Chapter 68: Hear Now, the Call of the Goddess of Time

It's the Chapel. I guess they must've returned here after all. Everyone, that's our destination!

Aldo, Feinne... You've done well coming here.

I want to know... Are you not Professor Madoka? Why do you call yourself Himika?

You have to be. When you took off that hood, your face was the spitting image of Professor Madoka.

Running through beautiful robot confirmation algorithm... No error found.

I too am convinced that you could not possibly be Lady Himika.

Just who are you?

Please... You've got to tell us the truth! Are you my mother, or not?

As I told you before... I am Himika, queen of the ancient land of Gadaro. And I am also Madoka, a scientist from the future.

Huh?!

Wait... I don't understand!

Perhaps you will come to understand if you see it with your own eyes. Let my power guide you into the realm of my memories!

Huh...?! Ngh!

Aaah!

Aldo... Where are we?

Inside... Himika's memories? It seems we're near the Dragon God's Swamp in Antiquity. Wait, that's...!

This place...

Professor Madoka!

Mom?!

Everyone? Cecile... Eden... And you, dear...? Where did everyone go?! Am I alone? Is everyone safe?!

Professor! Professor Madoka?!

It seems like everyone got separated... This is bad... That surge of temporal currents just came out of nowhere... What could have caused them...?

The Professor can't see us... And it seems like she can't hear us, either... Which means we really are just seeing the past through Himika's memories.

But... She's right here in front of our very eyes! And you're saying she can't see us, or hear our voices?!

Feinne...

I didn't expect it to turn out like this... What era am I in? Where is this? What should I do now? Calm down, Madoka... I've got to get a hold of myself!

And who are you?

What was that light just now? Has one of heaven's messengers fallen from the sky?

I'm Madoka... I'm not a messenger from heaven. I'm just a normal person. Who...are you?

My name is Himika... Queen of the lands of Gadaro.

What?! So that's Himika?!

So Professor Madoka ended up in the East, in Antiquity... Who would've thought she ended up in the same era as Professor Chronos...

In this era, crossing the massive ocean is no easy feat. There is almost no connection between continents.

East and West... Those two, separated by a vast ocean, spent the days not even aware of each other's existence.

No... Mom...

How ironic... Time and fate are truly cruel mistresses.

I had Madoka reside on Iwato Island, and treated her courteously as a messenger from the heavens. She explained that she was no celestial being, but a scientist from the distant future... But of course, for one such as I, such circumstances were no different from those of a celestial maiden sent from the heavens.

Then you are indeed Lady Himika. But why take that appearance?

Allow me to explain.

As time went by, Madoka taught me a great many things. As queen of Gadaro, that knowledge granted me much power as both a leader and as an oracle... Furthermore, as a vessel for the gods, nature, and the elementals, I was able to connect with Madoka's spirit. Having lost her family, she was in pain. I believe my presence served as great comfort. We lived peacefully for a while... But one day, something terrible happened. Without warning, we were struck with a devastating natural disaster!

The Great Timequake, caused by Phantom...

...... I will take you once more to the realm of my memories.

Something is amiss with this world. I can feel it shaking...crying... Evil is taking root...

Evil?

Ah! Madoka, is that?!

Could it really be...the Corridor of Time Layers?! It's still just supposed to be a hypothesis! Why has it appeared here? What's going on?!

The Four Great Elementals?! What are they planning?!

Aaahhh!

So a fragment of that great continent fell near the Dragon God's Swamp. The shock waves that occurred after the clash of the continent and the Four Great Elementals may have caused it...

That was behind the massive shock wave that assailed the Dragon God's Swamp. Madoka said as much... Something strange was causing time and space to rip apart. Iwato Island was swallowed up by the rip in space time, leaving it to drift aimlessly in the currents of time...

The island would appear and disappear repeatedly as unstable wormholes opened and closed throughout time and space... It somehow became independent from the normal flow of time. Thus, the flow of time is different than that of the outside world. And us who lived there were unable to set foot off the island. It was as though we were prisoners of time... At first, the residents feared the island that had become like an apparition, but after some time they came to revere it. That is how the Chapel gradually came to be, once the Goddess of Time was enshrined.

What...became of you, Lady Himika? And of Professor Madoka?

On the day of that calamity, I was outside and was expelled from the island into the darkness between dimensions. In that moment, as I was filled with dread, I unconsciously sent my spirit adrift. My spirit came to possess Madoka's body.

Huh?!

So your body's that of Professor Madoka's, but your spirit is Himika's?

That would mean that mom is...

Madoka is here with me. I can hear her voice at all times... Perhaps you could say we are two souls in one body... Without Madoka, this plan, and the materialization of Tsubura's Gems would not have been possible.

Tsubura's Gems?! So Professor Madoka's the one who made them...

Iwato Island somehow drifts aimlessly through the currents of time, which would mean... That somewhere in time and space there must be a way to get information on the family that I lost! Isn't that right, Madoka? That's why you wanted us to collect the small memory devices scattered throughout the eras.

So that you could find me, Aldo... And Dad in the currents of time, right?

Yes... That's right. I'll get help from the Nopaew Clan. Let's make these things together! Tsubura's Gems! I'm sure I'll be able to see Chronos, Eden, Cecile, and Kyros again! I will find them!

Mom...

Professor Madoka, Himika... We've seen your memories. Thank you for finding me and Feinne... Thank you for guiding us this far...

We'll take care of it from here. Everyone, say your goodbyes to the past. We're heading back to our world. We've got to find what we can do to help!

Eden, Cecile... We will find you. We'll show you that we can give back what you lost... So please... Wait for us.

Our story is nearing its end, too... Let us continue. We continued our search for Tsubura's Gems, scattered throughout the eras. One day, we finally found them. And we saw all of you in the memories inside Tsubura's Gems, gathered by the Nopaew Clan.

Having seen you, Madoka was convinced. She knew it was Eden and Cecile, all grown up. Surely no one could express the happiness she felt then in words.

Mom...

From that day forward, chasing after the records of your adventures became Madoka's reason to keep on living.

But... If that's the case, why didn't she say anything when we first met? Do you know how lonely Feinne's been this whole time?

We apologize for that... We wanted to tell you the truth. However... If we had told you everything from the start, it was likely to be very dangerous. Who knows what would have happened if Phantom or KMS had found out about our identity or our plans... We wanted to keep everything a secret until Project: Another Eden was put into action.

But now we are relatively safe. The project has already been set into motion. Once things begin to move, not even they can easily interfere. All of the programs necessary for the plan have been sent to the Xeno-Domain, and have already been processed.

The Xeno-Domain... Right, before we forget, we've got to send them back.

The Book of the Time Dream... A remote device to connect to the Xeno-Domain. It's important, right? Professor Chronos originally entrusted it to Professor Madoka, right?

Project: Another Eden... What is your and Professor Madoka's goal?

My desire is to be reunited with my own body... I wish to stop drifting through time, and return to Antiquity. Madoka hopes to retrieve and revive Eden, and to reunite with you, her only family left.

Aldo... And you, Cecile. Another Eden, created from Feinne's memories of the original Eden. Madoka wishes to borrow your strength to try and revive Eden once more. Entrusted with Madoka's... With the prayers for our lost child, we want to create a new Eden... A third Eden!

One more Eden? Do you really think things will go as you plan?

Phantom?!

I see. The true form of the Daughter of Time is Himika's soul residing within Madoka's body. If that is the case, the existence of the Chapel will only serve as a hindrance to us who live in the darkness.

We suspected that us getting sent to Antiquity had something to do with the Chapel, after all.

We must consider that we were able to gain much from that experience, however.

Whatever you gained is worthless in the face of the dark abyss of time. But I trust you already understand? The Goddess of Time is nothing more than an illusion. The gates of paradise will never open... No, it is truer to say that they have been closed... By your own hands!

What do you mean?!

Enough! Shokera of the three great specters! Take care of these fools!

The three great specters?!

Show yourselves, pathetic humans! I'll pay you back for what you did to Mizuchi!

Fine with me, we'll take you on. Let's do this, specter!

Hmph! You humans are tougher than I thought! Now I see why Mizuchi fell to you. But our fight is just beginning. Now I'll show you my true strength!

That's our line! You're about to get clobbered.

Aldo, wait.

Huh?!

Ogre Rancorem?! So you're awake?

Yes, but I feel strange... It's as if...someone or something is calling out to me.

Wh-What do you mean?! What's happening here?

Hark! What troubles you, Aldo?!

I'm not sure! Ogre Rancorem just suddenly jumped out!

Huh?!

Feinne?!

Feinne, what's wrong? Are you okay?!

A-Aldo! Geo is... My body is...burning up!

Assumption: Ogre Rancorem and Geo Prisma are resonating with other powerful wave existences.

Resonating with other wave existences? What does that mean?

Wh-What's happening here?!

Ack! What's with this thing?!

Wh-Where's this shaking coming from? Is it an earthquake?!

Is it resonating with the Gyre Melody?! This is no good! Otoha, if it calls upon the name of the Cat Deity, things are about to get ugly.

That would mean...?

The beginning of the end of the world. It looks like it's finally time for us to pay the price...

I do not know where it comes from, but I can feel a massive pulse of energy. It is about to begin... Our true battle!

You're saying that whatever it is, it's trying to wake up in response to Ogre Rancorem and Geo Prisma?!

What could it be?!

A-Aldo!

Wait, Feinne! I'll handle this!

You'll do what?! Aldo!

It's heading towards Mahora Lake...

Huh?!

Right, Ogre Rancorem? It's just like Ogre Rancorem said. There's some kind of massive power there... If we could just cut the resonant connection with that power!

There?!

Let's do this, Aldo!

Feinne, are you all right?!

Yeah... It seems to have died down. I'm fine now.

However, what is that tower-like object rising from the sea?

The Tomb of the Gods? What is that?!

A tomb for immortal gods from ancient times.

And why would immortal gods require a tomb, exactly?

Hmph... Even you fools will soon come to understand. But if the tomb has appeared... Could that mean that the day of the god's return draws near?

Ack! What is that?!

High energy reaction confirmed! Detecting incursion of unknown phase field in the skies above the Chapel! This entire region is encompassed by a special gravitational wave!

What?!

This is bad! It's probably best to leave the island for now and assess the situation.

But... Mom and Himika are still there!

Himika said so herself, did she not? She is unable to leave the island. There is nothing we can do.

I know not what will happen here. Hurry and leave this place.

But...

There is no need to worry about us. As long as we remain in the Chapel, nothing from the outside can interfere.

No matter what happens, we will come back for you! That I promise.

Feinne. We have to go right now!

Right...

The Chapel of the Goddess of Time... Iwato Island itself was swallowed up into the sky and disappeared...

Mom...

The Chapel was swallowed up into a dimensional tear. It was not transported to another era, but to the dimension of darkness... Through the power of that god.

The...dimension of darkness?

The power of a god...

Shokera, we must start again from the beginning. The circumstances have changed, and we must rethink our approach.

Seems like we'll have to put off our little game. You better be prepared for when we meet again.

I cannot help but wonder what it truly is... The tomb of an undying god...

That Phantom said something about a god returning. Does that mean the Goddess of Time is entombed there?

Does that mean the Goddess of Time was responding to Ogre Rancorem and Feinne's Geo Prisma?

We ourselves do not know. It was as if something suddenly called out to us.

Yeah... It was the same for me, as if Geo Prisma suddenly was responding to something.

There is a high probability that the battle between three parties at Iwato Island caused a resonance vibration phenomenon.

However, there are limits to what we can ask about the distant and ancient time before history. It seems we have no choice but to press Phantom for more answers...

Right... Maybe we should head to Nagsham and speak with Garneli. She may have new information about what Phantom and those specters are up to.

Good idea. Let's head to Nagsham!