level_act25side_st03

A coastal view that one can see anywhere in Iberia.

Rubble close by indicates the place may have once been a prosperous village, but now, only a solitary wind chime left hanging on a wall echoes the waves as they hit the shore.

...... (Bewildered slithering sounds)

A wave washes a Sea Terror onto the beach.

No, perhaps it might have followed the wave to dry land.

Whatever it was, it didn't seem to have a goal in mind. It merely wanders, looks around, just like its brethren do.

It shouldn't have found anything. All it can see while standing in this overgrowth is the endless ocean and the sky.

But in the next moment, as if it has sensed something, and looks towards a certain direction.

The never-changing sky is swept by a wave of ripples.

(Doubtful Growling)

It looks in that direction, but there is only an endless sky.

Soon after, its compatriots arrive. Its kin. Its we many.

All their eyes look in the same direction.

As an attendant apologizes to the proprietor, he props up his master—a court musician, and helps him leave the bar.

Mein Herr, you shouldn't drink any more.

Don't... don't get in my way...

I can't... figure out a tune, so I, I might as well just... drink myself to death!

Ach, Mein Herr, didn't you draft several pages yesterday? I think the third song is honestly not bad at all.

Heheh, at least you, you know me well.

But, nein! This will not do! It is not good enough!

There is still... something missing, a key ingredient.

Do you understand? A kind of, psychedelic and yet magnificent, an image of... madness.

Of course, I understand you completely, you're always chasing this kind of work.

Hm? Hmm... Huh?

Oh, I must really be drunk.

What's wrong?

I saw... waves streaking across the horizon.

Waves? I should take you to a doctor... what is that?

The attendant lifts his head towards the sky to see halo-like waves sweep across the night.

This is... could I have somehow gotten second-hand intoxication through the air?

Ha, haha! The clouds are like waves, and the sky is a curtain! Gut, sehr gut!

Theron, go, quick! Take me home!

No, hand me a pen! Quickly!

Here. Have you found some inspiration?

Inspiration? No, what I have discovered is a wellspring!

Under the dim street lights, the musician lies down on the floor on his stomach writing in a frantic pace without a care for his image.

Tonight, many an artist slept nary a wink.

Take a gander at this happy lot.

They think the storm is already over, and Victoria merely had a little hiccup.

Whatever they possess is still intact, and will continue to remain as-is.

How I wish I could share their optimism.

Sir, there's something I need you to see.

What's happened? You're not the sort to be a killjoy at a time like this.

It seems something has happened in Columbia.

Seems?

Yes, we are urgently collecting information at the moment.

Has our rebellious child again done something incomprehensible with the science and technology they're so overly proud of?

That has yet to be determined, but at present, I can confirm that this is information you must know.

Just how important is this matter that I have to be proactive instead of waiting for you to bring it to me?

It is... honestly beyond the scope of my abilities.

The Count realizes the bitter smile on his trusted subordinate's face, and this shifts his originally joking mood to one of surprise.

His officer only knows to tell the truth, and this means that something has indeed happened.

The Count walks to the window, and immediately realized why his subordinate was at a loss for words.

That was information physically impossible to be brought before him, but also a reality that no one could ignore.

What sort of natural phenomenon is this?

We immediately hired experts relevant to this field, and combined with the information from Columbia over the past few days, they have proposed some valuable theories.

...'Site 359 Spy Dossier', 'Investigation Report on the Maylander Foundation'.

And what are these? Academic papers? A barrier...

Tell me the key points of note.

This layer of ripples has originated from Columbia, and is extremely unnatural.

After conducting some simple observations, we believe that the findings align perfectly with a long forgotten theory in the world of science—

The sky above our heads is indeed false.

Something has happened.

And we know nothing about it.

We have already mobilized all our spies in Columbia, and they will soon bring us results.

Spare no expense. I want an answer before tomorrow morning to bring to the Duke of Normandy.

Yes, sir.

My Lord, I would like to introduce my distant nephew to you...

Tonight's banquet ends here and now.

Eh?

The count needs his peace and quiet now, so please return home, Viscount.

V-Very well.

The Count looks at the distant sky without saying a word.

Tonight, conspiracies hatch in alleys while countless politicians toss and turn in their beds.

Warning—

Energy overload. Energy overload. Shockwaves from the energy surplus have impacted the entirety of H.A.M.H.R.R.

Secondary disengagement protocol acceleration complete. All secondary cabins, mounting devices, and external energy lines have been separated from the Galleria Stellaria's main body.

All personnel: evacuate via the escape pod and execute return protocol.

Repeat——All personnel: evacuate via the escape pod and execute return protocol.

This goddamned weightlessness... couldn't they have made the escape pod just a bit smaller?! Not the size of an entire room!

Quick, get that self-balancing system up and running! We gotta stabilize this room first at the very least, my bones are about to shatter from being tossed around like marbles in a box!

I know, I'm working on it... I hate manually disengaging lock mechanisms so much, especially in times like these...

Phew——Alright, it's stable... now to check the return protocol.

The drogue and pilot parachutes have been launched, landing trajectory is on auto-adjust... if you look up, there's still time to bid your farewells to Control.

Hey, Bullitt, look at the corridor, isn't that...

Director Muelsyse?

Director Muelsyse, get in quick, there's still seats, you should have clearance to enter.

This is the escape pod...?

This escape pod has existed since the very beginning of Arc-01's design phase, and we ran several rounds of navigation and pressure tests before, so don't worry.

You're Claude, right? I remember you... you, you've all been in Components Control for many, many years.

Before H.A.M.H.R.R. took flight, Control, no, Kristen disbanded the Rhine Lab Components Control Section.

The last job she assigned us was to assist the energy charging and focusing. All calibration, maintenance and security tasks have already been completed...

When we return to the ground, we'll all get new contracts, leave Rhine, and leave Trimounts.

Oh, right...

What's this?

A remote sensor recorder.

It provides real-time feedback from the biological data in the vivarium. Control said it would be helpful to you, so I was going to send it over to Ecological once I got back on the ground.

The data was just updated. I'm really sorry...

Wait, don't tell me right away!

Not so fast... this is... how many years did it take...?

...Go.

In the short span of time after Galleria Stellaria broke through the barrier, the death rate of the seven hundred and fifty-three plants has exceeded ninety percent. The rest... aren't expected to survive.

...Haha.

Kristen, what exactly does it look like, beyond the starpod?

You're fully aware of sharing the same possible fate, and yet you're unwilling to call off your trip?

You've kept your promise to us all. But did you plan on travelling solo, from the very beginning?

Then, Saria, she...

Wait, the acceleration is still increasing... our descent speed hasn't slowed at all... we're falling even faster than before!

What's going on, Bullitt?!

The shockwave from the energy overload must have messed up the return protocol... I can't reverse it... Both parachutes have failed, and the self-balancing system is about to malfunction.

Wait, isn't this equipped with a gravity related Originium Arts module? Find the Arts Unit! Quickly!

Right... right... but the current high temps and energy shock from earlier have fried a third of the modules!

Current height, 3454.7 meters... There's no stopping it! I hate not being able to jump out of the pod right now to lighten it...

The heat insulation layer! The speed's too fast, and the escape pod's layer is about to burn through completely, the damage rate is at 60%!

The wall is deforming, it'll disintegrate at this rate...I'm—

Ough!

Bullitt? Son of a bitch, couldn't you have passed out <i>after</i> installing the Arts Unit?!

How can this be? All return-to-ground structures have gone through several rounds of testing...

There's no simulation that can reproduce a passenger cabin returning to the ground from maximum height. Science requires first-hand verification, and that's what we're doing right now...

We should head to the inner cabin ASAP, the seats are cushioned and there are oxygen masks, we might just...

At this rate, we'll hit the ground in a minute.

No one's gonna survive.

Shit, I don't even have time to record a final video message...

Are there people waiting for you?

The tremendous centrifugal force throws Claude against the corridor's bulkhead, his face is pressed against the glass, and he sees a small, shiny spike.

No, it is a person—a figure tightly bound in thick layers of calcium.

He confirms what he is seeing. But this means, that the opposite figure is falling at the same speed as them, and maybe even faster.

...Director Saria?!

She's probably passed out... at such a height, even the thickest calcium becomes a fragile layer of eggshell! And she herself doesn't even thicker than it!

Damn it...

Water.

A vast body of water.

Water seeps from the escape pod's bulkhead, stretching in mid-air like a living organism.

The escape pod is falling at high speed, and a large river of water is being towed by gravity and vaporizing, but several thick walls still manage to form in the direction Saria is falling.

Claude feels like he is seeing a lake without a shore or a lakebed. He looks at it from the bottom, and the waves are folding in layers as they sway over his head.

If he wasn't currently busy trying to save himself, he feels as if he must follow and learn from the Ursus poets on how to look for the right words describe the scene in front of him—

Water also rises in the cabin, and he is pushed back in the interior.

Director Muelsyse... you're...

...Melting?!

Saria... I guess you did end up fighting with Kristen after all...

So even you couldn't stop her. In the end, we couldn't do anything...

These water barriers can give you somewhat of a buffer, so if you can, I hope you live.

Shucks, I probably look real ugly like this...

But if I could go back, and had this level of determination to pump all the water out of me like right now, could I have changed a lot of things?

The water gently envelopes everything in its body.

All Components Control employees, prepare for impact, hold your breath, it's easy to choke when you're submerged in water...

Go and meet the people waiting for you.

The first New Year's Eve after the founding of Rhine Lab.

Before the show ended, did they actually dance together, a dance of three?

She has kind of forgotten.

Saria, what did you see?

Just the sky.

That's right. The sky. I sat on this stump as a kid, watching my parents test flight after flight from the hill in front of us. Later, they brought me along.

After they died, I never came back here, until now. You're the first.

And that's why you hate the sky?

If I were ten now, having just witnessed everyone's reaction to their deaths and just finished going through their belongings, I would tell you 'yes'.

But that's not my current answer in mind. Worries, pressure, questions, derision, and... bills from corporate and government sectors, these factors didn't hold my parents back, so they're not even worth mentioning.

All the way, my parents staunchly advanced towards their goals, and they only lost to themselves in the end. If the journey is destined to end pre-maturely, then I too will willingly die on the way there.

Don't say something that ominous.

Can I succeed? I don't know, but I'm set on doing it. I inherited everything from my parents, and I've even gone further than they did.

Kristen...

Saria, I'm not asking anything from you, I'm just sharing some past events with my best friend.

...I understand.

So, any thoughts?

Weren't you merely sharing your story?

Oh, you're such a burdenbeast... say something at least?

The sky is really beautiful.

She knows that no one has even seen the view at such a high altitude from such a position, and that the Galleria Stellaria is getting further and further away from her... but she cannot open her eyes—

She is falling at high speed.

The wind howls, scraping against her face like a knife, and the cold, thin air rushes into her nasal cavities, making breathing difficult.

Raw calcium accumulates in a frenzy, forming a thick crystalline layer around her body, so as to prevent her dying from the violent air friction. But she cannot do anything about the impact when she lands...

It was already over.

The vertigo from weightlessness hits her, and no matter how hard she resists, she loses consciousness.

Falling thousands of meters from the sky obviously only takes a few minutes, but why is it taking so long to experience death?

She vaguely senses herself falling onto the surface of water, her speed somewhat slowing down, and afterwards amidst a burst of mechanical buzzing, it feels like as if she has fallen into the clouds again, how soft it was...

Saria... Saria...

It sounds like someone is calling for her... a familiar voice.

Ugh...*cough*—

Don't say anything yet.

Eye movement response, normal, there should be local internal bleeding, but cardiopulmonary functions are normal...

The impact caused multiple external injuries, a slightly torn flexor tendon in the left leg... I'll apply a temporary treatment on the affected area.

Fortunately... there isn't any serious damage to your bodily functions, but when you return to Trimounts, you need to undergo a comprehensive medical exam.

Saria, do you have a headache?

I'm... fine...

Good.

I crushed your drone... and these air cushions...

It's fine.

Where's Ifrit? Is she not with you?

She joined the search and rescue efforts too, so she should be nearby... let's go meet up with her.

Can you stand? Come, I'll help you up.

Silence, I...

...Thanks.

The clouds have parted.

And now we can get an even more clearer view of the sky.

Yes, the sky is really beautiful.

Are you not going to ask your question?

Ask what?

What happened in the Galleria Stellaria.

Would you tell me?

I'll need some time.

Then, do you want to know?

Know what?

What happened down here, when you went to stop Kristen.

Will you tell me?

I will.

I need to know everything. Likewise, Saria, I need you to be fully informed, to be better prepared. This is the only way we can ensure that we won't make any missteps on the road ahead of us.

It sounds like you already have an idea...

Hold onto my shoulder, the road is hard to walk and I have no way of lifting you up completely, so we have to go together.

*Cough*, *cough*—

Claude? Benji? Johan? Bullitt?

The escape pod makes a deep hole in the ground, and the hatch flies out, smashing a boulder into pieces.

The inner cabin has completely warped, the infrastructure and equipment looking as if they were wrung out by a pair of hands.

*cough*—I'm over here...

What a relief... you’re all alright...

I'm alive?

Wasn't the escape pod malfunctioning? We dropped from an altitude of over five thousand meters, and we're still alive! Phew...

Yowch! Easy on the hug, it hurts... it seems like those Arts Modules managed to help us decelerate a little after all...

Don't get cocky now, Bullitt. You know, you're the luckiest one outta all of us here, hitting your head on the console and passing out at our most critical moment... and then waking up just as we landed safely.

Must have been Annie's prayers working on you, huh? Aren't you guys getting married next year?

Uh, hey. Why do I feel like I drowned earlier, and all of you are soaking wet too... It's not like the pod landed in a lake, so what even happened?

Have you guys seen Director Muelsyse...?

Water is still flowing out of the bulkhead connected to the escape pod, but there is no mud in the area.

The night breeze will soon dry up the earth.

Kal...Dame Kal'tsit.

I must admit that we are alike.

My empathy with Dr. {@nickname}'s emotions merely comes from an emotional module that has yet to be erased even after these tens of thousands of years. I'm not Friston himself, merely a tool that was made.

But you are of more flesh and blood than I am, with more freedom. This makes me feel a little... envious.

Any words of comfort will sound like I'm belittling your mission, Friston.

I'm glad to have a life like this, and not just this one.

I'm glad that I'm not just a simple machine. I have already been searching for the original answer, from the very moment I began my walk in the dust of disappointment.

I have experienced more direct losses than you have, but I can also say that I have gained even more in return.

If everything here had yet to happen, you might even have been able to travel through the land currently known as Terra.

Just like Dr. {@nickname} did once.

If there is a chance, I'll be happy to take it.

...I have a request.

You're the only one who knows how to operate this system, so I would like you to erase these twisted data spanning... 4,765,403 days.

Keep only my emotions and original memories. Let me die as Trevor Friston... even if I can only die as a replica.

I understand your decision, but this process will take a lot of time, and you—

—Will gradually slide into despair in the process.;This is too cruel a fate for you.

I wish to face the skies that were once free, but not as a lofty judge in an ivory tower, nor as a ghost.

At least... let me face the remorse and guilt I have as a person, from sending my compatriots to their doom with my own hands. Let me at the very least, see from a purest perspective, how you will face the future.

To think of that sky... this is my final wish.

You don't have to blame yourself like that.;......;This is closer to redemption... than continuing to be tormented for eternity.

...Thank you.

You might call this arrogance, but I must say this nonetheless: the weight of life—the weight of civilization—you can't possibly even begin to imagine how heavy it is right now. No one has the capability to decide for others what the value of their lives are.

This belongs to the past, and so I will not go too deep into it, but please remember this, Dr. {@nickname}—this will sooner or later, become a multiple choice question about the 'present', and will be extremely important to you.

But presently... I'll say this again, thank you. This is the final thing I can say.

Go, Kal'tsit. I have already granted all privileges.

Let me meet my end as a 'person.'

...I respect your decision.

Please wait just a moment.

Kal'tsit...;......;Is there no other choice?

'Doctor.' The Doctor that knows nothing.

I don't know how much <i>you</i> know, how much Kal'tsit has told you, but now, before I lose all this data...

Let me answer your questions.

Kristen also asked me innumerable questions, and I answered them all, and if it was necessary, I even showed her the answers.

After witnessing everything with her own eyes, she did not lose herself, her ideals did not even waver the slightest, and she did not see her own existence as inferior thereafter.

I admire that character of hers, and so to be fair, I will also treat you the same, Dr. {@nickname}.

Perhaps this personality of obsession is also a present from Trevor Friston.

Who is... Priestess?

And what is... Originium?

These two questions are not as different as you might imagine.

'Originium'. Heheh... even if you've lost your memories, even if you've just learned it far exceeds the categories of the Infected, Catastrophes or Arts, you are still keenly aware how important Originium is.

That is the way to go. Kal'tsit knows some answers, but I think, she won't be able to tell you.

Priestess will not allow her to.

This restriction is carved into the depths of her original consciousness, and even death will not free her from those shackles.

So, should I really tell you the answer? Perhaps Kal'tsit is afraid that the truth might loosen your memories, and turn the tables on your hard-earned developments.

Though I believe you have already done some preparations on your end. Hmm... I can give you the answer. But not in its entirety.

I don't even know what your past was like. My birth and isolation from the outside world happened far earlier than you think.

Originium was just one out of the many innumerable answers. Originium means unification. Originium means another state of existence.

Like the Ocean of Solaris. Where everything exists within disorder.

Oh yes, you have yet to even realize the contradiction of it all.

So far, 'Rhodes Island' has been working towards curing Oripathy and solving the problems of the Infected... though you have also involved yourselves in outsider matters due to Kal'tsit and Theresa's ideals, however...

You, in the name of Rhodes Island, fight against Originium. This is the root of everything.

I do not know what decisions Priestess made in the end. But it seems that Kal'tsit, with all the lives born on this land with free will... has no way to peacefully coexist with Originium.

Originium can benefit humanity, but it can also destroy everything. Just like the frenzied creatures in the ocean and the endlessly expanding rift in the north.

Priestess is the starting point of that madness. And you... were once extremely close to her.

So can we cure Oripathy?!;What does Originium have to do with me?!;Then what can I do next?!

I'm incapable of guiding your next steps. Strictly speaking, Originium in just its current form, it has already exceeded my understanding of it.

Oripathy is not something that was carefully planned and produced. In your current situation, 'curing' it is difficult, but there may be other ways you can 'stop' or 'use' it.

Your past with Priestess seems to be Kal'tsit's greatest taboo. And I don't even have the full picture... according to my hypotheses, your appearance, participation, and... 'amnesia'...

They are not without purpose.

You have to find your own answers. Don't blame me for being so cryptic with my words, but sooner or later, when you face the truth of the past, you will understand Kal'tsit's thoughtful intentions.

Stay patient. Stay... true to yourself.

...Doctor.

Kal'tsit...

You've already taken a huge step forward.

But, turn your head and look at what we've faced.

Victoria, Columbia. The infected are still being discriminated against, and the flames of war might just spark in any place on Terra at any time.

We still have much more to do.

There will be more and more layers of crises in the future, and the current situation will become even more worrisome.

...Right.;......;We'll fight together, right?

You're the commander of Rhodes Island, the Doctor Amiya trusts.

We will find a way.

I'm delighted to have met you both in my final moments.

I can already feel... some data slipping away. I might even forget our conversation in just a few seconds.

Having lost the support of your database, your emotional module will once again re-experience the loneliness of the past dozen millennia.

No one knows what the consequences will be, to compress all those years of emotion into just a few minutes.

I will destroy this bunker before the energy is depleted. You will need to... escape in time...

Thank you both... I...

...Drowsy...

(Unnatural sound)

Are you alright?;......;Do you remember me?

(Unknown Language) You? A living creature? Here?

(Unknown Language) You must... wait.

(Unknown Language) Why is it so dark here? I'm in...

(Unnatural sound)

(Unknown Language) Too long... too dark...

(Unknown Language) No! No! There's still the one hundred seventy three thousand and fifth attempt! And the next!

(Unknown Language) The next time...

(Unknown Language) Can anyone hear me? Answer! Answer me!

(Unknown Language) ...Please... where am I...?

I can't bear to hear any more of this...;How much longer do we have to wait?

I... don't know.

There's no way for us outsiders to judge, if these cries of anguish are memories from his past, or the emotional module responding to the stress from processing all that compressed emotion.

I only feel... pity. And respect.

Kal'tsit... have you experienced this before?;......;Rhodes Island is with you.

(Unnatural sound)

(Unknown Language) I hate this! Damn it!

(Unknown Language) Why must I suffer this torture?! Why must it be me?!

(Unknown Language) Even if they all come back to life, I myself won't be a living person! I made such a great sacrifice, and yet you've all abandoned me!

(Unknown Language) Who as it that gave me such a duty?!

(Unnatural sound)

(Unknown Language) It... was myself.

(Unknown Language) Why? Is that me? Can I still recall that determination? I...

Doctor, you should stop watching.

Leaving now is the final act of respect we can give him.

We have to find the exit.

...Madame! Over here!

I knew something had happened underground when the cave collapsed!

Let's leave this place first. Is this the man-made passage left behind by Kristen?

Yes, I reckon it will lead us to the S.H.A.F.T. Only heaven knows why the army never discovered this secret path.

If the 'Preserver' had not shut down its system, it would have been impossible for you to find this passage.

What happened to Ho'olheyak?

I have her trapped outside, and Maylander will have a nice long chat with her later.

Madame, I need to know...

There was nothing there other than an old man marching towards death.

And as for what those deaths mean, I can only say they have absolutely nothing to do with Kazdel.

I shall not pry any further, unless a certain matter prompts me to.

Walk this way.

(Unnatural sound)

(Unknown language) ...I am... Trevor Friston.

(Unknown language) What has happened? What have I become?

(Unknown language) Who turned off the lights? I should report that punk to the—

(Unknown Language) ......Ah.

(Unknown language) I've failed, haven't I? After how many years? How many years has it been?

*Cough* *cough* cough*, *cough* *cough*——

That damned tin can... hah, at least, he hasn't decided to drain my blood dry yet.

Where am I...?

(Unknown Language) Who are you?

What are you...? What are you talking about?

(Unknown Language) Why do you have a... tail? And the feathers on your head... it's not an accessory or a weird fashion trend either.

(Unknown Language) Just what sort of place am I in?

These are... sarcophagi. Hundreds and thousands of them.

Kristen, oh Kristen... so this is the 'God' you spoke of?

Pretty different from what I imagined, He looks... hm... very sleek?

Greetings. If this is indeed the courtyard full of oracles, the destination of charity—

Can you install in me, wings from the blood of the K'uk'ulkan? Can you show me... their wind and thunder, the glory of soaring in the skies, their magnificent forms?

I come to you bringing four hundred and fifty-one years of obsession from the K'uk'ulkan people, only for your approval, and your answer.

(Unknown Language) So that's how it is, I'm starting to understand.

(Unknown Language) My existence is fading away. I am dying. Well, this sure sounds like something a bastard like me would do.

(Unknown Language) Don't you think it's too stuffy here? For a place deemed a destination... it's too stifling.

(Unknown Language) I've hated bunkers ever since I was little. I had thought, why not hide within an asteroid belt instead.

What will I become? My knowledge, my desires... will they disappear into thin air as I gain power?

If you would be willing to speak in a language I understand, 'God'?

(Unknown Language) Well, I have no idea what kind of creature you are... I don't even know what the sounds you are making mean.

(Unknown Language) But in a dying old man's final vision... you are on the true path, yes.

(Unknown Language) I so badly want to see her one more time, my morning light...

(Unknown Language) I——

An icy wind blows over Ho'olheyak's without traces of any dust.

In the blink of an eye, she finds herself in the wilderness.

A hallucination? Arts? What kind of Originium Arts is this? This is how that crazy God has given her His answer?

Ho'olheyak looks around in all directions, and does not find anything matching what she had in mind.

She only sees a pair of father and daughter playing by the water, and the girl sporting long and familiar locks of pale gold.

A girl who looks a lot like Kristen.

Ho'olheyak waits patiently. She expects this boring and realistic scene to change, but nothing happens.

She is devout enough.

But nothing in front of her changes.

So what does this actually all mean?

Please don't waste my time.

There is no response.

Ho'olheyak is starting to feel weary. She tries to get closer to the pair, but to no avail, failing to identify their faces.

Until—

—Until the father picks his daughter up, and they look towards the sky.

Only now does Ho'olheyak discover in the view she had gotten too familiar with, that there is something not even Kristen's wildest descriptions had mentioned.

She sees a gigantic, enormous moon.

For just a moment.

The ground under her feet no longer feels real. The surrounding temperature seems to rise.

Ho'olheyak stares right at the instrument, and the fluid glimpse leaves her no room to think.

But a preposterous thought appears in her mind.

Was that... Terra?

What was that just now? What did you do?! Is it Arts...? No, is it a Feranmut's power? Or witchcraft like the Tin Man's?!

Silence.

Ho'olheyak is completely unaware, that she is the only one who has left that beautiful dreamland.

Hah. If this is what Kristen saw, then what she said was completely right.

Kristen Wright... you really do invite jealousy.

This is, the enlightenment that your 'God', has left me.

How cruel of you all, denying me of my pursuits, my entire life, from my birth till now.

And after denying everything, 'God' has fallen silent.

No, I don't approve. I won't allow it.

You can't die just yet.

So, you failed to stop Kristen? I already know what happened up there.

I almost forgot we came here to stop her...;......;Too many things have happened, my head is hurting a little.

I'm very sorry about that.

I need to formally enter negotiations with the Maylander Foundation. I'll explain later.

I'm also very curious to know what exactly has happened in Trimounts.

We're almost there. Remember, Dame Kal'tsit, the moment we arrive at the S.H.A.F.T., we are no longer simple collaborators.

If you do not cooperate with us, I will have to resort to force.

(Sullen crowing)

As you wish.

What's with all the tension? If I kill this tin can again, I'll still learn a little something.

——! When did you...? Shouldn't the other agents have caught you by now?

That's not important.

But I think it's best for none us to act rashly now. Don't mess this situation up.

What are you up to?;......;You're not exactly breathing deeply either.

I'm real curious, Doctor.

The lineage of the Elders, the K'uk'ulkan's source of power, are these things even considered secrets to you and Kal'tsit?

No comment.;......;Don't bother me.

Aha... how cold.

There is something I want to understand. The entire course of my quest has been invaluable, and yet after finding the answer, people only know to sing its praises.

If, after resolutely trampling on a dry and dull answer, if I wish to continue searching for the future...

Can I come find you people?

You should first face the charges from the Maylander Foundation.;......;Figure out how to deal with your boss first.

Of course, I won't show up empty handed.

You won't be able to guess what I retrieved from hell.

Your staff...?

What have you done?

Your unusual Arts... can store memories, could it be that you...?

Perhaps I rescued a 'God' that almost succumbed to dementia, but in the end, is not even considered a living being, and it's too difficult for me alone to help it recover.

So perhaps you can help me, since you might not want these things to fall into the Columbians' hands.

You want to drive a wedge between us and the Maylander Foundation?;Is it appropriate to say this, right in front of the Tin Man?

I've already brought it out into the open, and the Tin Man has seen it too. Do you even still have a choice to make?

And, no matter what you think of it, Dame Kal'tsit's face already looks like she agrees, hmm?

Kal'tsit?

My guess is—

—You don't have the right to call the shots here, Tin Man.

Oh?

The reason why you haven't looked into the underground at all yet, is because someone above you has already made the decision for you.

For that person has enough foresight to guess everything that has happened here.

Even if the power to make decisions isn't with me right now, I still think killing Ho'olheyak to retrieve his legacy is the more reasonable thing to do.

About that. Your boss should also know just which party has the capabilities to restore him.

Snatching Ho'olheyak's Arts Unit will only add to the gigantic pile of the Maylander Historical Association's archaeological discoveries.

That one will not allow Maylander to act against Rhodes Island.

Your coercing efforts also fall flat, Ho'olheyak. You can only hand it over to me, or, I will hand you over to the Tin Man.

(Taunting growl)

Such a horrid, oppressive feeling... so you've even been keeping this strange thing by your side.

It's meaningless to fight here, so let's all return to Trimounts first.

After that, we can negotiate in the open.

It's right in front of us, we can go up from here.

Sure is relieving to leave that place.

Wait, that thing in the sky—

A clear view of the torn sky can be seen through the tunnel leading to the S.H.A.F.T.

...Kristen...

Humanity will reach this step sooner or later.

Kristen...I hope you don't bring us disaster in Terra's name.

More or less...

...I see. Then...

Your guess was right, Madame. I will take my leave for the moment. I'll be outside waiting.

Ho'olheyak.

What? You're leaving already?

I didn't expect that bargaining chip in your hand, but this is also your final chance.

Hand over the thing you got from below.

I'm so very sorry, Mr. Tin Can, but I've lost all interest in the Maylander Historical Association's history.

Now then, Doctor.

An Arts Unit...!;......;Why did you give it to me now?!

Remember the choice you've made.

We're not on equal standing, Madame. An openly honest negotiation may not be in the cards.

Why did the Tin Man leave early?

Contact Rosmontis ASAP. We need to be wary of any other surprises.

Ho'olheyak, I'm grateful for your choice, but I need you to try and find a different escape route from the direction the Tin Man left.

What? I'm not so sure I'll be able to defeat this black plaything of yours.

I'm not being wary of you, but rather...

I want to make sure there's another way out.

Gosh, I didn't even sign an employment contract, but I have to start work already?

Rhodes Island couldn't possibly leave you alone to your own devices the moment you handed over the data to us in front of the Tin Man, could we?

What's up ahead?

I'm sure you can guess.

I suppose I can. I'll find another way up. Do make sure that when we leave here, we're not greeted by an armored division.

It's quiet.

In the aftermath of those unfathomable energy waves tearing through the skies, the facility that should be full of scientists, soldiers and workers is now completely empty.

You and Kal'tsit travel between these structures without exchanging a single word.

There's so much information to go through... and so much history.

Perhaps only after seeing the smiles of Ifrit and Rosmontis, and hearing some firm words from Saria again will you only feel at ease.

But a discomforting feeling lingers in your mind.

Light flashes across the edges of your peripheral vision.

Wait, Kal'tsit!

What is this, on the screens...

Nice to meet you two, Doctor of Rhodes Island, Dame Kal'tsit.

We have taken over this facility. Every screen and all surveillance equipment will expose your whereabouts.

So please do not attempt escape. On the behalf of the Columbian government, I hope to hold an... ad-hoc private meeting with the both of you.

This might have happened earlier than you expected, but I just want to get on with it.

I won't wait any longer.

In the dimly lit building, the lights of a large screen flickers a few times.

And then, a familiar figure appears.

The second-in-command of the fledgling country's leader is in no hurry to speak. He only faces you with that iconic smile of his.

You start wondering. You feel some kind of pressure.

Soon after, you cannot help yourself from turning your attention onto the... 'pet' perched on his shoulder all along.

You sneak a glance at Kal'tsit. There's an obvious, somewhat gloomy expression on her face.

...Mr. President.

The Vice President does not react.

But his 'pet' just happens to begin talking.

Been a long time, Dame Kal'tsit.

How long has it been since we've had a conversation like this? After that little thing you and Maylander put together?

I thought you would be staying in Columbia. But then I blinked, and you were in Sargon, and then who knows where else you went after that.

It's a shame. If you worked together with Maylander Selene herself, you could have really done something for Columbia... and then maybe the people wouldn't have needed to wait for a vice president to be born.

You wouldn't have come here just to exchange pleasantries, Mr. President.

Of course... this is a personal meeting.

Where's my father?

Father...?

You're holding onto his ashes, the remnants of his soul.

Let me... touch him. I never got to meet him, but he is the last thing in this world that has any relation to me.

There's also PRTS—your PRTS. We come from the same roots... but now we're drifting apart.

I had some words for him.

He's gone.

Trevor Friston is dead.

He's pinned his hopes on this land? A world that has absolutely nothing to do with his lonely self?

Yes.

If that's his will, then you had better leave. I'll respect his feelings. You'll be able to fix his shattered self faster than the Maylander Historical Association can.

But, remember this.

We will collate our wills, we will seize the truth of everything. Columbia will become the sword and shield of Terra——just as he wished!

This is the best condolence that I—President of Columbia, Mark Max, can offer to a dying era.

Friston never wanted a tyrant, Max.

Mon3tr, destroy the cameras!

(Lively braying)

Let's go!

Narcissa, look, how glorious the sky is.

My field of research was far from Kristen's, but I must admit this, she has achieved a groundbreaking feat that will instill a fascination in every scientist there is.

The scientific blueprint I once described to you, is now being displayed to every single person in all its glory.

Even those who are ignorant can now bask in the light of science. How blessed they are to be born in this era.

Will there always be someone like you under every dream as big as this one?

What you should be asking is, why must there be people like me, to push dreams this big into reality.

This question shall haunt you forever.

I only know how to judge right from wrong, just like what I'm doing to you right now.

Thank you, Narcissa.

All my ambitions, dreams, and failures are residing within you, for you to make your judgement.

So, in the end... I will also... give you a gift.

Rosmontis turns her head back. Sitting in his wheelchair, Loken has his eyes closed, and suddenly passes away.

I'm beginning to understand what's going on.

You did all these things, just to see me, right?

You just didn't want to die alone.

You want to be remembered by me, and live on within me.

But, no.

I came here just to watch you die.

Rosmontis takes out her diary from her pocket, and writes a line in it.

'The criminal Loken Williams received the trial he deserved.'

She stares at the line for a while before putting the diary away.

And now, I've forgotten you.

...I should go find the Doctor and Kal'tsit.

*huff*—

I should've bought some cigarettes earlier.

I didn't expect you to be discarded so soon, K'uk'ulkan.

Surely you know how likeable I am.

I'm serious, I was ready to fight a legion of power armors to the death, and yet this place is so deserted?

Even amusement parks on federal holidays have better security than this.

...I'd like to know why myself.

Perhaps Dame Kal'tsit is skilled in the art of persuasion.

So skilled she's managed to convince even the mighty President of the Columbia Union?

We're out.

Are you alright, Doctor?

I'm fine.;......;Just a little dizzy.

Deep breaths—we spent too much time underground.

Taking in too much information at once is indeed a burden on you.

My apologies, Doctor. I wanted to wait a little longer until you were ready to face him, to respond to all the doubts and questions you have about yourself...

Wait till I recover my memories?;What exactly counts as 'ready'?;There's no point in making those sorts of assumptions.

Dame Kal'tsit, and Dr. {@nickname}. You have managed to get a considerable time extension.

I'm serious about getting my work done, Doctor.

Perhaps we should kill Mr. Tin Can here and now—Forget it, that's probably a meaningless act.

The President has rescinded the order, which honestly came as a surprise to me.

Madame, fix whatever Ho'olheyak has handed over to you. Even though I have no idea what it is, or the scope of the damage.

Mr. President has given you time. I don't know how long, but when your time's up, we will definitely retrieve what was lost.

Is this a deal?

I suppose. After all, you have abided by our previous agreement, and have indeed helped us a lot the past few days.

So in return, you can leave Trimounts safely and return to your landship.

As for the Doctor, you have already spent three days with the Columbian Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Arts Units, and Originium, and I don't think Rhodes Island would want an updated criminal record.

And as for Ho'olheyak...

For the time being, I'll only ask this, is she currently a collaborator of Rhodes Island's?

I guess...;Can we say no...?

Rhodes Island will need her help.

After all, she also made contact with the truth, so I can't just ignore her.

Thank you, Kal'tsit... Dame Kal'tsit. And the Doctor as well.

She's on your reputations now.

Well then, goodbye.

Alright, you two.

We'll go meet with Rosmontis and Ifrit, and then leave Trimounts.

Doctor, what are you looking at?

Bubbles.

You suddenly notice, that despite the considerable night breeze present, the mud in front of you holds a tiny pool of bubbles yet to evaporate.

The sporadic bubbles meander forward, like a series of extremely light footsteps.

Yes, bubbles. You look into the distance, and discover that the skies of Trimounts, in the moment before dawn, is full of fragile bubbles.

Kal'tsit, I'm going to look for someone first.

Rhine Lab Headquarters Building Vivarium

You feel as if you've just entered the bottom of a lake.

There is no one. Only a dense light blue and the soft sound of water.

A huge glass ring divides the entire space into two. Other than the narrow corridor on the outside, the rest of the vivarium has been entirely flooded, like a lake.

All the land plants are swaying as if they belonged in the water. You recall the vitality of your last visit here, but right now, you can only hear their weak 'breathing.'

A bubble floats from the Pale Fir, and is rocked by the current, looking as if it could pop any time and disappear without a trace.

Muelsyse?

*gurgle*

Did I wake you up, Muelsyse?;You don't have to show yourself, Muelsyse.

Doctor... why have you come?

I'm not here to take you to task.;Your Arts are going to turn Trimounts into the capital of bubbles.

Sorry for betraying you.

But right now, there's probably no point in apologizing...

'Arc-01', Galleria Stellaria, Kristen... everything has already come to an end.

The skies of Trimounts have been torn apart, the government, the military, the Maylander Foundation... every party with power here will soon close in to 'settle things,' so you guys should get out of Trimounts, fast.

Didn't expect you to see that. It was such a sorry sight, huh?

...Yes, I failed.

Doctor, you didn't get into the Galleria Stellaria, but I also got shut out.

I even almost killed Saria, and the only thing I managed to do was try to save a handful of people...

I already know what happened up there, so you don't have to say any more.

*gurgle*

You're weak, Muelsyse.;Don't speak any more, Muelsyse.

I pumped out all the water from my body, and expected myself to evaporate...

But I only had a short and shallow sleep, and didn't even get to finish my dream.

I can't even kill myself.

Before you came in, I think... I think I was leaving the orphanage in Trenton with a kid version of myself.

I think I saw a Muelsyse crouching next to a pale fir tree, tidying up the graves of my parents and my kin that I've never met... I wanted to reach out and pat her on the shoulder.

I think I met a Muelsyse who had just left Sami.

Her hair was wet from the morning mist, and she wasn't even holding her usual parasol, and it was so cold. Her neck was tucked in and her head drooping. I've never seen myself so dispirited.

Were your people living in the forests of Sami?;You saw other Elves?

Yup.

When Rhine Lab began their Scientific Investigation Section and started the Sami Exploration Project, their footprints made it all the way to the icefields in the remote north. I made a private request to Maggy...

When Maggy contacted me, this place had just been built. This tiny vivarium that shouldn't even exist on Terra, is an Elvish garden.

I found them following the coordinates Maggy sent me.

Deep in the forests in the middle of Sami, remote and cold... that bed of soil was locked up by the marsh and ice fields, far from civilization, a place you could hardly consider a paradise for Elves.

I saw a tree towering over the woodland, no different from what the other people of Sami live in and revere. But after just a few steps forward, I saw the true home of nearly a hundred Elves—

An endless Hollow beneath the tree, its thick branches entangling with one another, an ecosphere woven into the roots as if it was encased in amber.

To think there was such a settlement for Elves on Terra.

You want to persuade them to leave?;Were they unwilling to leave their homes?

No, Doctor. I couldn't even bring myself to ask them.

They were not hostile to me, but I had no way of integrating into their society, not because of my metropolitan fit, but there was something natural separating us.

We look similar, and face the same struggle, we're clearly alike, and yet we're also complete strangers to one another.

We had no way of understanding or communicating with each other, like two waves on completely different frequencies.

Doctor, I walked so far, and finally found a tiny patch of forest in the endless ice fields of Sami...

But I'm not a leaf from a tree, I'm just a drop of water.

The Elf leans against the pale fir, her hair moving with the topmost branches of the tree to the current.

You can't make out her expression.

I don't know, Doctor. I couldn't even ask them a question like that.

They were not hostile to me, but I had no way of integrating into their society, not because of my metropolitan fit, but there was something natural separating us.

We look similar, and face the same struggle, we're clearly alike, and yet we're also complete strangers to one another.

We had no way of understanding or communicating with each other, like two waves on completely different frequencies.

Doctor, I walked so far, and finally found a tiny patch of forest in the endless ice fields of Sami...

But I'm not a leaf from a tree, I'm just a drop of water.

The Elf leans against the pale fir, her hair moving with the topmost branches of the tree to the current.

You can't make out her expression.

But you still wanted to move the vivarium into the Galleria Stellaria.;But you still wanted to follow Kristen beyond the starpod.

I needed... to hold onto something.

But Kristen abandoned me, abandoned everyone, and the so-called 'future' that she's left for us.

Kristen disbanded the Components Control Section, and Saria was thrown out of the Galleria into deep space and almost turned herself into dust, the possibility I was pursuing has also been proven impossible.

Dorothy got herself into trouble because of the stuff at Site 359, Ferdinand has thrown himself to the army... and Parvis, that old goat seems to have died too.

I can only reminisce about things that have already turned into bubbles.

To me, they were once as precious as fresh air with hardly any Originium dust. They kept me from being so...

Lonely.

Doctor, if I was destined to always be alone, and if discovering and resisting this thing called fate still only leaves me all alone...

Does that mean I'll never be able to rid myself of it?

You attempt to get closer to Muelsyse. But through the glass and the dense lake, she still seems to be far away.

I bid farewell to someone before coming here.

Uh... who?

A friend.;A stranger.

So besides Saria and the gang, you knew someone else in Trimounts.

From the sound of it, you can't have seen them recently.

But they left Trimounts so soon just after your reunion?

I should say that my timing was just right.

A stranger?

But you said 'farewell' earlier.

There aren't many people that hold your interest, Doctor. Just what kind of person were they?

He was my 'kin.'

Kin...

Then did they leave Trimounts to go back to your homeland?

You know, I was actually really curious about where you came from. I did some investigating, and the other time I snuck into Rhodes Island, I even tried looking for your files, but I found nothing.

Is that because it's a secret... or, have you also been trying to find the answer?

Just like me.

Perhaps.;......;What do you think?

I want to know, when you met your kin... do you still remember what you were feeling then?

Did you recognize each other easily? Could you understand each other? Could you provide comfort for each other's suffering?

I never thought he would exist.;He never thought I would exist.

I was unprepared, I understood some of his answers, but my bewilderment only grew.

In the end, I only had enough time to see him off.

Time could not measure how long he had been watching and waiting in the dark.

All I could do was to say goodbye.

No wonder you look so exhausted, Doctor.

You stop moving, and Muelsyse looks into your eyes through the glass, across the still water.

So you also get lonely, Dr. {@nickname}...

Frequently.;......;Occasionally.

Then, have you ever wavered in your resolve? Will you doubt the significance of certain things because of it?

Rhodes Island, the Operators and friends by your side, that person who you forgot but still have been searching for?

...And yourself?

*gurgle*

Doctor, this vivarium will shut down soon, so you should get out of here.

You finally find the switch, and the glass layer opens in response, but the lake without its banks does not pour out, every drop of water held still by an invisible force.

Like a bubble about to pop, the Elf is about to escape into the leaves of the pale fir tree.

You step into it.

You'll drown...

Don't worry about me, I just want to sleep a bit more, a bit longer.

Before I came here, I was asked a similar question.

My answer was, and is, 'just as I always have been.'

Being 'alone' is a type of strength, Muelsyse.

Even a machine-like person can be submerged in such an emotion.

You will be sad, you will reminisce, you will worry.

And in the long term, it might not even improve.

But it is indeed a kind of power.

Every life experience that eventually fades away will still hold some meaning.

I remember you said before, that you don't like being peppered with questions.

But I will still hold out my hand, Muelsyse.