[665] Insufficient Five Senses (4)
Through the Ultima System, Shirone deciphered Meirei's language and felt a cold chill run through him.
It didn't single out any particular person, but it sounded as if Ra Enemi were whispering to him.
"My inner hell."
Ra Enemi was waiting there.
There was room for interpretation, but it was crucial information for passing the Ivory Tower's test.
"What exactly is this 'God's frequency' ability?"
"The Terrafos that the Galon Kingdom worships are conquerors from countless universes. According to their doctrine, they came from places far beyond the universe we live in."
It couldn't be dismissed as mere myth—Shirone himself had been to Heaven.
Could they be Gaia?
It wasn't unreasonable to think so, but he shook his head at once.
"No, they can't be them."
The Gaia had already left the photon realm, and with the departure of their last great one the species' history had closed.
"Terrafos' oracles come through dreams. I've been receiving oracles since I was seven."
Meirei explained with a gesture.
"The place the oracle appears in is always the same. It's dark—nothing can be seen. Then a vertical slit of light opens, and inside is the silhouette of a god."
Meirei lowered her hand.
"When you wake up most of the memory is gone and only a few simple pieces remain. The priest relays that information, and the Terrafos' people obey."
"But it's still a dream, right? How do you prove it's real?"
"Religion isn't in the business of proof. In Galon there are heretical groups rejecting the oracles and plotting revolution. The Holy See is strong, so they aren't much of a threat, but the real problem starts now."
Meirei refocused everyone's attention.
"The reason I became a heretic and left Galon is that my ability exceeded the pope's authority. One night I felt like I would receive an oracle as usual when I slept. The same place appeared in the dream. When the light-door opened…."
Meirei's expression hardened.
"I woke up from the dream."
"You woke up… from the dream?"
"Maybe that too was a dream, but every nerve in my body told me it was real. That's when I realized the dreams I took for oracles had all been reality."
Shirone swallowed.
"The light-door opened wide and they approached. I can't remember their faces—only blurred images. They inspected me closely and communicated with strange signals. I didn't know then, but I know now. It probably meant, 'This one is unusual.'"
Meirei's voice began to tremble.
"They tried many things on me. I screamed in terror and then lost consciousness. When I came to I was lying on something like an operating table. When I shouted for my life, they said again, 'Really unusual. Why does it wake?'"
Meirei steadied her expression.
"And then I woke up. I was lying in my bed, but by then I already knew it was reality."
"It still could have been a dream, though."
Meirei tilted her head and lifted the hair above her ear.
Where hair should have been there was a scar from an incision.
"I checked immediately after waking. I don't know exactly what they did to me, but I think they implanted something."
Meirei covered both ears with her hands.
"That's when this ability started. When I block my hearing, I can collect sounds of a particular frequency."
That was Meirei's irregularity—the true nature of the God's frequency.
"Blocking my ears alone doesn't perfectly cut sound, so there's a bit of noise mixed in. I thought cutting my ears off would make it clearer, but Lupist opposed it, saying it would make communication with others difficult."
Shirone already thought it would be a waste to remove one's ears and give up the advantages of communicating.
"Did Lupist tell you about me?"
"He helped me defect from Galon to Tormia. He said that if I joined forces with Shirone, removing Ra Enemi might be possible. Maybe the reason I got this ability is part of the Terrafos' design."
That was a matter better discussed with Lupist later.
"Understood. Thank you for your effort."
Meirei left the evaluation room without saying more; she knew she had passed anyway.
Aria took off her glasses and said, "What an absurd story. Ra Enemi and the Terrafos."
These were facts ordinary people would never have access to.
"But it's reality. If we fail to stop it, danger will come to where we live."
As a Tormian official, Aria grasped the gravity of the matter.
"All right. Forming a mercenary unit seems feasible. Notify the successful candidates individually and hold a meeting tonight."
* * *
That night.
The core members gathered in Shirone's room.
With Rian and Aria present, Etella, Kuan, and Meirei entered in turn.
Finally, examinee numbers 28 and 29 came in and removed their masks; of course, no one was surprised.
"You did a fine job putting the pass list together."
Lupist praised Shirone first and then explained.
"As you probably know, this mission has two objectives. First, seal Radum. Second, figure out Ra's intent and, if possible, remove him."
Etella raised a hand. "Where's Shagal?"
"The Association is searching, but his identity hasn't been confirmed. He either left the kingdom or is in Radum—one of the two."
"He's probably in Radum."
Shagal was the kind of person tied to the aftermath of the Great Purge. If he had drifted into Tormia following traces of Ra Enemi, his destination was obvious.
"I'll take Shagal. There's something I want to confirm."
She might have to kill him, but Etella didn't use the word vengeance.
"Granted. Just know he's worth using. You understand without me saying it."
"I have a question about that."
Shirone asked, "You said 'remove if possible'—how exactly do you mean to remove him?"
"Let me explain now."
Lupist moved to a place where everyone could see.
"We're protecting Venezia, head of the Spectrum. According to her, Ra exerts influence over Radum's organization by dominating the past. That's why the kingdom, taking a risk, decided to seal it."
That made sense so far.
"Then how do we find Ra? For now Ra exists only as past events. Shirone, what is your definition of 'the past'?"
"Um, wouldn't it be before certain events?"
"That's not wrong. But I want to define it more specifically. The past is memory through the five senses."
"I see."
"All the things we experience are reconstructed through the five senses and recorded in the brain. Therefore, Ra Enemi's way of dominating the past cannot extend beyond the five senses."
"It would exceed human limits."
Lupist nodded.
"Now, what if we could make the sensory memory of the past feel real? Then it would be reality. Time itself is merely one of the ways the human brain perceives the world."
That's why Sibulsangpokmae is possible.
"Venezia, using the tri-brained people's insight, pointed this out. In short, the past can become reality depending on the mode of perception. So Ra is not a formless wraith without substance. He is simply the past."
Lupist raised a finger.
"He exists in the past. Shirone, it's possible Ra was in this room a moment ago. Do you agree?"
"Yes."
"Then why are we not certain of it?"
"Because there's no five-sense memory."
"Exactly. Because it isn't present, or more precisely because it isn't perceived in the present, we assume it doesn't exist."
Lupist picked up a cup from the table.
"What if humans aren't the beings we appear to be, but actually just a brain submerged in a special fluid? Think about it."
Shirone imagined it.
"Whether it's true or not isn't the point. The key is that even if it were true, we'd have no way of knowing. All we can rely on is what the brain perceives. So is this cup actually real, or just the brain's illusion?"
No one answered.
"Distinguishing existence from nonexistence while dealing with Ra is pointless. If you can feel Ra Enemi with the five senses, then he actually exists for us."
'I see. Asking us to find Ra means…'
Shirone grasped the intent behind the Ivory Tower's question.
- Can you prove existence and nonexistence?
That was the problem the candidates had to solve.
Kuan asked, "You'll pull the past into reality via sensory memory and kill Ra. The idea's good, but how do you pull the past into reality?"
"Jein."
When Lupist reached out, Jein handed over a box.
"What I have here is an object specially procured with kingdom funds. Inside this box is a hint regarding Ra's ability."
Until now Rian had been dazed, but his eyes lit up for the first time.
"What kind of object?"
"."
The moment Lupist said it, Shirone slapped his knee.
"Ah, !"
It was the A-rank object he'd heard about from Uorin when they'd gone to the Kazra Kingdom for that paternity mess.
"So you know it. It's famous in these circles. When you touch , the user's imagination is realized within a twenty-meter radius."
Humans devoured by desire met miserable ends, and it was one of those objects that changed hands often.
"Explaining how imagination can become reality isn't necessary. In any case, the Association suspects Ra's ability is similar to 's mechanism."
Etella said, "You mean to exploit Ra's ability in reverse. But 's reality-creation is limited to the touched target, isn't it?"
"So we broke it."
Lupist opened the box and revealed eight rings, smooth like jade with a pink tint.
Shirone pointed at the rings with an intrigued look.
"That's… ?"
"Yes. When we first obtained this, I wondered what would happen if two people touched at the same time. The experiment showed that imagination is shared. As long as the senses perceive it, it's reality."
Lupist took one ring out.
"Also, 's power seems determined by special components in the ore. We discarded nine-tenths of the total weight to process these into rings because rings are easier to carry and keep on person. Once you wear a ring, control your mind. Of course, only those who think they can do that are gathered here. The items will be retrieved when the mission ends."
Kuan said, "I'm convinced by Meirei's ability to pull Ra into reality. But the senses are too limited. Even putting aside tracking him by hearing alone, how exactly do you cut Ra down?"
Shirone muttered as if an idea had just occurred to him.
"Sibulsangpokmae?"
All eyes focused on him as Lupist turned to Shirone.
"Yes, you."
Shirone's Sibulsangpokmae can perceive the past as the present, and thus his tactile sense would become the means to touch Ra Enemi.
"If Meirei finds him, you kill him."