“Thank you for your hard work today, Ellen. I think it was cold, so take a bath and warm yourself up.“
It’s midnight by the time they reach Ellen’s mansion from Hugo’s castle.
“Does Ellen’s residence enforce a curfew?“
Falma feels sorry for taking a woman of marriageable age to venture around beyond midnight while causing a ruckus. By the way, Falma hasn’t heard any detail on any complaints from Ellen’s family about her prior late hours.
“There is no curfew because there were overnight medical examinations and experiments. However, Sophie may wake up, so I have to enter without making any noise.“
The curfew of the Bonnefoy family appears to be lax.
“This is due to Sophie being a light sleeper.“
The adopted Sophie by Count Bonnefoy is said to be taken care of by her very own nanny, especially when Ellen doesn’t have the time to care for her.
“Falma-kun, thank you for your hard work today. Please rest well …”
Ellen sneezes with a runny nose. The season is April, and even though it is not very cold, Ellen’s body core temperature had dropped during flight at high altitude. Her glasses were completely foggy.
“Aren’t you cold Falma when you’re flying? Your clothes are a bit light, aren’t they?“
“Un, it does feel cold when the temperature is chilly, but …“
Even so, Falma doesn’t care about his chilly body during flying. Ellen’s reaction is very normal to state the obvious chilly constitution.
“Careful not to catch a cold, and have a pleasant night.“
Falma waves to Ellen, ignoring the issue of being cold and ready to depart from her residence. After Ellen is lowered, she unwillingly acknowledges that Falma can ascend even higher. The Medicinal God’s staff is in great condition with an additional increase of crystal stones. He feels as if his power has risen.
(I can’t comprehend much of this, but … I’ll at least get one thing clarified by the end of today.)
It has already passed the time for the people in his mansion to sleep. The de Médicis family has an early sleep schedule. Although it may be late, he has told Lotte not to worry. Falma decides not to return to the de Médicis residence as it is very late, and directs his travel towards the location of the sacred spring. He doesn’t need to blindly look for it. He has a hunch of where it is. He obtained some hints about the sacred spring from Hugo. For many years, Hugo had unraveled the ancient documents that were passed among alchemists and gathered reliable information, and his findings were quite accurate based on his accumulated knowledge and familiarity with the divine arts. Falma peacefully borrowed a map with Hugo’s markings, with the expectation that the indicated location may be the sacred spring. He didn’t even need to threaten Hugo for it.
Relying on the map with the indicated directions by the stone plate and the hidden treasure at the bottom of the underground cave of the Imperial City, the three locations have been narrowed down. This location has many layered legends. Yet, it’s merely an acid spring without a depositing layer of crystal stones. Another location is a muddy swamp in the mountains, and there are quite a bit of human bones at the bottom, but the result is not the sacred spring.
Falma finally arrives at the location in the middle of a steep plateau, which is the farthest from the Imperial City. The entire plateau is covered with fogs and apparently hidden away from the prying human eyes. There is no sign of living things, surrounded with only the eerie sounds of the wind, and it’s right to say that it is haunting. It’s no wonder that it’s not possible for humans to reach this place with the cliffs so steep.
As Falma lands on the plateau, the thick fog layers that cover the plateau clear up.
“Ah. It’s easier to see now …. what’s this?“
Falma observes a small fountain that is no bigger than the size of a common well. The bottom of the fountain is shimmering and reflecting, probably reacting to Falma’s divine power. There is a layer of crystal stones at the bottom.
“So this is the sacred spring …“
Falma observes deep below the surface of the water.
“It’s not like the sulfuric acid lake.“
The fountain is filled with water, not sulfuric acid. There is no monstrous fish keeper within the water like last time. With that being said, he hesitates to get into the dubious water.
[Effacement à l’eau (Water Removal)]
Falma removes the spring water similarly to the prior acid spring. As he reclaims the surface bottom of the spring while hovering above it using Medicine God’s staff, there is a thick layer of crystal stones, similar to the one at the basement of the Imperial City. At the bottom of that lake, he sees the familiar stone plate that he saw before.
(There it is! What is written on it?)
He reads the letters imprinted on the stone plate.
[This is the sacred spring, a hidden door to another world. A glance into the heavens.]
It’s written in Falma’s recognizable language, in so many words. Any more than that, it appears to be something like an explanation in a written language that Falma cannot decipher. The employee ID card, which is deemed to be a great treasure that Falma happened to across, comes closer to the stone plate, the light glows upon it and projects straight towards the heavens.
(Where is it point at, where is it showing to me at this moment !?)
Falma stares up into the night sky with expectation.
“Well there is nothing … nothing can be seen is there?“
* * *
After arriving home without any additional discovery, it is already morning.
(This is a bad thing, coming home at such an hour in the morning.)
“Welcome back, Falma.“
As Falma sneaks into the mansion after returning, Lotte is already up and properly dressed, and Blanche has a toy in her hands at the entrance.
(Uu waah …)
An awkward air flows in between the three. After a brief awkward silence, Blanche opens her mouth to speak.
“Dear big brother, where did you go? I waited all night even though it was late. You promised to take a bath together with me yesterday.“
Blanche holds the stuffed animal in both hands and speaks using a sweet voice with loving eyes. It seems she doesn’t like the idea that Falma didn’t come back.
“Did I promise such a thing to you!?“
Falma becomes embarrassed from such a strange declaration, while paying attention to Lotte’s gaze. Lotte is being Lotte of course.
“Didn’t Falma stay with Eleonor? Ahh … nevermind.“
Lotte noticed that Ellen and Falma were heading out together the day before, and bows her head embarrassedly as she realizes her snooping into their affair is a bit too much.
“Well, wait a moment. I was visiting Count Hugo’s territory.“
While thinking that Lotte shouldn’t be anxious over him, Falma realizes that hiding everything from her will only make her worry even more, yet he can’t help himself with his muddied words.
“Ahh. Th-that’s right. So please excuse me!”
From Lotte’s perspective, it’s apparent that Falma was out on an overnight date. Lotte can imagine that he wasn’t able to do much during his visit, but at least he was able to show his intimate side to Ellen.
(Ahh, I’m being misunderstood.)
Palle also happens to show up at such a delicate time when Falma is pale.
“Oh my oh my oh my. Something is wrong with you, Falma. Did you finally arrive home in the morning? I don’t think there was anything that happened at Eleonor. No need to stop, for Eleonor’s sake.“
Palle suggests his humble advice. Ellen and Palle are good friends similar to dogs and monkeys after all.
“There is nothing between us! It’s not going to happen!“
“With such a desperate denial. Isn’t that appearing to be more suspicious … hmm? For you.“
Palle turns slightly green as he detects Falma’s divine power has changed.
“Your demeanor has changed a bit.“
It was during the time when he was in Hugo’s castle’s basement, as he dealt with the condensed miasmic memory from a large number of crystal stones.
“Did I? It’s probably due to my fatigue. I left Ellen’s place at midnight, and searched for something alone afterward.“
Falma confessed honestly to clear up any misunderstanding.
“Why was it so important to search in the middle of the night?“
Palle smiles wryly.
“Did you find what you were looking for?“
Lotte tilts her head.
“I couldn’t find it.“
Lotte smiles with a grin when she gazes at Falma, as he shows his disappointment.
“Once it gets brighter, let’s look at other places that Falma is searching for. I’ll help you out. I’m good at finding things.“
Lotte has the unique ability to quickly recover what Blanche has lost. Lotte’s words are reassuring.
(That’s right … if we shift the search time, we may see something different.)
Lotte’s words remind Falma that it is too early to give up.
“For the moment, shouldn’t you try not to worry your family so much?“
Palle speaks on behalf of Lotte and Blanche.
“I’m sorry.“
Falma receives his words of concern.
“I’m just glad Falma came back safely.“
Lotte smiles brightly towards Falma. Falma is comforted by such a smile today. She silently accepts Falma’s explanation without any further questioning as usual.
(This is where I must reside.)
He feels as if he needs to remain here if he was told to.
The next day is a rest day, so Falma decides to revisit the sacred spring while the sun is still high. He wants to bring Lotte along, but she got surprised as she has never known that he could fly. After being annoyed at her shocking state, he goes alone.
After lunch, he flies for about an hour to reach his destination. The sacred spring that he visited after a day is filled with plenty of water again.
“This ponding water, it’s unusually fast, [Water rem…]“
He recalls Lotte’s words as he is about to cast the water removal chant. He reconsiders another method than the one he tried before, and he recognizes that it’s better not to remove the water this time.
“There may be a different view if it can be seen with the water. There is also a case of light refraction.“
When Falma realizes that option, he doesn’t care about being wet as he dives headfirst to the bottom of the water. While struggling to reach the bottom of the spring, he holds onto the employee ID card over the stone plate. Just then, he glances back up to follow the projected light from the stone plate, and gazes at the blue sky that shimmers from the bottom of the water.
On the surface of the water, Falma sees the ripples that he created on the way down. And then – he sees it. Something is on the reflected surface of the shimmering spring water from below.
There is a doorway entrance to the laboratory of the university where he once worked in his past life.
(Eh …?)
Falma suspects he’s hallucinating. I can decipher the meaning of the letters engraved on the stone plate at the bottom of the spring as “just behind the door of another world“.
Falma carefully resurfaces and approaches the surface of the water from the top.
(What a hell … it’s all thanks to Lotte.)
The surface of the spring water is filled with the purpose of allowing the projection to only to be seen from below. Falma puts his hands on the surface of the water. At that moment as Falma reaches out, the surface of the water rises a little, and the image of the other world disappears.
(Damn it, it’s so frustrating. I do need a different approach …)
It dawns on him. Falma ponders to freeze the water. He uses his divine arts from his bare hands to place a layer of clear ice at the surface of the water. Then, while the ice layer is on the surface, he approaches the surface of the water from below without breaking the ice. With such a method, the surface of the water is no longer rippling. He reluctantly thrusts his right hand into the surface of the ice. Falma’s hand passes beyond the ice and enters into the other world.
(This is the mising clue! If I think about it, one can’t enter through the door unless one can use the ice magic …)
The coincidence in using the water magic seems to be inevitable which is preplanned for such a time like this. He tries to pull the lever of the laboratory door with his right hand, but it doesn’t budge. The electronic authentication device for crime prevention attached to the door is working.
(No way … time to use it!)
Falma holds the employee’s ID over the door.
Vienna (good) … Gachin (SFX of door unlatching).
The electronic lock is released with a mechanical sound, and the laboratory door splits open from the middle.
Falma pushes his head all the way in through the gate, and only half of his body goes through into the other side of the door. When he finally enters the laboratory, he uses the (magnetic latch or simple bottom lever?) door stopper to hold the door ajar so he can return immediately. He can come and leave with the door in this state.
“Am I … dreaming?“
He can hear the click-click sound of the clock’s second hand ticking in the laboratory. The scene that Falma doesn’t want to see leaps into his field of view. There is a man in a white coat that’s wrapped in a sleeping bag and sleeps on the sofa at the corner of the laboratory.
(Wasn’t that …)
It is Falma from his past life, an associate professor for the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University, T. Yakutani, who is currently researching for a complete cure.
“Oi, you there!“
Falma involuntarily touches the man’s shoulder, but the man doesn’t notice Falma. Even if he’s being hit hard, he doesn’t even jump. Falma can’t wake the man by touching and interfering with him, including messing with his eyelids to open his eyes and pinching his cheeks. Falma stares at the man with an indescribable emotion.
(This Falma cannot interfere with this person …)
The man is him, at the same time he’s not. Falma observes the date on the clock at Yakutani’s desk. The date is the day of his death.
3:50 am.
The associate professor Yakutani died while sleeping during his nap in the laboratory. This man will never wake up again.
However, he is still alive at this moment.
Falma picks up the smartphone that the man has on his desk and attempts to get in touch with the outside world. The radio wave is out of range for service even at this time. He can’t even access the Wi-Fi access point of the Flying Haz. The fixed telephone in the laboratory does not have an extension for usages. The PC works, but the connection line is still interrupted. The outside that’s seen through the window’s blind is pitch black. It’s not night time. It is simply dark. I can’t even see the city lights that were commonly there.
(This place, is a different world …)
Falma examines around the lab, recollecting the memories of his former life. The room is the same as it was, just before the last moment he fell asleep. The motor noise of the ultra-low temperature freezer unit in operation is very nostalgic. The ultracentrifuge should run continuously for another four hours. There are several workstations of the large-scale genome analyzer that he previously set up. There are reagents placed on the laboratory table, along with the stacked notebooks. The room’s interior is surrounded by countless precision experimental equipment that will continue to move even after the death of the lab’s lord.
He is able to touch everything in the laboratory. Even if this is a dream. What can he do here? Falma collects his oral mucosal cells, pretreated them, and sets them in a whole-genome information analyzer.
First of all, what one should know is about oneself. The existence of this Falma can be revealed by turning everything into understandable data through the uses of modern science.
(Damn it, it takes time for the data results. Is the door still connected?)
He sees the entrance to the sacred spring through the unlocked security door. The connection of the door is still open and there is no sign of disconnection.
He takes out some reagents and a tube containing the sample from the freezer so that he can hasten his departure, and stows them into a styrofoam case. Next, he wonders if he needs to write a suicide note to people who are related to this world.
“Uuh, guuhhhh!“
Yakutani that lays on the sofa becomes sick and begins to struggle. Falma tries to use [Diagnostic Eye], but he cannot invoke the divine power in this room. Falma is upset in ascertaining if Yakutani’s time has finally arrived.
(What can Ido to help !?)
There is a way to help even if when he can’t use the [Diagnostic Eye]. He can administer adrenaline stored in the laboratory while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, Falma cannot perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Yakutani’s sternum did not even compress even when Falma pushes using his entire body weight. Just like earlier, Falma cannot interfere with Yakutani’s body. The needle does not pass through his skin when Falma tries to administer the drug. No further action is given.
Pipipipi, pipipipi, pipipipi, pipipipi …
The alarm goes off. Yakutani has set the alarm for his nap one hour after 3:42 am, now at 4:42 AM, while in the middle of the experiment since midnight.
It rings loudly.
(4 o’clock … 42 minutes!)
… As if it is a trigger, Falma’s consciousness is blown out through the laboratory door.
How long has passed since his entire field of vision was whitened out? When he recognizes the surrounding, he is floating in the sacred spring of the original world.
“Aah…“
The ice that should be on the surface spring has completely melted. Did he wake up from my dream? Or is this the world of dreams, and Falma is still dreaming? He feels intoxicated. He attempts to sort out the situation while struggling to remain conscious.
Suddenly, he feels the sunlight dazzles more than usual so he holds his hand up to cover the sunlight. At that time, he notices that the styrofoam case which contains the reagents taken from the laboratory is floating on the surface of the spring. He believes he has grabbed onto it back then. He uses his hand to touch the case with uncertainty.
“Wasn’t it a dream …?“
Falma jolts up at once. Furthermore, he takes a deep breath as he unconscious observes his hand that’s raised up in covering the sunlight.
Perhaps it is the price for going back and forth through another world, as Falma’s hand is translucent compared to the time before he entered the sacred spring.
“… this is …“
Falma recalls the legend of the Medicine God he once heard from Salomon. The Medicine God’s predecessor[1] repeatedly entered and exited the heavenly world from the sacred spring, but one day he stopped returning.
(Did that person … lost the physical nature and disappeared from this world?)
For the current Falma, he indeed can as he acknoweldged what transpired earlier in relation to the predecessor when he visited Yakugami.
“Where is this world … what is this world?“
To obtain the desired answer, he exits the fountain.
After fastening the styrofoam case in a prominent place[2], he ascends towards the sky while grabbing onto the Medicine God’s staff with his single hand which feels like it took forever.
With a momentous speed as he ascends vertically, he leaves his curiosity to his instinct and grabs hold onto the Medicine God’s staff until the breathable air runs out, or until he reaches the void sky (space..the final frontier..*insert Star Trek theme song*). He just climbs through the endless sky in the distance until he can reach the peak of the universe.
While the freezing cold hits him as the water droplets on his body surface froze, his body does not freeze, and even when the oxygen becomes thin, he does not suffocate.
He exhales the content from his lungs. If the air pressure rises any further while retaining air at this point, the lungs will rupture. Or so he thinks. However, Falma deems himself as being humorous because he still thinks like a human being. Even though he is no longer considered a human being, his defensive instinct still works.
He knows that a living dead cannot die …[3]
(I’ll go to the pinnacle of this world and have a look!)
Half of it is based on speculation. The other half is through escapism. He just thinks to himself about a singular point, where he may be able to reach that is so far and so high that he can no longer able to return any more. For the first time, Falma sees the planet from outer space.
As suspected, the blue planet before him is a star that Falma doesn’t recognize, and nothing resembling Earth at all. The shape of the ocean and the shape of the land masses are different from those of Earth that he remembered.
(What is, this place …)
To face the universe, you must face oneself. In the horrifying silence, only the sound can be heard is from the inside of his body. He senses the tremendous loneliness, as if tens of thousands of years have passed.
The innumerable stars are crowding in the universe beyond. Yet, no matter how much he looks, there are no planets in the same solar system as far as he can see. There are stars that resemble the sun, there’s even a moon, all appear similar and yet the visible universe is completely different. The extremely low temperature and intense cosmic ray radiation afflict him. Another star other than the sun casts a shadow onto the planet where Falma is at.
(It’s not the same Earth. It’s certainly a planet … But where is this?)
Falma’s big mystery that was postponed until this very point remains as a mystery once again. He feels all the directions he’s traveling on are being hindered, so he screams in the dead of silence as much as he can, then allows the gravity to slowly pull him back towards the rotating planet as if it doesn’t want him to leave.
Falma’s body doesn’t burn up during re-entry into the atmospheres. He perceives that even the atmospheres surrounding this planet reject him [4]. Falma remains in the freefall, as he observes the ground quickly approaches.
He has no choice but to return now. He needs to go back to the place that’s suitable for him, where he once becomes Falma de Médicis.
Footnotes:
[1] 先代 の 薬神: previous medicine person, or Medicine God’s predecessor for a better translation
[2] Where? He’s barely wearing anything to strap it onto his body
[3] Uh..sorry..what thappened to that woman that died in the acid lake?
[4] Uh..styrofoam? If Ellen was afflicted by the cold, wouldn’t the styrofoam get afflicted by intense heat?
“Thank you for your hard work today, Ellen. I think it was cold, so take a bath and warm yourself up.“
It’s midnight by the time they reach Ellen’s mansion from Hugo’s castle.
“Does Ellen’s residence enforce a curfew?“
Falma feels sorry for taking a woman of marriageable age to venture around beyond midnight while causing a ruckus. By the way, Falma hasn’t heard any detail on any complaints from Ellen’s family about her prior late hours.
“There is no curfew because there were overnight medical examinations and experiments. However, Sophie may wake up, so I have to enter without making any noise.“
The curfew of the Bonnefoy family appears to be lax.
“This is due to Sophie being a light sleeper.“
The adopted Sophie by Count Bonnefoy is said to be taken care of by her very own nanny, especially when Ellen doesn’t have the time to care for her.
“Falma-kun, thank you for your hard work today. Please rest well …”
Ellen sneezes with a runny nose. The season is April, and even though it is not very cold, Ellen’s body core temperature had dropped during flight at high altitude. Her glasses were completely foggy.
“Aren’t you cold Falma when you’re flying? Your clothes are a bit light, aren’t they?“
“Un, it does feel cold when the temperature is chilly, but …“
Even so, Falma doesn’t care about his chilly body during flying. Ellen’s reaction is very normal to state the obvious chilly constitution.
“Careful not to catch a cold, and have a pleasant night.“
Falma waves to Ellen, ignoring the issue of being cold and ready to depart from her residence. After Ellen is lowered, she unwillingly acknowledges that Falma can ascend even higher. The Medicinal God’s staff is in great condition with an additional increase of crystal stones. He feels as if his power has risen.
(I can’t comprehend much of this, but … I’ll at least get one thing clarified by the end of today.)
It has already passed the time for the people in his mansion to sleep. The de Médicis family has an early sleep schedule. Although it may be late, he has told Lotte not to worry. Falma decides not to return to the de Médicis residence as it is very late, and directs his travel towards the location of the sacred spring. He doesn’t need to blindly look for it. He has a hunch of where it is. He obtained some hints about the sacred spring from Hugo. For many years, Hugo had unraveled the ancient documents that were passed among alchemists and gathered reliable information, and his findings were quite accurate based on his accumulated knowledge and familiarity with the divine arts. Falma peacefully borrowed a map with Hugo’s markings, with the expectation that the indicated location may be the sacred spring. He didn’t even need to threaten Hugo for it.
Relying on the map with the indicated directions by the stone plate and the hidden treasure at the bottom of the underground cave of the Imperial City, the three locations have been narrowed down. This location has many layered legends. Yet, it’s merely an acid spring without a depositing layer of crystal stones. Another location is a muddy swamp in the mountains, and there are quite a bit of human bones at the bottom, but the result is not the sacred spring.
Falma finally arrives at the location in the middle of a steep plateau, which is the farthest from the Imperial City. The entire plateau is covered with fogs and apparently hidden away from the prying human eyes. There is no sign of living things, surrounded with only the eerie sounds of the wind, and it’s right to say that it is haunting. It’s no wonder that it’s not possible for humans to reach this place with the cliffs so steep.
As Falma lands on the plateau, the thick fog layers that cover the plateau clear up.
“Ah. It’s easier to see now …. what’s this?“
Falma observes a small fountain that is no bigger than the size of a common well. The bottom of the fountain is shimmering and reflecting, probably reacting to Falma’s divine power. There is a layer of crystal stones at the bottom.
“So this is the sacred spring …“
Falma observes deep below the surface of the water.
“It’s not like the sulfuric acid lake.“
The fountain is filled with water, not sulfuric acid. There is no monstrous fish keeper within the water like last time. With that being said, he hesitates to get into the dubious water.
[Effacement à l’eau (Water Removal)]
Falma removes the spring water similarly to the prior acid spring. As he reclaims the surface bottom of the spring while hovering above it using Medicine God’s staff, there is a thick layer of crystal stones, similar to the one at the basement of the Imperial City. At the bottom of that lake, he sees the familiar stone plate that he saw before.
(There it is! What is written on it?)
He reads the letters imprinted on the stone plate.
[This is the sacred spring, a hidden door to another world. A glance into the heavens.]
It’s written in Falma’s recognizable language, in so many words. Any more than that, it appears to be something like an explanation in a written language that Falma cannot decipher. The employee ID card, which is deemed to be a great treasure that Falma happened to across, comes closer to the stone plate, the light glows upon it and projects straight towards the heavens.
(Where is it point at, where is it showing to me at this moment !?)
Falma stares up into the night sky with expectation.
“Well there is nothing … nothing can be seen is there?“
* * *
After arriving home without any additional discovery, it is already morning.
(This is a bad thing, coming home at such an hour in the morning.)
“Welcome back, Falma.“
As Falma sneaks into the mansion after returning, Lotte is already up and properly dressed, and Blanche has a toy in her hands at the entrance.
(Uu waah …)
An awkward air flows in between the three. After a brief awkward silence, Blanche opens her mouth to speak.
“Dear big brother, where did you go? I waited all night even though it was late. You promised to take a bath together with me yesterday.“
Blanche holds the stuffed animal in both hands and speaks using a sweet voice with loving eyes. It seems she doesn’t like the idea that Falma didn’t come back.
“Did I promise such a thing to you!?“
Falma becomes embarrassed from such a strange declaration, while paying attention to Lotte’s gaze. Lotte is being Lotte of course.
“Didn’t Falma stay with Eleonor? Ahh … nevermind.“
Lotte noticed that Ellen and Falma were heading out together the day before, and bows her head embarrassedly as she realizes her snooping into their affair is a bit too much.
“Well, wait a moment. I was visiting Count Hugo’s territory.“
While thinking that Lotte shouldn’t be anxious over him, Falma realizes that hiding everything from her will only make her worry even more, yet he can’t help himself with his muddied words.
“Ahh. Th-that’s right. So please excuse me!”
From Lotte’s perspective, it’s apparent that Falma was out on an overnight date. Lotte can imagine that he wasn’t able to do much during his visit, but at least he was able to show his intimate side to Ellen.
(Ahh, I’m being misunderstood.)
Palle also happens to show up at such a delicate time when Falma is pale.
“Oh my oh my oh my. Something is wrong with you, Falma. Did you finally arrive home in the morning? I don’t think there was anything that happened at Eleonor. No need to stop, for Eleonor’s sake.“
Palle suggests his humble advice. Ellen and Palle are good friends similar to dogs and monkeys after all.
“There is nothing between us! It’s not going to happen!“
“With such a desperate denial. Isn’t that appearing to be more suspicious … hmm? For you.“
Palle turns slightly green as he detects Falma’s divine power has changed.
“Your demeanor has changed a bit.“
It was during the time when he was in Hugo’s castle’s basement, as he dealt with the condensed miasmic memory from a large number of crystal stones.
“Did I? It’s probably due to my fatigue. I left Ellen’s place at midnight, and searched for something alone afterward.“
Falma confessed honestly to clear up any misunderstanding.
“Why was it so important to search in the middle of the night?“
Palle smiles wryly.
“Did you find what you were looking for?“
Lotte tilts her head.
“I couldn’t find it.“
Lotte smiles with a grin when she gazes at Falma, as he shows his disappointment.
“Once it gets brighter, let’s look at other places that Falma is searching for. I’ll help you out. I’m good at finding things.“
Lotte has the unique ability to quickly recover what Blanche has lost. Lotte’s words are reassuring.
(That’s right … if we shift the search time, we may see something different.)
Lotte’s words remind Falma that it is too early to give up.
“For the moment, shouldn’t you try not to worry your family so much?“
Palle speaks on behalf of Lotte and Blanche.
“I’m sorry.“
Falma receives his words of concern.
“I’m just glad Falma came back safely.“
Lotte smiles brightly towards Falma. Falma is comforted by such a smile today. She silently accepts Falma’s explanation without any further questioning as usual.
(This is where I must reside.)
He feels as if he needs to remain here if he was told to.
The next day is a rest day, so Falma decides to revisit the sacred spring while the sun is still high. He wants to bring Lotte along, but she got surprised as she has never known that he could fly. After being annoyed at her shocking state, he goes alone.
After lunch, he flies for about an hour to reach his destination. The sacred spring that he visited after a day is filled with plenty of water again.
“This ponding water, it’s unusually fast, [Water rem…]“
He recalls Lotte’s words as he is about to cast the water removal chant. He reconsiders another method than the one he tried before, and he recognizes that it’s better not to remove the water this time.
“There may be a different view if it can be seen with the water. There is also a case of light refraction.“
When Falma realizes that option, he doesn’t care about being wet as he dives headfirst to the bottom of the water. While struggling to reach the bottom of the spring, he holds onto the employee ID card over the stone plate. Just then, he glances back up to follow the projected light from the stone plate, and gazes at the blue sky that shimmers from the bottom of the water.
On the surface of the water, Falma sees the ripples that he created on the way down. And then – he sees it. Something is on the reflected surface of the shimmering spring water from below.
There is a doorway entrance to the laboratory of the university where he once worked in his past life.
(Eh …?)
Falma suspects he’s hallucinating. I can decipher the meaning of the letters engraved on the stone plate at the bottom of the spring as “just behind the door of another world“.
Falma carefully resurfaces and approaches the surface of the water from the top.
(What a hell … it’s all thanks to Lotte.)
The surface of the spring water is filled with the purpose of allowing the projection to only to be seen from below. Falma puts his hands on the surface of the water. At that moment as Falma reaches out, the surface of the water rises a little, and the image of the other world disappears.
(Damn it, it’s so frustrating. I do need a different approach …)
It dawns on him. Falma ponders to freeze the water. He uses his divine arts from his bare hands to place a layer of clear ice at the surface of the water. Then, while the ice layer is on the surface, he approaches the surface of the water from below without breaking the ice. With such a method, the surface of the water is no longer rippling. He reluctantly thrusts his right hand into the surface of the ice. Falma’s hand passes beyond the ice and enters into the other world.
(This is the mising clue! If I think about it, one can’t enter through the door unless one can use the ice magic …)
The coincidence in using the water magic seems to be inevitable which is preplanned for such a time like this. He tries to pull the lever of the laboratory door with his right hand, but it doesn’t budge. The electronic authentication device for crime prevention attached to the door is working.
(No way … time to use it!)
Falma holds the employee’s ID over the door.
Vienna (good) … Gachin (SFX of door unlatching).
The electronic lock is released with a mechanical sound, and the laboratory door splits open from the middle.
Falma pushes his head all the way in through the gate, and only half of his body goes through into the other side of the door. When he finally enters the laboratory, he uses the (magnetic latch or simple bottom lever?) door stopper to hold the door ajar so he can return immediately. He can come and leave with the door in this state.
“Am I … dreaming?“
He can hear the click-click sound of the clock’s second hand ticking in the laboratory. The scene that Falma doesn’t want to see leaps into his field of view. There is a man in a white coat that’s wrapped in a sleeping bag and sleeps on the sofa at the corner of the laboratory.
(Wasn’t that …)
It is Falma from his past life, an associate professor for the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University, T. Yakutani, who is currently researching for a complete cure.
“Oi, you there!“
Falma involuntarily touches the man’s shoulder, but the man doesn’t notice Falma. Even if he’s being hit hard, he doesn’t even jump. Falma can’t wake the man by touching and interfering with him, including messing with his eyelids to open his eyes and pinching his cheeks. Falma stares at the man with an indescribable emotion.
(This Falma cannot interfere with this person …)
The man is him, at the same time he’s not. Falma observes the date on the clock at Yakutani’s desk. The date is the day of his death.
3:50 am.
The associate professor Yakutani died while sleeping during his nap in the laboratory. This man will never wake up again.
However, he is still alive at this moment.
Falma picks up the smartphone that the man has on his desk and attempts to get in touch with the outside world. The radio wave is out of range for service even at this time. He can’t even access the Wi-Fi access point of the Flying Haz. The fixed telephone in the laboratory does not have an extension for usages. The PC works, but the connection line is still interrupted. The outside that’s seen through the window’s blind is pitch black. It’s not night time. It is simply dark. I can’t even see the city lights that were commonly there.
(This place, is a different world …)
Falma examines around the lab, recollecting the memories of his former life. The room is the same as it was, just before the last moment he fell asleep. The motor noise of the ultra-low temperature freezer unit in operation is very nostalgic. The ultracentrifuge should run continuously for another four hours. There are several workstations of the large-scale genome analyzer that he previously set up. There are reagents placed on the laboratory table, along with the stacked notebooks. The room’s interior is surrounded by countless precision experimental equipment that will continue to move even after the death of the lab’s lord.
He is able to touch everything in the laboratory. Even if this is a dream. What can he do here? Falma collects his oral mucosal cells, pretreated them, and sets them in a whole-genome information analyzer.
First of all, what one should know is about oneself. The existence of this Falma can be revealed by turning everything into understandable data through the uses of modern science.
(Damn it, it takes time for the data results. Is the door still connected?)
He sees the entrance to the sacred spring through the unlocked security door. The connection of the door is still open and there is no sign of disconnection.
He takes out some reagents and a tube containing the sample from the freezer so that he can hasten his departure, and stows them into a styrofoam case. Next, he wonders if he needs to write a suicide note to people who are related to this world.
“Uuh, guuhhhh!“
Yakutani that lays on the sofa becomes sick and begins to struggle. Falma tries to use [Diagnostic Eye], but he cannot invoke the divine power in this room. Falma is upset in ascertaining if Yakutani’s time has finally arrived.
(What can Ido to help !?)
There is a way to help even if when he can’t use the [Diagnostic Eye]. He can administer adrenaline stored in the laboratory while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, Falma cannot perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Yakutani’s sternum did not even compress even when Falma pushes using his entire body weight. Just like earlier, Falma cannot interfere with Yakutani’s body. The needle does not pass through his skin when Falma tries to administer the drug. No further action is given.
Pipipipi, pipipipi, pipipipi, pipipipi …
The alarm goes off. Yakutani has set the alarm for his nap one hour after 3:42 am, now at 4:42 AM, while in the middle of the experiment since midnight.
It rings loudly.
(4 o’clock … 42 minutes!)
… As if it is a trigger, Falma’s consciousness is blown out through the laboratory door.
How long has passed since his entire field of vision was whitened out? When he recognizes the surrounding, he is floating in the sacred spring of the original world.
“Aah…“
The ice that should be on the surface spring has completely melted. Did he wake up from my dream? Or is this the world of dreams, and Falma is still dreaming? He feels intoxicated. He attempts to sort out the situation while struggling to remain conscious.
Suddenly, he feels the sunlight dazzles more than usual so he holds his hand up to cover the sunlight. At that time, he notices that the styrofoam case which contains the reagents taken from the laboratory is floating on the surface of the spring. He believes he has grabbed onto it back then. He uses his hand to touch the case with uncertainty.
“Wasn’t it a dream …?“
Falma jolts up at once. Furthermore, he takes a deep breath as he unconscious observes his hand that’s raised up in covering the sunlight.
Perhaps it is the price for going back and forth through another world, as Falma’s hand is translucent compared to the time before he entered the sacred spring.
“… this is …“
Falma recalls the legend of the Medicine God he once heard from Salomon. The Medicine God’s predecessor[1] repeatedly entered and exited the heavenly world from the sacred spring, but one day he stopped returning.
(Did that person … lost the physical nature and disappeared from this world?)
For the current Falma, he indeed can as he acknoweldged what transpired earlier in relation to the predecessor when he visited Yakugami.
“Where is this world … what is this world?“
To obtain the desired answer, he exits the fountain.
After fastening the styrofoam case in a prominent place[2], he ascends towards the sky while grabbing onto the Medicine God’s staff with his single hand which feels like it took forever.
With a momentous speed as he ascends vertically, he leaves his curiosity to his instinct and grabs hold onto the Medicine God’s staff until the breathable air runs out, or until he reaches the void sky (space..the final frontier..*insert Star Trek theme song*). He just climbs through the endless sky in the distance until he can reach the peak of the universe.
While the freezing cold hits him as the water droplets on his body surface froze, his body does not freeze, and even when the oxygen becomes thin, he does not suffocate.
He exhales the content from his lungs. If the air pressure rises any further while retaining air at this point, the lungs will rupture. Or so he thinks. However, Falma deems himself as being humorous because he still thinks like a human being. Even though he is no longer considered a human being, his defensive instinct still works.
He knows that a living dead cannot die …[3]
(I’ll go to the pinnacle of this world and have a look!)
Half of it is based on speculation. The other half is through escapism. He just thinks to himself about a singular point, where he may be able to reach that is so far and so high that he can no longer able to return any more. For the first time, Falma sees the planet from outer space.
As suspected, the blue planet before him is a star that Falma doesn’t recognize, and nothing resembling Earth at all. The shape of the ocean and the shape of the land masses are different from those of Earth that he remembered.
(What is, this place …)
To face the universe, you must face oneself. In the horrifying silence, only the sound can be heard is from the inside of his body. He senses the tremendous loneliness, as if tens of thousands of years have passed.
The innumerable stars are crowding in the universe beyond. Yet, no matter how much he looks, there are no planets in the same solar system as far as he can see. There are stars that resemble the sun, there’s even a moon, all appear similar and yet the visible universe is completely different. The extremely low temperature and intense cosmic ray radiation afflict him. Another star other than the sun casts a shadow onto the planet where Falma is at.
(It’s not the same Earth. It’s certainly a planet … But where is this?)
Falma’s big mystery that was postponed until this very point remains as a mystery once again. He feels all the directions he’s traveling on are being hindered, so he screams in the dead of silence as much as he can, then allows the gravity to slowly pull him back towards the rotating planet as if it doesn’t want him to leave.
Falma’s body doesn’t burn up during re-entry into the atmospheres. He perceives that even the atmospheres surrounding this planet reject him [4]. Falma remains in the freefall, as he observes the ground quickly approaches.
He has no choice but to return now. He needs to go back to the place that’s suitable for him, where he once becomes Falma de Médicis.
Footnotes:
[1] 先代 の 薬神: previous medicine person, or Medicine God’s predecessor for a better translation
[2] Where? He’s barely wearing anything to strap it onto his body
[3] Uh..sorry..what thappened to that woman that died in the acid lake?
[4] Uh..styrofoam? If Ellen was afflicted by the cold, wouldn’t the styrofoam get afflicted by intense heat?
