NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: “Can you tell me of your dream mother?”
Bronya and Serval sped to the Golden Theater, practically batting away any fragmentum creature that gets near them. They stopped, just a few feet away from Cocolia, who has never looked so weak and pathetic before.
Wound all over her body, a hole through her chest, and face as white as snow. Eyes glazed gazing at nothing, barely conscious of the world around her.
Cocolia blinked, her form weakening. "Serval… Why are you always in my way…"
Serval dropped her spear and knelt down before her. She lifted up Cocolia's chin, forcing her gaze to meet hers. "Look at me Cocolia… This is the last time you take anything from me… LOOK AT ME!!!"
She slapped Cocolia face with all her might, leaving a nasty gash through her face. "I. Will. Stop. Living. In. YOUR SHADOW!!!" she punched the dying woman in the face, blood spew out of her nose and mouth. "COCOLIA!!!!" Her cries of anguish echoes through the city, drowning out the sound of battle behind them.
Serval took a step back and gazed upon the pitiful form of her old friend. At the edge of death, bathed in her own blood, face wounded and deformed beyond recognition. "She's… all yours… Bronya…" her form shook as she walked away from the two. "Thank you…"
Bronya gently wipe the blood off her mother's face. "You did this to yourself mother…" she whispered. "Now that all this is over… Will you tell me why you did all this?"
Cocolia's voice was hoarse as she answered her. "Bronya… I told you, I am doing this… for Belobog, for a new world…" she whispered.
"Can you tell me of your dream mother?"
"I dreamed of… forests, and ocean, and sand…" Cocolia's voice weaken into a whisper. "I dreamed of joy and peace for Belobog…"
"And the underground mother?"
"The underground is empty, only robots remain, but we do not need them…" her voice is barely audible. "The sun was enough to warm us all… It was warm… The promised world is warm…"
Bronya embraced her mother into a hug. "You did it mother…" she sobbed. "Your dream is coming true… The winter is ending, it's the world you've always hoped for… You can rest now, in peace…"
The light slowly fades from Cocolia's eyes as she whispered to her ear. "Then… I leave Belobog in your hands, my daughter…"
At that moment, every Fragmentum monsters in the battlefield began to fall. Their body vanished away into motes of light. Every Silvermane Guards, forced to fight against their will, can finally take a sigh in relief and find peace in the life after.
The Wildfires cheered, the Trailseekers laughed at another successful mission, and the robots turned on their polite mode.
Belobog won and with it come the beginning of a new era.
[LINE BREAK]
"Princess,"
There's only one person in the entire planet who gets to call her that. Bronya slowly let go of her deceased mother and turned to the girl standing behind her. "Seele," she sighed a little. "Did no one ever taught you basic manners?"
Seele winced at that. "Yeah, I know, it's just…" she looked at Cocolia's body, she has no trace of pity for the Supreme Guardian, but she does care about Bronya. "I'm just worried, you've been here for almost an hour now…"
Bronya closed her eyes. "It's called mourning Seele," she folded her arms. Despite all that happen, the weight has finally been lifted off her shoulder. "How would you feel if Natasha died and I tell you that you've been crying for too long,"
"Fuck, okay, this one's on me, my bad…" Seele raised both of her hands. "I… I get back to you later… Pri-Bronya…"
Bronya sighed. "Too late, you already ruined it…" she gently picked her mother bridal style and walked down the Golden Theater. She noticed that some surface dwellers and miners have returned back from the underground. She'll have to deliver a speech now it seems, officially put an end to all of this.
"People of Belobog!" she shouted, her voice echoes through the city despite her not using a megaphone. "10 years ago a hidden disaster struck our land… Our Supreme Guardian was possessed by an evil force, the same force behind the monsters that plagued our land. For years, she has combatted this force and though her will was strong, she couldn't fight it in the end…"
Bronya took a deep breath. "The seed of pride and fear runs so deep, even I as her daughter was ignorant to such tragedy," she put a hand on her chest. "That's why, in this new era, the Supreme Guardian alone cannot be in charge of everything."
The Supreme Guardian turned towards Svarog and nodded.
The robot began to step forward, its large imposing figure looms across the crowd as it walked to the front of the Golden Theater Museum. It stood beside Bronya, gazing at the crowds with a single cold and calculating eye.
"Svarog is a creation of the Great Architect, designed to help Belobog preserve through the Eternal Freeze. It has long since protect and preserve the people who are stuck underground and now… Chief Svarog shall be the voice of the architect and reason. To prevent any of such tragedy from ever happening again!"
"New Directive Accepted: Assist Supreme Guardian in matters concerning decision making and governing," Svarog raised his hand. "Old Directive Updated: Protect Belobog and Guide it into the Golden Era."