Akzeriuth's collapse was written in Yulia's Score.
It was meant to happen.
You're here too?
Is that a problem?
Luke, it's not easy to regain trust you've once lost.
I know.
Master...
It's cold. What is this?
This is snow. You've never seen it before?
This is the first time I have! It's pretty!
What the–?
What's going on?
It seems we have a partial engine failure.
Is the Tartarus going to sink?
Master, I can't swim!
I know. Don't worry.
We're not going to sink.
What's the situation?
Guy went to check on the engine.
He knows a lot about fon machines.
Guy, how is it?
I think we can run with some temporary repairs, but... not for very long.
If possible, I'd like to get it repaired in a port somewhere.
The closest port from here where we can dock would be Keterburg Bay.
Let's go there, then.
Is that all right, Jade?
Yes...
I suppose...
Excuse me. I would like to verify your passports and ship registration.
I'm from the Malkuth Imperial Forces, Third Division,
Colonel Jade Curtiss.
M–My apologies!
But I've heard that you had been caught in Akzeriuth's collapse, Colonel.
That matter is top secret.
I'll explain the situation directly to the governor, Viscount Osborne.
I don't mind you inspecting the ship.
Yes, sir!
Shall I show you to the city?
No, it's fine.
This is my hometown. I know the area.
Jade, you were born here?
Yes.
I used to live here.
Master Ion, aren't you cold?
Shouldn't you go to the hotel before us?
I'm all right.
I'd like to meet the governor as well.
Is that so?
Don't push yourself, Ion.
Your body isn't very strong.
Thank you, Luke, for your concern.
Ah, no...
What's this? You're nicer now that you've cut your hair?
Thinking about it, you seem quite different.
R–Really?
You've probably had a lot to think about.
I'd think it's a bit too late, though...
Personalities can't just change like that.
Hey, hey...
Anise, Jade, I can't agree with you.
Luke has always been kind.
He simply didn't know how to express his kindness.
It's okay, Ion.
It's natural for them to think that.
You have really changed from how you used to be.
A–Anyway, let's go to the governor's house quickly.
Right.
If we take any longer, I think Master Ion won't be the only one to catch a cold.
This way.
Whoa!
What an awesome mansion!
I want to marry the guy who lives here!
He's still a bachelor, if I'm not mistaken. He's in his thirties though.
Huh? Don't tell me it's your house, Colonel?!
If so, then the Colonel's good too~
Even if it were, I'm afraid I would have to decline.
So mean!
But the real owner of the house would probably be happy to take you up on it.
He finds any kind of woman to be his type.
Huh? Who is it?
Emperor Peony.
Yahoo, a wealthy man to marry~!
The Emperor wasn't born in the capital, Grand Chokmah?
If I remember correctly, he was hidden in this city when he was a child because of a struggle for succession.
Yes, that's right.
This is the mansion he was confined to during that time.
Luke...
The previous emperor had a lot of enemies within the government during the war.
So the life of his son, Peony, was in danger as well.
To protect his son's safety, he had no choice.
Well, that's how it probably was.
Although, back then, Emperor Peony would escape from his room and play with the town's children.
R–Really?
How reckless.
That's him indeed.
He seems to be a very lively person.
Come in.
Brother!
"Brother"?
The governor is Jade's sister?
Hello, Nephry. Long time no see.
Not since your wedding, was it?
Brother...
What's going on?
I had heard that you died at Akzeriuth...
I'm here to tell you all about that.
That's an incredible story, but... I'm glad you're safe.
We'll take care of repairs on the Tartarus and see that you're resupplied.
You should go and see Emperor Peony as soon as possible.
He's been very worried.
Oh? Wasn't I believed to be dead?
His Majesty was the only one who believed you were still alive.
You really are Emperor Peony's one and only best friend.
He really trusts you, Colonel.
No, he probably just thinks that Jade the Necromancer wouldn't die so easily.
Right?
Guy, you'd best be careful of what you say.
Hey now! It's just a joke!
Anyway, please spend the night here. I'll make arrangements at the hotel.
Thanks for the help, Nephry.
Let's hit the hotel and rest up, Master Ion.
Yes.
There's a spa here, you know.
My, that's wonderful.
Sir Luke.
Yes?
Pardon me, but I have something to discuss with you.
Could you please come back here by yourself later?
What's wrong, Luke?
Master?
Nothing!
What does she want to tell me?
Please wait for me!
It is an honor to have Dr. Balfour spending the night in our hotel.
The fontech expert, Dr. Neis, and the fonic artes master, Dr. Balfour.
We here in Keterburg are proud of our two local geniuses.
This town's two geniuses, Dr. Balfour and Dr. Neis...
Dr. Balfour is the Colonel, isn't he?
Yes.
I was just fostered into the Curtiss family.
Then who might this Dr. Neis be?
That would be Dist.
It is?
But his name...
Dist's real name is
Saphir Wyon Neis.
Then the reason Wyon Cavern is called such...
That idiot probably named it after himself.
Honestly, he's the epitome of an immodest, self-aggrandizing fool.
It's quite unpleasant to be even compared to that.
Now that you mention it, didn't he call you his old friend or something?
I never intended to be his friend.
When we were young, we attended the same private school.
Nephry and Emperor Peony, who would join us on his own initiative, were with us as well.
My! A doctor now recognized as a genius, Keterburg's governor, and the Emperor, all together.
That private school surely had an excellent teacher.
She was a good teacher,
our Professor Nebilim.
So Dist's a genius...
Anise.
Wasn't he the one who enabled Tokunaga to increase in size by reacting to your fonon frequency?
He did that to Tokunaga?
Dist is a lonely person.
He was always eating alone in a corner of the cafeteria.
Since she felt pity for him, Anise went and talked to him.
He then remodeled Tokunaga.
He's not a bad guy, but...
He's not exactly a good guy, either.
And all he ever talks about is the Colonel.
That's quite a distasteful thought.
You complain a lot, sir, but in fact you you never get tired of it, don't you?
Master, where are you going?
For a walk.
I'm going too!
Um...
I'm sorry for making you come all the way back out here.
What did you want to tell me?
When I heard you were a replica,
I thought I absolutely had to tell you a certain story about my brother.
What story is that?
The story of why my brother invented fomicry.
My brother has always been brilliant, even when he was a child,
but especially when it came to fonic artes, in which he was considered a genius.
And one day...
Milly is... Milly is...
Nephry, give that to me.
Here.
Fomicry...
My brother was nine at that time.
Unbelievable...
Normally, you would buy a new doll to replace the broken one, right?
But my brother created a copy of it.
I found that concept terrifying.
He may act nice now, but when he was a child, he was a devil.
He could use fonic artes that even adults found very difficult.
He enjoyed brutally killing even harmless monsters.
My brother couldn't comprehend what death meant.
But Professor Nebilim tried to lead him in a good direction.
And he changed, little by little.
But ever since she passed away, he's gone back to how he was before.
And with Saphir, he tried to do something even more terrifying.
Terrifying...?
Please, I'm sure that you,
a replica born by fomicry, can stop my brother.
That tragedy must not happen again.
I don't approve of night-time carousing, Luke.
You've heard about me from Nephry, haven't you?
I–I haven't.
What a naughty boy, telling lies like that.
Jade, just what did happen back then?
What's this "terrifying" something you and Dist tried to do?
Does it have something to do with fomicry?
You might regret it if you find out.
Still, I want to know!
I suppose you would...
You do have a right to know.
A long time ago,
I killed Professor Nebilim.
Jade, where are you going?
Let me come along!
It hurts, Jade!
Saphir, you don't need to come anymore.
Jade!
There, it should be fine now.
A Seventh Fonist...
That was... Professor Nebilim...
I was confident I could use any fonic arte, but I have no control over the Seventh Fonon at all.
It was the first time I'd ever admired someone.
Professor Nebilim was also the one who taught us everything.
Listen, Jade.
Great power can also bring misfortune to people.
You demand much more than what is needed.
And that might destroy you one day.
But I want to know everything.
It should be possible for me to handle the Seventh Fonon.
Jade...
Even when she tried to prevent me from doing so,
I wanted to try controlling the Seventh Fonon more than anything else.
But I made a mistake and unleashed a fonic arte that I couldn't control.
Jade, Professor Nebilim is going to die!
I know. I'm responsible for this.
I'm going to save her.
How?!
With fomicry.
I'm going to make a replica of her.
And then? What happened to Miss Nebilim?
It was a failure.
The replica was imperfect and ran out of control
while the real Professor was lost to us.
We're going to bring back Professor Nebilim with our own hands.
Together, Jade and I can surely make a perfect replica.
My talents were recognized, and I was adopted into the prestigious Curtiss military family because of them.
Ever since becoming a soldier, I had been taking replica data from fallen soldiers,
and I came to be known as "The Necromancer."
I understand how you feel.
If something like that had happened to someone I cared for, and I could create replicas, then I'd...
But then, why did you put a ban on the replication of living things?
One of those experiments went wrong. I was badly hurt and almost died.
Give it a rest already!
Dead people just can't come back to life, no matter what you do!
Besides, try to think a little about how Nephry, Saphir, and I would feel if you were to die!
Emperor Peony did that?
I had vaguely started to realize then
that replicas have no memories of the past,
that it wouldn't be Professor Nebilim, after all.
I wanted to beg for her forgiveness,
so that I might feel better about it.
Jade...
I'll live the rest of my life tormented by the sins of my past.
We've dragged on for too long.
Now, go on to bed, Luke.
Uh, okay. Thanks, Jade.
If possible, I would have preferred not to come here...
Jade...
I'm going to sleep.
Thanks for talking to me about it.
For the first time, I feel like I've gotten a bit closer to you.