12.06.1642

05:41

It's very late now. Most likely that at this time the Underground City is peaceful and quiet, yet here DU5TIN seems as he just finished his work for now. At least until he wakes up in the morning today and starts all over again. Probably not even the Great Leader of the underground works until this hour, even if He can't sleep. At worst He probably just wanders around. Because, after all, someone made His arrival as well, a bit sleepy but still determined to talk. As DU5TIN enters his office, he is greeted again by this guy, by this "brother", standing on his chair.

[CHE5TER]-...You know, it's a bit late, don't you think? Why aren't you sleeping?

[DU5TIN]-I could say the same to you. What's your excuse?

[CHE5TER]-Heh... Well, I simply can't rest peacefully. So I thought of coming here and try discussing with you again. Maybe it will help me fall asleep.

[DU5TIN]-What nonsense... So if I was truly resting now, you would've just wake me up?

[CHE5TER]-Hmph. Maybe.

[DU5TIN]-Look... It's too late for me to argue with you all over again. Just leave in this moment.

[CHE5TER]-Oh, but I'm never coming to argue with you. You only start the arguing like I'm doing something I'm not suppose to do. You know, RY4N does the same. If anything, you two would've got along so well if I could take him with me.

[DU5TIN]-It's true that I would've liked to stay with him rather than talk with you. He seems like a better person than you. What a pity the last time I saw him was 14 years ago... Now I'm only stuck with this "Seven Two".

[CHE5TER]-Is that so? You know you could see him any time, right? You just have to do me a favour.

[DU5TIN]-*sigh* Are you bringing this up again? I told you already, my answer is no.

[CHE5TER]-Alright, as you wish. But don't think that I will give up so easily, Brother.

[DU5TIN]-...Stop calling me that.

[CHE5TER]-Hm?

[DU5TIN]-...I said stop calling me that! I'm not your brother! I never were and I will never be your brother!

[CHE5TER]-Oh, your nonsense at this hour is nothing more but some empty words. You don't think so clearly, do you? And even if you think this way, you cannot just ignore the facts. The signs on your right hand should remind you the truth, shouldn't they? You know you cannot just run away from your fate, DU5TIN. I'm only here to remind you who you truly are.

[DU5TIN]-I know already who I am. I don't need you to tell me this. You are nothing more than a stranger in my eyes, why would you even think that I will ever believe your words?

[CHE5TER]-That's because you know already the truth, as well as I do. Do you really think this fear of yours will stop everything I've built so far?

[DU5TIN]-If you know about my fear, then why are you continuing it?

[CHE5TER]-*sigh* Is it even that hard to understand? I swear that all of you are just a bunch of idiots sometimes. I don't think it's even possible for none of you to understand a word of mine.

[DU5TIN]-So you play the victim now?

[CHE5TER]-Aren't you playing this role as well? You act like you are the victim every time we see each other. At least I have my reasons that you already know about.

[DU5TIN]-Just go away and leave me alone. I only want to rest.

[CHE5TER]-Hmph. Perhaps it is better to let the little descendant rest for now, but don't get any ideas of you getting rid of me.

[DU5TIN]-Are you gonna mock me for now on regarding this subject? What do you want to achieve from knowing this information anyway? No matter what you try, you could never manipulate me into getting the General involved. You want to get revenge on him? Then do it yourself. I do not need to take part into this and I do not need to tell you anything about him.

[CHE5TER]-Oh, I'm afraid that my revenge will have to wait anyway. So put your mind at rest and stop thinking about that problem.

[DU5TIN]-Then what do you want to achieve?

[CHE5TER]-A lot of things, actually. Hard to explain them to you as you wouldn't even understand. But... maybe you will understand them one day. Or perhaps you understand them now... Who knows. In the end, didn't you want to be respected for who you are? Not the person you try to be for him? Not the Officer they see in you?

[DU5TIN]-...

[CHE5TER]-You have all the time in this world to think about it. But the moment you will realise that you are on the wrong side will be the moment when you will finally get the respect you've dreamt of.

[DU5TIN]-...I don't need your respect.

[CHE5TER]-Then what is this need of yours that I do not know about, if I may ask, hm?

DU5TIN looks at Him straight in the eyes without saying a word. CHE5TER is a bit disappointed truth to be told, but maybe it is time for Him to leave.

[CHE5TER]-...Okay then. Be it like you. We will see each other on another time. For now, have a good rest.

And so, He vanishes, rotating the chair only for him to disappear completely. Perhaps He used His device to go invisible, but DU5TIN couldn't really care less. He looks down, lost in his thoughts, before he says one final sentence.

[DU5TIN]-...Respect means nothing if justice wasn't made, CHE5TER. Maybe you've forgotten about that.

Yet, before He truly leaves, He stays outside, hearing these words of his, looking down and then leaving for good.

16:18

Now, everyone got in their positions in the morning and started working as usual. Yet DU5TIN seems to be lost in his thought again, maybe because of his encounter with his little brother.

"...I am called DU5TIN by the people that know me, a devoted little child of the City of Perfection. I was taken by the General when I was a newborn to be his next descendant in line, and as a consequence, I... became an M soldier, learning more about this job and so on. I had questions, and I still have truth to be told... but the biggest perplexity of mine will be this blood code that I share with two other people. This... Error... that I'm suppose to be.

I was taught from a young age to fear the C borns, the monsters that brought only disasters to this world and gave birth to the whole war between the races. During my life, I was also being taught every day how to fight against them and what to do when I find one of these beings ever alive. And all I can say is that... my glory faded long time ago in my opinion, ever since I met you...

I've seen things... far more worse than you ever did, CHE5TER. And even from a very young age... I know that you saw deaths during your journey as well, but they don't compare to the torture that I've witnessed at my work. As descendant of the General, I had to learn to work for him ever since I was six and assisted him in some of his quests. But the older I got, the more horrible the quests were.

From helping him around his office with documents and learning about the importance of them, to sending messages to the soldiers themselves, to witnessing executions on my own. And from the moment I saw an actual execution with my own eyes, I knew that I had to obey to whatever he orders, no matter what happens. If not, I will become just like these souls, a fallen one, unworthy of mercy. So... fear has grown into me.

Then, when you appeared in my life for the first time, questions weren't leaving me alone... Are the C borns such cruel creatures as history says? Why are we executing all of them if they can be so scared and almost impossible to think that they can do something bad? If you are such a cruel person, then why didn't you kill me the moment you had the opportunity to do so? You were... interesting... At least when we first met. I never actually encountered or tried to even talk to a C born before that moment.

And then, years later... I've witnessed something else. That moment you remind us all... Maybe you don't even know what truly happened that day and only heard about it from someone else. Because your father... was the strangest person I have ever met in my life. Perhaps you don't even know I've assisted his death at all. But not only that I was present at his death... I actually got the chance to even talk to him before he died."

...

"Will you ever... forgive me?"

...

"He... begged me for forgiveness like I was suppose to know who he was. But he didn't seem to beg me because he wanted to be spared, more like to make peace with a problem in his mind. I was only accompanying him towards his execution so he wouldn't escape, yet he decided to speak so gently to me even if he knew his fate."

...

Memories from a distant past seems to annoy him now for sure. As if... he can hear some words that were spoken to him before, that he simply couldn't forget.

"...The people who raised you are lying. So please, don't believe everything they say. No matter what they tell you, believe only in your words. You have the fate to change this cruel world, little one... And to think that even you are obligated to take part of this war just because of my mistakes, huh?"

...

"I just... can't understand why... He was talking to me so calmly, even though I was leading him to his final breaths. He was talking like he knew me ever since I was born, like I was his son as well."

...

"...Maybe if I took you in time... you could've just lived a simple life."

...

"Just... why? He knew what I was doing to him. He knew everything that my work was about. He knew everything! ...Then, why did he do this? He was your father, not mine! Yet... maybe you are not even aware of this information to this day.

The moment it was time for him to be taken away and executed, I had so many questions to ask him. But time wasn't on my side that day, and maybe you have this problem with him as well. But I could never forget that day at all. I could never forget his last words to me..."

...

"...Thank you, son."

...

"...nor the moment when one of the Sergeants pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger, only for the red river to start flowing. While you only heard about it, I lived it on my own. I saw it with my own eyes. And I could never get rid of that image, no matter how hard I would try. He left me confused, with unanswered questions that nobody ever answered them for me till this day. And I know that you don't have the answers either. You probably have more questions than I do.

And yet the more I've witnessed execution, the more confused I got by each day. I saw so many souls cry for help and forgiveness, but never in my life did I encounter such strange man. When you tell me that I'm on the wrong side, why don't you explain it to me in more details? Why does nobody want to explain the truth to me? I want to know the truth as well!

...But perhaps one day I will get my answers. If not, then I don't know. But just by talking to you, it won't help me with anything. You don't want to tell me the truth either. But I know you want to achieve something. You have a plan that you refuse to tell me. We are connected through this code, yet you feel like a stranger to me no matter how many times I meet you in person. Your father was an actual stranger to me, yet he felt more familiar than you ever were.

Maybe one day you will finally decide to speak. You will get what you want when that happens, it's a promise. But until that day..."

"...don't even think you can trick me so easily, Seven."