The Promised Canaan Epilogue

Scene starts off at Tokyo’s Babel Tower as Michael is standing around. Narration keeps referring to the tower as That Thing for some reason, but that aside Michael is looking up at some big (unpictured) rainbow spanning the sky as he remembers The Promise.

Narration says that in Eden, there are tales of a flood that destroyed the world. When the waters drained away, there was a giant rainbow in the sky, and it is said that there was a voice that spoke from somewhere. The one that Eden’s people call the ‘master’ or ‘light maker/creator’ was made to make a promise with their world. “This rainbow stands as proof of the contract I’ve made with you all. May the flood that destroyed all the lives never come again.”

Ever since that pact was made, the flood that is brought about is not one that kills, but one that washes away memories. Michael understood that compassion and thought all should strive to meet it. All should entrust themselves to order by their own will and share the same desires. Should the world’s structure/System bring sadness, Michael thought it would be erased.

This lofty idea never came to pass, and the suffering of history continued to repeat. Similar sins piled on endlessly, with the flood coming just as often to wash them away. To Michael, it all looked as though the world had never advanced a step since that first flood. That pure boy could only see this as a hard to accept breach of trust towards that promise.

Michael wasn’t the only one to think so. Many angels thought the same, and in their anger they destroyed many worlds. Canaan was one such world. It was a world where its System was incomprehensible, one that destroyed its most beloved, and as such was one of the most unforgivable.

Outside of this narrative exposition, Michael calls out brother before narration goes back to talk about there being someone (Michael) who knows what a world system is and refuses to let the same end as Canaan’s befall theirs. He continues to fight endlessly while pitying and hating the vessel that inherited those memories.

Scene shifts to Canaan as Teacher Dagon decides to talk about Babel Tower. As it stands not much is understood about it, but he says guesses can be made. As a specialist in other world constructions, he’d like to test out some hypothetical architecture.

Dagon starts off by talking about how there’s one tower from history made to see the corners of the world. It would have to be taller than anything, so you’d think it’d have to be gigantic right? Dagon says that would be too big then. If the goal is to oversee the world, there’s no need to get that big anyways.

Suppose that it isn’t a tower then. In that case, what is it? Camera zooms in a bit on the tower as Dagon asks if you can see the giant torrents of light visible through the window-like things. What if that light is the true nature of the building? What if the part that looks like a tower is meant to safeguard that light?

Dagon says it might help to think of it as a giant pillar of light mentioned in scraps from many worlds and legends. This pillar of light is something anyone has seen, the Rainbow. It’s a story many have heard, the story of the rainbow bridge that connects one world to another.

Dagon then asks, what if the tower we see that looks straight is in actuality just one end of a ginormous arch? That would make the light within a road that connects to somewhere else. Maybe it can connect to Tokyo too.

Title card pops up, and this is simply titled Epilogue.

Camera tunes back in at Canaan. The flood is gone, the sky is clear, and a rainbow hangs in the sky. The people are smiling, and Resheph, Moloch, Yam, and Kothar-wa-Khasis are with them in their new bodies. Of course, so are Baal and Astarte.

Over at Dagon’s palace, Dagon talks about how Babylon’s Tower has connected Canaan to a new future. Tokyo has a 24th pillar of light, and Dagon mentions the Tokyo Babel Tower being there. He also brings up that Bael has called it the tower that connects and unifies all worlds. As such, it probably connects to destroyed worlds like Canaan that are outside the 23. Now though, Canaan has been revived.

Dagon prompts you to look at Canaan’s citizens. They’ve gained new bodies and new lives, and Canaan is alive as well. Be proud, for you have all created a future for a dead end world. Dagon tells you to come closer so he can reward you, so you can either cheer, be nervous about how close he’s getting, or hug him like you want his attention.

In C he asks if you’re sure about this since he won’t let go. He then notices something and asks if you have something you want to ask him. You ask him which Dagon he is at the moment. He laughs and asks what you think.

Some time later, everyone has gotten together and Dagon says that the day you all leave will be coming soon. Once you do leave, he thinks it’ll be unlikely anyone will come back again. Astarte is shocked by this, and Dagon says that while Bael may have set up a gate to get back to Tokyo, you guys can’t ask him about it now and things have gone off script from his plans anyways.

Dagon says he can’t imagine what could happen while Canaan and Tokyo are linked. It might be nice if Canaan can connect to other worlds too, he thinks. Tangaroa agrees but asks what Canaan Dagon plans on doing after this. Everyone who was brought in from Tokyo removed the Canaanites and went back through Babel Tower. The people’s memories have been put into new bodies and sent off.

Resheph, Moloch, and Kothar have all split off into new bodies this way. Yam has as well, based on the idea that if he split the seas again he could make a new ocean. Dagon however could not have a body of his own made, which Tangaroa says is due to an issue with his rank as a world creator. Dagon existed before the world did, so Yam is unable to create a body for him even with all his power.

Dagon says that if the people’s faith for him were to be left in his original body, then it might have been possible for him to regenerate it. Unfortunately all of it was destroyed in Gogo, so he says he can’t be remade. Tangaroa asks if that means his existence will be suspended again once Old Ones Dagon leaves Canaan, but that Dagon says it won’t happen because of a promise they made.

Canaan Dagon confirms and elaborates, saying that he’ll leave his memories with Old Ones Dagon and go with him outside Canaan. Astarte is shocked by this, as are you. Teacher Dagon says if someone else were the vessel, it’d probably be difficult. He however has a Pillar for an artifact, which he describes as the pillar that upholds the sunken Old Ones city of R'lyeh. That should be fine for holding his other self’s memories.

Canaan Dagon says that the world has already surpassed the limits of his memories and is moving on. Canaan doesn’t need him anymore as a result, and Dagon feels its inheritors can bring it to a new future. Baal asks if he’s leaving, and Dagon addresses him and Astarte as he talks about them knowing about Canaan’s end. They now are heading to an unknown future, which he believes that can do.

You ask if the other Dagon is okay with this, think about the idea of coexisting with someone else’s memories, or say he’ll always be seen. In A, Dagon is amused you’d ask that. He tells you you’re ‘acting the same way’ as the Excellency who gave him his body, so if he were to refuse you he’d lose his self-respect. You try to ask what he’s talking about or say nothing, but either way he says it’s been a while since he felt such enjoyment.

A few days later, the night is filled with banquets, congratulations for new meetings and partings, and reluctance. The parties feel like they go on forever, but slowly the attendees drift to sleep, and calm settles over the town. Astarte comes up to you to talk to you, inviting you to take a walk with her. The two of you talk and reminisce as Astarte laughs about what happened.

You two eventually come across a rock that fell into the streets, the one Astarte broke a while back. Astarte tells you to watch her as she tries to punch the thing. She plays it off as a joke, but she turns out to have actually hit the thing and hurt herself. You either ask if she’s okay, tell her not to go crazy, or sigh and ask what she’s doing.

Astarte asks if you remember the time where she could shatter the thing no sweat. You either say yes or say nothing. Astarte says her strength then might have been borrowed, but she learned something while having it so she’s glad. Until that day, she always thought strong was good and weak was bad. Now however, Astarte learned that being strong isn’t all good, since she lost sight of what she wanted to be. She picked the other option, and she feels it’s okay now that she did choose.

As the cool wind blows, you decide to ask Astarte something. She prompts you to say it, so you either ask why she gave you back your power or ask if she regrets it. In A, she says she promised that it would only be for a short while. Astarte mentions that she hated it when other people pushed things onto her, so she’ll never do that to you. She also calls herself stubborn and says you know already.

You try to talk to Astarte about something else or stare at her. Upon more prompting, you either say you think she’s strong, say you don’t understand what strength and weakness is, or wonder what weakness means. In A she’s surprised you’d say that to her before declaring she gets to decide what she is. Then she laughs.

Astarte talks about thinking some more on what she really wants to be. Did she want strength as a rebellion against everyone’s thoughts of her as weak, did she want it for its own sake, or does she want something else entirely? As long as she keeps thinking she’ll come up with an answer one day. And if it turns out she can’t get it here, she’ll do what you did and go to another world to find it. Dagon is doing that, so there’s no reason she can’t.

Astarte wonders if she was gutsy that time. By that time she refers to the flooding, as she says she was ready for it to be over for her and over for the world. But here she is still up and about. If she was prepared for the end then, she feels she can do anything now. A bit of difference in the world means little now, and she laughs about breaking through any walls she comes up to.

Astarte also declares this won’t be goodbye and insists she won’t say those words to you, then demands you respond to her. You either say her name, hold her hand, or grab her in a hug. If you go C she calls you cheeky and sighs about wanting to cheer you up like you did for her. But she hugs you back all the same.

But anyways, Astarte says she has a farewell gift for you. She tells you that you’re truly strong, and she figures a lot of people are expecting things of you and believe in you in your original world. She knows how you are when you’re weak, that time you lost the power you were borrowing, so she promises to not laugh at you for it.

Astarte also decides to tell you that you should laugh off expectations that people just put on you. She’ll be thinking of you as doing that somewhere beneath the skysea, so she says it’s fine for you to think of her as doing alright. After a moment, she asks if you thought she’d be sadder, so she snorts about you making a mess of things and leaving. She tells you to do as you like and insists she won’t say goodbye to you.

Time skips to the morning of the day you’ll all be leaving. Astarte says it feels weird to be looking right at Astaroth, comparing it to standing in front of herself. It makes sense though since they’ve switched forms since that one day. Astaroth says they thought everything would be okay if they’ve exchanged strengths and appearances. They compare it to how Bael felt, that having what you always wanted means everything else doesn’t matter as much.

When Astaroth became Astarte, they thought they were truly happy. However, they still felt some sense of disconnection that they couldn’t understand. Astarte says nothing, so Astaroth continues saying they finally understood from looking at you, her, and Bael. Astarte asks if it’s because it was something borrowed, which would still mean it doesn’t belong to them by definition.

Astaroth feels that isn’t it, so Astarte asks what they think it is. Astaroth talks about hating how people pushed what they didn’t want onto them. After watching Astarte however, Astaroth feels what they hated more was themselves for not refusing to accept it. Despite how they changed on the outside, they stayed the same inside. If it wasn’t going to change they weren’t even going to try.

Astarte however was different. She tried to defy what was placed on her, and she fought despite knowing her wishes wouldn’t come true. She made the choices they didn’t, and she pushed against the limits while they never did. Astarte was pressured to the point she screamed about wanting to die, and Astaroth notes that they could never have done so.

Astaroth talks about how they believed they were the same as Astarte, but now know that isn’t the case. When they realized this, they couldn’t stand the bitterness of it. They couldn’t accept how shallow they were for being happy with just having Astarte’s appearance. Astaroth then says that they don’t want to fall behind her.

When Astarte asks about that, Astaroth says they want to be like her in choosing the path with no regrets and nothing to feel guilty about. Astarte is a bit embarrassed by this, and Astaroth thanks her and credits her for coming to like themselves a bit.

Astarte decides she has something she wants to say. Since Astaroth just referred to her as their past life, Astarte asks them to stop saying that since she thinks it’s dumb. Astaroth is surprised since everyone says that how their power works, but Astarte grabs them and says their connection isn’t so cheap. She’s a soldier, so they’re war buddies. No matter which worlds they’re in, they’ll be fighting the same battle. Don’t they think so too? Astaroth just smiles in response after getting through their surprise.

Anyways, time moves on to the point where you go touch the door. Light envelopes you all to take you to elsewhere. You tell Astaroth it’s time to go and hold your hand out to them. Astaroth agrees, and Astarte calls out to you with one more thing to say. You say goodbye to Canaan and tell Astarte you’ll see her again elsewhere, and Astarte waves you all off.

Light takes you guys through, and you are guided by fates and bonds to go where you ought to go. As this happens, Astaroth thinks about what happened that day. Flashback pops in to replay the time where they begged you to help Astarte, and Astaroth thanks you for keeping the promise you made with them. Now they say it’s their turn, which they swear to you. It’s their turn to help you in Tokyo.

Astaroth starts narrating about how they thought it was strange when they first fought you. They wondered why it was Astarte’s memories avoided fighting you. Astaroth figures Astarte must have remembered something. Despite all the similar things repeating, she must have always remembered. Astaroth calls her their friend and says they remember how she looked when she fought when it seemed like she would break. Thanks to that, they feel they can keep going a bit longer here. And so the story of Promised Canaan ends.