Next, Aiou and Yucali discussed it for a full day, yet still could not determine whether they were the same person.
When their discussion ended, Aiou realized that the True-Self Perfect One had been outside for quite some time. He rose and went out.
Outside, the True-Self Perfect One was gazing up at the world beyond, seemingly watching something. Yet when Aiou looked out, he could still see nothing but countless lines.
Everyone saw a different image, so what exactly did those differing images represent?
"We have sailed through this space for five hundred years already. How does it feel?" the True-Self Perfect One asked.
Aiou froze. He immediately contacted Mother, and Mother gave him a time of twenty-five hours. He looked at the True-Self Perfect One, who smiled. "The time inside the room differs from the time outside. If you do not believe me, try it here yourself."
"In other words, the time inside is the standard time of the Arboreal Universe—no, of Infinite City?" Aiou asked.
The True-Self Perfect One shook his head. "No. The time inside changes according to each person's perception. If you feel that half an hour has passed, then only half an hour has passed. If you feel that a hundred years have passed, then it has been a hundred years. Outside, however, it is chaotic and disorderly, sometimes fast and sometimes slow."
"Why is that?" Aiou asked in confusion.
The True-Self Perfect One took out a sheet of paper. A line of text appeared on it: "Central Court has been falling through Infinite Space for five hundred years."
"???"
Aiou glanced at it, then looked at the True-Self Perfect One with his head full of fog.
"What if I told you that this sheet of paper is Infinite Space..." the True-Self Perfect One