Script of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Chapter 7

The seventh chapter of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Time Moves Again, has the party make their way into and through Origin.

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Queen Nia's Story, Part 1

♫

Melia - Ancient Memories

Nia, Queen of Agnus, stands alone atop a balcony. Hovering in the sky is a titanic metal hemisphere. Melia, Queen of Keves, stands on her own balcony; before her is the hemisphere's other half.
Inside, Melia looks upon a display screen, on which a blue surface and a red surface draw closer in an inky cosmic space. Lightning seems to jump between the surfaces.

Queen Melia

300 days remain to the Intersection.
It seems we might make it.

The screen now shows Nia. The two seem to be on a video call; Nia's voice is slightly crackly.

Queen Nia

Yes.
It took every bit of our combined intellects... But we built it.

Queen Melia

To prepare for the time our two worlds collide...

The scene shows the two halves of the colossal metal sphere. Nia sees Melia on her own display.

Queen Nia

All that we are is contained within.
Memories, and our souls...

Queen Melia

We will all be gone, and then reborn.
Will it be a new beginning, or our demise...?
No one can tell us that.

Queen Nia

Time will run its due course,
and show us the true meaning...of our deed.

Melia nods, and the video call — and flashback — ends. The scene now shows the doves frozen around the young Noah as seen in the opening cutscene. Melia and Nia watch on as the spheres of their planets race towards one another.
Nia narrates as the scene shows a sphere of galaxies separating into two.

Queen Nia

In the distant past,
what was once a single world was cleft in twain.
Plus and minus... On the surface, they were identical.
These two worlds, of opposing nature,
knew nothing of each other
as they wended their way towards their own respective futures.

The blue and red surfaces from Melia's display, not unlike galaxies, are shown rotating next to one another.

Queen Nia

However, the worlds yearned for each other.
Against the solitude of existence,
they strove to reunite...
though it would spell certain destruction.

A still image of people with catlike ears displays. In the sky, another world appears, growing closer and more intense until it fills the sky.

Queen Nia

Should the two worlds intersect,
they would cancel each other out and cease to be,
leaving only light.
Light...

A trail of light passes between an image of Melia and one of Nia.

Queen Nia

A shining beacon in the darkness. The last common language left to us.
Though we inhabited separate worlds, the medium of light allowed us to communicate for the very first time,
and so we sought for a way to prevent total oblivion...

The scene shows blueprints for a metal sphere — the same one that was shown in halves at the start of the cutscene.

Queen Nia

We pooled our knowledge, and through time gave birth to a single point of hope...
Origin.
An ark, containing all the worlds' data,
recorded in words of light,
carrying hope into the future...

The blueprints fade into a picture of half of Origin floating above Nia's world. Nia watches on, flanked by three hooded people and an orange Nopon.

Queen Nia

Origin was a system we constructed to reboot the worlds' states.

In the image of the people with catlike ears, the world in the sky collides with their own, destroying the landscape as the screen fades to white.

Queen Nia

And then...
the time was upon us.

The scene shows a cresting wave frozen in time.

Queen Nia

The reboot process failed to initiate.
Instead, in that instant,
the worlds became still.
By the will of Moebius.

In the picture, Z, Y, and X stand in front of a red light.

Noah

So it's their fault...

Queen Nia

And at the heart of it,
was their ringleader, Z.
You could say Z embodies this frozen world.

Lanz

But what does that achieve? Freezing everything?

Queen Nia

Not a thing...
He didn't need to do anything after that.

Scenes from the original battle between Colony 9 and Colony Sigma play.

♫

Suffocating Reverberation

Queen Nia

Only...
to keep everything in its place, in stasis,
and create an eternity to abide within,
as was their wish.

Noah

He made our lives their sustenance...

Queen Nia

Precisely so.
In order to gain control of Origin,
Z captured the Kevesi Queen.

A picture of Melia is shown, held in place by many wires.

Mio

To what end?

Queen Nia

To access the memories in Origin,
to bend them to his will,
he needed a key, held only by its creators.

Mio

A key?

Queen Nia

A heart...might be more fitting.

More Moebius appear in the background of the image with Z, X, and Y.

Queen Nia

Z used the key held by the Queen of Keves
and seized Origin in its entirety.
Controlling Origin...means controlling the world.
And having shackled it, he can bend it to his will.
Life and death...are his playthings.

Noah looks at his term mark.

Noah

Life and...death...

Queen Nia

No one, not even M, knew the origins of this world.

Mio exhales, frowning.

Taion

So I guess... You have another key?

Queen Nia

Yes, it's in my possession.
With its help, I was able to create...
the Ouroboros Stones.

She turns to to an Ouroboros Stone, which has been sitting upon the floor nearby.

♫

Hope for the Future

Noah

(gasp)

Queen Nia

Though most of the power is with Z,
I have been able to...resist him, to a small extent.

The stone opens, revealing a small ticking cog.

Sena

It's a...cogwheel?

Queen Nia

One of the gears from Origin.
Through a process of catalysis, between the Origin substrate and the Core in my chest,
I can generate the Stones.

Lanz

And thanks to that, we became Ouroboros...

Queen Nia

Yes, but...not completely.

Sena

Huh?

Queen Nia

Remember. Have you not succumbed to Moebius's power before?

Lanz and Sena sigh as they remember their Interlink broken by X.

Queen Nia

As I've said before, Z commands the world's very fabric.
Unfortunately, my own powers are sorely limited.
And yet, you too can break Z's fetters, as you've shown,
smashing through the rules he established.
With your Ouroboros powers, and the Sword of the End both.

Flashes of Mio's Ouroboros breaking X's staff and Noah wounding N show. Noah looks at his sword.

Noah

The Sword...of the End?

Queen Nia

The sword you hold...
It is a byproduct of resonance... between the Kevesi Queen's heart, and Origin.

Taion

Does that mean...
it's like an Ouroboros Stone?

Queen Nia

The Ouroboros Stones, and the sword...
They're mere gimmicks.
The crux of them lies with you.
You see, there are keys inside of you too.

Lanz

Inside of us...

Sena

Keys...?

Queen Nia

Finally,
my efforts were rewarded.
I'm glad... To meet with all of you who embody hope...

Noah

Majesty, what is it that we must do?

Queen Nia

Right.
Infiltrate Origin, then free it and the Kevesi Queen...
from Z...
From the hands of Moebius, once and for all.

Sena

If we do free it, will we get to change the world?
It's so cruel and senseless... Can we undo that?

Nia hesitates, looking down. Noah inhales.

Sena

Your Majesty...?

Queen Nia

If you desire...to have a future before you...

Noah

I need to know.
Z, and Moebius... Must they be our enemy?

Mio
(brows furrowing)

Noah...

Queen Nia

Now that...is something for you to decide.
After confronting them, and discerning for yourselves what they truly are.

Noah spends a moment in thought.

Noah

All right.

Nia nods.

Queen Nia

Come this way.

Nia walks elsewhere into the Cloudkeep.

Queen Nia's Story, Part 2

Nia has taken the party to a balcony which looks out over Aionios' central vortex.

Queen Nia

Behold...
There at the nadir of the vortex... sleeps Origin.

Noah
(surprised)

In the sea?!

Queen Nia

Deep beneath the sea where none may tread,
Z spins his world-spanning web.

Sena

So you're saying...the Queen of Keves, she's there as well?

Nia nods.

Lanz

Well snuff me...
I want to save the Queen as much as the next guy,
but how are we supposed to even get there?
You can't even get near, without being ripped apart.

The scene shows an unlucky Ferronis ripped to shreds by the vortex, as seen in an earlier cutscene.

Eunie

Yeah, but... If anyone were to know the trick,
it's Queen Nia!
Seeing as, y'know, she's the mastermind behind the whole Origin shebang, yeah?

The party turns to Nia expectantly.

Queen Nia
(awkwardly)

(uneasy breath)
Right...
Actually, I kinda don't.

Lanz
(in disbelief)

Abuh... But you're the Queen!
How do you *not* know that?!

Eunie
(hanging head in disappointment)

This is shocking...

Taion
(slightly ticked)

Absolute nonsense.
I simply cannot believe this!

Queen Nia

I...
I don't know how to respond...

Mio
(admonishing)

C'mon, you lot. Rein it in now.

Lanz
(lightbulb)

Huh...? Hang on...

Mio

Hm?

Lanz

Mio, don't you...get to use those Moebius powers?

Mio

Uh? U-uhm, well...

Lanz

Then it should be a snap, right? Peww! We're there.
Those clowns were doing it all the time!

Mio
(looking away)

Actually...

Lanz

Go on?

Mio

I can't...use them right now...
The Moebius powers.

Lanz

What?

Mio

I noticed it...right after we liberated the Castle.
I couldn't work out why myself, it was so sudden.

Eunie

Noooo...!
Is this why you blew us off saying to ask the Queen ourselves?!

Mio
(apologetically)

Uh... Sorry, Eunie...

Eunie

Oh love...

Queen Nia

I suspect, it must be Z.

Mio

Huh?

Queen Nia

The power of Moebius... It's part of the flow and fabric of the world.
What is permitted, and what is prohibited,
is subject to Z's whims.
Even with Origin, not every Moebius knows of its existence.

Mio

But I was able to use the Ouroboros powers...

Queen Nia

The power you currently wield is, let's say, external to the flow.
Even Z himself cannot grasp what's beyond his reach.
Therein is my hope based.

Mio

Hm...

Lanz

We're still stuck though.
We know where to go, but we're kinda dead in the water here.

Noah

How to tackle the vortex, then...

Noah gasps in realisation.

Noah

Mr. Samon...!

Mio

Mr. Samon was, uh... That Nopon from the City?

Noah

Yeah!
Recall what he said?
About a ship that could brave the Great Sea.

They remember Noah's conversation with Samon.

Noah

Ultimate...vessel?

Samon

That right.
Even vortex in raging Great Sea not slow advance. It go down in history as Queen of boats!
Still work in progress, but sure to bring to fruition someday.
Is Samon's dream!

Eunie

Yeah, he did say that!
Something about it being able to take on stormy weather?

Lanz

Wait, wasn't that a work in progress, though?

Taion

I think he might've been drawing up blueprints...?

Noah

Whatever Mr. Samon said, he was pretty ardent about it.

Eunie

Which must mean...

Sena
(excited)

There might be a way to get there, after all!

Mio

All right, let's go!

Noah

Yeah!

Lanz

Finally, our lucky break.

Sena

Looks like this place was worth the trip!

Taion

Better hurry.
I hardly imagine Moebius will stand idly by.

Mio

Agreed.

The party runs off, having ignored Nia for the entire final interaction. Nia watches them go, slightly stunned.

Noah

Your Majesty!

Queen Nia

Huh?

Noah and Mio have stayed behind to say goodbye.

Noah

Thanks a lot! Things are looking up!

He runs off. Mio bows her head with a smile before running off too.

Queen Nia
(highly unsure)

Uh, sure...

The party has regrouped elsewhere in the Cloudkeep, and are finishing up an Iris call with Travis.

Travis

Right, OK... I think I understand.
If you're looking for Samon, he'll be in maintenance, same as usual.
I'll send someone to get you. Just head on over.

Noah

Many thanks. We'll be outside the Cloudkeep.

Eager For a Way in

Outside the Cloudkeep, a City transport Levnis takes off and flies in to the City.

A New Vessel

The party is speaking with Samon in his workshop.

Samon

...Ah, friends mean old beaut?
She tucked away, all cozy in Dock No. 3.

Lanz
(excited)

What, really?!

Samon

Curious?

Noah

We are!

Samon

Alrighty! Then, please follow Samon to port.

Incomplete Engine

The party looks over the ship in the harbour. It looks similar to the Boundary, albeit with extra engine-like structures at the stern.

Mio

So this is it? The ship that can conquer the Great Sea's vortex?

Lanz

Suh-WEEEET!
And you got it all ready, too!

Eunie

It's like a different beast from what we've been using...

Taion

I'd venture to call it a masterwork.
There's a real sense of power behind this craft.

Samon

Please not to get garments in twist.
This is just hull.

The party

Just the hull?!

Samon

Key element of engine not quite ready yet.
Ship without engine is like...
It like Torpedo wrap without filling of Tasty Sausage!

Manana

That crime against cuisine!
Torpedo wrap without Tasty Sausage like ship without engine!

Sena

Mr. Samon, what is it the engine needs?

Samon produces a bolt-like object — identical to the one ejected by the Ouroboros Stone.

Samon

To be precise, just need core component.
Is this part here, and still need six more to make.
Unfortunately, only have this one here.

Mio

I've seen that metal before...
It's the same as Noah's sword, right?

Noah

Yeah, looks like it.

Samon

Also, it same as metal that go inside fancy eyepatches of Lost Numbers.
Friends know eyepatches block Moebius tracking, surely?

Taion

Yeah, we heard that from Monica.

Samon

That because eyepatch emit special wavelengths.
This here show sources of such waves.

Noah opens his Iris to receive a map of Aionios. Six locations are highlighted.

Samon

Points of light on map indicate where metal can be located.
But Samon could not visit. Every place is fearsome-scary.

Sena

Can't you just use the metal from the eyepatches?

Samon

Those important equipment for Lost Numbers, so no-can-do.
And even if could, metal is stretched into thin foil, making total amount not sufficient.

Sena

That's a shame...

Noah

Mio, look over here...

Noah highlights the northernmost highlighted location — off the north coast of the Aetia Region.

Mio

Yeah! The Cloudkeep.
It's that thing that the Queen had!

Noah

Mr. Samon.
So if we got you six more, you could complete the ship?

Samon

Naturally.
With that, can make ship with power and defense that weather any storm or hole in sea.

Noah

How long would it take to build?

Samon

Would give it three days, tops.

Eunie

Wow, that's real snappy.

Taion

Good. As time is of the essence.

Lanz

Awwrite. Let's crack on!

Noah

Yeah.
Mr. Samon. Don't you worry. We'll get you your parts.

Samon
(narrowing eyes)

Meh?

For the script of The Ultimate Vessel, see The Ultimate Vessel § Dialogue.

Visiting Queen Nia Again

Back in the Cloudkeep, Nia turns around to see that the entire party is there.

Queen Nia

Whuh? Why're you here again?

She speaks with a much thicker accent, like how she first spoke after waking up.
There's a fade to black, and when it fades back in, Nia recoils in shock.

Queen Nia

Whaaaaaaat?!

♫

Everyday Life

The party

(collective befuddlement)

Queen Nia
(with royal airs again)

Ah!
A-ahem...
The gears of Origin...
What fate, that they would be the ones to guide you...

Noah

Ouroboros and the Sword of the End have. They've brought us this far, so...
I wouldn't be surprised.

Queen Nia

I understand.
Well in that case, I will gladly concede it.

The Ouroboros Stone is open, and Nia hands its cogwheel to Noah.

Sena
(earnestly)

You knew we'd be coming back though, right?
It was all a part of your grand design, yeah?
"The future must be sculpted with one's own hands..."
Something like that?

Nia stares at Sena for a second, seeing that she's nothing but serious, before awkwardly rolling with it.

Queen Nia

R-right, certainly.
The future isn't something you can just be given.
You do have to reach for it, with your own hands. Yes.

Sena smiles. Lanz, Taion, and Eunie look much less convinced.

Noah

Well, that's the first.
Five left to go...

Taion

A promising start.

Lanz

Yeah, could be worse!
Keep going like this - and job done!

Noah nods.

Noah

Thank you, Majesty.
I promise you, we won't waste this gift.

They start to walk away.

Queen Nia

Wait a moment!
How will you access Origin, even with the ship?

Noah

I mean...

Sena
(still earnest)

We're gonna plunge into the Great Sea's vortex...

Queen Nia

And after that?
Origin is protected on every side by thick armor plating.
You think you'll find a berth?

Mio

I guess, uh...maybe?

Taion

For starters, we don't even know Origin's general schematic.
We're going in blind.

Noah

(frustrated sigh)

Queen Nia

Take this.

Nia's Core Crystal glows, and Noah's Iris lights up.

♫

Light of the Moon - Hope

Noah

Wh-what's this?

Noah's Iris displays a schematic of a spherical structure.

Mio

Is this...Origin?

Queen Nia

A certain Nopon engineer was involved
on the Agnian side of Origin's construction.

The camera focuses on the industrial structure in the centre of the Cloudkeep's sanctum. As Nia speaks, corresponding parts of the schematics are highlighted.

Queen Nia

That's an early blueprint, left behind from those days.
The Great Sea's vortex...is likely born from the force field emitted by this middle part,
amplified by the structure built up around the circumference. That would be my best guess, anyway.
As for the original purpose of the structure,
it was a device to deploy a field to protect the facility while it generated an omni-static space.

Most of the party are gaping in shock, except for Eunie (grinning), Riku (smirking), and Manana (snoozing).

Queen Nia

Consequently, this middle section here... It lacks the armored shell, making it Origin's only weak point.

Noah

So then, basically, this is our entrance.

A light indicates a path from the top of Origin to its centre.

Queen Nia

Enter the vortex, and then using its flow, break through to the inside.
Once you are within, destroy the force field generator at the center.
That's the trick.

Noah

Yes, I see...

Queen Nia

However, the internal structure of Origin
may well have been heavily modified by Z.
Even after you make it in, you must be on your guard.

Noah

Understood. We'll be fully prepared.

Lanz
(maximum appreciation)

Huh, you gotta hand it to the Queen, though.
How could anyone know all that?!

Eunie

Shocking, I know!

Taion

Absolutely.
I simply cannot believe this!

Mio
(flatly)

C'mon you lot, make your minds up already, will you?

Sena nods in agreement, clearly unimpressed.
As the party heads out of the Cloudkeep, Mio stops.

Mio

By the way...
After you met up with M, you were sleeping here all this time, right?

Queen Nia

Yes.

Mio

So then, how did you know we'd become Ouroboros?
You seemed to know what had happened at the Castle as well...

Nia turns back to the Cloudkeep's central structure.

Queen Nia

Even as I sleep,
I learn. Information on everything in this world collects right here.

Noah

Thank you so much, for all this!
I promise you, we will seize the future!

Nia nods. As the party leave, she allows herself a grin and a silent fist-pump.

Homecoming Commences

♫

Suffocating Reverberation

1,000 years ago...
A trio of Kevesi soldiers approaches Consul V on a barren plain. The one in the centre is pushed to his knees by the other two. He's unhappy, but does not resist.

Consul V

Congratulations!
You're special. Precious few make it all the way to their Homecoming.

V summons a sword and holds it before the fearful soldier's face.

Consul V
(cartoonishly evilly)

But, this won't do at all.
Your lives shine all the brighter...if they're extinguished right here on the battlefield.

The soldier hangs his head. Crys — or an older incarnation of him — steps between V and the soldier.

Consul V

Hm?!
What's the meaning of this, Commander Crys?

Crys
(firmly)

I bid you sheathe your Blade, my Lord Consul.

Consul V

Come again? You want to take his shine for yourself?

Crys

I am simply stating there's no need. Why kill him now?

Consul V
(surprised)

Hm?!

Crys

His time is at an end...
How brightly he shone, he himself knows better than anyone.
Your actions will not make him brighter, I'm sure.

Consul V

M-mutiny...?

M has appeared on the scene.

M

Why not just let it go, V?

Consul V

M...? Why are you here?

M

When their appointed hour arrives, should we not grant them an appropriate departure?

Consul V
(gesturing madly)

Don't be a fool.
Then their life...will be lost from circulation, will it not?!

Crys
(brows furrowing)

(surprised gasp)

M

Z also wishes it so.

Consul V

Z does?!
I refuse to believe it!

M stares V down. After a few seconds, he cracks.

Consul V

V-very well...
Do as you see fit, then.

V walks off. Crys looks at the soldier, then back at M.

Crys

If I may? Let me send him on...

She nods. He looks at the soldier, who nods too, much more serene than before. Crys pulls out his flute and begins to play.

♫

Off-Seer - Crys

As he plays, golden motes rise from the soldier's body, and he evaporates. Crys continues to play as the motes rise with the melody, watched on by the Consuls and the Kevesi. The camera orbits Crys as the scene suddenly changes to night, and to day, and onward as the many incarnations of Crys play the same melody through the ages. By the end of the tune, the scene has landed upon the Crys that tutored Noah.

Noah

That's a good tune.
A Crys original?

Crys

Yeah, I suppose it is.

Noah
(lightly)

Maybe I'll pinch it as well.

Crys

You've got your own tunes, Noah.
Those are...just as good.
Wonderful, I'd say...

Noah

Really?
I only tweaked a few notes in a score from my previous Colony...

Crys
(earnestly)

It's not the notes that matter...
It's the feelings you imbue them with.

Noah

Feelings?

Crys nods, and looks out to the sky.

Crys

Raw emotion... It resonates.

In the Amphitheater, Z watches the scene play out. Standing in the aisle is an as-of-yet unseen Consul. When the projection ends, the theater fills with the sound of haunted, disembodied voices.

Z
(as if bored)

O all ye formless dead...
Will you respond to the Queen's awakening?

A spotlight shines on stage. N is still hunched below it, motionless.

Z

The Sword of the End...

Z remembers Noah's Ouroboros drawing the Sword, and an unseen memory of Origin seemingly crashing into Aionios.

Z

Of all the vestiges of Origin, strewn through the world... Who knew this fragment yet remained?

♫

Off-Seer - Crys

Consul

It is no longer one with the flow.
We have no means of controlling it.

The Consul speaks with the voice of Crys.

Z

Will you go, then?

Consul

No... There's no need, is there?

The Consul removes his mask. To nobody's surprise, it is indeed Crys.

Crys

He will come to me.
I know it.
To share with me his feelings...

Meanwhile, Noah checks a map via his Iris. A spot near the entrance to Keves Castle is highlighted.

Noah

Is it here...?

Eunie

It's not inside the Castle.
O...K...
So that puts it at...

Eunie

Lanz

Gardin Defense Base?

Eunie and Lanz are both shocked by this news.

Sena

Gardin what now?

Noah

It's a guard outpost at the Castle rear.
They bring new recruits there too, for basic training.

Sena

Well, phew!
You had me worried there for a second. Thought we'd be back in the Antol's jaws...

Taion

Even so, it's an enemy base.
We can't expect to just waltz in without a fight.

Noah nods.

Noah

First, let's just try to scope it out.

Side Story: Noah

Main article: Side Story: Noah/Script

What Lies Beyond Death

Ready to take on Origin, the party has collected in the harbour.

Lanz

Finally... Origin.

Noah is lost in thought, remembering past scenes of Moebius death.

Moebius K

Nooo...
I don't want to diiiie!!!

Crys

Moebius are...an entity bound by the confines of this world.
Strong, yet somehow fragile...

As well as K and Crys, Noah remembers the deaths of O and P, and D and Joran.

♫

A Life Become Distant

Noah

Moebius... What even are they...?
Harvesting our lives, to cling to life...
Even stopping time...

Taion

Mio?
Allowing for limiting conditions,
we are reborn after we have died.
Are Moebius as well?

Mio

Moebius, uh...
They can't be brought back once they die.

Taion

Why's that?

Mio

I'm not sure, myself.
Although, each of them is fundamentally aware of this.
That's why they're afraid. Of death.

Lanz

They're scared, huh?
I guess...Joran knew too.

Eunie

And he still...killed himself...
And now, he's really gone.

Noah

Still... He left us a parting gift.

Lanz

Yeah...
The smile on his face...
I'll never forget it. Not until my dying breath.

Eunie
(nodding)

Mm...

Noah

What lies beyond death, that Moebius fear it so?
What the Queen said, about the key that we hold...
That smile might be it.

Sena

Because he broke free of Z's control?

Noah nods.

Taion

The power of hope...
If we're being trite.

Manana

Power to create future? Big props from Manana!

Lanz

Any way you slice it, it's not about lookin' backwards.
More like, the opposite.

Riku

There no need to wrack brains about.
Riku think it fine to just be true to self.

Mio

Riku makes a good point.
Wanting to do what *we* want, to be how *we* want to be...
That's how we should carry on.

Noah

In that case...
I'll continue down the road
of the future that was meant to be...

Noah remembers what M, posing as Mio, said the night before her Homecoming.

M

If I were given the chance...
If this road I've walked...were to keep on going...
I'd like to spend that time...with my Noah.

Mio nods. The others ponder the words.

Noah

Forever isn't it...

All Aboard Origin!

The Bravery jets towards the dropoff at the edge of Erythia Sea, flanked by Lost Number ships.

♫

Young Warriors

Riku pilots, with Noah in the copilot seat. The others are seated in the cabin.

Riku

We here. Middle of Great Sea.
Noah! Please to activate cloaking device.

Noah

Roger.

At the press of a button, the ship becomes transparent from the outside. The other ships follow suit.

Noah

Cloaking activated. No issues yet.

Sena

Are we sure this is really gonna work...? They're not gonna, like, open fire when we get too close...?

Mio

Maybe I shouldn't be here. If it ends up working to our disadvantage...

Riku

We cross bridge when we get to.
Eh, anyhow, we small target, so won't take every bullet.

Eunie
(brows furrowing)

Riku, you don't seem to be taking this seriously...

Ghondor is piloting another ship. She talks to the Bravery's cabin via a video feed.

Ghondor

If worse comes to worst, we'll try to draw the heat for ya.
Heh. That'll take the wind outta their sails!

Sena
(still nervous)

OK...? Hey, uh, what's a "sail" again...?

Lanz

We've made it this far!
Just quit worrying. Go with the flow, yeah?

Taion

Spark's sake, talk about carefree...

Riku

It go time!
Full power to engine!
There be a little drop, so make sure to hold on tight!

Eunie
(alarmed)

Wait... What drop?!

Manana

Mehmehmeh?!
Need prior warning!
Meh-mehhhhhh?!

Manana screams as the Bravery shoots off the edge of Erythia Sea and plummets.
In the Amphitheater, Z is alone with the voices, watching the scene on the screen.

Z

So you've come... Ouroboros.

♫

Young Warriors

At the bottom of the plunge is another body of water. The Bravery and its escort continue towards the vortex, through much choppier waves.

Sena
(shouting a warning)

Huh? Check it! The sea's looking funky!

Riku

It not only sea!

Purple lightning crackles within the vortex, and the Bravery is buffeted by wind and waves.

Manana

No-no-no! We going to get blown away!

Lanz

Ngh- We can hold on!

Noah

Something's
coming!

While the clouds of the vortex are too thick to see through, hints of the Origin structure can be seen reflected in the waves.

Taion

Out on the other side...
What is that?!

Mio

I sense Moebius... Lots of them, beyond the vortex...

A purple-glowing, metallic mass can just about be seen rising through the vortex. The lightning around it intensifies.

Mio

It must be... Origin!

Lanz

So that shadow, that's what we're after?!

Eunie

It's sparking ginormous!

Taion

Easily ten times the size of a Castle...

Noah

The place where everything began...
Origin.
The Kevesi Queen is there...
Not to mention...

In the Amphitheater, Z watches on.

Z

Why even resist...?
When you could simply resign yourself to the flow...

He slowly rises from his seat and steps into the aisle.

Z

The endless now is our cherished wish.
Any resisters will be pacified, and returned to the perpetual cycle...

As he raises his arms, the Amphitheater appears to glitch out around him, momentarily giving way to a foggy landscape with six glowing lights.

♫

Ferronis

Without warning, giant lasers shoot out from Origin in many directions. They strike around Aionios, destroying entire Ferronises in their path. A laser strikes a ship near the Bravery.

The party

(distressed screams)

The ships lose their cloaking. The party can see scenes of the destruction on land from the Bravery's video feed.

Eunie

Oh crap...

Lanz
(enraged)

Moebius mudders... What're they thinking?!

Sena

They're even shooting at Colonies that haven't been freed!

Taion

Taking potshots now?!

Eunie

They're still their allies!
Have they lost the plot?

Monica

You alive?

Monica appears on the feed.

Mio

Monica!

Ghondor

Just barely.
They dropped one of our ships...
How're you?

Monica stands on the bridge of a much larger structure with a view of the choppy sea.

Monica

We're holding out here.
Bastards... I can't believe they're firing at their own.
I thought we were the only ones they wanted gone.

Ghondor

Yeah...
If this keeps up, they'll as good as raze the entire world.

Lasers continue to fire from Origin as they speak.

Eunie

They're all about life, aren't they?

Mio
(affronted)

As long as they have Origin, they can keep on making more of us.
For them, this might just count as charging up.
Reveling in the final glimmers of our lives.

Mio's joint Moebius-Ouroboros Iris lights up.

Noah

They want us to flicker out...

Mio

When the last light fades, they're planning on starting over.
In a world without us.

Noah grimaces.

Lanz

That's all kinds of messed up.

Manana

Please to look there!

The video feed shows a line of Kevesi Levnises firing into the vortex.

Sena
(alarmed)

Isn't that...the Colony 30 detachment?!

Taion

But that's suicide!

Mio

Turn around!

Mio's urging comes too late — a single laser leaves the detatchment in flames as it sweeps through.

Z

Such drama...
So much unavoidable tragedy,
in order to preserve...the endless now...

Z looks up to the Amphitheater's ceiling with gesturing arms.

Z

Fear not. You need not grieve.
Lives come back around...
In due time, you will all be reborn once again...

Lasers continue to fire away upon Aionios. Another strikes near the Bravery.

♫

Origin Ascending

Manana

Meh-meeeeh!

Ghondor

Tch... Those punks are gettin' rowdy!

Taion

They do seem thoroughly committed to ensuring our deaths, yes.

Noah

Or maybe...
they're not even conscious of the whole notion of killing.

Taion

How so?

Noah

It's like a natural instinct...
To them, it's as basic as breathing...

Monica

Nice theory, kid, but don't make excuses for 'em.

Noah

Of course.

Monica

Heheh. All right then.
Ghondor!

Ghondor

Hmph. Guess it's time to pull out all the stops.
We'll play the decoy for ya!
You guys gun it, yeah?
Go and clear us out a path!
A path to give this world a future!

Noah
(not liking it, but he doesn't have a better option)

Ghondor...
We got it.
If we're gonna get to the vortex, we'll need your help!

Monica and Ghondor nod. Their video feed stops.

Noah

Riku, pass me the controls!

Riku

Aye-aye!

Noah

How's the engine doing?

Lasers continue to narrowly miss the Bravery and Lost Number ships.

Riku

Spick and span.
Admittedly, we lose some instruments to attack just now...
but engine proper is raring to go!

Noah

All right. Let's punch clear through!
Hold on to something!
It's gonna be a rough ride!

The Bravery's engine whines as it accelerates. A laser glances off Ghondor's ship.

Noah

Ghondor!

Ghondor

It's just a scratch. Keep goin'!
Mind your own ship, dag!

Noah "gah"s.

Riku

Distance to vortex rim, 300 and falling!
Powering shields to max!

A beehive-like shield appears around the Bravery's front.

Riku

Noah! When punch through, open throttle to full!
We climb up flow in one big swell!

Noah

Roger that!

As the Bravery nears the vortex, it begins to rise into the sky, shooting up towards its top. A laser strikes, but the shield holds. Noah grunts as he holds full forward and the engines roar.

Noah

Kh... We can't...take much more!

Ghondor

Get in, Ouroboros!

The Bravery shoots up vertically as it crests the top of the vortex. Its engines cut off, and it enters freefall above Origin.

Noah

Over there... The center!
Riku! Deploy the ram!

Riku

Riku on it!

The Bravery rotates in midair to face downward, as a glowing, knife-like ram emerges from its front. Its engines fire as it plummets down towards the top of Origin.

Noah

We've got a clear shot!
Here goes!

The Bravery punches clean through layers of metal, landing in a pool of water within Origin. The lasers stop and the vortex clears, revealing Origin for all to see — a writhing, twisting sphere of purple-glowing metal, with a head-like protrusion.

♫

Impending Crisis

Ghondor sends a video feed to the Bravery's cabin.

Taion

Origin...

Eunie

Almost like a Ferronis, huh?

Mio

The original Ferronis...

Noah

This one's the first?

Mio

Not just first... I think all Ferronises
derived from this one right here.

The party exits the Bravery's cabin and looks around. The inside is metallic and intricate, glowing purple with the occasional purple electric spark. Introductory camera sweeps over the Origin Interior play.

Lanz
(in awe)

Whoa...
So this is what it's like on the inside...
It's all just...machines, and more machines...

Taion

I also see...trace amounts of the black fog.

Sena feels the floor's material.

Sena

Hey, this metal... It's like Noah's sword!

Noah checks for himself.

Noah

You're right. It is the same.

Eunie

Mio, you know what's in here?

Mio

Sorry, no.
Whenever we teleported, it was always to a large, dim room.
I think that was Z's doing, to keep the location secret.

Eunie
(crossing arms)

Well...
Guess we're searching the old-fashioned way, then.

Noah

What about the other Moebius?
Anything?

Mio

About that...
It's odd.

♫

Those Who Devour Life

Mio

It's like they're right here beside me,
but also far away.
I feel like I'm surrounded by them on all sides.

Lanz

Well... This is the enemy base and all.
Kinda makes sense.

Mio

Or maybe...
this whole place...floor, walls and ceiling...
Everything here could be Moebius.

The party gasps. Noah's sword is vibrating.

Taion

Is it them?!

Noah

No...
The transmission pattern's different.
This feeling... It's like it's calling to us.

Sena

You think it's...the Kevesi Queen?

Noah

Maybe.

Mio

Where, then? Can you tell?

Noah draws Lucky Seven and slowly points it in different directions. When he points it downward, it vibrates with an audible hum.

Noah

Below.

Taion

Do we go, Noah?

Noah

Yeah. Let's go.
It's all been leading to this.

Those Who Thwart Hope

♫

Quiet Intrigue

N sits under a spotlight on the Amphitheater stage, as motionless as ever. Z stands before him; between them, a new sword — not unlike Lucky Seven and N's previous sword — is planted into the ground.

Z

You who wield the Sword of the End.
The endless now is under threat of being cut short.
Could you do it, I wonder?
Could you slay the ones who advance relentlessly toward despair?
You do after all desire eternity... above all others.

N's eyes stir.

Z

Now. Take it in your hand.
For the endless now. For that which you so desire.

N slowly raises his head and stands. He grips the sword and holds it before his face, and his Moebius Iris burns.

The Battle with N

The party has arrived at the Eternal Prison. Its many doors open as they approach and walk in.

Noah

Over there...!

At the far end of the hall is Melia, held in a crucifix-like position. She does not appear to be conscious. The party rushes up to where she hangs.

♫

Against the World

Lanz

Man, that's our Queen, Melia.

Mio

That's vile... How could they do this to her?

Taion

With all we've seen of Moebius...
I'd put nothing past them.

Sena

We have to release her!

Noah

Yeah.

As Noah puts his hand to his sword, a voice rings out.

N

Took you long enough...

Noah

I know that voice...
It's N.

N walks over from the party's left, placing himself between them and Melia. Dark circles line his already-dead-appearing eyes.

Noah
(matter-of-factly)

You look unwell.
Like me...
When you had us locked up.

Noah remembers his own wretched state, the night before Mio/M's Homecoming.

N
(darkly)

Heh.
Got my just deserts?
Well don't you look smug, with my woman on your arm,
Noah...

Noah

Does this face really look smug to you?

Noah's expression is more pitying, if anything.

N

What else would you call it, huh?

Mio
(also pitying)

N...

Noah

Poor clod. You don't understand anything...

N

You cannot have the Queen.
She is the fulcrum of Origin itself.
By my very existence, I will keep her from you.

Lanz

Well that's not gonna happen.
Our schedule's tight enough as is.

Eunie
(cross)

And also, this is *our* Queen you're talking about!
So get ready for a right royal thrashing!

Taion
(a little softer)

You're effectively a part of Noah himself.
We'd really rather not hurt you.

Sena
(assertively)

But, we will if we have to.
'Cause if you get in our way, then Moebius or not,
we're throwing out all the stops and then some!

N

Hmph.
Don't fool yourselves. Willpower alone won't change the world.

N gets in his battle stance.

Noah

We'll prove you wrong.
You'll see. Watch.

N

You cannot hope to win.
Not while I stand here, at the brink of the void.

Noah

Void...

N

Hm?

Noah

That's just...
your grief.

N

What?

Noah
(not unkindly)

It's called sadness, N.

N

(aggrieved grunt)

Noah

We came here...for you.
To honor M's wishes.
And to rescue you from your sorrow!

N

To rescue me...?
What meaning does that tripe hold for me?
Now that all is past, why should it matter?

Noah doesn't answer, although his face still shows obvious pity.

♫

Noah and N

N

If you don't know, then let me teach you.
I'll drag you with me...
Deep into the void! To the depths of despair!

The party draws their weapons, and the fight begins.

Regret and Hope

♫

Blade - Those Who Know Fear

The fighting has stopped, though both sides are still standing.

Noah
(angrily)

I'll ask again...
Why did you do it?
Tell me! How could you murder the City's people?
Just think... They were the lives of your own kin!

N

My own kin...?
You're wrong.
They were nothing but mere chaff.

Noah

What?

N
(gesturing wildly)

They were superfluous for us Moebius living in the now.
Furthermore! All those lives wouldn't have existed without me!

Noah "ugh"s in frustration. The rest of the party looks stunned.

N

As their original creator, I held dominion over their lives and deaths!

Noah

Listen to yourself!
Tell me... What about M, then...?
What about the love *Mio* had for them?!

N
(with increasing madness)

Mio...!
Mio! Mio! Mio!!!

N points his sword at Noah.

N
(screaming hoarsely)

You're the one who couldn't protect her!
In the end you were powerless!
And now she's gone...!
How could you?! Answer me!!!

Noah's expression remains unchanged, despite the sword half a metri from his throat.

Noah

You really don't know? Don't you understand anything?
I don't get it!
Why, N... Why do you keep punishing yourself like this?!

N

(wracking sob)

Noah
(firmly)

You took the wrong path,
and then you had to walk it alone...
You just messed up...
You messed up royally!

Noah remembers N's figurative forking path. N growls resentfully.

Noah

Regret owns you...

N

What do you know...?

Noah

"If only I'd made the right choice..."
"If what happened, hadn't..."
Clinging to the past, obsessively...
You just had to keep walking that path.
What you've become...is "regret" itself!

N
(derisively)

Really. And what does that make you, then...?

Noah

I am...
All of us... We're hope.

N
(mirthlessly)

They're hope, he says...
Ha-hah! What lofty heights of arrogance.
Like some self-proclaimed savior?

Mio

Not at all. They're the words of the one you held most dear.

N

Huh?!

N remembers how Mio held their son — seeing the face of the past Mio in that of the present.

N

That's her...inside there?

Noah

She felt regret... Just like you did.

The scene of M considering casting herself off Hope's Rest shows briefly.

Noah

And yet, she had hopes for the future.
That's why she left everything to Mio.

M's final smile is shown. N stares at Mio.

♫

Noah and N (part 2)

N
(with audible despair)

This "Hope" of yours...
How can there be anything like it?!
In this world, there is nothing but the void!

N reenters his battle stance, sword charging up power in its sheath.

N

Peer now into it, and watch your precious hope crumble to nothing!

A wave of power emanates from N. Noah flinches.

Noah

I'm trying to tell you...!
That's just the sadness, speaking through you!

The party draws weapons and reengages.

Meeting Queen Melia

♫

The Bereaved and Those Left Behind

N has been thrown backward by an attack. He barely stays on his feet, gasping in exhaustion and pain. Mio steps forward, dismissing her weapons. The other party members are surprised, but do not interfere, and also dismiss their weapons as Mio approaches N.

Mio

"I want to be with you forever"...
Those words back then were the truth.
It's what she really wished for...

N
(mostly to himself)

Yes, that's right...
I wasn't... I wasn't mistaken.
When I tried to give her eternity, that was the correct choice...
And you ruined it...!

Mio
(interrupting)

Because you've changed!

N gasps.

Mio
(sorrowfully)

You still don't understand?
You were together so long... How can you not get it?!

Flashes of Mio's pre-M lives show.

Mio

She wanted you to go back,
back to the name "Noah"...

N's eyes widen in surprise.

Mio

She wanted you to call her
by the name "Mio"...

N

Why...?
Why are you the ones
who get to stand there together...?
In this world, edge to bleeding edge filled with sorrow...

Noah walks forward to Mio's side.

Noah

Perhaps...
we just got lucky.

N

"Got lucky"...?

Noah

Trace it to chance encounters.
I've met...so many people.

Images of so many people flash by — Guernica, Ethel, Monica, Ghondor, Shania, and Crys.

Noah

Lanz, Eunie, Taion, Sena, Riku and Manana...
My friends have been invaluable.

The others walk forward too, until they all stand together.

Noah

And of course,
I met Mio, too.
There's a very small difference,
between you and me.
If I had been in your shoes,
I'm sure I would have chosen the same.

N

You would, would you...?

Noah
(more proudly)

Yeah...
But not any more.
Mio and my friends
and not just them,
but the other Mio, and the other me...
Every person I have met... has shaped me and changed who I am.
Thanks to them, I can choose the future.

N

Even if you do succeed at returning the world to its original form,
there's no guarantee you'll live long enough to enjoy it.
What about that?
Do you still intend to persist regardless...?

Noah

Yeah, we will.
We'll fight our way out of these ten years.
That's all.

Mio

N...
You were just like us once, an Ouroboros, fighting for the future.
But one day, you gave up on it,
and made the choice to protect the "now".
But you know, that's OK too!
To protect, and to endure... They're shapes a wish can take...

Mio

And I, I knew exactly what that meant.

N sees a brief vision of M where Mio stands, M's voice mingled in Mio's words.

N

Mio...

Noah walks forward and extends a hand.

Noah

Won't you come with us?
You could try - try to move forwards again.

N

After so long...?

Noah

It's what you both wanted, right?
Well then... Easy choice.

Tearing up, N slowly takes Noah's hand. As he does, their hands glow where they touch, and both of their Irises light up. The scene becomes one of N standing before a single path. He steps forward and walks on.
Meanwhile, Noah can be seen in a white void. His Iris glows, now with the same dual Moebius-Ouroboros pattern as Mio's.
In the Eternal Prison, N has disappeared.

Lanz

What in the...?

Sena

He vanished...

Taion

What exactly does this mean...?
Noah?

Eunie

Is he...dead, or what?

Noah remains standing with his hand outstretched. He ponders it momentarily.

Noah

No... He's fine.

Taion

Fine in what sense?

Noah doesn't answer, but shares a nod with Mio.

Noah

For now, let's do what we came for.

As the party walks towards Melia, the bonds holding her in place evaporate away, and she floats downward until she stands on the floor. After a few seconds, she opens her eyes.

The party

(astonished breaths)

♫

Melia - Ancient Memories

Queen Melia
(serenely)

I had...
a long dream.
A very, very long dream.
In my dream, youths were fighting.
And as many times as they fell,
they always got back up again.
A dream of young people, simply trying to survive...

Noah

Majesty...

Queen Melia

Noah...correct?

He nods.

Queen Melia

I have been watching you,
all this time, through the eyes of my simulacrum.

Short scenes from the party's fight against the fake Melia play.

Queen Melia

Well done making it here.

Noah

The Queen of Agnus is already free.
Now you are too.
And now...
that leaves only him.

Queen Melia

You mean... Z?

Noah

Yes.

Queen Melia

About Z...
He is not a person,
but a concept.

Noah

Concept?

Queen Melia

Everyone can feel uncertain, frightened...
These feelings, coagulated,
and then given human form, are Z.
Unlike those people who were granted a Moebius body,
he is a true Moebius.

Noah

Sounds ominous...

Taion

So he's not even an individual?

Queen Melia

He is and he isn't.
There is some Moebius within you, too.
But...perhaps you've realized that?

Noah sighs.

Queen Melia

Your Aionios...lies in frozen time.
Born from the Moebius wish that chose the endless now.

Taion

So then, both us and the world...
Everything that exists, it's all false?

Melia shakes her head.

Queen Melia

Everything that exists is reality.

As Melia speaks, many scenes briefly flash by — the party raging at O and P, fighting back against M, fighting the fake Melia, and meeting the various people of the City.

Queen Melia

Present lives,
and future ones...
Moebius aside, the wills of countless people persist...
inside of Origin.
The Sword of the End you carry, and Ouroboros, they take their shape from these thoughts.
Protect the now, or carve a path to the future? The wielder decides.

Noah looks at his sword.

Queen Melia

The future is undeniable.
But you must realize your own.
I've seen what you've done. You can do this too.

She looks over the party as they stand resolutely.

Queen Melia

Very well. There remains but one more thing I have to say to you.
Noah.
Mio.
Lanz.
Sena.
Taion.
Eunie.

Each party member breathes as she says their name.

Queen Melia

This world...is yours.

They all nod.

Queen Melia

Further below this point lies the nucleus of Origin.
You will find Z there.
I shall return to the Castle, and free the soldiers from the Flame Clock's bondage.
Otherwise, their lives will only feed Z's power.

Lanz

Nice thinking, Your Majesty!
Countin' on ya!

Sena

Oh, uh, will you need an escort...?

Queen Melia
(with just a hint of pride)

I would think not.
Might you have forgotten who I am?

She summons her staff and holds it aloft. Its head glows blue with ether, and the glow surrounds Melia's body. Riku smiles and nods at Melia; she nods back before disappearing in a puff of ether.

Lanz

Whoa... Awesome!

Noah steps forward and addresses the others.

Noah

All right. This will be the last battle.
We're all gonna make it through this, I promise!

Eunie

Yeah!
This new world, sounds like a blast.

Sena

There's no way we can lose!

Mio

We're strong now. Just look how far we've come together.

Taion

The world is in our hands.

Lanz

Right!
Let's grab it, and hold tight!

Manana and Riku nod. Noah does too.

♫

The Two Queens of Aionios

Outside Origin, Kevesi and Agnian Levnises and Ferronises alike fire upon their target.

Monica
(to herself)

What a sight, the worlds fighting together.
If you'd told me I'd live to see it, I'd have never believed it.
Hehe.

Monica
(addressing the room)

The time has come for the City to mobilize!
Keves, Agnus - support them all!
Gilgamesh, deploy!

A giant airship drops from the bottom of the Ferronis that is the City. It starts its engines and unfurls as it falls from below Erythia Sea, revealing massive bird-like wings. It flies towards Origin. Monica communicates with Ghondor via video feed.

Monica

Ghondor!

Ghondor
(ticked)

What is it now?
And can you not use that name?

Monica

We're ready to launch a full offensive on Origin.
Back us up!

Ghondor
(snarkily)

Mother, dear...
Like I wasn't gonna do that anyway!

The Lost Number ships that accompanied the Bravery fall in formation alongside the Gilgamesh.

Monica

Our main goal is ultimately defense.
Only destroy weapons on the outer rim.
Noah and the others are heading for the core.
Leave the middle intact.

Ghondor

Screw that up and we can't restore the world, right?
Roger, Wilco!

Use the South Sector Passage elevator

Sena

Actually getting to meet both Queens... Isn't this crazy, Mimi?!

Mio

Too true, Sena... Just a few months ago, It'd have been unimaginable...

Moebius's Leader

♫

Immediate Threat

In a dark room, the angry red lights of Origin defense systems flash on. Around the party, doors open to reveal a large number of defense units. The party wordlessly draws their weapons and engages.

Mother and Daughter Join the Fight

♫

Young Warriors

The Kurria Flaks the party is fighting fall to pieces on the floor. After a moment, more come from around the corner.

Lanz

Sparks' sake, there's no end to 'em!

Eunie

Well we are in the wringer here...

Taion

I had accounted for this, but these numbers...

Noah

I know. But it's the only way!

Mio

Right. The core shouldn't be too far now!

Sena

C'mon, hang in there!

As they appropach, a giant metallic something crashes through the wall and sweeps them away.

Noah

(surprised gasp)

When the dust clears, the intruder appears to be a portion of the Gilgamesh. Monica steps out and approaches the party.

Monica
(nonchalantly)

Oh good, looks like we managed not to hit you.

Noah

Monica!

Monica

We've been trying to aim for the highest energy signatures.
Score one for us.

Noah

Good call!

The ground rumbles as the Gilgamesh removes itself. Monica looks back and nods as it flies away.

Noah

You're not going back?

Monica

Hm? Well, y'know...
I got curious, and wanted to see the face of our real enemy with my own eyes, so...
Here I am.

No sooner does she finish speaking than a Lost Number Levnis fly in through the fresh hole in the Origin wall.

Ghondor

I thought I'd drop by, since the attacks wouldn't let up...
And what do I see but you dags having a picnic.

Ghondor strolls up.

Sena

Ghondor!

Ghondor

The Queen?

Noah

We got her out safely.
It's just us and Z...
Our real enemy, finally.

Ghondor
(not a question)

Right on.
Then, you won't mind a little company.

Sena

What are you coming for?

Ghondor

"What for"? Well, y'know...
The head honcho's biggin' it up in there, ain't he?
I got curious. Gotta see the big bad with my own eyes, right?

The party

(stifled laughter)

Monica shakes her head, while Ghondor raises an eyebrow.

Ghondor

Huh? You wanna clue me in on the joke?

Noah
(chuckling)

Sorry!
Déjà vu... Or something like that.

Ghondor
(not getting it)

Huuuh?!

Noah

Thank you.
Thanks to you, now I can say definitively, there are things in this world

He holds his fist out in a salute.

Noah

we must protect.

Monica and Ghondor follow suit.

The Final Fight - X

Only plays if Side Story: Eunie has been completed.

As the party walks through, X teleports in to their side.

♫

Moebius

Consul X

Hmph. Look at all you roaches, scurrying out of the woodwork. You've got some guts, Ouroboros.

Eunie

X...

Consul X transforms into Moebius X.

Moebius X

You want Z, right? Well, you can't have him.

X summons her weapon — a large scythe. The party does so too.

Eunie

You still think you're calling the shots here?
I'll prove you wrong, once and for all.

♫

Moebius Battle 2

The Final Fight - Y

♫

Moebius

Y, in Moebius form, blocks the path.

Mio

Y...

The party rushes to confront him.

Moebius Y

Warm welcomes to you, Ouroboros! Long have I waited.

Sena

Mimi...

Mio nods.

Mio

We'll end it here.

They draw their weapons.

♫

Moebius Battle 2

Moebius Y

Well then. Let us verify the truth of this.

Enter Central Sector Passage

Taion

This fight isn't ending any time soon... Eunie, are you feeling all right?

Eunie

I'm fine, innit. You haven't chipped a nail or anything, have you?

Enter the Amphitheather

Mio

Noah. The time has come.

Noah

Yeah. Time to change the world.

Point of No Return

Noah

Z's waiting for us beyond here.

Lanz

Finally, we can wallop some sense into him.

Noah

There's no turning back once we proceed past this point.
Are we all ready.

Go through the door?

Yes

Mio

Come on. Let's go.

Everyone nods in agreement.

No

The Showdown with Z

The doors to the Amphitheater's hall open. The party, Monica and Ghondor included, takes a long moment to steel themselves. Noah and Mio share a nod, and they all walk inside.
Meanwhile, in Colony 4, Bolearis watches the other colonies attack Origin via Iris. He turns back to shout at soldiers manning an enormous, but inactive, engine.

Bolearis
(full drill sergeant mode)

Come on now, you lot!
It's time for Colony 4 to show off its fangs!
So what're you loafin' around for?!
Get your arses in gear!

Keves soldier
(stuttering)

S-s-sorry, boss! It's just, th-the engine's conked out and won't start!

Bolearis

Then *kick* the mudder till it does!
You gotta be firm! Really give it some elbow grease here!

Keves soldier

Sir, that's insane! This is a delicate instrument!

Bolearis

Delicate, my arse!

He walks over and gives it a few kicks.

Bolearis

Whack it! Smack it!
Show it who's sparking boss!

Keves soldier

I'm telling you, you can't just kick it and...

The machine whirrs and rumbles as it starts up.

Bolearis

Well lookee here, guess I'm the boss!

Keves soldier

...Is this a joke?

Bolearis
(hands on hips)

Alllll right!
Now we can come out swingin'! Who's with me?!

all Keves soldiers

Yeah!

Bolearis

We owe our lives to 'em.
Now's the time to show 'em how *we* shine!
C'mon, full throttle!
Can't let the other colonies steal our thunder now!

Colony 4 advances.
As the party walks down the Amphitheater aisle, they hear the whispering voices.

Noah

Where...are we?

♫

Grand Theater of Life

Projected on the screen are scenes from the party's journey. And standing on stage, watching the screen, is none other than Z.

Noah

Z...

Mio breathes.

Sena

We found him...at last.

Z

How many times is it now...
that I...and you... have confronted each other here like this...?

Z turns to face the party.

Z
(grandiose)

Yes, you're welcome to come on up.
How many incarnations? How many ascents into the spotlight?

The party walks on to the stage.

Z

And once again, I shall endeavor to ask this of you...
Tell me...why not resign yourself to the flow?

Noah
(sarcastically)

It's unfortunate... Sounds like my memory isn't all that.

Z

You have come to stop the flow, have you not?
This march of time, stilled for eternity.
You intend to stop it by removing me.

Lanz

So is it flowing, or is it stopped?
You're not making any sense, mate.

Eunie

Basically, if we can take you down, the world kicks up again.
At least, that's what I'm picking up from all that.

Z

Human desires can be... much likened to a river flowing.
All humanity yearns for it...
The endless now.
That is why I'm here, you'll find.
My existence alone... It is proof and evidence.

Taion

Cut the crap.
Who in the world would possibly wish for this?
I refuse to be controlled by you!

Lanz
(threateningly)

Although, thanks to the stunts you pulled, we managed to twig on to a whole lotta stuff.
We learned how best to use the time we have.
And for that, you get a real good thanking.

Noah

You said it.
Though ten years is a mere glimpse, we now know the importance...of true choice.
We'll build it for ourselves.
A world with the freedom to choose!

Mio

Not a hollow world of fiction like this one!
Everyone wants a reality that they can believe in!

Z

Freedom is nothing more than fiction... A deception.
Those with power, those who can choose think nothing of it.
What then of those who cannot choose?

The scenes projected on the screen turn to Joran's hapless lives.

Z

What about the meek and frail?
Not everyone is granted as many options as you all have!
Will you share? Give them some of yours?
Will you call that charity?
Or compassion? Will you show it?
Imagining them who are granted it to be thus satisfied?
Imagining not a piece of wretchedness to remain?

Sena, Monica, and Ghondor gasp as the projections turn to Shania.

Z

Making the best possible choices under duress. Living the best life.
There are no losers in the world I offer.
With a turn of the clock, anyone can be a winner, given the time.

Sena
(furious)

The only thing we ever do is take lives! There is no winning!
You can't just invent some rule!

♫

Z - Harbinger of the End

Z

Why do you recoil from taking lives?
The world itself has set this rule - why...resist?
It is through consumption of life that this world persists.
Denying it is self-delusion. The only outcome, self-destruction.
It is unequivocal fact!
The imperative that is intrinsic to all living things!
The source of our power, and of all living things, lies therein.
Young, spirited people, trading lives, aiming for new, ever-loftier heights with each new day...
That explosive motive power is something we lack.
The essence - of life!

Z raises his arms and looks skyward.

Z

And we are here...to express ourselves as an embodiment of life!

Consuls — or at least illusions of Consuls — suddenly teleport in to the Amphitheatre seats, applauding.

Noah

So that's it... That's what you're getting at...
And just for that...you gave those two an impossible choice?!

N's forking path projects onto the screen.

Noah

Is that why you made Joran and Crys into Moebius?!

The party's confrontations with Joran and Crys are projected.

Z
(with a smile)

...Of course.
As for the why...
It's because it amuses me!

Taion
(grimacing)

(appalled gasp)

The audience continues to applaud.

Z

The action-packed drama of your lives... We are its foremost audience!
Now then, play it out for me. What will the next act entail?
Bereavement? Or revenge?
A revolution, perchance...
This world is never boring.
Not while your lives continue to make it so effervescent!

Lanz

I'll end him...!

Mio

I just got it.

Noah

Huh?

Mio

Fighting in order to live...
The words Miyabi left me with...
Now... This is exactly when they were for.

Eunie

Yeah... Mio's got it right.
At first it was all fun and games.
When we got Ouroboros powers, we were just like, happy to get to live a little longer.
That was it.

Lanz

But now,
things're different.

Sena

We learned that for many, there aren't any choices on the table at all.
Because they were taken from them, by a bunch of crusty old mudders.

Taion

The strength you talk about is all just smoke and mirrors.
Real strength is different!

Noah

That's right.
Knowing when to be close and when to let go...
Walking together, eventually choosing who you really are...
That is strength.
And that's the real battle here...
To find that answer!

Noah, Mio, and the rest of the party summon their Blades.

Noah
(shouting)

The will to choose our actions, moment to moment.
And if you dare denounce that common right,
we will defy you!
To live in a future...over which you lay no claim!

Z rises into the air, and the projection screen goes blank.

For the script of the subsequent fight, see Script of Xenoblade Chronicles 3/Chapter 7/Final boss § Z.

Royal Commands

Noah

This...is all a sham!

Noah runs towards Z and pierces the floor before him with Lucky Seven. Purple spiderweb cracks emanate out across the stage and up the Amphitheater walls. Purple smoke appears to burst from the cracks, and the "Moebius" in the audience evaporate. As the entire room glows purple, Z too evaporates, seemingly in pain, followed by the Amphitheater. The party finds themselves surrounded by writhing purple smoke.

Noah

Is this...
Z's true form?
Or...Origin's?!

In front of the party, the smoke condenses into the form of Z's head, several times taller than a person. The head — Z∞ — speaks with Z's voice, although deep and distorted.

Z∞
(frustrated)

Why do this...?
If you restart Origin, time in perpetuity will flow once more.
The opposing worlds will overlap. What lies beyond is oblivion.
You ought to be aware of this.
Yet even knowing it, you advance toward the future.
Why?!

Noah
(self-assuredly)

Why...? Hah.
Let me turn it around for you.
How can you be so sure?
There should be a future where it doesn't happen!

Z∞
(angered)

No such thing exists.
The present is all.
The present is all we need...
That is our unyielding wish!

♫

Impending Crisis

Under a reddened sky, the metal atop Origin rises into the air. From its core, Z∞ and the party rise as well. The metal reshapes itself into two wing-like structures, sprouting glowing tendrils, and a helmeted head. From the wings, metallic drones fly out. The party's platform becomes the metallic beast's torso. The drones begin firing lasers in all directions, blasting clean through Ferronises. The City is hit in its location under Erythia Sea; it is not destroyed, but there is panic in the streets as rubble falls from above. People are seen taking shelter with their loved ones in Memorial Hall.
Melia teleports in to the Keves Castle Throne Room. She sets her staff on the ground, and a green light emanates out from it, passing through Fort O'Virbus and the Kevesi colonies. Across Aionios, the Flame Clocks disappear from Kevesi soldiers' eyes, and the Flame Clock atop Keves Castle goes out.
Within the Throne Room, Melia addresses a small group of Kevesi soldiers standing at attention. The message is seemingly broadcast throughout Aionios.

Queen Melia

Hear me, my loyal subjects.
Starting imminently, we shall commence a full attack on Origin.
The battle is not a fabrication.
It is a fight to seize control of our lives!
I need you now. Entrust your lives
to your rightful Queen, Melia Antiqua!

Keves soldiers (in the room)

(roars of triumph)

Keves soldiers (remotely)

(roars of triumph)

The soldiers in the room disperse, and the broadcast ends. Melia's throne rises into the air. She places her staff into the floor before the throne. The protrusions on the staff head become wing-like lines with circular motifs. Holographic controllers appear around Melia's wrists and in front of the throne, and at her command, the entire lower section of Keves Castle swings backward, reshaping itself into a giant mech with ethereal glowing wings. The mech slowly accelerates towards Origin.
Meanwhile, Nia too washes green light across Aionios, and the Agnian Flame Clocks disappear. The Cloudkeep appears above Agnus Castle. Nia plants her own sword in the ground, and the structure in the Sanctum lights and crackles with electricity. Nia summons her own holographic controllers, and Agnus Castle begins to move.

♫

The Two Queens of Aionios

The castle reveals itself as a mech in the form of a giant robed figure, and the Cloudkeep comes down to form its crown. Nia speaks to her subjects via broadcast.

Queen Nia

Right now, inside Origin,
there are people fighting against all odds, to create a future for us all.
Those brave ones, they want to teach us the true meaning of life.
For the future they dare to forge...
Let us join the path that they showed us!
Let us join the fight!

The Agnus Castle mech flies off to Origin. Origin is buffeted on all sides by attacks from countless colonies.

Bolearis
(proudly)

Look at all those Colonies, fighting as one...
Now that is a sight...
If we can just come out on top today...
Commander... We'll do it.
We'll build it for you!
A new world for every one of us!

Colony 4's Ferronis fires an intense laser which destroys an Origin drone. The castles-turned-mechs have joined in the fight, each firing powerful volleys, and Agnus Castle even using its Annihilator. Melia and Nia communicate from their positions via video feed.

Queen Melia

It has been a while, Nia, Queen of Agnus.
I am in your debt, across the centuries.

Queen Nia

Nonsense. Don't mention it.
I simply did what needed doing, and entrusted the rest to the right people.

Queen Melia

I see that you're still...affecting that elocution.

Queen Nia
(with a hint of irony)

Oh my. It befits me not?

Queen Melia

Do not hide your stripes.

Queen Nia
(in her much thicker accent)

Hm!
All right...
Then let's thrash those goons, Melia!

Queen Melia

Gladly! Together!

♫

Congregating Lives

The tendrils from a wing of Origin strike at Keves Castle.

Queen Melia

The will of young people, weaving a future...
That is...the indispensable force that drives worlds forward.

Origin's drones fire upon Keves Castle, but are blocked by a yellow beehive shield from Agnus Castle.

Queen Nia

I know just how scary taking the first step can be.
And yet, it was young folks like that that set whole worlds in motion,
overcoming their own fears.

The drones focus on Agnus Castle as its Annihilator recharges, but several are destroyed by the Gilgamesh.

Queen Nia

In the hope,
that the future will birth more such people...

The Annihilator fires, but is blocked by Origin's drones forming a shield. Agnus Castle fires follow-up shots, which are also blocked. Keves Castle flies in close and delivers a punch to Origin before being attacked by tendrils. Rubble rains down upon the party, who shield themselves.

Z∞

I am afraid I cannot allow you to proceed!

As Z∞ speaks, its form takes upon that of Noah's head. Origin's tendrils strike at Agnus Castle.

Z∞

This world must remain in the endless now!

Noah

...Now I get it.
The true source of power, from which Moebius stems.
And why they so desperately seek the "endless now"...

Taion

Yes, I think I see it too.
What the Queen said...
There is some Moebius within us as well!

Z∞ morphs to imitate Taion's head.

Eunie

Yeah...
And it's our own selves.

Z∞ takes Eunie's face.

Eunie

We're scared of ourselves, and...we lose track.

It morphs into Sena's face.

Sena

We cut off our own way to the future!

Lanz

The possibilities!

It takes Lanz's, and then Mio's, faces.

Mio

In that case...
There's only one thing we can do.

Noah

To believe.
In the path we've walked this far!
And in the future that lies ahead!

Z∞ retakes the face of Z.

For the script of the subsequent fight phases, see Script of Xenoblade Chronicles 3/Chapter 7/Final boss § Z∞ (part 1), X∞, Y∞, and Z∞ (part 2).

Epilogue: Time Moves Again

Z∞ screams as it flings purple smoke in all directions. The party struggles to stay on their feet.

Taion

Ngh... What power...!
Crazy... This is the force of people's will?

Eunie

You taking the mick?
It's terrifying!
Not knowing how tomorrow will turn out,
how you will!

Mio

But still, you can't just hold it in place...!
If you did that, you'd never change...
You can't change the world like that!

Noah

That's why...I want to move on.
We'll claim the future, and shape it ourselves!

Z∞
(furious)

And when you cannot choose? What then?
In that desperate moment, who will be there to soothe you?

The party flinches from another wave of smoke.

Z∞
(increasingly wildly)

The self is all that exists!
As such,
the only cure for despair is total oblivion!
That is the face of the world!
I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it hate it hate it!
This rotten world... I LOATHE IT!!!

As Z∞ screams, its forehead emits a white light, increasing in intensity until nothing else can be seen. As far away as Colony 4, Bolearis and a soldier flinch from its radiance.

♫

How the Future Endures

Keves soldier

L-Lieutenant! What's that light?!

Bolearis
(astonished)

It's coming from inside Origin...
No... The cries of Moebius?
The sheer ferocity of it...
Noah... Mio...

From where the party stands, all they can see is Z∞ in visible agony, purple and black fog pouring into it, while rays in the scintillating backdrop seem to converge on it. Noah and Mio gasp as their Irises glow, and two ghostly figures leave their bodies — N and M. The two Moebius turn to Noah and Mio, smiling warmly.

Noah
(surprised)

N! M!

Taion

So he...*didn't* disappear back then?

Sena

Nuh-uh. They were inside, with us!
Think about it.
They're still really the same people!

N
(calmly)

We were conceived from regret.

Noah
(whispering)

Sorry...

N

Unlike you, who sprung forth from hope,
regret is our be-all and end-all.
"If only we'd made the right choice..."
"If only things had been different..."

M

Blindly, we never tried to change ourselves,
wishing only that the world would instead.
We clung to the egotistical dream, of being together forever...

Mio
(pleading)

But that's only natural!
Anyone would wish for that!
Nothing to be ashamed of!

M

Thank you.
But now...our prolonged existence here, it only serves to strengthen those within this frozen moment in time,
who would keep it thus.

They look back to where Z∞ writhes.

N

So you see, we have but one choice here.

Noah

Stop it, N! M!
Don't do it!
We'll think of a way to deal with Moebius!

M

What you see over there... It's not Z or Moebius.
But a single, intense desire.
Your thoughts, they can never affect a desire.
But we... We who embody that very same desire...

Noah
(begging)

You can just stay here!
Please, stay!
Walk this world with us. We can walk it together!

Mio
(with extended arms)

Noah's right! You've done enough!
You don't have to do this!
You could finally be here together!

N

Such kindness.
Your eyes, they brim with it...
I ask myself... Were our eyes the same, on that day...?

Brief flashes from Noah and Mio's past lives of happiness show. N and M link hands and begin to float away towards Z∞.

Noah

N...!

N

Noah, Mio...
Though we came from different worlds, we were able to leave a life behind.

M

It was a hope for the future.
Our hearts and our dreams intertwined,
and we were given the chance to weave new life.
And therefore... It's all good.

They share a nod before looking back to Noah and Mio.

N

Believe in yourselves.
All of you
will certainly reach
heights that we were unable to.

N and M recede even as Noah and Mio extend their hands to them.

N

You guys can surely...make it.

M

You can take our place...in the future.

N and M embrace, and rocket towards Z∞. Seconds after they strike, Z∞ screams and explodes into blinding light.

♫

Something's Beginning to Move

When the light fades, the party is standing upon a grassy landscape under a blue sky. Hanging in the sky are the translucent spheres of two worlds.

Noah

Z and the other Moebius...
They wanted to protect the world too.

Taion

That's why they created one they could control.
I see where they were coming from.

Lanz

That's something that...
we feel almost every day.

Eunie

Having to change...
To continue to change, that's sparkin' scary.

Mio

But...we can say this:
Even if we are reborn later,
right then, what we think and feel that moment is real.
To sacrifice that is never the right way.

Sena

If you can't be true to yourself, then you're doing something wrong.

Melia and Nia step forward.

Melia

Are you content? With your decision?

Noah vocalises, seemingly dissatisfied.

Nia
(fully serious)

Very soon, the stilled flow of time will restart.
You can change your mind, if you act now.

Lanz
(smiling incredulously)

Uh-uh-uh.
You did not just tell us to become Moebius.

Eunie
(grinning)

Yeah, can you even imagine...?

Eunie notices Noah's face.

Eunie
(You good?)

Uh, Noah?

Noah stares at the orbs in the sky, in thought.

Melia

Why are you wavering, Noah?

Noah

Some want to go on, and some want to stay...
In this world, there are so many mingled desires.
But do we... Does anyone have the right to choose?

Ghondor
(sassily)

Oh, don't you start minding us now.

The party turns to see Ghondor and Monica smiling behind them.

Ghondor
(genuinely)

Just having the chance to be born in that world you make,
that'll be plenty.
So, you know.
Ya just gotta do it your way.

Noah

Ghondor...

Ghondor

Uh, though if I can...
I might want a better name, eh.

Mio

Noah, all of us here want the same thing...
It's how the future should be.

Noah

Yeah... You're right.

Melia

The future is right there.
Believe in the actions you've taken, in your friends,
and above all,
you should believe in yourselves.

Noah
(smiling)

Well then... The answer's simple.

Melia and Nia share a nod. The party turns to look out at the orbs in the sky. Noah walks on forward.
The red lights on Origin's core switch to blue, with the party once again standing on the cloudy, metallic battlefield. They turn to watch as Agnus and Keves Castle fly by, and Mio shields her eyes with a smile as the sun comes out.
High atop Keves Castle, Noah ponders his sword.

Lanz
(shouting from a ways away)

Noah, c'mon!
Ain't got all day.

Noah

Yeah, I know.
Right with you!

Lanz leaves him to it, walking off. Noah presses his forehead to the sword in reflection, then flings it off Keves Castle into the waters below.

♫

Something's Beginning to Move

Noah turns away and walks back to where Lanz went.
The sun now hangs low on the horizon. Noah and Mio stand together.

Noah

...I realized, there's something I haven't said yet.

Mio

Oh yeah?

Noah

I haven't thanked you.

Mio

What's this now?

Noah

Thank you.
For sticking with me.
Without you by my side, I'd never have made it here.

Mio

Oh come on, you had to say that?

Noah
(frowning a little)

I'm serious here!

Mio
(smiling)

I know you are.

Noah

Huh?

They turn to face each other.

Mio

Listen, Noah... I feel just the same.
Without you, I think...my wishes would never have come true.

Noah

I see...
I guess so.

Mio

Mm. So I'll say it too...
Thank you, Noah. Truly.

♫

Where We Belong

The party has been standing upon a grassy field, watching the setting sun.

Lanz

We weren't half bad as a team, were we?

Sena

Yeah, uh...passable, for sure!

Lanz

Just "passable"?!
I'm sure you meant..."unsurpassable", right?

Sena giggles.

Sena
(teasing)

Oh, I think I'll let you decide the passing grade,
Lanzy.

Lanz
(unaffected)

Ah, come on, weirdo...

Sena
(pensively)

Guess...we won't be working out together any more.

Lanz

Yeah...
I'm not keeping tabs, but don't you slack off.

Sena

I am not gonna slack off!
I'll train every day, thinking of you.

Lanz

Yeah...
Same here.

They bump fists. Meanwhile, Taion hands Eunie a book.

Taion

Here.

Eunie

What's this?

She takes and opens it.

Taion

Herbal tea recipe.
You have to dry your own leaves... You should manage.

Eunie

Isn't this kinda, pointless?

Taion

Pointless?

Eunie

I mean, if the worlds are gonna drift apart again,
this paper won't last...

Taion chuckles. Eunie "Hmm?"s.

Taion
(proudly)

I considered that, of course.
The paper and the ink, it all comes from your world.

Eunie

And the leaves for the tea? Even those, and all?

Taion

What do you think?

Eunie

Heh, well check you out!

Taion

Who am I if not scrupulous?

Eunie

Who? Well... You're my best bud!
Fourth best, to be exact.

Taion
(caught fully off guard)

Only fourth?!
Huh? Wait a minute...
There's Noah...and Lanz...
D-did she count Joran?!
...Huh. Why am I only listing guys...?
J-just chill out, Taion!
Erm, uh...

Eunie looks at him with the smuggest of smirks.

Eunie

What's up? Is there a problem?

Taion

A-at least put me...
second, or even third...!
Fourth seems a little harsh...

Eunie
(chuckling)

I'll think about it.

Riku and Manana are embracing, tears comically pouring out of their eyes.

Manana

Rikuuuuuu!

Riku

Mananaaaaaa!

The others notice. Taion checks the pocketwatch he inherited from Nimue.

Taion

It is time.

The party's Agnian friends stand smiling on one side of the field, and the Kevesi on the other. The City denizens stand in between, behind the party. Mio and Noah turn back to one another.

Mio

Guess this is goodbye.

Noah

Yeah...
Still, even if we're worlds apart,
I swear I won't...

Mio

I won't let go.
Not ever. I'll always be with you.
Our feelings...forever interlinked.

They take each other's hands.

Noah

Wherever we are...

Mio

Yeah. Wherever we are...

The two kiss, framed by the setting sun. Meanwhile, Melia and Nia stand atop their castles.

Melia

Our worlds in their current states...are still young.
If in passing, they do themselves harm,
I suppose, even then they cannot but carry on.

Nia

Still, I have faith.
Even if now, we become separated for a time,
one day we'll surely
get to walk hand-in-hand again...

A painting in Melia's bedroom slides away to reveal an elaborate, mechanical red sword. Melia looks upon it with a smile.

Melia

Everyone... Thank you.

In the Cloudkeep, the mysterious industrial structure opens up to reveal a robotic girl. She runs to Nia and the two share a grin. On the table is an image of a large family, Nia included.

Nia

I will see you soon, then.

Noah and Mio's kiss finally breaks as the two slowly drift apart, though their feet remain stationary. The two reach for each other as they separate, faces fallen. Around them, the ground carries the Kevesi to the right even as it carries the Agnians to the left. Noah and Mio make a desperate run for each other, followed by the rest of the party, but the separation accelerates and they cannot meet. They are forced to stop as they reach a cliff at the edge of their landscape.

Noah
(shouting across)

One day...!
I'll come see you!
I promise!

Mio
(shouting back)

Me too!
One day...!
I promise!

Both sides wave as they watch each other recede into the distance.

Noah
(narrating)

This...is the truth of our world.
Memories melt in the morning light, and then, a new day begins.

The landscape on which the Agnians stood fades entirely from view. The Kevesi continue to look in their direction, smiling.

Noah
(narrating)

Roads stretch out before us.
So many paths.
Which do you choose? That's up to you.
Sometimes, you might run astray.
You'll stop, maybe cry in frustration.
But, you know, that's all right.
For the roads... They go on without end.
So look up, face forward, toward your chosen horizon...
And just...
walk on.

The staff credits roll.

♫

Melia - Ancient Memories

♫

Nia - Toward the Heavens

♫

Hope for the Future

In a busy town square, a large clock strikes 6, bell ringing out. The young Noah exhales as a flock of doves flies above him. People mill about and children play in a nearby fountain.

Lanz

Noah!
What're you doing, man?
They'll start the fireworks without us!

Lanz, Joran, and Eunie — appearing as they did at the game's start — shout to Noah from across the square.

Eunie

Get a move on already, or all the good spots'll be taken!

Joran
(jumping and waving)

Exactly! So c'mon, move it!

Noah

Sorry! I zoned out for a sec.
I'm coming...!

The three run off to where fireworks fly into the air. Noah runs after them, but stops when he hears a low flute ring out.

♫

Noah and Mio - Our Melody

The music appears to come from an alleyway, though nobody seems to be playing it, and nobody else notices. Noah stares open-mouthed as a high flute line joins the low one, and he walks on towards the music.

As the morning sun rises,
my lingering memories fade.

I no longer see your silhouette.
It's too far gone into the haze.

But, hey... it's all right.

I won't forget you. Not until we can meet again...

I swear it.