377. Farewell Sorrow

The Bandaged Man escaped and arrived on the island. As an assassin carrying official secret orders, he issued a warrant for his arrest at the island's government office.

The protagonist and Amber were also present when they heard the wanted poster. They knew that their peaceful lives would always be disrupted in this way.

The protagonist enters the government office alone, intending to kill the Bandaged Man and then escape with Amber.

Ms. Merritt finished the wine in her glass.

She watched intently as the protagonist fought his opponent, eventually killing the Bandaged Man.

Then, Ms. Merritt saw the monster.

From a decaying coin, the grotesque monster from the beginning of the film appears in the house.

These monsters can corrode and infect everything. Those who fall to the ground are assimilated into the monsters while they wail in Affliction. Even the seemingly invincible dogs cannot move freely in this spreading black mist.

"Oh, no."

Having read this far, Ms. Merritt had already guessed what was going to happen next.

She saw the black mist engulf the island, transforming its inhabitants into twisted monsters. She saw the protagonist and the dog escape, taking the girl and her mother with them. She saw Amber witness all of this and make her own choice.

The Pale flames that ignited somehow gave Ms. Merritt a sense of holiness.

As the black flames, a mixture of vibrant colors, burned away all the Corrupted Ones, the girl stood amidst the flowing flames, and Ms. Merritt's mind flashed back to their daily lives together.

She was caught in a dilemma.

This conflict is not a confrontation between two factions in the plot, but a conflict about the girl's choice: to give up her responsibilities and wander the world, or to uphold her responsibilities and give up her freedom.

To the freedom-loving French, going into hiding and fleeing is the best option; after all, as long as they raise the white flag, everything will be resolved.

But as the story unfolds, Ms. Merritt realizes that if she doesn't protect this world, even more tragedies will occur.

These tragedies are not just numbers, but are unfolding before our very eyes.

Those twisted and terrifying monsters can only be resisted by the witch.

Ms. Merritt knew that Amber had made her own choice.

She chose the world.

Ms. Merritt poured herself another glass of wine, which she drank in one gulp.

She rarely gets drunk, but now she's willing to get a little tipsy, think a little less, and just follow the plot of the movie.

Even the enormous cherry blossom trees in full bloom on the Harmony Island, and the Torii Gate, failed to capture Ms. Merritt's interest.

She was filled with melancholy, the melancholy of parting.

For Ms. Merritt, the ten-odd minutes of the storyline from the Wa Island Grand Shrine was a gradual transition.

Through the opinions of the people she encountered regarding the shrine maiden and Amber, she gradually constructed an answer that she could not refuse.

That means it's best for the Amber to stay here.

It is precisely because of this helplessness that Ms. Merritt feels even deeper sorrow.

If something is wrong, then the character's act of doing it and giving up something beautiful will make people feel angry, regretful, and resentful.

But when this is the right thing to do, it only makes people lament the capriciousness of fate and sigh at the helplessness of life.

All of this reached its climax during the competition when Amber hit the bullseye with ten arrows in a row.

Both the protagonist and the audience now know that the ending is inevitable: Amber will go to the attic, while the protagonist will continue to wander the sea.

An indescribable sorrow lingered in Ms. Merritt's heart. Strangely enough, many films in the past had failed to evoke such a strong resonance in her, but now, as a seasoned film critic, she was lamenting the sorrow in the film.

Before the ceremony, Amber came to the protagonist's house. The two had a very ordinary conversation, as if they would see each other again tomorrow, as if they could continue to be together in the future.

Finally, Amber tells the protagonist that the moonlight will be beautiful tonight.

As the background piano music tightened, all the emotions reached their peak at that moment.

Ms. Merritt wept bitterly.

She saw the flames of the ceremony, the people laughing and joking, and the world that was about to be at peace.

It was such a wonderful thing, but she always felt like she had lost something.

"It is indeed a deeply moving film."

Ms. Merritt had to admit that the film masterfully captured that ambiguous and sorrowful atmosphere. The plot itself was not slow-paced, but rather well-paced. The choices of different people outlined the entire world, and Amber, this innocent, pure, gentle, kind, and resolutely hardworking girl, had deeply resonated with Ms. Merritt's heart.

Next up should be the cast list. Ms. Merritt relaxed a little and tried to organize her thoughts, but she didn't know where to begin.

She picked up the bottle, ready to pour herself a glass of wine to calm herself down, but the screen suddenly lit up again.

Ms. Merritt looked over.

She saw that the protagonist was preparing to pack his things and leave, but as he gazed at the attic, a slight emotional fluctuation arose within him.

He arrived at the main hall, the sealed-off area, and used the mask he had obtained from the Bandaged Man to turn into smoke, then slipped inside.

This courtyard was supposed to be the residence of a retired shrine maiden, but it was completely empty.

Only the cold moonlight shone.

The protagonist sensed something was wrong. He entered the shrine and saw a row of shelves in the darkness, with neatly arranged urns containing ashes.

Ms. Merritt found it strange that at this point, it was necessary to show these things. If it was meant to show that the two were now separated and could never see each other again, it seemed a bit superfluous.

Her curiosity grew stronger as the protagonist explored, and when the protagonist left the courtyard that should have been the residence of a retired witch and found that no one had lived there for many years, Ms. Merritt's heart skipped a beat.

She thought of some unpleasant things.

But there is still hope.

Ms. Merritt sat up straight and watched as the protagonist finally headed towards the attic.

Suddenly, Ms. Merritt seemed to smell a burning odor.

It smells like the stench of an animal burned by fire.

The attic was covered in burn marks, and the heavy lock on the door declared that it could not be opened.

If this cannot be opened

Ms. Merritt's heart sank.

She followed the protagonist into the attic, where she saw a mess on the first floor, bloodstains on the second floor, and then went to the third floor.

In her Oldest One vision, Ms. Merritt imagined that Amber should be dressed in magnificent clothes, sitting upright in the bright and clean attic, resolutely and sternly shooting flaming arrows to protect the world.

However, when Ms. Merritt saw the Amber, she couldn't help but cover her mouth.