They hid something away, and its concealed brilliance brought travellers asking what it was, and what it was for. No doubt they became as they are for its sake.

SEGMENT †††††††： PAST RISINGS AGAIN ENGAGE IN SHOWDOWN： IRREVERSIBLE LANE

To put it simply, it is moral dignity. Rationality. Excuses. Patronage. Common Goals. Such things always disappear in the face of the light. Regardless of whether they stem from within or without, they are the same.

They will laugh if I tell them I was watching the stars. But that is the only way I can describe it. I was there before I realized. A foolish thing that happens all too frequently. A curse I must always carry.

A black sky scattered with the tiny lights of existence, each moving after its inexplicable design. Indescribable bubbles, forever between one shape and the next.

Everything was being made ready for that time, and what we wandered through was but the wings offstage, the curtain down - traversing a tiny piece of Hell.

Hope, desire, delusion, anxiety, and- ..and yes, walls. Each object an embodiment of their abandoned humanity. And that was all we knew of them.

They will laugh if I tell them I was watching the stars. But that is the only way I can describe it. I was there before I realized. A foolish thing that happens all too frequently. A curse I must always carry.

There were reasons why it had to be so. Likewise, there were reasons why it did not matter if it was so. With nothing ever bringing them to a Definite End, they were eternal, immobile - one could even call them immortal.

Perhaps that which we now call a sham, a recapitulation already fading away, was meant only as an attraction for those who aspire to true creativity.

They hid something away, and its concealed brilliance brought travellers asking what it was, and what it was for. No doubt they became as they are for its sake.

The speculation was nothing but idle entertainment to begin with. Perhaps the conclusion was just ahead, waiting for us to reach it? Thoughts, predictions of the future ― Hope.

Hope, desire, delusion, anxiety, and- ..and yes, walls. Each object an embodiment of their abandoned humanity. And that was all we knew of them.

......yes, that is what the seeds of Delusion throughout that interminable boredom were. But our speculations mented not even the name of conjecture; they were merely convenient connections - delusions, coincidences.

Were the PRAYERs defending the tower, or did the tower itself possess some conscious ability to gather them to itself? Which being commands the other? No, their connection cannot be described in terms of master and servant.

There were reasons why it had to be so. Likewise, there were reasons why it did not matter if it was so. With nothing ever bringing them to a Definite End, they were eternal, immobile - one could even call them immortal.

That which we fought had enough reasons for it to be convenient to allow us into its own belly that we could not hope to enumerate and plan for them all. We could but uneasily advance. They were not invincible in combat,

But then there was the second reason. The resistance we encountered while fighting inside the engine of rebirth was unexpectedly weak, barely slowing us down at all. Perhaps those walls we could not pass were all the defense it had needed.

But then there was the second reason. The resistance we encountered while fighting inside the engine of rebirth was unexpectedly weak, barely slowing us down at all. Perhaps those walls we could not pass were all the defense it had needed.

And that left the third reason. Long ago, when the PRAYERs were still human... What had they thought? What was their goal? There should still be those among us who understand.

*Removing all operation cues* *Operation complete. Commencing close down.* *We sincerely thank you for your extended patronage.* *One last thing...* *We hope you enjoy a little time left.*

If we were to be delayed along the road ahead, we would become trapped by pursuers from the Great Clock Once the infiltrators are within the body, it is only a matter of time until they are eliminated.

"Yes. You know the same already, so you cannot avert your eyes." The same words enter my mind as always, and become a sign. The fading scent of sentimentality. Or perhaps it should be called a euphoria, tailored to duty.

But then there was the second reason. The resistance we encountered while fighting inside the engine of rebirth was unexpectedly weak, barely slowing us down at all. Perhaps those walls we could not pass were all the defense it had needed.

We wondered in the silence if there was not a reason for that lassitude, if it was not all preparation for some elaborate plan. The silence itself confirmed our suspicions. The action and inaction of our foes spoke louder than any words.

They will laugh if I tell them I was watching the stars. But that is the only way I can describe it. I was there before I realized. A foolish thing that happens all too frequently. A curse I must always carry.

Perhaps that which we now call a sham, a recapitulation already fading away, was meant only as an attraction for those who aspire to true creativity.

*Removing all operation cues* *Operation complete. Commencing close down.* *We sincerely thank you for your extended patronage.* *One last thing...* *We hope you enjoy a little time left.*

but neither were they always easy opponents. That was why we had arrived here from Outside so easily. It would be different now that we were Inside. But how? We had no answer, and so were left with nothing but a vague uneasiness.

If we were to be delayed along the road ahead, we would become trapped by pursuers from the Great Clock Once the infiltrators are within the body, it is only a matter of time until they are eliminated.