PART 1:
Semmelweis: Here we are, Lorelei.
Lorelei doesn't answer. She's gazing intently at a spot in the sky, as if intrigued by something there.
Lorelei: The moonlight is flowing down like white silk. I'd like to sing to it.
She raises the conch to her lips.
A deep breath hangs in her lungs, and then, she sings.
But no one can hear her. The silent melody drifts across an empty square.
The mirror in Semmelweis's pocket flashes with a gleam of light.
Then, the song crosses into reality and finds its way to Semmelweis's ears.
Semmelweis: That's ... the song I heard in the mountains!
Semmelweis: No, something's different.
Madam Lindsay: It's been too long since our last call, Semmelweis.
An emotionless voice breaks the moment. The song fades, and Semmelweis is dragged back to her senses.
Madam Lindsay: I'm very eager to know why you still haven't evacuated.
Semmelweis: My apologies, Madam Lindsay. I ran into this arcanist by the river, and she's special.
Semmelweis: The arcane skill she wields with her voice can pacify Storm Syndrome victims, though I can't say I understand how it works.
Semmelweis: I believe the Foundation should take her in. Please allow me to evacuate with her.
Madam Lindsay: An arcanist? You're telling me you violated our regulations several times over and even disobeyed a direct order just to save a stranger?
Madam Lindsay: Semmelweis, out of my deepest respect for your work and loyalty, I'll give you one last chance.
Madam Lindsay: Evacuate Vienna immediately. The Foundation has neither the time nor manpower to assess the value of this arcanist.
Semmelweis: Heh. Sorry, I'll have to disobey your orders yet again.
Madam Lindsay: Let me stress this point again. Do you know what you're about to do?
Semmelweis: I do. You've made a miscalculation, Madam Lindsey. You thought I obeyed your orders out of loyalty. No, I followed orders because they worked in my interest.
Semmelweis: Now they don't.
Madam Lindsay sighs as she casts an arcane skill.
A scarlet light flashes from Semmelweis's chest, radiating intense pain.
Madam Lindsay: You've chosen to make us your enemy to serve your own interests. You chose poorly. The Foundation does not tolerate betrayal.
Scorching Heart—an arcane skill created by the Field Agent Administration to control its agents.
In case of betrayal, the Field Agent Administration can activate this arcane skill at any time to eliminate them.
Madam Lindsay: I'm sorry it has to end this way, Semmelweis.
Semmelweis: No ...
A puff of black mist escapes from her chest. Semmelweis collapses to her knees, clutching at her heart with her hand.
Valentina: Valentina walks out of the mist with a smile on her face.
Valentina: And let my joy leave the stage so early? I couldn't bear it! After all, the show must go on.
Semmelweis: You ...
Lorelei: Valentina, little musical note! I'm so glad you made it!
Valentina: You did well preserving that flower.
Affected by the arcane skill, the "Gruß an Aachen" begins to wither from the heat.
Valentina: Looks like you've decided to accept my terms.
Valentina: We're "in sync" after all, Semmelweis.
Semmelweis: Thank you for that, but I've not made a decision yet.
Valentina: Oh?
Semmelweis: Tell me how to survive the transformation first.
Valentina: A reasonable request. As you wish.
Valentina: The answer lies in ... Lorelei's song.
Semmelweis: Lorelei's song? I knew it.
Semmelweis: You put that note in my pocket and waited for me here. All this was part of your plan.
Valentina: You really are such a joy, Semmelweis.
Valentina: You're rational, quick-witted, and always hold your ground no matter the situation.
Valentina: I know you'll always choose what's best for you, and you will again this time.
Valentina: Come with me. Heinrich is waiting for us.
PART 2:
The hysteria of the era, all the twisted bodies, chaotic scenes, and feverish minds are hidden behind the golden curtain.
Valentina: Here we are. Looks like Heinrich hasn't arrived yet.
Semmelweis: I have no time to waste. Can we start right away, Lorelei?
Lorelei: Certainly, if you believe it will help, my dear.
Lorelei steps onto the stage, fingers crossed, eyes closed, and begins to sing.
The song is identical to the one that Semmelweis had heard before. Her voice is like the waves of the sea or the stars in the sky.
A moment of clarity and peace ... but that's all. The expected transformation doesn't come.
Semmelweis: Nothing's happening.
In a desperate attempt, she recites the incantation again.
Semmelweis: Scarlatum!
Valentina offers a glimmer of a smile beneath her waiting eyes. The incantation has done nothing.
Semmelweis: I just need to calm down and try again.
Semmelweis: Scarlatum!
Still, nothing happens.
Lorelei: My dear, it seems you still don't understand my song.
Semmelweis: What?
Lorelei: You're trying to give meaning to the melody,
Lorelei: memorizing every note and searching for words that never existed.
Lorelei: Notes are only notes, my dear. They need no interpretation. We must accept them for what they are.
Valentina: Enough, Lorelei. You've done all that you can.
Valentina: I'll take you to Manus Vindictae. We can complete the transformation in a more direct way.
Semmelweis: Heh. You mean put on that "mask" so I can become another one of your puppets? You're a bad saleswoman, you know.
Valentina: Of course not. You won't do me any good as a walking beast.
Valentina: My terms have never changed: we'll work together and secure a place in Manus Vindictae.
Semmelweis: You seem sure that I'll accept your "offer."
Valentina: Well, it appears to me that you've turned your back on the Foundation for good; that means there's no more help coming for you. If you want to survive the "Storm" ...
Valentina: I don't think you have a choice.
Semmelweis: No, Valentina.
Semmelweis: I won't let you manipulate me. I know you as well as any of your kind. Trusting you is the last thing I'd do.
Semmelweis: Be honest; all you've ever wanted is a tool. And I'm not interested.
A round of applause echoes on the stage.
Valentina: Brava!
Valentina: You never fail to surprise me with your insights, Semmelweis. I had no idea you saw my offer that way.
Valentina: But you're wrong about one thing.
She steps closer to Semmelweis confidently.
Valentina: Did you ever consider that flower was left on the table for a reason?
For a moment, just one instant, Semmelweis is astonished. Valentina responds with a look of pure satisfaction.
Valentina: And remember ...
Valentina: There are limits to what reason can explain.
Valentina: I look forward to seeing you again one day. Don't forget it was me who saved your life today, Semmelweis.
Valentina: But nothing's for certain.
Valentina bends over and takes the "Gruß an Aachen" from her.
Valentina: Fate will bring us together again if that is what it wills.
PART 3:
Time passes, and thick streams of paint in a rainbow of colors begins to leak through the ceiling to the ground, twisting everything it touches.
Semmelweis: The "Storm" is coming.
Semmelweis opens her bag, pouring everything out.
Exhila Ritual, Condensed Belladonna Juice, Resounding Rifle, Life Insurance Policy, Proof of Poise ...
Nothing in her bag will help her survive the "Storm."
Semmelweis: The "Storm" will completely reverse everything in ...
She reaches into her pocket, trying to find something that can tell the time.
Semmelweis: Hmm? What?
Semmelweis: My mirror! It's moving?
She raises the mirror to catch its reflection, yet ...
Semmelweis&Bella: There's nothing there.
Semmelweis can feel herself melting, blending into the paint that falls from the sky, while the stage turns into an empty palette.
Inside the chaos, where everything becomes one, she sees someone familiar.
Semmelweis: Bella.
Bella: We meet again, Semmelweis.
Semmelweis: I seldom like to use words like "intuition" or "feeling."
Semmelweis: But I had a feeling that you'd be the last thing I'd meet before I die.
Semmelweis&Bella: So you know we don't have much time left.
Bella: And yet, you still don't regret the choices you've made, even now?
Semmelweis: I'm sure you already know my answer. Don't we know each other well enough by now?
Bella: Do we?
Semmelweis: Because ... asking what's right or wrong—that's never been how I decide things. There's only one factor: what's best for me.
Semmelweis turns her back to the stage and raises her hand.
Semmelweis: There's only one thing left for me to do—try again.
Semmelweis: Scarlatum!
A fire flares up in the center of the stage and then extinguishes just as fast. Though only a momentary flash, Semmelweis is certain that it was not an illusion.
Semmelweis: I ... I did that?
Bella: You sound surprised. What happened to all that bravado?
Bella stands up and raises her hand, matching Semmelweis's movements.
Bella: Scarlatum!
The same fire is conjured again, with the same heat and the same arcane fluctuation.
Bella: Look, Semmelweis. You've done it.
Bella: From the mountain to the river, and now the stage, we've traveled a long way just to pursue the possibility of mastering our arcane skill.
Bella: The Foundation, Manus Vindictae, Valentina, Lorelei ... We've turned to everyone that could've helped us.
Bella walks close to Semmelweis, her eyes crimson.
She raises a mirror, the one that hadn't reflected their image.
Bella: You said, "When the mirror's truth ceases to exist, the reflection is irrelevant."
Bella: But it looks like some mirrors still reflect us.
Bella drops the mirror, letting it shatter on the ground.
Bella: Look into my eyes now, like you looked into that mirror.
COMBAT
Semmelweis: Myself.
Semmelweis: I saw myself.
Bella: That's right, Semmelweis. You can still see your reflection in these "mirrors."
Bella: They accept you just as you are, reflecting all your absurdity, your mistakes, and your possibilities. They're always honest and will remain so evermore, just as I do.
Semmelweis: Honest, you? Really?
Semmelweis: No. It's me. I will remain honest to myself.
Semmelweis breaks free from Bella's eyes yet finds her hand holding Bella's the next moment.
Bella: And who do you think you are?
Semmelweis: I ... I don't feel like defining myself, not with any words I've ever known.
Semmelweis: I've spent too much time caught between humans and arcanists, trying to understand their rules and bend them to my advantage.
Semmelweis: But now I realize that I've never achieved what I actually want. I've never been accepted by either side, or even by myself.
Semmelweis&Bella: That's why no mirror would ever reflect "us" in real life.
Semmelweis: But things have changed.
The boundary between them is fading away.
Bella: I have been looking at you all this time.
Bella: When you were looking at the rules, faking a smile, running around like a headless chicken, trying to turn into a "real" arcanist ... I never stopped looking.
Bella: Because I knew the moment you looked into my eyes ...
Semmelweis&Bella: "We" would be back on the right track.
Bella's figure thins out, passing through the invisible boundary that had once been unbreakable in Semmelweis's mind.
Bella: You've found "us."
Semmelweis hears her own heart beating in silence, pumping new blood to every corner of her body.
Semmelweis: That's the answer I've been looking for. It's just "me."
Semmelweis walks down from the stage.
She has never hesitated when breaking with the past.
Team Member I: Captain, our intel was wrong. The item isn't here!
Team Member II: These deranged soldiers have us surrounded! We can't initiate the teleport ritual!
Semmelweis: Is that ... "Razor" and his squad?
Semmelweis: Perhaps I still have something the Foundation wants.
Semmelweis's story is far from over.