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It's past midnight, again... gotta finish my report on Kjeragandr...

I can't believe the day would come when I wrote the word 'Feranmut' in a report...

Hm...?

Oh, Director Muelsyse! What brings you here?

Well if it isn't Elena! I knew you'd still be here this late.

You've spent an entire month cranking out reports since coming back to the station. You don't hafta push yourself so hard.

It took forever just to put the data together. Then there were experiments I had to replicate in the lab to—

Science will survive you taking a couple days off, girl.

Speaking of which, the station's scheduled break starts tomorrow.

I think you applied to stay in Kjerag?

I did...

Lemme guess—

D-Don't look at me like that! I know, I know, I won't use it to put in extra time.

I hardly ever left the station before the Catastrophe.

I did take a trip down the mountain after it happened, but as you know, it was... er... not exactly a sightseeing trip.

That's one way to put it. Hehe...

That's why I wanted to take a good look around Kjerag during the break.

Now we're talkin'.

I just popped in to remind you that every researcher choosing to stay in Kjerag gets a local volunteer guide, to help you settle into the place.

Yours is coming first thing in the morning. So hurry up and get to bed, don't wanna oversleep.

Alright... after I'm done with this one! I only have a few hundred words left.

Fine, fine, have it your way.

Make the most of tomorrow, Elena, and don't forget to try the fondue.

Of course. I'm not missing it for anything this time!

It's you—

What? You don't recognize me?

The young huntress brushes the snow off herself, while the Rift Cloudbeast yelps excitedly at Elena from her left shoulder.

(Whisper) It's okay, Rift Cloudbeast. Elena can be a bit dumb, but not dumb enough to forget us after just a few days.

Hey, I heard that!

...Never mind. The Director said a local guide would be coming to help me acclimate. Don't tell me—

Yeah, I'm your guide.

I was on my way to pick up my siblings when I saw the posters your people put up looking for volunteers, so I signed up.

The lady who did the interview was really excited. She said I was as local as it gets.

Well, you certainly look the part...

Okay... should we go and find Enya?

The Saintess can't go outside so easily. Besides, she must be busy with things at the Vine-Bead Court—

You don't believe me?

No, I never said that...

Then we're good. Tell me where you want to go, and I'll take you there.

Let me think...

It'll almost be noon by the time we get down the mountain, and I haven't even had breakfast yet.

You got any recommendations for a good fondue place?

A what place?

You've never heard of fondue?

Are you even from Kjerag?

One of us is from Kjerag, and it's not you.

Of course I know fondue, but only city folk eat it. My roast meat and sausages at home are so much better.

But all the Columbian guidebooks list fondue as one of the top ten foods you have to try before you die!

Pfft, you Columbians know nothing about food. The best cuisine in Kjerag is wild game from the mountains.

What's your plan, then?

We don't have enough time to hunt, and I don't have much in store to spare.

But hunters who live on the mountains always save some game. We can join them for lunch, if we leave now.

Don't worry, everyone's really nice and pious.

My fondue...

You can get that anytime!

We'll go into the city tonight. Come.

Wait up—

...Promise me you'll walk slower, and I'll go with you!

We finally reached the bottom of the mountain. Look this way, Elena.

Huh?

I didn't come to have a snowball fight with you!

What are you talking about? It's a Kjerag tradition to paint the forehead with snow and pray for Kjeragandr's protection.

I wouldn't describe what you just did as 'paint'.

Close enough. We don't really care for ceremony here in Kjerag.

You can't fool me! I'm sure all those books in the Hall of Writings—

Now let me get the right side of your forehead.

Joanna—

Haha!

Get back here!

Whoaaaaaaa—

Hold on tight, Elena, or you're gonna get thrown from the sled.

Is this why you prayed for Kjeragandr to protect the two of us? For this crazy ride through the forest on this run-down wooden sled—

(Purrs)

Two of us plus the Rift Cloudbeast!

What are you calling 'run-down wooden sled'? So many people who want to ride the sleds of Kjerag don't get the chance!

Let's go even faster! It'll feel really good!

Whoaaa—

Whew—

Good to have a nice sunny day like this after the disaster. The Rift Cloudbeast looks much happier.

(Purrs)

...Elena? What's the matter? Keep up!

How am I... supposed to... keep up... when you're... faster than a fowlbeast *cough* *cough*—

Tired too soon? But we climbed Mount Karlan together.

That's because... E-Enya stopped to wait for me from time to time! But you *cough* *cough*—

I'm supposed to be going out for lunch, not for a hike...

Well, you can sit a little while. I can wait.

*pant* H-How long do we have to go...?

Almost there.

Over this hill, and then we're only half an hour from finding someone.

Whoa!

The Rift Cloudbeast climbs onto Elena's shoulder, like it did back on Mount Karlan.

It does not realize that it would be the last straw that 'breaks' the scientist.

Oh... R-Rift Cloudbeast—

Joanna and her pet look at each other in stunned silence at the sight of Elena lying motionless on the ground.

L-Look what you've done!

You killed a Rhine Lab researcher!

(Purrs)

Y-You're right! Elena isn't dead! We've made it through worse. She even saw Kjeragandr with her own eyes!

Elena? Are you alright? Please don't be dead!

If you die—

She's moving!

*cough* *cough*—

She's sweating all over and coughing up foam... her lips are blue too...

What do I do, what do I do... are Columbians this weak? I've never seen this happen to someone from Kjerag...

...I-I'll find help right now!

Joanna crouches down and lifts Elena violently by her clothes. She slings Elena over her shoulders and locks Elena's arms and legs with her own.

Heave, ho—

Hang in there, Elena!

You might as well put me out of my misery with a bolt if you're gonna carry me like this...

I think I'm really going to die now...

She forces out her last words, and closes her eyes...

'Alright, Genne, I know you like to listen to Dad's stories about the stars, but it's time to go to bed.'

'You want to see the stars outdoors? You're too little right now, but when you grow up, we'll climb the highest mountains and see all the stars, okay?'

'No, we're not taking you for a ride. Someday, you'll go to bed with a smile on your face under the starry firmament.'

'After all, your name means 'origin of stars'...'

She's awake!

Where am I...

A clinic in the mountains. This doctor saved your life.

Thank... you...

She's exaggerating. The concoction will only soothe your symptoms. You need to rest.

What's she sick with, doctor?

Foreigners have a hard time with Kjerag's high mountains.

While the symptoms may not be obvious in everyday life, Elena was clearly overexerted and exhausted when she was brought in, causing the symptoms to intensify.

I'm so sorry, Elena! Come on, Rift Cloudbeast, let's apologize together!

(Purrs)

It's alright, I know you didn't mean any harm.

Let me get up—

Elena stumbles as she tries to get out of bed. Joanna quickly moves to help her up.

By Kjeragandr, just stay put!

I'm fine...

No need to worry. She'll get better soon.

...I'm glad there's a clinic up here. I thought the snowy mountains were gonna be the last thing I'd ever see.

It's not easy for the hunters to go down the mountains, so they asked the Vine-Bead Court to send a doctor.

I was studying medicine at the Hall of Writings, so Elder Adso sent me. That was more than a decade ago.

Ever since Karlan Trade opened new hospitals in the cities, though, people have started to go there instead, even though it's further away, so things have gotten quieter here.

Doctor...

Oh, sorry, Mia. So busy I forgot about you.

Did the new stomach medicine work better?

No, doctor. My belly still hurts...

Hm, that's unusual. Did you get it checked in the city?

I don't trust the city people... so many have taken their chemical stuff and gotten sick in other ways.

Hm... well, take a seat, and I'll look through the books to see if there's something else that can be done.

...Maybe I can help.

I have a sonograph with me. It can be used to perform basic scans on human organs.

But that's city-folk stuff, isn't it?

Does it matter? It's not like you have anything to lose.

Forget it... never seen anything like this before...

Come on, Elena, help me convince her—

No.

Elena?

What I mean is, it's not city-folk stuff.

It's an instrument that 'She' has blessed.

Her words surprise even herself. She was not supposed to subscribe to such mysticism.

My, my...

You mean... Kjeragandr?

...Yes.

I had the honor of traveling together with the Saintess for a while. This instrument allowed me to see Her true form.

You know, of course, that She does not reveal herself easily. It stands to reason that She must have permitted this instrument to perceive Her.

She winks at the huntress next to her.

...She's telling the truth.

We're the Saintess's servants. We accompanied her when she sought an audience with Kjeragandr.

Yes, yes, the Saintess...

I do remember hearing people say that the Saintess was accompanied by two attendants when she came back, one of whom was a foreigner...

Where did you see Her, then? What did She say to you?

She said—

(Whisper) What DID She say?

'Seek not my temple, but my heart.'

We are all ignorant children in Her presence... before the mysteries of this great land.

True ignorance is to lack the courage to venture into the unknown beyond one's own beliefs.

I see...

I-I'll trust you. What should I do?

Please take off your jacket. I'll get ready.

Phew... thank you so much. Without you, I would never have realized that she had developed gallstones.

But... she refused to go to a hospital for treatment, even though she agreed to let me examine her.

I'll talk to Mia again when she comes back for her medicine next time.

It's not something that can be easily treated with pharmaceuticals alone. I wish I had tried harder to convince her...

...Mia's a smart woman. She may not have necessarily believed what you said about the instrument being blessed, but she agreed to be examined. That was the furthest she could accept, right now.

The smarter someone is, the more likely they'll be stubborn about their views. So their prejudices go way deeper than other people's.

It's so hard to change one's prejudices, without seeing certain things for oneself.

...Have you had a lot of experiences like this?

Yes. I didn't like the new things that Karlan Trade brought in at first, but I have to admit their usefulness when I see them in action, like today.

It's the other way round now. Quite a few people seem to have a prejudice against me, thinking that the old stuff from the past is all myths and lies. Nothing I can do about it.

Perhaps someday, they'll see the good in those old things, and realize their narrow-mindedness, haha.

Anyway, I should thank you on Mia's behalf. It's getting dark. How about you two stay for dinner?

Dinner? What do you have?

Mm... some vegetables, and two smoked sausages—

Wow! Did you hear that, Elena? We're in for a treat!

Elena takes a stroll outside the clinic after dinner. She can faintly hear Joanna and the doctor chatting around the dinner table.

The stars of Kjerag...

She rubs her hands together. The white vapors that come out as she exhales fade into the night in the wind. She walks forward slowly, toward the starry heavens that she can almost reach out and touch.

Good news! I finally got the doctor to agree to roast the last half of the sausage!

Have a little bit later, and then you can take the rest back with you when I bring you back to the station.

Why aren't you saying anything, Elena? Are you feeling sick again?

...Oh, no, I'm just thinking.

About what? This sky? You've been looking up at it for a while.

Yeah... I've never seen the stars so clearly with the naked eye.

I've looked up at them all my life. Didn't think they were anything special.

My family, the Urbicas, has a long tradition of astrology.

I don't get along with my parents anymore, but they used to watch the stars with me, using telescopes.

But the stars were always so dim when I pulled open the curtains and looked out at the night sky outside the window. My parents couldn't explain why; they just told me that you can't see the stars as clearly in the cities as you can out in the wilderness, on the mountains.

The question planted itself in my heart like a seed. I was frustrated with my ignorance, at the lack of answers...

It was only when I grew up and read about light pollution and atmospheric turbulence in the library that I found the answer.

...I don't know much about the stars, but sometimes being ignorant isn't such a bad thing.

If you didn't think you were ignorant, you wouldn't have gone to the library to find the answer.

You're right.

Did your parents ever tell you why they liked to look at the stars? That 'astrology' thing?

It's not a question of like or not. It's my family's tradition.

Hunting and sculpting are my family's tradition, but I don't think my ancestors would have carried it on for so long if they didn't like it...

...I remember now. My mother told me something that my ancestors once said.

'Beauty and the unknown.' Beauty makes people gaze into the unknown, and the unknown makes people feel a deeper beauty.

Maybe that's why they started stargazing...

Well... I'm not sure I understood it, but it sounded like the clerics reciting the <i>Kjeragandr</i>, so I guess that's not a bad thing.

Anyway, it's time for us to go down. I'll go wrap up that sausage for you.

Okay.

...Thanks, Joanna.

Had fun today, Elena? You were the last one to come back.

Well, it was a long day. It did end up being fun, I guess?

The receptionist said there's a guest here looking for you. Said you hadn't been writing back, and they're not leaving until they see your face.

They're in the reception room.

A guest? For me?

I'll go now.

Hey, is that... smoked wild game sausage I smell?!

You like this? My guide friend said Kjerag locals like it more than fondue.

Probably a tradition thing? I grew up in a poor family, and I would be overjoyed when we got smoked sausage. I prefer fondue now, though.

So... could I have a bit of the sausage?

I see... I'm not hungry yet. I'll go see the guest; you can help yourself.

...I knew it.

Genne...

So glad you're alright...

Sia...

I've been sending letters ever since the Catastrophe, trying to make sure that you're alright.

Then I heard that there was a skirmish between Kjerag and Victoria, and I got even more anxious...

Mm... there was a suspension of incoming mail that only recently got lifted.

Were you hurt? Sick? Is everything okay?

Well... a lot happened. Maybe I changed a little bit...

But I'm doing fine. Everything that's fine...

No need to worry.

Good to hear that...

I brought your favorite coffee beans from Columbia. The same kind that our favorite breakfast place in Trimounts uses.

And a hand-grinder, too. It's a little late for coffee, but if you want—

Yes! I haven't had good coffee in a long while since I came to Kjerag.

Heh, give me a minute.

Did you come from Columbia? I thought you spend most of your time on Rhodes Island?

A lot's happened to Rhodes Island lately. We can talk about that later...

Anyway, I went home after the events at Rhodes Island. Mother fell sick around the same time that the Catastrophe hit Kjerag, so I stayed a few more days and took turns with father to care for her.

I tried to tell them about what you're doing in Kjerag, but it didn't take long for father's expression to grow dark. He told me through clenched teeth that he didn't want to hear your name.

I knew it.

And then I found out that he had been buying a few different newspapers, and trying to keep it a secret from me.

I thought he didn't like to read the news.

Because Kjerag was all over the news those few days...

He took the newspapers into mother's room, talking as he flipped through them... they hugged, and his eyes were red as he left the room.

Maybe he's just getting old... he and mother want to know more about you, Genne.

Sia, you know I... they...

I'm not here to lobby for them. You know I'm on your side, and I know what they did to you.

But if one day, they ask me about you... can I tell them?

Of course.

...Is mother alright?

Just a bout of flu that hit harder than usual. She had recovered by the time I left.

She wouldn't let herself show any weakness. She was back to her stone-faced self the first day her fever faded.

Hmph... good to hear, I guess.

Do you still carry your astrology notes with you, Sia?

Yeah. Why do you ask?

...I want to take a look.

I thought you didn't like astrology.

I... I saw the 'god' of the Kjerag when I was investigating the Kjerag Catastrophe.

At first, I thought all this talk about 'god' was just a load of hot air, and I was frustrated that my companions believed in the existence of a 'god', even though the most rational explanation was an Originium vein.

Until I walked into the cave... and saw biosignals on my instruments.

When the word 'Feranmut' came to my mind, I realized that my research wasn't so different from our family astrology, after all.

That irredeemable asshole, Mr. Urbica, father...

I started to understand him, just a little.

You don't need to reject the path you chose, Genne...

No, no, it's not that.

I revealed a glimpse of the truth, the secret behind the veil. I won't stop there.

I continue to believe that science is the best way to explore the unknown, and the path that I'm meant to walk.

Our ancestors may have gone down the wrong path, but it doesn't mean what they did was meaningless.

But... they never got the chance to see the stars in Kjerag. And so, it's our turn to continue this journey of exploration that goes on and on.

I see.

Do what you want to do, Genne. I'll have your back, always.

What—

Why do you look so surprised? Am I not allowed here?

...The Director told me the local volunteer guide would only come along the first day.

I'm just here to hang out with my friends from afar. No need to follow their rules.

What do you say, Rift Cloudbeast?

(Purrs)

I guess you're right...

Alright, but I'm only coming with you if you agree to two things.

You got it. What are they?

First, we'll not run all over the mountains again!

Second... let's go down the mountain and have some fondue.

I told you, that stuff's—

Nope, I want to try it for myself before judging whether it's good or not.

Alright, alright...

Let's go.