For Huginn and Muninn, the underlying consciousness of every human was fundamentally interconnected at its deepest level, thanks to the most precious treasure left behind by the previous era's civilization: the Stigmata.
Whether or not individuals had awakened their Stigmata, this characteristic—woven into the bloodline of all humanity—caused the collective consciousness of humanity to converge into an boundless Sea of Consciousness. Each person's unique consciousness, in turn, formed an individual island within this vast sea.
"This island—it can be divided into two parts, with one part visible above the sea. For example, the Simulated Persona that Fu Hua and Otto are seeing right now is located in this position."
"This feels so complicated... I don't understand at all..."
Kiana scratched her head, listening to Muninn explain some technical terms.
"...You can't understand even that? Let me put it another way—you've eaten sandwiches and hamburgers before, right?"
"Yeah... Mei used to give me a sandwich when I was about to be late for class."
The White-Haired Knight smiled shyly, seemingly reminiscing about her past with Mei.
"Hold on, hold on! We're all single dogs here! Keep flaunting and I'll toss you out to stare daggers at Otto!"
Huginn glanced at the familiar scene outside: the laboratory, the life support pods, the golden-haired man. To Kiana, this place probably felt like home.
"You can think of the island above the sea as one of the slices of bread in a sandwich or hamburger, and where we are right now is the filling in the middle... Sigh... This sounds so damn weird."
Muninn lowered his head and muttered something under his breath before looking up again to explain.
"So, the Simulated Persona you created earlier is temporarily replacing me as the Little Bread?"
"Exactly! You—the Little Bread—she replaced you, and now you've become the filling."
Seizing the opportunity to climb higher, Muninn threw a sarcastic remark at Kiana before continuing his hunger-inducing analogy to explain the underlying principle.
"This upward-facing slice of bread can be called the 'Ego.' And we, now acting as the Simulated Persona's subconscious—the filling—can be referred to as the 'Superego.'"
"In other words, the 'Ideal Principle' that guides the Ego and restrains the Id, representing a person's cognitive, aesthetic, and moral values."
"For example, even though the Simulated Persona attacked Fu Hua, she didn't use any of the White Knight Battlesuit's large-scale destructive capabilities or weapons. That's because of us—we didn't want to escalate things and cause unnecessary casualties."
"This line of thinking feeds back into the Simulated Persona on the surface, causing her to exercise restraint. Otherwise, despite the difference in combat prowess, this virtual personality, inheriting your combat experience and instincts, could keep Fu Hua engaged for quite a while."
"Finally, there's the Id—the primal, unconscious part of the self. It's like the bottom slice of bread... no, actually, the structure of a normal person is more like omurice, right? The outermost layer is the egg and tomato sauce, enveloping the fried rice inside?"
"But you're special. Occupying the Id position is 'her'—Second Herrscher Sirin, an individual with her own Ego. So, like you, she's another slice of bread."
Muninn nodded, seemingly pleased with his explanation, and casually rubbed his stomach...
"Ugh... I'm hungry! After smashing Schicksal Headquarters, remember to treat me to a feast!"
Muninn glared at Kiana, clearly displeased.
"Alright, alright, a feast it is," Kiana replied distractedly, completely overlooking the fact that they'd be living as fugitives for the foreseeable future, and she had no idea where she'd find the money for a feast.
"Hmph, that's more like it."
Muninn nodded in satisfaction at the response.
"So, how do we get her to come out and trash Schicksal? You're not still holding her back, are you?"
Kiana scratched her head, puzzled. Her consciousness hadn't yet returned to her body, and the Simulated Persona had already dissipated. Yet the Second Herrscher, Sirin, hadn't taken control either. In a sense, this body could temporarily be considered comatose.
"I don't know—"
Muninn readily offered her expert answer.
"Huh???"
"I released all restraints on her just now, but... she hasn't moved? She's perfectly fine, but she's just... motionless."
"Maybe she's been suppressed for so long she's reached enlightenment or something?"
"Could be... Muninn, didn't you say she briefly poked her head out, and then you slapped her back down? That's gotta be the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime..."
Kiana mused uncertainly, while Muninn, prompted by the White-Haired Knight's suggestion, mentally replayed the scene—
Sun Wukong, trapped beneath Five Elements Mountain, suddenly felt the crushing weight ease. He realized he could actually climb out.
An unspoken, primal joy surged through him. He scrambled out, eager to roar his newfound freedom to the heavens.
But Buddha, realizing his mistake—Hmm, I released him too early. Better keep him pinned a while longer—smacked down his palm, crushing another mountain onto the monkey.
The monkey, slammed back down, wore a weary, Just end it all expression, his eyes reflecting a transcendent detachment from worldly concerns.
I'm gonna die...
Muninn, envisioning this scenario, let out a mournful cry—
"Then hurry up and use your invincible High God Snow to think of a solution!" Kiana urged loudly, seeing Muninn's distress.
"Forget it! First, flip this 'sandwich' over—time to get your ass up and get to work!"
Steel in her heart, Muninn executed a series of manipulations, forcibly transferring the Second Herrscher Sirin's core consciousness from the deepest layers of her Consciousness Space to the surface, overriding her Ego.
"How's it going?" Kiana asked, bringing Little Sirin closer as they waited for the silver-haired girl's reply.
-
In the Schicksal Overseer's private laboratory, the white-haired girl submerged in a life support pod opened her golden eyes.
These eyes revealed no majesty, no disdain, and none of the haughtiness befitting the Queen of the Void. Instead, they radiated a transcendent detachment, as if she had seen through the illusions of the mortal world.
"See through it, let go, be free... accept fate."
The Herrscher Consciousness, having attained enlightenment without a teacher, now grasped the ultimate truth. She intended to turn her back on humanity and transcend the three realms entirely.
She closed her eyes again, seemingly losing all interest in worldly affairs.
-
"Damn it!"
These were Muninn and Kiana, dwelling within the Sea of Consciousness.
"Move! Sirin, why aren't you moving? The world is already so defiled!"
"Ascend above all beings and judge humanity in God's stead!"
"Do you even look like a proper Herrscher right now?! Huh?! How can you sleep at this stage?!"
But no matter how fervently the subconscious duo called out, the Second Herrscher Sirin, who controlled the body, remained motionless, her eyes closed, offering no response.
Finally, as if unable to endure their incessant clamoring any longer, a soft, ethereal voice drifted through the air:
"All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers, and the flowers fade... Why, then, do we..."
"...toil in vain?"
At that moment, Sirin had attained enlightenment!