Soushi Narratives

[festumborn]

right of l e f t OP: Humanity has been fighting for a long time against a mysterious enemy from a distant place: the Festum. Our choices were to destroy or be destroyed. Neither side even thought of compromising with each other. In order for one to live on, someone had to be the victim. This is another story of the lives changed by this never-ending battle. July 8th. It was the second graduation ceremony for this year. To enter a completely different lifestyle by the time one finishes school. That was a scene that could only be seen at Tatsumiya Island. EN: Just like that, we followed this peace and war... the faith from them... to live on. And the pains they felt on the front line... I asked myself over and over again... the answer... lies within the battles I will have in the future. In our battle. d e a d aggressor EP1: This was the beginning of our journey. If we could survive... we wouldn't forget today's smile... till the day when this island returns to a paradise again. EP12 When people become wise, they realize that the world has limits. That their powers are limited... That their dream will end some day. But we believed we could overcome such things. We believed... EP3: I wonder when people started... to forget how to fly in the sky. No. We didn't forget. We became scared. Because the sky on this planet doesn't belong to people anymore. We spread our wings in such a sky. EP4: It takes a veteran sailor to move an old ship, not a young sailor. But the one who finds a new route is always an innocent sailor. But the map we sail, the innocent ones found... was a journey to hardships... that fell from the sky. EP5: Those who keep the promise... and those who break the promise... can't escape this chain forever. But the promise is not just for one person. This time, she was the only one who knew... EP6: Look up. On that day, the rain fell on a clear day. But she handed an umbrella of smiles gently to us... We who were wet from the rain. Sky, don't cry... she said... EP7: At that time, what we had was not a joy of survival after the battle. It was the reality that we had sacrificed someone. It was all everyone could do to deal with that. EP8: We just wanted to overcome. We were about to do something we couldn't do before. That way, we could atone, we kept telling ourselves... And we went down into deeper darkness. EP9: There was something I couldn't lose. In order to protect it... I threw away as many small things as necessary... without realizing I would lose everything in the end as a result. I kept protecting my young self. EP10: We were looking for an answer in places... where we couldn't even see each other. How could we understand each other? But that was only an excuse. And... we lost something important again. EP11: We shared our feelings many times. Even pain and wounds were a bond. But we each wanted the other to understand so much... that we forgot each other existed. How could we go back? We didn't have any idea. EP26: Now I understand. Even though life is filled with pain, I will choose to exist. Once more, in order to meet you. As long as you believe in me... I will return someday at any cost... To where you are. heaven a n d earth OP: The year was 2148... and there was supposed to have been peace. Festum, the enemy from the far distant skies... Even after the decisive battle against them at the North Pole, human armies continued fighting. Further battle was the last thing many people wanted. And yet nonetheless, factions from around the world set plans in motion to wipe out the enemy completely. That became the beginning of a new battle... EN: Boundless pain that fills our world. Does it all have some place to go home to? Right now, I want to believe that supreme serenity awaits us when we finally make it home... and that that's why we're here.

e x o d u s EP1 ˳ OP: My name is Minashiro Soushi. By the time you listen to this, I will no longer be in this world. The 22nd century turned into a period of war for all humanity. Unknown beings that arrived from distant space, the Festum... Forty years after they arrived on this planet, possessing power beyond human understanding, most of the world became a battlefield. Thought-controlled, man-piloted battle mechas designed to fight the Festum, the Fafner. Only the chosen can pilot them. They are the ace up our sleeve. They are equipped with enemy components, making their power work for humanity. Without the Fafners, we would have been eliminated long ago. Even if victory remains far out of reach, we were able to buy enough time to foster hope. As the world was exhausted by long years of war, the faint hope -- that if both sides could understand each other, then perhaps the war would end -- began to make its way into some corner of our world. Tatsumiyajima. A man-made island, built after Japan was destroyed in the world, in hopes of leaving behind a peaceful civilization. This is where I once lived. EN: Through much sacrifice, we won peace. What did we want desperately enough to lose it? That day, an unknown hope visited us, along with a new battle. It was the beginning of our end. EP2 ˳ EN: You will learn... That the meeting of two hopes will not necessarily lead to peace. As long as "protect" means "to fight," hope can be found in battle. We embraced the possibility of losing everything, as we searched for a future. To choose any other path was unacceptable. EP3 ˳ EN: This was the first price paid for that conversation. You will soon learn that both conversation and battle come at a price. That is the unchanging question of this world, and the answer is our lives themselves. EP4 ˳ EN: The age when we could inherit only peace has passed. You will soon learn that, once a battle has begun, it will continue across generations. You will know neither why it begins nor when it will end. You have inherited the fight to live for today. EP5 ˳ EN: We gambled on the possibility. It was indeed hope, but it was not the path to peace. When the first sacrifice departed, the island once again welcomed hope and crisis. EP6 ˳ EN: It was for peace that we'd fought. No matter how short-lived, peace was everything to us. But this time, for the sake of an unknown hope, we chose to use our lives. EP7 ˳ EN: We had but one wish... Long-lasting peace. But what we acquired in order to achieve that wish was a power that would always be far from peace. EP8 ˳ EN: Were we only dreaming? Our wishes for peace were the beginning of everything... That led to fighting. And war's destruction spread ceaselessly, until it shrouded the entire world. EP9 ˳ EN: Our reason for wielding the power we've acquired will never change. For life. A place to live. Our pride as humans. A quiet life. Because they'll take all that. Just to keep those things from being stolen, we devoted our strength to taking all we could from our enemy. EP10 ˳ EN: And so, we left the destroyed town for a new land, not even knowing the price of hope. Moving ahead, we kept faith that we could protect the people, as the journey to sacrifice everything began. EP11 ˳ EN: Our human appearances, hearts, lifestyles... You will soon learn that we will lose more and more, as long as we wish for battle. We sought the future. A future in which we would, at least, lose one fewer thing. EP12 ˳ EN: Every time someone faces a crisis, someone else rises to meet it. That was how we fought. Knowing that someone would be sacrificed, we fought, believing we could protect someone. There was no other way. EP13 ˳ EN: You will soon learn that true tragedy is not born of despair. It was the hope born from fighting destiny that drove us to sacrifice. EP14 ˳ THROUGHOUT: • And so we went forward, along with our unseen enemy. To the east, as if in pursuit of the dawn. And at some point during the arduous journey, we all became as one. We moved forward, praying for a path for us tomorrow, and that none would be lost today.Nearly every day we encountered the Festum, but most were unhostile swarms. However, at times, we met very hostile swarms. In six battles, eighteen civilians, thirty-seven soldiers, and six Fafners were lost. Our true enemy continued to deceive us, never once revealing to us. Camp 13 was a place of rest. — (A montage is shown while the pilots & co, along with civilians, move from camp to camp.) • A home to return to. That must have been what we were looking for. In search of a place to find hope and peace, twenty thousand people traveled the path to home. • Eventually, we arrived at a crossroad in our fate. It was at camp 19. E15 ˳ DURING: The morning our new path was laid out for us, many were overwhelmed with despair. Faced with hostility by fellow humans, and unable to accept the trek to the wasteland, some sought their own rest. Between those who took their lives and those seeking to return the way they came, we lost a whole day, trying to make everyone forget the peace of despair, and move toward the struggle for hope. E18 ˳ EN: Time that has passed will not return. At any time, hope is only found in the future. You will soon learn that the only way to seek hope is to use the life that you now live. EP19 ˳ EN: You will soon learn the difference between a life taken and a life shared. We chose the path that would allow us to avoid taking lives. And still, murderous intentions come to find us. On and on. Until one side or the other falls. E20 ˳ EN:We continued along that dark road. In our search for light, we sacrificed many. And yet with more sacrifices, we faced the end of our journey. EP21 ˳ THROUGHOUT: • At camp 20, we started up Sein and Nicht. Five years after the battle at the North Pole, the hatred of the Festum rained down upon us. • CAMP 23 ˳ One month after we went over the wall, we ran out of blockers. So long as we piloted the Fafners, we couldn't escape the assimilation phenomenon, and its terminal symptoms were now upon us. We were short on pilots, and had to call upon reserves. We lost all of them. Eventually, many people stopped moving forward. Forty days after we went over the wall, the day one of our eight transport crafts fell, winter arrived. • CAMP 29 ˳ People who had survived the battle began to die of starvation and cold. • CAMP 30 ˳ No one had any guarantee that they would wake from sleep. We just prayed that we would still be alive tomorrow. Fifty-six days after we went over the wall, there was a miracle. A signal is found/reached. They get a message via a robotic bird from the island: "Repeat. A message from Tatsumiyajima to our compatriots. We are currently on our way to the rendezvous point to meet you. Due to enemy interception, we are unable to contact you directly. I have faith that you can make it there, and I want you to have faith that we'll be there when you arrive." And so we arrived at the ends of the Earth. Five thousand, two hundred and seventeen survivors, six transport crafts, and fifteen Fafners were all that arrived, as a result of the sacrifice of seventeen thousand souls. EP26 ˳ EN: You will soon learn that a heart that chooses to exist, even in a life filled with pain, will one day allow us to meet again. With the world's blessing, we will meet again and again, forever returning to the homeland we've yet to see. Many, many times. By Alsie soukyuu | festumkept