Chapter_12_Memories_of_Rashomon

Night’s curtain had completely fallen, and countless stars twinkled in the sky. The light of those stars, as if symbolizing the countless worlds of old, strongly reflected in Irina’s heart. The Mirzet 500 now glided toward Rashomon while maintaining an altitude of over 5,000 meters above the surface.

“I can see Rashomon ahead, my lady.”
Silvia called from the pilot’s seat. Her voice carried the relief of reaching their destination after a long flight.

Irina pressed her face to the window. A point of light floating alone in the darkness gradually took shape. Seen from the cabin window, Rashomon emerged from the surrounding darkness like a massive gate floating in the air. Its appearance was mystical, evoking a sense of ancient history.

“We’ve finally arrived… Rashomon.”
Irina’s voice mixed expectation with tension. The mythology of Severa learned on this journey, and the mystery of her own dreams. Her heart raced with the premonition that these might connect at Rashomon.

“Though it still looks distant, that is its form.”
Luca also leaned forward with interest, gazing at Rashomon. In his eyes dwelt a nostalgia as if seeing an old friend after a long time.

“That’s right. Isn’t this your first time at Rashomon too?”
Irina looked at Luca curiously.

“Ah, so it was.” Luca spoke somewhat evasively. “I merely know its form from old records. This is my first time actually seeing it, but somehow it feels nostalgic.”

Silvia slowed the Mirzet 500 and began preparations for landing. “I’ve heard there are many sensor malfunctions around Rashomon due to mystical experiences. I’ll descend carefully, so please fasten your safety belts securely.”

“Hmm, there seems to be a strong spiritual essence reaction.”
Luca said. “Places where traces of early fusion remain heavily always have high spiritual essence fluctuations.”

“Spiritual essence… I wonder if it’s related to the white woman appearing in my dreams.”
Irina murmured absently.

The Mirzet 500 carefully decreased altitude and eventually approached Rashomon’s landing pad. The landing pad was located at the base of the gate, with only a few lights scattered about.

After completing landing procedures, the three of them disembarked from the craft. The ground spreading beneath their feet had a different texture from any place they had visited on their journey. It was as if different types of soil had mixed together, creating a strange harmony.

“Welcome to Rashomon.”
A mechanical female voice flowed from the facility’s speakers. “Currently, visits to the Records Preservation Center are restricted. Please state the purpose of your visit.”

“I am Irina Vassines, head of House Vassines. I’ve come to investigate materials at the Records Preservation Center.”
Irina declared proudly and continued with a dignified attitude. “Access permission has already been applied for in advance.”

The communication cut off momentarily, and after a brief silence, the voice returned.
“Lady Vassines, we welcome your visit. Staff will come to guide you, so please wait a moment.”

Irina nodded satisfactorily and looked at Silvia and Luca.
“The Vassines name still carries weight. It seems there won’t be any problems.”

“I’m grateful for my lady’s foresight,” Silvia showed a relieved expression. “It was good that we applied in advance.”

“The name of an old noble family from the Duchy of Feylosia still seems to have effect.”
Luca nodded admiringly. “However, don’t you think something seems strange? I can hardly sense any human presence.”

Indeed, only a few maintenance workers could be seen at the landing pad, with none of the security guards or reception staff that should normally be present.

After a while, a small woman walked toward them. She wore what appeared to be a Rashomon staff uniform, but tension drifted across her expression.

“Lady Vassines, welcome. I will guide you.”
As she spoke, she cast wary glances around her surroundings.

“Is there some problem?” Irina asked.

The woman answered in a lowered voice. “Actually, since three days ago, abnormalities have occurred in the Records Preservation Center’s systems. We’ve lost access to some data, and since yesterday the communication systems have also become unstable.”

“That’s…” Irina frowned.

“I cannot discuss details here. Let’s move to a safe location.”

Following her guidance, the three left the landing pad and stepped inside Rashomon. The interior was larger than expected, with ceilings too high to see even when looking up. Ancient characters and images were carved into the walls, seemingly telling Rashomon’s history.

“While this place is publicly known as a Records Preservation Center, it’s actually also an important relic from the early fusion period.”
The guide woman explained. “The name Rashomon was given in later ages; originally it had an ancient name meaning ‘Dimensional Nexus.’”

“From the early fusion period… meaning it’s from Severa’s era?”
Irina asked in surprise.

The woman stopped and gazed at Irina. “You know Severa’s name?”

“Yes, I learned it from ancient mythology. As the god who made a thousand lands into one.”

The woman looked around before lowering her voice further. “This place is said to be the central point when Severa fused the worlds. And legend says that deep within the Records Preservation Center lies something Severa left behind.”

Irina’s eyes sparkled. “That’s… what I want to investigate.”

They passed through a wide corridor, proceeding deeper inside. Along the way, when passing through several security gates, the woman used a special keycard. Eventually, they reached the center of the Records Preservation Center.

It was a massive circular hall, with old records apparently stored along the entire wall. Soft light poured from the ceiling, and complex patterns were carved into the floor. The patterns looked as if stars were swirling.

“This is the core of the Records Preservation Center, the ‘Hall of Stars.’”
The woman explained proudly. “The oldest records concerning the Fusion Continent’s history are stored here.”

Irina gasped. The Hall of Stars had something that strangely resonated with the dreams she had been seeing. The floor patterns were shaped like the stream in her dreams, and the light from the ceiling was like light filtering into water.

“Could this place be…”
Suddenly, alarms rang out, interrupting Irina’s words.

“Warning. Unauthorized access detected. All personnel begin evacuation to safe zones.”
The mechanical voice echoed throughout the hall.

The guide woman’s expression changed completely. “They’ve come after all… they have.”

“They?” Silvia asked while taking a defensive stance.

“A group in red garb called the ‘Flame of Rebirth.’ They’ve been attacking the Records Preservation Center’s systems continuously for three days.”

“Flame of Rebirth…” Irina felt as if she had heard that name before.

“They’re a religious group that worships pre-fusion worlds,” the woman explained with a tense expression. “They desire the separation of the Fusion Continent, believing that returning to the primordial worlds is god’s will. They also perform charitable activities in daily life, so they’ve gathered wide support, but…”

“Those who desire holy separation,” Luca murmured.

The woman briefly glanced at Luca. “Their doctrine contains its own truths, but their methods have become radicalized. Especially seeking records about Severa, trying to destroy them.”

“Please tell me more about the Flame of Rebirth,” Irina urged the woman.

The woman’s face clouded with hesitation, but eventually she began explaining. “The Flame of Rebirth was founded about 200 years ago by a woman named Eldria Lanier who continuously dreamed of Severa. She claimed to have received a revelation in her dreams from Severa saying ’the fusion of worlds was a failure.’”

“A revelation from Severa?” Irina was surprised. “Could that be true?”

“The truth is uncertain. However, they believe each world before fusion had unique cultures and evolutionary possibilities that were homogenized by the fusion. The red garments symbolize ’the blood of worlds,’ and they’ve increased followers while performing service activities in various places.”

Silvia frowned. “Why would such a moderate group suddenly take such violent action?”

“Recently, their new leader, Jordan Kreis, has risen to prominence. It’s said he can partially see memories of pre-fusion worlds using ancient relics. From that experience, he became convinced that separation is the world’s salvation and began taking more radical actions.”

The woman lowered her voice. “To destroy Severa’s relics that advanced the fusion and realize a return to primordial worlds, they’re searching for Schwarz Noir.”

“Has Rashomon ever been infiltrated from outside?” Luca asked calmly.

“No, this is the first time. But this time…” the woman faltered. “They seem to be using something special. There are rumors they’ve obtained relics with ancient power. They apparently used them to breach normal security.”

At that moment, the silver embroidered book in Irina’s breast pocket began to glow faintly.

“Ah…” Irina took out the book. Severa’s crest on the book’s cover was shining in response to the patterns on the Hall of Stars’ floor.

“That book!” The guide woman raised her voice in surprise. “That’s Severa’s crest… where did you find that?”

“I found it in my family’s archive. But I don’t understand its meaning…”

“Lady Irina!” Silvia’s voice was tense. “They’re coming.”

Noisy footsteps began to be heard at the entrance to the Hall of Stars. Those in red garb were heading toward this place.

“Their target might be that book.”
The woman hurriedly approached Irina. “They’re probably moving in response to that book. There’s a hidden passage in the Hall of Stars. From there you should be able to reach Severa’s Chamber. If you can obtain even limited information…”

“Limited information?” Irina harbored doubt.

“Severa’s Chamber doesn’t reveal its true form all at once. It gradually reveals truth according to the qualifications of visitors. In this short visit, you won’t be able to know the whole picture.”

“Severa’s Chamber?”

“According to legend, it’s where the relic Severa created with her final power sleeps.”
The woman took Irina’s hand and led her to the center of the floor. “That book you carry might be the key to Severa’s Chamber.”

Irina nodded with a determined expression. “Silvia, Luca. We must proceed ahead.”

“Behind you, my lady.” Silvia readied her weapon and took a stance to protect Irina.

“This is becoming interesting.” Luca swayed his tail and spoke in a leisurely tone, but sharp light dwelt in his eyes.

When the guide woman instructed her to place the silver book on special patterns in the center of the floor, Irina complied. The moment the book touched the patterns, the entire floor began to shine brightly, and the central portion slowly began to descend. It was a hidden elevator.

“Hurry!” The woman urged the three onto the elevator. “I’ll hold them off here.”

“You should come with us!” Irina said worriedly.

The woman shook her head. “My role ends here. I hope you find the truth in Severa’s Chamber.”

As the elevator began descending, Irina reached out until the last moment but could no longer reach the woman. Eventually the ceiling closed, and the three descended completely into another space.

“I wonder if she’ll be alright…” Irina murmured while looking up.

“She was brave, but seemed to feel some kind of mission,” Silvia answered.

“She was probably a ‘Guide,’” Luca said quietly. “In ancient legends, guides appear as guardians of relics. They discern those who need the relics and lead them on the correct path.”

“Guide…” Irina remembered. “The woman was about to say something at the end. She seemed about to speak the words Central Bolt…”

“Central Bolt?” Silvia tilted her head. “I’ve never heard that name.”

“No, Silvia. Remember. It’s the place we’ve been aiming for since the beginning of our journey,” Irina said gently. “The central Records Preservation Center we were going to for decoding the book found in the old archive. To decode the words written in that book, we need to go to Central Bolt.”

“That’s right!” Silvia’s eyes widened. “Central Bolt beyond Rashomon was our original destination.”

“I’ve heard of it too,” Luca said carefully. “Another Records Preservation Center said to be at the center of the Fusion Continent. Older and containing more important information than Rashomon. However, the path to that place has been lost…”

The elevator eventually reached another space. It was even more vast than the Hall of Stars, with a massive crystal-like structure enshrined in the center. The crystal emitted soft light from within, and pillars carved with unknown characters stood in a circle around it.

“This is… Severa’s Chamber…”
Irina’s voice trembled. Intuition welled up that this place held something connected to her dreams.

Luca quietly looked around. “An astonishing place. This crystal… it’s as if time itself is trapped within.”

Irina approached the crystal. On its surface, she could see something like faint ripples. Like a water surface. When she reached out to touch those ripples, the crystal’s surface changed like liquid and began to accept Irina’s hand.

“My lady!” Silvia called out in panic, but Irina had already begun sinking half her body into the crystal.

“It’s alright… this is… from my dreams…”
Irina’s words broke off, and eventually her entire body disappeared as if absorbed into the crystal.

“Lady Irina!” Silvia rushed to the crystal, but its surface was now hard and couldn’t even be touched.

“There is no need for concern,” Luca said quietly. “The lady is now gazing upon the truth. All we can do is wait for her return.”

Though grinding her teeth, Silvia had no choice but to trust Luca’s words. She murmured toward the crystal as if praying. “Please, be safe…”

---

Irina seemed to be drifting through infinitely expanding space. Stars twinkled around her, as if she were at the center of the universe. However, it differed from the actual universe, being more fantastical, a space where consciousness itself had taken form.

“This place is…”

“Within my memories…”
Suddenly, a soft female voice echoed around Irina. It was a gentle yet sad voice, like the whisper of wind.

Before Irina, a woman’s figure began to appear. The woman clad in pure white garments was the person who had appeared in Irina’s dreams many times. Her skin was translucent, as if light itself had taken form.

“You’re… the one from my dreams…”

The woman smiled. “Yes, I am Severa. The one who once unified this world.”

Irina gasped. Before her eyes was the god from mythology.

“Why in my dreams…?”

“Because you are one who harbors Schwarz Noir.”
Severa answered quietly. “What I created last. The existence that holds the key to the world’s fusion and separation.”

“Schwarz Noir…” Irina repeated the words as if savoring them. “It’s inside me? The pure white woman and stream appearing in my dreams…”

“Yes. After long ages, it has dwelt in your soul. And now, that power is beginning to awaken.”

Severa’s figure wavered, and the entire space began to change. Countless images emerged around them, seemingly showing past events.

“I fused the worlds,” Severa’s voice continued. “All for peace, to stop people from fighting. However, contrary to my intentions, the fusion brought new chaos.”

The images showed the process of fusion, countless worlds colliding and merging. Within them mixed joy and sorrow, and fear as well.

“I gained realization too late,” Severa’s voice contained pain. “That I myself was not a completely benevolent being. That within me too were reflected the darkness, fears, and desire for control that people possessed.”

Irina saw in the images how Severa’s form gradually changed. Severa, who was initially a luminous being, gradually took on darkness, finally transforming into a complex existence where light and darkness coexisted.

“Realizing my mistake, I mustered my final strength to create Schwarz Noir. An existence harboring my omniscience and omnipotence, and the answers hidden in the universe.”

“And… that came to me?” Irina placed her hand on her chest.

“I designed it to dwell in a chosen soul after long ages. That soul will make the choice that determines the world’s future.”

Severa’s expression became serious. “Whether to let this Fusion Continent continue, or to separate it again into the universe. That choice is entrusted to you.”

Irina was at a loss for words under the overwhelming weight of responsibility. Her single choice would determine this world’s future.

“But why me?”

“That is…” The moment Severa’s words broke off, the entire space began to waver. “Someone is interfering…”

Suddenly, part of the space tore, and red light invaded from there. Those in red garb were trying to invade even into Severa’s memories.

“They want to steal Schwarz Noir,” Severa’s voice carried urgency. “You must leave here immediately. They intend to misuse Schwarz Noir’s power.”

“But there’s still so much I don’t understand…”

“When Schwarz Noir awakens within you, everything will become clear. For now, just trust your intuition. And to protect this memory, engrave in your heart the words I speak last.”

Severa approached Irina and touched her forehead. “Light is born from darkness, and darkness becomes a mirror reflecting light.”

With those words, warm light spread within Irina’s body. And in the next moment, she lost consciousness.

---

“My lady! My lady!”
Silvia’s desperate voice pulled Irina’s consciousness back to reality.

Irina had collapsed before the crystal. She opened her eyes and tried to stand, though confused.

“How much… time has passed?”

“Just a few minutes,” Silvia answered. “You suddenly appeared as if thrown out from the crystal.”

Luca quietly asked. “What did you see?”

Irina took a deep breath and recalled her dialogue with Severa. “I… met Severa. And I learned what Schwarz Noir is. The stream and pure white woman appearing in those dreams… they were all messages from Severa.”

The moment she tried to explain, Severa’s Chamber as a whole began to vibrate. Small fragments began falling from the ceiling, and the pedestal with the crystal also shook.

“It seems those in red garb are attacking from the upper levels,” Luca calmly pointed out.

“We must get out of here.” Silvia looked around. “Where’s the exit?”

At that moment, warmth spread in Irina’s chest. It was a sensation as if light was overflowing from within.

“This power is…”

Silver light began emanating from Irina’s hands. It was proof that part of Schwarz Noir’s power had awakened. Guided by that power, she found a small door at the base of the crystal.

“There!”

The three hurried toward that door. When Irina held out her hand before the door, it opened while emitting light. Beyond it continued a long staircase.

“Quickly!” Silvia took the lead, positioning herself to protect Irina.

As the three ran down the stairs, the vibrations from above grew even stronger. At the end of the stairs was an ancient escape passage that led to Rashomon’s exterior.

Passing through the passage, they finally emerged into the outside world. Near Rashomon’s outer wall, the three stopped to catch their breath.

“We seem to have emerged on Rashomon’s west side,” Silvia confirmed their surroundings. “The Mirzet 500 is at the eastern landing pad, but…”

Explosion sounds could be heard from Rashomon’s upper levels, and red light illuminated the night sky. The attacks by those in red garb seemed to be causing serious damage to the Records Preservation Center.

“I’m worried about the woman who guided us,” Irina said while looking up at Rashomon.

“Irina,” Luca spoke in a serious tone, unusually omitting honorifics. “Please tell me what you saw. What happened in Severa’s Chamber?”

Irina faced Luca and Silvia and briefly explained the content of her dialogue with Severa. About Schwarz Noir’s true nature and the choice imposed upon her.

“That’s… a grave responsibility,” worry seeped into Silvia’s voice.

“Yes,” Irina smiled faintly. “But you know, now is not yet the time for choice. Severa said, ‘When Schwarz Noir awakens within you, everything will become clear.’”

“And the Flame of Rebirth is targeting that Schwarz Noir,” Luca continued. “They’re targeting you to separate the Fusion Continent.”

“They’re acting from religious conviction,” Irina said quietly. “For them, returning the world to its original state is the right path. So they’re not completely evil… they just seek a different answer than I do.”

“Even so, my lady’s safety is the top priority.” Silvia gripped her sword.

Irina nodded. “It might become more dangerous from here. But I must continue this journey. To know the truth. And we must search for Central Bolt. That place is the key to solving the mystery of my dreams and the secret of the silver embroidered book.”

“Central Bolt…” Luca said as if gazing into the distance. “Secrets older and deeper than Rashomon sleep there. To know Schwarz Noir’s true power and Severa’s intentions, we might need to head there.”

Mechanical sounds could be heard from afar. They were the sounds of the Flame of Rebirth’s vehicles. They had begun searching around Rashomon.

“In any case, let’s leave here,” Silvia suggested. “We should return to the Mirzet 500 by another route. Then let’s search for clues to Central Bolt.”

The three departed from Rashomon as if melting into the night’s darkness. Within Irina’s chest, Schwarz Noir’s power pulsed faintly, becoming light to illuminate the path ahead.

She remembered Severa’s final words.
“Light is born from darkness, and darkness becomes a mirror reflecting light.”

To explore the meaning of those enigmatic words, and to uncover Central Bolt’s secrets, Irina and her companions’ journey continues.