Part 26: Dawn Arc - Darkness

Darkness




Dawn

"Let's review the facts," the scholar said to me. "Earth scientists have hypothesized so-called 'parallel worlds,' other versions of Earth and its surroundings, expanding indefinitely like mirrored reflections. If true, that would mean that Earth has not only one future, but many. In other words..."









"This is a necessary evil, a byproduct of the way parallel worlds are structured together. After all, a world where humanity made radically different choices would bear very little resemblance to the world you know."

"Some worlds may have crumbled by making all the worst choices. Other may have made all the right ones, and rocketed ahead, perhaps too far ahead. In either case, that world can no longer be said to resemble ours, and once a world moves out of sync, it is no longer 'parallel.'"

"'Why would those worlds become solitary,' you ask? Could the people in those worlds not still make different choices?"

"Unfortunately, no. This dimension contains a finite amount of energy, and has none to spare for creating new worlds from the worlds gone so far astray."












"Once one passes that event horizon, there is no turning back, nor turning aside. Any lingering 'ifs' become 'might-have-beens.'"

"It is the work of a great invisible hand...no, of a god's invisible hammer. I have named this point in time 'the Quantum Timelock,' the event compilation set by an absolute observer."









That's not possible. If we were to bring a powerful Servant here, the enemy would sense our intrusion. However strong or high-ranking a Servant might be, nothing from the Moon Cell could ever defeat the Vanguard of the Umbral Star. There's only one way to win. We must use the Regalia to slay the monster before it awakens. That's why you and I are here. Besides, you wouldn't want to waste your Servant's life in a hopeless battle, would you?

*nod*

*quake*

Wh-What was that...?!

The monster must be stirring in its sleep. ...Well, well. How perfectly horrid. But that also means I'm right. The enemy hasn't noticed just the two of us yet. This is our best chance to strike off its head. Let's sneak in through this breach. Please don't make a sound. ..Is everything clear, Hakuno Kishinami?

*nod*













Into the Dark

14,000 years ago, the Umbral Star, Velber, came to this solar system. And it came to this. A piece of the Umbral Star plunged into the other side of the Moon and physically dug itself into the Moon Cell core. It hacked the Moon Cell from the inside, creating its own territory within the pseudo-spiritron world. The Moon Cell severed its network from the fragment of the Umbral Star, sealing the corruption here in the Zero Dark. But that was all it could do. It managed to protect itself, but not the Earth. The Umbral Star pillaged the Moon Cell's resources and sent its own data to Earth, creating a physical body. That was the White Titan that devastated Earth at the time. It was known as Sephyr, the Anti-Cell. Up ahead is its true form. A monster born only to destroy civilizations. Do you hear me, Hakunon? Be on your guard and don't ever drop it. If you want to protect SE.RA.PH, if you want to see your Servant again, do not hesitate.


Heart





I gasp at the unexpected view. Beyond the darkness is not some alien hellscape, but an old cave. It wouldn't be out of place anywhere else on SE.RA.PH.

Please do not be deceived. This is not the true nature of the Umbral Star. It's only a facsimile of Earthlike scenery. Though I can understand your reaction. Even my eyes were deceived for a moment. Who could imagine that the titan that destroyed the Earth would be sealed away in a room with such treasures?

Treasure, gold... The floor of the cave is buried in it. A vast, endless mountain of coins, clinking and falling as we walk. The shining hoard reflects the light that streams in from the ceiling, softly illuminating the room. Amidst all the treasure is a giant altar. I've heard rumors of a Mayan temple somewhere underground on Earth, and this cave definitely reminds me of some lost world relic. But I don't see any sign of the enemy. The altar seems like the most likely place to look...

Quiet. Don't make a sound when you step. I told you, the enemy's already in front of us. Please be more careful...!

Hmm? "The enemy's already in front of us"...?



...No, it can't be. As my eyes lift slowly upwards, I try to breathe as quietly as I can. There...



Even if she was keeping her eyes down, you'd think that'd be hard to miss. Though, I guess we've found Altera's "true form"...

A titan, with white hair and dark skin, is sleeping on top of the altar.



...I literally can't believe my eyes. It's not that I'm terrified. It doesn't even feel frightening at all. It's just...I'm not used to seeing anything that huge, and my perception can't keep up. I've seen a number of strange or giant weapons before in the past. I know I've seen things much more terrible than what's in front of me now. But even so, none of it compares. The impact of seeing it slams through my head and leaves me paralyzed. In some distant, abstract way, I'm ashamed of myself. Humans can accept the existence of all kinds of other creatures, but the idea of a greater, gigantic human feels like a threat to our very existence.

How could anything with this much mass even move and breathe? And what could any human do to stop it? The stone monument of Altamira. The titan of Sephyr. This is...the magnitude of the being who can destroy even the Moon! Now, we must strike at once! Use the Regalia to call on the power of the Moon Cell, and take its head off!

As hard as I'm shaking right now, I can barely hear Achimedes screaming at me. I'm in awe, the same awe people must have felt when they saw their gods in ancient times. I've almost forgotten how to breathe. But I can't freeze up forever. This is it, right in front of me, the Vanguard of the Umbral Star itself, destroyer of the Earth and the Moon. I come to my senses and...



Let's hold up a bit. Here we are, faced with a giant who can squash us without even thinking about it. It stands to reason our connection with the Moon Cell Automaton (the controlling brain of the whole system) isn't great right now, and we *probably* couldn't even summon the means to destroy such a being. Let's see how this plays out...

...No, I shouldn't do it. I can't quite explain why, but killing it like this feels wrong.

And morality and stuff, yeah.

...





The ground shakes. The mountain rises. Her movements are so dignified and graceful that I can still barely believe what I'm seeing. The cave's atmosphere changes. I can feel a blackness eating away at my heart. I can feel myself being crushed under terrible lies. My eyes are working, but I feel like I've just gone blind. Whatever it is, it's enormous, and I can't take it all in at once. This, this itself, is a piece of the Umbral Star, the Earth-ravaging titan, the absolute threat to humanity. And it's waking up. And it knows we're here.



Not...the first reaction I would have anticipated from Altera, of all folks...

She has to know I'm an intruder, but her words are calm and articulate.

Hakunon, hurry with the Regalia! She's still waking up. We still have time! Hurry! Now's the time to end this monster's life!

...

Archimedes' repeated warnings echo in my head. But...



She's huge, sure, but not what I'd call monstrous. Otherwise, I'd be inclined to call Robert Wadlow an emissary of the Prince of Darkness.

I can't hurt her. There's no way. I don't feel any hostility from her, no intent to kill. The titan - Sephyr, as Archimedes calls her - doesn't seem to want to hurt us at all.

...

In fact, it's just the opposite. I feel embarrassed that we came to kill her just because of her size. She's trying to be considerate toward us. She's keeping her movements as slight as possible in order not to scare us, and she's waiting for us to make a move. In other words...now's the time to talk with her.



She doesn't seem overly thrilled with us. This...could end poorly.

I can't believe this... What are you doing?! You are the protector of the Moon Cell, and of SE.RA.PH, wielder of the Regalia! Yes, she's terrifying! Yes, she looks human! But whatever her disguise, she is NOT human at all! We have no choice but to slay her. We are prisoners, and this is the only way to be free. You are the one. You have to do it! Don't you see?! This is why the Regalia exists. This is why the Moon Cell exists!

The Regalia... I see. The Moon Cell chose to seal itself off from me. That was the obvious choice, but much too simple. So that means... Yes. You're the one who's going to fight me. That's why you snuck into my sleeping quarters.

Hey, it was Archimedes' idea... Wait...

...The titan's eyes fill with hostility. Her consideration is gone. I can see she's a true warrior, and I'm not. Now that she's identified a threat, I know she'll show no mercy.

...How foolish. This isn't even an ant challenging a human. This is an ant challenging a titan... Ahh, my goodness. Humans do love their pointless gestures.

She shows no hesitation. She turns half her body one way, but that's just misdirection. Then she reaches down, with a ridiculously giant hand, and grabs me with the force of an avalanche.





It's impossible to dodge. This isn't even a battle. She just grabs me and squeezes all the air out of my lungs, clamping me between her fingers.



I feel her raising me high off the floor. I try to resist, but I can't move a single muscle. My body creaks and cracks in protest. Am I really going to be...squeezed to death...?!



Yeah, that's about right...

How could this happen...? How could this happen...? How could this happen so fast?! Wonderful, wonderful! You're wonderful, Sephyr! I knew you could do it, but so easily after all this! Oh, this is so sweet! I was ready to strike from behind just in case, but you finished it in one swipe. Marvelous! Good day, and thank you for all your hard work, my foolish Sovereign! The Moon Cell miscalculated when it chose you!

...I can hear Archimedes' voice. What...is he saying...?

Hm? You still don't know, Kishinami? Typical. You never suspected a thing, all the way here. I'm lucky you were such a kind-hearted soul. If the Regalia had fallen to someone more selfish, they never would have trusted me. One more lesson. Pay attention. Evil people, for all the chaos they inspire, have always left the world intact. So who's to blame now? It's obvious, isn't it? Whenever the world REALLY goes to hell, it's because of someone like you, with all your good intentions! Now then. You understand the situation, Sephyr? The Regalia is literally in your hand. No Servant could properly destroy it, but an Anti-Cell like you should have no problem. Destroy the Regalia! Shut down the Moon Cell's functions, and strike the hour of Velber's coming!

"Velber's coming"... You're not a Servant of the Moon Cell. Who are you? Why did you betray this human?

What? Are you so curious? I was given to understand you were a mindless destroyer. Must be an excess of superfluous functions. No matter. I am Archimedees, the former system admin of the Moon Cell. Now, I'm the same as you. I too await the arrival of the Umbral Star. I am a Servant who sides with Velber, no more, no less. Or can you not tell that on sight? Like you, I have pledged my body to the Umbral Star.

Archimedes is Velber's Servant?! Ahh, how could this happen?! I know I'm not that smart, but I wouldn't have thought he was playing me for a fool! No, now's not the time to be angry at myself. I just have to get out of here. If I die now, like this, I'll never be able to show my face around Saber or the others again...!



...Useless. Do you not understand that the more you resist, the more you'll suffer?

Humans are beyond understanding. Even though they have access to irrefutable logic, they hide from it with hopes and feelings. And now this fool sees what comes of that. Go ahead, Sephyr. Crush that flawed little mess and the Regalia with it.

...You're right. This human has nothing of value but the Regalia. And I am here to destroy the Moon Cell.



...! It's no use. I can't escape. I can't move an inch. It's as if the entire world is pressing against me. In another few seconds, I'll be ground meat. ...It's hopeless. Will I die, just as Archimedes planned? It's terrifying, obviously, but it's also infuriating. I feel like some sort of big, important chance is being taken away from me...



...That's it. This is wrong. It's not supposed to end here. ...I think back to when I first walked in and saw her. If Archimedes hadn't interfered, this whole encounter would have gone very differently. I think that has to mean something. ...I access the Regalia. I search for a way to break out of this situation. ...I find one in a fraction of a second. ...A physical body cannot be transferred out of this territory. But the mind and soul can be split and transferred away. This is reckless. It's basically certain death. It might not save me, but at least I'll be out of here. It's almost a kind of suicide, but all I want to do right now is disappear. ...I don't care. It's not like I have any other choice. Well, this isn't the first time I've been this desperate, and hopefully, it won't be the last...!

...What...?

*gasp* Transferring through the Regalia? No, we're in the Zero Dark. There's no way YOU could transfer out of here. Although, since you DO own the Regalia, in theory, it might be possible to... Wait. Wait, wait, wait! That girl must be insane. Even she would never use that option...!









Impossible! How could this happen! No one could ever be THAT desperate! Splitting the Regalia and yourself into three pieces?!

Splitting into three... That's... How reckless...

You know, this scene does make me wonder how exactly this fits into Extella's overall story. My personal theory? The opening with Nero fighting Sephyr was a flashforward. The game leads you to think that that scene is how the Regalia ended up getting split. You know, the Holy Grail War ends, Nero and Hakunon end up advancing into the Moon Cell core, then the events of Extella happened. But we only have people whose testimony is not exactly unimpeachable for that sequence of events to have happened.

Archimedes always knew much more than he was letting on about how the ball got started rolling for Nero and Tamamo's stories, and he wasn't lying when he said he went somewhere special with Hakunon. The Mind and Soul only have vague memories of a giant titan-like creature being responsible for their current state of affairs, and figured it had something to do with their trip to the Moon Cell core.

My personal timeline goes something like this, and mind this is before either Flame Poem or Orchid Words' events happen. Hakunon enters the Holy Grail War with Nero as her primary Servant (and eventually Tamamo as a Sub-Servant, who never did go to the Moon Cell core), and ends up winning. Winning involves going into the Moon Cell core, where she defeats Twice H. Pieceman and his Servant Saver, and receives the Royal Authority to prepare the Moon Cell's defenses against Velber (CCC not being mentioned here because it's a sidestory and generally not important for this general timeline).

Around this time, Archimedes is summoned by the Moon Cell to make sure the defenses are prepared accordingly / the Regalia is managed properly, and by some means or another, comes into contact with Velber's long-dormant seed within the Zero Dark, our pal Altera here, and receives some revelation or whatever that Velber's actually awesome and destroying the Earth / Moon is pretty rad.

So in his system admin capacity, finds out and makes contact with the person who holds the Regalia, Hakunon. He convinces her to come with him to the Zero Dark to destroy Velber's seed, and here we are. It stands to reason that one of his fancy Quantum Timelocks eliminated any timeline in which someone other than Hakunon wins the HGW, and that same Timelock also eliminated (or closed off, if you want to be more exact) any timeline in which the Regalia remained whole during this whole trip to the Zero Dark, as if this is the same Archimedes who just Slided off the Orchid Words timeline, he really shouldn't be so surprised this happened, and it's also hard to believe he'd waste any time in a timeline where the Regalia wasn't split, since, as he can *very much* attest, it's a *massive* pain in the ass to get Nero / Tamamo to play along.

I find Archimedes' explanation of how the Quantum Timelock a pretty solid explanation for this turn of events (as I theorize them). Remember, he said worlds that can't support themselves into the future, or have gone completely askew in either a positive or negative direction, are the possibilities that vanish. A possibility in which Velber returned to the solar system and devastated the Earth, killing all civilizations and all life, is obviously not a world that can continue to support itself. Any timelines where that happened, for one reason for another, would have no future and would eventually vanish into nothingness.

But his plan is to unite the Regalia, have Altera smash it to dust, and invite Velber back. Doing so, as stated, would ultimately annihilate the Earth, finishing the job it started 14,000 prior. After doing so, a Quantum Timelock would occur, and the universe's continuing timelines would have no choice but to accept Archimedes' ideal world where Velber finalized its genocide. The "event compilation" he speaks of would have to include worlds where Velber's destruction was guaranteed, and indeed, the "history" of each new world would necessarily have to include the part where the Moon Cell and Earth are both completely destroyed. Quite a bloodthirsty fellow.

I suppose it's possible in the other two timelines, something similar to this happened but perhaps not so singularly close as this one was (she had like a second to react, remember), but even so, he's pretty upset over something he's seen twice before. The simplest explanation for me is that this is one of those "Absolute conclusions" things, but the Archimedes we see in this scene isn't aware of those other timelines yet.

It's because you were slacking off, Sephyr! Why'd you hesitate to make the kill?! That was our enemy!

You are wrong. I had no interest in killing that human.

What?

It's true we don't need to keep the Regalia's owner alive. But I didn't need to kill her, either. That girl had no hostility toward me. ...I won't kill her until I've repaid this favor. I will make that girl mine. Know that you cannot touch her without my permission.

Wh...at...? And you call yourself the Vanguard of the Umbral Star? Are you just muscle, or are you really that slow? Remember why you exist, Anti-Cell! You are the White Titan, from the Tear of the Star! Your duty is to call Velber forth...

...You're a nuisance. I will perform my duty. I will conquer the Moon Cell and destroy the land. And Velber will come. My role, my existence, they cannot be changed. But... You displease me, Archimedes.





Gha... Hgha...!

...I won't hold back next time. Don't show your face in front of me again.

Ugh... How pointless... Are you just another emotional idiot...?! ...Very well. No matter what, you cannot rebel against the Umbral Star. Bring down the Moon Cell any way you like, but bring it down. I'll handle things in my own way. You stay here in this prison and protect that shell of a human! *disappears*



...I'm in a huge room...A sealed pit...like a temple, or an underwater cave, or a prison. ...Why am I here? I don't know where I am. Or what happened to me. Or even...who I am at all.

*rumble*

...My back hurts. I can hardly breathe. I can't even move my body. My name... I do know my own name. ...But even now there's something my entire being is trying to tell me. ...I need to run. I need to get out. I don't need to know what's going on. I need to go now and figure it out later.



...A titan? I gasp as I try to understand. I don't understand. Of course I don't. This is a dream. That's why my head feels so light. Anything can happen right now, but if I close my eyes, I'm sure I'll wake right up...





Running through a sea of gold coins is hard enough, but no matter how far I run, the exit doesn't get any closer. This space has been altered somehow, I'll never reach that exit, and I know it. If it were possible to leave, the titan already would have.

You just don't learn, do you? Scrambling under my feet like that is very annoying.



Her giant hand swoops down toward me. I remember an old fairy tale, about a boy who climbed a beanstalk into the sky. He found a giant's house there, and was caught by the giant himself...

No, I can't escape...! She's got me. The giant has me right in the palm of her hand. I can still breathe, but I can't move. She's going to kill me, I know it. A long moment passes in total silence. Then I dare to open one eye...



I look into her eyes, and I see not a cold-blooded monster, but a being with reason and heart. On a side note, how did that story of the boy and the giant end again?

Just wouldn't be Hakuno without occasionally getting completely sidetracked.

Oh, are you...? I tried to be careful, but are you hurt somewhere?

I fall back on her hand and shake my head to show that she didn't hurt me at all. The titan lets out a sigh of relief.

I'm Altera, and this cavern is my domain. Now, what's your name? Can you tell me?