Gareth closed his eyes for a second, reminiscing about the past.
He said to himself within his own head, his voice quiet, almost amused.
Huh. A pause. Hehehe. How ironic.
He thought about the body its functions, its limits, its secrets. The knowledge that the Black Ledger had sought, the anatomy that had driven him to madness, was now flooding Gareth's own mind.
Anatomical studies show that during the point of death, the body is at its most free and relaxed state. He felt his muscles loosening, his joints softening, his flesh surrendering. And the brain is at its peak functioning capacity able to remember everything that it has experienced within this time.
He wondered why this happens.
Hehehe. His inner voice was light, almost philosophical. Some don't really know why. Some believe it is a way to comfort and reward itself before its death by replaying its achievements.
He laughed a short, bitter, broken sound.
Hahaha.
I don't know what to believe. He felt the memories rising a flood of images, sounds, emotions that had been buried beneath centuries of war. But as a good anatomist and a scientist, I am left to theorise. Why does the brain replay and outpour so much information in the moment before death?
He felt the memories surge.
In my current condition... He took a breath shallow, painful, final. ...I'm remembering everything.
He smiled.
It's good to remember everything.
Gareth stood on the destroyed vessel.
The Black Ledger waited.
And the sea roared.