Darkness.

Not the kind born from fear.

Not the darkness of night.

The calm and endless darkness, that could not be disturbed by anything - like the bottom of the deep sea, where the light of the Sun has never touched it.

Jennie slowly opened her eyes.

"...Where am I?"

She looked around.

No temples.

No pillars.

No Leviathan.

No Snow.

No Roxy.

Only the endless sea spreading in every direction.

The water below her feet was calm, like polished glass and reflected the sky.

Jennie carefully took a step.

Ripples spread around her.

And then...

A familiar voice was heard above the silent world.

"This is the Ocean of Memories."

This was Leviathan.

Its voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.

Jennie looked around.

"I thought this was a trial."

"It is," Leviathan answered calmly.

Jennie rested her hand on the hilt of Excalibur.

"I don’t see any enemies."

The answer was instant.

"You never will."

Silence.

And then...

"The enemies you are afraid of the most..."

"...already live in your heart."

The ocean rippled.

And thousands of little lights appeared above it.

Each of them carried a memory.

Joy.

Sorrow.

Regret.

Jennie whispered quietly,

"...So that’s your trial."

"Yes," Leviathan said.

"Show me whether your heart sinks..."

"...or moves forward."

The world dissolved into thin air.

Warm breeze caressed her cheeks.

Jennie opened her eyes.

She was not walking anymore on the endless ocean.

Instead...

She stood in front of a familiar wooden house.

The estate of Queens.

The smoke was coming out of the chimney.

The flowers were blooming next to the front door.

Everything looked exactly how it had before she left.

Jennie’s breath became uneven.

"...Home."

The front door opened.

Arthur came out of the house with a basket full of fresh bread in his hands.

He instantly got a smile on his face.

"There you are."

"I was wondering where you’ve gone."

His warm and gentle voice was almost breaking her heart.

Jennie took slow steps towards him.

"...Father..."

Arthur laughed.

"You’ve started to call me that lately."

"I don’t mind."

"But you’re looking at me like I’m some kind of ghost."

Jennie couldn’t say a thing.

Her eyes had already got wet.

Arthur instantly noticed that.

"Hey..."

"What’s wrong?"

Gently placing a hand on her head, the familiar warmth and touch that she missed every day.

Jennie closed her eyes.

"I..."

"I missed you."

Arthur smiled.

"I’ve been away for just a couple of hours."

"No."

Jennie’s voice trembled.

"I mean..."

"For a very long time."

Arthur looked confused.

But then smiled all the same.

"You’re always welcome home."

In that short moment...

Jennie really wanted to stay.

To forget about everything.

About the Goddess.

About the Divine Swords.

About the journey.

Just...

Stay home.

But...

Jennie noticed one thing.

Arthur wasn’t blinking.

Not once.

His smile was never changing.

The wind moved the trees...

But not his clothes.

Jennie’s heart squeezed.

"This is not real."

Arthur’s smile didn’t change at all.

"No."

"I am what you’ve been wanting to see."

Slowly his body dissolved into millions of droplets of water.

Before disappearing completely...

He said one last thing.

"You still blame yourself..."

"...don’t you?"

The illusion vanished.

Jennie was standing alone.

And the world changed once again.

A familiar kitchen appeared in front of her eyes.

The sweet smell of stew filled the air.

Elena was humming cheerfully while preparing the dinner.

She looked over her shoulder.

"Oh!"

"Jennie!"

"Perfect timing."

"I made your favorite."

Jennie froze.

The memory was so vivid.

Every little gesture.

Every smile.

Every little habit.

Exactly the same.

Elena placed another portion on her plate.

"You’ve become so thin."

"Eat more."

Jennie smiled through tears.

"You always gave me too much food."

Elena laughed.

"A mother can never give her daughter enough food."

Jennie looked at the floor.

"I wanted..."

"...to call you Mother forever."

Elena blinked.

"You still can."

"You don’t need to go anywhere."

Jennie’s fingers squeezed the spoon.

"I already did."

"No."

The illusion smiled kindly.

"You’ve chosen to."

The words hit her even harder than the blade.

Jennie lowered her head.

"...Yes."

"I did."

"And I’d do it again."

The tears fell onto the wooden table.

"If forgetting me meant everyone could live..."

"I would still leave."

Elena slowly walked around the table.

She hugged Jennie from behind.

"My poor daughter..."

"You always carry everything alone."

Jennie quietly wept.

"I didn’t want you to weep because of me."

The hug slowly dissolved into blue water.

Leaving only an empty chair.

The next memory appeared.

Lucas was sitting under the ancient apple tree.

He tossed the apple into the air and caught it.

"There you are."

"I’ve been waiting."

Jennie smiled sadly.

"...Big brother."

Lucas smirked.

"You’ve become sentimental."

He threw the apple to her.

She caught it automatically.

"Still have good reflexes."

Jennie chuckled quietly.

"You’ve taught me."

Lucas slowly got up from the ground and crossed his arms.

"You know..."

"I was always proud of you."

Jennie was surprised.

"You never told me that."

"I know."

He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I thought there would be time."

"So did I," Jennie answered.

Lucas moved closer.

"You always smile."

"But your eyes..."

"...were lonely for a long time."

Jennie looked away.

"I’m alright."

He sighed.

"You still lie badly."

For a short moment...

She almost thought it was him.

But...

The apple in her hand became the clear water.

It slipped through her fingers.

Lucas smiled for the last time.

"You’ve protected us."

"But..."

"...who will protect you?"

His body slowly dissipated into mist.

Jennie remained standing alone under the apple tree.

And couldn’t stop crying.

The sky became crimson red.

Gentle breeze was carrying the scent of flowers.

Jennie already knew who she will see, without turning around.

Lilia.

She was standing under the sunset as usual.

Her golden hair shone beautifully.

Quiet but tender smile.

"There you are."

"I’ve been looking for you."

Jennie’s voice was barely heard.

"...Princess."

Lilia moved closer.

"No."

"Just Lilia."

Her violet eyes contained the same tenderness.

She reached her hand out.

"Come."

"Let’s watch the sunset together."

Jennie looked at that outstretched hand.

The hand she wanted to hold forever.

She slowly reached for it.

Their fingertips almost touched.

And then...

She stopped.

Tears were streaming down her face.

"I can’t."

Lilia’s smile slowly disappeared.

"...Why?"

Jennie lowered her shaking hand.

"Because..."

"If I stay..."

"...the people I love will lose everything."

The illusion tilted her head.

"And what about you?"

Jennie couldn’t say a thing.

Because she already knew.

She had already lost everything when she decided to leave.

The sunset slowly turned into an endless ocean.

Leviathan’s calm voice was heard in the silence.

"Your heart is still bleeding."

Jennie wiped off the tears.

"...It probably always will."

The ocean shook one more time.

And one final figure slowly appeared in the distant.

A young man in silver armor.

Silver hair swinging in the wind.

Excalibur was lying upon his shoulder.

Leonis.

Or maybe...

The person Jennie used to be.

He opened his eyes.

And looked straight at her.

Without saying a single word.

The deepest trial...

Had just started.

The endless ocean seemed motionless.

Not even one small wave moved its surface.

Jennie was standing alone facing the silver-haired young man before her.

He looked the way she remembered him.

Silver armor shone until it reflected the sky.

Calm blue eyes.

A smile free from both arrogance and sadness.

Excalibur was resting on his shoulder as if it didn’t weigh anything at all.

The legendary Sword King.

Leonis.

No, actually...

A lifetime of Jennie.

Several moments passed by in silence.

Only the endless ocean was surrounding them.

Then Leonis finally smiled faintly.

"You’ve grown."

Jennie replied with a faint smile of her own.

"I guess that’s quite an unusual compliment to give oneself."

Leonis chuckled lightly.

"I am not you."

"Not anymore."

"I am just your memory."

Jennie nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that’s so."

"But to see you..."

She looked at the familiar eyes of Leonis.

"...it seems strange."

He slowly lowered Excalibur.

"I have a question."

Jennie folded her hands behind her back.

"I will try to answer."

Her expression turned serious.

"When everybody forgot about you..."

"When everybody in your family forgot your name..."

"When Lilia forgot your face..."

"Did you ever regret your choice?"

Her heart was hurt by the question.

Jennie lowered her head.

She recalled Arthur’s smile.

Elena’s hug.

Lucas’s pretend indifference.

Lilia’s trembling confession under the sunset.

She remembered that she walked away while the whole world forgot her existence.

And the pain became as bright as that day.

Her hands were shaking.

"...Yes."

The answer escaped before she could suppress it.

Leonis was silent.

Jennie closed her eyes.

"I regretted it."

"There were some nights when I wished to go back."

"I wished somebody..."

"...even one person..."

"...would remember me."

Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"I wished to hear Father call my name again."

"I wished Mother to hug me."

"I wished to have Lucas tease me."

"I wished to make Lilia smile once again."

She stopped speaking.

Her voice became hoarse.

"I wished all of it."

The ocean around them trembled.

Leonis was watching silently.

"Then why didn’t you come back?"

Jennie slowly raised her head.

Her silver eyes were filled with tears.

"Because..."

She smiled softly.

"...they were alive."

Silence.

"I lost my place beside them."

"But they continued to live."

They were smiling."

They were happy."

"They were safe."

She gently touched her heart with her hand.

"That loneliness..."

"...was worth it."

Her reflection was smiling.

Not proudly.

Not sadly.

Just quietly understanding.

"I see."

The world changed once again.

Jennie found herself in the middle of the battlefield.

The sky was full of smoke.

The ground was covered with broken swords.

The air smelled like blood and ashes.

Thousand of soldiers cries were heard in the distance.

Jennie recognized it right away.

The final battle of the Great Demon War.

Her last battle as Leonis.

One after another...

People were appearing in front of her.

Knights whom she couldn’t save.

Villagers who died before her arrival.

Children crying near the destroyed houses.

A young soldier was looking at her.

"You were too late."

Another one was whispering to her.

"You couldn’t save us."

An old woman was lowering her head in despair.

"We believed in the Sword King."

A child was asking softly.

"...Why didn’t you come?"

Jennie froze.

With every voice she heard...

Another blade penetrated her heart.

She remembered every face.

Every life that she couldn’t save.

She bore these regrets for a thousand years.

The voices were becoming louder.

"You failed."

"You were not strong enough."

"You abandoned us."

"You let us die."

Jennie slowly kneeled.

Her breathing was uneven.

Her hands were covering her ears.

"Please..."

She heard no reply.

"You called yourself a protector of humanity."

"But we still died."

We were waiting."

"You never came."

The accusations were echoing endlessly.

Her heart was trembling.

Not because they were lying.

Because they were true.

She couldn’t save everybody.

No matter how strong Leonis was...

People were still dying.

But...

A soft voice was ringing in the noise.

Little.

Gentle.

Almost indistinguishable.

Jennie lifted her head.

A little girl was stepping forward amidst the crowd of illusions.

She was wearing a simple white dress.

Jennie recognized her right away.

This was the child whom she saved during the war.

The girl was smiling brightly.

"Thank you."

Jennie blinked.

"...Pardon?"

The child giggled happily.

"You carried me."

"When my village was burning."

"I wanted to thank you."

Another figure appeared.

An elderly man was bowing deep.

"You saved my grandson."

A knight was placing his hand over his heart.

"I survived thanks to you."

Another one was following him.

And yet another.

The battlefield was changing.

The people whom Leonis failed were standing here.

But now...

Also the people whom he saved were appearing.

There were much more than Jennie remembered.

Mother with her child.

A farmer.

Merchant.

Orphan.

Healer.

Whole crowd.

They did not see a perfect hero.

Only somebody who did everything he could.

The little girl was smiling again.

"You were always crying when you couldn’t save somebody."

But..."

She reached for Jennie’s hand and gently touched it.

"...you forgot to remember the people you saved."

Jennie’s eyes were opened wide.

For a thousand years...

She remembered only her failures.

She never thought about her victories.

About all those lives which were continuing to exist because of her.

Tears were streaming freely down her face.

"I..."

"I forgot..."

The child nodded.

"You were not supposed to save everybody."

You only had to save the people you could."

One by one, every grateful soul was smiling.

Then they dissipated into countless blue droplets.

The battlefield disappeared.

Only the endless ocean was left.

Leviathan’s voice was heard once again.

"You carry regret."

Jennie was standing up slowly.

"Yes."

"You carry sorrow."

"Yes."

"Won’t you throw them away?"

Jennie looked down at her own reflection in the water.

Then she smiled.

Quiet.

Gentle.

Human smile.

"No."

"They remind me why I am fighting."

"They remind me of every life’s importance."

"They remind me that strength exists..."

"...in order to protect."

The endless sea was glowing with brilliant sapphire light.

Far away...

The silhouette of Leviathan was appearing on the horizon.

For the first time since the trial started...

The Divine Sword seemed pleased.

"Very well."

"You answered with your heart."

The ocean was starting to split.

The shining path was appearing before Jennie.

At the end of the path...

Leviathan was waiting.

The final judgement...

Was going to start.