Story Reader / Main Story / 22 Renaissance du Fantastique / Story
22-0 The Day Dream
>Ayla had her own little fantasies about what Earth would be like before her first assignment.
Having only read about Earth in textbooks, she'd often imagine what's become of Earth now...
The kind of poetry people on Earth are now writing, and how drastically different their culture must be from that of the Golden Age.
She'd imagine herself coming across some unwithered spider ivy in some ruins and giving them to her colleagues back at Babylonia.
She'd imagine herself traveling through where all the past heroes once fought and commemorating them with a long-overdue requiem.
Cruel might be reality—and yet she was determined to remember every second of it by heart with her eyes wide open...
All the while feeling uplifted by the idea that her artwork would rise to new heights with new experiences...
Until, that is, reality shatters her imagination into pieces—pieces upon which she now finds herself standing.
...
A team of a dozen Constructs is now making its way through the wild.
They have lost two members, and the survivors are not faring well. With severed neural circuits, alloy bones exposed, and coagulated clumps of vital fluid on their skin, several Constructs cannot walk without help.
...
The pink-haired member walking at the end of the team is the least damaged, being one of those meant to be protected.
She stares blankly at the team, keeping a distance from them.
Having sensed the gloom in the air, one of the Constructs walking at the front slows down until they reach Ayla.
How are you holding up, Ayla?
You did really well for someone who came down for the first time.
Thanks...
I'm feeling okay.
This is Ayla's first ever big archaeological assignment since she joined the team.
When WGAA discovered this archaeological site, it sent the team down to collect documents and relics that were left there.
Task Force had cleansed the site, meaning that, theoretically, they weren't supposed to come across Corrupted in droves.
As fate would have it, however, they found themselves surrounded by countless Corrupted—ones infected by previously undetected Punishing Virus—when the archaeological team traveled deep into the site with the Task Force team that had come along.
The Task Force team managed to escort the archaeological team to safety with all the documents and precious relics they had—at the cost of two of its members' lives.
You seem anything but okay, though.
But it's common among our newcomers, since there is a world of difference between up there and down here. It's going to take some getting used to.
I just... I don't really know how to word it...
But things just seem very different from what I thought they'd be.
I mean I still remember Rex's straight face and how he'd always suddenly crack everyone up with a joke out of nowhere... and how Fay said we'd be going to the next exhibit together after this mission...
And now they are... gone.
I can totally relate. People have a false sense of security about what they're getting into, thinking that they can just recall in the worst-case scenario.
But it is what it is, unfortunately, and life is the price we pay when we don't have backup plans to fall back on.
We came to recycle technology and cultural relics from the Golden Age—and it's a breeze, relatively speaking, if you compare that with what the Task Force is doing at the frontlines.
But you never know what's coming your way, and this time just so happens to be one of those days.
And this is probably just going to get more common down the road. I can submit a withdrawal request for you, though, if you're having a hard time adjusting. It happens, and WGAA is okay with that.
No, that's not what I mean. I'm not quitting!
Seeing that Orpheus has misinterpreted her intention, Ayla quickly shakes her head in denial.
I just think I'm not up to snuff yet...
I thought I was ready and all, but...
Ayla has seen "war" once in Babylonia...
With remnants of ships afloat in the infinite expanse of the starry sky, a blast from a particle-beam weapon instantly lights up the otherwise pitch-black sky.
At the moment, beholding the same view as her dear friend, she thought they had an unspoken rapport established between them.
Ayla thought she'd understood her choice and her dream and why her friend chose to leave without bidding farewell.
And yet... she now sees that she knew nothing.
When her friend was out at Hetero Space Station fighting the Corrupted, Ayla was sitting by a porthole looking down from Babylonia, in the comfort of a greenhouse where gravity, humidity, and temperature had been adjusted to suitable levels.
When she finally got a real taste of "reality," however... her legs grew so numb that she wasn't even able to take a step forward.
Our paths will be rectified, as long as we portray the world as it truly is.
This is what Ayla seemed to have heard when she saw the space station awash in the debris of war.
It was a secret message Selena left her, and was the answer that Ayla's idealist of a friend had found at the end of her journey.
And Ayla thought it was a heavenly revelation, and that following her dear friend's path would take her to where she herself wanted to go.
But when she saw the Punishing-torn world with her own eyes and heard weapons thrust through Corrupted...
Hey, what are you doing? Just keep moving with whatever you're holding!
Our mission is to send you back home safe, guys! So do us a favor and soldier on now!
And when she looked at all the bloodstained Constructs in the eye and witnessed people she had only just befriended being torn into pieces…
She grew hesitant.
She was not as brave as she thought she was.
I wanted to see the world as it "really" is and put what I come across into my work, which is why I decided to have myself turned into a Construct and joined the WGAA. Creations like that are what I call real art.
Except it hit me that "reality" can't necessarily inspire people, and that "reality" might just be my own imagination of what it is...
Because who's to say I'll be able to see the world in its entirety simply because I've come down here, right?
And I'm just thinking... that I've probably been a little too naive this whole time. What do you think?
People tend to regard something as some higher truth if it revolutionizes their common sense... Does that hold true for this "reality" you're talking about, too?
I can't judge your feelings here, and I don't have an answer to your question.
But...
There was this girl about your age, and I've been on several missions with her.
On our way back from our first mission together, she entertained us with her favorite poem.
He who mocks the infant's faith, shall be mock'd in age and death...
In a gentle tone, Orpheus starts reciting a poem Ayla knows by heart.
He who teaches the child to doubt, the rotting grave shall he ne'er get out...
This is one of Selena's favorite poems.
He who respects the infant's faith, triumphs over hell and death...
He who doubts all that he sees, will he ne'er believe...
...Do what you please.
We're recorders, witnesses, articulators, and creators.
What we fight, we cannot see.
Which is why people mock us and have a hard time imagining the purpose we serve.
Except we do know the purpose we serve—and it's a value from which we will not back down.
And I can see it in your eyes that you, too, wish to stand guard for that value...
Which is why the WGAA is honored to receive you with open arms, Ayla.
Having finished their mission, the archaeological team arrived at a human settlement.
The settlement is built upon a deserted city. While a far cry from most conservation areas in terms of infrastructure, the settlement has proper mechanics in place that make life here possible. It's also fairly safe, with Ground Force permanently stationed around.
With Babylonia's transport craft still a good way out, the team has quite some time to spare in this settlement.
...
Ayla walks around the settlement, taking her time observing this place that's been put together by the humans here who had built it with whatever they could get their hands on.
When she looks into a simple tent, she sees an old mechanic pick out usable parts from a pile of mechanoid remains sent here by Ground Force.
Passing by a makeshift outdoor kitchen that's really just a cooking range put under an overhanging meat rack, she sees the chef cooking with ingredients she never even thought edible.
She sees an old lady sewing an undershirt with a rusted needle and a man sharpening his hunting instruments with waste parts.
Ayla beholds the sights quietly, her mind occupied by Orpheus' words from before.
Eat this, you damn thing!
Arghhhh...
There are kids around taking turns being Constructs and Corrupted with twigs in a make-believe.
Hey, it's my turn to be a Construct now.
Hold on, it's my turn next!
Boys will always be boys, eh...
...
With the boys making noises running all over the place, a girl catches Ayla's attention.
The girl sits quietly by herself at a wooden table with an open notebook in front of her, holding in her hand a hematite that's been cut into the shape of a strip—which she draws with.
Occasionally putting her hand under her chin and looking at her picture with a frown, the girl is fully focused on drawing. "Milly"—says the words on the cloth badge sewn to her jacket.
Ayla walks up to the girl and strikes up a conversation.
Hey, I see you're drawing something.
Uhm...
Ayla can't be sure if Milly has heard her—as Milly keeps her eyes trained squarely on her drawing in agitation.
Seeing what's on the paper, however, Ayla can't be sure how she would even begin to describe the drawing.
What are you drawing?
Turtles.
Says Milly as she points at a clump on the picture that seems anything but turtle-like.
And there are also birds and dogs, and I've got rabbits here, too.
Well, they certainly look... very interesting.
...
Thanks for not just saying I'm doing a bad job.
The girl reads Ayla like an open book.
Hey, that's not true at all!
Do you like to draw?
Well, I guess so...
My dad said he found this notebook and gave it to me, and I just draw everything I see now so I get to show him what I saw when he gets home.
Patrick and Aaron said my drawings are terrible, though... so I decided to stop playing with them.
My dad said he used to draw all the time, but he's too busy to teach me.
Well... do you want me to show you how, then?
Are you good? None of these people here can draw... Oh, but you're from Babylonia, right?
Patrick said that the Constructs from Babylonia are amazing. Are you good at drawing, too?
It depends on the person... but I do know a thing or two about drawing.
Well... here, I have about 70 empty pages left. Try not to use too many of them, though.
Ayla sits down beside Milly. Ever so carefully, Milly passes Ayla her notebook and the hematite crayon.
Any idea what you want me to draw?
Are you okay with drawing anything?
As long as it's something common enough... like kitties or puppies. I'm good with plants like dandelions and hyacinths, too.
Well... can you draw me a hydrangea, then?
A what?
A hy-dran-gea. I only know the name of the flower but I have never seen it.
There was another Construct from Babylonia that brought me some hydrangea seeds. She told me hydrangeas have these beautiful blue flowers when they bloom.
Have you seen hydrangeas? Are they really that pretty?
Ayla nods with a smile at Milly, who's looking at her excitedly.
Well, I guess you can say I have. And yes, they're pretty when they bloom.
Except Ayla has never seen an actual hydrangea—other than in the pictures that she came across at Babylonia's Education Center, which struggles with what little resources it has to raise all the plants it has the pictures for.
Ayla, however, decides to give it a try anyway, hoping her attempt would give Milly a glimpse into a world she's never before seen.
Uneven all over with a dull tip, the hematite crayon Ayla is holding hardly makes a convenient tool to draw with. With a tool as unsuitable as this and a lack of proper instructions, Ayla can't imagine anyone making any meaningful progress at all drawing on their own.
Now, let's add a bit here... and here...
And that should do it... I think?
Ayla shows Milly her finished work.
Wow... this is amazing! It looks so real... Are hydrangeas really this pretty?
Well... this is based on what I remember of it, and I'm sure it's different from how you imagined it because it's not even blue.
But just wait until you see a real hydrangea in your garden. I'm sure it'll be a lot prettier than the one I drew.
And drawing is not as difficult as it seems, as I'm sure you've realized after seeing me draw just now. To start with, this is what you need to do...
Ayla shows Milly her ways, which Milly quickly picks up.
Where did you learn all this?
I have never thought about any of the things you said just now...
So where did you learn all this stuff? Did you have a teacher who taught you this in Babylonia?
...
I'm from the WGAA, and it's an organization at Babylonia.
People from the WGAA are experts in art, and that's where I picked up a lot of what I know about drawing.
WG... AA? What's art anyway?
Well, art is...
Ayla decides not to bombard the kid with the technical definition of art she knows like the back of her hand.
Let me see... Milly, what makes you want to show your work to your dad?
Huh...?
Well... because my dad is always happy when I share my drawings with him, and I just want to show him what I see and do out here every day because he is hardly ever home...
I think that's a beautiful reason for you to keep drawing...
To me at least... art is something that's created with motivations like that.
Drawing, dancing, writing a novel or poetry are just some examples of art... And there were also movies and manga back in the Golden Age...
Manga...? Manga... Wait, I'll be right back!
Moments later, Milly comes back with a booklet.
This is what you call a "manga," right? Because that's what my dad calls it, too!
Milly gives the paperback to Ayla. It's an old one, its pages having yellowed from time, but not so much so that Ayla has trouble reading what's in it.
Is this from... Beautiful Angel?
The manga is a series that gained traction during the Golden Age, based on the anime and toys that came before the series itself.
It's by the same author that drew Cardman Rider...
The girls in the story are amazing! They transform into these beautiful ladies with magical powers and rough up the bad guys!
I remember reading a few of these at Babylonia's Education Center when I was a kid... and boy, was I addicted. Those were good times.
Really, I'm so jealous! This is the only one I have... I've read it so many times already, but Dad said he can't find another one... Can I borrow one from you? I can... um... trade yours with this one!
I would love to help... but I think they only have a few copies in Babylonia, and I don't think I can even take them out.
Oh, no... but I really want to find out what happens next...
At the end of the series, two protagonists are chosen as "Beautiful Angels" by the Fairy to fight the monsters. The two became friends because of that and started their journey from there.
The story stops there, leaving many craving for a sequel.
Well... works like this have never received much attention from the WGAA. These obviously have more business value than they do art value, but I don't think it hurts to preserve them...
Say... you wouldn't happen to be able to draw something like this, right?
Milly thinks out loud, stopping Ayla in her tracks.
You're suggesting... that I draw manga?
Yup. You like it, too, right?
I've never tried it, and it requires a totally different set of skills and knowledge...
I... would be really happy if you could do that for me! And, well, I'd be more than happy to help you with anything if you ever need me to!
Milly suddenly lowers her head, seemingly having realized that she's asking for a difficult favor.
Hey, here you are, Ayla. Time to get moving.
Transport craft is here and we're set to go in ten minutes.
Oh... gotcha.
Oh... are you leaving?
Yes, I'm going back to Babylonia.
I see... Well, guess I'll see you next time, then! I mean... I don't know when that's gonna be, but.
My dad said he's going to take me to a new conservation area in a few months, and I think it's going to be really far from here.
I hope you have a safe flight home.
Thank you, Milly.
Having bid farewell to Milly, Ayla makes her way to the transport craft with Orpheus.
Did you have fun hanging out with the kids?
Not kids, just her. I happened to see her by herself.
Most of us from the archaeological team choose to avoid having any contact with people from conservation areas, though.
...All because we're not Task Force?
People living on Earth think that all Constructs from Babylonia are superheroes, but we all know that can't be further from the truth... See, we're nothing without Task Force's help.
Say, how would you define "art"?
Whoa, caught me by surprise there. Well, let's see... It's not clear-cut, and it depends on which theory you buy into.
To me... "art" is something that's both within and out of our reach.
There is this famous author who once wrote in his diary that he "decided that one must love and work, and that's it," but then the day after wrote he was "tired" and "didn't love and didn't work."
He always felt lost in life and doubted the weight of his own words.
But he kept going, and his work has become a time-honored part of human civilization.
We'll probably never reach his heights, and what we do now might not amount to anything at all.
But, still...
Still, Ayla has own her reasons to press forth.
She can't say with certainty that nothing will ever change her—for all she knows, she might have a change of mind tomorrow.
And she also realizes that her persistence might not take her closer to the answer she came seeking, that she'll never be able to see the impact her work has down the road in this lifetime of hers, and that she'll never be able to find out whether she does serve a higher purpose.
What happened today might happen again and again, and again and again, she's going to find herself torn apart and put back together.
Still, she regrets not that she's chosen this path with a belief so naive...
Much like how Milly is excited to show her father her drawings, and how she desires to find out what happens next in the manga series.
I'll be right back.
Ayla? Where are you going?
Without answering Orpheus, Ayla turns around and goes back the way they came.
Huh?
H-hey... thank God you're still around.
Did you forget something?
Yes, I did, and it's very important.
Taking a knee, Ayla is now at eye level with Milly.
My name is Ayla, and I'm from Babylonia's WGAA.
Can I borrow your manga? It'd be really helpful when I draw a sequel.
Says Ayla, as she points at the manga from the Golden Age.
Ohh...
It takes a few moments for Ayla's words to sink in.
Really? Are you really going to do that for me?
Yup. Here, let's pinky swear.
I can't draw it right now, but I'll get to it when I'm back at Babylonia.
The girls are going to beat the bad guys, become great friends, and save the world together... Oops, forgot to remind you of a spoiler alert there... but hey, who knows what's going to happen, right? So stay tuned.
But I probably won't even be around when you're done...
It's fine. I'll come find you.
I'll go through all the conservation areas there are until I find you.
Ayla realizes that this is probably not a promise she'll be able to keep.
Still, it's not a promise she regrets making.
And when I do, I'll give you your manga back—along with the new one I will draw for you.
I promise.
