Where the Mist Parts

Endmin! Over here!

I was looking all over the place for you! The Monitor told me you went into the place for a salvaging run! I was so worried!

What? It seems you actually found the thing!

I didn't expect anyone to salvage anything from that place! You Endfielders make me more impressed with every passing day...!

Of course! Looking at the bright side of things, I really hope our partnership with Endfield continues well into the future. But on the other hand, it won't be long before you simply outpace the UWST and leave us in the dust! Hah!

Hmm. The safe is locked.

Oh, it should be locked according to our SOP. The UWST allows its scientists to lock and protect key data in emergency situations. But I'm seeing plenty of scratch marks on the safe... So I believe it's been left behind for quite a while.

The passwords are definitely safe with the crew in charge of protecting the assets.

Oh? But ... I think Ropp is still ... unconscious...

Ah, yeeeaah... That kinda complicates things.

If we can't get the password, we can try cracking the safe physically. But that might damage the instruments inside.

Looking at the bright side of things, UWST products are known for quality. Our safes dominate the market of Talos-II because they are utterly indestructible!

Erm... Yeah. Well, this means we should get the password to open the safe properly. Alright. Andre my man, I'll let you hold on to our safe for now.

Alright, my Syndicates friend. I'll keep it safe!

Endmin, why don't we head back to the medical bay? We might work something out.

...Mas... Masie...

Hmm. I think he's trying to say something... Maybe we should get closer to hear him better.

Masie... Masie...

Ma ... sie? Is he saying "Masie"?

He's been unconscious for a few days but he never stopped mumbling this word. We're thinking that "Masie" might be ... a person's name.

Of course! We're also handing out supplies today. Most of the Syndicates crew should be nearby!

Endmin, let's go try our luck and see if we can find someone who knows Ropp!

Masie? Hmm. Is that Uncle Ropp's good friend?

Masie? No idea. I'm a little busy right now. Why don't you ask around over there?

I don't remember seeing someone named Masie... Maybe it's a pet's name?

But Ropp never kept pets either. He was assigned to Valley IV last year and we don't know him very well. The young man really keeps to himself.

And then he got hit by the disaster... Fate really has a way of dealing her cards.

I can't help you much, but we've got a pile of books and documents salvaged from the underground lab. Ropp is a hardworking egghead. Go through his stuff. You might find something.

Oh, he seems pretty close to a girl who works outside, though. That's the only time we ever saw him running around outside. Usually, Ropp locks himself inside his workshop.

But she seemed to leave the Valley after a while... Perhaps she's the Masie you're looking for.

Ropp has a girl? Hmm. I've never seen Ropp talking or hanging out with anyone.

Wait. Since you're helping out Ropp, I happen to have his comm device right here. See if you can use it.

Comm device? That's actually ... a very *personal* belonging...

Hey! I'm not some weird old man! I was part of the Syndicates' security. Everyone who enters the factory area has to deposit their comm devices at the gatehouse. Gotta protect our secrets, you know. And it's an easy job for old, semi-retired boys like me.

Alrighty! Let's see if we can find any useful information!

Ropp dropped this comm device in the wilderness and someone picked it up. The young lad didn't want to take it back and told me I could keep it. I held it here, since I have a feeling he might change his mind eventually.

Try your luck over there. That pile has plenty of lost items and comm devices that people have yet to claim.

Endmin, found any leads?

In any case, we should try opening the safe.

Well, no matter how we look at this, MASIE definitely means something important to him.

Oh... Yeah... I suddenly remember Ropp being a well-known workaholic...

Try using MASIE. That's the name of his patent application.

Oh. There's something else besides the filter in the safe. It's a letter.

"MASIE" is the recipient's name. Hmm. I think it has something to do with Ropp. I'll deliver it to him once he comes around.

No. Not working...

Woohoo! It worked!

Naming a patent after a close friend or lover isn't unusual. Ahem. The UWST is known for respecting the personal choices of every crew member...

Is that so...?

I'm still thinking about the diary entries... But hey, at least the safe is finally open!

Ah, Endmin and Gilberta! You're really here.

Ropp just came out of his coma. I heard that you're with Andre, so ... I came rushing here to tell you the good news.

Really? Then let's head to the medical bay right now.

Those traces ... she was the one who left them...

I thought ... she was... I thought ... she was caught up in something dangerous ... and left Valley IV a long time ago...

Mr. Ropp, is Masie the name of a loved one?

No, she...

Masie's not from the Valley... But she showed up one day with an incomplete machine...

It's a filter device containing Blighted materials...

The device was built on ideas that matched mine... And that was the most important period of my life. It was the first time I met someone who agreed with my approach. We would spend all day studying together...

We spent all our waking hours on the project... I didn't even ask her name... I thought those days would last forever...

So why...

We were almost done with the filter... But she suddenly took Masie with her and left ... without saying goodbye...

I don't believe it. I refuse to think that she left for that.

I wrote plenty of letters ... and left them where we used to research and work on the project... But I never received any reply...

The letter... Is this what you're talking about? We found it in the safe.

This ... this is it! I ... I put down Masie as the recipient's name ... because I don't know what her actual name is.

The place where we found the safe ... has been really torn up... We saw huge slabs of rock floating in the sky because of the Æther...

...I won't give up. If she did receive the letter, it would mean that... I ... I'm just really worried about her.

I'm going to find her... I got to know why she left without telling me...

Thank you for bringing the letter to me.

......

Endmin, I just remembered something and need to verify it...

She called it Masie. Everyone thought it was a funny name, but ... I got really interested in the machine.

My colleagues told me that she only cared about making the device work and getting it patented...

Something else must have happened!

But this means she... But this also means that she saw my letter! So why did...

Ohoho. We got the water contamination issue all figured out! Today's a lovely day!

The reconstruction of Valley IV has made significant progress. Endfield has proved itself to be a most indispensable friend.

Ah, Endministrator! Without the filtering device you and the lady messenger found, we would be days behind schedule!

Hmm. Where did Miss Gilberta go? I was hoping to thank her in person.

Endmin...

*Sigh*... Remember when we came here and found the safe? I noticed a few things scattered nearby. So, I decided to come back and see if I could find anything else.

...And then I found this.

It's the final diary entry, written by the owner of the filter device...

Yeah. The diary we picked up was from the same person... She's the fellow researcher that Ropp talked about...

The last entry... She wrote it to say her goodbyes.

Contact with Blighted materials affected her mind. She knew early on that she was gradually losing her memories...

She found the problem with the filter, and became the first to be affected by it...

She didn't want him to be part of the mistake... And she chose to tackle the final issue on her own.

She carried the letter ... made herself part of the safe's password ... and wrote all those diary entries to help her remember... She suffered helplessness and loneliness on her own. She also didn't want to forget the one she held close to her heart...

Perhaps one can eventually find their story by reading letters about the past. That's how the tales go, but...

But in the end, she chose to leave ... instead of seeking her past...

I've never felt memory loss before... But the thought of it scares me at times...

What did she feel or think about when she saw recordings of a past ... that seems foreign yet actually belongs to her?

I'm ... afraid of the feeling called oblivion. When I see memories flying past me that feel familiar yet foreign at the same time ... I cannot help but wonder if I've actually lost something...

Whenever those memories well up within me, I feel as though I am kept away by a dark, misty veil...

Endmin, can you tell me how it feels to lose your memories?

Is that so...?

Hmm?

I...

So ... I really do like those memories! Not only that ... I'm totally in love with the memories that I made on my own.

The memories I made while traveling, the secrets I saw in my solo flights across the night skies, and ... those special moments I shared with you, Endmin...

I don't care which memories they are. I don't want to lose any of them. Ever.

These are real, authentic memories that I made with the people I've met...

Sometimes, I feel everything in this world is just so ephemeral and delicate ... like bubbles of water... All it takes is a simple slip to lose those beautiful moments...

But that is also why ... I'll do my best to keep these important memories safe. People might not remember the faces of us messengers, but I'll do all that I can to remember every smile I see.

Endmin, do you still remember this?

Now I know who to send this letter to.

No... They never have.

I like those memories. They may not be mine ... but thinking about them makes me feel warm inside, like the sun itself.

Thank you, Endmin. I don't feel confused anymore... I'll treat these memories like precious gifts... No matter where they came from, all of them are now mine to treasure.

So, Endmin... If I failed to catch you, would you still be alright?

Hmph. I knew it.

But ... I'm really happy you spent all this time talking with me.

Hooo. Thanks a lot, Endmin! You swept all my troubles away!

Well, it's yours now, Endmin.

Although I couldn't figure out what to write, I've decided to give the letter to you.

I carried this blank letter with me when I first arrived in Talos-II.

I kept thinking about what it was... Why did it appear with me? What should I write on it? Who should I send it to?

I once thought the letter probably wanted me to write something very important on it, and send it to someone very important as well...

And yes, there are so many stories, so many troubles ... and so many feelings that I wanna share with you, Endmin...

But ... I haven't figured out what exactly to write...

Of course. I was hoping you'd take it.

Perhaps a day will come when I sort out my feelings and know what to write. When that happens, I'll ask you for it and return a proper letter to you.

And that will be a letter from Gilberta the Messenger herself.

Oh, by the way—

Don't you forget about me, Endmin.

But even if you did forget, I'll just show up right in front of you.

Then I'd say: "I'm Messenger Gilberta. This is the first time we've met!" And then we'll get to know each other once again.