Karabell kneeled beside the body. His shoulders shook as he stared at the peaceful expression on Frederick's lifeless face. Karabell extended his hand hesitantly and touched the Commander's wrist. Of course he had no pulse. Frederick was dead, no two ways about it. The Captain stole a glance at his bloodstained spear as he took the Commander's watch off. Karabell shoved the small device into one of his pockets. His face contorted. He'd been too careless, abandoning his weapon like that. If he hadn't thrown it, Frederick wouldn't have been able to kill himself like that. But then again, he would've probably found another way. Thousands of thoughts ran wildly through Karabell's mind. Why had he let something like that happen? But it wasn't his fault. He'd had no way of knowing that Frederick would choose that path.
"In the end, I couldn't save everyone," the Captain heard himself say, and tears shone in his eyes. "I couldn't do anything to help him. Am I really nothing more than a pitiful crybaby?"
It felt as if Frederick's trusty knuckledusters were glaring at him, judging him. They'd defeated so many Aberrations. They'd done such a good job blocking the Captain's blows. Yet their owner had still lost. They hadn't been able to protect Frederick. Karabell felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. His train of thought was cut short, and he instinctively knew who it was.
"This guy was a mess up until the very end. No matter what I did, I was been able to see through his facade. What did he truly want? What did he truly hate? I'm not sure he himself knew," he started with a faint smile that he did not feel. "He swallowed his pride and fought alongside Aberrations. Frederick still wanted to save this cruel world, even if he despised it with every fiber of his being. And that's exactly what he did. He avenged his fallen comrades. This was indeed the only path," Karabell said, repeating Frederick's words. "That's what he said just before he died. But was it really? We'll never know. However, that was his answer. And it's not my place to say whether or not that answer was the right one. But his life wasn't that of a weapon. Frederick was a living being, capable of feeling both pain and happiness. And so are the Aberrations. Perhaps realizing that was what pushed him over the edge. Perhaps his goal to slay the Ringleader was the only thing keeping him alive. Commander Frederick Sel... truly was a strange man."
A single tear rolled down Karabell's cheek. He wiped it away and sluggishly rose to his feet. His arms were so tired he could barely move them. And the battle wasn't even over yet. Karabell suddenly turned around and hugged Alice. He really was exhausted, and his arms felt like they might fall off. But those things were minor inconveniences. Both her and Een were alive. They'd defeated the Ringleader, and those two had survived.
"How's Een feeling?" Karabell asked as they hesitantly broke their hug.
"I'm fine!" Een answered abruptly. "Need me to do something, Captain?"
"The Ringleader said that our watches would guide us. You know what that means, right?" Karabell's eyes drifted towards the creature's corpse. The Ringleader's story... It had helped him understand so many things. What more was there to learn? "Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask. Remember those blueprints? We'll use this thing's Stone to make one of those devices. I feel like that's what we need to do."
"Do you really think we'll manage to crack that Aberration's skull open that easily? Frederick would've probably been able to do that, but..." Een's voice trailed off. "Looks like my plans weren't that useful, after all. We weren't able to achieve a flawless victory. Don't get me wrong, Captain, I'll do whatever I can. I'm just saying that it might take a while. The others... Have you tried contacting the others, Alice?"
The girl gave a half shrug. She'd called Shono and Lyra over and over again, to no avail. Gull hadn't said anything else, either. The creature's silence was more than unsettling. Was Kei alright? Maybe Arago and Annie had taken her to safety...
"There's no helping it. We just have to go out there ourselves and make sure they're alright." The faint note of cheer in Karabell's voice masked his worry. "That's not it, Een. We're already running low on time. So the Ringleader is coming with us," he continued, starting towards a huge pile of rocks. "Get a hold of yourself, Gull. We need your help. Hey, Een. Do you think Frederick's horse is strong enough to carry that guy?"
He pondered the question for a few seconds. "Probably, but that guy looks heavy. It would certainly slow us down. Not to mention that the poor horse would get exhausted in no time. We could have Gull carry the corpse, but that wouldn't save us much time either. By the way, what exactly are you doing?" Een asked, noticing that Karabell had picked up one of the larger stones and was steadily walking towards Frederick's body.
"I'm making a grave. Well, sort of. He deserves that much. Alice, I'm sorry to ask you to do this, but could you lend me a hand? I think it'll be more pleasant than helping Een convince Gull to carry the Ringleader on its back."
Alice mustered a faint smile. Once again, she found herself unable to speak. The Ringleader's speech, its memories, Frederick's fight with Karabell, his death... Too many things had happened in such a short span of time. She hadn't lifted a finger, but she felt completely drained. That was right. She hadn't done anything. She hadn't helped them fight the Ringleader, nor had she stepped in to help when Frederick had attacked her brother. What was wrong with her? She was a soldier. Wasn't a soldier's job to fight? The Commander's words came to her mind. It had certainly gotten cold in there.
After a few minutes, Frederick's body was completely hidden under the rocks. Karabell let out a sigh. Alice still hadn't said anything, and she seemed to be spacing out more than usual. Was she feeling guilty? But it wasn't her fault. If anything, he was the one who hadn't been able to stop Frederick.
"You didn't even get to have a proper grave. I'm sorry, Commander. You've fought valiantly. At last, your battle has come to an end. I..." Karabell's throat constricted, making it impossible for other words to form. He wanted to say so many things. Yet he wasn't able to. No, maybe he'd said enough.
"We'll take care of everything, so you can rest easy, Commander. We did say that we'd put an end to this war, didn't we?" Alice's voice startled Karabell. "Frederick Sel wasn't a fool. He wouldn't have done something like this if he didn't trust us, Kar. So we can't betray his expectations. And what would Frederick say if he saw us mourning his death?"
Alice had made her mind up. She'd been useless during their fight, but she hadn't been a burden. Her sword had saved Kar, and she couldn't deny that fact. If she could continue to support him, then that was more than enough for her. And cheering Kar up was also one of her duties. Frederick had chosen that path. He'd essentially told them that his job there was done, and that the rest was up to them. But it was alright. They were the Agency's strongest soldiers, after all.
"He would probably mock us and tell Een to grow up," the Captain answered, a little too quickly.
"Why me?" Een shouted in response.
Alice and Karabell glanced in his direction. Surprisingly, Gull had complied with the Captain's request. The Aberration had somehow managed to pick the Ringleader up, but the extra weight was hindering its movements significantly. The creature could barely walk, let alone sprint at full speed. Karabell rubbed his chin. There was no way a horse would've been able to transport the Ringleader's corpse.
"My apologies, but I'm doing my best," Gull managed, panting. "It's way heavier than I thought it would be. We need to hurry, too..."
Hearing those words leave the creature's mouth, Karabell shivered. Gull had more or less come back to its senses. The fact that it had said that... There was a good chance that their friends were still alive. Just because they'd lost didn't mean that they'd all just up and died. Maybe they'd managed to flee. If that was the case, they needed to rescue them. In a flash, the Captain retrieved the two weapons. Alice thanked him and slid her sword back into its scabbard.
"We've no choice but to split up. Alice and I will head out first. You follow us as fast as you can. Gull... thank you. I don't know what happened outside, but I doubt it's something pleasant. I can't even begin to imagine how hard this is for you. You probably felt everything... And Een..."
"Say hi to Shono for me, would you, Captain?" Een interrupted him, smiling. "Hurry up or we might get there first. Well, I don't think that's actually possible, but still."
Without looking back, the two soldiers left. Alice balled her fists as they walked through the narrow tunnel. Was Kei alright? Had she managed to escape? What if she was being hunted down by Aberrations? The thought filled her with anger. Suddenly, she caught a strange scent. It took her a moment to realize what it was. They'd gotten so used to the stench filling the Ringleader's hideout that they'd almost forgotten what fresh air smelled like. The sunlight peeked through the leaves. It was so much warmer outside. The horses neighed happily, tapping the ground with their hooves. Were they relieved to see Alice and Karabell returning? That had to be it.
"Did you miss me?" Alice asked, petting Sasha's mane.
"We're taking Frederick's with us, too. Just in case," Karabell explained as he grabbed the horse's lead. "Don't worry, Alice. We'll save everyone. It's not too late."