888: Heed my words, 37.
888: That scroll is a sacred relic passed down from the wise sages of Apeiron, safeguarded by the 6s and entrusted only to believers who brave Apeiron's test.
888: It has the power of harmonization and reconciliation. You may keep it until you've fully grasped the secrets shared with you by Apeiron.
888: But you will not share it with some organization affiliated with humans, and certainly do not allow them to study it.
The inevitable disagreement is finally upon them.
888 grabs 37 by the arm and drags her out of the lab.
37: Why?
37: Sharing the scroll is sharing wisdom and knowledge with others, like what we have done through our doctrinal meetings and receiving visitors from the outside world. It is for the sake of spreading the light of Truth, is it not?
37: The human researchers, they have also discovered many brilliant theorems.
37: Before the "Emanation" cut us off, we had these types of communications with the outside world. It was fun, unlike what came after.
37: I'm sure by sharing this scroll, the code from Apeiron will be deciphered.
37: I must prove that the light of Truth still glimmers!
She stands her ground.
She is right. With their faith shattered, people need something new to keep them going.
And this time, her suggestion makes sense in a practical way—a quality often missing from her previous ideas.
With the island no longer shielding them, the school must find another way to survive the "Emanation." In their moment of weakness, they need a powerful ally more than ever.
888: But how can you be sure the scroll will only be used for researching the ritual?
888: How can you ensure that the humans won't exploit it to create weapons of destruction?
37: ...?!
The Custodian looks up at the fractured dome.
The speckled daylight illuminates her cool complexion.
888: Before joining the School of Apeiron, my people and I had wandered the world for ages. Our long lives made it difficult for us to truly fit in with the world.
888: Daughter of Truth, I implore you to hear the words of this old soul.
888: Humans have indeed achieved incredible feats, and their enlightenment has even touched my soul.
888: But unfortunately, most humans do not have an inherent respect for knowledge or its boundaries. They only chase after power blindly.
888: I have experienced it firsthand. I tried to guide and persuade them, but ultimately, I failed. That is why I am here now.
37: ...
888: What you're deciding to share is not only knowledge, but it is a ritual, a piece of power.
888: A ritual designed for harmonization, created for the devout believers, and created for the sages seeking the Truth.
888: Yet, on the other hand, it can also be used for unspeakable horrors, such as silencers on guns, suppressors on rifles, or even on nuclear bombs.
Vertin: It won't!
Vertin: 888, I won't let this happen. I promise.
888: You can't promise anything, Ms. Vertin. You are too young.
888: Too inexperienced to comprehend the dark nature of history.
A valid and powerful observation.
The hall itself, ravaged by war, now stands as a testament to the banshee's claim.
Even 37 is speechless.
210: But it's the Truth we're talking about. What could possibly outweigh the Truth?
An unexpected voice speaks up.
To everyone's surprise, the rhetorician does not raise any objections this time.
210: If all it takes is lending someone a scroll to unlock unspeakable secrets, why not do it?
210: Haven't the failures of the past four years proven that a stagnant mindset does not bring forth the light of Truth?
210: As individuals devoted to critical thinking, should the pursuit of Truth not be our primary goal in life?
210: My brothers and sisters, do not let hatred stop you, and don't let the dust of the phenomenal world blind you.
37: 210.
He waves his hand and gets up from his seat.
210: And remember, it was 37 who passed the test and earned the scroll. It is her rightful responsibility to handle this situation.
He looks elsewhere, his demeanor suggesting a lack of interest rather than genuine support for the argument.
210: Otherwise, what other choice do we have?
He shrugs and walks out of the hall.
Behind him, the Star of Hermes clenches her fist with resolve.
To the murmuring, doubting crowd, she speaks again, loud and clear.
37: I have made up my mind.
37: I will share this scroll with Laplace. We will decipher the code together.
37: The Truth is the Truth. It should not be swayed by anything else.
37: Please, everyone, cast your pebble if you agree with me! If 6 were here, he too would have called for a vote.
Some of them decide to leave the hall instead, but most stay and use the pebbles in their hands to speak for them.
Her victory arrives with a gentle sigh from the corner.
888: sigh
War and smoke have long left this place.
An area has been cleared for takeoff.
Sonetto: Ms. Lilya, are you certain about this?
Lilya: Absolutely. See the nice weather today? Much better than the day we landed.
Lilya: No wind, no cloud, the clear sky, and that giant moon!
Sitting tight on her Su-01ве, she gives a quick pat to the scroll secured on her belt.
This is the essence of Apeiron's goodwill, in their newfound alliance with Laplace.
Lilya: Can't find a better day to deliver the package. It's just to the headquarters, not even going outside of Europe. Three hours is more than enough.
Lilya: I'm done being stuck on this suffocating island. Nobody can stop me from taking this flight!
Sonetto: The headquarters are at least 768 nautical miles away, and you have no protection during the long flight. It's dangerous!
Sonetto: And we have only seven hours until the "Storm."
Lilya: Dangerous? Maybe. But this is an exhilarating flight in the "Storm," Sonetto! What better chance than now to push Zeno into updating their Flying Manual?
She takes a few long gulps from her canteen and warms up her broomstick, brimming with anticipation as if she were going to a carnival.
Lilya: Besides, what's wrong with a bit of oil painting on me? Should be a nice badge of honor.
Regulus: Mate, that's quite a distance. Just be sure not to go toppling into the Mediterranean Sea!
Lilya: Heheheh, Red 38 is no way an APPLe II!
She soars higher and higher until Regulus shrinks to a tiny red dot on the beach.
From the corner of her eye, she notices shadows slowly creeping toward her.
Lilya: Uh-oh, Manus Olitiaus? We didn't kill them all off?
Lilya: I don't have time for you, little stingray rats.
The Olitiaus trail close behind her.
Lilya: Still got your speed, huh? I guess the death of your boss didn't faze you much.
Lilya: Oh?
A swollen blimp comes into view, filled with a dark substance and throbbing like a beating heart.
The creature's soft, tentacle-like turrets slowly rise and lock onto Lilya.
Lilya: A Manus aircraft? Worth a fight.
Lilya: Haha, bring it on! Your downfall will be an explosive orchestra over the waters!
COMBAT
To safely cast the immunity ritual, two conditions must be met.
(1) have the power to wield it
X: Yes, Ms. Titor has derived the formula, and my team has finished designing the prototype converter.
X: Now, we just need the bigwigs "upstairs" to approve the experiment application.
X: This is an unprecedented chance to rob the "Storm" of its energy. I wouldn't miss this for anything.
(2) minimize the side effects
Lucy: The scroll of Apeiron has shown great potential in protecting casters from the ritual. It is expected to outperform the Coleman protection rituals.
Lucy: The sheer variety of side effects is concerning, but we already have a list of 122 curses and their effects. Once the scroll arrives, we will test and record its reactions to each of the effects.
Lucy: This should speed up our analysis considerably.
But this isn't enough.
Enigma: How can we get humans to make use of this ritual?
He stands up and paces around the cluttered room.
Enigma: Ideally, the incantation is made into a tool like the Manus mask, or Laplace's incantation soft disk.
Enigma: However, this would require a thorough analysis and mastery of the ritual! Manus Vindictae could create the mask because Arcana is just that excellent of a caster.
Enigma: But we don't have that kind of excellence or the time. That's why I came up with a clever alternative—to let everyone be a caster instead.
Enigma: The problem is, humans can't cast at all to begin with! Ugh!
Logic is failing to produce the desired breakthroughs. Enigma sits back down at the table, holding his head in despair.
Enigma: Is there nothing else we can do?
37: So, this is the plan of the imaginary numbers.
37: You want to use the "waves of pneuma" and the reconciliation of the scroll to allow everyone to recite the "Storm" immunity ritual?
37 ponders with great interest, as if it were just another game.
The collaboration with Laplace is going well—they have just shared all their information on the subject.
Vertin: Yes. What do you think, 37?
37: An ugly plan it is!
37: There is no grace or beauty in this approach. It is purely driven by practicality and uses clever tactics to make things fit. How typical of imaginary numbers.
Regulus: What? Hah! It sounds pretty cool to me!
Regulus: Taking advantage of the "Storm," it's about time we plundered it instead, haha!
37: Hmm, it really looks like we should throw this plan into the sea.
37 insists, subtly shifting her seat away from Regulus.
37: You're not trying to comprehend the ritual, Vertin, but scrambling to make use of it before the "Emanation" arrives.
Vertin: Isn't making use of it enough for our purposes?
37: No! The theory is incomplete. You will be hindered by impossible obstacles in no time.
37: Mister, could you show me the incantation? I want to see it, too.
She glances at the device, hoping for an answer. But the other end of the call has been silent for a while.
Sonetto: Laplace is looking for a safe method to deliver the incantation. Given the incidents before, some time is required for the application procedure.
Sonetto: Once received, please do not read it out by any means. The side effects are extremely deadly.
The chief assistant explains to her reassuringly.
Finally, someone speaks again.
Cryptography Lead: Apologies. We took some time to test the delivery methods.
Cryptography Lead: For your safety, only the text of the incantation will be delivered. The exact pronunciation will be sent to the Timekeeper later.
Regulus: Ah, thanks, mate.
Cryptography Lead: Since the island has no visual communication, we will send the incantation letter by letter through a Chladni Plate, a technique that converts simple patterns to sound waves.
Cryptography Lead: Ahh, enough with the mumbo jumbo! There's no time for details.
Annoyed, he interrupts his rambling and gets straight to the point.
Cryptography Lead: Anyway, Timekeeper, we'll need the help of that lady—Ms. Radio, right?
Ms. Radio: Huh?!
Flattered, the blue flower on Ms. Radio perks up.
No ordinary signal could reach this island. Since their arrival, she's been diligently managing their communications.
As a result, she was somewhat reduced to being just a radio.
Cryptography Lead: Yes, somebody, please find her a metal square plate, fix it on a sturdy base, and pour sand on it.
Sonetto and Regulus get to work immediately.
Fortunately, there's no shortage of metals and sand on the island. A makeshift receiving station is quickly built.
Cryptography Lead: Now, a special recording will be sent to you. Please stay by the edge of the plate, embrace the sound and, um, uh, groove along.
Ms. Radio: I assume you mean "vibrate"?
Cryptography Lead: No no no no no, that's just rude ... but uh, yes, exactly.
He stammers.
Cryptography Lead: If all goes well, the vibrations will move the sand and visualize the text in a pattern.
Cryptography Lead: We have 12 recordings ready, each representing a letter in the incantation. We'll play the first one when you're ready.
Ms. Radio: O-of course, my pleasure!
She trembles with excitement, ready to give her all for this important task.
As she grooves with the signal, a pattern begins to form on the plate.
Vertin: First one's done, Mr. Ulrich.
Cryptography Lead: Alright, 11 to go.
The transmission continues as planned, each letter falling into place like pieces of a puzzle.
Until finally, the last letter is recorded on the page.
Vertin: ...!
Vertin: This incantation ...
The sight is hard to believe.
How can this be?
Regulus: W-what? Are you reading it in your head?
Regulus: Ah! Don't tell me even thinking about it can trigger the curse!
Vertin: No, it's just ...
Vertin: I can read this language.
La unua cirklo.
The language is not unfamiliar. The incantation for unlocking the suitcase is inscribed in the same tongue.
The questions are, who taught this, and when?
Was it on the eve of the new millennium, when everything was a blank?
Was it ... Mother?
A myriad of thoughts flood the mind.
Vertin: 37, I think I know what it says.
Vertin: It means "the first circle."