Thirty-six years before I met Chaz, Rika, Rune and Wren near the Soldier's Temple, I was born in the small village of Torinco. Back at that time, mainland Motavia and Torinco were united - as the great earthquake that led to their separation did not take place yet. As the matter of fact, it only took place twenty-two years later, after I've already graduated from the academy. I am recording this now when I'm temporarily free of the control of the demon so someone will find this recorder, and learn my true story.
Someone MUST know.
Even at a young age, ancient relics sparked my interest. When I was 16 years old, I finally got a ride to Piata, where the great academy resides. I've studied like a bookworm, focusing on archaeology of ancient history - but something didn't seem coherent. I found it highly impossible that some of the "ancient" artifacts documented were in fact awfully advanced for their time - In fact, they were even more advanced than what we have now! Continuing my studies, I have learned of a great conflict that ripped the advanced technology of olden times apart, and caused an ancient, nearly two-thousand-year old civilization to vanish, leaving behind various artifacts and control systems, as well as some mechanical beings known as "androids". I have grown quite interested in this civilization, and researched it.
I have read that the primary reason for the deterioration of this masterpiece society was the coming of an ancient living super-computer known only as "Mother Brain". Not much data was listed about it - but I found out that apparantly, its true agenda was destruction, it was powered by an ancient evil, and was built by a species of alien humans! That fascinated me even more. Apparantly, it was our kind that brought forth its own downfall - becoming so dependant upon this "Mother Brain" that it forgot how to survive in a climate as harsh as ancient Motavia's was. I have also read that this "Mother Brain" was involved in the destruction of another planet in the Algo system - our ancestors' world of origin, once known as "Palma", and then as "Palm", And now documented as "Parma" for some reason.
This world, first in distance from Algo's Sun, used to be the second one and so its habitable climate was formed. By a strange space-time anomaly, the planet switched orbits with my home planet. Palma, or Palm as it was called then, didn't deteriorate into a desert like old Motavia was, as Mother Brain and its terraforming units took control of it fairly quickly after. I've also learned about Palma's history - of it being the homeworld of Alis Landale, A powerful queen of legend who defeated a great evil known simply in the ancient scriptures as "Thoulphallus". Translating the Palmalatin into standard Palman, the name "Dark Force" resulted.
I've read legends about the battle against Mother Brain - those who destroyed the vile computer have also encountered a "Dark Force". Both legends described this Dark Force as a formidable creature of a dark, carapace-like complexion, a disturbingly humanoid face with burning red eyes set in large hollows and razor-sharp fangs portruding from its gaping maw, and strange pipe-like constructs arching over where its collarbones would be had its body been human. That was, however, where the similarity ended. The rest of the description - of both form and abilities - was vastly different. Was this Dark Force a bio-monster of some sort? Was the second created from the ruins of the first, or were they completely separate species? At that moment, it puzzled me more than anything else.
I spent four years in the academy, and when I was 20 I finally graduated. I was now officially a licensed archaeologist.
And I've spent my years travelling, exploring villages that date back to the days of Alis Landale and "Rolf", The leader of the party that eliminated Mother Brain - villages such as Uzo and Zema. I've explored the ancient ruins of the once-proud Motavian capital of Paseo, near Zema. I have listened to stories from the beaks of native Motavians, uncovered ancient artifacts (this recorder is in fact one of my findings - apparently it belonged to an ancient Palman "Robot-Cop"), Developed my own theories about how the world came to its current state. And then, disaster struck.
As I returned to my home city, I noticed it was no longer there. What I found instead was a great cliff overlooking the ocean - and across the water, on the horizon - I could see an island that was never there before - an island which may have been what used to be my hometown.
Using a rugged Jet Scooter I found and assembled from ancient parts I
recovered somewhere around Zema, near what looked like the ruins of an
ancient Motavian dam, I traveled to my hometown and found the aftermath
of the greatest disaster of my life.
My entire family was dead. All of them. The earthquake totalled our house,
and they were trapped inside. It was shocking.
There were other dead and other wounded, of course, and other houses destroyed... It was a tragedy, but I was oblivious to the pain of anyone else around me. When the family that raised you finds its death so easily... for no reason... and probably due to a failure of one of the ancient systems that still regulated this world - I do not know whether it was the scream of the earth or the laughter of fate, but it... sapped my power. I was both devastated and infuriated at the same time.
I walked outside the village and returned to where I parked my Jet Scooter. There was nothing for me here anymore. It was then, when I approached the mainland, that I could see bits and pieces of metal portruding from the walls - and what appeared to be a large cave on the cliff face, not too far from where I was headed. And inside it, I swear I could see some faint lights...
"It couldn't be!" I said, and rushed into the cavern, descending down on what seemed to be almost natural staircases.
Then I discovered it. There was a huge spaceship in the cave,
just lying there. bits and pieces of it were embedded in the rocks of
the cave, but the access hatch was still conveniently accessible. There
was a strange logo embroidered on it, with the words "NOAH Project,
EASA" written underneath it in a strange, yet oddly familiar language.
For a second my heart jumped. This might be the discovery of my lifetime.
I touched the access hatch and it opened as it it was waiting for me alone
all these years. I walked in.
The place was an archaeologist's dream. An entire crashed ancient starship
for me to explore. Most of the interior and computer systems seemed to
have been destroyed by the crash and by th eyears - nothing much was salvageable
except for various robotic parts, D.N.A samples and... then I noticed
it.
It was a statue of a gigantic woman - beautiful, yet sinister. Her face had a lifeless expression, and her hair - on closer inspection, hundreds of optical fibers that were obviously connected to something in the ceiling above her once, but were now cut off. The statue was very complicated from inside - most of the organic components have withered away, but the mechanical parts were still preserved - and looked ominously prepared to work again should they only be powered again. It was then that I noticed the small sticker.
It had a series of symbols in the same strange-looking language I've
seen on the access hatch and various signs on board the ship - the markings
seemed to spell out the word "Microsoft", with a smaller set
of markings underneath it, spelling out the words "Mother Brain Project".
Yet a third series of symbol, smaller than both previous sets and located
under them both, seemed to spell out seven words: "Where do you want
to go today?"
So this was the evil computer. Amazing, how something that was once so powerful looked so harmless now - almost resting peacefully. It was dead.
Then I noticed something lying amongst the remains. It was a small chest
- probably fell off from an upper level through the gaping hole in the
ceiling. It was sealed tightly, glowing in a strange shade of dark teal.
As I pondered whether or not to open it, I felt a cry for help assault
my senses. The voice that called out seemed truly despaired - and yet
corroded and... almost sinister.
"Pleaaassssssse... Release me from my prisssson..." it called
to me. And I felt compelled to open the box.
As I opened it, all I recall was a wave of darkness sweeping over me
as the towering, terrifying humanlike creature emerged, and glared at
me with its deep, vicious red eyes.
"I..." it said "Am one of three Dark Forces sent to bring
mayhem across this system. Our mistress has grown powerful enough with
the hole in the seal to send more than one of us this time... But my mission
is special. I have been waiting in this chest, this `Pandora's Box`, for
someone who will open it - so that I could use his body to finally learn
the greatest secret of them all... The secret location of the fourth planet!"
I attempted to escape, but my path was barred. And I felt a sensation
of terrible pain as suddenly the most terrible memories of my life resurfaced,
slowly draining me of whatever vitality i still had...
And so did the demon manage to seep into my body - and took over. It
shared its knowledge with me.... and I knew. I knew everything.
The entire history of the Algo Solar System, from its genesis to this
very day. All that knowledge... I felt, for a moment, like the most powerful
person in this world... but the cost... it was terrible. I was but a tiny
speck, struggling to breathe in the blackness. All was black now. All
was Dark Force.
Where have I been for the next fourteen years? Even I don't remember.
All I remember was two great howls of pain from the creature that was
inhabiting my body, twice, with large intervals. And then, one day I felt
its voice again.
"It is time." the demon boomed "The one who has been sent
to rule upon the systems has been eliminated, and so was the one who has
been sent to govern the living tower of Garuberk."
And I quickly saw the flash images. The mechanical hum of the control
satellite as the Dark Force was bio-wired to the computers, pulsating.
The organic beat of the fleshy walls, the roar of the tower, and the gigantic,
teal-colored crab-like being that was connected to them through pipes
in its back, venting green fluids to through bone-like pipes in the structure
of the tower - the lifeblood of the tower itself. And them. I saw them.
In the mechanical dungeon, there was a short, green-haired female android
armed with a small sonic rifle, which I identified as a Demi-Type. In
the living tower, there was a young, short-haired Esper girl wearing the
standard Esper attire - partly robe and partly armor - and holding a pair
of Laconian slashers in her hands, one of which was glowing strangely.
But in both places I noticed the same four people, with whom I have been
travelling up to now.
A tall android, which I quickly identified as a Fuoren-Subtype Wren-Type
android, armed with a massive rifle. A blue-haired male Esper wizard,
holding a staff and having a perpetually sarcastic look on his face. A
pink-haired girl with black-tipped catlike ears, wearing what appeared
to be an armored one-piece bodysuit and a short cloak, and lastly, a young
man in a red, half-armored suit, golden hair, and a sword.
Black lights started flowing around me and through me - and I found myself
on an island near a cave. I knew what I had to say. I knew that I was
controlled.
And they appeared, right on schedule.
Fortunately, they didn't climb to the temple that was on this island, home of the legendary Aeroprism, straight away. Instead they chose to take on a couple of Hunter's Guild missions, and after rushing through half the blasted world fighting monsters I have never believed that I will ever fight before - from huge birds with antennae on their heads to robots of all shapes and sizes - Chaz (as I soon found out the gold-haired boy's name was) and company decided to take a rest, back in his house at Aiedo. I awakened in the middle of the night for the sole purpose of making this entry - before the demon that dwells inside me will catch on to the fact I am not asleep.
I will leave this recorder here after we leave - as I know that I will not survive the coming battle, and neither shall my body.
Someday, I hope, Chaz will listen to this recording and know that I wasn't acting under my own judgement.
This is Seth, signing off.