Part 38: Tyria

They returned to Akane’s house to investigate Saki and Finnel’s Soulspaces.

Video Record- “Wills of the Planet”

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You need to rest.
I'm fine, so... please.
...I understand.
Theoretically, Saki and Finnel's Soulspaces should have merged into one.
You can Dive into the world easier.
Okay.
Let's start.

Aoto found himself at the very Tower of Life that links all Reyvateils, and he was not alone.



Welcome, Aoto.
...! Sarapatra!
It's been a while since we last met in the Cosmosphere.
Yurisica!? So both Saki and Finnel's personae can show up here!?
That's right. We've been connected to each other.
It's more like we've returned to our original forms.
Filament! Soma!
That's because of the fusion Song that I sang.
Saki...
That Song unified Filly's and my Soulspaces.
Our personae have obtained each other's Soulspace addresses. Now they can travel between one another's Soulspaces.
Is that really possible...? Is that how Reyvateil personae work?

The Wills of Ar Ciel, suddenly aware of the truth of things once more, were glad to explain what they could.



However, Finnel and Sakia Lumei were created as the vessels of the Sublime Will, regardless of their own wills.
When Saki sang the Song to vaccinate the planet, we all met together.
And by sharing one consciousness, we were able to all return together.
Yes, our home consciousness is Ar Ciel. That's the name of this planet...the land that lies below the Sea of Death.
We are the Will of the Planet, and the "Sublime Will" means the Will of Planet Ar Ciel.
The Planet Ar Ciel!? I've never heard of that before!
Because we were fragmented into differing beings, we were oblivious of who we were.
But now that we have reunited, we can recognize each other's existence.
Ar Ciel, the source of our consciousness, will fall apart within a year.
Once that happens, both Saki and Finnel will die... And that means...all life on this soil will perish...
What!?

Including the purpose of the Antibodies.



They devour both living energy and energy from the Blast Line before their feeble lives end...
Their carcasses return to the planet, and from it springs new lives to perpetually bring energy to the planet.
A myriad of Antibodies repeat this cycle. All that energy is returned to circulate the planet's blood.
By doing that, they may be able to save the planet.
...So that's the purpose of the Antibodies...
But things aren't going as well as you might think. The cracks in the core are more serious than we expected...
No matter how much energy the Antibodies send, the planet seems to no longer be able to maintain it.
...That can't be right! If that's true, then what were all those people sacrificed for!?

They also knew the only way to truly save the planet now, though the details were lost to them.



...What is it?
A Reyvateil who can communicate with the Planet's Will, Tyria, and the Wills of the Planet, that were made by humans...
Otherwise known as the Heart of Gaea...
...So, Tyria and the Heart of Gaea?
...You guys can't stay here any longer.
Huh...?
That's right...if you stay, you won't be able to leave.
Please go, Aoto. Right now.
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot...! I haven't asked about her yet.
Who's that woman in ancient-looking clothes!? Is she Ar Ru!?
Unfortunately, we don't know anything about her. I'm sure she's also a persona of the planet that belongs to our group.
But...she is not Ar Ru...
I don't think she is, either.
Then, who the hell is she...?
Well, Aoto, it's time.
Saraparta.
Glad to see you again. Hang in there.
Please take good care of us.
Goodbye...
Aoto, I'll see you again...over there.
Saki…

Aoto was lucky he left when he did, he was already near the point of no return. Humans were never intended to enter the world within the Tower of Life.



Aoto?
Aoto, are you okay?
Hmm... Finnel... Saki... what're you two doing?
You fell into the depths of the Cosmosphere. You're lucky to be alive.
...It was mysterious... all of Saki and Finnel's personae... said they were the Wills of Ar Ciel---
Yes, I remember it, too. Filly's and my combined persona is Ar Ciel herself.
You knew?
Oh, right! Finnel, do you recall an "agreement" made between yourself and Ar Ru?
Well, no. I don't remember.
I see.
What's this "agreement?"
At the time, the persona occupying Saki mentioned it.
...Sorry...
It's not a big deal. If you can't remember, I'll ask directly.
Sir Aoto, I see you are awake. You'd been comatose for a while. I had grown rather anxious.
Oh...I was out for that long...

It was silly for Aoto to expect Finnel to remember, given that both she and Saki were possessed by Ar Ru when it was mentioned. Meanwhile, they had a lot of problems to deal with.



Moocheriel seems to be generating more Antibodies, though its rate of production seems to have decreased.
That means Ar Ru's still around. If this keeps up, the world really will get swallowed up by Antibodies.
I see. I'm concerned about Mute...
Yeah, where is Mute?
I called her earlier. I heard she'd been leading an Antibody control force in Archia.
Archia? But, she's a Clustanian soldier, right?
She was born and raised in Archia. Though the Think Tank is her enemy, she can't abandon her hometown.
Mute can be such a girl.
I see. Well, I thought Clustanian Reyvateils were all ß Breed Elites.
The majority are, but some are army volunteers. Non-ß Types supposedly experience a lot of discrimination.
Oh, so she must have gone through some tough times...
By the way, I brought another piece of information.
Really? What is it?

Akane did have one piece of good news, though.



What!? Tyria's there!?
Why is she with Harvestasha!?
I think the best way to know that is to ask her directly. Could we get moving right away?
Oh, you're taking us there again?
Of course, I'll be going too. Aoto, please get up and get prepared to leave!
Y-Yes, sir...
Is it really okay to leave an unidentified Reyvateil over there?
For us, Tyria is the most sacred being in this world.
Since ages past, before this tower was constructed, she has supported and protected us Pure ß Types.
She was supposed to be the one to control Clustania.
Wow. I didn't realize she was such a noble figure.
I can't believe it. All I remember about her is that "fried bread" statement.
It's said the establishment of Clustania was carried out by ß Types, who succeeded Tyria's will.
That's how Clustania was founded? I had no idea.
Let's move! Hurry, hurry!
Okay, okay!
Man, when it comes to Tyria, Katene gets so riled up. Watch out, guys.
Hmhmhmm…

Aoto still couldn’t get over the disconnect between how people talked about Tyria and how she acted.



Akane said that Tyria is a holy representation. Do you believe that?
I think what Akane says is always right.
I would normally think so, too, but…Tyria talks about random things like “fried bread” or…
She sure is an interesting girl, but I doubt her holiness or whatever.
Even so, it’s obvious that she is such a great person.
What makes you think that?
Because she extended Filly’s and my life.
No ordinary person could do that.
I guess you’re right.
Speaking of Akane, I still can’t understand her.

Aoto also brought up the sort of thing you don’t bring up when he was talking to Finnel.



By the way, you were looking at Aki’s bed so curiously. Why was that?
Oh, no reason.
Hmm…I kind of know what you were thinking about.
That bed was really comfy, wasn’t it?
Well, yeah, kind of…
Of course it was, right? I’ve stayed overnight with Aki before.
It’s kind of firm at first, but your body sinks into it with perfect posture. I love that.
I agree…
…Aoto, what happened? You’re acting awkward.
Well, what I was fascinated about wasn’t the texture or feel of the bed, but its smell.
…Its smell?
Yeah, the bed and pillow smelt extremely nice.
Is that Akane’s scent?
…Aoto, if you make a move on Akane, I’ll seriously get mad.
I-I won’t. I was just interested in that smell.

Seriously, ‘Your best friend smells nice?’ What the hell kind of crap is that to tell a girl? Whatever. They returned to the Executive District, which was a lot less safe than last time.

Video Record- “Executive Short Path”

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Feinne on Qoga: Phase IV Encounters
So, Phase IV replaces basically every trash fight in the game everywhere with Antibodies (though there are a few places where powerful Guardians will also spawn). The main flavors we see right now are Furia and Doll Models. Furia Models are like the one that was with Ar Ru, and Doll Models are like Kukuro. The unifying thing about them is that they hit like trucks and take forever to die. Fortunately for you I demonstrate the SECRET TECHNIQUE for traversing the Executive District in this video so if you watch it you should never get lost in Clustania ever again.

Tyria was indeed up in the Harvestasha Module.

Video Record- “Tyria”

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There.
I've been expecting you.
Oh, amazing! A corporeal body! It's thinking and acting independently!
I can hardly contain myself! May I interview you for a little?
Sorry. I'm busy.
I learned Saki and Finnel are both parts of the Will of Ar Ciel.
I now see the Will of Ar Ciel you were talking about... is this thing.
Correct.
Then when you said "I'll talk about it later," you were referring to this planet's regeneration.
Correct. The reward for two correct answers in a row is a trip around the world in a hot air balloon.
She's talking gibberish again.
How do we trigger the planet's regeneration?

Unfortunately, there seemed to be a bit of a snag in the plan.



If I remember it, the whole project should come back to me and be preset.
You can't remember it at all?
Well, I remember the first part. I always sang it in the tower.
That song...!
So, it's a Hymn?
Correct.
I didn't think it was possible for programmed Hymns to escape their medium...
My singing was likely aborted partway through. This is probably why the tower is an incomplete building.
Likely? Probably? You don't sound very convincing.
Yes, but I don't have the memories to back up my thoughts.
Now, I can only remember up to where I was interrupted.
Then, if you perform ω extension, it should load, right?
Not happening.
But it's impossible to lose only part of a Hymn.
Then, will you aid me in solving this problem?
Gladly. The resolution of such a problem is my life-long quest!
Oh. I'm glad to hear it.
It's impossible in theory that the time axis spectrum is not created via ω extension.

Aoto was lost because I guess he doesn’t understand simple concep-no, I can’t keep a straight face, that was the kind of thing like ten people on Ar Ciel actually understand. Fortunately they had an expert on the First Age ruins in Sol Cluster handy.



Anyway, all we gotta do is help Tyria remember her Hymn, right?
...Ah!
What?
Remember? VR21!
Using it, we can analyze the Binary Field, manipulate the fetters, and then remove her Hymn memory restraints!
What is this VR21 thing?
I've never heard of it, either.
A high-tech Dive Machine my father was researching. I heard it was originally created 700 years ago.
It's hard to believe something we consider high-tech today existed so long ago...
Now that I know what needs to be done, I'll go prepare VR21!
Gojo, I'll call when it's ready. Please bring Tyria with you at that time. Don't fail me!
Oh, hey! Katene! Ugh. I can't believe that research addict.

Meanwhile, Tyria wanted to talk with Harvestasha. This presented a slight problem.



I am.
Okay. Can I have your reboot key?
Reboot key? I've never heard of such a thing.
Impossible. Without it, how do you update, install, or train Harvestasha?
...Train?
As of now, the only one with authority to control Her Divinity other than me is... Sir Kureha.
Kureha... Ayatane!
But if Sir Kureha possesses the reboot key... We have no idea where he is right now...

The question of where Ayatane was turned out to answer itself.



What? Where to!?
Clustanian Soldier: It seems they're heading towards the Archia Think Tank and the Tower of Origin!
What's happening, Akane?
The only one with the power to do this besides me is, once again, Sir Kureha!
But Cocona, you defeated Ayatane, right?
As I said, I don't think I beat him completely. He may have escaped.
Then, this is gonna be troublesome. That bastard! We never know what he's thinking!
Let's go to Archia, as planned!
Fine.
Then, I'll try to stop the program causing this assault.
Thanks. Let's go!

The persona who was definitely not Ar Ru seemed to be trying very hard to take over Finnel again.



Urgh...
Finnel! Hey, what's wrong!?
She's... coming... in a fierce wave...
Bastards... Dammit, why now!?
I'm sorry. But, I'm... still fine...
Filly...
No use staying here forever. Whatever comes up, let's think about it then. For now, to Archia.
But...
I'm fine, Aoto. Let's go...
Okay. We're leaving, everyone!

Feinne on Qoga: Tyria
So, Tyria just joined us. A few things about her. The first is that she joins at level 60, substantially above where the party is right now. Between that and her naturally higher stats she’s always going to hit harder than the other two heroines (though they can narrow the gap with again levels and their top tier Body). She can purge all the way to Flipsphere immediately, the only downside to using her right now is that for the first bits of the phase we can’t get her any Hyumas.

Anyway, they rushed back to Archia to deal with the new problem. If they were lucky Ayatane would be there and have what they needed…