>>5724692"Vlad." Guts' voice is heard as he makes himself present in the room, appearing to have finally snapped out of his own maddening rumination of the events.
"..."
No response from Vlad, his head still buried under his arms as he sat in a dark corner of the ship in an attempt to become one with the woodwork.
"Didn't you hear me? I said stand up!"
"..."
"Stand the hell up, damn you! You can't shut down at a moment like this!" Guts grabbed the young lord by his shoulders and slammed him against the wall, getting a good look as his lifeless eyes as they rolled down to where he stood. As he let his old friend go, Vlad fell down on his knees and slumped onto Guts' chest. The only sign of him still being alive was the shallow breathing of his lungs.
"..."
"SAY SOMETHING! Where is the man who came here to this damn island in the first place? The one who didn't give up no matter how many times he got beaten half to death? The one who showed us all that there was still hope to have in this wretch of a world? Now is not the time to play deaf! So do something! Use those new powers of yours to control the tree and put us on land! Summon something to end this war early! Absorb that pearl you're clutching! Find a way for Lucio to live! THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY, AND YOU ALWAYS FIND ONE!" Guts shouted at the top of his lungs, unsure if he was trying to bring his friend back up from sinking in the quicksand, or himself.
For a second, Guts pondered on whether or not to join Vlad in his misery, to get on his knees and stay in the corner like he was doing before, finding in his head a way to not kill his own flesh and blood and leave him in an even worse state that he was after the eclipse.
Unknown if his words have gotten through to Vlad, Guts noticed the grimace in Vlad's face, his expression resembling a painful smile. Acknowledging the uselessness of denying reality while still letting it happen. All the force he gathered to attempt to motivate the one who brought him hope was all for nothing, much like all they've both been doing.
Silence once again echoed through the room, as Vlad imagined all the blood that was still about to spill in his hands, almost regretting the path he took as he wondered if Griffith would really hold onto his world if he let him fight the creator himself. Though he knew better than anyone than whatever path he took, death would follow him until it took him onto it's embrace. The true potential he had was inherently unachievable by nature, much like all of those who perish before knowing what tomorrow would bring them. Even by breaking and reforming himself time and time again throughout his journey, training, planning and reinventing is worthless against those who manipulate fate well above what he can do.
