From Sea to Sky (Blue Archive/Kantai Collection Crossover) (2025)

I thanked my Crew's Memories for the age-old solution of all parents: sweets solve all temporary problems.

Everyone was seated around the table in the middle of the room again. This time, Suzumi and I were waiting as the girls of the GDD finished the last of their doughnuts. It was a bit impromptu, but vital given their low mood.

"Well," I began as I glanced from dour face to dour face, "I take it your meeting with Hayase went poorly?"

Momoi shook her head, a frown still on her face. "No, it went well! Arisu passed all her checks! It's just..."

"They changed the rules the day before you got here, Sensei," Midori added with a voice equally downcast as her expression. "We need to meet both the club member and achievement requirements."

"It's my fault; I should have gone to the club meeting..." Yuzu mumbled before sniffling, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

Momoi shook her head in response, hair fluttering in the wind. "No, it's not your fault, Yuzu! I'm the one who said I'd go that day!" She paused and deflated with a sigh. "And I shouldn't have skipped to pull for my limited gachas..."

I leaned back as Yuzu, Midori, and Momoi tried to cheer each other up. If what they were saying was correct, then that meeting would have happened after Yuuka asked me to help but before I arrived. It was a bit of unfortunate timing. I couldn't imagine that Yuuka would make things harder for me on purpose. This was most likely something already in discussion before I arrived and finalized after she asked me for help.

Misfortune upon misfortune, but nothing irrecoverable. I still had ways to go about solving this.

A tug on my sleeve snapped my attention back. Alice was looking up at me, wide-eyed. "Mentor Nelson, Will You Continue to Aid Aris's Party?"

"Of course," I answered with a confident smile before clapping my hands together. The sharp noise brought everyone's attention back to me, as I asked. "It is unfortunate that the primary strategy has failed, but I take it that the setback was not fatal? After all, we have not yet been evicted from this room."

Yuzu nodded amidst her sniffles, wiping the tears with her sleeve before answering, "N-no. Yuuka said we have until the end of the month."

So, we were still in a time crunch. It was bad, but there was still time.

"Given that there are now four members of the Game Development Department, I take it we must simply meet the achievement requirements?" I asked. The four Millennium Students answered with varying nods and affirmations. "As we have a month, I am certain that there are some easy awards—"

"No," Momoi interrupted me, her voice firm, "We... I don't want to risk it! We tried the easy way, and it didn't work!" She shook her head, her eyes shining with determination, as her tiny hands smacked the tabletop. "If we're doing this, we're going all the way! We're making Tales Saga Chronicle 2, and we're gonna win the Millennium Prize with it!"

Midori nodded in agreement before stopping and frowning. "Wait... does that mean we'll need the G.Bible after all?"

"Yep," Momoi answered, "We'll need to go back to the Ruins after all."

"Panpakapaan! Aris's Party Has Received a New Quest!" Alice said with a smile.

"At least we know where it is this time." I chuckled at the idea as an energy began to build in the room. This was supposed to be a low-intensity assignment, and yet, here I was. "I will need to resubmit the paperwork, but it should be—"

A mumbled squeak interrupted me. Everyone paused and turned to Yuzu. The salmon-haired girl nervously glanced around, cleared her throat, and tried again. "I-if you're going to the ruins, then I'll come along too."

There was a pause before Momoi shouted "WHAT?!" in shock, as Midori pointed out, "B-but you haven't left the building in half a year! You've taken every class from this room!"

"It was because of me that we weren't more ready…" Yuzu explained, her voice firm as she stared awkwardly at the floor, "I need to take responsibility for my mistake. T-this is everybody's club too…"

Yuzu looked up at the rest of her friends, at me, and at Suzumi. Although her eyes were shaky, I could see the determination in them as she spoke. "For everyone's sake, I'll protect this club too."

Momoi and Midori immediately ran over to give their friend a hug. Meanwhile, Alice threw her hands in the air with cheer and cried out, "Panpakapaan! Yuzu Has Joined The Party!"

I chuckled at the display, and I saw the light trace of a smile on Suzumi's lips.

"After a speech as grand as that, I would be remiss to stand in your way." I said with a smile, drawing their attention. "I shall do my best to see you through to your goal, starting with our re-entry to the Ruins."

The energy in the room instantly jumped up, along with the mood. I stepped back to give the Game Development Department the time and space they needed to get their equipment. Suzumi stepped back as well, keeping her spot next to me. I could see her eyes darting between the four girls and myself, her expression slowly schooling itself. I waited quietly, expectant.

She whispered after a few moments, just loud enough for me to hear. "Nelson-Sensei, is this a good idea? The androids from last time might still be on alert."

"I agree," I admitted with a nod, the smile slightly slipping, "But the factory concerns me as well. The Council records are rather scarce on details of why they sealed the Ruins, but they do not mention the androids or a functioning factory. This represents an opportunity to aid the Department and fill a gap in the Council's intelligence."

Suzumi was silent for a moment, red eyes locking with mine. After a few moments, broken only by the noise of the GDD preparing, she sighed. "If you're sure, Sensei."

"I am," I answered. "Even if the androids are on alert, they stand little chance against us."

The head of the closest android exploded as I smashed the butt of my rifle into it, sending electronics and metal flying. Another shotgunner was already advancing with its weapon ready as the first began to collapse. My rifle was empty, and I wasn't in a good position to switch grips to extend my reach. I didn't even have my sword. Last I saw, it was still stuck in another android somewhere in the crowd. There was only one thing to do then.

I let the rifle fly out of my grasp without hesitation. It disappeared amongst the crowd as I immediately grabbed the decapitated android by the collar. I pulled its wreck up in front of me as the new android fired its weapon. Every burst of buckshot tore a chunk off the junked android, but its wreck did its job. The frame blocked all the incoming rounds and left me unscathed.

I tossed the scrap aside even as the shotgunner began to reload and charged, closing the distance before it could finish. Its rudimentary melee programming kicked in and it wound an arm back for a punch. It could have been a menacing sight, but the attack was slow and telegraphed. I was in its reach before it could even finish pulling its arm back. My left hand caught its wrist mid-punch and crushed it, collapsing the hydraulics and frame. At the same time, I punched its lower torso with all the force I could muster with my right.

Flexible banded steel armour crumpled and bent before giving way entirely. My punch carried through, tearing into wiring and shattering hydraulics before glancing off the metal spine. Before the android could struggle further, I grabbed the spine and held it tight. Then, I quickly switched my left hand to grab its collar. I grunted as I pulled its torso up with my left while pushing its hips down with my right. The body strained, and the android managed a few weak punches before I heard something snap. The entire body gave way like a dam as the upper torso freely split from its legs.

"Status report!" I shouted, even as I tossed aside the scrap. I pulled a pair of submachine guns from my webbing as I spoke, and I joined the rest in beating the horde back. Aiming was unnecessary with the literal swarm ahead of us.

A series of stun grenades detonated in the mob ahead of us, the robots freezing from the sudden input overload. I saw Suzumi ducking back behind cover as she shouted, "Suzumi, unharmed! I'm reloading!"

"Momoi! I'm OK! Why are there so many of them?!" I heard the pink-clad twin shout, just barely audible over the roar of her rifle. An android fell with every retort, with thumb-sized holes punched into their armour. They advanced still, trudging and climbing over the scrap of their fallen comrades as they did. We were holding the line for now, but the weight of numbers was against us.

A combat android carrying a rocket launcher trudged to the front, lifting its weapon to blow apart our ad hoc fighting position in the narrow street. It made it two steps before the snap of a rifle saw a bullet fly down the barrel of its explosive-laden weapon. A fireball blossomed in the androids' hands, removing it and a few of its neighbours from reality.

"Why do you think, Momoi?! Do you think it's because we were here just a few days ago?!" Midori hissed before hastily adding, "Midori, I'm fine! Arisu is almost ready!"

Both my submachine guns clicked empty and locked open. I tossed one at the nearest android that I failed to finish off, sending it stumbling. A primed 2-pounder anti-air shell fell into my hands, and I threw it as hard as I could. The high explosive projectile whistled through the air and detonated amongst the front of the crowd, momentarily scattering them. A second and third explosion joined it moments later, blasting back the androids.

"Y-Yuzu! I'm trying my best! I-is it always like this?! If any more come at us, then..." Yuzu mumbled as she reloaded her grenade launcher, her voice frayed by stress.

I laughed heartily, even as I drew my pistol. It was the last of my weapons on my person. Once it was empty, I would have to start taking the time to pull weapons from storage. "Never fear, Ms. Hanaoka, we must simply hold on for a moment longer!"

Lightning crackled, and a bright white light shone from behind us. Light feet impacting asphalt echoed out as the last of our group made her presence known. Alice turned the corner with a determined frown, her railgun crackling with electricity and glowing with power. "Aris Is Fully Charged!"

"Targeting Front Line Threats," Alice declared as we all threw ourselves to the side as the Robot girl levelled the massive weapon at the horde of robots. She scrunched up her brow in focused concentration before shouting, "Light! Heed My Call!"

I snapped one eye shut as Alice fired. A beam of blinding blue-tinted white light ripped down the strip. The round vaporized any combat android in the direct path of the shot, leaving nothing behind. Those out of the path barely fared better. The violence of the projectile passing through and the energy buildup sent a maelstrom of wind and electrical discharge that smashed the androids or fried their electronics. With the street as narrow as it was and the maximum charge of Alice's railgun built over a minute, there was no safe space for them.

I blinked the stars out of my eye even as I opened my other eye to scan for survivors. There were none. The street was a mess of shattered androids, vaporized metal fragments, and cooling asphalt. In the distance, the building we were using for a backstop slowly crumbled.

"I-it worked!" "Arisu, that was amazing!" Momoi and Midori said at once. The two twins left their cover, marvelling at the now empty street.

"Panpakapaan! Alice's Party Has Defeated the Encounter!" Alice cheered victoriously, her bright, cheerful smile almost as blinding as her weapon. Then we all froze as the sound of more metal feet hitting the concrete echoed from the distance.

"T-they're still coming! A second wave!" Yuzu said, the panic clear in her voice.

"More…? We're not even halfway there!" Midori groaned, hands on her knees as she slung her rifle onto her back. "We're going to run out of supplies before we get there! We should retreat-"

"No."

Everyone turned to look at Momoi. She stood in the middle of the street, her hands tightly gripping her rifle as she stared defiantly down the street. She spoke, her voice as firm as her expression, "We can't keep running away. We have to break through. If we retreat here, we'll never get another chance. Now that the battle's begun, they'll never stop coming."

"Momoi-san's right," Suzumi agreed with a nod and slight frown. "There's too many androids for them to just be left over from before this place was sealed." She lifted an intact mechanical arm still carrying its automatic rifle. "The design's old, but this rifle and this android are pretty clean. They must have been built in the last month."

I picked up a chunk of android as well. The composites were beyond my ability to understand, but I knew steel better than anyone else. All eyes were on me when I sighed, tossing the chunk behind me. "Morizuki is correct. I suspect they may have increased production after our first intrusion."

My confirmation sent a wave of worry sweeping through the Game Development Department. Suzumi slipped the safety off her rifle once more as they seemed to ponder the situation. She seemed to have guessed my preferred choice of actions.

I did not have to make my suggestion, as Momoi nodded. Her expression was resolute, and she slapped a new magazine into her rifle. "Sensei and Morizuki-senpai are right. This is our only chance. We have to get into the factory and find the G.Bible."

"B-but, Momoi…" Midori trailed off, glancing from the way we came to the distance where the factory is. I could see fear glint in her eyes. It was only there for a second before it vanished as a small hand fell onto her shoulder.

"We Can Do It," Alice stated, confidence clear in her tone. "As a Team of Four, The Game Development Department Has Explored Twenty-Seven Dungeons and Carried Out One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Nine Successful Raids to Date." She grasped one of Midori's hands, looking up at the green-clad girl with a bright smile. "If We Are Together, There Is Nothing We Cannot Do."

"Well said, Ms. Alice," I said as I sheathed a new sword into my empty scabbard. "You all have had a vast degree of practice with communicating while stressed." A machine gun fell into my hands, and I slung it on my back. "Now it is merely a matter of practicing it in a different environment."

"I should've expected things would play out this way," Suzumi said before laughing quietly, shaking her head in disbelief. She shrugged as she reached into her jacket and started pulling out stun grenades, before throwing a few in my direction. I snatched them out of the air and attached them to the webbing running under my chest.

"You'll Help Us, Mentor Nelson, Adjutant Suzumi?" Alice turned to ask us with shining eyes and an equally blinding smile.

"I am your Teacher," I answered with a smile. "It is my responsibility and duty to see you through to your goal."

Suzumi nodded before glancing up at me with a faint smile. "Much like how it's my responsibility and duty to make sure Nelson doesn't get hurt when she does something reckless."

"Panpakapaan!" Alice cheered, "Nelson and Suzumi Have Joined The Party!"

Midori glanced back and forth from her sister to Alice. They seemed set. She turned to me and spotted the two handcannons that now clung to my webbing. Suzumi, likewise, was strapping additional stun grenades to her belt.

She looked to her final possible voice of dissent and found Yuzu shuffling awkwardly. Finally, Yuzu nodded in agreement. "It's risky, but I-I don't want to give up here."

Midori looked at everyone else with stunned shock before her expression settled and hardened. She sighed, unslinging her rifle.

"Fine," Midori relented. "Then what's the plan?"

"If I may?" I began, drawing everyone's attention. "I have a plan."

"Does it involve splitting up?" Suzumi asked flatly, as she stared at me, unamused.

I smiled, beaming as I answered, "No. It does not. Instead, I aim to embody another strategy. If the ruins are hindering our progress, then we must simply remove them."

The walls of the abandoned building shattered as Aris's railgun punched a hole through it. The weapon was more than capable of demolishing the weakened walls even at low charge. I still had to duck, but the rest fit through fine. But I didn't have time to dwell on that as we entered the ruined plaza from days prior. Hot on our heels were countless androids, a whole train formed of the various defensive positions we bypassed.

"There!" Momoi shouted as she pointed at the dark gaping maw of the factory's entrance. "That's the e-"

Momoi suddenly stopped speaking, even as I turned around to fire the second shot of my handcannon. The shell slammed into the head of the pack, detonating and shredding the androids on our tail. However, it barely slowed the ones that followed.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Momoi?" I asked as I turned to examine our destination. However, the sight that greeted me was troubling.

The heavy steel gate of the factory was slowly crawling open. It was as if it anticipated our arrival. How utterly disturbing.

But we didn't have the option of questioning it. I ripped the last stun grenade from my webbing, the pin detaching as I did, and tossed it blindly behind me. I didn't need to look at where it landed with how close and thick the mob had become. The loud bang of the grenade detonating and the subsequent pile-up as active androids crashed into their stunned companions gave us the space to pull ahead. We all tumbled, slid, or skidded the last few meters past the open gate and into the factory. I twisted myself as my heels slid across the metal floor of the factory, raising my handcannon to point out the door.

The handcannon shattered as I fired it, the image stressed beyond capacity. But the shell did as demanded. I tracked its blue tracer as it soared through the air to its target, a rusted metal leg holding up a water tower. The explosion shattered and tore apart the weakened metal leg. The rooftop-mounted tank groaned ominously before it began its descent towards the plaza. Androids scattered and ran to avoid the debris before the water tank smashed into the concrete of the plaza.

A wave of water gushed forth and swept away debris and androids, scattering them away from the factory. Even as the androids attempted to escape, the six of us watched as the water approached the doorway. Moments before it was to hit us, the steel gate of the factory slammed shut even without any of us at the controls.

We were all quiet for a moment. Then, Midori's rifle slipped from her hands as she collapsed onto the floor. She breathed deeply, panting to catch her breath, "… Did we make it?"

I reached out and rapped the metal door. It rang like a dull bell but did not budge.

"The door is sealed. We should be safe."

Midori and Yuzu visibly sagged in relief, even as Momoi and Alice broke out in a cheer of victory. The four girls immediately began talking amongst themselves, even as Suzumi and I looked around for any signs of where to go next.

"Say, Sensei!" Momoi's shout drew my attention. I looked over to where the four of them were sitting; the pink-clad twin met my gaze with a cheerful smile. "It really is true what the forums say! People fight better when you're leading them!"

I laughed softly before answering, "I simply provided the instructions. It was all your efforts that followed through. I could hardly take—" I paused as I felt an elbow lightly jab me in the side. I looked down to see Suzumi staring at me, her elbow still dug into my flank.

"Just accept the praise, Sensei."

"As I was saying," I continued regally, ignoring the amused looks on the GDD's faces, "I could hardly take full credit, but I accept your praise nonetheless."

The four girls laughed, even as Suzumi's expression tilted towards a smile. I sighed with an exaggerated put-off air. But still, I couldn't help the small smile on my face as well.

The laughter faded. Silence swept over the room before Yuzu finally asked the question on everyone's minds.

"… Where do we go now?"

"Something Feels Familiar. We Have to Go This Way."

That declaration and an alien sense of familiarity were all it took. Aris stepped in the footprints of something faintly forgotten as she led her party down a winding labyrinth of steel halls and half-open blast doors. The phrases and symbols on the walls and doors were absent from her memory or storage, but she remembered them nonetheless. She could tell information must have been there once from the gaps in her database, but she couldn't understand what they were.

A strange and interesting feeling. Aris wished to move it to storage, but she was uncertain which category it would fall under. Fortunately, there was someone she could ask who might understand!

"Mentor Nelson, Aris Has a Question."

The Teacher was walking beside her, the two of them taking point for this dungeon dive. Aris knew without knowing where they needed to go, so she had to be in the front as the party escort objective. Mentor Nelson was the only Warrior in their party, so it made sense for her to be Aris's tank. The rest of the party was behind them, ready to respond if anything happened.

"Yes, Ms. Alice? What would you like to ask?" Nelson responded, sword in one hand and flashlight in the other. Her voice was soft even as speckled steel eyes kept scanning the surroundings.

"This is Aris's First Time Being Awake But… I Remember. But I Cannot Remember What I Remember." Aris tilted her head in thought and frowned as she processed the best way to express herself. "Is This Because We Are What We Are? Or Is It Something Everyone Feels?"

Nelson hummed in response, the steady sound of her steel heels striking the metal grating echoing throughout the empty corridors. They walked together silently, Aris following the impulses of memories long faded.

"I believe it would be both," Nelson finally answered. "My Crew's Memories would call this 'deja-vu.'. An abject sense that you have experienced something before despite no recollection of doing so. I would presume this would be why the rest of the Department does not find your sudden recollection too bizarre."

"You Mean Like When the Protagonist of Tales Saga Suddenly Remembered His Future Life as The Son of The Demon King?"

Nelson didn't sigh, but she did flinch. The Teacher took a moment to settle herself before answering, "Yes, that is correct. I believe that was the sensation they were attempting to emulate."

Aris nodded, moving that connection to storage. Another point of experience on her road to being a hero! But there was one other thing that Nelson mentioned…

"Do You Also Remember Memories You Have Forgotten, Mentor Nelson?"

Nelson stilled for a moment. The sound of metal against metal ceases as breath fades to silence, and a cold chill fills the air. Aris could sense an increase in negative thaumic energy as well, the first time she has sensed such a thing. Curious. The outcome of a possible negative relationship speech option? As she pondered the next dialogue choice, normalcy reasserted itself, and Nelson continued walking.

"Yes," Nelson admitted, the faintest hint of stress in her voice, "I carry with me memories of another time as well."

Aris nodded in understanding and updated the character sheet for her mysterious Mentor. She was still building her protocols and skills for Kivotos, but even she could tell it was a negative emotional reaction. Nelson must remember more of her forgotten memories than Aris did, but they were not good memories. They were painful enough to elicit a negative feeling strong enough for her usually inert sensors to detect.

It was clear that this scene had a secondary objective she had missed before. Aris reset the dialogue tree and cleared out the previous mid- to low-priority quests. She checked her database, calculated the next course of action, and came to a decision before Nelson's third step hit the floor.

"Mentor Nelson," Aris said as she grabbed Nelson's sleeve, keeping her from moving further forward. The Teacher stopped, looking down at her with curiosity clear in her eyes. Aris met the gaze with a bright, cheerful smile. "I Do Not Know What Memories I Have Forgotten. But I Know the Memories I Have Made with You, Momoi, Midori, Suzumi, and Yuzu Are Precious to Me.

"I Hope We Will Continue to Make More Happy Memories Together."

Nelson continued to meet her gaze with an inscrutable expression. For a second, Aris wondered if she had failed her speech skill check. Then, the tension at the corner of the Teacher's lips eased, and Nelson answered Aris with a small smile.

"Of course," Nelson replied, "I hope we will have plenty of memories together."

Alice and I had continued in comfortable silence for a few more minutes when the Robot girl suddenly came to a stop. She glanced about the room, so unremarkably similar to the others we passed, and smiled.

"We Have Arrived."

Suzumi and the rest of the Department filed into the room behind us, glancing around curiously as they came to a stop.

"Are you sure it's here, Arisu?" Midori asked as she examined an empty shelf with a frown, "This looks like every other room we passed."

Alice nodded as she started walking again. "I Am. There is No Data of This Place in My Memory, But I Remember Still. It Is Like Playing a Game from Your Childhood. You Know the Controls Even if You Do Not Remember Them."

She walked through the empty shelves and dusty tables with confidence before stopping in front of one of the multiple computers in the room. She turned to look at it, tilting her head in thought, before righting herself and nodding.

"The G.Bible Is In Here."

We all made our way to the computer. Momoi and Midori rushed over, while Yuzu timidly followed the twins. Suzumi and I casually walked over, taking up the rearguard. The two of us had only made it to the active computer to catch the sentence on the screen.

/Welcome to the Divi:Sion System. Please enter the item you need help with./

"Man, this will be easier than I thought!" Momoi smiled, and she cracked her knuckles. "Should I type in G.Bible?"

Midori instantly grabbed her sister's wrist before she could touch the keyboard. Midori stared at the monitor with narrowed eyes before speaking, "Momoi… isn't this kind of suspicious?"

"What? It can't be that bad if Arisu found it." Momoi didn't seem all that convinced. She looked around at the rest of us for support. Yuzu instantly avoided her gaze. Alice answered with a bright but unhelpful smile. With her club unwilling to back her, Momoi turned to Suzumi and me.

I glanced at Suzumi. She glanced back, and her one wing flapped uneasily. I nodded in agreement before jerking my head at the rest of the group. Suzumi blinked and glanced at Momoi and Midori. The pink-clad twin was watching our byplay with large hopeful eyes. Midori was watching us as well, with what appeared to be a small sketchpad.

The one-winged girl turned to look at me again with a flat stare. I tapped my right forearm in response. Her eyes tracked the motion, and she stared at me unamused. I beamed brightly, and she sighed.

"It is a little suspicious," Suzumi finally admitted as she turned back to the rest of the Department, her eyes glancing at the various cameras and computers in the room. "I don't mean to be rude, Arisu-san, but this place might have changed since you were last here. We should make sure there's no traps before we touch it."

"Y-yes, if you say so!" "Ah, I guess that makes sense…" "Thank you, Sensei, Morizuki-Senpai." "Understood, Aris Will Check for Traps!" The Students of the Department answered Suzumi before the four of them split up to check the rest of the room. I joined them, even as I pulled up my mental radio. 'Arona?'

Arona answered instantly, her voice sounding mildly perturbed. 'Yes, Sensei?'

'Is it possible for you to hack this computer?'

Arona hummed in thought, and I could hear the sound of typing and tapping. 'I might be able to, but I can't sense any wireless connections for me to use. You'd have to plug me into the computer itself.'

I didn't know a lot about computers, but even I knew connecting to random devices was ill-advised. I wasn't about to risk setting off a reaction when I didn't understand it. But I wanted to. I didn't know why, but something about the computer unsettled me.

There was just something about it that made my right arm itch.

There wasn't anything in the room that could prove to be a threat. With our safety improved, all of us had gathered around the computer again. We all stood in the dark, staring at the computer, the flickering light from the monitor casting us in a green glow. Alice had seated herself in front of it, waiting for the rest of us.

"Is Everyone Ready?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the monitor.

A chorus of nods answered her as I spoke. "Remember. We are here for one item. The G. Bible. While I have my own questions regarding this place, we can check it afterwards."

"Understood," Alice replied, "Beginning Input Now."

The Robot girl carefully reached down to touch the keyboard. The screen flashed to life the second her fingers brushed against the plastic keys. An incomprehensible stream of text filled the monitor as all of us recoiled from the device.

"Arisu?!" Momoi shouted, eyes wide in panic, "What did you do?!"

Suzumi shook her head empathetically with a frown clear on her face. Her eyes darted about as she scanned the room. "I don't think she did anything, Momoi-san. We were all watching. Something else did this."

"We should go," Midori said, "I don't like wh-"

We all froze as the screen cleared, leaving only three lines of legible text visible.

/Administrator Detected/

/Initiate Identity Check/

/Are You AL-1S?/

"Huh?" "Whoa!" "What…?" Momoi, Midori, and Suzumi's reactions varied, while Yuzu watched in confusion. However, something occurred to me. My hand came up to cover my mouth as the gears connected.

"Is this the voice that spoke to us previously?"

My question ratcheted up the worry amongst those of us who had been there. Yuzu and Alice, however, looked on in increasingly clear confusion.

"I don't like this," Midori said, to which Suzumi nodded in agreement. "I don't think you should touch it, Arisu. We should go before something happens."

Yuzu's voice cut in before we could answer Midori. Her voice was shaky, her nerves clearly on edge by our reactions. "U-um, who's AL-1S? Does it mean Arisu?"

"That was a code we found with Alice. It is curious that this system is aware of it," I answered.

"I Am Aris," Alice confirmed with a nod as a small frown formed on her face. "I Am Not AL-1S."

The screen flashed. The previous lines vanished as new text took their place.

/Vocal Recognition Confirmed. Administrator Access Granted. Welcome Back AL-1S./

"We have become embroiled in something troublesome again," I said with a frown, running my hand through my hair. "But it seems it is too late to avoid it."

Hopefully, this wouldn't blow up into an Abydos-sized situation. I don't know if Yuuka would ever forgive me if I brought that level of legal headache to Millennium. However, there was one thing we needed to sort out for now.

"Alice? It seems to be subservient to you. Perhaps you could attempt an inquiry?"

The Robot girl nodded before tilting her head in thought. She mumbled something to herself, too quiet for me to hear. Then she righted herself and nodded.

"Computer," Alice said, "What Can You Tell Me About AL-1S?"

/Warning, Confidential Information Requested. Initiating Security Scan./

A series of lights projected from the various cameras, each beam running over all of us before anybody could react. A loud whirring noise filled the room as soon as the lights faded, coinciding with a familiar loading wheel appearing on screen. Then, the screen flashed red as an angry blare echoed on the speakers.

"Arisu, what's happening?" Midori asked, panic filling her voice.

Alice, for her part, just looked equally as confused as the rest of us felt. "I Do Not Know."

/Warning. Kin of Nayenezgani Detected. Verifying./

Angry red lights scanned us over once more.

/Kin of Nayenzgani Confirmed. Updating Profile of Sensei./

Everyone turned to stare at me, with confusion clear in their eyes. I stared at the computer, equally confused. "I... do not understand; I have never heard of Nayenzgani before."

/Retrieving Information: Nayenzgani. Aliases: The Traitor God, The Eater of Terror, The Hungering Void. Divinity Status: Eliminated, Mystery and Terror Excised From the Cycle. Kin Status: Extinct. Update. Kin Status: One Extant./

Everyone was silent as the words sunk in. Black Suit had informed me that the Students were all that remained of the old Gods. I could accept that. It went a long way to explaining their strange powers and Halos. I was less willing to agree to his theory on how Kivotos became the way it is, but I could accept his theory.

But for this place to mark me as one of their Gods? A divinity known as a "Traitor"? That couldn't be correct. I didn't even originate from Kivotos. There was no way I could be related to a dead god.

I opened my mouth, ready to rebuke the machine, when a single voice cut through the silence.

"No," declared Alice, her face set in grim determination. "You Are Wrong. Mentor Nelson Is Not a Traitor or Enemy."

If the intelligence behind the computer's communication cared for Alice's denial, it did not show it. Rather, alarms began to buzz, and red emergency lights began to flash.

/Security Threat Confirmed. Initiating Asset Denial Systems. Database Deletion Will begin in Two Minutes./

"What?! No!" Momoi shouted, scrambling up to the computer and grabbing the screen with both hands. "You can't do that! We still need to find the G.Bible!"

Text continued to pop up onto the screen even as alarms began to blare throughout the factory.

/Request Received. Initiating Database Search. "G.Bible" Found. Load? [YES/NO]/

"Yes! Please!" Midori joined her sister as she shouted at the computer, the two twins standing shoulder to shoulder as they desperately stared at the screen.

/Loading G.Bible Files. Verifying G.Bible Files. Files Complete. Game Code Identified. Ninety Four Seconds Until Deletion./

"W-we have to do something!" Yuzu joined the panicking with a shout. She ran behind the computer and started to examine the wiring. Suzumi joined her after a second. Rather than the wiring, the one-winged student began inspecting the computer that contained the interface.

She looked up after a moment with a worried frown. "I don't know if we can stop it, Sensei. But maybe we can copy the data?"

/Confirmation: If You Wish to Acquire the G.Bible, Please Plug a Storage Device Into Data Port A to Initiate Data Transfer./

That sounded like a terrible idea. Still, I had to ask. I reached out on my link, hearing the sound of frantic typing and humming. 'Arona, do you know if there is space on the Shittim Chest to contain the files?'

'Sensei,' Arona answered, her voice flat, 'I don't know if the Chest can hold any more data.'

"We would need a device with sufficient storage," I pointed out. "One with a wired connection."

"Oh!" Momoi suddenly cried out before digging into her backpack. "I brought my Game Girl SP and my link cable! Would that work?"

/… That's Fine, I Guess…/

We all stared at the computer, silent despite the blaring of the alarms.

"Is it just me, or did the computer just sound disappointed at my idea?" Momoi finally asked.

Midori nodded in agreement as she stared at the computer with narrowed eyes. "No, you're right, it did sound disappointed."

"Computer, Why Did You Say I?" Alice asked the computer as she tilted her head in thought. "Are You Also Like Aris?"

"It did indeed just use 'I'. In fact, I believe it also switched speech patterns." I confirmed her question with a nod and a frown.

"... Have... have we been talking to an AI this entire time?" Suzumi asked aloud, her expression as unsteady as her voice.

/35 Seconds Remain Until Database Destruction Begins./

"Never mind! We'll figure it out later!" Momoi shouted as she tossed her game console to Yuzu. "For now, we need to get the G.Bible! That'll make this trip worth it!"

"This wasn't worth it," Momoi groused as she stared at the game console in her hands with as much hate as her tiny frame could muster. "I can't believe we came all this way, fought all those androids, and sacrificed all my save data just to get a locked file! It couldn't even give us the password before it died!"

"But We Have Completed Our Quest! We Are Now One Step Closer To Saving Our Club!" Arisu said with a bright smile as she gave the pink-clad twin a conciliatory pat on the back.

"We just need to bring it back to Veritas, Onee-chan," Midori added reassuringly, taking up the other side of her sister. "Once they unlock it, we can make Tales Saga Chronicle 2 into the best game ever!"

"W-we can do this!" Yuzu added quietly, a small smile on the nervous girl's face.

Suzumi and I watched the Department girls celebrate as we left the silent factory, the four girls leading us while we took up the rear. The open plaza that greeted us was silent, devoid of the androids and violence that had previously filled it on our way here. We barely felt the quiet shouts and cheer of the celebration just scant meters away. I came here with hopes of getting answers about this factory. What was it for, why it was here, or how long it has been here. Instead, I was leaving with more questions.

Who was Nayenzgani? Why did the factory computer know something from Kivotos's ancient history? And how was I an apparent descendant of this lost god? I felt that the Department had taken one step forward in their goal, but I had taken two steps back in uncovering the truth. The truth about the factory. The truth about my powers. The truth about myself.

"Sensei?"

A hand came to rest on my arm and snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down to see Suzumi looking up at me, the slightest hint of worry in her eyes.

"Is everything okay?"

"I am pondering what that factory informed us," I answered softly, looking back at the slowly vanishing structure. "It disturbs me that it has identified me as something dangerous to it. Something that is dangerous enough that it would erase itself rather than end in the hands of this Nayenzgani."

Suzumi listened quietly but intently. I could see her one wing shuffling slightly as she mulled over the events. The two of us kept walking quietly, but comfortably, through the Ruins.

"I think it must be mistaken," Suzumi finally responded after moments of silence.

"Oh? What makes you claim so?"

"You… aren't from here, Nelson-Sensei," Suzumi explained, words picked slowly as her gaze drifted to the GDD marching proudly ahead of us. "There shouldn't be anyone like you in all of Kivotos. The system must have been confused by that when it scanned you."

"Yet it was confident enough to cause its own deletion," I pointed out.

Suzumi shook her head, the slightest hint of a frown visible. "That was its own mistake. It didn't understand what it was seeing, so it assumed you were the most dangerous thing it knew."

She was trying her hardest to be reassuring. She was trying to come up with some explanation on what we had learned. She was trying to find an explanation that didn't incriminate me as some sort of evil entity. Even if we both knew the truth behind my visit to Millennium. Even if we both saw what happened at Abydos. Even if we both knew that I was something that only appeared Human.

She was trying her hardest.

"It does make a modicum of sense," I relented, as Suzumi's frown shifted up into a small smile. Suzumi cared enough to try to reassure me. I couldn't disrespect her effort by deflecting her or shutting her down. So, I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I took her words at face value. After all, it was an ancient computer. It likely lacked maintenance for countless years, if not decades. I was an entity foreign to this world, unlike anything else to my knowledge. It wasn't impossible for the factory's sensors to misidentify me.

Suzumi tried her best to give me something to cling to. The best I could do was try my hardest to hold on to it.

Thanks as always to my friend for beta-reading!