Baten Kaitos: Castle of Storms

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	Translator's notes:
	* descriptions in the original Japanese tend to switch tense between present and past. For ease of reading, the narration has been translated entirely in past tense.
	* Some liberties have been taken with phrasing; where the direct translation reads clumsily or overly clunky in English, words may have been added or subtracted to improve sentence flow. However, care has been taken not to change the overall meaning.
	* Paragraph spacings remain true to the original script, though this does sometimes lead to speeches by one person being split into two or more paragraphs.
	* I have tried to maintain the accuracy of aesthetic punctuation (quotation marks, hyphens etc) but functional punctuation (commas, question marks etc) may have been changed.
	* Some facets of Japanese, such as honorifics, are difficult to translate without some loss of nuance. Attempts have been made to retain honorifics (such as Fee calling Kalas ‘big brother’ instead of by name) but where this would make the text read too awkwardly these have been lost.
	* Some places and characters have different names in the Japanese version, and some Magnus have been changed completely in the localisation. Because I assume people reading this will be more familiar with the English release (and because that’s the version I am familiar with) I will be using the English names for people, places and Magnus.
	* From Chapter 1, scenes told from the Spirit's perspective are in second person. Due to translator conceit and personal preference, this narration has been translated entirely in first person :)








	[マグナス] Magnus: 1. Refers to the core of all substances, movements and phenomena, extracted as Magna Essence and refined into the form of a card. 2. The essence of matter itself.




	Baten Kaitos: Castle of Storms


	Prologue: The four leaders of this world, gathering at the round table


	HEAD[1].


	The balcony was filled with a deep red light pouring down from overhead. The translucent calcite was also stained with crimson.


	Corellia gripped the balcony railing and looked down at the streets of Komo Mai. As the storm blew, a scent of soil drifted up to her. The strong fragrance from the Celestial Tree hung in the air. Her cloak billowed with a mysterious radiance, like flowing water. Black hair fell onto a white face that was smooth as porcelain.


	She had an unbroken view of Komo Mai, Town of Flowers.


	Illuminated by the crimson light shining from Cor Hydrae, the Castle of Storms, the gravel-lined waterways glowed pink and appeared to float. Occasionally, the lights from people's lanterns glowed back and forth through the dim streets. For just a moment the streets were bathed in shadow, but immediately were again immersed in crimson light.


	Corellia's refined doll-like expression was blank and unmoving, her eyes remaining half-closed. The fingertips stroking her hair quivered a little.


	Petals from the Celestial Tree, blown to the streets of Komo Mai by the wind, fluttered down quietly.


	Below her the rows of houses decorated for the 30 Year Flower Festival all at once made a noise. Every time the wind blew, the city swelled and heaved, stifling breathing as though concealing gasps of anxiety.


	The voice of the legendary beast from beyond filled the skies.


	Countless petals floating in the air scattered all over the sky like a cloud of smoke.


	“When you look at it this way... it's like the city is a single living being. Well, it's frightening.”


	From behind her Corellia heard a man's quiet voice.


	A stout figure was dressed in deep green silk, lined with flashy gold thread and trimmed with fluffy silk fabric, yet his state seemed somehow unrefined. Rodolfo, Lord of Sadal Suud the Frontier Continent, held a lace-trimmed handkerchief to his nose against the unbearably strong scent of the Celestial Flowers.


	Corellia regarded him with a sidelong glance, then again turned her gaze back down to the town below.


	Staring at the buildings dyed in pink made her feel as though she were wandering through the town's winding bowels. She felt dizzy. Unable to continue, Corellia closed her eyes.


	How could this day have come, with such an ominous wind blowing through Anuenue?


	Protected by the magical barrier left by the three witches, Anuenue was the most naturally blessed and fertile land of the five continents floating in the sky.


	The people mingled with the earth, dancing and singing with the birds. The capital city was a gentle place of learning, different from both Diadem, Kingdom of Clouds and the Empire of Alfard.


	That gorgeous place was said to be the Rainbow Nation, and in Corellia's generation its own unique culture had fully blossomed.


	Corellia stared at the Celestial Tree, towering in the distance.


	For the continent of Anuenue, the foundation and source of all the lives living on the island were those roots twisting deeply through the soil.


	Even though from here it looked as though there was only one giant tree, in truth it was a huge colony of many hundreds of trees, taking form together.


	Heaped up, entangled, intertwined yet not competing with each other, they gently climbed towards the sky.


	The Celestial Tree bloomed only once every thirty years. Eternity immeasurable by human stature, measured instead by mother sky and father time.


	It was said that a thousand years had passed since the continents began floating and people began to make a living in the sky.


	For those thousand years, the Celestial Tree had held the corpse of a sleeping god in its great trunk.


	This year, the Celestial Flowers had bloomed wildly. The flowers were proudly blooming from the bottom of the ocean of life as though it were coming to an end.


	The petals flying through the air in puffs, dyed by the red light, looked like fresh blood spouting from the continent.


	“Cor Hydrae... Malpercio...”


	The murmur leaked out naturally. A thousand years ago – in a time before the five continents had started floating in the sky. The five bodies of the ancient gods had been torn apart and scattered by human hands as the ultimate Magnus with the power to control the world.


	A millennium of pain, a millennium of loneliness.


	Over the many years' worth of dirt clouding human history, those regrets, those sins and that consciousness had been forgotten. The ceaseless moaning voice of that torn being went unnoticed. Even Corellia, said to be the strongest fairy priestess, had not detected it at all.


	Shaking her head, Corellia entered the palace. Rodolfo moved aside to avoid impeding her progress.


	“Queen Corellia, I understand your heartache but... please remember that the situation here is the best in the world” he said. Corellia gave a small nod.


	For many long years, Anuenue had been protected by the magic of witches who held ancient power. It could be said that the country's response to the Alfard Emperor's conspiracy had been delayed because of that gap, resulting in the tragedy that now enveloped the world.


	At the round table, in addition to the fairy priestess Corellia, the Green Wind of Anuenue, was King Ladekahn, the White Flame of the Cloud Kingdom of Diadem; Duke Calbren of Mira, City of Illusions; and now Sadal Suud's Lord Rodolfo stepped with a sigh of “good grief.” Representatives were present from all the continents except one. Also present were three witches from the far-off ice country of Wazn who had been struggling through the skies from west to east since Malpercio's rebirth, alongside the Great Kamroh, leader of the Children of the Earth, who had been watching over the purification of the polluted earth far below the skies for a thousand years.


	Corellia turned her gaze towards their faces, and her eyes stopped on the empty seat for the fifth continent.


	Emperor Geldoblame of the Alfard Empire was already gone from the world.


	The man who had been collecting the End Magnus, the corpses of the cursed gods, secretly trying to gather the ultimate power.


	That ambition was wasted the instant the last End Magnus fell into his hands.


	Desiring a generation of hegemony and with his mighty body inflated, the Emperor was unable to support its power and fell from the abyss of the Lava Caves in Imperial territory to the earth far below.


	Yet the scars remained in the world.


	The ancient god had been resurrected as the evil deity Malpercio, and attacks from the demons pouring out of Cor Hydrae continued to erode the world.


	In the turmoil of the world, Anuenue was the last bastion, the people entrusting their hopes to the protection of the three witches' barrier against the demons' attacks.


	“So everyone's decision is firm?” asked Corellia.


	“There is not much we can do,” with a stern expression that did not match his youth, King Ladekahn of Diadem stared fixedly at those present. “For the sake of the world we must take decisive action. We cannot be afraid to lose now.”


	Rodolfo nodded exaggeratedly. “If we think like that, that we don't want to lose now, it's because of that sort of weak spirit we were taken advantage of by such a little girl.”


	An agonised expression distorted the elderly face of Duke Calbren of Mira.


	“Not wanting to lose what you have... just that sort of mindset. It is as you say.”


	His belly shaking, Rodolfo laughed gloomily.


	“The End Magnus, which held the power of the god that kept the islands floating in the sky, have already been snatched away. If we do nothing, Sadal Suud will fall anyway. I have no objection.”


	Corellia smiled at Duke Calbren.


	“Your Grace, I express my gratitude to you. We are all weak, so we have each had to make detours to arrive at these seats. You are here though suffering with heartache and illness and thanks to that, our hope, that thin thread, is still barely connected.”


	“Queen Corellia, you also will not change your decision?” The Great Kamroh, representative of the Children of the Earth, asked heavily from behind his huge mask. “It is a very dangerous path...”


	“But it is the only path. It is the only way to directly break into Cor Hydrae. For that sake we will strike the Castle of Storms with all of the power remaining in the five continents. If we give everything we have now, we will approach the power of the Ancient God.”


	At Corellia's words, King Ladekahn in the next seat closed his clear blue eyes.


	The country of knights ruled by the king, Diadem the Land of Clouds, and its castle Elnath were praised for having the best art and architecture, clouds and people interwoven. Many of its citizens made their living as fishermen, rowing out into the sea of clouds.


	Of the five continents, it was the most closely related to the sky, the land where the people made their living with the sky.


	If the continents lost their power and plummeted out of the sky, perhaps Diadem was the country that would lose the most.


	Duke Calbren hung his head.


	“But... we have a tendency to leave everything to them. I am sorry for that.”


	Corellia thought of the group that continued to fight Malpercio's power.


	Xelha the Ice Queen; a fisherman called Gibari who was a former comrade of King Ladekahn; the two Imperials who were fighting to be more than the fate of their homeland, Lyude and Savyna. Mizuti, the great magical prodigy from the earth below the Taintclouds. And finally Kalas – worrying, wandering, struggling but still standing up and continuing to walk forward, a young man with the power of a spirit from another world.


	“Don't worry about the Ice Queen and her party,” said Catranne, one of the three witches of Wazn.


	The other two witches responded as well.


	“Queen Xelha has no hesitation. She more than anyone has always known the path she should take.”


	“Yes, in the case of those six...” a faint smile passed over Corellia's lips.


	When she thought of that group, Corellia's heart was somehow brightened like a sunny sky. What a mysterious group of youths! Even now they were somewhere in the palace, preparing to fight tomorrow.


	“Duke Calbren, if need be of course we will join them. However, first we must work together to break through the barrier surrounding Cor Hydrae. To that end we must suppress our weak spirits,” said King Ladekahn. The Duke closed his eyes and nodded.


	“Hmm.” Rodolfo snorted. He moved his handkerchief away from his mouth. “They have been fighting without help longer than any of us. Before anything else, should we not believe in them[2]?”


	The red light shining from the balcony stopped for a moment.


	The rulers fell silent and stared out at the city melting into darkness. Inside the darkened room, the scent of the Celestial Blooms filled the air. Rodolfo coughed violently.


	In the darkness, Corellia's thoughts turned to Malpercio, and then on to Kalas and his companions.


	The city seemed to breathe as the wind blew through it. A faint redness once again appeared in the sky.


	The power of destruction and the Magnus of Life.


	For a thousand years, somewhere in this sky, that god may have been endlessly rocking the pendulums of those two ambitions. Each of them was just a small piece of grain in that will.


	Just like the Celestial Tree.


	Even the growth of the Celestial Tree, viewed from the edge, was not majestic and carefree. The trees deprived each other of nutrition, and the contradictory beings entangled with each other, but they never withered and eventually climbed to the heights of the sky.


	The desire for destruction and the desire for rebirth.


	What will remain in the world beyond the conflict entangled through its fate into the distant future? Tomorrow, the will of the god and that pendulum will be decided. In a quiet voice, Corellia murmured the ancient teachings of Anuenue.


	“Singing together with the Celestial Tree...
	Dancing together with the Celestial Blooms...”


	“Oh great Tree, please bless us with your gentle shadow –” went Corellia's prayer.


	The red light shooting from the Castle of Storms dyed the faces of those sitting at the round table crimson.












































































	Chapter 1: Murdered Wings


	Phosphorescent lights fluttered about in the cold air of the forest.


	Before I knew it, I was floating in this place.


	Where did I come from? What was happening? I did not understand at all.


	Bounding from branch to branch, I dashed around the forest. The smell of rotting leaves hung over and between the twisted trees.


	Through a gap in the trees, a small half-moon was visible.


	Ivy vines hung loosely through the intricately tangled branches and leaves, and slime stuck to the surface were filled with seven colours of light. Wanting to swing between the branches of the giant trees, I stopped moving.


	Through the rustling of the leaves in the trees came the sound of someone crying.


	For some reason I felt as though I was being called to. It was a strange feeling. Even though I did not have a heart, it felt as though my heart were pounding, and even though I had no skin it felt as though I had goosebumps.


	I slowly followed the trunk, descending to the damp earth.


	On the ground raised by the huge tree's roots, two figures were crouched as though praying heavily. So this was where I had ended up after running around the dew-soaked forest... Two boys were there, covered with mud. There was also a faint smell of blood. Warily I hid between the mottled crimson Amaranthus plants.


	… Why did I need to hide when I had no physical body?


	It was a bit strange. I floated upwards and watched the two figures.


	An older blue-haired boy was holding a younger blonde-haired boy in his arms and sobbing.


	Perhaps they were brothers? Even when I called there was no response. I gently touched the boy's shoulder but he did not notice that either. I shook the boy's body earnestly.


	But that small corpse did not move. Through the convulsing eyelids the white colour of boiled eggs was visible. The older brother held his little brother's body even tighter, his throat shaking.


	“Fee... please. Don't leave me. Fee... why...”


	I tried to get a little deeper within the figures. The older brother rubbed his forehead against his younger brother's small chest, his pale chest, and whispered something against the still, unbeating heart.


	Then, when their chest and forehead met, I felt the energy of two lives quietly burst and disappear. Both of them were dying. I understood his Magnus essence deep within his body had shattered, like bubbles popping in carbonated water.


	That was a sign that living crystals were unravelling. Life melting and flowing away and waiting for the day of reconstruction.


	The Magnus being released towards death continued to foam while scattering the crystals of memory.


	In this way the two became as one, struggling with converging memories as they left to journey to the world of dust. The contours of existence became limitless, and I quickly melted into the two of them.


	My sight became a raging wave of rushing colours.


	The brothers were running around cobblestoned streets.


	The visions played at tremendous speed. The cobblestones dissolved in a seething rage of grey and scattered in my field of vision. Breathless with excitement, the two watched the prancing horses mating through a gap in the weeds. The sunlight rippled through the summer grass. The two dashed through summer meadows.


	They were both shouting as though in song.


	“Whale, whale!”


	It seemed as though they saw whales wherever they ran!


	I was drowning in a torrent of swirling colours, overlapping with orange bomb-like fruits peeking through the shadows of the leaves; the green of the moss clinging to the leafy branches; the blue veins of fingers flipping through pages; the red of flames that burned everything; and many more things besides.


	Eventually the world became pitch black. With a terrible anxiety running through me, I stared into the depths of the darkness. The blackness was moving. Black smoke. It was swirling and rising towards the sky. In the very centre, a red light was flickering – smoke was belching forth from the flames continuously.


	I collapsed headlong to the ground.


	*


	The calm silence of Balancoire at sunset was shattered by the echoes of roughly marching military boots against the cobblestones.


	A largely built man wearing black armour, draped with a red cloak and robes, walked with composure.


	He was wearing a black helmet trimmed with gold, the faceguard of which extended from around his eyes down to his nose. Behind him were five or six people in loose formation, wearing the gunmetal armour of the Alfard Army over their black underclothes.


	Glinting dark grey firearms were hooked on to their shoulders with leather straps, and in the belts around their waists they wore short swords, giving a very imposing atmosphere. Wordlessly the armed corps ran through the many hilly streets lined with stone houses.


	For many long years the governing Calbren family of the Duchy of Mira and the Imperial family of Alfard had had good relations. Therefore, it was the first time that the people of Mira had seen Imperial soldiers wearing such heavy equipment.


	Looking through their windows with baited breath, the citizens of Balancoire stared at the figures outside.


	Ahead of the man in black armour, roughly a dozen or more Imperial soldiers deployed to the eastern edge of Balancoire to an area cut off by the flowing river, where they surrounded a small house.


	The residence was alight, engulfed by fire and smoke. A wooden board with a picture of a gear, hanging by two ropes above the entrance hall, was clattering against the wall, blown by the force of the raging inferno. High flames concealed one side of the tiled roof and licked the sky and the rising black smoke concealed the stars.


	I clung to the cloak of the black-armoured man and watched the figures of the soldiers.


	The Imperial soldiers surrounding the house were nervous and sweaty, constantly licking their lips which were cracked by the fire and thirst. Despite the force of the fire, there was not even one curious onlooker. Even the blazing residence was quiet as though there was no one inside.


	A lightly-armoured woman was calling out instructions to the soldiers. She noticed Giacomo and turned around. Because, like the black-armoured man, she was wearing a faceguard which covered half her face, her expression was not visible.


	The woman spoke.


	“Yo, Giacomo. We did just as you ordered. No one has come out so far.”


	The noticeboard still smashing against the wall made a particularly loud noise. The black-armoured man – Giacomo – glanced upward at the gear from beneath his helmet and twisted one cheek.


	“Well done, Ayme. Nevertheless – for ten years that man has been pretending to be a harmless old man, he lived in such a shabby house. People change completely.”


	Bathed in the brilliance of the blazing fire, Ayme and Giacomo's helmet-concealed faces shone black.


	The cloak on Giacomo's back fluttered, and, not wanting to be blown away by the hot wind, I clung desperately to its folds.


	I heard Ayme's voice.


	“I thought maybe he would be driven out by the smoke, but, as expected, he hasn't come out. Is that okay, Giacomo? Your objective is the old man, right? Gramps won't be useful for shit if he's become a piece of smoked meat.”


	“Ayme, wouldn't you be happier if Georg died?”


	Giacomo asked the question without expression, glancing at Ayme. For a moment Ayme looked disappointed but then gazed at her fingertips with a faint smile.


	“I don't care, Giacomo.”


	One side of Giacomo's mouth raised a little as he moved closer to the burning house.


	“We'll reach the limit soon. I'll break in before the house collapses under the flames. Ayme, you're coming with me.”


	He turned around and spoke to the soldiers.


	“We are going in. Do not let the citizens come close, no one else is to enter. If by any chance someone should leave this house before I come back out, shoot them without hesitation. Shoot to kill.”


	Giacomo took one step forward and stopped. Ayme almost walked into his back, and the tip of her nose touched the cloak where I was hiding.


	For a moment I thought our eyes met, but it must have been my imagination.


	It seemed that, in this world, no one was able to see me.


	Giacomo arrived at the entranceway and kicked in the wooden door. He thrust both his hands into the large disfigured hole and tore it open as though it were paper. Casually throwing the two bits of broken door aside, Giacomo stepped into the house.


	The narrow corridor leading from the entrance was engulfed by fire on both sides.


	Without heeding the flames at all, Giacomo, with long strides, smashed the wooden doors lined up along the corridor one by one and looked inside. Ayme shrugged her shoulders and followed after him.


	Eventually Giacomo arrived at the furthest door. I felt the presence of small children. A subtle magnetic force gently ruffled the fabric of the cloak.


	The instant that Giacomo clenched his fist and smashed through the wooden door, my shapeless body was torn from the cloak and flew into the room through the hole as though being inhaled.


	As I flew around in the room as though I was fanned by wind from the fire I noticed the figures of three people inside. An old man with dishevelled hair was holding a blue-haired boy and a gold-haired boy tight in both arms. They were the same two boys who were even now dying in the forest.


	If that was the case, these were the boys' last moments, perhaps it was a memory from the Magnus?


	The flow of Magnus forever preserved the memory of movement, matter and time by twisting threads together closely. Without ever becoming nothing, the world was effortlessly changing its appearance.


	After a moment of darkness as though I blinked, my sight returned and I was wrapped in the old man's arms. The white hairs growing on the old man's arm sparked and quivered in front of my nose.


	“Kalas, Fee, I'm sorry. This is all the result of mistakes I made in the past,” said the old man.


	“Gramps...” I heard Fee's fading voice.


	The room was probably used as a dining room and living area. The dining table was enveloped by fire, and the deep plates lined up for three people contained a sea bream[3] stew that had been reduced to black charcoal.


	The geometric tapestry hanging on the wall, burning from below, disintegrated and fell, the flames spreading over the floor. The high heat and lack of oxygen in the room was overwhelming. Soot clung to the faces of Fee and the old man, melting with sweat and shining dully on their skin like dried sewage.


	Two black hands gripped through the hole in the wooden door. With a noise it was torn and a face wearing a helmet peered inside. From beneath the faceguard, black eyes rolled a little strangely.


	Fee screamed.


	In an instant, the door collapsed into the room and a man wearing pitch black armour stepped from the doorway into the room. With a squeak, the floor buckled slightly under the weight of the armour. Sparks blew up from the floor where he stepped, dancing upwards to the low ceiling. As Giacomo approached, Kalas felt a pressure like he was being crushed. The Magnus emanating from that giant body was not that of an ordinary human.


	“As I thought, it was you – Giacomo.”


	“Georg... are you in there?”


	Instead of Giacomo a woman answered in a voice laden with hatred. Because her eyes were hidden deeply beneath the iron helmet she wore, I could not see the woman's expression very well. She held her gun at the ready. Giacomo raised one hand and blocked the barrel of the gun.


	Georg's arms tightened and Kalas struggled slightly to draw breath. Those arms were trembling a little.


	“Please... let these children go.”


	Giacomo sneered and narrowed his eyes.


	“How about you ask Ayme that? But.... that's not like her. Or else what? I don't want to consider it, but do you mean that in less than a decade since you left the Empire your heart has been completely purified? This doesn't match up at all to the expectations I had while on the ship coming here. While wandering around the ship my eyes were shining with anticipation like a child. In this time, what research had the Magnus genius Georg been perfecting? What sort of power, what sort of miraculous light would await me? I've been shaking around like a dog with a torn-off tail waiting for a walk. How disappointing. So this is what you've done in ten years?”


	Giacomo looked around the room as though bored.


	“The junk scattered around in that cupboard is a recent 'invention,' right? No matter how I look at it, it looks like boring everyday sundries. Won't you take pity on me and confess? Hey, the truth is that you're hiding something, right? Tell me what it is.”


	Giacomo continued in a low, sticky voice. Georg turned his neck to the side. Fee made a noise in a feeble voice.


	–– Fee, are you all right?


	Kalas called out to Fee. Fee gave a small nod. Georg held both their heads closer to him.


	“These two are my ten years. You could call them my whole life.”


	Giacomo cast his eyes down. His shoulders trembled before swelling in size. In fury he struck his tightly clenched fist against the wall. The impact caused a cupboard fixed to the wall to fall, the machines on top scattering to the floor with a clamorous noise.


	A Magnus resembling a shockwave overwhelming his whole body, Kalas instinctively turned his face away.


	“Foolish! It's not acceptable for your research to stop in a place like this! New behaviours for displaying Magnus, discovering even more power, people who go to the Magnus Genius Georg can go further! I have lived believing this!”


	“... Giacomo, do you still not understand? When you look at these children, do you still not notice? The essence of Magnus is not the power to destroy. Matter and movement walk together, crystallise, and, joined together, become life. The essence of Magnus is life.”


	Ayme began to yell.


	“Don't say whatever you feel like! What have you done!? To be uncertain about who you've been until now is the same as saying we never existed! So you're the only one who's satisfied? You've got to be kidding me!”


	The flames increased in intensity all the more, the heat shattering the glass windows.


	Moving around the table engulfed with flames, Giacomo slowly approached the three people.


	Georg backed away, his face distorted by the heat.


	“Big brother Kalas...”


	From within Georg's arms, Fee's small voice was shaking slightly.


	“Hush, Fee. It'll be ok,” said Kalas.


	Kalas was perplexed while watching the dark man approaching.


	–– This man, he had met him somewhere before...


	For as long as he remembered, he had lived in Balancoire. He had no parents but lived with Fee and Grandpa Georg. He didn't remember anything prior to the last decade, not about where he had been before then or what kind of life he had led or what sort of people his parents were.


	Every time he tried to remember, the back of his head creaked and the memories vanished in a flash. Perhaps he had met this man during that time...?


	The black-armoured man stopped in front of the three of them. On the other side, the woman was smiling coldly while playing with her gun. Kalas glared at the woman.


	“That look in your eyes, you're pretty impudent huh?”


	Ayme's eyes narrowed in amusement. A metallic sound came from her gun as she readjusted her grip.


	“It's fine to kill the brats right, Giacomo?”


	“Those are His Majesty the Emperor's orders.”


	“Ah, stop! Please stop, I beg you, Giacomo. Kill me in their place, kill me!”


	Giacomo's eyes narrowed in pleasure at the sound of Georg's sorrowful voice.


	“Kill them, Ayme.”


	There was the sound of a gunshot. At Kalas' side, Fee's small body shuddered with the impact. Dumbfounded, Fee looked down at his own waist.


	“It... it hurts... brother.... Gramps...”


	His voice was faint. He writhed in pain. Blood started to seep from his waist, spraying into the air. The expression disappeared from his face. At the same time, Georg's grip loosened and Fee's body rolled to the floor with a thump. Fee was dying in a pool of blood.


	The innocent and carefree Fee, who had always chided Kalas for his impatience, grew pale and cold in front of him.


	“Fee!”


	Kalas shook himself free from Georg's arms and rushed to the fallen Fee.


	“Don't move!” shouted the woman.


	An impact exploded against his right shoulder and Kalas sagged and crashed into the wall. Gunpowder smoke wafted from the gun that the woman called Ayme held. Through a head clouded by pain, Kalas looked back and forth from Fee to Georg. Aghast, Georg looked down at Fee and moaned in a dry voice.


	“Giacomo, you... what have you done....”


	Giacomo's narrow eyes stared at Fee and he glanced over at Kalas, who was staring at him as his face contorted in pain. He snorted.


	“So, now what will you do, Georg? Your decade is dying. Oh dear, it's a lifelong treasure, isn't it? Hey, what's that face you're making? Don't tell me you're sad, Georg. I'm stunned! I didn't know you had the emotional capacity to grieve.”


	“Gia...como, Ayme...” Georg staggered towards the cupboard. He took a box from the top of the cupboard, taking something out of it.


	“Gramps, don't mo–”


	Countless beams of light shot from Georg's hand, and Giacomo's black shadow dodged to the side. One of the light rays collided with the gun held in Ayme's grip, and the gun forcefully crashed into the wall.


	Ayme jumped and, with blinding speed, leapt up the wall to the ceiling before kicking off the ceiling and rushing at Georg.


	Her gale-like movements suddenly stopped while she was floating in midair.


	Georg was holding a Magnus card in front of Ayme's eyes.


	<<Everything is shown by time to have but one form . With my life, I bind thy time>>


	“Chro... nos...”


	Ayme groaned and clenched her teeth in midair. Dripping with sweat, she reached for another gun which hung at her hip. In the next moment, Ayme's body suddenly hit the floor with tremendous speed. Plunging to the charred floor and falling back in the raging fire, Ayme groaned.


	“Da... dammit... old man... I'll kill you, I'll kill you!”


	“Don't shoot Georg, Ayme!” Giacomo shouted from within the fire.


	“Run!”


	Georg shouted to Kalas as he pulled out a new Magnus card. At the same moment there was an explosion of flame and purple smoke billowed upwards. All at once smoke from the Magnus spread across the room, covering my vision.


	“Here I am, Giacomo!”


	Georg shouted while coughing violently.


	Kalas felt something tapping against his back. A magical hand that could immediately fix any machine the people of the city asked it to. When the old man spoke of Magnus, the hand would flap in the air, opening and closing like the twinkling of a star, as he spoke of the universe, the world, and its eternal secrets.


	Kalas reached out to grab the wrinkled hand. However, when the hand sensed Kalas' presence, it quickly avoided his reaching hand and pushed it away.


	–– Go.


	I could hear a small voice. Shaking his head, Kalas hauled the stretched-out Fee on to his back. His right shoulder, broken by the shot, was in severe pain. He raised his head but Georg's figure was obscured by the purple smokescreen around him and he was unable to see. Tears flowed endlessly down Kalas' cheeks.


	“Giacomo, over here!”


	Their voices were still audible a short distance away. Then came the sound of noisy footsteps. The sounds of something breaking continued.


	“Dammit! I won't let even one of them escape!” yelled Ayme.


	“Ayme, leave the brats alone!” came Giacomo's voice. He was coughing violently. “Shit... it's that injury. He's not going to make it anyway.”


	Kalas pressed his lips together and shut his eyes. He ran in the direction of the glass window which faced the main street. When he saw the wall, he kicked the floor. As his body softly lifted off the ground, a shock impacted his whole form. The cold of the outside air seeped into his wound.


	Kalas barely landed on both feet on the cobblestones. He looked over his shoulder at the inside of the house. As the hot air blew at him he instinctively squinted his eyes. In the room the purple smoke was diminishing and the figures were visible. Georg's back blurred into view. Slowly he turned his grey-haired head to the side. Sparks of fire flew up from his unkempt head.


	When he looked around, he saw the Imperial soldiers armed with firearms staring in amazement at the boy who had suddenly jumped out of the window enveloped by purple smoke! Kalas lightly shook his body left and right, readjusting Fee on his back.


	The Imperial soldiers came to their senses and began to shout uproariously.


	“Hey! Some kids have come out! Shoot them! Shoot to kill!”


	Kicking off the cobblestones, he bent down and ran while falling forward. By running in this way, Fee flapping against his back, he felt as though he was riding somewhere on the wind.


	Kalas dashed, frantically searching for a place with few Imperial soldiers. He ran place to place, stopping to search, then running again.


	“Don't let him get away!”


	Bumping the soldiers' shoulders one after another, he staggered, twisting his body forward. The echoing sound of gunfire behind him made his body stiffen.


	“Wait! Don't shoot! You'll hit your comrades!”


	“Over there! Hey! Don't let him escape!”


	Voices from various Imperial soldiers ran through his skull. Fee's body swayed powerlessly, constantly threatening to fall off. Lacking oxygen, Kalas gasped. The city, the sky, the ground, all of them were spinning around in his head. The next thing he knew the cobblestones were rushing up, almost hitting his forehead. Panicking, he pulled himself upright.


	In front of his nose was the black uniform of an Imperial soldier. Kalas flinched, dropping Fee's body to the ground, and sat down upon the cobblestones.


	Rising smoke hid the moonlight. Imperial soldiers surrounded Kalas and Fee in a distorted circle. Aiming their guns, they slowly drew closer. Crouching down, Kalas draped himself over Fee's body to protect him.


	–– Shit. I only made it this far, Gramps. I don't even know why, why we're going to be killed.


	A small voice echoed in his head.


	<<In exchange for their culture, the Imperials lost their wings of the heart>> It was a story he had heard from Gramps.


	<<So then, even though I'm not an Imperial, why do I only have one wing? Why doesn't Fee have wings at all?>>


	You two are special. Kalas, Fee.


	And, more than anything, you two are my wings.


	You pulled me up out of the bottom of the darkness. I can't thank you enough.


	Kalas hugged Fee's body close, grinding his teeth strongly.


	–– Grandpa Georg.


	Kalas reached one hand around to his shoulder, checking his Winglet. It was okay. He hadn't used it recently, but surely it would still work. Above all, it was the handiwork of the greatest genius in the world.


	A black shadow soared upwards into the night sky. The Imperial soldiers raised their heads in surprise, looking upwards.


	“He's flyiiiiing! He's above!”


	Kalas hugged Fee's body to his chest and floated in midair.


	On the right of his body a speckled grey wing of the heart had sprouted.


	On the left of his body Gramps' Winglet rattled, making a pleasant sound.


	His hair was engulfed and blown around playfully by the night wind. Striking the wind and remaining airborne, Kalas looked down at the Imperial soldiers.


	He could see the small house that the three of them had lived in. Burning bright red, the fire had already spread to the neighbouring houses. He could see people flying wildly out of the buildings. In this commotion even the most frightened people became onlookers, watching the burning houses from a distance.


	Gramps still hadn't come out. Maybe he would never come out again. An imprint of Gramps jumping into the flames flashed through Kalas' mind and disappeared.


	He saw a small shadow running through the crowds.


	“Kalas! Fee!” the girl was shouting towards the sky.


	“Trill! Stand back!” Kalas called back.


	There was a gunshot. A Magnus of lead pierced through Kalas' wing of the heart. Kalas grimaced at the unpleasant sensation of having his exposed nerves ripped out.


	“Wings of the heart! Shit! Shoot him down!”


	“Move! You lot get out of the way! Go over there!”


	Kalas turned, flapped his wings and left the scene. Flying up and up along the hilly roads. The soldiers were shouting and screaming as they dispersed and climbed the cobblestone roads. Occasionally he heard a gunshot and a flare bullet would come flying from behind, disappearing in a straight line into the night sky.


	Kalas flew uncontrollably from left to right. As he flew like this, Fee's body began to feel terribly heavy.


	Kalas was born with only one wing. His one wing was supplemented by Georg's handmade Winglet.


	Gradually the braking of the flight was disturbed and his altitude dropped.


	The cobblestones were getting closer.


	“Hey over there! Over there, hey, around there!”


	There was another gunshot and the cobblestones in front of his eyes exploded. His heart leapt. Kalas landed and kept running.


	“Sh-shoot! Over there! He's landed on the ground!”


	–– Gramps, protect me.


	Kalas called out to his Winglet. He dove into a narrow alley, launched himself up off the ground, kicked off the wall and gently floated upward again.


	He stuck to the roof of a two-storey building like a lizard, covertly watching the situation. He hugged Fee close, pressing one cheek to the roof and listening intently. A group of soldiers ran into the alley, shouting something. He held his breath and waited for them to leave.


	The countless lights illuminating Balancoire, which was called the City of Illusions, were flickering like a blanket of will-o-wisps thanks to the distortion from the Dimensional Rift. The cycle of life and death. The breathing of Magnus – Magnus were the eternal flow from all things to all things, surfing through their time, space and motion, connecting and unconnecting.


	It was a microcosm of both life and the unfinished world. One day, life and the world would someday return to Magnus.


	Fee was about to return to that everlasting stream. Fee's body was terribly cold, his breathing shallow. A short distance away, the shadow of the building was vaguely bright, as though there was a special spot there. There was no hatred nor anger now, only quiet despair in his stunned heart. A gentle night breeze brushed his cheek.


	The clamour of the Imperial soldiers grew more distant. With the last of his strength, Kalas soared into the sky, a black shadow beneath the moon as he headed towards the outskirts of the city.


	Passing the city gates, he flew along the mountain road for a while before his one wing finally lost its power. Only Gramps' Winglet was still making a constant noise, flapping its feathers persistently. He lost his balance and slowly descended to the mountain path. He set Fee down, put his hands on both knees and let out a ragged breath.


	He roughly touched Fee's neck and quickly removed his hand in surprise. The body was awfully cold. Already Fee was beyond the help of any doctor. Kalas himself was bleeding badly from his right shoulder. If he looked down, half his body was soaked with blood, the hemp fibres black, sunken and shiny. The pain was gone, and a cold sensation was spreading instead.


	In the distant sky he could see the dimensional rift that Fee loved so much, the seven-coloured light swaying like a curtain made of colours. In the distance he saw a dense blue forest. A translucent mountain road that looked like trampled quartz crystals stretched meanderingly towards the forest.


	Everyone who lived in Mira knew about it. Nekton, the Forest of Spirits. It was said that deep in that forest one could meet spirits visiting from another world. The story was that these spirits had a mysterious power humans couldn't even imagine.


	–– I'll go in there, borrow the power of a spirit. I'll cure Fee.


	He didn't really know what he was thinking. In hazy consciousness, Kalas held Fee's unmoving body back tightly against his chest. Pointed crystals lined both sides of the road, glowing purple as they drank in the light of the half-moon overhead.


	Blood trailed from both of their bodies, dotting the shining path.


	*


	Before I knew it I was in a dark forest.


	The torrent of colours eventually became ripples, quietly pulling to the oblivion at the end of the world. The power of life escaped from Kalas' whole body. Fine cracks ran through the Magnus which had been so familiar until now. The cold sensation startled me and I pulled away from Kalas' body.


	–– Am I a spirit or something?


	I wondered if Kalas had come this far to seek my power. I did not think I had the strength to bring them both back to life. I felt only the end of that life and there was only a hollow sadness.


	“Fee, it seems it's no good. I'm also already...”


	Kalas murmured to no one in particular. With those last words, Kalas nodded deeply, and the last of his strength he fell down beside Fee, who was lying motionless on his back.


	There were two lumps of meat in front of my, the spirit's[4], eyes. I wandered helplessly around the two corpses.


	The forest was quiet.


	A faint whisper of wind shook the grass and the trees. Withered leaves rolled noiselessly over the moss.


	Fee's body began to emit light. Gradually it shone brighter and brighter and the area was bathed in light. Kalas' shattered shoulder rose upwards and the site of the scar closed up.


	The nocturnal birds, startled by the light, soared upwards all at once, becoming black flashes as they raced into the night sky.


	*


	In between the dark green leaves, the bomb-like orange fruits grew in abundance, hanging down in bunches. The leaves swayed, and an afterglow was shining on them. A halo of light shone from the oranges in a perfectly bright yellow, flying into Kalas' pupils.


	Kalas looked up at the sky. The hemisphere of sky changed in a gradient from light blue to orange. Seemingly it would soon be the last look at blue sky for this season. Mira was a phantom city, wandering from dimension to dimension. It was almost time for the season when the entire continent would fly into the dimensional opening. His younger brother Fee was eagerly waiting for the day when the changing sky would be marbled with those rapidly-shifting colours.


	On the corner of a cobblestoned street was a usual shop. Magnus hung from the beams of the store, swaying in the wind and spinning one after another. The sour smell of the apples sealed in card form wafted through the streets.


	Kalas looked for Fee, who was supposed to be nearby, and spotted the little figure attacking the oranges. He noticed Kalas' gaze and stopped his hand.


	“But, big brother, I'm hungry...” Fee glanced once more at the sparkling orange.


	Kalas shrugged his shoulders.


	“Don't you always eat so thoughtlessly that you get sick to your stomach? There's an epidemic, you know. I'll buy this. Leave that alone.”


	Fee stared at the orange tree with a sense of regret, but finally he shook off his thoughts and ran to Kalas' side. As he approached the store, Kalas dug in his pocket for some coins. The store owner gave Kalas a commercial smile and reached for a single Magnus.


	“Don't do it.” They heard an impudent[5] voice from behind them.


	“Trill!” shouted Fee.


	Kalas turned around and saw the figure of a girl. She was standing, holding a small pot in both hands. Trill was a childhood friend of the two of them. She was a little worried about her stature. Even though she was only a year younger than Kalas, her height was not so different from Fee's. She raised her eyebrows combatively and laughed.


	“If you eat that rotten apple, Fee, your stomach will all flow down just like the waterfalls in Anuenue. Hey, I've brought you some dinner, let's go home together. Just be patient a little more, ok?”


	“No way, Trill.”


	The decorative pleats of the shopkeeper's clownlike outfit trembled sadly. The row of apple Magnus also spun around as if in protest, incessantly emitting a sweet and sour smell.


	Trill glanced at the shopkeeper with a slightly mocking expression and walked away leisurely down the cobblestones.


	“Same as ever......” Kalas watched their retreating backs, dumbfounded.


	“Good grief,” the shopkeeper sighed deeply.


	“These are fresh mountain apples, bought from Cebalrai. And yet no one is buying any of them. I don't know if it's an epidemic or what, but folk aren't coming out much. This is rotten, huh?”


	The shopkeeper flicked the apple Magnus he was holding with his index finger. For just a moment it flashed with light, then the red fruit, freed from the Magnus, rolled on to the counter. Kalas stared at its surface, which shone deep crimson. It certainly looked delicious. To no one in particular, how could it be rotten, a bad apple.


	“Yeah, it's a nice apple,” said Kalas, grabbing the fruit and throwing it upwards before catching it out of midair.


	”I'll take this.” He sniffed it. Laughing at the anxious look on the shopkeeper's face, Kalas put some coins on the counter.


	“I'll buy this.”


	“Thank you for your continued custom, Kalas.” The commercial smile was long gone. The shopkeeper laughed bitterly.


	Kalas gripped the apple and followed after the other two.


	The summer that had visited Mira was over. The capital city, Balancoire the Borough of Illusion, was built on a plateau in the centre of the continent. At this time of year people would usually rush out to explore the burnt marks of summer left dotted around the city.


	Mira did not have smooth seasons like the earthly continents. It was a continent that periodically jumped from one dimension to another, having long ago been caught in a dimensional orbit. The hot season was simply called summer, and after that winter would come all at once, crossing the dimensional barrier. Nevertheless, plants and animals and humans all responded respectively, creating their own rhythms. The short summer, when summer and autumn all happened at once, was Mira's most fertile season.


	But this year, there was hardly a soul in town. The river flowing from the high ground merged with the city's sewer system to form a stone waterway. The two figures were on top of the bridge. Taking a bite out of the apple, Kalas sped up his stride, approaching the two on the bridge from behind.


	For a moment Trill's gaze stopped on the fruit gripped in Kalas' hand and she smiled. Without saying a word, she stopped at the railing and stared at the stream.


	Fee's greedy eyes were fixed on Kalas' hand. Kalas pushed the half-eaten apple into Fee's grasp.


	Stretching his body in deliberate exaggeration, he looked at the river. Trill the pipsqueak. The Winglet on his back made a clattering noise.


	–– This creepy one-winged bastard.


	The voices of the small, hateful neighbourhood children came rushing back, and a forgotten sense of humiliation gripped his chest. Unable to put it into words, Kalas continued to stare at the river of floating waterweed, his body stretched half-heartedly.


	All he could hear was the flowing river and the sound of Fee chewing. The area around Fee's mouth was soaked with fruit juice. Kalas reached one hand out into that hair and ruffled it.


	“The atmosphere in this town is getting darker, huh,” Trill grumbled.


	“Everything's because of the epidemic this year. Even in the Duke's mansion, the master and his wife both passed away. Lady Melodia fell ill as well. Even now she's still very sick.”


	“Lady Melodia?” Kalas' expression became puzzled.


	“The young lady of the residence. You live in Mira, don't forget your lord's family! I feel sorry for her. Lady Melodia is younger than us. Probably she's around the same age as Fee?”


	Kalas looked at Fee.


	“Her mother and father died at the same time?” asked Fee while still chewing.


	“Yeah.” Trill fell silent.


	Fee tilted his head.


	“What happens to people when they die? Maybe we should ask the whale about that too.”


	Trill looked at Fee with a curious expression.


	“Ah. I'll take it.” After speaking, Kalas reached his hands out for the pot Trill was carrying but was quickly avoided. “Hey!”


	“You'll drop it... I'll go with you, all the way to your house. My father insisted that I deliver it to Georg.”


	Trill quickly walked away. Kalas shrugged his shoulders and continued after her.


	“... My bad, as always.”


	“It's fine. They're just leftovers from the shop anyway, and Georg is always looking after me with the machines, right?”


	“But you don't have to hold it in two hands, wouldn't it be fine to carry it as a Magnus?”


	“Father told me. Because if it's put in a Magnus, it'll lose its flavour.”


	“Gramps will be angry. That's just a superstition.” Fee laughed.


	Trill responded to Fee.


	“But, you can't turn living bodies into Magnus, right? Father says that cooking is a living being.”


	“Cooking is the same as us?” Fee argued.


	<<We are all made of code>> as Georg said.


	<<Things emit words too. The difference between things and life is decisive, but at the same time subtle>>


	Kalas had seen Gramps mumbling something at objects. He thought that the old man must have the power to talk to Magnus.


	“But the stories of Magnus are boring, right? Gramps and Kalas talk about that stuff all the time. I prefer stories about the whale.” Fee spun around and peered at Trill's face.


	“Hey, do you know about the whale? Big sis?”


	“The whale? Well, I've kind of heard of it before, what is it?”


	“I don't know. Umm, well, it's a fish. It's big. Really big.”


	Fee looked around the street, searching for something to use for comparison. Eventually he pointed at the high ground where the Duke's mansion stood and murmured, “maybe about the size of that hill...”


	“Anyway, it's really big. It's swimming like a fool in a huge puddle of water called the ocean that exists somewhere in this world.”


	When the continents still sat on the surface of the Earth, there was a thing called the ocean, and in the ocean, together with many other fish there lived a large fish god with no destination – since hearing that story, Fee's imagination had been filled with images of this giant fish still swimming somewhere in the world.


	“Yesterday I made a promise with Kalas. When we're a bit bigger, we're going to go on a journey together to search for the huge ocean, to go and meet the whale.”


	“Really?” Trill narrowed her eyes and laughed.


	“So, I have a question to ask the whale.” Fee turned his chest away.


	“What will you ask?”


	“Gramps also asked me that, but I can't tell him about it.” Holding the nearly-eaten apple core in one hand, Fee shouted and jumped around.


	“Whale, whale!”


	Wh–. Kalas and Fee exchanged glowing glances.


	“Let's go around the sky together and find a whale someday!”


	The two shouted in unison as though they were singing. Their voices echoed around the dimming city.


	Fee began to run along the cobblestones. He gradually became smaller. Kalas and Trill smiled, watching after his retreating back. A delicious smell was drifting from the pot that Trill held.


	*


	Kalas woke to the chill of the wind caressing his cheeks.


	When he touched his cheek, the blood, mud and tears that had stuck to it dried, making his fingertips scaly.


	He got up in a panic. He looked around at his surroundings but there was no one there. Fee's body, which had been beside him, had also disappeared. The air was dense and filled with purple light, and the stench of decaying leaves hung in the air. Phosphorescent light drifted, wandering vaguely between the branches that covered the dark forest.


	Suddenly, a sense of desperation surging through him, Kalas grabbed his chest and let out a deep breath.


	“... Fee, he's gone...”


	He did not understand why he was alive in this place.


	The wound on his right shoulder, which had been shattered by a bullet, had also closed up smoothly. There was a mysterious replenishment of life force boiling up from the bottom of his body. And somehow, the fact that Fee was gone from this world for eternity made a lot of sense.


	Kalas half sat up, shaking his head and recalling through his confused memories.


	–– I was attacked at the house, I escaped with Fee, and I came to this forest.


	He remembered the figure of a man clad in jet black armour.


	–– That man was called Giacomo or something.


	Hatred lit a fire in his chest. The sensation of powerlessness that he had felt at that time returned. Pressing his forehead against a nearby tree, he wailed in a low voice.


	Gramps was dead. So was Fee.


	Now Kalas was all alone.


	The coolness of the tree and the chilly sensation told him that winter had come to Mira. Ultramarine blues and purples blended and swayed in the sky that was visible through the gaps in the trees. Even when the seasons turned and time came for life to bloom again, Gramps and Fee wouldn't be coming back.


	–– I won't forgive this. I'll definitely make you repent.


	Blood seeped from his bitten lip. Kalas pulled his forehead away from the tree and slowly began to walk.


	Because the ground of the forest bulged so steeply, it was difficult to walk in. Unable to get his bearings due to the state of the sky, the tangled trees all started to look the same. Fortunately, thanks to the strange colours dripping from the sky and the mysterious phosphorescence drifting through the forest, there was enough light.


	He continued on, using his short sword to carve marks on the trunks of trees. For a thousand years the forest had been a sacred place, and had never been felled by human hands. The densely growing trees, with their trunks full of bumpy growths, curved and crowded, their branches twisting here and there and forming complicated shadow patterns overhead as they pointed towards the sky.


	The yellow of the evening primrose growing in clusters at the base of the trees and the moss that covered the entire ground were tinted with a bewitching purple light. The forest was silent, and there was no sign of any living thing moving. The only sound was the wind blowing through the rustling vegetation, but Kalas' heart was squeezed by anxiety. The image of that huge man in the pitch black armour floated in his head. There was a deep fear inside him that he could not shake. Biting his lip hard, he once again drew blood and the taste of iron spread inside his mouth.


	Seeing the scar he had left on the same tree trunk for the umpteenth time, Kalas felt the presence of a person and stopped. Tension ran through his entire body. Kalas held his short sword ready and peered at his surroundings.


	Without his noticing there was a girl standing alone at the base of a tree. She was slender and delicate, and everything from her hair to her clothes was pure white. She gave a soft, faint impression like a spider's web being blown by the wind.


	The girl smiled at Kalas. She was probably about the same age as Fee. She must have walked through the forest the same way as Kalas, but there was not a single mud stain on her form she almost seemed to be luminous.


	Kalas tucked the dagger into its sheath at his waist and walked over to the girl.


	“Who are you? What are you doing here?”


	”I knew I could meet you... Hey, was it you calling me?”


	The girl sounded happy as she spoke.


	Kalas tilted his head to the side and repeated his question once more.


	“Who are you?”


	“Oh, me? I'm called Melodia.”


	The girl smiled and bent at the waist.


	“Oh, from the mansion...” At Kalas' words the girl nodded. It was the name of Duke Calbren's only remaining granddaughter, who lived in the mansion on the plateau above Balancoire.


	“Why is the young lady of the mansion in a place like this?”


	“Because I was summoned. Surely it was by you.”


	“What the hell are you talking about? I don't get it at all.”


	“You... were crying, right?”


	Melodia's crimson eyes, lacking pigment, stared as though searching through the depths of Kalas' heart.


	“... Of course, you want strength, right? Enough overwhelming power to bring your enemies to their knees.”


	“... Yeah. Maybe.” Kalas nodded.


	“Power can lead people astray. It's a very dangerous thing,” murmured Melodia.


	“Even so,” Kalas said vacantly, “my brother and my Gramps were killed before my eyes... We've always lived together. We were a family, just the three of us.”


	That man called Giacomo had been frightening. If Kalas were to challenge him now, Giacomo would kill him easily. He just wanted enough power to overwhelm that man. He wanted to avenge Gramps and Fee with his own hands.


	Melodia lowered her gaze sadly.


	“I understand. I'm sure you're frantically trying to turn that hatred into the strength to live. I'm not trying to rebuke you or anything.”


	Kalas looked up at the trees above his head and let out a long sigh.


	“... Come to think of it, I heard about you. You've had it rough too, haven't you? You came down with the epidemic.”


	“Yes, though it's already been seven years. Both my mother and father wasted away and died quickly. Only I was left. It would have been better if I died together with them. I wasn't afraid of that. But I remain alive.”


	Melodia pinched some of her white hair between her fingers and looked at it.


	“My hair ended up becoming like this. That's what everyone says. I'm the miracle girl, the only one who survived that disease. 'Immaculate white wings' they call me. Even though I don't feel comfortable being described as immaculate...”


	Melodia raised her face.


	“... Hey, you. You know about the spirits, right? They're mysterious beings that come from a place and time completely different to this world. This is a place where we are able to meet the spirits.”


	“... Spirits are just a superstition. I came here because I thought perhaps they would be able to help Fee – they would surely help my little brother. But nothing happened. Fee is... he's gone.”


	“Spirits, they... I don't think they are able to revive lost life. But it is said that a person with a spirit in their body will gain power that can change the world. Surely today is that day. That's why I was called here. Bringing me to you, who's all alone.”


	Melodia jogged forward, turning and beckoning Kalas.


	“Hey, come with me. I think an amazing encounter is definitely waiting for you.”


	Shaking his head, Kalas approached Melodia.


	“Oi!”


	Turning smoothly as though to avoid Kalas' outstretched hand, Melodia swam through the air.


	“Hey, wait a minute!”


	The girl proceeded deeper and deeper into the forest.


	Tripping over his own feet, Kalas chased after her.


	As the girl advanced, it seemed as though the forest was beginning to shine mysteriously.


	No matter how much the girl flew through the earth, no matter how many branches she reached for, her white shine was not diminished one bit. Mud seemed to fly away from Melodia, and the thin branches seemed to flee as she approached.


	Losing his balance, Kalas clutched at a nearby tree. Melodia turned to face him, smiling. Finally he caught up to the girl and spoke, breathing roughly.


	“Don't just go off as you please,” Kalas mumbled.


	Looking up at the trees, Melodia breathed as though she was singing. With her hands fluttering in the air, it seemed as though she was enjoying the dense atmosphere of the forest with her whole body.


	“What, that looks like fun...”


	Kalas mumbled. For a moment he had a feeling as though a phantom of Fee was floating inside his heart.


	Melodia stood still, lowering her head a little, upturning her eyes and smiling faintly.


	“I'm sorry. But it's been a long time since I came outside. Because my body is weak I don't often go out. That's why I snuck out in secret. This is the first big adventure in my life. Besides, I get the feeling you're very similar to me.”


	Kalas stared at his own muddy clothes, then looked at the girl's pretty figure.


	“I don't think anyone would find any similarity between us in any way, shape or form.”


	“You think I just happened to appear in the place you were by accident? You think our meeting was by chance? Someone called me here. Then I walked into the forest and found you straight away. This is surely the guidance of a spirit.”


	Melodia spoke in a lively voice.


	Kalas shrugged his shoulders.


	Whatever it was, being with this girl took his mind off his feelings of depression somewhat.


	He was grateful to be away from that freezing loneliness and numbing fear if even for a few moments. He didn't know if there really was a spirit here, but before he knew it he felt himself being drawn to something just as the girl had said.


	Everywhere he went, Kalas would get his feet caught in the dirt, roll around in the mud, and get small cuts from the branches, and every time he did that, Melodia held her stomach and laughed.


	Unable to just watch, Melodia held out a delicate hand to guide Kalas, but Kalas shook his head in refusal. As covered in mud and blood as he was, Kalas felt uncomfortable touching the girl.


	After several dozen minutes thus, Melodia suddenly stopped and closed her eyes.


	“Voices... The spirits are calling.”


	Kalas stopped walking and looked around at their surroundings. Large trees covered each other, forming a dome shape above their heads. The light of the forest, which had been gradually increasing as he proceeded with Melodia, was shining brilliantly in a giant ball of light deep within the dome.


	Kalas squinted against the glare, then before long closed his eyes completely.


	“Yeah – I heard it too. I can hear it.” he said.


	Melodia opened her eyes.


	She took Kalas' hand and walked into the centre of the dome, right beneath the ball of light. The two stood next to each other, looking up at the light.


	“Never intersecting, a far-off place, a far-off time. Someone's arrived from there... words without a voice. Feelings without words.”


	With her whole face shining in a smile, Melodia scooped up the falling light in both hands. A bundle of light spilled from a slender finger, seeping through the earth.


	“The truth is, we don't need to call spirits to this world. The spirits call out to us so happily like this...”


	Her body rotated. Her skirt spread, scattering sparkling light.


	“Dreaming endless dreams in another world, sadly yearning... We are drawn to each other. Two souls of two companions will surely...”


	I, the spirit[6], looked down at Kalas.


	I thought of the sorrow I had felt deep within the forest. A cursed fate and a glimmer of hope swirled together at the same time, and right in the centre of it all Kalas looked up at me. Where was this place, who was I – it didn't matter now. I, the spirit, let the ball of light as though I was being drawn out.


	“I think that spirit likes you... Hey, the spirit is coming down, I hope this is the start of something wonderful that is beyond imagination.”


	I heard the girl's voice.


	Above Kalas, who was still looking upwards, I slowly swooped down. Each time I got lower, colours rose up from Kalas' presence. I touched Kalas' blue hair, touched that cheek, and slowly we became one. I jaunted around inside Kalas, together with Fee. Many memories were carved on the Magnus, and even now they still remained.


	For an instant, the world swayed. Kalas leaned forward, blinking his eyes.


	“Oh, hey...”


	Noticing the spirit inhabiting his body, Kalas laughed, a little embarrassed.


	*


	Since then, two years had passed.


	Sadal Suud, one of the five continents, was often referred to as the 'Frontier Continent.'


	For the people living in Sadal Suud, this was probably an unwanted name. It was a land where agriculture and livestock farming were thriving. In fact, looking at the economy of all the continents, with the exception of the Alfard Empire which had a monopoly on the production of Magnus, Sadal Suud played a central role in the export of foodstuffs such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meat, so the term "frontier" would be inaccurate. With its year-round cool breeze and comfortable climate, there were plenty of people who would say 'I'm going to retire in Sadal Suud.' It was a relatively easygoing land.


	The sky overhead was clear and sunny, with faint, thin, translucent white clouds blowing across the sky to the north. The forest spread across the lowlands of Sadal Suud was known as Moonguile Forest.


	Kalas was pushing through the forest, heading for the ancient ruins which were said to lie deep within.


	Sunlight filtered through the tall undergrowth, and the trees cast shadows on Kalas' body.


	The thickets caught the wind and rustled noisily. From the treetops overhead came the reverberating chirps of unidentifiable birds.


	This forest was used as a hunting ground by Lord Rodolfo, the ruler of Sadal Suud. For this sake, many small animals were released, which in turn helped the reproduction of the ferocious beasts that preyed upon them. During the hunting season, many of these fierce beasts had been wiped out by Rodolfo's private army, but now, as might be expected, they were exuding a fearsome and vigorous life force.


	Bloodsucking creatures with bat-like wings, called a Shawra, flew around through the treetops, shaking their long tails. Sometimes the yellow stripes of a ferocious Unuk beast were visible in the grass.


	Kalas moved quietly through the grass, holding his breath so as not to provoke them. Meemai, who was squeezed into his clothing against his chest, sometimes let out thin squeaks of distress.


	As he came out through the bushes, suddenly his vision opened out. A clear stream, approximately three metres wide, ran through a small rocky area. The sound of water was refreshing, and the mist drifted lazily above it.


	Stepping over the small stones on the riverbank, Kalas approached the stream and looked into the clear water. A reflection of his face shimmered in the transparent, calm stream. At the far side of the river, the long grasses growing in clumps, their bodies soaked by the clear stream, swayed as though they were dancing.


	Kalas scooped up the cool water with both hands and splashed it against his face.


	“Phew... I wonder how far we'll have to go before we reach these forbidden ancient ruins we've heard rumours about...” He exhaled and slumped his shoulders.


	“Hey, are you listening?” Kalas asked the spirit[7].


	“You've been acting kind of strange since you woke up in that village haven't you? Which reminds me, that doctor called Larikush mentioned something. He asked how my memories were because I hit my head. Don't tell me, you've forgotten everything that happened before you woke up in that village haven't you? Even when we met in the Forest of Spirits? And all of the journeys you and I have had in the past two years?”


	He ruffled his hair as though in astonishment.


	“Damn, well, whatever. You'll remember soon.”


	With that, Kalas closed his mouth and stared at the surface of the water.


	Meemai jumped out of Kalas' pocket and plunged into the water with a small splash, frolicking merrily. Kalas took an apple Magnus out and played with it in his hand. The Magnus card released light into his hand, and Kalas bit into the shiny crimson fruit.


	“... This is an authentic Cebalrai mountain apple, huh...”


	There was something nostalgic about the scene, but I, the spirit[8], could not remember what it was or where I had seen it.


	Some days previously, Kalas had been found passed out in Moonguile Forest. He said he had been attacked by Rock Cats and lost consciousness. By chance, Meemai had found him and had taken him to Larikush, the local doctor in Cebalrai village. Luckily his injuries were minor, but instead the I, the spirit, had completely lost my memories.


	“That group that went ahead of us – I wonder if they've already made it to the ruins. Or maybe they were attacked by beasts and died on the way?”


	Kalas spoke while chewing.


	As we were leaving Cebalrai village, we had met a girl and her group. The girl, who was about the same age as Kalas, was the centre of a group of three, and had said that they too were heading for Moonguile Forest. If they were going all the way into this forest, their objective was probably the same as Kalas'.


	But. No matter how hard I shook my hazy memory, I could barely remember what that purpose had been.


	In the sky to the east there loomed a huge cliff. Beyond the cliffs, the chalk streets of Pherkad, the Ancient Capital, were visible. Pherkad was a city built from reconstructed ancient ruins and was overflowing with elegance. The town, light peeking through like white teeth, meandered along the distant mountain range, glittering in the greenery.


	A bead of sweat formed on Kalas' neck as he looked up at the sheer cliffs.


	A cool breeze bounced off the surface of the water, toying with it.


	The trees rustled and a blue bird soared high in the sky.


	“Somehow it's gone quiet,” Kalas said, looking around at the area.


	The sound of the modest stream tickled inside his ears. In the river, Meemai was pulling at the grass swaying in the water.


	Kalas threw the apple core he had finished eating into the thicket before speaking.


	“Oi, Meemai. Let's get going. The sun's setting.”


	Squeaking in complaint, Meemai began drifting away without resistance, spinning. Kalas plunged himself into the water from both knees, picking up that small body and concealing him on one shoulder.


	A huge roar echoed through the forest.


	The trees of the forest shook all at once before calming once again.


	–– What was that just now?


	Kalas squeezed the panicking Meemai back into his pocket. The wet Greythorne was cold and smelt slightly of fish.


	Kalas ran through the shallows, his wing of the heart and Winglet spreading from his left and right shoulders, soaring upwards with the spray and landing on a tall treetop. He got on one knee and strained his eyes, searching for the source of the roar.


	Beyond the trees there was an abrupt open space. Beside it a tributary stream was flowing, becoming a stagnant pool of water with nowhere to go. Surrounding trees blocked out the sky and the grass was low. It was a dimly lit plaza naturally occurring in the forest.


	There were three humans there. It was the group we had met in the village. They were far off but there was no mistake. The terrified looking figures were raising their swords and shouting something.


	Now through a gap in the trees the figure of a huge green creature was visible. The fierce, wing-like forelegs stretched out from the shoulders, where the muscle masses rose like bumps, and one leg alone was thicker than an adult's body. Its huge, bright red jaws were open, and massive distinctive fangs sprouted from either side in a rotating pattern. A rare carnivorous inhabitant of the forest – it was a giant beast feared by hunters, known as a Saber Dragon. The huge creature was furious, the thin spines over its whole body standing erect.


	Two warriors were protecting a girl with blonde hair, waving their swords in futile threats. It seemed that in the middle of their search they had inadvertently stepped into the territory of this ferocious predator.


	“Hey, hey, that's bad. They'll be killed.”


	Kalas muttered. Before he finished his mumbling, the Saber Dragon bent its body back, letting out another roar that shook the forest and charging towards the three people.


	The warriors had no time to prepare themselves or avoid the beast, and were thrown into the air like dolls.


	Lunging at the warriors as they tumbled to the ground, the Saber Dragon swung its forelegs to mow them down. The warriors both hit a tree, their bodies bending backwards before falling to the ground.


	“Ahh, that's a quick death.” Kalas turned his neck to the side, leaves making a rustling noise as his head brushed against them.


	Only the girl spread her wings of the heart and fled into midair. Her wings were transparent like those of an insect, and they shone beautifully. The girl desperately grabbed the branch of a tall tree. The branch bent heavily and the girl clung on with one hand as it did.


	We could hear the girl's screaming.


	The grabbed branch bent into a bow. Even from here I could hear it creaking.


	The Saber Dragon stopped tormenting the corpses of the warriors and fixed its huge eyes on the girl.


	The branch snapped at its base and, with another small scream, the girl fell to the ground. Half absentmindedly, she pushed her body up part way, looking up at the Saber Dragon.


	–– It can't be helped.


	Kalas clicked his tongue. He kicked the branch and glided into the sky. Both his wing of the heart and his Winglet spread wide. Leaping from branch to branch, he put all his weight on the last branch and used it as a springboard to launch his body and pounce on the Saber Dragon.


	The huge mass of the Saber Dragon loomed, filling his field of vision. Kalas drew a sword from a Magnus he pulled from his belt and let out a sharp breath, mouth agape.


	On the back which was heaped with huge bundles of muscles, he thrust his sword with all his strength and unleashed the power of the Magnus. The sword was almost torn out of his hand by the unusually hard sensation. When he pulled it out with all his might, a jet of black bodily fluid shot high into the air, blocking out the sunlight.


	The Saber Dragon shrieked and fell back, shaking its huge body.


	Kalas kicked off the back, landing between the girl and the monster. Facing the Saber Dragon head on, he used his empty hand to poke the blond hair of the girl, who was still stunned.


	“It's coming! Get up while you have the chance!”


	“Y-yeah,” the girl staggered to her feet.


	“Um –”


	“Talk afterwards!” Kalas shouted back.


	“Just fly somewhere safe and watch!”


	The Saber Dragon lowered its head so it was almost touching the ground and roared again. The wind pressure caused Kalas' blue hair to flutter behind him. Kalas narrowed his eyes and laughed.


	“Ha, keep barking[9]. I'll clean you up now.”


	Kalas flew right beside the beast. A moment later, the Saber Dragon's foreleg, like a big tree, cleaved the place. Kalas spread his wings, corrected his stance, kicked off the earth and charged sideways towards that arm. He slashed lengthways. He cleaved to the side. He stabbed forward.


	The Saber Dragon swung its forelegs around in pain and anger. Each time it did, black blood spattered and soaked the trees in the forest.


	Something struck Kalas, who was flying away, on the back.


	Behind a giant tree, Kalas stood ready, sword poised.


	The Saber Dragon ducked its body and immediately rushed towards Kalas. A side strike split the tree straight down the middle, blowing it away. Small fragments of debris flew at a terrific speed, some of them hitting Kalas. The main trunk of the broken tree bounced and rolled on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.


	“This thing... you're even tougher than I thought!”


	Kalas wiped the blood from his forehead. He glared at the Saber Dragon from below. The Saber Dragon growled and raised its head, looking down at the cheeky creature.


	Kalas' gaze was suddenly drawn by something floating behind the Saber Dragon. The girl's wings were spread and she held a wand up to blue eyes[10]. Her body began to draw light from the surroundings.


	“What?” Kalas relaxed his stance in amazement, staring.


	Blue lights flickered around the girl. Suddenly a torrent of water generated from mid-air exploded on the Saber Dragon's back, sending up spray. The flow of water became stronger and stronger, the green skin cracked and, with a noise, the Saber Dragon's hard flesh was torn apart.


	Not knowing what had happened, the beast flew into a rage. It roared in agony, swinging its forelegs around and baring its long fangs.


	Trees fell one after the next, and the moisture on the giant monster's body rose as vapour. Lukewarm drops of water sprayed onto Kalas' face. Eyes narrowed, Kalas searched for the figure of the Saber Dragon in the mist.


	His heart's pounding jumped up.


	The giant eyes of the Saber Dragon were right in front of Kalas' eyes. The round, bloodshot eyes blinked as they met Kalas' gaze.


	A cool droplet fell on Kalas' neck. The body of the girl, who was floating in the centre of the clearing, was surrounded by a blue beam of light. Water was pouring from nowhere, flowing down Kalas' entire body.


	The Saber Dragon raised its huge body, growling low in its throat and digging its claws deep into the earth. Its green epidermis was completely covered with water. The Saber Dragon roared in pain.


	Kalas took the shield Magnus equipped on his belt in his left hand and readied his sword in front of him.


	–– Come at me, I'll make it easy for you.


	Droplets of water and cold sweat ran down his temples.


	Suddenly a smashing blow struck Kalas.


	The shield Magnus shone. The shield that appeared in front of Kalas' eyes was crumpled under the assault of the Saber Dragon's claws and flew away. However, behind it Kalas' form was already gone.


	Kalas was in mid-air above the Saber Dragon's head.


	He swung his sword as hard as he could and, with a shout, thrust it deep into the base of the beast's neck.


	The Saber Dragon let out a terrible roar. It bent its neck back, shaking from side to side and rampaging.


	Kalas clung to his sword with both hands, twisting both his legs around the thick neck, thrusting the sword deep with all his strength. He felt the sensation of tearing something hard deep within the hard flesh.


	The Saber Dragon let out a high-pitched whine. It staggered, trees snapping as it walked slowly.


	Sword still gripped in his hand, Kalas straddled its neck. The Saber Dragon tumbled to the edge of the water, let out a single sound and collapsed. There was a great splash of water.


	Kalas frowned and drew out his sword. He pulled both his water-stained legs from the Saber Dragon's neck and jumped down to the water's edge. Immersed up to his waist, he paddled through the stagnant water and approached the Saber Dragon's head. Breathing hard, he gave the huge fangs two or three light taps.


	“Well, well... these will sell for a high price.”


	He plunged his sword into the base of the fang. Twisting and jiggling, he pried the fang out. Then, after pulling the two fangs out, he hoisted them over his shoulders and went to the water's edge in high spirits.


	A little distance away, the girl was standing still in front of the corpses of the two warriors. In good humour, Kalas shook the fangs on both his shoulders as he approached them.


	Noticing his presence, the girl turned around. Gently curled blonde hair bounced around her shoulders. She had a noble, well-groomed face that showed her kind and gentle nature. Though she was dressed for activity, her small stature and thin arms and legs made her unsuited to such rough work.


	“Excuse me –” The girl started to say something.


	Kalas walked past her and knelt in front of the warriors' corpses. Carefully placing the fangs on the ground, he began to rummage in the warriors' pockets.


	“Oho, they're carrying some good Magnus. I can use these.”


	The girl shouted.


	“H-hey you! Are you stealing belongings from the dead? Those people are my comrades!”


	Kalas turned around and smiled at her.


	“Don't be so uptight. They're dead anyway, they don't need anything anymore. They're not complaining that their belongings are being taken so someone else can live. And it's not like I'm going to strip them of everything. It's enough if I take what I need.”


	Kalas removed the gold bracelets from the warriors' arms. They had family names engraved on them.


	“Here, I'll give you this so just keep quiet.”


	The girl received the bracelets that Kalas threw to her and stared at them.


	“... These, they're mementoes? To take back to their families? You –”


	“That's your share.”


	Kalas stood up and put the Magnus he had chosen in his pocket. Meemai squeaked in frustration as his space was reduced. Kalas brushed the mud off his body, picked up the fangs and clicked them above his head in satisfaction, looking at the girl.


	“And now, see ya. You've got good skills, but you'd better be careful. There's all sorts of creatures living here.”


	When the girl glared at him, Kalas shrugged his shoulders and turned on his heel.


	“Hey – wait a minute!”


	The girl called him back as though panicked.


	“Ah, thank you once again, um, you – your name...?”


	Kalas looked back and let out a sigh.


	“... it's Kalas.”


	“Thank you for helping me. Kalas, my name is Xelha.”


	Kalas spread the fangs out, showing them.


	“I didn't really come to help you. A Saber Dragon is a tasty prize, that's all.”


	Xelha's expression looked troubled, but she quickly shook her head and bowed deeply.


	“At any rate, I'm grateful. I was certainly saved.”


	Xelha raised her head and spoke.


	“Hey... You're from Mira, the Country of Illusions, right?”


	“!! Woah, how did you know that?”


	Kalas was so startled that he almost dropped the Saber Dragon's fangs.


	“... Because you have the protection of a spirit. I knew right away. If I'm not mistaken, it's said that only the people from the country of Mira have the ability to call to the spirits to this land.


	“You seem to know a lot about spirits.”


	Kalas stared at the girl called Xelha again. Xelha certainly seemed to have a mysterious power and knowledge. Until now, no one else had had the perception that Kalas had the power of a spirit within him.


	“... In ancient times, at the border between this world and a different dimension, there were occasions when two souls, each from a different world, met and were tied together. Those souls from another world were called spirits. But those people who could hear the voices of the spirits were extremely rare, and it was said that those who were lucky enough to be visited by a spirit were given great wisdom and power... but I'm surprised. Until now I've always thought it was an old saying, just a legend.”


	Kalas spoke while laughing.


	”Well to the untrained eye it is hard to see whether there are spirits or not, so it's no wonder people think they're just folklore or legendary ghosts.”


	Inside Kalas, the spirit's body shook. Xelha gave a small, strange smile.


	“It seems the spirit's getting a bit angry at being called a ghost. Or are you laughing?”


	“You – you can feel it? The spirit's presence?[11]”


	Xelha narrowed her eyes and stretched her fingertips into mid air as though there might have been something there.


	“... Just faintly. Even now the spirit's still watching over us, right? Nice to meet you,” said Xelha.


	Xelha extended her hand, pointing it towards the trees. For a moment the jewel of the pendant hanging at her chest was filled with seven colours of shining light.


	“Hey, Kalas. I have to go to the ancient ruins which are said to lie deep in this forest. What are you two doing?”


	“Yeah, we're heading there too. How about we go together? If you know where it is I'll be grateful.”


	Xelha nodded at Kalas' words.


	“Yes please. But before that, please wait just a moment.”


	Xelha stood beside the two warriors lying stretched out on the ground. With a silent bow, she knelt on one knee.


	The smoke filling the whole clearing was finally beginning to thin. Once again the forest was buzzing. The green-scented breeze felt a little cold to the wet Kalas.


	“Truthfully I want to give you a proper funeral. But I have a duty. I have to hurry ahead. Gram, Leon... thank you so much for everything.”


	Closing both eyes, Xelha clasped both hands together and chanted a prayer.


	Cast light in a land without light
	Save those without help


	We who go alone to the depths of the night
	O ocean, please help us


	Kalas had a mysterious feeling inside. Something was bubbling deep inside his body. It was a sensation as though his body had become water, become waves, and had melted into the world.


	In front of his eyes, the bodies of the two warriors glowed with radiance, before long becoming a powder of light. Finally, the dust of light rose silently into the sky. The wind and the trees and the grass were rustling. Inside my heart a small life force was breathing. It washed ashore, burst and disappeared. In the atmosphere, the flow of Magnus rippled, reversed, swirled, shook and moved.


	Surprised, Kalas looked at Xelha, who was continuing her prayer. In his body, all the way inside Kalas, something was vibrating with a very gentle manner, continuing for always.


	Meemai jumped out of Kalas' pocket and squeaked in a high-pitched voice.


	*


	A person stepping for the first time into the private chamber of Geldoblame, Emperor of the Empire of Alfard, would usually be lost for comments at first. Everything was pink. Down some steps in the centre of the dome-shaped room was a small circular pool.


	The walls were lined with fancy closets and dressing tables, and heart-shaped cushions and rubber balls were scattered all over the room. On one side of the room, covered with a golden canopy like a birdcage, was a circular bed.


	Melodia was sitting at the edge of the pool. When she gently put her hand into the water, it was cool. When she moved, the ripples spread silently, and the duck and boat shaped toys swayed.


	When she raised her face from the ripples, she saw the bright afternoon sun shining through the glass windows on the balcony.


	A short distance away, in the presence of Emperor Geldoblame of Alfard, an officer of the Imperial Army called Fadroh was standing upright, continuing his operational report on the capture of the End Magnus from the Cloud Kingdom of Diadem. Geldoblame was lying on his favourite chaise-longue, his obese body almost becoming one with the soft cushions it was wrapped in.


	“... After that, we will lure King Ladekahn away with his soldiers as hostages, and Ayme of the Assassination Squad will shoot him from a distance. In the commotion, we will invade with our army and take Elnath in one fell swoop. Then, when we have taken over the castle we will undertake the search for the End Magnus at our leisure.”


	Melodia watched the two with a charming smile.


	Moving his body back and forth dozily, the Emperor nodded deeply.


	“... hm, mm. Are you saying you want me, the greatest in the world, to launch a sneak attack against a mere stripling from Diadem?[12]”


	“It's because it's a mere stripling from Diadem. You don't have to take the time to face a small fry like that. I'm afraid, for a ruler of the world, that level of cunning is necessary[13].”


	Hmph the Emperor sniffed, rolling into his cushions again.


	“I'll think about it, but either way I don't want to hear that sort of talk in this room.”


	“Understood. With that, please excuse me.”


	With a last salute, Fadroh looked over his shoulder back into the room through the huge archway.


	Melodia looked back at him from the side of the pool and, nodding once, Fadroh slowly closed the door.


	“Your Imperial Majesty,” called Melodia. “Your Magnificence – you're sulking, aren't you?[14]”


	The Emperor slowly stood up from his chaise-longue. His complexion was very pale due to unhealthy living. To hide it, he always wore a thick layer of white make-up. Over that make-up, the usual grave dignity was lost from his childish appearance.


	“... Certainly, it's not interesting. I never thought I would have to worry about Ladekahn of Diadem and make all the necessary arrangements.”


	Melodia once again put her hand into the pool, making ripples.


	“Don't let Fadroh's concerns put you in a bad mood. Haha... Because the reason for all this trouble is that the earthly jewel that I, with great pains, brought out of Mira has been stolen from His Majesty.”


	“That's harsh,” the Emperor laughed good-humouredly. “The 'Immaculate White Wing of Mira' is maybe the only one in the world who can give me a scolding now.”


	“Scolding is a bit of a nasty word,” Melodia put her hand over her mouth and laughed.


	“If you think about it, I've come here in an extremely roundabout way. Fearing old age, I entrusted a crazy old man called Georg with researching life force. In the end, all I got out of it was a foolish result. But now there is this tale you have brought. The End Magnus, the corpse of the evil god Malpercio. When I have these two things in my hands, my power will finally become eternal!”


	“But for that it's essential to have the earthly jewel. It is the key to the seals of the End Magnus, which the ancestors of the Calbren family stole from the descendants of the mages who lived on earth long ago – the power of the earthly jewel is necessary to release and pull out the End Magnus anchoring each continent.”


	Melodia looked at the palm of her own wet hand.


	Geldoblame frowned and kicked his chaise-longue flying.


	“Ahh, by no means did I think that servant girl would steal the Jewel of the Earth.”


	“I'm concerned about that girl. What sort of person is she I wonder...”


	“I don't know. Maybe a spy from Diadem. Maybe a witch from Anuenue. However there's nothing to fear. I have dispatched Giacomo and his team in pursuit. Giacomo to Sadal Suud, Ayme to Diadem and Folon to Anuenue. I'm worried about leaving that Folon brat alone with the Fairy Priestess, so I will be heading there myself sooner or later. Whatever arises, with their strength one little girl is nothing. Georg's souvenirs[15] are also useful. After that, I'll take away the End Magnus that have been completely forgotten by each peace-loving continent. Well, the power of the god will gather to me sooner or later.”


	“Hmm, you can count on it,” Melodia put her hand over her mouth and laughed.


	Geldoblame looked down at Melodia arrogantly.


	“Melodia, what is it you want for offering me your power?”


	Melodia tilted her head slightly.


	“What do you think? I only want to give His Majesty, who has become my very important friend, the power for his ambitions. If you are human, it is inevitable that you want more power than you have now. And His Majesty is the only one in the world who is at the top. The only power greater is the power of a god.”


	“Indeed that's true, yes, that is correct.” The Emperor's cheeks shook as he laughed.


	Melodia pushed the back of the duck-shaped toy floating in the pool with her index finger. With a flick of her finger, she turned it over, revealing its bright yellow belly.


	–– Foolish humans. Once we killed Malpercio to gather his power, now we will resurrect him for that power.


	She laughed without a sound. Melodia was now 15 years old. Since the day she had met Kalas in the Forest of Spirits, some ambition had begun to move within Melodia as though cogs had clicked into place. She did not know what had happened. In the two years since then, something unfathomable was driving her.


	The wrath and lamentation of that being which had been torn into five parts by humans thirsting for power welled up in her chest.


	A thousand years of solitude, a thousand years of pain.


	Destruction and despair for the world of humans.


	<<The arrow of fate released into the air is split into two, both competing for the destination.
	The fate of destruction, or the miracle of life? Death and life dance, holding hands>>


	Melodia took her hand away from her chest and let out a deep sigh.


	Geldoblame was still laughing at the unseen power in his imagination. He prowled around the room, steadily squeezing his cheeks painted with white powder in both hands, growling.


	Melodia narrowed her eyes gracefully and stared at the figure of the Emperor, then lowered her eyes to the duck's yellow belly.


	“Well then...” the 'Immaculate White Wings' spread her skirt and stood up.


	“Your Magnificence, are you going to play with your dolls again?”


	With her crimson lips fluttering, Melodia laughed again, free from worry.




































































































	Interlude 1: With each hope embraced in their chests, the gathering of the six comrades


	CHEST.


	It was a very sad dream that left her chest tight. In an unknown place at an unknown time, in the middle of a dark forest a lone boy hugged a child to him and cried. Flower petals danced, flowing down above their heads. Something invisible was staring at them.


	The impression of that dream was still fresh in Xelha's mind. It was a dream of a prophecy, small to the wide world, that moved Xelha to set out on her journey.


	In the palace of Anuenue, in one of the guest rooms – in the centre of the room was a long, low table, and the walls were lined with Anuenue's typical coarse handmade wooden furniture.


	There was a small alcove, and in that there was a shelf which was lined with things like small bottles and sculpted wooden dolls. Even though it was a room in the palace, this room was rather small and arranged comfortably.


	The comrades were each relaxing in their own way in preparation for the confrontation with Malpercio.


	Gibari, a fisherman from Diadem with a muscular body and tattoos on his shoulders.


	Even though at first they had only intended to borrow his boat, before they knew it they were all on an adventure together.


	Once a swordsman and companion of King Ladekahn of Diadem, for the sake of the knights who had been his comrades, and for the sake of the villagers of Nashira who were now his friends, instead of the sword he had abandoned he fought using a boat's paddle as a weapon. Of the comrades, he was the most reliable pillar.


	Even now Lyude, an Ambassador to Diadem originally from the Alfard Empire, never took off his Imperial uniform.


	When they first met him, he was a young man who gave a very fragile impression, but now they had the feeling that he had become much more fearless on this journey. For the sake of the justice he believed in, he had left his native land, and he had come this far without hesitation.


	Savyna was originally from the Empire and had another name, 'Lady Death,' as she was the strongest of the Mad Wolf Unit.


	With a body as graceful as a ferocious beast, she struck down her enemies as beautiful as she was violent. Beyond the blank expression that hid both joy and sorrow, perhaps even now she was still pondering her own battle.


	Mizuti was asleep on a wicker couch. Still wearing a wooden mask.


	The Children of the Earth were descended from the mages who had fought the god and who had, for a long time, lived at the bottom of the Taintclouds which were enshrouded by a deadly poison. The masks had originally been donned to prevent the poison, but it seemed that before anyone knew it they had become part of everyday clothing. Maybe it was still an embarrassing feeling to expose one's face in public, like being naked.


	This child of fate, born with powerful magical strength like that of a returning ancestor, gave off a mysterious atmosphere of carelessness, providing a sense of comfort on a tense and repetitive journey.


	Finally, Xelha looked at the back of the young man who was standing near the window.


	A beautiful Winglet was shining on his back. She did not know what he was thinking as he looked up at Cor Hydrae floating in the night sky.


	Tomorrow, the long fight surrounding destruction and rebirth would be decided at Cor Hydrae, the Castle of Storms.


	Meemai squealed from inside Xelha's hood.


	Hearing that voice, Xelha stroked her fingertip along the Greythorne's smooth skin, thinking of the contract passed down from ancient times that she had not told to anyone.


	–– My last secret. If it was Kalas, if it was the spirit, I wonder what they would say.


	Whether they won or whether they lost, for Xelha this would probably become her last night.


	The feeling of rippling waves gently washed over the inside of her body.






































































	Chapter 2: Bonds


	True darkness, deprived of all sensation. There was no light nor dark, no smell nor taste, no touch nor even a sense of time. I kept floating in the dense darkness. Eventually the darkness melted away as well, and right in the centre a small light shone. The light was foaming in seven colours and spreading, the world again a torrent of colour, confusing me. Memories became droplets, washing over me.


	The raging sound of a brewing storm brushed against the walls of the cramped room. The space was shrouded with darkness, besieged by the storm. In this world where I was acknowledged as a spirit, I could not have an accurate perception unless I landed in it. Therefore there was also a possibility that this storm was not real. In other words, it was possible that this moment, or this infinity, was only a metaphor for reality.


	At any rate, where was I? Why was I in this place? Or was this even a place to begin with? I was unclear about how I even existed in the first place. But I tried hard to follow the clues to my memories.


	From nowhere there came the scent of witches. It was a smell I remembered from travelling through a far-away world. The witches were getting closer and closer.


	A journey – I wonder if that journey had ever been real at all.


	The clues to the memories – that's right, I met Kalas and Xelha in the Moonguile Forest in Sadal Suud, that was the moment where my memories began.


	In the end in Sadal Suud, the first End Magnus had been stolen away in Giacomo's hands. Xelha confided the reason for her journey to Kalas and the spirit[16]. She said that while working as a servant for the Emperor she had heard of a conspiracy surrounding the divine End Magnus, and that she had stolen the earthly jewel, the key to unsealing them, and fled the Imperial capital.


	For the sake of explaining the dangers of stealing the End Magnus, Xelha had decided to flee to Diadem, the country of knights, which had been in conflict with the Alfard Empire for many years. Kalas complained but went to Diadem together with her.


	At the harbour of Diadem, Kalas and Xelha went together from the fishing port, where a strong smell of fish spread from the piles upon piles of sea bream[17], down to the fishing village of Nashira at the base, and there they met a strange old woman.


	In the midst of the people blown by the tidal breezes from the Lesser Celestial River, the old woman had told Kalas and Xelha a mysterious story. A far-off tale, a legend of a wicked god who was opposed to humans and was finally killed a thousand years ago. The story told that once there was a giant pool of water which surged at the edges of the earth called the 'Ocean' and that within this Ocean swam the majestic Whales.


	The memory lapsed a little – fragmented flashbacks.


	In the next scene I remembered, Kalas and the group proceeded to the top of the flooding Lesser Celestial River in a small boat. Gibari paddled the oars with his strong arms, and the boat glided across the surface of the water.


	The corridors of the castle were swarming with armoured Imperial soldiers. Kalas and his group struggled against them, alongside the knights of the kingdom. However, the castle was besieged and was already on the brink of surrender. King Ladekahn was wounded and the End Magnus of Diadem was stolen.


	There was the Imperial Ambassador called Lyude, who was outraged by the corrupt deeds of his homeland. He had red hair and a delicate face. He had incurred his master's displeasure in his homeland and had been demoted and sent away, but even now he did not wish to remove his Imperial Army uniform. With this youth in their party, Kalas and his group set off for Anuenue with King Ladekahn's official letter in hand.


	From here my memories became extremely fragmented.


	Perhaps Anuenue, protected by the magical barrier of the witches, was a place where it was difficult for spirits to wield their power.


	Breathtaking moments on the beautiful green continent of Anuenue. The smell of soil, the smell of water. A festival to celebrate the Celestial Flowers in all their colours. The crowds of people making a stir at the festival. Petals flowing down to the dazzling ground...


	At the foot of the Celestial Tree, a colony of trees towering over Anuenue, Kalas and the group met a lone female warrior. Her name was Savyna[18]. She was a master of the ancient martial arts of the Alfard Empire, so why did she offer to cooperate with Kalas and the group? With the help of this Savyna, at the summit of the Celestial Tree they at last obtained the End Magnus, the ultimate Magnus which was the remains of a god enclosed in the form of a card. Fairy Queen Corellia, leader of Anuenue, who had been touched by the End Magnus, also realised the danger and promised to aid Kalas and the group.


	It was Xelha's pendant – the guidance of the earthly jewel. The pillars of white light emanating from there stretched in two directions. To Mira, City of Illusions, and the Empire of Alfard.


	The End Magnus of Sadal Suud, Diadem and Anuenue had been released one after another, and now there were two End Magnus remaining in the world.


	With the addition of Savyna there were five in the group, and they proceeded to the continent which loitered from dimension to dimension: Mira, City of Illusion, where Kalas was from.


	In the middle of a swarm of coloured lights in the sky, they proceeded into the corridor to another dimension – into the Trail of Souls. En route, they were suddenly attacked by the Battleship Goldoba under the control of Giacomo and his team, and Kalas' ship fell through a hole into another dimension. The quiet sky was rippling with curtains of red and purple light, blanketed with constellations I had never seen before.


	The hyper-dimensional wind was lashing the group's wrecked ship. I remembered the figures of Kalas and Xelha standing on deck, their backs to each other. Kalas' pensive thoughts were so tightly closed that even the spirit[19] could not perceive them.


	An enigmatic person who seemed to have accidentally fallen into the same dimension appeared paddling a small boat. The mysterious child referred to themself as the 'Great Mizuti.' With Mizuti's guidance, Kalas and his group were able to safely return to the route to Mira.


	Nostalgic Mira. Even the most fragmented memories from there became considerably elaborate.


	The mountain path with sparkling crystals on both sides and the Forest of Spirits where I first met Kalas, even though my memories of the past was lost there was something that caused my heart to flutter. At the mysterious village Parnasse, which was made out of confectionery, we met a girl known as Melodia the White Lady, who was the granddaughter of Mira's Duke Calbren. We also met Kalas' childhood friend Trill. Melodia was kidnapped by Giacomo and his team, and Kalas' group was suspected of that abduction. At Reverence, the picture book village where they fled to, they met a peculiar old woman who was a fortune teller.


	That old woman told Kalas “I can not feel a Magnus inside you.” Everything in this world, both living and inorganic, held a Magnus. It should not have been possible for something to exist without a Magnus. Even dead people had Magnus. If that was the case, was Kalas a being not of this world?


	I remember Kalas being very irritated at the ominous words of this old woman. Inwardly, Kalas may have been reminded of events on the journey so far.


	All at once the adventure on Mira was a crushing defeat. The End Magnus was stolen by Giacomo's group, and the earthly jewel, the key to releasing the sealed End Magnus, was also stolen. Furthermore, even the End Magnus from Anuenue, which should have been in their possession disappeared from Kalas' group's grasp like smoke.


	If the missing End Magnus were in the Emperor's hands, that meant that four of the End Magnus were now in the Empire's possession. With a last hope, the group would intrude in the Empire of Alfard, where the last End Magnus was sealed.


	–– What had happened from there?


	My memories had again become terribly fuzzy.


	Cracks ran around like a scene reflected in a broken mirror, scattered and unidentifiable. After entering Imperial territory, the group, who had hidden themselves at Lyude's residence, were informed against by Lyude's brother and sister of all people[20] and, on the run, they boarded the battleship Goldoba, which the Emperor was said to be aboard. However, the Emperor was not there, and instead they were ambushed by Giacomo's team. After a confused battle with fierce Magnus, the cockpit went up in flames. Giacomo's loud laughter was audible. The impact and the sound of the explosion were deafening. The Goldoba crashed into a cliff at tremendous speed, the exploding flames flowing down...


	–– What happened? What happened after that?


	In this fortress, in this dark prison.


	No matter how much I tried to remember, a dark fog covered my memories. I strained my consciousness in the darkness as though searching the depths of my memories.


	The scene gradually came into focus and, looking down from above, I saw a head of soft blonde hair. This place looked like a gloomy prison. The faint sound of crying mixed with the sound of dripping water from a poorly sealed water pipe. It seemed that the girl was crying with both hands covering her face.


	Suddenly my heart overflowed with nostalgia and I called out her name.


	–– It's cold!


	It was like touching ice for the first time in my life and I almost jumped.


	At the same time, Xelha looked up with a surprised face. “Could it be – you're...” she looked left and right without seeing me. Xelha's shoulders dropped.


	“Hey, please, if you're here, please, lend me your hand. We can't go on like this. At this rate Kalas, everyone, the world will be destroyed!”


	I slowly moved around Xelha. Sliding through the folds of the stained sheets, touching the rusty water pipes, I saw something emerald green moving in Xelha's hood. It was Meemai the Greythorne. As Meemai gave a single squeak, I wondered if Meemai was able to perceive me. When I touched Meemai, that little body throbbed as though it was an intermediary for something, carrying me inside Xelha. I felt a small sound come from Xelha's throat. Xelha held her hand to her chest and let out a long sigh.


	“Ah, what a mysterious feeling. It's like a warm light burning deep inside my chest...”


	Xelha stood up from the creaking bed and raised her arms above her head.


	“I'm overflowing with an amazing power. With this, it will be easy to break this prison. And this feeling... Kodelle[21] and the others are just around the corner.”


	Xelha extended the palm of her hand to the prison door. Then, the door bent outwards as though it was burning red, slamming into the wall of the corridor with a resounding crash. Xelha flew out into the corridor, peering left and right.


	Xelha closed her eyes and searched in her heart for any indication of the witches.


	“This way, huh?” Xelha dashed down the corridor. At the end of the corridor, a dead end, she laid her head against the wall.


	<<Lady Xelha[22], we've finally found you. Please would you step back a short distance from the wall?>>


	She heard Kodelle's voice inside her head. Xelha nodded and moved her body a few paces away from the wall. The sound of an explosion echoed and a hole opened in the wall.


	<<Lady Xelha, come now!>>


	Xelha nodded and hurried through the hole that had opened in the wall. The wind and the rain were blowing fiercely. Narrowing her eyes, Xelha peered at the figures outside. Facing the wall was one corner of a huge balcony. The wind whistled and heavy raindrops beat down. Black clouds layered the sky overhead. Visibility was poor, and we did not know where the witches were waiting. Xelha approached the railing and turned her attention to the dark sky.


	There was a huge white creature approaching, circling leisurely. It was the form of the White Dragon, a holy beast of Wazn.


	“Lady Xelha!” shouted the witches from the dragon's back.


	Xelha fluttered her wings of the heart and with one leap flew over to the White Dragon's back.


	“Skilfully done, you're safe!” Catranne, one of the witches, leapt from the dragon's back and praised her.


	The White Dragon let out a single cry and left the fortress, beating against the wind and the rain.


	“What are you going to do now?” asked Kodelle.


	Xelha shook her head and spoke.


	“First of all I want to help my comrades. Where are they being detained, do you know?”


	“I have a general idea, but...” Kodelle hesitated.


	“Lady Xelha, that power is...?” Glamyss looked at Xelha dubiously.


	“Yes, a spirit is lending me their power.”


	“Speaking of spirits, there was one dwelling within that young man.”


	Xelha hung her head and gave a small nod.


	“And about Kalas, I'm sure we can help him too... right?”


	Turning back to the fortress, Xelha called softly to the spirit.


	–– Kalas.


	As soon as I settled within Xelha, together with the sadness sunk into her chest, my lost memories rapidly became coloured and pushed their way into my, the spirit's, heart. Xelha's sorrow was transmitted to the spirit, and the spirit's body trembled in the freezing cold. I wondered if Kalas was looking for me too, on the other side of this storm[23].


	*


	The Empire of Alfard had a monopoly over the secret art of refining Magnus into cards, and for this reason it reigned supreme over the five continents[24]. Even Diadem, the Kingdom of Clouds, which had many conflicts with the Empire, would be unable to stand without the benefits of Magnus.


	According to the explanation given by Lyude, who was originally an Imperial soldier, it was said that the area around Mintaka was a good source of the minerals which were the basics for Magnus refinement. It seemed that the settlement of Azha originated when the people of the nearby oasis and other nomads were recruited and forced to settle there for the sake of this mining.


	On the continent of the Alfard Empire, about a day and night's journey from the Imperial Capital Mintaka, there was a belt of land that was covered by a spread of bare rocky mountains.


	The strange shadow of the mountain gorge spread out before our eyes. The rocky crags twisted together like tangled old trees, long and narrow and stretching up to the sky. On the horizon there burned a red sunset. Evening was approaching on the wasteland.


	Kalas leaned his body out from behind the rocky outcrop and looked down at the village stretching out into the wasteland. Next to him was Lyude, formerly an Imperial Ambassador, then further along the female warrior Savyna was doing the same, sticking her face out from the rocky shadows and staring down. A little distance away was the masked Mizuti and Gibari, the fisherman from Diadem, and finally, as though supported by Gibari, Xelha was standing.


	At Kalas' gaze, Xelha gave a faint nod.


	Yellow sand whirled up across Kalas' vision like red fibres. If he looked hard enough, he could see the disconnected crawling figures of Imperial soldiers.


	Rubbing his eyes, which were moist with dust, Lyude looked back at Kalas.


	“It seems that the Imperial soldiers are occupying the village... with this situation it seems the rumours were correct, so it is natural to assume that He, the fifth End Magnus, is within the Lava Caves in Azha. This is too overstated for Azha's unarmed population[25]. They've even brought out Iron Beetles.”


	“But they're kind of slacking off. They don't look like they'd put up much of a fight.”


	Kalas stared at the soldiers deployed in the village.


	They didn't stand in formation, they didn't patrol, just every now and then they put their heads together and chatted with each other. On the surface of a wall, a pitch black cave mouth opened. In front of the opening, a small squadron of about ten people were hanging around with guns slung over their shoulders. This was probably the entrance to the Lava Caves, which sprawled along beneath the wasteland.


	“Certainly... does this mean that the gentlemen[26] of the main platoon have already intruded into the Lava Caves?”


	“Probably,” said Savyna.


	“There is no way into or out of the Lava Caves other than the place they are guarding. There's no time to waste. Follow me.”


	Before anyone could stop her, Savyna was sliding down the slope. Kalas and Lyude looked at each other and stood up.


	“Good grief, a frontal assault, huh?” Kalas spoke while looking down at Savyna's back.


	Gibari hurriedly approached them.


	“Hey hey, you guys don't even have a plan. You don't know what'll happen if you just barge in suddenly.”


	“... But it's strange. I thought people were supposed to be living in Azha. Yet there are no private houses, and I can't see any people living here.”


	Lyude spoke in a muffled voice.


	“... Everyone lives in the mine tunnels. They make living spaces while digging. Besides, lots of the villagers were killed during the Azha clean-up operation two years ago[27]. The people of Azha, enduring the Empire's tyranny, rose up in revolt. The most vicious of the Empire's many military units, called the Mad Wolf Unit, was tasked with suppressing it. It was one of the most foolish operations out of those conducted by Emperor Geldoblame... I think it makes sense that they hide when the Imperial Army comes.”


	“... I see, so they're hiding in that cave, are they...”


	At Gibari's words, Kalas stared at the mouth of the pitch black tunnel opening into the rocky mountain. Wooden pillars surrounded the entrance to prevent the tunnel being blocked. When he looked at it again, he had the feeling that someone was peering out from that square of darkness.


	“... What a dark village,” said Kalas.


	“Not so much before, I've heard. In the stories of my nurse, who came from Azha, the smell of evening meals wafted from the tunnels, and you could hear the work songs of the men returning from the depths of the mine. It seemed like she loved those evenings. I expect this atmosphere is because of the massacre.[28]”


	With that, Lyude fell silent. Lyude's black military uniform was stained white by the enshrouding yellow sand. With the setting sun at his back, his expression was not visible.


	“Hey, that Savyna, she's really just going to walk right up to those Imperial soldiers.”


	Gibari hurriedly started to descend the slope. Kalas looked at Lyude, then spread his single wing and descended as though flying. The rest of the group followed afterwards.


	Near the entrance to the settlement, Savyna was surrounded by several Imperial soldiers. As Kalas and Gibari rushed to the scene, they heard a loud voice shouting.


	“Woman, can't you hear me!? I'm telling you that you can't go in any further from here!”


	Savyna tried to pass by them silently. The Imperial soldier unslung the gun from his shoulder and confronted Savyna.


	“Hold it right there! You lot!” shouted Gibari.


	The sight of the large man with prominent tattoos on his left shoulder running towards them, his hair shaking, caused the Imperial soldiers to become nervous. Savyna glanced at Kalas and the others as they approached. In an instant, Savyna was holding the Imperial soldier's gun tightly at her side.


	“Wh – you bastard!”


	Undaunted, the Imperial soldier tried to wield his gun. With a metallic sound, the gun fired. Savyna grabbed the soldier by the throat as he turned his gun on her in a panic. The bullets that were fired disappeared into the sky. Kalas and the others, who had caught up, stared between Savyna and the Imperial soldier in a daze. The remaining Imperial soldiers were also still reeling from the sudden events.


	“... Come to think of it, you... I've seen you before...”


	The soldier who had been grabbed by the throat spoke, gasping for breath.


	“... You bastard[29], are you Lady Death[30] from the Mad Wolf Unit...?”


	“... Will you try to stop me?”


	Savyna dropped the soldier's body to the ground. The soldier winced and groaned with intense pain. Another soldier helped him up, and the group of soldiers fled, giving Savyna a frightened look.


	“The Mad Wolf Unit... don't tell me, are you...?” said Lyude.


	“Yeah, I and my unit exterminated the rebels who were hidden away in the tunnels here.”


	Savyna muttered just those few words.


	“Hey, Savyna. What's this about? Are you an Imperial soldier?”


	“... It was a long time ago. I didn't especially feel the need to talk about it.”


	Savyna fixed Kalas with her sharp gaze. Lyude spoke.


	“But by no means did I expect you to be Lady Death, of all people. I am not in a position to tell you this, but... Nevertheless, that operation was...”


	Gibari patted Lyude's shoulder.


	“... Well, let's leave it at that. We've got better things to do than verify the facts of the past. People all do what they have to do. You pay your own bill. If you're prepared to do that, that's fine, right?”


	“But...”


	“Lyude,” said Xelha, shaking her head[31].


	Savyna slipped silently past Kalas' side and walked slowly into the middle of the village. Whispered voices filtered out from the open tunnels surrounding them.


	“Murderer...”


	Looking around, the people of Azha were visible hiding in the entrance tunnels of the mines. Their faces, blackened by oil soot, were filled with fear and a certain anger.


	–– The resentment from having one's close family killed never disappears.


	Kalas clutched his chest, remembering Fee and Grandpa Georg. If Savyna really had attacked the people of Azha, wounded them, killed them, then there must be as much anger in those mines as there was within him[32].


	Savyna suddenly stopped. The pitch black entrance to the Lava Caves was in front of her. Ten or so soldiers lined up in front of the caves, pointing their guns at Kalas and the others.


	“You bastards, don't move from there!”


	A person who appeared to be the captain of the squadron yelled. Gibari shouted back.


	“We can't do that. The Emperor's inside, right? We have a little business with His Majesty Geldoblame.”


	“His Majesty has important business to attend to. We can't let you bastards pass!”


	“You lot, do you even know what the Emperor is going to do?”


	At Gibari's words, the Imperial soldiers glanced at each other's faces.


	“... Th-that doesn't matter! At any rate, protecting this place is our duty!”


	“Most likely they're calling it a treasure hunt, right? This is not such a gentle thing as that.”


	Savyna began walking with complete indifference. Gibari faltered and looked at Savyna.


	“Do you want to see Lady Death?”


	Savyna looked back and forth at the soldiers to the left and right while speaking. The Imperial soldiers fell back as though frightened and the wall of people broke up. Kalas felt as though he could even hear them swallowing their spit.


	“W-wait...”


	The captain made a faint noise. Standing in front of him, Savyna stared at his face.


	“Did you think you'd win if you brought a gun?”


	With a casual movement, she grabbed the muzzle of the gun and lifted it upwards. With that alone the captain let go of the gun and fell to his buttocks. Savyna threw the gun down on the ground.


	“If you become my enemy I will show you no mercy. It's your decision.”


	The soldiers' postures were rigid, their guns held raised. Every time Savyna advanced, one by one they opened the way.


	Without words Kalas and the others followed after Savyna.


	Upon stepping into the Lava Caves, the air was so oppressively hot that it was difficult to breathe. Around the entrance, the Azha miners had constructed a frame of wood, which was solid and relatively easy to walk on. Here and there along the wall were torches burning, probably lit by the Imperial soldiers who had gone in ahead. The light from the torches licked all over the dark caves.


	From there, the caves opened up drastically. The pathway was also considerably wide. It was easier to get lost in the wider caves than the narrow, intricate ones. Fortunately, however, thanks to the boiling lava flowing here and there and creating pools of liquid, the caves were lit up with crimson light. But because of this it was so hot that it felt as though their lungs were burning just from taking a deep breath.


	Of the party, only Savyna was unaffected, and with a swift movement she walked over to the carcass of a huge creature lying across a rock. It was the corpse of a giant buffalo-like beast called a Ceratobus. The horns and legs were broken off, a pathetic end for such a ferocious beast. Savyna knelt by the side of the corpse and examined the scars for a while.


	“Just so you know, no one is to become incapacitated without permission. I'll leave the hindrances behind.”


	Savyna spoke. At those words, Lyude's body tensed up.


	“That's just fine. Let's do it.”


	Gibari folded his arms and looked around the caves.


	“We'll beat Geldoblame and take back the remaining End Magnus. Absolutely.”


	Mizuti spoke. Gibari nodded broadly.


	“But the Imperials have also devastated a lot. The monsters are getting agitated and gathering up.”


	Drawn in by Gibari's words, Kalas looked around the red cave. On the wall surfaces and in the dark places near the high ceiling the bloodsucking creatures called Foytow were flying around clamorously, and the figures of fierce animals called Magma Beasts were near the pools of lava.


	“There's no free time to deal with them one by one, let's break through them all at once.”


	Kalas made the suggestion while testing his winglet. The group nodded and prepared their Magnus equipment.


	*


	“Oryaaahh![33] Crystal shot!”


	Gibari swung his oar and drove the Foytow away. At the same time a water-coloured Magnus shone.


	The blood-sucking creature, with its insect-like limbs, crashed into a rock wall and disappeared in an outpouring of red Magnus. Savyna's fist struck the belly of a Magma Beast as it jumped at her. Mizuti's water magic pursued the falling Magma Beast, and the fearsome creature fell sideways in a cloud of white smoke.


	The group tumbled into a relatively narrow cave. Lyude was breathing hard, using his gun as a walking stick[34]. Gibari leaned against the bedrock, gasping.


	“Ha... I can't do any more than this... it's so hot, I can't breathe... it's so hot.”


	As ever, Savyna was the only one unaffected and she stood atop a rock with her arms folded, peering in front of her.


	“It's close. The sounds of battle.”


	“Dammit, those beasts. They're still chasing us. What do they have against us?”


	Gibari seemed to have had enough of the persistent growls from the fearsome creatures behind them.


	Kalas put his hand on his back and touched his winglet. He was having trouble with the condition of his winglet.


	Because it was far from the lava pools, which were the main source of light in the Lava Caves, the surrounding area was gloomy. Approximately thirty paces away, the cave turned, and a small light leaked from it.


	Suddenly the voices of the beasts became quiet. It was as though something had frightened them and they all fled. When it became quiet, the raucous sounds of battle were audible, just as Savyna had said. Kalas looked ahead. The sounds were coming from the direction of the light. Gunshots and shouting, and then screaming.


	“Have we caught up?” Gibari moved his neck from left to right two or three times with a cracking sound.


	“Let's go and have a look.”


	Xelha took the lead and they hurried towards the light.


	Inside was the deepest section of the Lava Caves, opening up into a large, wide cavern. Lava flows ran this way and that along the wall surfaces, scorching flames and smoke spewing forth from the cracked bedrock.


	Approximately half of the spacious cavern had been lost in a landslide, leaving an open abyss with no visible bottom. Sounds from the Imperial soldiers' guns echoed throughout the cavern. The stench of burnt Imperial soldiers scattered about, stifling into their faces together with the heat. In the middle of the cavern, surrounded by Imperial soldiers, the figure of Geldoblame was visible.


	“That's far enough! Geldoblame!”


	At the sound of Gibari's angry voice, Emperor Geldoblame turned around. He saw Kalas' face and smiled sneeringly.


	“Hmm, as expected it seems that Giacomo and his men were unable to stop you. What a bunch of extremely particular bastards[35]!”


	Spitting these words out, Geldoblame raised both slenderly depicted shoulders[36].


	A monster, made just of a huge mass of flame, gave a scream of agony and crashed into the furthest abyss. From the bottom of the deep hole a fierce wind blew upwards. Kalas instinctively covered half of his face with his sleeve.


	A person who seemed to be commander turned and shouted in surprise.


	“You're... Savyna, why are you here?”


	“I didn't think it was possible, Azdar, meeting you in this place[37]...”


	Savyna took a few steps forward and stopped, a faint look of agitation on her face.


	Geldoblame turned his gaze between Azdar and Savyna, after a moment breaking into loud laughter.


	“Kuhahaha, well well, two wild beasts from the Mad Wolves are reuniting here, are they? Thinking about it, I heard something about this cave being the place where they dumped all the corpses after the Azha clean-up operation. Well, what a very unpleasant story[38].”


	The Emperor looked at his surroundings, eyes glittering.


	“However, I feel that even a grudge like this is a blessing for me[39]. Ahh, what a pleasant timbre. Including the thousand-year grudge of the god called Malpercio...”


	“Hold it, Geldoblame!” At Gibari's shout, Emperor Geldoblame turned his back and started to walk towards the bottomless void, his flabby flesh shaking.


	“No matter how much you scream, the time has already come to fruition. The holy beast protecting the final seal has already been shot down by the Mad Wolf Unit. The seal of the last End Magnus has been released. However, it would be vexing to go home as it is. Since you came to all this trouble, I'll let you watch from there. The instant I become a god.”


	Geldoblame held up both his hands to the left and right. An eerie voice echoed around the cavern.


	<<The gate to He has been opened. Take it, the curse of Malpercio!>>


	“Dammit! This is bad,” mumbled Kalas.


	A small, shiny card-shaped object floated into the air with a trail of light. Geldoblame drew closer to it, trembling with deep emotion.


	“He, Ar, Che, Bo, Le... Finally the five End Magnus are all present here! Look at them.”


	Four shining Magnus cards spilled out of the Emperor's breast pocket and floated in mid-air, the five End Magnus drawing a circle shape and rising high above Emperor Geldoblame's head. Geldoblame gave a roar of laughter as though smothered by delight.


	“O-oi–” rushing forward, Gibari turned towards Kalas.


	“Yeah... this is bad. We have to stop him.”


	“You can't, stop!” Xelha shouted.


	Geldoblame smiled with satisfaction. He brandished a familiar pendant.


	“Do you remember this, girl? It's a credit to Giacomo and his team that they retrieved it at the last minute. Really, from the beginning to the end all of your actions have been a real pain. Well it's fine, when I grasp the power of the god the first thing I do will be to torture you to death.”


	As he said this, Geldoblame narrowed his eyes. He held the pendant containing the jewel of the earth aloft, and the End Magnus glowed even more.


	“Now, open. O door of darkness! Awaken. O ancient god! Grant me the power of the eternal god!”


	The jewel of earth shone with light as if in response to the End Magnus, finally shattering into scattered dust. The End Magnus faster and faster.


	*


	The Celestial Tree shuddered, its petals fluttering down more than ever.


	Mayfee raised her face and stared out of the window. Peach-coloured light bounced off the waterfalls and rivers flowing through Anuenue. On the bed, her grandmother coughed and watched the scene.


	–– The Celestial Tree is shaking.


	Although Mayfee was still a child, she was one of the guardians who watched over the Celestial Tree from its base. Her heart pounded terribly.


	“Grandmother, stay there! Watch out for the jar in the cupboard!”


	Rising to her feet, Mayfee rushed out of the house. As the earth shook, water from the waterfall splashed around, soaking the centre of the village. The villagers were shouting and pointing to the sky. The Celestial Tree was vibrating.


	However, the Celestial Tree was not the only thing that was shaking. The sky itself was trembling.


	Mayfee grasped both her hands together tightly. She raised her eyes and in the middle of the skies overhead a great black hole was opening. A crack ran from the hole in the sky like a bolt of lightning. She thought about Savyna, who had left this place to go on a journey.


	–– I'm sure that whatever Savyna was trying to stop has finally happened.


	Mayfee bit her lip and stared at the sky.


	*


	As usual Reblys, a fisherman from Nashira village, was drinking at the only tavern in the village, which was run by Anna the landlady.


	–– What should a fisherman do if he's frightened by a big wave?


	The remarks of that idiot Gibari, the fisherman who was formerly a knight (he doesn't know what he's talking about!) grated on his nerves, but it was true that the village had been drying up because of the recent flooding in the Lesser Celestial River. However, if the fishing ban was lifted in this situation, and if there were casualties, there would be no way to recover.


	–– That Gibari is real trouble. He still hasn't seen the horror of the waves.


	Anna propped herself up on her elbows and brought her face close to Reblys'.


	“I understand your worries, but you've had too much to drink, haven't you?”


	“Ha, it can't be helped when there's nothing better to do. The reason Gibari can do whatever he pleases is that I'm taking responsibility here.”


	“Gibari, huh... just what are you doing right now?”


	As Anna stared at the entrance to the tavern and Reblys lifted the glass to her mouth, at the same time they stopped moving.


	Outside, the people were shouting something. They could feel the unusual atmosphere even inside the bar. Reblys stood up, kicking his seat over, and ran out of the tavern. Anna followed after him in a hurry.


	“What the hell is that?”


	“Hey hey hey hey...”


	Reblys muttered, stunned. Thousands of fish, their silver scales glittering, were rushing into the heavens. As if in fear, the fish swam with all their strength, colliding into each other and crashing into the bottom of the Taintclouds one by one. As if chasing the school of fish, a black crack ran through the sky.


	“Gibari. Hey, what the hell did you do...?”


	Reblys looked in dismay at the school of fish passing overhead.


	*


	A thousand years ago – the lost continents, the lost oceans, a few people left scattered on a desolate surface. A clan of mages directly murdered the god and led the world into corruption.


	As recompense, they bore the responsibility for the purification of the world, watching over the Taintclouds and vowing to be guardians of the soil until the day the earth regained its natural state.


	A layer of clay melted by geothermal heat erupted through cracks in the earth, forming rivers of mud. In this land of stench and smoke they built their settlements. They all wore coloured masks to avoid the toxicity, and had developed a unique culture.


	The colourfully decorated buildings shook and the Children of the Earth rushed out. The poisonous purple Taintclouds blocking out the sky swirled at great speed.


	A boy was running, his feet caught in the shaking ground. He was a child called Kee, raised in Genma Village. Kee hurried to the residence of the respected Great Kamroh. When these anomalies happened, the first thing that came to Kee's mind was the phantom friendship of Mizuti. Mizuti had been missing in the sky for several months.


	The residence of the Great Kamroh, on the high ground above Genma Village, was crowded with visiting people. Kee noticed Mizuti's parents, who were looking up at the stage, and pulled their sleeves.


	“Kee[40],” said Mizuti's mother Kay, noticing him.


	“Is Mizuti...?” at Kee's words, Mizuti's father Koh shook his head.


	“Great Kamroh...[41]”


	“Something's happening in the sky!”


	The people were shouting. From the stage, the Great Kamroh spoke.


	“Do not panic, everyone. Mizuti is in the sky. That one is not a child, but is the strongest mage amongst the Children of the Earth. I'm sure they're still chasing the shadow of the evil god. Let's keep sending Mizuti our feelings. That is the greatest contribution we can make for this world.”


	A buzz spread throughout the crowd. Mizuti's parents nodded in grief and fell to their knees.


	–– Mizuti, good luck!


	Kee prayed to the blue sky he had never seen before.


	*[42]


	In the palace of Anuenue, Queen Corellia raised her face and looked at King Ladekahn, who was standing beside her. The atmosphere was buzzing and tense. Having lived for many years as the chiefs of their respective continents, they instinctively understood the foetal movements of the End Magnus.


	“This is... hopeless.”


	“A dimensional rift is opening!”


	Dragging his body, which was still injured and had not recovered movement, Ladekahn hurried to the balcony. Corellia followed right behind him.


	“They didn't get there in time–” groaned Ladekahn.


	Below their eyes in the streets of Komo Mai, people were gathering and pointing at the sky.


	King Ladekahn and Corellia the Fairy Priestess stared helplessly at the great hole in the far-away sky.


	A black sphere slowly emerged from the hole. The sphere emitted lightning, and protected by the sphere was a bizarre but beautiful black citadel. It raised the atmosphere and spread its mighty and sinister power across the whole sky.


	Cold sweat trickled down King Ladekahn's forehead.


	–– Malpercio's sanctuary, Cor Hydrae the Castle of Storms.


	*


	In the great cavern, Emperor Geldoblame's declarations continued. His laughter, overflowing with the unceasing desire to have everything in this world, echoed overhead. The light from the End Magnus intensified, dazzling Kalas' eyes.


	Suddenly a tremendous moaning voice came from the centre of the cavern. Emperor Geldoblame's voice sounded as though his entrails were being squeezed by a dust cloth[43].


	“O-oouuugh, t-the power, it's overflowing. What is this... it's hot, it's hot, it burns, I'm burning... I-is this the breath of Malpercio? … Aarrghh.”


	With a cry as though in his death throes, Emperor Geldoblame crawled over the bedrock. His body was like konpeito[44] candy, bulging and caving in all over the place. Kalas kept his alert gaze on the End Magnus above his head.


	Emperor Geldoblame's body swelled far beyond the size of a normal human being, and from his plump, flesh-coloured skin sprouted a series of long, thin tentacles. The Imperial soldiers were in an uproar.


	One of the tentacles sprouting from Geldoblame moved quickly, snatching up two Imperial soldiers together and tossing them high into the air. The Imperial soldiers, their arms and legs flailing, crashed into the far-off ceiling of the cavern with a sickening thud, sticking there without falling.


	A scream went up through the Imperial soldiers. Geldoblame's tentacles seized them one after the other, hurling them everywhere.


	Kalas mowed down an approaching tentacle with his sword. The tentacle twisted as though it had popped, leaving Kalas' side and grabbing the nearest soldier, pulling him in. The Imperial soldier's despairing voice trailed in their ears.


	“Kalas, are you all right?”


	Xelha and Gibari came running up to him.


	With a small nod, Kalas looked up at the End Magnus overhead.


	“The End Magnus, this is that power, is it...?”


	Lyude stared stunned at the Alfard Emperor – at his former master.


	“This... Emperor Geldoblame is...”


	“Lyude! Keep your head down!”


	Savyna rushed up to Lyude, pushing his body to the ground from behind. A large tentacle scythed the air right above them.


	“This is creepy,” sitting cross-legged in mid-air, Mizuti was floating up and down, seeming to have decided to sit on the sidelines and watch Geldoblame's rampage.


	<<What is... what's happening? My body, why... why is my body moving on its own... the power of the god... just what is it...>>


	The screams of the Imperial soldiers were overshadowed by the fretful voice uttered by Geldoblame. It no longer seemed to pass through human vocal organs. It reverberated like the sound of an organ, shaking the air.


	Xelha squeezed Kalas' arm tightly. Xelha's face was incredibly pale and her hand was shaking. Kalas laid his hand on top of hers and once again looked up at the End Magnus.


	The intense light pouring from the End Magnus cast a shadow of the deformed monster Geldoblame clearly on the bedrock. A cluster of long tentacles sprouted from around the waist of the giant Geldoblame, writhing eerily like a horde of snakes.


	“Ahh, you're looking even more amazing than usual, Your Majesty.”


	At the sound of that cool voice, the atmosphere in the cavern suddenly became still.


	In the entrance of the cave there stood a girl wearing white clothes. Kalas bit his lower lip and looked at the girl.


	“Lady Melodia[45]...?” murmured Xelha.


	“Your Majesty, the five End Magnus aren’t the corpse of a god, you know,” as she said this, Melodia laughed pleasantly.


	<<Melodia... why are you here?>>


	Behind Melodia was an imposing line of Imperial soldiers, armed with rifles. A young man of attractive face and figure stood next to Melodia with deft agility, removing the rifle from his shoulder.


	<<Ungh... Fadroh... as well? … But more importantly, Melodia, what do you mean the End Magnus are not the corpse of a god...>>


	“The five End Magnus are, to be more precise, the bodies of the gods.”


	Saying this, Melodia exchanged a graceful smile with Fadroh.


	<<Wh... that, what are... you saying?>>


	“So, each of them is a part of five separate gods. He is head. Che is chest. Ar is arm. Bo is body. Le is leg[46]. The being called Malpercio, awoken by the releasing of the five End Magnus, is a crazed god of five disparate parts joined together to form a coherent whole. Do you really think that an ordinary human being could survive the torrent of Magnus spewing from the power of such a cursed god, Your Majesty, the most exalted emperor in the world? Do you think it is possible to remain sane when touched by the madness and anger of this chaotic god?”


	The monster that had been Geldoblame contorted his body pathetically.


	<<C-could it be... have you deceived me, Melodia?>>


	Melodia giggled.


	“Deception is such a hard word to hear. Gracious, but the one skilled at deception is Your Majesty, isn't it? Your Excellency has only misunderstood and deluded yourself. But thanks to you, all the End Magnus have been released from their seals. But please don't be concerned. I shall safely inherit the power of Malpercio. Thank you... and goodbye, Your Majesty Emperor Geldoblame[47].”


	The expression suddenly disappeared from Melodia's face. One hand was raised into mid-air. Instantly the sound of gunshots echoed around the cavern.


	Kalas and his group quickly threw their bodies to the ground, watching. Fadroh's squadron shot mercilessly at Geldoblame's body. One by one the bullets split open Geldoblame's body, and pitch black Magnus sprayed out like rain. Flailing, Geldoblame's body was pushed to the ledge of the bottomless pit.


	<<Y... You... My body is... My. Body. Iiiisss....>>


	Geldoblame's intention seemed to be trying to advance, but the lump of flesh impregnated by the raging power of the End Magnus was only stretching and contracting haphazardly.


	Geldoblame twisted his body at the edge of the cliff in a last resistance.


	<<.... Don't tell me... I... like this... so insignificant...>>


	A storm of gunfire shot through Geldoblame's body. Losing his balance, Geldoblame toppled abruptly over the edge of the cliff.


	The gunfire stopped and a false calm permeated the cavern. The sobbing of the cowering Imperial soldiers was audible. Looking around to the left and right, Kalas slowly rose to his feet.


	“Kalas...?”


	Without answering Xelha's call, Kalas began to walk to the edge of the cliff.


	I, the spirit, noticed that Kalas' heart had grown cold. There was a faint sensation as though the memories that had been lost since Sadal Suud were returning. However, what I remembered was a very unpleasant feeling as though my soul had been rubbed with filth.


	“You're master of the bottom of that hole, huh Geldoblame?”


	Kalas stood at the edge of the ledge, staring into the bottomless darkness and speaking in a small murmur.


	A tremendously dark abyss stretched out before his eyes. Geldoblame's figure was completely engulfed by it, there was not even a trace remaining. From the depths of the deep, deep darkness there blew a warm wind, mixed with faint screams.


	“Now at last, the charade is over.” I heard Melodia's voice.


	Kalas slowly turned around. Suddenly, the world as seen by the spirit shook for a moment, becoming a double projection, the comrades' figures shaking. The world swayed violently.


	As the world tilted at an angle, Melodia smiled and spread her arms.


	“... You have done well. Everything went according to plan. I am grateful to you for manipulating those fools gathered over there and fulfilling your divine duty. Accept your reward.”


	Xelha's group all looked at each other in disbelief.


	Lyude raised his gun, but he did not know who to point it at and the barrel moved vaguely from side to side. The companions each raised their weapons and backed away from each other.


	“Wait, everyone!” shouted Xelha.


	In the awkward silence that suddenly fell, only Kalas remained calm. As Kalas looked around the scenery of the large cavern flowed bewilderingly.


	For an instant, the spirit was almost ripped away from Kalas, but managed to cling to the inside. The End Magnus were emitting energy like a storm. The world as the spirit saw it was spinning violently, swept by the raging power.


	“The one helping her... the one helping Melodia was me.”


	In the middle of the torrent of Magnus, only that voice was clearly audible. Something was shining with light on the ground. Kalas moved away from the ledge and walked towards that light.


	“Kalas... don't tell me, you're–?” It was Gibari's voice.


	Stunned, he put aside his oar. The soldiers accompanying Melodia raised their guns, gradually contracting their besiegement of Xelha's group. In a cramping, muddled consciousness, the spirit saw Kalas and Xelha's gazes intersect for a moment. Some griping pain prickled in Kalas' heart. Silence fell, the only audible noises the sobbing of the Imperial soldiers, who did not know what was happening.


	“... So then, you planned everything?”


	At Gibari's voice, Kalas nodded.


	“... Yeah, we used you lot to get the End Magnus gathered where Geldoblame was... in other words, to complete Melodia's cause.”


	“You mean that you knew from the beginning that something like this would happen...?”


	Lyude looked at the cliff that Geldoblame had fallen from. Suddenly the spirit once again had the feeling of being ripped off Kalas' body. The spirit called to Kalas strenuously. Kalas just shrugged his shoulders.


	“... I wanted to avenge Fee and Gramps' deaths. For that, I wanted power. I wanted to become strong. Using the power of the spirit, I thought if I acquired the power of the End Magnus then that too would be possible. So in Sadal Suud I stole those memories and asked for the spirit's cooperation.”


	Picking up the fragments of the shattered jewel of the earth, Kalas walked towards Xelha.


	Xelha dropped her cane to the ground and stood there clutching both her shoulders. Her blue eyes were moist and trembling. Kalas raised his fist in front of Xelha, and Xelha, as if realising his intention, extended both hands. The fragments of the jewel of the earth dropped into the bowl made by the palms of her hands, glinting white. Xelha clenched both hands tightly, bringing them to her chest. Turning his eyes away from Xelha, Kalas spoke.


	“... You, spirit[48], can go back to your own world. Spirits have their own reality, right?”


	Melodia's voice echoed around the cavern.


	“Well, Kalas. Become what you want to be. Leave your wishes to the power of the End Magnus. Touch the vitality of god... you will be reborn, Kalas!”


	“No, you can't, Kalas! Don't touch that power!”


	At Xelha's shout, Kalas' legs stopped for a moment. Melodia's high-pitched laugh echoed.


	“What are you afraid of? If it's you it'll be fine. You won't become like His Majesty the Emperor. After all, you are protected by the power of the spirit. Even if you touch Malpercio's anger and madness, there is nothing to fear. Now, believe in it, in Malpercio's – in the mighty power of a god!”


	Nodding, Kalas began to walk directly underneath the revolving End Magnus. At the same time the End Magnus had been descending little by little, and now they were at a height where, if one extended a hand, they could be touched. The spirit tried with full power to hold out but was unable to stop his steps.


	Extending his hand, Kalas touched the light of the End Magnus. The power of the mighty Magnus, filled with the deep-seated grudge of a thousand years, raged and shook inside Kalas. The spirit experienced a thousand years of negative human history and forgot themself in the torrent.


	Kalas was screaming as though crying out in despair.


	“Look! Finally it's in my hand! My true form! Look at these beautiful wings! Ahh, the power is overflowing. This is the power of the mighty Malpercio! It's the fire of the gods, of life!”


	Raising shouts that shook his whole body, Kalas suddenly stopped moving.


	“... You get it, right?... I don't need your power any more, spirit. Because the power of the eternal god is in my hands now. It's regrettable, but there's no place for you to exist here anymore. Thanks for everything you've done until now. Go back to your own world and do it in good health.”


	Kalas put his own hand on his chest, murmuring quietly.


	“Your story is finished. We probably won't meet again.”


	The world blurred into double images. At the moment that I was ripped away from Kalas' body, though it was only faint, I had a feeling I could hear the voice of a crying child. Far below me I could see the figure of Kalas looking up at me.


	From then, my memories suddenly broke off, coming to an end until I joined up with Xelha.


	*


	Once, there was a war between the humans and the gods. It was said that the humans wanted the power of the gods, and, opposing them, the gods challenged them to fight. The humans barely won, but after the foolish war, the earth was already too stained with pollution for human habitation. A group of mages gathered up the dismembered bodies of the gods, sealing each of the five parts within the five continents. The continents, borrowing the power of the gods, carried the people away to the unpolluted sky.


	The power of the mages covered the earth with the Taintclouds for the sake of cleansing the pollution.


	In the end all that remained was the ocean, and finally, a little later than the five continents, the Ice Country of Wazn rose inconspicuously above the Taintclouds far into the sky.


	That continent floated in the remote sky, far from the five continents. For a thousand years, the witches of Wazn had watched over the world from afar. Wazn was the birthplace of the witches wandering the world, a country where even certain places were forgotten. In a climate with year-round snow, the people lived in buildings made of ice that never melted.


	The sky was enveloped in a blizzard. The hatch at the front of Xelha's basket was open and she stood in the exposed opening. Blowing breath on her hands, pressing that warmth to her frozen face. The atmosphere was already completely frozen. The ship would soon be approaching Wazn.


	Approximately a week had passed since the incident in the Lava Caves.


	However, Malpercio had barely reached the time of rebirth again. While it was true that the five End Magnus had been released in the Lava Caves, it seemed as though some other power was necessary to activate him as a god and bring about his birth. But demons were spilling out of Cor Hydrae, repeatedly attacking each continent. King Ladekahn of Diadem and Duke Calbren of Mira stood in command in the battle against the demons, but the situation was steadily becoming worse and worse. Melodia and Kalas were in the fortress in Imperial territory, waiting for something. It remained unclear why they did not seclude themselves in the impenetrable Cor Hydrae.


	After escaping the prison and rescuing her comrades, they convened at the seat of Queen Corellia the Fairy Priestess where they raised the story of Wazn, the legendary country of the witches, and it was decided that they needed to ask the Ice Queen to lend her wisdom.


	Although this vehicle was called a ship, it was nothing more than a floating creature with a basket for its riders. Only the Alfard Empire was able to make machines that flew by purely industrial means. Now that the Empire had effectively collapsed, that technology may also be lost. Or would the technology of flight be leaked to all five continents, and, with the help of machines, all people would be able to fly? If that happened, would people all over the world lose their wings of the heart like the people of the Empire?


	Also inside the basket were the four companions who had survived the adventure thusfar. Gibari, Lyude, Savyna, Mizuti. I did not understand the heart of Savyna, who did not express much emotion, but the other members of the group seemed to be very excited, their hearts fluttering at the thought of Wazn, a land which they had not yet seen. As for the relationships between the companions, after crossing that land of death they were slowly coming to terms with their pasts, which were difficult to overcome, and their hearts were becoming as one.


	A distant sharp silhouette hovered in the pure white sky. The country of Wazn, a huge blue castle made of ice which had the appearance of a peacock spreading its wings. On either side of the huge spire, which was the main building of the castle, there were two giant pillars piercing the sky, surrounded by radiating columns of ice. Looking closely, the fine carvings visible on the ice seemed to emit blue light rays from within, and it was as though the surface was covered with another sculpture carved from light.


	Gibari and the others were overwhelmed by the sight of that form. It was the queen's castle Kaffaljidhma. Looking at this type of beautiful figure for the first time in a long time, I had a feeling that the fluctuations of my heart had been softened. I felt as though I could accept my destiny immediately.


	“Xelha, the Great Mizuti be thinking instead of meeting the Ice Queen with such a serious face it be better to be meeting her with a smile[49].”


	“Great Mizuti, even if you smile politely, isn't it completely pointless?”


	Gibari stared at Mizuti's mask as he spoke.


	Xelha clenched her fist firmly. The time to just be Xelha was over. She blew out a deep breath.


	“Everyone, welcome to my kingdom–”


	Smiling, Xelha spread both her hands. Gibari and the others all looked at her face in puzzlement.


	“I am the Ice Queen.”


	*


	Though it had been a long time since she had been in her own bedroom, the room was clean and tidy without a speck of dust – the servants had probably been working very hard. Because of special magic, the ice chairs and ice sleeping slab were never cold. Still, today somehow felt chilly.


	Xelha sat down on her bunk and let out a puff of breath.


	Xelha felt the cool touch of Meemai on her neck. The Greythornes scattered all around the world were waiting for that instant.


	Destruction or rebirth.


	Either way, when that time came Xelha would no longer have a human form.


	Whether it was the freezing cold or the blazing heat, she loved everything in the world that she could feel in a human form.


	“Lady Xelha –”


	In the doorway there stood the figure of a tall old woman. She was Barnette[50], the great grandmother who had looked after Xelha since her childhood, the oldest of the four witch sisters and the one who united the witches. The old blue-figured witch smiled serenely at Xelha and spread both hands wide.


	“Once again, welcome, I am truly glad you have returned safe and sound... Lady Xelha.”


	The familiar smile on her face gave Xelha strength. The stress that had been building up throughout the journey suddenly seemed to loosen.


	The tall old woman bent her waist and knelt before Xelha.


	“That's alright, Barnette. I must earnestly thank you for my strength. It's thanks to you that this country was governed well and without incident while I was away.”


	“Not at all, Lady Xelha you have done your duty well. My work is insignificant compared to that.”


	“What is everyone doing?”


	“After dining, it seems that everyone is taking a rest. Perhaps they were tired from the long boat journey. In addition, there is Wazn's coldness. Even this old woman, who lives here all year round, freezes sometimes.”


	“Truly. Returning after so long, I was surprised. That Wazn was this cold.”


	“... During your journey, above all you were blessed with good companions.”


	“They are friends who have passed me. Because without any assurances, they fought together for me.”


	Xelha quickly lowered her eyes.


	“And now, Lady Xelha, would you please tell me the story? Why have you come back here when the fight is not yet over?”


	“... You perceived that a long time ago right, grandmother?”


	“... Is it the Ocean Mirror?” said Barnette.


	Xelha nodded.


	Barnette spoke.


	“Keeping the Ocean Mirror is an important role that the Ice Queens have undertaken for generations. When the queens lose their physical bodies, they enter the lake of dragons and take charge of protection of the sacred treasure – the Ocean Mirror. And, in order to take the mirror and use its power, a trial must be undertaken.”


	“... Perform the ritual. I am prepared. I am the Ice Queen.”


	“Lady Xelha, if you have decided that the Ocean Mirror is necessary then I cannot stop you. However, if it is acceptable, would you tell me the story? What is the current state of the world? Why has the Ocean Mirror become necessary?”


	Nodding, Xelha narrated what had happened up until arriving here. After listening to the long story, Barnette let out a long sigh.


	“I see, Lady Xelha... It seems you have had a terrible adventure.”


	“It is now or never to stop Melodia. At the moment the power of Malpercio has not yet been activated. This is the last chance to stop Malpercio's revival.”


	“Lady Xelha... I do not think that you, Lady Xelha, will fail the trial. However, the Ocean Mirror is brought out. That means the promised date from the prophecy is drawing near... possibly Lady Xelha's last –”


	“Nobody knows that. But I will not run away from my mission. Grandmother, I will do what I have to do.”


	Barnette stood up in determination.


	“Lady Xelha, if you are prepared I will not say anything further. Let us prepare for the ritual by tomorrow. Lady Xelha, may you have the blessings of the Ocean.”


	*


	The next day, while Xelha was taking the trial of the previous generations of Ice Queens at the Lake of the Dragon, the rest of the group waited together with Barnette in a single room inside the palace. For Gibari and the others, once they had finished their meal there was nothing to do but talk, and the topic of conversation naturally turned to Xelha.


	“The rituals and ordeals you referred to, are they dangerous?”


	Lyude asked Barnette.


	“Well, I do not know what it will be like. However in the last thousand years, the Ocean Mirror has never once been taken out of Wazn.


	“However, if it is Lady Xelha, she will absolutely get it done, I am sure of it.”[51]


	Gibari scratched his head.


	“Xelha is so straightforward that I'm worried when I see her. She lives believing in herself, believing in her comrades. It's kind of painful. Well, to be honest I was surprised. That Xelha was the Ice Queen. I thought a king or a queen would be a more quick-witted and politically talented person.”


	Gibari stretched out uncomfortably on the chair of ice.


	“Certainly,” Lyude nodded. “Someone like Emperor Geldoblame, or Lord Rodolfo of Sadal Suud, that kind of image.”


	“Even those like the Fairy Priestess Corellia or King Ladekahn don't move that impulsively. Maybe only the Ice Queen is special?”


	Gibari folded his arms and twisted his neck.


	“Lady Xelha is special,” said Barnette. “In generations of Queens there has never been a person like that. Surely even among the Queens, Lady Xelha has been born with a special mission.”


	“What is that mission?”


	“When the world is in danger, the Queen must use her power to prevent it... the mages who once sealed the power of the god in the End Magnus knew that one day Malpercio would build up his power in the depths of darkness and spew it out into the world.”


	For generations, the witches of Wazn had, from the far corners of the world, long watched over the lives of the people living in the sky, following a promise made in the distant past. Even though the people of the world had forgotten them, they never forgot about the world. After coming to Anuenue and setting up the magical barrier around the rainbow city, the three witches, who were the younger sisters of Barnette, scattered throughout the world, always listening and paying attention to the ominous movements of Malpercio's resurrection.


	“... I see.” Gibari groaned after receiving Barnette's explanation. “So you and Xelha's battle started long before we began our journey, huh?”


	“Mission, battle... is it...?” muttered Lyude.


	“... This time, I cannot run away any more. I boycotted the Azha clean-up operation, was chased out of the Imperial Army, became Ambassador to Diadem... It was never something I could be proud of. To put it bluntly, I ran away. I was so afraid of my own powerlessness that I thought I could rot away as a useless Ambassador to Diadem. During this journey, I have been able to start believing a little in my own strength. I cannot thank you all enough.”


	Savyna closed her eyes and held one of her legs.


	“The Azha clean-up operation... Since that operation I have never been able to point a weapon at a non-combatant. If that happens, I can no longer fulfil my orders. I became unable to fight. For me, that directly meant death. I succumbed to fear. I turned my back on everything I had done until then and deserted the army. After that I went from place to place and obtained the witch's prophecy. It said, if you wait at the foot of the Celestial Tree, your true battle will begin. From then I settled in the village at the base of the waterfall and waited all the time for you to finally arrive... It's thanks to Xelha that I can walk properly. Xelha, and Kalas–”


	As she said this, Savyna suddenly got a distant look in her eyes.


	“Hopefully the ritual is about to be over.”


	Barnette stood up.


	“Let us go and welcome her.”


	*


	Xelha was standing in the depths of the lake in the dark cavern. The terrifying, extremely-low temperatures were freezing the centre of her body. She wondered if her body had even frozen to the core. If she stepped forward even one step, she thought she would break and shatter. Already she could not feel her skin. In front of Xelha there stood the figure of a tall, beautiful woman. The lower half of her body was made of ice, and her expression was also frozen and crisp. Xelha continued staring at that face.


	Suddenly the woman's cold expression melted away and a kind smile appeared on her face.


	–– You have overcome the trial. The generations of previous Queens have judged you. Now, take the Ocean Mirror.


	The binding spell of ice disappeared from Xelha's entire body. Xelha breathed out a sigh of relief and put her hand on her chest.


	–– Xelha, you understand, right? The meaning of the Ocean Mirror being taken out and that power being used. The possibility that you are the final Ice Queen is very high.


	“Mother. I am also an Ice Queen. I am always prepared.”


	Xelha took a step back and bowed deeply to the fading illusion of her mother.


	In the traces where the illusion of her mother had vanished, a single long-handled mirror was left behind.


	*


	Climbing a small hill, the town of Cursa was visible spread out below the ice castle.


	Buildings like delicately carved glass sculptures glistened in the sunlight. Here and there throughout the streets, the snowmen made by the techniques of fastidiously competing children somehow exposed vague, hollow expressions.


	In the town square there was a natural ice rink, and the children were playing and skating on top of it. Dressed in heavy, colourful clothing, the children skated dexterously on the ice.


	“Well, how do you like my homeland?”


	“Of course, it's a little bit cold but the town is beautiful and the people are warm.”


	Gibari spoke.


	Xelha smiled.


	“By the way, Xelha. Exactly what are we doing here? I thought that without a doubt we would immediately fly back to the Empire, the place where Kalas and Melodia are, but – ”


	Lyude asked the question.


	“We're waiting,” Xelha smiled impishly.


	“You say waiting, what for?” Gibari raised his eyebrows.


	“Our new transport.”


	“New transport? Aren't we returning on the boat we arrived in?”


	“Because from now it will be a battle against time, I felt that that boat would not have sufficient speed to continue. For the sake of flying back to the place where Kalas and Melodia are as soon as possible, right?”


	“What, I don't get it –”


	As he said this, Gibari looked up to the sky and lost his words. Grinning broadly, Xelha outstretched both her arms towards the sky. Descending from the sky, calmly beating the wind with its two wings, was a dragon, the holy White Dragon of Wazn.


	“Don't tell me... when you said 'transport,' you meant we would be riding on that?” Lyude was trembling with fear.


	“It's ok, it won't attack humans. It's a proud creature. It is the last dragon left in the world.”


	With Xelha's guidance, the group timidly climbed on to the dragon's back. A great crowd of people from Cursa gathered to see the dragon off.


	On the dragon's back, while the wind blew in her face, Xelha remembered the parting conversation she had had with Barnette.


	–– Hey, grandmother. Can the Ocean Mirror help those people who are possessed by the curse of Malpercio?


	–– I hear that the Ocean Mirror can repel all evil. If the feeling is strong enough, or...


	Xelha gazed beyond the clouds and murmured inside her heart.


	Kalas, wait for me. Because I'll definitely save you from that darkness.


	Gibari, who was gradually becoming accustomed to riding on the dragon's back, scratched his chin while grinning broadly.


	“Not a moment too soon, huh? Xelha... you risked your life to get that Ocean Mirror for more than just stopping Melodia, didn't you?”


	“Yes, that's the case, right?” Lyude smiled.


	“I-it's not like that! But Kalas is– ”


	“It's not really anything to hide like that. Because we all feel the same way. I'm sure we will certainly get Kalas back from Malpercio's grasp.”[52]


	“Let's go. We won't stop a moment longer until we get to the place where Melodia and Kalas are.”


	Savyna spoke.


	“We be getting the point!” shouted the Great Mizuti[53].


	Far below, the golden fortress of the Empire drew closer.


	*


	The culture of the Empire had concentrated its facilities in the huge room that formed the core of the fortress. Viewed from the inside, the room was shaped like a vast sphere, and machines filled the walls from the abyss far below to the high dome-shaped ceiling.


	A wide corridor stretched straight through the centre of the room, connecting the circular base with the outside. This was the only path to enter the room. Xelha's group of five people and one Meemai ran through the arched entryway into this huge room.


	Melodia was sitting on a throne in the base, her body shaking with good spirits. Beside her stood Kalas, his white wings closed. The beautiful Melodia wearing her pure white clothes together with the figure of Kalas and his pure white wings were like a picture of holy beings. The five radiant End Magnus, glowing pure white, were spinning above their heads, illuminating them with a divine light. Melodia's voice echoed through the spherical dome.


	”Welcome, everyone. I wonder, have you gathered here to celebrate the birth of god? Look, the End Magnus are also delighted. You are welcome.”


	Gibari brandished his oar and shouted.


	“Melodia, I'm not going to let you do what you want!”


	“I'll take my homeland back from you at any cost![54]”


	Lyude pointed his gun at Melodia.


	Melodia narrowed her eyes and smiled.


	“Go ahead, try it and see. You fools.”


	“Kalas... please. Go back to being Kalas!”


	Xelha was facing Kalas and shouting, but Kalas merely stared blankly at the group with his eyes, which were painted pitch black.


	“Open your eyes, Kalas!” shouted Mizuti.


	Melodia stretched out a thin hand and caressed Kalas' white wings.


	“It's no use. Once touched by god's radiance, there's no turning back. Never. He can't go back to being a mere human.”


	Xelha shook her head.


	“Melodia, why are you doing this? If Malpercio wakes up, this world will–!”


	“The god wants to revive. No matter what form it takes. That is all I am saying. A long time ago, humans destroyed the god and tore him to pieces. I am trying to atone for that. I am the humans' representative. I won't let anyone do evil. Kalas, get rid of these insects.”


	Stopping the hand which was caressing the wing, Melodia softly pushed on his back. Kalas flapped his large wings and soared into the air. He readied his sword.


	“I don't want to fight with you guys... but I will kill those who oppose god!”


	Clicking his tongue, Gibari looked overhead and drew his oar through his hands[55].


	“There's no choice! Stop Kalas' movement. Then use that mirror and seal Malpercio's power.”


	Xelha nodded and readied the mirror.


	A twisted smile came onto Kalas' face. Suddenly the smile became stiff and Kalas stared at Xelha. “This sensation. Don't tell me, the spirit is inside Xelha?”


	Nodding, Xelha placed her hand on her chest and evoked my, the spirit's, power.


	“That's right, the spirit is here together with me. Together we will open your eyes. Now, I will rescue you from the hands of the evil god!”


	Kalas was slightly dismayed. Clicking his tongue, he corrected his grip on his sword and reverse-edged cutlass.


	“Can you do that to me!?”


	Gibari spread both hands and shouted.


	“Come on, Kalas! I'll crumple you up!”


	Fluttering his white wings, Kalas immediately reduced the distance.


	It was a tremendous speed.


	A flashing slicing attack assaulted Gibari. Gibari managed to catch the attack and, while knocked down by the force of the blow, swung his oar at Kalas with all his strength. Kalas spread his wings and rose up into the air, avoiding the attack effortlessly.


	Leaving an afterimage in midair, Kalas flew at Savyna. Savyna jumped reflexively, but Kalas, wielding both his weapons like a storm, pursued her to the edge of the handrail.


	“I got you!”


	Kalas shouted with fighting spirit[56] and raised his sword. With her arm outstretched, Savyna deflected the sword and aimed a roundhouse kick at Kalas' flank. In an instant Kalas' body was surrounded by flames. Kalas bent his body in two[57] and swung his sword. Blown back by the sword pressure, Savyna hit her back against the railing.


	“Kalas, over here!”


	Mizuti, who was floating in mid-air, spread both arms, uttering a spell. From the palm of one hand flew countless bullets of Magnus light, striking Kalas. In spite of the power, Kalas rushed forward and a moment later he swung his sword in front of Mizuti's eyes.


	However, the sword's downward swing sliced through air. Kalas clicked his tongue. A short distance away, Xelha was holding Mizuti and remaining airborne. Her crystal clear insect-like wings were beating the air quietly.


	“... Kalas. Do you intend to fight us no matter what? Do you want to kill us no matter what?”


	Spreading his wings left and right, Kalas looked around at his former comrades.


	“... I will kill every last one of the god's enemies...”


	Kalas easily flicked away the bullet shot by Lyude.


	“You stupid bastard! Do you know how hard Xelha is working for your sake?”


	Gibari shouted angrily, swinging his oar around.


	Flying around, Kalas was a flash of white light. He flew at Gibari, his two swords ready at his side. Throwing down his oar, Gibari spread both hands. Grabbing both of Kalas' arms with his hands, holding the swords beneath his arms. Blood spattered everywhere, staining Kalas' cheek.


	Screaming with pain and fighting spirit, Gibari tightly gripped the two swords between his arms.


	“Do it! Open his eyes!”


	Savyna flew up into mid-air. With her fist wreathed in flame, she punched Kalas in the face. The bullets of darkness shot by Lyude hit Kalas hard in succession. Kalas recoiled and let out an angry cry. Suddenly Gibari let go of his hands. He shoved the staggering Kalas in the chest, at the same time throwing a Magnus card into the air. Grabbing the green-coloured oar that appeared, glittering, in the air, he struck Kalas in the stomach.


	As Kalas' body drew a parabola in mid-air, he was shot out of the sky by the pillar of magic fired by Mizuti. Kalas crashed across the corridor on his back.


	There was a small round of applause.


	“Ahh... what a shame, Kalas. I suppose this is as far as you've come.”


	Melodia was staring at Xelha's group, smiling faintly.


	“But, look. Thanks to you, it seems that the End Magnus are finally being released here.”


	“What did you say!?” Gibari readjusted his grip on the oar, looking up at the End Magnus spinning in mid-air above him with his mouth open wide. A strong light was spewing out of the End Magnus, becoming a ring of light floating in mid-air.


	“What exactly is the meaning of this!?” shouted Lyude.


	“What do you mean? Do you still not understand, you are truly foolish. Don't you understand why we did not enter the impenetrable Cor Hydrae? Because I was waiting for you. This resonates with you, you see. To completely release the Magnus, it was necessary to have power to rival the god's power. The five continents, the power of the five gods, ahh, and then you, the power of the trust, unity and solidarity of five scattered people... Ahh, what a group of irredeemable idiots. Your bonds are the key to Malpercio's resurrection!”


	A five-coloured beam of light burst forth from the circle of light, striking the five comrades across the corridor.


	“What the... my body's hot...!” Gritting his teeth, Gibari fell to one knee.


	Lyude bent back and howled.


	“... What is this, the power is overflowing!”


	“Th-this be the power of the god... it seems,” Mizuti collapsed supine in the corridor and groaned.


	Savyna, who had been slowly retreating, fell to her knees as if she had lost all her strength.


	“My body isn't moving...” Xelha's body was trembling minutely from the overwhelming power flowing into it.


	Floating into mid-air, Melodia laughed out loud.


	“You all linked with the End Magnus passing through the dimensional rifts. Even though the End Magnus have been taken away, the power of the gods still lingers on each continent. You travelled around each continent and gathered that power in your bodies, and now you are united in trust. And you took the trouble to bring it all the way here for me, the power to bind together Malpercio out of the disparate gods!”


	The five-coloured energies flowing into them caused Xelha's group to suffer and squirm. Now even the strength of the spirit was powerless. The world transformed listlessly, the machine-covered walls pulsated and looked as though they were filled with a living slimy mucous.


	Remaining suspended in mid-air, Melodia slowly came closer.


	“Now, Kalas. Now it is up to us to show our will and determination for the birth of a new life.”


	Glancing at Xelha and her suffering group, Kalas stood up. Staggering, he reached his hand out to Melodia floating in mid-air. Melodia took his hand, slowly floating down to land on the ground. The two advanced, stepping beneath the End Magnus' circle of light.


	“After many long years, this is the day of the End Magnus' release! Be born! Live! Our mother and our infant! Cursed god Malpercio!”


	The energy surging from the collapsed group lying on the group became a raging wave and was sucked in to the circle of light. The strength slipped out of Xelha's whole body and her vision became blurry and pure white.


	In her heart, Xelha recalled the words of the promise she had made with her mother. Kalas' journey, the warriors who had died protecting her, many faces crossed her mind.


	–– Not yet, not yet. Do I allow it?


	Xelha took a Magnus out from her breast pocket. Leaving a glow, it transformed into a mirror. The light of the End Magnus was bounced off, and began to flow back. Melodia's face twisted in pain.


	“Don't tell me... is that the Ocean Mirror? Why is that in your hands!?”


	Kalas staggered, looking at Xelha.


	“St... op... Xelha.”


	Xelha turned the mirror towards Kalas.


	“This will drive out the power of the god! Please, come to your senses!”


	White light overflowed, pouring out of the mirror. White smoke blew up out of Kalas' body. Shrieking, Kalas fell to his knees.


	“Wh-what is this!? The Ocean Mirror, it isn't only negating Malpercio's power?”


	Panicking, Xelha turned the mirror away from Kalas. Kalas collapsed in the corridor, one hand flailing powerlessly. White smoke rose from each fingertip of that hand. Melodia's words echoed in my head.


	–– Once touched by god's radiance, there's no turning back. Never.


	“No...”


	Xelha stared at Kalas absently. Kalas was crouched down. Smoke was rising from his entire shaking body. They were surrounded by the agonised voices of her companions. The mirror was pointed downwards helplessly, reflecting the floor. In pain and losing her strength, Xelha once again lay on the floor. When he raised his face, Kalas stared at Xelha. His eyes were as kind as when he had told her about Fee.


	“... Xelha, I... am ok. Use that mirror... I was enchanted by the power of the god... but just a bit of sanity still remained... I betrayed you irredeemably... use that mirror... then you guys, get out of here.”


	“No... I can't. That... That's just...”


	Xelha lowered her face. The light from the End Magnus grew stronger and stronger, and the companions struggled in the middle of that power. The faint noise of Meemai's cries from inside her hood kept Xelha slightly conscious.


	“Is this farce over?”


	Melodia was mocking them. Xelha was struck by a shockwave which pushed her back and she collided with the handrail across the corridor. The Ocean Mirror held in her hand smashed as though it had exploded.


	“Really, it was a shrewd action.”


	Melodia sniffed.


	“But in the end you are only a child of humans... stumbling over trivial things. All of your relationships work for Malpercio, just as they were calculated to. Before the power of god, humans do not surpass insects. No matter what cheap tricks you use, it is useless. There is nothing to do, just be submissively trampled underfoot!” Loud laughter echoed around the room.


	“... Kalas.” Raising her head weakly, Xelha looked at Kalas. She exchanged glances with the crouching Kalas. For an instant the expression on Kalas' pain-twisted face looked as though he was crying, and a light lit up in his hollow gaze.


	“... Xelha...”


	Above their heads, the light beams of energy swirled. The air quivered, transmitted to Xelha's cheeks. Raising her head, Xelha looked above her.


	“Ah, you've awoken at last. My Malpercio!”


	Still floating in mid-air and raising her voice as though screaming, Melodia held both of her hands high and laughed loudly. Within the whirling lights, something slipped in and out of view. For just a moment, a giant caterpillar-like thing flailed in the light, then quickly disappeared again. There was a horrible odour in the air. It moved its head two or three times as though searching in the darkness, then slowly slipped its body out of the light.


	It had a too-skinny torso and chest, and the writhing caterpillars growing from its shoulders were both arms. Its legs curved like a bird's feet. It was a patchwork that could not be thought of as one entity.


	A chill ran through Xelha's skin. She felt more pity than horror. It was pathetic and horrible. The beams of light disappeared, and the giant, grotesque monster floated there.


	–– That's it. The dead bodies of the gods from a thousand years ago, an amalgamation of them.


	“Malpercio! The cursed and deformed god!”


	Melodia called out that name loudly. The deformed being twisted its body as if in response, leaning back and roaring. A horizontal crack ran across the lower part of its face, opening up into a bright red mouth. Light began to gather around it. Half-awake, Xelha's hair blew in the wind and stood upright.d


	A beam of light fired from Malpercio's mouth. The light beam ran across the corridor, and Xelha and the others were cut down by the impact. As she spread her wings of the heart to keep herself from crashing, a shock impacted her entire body. Xelha screamed in pain.


	“Xelha!”


	I saw Kalas stand up. Kalas dropped both arms weakly, still holding his sword and reverse-bladed cutlass, and looked up at Malpercio and Melodia. In mid-air, Melodia held her hand to her mouth and laughed. As though they were swimming, her red pupils examined the suffering of Xelha's group.


	“Good. Malpercio. Let's begin. Your birthday party! Enjoy to your heart's content!”


	Kalas shouted.


	“Stop it! Please stop it, Melodia! Leave them alone. These guys are...!”


	“Oh! You have sympathy for them, Kalas. That's not like you. You have used them so much until now. Or perhaps you are only now realising that? Could it be, the importance of your comrades...”


	Melodia smiled enchantingly.


	“Your comrade is me alone, isn't that so Kalas? They are fools who oppose the god of the new world. Let's entrust it to god's judgement whether they live or do not live... Malpercio!”


	Malpercio gave a bellow and once again began to accumulate light in his mouth.


	Kalas screamed.


	“Stop it! He doesn't understand anything... isn't he just a monster who crawled into this world to feed on resentment!?”


	The pure white wings on Kalas' back spread out. Readying his weapons in both hands he flew upwards. However, in the next instant his wings flapped so violently and disturbingly that Kalas lost his balance in mid-air. Wings still flapping, Kalas was dragged backwards by the lift. Finally crashing onto the floor, Kalas fell to one knee.


	“... What the hell is this...!?”


	“You fool, didn't I tell you? Those who are touched by the light of god even once can never return to how they were. You are already an underling of Malpercio. You are a compatriot[58] of the darkness.”


	Melodia turned towards Malpercio and raised her hand. The light in Malpercio's mouth suddenly disappeared. Smiling, Melodia quickly pointed at Kalas with a white fingertip.


	“I've changed my mind. We have to appropriately punish this troupe of blasphemers who don't know their place. Kalas, Archangel of Darkness, with your own hands you will instantly annihilate your former friends crawling there. Show your loyalty to god.”


	Kalas' entire body convulsed violently. Looking back, Kalas stared at Xelha, the whites of his eyes dyed black. Turning to face Xelha, Kalas started walking towards her. His body was shaking unsteadily from side to side. The dangling sword gripped in his hand made a jarring noise as it scraped across the floor.


	Meemai flew out of Xelha's hood. They squealed and threw their body between the two as if standing in the way, but Kalas seemed not to hear. Stepping right over, Kalas slowly raised his sword.


	“Stop, Kalas!” shouted Gibari.


	I, the spirit, shook my body violently inside Xelha. However, Kalas did not react. The power of the spirit no longer reached him.


	“Now, Kalas. Judge these troublesome little insects–”


	Melodia raised one hand and gave the declaration.


	Xelha closed her eyes and the spirit was no longer able to see anything. There was only deep despair, gloomy disappointment, and a prayer.


	Cast light in a land without light
	Save those without help


	Xelha opened her eyes. Kalas was looking down at her, the whites of his eyes jet black. A phrase of the prayer rolled in Xelha's mouth.


	“... We who go alone to the depths of the night, o ocean, please help us...”


	Kalas' dark gaze flickered slightly. The spirit took a brief glimpse at the scene that overflowed from his heart.


	Kalas and Xelha were standing in Moonguile Forest. Kalas had the Saber Dragon's fangs in both hands, watching Xelha kneeling by the sides of the warriors and praying. Shadows of leaves rustled overhead, and the bubbles of life were seething and flowing out.


	“We who abandon the song and bury tomorrow... O time, forgive us someday...”


	Finishing her prayer, Xelha looked up at Kalas.


	Kalas' hand wavered slightly as he raised his sword. Those muscles swelled strangely and sweat dripped down as he turned his gaze towards the spirit. Kalas' heart was transmitted.


	–– Please help me. This girl, Xelha, I don't want to kill her.


	Xelha's heart was brimming with the many sights the two had seen during their journey. Moonguile Forest, the swirling clouds of the Lesser Celestial River, the summit of the Celestial Tree where the flowers bloomed profusely, and then the flickering Mira sky that Fee had loved... his heart, connected to the darkness, longed for a soft light.


	–– Please, spirit. I know it's selfish of me[59].


	“What are you doing, Kalas?” Melodia said coldly.


	The white wings spread across Kalas' back and those eyes were once again dyed black. Kalas turned his body, which was full of stressed groaning sounds, and brandished his sword.


	The sword left Kalas' hand, bouncing and spinning on the floor.


	Kalas stood there stunned. Slowly he leaned forwards, putting his hands behind his back and grabbing his white wings.


	A scream erupted from Kalas.


	He pulled the white wings from the roots at once.


	The white wings, flung across the corridor, quivered as though in grumbling complaint. Kalas fell to both knees on the floor, gasping in intense pain.


	The torn-off wing unravelled in mid-air as though it was burning.


	There was cold sweat on Kalas' face as he looked at Xelha.


	“Xelha... there are no words, but... I'm sorry.”


	Saying this, Kalas smiled to the best of his ability. Tears overflowed from one of his eyes. From Kalas' back grew a single grey-coloured wing.


	Xelha nodded her head several times.


	Melodia's voice was audible.


	“That's... stupid. Pushing aside the power of the god... all by yourself. Kalas, just who are you...?”


	Standing up, Kalas turned and stared fixedly at Melodia. Melodia and Malpercio got down at the edge of the corridor. Kalas spoke to Melodia.


	“I finally understood. Why I met you that time. I wasn't called for the sake of this. It wasn't about receiving the power of some crappy wing for the sake of revenge. I finally understood my role.”


	Staring resolutely at Malpercio, he clutched his reverse-bladed cutlass[60] in his left hand.


	“Malpercio, you and your underlings together with your deep-seated grudge will be completely thrown out of this world. I'll beat every last one of you back into the darkness you came from!”


	For a moment, Melodia's face twitched, however once again a smile was etched on her lips.


	“Don't make me laugh. What can insects do?”


	Shaking his head, Kalas roared out a war cry and charged at Malpercio. With a single flick of Malpercio's arm, Kalas was blown back, striking his back against the railing and falling to the ground.


	Melodia looked coldly at that back.


	“Oh, you're not as good as your words. The only thing that's wild about you is your snorting. Even if by some fluke you rejected the power of god, you've lost the protection of god and there is nothing you can do.”


	Melodia stared fixedly at the five companions lying there.


	“Well then, I'll blow them all away instantly. I'll make you disappear in an instant, so quickly you won't have time for regrets.”


	Melodia raised one hand high. With a groan, Malpercio opened his mouth. Deep purple smoke erupted from his mouth like a deep-seated grudge.


	Opening her eyes, Xelha saw Kalas collapsed on the ground.


	–– Thank you, Kalas. In the end you returned to your true character.


	“Not yet, Xelha. We be done giving up.”


	In the background, she heard Mizuti's voice. Mizuti began to chant bizarre incantations.


	“Great... Mizuti.”


	Turning, Xelha looked up at Mizuti. Mizuti floated up into mid-air in a cross-legged posture, continuing to chant. In the background there was a faint image of people wearing masks. Power rose like a shimmering heat haze and attacked Malpercio.


	Melodia dangled her lifted hand at her side.


	“Don't tell me... these guys are the mages of the Children of the Earth...!”


	Malpercio's movements stopped. He was shaking violently and unnaturally, and a dark brown liquid squirted out from each of his joints. Mizuti chanted louder and made a sigil in the air.


	Malpercio fell to his knees, whining softly.


	“This is bad... even though the completed body isn't attached yet...!”


	Melodia held both hands aloft and lowered them vigorously. The wall exploded and Mizuti lost their balance. The images of the masked people floating in the air shuddered violently.


	Melodia flew up to Malpercio's shoulder and shouted.


	“Malpercio, to the sanctuary of Cor Hydrae–”


	Malpercio forcefully flew upwards, with Melodia riding on him. The ceiling exploded and debris rained down. When the smoke filling the air was scattered by the blowing wind, the figure of Malpercio was nowhere to be seen.


	Clinging to the railing and somehow managing to stand up, Gibari made sure his companions were safe.


	“Good grief... that was a brilliant escape.”


	From within the masked people a figure in a giant mask took one step forward.


	<<Everyone, above all you are safe. I am the leader of the Children of the Earth, my name is the Great Kamroh[61]. We Children of the Earth entrusted our prayer to Mizuti, and from that back we pursued god.>>


	The Great Kamroh looked up at the large hole in the ceiling opened by Malpercio.


	<<However, we let him escape...>>


	The images of the masked people became faint and disappeared. At some point Mizuti descended from mid-air and landed in the corridor. Gibari caught that body.


	“... That was a big deal, Great Mizuti.”


	Mizuti did not have the energy to answer, but merely slumped in Gibari's arms. Lyude was lending his shoulder to Savyna, and the two walked up to them.


	Xelha crawled across the floor, approaching the collapsed Kalas. She took Kalas onto her lap and held him. Kalas opened his eyes slightly, looking at Xelha and the spirit.


	“Kalas... Kalas...”


	“I'm glad you're safe... but I'm sorry it's ended up like this... again, I... can I fight together with you? I have to stop that guy...”


	At a loss for words, Xelha buried her face in Kalas' chest and fainted.


	*


	Far above, a single assault boat was advancing. It was a small escape ship that had been loaded aboard the Battleship Goldoba. Giacomo stood on the deck in the cold wind, staring at the clouds flying apart.


	As an assassin required to work locally for long periods of time, his body had undergone several modifications, which had worn out his entire nervous system and left him with little sense of danger. Because of this, if he did not act with deep care, he could easily freeze to death, or suffer from things like dehydration or oxygen deprivation. It meant he had to observe his own body in order to survive.


	Giacomo touched his rough skin with his fingertips to check its condition. His white breath flowed into the wind.


	Since the fall of the Alfard Empire, the three members of the assassination squadron – Giacomo, Ayme and Folon – had overcome various dangers with their incredible vitality, but with no place to return to and no place to go, without any purpose, they spent their days aimlessly lurking in the shadows of the continents, coming and going through the air.


	–– Never thought a girl like that would get the drop on us.


	Giacomo thought, self-deprecating.


	Obeying the will of the Emperor, he had collected the End Magnus sealed within each continent. Maybe even from that time his path had already become uncertain. Since Georg had died in Mira, perhaps Giacomo had no purpose for living at all. In addition, the fall of the Empire, his homeland[62], which he had thought he had despised was an unexpected psychological blow to Giacomo.


	With a monopoly on the secret process of Magna Essence production, the Empire of Alfard had for many years been a wealthy superpower amongst the continents, and had wielded a true and mighty power. However, due to Emperor Geldoblame's self-righteous tyranny and the resulting ruin, it had lost its central figure and collapsed into fragility.


	Lacking a successor to guide them, the Empire continued to wander astray.


	Confronted with attacks from Cor Hydrae, the Castle of Storms, the soldiers of the Imperial army were each spontaneously forming a line of defence. Because of the events that had taken place in the past, the relief efforts from each of the other countries were lacking urgency, and the Empire's continent had become isolated, transformed almost into a nest of demons. As a result, the supply of Magnus had stagnated, causing serious shortages of food and resources in various lands in the sky.


	Giacomo did not have much concern for the disastrous scenes in his hometown or in the world. At any rate it wasn't a world he particularly had lingering attachments to. For Giacomo, other people were primarily things that should be used, then were targets to be killed, and that was all they existed for.


	Trained as a warrior, his specialised body almost automatically raged, wild and living ferociously. However, deeper down he understood it all too well. Already there was no reason to live.


	Giacomo flipped up his cloak and descended the stairs through the opening in the deck.


	–– Complete your father's research and gain the ultimate power. Even that purpose is no longer important. What do I wish for now? What do I want to keep living for?


	In his mind he saw a scene of the Imperial Capital, where he had lived since he was a child. All of it was a curse. In the glass window in the corridor he saw his own reflection. In that face there really was the shadow of Georg, his father[63].








































	Interlude 2: The people's hearts, shaken in the hands of god


	HAND.


	Reaching out his hand, Kalas picked up one of the petals of the Celestial Flowers, which had fallen from the windowsill before turning around when he felt a presence at his back.


	Meemai the Greythorne made a small jump from Xelha's hood to the shoulder of Kalas, who was perched on the window ledge, and pecked at his cheek a little proudly. Smiling, Kalas took Meemai in the palm of his hand, stroking softly.


	–– Squeak.


	Narrowing his perfectly circular eyes just a little, Meemai gave a small chirp.


	Once enchanted by Malpercio, Kalas had broken the binding spell with his own will. It was a miracle which surpassed the power of humans. If Giacomo had been there, perhaps he would have mocked Kalas for being a hollow vessel like a colander. Would he laugh for merely borrowing the power of the god's child? But it was first and foremost the power of the spirit's heart, Xelha thought.


	The union of Kalas and the spirit, the two beings who met in the Shrine of Spirits, was enough to resist the spell of the god.


	Xelha looked at Kalas with the smile she always wore.


	“I was thinking of Melodia. When we met in the Shrine of Spirits, she was just a child, jumping around in the forest innocently. Even so, she didn't get dirty in the mud. Only I got covered in mud.”


	Kalas hung his head and moved away from the window area. The comrades raised their faces and looked at Kalas.


	“I deceived everyone. I have no excuses for being enchanted by Malpercio. Just because I wanted revenge on Giacomo, I decided to use that power.”


	“Kalas...”


	Xelha murmured sadly.


	“That's... jeez.”


	“I know. I'm okay now. Thanks to you all. If you all weren't here, I would surely be inside that castle about now.”


	“Tch, what the hell, suddenly in front of the big one you've gone soft. Listen, if not for you then we wouldn't be here in the first place. We're gathered because you were here. Ain't that right, Xelha?[64]”


	Xelha nodded.


	“... But that girl didn't have any friends. For Melodia, Geldoblame and Giacomo and even I were all just pawns to be used. And even now she is alone in that place with the debris of god.”


	Visible from the window, Cor Hydrae was enveloped by a scarlet barrier. Across the surface of this barrier swept a storm of coloured yellow and purple flashes. The wind whipped around, and even from here there was a sound like that of sobbing.


	“If we win against Malpercio there's no problem. Melodia will also be released. Is that wrong?”


	By the wall, Savyna spoke.


	“Yes, that's right. I want to help her. Gramps, Giacomo, Geldoblame, everyone and everything was urged forward by the will of Malpercio, driven on until they died. But I've had enough of that.”


	Malpercio's thousand year grudge against humans had sown hatred amongst people, causing cracks and breaking bonds.


	The last time they parted ways, Ayme had said to Kalas:


	<<Kalas, I don't give a crap what you think, but I'm glad that old man is dead!>>


	Spreading his hand, Kalas looked at the crumpled petal.


	He didn't understand the motives of Giacomo and his team, and he didn't think he would be able to forgive them. If Georg really was the type of human they said he was, surely he wouldn't have raised Kalas and Fee with such love. But, on the other hand, it was also true that there was a Georg that Kalas and Fee had never known.


	Whenever he tried to remember Gramps, he saw him at their residence in Mira, his back to the fire.


	He shook his shaggy head left and right, sending up sparks of fire, then jumped towards the flames.




















































	Chapter 3: The Vessel of Life


	Looking down on the mountain mass below, the White Dragon beat its wings. As the icy wind blew, Kalas and his group clung to the dragon's back and looked down at the giant mountain mass floating in the sky. Naturally, exposure to the cold air reduced the number of words spoken amongst Kalas' group.


	These mountains floating in the sky were called the 'Celestial Alps[65].'


	According to folklore, in the time when people still lived on the earth, these mountains were steep and unapproachable. When the power of the End Magnus lifted the five continents into the sky, those mountains were also ripped from the ground and raised into the sky. Since then they had floated detached in the sky, regardless of the history woven by humans.


	The shadows caused by the wings stretching left and right blocked the light of the sun's rays, covering the mountain surface and the remaining unmelted snow in darkness. Although the temperature was quite cold, for the White Dragon, which came from the Country of Ice, this level of cold did not seem to count as cold. The ten wings of the White Dragon engulfed the wild sounds of the wind cutting across the majestic peaks, and the sheer ridge line slowly drifted into view.


	By Melodia's wiles – and Kalas' treachery – had awakened the End Magnus as the evil god Malpercio and the world was enveloped by the wind of destruction.


	There were three types of holy treasures that were used by the former humans when they challenged god. One of these was the Jewel of Earth that Xelha had stolen from the Emperor, another one was the Ocean Mirror they had obtained in Wazn.


	The last remaining one was the Sword of the Heavens which was kept by the Children of the Earth underneath the Taintclouds.


	However, on a journey to the earth beneath the Taintclouds this last hope ended in the worst way when the remaining holy weapon, the Sword of the Heavens, was broken by Malpercio. With the means to oppose god lost, the last stronghold was Anuenue, protected by the barrier of the witches, and the day of the decisive battle against Cor Hydrae was approaching.


	However, the majority of Kalas' heart was occupied by a more personal question.


	Just what exactly was he?


	At that time, why was he, with his power alone, able to resist the power of Malpercio?


	Pouring out the power of Malpercio, he squeezed out the Magnus of destruction that filled the inside of his body. As a result of this turmoil, Kalas had become aware of two mysterious things besides the power of the spirit which had returned inside his body. One was a warm and nostalgic bundle of energy. The other was a distant memory that was as cold as ice.


	Even if he scraped off the burnt-on memories from the bottom of his heart with the spoon of memory[66], the first recollections of his life did not tie together as images. The remaining feeling was the rumbling of the earth he felt on his back. The cradle of the earth tickled his back in small movements. At that time, Kalas still did not have the words to describe it. The feeling of it crawling up his entire body made him itch and weep.


	The previous day, they had met Larikush of Cebalrai Village again. He was the doctor in the clinic Kalas had been taken to previously, on the occasion when he had collapsed in Moonguile Forest excessively robbing the spirit's memories. Larikush had entrusted the witch Catranne with a letter he had sent, in which he had written the following:


	‘I have something I want to tell you about Georg. Sorry, but when you read this I want you to come here. Larikush.’


	The village of Cebalrai, which they had not visited for a long time, was as always filled with the scent of mountain apples, and, despite the misery in the world, it had not lost its idyllic atmosphere, with Pows and Fantail Ducks[67] roaming around. When they met Larikush the story he told them was surprising. He said that Grandpa Georg and Larikush had previously been Imperial scientists, with Georg especially being distinguished in the research of Magnus. Larikush said that the inheritance Georg had left Kalas was hidden in a mountain village in the Celestial Alps, a floating mountain mass just outside Imperial territory. After much worrying, Kalas decided to visit the Celestial Alps. His companions decided to go along with him.


	Not one person complained about the detour. The bond between the companions was the only hope they had remaining.


	Kalas had not yet completely come to terms with his treachery. By clarifying his own ambiguous existence, he was searching for his own meaning of standing up to Malpercio. What was waiting on the other side of this wind? What was Georg's legacy? This would change something. He was certain of it.


	The White Dragon's two wings beat the air leisurely. Next to them, Gibari whistled. It was a melody I had never heard before, and the sound brought to mind the wild waves of the Lesser Celestial River. Perhaps it was a fishing song from Nashira village. Something was shining in my chest.


	A flock of feathered sheep called Caplins were visible basking in the sun on the ridges of the Celestial Alps. They looked up at the huge beast flying in the sky as though it was troublesome, then lay back down again. Within the herd there was only one black one mixed in and I somehow felt anxious about it.


	“Is it really true what that doctor called Larikush said? We've been going around and around for a while now but we haven't seen anything that looks like a mountain villa...”


	Lyude spoke.


	Gibari stopped whistling and answered.


	“Well, let's just calm down and search. We're trying to find a single house in such a wide mountain range.”


	“Larikush was... I don't think he was lying.”


	Kalas spoke. He still occasionally ached around his shoulder blade and wing.


	Savyna lifted herself up and looked around from side to side.


	“What's up? Savyna. Don't stand up. You'll be blown away by the wind,” said Gibari.


	“No – I was wondering about something. I have the feeling someone is following us.”


	“Oh stop, no one can catch up with this White Dragon.”


	Savyna nodded and again pressed her chin against the rough back of the White Dragon.


	“Yes, you're right, I can't think of anything that could keep up with this speed.”


	“We'll go around again,” said Xelha.


	Nodding, Kalas spoke while hitting his shoulder with his fist.


	“Yes, please. I thought I saw something shining on the mountainside earlier. Can we approach a little closer?”


	Xelha whispered something to the White Dragon and the White Dragon turned, approaching the mountain mass again. They could see the grey cliffs. The cliffs stood out as though they were carved with a giant blade, with black cracks running here and there. With a far-off noise, and pulled by the power of the End Magnus, this mountain mass was sent soaring into the sky. Perhaps they were magnificent scars received at that time.


	“A little further. That third ridge from the right–”


	Still speaking, Kalas turned around wildly. At the same time Savyna shouted.


	“Watch out, keep yourself down as much as you can!”


	Shi ––––– ng[68].


	A sound ripped through them as though it was tearing their ears off.


	“What be that just now?” Savyna held down the head of Mizuti, who was looking restlessly from side to side.


	“We're being shot at. This is bad. We're a good target because we have no cover here.”


	“Shit. Where'd it come from?” Kalas lay down on the White Dragon's back, searching for the sniper's point.


	From inside Xelha's hood, Meemai began to chirp vehemently. Another bullet grazed past Kalas' ear. Clicking his tongue, he looked up and saw a ship like a black speck against the sun. The ship flew in a straight line towards the White Dragon, gradually approaching it through the White Dragon's meandering path.


	“They're sniping from that distance!?”


	Lyude, who used a gun himself, was astonished.


	“Is it Ayme!? There's no other sniper like her anywhere else in the world. Are you still alive, Giacomo!?”


	They could not even see the people who were riding on the boat. A bullet exploded on the White Dragon's back. The White Dragon gave a scream of surprise. The raised lumps undulated violently and Kalas and the group rushed to grip the roots of the wings. These bullets couldn't wound or kill the White Dragon. However, it seemed very easy to knock off the riders.


	Lyude readied his gun, turning his crying face[69] towards the boat.


	“It's impossible. I can't do it at all.”


	Once again the bullets flew through the wind. With the feeling his ears had been torn off, Kalas hurriedly touched his ears. His ears were limp and lifeless in his hands.


	“These are cluster bullets[70]. Dammit, they're threatening us. This way!”


	Gibari raised his fist towards the boat.


	The ship was already close enough to verify its shape. Although the people aboard were still not visible, we felt as though we could see Ayme licking her lips. Countless objects like pieces of scrap metal spewed forth from the boat, spinning and heading straight towards us.


	“What the hell, they brought out the Empire's fighting machines! They still had some left?[71]”


	“If they're Giacomo's group, what's their objective? What are the benefits of killing us at this point? It's not that they're cooperating with Melodia, right?[72]”


	“Maybe there is no objective, it doesn't matter. They're having fun.” Gibari spoke bitterly.


	Savyna shook her head.


	“In other words they have too much free time.”


	At the same time, the White Dragon's body began to lean heavily. The group screamed in unison. Kalas fluttered his Wing of the Heart and his winglet, clinging strenuously to its back.


	“For now we somehow need to find a place to land!” shouted Kalas.


	The bullets flew again, cutting through the wind, and the White Dragon flapped its wings madly. A disc-shaped war machine approached the stalling White Dragon. An eerie mechanical noise spread through the sky.


	“To the third ridge–” Xelha shouted in their ears.


	Kalas squinted at the ridge, which was shining silver. He could definitely see something shining there. Despite the danger in the sky it was a peaceful afternoon in the mountain range. The soft green of the thawing snow was dazzling, lit by the high sun. On the summit of the mountain, small animals that looked like sesame seeds were visible.


	“Xelha, over there!”


	Shouting, Kalas pointed at the mountain summit. There was a small house like a speck. Grandpa Georg's will was lying untouched.


	Xelha tapped the White Dragon's neck lightly several times to calm it down, making it get into a landing position. Countless war machines were pursuing them.


	*


	Standing on the deck of the attacking boat, Giacomo watched the White Dragon descend towards the ridge and the fighting machines pursued one by one. Next to him, Ayme lay face-down on the deck. Smiling, she was just about to load the next bullet when Giacomo spoke.


	“That's enough, Ayme. It's too early to kill them. Shall we see together with them my father's legacy that Larikush told them about?”


	“Haha... so the playing continues. Look at that. Their panic-stricken faces. What, they were flying so slowly, I just gave them a little nudge.”


	Giacomo shrugged his shoulders as though uninterested and turned on his heel.


	Pushing her body up, Ayme called him to a stop.


	“Wait just a moment. Wasn't it your order to release the fighting machines? Why are you telling me not to kill them now, if they're so boring? You, are you still obsessed with the Divine Child?”


	“Don't get frustrated, Ayme. Are you angry that you overlooked Larikush?”


	Ayme stood up and stared at Giacomo.


	“Th-that's right. Even though Georg's been dead for however many years, he still makes me sick to my stomach. That shitty old man, he died with a satisfied look on his face. So I just want to give Larikush a horrifying death.”


	“Hmm, revenge, huh...?” Giacomo laughed a little.


	“What... what's up with you?”


	“One by one the footprints of my father's research will be painted over. The sins will be digested, overcome and forgotten of their own accord. But it doesn't matter now. For the time being, let Larikush play his part as the good-natured hard-working doctor in a country village. Before long he will remember it even if he hates it.”


	Giacomo flung back his cloak and walked to the opening in the deck.


	“Follow me, Ayme. We'll track them down.”


	Ayme rushed after him. Giacomo descended the narrow stairs, stopping partway and looking up at Ayme. Startled, Ayme stared as though unable to move.


	Giacomo closed his eyes and spoke.


	“Completing my father's research and getting that power. That was my objective... but it doesn't matter any more. Now I want to destroy everything my father left behind. I don't want any one bit to remain in this world. The power that was almost in my hands.”


	Silence fell. Turning around, Giacomo walked down the narrow corridor. Each time Giacomo walked the floor creaked. Steam Magnus passed through the iron pipes, echoing with a high-pitched sound. The fuel to run this ship would not last much longer.


	Giacomo fell silent and opened the iron door to the bridge at the end of the corridor.


	The bridge of the small assault boat was cramped, and when three people entered it could get fairly suffocating. The young man who had been sitting with his foot hooked on the tiller looked around and raised one hand.


	“That was exhilarating earlier. We've also ejected all the fighting machines that were left in the Imperial Capital. The ship's become lighter and everything is ok.”


	He had sticky-up hair, a terribly hunched posture, and a child-like smile on his pale-skinned face. He wore gold coloured battle clothes over his small frame.


	“Hey, Giacomo, the hypertoxic sound wave generating equipment has already been serviced.”


	The young man had in his hand some small metal rods, and he threw them at Giacomo and Ayme respectively.


	“With this it should be possible to strip the spirit's power off Kalas. There are three of them left from the research in the Imperial City. Just one each. They're in god condition. Ah, I want to hurry up and fight.”


	With the metal rod in his hand, Giacomo pointed his jaw towards the monitor where the White Dragon was showing.


	“Soon we'll be playing with them, Folon.”


	“I hope so. I need to vent a little, aah... it eats you up, you know, your body feels like this from the inside.”


	Folon pulled his own battle clothing with his hand.


	“But, if we rob the power of the spirit, Kalas is just a failure. I don't think we can expect much. I hope he tries his best and is as entertaining as possible.”


	Giacomo stared at the monitor without expression. They were gradually approaching the mountain's surface. The roof of a small mountain villa was dappled with sunlight.


	*


	Kalas and his group ran through the coniferous forest, kicking up earth. Looking behind him, Kalas saw countless disc-shaped fighting machines flying above the high treetops.


	“Shit! They're persistent.”


	The White Dragon flew through the air as though bouncing, catching one of them in its claws. The fighting machine burst into flames, losing its balance and crashing. However, the other fighting machines dodged the flames and continued their pursuit.


	Mizuti came to a halt.


	“The Great Mizuti be holding them back here. Everyone else be going on ahead!”


	“It's impossible on your own. I'll stay behind too!”[73]


	Lyude took out his gun, which shone gold, and readied it.


	Gibari waved his arms around.


	“Ok, leave this area to us! Because we came to find out everything about Kalas' grandfather's remaining legacy!”


	The noises of a riot echoed loudly through the quiet coniferous forest. Kalas had a strange sense of clear hearing. Despite the deafening noise, it was as quiet as though he was at the bottom of the water, and his heart became tranquil. A strange sense of satisfaction, which was neither a good feeling nor a bad feeling, was flooding his heart. Jumping off small cliffs and running up hills, the feeling gradually increased as he approached the mountain villa. His back was tingling and pulsing so hard he thought it might explode.


	At the mountain's summit, the shadow of a building was visible and Kalas, unable to take it any more, spread his wings and flew up. Kicking the trees, he leapt towards the mountain villa. He saw a black ship drawing closer to where he was.


	“Kalas, wait!” He heard Xelha shouting.


	Kalas stood in front of the mountain villa and looked back. Xelha, Gibari and Savyna were running up the hillside. Raising one hand to signal them, he opened the door and went inside.


	It was more like a large mountain hut than a mountain villa. Here and there on the walls were shelves made of planks, where there was firewood, jars of food, and other necessities for everyday life. In the centre, there was a large fireplace. Above the fireplace, disproportionate to the house, was a large statue of an angel. The Magnus within their bodies resonated with the power emitted by the angel statue. Kalas stepped towards the angel, raising his hand.


	“This... is Gramps' legacy?”


	Kalas examined the statue of the angel with some confusion. The surface appeared to be smooth, without any scratches.


	His companions stepped into the mountain hut through the doorway. They walked quizzically next to Kalas, who was standing stock still next to the statue of the angel.


	“What's the matter, Kalas?”


	Standing next to Kalas, Gibari crossed his arms and leaned his head to the side.


	“Hey, the legacy... did it mean this?”


	“I don't know. But I can certainly feel a great power from here. It feels like it's been calling me all this time.”


	“... but just what are you supposed to do with this statue?”


	“Indeed.”


	Feeling the intense Magnus flowing through the doorway, Kalas and his group turned around all at once and readied their weapons. As expected, a man with black armour stood in the doorway. On both sides of him, Ayme and Folon were standing, wearing sarcastic smiles.


	“Oh dear... it seems this was a waste of time. To have come this far in pursuit of a statue like that.”


	Giacomo shrugged his shoulders as though disgusted.


	“What a false alarm... but there's one more essential thing. And that's killing you...”


	Giacomo drew out a Magnus card and shook it. When the light had disappeared, in his hand there was a scythe which looked as though it could easily cut a person in two.


	“Kalas. Today, in this place I will return you to the depths of the darkness where you belong.”


	Kalas readied his sword and his reverse-edged cutlass with a fearless laugh.


	“I don't think you can kill me no matter how many times you try, Giacomo.”


	“You're getting carried away. But how about this?”


	Giacomo and his group threw some sort of poles made of metal into the wall. With a rhythmic noise, the three pierced the wall in a row. Then mysterious sound waves began to flow out from the poles. The colour tones of the world began to swirl and change.


	“Th-this is–”


	In a panic, Kalas looked around at his surroundings. It was as though the core of his body had been knocked out of him and for a moment his consciousness shook – I, the spirit, was outside Kalas' body.


	Without any understanding of what had just happened the spirit flew around close to the ceiling.


	“With this technology called hypertoxic sound wave generation, we can strip the power of the spirit from its host.”


	Giacomo swung his scythe in a great swing.


	The shockwave blew away all the furniture, scattering it noisily. A torrent of Magnus raged through the whole room like a small tornado. Gibari and Savyna were blown back by the shockwave, hitting the walls and the floor. Kalas, who had been trying with all his might to stand firm, was hit by the shockwave and slammed into the wall. Giacomo's loud laughter reverberated.


	“So, this is the extent of you without the help of the spirit! Kalas!”


	“Such a shame, Kalas. Well, cry it out!”


	The sound of gunfire echoed. The bullet fired by Ayme narrowly missed Kalas' cutlass. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and re-gripped his sword.


	“Giacomoooo!”


	Kalas swung his sword and lunged at Giacomo, but one flash of the scythe knocked him down and sent him flying against the wall. Giacomo kicked Kalas in the stomach with great force. Giving a scream, Kalas crouched and clutched his stomach.


	“I'll tell you what you are and why you're still alive today. I didn't know what was going on either. After all, you should have died that night two years ago. But as the situation progressed, conjecture began to take shape and in the end I was convinced. Fee, the Divine Child, exists inside you. On that night two years ago, Fee gave life to you... you absorbed the Divine Child's Magnus, the Magnus of Life!”


	Clenching his teeth, Kalas grabbed his chest and looked up with a start.


	“Is that so? Fee, Fee's Magnus kept me alive...”


	Giacomo crouched down and grabbed Kalas' hair.


	“So you've finally realised it, have you Kalas? The source of your power... and now that Georg is dead, Kalas. You are the only key remaining to the Magnus of Life.”


	Giacomo hung his head and closed his eyes.


	“But now it doesn't matter any more. Even the ultimate Magnus of Life, the Divine Child is also–”


	Giacomo's eyes opened wide and he knocked Kalas to the floor. A jet-black armoured foot stepped on Kalas' back as he lay on his stomach.


	“Fee's tale is over!”


	There was a terrible sound. The winglet on Kalas' back was trampled and crushed. The armoured foot slammed into the middle of the delicate machine, kicking it into the wall.


	Bending backwards, Kalas screamed.


	Giacomo gave a low laugh.


	“My father is dead. The Emperor is also no more. When you die, and when Larikush dies, it will all be over–”


	In great pain from the breaking of his Winglet, Kalas was in no state to get up. Gritting his teeth, he looked up at Giacomo.


	“You're going to die here, Kalas!”


	“Run!” Xelha fired a Magnus flare.


	Giacomo swung his scythe fiercely. A violent swirling shockwave ensued, and Kalas was thrown into the angel statue. Another flash. Savyna and Gibari were blown away and smashed into a wall.


	Finally he flicked away the light bullet shot by Xelha with his fist as though it was troublesome. The flare crashed into the wall and disappeared.


	“This is the end–”


	Giacomo approached the fallen Kalas. Those legs suddenly stopped.


	A crack had appeared on the statue of the angel. From it a strange power overflowed, filling the small mountain hut. The air was thick and tense, shaking madly with a force that seemed as though it would burst if it was moved.


	The angel statue split clean in two straight down its middle.


	A brilliant radiance overflowed, spreading to fill the mountain hut. When the light disappeared, something fell in front of Kalas' eyes with a metallic noise. Kalas looked at it in silence.


	It was a brand new Winglet. The power of a mighty Magnus flowed out of the Winglet, starting to rumble inside the mountain hut. Kalas' throat clenched as he felt a huge amount of power flowing into his body. The Winglet slipped closer to Kalas naturally. Connected to something inside Kalas, the Winglet was naturally trying to become one with its master.


	Giacomo was unmoving as though frozen.


	“Is that my father's legacy? A practical application for the Magnus of Life, a Winglet of Life–”


	Kalas slowly half-raised his body.


	“... Giacomo, you said that Fee's tale was over.”


	The Winglet floated upwards towards Kalas' back. Kalas grabbed his own knee and stood up. The Winglet attached to his back with a sound.


	“It's not over, I won't let it be over! As long as I'm alive, I won't let Fee's tale be over.”


	Kalas readied his sword, pointing it at Giacomo's eyes. The Winglet and his wings of the heart spread out to the left and right. An intense light emitted from the Winglet and wrapped around Kalas. The metal rods attached to the wall broke off one by one and at the same time the spirit's power flowed into Kalas in torrents.


	“... This is...” Giacomo backed away.


	“The one who's ending here is you! Giacomo!”


	Kalas' body floated softly up and he swung his sword wide.


	“Tsk!”


	Readying his scythe, Giacomo stopped the attack. However, unable to hold back the strong impact, he staggered and hit the wall.


	“Just one Winglet can change the Magnus this much? As expected, this is the last work of the genius. But I won't lose! I won't lose!”


	Giacomo swung his scythe, opening his eyes. As though he had crossed the airspace, Kalas' body was instantly by Giacomo's chest. The sword he gripped in his right hand pierced Giacomo's body deeply, and the cutlass he held in his left hand parried the scythe[74].


	“Argh–[75]” Giacomo gave a groan.


	Black Magnus spilled from the wound, gushing out.


	The scythe was still slowly falling. Kalas supported it, and on his back the shining of the Winglet increased as the spirit's power was added to it.


	The scythe, which had begun to fall, was pushed back. The Magnus of Ruin pushing out from Giacomo and the Magnus of Life emitted from Kalas collided head on, scattering a warm spray. At the same time Giacomo and Kalas raised war cries and the two Magnus intertwined together.


	The spirit's vision was dyed crimson. Driven by his despair, Giacomo's black eyes looked into Kalas'. The battle of the Magnus swung back and forth between their bodies like a pendulum, and the spirit was swallowed up in the chaos.


	*
	When I emerged from the depths of the chase, I saw the blue-haired boy swinging on a swing with all his might.


	The swing continued to draw a big arc towards the sky, pushing through the dense airspace and finally breaking through to the blue sky, it seemed as though it would fall and I tried to scream in anxiety but of course no voice came out, and the branch on which the swing was hanging made a squeaking noise, bending and flexing with each swing, and it continued to carry the boy up into the sky[76].


	The boy was playing without worries. The pleasure of floating through the sky was intoxicating. By birth Kalas only had half of his wings of the heart, and with only half his wings he was unable to fly through the sky. It was a fresh surprise for Kalas to play in the sky in this way.


	–– How's that, Kalas? It's just like you're really flying in the sky, right?


	I heard someone's voice. Not knowing whose voice he heard, Kalas tilted his head and continued swinging. With each swing something was lost, and with each swing something was born. Memories came and went like a pendulum.


	–– Kalas.


	The voice again. That person suddenly appeared in front of Kalas' eyes and with an exclamation Kalas fell from the swing.


	–– Oops, are you ok? Kalas.


	Someone was peering in from above. It was a familiar face however he could not think of the name. I, the spirit, writhed madly within Kalas' skull.


	–– What is it? Have you forgotten my name again? It's Larikush. That's my name.


	Larikush. Kalas chanted that sound inside his mouth. It was a meaningless sound.


	–– So you really don't remember anything at all. How troublesome. You really are.


	The man did not have an uncomfortable expression and he lifted Kalas up with both hands.


	–– Geldoblame called you a failed creation. But I have never thought that. You have a will and sometimes you are even able to talk. Really, I don't think you are a thing made of a patchwork of Magna Essences. Sometimes I think. Aren't you gradually becoming a real human?


	Ignoring the man's words, Kalas once again clung to the swing. The man gave a wry smile.


	–– Good grief, certainly even if I tell you this you won't understand what I'm saying. But, very soon you will be a big brother.


	The branch creaked noisily and I was thrown from the swing.


	*


	I fell headlong towards the screaming voice and bounced onto the seat of the hovercraft. From his seat on the hovercraft, the young man looked sullenly at the children he had brought from Azha.


	–– Just how long are you planning on shouting and screaming? I'm sick of it.


	Remembering the miserable, annoying scene in Azha, Giacomo clicked his tongue. The hard, dark-brown soil continued everywhere. If one rolled over the stones in this area, they would find a swarm of giant ants whose bites would cause swelling for three days.


	He had heard that yesterday there had been a large cave-in accident in the tunnel extending from Azha's Lava Caves. Thinking that he could retrieve the orphans his father had requested from there, he took three soldiers with him and travelled the long distance from Mintaka.


	Matting was laid out in the valley square and, even though a full day had passed since the accident, the injured and dead people were still abandoned on it. Lying helplessly, stained grey-brown by the soil and the sand, it seemed questionable that they were even human. A terrible stench shrouded the valley.


	He spoke to the caretaker and, in exchange for money, he obtained an orphaned boy and girl.


	The girl was quiet and vigilant, but the boy was screaming loudly, annoying him. But, saying that, it wasn't that he was crying, he was excited. It was probably his first time riding in a hovercraft, but what was so unusual about this road?


	The winding reddish-brown road continued on with only cacti along the sides of the road, gradually becoming short shrubs as they ascended the hill route away from Azha.


	In the far-off Nihal desert a hovercraft ran, probably having come from the Imperial City to play, drawing a triangle of dust and smoke directly behind it.


	When he saw the shining gold colours of the Imperial Capital, he gave an honest sigh of relief. Here he could be rid of these noisy brats. Climbing the cobblestoned hilly road, he turned at the intersection leading to the laboratory.


	Stopping his hovercraft next to the laboratory, which was surrounded by trees, Giacomo landed on the ground. Giving the soldiers a tip and releasing them, he took the children inside the laboratory.


	When he opened the door there was a terrible dusty smell.


	“Hey, father, I've brought them. The brats you wanted.”


	There was no response. There was a noise above his head where a fan was spinning. With no lights on, the room was cut diagonally into light and darkness by the brightness coming in through the window. In the corner of the room there was a large aquarium from which came a strange squeaking cry.


	Georg was leaning his elbow on his desk and staring vacantly at Giacomo. When he waved his hand in front of his face there was no response. He was not visible. Georg sometimes became like this. There were times that he stared blankly into the darkness as though possessed by something.


	He had heard from the man himself the story that Georg was born in Azha. It seemed that Georg's mother, in other words Giacomo's grandmother, had become lost in the depths of the Lava Caves when she was pregnant with Georg. After she had somehow escaped, his grandmother insistently claimed thus:


	–– I heard something's voice in those depths.


	It seemed the people around her were upset and confused by the anxiety, and did not want to deal with it. Several months after that, the child was born safely. Perhaps Georg was born into this world in a form possessed by whatever it was that was hidden in the depths of the Lava Caves.


	Recently, Giacomo had heard a mysterious voice from inside himself.


	–– A thousand years of pain, a thousand years of solitude.


	He did not know what that meant, but instinctively he knew that the power infused in him by Georg was producing that voice.


	“Oi, father.”


	Giacomo grabbed Georg's shoulder and shook it. After being shaken several times, unresisting like a doll, Georg connected his focus and looked up at Giacomo.


	“Oh, ohhh...”


	“I've got the brats you wanted. The orphans from Azha.”


	Georg stared at the two and after a while vacantly scratched his chin.


	“Is that so... hmm. Well done. That helps.”


	“Hey, father. You've already succeeded in creating life from the Magna Essence of objects, right... you know, that brainless kid that the Emperor named Kalas or whatever. Build the next one. Why do you still need specimens for human body modification?”


	Georg looked up at Giacomo with cold eyes.


	“The research into the Divine Child will still take a little more time. The request to modify the human body is from His Majesty the Emperor. We need capable assassins to become His Majesty's arms and legs.”


	Giacomo walked around the room with large strides. Turning back, he stared at the two he had brought with him. Perhaps the fussy boy was frightened, he was hiding completely behind the girl who seemed a little older than him. She was glaring up at Giacomo.


	“It's fine even if it isn't these kids, right? Give the power to me. I'll take it all. Furthermore, if the Emperor regards my strength as necessary, I'll be as helpful as I can be.”


	“One is not enough, he says.” Georg stared at the two children with observant eyes. “What, if they were born and bred in Azha their talent is guaranteed. It's better than starving to death as an orphan.”


	Clicking his tongue, Giacomo looked at the two. At the noise of his clicking tongue, the girl's body stiffened as if she was nervous. Turning on his heel, Giacomo stopped his gaze at the large aquarium in the corner of the room. In the tank, staring up at Giacomo, were several round creatures about the size of his palm. They were creatures that everyone who lived in this world had seen before.


	“Father, what's this?” Giacomo asked, poking the tank.


	“Can't you tell by looking, Giacomo? They're Greythornes.”


	“I know that much. Why do you need to bother keeping them in this thing? There are Greythornes everywhere. It's so troublesome.”


	“Recently, there are things that we are ascertaining. The Greythornes scattered here and there throughout the world hold a particular Magnus. In my opinion, Greythornes are first of all not ordinary living beings.”


	“Hmm, I see.”


	Seemingly uninterested, Giacomo poked the tank one more time and the Greythornes inside squeaked.


	As I looked at those striped patterns, I began to hear the mysterious noise of waves in my heart. Before I knew it I was at the bottom of deep water.


	*


	While swimming frantically from the bottom of the water to the surface of the sea, I searched for someone. The world became deep blue, swirling and melting into the blue-haired boy's hair whorl. Reaching out his hand, the boy caught the hem of a passing man.


	–– Larikush.


	The boy called that name. Larikush patted Kalas' head happily.


	–– Hahaha, you finally remembered it. Perfect. The truth is I have some amazing information for you today, Kalas. Come here for a moment.


	Kalas left the courtyard and followed Larikush. The weather was sunny and the smell of grass and flowers followed even when he had left the courtyard. After a short walk through the laboratory they reached a wide circular research building. Clutching Larikush's hem while it walked, Kalas was stunned but seemed to be having fun. He was humming something strange. His cheeks were raised up, slightly raising the area around his eyes. It seemed that he knew by some childlike instinct that something had happened.


	–– Now, Kalas. Open it yourself.


	Kalas put both his hands against the door and pushed it open. The double doors opened from the centre and there was a stink of chemicals. A transparent glass case in the shape of a kamaboko[77] was placed on a large work table, and there was something moving inside.


	An elderly man who was looking down his nose into the case raised his face and stared at Kalas.


	–– Georg.


	Nodding at Kalas' voice, the man extended one hand and beckoned by flapping his hand.


	–– Come here, Kalas. Come here and have a look. Your little brother, the Divine Child has been born.


	Kalas drew closer, peering into the case opposite Georg. There was a pure white baby sleeping inside. Naked, helpless and soft. It seemed that all it would take for him to fly away was to breathe on him. His face pressed against the case, Kalas held his breath. In front of him, peach-coloured and exuberant, Georg was making breath marks on the case. It grew bigger and smaller, like a butterfly flapping its wings. One time, two times, three times...


	*


	Emperor Geldoblame's portly body was shaking in irritation as he sat deeply on his sun-shaped throne. The flabby flesh of his chin shuddered.


	It was here, in this throne room, that the best of the design of which the Alfard Empire was so proud, based on functional beauty and golden splendour, reached its peak.


	The huge circular pillars supporting the four sides were covered with gold plates, their surfaces engraved with folds whose lustre constantly changed depending on the angle. The floor was granite, so polished it looked like the surface of a mirror. The royal road leading to the throne was made of basalt, its surface carved with detailed patterns and coated with a mixture of jasper that made it glow dark green.


	Giacomo stared at the Emperor in silence. The Emperor raised his eyes and glanced sharply at Giacomo.


	“I think you know what is to be done.”


	“It's about the Divine Child, right?” said Giacomo.


	“That's correct. Good grief, even though they have the birth of the long-awaited Divine Child and they're about to uncover the secret of the Magnus of Life, they will not proceed with their research at all. Even though it has already been three years since it was born, I have not received any reports. In the meantime I am growing older hour by hour. My strength is slipping through my body.”


	“Georg and Larikush both seem to be eaten up a little by the influence of the Divine Child.”


	Giacomo twisted his face a little and spoke.


	“Hmm, you mean that my eternal life is of secondary importance?”


	“For my father the challenge of immortality was unimportant. His objective was the creation of perfect life, and only that.”


	“In the beginning there were experiments forcing various animals to become Magnus, but they were always failures. It was understood that in the process of refining life into its Magna Essence, something different from the material, something like the source of life, was lost. However, Georg is certainly a genius. Using his unique talent for conversing with objects, he made life out of those things. However, after that, his research seeking the secret of life has fallen by the wayside. How much time and money do you think I have spent to get this far? It's unforgivable.”


	There was a light of hatred dwelling in the Emperor's eyes.


	“He's got feelings for the Divine Child. That scum, what is he saying at this stage? Furthermore, he hasn't even got rid of Kalas, that unlucky one-winged failure of a brat?”


	“I have given repeated orders about that. That the laboratory's budget is not to be used for rearing Kalas, or something.”


	The Emperor fell silent, his body continuing to shake a while with anger. He was mumbling things like 'this can't go on' and 'it's not possible.' Eventually he looked at Giacomo with a strange light in his eyes.


	“... Go and kill him.”


	“–– Huh?” Giacomo's brow furrowed.


	“Go and kill Kalas. That will wake them up. There is no value in foolish emotions. Dispose of Kalas in front of their eyes. Break his neck.”


	Giacomo nodded and took his leave from the Emperor's presence.


	He flew by hovercraft to the laboratory. When he entered the wide, beautifully paved streets of the Imperial Capital, he saw large posters of Geldoblame pasted here and there on the walls. It was as though he was being followed by Geldoblame and he did not feel good about it. It was a deep cloudy afternoon and the streets were a little gloomy.


	It was not that he had any particular hatred towards Georg or Kalas. If the research into Fee continued, surely Giacomo would be given new power, the surging power of life. He anxiously awaited it.


	Therefore he could not just stand still here.


	In this respect, Giacomo had the same opinion as Geldoblame. He had already given an ultimatum about Kalas. Today he was going to go to the laboratory and twist the child's neck. It was not really a job that lifted his heart, but nor was it a job that made him recoil.


	For some reason the city was strangely silent. Faint white smoke drifted through the streets and there was not a single person. Giacomo suddenly felt anxious, as though he had stepped into some kind of nightmare world. When he reached the turning towards the laboratory, Giacomo stopped his hovercraft. The white smoke became thicker than ever and there was a foul stench. Stepping off the hovercraft, Giacomo looked around at his surroundings. There was still no sign of any people. They were hiding as though they were afraid of something. The slow flow of white smoke obscured the shadows of the buildings. The city had been abandoned by light and had somehow lost its impressive quality. With an ominous feeling in his chest, Giacomo stared towards the laboratory.


	There was an audible roar and flames suddenly erupted into the sky.


	Giacomo ran towards the laboratory. He tried to run faster but his legs tangled, he stumbled a step or two and stood stock still. A tremendous explosion had engulfed the laboratory. Two thirds of the dome-shaped roof had been lost, and flames erupted from there, dancing madly into the sky. A high heat blew into his face, feeling as though it was burning him.


	“... No. No way.”


	His dark eyes stared at the fire and his empty right hand grasped the air.


	“My power, my new power, the power of the Divine Child, what happened...”


	Dropping to both knees on the ground, Giacomo looked up at the sky. His black armour flickered red, reflecting the blazing fire.


	*


	–– He doesn't remember anything? …. Anything and everything. Because of the shock of that explosion.


	–– Never mind. It's better for the sake of this child to forget what happened in the Imperial Capital. If we had stayed living in the Imperial City there is no mistake that this child would have been destroyed at the Emperor's hand. Giacomo, too, was addicted to power and had set his eye on the Divine Child. It was already the right opportunity. We had no other choice. No matter how it's investigated, it's designed to look like an accident. With this we can say goodbye to Geldoblame.


	–– What will you do? From now on.


	–– I'm going to live together with these children. When the Divine Child was born it was as though the evil spirit within me was defeated. I am alright now. I think Mira is good. Because that continent shifts from dimension to dimension it will probably be difficult to catch the Emperor's eye.


	–– I see. I am sure I will be easy to spot. I will go and live in the countryside somewhere. What, I can do medicine, I can tinker with machines. I will be able to live any way.


	–– So then, this is where we part.


	–– Yeah... but if you really have forgotten my name too, that's a little disappointing, Kalas.


	*


	The colours swayed, moving like a pendulum, but finally came into focus as one and the world came together. I realised that Giacomo's bloodshot eyes were right in front of me, the spirit. They were looking at Kalas.


	“... I see, the Magnus of Life... huh...”


	Giacomo's eyes flickered, flashing with contempt, hatred, jealousy, affection, and many other emotions. For the first time Kalas thought they looked a little bit like Grandpa Georg's eyes. Eventually the pupils dilated and the eyes became like grey slate. Seeking air, Giacomo opened his mouth several times, gasping.


	The scythe rolled down out of his hand.


	Kalas pulled out the long sword piercing Giacomo and lowered the cutlass that was raised over his head. Giacomo looked up at the ceiling and clicked his tongue quietly. Backing away slowly, he leaned against the wall and crumpled to the floor as though sitting.


	“It's over. Anything and everything...”


	Giacomo lifted his right hand in front of his face. That hand fell powerlessly to his side.


	“All the power is slipping away. I've always been seeking power, but it was this simple.”


	Kalas looked down at Giacomo in silence. The spirit did not know whether Kalas witnessed all the scenes that they saw. However, there was already no more hatred in his heart.


	“... Ayme, Folon. Are you safe?” murmured Giacomo.


	“... Y-yeah. Giacomo.”


	Ayme walked over to Giacomo.


	Folon crawled across the floor and clung to Giacomo.


	“Giacomo, you can't die.”


	Folon touched his forehead to Giacomo's head.


	“If Giacomo dies then what will we do? I don't know.”


	“You guys work together with Kalas and the rest of them. The Empire is already no more, Geldoblame is also gone. This world... don't let those bastards[78] do as they please.”


	Kalas looked at Ayme and Folon. Folon was clinging on to Giacomo without speaking. Ayme was staring up at Kalas hatefully, but she dropped her shoulders helplessly.


	“Dammit... fine. I get it. Giacomo, so no more–”


	Giacomo looked up at Kalas with cloudy grey eyes.


	“Kalas... stop them... stop Melodia.”


	Kalas nodded.


	“I understand. I promise, Giacomo. We'll definitely do something about Melodia.”


	Giacomo smiled. Kalas thought it was a gentle, strangely blank smile, as though an evil spirit had fallen away from it.


	“It seems like it's been a long time, but it was short... bye[79], Kalas.”


	Looking up at the ceiling, with his eyes wide open, Giacomo died.


	Xelha stood in front of Giacomo, clasping both hands together, and closed her eyes.


	Cast light in a land without light
	Save those without help...


	Xelha's prayer for the dead fell and lay thick in the quiet mountain hut.


	Giacomo's body became a bundle of light and, little by little, came apart. Folon and Ayme stood there in blank amazement, the foaming streams of light reflected in their eyes. As if the embankment holding it back had collapsed, Giacomo's Magnus swirled and flowed into the distance.


	*


	Where is this? The boy became a small clear stream, flowing through the mountains.


	That place was called the Celestial Alps. Long long ago it had been the tallest summit in the word, a great mountain range that looked down and kept all people away. Pure white snow shone along the steep ridges. Here and there the soil was exposed, as though it had been pasted on. Greenery was sprouting, splitting the snow. There was a herd of Caplins grazing on that grass. There was one black one mixed in with them. I wonder who I am.


	It was a day of distant memories. Chasing butterflies in the sun, the boy jumped into the warm sun rays. The blue-winged butterfly slipped between his hands, flying in a spiral along the trees. In the tense, calm air, the boy was a little frightened of the sky, which seemed as though it would crash down just by looking up. He noticed his father's gaze looking down at him.


	–– I will give you power.


	The father said this to the boy.


	The boy was simply very happy about it.


	*


	In the gloom of the intersecting purple light rays, the girl stayed close to the evil god and listened to the voice of the storm.


	The storm, sealed within the spherical barrier surrounding Cor Hydrae, constantly rubbed against the stone walls of the castle, making a whimpering sound like a crying voice. Malpercio's tentacles fluttered and struck the floor, their moist echoes permeating the still air of the great hall.


	There was not even the shadow of another person in the great hall. Built in ancient times as a sanctuary for the gods, the dimensions of this castle were so extraordinarily large that people were like specks inside. In the five thrones there sat the gigantic illusions of gods. Each of the five giant gods had lost the head, chest, arms, torso or legs that corresponded with their End Magnus, and pale blue flames burned in the empty spaces where these parts should have been. Five giant shadows danced on the dusty marble floor as purple light flickered from behind the cut glass windows, dimly illuminating the hall. The dim light was smoky with whirling dust.


	One step higher than where the giants were sitting, Malpercio was kneeling on the floor. Malpercio, the incarnation of the End Magnus born by patching together the remains of the gods, had the silhouette of a distorted humanoid. Both arms were longer than the rest of the body and did not have palms at their tips, but instead each had a single long tentacle. The body was as thin as a skeleton and the triangular head appeared to have no eyes, nose or mouth. On his back was a round, ring-shaped structure with a dull silver glow, and he was backed by moonlight.


	Melodia sat at the side of his neck without hesitation and counted the passing of time alone. This Malpercio had no intelligence in the human sense. The voice that once spoke and guided Melodia before it took form in this world was now mute and only growled. Conversely, the dark power that drove Melodia was gradually growing, wriggling within her body as though tenaciously sticking.


	The power of Malpercio, filled with the resentment of a thousand years, could penetrate into the hearts of every single person living on each continent and explore their secrets.


	The countless demons flying out of Cor Hydrae were all conquering each continent. The barrier protecting Cor Hydrae was so solid that no one would ever be able to set foot inside unless Melodia wished it. The three holy vessels with the power to resist Malpercio were all destroyed without remnants.


	However in spite of this situation, in the hearts of the people living in the sky, in the muddy wasteland born of the resurrection of the evil god, a light was being born little by little, an abominable light of hope to resist the thousand years of revenge planned at the hands of the gods.


	Kalas, and Xelha, the Queen of the Country of Ice. Due to the existence of these two. Their existence spread a ripple of hope throughout the world, like a small stone thrown into a spring.


	The swirling grudge of Malpercio stirred irritably inside Melodia.


	In the middle of her stagnant thoughts, constantly tormented by the unfathomable grudge, she vaguely pondered.


	–– I wonder why I am here in this place. Why do I want to exterminate humanity?


	She thought of the winters in Balancoire, the capital city of Mira, filled with fog. My favourite season[80]. A tremendous veil of fog that appeared to boil up from the gaps in the cobblestones. In the past it would not have been permissible to ride a long distance in such a season, in such a climate.


	The abstract world sealed in stone slowly melted into the city. People drifted silently through the streets as grey shadows. With the clattering of hooves a distant white approached, translucent milk dampening the horsehair. As Melodia left the forest, returning from her long ride galloping around the hills, the fog was fading into the setting sun and the shadow of a black mansion suddenly appeared, filling her vision. Her grandfather's slim figure was standing there.


	–– Welcome home, Melodia.


	Melodia caressed Malpercio's rough neck with the palm of her hand.


	–– Grandfather, how pitiful. I'm sure you're suffering even now[81].


	Her grandfather – the current Lord of Mira, the Grand Duke Calbren, had become very depressed since the loss of his son and heir, and his daughter-in-law to an epidemic and the lively impression of spending a lot of time with her illusionary self had all but disappeared.


	Her grandfather used to walk quietly through the corridors lined with solemn portraits of generations of Calbren lords, his hands clasped behind his back. Watching her thin, slender grandfather walk through the corridors where there was not even a speck of dust, it seemed to her that he would fit in the cracks of the plaster.


	Peachy, the maid of honour, seemed to be thinking of educating Melodia to become a praiseworthy duchess, but she wondered if perhaps her grandfather's intention was to search for a person to be Melodia's husband and his successor. In the end her grandfather was unable to make that decision, and he was going to die in obscurity in the depths of that mansion with a warm smile on his face.


	–– I'm sure you're sad over what happened to me. Poor man. But it can't be helped. Because I am the heir to the Calbren Duchy.


	Her heart was filled with a ferocious hatred from Malpercio. The light of the pale fire burning in the parts of the five gods flickered and lapped Melodia's face.


	–– The Calbren household is a family that has formed resentment against people. Hundreds of years ago a man called Calbren greedily stole the Jewel of the Earth from the village at the bottom of the Taintclouds, and ever since then the Calbren family had unwittingly sharpened the blade of destruction against humanity. For the last thousand years, we are the people who have been closer to Malpercio than anyone else. Yes, probably much closer than that Emperor's family.


	The radiance of the spirit that she and Kalas saw together that day. The trees in the forest shone with light as though celebrating their existence. As Melodia walked back to the mansion with light steps, drunk with the miracle of the Forest of Spirits, a voice from the bottom of the earth reached her heart.


	Let them inherit what should be inherited.


	That was the first encounter with Malpercio. From then that voice was audible seemingly every day, driving Melodia towards sweet revenge.


	Since then, Kalas and Melodia had been secretly planning, plotting to trick Geldoblame, aiming for the revival of the End Magnus. As payment, Kalas had a pair of beautiful, full-grown white wings attached to his body. The two of them should have stood together in the new world born thanks to the power of Malpercio. Melodia had taken a liking to Kalas. She smelled something similar to herself in that young man.


	Kalas the traitor. First he had betrayed the humans, next he had betrayed god. A one-winged man who wandered from side to side without principle every time power was poured into him. How could such a hollow vessel be the humans’ hope? Recently searching through the Empire’s records she had been surprised. That man called Kalas was an artificial being, created some ten years earlier in the course of an experiment on the Magnus of Life, conducted at the urging of the Emperor.


	The spirit inhabited such a thing, wandering the world, trying recklessly to save the world from destruction for their own pleasure. What a laughable man. In addition there was the anachronistic Ice Queen entrusted with hope. They really were a laughable group. She giggled to herself.


	Melodia’s eyes blankly reflected the pale flames.


	Kalas had torn off his white wings, grown thanks to the power of the god, with the strength of humans, with his own strength.


	How could the power of the mighty god be destroyed by a mere lone human, a lowly person such as the artificially made being? Was that the power of the spirit, and the power of the Magnus of Life?


	The purple rays of light shining in mixed just slightly with the first light of dawn. Outside, the morning was coming along.


	The palpitations of humans' hopes ached in her chest.


	It was thanks to the End Magnus that the five continents had gained the power to float in the sky. With that stolen, each continent should sooner or later fall beneath the Taintclouds. However, the movement of Magnus left behind on the continents was constantly shaking.


	–– You're nervous, damn humans[82].


	Suddenly the smell of something rotten reached her nose. It was an odour that had been haunting Melodia ever since she shared Malpercio's fate. That stench, which would not come off no matter how hard she rubbed, felt like it was coming from her own body.


	Melodia wrinkled her nose slightly. Malpercio moved his body slightly. Well, the grotesque god Malpercio. The time for children to play in the sky was over. People didn’t need things like the blue skies. All that remained in the place of darkness was stillness and silence. At the bottom of that deep darkness, I wonder if you and I will at last feel at ease.


	Melodia stared at the dust swimming in the middle of the purple light. It was as though microscopic butterflies were flitting about. If she extended the palm of her hand, they danced and scattered and fled.


































































































	Interlude 3: A dialogue about the innumerable wills that crowd the body of the world


	BODY.


	With a sparkling glow pooling in its body, Cor Hydrae shone like a palace of amethyst spanning the sky. The area by the window was dyed purplish red, and the shadow of Kalas, who was standing near the window, was recorded in ominous colours.


	By the wall, Lyude folded his arms.


	”However... there's something I don’t understand. In some way or another Melodia is managing to communicate with the heart of Malpercio, right?”


	His feet boldly up on the table, Gibari nodded.


	”Yeah… she used Geldoblame to release the five End Magnus, so that he would assist with the resurrection of Malpercio.”


	Xelha interjected.


	“At first it was probably a link with Mira's End Magnus."


	Lyude nodded.


	“Yes, that’s a reasonable assumption. On the other hand, according to the story told by Giacomo and his group, Doctor Georg also acquired special abilities under the influence of the End Magnus in the Lava Caves. And, until he created Kalas and Fee, it seems like he was obsessed with his research as though he was being possessed by something.”


	Kalas hung his head. Larikush, the doctor in Cebalrai, had said it. <<Whether you are an artificial being or not, you are a life moving by your own heart.>>


	–– Grandpa Georg loved me and Fee as humans. So, whether I’m a person or not, I don’t hate this life.


	“So, what about it?” said Gibari.


	“Ultimately, both Melodia and Doctor Georg were being moved according to Malpercio’s will… That’s what I feel. Whether the people in question are aware of it or not.”


	“Yeah, it certainly seems that way.”


	Lyude began slowly walking around the middle of the room.


	“If that is the case, isn’t it a little strange? On the one hand there is the will of Melodia, releasing the End Magnus and trying to turn the world into a darkness dominated by Malpercio, and on the other hand, obstructing that, there is the will of Doctor Georg, who tried to create a person to defeat Malpercio. From the start, Doctor Georg’s research was the creation of the Magnus of Life. This is a thing in direct antagonism to the symbols of destruction, the End Magnus of death, so to speak. Perhaps it could be said that Kalas’ confrontation with Malpercio is predetermined. Why are there two streams running contrary to each other even though they are both intended by the same Malpercio?”


	Gibari raised his chin and looked up at the ceiling.


	“Hmm, that’s a good point. He’s certainly weird.”


	“That’s the way it is,” Savyna muttered in a few words.


	“Eh... “ Lyude stopped walking.


	Kalas looked at Savyna. With her arms still folded, Savyna closed her eyes. A heavy silence fell on the room. Kalas stroked Meemai, who was chirping in a thin voice, on the back.


	Mizuti, who had gotten up without them realising, stretched widely on the couch and slowly looked around the room. They muttered in a strange tone without intonation.


	“Oh, everyone be seeming so serious, what be the matter?”


	Xelha opened her mouth.


	“... Everyone, you live with contradictions without hesitation. Wishing to be sincere to other people while wanting to throw everything away. Wanting freedom but wishing for bonds. Swearing to protect important people, but still wanting to abandon them. Wishing to die precisely because you think you really want to live. Hatred just like loving… loving just like hating.”


	Xelha inhaled deeply and looked at Kalas.


	“Melodia and Kalas, you two are respectively Malpercio’s curse and his prayer against this world, surely…”


	“Curse and… prayer,” murmured Kalas.


	“Yes, even though I don’t understand what Malpercio is thinking, or what he is wishing for, that is what I feel.”


	Gibari held his head in both hands and let out a long breath.


	“Melodia and Kalas, those guys and our group… we don’t know which of us will win. Whoever wins is fine. No matter what anyone says, in the end is it just a game at the whim of god? And we have all been taken in by that thing, whether or not we consented?”


	Kalas shook his head.


	“No, that’s wrong. This isn’t playing. This is the only decision, the only ambition, that Malpercio has made with all his self-confidence. It’s the last battle of the gods who were buried a thousand years ago.”


	Kalas took one step into the room and looked around at his companion's faces.


	“He’s serious–”


	Turning around, Kalas looked up at Cor Hydrae towering in the sky with an expression full of determination. As the lights gradually disappeared from the nighttime Komo Mai, Cor Hydrae the Castle of Storms loomed more ominously than ever in the night sky.














	Chapter 4: The Castle of Storms


	On the top floor of the Palace of Flowers in Anuenue, the spacious audience hall was filled with the heated atmosphere of the people. The walls were covered with carved images reminiscent of trees. The hall was bathed in a red light, the same colour as the Celestial Flowers.


	Lined up near the throne was a line up including representatives from each country, such as Corellia, the Fairy Priestess; King Ladekahn of Diadem; Duke Calbren of Mira; and Lord Rodolfo of Sadal Suud, and in front of them Kalas' party waited in a group. In addition, a large number of soldiers were lined up in columns from edge to edge in the hall, looking at the representatives and Kalas' group with stressed expressions.


	King Ladekahn spoke.


	“Even if only temporary, our absence from the front line in this way has certainly left the war situation in each region deteriorating. This battle is our last remaining strength, our last challenge.”


	A whispered muttering spread through the soldiers.


	Corellia took over.


	“That is why we must complete this battle together as one. We will make sure we break through the barrier of Cor Hydrae. First of all, we the representatives of the countries will go to the places where the End Magnus were sealed and release the remaining power, besieging Cor Hydrae. After that we will strike the gathered power of the four continents against the barrier that surrounds the castle.”


	“But the more I think about it, the more unreasonable that strategy is. If you shoot out all of the remaining power in the continents, just what will happen to each continent?”


	Gibari twisted his neck. Glamyss, one of the three witches, spoke.


	“Nobody knows that. Until now, no one has ever imagined such a situation. However, in that sense the resurrection of Malpercio is the same.”


	“Well, whatever happens it's better than perishing like this.”


	Lord Rodolfo of Sadal Suud spoke, scratching his double chin.


	Corellia turned her sharp eyes towards Kalas and the others.


	“And, once the barrier has been destroyed, Lord Kalas[83] here and his group will invade the Castle of Storms and pursue Melodia and Malpercio. In this regard–”


	“Please leave it to us, Queen Corellia[84].”


	At Xelha's words, Corellia gave a deep nod and returned a smile.


	“I have confidence in you. Ice Queen of our time – however, it is painful for us to leave it to you alone...”


	“However, we do not have the military strength to conquer that castle with its huge army.”


	King Ladekahn looked up at them all and spoke.


	“While we pull out the remaining power of the End Magnus, naturally we expect a counter-attack from the demons. If we do not protect it, the entire strategic operation will collapse.”


	Gibari tapped his arm and spoke.


	“Well, please leave that lot to us. What, we're getting used to it.”


	Lyude glanced around the audience hall and murmured.


	“However, in the end, the power of the Empire can't be borrowed...”


	One of the three witches, Kodelle, tilted her head to the side.


	“Yes, that land now lacks a leader capable of controlling the power of the End Magnus. Although it is more or less in the prescribed position to surround Cor Hydrae...”


	King Ladekahn spoke.


	“There is no use lamenting what we do not have. In the meantime I would like you to believe in our strength and fight through.”


	“I understand. However, it's a pity. In a situation where it is so necessary, that the power of my homeland should play no part at all is...”


	Lyude bit his lip in frustration.


	The three witches Kodelle, Glamyss and Catranne knelt down in front of Xelha.


	“Your Majesty[85], what shall we do?”


	“I am fine. Stay with Corellia and the others. I am sure the demons will sense the strange occurrence and attack. When that happens, your power will surely become necessary.”


	The three witches accepted and fell back into line.


	Finally, King Ladekahn raised his sword over his head and shouted.


	“Good luck to you all![86]”


	“So that tomorrow we can live with our heads raised,” said Rodolfo.


	Of all the rulers, only Duke Calbren hung his head without words.


	“The operation will begin shortly after noon, by which time everyone please be in their predetermined positions.”


	The meeting broke up there. In order to lead the decisive battle, the representatives of each country returned to their respective countries by boat.


	Kalas and his group walked through the cloisters of the Palace of Flowers, the morning light shining in.


	From these cloisters the inner courtyard of the palace was totally visible. The courtyard, in which tropical trees grew thickly, was hollowed out in a funnel shape and, if viewed from here, rather than seeing a garden one might think they had fallen down a well whose inside was created by a jungle.


	On the floors of the corridors with the sunlight flowing in, the shadows of those trees swayed calmly.


	Gripping the handle of his sword, Kalas took a deep breath, inhaling as much air as he could.


	At the edge of the corridor there loitered some strange-looking people wearing masks.


	They were the Children of the Earth, who lived beneath the Taintclouds which cut off the sky from the earth. On the expanse of earth beneath the Taintclouds, the descendants of the mages who were called the Children of the Earth had for a long time watched over the purification of the Earth. In the long months and years that had passed, they had gradually lost the immense magical power that the mages had possessed.


	When Kalas and his group had descended to the Earth to seek the Sword of the Heavens, they had been attacked by Malpercio and those Children of the Earth left alive had no choice but to evacuate to Anuenue. Many of the Children of the Earth seemed unsettled by this visiting above the Taintclouds, which they had long yearned for, in this manner.


	“Mizuti!”


	A child wearing a mask was staring at Kalas' group, and he ran over to them. Two other people who had heard that voice also drew closer. Mizuti flew upwards and shouted.


	“Kee! Mother, Father![87]”


	The boy called Kee jumped on Mizuti, bouncing on the floor.


	“So it's finally the day of the decisive battle,” said Mizuti's mother, Kay.


	Kalas nodded.


	“Yeah, we're finally going to go into Cor Hydrae. Everyone is doing their best for us, trying to break down the barrier surrounding that castle.”


	“Of course. All of the Children of the Earth, with one will under the direction of the Great Kamroh, will participate in this battle,” said Koh, Mizuti's father.


	“Please do. We'll be sure to come back safely. So you guys absolutely have to survive safely too.”


	Mizuti's parents hung their heads. Koh opened his mouth.


	“About Mizuti. We entrust you to please take care of them[88]. As a parent, I can tell you this child holds a magnificent power. In the village it was said that they returned to the ancestors and were awarded the power of the ancient mages.”


	Mizuti pushed Kee away from their body and shouted.


	“Mother, Father, there be nothing to worry about, right? Because the Great Mizuti be invincible, and be tidying everything up.”


	Kay squared her shoulders.


	“Mizuti! Haven't I told you to stop referring to yourself as 'Great'[89]?”


	“Oh, uh...” Mizuti backed away, bumping back into Kalas.


	“Now now, Mum[90]. At a time like this it's fine, isn't it?”


	“Honestly, for a father you really are lenient towards your daughter[91]...”


	Watching as Kay continued to complain, Kalas smiled and shrugged his shoulders.


	“But it's true that the Great Mizuti is amazing. If not for the Great Mizuti, we wouldn't have made it this far.”


	Kee shouted.


	“That's right. When I was being bullied, Mizuti always helped me. Even when just the children went out and were surrounded by monsters, Mizuti alone went on a rampage and made sure no one got any injuries. Today I'm going to do my best to become Mizuti's strength too. I'll definitely try my hardest until a hole opens up in Cor Hydrae's barrier!”


	Mizuti tapped Kee's shoulder and spoke.


	“Do not be pushing yourself too hard because the Great Mizuti is not being close by you today, Kee.”


	“Mizuti!” Kay shouted in an angry, exasperated voice.


	Smiling slightly, Kalas spoke to Mizuti.


	“Great Mizuti, you can stay here for a while and talk at your leisure. Everyone, let's all have some free time for a while. After a while, we'll gather at the place where the White Dragon is.”


	After that, Kalas walked alone for a while under the clear sky. It had been a long time since there had been this much good weather. Since Cor Hydrae had appeared in this world, the climate had deteriorated to the extreme. Perhaps the reason the weather was so clear today was because Melodia had sensed the movements on this side, and had condensed the power emanating from Cor Hydrae into one point.


	If that was the case, perhaps this would be more of a hard fight than they had thought. Perhaps the power of the four continents alone would not be enough to break through the barrier. If that happened, there would be nothing Kalas' group could do. Furthermore, each continent would lose all of their remaining power. Feeling an oppressive tension instead of the sunny weather, Kalas clenched his fist tightly.


	Nevertheless, the breeze blowing across Anuenue was refreshing. Passing through the area of dense jungle in the middle of the continent, the scents of soil and water and vegetation become as one, pressing into his nasal cavity. The noise of the trees touching each other tickled inside his ears.


	Kalas looked up at the magnificent body of the White Dragon poking out from the shadow of the trees. Rather than white, the body was more like the blue of ice. The White Dragon raised its head and stared at Kalas, giving a quiet growl.


	“Hey–” Kalas called to me, the spirit.


	“Thanks for everything up until now. If you weren't here, I definitely wouldn't have made it here. Even though only two years should have passed since we met in the Shrine of Spirits, I somehow feel that we've already been friends for many years. I'm really grateful you've accompanied me this far.”


	Kalas stroked the trunk of the tree. That rough feeling was transmitted to me, the spirit.


	At the sound of a voice calling his name, Kalas raised his head. Xelha was just running down the hilly road, one hand raised.


	“Kalas, you're early,” Xelha said.


	“Yeah, I had to calm down somehow. I don't have many companions here that I need to talk to. Because this one's[92] the only one I've got.”


	Saying this, Kalas pointed at his own chest.


	“The spirit, huh. I see. I haven't thanked them properly either. Thank you so much for everything until now. When I was alone, you, spirit, were there by my side. You've brought us this far.”


	“Even though I betrayed you and only used your power, you never abandoned me and returned to me in this way. Therefore, when you return to your own world, even if you forget about me one day – I promise, I will absolutely never forget you.”


	“Me too–” Xelha said and smiled. “I won't forget Kalas either. Nor everyone else. Everyone we've met during this journey, I won't forget them.”


	“It's ok, Xelha. We won't lose to Malpercio. We will certainly return, and then the queen's duty to protect the world will be fulfilled.”


	Nodding silently, Xelha looked up at the form of the White Dragon.


	Not long after that, the companions each finished their time and gathered at the base of the White Dragon. Corellia also appeared, accompanied by an attendant, to give Kalas and his group a final encouragement.


	“Well then... we have entrusted it to you. Everyone.”


	“Yeah, we'll certainly defeat Malpercio and return here.”


	Nodding vigorously, Kalas flew up into mid-air and mounted the White Dragon's back.


	After confirming that all six of Kalas' group had embarked, the White Dragon gave one cry and flew up into the air, beating the wind with its two wings. Kalas clung firmly to the White Dragon's back to prevent the wind from blowing him away.


	They moved away from the beautiful form of the Rainbow Nation Anuenue at a considerable speed. The White Dragon climbed steeply, beating its wings and remaining airborne in the middle of the sky.


	Far away in the sky to the west, the Greater Celestial River was surging. Even though it was still noon, the heavens were filled with stars shining, as though only the clear skies above the Greater Celestial River had been ripped away. Glittering water gathered and splashed, rushing towards the edge of the sky. With one more push, the shining wave seemed to flow into the sky, washing away everything in its path.


	The water flowed down from the Greater Celestial River to the Lesser Celestial River far below, and here and there between the clouds there were glimpses of the tempestuous surging waves. Far below, in a purple whirlpool intercepting the sky and the earth, the vast Taintclouds spread out in one surface.


	If they shifted their bodies halfway along the White Dragon's back and looked downwards, they could see a pitch black sphere Through the translucent sphere, the red twinkling of Cor Hydrae, the Castle of Storms, was visible. Perhaps it was because of the endless purple Taintclouds spread below, but Cor Hydrae looked like a ball drifting between the waves of the sky. All around them, flying in like Kalas' handiwork, demons from another dimension were colliding with each other and glittering with light.


	Bellowing, the White Dragon tried to get even closer but the wind blowing from Cor Hydrae was fierce and they were not even able to approach. The wind blowing from below caught their hair and their clothes, and almost threw them into the sky. Moving away a little, the White Dragon circled slowly above it. Kalas narrowed his eyes and stared over yonder in the sky.


	Anuenue, Diadem and the other continents were visible, and although it was slow they were definitely starting to move.


	“Let's wait. Corellia[93] and the others will surely do it for us.”


	Xelha muttered as though praying.


	*


	Sheliak, the capital city of Diadem, the Land of Clouds; the Castle Town of the magnificent Castle Elnath – the clouds drifting through the stately stone streets were dyed orange by the city lights. On a plateau several kilometres away from Sheliak, King Ladekahn and his soldiers looked down at the city. Behind them was the gaping entrance to the Shrine of Winds, where this continent's End Magnus had been sealed.


	King Ladekahn stood beside his knights, rolling up his sleeves and gazed at the group in high spirits. It was a group of rowdy fishermen who had come from Nashira to aid them. Led by a man called Reblys, they had rushed to aid their country in the emergency. It was a strong, fresh emotion to look towards them, the scent of the tides wafting from them. He thought of his swordsman friend[94] who had left the Order of Knights many years ago and was now above the sky on the back of the White Dragon.




	–– Do you really want to resign from the Knights?


	King Ladekahn asked from his throne, and the man replied wearing his usual cheerful smile.


	–– Yes. Well, I've already decided. You should be able to understand me[95]. Once I've made a decision, I don't overturn it.


	–– Why, Gibari? There are a great number of knights who idolise you. Someday you'll probably become a Commander of the Knights. Will you not be my right hand[96]?


	Suddenly Gibari's expression became serious and he looked at King Ladekahn.


	–– Of course, I have no dissatisfaction about working for the sake of the King. But I'm not a Commander of the Knights by any means. I have realised that deeply.


	–– After all, it's that incident, is it...? I do not mind about that.


	–– But thanks to that the king was put in danger. Even now I don't think that my judgement was mistaken. There are also those within the Knights who say as much. But hey, it's not all of them. I can only move according to my own judgement. I'm unfit to even be a Knight, let alone a Commander.


	–– Then I will not ask you to be the Commander. Stay by my side, Gibari. Fight together with me. Diadem needs your strength.


	Gibari smiled broadly again and spoke.


	–– The truth is I've already decided the place I will go. It's the village of Nashira. I was thinking perhaps I would make a living as a fisherman. There's a good tavern there. There's a woman there who's a bit lively. If the King can find time, he can come incognito…


	Gibari's decision did not move. To be honest, it was not that he did not feel a small amount of resentment[97]. He's an irresponsible guy, he thought. Holding that much skill but abandoning the protection of his country and living the way he wanted to live. Such a way of life was incomprehensible to Ladekahn.


	However, now that the present state of affairs had happened, that man's decision was linked to the correct answer by a logic that only that man could understand. Because he was not a Knight of Diadem, Gibari was free to rush around the sky by his own will, able to challenge this crisis. Trusting in his own judgement, in his own instincts, and absolutely he would carry it out. He was braver and more like a knight than any other, perhaps even more so than this man himself[98], who had been called the 'White Flame' of Diadem.


	The knights stared with curious eyes at King Ladekahn's ironic smile.


	–– O, my friend. This unworthy King will surely open the way for you.


	King Ladekahn shouted.


	“At last the hour of the decisive battle has come! Let us go, Knights of Diadem! We will now move the continent and surround Cor Hydrae, the Castle of Storms!”


	The Shrine of Winds groaned. The wind, sucked up from far below by the power emanating from the shrine, dragged up the clouds at the foot of the mountain. The clouds flowed widely, and orange lights flickered in the town of Sheliak below. The scent of water and the tides wafting up from the Lesser Celestial River blew into their faces. The lower half of King Ladekahn's body reeled in the gale. The gunshot scars from the former sniping began to hurt slowly and steadily. A commotion spread throughout the knights. They looked up at the sky, some with anxiety clouding their faces and others with determination. “The continent, it's moving–”


	Like the clouds flowing in the sky, the huge continent was slowly drifting through the sky with the sound of creaking rocks. The other continents were visible in the distance. All of the continents were turning in an arc centred around Cor Hydrae's circular barrier, gradually approaching.


	Before long the Cloud Kingdom of Diadem, the Rainbow Nation of Anuenue, the City of Illusions Mira and the Frontier Continent of Sadal Suud, and finally the Empire of Alfard, these five huge masses of rock floating in the air surrounded Cor Hydrae and stopped with a thunderous roar.


	Demons glimmering like glass were visible flying away from Cor Hydrae. The monsters living in the Lesser Celestial River were also excited and rushed towards the shrine like a cloud of dust.


	In unison, the knights readied their weapons. The fishermen who had come to their aid also each raised their weapons, things like harpoons and oars, over their heads, shouting something. It seemed every country was in the same situation. There was no hope of reinforcements.


	Staggering, King Ladekahn stepped inside the Shrine of Winds. The knights of his escort hastened to follow after him. King Ladekahn cautiously walked around the circular hollow inside the shrine, searching for a place where the power of the End Magnus lingered strongly even now.


	He could not afford to make a mistake. Eventually, catching wind of the place, King Ladekahn exhaled a long breath and drew himself up to his full height at that spot.


	<<Is everyone ready?>>


	King Ladekahn heard Corellia's voice inside his head.


	<<I am ready>>


	<<We are also prepared here>>


	<<Mira can go at any time>>


	Ladekahn took a deep breath and readied his posture.


	<<Well then, let's go. Please release the power of the End Magnus![99]>>


	Ladekahn closed both eyes and breathed deeply several times. There was a power rising up inside his body from the depths of his consciousness. It was an overwhelming energy, filled with a black deep-seated grudge.


	Suddenly, it came. A violent power burst through his body, and for a moment he had the illusion that his body had exploded.


	“Uooooohh...”


	The terrible surge of the End Magnus pierced through his body. Ladekahn writhed as he felt his body overflowing with agony. His previous wounds opened, and from them dark Magnus began to flood out. From outside the shrine, the noises of battle were audible.


	“King Ladekahn!”


	He blocked the knights with one hand as they tried to run to him.


	“I am fine. You[100] must protect this place to the last!”


	King Ladekahn closed his eyes and concentrated his consciousness on the flow of power. From his body, which was connected to the power that governed the world, he could just about perceive the energy flowing through the world of the living.


	Diadem, Anuenue, Mira, Sadal Suud; the radiance of the powerful energy flowing forth from these four continents was slammed into the barrier surrounding Cor Hydrae.


	Cor Hydrae tremored. The energy bounced on the sphere, billowed, and scattered. The bundle of storm-like energy stored within the sphere swirled violently in response.


	*


	In the depths of Cor Hydrae, on Malpercio's shoulder, Melodia half opened her eyes.


	–– So it's begun. Foolish humans.


	The dust-covered hall was quiet. The uproar outside only slightly shook the atmosphere, and the dust floating in mid-air shimmered.


	Cor Hydrae, summoned by the rejuvenation of the evil god Malpercio's power, was a holy place symbolising the power of the gods. Even gathering what little strength they had remaining, there was no way the impenetrable barrier could be broken through.


	Melodia giggled.


	–– Once they have used all their power, the continents will plunge from the sky to the bottom of the Taintclouds, and when that happens I wonder what kind of face you'll make, Kalas.


	*


	In King Ladekahns consciousness, sluggish with intense pain, he saw the figures of the representatives from each continent strenuously continuing to receive and release the waves of the End Magnus. Corellia was at the base of the Celestial Tree; Duke Calbren was in front of the Shrine of Spirits; Rodolfo was in front of the small spring in the depths of Moonguile Forest, and, with both hands spread, each endured a torrent of powerful energy.


	Becoming one, that power formed a bundle and struck Cor Hydrae, but the barrier merely shook a little, and there was not a single scratch. The ray of light was being blown away, becoming thinner and weaker.


	The pooled liquid of black Magnus flowing out of King Ladekahn's gunshot wounds clung around the King, giving off an unpleasant smell. King Ladekahn drew his sword and was lifting it for encouragement when he groaned, his face contorting in agony.


	“No good, huh. As expected, the power of four continents alone is inadequate...”


	Rodolfo shouted.


	<<Ugh... with this, if the barrier does not break there is nothing we can do!>>


	The strength drained from King Ladekahn's entire body. The grudge of the End Magnus, its negative side, was quickly eating away at the King's body. Despairing, the King looked up from the Shrine of Winds at the blue sky.


	–– The destruction of the sky has been decided here.


	“So this is it...”


	Falling to his knees, King Ladekahn clung to his sword, thrust into the ground, for support. The commotion outside the Shrine was getting more intense. But sooner or later it would likely become quiet. The people would be silent, and meet the time of their extinction in despair.


	<<... The fate of the world is at stake, right. Considering that, you're giving up remarkably easily!>>


	Looking around left and right, the King shouted.


	“This voice is...!?”


	It was the voice of the female sniper who had previously shot him.


	“Geldoblame's subordinate!?”


	*


	In the innermost depths of the Lava Caves, there was a huge cavern. Lava flowed down the rock walls, and half of the cavern was a massive abyss. On the edge of that precipice, they were fighting.


	Ayme shot down the bloodsucking creature Foytow as it sped through the air, then turned and blew the head off a Magma Beast as it was climbing up the abyss.


	“We've taken care of it here!”


	Brandishing his whip, Folon drove away a giant plant monster, Lanocaulis.


	“Well, if you leave it to us it'll be a hundred percent flawless.”


	The two looked at each other and laughed, standing in the middle of the cave.


	Sucking in a deep breath, Ayme searched for the wavelength of the End Magnus. Her body, which had been implanted with the power of the End Magnus by Georg, began to resonate fiercely with the power of destruction remaining in the cave. She could feel Folon's body shuddering through her back.


	The soldiers, in desert-coloured clothing, mowed down the monsters that rushed towards them.


	“Don't get distracted! The game is not over yet!”


	The captain, Savyna's former superior Azdar, was inspiring the soldiers. Those of the Mad Wolf Unit who were still alive were surrounding Ayme and Folon in a circle shape, readying their stances.


	Ayme shouted in a voice that shook with pain.


	“... We were given the power of the End Magnus by Georg. Don't worry... we can do it!”


	Folon nodded as well.


	“Yeah... it's a piece of cake!”


	Bent backwards with the pain that rushed through her whole body, Ayme focused her consciousness on that energy. Gathering it in one point, she poured it out of the caves towards Cor Hydrae.


	“Heheh...” Ayme gave a laugh which was contorted with pain.


	–– You're so sloppy, Kalas. In the end, if we're not here, you can't do anything, can you?


	*


	From the summit of the Celestial Tree, Corellia looked across the skies.


	Thanks to the power of the End Magnus penetrating her body, she was able to see everything in the world without obstruction. The three witches, the Knights of Diadem, the fishermen, the soldiers of Mira, the Children of the Earth, the students of Anuenue's School of Magic, the people of Sadal Suud, and the people of the Empire without an Emperor, still fighting to drive back the demons...


	–– All those who dwell in the sky. Because of the journey of Kalas, Xelha, the spirit and the others, all of the people are united as one.


	Corellia spread both hands wide in the pure blue sky and silently prayed earnestly.


	Now is the time to bring that heart to Cor Hydrae the Castle of Storms. One by one they become the desires of this world, the prayer of this world. Because the people have lived on the soil of the continents dyed with the power of the End Magnus.


	The torrent of light became a flood of light, splashing forcefully against Cor Hydrae's spherical barrier and dispersing.


	*


	Circling in the sky, the White Dragon gave a cry of anxiety at a large strange occurrence in the sky.


	Kalas narrowed his eyes, dazzled by the sensation of light on his face like grains of sand. Far below his eyes, floods of light poured out of the five continents surrounding the sphere of Cor Hydrae, endlessly beating against the sphere.


	As Kalas stared, sweat dripped down his forehead but Kalas forgot to wipe it away as he watched the wildly dancing lights.


	“Look!” Xelha shouted suddenly.


	The top of the huge sphere which formed the barrier split open, and a red crack like a slice wound ran through it.


	“We can go! That'll do!” Shouting with all his might, Gibari leaned forward and raised his fist.


	Power entered Kalas' body spontaneously. The splashes of light beating against the crack became more and more bright, so much so that it became almost a hallucination whether the sun was above or below. The sphere vibrated violently. For an instant the shape changed into a ellipsis as though it had been squashed, then, with an ear-splitting noise, it split and scattered. Turning their faces away from the thundering wind pressure, they looked down and saw that the upper third of the sphere had vanished, and the beautiful, jet black figure of Cor Hydrae became visible. Several masses of rock drifted, slowly rotating around the central citadel.


	“Now!”


	At Mizuti's word, Kalas nodded and shouted.


	“Go!”


	As though in response to his shout, the White Dragon went into a tailspin, drawing a slash of white aiming at Cor Hydrae.


	*


	When Kalas looked at Cor Hydrae up close it once again sent terror down his back. It was mostly the shape of a distorted rhombus, with a strange spire protruding from the top. There were five oddly-shaped objects drifting around which were neither man-made objects nor lumps of rock. It was a repulsive and grotesque beauty, certainly created by something but nothing with a human heart. Thanks to that, he felt a dread as though his body was frozen.


	Kalas and his group landed in front of Cor Hydrae's castle gates, blinded by the strange crimson light. Xelha patted the head of the White Dragon, which had begun making anxious noises, and spoke.


	“From here on in is a place you can't proceed to, go back to the people you should return to.”


	The White Dragon hesitated for a while, but before long, with a single cry, it flew away into the middle of the storm surrounding Cor Hydrae.


	The feeling of terror at being left behind in such a strange place grew in Kalas' heart. Of course, the fact that they were in a place completely cut off from time and the rest of the world was weighing heavily on him. What a lonely place it was. This place called the Castle of Storms.


	Kalas and his group stepped inside the gloomy castle, lit with deep crimson light. The smell of dust was pungent in their noses, making their heads feel foggy.


	Suddenly a voice echoed.


	<<Welcome to Cor Hydrae, the sanctuary of Malpercio. I am so glad everyone is safe. Although, I really am surprised you were able to enter the castle in this way.[101]>>


	“Melodia!” shouted Kalas.


	<<There is nothing to scream about, big brother[102]. Now, please proceed. If you go straight on ahead, you will soon be able to meet us.>>


	Beyond the dim corridors and several halls, they arrived at a sprawling banquet hall. Compared to the gale outside, the Castle of Storms was enveloped in a frozen silence. Purple and red rays of light were jumbled together in the hall, interlacing and scattered in their vision. Their toes sank in the grey-coloured floor, in the dust that had accumulated over a thousand years.


	In the centre, the grotesque patchwork god Malpercio was sitting absent-mindedly. From his feet, a girl's giggling laughter was audible.


	Surrounding Malpercio and Melodia, five enormous thrones were side by side. Five giants were sitting deeply there, not stirring at all. Perhaps these were the five sibling gods, who had previously each offered up their bodies to become the body of Malpercio.


	From the gloom came Melodia's tickled laughter.


	“How are you feeling, Kalas? How does it feel, abandoning your beautiful wings and degenerating from a white bird to a black goat?”


	“Melodia, I've come to pick you up. Let's go home together. With us,” said Kalas.


	“Go home?” Taken aback, Melodia laughed. A crimson light ray shone through the glass window and quickly bounced, dying Melodia's face scarlet. “Go home, you say? That's a funny joke. Do you all truly think that you will be able to leave here alive?”


	Smiling thinly and dipping her head, she put one thin hand beneath her chin and tilted her head.


	“Ahh, goodness, it will soon be the right time. I am getting tired of playing with you and unfortunately I am going to have to say goodbye to you here. Please don't worry, the other humans will be following you soon.”


	Standing up, Malpercio gave a roar.


	“Ahahahaha, now, cut down the lowly worms who so arrogantly infiltrated the residence of god. Malpercio!”


	A strong and overpowering sensation flowed out of Malpercio, and Kalas took two or three steps backwards. Readying his weapons in both hands, Kalas shouted.


	“Malpercio, cursed evil god! Maybe you're the reason that I gained my life. But that's why you will sleep here!”


	Brandishing his sword, Kalas jumped upwards. From behind him, the bullet of light that Xelha shot burst against the ceiling and the hall was bathed in dazzling light.


	“The light, Kalas!”


	Kalas gave a war cry and rushed at Malpercio. That attack hit Malpercio's abdomen and was quickly repelled. Rolling on the floor, Kalas frantically dodged Malpercio's arms, which he wielded like a whip. While laughing a high-pitched laugh, Melodia rose towards the ceiling.


	As Kalas rose from his prone position, Savyna rushed past him like a gale. As she ran, she gathered both fists at her waist, and her Wings of the Heart, which resembled the wings of a peacock, spread out wide on her back. The swirling energy of battle took shape, taking the form of a black demon. Lowering her waist and jumping, she slammed her fists into Malpercio's chest. Malpercio twisted his body in agony.


	Savyna continued repeatedly striking with her fists at high speed. As Savyna bent, her Wings of the Heart were tinged with a brilliant red and green glow. She turned her blue fighting energy into a shockwave and struck with both fists at once[103].


	Howling, Malpercio leapt upon Savyna. A beam of light from his mouth cleaved the floor, and Savyna leapt to the side to dodge it. A beam of light collided with Malpercio's head as he tried to continue his attack. Xelha hovered in mid-air with a sad expression, looking down at Malpercio.


	“What a sad existence. Malpercio. Your pain and your solitude, we must end it here and now.” Her staff made a whooshing sound as it cut through the wind.


	“This magic I inherited as the Ice Queen–” stopping her staff, Xelha shouted.


	“Seal of Water!”


	A round magic summoning circle arose surrounding Malpercio. Blue water poured out of it, forming a column that enveloped Malpercio. Malpercio tried to escape from there, but he could not as the magic circle held him back. A strange sound of water echoed across the hall, caressing coldly down Kalas' spine. However, the magic circle suddenly disappeared completely. The power that Melodia had unleashed had shot through Xelha. With a small scream, Xelha's body fell upside down and limp to the ground. Gibari rushed out, flying up into the air and catching that body in his arms.


	Looking down at the group, Melodia gave a high-pitched laugh.


	“I see, so you are the Ice Queen. That was a miscalculation from the start. A great miscalculation that invited your unexpected strenuous fighting–”


	Melodia raised her eyebrow in displeasure.


	“However, I won't forgive any more than this. I'll have that Queen be a little quiet so I can bury you all together!”


	“Melodia!” shouted Lyude, firing his gun towards Melodia, who was in mid-air. However Melodia, easily deflecting the bullet with a shield Magnus, put her hand to her mouth and chuckled to herself.


	“Well, Malpercio, the game is finished. Let's bury every last one of those insects!”


	Malpercio raised both his arms high and swung them down. Kalas jumped out and rushed towards that bosom. Malpercio swung both hands down, howling furiously. The shockwave and the beam of light gushing out of his mouth uprooted the hall. The stone floor disintegrated, and a dense dust cloud flew upwards.


	Kalas was hit hard by the shockwave and was blown spread-eagled[104] into the air. He slammed into the wall and fell lying face down.


	Grinding his teeth, Kalas stared up at Malpercio. He tried to stand up, but he did not have strength in his legs. His companions had also been thrown to the ground by the impact and were not moving.


	“Hehehe...” Melodia narrowed her eyes and laughed.


	At that moment, a small shadow of a person jumped out from behind a pillar and shot a blue magic wind at Malpercio. The mass of wind struck Malpercio in the back of the head. Malpercio fell forwards, crashing into the floor in front of him.


	The wind raged, covering Malpercio and tearing his body. Malpercio's body was covered with cuts and black Magnus began to leak out.


	“It be troublesome if you forget about the Great Mizuti. You be attacking Duhr and hurting many people. The Great Mizuti never be forgiving that!”


	Mizuti readied their chakram.


	“A Child of the Earth, huh, what a cheeky little insect.” Melodia's face distorted.


	Malpercio got up, jumping up to the ceiling with unnoticeable speed, then at once leapt towards Mizuti. Mizuti tried to retreat but did not make it in time. Malpercio swung his huge arm up and slapped it like a whip at Mizuti. Mizuti bounced hard on the floor, impacting a pillar and sliding down it to lie stretched out on the floor.


	At last Kalas stood up and, still wobbly, shook his head. Looking at the figures of Lyude, Savyna and Xelha collapsed on the floor, he was once again horrified.


	–– What a brutal power. There's no way humans can win against this kind of power...


	Gibari readied his oar towards Malpercio, walking slowly. Half of his face was black with a nosebleed and vomited blood.


	“So you're god... or whatever... I can't let that old thing take over the sky.”


	“Gibari...” muttered Kalas.


	“Kalas, don't you give up. Don't give up this time. If you're going to collapse, collapse after you've done it all.”


	Nodding, Kalas looked at Malpercio.


	Melodia let out a dry laugh.


	“So they still trust you? Kalas the traitor. How can an empty vessel like you be so trusted, I wonder? Hey. You can return to god's side again, Kalas. You're scared, right? You're shaking, right? But that's fine. Malpercio is a god. Because returning to god's presence is not a defection, it's a reformation.


	Both swords hanging by his sides, Kalas hung his head.


	“Ka... las...” Xelha pulled her body up and looked at Kalas. Kalas returned Xelha's gaze and nodded.


	“... Certainly I betrayed everyone. But it wasn't because I was scared of Malpercio. It was for the sake of accomplishing my own goal. And... I realised I was mistaken about that goal. Fee and Gramps' deaths weren't only the fault of Giacomo and the others. Everything started with Malpercio's thousand years of vengeance. Therefore, your thousand years of pain, your thousand years of sorrow, I'll... I'll finish it here and now. I'll return you to the depths of darkness, Malpercio!”


	His knees shaking, Lyude stood up.


	“... Me too... I'll never run away again. Staying in the place I want to be, I want to see what I can see.”


	“If you conform to god, there will be no regrets,” Melodia snickered.


	“Then I'll make god regret.” Standing up slowly, Savyna raised her fists in the air.


	Malpercio tilted his head as though curious. And, suddenly, he jumped up and kicked off the wall. Kicking the wall once more, he swung his arms. When Savyna prepared to receive this, her mouth gaped open.


	“Watch out!” Lyude jumped between them and fired his gun towards Malpercio. The beam of light shot by Malpercio and Lyude's shot collided with a splash of light.


	“Uwaaaaah!” shouted Lyude. He swung his gun around and, in a moment, Malpercio's light beam disappeared completely. At the same time Lyude was blown back with a tremendous explosion and Malpercio bent backwards[105].


	“Lyude, you...” said Savyna.


	“I'm sorry, was that too much?” Lyude smiled and held up one hand.


	Gibari nudged Kalas' arm.


	“Hey, Kalas. Prepare your Magnus. We'll get rid of this all at once at the next signal.”


	Nodding, Kalas stealthily stretched his hand to his belt.


	Gibari gripped his oar in both hands and raised it above his head.


	“Let's go! I'll show you the soul of a man of the sky from Nashira!”


	Gibari flew up into the air and struck Malpercio on the side of the head with his oar as the god tried to recover his stance. He kept swinging the oar as he fell, and when he landed he turned his body once more and jumped straight up[106]. For a moment it looked as though Malpercio had been enveloped by an azure Magnus. Malpercio staggered under that attack and gave a loud cry.


	At the same time, Kalas dived in, his wings spread. Swinging his sword wide, he sliced into Malpercio's body. Sending a flash of light upwards from below, he spun his sword around and slashed again[107]. The flesh of his body was torn apart by the unnatural muscle movements. However, Malpercio also fell back, shuddering in pain. He swung those arms. This knocked Kalas' body to the side and he bounced off the floor, sliding down to lie on his front.


	A white light flew in front of Malpercio. Xelha stood up, readying her staff.


	“Go to sleep – O pitiful god. Wheel of Light![108]”


	The air surrounding Malpercio distorted and several orbs of light softly appeared. Malpercio shook his head from left to right as though anxious. In the next instant, the several floating orbs rushed simultaneously towards Malpercio. Light overflowed, filling the hall. A huge pillar of light enveloped the evil god, and the god's thin scream of despair left a trace in the air. When the light disappeared, Malpercio began walking unsteadily. A pillar of blue light pierced the back of his head. Malpercio stopped moving. Behind him, Mizuti was floating in mid-air, leaning in a slanted position.


	“... It be done. The Great Mizuti be avenging everyone.”


	Malpercio shuddered without a sound and crouched there.


	“Hey, we did it... right?” The oar rolled from Gibari's hand and fell.


	“Just barely, I think...” was all that Kalas said at last, as he felt his consciousness suddenly slipping away.


	“Kalas!” Xelha rushed towards Kalas, who had fallen to his knees, and supported his body.


	Kalas looked at Xelha and gave a laugh of 'heh heh.' “... There's nothing left. But, we did it... We've finally broken the spell of a thousand years.”


	Mizuti flew unsteadily to their side. Savyna was holding Lyude up and checking the condition of his wounds.


	“How... how can the power of god be beaten by humans?”


	They heard Melodia's cry of grief. Melodia had rushed beside Malpercio, got on her knees and was stroking that head. Giving a low groan, Malpercio slightly raised his inverted-triangle shaped head, then fell back to the floor powerlessly. In the wind that blew, the dust that had gathered over a thousand years billowed like smoke.


	Kalas narrowed his eyes and looked at Melodia.


	“By nature, it is not for the hands of humans to amount to that.”


	A voice echoed through the stormy hall. Even in the groaning of the wind, the voice was dignified and clear. Slowly climbing the stairs, the Fairy Priestess Corellia appeared. Behind her was King Ladekahn of Diadem,, then Duke Calbren of Mira and Lord Rodolfo of Sadal Suud followed. Corellia stood in front of Malpercio with a determined look.


	Corellia spoke.


	“... When you forcibly tried to create life by piecing together the remains of the gods, in the end it was a distorted and imperfect container. It was not possible for humans to revive the complete power of the ancient gods.”


	Still kneeling by Malpercio's side, Melodia suddenly scowled up at Corellia. Her crimson lips were trembling.


	“That's enough. It's over, Melodia.”


	Saying this, Duke Calbren stood at Corellia's side. His hat was blown away by the wind, revealing his white hair which shook in the wind like a flame. Looking at the back of that figure, Kalas suddenly remembered the figure of Grandpa Georg.


	“Grandfather...?” For a moment Melodia's eyes widened, then softly looked downwards. “So after all, even you don't understand, Grandfather.”


	Standing up, Melodia spread both hands wide.


	“Look! I am different from the weak and sickly girl I used to be! As the rightful heir of the house of Calbren, I inherited the End Magnus and gained the power of the ancient gods.”


	Duke Calbren slowly shook his head.


	“That's wrong... Melodia. You have not gained the power of the gods. The gods took you back.”


	“... Just what are you talking about? Grandfather?”


	Duke Calbren stepped forward towards Melodia, glancing at Melodia, who was unmoving as though frozen in place, then looking around at Kalas and the others.


	“I want everyone to listen. Everything Melodia has made a mess of is my fault. My weakness, my cowardice, my selfish heart invited this situation...”


	Duke Calbren hung his head and walked around, exploring step by step.


	“Nine years ago, Melodia, my granddaughter, fell ill in the epidemic together with both of her parents. Time was too short to fight the illness, and soon after her parents died, Melodia also... breathed her last....”


	“What the... so then, that girl is a corpse?”


	Rodolfo stared at Melodia as though frightened.


	“I... was thinking out of my mind with grief. And then I had an idea. If the power of the End Magnus, bequeathed to our Grand Duchy, was stimulated by the Jewel of the Earth, which had been similarly retrieved by our ancestors from the country of the earth... it would be easy to call back the lives of three people or so.”


	“Such a thing,” Lyude shook his head. “No matter how much we think, no matter what we do, we can never take back the past that was lost...”


	Duke Calbren nodded sadly.


	“I secretly carried the three bodies to the hall of mirrors in the basement of the mansion. For it has been said for generations that the End Magnus was sealed there. When I brought in the Jewel of Earth, the wall of mirrors shone with light, and a small Magnus of light appeared in the air. That Magnus was overflowing with an ominous power the likes of which I had never felt before. However, though I was terrified, I couldn't stop the ritual. The three corpses were lined up, and I prayed with all my heart. Resurrect their lives from their rest... The bodies of my son and his wife were engulfed by the light of the End Magnus and disappeared, and I thought that the ritual had failed. Just when I was about to give up, Melodia's body alone began to move. She called me... grand... father...”


	Tears streamed from Duke Calbren's eyes.


	“I was happy, frightened, uneasy. I took Melodia home and brought her up to the best of my abilities. However, I could no longer be the man I was before. I couldn't even look Melodia in the face any more...”


	Kalas felt Xelha's hand softly touch his shoulder, and he clutched that hand. Xelha's eyes were filled with tears.


	Kalas looked at Melodia. Melodia was hugging her own body tightly. It was as though her body would rot and crumble away if she did not do that. Kalas and Melodia, the prayer and the curse. The two were very much alike. The power of life and destruction in a hollow vessel.


	“I... died... Then, am I a fake? A false life reborn by the End Magnus?”


	Melodia reached out a thin hand to Malpercio. Malpercio gave a faint groan and half raised his body. Dust from the rubble poured down onto his back.


	“I am a being of darkness, risen from the dead...? The same as Malpercio... I am the product of the End Magnus... I was the one being manipulated by them?”


	Duke Calbren looked up at the giant body of Malpercio and spoke in a groan.


	“That night, in the depths of despair a voice, a voice whispered. If you borrow the power of the End Magnus, you'll...” Closing his eyes tightly, he shook his head several times. “I just could not bear it. It was unbearable. Losing my son and his wife and you as well!” He spread both hands towards Melodia and approached her. “.... Let's finish this, Melodia. If you combine your strength with us, we can return Malpercio to the Magnus again and it should also be possible to seal him.”


	“Don't come any closer! Don't come over here!”


	Melodia screamed and took two or three steps backwards, sitting as though cowering. Her body was shaking slightly.


	“Melodia?” Calbren said in a muffled voice.


	“Ehehe, ahahahaha––” Melodia turned her head away, tears shining on her cheeks. “What an inconceivable farce. Just about everything! Everything was set up by the gods a thousand years ago. Me, and all of you, and you, and you!”


	Melodia pointed her finger at Duke Calbren and shouted.


	“Why, why did you bring me back to life! Why... didn't you let me stay dead?”


	Her voice disappeared thinly, Melodia sobbed repeatedly.


	Duke Calbren did not quiver as the accusations were hurled at him like flames.


	For a moment Melodia looked at her grandfather, then, as though falling she dragged her body towards Malpercio.


	“Don't go! No! Melodia!” shouted Xelha.


	Kalas tried to jump away but tangled his legs and tripped. Standing up, Malpercio spread both hands and howled. Kalas looked up at Malpercio in blank amazement. Melodia was floating by that chest. Lying prone, he was unable to see her expression. Without warning, her figure disappeared.


	“Malpercio has swallowed Melodia...?” said Kalas.


	Cor Hydrae shook. Cracks ran wall to wall, and the storm blowing in brought about tremendous gusts of wind. Kalas held his ground with all his might, trying not to be blown away. The powerful energy emitted from the End Magnus, which blew wildly through the hall, penetrated his body, pulsating violently over and over.


	Stunned, Corellia muttered.


	“The hollow vessel has gained a soul...?”


	Malpercio continued howling more and more. With a thunderous roar, the five gods sitting in the thrones stood up. The gravel that fell and piled up from those giant bodies dropped in front of Kalas and the others with a noise. The pale flames shone in Kalas's vision with an eerie glow. The gods leapt up towards Malpercio, and their giant bodies were absorbed in the light emanating from Malpercio one by one.


	People grow old, all things decay...
	They curse no one and nothing...
	There is no escaping damnation...


	When the light disappeared, the figure of Malpercio had changed completely. On his head he had clear eyes and a nose, with white wings growing either side, similar to those that had grown on Kalas' back before – but much larger. On his humanoid torso and limbs, muscles were visible slithering like logs. The size of his body had also grown a size bigger. Massaging his arms and legs as though to verify the sensation, he looked down at the petty humans who looked up at him expressionlessly.


	So much enormous energy flooded the space that the rubble was lifted up into the air and burst into flying pieces. Kalas wrapped his arms around his face and narrowed his eyes into the blowing wind.


	“Kh, damn it–” Lyude groaned.


	“This power... this be a little troublesome even for the Great Mizuti.”


	A bullet of light bounced off the beautifully protruding surface of Malpercio's chest.


	“We have it here–”


	Corellia stood in front of Malpercio with her arms crossed. Next to her the figure of King Ladekahn also stood.


	“All of you, get away from this place and prepare yourselves!”


	A silver-coloured beam of light gushed forth from the sword wielded by King Ladekahn and struck Malpercio's body[109].


	Giving a low roar, Malpercio tilted his head. He scratched his chin curiously and carelessly stretched out his hand. Malpercio bent his huge body and gave a ferocious roar. A terrible impact centred on Malpercio raged like an invisible tornado. Cracks ran through the pillars in the hall and the mountain of rubble was blown up, mowing down almost all the people present in that place. Corellia and Ladekahn, Duke Calbren and Rodolfo, and even the companions were blown away to the edges of the hall, landing on all fours on the floor.


	Only Kalas, on one knee on the floor, still fervently resisted the power of destruction. Cold sweat ran down his forehead and his face was twisted with pain. In front of his eyes, a shining white light overflowed, defending against Malpercio's power.


	“The Magnus of Life that Fee gave me. The power of the Winglet that Gramps gave me...”


	Kalas murmured while looking at the light. Standing up, he readied the weapons in both hands.


	“The power of destruction of your End Magnus, and Fee's... the power of our Life, which will inherit this planet's tomorrow? This is the last match, Malpercio!”


	Facing him, Malpercio spread the huge white wings growing from his head and roared. Cracks ran through the ceiling, and huge piles of rubble fell one after another, sending up a cloud of dust and smoke. For a moment the figure of Malpercio blurred, then the next instant with a thunderous noise a huge hole opened in the wall and that figure disappeared.


	–– Dammit, he's getting away. If he gets away here, everything will be for nothing[110]. All of our battles will become meaningless.


	“Everyone, can you move!?”


	Kalas turned around and shouted. In the middle of the lingering dense cloud of dust, the five companions, Xelha, Gibari, Lyude, Savyna and Mizuti, slowly stood up.


	“Somehow... we can move. But Queen Corellia and the others are...”


	Xelha held Corellia, who was lying face upwards on the floor, in her arms. Corellia spoke.


	“We are fine. Don't mind us, please stop Malpercio.”


	“Yes... Go on. When I am able to move, I will follow after you...”


	Ladekahn spoke.


	Kalas nodded.


	“Got it. We will definitely keep Malpercio at bay. Stay safe. Because when this battle is over, your power will be necessary.[111]”


	Turning around, he glared at the huge hole.


	“He is... he's on the roof over there. I can feel his presence. He isn't running away. He's waiting for us to come.”


	Exchanging glances, the companions rushed to the large hole that had opened in the hall. At the end of the large hole was a large spiral staircase. They didn't know it while inside, but it seemed this was the base of the spire they had seen from the outside. Kalas and the others began climbing the spiral staircase in a hurry. Fierce wind and rain battered their entire bodies. It continued to rob the strength from their bodies, which were exhausted from climbing the long spiral. However, they couldn't stop.


	Finally reaching the roof, they gasped loudly and rolled out onto the circle-shaped rooftop. The sky was dyed red and a fierce wind was blowing. If they didn't securely stand firm with both legs, they would fall the long distance down from the roof, which had no hand rail.


	In the centre, in a ring made of green stone, the grotesque figure of Malpercio stood alone, looking down at Kalas and the others. Kalas felt an unknown force, a terrific power whose true character was as yet unknown to him seething up from the bottom of his body. Spreading his grey wing and his Winglet, Kalas soared into the air, drawing his sword and fixing his gaze on Malpercio.


	“Malpercio, I understand. Now I'll make it easy.”


	The light of the Magnus of Life covered Kalas' body. When Malpercio looked at that light, he roared and raised both hands above his head. A giant pitch black bow and arrow appeared gripped in those hands. Giving a war cry, Kalas rushed towards Malpercio. Malpercio drew the bow and arrow and fired towards Kalas. Kalas dodged the blow instantly. However, with just the graze a shock passed through his entire body, and his flesh shivered with a sensation as though his body was burned raw. The arrow made a black hole in the red cloud and disappeared into the distant empty sky.


	“Uoooooooooh!”


	While losing his balance, Kalas thrust his sword and his cutlass into Malpercio's giant waist. He could feel the sensation of hard flesh. It was a mysterious sensation, as though his opponent was both a living being and made of mineral. With the two swords still sticking out, while radiating the power of the Magnus, in one go he ran through from the waist to the shoulder, kicking his shoulder and flying upwards. Wings spread, he hovered in the air and looked down at Malpercio.


	Raging with anger, Malpercio swung his fist fiercely at Kalas. One blow from the back of his hand sent Kalas crashing and bouncing across the floor of the roof.


	“Over here! Malpercio!”


	With his oar in hand, Gibari leapt at Malpercio. In an instant, Savyna also jumped up, running up that huge body almost vertically. The instant that Gibari's attack impacted Malpercio's shin, Savyna slammed her burning fist into his head.


	Malpercio's body lurched. But immediately he righted his stance, slamming his fist into Savyna, who was kicking him in the head, and sending Gibari flying with a kick. Before they knew it, that giant bow and arrow was again gripped in his hands. Nocking two arrows, he fired them at the two lying stretched out on the floor. Although it seemed they avoided a direct hit, I could see their bodies being blown away by that impact.


	Grinding his back teeth, Kalas glared up at Malpercio's back. Mizuti and Xelha quickly split left and right and gathered magical power. Left behind, Lyude readied his gun right in the middle of them.


	A white beam of light was emitted from Lyude's gun. The beams of light formed bundles and, in a snaking motion, struck Malpercio in the chest[112], and, recoiling, the evil god let out a war cry. To the left and right, Mizuti and Xelha each finished chanting their incantations.


	White balls of light flew out of Xelha's wand, repeatedly assaulting Malpercio's left arm. From the other direction, the blue light shot by Mizuti became a vacuum wave and sliced through Malpercio's right arm. Black Magnus spattered out, and Malpercio stooped his body and gave a groan. Crawling on all fours, Malpercio roared. A shockwave ran in a circle shape and hit the group.


	Kalas, who had fled into the air just in time, looked down at the roof. It was a scene of tremendous destruction. His companions were not moving, half-buried in the crumbling floor.


	Giving a shout of rage, Kalas flew towards Malpercio.


	“This is iiiiit! Sword style[113], Lord of the Wind!”


	Kalas’ entire body was enveloped by a blue light that held the power of the wind. Malpercio glared coldly at the charging Kalas. With no expression, without shaking – just quietly hating everything that lived. In that instant, Kalas didn't understand what had occurred. For a moment he thought that Malpercio's body had blurred. In the next instant, a black bow and arrow was gripped in that hand and the arrowhead was aimed directly at Kalas. The arrow was released.


	A terrific power of destruction ran through his entire body. The impact became a maelstrom, reflected diffusely inside his body. Kalas fell to the floor with a 'plop' and lost consciousness.


	Darkness enveloped the surroundings. It was as though Kalas and I, the spirit, were advancing by flying through the dark, or else swimming. We could hear the words of the curse. Everywhere the darkness was filled with malice. Why are you all still alive, carefree? Just how can you all be alive when you killed god and, as if that was not enough, kill and rob your fellow humans? Perish, O humans. At the end of my thousand year love and hate I hope I will die quietly in obscurity. If not, the thousand years of purification will be used up by human hands in a few years. This was continuously whispered in our ears.
	by human hands in a few years. This was continuously whispered in our ears.




	… Melodia was alone in her bed with bated breath. The voice was gradually becoming louder and louder. It wasn't only inside her head, but her chest, her stomach, even to the tips of her hands and feet were filled with black whispering. There was a world of darkness inside this body in particular, so there was no place to run. A crimson smile was etched on Melodia's lips...




	As the rain hit his cheeks, Kalas realised. For a while he was in a daze, not knowing what was happening, and soon the world came into focus. The fight between Malpercio and his comrades was still continuing. His comrades were desperately fighting back against Malpercio's attack but before the evil god's overwhelming power they appeared to be heading for defeat. Kalas got up, dragging his heavy body.


	Kalas shouted to Mizuti.


	“Great Mizuti, can you bind Malpercio's movements for a moment?”


	Kalas readied his sword pointed towards his opponent's eyes[114] and shouted.


	Mizuti nodded.


	“Understood. We be giving it a try!”


	Breathing hard, Gibari shouted.


	“Kalas, what are you planning!?”


	“I've had an idea. It's fine, we might be able to defeat this guy.”


	Saying this, Kalas once again soared up into the air. His wings no longer felt as powerful as they had earlier. It seemed that the blow from the bow and arrow had drained nearly all of the strength from inside his body.


	–– In the end, I'm relying on you.


	Calling this to the spirit, Kalas confronted Malpercio.


	“I'm your opponent!”


	He threw down the weapons from both hands. The weapons rolled on the floor with a quiet sound. Mizuti sat cross-legged in mid-air and began a chant. Malpercio began to walk slowly towards Kalas. A warning of white light ran through Malpercio's body. Puzzled, Malpercio looked at his own body, which then began to shake wildly.


	“He be stopped, Kalas!”


	“Thanks, Great Mizuti.” Raising one hand, Kalas shouted.


	“Melodia, now I'm gonna pull you up out of the depths of that darkness!”


	On Kalas' back, his Wing of the Heart and his Winglet spread out to their full length.


	He sucked in a deep breath. Without hesitation, Kalas jumped into Malpercio's body.


	*


	Kalas and I, the spirit, once again dove into the depths of the gloomy darkness. From every place came weeping and curses. Was this place a deposit of the collected grudges of the world? Kalas searched for one voice within those voices.


	–– Can you hear me? I said, right, I'd come to pick you up. Now, let's go home, together, to the place where everyone is!


	… The two stood side by side, looking up at the ball of light. A distant place, a distant time which never intersected. Someone reaching from there... Words without a voice... Thoughts without words... With a smile spilling out and lightening his whole face, he scooped up the light pouring down with both hands... A bundle of light spilled over and fell from thin fingers, staining the earth... It wasn't necessary to call the spirit to this world. The spirits call to us with such happiness... Turning the body... The skirt widened and sparkled with light. Dreaming endless dreams of another world, yearning sadly... We are drawn to each other... Those who are close to the souls are...


	–– Hey, that's enough. Let's finish this. If we stay in this place any longer than this, we won't be able to leave for eternity.


	… Turning fifteen this year. Since the day I met Kalas in the Shrine of Spirits, it's been as if some gears have clicked into place... That intention started to move. I don't know what has happened. In the two years since then, something unfathomable has been driving me... Torn into five pieces, the ultimate Magnus... That being's resentment and lamentation are seething and creaking in my chest... A thousand years of solitude, a thousand years of suffering. Destruction and despair for the human world... The arrow of destiny was released and split clean in two in the air...


	–– Damn it. Wake up. I can't leave you alone in this place. Come on, open your eyes!


	… Stroked Malpercio's rough head with the palm of my hand. Grandfather, how pitiful. Surely he is suffering even now... Duke Calbren... After losing his successors, his son and daughter-in-law, to an epidemic, he aged noticeably, and the cheerful impression I had of spending lots of time together when I was young disappeared... The corridors lined severely with portraits of generations of Calbren Dukes... He walked them in silence... Grandfather... Wearing a warm smile he was trying to die in obscurity in the depths of that mansion...


	The figure of a girl was vaguely visible through the haze of darkness. The girl was sitting alone on a throne, staring into empty space. Her feet were dangling and occasionally she played with the palms of her hands in the light that was shining in. Suddenly that gaze found me. Her eyes opened as though in surprise, and the girl extended her hand into empty space.


	Kalas called that name and I read that name.


	–– Melodia.


	*


	Malpercio let out a savage roar and the air shook. Frustrated at the prohibition, he was just barely holding on to his strength. The prohibition on his left arm finally burst open. Letting out a groan, Mizuti retreated slightly.


	“Gh... As expected, even the Great Mizuti not be holding him any longer.”


	Clenching his teeth, Gibari looked up at Malpercio.


	“Damn, Kalas is still there, huh? Jumping into Malpercio's body, what the hell kind of absurd thing. I don't know what to do any more!”


	“Great Mizuti. I'll help too!”


	Xelha stood next to Mizuti's side, emitting magical power. Gripping the prohibition on his right arm with his left hand, Malpercio tried to tear it off. Large beads of sweat emerged on Xelha's pale face. With a shrill noise, the prohibition on his right arm burst open and disappeared. Malpercio gave one howl and, gripping the prohibition on his chest with both hands, began pulling it vigorously.


	“So this... be it,” Mizuti said powerlessly.


	In silence, Savyna took up a fighting stance. Lyude also slowly readied his gun, then stopped that movement. Malpercio was grasping his head in agony. With a cowering roar, he twisted his body. He covered his stomach and gave another roar.


	From that body, human bodies came flying out. The two came flying out forcefully, rolling on the floor.


	Kalas was holding Melodia in his arms.


	“Kalas!” Xelha rushed towards the two. Dropping both of his arms as though he had lost his strength, Malpercio looked down at the stunned humans rolling on the floor.


	Kalas gently picked Melodia up. Melodia's white hair was becoming deep blue. Perhaps this was the colour of her hair before the End Magnus resurrected her.


	“... I'm so sorry...” said Melodia.


	Kalas' face was filled by a broad smile.


	“OK, let's put Malpercio to sleep! It's time to release him from his thousand year curse!”


	Just then, they heard a familiar cry from beneath the tower. The White Dragon appeared from the corridor, its wings flapping. Corellia and the four statesmen descended from the White Dragon to the rooftop. One by one they jumped down to the rooftop of Cor Hydrae. Finally the only ones left on the back of the White Dragon were the four witches of the Ice Kingdom, Barnette and the witch sisters. Barnette gently descended to the rooftop, looked loftily at Malpercio and spoke.


	No being can escape from the destiny of destruction...
	However, this is also the case for destruction itself!


	“Barnette!” shouted Xelha, rushing forward.


	“Malpercio is weakened, but we do not have the last necessary sacred treasure. Everyone is collapsing.”


	“Lady Xelha, keep your heart strong. The answer will be given in due course when the time comes,” said Barnette.


	“But just what should we...”


	“I...” they heard Melodia's voice.


	Wobbling, Melodia was drawing closer.


	“That child told me. He said that long ago the mages harboured spirits, and they used that power to forge sacred treasures... If we combine my End Magnus with Kalas' Magnus of Life and the spirit's power, then...”


	“Can we do it?” asked Kalas.


	“Yes...” Melodia nodded. Tears were falling down her cheeks in large droplets.


	“We have to do it, I have to do it. At least, I have to put that child to sleep. It's what that child has always hoped for.”


	Melodia covered her flowing tears with the back of her hand.


	“I am the one who has been holding that child back. That child's words, his true wish.”


	“It's not too late yet,” said Kalas.


	Melodia's hand in his grip was chilly and cold. He squeezed it with a firm grip.


	“We can do it over. Melodia, maybe you were granted life by the power of the End Magnus of destruction. Maybe I am an artificial life. However, that's just one power that keeps us living. This life of mine and of yours is the proof. Even when we are crouched in dark despair, we can find the light of hope in the bottom of that mud. People can stand up. Even inside me there is a lump of life writhing like this towards the future. So, let's go. Melodia.”


	Kalas and Melodia stood side by side. Right in the middle floated the light emitted by me, the spirit. In front of them, Xelha lined up the three broken sacred treasures: the Sword of the Heavens, the Jewel of the Earth and the Ocean's Mirror. Gazing at Kalas, she moved away. The spirit's glow increased noticeably. Closing their eyes, Kalas and Melodia called to mind in their hearts the figures of the completed sacred treasures. And Malpercio's true desire.


	In front of the three beings, the three sacred vessels emerged, having regained their forms.


	Malpercio recoiled his body and howled. That body was gradually disintegrating. His arm lifted as though gripping the air, falling down powerlessly, and cracks ran through his epidermis. The wings growing from his head drooped without strength, hanging down. Malpercio collapsed helplessly on the roof. The radiance from that body was lost, fading into a dark, sombre colour.


	Cor Hydrae began shaking violently. Cracks ran through the floor of the rooftop. The ships of each continent's representative, which had been standing by in the sky above, sensed the abnormal happening and descended one after the other.


	Corellia shouted.


	“Everyone, please listen. When Malpercio collapses, at the same time Cor Hydrae will be swallowed up by the space-time of the other world. Please hurry and escape!”


	Staggering, Melodia crumpled to the floor. Kalas supported her body with one hand. Even though strength had left her entire body, Melodia was still breathing faintly. When Kalas raised his face, Duke Calbren was standing there. Duke Calbren thanked him silently. Nodding back, Kalas left Melodia's body in Duke Calbren's hands.


	“Kalas[115], there are no words that can express my gratitude,” Duke Calbren said.


	Kalas shook his head.


	“Not really. Melodia did her best. I know it sounds strange but I think it's because it was Melodia that we were able to release Malpercio's curse like this.”


	Duke Calbren hung his head deeply.


	“Big brother... thank... you, goodbye.” He heard Melodia's faint voice.


	“Melodia, we'll be able to meet again,” said Kalas.


	Duke Calbren bit his lip strongly and turned his back. In silence, Kalas watched Duke Calbren walk to his ship. Duke Calbren advanced at a slow, reliable pace.


	The vibrations became violent. Even the air was trembling, and if they did not brace their legs securely the wind pressure would blow them away. Supporting his body with his sword, Kalas looked around at his surroundings, finding the figure of the White Dragon.


	“This is bad, it's collapsing. Everyone, get on the White Dragon!”


	From the back of the White Dragon, Gibari reached out his hands and pulled up Lyude and Savyna. Mizuti floated up into mid-air lightly with magic power, clinging to the White Dragon's back. Kalas craned his neck madly, searching for the figure of Xelha. At the edge of the roof, Malpercio was on his knees, both arms hanging powerlessly by his sides, his head drooping. In front of those eyes was Xelha's small back. Kalas ran towards Xelha.


	“Xelha, hurry up and escape!”


	Kalas stopped his hand, which was reaching for Xelha's shoulder. In front of Malpercio, Xelha's head was bowed and her shoulders were trembling faintly.


	“Sorry, I'm sorry... It was cold, wasn't it? You were scared, weren't you? But it's over now. From now on, humans and gods, we will always live together...”


	“Xelha...”


	In front of Kalas, who was standing stock still, Xelha clasped her hands together and offered a prayer.


	Cast light in a land without light
	Save those without help
	We who go alone to the depths of the night
	O ocean, please help us


	Malpercio's body became a froth of light. Cracks ran through the floor around Malpercio, which was unable to support that weight and collapsed. The instant that Malpercio fell, he became a waterfall of light and flowed out into the sky. Kalas held the palm of his hand up to the flood of light. Dazzled, he squinted his eyes. Xelha turned back, pressing her tear-soaked cheeks into Kalas' chest.


	“It's over, Kalas... The thousand years of solitude, the thousand years of pain have finally been released here.”


	“Yeah... that's right.”


	He could see Grandpa Georg's face. Fee's face and Giacomo's face flickered and flowed, disappearing in a sea of soft life. A thousand years of human activity. What sort of thoughts did Malpercio have, always looking up at that radiance from the depths of darkness?


	Gibari shouted from atop the White Dragon.


	“Hey! What are you doing, you two? You'll be swallowed up into another dimension with Cor Hydrae!”


	Xelha raised her face. Between Kalas and Xelha's faces drifted a ball of light, smaller than the palms of their hands. It shimmered and swayed and suddenly disappeared. Kalas and Xelha nodded in agreement, making their way towards the White Dragon hand in hand, their Wings of the Heart and the Winglet spread wide.


	Cor Hydrae rumbled violently. It was destroying itself, seeming to fold inwards towards its own insides. The extraordinary energy that supported the Castle of Storms was running wild through the atmosphere. At the centre of it, a black dimensional hole opened up, greedily engulfing the castle. Groaning thunderously, the air blew up at that hole, and if they did not cling securely on to the White Dragon's back they would be swallowed up together with it in that hole. The dimensional hole sucked up the purple Taintclouds that separated the earth from the sky.


	“Look. The dimensional hole is disappearing–” said Savyna.


	In the sky, a small, black sphere appeared, shaking. The forms of Cor Hydrae and the Taintclouds had both completely disappeared from this world. The sphere emitted black lightning flashes, but it gradually grew smaller and smaller and the wind became gentle and quiet. Eventually the sphere disappeared completely and the sky fell completely silent.


	Beneath the clear air, the earth stretched as far as they could see. The earth's wrinkled surface was a series of gently sloping terraces, with the rim of the endlessly sprouting ground continuing into the far-off horizon. The sun shone down on it from the cloudless sky, light calmly shining on the ground.


	“The Taintclouds have completely disappeared, is the the real... appearance of the earth?”


	Mizuti nodded.


	“A thousand years be passing, and the role of the Taintclouds to be purifying the world now be finished. Always the earth has been waiting for humans, for life to be returning to it.”


	Looking down at the ground silently, Kalas felt a violent vibration of air hit him between the eyebrows.


	“Please, look at that... it's terrible!” Lyude pointed below their eyes.


	The five continents, which had been surrounding Cor Hydrae, were stirring. Anuenue, Diadem, Mira, Sadal Suud and Alfard were losing their balance, gradually descending from their altitude, their speed steadily increasing as they began to fall towards the far-off ground.


	“The five continents are... falling...” Xelha said, turning pale.


	“With this timing, have they used up all the power of the End Magnus? … This means there's no time to escape!”


	In Kalas' mind, he could picture the figure of each continent, smashed to very small pieces by hitting the earth. There was likely no way to help the people living on the continents. Would the trays loaded with life be shattered, and only the purified earth remain with no purpose?


	From Xelha's hood, blown flailing in the wind, Meemai the Greythorne poked his head out and opened his round eyes.


	<<Squeak––––>>


	That cry echoed around the sky. Kalas gave a shout of surprise.


	On the vast earth, five giant shadows were standing up. They were the spitting images of the five gods swallowed up by Malpercio.


	However, one thing alone was different. There was no more feeling of hatred coming from them. Hearts of prayers filled with tranquillity flowed out from their bodies into the sky.


	Embracing the sunshine pouring down to their chests, they spread both hands towards the sky. They quietly caught the falling continents.


	The five giant figures folded their knees and stopped moving. The group of ships which had escaped flew around the surroundings like small insects.


	As the people looked on in amazement, the gods gradually became one with the earth, turning into mountain ridges with rims glistening in full leaf.


	The five continents were raised in the embrace of five mountain ranges and formed a single continuous land mass.
















































































	Closing act: The person who set foot on the bottom of the ocean again rising to the surface of the ocean


	FOOT.


	The people danced, their feet hitting the ground one after the other. Their hands were raised high above their heads, their chests and stomachs close together, and there was a merry noisiness in the air. Singing voices and the noise of taiko drums were swallowed by the joyful cheering. The wind blew softly, carrying the scent of the soil.


	The cheerful festival had returned to the city of Komo Mai in Anuenue, the Rainbow Nation. Floral decorations, thrown high, flew overhead, beaten drums were ringing out and the high-pitched sounds of flutes continued. The people who had lived through the great cataclysm exuded a great joy at living, and today they were enjoying life as much as possible.


	A makeshift table, made of pieces of wood hammered together at random, was lined with all the delicacies one could think of, and if one walked from one edge to the other edge carrying a plate they could have their fill of the cuisines of the world.


	Usually in their palaces and mansions, Corellia and Ladekahn, along with Rodolfo and the others, were today mingling with the people, lending an ear to their words and calmly exchanging friendly conversation.


	After finishing day after day of fighting, the companions had returned and were now relaxing, enjoying each of the gorgeous festivities at the dining table.


	Mizuti took a cake from the tabletop in their hand and stuffed it into their mouth.


	“This be delicious.”


	Anna, the barmaid from Nashira, rested her cheeks in her hands and stared at Mizuti.


	“Huh, so the Great Mizuti likes sweet foods? Somehow I thought you'd be the type to like salty foods though,” she said, smiling. “That's a masterpiece handmade by Miss Trill, the top disciple of Mira's famous confectioner, Tisocco.”


	Anna looked at the petite girl who was hurrying from table to table carrying a tray. Mizuti spoke while chewing.


	“The boss in Mira be telling me. Be Kalas and Trill marrying?”


	“Well, I wonder. Because for Kalas, there's Xelha. You never know what'll happen with men and women. Lyude said so, didn't he. The Celestial Tree is made up of many colonies of trees, depriving each other of nutrition yet also supporting each other, and somehow, without withering, it is still growing quickly now. It's the same for everyone.”[116]


	“But... Mizuti, uh.”


	Sitting in front of Mizuti, Gibari looked at their bare face with drunken eyes.


	“You, when you take your mask off like this, mm, you have a very cute face.[117]”


	“Really? Well, that too be obvious. Because the Great Mizuti be an invincible mage.”


	“Huh? I don't really get it, mm. Very good. You're still only a kid now, but in the future you'll make men cry, yeah. Really.”


	Gibari sniffed.


	Next to him, Reblys, who had been drinking, snorted through his nose.


	“Kh, you do nothing but cry. Unattractive men are sad, huh, being bitter to the kids. Right, Gibari.”


	Gibari's face stiffened as he lost his cool and he shouted angrily.


	“What'd you say, you prematurely grey head? You... sloping shouldersss.”


	“Shaddup, old face, are you really thirty!? Don't lie about your age.”


	With a noise, the two men squared up, poking their fingers in each other's nostrils and, each gripping a bottle of alcohol in their other hand, poured alcohol into each other's mouths[118]. Their throats gurgling, they shouted to Anna.


	“Which is the better–”


	“Man! Hyaah!”


	“Ahh, you're both such good men that I want to cry. For goodness’ sake.”


	Anna stared at the two with a gaze colder than a knife, ducking her head and draining her cup.


	“I'm sorry, Mizuti[119]. These two have never been this drunk before, it's unusual.”


	“Never mind. The Great Mizuti's heart be wider than the sky.” Mizuti looked up at the sky. “Besides, it be seeming a lot of fun. Those two are.”


	The two men collapsed on top of the table with a powerful sound. Screaming and explosive laughter spread.


	Giving the tussle a sidelong glance, Lyude took a sip of his grape wine.


	“Savyna, the Empire is no more. The fighting is over, so in name and reality you are officially freely discharged. What will you do from now on?”


	Savyna shrugged her shoulders.


	“Who knows. The truth is, I still haven't decided. But –– yes, there's no pain in being lost now.”


	“Savyna is going to live with Mayfee[120], right?” A small figure jumped in behind Savyna's back.


	Savyna put her hands behind her back and held that girl in her arms. Mayfee was a young girl who lived in the Waterfall Village of Opu, the youngest of the Celestial Tree's guardians. With a faint smile on her face, Savyna tilted her head gently.


	“Yeah, that might be good too.”


	Lyude narrowed his eyes.


	“What about you, what will you do? Are you going to return to the Empire?” asked Savyna.


	“For the moment they are working with the aim of rebuilding Mintaka... Kalas told me. He said 'you're suited to be a leader.' I do not think that's the case at all, but... the truth is, I've been wondering about it a little.”


	Lyude spoke while smiling.


	Also smiling, Savyna watched Lyude.


	“Oi, Kalas. Where did you go?” Gibari was shouting.


	“Speaking of, I haven't seen Xelha around either. It's strange. They were both here a minute ago.” Lyude looked around the area.


	The tumult of the festival suddenly grew quiet. The drums stopped, the sound of the flutes stopped, the commotion stopped. Everyone was looking up at the sky.


	A gust of wind blew.


	Something was dancing like snow across the whole sky. This was the last blizzard of this year for the Celestial Flowers, which bloomed only once every thirty years.


	*


	In a dark room in the depths of the mansion on the plateau above Balancoire, the City of Illusion, Melodia looked into a water basin alone. A black human figure appeared in the entrance to the room. The old man, who had lost yet more weight, stepped into the room with reliable steps.


	“Melodia, you're here all alone again–”


	“It's fine. As expected, I can't show my face shamelessly at that festival. Grandfather, you came home so quickly.”


	“My reason for living is being by your side, Melodia. This time I will make sure to raise you to become the Duchess of Mira. Besides, I am sure the festival will continue to take place on the same day as today from now on. Every year, every year... It would be good if you are able to go some day too.”


	Melodia smiled faintly.


	“So. What have you been doing, Melodia?” Duke Calbren said.


	“There was something I was a little worried about. The Ice Queen who was guiding Big Brother Kalas and his group on their journey.”


	“About Lady Xelha?”


	“Yes, I was worried about that person–” Melodia gently stroked the edge of the water basin. “I have a feeling there's somehow a very sad destiny waiting between that person and Kalas[121]... I have a sense of uneasiness.”


	Ripples erupted in the water basin, reflecting the dark purple world.


	The scene a thousand years ago –– After the continents had risen into the heavens, the Taintclouds, swirling in colours of purple and grey, formed layers in the sky, and fierce black seas crashed on the sharp rocky areas left behind in the dark underworld.


	A man and a woman, two survivors of the foolish battle with the gods, floated in the air and looked at each other. The few people remaining on the ground looked up at them.


	<<It's going to become a long and painful duty.>>


	<<I am aware of this. However, is it not the same for you all who have chosen to remain on the earth and live without sunlight beneath the thick clouds. Someday, when the damaged earth is purified, people will return to the edges of the land, until then we will protect the ocean, and the world... Let's keep watching over people. The bottom of the earth and the extremities of ice, together...>>


	The woman suddenly laughed. <<Surely one day our children will...>>


	The man nodded. <<Our children will...>>


	<<Well, let's begin.>>


	There were several layers of the Taintclouds piling up, yet through that thin gap the sun shone on the surface of the ocean, illuminating it in ultramarine –– The ocean's surface was swirling, writhing, swirling back and glittering brilliantly.


	Melodia and Duke Calbren looked at each other's faces in amazement.


	*


	Sadal Suud, Moonguile Forest ––


	Pushing aside the trees which had become quiet in the night, stepping on the undergrowth, Kalas advanced deeper and deeper. Suddenly his line of sight opened and he came out into a place that looked like a plaza. The bubbling of a clear stream was audible as it poured into the stagnant backwater. Upstream from here there should be the ruins and a beautiful spring.


	It was nostalgic. It was the place where Xelha had been attacked by the Saber Dragon, and where Kalas had saved her in the nick of time. At that time he was chastised for suddenly rifling through the belongings of Xelha's companions. It was a time when he was still enchanted by Malpercio. Since then, helping Xelha and, more than that, being helped by her, we have continued our journey. If Xelha was not there – horrifying – even now I likely would be tied to the depths of darkness.


	The forest had fallen asleep and the noise of wind shaking and rustling the trees was audible.


	Eventually the white walls of the ancient ruins came into view.


	The refreshing sound of water, the copious gushing water, becoming a beautifully clear spring at the edge of the white walls. The stars in the cloudless night sky were reflected in the spring. In front of the spring were the group of witches from Wazn, Barnette and the three witches, and finally Xelha were standing still. When the witches looked at Kalas they nodded to each other and their figures disappeared further into the depths of the forest. Remaining, Xelha smiled at Kalas.


	“So it was this place after all. You were calling me, right?”


	“Yes, I was waiting, Kalas,” said Xelha.


	“Exactly who are you? What are you hiding?”


	“I'm just Xelha, and also... the last of the Ice Queens.”


	Without understanding the meaning of Xelha's words, Kalas stopped walking.


	“The last...?”


	The stars reflected in the spring swayed in the gushing water shuddered and became one single ray of light. Xelha crouched down at the side of the spring and stretched her hand over the surface of the water.


	“That day I met you in this forest for the first time, it somehow seems like a long time ago. Hey, did you know? The true meaning of the name 'Moonguile Forest' is the forest of the soul of the moon. At some point the soul became muddy and deceiving. Maybe we are also living by carelessly leaving something important somewhere, and even forgetting it. In this way people also, even I also deceive...”


	Turning back, Xelha looked up at Kalas.


	“A thousand years ago, the five continents left the surface of the earth, which was damaged in the battle with the god, and flew up into the sky. Likewise the Country of Ice escaped into the sky with the power of the Whale, but at that time, the mages who remained on the ground entrusted us with something.”


	Staying silent, Kalas felt as though he could hear the roar of the distant sea from a thousand years ago in his ears. Xelha stood up. She gently touched her right hand to her chest.


	“Kalas, the Ocean is inside me. I am the Ocean.”


	Slowly Xelha spread her hands and took a deep breath.


	“For generations, we the Ice Queens have inherited the Ocean. As long as they live they protect the Ocean, and then to the next Queen... until the time when the last one comes.”


	Xelha looked up at the starry sky.


	“Now that the End Magnus are released and the earth has been resurrected, I have to do my duty as the last Ice Queen.”


	Kalas turned his eyes away, looking at the bright stars flickering on the surface of the spring. Xelha gripped both of Kalas' hands and looked into his face.


	“Kalas, I want you to release it. The Ocean inside me.”


	“... If I release the Ocean, Xelha... at that time, what about you?”


	Xelha lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly.


	“No, I can't do that. I can't.”


	“... I'm sorry. For asking you to do this. But I can't do it with my power alone. If you, housing the power of the spirit, were to united your heart with mine, we would be able to awaken the sleeping Ocean.” Xelha sighed deeply. “... Now that the wounded earth has been resurrected, everyone is, the world is waiting for the lost Ocean. Please, Kalas...”


	Closing his eyes, Kalas looked up to the sky. He could smell the forest. He could hear the sounds of the insects. When he opened his eyes he could see the spreading sea of constellations in the deep blue sky. The stars were not twinkling, and the wind roared overhead. Shaking his head, Kalas spoke.


	“... Yeah. I got it. I'll accept, I'll take responsibility.”


	Gripping both of Xelha's shoulders, he looked into her face.


	“So don't go anywhere, Xelha. Fine.”


	Nodding, Xelha lowered her eyes. A single tear fell from her eye.


	“So... when?”


	“Eh...”


	“When are we doing it?”


	“Now...” Xelha raised her face. “Because as time passes, your precious determination will disappear... Please. Now, from here. The way to do it–”


	Kalas nodded. “I know.”


	He called me, the spirit. “You understand too, right?”


	Kalas took one step back and sucked in a deep breath.


	Cast light in a land without light
	Save those without help
	We who go alone to the depths of the night
	O ocean, please help us
	We who abandon the song and bury tomorrow
	O time, forgive us someday
	Indeed, O children
	Rest now and for eternity
	Within my chest...


	Kalas' voice overlapped with the spirit's voice, likewise Xelha's voice overlapped, ringing out and seeping deeply into the forest, the soil, the sky. Within Kalas' heart, the blue sky and the ocean spread everywhere.


	When he noticed, he was under the night sky again. Xelha was smiling calmly, looking at the two.


	“Thank you... Kalas. And you too, spirit.”


	A moment later Xelha's figure became a double image and Kalas blinked.


	“Oi!” Kalas shouted.


	The three witches came flying out, pushing their way through the trees.


	“Your Majesty[122], it's terrible! The forest, the world!”


	A voice reverberated from the depths of the soil.


	<<Not yet! I won't let you do as you please! Because this world is miiiiiine!>>


	“This voice is–”


	Kalas drew his sword, looking around at their surroundings as though to protect Xelha. Xelha's face became terribly pale and her body was shaking.


	The soil in front of their eyes rose up as a small mountain, swallowing up the surrounding trees. A face they remembered clearly appeared in that soil.


	<<Kalaaaas, I've found yoooouu.>>


	“Geldoblame!”


	One by one in the trees, in the soil, in the rocks, in the atmosphere, the last Emperor of the Alfard Empire emerged, writhing in anguish and screaming.


	<<In a place like thiiis, I won't you escaaaape, oooohh>>


	“The world... became Geldoblame?”


	<<It was daark. I fell into a dark caave. It's so cold. I'm so ravenous. Aah, what about god? What about the ancient power? If I eat everyoooone, how funny that would beee>>


	Glamyss, one of the three witches, spoke. “Kh, he fell into the depths of the ground with the power of Malpercio still within him and he became one with the earth. Nevertheless, this human is the possessor of a deep-rooted delusion!”


	<<Loook! Loook carefully! I am already this world, I am the univeeeeeerse>>


	“Y-Your Majesty–”


	“This is–”


	Waves lashed in the ground as though it were the surface of water, and one by one it swallowed up the bodies of the witches. Embracing Xelha, Kalas soared up into the air without delay.


	“Ka... las...” Xelha opened her eyes slightly, then opened her mouth. “I'll fight too...” On her back, her wings, like the wings of an insect, blinked as though gradually vanishing. “... we have reclaimed the earth and soon humans', soon our Wings of the Heart will disappear. This will be my last fight.”


	Letting go of Kalas' arm, Xelha bravely readied her wand. Those wings suddenly disappeared and she almost fell, but Kalas grabbed her with one hand. On Kalas' back, the Winglet was flapping strenuously. His body was leaning diagonally. Kalas' face was twisted with pain.


	Floating on the small mountain, the huge face of Geldoblame twisted and distorted as though mocking the two, stretching up and down and side to side, bulging and letting out a snort like a gale. The trees of the forest billowed and collapsed according to Geldoblame's expansion and contraction. Flying away in a panic, one after another birds were transfigured mid-air into Geldoblame's face.


	<<Yooou, too, should give up quickly and become one with meee, if you want to continue existiiing!>>


	The wings on Xelha's back once again began to glow. She floated lightly in the air.


	“... Geldoblame. How pitiful, the most pitiful soul in the world. You should never have come to this new world. However, if this is your decision, I shall return you to the world of oblivion.”


	Lurking in Xelha's hood, Meemai poked his face out and gave a cry.


	“We will –– right, Xelha?”


	Kalas flapped next to Xelha's side.


	Geldoblame twisted his face frantically and howled in a terrible voice that shook the earth.


	<<I waaaaaaant it, that and this and everybody, they are all miiiiiine!>>


	Kalas and Xelha nodded to each other.


	Xelha readied her wand and began to concentrate. Kalas placed his sword in front of him and poured Magnus into the blade.


	Meemai jumped out from Xelha's hood. That small figure gradually increased in size, shining with a white light. A torrent of light gushed out from Xelha's wand, flowing into Meemai.


	Meemai's swollen body collided with the huge face of Geldoblame floating on the small mountain before leaping up into the air. In mid-air, that figure faded away again very fast, and, when it was the size of the palm of her hand, returned to Xelha[123].


	Twisted in pain, Geldoblame's giant face caved in deeply in the middle. A pitch black shadow ran across the middle of that face. Thrusting his sword into the lump of Geldoblame, Kalas gouged, advancing through the clumps of earth. Geldoblame's countless screams of rage and agony clamoured inside his head, rampaging around, and he felt as though his skull was being crushed from the inside.


	Finally Kalas' body pierced through Geldoblame. The wind was cool. Turning his body around, Kalas stopped moving in the air.


	When he looked down, Geldoblame was completely still. Cracks were running through that surface, and the small mountain was quietly crumbling down. He could see a number of clumps of earth dropping off and splashing into the spring below his eyes. Afterwards all that remained was the quiet rustling of the forest, and the thought that it had all been a momentary delusion.


	On the other side of him, he saw Xelha, who had used up all her strength, swaying as she descended to the ground. Kalas' body too began to slowly lose altitude. His Wing of the Heart had disappeared and his Winglet was no longer moving. When Kalas landed, he broke into a run.


	The Winglet dangling down from his back made a clattering sound. He supported Xelha, holding her in his arms and just barely stopping her as she was about to collapse. Falling to both knees like this, he touched Xelha's cheek. She really was as cold as ice. The witches, who had been blown out of the ground and were covered in mud, looked at the two of them as though in a daze.


	Between the trees, within the grass, Greythornes of various colours surrounded them, watching over them. Beside Xelha, Meemai chirped in a thin voice.


	Staggering, Barnette drew closer.


	“Lady Xelha. The two of you will likely become legends, become myths.”


	With her eyes still closed, Xelha smiled without strength. “... No. I don't want to become something like that.” Placing her own hand over Kalas' hand which was pressing against her cheek, she opened her eyes slightly.


	“Kalas... What I saw was not a prophetic dream about the destruction of the world... It was you... In the depths of a dark forest, you were holding someone in your arms, crying and screaming... It was your figure...” Those eyes quietly closed. “I just wanted to be by your side for you. I just... a normal... be well-matched couple...”


	Losing its strength, Xelha's hand fell. Kalas' eyes widened, gasping as though his mouth was searching for breath.


	“... Xelha?”


	Kalas clutched Xelha's body tightly in his arms and crouched.


	“... You moron... Xelha... I told you not to go anywhere, not anywhere.”


	The forest was embraced by silence and the sound of the insects was audible. The Greythornes stirred restlessly, shaking the trees and the grass. Slowly, Meemai moved away from the two people without a sound. Finally, looking back at Kalas, he flew up into the air. The other Greythornes also soared up into the sky at that signal. All that remained was the bright stars, illuminating Kalas and Xelha and the witches who were hanging their heads around them.


	The sound of the roaring sea came from Xelha's body and Kalas raised his face. Xelha was enveloped by a white radiance. I, the spirit, knew. The prayer that Xelha recited everywhere she went, a lullaby that had resounded on this planet since ancient times. Xelha's life unravelled and she rowed out into the vast flux of this world, which the stars looked down upon. The Ocean, bound a thousand years before, was about to be undone here.


	Indeed, O children
	Rest now and for eternity
	Within my chest…


	A warm rain began to fall from the cloudless starry sky. The rain splashed onto the branches and leaves of the forest, along the fields, becoming a river and flowing swiftly into the lowlands.


	Similarly in the cheerful earth of Anuenue, in the capital city of Diadem, in the middle of the fog hanging over Mira, in the old townscape of Sadal Suud, in the majestic and splendid golden capital of Alfard, in the oasis in the desert which looked up to that city from afar, and also on the five mountain ranges into which the gods had turned, the gentle rain poured incessantly down. The rain continued to fall under the dazzling dawn sun. As though a lid had been lifted, water overflowed from the Greater Celestial River, and with a thunderous noise the water filled the earth.


	The Wings of the Hearts disappeared from the backs of the people together with a sparkle of light particles. For a short time the people did not notice their wings, nor did they notice the other significant change in their surroundings.


	There was not a single Greythorne, which until now had been everywhere throughout the world. The Greythornes headed towards the reborn Ocean as though being drawn there.


	The people who happened to witness the flock of Greythornes flying through the sky later said of it that it looked like a rainbow coloured cloud rushing through the sky.


	Once they were out above the Ocean, the flock of Greythornes descended, plunging one by one into the sea and leaving spray behind them. They dove to the bottom of the sea, swaying to and fro in the currents and enjoying the sensation of the magnificent Ocean with every swimming stroke. As their small bodies rubbed together, the flock of creatures gradually transformed into one, becoming a single giant creature.


	Kicking up the soil where the tidal water was still gathering, people ran to the coastline, scrambling to get a glimpse of the reborn Ocean. The Ocean was illuminated by the light of daybreak, and a madder red glow extended everywhere.


	Just as people were gasping at the beauty, a huge whirlpool appeared in the waves.


	A commotion spread –– And then they saw it. A figure that drew a huge arc in the air, the powerfully glittering splash of which seemed to reach the heavens –– The Whale.




	Perhaps, a thousand years from now, schoolteachers would teach these events in front of their blackboards, themselves half in doubt.


	–– Once upon a time, these continents were floated in the sky by the power of the gods who were split into five. People had a power called Wings of the Heart, and made a living in the sky. However, there came a time when the power of the gods that kept the continents afloat was lost. The power of the five gods became five mountains supporting them. The Ice Queen became the rain and poured down, and that became the wide Ocean.


	The students would be unable to believe this absurd story without questioning – they don't believe people flew in the sky a long time ago – and they would answer with stifled yawns and rumbling stomachs. Rolled up letters, paper aeroplanes and other such common mischief would fly through the air in the classroom. The chalk would be smashed up in the hand of the irritated teacher while they were writing.


	They would hear the faint sound of the Whale singing from the bay. The children would rush to the window. With their head in their hands, the teacher would likely stand on tiptoe to peek in the direction of the bay.


	They might not believe it, but everyone would know the story. In the distant past, the Whales gathered life from the Ocean and resurrected a single girl. The legend of the last Ice Queen.


	The children would cling to the window, pressing their faces to it. Their soft cheeks would flatten against the glass and turn pure white. With an expression of resignation, the teacher would stealthily open the window. The soft flesh of their faces would bulge in a round shape –– And finally, the song of the Whale, riding the wind across the sea, would probably spread through and fill the classroom.


	*


	With the light of the sun gathering in the grains of sand, the entire beach was pure white.


	Waves broke on the big rocks and dispersed in the surging sea. In the distance there was a group visible carrying out a small wooden boat trimmed in vermilion and yellow. They must be the Children of the Earth, who had lived for a thousand years without knowing the sky. They were looking up at the dazzling blue sky.


	Brilliant sunshine bathed their faces. The loincloths wrapped around their skin, which still did not know sunburn, glowed white and burned their eyes.


	I was beside a small pendant carried in by the breaking waves. Right beside it rolled a piece of glossy driftwood. From beneath that driftwood a small crab poked its body out, crossing just in front of me.


	The scent of the tide drifted. The Ice Queen and those Whales had so much life confined in that tiny body. Life in the Ocean had quickly become tightly mired in this world, and was energetically respiring like this.


	A bouncy voice hit my ears. A group of children in their underwear were playing nearby.


	Suddenly one of the group drew closer with a stick in her hand. The sunlight fluttered and bounced off the pendant. Right away the crab fled into the sand. Timidly snaring the pendant with the stick in her hand, that girl noticed the beauty and precision of its construction and took it into her hands to stare at it fixedly. Eventually, with a puzzled look, she touched the pendant to her ear and tilted her head.


	The girl ran up to her companions and showed it to a boy.


	“Big brother, this is strange. I can hear a woman's voice.”


	“Huh? What are you talking about?”


	The boy took it from her as though snatching it.


	“Mm–?”


	His face clouded over, then gradually changed into a smile. The other children crowded around the boy, shouting something and tussling for it.


	“What is it? What's going on?”


	“I can hear a woman's voice. This, could it be–”


	Gathering in a group, they joined forces and strained their ears for the sound of the pendant, looking at each other's faces and smiling in satisfaction.


	“... It's Big Sis[124] Xelha's voice, right?”


	Faces glowing, they nodded at each other.


	“Let's go and tell Big Bro Kalas.”


	Clutching the pendant, several children ran off. The remaining children watched them leave for a moment, then again began playing in the waves.


	–– Aah, O children. Please do not spill it.


	Within that pendant was packed the important life that the Whales had gathered. It was the last gift gathered by Meemai and the others, swimming and swimming in the deep seas and the shallow seas, the tiny crystals of life scattered through the Ocean.


	Kalas and Xelha will surely meet again. Just as the sky, sea and earth once again became one, they will likely nestle close, hug each other and layer their destinies. Intersecting in distant days, drawing far-away ellipses and again being tied together, a story of never-ending wings and the lost ocean.


	Children licked the soup of life. The recipe for the world according to the Creator, dissolving and stirring the legends of the sky and earth, mixing until it bubbles then pouring it slowly into the Ocean. The rhythm carved by the soup of life is constantly breaking on the beach. If one puts their hand in and wets their face, countless stories will be born from the foam and collapse, and children will crawl up becoming dead drunk. And finally jump back in. Everyone is the tongue of god, tasting the world with our entire bodies.


	While singing a song, the distant Children of the Earth carried the small boat, walking along the sandy beach towards the frothing waves.


	Shooook by the waves, washed awaaay
	Hah choina choina[125]
	How far shall we gooo this eeevening
	Hah heigh-ho
	Two people swaaaying in the sea of dreeams
	Hey ho bobbing and sloshing[126]




	I ran towards the Ocean. Beneath the sun the sandy beach seemed to burn the soles of my feet and I rolled around, feeling like I had been burned all over my body before jumping into the waves, covered in sand. I was surprised at the warmth of the waves washing over my face/both of my outstretched arms/my chest/my stomach/both of my feet which bit firmly into the sand at the bottom of the water. I gasped. I swallowed salty water.


	Baten Kaitos: Castle of Storms
	The End




	Afterword


	I am pleased to deliver the novelisation edition of “Baten Kaitos.”


	The five continents floating in the sky. People have the power to float with Wings of the Heart, and they live with the centre of their lives being Magnus, the cards that seal the essence of matter.


	As the game contains a considerably long and wide drama, in this compactly consolidated book I have tried to portray this unique worldview and its transparent atmosphere.


	The author recommends that you read this book as though you were Kalas or Xelha, Giacomo or Melodia or the others, with the sense of lightly floating through this world of the sky. Please forget the daily grind and freely enjoy the feeling of sightseeing.




	Thinking about it, from the last time I wrote for Famitsu Bunko[127], which was “Drag-On Dragoon,” it's been a succession of stories about flying in the sky. Using up all material about the sky, or gasping for lack of oxygen in my vocabulary, I had a little trouble with these points.


	Recently I have been riding around the Shinjuku district on the folding bike I received, but somehow I have had several years lacking exercise and my body is so pathetic I feel sick immediately. When I rest at the side of the road for a little, I feel like the inside of my head is floating up and the sky is getting closer.


	When I was tired from writing, by doing this I summoned the sky close to myself and endured.


	Although I was feeling refreshed with my heart the colour of water, maybe passers-by saw my appearance gasping for breath and pale faced as my vision swam across the sky.




	I would like to thank everyone at Namco and MonolithSoft for taking time out of their busy schedules to help with this book; Higurashi Nakaba-san for his refreshing cover and illustrations; my editor, Okamoto Shinichi-san for all his hard work; thank you very much, everyone.


	And of course, I am deeply grateful to you for picking up this book.


	Let's play again in the writings of blue sky.


	Aizawa Tadashi. March 2004.




	________________
	[1] Before the interludes between chapters, there are large-font bolded kanji corresponding to each of the End Magnus body parts. Although they form part of the first word of the narration, they float slightly above the paragraphs. This is the closest I could render that effect (and the corresponding body part is repeated somewhere in the first sentence of each interlude.). Also to note - the body part featured in each interlude is also repeated somewhere in the interlude’s title. In this case the character for head 頭 is used in the word ‘leaders’ but in other titles the repetition is more obvious.
	[2] … Who is this and what has he done with Rodolfo??
	[3] ミナミハコダイ is what the stew is made of. While ハコダイ itself is a type of Boxfish, ミナミハコダイ is not a real fish but appears to be a reference to the ミナミハコダイの切身 quest magnus. This magnus was localised as Sea Bream Fillet.
	[4] The word used is 精霊 (spirit) but it is given the furigana reading of あなた (you) - changed to I/me for the purpose of this translation - driving it home to the reader that they are one and the same. I have tried to replicate this but it does read slightly awkwardly.
	[5] The word used here is 蓮っ葉 which translates to ‘vulgar’ or ‘wanton’. At this point Trill is a child so I have opted for a more innocent replacement.
	[6] As above, the word 精霊 (spirit) is given the furigana reading あなた (you). We the reader are being involved in the story again. This combination of 'spirit' and 'you' is repeated frequently during the next part of the narrative. To avoid clogging the story I will simply render this as ‘I’ or ‘my’ as we already know now that we are the spirit :)
	[7] … for some reason this reference to the spirit is entirely in third person with no mention of the reader as an entity. The POV changes in this story are giving me whiplash.
	[8] aaaand we’re back to the dual reading of spirit/reader.
	[9] The actual line is 吼えてろ吼えてろ repeating the word ‘barking’ or ‘bellowing’’ - it’s mocking and condescending. ‘Bark bark’ sounds a bit childish for trash talking so I’ve rendered it as ‘keep barking’ instead.
	[10] This sentence has confused me a lot, because in the Japanese there is no possessive noun in reference to the eyes. The original text reads ‘Xelha raised her wand to [the] blue eyes’ and it is unclear to whom this is referring. In theory it would make sense to be Kalas, because he does have blue eyes - but Xelha is floating in midair away from him and it does say she readies her wand rather than points it, so then the implication is that it is to her own eyes as per her stance in game when powering up a finishing move… but Xelha’s eyes in all her game portraits are golden/hazel. Or there is a possibility that 青 in this case means green rather than blue, but again, neither Xelha nor Kalas have green eyes. The last option, of course, is that I’m a fool and this is referring to the Saber Dragon’s eyes.
	[11] In the original text Kalas refers to 'こいつのこと’ which is a nongendered expression with こいつ meaning ‘this guy/this thing’ and こと meaning ‘presence/matter/being.’ I have rendered it as ‘the spirit’ instead of ‘this guy’ to try and keep the reader avatar gender neutral (and Kalas calling us ‘this thing’ would be too callous even for him…) Also the verb he uses is わかる which means ‘to understand/comprehend’ rather than ‘to feel’ but in this context the latter reads better in English I think.
	[12] I find it very interesting that Gedoblame is expressing opposition to underhanded tactics considering he is literally trying to revive a cursed god and take over the world. I also find it hilarious that he’s referring to Ladekahn as a ‘mere stripling’ when Ladekahn is 32 at this point and Geldoblame is in his mid 40s, and both of them have been incumbent rulers for over 20 years.
	[13]This is almost certainly still Fadroh speaking, however I find his politeness levels talking to Geldoblame very interesting. In the next sentence he uses the pronoun わたくし which is extremely formal, but he is using desu-masu forms instead of keigo honorific language (with keigo being more formal than desu-masu and elevating the listener above the speaker). For a soldier addressing his power-hungry emperor, especially proposing something his emperor clearly finds distasteful as is the case here, I would expect heavy keigo, so this could imply that Fadroh is closer to Geldoblame than the game lets on - or I might just be reading too much into this :) Also Fadroh calling Ladekahn a ‘mere stripling’ when Ladekahn is older than him by a decade, the disrespect!
	[14] Speaking of keigo honorific language, Melodia is using it here. I would make a comment about her speaking more formally than Fadroh but it is often a trope in JRPGs for young female rulers to use incredibly formal language. For example, Corellia almost exclusively speaks in sonkeigo even when talking to people far below her social station.
	[15] Each syllable of this phrase is emphasised in the original text, presumably to give the same effect as a highlighted word in-game. Either this is key information for the reader or Geldoblame is emphasising a double entendre. The closest I could get is bolding.
	[16] WHY is the spirit now once again being referred to in the third person when the narrative of this chapter up to this point has been in the spirit’s point of view I am going to SCREAM
	[17] Again this is a reference to the ミナミハコダイの切身 Magnus - it appears that ミナミハコダイ - localised as sea bream - is the staple product of Nashira’s fishing economy.
	[18] We’re just gonna skip over running into Geldoblame in Komo Mai, the Ancient Library and Folon’s ambush, Opu AND Holoholo? Cool cool, not like anything important happened there anyway.
	[19] STOP CHANGING THE POINT OF VIEW HALFWAY THROUGH A PARAGRAPH I AM BEGGING
	[20] It infuriates me that Lyude’s entire family conflict is condensed into half of this one ridiculous run-on sentence - with Almarde’s death being omitted completely - while we have just had about 40 pages telling us how traumatic it is for Kalas to have lost his family in violent circumstances. Sorry Lyude, I guess Kalas’ trauma trumps yours!
	[21] Kodelle is called コーダー (Coder/Koda) in Japanese and I completely drew a blank on her English name. Thanks Lia for helping me out there :)
	[22] The honorific used here for Xelha is -sama (-さま)
	[23] Amazing, we get to play POV Bingo with this one paragraph - we get third person, third person with first person implication (in the use of ‘I, the spirit’ again), AND first person. Truly this is Art.
	[24] This book is Mintakan propaganda.
	[25] Ok there is a LOT of nuance here. Lyude habitually speaks in desu-masu form, which is relatively formal - he certainly has the most formal speech of the six party members - and here is no different, even though he is speaking to Kalas (who at this point he has journeyed with and is relatively close to, and thus has no reason to be formal to when everyone else in the party speaks casually to each other - his continued use of polite form in this context actually speaks to social awkwardness and implies Lyude is not very good at speaking in casual settings.) There is one line in this speech where Lyude drops desu-masu and uses the less formal short form instead, and that is the line about the Empire using too much force against Azha. In the game, Lyude uses desu-masu forms even during fights but one notable exception is when charging up his dark-type finishers like Sforzando. He often speaks rudely when charging these, and their Magnus flavour text states he is “giving in to his inner rage.” It is therefore possible to extrapolate in this speech that the reason he drops desu-masu for one sentence only is that the current situation in Azha is aggravating enough for him to forget himself momentarily. Or I might just be overthinking again :)
	[26] If this use of ‘gentlemen’ seems out of place - it’s because it is. I cannot overstate how formal Lyude is whenever he speaks. He is referring to the soldiers - their enemies - using the respectful 方 (which is also, incidentally, how he referred to Kalas and Xelha in the game when first meeting them in Nashira). There is absolutely no need for it, Lyude. These people are trying to kill you.
	[27] Firstly, WOW the Azhani just keep getting it worse and worse! Secondly: Operation Sweep is not referred to as such in Japanese, instead it is called アザーの掃討作戦 (the Azha cleanup operation). I think Operation Sweep is actually a fairly decent way for the localisation team to have translated this - as a euphemism, Sweep has the dual meaning of sweeping up (cleanup operation) and sweeping through (fast and total destruction), and giving it an actual name is a lot less clunky in English than calling it the “Azha cleanup operation.”
	[28] Once again Lyude’s formality register changes here, just for this final line about the Azha massacre. It is a subject that clearly bothers him a lot even now, and a nuance we lose in the English release of the game - even taking the wooden voice acting into account.
	[29] The phrase used here is きさま which is a rough, rude, non-gendered way of saying ‘you’. Although it is not directly a swear word, there isn’t really a way to convey the same lack of respect by just using ‘you’ so きさま tends to be translated as ‘you bastard’ in media. Due to English swear words often being gendered, ‘you bitch’ might fit better here.
	[30] 死神 or Death God/Grim Reaper in Japanese - a gender neutral title which probably means we’re meant to assume a male character when we first hear the term in-game.
	[31] This exchange is very close to the in-game dialogue. It was awkward then too. Do Gibari and Xelha not realise that Savyna did an actual genocide and that Lyude is probably very right to be bothered by that, and not in the least because refusing to take part in it is what effectively ruined his life … yikes...
	[32] Again, Kalas’ complete lack of self-awareness here is staggering. He’s sympathetic to the Azhani but earlier this same day (or the day before depending on how long it’s taken them to crash the Goldoba and get to Azha) he was browbeating Lyude for crying after Almarde was murdered in front of his eyes by his own brother not half an hour before. Then again, the book doesn’t acknowledge that happening at all, so who knows at this point. Maybe Lyude’s earlier melancholy when talking about Almarde and Azha was just because being in Azha is painful for him.
	[33] Love translating battle noises, it never looks clunky in English /s
	[34] That is not safe and also not how guns work???
	[35] Geldoblame uses the derogatory term 奴ら to refer to the group here. ‘Bastards’ is a bit of a clumsy translation and repetitive when I’m already using it for きさま but it gets across the lack of respect he’s voicing.
	[36] I have no idea what the narrative is trying to say here. It translates to ‘thinly drawn/thinly depicted/thinly formed/thinly imagined’ shoulders. Are Geldoblame’s shoulders particularly thin??
	[37] The syllables of ‘in this place’ (この場所) are each emphasised. Bolding used to reflect this.
	[38] Ah yes, Savyna and Azdar, the only people in the room who could possibly have any problems with Operation Sweep or any trauma related to it……
	[39] Of interest, Geldoblame speaks using the verbal suffix わ which is primarily used by women and is considered softening/feminine when used by men. For context, Melodia and Xelha both often speak with the same suffix.
	[40] For interest - Kee is addressed as -ちゃん which is a ‘cutesy’ suffix usually used between girls, or for small children or pets.
	[41] Great Kamroh is addressed with the polite suffix -さま in addition to the prefix 大, so directly translated it would have the same sort of vibe as ‘Lord Great Kamroh’ or ‘Master Great Kamroh’ or the like. No wonder Mizuti is Like That.
	[42] The absolute disrespect of this book to give every character a short vignette of the people who care about them being worried for them, and then there’s Lyude… It rubs it in even more that we then get Corellia and Ladekahn being concerned for the group in general, but there’s no scene for anyone to be worried for Lyude. They’re all dead or estranged, I guess. Really drives home how isolated he is even amongst his peers. Feelsbadman.
	[43] Why a dust cloth?
	[44] The inappropriate food comparisons are back! Konpeito is a type of sugar candy, usually available in assorted pastel colours. The individual pieces are covered with little lumps and look a bit like stars. And now I am never going to be able to eat it again without thinking of Geldoblame’s undulating flesh.
	[45] Xelha is using the honourific -さん for Melodia.This would more accurately translate to Miss/Ms Melodia - ‘Lady Melodia’ is a little more formal in tone, but just ‘Melodia’ is a little too informal considering how uncommon honorifics are in this world.
	[46] This explanation may be a little obvious for English speakers but may be necessary for Japanese speakers due to the way the End Magnus are named. More about the naming here https://twitter.com/amidoh/status/1354441552207163392
	[47] Melodia is still using keigo honorifics and being very proper, giving Geldoblame his full title ゲルドブレイム皇帝陛下 (Your Majesty Emperor Geldoblame) or 閣下 (Your Excellency) instead of just 陛下 (Your Majesty). At this point, though, it comes across as condescending...
	[48] Yet another one for the spirit bingo card! This time the term is 精霊 (spirit) with the furigana reading おまえ (you). Grammatically this is the same as the previous times ‘you, the spirit’ has been used, except that Kalas is being quite rude/familiar/coarse by using おまえ instead of あなた or きみ to address us.
	[49] Mizuti's speech pattern is not quite so idiosyncratic in Japanese as it is in English, but I have tried to recreate the slightly bizarre patterns from the English localisation because I think it suits the eccentric character well :)
	[50] Barnum or Barnam (バーナム) in Japanese.
	[51] From the speech pattern and what is being said, this is still Barnette talking. However for some reason it has been given its own paragraph and quotation marks making it look like it’s someone else chiming in.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
	[52] It doesn't say who is speaking here, but from the polite speech pattern and the use of the pronoun ぼく it sounds like Lyude.
	[53] Yep, Mizuti is indeed referred to as ミズチさま (Great Mizuti). Also can we all appreciate how done Mizuti is with Savyna’s edginess lol.
	[54] In contrast to his usual self, Lyude is speaking very roughly here, to the extent that he refers to Melodia and Kalas as the fairly rude お前たち. Compare this to when he referred to soldiers actively trying to kill him as ‘gentlemen’...
	[55] The verb used to convey this action was しごく which can also be translated as ‘to masturbate’ so uh have fun Gibari.
	[56] More specifically, he gives a 気合い or ‘kiai’ which is a martial arts term for a shout given when performing an attacking move. In martial arts a kiai is specifically to raise one’s fighting spirit, show motivation, and urge the attacker to strike with all their strength; in some martial arts teachings a strong kiai is also used to intimidate the opponent.
	[57] A rather charming idiom is used to illustrate this: Kalas is described as bending his body like the character く
	[58] The syllables of the word for compatriot/brethren (はらから) are emphasised. Bolding to reflect this.
	[59] This line is presented by the idiom 虫がいいのはわかってる which literally means ‘I know that bugs are good.’ The expression carries the meaning that the outcome is only convenient for oneself, that one is asking too much or taking something for granted.
	[60] This has been described as such a few times now, and each time I think it is an interesting choice. The Japanese is 逆刃カットラス, literally ‘reverse-bladed cutlass’ - presumably to cover the idea that the blade appears to be upside-down on the handle - but the 逆刃 will be most familiar to Western readers (and, if Google is anything to judge by, to Japanese readers too) from 逆刃刀 or sakabatō, the reverse-bladed sword used in Rurouni Kenshin (whose blade is back-to-front rather than upside-down). It does not appear to be a particularly common compound: searching on Google for 逆刃 returns almost exclusively Kenshin-related results; the word does not appear in common-use English-language 英和辞典 like Jisho; and Japanese-language jiten Weblio translates it as ‘reverse-bevel’ which doesn’t really work here either. RuroKen was around the height of its popularity when Baten Kaitos was in development and this book was written, but I doubt that this is a reference. It’s more likely a fairly clunky way to describe what seems to be closer in shape to a curvy atypical ulu knife or udonkiri/sobakiri cleaver.
	[61] Yes, he introduces himself as ‘Great Kamroh.’ Interestingly he also speaks in very formal keigo, rather like Corellia and, to a lesser extent, Melodia.
	[62] The word used here for Alfard is 帝国 (Empire) which is the word that has been used throughout the book, but this time it is given the furigana reading of ここく which, in kanji, is 故国 meaning ‘homeland’ or ‘one’s native land.’ I think the implication is supposed to be that Giacomo is trying to objectively think of Alfard as the Empire and nothing more, but subconsciously he still thinks of it as his home.
	[63] The word Giacomo uses to refer to his father is 親父. This does literally mean father and, in this case, is given the furigana reading ゲオルグ (Georg).
	[64] It’s not said who’s speaking, but from the rough speech pattern and the fact that he seems to be taking the role of secondary protagonist from Xelha at this point, I’m going to assume it’s Gibari.
	[65] The Japanese name is 空中山脈 which is literally… ‘Mid-Sky Mountain Range’ or ‘Mountain Range in the Sky.’ Follows the trend of place names in the Japanese version, outside those named after stars/Anuenue, being incredibly literal.
	[66] The what.
	[67] In Japanese these are called Cowpigs (ウシブタ) and Quacks (クワック) respectively.
	[68] Rendered in the Japanese as ‘keeeeen’ or キィ–––––ン
	[69] WHY IS HE CRYING??
	[70] Okay so in the book these are called カブラ弾 or ‘turnip bullets’ - I assume these are a reference to something within the game, as they do not seem to be something in real life. The closest I could find on Google were a type of fishing lure shaped like a turnip. I thought it might be a reference to the Bomb Magnus but these are called 爆弾 (bomb). So I’m drawing a blank...
	[71] I THINK this is Kalas speaking. From the speech pattern it could also maaaaybe be Gibari, but Gibari’s input is coming up so it’s more likely to be Kalas.
	[72] This is Lyude.
	[73] If I was mean I could make a comment here about the author finding a nice convenient way to get the two characters he clearly cares about least out of the picture for a while...
	[74] How.
	[75] Or ぐおおお “Guoooh” in the original text. Take your pick.
	[76] Holy run-on sentence, Batman! My kingdom for a full stop!
	[77] Kamaboko is a sort of firm processed fish cake, usually sold in long semi-circular cylindrical loaves to be sliced for serving. Narutomaki, the swirly pink and white slices often seen in ramen, are a type of decorated kamaboko.
	[78] Giacomo uses やつら here which honestly isn’t quite as strong as ‘those bastards’ but is still a derogatory way to refer to someone, more akin to ‘those jerks’ or ‘those worthless people.’ I’ve gone with the stronger ‘bastards’ because honestly I just find the idea of Giacomo calling Melodia et al ‘jerks’ like he’s in primary school absolutely hilarious.
	[79] The word used is あばよ which is a slang/colloquial way of saying goodbye that is often associated with rough men/boys. It is considered impolite and in media is often used by arch-enemies before a fight (or by the villain before leaving the hero to die etc.) It can also be translated as ‘ciao’ ‘adios’ or ‘see ya.’
	[80] This is an awkward perspective shift. The preceding sentence [She thought…] has no subject stated in Japanese, which is very common due to the subject usually being implied by context. All of the other descriptive paragraphs have been in third person, with the exception of direct speech/thoughts (which are usually signified by quotation marks or the –– dashes) but for some reason the very next sentence switches abruptly to first person with the pronoun わたし. Due to the lack of overt subject in the preceding sentence I could render that in first person, but considering the next paragraph is also entirely in third person I think the cut is going to stay awkward either way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
	[81] Melodia is speaking in full keigo here, including using the -sama prefix for her grandfather. It is an incredibly polite tone.
	[82] Because this sentence follows the typical Japanese structure of omitting the subject/object completely and relying on context cues, it is ambiguous as to who is actually feeling nervous. I’ve gone with Melodia telling the humans they’re nervous because the previous paragraph was talking about the Magnus on the continents shaking, but it could just as easily be Melodia saying that she is nervous/ill-at-ease because of the Magnus shaking ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
	[83] Corellia refers to Kalas using the honorific 殿 (dono) which is a polite suffix used to address official letters etc. Anime/game/J-drama connoisseurs may be more familiar with it as the suffix often used by samurai to refer to their lords.
	[84] And Xelha addresses Corellia as 様 (sama). Corellia is rarely if ever referred to as ‘Queen’ in the Japanese (compared to, say, Ladekahn, who is always referred to with his title) so giving her that position may be a localisation choice. I’ve gone with it here because those of us more familiar with the English localisation will be used to that as her title.
	[85] Xelha is addressed here as 姫さま or ‘Princess.’ I’ve gone with ‘Your Majesty’ because it seems like a more natural way to address a Queen in English.
	[86] The phrase Ladekahn uses, 諸君の健闘を, could also be rendered as ‘everyone, fight bravely!’ as 健闘 can mean both a brave/vigorous/good fight, and more general good luck.
	[87] Mizuti very respectfully calls their parents 母さま and 父さま.
	[88] The phrase is よろしくたのみます which is a little hard to translate directly but carries the general meaning of ‘I entrust [x] to you in best regards,’ in other words ‘please watch over [x].’ The よろしく is the same as in よろしくおねがいします, a standard greeting when meeting someone for the first time or greeting someone for the first time after the new year, which more or less means ‘please treat me well.’
	[89] In Japanese, “Haven’t I told you to not use ‘-sama’ (様/さま) when referring to yourself?” Incidentally, the syllables of さま are emphasised in the text.
	[90] Two things. First up, I think this might be Koh talking. Second, he refers to Kay as 母さん which means ‘mother’ but is a slightly less respectful/more familiar way of saying it than Mizuti’s 母さま. Because of this I’ve rendered it as ‘Mum’
	[91] Unless my memory is failing, this is the first time in the text that Mizuti has been referred to by a gendered descriptor. This isn’t necessarily unnatural in Japanese, which often tends to omit pronouns entirely, so I’m not actually sure whether it is supposed to be a Big Reveal™ here like it is in the game.
	[92] Kalas refers to us (the spirit) using コイツ, a non-gendered familiar/casual pronoun usually translated as ‘this guy’ or sometimes as ‘this fellow.’ Because ‘fellow’ sounds anachronistic for Kalas and ‘guy’ tends to carry gendered connotations in English, I’ve rendered it as ‘this one.’
	[93] Xelha refers to Corellia using the honorific さん which is the standard/generic ‘Mr/Mrs/Miss/Mx, again supporting that Corellia’s status was elevated to Queen in the localisation.
	[94] The kanji 剣友 meaning ‘sword friend’ is given the non-conventional furigana reading ‘とも' or ‘friend’ to reinforce how close Ladekahn and Gibari were.
	[95]Gibari is speaking very casually to Ladekahn here, another sign of how close they are. He is using 俺 and あなた which would be very disrespectful to use in front of royalty unless they were incredibly familiar/comfortable with each other. In response, Ladekahn addresses Gibari by using おまえ, a more casual/familiar pronoun than he would usually use (we have previously seen him use きみ when talking to Xelha and the group). However, Ladekahn still refers to himself using the relatively polite わたし (compared to the extremely polite 我 and derivates 我が・我ら he was using when discussing the raid on Cor Hydrae.)
	[96] Ladekahn asks for Gibari to become his 片腕 - his ‘one arm.’
	[97] The Japanese lack of subject strikes again! If not obvious from context, Ladekahn is the one feeling resentment and thinking Gibari is irresponsible.
	[98] It's not clear but this paragraph appears to be written from Ladekahn’s point of view, as the ‘this man himself’ portion is translated from この自分 (lit: ‘this oneself’ or ‘myself.”)
	[99] The flow of this paragraph is awkwardly ambiguous but can be cleared up using formality tones. From the paragraph flow alone (Ladekahn taking action → speech) it seems that ‘Is everyone ready?’ and ‘Please release the power of the End Magnus’ are said by Ladekahn himself. However these two sentences are said in polite language, which would be unusually formal for what we have seen of Ladekahn’s speech pattern thusfar (but in character for incredibly formal Corellia.) The ‘I am ready’ is spoken in the informal short-form (though the pronoun used is the generically polite non-gendered わたし) and would be uncharacteristically casual for Corellia. As Rodolfo and Calbren also speak in short form here, I assume Corellia is coordinating this rather than Ladekahn.
	[100] Ladekahn uses おぬしら, the collective form of the archaic お主, to address his knights. This pronoun is usually used in media by old or old-fashioned characters to address those who are their social inferiors or equals. To give an idea of how old-fashioned this is, many characters listed as using お主 on tvtropes are either multiple hundreds of years old or are real historical figures ranging from the Sengoku-jidai (1467–1615) to the Bakumatsu (1853–1867). It is sometimes translated as ‘thee/thou’ for flavour.
	[101] As usual, Melodia is speaking in very formal keigo and is being very respectful to Kalas and the others. In this context, it does come across as sarcastic/condescending, however.
	[102] Melodia calls Kalas お兄さま which is a respectful way of saying ‘big brother.’ Calling someone ‘big brother’ or ‘big sister’ in Japanese doesn’t necessarily imply a blood relation and can be used towards older sibling figures in work or casual friendly contexts. It can also be used by children and young people to refer to those who are older than them but who are still too young for おばさん or おじさん to be appropriate.
	[103] I believe this is supposed to be the finisher Hellblood’s Hammer, though with the presence of the ‘demon’ made of ki it could also be Deadly Heat Scythe.
	[104] According to the text he was blown into the air ‘looking like the character 大.’
	[105] It’s possible this is supposed to be one of Lyude’s finishers, but it doesn’t really fit neatly into any of them: the ‘waving his gun around’ sounds like Sforzando, as does his being blown backwards by the recoil; the shot from the gun itself could be Overture.
	[106] This could possibly be either Spiraling Gale or Ultimate Geyser being as both are blue and involve spinning, though it is more likely to be Ultimate Geyser as that also has Gibari jumping up into the air.
	[107] While this could be Fangs of Light or Chaotic Illusion for the multiple close-range sword slices, the ‘flash of light’ being sent upwards is more reminiscent of Blue Storm. Which… come on, Kalas, this late in the game I know that shouldn’t be in your deck.
	[108] Ah yes, like any good JRPG deuteragonist, Xelha is announcing her attacks. At least it removed the ambiguity!
	[109] It’s nice to actually see Ladekahn, the ‘White Flame’ in combat (as opposed to just being told he is good at The Sword, as we are in the game) and this is an interesting take. Are we supposed to extrapolate that he is a magic swordsman, instead of just an ordinary swordsman? Is this where the nickname ‘White Flame’ comes from? Or is he just wielding the Master Sword with full hearts?
	[110] The idiom for this is “all will become a bubble of water.”
	[111] Kalas speaks incredibly rudely to Ladekahn considering he is talking to royalty. Even Gibari is more respectful when speaking to Ladekahn, and they have a close personal relationship.
	[112] This is probably supposed to be Concerto.
	[113] Rather than ‘Sword Style,’ in the text and in the original game Kalas announces his attacks as 秘剣 or ‘Secret Sword,’ a term which would usually refer to the secret techniques of a specific school of swordsmanship. For interest, the other announcements (Xelha, Gibari etc) seem to more or less be direct translations, except Lyude. Whereas in English he announces his ‘Extreme Attack,’ in Japanese he announces his 必殺 (lit: certain kill) which is a common term for ultimate/special fighting techniques in games and comics. Both 秘剣 and 必殺 would be recognised concepts outside the BK universe. Also, Kalas’ attack is 風神 which is ‘Wind God’ but ‘Lord of the Wind’ is a decent enough localisation.
	[114] According to the book he readies a 正眼 stance. Sometimes also called 中段, this is a stance in kendō and other sword-based martial arts wherein the shinai, bokutō or katana is held at mid height, with the tip tilted upwards towards the opponent’s eyes or throat. In kendō this is the most basic posture, considered balanced for both offensive and defensive techniques.
	[115] Time for a rare honorific! Calbren gives Kalas the 君 suffix.
	[116] I… have no idea who this is speaking. It could be Mizuti, but why would Mizuti be answering their own question? It could be Anna, but when was Anna present for Lyude to be talking about the Celestial Tree being a colony? It probably isn’t Gibari because he’s drunk, and it doesn’t match his speech pattern anyway. Also the entire speech makes no sense whatsoever. “Are these two people going to get married?” “Well, people are like trees, you see, they deprive each other of nutrition.”
	[117] GIBARI, NO.
	[118] Is… Is this a fight, or a mating ritual?
	[119] Anna addresses Mizuti using the suffix ちゃん rather than the 様 people usually use. ちゃん is a diminutive suffix is usually used towards teenage girls or babies and young children (though for boys it tends to drop off in favour of more masculine suffixes like 君 as they get older) and expresses that the speaker finds the addressee endearing. It’s also often used for pets.
	[120] Mayfee is referring to herself in the third person. It’s common for young Japanese girls to do in familiar contexts and, when done in media, usually implies the character is particularly cute or girlish.
	[121] As always, Melodia is being painfully polite. Kalas is given the suffix お兄さま (big brother) and Xelha is referred to as あの方, a respectful way of saying ‘that person.’ Unlike earlier, though, it doesn’t come across as sarcastic or insulting and instead reads in the same way as Corellia’s overly-formal speaking habits. Calbren himself also refers to Xelha using the respectful honorific さま.
	[122] The witches still address Xelha as 姫さま (Princess) but I have chosen to continue using ‘Your Majesty’ as that makes more sense to English speakers when addressing a Queen.
	[123] It sounds like this is supposed to be Sparkle of Life. I did actually have to check whether Meemai changes sizes during the finisher as shown in game, and it turns out that he does but it is only visible for a couple of frames at the point of his collision with the enemy and is mostly hidden by the Extreme Light Particle Effects.
	[124] Xelha is given the familiar suffix 姉ちゃん. Just like the 兄ちゃん suffix, calling someone ‘big sister’ doesn’t necessarily imply a blood relation but is commonly used by children and younger people to refer to girls or women who are older than the speaker but who are not yet old enough for おばさん to be appropriate.
	[125] And here we have the original version of Mizuti’s song! There’s a lot of ‘sea shanty-esque’ sounds in this little song which have no direct translations. チョイナチョイナ (choina choina) appears to have no direct meaning at all, and I have rendered ドッコイショ as ‘heigh-ho’ as it carries the same sort of feeling.
	[126] ‘Bobbing and sloshing’ is represented by どんぶらこっこ which is an onomatopoeic term that seems to have originated in the text for Momotaro (Peach Boy) in which it is used to describe the peach bobbing down the river. There is no clean translation into English for a lot of Japanese onomatopoeia, but this word evokes the image of something floating up and down in the water, causing waves or small splashes. Imagine putting your feet into a tub of water and waving them up and down gently - the word carries that sort of feeling.
	[127] Famitsu Bunko is the publisher of this particular Baten Kaitos novel (the other novel, released at about the same time, was published by Super Dash Bunko). The author of this book, Aizawa Tadashi, had previously written a light novel tie-in for the game Drag-On Dragoon, released in 2003 for the PS2 and localised in the West as Drakengard. Current gaming fans might be more familiar with the Drag-On Dragoon franchise’s spin-off series, Nier and Nier: Automata.

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Baten Kaitos: Castle of Storms