a letter

[curedham]

[Under L'Arachel's pillow, the other residents of room 113 might find, if they make any effort to sift through her stuff now that there's this new bed someone gets to have all to themselves, a bundle of letters. There are four envelopes, all thick and heavy, because apparently even if she's just writing L'Arachel just can't shut the fuck up. They're bound together in thin rope, so only the addressee on the first letter can be read: Knoll. If one takes apart the rope, they'll find that the others are labelled Dozla, Eirika, and Uncle Mansel.




these exist 100% because my purpose in life is to kick lum's ass]

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a letter to knoll, subtitled: l'arachel shut the fuck up oh my god

[curedham]

Knoll,

If you are reading this, either the worst has come to pass, or someone has meddled in my affairs. In the case of the latter without the former, I implore you to return this to its proper place. You do not wish to incur the consequences of snooping, I assure you.

Now, with that aside, I shall continue this letter assuming the best of intentions; that is, the case of the former. To ask you not to mourn my mortal end would be unreasonable of me. Even writing this, I feel such sorrow for the worlds that will be deprived of my beauty should this come to pass. I shall live on in legend for centuries to come—after all of my conquests against the unknowable, how could I not—but what a crime, to put an end to so many more stories to come! How wretchedly unfair to snip the stem of a flower still blooming! All such things are ephemeral, but the emptiness in a place we once saw life in is still felt heavily. Even with this weight known, you must not allow it to crush you. Do you understand? A weight will slow you down, or you will grow stronger so that you may carry it until it is time to let it go. You know which I expect of you.

Knoll, we have spoken at length of our disadvantages against the demons here. I will confess, there are times I find such deep concern that you may be consumed by your own darkness. Do not misunderstand: you are a good man, Knoll. I do not mean to say I could picture you ever fighting alongside monsters such as we have faced. I cannot imagine you offering your soul to evil for its sake; such sadism and destruction ill suits you. But I would loath to see you to allow fear to bring you to despair. That is the darkness's greatest power: it strikes a human heart, takes hold of it to exacerbate that trepidation and woe, and offers release from its icy grip through cruelty and meaningless sacrifice. This is why humans fall to demons. This is why we faced wretches like Riev at the head of the armies of the unknowable. This is why good men lose themselves to evil.

This is what I wish to see shared with and realized by the rest of the captives in this game: we are stronger than that. The Sacred Stones received their power from human will. It was our hope for peace, and not only the strength we had to fight for it but the reasons we saw it worth fighting for, that brought the demon king to his knees. These virtues are the same ones we must rally together with here. Of course, assuming the information provided to us is true, it takes only a glance at the offered profiles to know that some among us are something else but human, yet with such stark divides between worlds, I could not say what. I find it irrelevant. We have seen and slain the most corrupted of human hearts in our own realm, after all. What matters, in the end, is the search for light within. It is the community, friendship, and love that true monsters of all kinds can never know that bring that light. Whatever they may be, whoever seeks it shall find and hold that same strength. It is what we must keep.

And as for you, Knoll, there is more I wish to say. I want not for you to doubt the light in your own soul. It will carry you through this—all of this. It will bring you home. Read this carefully, Knoll. I do not write it for the sake of seeing my own penmanship. I mean this: you will find your way home.

I must ask your forgiveness. Weakness has overtaken me, and I have failed to continue this fight alongside you as directly as I would have wished. I would never want to beg your leave like this, never mind force an answer of such a request this way. Still, I have made promises which I intend to keep. By Saint Latona's light, I will not let this mean I have left you. I told you I would take seriously my duty to lift the hearts of those in my care as a military commander, as well as protect them. You are a soldier in my charge, and I meant this and I mean it now. Whatever grace I may be granted after the end, I will carry it beside you. I am not sure I quite believe in ghosts, as it were, but I am utterly certain of the persistence of souls. Mine will remain until it can guide you back home.

When you return, I've a request to make of you. If my belongings have come to you intact, you should find three more letters here: one for my retainer, Dozla; for Princess Eirika; and for my uncle, Divine Emperor Mansel. There is no one else I can be certain will be capable of delivering these to their destination.

There are some last, simple sort of things I wish for you to know. Treat these as requests, too, if you are able. Emily is brave and has a heart of light; she wishes to be a demon slayer herself, though I am told the closest conquests she has are sea monsters. She likes stories very much, and I have told her of our trials against the demon king. One more perspective does wonders for such tales. Mabel is precocious and kind and so utterly committed to being herself. She is immensely fond of glitter, which seems appropriate, as she herself is always lovely and shining. That said, I would ask that we make sure that being herself includes putting strange objects up her nose as infrequently as possible. Dipper is strong and intelligent and well-versed in the technicalities of darkness, but I do not wish to see it take hold of him. His knowledge is invaluable, but he should not lose himself in his search. They are young, and I shall not burden them with this sort of last will and testament, but I have made promises to them as well, whether or not they realize. As with you, I will do all I can to keep them.

It is a curious thing, is it not, to live motivated by someone else's dream? I feel ill-suited to speak of the late Prince Lyon, especially to you, but here is what I feel confident in: he had the best of intentions. I am glad to see more noble means being used to achieve the ends he wished for.

Here is a story I wish to tell you: the first princess of Rausten, second-in-line to her brother the Divine Emperor Mansel, dedicated her very life to pushing back the monsters in the Darkling Woods so close to the innocent villages in Rausten. These battles cost her and her husband their lives. They gave all they had to keep their people safe. Their death left their infant daughter in the care of their only living relative, the Divine Emperor himself. Would that I could live up to the grand legacy of my own late parents in my own battles against the darkness, I would be content, even with my own end.

This is why I may ask this last task of you and know just what it means. You will return home. I have told you this, and I have meant it. When you are there, do not retreat to the shadows. I wish for you to see all that the restored continent has to offer. See what has become of the war we have fought. See what it means to have achieved the peace we fought for. Bear witness to the world we have built, and all the splendor it has to offer. That light is the power we've wielded all this time, Knoll. That light is the same as what lives within our very hearts. I wish for you to see it, not only for the sake of those who cannot, but for your own. I have made promises for levity as your commander, but I am following through on them and asking that you might take advantage of its results as your friend.

Long live the Magvel we have restored! Long live the stalwart Grado, and long live the divine kingdom Rausten! Find your way to them, Knoll, and let the light guide you there.

L'Arachel