Part 53: Liberation

: Liberation – Gameplay
: Music: Never To Return























































































Thus ends the Liberation Rite.

And thus, the Scribes have chosen:

: …Praise the Scribes, we’ve done it.

: You look upon Volfred for what you expect shall be the last time you see each other. Any moment now, the Shimmer-Pool shall engulf him. Any moment now, he shall return to glory, and join his agents in the Commonwealth to help achieve the Plan. Any moment now, the cycle of the Rites shall end, until at least the dawn of a new age.

: Any moment now…



Ahem. And thus, the Scribes have chosen.

And thus, the Scribes have chosen…?!

And thus, the SCRIBES HAVE CHOSEN?!

No….

Nightwings!! Reader! What have you done…?!



: …Hold…. There’s something wrong.

: Each prior time upon the Fall of Soliam, the Shimmer-Pool has opened, following the Liberation Rite, and taken in whichever exile prevailed. But now, all is still, and the light of the stars above has all but died. You sense a growing fear that it is already too late, that the Shimmer-Pool shall not reveal itself again.

: Oralech approaches, his head bowed.

: …The Eight Scribes saved their greatest treachery for last.

: Then, something else catches his notice.

: …Wait.

: A sudden rush of starlight cascades through the stillness of the summit.



: Volfred looks upon it, but it does not engulf him, or at least, not yet.

: …It seems I was mistaken, then.

: The Eight Scribes… this is not their greatest treachery. It is their greatest jest. The Shimmer-Pool is flung wide open.

: It seems that all are worthy, now, of freedom.

: Oralech strides toward the Shimmer-Pool, but…



: Oralech glances over at The Lone Minstrel, almost in surprise.

: The Shimmer-Pool has lost most of its strength. You step inside, and you shall surely drown. Of that I can assure you.

: He laughs to himself at this.

: Then, we have all been cheated.

: No. The Shimmer-Pool is revealed, and one of you may still return, as planned.



: The final trial… of the Scribes….

: Then… our confrontation… the Liberation Rite… it all was meaningless…?

: No… the victor of the confrontation is to be the one to make the choice, among those closest to the Scribes. Either the anointed, or he who anointed them.

: So, then, the choice is mine to make… my freedom, weighed against the Reader’s, is that it…?

: Aye. It shall be either you, the Reader, or…

: …It shall be either, or.

: Volfred… please, make your decision quickly, lest it shall be forfeit. I do not know for how much longer the light of the stars shall offer you this gift.

: A snap decision, then…. Fine, I have it made….



: Volfred wishes to give up his freedom, so that you may regain yours.

: …Very well. Reader sir, the choice which Volfred made… or rather, the choice which he gave… it is now yours to make, instead.

: This choice, it may keep bouncing back and forth like this? Absurd.

: It may, until such time as one of you is willing to accept the burden and the outcome of the choice. That is the trial. And… I fear that there is little time remaining, now.

: Hmph. Reader… if you and your companion are too cordial with each other to accept that freedom, either one of you… then I shall gladly take it. Freedom ought be more than some flirtatious trifle to exchange.

: Reader… what is your will?



What is our will?



From the beginning, Volfred wanted only two things: for the Commonwealth’s aristocracy to be held accountable for their unjust decisions, and for literacy to be widespread, because knowledge and ideas should not be the privilege of a select few. He had been stoking the fires of rebellion since before his banishment, and when he was finally caught and sentenced to the Downside, his insurrection did not cease.

He was soon picked up by the Nightwings. His knack for literacy made him the perfect candidate as their Reader, a role he took to wonderfully, and he doubled as a participant in the Rites. On one fateful Liberation Rite, his close friend Oralech was anointed for freedom, and they succeeded – but Oralech was cheated from his liberation, and Volfred presumed he had perished. Distraught, he vowed to never again participate in the Rites.

His hopes for a bloodless revolution are very nearly a reality, and he now has the opportunity to see it with his own eyes.

Do we give Volfred his freedom?



The Commonwealth had been in a never-ending war with the Highwing Remnants since before anyone could remember, and Oralech had been drafted into the Commonwealth’s military as a field physician. He was excellent at what he did, but he grew to hate the senseless conflict, and attempted to broker a treaty between the two factions. When neither listened, he refused to return to his station, and was banished for insubordination.

Shortly after, he was taken in by the Nightwings, where he learned of the Rites and the potential reward that came with them. He quickly became the best participant the Rites had ever seen, and when the Nightwings reached the summit of Mount Alodiel, he was anointed to gain his freedom. And he succeeded – but, moments before he could claim his prize, he was instead shoved from the mountain, and he was forced to recuperate from his injuries alone for many years.

Oralech had, by all rights, proved his worth, and was cheated his freedom at the last moment. He had been fostering his anger all this time, and now, his chance at finally claiming what is his lays before him.

Do we give Oralech his freedom?



There isn’t much to know about us. The war between the Commonwealth and the Highwing Remnants had cost us our parents, leaving us orphaned at a young age. Still, we had a curious mind and a penchant for knowledge, and, despite the warnings and penalties that came with it, we eventually learned to both read and write. Ultimately, this became our downfall: literacy is a criminal offense, punishable by a lifetime in the Downside. When we arrived, we suffered a debilitating injury that forever removed us from eligibility as a competitor.

Despite our difficult, sordid life, we never let our trials get in the way of our altruism: all we’ve ever wanted from the beginning was to see our friends succeed. Although there is no past or future where we never learn to read, if given the choice between leading a simple farming life or to lead an exciting life sailing the seas, we would stalwartly choose instead to use our learned skills to defend our loved ones, and what is right in the Commonwealth.

Our crime is that we were brave enough to learn to read. Literacy is what got us into the Downside. Literacy is what may get us out.

Do we give freedom to ourselves?