Director Edward

Chapter 216: Episode 5 · Paradox Spiral! (14)

After concluding Ryougi Shiki's storyline, Kara no Kyoukai suddenly shifts to Kokutou Mikiya's perspective, with the timeline rolling back slightly.

During the time Ryougi Shiki was living with Enjou Tomoe, Kokutou Mikiya had been away in the countryside, attending a driving school run by a relative.

It took him three months to obtain his license and return.

While chatting briefly about the topic of his new driver's license, Mikiya's attention was drawn to a photo on the table.

In the photograph, the background appeared to be a massive clock tower, with two men and a young girl standing in the foreground.

One of the men wore a coat resembling a black kimono, identifying him as Japanese.

The other was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man dressed in a red coat.

As for the young girl in the middle, she looked much more ordinary by comparison, her petite and delicate figure exuding an almost floral radiance.

The thought that this was a younger version of Aozaki Touko left Mikiya feeling strangely uncomfortable.

"Touko-san, this photo—"

"Hm? Oh, that? Just some people I knew a long time ago. I don't even remember their faces anymore. Seeing the photo brought back a vague memory, that's all."

"So, who are they?"

"Let's see... how many years ago was that? I think it was back when my little sister was still in high school, so it must have been at least eight years ago."

"Was this taken at the Clock Tower?"

"Yes. One day, I happened to cross paths with that man. He had a peculiar background—he used to be a monk from what they called the Esoteric Sect. As a mage, he was full of flaws, but his sheer strength was unmatched. I rather liked that awkward guy."

"..."

"My doll-making, you see, is an attempt to achieve perfection by creating the ideal human prototype. That guy, on the other hand, wasn't after the body, but the soul. No matter how hard I work, the best I can create is a perfect replica of myself—I can't make a doll that surpasses the 'original.' But that guy, he's probably still at it."

"They say he betrayed his master in his pursuit of the perfect model for the soul because he possesses the ability to see the 'Origin' of people. Listen closely, Mikiya. Whatever happens, never approach the man in that photo."

Mikiya didn't respond to Touko's words. He simply stared at the black-clad figure in the photograph, his expression growing increasingly grim.

The scene transitions abruptly as Aozaki Touko, now accompanied by Kokutou Mikiya, pays a visit to another man from the photo—Cornelius Alba.

They arrive at an opulent apartment, where the red-clad man, looking almost unchanged from the past, stands on the second floor. Touko, her demeanor cold, speaks directly:

"What do you want with me?"

"Me? Shouldn't I be asking you that? Why did you barge into my base uninvited?"

"Oh? So this apartment is your workshop? If that's the case, I may need to reevaluate my opinion of you."

"Don't evaluate me so casually! The technique of preparing a doll's body that can sustain a living brain is mine and mine alone!"

"But that apartment also has the ultimate barrier, one capable of preventing magical experiments from being detected by the outside world. As far as I know, there's only one person who can set up such a barrier!"

"Heh, and what makes you think that?"

"Anyway, why did you create that apartment? Was it to reach the Root?"

"I have no interest in that kind of thing. Chasing something so uncertain, whose very existence is dubious, is utterly tasteless—not even worth calling a joke. Even if it does exist, who in this world could possibly reach it?"

"Someone must have reached it. The fact that its existence is known proves as much. But those who reach it never return. Every mage who's made it there has vanished without exception. In any case, a group endlessly chasing an infinitely distant goal, never receiving any reward—that's what mages truly are."

"That's just your perspective."

"The ultimate goal of mages is the Swirl of the Root, also known as the Akashic Records—the source of all phenomena, the origin of everything, the truth behind existence itself. There's a saying: in that place lies the record of the world's past, present, and future. No mage can resist the allure of the Root."

As Aozaki Touko finished her words, the scene abruptly ended.

...

After the intense battle scenes, the narrative shifts to a calmer tone, gradually easing the audience's tension.

It's at this moment that viewers realize the previous events were shown solely from Ryougi Shiki's perspective. In reality, Kokutou Mikiya and Aozaki Touko were simultaneously taking action on their own side.

However, unlike Shiki's direct intrusion into the Ogawa apartment, Mikiya and Touko were methodically investigating clues step by step, avoiding direct contact with the apartment.

This pacing gave the noble viewers, who had been left breathless by the suffocating tension earlier, a chance to recover. But instead of learning from the experience, they returned to their usual routine of critique.

"This constant switching between perspectives is so confusing—it's unbearable!"

"Exactly! A story that can't be told in a straightforward manner is nothing but trash!"

"I'll admit this show has some merits, but its flaws are just as overwhelming!"

"Hmph, don't think I'll be satisfied just by sticking around. A truly great work should be so compelling that I can't stop watching!"

"..."

While the nobles enthusiastically set up one death flag after another with their complaints, Durin paid them little mind. Instead, he turned his attention to Arcueid by his side.

After all, the film had, for the first time, delved into the concept of the Root in such detail. Durin was eager to hear what Arcueid, as an ancient vampire True Ancestor, would make of it.

As expected, upon hearing the explanation of the Root in the film, Arcueid furrowed her brows slightly. It took her a long time before she finally spoke:

"The Root, the Akashic Records, the domain that supposedly contains the past, present, and future of the entire world? Honestly, even with my understanding, I can't grasp this concept with any clarity. Perhaps, only when one transcends to a much higher plane can this idea become comprehensible."

"Oh? A higher plane? Are you talking about breaking through the Sixth Stage?"

Instinctively, Durin asked the question, but Arcueid only gave a mysterious smile and murmured:

"Breaking through the Sixth Stage? That's nothing more than a starting point."

"..."

Durin was left speechless by her astonishing words, barely able to process them before the True Ancestor turned her head back to the television, her attention once again absorbed in the screen.

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