Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Hey, what's wrong? You seem so engrossed in what you're looking at?" W leaned against the deck railing, watching Froststar gaze into the distance, and asked lazily, "Missing home? Or missing your dad?"

“Your mouth is still so irritating, W,” Frostnova sighed helplessly upon hearing this, turned to look at her, and said, “I’m curious, have you ever been beaten up because of that mouth of yours in your life?”

It's understandable to miss home, but what does it mean to miss your dad?

Even if I really did think about it... could I really say it out loud? I'm not a child anymore, especially not in such a joking tone...

Frostnova was really curious: among the hot-tempered Sarkaz, had W ever been beaten up because of her mouth?

"What are you thinking about?" In response to her question, W chuckled, pulled a small, exquisite bomb from his chest, tossed it a couple of times in his hand, and said smugly, "As long as I have this, no matter how much they hate me, everyone will have to speak in hushed tones in front of me."

Indeed, Froststar was speechless upon hearing this.

A crazy woman who can throw a bomb anytime, anywhere... Even the hot-tempered Sarkaz has to greet her with a smile when she stands opposite him.

Because you don't know if this crazy woman will blow herself and you up together.

Given her past erratic behavior, it's very likely.

Back in Chernobog, she even planted a bomb under the core command tower, trying to blow Talulah and herself up in the air... Although she certainly had a way to survive, this act alone made people afraid to mess with her.

Looking at the bomb in her hand, who would dare to speak loudly?

If he weren't ordinary... then W, being such a shrewd person, wouldn't have pulled out a bomb in front of them.

For example, the advisor... If W did that in front of him, Frostnova has no doubt that the guy with the perverse sense of humor would pick up an Originium bomb and give W a live demonstration of eating Originium raw, and enjoy it to the fullest!

The scene was thrilling to imagine, but unfortunately W knew how formidable the other party was and never used such methods.

“In the end, you just miss home, right?” W said with a grin as he approached Frostnova, who didn’t seem to want to talk to him. “Don’t worry, at least you have a home to miss. As for me, a Sarkaz… ha, I don’t even know which part of Kazdel my so-called home is.”

"Compared to me, you're already very lucky, aren't you? How does it feel? Do you feel comforted?"

Although she said this, there was not a trace of sadness in her eyes.

Froststar...rejected this so-called consolation.

“Patriots…it’s been a long time,” W said, looking ahead. “Tsk tsk tsk, not bad, the surrounding forests have all been cut down.”

Froststar ignored her, because the guerrilla base was just ahead.

Home... is right in front of me.

“Charles…” Martha weakly opened her eyes on the hospital bed, looked at her husband’s blurry face, and said softly, “I dreamed about home last night.”

“Yes, go on,” Charles gently leaned his ear close to Martha’s, their faces almost touching. “I’m listening.”

"Do you remember our home?" Martha was very weak, her words were broken and intermittent, her eyes were unfocused, "The potted plant you started growing after we got married..."

"In the study...those books of our respective majors...in the afternoon...sunlight...brightens into the living room...through the window..."

“And…and Paige…” A hint of guilt flashed in Martha’s eyes. “I’m sorry…Charles…I couldn’t bring…Paige with me…”

Peppa Pig is a dog owned by a couple.

“No, Martha, you’ve done enough,” Charles said, gently embracing his wife. “Patty…it’s smart enough to survive on its own.”

“Charles…” Looking at her husband’s profile, Martha whispered, “From now on… you must live well on your own…”

As she spoke, she tried to raise her hand to stroke her husband's face, but she couldn't muster any strength at all.

Charles reached out and took his wife's hand, feeling the negligible temperature within the Originium crystal.

It was this hand that used the Originium to cast a spell, killing the giant bear that had been eyeing the couple as food, and driving away the pack of wolves that had been following them, intending to swarm them when they were exhausted.

It was this same hand that dragged her useless husband all the way to the infected people's base.

No one wanted to carry a seriously ill person through life; all the infected people around them left together. Only Martha, his wife, stayed by his side.

The price to pay is that he is now standing in front of Martha's bedside, who is on the verge of death due to excessive contact with Originium and the use of it to cast spells.

He gently pressed the hand covered in Originium crystals against his face.

“Martha…trust me, I will save your life.”

“Don’t do anything foolish… Charles…” Martha said weakly upon hearing this, “Oripathy… incurable… we all know that.”

Charles fell silent. There were other people around, and he couldn't tell his wife the whole plan.

Martha, on the other hand, listened intently to the sounds outside the ward.

"What day is it today...?" she asked疑惑地问道, "Why is it so... lively?"

“Ah, today,” Charles said with a smile, “do you remember the ship I told you about?”

"Today is the day it arrives."

In the time that followed, Martha was bedridden, and Charles could only tell her about the outside world little by little.

From the changes at the base to that ship carrying the hopes of countless people.

446 Arrival

Martha's eyes shone with light, "That ship... ah... it's finally coming..."

"I really want to go out and see the world."

“Yes, it’s finally here,” Charles said softly. “It’s right outside, and everyone is welcoming the arrival of hope.”

“That’s great…” Martha said happily. “That way… we won’t have to go hungry all the time.”

She gazed at Charles's face, her fingers pressing lightly to feel his warmth.

"Look...you've lost so much weight..."

"Charles...after I'm gone...remember to eat well..."

“No, Martha, I won’t let you go,” Charles said firmly upon hearing this. “We will live together no matter what.”

“Don’t be silly, you idiot,” Martha said with a slight upturn of her lips, “Oripathy… is incurable.”

“No,” Charles said, recalling his conversation with the Patriot, “it might not be impossible.”

“Charles… what do you want to do?” Upon hearing his answer, Martha immediately realized something. “Promise me you won’t do anything foolish.”

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," he said, lowering his head to kiss his wife's forehead.

“Let’s go. Didn’t you want to go out and see that ship? I’ll take you.”

"Is it okay?" Martha's eyes lit up. "Would it be...?"

“It’s alright,” Charles said, reaching out to pick up his wife and gently comforting her, “I’m here with you.”

“Let’s go and see that ‘ark’ that brings hope.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Are you excited?" Xia Yu looked at Shuang Xing beside her, who was unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.

Or should I say it's a feeling of trepidation upon returning home?

“Advisor…” Frostnova gave him a resentful look, “Could you please stop talking?”

"I just asked because you looked so distracted," Xia Yu shrugged, then said, "Don't forget, there's still a scene to perform, so don't mess it up."

“I understand…” Frostnova took a deep breath and looked towards the bridge.

There, clusters of simple, dark wooden buildings dotted the entire land.

It's hard to imagine that 200,000 people spent such a long time crammed into such a small space.

In order to provide everyone with a place to shelter from the cold winter, almost all the trees in the surrounding area were cut down, leaving the land barren. It will be ready to be cultivated into fields to grow potatoes next spring.

That was the guerrillas' plan, but to feed 200,000 people... the land hastily reclaimed by these people wouldn't be enough.

But what else can we do? We have to try to survive.

“It’s really rudimentary,” Xia Yu suddenly said, looking at the cluster of wooden houses in front of her. “And the layout isn’t very good either. Some parts are scattered, while others are all clustered together… It looks drafty from all sides. I doubt how much warmth these houses can provide.”

“Actually, it’s good enough to have a place to stay. No matter how simple it is, at least it can keep out the cold wind, right?” Anton, who was standing nearby, replied casually, “That’s all we can do.”

"Or has our advisor come up with another brilliant idea?" Frostnova asked helplessly.

She knew perfectly well that the consultant's comment about simplicity wasn't because he looked down on it, but rather... because he had come up with some idea that would make her dizzy with disbelief.

“I’ve seen the interior of those Ursus warships before. Although they are much more compact than regular mobile homes, they are still much better than these makeshift, drafty wooden huts.”

Xia Yu stroked her chin and said, "I've heard there are even better mobile fortresses and castles built by nobles using movable land?"

"You mean...?" Frostnova's eyes lit up at this. Damn it, this advisor's sudden idea was so tempting... to raid the Ursus army's fortresses and warships...

“Well, those warships and fortresses that were built are definitely better than your crudely constructed houses, right?” Xia Yu said with a smile. “Whether it’s for warmth or living, at least they’re habitable, right?”

"Ah..." Upon hearing this, Frostnova and Anton exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.

“But…won’t this affect your plans?” Anton, being the mature and cautious man he was, immediately thought of this. “If it will…”

"Impact? Of course, there's not much impact. At most, we just need to be careful not to destroy too many enemies," Xia Yu said casually. "It's just a matter of how many enemies we accidentally destroy. Besides, didn't we discuss this before? It's best not to cause too much damage."

"Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of troops, and behind them are hundreds of thousands of families. It's not about being sentimental or sympathetic, but about the practical considerations. If we wipe them out completely, the perception of infected people in Ursus will be completely drastically changed."

“We cannot isolate ourselves from civilization,” Anton was genuinely afraid that this killing god would wipe out everyone after learning from Froststar what Xia Yu had done in Kazimierz.

"Moreover, killing them will only incite the Ursus people's will to resist, but if most of them are spared, I believe that after witnessing the catastrophe, they will probably have no will to fight against the infected in the future."