The Promised Canaan Episode 4 Part 2

Astaroth starts narrating and talks about being born to a high class family in another world. Because of that, they’re very familiar with the idea of laws that control the world. They’ve known since they were young, which lead to them giving up on the idea of ever winning against it.

Whenever Astaroth gathered the courage to be the way they wanted to be, That Thing would always appear alongside the shadow of someone worth loving. Those things would be words like “I believe you’ll become a fine noble.” Or “I think you should wear clothes like these.” “You look better in this color.” “It makes me happy to see you getting bigger every day.”

These words borne from love wrapped around their heart and would never let go. Whether love, friendship, expectations, kindness, goodwill, or something else, those things would have the strongest influences in burying their own wish and nullifying it.

Astaroth does know that there’s someone else who has the opposite sort of position from themselves as Astarte is shown. She was told things like “I’m jealous you’ve got such a delicate figure,” “you’re cute,” and “I wish I was born that way.” In this world people wished her well, and Astaroth just piled onto the comments with similar things. All those voices essentially erased her wish as well.

‘That’ is the thing that becomes the basis of every world, the strongest System in pure terms and the worst in common terms. No role or power can escape it, so Astaroth wanted to at least be happy for a little bit.  They wanted to be somewhere where no one knew them, where they had a body they wished they had. So long as that day could come, they could just let time pass.

Unfortunately, Astarte learned what it meant to be World Representative in the end. She learned that a choice has to be made. In order for a world to continue, someone had to be a sacrifice.

Astaroth says it’s only natural. If there is someone who always sides with the majority, then there must be a flip side to it. There has to be someone who will always be relegated to the minority, an Exile whose wishes are always refused. A World Representative is another word for someone who is fated to exile another, and Astaroth laments you’ve probably known since long ago. The strongest System that every world is built upon is something everyone knows about is called...

Astaroth’s narration is cut off there as camera tunes back to the present with Astarte yelling war cries as she attacks Nomad. She asks why it is he isn’t fighting back with everything he has, asking if it’s because she’s still weak. Asterius has already been beaten, and Astarte demands he get back up.

You try to get Astarte to stop her rampage. She snaps back at you but accidentally swings at you while she’s at it, sending you flying. She’s horrified by what she’s done, and Asterius runs over to see if you’re okay. Astarte is unable to articulate much of anything, and Nomad points out that she knows they don’t have any reason to go so far against her. Their battle isn’t supposed to be decided through violence anyways.

Nomad brings up that Canaan has everything decided upon love, so the World Representative also has to abide by that rule. He asks why she thinks they’ve been handling everything so far with strength comparisons and martial displays as he looks at all the onlookers around.

Astarte can’t bring herself to respond, and you call to her and look at her. She snaps at you and says she doesn’t want your pity before running off upset. Asterius is surprised, and you start remembering what happened the night before.

Flashback goes back to the point where you were talking with Astaroth and they compare themselves to a ghost. They also remind you that they are a part of Astarte at the moment. You comment that you weren’t seeing things and say you saw them a bunch of times. Astaroth confirms there were many times your eyes met, which they thought was a little funny since no one else could see.

You ask why it is that you can see them. Astaroth guesses it’s because the two of you have met somewhere else before and says it’s possible the two of you were in the same place before coming here. Astaroth then talks about always having watched you when you were with Astarte but says they didn’t plan to talk to you. You ask why they are now and wonder if something is on their mind or if something changed.

Astaroth says they wanted to be Astarte and enjoy a brief dream. You ask about the becoming Astarte bit, so Astaroth explains that they’re lending Astarte the power that’s been referred to as that of a demon’s/dragon’s. In doing so they became a part of her, which also means they can also take her form. Their likes and dislikes as well as their enjoyments and sadness are shared.

Astaroth talks about having always wanted to be pretty like Astarte, even if it’s a temporary and borrowed thing. Despite how calm and casual they try to say this, their hands shake a little. They then ask if you think they’re laughable as they describe their own wish as ridiculous. It takes you a moment to get it out, but you either tell them you won’t or you can’t.

Astaroth prompts you to keep going since you were about to say more, so you explain that you feel like you’re like them. They say nothing, so you bring out your sword. In doing so you hold it like someone who’s never used one before, unlike the familiar way you swung it easily when you first met Astarte.

You think about your old sword skills which you have no memory of attaining but suddenly had, and how you’ve suddenly lost them. They’re probably borrowed from someone else too and possibly have never been yours. But thanks to that, you tell Astaroth you understand.

Astaroth asks you what it is you understand, so you say you understood a bit of Astarte’s pain and sadness. Astaroth mulls that over, so you add on the harshness of being powerless and the sadness of wanting not to be. In knowing that, you say you feel there was meaning in it. You’ve felt what Astarte felt, so you won’t laugh at Astaroth. Even if they’re borrowing someone else’s things, you think it’s fine since they’re learning something.

Astaroth and Astarte look like they’re overlapping as they start to cry, and you’re unsure which one is. They start talking about having given up and not caring about things besides what they wanted. But Astarte is them, the side of them that cried. They want to help but at the moment they’re just memories and unable to do anything, so they beg you for help.

Flashback ends as Astarte is sneaking around. Robinson is asleep, up until she ends up waking him up while taking his bow. When he tries to stop her, she knocks him aside and tries to escape. Robinson yells after her, and you come to investigate after being woken up by the noise. You see Astarte for a moment as she pushes by before she leaves the area.

Robinson runs up to ask if you saw someone run by and informs you his bow was stolen. You are shocked by this and say you’ll help look for it. Scene then shifts to the tower where you find Astarte. She asks how you knew she’d be there since you shouldn’t have been able to keep up with her. You either say you just knew or say it’s where you first met her.

Astarte starts talking about how nice the bow is. She probably can’t use its power, but she can still use it as a normal bow at least. You ask her why she decided to take the bow now of all times, so she answers that she was supposed to have it. She always wanted it, and now she’s satisfied. Astarte then asks if you came to take it back, in which case she’ll have to fight you off with all she has.

You try to talk to Astarte when she suddenly pins you down. She’s quiet for a second before saying things can’t really be talked out like this, so she’ll give It back to you. She takes off the horns from your head, which causes your own power to return. When you take note of that, Astarte says the horns are proof of being the Beloved, the powerless one who can only be loved.

Now that the horns are off, Astarte says you two can really fight it out. She tells you she always wanted to face off against you with everything she has when she saw your strength that day. Astarte also warns you to not underestimate her since she still has the power of the demon/dragon of prosecution. She also has the bow Kothar-wa-Khasis made, so you can’t hold back. Then she challenges you as she starts the episode battle. More story afterwards.

Things pick up actually after the battle for once in a long time, and the two of you are left lying on the ground. Astarte laughs about great she’s feeling and how beautiful the stars are. She never noticed before now. Anyways Astarte thanks you for fighting out all against her. She talks about not knowing what she wants to do. She had thoughts that being World Rep would satisfy her, but now she doubts that.

Astarte then starts talking about whether she wanted to be a boy or something else entirely, though she still isn’t sure of that even now. But at least now, she feels she can accept whether she wins or loses if she fought as hard as she could. Even if it’s borrowed power, she’s glad to know in the end.

Astarte hands you a small shell, and you try to ask her what she means by the end. Astarte talks about being unable to trample on someone else’s thoughts and feelings since she’d always regret it. Even if it has to be done, she can’t bring herself to choose. You try to ask what she’s talking about or say nothing, but Astarte goes on to say she’ll do this instead.

Astarte puts the horns she took off you back onto herself and smiles. She says the role has to be taken by someone, but she can’t choose who it should be. She just can’t. Astarte laments how weak she is and says that if she were to be reborn... Gentle rain starts falling, but quickly starts falling harder. Astarte picks back up with what she was saying. She wishes she could be born stronger, together with you.

Scene shifts back to town, and the rain pours even harder as narration compares it to the grieving of a heavenly queen. The towns folks can tell Astarte is crying and ask why since they’ve been told that the world has to make her happy.

Over in Dagon’s palace, his servants notice the rain and talk to him. Dagon says the people of Canaan are crying for the sake of Heaven’s Queen. He however notices something and brings up Baal’s name before correcting it to Bael.

Speaking of Baal, scene shifts to him as he laughs somewhere in town about how lovely it is that the tears of Canaan’s citizens are flowing. He talks about how Canaan has made the faith in love its cornerstone and brings up the Heaven’s Queen they all love. No matter whether they consort with demons, commit thievery, love humans, or consort with others, all is permitted by love.

Baal then asks what happens if that still doesn’t bring happiness. What if that is seen as mistaken? What if their faith that love is everything doesn’t pan out? He says that in that case, Canaan itself is wrong. Such a thing would be impermissible and turn the world upside down. If that comes to pass, then Baal says it should be erased and its sad memories should be destroyed. The promise to hide the truth should be fulfilled.

Back at the tower, Tangaroa and Kijimuna have arrived as Tangaroa wonders briefly if they’re too late. He rallies himself quickly and urges that they keep going. Kijimuna agrees and calls Tangaroa by his real name.

Scene shifts to focus on you as the heavy rain turns to a flood that starts to cover Canaan. You try to make sense of this turn of events as the flood threatens to carry you away. As it does you call out to Astarte and tell her to get away.

Astarte however decides to hand you the bow back before thanking you and telling you goodbye. She’s glad she met you and hopes you’ll get out alive, then uses her remaining power to throw you onto a hill. She is quickly taken by a sudden stream and hidden from view shortly afterwards.

Back in town, Baal says he wishes for Astarte’s happiness and wants to erase her sadness. So much love has been collected, ignoring her misery. Love, friendship, expectations, kindness, goodwill, and anything else had been collected and turned into power to destroy the weak. Even the power she managed to get will be buried away.

Baal says he knows what the name for the basis of the world is. As the ‘highest ranked under the hexagram’ and the one who’s well informed of the commandment, of course he knows. It is majority rule that he’s talking about, he says as he cackles.

Scene shifts back to your side as you run back towards the flood for Astarte. You push yourself desperately and reach out for her, even when it feels like your legs might get torn off. When you do manage to grab her, a giant wave threatens to crash over you.

Luckily Tangaroa and Kijimuna manage to reach you guys in time as Kijimuna greets you. Tangaroa asks him to do his thing and refers to him by his real name. Kijimuna says he can handle the storm, and as you ask who he is Kijimuna casts his NP as the episode ends.