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He only had time to carve himself a marker before he died.

So the bones we saw along the way are all...

The bones of humans.

Only human beings would use value and meaning to paralyze themselves... To climb Karlan, to walk to Her side, to witness Her existence, they are willing to give their lives.

The Saintess's right hand brushes against the worn wooden marker, completing its master's last wish.

Cold wind sweeps past her fingertips, as if urging her to grab hold of something. She lifts her head towards the snow-capped peaks, as her ears catch the sound of a young woman laughing...

Elder, did you hear—

She swallows down her unfinished question. The laughter echoes between the mountains, then fades, until it becomes nothing more than memory.

I didn't hear anything.

Please proceed, Saintess.

Enya hesitates for a moment before nodding, continuing onwards towards the darkening horizon, towards the peaks laden with thick snow.

The wind picks up, tangling itself in the Saintess's clothes. It leaves behind snow stuck to her brow, like how it sticks to the withered trees she walks past.

You need to try harder, we can't keep up with Enya if I have to keep pulling you—

Hah... Hah... We're only... two steps behind... No need to stand so close...

...Oh, right.

Just now... they were talking to something... right?

Hmm... I think I saw it too.

But there's nothing here except snow and rocks... Whatever, doesn't matter.

Elena forces herself forward a few more steps. Behind her, the snow where she stepped is suffused with a deep blue glow.

At the same time, she has the faint sensation of someone watching her, though the only one by her side is Joanna, gritting her teeth as she pulls at Elena's arm.

The billowing wind has numbed her brain. It must have been her imagination. As the thought runs through her mind, Elena hears a sigh.

...You took it upon yourself to enter a gamble you are fated to lose.

Saintess.

This is...

Indeed.

The depths of the mountains... The location of the Heart of Karlan.

I did as you asked, Enya! I dragged her all the way here!

(Quietly) We're here, don't just stand there.

Huh...?

...Wait, this, no, it can't be!

Elena puts all her strength into shaking her head and patting her cheeks before taking out a bevy of instruments, waving them against the cave wall.

It is an ordinary cave, one that can be seen anywhere in Kjerag. Its only unusual property is its proximity to Mount Karlan's peak. Enya heads deeper within, her breathing picking up pace as she does.

The deepest part of the cave is only a hundred meters from the entrance, barely wide enough to fit five or six men. The rocks are covered in a thin layer of moss and lichen, and the air is permeated with the humid scent of fungi and soil.

You are not the first who wished to find Her, and neither was I.

My greatest wish during my youth was to witness Her true form, to prostrate myself before Her. And so, I checked every book in the Hall of Writings, read every line of every poem, all to find proof of Her existence.

Many before me have left behind records and analyses. One mentioned this place, the only cave atop Mount Karlan.

I followed the endless, rugged mountain trails before finally finding myself here.

The records say that the clerics of the Court once sought refuge in the depths of Karlan.

Just so.

Perhaps you still recall the story of the Saintess who roused Kjeragandr.

According to legend, when Kjeragandr sent divine punishment, the Vine-Bead Court chose a hundred girls in succession to ascend the mountain and pray. The last of the girls was the one who quelled Her fury.

But in truth, that final girl was the daughter of a clan leader, which incited the great clans to ally and lay siege to the Court.

During the massacre, the surviving clerics fled here, after which came the so-called 'miracle'. Peace returned to Kjerag.

And how would you explain this 'miracle'?

Look at Kjerag as it is now, and the answer shall be clear. Who has ever heard of a war that came to an end for no reason?

If even the murder of a girl can transform into a sublime 'miracle', so too can political compromise become the stuff of legend.

Murder... So that is how you see the actions of the Court of old.

Indeed. To use murder to seek comfort, to allow ignorance to spur on the heart. This is the bloody debt the Court has borne in the name of 'Kjeragandr'.

With no god to promise us eternity, our every step is on thin ice, with no room for inattention.

I have brought you here to learn the truth behind Kjeragandr, Saintess.

And now... I shall wait for you, no matter how long you struggle to process it.

Enya! Come over here, quick!

This pile of rocks at the deepest part of the cave doesn't seem natural. It's more like a door that someone built.

...The clerics of old made this place into a sanctuary. Finding things here is hardly strange.

In other words... Behind this 'door' is most likely the hiding place of the ancient clerics, and a place where countless secrets of Kjerag are hidden...

What is more likely is that behind that door, you will find absolutely nothing.

Then let us bear witness, Elder Adso.

Enya half-shuts her eyes as she walks past the old man droning on about history, slowly approaching the end of the cave.

She takes a deep breath, then presses her body against the cave wall, like a reunion hug after a long time away.

Soil sticks to her hands and cheeks, moss pokes out from under her hair. It is as if she were fast asleep atop the earth.

I... can feel it.

According to my readings, Enya, behind this super-thin rock wall, there seems to be a giant cavern.

But there's no other way in... I can blow this door open, if we have to.

Wait, this is holy ground—

Do it.

Wha—Enya?!

O Kjeragandr above...

Pardon the intrusion, it's all in the name of truth!