Master! Master!
Something's approaching.
It's two people.
One's a Red Whistle... And the other one...
Doesn't even seem to be a cave raider...
Shall I ready the gondola?
Master...?
So this is the Seeker Camp, huh?
It's really quite high up there...
Huh? Speaking of that...
What's wrong?
Um, well...
I heard the Seeker Camp always has a lookout on duty.
So when someone starts approaching, I was told they lower the gondola for them...
A Red Whistle... A robot...
They might be feeling wary...
Reg, are you able to stretch your arm up there?
Maybe with both arms, or...
Let's give it a try.
Seems I managed to re–
Reg, what's wrong?
Something has...
Grabbed...
My arms...
So she's still alive... That brat.
True secrets do not lie concealed in the darkness of night or in clever traps,
but rather are hidden deep within people.
By spending many moons in such an isolated place,
their purity is refined,
and they gradually transform into strange enigmas...
Riko, you alright?
Oh, my... Well done enduring the ascent.
Although the strain is somewhat lightened around here,
I suspect that was still hard on children such as yourselves.
U-Uh, I'm...
My name's Riko.
Riko!
I know! You're Lyza's kid, right?
How filthy...
Oh, I see the boy is doing fine.
Now that I've seen her up close... She's towering...
I bet she's over two meters tall...
Her hair...
How does she smooth it down to get it to look like that?
On top of that...
There's that white whistle.
This woman must be the White Whistle...
Ozen the Immovable!
Our purpose in life lies in the depths
Despite our fears, our eyes shine brighter than fire
We need to reach deep below
The end of the uncharted labyrinth
In the gaping hole of the abyss
To follow the trail that leads towards the truth
If I'm to find all the answers
I can sacrifice everything
All I need to do is follow your voice
While it still echoes on and on
The compass needle never moves
It points right into the darkness
From which there's no escape
Be it a curse or not
The beating of our hearts is real
And the longing will never cease
Seeker Camp
This whistle... To think that I'd actually see it again...
Um... You must be Ozen... Right?!
I heard you're the one who found that whistle.
That's right. I'm Ozen.
W-Well...
Thank you for saving me!
I heard about it from Leader!
He said when I was born in the Abyss, I was placed in a Curse-Repelling Vessel,
and then, together with my mother, you carried me to the surface!
Ah, you know...
That thing was heavy,
and along the way I thought about just abandoning you many times.
This really takes me back...
We even had to leave behind that precious Bell.
If only I had left you there, that kid would've come with me.
Such a pity I did what I did.
Master...
You're a Red Whistle, right?
You should know it's not allowed... Coming to a place like this.
I...
Was summoned by my mother!
So that's why Reg and I are going to the bottom of the netherworld!
So, uh, as soon as I ask some things about my mother, we'll be gone before you know it...
So, please...
Oh, I see.
So that's it.
Yes...
And you deduce that makes it okay for you to come here?
I-I'm sorry.
That said, I'm quite interested in how a Red Whistle even managed to make it down here.
Marulk.
Yes, Master.
Listen to what these kids have to say.
You want ME to do that?
Should be easier for children to talk to a fellow child.
Uh, ah...
I still have some things to attend to, you see.
I'll hear you out tomorrow.
Well, both of you, here you are...
Ah, blue whistles!
Just while you're here.
It would be a pain to keep having to explain to other cave raiders why a couple of Red Whistles are here.
As a bit of insurance, I'll be holding onto this.
I'll exchange it for those blue whistles when you leave.
Please stay the night here.
And make sure to really give your bodies a good scrub...
I can't stand how bad you reek of vomit.
First of all, I'll show you around a bit.
This Seeker Camp has been built within the hollows of a tree called a Great Porta.
Even now, construction to expand the interior frame is still progressing little by little.
I hear the roots of this Great Porta extend outside the Abyss...
Stretching all the way to the seafloor.
Has anyone actually verified that?
It's just speculation, apparently.
The roots take in nutrients that have accumulated on the seafloor,
so the tree can grow this big even though only limited light is reflected by the force field here.
Look.
This wall right there is the inside of a tree hollow.
I wonder if it won't grow too big and end up getting all tangled up...
Please use this room.
The bath is over there.
It's actually used for washing Relics, though...
I'll go first! I'm gonna get nice and clean!
Oh.
Flowers of Fortitude...
Aren't they also called Eternal Fortunes?
They really are everywhere...
Reg, I know you're a robot, but there's something strange about you...
Until Riko told me, I thought you were a human.
So, I was a bit surprised when I saw your arms extend like that.
I don't really even think of myself as a robot...
What the heck am I in the first place...?
Is something the matter?
"Marulk"... Is it okay if I call you that?
Yes!
Actually, I also have something I find strange...
What might that be?
Ask away, and I'll answer if I can!
Um...
Are you a girl?
Huh?!
So cold!
I see! So you have it tough too, then!
Seems we both have our share of troubles!
Oh, come on now, Reg!
I haven't had anything that bad done to me!
Oh, I see you two are getting on well!
Sorry, Reg, I need something to dry off with...
I'll go get a change of clothes!
Are you hungry?
These are leftovers, but go right ahead...
Marulk, you're about my age, but I see you're already a Blue Whistle.
Yeah...
Usually you can't become a Blue Whistle until you turn 15...
But it seems being a personal apprentice of a White Whistle makes me a special case.
Right after I had an accident and collapsed, Master found me and took me in.
And I've been here ever since.
Oh? You have no plans to return to the surface?
I'm sensitive to sunlight, so I can't live up on the surface.
Oh? Is that so?
Well now, let's eat!
Thanks for the food!
Ever since Master took me in, I've offered my services as a sentry here at the Seeker Camp.
I was told that would make it so that I "won't have to return to the surface time after time"...
Of course, it's probably also something she wants deep down.
I truly have been treated well here...
She seems kind of scary, but she's a good master, huh?!
Yes, truly.
Hey, Marulk...
What is it?
What's with the Relics you've got in this room?
Riko's started playing around with them...
Oh, that's okay.
Those won't be brought up to the surface, anyway.
Those are the ones left over after sorting various Relics collected in this area...
They're grade-4 Relics, you see.
So these are grade-4 Relics, then!
Look, Reg, check this out!
This one here is my Sun Sphere.
Although it's similar, the one found down here has a more complex shape.
I hear that Relics tend to have more complex shapes the deeper down they're found.
Oh...
About forty percent of the Relics collected around here are egg-shaped ones.
Even though they're tools used by people in the distant past...
They're mysterious, aren't they?
I'm jealous.
I wanna excavate some.
If you were to stay here longer, I'm sure you could do some cave raiding.
That's it! I'll go ask Master if it's okay!
So won't you please stay a bit longer and cave raid around here?
Huh?! That would be alright?!
It's the first time kids around my age have come here...
I'd like to spend more time with you two so we can work together and such.
Me too! I'd also like to do that!
Oh!
Sorry, Marulk...
Huh...?
My mother's at the bottom of the netherworld, and I still don't know how she's doing...
So, I'm not sure whether or not I should be hurrying down there...
Since I'm not sure, I have to hurry.
I see...
Well then, let's chat as much as we can today.
That's what my master has instructed me to do, anyway!
Yeah!
I need to pee...
Ozen?
Is anyone in there?
What the heck... Was that?
There, there, Riko.
I used to do that too until a couple of years ago.
But, Riko, why was it my bed that you wet?
I-I did my best to find the toilet!
But...
When I woke up in the middle of the night and looked for it...
I saw something.
It didn't seem of this world...
I got incredibly scared...
So I dove into Reg's bed and that's when...
Oh, come on, Riko.
We've never had any reports of ghosts here at the Seeker Camp.
B-But...
That's right, Riko.
Reg...?
S-Such fantastical things...
A-Are out there, right?
Living creatures that look like corpses and stuff...
That kind of stuff wasn't even in Mother's sealed letter, you know!
Master!
Sounds like you're having an interesting conversation here.
U-Um... This is, uh... I'm sorry!
Oh, I see.
It's not a matter of you not noticing,
it's more that neither that kid nor Hablog told you anything, huh?
Um, what are you talking about...?
Would you like to know?
Huh?
Well, yes.
In that case, follow me.
Otherwise, you best forget what you saw.
Reg...
This morning, I heard from Marulk all about you two.
Just to confirm, you're trying to follow Lyza's trail, correct?
Yes! My mother has called for me!
Didn't this thing reach the surface?
Lyza is dead.
Your journey to chase after your mother ends here.
Ozen, where exactly did you find that whistle and the sealed letter?
At a grave.
Huh?!
How many days ago was it, I wonder...
The fourth layer...
In the far reaches of the Goblet of Giants, there's this cluster of Eternal Fortunes, you see...
And a grave had been dug there.
You know, Lyza always liked that place.
No way...
But, Mother is calling for me–
That's not Lyza's handwriting.
Huh?!
I don't know how such a thing got mixed in there,
but Lyza wouldn't write something like that even as a joke.
Oh?
What was your reason for aiming for the bottom of the netherworld again?
I-I want to go and check for myself...
What a fine idea.
Are you going to dig up her grave?
B-Besides...
What about the connection between Reg and the mysterious figure mentioned in the letter...?
I see.
What is this place?
My chamber.
You've followed me here because you want to know, right?
Come inside.
We take the waves of light flowing through the skies
And weave them into bridges connecting our paths
Whether it's slippery slopes or precarious precipices
Our pasts and futures will show us the way
I take your left hand into my right hand
When we're together, we can go anywhere
I'll always be by your side
In the past, present, and future
You're the light who guides my heart
We awaken from dreams brimming with color
Wondering where we'll go tomorrow
As long as we're together
We'll illuminate the world
And shed light upon the flowers at the depths of abyss
Next Episode
The Unmovable Sovereign