It was incredibly hot last summer. So hot that Pallas had to beg Antollio to let him take off his ARCHtype, Lavender Coat. It was a gift from Beautiful Morning five years ago, an ARCH he would visit often during his days working for DaeSyndicate in District 1. Back then, he saw more beauty in living.
The lead scientist led the group of trainees through a containment hall, one of many in DaeSyndicate.
"This one's called Beautiful Morning. It's a NA-level ARCH. It takes the form of a portal to a beautiful field of flowers on a cool spring morning. I would let one of you in, but we don't know much besides what we can observe from outside the portal. Any questions?"
A curious trainee raised her hand.
"Excuse me, why is its threat level so low if its properties are unknown?"
"Great question. A key factor our Safety Department considers when classifying ARCHs is their danger without human intervention. For example, if an ARCH becomes irritated without human interaction for a short period, its base threat level would increase. Similarly, if an ARCH were able to exist in solitude for extended periods, its threat level would decrease!"
Even after Pallas had spent a year working for DaeSyndicate and was promoted to Head Researcher, he still felt compelled to visit Beautiful Morning. He discovered that spending time with it, even from outside the containment's thick, reinforced glass walls, brought him peace.
One day, Pallas grew impatient.
"Pallas, are you sure? You shouldn't rush this..."
"Don't get in my way, Dr. Green. I'm going to enter Beautiful Morning, whether you like it or not."
Dr. Green tried to stop Pallas from entering Beautiful Morning's chamber by blocking the door with her body. Pallas pushed her aside easily, driven by curiosity. As he stepped inside, a wave of anxiety hit him. If he went in... would he be able to get out? They had tested apples, bugs, organs, and human skin... but never a full, live human. He moved toward Beautiful Morning as the entrance widened, inviting him in.
"Pallas, don't!"
Dr. Green got back on her feet and ran into Beautiful Morning's chamber to retrieve Pallas, but just as she was about to grab his shoulder, he took a leap of faith. He was in the flower field. Almost as fast as the wind swept past Pallas' face, all the negative emotions in him faded away. He felt truly calm, almost nourished. When he turned back, he did not see back into the containment hall. Instead, he saw a distorted, unimaginable horror. One that swayed the unculpable bravery he once used to enter the field. After what felt like eternity staring into the abyss, he turned back to the field, where he saw a pedestal covered in an assortment of flowers that climbed to the top, where a coat made from the softest lavender flowers in the field lay waiting.
That horror, that distortion, it was something that would taint Pallas' heart forever. So much so that even when the Execution Department rescued him, he felt as though the reality he was born into was akin to hell, and that Beautiful Morning was his heaven.
< beginning of recording >
"—ording!
...
Oh, look what you did! Now it started a second recording!"
distant laughter
"All right, Pallas... If you want to interfere with my recording, you've got my attention. Please state your name for the interview!"
"...Pallas Anthiros."
"Would you please..."
shuffling
"...take a card from this deck?"
shuffling
"..."
"..."
"Would you please state which card you drew for the recording?"
"Oh, right. King of clubs."
< end of recording >