4th pulse [Voice]

[heartstoppingly]

[For a long while there's nothing but silence on the other end of this voice feed. Then Rolo whispers softly...]

... he's gone...

What... am I supposed to do without him?

[For he is now completely lost without his older brother. He does want to be free but for one who's obeyed orders all his life... Free will is rather frightening now that he has it.]

You said my future was with you but now you're gone, what am I to do? ... nii-san...

Comments

[nomorerunning]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Losing a loved one can be... particularly difficult.

[He's only assuming this involves death.]

[heartstoppingly]

What do I do now? This has never happened before... I don't know what to do.

[He's never had someone he was close to taken away from him before.]

[nomorerunning]

You do the best anyone can do. Keep him in your heart and keep on going.

Think of what he'd want you to do in his absence.

[Better than Roland himself had done, in other words.]

[heartstoppingly]

Keep going...? But I don't know what he'd want me to do in his absence... He's always told me what to do.

[nomorerunning]

You are still your own person, capable of making your own decisions. If nothing else, do you think he would want you to be yourself?

[heartstoppingly]

I... I do not know. He's never told me that. And I... do not know what is my true self.

[nomorerunning]

Had he been with you since the day you were born?

[heartstoppingly]

No. I had no one. Then he adopted me.

[nomorerunning]

You were completely alone?

[heartstoppingly]

There was the Order but... all they did was use me. They did not care about me.

[nomorerunning]

What did you do while with them?

[heartstoppingly]

I followed their orders and killed the people I was ordered to.

[nomorerunning]

...I see.

And how did you feel about doing that?