A glowing mist rises from the bottomless abyss and engulfs her whole.
That instant, all her senses are cut off from the rest of the world.
Perhaps she can feel there is something right in front of her.
Before her is the entire ocean.
She puts her whole strength into striking the enormous yet almost shapeless object before her.
Everything she can feel immediately crumbles away.
An ice cold yet burning hot liquid swallows her. These are the ocean's currents, as well as its blood.
The very last dance has concluded. The seas have calmed, and she can no longer hear her people's singing.
She saved... No, she has no idea what it is that she actually saved.
Likewise, she does not have the faintest idea what it is she triumphed over.
She paddles her arms and kicks her feet as though her life depends on it, yet the waters of the ocean pay no heed to her willpower. Like solid blocks of iron, the water has become cold and stiff, squeezing her body from all directions.
She stops moving, leaving herself to the mercy of the sea.
As she sinks further and further into the ocean, a black shadow envelops her.
The countless voices begin to materialize around her. Some of them are crying and some... are murmuring.
The sea is talking to her.
Its cold, lightless form has been restored, as have her eyes. She cannot see the path upward. She is sinking downward further and further, just as she is rising upward more and more.
At a place deeper than even the sea's deepest abysses, she is lifted up by the warm waters, as though the waters themselves are the waiting arms of her family.
She opens her lips. The saltwater gushes into her throat and dissolves her completely before reconstructing her anew.
She has found her singing voice once more.
Anita
Hm...♪
Skadi
Uhh...
Anita
Singer, you're awake! Good morning!
Skadi
Was someone just singing?
Anita
I-Is this a song? I don't know how to sing, but you were humming this while you were asleep.
Skadi
I...
Anita
Ow! Singer... You are grabbing too hard...
Skadi
You...
The girl's figure turns faint. Just like in the sea.
No, the one in the sea was someone else.
The dream is ripping her nerves to shreds.
The musical notes are dancing, twisting themselves into the cries of her family.
Skadi
Mother...
They are dying before her eyes, and there is nothing she can do to prevent it.
Skadi
Monsters...
Skadi
Monsters.
Skadi
Monsters!
They are screaming, as is everyone around her.
She must grab her weapon.
Anita
Ah!
Anita
*cough*... Singer, your box... It's really hurting my chest when you press it against me...
Her blade pierces through a monster in the midst of feeding on a person.
The monster turns around.
She sees a face she often sees in the mirror.
Skadi
I...
The box falls on the ground, bouncing slightly before it comes to a stop. The object stored therein tumbles inside the box a little but does not fall out.
Anita
A-Are you letting go? That really scared me...
Anita
Singer, I thought you were going to kill me.
Skadi
......
Skadi
If I were going to kill you, I could've done that easily.
Anita
But you don't want to kill me.
Skadi
You can tell?
Anita
I can tell.
Skadi
But I don't know.
Anita
Eh?
Anita
R-Running out again...? Singer, where are you going?!
The colors of the sea... That patch of color has changed.
Inquisitor
What is there in the water? I-Is it shells and finfish? Why would they suddenly show up in the water? And why are they growing closer and closer to the shore?
High Inquisitor
From far deeper places, they made their way here by following currents that normally would not exist.
Inquisitor
What?!
Inquisitor
I thought... the reason they headed into the sea, claiming it would get them food, was some absurd, unfounded belief. I thought, in their despair, they were fooled into doing this...
Inquisitor
But I never imagined... they are actually dealing with the sea? They are using their own men as fodder to feed the monsters of the sea, and the monsters then also feed them in return?
Inquisitor
This mutualism is horrifying... and wretched...! No wonder there are so many Sea Terrors here!
Inquisitor
But I thought I put an end to it yesterday...!
High Inquisitor
Not all corrections are fruitful. This is something you must understand.
Inquisitor
I...
Inquisitor
Am I in the wrong, High Inquisitor? I just wanted to save them.
High Inquisitor
To right a wrong, you either bring what strayed from righteousness back onto the right path—
Inquisitor
But... What do the people here even see as right?
Inquisitor
You can't grow any food in the lands and seas of Sal Viento anymore.
Inquisitor
This was a foregone conclusion decades ago, and to fight it would be futile. The nomadic city, the society, and the people who live in it... They are all slowly marching towards their death.
Inquisitor
They asked me... If... If there isn't a way out... How are they supposed to see right from wrong?
High Inquisitor
—Or perhaps make that which is wrong no more.
Inquisitor
Sir...! You don't mean...
High Inquisitor
You are doubting me.
Inquisitor
I... No, of course not. I just...
Inquisitor
They may have turned out like this... but they were once Iberian citizens. I want to protect them, and I hope I can help these inhabitants... so that they can make our country a better place.
High Inquisitor
You should have doubts.
Inquisitor
Huh?
High Inquisitor
In making a judgment, rely on no one but yourself!
Inquisitor
Yes, sir...
High Inquisitor
Look out at the sea. What do you see?
Inquisitor
I see... a threat.
High Inquisitor
Don't regurgitate your memorized answers.
Inquisitor
Yes, sir!
Inquisitor
The sea... is flowing. It's ever changing.
High Inquisitor
Remember everything that you see.
High Inquisitor
Change has happened, is happening, and will happen. If you can't see it clearly for yourself, you will find yourself lost.
Inquisitor
Sir, what is that under your feet?!
High Inquisitor
What do you think?
Inquisitor
A Sea Terror... Did we miss one when they attacked last night?! No, doesn't seem like it... This one wandered off the beach... It looks like it's climbed a long way... It's not quite the same...
Inquisitor
I... uh... I should know this...
High Inquisitor
This is an evil that must be eradicated.
Inquisitor
I get it... I can see it... It's the whole truth of this deal of theirs.
Inquisitor
So this is what becomes of anyone who wanders into the sea... This is not just the monsters' nest. It's their breeding ground.
Inquisitor
Uhh...
Inquisitor
Doesn't that mean that all the people here will become monsters?!
Inquisitor
......
Inquisitor
(Grips scabbard)
Inquisitor
High Inquisitor, I need to head back to the city.
Skadi sits on the shore.
Carried by the winds, the sea waves beat the shore ceaselessly, but never reaching her dress.
Anita
*pant*... *pant*... Phew... S-Singer, you're too fast...
Skadi
But not fast enough.
Anita
Huh?
Skadi
You managed to follow me again.
Anita
H-Haha... Singer, this is my home... I know this place much better than you.
Skadi
I should leave.
Anita
Leave? What do you mean?
Skadi
I mean leave this place.
Anita
Huh? Did you figure out where to go to find your friend?
Skadi
At the very least... I should keep my distance from you.
Anita
Huh? Why's that?
Skadi
The Inquisitor was right about one thing.
Anita
She talked about a lot of things...
Skadi
I am a danger to all of you.
Anita
Because of what happened last night? You saved us, Singer. We are very thankful of what you did for us.
Skadi
I saved you? Is that what you think?
Skadi
If I'd missed even one of the Sea Terrors, it could've torn you to pieces as it marched on.
Skadi
You would've been killed.
Skadi
I brought it here. Therefore, I killed you.
Anita
No, that's not how it is...
Skadi
How is it not? This has happened before.
Skadi
They died because of me. They despised me, they were scared of me, and they blamed me for it.
Anita
They... They were wrong!
Anita
You didn't mean to do that.
Skadi
I didn't mean to?
Skadi
I don't know.
Anita
Uhh...
Skadi
After all that, I'm not sure... anymore.
She thinks back to her dream.
Ever since that final battle, she has had that dream countless of times.
The Abyssal Hunters never stay in one place. They always march forward.
Yet Skadi was trapped there.
She has no idea what is happening to her.
Skadi
I thought that if I killed it, I would find the answer.
Killing that gigantic monster.
Things would get better for everyone. No one would cry anymore, and no one would scream anymore.
She just had to kill it.
And she killed it...
Yet an even greater problem engulfed her.
The Abyssal Hunters never ask why. They simply do.
But Skadi wants to know why.
She has no idea what is happening to her.
Anita
Singer...? You don't look so good.
Anita
You are hurt, and you spent so much of your energy. You haven't completely recovered yet, have you?
Anita
You should come back with me and get some rest. You will feel much better once you get more sleep.
Skadi
......
Skadi
Why aren't you afraid of me?
Anita
Hm?
Skadi
Your grandmother called me a monster, while your friends all looked at me with animosity.
Skadi
These kinds of gazes are everywhere... I got used to them long ago.
Skadi
But what about you? When you look at me, what do you see?
Anita
You... You are a singer.
Skadi
A singer. That's what I told you, and you believed it. That Inquisitor, on the other hand, did not. If I tell you I'm a monster now, will you believe me?
Anita
I won't...
Skadi
......
Skadi
Why are you always following me?
Anita
Huh?
Skadi
Anything that I can give you, you are free to take, yet you don't want them.
Skadi
You don't want to kill me either.
Anita
K-Kill you? No, Singer, why would I want to kill you?
Skadi
When I do something for you, you pay me something in return. It's always either that or the other way around.
Skadi
Whenever you exchange something, there exists a promise. It's only when promises exist that there's trust.
Anita
Promise?
Skadi
You don't know what that is.
Anita
(Shakes head)
Skadi
Listen up. You helped me, so I will give you what you want. This is what a promise is.
Anita
I don't want anything...
Skadi
You are lying.
Skadi
I can smell as much with my nose as my eyes can see.
Anita
Uhh...
Skadi
You told me this is your home, and that's how you know how to find me so quickly. That's a lie too.
Skadi
If you don't tell me the truth, I can't trust you.
Anita
No, Singer, don't go!
Anita
It's not that I'm not telling the truth. I just... don't understand.
Anita
Singer, to all of us... To me, you are still a mystery. You came from the outside, and I've never met anyone like you...
Anita
You want to know how I guessed that you are here. It's not that I'm trying to lie. I'm just... embarrassed.
Anita
This is... the outskirts. It's as far as it gets from the city.
Anita
I know that you are hiding from us, and I thought this is where you would probably come too if you wanted to run away.
Skadi
'Too?'
Anita
I come here often myself. Of course, I don't tell Sheetmetal or anyone. They aren't happy when they find me running this far away.
Anita
Look at that chunk over there. It's tall. I climb on there sometimes. The stronger the wind gets, the farther I can see.
Skadi
You are curious about what's outside.
Anita
I don't know. I... I sometimes wonder about how it's like outside. It's pretty pointless, I know, and they kept telling me that too, so all I do is imagine it all by myself here.
Anita
This is the furthest I've gone whenever I go outside to scavenge. Outside... There's nothing useful outside.
Skadi
If you're curious about what's outside, you just have to walk a little further.
Anita
I used to go to the west side. Sheetmetal would warn me that there were monsters outside, and we would die if we ever stepped out.
Anita
Singer, you are from the outside. I am following you around because I have lots and lots of questions... I want to know if what Sheetmetal said is actually true.
Skadi
Perhaps.
Skadi
If you head outside, you will die.
Anita
Phew... so it's true...
Skadi
You aren't disappointed.
Anita
Singer, if I have the chance, I think I want to see it for myself.
Anita
It doesn't matter if there are monsters there... I don't think I'm scared of them.
Skadi
Hm?
Anita
The Inquisitor said I'm not afraid of monsters because I don't know what they would do to me.
Anita
I think she's right about that.
Skadi
She made that up.
Anita
*cough*, *cough*...
Skadi
I'm not afraid of them either.
Anita
Haha... That's gotta be because you know the monsters can't do anything to you.
Anita
Not like me. Last night was the first time I got a good look of those monsters. I didn't know what was going to happen to me. My heart was racing like never before.
Anita
Then, when I woke up this morning, the weather felt so much better than I've ever experienced. I could feel the wind, and I could see the sea waves splashing ever closer.
Anita
This day has been different than all the other days I've lived, because I don't know what's going to happen.
Skadi
Sounds like you're excited.
Anita
Excited?
Skadi
Fear and excitement are pretty much the same. Both get your heart racing and your blood flowing.
Anita
Am I sick?
Skadi
You are not sick. To some people out there, this is what it means to be alive.
Anita
I didn't know it feels this good to be alive. Is it like this outside every day?
Skadi
It must feel better than here.
Anita
Can I really go outside...?
Anita
My box... Once my box is full.
Anita
I need to... get more food. I need to make sure Grandma Petra's all set.
Anita
I... Argh!
Excited, the girl loses her footing.
Just as she is about to fall into the sea, a hand reaches out and grabs her.
Skadi
The monsters will eat you if you're so careless.
Anita
Singer... you saved me again.
Skadi
And you could've saved me the trouble if you didn't come.
Anita
Haha... S-Sorry...
Anita
Huh? Huh?
Anita
My leg... Something's grabbing my leg.
Anita
It's slippery... and heavy!
Skadi
There they are again... Everywhere, too. What a pain.
Anita
Ugh... Singer, I-I'm losing my grip...
Skadi
Close your eyes.
Anita
Hm?
Skadi
And then let go.
Anita
Can I really...?
Skadi
You can either believe me or not. The choice is yours.
