Part 40: Dawn Arc - Sunrise

Sunrise


A new journey

Now sleep! And dream in peace!



The image overlaps a memory from the ancient past. A great destroyer, felled by a godly sword. Though no story ever recorded that strike, it echoes back now, from the long-stretching shadows of time. Just as it did then, that strike saves the world. It protects all lives, all humanity. And at the same time...it marks the end of her.

...I'm...sorry...I was selfish...but you listened...Even to...the very end...you stayed...close to me... You made me...happy...

She begins to crumble. Her digital form, her Body, Mind, and Soul, all fall apart. Everything she is, it all breaks and falls away. Destroyed. Decomposing into raw materials as it rains down around us. Not as an avalanche, but as a flood of tears. ...Her tears, overflowing without end.







I think I can go in peace now, thanks to her. ...Sorry, I'm not very good with words...



Now that I've done it, it feels so simple. Stopping myself on my own, I mean. I should have done it sooner.

As the rain of tears drenches us both, she looks at me. Her crimson-colored eyes glitter like gems and burn like stars. Kind eyes. Beautiful eyes. I remember how I felt when we first met. And in those eyes, I see that same wish again, the wish of a goddess to leave something good behind. ...I try to say something, but nothing comes out. My heart, throat, lips, tongue... Everything's frozen in me. I have to say something. But I can't. So at the very least, I'll look back at her. Back into her eyes. And I'll listen.



The days I spent with you...I loved them all. Even when you were just stored away in the ring and you wouldn't use a single Code Cast. To be with someone. To be close to someone. That was so wonderful... Even when I was on Earth before, I didn't feel that way... Back when I swung my sword as Attila, or when I ruled as the Great King, there was nobody eccentric enough to stand by me. But you were different. Even with everything that happened, you came to my side. You stood by me all the way here. And if we'd lost, I know you would have stayed with me even then.

...Of course. Maybe she knows I can't speak. Everything she's saying, I... She already understands the answers. Even if we'd lost to the White Titan, crushed as we might have been, I'd have stayed.I wouldn't panic or run. I would always, always be by her side. No matter what.

...Good. This is good. We have the same answers for everything, don't we? Of course, you know...it wasn't all happy. It was fun, but...I was scared too. Honestly, I was a coward. More so than anyone else. I... Umm... Let me say this. I... Fine, I'll spit it out...I was afraid you were going to hate me.

...Hate you? Me, Hakunon, hate you?

I was afraid as a Hero. I wouldn't know what to do if you hated my coldness. Not a day went by when I didn't worry about it. And I was afraid as a titan. I thought you'd hate the cavern, the cage, my cooking, my...giant body. I thought I would burst into tears the moment I let my guard down. I didn't want you to hate me...and I didn't want to see the day we'd have to say goodbye. So...yes, if I had to express it all in one word, there it is. "Afraid". Afraid every day, every hour. Every second. And the scariest thing was that I knew one day...I would wake from this dream.

Brief interruption, but for context's sake, Hakuno will mention later in this scene it's been about a month since the time the Regalia split.

Ahh...She always said that on the battlefield. "When will I awaken from this dream?" But I was wrong. She thought our time together was like a good dream, too good to be true, ready to end at any moment. How could this be? Sure, she could have said everything sooner, but I should have noticed it first. If only I HAD noticed, I... I could have told her she didn't have to worry. I could have made the little time she had that much happier. Maybe she wouldn't have believed me.

Don't make that face. It's okay. It's all in the past. The dream is over now. I'm not sad. I haven't lost anything. Because... This was all an illusion, just a dream I happened to borrow.

"No. THAT you're wrong about, Altera. This dream wasn't 'borrowed'."

Hmm? What? You finally speak, and you're so sad. Don't be. This is how it ends. So I want you to...

"No, let me say this. Illusions? Borrowed dreams? That's absolutely wrong. And this is coming from someone on borrowed time. I don't have a Mind or a Soul. The person you know here is a walking accident. And before too long, my original self is going to overwrite me one way or another. ...But I'm still real. No matter how long I last, my heart has ben beating this whole time, and that's the truth. And that's how I know you're wrong. Even if I am an 'illusion', or if my life is 'borrowed', or if I'm going to disappear like these tears all around us...this dream of ours IS REAL. It all comes from those precious memories we both experienced. Even now, while you're holding back those tears...we both know you and I had a wish together, and no one could ever deny it."

...Even if we both fade away, we'll always have that wish... Is that what we're leaving behind?

Yes. What goes away still has meaning, Altera. ...God, you're beautiful. ...And that's why it's so important to believe in what you feel. We talked together, we laughed together, we trusted each other - all of that was real. And it wasn't because I happened to be some random fluke of a person. No matter who I was, no matter how we met... I still would have liked you.

...I see... You're right. I feel the same way. This was the most brilliant dream I'd ever seen, more than any other. You stood with me. You fought with me. Yes, this is a dream I'd be proud to show anyone.



Oh...I said it. I finally said it. That's right. I fell in love the moment I saw you. You, who came to slay a giant monster, but called me by name... You didn't see me as a human, but you treated me as who I am, without covering anything up. To you, I... I've become your Prisoner. ...Truth be told, I was really your Prisoner from the very beginning.



And if it's been real, then I have nothing left to say. I...would like to stay like this for a bit longer, but it seems the Sun is already setting. My journey ends here. I've spent all this time waiting for a darker night, but now I've seen such brightness that it all seems worth it. Thank you for accepting me as I was. ...Goodbye, my Master. May your road continue on, even if the night seems endless.



A-All right... Goodbye, Altera. Take a rest from your journey, for now...



...The Regalia. The oldest, most powerful artifact in the solar system. The only one of its kind. When I put it on, it feels like everything becomes one. If I keep it on much longer, the Mind and Soul will fuse this Body, and the Hakunon I know myself to be will blow away like powdered snow. So I have to hurry. My time is almost here. The moment I split, this Body's fate was sealed. But Altera is different. her ending can still change. I push all my remaining intellect to its limits. Even as my spiritrons divide and recombine, even as my awareness starts to waver, I focus as hard as I can. Hurry. Hurry. I just need to gather enough information. About what? ...Ah. About Archimedes' final words. He said he could "slide to a different route". That had to mean something. Evil as he is, he wouldn't just spout nonsense. He believes in his convictions, and in himself. He'd never say anything provably wrong. So there must be more to it. Through the Regalia, I access the Moon Cell. Amongst the sea of near-infinite information, I search and search. Exabytes of information fly through me in the blink of an eye.

Again, for reference. To quote Google, "1,024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte. 1,024 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte. 1,024 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte. 1,024 Petabytes = 1 Exabyte (In 2000, 3 exabytes of information was created.)" Moon Cell's got a lot of info hidden away.

"Slide". There it is. That's what he said. There's too much information flowing in, and I can barely think as it is. If I were an elite Wizard, I would be able to comprehend it all in a second, but I'm not. And I don't have any time to spare. That's why I have to comprehend it now, even if I only get the gist of it. I try to use the Regalia to organize and simplify what I'm reading. ...Ah. Put that way, even I can understand.

"Sliding. The act of self-transportation into a parallel world." Other possible worlds exist, some with tiny differences, others unrecognizable. And there is a way to move between them. ...Now that I think about it, it sounds almost like a story I seem to recall from somewhere...



In the physical world, sliding is impossible. But this body of mine isn't physical, and the Moon Cell is specifically calibrated for quantum calculations. And SE.RA.PH itself draws inspiration from the real world - not just this real world, but other possible worlds too. It operates on the principle that Worlds A and B can share values. Related to that, parallel worlds apparently have lifespans and limits. Even the Moon Cell can't calculate an infinite number of possible worlds forever. So if you collate all the "possibilities", their arrangement will look like branches stemming from a main, central branch. And then there's this "Quantum Timelock" process...which effectively acts as a "save point", stops new branches before they start, and sets that world down one single path. ...Which means that before a Quantum Timelock goes off, there ARE other possibilities. And according to the Regalia, for as long as those possibilities are open, it's not impossible to slide between them.



I can probably slide to another world, with a different ending, this very second. But...no, that might not work. Altera's self-destruction was the result of a long chain of events, and the last Quantum Timelock took place after those events began. No matter where I go, she's probably already gone in every other world by now. So sliding to a different present wouldn't help. ...Can I slide to a different past? ...Sliding into another world's present is apparently pretty easy, once you know how, which I now do. But sliding into another world's past is something else entirely. It puts intense stress on the digital information that makes up what's left of me. Basically, I don't think I'd get there intact. It's like the difference between trying to swim across a major river and trying to swim upstream in it. The Moon Cell's pseudo-spiritrons weren't exactly designed for time travel, after all. In other words...I'll die. This Body would be crushed. I'd love to dash in bravely, save my past self from being fooled by Archimedes, reveal his true intentions, and sweep Altera off her feet...but I can't.





The Regalia tells me...that it's doable, that it's the best I can hope to do, and that it just might set off a new chain of events. The few seconds it took me to research that plan feel like an eternity in hindsight. But now I have a goal, a plan, and no time for second thought. Biting down on my last regrets, I activate the Regalia.



I, Hakunon, barely make my final statement. I had a choice in those few seconds. Research how to save her, or research how to save myself. I made the right decision. No looking back. I came here to do one thing...save the girl who saved the world.



My destination is... Yes. The past parallel world that Archimedes ran off to. The time will be right after the previous Quantum Timelock. The moment when the Regalia was split into three. I'll send this Body's memories to the Hakunon who inhabits that world. I can't send every memory, but just a fragment may be enough. No matter which world it is, I'm still Hakunon. Armed with my memories, I'm sure she can make all the difference.













Dawn Arc credits














Choosing a third option, the Body of Hakuno opens the door to the True Extella...