Well, that was fun…not. What a complete waste of time. Let's walk around the Dock Colony, worried for his safety, just for us to return to the Elsa to find him there being a little harsh to MOMO, who is just trying to help him. I suppose considering 'what' he is, it isn't really surprising, still, I don't like him being around, he's dangerous.

"It may be difficult, but it will be over soon."

Nephilim…yes, I know that. How are you guiding her? Do we really have any right? But then, if not, Wilhelm would be wrong in trying to help too, wouldn't he? It's not that I disagree with his motives; after all, I've left him to it, up until recently. Sometimes I don't agree with his methods, but I understand why he has to employ them, it isn't as though he could just ask them, or tell them the truth. But all the same, if they don't want his help anymore, shouldn't he stop?

No, it isn't fair of me to ask that, I know he can't just stop. For the few who are rebelling against him, there are far more who are relying on him and Mary. They share his fear of destruction, and along with him, they find a few sacrifices acceptable for the needs of the many. He isn't really doing anything wrong, but I can't ignore their pleas for an end to this circle either.

To be honest, I think he's tired of doing this too, but Wilhelm isn't the type to quit, no matter how much he may want to. I think we both want to be free of our responsibilities, especially now that they're causing problems between us. I've changed so much with him since this all started, it's like I'm no longer myself when I'm with him, I know he's noticed that too, I wonder if it hurts him…?

I am sorry for all of this; I know it's hard on you, especially since you always have to stay strong. I wish there was a way to do this without causing us both so many problems, but there isn't and we both know it. I know that you aren't angry with me, you never are, it doesn't matter what I say or do. Despite that, and despite how much I love you, I can feel myself drifting further from you the closer I get to them. You wouldn't fight to keep me though, would you? You've always let me do whatever I want; no matter how much it may hurt or worry you. Thank you for that, you're too kind to me, but I appreciate that more than you know.

--

Well this isn't going very well for us at all. There is no way that the Elsa can handle this many Gnosis, I'm not even sure the Durandal could unless it was fully stocked-up. This isn't really the sort of thing a ship wants to see upon exiting hyperspace, and the others are certainly worried about it. KOS-MOS's Hilbert Effect…impressive, but how much will it really help us in this situation?

"That's amazing… Even an amplified system should only achieve a range of a hundred kilometres." MOMO stated in awe.

"C-Captain! I can't control her!" Tony yelled, removing the brief positive air of the room.

"Distortion in the gravity field! We're being pulled in!" Yeshua said, adding explanation to Tony's statement.

This is bad. The Elsa is being pulled into Cathedral Ship. I wonder if this place really is, or should I say was, Planet Ariadne. It's just Shion, KOS-MOS, MOMO, Ziggy and myself here…So, the Elsa is somewhere else? I guess we have no other choice but to look around in here, if nothing else, maybe it will be made clear if it is Ariadne.

"Where…where am I…? You're all…" Shion stuttered as she regained consciousness.

"I'm glad we're all okay." Yeshua stated reassuringly.

"chaos, where are we?" Shion asked.

"I'm not sure. I remember we were all engulfed by this light, and then…" Yeshua replied blankly, wanting to avoid sharing his presumption.

"Wait a second… This feeling… Yes, I'm sure of it. We're inside a Gnosis!" MOMO stated, concerned, but seemingly oblivious of the panic the truth would cause.

"Inside a Gnosis… Huh?!" Shion asked, unsure how to react.

"To be more specific, we are located at the approximate centre of a giant Gnosis. This Gnosis is nearly 16,000 kilometres in diameter. To date, the only Gnosis of this size on record is the one named Cathedral Ship." KOS-MOS reeled of the facts, as nonchalantly as always.

"Does that mean…we were eaten?" Shion asked, perturbed.

"That may not be far from the truth…" Yeshua replied, unable to make himself say something kinder.

I know I should be reassuring her and all, but even I have to have a little fun sometimes. Besides, telling her no would be a lie and wouldn't help, stating the facts, but in a lighter manner may help her accept this better. Why I am validating my actions to myself? That can't be a good sign…

"I wonder… Look…over there." Shion stated suddenly.

Yeshua looked up. "What is it? A sign or something?"

"Hey, it's written in English." MOMO said, stating the obvious.

"But this is odd… It doesn't look like it's stuck on the wall… Doesn't it look more like a part of the wall itself?" Shion was clearly not too sure what to think about it.

"Are you saying this sign is part of the Gnosis? How could that be…?" MOMO asked, for once showing confusion.

"Take a look around… That's not the only one. There's a lot of other stuff here, too." Yeshua stated, getting a good look at everything.

"Are we really inside a Gnosis…?" Shion asked rhetorically.

Yes, we certainly are. This was definitely Ariadne; the first sign gave that away, considering it said Ariadne Central Shopping Mall. So it's true, UTIC really did attempt a Zohar experiment with an emulator. What were they thinking…?

KOS-MOS and I would probably be best to take the lead, considering we're both rather good at dealing with the Gnosis, and something tells me this may take a while. Wandering around Cathedral Ship battling Gnosis, no doubt something will happen with him as well, I'm sure Nephilim has been talking to her, trying to prepare her.

Well, at least we're getting closer now, not only to the Elsa, but to the Emulator too, not that I'm sure the latter is a good thing. So, we just have to make it through here? It won't be that easy though, will it? We'll have to deal with him too, right?

The centre at last and here is the emulator, so the next question is, where is the Elsa? Commander Cherenkov…So, this is what happens when a human becomes a Gnosis? Of course, most humans don't end up quite as huge and powerful as he has, but then, it wasn't as though he was 'normal' to begin with, so it shouldn't be surprising. Still, this looks as though it could prove to be a challenge…

Hm, I was right, that wasn't an easy battle, even with our A.G.W.S. At least it's over now and everyone is okay, well, apart from the Commander, of course. So what now? Shion will learn the truth from him?

MOMO shakes Shion's shoulders, concerned. "Shion! Shion!"

"…What was that…? Where's Commander Cherenkov…" Shion asks blankly, not wanting to accept or admit the truth.

chaos hesitates in answering, unsure of what to say. "Shion…"

"chaos! Shion yelled, grabbing chaos' hand. "What just happened? Where is he? What have we done?! Tell me…"

I knew this would be hard for her, we both did, but it was the only way he could find peace; wasn't it Nephilim? It's a shame that so much rests on her, but it cannot be avoided, and strength is something she will need to learn. Though that doesn't mean I won't comfort her a little.

"Was that really the Commander?! Tell me, chaos! Surely we didn't…" Shion asked, still sobbing slightly.

chaos placed both of his hands on Shion's shoulders. "Shion… The truth isn't always a pleasant thing to know."

"chaos… Are we all…going to end up like him…?"

"We're still here and none of us have turned into Gnosis. Perhaps we can take solace in that. Here stand up…"

I don't want to tell her that everything will be okay, even though I'm quite sure it will be, I can't guarantee that I'm right. Giving people false hopes isn't something I enjoy doing, even to cheer them up.

Right on cue, the Elsa appears. That's good; I can't really say that I wanted to stay in here with the connection between our realm and the imaginary realm dispersing. If it continued with us in here, we would be in danger, well, they would, I can survive in space, unlike them.

The Durandal is here? That's good, there is no way the Elsa stood a chance against that many Gnosis, I doubt the Elsa is fast enough to out-run them even. It seems even the Durandal is struggling, but then, it looks as if they've already been in a battle before running into us. KOS-MOS…or is it Mary? Is this your will? Yes, that power, I'm sure it was Mary's, either way, the Gnosis are gone, and the Elsa and Durandal are safe. Now we just have to meet up with Jr.

"Thanks for helping us out." Yeshua stated brightly when they arrived on the bridge of the Durandal.

"You guys better fill me in on the situation later. Man, what the heck is going on here…? And Momma's gone and caught a bug, so we can't perform any investigations or analyses for a while." Jr. replied, clearly troubled, but glad to see them nonetheless.

"That's terrible." Yeshua replied

"Tell me about it." Jr. said before they continued talking.

"This is bad, Chief! We can't associate with these people!" Allen whispered to Shion.

Jr. approached Allen, having heard his comment. "Hey, hey, I heard that, man. Would you rather we left you here in space?"

"Uh, n-no, sorry, sir!" Allen yelped.

"Look, Little Master, what do you say we just leave this wuss behind?

He spends all his time moaning and groaning…" Matthews asked; going along with Jr.'s game.

"Hey! Come on, Captain…! c-chaos! Help me out here!" Allen begged, getting increasingly worried.

"Well…it's not really up to me, you know. I'd better leave this one to you two." Yeshua replied, hiding the smile threatening to make its way onto his face.

"Then I'm definitely giving him the boot." Jr. stated, not bothering to hide his enjoyment.

"C…Come on!" Allen pleaded again.

Jr. laughed slightly, deciding it was time to end the game. "Hey man, don't freak out. We're just playing…"

Well, we're on the Durandal at last, which means I finally get some space, once Jr. has been updated on the situation. Still, despite everything that still needs to be done, it will be a while until we'll arrive back at the Foundation, that should give me enough time to pay a certain someone a visit. I get to escape for a while at last, I'm so glad; even though I am enjoying their company everyone needs space too.


Quite a lot of 'talking' in this one, sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed anyway. Later.