healingbonds (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
healingbonds) wrote2020-05-17 01:43 am
healingbonds) wrote2020-05-17 01:43 am
Entry tags:
Oz | That Fragment Which Changes Destiny
MahoYaku Masterpost
Thank you to K for the following translation!
CHAPTER 1
Akira: It’s almost sundown. For some reason it seems like it might rain today......
Mithra: ......!!
(Resounding thud)
Akira: ......!? Mithra fell from the sky......!? Are you all right, Mithra......!
Oz: He’s just unconscious, that’s all.
Akira: Oz....is this your doing?
Oz: He kept picking a fight. So I dealt with him before nightfall.
Akira: Is....is that so? We should at least carry him to his room.....
Oz: Just leave him there. Even if it rains, it’s not like he’ll rust. This way he can finally sleep, so he should probably be happy about that.
Arthur: Sage, Oz! What are you doing together?
Akira: Arthur......
Arthur: .........! Mithra’s fallen over! What on earth happened? He’s so beaten up, poor Mithra....
Oz: .........
I wonder what happened.
Akira: (He dodged the question!?)
Arthur: Let’s carry him to his room. Oz, please lend a hand as well.
Oz: Yes.
Arthur: Oz is kind as always. Mithra could have just gone to Oz for assistance...
Oz: .........
Arthur: You think the same, don’t you, Sage.
Akira: Uh....eh.....well....
>Option: Actually....
Oz: Sage. Here, this is for you.
Akira: (It’s candy....he’s bribing me into silence.....)
T....thank you.
Arthur: How nice! I’d like one too.
Oz: ......Hold out your hand.
Arthur: Yay!
>Option: Yes, I sure do!
Giving in to the pressure of Oz’s gaze, I agree, apologizing to Mithra in my head.
With relief, Oz averts his gaze.
Akira: (The most powerful wizard in the world, Oz......a frightening person with enough strength to take down Mithra, who everyone else is afraid of......)
(In front of Arthur, he seems different, somehow.)
(In preparation for what lies ahead, too, I want to ask more questions about Oz.)
CHAPTER 2
Akira: Oz, do you have some time?
Oz: ......Sage. What brings you here, holding the sage’s book?
Akira: I want to know more about you, Oz. So, I was wondering if I could talk to you....
Oz: Unnecessary.
Akira: Like the previous sage, I don’t know when I might return to my world.
Before that time comes, I thought I should write down what you don’t want to do, your dislikes, and so on, so the next sage will know.
Oz: .........
Oz looks at me wordlessly. The only thing I can tell is that outwardly, he looks younger than Figaro, but his sharp gaze conveys a sense of maturity.
On the other hand, much like the universe, the atmosphere, the wind, the mountains; he has an overwhelming purity that is absolute yet simple.
His piercing red eyes, which can so easily decide whether to let me live or die, are like the scenery at the end of the world—vivid, calm, beautiful.
Oz: Come then. Ask me in my room.
Akira: ....Really? Okay, I’m coming in then.
✦✧☾✧✦
Akira: So this is Oz’s room......
>Option:
Akira: So you sleep in a bed as well.
Oz: .........
It’s not as if I fall asleep on the streets all the time.
Akira: I k-knew that, but somehow, I feel a bit closer to you now, Oz.
Oz: Just because I sleep in a bed? A sense of closeness? To me?
Akira: Sorry......
Oz: It’s fine...
>Option:
Akira: The fireplace is wonderful.
Oz: Yes.
Akira: Do you sit in front of the fireplace to relax?
Oz: I do.
Akira: What do you do to relax?
Oz: What I do... ?
I watch the flames.
Akira: (It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to it aside from that....)
>Option:
Akira: So you drink as well.
Oz: Yes.
Akira: Doesn’t it get warm if you put it on top of the fireplace? You could have just put it on that shelf over there.
Oz: I have a habit of putting things in higher up places.
Akira: Why?
Oz: If I left it any lower, children would be able to reach them.
Akira: I see...
Oz silently sits down in a chair. Cups and pots float lightly through the air, and pour out a cup of tea right in front of my eyes.
Akira: Ah....thank you.
CHAPTER 3
Oz: What did you want to ask?
Akira: Could you give me a simple profile? Your age, your likes, dislikes, and so on. I’d rather avoid putting you in a role which you dislike.
For a long while, Oz merely stays silent. Just as I start wondering if he’s forgotten the question, he opens his mouth, while keeping his eyes lowered.
Oz: My name is Oz. I was born in the North. I don’t have any weaknesses. The same goes for things that I like.
The conversation is over.
Akira: (I don’t think that he really has nothing that he likes. Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk about it...? It doesn’t seem that way from his attitude, though...)
....Could you tell me more about magic? I heard that you’re the strongest wizard, but how strong are you really?
Oz: The strongest in the world. Even though I didn’t claim that title myself.
Akira: Um, so for example, compared to the other wizards, what is something that you’re especially strong at?
Oz: Well.....manipulating the weather, perhaps.
Akira: The weather!? But that’s incredible!
Oz: It’s not all good. I have unconsciously influenced it, on occasion.
Akira: Influenced?
Oz: The weather can sometimes be affected by my emotions. Violent winds when I rage, and when I’m depressed, freezing blizzards that shutter up the world.
One time, I caused fierce snowstorms that went on for a few years, and I was scolded by the twins and Figaro. But it wasn’t as if I did it on purpose......
Akira: For the people living there, it must have been a terrible disaster......when did the incident that made you so depressed happen?
Oz frowns slightly. Falling again into silence, he looks out the window somberly.
Oz: The conversation ends here. Leave.
CHAPTER 4
Oz: The conversation ends here. Leave.
Coming on the heels of a long silence, this rejection feels sudden. Puzzled, I continue to observe Oz.
I don’t sense any coldness from Oz, who has fallen into a languid silence. Conversation with him, who has lived for so long, is difficult to understand, mysterious, and unique.
Maybe I should have left as I was told, but I stay, keeping company with the silence.
Perhaps I feel like there is meaning in his silence itself.
Like there are words dwelling in this wordless space.
Akira: (Ah....He lifted his face. He’s looking at me, but not telling me to leave; he’s just gazing at the fire in the hearth, as if it makes no difference....)
(But, for some reason....it feels like his expression is turning gentler.)
The crackling of the fireplace, the sound of the wind knocking on the window. I share this time with Oz, a moment through which all manner of sounds pass.
Usually, it would be unsettling for silence to creep over when you’re with someone else. But somehow, I start to feel at ease in this moment. Slowly, Oz speaks up.
Oz: .....I’ve had enemies since ancient times. Humans, and also wizards. I gained magic while defeating my enemies, and became stronger.
Akira: Defeating enemies.....Why did you have enemies, Oz? Were they there from the start?
Oz: Because my magic was strong. Powerful stones come from the powerful wizards. Northern wizards, especially, crave for power.
Akira: They are combative, unafraid of battle, and value strength over anything else....that’s the impression I get from the Northern wizards.
Oz: Yes.
Akira: Have you fought with the wizards here, too?
Oz: Yes. With almost all of the Northern wizards.
>Option: Even Figaro?
Oz: Not Figaro. He avoided any magical confrontation with me. He doesn’t show his true strength, nor does he desire power or try to fight.
Akira: Why is that so?
Oz: ....Who knows. He’s just that kind of man.
Akira: (Maybe that’s why the two of them were able to stay friends....)
>Option:
Akira: Even with Snow and White?
Oz: Yes. But I’ve forgotten the reason.
Akira: Who won?
Oz: They did. It was both of them, and I was still young.
Akira: (Snow and White sure are merciless....)
>Option:
Akira: Even Mithra and Owen and Bradley?
Oz: Yes. Owen avoided me, but Mithra and Bradley challenged me.
Akira: The reason being....?
Oz: If they turned me into stone, they probably would have made a name for themselves. No matter how many times I got rid of them they would show up again. To the point of annoyance.
Akira: (He’s like the irascible old man who the neighborhood brats keep picking fights with.....)
Akira: This might be a rude question, but I heard that you used to dominate the world. Is that really true?
Oz is a bad wizard who tried to conquer the world. I’ve heard these stories many times. Even though Arthur, whom he raised, denies them.
I also want him to deny it. Because even though Oz may seem terrifying, he is still a kind wizard. However...
CHAPTER 5
Oz: I couldn’t conquer the world completely; I merely conquered half of it.
Akira: ....Why?
Oz: I stopped halfway.
Akira: Halfway through world domination?
Oz: That’s right.
Confused, I stop speaking. He had meant to conquer the world, but then stopped in the middle. But why did he even mean to conquer the world in the first place?
Oz is neither insatiable nor unyielding, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who needs to prove himself. Or had Oz been different in the past?
When I try asking further, Oz narrows his eyes, and falls silent.
The silence is not of rage, rather, it is a long, pondering silence.
When the sun beyond the windows has been hidden by clouds, the steam from the tea has vanished, and my ears have started to get used to the silence, Oz calmly speaks.
Oz: I yearned for freedom.
Akira: Freedom...? By conquering the world, could you have become free?
Oz: That was what I thought.
Akira: What was it, the thing that prevented you from being free?
Oz: It’s difficult to convey simply.
Akira: You don’t have to explain it in just one word. Can you tell me in more detail...?
Oz lowers his eyelids, as if he’s tracing back his memories, his long fingertips stroking the chair.
Oz: ....The wizards who wanted to kill me, and the wizards who wanted me on their side. The humans who were afraid of me, and the humans who pleaded for my protection....
I believed that if I made the world the way I wanted it to be, all these bonds of obligation would vanish.
But they only continued to increase, and it got so tiresome that I stopped. By that time, I was called the strongest wizard.
Oz’s gaze showed faint signs of regret.
That’s why I couldn’t ask anything more. Surely there were people who’d become sacrifices of your ambition, people whose freedom you took away from them.
What do you feel about that?
CHAPTER 6
Akira: ...Do you still want freedom now?
Oz: I wonder. I feel like I want something completely different.
Akira: And what is it? What kind of wish is it? I’d like for you to live the way that you want to.
Oz looked at me.
I’m slightly nervous. It feels like I could be sucked into the depths of his gaze.
Clasping both of his hands together, Oz murmurs.
Oz: I will fulfill my own dream by myself. I understand that you are trying to understand me. But you will simply never understand.
Because I myself can’t explain it. To have lived an eternity, to be in concert with the universe, controlling the skies as you wish—the joy and terror of it all.
Even if I exhaust billions of words, even if I wanted to share with you, even if the entire world knew of my name....
It would be impossible for anyone to know me.
✦✧☾✧✦
Snow: I see, so Oz said that kind of thing....
Akira: I’ve been reflecting on it.....maybe it was presumptuous of me to try and understand Oz....
Figaro: He’s bad with words. I think I understand him, but maybe I don’t truly know him. But I can tell you what we do know.
Akira: Thank you. Snow and White, Figaro, how did you meet Oz?
Figaro: Snow and White brought Oz in as a child. The first time I saw Oz, he was frightening.
He didn’t speak, and couldn’t understand other people. And yet, his magical power was fearsome. To the point where I had to consult with these two.
I suggested that, since he seemed like he would become a fearsome wizard—wouldn’t it be better to turn him to stone with our strength while we still could.
Snow: Figaro has been like this since long ago.
White: But it was Figaro, in the end, who took care of him. Figaro has also always had this side to him.
Figaro: I thought it would be dangerous, letting him run loose....When he had nothing to eat, he would think that it was fine to just eat mana stones.
White: Gradually, he let down his guard. I was touched, the first time he said my name. Though he did attack me when I tried to pat his head....
Akira: (Like taking care of a wild beast....)
CHAPTER 7
Snow: Oz couldn’t settle in, and left soon enough, but we encountered each other many times over the long years. Even as the times changed, Oz was unwavering.
Eternally strong, and eternally alone. Us two and Figaro, we lived close to people, but Oz was always by himself.
White: There was the time when he and Figaro did whatever they pleased, wasn’t there. Even we were shocked by that.
Figaro: It’s because he looked like he was having such a hard time living; it was pitiful, you know? If world domination could give his life some meaning, I thought, well, that’s fine, then.
I’d never really done anything with Oz before, so it was fun making all sorts of plans, and carrying them out...
Snow: You guys could have started with traveling....
Figaro: The two of us were aware....that it was a fruitless game that would come to an end one day.
It wasn’t like Oz wanted to conquer the world. What he actually wanted.....I feel like I can understand that a little bit more now.
Akira: .....What is it then?
Figaro smiles gently, with a tinge of melancholy loneliness.
Figaro: Sage. Snow and White and I — we all like Oz, but we’ve always been prepared..
We realize that one day, we might be killed by Oz on a whim. But that kind of thought has never even crossed Arthur’s mind.
The same goes Cain and Riquet. I don’t know what this should be called. But it’s impossible for a Northern wizard to feel that way.
We can’t believe — and we don’t want to believe — that a wizard stronger than us won’t turn us into stone.
✦✧☾✧✦
Akira: (After meeting Arthur, Oz changed. But what was the turning point for his change? And also....)
(Why would Oz, who had never lived in Central before, be summoned as a Central wizard?)
Oz: You’re going to trip.
Akira: Woah......Oz.
Oz: Don’t open a book while you’re walking. That’s dangerous.
I was walking and concentrating on the sage’s book when Oz reaches out his arms to support me.
Oz: .....So you’ve been writing in the sage’s book. Once I gave Arthur a book with blank pages, and after that he followed me and chased me around.
Akira: A book with blank pages? Like a diary?
Oz: Yes. Arthur loved books, you see. I gave him a book with blank pages, so he could record the things he found out from books.
Faintly, Oz gives a wry smile.
Oz: Arthur was overjoyed, and attacked me with incessant questions. Why was the sky blue? Why was the snow cold? Why were rabbits’ eyes red...?
Akira: Exactly the questions a child would ask. Did you answer them?
Oz: I couldn’t answer them. Because I didn’t have any concern for the world. After Arthur asked, I studied for the first time.
CHAPTER 8
Akira: Oz, you studied?
Oz: Yes. I read through books with Arthur. We even read one of Murr’s books. But it was too difficult for a child, and we gave up halfway in....
Akira: I heard that Murr was a scholar. It must be an academic text then. Arthur has been smart since he was a child, hasn’t he.
Oz: That’s right.
When I praise Arthur, Oz smiles, pleased. It feels like I’m looking at his real smile, and my heart feels warm.
It might be difficult to understand Oz; the Oz who has lived longer than the ancient forests, or the Oz who had tried to capture the world in his palm...
But if it’s this Oz who treasures Arthur so, perhaps I can understand him.
Akira: I heard that Arthur was a wild and unruly child. He’s the first to leap into dangerous situations even now, which is worrying.
Oz: ....That’s right.
Akira: Why did you pick up Arthur?
In the nighttime courtyard illuminated by the moonlight, the trees sway in the breeze.
Oz approaches me from a loneliness at the edge of the universe, and begins to speak.
Oz: ...I took in Arthur purely on a whim. He would probably have turned into stone if I had left him alone, but he was a child with strong magic.
So why not raise him, and obtain a stone that way. It was a decision made to kill time, and because it would have been a waste otherwise. It definitely wasn’t to save him.
However, I...
Oz’s voice breaks off, and he lowers his gaze. There is a tremor in his voice, and his face twists into a faintly bitter smile.
But it is also a smile that speaks of joy.
Oz: I didn’t know children were such a handful. Always talking so much, crying so much, and constantly getting themselves hurt. Getting fevers, and doing reckless things.
So many times, I thought about turning him out....but without knowing of my motives, Arthur would call out my name, and come looking for me.
CHAPTER 9
Oz: He would cry when I was gone....and laugh in relief when I picked him up. Wanting me to praise him, he would get into all sorts of rash adventures.....
Brushing aside his hair, Oz meets my gaze and smiles.
It’s a smile filled with so much love that it’s painful.
Oz: When he was young, Arthur was like a butterfly in midwinter who thought he was an eagle, or a bear.
He was so weak that a strong gust of wind, or even shards of snowflakes could stop him from flying, and yet he believed that he had the ability to cross the seas.
I wanted to let him keep believing that. That’s why I taught Arthur everything within my knowledge. The things that I didn’t know, I learned together with him.
And that was how I learned. That even though I had been in this world for an astoundingly long time, I didn’t know anything about it at all.
Why lives come to an end. Why wizards live for so long.
Why it is that tears fall. Why people get hungry. Why pancakes burn when you fail to cook them properly.
>Option:
Akira: Have you ever cried?
Oz: From what I can remember, I haven’t. But Arthur was a child who often cried.
I didn’t know what other children were like. So, it might be that children just cry. But Arthur still wanted to know.
He would ask, why is it that, even though he didn’t want to cry, the tears would fall anyway?
Recalling, Oz laughs fondly. Without realizing it, we’ve come to walk side by side, as friends would.
>Option:
Akira: Did you fail at making pancakes?
Oz: I did fail. I thought they would be simple to make, but it was a surprisingly formidable task.
Oz laughs, as if telling a joke. Without realizing it, we’ve come to walk side by side, as friends would.
Perhaps this person, who has always been feared—by even his friend and teachers—maybe what he wanted, all along, was simply for someone to take peace in having him by their side.
Oz: Everyday was a new adventure. Even this world that I had grown weary of living in was a wondrous place to Arthur’s eyes.
CHAPTER 10
Akira: What kind of adventures did you have?
Oz: Once we went on a journey to search for a flower that was recorded in a book, but whose name we hadn’t known about. It had a strange name, so Arthur wanted to see it.
Akira: A strange name?
Oz: Oz. A venomous-looking, poisonous red flower. To humans, Oz was the name of the enemy that took lives away. So perhaps that’s why they named it after me.
But Arthur was delighted, saying that it was big, strong, and beautiful.....
The moon is hidden by the clouds, and the night deepens. The smile slips away from the side of Oz’s face.
He touches the back of his own hand, with a look of terror like one who has gazed into the depths of despair.
I recall suddenly. What Oz had said whilst glaring at the Great Catastrophe, on the night of the Flying Shadow incident.
“I won’t let things happen as you wish.”
Oz: ......Sage. The twins’ prophecies have never been wrong. There is something they prophesied before.....
A certain someone will be chosen as the sage’s wizard, and in the middle of the battle with the Great Catastrophe, he will...
......His life......
Oz’s voice is hoarse, shaky. In that moment, a fierce gust of wind cuts across the air outside.
Flowing on like a river, the dark clouds cover the moon as if swallowing it up with hatred.
The stormy wind might be Oz’s heart itself. Snow’s words flash through my mind.
“How bold of you to say that. Even though you went and changed the course of fate with brute force.”
Oz: ............
The Central wizard Oz, who had only lived in the North, doesn’t say anything more.
But his silence tells me something else. That he is afraid of something.
Finally, I understand what he wished for. I don’t know the entirety of his wish, but I know what I should do.
Suddenly, I raise my voice. So that I won’t lose to the dreadful, terrifying sounds of the wind above.
Akira: ......It’ll be alright. Even if there’s something that you’re afraid of, it will definitely be all right!
Oz: ...........
Akira: That’s what you taught me. To trust in you, and in myself.....That’s why, everything will definitely turn out all right!
In the darkness, Oz takes a slight breath. I have no basis for my words, no grounds whatsoever. Even so, the winds grow weaker, and moonlight shines through the clouds once more.
Oz, who looked shockingly vulnerable before, now looks at me and smiles, as if reassured.
That is probably—surely, a fragment of trust. As if saying: as long as you’re here, as long as I’m here, everything will be all right. Nothing terrible is going to happen.
Oz: Thank you, Akira.
Thank you to K for the following translation!
CHAPTER 1
Akira: It’s almost sundown. For some reason it seems like it might rain today......
Mithra: ......!!
(Resounding thud)
Akira: ......!? Mithra fell from the sky......!? Are you all right, Mithra......!
Oz: He’s just unconscious, that’s all.
Akira: Oz....is this your doing?
Oz: He kept picking a fight. So I dealt with him before nightfall.
Akira: Is....is that so? We should at least carry him to his room.....
Oz: Just leave him there. Even if it rains, it’s not like he’ll rust. This way he can finally sleep, so he should probably be happy about that.
Arthur: Sage, Oz! What are you doing together?
Akira: Arthur......
Arthur: .........! Mithra’s fallen over! What on earth happened? He’s so beaten up, poor Mithra....
Oz: .........
I wonder what happened.
Akira: (He dodged the question!?)
Arthur: Let’s carry him to his room. Oz, please lend a hand as well.
Oz: Yes.
Arthur: Oz is kind as always. Mithra could have just gone to Oz for assistance...
Oz: .........
Arthur: You think the same, don’t you, Sage.
Akira: Uh....eh.....well....
>Option: Actually....
Oz: Sage. Here, this is for you.
Akira: (It’s candy....he’s bribing me into silence.....)
T....thank you.
Arthur: How nice! I’d like one too.
Oz: ......Hold out your hand.
Arthur: Yay!
>Option: Yes, I sure do!
Giving in to the pressure of Oz’s gaze, I agree, apologizing to Mithra in my head.
With relief, Oz averts his gaze.
Akira: (The most powerful wizard in the world, Oz......a frightening person with enough strength to take down Mithra, who everyone else is afraid of......)
(In front of Arthur, he seems different, somehow.)
(In preparation for what lies ahead, too, I want to ask more questions about Oz.)
CHAPTER 2
Akira: Oz, do you have some time?
Oz: ......Sage. What brings you here, holding the sage’s book?
Akira: I want to know more about you, Oz. So, I was wondering if I could talk to you....
Oz: Unnecessary.
Akira: Like the previous sage, I don’t know when I might return to my world.
Before that time comes, I thought I should write down what you don’t want to do, your dislikes, and so on, so the next sage will know.
Oz: .........
Oz looks at me wordlessly. The only thing I can tell is that outwardly, he looks younger than Figaro, but his sharp gaze conveys a sense of maturity.
On the other hand, much like the universe, the atmosphere, the wind, the mountains; he has an overwhelming purity that is absolute yet simple.
His piercing red eyes, which can so easily decide whether to let me live or die, are like the scenery at the end of the world—vivid, calm, beautiful.
Oz: Come then. Ask me in my room.
Akira: ....Really? Okay, I’m coming in then.
✦✧☾✧✦
Akira: So this is Oz’s room......
>Option:
Akira: So you sleep in a bed as well.
Oz: .........
It’s not as if I fall asleep on the streets all the time.
Akira: I k-knew that, but somehow, I feel a bit closer to you now, Oz.
Oz: Just because I sleep in a bed? A sense of closeness? To me?
Akira: Sorry......
Oz: It’s fine...
>Option:
Akira: The fireplace is wonderful.
Oz: Yes.
Akira: Do you sit in front of the fireplace to relax?
Oz: I do.
Akira: What do you do to relax?
Oz: What I do... ?
I watch the flames.
Akira: (It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to it aside from that....)
>Option:
Akira: So you drink as well.
Oz: Yes.
Akira: Doesn’t it get warm if you put it on top of the fireplace? You could have just put it on that shelf over there.
Oz: I have a habit of putting things in higher up places.
Akira: Why?
Oz: If I left it any lower, children would be able to reach them.
Akira: I see...
Oz silently sits down in a chair. Cups and pots float lightly through the air, and pour out a cup of tea right in front of my eyes.
Akira: Ah....thank you.
CHAPTER 3
Oz: What did you want to ask?
Akira: Could you give me a simple profile? Your age, your likes, dislikes, and so on. I’d rather avoid putting you in a role which you dislike.
For a long while, Oz merely stays silent. Just as I start wondering if he’s forgotten the question, he opens his mouth, while keeping his eyes lowered.
Oz: My name is Oz. I was born in the North. I don’t have any weaknesses. The same goes for things that I like.
The conversation is over.
Akira: (I don’t think that he really has nothing that he likes. Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk about it...? It doesn’t seem that way from his attitude, though...)
....Could you tell me more about magic? I heard that you’re the strongest wizard, but how strong are you really?
Oz: The strongest in the world. Even though I didn’t claim that title myself.
Akira: Um, so for example, compared to the other wizards, what is something that you’re especially strong at?
Oz: Well.....manipulating the weather, perhaps.
Akira: The weather!? But that’s incredible!
Oz: It’s not all good. I have unconsciously influenced it, on occasion.
Akira: Influenced?
Oz: The weather can sometimes be affected by my emotions. Violent winds when I rage, and when I’m depressed, freezing blizzards that shutter up the world.
One time, I caused fierce snowstorms that went on for a few years, and I was scolded by the twins and Figaro. But it wasn’t as if I did it on purpose......
Akira: For the people living there, it must have been a terrible disaster......when did the incident that made you so depressed happen?
Oz frowns slightly. Falling again into silence, he looks out the window somberly.
Oz: The conversation ends here. Leave.
CHAPTER 4
Oz: The conversation ends here. Leave.
Coming on the heels of a long silence, this rejection feels sudden. Puzzled, I continue to observe Oz.
I don’t sense any coldness from Oz, who has fallen into a languid silence. Conversation with him, who has lived for so long, is difficult to understand, mysterious, and unique.
Maybe I should have left as I was told, but I stay, keeping company with the silence.
Perhaps I feel like there is meaning in his silence itself.
Like there are words dwelling in this wordless space.
Akira: (Ah....He lifted his face. He’s looking at me, but not telling me to leave; he’s just gazing at the fire in the hearth, as if it makes no difference....)
(But, for some reason....it feels like his expression is turning gentler.)
The crackling of the fireplace, the sound of the wind knocking on the window. I share this time with Oz, a moment through which all manner of sounds pass.
Usually, it would be unsettling for silence to creep over when you’re with someone else. But somehow, I start to feel at ease in this moment. Slowly, Oz speaks up.
Oz: .....I’ve had enemies since ancient times. Humans, and also wizards. I gained magic while defeating my enemies, and became stronger.
Akira: Defeating enemies.....Why did you have enemies, Oz? Were they there from the start?
Oz: Because my magic was strong. Powerful stones come from the powerful wizards. Northern wizards, especially, crave for power.
Akira: They are combative, unafraid of battle, and value strength over anything else....that’s the impression I get from the Northern wizards.
Oz: Yes.
Akira: Have you fought with the wizards here, too?
Oz: Yes. With almost all of the Northern wizards.
>Option: Even Figaro?
Oz: Not Figaro. He avoided any magical confrontation with me. He doesn’t show his true strength, nor does he desire power or try to fight.
Akira: Why is that so?
Oz: ....Who knows. He’s just that kind of man.
Akira: (Maybe that’s why the two of them were able to stay friends....)
>Option:
Akira: Even with Snow and White?
Oz: Yes. But I’ve forgotten the reason.
Akira: Who won?
Oz: They did. It was both of them, and I was still young.
Akira: (Snow and White sure are merciless....)
>Option:
Akira: Even Mithra and Owen and Bradley?
Oz: Yes. Owen avoided me, but Mithra and Bradley challenged me.
Akira: The reason being....?
Oz: If they turned me into stone, they probably would have made a name for themselves. No matter how many times I got rid of them they would show up again. To the point of annoyance.
Akira: (He’s like the irascible old man who the neighborhood brats keep picking fights with.....)
Akira: This might be a rude question, but I heard that you used to dominate the world. Is that really true?
Oz is a bad wizard who tried to conquer the world. I’ve heard these stories many times. Even though Arthur, whom he raised, denies them.
I also want him to deny it. Because even though Oz may seem terrifying, he is still a kind wizard. However...
CHAPTER 5
Oz: I couldn’t conquer the world completely; I merely conquered half of it.
Akira: ....Why?
Oz: I stopped halfway.
Akira: Halfway through world domination?
Oz: That’s right.
Confused, I stop speaking. He had meant to conquer the world, but then stopped in the middle. But why did he even mean to conquer the world in the first place?
Oz is neither insatiable nor unyielding, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who needs to prove himself. Or had Oz been different in the past?
When I try asking further, Oz narrows his eyes, and falls silent.
The silence is not of rage, rather, it is a long, pondering silence.
When the sun beyond the windows has been hidden by clouds, the steam from the tea has vanished, and my ears have started to get used to the silence, Oz calmly speaks.
Oz: I yearned for freedom.
Akira: Freedom...? By conquering the world, could you have become free?
Oz: That was what I thought.
Akira: What was it, the thing that prevented you from being free?
Oz: It’s difficult to convey simply.
Akira: You don’t have to explain it in just one word. Can you tell me in more detail...?
Oz lowers his eyelids, as if he’s tracing back his memories, his long fingertips stroking the chair.
Oz: ....The wizards who wanted to kill me, and the wizards who wanted me on their side. The humans who were afraid of me, and the humans who pleaded for my protection....
I believed that if I made the world the way I wanted it to be, all these bonds of obligation would vanish.
But they only continued to increase, and it got so tiresome that I stopped. By that time, I was called the strongest wizard.
Oz’s gaze showed faint signs of regret.
That’s why I couldn’t ask anything more. Surely there were people who’d become sacrifices of your ambition, people whose freedom you took away from them.
What do you feel about that?
CHAPTER 6
Akira: ...Do you still want freedom now?
Oz: I wonder. I feel like I want something completely different.
Akira: And what is it? What kind of wish is it? I’d like for you to live the way that you want to.
Oz looked at me.
I’m slightly nervous. It feels like I could be sucked into the depths of his gaze.
Clasping both of his hands together, Oz murmurs.
Oz: I will fulfill my own dream by myself. I understand that you are trying to understand me. But you will simply never understand.
Because I myself can’t explain it. To have lived an eternity, to be in concert with the universe, controlling the skies as you wish—the joy and terror of it all.
Even if I exhaust billions of words, even if I wanted to share with you, even if the entire world knew of my name....
It would be impossible for anyone to know me.
✦✧☾✧✦
Snow: I see, so Oz said that kind of thing....
Akira: I’ve been reflecting on it.....maybe it was presumptuous of me to try and understand Oz....
Figaro: He’s bad with words. I think I understand him, but maybe I don’t truly know him. But I can tell you what we do know.
Akira: Thank you. Snow and White, Figaro, how did you meet Oz?
Figaro: Snow and White brought Oz in as a child. The first time I saw Oz, he was frightening.
He didn’t speak, and couldn’t understand other people. And yet, his magical power was fearsome. To the point where I had to consult with these two.
I suggested that, since he seemed like he would become a fearsome wizard—wouldn’t it be better to turn him to stone with our strength while we still could.
Snow: Figaro has been like this since long ago.
White: But it was Figaro, in the end, who took care of him. Figaro has also always had this side to him.
Figaro: I thought it would be dangerous, letting him run loose....When he had nothing to eat, he would think that it was fine to just eat mana stones.
White: Gradually, he let down his guard. I was touched, the first time he said my name. Though he did attack me when I tried to pat his head....
Akira: (Like taking care of a wild beast....)
CHAPTER 7
Snow: Oz couldn’t settle in, and left soon enough, but we encountered each other many times over the long years. Even as the times changed, Oz was unwavering.
Eternally strong, and eternally alone. Us two and Figaro, we lived close to people, but Oz was always by himself.
White: There was the time when he and Figaro did whatever they pleased, wasn’t there. Even we were shocked by that.
Figaro: It’s because he looked like he was having such a hard time living; it was pitiful, you know? If world domination could give his life some meaning, I thought, well, that’s fine, then.
I’d never really done anything with Oz before, so it was fun making all sorts of plans, and carrying them out...
Snow: You guys could have started with traveling....
Figaro: The two of us were aware....that it was a fruitless game that would come to an end one day.
It wasn’t like Oz wanted to conquer the world. What he actually wanted.....I feel like I can understand that a little bit more now.
Akira: .....What is it then?
Figaro smiles gently, with a tinge of melancholy loneliness.
Figaro: Sage. Snow and White and I — we all like Oz, but we’ve always been prepared..
We realize that one day, we might be killed by Oz on a whim. But that kind of thought has never even crossed Arthur’s mind.
The same goes Cain and Riquet. I don’t know what this should be called. But it’s impossible for a Northern wizard to feel that way.
We can’t believe — and we don’t want to believe — that a wizard stronger than us won’t turn us into stone.
✦✧☾✧✦
Akira: (After meeting Arthur, Oz changed. But what was the turning point for his change? And also....)
(Why would Oz, who had never lived in Central before, be summoned as a Central wizard?)
Oz: You’re going to trip.
Akira: Woah......Oz.
Oz: Don’t open a book while you’re walking. That’s dangerous.
I was walking and concentrating on the sage’s book when Oz reaches out his arms to support me.
Oz: .....So you’ve been writing in the sage’s book. Once I gave Arthur a book with blank pages, and after that he followed me and chased me around.
Akira: A book with blank pages? Like a diary?
Oz: Yes. Arthur loved books, you see. I gave him a book with blank pages, so he could record the things he found out from books.
Faintly, Oz gives a wry smile.
Oz: Arthur was overjoyed, and attacked me with incessant questions. Why was the sky blue? Why was the snow cold? Why were rabbits’ eyes red...?
Akira: Exactly the questions a child would ask. Did you answer them?
Oz: I couldn’t answer them. Because I didn’t have any concern for the world. After Arthur asked, I studied for the first time.
CHAPTER 8
Akira: Oz, you studied?
Oz: Yes. I read through books with Arthur. We even read one of Murr’s books. But it was too difficult for a child, and we gave up halfway in....
Akira: I heard that Murr was a scholar. It must be an academic text then. Arthur has been smart since he was a child, hasn’t he.
Oz: That’s right.
When I praise Arthur, Oz smiles, pleased. It feels like I’m looking at his real smile, and my heart feels warm.
It might be difficult to understand Oz; the Oz who has lived longer than the ancient forests, or the Oz who had tried to capture the world in his palm...
But if it’s this Oz who treasures Arthur so, perhaps I can understand him.
Akira: I heard that Arthur was a wild and unruly child. He’s the first to leap into dangerous situations even now, which is worrying.
Oz: ....That’s right.
Akira: Why did you pick up Arthur?
In the nighttime courtyard illuminated by the moonlight, the trees sway in the breeze.
Oz approaches me from a loneliness at the edge of the universe, and begins to speak.
Oz: ...I took in Arthur purely on a whim. He would probably have turned into stone if I had left him alone, but he was a child with strong magic.
So why not raise him, and obtain a stone that way. It was a decision made to kill time, and because it would have been a waste otherwise. It definitely wasn’t to save him.
However, I...
Oz’s voice breaks off, and he lowers his gaze. There is a tremor in his voice, and his face twists into a faintly bitter smile.
But it is also a smile that speaks of joy.
Oz: I didn’t know children were such a handful. Always talking so much, crying so much, and constantly getting themselves hurt. Getting fevers, and doing reckless things.
So many times, I thought about turning him out....but without knowing of my motives, Arthur would call out my name, and come looking for me.
CHAPTER 9
Oz: He would cry when I was gone....and laugh in relief when I picked him up. Wanting me to praise him, he would get into all sorts of rash adventures.....
Brushing aside his hair, Oz meets my gaze and smiles.
It’s a smile filled with so much love that it’s painful.
Oz: When he was young, Arthur was like a butterfly in midwinter who thought he was an eagle, or a bear.
He was so weak that a strong gust of wind, or even shards of snowflakes could stop him from flying, and yet he believed that he had the ability to cross the seas.
I wanted to let him keep believing that. That’s why I taught Arthur everything within my knowledge. The things that I didn’t know, I learned together with him.
And that was how I learned. That even though I had been in this world for an astoundingly long time, I didn’t know anything about it at all.
Why lives come to an end. Why wizards live for so long.
Why it is that tears fall. Why people get hungry. Why pancakes burn when you fail to cook them properly.
>Option:
Akira: Have you ever cried?
Oz: From what I can remember, I haven’t. But Arthur was a child who often cried.
I didn’t know what other children were like. So, it might be that children just cry. But Arthur still wanted to know.
He would ask, why is it that, even though he didn’t want to cry, the tears would fall anyway?
Recalling, Oz laughs fondly. Without realizing it, we’ve come to walk side by side, as friends would.
>Option:
Akira: Did you fail at making pancakes?
Oz: I did fail. I thought they would be simple to make, but it was a surprisingly formidable task.
Oz laughs, as if telling a joke. Without realizing it, we’ve come to walk side by side, as friends would.
Perhaps this person, who has always been feared—by even his friend and teachers—maybe what he wanted, all along, was simply for someone to take peace in having him by their side.
Oz: Everyday was a new adventure. Even this world that I had grown weary of living in was a wondrous place to Arthur’s eyes.
CHAPTER 10
Akira: What kind of adventures did you have?
Oz: Once we went on a journey to search for a flower that was recorded in a book, but whose name we hadn’t known about. It had a strange name, so Arthur wanted to see it.
Akira: A strange name?
Oz: Oz. A venomous-looking, poisonous red flower. To humans, Oz was the name of the enemy that took lives away. So perhaps that’s why they named it after me.
But Arthur was delighted, saying that it was big, strong, and beautiful.....
The moon is hidden by the clouds, and the night deepens. The smile slips away from the side of Oz’s face.
He touches the back of his own hand, with a look of terror like one who has gazed into the depths of despair.
I recall suddenly. What Oz had said whilst glaring at the Great Catastrophe, on the night of the Flying Shadow incident.
“I won’t let things happen as you wish.”
Oz: ......Sage. The twins’ prophecies have never been wrong. There is something they prophesied before.....
A certain someone will be chosen as the sage’s wizard, and in the middle of the battle with the Great Catastrophe, he will...
......His life......
Oz’s voice is hoarse, shaky. In that moment, a fierce gust of wind cuts across the air outside.
Flowing on like a river, the dark clouds cover the moon as if swallowing it up with hatred.
The stormy wind might be Oz’s heart itself. Snow’s words flash through my mind.
“How bold of you to say that. Even though you went and changed the course of fate with brute force.”
Oz: ............
The Central wizard Oz, who had only lived in the North, doesn’t say anything more.
But his silence tells me something else. That he is afraid of something.
Finally, I understand what he wished for. I don’t know the entirety of his wish, but I know what I should do.
Suddenly, I raise my voice. So that I won’t lose to the dreadful, terrifying sounds of the wind above.
Akira: ......It’ll be alright. Even if there’s something that you’re afraid of, it will definitely be all right!
Oz: ...........
Akira: That’s what you taught me. To trust in you, and in myself.....That’s why, everything will definitely turn out all right!
In the darkness, Oz takes a slight breath. I have no basis for my words, no grounds whatsoever. Even so, the winds grow weaker, and moonlight shines through the clouds once more.
Oz, who looked shockingly vulnerable before, now looks at me and smiles, as if reassured.
That is probably—surely, a fragment of trust. As if saying: as long as you’re here, as long as I’m here, everything will be all right. Nothing terrible is going to happen.
Oz: Thank you, Akira.