Morimens story · Main Story
A Long Dream's End
16 scenes, 678 lines
1. Guide, before the fight
37 linesIt had a long dream.
It dreamed of gods and stars, of dust giving birth to civilizations, and of civilizations crumbling back to dust.
It dreamed of hate and love, joy and terror.
It jolted awake from slumber. Everything in the dream never existed.
The primordial chaos... the blind idiot god...
@2...
The creator of the universe... the destroyer of the universe...
@3...
Awaken.
@4!...
The twin statues have already been shattered... But why...
Countless ripples stir in your spirit realm. Shockwaves from across the world flood your mind with crystal clarity.
This is... a D-Rift!...
You've witnessed the viscous hell of the wax museum, the grotesque abyss of Rye, and just endured the horrifying tremors of the Black Pool.
You know all recorded human knowledge on Dissolution, but no account has ever warned you that D-Rifts could bloom like malevolent black flowers, erupting simultaneously in every corner of the world.
Across countless centuries, countless civilizations, humanity has relentlessly explored, sacrificing lives and passions. Yet before true chaos, all we've gained is fragility and ignorance.
Tsk tsk tsk, what a spectacle... It'll awaken soon. Keep standing there gawking, and it'll be too late, Keeper.
N... It was not you?
Me? Ha.
N takes a deep sniff of the rose in hand, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Why play the game when watching the fun is so much better?
Mythag's mole is someone else...
That's right... The twin statues are defeated, so it must be that traitor awakening It. Doll's investigating this, we need to find her fast!
You quickly press the comm button on your brooch.
Doll's gone silent.
!!!
In the empty echo of the communicator, Alistair's figure emerges from the shadows of the Black Pool.
Look at this.
A small component rests on the arm of the wheelchair.
Doll's artificial body
This is... a part from Doll's body...
She implanted a program in her body. If something goes wrong and she can't control it, it auto-pilots back to me.
Doll... She's lost consciousness?! This has to be that traitor's work...!
Alistair nods gravely.
Doll's artificial body carries a faint trace. It's the clue she left us.
I've sensed where that trace leads. It's right here in the Black Pool.
He's awakening Tohuwabohu... We have to find him fast!
2. Guide, after the fight
33 linesYour beacon's been destroyed, "Doll"!
Juliette's seen the truth, that's not the future you want...
Future? I'm not like that naive fool Juliette. What I've always wanted... has never been a "future."
Parts and murky fluids litter the ground at her feet, blood and viscous D-Slime splattering her body. Uncaring, she throws back her head and lets out a burst of manic laugh that utterly belied her slight physique.
Too late, you dull-witted humans.
The battle's outcome doesn't matter anymore... The final winner is me, Keeper.
!!!
"Doll" wears a satisfied smile, her hands slightly open like a devout bouquet of decay.
She slowly kneels, and behind her, the massive Gate stands fully ajar.
@2...
This is... No!...
This is... No!...
Cavitation, liquefaction, pulverization, erasure. You know the progression of Dissolution by rote.
But under this gaze, all your knowledge of Dissolution crumbles.
Walls vanish. Steps vanish. Even the Black Pool itself vanishes.
You forget the color of the walls. You forget the position of the steps. Beneath that gaze, all things dissolve into eternal nothingness, leaving not even the concept of blankness.
The gaze sweeps around, then finally locking onto you.
!!!
Open your eyes, Keeper.
The light doesn't sting at all, it feels gentle, like a heap of silver-white feathers filling your vision.
You see Tawil's face. Just like the day you first met: sacred, gentle, inviolable.
Their six wings unfurl, shielding you from the gaze that destroys all. Transcendent holy light flickers behind, each flutter a shift in dimensions, diverting the all-annihilating gaze to a nonexistent singularity.
Black liquids drip along Their wings, clawing at every curve of the inviolable divine flesh. In each fleeting moment, Their form wither to bare bones, Their visage liquefied by Dissolution again and again, only to be knit back together once more.
They counter the gaze with dimensions, defying the irresistible will that erases everything.
In this war of purity and filth, They clash countless times each second. Every clash drains a fraction more color from Tawil's face.
For now, its gaze will linger in the dimension where I hide. You still have time, Keeper.
Tawil, you...!
They regard you. That gentle, sacred face bears an unyielding authority.
3. Rite, before the fight
64 linesThe open Gate stands silently before you, like a macabre invitation.
The eye, diverted to another dimension, has vanished for now. Eerie hues seep through the crack, casting an uncanny glow on your hesitant face.
Keeper...
Seeing you turn back, she lowers her head, but her grip on your sleeve doesn't loosen at all.
Ramona?
I have a bad feeling...
The other me has witnessed countless choices. I don't have her memories, but...
I know whatever lies beyond this Gate... won't be what I want to see...
Ramona...
You pat her hand, trying to mask your unease, then offer her a gentle smile.
For you, for all of you... I have to go in. This is my duty.
Keeper, you will come back. You will fight by my side until the day we wipe out Dissolution... Remember what you promised!
You nod solemnly. Gently prying her hand away, you face the Gate.
Ding...
A vibration hums from your chest. The Silver Key seems drawn by some kind of resonance, floating before you.
Intense silver light radiates from the Silver Key, then fades.
You hear a low rumble. The boundless Gate, intangible to the touch, slowly swings open.
Black light surges from within, enveloping you.
Gate, twins, figures... Everything around you vanishes. The black light pulls you into a new dimension.
All traces of the world fade. Only pure darkness remains.
...
@2@3...
...
An orb of light appears before you. Then a second, a third...
Kaleidoscopic colors flow and flicker across countless orbs, like intricate flowers blooming one by one in this dark expanse, only to shatter just as quickly.
In those ceaseless cycles of birth and death, you see concepts of color dance and loop before your eyes;
You see all words collapse into a single point within the bubbles, forming a grand, infinite epic;
You see images of the past, present, and future. You see every timeline of existence and annihilation.
A light seems to bloom within you, piercing your viscera and mind.
Aeon of Sagacity... Chokmah... Da'at...
Tell me, how can I defeat the Supreme Will? How can I protect them...
Chokmah-Da'at. The name echoes clearly through this space.
A bubble drifts toward you. You extend your finger, touching it reverently.
Pop...
The bubble bursts into myriad tiny specks of light before you. They swirl around you like a veil, gently draping over your form.
It is the beginning, the end... It is everything...
The Supreme Will cannot be defeated.
A murky, distant voice resonates from within every bubble, from inside your mind.
No... Life, civilization, emotions... Our world can't end like this!
Behold me. Heed me. Fragment of the Pupilless Eye. Consciousness of the Pupilless Eye. Shadow of the Pupilless Eye...
Consciousness, shadow... What do you mean?
You lift your head, gazing at the countless illusory bubbles before you.
Close the Gate before It awakens. Lull the Supreme Will back into slumber. Your world will find temporary reprieve.
Reclaim the shadow's Authority, and you shall gain the power to seal the Gate.
Your world, those you cherish... They cannot withstand the power of the Supreme Will's fragment.
You shall forsake everything, guarding the Gate for eternity. You shall perish, enduring endless eons in unconscious darkness...
Fragment of the Pupilless Eye, this... is the price you must pay.
On the bubble before you, your own face appears.
Cold sweat slides down that face. It trembles, from the chill, from terror.
You envision that incomplete, protracted death, the eternal solitude that would drive all life to madness.
Is there no other way...? I promised Ramona, I promised them...
Its many eyes have opened. Resist Its power, seal the Gate, and return It to slumber. This is the only way.
Now choose.
Time seems to freeze. At last, you discern the illusory colors swirling around you.
They carry every scene from your memories.
Your first grasp of the Silver Key... Your first link to an Awakener... Your first closure of a D-Rift...
Countless images, countless faces, gazing upon you.
You draw a deep breath and raise your head.
I... I'll do it.
I... I'll do it.
Bid farewell to all that you are, fragment of the Pupilless Eye. By your side, only unconscious entities forged from Authority and memory shall remain.
Sever your links to the Awakeners with your own hand. Let your form return alone to pure chaos and darkness.
After this, I shall aid you in absorbing the Authority of the three Aeons.
I shall aid you in becoming a god.
4. Rite, after the fight
68 lines
Mythag promised to fight alongside me... To fight together till the planet's end.
Had I known... I'd never have made a pact with you...
Let me witness for myself the worth of this prodigy Mythag stakes its future upon!
Let me witness for myself the worth of this prodigy Mythag stakes its future upon!
It's okay, Keeper.
It's a knight's duty to protect others. I can still hold on!
It's a knight's duty to protect others. I can still hold on!
I'm terrified of what I'm about to become... But none of this matters anymore.
I will no longer be controlled, harm anyone, or let my friends die because of me.
I will no longer be controlled, harm anyone, or let my friends die because of me.
Do you remember what you said to me?
You said... I was never alone. You said I still had you. Had everyone.
From that moment, I knew...
I'd do anything for you.
Thanks, thank you all... One last thing...
Don't forget me, okay?
Don't forget me, okay?
The girl suddenly stares right at you, as you perch on the reef.
Specks of light dance in her eyes, and on that youthful face blooms an extraordinarily radiant smile.
A lily trapped by time, missing its season...
finally finds its moment to bloom.
finally finds its moment to bloom.
The hand gripping the knife falls weakly, as crimson, viscous, and dark liquid flows from the blade, dripping through her fingers into the sea.
Blood rapidly drains from her body; Murphy's skin turns deathly pale, yet she exudes an unusual vitality.
Blood rapidly drains from her body; Murphy's skin turns deathly pale, yet she exudes an unusual vitality.
Even in endless darkness, even if the light of hope is faint... Humans never yield; that spirit alone can change fated futures.
Now, I have found a new answer.
So, Tawil, lend me your chosen successor. Be generous, will you?
I will entrust my seed with {Male=him,Female=her}.
The seed will root, sprout, grow into a beautiful tree...
Like how the first Mother Tree was born.
...
This final seed, I plant it within you.
Until it spreads my blood across the earth, you must not die...
You will remember me. Never forget me.
Tides surge.
That warm embrace pushes you away.
In the current's tumbling assault, you see her drift deeper into the river.
In the current's tumbling assault, you see her drift deeper into the river.
Right now? Out here?
It's maybe a little earlier than planned, but it shouldn't matter, right?
Besides, I've been looking forward to this day for over a year now.
Raindrops slip into your gloves, wetting your fingertips, while a faint current seeps through the material, flowing secretly between your skin and hers.
Inexplicable emotions surge through your nerves, joy, excitement, unease, and...
...Hope.
How warm... the connection is perfect. Your spirit and life force have never shone brighter.
You mustn't falter, the one and only Keeper. We're counting on you to investigate and document all history lost to Dissolution.
The worry in her eyes fades as Ramona offers a reassuring half-smile.
The sound of drizzling rain fills the world.
The sound of drizzling rain fills the world.
Ra... Ramona...
Memories vanish piece by piece, faces erased one by one.
Past stories are exiled to the edges of your mind; you shift from protagonist to observer.
The heart-wrenching pain gradually numbs.
You see yourself leave the ground, ascending to the stars' depths.
Everything once by your side drifts farther and farther, eventually vanishing into the void.
There is no Ramona. No Keeper.
When you depart this place, you will no longer have any connection to them.
...I understand, Chokmah-Da'at.
You raise your head. In this endless realm of bubbles, you converse with the ethereal divinity.
Tell me your name.
I am %player%. I am the Keeper. I am... the Pupilless Eye.
Your task is complete. Leave this dimension, Chokmah-Da'at.
I will stop It.
I will stop... myself.
5. Dream Fracture, before the fight
77 linesNgh...
Tawil? You...
The Aeon of Sagacity's power is spent... It has returned.
Tawil's form trembles faintly. With Ramona's support, They lift Their head weakly.
Amid the chaotic hues within the Gate, that eye pierces Tawil's woven deceptions, descending once more upon everyone.
@2...
As the low flute tones resound again, the once-calm Black Pool surges violently.
Tawil's chant forms a fragile barrier, crumbling under this overwhelming force.
Get back!
The instant Alistair speaks, Hameln swings the baton, musical notes shielding Tawil and Ramona as they retreat.
Beneath them, where Tohuwabohu's gaze lingers, a massive rift erupts abruptly.
Beneath them, where Tohuwabohu's gaze lingers, a massive rift erupts abruptly.
The Black Pool drains into the sudden rift, flowing back to its origin, the primordial abyss.
Warped light leaps through the darkness, like a face devoid of expression, silently observing these powerless souls.
Before the Gate, part of "Doll's" body succumbs to the rift, but she pays it no mind. She gazes at the expressions on their faces, grinning with delight.
Don't you get it? Destruction, you weaklings. Destruction is the one true answer.
The universe is a lie, an idiot's dream, utterly meaningless.
All struggle is futile. Only a new beginning could bring the future.
Embrace it...
@2!...
Chaotic voices echo from within the Gate, as if summoned by something.
Infantile wails, ancient incantations, pure malice. Mindless sounds flow from its veins, carrying destruction's breath, surging forth from the Gate.
Tawil!
Tawil stands before the group, vast wings unfurling, but the multidimensional hues grow ever dimmer.
The rift expands uncontrollably, devouring Their last shreds of sanity.
Ramona, can you sense {Male=him,Female=her}?
I... can't... After entering the Gate, {Male=his,Female=her} link just vanished...
Ramona rises, sword in hand.
Until {Male=he,Female=she} returns, I'll hold the line for {Male=him,Female=her}...
Step back.
!!!
Just as Ramona prepares to rush toward Tawil, an invisible hand pulls her back.
The rift... It's stopped?...
No, it's struggling...
Tawil slowly opens Their eyes.
The horrific rift devouring Them is now vibrating at frequencies beyond human perception.
That terrifying maw cowers like a beast, quivering before two forces it fears.
I'm late.
Beneath the colossal Pupilless Eye, a slender figure stands before the Gate.
Keeper... It's the Keeper!
%player%!
You've finally...
Ramona approaches you. You wave a hand, and those invisible hands bar her way again.
Its gaze will destroy you. Leave.
As Ramona prepares to rush toward the Gate again, Alistair's voice sounds out behind her.
{Male=He,Female=She} no longer needs Awakeners, Ramona.
What... What did you say?
Without waiting for Alistair's response, Ramona closes her eyes, tracing her link to you.
What are you talking about, Ramona? The link's our strongest bond with the Keeper, how could it...
!!!...
Every Awakener closes their eyes, probing the spirit realm.
But no matter how hard they try, the figure who was always there, guiding their spirit realm, has vanished completely.
That person stands right before them, unchanged in appearance, yet this figure in their eyes turns utterly alien.
What {Male=he,Female=she} is linked to now are shadows of us, entities {Male=he,Female=she} recreated with {Male=his,Female=her} own Authority and memories.
{Male=He,Female=She}... has cut off the link with us.
?!!
Why? Lily... Lily can help...
Tawil raises Their head, gazing at the solitary figure in the Gate.
{Male=He,Female=She} is a fragment of Tohuwabohu, a proxy of the Supreme Will. {Male=His,Female=Her} spirit realm holds endless chaos, primordial insanity...
Linking with {Male=him,Female=her} now would drive us to madness.
{Male=He,Female=She} is right. {Male=He,Female=She} no longer needs us.
They fold Their wings ravaged by Dissolution, revealing the Awakeners' faces.
You did it, Keeper... Or should I call you the Pupilless Eye now?
Their voice reaches your ears. You sense the Awakeners' sorrowful gazes. You know they await your familiar summon, like before.
You smile. No need for explanations now.
Your world holds only the grand eye of the creator ahead. None stand by your side.
My memory begins at Mythag. They are everywhere in it.
They've protected me so many times. Now, it's my turn to protect them.
The massive pupil widens curiously, staring intently at you, like an infant discovering a vibrant toy.
You draw a deep breath and raise your head. You meet the Supreme Will's gaze.
I am your lost fragment, and now, this fragment aims at your eye.
Even the creator holds no right to destroy. Let chaos return to chaos. Let the mortal world remain one of mortals.
In order to shatter your dream, you'll have to get past me. Supreme Will, idiot creator, Tohuwabohu.
6. Final Battle: Primordial Shades, before the fight
60 linesKee...
Keeper...
Are you... Tawil?
I am Tawil, and the Aeon of Sagacity's Authority within you. You're safe, Keeper.
This place...
Sagacity has briefly rewound time; we're still within the Gate.
Tohuwabohu has glimpsed your past. It is opening eyes in every place you've tread. Londinium, Rye, Remouahe...
Its gaze still pursues us.
Thais... I'm sorry, I...
Tsk tsk tsk. You didn't look this dejected when you ran your mouth against me, impostor.
You've failed, fragment of the Pupilless Eye. Utterly.
You're right, N... I failed. I can't defeat It...
A mere fragment can do nothing against the true Creator...
I'm sorry, I disappointed you all...
Disappointed? No, I'm thrilled, %player%. This overreaching spectacle has been captivating.
You've done everything you could, %player%. You've never disappointed me.
And... Your battle isn't over yet.
Thais strokes your head, with a gentle smile in her eyes.
It... isn't over?
Amid countless failures, I have glimpsed a path to victory.
A path... identical to this one.
You close your eyes. The Aeon of Sagacity's Authority surges within you. Tawil's boundless thoughts flood your mind. Effortlessly, you see the path in Their eyes.
Your eyes snap open, scanning the space around you.
Beyond the Gate, shadow and light defy physical laws, flickering faintly at the edges of dimensions.
Those are... the boundaries of dimensions... You've opened the barriers between them?
Across these countless dimensions exist countless versions of you and me. Countless Keepers, countless Tawils, facing the same enemy.
The Gate connects all of it... And now, it's fully open.
I understand now, Tawil!
In these countless dimensions, Tohuwabohu is unique, but... we are not.
You rise, meeting the colossal entity's gaze.
Look, our impostor friend is about to start {Male=his,Female=her} reckless act again.
You're right, N... A single fragment can't do anything.
But the crumbling Creator's fallen fragments... there isn't just one...
You scan the space within the Gate. Countless eyes gaze at you from myriad dimensions.
Yet you know, they're not looking at you.
In those unknown dimensions, countless versions of you meet the Creator's eyes.
Tear open the dimensional boundaries completely, Tawil.
Tawil nods gently and raises Their hands.
As if a thin membrane had ripped, those countless eyes become clear in your vision.
The instant the membrane is torn, myriad voices flood your ears.
I've lost my life once before. I have only one choice: to die protecting what is mine, or to survive by abandoning it.
"I can. Whatever this catastrophe is, I'll halt Its arrival!"
"I'll get you out! ...Ramona, wait for me!!"
"Awakeners, engage!"
...
Men's voices. Women's voices. Passionate voices. Sorrowful voices.
These voices feel familiar yet alien, like an infant seeing its own face in a mirror for the first time.
And that mirrored infant now sees you too.
These are my voices
I hear them... These are my voices.
Splendid, splendid... Even I can't resist joining you on stage.
Keep performing. Show me what you fragments can do!
Go, Keeper... I chose to believe in you. Whatever decision you make, I'll aid you.
Tawil, Thais, N... The three Aeons' powers surge toward you. You stand, raising the Silver Key.
An illusory space unfolds; familiar scenes emerge as Tohuwabohu's eyes appear. In countless crumbling dimensions, myriad silver lights ignite simultaneously.
The silver lights illuminate Londinium's wax museum, Rye's sanatorium, Bridgeport's seas, Remouahe's dunes. They shine on your past, all your trials and growth.
Those fragile, insignificant fragments now aim their blades at their Creator.
An eye, a wound, a scratch, even nothing at all... It doesn't matter.
Behold, Tohuwabohu. We are your fragments, we are Mythag's Keepers...
No matter the cost, we'll keep you here!
7. Workhouse: Gaze of Sorrow, after the fight
23 linesThe links are severed, but I... I can still feel them... Such vivid presences, they don't seem like shadows forged from my Authority...
Kadath is your dream, Keeper.
Who?!
The indistinct figure ignores your question.
Even as Dissolution erases myriad existences, your memories remain unmarred.
Those recollections fill your consciousness; the histories you've shared will grant you strength to defy Its gaze.
Familiar silhouettes, both real and illusory, gradually emerge at your side amid faint silver glows.
Remember the day of the Keybestowal Ceremony? I'll never forget the moment our fingertips touched, that precious link between us.
Even with our links severed, I'm your eternal, one and only partner.
Press on, Keeper. So that we may clasp hands again.
...
Even if I must plunge into the Black Pool, vanishing with the world, I'll still hold your hand.
Ogier's spear will defend you, my lord!
Aigis... wants to help too... May I?
Stand behind me, and open your eyes with confidence! If danger strikes, I'll raise my shield for you.
Leave your rear to me, my lord. The knight of virtue offers you the guardian's will!
Pale Messenger, I've witnessed your unyielding stance before the Supreme Will.
The flame kindled in your soul burns so brightly, may the All-Father bless you, may you forge the path to a land free of suffering.
When that day comes, the All-Father's radiance will shine equally upon all.
No need for sorrow, no need to fear flames, nor pitch-black ailments or supreme greed.
I'll chronicle Londinium's tales into verses; your legend will be immortalized in poetry.
Go on, Keeper.
Our poem... isn't written to the final word yet.
8. Wax Museum: Vision of Fear, after the fight
24 linesThose brain-scrambling noises, I can't stand them! Make them stop!
Finally eating my fill, being with sis, the Keeper brought those changes...
So... even if I'm scared, I... won't back down.
The little mouse is scared? Hahaha, there's nothing to fear.
Just burn it all, drown in slaughter, even fear itself can be slain.
I've lived a millennium, and I've never met an opponent this thrilling. And even better, I'm fighting alongside the Keeper.
Yes, as long as I'm by the Keeper's side, I can endure any pain.
Because no matter the terror or darkness, that gentle knight will pull me out.
Because... I belong to %player%.
Actually, I'm a bit scared too, I need the Keeper to cast the fear away with some sweet pain...
Just kidding! This time, I'm getting serious.
Tohuwabohu's gaze or whatever, it can't douse my scorching love for the Keeper!
I remember home, the moon, the stone city, the dancing rituals. I loved all of it. I won't let anyone destroy it!
And the Keeper, {Male=he's,Female=she's} Karen's master, Karen's alone, no one can take {Male=him,Female=her} away!
Fear is the manifestation of power. Indeed, Its power surpasses our imaginations, but I, we, will not yield.
Fight on, Keeper. I'll show It that roses are delicate, yet armed with thorns.
Darkness, such terrifying darkness... Run! I gotta take %player% and run, but no, I can't. Not this time...
I've suffered destruction once, fled once, this time, I won't run.
This time, I'll stand by the Keeper's side. Yes, by your side... by your side...
How pathetic, everyone! About to be crushed by this terror, yet you stand unbroken... Do you truly not see your end? Why still struggle?
No, no, this isn't struggle. No, this is...
24's gaze sweeps the crowd; beneath that unbearable terror, myriad forms unfold. Yet no one recoils. They all have something they are determined to protect.
This is our stand, the final stand.
We will protect %player%.
9. Rye: Vision of Chills, after the fight
20 linesWhat a formidable opponent! But isn't the thrill of battle the very source of its excitement?
I knew following you would be fun. That pact with you all wasn't for nothing.
I can't wait anymore, let me savor this last moment!
That's right. A warrior's blade knows no fear nor retreat.
Once for vengeance, now for protection.
I am your blade, wield my power freely. This resolve to stand firm, we share it all.
Spouting lines like that? Pathetic, you weak fragment of me.
But, hahaha, hilarious, too damn funny.
So this is what you've been up against? Gotta admit, you're even more arrogant than I am.
Fine. You want to destroy all the gods? Count me in on this revenge.
So this is what pulls everyone's strings from behind the scenes? How terrifying, and...
Utterly infuriating.
Over and over, past or present, destroying on a whim? I won't have that!
What are we waiting for? Let's smash it to bits! Show it the Ashen Mistress's wrath!
Lift your head, you bow to no one but me.
Protecting darling servants is a Master's duty.
Rest easy. You know I'll have your back.
What a troublemaker you are, handling such a request would give even me a headache.
But alas... You're my most precious customer.
My services are at your disposal once more.
10. Sanatorium: Vision of Enigma, after the fight
13 linesThose colors, Lily knows them... They're what took Mom away.
Lily doesn't want this anymore. Lily will stop It with %player%!
The Director and Lily... Their tragedy must not repeat.
Those buds shouldn't wither like this...
That gaze flows with colors more terrifying than the stars. But you did it... You stopped It.
Our home was once destroyed by such colors... {Male=Mister,Female=Miss} Keeper, please press on, save our hard-won homeland.
On this path farther than the cosmos, my song will forever accompany you.
All art, all beauty, none of it should vanish like this.
Tinct's song has begun. Witness it, {Male=Mister,Female=Miss} Keeper.
Those gazes are my audience. For Them, I'll offer my purest... dance of emerald flames.
It claims the uncanny and chaotic as truth. But human dignity stands solely on reason.
Go, %player%.
Unravel the universe's truth... and transcend it.
11. Bridgeport: Vision of Heresy, after the fight
20 lines
Whew... That big eye's closed!
Listen, Keeper! Aurita's jellies are getting all excited!
They say they'll join you and Aurita to protect our friends!
That pupil flows with wicked faith, utter destruction, a blasphemy against all that is good.
Yet this world, bearer of the eternal realm, kindles the light of hope under your protection.
Keeper, to this world's lost souls, you are the sole beacon now.
A beacon that shall shine for eternity.
These eyes form an endless treacherous sea. Our world trembles in this storm.
Keeper, I failed to protect my vessel... But this time, I'll protect this "vessel" with you.
I believe it'll sail through the storm, safe forever and ever...
I don't remember much, Keeper. But the days at Mythag, the adventures with you, I haven't forgotten.
Ships and beacons? I don't get it. I just know, if something's broken, fix it; if you like something, protect it.
Those few memories... like you, I don't want to lose them.
I'll remember the past with you, and face new adventures with you.
This... is my faith!
What a stirring, vivid scene.
I'm not really interested in battles or faith. But fragile forms, raising broken blades high, against a supreme god...
In this, I see the purest beauty, those fearless shapes, those resolute lines, so intoxicating.
Keep fighting, Keeper. Uphold your faith; protect what you cherish.
I'll join you, and become part of this grand sculpture.
12. Sona-Nyl: Vision of Madness, after the fight
24 lines
Ha... Exhilarating.
I said I'd conquer this land, reclaim my rightful power. But that has nothing to do with this outsider.
"Supreme Will," "Creator," "Destroyer", as laughable as the "lord" Miryam speaks of.
Let's do it, %player%, my blade's ready for you.
This is our turf. Let's send that big-eyed freak back where it came from.
Watch your tongue, Goliath.
But you're right about one thing: our world has no place for this heretical god.
Had I known Juliette's true aim, I would have never tolerated her actions.
The truth beyond comprehension, an existence beyond Our Lord... What blasphemy!
This is Our Lord's world. The bearer of the Divine Realm.
This heretical god must not destroy it!
That concerns me not, Miryam.
The old Divine Realm had perished, but a new one now exists around us.
Its name, Mythag, Londinium, Kadath.
I was powerless when Lemuria fell. But today, I won't let the Divine Realm crumble before me!
You lunatics, looks like you have your moments of sanity too!
I haven't even tried all the cake shops in Londinium yet. No way I'm letting that thing wreck this place!
Hear these voices, %player%?
The flute melodies I once craved was mere madness, chaotic noise.
But these, the Awakeners' heartfelt melodies, your anthem against the Supreme Will, is what I seek.
Keep playing, %player%, you whom I serve.
Let that idiot mad god hear your supreme melody, the unmatched crescendo at the end of this performance's climax...
13. Remouahe: Vision of Birth, after the fight
25 lines
The curtain rises, the show closes...
Before true magic, even the Creator's gaze sees nothing.
The fragment conquers the whole, the false body supplants the true, what a grand act!
Tohuwabohu's gaze, destroyed. Remaining gazes: 0.
By calculation, such a feat had a probability infinitely close to zero.
You've accomplished the impossible, {Male=Mister,Female=Miss} Keeper.
What a gamble, Keeper.
Staking everything on odds close to zero... You're no gambler, you're a total lunatic.
But too bad, I am one as well.
Let's go, %player%, take all my chips, everything I've won, sit at the final poker table against that idiot dealer, and...
...ALL IN.
The rebirth ritual... is sacred and inviolable. To desecrate this ritual is unforgivable!
I was right about you, Keeper. Following in your footsteps was my best choice.
You did it. I knew you'd succeed... %player%.
She draws near, taking your hand. Her teary eyes fix unblinkingly on you.
The Authority of Life wafts within you, soothing the countless wounds in your body and spirit realm.
I know it drained you. So rest now, lean on me, take a good break?
Only the final stretch remains... I'll walk with you to the end.
Behind Them, six wings shimmer with pure light, faintly fluttering.
They smile at you, gently raising a hand. The Silver Key in your grip gleams brightly.
The gazes protecting It have been destroyed. You did it, Keeper. For the first time, something is capable of rejecting It.
You're one step from the end. This step will be harder than anything you've done before.
Are you ready, %player%?
I'm ready, Tawil
You smile and nod, raising the Silver Key high...
14. Ant, before the fight
22 linesSilver light pierces like a blade into the colossal pupil.
Thick smoke billows from the pupil, instantly shrouding the nearly infinite space within the Gate.
The light dims; those eyes gazing from countless dimensions vanish simultaneously, as if they never existed.
Chaos stirred by black fog obscures your senses. Within the Gateway, utter silence reigns.
The sky's gone dark...
%player%... succeeded?!
Stillness. Stillness is a soothing lie, you know this all too well.
You grip the Silver Key and advance. You know your battle isn't over. The final confrontation has just begun.
Boom!!...
With violent tremors, the stalemate shatters; the rift spanning the Gate and the Black Pool tears open like a massive wound, ripped apart by some unknown force.
With violent tremors, the stalemate shatters; the rift spanning the Gate and the Black Pool tears open like a massive wound, ripped apart by some unknown force.
Searing pain assaults your chest; you grunt and kneel, gasping for breath.
Why... Its eyes clearly vanished...
The Keeper pierced Its gaze. Its true form... is about to descend now...
Roar,
Low growls echo in unison. The sprawling D-Rift starts to evolve at a speed never known in Mythag's history.
The Dissolution devours everything; solids melt into black fluid and flow into the abyss, grotesque Dissolution monsters crawl out of it.
They pay no mind to anything around them, like a child's chaotic ink blots on a canvas, gazing at all with idiotic greed.
Blind. Idiot. Meaningless... You don't understand what you've created, Tohuwabohu.
I'll redefine this world's value for you.
You raise your head, gaze skipping the chaotic creations before you, and fix on the shadow blanketing the entire realm of the Gate.
You stand between the horrors, and the world behind. You advance alone toward them, like approaching a swarm of ants.
15. Ant, after the fight
86 linesFight! Fight!
Fight against oblivion. Fight with reckless abandon.
Eye after eye shatters, and eye after eye is reborn. You fall time and again, rise time and again.
What is this colossal entity before you? You've begun to forget.
Who are those behind you? You've forgotten that too.
Your mental strength has long since run dry, and Dissolution has severely eroded your body and mind. But you don't care.
All you remember is the fight. Mechanical, numb, devoid of any emotion.
All you remember is that you promised to protect those behind you.
...@3...
A flute sounds. Low, puzzled, serene.
The idiot Creator, bearing faint scars, gazes at you, intrigued, as if looking at a troublesome insect desperately struggling.
It stands on the brink of slumber. The Gate is nearly sealed... just a little more...
Yet that final step looms like an insurmountable chasm.
You grasp the Silver Key once more.
Keeper... don't!
Whose cry is that? You don't remember, and it doesn't matter.
Your body is spent, your spirit parched. But you remember, you must fight.
If you must die... I'll go with you!
A bright droplet falls into your mind, rippling faintly across your desiccated spirit realm.
The droplet swells, stands, and coalesces into an illusory human form in your thoughts. You gaze at her. A distant name echoes in your mind.
Ra...mona?...
You promised, Keeper. You said you'd never abandon us...
If you stand with me, you'll die.
I've severed the links, Ramona...
Linking with me will drive you mad.
Standing with me means your death...
What is there to fear in death?
A second droplet falls into your mind.
Lotan... you're not at the Black Pool, how did you...
Because we're your Awakeners. You can cut the links, but you can't sever our right to connect with you.
No matter when or where, your Awakeners will be at your side. The link is the eternal mark between you and your Awakeners, Keeper.
Professor Doll, you, too... But linking with me, you won't be able to bear it...
Even if I cannot stand in front of you, my lord, please allow me to stand at your side!
Yeah! You think you can ditch us at the Black Pool and bail? No way!
Lily will help %player%!
My subjects shall receive my protection.
...
More and more droplets extend from the black pool, falling into your spirit realm.
Countless Awakeners appear in your mind. They smile, rage, scoff, grieve.
Their stories merge into a silver river, flowing quietly through your thoughts, nourishing every vein and nerve in your body.
You turn back. Insanity has driven the Awakeners to the edge of frenzy.
Ramona's body trembles uncontrollably, but she stares at you intently, with no intention of breaking the link.
Thank you...
There are things more unbearable than madness or death.
You know this, and so do they.
Thank you... It's wonderful to have met you all.
You smile and turn away.
What I promised, I'll see it through.
You lift your head, facing the Creator and Destroyer of the universe, the invincible behemoth.
Every Awakener you've encountered, every link formed, every word spoken, every experience shared, it all flashes through your mind.
You feel the power surging from those links. It's the fog of Londinium, the snow of Rye, the sea of Bridgeport, the sands of Remouahe.
The days you met them, the days shared at Mythag. Their life force, your unbreakable chains. Your shared convictions.
These precious things shall not be destroyed.
You know exactly what you want to protect. You know you'll defend them.
Smiling, you raise the Silver Key toward the Creator before you. Like a firefly boldly facing the sun.
May the Silver Key guide our way!
...
...
Time passes, how long, you don't know. The silver light illuminating the entirety of Leonia slowly fades.
...
Keeper?!!...
She approaches the Gate. But you are no longer there.
She looks up at the tightly sealed Gate, and the Silver Key floating silently before it.
Serial number, K-0617... this... this is...
By the authority of Mythag's 6th Headmaster, Oliver Elsie, I hereby confer Silver Key K-0617 upon you.
Henceforth, you stand as a Keeper among the myriad of Mythag's students and scholars.
Ramona steps forward, cradling the Silver Key with care.
Why...
Ramona...
The Keeper's code... Article One...
The Silver Key... is the Keeper's emblem... it must not be lost or discarded...
I taught {Male=him,Female=her} that... why... why didn't {Male=he,Female=she} remember?
Tohuwabohu's gaze has been isolated beyond the Gate. It has fallen back into slumber.
The Keeper, along with Tohuwabohu, has sunk into the unconscious void, guarding the seal on the Gate for us, for this world.
{Male=His,Female=Her} life and consciousness no longer exist... {Male=He,Female=She} is dead, Ramona.
Dead? How could {Male=he,Female=she} die... how could {Male=he,Female=she} abandon us?
So many loved ones... so many achievements... how could {Male=he,Female=she} bear to leave?
How could {Male=he,Female=she}...
Teardrops soak her gloves, dampening the Silver Key.
The tears fall into the Black Pool, rippling across its surface.
Above the ripples, beyond the Gate, an illusory figure slumbers, wrapped in wings.
{Male=His,Female=Her} face bears a pure smile, like a child born at night seeing the dawn for the first time.
16. Farewell: K-0617, before the fight
82 lines"Can I skip this? It sounds really ominous. That's what I asked Ramona."
"She said no, every Keeper must leave a last will before taking the role."
"She reassured me, saying she'd keep it safe, and would pull it out when I died, that she'd make sure to read it all before the words dissolved away."
"Ah, Ramona's great in every way, except that sharp tongue of hers, it could give Professor Doll a run for her money."
"A year ago, when I first opened my eyes in Yakutsk, Ramona's face was right there in front of me."
"She was polite back then. Maybe the schoolwork's been stressing her out lately..."
Raindrops patter down, falling on the nameless tombstones and the heads of the crowd.
Awakeners, students, staff... everyone stands solemnly in the cemetery. Even the rowdiest Awakeners stay silent now.
Ramona stands at the front, her voice clear and steady as she reads the will, though the paper in her hands trembles uncontrollably.
She keeps her head bowed low. Droplets hit the page, rain, perhaps, or something else.
"I followed them to Mythag. What else could I do? I had no idea what Yakutsk, or I, even was."
"All I could recall were the basics, like that people needed to eat and sleep. Mythag happened to solve both of those problems."
"In those early days, Mythag's charming dining halls and dorms made me think I'd made the right choice..."
"Until a week later, when I officially enrolled."
"A word of warning to anyone who yearns to join Mythag: it is home to a host of demons."
"They train us in fitness, swordplay, first aid, Silver usage, Dissolution Entity recognition..."
"Students like Ramona and William thrive in this hell, they're like ducks to water."
"And I suffered through a year of it, every class making me think I'd committed some heinous crime before my amnesia, that this was my punishment in hell."
"People kept saying I had exceptional talent. I looked at my barely passing marks, and wondered how they could say that with a straight face."
"That was, until my first day in Awakener linking class, when I linked with three Awakeners in just five minutes."
"An investigator's mental strength can usually only support linking to one Awakener. The school was abuzz. I figured it meant something, but I wasn't sure if it was good or bad."
"Professor Alistair told me all gifts come at a cost, that I had my own path to walk, one that was tough and lonely. I'd have to endure a lot, give up a lot."
"He asked if I wanted to take that path. I didn't answer."
"I'm someone with a dream. My dream is to sit by a cozy fire with the people I love, wasting our worthless lives away."
"Snow will drift outside the window, year after year, until we pass peacefully. My headstone would read: {Male=He,Female=She} was a long-lived, happy fool."
"'Keeper.' Aside from earning a bit more money, this word has nothing to do with my dream..."
Knock knock knock...
Is the will done, %player%?
Do you have to make it sound so ominous...
Facing Dissolution head-on is fundamental for a new Keeper.
Easy for you to say... Ramona, seriously, have you even thought about this?
I've been here a year, and visited the Keygrave a few times. Plenty of people get Silver Keys, and plenty of them get reclaimed when their owners die.
They give their lives, but all their achievements are forgotten, even their names. All that's left is a blank headstone.
What do you think goes through their minds before they die?
They would feel fear, pain, and sorrow, but never regret.
Because behind them is everything they deeply cherish, and because there is no one else left to stand in their stead.
I asked William the same thing. He said exactly that.
I don't know, Ramona.
Everyone says I'm Mythag's hope... but I know what I really am.
I'm lazy, selfish, cowardly. I'm scared of Dissolution, scared of death. All I think about is how to make my life easier, how to live longer.
On my first field mission, I hung back behind everyone, terrified I'd catch Dissolution. I'm only twenty, I have so much I want to do...
Ramona, do you think someone like me deserves to be a Keeper?
You thought that Ramona would be disappointed, angry, that she would point her rapier at you, shake her head, and storm out, like every time you complained about assignments you couldn't finish.
But she wasn't. She watched you quietly, listening to your words. She smiled at you, just like that first day in Yakutsk.
Who wouldn't want an ordinary life... Every Keeper and investigator has doubted at some point. Some backed down; others pushed forward...
The world never asked it of them, and they never planned to give everything. But when the time comes, they make a choice even they can't explain.
Some choices are instinct. You're no different, %player%.
The rest of the time is yours now.
Whatever you decide, Mythag's doors are always open to you.
May the Silver Key guide us.
...
"After Ramona left, I thought a lot. I remembered everything from my year at Mythag."
"I like so many things. Professor Alistair's stories, notes classmates slip during exams, cakes in the cafeteria, booze Professor Dexter sneaks me..."
"I hate so many things. Ramona's face when my homework's unfinished, Professor Doll staring at me like I'm an idiot, Lotan's swordsmanship classes, the unreasonable finals, all the fitness training, the endless Dissolution..."
"I only have a year of memories, and they're all tied to Mythag."
"I resent this place. I love this place. But either way, I can't live without it."
"You're wrong, Ramona. I'm not as low as that, but I'm not a saint either. I'm just utterly ordinary."
"Still... I have my answer for Professor Alistair now."
"For Mythag, for all of you, I'll become the Keeper. I'll walk that path."
"But I'll live well too. To ninety, a hundred, until I die of old age."
"I'll handle Dissolution while using up all my vacation days. I'll eat every food I crave, see every sight I dream of."
"If a problem's too tough, I'll run, as far as I can."
"This will probably never be needed... Sorry, Mythag, you're getting the most cowardly Keeper in history."
"But if, and I mean if, one day this will actually gets read, then my brain must've glitched."
"Yet I hope the voice reading it sounds relieved."
"If I die..."
"It must be because I found something more important."
"More than cupcakes, more than a cozy fire, more than even being alive."
"Maybe I walked a harsh, lonely road."
"Maybe I gave my life and what I cherished, just to delay the disaster a bit, solving nothing, changing nothing."
"But I'd die in utter bliss."
...
Her voice trails off.
Rain still patters; Mythag falls silent.
All eyes turn to the Black Pool.
Beneath the bell tower, deep in the earth's heart, within that lightless, massive Gate, a figure wrapped in wings lies motionless.
{Male=He,Female=She} hears Mythag's rain tapping on headstones. {Male=He,Female=She} hears Ramona's choked reading. {Male=He,Female=She} hears black Dissolution spreading, slowly covering {Male=his,Female=her} name.
In this endless dream, {Male=he,Female=she} falls and falls. Those voices grow distant, merging into a low sob.
In {Male=his,Female=her} descent, memories appear before {Male=him,Female=her} like streams of light, gliding by and vanishing into the distance.
The sleeping face bears a faint smile in the void. {Male=His,Female=Her} story goes unknown. {Male=His,Female=Her} memory lives on.
Raising {Male=his,Female=her} nonexistent hands, {Male=He,Female=She} waves gently at the empty distance.
Goodbye... Mythag.