...and since Chaldea's bound to show up to save Europa,[sr]the Alter Egos are sure to be keeping their eyes on them.
[k]
[charaFace A 4]
＠Kadoc
Everything's coming together, just as I planned.[sr]Don't worry about anything else now, Kadoc.
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad311]
[charaFadeout A 0.4]
[wt 0.4]
[charaMove I 60,-250 1.5]
[wt 1.2]
[seStop ad311 0.5]
[wt 0.4]
[charaTalk A]
[charaFace A 10]
[charaFadein A 0.4 0,-50]
[wt 0.6]
＠Kadoc
If there's ever gonna be a chance to sift through the data, this is it. You won't get another.
[k]
＠Kadoc
I doubt they just left their whole plan lying around...but that's okay.
[k]
＠Kadoc
I'll settle for anything they don't want me to know, even if it's just meeting logs.
[k]
＠Kadoc
Anything that might provide a clue[sr]to the Foreign God's true identity.
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad806]
[wt 1.6]
＠Kadoc
There, the terminal's on. Okay, Wodime, don't mind me.[sr]I'm just gonna take a little peek at your files here.
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad807]
[wt 1.6]
＠Kadoc
They're password protected. Figures.[sr]I don't have time to try to hack my way in...
[k]
＠Kadoc
...but let's see if I can guess your password.[sr]“Crypter.”
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad792]
[wt 1.2]
[charaFace A 4]
＠Kadoc
Shit. Just my luck.
[k]
[charaFace A 0]
＠Kadoc
Let's see, seven characters...
[k]
＠Kadoc
Hang on. Seven characters, seven Crypters...[sr]What if...
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad807]
[wt 1.6]
＠Kadoc
“K-K-O-A-S-B-D.”
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad792]
[wt 1.2]
＠Kadoc
No go, huh? Wait... Maybe he used “Peperoncino” instead of “Scandinavia”?
[k]
[charaFace A 10]
＠Kadoc
“KKOAPBD.”
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad793]
[wt 1.6]
[charaFace A 4]
＠Kadoc
...Seriously? I can't believe he...
[k]
＠Kadoc
Nope, no time for that kinda crap now.[sr]I'm sick of being a bystander in all this.
[k]
[charaFace A 10]
＠Kadoc
For now, I'll settle for seeing what you see.[sr]I'll figure out what I'm gonna do afterward.
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad807]
[wt 1.6]
＠Kadoc
Now, what've we got here...
[k]
＠Kadoc
A regularly scheduled report from Ophelia? Based on the[sr]date, this would've been when Chaldea had captured me.
[k]
[charaFace A 4]
＠Kadoc
...Weird. Why's this the only file saved by itself?
[k]
＠Kadoc
Sorry about this, Ophelia.
[k]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[messageOff]
[bgmStop BGM_EVENT_70 1.5]
[se ad806]
[wt 1.6]
[se ad1]
[charaPut S 0,-50]
[charaEffect S bit_talk_magic_com 0,-50]
[wt 0.5]
[charaPut B 0,-50]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadeTime B 1.0 0.8]
[wt 1.5]
[bgm BGM_EVENT_71 0.1]
＠B：Transmission Log
...I'm contacting you in regards to the relationship[sr]between the Lostbelts and the Trees of Emptiness.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
To clarify terms, I'm defining Lostbelt as an extension of the Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon[line 2]an alternative history that could never exist on Earth as part of Proper Human History...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...and the Trees of Emptiness are the anchors[sr]holding these lost histories in place.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...This is witnessed by the fact that Trees of Emptiness and their respective Lostbelts are so closely tied together.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
All observational data we have for the Lostbelts further substantiates this connection, leaving no room for doubt.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
As proof, we can look at the Russian Lostbelt, which is disappearing as I speak now that its Tree of Emptiness has been cut down.
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaPut S 1200,1200]
[charaTalk A]
[charaFace A 10]
[charaFadein A 0.1 0,-50]
＠Kadoc
...[sr]...
[k]
＠Kadoc
...The timeline definitely lines up.
[k]
＠Kadoc
So, the Russian Lostbelt disappearing is what definitively proved the connection between Lostbelts and their Trees of Emptiness, huh.
[k]
＠Kadoc
Yeah, that sounds right.
[k]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaPut S 0,-50]
[charaPut B 0,-50]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadeTime B 0.1 0.8]
＠B：Transmission Log
However...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...the Russian Lostbelt's disappearance only proves[sr]one particular trait about the Trees of Emptiness.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
There is still one major mystery[sr]remaining about the Lostbelts:
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
How do they fill in the gaps between when they were pruned from human history, until they were “replanted” in the present day?
[k]
[charaFadeout B 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaPut S 1200,1200]
[charaTalk A]
[charaFace A 10]
[charaFadein A 0.1 0,-50]
＠Kadoc
...
[k]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaPut S 0,-50]
[charaPut B 0,-50]
[charaTalk B]
[charaFace B 0]
[charaFadeTime B 0.1 0.8]
＠B：Transmission Log
That mystery is what I'm reporting in on today.
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFace B 4]
[wt 1.4]
[charaFace B 0]
[wt 0.4]
＠B：Transmission Log
The other day, I heard something from the king of the Scandinavian Lostbelt, Scáthach-Skadi, that points to one possible answer.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
She clearly remembers the events of the past few thousand years, and does so as though it were perfectly natural.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
What's more, she did so even while understanding[sr]that the Lostbelts, including her own...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...were cut off from Proper Human History because their continued existence was deemed extraneous.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
This means she is fully aware that nothing could have happened during the several thousand years between when Ragnarök took place and the present day...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...and yet, she and her Lostbelt all exist as though those several thousand years of lost history had actually taken place. Quite the contradiction.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
Of course, while we can't make any definitive statements based on one king's single passing remark...
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFace B 4]
[wt 1.4]
[charaFace B 0]
[wt 0.4]
＠B：Transmission Log
...I do feel confident enough to propose a hypothesis.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
I suspect that the blank period between when a Lostbelt was pruned, and when it was “replanted” in the present day...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...may have actually taken place[sr]inside each Tree of Emptiness.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
In Russia, that period would have been about five hundred years. In Scandinavia, it would be about three thousand.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
In China, it would be about twenty-two hundred, and so on and so forth.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
To further expound on my hypothesis...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
I suspect that the Trees of Emptiness take the point[sr]at which a Lostbelt's history is pruned...
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...and then simulate what would happen if that[sr]history had continued on from that point.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
By doing so, the trees effectively prove that history's[sr]existence, and the result is projected onto the planet itself.
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFace B 4]
[wt 1.4]
[charaFace B 8]
[wt 0.4]
＠B：Transmission Log
If my hypothesis is correct, that would mean the trees[sr]are essentially creating history, not rewriting it.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
Not even a demiurge-class Divine Spirit that once ruled the entire planet could wield this kind of Authority on Earth in the present day.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
Wodime.[sr]I mean, Lord Kirschtaria Wodime.
[k]
＠B：Transmission Log
...Just what is the Foreign God, anyway?
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFadeout B 0.4]
[wt 0.5]
[se ad1]
[charaEffectStop S bit_talk_magic_com]
[wt 1.8]
[charaTalk A]
[charaFace A 4]
[charaFadein A 0.1 0,-50]
＠Kadoc
The Foreign God, huh.
[k]
＠Kadoc
Guess you didn't know, Ophelia.[sr]Me neither.
[k]
[bgmStop BGM_EVENT_71 3.0]
＠Kadoc
...No, it's not just you and me. None of us Crypters know what the Foreign God looks like.
[k]
＠Kadoc
All we know is, they're something that resurrected us from our Coffins in exchange for making us raise Lostbelts.
[k]
＠Kadoc
Except...Wodime's the only one of us who's heard directly what the Foreign God's goal is...
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad807]
[wt 1.6]
[charaFace A 0]
＠Kadoc
...Hm?
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad793]
[wt 1.6]
＠Kadoc
What's this text file over here by itself?[sr]Looks like some kind of note.
[k]
＠Kadoc
Gotta say, Wodime. Between this, and the easily[sr]guessable password, you're getting sloppy.
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad807]
[wt 1.6]
＠Kadoc
Hang on. Is this really a plain text file?[sr]...What is this?
[k]
[messageOff]
[fadeout black 1.0]
[wait fade]
[charaFadeout I 0.1]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[scene 10000]
[wt 1.0]
[fadein black 1.0]
[wait fade]
[bgm BGM_EVENT_79 0.1 0.6]
＠
[lr]O[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]n the Trees of Emptiness and[sr]the Bleached Earth Phenomenon.[wt 0.3][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
＠
W[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]ith the exception of us Crypters[sr]and the Alter Egos...[wt 0.4][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
＠
.[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]..the Trees of Emptiness are the only method[sr]the Foreign God has employed to tamper with Earth.[wt 0.7][seStop adm55 0.1]
.[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]..as signifying that it was the Trees of Emptiness[sr]that wiped Earth clean when they descended to the[sr]ground.[wt 0.6][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
＠
.[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]..However, after re-reviewing and reanalyzing the[sr]data taken from Earth's surface, I'm no longer so sure.[wt 0.7][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
＠
T[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]o come straight to the point:[sr]we may have been mistaken.[wt 0.5][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
[messageOff]
[wt 1.5]
＠
.[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3]..The Trees of Emptiness only appeared after Earth[sr]had been bleached. This order of events is crucial.[wt 0.7][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
＠
I[se adm55][seVolume adm55 0 0.3] don't know which of the Crypters will end up viewing[sr]this file, but whoever it is, I hope they find it[sr]useful.[wt 0.7][seStop adm55 0.1]
[k]
[messageOff]
[fadeout black 1.0]
[wait fade]
[scene 54006]
[wt 1.0]
[fadein black 1.0]
[wait fade]
[bgm BGM_EVENT_79 1.5 1.0]
[charaTalk A]
[charaFace A 4]
[charaFadein A 0.1 0,-50]
＠Kadoc
Huh? You're telling me the Trees of Emptiness only[sr]came down to Earth AFTER it had been wiped clean?
[k]
＠Kadoc
But, that doesn't make any sense.
[k]
＠Kadoc
I thought for sure it was the Trees of Emptiness[sr]that wiped out Earth and humanity...
[k]
＠Kadoc
But if Earth had already been bleached before the Trees of Emptiness showed up, then why make them, or the Lostbelts, at all?
[k]
[charaFace A 10]
＠Kadoc
...Wait. If the Foreign God wanted to get rid of humanity, they wouldn't bother making Lostbelts in the first place.
[k]
＠Kadoc
If anything, it seems to me like the whole reason they want to see a bunch of different possible human histories is because they don't know anything about us.
[k]
＠Kadoc
But then...why?
[k]
＠Kadoc
Maybe the bleaching wasn't to wipe out humanity...[sr]but to make an environment they could set foot in?
[k]
＠Kadoc
...Maybe they only got rid of humanity[sr]because they had no other choice?
...So from that, you can tell that the Foreign God is really, really cautious, which is why they're so careful about keeping their identity a secret.
[k]
＠Kadoc
Zeus is omnipotent and omniscient, so he doesn't bother to hide who he is. He's also had no problem crushing any form of dissent himself.
[k]
＠Kadoc
The Foreign God's not at that level yet, which is why they're still so careful about any information pertaining to them.
[k]
＠Kadoc
...That's it. The Foreign God's got one major, fatal[sr]flaw: they don't have a physical body yet.
[k]
＠Kadoc
If they did, even if it was just a Divided Spirit or[sr]a terminal, they wouldn't have to rely on anyone else.
[k]
＠Kadoc
That's why they enlisted the Alter Egos, and us Crypters, to be their hands in this world.
[k]
＠Kadoc
...Rasputin. Limbo. Muramasa. Why would a foreign being use Heroic Spirits from Earth?
[k]
＠Kadoc
They might've dressed their Alter Ego Disciples up a[sr]little, but they're still figures taken from our history...
[k]
＠Kadoc
...Hang on. What if the Foreign God can[sr]only make use of things on Earth?
[k]
＠Kadoc
No, it's not even that. They can only use things from the past[line 2]things that USED to be on Earth.
[k]
＠Kadoc
(At some point, the Foreign God plans on descending[sr]to Earth. At least, that's what they told Wodime.)
[k]
＠Kadoc
(And once a Tree of Emptiness is fully grown, it'll become the Foreign God's body... So what happens after that?)
[k]
＠Kadoc
(Maybe, when the Foreign God descends[sr]and incarnates on Earth...)
[k]
＠Kadoc
(...they're going to base their body on the data[sr]about Earth we've all been collecting for them.)
[k]
＠Kadoc
...Yeah, that's not a bad theory.
[k]
＠Kadoc
If the Foreign God absolutely has to have local[sr]life-forms, then they must be for output... No, wait. For reference.
[k]
＠Kadoc
And from there, as long as the Foreign God[sr]can guide the local life-forms successfully[line 2]
[k]
[bgmStop BGM_EVENT_79 1.5]
＠Voice
[charaTalk D]
My, my, how very perceptive.[sr]I see, I see.
[k]
＠Voice
[charaTalk D]
It would seem that, given enough time, humans will indeed cease to be mindless reeds and start reaching...conclusions of their own.
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk depthOff]
[charaDepth C 1]
[charaDepth D 2]
[charaDepth A 3]
[charaDepth E 4]
[charaTalk off]
[charaFace C 15]
[charaFadein C 0.4 0,-50]
[wt 1.2]
[charaFace D 15]
[charaFadein D 0.7 0,-50]
[wt 0.8]
[charaFadeout C 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk off]
[charaTalk D]
＠Limbo
I used to laugh at the idea that a few Crypters putting[sr]their heads together could ever arrive at the truth...
[k]
＠Limbo
...but now that I see how close you've come to figuring out the Foreign God's true nature, it's clear I underestimated you, Lord Kadoc.
[k]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk A]
[charaFace A 7]
[charaFadein A 0.1 0,-50]
＠Kadoc
Crap! An Alter Ego!
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk off]
[charaFace D 15]
[charaFadein D 0.1 0,-50]
[wt 0.4]
[se ad73]
[charaEffect D bit_talk_quickmove]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.8]
[charaFace A 7]
[charaFadein A 0.1 -140,-50]
[wt 0.4]
[charaFace D 17]
[charaFadein D 0.1 150,-50]
[charaEffect D bit_talk_quickmove 0,0 V]
[wt 0.1]
[se ad223]
[wt 0.2]
＠Limbo
Indeed, it is I, Limbo!
[k]
[messageOff]
[se ad85]
[effect bit_talk_h_slash02]
[wt 0.2]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[charaFadeout A 0.1]
[fadeout black 0.1]
[wait fade]
[scene 10000]
[fadein black 0.1]
[wait fade]
[se bac143]
[se bac402]
[wt 0.8]
[se ad341]
[effect bit_talk_blood_splash]
[se ad161]
[wt 2.5]
[charaTalk on]
[fadeout black 0.1]
[wait fade]
[scene 54006]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 2]
[charaFadein E 0.5 -140,-50]
[charaShake E 0.05 2 2 0.8]
[charaFace D 13]
[charaFadein D 0.1 150,-50]
[se ad240]
[fadein black 0.7]
[flashin once 0.1 0.1 FFFFFF80 FFFFFF80]
[charaPut S 0,-50]
[charaEffect S bit_talk_35]
[wt 0.3]
[wait fade]
＠E：Kadoc
Guh... Agh...!
[k]
[bgm BGM_EVENT_72 0.1]
[charaFace D 15]
＠Limbo
This simply won't do, Lord Kadoc.[sr]Mmmmmm, no, it simply won't do at all!
[k]
＠Limbo
If you're going to go snooping around like a spy, you really must be more prepared for the possible consequences! Don't you agree?
[k]
＠Limbo
Wait... Oh, I see! I suppose you were prepared after all! Well, I do beg your pardon! I didn't realize that flimsy little shield around your body was meant to provide meaningful protection!
[k]
[charaFace E 0]
＠E：Kadoc
...Bas...tard!
[k]
＠Limbo
Oh yes, I'm terribly sorry.[sr]It seems I've gone and punctured your little spell.
[k]
＠Limbo
And, this wound being quite fatal,[sr]I'm afraid this is as far as you go.
[k]
[charaFace D 13]
＠Limbo
Much as I hope to see you again one day,[sr]that seems rather unlikely now... Alas.
[k]
[messageOff]
[flashin once 0.3 0.3 FF001080 FF001080]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[se bac402]
[wt 0.4]
[se ad240]
[charaPut S 0,-50]
[charaEffect S bit_talk_35]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 2]
[charaFadein E 0.1 0,-50]
[charaShake E 0.05 2 2 0.4]
＠E：Kadoc
Gaaaaaah![sr]You...Alter...Ego!
[k]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 0]
[charaFadein D 0.1 0,-50]
＠Limbo
So tell me, have you shared this pet theory[sr]of yours with any of the other Crypters?
[k]
＠Limbo
For example, should I assume Kirschtaria Wodime[sr]has reached the same conclusions as you have?
[k]
[charaFace D 6]
＠Limbo
Ah, but no, he hasn't![sr]He'd never permit himself to do such a thing!
[k]
＠Limbo
He's very smart after all, so he knows he'll be[sr]disposed of if he should arrive at the truth!
[k]
＠Limbo
That's why he kept his thoughts strictly as raw data rather than mulling them over and drawing conclusions! No wonder the Foreign God chose him for their Executor!
[k]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 0]
[charaFadein E 0.1 0,-50]
[charaShake E 0.05 1 1 0.4]
＠E：Kadoc
...!
[k]
[charaFadeout E 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 0]
[charaFadein D 0.1 0,-50]
＠Limbo
Mmm?
[k]
[messageOff]
[charaFadeout D 0.1]
[wt 0.1]
[charaTalk E]
[charaFace E 0]
[charaFadein E 0.1 0,-50]
[charaShake E 0.05 1 1 0.4]
[wt 0.8]
[charaFaceFade E 3 0.4]
[wt 0.2]
[charaMove E 0,-100 0.4]
[charaFadeout E 0.4]
[wt 0.8]
[se ad144]
[wt 1.5]
[charaTalk D]
[charaFace D 13]
[charaFadein D 0.1 0,-50]
＠Limbo
Oh my, I do apologize. I completely forgot about[sr]the pain curse I still had embedded in my nails!
[k]
＠Limbo
No wonder you can't answer my questions then![sr]Hahahahaha, how careless of me!
