Part 33: - Final Sin, Bliss

33 - Final Sin, Bliss

(Music: On the Cutting Edge of Medicine.)





"...Delphi has nothing left. It's over... 'Adam.'"



"...Huh?!"



"What about Adam?"

"...We can take it from here, Doctor. Let the UN handle what's left of Delphi."

"We don't know what else they could be researching! They could still be-"

"...What I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential. Eidoth International was indeed run by Adam, leader of Delphi."



The founder and leader of Aum Shinrikyo was born Chizuo Matsumoto - a name that, like Erich, is fairly ordinary. Just as Erich changed his name, in 1984 Matsumoto became Shoko Asahara - "Auspicious Child of Nature". Fitting with the theme, the name "von Raitenau" likely comes from the Austrian Prince-Archbishop, Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau, who was a part of the Catholic reformation.

"Nobody's seen or heard from him in a decade, and... well, do the math. If Raitenau were still alive, he'd be well over 100."

"...What the hell?!"

"Exactly. I doubt he's still alive. The best you could hope for is some sort of Journal. ...We can't let you see top-secret information."

I smell a cover-up...

"This... is an order."

"But! If he's dead, how could any of this-"

What a dick. I hope Adam gives him Savato or something-

"...What's that?!"



"Only humanity would force others to live lives not their own!"

"It's Adam! He's alive!"

"That isn't possible!"

"I'm going, Dr. Miller - I have to see the truth for myself!"

"Is Man's hubris so great that he would violate life by prolonging it? The final stage of life is death! To deny that is foolishness!"

His voice is coming from some sort of speaker system, built into every area of the ship...

"Your vast, undying civilizations will spill over into the sea... while the old and infirm become a rot at society's core."

"You're insane! Father may have worked for you, but he never believed your lies!"

"Man sought harmony with nature, but instead found everlasting life... as a parasite! Feeding off of the Earth's resources! That is why Mankind was blessed with disease! It is natural selection: Nature passing judgement on man. You believe medical science will save mankind? A surplus of humans will only destroy the world we depend on! I alone know the sole path to salvation."

"You're talking in circles. This has to stop, Adam!"

Deeper into the boat, Derek discovers the source of the voice...



"He's...!"

"You aren't even alive?!"

(Silence)



"In the end, they return to me..."

"I can't... even look at him..."

"Thus, I have become the Last Man. I live outside this world, so as not to taint it."

Adam has achieved immortality - no, suspended animation. With no food, no water, skin fusing his eyes and lips together and his skin nearly rotted away, he is dead. Yet he is somehow is able to speak, to live within the tank. His mind is frozen in time.

"I alone have achieved harmony. I alone know balance."

"He can't be the one speaking... where is his voice coming from...?!"

But somehow, some way, he is.

"...You're not alive."

"What were you hoping to accomplish?! You're already dead!"



"Those who abandon selfish desires and follow the true way... will be granted this final blessing, born within me."

Adam's ultimate goal was to wipe out the majority of humans, and with those who remained, grant whoever chose to follow him suspended animation where they could still think, feel, communicate forever - thus restoring the world to a state without humans while still keeping a select few alive. Bliss..

"You just want to watch people die!"

Suddenly, a gas begins to filter through the vents. Angie faints. Derek...



"Medicine exists because we won't accept suffering and disease!"



"...A being who accepts fate without wanting that which is not mine... Don't you see the future that you are leaving to your offspring? Ten billion humans, fighting over a barren rock."

(cough)! "What gives you the right... to decide who lives?!"

"Can you not see it?! I am dead, yet I still live! This is the true fate of mankind!"


"You're wrong! As long as a person chooses to live, they can still bring others happiness! Damn it! Where did... he...? I can't see! Where'd he go!"



"...This is Delta Five! The targets have been exposed to an airbone hallucinogen! I'm initiating an Emergency Recovery!"

"Come on, Doctor... Stay with me...!"



My final measurable playtime. Hopefully your clock won't look like this when you get to the end. According to my first playthrough data, this game is usually finished in six hours on your first attempt.

(NEW Music: For A Better Tomorrow)





As for how many hours I've spent playing this game, it's well over 200. As I said before, my mother worked in the airlines, so we travelled often - I would always bring this game with me on long flights, perfect my technique during 9 hour layovers. My DS cartridge corroded from overuse and I had to open it up and wipe away the corrosion.

"We're giving you a new medication, so don't forget to take it, okay?"

"I won't forget!"

"This was your last examination, so you'll get to go home tomorrow! Why don't you tell your brother?"

"Okay! Bye, Nurse Angie! Thank you, Doctor Stiles!"

"Bye-bye, Amy!"

This game is filled with the nostalgia of my teenage years. I genuinely love it.

"...She's shown a lot of improvement. Tyler must be relieved."

"Well! She was our last patient for the day."

"You did good work today, Angie. That reminds me- didn't the Chief say he wanted to speak with us?"

"That's right! He did. We can't forget."

"I wonder what he wants..."



In a time when the market hadn't quite discovered what the DS could do, Trauma Center came out and pushed the envelope. I'm not sure if as many innovative games on the DS would exist if not for Under the Knife.

"Things have started to calm down, and I think it's time to move on."

"Oh?! I bet this means you're getting married! I'm so jealous!"

"What? No. Stop jumping to conclusions. How can I put this... I think I want to be a regular doctor."

"Well, at least you've got connections at Hope, right..?"

"Well, I'd have to ask Dr. Kasal, and... Hm... Maybe I will do that."



"Welcome back, Dr. Clarks!"

"Where'd you go?"

"...Don't you ever pay attention?! Today was a visitation day."

"Oh yeah, Blackwell, right."

"I let Victor come along to visit the professor today, but... Well, it's not easy to have a conversation with two geniuses. ...I could barely keep up, let alone add to the discussion. It's too bad the world can't benefit from Professor Blackwell's brilliant mind anymore. Such a shame..."

"The government was nice to let us visit him and all, but... couldn't they go all the way and give him amnesty or something?"

"Even if they did, I doubt Blackwell would accept it. He's determined to spend the rest of his life in prison... atoning for his sins."

"I feel sorry for Angie."

"I do, too... but she seems to be handling it well."



Not to mention it taught me that if I have the dedication to S Rank every mission and X Mission in an Atlus game, I can sure as hell beat the University bell curve and become exactly what I want to be.

"...that information they found on GUILT. At this rate, it's going to end up locked away in a classified vault."

"Well, Delphi has been apprehended... and Eidoth Pharmaceuticals was placed on an international watch list."

"But, we still don't know the truth behind the "Adam" Derek saw."

"Excuse us.."

"You wanted to speak with us, Dr. Hoffman?"

"That's right. Thanks for coming. Please, have a seat. Caduceus International held a conference today... They asked us for a favor. Some people in Brussels contracted a new disease... and Caduceus has asked that you operate on them."

It is true there are things beyond your control, but they will only defeat you if you let them.

"...Is it another GUILT?!"

"Fortunately, no. It looks to be a rare strain of an endemic disease. Remember, Caduceus is responsible for treating more than just GUILT!"

"Then... Why did they ask for me?"

"Everyone in the medical world has heard about Dr. Derek Stiles and his miraculous Healing Touch. They asked for you because you're an excellent doctor and they'd like to research your abilities."

"They're researching me?! That's a little... um..."

"...Maybe that wasn't the best way to put it. You've impressed everyone, Derek. They want to learn from you."

"The life of a doctor isn't easy. You have to teach others, even though you're still learning, yourself. Good luck in Brussels."



"We've also received these letters. They were addressed to Caduceus... but I think they were meant for you."

"...Where are these envelopes from?"

"Why don't you read them and find out?"







"...Such neat handwriting. Looks like they're recovering nicely. All seven GUILT subjects were treated and returned home... I hope they can move past all this and live normal lives."



"...Reading these letters really puts it all in perspective. Being a doctor isn't easy, but we can actually save someone's life! We just need to remember that when things get tough."

Ahh. Saving people, that's what it's all about. And I don't mean just being a Doctor. Think about what we've just done. We've finished a video game where the purpose of playing was to save as many lives as possible, not take or hurt them. Instead of celebrating a big kill we made, we're here celebrating how many children we've returned home to their parents. That feels pretty damn great.



"No matter how painful something is, it can always be healed... as long as you stay alive. You showed me that, Doctor."

"Huh?! There were eight letters?!"

"...The last one is from me. I'm looking forward to us spending more time together."

".....Same here."

(Video: Credits and Music - "For the Future")

-THE END-

Four months, over 37 Missions S-Ranked, more than 1000 screenshots, 55,000 words, and a lot of terrific comments.

To everyone reading this, if you participated in the thread or not, thank you for staying all the way with me to the end. It's been a blast.

The story of Derek and Angie ends here...








...Though it’s a bit of a shame we’ll never find out what Derek saw in Adam’s chamber.



Hm? What's this?



...Oh.

Oh my.

Next Time: The X Missions.

For those of you who were only curious to see the story mode, the LP ends here! Thank you for reading! But for the rest of you looking for something more meaty, and even a Secret Ending - stay tuned, the party's just getting started!