Punishing : Gray Raven (Official)

Chapter 9 : Friends (Interlude)

EX04 : Echo Aria - Curtain and Canvases

Chapter 9 : Friends

Three years have passed.

Once unsure about her future, Ayla has long since found her direction in life.

As long as she continues on this path, she will become the person she dreamed to become one day.

"She firmly believes."

Ayla : "... Alright. I just need a little bit more olive green... And add some contrast..."

"Phew! That should do it!"

Knocking-

Meka : "Ayla?"

Ayla : "Ma'am? One sec, I'm, Packing up! "

Meka : "... That lady is waiting for you downstairs. You got plans today?"

Ayla : "Yeah, I need to talk to them about the new exhibition proposal."

"...I wish I could just stay at home painting all the time."

"As long as I keep making great works, there won't be any problem."

"They should just give me a calm and peaceful environment, so I can focus on my art!"

"Gosh. I'm just not good at this proposal thing."

Meka : "Well, sometimes going out isn't too bad."

"You get to relax a little, and you may get inspiration from visiting different places and seeing different people and things, don't you think?"

Ayla : "There won't be any inspiration. have been to every place in Babylonia."

"If I see the same view over and over again, I may even get bored and start to hate what I'm doing."

Meka : "Well... Ayla, you have grown a lot."

Ayla : "Well, I'll see you later then!"

Exhibition manager : "Ayla! You made me wait for 15 minutes again!"

Ayla : "Huh? Does it matter? I was fine-tuning some details."

Exhibition manager : "I know your works are great, but the proposal is equally important!"

"If we don't have a good spot, no matter how great your works are, they won't catch a lot of attention."

Ayla : "That's not possible. Even if my works are displayed in a corner, they won't be ignored."

Exhibition manager: "... You really give me headaches. Confidence is great, but..."

Ayla : "Selena is coming today, right? I haven't seen her for a while. We were debating about ancient sculptures."

Exhibition manager : "Oh, about that..."

"I can only tell you that she's not coming today. You may want to read her mail first."

Ayla : "Mail? I didn't get any"

Exhibition manager : "No, for some reason, she couldn't send it to your terminal."

"So she wrote a paper letter and asked me to pass it to you. Tsk, what an old-fashioned way."

Ayla : "Couldn't send it? What happened..."

Exhibition manager : "Hmm, it actually may be a good thing, but I'm too ordinary to understand it... Just read it first."

...

Selena's Letter 064 : "It's been a while since we last met, Ayla. Four months?"

"It was your birthday and we celebrated your coming of age together. Too bad we spent all the time discussing great sculpture works."

"So we never had the chance to properly sit down and talk."

"Remember what I said about becoming a Construct?"

"You asked me why. Why not continue with a career in art?"

"If we keep doing what we are doing, our reputation, status, and living conditions will only get better."

"... My answer is, art should not exist only in a world of our own."

"I thought a lot. Born and raised in Babylonia, we took the peaceful, comfortable and abundant life for granted."

"But that's only the world as we know it. Is that truly what it is?"

"I once read that all artworks were an imitation of natural objects."

"What if our creations were based only on an unrealistic, partial impression of the real world?"

"It made me wonder. I wanted to discover what the real world is like."

"Maybe our path would be rectified if we could portray the world as it truly is."

"But I ended up shocked by the knowledge I found."

"It turned out that outside the peaceful and harmonious world we lived in, there was another cruel world full of conflict and war."

"Because of those people's hard work, or even sacrifice, we got to enjoy our peaceful lives."

"I was traumatized, but I didn't want to tell you. We were raised with so much on our shoulders."

"We must help humanity to survive, and pass on the knowledge and wisdom."

"That's why I asked the WGAA to make me a Construct. And I succeeded."

"Ah, I'm just writing down whatever comes to my mind. I'm afraid we won't be able to see each other again, but I try to keep in touch."

"...Lastly, Ayla. I believe that neither of us has chosen the wrong way."

"We will still fight together, for the same ultimate goal. Just in different worlds."

Ayla : "How could she...! She didn't even tell me before becoming a Construct..."

"I can't take this! That's not what friends do to each other!"

Exhibition manager: "Ayla, Selena left you a software that makes virtual theater plays. Seems like she came up with the original scripts."

"We are exhibiting a slightly modified version."

"If she left you the original, she must want you to understand how she felt in the beginning."

Ayla : "But I already know everything. What's the point of giving this to me now..."

Exhibition manager : "Um, instead of feeling upset, why not be happy for your friend? She's found her way!"

"Plus, Selena's position is quite special... Maybe you will get to work together again in the future!"

Ayla : "Is that so...? You're right..."

"Selena said it too... She hoped we could both excel in our own field."

"...Hmm. Okay!"

"Anyway, thanks for passing this on to me. It means a lot. I'll cheer up."

Exhibition manager: "You are most welcome. Well, don't forget you still have a business meeting to attend! Make sure you get the best location in the exhibition!"

-to be continued-