After a quiet, uneventful trek through the desert, you make it... somewhere. It's strange, but there were no spirits at all this time around. In a way, it's kind of disturbing that there wasn't even a hint of a single spirit, after you'd just seen dozens upon dozens of them appear out of nowhere... In your mind, there are two possibilities. One: this guy just killed all the spirits that were there. Two: all of the remaining spirits have hidden away because of this guy. Either way... you sure are glad you're not his enemy right now. Solis: ...Here we are.Solis: Welcome to Buried Oasis, my hometown.Solis: Under different circumstance, I'd have loved to give you a tour, but...Solis: Getting your friend treated takes priority.Nino: Ah, yeah...Solis: Please, follow me.…

Meimona: Umm, mister... the thing I saw...Meimona: That wasn't really who I thought it was, right?Solis: No, not at all.Solis: Spirits disguise themselves in convincing ways, Solis: All to lure unsuspecting people in.Solis: So it's not the same person at all, Solis: Even if it looked like someone you know.Meimona: ...I see... Solis: You shouldn't let it bother you.Meimona: Well... I know that, but...Meimona: The things it said... Meimona: Did they mean anything?Solis: Not in the slightest.Solis: A hungry spirit doesn't act in good faith.Solis: It was just looking for the most hurtful things to say, in order to trick you.Solis: Believe me, you can ignore literally everything it told you.Meimona: Oh... really?Solis: Absolutely.Solis: Don't waste your energy worrying about its lies.Meimona: I-I see. That's good to know... What... so…

A monster... this big tall guy's a monster. You were saved you from that overwhelming horde of spirits by... a monster. Okay, okay, stay calm. This is fine! It's just a monster! Who is currently towering over you, with fire burning in his palm. ...No, no, really, calm down. Right now, you too appear as a monster! It should be fine if you just talk to him normally, monster to monster! Nino: Question the man, just in case. Meimona: ...Nino: U-uh... Yeah!Nino: We're fine...Nino: Wait, no! What if...Nino: This is just another ruse?Nino: A-are you real?Nino: Like, a real and safe person?Nino: Not a spirit again...?Solis: Oh. Certainly. Solis: Prove it. Suddenly, the big scary monster dude just cuts his palm. With a completely straight face. Not even slightly flinching.…

--/--> Meimona: ...Meimona: N-Nino... Nino: Open your eyes. Meimona: Nino!!! You gasp. You gasp so hard that it hurts. There's nothing. Nothing, besides Mei's warmth. You were expecting to feel some intense pain, but... There's nothing like that at all. In fact, you feel anything but danger. Nino: Look around you. It seems that you're completely unharmed... And, oddly enough, you smell smoke in the air. There's... fire? --/--> A ring of fire surrounds you. It looks like it burned all of the spirits that were here. Barely any traces remain at all. That overwhelming horde of danger... it's all gone, just like that? Avery himself is nowhere to be seen, too... And the two of you are perfectly unharmed. What in the world just happened? --/--> Solis: Jeez, this…

...What the...? Did... did Avery just call over more spirits? What the fuck!? Was that screaming some kind of fucked up last-minute distress signal or something? And does it mean that this many spirits were hiding around for back up all along? Fuck, has Avery just been LYING this whole time, since the very start? If not, then... What in the world is this murderous trap!? --/--> AAAAGH, GAH... ...H-HUH? W-w-what... is THIS... WHY... why... W...h...y... is EVERYONE... h-here!? Nino: Steel yourself. YOU... you're still listening, aren't you? WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? A-ANSWER ME, PROXY! Well, shit! Whatever they hope to accomplish here, you're ready to kill them all, and make their plans fail before they even start. Clearly, it's too late to dosh out second chances now. --/-->…

Avery: Ughhh... I-I thought... Avery: That everything was okay...Avery: But now, he's saying... I can't go YET?Avery: I don't understand, but that means...Avery: I-I have to do THIS, right!?Avery: I have no choice but to complete my MISSION... Avery: You... YOU... wretched HUMAN...Avery: Just like BACK THEN...Avery: You ROBBED what little HOPE I had left!Avery: I won't FORGIVE you!Meimona: Avery!Meimona: Does it really have to be this way?Meimona: You're still going to fight us after all that!?Avery: Y... YES!Avery: As long as this BODY can still move,Avery: I will never FORGIVE any of you!Meimona: But, why... why are you doing this?Avery: Because, I,...Avery: From the bottom of my HEART, I... I... It is all but a trick. Avery: I HATE YOU!Avery: I DETEST YOU, and this worthless, UNGRATEFUL world!Meimona: E-even…

You try, however... Nothing seems to change this time around. You don't even feel your healing energy reducing. Does that mean you can't do anything for him, anymore? He really is just going to disappear? Nino: Take his hand. Let him feel some sort of warmth, even if he chooses to fade. You hesitate to reach out. Your eyes meet Avery's again. He's still waiting for an answer. But, you find yourself at a loss for words. At a time like this... what are you meant to say? In part, you'd like to apologize for not being able to heal him again, but... perhaps that's just what you want to tell yourself, to feel better about the situation. You know it's not what Avery wants to hear right now. Mei:…

Nino: Then...Nino: Are you okay with disappearing, Avery?Nino: You agreed to what I asked, even though, going by what you said,Nino: I pretty much just asked you to die, didn't I.Nino: Is that really okay with you?Avery?: ...Nino: ...Of course not, huh.Nino: You were right.Nino: It's not easy to just ask anyone to accept something like that,Nino: Even if it's a spirit. Nino: So instead, how about... if we give you a reason to be fulfilled instead?Avery?: Huh...?Meimona: Right! You said spirits harm people because of their regrets, right?Meimona: Soooo, couldn't fixing what's making you all bummed out be the solution?Avery?: That's... true, yes.Avery?: But there has never been anyone who said they'd help us do that,Avery?: Much less, understood us enough to think of it...Nino: Well, even though I'm…

Meimona: Look, it's okay now!Meimona: I made that scary human boy go away!Meimona: So don't worry, he won't be doing anything to you now.Avery?: Uuumh...Meimona: See, I also put away my claws!Meimona: So will you talk to me?Avery?: ...Wh... why...? Why... be nice to me now...?Avery?: Even though I hurt you so much, why...Meimona: Um... well...Meimona: I think it's clear that we beat you hard enough that you're not a threat now,Meimona: And there's no need to go overboard if you're not gonna fight us anymore...Meimona: Since it looks like you understand the kind of situation you're in now.Avery?: ...Meimona: Sure doesn't smell like you wanna get yourself hurt again either, right?Meimona: Well, same here! So, wanna call a truce?Meimona: That way, neither of us has to worry about the…

Whoever it is, I don't think it's someone that brave, like I hoped I was. My few memories consist only of cowering in fear. I was a boy no one wanted, who didn't even have parents in his life. No family, no home, no love, and no purpose - because the moment I was born, I had already failed to qualify for anything I might have been useful for. The last thing I remember was a short-lived struggle in the darkness. At the end of it all, I cried out, alongside a thousand souls, all at once... "Your majesty, please save us". There are various saviours a lost soul could reach out to for a miracle. For me, I knew there was only one that I could plead with upon…

Spirit: AHHHH...waaahhh...Spirit: PLEASE, mercy, MERCY, I...Meimona: Nino...? What are you doing?Meimona: Hurry, it's our only chance to kill it!Nino: Shush.Meimona: W-what...?Nino: Hey, you.Nino: I've decided to give you a second chance.Spirit: ...H...uh...?Spirit: What... what do you mean...?Nino: I'm saying I won't kill you...Nino: But only if you do what I ask you to.Spirit: T-then, I-I'll do anything!Spirit: Just, please, spare me...!Spirit: Spare this single miserable mercenary, please!Nino: Alright, alright. Nino: Stop crying first, and listen. Nino: Use forceful means if necessary. Nino: Read my memories.Nino: Then, show me what you see.Spirit: U...uua...?Nino: You can do that very easily, can't you?Nino: So hurry up, or, I'll do something worse than just killing you.Nino: Who knows, maybe I'll cut off an arm or two first.Spirit: G...GGGWAH! N-no, please, don't! The idea alone…