l'arc bright ⍻ ｌａｇｏｏｎ ｔｈｅ ｃｕｒｓｅｄ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fictionalized2012-01-29 02:04 am
oaf) wrote in fictionalized2012-01-29 02:04 am
fanfic; soda for wine
Title: Soda For Wine
Series: Arc Rise Fantasia
Character(s): L'Arc, Alf, Adele, and Niko.
Warnings: ... A bit of psycho!Adele and psycho!Alf?
Summary: Everything has to come to an end sometime.
Dedication: Toigiko and broski.
Note: Themes taken from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
31_days. Fanart credit here. Aka, the things that canon review does to you.
—
Soda For Wine
—
#1: say goodbye to the old world
L'Arc thought that his childhood ended when he became a mercenary, officially becoming burdened with the responsibilities and life of an adult. Sometimes, though, the end of childhood doesn't come with the beginning of adulthood.
Zamuel, Adele, Niko—L'Arc understands that he was wrong when he's sitting his room and realizes how far ago it seems, when they were all happy and alive. Even Alf, while still alive, is no longer the beloved prince he used to be.
L'Arc's childhood ended when its memory shattered into pieces.
#2: I can't be you
Alf feels like a horrible friend, sometimes. He knows it might sound ridiculous to others, when he's the epitome of good will and chivalry, when he'll go out just to look for one missing legionnaire (who happens to be his best friend, as a matter of fact)—when he's always supporting his friends.
But you'd have to be blind (or L'Arc) not to see the way Adele looks at the mercenary, or to not hear the way she says his name and know it's not the same way she says anyone else's name. It's certainly not the way she'll say Alf's name, as much as he wishes it were.
It's moments like those when jealousy surges inside of Alf and L'Arc is no longer his best friend, but someone who took something precious away from him without even realizing it. At times, Alf resents him that much more for it, as he could at least have the decency to return Adele's feelings. If he could make Adele happy, then perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, but he knows that L'Arc has eyes for nothing but money and his work.
He doesn't know how to compete with that. He and L'Arc are far too different for Alf to emulate him, and even then, he doesn't think that he'd have that same charisma L'Arc has—the same charm that made Adele fall for him, undoubtedly.
#3: no particular night or morning
None of them know exactly how it happens, L'Arc, Adele, Alf, and Niko manage to pass the day napping by a tree when the weather's far too nice to spend it indoors, and exhaustion wears on them, courtesy of Zamuel.
L'Arc immediately throws Niko off of him when he realizes that the gunman was using him as a pillow. Alf, on the other hand, is very, very still, with Adele leaning against him, still dozing.
In the end, Alf, Adele, and Niko conclude that it was nice (getting thrown into the ground aside, for Niko).
L'Arc concludes that it was a waste of his time (but still nice, maybe).
#4: for fear tonight is all
You know you're good friends when you can say without a doubt that the other has ditched you and left you for dead.
And yet you're still friends anyway.
#5: a future full of ghosts
He's the only one left, Alf realizes.
#6: coffee is a form of communication
Part of the package that comes with living together includes knowing each other's morning habits.
Adele is an early riser. She likes to have that extra time, to help prepare the school for its classes that day and to have her own time to train. It's no feat for her to be up and awake by the time L'Arc drags himself out of bed.
It wouldn't be accurate to say that L'Arc is a sleepyhead, for a lack of a better word, but he prefers to make his own hours. Occasionally, that does require him getting up at ungodly hours, particularly when travelling, but there's something about being in the comfort of his own home that makes him drowsy.
However, he'll never let himself sleep past a certain hour. Adele knows this, and so when that time approaches, she rarely fails to march into his home (giving her greetings to Auntie, of course), making her way to his room. There's no need for knocking—any embarrassment she might've had about entering a boy's room disappeared years ago.
If he's still asleep, then she'll prod and shake relentlessly. Sometimes, he's still stubborn about not getting up, at which point Adele's not afraid to yank his blankets away. Oh, he grumbles and complains, to which Adele responds by placing a cup of coffee on his table.
He's never said a word of thanks for that, but she likes to pretend he's grateful, the ungrateful jerk.
#7: her best friend is a sun dress
Another part of the 'living together' package, along with Adele lacking female friends her age, is that one tends to be forced into shopping trips. Shopping for clothes, particularly.
"Why can't you just drag Alf when he's free instead!? He's more of a girl than I am!"
#8: the mothers of famous men
Niko automatically has respect for Elena, the mild-mannered, ill woman who spends most of her time in bed. For starters, she doesn't pick on him, which is always something he appreciates. It's a wonder, he thinks, that someone like Mr. L'Arc is her son.
On the other hand, that means she's Mr. L'Arc's mother.
She must be the most awesome mother in the world to have raised the most awesome guy in the world, Niko decides.
#9: to defeat solitude by writing
Alf doesn't have much free time, too preoccupied with the affairs of politics. Half the time, when he can take a break, he writes.
It was Clyde's suggestion, that he write down the thoughts that he refuses to voice out loud. To help with his emotional state, the man claims, which Alf knows is a polite way of saying that he's unstable and can't afford to be.
So, he writes. He writes of Adele's loneliness, of Niko's surprising heroism, of L'Arc's will—he writes of his friends.
#10: the growing category of the world's ubiquitous objects
Adele has a list of things to keep on hand for L'Arc's and Alf's training. Heal Liquids have always been on there, of course, for the two are constantly getting into scrapes. Other items have found their way onto the list, though—like rocks and rope and dolls and doilies and screwdrivers.
#11: even though your heart is breaking
Adele's heart has been twisted into something dark and ugly—Alf's not blind. He can see that.
Still, he knows that that's not the real her, and it kills him to think of how everyone else must view her. He knows how beautiful she truly is, when not corrupt by the loneliness and bitterness—all the pain—that she's been bottling up her entire life.
What kills him more, though, is the knowledge that he'll never be enough to ease that pain.
#12: some possible answers
L'Arc doesn't like to regret, for he doesn't see the point in moping over things that can't be changed. If he were to regret something, however, he thinks that it'd be the fact that he never really understood Alf or Adele as well as he once thought he did.
#13: a city of sounds
Being a prince that means everyone in Diamant recognizes Alf, whenever he strolls through the streets. There are moments, however, when people leave him be, and he leans on the railings of a ledge, simply watching civilians walk by.
To see his people living freely and happily, to hear the noise of the flourishing city—he considers it a blessing.
#14: men without names and men without faces
Niko knows that he's not as amazing as the others. Adele is the granddaughter of Zamuel, one of the Lord Knights, and a talented mage. Alf is a prince—royalty! And Mr. L'Arc is, well, Mr. L'Arc. Perhaps the title of "the son of a deceased Lord Knight" isn't as glamorous, but Niko thinks that he's the most amazing of them all.
Meanwhile, he's just another soldier of many. He's never done anything worth noting with his life, not even while travelling with Mr. L'Arc.
... It weighs on Niko's heart when, as he's about to fly, he realizes that in the end, he never did a single thing to help him.
#15: the artist bets his life
L'Arc will never admit to anyone, but on his first mission, he's homesick. He doesn't really miss the noise of Diamant—the peace of Topazion is odd, but not discomforting—but it feels strange, to be so far away from everyone he knows.
He's afraid as well, when he faces a Feldragon for the first time. He's faced monsters before, alone or with the safety of back up via Adele, Alf, or Niko, but nothing like this. He freezes for just a moment—a move that almost costs him life when the Feldragon attacks. Fortunately, he jumps out of the way just in time, before preparing to attack.
Afraid or not, he can't afford to die. He has people waiting for him back home.
#16: in a world of one color
Alf wonders how callous L'Arc can be, when Niko and Adele have just died and he moves forward with the same (infuriating) stoic attitude he always has. Does he feel nothing over the deaths of his friends? How dare he still side with Imaginal, even now?
They must think him to be cruel, for going through with this, but to him, this is the greatest kindness he can show for his fallen friends.
#17: the dark level of not knowing
Adele wonders how L'Arc stands it, moving forward even when he doesn't know what he's doing. Feeling unsure frustrates her beyond words, and so it baffles her mind when he acts with all the confidence in the world, regardless of the situation.
That determination, she thinks, is probably one of the traits she fell for.
#18: iron, honey, gold
"Your hair is really pretty, Alf," Adele says, examining the blond strands. He tries not to feel too embarrassed at their proximity.
#19: the god of loneliness
Alf waits in the Verct Skywalk. No doubt L'Arc is going to come and try to stop him—stop Real's crystallization. Alf won't let him, though.
It's a bitter sort of resignation, when he realizes that he's going to have to kill his best friend.
#20: some to weave into my hair
While L'Arc is, with much embarrassment, presenting a bouquet of freshly cut flowers to his mother and Adele is trying not to laugh at her grandfather's strange idea of a training regime, Alf picks up a flower that they missed.
He hesitates.
"Adele," he calls. The girl turns to face him, and for a moment, his heart skips a beat.
"Yes?" she replies. He steps forward, before sliding the flower in her hair. Then, as she stands there, surprised, he takes a step back to examine his work.
"You look lovely," he says, smiling.
#21: she fears she won't be followed
Adele wants so badly for Alf to abandon her. She's done nothing but bring him down, use him for her own goals, and warp him into someone he might not have wanted to be.
When that happens, she knows that the only person she'll have Dynos—ever loyal, and always following her around. He's not Alf, though. He could never replace him.
She's gotten revenge on Weiss. She doesn't need Alf anymore, and it would be better for everyone if they broke off ties now. If she were to be left alone.
And so, she wants for him to leave her—or at least she wants to want to.
#22: nothing to write about but radishes
Alf is dutiful and compliant in his training, regardless of how... peculiar his teacher is. L'Arc and Niko, on the other hand, have a tendency to grumble.
"What the heck does farming have to do with fighting...?" L'Arc mutters, as he pulls out a radish.
#23: getting your sleeve wet
One of the things that Adele loves about L'Arc are his surprising moments of kindness. Her grandpa is forcing them to train, even in the rain, and while she can understand why he does, she wishes that he wouldn't do this kind of thing.
L'Arc, the lucky jerk, is wearing a coat that keeps the rain out better than her dress. She's cold, wet, and miserable as she casts a spell, wondering when this will end.
And then she's none of those things when she feels a coat being draped over her shoulders, even when L'Arc walks away too quickly for her to even thank him.
#24: her shadow ripples back to shore
In the end, as she smiles and feels her life fading away from her, Adele realizes that she didn't change as much as she thought she did.
#25: a thousand flowering trees
It's unbearably hot in the Nabra Jungle. Serge, Adele, and Niko complain. Alf complains politely. L'Arc complains about the complaining.
But sometimes, when L'Arc threatens to push Niko into one of the giant plants, or when Alf frees Adele's dress from a branch, smiles are exchanged, and it feels like just another adventure for the four of them.
#26: it's not like anything they compare it to
"Come on!" Adele exclaims, dragging L'Arc by the arm.
"Coming, coming! Geez..."
Running along with them are Alf and Niko, amused by the scene.
(Or at least Niko is, and Alf partly is, another part of him wishing it were him instead of L'Arc.)
Still, there's a trace of a smile on L'Arc's face as they climb the stairs overlooking the Diamant port, pausing to catch their breath at the top.
"They're going to start soon!" Adele says. Sure enough, they don't have to wait very long before there's a streak of colour in the night sky—and then a burst of light.
Niko lets out a sound of awe, for as someone from a quieter city like Jada, fireworks are more of a treat to him than they are for the others. Still, Adele, Alf, and L'Arc still stare up at the sky, enraptured.
"I told you this was the best place to see them!" Adele says, grinning, even though no one's really listening to her. She's not offended, though, when no one replies.
Despite the fact that most of Diamant is watching the fireworks with them, somewhere in the city, it feels like they're the only ones in the world right now.
#27: the spring sea
As Ryfia runs off and L'Arc prepared to follow her, he takes a moment to look at the sea once more.
He isn't worried. He has faith that Alf and Clyde defeated Real.
... What he's worried about is the possibility that he won't get to say goodbye.
#28: I am not what I used to be
He's not as strong as L'Arc. He wishes he were, though.
L'Arc would make a horrible emperor. He's far too brash for it. On the other hand, he wouldn't falter, even when aware that half his people hate him.
Alf no longer feels at home when walking through the streets of Diamant. He can't, when people whisper behind his back, judging him far more harshly than they ever did before. It's hard to blame them, however, when he knows that he deserves it.
L'Arc told him that he was loved by his people.
He's not anymore.
#29: just him in his hall of mirrors
Alf feels like the most dishonest person in the world. As a prince, he has to put up a mask, smiling when he doesn't mean it and being pleasant even when his mood is poor. It's tiring, it's frustrating, and yet he persists.
He wishes he could be like L'Arc: honest and straightforward. L'Arc doesn't need to lie. L'Arc knows who he is, for he never tries to hide it.
By the end of it all, Alf isn't even sure who he is anymore.
#30: it's a monster we've created ourselves
Adele's laughing madly as she casts a spell, hoping to destroy Ryfia with it, and L'Arc next.
It's L'Arc's fault, though—it's all L'Arc's fault.
#31: the world ends with two words
Imaginal. Real.
"Skywalks and gods and laws... Isn't it strange... how all of a sudden these things have taken over our lives?"
Because once upon a time, they were children who thought of little beyond the borders of their country, let alone of gods that they believed to be things of myth or the destruction of their world, when they couldn't even imagine the Royal City falling.
Because once upon a time, Niko was fine with being a coward, Adele knew nothing of her origins, and L'Arc and Alf had only fought for real once.
In the end, though, nothing lasts forever.
Series: Arc Rise Fantasia
Character(s): L'Arc, Alf, Adele, and Niko.
Warnings: ... A bit of psycho!Adele and psycho!Alf?
Summary: Everything has to come to an end sometime.
Dedication: To
igiko and broski.Note: Themes taken from
31_days. Fanart credit here. Aka, the things that canon review does to you.#1: say goodbye to the old world
L'Arc thought that his childhood ended when he became a mercenary, officially becoming burdened with the responsibilities and life of an adult. Sometimes, though, the end of childhood doesn't come with the beginning of adulthood.
Zamuel, Adele, Niko—L'Arc understands that he was wrong when he's sitting his room and realizes how far ago it seems, when they were all happy and alive. Even Alf, while still alive, is no longer the beloved prince he used to be.
L'Arc's childhood ended when its memory shattered into pieces.
#2: I can't be you
Alf feels like a horrible friend, sometimes. He knows it might sound ridiculous to others, when he's the epitome of good will and chivalry, when he'll go out just to look for one missing legionnaire (who happens to be his best friend, as a matter of fact)—when he's always supporting his friends.
But you'd have to be blind (or L'Arc) not to see the way Adele looks at the mercenary, or to not hear the way she says his name and know it's not the same way she says anyone else's name. It's certainly not the way she'll say Alf's name, as much as he wishes it were.
It's moments like those when jealousy surges inside of Alf and L'Arc is no longer his best friend, but someone who took something precious away from him without even realizing it. At times, Alf resents him that much more for it, as he could at least have the decency to return Adele's feelings. If he could make Adele happy, then perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, but he knows that L'Arc has eyes for nothing but money and his work.
He doesn't know how to compete with that. He and L'Arc are far too different for Alf to emulate him, and even then, he doesn't think that he'd have that same charisma L'Arc has—the same charm that made Adele fall for him, undoubtedly.
#3: no particular night or morning
None of them know exactly how it happens, L'Arc, Adele, Alf, and Niko manage to pass the day napping by a tree when the weather's far too nice to spend it indoors, and exhaustion wears on them, courtesy of Zamuel.
L'Arc immediately throws Niko off of him when he realizes that the gunman was using him as a pillow. Alf, on the other hand, is very, very still, with Adele leaning against him, still dozing.
In the end, Alf, Adele, and Niko conclude that it was nice (getting thrown into the ground aside, for Niko).
L'Arc concludes that it was a waste of his time (but still nice, maybe).
#4: for fear tonight is all
You know you're good friends when you can say without a doubt that the other has ditched you and left you for dead.
And yet you're still friends anyway.
#5: a future full of ghosts
He's the only one left, Alf realizes.
#6: coffee is a form of communication
Part of the package that comes with living together includes knowing each other's morning habits.
Adele is an early riser. She likes to have that extra time, to help prepare the school for its classes that day and to have her own time to train. It's no feat for her to be up and awake by the time L'Arc drags himself out of bed.
It wouldn't be accurate to say that L'Arc is a sleepyhead, for a lack of a better word, but he prefers to make his own hours. Occasionally, that does require him getting up at ungodly hours, particularly when travelling, but there's something about being in the comfort of his own home that makes him drowsy.
However, he'll never let himself sleep past a certain hour. Adele knows this, and so when that time approaches, she rarely fails to march into his home (giving her greetings to Auntie, of course), making her way to his room. There's no need for knocking—any embarrassment she might've had about entering a boy's room disappeared years ago.
If he's still asleep, then she'll prod and shake relentlessly. Sometimes, he's still stubborn about not getting up, at which point Adele's not afraid to yank his blankets away. Oh, he grumbles and complains, to which Adele responds by placing a cup of coffee on his table.
He's never said a word of thanks for that, but she likes to pretend he's grateful, the ungrateful jerk.
#7: her best friend is a sun dress
Another part of the 'living together' package, along with Adele lacking female friends her age, is that one tends to be forced into shopping trips. Shopping for clothes, particularly.
"Why can't you just drag Alf when he's free instead!? He's more of a girl than I am!"
#8: the mothers of famous men
Niko automatically has respect for Elena, the mild-mannered, ill woman who spends most of her time in bed. For starters, she doesn't pick on him, which is always something he appreciates. It's a wonder, he thinks, that someone like Mr. L'Arc is her son.
On the other hand, that means she's Mr. L'Arc's mother.
She must be the most awesome mother in the world to have raised the most awesome guy in the world, Niko decides.
#9: to defeat solitude by writing
Alf doesn't have much free time, too preoccupied with the affairs of politics. Half the time, when he can take a break, he writes.
It was Clyde's suggestion, that he write down the thoughts that he refuses to voice out loud. To help with his emotional state, the man claims, which Alf knows is a polite way of saying that he's unstable and can't afford to be.
So, he writes. He writes of Adele's loneliness, of Niko's surprising heroism, of L'Arc's will—he writes of his friends.
#10: the growing category of the world's ubiquitous objects
Adele has a list of things to keep on hand for L'Arc's and Alf's training. Heal Liquids have always been on there, of course, for the two are constantly getting into scrapes. Other items have found their way onto the list, though—like rocks and rope and dolls and doilies and screwdrivers.
#11: even though your heart is breaking
Adele's heart has been twisted into something dark and ugly—Alf's not blind. He can see that.
Still, he knows that that's not the real her, and it kills him to think of how everyone else must view her. He knows how beautiful she truly is, when not corrupt by the loneliness and bitterness—all the pain—that she's been bottling up her entire life.
What kills him more, though, is the knowledge that he'll never be enough to ease that pain.
#12: some possible answers
L'Arc doesn't like to regret, for he doesn't see the point in moping over things that can't be changed. If he were to regret something, however, he thinks that it'd be the fact that he never really understood Alf or Adele as well as he once thought he did.
#13: a city of sounds
Being a prince that means everyone in Diamant recognizes Alf, whenever he strolls through the streets. There are moments, however, when people leave him be, and he leans on the railings of a ledge, simply watching civilians walk by.
To see his people living freely and happily, to hear the noise of the flourishing city—he considers it a blessing.
#14: men without names and men without faces
Niko knows that he's not as amazing as the others. Adele is the granddaughter of Zamuel, one of the Lord Knights, and a talented mage. Alf is a prince—royalty! And Mr. L'Arc is, well, Mr. L'Arc. Perhaps the title of "the son of a deceased Lord Knight" isn't as glamorous, but Niko thinks that he's the most amazing of them all.
Meanwhile, he's just another soldier of many. He's never done anything worth noting with his life, not even while travelling with Mr. L'Arc.
... It weighs on Niko's heart when, as he's about to fly, he realizes that in the end, he never did a single thing to help him.
#15: the artist bets his life
L'Arc will never admit to anyone, but on his first mission, he's homesick. He doesn't really miss the noise of Diamant—the peace of Topazion is odd, but not discomforting—but it feels strange, to be so far away from everyone he knows.
He's afraid as well, when he faces a Feldragon for the first time. He's faced monsters before, alone or with the safety of back up via Adele, Alf, or Niko, but nothing like this. He freezes for just a moment—a move that almost costs him life when the Feldragon attacks. Fortunately, he jumps out of the way just in time, before preparing to attack.
Afraid or not, he can't afford to die. He has people waiting for him back home.
#16: in a world of one color
Alf wonders how callous L'Arc can be, when Niko and Adele have just died and he moves forward with the same (infuriating) stoic attitude he always has. Does he feel nothing over the deaths of his friends? How dare he still side with Imaginal, even now?
They must think him to be cruel, for going through with this, but to him, this is the greatest kindness he can show for his fallen friends.
#17: the dark level of not knowing
Adele wonders how L'Arc stands it, moving forward even when he doesn't know what he's doing. Feeling unsure frustrates her beyond words, and so it baffles her mind when he acts with all the confidence in the world, regardless of the situation.
That determination, she thinks, is probably one of the traits she fell for.
#18: iron, honey, gold
"Your hair is really pretty, Alf," Adele says, examining the blond strands. He tries not to feel too embarrassed at their proximity.
#19: the god of loneliness
Alf waits in the Verct Skywalk. No doubt L'Arc is going to come and try to stop him—stop Real's crystallization. Alf won't let him, though.
It's a bitter sort of resignation, when he realizes that he's going to have to kill his best friend.
#20: some to weave into my hair
While L'Arc is, with much embarrassment, presenting a bouquet of freshly cut flowers to his mother and Adele is trying not to laugh at her grandfather's strange idea of a training regime, Alf picks up a flower that they missed.
He hesitates.
"Adele," he calls. The girl turns to face him, and for a moment, his heart skips a beat.
"Yes?" she replies. He steps forward, before sliding the flower in her hair. Then, as she stands there, surprised, he takes a step back to examine his work.
"You look lovely," he says, smiling.
#21: she fears she won't be followed
Adele wants so badly for Alf to abandon her. She's done nothing but bring him down, use him for her own goals, and warp him into someone he might not have wanted to be.
When that happens, she knows that the only person she'll have Dynos—ever loyal, and always following her around. He's not Alf, though. He could never replace him.
She's gotten revenge on Weiss. She doesn't need Alf anymore, and it would be better for everyone if they broke off ties now. If she were to be left alone.
And so, she wants for him to leave her—or at least she wants to want to.
#22: nothing to write about but radishes
Alf is dutiful and compliant in his training, regardless of how... peculiar his teacher is. L'Arc and Niko, on the other hand, have a tendency to grumble.
"What the heck does farming have to do with fighting...?" L'Arc mutters, as he pulls out a radish.
#23: getting your sleeve wet
One of the things that Adele loves about L'Arc are his surprising moments of kindness. Her grandpa is forcing them to train, even in the rain, and while she can understand why he does, she wishes that he wouldn't do this kind of thing.
L'Arc, the lucky jerk, is wearing a coat that keeps the rain out better than her dress. She's cold, wet, and miserable as she casts a spell, wondering when this will end.
And then she's none of those things when she feels a coat being draped over her shoulders, even when L'Arc walks away too quickly for her to even thank him.
#24: her shadow ripples back to shore
In the end, as she smiles and feels her life fading away from her, Adele realizes that she didn't change as much as she thought she did.
#25: a thousand flowering trees
It's unbearably hot in the Nabra Jungle. Serge, Adele, and Niko complain. Alf complains politely. L'Arc complains about the complaining.
But sometimes, when L'Arc threatens to push Niko into one of the giant plants, or when Alf frees Adele's dress from a branch, smiles are exchanged, and it feels like just another adventure for the four of them.
#26: it's not like anything they compare it to
"Come on!" Adele exclaims, dragging L'Arc by the arm.
"Coming, coming! Geez..."
Running along with them are Alf and Niko, amused by the scene.
(Or at least Niko is, and Alf partly is, another part of him wishing it were him instead of L'Arc.)
Still, there's a trace of a smile on L'Arc's face as they climb the stairs overlooking the Diamant port, pausing to catch their breath at the top.
"They're going to start soon!" Adele says. Sure enough, they don't have to wait very long before there's a streak of colour in the night sky—and then a burst of light.
Niko lets out a sound of awe, for as someone from a quieter city like Jada, fireworks are more of a treat to him than they are for the others. Still, Adele, Alf, and L'Arc still stare up at the sky, enraptured.
"I told you this was the best place to see them!" Adele says, grinning, even though no one's really listening to her. She's not offended, though, when no one replies.
Despite the fact that most of Diamant is watching the fireworks with them, somewhere in the city, it feels like they're the only ones in the world right now.
#27: the spring sea
As Ryfia runs off and L'Arc prepared to follow her, he takes a moment to look at the sea once more.
He isn't worried. He has faith that Alf and Clyde defeated Real.
... What he's worried about is the possibility that he won't get to say goodbye.
#28: I am not what I used to be
He's not as strong as L'Arc. He wishes he were, though.
L'Arc would make a horrible emperor. He's far too brash for it. On the other hand, he wouldn't falter, even when aware that half his people hate him.
Alf no longer feels at home when walking through the streets of Diamant. He can't, when people whisper behind his back, judging him far more harshly than they ever did before. It's hard to blame them, however, when he knows that he deserves it.
L'Arc told him that he was loved by his people.
He's not anymore.
#29: just him in his hall of mirrors
Alf feels like the most dishonest person in the world. As a prince, he has to put up a mask, smiling when he doesn't mean it and being pleasant even when his mood is poor. It's tiring, it's frustrating, and yet he persists.
He wishes he could be like L'Arc: honest and straightforward. L'Arc doesn't need to lie. L'Arc knows who he is, for he never tries to hide it.
By the end of it all, Alf isn't even sure who he is anymore.
#30: it's a monster we've created ourselves
Adele's laughing madly as she casts a spell, hoping to destroy Ryfia with it, and L'Arc next.
It's L'Arc's fault, though—it's all L'Arc's fault.
#31: the world ends with two words
Imaginal. Real.
"Skywalks and gods and laws... Isn't it strange... how all of a sudden these things have taken over our lives?"
Because once upon a time, they were children who thought of little beyond the borders of their country, let alone of gods that they believed to be things of myth or the destruction of their world, when they couldn't even imagine the Royal City falling.
Because once upon a time, Niko was fine with being a coward, Adele knew nothing of her origins, and L'Arc and Alf had only fought for real once.
In the end, though, nothing lasts forever.
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Then I was all
And sometimes I was so
But at others I was falling over the keyboard like
With a side of
Ultimately, this has made me
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