Part 82: Jacqli's Soulspace, Level 9

Jacqli's Soulspace, Level 9

Loading Excerpt- Hopes for the Green Land: Collected Writings, J.
I refuse to accept that this is something I came up with. There must be some dark conspiracy going on here.

Costume #8:



Yeah, what is it?
...Change!
Your outfit?
...Yes, this one.
What's the problem?
The problem...
...I don't think this looks good on me. I want to change it.
You don't think it looks good?
Can't you see it!? First of all, I'm not okay with the color white.
Plus, the color white reminds me of someone.
Lady Cloche?
No, someone I used to know.
...And Luca keeps looking at me when I wear this, too.
I'm just embarrassed.
...I see.



......
But if you don't like it, then we can...
Fine then... if you say so, I'll bear it for a while.
Well, no, you don't have to...
I said it's fine, so just get over it!
...You're so selfish. But I'm glad you're okay with it.

I'm not selfish. It's just that I'm always right and therefore everything should always go my way.

Loading Excerpt- Personal Logs, C. Bartel
Even down to the end there were surprises waiting for me. Level nine returned us to where it all began...

VIDEO_RECORD_LOAD




System Message: The children are singing along. It's a peaceful moment in the afternoon...
The baby bird's eyes filled up with tears, watching the children.
Becoming adults with gentle hearts. I wish for this peaceful moment to last forever...



What do you see now?
No, it's nothing. So...what was happening to me?
Just as I thought... You don't remember anything.
It's nothing but a miracle that you're still coming to the school after being stabbed so deeply.
...Stabbed...? That's right...! I was stabbed by Miros... and...



You... you might die...!
Your feelings... Why you're trying to kill me, and why you want to destroy...
I just know one thing though. I can say this one thing.
I know that you love me from the bottom of your heart.
That's why I can open myself up to you too.
I can accept your everything...
No matter what, I believe in you.
My... everything...



Miss Togasaki hasn't showed up to school ever since that day.
Miros ran away after what happened, so we took care of you.
Big sis! That's too straightforward...
It's best for him to know the truth.
Where did Miros go!?
Who knows... I wouldn't know about it.
I... I'm going to look for her!
Wait a moment!
...
I can't believe he is ditching class...
Big sis! This is the power of love! The power of love!
I see... so a strong power of love makes people ditch classes...

I didn't know where to look. I tried the doll shop first.





Dammit... If she's not here at the Doll Shop...
Mawata-kun! Did you find her?
Miss Ryokuya! You're here to help me... Thank you!
N, no! I'm just here to take you back to school!
Oh, really...? Sorry, but I'm not going back yet.
I knew you would say that, so I will give you a little more time.
I will be supervising you until then. Do you understand?
Yes, thank you!

We ran into someone else on the way through the city.





I wouldn't be able to find her among all these people...
Mawata-kun!
Miss Manabe!
Did you find her? I looked around too, but I couldn't find her.
...Me neither. Where else would Miwa go...?
The sea, or the church... or the Doll Shop!

I'd already been to the shop and I wasn't even sure where the church was so I decided to head to the sea.





Miwa! There you are...
Do you know what kind of meaning this place holds?
...What? Why are you asking me all of a sudden?
This place... is very unusual for this world.
This place is the only place in the world that's not my imagination.
...Really?
Yes. I hated this place.
My imaginary world can't be completed because of this thing.
This place reveals everything inside me. That's why I can't do whatever I want here.
...
Well, I might be starting to like this place though.
Oh...
So what is that tower-looking thing?
It's the place where my heart belongs. The first Tower, the Tower of Eoria.
The Tower of Eoria... Did you come from there?
Yes, I used to hate that place, but...
I...
I will be returning there someday, so I can't...
Kuraoki: Miwa!

I'll admit I sort of made a snap decision.



Miwa... Marry me.
...
What are you talking about!? I'm telling you that I have to go back there someday.
And that's why I'm asking you now. I love you, Miwa.
I want to be with you forever.
...
Fine, let's head to the chapel.
What!?
We need to have a ceremony, right? Here, let's go...
...

Sure enough there was a chapel outside town now.





What... are you doing here?
The ending ceremony is supposed to be conducted by a guardian. It's just how it is in the Cosmosphere.
The ending ceremony?
Yes. You are now at the deepest level of Mother's spiritual world, and you have accepted all of her.
You both have to acknowledge that together and complete the tie between you two. That's the ending ceremony.
I see.

I would like to say she really surprised me but honestly at this point I sort of saw it coming.



Whoa... Miwa! Your dress is black...!
Is it weird...? I can stop this now then...
No, it's not weird! You look really good.
...Okay... Well, then let's get going with this.
Shouldn't we set the mood first?
Okay, ready?
I'm a little nervous...
......
The time is finally here. Mir has overcome many obstacles...
And she's provoked countless Paradigm Shifts... and finally got to this point.
Croix has accepted all of Mir, and the two stand here today.
...Ahem.
Mir Teiwaz Artonelico.
Yes.
Do you pledge here today that you have given your all to Croix and showed him everything with no lies?

And of course nothing is ever easy.



...What!?
Mother...? What's wrong?
I... can't lie. I still haven't showed Kuroaki my everything.
What... Miwa... You've told me of your true beliefs and feelings.
That's why I'm...
Even if I'm in this body...?
...!
You don't know when I might turn around and start attacking you!
Miros...
I... I came to realize this... Why I'm a demon, and not a human... Why I'm born as Miros!
...What!?
That's why I can't be with you.
I'm sorry but I'm glad we got to end everything with this ending ceremony.
Well then...
Jacqli!
...

I had to go after her, and Ayatane agreed.



My will is not always the same as hers, and if I'm allowed to express it... Let me tell you what it is.
Will you please protect her? I want you to free her from her demons.
...Ayatane.
......

I guessed she'd be at the school, and sure enough she was.





...Miwa.
I used to hate this place that represented everything that I hate.
The school...?
It's a place where people socialize, force them to believe in certain moral values, and make them live that way.
A place to grow humans into what they are. It's like a miniature society.
Miros wanted to get rid of organizations like the schools... Miros does not respect humans as humans.
So what are humans to her...
An aggregate called "Humans".
An aggregate...!?
Miros does not see them as individuals. Just as you do not see the individual pieces of gravel beneath your feet.
...
Miwa was different...
Miwa...
Miwa saw Kuroaki as something different.
...Miwa...
That twisted everything. A huge gap between Miwa and Miros was created.
Miros... Are you Miros? Or... Miwa?

I'll admit I wasn't really thinking about things right.



I realized something from that. I realized what I wanted to do as Miros, and why Miwa was so troubled.
...
And I came to a conclusion.
Kuroaki... Stab me with this.
Wh, what!? But...
It's okay. I am Miros right now. If you stab me, Miros will disappear from this world.
The Miros that hates humans will be gone.
...
Kuroaki... If you love me, you would do this for me.
It might hurt us now, but it will be good for both of us in the long run.
...Miwa... I...

She said it herself earlier, though. They're the same on this level.



I will not do this.
...Why not.
You already said earlier that you are both Miros and Miwa.
You're just lying to me about this killing Miros thing. If I stabbed Miros, Miwa will die too, right!?
......
Mir, you're always like this. To accomplish your goals, you will do whatever it takes.
Even if you have to lie to me... I'm sorry but I already know you enough to figure that out.
...
Well done. I lose. Yes, you're right.
I knew it!
One thing though, I never lied to you.
I never said Miwa was going to live.
......
I thought I already told you, I don't lie like humans... Looks like you haven't learned your lesson.

She really can be selfish sometimes.



Don't think that you can solve everything by dying! Don't you think you're being delusional!?
Wha, what did you say!? You didn't need to point that out!
Don't you ever think of my feelings!?
Of course I do!
Then live!
No! There is still a part of me that can only see you as one of the "humans".
If I stayed around, it might not happen now... but I will kill you someday.
...I don't care. We can deal with it when it happens.
...Don't be so optimistic, just because it's not going to happen now!
No, that's not what I am. I do have one reason for me to not change my mind.
Stabbing Miros right now isn't my choice. I'd rather get killed by you later.
I will not regret any decisions I make. Don't worry.
Plus, if you could forgive humans, you would've done that a long time ago.
I saw everything... maybe too much... But I still came to conclude that I want to be with you.
...
Isn't this enough?

And maybe I'm selfish too.



What if I did kill you!? It might be fine with you, but what about me!? I will live with the guilt forever!
...Mir...
Absolutely not. Kuroaki... If you're not going to do this, then I will.
Wait, Mir!
...Good bye.
...
Don't you dare!
So what!? Just live! Live and accept yourself who might kill me!
I know what Miwa... Miros went through to provoke that feeling.
So live with it!
But!
I will not die!
...!
I... will not die! Even if you try to kill me, I will not die!
I... chose to be with you after knowing all of it.
You can't erase the past, or the hatred, but you can control your future.
I... I want to bet on that future with you. After knowing everything, I still want to bet on that future.
Kuroaki...

I couldn't leave any room for her to try and back out of what we both knew we wanted.



I... want to be with you... forever...
......

And it seemed she agreed...



...Kuroaki... Why...?
How can you do this for me?
Because I know everything about you. You showed me your everything.
...
I know why you stabbed me with that knife. I know why you act like you hate me... I know everything.
That's why I can say this with confidence. Miwa... I love you.
......
Ho... how foolish. Talking about love...
That's why humans are doomed to extinction.
......
Well...
It's not bad... to get to know them...
...Miwa?
Fine, I will conduct the ending ceremony, just as you wanted.



Yeah, I know.
......
.........
So, aren't we going now?
Where?
To... to the chapel!

We returned to the chapel. Ayatane was waiting to pick up where we left off.





Ayatane...
...
You two ready?
Yeah, we are.
...You too, Mother?
Just do it already.
...Understood. Well then, we will start the ceremony.
Thank you.
Well, stand where you were earlier.
Ready?
I'm getting a little nervous.
...
The time is finally here. Mir has overcome many obstacles...
And she's provoked countless Paradigm Shifts... and finally got to this point.
Croix has accepted all of Mir, and the two stand here today.
...Ahem.



Yes.
Do you pledge here today that you have given your all to Croix and showed him everything with no lies?
...Y, yes.
......
Next, Croix Bartel.
Yes.
Do you pledge here today to protect this woman, and share a strong tie with her forever?
Yes, I do.
Well... now...
You two have agreed, so please hold each other... to show your commitment...
Ayatane! That is not necessary.
Mother? This is the ritual...
I don't know who came up with that idea, but I know it doesn't have any meaning.
Hurry up and connect me to the Tower of Life. That's more important than anything.
...Heh, now that's the Mother I know... Alright.
Croix, is that okay with you? If it's not, I can try and convince her again.
No, it's fine.
...

She sort of seemed upset, but I had a good reason.



...I... am getting a little annoyed...
Okay, well the ceremony is complete. Congratulations.
This strong tie will also strengthen Mother's source of power to acquire better magic.
Really...?
Yes, by connecting to the Tower of Life. Just as Mother mentioned earlier.
No time for this, let's hurry.
Okay, let's move over to the Tower of Life.

It turned out there was more to all of this.





Her source of power...?
As you know, Reyvateils receive their powers from the Magic Server.
And the Magic Servers and Reyvateils are connected by the Tower of Life.
I see...
Mir's Cosmosphere is located in the tower called "Ar Tonelico" located far from here.
She receives the power to sing from Ar Tonelico, through Sol Marta.
Mir's magic was being controlled by the power she received.
We will conduct the ceremony now, so that she can control the power herself.
That way, she will be able to fully utilize Ar Tonelico.
That... sounds amazing...
Are you done? I'm going to touch the tower now, okay?
Sure, Mother, go ahead and touch it. That should complete the ceremony.
I feel it... Ar Tonelico... Such a familiar feeling...
Welcome back, Mother. How is connecting to the tower without hacking into it?
Hehehe, it feels good. The touch itself isn't different but... it's weird.
Hacking...!? What...?

I really should stop getting worried about these things.



Croix, this is just the beginning. Good luck.
System Message: Magic Those Memories: Lv 3 "Ar Tonelico" acquired!

Feinne's Fourth Wall Lectures:
We've now got Mir's ultimate magic, Ar Tonelico. It's the strongest non-synchronity magic in the game, and once we're really rolling we can pour them out more quickly than anyone else's ultimate. That it's level 3 is deceptive because it requires a very high Harmonics level to evolve, which isn't always possible very early in a fight. Still, Ar Tonelico is amazingly powerful and paired with Replakia it is more than sufficient to kill just about anything in the game in a single hit.

It should also be noted that Dark Rose and Pure Ritual are both very good in gameplay terms and you could in principle use either. I use Dark Rose because I personally prefer its stat profile.



The Cosmosphere didn't kick me out immediately, though. Jacqli had one last thing to tell me.



...I didn't do anything.
Anyway... this is really, really horrifying.
...What?
I never thought I would allow a human to make it this far.
I didn't think I would come this far either.
Like I've been saying, I haven't accepted the humans yes. Sometimes, I will be angry just by looking at you.
I'm just letting you know now. I don't want you to whine later.
I know.
I did... accept you though. It's because I could see you as an individual, and not a human.
......
...Well... how should I put this?
You're... special...
How am I special?
...Well...
......
Well?



I love you too.
How can you say that to me like you're not ashamed... You fool!

Feinne's Fourth Wall Lectures:
This is where it kicks you out, but you're not quite done yet. You need to dive once more.

I just had one thing left to do here.





You don't need to thank me, Jacqli just accepted me.
Honestly... I didn't think Mother would ever accept anyone.
...Really?
Yes, so I was flabbergasted when you entered the 6th level.
I found myself rooting for you by the 9th level. I didn't know who else would come here if you didn't succeed.
...I see...
You succeeded in easing Mother's pain and dissolving her hatred.
I really appreciate that. Especially because it was Mother herself who was struggling because of it.
If you two keep living together, I'm sure she will open up to you more. Please, take care of her.
Yeah, thanks too.
Oh, and since you did a favor for me, I have something for you too. Will you take it?
Hm, what is it?
Use me as a Song. I have too much power for Mother to handle, so I would be like a duet.
You have that much power!?
I think so, but it doesn't mean that I'm powerful. It's just that Mother has strong feelings for me.



Thanks for everything. Let me know if you have any problems, I'll try and help you.
Yeah, thank you.

If I've brought any happiness to Mir, then this has all been worth it.

Feinne's Fourth Wall Lectures:
For going back in and paying a trifling sum of DP we get Lucid Slasher, which summons Ayatane to dish out a truly punishing blow. It's the synchronity evolution of Dream Diver and is pretty damn cool, especially if you're a veteran of the original Ar Tonelico.