Twenty Seven – Memories of the sun that do not seem to set

It is hard not to turn around and head back to the Capital to keep fighting.

I can hear that it is still going on.

But not every battle is mine to fight, and I will not be the one to end this entire war on my own.

Victory will come from a collective effort.

I am just one small part of this great battle.

As much as I might want to keep fighting, my goal now is different one.

But why WayDeck?

Why there again?

I do not want to go back to WayDeck.

It was not a very good experience the last time I was there.

But why there?

Of all the places on this huge continent, why there?

Is it because of the rebel forces my friend is part of now?

This are the numbers, I think.

The last time she did not seem so found of them.

I will have to face Du again.

She will definitely want to fight this time.

I do not know if I will make it out unscathed this time.

I have not really come out unscathed from any situation on the past year or so.

I just got lucky.

Time and time again.

Everyone tells me I was incredibly lucky to survive this long.

I do not feel lucky.

I lost my family.

What kind of luck is that?

After leaving the swamp and reaching a road, we got into a vehicle that was waiting for us.

I sat down and felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

I could breathe again.

It is daylight now.

I am still in the vehicle.

I think we are getting closer to WayDeck.

Canny is beside me and he smiles he notices I was staring at him.

"You finally woke up. As soon as you sat down, you just passed out. I was worried about you, but I let you sleep."

Everything is still a big blur in my mind.

I barely remember anything from last night.

I am a bit dazed yet.

Gazing at the empty road calms me down a little.

Last night still feels like a distant dream.

Perhaps a nightmare.

I do not get along very well with my dreams.

I am still very tired.

This armor is heavy.

I want to take it off.

It is hurting me.

I have to wait until we reach WayDeck.

We arrived at WayDay in the midday sun.

There are a lot of people here now.

A large camp has been set up on the ruins of my old city.

What is happening?

We get out of the vehicle and approach the central tent.

I do not recognize any of the people around me.

They are probably all allies.

I hope so.

No one looks like a Capital guard.

Except me.

Actually.

I am still wearing this armor.

We entered the tent.

Three people were talking around a table. "We managed to blow up the gargoyle factory," one of them said.

Another replied, "Olvad will be too busy to rebuild it right now." The third person added, "But we still do not know how many they have already built. We can not let our guard down. We must keep pushing until our very last breath."

They stopped talking when they noticed Canny and me approaching.

One of them begins to speak: "I am glad to see you arrived safe and sound. Your mission was a great success, too. City Hall was left in ruins. But using magic like that was far too risky, 774"

Canny says: “As soon as the magic returned to my body, I took the best course of action to complete the mission. It takes some time for the gargoyles to become active again after the solstice ends. It was all calculated. I brought Number 2014 back safely. My mission is complete.”

The second person at the table turns to me: “The two of you can rest now. The fight is not over yet. We will call you in as soon as we have new orders. Dismissed.”

I try to ask for an explanation regarding all that commotion, but before I can say anything, Canny pulls me by the arm and we leave the area.

He takes me to another tent.

Inside, two people are working in the middle of piles of papers, trying to organize the stacks covering all the furniture while even more papers are being brought in.

“Excuse me. I am number 774, and I am looking for my tent at the campsite.”

The person searches through some papers on the what seems to be an infinite amount of paper, and replies, "Aisle 3, tent 7."

Canny thanks the man and we leave.

When we arrive, there is a tent set up and ready for use.

It is big enough for the two of us, and there are supplies inside.

Great.

I am starving.

I finally take off my armor and change into lighter clothing.

What a relief.

I sigh so deep in relief that Canny smiles at me.

Ah! That smile.

He makes me crazy.

I forget all my problems when I am looking at him.

I just want to throw myself on the ground and lie there for a good long while.

But I also want to wash up.

It has been about three days since I last could.

Ever since the mission began.

I feel incredibly dirty.

I smell like the sewers.

I look at Canny, who was tidying up some things inside the tent.

"What do we do now?"

He does not stop tidying things up as he answers. "Did you not hear the commander? Rest and wait for further orders."

“Commander? What is this place? Are all of this people like us?”

“Yes. They are no ones. We are no ones. We are all just numbers here.”

All of this people?

This is a lot to take in?

Is everyone here part of the organization?

Is everyone gathered in one place?

I do not know what to feel.

They always said that, for security reasons, no information about the organization should be revealed.

That we should not know about the others or possess any information, so that security and secrecy could be maintained.

Now, everyone is simply gathered in one place.

I think everything has really turned upside down.

I never imagined things would reach this point.

We are close to the final showdown.

I wish I had news about the others.

I want to know if their missions were a success or not.

"Do you have any news about yesterday? Do you know about the other fronts? How many wounded, dead, or alive?"

Canny just shakes his head.

I hope everyone is okay.

“I am going to take a look around. I want to find a place to wash up.”

Canny says nothing.

I leave the tent.

I remember well that there was a lake with a waterfall nearby, in the direction of my old house.

Well...

Where my old house used to be.

Everything now must be nothing but ashes.

I keep walking towards there.

I try to overhear people's conversations, but everyone speaks in very low voices.

The no ones are all very different people.

Of all shapes and sizes.

I can not recognize if there is a pattern to who gets recruited.

I do not think I recognize any of these people.

I wonder why they decided to set up this camp right here in WayDeck.

It feels strange seeing my town used like this.

I do not know.

At least now there are people walking around and doing things.

The town is alive for now.

But...

They are all strangers.

People who do not belong here, using the things that are here.

There is not much left here yet.

It is practically all rubble.

The people who once lived here are no longer around to live here.

Perhaps it is better that there are people using the city.

Even if I do not know anyone.

I do not think I will recognize my city anymore.

Everything is in the past.