The heart of the Kaleido Core—now reborn as the Heart of Liberation—pulsed with hope as the Arche Chronos raced through the fractal tunnel. On the Infinite Map, a clear-blue marker had just lit up: Source of Reflections, the ultimate legendary world where all captured echoes converge into a primordial "sea of memories." Battle-scarred yet undaunted, the crew prepared to dive into the very core of the Universal Archive.
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1. Preparations: The Final Key
1.1. Activating Key 10
In the central atrium of the Library of Ashes, Lora placed Kaléido Capsule No. 10 on a polished glass pedestal:
Fundamental Frequency: 0.01 Hz — the pulse of the memory tides
Harmonics: 0.25 Hz (slow wave), 1.00 Hz (steady pulse)
Risks: cognitive drowning in total recollection; permanent loss of self-memory
Mission: extract the Fragment of Origin, the primal memory from which all Reflections flow
> Lora (voice trembling):
"We will enter the original matrix itself. Here, the Milky Way's memory takes shape. Once awakened, this Fragment can warp our perception irreversibly. Ready your return beacons and consciousness shields."
1.2. Consciousness Gear
Mira Zéphyr deployed the last modules:
Identity Anchor Amplifier: holds the sense of "I" at the center of the memory field
Memory-Tide Distributor: splits the global wave into six separate channels
Primal Fractal Sensors: detect the signature of the Fragment of Origin
> Mira:
"If you feel you've forgotten your own name, immediately activate the anchor amplifier. Without it, you become an echo among echoes."
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2. Crossing the Primal Mirror
2.1. Sowan's Calibration
On the bridge, Sowan entered Key 10 parameters:
Primary Phase: 0.01 Hz
Harmonics: 0.25 Hz / 1.00 Hz
Polarization: 4.2 J/ns
Required Stability: 99.99 %
The fractal field blossomed into a vast azure bubble, its filaments like luminous nerves branching into the void.
> Sowan:
"Portal calibrated. Brace for the deepest dive—opening in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…"
2.2. Abyssal Immersion
The Arche Chronos wavered, swallowed by shifting darkness. Ten seconds of vertigo: the sensation of being pulled into an infinite drop of water. Then the hull steadied over an expanse of opalescent mist, where concentric rings stretched endlessly.
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3. The Sea of Memories
3.1. First Glimpse
Through the windows, the crew saw:
Ocean of Memory Mist: floating clouds of luminescent particles, inscribed with countless Reflections
Crystal Islets: isolated platforms bearing Ethereal Copies of major archives
Origin Column: a translucent obelisk rising from a circular basin, emitting a steady pulse
> Renan (voice trembling):
"This… is memory itself made physical. We stand on the threshold of the primordial Archive."
3.2. Approaching the Column
The Arche settled on a nearby islet. Misty footbridges—unstable and wavering—led to the Origin Column, a perfect-crystal monument etched with glyphs pulsing in time with the memory tide.
> Éira-Sel:
"Here lies the Source. Each glyph holds an original chant."
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4. Capturing the Fragment of Origin
4.1. Sensor Deployment
Lyra positioned the Primal Fractal Sensors around the column:
1. Zone A: base of the pedestal—universal ancestral memory
2. Zone B: mid-column—archives of stellar Genesis
3. Zone C: crystal apex—echo of collective consciousness
Each sensor locked onto the 0.01 Hz tide. Mayu, gloved, rested her hand on the crystal: a shiver ran up her arm, her veins reflecting the ambient glow.
> Mayu (softly):
"I feel everything… the birth of stars, the drift of worlds…"
4.2. Fragment Extraction
Lora activated Capsule No. 10. A radiant filament of light wrapped the column and plucked out a crystalline shard—the Fragment of Origin. The light coalesced into a perfect sphere, hovering above the pedestal.
> Lora:
"The Source of Reflections is secured. Ready for return—and lock your consciences!"
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5. Crisis of the Living Sea
5.1. Rising Memory Wave
Upon extraction, the entire mist-sea stirred. Concentric memory waves raced outward:
> Mira (alarmed):
"The anchor amplifier isn't enough! These waves… they drain memory!"
5.2. Coordinated Counterstrike
Renan ordered:
> Renan:
"Activate the Memory-Tide Distributor—split the wave into six streams and neutralize them!"
The Core's modules pulsed in synchrony, fracturing the tide into six weaker rings. The waves subsided into soft murmurs.
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6. Homeward and Partial Conclusion
6.1. Securing the Fragment
The Fragment of Origin, sealed in Kaléido Capsule No. 10, was locked into the Arche's hold. Its pulse slowed, its glow softened.
6.2. Debrief and Next Steps
Back on Belthar-9, in the Glass Sanctuary, Lora spoke:
> Lora:
"We have grasped the mother memory—the source of all our journeys.
Chapter 129 will guide us back to the Elue and unveil Akira's place in this cosmic symphony."
Mayu pressed the capsule to her heart and added:
> Mayu:
"The world will never be the same: we hold the primal echo. But who will heed this song? And at what cost?"
The Infinite Map glowed a clear blue, promising the next chapter of an unfinished story.