REINHARDT'S POV
Behind Emilia lay Cassie, unconscious on the rocky ground. Without a word, she moved with a supernatural speed that my eyes could barely follow. In the blink of an eye, her fist struck the back of the one who had tried to take Cassie from us, slamming him into the ground with such force that the impact created a small crater. Dark blood oozed from his broken mask as he lay motionless, defeated by the one he had believed to be his ally.
The four hooded figures stalking us instinctively stepped back at Emilia's sudden betrayal.
Susan, watching the scene from the shadows, reacted instantly. With a silent gesture, the remaining four hooded figures reorganized into a flawless defensive formation: three at the front and one at the rear, protecting their leader. I couldn't help but admire, despite myself, the way they had responded instantly to a surprise attack, adopting a formation that eliminated any blind spot. It was clear they were trained for situations like this, to protect the interests of those they served at all costs.
My siblings from the orphanage remained hidden among the nearby rocks. I felt their gazes —full of awe and confusion— fixed on Emilia. Their eyes, accustomed to seeing her as an unyielding authority, now beheld her as an unexpected savior. The youngest clung to the older ones, trembling not only from the piercing cold of the night but also from the tension that vibrated in the air like a taut wire about to snap. My heart clenched at the sight of them, so vulnerable and frightened in a world that had only ever shown them cruelty.
Nothing you say here will change anything, Reinhardt, I told myself, clenching my teeth until they ached. Yelling and cursing at Emilia won't fix what she did… Why only now…
Trembling with rage, with hot tears streaming down my cheeks, I opened my mouth to reproach her, to curse her, to unleash all my pent-up anger on her, but the words died in my throat like embers extinguished by rain. I wanted to hate her with all my strength, I longed to feel that purifying hatred that would free me from the confusion, but I couldn't.
I couldn't hate her because Emilia loved Cassie. She had loved her so much that by coming here, she was willing to give her life for her. Her sacrifice would be the final act of redemption for the one who had been our jailer and, in her twisted way, also our mother.
—What are you doing?! —Emilia shouted as she stared at Susan, her voice tearing through the silence of the night—. Run now! Get out of here!
I watched as two of the older ones knelt to help lift Cassie, while I hurried to assist Arceus, who was limping noticeably after taking a shot to one of his legs moments before Emilia burst onto the scene like an avenging angel.
—Emilia… —Susan's voice cut through the air like an icy dagger, laden with disbelief and betrayal.
—What does this mean? Of all people… you…
I felt Emilia's gaze soften for a moment as it met the eyes of her old companion, as if a trace of the friendship they once shared still lingered.
—There's nothing to say, Susan —she replied with a voice that blended firmness and resignation.
—Do you understand the consequences? —Susan took a step forward—. The Rulers don't forgive betrayal. You know that better than anyone.
—The parasites… —Emilia spat with a contempt I had never heard from her before.
Parasites? Was that what those bastards were called? I wondered, storing that valuable piece of information in my mind.
—They raised you, shaped you, turned you into their perfect tool —Emilia continued, her voice strained—. But today, for the first time, I choose to be a mother instead of their servant.
Hearing these words, I couldn't help but reflect on Susan's sad reality despite knowing so little about her. She seemed to have been raised in a secret organization to worship the Parasites, whose training, symbolism, and methods were almost entirely religious, designed to create servants who obeyed and adored them with blind, sickly faith. They were little more than walking dolls, empty inside.
Though these women appeared kind and caring toward the children, in reality, they acted with cold indifference toward our tragic fate. Their sole mission was to maintain the orphanage's facade and carry on their grueling work, or risk being eliminated. I could feel nothing but pity for Susan, understanding that she must have suffered greatly at the hands of those monsters.
—Mother? —Susan let out a bitter laugh that echoed off the rocky walls—. Now you decide to be a mother? After everything you've done?
The hooded figures tensed like bowstrings, preparing to attack, but Susan raised a pale hand and stopped them with that simple gesture.
As I listened and absorbed every scrap of information I could, my hands worked quickly, organizing the children into a circle while I unrolled the scroll that would take us far from this hell. The feel of the ancient papyrus against my fingers sent a strange warmth through me, as if the object itself were alive.
Emilia's eyes met mine as the scroll began to glow with a supernatural light. It was a brief moment, fleeting like the flutter of a butterfly, but in her gaze, I saw something I had stopped perceiving after discovering the truth: love. A pure, true love, free of the distortions and manipulations that had always defined her relationship with us.
I saw Emilia smile, a genuine smile that completely transformed her face, illuminating it from within. It was the smile of a mother bidding farewell to her children, knowing she would never see them again, that her sacrifice would give them the freedom she could never grant them before.
The light from the scroll intensified until it became blinding, enveloping us in a blanket of warmth and energy.
Emilia looked at Cassie one last time as we began to fade. I saw a solitary tear roll down her cheek, glimmering like a diamond under the supernatural light that surrounded us.
—Sometimes… —she whispered, more to herself than to Susan—. True love requires sacrifice.
An abyss of indescribable pain opened in my heart, tearing me apart inside. For years, it was she who cared for us and watched this forgotten generation grow, the only maternal figure in a clandestine orphanage that stood on that blurred frontier between hope and decay. Despite everything, she was our mother. I wanted to hate her, but I couldn't, and that contradiction tormented me.