“please don’t talk about conspiracy theories about AI and the US government with me” ok let’s just talk abt charlie kirk’s nerfing being a government hit ok ok ok ok ok.
On the other side of that door, they find themselves in the middle of a harrowing sight. Bodies all around. Screaming. Roaring flames. Air choked with smoke and ash. A hallway painted red with blood.
The Tragedy of Sablier.
Oz has seen this so many times now. But those were illusions, dreams, and memories.
This is different.
This is real.
Gilbert explains that though they really are in the past, they can't interact with anything there, or be seen by any of the poor victims. They make their way through the bloodied halls, trying their best not to think too much about the scene around them.
After all, there's nothing they can do for those people.
They just need to find Glen.
The jingle of a bell makes Oz gasp. Elliot is the only one who doesn't recognize that tell-tale sound of the Cheshire Cat. Oz breaks into a sprint, following that jingle, and the others follow.
They race through a doorway, and the sight causes a collective gasp as the group watches from a balcony. Below, Vincent seems somewhere far away, crying to himself as his Chain, Demios the Executioner, rampages above him.
They all watch in horror as Glen dodges attack after attack from her spiny blades, racing forward to drive that black-bladed sword straight through Vincent's chest.
Gilbert screams for his brother, but it's Oz who goes leaping from that balcony first, with Elliot right behind. Oz swings his scythe at Glen, and though he's easily countered, he buys some time for Vincent's brothers to rush to his side.
But as Gilbert puts a hand on his shoulder, Vincent shoves him away violently. He scrambles frantically to his feet, and away from the two trying to help.
"Don't touch me!!" he gasps. "Enough... I've had enough! Please!! I don't want to do this anymore!!"
"Vincent, calm down!!" Elliot cries.
"What's wrong with you?!" Gilbert begs. He sees a flash of light in the corner of his eye and shoves Elliot backwards as he leaps to tackle Vincent out of the way of a blast from Jabberwock as Glen and Oz's fight continues behind them.
Vincent reaches a hand out toward their fight, begging and pleading and crying for his Master to erase him.
As he cries, Gilbert looks down at his brother in shock.
Erase him...?
"Is that. What you've been trying to do all along?" Gilbert asks, grabbing his brother by the arm.
"Yes!!" Vincent wails. His voice sounds so desperate, hollow and empty. "That's the only way. If I hadn't opened that gate-- If I never existed-- Then Gil, you--"
"Don't be stupid!!" Gil shouts. "I thought I made it clear! If you alter the past, and erase the existence of my little brother, then I wouldn't be the big brother who protected you anymore!!"
But Vincent pulls away from him, scrambling to his feet again. "Shut up--!!"
"Maybe some other version of me would be happy, but that wouldn't be ME!! Just someone else who looks like me, but is that really what you want?! To protect a complete stranger?!"
But Gilbert is knocked back as Demios slashes the ground at his feet.
On the other side of the chamber, Glen sends Oz flying into a wall, where he sinks down, dazed.
"It's no use," Glen spits at the others as he approaches Oz. "Vincent has given up. No matter how many pretty words of encouragement you throw, to him, they're nothing but blades of rejection."
Gilbert gasps as he watches Glen approach the fallen Oz. He calls out for him, but there's no way he can get to his side in time.
But as Glen draws back his sword to end things, Alice throws herself between them.
Glen's starry eyes go wide. In that moment, it isn't Alice he sees standing there, but her mother. His sister.
Lacie.
He manages to stop his attack at the last second as Alice stares him down, unflinching. She orders him to lower his sword, but Glen can't move.
Seeing Alice in danger, the Cheshire Cat seems to appear from nowhere. He leaps high into the sky, which pulls Glen back to reality. He swings his blade at the Cat, but Cheshire easily avoids the blow. He dashes in, sweeping Alice off her feet, then retreats with her in his arms, though she kicks and yells for Oz.
Mostly recovered from the attack that had knocked the wind from him, Oz tries to run after them, only for Jabberwock to suddenly fill the air before him.
Glen can't waste time here anymore.
Gilbert throws himself at Vincent to protect him from the firey blast that fills the chamber. Elliot manages to jump into an adjacent room at the last second.
But as the smoke clears, Gilbert is horrified to watch Oz collapse. Panicked, he runs from Vincent's side, leaving his brother lying in a heap on the ground.
Of course.
All those nice words he had hurled at Vincent had meant nothing. In the end, he would always leave his brother's side for Oz, wouldn't he?
Vincent doesn't bother trying to get up. Maybe if he just lies there, they'll forget about him. Leave him there, to disappear into the past.
The sound of footsteps prove it won't be that easy. He opens his eyes, looking up to see Noise standing over him...
The sound of a gunshot rings out through the chamber. Blood bursts from Vincent's thigh.
Gilbert calls out for his brother, horrified to see Noise pointing a handgun at Vincent. But Demios appears before him and Oz, blocking his brother from his sight.
He can hear Vincent begging her to kill him. He sees Noise seeming to struggle, sees her left hand grabbing her right. She seems at war with herself, two souls fighting inside her as Vincent begs and begs to die.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Elliot's shout draws everyone's attention.
Despite all his ranting and raving about self-sacrifice, he runs straight at his brother, ignoring the rampaging Executioner. One blow from the Chain sends both him and Noise flying, but Elliot gets right back up. He wipes the blood from his chin, and steeles his blue eyes.
Vincent begs him to stop, but he refuses, marching through the flurry of Demios' uncontrollable rampage. As he draws closer, those blades slice through the air right at his throat.
He doesn't flinch.
At the last second, the echo of a promise brings the deadly attack to a halt. Time stands still, as Elliot takes a deep breath.
"I know you killed my father! I know you killed Fred, and our uncle!" he announces. Vincent stares up at him from the floor, wide-eyed. "But I killed Claude and Ernest. And my own mother. We both have our reasons, and we could argue about them all day! But!! I've forgiven myself. I would be a goddamn hypocrite to not offer you a second chance too!!"
"Th-that's different--!! You were--"
"SHUT UP!!" Elliot roars. "It doesn't matter if I was controlled by Humpty Dumpty or not!! She's still gone because of me! And she was a SAINT!! Leo told me why you killed my father!! He told me about all the disgusting things that man had his hands in!!! He told me that YOU saved his life. My life. Gilbert's life!!!
Wasn't it YOU who told me to judge the world through my own eyes?!! Well I've seen what you've done, and who you are!!! And I've decided!!!! I can't forgive myself for what I did to our family until I've forgiven you too. You don't even have to apologize, because I've already made up my mind. I forgive you!!!!!"
Elliot drops to his knees before his panicked brother. He grabs Vincent by the collar, forcing him to look him in the eye. To see the sincerity in those cloudless blue skies.
Forgiveness?
Vincent had never wanted forgiveness. He had always thought the things he'd done could never warrant such a thought.
"You keep saying you have no future, and that's bullshit. You can ALWAYS start over!! If you really don't think our world can forgive you, then Leo and I can help you find another one. There's an entire multiverse that's never heard the name Vincent Nightray before. And if you want to come home, then I know Leo would be happy to have you by his side.
So Vince, PLEASE!!!! Don't give up on me. Don't leave us like this. I've lost too many brothers already."
Not only could Elliot forgive him. But after all that, he could call an outsider like Vincent his own brother...
Demios disappears and Vincent sobs into his little brother's shoulder, a loud, childish wail as he realizes.
Maybe that was all he ever really wanted, was forgiveness.
