Aria of the Primordial Sea

I'm so glad our village is back to normal again.

Yeah, I thought we were in trouble for a minute there. It's wonderful hearing everyone singing like this.

Singing... Yes...

Hm? Is there something on your mind?

Oh, er... It was nothing, really.

When the whole thing happened, I didn't have time to think. So I simply did what came naturally. But I have been wondering why my song reached the breech baby of time...

Now that you mention it, I still don't understand why things ended the way they did.

Hm? The singing's stopped?

Oh my... Something seems wrong. Let's investigate the village and see whatever the matter is.

That appears to be a human lady! What's she doing here?

She washed up here just now... In a tiny broken-down boat.

She's breathing, at least. She's mumbling something...

...ll me... She'll...kill...me...

Did she just say someone's gonna kill her?

It's okay! There's no need to be afraid. I know you humans have your rumors about sirens being dangerous, and all...

But those are just fishy tales, nothing more.

No. My mistress...will kill me...

Oh?! I thought I could cheer her up with one of my favorite mermaid jokes...

I don't think she's any state to be laughing right now.

You're right. Let's move her to an inn and wait for her to settle down.

Are you feeling any better?

Yes. I'm feeling a little calmer now, thank you.

Why did you come to Siren's Village?

Well, that was just good luck. I was working in the palace but my mistress had me exiled...

What?! You were tossed out to sea in that tiny little boat? It's a miracle you're still alive!

Who is your mistress?

King Palsifal's concubine...the second Her Majesty the Queen.

There's a second queen? I did not know that.

So why did she have you exiled?

I don't know. She's been acting strange ever since His Majesty disappeared. She's been hiding away, researching something and such.

I became ever so worried about Her Majesty and inquired about her well- being... But I guess that was the wrong thing to do. It appears that she suspected I was a spy or some such...

That sounds concerning.

I understand the situation. For the time being, you should stay in our village and recuperate.

I will. Thank you so much.

Aldo, I think we should pay a visit to this second queen.

I was thinking the same thing. Let's head to Palsifal Palace.

I can't see the queen anywhere.

And no wife of a king is going to be hanging around on a lower level of the palace...

Excuse me, are you talking about the second Her Majesty the Queen?

Oh my, yes! Do you know where we can find her?

I'm afraid I don't know where she is.

Oh, that's a shame. But you know her, I presume? What is she like?

Well, she's the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, and a distinguished mage... And, to be frank with you, she is a most unhappy soul.

She is?

It's well-known that a few years before His Majesty vanished, his first queen and their beloved child passed away. His Majesty and the late queen had been so very happy together... His second wife barely had a chance.

But she always had eyes for him. So after the first queen passed away, the second queen did all she could to comfort the bereaved king.

But the king never regained that twinkle in his eye. And eventually, he disappeared from sight altogether.

......

Her Majesty strives to hone the great magical abilities she was blessed with, all in search of the king I suppose. Now that I think of it, the three maidens of the archives said they often saw her in the archives.

The archives?

Thank you so much, kind human. Let us head there at once!

Hmm? Is that...

What's with the three of you? Can't you go inside?

Bingo! We've found Her Majesty! If all goes well, we might be able to speak with her. Yoohoo~! Your Majesty! Could you please come out of the archives for a moment?

Who is making all that noise! What is the meaning of this?

So you're the queen! We'd love to have a little talk with you.

A mermaid? And a siren, no less. My, what a rare sight.

But I'm afraid I'm busy. This is the moment of truth...

Wait! Do you realize what you have done to your own attendant?

What? That girl's still alive?

Well, umm...

Why, it matters not to me. Not anymore.

If you will excuse me. I have no more need to come here. If fate allows it, we might meet in the new world to come.

She disappeared?!

Why is she hiding her face under that hood? I heard she was beautiful...

I see... Though that could be a tale!

A fishy tale! Like this one...get it?

Really? No reaction to my mermaid joke... again! Come on...

Humans are a tough crowd. My mermaid friends would be rolling on the floor in laughter at that one.

In any case, there's definitely something odd about this queen. For instance, what do you think she meant by the bit about "the new world to come"?

I have a really bad feeling about this, Aldo. We should try to find out where she went.

You're right. Perhaps there'll be some kind of clue in the archives. If only we could see what's out of place in there...

You'll help us out? I'm so glad! Then let's try to work out where she went together.

Look around. Does anything jump out at you?

Umm, no? Nothing looks particularly out of the ordinary.

It may seem that way... But actually, the books that used to be here have been switched out with new ones. Those books may have been replaced by others to hide the fact, but that doesn't fool us!

R-Really? I never would have noticed.

You're so smart! So the queen must have taken the missing books with her?

And that disguise must be because she doesn't want to be recognized.

Good point. So if you were able to tell that the books had been replaced...

Is there any chance you remember the titles of the missing books?

Well...

Oh, I'm sorry. I may have set my expectations too high...

No, ever since the Oracle came here, this has been my sole post.

I don't just remember their titles, I remember what they were about, too!

You do?!

Heheh, you should never underestimate the three maidens of the archives!

This is incredible! If we know what the missing books are about, perhaps we can work out what she's thinking.

S-So what was that book about?

This is one the Oracle took out. It was off the bookshelf for so long that it actually left quite a marked impression. To put it simply, it's a book about the beginning of time.

The beginning of time?

There's an old saying about time.

In the beginning, time was like a great endless ocean. One day, a current started like a river of time. Starting in the past, flowing through the present and into the future... That current flows on and on, seemingly forever, but is said to end in another endless ocean.

The book covers the basic premise of this, as well as a detailed background.

I see... But why would the Oracle and the queen need such a book?

Maybe if we find another clue, it will all start making sense.

Good idea, Aldo. Let's look for another clue!

Actually, it looks like all of the Oracle's memos that used to be here have disappeared.

Oh dear. And our clue along with them, I suppose.

Don't you worry about that. I hand-copied all of those memos.

Every single one?!

Yes. They aroused my interest and, before I knew it, I copied them all in a single night. They were mostly lists of numbers and codes I couldn't understand... But there was also something akin to a journal entry in there.

A journal? That's unexpected.

This is the copy.

Will you read it for me, Aldo?

Sure. Ahem...

"The magic system of this era is closing in on the science we worked so tirelessly to build. "I thought I had incorporated the defense system into the asset... "But fundamentally, magic in this era operates on a different set of rules from science. "I cannot completely prevent interference. And since I have other, more pressing research to do... "I may just have to allow minor cracks in our defenses to exist."

And this looks like another day...

"The asset is a being that negates the very era I lived in itself." "It is the devil's work, but I am resolved. There is no other way to protect life on this planet." "At least, that is what I thought. But after I came here, he appeared. If he intends to stop me..." "I guess I was pursuing my destiny back then... Such thoughts were very unbefitting of a scientist like myself." "It is possible that if the defense system is breeched, then it will initiate the self- destruct program, but I will stop that."

What did that mean?

......

I doubt it matters if I'm the only one who understands this. It's okay. This isn't enough to confirm anything its own, but I'm sure it's an important clue.

If you say so.

Then let's look for our next clue. Put some energy into it!

It looks like the book compiled by the Oracle himself is missing.

So you think the queen took it with her?

Perhaps. But there's no need to worry.

Don't tell the other two, but I'm actually a fan of the Oracle. So I have my own copy...or two. It's such an atmospheric, mature read. I'm completely addicted to his work...

...... (Perhaps I should keep it secret that he's actually a father of two...)

So, what was the book about?

Here! You can have this one. I keep it on hand to share the good news with others...

How many copies do you own?

Ahem... The Observer Parallax?

If the "beginning" of everything was observable, then it is possible that it would appear different depending on the observer. Humans will see a human baby, but different species will see their species of baby. There's "fluctuation" due to our conceptual body. Perhaps a "beginning" that was never set in motion will appear as a breech baby. The crucial point is, why is it a baby? Without that answer, we can't put it to use. I will set out my theory below...

This is all too complicated for me...

Yeah, it's not exactly my area of expertise. But all this information must provide a pretty good clue for us.

You're right, we've done well so far! So let's look for our next clue. Put some energy into it!

So, to summarize all this...

The Oracle's asset has something to do with time and babies?

Right. Which means the queen could only have gone to one place.

Huh?! You have an idea where she is?

I don't know what her goal is... But that hunch you have, Pizzica, might be on to something...

Then we should hurry on over to where Her Majesty is!

She'll be in the Tower of Time! Hurry, we'll need to get to the top floor!

Huh?

How did you find me here? I thought I erased all the evidence... Well, what does it matter? I have already laid the summon circle. You can't stop me now.

Wait, please! What are you planning on doing? And what's this about "the new world to come"?

Well, I guess there is no use hiding it anymore, so I may as well tell you. I know... I know that my beloved king is no longer of this world...

Wha?!

Judging from your response, I assume you didn't realize, either? His Majesty's magic waveform ceased some time ago. I suppose everyone would have found out sooner or later. Not that it matters.

The Oracle made this embryo system to change the future. But I care not about the future... I will point it toward the past and bring about a new present in which His Majesty is still alive!

Now, come back to life! And dream your dreams again!

Wh-What? I thought Riica stopped the Visus Embryo! How is it operating again?!

Unnatural magic is flowing all around... I think she's forcibly using sorcery to manipulate it.

Dammit! Please reconsider this! Even if you rewrite history, there's no guarantee His Majesty will come back to you as you want him to.

Yes, I am fully aware he may never love me! But just knowing he is alive will bring me all the happiness I need.

I can understand that form of devotion. So I will not deny you that. But awakening a soundly sleeping baby at your own convenience...

And using them like a puppet tool is really low!

Don't you dare get in my way! Visus Embryo, protect yourself!

Ack! There's no stopping it!

It's no use even trying! So long as my summon circle is in place, it will continue to resist until it breaks!

Not if I can help it! Hey, Aldo. These children were created based on babies of this planet's sea, were they not?

Yeah. According to the Oracle's account, it appears so.

That's all I need to know. If my song could reach those babies...

Then I see no reason why it wouldn't reach these as well! Please... Come to your senses!

Visus Embryo calmed down?

That singing... It can't be... You survived. The one to whom the original magic waveform belongs...

The original magic waveform?

It appears I have been thwarted. Surely you know, the river of time flows from the ocean of time. And at the beginning of that river, oh so briefly, you can observe a strange phenomenon known as the baby of time.

But in some circumstances, the river of time can flow backward to the ocean, leading to... The breech baby of time being born. If we hypothesize that beings were created in order to quiet the pain. Then I would surmise those beings were in fact...the sirens.

The sirens? But my singing is different from all the other sirens...

I suppose everyone but you adapted to the planet. There is one reason, and one reason alone, why only your singing has retained that waveform. It has to be backward evolution.

Backward evolution? Only my singing...?

Was it coincidence, or was it inevitable?

In any case, my plan has been foiled. Do as you will.

We'll leave it up to the people of the palace to decide how best to deal with you.

All right. We should go back to Palsifal Palace for now.

I see...

You may be queen of the realm, but you are still bound by the same laws as us. You must be cleansed of your sins as would any other person standing before us.

Yes. I agree to atone for them. I shall accept any punishment you see fit. Living in a world without him is punishment enough.

How sad... She knew her love was not reciprocated... Yet was willing to do anything for him, even at the expense of her beautiful visage.

If she had actually succeeded in changing the past, do you really think she would have been happy?

I am not certain... Each person has their own idea of happiness. But any happiness gained at the sacrifice of others will surely have repercussions. So perhaps she is better off this way in the end.

Anyway, I really didn't expect your singing would get through to the Visus Embryo, Pizzica.

So many things appear to be connected. For example, I couldn't have imagined... Someone would have been inspired by the babies of our planet's seas when they carried out their research.

Perhaps...

You know, I didn't want to open up this can of worms... But the Oracle is actually my father. Well, it's kinda complicated. We both crossed time and space, and technically he's my owner's father...

Oh? Setting aside the details for now, the Oracle is actually family to you?

How strange! If my singing and you are connected in this way... Then perhaps it was in fact destiny that brought us together!

Yeah, I guess so.

Heheh, I hope you don't give other girls such half-hearted responses, Aldo.

Huh? I wasn't being half-hearted!

Oh dear, you're not even self-aware... Anyway, this can be our little secret. The moment we tell anyone, it'll already have spiraled into a fishy tale.

A fishy "tale"? Haha... Tail, tale. I get it, because you're a mermaid!

Finally someone gets it! Heheh, you're the best, Aldo!