Chapter 9 Episode 12: My Unsavory Ideal 1

Narration starts things off by quoting a conversation at us. “Remember the names of the ones who mocked you. Remember the faces of those who jeered at you, the ones who deserted you, the ones who drove you out.”

Narration then starts talking more directly, saying you guys have just forgotten the hate that was ready to burn your bodies. If anyone were to remember that again, war would break out once again. It’s so simple, almost unsatisfying.

Hephaestus then shows up to narrate, if he wasn’t narrating before. He calls himself a genius in weapons and says he knows better than anyone. A bunch of different things forcefully stitched together is weak, which will fall apart at the Seams and crumble. Like the connections between person to person, culture to culture, country to country, or world to world.

The peace of the city/system of Tokyo stitched with the 23 other worlds is frightfully frail. So if you happen to start up a war in Tokyo, he suggests you should just fill in the gaps with weapons. But what is the best one? Hephaestus says it isn’t a sword, a bullet, a gun, or a missile. He says the most effective thing is something that tears at the system’s stitching in the nastiest way possible.

Hephaestus calls himself a genius weapons maker again, saying he is so because he’s the most despicable, the most rotten man there is. He says that’s why he can see the flaws, defects, and weaknesses of a person. In doing so he vents out the jealousy that smolders within himself. He always becomes needed because of this power, just to make weapons. And so, this was the only way the lowest man lived up to this point.

The gloomy feelings and the emptiness that seemed to glower at him always burned within him. And yet even then there was only one thought that never seared away. It is the thought of the mother who picked him up when he could do nothing and loved his unremarkable self. The one and only sanctuary for his miserable self.

However, Hephaestus ended up remembering the deaths that awaited his mother. He decides then that if it were for protecting her, for that just cause, he would do everything he can without hesitation. He would even go as far as to destroy all of Tokyo with exception to you. Hephaestus says it’s fine if you laugh. Even he is deeply caught up in the war in Tokyo. And that war will be starting soon.

Camera then tunes in to the present at Kamata Vocational School, and Tiger Man and his flunkies waste no time before starting their Spanish count up, with Tiger Man revealing himself for the first time with a bright smile and a cheerful voice totally at odds with a battle zone. They then backflip gracefully into a group pose as they yell bravo. The wrestlers who aren’t doing the pose add to the display with loud cheers.

Arc is totally taken aback barely keeping up with things asking if this is some special ceremony or something. Tiger Man is standing front and center as he pulls out a mic from hammerspace or something and starts doing his own MC routine. He calls up his amigos the challengers and rivals, for the four cornered ring is waiting for them! He invites them to have the best lucha/war in Tokyo with him.

A bunch of wrestlers run out and start building a wrestling ring right there. Arc barely processes that they’re wrestlers and the mention of a war before she tries asking them who they are. Tiger Man answers that they are the unfettered war makers and is about to name their guild before he decides to make it a group cheer. They declare themselves the Warmongers and top it off with a big yay.

Arc notes how spirited they are before reminding herself she shouldn’t be dragged into their rhythm. She readies her chains as she glares at them, then asks if they really are the Warmongers. Arc comments they should’ve kept their guards up and that it was a surprise they were attacked in the supposed neutral zone of Kamata.

Besides that, Arc says it’s a pretty huge coincidence for them to have randomly bumped into you guys the day you go to the Crafters. Tiger Man says she’s gotten something wrong as he calls her a heel. She’s baffled at being called that, and Tiger Man says the script angle has already been decided. They knew that there would be a battle today, which he calls destiny.

Arc parrots those points back as questions, and Tiger Man confirms them. He also says that they live for the enjoyment of endless battles. As Tiger Man finishes with his mic, a strange black hole sort of thing appears flies overhead, and Arc is surprised by its appearance.

Scene shifts to your side as Hephaestus starts talking again with this servile smile on his face. He introduces Talos as the robot he built, who shares his memories and the personification of his ideal self. He also confirms to being the real Hephaestus. You either ask about him being real, be shocked he made another of himself, or ask him to make one for you.

Going with A, Hephaestus says that Talos, his artifact, did not look this elaborate originally. He was more like a bronze drum, a tin can looking robot. When he got to Tokyo he started researching the engineering techniques from other worlds until he got to this point.

Hephaestus also says he had some by products made during the course of things, pointing them out for you as he turns on the lights and revealing some troopers. You are shocked to see them, and Hephaestus tries to calm you down by saying they are imitations he made himself, unrelated to the ones outside. They should perform the same, but he says they won’t move on their own.

Hephaestus tells you that he has ordered them to destroy anyone who tries to approach. Anyone, even if the ones attacking the guild right now as he namedrops the Warmongers. Though it’s more like he snarls the name out as he balls his hands up and shakes. You ask if he knows them or ask if he (or they?) knew beforehand and start being alarmed at the implications.

Going B, quickly denies things and says he was made to remember as he shakes in fear. You ask about him remembering and/or(?) ask why he’s afraid. Going A if it matters, Hephaestus orders Talos to bring that That Thing out and show it to you.

Hephaestus’s shaky hands pulls something from Talos’s stomach compartment. That turns out to be an orb that seems to suck in light, which he says is what made him remember. You ask about the bead saying it looks familiar before you remember where you have seen it. You flash back to Shino, Moritaka, and Tadatomo in Azathoth’s domain and say you saw that light there, say it’s the orbs the latter two have, or say it’s that strange brilliance you saw only then.

Hephaestus then asks if you saw the loop memories, grimacing in sorrow. He asks if you saw the ends where you were killed by the ones you thought of as your friends. Hephaestus then starts talking about the object calling it Dark Matter, an enclosed material that holds “light,” memories and information inside. It has the same properties as the enclosed spaces from the Walls and the App.

Hephaestus also tells you that all artifacts are made from it, calling it an ingredient that takes faith and holds in light. It’s pretty valuable, and he says even he didn’t see much of it back in his home world. Supposedly there’s a lot of them buried near the the 23 pillars of lights around Tokyo, the Gates, as they have the same properties.

You ask about them being near the Gates before remembering you saw something similar in the old schoolhouse. The books there were much the same. Hephaestus starts happily continuing to explain, saying that even among the artifacts made from Dark Matter, the one with Pillar qualities have special traits. The ones that prop up the world are able to carry over memories even if time were to reverse.

The Dark Matter is something that was once part of those Pillars, and they are filled with memories of the past. You repeat part of that back, and Hephaestus happily says that’s correct.

Hephaestus continues on saying that the users of those special Pillars can draw out the memories from the past and give them to other people. Narration compares the way he’s talking to you to a little kid telling their parent what they’ve learned in school. You then ask if he’s seen what will happen after this.

Hephaestus quickly shifts moods, looking about ready to cry and puke. Having to remember things makes his chest hurt. He starts yelling angrily about the one who made him remember that thing, and you try to ask what he means about either of those points.

He starts shaking his head like a kid having a tantrum, crying like a baby. Talos tries to calm him down, but he shoves him away in a fit telling him not to touch him. Hephaestus then starts talking about how he doesn’t know why things played out that way. But even so he remembered, he says as he looks at you in despair. He remembers how it felt when he attacked you. Not only that, but he remembers the loop where he spent time with you in happiness.

You ask if someone gave him his memories back of a past war. Talos tries to talk to Hephaestus, who says They made him remember. If he were to forget, he feels he’d probably be a lot happier. But now that he does remember, he feels he needs to take responsibility. If there is nowhere to escape, then he’ll start ending things from here.

Hephaestus turns to Talos with some unspoken command, then tells you to relax as he won’t let anyone hurt you. Before that can happen, he’ll put an end to it all the only way he can. He starts heading to the exit, but before he actually leaves, he holds his head and pants.

You call out to him and ask what he intends to do or where he’s going with that face he made. He glares back and answers that if the war is going to happen, then he is going to escalate it. He doesn’t know if he can do anything else, but he knows more than anyone how to make a war worse. He intends to wreck everything before anyone can hurt you.

You object to the plan and say there must be another way, asking him not to be hasty. He insists there isn’t any alternatives since no one can be trusted, because in all the loops there wasn’t anyone who didn’t kill you. Even himself. If everything is finished, he orders Talos to kill him so that no one will be left who can hurt you.

Hephaestus goes on to call Talos his ideal self. He is the one who will never lay their hands on you, and the way he feels he should be. He orders Talos to come back here and live with you in happiness after everything is done. Talos says he will after a beat, all as Hephaestus commands.

You are shocked by this turn of events. In the grips of madness you see in Hephaestus’s face, you see the face of a kind child for a moment. He tells you not to worry as Talos has a safety valve installed, ensuring he won’t ever attack you. He says he’ll always protect you in the world where only the two of you are left. As such...

Hephaestus cries like a child who was caught breaking something as he looks at you. He says he knows. Even though he only just met you, he knows you don’t remember him. He realizes it’s a bother as he covers his sobbing face. You either call out to him or stay quiet.

He talks about how he remembered the memories of the times he spent with you in happiness and enjoyment, and how they no longer exist here. He begs that you forgive him as Talos looks sadly at him. You attempt to stop him by summoning your artifact, but you end up summoning it in its shattered state.

You start to despair about how it can’t do anything anymore like this. Hephaestus is a bit happy that it seems you’re giving up. He orders his troopers to protect you, and they acknowledge the order, restraining you.

Hephaestus starts walking unsteadily towards the exit with Talos, and you desperately try to free yourself as you call out to them. You can’t escape, but you still try to plead your case. It falls on deaf ears as Hephaestus and Talos start to disappear out the door. You call for help, or for anything you can do at all.

Solomon talks to you from somewhere asking if you called for him. He asks if it’s okay to go over there through the torn seam. His speech gets more static filled as he asks if something is okay, mentioning something about himself and Shadows. You react with surprise at hearing Solomon, asking if it’s him and say you’re sure you heard him.

Suddenly your sword starts reacting to your shock, and you say something is coming apart. That, or you’re saying something is starting to bloom. Hephaestus can hear the heartbeat thumping sounds and asks what it is, comparing them to that and saying it feels like something is about to be born. Then he realizes something as the episode ends there.