Chiangmai, Thailand. The moon shone with its full beauty in the cloudless night sky. The streets were filled with people walking and chatting happily. Some enjoyed the street food while others were buying handmade crafts. The crafts were made from a slice of a banana tree's trunk or a loaf of bread, which served as the base, before being beautifully decorated with banana leaves, flowers, and incense sticks. A middle-aged man dressed in a t-shirt and jeans held one of these crafts in his hand and made his way to the nearby river. He kneeled on the riverbank and lifted the craft towards the moon. He brought it down and lit the candle in the centre, before resting the craft on the river. He gave it a gentle push and watched as it floated on the water's surface along with thousands of others like it.
"When you told me you were going to Chiangmai for your vacation, attending Loi Krathong was the last thing I expected."
He turned around to see Hiraya looking down at him with a smile.
"It's a beautiful festival that I've always wanted to take part in at least once."
"I see."
Hiraya stooped down next to him.
"That sounds like you, Uncle."
Thierry turned towards her. The candle flames reflected in her eyes as she watched them floating on the water in silence.
"What's on your mind?"
She stared at the water for a few more seconds before speaking.
"Seeing you at peace like this makes me realise this is how you should be living your life. Checking out places you've never seen before, enjoying different cultures…A life devoid of war and carnage like the one you're living now."
She turned her head towards him.
"Uncle, I think you should—"
"I'm not going to retire."
"…Things are going to get hectic from here on out. At least, think—"
"There's no need to think about something so obvious."
Thierry stood up and looked down on her.
"I promised Polemus I would help you make the Bellum Company your own....But I also promised Nikolaos I would make sure his daughter finds happiness. A promise between Sworn Brothers is eternal."
He helped her to her feet while he kneeled.
"The day Polemus passed down his powers and the Bellum Company to you was the day I became your Phobos. I will remain your General, your Advisor, and mentor until Bellum Company is no more."
He stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"But the day Nikolaos and I found you alone in that hell, he became your father and I, your uncle. We will remain your family even after death."
He gently caressed her cheek.
"So don't worry about me. My life and death are dedicated to you."
His smile was overflowing with love as he stood before her. Hiraya opened her mouth and closed it before smiling back. She looked up at the sky that was filled with burning lights. The celestial lights illuminated the night as if chasing away the darkness and ushering hope for all who laid eyes on them.
"Looks like they've already started releasing the lanterns."
He turned to Hiraya.
"Do you want to light one together?"
Hiraya nodded.
"I'd love that."
Sometime later, Hiraya and Thierry were inside a boat on the river. They were surrounded by countless other boats with people on them releasing their lanterns into the air and following them with joyous expressions. The two sat across from each other after releasing their lanterns.
"This was nice. I can see why you came here, Uncle."
"I'm telling you, I have the best vacation spots stored up here."
Thierry playfully tapped his head.
"Oh, since we're in Thailand, want to make a stop in the Philippines? Visiting your home might help you unwind some more. We can visit the orphanages there too."
"You say that as if it's a 5-minute drive."
Hiraya shook her head.
"I want to avoid getting too relaxed when I'm trying to make a serious decision."
"The decision that made you ask me to retire....Alright, tell me what's up?"
Hiraya wore a troubled look.
"Is that okay? Are you sure you don—"
"Don't worry about me. Just tell your advisor what's bothering you."
Alala nodded and began to tell Phobos everything.
"You and Sinvula would compete to kill Impactor...I see why you were so concerned. This is serious."
"So, what do you think I should do?"
"Do you think Sinvula will agree?"
Alala nodded.
"Amadi might be hesitant, but not Sinvula. That guy loves creating mayhem and will use this to plunge the world into chaos."
"Then, what about Alala?"
Phobos looked at her.
"Does she also want to cause mayhem?"
".....I don't know."
Her voice was quiet and lacked confidence.
"Logically speaking, this will create problems for the Bellum Company; all risks, no rewards. We might lose clients or encourage people to disrespect us. There's nothing for the Company to gain."
"Even so, the idea interests you?"
She nodded.
"I can't explain why because even I don't know the reason. All I know is the idea of competing against Sinvula to destroy Impactor and Kismet, while they grow strong enough to potentially reach us...."
She clenched her fists.
"It excites me and that sickens me to my core. The very thought of enjoying violence, something that is merely a tool to grant me a prosperous life, makes me question myself."
Phobos remained quiet as he observed Alala. He watched her expression, the way she clenched her fists, how her body trembled every now and again, and took note of her drifting eyes.
"Just do it."
"Huh?"
Alala looked up at him. He wore a small smile and sat in a more relaxed manner in the boat.
"Just do it. Plunge the world into chaos, start a new era of violence, spread the madness."
"If I do that, our soldiers will be at risk, you guys will be—"
"Don't worry about us, Commander."
He pounded his fist over his heart.
"Soldiers of the Company are born from war and will die from it. We live our lives expecting every day to be our last day. So, you doing this will change nothing."
"Don't you think I'm being too selfish?"
"Yeah, but what can we do?"
Alala frowned.
"Aren't you taking this too lightly?"
"I might be, but I'm certain my answer would be the same as everyone else in the Company."
He pointed at her.
"We simply wish to carry out the orders of the Supreme Commander we admire and look up to. Even if she's a closet battle junkie."
"I'm not...."
Alala didn't argue and just leaned back in the boat.
"At least consider your families."
"Mine are in France living in luxury, ignorant of hardships. My wealth will ensure they continue to live that way for a very long time, even if I were to die. I'm sure it's the same for every soldier in the Company. We committed countless sins to make sure our loved ones won't have to do the same to survive. If we die, it's just our karma."
He smirked.
"Besides, you'll make sure those we leave behind will be properly looked after, right?"
"Of course."
"Then what is there to be afraid of?"
He sat up and placed his hand over his heart.
"Our lives are yours to use freely, Supreme Commander."
".....Thank you, Phobos."
She showed a saddened smile.
"And I'm sorry."
"There's nothing for you to apologise for, Commander."
After spending some more time together, Alala left Phobos alone on his boat, where he sat looking at the lanterns being carried by the night wind.
"...Hiraya, you who forced your way from the pits of hell to reach the pinnacle of the world from such a tender age, have obtained everything you wanted in life. You have truly joined the ranks of the blessed using the actions of the wicked."
He recalled the look on Alala's face when she was talking to him.
"You might've believed you looked scared or weak when you thought of the things you are about to do, thought of what you've become....But that was far from the truth."
She was smiling. Despite sounding reluctant and conflicted, Alala was smiling the majority of the time. Her body trembled from excitement. She clenched her fists out of eagerness. She refused to look him in the eye in an attempt to hide the glee in hers. Alala's words didn't match her actions.
Phobos sighed.
"When one has obtained everything and reached a point where the world feels too small, what does life look like to them?"
Do they get bored with everything going as they want? Do they find life dull with no one to challenge them and push them to grow? Do they feel like life is no longer worth living?
"I've always thought the Bellum Company would disband after we've all gotten everything we wanted, yet it continued. We continued to fight, continued to slaughter, and continued to wage war. There was no end in sight and I've always wondered why?"
Alala's face when she thanked him flashed in his mind. A face flashed with excitement, a smile that stretched across her face, and eyes burning with fire like the lanterns in the sky.
"My Commander and Niece is batshit crazy and she doesn't know it."
He let out a bigger sigh.
"War really taints the purest of souls."
The face of a young girl drenched in blood flashed in his mind. This girl glared at everyone around her while desperately holding a knife with trembling hands.
"....I wish we had met while you still had innocence, or maybe the present would've been more tragic if we did?"