"I don't understand what you're talking about."
Lin replied in a flat tone, sounding like a robot.
"It doesn't matter if you don't admit it..." Aponia gaze was so warm and clear. "But Lin... I know..."
"...What?"
Know?
"Your... future."
...
It sounded like a bad joke. Most Western myths involve prophecies—the most famous, Ragnarök, is a myth that foretells the fall of the gods, embodying a sense of fatalism to the fullest; even gods cannot resist fate.
But that should have been just myth. Seeing the fate and future of others was something entirely without basis, more far-fetched than a Arabian Nights tale.
Yet when Aponia claimed with absolute certainty that she could see the fate of others, her undeniable words made people believe her before they knew it.
"Fate coils like threads above people's heads, pulling their bodies and extending toward a predetermined end."
Unknowingly, Aponia smile vanished.
"Lin... I have seen your 'end'... your... conclusion."
"..."
"You don't believe me?"
"No, I believe you, but that's all." Lin took off his helmet, half his face in shadow as he gazed at Aponia. "So, will you accept my proposal?"
"What... proposal? To stay in Fire-Moth?" Aponia asked curiously.
"No... this is a personal proposal. Leave Fire-Moth."
The unexpected answer came coldly from Lin mouth.
Compared to the last time he stood high above looking down into the cage, this time he stood a step to the side, as if making a path for Aponia to leave.
Without the helmet obscuring him, Aponia could see his eyes again.
Whether in the sanatorium, on the operating table, or now, Lin gaze hadn't wavered. It showed that even though he said different things and did different things, his inner state hadn't changed.
"...Lin, are the people here all monstrously evil?"
Aponia didn't respond to Lin. Instead, she looked past his shoulder into the pitch-black Deep End.
Deep and terrifying, because what was imprisoned here weren't just "people."
In fact, only a small portion were imprisoned here due to criminal acts. Most of the prisoners were actually "heroes."
Except for Aponia Project Soldier surgery, the other 140 surgeries were all Fire-Moth personnel who had voluntarily accepted the modification.
For the sake of humanity, they chose to accept a 97% failure rate. Some died on the table, some couldn't adapt to the change after surgery, and others... became monsters.
The people involved in the purge incident and rebellion perhaps loved humanity more than anyone else. They wanted to change Fire-Moth in another way to save mankind.
They were the "majority" of the Deep End—former heroes who had rendered great service.
Lin looked back, hearing low growls from the throats of those unrecognizable prisoners.
It seemed all was self-evident.
"Lin, haven't you refused to leave this place as well?" Aponia murmured softly. "Can you accept your own sinking, yet cannot accept others being tainted?"
"...Yeah, I can't accept it."
Lin voice hovered in the shadows.
Since when had he become like this? When Delta said they wanted to see a non-special Lin fight in their stead? When Yama told him she didn't want to see the people around her die anymore? When Anna said she loved this world?
Earlier? Later?
He began to find it impossible to accept the departure of those around him. He was becoming more and more... like the old Kevin.
"Lin, could I 'please' ask you to give me your hand?"
Just as Lin face was about to sink entirely into the shadows, Aponia spoke again. She reached out her hand to Lin.
From inside the bars, reaching out to him.
Just like... that night.
Lin unknowingly reached out his left hand. By the time he came to his senses, his hand was already held by Aponia.
Though not as broad as Lin palm, Aponia wrapped both her hands around his left hand, holding it gently and warmly against her chest, as if in prayer.
"Lin truly has gentle hands. Even though they're covered in scars, they're so warm."
She carefully observed the gloved hand, feeling the ridges beneath the material.
Lin had changed hands many times, and with Fire-Moth's advanced medical technology, no scars actually remained on his body.
"Please accept this."
When Aponia released Lin hand, he found two items in his palm.
One was the silver cross Aponia always wore around her neck. He had never seen her without it; it was the symbol of her faith.
And the other...
Lin looked closely and saw a ring on his left ring finger. The glove had already been removed by Aponia.
"Lin, I haven't returned the clothes you once gave me, so I've always wanted to give you a gift in return." Aponia smiled. "I actually started making this ring a long time ago when I was bored. Because of my lack of experience, I only just finished it before leaving Sundown Alley."
In the middle of the inconspicuous ring, the word "Love" was neatly engraved.
"...What is this?"
"A kind of... 'discipline.' It's an ability I just acquired. I wish to give it to you as a blessing."
Aponia reached out again to grasp Lin hand, fingers interlaced just like before.
She squeezed tightly, as if afraid the person in front of her would suddenly disappear.
"『Please』 always love those around you, Lin."
Is it right for the noble to sacrifice their life for the despicable? Perhaps it is, because the noble do not choose based on who they are sacrificing for.
But Aponia felt nothing but dissatisfaction toward this.
"..."
Lin stared at her calmly. After a long, long time, he squeezed her palm, causing her to let go.
"From now on, I will stay here."
"...Is that so." This time, Lin didn't stop her. Instead, he gave a faint nod.
"There are many... just like you..." Aponia gaze, as gentle as water, turned toward those dark corners. "Perhaps I can no longer do much more, but I will go and hold their hands, just as you... held ours back then."
Lin placed the cross around his neck, the silver ornament resting on his chest.
"This cross, don't you want it anymore? Shouldn't it be your faith?"
"Yes, so I no longer need it." Aponia looked up, dandelion seeds floating gently in the moonlight. "I have already found it."
"Found what?"
"God."
...
Lin left.
The nun stood quietly within the cage, looking in the direction he had gone.
"What you saw... my ending... what was it?"
"..."
"..."
"You will be killed by the humans you love, in the most tragic way possible."
The man showed no surprise. With a slight, gentle nod, he walked away.