Epilogue "Remnant"

With a sigh, I close the thick volume on the table in front of me. There are so many books here, so much knowledge, yet the beginning of it all, the actual reason for why the world turned out the way it did, lies shrouded in mystery. We know that a mysterious entity, commonly referred to as "The Artifact" suddenly appeared in the city of Tokyo, Japan in the year 2003, and that it over the coming years slowly poisoned the world. Where it came from, or what purpose it served, is still uncertain. Popular theories say that it was an object from another world, another dimension, and that its crossing into our reality was an extremely improbable accident. Other more radical beliefs argue that the Artifact was sent intentionally, to punish humanity for its sins. Some even claim that it was a living being. I don't know what is true, and I suppose by now it really doesn't matter anymore. There is so little left of humanity by now, and what little remains is slowly dying. Soon mankind will be gone from this world, and all that will be left is… them. Pitiful creatures they are, with no place in this world. But they will not last long either. In the end, all will fade, and only the rust-eaten ruins will bear witness to the legacy of this most achieved and most foolish species.

But I'm ranting again. What's the use burying myself in the past, anyway? All of that happened so very long ago. Now, nobody even remembers the name "Tokyo", and if I tried to tell them about the splendour of the giant cities of yore, with buildings so tall they scraped the skies, I am sure they would throw their heads back and laugh. Maybe all this knowledge is a curse, after all. Perhaps it would be better to simply forget it all and live out the rest of our days in relative peace. I could go down to the tavern and sing like I used to. I haven't sung in such a long time.

The door to my study opens, and my sister enters.

"Still sitting in here, I see. It's a lovely day, you should come outside for a bit."

I smile at her. My sweet sister. I don't know what I would do without her.

"Maybe I will. I just need to finish up in here first."

"That's good. Some sunshine would do you good." She turns to leave, then stops as if she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, we're just about out of herbs. You need those, don't you?"

"I do. I'll go down to the market later and get some."

"Why don't you let him do it? You know how eager he is to make himself useful around here."

"Ah yes, good idea. Do ask him to stop by if you see him, will you?"

"Sure thing. It's more for his sake than ours anyway."

"His sake… and hers." My sister tilted her head and looked at me with gentle eyes.

"You worry about her."

"Don't you? You know what her symptoms mean."

"Well there isn't much to do about it, is there? No sense worrying about it."

"I wish I could see it that way."

She closes the door behind her, and I listen to the sound of her footsteps shrinking away down the stairs. Yes, she has a point. With things being what they are, there is no way for us to set things right for the little girl, or for anyone else. It has gone on for too long, and at this rate, it will keep going until…

I push the thought away. It is not over yet. Many years have passed, and the time is almost at hand. Maybe we will succeed, after all. Maybe humanity will survive this crisis in the end. I will simply have to do my best. Maybe if I told him the truth, he would be able to help. No, too risky. He is more apt to do something foolish and ruin it all. Best to keep quiet for now, and keep playing this uncertain game. I have never been one to hope for miracles, but there is still hope. No matter how faint.

We still have hope, don't we?

Don't we?

/Author's notes:

First of all, thank you for reading. This is the first real piece of fiction I have written, outside of school assignments many years ago. I hope you enjoyed story is based on the Japanese version of Drakengard, which differs slightly from the English one ("Scarface" is a reference to Ace Combat).
Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I would greatly appreciate some criticism and feedback. Until next time!