Cry For War

Chapter Fifteen

When night finally came Veronica found herself waiting on a small bench, awaiting the arrival of her cohorts. She hadn't been left alone with her thoughts all that often since she had been called to Askr, but now that she was, she was left to ponder. This curse, the one Celica had told her about, what could she have meant by it having consumed the very soul of her brother as though it were some malevolent force of nature that defied all laws of being to come to fruition.

Admittedly, there were signs of her carrying such an immense burden, warnings of her slipping sanity, those faint whispers and deafening screams that no one else ever seemed to hear. Had these same symptoms tormented her brother, causing him to flee from her side? Veronica's mind wandered momentarily, reflecting upon each and every nightmare she'd endured since the death of her mother and the maddening of her father... It had all begun to make sense. Each trial she'd undergone in the past few years, it all had amounted to this, a seemingly unending struggle against a beastly force she could recall so little about. Her mind had been in a haze that night, reeling in terror and shock. It had not been her fault she could not speak a word in her paralyzed state. To her, the amount of pain she had felt must have been tremendous. She still felt what seemed like a hundred bruises across her arms from the vicious hands of the advisor, who she now knew to be the Múspellheim tactician. But now she was taking a difficulty that she'd once thought unimaginable, an unending final struggle with death guaranteed. In her curse, she saw many terrible things, but the outcome of this..? It made those worries pale in comparison. If whatever the generals who had followed her that fateful night had come across the realms to meet her once more, this peace she'd found in her allies would be temporary. The monument, the sacred space she'd found here... It would soon be tarnished.

As the darkness crept in, plaguing her thoughts further, the now familiar voice of the Zofian cut through, the white of her clothes a stark reminder of the black deep within her own heart. Even if her kind words in their travels were true, would willpower alone be enough to quell the stirring inside? Celica managed a smile, despite the visible worry on Veronica's face. "Are you certain you wish to come along with us? You look tired... If you'd prefer it, we could stay here longer, and I'll pour you a fresh cup of hot tea," she offered as she joined the princess upon the bench. "You're in no condition to fight."

"It would be in your best interest not to invest yourself in me further, Celica... After all, if my fate is to be that of my brother, and our father... Why must I fight? It would be meaningless."

"For so long, I didn't know where my fate would lie. Veronica, you must trust in us to guide you in the right direction. I, too, suffered once from these woes," Celica suggested, carefully taking Veronica's hands within her own. "I realized that to ensure the safety of those we love, sometimes it is necessary to do things you may not understand at face value. Sometimes, the new era is stronger than the generation before it. We grow wiser and rise from the ashes. We learn from our mistakes. And along the way, we shed our doubts. In this world, we can all share these events in our lives together, many of which we could not have predicted would happen prior. We add to our humanity, and learn things about the world we didn't have reason to know before. The consequences can be horrific, both for ourselves and for those we love. The challenge of getting there is higher than any hardship we could ever face by ourselves, but that's why we have one another." With her thought completed, she overturned her hand, peeling back her glove to reveal the Goddess's brand beneath it. "We are part of a whole, you and I, the whole of humanity. We can experience the highs and lows together, and that's a truly magnificent thing."

As the Zofian woman realized how long she'd been rambling for, she let out a chuckle, though she had attempted to stifle this with her other hand. "What I'm trying to say, is that you have no need to worry about what could possibly be. There will always be hope. I don't believe you to be one to surrender so easily to fate. Rely on us; Ephraim, Hector, and I."

"Why must you insist on bringing yourself so close? You have everything to lose by trusting me, if I could turn at any instant," Veronica persisted, as though again trying to shut out the world. This time, there were no doors to flee behind, no library to tuck herself away in, and no father to hide behind the coattails of. She was an adult now, and there was no hiding in this world. She was vulnerable now, exposed to the criticism of those around her, even if it was encouraging some much needed self reflection.

"You seem so sure, and yet... Your eyes are filled with doubt. Veronica, you know deep down that you have it in you to fight it, and even if there is a day where you can't fight it anymore... I promise, we will never leave you, and that the light you made in your time as a hero will chase away the dark."

It was only then that the two men emerged from the armory, clutching their signature weapons; Siegmund, the flame lance, and Armads, the thunder axe. Though she hadn't meant to, Veronica felt so incredibly intimidated by the power that emanated off of it. It was much like Hliðskjálf in nature, one that was truly magnificent but lacked the ability to be wielded by just anyone. Unlike her, they both seemed so confident when equipped with their divine weapons, as though they were unstoppable forces. It was a foolish way to live, believe you were indestructible. She knew that very well. Her father had paid for that belief with his very life. But with Ephraim and Hector, such beliefs felt less faulty.

She just hoped they would be strong enough to handle what was to come.