The Day After

I jumped up from the bed, I had felt that I had been hit with something cold, my head was wet, someone had thrown cold water at me. I looked around me, I was in a small bed with dried blood on the blanket, the walls of the place were fragile since it was a military tent, medical equipment is filling the place. Next to me was an older girl, perhaps in her thirties, quite beautiful, but her hair is a mess, she had a clean white robe that contrasted quite a bit with the bed I was on, with her delicate hands she adjusted her glasses to better read the monitor next to my bed.

"I see it, I still don't believe it"
"Just watch this! Complete color change!"
"It is too pale, it is almost pure white, normally I would associate it with albinism, but being a genetic disorder it is impossible to develop it after birth"
"Are you really Cesar?"
"What the hell happened, where is Nanami?"

"Rose!?"
"Are you here? When did you come back?"
"No , wait we had not installed a field hospital"
"Where the hell am I?"

"You are in a safe place, camp 107"
"When I was told that the empress was wounded in combat, I came as quickly as I could to help" She spoke with her usual investigative curiosity, almost like an innocent child.
"The dragon slayer Sakura was the one who got you out of there, believing that you are Nanami"
"Lost three of her friends trying to find your group"
"Only you 5 were the ones who managed to return, we don't know what happened to the rest"
"The White Banisher was the one who told me who you really were, he was the one who realized"
"The head wound looks like it just made you pass out"
"Your head seems fine and your body is healthy"
"If we compare it with a normal human, I still don't know what special care a fox girl needs"
"...."
"I need you to answer me clearly" But his tone changed enormously, the same as a threat, reflecting the seriousness of the matter.
"If you are there, where is Nanami?"
"What happened in the Celestial Forge"

My body begins to feel cold, my throat shrinks, my eyes water. But almost as quickly as these changes occurred another appeared, something said no to all of them. My body stopped in its tracks and decided to do nothing instead. It was horrible, I was sad, I recognized that I was sad, but at the same time my brain told me to stop and do nothing, just stay still and that's it, not to continue because there was no reason to do so. And this scared me, I was afraid, but my brain also told me that it wasn't allowed either.

"She..."
"...."
"She is not"
"...."
"Nanami is no more, she is gone"
"...."
"Nanami saved my life, dying her instead of me"
"...."

"...."
"...."
"Pizdets, where I left the vodka"
"I had it right here..."
"..."
"Where is that bottle..."
"I always have a bottle on hand for the same..."
"Where is that..."

She put her hand in the drawer of a metal locker, from where she took out the mentioned drink, but when she finished taking it out her hands staggered and the bottle broke in two, cutting her hand, but with the remaining half she finished serving the drink, She took from it and finished throwing what was left of the glass against a machine, which made a huge noise when it fell to the ground,  followed later by Rose's fall.

"I heard a loud noise, is everything okay?"
"Mrs.Rose!?"

Alarmed by the loud noise a girl entered the store as well, armed with a rifle ready to shoot at the slightest opportunity. She was wearing the same uniform as the rest of the normal soldiers on Earth. She was quite young, her face quite delicate, her white skin was almost the same tone as mine, her hair was white too, golden eyes like jewels, and her delicate body only gave off an innocence that contrasted too much with the position she had in the army, it was as if she was lost in this place. But my head started to hurt again, I felt a very strange pain, my brain warned me that for some reason this was out of place. But the same feeling of worthlessness from before took pity on me and he denied me the possibility of feeling something else.

"Yes, I'm fine damn it"
"Take your hand off me"
"Can't you see that I'm putting shit together!"
"Cyka Bylat"

"Who is she?"
"Has she even earned permission to see the Empress's face?"

"It's Lisa, my new bodyguard after Nanami asked you to accompany her"
"Despite how she looks, she is able to handle situations quite a bit"
"...."
"Damn it, Blyat"
"I can't even move my hands properly"
"...."
"Where is ..."
"..."
"Here, this should work on something at least, I hope"

Among several bottles with medicinal liquids, she took out a specific one, strangely it did not have any label on the container, but that did not seem to matter to Rose, who took a syringe, and injected whatever was in it into her blood. After a couple of seconds, she seemed to be calmer, but her gloomy face was still present, her news had really hurt her. One that she thought she was used to at this point.

"If news of her death gets out, it will be the end of us"
"They will stop fighting if they realize that Nanami died"
"Without his help we will no longer be able to manage our already precarious situation"
"Union will crumble like a house of cards"
"...."
"The information must not reach the Atlanteans at any cost"
"We have to do whatever it takes to avoid it"
"...."
"What Nanami did for selfishness has been a curse for you"
"And a blessing for us"
"...."
"Cesar I'm going to need, we're going to need you to pretend to be Nanami"
"I need you to pretend that your wife never died"
"...."
"If you pretend to be her we can quickly get rid of the stupid old customs and traditions, to at least form a fully efficient army"
"Her death can help us quickly reform the people of Atlantis if I manage to lead both armies as one"
"And if you follow my instructions we can do it faster"

My body accumulates heat quickly, the energy overflows my body. I feel like I can't think clearly. The fury wanted to emerge from me, I knew that what she was saying was making me very angry. But like another bucket of cold water, my brain refused to play along, warning me how pointless everything was in this life. That everything did not matter no matter what I did.

"No, impossible!"
"That you don't have emotions?"
"How can you be so cold towards her?"I replied dryly, so much so that even I was hurt by the brevity and the lack of emotions that I had at this moment.

"And you think I'm excited by the news!?"
"She was my friend too, damn it!"
"Do you think I'm happy to tell my best friend to pretend that her wife didn't die and pretend to be her?"
"Do you think that all these years there hasn't been a single day when I haven't prayed to God for the safety of you two?"
"Don't you know how it burns me right now to know that we are on the verge of total collapse?"
"I don't even know why we fight, it doesn't matter what we do, everything is already lost"
"This is not fair! This shit ain't fair! This life is not fair! the dragons' way of fighting is not fair!"
"Losing people close to me in such horrible ways is not fair! это кошмар! "

Rose took one of the machines left and also threw it on the floor. She was emotionally collapsing again, she was tearing everything apart. The situation was so serious that her new bodyguard had to intervene and hold her down so she wouldn't even destroy things. Once pinned down, Lisa took the shot again and gave her another dose of whatever Rose had taken earlier. This time the calming effect seemed to be much greater, so much so that the renowned researcher became dizzy and the young girl had to put her on the medical bed next to mine.

After that Lisa came to me and sat next to me. She seemed worried about me even though I didn't know her at all.

"Are you OK?"
"Are you feeling bad Cesar?"
"If you need help you can always count on me for anything" She took my hand in a very particular way, a very affectionate one, too much in fact.

I took her hand and threw it away from mine, I didn't want her near me.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"You don't really know me!"
"...."
"Nanami was everything to me!"
"I don't want any other person by my side!"
"I don't want to be in any other relationship with any other woman!"
"She was the only one for me!"
"You can't replace her!"

My head began to hurt strongly. As if she had hit hard against a wall. The pain wasn't completely real, but my mind felt extremely confused. Something was not right with this, something was off. My re-chained mind tried to forcibly correct me again. With the next flicker of my sight, the innocent girl was several meters away from me, checking various medicines and closely monitoring Rose, just as was supposed to be originally.

Moments later a huge knight appears at the entrance of the tent. Moments later a huge knight appears at the entrance of the tent. His huge and heavy white armor was beautifully ornamented, his huge and detailed helmet betraying nothing of the person inside wearing it. He was one of the best Atlantean warriors, a hero, an idol, and an icon to follow. A person who, together with his mystical weapon, the Aedilhum orichalcum pistol spear, had managed to destroy hundreds of dragons. His power was comparable to dragon slayers. One of the last great Atlantean warriors of the Centurion race, the most trusted warriors of the Atlantean Emperor and the guardians of the royal family. He was one of the few original guardians of the Emperor, who, seeing the horror created by Nanami's father, refused to join his side and remained faithful to Nanami in his place. He was one of the teachers in charge of teaching the white cloaks how to fight and training them to fight against the cursed beasts. He had also been in charge of protecting either Rose or Nanami, as well as me to a lesser extent. He had saved me so many times before that there was simply no way to thank him for so much. Unlike many of our "chosen ones", he was always kind and nice, besides that he was always advising and helping the rest of the mere mortals. Contrast greatly with the strength and chivalry he showed in combat, where even the dragons showed their respect for him.  It was seeing a perfect fucking superhero in real life. He was known as The White Banisher.

"My Great Empress"
"Rose the Human Leader"
"We have finished exploring the remains of the battle of the Celestial Forge"
"Unfortunately, maintaining control of the place is impossible, the dragons are currently launching a great offense in the place"
"We expect to lose the place in the next thirty minutes"
"I think we will never be able to get it the control of the place again "
"...."
"I'm afraid I have even more bad news."
"The Great Main Hall of the Celestial Forge is completely sealed by the seal of the royal family"
"Without the presence of the great daughter of the heaven present, it is impossible for us to enter the place"
"...."
"My great teacher and mentor, the last Hetaeron Centurion, Grand Campaign General Gaenbald the Abysswalker have been found among the deceased."
"The Great Campaign General has died due to injuries caused in the performance of great duty"
"His body was next to Cesar, the bodyguard that Emperor Nanami personally selected at his side"
"Both died due to lack of treatment for their injuries, it seems that the supplies ran out and there was nothing possible to do for the two of them"
"...."
"Also, no Atlantean blacksmith was found alive,"
"There were several corpses in the room with the hammers, but we believe that most of them are either dead or are locked in the same room of the Celestial Forge, from where they will never be able to leave."

"Gaenbald is dead!?"
"Impossible!"
"He was the one selected to be the dragon slayer bearer!"

"What about the  Greatsword of orichalcum?"
"Was it possible to finish it?"

Both Rose and I jumped out of our beds surprised by such serious news. Fear was trying to seize me strongly, the air was getting short for my lungs, I felt like something like a hand was holding it tightly behind my head, something was trying to control me, ordering me not to continue along that route, it was useless. But I also felt like this time a pair of warm arms surrounded me, and these differed from all the previous ones if they let me feel the tranquility that they offered. Her embrace protected me from losing myself again in the abyss of indifference. Inside them, I could feel light, a light that works to guide me like a mother to her child.

"I have no clue as to the whereabouts of the great sword"
"..."
"But allowing my enormous daring unworthy of the vassal of the great empress"
"..."
"If the Great Empress is here delighting you with her dazzling presence and guides her with us"
"Doesn't that mean that the sword has been completed successfully?"

Rose immediately turned to me and looked at me carefully. She had realized that the answer she was waiting for was right next to her.

"Круто! You're right!"
"..."
"The best weapons of the Atlanteans, Orichalcum weapons are imbued with the power to stand by their warriors no matter the distance"
"..."
"Nanami, do you think you are able to grace us by invoking the Great Hope to end this war?"
"Can you call it?"

I did not know what to do. He had seen how The White Banisher had summoned his weapon hundreds of times but had never paid attention to how he did it. Was it magic? Was it something that came with the gun, did I have to stretch my hand to the sky?

"Don't you remember Cesar?"
"Remember Avalon, your trusty sword, call her as you always have"
"Today you had already done it before, finish your duty" I heard a voice speak from another girl, someone who shouldn't be in this room, but her voice was full of love, understandably guiding me to what I had to do.

But that was not the series of real events. No one had helped me that time, and still, I call back my sword once more. But as if there was a forced cut in the editing, the next instant the sword was in the middle of the room. Both Rose and The White Banisher were surprised to see the impossible sword with their eyes.

"Is incredible!"
"It is true if it was possible to create it!"
"This might be able to change everything!"
"May I know what is the name of this weapon worthy of the mythological legends of ancient times?"

"She had already had one name for it"
"...."
"She spent a lot of time thinking of a good name for the weapon that she should carry with everyone's hopes."
"...."
"She wanted it to be called Avalon"
"So that's its name" I said happy to remember the nights we spent together looking at books.

"Avalon?"
"The same name of the island of the legend of King Arthur where Excalibur came from?"
"How unoriginal"
"...."
"But that's so typical of Nanami"
"I can already imagine the girl's face of emotion when she saw the story for the first time" said Rose happily remembering the past too

"But now who should be the wielder of the sword now that Great Campaign General Gaenbald the Abysswalker is dead?" asked the knight in impeccable white armor.

"Well, I think with all due respect, I think you were the next most suitable person to be the bearer of the great sword Avalon" Rose said addressing The White Banisher.

"I agree with the same, but this will only cause more problems"
"Now that Sakura knows of Gaenbald's death she will want to have the sword for herself"
"She's already counting on it, I don't think it's a coincidence that she got lost while trying to defend the Heavenly Forge and she just happened to find me when we were escaping"
"Maybe she herself was the one who mortally wounded Gaenbald to begin with"
"After all she didn't consider him worthy in her sight" I answered.

"If my empress considers me worthy to be the bearer of her will, I will not hesitate to do my best to carry out the work I recommend for her wise knowledge," Said the great knight walking towards the back, trying to save both himself and the pride of Atlantis.

The White Banisher, stood next to the sword and with one hand took the hilt of the huge sword. His hand fit perfectly, no doubt the sword was made with someone of his completion and caliber in mind from the start. After just a few more he would be able to bring out the full potential of the sword that none other than the last of the best warriors of the race that created such a heavenly object.

But he couldn't move the sword from its place.

Dazed, he put his other hand on the sword and forcefully yanked on it. But just like the legend that he gave rise to the sword's name, she didn't budge an inch from me. The sword did not obey the Heroic warrior of light.

But the memory had been completed. My brain was at its limit, I couldn't stand the pressure exerted by the lack of emotions I had any more, because it scared me not to feel anything that I should feel when I should feel it. Was this better? to be chained seeing how everything happened again or was it better to let oneself get lost in the despair of such dark moments.

"Nanami, Luna,  Rose, Lisa, The White Banisher, Gaenbald the Abysswalker, the time took them all, but their legacy continued, the fact that after everything happened time continued to continue was proof of their existence"
"The fact that you continued to live after that and managed to see the world free of the horror of the past has been the gift that they have given you"
"And as the bearer of their hopes, it is your duty to live the happy life that they could not get to see at the time"
"So rejoice, because you owe them all" That girl's cheerful voice sounded from all directions again, but her warmth could see her through the Moon in the window, even though that was out of character for this event I accepted it and let it happen.

I could really rest now.