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Long have you walked the land, Kal'tsit. The changes in the sky would not have escaped your attention.

The Seaborn raises its head slightly, gazing up with its non-existent eyes. Perhaps a habit from the time it still had them.

Above the dome, beyond the infinite water, something in the distance seems to have caught its attention.

Tell me, how long will it take for the hole to close again?

...I see.

Ægir was right. The Seaborn had a clear reason for leaving the ocean and invading the land.

You came because you noticed the change in the barrier.

I have seen through the eyes of we many who have ventured on land.

There is a ripple in the sky. The immutable veil has been torn open.

Your survival instincts have driven you to monitor every change in the environment... and the dangers they signify.

Dangers? Yes.

You are indeed sharp, Kal'tsit. Your program runs smoothly.

Our communication will be, effective.

The calamity that hangs above Terra. The eye that gazes upon us. Does it see the abnormality of the sky? Or has it already...

You understand Terra, Kal'tsit, and the crisis it faces.

You can. You must. Help we many understand, help we many evolve.

Am I hearing this correctly, Kal'tsit?;Rhodes Island came to eliminate you.

I sincerely hope this is the Seaborn's wishful thinking, rather than some kind of consensus you have, Dr. Kal'tsit.

Let it finish, Madame Consul.

The last chance is fleeting. The oceans of Terra are too small.

Knowledge. Nourishment. Space. We many must grow. We many require help.

You're not just trying to go on land?;You want to go into space?

Growing wings is not difficult, but insufficient. Going beyond the skies requires a revolution in the species' fundamental nature.

You have the knowledge, Kal'tsit. You help we many understand, and we overcome calamity.

Whatever their origin, the Seaborn are non-sapient creatures driven by instinct, ones that the Church fanatics have placed their unreasonable expectations on.

But you know far more than either of those two groups possibly could. How?

We are the same, Kal'tsit. You and we many, have the same duty.

Perhaps I should reframe the question...

How did the Seaborn evolve into what they are today? What do you have to do with Caerula Arbor going out of control?

Is the answer important to you?

I can speak of my own history, if it helps you understand my intention.

...We've waited two centuries for these answers.

What really happened in that failed expedition? What turned you into what you are now?

Failed? No. It was a success beyond our wildest dreams.

We penetrated the deepest layer of the mantle ruins for the first time.

The Predecessors carved open the rock and built massive, maze-like complexes reaching into the lower mantle. We'd never gone further than them, even after thousands of years of excavating.

The mantle ruins, the genesis of Ægir civilization. We thought we'd find more relics, more secrets, more answers there.

But all we had hoped for did not exist. All that was buried in those depths was a spark of hope.

...Go on.

I was separated from my team along the way. I was the only one to make it to the end of the path.

There, I saw...

A giant. Some massive thing sleeping in the shadow of the cerulean tree.

I did not see His entirety. A small part of His limb was enough to fill my entire vision.

That limb was touching the transparent wall of a sealed chamber. Perhaps He was waiting for contact, or perhaps...

Before I realized it, I was standing before Him and reaching out.

The wall of the chamber was cold, but I could feel His warmth. Then, visions surged towards me from every direction, inundating me.

A Feranmut shared its vision with you. What did you see?

Fallen cities under an oppressively hanging dome, the land aflame, the stargate extinguished, the Star Ring broken, the road network shattered...

The destruction of prehistoric civilization?

Yes. Ægir never discovered the reason for its destruction, but I saw a vision of it before my eyes.

Yet it was not the end. Visions continued to flow, visions far beyond my limited comprehension.

Eternally dispersing particles and oceans of sand that never ripple...

Cold, lightless plains and darkness without end...

Burnt-out stars and ever-expanding black holes...

Nothing there was familiar. I lost my senses, all of them, and even the Feranmut that shared vision with me could not sense His own existence...

It was an entirely alien place, without life, meaning, or information—

The Seaborn's words stop. Through its transparent skull, you can see the strangely colored nuclei gather, then disperse.

It seems to be thinking, and the nuclei represent the process of its thoughts.

But you, Kal'tsit, understand the meaning of those images.

...The crisis destroyed everything. It cannot be visualized; there is no word in our language to describe it.

It was the end of prehistoric civilization, and the calamity that Terra must face. It is the end of all things.

The horrifying images left me as I pulled my hand back, replaced by another image. One that was broken, blurred, chaotic.

He and His children shall devour all that is living, and consume the moons and the stars. All that is living and dead shall nourish Him, and He shall murmur at the end of time—

'Survive.'

Over and over. Survive.

'Chaotic', 'murmur'... was the Feranmut asleep?

He was trapped within a dream. The dream stagnated, evolution stagnated, duty stagnated. He was trapped in the cerulean cave.

Therefore, I must awaken Him.

Cassia!

Magister Avitus.

Did you and your comrades go into hiding in order to destroy the city from within? Waiting for when the Sea Patrol's guard was at its weakest?

You should be evacuating, Magister.

The Sea Patrol has noticed, Cassia. They're investigating you.

You're showing this much concern for me because that tiny embryo I left in the incubator reminded you of the past, am I right?

I'm just curious: Do you regret your decision?

Now is not the time for this.

The Seaborn have invaded Milliarium. Stop what you're doing, or the city will be lost.

Isn't it a little late for that?

Why did you...

Choose to betray Ægir?

I told you. The Seaborn have revealed the weakness of Ægir's very foundation. Before people can regain the will to live, the collapse of their values will have crushed them already.

Once, you were a great scholar. But what are you doing in this city now?

You found out about me a long time ago, didn't you? You had many chances to stop things from getting to this point. You could have reported me to the Sea Patrol at any time.

But you did nothing. You sat and waited, watching everything happen like a blind fin spinning in a whirlpool.

Did you come to Milliarium just to witness the destruction, and validate your own despair?

I'm not... I can still stop you.

As long as life remains tied to any value system, it is doomed to eventually collapse. Life itself should be reason enough to live.

We must rekindle our most basic survival instincts, and force the people to reassess the values they once held in such high regard.

Only by doing so can they be saved from despair. From becoming like you.

Like me...

Watch out!

(Cries and buzzes excitedly)

Hmph... Cassia got away.

The linkage here was sabotaged. No wonder it didn't work from the control room!

L-Leave this to me, ma'am.

The Seaborn are approaching.

My mentor at the Inquisition taught me some Arts... although my talents are nothing to write home about.

That woman worked at the Institute of Facility Management. She'd know how to sabotage the city unit framework...

I appreciate your courage, Jordi. I'll call in people to get this area under control. As for Cassia, she's mine.

(Rapidly flaps fins)