>>5715578>>5715600>>5715770"It's not exactly your fault either, Guts. But let's not get into that ordeal, at least not now. I'm sure you've had enough time to ruminate about this subject." You remain respectfully abstained from commenting about their relationship. It does feel strange to see two good parents remaining estranged, but the soured memories surely make them have their reasons not to stay together, it's best not to pry into such sensitive subjects.
"I guess so. Either way, I'm glad to see our motivations changing. I would hardly see myself vouching to take care of a few kids, and later my own, a few years back."
"You and me both..." Casca smiles. "Though I do feel bad for him... I remember him staying with me when he still didn't have a human form... What could have changed for him to want to stay away?"
"It's not safe for a kid to walk around the world as is, but since he's the only one that can use those trees to his advantage, maybe he knows how to hide on it's branches. Who else would go after him above the clouds?"
Casca and Guts debate the reasoning and the mystery of the child's changing forms and wishing to go away, not getting any closer to the answer as you stand up and decide to clean your gear as the first sunrays bless you with their presence.
"I mean, he can talk, right? Why not just ask him? Lucio! Can you please stay with us for today? We want to see how you look like in the morning."
After being asked by his mom to stay, the moonlight child vehemently shakes his head, though when turning around and seeing the light of the sun, he realized it was already too late, and his transformation was about to start.
What came after was an event as horrid as the transformation of the once innocent child, who after losing his nighttime appearance, slowly started changing the pure shape of his Od into one of dark presence above any apostle you've felt before.
Guts' mark of the beast suddenly spewed blood despite being sealed, as well as Casca's chest bursting in a pool of blood through her clothes, and as Lucio's dark hair whitened with each passing minute, you could only feel your heart beating faster and your movements slowing as a familiar voice was heard coming from the morphing child, growing in size as if reaching adulthood.
"I keep having this dream, during nights of the full moon... That I become a small child, finding myself being embraced by nostalgic warmth. But when I wake up from this dream... All that remains is a faint sense of loneliness. And that too, takes a moment to fade away with a single tear. Much like morning dew."
Lucio's clothes are torn, as a nude, tearful Griffith, greets the speechless trio of survivors hired from his old mercenary group. The unexplainable sight makes the whys and the hows incomprehensible. One unfortunate truth prevails as the island's protection is destroyed by a single infiltrator.
Griffith is here.