Chapter 128: Release of "The Garden Of Sinners"(2)
"Will it continue until when..."
"Suicide will end when the eighth person arrives."
"Huh?"
"There are eight, no, eight of them floating there."
"You went there."
"What is that place exactly?"
"The time there is skewed, or rather, the order is reversed. Human memory, or records, the time recorded in that ruined place passes very slowly. Their memories from life have not caught up with their rightful time. As a result, only memories remain alive. Even if a person dies, as long as there are memories, they won't suddenly disappear into nothingness, like putting out a fire where the smoke doesn't vanish suddenly."
"..."
"I say, Shiki, what does the view from above make you think of? The impulse felt when surveying the world from a high place, even if one attempts to refuse, will still be assaulted by a violently grasping awareness, bringing forth a feeling akin to an overhead view. That is—distance. The view from above is spectacular. Even the sight of emptiness is a wonderful feeling. However, an endless view becomes a barrier to the world. Compared to the narrow space one experiences, the vast space one sees is the world one truly inhabits. This understanding is originally correct, but no matter what, one cannot experience the true feeling of being in this vast world. Here, rationality as knowledge and experience as real feeling cancel each other out, and then one side begins to wear away, consciousness begins to blur, and then..."
"..."
"The so-called sight is not the image seen by the eyes, but the image understood by the brain. Our vision is protected by our common sense. People cannot live outside their limitations, originally..."
...
Imperial Mage Academy, Academy Hall.
In the bustling hall, as the television aired a discussion between Shiki Ryougi and Aozaki Touko about recent strange phenomena, all the mages present showed puzzled expressions. Clearly, none of them understood Aozaki meaning all of a sudden. Many students in the Spiritual and Soul Studies department recognized Aozaki actress as their department's archmage, Rosa. Despite this recognition, they still appeared quite baffled.
There is a word called "obscure," which refers to a mountain peak enveloped in clouds and mist, with ever-changing weather, making you feel like you can see the scenery on the mountain, but upon closer inspection, you realize you haven't seen anything at all. Even if you were to visit the peak yourself, the myriad of bizarre landscapes in its winding paths would confuse your eyes.
The story and narrative of "The Garden of Sinners" are like this. Its intricate and mysterious nature makes it impossible for viewers to directly grasp its essence. However, it's not devoid of meaning; people from all walks of life watching the same story will express different sentiments. Ordinary people find its surface intriguing, apprentices of magic see its external meaning, and top-tier mages derive insights from its internal depths. Such a story undoubtedly qualifies as a good story.
And a good story naturally arouses audience interest and stimulates discussion.
"Ordinary people can't see phantoms like ghosts, right? The protagonist this time, Shiki Ryougi, is indeed not an ordinary person."
"But this time, the film surprisingly focuses on a female lead, although the previous 'Fate/Zero' was also an ensemble. By the way, Archmage Rosa looks so cool in this outfit."
"Is discussing these things pointless? Did any of you understand what Touko Aozaki was saying? Why is the time in that ruin different from the outside? I totally don't get it..."
"Indeed, as far as time magic goes, no one has even made the slightest breakthrough. But we can refer to 'Fate/Zero' from last time. Wasn't Emiya Kiritsugu's use of the inherent time manipulation placing a barrier inside his body to alter his own time flow? If we apply this, the ruin may have naturally become a barrier due to some reason, causing the time inside the ruin to diverge from the outside, thus allowing Shiki Ryougi to see the deceased in her eyes, even though the deceased haven't actually died yet."
"Although your argument makes sense, I still don't think it's magic. Leaving aside whether there exists a magic barrier that changes the flow of time, even if there is a difference in time flow speed, resulting in future scenes appearing, if we were to save those girls who are predicted to jump off the building, what would happen then? Isn't this just pseudo-prophetic theory?"
Yes, after discussing for half a day, this point is what these mages are most concerned about, because the so-called pseudo-prophetic theory once existed in the Imperial Mage Academy's Department of Prophecy.
Under normal circumstances, most prophecy-based magic, due to its involvement in the realm of causality, is inherently incomplete. It's akin to fortune-telling or mysticism, providing only a rough conceptual framework rather than precise predictions.
However, when a certain grand mage from the Department of Prophecy explicitly claimed to have discovered orthodox prophecy magic of Fifth Order or higher, a long-standing debate regarding the existence of prolonged and accurate prophecy in the future began.
Prior to the concept of pseudo-prophetic theory emerging, most mages understood prophecy as absolute, adhering to the belief in a unified timeline where past to future events are predetermined and unchangeable. This viewpoint was heavily influenced by the teachings of a certain church advocating for determinism since the inception of human collective consciousness.
The mage community at that time had sufficient wisdom to debate the validity of determinism, and naturally, the first to challenge it were the proponents of future prophecy.
Firstly, assuming prophecy magic indeed existed and allowed foreknowledge of the future, altering certain present factors to cause a butterfly effect—would the predicted future still occur? If changes did occur, wouldn't that invalidate the earlier prophecy? If the future is altered due to changes made, it ceases to be the predetermined future, fundamentally challenging the viewpoint of determinism. This implies that prophecy itself ceases to be prophecy and becomes a means to mitigate risks.
Eventually, the grand mage who couldn't substantiate their theory gave up attempting to prove it and disbanded the Department of Prophecy. However, the Great Prophecy magic persisted as a means to observe future possibilities, transforming from the traditional notion of absolute, predetermined fact-based prophecy into something akin to a perpetual motion machine from another world, disappearing into history.
However, "The Garden of Sinners" seems to aim to break free from these mental constraints, reintroducing the concept of determinism into reality. Even though audiences know it's just a story—furthermore, the director even mentioned that "The Garden of Sinners" and "Fate/Zero" share the same fictional universe—many still find it difficult to dismiss.
.....
At the top of the Alchemy Tower, where a gathering of archmages had assembled once again in Scar's office around the solitary television set, an archmage, who had previously studied Great Prophecy magic, voiced his perspective on the ongoing discussion.
In fact, including figures like Dean Hohenheim, none of the archmages doubted this theory, indicating they had already grasped its implications.
Observing this, Scar, the only one present looking bewildered, glanced at the archmages who had come to watch the big screen in his office despite having television signals at home, choosing to sit quietly like a newbie among the giants, deciding not to interject further.
Shortly after, before he could ask if they needed water or anything else, another archmage excitedly chimed in, prompting Scar to realize that as the sole newbie in this assembly, it might be best for him to stay silent.
"As rational knowledge clashes with experiential senses... the visuals perceived and the reality bound by common sense... I see it now, so that's why Sixth Order illusion barriers fail! Even if the illusion perfectly mirrors reality, if the person entering lacks the corresponding common knowledge, the collision between what they see and what their consciousness understands as common sense will expose fatal flaws! I understand! I understand!"
"Understand my foot! Stop shouting and sit down, let us watch the damn show!"
"Yeah, yeah, if you understand, go back and research on your own. We're here to watch the movie, and you're blocking our view."
It was evident that the sudden outburst from the archmage well-versed in illusions had an immediate impact on the other archmages' viewing experience. While they could understand his excitement, any disturbance to their enjoyment was swiftly countered by the presence of an irritable elder who ensured the enthusiast understood what it meant to be in pain.
Upon hearing this, the previously animated archmage ceased his undignified actions and quietly summarized, "In essence, our studies in the Illusion School regarding Sixth Order illusion barriers have always been in a delicate state. Completed barriers often yield significant deviations in their effects, and despite controlling variables for a long time, we couldn't pinpoint the cause of these outcomes."
"However, the story of 'The Garden of Sinners' has given me some insight—excessively broad perspectives can lead to cognitive biases. In other words, the space within one's immediate tactile senses, compared to the expansive view from above, both exist within our world. Yet, the former, which we physically experience, holds substantial reality. We should recognize the vast world our eyes see as 'our existing world.' Nonetheless, we cannot truly feel our existence within this vast world, ultimately falling into illusions of unreality and nothingness."
"In essence, the cause of differentiation lies in common knowledge or the depth of understanding. If a person firmly believes that there is no heaven after death, even if presented with a 'heaven' that rivals reality, they won't waver a bit. Their perception won't be affected by the illusion."
"Originally, a person standing on a rooftop wouldn't experience illusions of jumping down or 'flying upwards,' provided they have sufficient common sense and beliefs. However, these unfortunate girls share a common trait—they lacked a solid footing on the ground in their own real world, and were absolutely marginalized. Thus, they couldn't arm themselves with common knowledge. Upon entering this heavenly otherworld, they could never return to the ground, becoming residents of this other realm."
"The so-called illusion is ultimately a realm of illusion. To create an illusion so realistic that it's indistinguishable from reality, we must start by studying the individual human psyche. Humans possess astonishing self-satisfaction capabilities. To break free from the shackles of common sense, we must break through the self-satisfaction of the individual. From instinct, create an illusion that compels people to succumb, much like a dream..."
"Archmage Rosa, I never expected you to delve so deeply into the study of the human subconscious. Looks like I'll have to discuss more with you and our Spiritual Psychology department in the future."
"..."
The archmage primarily researching illusions was left utterly baffled by Rosa's subtle expression. She sighed, "Don't confuse the actor with the character. This isn't my opinion; I'm just reciting from Master Durin's script. If you want to discuss this, you should talk to him."
"What? This was created by that kid? He actually researched illusionism too?"
Clearly shocked by the impact on his consciousness, the archmage fell silent. Meanwhile, the other archmages gleaned insights from the recent events. Just as mentioned earlier, 'The Garden of Sinners' exudes an ambiguous nature—'if you say it is, it is; if you say it isn't, it isn't.' It defies reason, yet the narrative's momentum makes it seem plausible. When you think you've understood it, upon closer inspection, it turns out to be nonsense...
Thus, not only did the illusionist archmage benefit from the recent storyline, but the other archmages also found their own insights in their respective fields. Despite its elusive and enigmatic nature, the peculiar charm of the story kept everyone eagerly watching as the film continued to unfold on the screen.
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