The Answer

Earlier.

High above Tenguu City, aboard the Fraxinus.

Reine brought up a huge screen and spoke in her calm, mature voice.

"That powerful, unstable Spiritual Power showed a major reaction today."

"Wha—" Shiori felt a sudden sense of foreboding. "...Has it affected the Spirits?"

Lately, Tohka's and Yoshino's Spiritual Power had occasionally surged erratically. For safety, they had spent nearly all their time under observation at Ratatoskr's facilities.

"We can't determine the Spirits' condition," Kotori said. She had switched back to her black hair ribbons, and her expression was grave. "But the unstable Spirit Wave has become severely distorted. It's even less stable than before."

"How could that be..." Shiori murmured, her fingers curling.

When Spiritual Power became unstable, it could run out of control.

And what would happen then? Would it be like Tohka and Yoshino? Or...

She couldn't help asking, "What would happen if this Spiritual Power ran out of control?"

Reine adjusted her glasses again. She looked especially sleep-deprived as she answered weakly, "Power of this density and magnitude would be enough to trigger a second Eurasian Spacequake."

It was that serious?!

Shiori's pupils contracted. "..."

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

The Eurasian Spacequake—the catastrophe thirty years ago that had killed 150 million people.

It had reshaped the world, brought Spirits into existence, and marked one of the darkest pages in human history.

Just then,

Shiori tilted her head slightly as the communicator in her ear rang. She answered at once, and Nia's carefree voice sounded in her ear.

"Hey, girlie~ You look confused. Need a hand?"

"Nia!" Shiori exclaimed, her taut nerves easing a little.

But in that instant, an image flashed through her mind—she had once asked Nia to search for information with her Angel.

Wait. When had that happened? Why...