rogue_2

Kal'tsit brings Mizuki into a meeting room and offers him a seat. Other than a change of clothes, she seems completely unaffected by the passing years.

'Your return is indeed unexpected.' Kal'tsit holds a glass of water, her ten fingers tapping rhythmically across its exterior. 'When you completed your series of metamorphoses and, as a 'Firstborn,' sent the Doctor back to land, I thought you would climb up to the stars. But instead... You're sitting in front of me, playing with your food just as before.'

'Then, can I dig in?' Several pieces of fruit have already disappeared down Mizuki's gullet as he asks the question.

'This is a reception room, everyone may freely enjoy the food that has been placed here. Moreover, this food was a change that you brought about. The desert has disappeared, the temperature has stabilized, and disaster has subsided. Terra has become a garden, and you had no small part to play in that.'

'But, I'm also the villain who left humanity with nothing else.'

'When the Doctor explained the plan to me, I did worry about its feasibility. Sacrificing the vast majority in exchange for the human race's survival. It was insane... but ultimately, also the most rational and correct choice.'

'Nobody wants to be sacrificed. Nobody wants to be part of that doomed majority.'

'So, all Rhodes Island could do was put some stopgap measures in place. When Skadi became Ishar'mla, humanity's fate was sealed. Collectively, all we could do was hole ourselves up in this prison and peek outside at a barely visible dawn.'

'So, how's the Doctor doing?' As soon as the words leave his mouth, Mizuki instantly regrets asking such a stupid question. Even the Doctor has no hope of defying time. He begins to silently pray, hoping that Kal'tsit will not give him an answer.

However, when Kal'tsit opens her mouth again, the expression on her face remains unchanged.

'The Doctor is still alive.'

'Wh-What?!'

'We managed to move the Sarcophagus here before we built the city. It preserves both the city's power supply and the life of the one who gave us hope.'

Mizuki suddenly feels the weight of the world slip from his shoulders. He slumps into the chair, his face full of joy.

The Doctor is indeed alive, but even if the 'Sarcophagus' can close all wounds, it cannot turn back the clock. As the Doctor sleeps within it more and more frequently, the wick of life will eventually burn down to nothingness.

But, considering the Doctor's condition is far from this dire state, Kal'tsit continues to conceal the fact from Mizuki.

It is also at this time that she feels the absurdity of reality.

All of humanity's efforts to break its shackles and return to the sea of stars have been obliterated by history.

On the contrary, it was an out-of-control planetary transformation plan that birthed new life after the extinction of humanity.

She finds herself with nothing more to express beyond a sad sigh.

'So, Mizuki, what do you plan to do before the Doctor wakes up?'

'Nothing in particular. Maybe find some good eats, run a few errands here and there. I'm still a Rhodes Island operator, right?'

'I'll try to get your ID verification and dorm room prepped ASAP.'

'Thanks. Appreciate it.'

Suddenly, as if she just thought of something, Kal'tsit hurriedly calls Mizuki before he can leave the reception room, and asks him to go sightseeing in the city.

'One last question. Did 'they' really all leave?'

'Hmm... My disaggregation was completed before the ascension, so I'm not exactly sure how 'I' went about it in the end.'

'I see...' Kal'tsit's expression becomes serious.

Years later, mankind's domain once again expanded to the edge of the sea.

The sea was once a source of calamity for humans, so the pioneers were told to fortify the coastal waters.

However, curiosity will always trump fear.

On a sunny afternoon, while the adults' attention wanders, a girl slips off to play on the beach.

She carefully picks up jewel-like stones, wanting to sneak them back as a present for her little brother.

But as she walks, she spies on the beach–

A flower deep in slumber.

The Seaborn are nothing more than a distant, bygone nightmare, so the girl has no impression of the creature in front of her.

She steps forward and strokes the petals gently.

Seemingly sensing something, the petals slowly open, revealing the blue, jewel-like sensory organ beneath.

It is a Deep Sea Slider hatchling.

Seeing the girl, the newborn instinctively raises its appendages to attack.

However, after the girl offers it a piece of food, it confirms this gesture of friendliness. Its coiled appendages roll over the food and ferry it into its feeding organ.

It is at this moment, from the bottom of the sea to the stars high above, that the many receive a completely new perspective:

Humanity today is no longer a threat.

We can coexist with humans.