Gun of Ashes

Why? Why be so stubborn to live on?

Lorenzo reached out and took the Nautical Chart, a grim smile showing on Froki’s twisted face.

”It really was quite an adventure... Lorenzo Holmes.”

As if an unwilling ghost was clinging to Froki, speaking to Lorenzo in its final moments.

Lorenzo’s body was completely stiff, and he didn’t even realize that Froki had fallen and died completely.

Coming out of the shock, Lorenzo shook him hard.

”Hey! Froki! Froki Willgardson!”

No matter how hard Lorenzo tried, he still didn’t respond. It seemed this time Froki truly was dead.

Lorenzo sat in a daze, the scene echoing in his mind. He wasn’t sure if Froki had really remembered something, or if it was just what he had learned to say, his head filled with questions, but there was no one to answer.

Finally, he stood up, blood spilled, and hot flames consumed the decayed corpse, returning it to dust.

Lorenzo began to walk, continuing forward.

”Tell me, who exactly is Froki? My friend or foe?”

Questioning himself, Lorenzo felt this was a question unlikely to have an answer.

[I don’t know. In fact, many questions don’t need answers, you just have to keep moving forward, Lorenzo.]

”Is that so? Yes, just like what ’it’ really is, it seems now only the Plague Doctor knows everything,” Lorenzo sighed helplessly, ”and now he enjoys that secret alone, I don’t know whether to envy or despise.”

[Are you curious about ’it’?]

”I might have been curious before... but now...”

Lorenzo turned back and looked at the scorched land in the distance. He shook his head.

”You’re right, many things don’t have answers, it’s enough to remember that the questions existed.”

[Is that so?]

”I’m beginning to understand the old humans’ struggles. They want to erase mistakes, yet they want them to remain.

Just like Froki Willgardson”

Lorenzo murmured.

Froki Willgardson, a meaningless guy. His death had no impact on Lorenzo, nor did Lorenzo feel any emotional burden, since Lorenzo ’didn’t know him,’ yet he held a special meaning. Lorenzo knew such a thing had happened; he found it hard to force himself to forget, yet could not cruelly erase it.

”I think... I will remember him.”

Lorenzo said, pausing slightly, then continued.

”I suddenly recall the endings of many stories.”

[What about them?]

”Many story endings are wonderful, justice defeating evil, kindness being saved... In short, it’s quite lively, but now I think, a more peaceful ending isn’t bad either.”

Sunlight rose, blinding Lorenzo.

”Just like that, on a sunny afternoon, sitting in a rocking chair, basking in the sun, gradually, everything enters eternity, and the story ends here.

In fact, I think that’s great, almost perfect.”

[Do you think this will be our ending?]

”Who knows?”

Lorenzo, without any nostalgia, kept moving forward.

He’d rested enough; a long journey still awaited him ahead, more battles to fight, and what happened here, like many things in history, would gradually fade, forgotten by people.

[Lorenzo?]

In the sunlight, the silhouettes of mortal and armor became small.

”Hmm?”

[Please, you must keep walking on.]

”What’s the matter?”

[I want to witness it all, until the very end.]