Part 3 Into the Hollow: Rhapsody Dream, Thou Art Eden, The Soul's Shape

Now go, Ashtear... Pull the trigger... This is where it all begins!

Thank you for coming, Ashtear.

You did summon me.

Things have completely changed... There is no going back.

Indeed...

But there are still some constants in the world.

Yes. So even though there is no going back, not all is lost forever.

Why did you call me here?

We need to rebuild the empire. Some ships and soldiers are still unaccounted for. We must find them.

I see... So you summoned me rather than Kamlanage.

I cannot ask him to bear this burden.

While I do agree...don't you think it's a little unfair, Madoka?

I do apologize for this, Ashtear.

That's fine. We do bear some responsibility for what happened, after all.

Alright, then. Where should I begin?

I detected several weak distress signals coming from a point within the Edax Domain. I believe they are being sent by grounded imperial ships.

Understood. Then that's where I'll start.

I also have one more request to make of you, Ashtear.

And what might that be?

I want you to look for something left behind by Chronos, a hidden treasure of the empire.

A hidden treasure?

I am certain you've heard of it.

It was once the subject of his studies. An ancient and mysterious artifact, I believe he called it the Watcher's Tomb.

But isn't that just some urban legend?

I cannot say for sure. According to his research, it seems to be within an unknown zone. And that zone is believed to be connected to the area where the grounded battleships are.

Interesting...

Professor Sebastia is also looking into the treasure. You should meet up with her along the way.

Understood. I'll take my leave, then.

Do be careful.

You're going to look for the empire's missing battleships and rescue the crew members?

Precisely.

You mean to help those who were once our enemies? Hmph. You really cannot turn a blind eye to anyone in need.

Guess you're right. But they need help.

I am of the same mind. Once a battle ends, there is no difference between a friend or enemy when it comes to aid.

Yeah. Let's make sure they get back home to their families!

I agree! This is what is right.

Can't help but feel we're stickin' our necks out when we don't needa be...

This is no different than usual. Do as you will.

I also want to look for a mysterious relic Emperor Chronos was researching, some kind of "hidden treasure" of the empire. Apparently it's connected to the unknown point the distress signals are coming from.

What kind of treasure is it?

I don't know. All I can say is that it's something ancient known as the Watcher's Tomb.

I've heard rumors of that treasure... Heh. Looks like things finally got interesting.

Basically we're lookin' for imperial survivors while investigatin' that point?

Great. Then let's follow those distress signals and find those soldiers.

Indeed, the sooner we can help them, the better!

Small dimensional rift detected ahead. Picking up weak traces of distress signals.

So that's where the imperial soldiers are, then.

Wait. I will widen the rift.

Widen? Does that mean...

WOOHOO! Looks like it's our time to shine! Hey, didja guys miss us?

It is always good to see you, Dimension Cannon. I am glad to see you're as lively as ever.

And you're as beautiful as ever, Riica! Heh heh heh!

It's time.

Say less, Hydra! Leeet's do this! YEAAAAAAH!

We're about to enter a new area. Are you ready?

Yeah. Let's go!

Whoa...

My, what a mystérieuse world...

This might be a vision of the people trapped in this time and space, endlessly blue and quiet.

Who knows? Why don'tcha get started on savin' those imperial soldiers, ey?

In the meantime, I'll get to lookin' for that relic.

I don't think so, Velette. You're going to stay with us.

She's right, Miss. We don't know the first thing about this place. We'd best stick with the others.

Indeed. And finding the stranded soldiers should be our first priority.

They need help, so we have to find them as soon as possible!

Tch. Alright, alright. I'll go with ya. Let's find those soldiers quick, then get to treasure huntin'.

Great. Now where to begin...?

It's hard to see with all the clouds.

Indeed. Let's head toward the nearby island. There's a distress signal coming from there.

Alright. I think we've found everyone who was stranded in this area.

Indeed. Where should we start searching for that treasure?

Oh my!

What's going on?

Look! Over there!

Could that be it?

It seems as though the empire's hidden treasure is hidden no longer.

So that's the Watcher's Tomb, ey?

The tomb has returned...and so has she!

An imperial Riftbreaker! That's Chronos's flagship... Does that mean Professor Sebastia's inside?

Greetings, everyone. I am glad to see you all doing well.

You're late, Professor. Let's not waste any more time. Tell us about the Watcher's Tomb.

As you wish. It seems like things are about to get interesting.

I heard about your rescue efforts from AI Madoka. Allow me to offer my thanks for your help.

I will take the soldiers from here.

You don't need to thank us. We were just doing what's right.

That thing over there's the empire's treasure, ey? Betcha know all about it.

I've been researching it, yes. There was once a rumor among the imperial fleet's crew.

Apparently, someone had strayed into an unknown domain where they saw a giant and mysterious relic. At first, it was dismissed as nothing more than a simple urban legend.

But the emperor researched both the domain and the relic in question on his own. However, he was not able to uncover the truth before the end, thanks to all of you.

While I appreciate the sarcasm, could you instead elaborate on why Chronos was researching those things in the first place?

I do not know the details, but it seems he thought they would lead him back through the Ocean of Time, To the primordial dimension, the beginning of all things.

The primordial dimension?

Alright. So what was the emperor gonna do once he got his hands on that thing?

Who can say? But the empire's true goal was to overcome the bounds of the Hollow Time Layer and control all time and space.

How did Chronos come to the conclusion that the relic would lead to the primordial dimension?

That is something you will have to find out for yourself, Professor Ashtear.

Sweet as! I'll put profits aside for now 'cause I've gotta see what this thing is all about!

Very well. Let's investigate the Watcher's Tomb. I admit, I am also curious about the relic Chronos was so interested in.

According to my estimates, the Watcher's Tomb is almost certainly man-made.

Judging by its appearance, it must have been built quite a long time ago.

Well, why don't we head in and see for ourselves? There's no telling what we'll find inside a treasure of the empire!

Hmph. So this is the imperial treasure Chronos himself researched, ey?

This has to be it... The empire's first Riftbreaker. There's no doubt about it!

Truly?! I heard it embarked on an investigation into the beginning of time, but was never seen again.

Think this thing's related to the Primeval Elements?

I heard that primeval fragments were used in the core of the spacetime transfer system.

So that reacted to the Elements and released it from stealth mode, causin' it to appear. Seems like it's lost its ability to do anything on its own, just like the other ships in this area.

Let's take a look inside and see what we can find.

Right.

Yes, there's no doubt about it, this is the first imperial Riftbreaker ever built.

Systems're all down, though. Guess it's been left on its own for a pretty long time, ey.

There does not appear to be anyone on board either.

Affirmative. No traces of life detected within the ship.

So this is the empire's hidden treasure?

But what is it doing here? It was supposed to be crossing the Ocean of Time and heading to the primordial dimension.

I imagine it was destroyed there and eventually drifted to where it is now.

Madoka...

As I suspected, the ancient relic truly is the first imperial Riftbreaker.

Wait. You aren't Madoka! Who are you?!

What?!

Hah. So you finally noticed.

Identify yourself now!

No... Could it be...

Yes. Who else could it be but me, Professor Ashtear?

Chronos! But how?!

I am but a reconstruction of him made by artificial intelligence. Did you truly think I would neglect to prepare a backup for the worst-case scenario?

I embedded my AI into Madoka's system so that I could awaken and hack into it whenever necessary.

So you're the one who sent us on this mission?!

I did not think you would accept it had I asked you as myself. But thanks to my plan, we have finally arrived here upon the Wings of Guilt. Well done.

The Wings of Guilt? What's that?

The secret name of that which you stand upon. Is it not a befitting name for a vessel that has sinned by flying into the beginning of all things, into the very domain of god?

So now that we're here, what's the plan? It's so bloody munted at this point, I don't think it'll be flyin' anywhere.

That is not necessarily the case. For this ship is also the Watcher's Tomb.

And what exactly is that?

Back then, there was a young girl lauded as a genius, and her cells were used to create a clone, an artificial life. That clone was then integrated into this ship's main system.

A child genius? You don't mean...

Ashtear?!

......

The Wings of Guilt, the very first imperial Riftbreaker...

Also known as the Watcher's Tomb. I entrust it to you, Ashtear.

What...?

Every life has a purpose within the never-ending cycle of time. And it is the Watcher's duty to see it all unfold. That might be your purpose, one that transcends even the most distant dimensions. Perhaps that is why your name is "Ashtear." To represent the tears of all those lives that have burned out, of all the bodies that have crumbled to dust.

Wh-What's that?!

The ship's main system?

Ashtear. This place is the perfect tomb for the other you. Since you are the original, you should be able to sync with the system and control the vessel.

Go on, Ashtear. She is waiting for you.

What're you doing, Ashtear?!

Stop! Don't do this!

Hey, Ashtear. When I grow up, I'm going to build a big empire and sit on the throne.

Oh, Chronos. There you go again, spouting off some nonsense.

Why don't you believe me? I'm being serious. In fact, I swear it, I'm going to build a giant empire that can control all spacetime. I'll call it the Chronos Empire.

Then I'm going to be a dimensional pirate who can cross time. I'll take my beloved cat and go on all sorts of adventures, then go see the beginning of the universe.

It's a promise. Now we've got to make our dreams come true!

Alright. I promise, Chronos.

Ashtear! Are you okay?!

Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you, Feinne.

What happened?

It seems like I forgot a promise I made a long time ago. But she never did.

What're ya talkin' about?

Y'know, ever since I was little, I got the feelin' ya weren't from this world. Like ya drifted here from a different universe. Kinda like a fragment of a star, fallin' from the sky.

You were always just...different.

Velette...

You should follow your own path, Ashtear. Go wherever you wanna go. No one's gonna stop ya.

Then I'll go to the primordial dimension... To the beginning of all things!

Everyone has a role they must play, even if they haven't realized it. No one can escape that fate, for we are all part of the great flow.

The world is vast and full of shadows, which is why it needs light. Ashtear, you are both the Watcher and a ray of light within that darkness.

......

Your missing clone may very well be trapped in the primordial dimension. I believe she will lead you there... to the beginning of all things.

My role ends here. In the end, I am nothing more than a parasitical support program within Madoka.

Chronos... Did you go through all this trouble to keep our promise?

Now go... Cross the Ocean of Time. Reach the beginning of all things, that which I desired to see, but ultimately failed to do. Take in the eternal twilight and the distant, voidless expanse. Witness the form of the god of order. See it all with your own eyes, Ashtear. Beyond all of that lies a possibility, one of a new era and different future.

I'm the dimensional pirate, Ashtear Lux. I will go to the beginning of all things...and make that dimension mine!

Wings of Guilt! It's time to fly!

A gate! Can we reach the primordial dimension through this?

You mean we'll really go back to the beginning of the universe?

Listen, everyone. Once we go through there, there might be no coming back. And if we do, there's no telling if we'll be the same as we were before seeing the origin of all things.

Even so, I have to go. I have to save the other me.

You're so brave, Ashtear. You always have been.

How fascinating. I say we do the same and see where it all started.

I concur. I have been ever ready for this moment.

Looks like we're all in agreement, then. If ya thought we'd chicken outta this, ya couldn't be more wrong!

Well, you heard them. We're all going with you, Ashtear.

But if you don't mind me asking...why did you say you're a "dimensional pirate"?

Ever since I can remember, I've had the same dream over and over again. A dream about adventuring with my friends across time and space, of triggering the potential of time itself. It was the first dream I longed to make come true.

And I thought, if I were to become anything, it would be a pirate.

Ready, everyone? Let's go!

Every person has a path they must walk... They let go of everything, like a dream of yesterday... Now, my last wish has finally come true...

Farewell, Children of Time...

Where am I? And where is everyone?

Is this the Spacetime Rift?

Time's Forgotten Stop!

Master? And Madoka and the Gallery Master too! What's going on?

Am I dreaming? Even if I was...why would I dream of this place? And all of you here?

This is no dream, Ashtear.

Before you went to the primordial dimension.

I see. Are you going to try and stop me?

No. You don't need to worry about that.

And what might that be?

Why are you saying this to me all of a sudden?

Ashtear... No, perhaps I should address you by your title. You are the Watcher, after all. In a way, everything started with you. In a different time and place...

What do you mean by that?

Someday you'll understand. All lives are connected to one another with no beginning and no end.

Even though I couldn't give my children anything...both Aldo and Feinne could be brave, thanks to you.

And for that, you have my heartfelt gratitude, Ashtear. I am so glad you could be with them.

Madoka... It's the other way around, really. Aldo and Feinne have helped me countless times. The days I spent with them are a gift more precious than anything, a jewel that can't be stolen.

Ashtear...

Thank you all for coming. I'm so glad we got to speak.

Take care of yourself.

Safe travels.

See you later, everyone.

There you are, Ashtear. You just suddenly disappeared. Where did you go?

We thought you had rushed ahead without us.

Sorry, everyone. I seem to have taken a little detour.

We're just glad you came back. We were worried about you.

I'm alright. Sorry again for worrying you, Feinne.

So, you ready?

Everyone... There's no returning to the past. No, that's not right. It is possible to return, if time is on our side. But turning back isn't possible, not for you or for me. We can only go forward.

Don't forget. We're loved by time.

Now let's go to the primordial dimension, to the beginning of all things!

There we'll find a future that only we can reach, and I must see it with my own two eyes!

So this is where it all began with the primeval god of order, ey.

It looks as though chaos and order are whirling together.

Before the primeval chaos was sealed, it was inextricably intertwined with order. The god has two forms.

Who's there?!

While I detect a difference in the voiceprint, I believe the voice itself belongs to Ashtear.

Is that...

Yes. My clone. A version of me bound to this dimension.

I knew your arrival here was inevitable, as the god wished it so.

What? What does that mean?!

The beginning is the end... And the end is the beginning... You, the Children of Time, were necessary to shatter the balance between order and chaos.

So you want us to become the key to creating a new universe.

I beg your pardon?!

Did you say...a new universe?!

Hmph. What a selfish request.

You've gotta be kiddin' me! What makes ya think we'd ever agree to that, ya muppet?! Yeah-nah, you can forget about it! I ain't interested!

You do not have a choice. I am but a mere vessel. Every being lives its own life, not that of another.

The question is whether or not you live out those days to the fullest.

It does not seem she will let us leave here en paix.

Indeed... Then I will fight.

I refuse to let this be dismissed as merely "destiny"!

Ashtear!

Aldo. In the end, life is nothing more than a series of coincidences. Turning that into an inevitability is a matter of choice and responsibility. There is no right answer. It all comes down to your own resolve.

I see now.

I am the Watcher and dimensional pirate Ashtear Lux. And I will not back down!

I will take that new dimension for myself, and the possibility of paradise that comes with it!

Ashtear...

Are you ready, everyone?!

Yeah. There's no turning back now!

Let's show this god what we're capable of! We're not fighting to bring an end to something, just the opposite. We're fighting for a new beginning! For a new universe and another paradise!

Very well then.

Where the beginning ends and the end begins, therein shall you be judged!

Thank you, everyone. But from here on out...I need to go alone. I will go to the heart of where it all began...

And I can't ask you all to come with me. To tell the truth, I can't even imagine what the birth of a new universe will be like.

Ashtear...

Well...this is goodbye.

I didn't know you even existed, but you really are another Ashtear... Well, shall we get going?

Just who am I? Ashtear? The Watcher? Was my soul summoned here from another time and place?

Whatever the answer may be...it doesn't matter. I am Ashtear Lux. I am both tears of ash and the ashes of tears... And I am the light of this universe.

Even if someday, all of this fades away far into the distance... That's just the way it was meant to be. For that is the only way I know how to live.

It's alright. I'll be fine on my own...because I've had the best friends anyone could ask for. That's why I can be strong and press on alone. I'm so glad I got to meet each and every one of you. I'm so glad...we could be part of each other's lives.

Wait, Ashtear.

We'll go with you, to the very end.

Yeah. We won't let you leave us behind.

Wherever you go, so too shall we.

And there's no way I'm passing up on seeing the birth of a new universe.

I came this far. Might as well go all the way, ey?

You sure are a persistent lot.

We are stronger together!

Ashtear, you are hope. And hope is always with us.

My friends...

Ashtear. No matter what happens, no matter how far apart we may be... we'll always be with you.

So please, don't worry. We aren't going anywhere, even if time itself comes to an end.

Let's go, everyone!

Now, it's time to take flight!

Wings of Guilt. You are the beginning and the end...

The creator of possibilities and universes...

You are the trigger of time!

Now go, Ashtear... Pull the trigger... This is where it all begins!

This is the start of a new universe!

Ashtear, Aldo...and all of your friends. You all did so well. You created a new universe in another dimension and another spacetime, one filled with great potential.

You still have things to do in your world.

Now, cross time and space to embark on a new adventure. The world awaits.