"Escape... perhaps."
"But more than that, it's a longing for the skies beyond... You want to go outside, to the heavens above?"
As Zane's words lingered, he began to understand. Consciousness was elusive, almost impossible to define. Perhaps... perhaps Nineveh had long been aware of where she was—that this place was nothing more than a fenced-off little world.
And she also knew that the one influencing her, controlling her, was her own creator. She had realized the only way to avoid this fate. That was to leave Hollow Zero.
But she didn't want to enter any other hollows either. Compared to Hollow Zero, those places felt even more suffocating.
To understand, and to make her own choice... That was sentience. Not human awareness, but the instinctive will of life itself—Nineveh's own.
A low hum rang out as Nineveh swayed her tail, her tentacles brushing past Zane. She seemed to be responding to his words.
"Heh... I was wrong. That thing isn't truly alive—not even close. In the end, it's nothing more than something controlled by its creator and instincts."
Zane gave a dry laugh. The owner of those crimson eyes was already obvious, and now the Ethereal giant seemed almost laughable.
Yes—life was never about "movement" or "stillness," nor any "category of matter." Two things could both move, yet one machine could possess life while another remained dead. The same held true for the Ethereal.
"I respect your choice."
"If you truly want to see the outside world, I won't stop you. I'll help you."
It was different from the Nette Twins. At first, he had respected their decision too, but what they truly wanted was to live. So he had made the choice for them—an insubstantial, consequence-free choice.
But Nineveh couldn't be treated the same way. She couldn't stay in Hollow Zero, or else next time it might be him who had to end it himself. And she refused to go to other hollows. To her, those places were torment.
Even if he brought a hollow into another space, it would still be unbearably suffocating for her.
As the master of the hollows, Zane knew well that inside was nothing but absolute stillness. That was why he had never stepped into one himself. Even less so for Nineveh.
Her wish was the sky. And now, a rare opportunity had come.
In Zane's eyes reflected the widening fissure—the crack that would completely open Hollow Zero.
"Don't rush. I'll try to cover you with Ether energy."
Zane stood and moved beside Nineveh. He raised one hand, placing it against her body, and spoke softly.
Several small black spheres appeared one after another, Ether energy pouring out of them. Zane didn't know if this would work, but doing something was better than doing nothing. Even wasted effort was better than indifference.
At the edge of the hollow's fissure, Nineveh gradually slowed to a stop. Not far away, the Ethereal crystal carrying Section 6's members hovered in place.
Their eyes turned toward Zane, then to Nineveh, filled with uncertainty.
Humans and an Ethereal? Peaceful... no, almost affectionate coexistence?
And those tentacles were still wandering over him—seriously?!
Tsukishiro Yanagi frowned faintly, a thought flashing through her mind before she quickly masked it. Compared to the others' mixed reactions, Hoshimi Miyabi remained calm. To her, this sight wasn't strange at all.
"Zane, you're not coming with us?"
"Mm. Once you leave Hollow Zero, the Ethereal crystals beneath your feet won't last long. Be ready to land at any moment."
Zane nodded at Hoshimi Miyabi's words, leaving them with a reminder to prevent Section 6 from suffering a crash landing.
He no longer looked their way. Above Hollow Zero, the fissure was closing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Had he not cut it wide enough, with the lingering force holding back the repair, they never would have made it in time.
The Ethereal crystals lifted the others first, carrying them out of Hollow Zero. Zane's gaze lingered on Nineveh as she too shifted her form toward the outside world.
His heart tightened. Because he suddenly realized—could Nineveh still fly once she left the hollow?
Before the thought was finished, the moment Nineveh passed through the fissure, her body dipped sharply. Luckily, she stabilized almost immediately within the crack.
Zane said nothing, only watched. Seconds later, Nineveh's body began to rise, climbing toward the sky.
Her tail fins flicked. A vast amount of Ether energy dissipated as she left—the greater part of it the energy Zane had wrapped around her, though she herself was inevitably leaking it as well.
With the thrust from "Burning Life," Nineveh gradually accelerated, soaring faster and faster toward the sky.
Below, Hollow Zero dwindled in Zane's sight. By the time its edges were visible, Nineveh had already reached a considerable height.
There was no turning back now. She could only keep climbing, higher and higher—toward the sight she longed for.
Below, the members atop the Ethereal crystal also watched Nineveh. In their eyes, her figure grew smaller and smaller, until it was nothing but a tiny black speck.
"What... are they trying to do?"
"Seeking death?"
Hoshimi Miyabi frowned. She couldn't make sense of it. Beside her, Tsukishiro Yanagi thought for a moment, then spoke.
"...Nineveh has been changing for some time now. She may already be completely different from when we first encountered her."
"For now, the Chief can ask Zane about it later."
She knew Miyabi's words, "seeking death," weren't about Zane. He wasn't an Ethereal. The warning could only be about Nineveh—an Ethereal who could not survive beyond a Hollow.
The figures on the Ethereal crystal pondered. Meanwhile, high above, Nineveh continued carrying Zane upward into the sky.
Gradually, Nineveh climbed higher and higher. Her body began breaking down faster, and Zane's energy shielding was barely keeping up.
It wasn't a matter of lacking output—she simply couldn't receive enough. No matter how much energy he poured out, if it couldn't be absorbed, the excess was wasted.
Suddenly, Zane—focused on optimizing energy conversion—noticed a layer of mist had gathered around him. He froze briefly in surprise.
Looking around, he saw that Nineveh had already touched the clouds.
Below, Hollow Zero was no larger than a palm, and he could already make out the borders of New Eridu.
Zane's expression slowly calmed. Surrounded by the thickening mist, he raised a hand to gently stroke Nineveh and whispered softly,
"Fly, Nineveh... rise to the heavens above. Wander freely... until you find peace."