[Endgame: rise or DROWN]

[warpweft]

[How long have you been exploring Nessa's palace now? You've met her family, viewed her memories, learned how to fight as a witch and tried to find the source of her power and the Treasure of her palace: the Voidheart. And along the way, you've tired your best, with mixed success, to avoid the incarnation of her eldest cousin and the representation of her trauma and fear, the Nightmare of Esmau.]

[Wherever you are in the Palace right now, you feel the ground briefly shake under your feet. Little shakes here and there haven't been out of the ordinary - Esmau is trying to blow the place down to the studs, after all. But that felt different. That felt....worse.]

[Your phone beeps as you receive a message.]

Comments

[voidhearts]

Please...please just get rid of me.

I don't want to hurt Nessa...

I don't to hurt anybody...

[She drops to her knees, holding her head in her hands.]

I can't take this anymore.

I just want to vanish....

[messianic]

[ ... ah. She drops to her knees, and he steps closer and drops to his knees next to her, reaching out to try to tug her into a hug. ]

I won't get rid of you. And I'm not going to let you hurt anyone, either.

So please... take a deep breath. It's okay--I'm here with you.

[voidhearts]

A-aahhh....!

[She seems terrified her body will lash out at Minato the second he gets close. She tries to shirk away from his touch, but he manages to get her into a hug.]

Please...please let go...! I don't wanna hurt you...!

[Touching her, Minato feels the black hole on her chest. He feels fear. Paralyzing fear. The fear that one's whole life is a fabrication. That they're just a weapon. That they'll hurt the person they care about. That it's not worth it to stay near them. The desire to just be gone, rather than hurt that person.

Does he have anything that can fill that hole...?]

[messianic]

[ Does he...? He stays close, keeps her in that hug even when she shirks away, and feels all of those emotions as they come.

Just a weapon, huh...? Poor... poor Nell. To have gone through all of this--


Finally, he pulls out that Halloween Picture from his mysterious inventory...? Maybe it'll be a good reminder-- ]

You're not just a weapon. Nell-san, you're important... just as yourself.

[voidhearts]

[Nell stares at the photo. Nell and Nessa standing together, dressed like witches. Tears keep falling as she stares at it.]

That night was...

We didn't have to think about fighting....

I just wanted things to stay like that forever...

[You can feel the hole shrink....just a little bit.

A warm feeling starts to build in your hand.]

[messianic]

That's right.

[ firmly, as firmly as he can: ]

You said that that was your first Halloween. It was really memorable and fun, right?

Those feelings of your matter, Nell-san.

[voidhearts]

B...but...what if I'm a danger to Nessa?! What if I hurt her?!

[The warmth continues building in your hand. A soft glow builds in your palm...something is almost ready to take form.]

[messianic]

[ in contrast to her franticness, he's calm and gentle. ]

You won't. You aren't.

The Nell-san that I've gotten to know here is the Nell-san that Nessa-san believes in the most. You've been here to help us save her every single step of the way. No matter how dangerous things have gotten, or how scary... you've been our biggest source of support.

How could someone like that be a danger?

[voidhearts]

...

...

[Nell is still crying. She sniffs once.]

Do you really think...Nessa believes in me?

[You can feel the hole and the depths of its negative feelings shrink down just a bit more.

The warmth in your hand suddenly takes shape, becoming a white, pulsing orb of light. You feel a familiar memory radiating from it...]

[messianic]

I'm really, really sure of it.

[ a beat, and he looks down at the orb--and then back up at Nell, smiling a little to himself. He reaches out, gently, to offer it to her. ]

See? She missed you so, so much when you weren't in her life.

[voidhearts]

[Nell stares at the memory. She reaches out and tentatively puts a hand on it. After she does, she starts sobbing again.]

I...I missed her so much.

Grandmother Lilith was training us to fight her.

I just. I just wanted to see my cousin again...!

[The orb fades.....and so does the hole, completely closing up. Nell, for her part, just wraps her arms around Minato and cries into his shoulder for a couple minutes.

The haze around the two of them gradually begins parting.]

[messianic]

[ he's content to remain there, his arms wrapped around her in return as she cries. What else could he do? Nell has been so good to them this whole time--and it's heartbreaking to think of how much she's suffered. ]

You're really, really good family, Nell-san. Never ever doubt that.

[ It takes him a moment to realize the haze is parting, focused on Nell as he is, but eventually, he does look up to take in their surroundings. ]