Chapter 17: Festival Page 161 b1: Even an imperfect world b2: has no need of an incompetent preserver god. b1: [Archangel...] b1: ...I am b2: the only one of my kind in this world. b1: ?! b1: [-Somehow...] b1: Accept me. b2: Into this world. [Inside of *You* is...] Page 162 sfx: Whrrrt b1: ... b2: [Archangel is...] b1: [What's this?] b1: [New consciousness orbs?!] [Eliza] Page 163 sfx: gaze sfx: gasp Page 164 b1: I'm so happy! b2: This time, truly... b3: At last, b4: I can become one with you, right...? b1: -When you touched me for the first time b1: I first knew of humanity. b1: [When the Dabar Fusion happened?] [To think such a small body] [Could bear such a deep hole inside it] [So deep the bottom couldn't be seen...] [...] b1: What-... Page 165 b1: It was mysterious and fascinating to me. b1: You had me in a daze of curiousity. b1: I wanted to fill what was missing inside of you, but b2: It was so difficult and... b3: as we were becoming one, the Archangel split us apart... b1: [Archangel...!] [We must correct this twisted world.] [Re-creation!] [Become a new God alongside me!] sfx: shock [A new world!...] sfx: Zzrt b1: [-W...] b2: [Wait...] Page 166 b1: [If I fuse with you] b2: [Will I, too, become a preserver god...?] b3: Yes, you will. b1: [-But I have no idea] b2: [how to deal with a world...] b3: [It sounds overwhelming...] b1: [With the burden of my sins, I can think only of running away...] b2: However you like. b3: You can deal with it how you wish. b1: ...! b2: Now... b3: [Wait...] b1: Let us become... b2: ... sfx: Zap Page 167 b1: [I could become] b2: [a god?!] b1: [I don't think that the Archangel's desired world is the correct one, but] b2: [if that's true, what is the form a world should take...?] [Our world has become horribly corrupted, but] [can I heal her own twisting enough that she can undo it?] b1: ...Brother... [I am] [still] [lacking somehow...!] Page 168 sfx: step step step sfx: clutch [Save me] [brother] b1: [A consciousness orb...?] sfx: vwaaa Page 169 sfx: ooo [Big brother...!] sfx: Hrmmmm b1: [When will it happen?] b1: [Imprisoned by my own sin] b2: [For that reason, I came and dwelt here...] Page 170 b1: [Only now have I discovered] b2: [why] b3: [how I came to] b1: [betray you.] b1: ...Lord b2: Archangel... Page 171 b1: -What do you want? b2: Doctor Angelicus... b1: Doctor Angelicus! b1: Yes? b2: [You surely saw me as] b3: [somewhat of a subordinate you could confide in, but] b1: [I was glad for that.] b2: [I could be of use to you.] b1: [I thought I was necessary to you, and that] b2: [was good enough for me, but...] [In the world which you desire,] [I do not exist.] b1: [... And I] b2: [couldn't] Page 172 b1: [No matter what...] b1: ...If you're looking for that man, he's in God's domain. b1: They've begun the fusion already, it seems. b2: How horrible... b3: He no longer has any desire to save this world. b1: It isn't even worth bearing the pain anymore. b2: Lord Archangel... b1: -Why am I even alive? b1: Is my life connected to this consciousness orb? b2: If that's so, b1: Doctor Angelicus, b2: Could you extract it for me? b1: That b2: I cannot... b1: -It was a joke. Page 173 b1: -... [Back then] b1: [When that man passed through here,] b1: [For a moment...] b2: ...Have I b3: told you this before? b1: You know, I had an older sister once. b1: Day by day, her twisting became worse. b2: She was even unable to speak... b1: [-One time] Page 174 b1: [But one time] b2: [I did hear her voice...] b1: Such a pretty color. b1: -Your sister...? b2: Lord Archangel... b1: I... b2: [...Why?] b3: [After all this time...] Page 175 b1: Are you all right? b2: Is there b3: anywhere you hurt, or... b1: It's not the greatest situation. b2: Don't you see this giant needle? b3: S...sorry b4: I'm at this weird angle, so my neck hurts. b5: The worst part is, there's nothing here. It's boring. b1: At least... b2: ... b1: Angelicus... b2: Yes? b1: At least b2: could you stay with me, until the end...? Page 176 b1: -Arch... b1: Yes... sfx: ooo sfx: oo... Page 177 b1: [...Big brother...?] b2: [...How...] b1: I'm still alive. b1: ...?! b2: I'm alive inside you, even now. b1: Just as the words imply. b2: Not hypothetically, or anything. b1: [When I was split from you, in death] b2: [My soul wandered around the neuro tower, but] Page 178 b1: [That day] [In the shock of the Great Blaze] [I was able to enter back into you]. b1: -I was reborn through your consciousness orb as well as Eliza's, b2: So at last I am able to speak with you once more. b1: [It's a lie...] sfx: frown b2: I'm not lying! b3: [Then why?!] Page 179 b1: [If you're inside of me...] b2: [Look!] b3: [Why won't this scar heal?!] [Why do I still have this hole inside of me?!] sfx: glare {note: Not sure on this one} b1: ...That's because Page 180 b1: I am not you. b2: ...?! b1: I'm me. I'm not a piece of you. b2: Even now. b1: Even when we were attached, and inseparable. b1: What you are missing is something of your own. b1: I can't fill that void inside of you. b2: No one can. b3: Not even a god... Page 181 b1: No one, aside from you, can do that. sfx: thud b1: But if you need support, I can do that. Page 182 b1: ...! b2: If you need cooperation or aid, b2: I can give that to you. b1: [-But I] b2: [I was the one who] b3: [Did that to you...] b1: It's all right. Page 183 b1: You did not kill me. b1: Let's live together. [-Brother...] Page 184 b1: [Even if that was an illusion] [My own delusion, perhaps, still...] Page 185 b1: ...Is it all right? b1: [Yes.] [It isn't to fill] [what is missing.] Page 186 b1: ...W... what...? sfx: rustle Page 187 sfx: flap b1: ...! b1: ... b1: [This is...] b2: [Perhaps...?] Page 188 b1: [The time that...?] b1: Lord Archangel...! Page 189 sfx: twitch b1: -Ugh... b1: Ah? b1: Up there...? Page 190 b1: Why? b1: Alice... b2: Hey! b3: Why'd you do this? b1: We were all merged perfectly... b2: Now look! b3: I'm just the way I was! b4: You, Eliza, your brother... Page 191 b1: We became the Split Divinities, right? b2: Then we became one, but... b1: But we're not one. b2: That's what we wanted. b3: Is that wrong? b1: ...Not really wrong, but... b2: I would've liked to be one with you. b1: -Hey! b2: It wasn't because you b3: hated the idea of being one with me, right?! b4: No, no. b1: That's not it, but... b2: If I and you were the same, I think I'd be lonely. b1: ...? Page 192 b1: ...My brother and I were together for a long time. We were practically the world to each other. b1: When my brother was gone, it was as if my self and the world both lost meaning. b2: That's why I felt that I was missing something. b1: Yeah... I know. b2: I understood that when we met. b1: When you had lost your memories, and you wanted to become one with me that time, it was because we had fused and split... b2: You were looking for your lost other half, right? b3: It wasn't that you liked me or anything. b1: I knew that! b2: But that's okay. b3: Because I like you! b1: Alice... Page 193 b1: -Huh? b2: But then... b3: Why am I here...? b1: When I touched you for the first time... b1: I had a feeling of total fulfillment. b2: ...You said that it wouldn't fill what was missing. b3: But that's what it did. b1: That's why I did it, I think. b1: If we completely merged, that would end. b1: I wouldn't ever be able to feel you again. b2: I want to feel that fulfillment over and over. Page 194 sfx: blush b1: I thought that I'd like to be with you. b1: Even if we don't ever fully understand each other? b1: Is that wrong...? b1: It's not b2: wrong per se... Page 195 {blank} Page 196 [I want to remain myself, one being] [With parts missing, with my own corruption.] sfx: step b1: [Just like everyone else.] Page 197 b1: [If I'm not completely fulfilled] b2: [If I feel parts missing, or am twisted...] Page 198 {labeled 200, now I'm just convinced the manga skips page numbers} b1: [Even so...] b1: [I'm here with the world] b2: [and I'm here with you.] Thank you very much for reading to the end. The manga ends with this page, but I wonder how you enjoyed it? For those of you who have not played it, the game Baroque has a somewhat different feeling from this. If you haven't played it, please experience it for yourself. It's good! We're at the end, But I'd like to thank Mr. Yonemitsu and the great people at Sting for their warm impressions. They gave me freedom to work, and it was an incredibly fun experience. Also, through long bloody scenes and tiny details, I was aided by N-chan, A-san, T-san, TS-san, I-san, NJ-san, NR-san, K-san, SI-san, S-san, and to everyone else, thank you very much! This is all thanks to you! I look forward to working with you again! Shinsyu Ueda 2002-02 >>I have a website which I keep a journal on. I write about my work there. http://uedagin.blog83.fc2.com/ {not the original - but the original site is down} For manga works in progress, take a look!