Ark

Oh, Aldo. I didn't realize you were in Aura.

I happened to be in the area. Is something going on? You guys look...troubled.

Well, you see, one of my employees went to the ruins yesterday to conduct an inspection of the property. And then...

One of the exhibits disappeared?

Or so I've been told...I think.

You...think?

Memories of the relic disappearing are mixing with memories of the relic having never existed. Does that make sense?

Unfortunately it does... Is history being rewritten again?!

If it is, it's not an isolated incident. We doubt our memories almost daily now.

Now that you mention it... Where did that teddy bear go?

There was...a teddy bear here?

Yeah, the one you gave to those kids in the testing facility.

I remember the children, but I cannot recall ever interacting with them...

Oh no...

Hey, Aldo...

I think this is being caused by some change in the past.

Let's go find out what it is, then.

Yeah. We'll start in Resttin.

What's everyone doing here?

Did something happen here too?

I see... So history is indeed changing again.

The mural in the ruins disappeared.

Well, it's more like...we aren't sure if it disappeared or it just never existed in the first place.

Guess that means the changes are happening even further back.

Please, find out what's going on! I don't want pieces of our lives to just vanish like this!

Yes, we wish to leave as much as possible behind for future generations. Could we ask you to investigate on our behalf?

Of course. We'd be happy to help.

Let's head to the Golden City next. Meryt might be able to help.

Right. She'll probably be in the queen's chambers.

How nice of you to visit. I would offer you a cup of tea, but... judging by that look, you probably haven't the leisure for it.

Meryt! We've got trouble!

Catch your breath, Lovinia.

Now tell me, what has happened?

It's the wharf! The place where we made so many memories... It's gone!

What?! That is where we met and spoke on so many occasions...and...and...

Grr. What is wrong with my memories?

Not here too...

You seem to know what's going on. Tell me, Aldo. And spare no details.

It seems like history is changing and affecting places on this island all through time. We came here to try and find the source of it all, but it doesn't look like we went back far enough.

So we have to go to the Age of the Gods, huh.

But that's so far...

The wormhole to that era should still be open, right?

Y-Yeah... I think we can reach it from the Astrarium in our time.

Then that's where we'll go. We have to get this figured out right away!

Phew... We made it.

Are you guys okay? I know it can be pretty exhausting traveling through time like this.

Oh, um, I'm fine! I'm pretty used to it after all the time travel I do with Spiri.

That's just how the cookie crumbles, I'm afraid. After all, I've got tons of people to thank for praying for my birth!

I know. And we've still got more places to go, which is why we have to get this wrapped up as soon...as...

Am I imagining things? The Astrolabos...is gone.

No, wait... Look.

It keeps appearing and disappearing.

Does this mean that whatever happened in the past...is changing?

That must be why everyone's memories are fuzzy now. We better go further back before our victory against the calamity disappears too.

Let's ask around and see if anyone's noticed anything strange.

Oh dear... I guess this means we have to start over again.

Something wrong?

Do you folks know about the ark? Remrelia said the observatory needs to make it into the future, for her friends.

The plan is to build an ark on the surface, or rather, on the sea, and move the facility there to keep it safe. I've been helping with the construction, but the ark itself was damaged not long ago.

Damaged? By who? Or what?

Your guess is as good as mine. It looks like some giant creature took a bite out of it, but I can't say for sure.

It even got the giant Astrolabos we built. It's a mess...

Hmm... This book doesn't make any sense...

What are you reading?

I want to learn how to suppress the calamity, so I'm studying the technology those aliens use.

Aliens?

You know, Dhaat and his companions. They came from the stars. I want to combine our magic with their technology to make something that can protect this land.

Right now, I'm looking into ways to create a barrier. I'd like to ask Dhaat directly, but he's dormant at the moment, so I can't.

(A barrier to protect this land, huh.) (Could that be one of the relics left in the ruins?)

Well, I've got to get back to these tomes. Lots of reading to do...

Excuse me. Could I ask you a few questions?

Have you noticed anything weird around here lately?

Yeah! We saw something big fly past the other day!

It was horrible. It was dark and had wings and it was super scary...

Was it a monster?

I dunno. But you don't hafta worry about it. The dreamancers use their powers to protect this place, so we'll be fine!

Remrelia and the others look into the future and choose the best one they can find.

Well that's good to know. Thanks for your help!

We asked around, but still couldn't figure out what's causing the changes in history...

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I mean, we heard about a busted boat, a big monster, and something that sounds like a relic. There's a chance they're all connected.

And the Astrolabos was on the ark, which got destroyed...

Could the ark be what the Golden City and Astra Island looks like in this era?

That'd explain why things here affect the island in the future. But we won't know for sure until we see the ark itself.

That guy said they built it on the surface, right?

That's just a hop, skip, and jump away straight through that gap...

Nononono! Absolutely not! We are NOT jumping anywhere! We will DIE!

I'm just pulling your leg, Chelika.

You're my friend. I wouldn't want you to get hurt.

Why don't we head to the observatory? Remrelia might know how to help.

We meet again...

Oh, hey. You're one of Remrelia's friends, right?

I'm Seraceles, an oracle. Remrelia said I could find you guys here on this day at this time. It looks like she was right.

So why didn't she just come here herself?

Because she went inside one of the water coffins.

Wh-What? Why would she do that?

To save the world. And for her friends, who had yet to be born. She said, "Even if we can't talk anymore, I'm engraved in the spirals of their souls. So we can meet again in our memories."

She was smiling until the very end. Typical Remrelia, right?

Yeah... Typical Remrelia...

(Can you hear me, Remrelia?) (Even though no one should be celebrating a calamity like me... Thank you for praying for my birth.)

I'm sure she knows how you feel, Spiri. She can see the future.

You're right. Thanks, Chelika.

She left a divine message for you. "The Gyre Melody of fate rests within the ark, but something disturbs its slumber. Drive it away to connect the spiral to the future."

Whatever's disturbing the melody's slumber might be what's changing history.

Any idea how we can get to the ark?

Of course. We even prepared a guide to take you there. Let's head to the outskirts of the observatory.

There is your guide.

Thank you for your patience, everyone. I can take you to the ark.

Thanks! We'd like to go there right away, if it's all the same to you.

But of course. Right this way.

Activating simple transporter. Destination coordinates confirmed. Commencing transport to the ark.

Whoa!

So this is the ark.

It's like we suspected, an early version of the Golden City.

But some parts are different...and it looks pretty busted up.

Someone or something destroyed the place. Some of my companions who had been working in the area also sustained damage in the process.

I'm sorry to hear that...

Downturned eyes. A furrowed brow. Are you, perhaps, sad? I do apologize for the delay in the ark's completion.

Don't apologize. I'm not upset about that. I'm sad because your friends got hurt.

Hm... I'm afraid I don't understand.

Sounds like you guys haven't taken that next step yet. Or maybe Farsa and the others were just special.

Could you show us where the damage is?

Certainly. I will start from the closest location. Let us head up.

I would like to ask for your help in repairing the ark's exterior here.

I would also request your help in restoring the area and creating a device to gather the necessary energy to sustain the ark.

Now then, onto the interior.

This is the ark's bridge. It is directly under the giant hole you saw earlier.

If you don't mind me asking... Why is this ship called an "ark"?

I heard it was named such as it protects those inside from stormy seas so they may live on into the future.

However, that might prove difficult considering the damage done to both the ship and the Astrolabos.

Why would anyone wanna get inside here?

I cannot say. It may not have been intentional. What I can say, however, is that the ark must be repaired if it is to arrive at its foretold destination in the future.

Don't worry. We'll get it fixed.

I would like you to start with the external repairs. It will hopefully prevent the ship from incurring further damage.

That makes sense. Then we can focus on fixing up the inside.

You will need two things for the repairs. One requires flowers and trees that cannot be found in this era because of the flood, which makes it rather difficult to obtain. And the other is elemental energy, which would allow those materials to last thousands of years into the future.

We can get the materials in a different era. But how're we supposed to get the elemental energy?

You can find it in the elemental experiment areas around here. The monsters there absorb the energy, which you can obtain by hunting them down.

This device should be able to calculate all the materials you need.

That sounds impressive! Not that I really understand it or anything...

Worry not. Simply start it up in areas that require repair and it will handle the rest. I will continue doing what I can for the repairs from here. I leave the gathering of materials in your hands.

Alright. We'll be back soon.