Chapter 38 - Unspoken Truth [2]
"They're everywhere...!" Camellia kept running, even though her legs ached.
She didn't stop—or rather, she couldn't stop—feeling like she might collapse at any moment.
Not only had she witnessed a loved one die in front of her, but the teleporter room where she was supposed to evacuate was also empty.
Without her collar which she treasured, left at home, she was alone, with no one to help her.
So she fled Arcadia, hoping to escape on foot, even though it seemed bleak.
There were two teleporters in Arcadia that served as entrances and exits: one located deep underground and the other, the main entrance, was available at all times.
Without resting, Camellia did everything she could to stay hidden.
Thankfully, she managed to reach the teleporter, diverting the monsters away at the cost of others being slaughtered.
Some of those who perished were people she knew, individuals who had supported her due to her status, but she never wished death upon them.
Their eyes were filled with dread and despair as they looked at her with a nauseating gaze, prompting her to erase them from her mind.
She had no choice but to resort to such horrific tactics, so she discarded her emotions, just as she had thrown away everything she once loved.
“B-Blurghh… Kggh…! Blggh!” Camellia retched, unable to contain her emotions, her horrified expression saying it all.
She was drenched in sweat, her clothes stained with the blood of countless victims.
After some time had passed, she finally made it to the teleporter.
She had expected to find people swarming, but the area was unnaturally silent, and the hallway was marked with blood.
Without allowing herself any second thoughts, she stepped into the gate that led to the surface, even though she suspected the ground might be far worse.
“...Ah.” Camellia stood frozen, her mouth agape.
She was right; the ground was truly another hellscape.
Every corner reeked of death, and the creatures that inhabited it were a testament to that.
Humanity may have triumphed over monsters decades ago, but these beings were worse than anything her ancestors had fought—an absolute evil that should not exist.
“Mmf...” Camellia ducked behind a pillar, doing her best to remain hidden as numerous Eldians passed by.
"■○□●■○...!" A monstrous creature shrieked after it mauled a corpse, absorbing it into its shell.
Each of the creatures looked as if they had emerged from hell, attempting to imitate humans by consuming them.
A normal person would have collapsed at the sight, but Camellia was determined to survive. She closed her eyes, holding back her urge to act recklessly.
The pervasive stench of blood surrounded her, which aided her in remaining hidden until the creatures moved on.
Once they were far enough away that she couldn't see them, Camellia began to run as fast as she could.
Her heart raced, and she felt the sting of countless wounds across her body.
Determined to escape Arcadia—the source of the creatures—she kept running until she felt far enough away.
She had lost everything and clung to hope, praying that this nightmare might finally come to an end so she could relay the news to her sisters.
She yearned to know if her sisters were alright and whether their father was safe as well.
And... she wanted to find out if her older brother was alive somewhere.
If he had died too, then everything would feel meaningless.
As she distanced herself from Arcadia, she held back her tears, clutching her neck, which felt emptier than ever.
—But that too was useless.
"N-No…" Camellia dropped to her knees, realizing that hope was lost, and there was no escape.
In front of her stood an invisible barrier, one that couldn't be broken no matter what she did.
Countless civilians had also reached this point besides her, escaping from that madness.
Beyond the invisible barrier, specific figures in black cloaks stared at them, doing nothing but observing their struggle.
Camellia was no exception.
—Boom!
Desperately squeezing out the last of her mana, she lifted a car into the air and flung it at the barrier in a final attempt to break through.
Yet, no matter what she did, it was futile.
—BANG! BANG!
"Break… Come on…! BREAK…! I SAID BREAK!!!" She screamed, throwing everything she had, but not even a dent appeared.
In her final struggle, Camellia raised her hands in the air, her eyes glowing red.
"Kggh...!" She grunted in pain.
Blood began to trickle from her nose and eyes as she drew upon her own life force to accomplish what was far beyond her capabilities.
With immense effort, Camellia lifted a building off the ground and hurled it at the barrier.
—BOOM!!!
The ground shook from the force of the impact, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
The civilians prayed that she would break through and finally escape from this nightmarish situation.
...
...
...
"Impressive."
—Voom...!
Unlike the strong resistance that prevented others from leaving the barrier, one individual stepped over it and walked toward Camellia.
"Ah... Agh..." Camellia wheezed, her voice strained from overusing her mana.
Having poured all her strength into that one attack, the barrier remained intact, showing no sign of damage.
There, she lay, gazing at the sky.
Despite the horrifying scene, it looked…
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"..."
The individual spoke directly to her, their hands slithering around Camellia's neck.
Disgusting, she thought, but she couldn't form a coherent response or take any action.
Above her, the shattered sky was painted red over Arcadia, like a canvas.
Cities lay toppled like dominoes, and the humans who should have reigned were nowhere to be seen.
The stench of despair hung heavy in the air, suffocating all hope.
What had once been a rowdy atmosphere had fallen silent, as if everyone around her had fallen into an eternal sleep.
As Camellia leaned in to get a closer look at the person talking to her, she caught a glimpse of their face and noticed a mark reserved for great sinners— the country that hid in sheep's clothing.
"Morze." She uttered, her voice laced with disdain.
"That's right~!" Came the expected reply, accompanied by an eerie smile that radiated a complete lack of empathy or kindness.
This person found her struggle amusing and laughed at her plight.
It disgusted her to the point where the blood in her eyes felt more like delirium than pain.
Understanding the situation, Camila's face contorted with immense hatred as she glared at the person who held her by the neck.
Sensing her intentions, the robed figure smiled, clearly finding her reaction amusing.
"Haha! You're a funny one. Hey! Can we keep this one?" the robed person called, waving their hands to call someone.
But as her consciousness began to fade, she could no longer hear what they were saying.
At that moment, she clenched her fists and made a heartfelt wish—
In a world that had fallen into damnation.
Buried beneath the gravestone of her sins,
A mindless plea escaped her lips as she called out a name.
"Save me... big brother Kuro..." Camellia muttered under her breath, invoking the name of the person she had betrayed.
Beneath the red sky, where despair lingered, she returned to the source of her hope, praying for redemption.
—Aria...!
A desperate voice echoed in my ears.
It was faint, but I could definitely hear it.
How long has it been since I started delving into Camellia's memories?
All her thoughts from that day surged through me at once, overwhelming me and causing me to black out from the sheer intensity of the emotions.
Despair was the most prominent feeling, accompanied by a hollow hope that someone would come to save her.
That was Camellia—someone who longed for forgiveness but was left alive to become a spectacle of tragedy, hidden under a veil of comedy.
"Aria…!" Camila screamed; this time, she was shaking me quite aggressively.
...
...
...
Hold on, just like back then, why does this feel so familiar, I wonder?
My instincts screamed at me, telling me to move immediately this time, and I opened my eyes instantly.
But just as I opened my eyes wide, I looked at Camila's hand and—
—SLAP!
I was slapped without a hint of remorse, and it almost sent me back into another dream.
"NYAAAH!" I shrieked like a cat, the sting of pain radiating across my cheek.
“—Ah.” She gasped, suddenly regretting putting that amount of force behind that slap.
Even though Noah had punched me in the face before, Camila's desperate slap felt somehow more painful.
Is my pain tolerance just weaker in this frail body, or is this gorilla just too strong?
"A-Are you okay?!" She rushed over to me, gripping my shoulders and inspecting my face.
Because I had just returned from an intense experience, reliving her memories...
I woke up with tears streaming down my face and a nosebleed, causing Camila to worry even more.
"Wait, no—don’t cry! H-Hold on, I have some tissues!" she said, quickly wiping my nose, mistakenly thinking she had caused this by slapping me.
I remained silent, trying to process all the overwhelming information at once.
"I'm so sorry about that…" Camila said sincerely, her bitter smile breaking my heart.
Ah, don’t do that! You're going to make me cry even more, dammit!
—Cling!
Without a moment's hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
Although I had hugged her before while we were escaping from the dorms, this time I embraced her out of sadness.
All the emotions she had bottled up flooded into me, condensing into my tears.
And for the first time in ten years, tears began to swell in my eyes, and I cried really loud.
"Waaaah!" I wailed like a child, overwhelmed with emotions.
"H-Hwah?! What's this all of a sudden?!" Camila waved her hands, unsure of how to handle a crying child.
"Sniff... uwaaaah!!!" My dignity as a man was completely violated.
But I decided to let it slide for now.
Camila did everything she could to calm me down, but every time I saw her saddened face, it made me cry even more, leading me to think this was somehow intentional.
At the same time, Camila didn't reject the hug I offered—after all, having been alone for so many years, all she ever wanted was a hug from someone.
'Ugh... this is unbelievable.' I made an angry face, my emotions in conflict as we hugged each other for who knows how long, until I finally calmed down.
The Historia family.
For all I know, I despised them to the core that I would rather die than be with them.
Yet here I am, losing the desire to feel any more hatred towards Camellia, the one I disliked the most.
Is it because I’m gullible? Or is it that I’ve experienced Camellia’s intense desire to repent, which even surpasses my own?
At this point, I can’t tell anymore. Even if I try to forget all the torment she has inflicted on me, this hatred will never go away.
However, one fact remains that I cannot ignore: the reason our relationship drifted apart in the first place.
Someone has been orchestrating everything behind the scenes, a person even Gael could not easily oppose.
“Sniff... Camila,” I called out to her, gently holding her cheek.
Even though her torment wouldn't end today until we escaped, I wiped the tears from my face and smiled at her.
“You did well.” I softened my embrace.
At that moment, I wasn’t speaking as Aria Cyth, but as her brother.
"...Ah." Camila was speechless and couldn’t find the words to respond.
As if time stood still, she rested her head on my shoulder and whispered two words she had held back for so long.
"...Thank you."
“Hey... Aria.”
"...Yeah? What's wrong?"
“Can you… tell me what happened for you to—"
"Shut up."
...
...
...
"Heh, are you embarrassed—"
"Shut up!!!"
I covered my face, feeling incredibly embarrassed that I had cried like a little girl.
"Fufu..." she giggled, looking refreshed, while I wanted to end it all here.
Despite obtaining a dark history I wished to erase, I had managed to hold onto a few interesting things, not just information.
To summarize, something tells me I obtained a new ability from the Knowledge Cube. This was likely why, after taking hold of her choker, I was able to see her memories in their purest form.
Due to my pure mana core, allowing me to inherit so many Magic Arts at once, I could sense that this was an ability rather than magic.
I’m not sure what to call it for now, so I’ll think about that later.
I also confirmed who Camila really is.
At first, I didn’t recognize her because the Camellia I knew was bratty rather than tomboyish or mature.
Nonetheless, she still has qualities that remind me of the past, although they’ve mellowed.
Her impulsive tendency to tease people hasn’t disappeared, though.
Another piece of information was that someone was involved in our relationships breaking apart.
Maybe this was an excuse she created for herself to justify herself, but I won't know until I know what it was.
The last and most important had something to with Camellia’s rage toward the cloaked figure, confirming their involvement.
Morze.
In the end, regardless of the situation, it was always Morze that was entangled in these abnormal occurrences.
That’s how powerful they are—an absolute evil that continues to thrive even now.
“Did something happen when you touched the Knowledge Cube?” Camila asked sincerely, though a smirk played on her lips as I walked in front of her.
“Those were... um, the aftereffects of touching the Knowledge Cube, yeah.” I made up a silly excuse to prevent her from discovering the truth.
“Ah, right...” She ceased her inquiries about it and looked at me with a stern stare.
...
...
...
—Thankfully, she bought it, I think.
When the time comes, I’ll reveal who I really am to her—but now is not that time.
...Actually, wait, how do I even tell her my true identity?
There was nothing about my past self that resembled me, starting from appearance.
She had already mentioned that my personality was similar to a guy's, so I needed a proper excuse to convince her, even if it's just a little.
"You're sure that's where we are supposed to go, right?"
"I'm sure, you can count on me on that."
Camila nodded her head, guaranteed that it was still there.
Before we left the Archalv, I shared my experience in the Knowledge Cube, omitting the part that was from her point of view.
By combining the information from both her and my experiences, I noted that, although she was left behind, there truly was a way to escape from this domain.
In the teleportation room deep within Arcadia, there were two charges left for the teleporter, designated exclusively for Camellia and Elenore.
She could have escaped if it weren't for the swarm of Eldians waiting for her if she chose to teleport out.
But she already knew that, as it had been her main goal from the beginning. However, what she didn’t realize was the reason why they left without her.
"Going against a Pylon... I heard those things have a mind of their own. Will we be alright?"
"Yeah!"
"You—ugh, whatever."
Although we ran into trouble the moment we entered Arcadia, we were able to reach the teleportation room without being jumped.
The absence of Eldians was slightly concerning, which possibly explains why strays attacked us instead of Eldians.
"We're here." Camila said, pointing from a distance.
A red ominous light illumated the area, looking unnecessarily menancing for some reason.
Before us was the teleportation circle located on the lowest level of the main building, a place where Eldians dwell.
"Ready for the final sprint?" I joked around to ease the atmosphere.
In just a few moments, the climax will commence as the curtain falls.
The experience so far has felt like I've been through hell from start to finish.
Yet, if there's one thing that brings me comfort, it's that…
"Ha…!" Camila grinned, slamming her two giant gauntlets together. "I got back your back, Aria!"
—That I'm no longer alone.
