Глава 15

How were we born on this land?

Was there an even more glorious civilization here before us?

Are we going to be wiped out in the foreseeable future?

But what I really want to know is, all this pain and suffering that Originium brings with it... Can it be eliminated?

I beg you, show me the way to the answers I seek...

I can't answer any of your questions. Your first three have been asked in a myriad of languages in a myriad of ways across the universe. Only you can answer them yourself.

As for your final question... I'm terribly sorry, but I've never heard of this 'Originium', and I can't find anything related to it in our databases.

However, I do know someone rather interesting, who also happens to be the master of this ship. Perhaps she will be able to solve your riddle.

The master of this ship?

She's a linguist of wide renown. Her name is—

'Priestess'.

No time to be lost in your thoughts, Doctor!

Grab onto me!

—!;Did you see that, Amiya?

I can't break my focus right now. Weaving together a way to the singularity is incredibly difficult.

Even if Theresa were here to help...

Did you see something, Doctor?!

You see a familiar figure.

Go, 'Doctor'. Go solve your conundrums.

Keep focusing, Amiya.;Stick to the plan.;Keep building that 'bridge'!

I will! I'm doing everything I can right now to stabilize the connection points, Doctor.

Theresa has marked all the records Dr. Kal'tsit searched through earlier. I'm trying to link them all together.

But I still need an anchor point, one that can guide me back—

I will keep watch here, and serve as your anchor.

Press onwards, Amiya.

Pink, silken threads begin to gather.

The meandering threads interweave and spiral, gradually spreading out from the boundary into the distance.

Beyond its walls, the path to the singularity slowly takes shape.

It's working!

Originium Arts don't seem to work here, but applying the logic behind casting them to the information here does!

Can you build the 'bridge' using completely unknown information?

No, this place is full of information I can't analyze, not even with the help of Civilight Eterna. I wouldn't have been able to make this way forward alone.

But thankfully, Dr. Kal'tsit's access left records, and with Theresa's help, I can grasp onto her research data.

That's more than enough for me.

The pink threads continue to slowly spiral, linking together the many pieces of complex data that Kal'tsit left her mark on.

String by interwoven string, the path forward gradually forms.

'I can tell how you're feeling, Kal'tsit.'

'By analyzing the emotional matrix I constructed of you without your permission, I see your tenseness is not only because of my sharing an appearance with Theresa. You have something even heavier on your mind.'

'I will try to adjust. I don't want my personal emotional changes to interfere with the objectivity of those who come after me when they query these records.'

'Yet they are still changing, Kal'tsit. Are you afraid?'

It's not the most efficient way to build a bridge, but it should hold.

I'm going to try to get closer to the singularity.

I'll go with you.

'Yes, I'm afraid.'

'I'm afraid Amiya and the Doctor won't be able to find the information I leave behind, and I'm afraid...'

'That if the situation worsens to the point that they are forced to take such extreme measures, the trail I cleared for them would no longer be of use...'

'Or that I might mistakenly lead these seekers of knowledge towards a threat I dare not speak of.'

No, Doctor. I won't let you, not before I check its condition myself.

Amiya...

Sorry, I know I'm being stubborn about it, but this is my decision.

The bridge, formed from countless strands of entwined information, stretches out into the distance to touch upon the singularity.

Without the slightest hesitation, Amiya steps onto it, her first step outside the walls of the boundary—

A surge.

This feeling, it's like the information has formed some sort of great wave. But why—

This is only the beginning, I'm afraid.;'The closer you get to the singularity, the denser the information will become.'

It really is like Theresa said. The information here has mass.

We'll most likely find greater resistance the deeper we go.

Come back for now, Amiya.;We need to come up with a better plan.

I can't maintain the stability of a bridge this weak. Going this deep has taken a greater toll than I expected.

I need to keep going forward. As long as I follow Dr. Kal'tsit's beacons...

The silver mountains the Teekaz had entered flit by her; the black shadow cast by the Feranmut plunging into icefield vanished momentarily.

She sees more scenes fly past her, as if she were fighting the current of the river of time.

More and more incomprehensible, indescribable sights assail her mind.

She does her best to block out the unending, chaotic stream of information.

Concentrate, Amiya, concentrate... Just keep focusing on Dr. Kal'tsit's beacons... Press onwards...

I just need to touch the singularity—

Silence.

Amiya cannot even hear her own breathing.

What... is this place?

That giant sphere... is disintegrating?

Looking at the shattered sphere makes her feel dizzy, but it is the bizarrely-shaped ship floating in the air that causes an even greater bout of lightheadedness.

What... is going on?

Why am I seeing—

As she is trapped in her spell of dizziness, a rotating boulder slowly but inexorably hurtles towards her.

Its black shadow quickly fills Amiya's vision. She subconsciously tries to defend herself, but it is immediately followed by the feeling of freefall.

Did she fail...? Was it a surge of information?

'Amiya!'

...Doctor...?

I'm here.

Amiya senses a hand supporting her, keeping her thoughts steady by bracing her.

Try to block out the interfering information.;I've got you.

Hopefully I'm not too late.;Sorry, I couldn't sit back and do as I was told.

Doctor... Thank goodness...

That moment just now...

You do your best to support her shaking body as the information wave surging from the singularity continues its assault.

The information, so dense it has nearly taken true shape, washes over your thoughts, leaving behind jumbled afterimages in the void—

It is the past long gone, the present being recorded en masse, and what seems to be the future, foreseeing your next steps.

It's a shame that right now, you do not have energy to spare to pay it any heed.

The two of you have already made the long, long, long trek from the boundary to this point without even noticing, and now, the singularity...

The singularity is right in front of you.

Did you see that terrifying scene earlier, Doctor?

I did.;I don't know what it means, though.

I'm certain it's not something that took place on Terra...

But at least it means we're getting close to the singularity.;Even more information will show itself to us.

Can you still keep going, Amiya?

Y-Yes, yes I can.

You are well aware of the situation you are in right now. Despite knowing it will have minimal effect, you still subconsciously stretch out your arm to try and shield Amiya.

The attacks here are focused on our thoughts. I can handle it.;I'll be the vanguard.

I've got a lead on what we're here for.

I've run the calcs on Kal'tsit's access records.