Глава 15

His ears can no longer hear anything, but the sound of the ocean waves floods his brain, just as it did before. This is the voice of the Assimilated Universe.

An endless stream of information crashes into his consciousness. It is frenzied and unclear; it is beyond his understanding.

Theresis has very little time left to think. His final shred of consciousness surrenders to the vast sea of data.

His consciousness comes to rest beside a lonely monster.

The ugly Teekaz, wearing a black crown on his head, walks out from the silvery mountains. He looks up at the vast starry sky.

The eternal starry sky. The wild, primal continent. From every corner of existence, countless lives look beyond the earth and stars—they all gaze up at the same universe.

He's not lonely. He feels more calm and peaceful than he's ever felt in his life.

At last, I see the past, as you once saw it...

As well as the future.

He wants to say something more, to call that name one last time, but he can no longer speak.

He's totally exhausted, but as he prepares to close his eyes, a faint white ray emerges from the darkness.

We insist that you know the parting words she left for you.

As Theresa left with the myriad souls… she heard your voice among the many who called out to her.

'Our time has finally come to an end.'

'Goodbye, Theresis.'

He strains to open his eyes. His field of vision grows ever darker.

But he recognized the figure in white some time ago, as soon as it first appeared.

'Goodbye, Theresa.'

He doesn't need to hold on any longer.

He flashes a slight smile and allows his last wisp of consciousness to dissipate.

The light dispels the darkness.

The light brings forth the darkness.

When the light pours into his eyes once more, time seems to have gone backwards, back to the moment before the collapse.

(Unknown language) You are lost.

'Who speaks to me?'

(Unknown language) It has been a long time since this place has seen a new visitor.

(Unknown language) Or are you the last survivor of the ruined planet?

'I remember... my consciousness was shattering...'

'And then... disintegration... death... but, why?'

(Unknown language) In any case, welcome.

(Unknown language) Come. Seek me.

...I remember, a hand reached out to me, before I died.

This place—

The Cautus, who should have perished and returned to Terran soil, looks around in confusion.

She has never seen a place like this before. Light falls upon her, and she feels warm.

Where are we?

The land beyond death… the home of the gods?

Bells...? Why am I hearing them ring from all directions?

Her voice is so soft that it does not even echo off the walls.

Whenever the foggy light comes, lots of tiny holes appear in the walls, opening and closing, breathing. When the light disappears, the walls turn white and silent.

That light... is very different from the Holy City's light that the Bishop talked about...

(Unknown language) That light is a simulated F spectrum.

I can hear you. How can I see you?

She presses her nails to the wall. It feels warm and soft, as if she's touching someone else's fingertips—

—so she places her whole palm against the wall, pressing closely to the wall's fine patterns and textures.

Wherever her hand moves, the patterns stretch along with it, as if they're quietly guiding her by the hand.

You're... responding to me?

She runs forward for a bit, and the wall extends with her, leading her.

There are so many doors and so many different paths here. Where do they all lead?

The Cautus stops walking. She sees a 'god' standing in midair, a short distance in front of her. Its silhouette is massive.

The surface of the god's body carries a murky sheen, unlike that of any metal. It nimbly arranges a vast array of glowing fragments into patterns. As the patterns change, the fragments shift color in turn.

But the girl notices that there is no halo on the 'god's' head. The midair colossus completely ignores her, gliding past without hesitation.

Another similar being approaches and stops in front of her.

It seems to be asking her a question.

I don't understand what you're saying.

The 'god' is quiet for a moment. Then it switches from its own language to another one and continues talking.

(Unknown language) Your use of language is primitive.

The 'god' extends its supple limbs to cover the Cautus's head. The Cautus nervously shuts her eyes.

(Unknown language) There's no need to fear. I am analyzing your brain frequency and will upload it to Anseta.

Language. You. Sufficient to communicate.

...Not yet vectorized, extrapolation, deduction. Language, temporary adjustment. Resonance, necessary.

I... can't understand you. Can you understand me?

Indubitably.

—Then are you... God?

The Cautus nervously asks the question that she is most desperate for an answer to.

'God', question. Definition, necessary.

The Bishop says that God is the embodiment of the Law and the Lord of the Holy City, who protects the sick and the dearly departed. But these things that he says were never recorded in the history books.

Forsake, god.

God, not, necessary.

If you aren't God, then who rescued me? Why have I been brought here?

Or is this Kingdom Come? Are you here to guide me into the Kingdom?

Questions. Too many.

Resonance, lacking. Communication, inefficient.

Raydistorter. I.

Partial answer. Show you.

The being who calls itself 'Raydistorter' uses its limbs to draw a window in the air and drag it to the nearest wall. The image in the porthole quickly fades from view.

A pale, eerie light wells up from nowhere, flooding the entire window. The image sharpens gradually—and the Cautus girl looks out the 'window'.

A shattered sphere floats in the dark expanse of space, dotted with countless stars. It is frozen at the moment of death.

All the pasts that have not had time to be told shatter into dust and are cast into the frozen void.

The dust particles find each other and circle around the former garden. They clump together into rings that float in the air.

The Cautus girl and Raydistorter 'sail' atop these dust rings into the dead silence.

We see. Sail. Salvage.

You, shudder. Fear?

The faraway things, the twinkling things, they look like eyes. It's really scary.

They're just stars, but they feel alien to me. There are too many of them; they are too close, too bright.

You're not scared?

Fear is unnecessary.

Fear, too limiting, too inadequate, to describe.

The Cautus looks through the window and sees that tiny holes have appeared in the walls of the ship.

A white light appears somewhere far, far in the distance. It starts growing, and growing until it covers up almost the entire window.

The blinding light caresses the surface of the land of death, covering and hiding everything from any would-be watchful eyes.

The Cautus girl looks directly at the light, as a fear is continually invading her heart, a fear she does not understand.

It's the pale light of a dying star.

A dead planet still orbits the star, and the great ship clinging to the star ring must endure its light and its wailing, again and again, without end.

See, yes?

Only, grave. No, 'Holy City'.

Only, cycles, only, laws. No... 'gods'.

Universe. Welcome.

You. Traveler. Name?

Hierda.