No illusion. We're merely holding a mirror to your own consciousness and allowing you to witness the reflection. You yourself stacked the cobblestones to reach the castle in the sky. That was and always has been your destiny.
CConrad
Without doubt, you stepped over the thousands of dead, whose bodies made up the stones to pave your way! And they, for you, have done the same to those before!
And now, before you reach the end of your magnificent journey - behold! (points at the Hawks) The gifts that await you, at the summit of your bloody quest! Your comrades, each a feather in your wing, have carried you to your great cause. They will surely forgive you. Though they may feel engulfed in a shadow of despair, they will forgive you, for they have always loved you. Entrust your wounded soul and tattered body to them, and you shall have life everlasting! Think not of your past, let it moult like old feathers, and consume yourself in the aftermath of your dreams!
That is the sentence of God. But if your dream still lives, if that castle still gleams just as brightly in your eyes, then it is your obligation to lay the stones that surround you now. Let us begin the chant of offering. Stray from the path, and you will not be granted the black wings that will carry you to the heavens. Fate has set you free from human reason, and by providence, embrace your inner evil. Now stand, and face your future!
You. Out of all the thousands of comrades and tens of thousands of enemies, only one, only you, and you alone, obscured the vision of my dream. I submit.
I don't know. All I can remember is running like hell. After a while my fatigue caught with me. I don't know what happened to the others. (starts weeping) Commander, what in God's name is happening? Is this real, or am I having nightmares? (starts violently coughing)
How delightful. I feel it all over again. Love, hate, ultimate pleasure, ultimate pain, life, death, all here to enjoy, right before our very eyes! The true nature of man and the devil is here and now.
(criticizing Guts' reckless behavior in battle) You haven't changed in the past three years. You're satisfied as long as you get to just cross swords with the enemy. You don't care at all about the lives of the men you lead; you're just a mad dog! (Guts grabs Casca's wrist)
Zodd (over being harmed): I've encountered two men who are able to inflict wounds on my body. A shame I have to kill them both. I'll start with this one.
[Advances on Griffith before seeing the behelit.]
ZZodd
T-This is the Egg of the King! T-That cannot be! A boy like him possesses the Crimson Behelit? (His shock turns into amusement) I see! So this is their ploy...
[Punches a wall while spouting wings.]
Zodd (to Guts): Human, I'll give you some advice. Or rather, I will foretell your doom. If you consider this man your true friend, and regard him as a brother, then know this. When this man's ambition crumbles, it is your destiny to face your death. A death you can never escape!
(Showing Guts his Behelit) She called it the Egg of the King. For once you possess this, you are destined to rule the world in exchange for your flesh and blood
Why do men like to shed blood, you asked. You are right in saying that it is one of the facets we, men, possess. However, it is but a tool to obtain what our heart desires and keep it from harm's way. I believe it to be a double-edged blade.
Both are important, aren't they? Fighting and dying for love and honor is what a knight desires above all else. But there exists something even more important than that. You know of it, I believe.
It is a dream formulated and fostered for your own sake. Men are entranced by their dreams regardless of birth, rank or social standing. Dreams breathe life into men and can cage them in suffering. Men live and die by their dreams but long after they're abandoned, they still smolder deep in men's hearts. A life spent as a martyr...to the God named "Dream". I find it abhorrent to simply live my life for no reason other than I was born into it.
They are...excellent soldiers. Together we have faced death so many times. They are loyal to me, willing to follow me into the jaws of death for my dream. But that does not make them my friends. To me, a friend is someone who would never depend on another's dream. Someone who wouldn't be compelled by anyone, but would determine and pursue his own reason to live...Someone who would put his heart and soul to protect it, even if it mean from myself. For me to call a man my friend, he must be equal to me in all respects.
