Ambitions

'''Moonscald is complete. Brother Tod has been brought back. All that remained was fuel for the fire...'''

Background
Written by SDM. This solo is from Vocus's perspective, in the present and mainly in the past.

Synopsis
The solo begins in the present day, as Vocus and, strangely enough, Executor observe the Lunar Cell. Vocus relates how the Remnant's power is centralized within the Lunar Cell for added protection, and of Brother Tod's return despite complications brought about by the Anathemites and ERAC and surprisingly the Factory. This is ultimately of little consequence as Executor orders Vocus to oversee the final prepartions while he himself glides back to his original position. Vocus no longer knows nor cares about how Executor is able to move, purely focused on their final preparations as he departs.

The solo shifts to Vocus in the past, where it will remain for the rest of the solo. It has been a few weeks since Vocus asked for time to think about his role with Valis, and during this time neither Valis, Carl nor Mist have contacted him in any way, which suits him fine for figuring out this seemingly contradictory purpose of salvation through eradication. It was also a war between his morals and the all-too-true reality that Vocus cannot move from under Valis's wing without being cast into poverty. It is during this turmoil that his sister sends a letter for him to visit her and their parents while she takes a break from Magician's School. Thankful for this beacon into his dark thoughts and the chance a reprieve, Vocus resolves to cast aside his troubles for the time being so he can simply enjoy his sister's company.

Their reunion was sweet, and his sister was quick to regale them with tales from the School. Still, Vocus was dispatched to get more ingredients so they could also feed her, on an hour-long trip. The way to buying the ingredients was uneventful as he chats with the shopkeeper, but it is one the return home that Vocus sees a bright orange light reaching to the sky and feels the pressure and heat of a great blaze. Fearful of the implications, Vocus hurries his pace only to find his fears confirmed: His homestead in flames, with the perpetrating bandits visibly slinking off into the night.

Just looking at the flames told Vocus that the blaze was magical in nature. However, magical fire was still fire, and he needed to try and save his kin. Vocus makes his way inside through the back door, nearly blinding himself in the smoke, and cautiously makes his way through the home, ever wary of the floor or ceiling collapsing on or under him. No one answered his cries, so he was forced to head into the living room. There he finds the body of a girl pinned to the ground by a beam and on fire herself, screaming in agony. Vocus begins to try and save her, but a voice began to call for Vocus to leave the building. Vocus is able to ignore the first and second calls as he attempts to free his sister from the burning beam, but it was the Third call that tugged Vocus back, his feet pulling him away against his will. The beam dropped back onto his sister with a sickening sound, and even as he tries to reach for her body he is walked out of the blaze and forced to watch from a safe distance as the fire consumes the rest of his home, his family, and his life. The fire had garnered a crowd, but they stayed away from the fire as well as compelled to leave Vocus by himself.

The fire eventually burnt out two hours later, and Vocus felt whatever force that held him disappear. He rushed into the ashen ruins of his home and discovers he had dropped the beam onto his sister's stomach. Looking underneath his sister he found the bodies of his mother and father, all trapped in the living room as their charred bodies smoldered.

As Vocus cried, he felt what seems like a hand rest on his shoulder as Valis comes up to him. Vocus realized that Valis was the one who pulled him away, and demands to know why Valis saved him. Valis pointed out to Vocus how, given the positions of the dead bodies, his sister tried to rescue their parents before being caught herself, and if Valis hadn't saved him he would have shared their fate. Vocus bitterly cried that he ought to have, prompting Valis to ask if that was his decision in a voice tinged with malice. Vocus then explained that he was going to let life refresh him before taking on the task Valis asked of him, at least before his family was killed. Valis then compelled Vocus to turn to him, promising that whatever decision Vocus makes, he will become Valis's ward and be cared for as they return to the castle.

Several weeks pass by as Vocus stares blankly at the walls of his room, or out the window if he felt daring, eating little and sleeping even less. This changed when a small guard detachment entered the room and violently threw two prisoners onto the floor in front of Vocus. Vocus demanded to know what this was, and Valis soon appeared to say that it was a chance for Vocus to learn. Valis notes how the two prisoners were two of the people responsible for the destruction of Vocus's very life, although one prisoner curiously tries to say something to Valis, only to be silence. Valis asked Vocus if he desires vengeance, to which he replies he does, and about what Vocus would do if the two prisoners were released into his custody, to which Vocus says that he would butcher them like meat. Valis promptly responded by saying that he shall not have it, then prompts Vocus to think about things and take a second look at the bandits. Valis asks him why these men, who were bandits because it was the only way they could live, were forced to harm others simply to feed and acquire gains for themselves, that innocents like Vocus's family were harmed by independent yet guilty parties such as theirs. he continues by saying how people can easily walk down the dichotomous paths of light and darkness, switching on a whim yet still be sure that their road is correct and just. Even Carl and Mist are not exempt, possibly fighting in an evil cause yet pursuing it with confidence that it is correct. Valis concludes that this is pure nonsense, that none of this makes sense, and thus the only logical reason for it is that these worlds are a figment of Anathemus's dream.

Even though Vocus could clearly see that Valis was trying to use his family's death as leverage to join him, he can't explain why he is compelled to listen, to believe. He shakily asks if these two bandits should be spared, and Valis explains that while they should not, Vocus must learn to forgive, and kill them to Save them, not sate his desire for vengeance. With this conviction in Vocus's mind, Valis conjures two white daggers in front of Vocus to take, indefinite shadows given form. Vocus turns to the bandits, and asks for them to forgive him because he cannot forgive them, and they nod in fear. Vocus tells them that he does this to save them, not out of anger, and then slits their throats. Yet, despite the knowledge he had just ended two lives simultaneously, Vocus only felt satisfaction and a desire to end the cycle of misery perpetuated in all worlds so that they may not face "atonement" in the End.

With this in mind, Vocus kneels before Valis and professes his desire to fight with the Founder. Valis accepts his choice and directs him to become an accomplished magus to fight not just for himself or his Siblings, but even for those opposing him. When Vocus asks what he will become, Valis tells him that he will become mage to compliment Brother Carl, a Light Mage, and Sister Mist, an Illusion Mage.

Vocus will become a Shadow Mage.

Tracklist

 * 1) 完全な石
 * 2) Duke Nukem Soundtrack remake - 307 - Gotham
 * 3) Duke Nukem 3D - Plasma
 * 4) Masque of the Red Death - Nox Arcana

Trivia

 * Ambitions is the fifth part of a seven-part series focused on Vocus.
 * Ambitions is also the longest single-part Solo written by SDM, at 3,935 words.
 * It is also possibly the third-longest single-part solo written, eclipsed only by Encounter With the Unknown (with 7,817 words) and To be a Pony Part 5 (with a combined total of about 14,937 and the longest of the two, Kanako's, coming in at 7,666).