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]

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[The hand is slowly withdrawn, accompanied noise that sounds like internal mechanisms whining in protest.]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