One More Knight

Solid Snake on the Miracle of Sinj
(Codec call between Snake and Otacon – serious tone, historical gravity mixed with stealth philosophy)

Snake:
Otacon, you ever hear about the Battle of Sinj?

Otacon:
Can’t say I have. What is it, another black ops mission?

Snake (gravel voice):
Not exactly. It was 1715. My ancestors were cornered—outnumbered by the Ottoman Empire. 60,000 strong. The people of Sinj were just a few hundred. Farmers. Militiamen. The city was supposed to fall in a day.

Otacon:
Let me guess… it didn’t?

Snake:
No. It didn’t. And they say it was because of her—the Virgin Mary.

Otacon:
You mean a miracle?

Snake:
Yeah. The defenders prayed. Held up an image of the Madonna above the city. And the Ottomans… retreated. Some say it was fear. Others say it was her.

Otacon:
That sounds… mythical.

Snake:
Everything’s a myth until it’s not. I’ve seen machines mimic gods and men pretend to be monsters. But sometimes… sometimes faith is the only armor you’ve got. The Virgin Mary didn’t fire a single shot. But she broke an army.

Otacon:
So what are you saying, Snake?

Snake:
I’m saying there are powers out there the Patriots couldn’t program. AI can’t decode grace. And no genome project can map out a miracle.

They tried to conquer everything—our minds, our memories, even our souls. But they couldn’t conquer her. And because of that, my hometown still stands.

Sinj is free… because she stood watch.