Arknights story · Dissociative Recombination
15-16 Margin of Eternity and Now
Theresis faces Priestess in the Assimilated Universe and wrestles partial control of Originium from her. Badly harmed by the efforts of Theresis and Theresa, Priestess fell into slumber, but now she has awoken.
1 scenes, 228 lines
1. Interlude
228 linesTheresis falls in the ocean of information. The massive quantity buffets him, assimilating his cognition.
He can feel his mind grow slow, but he still tries to follow the guidance left behind by Theresa—
Guided by his sword, the information flow reconstructed by Theresa clashes with the preexisting one.
The massive collision lasts only an instant.
The surface begins to surge. Then, the sea splits open, as if sliced by a sharp blade.
A dark abyss appears in the Assimilated Universe. The sea of data stirs and roils.
Waves crashing against waves, drowning out one another.
Even as his mind grows numb, Theresis can sense the will gazing upon him weaken rapidly.
Your plan worked, Theresa.
Sever their control over Amnannam and seize it—
But suddenly, all the violent scenes come to a screeching halt.
She opens her eyes and sees the small, frail creature.
(Unknown language) Connection... unstable.
(Unknown language) —It's you?
(Unknown language) Your actions surprise me.
(Unknown language) ...'Theresa' and 'Theresis'.
Theresis does not comprehend the space before him. Perhaps it is simply another illusion of a dying mind—
Until he hears a familiar language that he can understand.
Ah, but perhaps this was the result that one wanted to see?
Your intentions are as easy to decipher as your language.
The evolution of Terra had brought many surprises... a shame.
You think we failed.
Then why do you hide and refuse to show yourself?
He meditatively swings his sword, guiding the chaotic information through the pure-white space...
Falsehoods.
You've implemented a backdoor in my project and restricted my access.
The data tells me I'm losing this piece of Originium. My attempts at maintenance have been in vain.
Impressive. Your rash actions have borne fruit.
There is nothing physically imposing to the voice whispering about failure before Theresis.
But this simply serves to make him more wary.
Your arrogance reminds me of someone.
Someone who deceived me. There is more than one evil spirit of a bygone age.
Dr. Doctor... I see you've met.
Then let me introduce myself.
Priestess. Linguist, and colleague to Dr. Doctor.
Theresis cannot care less who Priestess is.
Priestess or evil spirit, it makes no difference to him.
He clutches his sword tightly. He will find a way to break through.
You are anxious to defy a reality that you cannot perceive, Theresis.
You were much calmer when you plotted with Doctor on the border of Kazdel.
You were watching...
Watching? No.
I have long lost the energy and passion to observe the evolution of a newborn civilization.
All I did was look up the data newly added to Originium, and checked some information that interested me.
The expansion of Originium is a consensus between me and Doctor.
The current circumstances of Terra have somewhat differed from our predictions, but it remains on track.
I admit to being surprised by your attempt to retake this Originium, but the duty of it will be fulfilled, no matter how you struggle.
You can believe what you want, creator of Originium.
You believe that Originium is immovable, but she opened a path here, and liberated the myriad souls.
She was not the first to resist, and I will not be the last. Someone will stand before you—
Until there is none left to toy with our fate.
'Fate'... do you continue to believe that Originium stands opposed to the fate of your civilization?
If you truly understand the history of your people, have you ever questioned why you have evolved in our likeness?
......
You do not understand what you are resisting.
Theresis observes his surroundings. He is certain that he is still inside Originium.
The nature of what makes up this place is no different from the tower that Theresa weaved—it is information reconstructed.
Theresa has left him the key. He is sure he can put an end to this enigma.
You noticed.
You do not have a real physical form. We're still in that ocean.
In the language of Originium, reality and falsehood are not polar opposites.
When I first created this language, I wanted it to decipher the ultimate question that we had been unable to answer, despite all our efforts.
It.
Doctor once had hope for the beings on this land... guiding them to evolve and seek hope through Originium, giving them a chance to face It, perhaps even overcome It.
But they are doomed to despair.
'Teekaz'. You were not part of the plan, but you became the species most affected by Originium. An accident.
I must applaud your courage for standing here.
An accident...? Is this how you summarize our fate?
You're certainly alike, Priestess.
You call the fates you toy with a gift of hope, millennia of suffering a necessary sacrifice.
But Doctor was honest, at least.
His sword pierces falsehood, but the space on the other side—
Nothing changed?
Theresis closes his eyes and raises his sword.
Your violence is meaningless.
If you didn't care whether this pathetic race of mine can seize its own fate, you should have eliminated me already.
You're still weak after awakening from a long dream, are you not, Presence?
He lunges without hesitation.
The sword-wave cuts through the figure, disappearing without a sound into the pale white wall in the distance.
I said, this is meaningless.
Another strike.
I've always wondered—what exactly is the difference between you, the self-proclaimed creators, and us?
Theresis holds nothing back. The white wall begins to crack.
You have not brought everything to a standstill.
You just wanted to buy more time, or simply to mock the struggles of a pathetic race...
Suit yourself, Priestess.
Once again, Theresis senses the surging tide of information, remnants of the broken tower that Theresa weaved.
Theresis swings again.
Golden seawater shatters the pale wall, rushing into this seemingly boundless white space.
The tide swallows all that it sees, but parts before the figure of Priestess...
Like a static comet, leaving behind a black tail of calm in the sea of surging fury.
Your connection to the Originium is weakening. You are fading away.
Continuing to process this disorganized data is a waste of energy.
The waves converge upon the last area, slowly submerging Priestess's figure.
They also close in upon Theresis.
Is this the end that you sought?
The Sarkaz data has corrupted part of the Assimilated Universe. The data has been deleted, but I do not have time right now to repair the rewritten structures.
You can 'survive' in the Assimilated Universe in another form.
Survive?
I came to pass judgment upon the gods.
The Sarkaz swings his sword at the creator one last time, before the torrent of information engulfs him.
Warning.
Unknown threat.
Identifying error code... identification failed.
Simulating path... simulation failed.
Rebooting bottom-level computing area...
Assessing danger level...
Repeat.
And there I was, thinking that all I had to do—after I find a successor—was hand out candies to the children.
......
You have never proclaimed such a revelation before.
(Unknown language) Incoming data... Originium...
(Unknown language) A warning, or yet another swan song of hope?
(Unknown language) Where are you, kindred? What have you encountered?
......
......
The wind brushes past the throne. The sovereign's gaze moves away from the depths of the void outside his domain.
This music exists outside of order. How did it invade my Pavillon, my Leithanien?
The traces of genesis?
......
Silence is broken.
Priestess's figure, shattered by the golden waves of information, disappears without a trace.
The sea of data dashes against Theresis even more furiously.
His mind grows crowded. His body begins to crack.
The waves of information take away the blood that flows from his wounds. Originium crystals multiply in every cell...
Theresis is completely inundated.
Blood-red seawater gushes from the bottomless abyss, melting into the golden sea.
The sea of data in the Assimilated Universe turns a dark red, like blood, the color of the Sarkaz.
Finally, a tiny figure rises from the sea.
We took control of Amnannam, Theresa.
I can feel the direction that the waves flow now, and the massive amounts of data that I cannot comprehend—
He wants to share his joy, but there is only the sound of the waves in the boundless void.
He can no longer hear even his own heartbeat. There is only him here.
......
There is no longer any meaning in staying here.
He will return alone to Terra, to the land that belongs to him—
The rhombus in the void grows faint and broken...
Priestess's consciousness once again falls into slumber.
The spread of Originium has been far slower than expected, and she has unexpectedly lost part of her control over it.
Two Terrans, a frail and overlooked race.
I'm starting to understand why you're so interested in them... Doctor.
As her consciousness fades into darkness, she turns her gaze to the land known as Terra...
She sees the one they call Doctor walking with the Cautus and AMa-10 into the dark passage that leads to the underground throne room—
She sees the city of Londinium cry out in pain in the fires of war—
...She sees death—
A disintegrating Cautus, whose information is melting into the Assimilated Universe's sea of data—
Then, she reaches out.
(Unknown language) And that was the last time you saw Priestess?
(Unknown language) Yes.
(Unknown language) I still have many unanswered questions. Time is no longer my major concern.
(Unknown language) Do you not miss your home, traveler?
......
'Miss.'
—The Cautus answered this question many times when she lived on the ship that housed the gods.
There is no future in the fragments of time reconstructed from information.
Her best friends soon forget her existence entirely.
She can know all there it is to them, but she will never truly be part of life here.
'I'm just a traveler lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the distant past.'
(Unknown language) I'm having another learning session with Presence.
(Unknown language) Are you sure you don't want to come and talk to her?
(Unknown language) You seem eager to resolve our conflict, Hierda, but I'm afraid I must decline.
They will not change.
They are simply recreations of data.
......
(Unknown language) Very well.
The Cautus looks out beyond the porthole and counts silently. When the count reaches thirty, life from the star will once again shine upon the surface of the broken planet.
It's breath-taking, no matter how many times I see it...
Life and death emerging at the same time—
A scene that she had never seen on that land. A scene that she does not wish her brethren to see.
'Farewell. I'm leaving.'
—?!
In the blink of an eye, the Cautus finds herself back on that pale soil.
Priestess welcomes her with a smile.
Have you found your answer?
The Cautus shakes her head.
Where are you going?
Terra. Your home.
—?!
I want to give you a choice, Hierda.
You can stay, learn the knowledge that you thirst for, and find answers to the questions in your heart.
Or, I can send you back home.
Home...? To Terra?!
However, it may mean forsaking forever the chance to find those answers.
What's more, you will find that you have become very different from your erstwhile kin. It will bring you even more pain.
I will respect your decision, Hierda.
I, I—
At the same time, you step into the space within the rift.
This place...
It's not the Abyss...
(Angry roar)
Did PRTS bring us out here?
It's not that simple. We are the only ones here.
The deck is completely silent.
You turn around and notice the absence of the elite operators and Ascalon—
Black... rain?
Black Originium dust accumulates on the deck. Tiny Originium clusters grow like wild grass.
You can see them spreading as far as one's eyes can reach, gleaming enchantingly in the sun.
Warn all operators still on Rhodes Island to be prepared for Catastrophe, Amiya.
It's too quiet.
The sight before you is inconceivable, different from any Catastrophe that you have witnessed before.
The Originium expands at an impossible pace.
You look down at the deck, now completely covered in Originium, and see only your shadow.
......
Doctor—
You turn around to see a stunned look on Kal'tsit's face.
...Kal'tsit?
You follow her gaze. Far in the distance on the deck, a small formation of black Originium is growing slowly towards the sky.
You see a faint white figure on every facet of the crystal.
A figure not unfamiliar to you—
The black Originium rain suddenly grows more intense.
It almost feels like the large black raindrops are not falling from the sky, but rushing from the ground towards the heavens.
They refract the sunlight, drawing colorful lines in the sky—
All the colors you see begin to converge and weave into a white curtain, glistening with rainbow colors, slowly descending.
A pure, pristine white, gentle draping over the Originium crystal on the deck—
Crystal...
A beautiful figure stands upon the crystal.
Black crystal retreats from her legs, and white light puts a layer of clothing on her.
Heaven and earth, white and black, and—
......
Priestess.
She looks upon the land that has long become unfamiliar to her.
Long time no see.