In the interrogation room, Simon had finally finished explaining all the events of that day, but still, the silence was heavy. At this point, any small movement in the room would be heard — especially a difference in breathing.
Huff...
"What happened after this?" The man behind the glass asked.
"Leo and I spent the night there. There wasn't much else we could do, considering the increasing size of the horde."
"So both of you starved the whole day?"
Tap. Tap.
"No, we managed to kill a few edible beasts."
"What about water?"
"The supermarket had some that was still drinkable," Simon said, confusion etched on his face.
(Why does he keep asking me about such mundane topics? What do these have to do with anything about the topic at hand?)
(This is simple. If you truly spent the night there, you would need a steady income of necessities to survive; if you failed to answer one, you would be lying.)
(Aren't you supposed to be the warrior half?)
(There is no such thing as a warrior without survival. I would just be more of the empty abyss that I already am.)
The silence carried on for five long seconds.
However, throughout the entire period, Simon didn't dare to utter a single word, nor did he even try to muster a single thought.
"Very well, you'll still be held until my investigation is over, legacy of Crest. A fox must catch his prey, no matter how resourceful they prove to be."
It didn't take long before Simon was placed into a room no bigger than an apartment provided by the bureau. It had everything he would need, but it was only three minutes away from Heaven.
The bedroom was minimalistic, only having a bed and a singular desk. However, there were still other rooms and necessities such as a bathroom, a kitchen, and even a closet.
(My master, may I reveal myself? It is quite difficult to hide here.)
(No, not yet. They could be watching us, observing, stalking.)
Simon searched each room carefully with solely his eyes — with the possibility of there actually being cameras, if it was found that he was looking for one, it could be used as proof that he was lying.
After all, why would he be so cautious with the greatest government in the world?
The search was quickly finished, and Simon finally let out an exhale of relief. He didn't need to speak; Saber automatically came out of his chest.
To Simon, it felt like an attachment to what he would call self was leaving him; to Saber, it felt oddly pleasurable. The process was quick, but it left a sour taste in Simon's mouth.
Saber's hair wrapped around her head like a halo, with a color of the white absence of nothing and a singular red streak painting it. Her eyes were multi-colored, but had no life to them — still, tears fell from her eyes like stains on a shirt.
"Master, why are you doing this anyway?"
"Saber, haven't Leiden Roots as a concept been obscure to you?" Simon asked.
"No. Mankind ceases to exist without a root for all of their troubles, worries, and reasoning. They refuse to live in a society where these things are not problems. It is your free will, and the same goes for us entities. For I am nothing but a Root that you cannot comprehend." Her voice was distant, almost as if she wasn't there.
"Where isn't it a problem? What makes you say that?"
"I cannot say. Human cognition is a funny, and entirely fragile thing."
Simon nodded his head in agreement. There was nothing to argue with... Except for one thing.
"Doesn't that seem off to you — that concept of free will. If we were truly free, then why can one dictate the way we speak, feel, walk, or even think in books of life? If it were truly nothing but our will, why must our actions be predetermined in this book?"
"You do have a point to this, My Master." Her head turned a full 90 degrees.
"However, if there is an answer to this question, I don't think you want to hear it. Or rather, what you would hear would be beyond your comprehension, and possibly even mine."
The Hollow World is a fickle thing; in fact, it is beyond most beings' comprehension. No one knows how it got there; no one will ever understand why they exist. Maybe it is the will of a being over me.
However, before Simon, I wouldn't dare to question it. Why do we exist? What does life mean, and more importantly... What does it mean to be free?
How can freedom be determined when a book of life exists? Every thought, action, and intention you may have is written in these books, attached to Leiden Roots. So how could it be possible for a human to be free?
Maybe entities aren't free either; perhaps we're slaves to the human mind. Most of us don't think without a Master or Mistress — so am I also trapped in this illusion society calls freedom?
My mind is wandering again, isn't it? Sorry, it tends to happen from time to time. Back to our conversation.
"Beyond yours? I thought out of all the entities out there, you had no start." Simon asked, putting a finger on his chin.
"Yes, that is true, yet it is not." Saber nodded before copying his gesture,
"A form did exist before the notion of what humans call time and space, but this form was not Saber."
"So what was this form then?"
"Saber-Cry Abryrion-Iscaria Soul-Trapped-Blood." Her whole body turned.
"That is her name. I must come together with my color, then I will become one again. For I am only the blade, not the handle — let alone the hand that holds it."
Simon paused for a second, taking his time to comprehend her words. Maybe, if he had found me first, he could make sense of it all, but unluckily for him, he didn't.
For I am Iscaria, the second half of the puzzle. Without me as the brain, Saber-Cry Abryion-Iscaria Soul-Trapped-Blade ceases to exist. However, no entity that still lives can kill us.
After all, hehe... I killed most of them for tampering with my body. To think such powerful beings would get mad at my interaction with humans.
Regardless of this, he still had to get a point across.
"Saber, do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
"To be honest, Master, I'm not quite sure."
"No one can be free as long as the Hollow World exists. At this point, we are merely slaves to that thing. That's why I want to destroy it. Without the Hollow World, there will be no such thing as freedom. Within the Hollow World, there exists only an illusion of the temporary pleasure people crave. That's my psychology." Simon said with a sense of pride.
"Master, why do you wish for free will anyway?"
"I don't, that's why I must. If you desire something you have never conceived, you will never grasp it. And if you have never questioned your free will, you cannot claim it ever existed."
Saber's face remained blank, so blank that she didn't even blink. However, there was an inner praise in her heart. She let out a laugh with no emotion behind it, just that creepy sound.
Simon, however, didn't dare to question this, just shaking his head.
"Even monkeys fall from trees, Master." She exclaimed while laughing.
"What does that mean?" Simon showed a slight grimace on his face.
"My former self, Saber-Cry—" Saber paused for a while, sensing Simon's thoughts. "We can call her Soul. She read it somewhere in the east, if I remember correctly."
"Saber, you keep mentioning yourself, Iscaria, and Soul. How do you three relate?"
"Iscaria and I are both Soul, just split into two," She raised a finger. "I am her power that has taken physical form. This is why I have no emotions or feel anything. So Iscaria is the exact opposite of me. Although if you do manage to fix this broken shell, Iscaria will fully take over in terms of personality."
The rest of the night was eerily quiet for the most part. Simon spent his time cooking and writing the events of the interrogation into a small journal — he needed to make sure he had his story together. Not only this, but Simon needed to distract himself from the guilt he felt.
Even as he did so, the second he wrote Leo's name, he could feel a tear forming in his eye. But he refused to let it fall. Even Saber felt this sorrow, but it did not affect her. After all, she was just a blank canvas.
She deeply cared for this matter; anything that shadowed his heart cast a darkness over hers ten times larger. In the end, he was able to write everything down and finish his meal, which Saber seemed surprisingly indifferent to.
"How can you eat that?" Saber asked in disgust.
"...I just needed something easy to make," Simon said as he closed the journal and put the soup-stained bowl in the sink.
(Evelyn would cook something for him if she were here.) Saber thought while looking at the bowl, forgetting that their thoughts were now connected.
"I'm sorry, Master."
"It's okay."
Simon quickly brushed it off before getting ready for bed. Even as he lay down, the events of today had left him restless. It was like he was awake in a nightmare, even as he tried to rationalize his actions.
He turned once more, now facing the door. Strangely, he smiled. Even though the guilt was constant, there was a deep sense of happiness for his actions. In his mind, this was only mandatory for all of humanity to achieve greatness.
(What's wrong with me... I shouldn't be thinking like this. But I guess it is true—)
"Master? What truly happened that night? With Leo?"