"Hmm..." Kevin furrowed his brow as he listened to I, then the aning of her words clicked into place. "Irene, you an?"
I nodded. "Yes. I've reviewed the current state of Project Stigma, and compared to forcing you to shoulder that role, letting things unfold naturally might be more appropriate."
Honestly, back then I had never imagined anyone would actually be chosen — and she'd had no way to predict that most of the current era's Herrschers would defect wholesale to humanity's side.
All she could say was that the world changed faster than plans could keep up with. But since the change had already happened, they had to make use of it. Kevin couldn't make that pivot — so it would have to be soone else.
And in the course of her conversation with Elysia, I had learned that Irene was the one who had been chosen — that Finality had even granted her a sliver of its power.
Irene could draw on any other Herrscher's Authority freely and without condition. And according to Elysia, Irene had possibly even co face to face with the Cocoon at so point.
Though Elysia's expression had been thunderous when she said it. Even I had never seen Elysia wear a face like that — the resentnt clearly ran deep. Whatever had happened there was anyone's guess.
"W-wait, wait, wait — what are you two talking about? I can't follow any of this." Irene cut in at that mont, taking back the reins with a puzzled tilt of her head. The clear-eyed bewildernt was oddly incongruous paired with I's bearing.
"Elysia never told you? Ah — that explains where the resentnt is coming from." Mobius gave a knowing nod. "Go ask Elysia yourself later. We're in the middle of sothing here — head back for now."
"This is my body. What do you an, 'head back'?" Irene muttered under her breath, but she did as she was told, obediently retreating and handing the reins back to I.
The mont Irene returned to her own consciousness, she went straight for Elysia. "Elysia, Elysia — I know you were listening to what they were saying just now. Are you hiding sothing from ?"
"It's not really hiding anything..." Elysia squird. For her, this whole affair was basically a blot on her record she'd rather forget.
"It's just... a bit hard to bring up, that's all."
"I already knows. Why don't I?" Irene planted both hands on her hips and fixed Elysia with a look. "Is this acceptable? This is not acceptable."
"Oh, I told I because I needed to convince Kevin, that's why." Elysia leaned in and wrapped her arms around Irene. "Actually, last ti I tried to use the sa argunt to persuade Kevin myself — but he wouldn't listen."
If there was anyone in the world who could convince Kevin, it was probably only I.
The reason Kevin was executing Project Stigma was because he'd run out of options. He couldn't bring himself to trust anyone else, so the plan he considered most likely to succeed was the only one he could follow.
Project Stigma.
Almost no one could talk him out of it. The people who could once reach Kevin had all died fifty thousand years ago — but Irene represented a new possibility. Even if she wasn't the sa I from before.
Maybe Kevin could find it in himself to believe, just once. Elysia didn't know — but she wanted to try. She really didn't want to see Kevin go through with Project Stigma.
So she had told I.
"Then you should have told too." Irene reached out and poked Elysia's cheek. "Hmm — well, if you're saying that, then it's definitely not about Origin."
"Mmm... and going by what I just said..."
There really weren't many options. The things that made Irene uniquely special were few: the System, for one — but the System was nearly impossible to leverage; all it really did was pull people from parallel worlds.
Then there was Irene as a Herrscher. But it couldn't be the Herrscher of Death — that one had nothing particularly special about it, just an ordinary Herrscher.
And then there was the Origin Authority Elysia had passed to her recently — but given I's end of the conversation just now, that could basically be ruled out too.
Which left only one possibility.
"No way. I'm Finality?!"
Elysia nodded. "Well — at this stage it's only 'chosen,' but being chosen at all is already extraordinarily rare. So yes, Irene — you're essentially Finality's reserve candidate."
"Since when?!" Irene rocked back on her heels, her eyes wide with disbelief. Was this right? No — since when had she beco Finality?
"Since quite a long ti ago." Elysia pressed close against Irene's back and rested her head on top of hers. "Irene, didn't you say you suddenly found yourself able to draw on other Herrschers' Authorities? That was actually the sign."
"That ability to invoke any Herrscher's Authority without condition — that's actually one of Finality's powers."
Irene fell quiet for a mont after hearing that. She thought back to the original work — there had indeed been a scene sothing like this. Wait — so that had counted as one of Finality's Authorities?
"And then — the mont I passed my Authority to you." Elysia's expression, as she said this, slid back into sothing distinctly sulky.
"Honestly, of all the tis — I'd finally opened my heart, it was supposed to be a mont just between two lovely girls, and then soone had to barge in uninvited."
"A gift I'd put such care into preparing for Irene, and he had to go and ddle. That's really quite vexing, isn't it?"
"Alright, alright." Irene patted Elysia's head. "Well... I really am surprised, though. Guess it all cos down to how Dr. I convinces Kevin."
"The current era is different." I continued, reins back in hand. "Herrscher after Herrscher has returned to humanity's side — a possibility paid for with Elysia's life."
"And Irene might be the most exceptional one of all."
"She can touch Finality." Kevin picked up the thread, and for the first ti in a long while, sothing complicated stirred in his voice — as though he were reaching back toward so distant mory.
I nodded. "Yes. If she can truly master that power, then perhaps — using the frawork of Project Stigma as it currently stands — we wouldn't need to sacrifice so many lives. We might still be able to... transcend Finality."
"It might also fail." Kevin's tone remained level, unmoved by I's words. "A miracle is a miracle precisely because it is rare. We cannot stake the survival of an entire civilization on a single possibility."
"I know." I smiled softly. There always had to be a backup plan — a guaranteed fallback. You couldn't bet civilization's survival on a miracle.
She had never intended for Kevin to accept her proposal on the spot. That would have been irresponsible to civilization.
"So I'm not going to ask you to abandon Project Stigma right now." I looked at Kevin. "I'm only asking... give them a little ti. Give Irene a little ti. Let her grow. Let her prove this path is walkable."
Kevin was quiet for a long ti — long enough that I thought he wouldn't answer at all. Then, finally, he spoke.
"I trust your judgnt. How likely do you think success is?"
I shook her head. "I don't know. But if there's a chance — why not try? Even if it fails, we can always fall back on Project Stigma. Nothing changes."
"I wondered why you'd agree to Elysia's request and co all this way to persuade Kevin." Mobius crossed her arms, studying I with a asured nod. "Turns out you had both hands covered all along."
She wasn't saying it to needle I. She was there to keep them both from getting too swept up in emotion. I, driven by guilt, genuinely wanted to avoid the worst possible outco.
Because in her own world, it had been her decisions that got everyone killed. Mobius was afraid I might be swayed by Elysia's persuasion into abandoning Project Stigma entirely and gambling everything on Irene.
If it ca to that, Mobius would speak up — not because I had made her revise the plan seventeen tis, but simply out of a sense of responsibility.
"If..." Kevin said, after a long pause, "if there truly is a better way..."
"Then go and try it." I smiled, looking at him. "You've already done more than enough. Perhaps now, just once, you can try trusting soone else."
"And if it doesn't work — then do what has to be done."
"...All right. Let's do that." Kevin gave a small nod, and the face that had been as unyielding as a glacier for as long as anyone could rember seed to thaw, just a little. He found himself thinking of how things used to be — of what it had been like to be with I.
At that mont, one of the Gray Serpents who had apparently been waiting to one side stepped forward. "The Three Sovereigns — Overseer Otto has just arrived. Shall we..."
"Send him in." Kevin spoke. He had a fair idea why Otto was here. Irene hadn't asked him for the Herrscher of the Legion Core — Otto had no reason to co at this particular mont, and yet here he was.
Most likely, that ant Otto had the Core on him. He was here to collect the rest of it.
Since the conversation had wound to a close, Mobius retreated back into Irene's body. I handed the reins back to Irene as well, and Irene slipped free of I's form.
The Gray Serpent acknowledged with a nod, and shortly after, another Gray Serpent escorted Otto into the hall. Otto moved like a man who'd been here a hundred tis — easy, unhurried — and offered a greeting to both Irene and Kevin.
"Miss Irene, it's been quite a while. And Mr. Kevin — likewise."
"..." Without a word, Kevin tossed over the Herrscher of the Legion Core he'd been holding. There was no use keeping it — the Legion's ceiling was what it was.
He wasn't about to believe Irene had been unable to retrieve the Herrscher of the Legion Core. If most of it was with Otto, then Irene had probably given it to him deliberately.
In which case — fine. It served no purpose in his hands. The only real use anyone had for it was tracking down the Key of Domination.
And the ceiling on that thing was what it was, too.
Otto caught the Core and gave Kevin a grateful nod. "My thanks, Mr. Kevin. If I may ask — Durandal, how is she now?"
No matter what, he'd been her guardian for this long — so asure of feeling had accumulated regardless. It was only right to ask. Besides, he was genuinely curious what approach Irene and Kevin would use to restore Durandal's mories.
"That's not really Overseer Otto's concern." Irene crossed her arms and looked at him. "Mm — though, Mr. Otto, I do have to put in a word beforehand: when the ti cos, watch what you say. Soone might end up hitting harder than intended."
"Perhaps. But I fear at that point, holding back won't be an option." Otto shook his head. So fires had to be stoked — burning bright, burning red, burning all the way through before they could do what they needed to do.
Besides, it would only be the once. Consider it letting them vent a little. It didn't matter — just as Kevin had made his peace with sacrificing everything to complete the task he should have finished in the Previous Era.
Otto had long since made his peace as well — to cast everything aside and accomplish what he should have done five hundred years ago, just as that Kallen Kaslana from Irene's side of things had done what she was ant to do.
So people died too early. So lingered far too long. Five hundred years had been an unbearably drawn-out existence. It was ti.
Kevin said nothing. Truthfully, he was more than willing to help Otto do what Otto wanted to do. He wanted it too — but he couldn't be the one to do it.
He envied Otto's ability to let everything go and reach back for an old regret. But he had their dying wishes to fulfill. For that — he genuinely admired Otto.
If he had to put it in the highest terms he knew: well played.
"Well, suit yourself. I'm only saying." Irene looked at Otto and shook her head. "As long as you know what you're doing — maybe there'll even be a surprise waiting for you that you didn't expect."
"A surprise? Then I look forward to it." Otto dipped his head, then reached behind him and produced the instrunt he'd retrieved from Rita. He fitted the Core in his hand into place alongside what remained, and stared down at the now-complete Herrscher of the Legion Core.
Otto let out a long, quiet breath.
And deep inside, a joy he couldn't contain welled up. One step closer. He was finally going to be able to make good on a regret five hundred years in the making.
Otto set the Core down and looked at Kevin and Irene in turn. "Miss Irene, Mr. Kevin — if I may presu to add one more thing. After all, when I'm gone, this world still has to survive."
"Mr. Kevin has Project Stigma as a final guarantee. And you, Miss Irene?"
"If I told you I support Project Stigma, would you believe ?"
Otto smiled without answering. Irene supporting Project Stigma? Please. If Irene had ever supported Project Stigma, Kallen would never have gotten along with her so well.
"It seems you and yours have your own plans, Miss Irene. Though I'll say this much — if Anti-Entropy's sche hinges on the Moonlight Throne, I personally find that a rather precarious bet."
As he spoke, he watched Irene's face carefully. Not a flicker.
"Ah. Not that, then. Good — good." Otto gave a satisfied nod and turned to leave. As long as Irene and her people had their own plan, it would be fine. Even if they failed, Kevin's Project Stigma would be there as a floor. The world, at minimum, would not be destroyed.
Before he left, Otto glanced back at Kevin — cold-faced, still as stone — and smiled. Not out of politeness. Out of sothing that felt, genuinely, like respect.
Kevin envied Otto's ability to cast everything aside. But Otto — how could Otto not envy Kevin in return? Otto would probably never be able to face Kallen again, not even after death. Everything he had done would make it impossible to ever stand before her.
Kallen despised people like him most of all.
But Kevin — Otto believed that when Kevin finished what he had set out to do, he would be able to walk with his head held high toward the person he loved.
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