Hyperion's Dirge

Ah, Traveler from another land, it is you.

Thanks to you, my soul has become whole, and I now recall everything. Incredible.

Perhaps you already know that in the distant past, there was only a great darkness in Byakuyakoku, and that those who lived there dwelt in fear of the Dragonheirs of the Depths.

Back then, it was I who organized the construction of the Dainichi Mikoshi, and thus did Byakuyakoku obtain a cyclical night and day, and thus did the name "Byakuya" come about.

It was said that: "Now that the Dainichi Mikoshi has been built, though this land is in everlasting night, we can at least tell black from white."

How mortifying then, that before the shreds of my soul were reunited, I could not even remember that day when the people crowded around the completed Dainichi Mikoshi.

It should have been my fondest memory.

But alas...

Alas what?

When Dainichi Mikoshi was built, the Dragonheirs were defeated, repelled by a light that they were unused to. Thus did the people regain peace of mind.

But the moment peace began to reign... Ah, the human heart is hard to comprehend. Who knew then that they would have begun to nurse such evil intent?

O Traveler from afar, I am certain that you know how voracious villains will seize for themselves riches and power if given the chance... more than they ever deserved!

And so they used the people, leading them unto the worship of the Dainichi Mikoshi, leading them into the folly of believing in such vain and dead objects.

In the end, they even proclaimed the rule of the "Sunchild"Phaethon over the land.

The Sunchild?

Indeed. There will always be a young infant chosen to be the Sunchild.

Of course, such children would not have been of age to understand the world. They would not have been fit to rule. And so they served as puppets, going along with those who pulled their strings in the background.

I wanted to oppose this, but I was accused of high treason by the Sunchild under their control and imprisoned here.

Ah, the Sunchild...

But wouldn't the Sunchild eventually realize that they were being manipulated?

And that is why no Sunchild has ever reached maturity. For it is as you say: grown people are not so easily swayed by villains.

"The hallowed Sunchild, their birth-rite begun, on Pegasus shall ride to the feast of the sun."

Yes. They would be taken to the inner sanctum of the Dainichi Mikoshi, dressed up as those attending birth rites and in high spirits...

...The thing hidden here is related to them.

This bridle is the proof that one is indeed a child of the sun. I hid it here, thinking to someday hand it over and alert the people... But I suppose that such a deed is meaningless now.

Traveler from another land... I was neither able to protect those children nor this nation.

My name is...

Aberaku, Helios-Forger!

I organized the construction of the Dainichi Mikoshi. 'Twas I who hung a bright mirror on high amidst the ever-night, and I thought myself a genius.

And such talent I had! Such ability!

I dreamed of using the Dainichi Mikoshi to wash away the darkness, but I did not then know that it was the greed and desire within human hearts that was the all-devouring night everlasting.

Guest from afar, I now give the bridle into your hands.

This Divine Bridle is a testament to our supremely laughable history...

Keep it well... Nay, do with it whatever you wish.

This is too precious a gift...

Hah! Nay, it has already been rendered meaningless. That I have been restored to wholeness and become able to hand it to you is fate. And for this thing, it shall be considered a fine death.

Ah... All the talent, all the ability...

Please, claim the offerings at The Narrows, the Evernight Temple, and the Serpent's Heart. This way, my soul shall be reunited, and I shall be able to open the way to the Dainichi Mikoshi for you...

The offering's done...

Earlier, that soul remnant said that the offerings could open the way to Dainichi Mikoshi...

Let's go up and have a look, Traveler!

The offering's done...

Earlier, that soul remnant said that the offerings could open the way to Dainichi Mikoshi...

Let's go up and have a look, Traveler!

My name is...

Aberaku, Helios-Forger!

And Paimon's... well, Paimon.

Well, since he started it...

Guess it's just good manners.

It is but a small matter. Indeed, it is I who has treated you with utter disregard, having come to receive you in such a tragic state.

Don't worry! We don't mind. Right, Traveler?

Still, why are you here, Mister?

I... I am the creator of the Helios, and this place is my... final resting place.

Falling asleep in a dark, icy place, never to wake... How could I just die like that? I, the Helios-Forger!

The creator of the Helios?

What's the Helios?

Ah, right. Helios is what I called my creation in private.

Perhaps this is not known to you, but the people of Byakuyakoku call this thing...

The Dainichi Mikoshi.

Helios is the Dainichi Mikoshi, the solar chariot that drives the HyperionByakuya no Hikari.

So you're the creator of the Dainichi Mikoshi?

Indeed it is.

O Traveler from another land. Though I did create it, I was placed under house arrest, and imprisoned above my own creation.

After my death, my soul was scattered across the land of Byakuyakoku, and many of my memories were lost in that scattering.

I remember that there was something very important... high above the Dainichi Mikoshi...

But I can no longer remember it. Please, distant wayfarer... Could you help me retrieve my clothes, crown, and bones, which have been placed in three different places?

You may find them in The Narrows, the Evernight Temple, and the Serpent's Heart.

Offer them up upon the three altars, and my soul shall be reunited, and I shall be able to open the way to the Dainichi Mikoshi for you...

Then you will be able to travel above the Dainichi Mikoshi, into the closed spaces hidden in the veil of ever-night.

Please, claim the offerings at The Narrows, the Evernight Temple, and the Serpent's Heart. This way, my soul shall be reunited, and I shall be able to open the way to the Dainichi Mikoshi for you...

Ah, Traveler from another land, it is you.

Thanks to you, my soul has become whole, and I now recall everything. Incredible.

Perhaps you already know that in the distant past, there was only a great darkness in Byakuyakoku, and that those who lived there dwelt in fear of the Dragonheirs of the Depths.

Back then, it was I who organized the construction of the Dainichi Mikoshi, and thus did Byakuyakoku obtain a cyclical night and day, and thus did the name "Byakuya" come about.

It was said that: "Now that the Dainichi Mikoshi has been built, though this land is in everlasting night, we can at least tell black from white."

How mortifying then, that before the shreds of my soul were reunited, I could not even remember that day when the people crowded around the completed Dainichi Mikoshi.

It should have been my fondest memory.

But alas...

Alas what?

When Dainichi Mikoshi was built, the Dragonheirs were defeated, repelled by a light that they were unused to. Thus did the people regain peace of mind.

But the moment peace began to reign... Ah, the human heart is hard to comprehend. Who knew then that they would have begun to nurse such evil intent?

O Traveler from afar, I am certain that you know how voracious villains will seize for themselves riches and power if given the chance... more than they ever deserved!

And so they used the people, leading them unto the worship of the Dainichi Mikoshi, leading them into the folly of believing in such vain and dead objects.

In the end, they even proclaimed the rule of the "Sunchild"Phaethon over the land.

The Sunchild?

Indeed. There will always be a young infant chosen to be the Sunchild.

Of course, such children would not have been of age to understand the world. They would not have been fit to rule. And so they served as puppets, going along with those who pulled their strings in the background.

I wanted to oppose this, but I was accused of high treason by the Sunchild under their control and imprisoned here.

Ah, the Sunchild...

But wouldn't the Sunchild eventually realize that they were being manipulated?

And that is why no Sunchild has ever reached maturity. For it is as you say: grown people are not so easily swayed by villains.

"The hallowed Sunchild, their birth-rite begun, on Pegasus shall ride to the feast of the sun."

Yes. They would be taken to the inner sanctum of the Dainichi Mikoshi, dressed up as those attending birth rites and in high spirits...

...The thing hidden here is related to them.

This bridle is the proof that one is indeed a child of the sun. I hid it here, thinking to someday hand it over and alert the people... But I suppose that such a deed is meaningless now.

Traveler from another land... I was neither able to protect those children nor this nation.

My name is...

Aberaku, Helios-Forger!

I organized the construction of the Dainichi Mikoshi. 'Twas I who hung a bright mirror on high amidst the ever-night, and I thought myself a genius.

And such talent I had! Such ability!

I dreamed of using the Dainichi Mikoshi to wash away the darkness, but I did not then know that it was the greed and desire within human hearts that was the all-devouring night everlasting.

Guest from afar, I now give the bridle into your hands.

This Divine Bridle is a testament to our supremely laughable history...

Keep it well... Nay, do with it whatever you wish.

This is too precious a gift...

Hah! Nay, it has already been rendered meaningless. That I have been restored to wholeness and become able to hand it to you is fate. And for this thing, it shall be considered a fine death.

Ah... All the talent, all the ability...

Ah... All the talent, all the ability... But what use was it?

Are you fully girded up, Traveler?

I'm ready.

Then I wish you... every success in your battle ahead.

It seems that your strength is more than sufficient to help escort the enshrined items...

This way, I can finally rest easy. Those items must be sent, in order to...

In order to what now?

In order to... In order to...

Uh-oh. Looks like he's gone into broken-clock mode.

But the offerings he was talking about were probably these items... As slightly beat-up as they might look.

S—Something's coming out!

Looks like some kind of afterimage again.

My name is...

Aberaku, Helios-Forger!

Ooh, Paimon knows this one.

So what he's saying is—

That he's Helios-Forger, right?

Oh...

Aberaku... What a weird name.

Wait, but if he's Aberaku, what's the Helios?

Ah, Helios! Helios!

Mine own creation... Helios! When it was finished, its light spread from horizon to horizon, and thus were the people spared from the dragon-scourge!

How the people gazed upon it then! How they wept hot tears, raised their arms with joyful cries, unable to restrain their intense emotions!

...No, wait. Wh—Why am I here? Why has my soul become lost in the realm of dreams, unable to find rest?

Did you get that this time, Paimon?

Sure did.

This spirit seems... disturbed.

I remember now! My soul is rent! If it can be made whole, I can be at peace once more.

In this task must you play a critical role, and so I say unto you...

Uh-oh, here comes trouble...

A portion of my bones should be enshrined in this place, but they have long rotted away... Please, I beseech you...

Take these articles that carry my remnant thoughts with you... There are, however, monsters abound here who keep my soul entrapped, and they will swarm over once an object within which my soul rests is removed.

This matter is perilous. Tell me once you are ready, O Traveler, and we shall begin.

I need a while more to prepare.

Then I shall await your tidings.

Are you fully girded up, Traveler?

I'm ready.

Then I wish you... every success in your battle ahead.

Ah, if only Byakuyakoku had such valiant warriors as you! Then...

*sigh* If this thing is done, then my wishes shall be fulfilled.

You must bring these offerings bearing my thoughts to be enshrined... in the place where I was held under arrest. We must do this, in order to...

In order to what?

In order to... In order to...

Ugh, there's no use talking to this guy now. Seems like his spirit's all messed up again.

Traveler, let's just take those items with us.

But where was this high-up place where this guy was imprisoned?

Here comes one of those spirits...

My name is...

Aberaku, Helios-Forger!

How could I have been felled by your vile slander, or imprisoned by your puppet infants!?

I— No, wait. I was imprisoned for months and years beyond count, was I not? Then... This must be my post-life form?

"Post-life form"? You mean that you're already dead, right?

Takes a pretty rare spirit to realize that.

And yet, though it shames me to say so, I know not just how I died...

But I recall that I was imprisoned on orders from a child.

A child?

Indeed. But till today, I can never feel any hatred for that child, only pity.

He was not at fault. The blame should fall upon those who controlled him like a puppet in their palms... Forget it. Such things are best left unsaid.

After that, I was imprisoned...

Imprisoned in a...

In a...?

In a very high place.

But though it was high up, it was dark, lightless, and cold as the ice itself.

...Strange. Why is that?

Why do I feel that a high place should have brought a person warmth and comfort?

Why... Why can't I remember any of this?

Are you hungry, maybe?

Whenever Paimon's famished, forget thinking, she can barely even talk straight!

Come on, it's gotta be! Look at him, he can hardly speak clearly!

Actually, Traveler, could you check if there's something to eat amongst the offerings?

Wait! That's it! The offerings!

What, do you wanna eat them?

No, I just remembered...

When I died in prison, my attire and body were enshrined in various places due to my contribution in creating the Helios.

But that also caused my spirit to be separated and rendered unable to rest.

This place should have been the resting place of my sacred crown, though it has surely decayed by now. This must surely be why my thoughts are so... stuck.

If this persists, I doubt that even my current state can be sustained for long...

But these offerings can be used to replace the remnants of my body and my attire in sustaining an ounce of my thoughts.

As such, please take them with you.

However, there are many perils on the enshrining path. So though it may seem rude of me, could you accept a certain test first?

Test? What test?

Please defeat the monsters hereabouts, the prison wardens of my spirit.

This matter is perilous. Tell me once you are ready, O Traveler, and we shall begin.

I need a while more to prepare.

Then I shall await your tidings.

Are you fully girded up, Traveler?

I'm ready.

Then I wish you... every success in your battle ahead.

I—Incredible! You may just be able to do this...

Please then, I beg you, carry these offerings... the offerings... you must...

You must take them away to...

To...

What's wrong?

Oh brother, his words are getting less and less clear!

Take them to the place of enshrining... enjoin the parts of my soul, in order to...

Hello, Mr. Spirit?

In order to... In order to...

In order to do what again?

In order to...

Ugh, this guy isn't making himself clear at all! But it seems we're supposed to take these offerings somewhere — Paimon got that much.

These offerings have been here for so long. Who knows if there's anything edible here.

Best not to eat them all the same.

H—Hey! Paimon doesn't just eat anything, alright?

Well, let's take the offerings with us anyway, Traveler.

My name is...

Aberaku, Helios-Forger!

Um, what's the Helios?

Is it something very impressive?

Verily! T'was I who organized the building of the Helios with the might of an entire nation behind me, that we might resist the Dragonheirs of the Depths.

This unsurpassed deed could have been done by no other in Byakuyakoku — none save I!

Huh. Guess that is pretty impressive.

But why would such a great person be sealed in here?

I... I was betrayed...

When the sky kingdom crashed into the bottomless depths, the people were scourged by dragons, and thus did I — yes, 'twas I — begin building the Helios to save us all from our fate.

But... those ravening rogues! The moment their lives were no longer in danger, they began to deceive and lie. They even advocated placing mere infants on the throne. Laughable!

Even I became the target of their schemes, and was left in jail to rot!

A pox! A pox upon them all!

...Right. You.

Yup, that's you!

It can only be you!

My sacred robes were once placed here, but they have all but rotted away in the passing of years, and can no longer be relied upon.

But if you can pass the test, then I shall hand the offerings, into which I have nested my thoughts, unto you.

I pray for your... success...

This matter is perilous. Tell me once you are ready, O Traveler, and we shall begin.

I need a while more to prepare.

Then I shall await your tidings.