Exploration, route c2
... Ah, behold! Hath not the radiance vanished entirely from the one who pursueth us? Perchance 'tis the moment we may fell the foe!
True... Though simply moving on is an option, too.
<…….>
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The Sinners all look to me for judgment.
With endings both returned to my memory, I ruminate upon what the third might hold, and find myself becoming more curious... than afraid.
It must have been a grueling struggle to bear it all without us. Now, let us stand together against yet another trial.
I took a moment to briefly vent about the things we'd gone through to Yi Sang.
Faust's judgment was, ultimately... correct.
Unlike... mine...
... I should probably leave her alone for now.
Fie! To think that such a tale of adventure was almost forgotten whole...! Forsooth, there could be no greater horror...
Simply say the word, and we shall sally forth once again toward the peak. I have faith in thee, Manager Esquire!
Don Quixote proclaims confidently with redoubled determination.
*puff*
... What was severed has been patched together again. Well, I think I appreciated it more than I'd have thought I would.
Araya rattles affirmatively.
I see a bit of my old self in Meursault - burying his true feelings, hiding them from others... But there are differences, I think.
What state must his heart be in, to continue moving despite the futility of it all?
Had a discussion about Meursault with Hong Lu.
You alright, mate? I don't think you've ever had to rewind this much, even back inside that hellish meat train.
I still remember how you used to squirm and thrash on the ground, screamin' about how much it hurt, and now you ain't even twitchin'. You're always all or nothin', eh?
Heathcliff tapped on my clock head for a while.
... I get why you couldn't tell us about the loops, but hmm...
... Okay, did you have to brush me off like that every single time, though? I know I ask a lot of questions, but it was like you just didn't want to deal with -
Got told off by Ishmael.
Aside from feeling like I missed out due to the memory shenanigans... Hey, I wasn't half bad here, huh?
Kinda wish I got to do more here than just one floor, but... hey, I was still pretty smooth~ huh?
Praised Rodya, who seemed pretty satisfied with herself.
So... I wonder what her deal was? She did help us at the end of the day, but...
... I feel even more mystified than I was when I met Demian.
Sinclair still seems curious about the lady of the Fount.
You've done excellent work so far, despite the demanding circumstances.
I would expect no less from our Executive Manager.
Outis's over-the-top praise doesn't make me feel as uncomfortable as it used to at the start of our journey.
Boy, I'm sore all over... I'm all out of gas.
Let's take it easy once we're out of here. You've gone through hell and back yourself, haven't you? You deserve the rest, Manager Bud.
Groused about corporate with Gregor.
…….
Now, we may ascend.
Meursault is as unflappable as ever.
... I don't think we'll ever get to learn what's beyond these doors of the Fount.
Red coat. Clock head on fire.
It's "me" in the mirror.
Their style doesn't resemble that of Le Rouge, nor that of Le Noir.
... Why did this Mannequin pursue us?
.......
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Children in the park were eating Canned Experiences of skipping stones. We watched them in silence.
To others, we painted the image of a romantic couple out on a lovely but typical date.
But despite appearances, all I felt was alienation. I was afraid of the unfamiliarity that surrounded me; I was sick with fear and nausea.
…….
In that moment... I felt that same fear blossoming in your eyes. And you must have felt the same in mine.
I've... exchanged words with many, many people in my life. But I don't think I'd ever truly spoken with anyone before that point.
I can't help but gaze askance at what people see, and they, in turn, cannot see what I gaze at. No matter whom I explain this nausea to, none of them understand.
... I, too, have yet to find an appropriate word to define that "nothingness" you describe. I still have not.
That is why our conversations were brief. There was no need to elaborate.
And I liked that.
With you... I didn't have to try to explain. Didn't have to torture myself trying to come up with justifications for all that...
... nastiness and heartlessness.
... That connection is what naturally led to the formation of our relationship.
Regular rendezvous. Accepting, desiring each other.
Look at our audience and ask yourself: among those who are hearing this conversation...
... how many truly understand us?
No one. Not even a single one.
They are people who have been thrown into the world before a rain of nails pinned them into what they've become. They'll never understand our world.
The Canned Experience comes to an end, fading away from the motionless screen.
The people who have consumed the same Canned Experience rise from their seats.
Some talk excitedly about what they'd seen, while others remain seated, stunned and moved by the experience. There are those who are grousing and grumbling about the movie as well, which was clearly not up to their standards.
Did we really share the same Canned Experience? Have they undergone the same experience that we have?
Links upon links upon links of questions finally come to an end. I know without looking around that only Jeanne and I are left in the theater.
You'll never answer that, I know. The City won't either. You'll both hold onto your silences until the end of days.
…….
It was a beautiful sunset. The bright red blaze filled my vision with its dazzling light.
I felt the seaside breeze and the salty air tickle my face. The warm grains of sand shifting under my feet.
But... it was all fake. We were just sitting wordlessly in this dark room.
And yet, people seem to like all this fakery anyway.
Confidently calling what isn't wind "wind," calling that fake sunset "sunset" with nary a hesitation.
... To think that we're the only two people in this whole cinema who are afraid of all of that...
Absurd, isn't it?
... Maybe.
A cinema.
"Cinéma Sisyphe." It's a nice place. Dark, cozy, yet refined, just like you.
So, care to share your thoughts?
When the movie begins, the countless people who fill the cinema immediately become indifferent to me.
The spellbinding moments on the screen capture their gaze, like... chains.
... It is quiet. And therefore relaxing.
The cinema was closed that day.
With our plans derailed by that unexpected variable, we wandered onto a small, artificial spring a little out of the way from downtown.
Beaten down by the heat of the afternoon sun, we sat down on a bench facing the pond...
... and, after some time...
... we were silently watching the evening sun sink into the horizon.
Its fading blaze was a red smolder now, gentle to our eyes...
As we rested, our sweat dried and our breathing steadied.
.......
.......
And in the silence born from that moment...
Nothing could deny our existence.
That real sunset we happened upon... not the one we consumed from a can...
... the way those dying flames smoldered as they sank tenderly beyond the horizon was so...
... beautiful, so breathtaking beyond words, that...
... I wished I could catch its flame and burn just as brightly.
There. Then...
... you need only move forward on that path.
Just as we were about to head back outside after dying for the nth time, a voice stopped us.
... There is... an easier way. Do you want... to take it?
It will be safe... if you sink...
Put this on... and head to the sunshine...
The woman in blue wrapped the scarf around Meursault.
The pain... won't change... and will be silent...
A restless heart... is fine...
If you sink farther... You won't be able to go up...
Put this on... and head to the sunshine...
The woman in blue wrapped the scarf around Meursault.
The pain... won't change... and will be silent...