Adam, too, was shocked. The last thing he had expected was an enemy to suddenly turncoat, unless...
"...so this 'seraph' is your foe as well..." Adam muttered. Then, after hearing the words from Nadine, he paused to think, but not before stepping between Ubrig and Eve. "Don't think I can't hear you, girl. I did what I had to, to stay alive and keep my promise t-..."
He paused again. He still couldn't feel his left arm, and his heavy coat was starting to weigh him down in his exhaustion. 'Am I getting sloppy?'
Sticking the rapier point-first into the ground, he started to fiddle with his uniform with his functioning hand. "This world isn't some sort of game. Every step you take is but another mark in the millions of miles you have to walk during your lifetime. And in the many years I've walked down my harrowed road, I've seen a lot of things, the true face of humanity, and the terrible things we can do to one another... I've seen it, understood it, and worked hard to prevent it from happening again. I've lead armies to war, and led men to what turned out to be their deaths... Yet these hands have never tasted blood, until you and your friends came walking across my road. I had hoped that I would live my life as a man of war, yet free of bloodshed in the only thing I could control it in-- myself."
Adam never once turned to face Nadine, yet he may have been looking her straight in the eye. His words held another quality to them, something... final.
"I had never expected events to turn out the way they did... I am a soldier of my nation, of my people, and of my lover. If anybody can understand the loss you have so clearly held in your heart all this time, I can be honest in my words, when I say 'it is I'. This world is so weary... so tired of our constant battles, that span the entirety of her expanse and beyond..." With a slight lift and twist of the last fastener, Adam finally released the thick overcoat. He gave no resistance as it slid off his arms and down his back, landing on the ground heavily. "I've only got two regrets, in this one and only life of mine... and not saving Eve is my first and foremost."
Adam's back was scarred and marked, both fresh and old wounds standing out upon his fair skin. Despite a face and body that seemed to be at the peak of its time, this newly revealed so much more time and experience than seemed possible. What stood out the most, however, was a pair of tattoos that marked both his shoulder-blades. The first, on his left side, was a highly graphic painting, as best it could be described, showing many figures lying and dismembered, fire in the background, and a single figure kneeling in the midst of it all, as if encircled by it.
The subject was now in that very same pose, her legs seemingly no longer with the strength to hold her up, as she clutched her masked face. Blood dripped from the wounds where Ubrig's metal-tipped 'spears' and stabbed her, invisibly staining her already red gown and blood-rain soaked figure. ((Cause, ya know, DoMaya said it would rain blood for about 15 of his posts. I didn't forget, it just wasn't important to mention~))
The second tattoo was less artistically detailed; just a single subject, and much less neat compared to the other one. It was the visage of a black dog, with white eyes, and still looked fresh, the surrounding skin bright red with agitation.
With a quick flick of the wrist, the rapier was back in hand and at the ready, pointed towards the angel in golden armor. "I have no regrets fighting for what I believe in, even if it costs me my life... if only to finally save Eve."
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"...hm? An anomaly..." The 'Observer' spoke to itself. "...the MARTYR-UNIT is repeating the same regressive activity as had occurred before... in all fairness as to the current coordination efforts, it would be unwise to allow this to continue... however..."
-DATA DOWNLOAD: 46.91% COMPLETE; CONNECTION LOW.
-SATFALL.exe LOGISTICS: COMPLETE.
-SATFALL.exe RUNNING; CURRENT PROBABILITY OF IMPACT: 97.1111...%
--ESTIMATED TIME BEFORE IMPACT: LESS THAN 10 minutes.
"...initiate operation: AdamAUTH-PARALOST.exe... may your sentimentality serve you well. My debts will be henceforth paid."
Activating recollection procedure...
Activating recovery procedure...
Installation of REPAIR.cue initiated...
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