Scenario:Caim - Dusk or Dawn
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Dusk or Dawn
Caim: (Captain).
With The World defeated, an ebullient mood lingers on the Grandcypher's deck.
Caim's expression is stern as he calls out to the captain.
Caim: When will we get to the next island?
(Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn look to each other.
Lyria: We would have to ask Rackam to be sure, but...
Vyrn: Shouldn't be too long now.
Caim: Oh... That's good to know.
Vyrn: Why? You got some business to take care of?
Caim: No, nothing like that. I'll be leaving when we land.
Lyria: Leaving... To go shopping or sightseeing, you mean?
Caim: No, I mean to say that our journey together ends here.
Lyria: Huh? But why!
Caim: Believe me: I'm definitely grateful for all you've done.
Caim: When I lost my memory, I'm not sure how I would have gotten by without your help.
Caim: But things have changed. I can manage on my own now.
Lyria: Wait! This is all so sudden...
Vyrn: C'mon, (Captain)! You tell him too!
Caim: Of course I am. This is the conclusion I've reached after considering our relationship objectively.
Choose: If that's what you want.
Caim: It is... Thanks for respecting my wishes.
Choose: Can you think it over again?
Caim: No. I've done enough consideration already.
Continue 1
Lyria: But...
Lyria: Oh, I know! Why don't we pay a visit to Siero?
Caim: Sierokarte? Why?
Lyria: She did a lot to help you shortly after you lost your memory.
Lyria: She was so worried about you at the time, so I thought...
Vyrn: Good thinkin'! I'm sure Knickknack would be happy to see you again too, Caim!
Caim: ...
Caim: Okay then. Let's pay her a visit.
Lyria: Great!
Vyrn: All righty! I'm gonna go tell Rackam to set a course for the Knickknack Shack!
Caim: Sigh...
Having escaped to the quiet comfort of his room, Caim sits on the bed and heaves a sigh.
Caim: As always, they seem so attentive yet it's like they're not even listening... It's exhausting.
The Hanged Man: You've changed, you know.
Caim: Wha?
The Hanged Man: I'm pretty sure the past you would've refused them outright when asked about visiting Siero.
Caim: I wasn't exactly just blindly following along either...
Caim: I simply figured agreeing to this visit would be more efficient than turning them down.
Caim: Because getting into another argument would do nothing but tire me out.
Caim: Besides, having a connection with Sierokarte could be handy for the future.
The Hanged Man: For the future, eh?
The Hanged Man: So you're serious about leaving the crew for good after that then?
Caim: Ugh, don't tell me you're second-guessing me too.
The Hanged Man: Why are you so set on leaving?
The Hanged Man: They want you to stick around, and things would definitely be easier for you that way too.
The Hanged Man: How's that for efficiency? Though I don't know what your plans are for the future.
Caim: ...
Not minding Caim's grimace, The Hanged Man flashes a devil-may-care grin.
The Hanged Man: I know, I know. You're scared, aren't you?
Caim: Wha!
The Hanged Man: You're afraid of the possibility that (Captain) and the others might one day be disgusted by you and tell you to leave the crew.
Caim: Hanged Man!
The Hanged Man: But that can't happen if you're the one to leave first. Am I right?
Caim: Shut up! How could you possibly understand!
The Hanged Man: I'm not you, but I can take a pretty good guess.
The Hanged Man: It's painful, terrifying even, to think that (Captain)'s crew could one day reject you the way your parents did.
Caim: I've heard enough!
Caim curls up on his bed, tightly covering his ears.
Both: And so we tossed you out.
Family: Ah... What a miserable, pitiful child.
Caim: Urgh...
Caim: Aahh... Huff... Huff...
The Hanged Man: Uh-oh...
Caim struggles so hard to breathe that he begins convulsing. The Hanged Man places a hand on his back.
The Hanged Man: Hang in there, Caim. You're gonna be just fine... Relax, take a deep breath.
Caim: Hngh...
The Hanged Man: That was just an illusion you saw. Though I'm sure you already knew that.
The Hanged Man: Don't let the phantoms of your past keep you entrapped forever. Surely you want out of that rut.
The Hanged Man: You know (Captain) and them would never turn on you—
Caim: Shut up, shut up, shut up!
Caim forcefully brushes aside The Hanged Man's hand.
Caim: Stop talking already! Get lost!
The Hanged Man: Oof... You wound me, Caim.
The Hanged Man: Wait... I take it you're saying that to the phantom?
Caim: No, I'm saying it to you!
Caim: What are you sticking around for anyway!
Caim: You have no reason to be here now that we've defeated The World!
The Hanged Man: Oh, I've definitely got a reason, all right.
The Hanged Man: That reason's you, Caim.
Caim: Gah! The point I'm getting at is you have nothing to gain from staying around me!
The Hanged Man: Cool it, Caim. This isn't like you.
The Hanged Man: We have a pact, and that's all the reason we need to stick together.
Caim: ...
The Hanged Man: That ring a bell? Well, to be fair, you were asleep when we renewed our pact.
The Hanged Man: Caim stopped waking up pretty much because I've become so weak.
Vyrn: So it was all related after all!
Lyria: What can we do to help! At this rate Caim's going to...
The Hanged Man: The solution's simple enough. I just need to renew my pact with Caim.
Vyrn: Wha?
Lyria: You mean do what you did to him... again?
The Hanged Man: Anyone who makes a pact with one of us Arcarum primals is known as an Evoker.
The Hanged Man: Evokers are the ones who hold the power for the Arcarum to materialize in this world.
Vyrn: That explains why refreshing the pact would keep you wholesome.
The Hanged Man: Yep. And it'd mean rise and shine for Caim to boot.
The Hanged Man: And that's why we're together.
The Hanged Man: Make sense?
Choose: Shut up! What does it matter!
The Hanged Man: Heh...
The Hanged Man: You really wanna get rid of me, eh?
Caim: How many times do I have to say it! Just get lost already!
The Hanged Man: Okay then...
The Hanged Man: Just don't forget that this is what you asked for.
The Hanged Man: It's a shame, really.
The Hanged Man lightly presses a fingertip against Caim's forehead.
Caim: ...!
Caim's vision is flooded by light from every direction. It neither hurts nor burns.
In a world that is all too bright, The Hanged Man's voice rings in the distance.
The Hanged Man: Goodbye, Caim.
Caim's consciousness gradually descends into darkness.
Never to ascend again.
The End
As Caim's pact with The Hanged Man is no more, his body can no longer function.
Withdrawing from quest.
Withdrawing from quest.
Consider trying out different choices next time.
The Hanged Man: Speak for yourself.
Caim: Oh please. I wish we'd never met.
Caim heaves a deep sigh.
Caim: Maybe I'm being worried for nothing...
Caim speaks in a low voice as if muttering to himself.
Caim: After all, there's no way they could learn about my past now...
The Hanged Man: Oh, did I forget to tell you?
The Hanged Man: They already know.
Caim: Wha... What are you saying?
The Hanged Man: Your past, of course. What else could I be talking about? Surprisingly dim-witted for once.
Caim: Ah...
Caim's mouth remains agape as he stares at the primal.
The Hanged Man: I told them long before you lost your memory.
Caim: Why!
The Hanged Man: Why? No reason to it, really. Just like I had no reason to keep quiet about it either.
The Hanged Man: But I see it as a good thing.
The Hanged Man: Means there's no possibility of them learning about your past later on and changing their tune toward you.
Caim: ...
Despair seems to fill the Evoker's eyes.
The Hanged Man: Relax, everything'll be fine.
The Hanged Man cracks his usual smile.
Continue 2
Dusk or Dawn: Scene 2
Caim sneaks off to find his hometown. He arrives to his former home, where he has a long conversation with The Hanged Man. The two discuss the crew loving Caim unconditionally despite his past, and how happy Caim was when he lacked his memories. The Hanged Man offers to lend Caim a hand and end his life, but Caim brushes it away. After, The Hanged Man offers to Caim to rejoin the crew, and after some hesitation regarding his past, Caim accepts the offer.
Caim had quietly slipped out of the Grandcypher as soon as it docked.
He told no one where he was going.
The Hanged Man: How far do you plan on going?
Caim: ...
Caim transferred to a passenger airship at the docks and has now come to an average-sized town.
The Hanged Man: You know I have to follow you wherever you go, right?
Caim: ...
Caim continues on his path, offering no response to the primal.
He stops in his tracks before a small house on the outskirts of town.
The Hanged Man: This your destination?
Caim: Sheesh...
With a sigh of resignation, he continues.
Caim: A university professor lived here alone.
The Hanged Man: Oh, I see...
The Hanged Man: You lived here at one point.
Caim: What we see in front of us is the rebuilt structure after it was burned down.
The Hanged Man: Hmm.
It is unclear whether The Hanged Man's response is a sign of interest or disinterest.
Caim: ...
Caim stands silent in front of the house for some time.
Caim: Okay, let's go.
The Hanged Man: Right behind you.
Caim: It was a young couple that had just lost their child that lived here.
Caim: The lone owner of a general goods store.
Caim: This place... belonged to an old couple.
Caim speaks few words as he makes his way to a few places.
The Hanged Man: Done touring?
Caim: ...
No.
No.
After a brief pause, Caim shakes his head.
Caim: There's just one more place...
They come to a small, nondescript house.
The Hanged Man: So this is our destination?
Caim: ...
Caim stares silently at the place his birth home once stood.
The Hanged Man: They come in all types, huh.
Caim: Hm?
The Hanged Man: Some places were left as is—scorched remains and all; some turned into vacant lots; and some places were rebuilt.
Caim: You could say that.
Caim looks straight ahead.
A dainty flower placed by the windowsill of the newly constructed house flutters in the wind.
The Hanged Man: Well...
The Hanged Man: If you take the entire world into consideration, the things you've done are just a small drop in the bucket.
Caim: Still though...
Caim: (The house may have been rebuilt to look better than before...)
Caim: (New tenants may be living their lives in peace here...)
Caim: (But none of that erases what I've done.)
Caim: ...
The Hanged Man: Caim...
The Hanged Man: You've changed!
Caim: Sh-shut up!
The Hanged Man: Aw, don't be so angry. What's so fascinating about someone who's changed, you're wondering? You do realize I'm praising you, right?
Caim: Put a sock in it! As if your praise would mean anything to me!
The Hanged Man: For one thing, as a primal beast, I'm kind of distanced from mortal concepts of good, evil, sin, punishment, and so on...
Paying no heed to Caim's little protest, The Hanged Man continues on as if singing a tune.
The Hanged Man: Mortals have both an inner and outer perception of morality and sin.
The Hanged Man: People suffer and know fear when a contradiction arises.
The Hanged Man: Caim, what is it you fear?
Caim: ...
After a prolonged silence, Caim speaks in such a low voice that he may as well be performing a soliloquy.
Caim: The terrible things I've done could never align with the moral code of (Captain)'s crew...
Caim: Yet they never stopped treating me like a friend...
Caim: That's what scares me.
The Hanged Man: Ah, that's right...
The Hanged Man: You absolutely despise being looked down upon... No, more than that, you despise being pitied.
Caim: ...
The Hanged Man: From an outsider's perspective, a kid like you suffering from memory loss must have seemed so helpless.
The Hanged Man: I'm sure it stirred feelings of compassion and guardianship among (Captain)'s crew.
The Hanged Man: But believe me when I say they never once looked down on you.
The Hanged Man: Their stance toward you didn't change even after I told them about your past.
Caim understands what the primal is getting at but does not find it so easy to accept.
The Hanged Man: The question is how you respond to their moral code.
The Hanged Man: Do you see kindness and shed tears in response, or do you see foolishness and mock them for it?
Caim: I...
Caim shuts his trembling lips and looks down.
The Hanged Man: I can tell you're in pain, Caim.
The Hanged Man speaks in a matter-of-fact tone.
The Hanged Man: You might have the smarts, but there's no answer to your pain.
The Hanged Man: In fact, being a genius makes it all the more painful.
The Hanged Man: You were actually happy when your memory was gone.
Caim: You would call that... happiness?
The Hanged Man: Sure. You might've considered that state you were in foolishness at one point, but innocence is a form of happiness too, you know.
With a grin, The Hanged Man peers into Caim's faintly trembling eyes.
The Hanged Man: Want me to lend a hand?
Caim: Huh?
The Hanged Man: It's not in my nature to be nice, but I'll make an exception for you.
The Hanged Man places a hand on Caim's wiry neck.
The Hanged Man: Tell me what you want, Caim.
Caim: I...
Caim opens his eyes wide, only to then look down again.
Caim slowly turns his neck to cast off The Hanged Man's hand.
Caim: Back off.
Seemingly pleased at the response, The Hanged Man backs away from the Evoker.
The Hanged Man: Right, of course. You'd never be able to forgive yourself for escaping to a life of innocent bliss.
Caim: Only a fool would close their eyes to the truth.
The Hanged Man: You're not so free of avarice as to just let go of all the new things you've experienced.
The Hanged Man: Things you never knew before like pain, guilt, suffering, and most importantly...
The Hanged Man: The love that (Captain)'s crew showers you with.
Caim: ...
Caim shivers at the primal's words, his eyes downcast.
The Hanged Man: Well then.
The Hanged Man: Now that your little trip back home's over, what do you say to returning to the Grandcypher?
The Hanged Man: To the new world... the new life that they've given you.
Caim: But... I'm not...
The Hanged Man: Hahah... You're not sure how you'd approach and what you'd even say to them, huh?
Caim: Don't get carried away now, Hanged Man...
The Hanged Man: Hahahah!
The primal beast lets out an amused chuckle as the Evoker glares at him.
The Hanged Man: You don't exactly have to say anything, you know?
Caim: Huh?
The Hanged Man: However you end up approaching them, the Crimson Horizon's not exactly gonna freeze over.
The Hanged Man: Your past is something you have to bear alone, and it has nothing to do with them.
Unsure if The Hanged Man is trying to encourage or agitate him, Caim loosens his shoulders and looks up.
Caim: Don't think I'm going to take it lying down if you keep mouthing off like that.
The Hanged Man: To be honest, lately I've been starting to wonder if this is what I'm really meant to do.
Caim: Don't be ridiculous...
The Hanged Man: I mean, you'd be hurt no matter what they told you. That's why I'm being upfront with you in their stead.
Caim: And you think that gives you the right to say whatever crosses your mind?
The Hanged Man: Maybe, maybe not. But at the least, I won't mind whatever response you hit me back with.
Caim: This is all so stupid.
As he spits out those words, Caim turns his back to the home he was born in.
The Hanged Man struts behind the boy who finally begins moving forward.
The Hanged Man: The crew must be worried. To them, it probably feels like you disappeared without a trace.
The Hanged Man: What do you think they'll say when we get back?
Caim: Who knows.
The Hanged Man: If I were them, I'd probably ask "do you know how worried we were" or "where did you go"...
The Hanged Man: Or maybe something more along the lines of, "You must be starving!"
Caim: What's the point of guessing?
The Hanged Man: Aw, don't be a spoilsport. I thought making predictions based on data was your specialty.
Caim: We'll know as soon as we get back anyway.
The Hanged Man: True enough... Chances are we'll just get a simple "welcome back."
Caim: Sounds about right.
The Hanged Man: You know, Caim...
Caim looks up the primal beside him without responding.
The Hanged Man: The dusk of a fool's happiness just might be dawn of a sage's troubles.
The Hanged Man: ...
Welcome to the twilight otherwise known as sunrise.
Welcome to the twilight otherwise known as sunrise.
While The Hanged Man extends both hands in exaggerated fashion as if performing a play...
Caim lets out a sigh and continues on his course.
Caim: You are one lame storyteller... Just my luck.
The Hanged Man: Well, that's one heck of a greeting.
The azure skies above them gradually take on the color of dusk.
Though a dark night awaits, dawn will surely bring about a beautiful morning with it.
Caim quietly bobs his head.
The Hanged Man: Consider this a favor from me...
The primal's fingers dig into Caim's skin.
Caim: ...
The pain is short-lived.
Caim: Mng...
The Evoker becomes incapable of thought as his mind blanks out.
The last thing his blurring vision is able to make out is the grin of an upside-down man.
The End
The Hanged Man has freed Caim from his eternal suffering.
Withdrawing from quest.
Withdrawing from quest.
Consider trying out different choices next time.
Continue 1
Continue 2