Souls' Salvation (Complete)
And here we are, at the beginning of the end. I have to confess: some part of me is surprised that I made it this far, but a promise is a promise. So, let's talk about how this is going to work. Barring a forum wipe, this will be the last thread I make for this story, and likely, any story at all. However, what I'm posting right now is not the entire leg of the story, like with Reconstructions. That was fun, but the only reason I managed to pull that off was because it was NaNoWriMo. At the same time, I don't think the weekly serial format has served me well.
Instead, I've divided this last part of the story into three pieces. I will post the chapters of each piece in rapid succession, no more than two days apart each, and then take a break. For example, part I here will be finished about the first week into July. Then, I will vanish for a few months until I come back with part II. All in all, I expect the fat lady to be singing by the year's end.
Now, normally, I write these things such that reading the threads before it isn't absolutely necessary. I didn't do that this time. This time, this won't make a damn lick of sense without, at the very least, Reconstructions.
Well, enough yapping. Let us begin with chapter 1. Just for old times' sake, I'm going to try my hand at giving them titles again! Wonder how long it'll take for me to mess this up.
Chapter 1: The Little White Dress
My dress was amazing. Gurhal had been struck by the largest scale acts of terrorism it had ever seen and put on track towards an uncertain future, but nevermind that for a minute, I want to talk about my gown. Ever since I was a little girl, I’d dreamed of the day I’d take the title of Neudaiz’s empress. Of course, I knew at the time that it would be purely ceremonial, but all I cared about was the glamour, so that worked out fine. What I didn’t know, back then, was that when the time came, I was going to be at the head of a disastrous time in my planet’s history. But I still got my gown.
The tricky thing about my gown was that it couldn’t be more lavish than what the Divine Maiden wore, or it might have stoked concerns that I really was usurping the Communion, like some kind of opportunist. Still, the tailors did a wonderful job, despite that limitation. It was a one piece outfit: snug around the torso, and loose around the legs. It was white, if I can really say it that plainly; it was a kind of white that I didn’t think you could get on clothes. If the light hit it the right way, I could swear it shined sometimes.
”Oh my, the tailors do lovely work,” he said from behind me. I was supposed to be alone in the dressing room as I was putting myself together, so it should have startled me to have someone speak out of the blue like that, but I knew who it was. It was an impertinent person whose respect for rules extended only as far as their convenience.
”I feel silly, wearing something this fancy,” I said, looking at his reflection in the mirror in front of me rather than turn around.
”No you don’t. You want to appear that you do, but deep down, you’re squealing that you’re wearing your pretty dress,” he said as he closed the door behind. He was right of course. I hated when he saw through me like that, but it’s only natural that he could, I guess.
”Okay, maybe I do,” I said, turning my nose into the air. “But don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked as I turned around to face him. I was talking about the gown’s bird motif, which made for a design that made it look like my bosom was caught in a clutch of feathers. Can I say that? Bosom? Ugh, memoirs are such a pain. Anyway, I said, “I think it’s great, yeah, but I don’t want to send the wrong message.”
Johann walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I can’t say it was tender, but he wasn’t rough either. It was a style all his own, the one he always used when interacting with us. Either way, he spun me back towards the mirror and asked, “do you like what you see, Keiko?”
I saw a pretty good image. The hairdressers had already done what they could with my short hair by tying most of it up save for two curled locks on the opposite sides of my head. The makeup artists somehow managed to put a few years of maturity onto my face, even if it did feel like I was wearing a few extra pounds on it. With Johann at my side, it was really a dynamic picture. It could’ve been the box art of a video game, honestly.
”Yeah. I really do,” I said.
”Then that’s what counts. If you can look at yourself in the mirror in the morning, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. He looked at the mirror too, and I think he thought the same thing about what a dynamic portrait it was, because he smirked and stroked his stubble.
”Hmm, thanks,” I said. “Zip me up?” I asked, turning my back towards him.
”Nope,” he said.
”Why not?!” I asked.
”I refuse to participate any further in this horribly clichéd scene,” he said as he took a cigarette from the inside of his coat.
”Ugh, this side of you will never change!” I said as I fumbled around for the zipper on my back. I was used to my clothes just melting right on by using a nanotransformer, so getting dressed the old fashioned way was getting to be a challenge. Why are those zippers so small?!
Just as to be expected from Johann, he was perfectly content to watch me stumble and fumble as I tried to get at the zipper. “You know, I don’t think we’ve talked about this, but there’s something you need to be prepared for,” he said.
”What’s that?” I asked.
”There’s going to be porn of you on the Internet,” he said.
”What?!”
”You’re a high profile figure now. It’s only a matter of time,” he said, in that infuriatingly calm manner of his. “I’m just saying, you should be ready for half the male population of Gurhal to be thinking of you when they go to bed. It sounds trivial, but it’s actually quite a jarring reality to set into.”
I had stopped bothering with the zipper by that point. I was pumping my fists, and sputtering what I’m sure sounded like nonsense. “W-well, stop it! You’re my knight, it’s your job to make stuff like that not happen!”
”My dear princess, as an accomplished physicist, I can tell you that all the explanations that account for the phenomenon that occur in this universe boil down to five theories,” he said. He paused to tap some ash off his cigarette. “Quantum chromodynamics, quantum electrodynamics, electroweak theory, general relativity, and lastly, the most comprehensive of them all…”
Johann was an intelligent person that enjoyed doing impressions of a stupid person. As annoying as it could be, the result could be fascinating sometimes, in a morbid kind of way. “And?” I asked, humoring him.
”Rule 34.”
”Ugh. What’d you even come here for?” I asked.
”You’ll have to go straight to your speech once you’re finished in here. I thought you might do with a little distraction to ease your mind,” he said.
”Most people would just offer a shoulder massage or something.”
”Ha, well, I’m not most people,” he said. He pointed at my back and directed my attention to my zipped up dress. To this day, I still have no idea when the heck he did that. “I’m the Johann Launcher. You’ll do great Keiko. Just speak with your heart; it’s impossible to ignore.”
With that, he was out the door. He was right. I was slated to deliver a speech that day. I had rehearsed it enough times, yeah, but I couldn’t help but have butterflies in my stomach. After that conversation though, I felt fine. Well, not fine, but being irritated with Johann was such a familiar feeling, that it passed for ‘fine.’
There’s not that much to say about the speech. It’s historical footage now and it could be found anywhere. The idea was to make a big production of it, to rally the morale of the people. It was low level stagecraft, but it was the most sensible play to make at the time. So, we held the event overlooking the river that splits Ohtoku in two, with Mt. Ohtoku in the background. The weather was on our side that day too, and it was uncommonly sunny.
The officials of the Communion who had stayed on were assembled on the stage I would be speaking, and directly behind the podium itself was Johann. It was an impressive lineup, I think. I took my place before an immense gathering of people, plus cameras. I froze for a few seconds as it hit me just how many people would be watching me just then. If there’s ever been any question as to why my eyes fluttered as if I was looking for the on switch in my brain, there’s the answer.
The words came to me quickly enough, thankfully. Let’s see, I think I still remember the beginning by heart. “My dear countrymen. Three months ago, we were attacked. Not just us as people, not just our lives, but the very harmony which we’ve built upon each generation was assaulted. Every person alive today, and every person that has ever lived has made their contribution to the fabric of our society, and these barbarians, these Illuminus, took a match to that tapestry to light it ablaze.”
I remember the crowd being very silent. It stuck with me because I found it amazing that such quiet could exist in the same place as a vast sea of humanity. I went on, “these murderers will not go unpunished! We will find them, wherever they scheme, wherever they hide and drag them, squirming, into the light! We will show them, and all those who come after us, that the harmony our dreams and hopes built was stronger than they were.”
…Something, something, something…yeah, that’s the most I can recall. I’m getting old. Well, that much was enough to move the crowd at least. They were clapping and cheering, which made me smile. I had written the speech myself with my honest feelings, and while Johann did fancy up the words a bit, it was my baby and it was doing me proud. While the crowd was cheering, I paused, since I wasn’t going to be heard if I kept on speaking. During that time, I saw Johann dashing off in the corner of my eye. I wondered what he was doing, but I assumed it was important, so I didn’t think too much of it.
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Originally Posted by CupOfCoffee
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