Kiyotaka went to Emilia's room as he knocked on the door.
Emilia: [Come... come in.]
Kiyotaka opened the door to see Emilia sitting on her bed, frightened. Kiyotaka took a seat next to her.
Kiyotaka: [You're scared, right?]
Emilia: [I am. There are so many things on my mind. I can't make sense of it. It all looks so painful.]
Kiyotaka: [I understand, but as cruel as these trials can be, they can also give you something beautiful.]
Emilia: [What? Did you...]
Kiyotaka: [Yes. I went through the trial. Even though it was definitely painful, I got something that made the pain worth it.]
Emilia: [Something that made the pain worth it?]
Kiyotaka: [I remember my mother's face. Black hair and green eyes. My mother.]
Emilia: [Mother...]
Emilia held her hand to her mouth.
Kiyotaka: [Emilia. Are you alright?]
Emilia: [I just...]
Kiyotaka: [You don't remember her very well, do you? Your mother.]
Emilia: [I...]
Kiyotaka: [Emilia. One thing I don't want to let go of from the trial is finding out that my Mother fought for me. She tried to save me from my father. It's clear to me that she loved me.]
Emilia: [Kiyo...]
Kiyotaka: [I'm not saying all of this because there's something inside of you that needs fixing. I'm saying this because I don't want you to miss out on the beautiful part of the trial.]
Emilia: [I'm really scared of it all. I don't know if I can...]
Kiyotaka: [I know you can.]
Emilia: [Why? You know that if I were on my own, I would have died several times. Without you, I'm useless.]
Kiyotaka: [If you were on your own, yes, you would have died. You're naive and kind yet stubborn. A dangerous combination that can lead to your own ruin.]
Emilia: [So why do you believe in me?]
Kiyotaka: [Because you have the capacity to grow.]
Emilia: [How do you even know that?]
Kiyotaka: [Because I believe in you.]
Emilia: [Why?]
Kiyotaka: [The reason is because... I love you.]
Emilia: [You... what?]
Emilia was shocked with a blush on her face.
Kiyotaka: [I love you.]
Emilia: [I... don't understand. Why me? I'm incompetent and I...]
Kiyotaka: [Love isn't something as simple as only being given to those who are brilliant. Love is about who you are and who the person you love is. Accepting that person for who they are and loving them regardless of any flaws they have. Being there for them when they need you. Being each other's strength.]
Emilia: [But I'm not as strong as you and...]
Kiyotaka: [You are my strength. Without you, I'd be no better than my father.]
Emilia: [Kiyo...]
Emilia locked eyes with him, feeling vulnerable and unsure of herself.
Kiyotaka: [Lia...]
Emilia looked shocked for a second as she could see Puck and an Elf lady she didn't completely recognise on either side of Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka/Puck/Elf Woman: [I love you.]
Her vision seemed to become clear as she only saw Kiyotaka in front of her.
Kiyotaka: [I love you more than I love myself.]
Emilia was shocked.
Emilia: [You do?]
Kiyotaka: [So I want you to accept yourself and love yourself as much as I love you.]
Emilia: [But isn't that too selfish?]
Kiyotaka: [Not at all. After all, saying you love someone more than yourself isn't a very high bar if you don't love yourself at all now, is it? If I'm going to hear that from someone one day I don't want it from someone who doesn't love themself.]
Emilia was shocked at this again.
Kiyotaka: [Before I go... about Ram...]
Emilia: [Do you feel this way about her too, Kiyo?]
Kiyotaka: [I'm not sure about romance, but I'm sure that she's someone that I know is precious to me.]
Emilia: [Then I... I will just have to work harder so you look my way.]
Kiyotaka smiled.
Kiyotaka: [I'm already looking your way. You don't need to work yourself for that. Even though I might have feelings for Ram, that doesn't mean my feelings for you are going to be split in half or anything.]
Emilia looked relieved.
Emilia: [I'll handle the trials, so don't worry and focus on what you need to do.]
Kiyotaka nodded.
Kiyotaka: [I have to go to the mansion, but I'll be back okay? Of course, there are still things I need to do here, so stay clear of the trial for just a little bit, okay? Give me... 30 minutes.]
Emilia nodded, watching his back as he left.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Garfiel walked up to the trial as he saw Kiyotaka.
Garfiel: [The hell you doin' here?]
Kiyotaka: [I want you to come with me to the mansion.]
Garfiel: [Huh? The hell you talkin' about?]
Kiyotaka: [I already had an idea that the reason you weren't leaving wasn't because you were trapped.]
Garfiel: [What the hell do you think you know?]
Kiyotaka: [I know many things. I'm able to learn things from people from just their facial expressions.]
Garfiel: [You what?]
Kiyotaka: [I think it's time you pass your own trial.]
Garfiel: [Hell no.]
Garfiel glared at him.
Garfiel: [What kind of evil things are ya planning, huh? I can tell from that witch's stench hanging off you that it's gotta be some nasty shit.]
Kiyotaka: [Whatever stench is on me is not of my own accord.]
Garfiel: [You bastard.]
Garfiel looked at Kiyotaka aggressively.
Kiyotaka: [What do you intend to do now?]
Garfiel: [I'm going to make sure you don't do anything to the sanctuary.]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [Why don't you want to take the trial? Something about... your mother?]
Garfiel: [What are you...]
Kiyotaka: [Your reactions tell me everything. You...]
Garfiel: [Wait, you bastard...]
Kiyotaka: [... really loved your mother, didn't you?]
Garfiel: [I...]
Garfiel gritted his teeth.
Garfiel: [I wanted my mom to... be happy. We were in the way, weren't we? My sister and I were in the way of her happiness, weren't we?! It only makes sense! She couldn't even stand to look at us. If you're carryin' baggage like that, what's wrong with dumpin' it somewhere?]
Kiyotaka: [Garfiel. If your mother was truly that kind of person, why do you care about her so much? The natural reaction would be to hate someone like that.]
Garfiel: [Hate? What are you... What are you even talkin' about! My dad left, so she went to go and be with him and... in the trial... I saw it... Right after Mom left here, there was a landslide. And she died.]
Kiyotaka: [You've felt her love. Either directly in a way not even you can remember, or from the stories passed down to you.]
Garfiel: [Shut up!]
Kiyotaka: (This isn't the modern age. Though it's not completely implausible, mothers of this time period weren't so obsessed with their own happiness. I find it hard to believe with what Garfiel shows on his face that his Mother is some exception. This is more about his feelings and how complicated they are.)
Garfiel: [I wanted Mom to be happy. I wanted her to make me believe our sadness and loneliness served the purpose of helping her find happiness! I wanted her to make me hate her!]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: (This kind fool.)
Garfiel: [I'm not lettin' you get to the outside world. Things changing ain't gonna make everyone happy. For a lot of us, nothin' gonna get better! I'm going to protect them. I'm going to protect everything and everyone within my reach. I will become a barrier! A real barrier that separates the inside from the outside. ]
Kiyotaka: [That's not protecting them. That's coddling them.]
Garfiel: [Shut up already, you bastard!]
Kiyotaka: [I see now that trying to convince you is pointless. So the way I'll get you to see things my way is to beat it into you.]
Garfiel: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [With people like you, that's how you settle things, right?]
Garfiel cracked his knuckles.
Garfiel: [That's right.]
Kiyotaka: [Earth Brand Arts.]
Kiyotaka formed a metal bat in each of his hands. The one in his left hand was shorter than the one in his right.
Kiyotaka: [I'm not going to be able to be gentle, you know.]
Garfiel attempted to transform, but Kiyotaka hit him on the head, stopping him.
Garfiel: [What the hell?]
Kiyotaka: [You think I'd wait for you to become stronger? What kind of fool do you take me for?]
Kiyotaka rushed in, swinging his bats at him. Garfiel blocked most of them, but several attacks made it through, hitting him.
Garfiel: [You damn bastard.]
Garfiel grits his teeth.
Kiyotaka: [It seems someone has been long overdue for them being smacked back into their senses.]
Garfiel: [You ain't my father asshole.]
Kiyotaka: [By the end of this, you'll wish I was.]
Garfiel: [You ass.]
Kiyotaka started pelting Garfiel with attacks as Garfiel retaliated by throwing a punch, which Kiyotaka blocked with his left bat, and then he swung his right bat as Garfiel jumped back to avoid it.
Garfiel: [You...]
Kiyotaka: [Trust me. No matter how bad things get, I'll always fix it. That's a promise.]
Garfiel: [Trust you?]
Garfiel gritted his teeth.
Kiyotaka: [From the beginning, I've seen the torment and pain in your eyes. There are no secrets you can hide from me.]
Garfiel: [You... don't know anything!!!]
Garfiel transformed and swung his arm at Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka moved to the side, using his bats to push off Garfiel's arm, dodging the attack. The attack left a crater with a rock flying into the air.
Kiyotaka: [I think you're misunderstanding the situation.]
Garfiel: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [You're only stronger than me. You'll need more than just strength.]
Garfiel: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [You underestimate me too much.]
Kiyotaka: (I'll have to score an attack to the head to take him down. Even if I went all out, he could still manage to kill me after all.)
Garfiel: [You cocky asshole!]
Kiyotaka: (I remember... the moments when I could have helped my classmates. I could have taken the brunt of the punishments. I could have helped them. I'm sure I would have survived, but I didn't because I thought it was pointless to endure pain for someone else who had no worth in my eyes. I was truly Slothful.)
Suddenly, Kiyotaka was in the position where the rock had been right above Garfiel's head.
Kiyotaka: (This is my 『Authority Of Sloth』? It's different from Petelgeuse's, but it is a slothful technique.)
Kiyotaka struck Garfiel directly on the top of the head as he de-transformed, falling to his knees, reeling from the pain.
Kiyotaka: [Have you had enough?]
Garfiel lunged at Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka: [『Transfer』.]
Garfiel pawed at Kiyotaka only to find he had smashed a rock. One that had been behind him. As he turned around, he felt another hit to his face as he fell over.
Kiyotaka: [It's my win, Garfiel.]
Garfiel: [I haven't lost yet.]
Kiyotaka: [I'm not going to beat you senselessly. Give up. Trust in me.]
Garfiel: [Why? Why should I trust you? You reek of the fuckin' witch and with all this...]
Kiyotaka: [We are similar.]
Garfiel: [What? I'm nothin' like you!]
Kiyotaka: [You and I... we both love our mothers a lot.]
Garfiel's eyes widen.
Kiyotaka: [Given your expression, there's a slight pain in your eyes. Do you feel like it would have been better for her if you weren't born?]
Garfiel: [How do you... wait...]
Kiyotaka: [I'm the same. But even if the fact is true, you are alive and she is dead, you can't focus on what you took from your mother anymore. Focus on what she gave you. Live a life she would be proud of. A life you would be proud of.]
Garfiel: [The hell are you saying?]
Kiyotaka: [As kindred souls, I'm going to make you see that your mother really did love you.]
Garfiel: [That's not true! I know it's not!]
Kiyotaka: [Then go see the truth in the trial.]
Kiyotaka walked toward Garfiel.
Kiyotaka: [I don't really know anything about this place, but I'm going to save you all. Because that's...]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [Because that's what would make my mother proud of me. What would make me proud of myself. And also for a girl that I love.]
Garfiel: [Who the hell do you think you are? You have no idea what it's like to live like this! To suffer like this! You don't know this hell!]
Kiyotaka ruffled his hair as Garfiel made an annoyed expression.
Kiyotaka: [Whatever you say, Garf. It doesn't change what I'm going to do. But the impart question is. What are you going to do? What will you do that your mother would be proud of you for doing? What would you feel proud about doing?]
Garfiel: [...]
Kiyotaka extended his hand to him.
Kiyotaka: [If you understand, then take my hand and take the trial.]
Garfiel looked annoyed as he swatted away Kiyotaka's hand and got up on his own.
Garfiel: [I already get that I lost, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong.]
Kiyotaka: [Are you willing to face the truth, though?]
Garfiel looked to the ruins as they lit up. He took a step forward but didn't move. Kiyotaka gave him a gentle push on his back as Garfiel looked slightly annoyed, but moved forward towards the trial, and he entered them as Emilia arrived.
Emilia: [Kiyo!]
Kiyotaka: [Oh. You made it Lia.]
Emilia paused for a second, not used to the nickname, but it was clear that she was happy.
Emilia: [Um... yes... I'm here. Should I take the trials now?]
Kiyotaka: [Wait a bit longer. Garfiel's in there.]
Emilia: [Garfiel?]
Kiyotaka: [I know he'll be able to pass the trial this time. He'll be able to heal from it.]
Emilia looked amazed.
Emilia: [You're a reaaally amazing person, you know.]
Kiyotaka smiled.
Kiyotaka: [I guess I am.]
They waited.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
When night arrived, two Ryuzus had also arrived.
Emilia: [So... is Shima-San Ryuzu-San's older sister, or her younger sister?]
Kiyotaka: [Sorry, Lia, but it's a bit more complicated than that.]
Emilia: [Is it reaaally complicated?]
Kiyotaka: [Maybe not that much.]
The light of the ruins dimmed, and Garfiel walked out.
Shima: [Young Gar!]
The two rushed over as Garfiel jumped down the stairs
Shima: [Y...young Gar... You see, I... We...]
Garfiel: [Don't make such a face, old hags. It don't suit ya.]
He patted their heads.
Garfiel: [Sorry, I worried you.]
It was clear there were tears in their eyes at this. Kiyotaka sat down as Garfiel turned to him.
Garfiel: [Hey, um... thanks...]
Kiyotaka: [It's fine.]
Garfiel: [You were right. Mom really did love me. I was a damn stupid brat for not realisin' it.]
Kiyotaka: [I was the same then.]
Garfiel laughed for a second, then his face became serious.
Garfiel: [I ain't losin' to ya though!]
Kiyotaka: (About Ram, huh?)
Kiyotaka: [I could say the same to you.]
Garfiel suddenly had a blush of embarrassment on his face.
Garfiel: [And listen here. If the Sanctuary is freed and the old hags and everyone suffer, I ain't gonna let it go. I'll make ya suffer. You hear me?]
Kiyotaka: [I get it.]
Garfiel: [Which means I'm gonna be here to make sure ya ain't just talk. Make sure ya do it right, boss!]
Garfiel patted his shoulder.
Kiyotaka: [Alright, Garf.]
Kiyotaka: (So I'm his love rival and his boss? What kind of relationship is this? Even with all my training, I don't understand it.)
Kiyotaka shook his head a little as Garf walked away.
Emilia: [His face was so red!]
Kiyotaka: [He's a sweet kid inside. It just took a while to pull that to the surface.]
Emilia nodded.
Kiyotaka: [Lia. It's your turn now.]
Emilia: [Yeah. If I stay here too long, my resolve will waver. You can count on me.]
Kiyotaka: [The correct thing to say would be you can count on me.]
Emillia: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [There's a piece of me inside you. If you can find it and call upon it, my feelings will reach you, and it'll be like I'm right there with you.]
Emilia smiled brightly.
Emilia: [When all of this is over. Let's talk things through, kay?]
Kiyotaka nodded.
Emilia headed towards the ruins as they lit up, but she turned around for a second.
Emilia: [I'll be going now.]
Kiyotaka: [I'll talk with you when I return, Lia.]
She nodded, walking into the ruins.
Kiyotaka: (Not much to take care of in the Sanctuary left. Soon I can head to the mansion with Garf in tow. With him and Ichika, things over there should be easy enough to resolve.)
Shima walked over, looking tired. Bilma was helping her walk.
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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