Ominous Clouds

Final Chapter: IX - I

"strelitzia... reginae."

At the spur of the moment, a whorl of darkness begins to surround me. The cold, humid air reverberates as if it has a beat of its own. Gravel crunches beneath my feet as I take a few steps back from what lies before me. Beams of flavescent light emanate from the ethereal entity, spreading out as far as my eyes can see, almost like a midnight sun. My heart beats like a drum, but I regain composure as it finally responds to my presence. A calm, yet strong resounding voice fills the entire place, delivering shivers from every single cell in my body down to my cheek hair.

A pleasant evening, I greet thee
As we finally cross paths—you & I
You, the Nameless One.

"We finally meet, reginae."

I, the pinnacle among the five Strelitzia, have sought your awaited arrival.

"So have I. I have been waiting all this time."

Thy intentions—revealed amid my omniscience.
The first act—our destined meeting, previously hindered.
Do you realize your calling for this fateful moment?

"Of course. I come here before your resplendence to retrieve the 5th artifact that lies in your possession—the last artifact that the four of us need to open the gates of Elysium."

You, the Nameless One, have robbed me of my remnants,
But thy intentions are revealed amid my omniscience.
The true purpose of the select three—your comrades,
As clear as the lull of the seas.

"You are but mistaken. There is no special reason at all as to why I 'selected' them. They are my only friends. I have no one else but them."

Such foolish lies beseech your tongue!
To deceive me is to commit a treacherous sin.
You and I realize the weight of their presence—
The true purpose of their roles for this travesty.

"Lies? Travesty? Whatever are you talking about, you multi-horned flower?"

[Jun]iper.
[Al]exander.
[Nico]las.

MUST I SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU, THOU NAMELESS ONE?

"S-Stop..."

STRELITZIA,

The genus of five species of perennial plants—the Birds of Paradise Flowers.

I, reginae, stand dominant among the four.

Do you digress?

"Heh... It seems like I cannot deceive you after all. Whatever. Reveal it... the truth."

reginae, juncea, alba, nicolai, caudata.

"F-Forgive me, everyone... I'm sorry," I mutter.

Jun from juncea.

Al from alba.

Nico from nicolai.