

EVEN I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THE CAPTAIN WOULD HELP SOMEONE LIKE ME.

THE CAPTAIN MUST TRULY HAVE TAKEN A LIKING TO YOUR HIGHNESS.

WELL, I DOUBT THAT.

THE CAPTAIN WOULDN'T JUST HELP ANYONE, AND ALWAYS ACTS WITH GOOD REASON...

...I'VE TALKED TOO MUCH.

HEATHER.

UH... Y-

YES?

TALKING WITH ME... WAS IT ALRIGHT?

...I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT YOU MEAN.

NEVER MIND, IT'S NOTHING.

WE'RE ALMOST THERE.

I ONCE SAW THE CAPTAIN ENTER, AND THEY JUST HEADED STRAIGHT AHEAD LIKE THIS.

IF YOUR HIGHNESS IS THE CHOSEN ONE, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF ENTERING THE MOUNTAIN OF TIME BEFORE LONG.

NOT THAT I'M DOUBTING YOUR QUALIFICATIONS, OF COURSE...

YESTERDAY, YOU SAID YOUR CAPTAIN WAS RIGID.

PARDON? YES... I DID.

STILL... I THINK THE CAPTAIN IS SOMEONE UPRIGHT AND TRUE.

...I DON'T REALLY KNOW YOUR HIGHNESS,

AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU.

SOMEONE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND OTHERS, OR AT LEAST TRIES TO, EVEN IF IMPERFECTLY...

...I BELIEVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU, WHO TRUSTS AND FOLLOWS SUCH A PERSON, IS A GOOD PERSON TOO.

ABOUT TALKING WITH YOUR HIGHNESS...

I DIDN'T MIND IT.

THEN I'LL PRAY THAT YOU RETURN SAFELY.

THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH ME.

I'LL REMEMBER THIS MOMENT FOREVER.

I WAITED BEFORE THE MOUNTAIN OF TIME AFTER THAT, BUT HER HIGHNESS NEVER EMERGED.

THE FOOD SUPPLIES TAKEN INSIDE MUST HAVE RUN OUT A WEEK AGO.

I FEAR... THEY MAY BE DEAD.

IT HAS ALREADY BEEN A MONTH AND TWO WEEKS.

THERE IS STILL A TRUTH HEATHER DOES NOT KNOW.

BEFITTING ITS NAME, THE MOUNTAIN OF TIME...

...MAKES TIME FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD MEANINGLESS WITHIN.

EVEN WHEN 1 ENTERED THAT PLACE,

I THOUGHT MERELY TWO DAYS HAD PASSED...

YET OVER TEN DAYS HAD PASSED OUTSIDE.

BY DECREE OF THE PRIMORDIAL DRAGONS, SILENCE HAD TO BE KEPT,

SO BACK THEN, IT WAS A SECRET I COULD NOT REVEAL.

UNLIKE HEATHER, I CAN ENTER THE MOUNTAIN OF TIME.

IF ADELE HAS NOT YET FINISHED,

I COULD GO IN AND OFFER MY HELP.

YET I AM NO LONGER A KNIGHT.

AS THE PRICE OF TAKING THE THRONE,

I WAS GIVEN DUTIES AND THINGS I MUST ACCOMPLISH.

BECAUSE I BECAME KING OF THE EMPIRE, I BECAME POWERLESS.

BECAUSE IT NEVER HAPPENED, EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL

IN THIS ERA, THERE IS OPPRESSION, VIOLENCE, AND LOSS.

AND HUMANS WHO YIELD TO SUBMISSION.

YET NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE THE RIGHT OR WRONG OF SUBMISSION.

DID I EVER JUDGE THE RIGHT OR WRONG OF SUBMISSION?

ONLY WHEN AN INFINITE VOID SETTLES IN DOES MANKIND REALIZE THE MEANING OF THOUGHT.

RIGHT AND WRONG BOTH PURSUE A SINGLE PURPOSE.

TO THINK. THERE LIES NEITHER MORALITY NOR A GREAT CAUSE.

DID I EVER DEBATE RIGHT AND WRONG?

DID I EVER DEBATE MORALITY AND THE GREAT CAUSE?

PURE BECAUSE IT IS A NAKED SOUL, ESSENTIAL BECAUSE IT IS A FRAGILE EXISTENCE.

THE SMALLEST AND MOST HUMBLE THINGS ARE SOMETIMES CLOSEST TO THE ORIGIN.

ONLY UPON REACHING THAT POINT DO WE TRANSCEND DEATH.

DEATH IS...

BECAUSE IT NEVER HAPPENED, EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL.

MY HUMILIATION STEMMED FROM WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW,

AND JUST BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW DOES NOT MEAN WHAT EXISTS IN THE WORLD SIMPLY VANISHES.

ADELHEID.

I STILL CANNOT FATHOM THE WORLD YOU SEE.

YET BECAUSE I DARE TO HOPE, I WILL MAKE MY CHOICE.

TO CHOOSE YOUR LIFE, BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE NOTHING HAS HAPPENED.