Sand dances in the wind. In the shadow of a rock at Kagutsu Dune. The remains of a collapsed tower cast a shadow. The sky is white, and sunlight pours down mercilessly. Tempe Storm sits with her knees drawn up. Mirim sleeps on her lap. The small body, drained of magical essence, rises and falls faintly. Purple hair is covered in sand. One of the horns on her head has a thin gash. Souei leans against the wall. Her eyes are half-open, consciousness flickering in and out. Blood seeps from the wound on her shoulder, staining her black outfit. Only Benimar stands. Her body covered in wounds, she checks outside from the edge of the rock's shadow. Each movement makes her face twist slightly. The pain shows through, unguarded. Tempe Storm closes her eyes and calls for the Sage. ——Silence. Again. ——Silence. Sage! Can you hear me!? This time she shouts in her mind. Something faint comes back. 《…………Currently measuring crisis index……》 "[sarcastic]This is not the time to measure anything!!" The words slip out. Benimar turns around. "[serious]The Sage?" "[sad]……I got a response, but she says she's measuring the crisis index" "……" "[sad]It's like a broken magical tool—just fragmented numbers flowing through" Benimar exhales softly. Whether exasperated or worried, her profile reveals nothing. Mirim on her lap mumbles in her sleep. "……rim……ru……" Tempe Storm gently strokes Mirim's head. Careful not to wake her. (This isn't funny.) Before, she'd gone limp. But now she can't laugh. The Sage is sealed. Which means the mind that should organize this situation is only half-functioning. Tempe Storm counts the situation again. Sage sealed. Souei critically wounded. Mirim's essence depleted. The rubbing of the Third Verse stolen. Benimar is covered in wounds and still moving. And——Verde is gone. —— The seal wasn't complete. She realized this some time after the sandstorm settled. The Sage's skills are stopped. But the analysis logs accumulated in the past remain. Like books left on shelves in a closed library, she can pull them out one by one by touch. Tempe Storm begins to gather the logs, taking her time. Fragments. More fragments. She arranges them like a puzzle. Connects them. Connects them. Gradually, an image emerges. Verde——a direct disciple of Azaria, a mage from the ancient magical civilization era. "[serious]……I understand now" She speaks quietly. Benimar turns. Souei also opens her heavy eyelids slightly. "[serious]Verde's true identity. It was recorded in the Sage's residual data" Tempe Storm explains briefly. That Verde is descended from Azaria's disciples. That she completely controls the Urn of Reversal and intends to rewrite the bodies of creatures worldwide. And——the true effect when all four verses are chanted. "[serious]When all four verses are chanted before the Urn, the curse is only broken if the one chanting wishes for release. If the one chanting wishes for control——" "[serious]It reverses" "[sad]The Urn's power spirals out of control, and a wave of transformation spreads across several hundred kilometers" The sand wind blows. "[cold]……Within……expected……parameters" Her voice is hoarse. Still leaning against the wall, she speaks with narrowed eyes. Clear and distinct, even through her hazy consciousness. Tempe Storm's chest tightens at that voice. (Within expected parameters, huh.) That's what hurts. Even like this, Souei is calm. "[serious]Verde already has information on three verses" "[serious]The fourth remains" "[sad]'Within the strongest of wishes'——whoever deciphers that meaning first controls everything" Then a telepathic message arrives from the capital. An urgent report. Those believed to be Verde's allies have infiltrated the underground ruins beneath the Storm Palace. They're approaching the Urn of Reversal. Time limit: three days remaining. Tempe Storm bows her head. "[sad]It's my fault" The words come out. She meant to stop them. "[sad]If I had the Sage, I could have seen through Verde from the start. I let Souei get hurt like this, made Mirim's power go haywire……if I'd just been more careful" "[serious]That's wrong" Immediate. "[serious]Without you, there would be no three verses. Souei, I, Mirim——we all chose to move" "[sad]……But——" Tempe Storm can't lift her head. She stares at the sand. Sand grains shift slightly in the wind. Benimar moves. With her wounded hand, she kneels on the sand. Eye level with Tempe Storm. Face to face. "[gentle]Look up" She can't move. Benimar's hand touches Tempe Storm's chin gently. Soft, lifting her gaze upward. Their eyes meet. Benimar stops. Tempe Storm's eyes are thin with tears. Only the sand wind blows. For several seconds, neither speaks. Benimar doesn't pull her hand away. Tempe Storm doesn't look away. Benimar's voice drops lower. "[gentle]Now is not the time to blame yourself. Think about what comes next" Tempe Storm tries to respond, but—— "[whispers]Tempe Storm……that just now……I'm envious" A faint voice from the wall. Still hazy, Souei says only that, then closes her eyes again. Benimar slowly turns back. Looking at Souei. Souei doesn't move anymore. She's already asleep. A blue vein appears on Benimar's brow. Tempe Storm looks at Benimar's face, then toward Souei, then back. About to cry, but something in her throat loosens. "[laughing]……Souei" She can laugh. About to cry, but she can laugh a little. Benimar faces forward again. An expression somewhere between exasperation and anger, she says nothing. —— The sky above the dune is high. Staring up at the cloudless white sky, Tempe Storm thinks about the Fourth Verse. "[serious]……The other three verses were all recorded in physical locations, right? Stone tablets, scrolls, murals" "[serious]Yeah" "[serious]But the Fourth Verse alone——the residual data said it's stored as something psychological" "[serious]……In someone's……heart" "[serious]That's what it comes down to" Benimar thinks for a moment, then speaks quietly. "[gentle]The one with the strongest emotions……wouldn't that be you, Tempe Storm?" Tempe Storm stops. Those words sink deep into her chest. She turns her awareness inward. But because the Sage is sealed, she can't probe deeply. Like walking through a dark room without light. She senses something is there. But she can't see its shape. "[sad]……I can't probe deeply right now" "[serious]There are no answers here" "[serious]But the possibility remains that the clue is within you" Then a telepathic message arrives. A calm voice. Deep, composed. "[gentle]Tempe Storm, can you hear me? It's Shuna" It's Shuna. The internal affairs director of the Storm Palace——the 22-year-old with white hair and one eye hidden——calling from the capital. "[gentle]Shuna, I hear you" "[gentle]We're containing the intruders in the underground ruins for now. I'm sending reinforcements. I'll dispatch an escort to the dune, so please don't move for now" "[gentle]Thank you. That helps" There's a pause. "[whispers]……Is Benimar properly by your side?" Tempe Storm is slightly surprised. "[gentle]She is. She's been by my side the whole time" "[cold]……I see" Brief. Just that, and the telepathy cuts off. Tempe Storm thinks Shuna's tone sounded odd. Not the usual softness——just in that last line. But maybe it's exhaustion. She doesn't have the energy to dwell on it now. Benimar speaks. "[serious]Who was it?" "[gentle]Shuna. She's sending reinforcements" "[cold]……I see" Tempe Storm tilts her head at that response. (Wait. That's the same tone as Shuna.) Benimar has already changed the subject. She's waking Souei, beginning preparations to move. Tempe Storm watches her back, head still tilted, and ultimately says nothing. —— The sunlight at the dune is beginning to slant. Mirim shifts on her lap. "……rim……ru……eat……" Tempe Storm lets out a small laugh. Then gently strokes Mirim's head. "[whispers]I keep causing trouble for everyone" Benimar, standing beside her, speaks with an exasperated tone. "[sarcastic]If you hate that, get back to normal faster" Her profile is smiling. Faintly, but unmistakably. Only Tempe Storm sees it. The wind at the dune blows. Dry wind. Sand dances in the distance. The escort will arrive soon. The Fourth Verse is still unknown. But——the answer feels like it's within her. When the Sage returns, what will she see? That's the only question that matters now.