[the question nearly confuses him. there is a raise of his brow at that, if only because - ]
No. I cannot.
With the decisions that I have made, and the hurt that I have imparted upon others with those choices, to regret would be to suggest that I did not consider every possible alternative to minimize that harm.
[and the unfortunate truth is this:
the prosperity of the kingdom came at the price of the king's life, and the happiness of soo-won's best friends.
(and his own, though he will be far less likely to admit to that.)
for the sake of the people - he made the choice that such a sacrifice was necessary.
It is... interesting to me, how little my opinion of you has changed over these few weeks.
We either would have tried to kill each other on the battlefield, or become friends.
[There just doesn't seem to be any in-between no matter how much he learns, and there's perhaps some amusement in Chiron's voice for it -- not because this is funny -- but they really do seem to be cut from much the same cloth, in a way.
Sacrifice is no easy burden to carry.
... But it's while they are talking that their little memory bubble shifts, and... well. Chiron knows that it's his turn; both eyes close with a deep sigh settled in his chest]
You are on your back, bleeding from a hole in your chest cavity, struggling to take in enough breaths to keep yourself conscious, and through the pain you hear the voice of a man – a student you once loved like a son, who stares down at you with quiet fondness, grief, and gratitude.
“You can stop calling me your teacher.” Your answer is slightly chiding, but softly amused. “I am no longer in a position where you can call me as such.” A weary pause. “But… I am still alive. As long as I am still alive, I am your enemy; deliver the final blow.”
He makes a wounded noise at that. He does not disagree, but makes no move to deliver the killing blow yet. Instead he asks: “But didn’t you agree to this duel to have your wish granted?”
“… Actually, that’s right." Bypassing his question completely, instead you ask: "Rider of Red, once you defeat me, what will you do?”
“Of course, I’ll defeat the Servants of Black and survive the battle.”
A hum from you… and then without any hesitation, you ask the impossible. “At that point, for the rest of my faction… can you lend them your noble phantasm?”
“—Please don’t ask.” The man’s voice is sharp, as if sensing a trap, though he winces all the same. Feeling cornered by the final wishes of his teacher, of an enemy bolding asking for his opponent to turn traitor. “There’s no way.”
“You should undertake the responsibility of granting your teacher’s dying wish.” A light moment of teasing despite the fact that you are fast fading. There is no more time left, is there?
… But then he answers with a sigh. “I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you very much… now then, I shall serve my final duty as a Servant as well.”
The sound from his voice is confusion as you slowly raise your lowered arm towards the sky, pointing at a cluster of stars that twinkle and brighten. “Sagittarius in the sky – if that is me, then I always have an arrow fitted in my bow.”
He says nothing, but you can hear in that silence a pronounced feeling of dread. A pleased smile stretches across your face.
“And so my Noble Phantasm has already been unleashed. There is no need to activate it’s true name, because—”
A scream of agony, understanding, hatred and remorse as a comet shot launches through the stars at your quiet whim, slamming directly into your opponent’s heel. It will not kill him, as you explain – only strip him of his immortality. There is now no way for him to win the war, and thus has no choice but to make good on the promise you've forced upon him.
You only smile as you feel your life slowly drain away, falling from a great height to your final demise.
Forgive him, his favored student, but though you will gracefully accept your death, your teacher does not like to lose]
[ . . . . . there is a bit of an understanding that dawns in soo-won's eyes, then. so this is what it means to be a battle amidst servants, and if this is anything even remotely similar to jeanne's -
what a bloody war indeed.
though, at the same time....]
.... calculating to the end, aren't you? How effective.
for the sake of the world, for the greater good, it does not matter what nasty tricks one has to resort to - they have to be utilized to their full extent.
though at the mention of jeanne, soo-won seems to pause.
[ . . . . there's just a bit of a laugh at that, before he shakes his head. ah, he tries not to be ruled by emotion all that often but - well, he is human at the end of the day.]
.... I think I know how the tale ends, that's all.
And I trust in Jeanne, the same as you do. So... I believe your assessment is correct.
... The tale ends in all of our deaths, no matter if we triumph or fail.
[Won certainly knows by this point, probably knew from the beginning, but it is still a reminder that... Servants do not have happy endings.
Not really.]
At best, we find peace in knowing we served as we would have during our first lives, and leaving our memories in the hands of those who will continue on without us.
[... a sigh. He glances at the sky]
Perhaps it is a blessing I am already dead and have been freed of my obligations. Should I be bullied back to the realm of the living by half of you, I can technically go where I wish.
[... this is perhaps a terrible idea to explain, but frankly.
Chiron doesn't care]
In my case, I would need a Master to help... stabilize my existence, we shall say, and there is the matter of if the world would accept the Servant's presence...
But should all variables align, then yes. It is not impossible.
[he repeats the word thoughtfully before laughing]
Then... if the Realm truly is able to connect all worlds as you've suggested - I hope that even if you do not come to Kouka to stay, you pay us a visit one day.
Is there a reason why she would...? I think she's rather fond of you.
It's true that Kouka's towns normally don't expect centaurs, so you might not be able to walk entirely freely.... though well, I suppose there's always Fuuga. If you accompany Yona and Hak, they'll likely accept you without worry.
I think you'd enjoy yourself the most there regardless.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
No. I cannot.
With the decisions that I have made, and the hurt that I have imparted upon others with those choices, to regret would be to suggest that I did not consider every possible alternative to minimize that harm.
[and the unfortunate truth is this:
the prosperity of the kingdom came at the price of the king's life, and the happiness of soo-won's best friends.
(and his own, though he will be far less likely to admit to that.)
for the sake of the people - he made the choice that such a sacrifice was necessary.
he will accept every consequence of that.]
1/2
It is... interesting to me, how little my opinion of you has changed over these few weeks.
We either would have tried to kill each other on the battlefield, or become friends.
[There just doesn't seem to be any in-between no matter how much he learns, and there's perhaps some amusement in Chiron's voice for it -- not because this is funny -- but they really do seem to be cut from much the same cloth, in a way.
Sacrifice is no easy burden to carry.
... But it's while they are talking that their little memory bubble shifts, and... well. Chiron knows that it's his turn; both eyes close with a deep sigh settled in his chest]
no subject
You are on your back, bleeding from a hole in your chest cavity, struggling to take in enough breaths to keep yourself conscious, and through the pain you hear the voice of a man – a student you once loved like a son, who stares down at you with quiet fondness, grief, and gratitude.
“You can stop calling me your teacher.” Your answer is slightly chiding, but softly amused. “I am no longer in a position where you can call me as such.” A weary pause. “But… I am still alive. As long as I am still alive, I am your enemy; deliver the final blow.”
He makes a wounded noise at that. He does not disagree, but makes no move to deliver the killing blow yet. Instead he asks: “But didn’t you agree to this duel to have your wish granted?”
“… Actually, that’s right." Bypassing his question completely, instead you ask: "Rider of Red, once you defeat me, what will you do?”
“Of course, I’ll defeat the Servants of Black and survive the battle.”
A hum from you… and then without any hesitation, you ask the impossible. “At that point, for the rest of my faction… can you lend them your noble phantasm?”
“—Please don’t ask.” The man’s voice is sharp, as if sensing a trap, though he winces all the same. Feeling cornered by the final wishes of his teacher, of an enemy bolding asking for his opponent to turn traitor. “There’s no way.”
“You should undertake the responsibility of granting your teacher’s dying wish.” A light moment of teasing despite the fact that you are fast fading. There is no more time left, is there?
… But then he answers with a sigh. “I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you very much… now then, I shall serve my final duty as a Servant as well.”
The sound from his voice is confusion as you slowly raise your lowered arm towards the sky, pointing at a cluster of stars that twinkle and brighten. “Sagittarius in the sky – if that is me, then I always have an arrow fitted in my bow.”
He says nothing, but you can hear in that silence a pronounced feeling of dread. A pleased smile stretches across your face.
“And so my Noble Phantasm has already been unleashed. There is no need to activate it’s true name, because—”
A scream of agony, understanding, hatred and remorse as a comet shot launches through the stars at your quiet whim, slamming directly into your opponent’s heel. It will not kill him, as you explain – only strip him of his immortality. There is now no way for him to win the war, and thus has no choice but to make good on the promise you've forced upon him.
You only smile as you feel your life slowly drain away, falling from a great height to your final demise.
Forgive him, his favored student, but though you will gracefully accept your death, your teacher does not like to lose]
... Ah. A rather fitting memory to show.
no subject
what a bloody war indeed.
though, at the same time....]
.... calculating to the end, aren't you? How effective.
[it's a little bit harder -
to smother the note of distant amusement.]
no subject
Only when necessary.
[but like won probably understands more than anyone... it's almost always necessary, isn't it?
Sometimes personal happiness is sacrificed for the greater good]
I do not know the conclusion of this tale, but... I have faith Jeanne will finish our duty to the world.
no subject
for the sake of the world, for the greater good, it does not matter what nasty tricks one has to resort to - they have to be utilized to their full extent.
though at the mention of jeanne, soo-won seems to pause.
and for once, he looks away.]
.... mm.
She will.
no subject
But it is a different matter when talking about the nature of Servants bound by duty, and he cannot help but frown at Won turning away]
... Did something in my assessment give you pause?
no subject
.... I think I know how the tale ends, that's all.
And I trust in Jeanne, the same as you do. So... I believe your assessment is correct.
[it's just something he finds a bit - saddening]
no subject
[Won certainly knows by this point, probably knew from the beginning, but it is still a reminder that... Servants do not have happy endings.
Not really.]
At best, we find peace in knowing we served as we would have during our first lives, and leaving our memories in the hands of those who will continue on without us.
[... a sigh. He glances at the sky]
Perhaps it is a blessing I am already dead and have been freed of my obligations. Should I be bullied back to the realm of the living by half of you, I can technically go where I wish.
no subject
apparently this bit of information is new to him.]
Oh? So you can choose to return to a different world, if you would rather do that over acting as a Servant?
no subject
[... this is perhaps a terrible idea to explain, but frankly.
Chiron doesn't care]
In my case, I would need a Master to help... stabilize my existence, we shall say, and there is the matter of if the world would accept the Servant's presence...
But should all variables align, then yes. It is not impossible.
no subject
but soo-won looks thoughtful at that, before he manages a soft laugh]
Have your eyes on any world in particular, Archer?
no subject
[He does not shrug but his body settles into a sigh]
I will go where I am taken, I suppose.
no subject
[he repeats the word thoughtfully before laughing]
Then... if the Realm truly is able to connect all worlds as you've suggested - I hope that even if you do not come to Kouka to stay, you pay us a visit one day.
At the very least, it would make Yona happy.
no subject
I had ... not considered that I might be able to visit.
[...]
Truly? You do not think she would mind?
no subject
question seems to confuse him]
Is there a reason why she would...? I think she's rather fond of you.
It's true that Kouka's towns normally don't expect centaurs, so you might not be able to walk entirely freely.... though well, I suppose there's always Fuuga. If you accompany Yona and Hak, they'll likely accept you without worry.
I think you'd enjoy yourself the most there regardless.
no subject
No, I meant more... [A light huff. His own surprise amuses him now]
I know that she cares for me, and I her. But I am still growing used to the idea of a future where I could see any of you again.