The Sea Within

Why do monsters always have to be so monstrously annoying? It makes it so difficult to get on with our lives.

A merchant I know got attacked in the area as well. If it's just a small monster perhaps we should try taking care of it ourselves.

The number of monster attacks is certainly increasing... Some say it's the end days now that the Elementals are gone.

Another town gathering? Everyone looks grave.

Bliiiiiiip-blep!

Why if it isn't Melina the monster slayer!

Why if it isn't the missionary monster slayer!

Well met. Unfortunately it seems the town hasn't stayed free from trouble for long.

Can't be helped. The realm's monsters just won't quit rampaging. The Corinda Plains are off-limits now, for all but the heavily armed.

We can't trust that it'll be content to stay put however. Everyone in Acteul is on edge.

The Corinda Plains aren't right nearby. But it's definitely sensible to act now before anyone gets hurt.

What kind of monster is it? Is it one with long horns, spiky talons, or maybe phantasmic powers?

There's plenty of hear-say. What people are most worried about is... When the Elementals were obliterated by the time vortex, chunks of their spiritual energy got scattered across the land... Quite a big portion fell on the Corinda Plains. We think the monster might be feeding on it and powering up.

If it's been feeding on spirit energy, it likely has some supernatural powers.

This is something we should look into, Aldo. Would you mind coming on another monster-slaying mission with me?

It isn't too much? Your bravery really is amazing.

Whereas the men of Acteul would insist on wearing a full suit of Adamantine Armor to tackle so much as a Plum Goblin...

Adamantine? That's a bit much! Mythril would be sufficient I'd say.

Better a coward than a dead fool impaled on a monster's horn, no? Let's leave it to these two; they can handle themselves.

We certainly can. Now then Aldo, are you ready to depart?

This is today's monster, is it?

Mysterious-looking, isn't it.

Laaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrghz!

Woah! Seems it's charging up energy!

If it keeps gathering up energy at this rate, there's no telling how powerful it'll become! We can't allow it to suck up any more!

Either we get this monster a plug, or we put it down. Let's go with the latter.

That oughta do it...

Or not... It's healing itself with spirit energy!

What do we do? Attack again?

This is insolence and then some! Who do you think you are to rough up the fruit of my scientific labor!

Alack, futile were your efforts, for my pet has achieved spirit energy, taking on a level never before witnessed! My experiment has been a grand success. Now to clean up the mess.

Who the heck are you?

A researcher of the highest order! And you, puny-brained-one, are not fit to stand within 500 yards of my laboratory atop the tower.

You've taken up residence in the Tower of Stars? Hadn't it been abandoned?

It had, and what a waste; a prestigious location like that, with all the essential trappings for a top-tier laboratory. The apparatus there is particular suited for studying the spirit energy of the Elementals. It's lonely up there, but all the tears will be vindicated once my magic items are on the market and the Git starts rolling in.

How is this monster helping you with your magical products and experiments exactly?

I'm being addressed by one "Melina" missionary of the Western faith. Correct?

Yes. Why do you ask?

Yes... This won't be straightforward. However... Hmm.

You'll excuse me. I have no more time to be wasting on a dunderhead and a dimwit.

What?!

What an unpleasant guy.

......

Don't take the insults to heart, Aldo; it's just fluff from him. Let's go back to Acteul to inform the citizens of the good news.

Hi again! Have any luck?

The monster is slain.

It is! Why, that's fabulous! See? We were well justified in leaving it to the pros.

We ran in to this strange guy though: a crazy researcher living in a lab atop the Tower of Stars.

Hm?

Apparently, it was he that made the monster.

How horrible!

Was the guy even human? Because what he's done sure is inhuman!

Nice to hear everyone's got it in for me. Eh, it's not like I'm not doing this research to gain popularity with the peasants.

Well look what the cat dragged in...

Cut it out with that aggressive pose, would you. I come in peace. Or at the very least, I haven't come for a fight. Your friend, the girl. It's her I want to talk to.

What business do you have with me?

One of my clients actually. They requested that you come to the Tower of Stars to meet with them.

You won't tell me who it is?

The details are not for me to explain.

If you want to find out, you'll have to come.

......

I don't think you should go, Melina. There's not much to gain and everything to lose; it's just common sense.

I don't think you should go, Sister Melina. There's not much to gain and everything to lose; it's just common sense.

Do you want to go? I'll do my best to protect you if you do.

It's a good chance to find out what he's really up to. Let's see this affair through to the end.

Right, now it's our time to shine! We've got our armor ready and everything, let us come along and protect you. If that rogue tries anything funny we'll give him a royal walloping.

The Tower of Stars is awash with deadly machinations. The risk to your lives would be too great.

Then what could we do to assist you, Sister Merina?

I mean, we appreciate the thought but...

We really appreciate what you've done for us, it's just we feel useless not being able to solve our own problems. We want to prove that we have the mettle to stand on our own two feet in these troubled times.

How strange...

What is, Sister Melina?

When the Western savior vanished, despair spread across the land.

However, in face of the disappearance of your own deities, you show no such tendency to despair.

It's not been easy, waking up to a world without our guardians.

Our faith isn't dead though! They're surely out there somewhere, watching over us. They wouldn't want us to lose our courage.

Exactly! It's times like these that everyone has got to come together.

It's no use hiding away from the world like that lonely researcher. We ought to tackle our problems as one big team!

I see! So, you respect your deities, but you're not reliant on them. Perhaps that's ideal...

You don't have to worry about repaying us, we're doing this out of respect for your fortitude, not out of pity.

But Sister!

However... I've heard Acteul's cuisine is superb, isn't that right? Once we return from our mission, we'll expect a feast!

Now that's something we can do! You'll be getting a banquet equal to the bounty of two monster slayings!

Right, then I dare say I have some hammer-swinging to do if I want to build up sufficient appetite!

Let's set off to the Tower of Stars.

We've got a score to settle with the lonely researcher. Let's go.

So you did come. How jolly.

No more pussyfooting around. Tell me what this is about.

That duty falls to me.

Bishop!

A glad reunion, Melina, wings of our faith, daughter blessed of my love.

Wait, this is your father, Melina?

My foster father, technically. He saved me from my fate as a lost, lonely orphan. Yes, this is the bishop I told you about. He taught me the creeds, and gifted me these shoes.

I remember, yeah.

There was not much "fostering" done on my behalf.

I merely presented you with a fishing rod, as it were. The fish you've since caught are the result of your own labors and ingenuity.

Bishop, please explain. What legitimate connection could a man of faith possibly have with a miscreant such as this man? You are aware that he had worked to create a foul being which threatened the lives of the realm's people? His sins are grave.

I am still far from fully comprehending them, Father.

In spite of your travels across the realm which is the key to deciphering it...

Then listen, and be enlightened: the vast seas refer to the Crimson Vastsea, the body of water that separates our barren continent from this one. It naturally follows that the "Sea Within" refers to this realm, abundant in spiritual energy, over which the Elementals once reigned.

......

The state of affairs in our homeland is unimaginably dire. The people search frantically for hope, and find none. An all-powerful leader would shine as a beacon for them. My solution is thus: we must install one. A figure akin to an elemental, one of such overwhelming power that they need not answer to the doubts of ordinary men.

Overwhelming power?

Indeed. This is what I intend to make: a ruler, a beacon, a unifier, to rekindle the hopes of our flock. You need only look to the Elementals to understand that such figures are revered, and more importantly: obeyed.

What folly is this, Father!

As for the "mind's gaze": it refers to the critical ability of science to advance mankind. The object of its study naturally being the elemental energy belonging to the "Sea Within." It is in the recreation of the Elemental's power that we might live once more liberated from the fear a godless existence necessitates. We have now ascertained that a monster's power can be augmented by injecting it with the spirit energy of the Elementals. Subsequently, it shall be your turn to be augmented. You will become the new Light of the Western faith.

What?!

There is no other of your caliber. With your already considerable magical abilities augmented further, you shall be deemed the reincarnation of the winged one. In the people's hearts, regrettably, you shall turn from a figure of hope to one of fear. Yet the end result will be the same.

And you believe this is what must be done to relieve our people from their despair-stricken state... You truly believe this to be the "salvation" spoken of in the creed?

The logic is undeniable. You have but to resign yourself to this fate, and our crumbling society shall be renewed!

I have not yet relayed to you my experiences since my departure. As we knew then, this land is much more abundant than our own. But the people too, I have found them to be full of positivity and resolve.

But this was not because they had the Elementals as guardians. But due to their individual determination to live honestly, and their strong sense of community.

Me becoming a god would rob our own people of the chance to forge such a way of life for themselves. Real salvation must surely arrive by spreading the same ideas that have led this continent to flourish.

You see...

Surely, you know all this, but the vast seas refer to the Crimson Vastsea, the body of water that separates our barren continent from this one. It naturally follows that the "Sea Within" refers to this realm, abundant in spiritual energy, over which the Elementals once reigned. True, the blessings have returned to the West. But this is not real salvation.

What does that mean?

Though they have been saved from strife and despair, the people of the West have lost their way. As the power of the church wanes, the people will need a new figure to rule over them. My solution is thus: we must install one. A figure akin to an elemental, one of such overwhelming power that they need not answer to the doubts of ordinary men.

Overwhelming power?

Indeed. This is what I intend to make: a ruler, a beacon, a unifier, to rekindle the hopes of our flock.

You need only look to the Elementals to understand that such figures are revered, and more importantly: obeyed.

What folly is this, Father!

As for the "mind's gaze": it refers to the critical ability of science to advance mankind. The object of its study naturally being the elemental energy belonging to the "Sea Within." It is in the recreation of the Elemental's power that we might live once more liberated from the fear a godless existence necessitates. We have now ascertained that a monster's power can be augmented by injecting it with the spirit energy of the Elementals. Subsequently, it shall be your turn to be augmented. You will become the new Light of the Western faith.

What?!

There is no other of your caliber. With your already considerable magical abilities augmented further, you shall be deemed the reincarnation of the winged one. In the people's hearts, regrettably, you shall turn from a figure of hope to one of fear. Yet the end result will be the same.

And you believe this is what must be done to relieve our people from their despair-stricken state... You truly believe this to be the "salvation" spoken of in the creed?

The logic is undeniable. You have but to resign yourself to this fate, and our crumbling society shall be renewed!

I have not yet relayed to you my experiences since my departure. As we knew then, this land is much more abundant than our own. But the people too, I have found them to be full of positivity and resolve.

But this was not because they had the Elementals as guardians. But due to their individual determination to live honestly, and their strong sense of community.

I believe the people can live a righteous life without the need of an absolute authority figure. However, I think it is still our responsibility to watch over them, and guide them when needed.

What idealistic rhetoric. It is clear to me that your doctrinal knowledge is considerably lacking...

It is through force then, and not rational discussion, that your fate shall be sealed.

What the heck is he doing?!

Yes, what ARE you doing? That drug was not to be used yet. It simply isn't ready!

It shall have to be! My absolute mission is to decide the fate of my faith. Now... The moment of reckoning is at hand!

If you expect me to die for your faith you can take a hike. I was only ever in this for the dough. Toodles!

Do you recall what you last said to me, Bishop? You told me to seek out the savior. To find the Light.

I believe that I now know where they can be found, and what the Core Creed really means. The "Sea Within" does not allude to any prosperous land. It denotes the hearts of its people, which brim with hope for a brighter future in the face of adversity and despair. The savior, the Light, whatever it may be, it resides within mankind. Within us.

That is why...

I cannot permit you to birth a false god and snuff out the true light that lives within humanity!

Melina, no, winged child of the heavens!

You WILL become our new savior. If not by choice, then by force!

Force ain't gonna work either. Now I think it's time for you to say your prayers!

Nnngaaaaaaaaah! Melina! Why? Why do you resist? You could have become a god!

Only for you to refuse the people their autonomy? I think not!

You have failed to see the earnestness and hope with which people live here and back home, in the Western country. Someone like you should never be allowed to decide their fate or their freedom!

Listen to me, Melina. There are no saviors to be found within this mortal coil. And the one chance we had to create one, you have dashed with utmost foolishness...

You have betrayed the heavens, forsaken the priesthood, and damned us all!

I don't need your power to find the Light. I have already found it, in the Sea Within laying in me.

And if believing that means rejecting your twisted ideas of divinity and humanity, so be it.

Gyuuuuuuuuugnarrrgh!

You did it.

...Yes.

Are you all right, Melina?

Blub...

...I will be fine, thank you. We have a feast awaiting us in Acteul, don't we? I'm rather hungry.

You're back!

Just in time for the feast!

A feast as a reward for such an easy victory. Excellent.

Glad to know it was easy! Indeed, we've got that banquet ready and waiting for you, just like we promised. This way to the food!

Great, we can't wait!

You can say that again!

Blip-bleeeep!

Man, I've not had a meal that good in months. The Yellowtail Omelette was great wasn't it?

It was excellent. And complemented so well by the Mesaiomato salad too. Those thickly cut slices of Mesaiomato with the salt and the fish... Delicious!

Y'know, I'm glad, I really am.

About what? The Mesaiomato?

No, about you being happy. I was worried you'd feel terrible after what happened earlier. Having to fight against the man who raised you and all... That can't have been easy.

Oh, you were? There really is no need. It's true that to me, a child with no blood relations to speak of, the Bishop was the closest thing I've ever had to family.

But it's precisely because he was such an important figure in my life that I had to save him from himself, as it were.

I see. You really are strong, you know that, Melina?

Hee hee. I will gleefully accept that compliment.

Hey, back there you said you finally got what the Core Creed meant now. What does it mean, then?

Ah, yes. Well.

You mean it was all metaphorical?

Yes. The people of this land have got it. Even in the absence of the Elementals, they haven't lost their own spirits.

How do you mean?

Recall the people who said that the Elementals are out there somewhere, protecting them. They kept up their hope and their faith, despite what happened.

It shows in their approach towards others, and in their everyday lives. They do their best to be kind, selfless, and understanding people who work together to overcome their hardships.

Whatever the Light or the Western faith once were, they're gone now, and have been for ages, perhaps. So we can't only rely on the belief that they might one day appear before our very eyes to solve all our problems.

We must trust in the goodness of our fellow man, and ourselves, too.

Our god had already left the West when that passage was written. Now I'm sure about my interpretation.

I think the Core Creed must've been written when the deities first vanished. It was a guideline for how we should go forth and prosper by ourselves.

...Is this theology or philosophy? Either way, I can't say I really understand any of it, but...sounds like you've got a good theory...

And that's all it'll ever be, really. A theory. Who knows, really?

...All that theorizing for nothing then?

Well, it's not like I could know for sure without travelling back in time. But if you believe the Light is there, it's there.

...Ohh, you mean in a philosophical... spiritual...kinda way, thing... Nope, this kinda stuff is not my strong suit.

At any rate, I like to think that the Creed is something to be interpreted differently by each individual.

Bliiiip-bleep!

You're bored, you say? Sorry to have droned on for so long, Noah.

Then what are you planning to do, Melina?

A good question. I believe I will continue to spread the faith as I understand it now.

Whether they live in a godless land or not, it is my hope that the people keep their righteous ways.

What'll you two do now? Are you going to continue your mission, Melina?

I think so, but, maybe not in the name of the congregation. I've come to see how short-sighted its vision really is.

I'd like to share what I've learned of the Core Creed with the world. I feel that doing so may somehow benefit my people back home too, one day.

It may mean cutting my ties to the Western faith for the time being, but...

It'll mean I get to keep travelling with you and your friends, Aldo. If you'll have me along, that is.

No question about it. Good to hear you'll be sticking around, Melina!

Blep blep!

...Huh, I think I finally get it, now. Like, I get why you are the way you are.

Hm?

Why you're always giving it your all to help others. You're actually just a big softie at heart.

Coming from you, Aldo, that's rather amusing. Considering you are far more soft-hearted and impressionable than I.

Y-You think so?

But I suppose you're not wrong. I have always been easily persuaded to lend my assistance.

I think it's because of my being an orphan. I think back on those days, when I had neither name nor fortune, and I recall how hopeless I felt.

No matter their situation, I don't wish for anyone to feel hopeless, like I did.

That's why I'll never stop helping people. And I'm sure that one day... With what I've learned here, I'll be able to save my homeland from ruin, too.