Hymn of the Sea of Clouds: Rainbow

Great Sentinel above, can you hear me?

Please guide me out of this treacherous land!

Stay away, you abominable creatures!

Ahhh! Don't come any closer! The Sentinel will not spare you!

No... Leave me alone! Please!

No... Leave me alone! Please!

It's a miracle! The great Sentinel heard my prayers!

I was the one who heard you.

I don't understand, kind {Male=sir;Female=lady}... Weren't you sent by the Sentinel to save me?

I see... Please pardon my rashness, Righteous One. Thank you for your sense of honor.

I'm Lenore, the dean of the Minor Forbidden Archive in the Order of the Deep. If I make it back alive today, please find me at the Minor Forbidden Archive. I'll do everything I can to repay you!

Farewell, Righteous One!

It's called the Minor Forbidden Archive. We have two: one big, one small. The Major Forbidden Archive is where we store all the really dangerous books, tales, and ideologies. Only the most devout servants of the Sentinel are permitted to serve there!

As for the Minor Forbidden Archive... well, it's where we keep the expired or incomplete documents, notes, and such...

But of course, it still takes a truly devout follower like me to be assigned to work there!

Ugh, the crops are all dead.

Grandpa's notes mentioned the soil was too salty, but the pages with the solution got ruined during the TD Outbreak. If only Grandpa had lived longer...

Ugh, why didn't the Sentinel guide us to a better land...

Don't be so ungrateful. If it wasn't for the Sentinel's help, our fleet would have been wiped out.

From here on out, we must rely on ourselves. If one generation can't do it, we'll try with two. The land of Rinascita will be fertile again, I know it!

That must be the spot Lenore said the record would be. What are the Vitreum Dancers doing over there?

You're back so soon, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover! I am in awe!

May I join you next time? I wouldn't want the Sentinel to think me... soft, allowing you to shoulder all the burden.

Now, shall we listen to the record you've recovered? It's a part of the revered Nimbus Chorale, after all!

How splendid! So this is the first section of the Nimbus Chorale, "Soil of Abundance"... What a beautiful depiction of the Sentinel's mercy!

Of course it is!

As stated in the Tenets, "The Sentinel granted abundance to Rinascita, and we must bow low, our foreheads kissing the earth in gratitude."

For believers such as us, a piece of music dedicated to the fertile soil is proof of the Sentinel's boundless mercy!

Wh-where did you hear such audacious words?! How could anyone dare to place the strength of mankind above the will of our Sentinel?

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, please, you must not speak of this in the presence of others!

Long ago, someone dared to profane the Order by spreading rumors about the Sentinel. That's why the current Primus Fenrico has forbidden even private discussions about the Sentinel. It's considered dangerous heresy now!

You are an outlander, but I fear your views might be misinterpreted...

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, do you know of the Dark Tide? It was a calamity from the heavens, an abyss that consumed all. The tide of desecration destroyed countless families, including my own.

In our darkest hour, it was the Blessed Maiden who gave her life to seal away the darkness. It was His Holiness the Primus who beseeched the Sentinel's mercy. Our unwavering faith saved us all.

As His Holiness Fenrico once said: "Faith is the cornerstone of Rinascita, and any questioning of our faith and the Order will lead to another Dark Tide."

Nobody wants another Dark Tide, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover.

But we have more pressing matters now. I'll send you the coordinates of the next location.

Perhaps you should join me this time.

Oh? Why is that?

All-knowing and all-powerful Sentinel, please bless me with smooth sailing tomorrow!

Instead of praying here every day, why don't you go fix the fishing boat?

Grandma, how can you say such a disrespectful thing in front of the Sentinel!

That's not the Sentinel. It's nothing more than a pile of stones you've gathered.

The Sentinel guided us here to build a new home, yet you would dare lay every little misfortune at Their feet. It is you who dishonor the Sentinel.

You don't understand anything, Grandma.

More of those white phantoms... and Vitreum Dancers.

I, I... I'll go find a place to hide!

Phew! {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, I was worried to death. Is everything all right?

Whew! That's great. Seems I was too rattled by the earlier attack.

Now then, let's listen to the second part together. I believe it's called "Crystal Sky."

Wait, before we continue... According to my research, the correct way to listen to the Nimbus Chorale is to play the multiple parts layered on top of each other at once!

According to the Order's Ancestral Records, the Nimbus Chorale can only be experienced fully through the collaboration of many.

The performers normally hail from various parts of Rinascita and only come together during the Carnevale. It's the one time it's ever performed in full!

Much of the official records were lost during the Dark Tide, but I've painstakingly reconstructed the fragments from every available source to reach this conclusion!

Anyway, let's listen to it now!

Ah? Why are there so many Gondolas here?

Could they be attracted by the music?

We don't need your assistance, Divine Envoys of the Sentinel.

It wouldn't be good if my little trial were to disrupt the duty the Sentinel has entrusted to us all!

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, please, help me persuade the Gondolas to leave! We Acolytes must refrain from being too close to the Echoes!

Oh, heavens, no!

"Crystal Sky" is a hymn of praise for the Sentinel's supreme power, a reminder that each breath, each heartbeat, is watched over by Their loving gaze.

If the waterways fall into disorder because of the Gondolas' idleness, surely the Sentinel will be displeased!

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, why do you entertain such blasphemous thoughts? To question the Sentinel's authority… even an outlander could be sent on a pilgrimage for that!

I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. No, no—I mean, you didn't say anything at all!

So... you saw white phantoms lingering in Nimbus Sanctum, preaching blasphemous thoughts?

This is the first time I've heard of such things.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, let me accompany you this time!

Don't you need to stay here?

No. Whatever my personal ambitions, stopping this blasphemy is of far greater importance.

Follow me, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover—we'll need a Gondola to reach the third location.

Oh, you're offering us a ride? Thank you, Divine Envoys of the Sentinel. See? I told you the Sentinel has been watching over us!

Dance! Everyone, the time to celebrate is now!

This looks like a recording of an ancient Carnevale celebration. Since there's no Acolyte in sight… could it be from before the founding of the Order of the Deep? This is a marvelous discovery, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover!

Let us raise our thanks to the Sentinel, who has guided us to safety and protected us on this journey!

Yes, that's right! The Sentinel is truly a great and wondrous being!

And let us thank our hardworking farmers whose toil has transformed the soil, bringing us an abundant harvest!

Let us honor the brave warriors who vanquished Tacet Discord and beast alike so that we might sleep soundly at night!

No, no! The Sentinel blessed us with fertile soil. The Sentinel gave us a home.

How dare they claim the Sentinel's blessings as their own!

S-such utter disgrace!

Looks like the Tacet Discords are here to hunt down the phantoms.

How dare they… I cannot fathom anyone so blind to the Sentinel's grace, even before the rise of the Order of the Deep.

Those people... They lived beneath the Sentinel's watchful eye without acknowledging Their kindness. They even claimed the miracles of the Sentinel as their own!

It was this kind of blasphemy that angered the Sentinel and brought forth the Dark Tide! This is why the world needs the Order's guidance now more than ever, don't you see?

I... but I... No! This isn't it!

Verse 10, Chapter 2 of the Tenets, "Though your spirit trembles, you must not forsake piety. Though your spirit trembles, you must not forsake piety..." Calm down, calm down, calm down!

Who wrote this "Tenets of the Deep"? You've been reciting it over and over.

The Tenets are a code of conduct for all who follow the Order with true devotion. They were meticulously refined by the Primus himself to guide us through the ages.

After the Dark Tide twenty years ago, His Holiness Fenrico stated that the Order's leniency toward disorder had invited the calamity. In response, he revised the sacred text and urged all faithful to live by it always.

I feared the book would become worn from constant use, so I memorized every word, every line!

To be honest I don't know myself. The older prints have all been confiscated and destroyed.

Do you still have other questions, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover?

That's it for now.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, I am not the brightest among my peers, but I do understand what you've been hinting at. You are a kind person, that I can tell.

But let's turn our focus to listening to the Nimbus Chorale. Perhaps the music itself will speak where words cannot. Come, let's listen!

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, something feels amiss... Do you feel it too?

Human touch? No, it should be praising the Sentinel!

The Carnevale is a holiday for everyone to gather and give thanks to our beloved Sentinel. I'm certain there's another part of the Chorale that shows our true reverence.

What do you say...

Huh? What just happened?

Something seems to be resonating with the music we just played.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, let's go and have a look!

This is the site of the Order of the Deep's Major Forbidden Archive—well, the former site.

After the Dark Tide, it was buried beneath Nimbus Sanctum along with all of its secrets.

Me? No, no. I can't go in there.

It holds the most dangerous books and ideas, and only the most devout believers are allowed inside.

I-I'm not ready yet… O Sentinel, please forgive me.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, would you be willing to defeat the beast within and bring back the Nimbus Chorale's final part? It will surely celebrate the glory of the Sentinel.

Thank you, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover! I swear by Lenore—the name given to me by His Holiness the Primus—that I will repay this kindness with all my heart.

I'll pray for you here and ask the Sentinel to guide you, just as They guided the first believers.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, you're back! Are you all right?

Is this it?

This... this is the last part for the Nimbus Chorale! Wonderful! I knew you could do it!

Now, the last section should represent our ancestors' reverence for the Sentinel… Wait. It's titled... "Glory to Humanity"?

But… why? Why does the most important part of the Chorale have nothing to do with Sentinel?

Maybe your ancestors knew the Sentinel was important, but they also knew that the ones who crossed the sea, the generations who built all this, deserved gratitude too.

Of course our ancestors are important! Without their devotion, how could we have ever won the Sentinel's favor?

They lived in a time when the Sentinel was closer to us. Why couldn't they see Their grace as we do?

Maybe it's because they understood the Sentinel's true nature better than you do, and they knew what it took to create the kind of life you now enjoy today.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover… do you think I've strayed from the path of my ancestors?

No, you're just following the Tenets of the Deep.

I'm sorry, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover. I don't understand.

All I know is that the Sentinel gave us Rinascita as a home and the Common Echoes that help us live our lives. The Order, guided by the Sentinel, saved me from the Dark Tide and gave me a name, a new life, and a place to belong.

As the opening line of the Tenets states, "All that the Order reveals is truth, and our duty is simply to follow."

I suppose, to you, I must seem like a blind follower of faith. I'm sorry for taking so much of your time, trying to convince me when I wouldn't listen.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, whether or not the Nimbus Chorale is heretical doesn't matter. It's not the music I wish to play at the Carnevale.

I will never forget your kindness. If you ever need me, come to the Minor Forbidden Archive. I've had a long day, and now I need some time alone.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, why…

This music... with its disrespect, its blasphemy that ignores the Sentinel's grace... Why does it move me so?

O Sentinel, please forgive this humble, wandering servant. Forgive me for being moved by such a forbidden thing.

Rover, does the Sentinel here care about such little problems?

We'll talk about that later...

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, what should I do? Should I report this music as heretical to the Order? Why do I hesitate? Am I losing my faith?

Wow, what's that in your hands? It smells so good! Wait, where are we? Did I miss out on something?

I don't even know where to start.

You look like you've been through a lot. What happened? Get any cool stuff?

Hmm... I have a song, you want to listen?

I really wanna go get something to eat first... But by the look on your face, fine. Let's listen!

Rover… Could you be that Rover who recently saved Jinzhou, as mentioned in The Worldly Watch?

Then you must have met Jinzhou's magistrate! I hear she's young, younger than I am, in fact, and with hair as white as snow. They say she's wise, brave, and cares deeply for her people, just like the Blessed Maiden in the hymns. I really admire her!

By the way, you call yourself Rover, but... why do you choose to rove? Why not settle somewhere and take on stable work like the rest of us?

If you're looking for work in Rinascita, be sure to come sign up at the Order. We offer a monthly talent subsidy!

Oh no, am I bothering you with my chatter? You've been so quiet.

Apologies, I can only chat with the Acolyte responsible for disposing archived records on the 15th of each month. Also, Phoebe hasn't been visiting me as often lately...

Oh, Sentinel above, please forgive me for my misbehavior...

Is that a musical note from the Chorale? {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, let's follow it!

I never imagined it would lead us here. Twenty years ago, during the Dark Tide, the kind old Acolyte who took me in brought me to this place—our final refuge. But he returned to the seminary alone and never came back.

Still… now is not the time to dwell on the past. Let's press on!

To question the Sentinel in such melodies of blasphemy... A history of insurrection and blind folly... They must be destroyed.

Huff… How much longer must we keep chasing… Huff... Sitting in the basement every day doesn't exactly prepare one for such exertion.

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, Huff… Please, go ahead. I'll catch up soon!

The Sentinel is indisputable. The Sentinel is beyond question.

The Sentinel is impervious to flaws. The Sentinel cannot err.

All teachings, writings, and even thoughts against the Sentinel are heresy and must be banned!

The Sentinel is our guide, not our master!

Incorrect. The Sentinel's power reigns above all else!

The Sentinel brought us to Rinascita, but the future... that is ours to claim!

Incorrect. All we are, all we have, is by the Sentinel's grace!

All meritorious deeds are the fruits of Their blessing. All virtue flows from Their will.

Repent for your arrogance!

Repent for your rebellion against the will of the Order!

If you seek repent and forgiveness, know this, only during a night filled with "Starlight" can you meet Lorelei.

Father! Mother! Grandpa! Grandma! We've reached land! See? We're finally home!

The Sentinel showed us the way. Thank you, kind Sentinel!

Thank you to the brave uncles who fixed our ship in the rain! Thank you to the sailors who brought us here, and to the heroes who fought the scary monsters!

Thank you to the grannies who made yummy fish! Thank you to the big sisters who sang me to sleep while they sewed and the kind aunties who helped everyone when they were sick!

We found our new home! Do you see it? Thank you all so, so much!

What am I supposed to do…? This feeling within me…

I want to listen to the Chorale again… just a few more times…

Verse 9, Chapter 9 of the Tenets reminds us, "Seek out the truth, for all that is good, the Sentinel shall grant unto you, and all that is beautiful, the Sentinel shall embrace."

Stranger, this beautiful song belongs to you, too. Have a good time at the Carnevale!

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover! What a surprise to see you again so soon!

Is this little pavilion the Minor Forbidden Archive?

Haha, you always have such a way with words. The Minor Forbidden Archive is underground, you won't see views like this down there. No, I'm actually at the Tidal Sanctuary to finalize my transfer.

You're leaving the Minor Forbidden Archive?

Yes… well…

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, I owe you an apology for how I acted that day... I was stubborn.

Rinascita's civilization was planted by our ancestors, and the Order is just one of its many fruits. I shouldn't have been frightened by the ancient music; I should've been delighted!

In that moment, I felt the spirit of my ancestors resonate within me, didn't I?

Hehe...

Where are you going next?

Maybe I'll go find Phoebe. She hasn't visited in some time, and I wonder what she's busy with.

Or perhaps I should go further… to the Montelli vault, or even to the Septimont? Hmm, I suppose I wouldn't need to wear my uniform...

{Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover, do you have any suggestions?

Ah, I aspire to have your confidence one day!

"True faith is born from the heart, and Sentinel's guidance speaks through my voice." From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your help, {Male=Mr.;Female=Ms.} Rover.

Which chapter of the Tenets is that from?

Hahaha! I said that. I am quoting myself!