A burned out failure

[stupidhonor]

...

...

By popular decision of the Lords, Ankaia will wage war on Earth. Ishin will be first in line, no doubt using his extraordinary might for great effect.

[Sielje is a mess. She sits with her head lowered, not bothering to change from her fancy dress - now torn and dusty from the fight.]

And it is all my fault.


If only... I was strong enough to face and defeat him...

If... only... I was stronger...!

[Her eyes are full of tears and you can hear pretty undignified sniffing.]

Comments

[fourth_rider]

[Fyra stands there, her damaged limb already beginning its self-repairs, yet is still mostly in the form of a skeletal arm made of metal.

After a while of being clueless on how to approach this, she crouches to stare up at Sielje's face concernedly. Watching what people did after the Fleet of Batavia was attacked gives her an idea.]

...

[She brings up her damaged hand to gently touch Sielje's. Maybe this isn't the right way to do this. But she'll at least try.]

[stupidhonor]

[Sielje twitches at the touch - and seeing the limb that touched her, she twitches again.]

Your hand...

[But her gaze falls again.]

I am sorry. I cannot be a powerful artifact like you.

[fourth_rider]

It will recover.

[The hand is slowly withdrawn, accompanied noise that sounds like internal mechanisms whining in protest.]

And you do not need to be.

[stupidhonor]

Then what can I be? Be what I am now? A knight who is so weak, her challenge was laughed at, whose failure has caused a war?

Is that alright?!

[fourth_rider]

No. Your current state will only bring you harm.

But becoming an artifact is not needed, nor is it possible.

[stupidhonor]

You are... not to take that statement literally. No, that is true.

But what am I supposed to do, then? I worked so hard, for many years. And look at the results...

[fourth_rider]

...At this moment, what is your goal?

Do you still wish to protect?

[stupidhonor]

What I wish and what I can do are two different things...

[fourth_rider]

What you are supposed to do...is make those one and the same.

This has not reached its conclusion.

[stupidhonor]

I cannot do it! I cannot... I tried for so many years, and I still made no progress...

[fourth_rider]

...How did you attempt to?

[stupidhonor]

Train your inner might. It is not just physical strength though that too plays a part. Train your body, face new challenges, battle beasts...

None of that is new to me. And yet...

[fourth_rider]

This place is very different. There are many more things to see and learn than in the world that I knew.

Even I must adapt to achieve the best performance possible, because my situation has changed. To not do so means...to become obsolete.

In this, I cannot be of help to you. But Earth is vast. There may be a means you have yet to discover.

[stupidhonor]

Earth and Ankaia are much different. I have lived here for months already, yet many of its secrets are unknown to me.

We are both strangers in a strange land.

[Somehow, Sielje finds it amusing, in a wry way.]

[fourth_rider]

[Fyra nods.]

Even so, I still intend to do as you have asked of me.

[stupidhonor]

Do you, for real?

...

I... appreciate it.