Heh. Don't worry so much, Paul! We'll find glory on the battlefield! No man can stop us as long as we stick together!
Come on, let's join the war and prove ourselves to Mr. Mühlenberge. Think how proud your parents will be—their son, a war hero!
Paul: Eberhard!
Goddamn! Where's Dieterich?
Paul: He and Baethke are dead! Grab that gun. We need to go! Move!
Do you think we'll win, Paul?
Paul: I don't know, my friend. I think I just want to go home.
Dieterich, Baethke, and Elvin ... What did they die for if we just give up?
Hang in there, Paul! The only way to make their sacrifice count is to win!
We promised we'd go home together! Paul ... Paul!
???: Major, the past is in the past. You can't change anything by letting yourself be overcome by sorrow.
???: Don't forget that victory is the only thing that matters, and we can give it to you.
Give it to me? How?
???: I'll make you a true hero, one without fear or hesitation.
Smoke and blood fade into the distance.
Eberhard lies on a wooden board dragged by some unseen force.
Eberhard: cough
He swallows air like a drowning man, and immediately the foul stench of decay fills his lungs.
The dragging stops.
Paul: You're awake.
Eberhard: Paul?
But the man behind the mask says nothing. He only offers a hand.
Eberhard: Ah. My head ... It hurts.
Eberhard struggles to adjust to his surroundings, taking a long time to find focus.
Eberhard: Where are you taking me?
Paul: Montpaix. The Foundation may have some cure for the spell you have fallen under.
Eberhard: No ... No ...
Still dazed after the ordeal, he can only mutter in denial.
He looks around, searching for something to brace against, eventually finding the ground. He takes off his hat and scratches at his straw-like golden hair.
Eberhard: I ... Good heavens. What did I do?
He still can't find his breath, each gasp of air only making the choking sensation worse.
Eberhard: That deserter ... I ordered Rudolph to pull the trigger. But I was the one who killed him.
Paul: The other lives. Erich saw to that.
Eberhard: He wasn't the only one. So many have died, and I was the one that sent them to their deaths.
Eberhard lowers his head, holding his gaze at a small patch of soil beneath him.
Charon watches him, adjusting his dark cloak.
Eberhard: Do you remember, Paul? There was a poem by Goethe, no, Schiller maybe? Ah, those days at school feel like a fairy tale now.
Eberhard: Mr. Mühlenberge asked you and Dieterich to write it out on the blackboard. You two didn't even know where to start. I remember I thought he was going to snap you both in two.
Eberhard: Just a few months later, we were here. Dieterich died that very first day.
Eberhard: ...
Eberhard: Do you remember how we cried that night? We thought it would be the saddest day of our lives.
Eberhard: ...
Eberhard: We ran out of tears before anything else.
Eberhard: ...
Eberhard: I'm cold, Paul.
Paul: A fear long absent is growing inside you again. Hold on to it. You'll warm up.
Eberhard: ...
Eberhard clenches his teeth and braces himself.
Eberhard: This is the place you found, isn't it? Where Franz was buried.
Paul: He lies below us.
Eberhard: There are so many graves, but I'm still alive. Why, Paul, why am I not lying among them?
Paul: The living speak of luck. The rest are silent.
The answer doesn't satisfy, but the lone survivor cannot find a new question. After a long silence, he speaks again.
Eberhard: I wish I could forget it all now. If I didn't know what happened, I wouldn't—No, no, it's, it's not right for me to ask that ...
Eberhard: But I am still alive. Is there anything I can do for them?
Paul: That isn't a question for the dead. I can't tell you what to do, Eberhard.
Eberhard reaches into his coat pocket but finds it empty. He stifles a helpless grunt.
Eberhard: You mentioned Manus Vindictae.
Paul: You remember.
Eberhard: ...
Eberhard: What about the Foundation? You talked to them too, right? Do you really think they can stop this war?
Paul: They pursue peace, but it cannot be found by their efforts alone.
He turns from the hill to the woods. Through the thicket and further lies the town of Montpaix.
Eberhard closes his eyes and waits for his thoughts to settle.
Eberhard: Come on. Let's go see Montpaix again.
Eberhard: I was about to pay a visit to Mr. Mühlenberge when someone from Army Command said the colonel wanted to see me.
Eberhard: I was taken to a meeting room with many other officers. I recognized them. I knew many had just been promoted like me.
Eberhard: Colonel Hirschfelder showed up to give us a speech—yes, yes, the same colonel who was assassinated after the parley.
Eberhard: "The time has come when our nation calls for heroes," he said, "with our foremost goal to create a prosperous new world for our children."
Eberhard: "We have fought valiantly, and now the war turns in our favor. We stand but one step away from total victory, yet it is at this very moment that our soldiers have lost their courage."
Eberhard: "They waste their time looting every barn, cellar, and shed in search of treasure and drink to numb their fears, delaying our operations."
Eberhard: "Their greed and cowardice have spread through our army like a malignant tumor. Fortunately, we have found a cure."
Eberhard: "An organization that believes in the promise of our victory has provided us with an extraordinary development ..."
Eberhard: That's all I remember. I don't have a mind for technology, but it just washed the fear off me.
Eberhard: Thinking about it now, we must have been like lab rats to them. As soon as they finished their ritual, we became so sure of our victory that we began yelling and singing as one. We were just fresh-faced boys again, thirsty for a war we'd forgotten.
The hiss of static echoes through the spacious room, then fades.
Creius: I think that's enough for now. That was a recording from a German major we encountered in Montpaix.
Creius: I intend to submit a report with full details, including his entire statement and an explanation for our inquiries.
The head of the frontline investigation quiets, awaiting further instructions from the decision makers at the rear.
Z: Manus Vindictae is moving quicker than any of us could've imagined.
Pedra: But none of these makes sense.
Pedra has returned from the front, still shaken from the assassination attempt.
Pedra: If they came to this era at the same time as we did, how could they have already infiltrated the military higher-ups in such a short time?
Z: We've already theorized that Arcana may now possess the power to rewrite history.
Z: Which means going forward. Any records from history as we once knew it will be unreliable for estimating their strength.
Pedra: ...
Pedra falls into heavy silence.
Constantine: Pedra, what were the other representatives' opinions concerning Manus Vindictae?
Pedra: They all denied its existence.
Constantine: I see. It seems as though we're left with no other option but to change policies.
Pedra: No. We can't resort to such radical measures.
The Doves' representative states his position in advance.
Pedra: The Foundation risks alienating any potential allies if we act too aggressively now. This war will not be the end of our fight. We will need to rely on their cooperation in the future.
Pedra: And that requires trust and a sense of security.
Creius: On the subject of governments, I have some news to report.
Creius's voice resurfaces in the conference hall.
Creius: A man of the Inter-Factional Committee paid a secret visit to Montpaix, hoping to obtain intel about the Manus.
Pedra: A secret visit?
As a fellow politician, Pedra immediately grasps the true intent behind their visit.
Pedra: What did they say? Do they intend to use our intel against the heads of their Army Command?
Creius: You've guessed it. If their government manages to rein in the army, it'll be much easier to reach a ceasefire.
Pedra: But if anyone were to find out, we might be accused of interfering in their internal affairs. Have you considered that, Creius?
Creius: Officially, the Foundation never made any contact with their government. All I did was have a candid conversation with a man about my concerns for his people.
He stresses one key detail.
Creius: At any rate, they haven't any reason to expose their cooperation with us.
Pedra: There are simply too many uncertainties to consider.
The politician, accustomed to checks and balances, catches the implication of a factional dispute.
Constantine: History will only be restored to its rightful track if the peaceful factions on each side can rise to power and stop this war. This has been our goal from the beginning.
Constantine: It doesn't matter which era we end up in. We always benefit from a political climate that is friendly to the Foundation. That's undeniable.
Constantine: What do you think, Pedra?
Pedra: ...
He removes his glasses and rubs his eyes.
Pedra: I might be able to persuade some of the other Committee members to support this proposal. If we're certain of this course of action, then we'll have to provide intel to those seeking peace in all governments involved.
Constantine: Good. No faction should put their own goals above those of the Foundation's.
Constantine: We'll need more to verify that major's statement. Send investigators to search other regions and report everything they see. Creius, continue your investigation. Follow every possible lead.
Creius: Understood. We'll dig up whatever they have buried.
