"There hath been wars of great magnitude, that did engulf the world in its entirety. Much destruction hath followed in thy death. As they did clash for their differences and needs, they would kill, plunder, and inflict much suffering upon themselves."
Widespread infections of disease as soldiers spent their times fighting in the inhumane conditions of the trenches. Many of them suffered from the 'trench foot' as their feet were constantly exposed to wet and unsanitary conditions.
Excruciating pain inflicted from chemical warfare was the routine. With severe blistering of skin as well as respiratory damages, it led them to a slow and agonising death.
The recordings shifted to show the rounding ups and sending of countless victims to the many concentration camps spread across the continents, where they were regularly subjected to forced labour, starvation, and torture. Many were killed in gas chambers or through other means of mass murder.
The man turned pale.
'This can't be…'
And then came the atomic bombings. An entire city vanished in the immediate source of a blinding flash of light. The following shockwave would see buildings demolished, trees uprooted, vehicles tossed, and people blown to shreds. The fallout radiation it unleashed would contaminate the entire city, so that another might never be erected in place of it. It was nothing short of a catastrophe.
The aftermath was sickness among those that were exposed to the poisoned soil, water, and air. Human, animal, nature; none were spared from the harsh punishment that it was. Dreadful casualties of life-lasting effects were the only things awaiting its survivors.
"Mankind's unbridled growth hath wrought devastation upon nature. They held no heed for the very crucible upon whence their civilization could be cast. The Earth itself hath turned into a veritable hellfire, setting ablaze aught that yonder doth live."
Feeling powerless, he fell back onto the ground, creating ripples on the vast body of water. They continued and went far, beyond the borders of vision.
'Is that… is it my fault? Was that all due to my interference on the world stage? Why… must it happen that way…'
He then yelled in his conscience,
'I knew it was bound to happen. I cultivated the foundation of that very military state! At my behest, I allowed discord among the people…! It is also by my order that I allowed the fierce competition of the powers through our colonialist policy! And to think I just ran away from all of it after a simple piece of resignation letter!'
In his remorse, he muttered,
"Am I… nothing but a murderer…?"
Nobody knew the answer and neither to whom it was directed to.
The silence just seeped in. The man in the coat just lingered there, in front of the little girl, with his hands on both of his knees. All of his hope was lost. His only consolation was the gaze that he had rested at the water below.
"Not necessarily." The little girl remarked.
Then the man began to peek a glance at the little girl, confused.
"...What?"
"Thy very being is not the only cause from which these faults could have sprung. Even in the absence of thy intervention, the course of world events would have unfolded, perchance by the same manner, or perchance by some other guise. We have deemed thy role to be of minor import in the grand schemes of the future."
He just paused his glance at the girl, speechless, possibly waiting for her next words.
"We beseech thee to be reborn in another world, one that shares similar conditions and challenges as thy previous world, wherein thou mayst unite the people through whatever means necessary. This time, not for glory nor splendour, but for the sake of peace and sustainability, if it be possible until the remainder of the world's days."
Still unsatisfied and confused, he threw away his glance the other way.
"Why me? Why not others?"
"Four reasons, there be.
Firstly, as the Administrator, our power doth not extend to the moulding of those who dwell in the worlds, for they were created with free will. We may guide the benighted men towards salvation, yet not personally deliver them thereunto.
Secondly, thou hast the necessary experience and ability to work in concert with thy fellow kin to achieve the greater goal at hand.
Thirdly, thou art a person of firm principle and virtue, and I doth trust that thy actions henceforth shall be in the interest of the Will of the World.
And fourth,"
she continued,
"Thou who hast cometh from the valley of death, dost thou not harbour within thee the desire to see through what thou hast begun?"
The man listened intently, his eyes fixed on those of the little girl's. As the message sank in, his expression shifted from one of surprise to contemplation.
"That is… a heavy responsibility for this old man."
"Indeed it is."
Time passed in complete silence as he delved deep into the corners of his memory, sifting through every lesson he had learned, every single thing that he could recall from his experience throughout his life. Losing himself in his thoughts, he reasoned, and then came to a conclusion.
Finally, with a return to his feet, his resolve became unshakeable. He knew without doubt what he must do, and that he must not falter in the face of adversity.
"Fine. This regret in me will not go away no matter how much time would pass in the afterlife. It is as you said, I want to see through what I have begun and change what could have happened into a better outcome… But it could just stay that way and go as it did…"
Noticing his fear, the little girl reassured the man,
"We art the Administrator; the ones who oversee the world. Thou art chosen by us to bring forth order and balance to the world, to amend the mistakes of thy successors and guide the world towards a better fate. We have deemed you as the best fit among all of your time, and that is all that matters."
"'Tis a task, one that requires strength, wisdom, and a steadfast heart; and thou hath performed incredibly. Worry not, for you shall meet kindred spirits that will accompany thee along thy journey."
Then, as the man in his coat stood there in the midst of the empty space, a sudden shift occurred within him.
His body seemed to ignite with an otherworldly energy, and tiny sparks of light began to appear from his form. At first, they were few and far between, but then the sparks began to multiply rapidly, spreading across his entire body like a wildfire.
As the flickering lights continued to multiply, they seemed to merge together, forming larger and more vibrant dots of light. They glimmered like the arrays of stars in the dawn high up, each one pulsating with their own power.
Swirling gracefully around his figure, they slowly began to envelop him. The dots of light grew stronger and brighter. And as the last dots of light began to settle on his skin, the little girl in front of him spoke,
"Farewell, child of man. Recall that the Will doth permeate all, and by honouring Their wish shall the world be preserved."
◇
"What is for today's breakfast, Hilda?" Paula asked as she was sitting on the dining table, staring at the report papers in her hand.
The room would have been large enough to accommodate a number of guests, but on that morning, the ones inside the room were only Paula and her head maid.
"Bread rolls, along with scrambled eggs and cuts of meat. There are also some grapes." Hilda, the maid, said as she served a cup of tea from a tray onto the table.
She then dropped a block of sugar cube from a sugar bowl into the cup and proceeded to mix the tea with a teaspoon.
"Do you want the rolls to be accompanied as usual, or perhaps jam or honey?"
"Butter will do."
"Certainly, Miss."
The maid obliged, leaving the room shortly after the conversation.
It was a grand room filled with elegant furnishings and ornaments. A long, rectangular dining table of quality wood is covered with a white tablecloth. The table was set with vases of fresh flowers on it. Seatings around the table were arranged in a formal manner, with Paula sitting at the end of the table.
Hanging on one side of the room were paintings of renown, some were notably made by artists of the various art academies in Cölln. There was also a big standing clock beside a potted plant and the windows were tall and wide, allowing plenty of sunlight to enter the room.
As Paula was reading through her papers, something caught her eyes.
"So it's finally finished! They have finished developing the Vulkan..."
The Vulkan prana-powered gun was presumably the first firearm made employing the use of a superior matrix system and engine that could withstand a more complex calculation of spells. That means, while the average arcane weapons had the ability to fire out a prana bullet after a certain amount of time being spent for spellcasting, the Vulkan—on the other hand, not only had it needed fewer time to cast the spells, it also has a greater range effect and additional casting capacity added to be able to slightly alter the realised prana bullets, such as the shape, size, action, and even its trajectory.
It has the potential to change war forever.
'A welcome news to the military.'
She smiled in her excitement as she took a sip of her teacup.
On another note was an impromptu report from the Minister of Justice. It concerned the various tasks necessary to convene a national assembly in Cölln.
'Your Excellency, after the people of Weiss gathered in the city yesterday, a decree was consecutively issued by the king. It called for the election of the Constituent Assembly members to draft a working constitution for the establishment of a parliament in the government.
This put us in a difficult situation as there were currently no government buildings or halls to conduct a meeting of such an unprecedented scale.'
"Hmm…"
And then he also added,
'At the moment this might have reached you, we would have been working in defining the rules for the election, such as the eligibility and criteria of the voters and candidates involved. There may be some things on the matter of the appointment of the President of the Assembly that I might consult of Your Excellency when the need arises.'
Hilda returned into the room, bringing with her a plate of freshly baked bread rolls accompanied by a slide of creamy butter. She also bought plates of fried bacon topped by perfectly cooked eggs and a bunch of grapes on her tray.
As the smell of breakfast was drifting in, Hilda gracefully served the dishes on Paula's table.
"Thank you, Hilda. How is old Giovanni doing these days?"
"Regrettably, not very good, Miss. I had him take a stroll around the streets on occasions, yet he didn't even budge an inch from his chair. Saying things like, 'No! This recipe will undoubtedly work after some adjusting!' or 'Ma time'sa betta' off to da grand mission to rediscover the delicacies of da world dan some-a bothersome-a childwalk!'. I believe the old man is beyond any assistance at the immediate present."
Paula could not help but lightly laugh at the impersonation.
"Why, that surely sounds like him!"
Hilda was a well-trained maid. Her responsibilities as head maid included supervising the cleaning and maintenance of the mansion, such as laundry, ironing, organising storage spaces, and assisting with meal preparation and service. She was also responsible for training and managing the other maids and housekeepers.
In addition to her duties as head maid, she managed Paula's household accounts and budgets, arranged for repairs and maintenance, and liaised with other household staff, such as the cook Giovanni.
"Oh, send the old fellow my regards."
"Of course, Miss. He would certainly be delighted to know."
Her job as head main required her to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and discretion. She had to ensure that the household ran smoothly and that the day-to-day needs of Paula, her employer, were met in an efficient and timely manner. Paula held Hilda in high regard for her unwavering dedication to her duties.
"Was there any problem with the leaking pipe?"
"Oh, no Miss. You needn't worry about that one for more. I had Mr. Günter next door to attend to it. Although, I must say, cleaning up the leftover mess is rather unpleasant work for the maids… Nonetheless, it was already a done deal."
"Ahahaha… Perhaps I should give Mr. Günter a token of appreciation for his effort later."
"I thought Miss would say that, of course we have already paid the professional plumber and given him some of Giovanni's cookies for his satisfactory job. I am sure his children will be delighted."
"Excellent… thank you, Hilda"
The friendly conversation just went on as they moved to other topics.
"Anyway, I need you to tell Hans to procure extra papers for another drafting session later. Kindly ask him to appoint a time with the Minister of Justice at around five o'clock p.m. in the office."
"Certainly, Miss."
"Oh, and tell him that I will be going to the Ruppel-Brocken branch office today right after I finish things here."
Hilda curtsied to her employer before Louise respectfully departed from the dining room, leaving Hilda to her duties.
◇