In the world of the Fifth Holy Grail War, a subtle trace of pity appeared in Tōsaka Rin's eyes as they gently swept over the figure of the Root Shiki on the display screen.
Deep in her heart, she understood the reason for the Root Shiki's choice.
"So powerful, yet wrapped in loneliness... It's truly lamentable. No wonder she pushed all the burdens onto Shiki."
And in the world of the Kara no Kyōkai fragments, when Arika Sajō heard this, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
Indeed, she and the Root Shiki shared some common feelings.
As a connector to the Root, before she met the prince who made her heart flutter, her world was a wasteland.
Whether it was all things in the world or the warmth of family affection, to her, they were nothing but illusory existences.
In her eyes, there was no color of life, only endless emptiness and boredom.
Unlike Ryougi Shiki's split personality, Sajō Arika bore this heavy burden alone and could not pass the responsibility on her shoulders to anyone else.
If this continued, she might truly fall into the abyss of madness.
However, the horn of the Holy Grail War sounded, bringing her a turning point. In this battle of fate, she finally met the king who made her feel at ease.
His appearance injected new meaning into her life and made her feel unprecedented happiness and satisfaction.
"I have experienced such pain and loneliness, so I will never let go easily. I will hold on tightly to this happiness that belongs to me!" Arika Sajō's heart surged with firm belief and determination.
Arika Sajō's eyes flashed with a resolute light, her determination as unshakable as a rock.
At this time, bullet comments rolled in like a tide, the audience expressing their views one after another.
[Bullet Comments]
[Romani Archaman]: So that's it! I can totally relate to the pain of loneliness that no one can understand.
[Ozymandias]: Hmm, although the Pharaoh is arrogant and omnipotent, if there are no wise ministers and consorts around, one would indeed fall into a lonely situation. This makes sense.
[Mash Kyrielight]: I didn't expect that being too powerful also has its unknown pains...
Amidst the varied opinions, the girl's soft, deep voice echoed again within the space on the light screen.
["The brain is merely a part of the body. However, our intellect makes us separate the brain that gave birth to us from the body and regard the brain as a unique existence."]
[The snowflakes still fell lightly in the air, and the girl's words shifted accordingly.]
["Even so..."]
["I can speak here because I possess Shiki's personality. Without Shiki's personality, I cannot even comprehend language. Because—I am merely a body."]
[The Root Shiki's words were calm and cold, yet revealed a profound philosophy, which also slightly startled Mikiya Kokutō. Then, he seemed to suddenly understand, and a smile of comprehension appeared on his face.]
["So that's it..." Mikiya Kokutō muttered to himself, a trace of heartache in his eyes, "If you don't have Shiki's personality, you cannot perceive this colorful world..."]
[The Root Shiki before him was like a precision machine cut off from its power supply. Without Shiki, the "software," only an empty shell remained.]
The breeze blew through her hair, and this scene was frozen in everyone's hearts.
At this moment, whether it was the audience before the light screen or Mikiya Kokutō, they all deeply remembered this girl connected to the Root—the Root Shiki.]
[Just as Mikiya Kokutō was immersed in his thoughts, the Root Shiki had quietly come to his side.]
[She stretched out her jade-white hand, gently touched his cheek, her fingertips sliding across the ends of his hair. The two simply stared at each other quietly, as if the whole world had stopped.]
[A gentle smile bloomed on Mikiya Kokutō's face, both serious and peaceful.]
[Seeing this, the Root Shiki averted her gaze like a startled butterfly, and slowly lowered her fingers, her movements so gentle they seemed to put the snowflakes to shame.]
["Ryougi Shiki's body is connected to the Root. I can only see her internally, but I know everything about the external world."]
[The Root Shiki's voice sounded again, gentle and slightly sorrowful, "How painful it is, this monotonous and meaningless existence."]
Hearing this, expressions of incredulity appeared on the audience's faces.
They seemed to begin to understand that this seemingly powerful girl actually harbored unspeakable loneliness and pain deep in her heart.
In the world of Avalon, even Merlin, known for his frivolity, couldn't help but sigh upon seeing this scene.
"That girl..." He thought to himself, and could actually see a little of his own shadow in her.
Although his circumstances were much better than hers, he could still empathize with her loneliness and alienation.
Although Merlin had no companions, he could see everything in the external world from Avalon and watch the long river of human history. The colorful tapestry woven by humanity left him quite satisfied.
Moreover, before this, he had Fou for company.
Although the other was a Beast, they shared similar perspectives and states of mind. They were both non-human beings, and the worlds they could perceive were naturally connected.
Yet, the girl in the light screen could only watch all of this alone, with no one able to understand her inner world.
She had no sense of being alive, as if she stood outside the world. Even someone like Merlin, who sought amusement, couldn't find interest in such a story.
At this moment, the screen was filled with comments, the audience expressing their feelings one after another.
[Bullet Comments]
[Mash Kyrielight]: How could this be... Miss Root Shiki is actually suffering so much pain.
[Ryougi Shiki]: So this is the third personality I never knew about... No wonder she never wanted me to know about this; there's such a secret.
[Aozaki Aoko]: This kind of loneliness is probably hard for ordinary people to imagine. Although magi also study alone for many years, at least they have a goal to pursue. The girl in the light screen, because she's connected to the Root, has been in an omnipotent position from the start, yet has also fallen into endless loneliness.
[Cú Chulainn]: It seems omniscience isn't a good thing. Because of his omniscience, Goetia witnessed too much pain and eventually embarked on the path of incinerating humanity. The girl in the light screen seems to have fallen into deep loneliness because of it.
At this moment, the audience's discussion showed no signs of abating. Everyone's hearts were closely concerned with the Root Shiki in the light screen, aching for the pain she had endured.
Simultaneously, within the light screen.
[Snowflakes drifted, like fragments of time, gently landing on the Root Shiki's body.]
[The faint light cast a mysterious, soft glow upon her, making her appear even more beautiful.]
[Yet, the girl's smile held an elusive meaning, as if mocking herself, a strange curve at the corner of her mouth.]
["I close my eyes, because nothing will change; the outcome is already decided. Just like this... fall asleep."]
[Her voice was low and magnetic, each word seeming to carry endless sorrow.]
[Her gaze passed through the layers of snowy curtains, staring at the distant, deep night sky, as if there was something there she couldn't let go of, the far shore she could never reach again in this life.]
["No dreams, no thoughts... until this body withers, there will be no moment of awakening from the dream."]
[Her words were like being buried by snowflakes, gradually disappearing into the darkness, leaving only a faint sadness.]
[Mikiya Kokutō simply stood quietly beside her, gazing at her profile, mixed emotions in his heart.]
[He wanted to say something, but found himself at a loss for words, so he could only accompany her in silence, sharing this quiet moment.]
[After a while, the Root Shiki turned her head to look at Mikiya Kokutō, then gazed into the distance. A flash of determination appeared in her eyes, followed by a beautiful smile blooming, containing resolve and relief.]
[Mikiya Kokutō looked at her smile, as if understanding something. He nodded slightly and responded with a smile. He had understood the girl's decision and chose to support her silently, not interfering with her choice. In that moment, they seemed to have reached a silent understanding.]
["Keep it a secret from Shiki." The Root Shiki said with a mischievous smile.]
[Mikiya Kokutō could only nod in agreement. He knew the weight of this secret and the complex emotions hidden behind it.]
[The Root Shiki, this body that is merely a vessel, is the fundamental existence that forms and promotes Ryougi Shiki's growth. She encompasses all of Ryougi Shiki's intellect, including those unconscious parts.]
[Such an existence is difficult for people to fully accept, even in legends. People, perhaps, are just dreaming within their own empty shells, chasing after those obvious illusions.]
[The white snow still floated in the air, like the quicksand of time, quietly narrating the past.]
[Under the reflection of the snow and the lights, the Root Shiki's eyes seemed to contain a myriad of emotions—envy, reluctance... Her gaze was fixed on the drifting sea of snow, her pupils concealing wave-like sorrow.]
["I should leave soon. Goodbye, Kokutō-kun..." Her words were soft yet firm, each one striking Mikiya Kokutō's heart like a heavy hammer. He knew this parting would be eternal.]
[The girl's figure gradually blurred and finally vanished from sight.]
[The snow continued to fall, the white fragments seeming to bury all darkness and secrets. They fluttered down lightly like feathers, covering all traces.]
[Faced with all this, Mikiya Kokutō could say nothing.]
[He could only stand there silently, watching the Root Shiki depart. His heart was filled with complex emotions—reluctance, regret, and confusion about the future. But he knew that some things, once missed, are lost forever. And the Root Shiki was the existence he would miss for the rest of his life.]
[]
["How silly, can't we meet tomorrow?" The girl's voice seemed to still echo in the air, but Mikiya Kokutō could only remain silent. He knew very well that these words were merely her self-comfort, or a gentle farewell to him.]
[He stood in the snow, looking up at the night sky, just as she once had, quietly watching the world.]
[The snow continued to fall, dyeing the entire world gray. As the world was enveloped in this gray, Mikiya Kokutō set off on his way home. He held up a black umbrella, walking slowly, further and further down the road devoid of pedestrians, until his figure completely disappeared into the white snow.]
[His figure, like the traces of the night, swayed in the morning glow and vanished alone. But even so, he never showed a trace of loneliness. He simply walked on the path back without stopping, just like when he first met her four years ago, quietly, singing the praises of the snowy day, and setting off on the journey home.]
At this moment, the [END] that slowly descended upon the light screen was like a heavy hammer, striking the heart of every viewer.
In their hearts, a long-stirring surge of emotion refused to calm.
The story of the Root Shiki and Mikiya Kokutō had come to an end, but their figures would remain forever in the audience's hearts.
There was no doubt that through this video, all the audience would remember the girl connected to the Root—the Root Shiki.
She possessed a powerful ability, nearly omnipotent, yet because of this excessive power, she fell into profound loneliness. Her experience made all the audience feel deep pity.
In the world of Chaldea, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the gradually dimming light screen,
his heart unable to calm down for a long time. He seemed able to feel the deep loneliness and helplessness of the Root Shiki, and seemed to see his own loneliness and confusion at certain moments.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was silent for a long time, finally speaking slowly: "That girl must be envious..." His tone was full of emotion and sympathy.
In this world, no one doesn't wish to be a special existence, and no one wants to spend their life in mediocrity.
Everyone holds various ideas, opposing opinions, and contradictory questions in their heart—this is the complexity and diversity of human nature. However, it is extremely difficult to live without contending with anything and without hatred for anyone.
Many people did not choose their current life of their own volition. They might have dreamed of becoming a special existence but ultimately failed to achieve it.
This state of ordinariness is the real life of most people. Yet, those who plan from the beginning to live such an ordinary life are rarer than those who pursue specialness, because this in itself is a "special" way of existing.
And the Root Shiki is undoubtedly the ultimate representative of this "special" existence.
She is connected to the Root and possesses nearly omnipotent power, yet simultaneously suffers from unimaginable loneliness and solitude. Her existence made Fujimaru Ritsuka deeply understand what true loneliness and power are.
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