EG-11 After Time

Still mulling over which poems to pick, Dr. Doctor?

Oh, I just thought of one myself. Feel free to include it.

You want me to recite it for you?

If the stars burn with passion for us,

How should we feel if we can't repay it in kind?

I look at them now as my face burns with shame,

And so I spent all day with a star on my mind.

If all the stars fade away or die,

I should learn to gaze up at an empty sky,

And take in the majesty of a universe dark,

Despite how it eats away at my time.

...

So... This was your journey of ten thousand years.

How should I reassess you, AMa-10...?

Or rather... Kal'tsit?

Your actions have hindered the Originium Project many times, but seeing what you see might be the most direct way to understand Terra's civilizations.

Intriguing...

The PCS system, the life pods of the Preserver, the surviving Feranmuts, the damaged stargate... So these were the methods those shattered ruins used to mold nascent civilization.

Truly unexpected outcomes, but it is this preposterousness that makes them fascinating.

Most importantly, Originium has affected these lifeforms' appearances, and guided them onto a similar path to the one our civilization walked.

The spark of life summoned from Talos-II was your own unilateral choice, Dr. Doctor. Is this outcome as you expected?

I have seen it...

This primitive environment, far from danger, has given life space to grow in barbarity, leading to the evolution of civilization in many shapes and sizes. A sight unseen in the lost age for a very long time...

Truly touching. It's not like I can't understand it.

But surely this is not all there is?

You once remembered how many of our projects, so full of promise, crashed and burned in their last moments. How unhesitatingly our comrades sacrificed for the sake of overcoming the ultimate darkness.

What scraps of hope we had left were unceasingly whittled away. A terrible cruelty.

Now look at this primitive civilization on this insignificant planet. Still divided by language and culture, by politics and war. How can they be considered 'hope'?

I simply cannot understand what convinced you.

Indeed...

Even during this endless age of savagery, great moments such as these leave their traces, like those rapidly dying stars.

What a rare sight, seeing Lu give up on her naive project. Even Friston has chosen to entrust his hope to others.

Is this what you are so reluctant to leave behind, AMa-10?

So these are your reasons... Dr. Doctor.

It's all because you saw our struggle reflected in their civilization?

But that is not enough. Far from it.

I understand your feelings, but this is not reason enough for me to continue giving them space to exist.

We are short on time. Originium still needs more soil, more time to grow, and the final days are upon us.

If... If you believe they can part this veil, then they should be able to overcome the barriers they face now, barriers barely worth mentioning. They must overcome themselves.

Show me proof.