graceless.

"Kadoc." it sounded silly. after all, she would have thought that it wasn't Kadoc's in any way either. since when did he write like that? it seemed different than what Ritsuka thought but that was....his journal. and his note. and had she not seen him leave with her own eyes, had Lancer not confirmed his death, she would have thought it was a joke.

' I'm going to die. Just let it happen.'

stupid. how could she just let it happen? but they had to. they had to or else everything would have been for nothing and– a sharp intake of breath as Ritsuka forces her brain to stop from going down that path as her hands come to wrap carefully around the leather-bound journal, cradling it as if it was the most precious metal in the world.

".....Did you know that Akuta was secretly an incarnated Elemental? She's....well, she's a Servant now, oddly enough. Kirschtaria....was stabbed by Beryl on Olympus after we fought. Daybit is in the underworld with his Servant and Pepe~" a hand tucks some of her hair behind her ears, hating the way it was starting to stick to her cheeks. " That son of a bitch Beryl is the reason why he's dead, too. " but that thing is also gone from this world (good riddance) but Ritsuka keeps that last part to herself. no matter how much she despised that man....he was still Ophelia's former teammate.

"......it was just–just me and Kadoc left for the longest time. He was in a coma but after waking up, started to help us." under extreme circumstances at first but quickly becoming a trusted ally. " And then there– there was this court, this humanity court and w-we had to answer for our crimes against humanity because Marisbury had tricked everybody and–it was going fine and then Raspu– I mean Kotomine showed up and he was the prosecutor and everything was going fine but he t-turned it around on Kadoc and what he did against Chaldea and–"

   ⠀The news hits Ophelia so much harder than she ever would've predicted. Kirschtaria had told her not to worry about Kadoc's wellbeing, or bother the other Crypters with it for that matter... That alone told her he was likely not dead, at least— but to think he was able to join Chaldea for such a long time...

   ⠀When Olga informed her of Kirschtaria's failure— no, his demise... it was a knife to the heart like no other. She didn't expect a vivid pain like that... but she also didn't expect this to give her a similarly potent ache. Fujimaru is saying things that fly out faster than Ophelia can catch them— Hinako being an Elemental, Daybit in the Underworld, Pepe... … Ahh, Pepe...!

   ⠀I'm the only one left. … But that's not really true, is it ?

   ⠀The correct phrase is that none of them are left... but she's the only Crypter present on this island— so, in a way... she is the only one left. Nothing remains of Team A aside from Mashu Kyrielight. Nothing remains of Kirchstaria's plan, not even Kirschtaria himself. For all intents and purposes, they were all coworkers at best from the outside looking in— and she's sure the bulk of them would think even less of one another… and yet, her expressions shift in rapid motion as emotions mix and broil in her core. Fear— anger— remorse— confusion— … heartache. None of these things would help Fujimaru, though— nor would anything else she has to say make sense if things continue. That brash Archer comes to mind rather abruptly, as if he invited himself in— the way he'd all but hijacked her mind, connecting them in order to derail her thoughts. She may not be able to form that sort of connection, but she can at least take a page out of his book.

   ⠀They knew it would end this way. That doesn't bode well for the author.

   ⠀They were a mage. That was to be expected, as so few are left on this bleached landscape, but it narrows down the pool of possibilities significantly— this most likely isn't someone that was born in a Lostbelt.

   ⠀They've both almost died and actually died—

   ⠀This is from a Crypter. She's certain. But who... ?

   ⠀Ophelia carefully reads the rest of the note, and she finds the penmanship to be... vaguely familiar. There was more than one occasion, in the very beginning, where Team A's paperwork would cross her eyes. After all, the bulk of Team A were so absorbed in their own preoccupations that someone had to make sure things were turned in on time. It can't be Kirschtaria's, as his is much neater than this— a thought that makes her grimace as Olga Marie's words re-enter her mind. … No, Kirschtaria couldn't have written this. Ritsuka's wound is too recent— and like Ophelia, he's been sleeping for quite some time. It could be Pepe... but this doesn't quite sound like Pepe's voice.