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It's the Kaiserinnen's melody.

Grimmacht and Ewigegnade have made their move.

Do what you need to, Viviana.

...We'll do our part as well.

Golden light floods out from the Gesatzswächter's sword and armor.

As the light engulfs him, the other Gesatzswächter respond to the empresses' melody.

Beams of Arts shoot towards the sky from every corner, drawing closer together and joining up.

The sky is covered in black, but an even brighter cloud rises from the ground.

Under the golden arch, the sound of an organ gently covers those beneath the Twin Spires, while the violin's passionate, soaring notes pierce the roiling clouds like a sword.

Dozens of hands weave thousands of threads, plucking at the melody in the sky and the wind, making them even clearer.

The Twin Empresses, the Gesatzswächter, and the Liches.

All the guardians of Leithanien stand together against its former king, now returning from the void.

The chaos grows.

Only the Kaiserinnen's melody can fight Herkunftshorn.

Melody?

Organ, violin... and cello.

I can't hear the cello.

It's a part of the noise. Not at all like ordinary music.

Your ears are accustomed to hearing music, but mine are equally receptive to all forms of sound.

The conclusion is clear.

Arturia has escaped from prison.

(Piercing noise)

...What <i>is</i> this? The falling black flame... it's standing up like a human?

Is it the work of Originium Arts, or...

The unfortunate truth is...

I probed them with witchcraft, and there are fragments of human emotion contained in the Arts energy within.

Are they still alive?

Of course not.

Even we, who deal with death on a daily basis, couldn't survive with neither a body or a soul.

What we're seeing are merely shadows of their former lives. Or as the fanatics would put it, 'echoes.'

...Good for them? I guess their dream came true.

It's not good news.

Normally, such echoes can only exist in... how do I put this... a space where flesh and blood cannot exist. Or anything else tangible.

Where there is no concept of life or death, no passage of time. The only thing that can survive there is information.

Under normal circumstances, 'echoes' are simply trails of information that exist only as a lingering illusion.

But the emotions I felt in that black flame were flowing.

Get to the point.

You're as impatient as a block of wood.

Fine, fine, you're not Liches. Long story short, reality is being encroached upon, and Herkunftshorn has really spruced up that little pocket dimension of his. His consciousness probably lives on within.

So... you said you could send us up.

Absolutely.

But are you sure about this? Like I said, no one's ever been inside, other than Herkunftshorn.

If he can 'exist' there, why couldn't I? Might as well try.

Ah, to be young and daring.

After dealing with boring, depressed old folks and the mercenaries of Kazdel for so long, I forgot you Leithanians could be interesting.

Unfortunately, not even Liches have a way to send the living into that space.

Entering the Genesis Horn requires a stable connection between the two dimensions. It's like me calling out to my teacher, and him answering in response.

Could the bleating of these masked loonies actually wake him?

Absolutely not.

The old man spent over a decade trying everything he could think of, from ancient Sarkaz witchcraft to the latest Leithanian Arts, all to no avail.

He even tried bringing the temple of the Liches directly to Zwillingstürme, until the other masters came together to stop him.

Can you tell where the source of the problem is?

It's right in front of us. The Twin Empresses' Spires.

Would you like me to Exile the Twin Spires along with everybody inside? I mean, I could. It's not even hard. I could Exile all of Zwillingstürme if you want.

If that was a joke, it's not funny.

Fine. Then when it comes down to it, you won't be relying on us Liches to act, right?

Your Gesatzswächter have drawn the curtains. What would they do if the Genesis Horn goes out of control, to the point where even the Twin Empresses couldn't stop it?

...They'd destroy the Twin Spires, along with the entire amphitheater.

(Piercing noise)

Here it comes again.

The remnants of the Witch King... They just won't leave me alone, even in death.

Ermengarde and I will take care of matters here.

Go to the Twin Empresses Spires and find the path into the Genesis Horn.

Take this.

What's this? A cloth knot? No mementos, please; I don't need them.

It's a communicator, not a memento.

The Liches use threads to communicate with each other. I don't know Sarkaz witchcraft, so I have to rely on a physical object.

Pull the knot lightly, like this, and Ermengarde and I will receive the message.

You'd better.

Don't worry, he'll be fine. Maybe a little mortally wounded, but I can fix that.

Now go and face what you need to, Ebenholz. Everything I need to protect is below.

Besides, someone needs to watch your back and keep your escape route open.

Alright, I'll try to come back alive.

I know you will.

You too.

Who goes there?

A Sankta... and an Imperial caster?

Hallo, my name is Viviana Droste.

The Imperial casters are all on the bridge below, fighting Herkunftshorn alongside the Kaiserinnen. I didn't expect to run into anyone on this floor.

...Operator Ebenholz.

Wait, you're also with Rhodes Island? Hah, what are the odds?

I am an executor of Laterano's Notarial Hall. We have a cleaning agreement with Rhodes Island.

I was permitted to access some operator records while aboard the landship.

Rhodes Island...?

I have a few friends with a lot of history with that place.

Does that mean we're on the same side?

(Piercing noise)

They've caught up.

Do you hear it?

Above, near the top...

Ja, it's getting clearer.

A cello?

Yes. It is Arturia's music.

A grayish rain falls on the balcony, flowing backwards before it can touch Arturia's strings and forming a cloud before her.

Or rather, a smoke ring.

I knew the Arts of those Caprinae couldn't stop my smoke ring.

And here I thought my first audience member would be my obsessed little brother.

Enough, little angel. No one wants to hear you play.

I thought you wished to enter the Genesis Horn, Herr Fremont.

The Austere Authority, too... You all want to clean up Herkunftshorn's grim legacy, but deep down, you harbor other desires.