Oracle of the Three Towers

by Pentalithia

Growing up in Skuwat village, Eumelia had always had a vague feeling of something not quite right… but it wasn't until disaster struck that she realized she may be destined for greater things.

5. Nightmare's Demise

"Well, that was fun!" Eumelia said, stretching a little. "Feels like we've been all over the city, but… I think it's about time we find Espada."

The sun was now low on the horizon, and it wouldn't be much longer before it began to set.

"Is there a reason to find Espada in particular…?" Ilya asked.

"Because Kauron should be heading to where Espada is," Eumelia said. "Maybe he's already there…"

She looked around for a moment, getting a bearing on her location.

"Ah, it looks like we're pretty close to Song Stone Park," she said. "Let's go up there for now."

"Huh? But that's a dead end, right?" Ilya said.

"For most people, it would be," Eumelia said. "But if you can fly…"

"Huh…? Oh, do you mean… that grand falcon?" Ilya asked.

"Of course," she said. "I think it should be able to carry both of us. Don't you think it might be fun? And it'll be easier to find Espada from the air."

"Well, I can't deny any of that," Ilya said, grinning. "So what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

He took off at a run, and Eumelia quickly caught up and kept pace with him. Within a minute or two they arrived at the stairs connecting to Song Stone Park, and soon after they emerged at the summit, where Eumelia opened her mouth to sing.

"Wee touwaka wa jass ferx ess here."

She sang until Falc appeared from the skies and landed next to them. Then she opened her eyes and smiled at it, pulling out some dried meat she'd purchased earlier.

"Thank you for coming, Falc," she said, ripping the package open. "Here, have a little treat."

The bird snatched the meat from her hands and swallowed it whole, letting out a pleased-sounding squawk. Then she hopped up on the rail and mounted the bird before reaching down to help Ilya up as well.

"Let's go, Falc!" she exclaimed.

She launched once more into the song, and Falc stretched its wings and took off. She winced a little at Ilya's vice grip around her waist, but there wasn't a lot she could do about that. She herself was clinging tightly to Falc's neck in any case. They soared over the city, scanning for any signs of Espada, eventually finding him on the outskirts just north of the airport, gazing up at the tower. But Eumelia also spotted something else from her vantage point – Kauron and three reyvateils were approaching his position. She directed Falc to head in the same direction, but she was too late to stop the attack – the three reyvateils broke into song moments before stepping out into the open, taking Espada by surprise. Despite that, he somehow managed to avoid their attacks, dodging and backing off as he turned to face them. She saw him dart in and try to knock one down with a blow to the back of the neck, but unlike the reveris-infected reyvateils from the previous day, she just stood back up again.

By that time, Eumelia was close enough to just barely hear the words wafting up from below.

"It won't go so simply, I see. As you'd expect with that person's son involved, I guess."

It was the voice of Kauron, though the tone did not match with what they'd seen of the man thus far. It was more flat, almost entirely free of emotion.

"You really were right, Eumelia," Ilya said. "I almost can't believe it… but it's right in front of me, so…"

"Kauron!?" Espada gasped. "Kauron, what's wrong?"

But Kauron didn't respond, instead directing the reyvateils to attack Espada from behind again. Even so, he somehow managed to dodge once more.

"Those physical abilities," Kauron said. "He must have inherited them from his father."

"W-what are you… Kauron…?" Espada gasped.

The reyvateils didn't give him any time to wait for an answer though, attacking ceaselessly. When he managed to strike one in the back of the neck, knocking her down, Kauron shook his head.

"It's useless," he said. "They're just puppets."

"What on earth are you talking about!?" Espada asked.

At that moment, Eumelia dug out something she'd bought that morning from the weapon shop at the inn – a bottle of dreamchaser water. Directing Falc to swoop low over the battlefield, she uncapped it and emptied it almost directly over Kauron's head. As the liquid splashed onto his face, he glanced up, but then he stumbled, probably affected by the soporific effects of the liquid. The reyvateils suddenly stopped attacking, and Eumelia directed Falc in to land, sliding off his back while swinging Ilya around so as to catch him in a princess carry.

"Espada, we need to get away for now!" Eumelia shouted. "Come this way! Quickly, before he recovers!"

Though dreamchaser water should have put Kauron to sleep, it seemed it wasn't as effective on him as it should have been, perhaps because he was a program. Eumelia quickly set Ilya down as Espada turned to stare at her.

"Come on!" Eumelia insisted. "Or do you want to be killed just like your parents were?"

Suddenly, Kauron transformed his right arm into some sort of monstrous shape and lunged at Espada, but, perhaps due to the effects of the dreamchaser water, his aim was far enough off that Espada barely even had to dodge.

"I missed, huh…?" Kauron said.

With that, the man tripped and fell face down on the ground. His hat fell off, revealing a strange tattoo on his forehead. For a few moments he didn't move at all, but then he started to struggle, attempting to regain his feet.

"Kauron…?" Espada said.

"Hurry up, Espada!" Eumelia shouted.

Ilya decided to join in as well.

"Are you an idiot?" he shouted. "You're in no condition to fight right now, so hurry up and retreat! Eumelia bought you some time, so why the hell are you wasting it!?"

"Kauron…?" Kauron said, still face-down on the ground. "No… we are… exclusive anti-reyvateil test viruses, the reveris virus prototype."

Eumelia unhooked her whip and stepped forward, swinging it at Espada with all her might.

"Snap out of it, you idiot!" she shouted. "Can't you see that's not the Kauron you know!?"

He yelped and spun to glare at her.

"What the hell are you doing!?" he shouted. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"Can't you at least take a helping hand when it's offered to you!?" Eumelia shouted. "Do you have a death wish? Should I have just tossed you over the side instead of trying to help? The drug I used clearly won't stop him for very long, and neither you nor I are capable of fighting three reyvateils who don't even tire, so stop dilly-dallying and get the hell out of here with us!"

She rehooked her whip, seizing one of Espada's hands in both her own, and Ilya darted forward to seize the other. Espada barely resisted as the two of them dragged him away, though he did protest verbally.

"But he's my friend, Kauron!" he insisted. "I don't know what's wrong, but…"

"What kind of friend tries to kill you?" Eumelia retorted. "Are you that much of a dimwit that you can't even tell when your life is in danger? Don't tell me your father was like that too!"

"He was not!" Espada shouted. "How dare you insult my father!?"

"And how do you think your father died, anyway?" Eumelia retorted. "Wasn't it exactly the same as the situation just now?"

"Huh?" Espada said. "Well… I suppose it was similar, but… Kauron wasn't…!"

"Really?" Eumelia said. "That creature said it himself, didn't it? It's a virus, not your dear friend Kauron. You really are denser than I thought…"

By this time, they'd reached the forested area right at the edge of the land, between the airport and the north fork of the river. The sound of the waterfall was just barely audible in the distance, but Eumelia led them away from it, heading into the airport zone and cutting across it. Falc was still following them, hopping along behind them, and she paused to face it as they approached the southern river.

"Ilya, Espada, can you keep heading towards Starry Avenue?" she asked. "I'm going to fly up and see if I can find Sonnet and Adagio."

"Sure thing," Ilya said. "I think I should be fine for a little while."

So Eumelia hopped onto Falc's back again and rose up into the air. She spotted Sonnet and Adagio on the bridge connecting to the Church of Elemia island and swooped low enough to pass just under the bridge.

"Sonnet! Adagio! Espada's over by the river!"

"Oh, it's Eumelia!" Adagio exclaimed. "Look, she's riding the great big bird!"

"W-we don't have time to gawk!" Sonnet protested.

Eumelia directed Falc back up into the air, leading Sonnet and Adagio towards Espada and Ilya. She landed Falc right on the bridge connecting the airport to Starry Avenue and slid off Falc's back.

"Thanks for the help, Falc," she said. "Go and take a good break now… oh, and have another treat as thanks."

She pulled out another package of dried meat, tearing it open for the bird to eat, then watched as it took flight and flew off. A few minutes later, Espada and Ilya arrived, and Sonnet and Adagio ran up not long after that.

"W-what's going on?" Sonnet asked. "I sensed something… something strange… I… I thought… I sensed something like a virus. Did you guys see anything…?"

"Kauron entered berserk mode," Eumelia explained. "He attacked Espada."

"Huh?" Adagio said. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Kauron is a virus," Eumelia said. "He even said so himself."

"That old man is a virus!?" Adagio gasped. "No way… I've never heard of a virus taking on a human form before!"

"It's probably pretty hard to make a convincing human form," Eumelia said. "I guess Kauron is one of only two human-form viruses…"

"T-there's another too!?" Sonnet gasped. "Who? Where!?"

"That's not important right now," Eumelia said. "What's important is that Kauron is after Espada's life, but Espada can't get over their former emotional connection."

At that moment, the three reyvateils under Kauron's control suddenly appeared on the bridge, flinging their song magic at the group. Sonnet stepped up quickly, singing her song of protection to block the attacks.

"Ma ki gagis syearr rre fwal mea haoud ttu xe khal maxim."

"It really is him!" Adagio gasped.

"Dammit, they already caught up," Eumelia groaned.

As one of the controlled reyvateils began to sing again, Adagio shouted.

"Hatito!"

A great gust of wind swooped down along the bridge, throwing all three reyvateils back. Kauron however managed to stay on his feet.

"It's useless," Kauron said.

"He… he's right," Sonnet said. "We have to retreat."

"Eh? I thought we were doing just fine?" Adagio said.

"The chance to win is too slim," Sonnet said. "Right now we're at a disadvantage. Adagio, Eumelia, Ilya, Espada, please… let's get out of here and regroup!"

"Oh, okay," Adagio said.

"Kauron…!" Espada shouted.

The three controlled reyvateils were already back on their feet and beginning to sing.

"Do not let them escape!" Kauron said.

But Adagio called out another of his spell words.

"Baruma!"

With the resulting shield blocking the reyvateils' initial volley, the five of them turned to run for the edge of the river. Instead of taking Starry Avenue though, they turned to head along the river bank, straight towards the waterfall. The sound of the water rose and soon became deafening, but then the road hooked to the right to follow the edge of the land, the rushing sound fading away again. They passed the turn-off to the church and followed the road to the right along the outskirts of the city for a bit, then headed offroad and eventually ended up at the tree where Sonnet and Masticus had spoken over the radio. Sonnet knelt by Espada to cast a healing song magic, while Adagio questioned her health.

"Are you okay to be using song magic?" he asked. "Isn't your condition still a little…?"

"No, I'm fine," Sonnet said.

"I'm… sorry," Espada said. "I really… troubled Eumelia back there… and everyone else too…"

"So… what on earth happened back there, Espada?" Adagio asked. "What was the old man doing? Is he really a virus? He was attacking you though… so he obviously wasn't himself."

"I know that!" Espada shouted.

"Having seen him for myself, I'm certain of it," Sonnet said. "Kauron really is a virus."

"But… it can't be!" Espada protested.

"But his eyes had turned red," Eumelia said. "Isn't that evidence enough?"

"Red eyes is a peculiar characteristic of the reveris virus," Sonnet said. "To see those symptoms appearing in Kauron, who isn't even a reyvateil…"

"Shut up!" Espada shouted.

"Then… the source of the reveris disease is… that old man?" Adagio said.

"No," Sonnet said. "I don't think he's the original source."

"Of course, if he's a virus, there must have been someone who programmed the virus," Eumelia agreed.

"So then… what are you two saying?" Adagio asked.

"Based on the symptoms I've seen, I've come to a conclusion," Sonnet said. "I think the true form of the reveris virus exists in Platina. It's like a parasite in the cosmosphere of a reyvateil, but we have yet to discover a good way to delete the real body."

"So… Kauron is… different…?" Espada said.

"Yes, he must be," Sonnet said. "Though from the similarity of the symptoms… I don't think it's possible for them to be completely unrelated."

"T-then… it's not like the reveris disease has a commander-in-chief," Espada muttered. "But did you think Kauron was a virus the entire time we were together?" Raising his voice, he shouted, "Do you expect me to believe that!?"

"But it's the truth," Sonnet said.

"Kauron himself said he was the reveris prototype," Eumelia said. "So I think what that means is that there's two versions of reveris – Kauron is the older version, while Sonnet's must be the newer version."

"I think… yes, that could make sense," Sonnet said. "Perhaps it's more serious than I thought… what if there's yet a third version?"

Suddenly the sound of an explosion resonated from the city, startling them.

"It's starting to get violent!" Adagio said.

"We have to stop them somehow!" Sonnet said.

"But restraining them… probably won't work," Eumelia said. "Even after Espada knocked them down, they just got right back up again… like puppets."

"No… there is a way," Sonnet said. "There's only one other way… to cut them off from the source that is manipulating them."

"Y-you don't mean…?" Adagio gasped.

"Yes," Sonnet said. "We have to delete the virus."

"What!?" Espada shouted, grabbing her by the collar.

"Espada, stop it!" Adagio shouted.

"You're hurting her!" Eumelia shouted.

"Don't mess around!" Espada shouted. "There's no way we can do that!"

Eumelia gave him a good kick to the shin, and he winced and loosened his grip on Sonnet's collar.

"We cannot leave things as they are," Sonnet said. "The situation is only going to get worse. There's also a danger for the reyvateils who're being manipulated…"

"Shut up!" Espada shouted. "I know that! But…"

"Espada, I hope… that you will help me," Sonnet said.

Startled, Espada released her and stepped back, staring at her.

"W-what!?" he said.

"I'm sure that he also wishes for this," Sonnet said. "Besides… if you can't stop him, at this rate someone else will. If it comes to that, don't you think you will regret this?"

Silence fell for a few seconds, and then Sonnet sighed.

"I suppose it was too rough of a decision to suddenly throw at you," she said.

She turned her back on them, looking towards the city.

"Huh? Sonnet?" Adagio said.

"I'm going," Sonnet said. "The suffering of those reyvateils is too much for me to ignore."

With that, she took off at a run, Adagio calling her name in vain. Then Espada made as if to follow, but Adagio grabbed him by the arm.

"Let me go, Adagio!" he shouted. "I have to stop her! She's going to kill Kauron!"

"No way, man!" Adagio said. "What do you plan on doing if you stop Sonnet? If someone doesn't do something then nothing will change! Besides, if you go up against the old man right now, you won't be able to fight him! You'll just end up as a wreck! First you need to calm down, okay?"

Silence fell for a bit as Espada no doubt turned Adagio's words over in his mind. After a minute or so, he uttered a single word.

"F-father…!"

At that moment, someone leap down from the branches of the tree.

"Hey, look who's here," Eumelia said.

The person grinned at them. It was Adagio's double.

"W-what is it!?" Adagio gasped. "Now's not the time for me—"

"Perfect timing," Eumelia said, cutting him off. "Your magic can show people memories, right? Could you show Espada the relationship between Kauron and Svelt Reid, up to the moment he died? Think of it as a favour to us… and I'll owe you a favour in return. And while you do that, I'll go after Sonnet."

The double stared at her, then shrugged and grinned, raising his staff above his head without a word. At the same time, Eumelia broke into a run down the hill, so she didn't see the moment where the double spun his staff to draw Espada into his soulspace.

She caught up to Sonnet just at the city's edge, but didn't call out to her, following her towards the sounds of commotion further in. Before long, they found a pair of knights facing the three controlled reyvateils, each of them accompanied by a reyvateil partner. One of them was Malcolm, along with his partner, Yukara.

"There's no point in knocking them out like before," Malcolm was saying. "Damn, what do we do? That's not the regular reveris disease…"

Sonnet leapt in front of him without hesitation.

"Please step back!" she said.

"Y-you're… hey, wait!" Malcolm shouted.

But Sonnet ignored him, stepping calmly towards the three reyvateils. They stopped attacking for a moment, perhaps wondering about her intentions, and Eumelia took the opportunity to step in as well.

"Please step back, you two," she said. "Especially Miss Yukara and… the other lady there. This is an enemy that a reyvateil of Ar Tonelico can't possibly hope to face."

"W-what do you mean…?" Yukara asked.

"It's not the regular reveris disease, right?" Eumelia said. "They're being controlled – the virus standing behind them has hacked into their cosmospheres and seized control of their bodies. If you continue to face him, Miss Yukara, you'll probably meet the same fate."

"N-no way…!" Malcolm gasped. "Wait… but isn't that Professor Yuglaam…?"

"Hmm… I think it's more accurate to say that it used to be Professor Yuglaam," Eumelia said. "You two knights can continue to fight alongside Sonnet if you really want, but I beg you, please order the reyvateils to retreat."

"Alright," Malcolm said. "If what you say is true… I wouldn't want to risk losing you, Yukara."

"B-but… I can still fight!" Yukara protested. "Even if what she says is true… I can still fight at least until it actually happens…!"

"And then you'd become our enemy," Eumelia retorted. "You'd end up hurting Sir Malcolm instead of fighting him. Come on, let's get out of here."

"A-alright, fine," Yukara said. "If you insist, I guess I'll have to…"

The other knight and reyvateil seemed less loathe to part, so with that settled, Eumelia led the two of them into an alleyway, out of the line of Kauron's sight. At that moment, Sonnet came to a stop and raised her head to meet Kauron's eyes.

"Reyvateil… what business do you have here?" he asked.

"Please release those girls," Sonnet said. "If that isn't acceptable, then I'll be your opponent."

"I am the reveris virus prototype," Kauron replied. "I exist to face reyvateils."

"Prototype…?" Sonnet said. "As I thought…"

Suddenly she doubled up in pain, without any obvious external cause.

"Huh? Wait, isn't that girl in danger too?" Yukara said.

"That's a very good question," Eumelia said. "But… for one reason or another, I think she has some resistance to it. Perhaps it's because she has crafted songs at level nine? Or maybe it's because she has a hymn code."

"L-level nine!?" Yukara gasped. "That's amazing… almost no partners get that high! But if that's the case, then where's her partner?"

"He couldn't be here," Eumelia said. "Let's just leave it at that, shall we?"

"Ah, um… sure…?" Yukara said.

"I think he just tried to take control of her too," Eumelia said. "But look… she's not moving. She's still in control."

Indeed, after shuddering for a few seconds, Sonnet raised her head once again.

"I see," she said. "So you hack into a reyvateil's cosmosphere, rewrite the data, and manipulate their thoughts. But that… won't work against me! Fou paks ga heighte jenge."

Kauron blocked her symphonic blast with his mutated arm and tilted his head slightly.

"You… could it be…?"

At that moment, Malcolm and the other knight leapt in front of Sonnet, causing her to gasp.

"You guys…!" she said.

"You can count on us!" Malcolm said. "We're used to fighting alongside a reyvateil! Just sing to your heart's content!"

"A-alright!" Sonnet said. "Um… those reyvateils can definitely be saved, so please…just keep them off of me until I've finished the song!"

"Understood!" Malcolm said.

"Wee au ga, grandi presia near mea, en ar ciel mea, ar tonelico… was guwo ga riomo quive harra!"

While she sang, Malcolm and the other knights held off the reyvateils' attacks, and as the song drew to a close, all three reyvateils suddenly collapsed on the spot.

"Huh!?" Malcolm gasped. "T-they're…!"

"Song magic is transmitted to the tower through the cosmosphere, and the tower responds by transmitting symphonic power in the requested form," Sonnet explained. "I've temporarily severed the connection between their cosmosphere and the tower. For a short time, they can't use song magic. Don't worry – the shock only caused them to lose consciousness. By the time they wake up, they'll be none the worse for wear."

"You," Kauron said. "Are you possibly one of the ten percent of third generation reyvateils that are able to directly control the tower? Those that possess a valid hymn code?"

Sonnet didn't respond, merely glaring at him, but he seemed to take that as a confirmation.

"In that case, I'll personally face you," he said.

"Then I'll back you up again," Malcolm said.

"Thank you very much," Sonnet said.

Malcolm leapt forward to meet Kauron's charge, the knight's sword meeting Kauron's mutated arm, and Sonnet began to sing, releasing various red magic at the enemy. None of it seemed to do any good, however – Kauron dodged some spells with ease and took others without even slowing down. Then Sonnet ran out of energy in the middle of a song and collapsed to her knees. Kauron seized his chance, darting around Malcolm and raising his mutated arm above Sonnet's head.

"Disappear," he said.

Eumelia was about to leap out to protect her when someone else beat her to it. Espada raced past her, darting out into heat of things and grabbing Sonnet in a princess carry, pulling her right out from under Kauron's nose and darting out of Kauron's sight, back into the alleyway beside Eumelia, Yukara, and the other church reyvateil.

"U-um…?" Sonnet said uncertainly.

Espada put her down with a sigh.

"Really," he said. "To desperately go that far for another person… did you even consider yourself a little?"

"Eh…?" Sonnet said.

"Don't interfere," Espada said. "I'll stop him."

"B-but Espada…!" Sonnet gasped.

"It's just as you said," Espada said. "Just defending isn't the right way of protecting those important to you. It seems… I get it now…"

Adagio caught up at about that moment, gasping for breath. They all watched as Espada stepped back out into the street.

"Espada… he's…!" Sonnet murmured.

"You've returned?" Kauron said. "Then come. Hindrances must be eliminated."

In the short time they were speaking, it seemed he'd knocked both the knights down.

"Kauron…" Espada said, drawing his sword. "I'll put a stop to you, here and now."

And with that, they leapt at each other, sword clashing against arm, over and over and over again. Sometimes Kauron fired small blasts of symphonic energy, similar to the basic song magic that every reyvateil knew, but Espada had no trouble dodging every single one. At one point, he actually managed to sever Kauron's mutated arm, but he just grew a new one in its place, even more grotesque than the first.

Suddenly, Kauron faltered for no visible reason and started speaking.

"Error… protection mode forced activation," he said. "RVP mode shutdown… management… solution… no…"

And then the man's emotionless face suddenly changed into a sort of sad smile, startling Espada… but it was too late to stop his lunge now. Espada's sword was buried deep in Kauron's chest just moments later, and then the old man's body suddenly turned to smoke and vanished, leaving only his clothes behind. Espada flung his sword away and knelt to examine Kauron's remains, finding a grathnode crystal that could have been the core of the false body.

As Espada picked up the crystal and gazed at it, laying in the palm of his hand, Eumelia sang her stealth song and darted out towards Espada's sword, laying on the ground a short distance away. Espada closed his hand on the crystal and brought it to his chest, silent tears flowing down his face.

Then Sonnet stepped forward after Eumelia – not following her, exactly, just moving with the same intention. As the older girl caught up, Eumelia stopped her song and bent down to pick up the sword, then turned to face the startled Sonnet.

"Y-you…!" she gasped.

"What is it?" Eumelia asked. "Don't tell me you were planning to steal the sword and run off with it, were you? That's not something an apostle of Elemia would do, is it?"

She could see the frustration on Sonnet's face, but Sonnet wisely chose not to confirm or deny the accusation. If she'd confirmed it, obviously that would be bad; but if she'd denied it, it would've been obvious that she was lying, and thus would also be bad. But after a few seconds, it seemed Sonnet did have something to say after all.

"It… it shouldn't have been like this," Sonnet muttered. "I don't want to see any more damage. The prototype may have been deleted, but that doesn't mean the reveris disease is gone. But… if I could just take that hymn crystal up… then Masticus will deal with the rest."

"But you agreed to let Adagio and Espada escort you back up, didn't you?" Eumelia said. "You're not trying to back out of that agreement now, surely?"

"O-of course not…!" Sonnet said. "But I only have one…"

"One…?" Eumelia said. "Ah, could you be talking about a circula teleporter?" At Sonnet's nod, she continued. "It seems like you're misunderstanding something about how that works. If you have one already, I assume you know the Hymmnos Spell to activate it, right?"

"Ah, um… I have it written down somewhere," Sonnet said.

"That spell activates the warp gate for a certain duration," Eumelia said. "You don't need one circular teleporter per person. The three of you could all enter Platina with just one. Getting back down might be a bit tougher, but… in the worst case, I bet Adagio could fly down with Espada. There's almost certainly a better way though… maybe they could get Lady Shurelia to send them back…"

"Oh… I see," Sonnet said. "I didn't know that… but how did you know? You seem to know an awful lot about Platina and the tower for someone of the lower world…"

"I'm just someone who reads a lot of books about that sort of thing," Eumelia said with a shrug. "It might be uncommon for the general public to know such things here in the lower world, but books on all sorts of subjects are readily available after all. I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows all this stuff."

"I see," Sonnet said. "I'm sorry for looking down on you… and I've also caused you so much trouble, all of you. I'm sorry that I got you involved."

"Hey, Sonnet, you've got that all wrong," Eumelia retorted. "You didn't drag us into this. We were the ones who decided to come along. If anything, it's us who have caused you trouble."

"Huh!?" Sonnet gasped. "B-but that's… not true! You haven't caused me any trouble at all, Eumelia…! And nor has Adagio… or Ilya… or… well… I guess Espada has caused a little trouble…"

Eumelia giggled. "So don't go apologizing for something that's not even your own fault," she said.

"Um… I'm sorry…?" Sonnet said.

"And don't apologize for apologizing, either!" Eumelia scolded her.

"E-ehhhh…?" Sonnet gasped. "T-then what am I supposed to say!?"

"You could always try saying thank you for accompanying you this whole time," Eumelia retorted.

"Ah… um… t-thank you very much," Sonnet said.

"So, if all three of you are going to Platina… Adagio, I have a favour to ask of you," Eumelia said. "It might be more reliable to ask this of Espada, but… I think you're more likely to succeed."

"Huh, me?" Adagio said. "What is it? If it's within my power, I'll do it for sure!"

She dug out the note she'd written earlier and stepped up to Adagio, pressing it into his hand. Then she leaned close, standing on tiptoe to whisper in his ear.

"Please make sure Lady Shurelia receives this once you reach Platina," she whispered. "But don't let Sonnet see it… can you do that?"

"Sure thing!" Adagio said. "Or so I'd like to say, but… that's only if she'll agree to meet with me…"

Eumelia stepped back with a smile. "Given the current situation with the Star Singer, I think there's a pretty good chance she'd be willing," she said. "Though I guess that's just speculation really, but still… ah, right, they'd probably be interested to know that Misha is alive, come to think of it. I met her in Firefly Alley, the same day I met you guys."

"I'll do my best!" Adagio said. "And I'll let them know about Misha, too."

He stuffed the note into his pocket, grinning at her.

"But you know, you do still need to deal with that double of yours first, okay?" Eumelia said. "I'm sure Espada will need a bit of time to prepare supplies for climbing the tower, so why not go talk to the doppelganger tomorrow?"

"Ugh, fine," Adagio said. "I'll see what I can do…"

"U-um… who were you talking about just now…?" Sonnet asked. "Do you perhaps… know someone else in Platina…?"

"No, of course not," Eumelia said. "How could I know anyone in Platina? I was born and raised in Skuwat village, and later the Falcon's Claw." She smiled. "Please don't worry about it… it's not that important, really. Think of it as equivalent to asking one's idol for an autograph."

"I-I see…?" Sonnet said. "No, actually I don't really get it, but… if you're talking about an idol, the only one I can think of would be… Lady Shurelia…?"

Eumelia shrugged and refrained from confirming the older girl's suspicious. Instead, she turned towards Espada, thinking about addressing him as a way to change the topic. However, Malcolm apparently took that as his opportunity to approach and address them.

"Excuse me," he said. "You have saved us once again, so allow me to thank you for it."

"Ah, y-you're welcome!" Sonnet said.

"It's a relief for all that trouble to be finished," Malcolm said. "But I was wondering, do you have any idea what was the cause of it?"

"Hmm, well… how should I put this…?" Eumelia mused. "Someone out there who really hates reyvateils decided to write a virus to eliminate them… I guess?"

"And that man – Professor Yuglaam – was infected by this virus?" Malcolm asked.

"Rather than infected, I think he was the virus itself," Eumelia said. "Given how his body disappeared like that, it must've been created via flip-flop conversion, right?"

Malcolm blinked at her in confusion.

"Ah, um, forgive me, but I'm not well-versed in the theories of sound science," he said. "Could you explain that again in layman's terms?"

"Basically, his body was created out of magic from the tower," Eumelia said. "So when the source of that magic stopped, the body vanished."

"That makes a lot more sense," Malcolm said. "But why would a virus pose as a professor like that…?"

"I'm honestly not sure myself," Eumelia said. "It seemed to be some sort of protection mechanism to obscure his true identity, but… it really is strange how it sometimes worked in direct contradiction to his original purpose…"

"Then… does this mean that reveris is over too?" Malcolm asked.

Eumelia shook her head.

"No… someone must have programmed that virus," she said. "And if that person isn't dealt with, what's to stop them from programming another?"

"So… are you saying we would need to defeat the Mother Virus to put a stop to it once and for all?" Malcolm asked.

"What…?" Eumelia said. "What would the Mother Virus have to do with any of this? The Mother Virus has a deep hatred, it's true, but it's directed against humans, not reyvateils. No, this virus must've been created by someone else."

"I can't imagine there are many people capable of creating such a virus though," Malcolm said.

"Yes, you'd probably be right about that," Eumelia said. "In any case… maybe things will at least calm down for a bit now that Kauron is gone. As for the true culprit… well, let's just hope someone can find him soon, right?"

"I suppose you're right," Malcolm said. "We don't even have any leads, so it would be difficult to search for this person…"

"Um, if you don't mind, could you leave this matter to me?" Sonnet said. "I think I have a slight lead…"

"Then there is still hope," Malcolm said. "Thank you. We will be praying for your success."

With that settled, Malcom turned to help some other knights that were already beginning to clean up the debris from the battle. Eumelia approached Espada and said his name.

"Espada."

He glared up at her with teary eyes.

"What?" he said.

"Um… I'm sorry for your loss," Eumelia said.

"Shut up," Espada snapped. "I don't need to hear words of consolation from a child."

"Would you rather I say good riddance?" Eumelia retorted.

"Y-you…!" he exclaimed.

Eumelia sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn't have bothered," she muttered.

She turned and walked away. Ilya stepped over to her, looking a little concerned.

"That was… quite something," he said. "But are you okay, Eumelia? You look a little… how should I put it…"

"Eh?" Eumelia said. "A little… what, exactly?"

"Umm… tired… maybe?" Ilya said.

"R-really…?" she said. "I don't think I'm all that tired though…"

"Maybe it was my imagination," Ilya said. "But I thought… no, never mind, if you're okay, then that's all that matters."

At that moment, a man from the church ran up, approaching Malcolm. He looked more like a priest than a knight.

"Excuse me!" he said. "Do you know where Professor Yuglaam is?"

"Huh?" Malcolm said. "Why do you ask…?"

"There was a message saying he hadn't collected the materials he ordered," the priest replied.

"Huh?" Adagio said. "Wonder what that's all about…"

"Well—" Malcolm began.

Suddenly Espada shot to his feet and stepped towards them.

"I'm the one who's dealing with all that," he said. "Could you show me the way?"

"I see, that'll help," the priest said. "Right this way…"

"Espada, what're you doing?" Adagio asked.

"I'm going to stop by somewhere," Espada said. "I'll see you at the inn or something."

"Oh, okay," Adagio said.

With that said, he accompanied the priest towards the church.

"Perfect," Eumelia said. "Alright, now that everything's all wrapped up, let's get back to the inn and have dinner. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

Ilya chuckled. "Me too, actually. Come on!"

"A-alright," Sonnet said.

Still holding on to Espada's sword, Eumelia joined the others as they returned to the church.

---

Eumelia woke up late the next morning. Perhaps Ilya had been right. Maybe she was a little tired. She wasn't the only one, however – Sonnet was also still fast asleep in the bed next to her. Deciding to leave the older girl to sleep a bit longer, she headed downstairs and once again found only Ilya there.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked.

"Ah, Espada's out getting supplies," Ilya said. "Adagio went off somewhere, saying something about a contract. And Sonnet… well, you'd know better than me, but…"

"Well, you don't need to say it," Eumelia said. "She is indeed still sleeping. I was a little worried she might take the sword and leave in the night, but I guess she was too tired for that."

"Ah, right, you didn't get a chance to return it to Espada, right?" Ilya said. "But then, where is it?"

"I stashed it under the bed," Eumelia said. "It's possible Sonnet doesn't even know… though I'm sure she'd find it quickly if she just looked around a bit. Anyway… have you had breakfast?"

"Eumelia, it's almost midday," Ilya retorted. "I had breakfast hours ago! You really were pretty tired, weren't you?"

"It's really that late!?" Eumelia gasped. "I really didn't think I was all that tired last night, though… but I slept like a log…"

"So, how about we sit down to lunch right now?" Ilya suggested. "I'm getting hungry again myself."

"Sure," Eumelia said. "Sounds good."

While they were eating lunch, Sonnet came down and joined them. She seemed to have a bit more appetite than before, though Eumelia thought she really wasn't eating enough, like Adagio had said. They were just finishing up their meal when Espada and Adagio returned together. There was a strange creature perched on Adagio's shoulder that looked like a bit like a small dragon, with two legs, a scaled tail, and a pair of wings about where the ears should be. But the head was fully human, and the skin on his belly was smooth rather than scaled. His eyes did look a little strange though, with slitted pupils. The hair on his head was exactly the same colour as Adagio's.

"Over here!" Ilya called, waving.

"There they are!" Adagio said, waving back.

The two came over to join them.

"Did you two have lunch already?" Eumelia asked.

"Oh, we got some delicious skewers from a street stall," Adagio said. "So, I'd like you to meet Meer!"

"What an unimaginative name," Eumelia retorted. "That's Hymmnos for 'myself' after all."

Sonnet giggled. "But it's just like you, Adagio. Um, so… is everything ready to go…?"

"We can depart as soon as you're ready," Espada said.

Sonnet shot to her feet.

"Then I'll just grab my things from the room!" she said. "I won't be a minute!"

Eumelia got up to follow as Sonnet headed for the stairs, gathering her things as well as Espada's sword from under the bed. They were soon back downstairs, Espada's sword back on his hip, heading towards the airport.

"So… this is where we say goodbye, right, Eumelia?" Sonnet said.

"I'm afraid so," Eumelia said. "I'd like to climb the tower with you, but… Vivian would be worried if I'm gone that long, so I've gotta return home."

"Then there's a good chance we won't see each other again," Sonnet said, a little morosely.

"No, there isn't," Eumelia said. "In a few years, I'll climb the tower too, so let's meet again then!"

"It's not that easy to climb the tower though," Sonnet said. "You need the circula teleporter, after all… and there are a lot of monsters…"

"Don't worry about it," Eumelia said. "Just promise me to show me around Platina next time we meet. How does that sound?"

Sonnet smiled. "Of course!" she said. "I'd be happy to!"

"So, you two are taking a flight back to Firefly Alley, right?" Adagio said. "While the three of us take a flight to… where was it again?"

"Sylva Plate," Espada said. "It's the lowest point of the tower that you can conveniently climb from, and also the lowest point that's free of wyverns and bird monsters that'll attack ships. So we'll start climbing from there."

"Then we'll pass through Em Pheyna," Adagio said. "Huh? Wait… what about the Pheyna Gate?"

"There's a way to sneak around it, isn't there?" Sonnet said. "Although it's not something just anyone could pull off…"

"Is that so?" Adagio said. "Then I guess we're all set!"

When they arrived at the airport, they found a flight to Sylva Plate already waiting, so the three of them boarded immediately.

"Goodbye, Eumelia!" Adagio called. "Goodbye, Ilya! Let's meet again sometime!"

Then the two of them headed to the dock for Firefly Alley transports, and took a seat to await the next one.

---

As fate would have it, the flight to Firefly Alley bearing Eumelia and Ilya passed right by an incoming flight from Skuwat Island carrying Aurica. If only the sisters had happened to look out the window at exactly the right moment, they might have seen one another… but that was not to be. Instead, Aurica disembarked from her ship, still none the wiser about her younger sister's survival, and followed the directions to find the church – she took a left after crossing the bridge over the river, then followed the road out of the city and past a small wooded area until she reached a bridge connecting to a separate piece of floating land. She paused to gaze up at the church building on the other side of the bridge, an impressive structure with multiple towering spires. Then she put one foot on the bridge, hesitating a moment, before forging onwards.

When she arrived at the church, she accosted a knight on duty at the door.

"Um… excuse me…?"

"Ah, yes," the knight said. "May I help you with something?"

"Ah, um, yes, maybe," Aurica said. "Where would I go if I want to join the church…?"

"That depends," the man said. "Are you a reyvateil? Or do you wish to train as an oracle knight?"

"Ah, I'm… a reyvateil," Aurica said.

"Then you should probably see Cardinal Radolf," the man said, pointing to her right. "Head down that corridor, turn left at the first fork, and it'll be the second door on the right. I'm not sure if he's in right now, however – you may have to wait for a bit."

"T-thank you very much!" Aurica said.

Bowing, she hurriedly followed the man's instructions, soon arriving at a door very prominently marked 'Cardinal Radolf'. She paused to take several deep breaths, then timidly knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

The response was almost immediate, startling her. After a few more breaths, she took hold of the knob, turning it and pushing the door open. The interior looked less like an office and more like a training room, though there was a desk in one corner. A man with short brown hair wearing the uniform of the church knights stepped forward to greet her. He'd apparently been talking with a woman with short silver hair, who looked Aurica over curiously.

"Good afternoon," the man said. "May I help you with something?"

"Ah, um… I'd like to join the church as a reyvateil," Aurica said.

"So that means you're new around here?" he said. "Welcome to the Church of Elemia. I am Cardinal Radolf, and this is my former partner, Fayma."

"Um… why former…if I may ask?" Aurica asked.

"Because the partnership system is between oracle knights and holy maidens," Radolf explained. "As a cardinal, I don't require a partner anymore. So, what is your name?"

"Oh, I'm… Aurica Nestmile," she said.

Radolf nodded. "Fayma, could you see to it that she gets a proper uniform and quarters?" he asked. "I'll arrange for the examination to determine your class, and a meeting with Bishop Falss. We can deal with the paperwork then."

Fayma nodded. "Of course," she said. "Welcome to the church, Aurica. I am the matron of the east dorms, so we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Please, come right this way."

She led Aurica out of that room into a completely different sector of the church. There were a lot of other reyvateils here, some of whom looked at her curiously.

"Um… may I ask… why do I have to meet the bishop?" Aurica said. "Um… not that I mind, but… I'd think someone like him would have no time for a new recruit…"

"It's something of a ceremony," Fayma said. "You're being inducted as a Holy Maiden of the church, after all. It doesn't technically need to be Bishop Falss who does it, so there's a chance you won't meet him, but… it just so happens that he enjoys performing the ceremony, so most likely it'll be him."

"I… I see," Aurica said.

"So, have you crafted any song magic yet?" Fayma asked.

"Oh, um… I have two," Aurica said. "A healing song, and a green magic sonic burst."

"That's not too bad for your age." Fayma said. "Perhaps you could be a class C, if you're lucky…"

"I hope so," Aurica said.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough," Fayma said. "It's not really worth worrying about it right now – it won't change anything."

"Y-yeah… I guess you're right," Aurica said.

Fayma stopped at a door and opened it, revealing a rack of uniforms.

"Do you know your sizes?" she asked. "Or should I measure you?"

"Ah," Aurica said. "My guardian wrote that down for me, since she's been making my clothes until now… just a minute…"

She dug into her bag until she found the scrap of paper that the old lady had written her latest measurements on.

"Here you go," she said.

Fayma took it and pursed her lips as she read it.

"So with these measurements, I think you'd fit into the size three," she said.

She flipped through all the uniforms, examining a tag on each one, until she found the one she was looking for. Then she took it down and held it up in front of Aurica, looking it over appraisingly.

"It might need a little adjustment," she said. "But it looks like this should be about right. I'll get you a few spares later as well."

"T-thank you," Aurica said.

"Now, about your room," Fayma said. "Come with me."

Closing the door to the closet, she led Aurica up a flight of stairs.

"So, did you travel far to get here?" Fayma asked.

"Oh, um… I'm from Skuwat Village, so…"

Fayma looked at her in surprise.

"Really? I heard the entire place was razed, with no survivors…"

"W-well… I… I wasn't home when that… happened," Aurica muttered. "I've been living with an old couple near there ever since…"

"I see," Fayma said. "Then you must have lost family as well, right?"

Aurica nodded. "Mom… Dad… and a little sister," she said. "She'd just awakened as a reyvateil, too…"

"I'm so sorry for bringing up bad memories," Fayma said. "Ah, this one will be yours."

She stopped in front of a room with the number 131 emblazoned on it. The corridor they'd been walking down was filled with doors on both sides, indicating that the rooms couldn't be very large. Fayma pulled out a key and opened the door to 131, pushing it open and ushering Aurica inside.

Though it was quite narrow, the room was deeper than she'd expected. There was space for a tiny writing desk right beside the door, with a chair behind it. Just behind that was the bed, stretching almost to the back of the room and filling half the width of the room. Just behind the bed was a chest of drawers that she could put her things in, and there was a cubbyhole underneath it beside the bed for even more storage.

"If you need the toilet, it's at the other end of the hall," Fayma said, pointing. "You can't miss it. There are baths and showers there as well. Now, could you try the uniform on, please?"

"Ah, yes," Aurica said.

"Then I'll wait outside," Fayma said.

She closed the door on Aurica, leaving her alone in the tiny room. She dumped her bag on the floor next to the bed and disentangled the uniform from its hanger, carefully setting it out on the bed. Then she stripped off her travel clothes and pulled on the church uniform. It seemed to be a bit loose, especially around the chest. Once she was satisfied it was all on correctly, she pulled the door open to find Fayma still waiting.

"Um… how is it?" she asked.

"Hmm… it is a little loose," Fayma said. "But with that amount, I don't think I'll need to do anything. You're still young, so I'm sure you'll grow into it before long."

"Ah, t-thank you very much…?" Aurica said.

"Well then, you must be tired from your long journey," Fayma said. "So feel free to relax, take a nap, unpack, whatever you want. I'll come fetch you once we're ready to get you tested."

Aurica nodded. "Okay," she said.

"And here's the key, in case you feel like taking a look around," Fayma said.

She removed the key she'd used from the keychain and handed it to Aurica.

"I have spares of every key, of course, so if you lose it or something, there's no harm done," Fayma said. "Though, do try not to if possible."

"O-of course I won't!" Aurica said.

She took the key and set it on the writing desk, and then Fayma shut the door on her.

"I can't believe it," she muttered. "It was a little too easy… but… I'm really a Holy Maiden of the church, right? Or, at least… it's confirmed that I will be… the ceremony hasn't happened yet…"

She flopped down on the bed, staring up at the barren ceiling. Perhaps she would even be a class C… she knew Claire had been class B, but she wasn't entirely clear on the differences between the five classes. As long as she wasn't a class D…

---

"We're here…!" Adagio gasped.

"F-finally…!" Sonnet gasped. "I don't think… I can climb… another step!"

Espada sighed. "Guess we've gotta set up camp here," he said. "Though there's not a lot of space right here, so can we at least go a little further in?"

They'd just finished climbing the long Inferia staircase that connected the Ion Plate to the region of the tower just below the Frozen Eye.

"If… if you carry me…" Sonnet said.

"Not happening," Espada retorted.

"Come and… lean on me," Adagio said. "With a bit of effort… we'll make it!"

They headed towards the tower wall, where a door automatically opened to admit them to the tower interior.

"Actually…" Sonnet said. "It's not that late, right? I think… after a short rest, I should be fine to continue. I want to get there as soon as possible!"

"Well, if Sonnet says so, then I guess that's fine," Adagio said. "What do you think, Espada?"

"Sure, whatever," Espada said.

So they stopped to rest for a bit, and Espada even passed around snacks to replenish their energy. Then Sonnet took the lead, guiding them through the tower to a particularly prominent door. This door also opened as they approached, and the three of them piled inside. Sonnet stepped over towards a circular pattern inscribed into the floor, likely indicating some sort of teleportation device, and dug out a large metal ring of some kind and a scrap of paper, reading off from it.

"Ma num ra flip ogu ioiiooiioi yor enter ar tonelico," she intoned.

That seemed to activate the warp gate, and she stepped through without hesitation. Espada and Adagio followed her and found she'd broken into a run, so they did the same, racing through the corridors. Soon, they mounted a flight of stairs and emerged onto a somewhat busy street in Platina. There were quite a few people around, and some of them even turned to look at them, but for the most part it seemed like it wasn't all that notable for people to emerge from these stairs.

"Hey," Sonnet said. "You'll let me borrow the sword now… right?"

"If it's only for a little while," Espada said. "But where should we go while we wait?"

"Oh… there's an inn over there," Sonnet said, turning her head towards it.

"Why is there an inn?" Espada said, startled. "Surely you don't get very many travellers up here!"

"Well… it also doubles as a place for social gatherings and stuff," Sonnet said. "It just offers a few rooms on the side, just in case, I guess…?"

"So, which one is the inn, again?" Adagio asked.

Sonnet pointed, and the others followed her gaze.

"But… please, could you give me the sword now?" she asked. "I want to report to Masticus as soon as possible!"

Espada sighed. "Fine… I'll give you the sword," he said. "Just, be sure not to damage it!"

Sonnet nodded. "I'll be careful," she said.

Espada passed her the sword, and she hurried off into the city. Espada watched her go until Adagio tugged on his sleeve, pulling him towards the inn.

After they'd gotten a room and dropped off their things there, Adagio suddenly remembered something.

"Right! I have a note to deliver!" he exclaimed.

"Huh? What's this about?" Espada asked.

"It's a favour to Eumelia," Adagio said. "I think she wanted Lady Shurelia's autograph or something? I didn't quite get it, to be honest… but I promised, so I gotta do it! Let's go!"

"We should talk to the people living here too," Espada said. "I want to get a picture of the current situation…"

"We gotta ask about that lady anyway, so that's fine," Adagio said.

They headed outside, into a small square with a fountain, and spotted a few people there. Adagio hailed them cheerfully.

"Sorry, have you got a moment?" he called.

"Ah, sure," one middle-aged man with a moustache said. "I don't really mind, but… your clothes seem unusual. Could it be you're not from around here?"

"Eh?" Espada said.

"It's been several hundred years since relations between the upper and lower world broke down," the man said. "And yet… this may be a long shot, but could it be you somehow came here from the lower world?"

A woman with him, perhaps his wife, looked surprised at the suggestion.

"But… how could that be that possible?" she asked.

Meer suddenly let out a squeak, and Adagio blinked at it for a moment before turning to face the man again.

"Ah, well… I'm from the teru tribe," Adagio said cheerfully. "This time I was ordered to come as an envoy from the teru. We're investigating the situation here in Platina, and this person came along as a representative of the humans."

"Ah, I see," the woman said.

"A messenger from the teru," the man said. "I understand. So, how may I help you?

"Have you heard of the strange disease that reyvateils are suffering from?" Espada asked. "I was wondering about it a little…"

"Ah, yes, the reveris disease, right?" the man said. "I can't say the situation is good… a lot of reyvateils have died, and it's not showing any signs of getting better. I even heard rumours that the higher-ups may be preparing more betas…"

"Really?" the woman said. "When was the last time a beta was born…? I think there haven't been any since the new Star Singer, so nearly twenty years now?"

The man shrugged. "Well, it's just a rumour, so I don't know how much truth there is to it," he said. "But I do know that the Knights of Elemia are struggling with a shortage of reyvateils thanks to the disease."

"So, it's not even close to a resolution?" Espada asked.

"From what I've heard, it's nowhere near that point," the man said. "There are many researchers working on it, but… they still don't understand where the virus even came from. Professor Masticus, an expert on reyvateils, is the one leading the research, but I hear they're still struggling to define the source of the disease. The most recent news I heard from him was that they'd come up with a few ways to eliminate the source, if they could at least locate it… and that would be a major step towards resolution. That's all I know at present."

"Then the source of the infection hasn't been found yet, correct?" Espada said.

"Eh? Y-yes, that's right," the man said. "Though the administrator deleted the worst of the virus to keep it from spreading, it seems it keeps springing up again, somehow."

"Eh?" Adagio said.

"Administrator?" Espada said.

"Ah yes, people from the lower world wouldn't be used to hearing that word," another woman chimed in. "In Ar Tonelico, there exists an administrator known as Shurelia. She is duty-bound to maintain the tower."

"Shurelia!?" Adagio gasped.

The man nodded. "She and the Knights of Elemia focus on fighting viruses, which have been increasingly affecting the symphonic reactor as of late," he said. "So tension in the city is high. I hope nothing else happens."

"Say, would it be possible to meet this administrator?" Adagio asked.

"Normally it would be impossible, as she is very busy," the man said. "But as an envoy from the teru, perhaps you could get an audience. You'll most likely find her with Commander Leard at the cathedral. It's one of the biggest and most elaborate buildings around here – you can't possibly miss it."

"Alright, thanks for all the help!" Adagio said.

"Yes, thank you," Espada said.

"Come on, Espada, let's go!"

After several minutes of attempting to reach the cathedral, they finally found themselves in front of a building that seemed to fit the description. Adagio walked up without hesitation and waved to the two knights at the entrance.

"Hello!" he said. "I've come from the teru with a message for Lady Shurelia! Is there any chance I can meet her right now?"

The knights looked surprised, but one of them nodded.

"Just a minute," he said. "She is within at the moment, so I'll check if she has time to see you."

"Thank you!" Adagio said.

The knight hurried inside. A few minutes later, he emerged again.

"You may enter," he said. "Commander Leard and Lady Shurelia will see you."

Adagio and Espada headed into the cathedral, looking around in awe at the grand architecture. Eventually they came to a podium upon which stood a grumpy-looking old man with long white hair and a woman in a strange combat suit, presumably Shurelia. The man, presumably Leard, spoke up as they approached.

"Have you brought news of the Star Singer?" he asked.

"The Star Singer…?" Adagio said. "Ohh! You mean that girl, Misha, right? The one who was kidnapped by the humans a few years back? Um, I don't… oh, actually, I heard she's living in Firefly Alley, but sorry… I don't know anything more than that. I just have a message for Lady Shurelia."

Leard sighed. "Very well… speak."

"Um, it's a written message," Adagio said. "I don't actually know what it says myself… I think it's written in Hymmnos."

"Show me," Shurelia commanded.

Adagio dug out the message from his pocket and passed it to her. She unfolded and read it, frowning.

"This… do you have any evidence to back it up?" she said.

"Huh? W-what does it say…?" Adagio asked.

"May I see it as well?" Leard asked.

"Yes," Shurelia said.

She passed him the note, and his eyes widened.

"Indeed, this is quite the incredible claim," he said. "Who is Sonnet, by the way…?"

"If memory serves, she is the young reyvateil who Professor Masticus adopted," Shurelia said.

"This message claims that Professor Masticus is a traitor," Leard said. "And implies that Sonnet may be in danger. Do either of you have any evidence regarding this?"

"A traitor…?" Adagio said. "What the heck…?"

"It claims he has a plan to exterminate reyvateils," Shurelia said. "Is this truly the first you've heard of such a thing?"

"Um, um, let me think," Adagio said. "Maybe the person who wrote that note said something that could support it… or something we saw…"

"It could be related to reveris, right?" Espada said.

"Ah, you're right!" Adagio said. "We defeated a reveris prototype, but she said it couldn't have come from the Mother Virus – someone else must have programmed it. She did say it must've been programmed by someone who hated reyvateils and wanted to eliminate them. Also… Sonnet said the source of reveris must be in Platina, I think… though I'm pretty sure she wasn't thinking of Masticus when she said that…"

"The letter was not written by Sonnet, I presume?" Shurelia said.

"It wasn't," Adagio said. "It was written by a young reyvateil who seemed to know a lot of things… but I can't think of anything she said that would constitute evidence."

"Ah!" Espada gasped. "If it's related to reveris, then maybe…!"

He dug out a grathnode crystal from his pocket.

"This grathnode crystal was the core of the reveris prototype that we defeated in the lower world," he said. "Maybe you can learn something if you analyze it."

"I see," Leard said. "It's an incredible claim, but one we cannot afford to overlook. We cannot arrest the man solely on a single unsubstantiated note, but even if it is only a prank… we shall be sure to investigate it seriously."

"If Masticus truly is responsible for reveris, then he will most likely need to visit the SH Server to deploy a new version," Shurelia said. "So I will wait in the Prism Garden for a little while and see if I can catch him in the act."

"And I shall ask Horai to analyze that grathnode crystal," Leard said.

"Um… if it's not too much to ask… could I have it back when you're done with it?" Espada said.

"I do not expect the tests would be destructive," Leard said. "As long as it's intact, I'll see it returned to you."

"Then, we'll await news at the inn," Espada said.

"You may leave," Leard said.

And with that, they headed back outside.

---

"Masticus!"

Sonnet called out as she spotted the man leaning on the balcony. It was the same spot where they'd met just before she left for the lower world. She'd had a feeling he might be there, so she'd decided to check before heading to his lab.

The man turned to her with a smile.

"Hey, Sonnet," he said. "I knew I could rely on you."

"Nothing happened to you, right?" Sonnet said. "You're still okay, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course," Masticus said.

"And, what about everyone else?" Sonnet asked. "All those reyvateils…"

"I heard a few of the worst cases were saved by something called a 'proxy dive'," Masticus said. "Other than that, apparently the administrator managed to slow the spread by personally deleting many instances of the virus. But despite that, it's still spreading slowly. Several more have died in the short time you were away."

"That's a relief," Sonnet said. "I made it in time… mostly…"

"I'm glad you came back safely too," Masticus said.

He reached out to take her free hand, the one not gripping the sword to her chest.

"Huh… Masticus?" she said.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go inside for the time being."

He led her by the hand up to his lab, and they set the sword out on a table to examine it.

"So this is the hymn crystal Soporific," Masticus mused. "I see… it's as you said, the crystal is sealed within the sword. If we try to force it out, it might get damaged…"

"Um…" Sonnet said.

"What is it?" Masticus asked.

"This will… cure the reveris disease, right?" Sonnet said. "This will… return everything to normal…"

Masticus reached up to pat Sonnet on the head.

"It's okay," he said. "This way, everything will return to its true form. However, since there isn't a straightforward way to remove the hymn crystal at present, I'll need to start analyzing the data immediately. Still, it's important that we wait patiently. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Sonnet said. "Masticus… well… about the prototype…"

"Ah… what you told me about yesterday?" Masticus said. "The virus that was in the lower world…"

"Masticus, what do you think about it?" Sonnet asked. "Could someone really have created something like that…?"

"I'm also researching that at present," Masticus said. "But when you deleted it, weren't things already resolved? Everything will be over once we extract the crystal."

"That's… right…" Sonnet said.

"Anyway, you've done well," Masticus said. "You must be tired from your long journey. Stop worrying about these little things and get some rest."

"Okay," Sonnet said.

She headed upstairs to the room she called her own, kicked her boots off, and flopped into bed. Was everything really resolved by deleting Kauron? Eumelia hadn't thought so. Even if it was fewer than before, reyvateils were still suffering from reveris. But that said, Soporific should be able to finish off the last of the reveris, right?

Eumelia had said it opened the boundary gate of a reyvateil. But that couldn't be right, could it? Masticus was older and more experienced. There was no way such a young girl knew more about hymn crystals than him!

But then again, why were the descriptions of Soporific and Purger almost identical? If two hymn crystals did the same thing, shouldn't they both have the same name?

She wasn't sure what to think.

After resting there for an hour or so and failing to fall asleep, she got up again with a sigh, heading back down to the lab, where Masticus appeared to be in the middle of crunching some data. For a moment, she considered calling out to him, but then she changed her mind and headed outside instead. She ended up in Apsaranika Park and took the stairs down, making her way through the corridors until she arrived at the door to the hangar where Platina's sole airship was stored. She paused, leaning on the door, and let out a sigh. For a few minutes, she just stood there, once more running through everything in her head. But then, without even opening the door, she turned and made her way all the way back to the lab.

The lights were off now, and Masticus was nowhere to be seen. Wondering if she could figure anything out from the data he'd been analyzing, she quietly entered the lap and accessed the computer. After some poking around, she found a file that contained some shocking data.

"T-this is…!" she gasped. "Eh…? W-what the…"

"You've seen it," Masticus said.

She almost jumped out of her skin from the shock as he snuck up behind her. She spun to face him.

"M-masticus… what on earth… is this?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Masticus said. "It's just as you see, Sonnet."

"N-no… this can't be true…!" Sonnet said. "You created… the reveris disease…? Masticus…!"

"That's right," Masticus said. "It's just like that. The test version and the finished version were both created by me."

"N-no way," she said. "Then… what's the true significance of that hymn crystal? Why… why would you do such a thing?"

Eumelia's words flashed into her mind – someone with a deep hatred of reyvateils. Someone who loved her like a daughter, but hated what she was… was it even possible to reconcile those feelings?

"You… you were always… thinking of the world," Sonnet said. "Wasn't that why you were doing research?"

"That's right, Sonnet," Masticus said. "I only thought about the world… and I only lived until today to truly save it."

He smiled at her, a smile that seemed to somehow belie the words coming out of his mouth.

"That wish will soon come true, thanks to you," he said. "Thank you, Sonnet."

"T-then… I will…"

Sonnet trailed off, trying to make sense of his words, but she just couldn't fit them together in her head. With a small sob, she took off at a run, barrelling past him and just running, without even looking where she was going. She ran and ran and ran until she tripped and fell, and then she lay there on the ground sobbing.

The pendant she wore that was supposed to resonate with the hymn crystal clinked against the ground, and she pulled it off and flung it away. It bounced a few times, clinking against the ground, and lay still.

"I found her!"

It was Adagio's voice. She heard the sounds of footsteps as he ran up beside her.

"Huh, what's wrong, Sonnet?" Adagio asked. "Did that man do something to you?"

"L-leave me alone!" Sonnet sobbed, refusing to raise her head. "I d-don't want to see either of you!"

"Did that Masticus guy show his true colours?" Espada asked.

"Is it really true that he's trying to eliminate all the reyvateils?" Adagio asked.

"No, he…"

She trailed off as Adagio's words really sank in. Startled, she raised her head to look him in the eyes.

"W-what did you say!?" she shouted. "W-what do you know about Masticus!?"

"Huh?" Adagio said. "But that's what Eumelia said…"

Sonnet blinked. "W-what…?"

"That's what she wrote in the note I delivered to Lady Shurelia," Adagio said. "Though I don't know if it's actually true, but… she said Masticus is a traitor or something, and he's trying to exterminate the reyvateils."

"Eumelia… said that…?" Sonnet said.

That didn't make any sense. There was no way for Eumelia to have known. How could she? She'd never met Masticus, had barely even heard his name. Was there some clue that Sonnet had missed? She didn't think there was. How could Eumelia have known!?

But before she could work out further words to say on the matter, there was a zapping sound and a flash of light, and the administrator herself appeared beside them in her signature combat suit.

"I have been searching for you, Sonnet Viridian," Shurelia said. "Would you mind if we talked for a short while?"

She glanced at Adagio and Espada.

"Your companions are welcome to listen too, if you are okay with it."

"L-lady Shurelia!?" Sonnet gasped. "W-w-what… what is it…?"

"I can sense a hint of your anguish through the shared consciousness in the cosmosphere," Shurelia said. "So I don't wish to force this upon you… but I'd like to ask you to continue to work with Professor Masticus for a little longer."

Sonnet blinked at her in surprise.

"Even though… even though he's…?"

Shurelia shook her head. "Precisely because of his alleged plans," she said. "It is best to catch him in the act, don't you agree?"

Sonnet fell silent, pondering. Where did her loyalties truly lie? With the man who'd raised her since she was a young child and dived all the way up to the ninth level of her cosmosphere? Or with the woman whom she'd idolized for nearly as long, the tower administrator who, despite being far, far above her, had actually stooped to ask a favour of her?

"I…" Sonnet began.

She paused to wipe her tears away with her sleeves and raised her head to directly face Shurelia, wishing she could meet the woman's eyes beneath that mask.

"I… will do it," she said.

"Then, I shall meet you in the Prism Garden when the time is right," Shurelia said. "Wee i ga flip ogu ioiiooiioi enter ar tonelico."

And with that, she vanished in a flash of light. Sonnet got to her feet, avoiding the eyes of Adagio and Espada.

"So, could you show us around the city?" Adagio asked.

"No," Sonnet said. "I'm busy… I'm sorry. I don't have time right now… please leave me alone."

"Then… maybe later?" Adagio suggested.

She sighed.

"We… we'll see," she said.

And with that, she took off at a run, heading back towards the lab. Masticus was still there, as if he'd been waiting for her.

"I… I'll go with you!" she blurted out.

He turned his chair to face her.

"Sonnet… are those words really true?" he asked.

"Y-yes… I will… stay with you!" she said.

"I see," Masticus said. "Even now that you know everything, you'll remain by my side?"

"I, um… I don't know… any other way to live," Sonnet said. "So… that is… my only wish…"

That wasn't even a lie. She wouldn't know what to do if she lost Masticus, and despite what she'd learned, she still felt like she wanted to be with him. Though, she probably wanted to be with a version of him who hadn't been doing such things…

"I see," Masticus said. "I was sure you would say that. Well then… let's get going right away. The requirement is a simple one. This sword is lost technology, you see. If we can figure out where the system lies, then we can achieve our goal. So, Sonnet… shall we go?"

"Y-yes," Sonnet said.

She might have spoken big words to Shurelia, but… the truth was, she hadn't made her choice yet. She'd used Shurelia's offer as an excuse to put off the decision, but… when it came right down to it… would she be able to choose between Shurelia and Masticus? Her mind filled with thoughts of that nature, she quietly accompanied Masticus as he studied the sword… and by the time the day rolled to a close, she was still no closer to a decision.

---

"I've finally figured it out!" Masticus said. "It took a bit of guesswork, but now we can undo the seal on the sword."

It had been a few days since they'd started analyzing the sword. She hadn't seen Espada or Adagio once in that time, hadn't even stepped foot outside the lab.

"T-that's great…!" Sonnet said. "So, um… w-what now?"

"Let's go up to the observatory," Masticus said. "After you download and sing Soporific, we'll use the machine there to do a dive and make sure everything's all ready."

"Um…where…?" Sonnet said.

"The observatory," Masticus said. "If we went to Horai's dive shop, it could raise suspicions, but there's also a dive machine up in the observatory, above the Blast Line. Have you got everything ready?"

"Y-yes, I'm all good to go," Sonnet said.

She followed Masticus to a warp gate she hadn't previously known about, which took them to a drab, dead-end corridor. Masticus led the way, passing through a small lift room without pause, then reaching an intersection with further passages heading in both directions. Crossing the intersection, he opened a door on the right and ushered her into a room with walls made entirely of glass.

The room was quite different from anything that Sonnet had ever seen before. A huge cylindrical device hung from the ceiling, like a cannon aimed at the sky. Other than that, the room looked mostly like an office. She also saw a glimpse of a dive machine in the next room beyond the desk, just like Masticus had said. It looked like there was a woman here already, curled up asleep in the corner, but she didn't even stir upon their arrival.

Sonnet took a moment to peer out the windows and let out a gasp, for she could see the Blast Line far below.

"W-we really are above the Blast Line!?" she gasped.

"This is the observatory," Masticus said. "Are you ready to download Soporific?"

Sonnet turned to face him and nodded. Masticus set the sword down on the desk and fiddled with it for a bit. Something transparent slid aside, releasing the crystal, which he took out and held up between them.

"Fou paks ra exec hymmnos SOPORIFIC!" he intoned. "Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor, en chsee fwal fwal yor. Exec drone hymmnos SOPORIFIC enter LUNE FEHU EORIA ARTONELICO."

Sonnet gasped as the stored emotions flooded into her from the crystal, forming themselves spontaneously into a song. It was a sort of slow and sad song, lamenting a lost love, and as the words sprang into being, she realized they were loosely describing her life and her relationship with Masticus. She blinked several times as she realized that. Those words gave her feelings a sudden sharp clarity.

"Now sing!" Masticus commanded. "Sing, and throw yourself open to me!"

Sonnet hesitated a moment, but then she was filled with a burning need to sing those words, as if leaving it unsaid would make it a lie. So, she opened her mouth and sang.

"Tes yeeel tim, revetail manafeeze whou loss marta en fetala has. Sasye raklya. Wee au wa na firle infel hers utabi. Sasye raklya. Fou yant ga manafeeze jyel manaf yanje."

---

"Den rol moy hagol, sasye harton tarfe faja en dest. Sasye pic rre harr na wis ween lasye revm. Elna sasye hopb colgen ganna rol ganna en harr enter dep slepial. Ma num wa weel bansh gkgula. Fou quel wa nha iem reveris."

As the song drew to a close, throwing Sonnet's boundary gate wide open, she suddenly felt a presence from the tower. No, more like two presences. It was a strange feeling, like she was almost merging with the tower. The sensation gave her a sort of detached feeling, like she wasn't all there.

"Excellent!" Masticus said. "It looks like it was a success. Come now, let's do the dive."

It seemed as though Masticus hadn't noticed that Sonnet's song was referring to the two of them.

"The dive," Sonnet mused distractedly. "Right…"

She didn't resist as Masticus guided her towards the dive machine, for she was more interested in those overwhelming presences she could feel within the tower. One felt like endless warmth, like wings wrapped tightly around her, yet at the same time she sensed a deep loneliness. The presence seemed to notice her, and she sensed a hint of resolve and a notion that everything would be fine.

The other presence was fainter, a sort of dark presence welling up within the tower. It seemed like it hadn't noticed her yet, but she couldn't help but note that it was filled with great sadness and anguish.

"Come on, Sonnet, you need to lie down properly," Masticus said.

She hadn't realized, but she was already sitting in the dive pod, and her limbs were being very uncooperative. Masticus spent several minutes getting all her arms and legs securely tucked within the pod.

It was at around that moment that the dark presence suddenly shifted, an awareness stretching from it, and she sensed something almost like words emanating from it.

«Is that really what you want?»

She didn't think she had any facility to respond, so she didn't.

«I've seen inside you, so I can tell. That man is the worst kind of human.»

Feelings of hatred, of anguish, of regret, flooded into her, together with brief flashes of memories. A lab, with several men dressed similar to Masticus, poking her with various instruments. A teru warrior, freeing her from a pod. The same warrior surrounded by humans and impaled by several spears. The Right Wing of Horus in the midst of the calamity.

With a start, Sonnet suddenly realized who that presence must be. From what Eumelia had said, it could only be the Mother Virus… or Mir, as Eumelia had called her. But Eumelia had spoken like she didn't bear Mir any ill will despite all her wrongs, and Sonnet now had an inkling of why that might be.

«Do you really want to become a plaything for that kind of man?»

Mir was right. She didn't want this. She didn't want to die. She wanted to see Eumelia again, and Espada, and Adagio. Even Ilya. She also didn't want to lose Masticus, though. She wanted to be of help to him, to realize his vision of a peaceful world… or so she thought. She suddenly realized that she didn't even know what that vision was, what he was actually working towards.

«Then you must do exactly as I say,» Mir said. «Just for a moment, I can confuse the tower into mistaking you as the administrator.»

Somehow, Sonnet understood what that meant. As Masticus finally lowered the lid of the dive pod, she opened her mouth and recited a spell that she'd heard recently.

"Wee i ga flip ogu ioiiooiioi enter ar tonelico."

Normally, that should not have done anything. Even Sonnet understood that Hymmnos Spells were merely commands to the tower or other devices, which required authorization to perform. They were not song magic, and they certainly weren't something that just anyone could use, for the most part. If someone without authorization uttered a Hymmnos Spell, nothing would happen. She didn't know exactly how that worked with the warp gate at the Frozen Eye, but perhaps the circula teleporter itself was the authorization for that one.

But whatever Mir had done somehow fooled the tower into believing that Sonnet was Shurelia, and as a result, there was a flash of light. She heard Masticus gasp, but the sound was cut off in the middle as she suddenly found herself somewhere else. For an instant, her consciousness entered the tower's symphonic power lines, but then she was right back outside the room, at the intersection she'd noticed earlier.

And, to her surprise, someone else was there, having just arrived from the direction of the warp gate – Espada and Adagio, with Meer riding on his shoulder as usual. Sonnet couldn't imagine how those two had made it up here, but seeing their faces somehow made her feelings calm down a little.

"Sonnet!" Adagio exclaimed. "I'm glad we found you! We got worried when you ran off last time…"

Sonnet sighed. "To be honest… I never thought you'd make it here, but… I'm glad you came," she said.

"Sonnet… where's my father's sword?" Espada asked.

Sonnet gestured to the door that she'd entered just a little while ago.

"Masticus has it," she said. "In there."

She tried to get to her feet, but she stumbled and reached out to the wall for support. Espada leapt in to catch her.

"Hey, you're still…!" he gasped.

"I thought you'd be feeling better," Adagio said.

"No," Sonnet said. "If anything… it's gotten worse…"

"So… what's happening right now?" Espada asked. "I came here to find out. What is this place?"

"Well…" Sonnet began.

But then Masticus himself stepped out of the room.

"So I see she summoned her last resort from the lower world," he said. "I'm surprised you made it this far. The warp gate should require proper clearance to operate…"

"Hey!" Espada said. "What have you done to Sonnet?"

Masticus sighed.

"You have terrible timing," he said. "There are still a few finishing touches to be made, after all… but the truth is, Sonnet is my masterpiece, my life's work – the vessel for the third and final version of my anti-reyvateil virus, reveris."

Espada blinked. "T-that… can't be true…!" he said. "Sonnet…"

"It's… true," Sonnet muttered. "I knew all along that… it was spreading from my cosmosphere… but…"

Masticus nodded. "Exactly," he said. "Sonnet's true purpose is to be a breeding ground for the virus. The Sonnet you know, who's speaking with you right now, is a false soulspace materialized from a device I developed."

"But it's not finished yet," Adagio said. "So that means… there's still a chance Sonnet can be saved!"

Masticus chuckled. "Didn't you hear what I said?" he said. "That personality is just a fake."

"No…!" Espada said. "That can't be! Sonnet is the reveris disease…? That's not possible!"

"But it's true," Masticus said. "When Sonnet realized that she was the source of the disease, she thought the reyvateils' suffering was all her fault. That's why she went to the lower world without any doubt in her mind. But to think that the hymn crystal she sought was right next to that abandoned prototype…"

"You…!" Espada gasped. "You did that to Kauron, too…!"

"Well, I suppose that means it was effective to use him as support," Masticus shrugged. "But no matter. I'm almost there. Just a little longer, and my wish will be granted."

Suddenly, Adagio grinned.

"Hmm, I see," he said. "So, in order for that wish to come true, just how long have you been alive, old man Masticus?"

Sonnet blinked in surprise, and Masticus chuckled.

"My appearance is also the result of researching the pure-blooded beta-type reyvateils," he said. "Even though I had to make my own body into a test subject, it was a noble desire which I wished to fulfill."

"So what was Kauron for!?" Espada shouted.

"Well, to develop the reveris disease, I needed to gather a lot of data about the cosmosphere of a reyvateil," Masticus explained.

"Y-you went all the way to the lower world for that…?" Espada said.

"It's true that there are reyvateils in Platina," Masticus, "In fact, there are around thirty percent more reyvateils by population than in the lower world, and up here we even have some pure-blooded beta-types… but even so, reyvateils are treated kindly here, so it was difficult to progress my research. But what about the lower world? Well… reyvateils aren't well-understood and are treated differently. What's more, it's a lawless place where groups like Tenba can gain power. I am truly grateful for the way the lower world is – it's as if those reyvateils were gathered there for the sole purpose of my research."

"Don't mess around!" Espada shouted. "My mother, Eumelia, Sonnet… they're not your toys to play with as you like! What the hell are you aiming for!?"

"Well, I suppose I'll tell you, young man," Masticus said. "This is the conclusion of a very long history. Don't you have any doubts about why the world is like this? Why do we have to live, depending on the tower? A long time ago, I found the answer in some old records. According to those records, two great disasters took place in Sol Ciel. The first disaster was caused by the teru – the Grathnode Inferia which resulted in the loss of the sky and the land. The second disaster was caused by reyvateils – the Reyvateil War, also known as the Virus War, which resulted in the loss of one of the Wings of Horus. That's right – our existence was threatened by things that were not human. And yet… though this isn't public knowledge, the tower's administrator, Shurelia, is the origin reyvateil, the ancestor of all reyvateils. Do you understand? We must live while controlling the existences that threatened the history of humans. What a ridiculous arrangement that is, don't you think?"

"You sort of have a point," Adagio said. "But you've got some of the details wrong. Humans were involved in both of those disasters too. The background of a situation is always complicated! Though the teru certainly destroyed the sky in the Grathnode Inferia, that was in revenge against the humans who destroyed their homeland! And the Reyvateil War was originally caused by the humans who mistreated the reyvateils! In other words… human share the blame for both incidents!"

"You can say whatever you like, but the end is near," Masticus said. "The teru and the reyvateils will be destroyed. Without the interference of the origin, I'll be able to take control of Ar Tonelico on behalf of the humans."

"N-no…!" Sonnet gasped.

"W-what are you saying, old man?" Adagio gasped.

"You're saying you have the right to do that!?" Espada gasped. "Everyone's the same! They're alive!"

"What a strange thing to say," Masticus said. "Originally, the reyvateils were created to protect the magical weapon, Ar Tonelico. They're nothing more than living weapons. There's no reason to feel anything for a lifeless doll."

"Well then, what do you think of all this, Sonnet?" Adagio asked. "I want to hear it from you directly."

"Masticus…" Sonnet said. "I don't…want to live without you…"

"Then come back to my side, and let's make my dream come true together," he said.

However, she shook her head. "But even so… I… I've decided," she said. "I choose Lady Shurelia!"

"Y-you…!" Masticus gasped. "After I raised you for so many years, this is how you repay me!?"

"I owe you a lot, that's for sure," Sonnet said. "But this and that are separate things… because I'm no doll!"

She could sort of sense that dark presence still lurking nearby, reacting to her declaration.

"Well, if that's how you're going to be, I'll just have to do this the hard way," he said. "Thanks to many years of enhancement and reformation, I can now hack into Ar Tonelico at a speed that surpasses the origin. Even if you wish to align yourself with her, you cannot win against me."

He dug something out of his pocket and pressed a button, causing Sonnet's body to jerk against her will. She shook Espada off and took a few steps towards Masticus.

«His hacking speed may indeed surpass Shurelia's,» Mir noted in her head. «But it still doesn't compare to my speed. I'm seriously yawning down here.»

As he forced Sonnet to approach, she forced herself to speak, fighting against his control just enough to get the words out.

"Even if… you can control my body," Sonnet said. "Even if… Soporific was a necessary part of your plan… it's also your undoing!"

"As if!" Masticus retorted. "I've accounted for every factor!"

"Then… did you account for… the missing Star Singer?" Sonnet asked.

"…what?" Masticus said.

From the look on his face, it was obvious this was the first he'd heard of it. The higher-ups had probably kept her disappearance quiet from the general populace.

"Did you not… know?" Sonnet said. "The Star Singer… the reyvateil who constantly sings… to keep Mir, the Mother Virus sealed… she's missing. And what do you… think that means?"

Masticus shook his head.

"I see where you're going, but I fail to see how Mir's awakening is supposed to help you. She's the monster who destroyed half the continent. Her awakening is certainly a bad omen, if it's even true, but it has nothing to do with this matter."

"It's obvious," Sonnet said. "It's because… you're exactly the type of person… she hates the most."

And then, that presence slipped inside her, overriding the man's control, and she came to a stop and straightened up. When she next spoke, there was a distorted quality to her voice, as Mir spoke through her.

"Human," she said. "You have been marked as an enemy of reyvateils, and as such, I shall now eliminate you."

And then, she began to sing. It was a song Sonnet didn't know, a song magic that wasn't even her own.

"Was guwo gaya nha dazua en fountaina ar ciel."

Masticus gasped as the light seemed to fade from the surroundings. As Mir sang through Sonnet, the entire corridor was rapidly shrouded in darkness, cutting off any avenue of escape, other than the door he still stood in front of.

He barely hesitated at all, opening the door and darting through it. But Sonnet stepped forward, continuing to sing, and Meer leapt forward, taking Adagio's form and jamming his staff in the door to prevent it from fully closing. As a result, Sonnet and the others were easily able to follow him, and the observatory too was rapidly shrouded in darkness.

"D-dammit!" Masticus gasped. "There's no other option… I'll need to temporarily extract it…!"

He fiddled with the device in his hand, and suddenly Sonnet stumbled and fell to her knees. She didn't stop singing, however. Espada and Adagio suddenly gasped, and she managed to jerk her head to the side to get a look at what they were seeing.

A massive monster had appeared, towering over them, with a mixture of human and dragon features. But it was neither human nor dragon. It had eyes aplenty – one in the centre of its diamond-shaped head, one on its collar, one on each shoulder, one on each knee, and probably more besides.

"The true form of reveris," Masticus said. "Since Sonnet's cosmosphere has somehow been invaded by something else, I had it come out. Well… I can always find a replacement for Sonnet if I need to. Reveris, destroy them all!"

The monster attacked, and Adagio leapt in front to protect them.

"Baruma!"

But although the shield briefly stopped the monster's attack, it merely swung from a different angle, sending them both flying in a mighty blow. And then Mir brought her song to a close. It was a red magic, so the true effect did not come until the song was completed. And that effect was dark spears striking out from the darkness impaling not only Masticus but also Espada, Adagio, and the monster. As Masticus coughed up blood and fell to his knees, Sonnet strove to regain control of her body, and the cloying darkness around them receded.

"N-no…!" she gasped. "T-that's… enough…! Y-you've already… done enough…! Let me… finish this!"

She sensed the dark presence that was Mir reluctantly leaving her body, and took a moment to get a good look around. Masticus was heavily injured from the song magic. Espada and Adagio, being further away, had taken less damage from the song magic, but they also had injuries from the monster's blow. As for the monster, it didn't seem to be hurt at all despite being impaled by multiple spears, and it was already moving to engage Espada and Adagio again. She ran through her repertoire of song magic for a moment, selecting her strongest healing magic. Then she opened her mouth without hesitation and began to sing.

"Wee au ga yart hymmnos nille yor, hymme cyuie zash. Wee au ga flip yor tes ciel na haf sor."

Suddenly, the monster stopped moving. It was just a hair away from striking Espada, and yet, it froze, seemingly paralyzed.

"H-huh!?" Masticus gasped. "W-what's wrong…? Get them!"

As Sonnet continued to sing, light seeped out from her, filling the room.

"Ma ki ga li walphish irs ar ciel. Ma quel wa tie sor aiph yor yaha?"

The light reached Adagio and Espada, healing their injuries. It continued to spread, bright motes of dust seemingly rolling off of every surface it touched.

"Sonnet… what are you doing?" Masticus said. "How dare you defy me…!"

But she continued to sing.

"Wee zweie wa aiph na chsee meer, tie sor en flip ar ciel. Was granme ra chs hymmnos fhyu en rana ar ciel."

The floating motes of light seemed to grow in size, becoming bright feathers filling the room and swirling around everywhere. And then she finished off the song.

"Was touwaka erra an near mea, en hymme ar ciel eterne hymmnos."

Her energy spent, she collapsed on the ground. Espada leapt forward to check on her. Adagio was close behind him.

"Sonnet! Are you okay!?"

"I… I'm fine," Sonnet said. "Just a little… tired…"

"Were you testing the tower's normalization by singing a song with high-level healing abilities?" Masticus asked. "But as you can see, it failed – reveris has not been deleted."

"No," Sonnet said. "That wasn't… my intention…"

"Well, I guess it's time to say farewell," Masticus said. "I thought you'd be more useful than that, but in the end…"

At that moment, Shurelia appeared in a flash of light, still wearing her signature combat suit.

"That's far enough, Masticus," she said.

"Shurelia…!" he gasped.

"Eh? You're…!" Adagio gasped.

"We'll talk later," Shurelia said. "First I must delete reveris."

And without further ado, she began to sing.

"Ma ki ga xe ferda maya tou wart mea. Ma ki ga near mea ar tonelico xe nha diviega innna mea, en unloee omnis near. Ma ki ga xe urr jouee Ar Tonelico!"

The song summoned a barrage of symphonic power from the tower, bright streaks of light slamming down onto the target. However, the reveris monster deployed some sort of force shield, almost completely neutralizing the attack.

"It was neutralized?" Shurelia mused. "I've got to use some sort of physical force…"

"For Shurelia herself to appear… perfect timing!" Masticus said. "I'll make you the new container for reveris."

"W-what!?" Sonnet gasped. "No way…!"

"The sword," Shurelia said. "Where is it?"

"Ah!" Sonnet said. "It's… over there!"

She pointed at the desk where Masticus had left it earlier.

"Young man, use it," Shurelia commanded. "That sword is an incarnation of the bearer's heart, a relic from the First Era. If there are strong feelings inside you, that sword will surely respond."

As she spoke, Meer flew over to seize the sword, dropping it right into Espada's hands. He frowned, gripping it tightly, then thrust straight up into the air. A winged blade of light emanated from the sword, extending far past the physical end of the blade.

"W-what are you doing!?" Masticus gasped. "Reveris, attack now!"

The monster leapt to attack Espada, but with the sword in hand, he was able to hold it back. In response, the monster began firing blasts of symphonic power instead of attacking physically, in order to maintain distance.

Satisfied, Shurelia opened her mouth and once more began to sing.

"Ma ki ra nha dilete sos omnis tou ar ciel."

The magic seemed to produce a barrier around Espada, protecting him from reveris's attacks. Just like how reveris earlier blocked Shurelia's attack, now her barrier was blocking the monster's attacks. She kept the song up continuously, pausing only for breath at regular intervals.

"Shurelia… you!" Masticus gasped. "Reveris! Don't rely on long distance attacks, get closer!"

"Selphel!" Adagio shouted.

A ring of light sprang forth in front of him, firing a torrent of sparks at the monster.

"W-what!?" Masticus gasped.

"Espada, go get him!" Adagio shouted.

"I'm on it!" Espada shouted.

And with that, he closed the distance to the monster and slashed at it. Despite its size, it never stood a chance – the light blade cut through it like butter, and with such injuries, it was no longer able to hold its form. Just like Kauron, it turned to smoke and vanished. In avoiding the fallout of the attack, Masticus himself lost footing and fell. Shurelia stepped forward.

"Masticus, admit defeat," she said.

But then Sonnet stepped forward too. That dark presence had once again slipped inside of her, and her body was moving independent of her own will. She stepped up next to Espada and put her hands on his. Startled, he turned to look at her.

"Sonnet…?"

Kauron managed to regain his feet. Ignoring Shurelia, he turned to face Espada, chuckling.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked. "Not gonna kill me?"

"Certainly… you're Kauron and my father's enemy," Espada said. "But I don't have that right… huh!?"

He had loosened his grip on his sword a little while talking, which allowed Sonnet to slip it out of his hands.

"If you submit now, I can make sure you stay safe," Shurelia said. "I don't want to see needless deaths."

"Don't make me laugh," Masticus retorted. "Did you really think I'd beg a reyvateil to spare my life?"

"Then you can die here, human," Sonnet said.

As before, her voice had a slight unearthly quality to it, some side-effect of Mir's possession. She took Espada's sword and stepped forward, startling Masticus.

"Huh…? Sonnet? No… who on earth are you!?" he asked.

"You're just a lowly human who doesn't know his place," Sonnet retorted. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to know the name of the one who will end your pathetic little life. My name… is Mir."

"N-no way…!" Masticus gasped. "That Mir… the one responsible for all that death and destruction!? The one who destroyed one of the Wings of Horus? How are you even still alive!? It's been at least three hundred years – even a beta-type reyvateil can't live that long!"

"You lowly humans are always quick to push the responsibility to someone else," Sonnet said. "But I've come to realize there's no point in expecting better from you. Especially a man like you, the worst of the worst. Well, whatever. If you have any last words, now would be a good time to say them."

Masticus huffed. "I have nothing to say to the likes of you," he said.

"Whatever," Sonnet said.

And with that, she stabbed him straight through the chest without an ounce of hesitation. A few seconds later, the presence left her body, and she gasped, dropping the sword and lurching backwards into Espada's waiting arms. Masticus fell back on the ground. He twitched once or twice, then lay still

"W-what the…!?"

"Sonnet!?" Espada said. "What was that just now…? Your voice sounded weird…"

With a sigh, Shurelia dispelled her linkage suit and stepped forward to explain.

"It seems that Mir was able to enter her cosmosphere and control her body," she said. "Normally the boundary gate would prevent that though…"

"Ah, um… I sang Soporific a little while ago," Sonnet said. "Could that be why…?"

"Soporific…?" Shurelia said. "Ah… yes, I think that could explain it. If it's Soporific, the boundary gate should automatically close again after a few hours, if memory serves."

"Oh… t-that's a relief," Sonnet said. "All these feelings that keep rushing in are… a little overwhelming… but come to think of it, isn't it bad that Mir has awakened? Although she did help me…"

"Well… it's a complicated situation," Shurelia said. "She actually saved me too, once, a long time ago, when humans had imprisoned me. But one good deed does not cancel out all the wrongs she has done…"

Sonnet could sort of sense the sadness behind those words.

"I… I see," Sonnet said.

"Now… it seems I've caused some trouble for the three of you," Shurelia said. "I am Ar Tonelico's administrator, so I should have been on top of things."

"The administrator, huh…" Adagio mused.

"The spread of the reveris disease in the tower's binary field was cause by Masticus over a long period of time," Shurelia said. "His actions managed to slip under my radar. If not for the anonymous tip that Adagio brought, things could have ended much more tragically."

"So Eumelia's the star of this show, huh?" Adagio said. "But I wonder, how did she even know…?"

"I still can't believe… that… that he's gone," Sonnet muttered. "Despite everything… I still… loved him… and to make things worse… I was… the one who killed him…! And yet… I should be crying at a time like this, but… s-somehow… they just won't come…"

Adagio hopped over to sling an arm around her.

"Don't worry," he said. "You can cry whenever you're ready. It doesn't have to be now."

"O-okay…"

"You two… you came here from the lower world, right?" Shurelia said. "Do you wish to return, or will you remain in Platina?"

"I… definitely want to go back," Espada said.

"I should return too," Adagio said. "An will be worried."

"Very well," Shurelia said. "Since you've helped with this issue, I will make a special exception just this once. Let me know when you're ready, and I will temporarily open the warp gate so you can return home. And Sonnet… you have a choice to make too… whether to stay here in Platina, or to return to the lower world with your friends."

Sonnet considered the question. It might be nice to spend more time with Espada and Adagio, but… she had also made a promise to Eumelia, to meet in Platina in a few years. Therefore…

"I'll think it over," she said. "But… I'm probably going to stay. Thank you, Lady Shurelia."

---

Hymmnos Corner

In this section I'll provide translations of any Hymmnos passages that occur in the main text. In the interest of brevity, I'll omit ones that have already appeared in previous chapters.

"Ma ki gagis syearr rre fwal mea haoud ttu xe khal maxim."

Hymn Name: EXEC_HYMME_ENCIRCLING=WINGS/.
Singer: Sonnet Viridian
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: Sonnet's protective song.
Meaning: "I concentrate on prayer that my wings please embrace and protect me as much as possible."
Credit: Original

"Wee au ga, grandi presia near mea, en ar ciel mea, ar tonelico… was guwo ga riomo quive harra!"

Hymn Name: EXEC_HYMME_SEVERANCE/.
Singer: Sonnet Viridian
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: Sonnet's song that temporarily severs a revyateil's link to the tower.
Meaning: "Sad yet hopeful, let the divine tower protect my life and my world. I bestow silence upon these girls to quell my anger."
Credit: From Arpeggio, but with some minor changes; translated by myself

"Hatito! Baruma! Selphel!"

Speaker: Adagio Low Vitis
Language: Teru Language
Notes: Teru magic words that winds, a large shield, and a rain of lightning, respectively
Meaning: "winds", "great shield", "roaring thunder"
Credit: Translation taken from the Twilight Dreams scanlation of Arpeggio

"Ma num ra flip ogu ioiiooiioi yor enter ar tonelico."

Speaker: Sonnet Viridian
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: The Hymmnos Spell to activate the Frozen Eye warp gate using a Circula Teleporter.
Meaning: "I'll input you into Ar tonelico through flip-flop conversion. "
Credit: Translation taken from the EXA_PICO wiki

"Wee i ga flip ogu ioiiooiioi enter ar tonelico."

Speaker: Shurelia, Sonnet Viridian
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: The Hymmnos Spell to teleport through the tower's symphonic power lines.
Meaning: "I'll enter Ar tonelico through flip-flop conversion."
Credit: Translation taken from the EXA_PICO wiki

"Fou paks ra exec hymmnos SOPORIFIC! Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor, en chsee fwal fwal yor. Exec drone hymmnos SOPORIFIC enter LUNE FEHU EORIA ARTONELICO."

Speaker: Masticus Cantata
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: This is the standard Hymmnos Spell to download a song from a Hymn Crystal. LUNE_FEHU_EORIA_ARTONELICO is Sonnet's secret hymm code. I left out the underscores because that could make text wrapping look bad since it would be wrapped as one gigantic word.
Meaning: "Execute the Hymmnos Soporific! I'll be glad to turn you into song, and into the wings shrouding you. Execute the download of the Hymmnos Soporific into Sonnet Viridian."
Credit: Translation taken from the EXA_PICO wiki (with a different hymn name and hymn code substituted)

"Tes yeeel tim, revetail manafeeze whou loss marta en fetala has. Sasye raklya. Wee au wa na firle infel hers utabi. Sasye raklya. Fou yant ga manafeeze jyel manaf yanje."
"Den rol moy hagol, sasye harton tarfe faja en dest. Sasye pic rre harr na wis ween lasye revm. Elna sasye hopb colgen ganna rol ganna en harr enter dep slepial. Ma num wa weel bansh gkgula. Fou quel wa nha iem reveris."

Hymn Name: EXEC_SOPORIFIC/.#Sonnet_extracting
Singer: Sonnet Viridian
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: The beginning (first verse) and end (final verse plus refrain) of Sonnet's Soporific.
Meaning: "Once upon a time, there lived a reyvateil who lost her mother and father. She cried, knowing she would never feel their love again. She cried, fearing she would spend her whole life alone. … … … But as time went on, the girl's love decayed. The girl realized that she was not included in the man's dream. And so, the girl fell into a deep sleep of heartbreak. I feel nothing as I thrust the boundary open, and that's okay. I despair a little as I welcome in the nightmare, but that's okay."
Credit: Original

"Wee au ga yart hymmnos nille yor, hymme cyuie zash. Wee au ga flip yor tes ciel na haf sor."
"Ma ki ga li walphish irs ar ciel. Ma quel wa tie sor aiph yor yaha?"
"Wee zweie wa aiph na chsee meer, tie sor en flip ar ciel. Was granme ra chs hymmnos fhyu en rana ar ciel."
"Was touwaka erra an near mea, en hymme ar ciel eterne hymmnos."

Hymn Name: EXEC_HYMME_SARR=CIEL/.
Singer: Sonnet Viridian
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: Sonnet's most powerful healing song magic
Meaning: "I grieve that I've discovered a song that resembles you, a song of sorrowful agony. To end this sorrow, I'll return you to a world that doesn't have that. Concentrating, I believe that mermaids exist in this world. I would earnestly restrain it if it made you smile? If my resolve can't change myself, I'll restrain it and restore the world. I shall bravely turn into the song of the wind and run through the world! Because by wishing together with my life, I'll sing the eternal song of the world."
Credit: From Arpeggio, but with a few minor changes and retranslated by myself

"Ma ki ga xe ferda maya tou wart mea. Ma ki ga near mea ar tonelico xe nha diviega innna mea, en unloee omnis near. Ma ki ga xe urr jouee Ar Tonelico!"

Hymn Name: EXEC_HYMME_DIVINE=CANNON/.
Singer: Shurelia
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: The song to call down the full power of Ar Tonelico. Sung by Sonnet in Arpeggio, but here by Shurelia.
Meaning: "Concentrating, please let a miracle dwell within my words. Concentrating, by my life and that of Ar Tonelico, please summon for me the great wisdom of my heart in order that I may subjugate any living thing. Concentrating, please let the divine power be manifested by Ar Tonelico!"
Credit: From Arpeggio, but retranslated by myself

"Ma ki ra nha dilete sos omnis tou ar ciel."

Hymn Name: EXEC_HYMME_DIVINE=SHIELD/.
Singer: Shurelia
Language: Central Standard Hymmnos
Notes: A protective magic used by Shurelia.
Meaning: "I shall concentrate on summoning the gods' divine protection for the sake of everything in this world."
Credit: Original

---

It ended up even longer than I thought, but this is finally the conclusion of the Arpeggio arc. Maybe there were some readers wondering when we'll get to the game's main story? Well… that'll be the next chapter. I'm not sure exactly when I'll post it, but I'm hoping it'll be next week. I can probably post chapters covering all of Phase 1 before I run out of buffer, though it depends on how long the editing and revision takes… and whether I decide to take a break in the middle to work on my other fic.

Readers who are familiar with the Arpeggio manga may have noticed that most of Sonnet's songs are worded very differently from in the manga. That's because most of her songs in the manga have the form "exec sosar (something)", meaning "I'll execute the magic of (something)", which struck me as a very stilted and unnatural form for a Hymmnos song to take. So, taking into account that her songs are said to feature birds and wings a lot, I rewrote any song that contained that phrasing. That also includes Shurelia's divine protection song, which had the same phrasing in the original manga… though hers was a less major rewrite.