Глава 15

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.

You can read the key points from my mind.

Found them.

Using 'Slumber Bridge' as a filter, Dr. Kal'tsit conducted a total of 79,346 searches...

Although all the searches are related to 'Originium', according to your speculation, this data is not strongly related to its actual essential nature.

If the results are restricted and give us nothing, doesn't the trail run cold here?

No.

Kal'tsit retrieved the same entry over and over again.

This is, in itself, some information for us.

A repeated retrieval? Wait, can the infinitely-looping code made from the repeat query count be deciphered too?

...You already know the answer, Doctor.

Yes, it's a familiar name.

Perhaps it's a sign...;Perhaps it's a warning...

I've never heard of this name. Neither you nor Dr. Kal'tsit has ever said it before—

'Priestess'?

<color=#000000>............</color>

—Doctor, are you seeing what I'm seeing?

...I'm afraid... so...

'Priestess...'

You have never seen this scene before, much less seen—

(Unknown language) You're here, {@nickname}.

Is that...?;'Me'...?

(Unknown language) It took some time to refine your design for PRTS.

(Unknown language) I thought you had gone to take a rest.

(Unknown language) No, I've been thinking about your words this whole time.

(Unknown language) 'There is no language that can describe God, as the existence of God itself cannot be understood.'

(Unknown language) You know that was just mindless chatter.

(Unknown language) Suppose I take it as an axiom.

(Unknown language) With it as my starting point, would creating a language that can describe God mean we have the means to understand It?

(Unknown language) Does the prospect not excite you?

(Unknown language) Perhaps, in the pursuit of the answer to this question, we have been going down the wrong path—trying to understand the nature of the universe with its own laws.

(Unknown language) You want to use a language wholly created by us to interpret the universe. A far too audacious idea, Priestess.

(Unknown language) Haha, is it?

Without any further hesitation, she traces out a perfect rhombus in the air.

(Unknown language) Let's begin, shall we?

What are they discussing, Doctor?

You have seen this woman before in the Assimilated Universe. She once accompanied you—

But I have faith... {@nickname}...

That when you are truly confused by everything, you will remember: the answers you seek were here all along.

I will be here.

I'm afraid they're discussing...

Originium.