The wishes of the masses have been answered by the sea.
Male Inhabitant C
......
Male Inhabitant D
Fins.
Male Inhabitant C
Shells...
Male Inhabitant D
Edible.
Male Inhabitant C
Yes, it's edible.
Male Inhabitant D
More... more... more...
Male Inhabitant C
I spilled some.
Male Inhabitant D
Pick it up. Swallow it. More...
Male Inhabitant C
Take them. Take them back.
Male Inhabitant D
Take them back. More and more.
Male Inhabitant C
Priest...
Male Inhabitant D
Priest.
They stop for a moment and look up at their brother.
Bishop
My brothers and sisters, enjoy your breakfast.
Bishop
This is a reward for our good deeds. Because we prevailed against our hunger and illnesses, we become more faithful, more united, and more harmonious with one another.
Gladiia
......
Gladiia
I'm surprised you don't ever get tired of putting on that show when you do it at practically every city you visit.
Bishop
Show? Hardly. It is a joy to share His greatness and benevolence with the unenlightened across the lands.
Gladiia
They don't understand a word you just said.
Bishop
All of us are one and the same to the vast ocean.
The bishop lovingly taps the arm of a man who is stuffing his mouth full with food.
Bishop
Come, dear brother. Share these fins with your suffering brethren. You must understand. This small piece will grant him satisfaction, which will in turn enrich your soul.
Male Inhabitant C
......
Bishop
As for you, you must thank your brother. Thank him for giving you what could have been his.
Bishop
When the two of you stand together, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, you share your life with each other, and that makes you ever more powerful.
Male Inhabitant D
Thank you... Father... sir.
Bishop
Very good, dear child.
Gladiia
The promise isn't between you and it. It's between them and it with you as their intermediator.
Bishop
Promise? No, a promise is mutual. These suffering souls are far from able to satisfy the needs of the sea.
Bishop
The sea grants them their desires, and I help them so that their voices are heard.
Bishop
As you already count yourself a part of us, you must know the rules.
Gladiia
Please forgive my negligence. There are certainly more suitable turns of phrase. You are using their flesh and blood to lay down the path to what it is you want within the chapel.
Gladiia
Whichever the case, you don't need to show up here personally every time.
Bishop
How do you know what I want?
Gladiia
It's hard not to become addicted to the pleasure of superiority.
Bishop
Nonsense.
Bishop
As the sea's most faithful creation, there is nary an ounce of falsehood to my position.
Bishop
I stand here because I wish to save them from the bottom of my heart. Without me, they would long have become a pile of rotten meat strewn across these lands.
Bishop
Disease and starvation. As long as we can fight against these tangible enemies, they are not our most difficult hardships. Our most difficult hardships come from the deepest parts of our souls.
Bishop
When we find ourselves unable to fight these disasters, with destruction unavoidable, that is when we are faced with true hardship.
Bishop
How many towns like this are still standing in Iberia?
Bishop
This country's vast territory has long been unable to fulfill its people's needs. Nonetheless, they remain in their cramped flesh, either isolating themselves from one another or brawling.
Gladiia
Well, it's admirable that you care so much about Iberia.
Bishop
You are wrong again. It is the suffering of the people that I care about, not the borders arbitrarily drawn on these lands.
Bishop
Isn't this in the nature of us all?
Bishop
Bound by the limitations of our flesh and blood, it's difficult for us to break away from our obsession with ourselves by our own means, and so we choose to fight, not to understand.
Bishop
If this goes on, even the strongest of individuals cannot escape defeat. Hardships engulf every corner. You have seen it yourself and wavered at the sight of that misery.
Gladiia
Is this necessary?
Bishop
Perhaps I'm not telling you enough.
Bishop
The truth is always worth telling, whether the listener is as foolish as you or not.
Gladiia
......
Bishop
Perhaps we should treat this conversation as nothing more than a way to pass the time, seeing as we are working together.
Gladiia
Well, your way with words is on another level. It's no wonder so many have found themselves enthralled by your words.
Bishop
You do not yet understand. I am most sincere. I ask nothing from them. I do not believe in the power of threats either. I simply wish to point them toward a new possibility.
Bishop
Their bodies' weakness will forever limit their cognition. You think I am ensnaring their souls with words, but the truth is far from it.
Bishop
I am helping their hearts to hear the most basic needs of their bodies. The teachings of sages can bring nothing but brief, blind faith. The strength of the body is what grants them the right to see more.
Bishop
There are creatures in the sea. They have no eyes, their bodies are miniscule, and they have no means of mobility. They can only drift with the tides.
Bishop
Is the ocean that they see so different than what we see? How do creatures with no eyes grasp the holiness and profoundness of the sea?
Bishop
You and your colleagues never understood how and where your vile yet sturdy bodies came to be, nor can you see how the weak struggle.
Bishop
Who, then, is the truly arrogant?
Bishop
Is it me, despite the fact I am helping them, or is it those believers of false gods, who, as the perils grow ever greater, use their words to turn true despair into false hope, to deceive and to control the pitiable weak?
Bishop
Or perhaps—It's you and your foolish cohorts, who remain ever unwilling to face the vast sea bottoms?
Bishop
I am sharing with them what my eyes can see so that they may broaden their horizons and know they still have true hope. They may choose for themselves whether they will rot with the land or be reborn as one with the sea.
Bishop
Not only can this possibility save them from starvation and disease, it is also the sea's generosity for the land that insists on consuming.
Bishop
This is not a conquest. It's understanding. It's acceptance.
Bishop
I am pointing them in a new direction and giving them a better life. In the end, they will walk toward the truth, just as I once did.
Bishop
This is my life's work. Your false flesh has confined your soul and left you short-sighted. You cannot see true greatness. You shall be forgiven.
Gladiia
Hmph. Sounds like they are not the only ones obsessed.
Anita
Phew, Singer, we almost missed out on this.
Anita
There's so much food... Everyone's hungry, and we finally have something to eat.
Anita
1, 2, 3... I'll bring these back and grind them up. I can make soup for Grandma Petra with them. We'll have this for dinner tonight. Sound good, Bench?
Young Inhabitant
Wgh... aogh...
Anita
No, don't eat them like that!
Anita
The shells are too hard. They'll break your teeth! We have to boil them until they're soft before we can eat them.
Anita
Singer, why don't you take some too?
Skadi
......
Anita
S-Singer? What are you standing there for?
Skadi simply stares at the man named Drywall. He is on his knees, eating all that he can see on the beach.
His eyes are red. His tears have already dried up.
He is starving, and so is everyone here.
Skadi lets go of the girl.
The girl's eyes are sparkling. She cannot wait to join the crowd of feeding people.
Bishop
Slow down, brother. This is all yours. Look around you. All this will be yours in the end.
Bishop
Now, open your heart, accept yourself, embrace others, learn to be trusting, and learn to sacrifice.
Bishop
The fighting has long come to an end, and the hardships will cease. Let us stand together. Our souls, flesh, and belief will grow strong, just like this eternal ocean under our feet.
Gladiia
Please allow me to keep my distance.
Bishop
Oh?
Gladiia
I've been having certain... digestion issues. I'm afraid I might not be able to hold it. I'll throw up on your face.
Bishop
—Brother, you dropped your seashell. Let your brother hold onto it...
Bishop
Interesting. You must be in a good mood today, given your choice of words.
Gladiia
Whatever you say.
Bishop
The message from the sea has you excited. You can wait for our celebration no longer.
Bishop
Then go. Find her. Find your old friend, and share this joy with her.
Skadi
Found you...
Skadi quickly makes it through the crowd. Her eyes are fixated on a single person.
That person appears as though she is waiting for her as well.
Skadi
What are you doing?
Gladiia
Shh.
Gladiia
Come. Look at him.
Gladiia
Do you smell it?
Skadi
......
Skadi takes out a seashell.
With the seashell in her hand, she dashes toward Gladiia.
Gladiia remains calm and unflinching. She seems to have expected this.
The seashell stabs her hand, leaving no marks at all.
Gladiia
Your stance isn't elegant enough. Let me show you.
Gladiia presses the seashell against Skadi's chest, pushing her up against the wall.
Gladiia
How many times have we danced together, Skadi? Twice, maybe thrice?
Gladiia
You are a good dance partner.
Skadi
Where is she?
Gladiia
You care about her.
Skadi
Should I not?
Gladiia
She is rather safe for the moment.
Skadi
Proof?
Gladiia
I didn't know you were in the market for something so pointless.
Gladiia
This is making me think your time on land has ruined your nose, Hunter.
Skadi
Your whole body reeks.
Gladiia
Trust me. I want to vomit far more than you do right now.
Skadi
......
Skadi
She's with you alright.
Gladiia
Looks like your nose hasn't gone completely bad.
Gladiia
Fortunately, it seems you haven't quite fallen to the level of those land-born cubs just yet. At the very least, you haven't come crying to me, asking me why I would take her away and what I am doing here.
Skadi
......
Gladiia
Asking questions has never been a way of solving things. Not for us.
Skadi
'Us?'
Skadi
I don't even know if you are still one of us.
Gladiia
Looks like you have a lot of questions on your mind.
Skadi
(Strokes case)
Gladiia
If you aren't sure, you might want to think twice about picking a fight.
Gladiia
Otherwise, you'd just be giving your enemy an opportunity.
Skadi
You are not my target.
Gladiia
Then what did you come all this way for?
Skadi
Don't you already know?
Gladiia
You've been looking for her, but will your doubts really go away when you finally find her?
Skadi
......
Skadi
Her memory's shot. She can't tell me much.
Gladiia
Take a look at yourself. You are barely better than being locked in a cage.
Gladiia
You may not be working for me anymore, but let me teach you one more thing.
Gladiia
Remember this. A hunter chases her prey because she must hunt it down. Chasing blindly will bring you only emotional comfort.
Gladiia
Are you so weak now that you are chasing after these phantom illusions, Skadi?
Skadi
......
Gladiia
How long has it been since you danced? You've walked too much. Your skin is very dry. Have you forgotten the proper rhythm for your breathing?
Gladiia
Let me ask you again. What are you here for?
Skadi looks at the bishop.
The bishop stands only a short distance away. He looks at Skadi as well, his gaze piercing through the crowd.
Skadi tightens her grip on her box.
A courteous and gentle smile appears on the bishop's face. He points in a direction and gestures invitingly.
Gladiia
Not going to make your move?
Skadi
I thought you two were together?
Gladiia
I don't really care.
Gladiia
Doesn't seem like I can say that about you, though. You are the one who needs that weight off your shoulders, not me.
One by one, the inhabitants walk up to the bishop with food still in their arms. They greet the bishop as though he is truly their brother and friend.
—Just like a normal afternoon in your average Iberian town.
Beneath it, the bishop is waving goodbye to the inhabitants.
Inhabitant
Uh... Ughh...
Bishop
Slowly. Careful not to trip.
Bishop
Did you hear that? The sound of the waves. Thump, thump, thump, just like our heartbeats.
Bishop
The food you eat and the water you drink are all gifts from the sea. My brothers and sisters, do you feel the energy in you surging throughout your body and on to your heart?
Bishop
Embrace the vastness before you! This is your hope for rebirth!
Skadi looks at the people onshore.
The crowd has started to disperse. The girl has picked a basket full of seafood. At last, she looks up from the ground and begins to search for someone on the empty shore.
Anita
Huh? Where's the singer?
Anita
I took my eyes off her for just a moment, and she disappeared again.
Anita
*Sigh*.
Anita
Oh well, she knows the way back. She's probably looking for her friend again.
Anita
Let's go, Bench. Let's bring the food back.
Young Inhabitant
Uhh...
Anita
Bench, I want to sing. Let's sing together.
Anita
Do you remember the song that the singer sang? It's okay if you don't. I mean, you don't know how to talk. How about I sing it for you?
Anita
With homeland left a mile behind♪
Young Inhabitant
Yea...
Anita
His path lies ahead♪
Young Inhabitant
Ahh...
Anita
Why are you stopping me? *Sigh*. You think it's terrible, don't you? I think so, too.
Anita
Of course I can't sing as well as the singer!
Anita
But if I keep at it, I will get better, right?
Anita
Hehe... His path lies ahead...
Gladiia
I need to go now. If I don't get going, he will be suspicious.
Skadi
Captain! What are you planning?
Skadi
Is it a teammate you're looking for? Why didn't you say so?
Skadi
Or is it an enemy you want? If you were my enemy, you would've killed me when I tried to kill you with the seashell just now.
Gladiia
......
Gladiia shakes her head.
Gladiia
You need to understand what it is that you want first. A hesitant hunter can't spot traps and will only find herself the prey of others. Is that what you want?
When you looked at us before, it felt no different from when you looked at the monsters from the sea.
Skadi
......
Anita
But now you are willing to teach me how to make seaweed alcohol, and you sing for us.
Skadi
Of course you are different from the monsters.
Skadi
Monsters wouldn't keep pestering me to sing for them. Monsters can't even speak. Most of the time, they are dirty and dumb, and they know nothing other than to eat.
Anita
S-So... will those monsters from the sea eat us?
Skadi
If they are hungry, they will.
Anita
So they come ashore for the same reason we go out to the sea. They are looking for things to eat.
Skadi
Are you sympathizing with them?
Anita
Going hungry is tough.
Skadi
I don't think that's how the ones who get eaten see it.
Anita
Right... I don't want to be eaten by the monsters like this either.
Anita
I've never thought about it before, but now... Uh, I want to listen to your songs just a little longer. I want to teach Bench how to sing too, just like how Grandma taught me so many things.
Skadi
In that case, you need to live as long as your grandmother.
Anita
Yep! At the very least, I'm not worried about anything right now.
Anita
And that's because... Singer, you are still here. You will help us, and fight off these monsters, like, bam bam bam!
Unlike the dead silence of the day before, its waters are filled with living creatures. They cling onto each other and pile on top of one another. The creature at the very top stretches out its limb. It camouflages itself as a part of the sea waves, while striking the shore's reefs with each beating wave.
Atop the hill, the chapel doors are wide open.
The people ashore have already gone home.
The monsters of the sea, eyeless as they may be, merely 'stare' at the sight.
Skadi
My heartbeat... is getting faster.
It isn't just her heartbeat. She looks at her hands and sees something that only the eyes of a hunter can see. Unable to withstand the impact of her blood flow, her skin is trembling at a high speed.
The off-key singing reverberates in her eardrums, all while the odor of the sea irritates her nostrils.
Skadi
I see... Right.
Skadi
I am still a hunter...
A hunter chases her prey, and a hunter hunts her prey, but Abyssal Hunters dance atop the fangs and claws of their fallen prey. A hunter who has lost her partner is naturally lonely and despondent.
She is a hunter herself, and not the kind after bounties. Running away any further would be meaningless. What she must do now is to turn around and join the hunt.
They are the ones who should be afraid.
It is only now that Skadi has finally forgiven herself.
She dashes toward the Sea Terror-filled tides.
There is a stench. A stench lingers in the air of the chapel.
