Tragodia

[Code Name] Phantom

[Gender] Male

[Combat Experience] 11 Years

[Place of Birth] Victoria

[Date of Birth] Jan 19

[Race] Feline

[Height] 185cm

[Infection Status]

Originium crystals distributed across surface of body, confirmed Infected by medical examination.

[Physical Strength] Standard

[Mobility] Outstanding

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Excellent

[Combat Skill] Excellent

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Outstanding

Previously an independent assassin employed at Rhodes Island as a specialist operator, Operator Phantom had achieved his original goal for joining us by the time he returned from his stint as a Wrankwood actor. After discussion with the Doctor, he has agreed to continue his cooperation with us, providing support for nearby Rhodes Island offices on his travels throughout Terra.

Imaging tests show the indistinct outlines of internal organs, obscured by abnormal shadows. Originium granules detected in the circulatory system. The subject is confirmed to be infected with Oripathy.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 17%

The Originium crystallization around Operator Phantom's neck has increased. Further progress of symptoms may result in the loss of vocal facilities. Continued monitoring is necessary.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.45u/L

Recorded following Operator Phantom's exposure to an Originium storm in the wilderness outside Wrankwood. Medical will continue to monitor his condition to prevent it from deteriorating.

'He used unstable Arts while exposed to high-concentration active Originium dust? Is he out of his mind, or is that how they shoot movies in Wrankwood?'

After our operators stationed in Wrankwood returned to the ship, everyone learned that one of our colleagues was about to make his silver screen debut. The most common reaction amongst our operators was 'Who's Phantom?'

As a free-roaming assassin, Phantom's missions have taken him all across Terra, and he rarely came into contact with other operators at Rhodes Island—although the news of his film debut has finally put to rest the rumors that he is nothing more than a Rhodes Island urban legend. 'If he can be caught on camera, then he definitely exists, right? He's not a shadow, or a ghost?'

Several months later, the producer Greta Stone sent us the final cut along with an NDA prior to the film's release, as a token of appreciation for the assistance we rendered to the crew. The Doctor and Closure took the opportunity to hold several viewing sessions, hoping to satisfy our operators' curiosity regarding both Wrankwood and Phantom. After the viewings, however, many operators expressed that, far from learning more about Phantom, they now find him even more of an enigma. There are many mysterious legends of Wrankwood: an action movie star who always wears an iron mask and never uses stunt doubles; a prodigy actress who retired promptly after her first film became a smashing success; a director who never shows his face but whose films regularly foreshadow changes about to occur to Terra... Astute operators have noted that Phantom seemed to tell two stories in the film, one of which was the film's plot, and the other was his own story.

'Legends' about Phantom were all the rage for a while. Operators who have worked with him in field missions are unable to recall any information about him, and curious HR operators were unable to find any files on record. Even though Miss.Christine shares tidbits about Phantom with her followers—those operators who cling devotedly by the lady's nap spot at the windowsill, and Shalem patiently describes their past together as trainees at a theater troupe, those seeking an answer seem to enter a place between reality and fiction, and are unable to piece together a complete picture of Phantom in their minds.

That is, until a logistics operator excitedly announced that he had the answers to all the questions after speaking to Phantom in the corridors for an hour. The obscure operator suddenly became the center of attention. Everyone who heard the 'legends' had their own image of Phantom, and were eager to unveil his secrets. It took twenty minutes for someone to realize that something was wrong, and by that time the young operator had gone from describing his own hometown in Kazimierz to his current emotional troubles.

'So... what's the 'answer to all the questions' that you were talking about?'

'The meaning of my existence! The path I've walked and the path I'm going to walk! Lucian didn't say much, but I understand everything now!'

'Enough about yourself. You didn't forget to ask what happened to HIM, did you?'

'Of course I asked!'

'Well, what did you find out?'

'About Lucian—'

'Hey, what exactly DID I ask?'

As one after another curious inquirer into Phantom's past came up empty, a consensus began to form—whether he simply did not want to be pried into, or if he really did have a secret that cannot be revealed, Phantom is one of the most difficult entities on Rhodes Island to perceive and comprehend. When the Wrankwood craze had cooled, there was only a cold, eerie blackness left behind of the mysterious shadow that once floated in the limelight, one that few dare to approach.

As a matter of fact, opportunities to come into contact with Phantom are not as rare as many think, and such encounters do not always take place in some shadowy corner. He often initiates contact when he feels the need. A veteran medic said she once saw Phantom in Nowell's eyeglasses fitting room, and was surprised to find Nowell teaching him to polish lenses.

'There's no problem with Lucian's vision. In fact, his night vision and dynamic visual acuity are well above average. The reason he came to find me was...' Nowell paused, seemingly unsure why exactly Phantom had come to see him. He has taught many people the art of lens-making in the past, and those with special talent are able to quickly catch up to his methods, while young people with innovative minds look for other tools to increase efficiency. Laymen who come only for the experience or on a whim quickly stop moving their hands and start observing Nowell in boredom. In that regard, Lucian acts like a pure, overly-serious apprentice. He carefully picked the right polishing materials, and was meticulous about rinsing the lens to prevent overheating of the edges. For a few moments, Nowell almost believed this mysterious stranger would inherit his lens-making responsibilities, but when Nowell told Lucian he was ready to move on to the next step, Lucian continued to admire the gleam reflected by the lens' edge, seeming unconcerned that he had already spent many hours in search of perfection. 'Few people are so focused on wasting time. Unless he already has a clear goal in mind... or an eternity to waste.'

They talked about little more than craftsmanship and day-to-day life, avoiding anything associated with the 'legends', but Nowell noticed that Lucian subtly steered the conversation in a different direction whenever it seemed they were about to talk about Nowell's family or his experiences in Victoria, as though he already knew everything there was to know about Nowell's most important experiences. 'I'd never seen him before the day he walked into the fitting room, but I can tell that our secrets are alike. I know the way to break my own curse. For his part, it seems he's enjoying the process of breaking it—I hope I'm wrong.'

Illegal operations, serial murders, and an encounter with an Originium storm... Operator Phantom's experience at Wrankwood would put most blockbusters to shame, and he found himself in extreme danger. 'It's been a full month, and Phantom's Blood Originium-Crystal Density hasn't improved one bit. He should be completely bedridden according to the Originium Treatment Handbook, so how is he still walking around?' Phantom's previous doctor, Ansel, expressed his concerns. 'I'm not sure why he refuses to cooperate with his physical examination... Fortunately, Dr. Warfarin has taken over, and some of his medical files have been sealed. I'm sure he'll get better.'

[Medical Interview Log]

Confidentiality Level: Confidential

Subject: Lucian

Interviewer: Warfarin

'...I'm sure you know better than I do what strange changes have come over me... the progress of the infection due to exposure to the Originium storm, the expansion of the crystals on my throat... but their danger has been nullified.

'You could even call it a medical miracle, but the secrets of life and death are not my concern right now—at least, not from a scientific perspective. To get straight to the point, I've been granted more time.

'Am I glad? No, I don't see time as a gift. There may not be an answer to what I seek for centuries, millennia, or perhaps no single answer at all—which is painful, yet fascinating. All I want to do is leave behind the theaters of man and head to another kind of stage.

'It's better for everyone on the ship. The Doctor has sealed the reports on the Wrankwood incident, and you've increased the access level required to view my medical files... I can sense that some operators harbor doubts about me.

'Singing a song that manipulates hearts, inheriting a set of extravagant robes along with his staff, having Miss.Christine by my side... Mysteries can be lethal.

'I cannot guarantee that no one will be dragged into it. Drama is a human construct. It needs both a creator and a performer, and it needs an audience even more. I don't want what I do to be self-entertainment. My drama is a failure if it is nothing more than self-gratification.

'To break free from one's pen, I must face this newly-free self, and the pen and paper that have been forced into my hands.

'Death and destruction... The Doctor was concerned that I would once again come into contact with the aesthetics of obsession and deviation. But they are natural inspirations that I cannot avoid, nor will I attempt to circumvent them. Drama has always had multiple answers.'

'We will not speak again for the next six months.

'I will leave this place for now, to find an answer to my drama that belongs only to me, to find a way to understand this land... Perhaps it is hysteria, or perhaps madness will bring truth and enlightenment. Do you feel the same way? Are we still part of a story?

'Prejudice, conflict, the unsolved secrets of Terra... If the Troupe Leader is but another character, I want to know what the true author wishes to write, and what I can 'write'.'

'Even if it is futile...

'Even if... I will never wake up again.'

At first, the items that arrived on the office desk of the Archives Department were thought to be a prank. Old gold coins, banners scorched by the fires of war, rubbings of ancient murals... They came from many different eras and places, the only commonality being a certain mark found upon them. As these unclaimed 'pranks' accumulated, people started becoming superstitious, and began doing whatever they could to avoid the night shift, until the Doctor reminded them that it was Phantom who left these mysterious tokens.

Most common among these ancient scraps are tomes that depict the legends of Tragodia from across Terra, the earliest being centuries-old. The description of Tragodia varied widely between cultures. In some, he is the god of harvests, love and joy; in others, a deranged hedonist who created drama and the arts. More recent volumes call him the 'Deceitful Ghost'. Even expert archivists had difficulty piecing together a complete picture from these fragments, but Phantom managed to deduce what the predecessor of the Crimson Troupe was, and the identity of the Troupe Leader. It is hard to imagine how much time he spent studying the origins of the Troupe in search of an answer, or an opportunity for 'revenge'.

The changes that have occurred in Phantom since his return from Wrankwood indicate that it is not a hatred of being manipulated that drives him to seek the truth. Perhaps, his natural inclinations and obsessions have caused him to surpass the boundaries of right and wrong, viewing his past experiences from a brand-new angle. In order to validate some of these records, the Archives Department wanted to invite him to discuss the origins of some of these objects, but were unable to locate him on the ship. Perhaps in his eyes the curtains have already fallen, and the actor should leave the stage. Or perhaps he simply did not want to make a subjective judgment on an event that he experienced personally, causing both the tokens and the identity of Tragodia to once again become a dangerous private collection.

If you asked me how the processor of these mysterious records would view the relationship between Phantom and the legend of Tragodia—whether he has inherited an identity that cannot be explained by modern science, or whether he has yet to escape his nightmare—I would answer from a different angle.

Whatever Phantom's present identity is, he is no longer struggling with pain. Perhaps there is a mysterious, unknown side to the words he has left unspoken, but he has been willing to share the results of his decade-long search. Perhaps he will repeat the mistakes of the past, and make radical choices for his heart's desires, but he has given us a chance to understand him, and to stop him.

If he has chosen to trust Rhodes Island, then we should repay that trust.

—An Archives Department Operator

[Note found at the end of a Rhodes Island corridor]

'It is the end of the day. You finally have the time to organize the files on the Wrankwood incident and fill out promotion paperwork for a certain operator. The task leaves you somewhat troubled.

'Out of both duty and sincere concern, you must assess the significance of Lucian's dream-like state with precise language and a predetermined conclusion.

'You find this note at the end of a corridor as you leave your office to clear your mind.

'You attempt to put on a calm face, but cannot prevent the hairs on your skin from standing on end. You are curious who wrote these words: the nightmares of olden days that Lucian has spoken of, a rift caused by the compression of higher dimensions... or has your life become an element in the work Lucian is conceiving? You have heard his midnight murmurs and whispered songs, but the fragments dissipate with song when you attempt to understand his thinking and the words he wrote down.

'Some advice, 'friend'—abandon logic and reason, and forget mundane definitions. Do not expect this note from nowhere to answer all your questions about Lucian, just as I cannot explain to you in words all the interpretations of works, the creations of fictional characters, and the performances of drama, that have existed since the beginning of art...

'You recognized me, didn't you? 'I' do not simply exist within his identity or pseudonym. This two-person play, that is as long as fate, has made me part of him. It was not my original intention, but a pleasant surprise that he has brought me. Be happy, and let yourself sink into his story.'