Глава 15

Maybe you're right. The cruelty behind the happiness, the joy behind the suffering. We've experienced it all ourselves.

I'll admit, I shared these wondrous stories with Theresa, and she was just as amazed as I was.

She always hoped that everyone in Kazdel... no, in all the lands would have the chance to experience such a life. She did her best to see it come true.

We can't let things slide back, Doctor.

There may come a day that Rhodes Island will be able to see this beauty flourish across the land.

So, what next?

'Deep Dive'.

The intact data stored within DWDB-221E is decoded by the singularity and exported in a moderated and suitable format as information.

However, Amiya on her own will not be able to break through the limits of the baseline logic.

...Am I a special case, then?

I am not certain, but the possibility is there.

But how are we supposed to get close to the information once it's exported?

Forgive me, Amiya, but I have no further information on this topic.

I will search through the clues Kal'tsit left behind, and sort anything that may be of use to you so that it is easier to find.

Perhaps we could build a bridge?

A bridge?

A bridge to the singularity.;A bridge to knowledge.;Hasn't Kal'tsit already pointed the way for us?

Has anyone done something like that before?

There is no precedent in the records.

...It's worth a try, either way.

Then you must be aware of the risks. The closer you get to the singularity, the denser the information will become. You may possibly experience it gaining mass.

Information with mass?

It is possible here, yes.

It is also possible that information not yet fully decoded will flood into your mind and destroy it.

And a destroyed mind means...

Death.

(Unknown language) Don't mind me, traveler. I'm simply watching yet another bout of destruction is all.

(Unknown language) Hierda. That's your name, right?

Did you just say my name?

I don't know whatever language you're speaking in at all. Also, how'd you know—

As the Cautus passes by the porthole, she sees the figure out in the darkness of space slowly approach the ship, then disappear from her sights.

Who is that, Raydistorter?

(Fervent singing) ♪—♪—♪—

—Is something wrong?!

There's not many of us who like her!

Sorry, traveler, I simply can't handle being in the same room as her.

If my friends saw this, they'd give me the cold shoulder because of it too.

When the bewildered Cautus snaps out of it, she finds herself the only person in the cabin. Upon foreseeing the arrival of an unwelcome soul, everyone else had made themselves scarce.

Then the Cautus sees her.

No need to look so amazed. I learned how to communicate using long-distance resonance a while ago.

At the very least, before destroying that odd race, I kept the unique language patterns they had evolved.

...D-Destroying?

(Sighs)

Do you detest destruction as well, our newly-come guest?

I... am not too sure what happened, to be honest.

It's nothing too complicated. My people once ate stars to live. Others may hate us for it, but it's simply our survival instinct at work.

But now, that past only exists in horror stories passed around the metaphorical campfire.

My people are on the brink of extinction. I fear I may be the last of my kind, in fact.

We destroy to live, but when true destruction finally bears down upon us, we are powerless in the face of it...

From that point onwards, I have become nothing more than a beggar. With the aid of some geniuses, I have changed the method I use to obtain the energy I need to live—

It sounds like... You've been trying to blend in with other lifeforms too.

So when you were out in space looking at that dead planet, were you reminiscing about the destruction you experienced?

Reminiscing?

Haha, nothing of the sort.

Everyone here has accepted the ruination chasing us with serenity and hope in their hearts.

The Cautus has never thought that oncoming doom, especially one pressing down on their neck, could be something to be accepted calmly.

I-I could never be so indifferent if I had to live through everyone and everything I love being destroyed.

I don't understand how you—

It's not indifference, but instead a belief in the absolute equality of the universe. It's a shame you arrived just a little bit late.

This ship had just encountered a star going supernova several thousand light-years away and made a smooth withdrawal.

If you see that sight with your own eyes, perhaps you will understand my meaning.

The instruments in the hall begin to spin rapidly, until they are moving too fast for the Cautus to see with the naked eye.

Then, she sees a multitude of lights and shadows appear and float through the air.

I see a giant sphere emitting a deep, dark red light, and a small indigo dot speeding across its surface.

But... it seems like it's the big sphere rotating around the blue dot?

The one you call the 'blue dot' is the pulsar that just went supernova I mentioned.

The red star which is gradually being torn apart is its partner, now doomed to die as well.

They once harbored many interesting primitive lifeforms. I have many fond memories of wandering through the planets of that star system.

It's a pity they were snuffed out before they could see the world beyond the sky.

...Why are you showing this to me?

Simply sharing the knowledge we have with you, traveler.

One-sided paranoia and ignorance are often barriers to effective information transfer. I have no knowledge of your history, either.

The Cautus has barely had the time to comprehend these words before suddenly, her newly-acquired knowledge begins to assault her mind.

The land... may see life be born twice? These stars fallen from the sky... can harbor life of their own?

Ruination's end... is not despair.

We're... not special, when it comes to the land?

A celestial body that can sustain life loves all that live upon it equally, no matter where they hail from. This is a law of nature.

Don't be too greedy in lapping up that knowledge you can't fully understand yet.

I saw you among all that information. You once had many of your people by your side, but suddenly—

'The Presence'. That's what a lot of people call you, right?

I am just a wandering presence, true. Like I said, when true destruction bore down on me and my fellows, I was powerless.

...What exactly is this destruction you keep talking about?

I've seen plenty of things here I can only describe as 'divine acts'. What could possibly threaten people like you?

I'm afraid that nobody on this ship can answer your question, traveler.

In your eyes, we possess knowledge that many lifeforms in this universe would consider 'divine acts'...

But in this boundless cosmos, even we have limits to what we can explore and investigate.

Are you disappointed?

So there's definitely no eternal kingdom, a paradise where everyone can experience endless joy and happiness?

Would you like such a place to exist?

The Cautus hesitates for a moment before nodding.

Nothing lives forever. Looking back through the history I know, I have come across legendary civilizations that have conquered countless star systems, spreading across the cosmos for millions of years.

But as far as the universe cares, what they left behind was, in the end, utterly insignificant.

We once blindly chased after non-existent principles and ideals... In the midst of that golden age beyond recollection, we believed our existences to have a sure purpose.

But in the end?

Any lifeform born with intelligence insists on declaring itself the center of its world, but whether or not it is right, in the universe's eyes—

From start to finish, we are nothing. This is the first thing you must learn before you can understand it.

Remember that brilliant supernova you just saw?

From that tomb, life will be born anew, and there will come a day when those beings will understand what we have carved on our grave.

That we once had lives of our own. That we existed.

...I don't understand anything that you're saying.