36-14 New Fruit
Video: Light and Shadow Bianca_Story Second Half PV
To think you'd find your way to me... You're as sharp as ever, Gray Raven.
Closing the book, Ishmael flicks her fingers.
A strange field warps the space around them as a gateway gently seals itself, keeping its secrets hidden from prying eyes.
Whatever you prefer.
...
A faint smile plays on her lips, but she remains silent.
Ishmael pauses, a flicker of confusion crossing her face.
What is... that?
But that's fine. Whatever floats your boat.
Rising from her seat, Ishmael retrieves a porcelain cup brimming with sugar cubes from beneath the table.
Would you like some?
She plucks two sugar cubes from the cup and drops them into her coffee, stirring thoroughly before pulling the cup toward you.
With that faint smile, the pink-haired woman draws the coffee cup closer.
Without sugar, it would be bitter.
Ishmael remarks, a hidden meaning in her tone.
Yes... and no.
As I've told you before, I'm just the gatekeeper; I don't make the rules.
Every turning point hinges on you, Gray Raven. I can only help you cover your tracks, but I can't dictate the "story" that unfolds.
Today, this world—all these shifts are because of you, Gray Raven.
Do you ever regret it? Carrying this burden all by yourself?
Countless memories flood her mind—some steeped in despair and suffering, others filled with clamor or silence.
Perhaps it was bitter enough to make her want to gnaw on fate's backbone and roar at the world's injustice, but... no matter what, that is already in the past.
Heh...
Ishmael smiles gently and shakes her head.
If you do have regrets, you wouldn't be standing here right now.
Now that you've found your way to me, what's on your mind?
Go ahead, ask away. Maybe I'll even give you the straight answer.
She smiles, her gaze dropping back to the book in her hand.
Ah... that's right here in this one.
Ishmael pulls a thin book from under the table and quickly thumbs through it.
Nanami... she tried to link up with Gestalt to crunch some numbers, but the word came back: Even Gestalt couldn't compute it.
Well, of course. The cosmic forces of causality are way beyond what the current Gestalt can handle.
While you all were going through your transformations, she swapped out her frame and has been searching on the ground for...
The girl, in her familiar frame, searches the ground for "the future she desires most."
She's one of a kind. Her sealed memories will unlock little by little, and she'll gradually piece together everything from her past.
No one can make this choice for another.
She offers a faint smile and closes the book.
I'm sorry, but I can't quite spill the beans on the full scoop with the Hetero Tower.
Yes, the Hetero Tower will absolutely come back.
But, thanks to all your hard work, it might show up a little later. After all, that's your prize for everything you've put on the line, isn't it?
With the Hetero Tower out of the picture for now, maybe Earth can finally strike a better balance of power.
Perhaps, with things this way, more futures and possibilities can truly blossom.
The Observer would certainly be thrilled to see a world like that.
Her silence hangs in the air, a clear sign that the human still has time for questions.
Hah...
That's one question I can't answer.
No one can answer your question... not even me.
Dominik and Nemo's timeline got wiped out by Chaos contamination, while the Four-Winged White Raven's civilization rotted from the inside out, consumed by the greed of Substance-0.
Ishmael turns a page of the book, and the paper crumbles to sand in her hands, trickling down with a soft rustling sound.
No one knows how to fix this mess. This question has no answer, yet countless answers all at once.
Just as you've carved a path I never saw coming, maybe humanity can cook up a totally different, truly viable solution.
I'm looking forward to your solution... and to the day when you and your civilization can truly walk alongside me as equals.
The pages of the book slowly close as Ishmael turns to face the human across from her with a smile.
Now, it's your turn to answer my question.
Since you managed to find your way here, you must have... gotten all your memories back, haven't you?
The memories that were once a jumbled mess have all been untangled. Following a crimson thread, You've read through every bit of your past.
Making a choice like that all on your own, after thirty years...
Whether it's diving back into the ocean depths or converging the timeline, the slightest misstep would reduce everything to ashes.
Were you ever afraid?
A flicker of genuine curiosity sparks in the pink-hued woman's eyes.
Why? Aren't you afraid of...
Yes, them.
Them...
Them...
Them...
This is more than just a "story."
It's also the world where they are.
...
A fleeting moment of melancholy crosses her face, only to be masked away instantly. Ishmael lets out a soft, noncommittal sigh.
I see... Well then, let's keep going.
I'll keep watching...
To see what new fruits your world will bear.
