THANK YOU, YOUR MAJESTY (End Game)

[whimsicalism]

[That... that was quite an eventful two months, wasn't it? Well, almost two months, anyway. The Storyteller isn't gone completely but her power over the castle has been replaced by the Queen. All cursed objects reminding the living of the dead are gone as are monsters like Bloody Mary or the train.

Instead the castle is calm and safe for everyone. The foyer however is getting crowded since now all of the dead, including those from round zero are being pushed around. There's a quick announcement from the Queen (which gets a reaction out of most of the new people) informing them that they'll be going home if they want to.

Your friends will be coming down from the seventh area soon enough. Your memories, however, have already returned completely.

The Invidia Castle has been restored under new rulership and even if Closetland still is bad? At least there's one bastion of hope against the remaining kings. You have your powers back to some extent, as well as the power of belief, but only in the castle. Alice will shut them off for you if you start causing too much trouble, though. This is a nice event don't ruin it for everyone.

Rest well. You're free.]

Comments

[xxxx_me]

[His gaze drops to the floor.]

...Yeah. I have to go back.

[strictura]

[ He nods. ]

Mm... You couldn't live with yourself if you didn't try to save them, right?

[ Because he certainly understands that. ]

[xxxx_me]

...Uh-huh. I told myself I'd get everyone out, no matter what.

[And, well.

He knows who was the most evil of them for sure, now that he's got his memories back.]

[strictura]

I'm sorry I can't go with you and help you... but I think you can do it. I mean, you helped save everyone here, so... maybe this whole experience will have done something good for you in the end, right?

[xxxx_me]

[He closes his eyes for a moment, only opening them once again with a bittersweet smile.]

...I've actually known the solution the whole time. But when I forgot what happened in the other Worlds... I wanted to think that maybe it could be something else.

Maybe someone else did awful things. Awful enough to deserve being sacrificed to save everyone.

[strictura]

[ ...Ah.

Self-hatred is something he's intimately familiar with, so he's pretty confident that he's picking up the implication there correctly.

...The thing is, if that's really how it works, he has no business telling Allen not to do it. It would be a rational choice, especially taking into account how much guilt he'd feel if he killed one of his friends instead when his own life would have done the trick. ]

Is that what you're going to do, then?

[xxxx_me]

[A tiny nod.]

Cheshire and Rabbit told me that the end would always be the same if I went into the others' Worlds. Because no matter what I did, I'd be trampling on their hearts. Their deepest, darkest secrets.

But... with each World, I got a little bit of myself back. I wanted to remember more. I was so scared of losing myself - so I pretended I was trying to help everyone when really, I was just causing them to break apart. If they really do turn into foam and wash away in the Dream... it'll be all my fault.

So... it was going to be me all along. I was the most evil one.

[strictura]

[ Nagisa is quiet for a while, then nods -- not really in agreement, but in acknowledgement. ]

Even if that's true, you're still only a little bit evil, though, and no more so than an average child. You were in a difficult situation, and now you're having to grade yourself on an unfairly steep curve.

If that's definitely the way it has to work... I'd probably do the same thing, so I won't tell you not to if you're confident that there's no alternative.

...But there are people here with lots of different kinds of supernatural abilities, you know. Even if neither of us could fight a real demon like the ones making you do this, someone else might be able to.

[xxxx_me]

[He does raise his head a little at that last part. He's not happy about the idea of sacrificing himself, even if he feels like it's necessary.]

Someone else...?

[strictura]

Since people usually couldn't use those powers here, we don't know very much about them. But I think there's a good chance someone might be able to help, whether it's by fighting that cat and rabbit or creating an alternate way out.

You don't have to be like me.

[ Taking everything on yourself. ]

[xxxx_me]

That's true...

[The powers they did see used were sparing, and only in one week.]

...I'll ask around. If I have to... I'll do it. But I don't want to give up my soul to them, either.

[The thought of giving himself over to Cheshire is not at all pleasant to begin with.]

Plus... if it's possible, I'd like to come back and help with the Kings, too.

[strictura]

Yeah... I'd like to do that too. I still feel like if we could get rid of all the dangerous things here, this place would have potential as a children's paradise too.

[xxxx_me]

[o:]

So you're staying?

[strictura]

No, I have to go back to my world to finish our paradise there, of course. I don't know how long it would take to get to a point where we could make this world usable, and we don't have that kind of time to waste.

But once that's done, I'd like to come back and work on it if it's an option. To have a safe place that children of all worlds can escape to, not just the ones from our city.

[xxxx_me]

Oh...

[>Concern.]

...Are you sure? You felt bad about some of the things you had to do, didn't you?

[strictura]

I... Because of that, I have to see it through. So those things won't have been done for no reason.

[xxxx_me]

[Drooping a little.]

Still... doesn't that mean you'll have to keep doing them?

[Not that he has much of a leg to stand on, given what he's planning to do himself once he gets back to the Dream, but...

It's not like he wants Nagisa to have to keep going through horrible things, either.]

[strictura]

Well... yes, but I always knew this path meant I'd be doing things I didn't want to.

A-anyway, there aren't too many obstacles left at this point.

[xxxx_me]

What's left?