Requiem - Lux aeterna Chapter 26
Jul. 11th, 2020 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivalriesSeason: Winter
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CW: Suicide mention
[Repayment Fes Stage]
Tsukasa: Narukami-senpai. Er... I do apologize for interrupting your revelry, but...
The crown you've just handed to me would get in the way of my performance, so could I possibly return it for the time being?
Arashi: Hm? Ah, that's right, we have to wave swords around while we dance, huh...
It would be kind of annoying to have to balance the crown in one hand. There's no way to attach it to your head, either.
But I want to sing and dance too, you see, so why don’t you chuck it over to that clown hiding in that corner way over there? ♪
Izumi: ......
Tsukasa: Mm? Ah, excellent plan! Here, catch... Sena-senpai!
Izumi: Wha—Uwah?! Hey, don't be so rough with it, alright?!
It took forever to pick this one out...
That idiot over there knows nothing about shopping— not only did I have to lead him around, I even had to bargain at the store for him! All because he chose something a little too expensive for a high schooler's wallet, you see?
Give me a break! I was all ready to start my new life, and now I’m broke...
It’s one thing to come back home because my career didn’t work out, but I’d look like the biggest dumbass if I came waltzing back to Japan just because I'm poor, right?!
Arashi: Come on, Izumi-chan. Instead of complaining, why don't you sing with us?
If you don’t hurry up, we’re gonna take this whole stage for ourselves! Don't blame us when you regret it later!
Tsukasa: Ahem. Well, if it’s too much for you, Sena-senpai, then I could take care of it, you know...?
It would only be to hold onto it, though. I could never claim such an important item as my own without having earned it.
Even so, I will accept it, as the King’s orders cannot be disobeyed.
Or, rather— the reason I am singing right now... is so I may earn the right to wear it.
This is precisely why I pushed for an extension of our Requiem duel.
"Listen, everyone! I understand that we're currently in the middle of a performance, but I have a suggestion!"
"Though it may be impertinent of me, may I have your attention for a moment?"
"As of now, the crown—the royal authority I have inherited from the former king—is in my hands. By all circumstances, I am the ruler of the Knights you see before you."
"If you have even the slightest impression that my Knights is lacking, that it is not the Knights you know and love..."
"Then please, feel free to turn off the cyalume in your hand."
"Should a majority of—no, should even a third of the cyalumes in here bear no light, then I shall pass the verdict that I am not worthy of the throne."
"No matter how my teammates may accept me, a candidate you have not accepted has no right to ascend."
"I apologize if it seems as though I am testing you all, but I ask for your cooperation."
"If I am to sit upon the throne... I wish to do so with your assent."
"Our former king has long suffered under the weight of the crown he was given."
"It’s only natural. Taking on the livelihoods of all his subjects is an unbearable burden for a single person."
"If I do not receive the crown with your full support, then I, too, shall someday fall prey to the very same sorrows."
"Unable to withstand the regrets, unease, and pain, I may even end up hurting those I’ve come to love."
Leo: ......
Tsukasa: "I do not wish to repeat the mistakes of my predecessor. If I am to sit upon the throne and inherit that power..."
"I wish to take us ever further ahead—to ever greater, wider, and more wondrous horizons!!"
"To the edge of the great, infinitely expansive universe! Ucchu~...!"
Leo: ......
Tsukasa: "...And as you can see! There is absolutely no point in mimicking my predecessor, as I will only make a complete and utter fool of myself!"
"I beg of you, if I must bear any more shame than this, then kill me where I stand!"
Leo: "Wahaha! Magnificently self-destructing and then popping off at everyone, huh? You're already well on your way to going crazy~♪"
"You're ever the serious kid, and yet you boldly asked for a duel without a care for appearances. I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t accept, right?"
Tsukasa: "Yes! Please, do join me! This a song of eternal rest, which I offer unto you!"
"The final movement... of Requiem!"
"Perhaps it seems like I’m simply adding on to what you’ve built partway... but I shall prove that it is not so! I swear it!" [1]
Leo: "Yeah... I accept your oath."
"With this, the former king can now finally die in peace."
~...♪
Tsukasa: (...Yes. You once seemed as though you wanted to die.)
(But this whole pretense is odd! What is this duel to slay the king? Is that not merely suicide?!)
(None of us have ever wished for such a tragic conclusion.)
(But, back then... you set it all up, running riot and showering us in insults, fanning the flames of our resentment and animosity.)
(You led us along with your provocations, but was your true goal, in fact... your very own death?)
(The death of the king of Knights—no, of the idol Leo Tsukinaga himself?)
(Then did you really grow weary of everything? Did you truly wish to quit idol work and live out your life focusing on your beloved composing?)
(While that would be sad and unfortunate, I would not blame you.)
(I heard of Knights’ past from Sena-senpai—of war, of slaughter, of the terrible melting pot of betrayal and sorrow...)
(You'd held onto your special right to seek happiness, but that part of you had already died once before.)
(To have recovered from that, for even just a moment like this, is nothing short of a miracle.)
(It would be cruel to force you into continuing a career you have no interest in. You even said that I could quit idol work, too...)
(...That if I am a loyal son, I should step away; that no one would have the right to judge me if I did.)
(...That if anyone complained about it, you’d "kick their ass"...)
(Then I have no right to keep you from doing the same, do I? That would be both dishonest and unfair.)
(And I am not the kind to stomach injustice! I will never betray my own heart!)
(Should I lose even my own dignity... then I would truly be nothing more than a pitiful, wretched swine!)
Leo: ...♪
Tsukasa: (...? Leader keeps looking over at me and winking meaningfully?)
(What does that mean? His eyes say he’s expecting something... does he want a kiss?)
(...No, no! Ahh, I understand now! Now that I’ve become a king—no, now that I’ve become just like you!)
(I have finally, truly understood!)
(Leader, you little— !)
(H-How pure and naive— You’re just a little brat too, aren’t you?! I should have known, I should have seen right through you!)
(Beneath that dreadfully grand title of "King", you'd been hiding your true self all along!)
(Agh... I should’ve known! We're not that far apart in age, after all!)
---
[1] As mentioned in Dies irae Chapter 1, Requiem is commonly known to be a requiem mass that Mozart left unfinished when he died, and was later finished by commission. While the circumstances surrounding who actually finished the real Requiem are murky, there's little doubt that Akira intended to heavily reference Mozart's death here.
---
< Lux aeterna Chapter 25 || Masterlist || Lux aeterna Chapter 27 >
---
CW: Suicide mention
[Repayment Fes Stage]
Tsukasa: Narukami-senpai. Er... I do apologize for interrupting your revelry, but...
The crown you've just handed to me would get in the way of my performance, so could I possibly return it for the time being?
Arashi: Hm? Ah, that's right, we have to wave swords around while we dance, huh...
It would be kind of annoying to have to balance the crown in one hand. There's no way to attach it to your head, either.
But I want to sing and dance too, you see, so why don’t you chuck it over to that clown hiding in that corner way over there? ♪
Izumi: ......
Tsukasa: Mm? Ah, excellent plan! Here, catch... Sena-senpai!
Izumi: Wha—Uwah?! Hey, don't be so rough with it, alright?!
It took forever to pick this one out...
That idiot over there knows nothing about shopping— not only did I have to lead him around, I even had to bargain at the store for him! All because he chose something a little too expensive for a high schooler's wallet, you see?
Give me a break! I was all ready to start my new life, and now I’m broke...
It’s one thing to come back home because my career didn’t work out, but I’d look like the biggest dumbass if I came waltzing back to Japan just because I'm poor, right?!
Arashi: Come on, Izumi-chan. Instead of complaining, why don't you sing with us?
If you don’t hurry up, we’re gonna take this whole stage for ourselves! Don't blame us when you regret it later!
Tsukasa: Ahem. Well, if it’s too much for you, Sena-senpai, then I could take care of it, you know...?
It would only be to hold onto it, though. I could never claim such an important item as my own without having earned it.
Even so, I will accept it, as the King’s orders cannot be disobeyed.
Or, rather— the reason I am singing right now... is so I may earn the right to wear it.
This is precisely why I pushed for an extension of our Requiem duel.
"Listen, everyone! I understand that we're currently in the middle of a performance, but I have a suggestion!"
"Though it may be impertinent of me, may I have your attention for a moment?"
"As of now, the crown—the royal authority I have inherited from the former king—is in my hands. By all circumstances, I am the ruler of the Knights you see before you."
"If you have even the slightest impression that my Knights is lacking, that it is not the Knights you know and love..."
"Then please, feel free to turn off the cyalume in your hand."
"Should a majority of—no, should even a third of the cyalumes in here bear no light, then I shall pass the verdict that I am not worthy of the throne."
"No matter how my teammates may accept me, a candidate you have not accepted has no right to ascend."
"I apologize if it seems as though I am testing you all, but I ask for your cooperation."
"If I am to sit upon the throne... I wish to do so with your assent."
"Our former king has long suffered under the weight of the crown he was given."
"It’s only natural. Taking on the livelihoods of all his subjects is an unbearable burden for a single person."
"If I do not receive the crown with your full support, then I, too, shall someday fall prey to the very same sorrows."
"Unable to withstand the regrets, unease, and pain, I may even end up hurting those I’ve come to love."
Leo: ......
Tsukasa: "I do not wish to repeat the mistakes of my predecessor. If I am to sit upon the throne and inherit that power..."
"I wish to take us ever further ahead—to ever greater, wider, and more wondrous horizons!!"
"To the edge of the great, infinitely expansive universe! Ucchu~...!"
Leo: ......
Tsukasa: "...And as you can see! There is absolutely no point in mimicking my predecessor, as I will only make a complete and utter fool of myself!"
"I beg of you, if I must bear any more shame than this, then kill me where I stand!"
Leo: "Wahaha! Magnificently self-destructing and then popping off at everyone, huh? You're already well on your way to going crazy~♪"
"You're ever the serious kid, and yet you boldly asked for a duel without a care for appearances. I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t accept, right?"
Tsukasa: "Yes! Please, do join me! This a song of eternal rest, which I offer unto you!"
"The final movement... of Requiem!"
"Perhaps it seems like I’m simply adding on to what you’ve built partway... but I shall prove that it is not so! I swear it!" [1]
Leo: "Yeah... I accept your oath."
"With this, the former king can now finally die in peace."
~...♪
Tsukasa: (...Yes. You once seemed as though you wanted to die.)
(But this whole pretense is odd! What is this duel to slay the king? Is that not merely suicide?!)
(None of us have ever wished for such a tragic conclusion.)
(But, back then... you set it all up, running riot and showering us in insults, fanning the flames of our resentment and animosity.)
(You led us along with your provocations, but was your true goal, in fact... your very own death?)
(The death of the king of Knights—no, of the idol Leo Tsukinaga himself?)
(Then did you really grow weary of everything? Did you truly wish to quit idol work and live out your life focusing on your beloved composing?)
(While that would be sad and unfortunate, I would not blame you.)
(I heard of Knights’ past from Sena-senpai—of war, of slaughter, of the terrible melting pot of betrayal and sorrow...)
(You'd held onto your special right to seek happiness, but that part of you had already died once before.)
(To have recovered from that, for even just a moment like this, is nothing short of a miracle.)
(It would be cruel to force you into continuing a career you have no interest in. You even said that I could quit idol work, too...)
(...That if I am a loyal son, I should step away; that no one would have the right to judge me if I did.)
(...That if anyone complained about it, you’d "kick their ass"...)
(Then I have no right to keep you from doing the same, do I? That would be both dishonest and unfair.)
(And I am not the kind to stomach injustice! I will never betray my own heart!)
(Should I lose even my own dignity... then I would truly be nothing more than a pitiful, wretched swine!)
Leo: ...♪
Tsukasa: (...? Leader keeps looking over at me and winking meaningfully?)
(What does that mean? His eyes say he’s expecting something... does he want a kiss?)
(...No, no! Ahh, I understand now! Now that I’ve become a king—no, now that I’ve become just like you!)
(I have finally, truly understood!)
(Leader, you little— !)
(H-How pure and naive— You’re just a little brat too, aren’t you?! I should have known, I should have seen right through you!)
(Beneath that dreadfully grand title of "King", you'd been hiding your true self all along!)
(Agh... I should’ve known! We're not that far apart in age, after all!)
---
[1] As mentioned in Dies irae Chapter 1, Requiem is commonly known to be a requiem mass that Mozart left unfinished when he died, and was later finished by commission. While the circumstances surrounding who actually finished the real Requiem are murky, there's little doubt that Akira intended to heavily reference Mozart's death here.
---
< Lux aeterna Chapter 25 || Masterlist || Lux aeterna Chapter 27 >
