Act I: Swan Lake Returns (6/6)

Never before have I felt so wounded by the mere price of goods...

All that Sakurament, gone... It may have been necessary, but it saddens me nonetheless...

Didn't think I'd see BB selling the gate key herself... I bet she just found it lying around, too. What a filthy money-grubber...

Huh? Isn't BB the one who turned Seraphix into SE.RA.PH? Why would she sell us anything?

...Since I was created from a part of her, I kind of hate to admit this, but...

She's kind of warped. Nothing she does has any rhyme or reason...

？！

These records are secret, and can only be viewed by one person at a time.

After playback has concluded, the records will be erased, and their contents cannot be saved.

Do you wish to proceed?

？！

Oh, that means only Seraphix admins are authorized to access it. I think it sends the data directly to the brain of whoever's viewing it or something?

Basically, it means we won't all be able to find out what it says. Just the one who hits the Enter key.

Which leaves you and me, since we're the only humans here... Ulp!

I...uh...I'm a little scared... You know, I think I have a stomachache! You can have this one, Fujimaru!

So what are you going to do, Fujimaru?

？！

Confirmed. Playing back records from February 7, 2019.

To the one viewing these records:

I want to leave a record of myself behind, before I forget everything.

In 2016, I was invited to join Seraphix's team as a mental health specialista therapist.

...Heh. Even in this body, I can't help but smile when I think back on that.

The first time I was told I'd be working at this church, I remember laughing aloud at the sheer weight of reality crashing down on me.

Still, historically speaking, priests and churches could certainly have been considered early providers of mental health care.

So...while I was a bit resentful of the choices that led me to that posting, I went along with it in the end.

After all, this offshore oil rig was a unique environment. Plus, I didn't have anywhere else to go.

So I vowed to do whatever I could to help those struggling with mental health challenges here, no matter what was required of me.

Everyday life here on Seraphix was fulfilling.

As an oil rig with a two-layer structure, both its buildings, and the relationships of the people who lived and worked in them were enormously complex.

The more I came to know about Seraphix's inner workings and secrets, the more excited I grew.

There was the standard crew, and the ones with special privileges. Oil harvesting, and magical energy harvesting. A day staff, and a night staff.

It was inevitable that friction would develop between the different groups. Every night, I dealt with countless patients in my position at the church.

"I want to go back to land." "I'm tired of dealing with everyone." "I want to die." "They should shut this place down." "They should expand it."

After listening to all sorts of complaints, I started to wonder why Seraphix was even created.

I have no doubt whatsoever that it was made with the highest of ideals.

Those ideals just turned out to be too big to be compatible with the way most people's minds work.

January, 2019. Something very strange is happening.

We lost contact with the outside world, and strange accidents keep happening all around the facility.

The nearly two hundred people left are in a constant state of mild fear.

Many people were injured. As a therapist, I've been joining the medical team to help victims on-site.

That's when I saw something I should never have seen.

...Countless eyes, glowing in the darkness. A monster preying on human minds.

February 2019. I've begun to change just like the other staff members have.

I can't trust anyone else. I only care for myself. Even the thought of morality has become intolerable.

Feelings I've been suppressing all my life are flooding back. It brings me to tears, wondering how it has come to this.

...There's another festival taking place outside the church tonight. There's a bonfire. Gunshots. Men smiling eerily, as if they'd gone mad. Sacrifices.

I see it, and I feel...nothing. I can so clearly sense how cold my own mind has become.

Yet in spite of all this, the obligation I felt to my job remains intact. After all...

...the whole reason I was brought here was to provide care for the staff's mental health.

So even if I'm the only one left... Even if I end up getting killed...

I must soothe this increasingly unhinged group's collective hysteria... Help preserve their rationality...

March... Today...they smashed in...my left eye.

They threw me...into my house...like garbage. I...

I used the last of my strength...to lock the church door. I have to record this. I have to record this.

I'm not scared of outside visitors.

I'm scared of myself. I don't want anyone to see how I've changed.

Everyone here has been consumed by madness. That's fine. I can't do anything about that.

But I'm not like them. Something else has taken hold of me. Something even more terrible.

I can feel my own mind being stretched thinner day by day. My whole life is fading away.

I'll kill them all. Kill them. Those scum! Those idiotic working-class lowlifes! That's it. The planetarium prototypes. They will make it easy. That's what this facility is supposed to be for, anyway. So I'll do it. I'll use them as they were meant to be used. I can't let the beasts that hurt you roam free. Those fools. Those lackwits. Those maggots are even lower than beasts! Very well. If they want hell, I'll show them hell!

...I could have sworn I heard someone saying something like that.

I can hear one of the mad peoplethe assistant director, maybescreaming.

"Show them a real hell." When I hear that, I can't help but shout out: "You brought this on yourselves."

Ahh... This is terrible. We're all victims, yet I still detest them.

...I'm not the same person I used to be. Somebody... Please... Help me.

Do not go in the planetarium. Do not continue its experiment.

I'm young, only twenty-five, but I want to remain myself...

So please...somebody, anybody, kill me. Kill me now, before I get taken over.

？！

...I can tell that whatever you saw unsettled you.

I know it must be difficult, but can you tell us about it?

...Everyone here got cabin fever, formed a cult, and went on a purge, huh? I figured as much.

...So, they were possessed, right? And here I thought BB created this whole mess just for the fun of it...

...Indeed. This must mean the crew summoned BB of their own accord, regardless of malign outside influence.

That poor priest... Although, I don't remember there being an planetarium around here...?

The planetarium is in the middle of SE.RA.PH. It's the power source that's digitizing Seraphix.

？！

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you already knew that, seeing how it's completely obvious and all.

Well, now you know where your ultimate objective lies, right? If you want to fix Seraphix, you just have to find the planetarium.

And if you want to do that, you should stop sifting through useless records and keep on exploring.

Indeed. I admit that it vexes me to see us essentially playing into BB's hands.

It is, however, worth noting that we managed to find other routes while gathering Sakurament. I believe it is time we started exploring further.

Further...? I don't even want to set foot outside anymore...

So wait, does that mean you're going to leave me here all by myself?

...No. I shall remain with you.

I still do not cherish the idea of traveling with Meltryllis, and we cannot be certain that enemies will not find this base.

If it is okay with you, Gawain, I will remain behind and keep both this church and Lady Mable safe.

Of course, Tristan. If all goes well, we shall soon return with good tidings.

...What, no "sir"? Well look at you two. Is this what they call a bromance?

As knights, they both know what it's like to be tied to their positions. They can't afford to be slaves to etiquette during really dangerous missions.

As for me, I've got my own things to handle. You can take care of Fujimaru.

You do not have to tell me that... What is it you will be doing?

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

This'll all be over if we take out all the other Servants, right? So that's what I'm going to do.

Don't worry, I'll stay in touch. Let me know if you find any Servants.

While you lot are fighting them, I'll sneak up and stab them in the back.

？！

I believe that is for the best. That Archer does tend to stand out, after all.

So he can draw the Servants fighting each other towards him, letting us explore unimpeded.

Oh, so that was his plan all along? I had no idea from the way he put it.

He could have just said "I'll distract them" and be done with it. Maybe he's shy or something?

Definitely not. He just likes to do his own thing. At any rate...

Fujimaru. We may have a concrete goal now, but you still need to be careful.

Since we're back at the church now, you know what it is you need to do, don't you?

？！

That's right. I'm glad to see you've learned a thing or two by now.

Okay then, I'm heading out. I'll see you again in about six hours.

Then again, if we go to the Central Command Room, you might be able to find a way to escape.

You can also contact Chaldea from there.

This place hasn't completely become SE.RA.PH yet, so they should still be able to observe you.

The nice thing about Rayshifting is that they can always bring you back as long as they can observe you.

No matter how unusual SE.RA.PH might be, as long as they can see you with Sheba, you can go home...

So...what do you want to do? Me...I'm an Alter Ego.

I don't think I can leave this place. Or that I should.

But you can escape from here. And you should. I'd be willing to fight to help you do that.

Fujimaru, I only formed a contract with you out of necessity.

You didn't have any Servants back then, so I had no choice but to save you.

...Just knowing that is enough for me. I've already got my reward.

I'm an Alter Ego, not a human. From your perspective, I'm more like a doll than a person.

So please, don't be sad. Whenever you feel sad, it dulls me down to my toes.

And nobody needs a prima ballerina who can't even stand on pointe, right? So cheer up already.

As long as you keep smiling, I'll be on your side. I won't run away, no matter what.

...Not even if the evil witch who created me turns out to have been behind this whole thing.

Don't worry. I'll use my best grand fouette to make sure you have a way forward...