It's getting colder lately. Autumn will be over in a month or two. But ZwillingstΓΌrme doesn't tend to see any snow, so the sunset won't wane.
Ebenholz
...
Ebenholz
This is surreal. You're definitely not the type to soliloquize while appreciating the view.
Lessing
What I'm trying to say is that there are no longer any traces of unrest, after just half a month.
Ebenholz
The Twin Spires tower over us as usual, the clouds are as splendid as always, and the people pass by both Gnade Avenue and Macht Avenue as if... nothing happened at all.
Lessing
No, something has changed. We can't ignore that.
Lessing
How are your injuries?
Lessing
The old man said it's nothing serious, but you did stay in Kargereich for a bit too long, so it's hard to say if you're completely free of corrosion.
Ebenholz
I haven't had any more headaches since then, at least.
Lessing
You're braver than I imagined, Ebenholz. You've saved so many people.
Ebenholz
...
Ebenholz
I just... couldn't allow those 'echoes' haunting me to hurt any more people.
Lessing
You met the Witch King, and whether you cursed or killed him, you've already completed 'the last thing you could still do.'
Lessing
So what's next for you?
Michael
I hope I'm not intruding on you both.
Michael
Herr Ebenholz, I was looking for you... on Grimmacht's behalf.
Ebenholz
And here I thought it would be Ewigegnade to send you to punish a 'dead man' for coming back to Leithanien without permission.
Ebenholz
What's this?
Michael
Grimmacht handed me two secret letters.
Michael
One calling for your return to ZwillingstΓΌrme, and the other granting you a final choice.
Ebenholz
...
Lessing
Have you been staying in the spire the whole time since the incident?
Michael
Officially, there are still two Kaiserinnen in Leithanien. Grimmacht is just away for the time being, and someone has to handle the mountain of paperwork she left behind.
Michael
Only I can do it, as I always have.
Lessing
You're set on that?
Lessing
Leithanien might have only one single Spire in the future.
Michael
I came to ZwillingstΓΌrme to meet with the Kaiserinnen seven years ago. Ewigegnade didn't like my performance, my caution, or maybe my status as Lupukarn's representative... It was Grimmacht who saved me.
Michael
And it didn't end there. I am her Voice, even if she didn't, and now never will, appoint me as one for real.
Michael
You, me, and even some of the nobilityβmany Leithanians believe in the path Grimmacht was seeking, right?
Michael
It might lead us to an era where we won't need Spires at all. There's still so much more we can do.
Lessing
The way you're talking...
Lessing
You've matured since the last time I saw you, Michael.
Michael
Erm, that's because... I'm a growing boy, after all.
Michael
Herr Ebenholz, I see you're done reading the letters, so I'll take my leave now.
Michael
Whatever your answer is, I hope you'll be happy with it.
Lessing
Your expression is a little hard to read.
Ebenholz
Grimmacht gave me two options.
Ebenholz
I could get another death certificate. Not just as 'Graf Urtica,' but also as a 'Leithanian'... By dying, I will obtain true freedom.
Ebenholz
Or... I could return to the Urtica Grafschaft.
Lessing
Let me tell you a story.
Lessing
There was once a young boy...
Ebenholz
...
Lessing
I'm not very good at telling stories, but just listen to me.
The boy's name was Lessing Maeyer. And that newly arrived noble was you, Ebenholz, the twelve year old Graf Urtica.
Ebenholz
...
Lessing
You'll never remember it, so don't bother trying.
Lessing
Back then I was so full of anxiety, afraid that someone was playing a prank on me, so I asked a servant to find out what was going on.
Lessing
She said: 'The young Graf's migraines seem to be upsetting him again. He chased all the attendants out of his room, with many documents scattered across the floor.'
Ebenholz
...
Lessing
Don't take this as grumbling about some 'fateful arrangement.' I'm just telling the truth about how one unintentional move from you changed someone else's entire life.
Lessing
You spurned your identity, as well as the regrets and suffering you bore from it. Of course, I'm sure you know better than anyone else how real your pain was.
Lessing
But at the same time, I hope you also know their value.
Lessing
And how we should regard them.
Ebenholz
Danke, for telling me all this, even though you were positively awful at it.
Ebenholz
Have I ever mentioned what I experienced back at the Genesis Horn?
Lessing
Nein.
Ebenholz
I didn't think it worth bringing up before, but I suppose I can tell you what I didn't get to tell the Witch King, before he vanished in front of my eyes.
Then why did you make that face earlier, while you were reading the Kaiserin's letters?
Ebenholz
Because there are still other matters, which have suddenly became somewhat tricky to deal with.
Hibiscus
Ebenholz!!!
Hibiscus
I finally found you!!!
Ebenholz
Hibiscus...?
Hibiscus
Have you forgotten who you are?
Ebenholz
No.
Hibiscus
You're a Rhodes Island Operator. I'm sure you've read the operator manual you got after onboarding, right? Carefully, from cover to cover?
Hibiscus
'I invite all of you to witness how two centuries of sin will come to a conclusion... How fortunate it is, that this day of farewell has finally arrived! ...For I have seen my life's path ahead of me, crystal clear...'
Lessing
What's that she reading?
Ebenholz
...
Hibiscus
Operators must go through a strict approval process whenever they apply to leave the landship. How could you just run off after leaving that unintelligible letter?
Hibiscus
I haven't even had time to hand it in yet.
Ebenholz
...Give it back, Hibiscus.
Ebenholz
I'll be staying in Leithanien for the foreseeable future. I'll return to the Urtica Grafschaft.
Ebenholz
As I'd like to resubmit my application to disembark, could you please help me toβ
Hibiscus
Erm, you'd better go see the Doctor or Kal'tsit in person for that.
Ebenholz
Is the landship nearby?
Hibiscus
How else would I be here? It's not that close, but we do have some business nearby to handle.
Ebenholz
...
Ebenholz
You don't seem at all surprised to hear that I want to return to Urtica. We've been on edge ever since we left Vyseheim...
Hibiscus
That's because you weren't gnashing your teeth spouting nonsense this time. Which means you've thought this through.
It is not large by any measure, but still well maintained. The low stone steps surrounding the planted vegetation have been removed and enclosed with a waxy white oak fence, presumably to prevent the homeowners from tripping over them.
A small house sits quietly in the center, embraced by the grass. Freshly painted white walls reflect the morning sun, casting the climbing vines in a radiant glow.
???
Come in, Viviana.
???
You made it.
GesatzswΓ€chter
When Bach was presiding over the Glorreiches Kapitalprojekt, he specially patterned this street after the one he lived in as a child. Doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to Marigold Alley?
GesatzswΓ€chter
Two years ago, a Markgraf returned to their territory to recuperate from illness, so Cora bought this place, but never moved in.
GesatzswΓ€chter
It was only after you came to the city that she asked me to come help clean the place up.
GesatzswΓ€chter
So, how does it look?
Viviana
It's lovely. Only... these vines don't have to be trimmed so much.
Viviana
Let them grow as they please, or they'll look somewhat stiff.
GesatzswΓ€chter
Alright.
GesatzswΓ€chter
...There's no need to hold back your thoughts, Viviana.
Viviana
Herr Reiner, this is the first time I'm seeing your face.
GesatzswΓ€chter
It's been so many years.
GesatzswΓ€chter
This is the first time I've taken off the GesatzswΓ€chter mask and shown my true face to anyone else, not since I came to ZwillingstΓΌrme.
GesatzswΓ€chter
It's my identity, my duty, and... my everything.
GesatzswΓ€chter
I guess a GesatzswΓ€chter shouldn't be reminiscing about the mastermind who spoiled Das Kaiserinnensfest and tampered with the GΓΌldenesgesatz.
Viviana
Herr Reiner, about what happened that day...
Brandt
There's no need to blame yourself, Viviana.
Brandt
Whenever Cora set her heart on something, she would never look back. You could only be dragged along with her.
Viviana
...
Brandt
Her eyes were already going when she joined the Reichsorchester on Werner's recommendation that year. I promised Werner I'd do my best to help the girl he saved.
Brandt
But I gradually came to discover that she had her own feelings, her own judgements, her own desires.
Brandt
She wanted to help Lucinda, to save Werner, and even to modify the GΓΌldenesgesatz. She wanted to ensure that the kindhearted people would never be tormented by their own regrets ever again.
Brandt
She was... a resolute woman, and I've always respected her.
Brandt
But she was even more courageous than I had thought.
Viviana
Mhm...
Brandt
And so, her fate is sealed.
Brandt
If it were me...
Brandt
I... I can't even imagine how it would feel.
Brandt
...Thank you, Viviana.
Brandt
Have you made your decision?
Viviana
I went to see Ewigegnade before coming here, and formally declined her offer to become an Empresses' Voice.
Viviana
As per protocol, new recruits have to enter the Spires after the Celebration and accept Their Majesties' appointment before they can officially assume their positions.
Viviana
But Her Majesty Grimmacht has just 'lost her voice,' and this year's appointment ceremony has been cancelled, so it's an appropriate time to submit my refusal.
Brandt
If this is what you've decided on, then I have nothing to say.
Brandt
It's just that, Werner...
Brandt
Viviana, this was the best, and last, thing he could arrange for you.
Brandt
Don't blame your father. He just lacked the freedom to do otherwise.
Viviana
My father... let me and my mother down, but he protected so many others.
Viviana
Cora in the Witch King's Spire, House Hochberg which could have been implicated at any moment, and the countless people of Sturmland forced into a difficult position by a copy of the GΓΌldenesgesatz.
Viviana
From beginning to end, he was caught up in the vortex of his time. He witnessed, experienced, lost, was powerless to change anything, and could only do his utmost to fend off the storm.
Viviana
He never left a single line, but regardless, this is a poet's way of writing about himself.
Brandt
Viviana...
Brandt
I'm glad you feel that way, child.
Viviana
Whether sending me to Kazimierz or arranging my appointment as an Empresses' Voice, it was never because he thought the paths he chose for me were good.
Viviana
He simply saw me as a child in need of constant protection, a job at which he failed to excel.
Viviana
So I don't blame him.
Brandt
Then I presume you won't be returning to Sturmland either.
Viviana
In Kazimierz, I felt like a stranger. The bright neon lights, the noisy arenas, the priced battles, as well as the glory and honor... they were never a part of me.
Viviana
But when I returned to Sturmland, to ZwillingstΓΌrme, that feeling never went away.
Viviana
To me, Leithanien is just the candles and books I had back in those dark nights. The marigolds in bloom everywhere. They also symbolize 'parting.'
Viviana
I've always been able to make my own choices.
Brandt
...Choices.
Brandt
People can only truly face their own weaknesses when they have options.
Viviana
Herr Reiner...
Brandt
It's nothing.
Brandt
After Das Kaiserinnensfest, you said you needed to inform your friends in Kazimierz about your experience in Kargereich.
Viviana
I've already sent a letter. I should be receiving a reply soon.
Brandt
And after that?
Viviana
'To the lighthouses. To where once they were.'
Brandt
What?
Viviana
Just a line from a book I read when I was young.
Viviana
Allow me to bid you farewell. Lebewohl, Herr Reiner.
What you're hearing are all the emotions I'm feeling.
Ewigegnade
...It's no different from what I usually hear.
Arturia
The people of ZwillingstΓΌrme love you, after all.
Arturia
And you love them too.
Arturia
This has never changed.
Ewigegnade
You were there too, when I returned to reality from the Genesis Horn.
Ewigegnade
Perform the melody back then for me, Sankta.
Arturia
That's impossible.
Ewigegnade
Oh?
Arturia
I cannot record the moment the tear rolled down your cheek. If it did not fall into the depths of your soul to bloom into fruition, then it was merely a drop of water impossible to retain, evaporated by the sun as it fell.
Ewigegnade
...I see.
Ewigegnade
The year this spire was built, a scholar gave a public lecture at the Leithanian Academy of Arts. He claimed that people born from Arts lack an innate soul.
Ewigegnade
The very next day, he received... a transfer, a promotion normally impossible for him to obtain in his lifetime: becoming the Kaiserin's attendant.
Ewigegnade
Unfortunately, he passed just a year later from overworking himself in the depths of the spire. Though he left behind a scholarly magnum opus before his death, overturning all of his previous opinions.
Ewigegnade
Would you like to have a look at it, Sankta? The writing is mediocre, so I did not allow its publication. But the emotions contained within are... actually quite interesting.
Arturia
Are you... planning to lock me up in your spire, too?
Imperial Caster
Who let you in, Sankta?
Imperial Caster
The Kaiserin has not approved your audience!
Ewigegnade
Bring him over.
Federico
Executor Federico of the Laterano Notarial Hall. I have recently submitted several requests to the Empresses' Voices for an audience.
Ewigegnade
So you're... the Lateran Saint.
Federico
I am here to recover the fugitive Arturia.
Ewigegnade
Your sister has done many things in Leithanien.
Federico
Former Reichsorchester Tuner Cora LΓΆwenstein and the remnants of the Witch Kingβ
Ewigegnade
...Cora? No, I'm not talking about that.
Ewigegnade
The Ludwigs-UniversitΓ€t case concluded long ago. Das Kaiserinnensfest did go through some incidents, but the final performance was satisfactory.
Ewigegnade
I'm sure you've seen the whole thing, Herr Saint. I hope Leithanien's might and magnificence will leave a deep impression on you, even after you leave.
Federico
Am I to take your statement as such: 'Leithanien is prepared to refuse any procedural communication with Laterano over Arturia and her criminal offences'?
Ewigegnade
Are you questioning my decision?
Federico
...
Federico hears the sound of swords and floor colliding.
He lifts his head and looks at the Empress of Leithanien.
Ewigegnade stands in the sunset's afterglow, her long skirt infused with a warm gold. But behind her lies a long hallway comprised of shadows.
He counts dozens of GesatzswΓ€chter standing at attention in silence, their swords resounding.
???
Federico Giallo. Don't move just yet.
Federico
Hm?
Ewigegnade
And what is this? An Arts device... A Lateran made drone?
'Unique Drone Model'
I'm just a little machine.
'Unique Drone Model'
On some occasions, you can also treat me as a Messenger.
Ewigegnade
And to whom do you belong?
'Unique Drone Model'
I belong to... Laterano.
'Unique Drone Model'
There is someone who wishes to speak with you, Empress of Leithanien.
If you wish to keep her here, then we shall not let them leave so easily, even if Yvangelista XI himself were to show up in person.
Ewigegnade
Of course you wouldn't.
Ewigegnade
However, that aging Pope has brought us a message.
Ewigegnade
He said that... 'Disaster' is imminent. And when the time comes, Laterano won't be the only nation affected. He hopes for Leithanien and Laterano to cooperate and overcome this crisis together.
GesatzswΓ€chter
His usual rhetoric then.
Ewigegnade
Herkunftshorn said something similar.
Ewigegnade
Within the chaos, right before the illusory throne he had created for himself.
Ewigegnade
He said, 'hope is already lost, and eternity is no more'.
Ewigegnade
And then, after that, I saw them with my own eyes... The enemy hibernating within the chaos.
Ewigegnade
At one point, they came infinitesimally close to our Leithanien.
GesatzswΓ€chter
...Give us the order, and we will bring the Sankta back for you.
GesatzswΓ€chter
No, not just her. We will do anything, no matter the cost... Whatever it takes to find a way to re-enter that chaotic space and bring Grimmacht back.
Ewigegnade
Hildegard...
Ewigegnade
In the final moment before the Genesis Horn completely disintegrated, I raised my shield, protecting the twin spires and everyone beneath... but not her.
That's the last of it. It's not like you'll be able to stuff the spire down your pocket if you keep staring at it, you know!
Fremont
...But is that truly impossible?
Ermengarde
Professor!
Fremont
Alright, alright, don't glare at me like that. I'll return the statue I got from the BeschwΓΆrung classroom's entrance, if it comes down to it.
Ermengarde
You put that thing in my cube-thing?!
Fremont
What? It's valuable, you know. I spilled Feranmut blood all over it a century ago!
Ermengarde
Let's... get a move on. The rest of us are going, even if you aren't.
Fremont
...
Fremont
Ermengarde, are we really...
Ermengarde
There's no way a Lich can become a Leithanian. Shouldn't you know that better than anyone else, having been here the longest?
Ermengarde
The Sarkaz have always wandered this land, and us Liches have always been the nomads of our people.
Ermengarde
We walk the land collecting and guarding knowledge. We protect our tradition from war and strife, so we leave the moment the place we're at isn't stable anymore.
Ermengarde
And Leithanien's about to undergo some radical changes. Grimmacht stayed behind in the chaos, so there's no one left to hold Ewigegnade back.
Fremont
Heh... Herkunftshorn, you damn codger. You ought to die a thousand more deaths for the mess you've left us. Feel like coming back to life again and wipe your own behind?
Fremont
An impossible feat even if you were to say yes. And if such an opportunity did exist, we should leave it to the more sprightly youngsters anyway.
Ermengarde
Do you mean there's a chance for Grimmacht to... Have you come up with a way to enter Kargereich?
Fremont
Easy now, it won't happen so soon.
Fremont
But Herkunftshorn was right. The time of annihilation is nigh.
Fremont
Where will us Liches find our place when the entire land is beset by calamity?
Fremont
And that's why we shouldn't bother ourselves with all that trouble. Our nomad days shall come to an end.
Ermengarde
Alright, then where to next?
Fremont
Where else?
Fremont
Tell your new friends at Kazdel that the Lich Kingβs Court... No, not the courtβtell them that the keepers of the Temple of Knowledge are preparing to return home.
The special correspondence with Ewigegnade is over. I shared Laterano's caution and, once again, offered my hopes of advancing together with Leithanien.
Yvangelista XI
When the time comes, we will further analyze the incident in ZwillingstΓΌrme according to the information brought back by Federico Giallo.
Yvangelista XI
It was clearly more than just a revolt instigated by the remnants of the Witch King.
Yvangelista XI
Perhaps what happened there was a harbinger of the Disaster, much like the warning Laterano received.
Yvangelista XI
Ewigegnade, the only Empress of Leithanien with a voice now... The way she spoke was appropriate enough, and her attitude sufficiently ambiguous. I could even imagine her expressions.
Yvangelista XI
...All within my expectations.
Yvangelista XI
The Lateran Declaration didn't really receive any practical response after the Summit of Nations. From the furthest coastlines to the centrum, the Disaster remains a secret in many countries.
Yvangelista XI
Faith unites Laterano, while division has always been an everlasting blight upon this great land. But if we wait until the Disaster connects all nations into one...
Yvangelista XI
It will be too late.
Yvangelista XI
We already have a vague outline of what we're facing, but are we still unable to deduce its source?
In accordance with the bilateral agreement between Laterano and Leithanien, the Empresses' Voice and I will ensure that Arturia Giallo returns to Leithanien when necessary.
Federico
The aforementioned agreement has been confirmed.
Michael
Phew... that's it.
Michael
I guess this is goodbye for real.
Federico
Michael, feel free to come find me anytime, whether I'm in Laterano or on Rhodes Island.
Michael
Huh? This is new, Herr Executor. What's with the human touch in your words today?
Federico
Human touch? A uselessly vague descriptor.
Federico
I just have... an intuition.
Federico
This incident has not yet been fully resolved. To be more precise, what we experienced was just the beginning.
The Empress let you go, but that does not mean I can immediately take you away. The handover procedure was somewhat more tedious than planned.
Arturia
Fine work, I assume.
Federico
You heard Herkunftshorn's final words within the chaos.
Federico
What exactly did he tell you?
Arturia
Get in line; everyone wants to know. Nobles, scholars, Witch King's remains, Ewigegnade... They're all guessing what exactly Herkunftshorn's legacy will be.
Arturia
Might? Power? Knowledge?
Arturia
What do you think, Federico?
Federico
...All I saw was an enormous mass of shadows that didn't exist in reality.
Federico
Herkunftshorn's death twenty-three years ago is the only fact of the matter.
Federico
No matter how many images he fabricated for himself, or how many words he spoke, they were all simply echoes of the past.
Arturia
He may have failed to conquer death, but did manage to carve all his emotions into the void itself.
Arturia
His complacency, frustration, loathing, regret... and his expectations.
Arturia
He said our genesis is also our end, and that our abilities are also our incompetence.
'The invasion of chaos is inevitable.'
'The master of all existence will awaken.'
Federico
...
Federico
A difficult threat to decipher.
Federico
Perhaps this is somehow related to His Holiness's attitude. He was the one who entrusted me with the mission of bringing you back to Laterano.
Federico
Arturia, you said at the amphitheater that you never left Laterano of your own accord...
Arturia
Mm-hm.
Federico
I freely admit the gaps in our laws, and that emotion may be a supplementary force we can use to help Laterano face this new threat. But it is undefinable, and bound to come with unknown risks.
Federico
Therefore, I will increase my vigilance over you in order to determine the subjective motivations and possible objective consequences of your actions.
Federico
IE: I will shoot to kill if I find anything suspicious.
Arturia
I am most grateful, Your Beatitude, for with your refined rationality, you are my most suitable executioner.
Alright, Federico. If you're not in a hurry to set off on your next journey, then take a good look at this sunset.
Arturia
This is the moment where ZwillingstΓΌrme reveals the pinnacle of its beauty. Such splendor is both fleeting and fragile. Soon, night will fall.
Arturia
Do you still remember the question you once asked me?
Arturia
Laterano seems to stand eternally white and flawless, shining with an everlasting radiance. So where is the first place to light up when the sun goes down?
Arturia
Back then, I promised you that I would bring you to the highest point in Laterano for a look.
Federico
I know the answer.
Arturia
Oh?
Federico
I went to the top of the Basilica after I met with the Pope and received my sainthood.
Federico
Once night falls in the city, the streets to the right of the Tower of Revelations will be the first to light up.
Federico
I even looked into why that is the case.
Federico
The Lateran Office of Electrical Management has an integrated program for the city's public energy grid. The area I mentioned belongs to the district where the Tower of Revelations is located.
Federico
Alcide, the operator at the management office, is left-handed and has a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He starts from the leftmost switch on the control panel everyday.
Federico
The lights start from that street to the right of the Tower of Revelations, and then through the Notarial Hall and firearm workshops in Pagus Michaelion, to the Sunset Chapel in Pagus Saint Marcel, and then all the way to the chapel square.
Federico
At night, the streetlights in Laterano illuminate in orderβ
Arturia
I should have expected as much. Your answer, as the most rational person I know, is alsoβ
