The Black Silence
 |
SPOILERS AHEAD |
| This article contains details that might spoil the story of Library Of Ruina. Unless you want to learn the secrets of the City, it would be best not to flip past this page any further. |
| “ | Angela, you have to feel the same sorrow as mine... No. You have to feel even worse than that. You took Angelica from me--she meant the world to me. I sat on my hands as I watched people I knew die, and I even killed my own best friend with these shadowed gloves, just for this moment. All for this moment... I've been suppressing my emotions, forcing this pained smile. | ” |
–Roland to Angela | ||
The Black Silence (검은침묵, Geom-eunchimmug) was a Color Fixer, known for its gloves that, along with storing all its weapons, muffled all sound around its surroundings save for its weapons cutting through the air.[1] Originally a title held by Angelica, her gloves were used by Roland after her death at the hands of The Pianist.[2] Donning his Perception-blocking mask, he went on a rampage, killing Fixers, Syndicates, and anybody who seemed suspicious enough in a vain effort to find out the culprit behind the incident.[3] He was eventually exposed, however, losing his status and demoted to Grade 9, with the only option left for him being cooperating with Iori to infiltrate the Library. After defeating Argalia, he turns his blade on Angela, revealing to have been waiting until she was human to enact his revenge on her for killing his wife.
This Reception immediately follows completing the Reception of 
The Reverberation Ensemble. It consists of five phases, acting as the final boss of the game if the player has failed to complete all Floor Realizations.
Story
Following the defeat of the Ensemble and Angela's gaining a human body, Roland betrays Angela and reveals everything that he had been hiding; that the reason he came to the Library was to investigate it, hoping to figure out the cause of the phenomenon that created Distortions like the Pianist, which soon became clear it was Angela, who ruined Ayin's Seed of Light plan out of revenge for the hardships his Script put her through, mocking her by saying none of it would've happened if she "hadn't thrown out a tantrum at the last moment".
When Angela asks why didn't he attempt to kill her when the two first met, he reveals four reasons: One, she was unkillable back then. Two, he wanted to know why she made the choices she did. Three, he had hoped Angela would go down a different path, and then maybe he could as well. And four, in the event she didn't; to make her suffer at the end, making her experience "the greatest loss", by killing her as soon as she acquired a human body, now that she has the ability to wholly feel pain. While acknowledging that what she suffered for millions of years during the events of Lobotomy Corporation was terrible, and that his pain is nothing but dust compared to that, Roland still vowed to make the City, and by extension, her, suffer for stealing Angelica away, much like Angela did by rejecting Ayin's plan.
Angela, having finally gained a human body, feels the sting of betrayal, unable to say anything for a few moments before she timidly says she wanted somebody to pay her suffering, that she unable to do anything else and filled by an overwhelming desire to make them all pay. Baffled, Roland answers that if he knew the answers to any of that, he wouldn't have helped her come this far, but he knew one thing for sure: this is all the result of attempting to wash blood with blood. Grief-stricken and with tears in his eyes, he condemns Angela to make her suffer the same sorrow he did, having taken Angelica — his true love — away from him; watching as he killed the people he knew, even his own friend Olivier; suppressing everything he felt in the form of a pained smile. Declaring that he's done with that facade now, Roland is determined to do everything he can to make Angela suffer the most painful death possible, right before she took the final step to her freedom, to rob her of it all.
Stammering and hurt, Angela feebly tries to justify her actions with the same reasons she had given all along: that she wanted to be compensated for her suffering in L Corp, that the Library's methods weren't forceful and the Guests came from their own volition. Roland is simply amused at how Angela seemed to hesitate at the very end, before coming to the conclusion that she simply doesn't want to give up all the power, knowledge, and her proper life as a human now. He then shoots down her excuses, pointing out that was the same reasoning she had when she had taken the Light in the White Nights and Dark Days, using it to kill all who came to the Library in what they considered a fair price for their lives. Roland accuses her of never having stopped to think of the consequences of her own actions, after all, that's how she's always ever been, not caring about anybody other than her own self.
Nonetheless, Roland can't bring himself to fully blame Angela, her suffering is just how the City has ever been and how it works, saying "That's that, and this is this". With that, he places his perception-blocking mask on, declaring he will kill her with the mindset of the City's folk: all he needs to do is kill Angela and exact his revenge; all Angela needs to do is kill him and reach for her freedom, adding that, for her own sake, Angela must stop getting any ideas and just stick to her desire for freedom and vengeance. The screen fades to black, and in a low voice, Roland recites "Prayer for Loving Sorrow" to himself.
Aftermath
Bloodied and exhausted, Roland falls to his knees, calling both himself and Angela "dimwitted egoists, their sight limited by their own selfishness, fools chasing immediate results". He adds that their own logic that dictated their decisions was destined to be their downfall one day; had any of them actually cared for themselves, neither would've made this choice, after all, selfishness isn't simply keeping your eyes to yourself, but also taking a good look at everything around them and engraving it on their hearts. He then requests Angela to kill him and claim the human life she spent so long working for, and that hesitating like this is a bad habit that would get her killed in the City, giving her one final choice: To either finish him and finally reach for the one perfect book, or spare his life, letting go of her grief.
Note: What happens next is decided by whether or not you've completed the Floor Realizations.
Reject Roland, and Angela will embrace this sorrow to grasp at freedom. - Angela Ending
This path is automatically chosen if the player failed to complete the Lower Layer and Hokma's Realizations.
Angela, unwilling to let go of the trauma that's guided her, bids Roland goodbye, supposing this must be another sorrow she must overcome. He, in turn, accepts his fate at her hands, as the people of the City look at their own agonies and nothing else, and congratulates her for finally becoming human. Angela hesitates for a moment, tearing up before thanking Roland for his work, who notes that is rare seeing Angela crying before being booked.
The scene fades to black, with Angela talking to herself: she has finally achieved her goal of becoming human and attaining her freedom, declaring "with eyes that can shed tears, I shall laugh as I watch the City cry". With the immense knowledge the one perfect book gave her, she gave physical form to the Abnormalities to wreak havoc, she gave full consciousness and flesh to the former employees of L Corp, and killed the Sephirah by giving them fully human bodies.
The scene cuts once again, this time to Angela having cornered the remaining Patron Librarians, gloating they "should accept their fate and return to Books" now that it's truly pointless to oppose her within the Library. Hod is horrified at the deaths of Malkuth, Yesod and Netzach, while Gebura and Chesed note the gruesome path she has decided to take, something that Angela justifies as simply something she must've done long ago, lamenting that maybe if she didn't try to make a deal with them during the White Nights and Dark Days, she wouldn't have felt the heart-rending sorrow she was going through. Hokma labels Angela as "truly unwise", having given new life to the Sephirah, only to take it away once again, another of many choice she regretted that brought her to this. Angela tries to justify herself again, adding that if the Sephirah didn't choose to stand against her, she wouldn't have harmed them in any way. This brings Binah to interrupt, noting that even though Angela now has the human body and freedom she sought for so long, she will not take a single step outside the Library, clearly in grief from Roland's death and having learned how wretched the City truly is. She simply answers that it's just the fickle nature of the human mind, much to Binah's amusement, before readying herself to face her in "their last dance together".
The screen fades to black again, with Angela cursing Ayin now that his dream, the reason she had been tortured for so long has plummeted to the ground and failed. She then asks herself why did she wish for a human body in the first place, being nothing but a burden in her vengeance and naming herself "a Librarian who watches the fall of the City from the ivory tower she erected", and that she shall devour all knowledge and life in the City.
The scene fast forwards to 13 years later: The Library encroached on the southern quarter of the City, growing violently and unstoppable and enriching itself with more and more knowledge with every kill. Angela describes it as a light shining over the City, having been demoted to a Star of the City. She sits upon a throne on a mountain of books; a nameless Fixer appears at the step, having fought through the Abnormalities at her command, calling her by the epithet "Librarian of Death". Angela congratulates them, while the Fixer mentions the blind faith they had in her, having killed many of her own "Bookhunter" colleagues and cites "A monster should behave as one". Angela simply responds that many more people shall die in the future, having learned the secrets of humanity hidden away in the City. The Fixer simply agrees, congratulating Angela for her work, before she allows them to kill her, giving her thanks for finally setting her free.
The screen fades to black once again, Angela somberly says that even the brightest star will fade someday, slain by man, just like any other star, citing a small fragment of "Sky, Wind, Star, and Poem" to herself:
"As tonight, again the stars are brushed away by the wind."
Forgive Roland, and Angela will let go of it all to turn everything back to how it was.
The millennia of solitude Angela had experienced in L Corp flash before her eyes, making her stop for a moment, while Roland sarcastically comments that if she keeps going for a bit longer, he'd take her head as soon as she lowered her guard. Stuttering and vulnerable, Angela decides to spare Roland, letting go of everything, determined to finally break the cycle of suffering, even when she became part of it through the Library. She declares that if her freedom meant perpetuating that cycle, repeating the same horrible deeds she had done, she could not live that life further, crushed under the cycle once again, the freedom she wanted to attain was meaningless in the City.
Roland is completely baffled, he cannot believe that after all she's done she has decided to let go at the last moment, who sarcastically asks if she was hit by a big revelation. Outraged, he asks what will become of all the people that faced certain death in the Library, who he reluctantly killed with his own hands; all his determination and despair would've been for nothing, screaming that Angela must have a desire; the cycle can't simply be broken so easily, specially when somebody has taken this much blood and power to not even have a full-fledged wish.
Angela explains that she feels the weight of all their sacrifices, having become unbearable, even though when she believed this would be the last time she'd have to kill in the name of what she believed was something greater, but notes that she could never be free as long as she was chained to the cycle of violence of the City; she, Roland, and the Library itself soaked in the blood of many. Even though she convinced herself that it was one last inevitable sacrifice, for the sake of her freedom and closure to her pain, the cycles of the City are powered by those sacrifices, crushing everything in their path. She decided that even if she has to snuff out her wish by her own hand, if she had to spill more blood, she'd let go of her goal, or at least, refuse to die being part of the cycle.
Roland whispers that it can't simply be done like that, stating "If one extorts once and again and again, what would they do if they lack the resolve to finish the job?". Angela answers that she will let go of all the knowledge that the Library has captured, maybe that way those who died within the Library could be brought back. Bewildered, he asks if that's really what she wishes for, now that she's finally free and do whatever she wishes for, emphasizing on the million years she spent, waiting for revenge, and now her deepest wish is within her reach. Angela answers that this is a decision she made by her own will, the first wish and the last choice she'd take since she "became free of all restraints". In a low voice, Roland repeats that she won't forgive her; she can't simply let go of everything by her own hand, that's not how things work in the City.
Angela asks Roland for one last favor: Since releasing everything the Library had obtained won't be a simple feat, she asks him to leave her be for a moment, leaving herself vulnerable for a while, weighting on that she's asking for this as a friend, at least, is he still considered her his friend. Angela adds that she won't stop him, but after she's finished, everything will go to the way it was, and she'll disappear from the City without a trace.
The screen fades to black, with Roland asking himself how could Angela feasibly lay down everything she had worked for, how she can simply cut everything off before anyone else, before being faced with another choice:
Snub Angela, and Roland will exact revenge with this last step. - Roland Ending
This path is automatically chosen if the player failed to complete the Middle Layer and Binah's Realizations.
Roland, unable to comprehend how Angela could let go of her wish to become human despite all she's done due to his own trauma, dashes at her while repeating she can't simply put an end to everything she has done, screaming out "it's not something you can decide on your own!" before decapitating her in a single swing when her guard was lowered. Speaking to her dead body, he tells that his choice to give her a painless death, rather than torment her as he had originally planned was his last consideration towards her as a friend.
Roland calls out Angelica's name, finally having achieved his revenge as the Library crumbles apart before him along with Angela. All the people within the Library's books fade away along with it in an dream-like fashion, until all that remains is Roland standing before the bleeding machine. With that, Roland walks away, sinking into the City once again. News of the Roland's return soon spreads across the City, with three fellow Fixers of Charles' Office—Ogier, Naimon and Renaud—surprised about hearing from him, Naimon believing he'd quietly wind up dead. Renaud differs, believing that he had made too many enemies to handle, and he'd eventually be killed sooner or later. When Naimon asks what he has been doing, Ogier sadly remarks that he's fallen deep into drugs and alcohol, taking dirty jobs "as if he was possessed". Renaud remarks that he's changed too much to be worth seeing, with Naimon adding that nobody can go for long without changing: themselves, for example.
The scene fast forwards, with the screen cutting to Roland's corpse drifting down a gutter, with numerous weapons digging into his back: A club that belonged to a stranger; a limb that belonged to a nemesis; a dagger that belonged to a colleague; a lance that belonged to a friend. Roland describes those weapons being the culmination of his karma, and while Astolfo sadly notes his fate as a man who has been consumed by sorrow and vengeance as his corpse sinks into the black silence of the depths, he cites the last fragment of "Prayer for Loving Sorrow":
"I know that in the day of my final agony, you will be there, lying on my sheets, O sorrow, so that you might once again attempt to enter my heart."
Forgive Angela. - That’s This, and This is That
As all of Roland's pain flashes before him and decides to leave Angela, the Library bursts into a pillar of Light, giving path to the final Realization.
Achievements
| Name and Icon | Desc | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Gone Angels | Complete the reception of  the Black Silence.
|
Defeat Roland. |
| Foreword | Roland was rejected. Angela could not forgive him. | Fail to complete the Lower Layer and Hokma's Realizations, or choose "Reject Roland, and Angela will embrace this sorrow to grasp at freedom." |
| Prière pour aimer la douleur | Angela was snubbed. Roland could not forgive her. | Fail to complete the Middle Layer and Binah's Realizations, or choose "Snub Angela, and Roland will exact revenge with this last step." |
| That’s This, and This is That | Roland and Angela chose to forgive each other. | Complete all nine Floor Realizations, and choose both "Forgive Roland, and Angela will let go of it all to turn everything back to how it was." and "Forgive Angela." |
Gallery
Background
Phase 2 Background
Phase 3 Background
Phase 4 Background
Portraits
Roland with his Perception-blocking Mask.
Other
Weapons of the Black Silence
The distorted weaponry of the black silence, as seen in his phase 4.
Trivia
- The poem Roland quotes before his reception (and in fragments after his Floor Realizations) is called "Prayer for Loving Sorrow", a poem originating from the collection Le Deuil des Primevères (The Mourning of Primulas) in 1901. The poem is quoted primarily by Roland (though Binah also quotes it in both Lobotomy Corporation and Ruina), which is appropriate, given Roland's revenge and suffering.
- Gone Angels, a song by ProjectMili, is played during the last two phases of his Reception. It represents Roland's conflict between his revenge and friendship with Angela, and his trauma with the loss of Angelica thanks to The Pianist.
- Roland is actually the second Black Silence, with the first was his love Angelica. Thanks to his Perception-blocking Mask however, people mistook him for her.[4] His only weapon before acquiring the gloves of the Black Silence was Durandal
- The "Memory" Combat pages Roland uses in the 4th and 5th phases are associated with several Guests the Library invited and killed, and they are also somehow associated with Roland. For a further note, the Dice of those pages are similar to their signature pages'.
- Memory - Yun’s Office -- Finn, a new 9-Grade Fixer of
Yun’s Office Roland killed, he expressed a glimmer of guilt for killing such a newbie. Its dice and effects are similar to Struggle. - Memory - Dawn Office, Memory - Zwei Association, Memory - Shi Association -- Salvador, the Operator of
Dawn Office, Walter, the Director of 
Zwei Association South Section 6 and Yujin, director of 
Shi Association South Section 2 are all old acquaintances of Roland. The dice and effects of the Pages are similar to Crack of Dawn, Retaliate, and Extreme Edge. - Memory - Love Town, Memory - Liu Association -- Tomerry, an amalgamation of WARP Train UW-212 Passengers Tommy and Merry, who decided to merge in an effort to not be seperated from each other, and later considered as a "citizen" of the
Love Town. Xiao, the Director of 
Liu Association Section 1, who decided to avenge her lover Lowell in the Library despite the heavy prices. Both Guests represents love, which Roland lacks before and after he had Angelica. The dice and effects of the Pages are similar to Wrath of Torment and Chī Wěn. - Memory - Hana Association, Memory - The Purple Tear, Memory - The Blue Reverberation -- Olivier, former Charles' Office Fixer, current
Hana Association Section 3 Fixer, Iori, the Color Fixer titled 
The Purple Tear and Argalia, the Color Fixer titled 
The Blue Reverberation. They are closely related to Roland, as they are his old friend & colleague, teacher and Brother-in-Law. The dice and effects of the Pages are similar to Divinatory Impact, Duel, and Allegro.
- Memory - Yun’s Office -- Finn, a new 9-Grade Fixer of
References
- ↑ Library Of Ruina Art Book Vol. II pg. 13: "The Black Silence’s gloves are more than just dimensional weapon storage. When the Black Silence shows up, the gloves muffle all sound in the surroundings other than the Black Silence’s weapons cutting through the air. The logo has a ECG pulse trace going flat to reflect this." (Developer's Note from director Kim Jihoon)
- ↑ LoR Artbook Vol. 2. p. 85. "[Roland's mask] makes eyewitnesses perceive the wearer as little more than a random passerby grazing past the corners of their sight. That's why most people were unable to recognize Roland when he was using his wife's gloves, mistaking him for the Black Silence."
- ↑ Gebura Cutscene 5
- ↑ LoR Artbook Vol. 2. p. 85. "[Roland's mask] makes eyewitnesses perceive the wearer as little more than a random passerby grazing past the corners of their sight. That's why most people were unable to recognize Roland when he was using his wife's gloves, mistaking him for the Black Silence."
