Guardian(Part IV): Revelation

Chapter 41: Gabriel

The sun had risen by the time we arrived back at Safe Haven. I fell asleep on the way, which gave the Fox and the Mayfly the privacy they needed to reconcile. Whatever they talked about, they were both smiling at each other when I woke up and saw them. I would remember the look on both of their faces when they executed Tereza for the rest of my life. They were as angry at her as anyone could be angry at someone, but they the way they killed Tereza was an act of mercy, not hatred. They could have dragged out her death and made sure she suffered, but they didn't. They gave her a clean death, despite the fact that she was a demon. At least Lord Thatch's death was avenged. Connor and Morgan surely felt her death, and were both in front of the landing pad as we touched down, along with Zephyr, Penny, and John, who were all Guardian Knights, now. Princess Meridia was also there with Lady Meredith and Master Avanka. Tereza had caused them as much suffering as the Fox and the Mayfly, and were all satisfied that she was dead. I was, too, even though Tereza hadn't caused me any suffering personally. My father was killed at Watervalley, but that was before I was old enough to even remember it. Still, enough people were affected by Tereza, and now they would rest easy at night, knowing that she wouldn't hurt anyone else. The pain she brought was still there, though. For Connor, Morgan, the Fox, the Mayfly, Lady Meredith, Master Avanka, and everyone who had fought to save Zenartha. Since the LWM-1000 was out of commission, and couldn't be used to kill people anymore, Tereza's plans also wouldn't become a reality. She'd lost. That brought more satisfaction to me, having personally witnessed what destruction War Machines half its size were capable of. Hopefully, after this, no military would try and put their country's lives in the hands of a mechanical monstrosity. The 1000 was worse, though. It wasn't just a walking weapon. It was a weapon of mass destruction that would have been used to cause more death and more destruction in the Desolation, with every possible army wanting one for their own to use it to wipe out their enemies. I remembered when I wanted to kill Jonathan Chambers for starting the rebellion, which I'd just learned was called "Trident". On the way back to Safe Have, though, the Fox told me that Tereza told him that everyone fighting in the Desolation would unleash the thirst for blood unto each other. A statement that I had no choice but to accept and agree with. More people would kill each other, until no one was left. It made me wonder if there was any hope of stopping it, and if me wanting to kill Jonathan Chambers, calling him a traitor, was wrong. Now, I realized that it was. He wasn't rebelling against his King. He was rebelling against his brother. He was no traitor, and I was admittedly less mature, then. Now, I knew what I needed to do. Princess Meridia approached me, with a smile on her face. I bent on one of my knees like always and lowered my head before her.

"My lady," I addressed.

"Ser Gabriel," the Princess greeted. "Rise."

I did as she commanded, and stood up straight.

"Tereza's dead," I reported. "And the LWM-1000 is destroyed."

"That's good to hear," the Princess understood. "But there is something I must tell you."

"My lady?" I asked. Princess Meridia was in a particularly good mood as of now, as was Lady Meredith. What had caused this?

"The Last Winter can be brought to an end," the Princess finally informed. "And the Desolation with it."

"What?" I gasped. My eyes widened with shock. An end to the Last Winter. An end to the Desolation. An end to all of it.

"It's... possible?" I asked. "What must be done?"

"We are already on the path to Restoration," Princess Meridia informed. "Azzuran is dead, as is Thulgrium. The remaining Seven must die."

"That won't be a problem," I assured. "If we can find them."

"Captain Faye is about to take her team to Logres to find Grimeus," said the Princess. "And I've offered our assistance to Master Avanka in hunting down Baroz. Where the Archdemon of Sloth is hiding, however, does remain a mystery."

"Not for long, my lady," Lady Meredith corrected, pointing over the edge of the platform. Princess Meridia looked in the direction she was pointing, along with everyone else. Maddy, all of the Guardians, Master Avanka, and every Silver Hawk on Safe Haven, was looking out into the ocean, towards the sounds of six aircraft's engines. Six dropships from Safe Haven came from below the platform, carrying something with a long cable from each one. Whatever they were transporting, they were having trouble lifting it, even with twelve combined engines. Eventually, they brought the cargo to where we could see it. I didn't know whether or not to be amazed or terrified at what it turned out to be. It was the LWM-1000. The damage that the Fox and I did to it was still there, so it still wasn't operational, but I still didn't trust it. It was flown above us, and to the RnD platform. The Silver Hawks helping it set down cast Fuera glyphs under its feet to help put it down gently, as to not collapse the entire platform. It eventually did, and the dropships released the cables. The War Machine then stood upright, tall enough to cast a shadow across Safe Haven. Master Avanka couldn't have had it brought here to study it and develop from it. She had a better reason.

"It's AI pod should have information to Baroz's whereabouts," she hoped.

"But I cut it open," the Fox reminded.

"Actually, it's AI pod is under its head, not in it," Master Avanka corrected. "We'll learn absolutely everything we can from it, including Baroz's potential location."

"Master Avanka, you don't plan on keeping the War Machine here, do you?" asked Princess Meridia.

"Well, I did contemplate using it to defend Safe Haven," Master Avanka admitted. "But I'm also contemplating throwing it into the ocean, so it remains out of the wrong hands."

"The 'wrong hands' being everyone," Lady Meredith whispered, leaning towards me.

"I'm afraid so," I whispered back.

I reminded myself that Tereza may have caused a lot of suffering, but it was Baroz that ordered the attack on Watervalley, and had served as Tereza's puppet master ever since. It was the Archdemon of Sloth that was truly responsible for this pain. I was a Paladin. Zenartha's pain was my pain. Its suffering was my suffering. If the Seven had to die to end the suffering of this world, then I would see it to the end myself if I had to. Of course, I wasn't the only one in this fight. This pain and suffering wasn't mine alone. It was everyone's, brought by the darkness, expanded by the Seven, completed by the Last Winter. This was our chance to end it all. This was our chance to set things right.