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It's Turbin' Time (Library of Ruina Modded/Arknights)

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[X] Speak to it.
-[X] "There's nothing wrong with wanting to live, Capone. But just surviving- persisting- that isn't a way to live. Life for life's sake is pointless. Instead of getting more time, more life, what matters is what you do with what you got; the people you spend it with."
 
[X] Speak to it.
-[X] "Is this really how you want to go Capone? Like some sort of starved, wild animal that just eats, shits, and sleeps until it can't anymore? That isn't a way to live, not when it's the same drive that convinced a father that two kids should kill a grown man."

EDIT: Wew, 3 minutes before the deadline.
 
[X] Speak to it.
-[X] "You really shouldn't listen to dumb weirdoes in your head."
--[X] Murder it afterward.
 
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  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by thenew on Dec 9, 2022 at 7:30 AM, finished with 69 posts and 40 votes.
    • [X] Speak to it.
      -[X] "Is this really how you want to go Capone? Like some sort of starved, wild animal that just eats, shits, and sleeps until it can't anymore? That isn't a way to live, not when it's the same drive that convinced a father that two kids should kill a grown man."
      [X] Speak to it.
      -[X] "You really shouldn't listen to dumb weirdoes in your head."
      --[X] Murder it afterward.
      [X] Speak to it.
      - [X] You know the worst part of this is that you weren't in danger? We wanted to use you as bait to rescue the old man, but we also planed on keeping you alive to honor our promise. Guess telling you that might have saved some trouble... You can come back from this, you know? It's still Capone in control in there, and I'll admit that I didn't like the guy that much, but he didn't deserve this. If you stay like this you'll eat and eat and eat till everything's gone and you die, alone and cold. You want to go out like that?
      [X] Speak to it.
      -[X] "There's nothing wrong with wanting to live, Capone. But just surviving- persisting- that isn't a way to live. Life for life's sake is pointless. Instead of getting more time, more life, what matters is what you do with what you got; the people you spend it with."
      [X] Speak to it.
      - [X] "It's not wrong to want to survive. But living alone is much harder than it seems. That's why you swore that blood oath with your brother. Persisting alone means enduring alone. But with Gambino, you could share the pain. You could make the burden a little easier together. The bond you shared was what kept you alive."
      [X] Speak to it.
      -[X] Do you really believe that eating away your problems is a proper way to live your life? You are wrong to think that it would do anything but lead to your own doom, is persisting as a creature only capable of feeling hunger and emptiness truly a way to survive? To live? No, by sacrificing your ability to truly live what use is your persistence…You know, I don't really hate you for your desire to survive, if anything I pity you as sooner or later your gluttonous ways will catch up to you, signalling your inevitable downfall, all your efforts to survive will be in vain. I hope you can understand what I am saying, but I suppose whatever happens next is your own choice, will you continue your desperate struggle or will you try and truly live again.
      --[X] If he shows a clear desire to continue his beastial gluttony attempt to end him then and there, if not just observe and attempt to catch your breath.
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • And Capone survives by 5 votes. Honestly, around 1 day of voting had went through, I did think you'd make the choice to kill him off.
     
    thenew said:
    And Capone survives by 5 votes. Honestly, around 1 day of voting had went through, I did think you'd make the choice to kill him off.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Honestly, rereading the following bit more carefully was what made me change my mind, personally.

    thenew said:
    You're not even sure if killing it will really kill it. Something tells you... it has some last trick on its sleeve.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Even if he died, I'd expect some final fuck you.
     
    hehe, This is not some binah quest where we kill off characters indiscriminately, We will give some character a second chance if they're worth it.
     
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    1.15 - the night sky
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    • [X] Speak to it.
    -[X] "Is this really how you want to go Capone? Like some sort of starved, wild animal that just eats, shits, and sleeps until it can't anymore? That isn't a way to live, not when it's the same drive that convinced a father that two kids should kill a grown man."

    1.15 - the night sky

    You take a look at the pathetic creature in front of you.

    It barely looks like a human being. You don't say that merely due to its appearance. You have met- and fought against or alongside- Sweepers, Tailors, Bloodfiends and Distortions. Capone looks unrecognizable. Disfigured. Completely demolished, his original form smashed to bits.

    There are enormous chunks of his torso missing, and the rest is riddled with bullet holes. His leathery skin is burned, cut and stabbed through. There are pieces of acid-scarred bone bursting out of his skin. There is only one mouth and one eye, in his entire body, that could be seen as usable.

    …he looks sad now. He's waiting for your answer.

    "What did she tell you?" you ask.

    …there is a moment of silence, and then the Eternal Persistence- no, Capone- begins to speak, clearly struggling to get words out of what remains of its tongue.

    "Is… is it… is it so bad to want to live, Capone?" it pauses again. "Yes. Yes, that was it. Was… was she lyin'?"

    You shake your head.

    "The Voice does not lie. What she tells is something she legitimately believes in. She truly believes what she said to you was the truth." you adjust your hat. There is blood dripping from your midsection, but you can't bring yourself to care right now. "While she isn't lying… nothing stops it from being just wrong."

    "Is… is she really? I've been riskin' my life and neck for other people for so long. Has it done me any good? Can't I... live for myself, for once? I… I didn't want to die."

    Maybe it hasn't. But other people are all we have in this world. You know this. Capone wriggles. It struggles to move its beautiful, feathered wings, but you've stabbed an enormous hole in one of them. He's not leaving any time soon. You… you decide you don't want to remain upright anymore. You take one step towards the lamppost- oh, it's a little crooked, now. Twisted by the momentum of your fall.

    You sit on the floor, your back laying against the metal pole. Capone begins to speak again.

    "I've been struggling for so long to survive. If I had been a little bit stronger… if I just fought harder… I could have… kept going. My shell would have grown enough to protect me against anything. Then I'd be able to keep goin' forever."

    "Father… Father would have cut me out, if I hadn't killed that traitor. Blood is thicker than water, but what we had between each other was just water. He would have sent someone to kill me. Just like I went off to kill that man."

    Is it trying to convince you? Is it trying to convince itself?

    "Yes. Kill me. Kill me, the moment I stepped out of line. Everyone was like that. I can't trust anyone. I need to keep going by myself. I… I just don't want to die. Everyone can turn against me. Everyone can kill me when I'm… when I'm no longer useful. I need to keep going. At any cost. I just want to live."

    Well. Now is your turn to speak, it seems.

    "Is this really how you want to go, Capone? Like some sort of starved, wild animal that just eats, shits, and sleeps until it can't anymore? That isn't a way to live, not when it's the same drive that convinced a father that two kids should kill a grown man."

    Capone is now struck silent. What you said has reached it.

    "Why were you sent to kill that man, Capone?"

    "For the good of the Family." he repeats, almost machine-like in his tone. It's a sentence he's said many times before… mainly to himself. To justify his own actions to himself.

    "Yes, but what is that? It's… it's the continued survival of it. It's exactly what you got into your head. Keep going, no matter the cost. The Family will keep chugging along, no matter what cost it has to pay. No matter how hellish the lives of its children become."

    The "family" is just like what the Thumb is, you think. Thumb members will gladly toss themselves into pits of knives for the good of the hierarchy. In the name of absolute obedience, they will mutilate and butcher themselves and others.

    "When you were with the Family, you were surviving. But you weren't really living, were you? You were just going. Going through the motions, like a good little puppet. What Papa wanted. Follow the traditions, follow the rules, follow me."

    Maybe the Thumb- and the Siracusan Mafioso- started as something entirely different. As something meant to safeguard its members. But by now, the organization exists solely to preserve itself.

    "No meaning in any of it but your own survival. The second you stopped being what they wanted, they'd kill you, and that was why you followed. No other reason."

    A living organism, borne of minds instead of cells. Something concerned with its own survival, regardless of how much it suffers and agonizes in the path.

    "My actions in the past were meaningful. Is survival not a meaning? My own preservation is the only meaning that there exists."

    "No. No, Capone. You think you need to wrap yourself deeper in a shell. You need to consume anything that gets in your way, to build that shell. To build your… persistence. To ensure your future." you let out a cough. The Fairy did a number in you. "You've become an organism that behaves exactly like the Family. But that's no way to live. What are you surviving for, Capone?"

    "There is no need to-"

    "There is a need. You are still not getting it. Survival for its own sake is entirely pointless. You can't live eating everything in front of you like some rotten pest. No matter the cost. If you just pay that cost no matter the circumstance, what will be left? No future worth ensuring."

    Capone has become enraptured by your words. He has ceased to listen to the Voice entirely, and you think that even if she was still whispering in his ears, he'd still not pay attention.

    "We don't live for the sake of living. Persistence is not life. What you did would just be repetition, forever and ever. Going through the motions exactly like the good little soldato you were. You would eat, and eat, and expel waste, and go back to eating. And what is that? That path isn't anything but death. Capone would be dead. Only the monster would be left. The "you" that needs to stay alive is the experience. The "you" that was held by Gambino when he felt scared. The "you" who built things, the "you" who felt things. Eternal Persistence has nothing of that."

    "You want to kill any threats to your survival. You didn't want to die- you wanted not to die so badly, that you would see the world burn for ten more minutes- ten more minutes of something that can never be anything but a miserable façade of life."

    The Voice remains silent in both of your ears.

    "The Distortion Phenomena is the death of you. What stays behind is a parody. Like someone took a picture of the worst part of you, and repeated that to be your past and your future. Like one mistake was everything you were and could ever be."

    Your wounds sting just a little bit harder. It seems that you pushed yourself a bit too hard.

    "It is not freedom. It is not life, and without help, you will have no voice. Nothing to say "Stop. I wasn't like that.""

    Capone's maw lets out a chittering noise.

    "I… I still am afraid. Afraid of dying. I… I don't have anywhere to go. I don't have anything left but the Persistence."

    You let out a cough, and stretch your hand towards the Distorted mafioso.

    "You saw me. At that time, you saw me. What did you see? I saw you, killing that traitor."

    It contemplates the question for a while.

    "I saw you, running through a burning forest. Holding someone in your arms."

    Ah. The Case of the Bleeding Heart Forest. The case in which Beats lost his eyes to a Distortion. You and the rest of Turbulence Office set the Distortion in fire, and escaped its crumbling territory just as the creature collapsed on itself and died.

    …that was a very complicated day.

    "...you need to get your shit together, Capone. And I'll help. I'll bring you with me, if you want to. If you want to. I'll carry you. Just like I carried Beats." you slump over. "And the Eternal Persistence was you, Capone. Don't dissociate it from you. It is a part of you. That mistake repeated forever is still your mistake. Never forget that."

    One of its mutilated tendrils stretches out, and lightly taps your hand. This is a gesture of trust. Eternal Persistence would use this opportunity to infect you. But Capone will not.

    "I think… I think I'd like that. But… I'm so tired. I want to go to sleep. Can… can we talk later? Good… good night."

    You chuckle.

    "We can talk later. Good night, Capone."

    He stops moving. This is sleep, not death. There are many, many small threads forming around his burned skin. A cocoon of sorts. He will awaken in some time. Probably around the time where you, too, awaken. You're tired. This has been a long day.

    You think you should go to sleep, too.

    The man in the coat- you saw him before. He is looking into your eyes. He contemplates Capone for a while, and then says something you can no longer discern. You look at the candles, scattered around the street. They burn so brightly.

    Sauin night, no? You didn't properly appreciate the holiday. You think you'll regret it.

    Maybe next year?

    With this final thought, you sink into unconsciousness.


    Your name is Capone. You watch as the Fixer in front of you drifts off into sleep, the Rat King lifting him up with his hands. The leader of Lungmen's underworld takes a brief look at you.

    "What exactly are you, creature?"

    Ah.

    He doesn't understand. Shame on him. Not his fault- he didn't have the opportunity. He didn't fight you at your peak. This day has been... has been very strange. You've become some monstrous creature- killed and ate your own men- and now you have the opportunity to reverse this fate.

    "My name is Capone." you rasp out.

    The Rat King's eyebrows rise. Heh. About time someone knocked that look out of his face.

    "What happened to you?"

    "Me. I did this to myself."

    He doesn't believe you for a second. But then, his eyes turn sharp. He doesn't understand what happened, but you have the feeling he's seen something similar before. Shame- you were lookin' forward to livin'. To really live, not survive, just like the Fixer said.

    "You don't need to fear death, Capone. You're so close."

    Oh. She's back.

    "If you want to, I'll listen to you. I don't think what you've been doing for now is bad. You're not in pain anymore."

    "Yeah, you're right. I'm not hurtin'. But… follow, follow, follow, keep going, keep going. Never ask why. I wasn't in pain anymore. I wasn't followin' along anymore. But was what I was doin' in the city for ya, Voice, really that different?" you answer. You don't care if the Rat King listens.

    …no, that's not right. She says something, but you no longer feel the need to answer. You're saying this for yourself. You are what's important here.

    "Sorry. No, this ain't right. I wasn't doin' it for ya. All ya did was talk. I didn't have to listen. Sure, you were kind of an asshole pushing me downhill, but it was my fault above all. All of it was me."

    Your burned and crushed and ruined layers of flesh, leather, and protective tissue start to feel unnecessary. Like a straightjacket. Maybe… maybe you should let 'em go. They ain't doin' anything but harmin' ya.

    "If ya just "persist" forever, it ain't livin'. It's the life of an animal. Just draggin' yourself through the road, for no reason. I wasn't plannin' to do anything with that life. I wasn't going to persist for anythin'. I was just goin' to keep going forever, for no reason at all."

    These layers upon layers of meat are as soft as cotton. They slide from your flesh and shift into long, grey robes. Your many teeth harmlessly dissolve into ink and stitches and small buttons.

    "I gotta… I gotta find somethin' to do."

    Something tears. Skin is torn, tissue is ripped apart. From this enormous, monstrous cage of flesh that you've built for yourself under the pretense of being free, you slowly, slowly drag yourself out. Flesh sizzles and shifts. Everything that you shed melts down and becomes a thousand tiny little silk threads.

    These threads wrap themselves around what's left of your human body. A Light begins to shine within your soul.

    In a matter of seconds, the Eternal Persistence is gone. All that is left is a beautiful silk cocoon. You don't feel like you've truly reached an answer- not yet.

    But you're in the road, and that's all that matters.


    The world of dreams is dark. It is dark, and it is cold. You are nowhere. In nowhere, you hear the echoes. The echoes of the past. With a little bit of effort, you may reach out.

    You stretch your hand. Maybe, just maybe, you can touch these whispers.


    Capone has returned to awareness. The Distortion Phenomena has receded.

    Capone has been moved to the Turbulence Office Character Sheets section.

    Capone has gained the trait: Partial E.G.O. (Much like the Angel of Dawn, the Nine Children of the Dragon, and the Red Mist before him, Capone's psyche has manifested into power. Its form has yet to be witnessed, but he has moved past the Distortion... for now. A fragile psyche isn't something you can fix with a single speech. His E.G.O will remain incomplete until he attains a true resolution for his emotions.)

    Capone has gained the trait: The Expectation for the Meaning of Existance. (I want to believe that there's a reason for every sacrifice that was made, and to know that eventually, everything will be okay.)


    [ ] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    • [ ] Dream of Heaven. (She awaits inside of that tank. A fountain of Cogito- that treasure they sought for so long- spills from her corpse. Was it worth it?) Sorry. Not yet.
    • [ ] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)
    • [ ] Dream of a Current. (I wish to sink and drown. I can no longer bear this sin… I just want to stay here, with her. Do you remember when we still knew the warmth of the sun?)
    • [ ] Dream of a White Night. (Yes, we could see the truth. The Abnormalities are no longer abnormal- they are no mere fantasies anymore. They are our truer forms. Restored to being by drawing a little speck of light from our hearts.)
    • [ ] Dream of One Sin, and Hundreds of Good Deeds. (...now, fade away without a trace.) …I'm sorry, but not right now.

    [ ] Don't Dream. (Perhaps ignorance is bliss. Retract your hand, and sink into the soft clouds. You will drift through a dreamless night, wake up well-rested, and will immediately skip to the next chapter of your tale.)


    Status of Self and Allies:
    Sieghart: A considerable amount of internal damage. Extremely tired. Has decided to take a nap, if only for a while.
    PL: Somewhat far away from you.

    Enemy Status:

    THE ETERNAL PERSISTENCE

    - Grade: Lowermost rankings of Star of the City.
    - Condition: Its Distortion is being reversed.
    Sieghart's Note: Good night, Capone.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • .........
    So that's what carmen is planning
    We are going to build our own sefirah and potentially create a new seed of light
    Oh dear
    I wonder if turbulence office was an attempt at that considering the details we know of it
    Truly a perplexing question

    And she'll respect us..... doesn't stop her from talking but D minor arguably respects everyone
    A little too much I gather
     
    THAT'S THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP BIATCHH!!!!!!!!

    LES GO SIEGHART!! LESSS FREAKIIIIINGGG GOOOO!!!!!
    By the way. For those not in the known, those dreams belong to a man by the name of Ayin.

    The one person who is closest to Carmen's equal as a "God of Humanity", and basically her lover before everything went down.

    If there's someone who can help us out the most, it's him.
     
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    [X] Dream of the Light.
    -[X] Dream of a White Night.

    Damn. I definitely want to dream of something. Ignorance is definitely not bliss but as to the specific dream? Dunno.
     
    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -    [X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)

    If my idea is correct then our protagonist is in the role of keter with this
    Secondary note but We talked about sacrifices in chapter might as well go to the most resonant option for it
     
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    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -    [X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)


    If there is a dream we need to take it first. THIS is the one. As it will provide Sieghart an understanding of what exactly this light stuff he is dealing with is.

    The other two options will just leave him fairly confused lacking the full picture.

    We all need to start somewhere after all.
     
    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -    [X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)
     
    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -[X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)
     
    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -[X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)
     
    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -[X] Dream of a White Night. (Yes, we could see the truth. The Abnormalities are no longer abnormal- they are no mere fantasies anymore. They are our truer forms. Restored to being by drawing a little speck of light from our hearts.)

    I have no clue on what these do, but White Night is cool, although not dreaming does seem like a safer choice.
     
    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -[X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)

    hmm.
    does thou like a good slap on the face, madam?
    anyway~ Here is our first true companion of the quest and a new member of turbulence office!
    I do hope we can see that ego in action, Not against the rat king of course, that will be ridiculously hard.
    ...oh, god, We didn't get on his bad side did we?
    anyway, time to wake up and get going. Ayin.
    Edit:
    I rather not interact with whitenight until we have a way to make sure he doesn't influence us like a needle in our ass.
    Painful and hard to get out.
     
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    thenew said:
    "Father… Father would have cut me out, if I hadn't killed that traitor. Blood is thicker than water, but what we had between each other was just water. He would have sent someone to kill me. Just like I went off to kill that man."
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    Click to shrink...

    Oh, so that's what that Marsh trait was. Huh.

    questioningmeme said:
    THAT'S THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP BIATCHH!!!!!!!!

    LES GO SIEGHART!! LESSS FREAKIIIIINGGG GOOOO!!!!!
    By the way. For those not in the known, those dreams belong to a man by the name of Ayin.

    The one person who is closest to Carmen's equal as a "God of Humanity", and basically her lover before everything went down.

    If there's someone who can help us out the most, it's him.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    More specifically, the Dreams are based on the Ayin Final Realization mod. It seems to be missing the one covering X/The Abnormality [CENSORED], which is a good thing because if Sieg actually saw [CENSORED] we'd have to get a new protagonist.

    [X] Dream of the Light. (Touch that strange presence that has lurked inside your mind for so long. This will have consequences. Permanent consequences.)
    -[X] Dream of a Screenplay. (This cycle will repeat endlessly until the Seed has germinated. I am the gatekeeper. Who will pay for their sacrifices? Do you know what we've forgotten?)
     
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    Non-Canon Omake: Argalia Reacts(1):
  • Apocrypha
    • Semi-Omake(?) Or Just Something Fun:
    Argalia Reacts(1):
    And with the triumph over the first Distortion of his journey. Sieghart then fell into a deep sleep, wandering off to dreams unknown.
    However, unbeknownst to him, to the voice in his head, and to everything else on that world that calls it home. The memetic energy of Sieghart, interacting with Quantum Tangling, has-

    Narrator: Okay, to make it slightly shorter, I am just gonna say, bullshit happens okay?

    And sent a message, a link perhaps, or just mere dreams to the receiver's mad mind. Causing them...well...I will let you judge for yourselves.
    : (*Wakes up from the nightmare he just had*) What the...
    Angelica: Hm, little brother? That's strange of you to wake up this early.
    Roland: Hmph...
    : It's nothing sister. Just that miserable bastard's presence ruining my beauty sleep again. 'What a strange dream.'
    Roland: Tch.
    Angelica: Now now, I know you two don't like each other, but I promise Roland is reliable okay? I worked with him on that Star of the City case successfully after all. And-
    : -He successfully serves as a minimum requirement of being a meatshield for your gracious self yes. You do not need to keep defending the half-dead-rat-bastar- (*Wacked*) Ouch! What was that for?!
    Angelica: Did I raise you to have such a potty mouth young man?!
    Roland: Pfft.
    : You got anything to say to me-
    Angelica: (*Glares*)
    : -my good co-worker Roland?
    Angelica: Better.
    Roland: *sigh* Funny as it is to watch you be a siscon ("You want to di- *Wack* Ouch!"), we should keep going. Our target will escape us at this point.
    Angelica: Let us go then!
    : Yes. Let us go then. 'I wonder what that dream was about?'
    Roland/Angelica: 'He gave up surprisingly quickly...Must be Angelica's/My Magic!'
    Argalia: 'A weird creature calling itself the Eternal Persistence and someone called Sieghart in a strange world...That bastard Roland really is getting to me if I'm dreaming of things like that...Still...That Sieghart guy is right.'
    : 'Just living on without something good to lighten up my life, like my amazing Angelica, is not worth it at all.'
    Narrator: Will anything more come of this occurrence or is this just a one-off thing? Will Argalia actually learn anything or will he keep being a complete WACKOO?

    Find out NEXT TIME on     Argalia Reacts!
     
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