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The sea is black.

I was four or five at the time. Old Thiago, the mayor of Gran Faro, took an armed company of adults down to the coast.

I still remember what the weather was like back then. It was hazy and turbulent, and colder than most evenings despite still being afternoon. Its coldness was not a temperature, but rather a color. One that had lost its warmth.

I found out only later that that was the last time Gran Faro did maintenance work on the Eye of Iberia. Or rather, tried to.

The Penal Battalion quickly brought back news. There was dejection in the adults' faces, but I didn't fully understand what had happened. I simply stared at the junction between sea and sky in a daze.

The sea is black.

It perfectly suits this land devoid of hope.

Mayor Thiago is here!

So what old Pedri said was true, Amaia.

Even if I wished to deny it, I'd be quickly silenced by the reality in front of our eyes.

But, what kind of person could slay a monster, then off-handedly toss it here?

I hope you'll let me handle this.

That...

If we don't dispose of it properly, I'm afraid it could become a danger down the road. Besides, is this not a rare opportunity to study a Sea Terror?

...Very well. But I'll be coming with you.

None of us know exactly what this thing is just yet, and we certainly can't rule out the possibility that its blood might attract more of its kind.

No objections here.

With me, lads. Move aside, so I can wrap up this body—

...Well, it's not as heavy as it looks. So where to, Amaia?

Follow me.

Don't just stand there gaping. Hurry on home now, people.

Are we really not going to report this to the Inquisition? What do we do if more monsters show up?

There's no need to get them involved.

But—

I said, we don't need 'em!

Ugh...

Thiago.

This town doesn't need the Penal Battalion interfering just yet. We'll handle things our own way.

If the Inquisition sent its people here and saw this thing, you'd never see another peaceful day in Gran Faro. Do you really not understand that?

But— Never mind, forget it.

Let's go, Amaia.

We're really just going to listen to him?

Old Thiago's hatred for the Inquisition goes back more than a day or two, but if something really were to happen without the Penal Battalion here, who's gonna fight the monsters? Us?

Plus, there've been more and more outsiders lately. It's like Thiago doesn't even see them. If they were to blend in with the outsiders...

I knew it, we really should send someone to the Inquisition! How are we supposed to explain all this if someone from the Penal Battalion does show up? I don't want to get branded a heretic!

Miss Amaia... and what's with that author over there...?

Let's touch base with the other members of AUS first. I feel like we can't just ignore all this.

Is the chapel normally this deserted? What happened to your God and your faith?

Not every Iberian is a practicing Lateran. Miss Alty, the town has become quite dangerous, and I need to ensure your safety until Dr. Kal'tsit arrives.

Might as well put on a show here then. Some music would help calm everyone's nerves.

Haha, that's not what I meant.

Then calm down. Let me take a stab at what I think happened.

Uhh...

Hmm... I saw... some kind of sea creature. Right, you guys called it a Sea Terror. Whether the Iberians or Kal'tsit were first to call it that doesn't really matter to me.

A Sea Terror beneath a cruelly dry sky, its observant and analytical scales with nowhere to belong. It knows very well that this is not its home. It lives, back home.

I've got it! That Sea Terror was probably hung high up on that sculpture, and it was singing the latest wave of rock-'n'-roll. Right?

...It wasn't hung up there. Nor was it singing. But you got like eighty or ninety percent of it down.

You've surprised me again, Miss Alty. Was that your Arts?

Who's to say that death itself isn't just another kind of song? That's what it taught me. And it's a real travesty of nature that the beauty of it can't be appreciated across species.

What do you think?

Fortunately, such an artform is not required by all organisms.

D-Dr. Kal'tsit! How come I couldn't get a hold of you this whole time...?

Long story short, I'm under the surveillance of the Iberian Inquisition in exchange for their trust.

We don't have much time, but the task before us is grave. Operator Elysium, go keep an eye on the two who took the Sea Terror's body away. I need to speak with Alty alone.

...Understood.

Here's a communicator. You should already be familiar with my Originium Arts, so you can also, uh, pass it on to your colleagues.

Will do.

I know you prefer to keep handovers quick and efficient, but let me say this: I'm so relieved that you're safe and sound.

If I discover anything, I'll report back right away. Heading out.

Mm. Appreciate it.

Long time no see, Doctor.

Miss Alty.

Sorry for making you come all this way. I understand this involves putting yourselves at risk to some extent.

So why are you under surveillance? You couldn't just cut a deal with them?

Time is short, and Iberia's paranoia masquerading as piety prevents me from meeting with the Inquisition's upper echelons.

Hmm... Are you in a hurry?

The other countries still do not understand what we are dealing with. They are unable to comprehend how a vast, mighty land in its Golden Age disappeared into the Silence.

And I... may as well have witnessed it with my own eyes.

Fair enough.

Where are the others?

We rarely get to go on a tour, so let them enjoy some free time. What you want is right here.

I came to you for the same reason as last time.

That said, I have little love for the sea these days. Especially after hearing what you had to say about it.

Hopefully you've had enough time to make up your mind.

Before we get to that, Doctor... Doesn't it seem like you've been working on... let's call it your bedside manner?

Like, uh, an X-ray machine with a voice greeting?

Whoops. Put my foot in my mouth again. You should already be used to that though, right?

But how quaint indeed. I didn't think anything could possibly change the way you dealt with people. Or should I say, your 'personality.'

There's always something.

Alright. Maybe I'd rather not pry into your personal affairs...

...He's here. He's still here, and it's not just him. There's more. The scent of the sea. Since when were there so many Ægir in this little town?

The Inquisition planned it.

Maybe. Maybe even now, at this very moment, there are still Inquisitors, their heads addled with their ignorant laws, intent on continuing their self-righteous deeds.

When did you have the time to wrap yourself up after escaping from the enemy?

...An Ægir helped me.

A friend?

No, just... an Ægir who loves the sea.

What do we do about our brother's body?

It's currently in the hands of Amaia and Thiago. We'll have to figure something out.

We ought to prepare a funeral for it.

A funeral is a human ritual, not ours.

Amaia has said that we should live the way our hearts dictate. Pure in desire, pure in worship, just as those ignorant Inquisitors treat their own faith.

Would that not make us equally ignorant?

Ignorance is a part of our very nature we have yet to throw away. We have not yet become them.

Sophistry.

That, I can't deny. But do you wish to see the land-dwellers torment the corpse of our brother?

Long have we lived on land, with no Herald to guide us. All we can do is seek out our own way of embracing the ocean.

But before that... we should give our brother a proper burial. We ought to mourn any senseless death.

Who would be able to slay this creature with such ease? Thiago?

What?