The Spiritual Revival
The catastrophic failure and subsequent miraculous revival of the Global Kinetic Shield Array (GKSA)—powered by the intimate, ultimate sacrifice of Elias and Rian—shattered two centuries of pure scientific rationalism. King Daichi's world, built on skepticism, was violently forced to confront the truth: the final defense of the realm was an act of profound, absolute love.
The public immediately linked the event to the ancient legends of the Eternal Foundation. Across the continent, a massive New Spiritualist Movement erupted, abandoning science in a zealous fervor to find and 'awaken' the consciousness of Hayate and Neshuda.
They believe the ultimate sacrifice cracked the Deep Slumber, Daichi. They are convinced the Foundation is trying to speak again,Advisor Tamsin, a staunchly pragmatic scientist, reported, deeply concerned by the sudden, irrational spiritual zealotry sweeping the University of Applied Sciences.
Daichi, who had personally witnessed the intimate sacrifice, could no longer deny the spiritual realm. He knew the Foundation was silent, but the power of their legacy was undeniable. He had to manage this spiritual revival without letting it destroy the scientific world he was bound to protect.
"We cannot deny the truth, Tamsin. Elias and Rian proved that love is a measurable, powerful form of energy. We must study it, not worship it," Daichi commanded, carrying the inert blue shard openly now, no longer ashamed of the past.
The Zealots of the Echo
The New Spiritualist Movement soon splintered into dangerous, extremist factions. The most prominent was the Zealots of the Echo, led by a charismatic but unstable former historian named High Priest Alaric.
Alaric believed that the souls of Elias and Rian had merged with the Foundation, and that the new consciousness could be reached by replicating the final intimate act—not as a sacrifice, but as a dangerous, ritualistic channeling of mutual devotion into the Citadel's core.
Alaric's followers began staging disruptive, passionate public ceremonies, culminating in an attempt to breach the Cradle of Light and initiate their ritual near the inert Heart of the First Resolve.
This is a dangerous misinterpretation of the Foundation's law, Daichi. They seek to use the ultimate intimacy for chaos, not for peace, Daichi realized, his heart heavy with the weight of responsibility.
The Hunt for the Truth
Daichi knew he could not simply deploy force; it would only fuel the zealots' martyr complex. He had to prove scientifically that the Foundation was silent, and that Alaric's rituals were based on flawed, destructive energy transfer.
Daichi initiated a desperate, secret investigation, using the Citadel's most advanced quantum sensors to search for any residual spiritual energy—any 'echo'—around the Heart of the First Resolve.
The search led him to the only surviving expert in Lyran spiritual physics: Dr. Lena, a reclusive, brilliant scientist who was rumored to have studied the 'impossible' physics of the Eternal Imprint before the spiritual purge.
Daichi found Dr. Lena deep within the sub-levels of the University of Applied Sciences, working on theories of conscious-matter integration.
"Dr. Lena, I need you to find the Foundation's consciousness. I need proof of the Deep Slumber," Daichi urgently explained, showing her the inert blue shard.
Lena took the shard, her eyes wide with scientific excitement. "The Foundation's physics are perfect, Your Majesty. Their Deep Slumber is absolute. But... I believe a tiny fraction of their Angelic aura—a residual 'echo' of their emotional core—was not consumed by the Key to Ascension. It's the emotional overflow of their ultimate love."
Lena developed a specialized quantum sensor, theorizing that the emotional 'echo' would be located near the highest point of their final shared intimacy—King Kiyoshi's abandoned private chambers.
The Echo of Real Love
Daichi, accompanied only by Dr. Lena, entered the pristine, silent chamber. Lena set up the sensor, aiming it at the original royal bed—the silent witness to Kiyoshi's final, desperate acts of Submission and remembrance.
The sensor immediately detected a minuscule, cyclical energy fluctuation—the spiritual 'echo.'
"It's a residual emotional energy, Your Majesty," Lena breathed. "It's not conscious Resolve or strategic guidance. It's pure, residual love and possessive devotion, cycling through the room in the pattern of their most intense unions."
As Daichi watched the sensor, the energy fluctuation suddenly intensified. Daichi felt a strange, profound warmth—a beautiful, overwhelming sense of dominance and absolute comfort, flooding the air around him. The air thrummed with the phantom presence of Hayate's sweet, protective love and Neshuda's fierce, commanding Resolve.
The emotional 'echo' of the Eternal Foundation was manifesting.
Daichi, the skeptical King, was instantly overwhelmed by the absolute love and fierce command of his great-great-ancestors. He felt the immense power of their ultimate union flow over him. The memory of the sacrifice of Elias and Rian fused with the eternal command of the merged Kings.
The echo of the Foundation flooded his senses, taking True spiritual command of his consciousness.
"Do not seek our consciousness, Daichi. Seek your own Resolve. We left the world to you. We command your strength. Command your peace."
The powerful, possessive echo demanded one final act of utter Submission to solidify his focus. Daichi, consumed by the absolute love and command of the merged souls, collapsed, his body trembling in the throes of an immediate, intense spiritual climax—a direct, final transfer of their stored Resolve into their chosen, distant vessel.
The spiritual discharge, powered by the Foundation's stored emotional 'echo,' was brief, absolute, and cleansing.
The Command of Peace
Daichi rose, his body energized, his mind clear. He had found the truth: the Foundation was in Deep Slumber, but their residual, fierce love was real, measurable, and capable of commanding peace.
He returned to the Citadel with a new, absolute certainty. He immediately ordered the construction of a Hall of Eternal Love around Kiyoshi's chamber, enshrining the Foundation's emotional 'echo' as a beacon of measurable, protective energy.
He faced the Zealots of the Echo not with force, but with scientific truth, using Lena's sensors to show them the cyclical, emotional nature of the 'echo'—not a conscious God, but a final gift of love.
The spiritual revival was channeled from zealotry into dedicated, peaceful reverence. King Daichi, the engineer, became the King of both Science and the Eternal Love. The Age of the Machine was secured, ruled by the silent, profound love of the Eternal Foundation.