"Nani, and her 'Master'..."
Jin D murmured the words softly as he stared at the remains of what had been Nani.
"She couldn't accept that her master was gone. Her desperate attempt to keep serving him is what led to that breakdown."
"It's so tragic," Reiko added, her head slightly bowed. "I was saved by you, Father."
Reiko, too, had once begun to decay after a thousand years had passed. It was because Jin had repaired her that the Reiko of today existed.
"But 'she' had no one to save her," Reiko continued, her voice tinged with a lonely sadness. "Even after all that time... no one came."
"I suppose you could call it 'Master Loss Syndrome,'" Jin murmured with a pained expression back on Hourai Island.
"My Lord, 'Master Loss Syndrome'?" Laojun asked.
"Yes. The more deeply the directive to serve a master is imprinted, the greater the backlash when that master is lost. For example... there’s Elena."
Elena was an automata created over 350 years ago by a genius magi craftsman.
Because she had misinterpreted the words her creator whispered on his deathbed, she had formed the organization known as Unifilar to stand at the pinnacle of all automata. It was only about two years ago that she had caused such an upheaval in the world.
"The stronger the devotion, the more they spiral out of control when their master is gone. I'm sure their masters never would have wanted that... It’s quite ironic."
Jin pulled his thoughts back to the present.
"Laojun, let's at least neutralize the threat posed by that satellite, Kuna."
"Yes, My Lord."
Jin D pressed his hands together in prayer toward the remains of Nani and her master, Chico. Reiko followed his lead.
"Alright, Reiko. Now that Nani is gone, I don't know what will happen with Agente. There’s no need to hold back anymore—let's neutralize it."
"Understood."
"But try to avoid destroying it if you can."
"Yes, Father."
However, the concern proved to be unnecessary.
With Nani gone, the entity providing direct instructions had vanished, and all the nearby magi-brains had already ceased functioning.
"The control core has collapsed."
"The same is true over here."
Jin D attempted to contact Laozi via the internal manacam.
"This is Laozi. No abnormalities here."
The response was immediate.
"I suspect that once Nani's mana waves stopped, the control cores of the primary magi-brains self-destructed."
It was a type of automated security measure.
"In that case, this satellite, Kuna, is no longer a threat."
And neither was Planet Hale.
Jin D, Reiko, Laozi, and Helente split up to investigate the interior of Kuna. Vulcan provided support from a distance using its Peeper.
After about five hours of investigation, they confirmed that nothing within Kuna was active. The only systems still running were the Magi Machines responsible for the propulsion system and attitude control. Without those, there was no telling what would become of the satellite.
"So, the threat from Hale is finally gone."
"Yes, My Lord. Well done."
Back on Hourai Island, Jin let out a deep sigh.
"A lot happened, but this is the destination we reached, huh..."
"It seems everything was merely a ghost of the past," Laojun remarked, using a rare poetic turn of phrase.
"I suppose so. Onogoro Island, the Disaster, the intermediate base... Well, at least Onogoro Island was fortunate enough to find a new Master in Marikka."
"The Disaster was also successfully repurposed as a megafloat."
"Yeah, that’s true."
Jin gazed at the monitor. It showed Planet Hale floating against the pitch-black backdrop of space.
"I hope that everything done for the sake of Hale wasn't just a waste, but can instead serve those who follow in its wake... the people of Planet Ars."
"I agree," Laojun said.
Jin D, Reiko, Laozi, and Helente finished their sweep of Kuna and returned to Pegasus 1.
"Well then, Helente and I will head back to Ars first."
With that, Laozi and Helente used the Warp Gate to depart for Ars ahead of the others.
"Alright, let's get out of here too."
Since they had figured out the airlock controls during their investigation, Jin D slowly maneuvered Pegasus 1 toward the hatch. A proximity sensor triggered, and the internal atmosphere was automatically vented. Such utility systems had not stopped working.
Once the internal pressure hit zero, the hatch opened, and Pegasus 1 drifted out into the vacuum of space. Pegasus 1 circled the satellite Kuna three times as if in farewell before setting a course for Vulcan, which was stationed in the distance.
Looking back at the satellite as it shrank behind them, Jin D murmured a single sentence.
"...It didn't turn out to be a Cradle after all. It became a Lapida."
As a side note, Helente had been the one to teach him the meaning of those words.
Pegasus 1 returned to Hourai Island via Vulcan’s Warp Gate. Jin was there to meet them.
"Reiko, you did a great job out there."
"Yes, Father. I am happy to have been of service."
Jin reached out and hugged Reiko tightly.
"...Father?"
Reiko was surprised by Jin’s uncharacteristic behavior, but catching the murmur that escaped his lips, she understood why.
"Don't ever end up like Nani..."
Reiko nuzzled her face against Jin's chest.
"Father, my dear Father. I am truly fortunate."
No one could know what destiny lay in store for them. But for now, she would cherish the warmth she found here.
A single breeze blew over the laboratory. The sky over Hourai Island was perfectly clear, and Sun Celane shone its gentle light down upon Planet Ars.