Sona Nyl of the Violet Shadow ~Dream Wandering~
Hikaru Sakurai
Artist: AKIRA
CAUTION!!! The following pages can be read after finishing "Shiei no Sona Nyl: Refrain" and before starting "EX Scenario" for even greater enjoyment.
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Diary of Lily the Stranger (1)
The year 1908 (probably).
The Blue Sky.
The same day as yesterday, I'm traveling in the sky.
The same day as yesterday, I''m traveling on a lone subway car above the clouds.
The lone subway car continues to soar through the air, traveling out of the underground world.
We haven't gone down yet.
Today...
"Why don't you write in a diary?", was what A told me.
A diary...
I've never written anything like that.
I had never written a letter before, for one thing.
I just didn't know.
I said I didn't know and thus couldn't do it.
"It's not strange."
"You are allowed to do anything."
"You can dream, you can go anywhere, you can look at the sky."
"You can even write the days down on it."
And then A keeps saying something I don't understand, so I say, oh, okay, I'll write it down.
So he's already said that? Aah, right.
And now, I was writing on it.
I got a lovely diary from A.
I've never written anything like that.
I had never written a letter before, for one thing.
I just didn't know.
I said I didn't know and thus couldn't do it.
"It's not strange."
"You are allowed to do anything."
"You can dream, you can go anywhere, you can look at the sky."
"You can even write the days down on it."
And then A keeps saying something I don't understand, so I say, oh, okay, I'll write it down.
So he's already said that? Aah, right.
And now, I was writing on it.
I got a lovely diary from A.
It's a little thick, with lots of decorations and a little lock, but it's like a small diary.
He also gave me a pencil and a letter eraser.
I didn't know how to write, but when I had it, I did. Why is that?
Today was a day to look at the sky.
Yes, I saw the sky again today.
Diary. A Record of the Day.
What was today like?
Today was the day that A read to me from a large, thick encyclopedia.
At first, I was just really, really sleepy, but I think I'm getting used to it. It's interesting, talking about machines and the history of the old United States.
The big encyclopedias that they spread out are usually written in a difficult way, but they're interesting because they often have pictures and drawings attached to them.
What were these pictures I was seeing? When I asked, A explained them to me.
Today, I remember hearing a continuation of a story I heard sometime ago about a ship. The Mayflower, maybe?
Yeah. Yeah. The day we heard the rest of the story about the boat.
He also gave me a pencil and a letter eraser.
I didn't know how to write, but when I had it, I did. Why is that?
Today was a day to look at the sky.
Yes, I saw the sky again today.
Diary. A Record of the Day.
What was today like?
Today was the day that A read to me from a large, thick encyclopedia.
At first, I was just really, really sleepy, but I think I'm getting used to it. It's interesting, talking about machines and the history of the old United States.
The big encyclopedias that they spread out are usually written in a difficult way, but they're interesting because they often have pictures and drawings attached to them.
What were these pictures I was seeing? When I asked, A explained them to me.
Today, I remember hearing a continuation of a story I heard sometime ago about a ship. The Mayflower, maybe?
Yeah. Yeah. The day we heard the rest of the story about the boat.
And...
The day I had clam chowder. Yup. It was good.
The day I ate chiffon cake. Delicious.
Erm...
Today I was writing in my diary.
I am writing today...
Hm...
Hummm...
It's kind of hard to write. I wish I could write more smoothly.
A says, "Just write what you think," but I'm not sure that's really what I want to do.
I think I'll ask Mao. I'd rather have Mao than Luciano.
How long has it been since Mao showed up on my...my and A's lone subway car? It hasn't been very long, has it?
Ah.
Oh, I know!
I can keep a diary, so I can keep track of it. I won't have to ask A to do it. It's a great way to get a good idea of what's going on.
It might have been a good idea to have a diary.
Yes, that's good.
I'll put it away for tomorrow!
Hopefully, I'll be able to write more properly tomorrow.
Now where to hide a key for it...
Diary of Lily the Stranger (2)
The year 1908 (probably).
The Blue Sky.
I may be too sleepy to write much of a diary today...
So today, just one fun thing to do!
But I'm sleepy...
A diary. A journal of this day. That's what A said.
So, I thought I'd write a proper account of my day from when I woke up from bed... (and I think it's handy to remember what happened, too.)
Mao came to visit!
Mao the cat. Mao the human. Mao the neko.
I don't know why they haven't said "Nyaa" for a while.
It's not purple skies here anymore, but Mao comes to play.
I think it was early evening. I was looking out the window and before I knew it, she was in the subway "room".
It was because of you as A told me. But as usual, I wasn't sure of it.
It's not like it was because of me.
Mao was in a very good mood and that's why I'm smiling at her.
The A was the same as always, though.
And we had dinner together. I was wondering if she was going to stay for the night, but Mao said that when girls stay together, guys aren't allowed to be here, so I thought to just lock A in the cab or something.
Mao and I played games until we fell asleep.
It was some kind of game of sugoroku, but it was a fun game with lots of monsters and stuff.
I used a chess-like board, but A used a very large one.
Mao was flying around, and A was near my pawn (or was he like a doctor?) the whole time, and we weren't in sync at all, but we managed to clear it!
"The more people you take on, the more difficult it will be," said A.
"Hihihi. Should I bring Lucia next time, nyago?"
Mao said. Also, she said nyago.
I'd love to play with you guys because it's so much fun.
Many more, many different people and .......
Ugh...
Sleepy!
Drow...sy...
...A keeps telling me to go to bed.
There's no cold water...
This is a little more for today's diary. It's still today.
I had a lot of fun today!
I had a great time and I want to play again.
Yup. At least I have to write this down.
Oh, did I write the same thing twice...
Ugh, I'll go to bed. Tomorrow...
Tomorrow is the day to clean the room. Do I have to do it? When I asked A, he said "If you want". And, well, I don't know...
To...mor...row...
Write...in...diary...
Diary of Lily the Stranger (3)
The year 1908 (probably).
The Blue Sky.
Morning. I had something called French toast.
It was sweet and fluffy and delicious.
Noon. It's called something in South America? It was some kind of sandwich I ate (ask here tomorrow to add to it!).
It was spicy and delicious.
A snack. I had chocolate.
It was sweet and bitter, yes. It was good.
Dinner. I ate a cold dish called borscht.
It was an amazing color, but the hot soup was soothing and delicious. I'd like to have it again.
The end.
Ah.
I thought I wrote from morning to night, but it's so short.
I wonder why.
I...only wrote about food!
Funny, I thought it was morning to night, but hmmm...
It's not like I only remember the food, but where am I supposed to write about it?
It's nice to know that I went to the bathroom or took a bath or something.
But today, no one came over to visit or went outside, hmmm.
Hmm?
...hmm, when I was groaning, A said from the other side, "You should write down your impression on me."
(A was a little farther away, but close enough that he could see the diary's contents.)
Hmmm.
I guess it doesn't have to be from when I wake up to when I go to bed at night.
Leave an impression, huh?
Did anything happen today?
Today, I had a lot of firsts for my meal and...
...hmm.
Yes, indeed.
There was.
I saw something interesting in the sky today.
A big one.
I heard a buzzing sound when it flapped its wings.
I saw a lizard-like...what was it, a little one with lots of scales flying around.
It was a bit big for a baby. I'm not sure how big they were, exactly. I think it flew just as high as this one car on the subway. I just saw its face out the window. Our eyes met.
It had gentle eyes.
Their eyes were, um, gold, I think.
I told him, "You can't see something like that."
I could see it, though.
I opened the window and said hey. It shouted.
(What did you say?)
What was that little thing?
Next time, I will draw a picture and ask A.
I've never done a picture, but...
I can use a pencil, I think I'll draw it in this diary.
But it's a muggy day today, so I'll have to wait till next time. Next time.
I feel like A is getting closer to me...I guess that means I should go to bed...
Yeah. To bed.
I guess that's it for today. Good night.
If I ever meet that child again, I'll ask them what their name is.
Diary of Lily the Stranger (4)
The year 1908 (probably).
Clear, then cloudy.
An impression to me, huh...
A told me after dinner about the child I saw yesterday.
He told me about it, or rather...
A unfolded the big, thick, heavy-looking encyclopedia again and checked it a few times with me. The first thing he showed me was a bird. I think it's a page on birds.
But it was not a bird, nor were there any scales.
So yes, I said that was not it.
Birds are bushy with hair.
But the creature was flat.
It was shiny and smooth, with not even a single hair on it.
The next thing he showed me was a strange creature I've never seen before. The surface of the body was smooth and bird-like, but not a bird.
Its beak was long, but it was not a bird.
I told him it was similar to it but was not and it was different.
Then I looked at the last page he opened and I said, "it looks like that".
Yes. This was the most similar one.
"Dragons aren't real. You're not seeing things," says A...
But the last creature I saw was also a creature that lived a long time ago and is no longer around. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a living thing that wasn't there before, but that's what I've been thinking about...
Then.
A dragon that isn't supposed to be here? I think it's also possible that I saw it from then.
Because I even heard a voice.
The sound of flapping wings is just like the wind blowing hard.
And our eyes met.
Its golden eyes.
Ah, yes. The eyes. When it saw my eyes, I was surprised to hear A. He was looking at me...it was usual, but it felt different than normal.
It's like looking at something that isn't me while looking at me?
"Is it real?" I was asked.
Do you think I was lying? I wonder why he thinks I'd lie. Weird A.
I apologized right away and forgave him.
Ah, by the way...
In the daytime, I get a little sleepy.
It's not like it's a nap, yeah? Just doze off for a little.
Yes, a little.
Yeah. Just for a little while...
I think I heard that girl's voice again. Guoh.
I woke up in a hurry and looked out the window and saw nothing, no one...
I wonder if it's the little one.
I wonder if it's flying near us.
I hope you'll come back. And this time, A--
Ah!
A has spotted me!
He's peeking into the diary!
"Look, I looked out the window of what I said yesterday, but I didn't see anything," I said!!
I read it out even as I'm writing it!
I'm saying I haven't read it! But I was reading it for sure!
That's it for today's diary!
I have to find a way for A to not peek into it!
Good night!
Voice of Hypnos
Who?
Who are you?
There--
I see you.
Who?
Othkkartho?
No.
These are like the eyes of Sanido...
Diary of Lily the Stranger (5)
The year 1908 (Probably).
The color of the sky...what was it like?
I don't remember much.
I don't think I ever looked at the sky, or rather, the window today.
At first?
I was trying to figure out how to write in my journal without A seeing me.
Yes, from morning until noon.
I'm not even sure I know what we ate. Huh? Something sweet?
Did I eat?
I can tell you what I had for lunch.
I saw that the table was getting ready for lunch and I said, "Oh, did we have breakfast yet?"...
I was just a little surprised.
Ah. I thought.
It's no good.
No good. I don't know if it's hard or not, but even though he made it (I wonder if he's making it?), I'm not sure of what I ate. No good.
So I ate it properly during lunch.
It was called something in the Far East. It's always east, and if it's reversed, it means always west, but you know, the world is round. Like a ball. It's an ellipse, is it not? Yeah, I think so. The dish there. It's called "Osashimi" or something like that.
Raw fish and rice. Salad? And like...
Ah, soup.
It was bean soup
It was reddish brown in color and, uhm, m...
Miso?
So, yes, I'm sure, Miso Soup.
Yeah. What do you think it's like? I don't know. Soup.
It was delicious. It was like nothing I've ever had before.
The raw fish was soggy but sweet, and when dipped in a bit of black, light sauce, it goes well with rice.
Ah, but the wasabi was not good.
Ah, hmm, I'll have to get used to it.
Yup.
It was delicious.
But then.
After lunch...
I probably fell asleep.
I was so full and sleepy, and I thought, oh no, I didn't figure on how to deal with my diary yet. I didn't want to sleep, and I thought, I haven't been out much lately...
I think I fell asleep.
I felt like I heard A's voice, but I didn't know what he was saying. I think I answered something. I wondered why I had to answer. But I don't remember the contents. What did I say?
Anyway. I'm sure I'm asleep.
When I woke up, I was here.
I can't write today's sky color in my diary. Because I don't know when I woke up. Was it still today? Or is it tomorrow? Usually, A has something to say about it. But...
A was not here.
It was just only me here.
This wasn't the lone subway nor was it the "room". There was ice, but it was not so cold to the touch, and there were a lot of glittering transparent crystals.
It was a place I had never seen before.
And it was still me here. Alone.
...I was confused. I panicked, but had to calm down.
Why did I have my diary, pencil and eraser here? I fell under my feet. A would never leave me and my diary here. No. Never. Absolutely not.
I knew that. And so, I had to calm down and think.
And thus, I was writing in my diary.
For starters, I wondered if it was evening or night right now.
Or was it morning already? Or the night after?
The sky was the same as its surroundings. There was a whitish-gray, vague haze and there was sparkles. It wasn't the sky of the underworld. nor was it the real sky I saw.
I wondered where I was.
Ah.
Right now, I think I just heard a guoh somewhere.
The year 1908?
A misty white sky?
I had a strange dream.
...a day that felt like a dream.
And thus, I was writing in my diary.
For starters, I wondered if it was evening or night right now.
Or was it morning already? Or the night after?
The sky was the same as its surroundings. There was a whitish-gray, vague haze and there was sparkles. It wasn't the sky of the underworld. nor was it the real sky I saw.
I wondered where I was.
Ah.
Right now, I think I just heard a guoh somewhere.
Diary of Lily the Stranger (6)
The year 1908?
A misty white sky?
I had a strange dream.
...a day that felt like a dream.
It was even written in the diary.
A dream? That was a dream. But was it truly?
According to A, I fell asleep last afternoon and didn't wake up until today. I didn't remember anything nor what I recall from my sleep.
To start!
If I was asleep, how was I able to write down yesterday on the diary!?
...I asked A about it.
But it was useless.
It's like he heard me mumbling to myself (from last morning) so I thought to hide under the blankets in bed and keep the diary so that A wouldn't see me. "You were creeping around, weren't you?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to say that to him.
Hmmm.
I kept the diary, but, I don't remember it.
I only remember being in a place with white mist and sparkling crystals.
I was there. Yes. I felt as though I met someone there.
I couldn't make out the face or the outfit, it was the same muffled look as the place. I didn't know if it was a man or a woman, no, I don't know. For starters, there was a sparkling red light that glowed on my chest from beyond the haze...
Nothing else happened beyond that, for it was just a light.
What's that thing called that A showed me in the encyclopedia, a floodlight?
It was called an Engine Floodlight. You squeeze the light and it makes what looks like a thin line come out. Yes yes. Like that, a red and golden light hit my chest.
But aside from that, nothing happened.
What was it? I thought but...
A person came out from behind the haze.
It's not so much that they came out, it's that they were in front of me before I knew it. I could sense it.
"What a surprise."
"You aren't a dreamer, but why are you in such a place like this?"
I felt as though they had said something.
I'd say that person was like that as well.
That's how it should have felt.
But that was not the case.
He was talking about a lot of things. I think...
...that was all I can think about!
I've heard a lot of stories, like...
My head is hazy and I'm a little, well, unsure.
A says it's a dream. Now!
It's hazy, but I'll just write a little bit about what I remember.
Yeah. Let's see...
I don't know what it means, I don't know what it means, but it's cool. It's good.
And also, he's been very, very kind to me. I feel like they've been very nice to me.
Ugh. I just feel...
Humm. So it's not a dream, huh?
I can't say for sure. I can't even tell say if I remember it.
But I think I've met that person, and I think I've heard a voice going "Guo" somewhere. I'm not sure.
Maybe I'll talk to A again about it tomorrow.
It's kind of weird to call this a dream like that. Strange even.
Oh, by the way, A, you said you'll be stopping somewhere tomorrow...
Where?
It's not a place of white, was it?
A dream? That was a dream. But was it truly?
According to A, I fell asleep last afternoon and didn't wake up until today. I didn't remember anything nor what I recall from my sleep.
To start!
If I was asleep, how was I able to write down yesterday on the diary!?
...I asked A about it.
But it was useless.
It's like he heard me mumbling to myself (from last morning) so I thought to hide under the blankets in bed and keep the diary so that A wouldn't see me. "You were creeping around, weren't you?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to say that to him.
Hmmm.
I kept the diary, but, I don't remember it.
I only remember being in a place with white mist and sparkling crystals.
I was there. Yes. I felt as though I met someone there.
I couldn't make out the face or the outfit, it was the same muffled look as the place. I didn't know if it was a man or a woman, no, I don't know. For starters, there was a sparkling red light that glowed on my chest from beyond the haze...
Nothing else happened beyond that, for it was just a light.
What's that thing called that A showed me in the encyclopedia, a floodlight?
It was called an Engine Floodlight. You squeeze the light and it makes what looks like a thin line come out. Yes yes. Like that, a red and golden light hit my chest.
But aside from that, nothing happened.
What was it? I thought but...
A person came out from behind the haze.
It's not so much that they came out, it's that they were in front of me before I knew it. I could sense it.
"What a surprise."
"You aren't a dreamer, but why are you in such a place like this?"
I felt as though they had said something.
I'd say that person was like that as well.
That's how it should have felt.
But that was not the case.
He was talking about a lot of things. I think...
...that was all I can think about!
I've heard a lot of stories, like...
My head is hazy and I'm a little, well, unsure.
A says it's a dream. Now!
It's hazy, but I'll just write a little bit about what I remember.
Yeah. Let's see...
I don't know what it means, I don't know what it means, but it's cool. It's good.
- Be careful when traveling
- The story of the yellow egg (like the one I got after the story?) (I can't find it anywhere right now.)
- This is a secret place, so don't tell it to strangers (I remembered this while writing...A is good, he's no stranger)
- There is no one else here. They are long gone now. This place doesn't really exist, either.
- But I did. I stumbled upon it (again...)
And also, he's been very, very kind to me. I feel like they've been very nice to me.
Ugh. I just feel...
Humm. So it's not a dream, huh?
I can't say for sure. I can't even tell say if I remember it.
But I think I've met that person, and I think I've heard a voice going "Guo" somewhere. I'm not sure.
Maybe I'll talk to A again about it tomorrow.
It's kind of weird to call this a dream like that. Strange even.
Oh, by the way, A, you said you'll be stopping somewhere tomorrow...
Where?
It's not a place of white, was it?
Diary of A (1)
Even if this results in the disappearance of my current functions and roles...
That's it. It's not a problem.
There is no problem.
Good. The page is reasonably full.
I wrote it without relying on self-recollection.
This is good. There are no problems.
The question is what do I have to write the next time she says the same thing?
For example, the other day.
The three pillars of Elysia that were fighting me in her sleep---I didn't recollect myself.
I am aware that these days, Lily has been keeping the diary.
There is nothing wrong with that. I'm sure she'll be able to find a way to make it work.
Since her birth, she had no memory of herself and no past. Even though she has some of those shadow-casting bodies, it is by no means her own. That's why her recollection is meaningful.
She is transforming.
You may call it growth. Yes. Like a human.
Like a human being, a living being, she grows in experience and knowledge. Like a human being, the act of remembering will have a positive effect on the formation of her ego.
The only doubt I have is that...
There is the question of how aware she is of her own golden radiance.
On the night she "dreamed" the other day, my sensory organs detected the slightest Fermi particles. Unfortunately, there is not much information about the Society in my database, but I was fortunate enough to find something about them in the knowledge that Alan Akeley had given me.
If, by any chance, she had acquired the ability to "Dreamwalk", the power could still manifest in her recollection.
However, its manifestation is done through recognition. There would be no problem. Her recollection, that is, her diary, will not have power unless it is seen by someone. Not that I'm concerned. I don't look at her diary.
I won't.
Let's get back to it. Her diary is fine. It is meaningful.
But mine doesn't mean anything.
--Meaning?
It's meaning...
--No?
It doesn't mean anything. Nothing. I just don't accept the significance. I'm not human. I'm her knight. The golden power I control is her power. I do not even radiate on my own, but...
I can guess its meaning.
But I do not self-recollect.
But she said--
"You should write in the diary too."
A diary is a way of recollecting oneself. But if I don't do that, I can't find anything to write about. In the first place, there is no need for me to record my actions on a daily basis. I only recollect myself and her actions accurately, and precisely.
Then what can I recollect?
I needed time to think. To contemplate. It's just that she, Lily, is watching me. Observing. She doesn't stop running her pen.
...Ironic, is it not?
I don't require much thought for my actions.
It is easy. I'm here to protect her, to protect Lily the Stranger, so the criteria are always clear. I have no need for time-consuming contemplation.
Does it mean that I, who needs her commands, is required to be myself?
Nope. There is no recollection. I do not recollect myself.
It is ridiculous. How can a machine think of its own layout? It's too ridiculous.
I have only one criterion. Her. I am to protect her.
That's why--
It's not in any way unnatural that I felt I had a problem with her when she suddenly told me the other day "I want to cook". If you mishandle a kitchen knife, you can get hurt. Mishandle an engine heat regulator and you'll get burned. That's a problem. Indeed, a problem.
That's all it is.
There's nothing else wrong with it. There's only one criterion for this.
Like Elysia Wentworth, who has given "birth" to her, she is also good at learning from books. And above all, she's much closer to humans than I am. If she can learn enough, it will be easy to acquire cooking skills.
At least--
--No?
It doesn't mean anything. Nothing. I just don't accept the significance. I'm not human. I'm her knight. The golden power I control is her power. I do not even radiate on my own, but...
I can guess its meaning.
But I do not self-recollect.
But she said--
"You should write in the diary too."
A diary is a way of recollecting oneself. But if I don't do that, I can't find anything to write about. In the first place, there is no need for me to record my actions on a daily basis. I only recollect myself and her actions accurately, and precisely.
Then what can I recollect?
I needed time to think. To contemplate. It's just that she, Lily, is watching me. Observing. She doesn't stop running her pen.
...Ironic, is it not?
I don't require much thought for my actions.
It is easy. I'm here to protect her, to protect Lily the Stranger, so the criteria are always clear. I have no need for time-consuming contemplation.
Does it mean that I, who needs her commands, is required to be myself?
Nope. There is no recollection. I do not recollect myself.
It is ridiculous. How can a machine think of its own layout? It's too ridiculous.
I have only one criterion. Her. I am to protect her.
That's why--
It's not in any way unnatural that I felt I had a problem with her when she suddenly told me the other day "I want to cook". If you mishandle a kitchen knife, you can get hurt. Mishandle an engine heat regulator and you'll get burned. That's a problem. Indeed, a problem.
That's all it is.
There's nothing else wrong with it. There's only one criterion for this.
Like Elysia Wentworth, who has given "birth" to her, she is also good at learning from books. And above all, she's much closer to humans than I am. If she can learn enough, it will be easy to acquire cooking skills.
Diary of A (2)
At least my sensory organs were correctly aware that Lily wasn't moving anywhere. Sight, smell, sense of space. Sense of shadow. It didn't matter which one I measured, it was the same thing.
On this night, Lily had told me that we were moving to another place.
It wasn't just the lone subway car, it was somewhere else. She told me it was a different crystalline white place, but there was no record of this place in the information I had.
I think...
I'm going to have to do something rare, but it's also inevitable.
I'm going to be in a position to make a decision about the current situation that night and at that time.
My senses were in disarray.
With my eyes, Lily was certainly in bed. All of my sensory organs were telling me that, but what I was seeing with my view was different. I was seeing different things.
At that time, I was in a different place with crystalline bodies of all sizes.
I could sense with my eyes that Lily was at my side, but my view was in a "white place without Lily". It was a bizarre experience. Is it funny that I, who was operating in the underground world, would use such language?
But it was a bizarre experience.
I never sleep. Do I need to breathe as a brainless person? No, I don't. So I don't sleep, and thus I do not dream.
If I ever dreamed, would it even be a dream?
I put all the right senses inside the lone subway car, but my ego and my "view" were in a crystalline field of white. And then...
--Then, I met Them.
They, clad in shining white color, called themselves Elysians. They stood atop enormous white crystals, staring at me with clear hostility.
I...
I am here for Lily.
I am a shadow of Alan Akeley's experience, and I exist as me because of Lily. It is for her that I operate. To be autonomous, to wield my abilities, all for the sake of my queen.
Therefore, I was "lost".
What should I do when I meet a being who is an enemy not of her but of myself? At the very least, Lily is not in the white crystal's view, and thus I didn't have to protect her.
I'm not going to hesitate. I'm sure of it. For the sake of Lily, I have to make a quick decision in every situation.
But all of this here could very well be a dream.
So what was I supposed to do?
I don't know.
What now? What can I do then as of this time?
Before me were the Three Elysians, three who were clad in white cloaks looking down at me from up high. Then, I saw the Fatal space destruction of an extended area on a continental scale caused by their drawing of strange geometric patterns in the air, and I...
How should I have reacted?
Am I allowed to act just to keep myself alive? Will my survival help protect Lily? So should I act that way? Can it be said that it is not my ego?
She is already golden. Thus, I am already----
I couldn't make a decision. I could still feel the presence of Lily sleeping at that moment, and I couldn't move, deciding that the visual information might be real. And, yes, above all else, I did not have a Critter.
The automatic defense of the shadows, the formation of shadows, the attacks of the shadows in check...
There was no other hand I could make. The three gifts that Alan Akeley used to build from his Equation for me are already gone. I can't reclaim them, and they can never be used except for Lily.
I don't know if I, as a shadow right now, can withstand a spatial destruction equal to the Disruptor without taking action to protect my queen.
Nor if it was possible to block it with Critters.
And yet...
Half-autonomously, I used a Critter.
Critter Howler in Darkness.
The shadow has taken a form.
My shadow enveloped me, and I was transformed. I transformed, becoming a shadow giant with three legs and a huge, oddly twisted arm. My head was twisted and turned into a faceless form.
I could hear the Three Elysians shouting, "The one that howls in the darkness, the Black King's kin". At first, I couldn't make sense of it. A king. I don't deserve a king, I thought to myself. I shall serve only one queen. A howler in the dark, it is more fitting.
I turned into a black giant and roared, smashing the oncoming attacking spatial mutation and all of the huge crystalline bodies they stood on. And...
I woke up.
The morning had come.
My view returned to the lone subway car, and I stared at Lily's sleeping face. Lily was there. And I was here.
For until Lily woke up, I was filled with questions and thoughts of self. Did I have a dream?
...Or?
...I still have yet to get an answer.
But I also remember letting out a deep sigh. And remembering feeling my body creaking badly, when I shouldn't feel any fatigue.
Lily had a dream--but did I also dream about the same place?
I don't know. I don't have much to go on. I don't have enough information. Just as Lily asks for information from the encyclopedia these days, I need information.
Elysia.
White crystals.
Those three.
Is there a chance that I will be able to get this information from somewhere?
I haven't told Lily about the dream. I did not lie to her. If she asks, I'll tell her. But...
But...
I do not know how to explain it.
The year 1908 (probably).
A blue sky day. Sometimes it's cloudy.
Lately...
Lately, A has been acting strange.
Strange, right?
At a glance, it doesn't look any different than usual. But I still think it's strange.
For example...for example, when I say something...
He didn't freak out or not listen to me.
He always responds right after I say something.
I mean, he's always looking at me, so he knows what I'm going to do.
(I may not know what I'm going to say, but I do know that I'm going to say something, and that I'm going to talk to him, don't I?)
So I'm not surprised.
I don't miss it.
And yet...
A was so weird yesterday and today!
The first time was yesterday, when I said to him, "What does that bird look like, because there was a strange bird flying outside the window?"
A had a second...no, I'm sure it was more than two seconds.
It was more than two seconds, and then he said, "Oh."
I wasn't looking the other way or anything. He was just looking at me the same way he always does. But he couldn't tell me what it was. I just thought, "Oh, you didn't hear me," and it didn't faze me at the time.
Then there was the second time.
I just needed some air, so I thought I'd like to do what Mao does sometimes (what Mao says sometimes), which is to climb onto the roof of the lone subway car and....relax, like she does. Can I climb on the roof? And...
And...I knew it. It was over two seconds.
It was more than two seconds, and then A was like, "yes".
And at that time I was like, "Oh my God, this is weird."
I remembered the same reaction that I hadn't had yesterday, and then I remembered the rest of it, and the time sequence was messed up.
When I woke up, it was morning.
Didn't think my reaction would be dull, huh?
Mao came over just before noon.
You reacted like You always do with Mao, but when I talked to you, You were slow to react.
Didn't your eyes look a little different when you were looking at the food I was eating?
(While eating, this spicy dish is delicious, but I wasn't sure how to use these two thin iron rods, so I thought it was a mistake to choose a spoon after all, and I looked at it. I wonder if it is the case...)
When I asked if Mao could stay for the night...
Even when I tried to be brave enough to say that Mao and I were going to have a bath together...
(I was so nervous that I wouldn't say, "he always washes me" in front of Mao.)
Do you know what I was thinking? I mean, naturally, I was expecting that, but it wasn't the case here.
There were too many "Yes's" with a two-second delay.
There's something wrong with him.
I don't know why.
--Why, I wonder?
I don't know.
I don't remember it happening. I don't think so.
Didn't happen before yesterday... no, I was just going out on a white field.
Oh, but it was a dream... and A says it was a dream. It's a dream. I think it's a dream...I don't think so. And then there's... a dragon? I saw a kid who looked like that flying around. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a dream. It's exactly what I saw.
Humm.
When I write this in my diary, I think, "Well, A, something's wrong with you".
What shall I do? No, I can't. You'll figure it out, OK?
I'll ask A in the morning.
Just ask him and he'll tell you, he would never lie to me.
But.
It's just that I've never done that before.
It's so weird...
Hihihi.
Hmm~?
Come now, Lily. You don't have to stare at my tail like that.
It's not like there's anything unusual about it. Hihi.
Is there something unusual? It's only natural that I have a tail in the world of me. So Lily is my friend, right? Then, isn't it natural that my world has a tail?
Heey. Heyhey.
That works. Hihi. Because it's its own tail.
That's how cats are supposed to behave. And it has a tail and "ears". Just like cats. Hihihi.
Hmm~? What is a Nekobito?
It is a cat, yet not a cat.
It is a human, yet not a human.
Hihihi.
No need to make such a difficult face.
Even if you look at me like that, Nekobito are cats, but not cats, humans but not humans. That's the way it's supposed to be. When did this happen? I don't know anything about that. Ask God. Do you at least know someone who knows God?
Huh? I am here. I am nya.
Did I say nya?
I didn't say nya just now.
(Stare)
Hmm? The story of God?
How would a cat know what to do? Aww... Why don't you ask that empty head of yours?
Or, you can...
Just ask yourself. I know Lily better than anyone.
I mean, you Lily already do.
Why don't you ask Lucio?
No, no. Hihihi. He doesn't know much about that stuff.
I don't know much more about...than you do, though, do I? Hihihi.
The only thing a cat can understand is that of a cat. Cats only understand cats, cats, and a little bit of humans. Humans...
That's right. Lily.
Shall I tell you about the Land of the Tails?
...Unless Lily's not sleeping in bed. I'm sorry. You can't go to sleep in it. It's not a bad idea. It's a warm bed. That makes me want to sleep. What about you? Sleepy already?
Hihihi.
(Staring again)
So
L（<●>）」
They looked up at me like this and didn't say a word...
Pfft! I turned away(?)
I don't know what's wrong with me. Phew.
L（ <●>）」Like this
At first, I didn't even think "who", I just thought "what's this?", but then I saw the pouting and I thought, oh, this must be "someone".
I don't know, but A didn't say anything to me.
That's right, A!
Speaking of A, was his voice a little hurried when he said "Lily?" like he wanted to say something, but...
He looked at me, motionless. A...
It's as if he were frozen...
I'm sure it's the same as usual, since he always looks at me without moving a muscle or anything. But it was a bit strange, I guess.
And that black, round little one.
And I said "hi" to them, but they kept scurrying around instead of saying hi, and I was kind of upset and I didn't know what to do.
They were small, rather variable even, and I thought they were smaller than me, so I chided them.
I took hold of them.
"Can you say hi?" I said.
And then--
L"（ <●> ）"」
It went like this.
(It's getting a little big.)
Are they angry?
On this night, Lily had told me that we were moving to another place.
It wasn't just the lone subway car, it was somewhere else. She told me it was a different crystalline white place, but there was no record of this place in the information I had.
I think...
I'm going to have to do something rare, but it's also inevitable.
I'm going to be in a position to make a decision about the current situation that night and at that time.
My senses were in disarray.
With my eyes, Lily was certainly in bed. All of my sensory organs were telling me that, but what I was seeing with my view was different. I was seeing different things.
At that time, I was in a different place with crystalline bodies of all sizes.
I could sense with my eyes that Lily was at my side, but my view was in a "white place without Lily". It was a bizarre experience. Is it funny that I, who was operating in the underground world, would use such language?
But it was a bizarre experience.
I never sleep. Do I need to breathe as a brainless person? No, I don't. So I don't sleep, and thus I do not dream.
If I ever dreamed, would it even be a dream?
I put all the right senses inside the lone subway car, but my ego and my "view" were in a crystalline field of white. And then...
--Then, I met Them.
They, clad in shining white color, called themselves Elysians. They stood atop enormous white crystals, staring at me with clear hostility.
I...
I am here for Lily.
I am a shadow of Alan Akeley's experience, and I exist as me because of Lily. It is for her that I operate. To be autonomous, to wield my abilities, all for the sake of my queen.
Therefore, I was "lost".
What should I do when I meet a being who is an enemy not of her but of myself? At the very least, Lily is not in the white crystal's view, and thus I didn't have to protect her.
I'm not going to hesitate. I'm sure of it. For the sake of Lily, I have to make a quick decision in every situation.
But all of this here could very well be a dream.
So what was I supposed to do?
I don't know.
What now? What can I do then as of this time?
Before me were the Three Elysians, three who were clad in white cloaks looking down at me from up high. Then, I saw the Fatal space destruction of an extended area on a continental scale caused by their drawing of strange geometric patterns in the air, and I...
How should I have reacted?
Am I allowed to act just to keep myself alive? Will my survival help protect Lily? So should I act that way? Can it be said that it is not my ego?
She is already golden. Thus, I am already----
I couldn't make a decision. I could still feel the presence of Lily sleeping at that moment, and I couldn't move, deciding that the visual information might be real. And, yes, above all else, I did not have a Critter.
The automatic defense of the shadows, the formation of shadows, the attacks of the shadows in check...
There was no other hand I could make. The three gifts that Alan Akeley used to build from his Equation for me are already gone. I can't reclaim them, and they can never be used except for Lily.
I don't know if I, as a shadow right now, can withstand a spatial destruction equal to the Disruptor without taking action to protect my queen.
Nor if it was possible to block it with Critters.
And yet...
Half-autonomously, I used a Critter.
Critter Howler in Darkness.
The shadow has taken a form.
My shadow enveloped me, and I was transformed. I transformed, becoming a shadow giant with three legs and a huge, oddly twisted arm. My head was twisted and turned into a faceless form.
I could hear the Three Elysians shouting, "The one that howls in the darkness, the Black King's kin". At first, I couldn't make sense of it. A king. I don't deserve a king, I thought to myself. I shall serve only one queen. A howler in the dark, it is more fitting.
I turned into a black giant and roared, smashing the oncoming attacking spatial mutation and all of the huge crystalline bodies they stood on. And...
I woke up.
The morning had come.
My view returned to the lone subway car, and I stared at Lily's sleeping face. Lily was there. And I was here.
For until Lily woke up, I was filled with questions and thoughts of self. Did I have a dream?
...Or?
...I still have yet to get an answer.
But I also remember letting out a deep sigh. And remembering feeling my body creaking badly, when I shouldn't feel any fatigue.
Lily had a dream--but did I also dream about the same place?
I don't know. I don't have much to go on. I don't have enough information. Just as Lily asks for information from the encyclopedia these days, I need information.
Elysia.
White crystals.
Those three.
Is there a chance that I will be able to get this information from somewhere?
I haven't told Lily about the dream. I did not lie to her. If she asks, I'll tell her. But...
But...
I do not know how to explain it.
Diary of Lily the Stranger (7)
The year 1908 (probably).
A blue sky day. Sometimes it's cloudy.
Lately...
Lately, A has been acting strange.
Strange, right?
At a glance, it doesn't look any different than usual. But I still think it's strange.
For example...for example, when I say something...
He didn't freak out or not listen to me.
He always responds right after I say something.
I mean, he's always looking at me, so he knows what I'm going to do.
(I may not know what I'm going to say, but I do know that I'm going to say something, and that I'm going to talk to him, don't I?)
So I'm not surprised.
I don't miss it.
And yet...
A was so weird yesterday and today!
The first time was yesterday, when I said to him, "What does that bird look like, because there was a strange bird flying outside the window?"
A had a second...no, I'm sure it was more than two seconds.
It was more than two seconds, and then he said, "Oh."
I wasn't looking the other way or anything. He was just looking at me the same way he always does. But he couldn't tell me what it was. I just thought, "Oh, you didn't hear me," and it didn't faze me at the time.
Then there was the second time.
I just needed some air, so I thought I'd like to do what Mao does sometimes (what Mao says sometimes), which is to climb onto the roof of the lone subway car and....relax, like she does. Can I climb on the roof? And...
And...I knew it. It was over two seconds.
It was more than two seconds, and then A was like, "yes".
And at that time I was like, "Oh my God, this is weird."
I remembered the same reaction that I hadn't had yesterday, and then I remembered the rest of it, and the time sequence was messed up.
When I woke up, it was morning.
Didn't think my reaction would be dull, huh?
Mao came over just before noon.
You reacted like You always do with Mao, but when I talked to you, You were slow to react.
Didn't your eyes look a little different when you were looking at the food I was eating?
(While eating, this spicy dish is delicious, but I wasn't sure how to use these two thin iron rods, so I thought it was a mistake to choose a spoon after all, and I looked at it. I wonder if it is the case...)
When I asked if Mao could stay for the night...
Even when I tried to be brave enough to say that Mao and I were going to have a bath together...
(I was so nervous that I wouldn't say, "he always washes me" in front of Mao.)
Do you know what I was thinking? I mean, naturally, I was expecting that, but it wasn't the case here.
There were too many "Yes's" with a two-second delay.
There's something wrong with him.
I don't know why.
--Why, I wonder?
I don't know.
I don't remember it happening. I don't think so.
Didn't happen before yesterday... no, I was just going out on a white field.
Oh, but it was a dream... and A says it was a dream. It's a dream. I think it's a dream...I don't think so. And then there's... a dragon? I saw a kid who looked like that flying around. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a dream. It's exactly what I saw.
Humm.
When I write this in my diary, I think, "Well, A, something's wrong with you".
What shall I do? No, I can't. You'll figure it out, OK?
I'll ask A in the morning.
Just ask him and he'll tell you, he would never lie to me.
But.
It's just that I've never done that before.
It's so weird...
Alexandria Engine Library Records
[Concerning the ultra-high concentration of Fermion]
[December 25th, 1907
Observation information on extremely high concentrations of Fermion was reported by Pinkerton Detectives]
Observation information on extremely high concentrations of Fermion was reported by Pinkerton Detectives]
[Observation of particle traces has failed. Observing New York City
The continuing deception of the Foundation has been sabotaged]
The continuing deception of the Foundation has been sabotaged]
[Cooperating reporters have reported that the Foundation also failed to track the particles]
[Observations have shown that the increase in dense particles is temporary and may disappear completely on the spot]
[Additionally, the sightings of a Cracking Being manifesting has yet to be reported]
[The Scholar Society...West India Company...the Society, are scanning for similarities and resemblances like the Inganock case in the region of Kadath]
[There have been no signs of the reappearance of Grimm Grimm detected so far]
[Neither the Scholar Society nor the states Engines have yet to secure a Cracking Being]
[Illusions do not exist. It is something only humans dream of]
[It could be factually said that there is no real, substantive, or secured case of a Cracking Being that has yet been reported, reinforcing this universal truth as fact.]
[Lord Edison, the man who brought the Cracking Effect to the world, relaying its secrets only to the Society, Foundation, and Grand Duke Astaire, disappeared several years ago.]
[The disappearance of him and New York proves this illusion to reality]
[But if the modern fantasy is non-existent and unevenly distributed--]
Alexandria Engine Library Records
From Secret Report 0101, 1908
Story of the Cat
Hihihi.
Hmm~?
Come now, Lily. You don't have to stare at my tail like that.
It's not like there's anything unusual about it. Hihi.
Is there something unusual? It's only natural that I have a tail in the world of me. So Lily is my friend, right? Then, isn't it natural that my world has a tail?
Heey. Heyhey.
That works. Hihi. Because it's its own tail.
That's how cats are supposed to behave. And it has a tail and "ears". Just like cats. Hihihi.
Hmm~? What is a Nekobito?
It is a cat, yet not a cat.
It is a human, yet not a human.
Hihihi.
No need to make such a difficult face.
Even if you look at me like that, Nekobito are cats, but not cats, humans but not humans. That's the way it's supposed to be. When did this happen? I don't know anything about that. Ask God. Do you at least know someone who knows God?
Huh? I am here. I am nya.
Did I say nya?
I didn't say nya just now.
(Stare)
Hmm? The story of God?
How would a cat know what to do? Aww... Why don't you ask that empty head of yours?
Or, you can...
Just ask yourself. I know Lily better than anyone.
I mean, you Lily already do.
Why don't you ask Lucio?
No, no. Hihihi. He doesn't know much about that stuff.
I don't know much more about...than you do, though, do I? Hihihi.
The only thing a cat can understand is that of a cat. Cats only understand cats, cats, and a little bit of humans. Humans...
That's right. Lily.
Shall I tell you about the Land of the Tails?
...Unless Lily's not sleeping in bed. I'm sorry. You can't go to sleep in it. It's not a bad idea. It's a warm bed. That makes me want to sleep. What about you? Sleepy already?
Hihihi.
(Staring again)
Ah, not going to sleep yet?
Not going to bed?
Lily the Stranger is asleep.
Okay, I'll tell you a story then. It's a story about a cat. It's about the Land of Tails.
Oh, no, it's not a poem. Is it a poem? I don't know. Hihihi.
The Land of Tails is a country of cats. There are a lot of cats there.
Once, a traveler came there and fed a hungry kitten. I think it was milk. A cat can? I don't know. I don't know what it was, it wasn't me!
I don't know what it was.
It's not food, but it's a human rescuer, right?
Anyway, they did something. A good thing.
Yes. A good thing. Hihi. Understand? The opposite of bad. A good thing.
And then, some time later...
The traveler had a terrible experience. Yeah, it wasn't a cat that got him, it was when he was in another country.
I don't know if it was the Tick Tock God or the King of Black God, but the Black and scary god caught my eye. I heard that he had a death wish. That maybe the god's men grabbed him and tried to take him to the moon...or not.
Not your moon.
Not going to bed?
Lily the Stranger is asleep.
Okay, I'll tell you a story then. It's a story about a cat. It's about the Land of Tails.
Oh, no, it's not a poem. Is it a poem? I don't know. Hihihi.
The Land of Tails is a country of cats. There are a lot of cats there.
Once, a traveler came there and fed a hungry kitten. I think it was milk. A cat can? I don't know. I don't know what it was, it wasn't me!
I don't know what it was.
It's not food, but it's a human rescuer, right?
Anyway, they did something. A good thing.
Yes. A good thing. Hihi. Understand? The opposite of bad. A good thing.
And then, some time later...
The traveler had a terrible experience. Yeah, it wasn't a cat that got him, it was when he was in another country.
I don't know if it was the Tick Tock God or the King of Black God, but the Black and scary god caught my eye. I heard that he had a death wish. That maybe the god's men grabbed him and tried to take him to the moon...or not.
Not your moon.
Not there, and that's beside the point. Hihi.
And then, just when they were about to be crushed!
General Cat saved them!
(Looks away)
Hm?
Ah, General Cat.
He was a very strong cat. A general.
Hmm~?
No, no, no, it's not a lion. It's a cat. A cat. A cat called Nyargo. A cat that calls out in nya. Haven't you heard, Lily? It doesn't matter how big you are. Because it's a story about how things used to be. It's a story about a time when cats were defending the world.
That's right. So the traveler was rescued by the Cat General and his army of cats a little later, after they had rescued the kittens. So, there it is.
A kitten.
And it was big, and it was leading a pack of cats, and it was wagging its claws.
And just like that...
The traveler survived and was able to continue his journey.
By the time he got back home, it was like he was completely obsessed with cats...
Then, after a while, more and more people were feeding and picking up the kittens. Ah, yes. Before that, there were no people feeding kittens.
And then the Land of Tails became more and more famous.
Then there was...
...hmm nya?
You know what? Lily, I think you have been sleeping in bed for a long time.
(Tsuntsun)
Sleeping peacefully and sweetly. Hihi.
And then, just when they were about to be crushed!
General Cat saved them!
(Looks away)
Hm?
Ah, General Cat.
He was a very strong cat. A general.
Hmm~?
No, no, no, it's not a lion. It's a cat. A cat. A cat called Nyargo. A cat that calls out in nya. Haven't you heard, Lily? It doesn't matter how big you are. Because it's a story about how things used to be. It's a story about a time when cats were defending the world.
That's right. So the traveler was rescued by the Cat General and his army of cats a little later, after they had rescued the kittens. So, there it is.
A kitten.
And it was big, and it was leading a pack of cats, and it was wagging its claws.
And just like that...
The traveler survived and was able to continue his journey.
By the time he got back home, it was like he was completely obsessed with cats...
Then, after a while, more and more people were feeding and picking up the kittens. Ah, yes. Before that, there were no people feeding kittens.
And then the Land of Tails became more and more famous.
Then there was...
...hmm nya?
You know what? Lily, I think you have been sleeping in bed for a long time.
(Tsuntsun)
Sleeping peacefully and sweetly. Hihi.
Just like a kitten. Nya-go♪
We'll talk about this another time. Well, as long as I don't forget. Hihi.
Good night, sweetie. Pretty, little Stranger.
(Seeing)
...so.
Empty-headed conductor.
You know...you really watch this girl all the time, don't you?
Humm??
Shut up! I didn't ask about that.
It's none of my business. I don't care.
Rather than that, you...
Do you like cat tails? Or do you not?
We'll talk about this another time. Well, as long as I don't forget. Hihi.
Good night, sweetie. Pretty, little Stranger.
(Seeing)
...so.
Empty-headed conductor.
You know...you really watch this girl all the time, don't you?
Humm??
Shut up! I didn't ask about that.
It's none of my business. I don't care.
Rather than that, you...
Do you like cat tails? Or do you not?
The Slumber of Nyarlathotep (The Black King)
So
So it's you I'm looking at
I suppose I should try to make contact with him
It doesn't look as though they plan on hiding
I'll slip in a thread or eye
Well, this is fine
It's not like this hasn't happened before in the past
I just won't be as active as Yog was in the past...
I'll just align with them until they break
Just as things were getting boring
Once
Once, before the fragile and ephemeral ones had the light of civilization in their hands
There was the Old Ones
Dead spirits, Earth spirits, Faieries, they were all sorts of things
Some were kings who were called gods, but they were too small to give their names to
All those who fancy themselves as being illusions
Those who have been dwarfed and disappeared like a shadow before the dawn of man
Still, they were closer to us than some of you
It was only a dream
If Heisenberg had existed in ancient times, there would have been a different way of being
It's no use nowadays
They have served one of my thousand manifestations well, but none could reach me
I even opened up my dark nebula palace to them, but still
There wasn't even a single one
My Darkness, My Shadow, My Jet Black, nothing has ever spiraled upward to my being, one of the nodes that make up the Dark Universe, and no one has ever risen in rank
Far from its chaos
By that point...
Did Kadath respond to any one of them?
Even with the steel body of civilization, some struggled to become material
And that's just for the blink of an eye
The people of Kadath were illusory, but they also had some material connections
The dragons who have embraced assimilation with nature are a good example
Ironic that the so-called gods disappeared before the dragons did
Therefore, even now, you still have the blue sky left
Hmm...
Let's see
I wonder if some of the concepts that are close to the elements in this one had some promise
The Salamander of Fire
The Black Dog of Wind
The Troll of Earth
The Kelpie of Water
Those who have tried to cross the gates of Tartarus and gain a connection with the elements
Just a few, blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments ago
But a little nostalgia is in order
...Ah
When has anyone seen such fakes like these nowadays?
But it's fleeting, after all
There was nothing to get my Jet Black
I've seen a handful of them here and there, making use of its power
But now, they are all gone
Yes, I am aware of that
You
You know what I am talking about?
...
...I see
It's good that I know your name
I see. The letter "A"
I fly one of my consciousnesses far away to the traces of Betelgeuse and see who has used My Shadow, My Darkness, My Jet Black
A Critter
The results of using Cracking
Born into the World of the Moon King according to a Formula derived by a fleeting human being, accompanied by Gold, a writhing human armed with Shadows as his allies
Interesting
It's no wonder
Just a little
Yes, just a tentacle from out of the hundreds of millions
Yes, it's no wonder that you can manipulate my Jet Black
You
More
Show me more
...
...Haha
Yes, Howler in Darkness
Haha
Hahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
...how amusing
Once
Once, will the one with Gold be able to mimic my Jet Black, which once roared in the dark and lost its Gold
What irony
Yes, just like the Mega Engine Clock set by the Moon King from another sky
A, was it?
The Old Ones may have vanished now. But you have touched my Jet Black
I'll remember your name
There was a weird little one.
Would it be bad if I said "weird"? Yeah, I guess so. But it was a little weird.
I've never seen them before.
No, I don't mean I've never seen the little one before...
Hmmm, it's hard to put into words! It's hard. It's especially difficult while writing. I wonder what people who write in their diaries do.
Do they write down more details about a day than I do?
Do you just leave a lasting impression?
L（<●>）」But, really, how detailed are they?
Hmm.
Anyway... Anyway, this little one was a bit strange.
They weren't human, nor were they of steel.
Not very cat-like, nor very gremlin-like. I mean, the resemblance is there. Well, not really. If you mean it was small, it looked like a gremlin.
L（<●>）」Or like this?
It's black. Pitch black!
It's like A's shadows. Ah, I mean...yeah.
I didn't get a good look at them, but when they first came out...
The edge of A's shadow cut off and it looked like...it became some little round-shaped thing. It was black, round, and had an eye (is that an eye?) that was bright red and little.
Maybe it was the first time a stranger came out of nowhere in the lone subway car. They stumbled along, and then flew up right next to me.
I suppose I should try to make contact with him
It doesn't look as though they plan on hiding
I'll slip in a thread or eye
Well, this is fine
It's not like this hasn't happened before in the past
I just won't be as active as Yog was in the past...
I'll just align with them until they break
Just as things were getting boring
~ ~ ~
Once
Once, before the fragile and ephemeral ones had the light of civilization in their hands
There was the Old Ones
Dead spirits, Earth spirits, Faieries, they were all sorts of things
Some were kings who were called gods, but they were too small to give their names to
All those who fancy themselves as being illusions
Those who have been dwarfed and disappeared like a shadow before the dawn of man
Still, they were closer to us than some of you
It was only a dream
If Heisenberg had existed in ancient times, there would have been a different way of being
It's no use nowadays
They have served one of my thousand manifestations well, but none could reach me
I even opened up my dark nebula palace to them, but still
There wasn't even a single one
My Darkness, My Shadow, My Jet Black, nothing has ever spiraled upward to my being, one of the nodes that make up the Dark Universe, and no one has ever risen in rank
Far from its chaos
By that point...
Did Kadath respond to any one of them?
Even with the steel body of civilization, some struggled to become material
And that's just for the blink of an eye
The people of Kadath were illusory, but they also had some material connections
The dragons who have embraced assimilation with nature are a good example
Ironic that the so-called gods disappeared before the dragons did
Therefore, even now, you still have the blue sky left
~ ~ ~
Hmm...
Let's see
I wonder if some of the concepts that are close to the elements in this one had some promise
The Salamander of Fire
The Black Dog of Wind
The Troll of Earth
The Kelpie of Water
Those who have tried to cross the gates of Tartarus and gain a connection with the elements
Just a few, blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments ago
But a little nostalgia is in order
...Ah
When has anyone seen such fakes like these nowadays?
But it's fleeting, after all
There was nothing to get my Jet Black
I've seen a handful of them here and there, making use of its power
But now, they are all gone
Yes, I am aware of that
You
You know what I am talking about?
...
...I see
It's good that I know your name
I see. The letter "A"
I fly one of my consciousnesses far away to the traces of Betelgeuse and see who has used My Shadow, My Darkness, My Jet Black
A Critter
The results of using Cracking
Born into the World of the Moon King according to a Formula derived by a fleeting human being, accompanied by Gold, a writhing human armed with Shadows as his allies
Interesting
It's no wonder
Just a little
Yes, just a tentacle from out of the hundreds of millions
Yes, it's no wonder that you can manipulate my Jet Black
You
More
Show me more
...
...Haha
Yes, Howler in Darkness
Haha
Hahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
...how amusing
Once
Once, will the one with Gold be able to mimic my Jet Black, which once roared in the dark and lost its Gold
What irony
Yes, just like the Mega Engine Clock set by the Moon King from another sky
A, was it?
The Old Ones may have vanished now. But you have touched my Jet Black
I'll remember your name
Diary of Lily the Stranger (8)
There was a weird little one.
Would it be bad if I said "weird"? Yeah, I guess so. But it was a little weird.
I've never seen them before.
No, I don't mean I've never seen the little one before...
Hmmm, it's hard to put into words! It's hard. It's especially difficult while writing. I wonder what people who write in their diaries do.
Do they write down more details about a day than I do?
Do you just leave a lasting impression?
L（<●>）」But, really, how detailed are they?
Hmm.
Anyway... Anyway, this little one was a bit strange.
They weren't human, nor were they of steel.
Not very cat-like, nor very gremlin-like. I mean, the resemblance is there. Well, not really. If you mean it was small, it looked like a gremlin.
L（<●>）」Or like this?
It's black. Pitch black!
It's like A's shadows. Ah, I mean...yeah.
I didn't get a good look at them, but when they first came out...
The edge of A's shadow cut off and it looked like...it became some little round-shaped thing. It was black, round, and had an eye (is that an eye?) that was bright red and little.
Maybe it was the first time a stranger came out of nowhere in the lone subway car. They stumbled along, and then flew up right next to me.
They looked up at me like this and didn't say a word...
Pfft! I turned away(?)
I don't know what's wrong with me. Phew.
L（ <●>）」Like this
At first, I didn't even think "who", I just thought "what's this?", but then I saw the pouting and I thought, oh, this must be "someone".
I don't know, but A didn't say anything to me.
That's right, A!
Speaking of A, was his voice a little hurried when he said "Lily?" like he wanted to say something, but...
He looked at me, motionless. A...
It's as if he were frozen...
I'm sure it's the same as usual, since he always looks at me without moving a muscle or anything. But it was a bit strange, I guess.
And that black, round little one.
And I said "hi" to them, but they kept scurrying around instead of saying hi, and I was kind of upset and I didn't know what to do.
They were small, rather variable even, and I thought they were smaller than me, so I chided them.
I took hold of them.
"Can you say hi?" I said.
And then--
L"（ <●> ）"」
It went like this.
(It's getting a little big.)
Are they angry?
...Now that I think about it, maybe it is.
But at the time, I thought, "So that's how you greet others," so I said, "Good, good, good, good," and patted their head (or so I thought).
And then.
Then I thought, "What's up with this little one?"
I tried to talk to them, but...
I didn't know if they were getting what I was saying or not. Hmm, they don't want me to hold them, I think.
We ate lunch and then I got a little sleepy and...
I dozed off... I fell asleep holding them on my lap (just a little bit), and when I woke up, they were gone.
What was that little thing?
When I asked A, all he would say was "I don't know" or "Does it look as though I know them?" or something like that, like he didn't know what I was talking about.
What was that about?
Will they come back to visit again?
(I think today was probably just for fun...)
L（<●>）」Today when I met that little one.
And then.
Then I thought, "What's up with this little one?"
I tried to talk to them, but...
I didn't know if they were getting what I was saying or not. Hmm, they don't want me to hold them, I think.
We ate lunch and then I got a little sleepy and...
I dozed off... I fell asleep holding them on my lap (just a little bit), and when I woke up, they were gone.
What was that little thing?
When I asked A, all he would say was "I don't know" or "Does it look as though I know them?" or something like that, like he didn't know what I was talking about.
What was that about?
Will they come back to visit again?
(I think today was probably just for fun...)
L（<●>）」Today when I met that little one.
Voice of the Witch
ia. ia. From Salem to the Foundation.
I'm just wondering if it's possible that you could have detected the problem before the Society did.
I don't know. They say they've mastered the secrets on their own.
Oh, that's what we call it now. The cutting edge of science? Physics? Truth?
I'm going to be a grandmother in no time at all. I hate it. I really do. Time...
Today is another peaceful day in Marseille. Same old, same old.
I suppose that's why we were able to detect it.
I don't like to call it Fermi, but that's what I found.
I don't like to call it Fermi, but that's what I found.
That was your domain we detected.
The Rock. Fort Alcatraz. The new continent, on the West Coast.
The Rock. Fort Alcatraz. The new continent, on the West Coast.
Or do you prefer to call it Lord Edison's Time Prison?
You should know that the original Time Prison is located at the Rock. It's a shame. You see, not long ago, that girl from the Society used one just like it in Kadath. Oh, that reminds me I've detected the same thing before too.
It's right there. Yes, it was. Although it wasn't my beloved Abyssal Chaos.
Not a person, but a presence.
The first sign of something new for Keziah Mason.
Diary of Lily the Stranger (9)
Year 1908 (probably).
I don't know what color the sky is (I didn't look out the window).
...I had a cold, I caught it
I feel cold.
But hot.
My head, I'm so dizzy...
Ah. This looks like something I've seen before.
Also, my nose...is so runny.
I have the snuffles.
Not a fever caused by witchcraft, I suppose.
Well, A. It's different from the last one. Uh, it's cold. It's cold. A Catch Cold.
In the Orient, it's called a flu.
And in the Far East, it's called a cold.
I got a cold.
I was lightheaded, woozy, sniffling, and had a hard time putting strength into my body... It felt. I felt like I was floating around, but it wasn't a good feeling.
My head hurts (A asked me if I had a headache), I didn't have to cough so much (though I did a little), and it's not like I have a bad cold. On top of this, if I get a cough with a headache...
Ha, Haachew!
...Today, A is really, what do you call it?
I'm not talking about gentle, but what's that, quick?
Even now, he wiped me with a towel before the diary got dirty. Hmm.
Well, I'll forgive him for the morning.
The morning...I had a terrible morning.
I said that I was drowsy, runny nose, and coughed a little, but what was with A? There was no reaction from him while looking at me──
Oh, didn't this happen to me the other day??
Here it is. We have it.
Let's see. Let's see! I'll read the diary later. So far, yes. It took A two seconds for him to look at me and he didn't even move.
So long!
"You're like a..."
And! Two seconds later, you're finally moving and then you start talking like that!
How many times do I have to tell you I'm not something I'm not?
A is such an idiot.
But maybe what you're saying is that I'm important to you, A. No, right? No, I'm not. It's just not the way it feels.
...Yeah. Let's go back to my last diary and read it later.
So I'm just gonna let it slide.
After returning to my usual condition, A did various things.
He prepared me breakfast, changed my clothes, and said, "Let's stop taking a bath. I don't to be wary of sudden rises and falls in body temperature." Instead of taking a bath, he wiped my sweat and prepared lunch...
Ah?
When, I don't know...
...but I usually don't like baths (I don't hate baths! But I don't want A to put me in there), but when you're as limp as you are today, it's handy to wipe yourself down...
Oh, by the way.
I tried a new dish.
"It's supposed to help boost your immune system," said A.
I'll tell you what.
Fry chicken with a lot of flour.
Fry the onions and stuff, and put some herbs in it, and then fry it. And cook in a pot.
Usually there wasn't anything to be cooked, but A was using the kitchen for a rare occasion.
The smell of the herbs made me feel good.
And then I put potatoes, carrots, squash, olives, mushrooms, turnips, and various other things into the pot...and then heat it up, and eat it while it's steaming. It's hot!
It was really good~
I like cooking in a pot.
It takes a lot of time, but it's fun.
I can cook a lot. It's not too hard to cook, and it doesn't look difficult (it just looks that way).
But what is it? I asked A--
"Chicken soup," he said.
I just freaked out.
What a name!
So...
Woo.
I'm feeling much, much better, but I'm still dizzy...
That's it for today, diary!
I'll have to look back at my previous diary tomorrow when I'm feeling better.
Record of the Society
An examination of the performance of code "A" in the Underworld.
Properties: The nature of the "wounds" in the underworld were formed by the Cracking Effect, or a special Formula created by researcher Alan Akeley.
Limitations: There are several general rules of conduct, depending on the design of the formulator.
Ability: Shadow Forming ...Speed A, Accuracy A, Defense A.
Ability: Critter Summoning ...Speed A-S, Accuracy A, Defense S.
Based on the characteristics of the shadow forming ability, the Equation used by the Formula's creator is close to that of the Kruschtya equation, which is probably a coincidence.
That's all we know about Code "A". There have been reports that the Golden Power was obtained just prior to the disappearance of the code following contact with the composite, but this is impossible to verify now that traces of the Cracking Effect have disappeared in New York.
The Golden Gun.
The search for the Golden Power in Europe, the Americas, the Orient, Africa, and Kadath continues.
--The West India Company's "Three Wise Man"
Written by Adam Weishaupt
Diary of Lily the Stranger (10)
Year 1908 (probably).
Round and round.
I can't get rid of my fever...?
Haha, I'm getting much better now.
Coughing was sometimes very difficult, but I'm no longer suffering.
I don't even know if I have a fever anymore...
My head feels like it's going to spin around.
It's a little warm.
When I woke up this morning, I thought, "Oh, I'm feeling better today."
At noon and in the evening, I thought, "Oh, I'm perfectly fine."
But since I ate dinner, I feel like...
wobbling...
What did I have for dinner, ugh...
Ugh, everything is going round and round.
In the morning...there was risotto...with a drop? Of?
"Kayu," or maybe it was "Zouzi", he said.
It was fluffy and delicious.
Did I drink warm lemonade in the morning? Afternoon?
I drank something terribly spicy...
No, no, it was yesterday. Ginger! It was amazing!
For lunch, we had a morning risotto-style thing, with radishes and meat? The ball? I don't remember it being stewed with something like that. It was very good. It was hot.
And the evening was...
It was... um, it wasn't thin, but it wasn't much, hmm, when I think of food, I wonder if it's good.
The pasta stuff! Yes!
Ugh, I'm wobbling...
It's a thick pasta dish, which is also stewed with a lot of ingredients. It was good, but it was very hot.
Well, I had a second helping.
It's been a long time since I've had another drink. I mean, they did say, "Would you like a third cup?" Yeah. Was that a good thing, though?
Two was enough!
And for dessert, I had a chilled pear...
It was a round pear. It's a little different from the one I saw before.
It was nicely cold and crispy.
Then there's...
There's, uhm...
...ugh, I'm so wobbly!
Well, before going to bed...
I had what was like some warm, sugar-sweetened egg soup...
"It's called Tamagozake. Used in Oriental customs."
Or was that what they said?
...I'm wobbling and going around in circles after drinking it...?
Ugh.
...pigs, bounded, and going round and round...
Statement of Doctor E
Perception...
It is a strange thing. Indeed, it is strange and peculiar.
What is beyond human knowledge?
That is something you are born to know. That's right, you are born knowing.
That is something you are born to know. That's right, you are born knowing.
That is perception.
It's all about perception.
It's not just about Heisenberg. Nor is it the case with the discipline I'm pioneering.
It's not just about Heisenberg. Nor is it the case with the discipline I'm pioneering.
The universe is only as good as its physics. But it is also about perception.
That is why you will not allow me to take off my gas mask.
This is my persona.
Throughout history, people have shaped personas with meaning.
A persona is never a cover for a man's true face.
The infinite chain of human minds, their forms, their manifestations.
So I am resisting perception with a persona.
Funny, is it not?
A certain day and month of 1908
From the remarks of Lord Avan Edison's disciple, Doctor E
Diary of A (3)
...Lily's physical condition is improving.
Based on what has been going on so far, none of the symptoms will be detectable by tomorrow morning at the latest. Even the slightest remaining cough can no longer be heard in her throat.
But today, tonight's "diary" was to be kept by me, because she couldn't do it.
She can't do it.
It will be my responsibility. She asked me how I could help her get better from the common cold as soon as possible, to which I replied "there are only two things that can help".
That is to say, nutritional intake and adequate rest.
That conversation took place at dinner today.
She took in more food than usual. As a result, she...
She went to bed a few hours earlier than usual. She was asleep.
Forcing her to be awakened to take a bath, for example, and having her body temperature rise and fall in a short period of time is not a good thing under the current circumstances. I had to admit her to go to bed, even though as a cultural human being that is a bit of an unwillingness to do so, but I had no choice.
It couldn't be helped.
And that she tried hard, perhaps in a sleepy state, but still with slightly open lips, to command me to "write in the diary" instead.
As she ordered me to do so, I didn't have a choice.
That's the story of tonight. The end.
There's a lot of leftover pages...
Shall I note in thesis form this logical discrepancy and physical inconsistency that she, Lily the Stranger, usually pulls a...case of the common cold? Or shall I write down today's dinner menu?
She's so peaceful in her sleep.
So beautiful.
...No, she's not getting up. Here is the menu for today's dinner...
Italian-style soup. It's a mixture of well-stewed Norai soup and shredded pasta. There is not much difference in creation intent and performance between this soup and the Orient's "Kayu" and "Zosui".
The reason I didn't choose risotto is that yesterday was an Orient-style risotto, "Kayu" or "Zousui".
...These days, the menu has expanded.
Why is that?
Of course, it's because she wants it. I will do what she wants me to do.
But was I born that way?
As an application of shadowing, my Waitress-Bulkless Bag and Pocket Gap were given to me as a formula, a kind of maintenance device for the Stranger.
The menu was limited. There was no need. Sandwiches. Biscuits. Perhaps that was the "image" of the main meal he was eating.
Alan was not an expert in foods from all over.
Then why am I doing this...?
Diary of A (3:2)
That's right. She wasn't the only one.
It's not just her body that's causing the logical discrepancies and physical contradictions.
I, myself, am also in this situation.
It can never be written down in a "diary". If this is a contradiction and discrepancy that arose from my perception, I can only keep it in my memory, in my records.
At night. I, who am not supposed to have dreams, again...
Catching her sleeping, I see the impossible in my mind's "eye". That night, I "saw" where I "was".
...I was in a dimly lit corner of a bar with jazz music playing.
"Customer."
Said a gentleman sitting on a stool.
"What would you like?"
Said someone in white behind the counter.
"..."
A trio of people at the table stared at me, glowing in white.
"Fools."
A black man at a table on the other side said.
"Yes, master."
A machine said something.
It was like me. Not in appearance, but something else.
"You shouldn't torment him."
A Shogoth whispered softly to the gentleman on the stool.
I imagine I was in some kind of sacred place. Even though my database only provides, at best, the myths of the Southern New Continent besides Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, Egypt, and India.
I sense a hint of darkness in the air. It was terrifying. I am grateful that I do not have any organs to feel fear.
The sound flowing through the blackness is jazz. It's a piano. A new melody that once emerged in New York City, blends in well with the sound of ice in the gentleman's tipping glass.
I was in a corner of the bar in the dark.
"Very interesting. How nice that we're all here at this time."
"What a coincidence."
"True. Strange. These people are fated to be together."
"..." The white glows glared.
"They're getting pretty cautious of you. What have you done in the past?"
"Quiet."
When the black man turned his gaze, the white lights quickly disappeared.
Were they eaten and devoured? Or did they escape?
"What can I get for you?"
From behind the counter, someone in white asks me.
I answer, briefly, "Sparkling water," and then...
And.
All of my five senses returned to me. My vision is completely restored, and all of my senses returned to the subway where she, Lily the Stranger, is calmly gazing at me in bed.
It's the same as it always is at night.
Nothing has changed. I just saw things I wasn't supposed to see.
But...
In my right hand was a cold glass with water droplets clinging to it.
The carbonated bubbles made a slight sound.
Diary of Lily the Stranger (11)
Year 1908 (probably).
Day of the Blue Sky!
I'm better now!
My head is clear, my throat is fine.
I'm not coughing, my body isn't heavy and I'm not hot!
I guess I should thank A.
He watched me the whole time and gave me dinner.
Ah, I felt a little thirsty, and he offered me something to drink. Yeah, I guess.
Mm.
Mmm?
Hmm?
It's the same...as always...
Hmm.
But that's it, that was it. It's true that I've been in trouble, and he's done a lot for me. It's not weird. I know. He helped me in my time of need.
It's only normal to say thank you. Yes, it's normal.
I pushed myself to do it today.
I had a cold dish I ate and liked...from the Far East...um, what was it? Nudo? Noodle? Um. No, it's not noodle, it's a sound...a similar sound.
Udon?
Yes, that's right. It was udon. Udon. A thick pasta dish.
It's chewy and weird, and it's piping hot, and it's got a lot of pasta in it. It was so good, I had him make it for me again. Today...
But when I asked, he said--
"I don't think that's a good idea."
He said that. I don't know what you're talking about. It's okay, it was good. You can feed me again. I'll eat it again.
I said and got it out.
I did eat it, though.
It was...very hot...
I was sweating profusely.
It wasn't that hot! And he kept saying over and over again, "It's the same thing". I didn't understand. I'm sure that when you have a cold, it means that your body functions a little bit differently, such as being hot or cold.
I haven't sweated that much in a long time...
Yup. It was terrible (although it was delicious), but it was my fault. Well. I couldn't finish the Udon so I threw it away.
I have to thank you. Yup.
But I want to say thank you formally.
How embarrassing...
It's embarrassing? ...Yeah, it's embarrassing.
I don't know how I'm going to say it.
Thank you. And. Quickly, I would have said it until I have meal time.
That would be tomorrow...
After writing this diary, I'll just say it without hesitation before going to bed.
Hmm hmm.
Hmm...
Ah, that's right.
I'll write it here. You're just watching anyway, A.
Perhaps?
I will. I'll do that then. Um...
Thanks for everything, A.
Day of the Blue Sky!
I'm better now!
My head is clear, my throat is fine.
I'm not coughing, my body isn't heavy and I'm not hot!
I guess I should thank A.
He watched me the whole time and gave me dinner.
Ah, I felt a little thirsty, and he offered me something to drink. Yeah, I guess.
Mm.
Mmm?
Hmm?
It's the same...as always...
Hmm.
But that's it, that was it. It's true that I've been in trouble, and he's done a lot for me. It's not weird. I know. He helped me in my time of need.
It's only normal to say thank you. Yes, it's normal.
I pushed myself to do it today.
I had a cold dish I ate and liked...from the Far East...um, what was it? Nudo? Noodle? Um. No, it's not noodle, it's a sound...a similar sound.
Udon?
Yes, that's right. It was udon. Udon. A thick pasta dish.
It's chewy and weird, and it's piping hot, and it's got a lot of pasta in it. It was so good, I had him make it for me again. Today...
But when I asked, he said--
"I don't think that's a good idea."
He said that. I don't know what you're talking about. It's okay, it was good. You can feed me again. I'll eat it again.
I said and got it out.
I did eat it, though.
It was...very hot...
I was sweating profusely.
It wasn't that hot! And he kept saying over and over again, "It's the same thing". I didn't understand. I'm sure that when you have a cold, it means that your body functions a little bit differently, such as being hot or cold.
I haven't sweated that much in a long time...
Yup. It was terrible (although it was delicious), but it was my fault. Well. I couldn't finish the Udon so I threw it away.
I have to thank you. Yup.
But I want to say thank you formally.
How embarrassing...
It's embarrassing? ...Yeah, it's embarrassing.
I don't know how I'm going to say it.
Thank you. And. Quickly, I would have said it until I have meal time.
That would be tomorrow...
After writing this diary, I'll just say it without hesitation before going to bed.
Hmm hmm.
Hmm...
Ah, that's right.
I'll write it here. You're just watching anyway, A.
Perhaps?
I will. I'll do that then. Um...
Thanks for everything, A.
Diary of Lily the Stranger (12)
Year 1908 (probably).
Day of the Blue Sky...
...?
I was in a weird place again.
I had a weird dream.
I guess that's what it is if I say it was a dream. I didn't get off of the subway's "room".
I think I was in a very dark place. It's different from the last white place.
Maybe it's a city. Perhaps that's where I think I am. It was some sort of city in shadows.
It was hard to tell. It was dark, like a shadow. It's not quite the same as darkness, as I can at least understand what is around me.
I was standing alone and there was no one around me. Only darkness.
The sky, the ground, the left and right sides of the sky were all dark.
And yet I can still make out the outline of the city. I was in the middle of a city. It was a bit like Wall Street, I guess. It wasn't super high rise, though.
A long, wide street is where I was in.
And all there was here was steel.
No, I don't think it's the steel like from the violet world.
There were large, big lumps of steel.
I couldn't help but remember the weirdest thing about the Critters.
Lumberjack. Antlion. Scarecrow. My chosen shadows. The steel shadows that died for me.
I think they're dead, those steel shadows in this black place. But I don't know.
I don't know what they looked like. Some looked like people, some looked like horses, some looked like a combination of people and horses, some looked like they had a lot of legs and hands.
They were all bigger than people.
Those children were not black but didn't say anything.
What is this?
"It's a little early to be here. This story isn't ready to be told to you."
"Everything has an order to it."
"Lily the Stranger."
Someone said something like that to me.
Perhaps it was a boy. Smaller than me, I think.
"This was from a time before I made an Oath."
Just as I recall, yes. Maybe they said it like that.
There was no sign of the boy. There was maybe a rainbow-colored feather. Yes. All I could make out was that he was standing in the dark, holding a piece of something like that.
Rainbow bird feathers...?
Mm. That's...peculiar. A rainbow bird?
But those are probably the feathers of a rainbow bird. Somehow, I thought of that... but there were no birds anywhere in the darkened city, though.
"I'm still amazed, though. You do transcend time, don't you? Maybe you're nonexistent? Or is it because, like me, you see the memory of the time beyond Yog-Sothoth?"
...Just as I recall, yes.
I don't know what you said, but you said something about time, non-existence, and Yog-Sothoth. I don't know, but I remember. Because I don't want to forget.
Then the boy said that we would meet again and went away.
And then I went...
I closed my eyes and headed back to my lone subway "room"...
Or rather, I woke up? Before that...
I saw a distant light falling in the sky.
This must have been---
Lightning---
Diary of Lily the Stranger (13)
Year 1908 (probably).
Day of the Blue Sky.
I had a dream.
I had another dream last night.
It was like I was dreaming for a long time, and when I woke up it was past noon. I was asleep for so long that I let out a sound of hunger, and then I woke up with a start.
It was just before I fell asleep last night, A told me about it.
On what a dream is.
Mesmerology, right? The study of human psychology? That's the first time I've heard of it. That's the first I've ever heard of it. Mesmer. A cute name.
A says that in Mesmer, the dreams are about the information in your head, right?
I'm not sure if I understood it right but...
It's something you've seen, read, and experienced somewhere. It's something you see when you're trying to sort out or avoid things you've seen, read, and experienced in a way that is easy to understand.
...is that right?
Because I had a weird dream last night.
I didn't know what I was dreaming about. It was a really dark place. I know, right? Yeah, it was a dark place. Well, it wasn't like the other night in that city. It was something else. I was in a building somewhere.
It was dark, but it had a nice vibe to it. It wasn't bad.
It was more mature.
I didn't know any of this stuff and I hadn't seen, read or heard anything about it, I don't think. But then I saw them in my dream.
It was just a quick glance through the encyclopedia, and I found something that looked like it. I finally figured out what it was called. The dark place I dreamed of...
It was called a bar.
A place to drink for adults.
They were playing beautiful music. With a beautiful sound.
I think I've heard it before.
I heard it on Broadway. Sam used to play the piano.
It was called jazz, or whatever it was called.
I was standing at the entrance of the place.
There was what was called a...counter, and there was a long, narrow, rectangular bent table in the back. I read about it in the encyclopedia under "bar", so that's probably the right name. And in the back there, was a man in white.
Just quietly polishing a glass.
I think I've seen him before. Probably.
I couldn't make out the face, but I'd seen it before, so I figured it out. A vague person in white. Before in a dream...
Oh? This egg-like thing? They were the one who gave it to me. Probably.
"Welcome"
It sounded like English, but it sounded flappy.
The person in white told me, and I...
I just thought it was some kind of store.
"Oh, no, not good," I thought. And suddenly my back felt cold, and I started to sweat. I was so embarrassed, I was so hot. It's weird, because I was dreaming. It was strange.
It's weird because I've never had any money in my life.
I wonder...if this is the memory of the person who gave me my "form". I know what a store is all about (it's a place to buy things with money, right?), but I've never been in a real store before.
But now I'll talk about the "Bar dream". At the time, I had no idea if this was a dream or not. I was troubled, at a loss even.
It took me about 10 seconds to realize that all I had to do was say "I'm sorry" and leave the shop.
I'm not sure if it was 2 seconds...but there was a pause. Was there?
"I'm sorry."
I said it but...
I couldn't get my tongue to roll properly and it sounded weird...
"What's this? Having a hard time? It's okay, you don't need money here."
A woman's voice. I don't know how it happened, but there she was beside me.
A dark-haired, dark-eyed, sort of oriental-looking, very fit woman. I thought she was beside me, but she was behind me, on my shoulders and, um, on my back, I think. A quick, gentle push on my shoulders, no, my back, I guess...
I just naturally moved forward and thought, oh, that's... a counter stool? Yeah, a stool. A stool. It was on a whirling chair.
"Lovely, isn't it? I wonder if you're by yourself. A pleasure to meet you, young lady."
A guy sitting on a stool next to me, drinking a drink, suddenly said something like "You're cute".
I thought to myself while there...
The woman who was sitting next to him earlier in the day was a slender woman, and the two of them looked really good together, just like a painting that was drawn in that way, right? I thought, "Yeah, they must be lovers".
"What would you like to order?"
Said the man in white behind the counter.
I asked for water, but what came out was not water. Instead, it was a glass of white ice floating on a shimmering golden liquid.
"Golden mead, for you."
Do you mean the water?
It tasted sweet. I'm not sure what that means. I don't know what kind of alcohol it is.
I'm not sure if it was a good idea to drink alcohol.
...How can a dream know what a liquor that you've never had tastes like if it's a dream?
Hmm.
Oh, and, um...
I would like to drink it, but it was too sweet to drink (and it had a sense of bitterness to it. It felt strange.). Feeling troubled, I could get a drink from the back of the store, and not the counter.
"---"
What should I write when I decide to write?
I voiced it. I did.
I tried, but it didn't sound like it was in English.
It sounded like a metal snap, but it was like a flappy sound, like I was in water, but anyway, it was weird. But I heard it. A voice.
So I looked over to see what it was, and I saw three white people sitting at a table, and they were saying something. I think they were talking about me.
It wasn't clear English, and I don't know what they were saying, but they were, um...
It sounded friendly, yes.
They said something like, "We're concerned about you" or something like that.
That's how it sounded, yeah? Yes, it was.
I didn't understand, so I tilted my head back and tried to hear them but then──
"You shouldn't hear too much.
The voices of Elysia's retainers aren't very pleasant either."
The guy next to me said.
"Oh my. That's a very rude thing to say."
The woman next to me said.
Truthfully and real.
"But it's true. And that's why there's proof of Hypnos not looking good there either."
"Is this what they say about you, Master?"
As I recall, the exchange went something like this. The woman looked at the man behind the counter...the man in white shrugged his shoulders as if he were saying "good grief"...
Then...
Another person came into the shop and chatted with the three people in the back...
I was listening to the jazz music and drinking this weird, sweet-tasting stuff. I got dizzy, and the next thing I knew, my eyes went hazy.
It was past noon in the lone subway "room". I opened my eyes, and there was A staring right from the side of my head. Oh, I was surprised!
And that was it.
No. That dream...it was a dream, that's okay. But...I don't want to get into a fight with A. I mean, if it's not me but Elysia who had a "bar" in her memory, then that would be okay. It's fine.
I mean... I don't know what to do.
I brought it with me.
I woke up with both hands on...
...You can't bring something you dreamt about, can you? Right?
I'm not so sure about that...
That glass is still in place next to my hand as I write my diary.
The Abyssal Bar (1)
"Oh, the lovely young lady has left. What a pity."
"Oh. Is that what you're looking for in a fling with a girl that young?"
"Hahaha. You know better than anyone else who I love."
"Idiot."
"...that time, Hypnos. It looks like you gave that kid a crystalizer, but what kind of harassment is that? That is..."
"I don't have to answer that for you."
"It may or may not emerge from the chasm of non-existence.
You're not going to let such a healthy thing go...
The border between consciousness and subconscious. Do you, who wears the mask of the butterfly of dreams, care about that?"
"Do you, as a living being, force yourself to connect to this place here?"
"It's called the Secrets of Mesmer. I'm a jack-of-all-trades."
"Master, may I have a refill? Ah, no, give me a Screwdriver."
"Coming right up"
"I'll have a Kahlúa milk for this one."
"No, I'm not much of a sweet drinker..."
"It's not like you can get drunk anyways."
"At least you can taste the drinks."
"So, when will the Stranger come again? Maybe they'll come again without being lost"
"Well. I wonder..."
Diary of Lily the Stranger (14)
Year 1908 (probably).
A blue sky day!
Today is the day I got a lot of air from the outside!
I breathe in air every day through opening the window of my "room" on the flying subway, but today was special. I breathed in a lot of cool, pleasant air, and I got a lot of blue in the sky.
Mu.
I saw a lot of blue in the sky.
No, it's a little different. A (who promised to stay at least 5 feet away from me while I was writing in my journal, but he's still looking at me!) said the word bathe is funny so I rewrote it, but it's not quite right.
It's not enough to say that I saw the blue color spreading on the roof.
It's like it's washing over me. No, it's as if I was flooded with it, as if I was soaked in the sky.
Yeah. Yeah, the roof!
Today, I climbed onto the roof of the lone subway. You helped slow me down by slowing me down. I didn't get blown around by the wind or anything. But the wind was blowing reasonably hard. ...I climbed up in an interesting way.
Shortly before lunch, I said, "I want to go outside,"...
"As you wish," A said.
I thought the subway was slowing down a little bit, but then I heard a strange sound, a whirring sound. The sound of machinery. The "roof" cracked open and a metal staircase descended down through it.
Folded up on the ceiling, right? Maybe?
But where could you put something like that?
"It doesn't do as much as me, but the lone subway also tries to fulfill your wishes."
I don't know.
I breathe in air every day through opening the window of my "room" on the flying subway, but today was special. I breathed in a lot of cool, pleasant air, and I got a lot of blue in the sky.
Mu.
I saw a lot of blue in the sky.
No, it's a little different. A (who promised to stay at least 5 feet away from me while I was writing in my journal, but he's still looking at me!) said the word bathe is funny so I rewrote it, but it's not quite right.
It's not enough to say that I saw the blue color spreading on the roof.
It's like it's washing over me. No, it's as if I was flooded with it, as if I was soaked in the sky.
Yeah. Yeah, the roof!
Today, I climbed onto the roof of the lone subway. You helped slow me down by slowing me down. I didn't get blown around by the wind or anything. But the wind was blowing reasonably hard. ...I climbed up in an interesting way.
Shortly before lunch, I said, "I want to go outside,"...
"As you wish," A said.
I thought the subway was slowing down a little bit, but then I heard a strange sound, a whirring sound. The sound of machinery. The "roof" cracked open and a metal staircase descended down through it.
Folded up on the ceiling, right? Maybe?
But where could you put something like that?
"It doesn't do as much as me, but the lone subway also tries to fulfill your wishes."
I don't know.
I mean, I'm not sure. Can I even wish for a staircase?
I don't believe it.
...no, that wouldn't be a lie. A cannot tell lies.
I didn't know what that means...
No, I'll tell you exactly what it means.
And then the stairs went down to the floor, and then the ceiling just snapped "open" again. This time it wasn't a folding staircase coming down, it was the sky at the end of the staircase.
It's amazing, even though I'm looking out the window. I didn't know the sky could be that different, that the color blue could be so different. The right side, left side, and top of the stairs were all blue!
The Blue Sky!
I like looking at the sky from the window, I love it, but I also love the sky I saw today. It wasn't the same as looking at its "beauty" from the window. It's just...
It's like I'm the sky.
It's as if I am the sky, and my hands are wings and wings... no, my hands and arms are the wind. What are those white clouds? Is it the pattern on my clothes?
Time seemed to fly by so fast. At first, I was worried about A's arms, which were holding me to keep me from falling off, but that soon became less of a concern and the sun was leaning overhead...
Yes.
And...huh?
...It felt like my body was a mosquito. Yeah...
I was just wondering what happened to me, and then something strange happened.
I turned around to look at A, who was supposed to be holding me from behind. And I was thinking that maybe I was feeling lighter and that maybe he was staggering. But...
I didn't see anyone behind me.
It wasn't me.
I wasn't wearing any clothes in green, nor the ones in the closet. I know exactly what it is that A made me wear in the morning, and it's not those clothes!
It was different from being naked...
The neck that moves to look back is quite long, so I could see at a glance what I was at that time. Yup. There was wide open wings on my back and a tail.
At that time, I wasn't me ...
A few days ago (probably when I wrote it in my diary!), I saw that child from behind the window!
I was a fairy tale dragon!
After all, is it like what A showed me in the encyclopedia?
It feels a little different. I couldn't see my beak. I didn't even have cute little fingertip on my wings.
I was surprised.
Really. Wow, wow! I tried to call A, but it wasn't in words and in a voice. It was the voice of "that child". Exactly the same voice.
Even the voice is the same! Rather than being surprised, I thought it was amazing. It was so amazing that I tried to make the voice, but it was not my voice.
Wow, I said...and then I got a little bit chilled.
Then I looked down and saw myself.
Yes. Me. That was Lily.
A was holding me from behind...or rather he held me in place to prevent me from falling off, and I was up on the roof of the lone subway.
I was there, looking right up at him. And then, my eyes met "mine", and...
...I was back to myself.
I was looking straight up while being held by A, watching "that child" tilt their head a little while looking at me, flapping their wings, and then disappearing into the sky.
I don't believe it.
...no, that wouldn't be a lie. A cannot tell lies.
I didn't know what that means...
No, I'll tell you exactly what it means.
And then the stairs went down to the floor, and then the ceiling just snapped "open" again. This time it wasn't a folding staircase coming down, it was the sky at the end of the staircase.
It's amazing, even though I'm looking out the window. I didn't know the sky could be that different, that the color blue could be so different. The right side, left side, and top of the stairs were all blue!
The Blue Sky!
I like looking at the sky from the window, I love it, but I also love the sky I saw today. It wasn't the same as looking at its "beauty" from the window. It's just...
It's like I'm the sky.
It's as if I am the sky, and my hands are wings and wings... no, my hands and arms are the wind. What are those white clouds? Is it the pattern on my clothes?
Time seemed to fly by so fast. At first, I was worried about A's arms, which were holding me to keep me from falling off, but that soon became less of a concern and the sun was leaning overhead...
Yes.
And...huh?
...It felt like my body was a mosquito. Yeah...
I was just wondering what happened to me, and then something strange happened.
I turned around to look at A, who was supposed to be holding me from behind. And I was thinking that maybe I was feeling lighter and that maybe he was staggering. But...
I didn't see anyone behind me.
It wasn't me.
I wasn't wearing any clothes in green, nor the ones in the closet. I know exactly what it is that A made me wear in the morning, and it's not those clothes!
It was different from being naked...
The neck that moves to look back is quite long, so I could see at a glance what I was at that time. Yup. There was wide open wings on my back and a tail.
At that time, I wasn't me ...
A few days ago (probably when I wrote it in my diary!), I saw that child from behind the window!
I was a fairy tale dragon!
After all, is it like what A showed me in the encyclopedia?
It feels a little different. I couldn't see my beak. I didn't even have cute little fingertip on my wings.
I was surprised.
Really. Wow, wow! I tried to call A, but it wasn't in words and in a voice. It was the voice of "that child". Exactly the same voice.
Even the voice is the same! Rather than being surprised, I thought it was amazing. It was so amazing that I tried to make the voice, but it was not my voice.
Wow, I said...and then I got a little bit chilled.
Then I looked down and saw myself.
Yes. Me. That was Lily.
A was holding me from behind...or rather he held me in place to prevent me from falling off, and I was up on the roof of the lone subway.
I was there, looking right up at him. And then, my eyes met "mine", and...
...I was back to myself.
I was looking straight up while being held by A, watching "that child" tilt their head a little while looking at me, flapping their wings, and then disappearing into the sky.
...That was the second time that I was sure wasn't a dream.
Perhaps that child... They were the same one I've seen before??
Perhaps that child... They were the same one I've seen before??
Pinkerton Detective Agency Report
Report on the results.
Failed to receive the compiled records of Miss Elysia.
Failed to receive the compiled records of Miss Elysia.
Reasons. Due to the interference of government authorities (specifically the CIG, or "Central Intelligence Group"). See Appendix Report No. 1 for interference.
The compilation of Miss Elysia's records, three copies of which were completely lost due to interference. The whereabouts of the originals are unknown.
The photocopies of Miss Elysia's memoirs were successfully obtained. It is not known how many copies existed, and that she had already submitted some of the copies to Headquarters (see Appendix Report No. 2).
No word on Miss Elysia's whereabouts.
That is all.
The following are the thoughts of the reporter, Monica Nouvelberg.
We have heard rumors that CIG is authorized to "interfere" with some of the individuals involved in this case, which is not entirely true. I'm wondering if this rumor is connected to the fact that P Detective Agency has decided to downsize its investigation team in response to this matter?
I'm not so sure about this decision from Headquarters.
I don't need to tell you that the license to "interfere" is a tacit approval of extrajudicial actions by the CIG. When it comes to tacit approval of inhumane acts, our government and our Pinkerton Corp. Headquarters are no different from Führer Lincoln.
It just doesn't make sense.
At least Miss Elysia will be protected...
Report on Case No. E-21
Signed, Monica Nouvelberg
Diary of Lily the Stranger (15)
Year 1908 (probably).
Day of the blue sky, dream of a purple night.
I slept until noon today, and then...
I was dreaming the whole time, right up until the moment I woke up.
A dream. I didn't tell A. I didn't tell him it was a dream, and A didn't tell me it was a dream like he had done in the past, but I had a dream.
Blindingly white, it was not a place I've ever known. It wasn't a dimly lit, er, bar that served me alcohol. And of course it wasn't just my subway "room" right. Neither of them was here.
I'm not even sure of what it is now.
It wasn't yesterday, or before that.
I don't think it's even a matter of tomorrow.
So yes, the dream.
...It was a dream of a purple night.
Under the purple night was a sky filled with weirdly shaped stars...ah, yes. The stars were strange. Now I know the star doesn't look right. A purple night without the moon.
I was in a room on the third floor of a large building.
Queensbridge Apartment Building B, room 323.
I was in Katrijn and Juliana's room.
I wasn't the only one there.
It was everyone. They were all there.
Katrijn and Juliana were smiling and getting ready for the party.
Yeah, it was a party. That's what it was, a party.
That table where we ate our New York cheesecake.
Juliana had made all kinds of food, and she brought it to the table.
Luciano was there, too. He was dexterously carrying a plate of food with his big strong arms.
Next to him was Ginger. She was laughing at Luciano, and Luciano didn't look much different than usual, but he looked a bit, well, kind, I guess.
Sam was playing the piano.
Nice piano. I remember it, it's called jazz.
It sounded so beautiful, so lovely, it filled my heart.
Right next to the piano, I saw Milia's significant other...Peter, was it?
Yeah. He was there, listening with his eyes closed.
You really like jazz don't you, Peter?
I saw Milia looking at him. She sat on a sofa beside the window, holding a glass of liquor or something of a nice pink. I don't think there was a sofa in that room, but there it was. I sat down.
On the other side of the same sofa, Jerusha was saying something to the black half-giants.
She feels like a gentle queen. It seemed like someone was snuggling up next to her, but I'm not sure who he was. The black semi-giants walked dexterously to help Juliana, making sure to not knock down the table.
The king was there, too. The big king with just a big face.
I think the room was large enough for the black half-giants to wander around, but they couldn't fit in, so they stayed in the back of the room. Or rather, the room was packed tightly. The faces I could see through the door were happy. Maybe it was because everyone else was there.
The cat people were meowing, too. I think they were even cat-like in size, but then I looked at them closely and saw that they were about the size of a human.
B-Ruth was hiding under the tabletop, snacking and munching on food.
Mao and Le Chat were snuggled up to him, still chewing each other out as always. What they were squirming for was a mushroom that looked like a bird's foot.
There was also the man with the face of a black beast.
I was a little surprised to see them, but I shrugged my shoulders and laughed a little.
...Yeah. Everyone.
We've all been there.
I had this dream.
A was sitting right next to me...
I don't remember what kind of face they had.
I do not remember, so I want you to do the same thing next time you do it in front of me.
I'm sure A will say "I don't remember it" because it's a dream. I don't know anything about that. What was strange about it? I don't think it's weird.
...There's nothing strange about it. Even for a dream, I was okay with it.
The sky is blue again today, and there's no more purple night. But still.
Hey, A?
Everything is okay, right?
The Abyssal Bar (2)
--Jazz music was being played at a dimly lit bar.
Some may call to mind it as some sort of temple. Like it was from Greece or Rome, Northern Europe, India or even Egypt. Or it was a temple of sunlight and sacrifice left behind to the Southern New World. It wasn't quite any of them, but there was something akin to all of them.
Some might even feel a hint of the darkness in its dimness.
Yet none within the bar ever thought of any such darkness there.
They didn't feel nor think about it.
For example, something small, weak, and vulnerable who'd wandered in here right now would only think, "Oh, I see" even if they found their spirit being overwhelmed trying to bring down their fear.
And there...
Someone had come through the door. It was a dark man dressed in white.
He must have been dressed as a gentleman in white clothes. In this place, it is very noticeable. An overwhelming white that refused to be eroded by anything. Some may think of the white color of the frightening white void that exists beyond the further reaches of the abyss of space.
In contrast, the man's skin was black. It was black, despite its caucasoid features. The most striking of all was the right half of the man's face. It was not even skin. It was metal. Perhaps steel? It was impossible to grasp the details of the shape in the dark, but the deformed, grotesque, impossible steel formed the right side of the man's face from the center.
The right hand peeking out of the sleeve was also made of metal. A bizarre, abyssal metal that reminded one of the Crawling Chaos. Iron? Steel? Or was it the radiating Elysium from the ancient past?
The man opened his mouth. The left face of flesh and blood and the right face of metal moved exactly at the same time.
There is a churning sound.
It wasn't the sound of iron.
"You haven't changed. You're still in a butterfly mask. "
Was it a man's voice? A synthetic voice? Or a combination of the two?
"A combination of the usual."
"This is a rare combination of things."
Someone in white behind the counter announces.
A person with a butterfly mask covering half of their face.
"Can't yet find a mask you like, Hypnos?"
There was ridicule in the man's voice, but it was fake.
It was more than a synthetic voice. The man had no feelings.
"It looks like you've changed your mask again. That left half of your body is not what it used to be."
"I've been using this thing for hundreds of years now."
The non-human man replied as if he was talking about clothes.
Suppose...
Suppose there was someone else in that place. Perhaps it would have been the gentlemen who would have been irritated by the man's words. Perhaps it would have been the Jet Black man who felt nothing, yet hated all existence. Perhaps it would have been the radiant white ones who wouldn't even mind the man's existence.
But there was no one there. Only the bizarre man was in the bar.
"So then. Your order?"
"This is a rare combination of things."
Someone in white behind the counter announces.
A person with a butterfly mask covering half of their face.
"Can't yet find a mask you like, Hypnos?"
There was ridicule in the man's voice, but it was fake.
It was more than a synthetic voice. The man had no feelings.
"It looks like you've changed your mask again. That left half of your body is not what it used to be."
"I've been using this thing for hundreds of years now."
The non-human man replied as if he was talking about clothes.
Suppose...
Suppose there was someone else in that place. Perhaps it would have been the gentlemen who would have been irritated by the man's words. Perhaps it would have been the Jet Black man who felt nothing, yet hated all existence. Perhaps it would have been the radiant white ones who wouldn't even mind the man's existence.
But there was no one there. Only the bizarre man was in the bar.
"So then. Your order?"
The one in white asks.
"New York."
The man quietly announces the name of the cocktail. It was neither a voice, nor that of a synthetic sound.
It was a dimly lit bar, at the border of Alaya Vijnana, the border between consciousness and subconcious. The one who donned the butterfly mask of dreams heard the man's words, momentarily changed expressions slightly, but immediately returned to the original expressionless expression, and with a vibrant hand...
Created a cocktail of bright colors...
Yes, its brightness--
It was the same as the color of the man's left eye--
...One day in January, 1908.
...In a certain laboratory at Yale University
"Hey, Vivi, do you really have to rush with your preparations?
In the first place, did Elysia even contact us to do this?"
"I'm just making sure...making sure that we didn't do something bad for Elysia."
"Is that so?"
Celvin nodded to Vivi.
The fact that their friend Elysia walked through the ruined city of New York at the end of last year was clearly a criminal act, and the two of them were very much involved in it, and in some cases, there was a possibility that the authorities could get in their way, and if there was any indication that this was going to happen, it was something that they both decided to "deal with". Of course, they were in it together with their friend Elysia.
As if they were planning a trip, they were chatting cheerfully about their escape plan.
It was a situation that was not good for him. He could be stripped of his university registration. There was a possibility that his family would be in danger.
Nevertheless, they had no regrets.
They had heard Elysia's voice when she came back from New York.
They had no regrets.
They did what they had to do.
If they were going to get caught, they'll let them be caught with their hearts out.
If they were going to escape, they'll escape with them hearts out.
The man quietly announces the name of the cocktail. It was neither a voice, nor that of a synthetic sound.
It was a dimly lit bar, at the border of Alaya Vijnana, the border between consciousness and subconcious. The one who donned the butterfly mask of dreams heard the man's words, momentarily changed expressions slightly, but immediately returned to the original expressionless expression, and with a vibrant hand...
Created a cocktail of bright colors...
Yes, its brightness--
It was the same as the color of the man's left eye--
Dream of Lily the Stranger, or...
...One day in January, 1908.
...In a certain laboratory at Yale University
"Hey, Vivi, do you really have to rush with your preparations?
In the first place, did Elysia even contact us to do this?"
"I'm just making sure...making sure that we didn't do something bad for Elysia."
"Is that so?"
Celvin nodded to Vivi.
The fact that their friend Elysia walked through the ruined city of New York at the end of last year was clearly a criminal act, and the two of them were very much involved in it, and in some cases, there was a possibility that the authorities could get in their way, and if there was any indication that this was going to happen, it was something that they both decided to "deal with". Of course, they were in it together with their friend Elysia.
As if they were planning a trip, they were chatting cheerfully about their escape plan.
It was a situation that was not good for him. He could be stripped of his university registration. There was a possibility that his family would be in danger.
Nevertheless, they had no regrets.
They had heard Elysia's voice when she came back from New York.
They had no regrets.
They did what they had to do.
If they were going to get caught, they'll let them be caught with their hearts out.
If they were going to escape, they'll escape with them hearts out.
They laughed at each other just like the old days.
--And then, staring at the two, was the figure of a kitten.
--And then, staring at the two, was the figure of a kitten.
~ ~ ~
Hmm?
What am I dreaming about?
Was this also a dream?
When I came to my senses, I found myself watching them from outside the window.
Outside, or rather inside, I was standing on the open window frame.
Huh? I don't know if you can stand on a window frame.
I had my hands and feet on the frame.
What? Am I on all fours?
Have I gotten smaller?
If I were as small as a kitten, that would be understandable.
Hmm?
Tilting my head, I look at the two people in the room.
One of them is a girl. A girl? I saw a beautiful girl or adult woman, dressed in a sober dress.
One of them is a boy. A man? He was about the same height as A. He's sitting on a chair in the window, near my place.
What am I dreaming about?
Was this also a dream?
When I came to my senses, I found myself watching them from outside the window.
Outside, or rather inside, I was standing on the open window frame.
Huh? I don't know if you can stand on a window frame.
I had my hands and feet on the frame.
What? Am I on all fours?
Have I gotten smaller?
If I were as small as a kitten, that would be understandable.
Hmm?
Tilting my head, I look at the two people in the room.
One of them is a girl. A girl? I saw a beautiful girl or adult woman, dressed in a sober dress.
One of them is a boy. A man? He was about the same height as A. He's sitting on a chair in the window, near my place.
They're talking about something.
What's going on?
"You need to get ready for this. You have no idea of what's going on."
The woman said, and she packed a bag with books, a bunch of paper, a small bottle of makeup, a hand mirror, a comb, a small machine, and various other things inside.
It's like they're getting ready to travel somewhere.
It seems to be the case.
A said that traveling is one of the joys of humanity, but the expression on the woman's face is something different. But they don't seem to be sad or lonely.
I don't know.
They didn't seem to be relaxed.
But it was like they were relieved.
"Why don't you escape? I'm alright here, so you can go anywhere by yourself."
"Don't say it like that."
"I'm still a student at Yale, though."
"I wouldn't be too happy about you, but Eli would be sad if we were to disappear separately."
"I know."
What? An escape?
Escape what?
To where?
Well, that's a bad thing, isn't it?
I heard of them grieving but.
But...
The woman said that and was smiling a little.
Smiling.
It's like she's relieved, of thinking about someone or something.
Oh, I like this person.
I like her. Somehow I, Lily the Stranger, would think of that.
"Do you regret it?"
"No, of course not. I mean, we did what we had to do."
The man has the same expression on his face.
What's going on?
"You need to get ready for this. You have no idea of what's going on."
The woman said, and she packed a bag with books, a bunch of paper, a small bottle of makeup, a hand mirror, a comb, a small machine, and various other things inside.
It's like they're getting ready to travel somewhere.
It seems to be the case.
A said that traveling is one of the joys of humanity, but the expression on the woman's face is something different. But they don't seem to be sad or lonely.
I don't know.
They didn't seem to be relaxed.
But it was like they were relieved.
"Why don't you escape? I'm alright here, so you can go anywhere by yourself."
"Don't say it like that."
"I'm still a student at Yale, though."
"I wouldn't be too happy about you, but Eli would be sad if we were to disappear separately."
"I know."
What? An escape?
Escape what?
To where?
Well, that's a bad thing, isn't it?
I heard of them grieving but.
But...
The woman said that and was smiling a little.
Smiling.
It's like she's relieved, of thinking about someone or something.
Oh, I like this person.
I like her. Somehow I, Lily the Stranger, would think of that.
"Do you regret it?"
"No, of course not. I mean, we did what we had to do."
The man has the same expression on his face.
Oh, I think I like him too.
Yes, I like him.
It was strange though. I've only seen each of their faces for a short time.
"Neither do I. I don't."
"We're on the same page. Even if it really is an escape, we'll get along just fine."
"Funny."
"I'm a man who doesn't joke around."
"Okay, okay."
She nodded and...
Suddenly, the woman looked at me, sitting on the window frame.
"Oh, you're so cute. Did you hear something that you shouldn't have?"
"Hmm? A kitty?"
"Eli would have loved kittens, wouldn't she?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"This is what I really like you for."
The woman comes up to me and caresses my cheek.
A warm hand.
I...
I don't know what this is about.
All I know is I just wanted to wish you guys good luck on your journey.
I started to open my mouth to say a word.
"Meow."
Huh?
Did I say meow just now??
Yes, I like him.
It was strange though. I've only seen each of their faces for a short time.
"Neither do I. I don't."
"We're on the same page. Even if it really is an escape, we'll get along just fine."
"Funny."
"I'm a man who doesn't joke around."
"Okay, okay."
She nodded and...
Suddenly, the woman looked at me, sitting on the window frame.
"Oh, you're so cute. Did you hear something that you shouldn't have?"
"Hmm? A kitty?"
"Eli would have loved kittens, wouldn't she?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"This is what I really like you for."
The woman comes up to me and caresses my cheek.
A warm hand.
I...
I don't know what this is about.
All I know is I just wanted to wish you guys good luck on your journey.
I started to open my mouth to say a word.
"Meow."
Huh?
Did I say meow just now??
(Continue in the "EX Scenario" after the main story of "Shiei no Sona Nyl)
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