Welcome back.

As you can see, the game board hasn't moved an inch, even after all this time. The players have gotten bored, the pieces left with nothing to do but wait for the next game to begin, whenever that may be.

Isn't this a pitiful state of affairs?

At the very least, you have had enough time to find your footing, right? Nothing should surprise you anymore. Or are you still stuck? Did you even try?

After all, this might prove more difficult than the tales that came before it. Still, there has to be an answer, something that ties everything together. You must believe this as well.

So, let's solve it. Together. All in the name of guiding humanity down the right path.



If you were like me, chances are you were waiting for Phase 2 to come out in your lifetime to get a few more clues before diving into the ins and outs of Ciconia. This entry is groundbreaking in the sense that, unlike Umineko, in which you could divide truth and fiction for the most part in a swift manner, science fiction is a part of this tale, at times making it difficult to assess what is plausible considering the technological advances of the era and what isn't.

To me, this is one of the greatest challenges for uncovering the truth, and the story constantly making fun of its own nature as a sci-fi / spy game certainly doesn't help.

Still, after reading it a few times, I'm now more confident in my own theories against its numerous mysteries and questions left unanswered, which will be the main focus of this guide. It will also work as a summary, in the event that Phase 2 finally drops and you don't feel like going through Phase 1 again. Who could blame you?

The structure works as follows:

• Part 1 - Summary: Composed of numerous concepts and organizations thrown at us during the story, whether implied or stated to be a fact.
  
  
• Part 2 - Theory Foundations: Mostly information from outside our point of view critical to come up with any sort of conclusion adhered to reality.
  
  
• Part 3 - Interpretations : Ideas and conclusions I have come up with to explain the unexplainable, usually backed up with the proper evidence whenever possible.
  
  
• Part 4 - Final Answer: An attempt to fit all the pieces established in Part 1, 2, and 3.

This is the sequel to Umineko, but that doesn't mean we should follow all previous rules to this new gameboard. There might even be new rules that haven't been properly established yet... So, for the time being I will only apply the following norms while also trying to be flexible, to never stop thinking:

For now, we will assume the role of detective belongs to Mitake Miyao.

No witches have made an appearance, nor do I think they will, but chances are we shouldn't take everything that is shown to us literally... Miyao will be our eyes and ears, and everything that happens outside of his own point of view will be put under the scope.

While I doubt we will get the full scope of the "Why done it" in Phase 1, let's believe that this tale is solvable, that all mysteries from beginning to end can be explained, even if there are still 3 chapters to be released...

We will also assume that all characters, culprit included, have already revealed themselves or have at least been referenced to.

03/22/25

• Added changelog!
  
• Adjusted readability in some paragraphs (Part 1)
  
• Fixed lots of typos (Part 1)

04/28/25

• Adjusted readability in some paragraphs (Part 2 and 3)
  
• Fixed lots of typos (Part 2 and 3)
  
• (tried to) fix formatting where needed

04/29/25

• Added The Three Kings Identity and Pandora's Jar to the Answer Sheet
  
• Reworked the Seven Angels section
  
• Fixed even more typos...

05/03/25

• Added new warning
  
• Renamed the Answer Sheet section to Interpretations
  
• Added Part 4, Putting Everything Together

Chloe, out of context

The year is... We don't know the date, but we can make an educated guess. As the screenshot suggests, It's been around a 100 years since the B3W Era was sealed away from public knowledge. The Third World War is stated to have begun before the arrival of the new millennium, and considering that no one ever brings up the idea of humanity reaching the 22nd century, any year within 2080 and 2095 should be good enough.

As for the month, our story begins on the day of the Battle Standard Festival, which seems to mimic our very own Olympic Games, and August fits perfectly with this world's deadline: the 25th of December.

You might be tempted to use the in-game clock as a way to measure time, believing it to show the progress of the moon's phases. I don't think that's the case, considering all the movements within the gameboard that occur during the story. To prove my point, the following snap takes place in the third quarter moon phase.



In reality, each moon represents the advent of the Prophecies stated in The Book Of Revelation, which we will discuss later on.



The Third World War killed the Earth, and subsequently all accounts related to the origins of this conflict were shrouded in darkness at the beginning of the A3W era. There was also an attempt to hide the existence of 8MS and how they managed to keep earth alive, yet this proved unsuccessful.

Along the story, we are shown a few reasons for the war, including racial hierarchy, immigration, poverty, famine (Erbil L5), social gaps, and even research into previous war, but we are never given the full picture. Out of all the implied scars of the war, we are only introduced to the Glass Sea located in the new AOU Japan, which is also connected to the aforementioned Prophecies.



As it's stated numerous times throughout the story, 8MS saved mankind at the brink of nuclear winter.

They were released by the Yaoyorozu Nanotech, a company shred in darkness along with the rest of the B3W Era. Its inventor or inventors are never credited, but it's believed that the team behind 8MS were put into hiding by the new administration of the A3W Era to keep working on the 8MS alongside them.

It's been a century since then, and no one really knows if this team still exists or if they passed their knowledge to the next generation. All we know is that they revealed enough to the public to make "local adjustments" across all nations, and even create their own 8MS factories.

The new world order seems to be the total opposite of our own. Countries like America and Russia (AOU) went down the hierarchy, giving other States like China and India (COU) the opportunity to compete in even footing. Africa (ACR) became united, as well as all religions in the Middle East (ABN). Latin America (LATO), in a twist of fate, became the undisputed world leader thanks to their plentiful resources in the form of Rare Spiritium.

All global conflicts that take place make parallels with the international scene at the time of the game's release (2019).

Besides Spiritium, the cause of this shift between nations was the discovery of The Dreissig Conversion right after the war, both of which, in time, would also become the reason for all the current in-fighting among factions.

The current edge in military might. While considered a weapon, its main function is the manipulation of all 8MS in the vicinity for controlling flight vectors, the Rejection Shield, the Reaper's Eye, and armament deployment through The Dimension Container. For some reason, they scatter something akin to angel feathers when used...

The Rejection Shield and Reaper's Eye are only explained on practical terms. The former protects the user from all incoming damage either automatically or manually according to the wearer's preferences and AI guidance, while the former uses 8MS signals to locate nearby enemies and friendlies.

As for the Dimension Container itself, it's apparently an "alternative dimension" where they are capable of storing any type of weapon... Not even Miyao knows what that means, but chances are it's still related to 8MS guidance like the rest of its functions.

Each Gauntlet contains a master key, which can be used to control said Gauntlet from a remote location, but only people who have used them before can do it properly, which explains the need for "Anti-Gauntlet" weapons.



Self-replicating nanotechnology that, at this point in time, has already covered the whole atmosphere, bringing about miraculous changes that make magic look pale in comparison. They are also known as the 8 Million Kami.

We are never given a full insight on their operations, but we get introduced to two types of 8MS: Receivers And Transmitters. The former sends instructions to the latter which, in turn, apply changes to the earth, sea, air, and even living beings, but apparently there is no way to distinguish one type from the other...

Without 8MS, not only the planet would go back to its rotting stage, but Gauntlet Knights operations would not be possible, as they are constantly bending natural laws to their will.

Most likely due to their potential as WMDs, all 8MS development is overseen by the International Police Mediation Agency (IPMA). In turn, this discards all States not affiliated to the big factions and terrorist organizations from creating their own destructive 8MS.



Despite being revolutionary A3W technology, not much is known about the nature of Spiritum except for its widespread usage around the world. The Dreissig Conversion is a necessary process to convert "raw" Spiritium into a usable energy source, where a brain is used as a "filter". Not only that, but apparently there is such a thing as "Rare Spiritium", which is the main reason for LATO's excessive wealth.

Without the help of the Stench Reduction 8MS, it's revealed to smell like ammonia.



Basically an OS installed into your brain. Same as Gauntlet technology, only people who have gone through Parallel Processor Training can use it smoothly, which filters most of the old generation. While they are compared to hard drives, they neither contain nor interfere with memories or personality traits, so even if they are tampered with, apparently, the host will be safe from harm.

Selcoms are capable of creating virtual rooms, which are used extensively during the story, but they have their limits. Depending on who is hosting the room and their P3 levels, the maximum number of people capable of joining can vary drastically.

To test Selcom compatibility, a device is attached to the left arm.



The default social media app of the AW3 Era. It's mainly used as a free translator tool, making communication between all Gauntlet squads around the world possible. It's supposedly flawless except when it comes to extremely heavy slang (Gunhild).



Most, if not all user interfaces, from Selcom apps to even military software, are accompanied by AI programs in the form of Keropoyo. Considering that characters such as Toujiro and Seshat interact with it shamelessly, chances are privacy matters are a non-issue...

We only get a scoop of its potential as a censorship tool in the form of conversational filters.

In the realm of military research, the biggest achievement before the arrival of Gauntlet technology were drones guided by AI capable of inflicting destruction in the most optimal manner, be it to vital establishments or the general populace.



The virtual simulation where Gauntlet Knight fights take place. It's only mentioned a few times during the story, but it's safe to assume the level of realism and detail in it is superior to the capabilities of Selcom's virtual rooms. If background images are to be trusted, they look like pods next to some heavy machinery.



In the AOU, people don't have kids on their own, instead relying on gene factories to build up numbers for the next generations. Before birth, all their talents are assessed to "properly accommodate them" into society.

It's left ambiguous whether the rest of the factions across the globe also have gene factories at their disposal.

P3 is the standard by which all Gauntlet Knights are measured. It's defined as the ability to multitask while flying in the air, a necessary skill for smooth transitions between all of a Gauntlet's tools, coordination between kette members, and simultaneous attacks, the most common being missile barrages and drone fire support.

In this world, is pretty much a synonym for talent, so the ones confirmed to have it before birth in the form of Multiple Personalities are focused on and given the name of Congenital Parallel Processors (CPP). While it's possible to raise P3 levels after birth, not everyone makes it.

It's left unclear whether people are capable of developing MP through P3 training, but chances are it's not possible.

Here's a list of what we know so far about each character.

• Confirmed To Have Multiple Personalities: Miyao, Gunhild, Chloe, Naima, Mariana.
  
  
• Incapable Of Developing Multiple Personalities: Jayden.
  
  
• Potential Multiple Personalities: Stanislaw, Sujatha, Noor, Gannet, Maricarmen, Seshat.

Of course, this multiple personality game creates the illusion that, even if someone is acting in good faith, no one can be 100% that they have an Evil Personality X plotting something. Thanks Umineko. At the very least, there are a few unwritten rules all confirmed CPPs abide to and somewhat restrict what they are capable of, such as:

• Active And Passive Roles: Active Personalities are in control at almost all times, while Passive Personalities only make an appearance in special circumstances related to the users psyche, such as Chloevil, and Bloodlust Naima (name pending) or if the Active Personality so wills it, like Miyao / Meow.
  
  
• Fight For Control: Even Passive Personalities can fight for control of the body, but that doesn't mean that Active Personalities can't fight back. Chances are it's an equal battle, which is why, using Meow / Miyao as an example, they organize their schedule so that each gets enough time for themselves.
  
  
• Information Sharing: It's true that Personalities can withhold information from one another, such as Chloevil, but chances are that Active Personalities do not have this privilege considering Passive Personalities are always aware when their "trigger" occurs.

For those wondering, I don't think Rushkana is a CPP. Each personality considers itself an entity of its own, while Rushkana's shift in her behavior is described as "Showing her true self". Something similar happens in the Phase 2 preview, when the Green Reaper is cornered by Toujiro, and while he changes his attitude, it is stated that he is not a CPP.

With that said, it's not like these rules are written in stone, but that's the impression I got from all confirmed CPPs.

Formed by the King Of Sorrow, Fury, and Ridicule. They are implied to be more than a hundred years old, receiving the title of Kings at the beginning of the A3W era by their former counterparts. The conditions for achieving these positions remain vague, but they must have had some influence right before or after WW3 to be considered "worthy to leave all of this behind to".

They command 76 Chivalric Orders scattered across the globe to make their goal come to pass: The near extinction of humanity to prevent "Civilization's End". They believe the world has strayed from the right path, and that only by culling their numbers they can "return the fate of humanity to human hands."

It should be noted that the Three Kings never mention prophecies, but the use of "God's Plan".

As for Jestress, she talks on behalf of the Three Kings to all the Chivalric Orders beneath them. Her relationship with them is unclear. All we know is that she seems to resemble Vier Dreissig, and that she is only following along the Three Kings for her own ends: Preventing a nightmare that supposedly will befall mankind.



Led by Grand Master Mitake Toujiro. It's a chivalric order that specializes in information trading across members from all factions to control the perspective of world events through media. They are shown to not be afraid to get their hands dirty to lead popular opinion their own way in the form of spy games, hacking, and even assassinations.

None of the members, save for Toujiro himself, know that they are working under the Three Kings and, If we take Jestress' words to heart, out of all 76, they contributed the most to their cause.



A chivalric order that would later be revealed to be composed in its entirety by Gauntlet Knights. Their Grand Master is unknown, but it is said there are 4 of their members inserted among the most representative squads of each faction, save for LATO.

Like most factions, they report directly to Jestress, and they seem to share the same goal.



Led by the enigmatic figure of Grand Master Seshat and her jester Mitake Toujiro. Not much is known about the order itself except that they are meant to "protect Wisdom and use it in order to save mankind when the time comes".

As for Seshat herself, she seems very prominent in bypassing A3W security systems in ways that defy common sense. She and Toujiro apparently go a long ways, and while both of them seem to agree with the Three King's plan, chances are they only do so for their own agenda.



The existence of this order is only alluded to once through the entire visual novel and, as you can see, Vier Dreissig is mentioned right after. Putting two and two together, it's not that crazy to believe the Underground Lab it's their base of operation, further proven by the fact everyone there calls themselves comrades, a common title among chivalric orders.

In other words, the Order Of The Holy Ark is composed of scientists or "Fellow Captives Of God's Wisdom", who disappeared / died under mysterious circumstances... Only to find themselves in an underground research center where they supposedly don't age and have gone mad...

I don't think Vier is the Grand Master, as she herself insists a few times that she was invited. If we are looking for a leader, I think the Blue Gauntlet Knights speak higher of who that might be.



A chivalric order of Gauntlet Knights started only for the sake of guarding the Walls of Peace, as Miyao would put it. At the beginning, only Warcats and Grave Mole were part of it, but in time all the major aces (Lingji, Stanislaw, Retabhile) from across all factions and their squads would join as well.

The only kette that never made it to the Order was Yeladot Shavit. The reason, while never stated, is most likely their affiliation to the Thought Police in the ABN world. The LATO girls, on the other hand, decided to remain as observers, believing in their own national policies.

Ryukishi telling us to go read The Bible

Before trying to build from the ground up any sort of theory that explains this world's true nature, inevitably we have to take a look at the Book of Revelation. In the last Data Fragment it's explained how it contains our opponent's schemes along the gameboard, while also showing what they are presumably capable of.

One of the first and most obvious connections can be found in the Seven Seals verses, which consist of:


In essence, the first Prophecies in the Book Of Revelation go into detail about all calamities that will befall mankind but the chosen few. We only get to see the first Six Seals and part of the First Four Trumpets before the story ends.

Before moving any further, two contradictions show themselves. The first one comes from following statement from Seshat:



Taking it at face value, about 80% of the prophecies have already come to pass, but the Seven Seals, and by relation the Seven Trumpets, barely make about 20% of the entire Book Of Revelation. While it's tempting to only consider these verses as the only prophecies that matter, the texts that follow seem to also be related to the gameboard, even if not everything is shown to us in-game.

This is most likely a trick, similar to the Golden Land's Epitaph. We are being led into thinking that our starting point is The Seven Seals, while the rest of the prophecies could have already happened, or maybe they don't follow the same order / rules we are expecting them to.

To illustrate my point, I'll go over certain verses that make interesting parallels with our story. I won't list the verse itself (character limit), so go dust your own Bible.



In context, the 144,000 represent the number of people that will be spared from the Apocalypse led by The Lamb or Jesus Christ. As for our own purposes, this exact figure it's never mentioned in Ciconia, but a very close approximate is shown to us in more than one occasion:




There is a connection to be done within The Abyss / Hell described in the First Trumpet and the Underground Research Center where the Holy Ark operates, specifically all verses related to the "locust" with "crowns of gold on their heads" and " thoraxes like breastplates of iron". Sound familiar?



It goes into detail about how the locust will torment everyone on earth save for the 144,000 already mentioned through the use of "stingers".

Revelation 12 and onward tells the tale of war between Heaven and Hell and the Kingdom of God taking settlement on Earth after Satan has been defeated, which, from our point of view, must take place way, way after Phase 1, if it even happens at all. While somewhat vague, there still are a few verses which resonate with certain events, such as:




Most likely the end of civilization The Three Kings, Toujiro, and Seshat are trying to avoid at all costs, represented by The Lamb or Jesus Christ going through his ultimatum against the remaining sinners on Earth. It's expanded by the verses that follow which are reminiscent of the original Seven Seals.


The second and last time the Sea Of Glass is mentioned in the entire Book Of Revelation.


Eventually, The Lamb's army overpowers first The Beast and False Prophet, sending them to their death by melting in the Lake of Fire. Satan comes next, but instead of this fate, he is sent to The Abyss to "bound him for a thousand years".



Satan Bound and Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire are the only prophecies revolving around a decade passing. The lines about the 144.000 chosen "reigned with Christ for a thousand years". and "The rest did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete" shouldn't be glossed over.


Inevitably, Satan is released from the Abyss, only to "go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth...", get defeated again, and this time staying in the Lake Of Fire for good. Not long after, the Kingdom of Christ takes settlement, bringing about "A New Earth".

While fairly early to state the following as facts, there are some dots to be made between certain key figures in the Book Of Revelation and a few characters of our own tale. I'm not yet sure as to the weight of it, but I think they are at least worth writing down for future reference.




On one hand, we have Mitake Miyao, the undisputed leader of all 144.000 Gauntlet Knights across the world, and then we have MIYAO, his deceiving counterpart twisting the current world events as a predetermined fate that he cannot escape, amazing the former at every turn. The fact that MIYAO wants to take Miyao's place by erasing him through his own volition makes this parallelism the more prominent.




While it's true that Toujiro didn't work alone in his effort to lead the world into conflict, he certainly fits the image of "the deceiver of nations" to a T. This supposed connection is interesting in the sense that, if true, would imply that he is the one who uses the Thousand Year Vault to his own benefit, which would explain his immense knowledge into future events that had yet to transpire along the story.





It goes without saying that all of Seshat's abilities shown to us defy even the common sense of the A3W Era and all its technological advances, raising questions as to the origin of said abilities and the way she acquired them. At the same time, this is the only point that connects her to The Beast Of The Earth, and, if true, she supposedly meets her own end next to the Antichrist in the Lake Of Fire.




Miyao's mother, who is currently in hiding and working alongside Toujiro behind the scenes. Most likely the weakest link out of all the biblical figures, as I believe there is reason to doubt that Vier Dreissig is actually her, whom I believe fits better with certain lines such as "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time (...)" and the like.

This is the first mystery assigned to us, whose answer can vary drastically depending on whether you believe there are really 4 traitors or more. But before digging into each possibility, let's first consider all the facts related to this Order.

• They are related to Prometheus: Seshat's herself states that their Orders share a common origin. This presents the NP as a resourceful organization not limited by regional barriers to achieve their goals.
  
  
  
  
  
• Their Grand Master Is Undercover As Well: Most of the time all members from the NP correspond with Jestress, but she is not their Grand Master, as it's shown here:
  
  
  
  
• Ultimate Goals: Unlike Toujiro and Seshat, who seem to use the World Reset rethorics for their own ends, The NP apparently take it to heart.
  
  

Just like Prometheus, the NP is shrouded in darkness, but thankfully, there is a certain character that embodies 2 of these facts.


For reference, there are 7 conversations in total held between the NP and Jestress. 2 of these exchanges happen in contexts where only both Warcats and Grave Mole were present, confirming that there is indeed at least one traitor in the AOW kettes.

For now, let's leave aside Koshka and Lilja, which due to their situation as test subjects I wouldn't imagine they could make for good moles. Jayden, on the other hand, is pretty much spotless save for the ending sequence. So, this leaves us with 3 real candidates: Meow, Gunhild, and Chloe.

There is much to say about Meow and Chloe, but neither of them hold the same type of authority Gunhild demonstrates in Data Fragment 15, which begs the question as to how she managed to achieve it at such a young age. Her rant at the Monster Party shop shows some light into this:



As Data Fragment 15 would also imply, this most likely translates to heavy experimentation being done on her in order to improve her capabilities as a Gauntlet Knight, where the "miracle" she mentions in this same conversation happened. I believe this gift is her current "Active Personality", the Gunhild that is always interacting with Miyao and Jayden.



As for how this personality came to be, two possibilities arise: It was a product of trauma, which is also confirmed to be a way to develop another personality, or there is a way to transfer entire personalities between two subjects. While a bit out there at first glance, the latter is pretty much the only way to explain how she got into the Geroy 4 by approval of the President himself and her high status in the AOU military hierarchy. This would also explain the age gap she shows while her Active Personality is in control.

While not exactly the same, the experiments done on Koshka seem to follow a similar vein to "personality transfer". In her case though, most likely what they are trying to transfer are the information / memories related to Pandora's Jar, and maybe her personality is an inevitable byproduct of this.



In short, Gunhild's Active Personality is the real member of the NP, who must have been old enough to amass a significant military career and, eventually, get tangled with The Order Of Prometheus. This brings us to our next suspect.




While Miyao himself considered inviting Stanislaw to The Order Of The Public Bath, Gunhild was the one who went forward with the idea. In fact, many dialogues seem to imply a connection between him and Gunhild which, at first, is easy to dismiss as nothing out of the ordinary, but once we take into consideration the possibility of her being a mole, a lot of red flags concerning him become more prominent.

The first hint that points him as our next mole is the way he neglected to invite Yeladot Shavit into the Public Bath Oath. Certain scenes do make them look untrustworthy, but even before their Christmas Party debut they always seemed to agree with Miyao's ideals, starting from the email he sent to all kettes. Even Naomi felt like giving them a chance, so it really comes off as absurd prudence from his part.




At the same time, and while he seems motivated to contribute to Miyao's Order, he never failed to shoot down Miyao at critical moments, such as the LATO VIP Conference, an event which gives us the best piece of evidence to tie him to this conspiracy.



As you may recall, Toujiro sent Miyao a video of the conference and the disaster that followed. Regardless of what you think of the video, it was proven to be the only piece of evidence that "confirmed" all of the directors were wiped out, as all cameras inside the conference hall died alongside the reporters that were caught up in the blast.

All everyone from outside knew was that an explosion happened, but the number of casualties was unknown except to Miyao, Gunhild, and Jayden... Then, when everyone meets up right after, Stanislaw drops this line:



Basically, there was no way for anyone, Stan included, to be so sure about what transpired inside the conference. Miyao doesn't question him because he just saw the video. In the same conversation it's even discussed whether there could have really been that many casualties, tying him to the conspiracy even further.



I believe this slip makes the purpose of the video clear: A lie aimed at Miyao and then promoted by the NP in a collaborative effort. In fact, the one who ends up backing up Stanislaw is none other than Gunhild herself, pulling a "friend from LATO" out of nowhere to close the issue.

Notice how he is the only one not surprised

Motive aside, it's hard to make a profile on Stanislaw. Like Gunhild, he talks like an old man sometimes, and his bio about being a doctor at such a young age could tie up with our Personality Transfer take, but that's pretty much it.

Still, if you want my two cents... I would say he is most likely the Grand Master of the NP. We can discard the ACR mole from this position thanks to an interaction between NP members that occurs later on. This leaves us with the AOU, ABN, and COU moles. I don't think Sujatha fits, and the possible conversations between Jestress and Gunhild don't feel as tense as the proclamation of war from the GM himself:



So, this could be his other personality, the current GM of the Ninth Prime Chivalric Order, helped by Gunhild into becoming one of the leaders of Miyao's Order so they wouldn't be kept in the dark, and to eventually cause dissent from within.

Originally, this spot belonged to Andry. Like the previous moles, he also tends to talk like an old person from time to time, but that's pretty much all the dirt we have on him, that and the fact that he was originally from the ACR, but then got transferred to the COU. Even if this trait fits, at the very least the previous suspects had more than just an attitude to put them under the scope.

On the other hand, even if she doesn't talk like an old lady, Sujatha single-handedly convinced Miyao to dissolve The Order Of The Public Bath, which shouldn't be ignored, even if she only did it for Lingji on the surface.



Ironically enough, Aisha would be the one to push Lingji out of it rather than Miyao.

Even before this event, amidst the Drone Revolt, she ended up calling Miyao "by accident" instead of Lingji. Considering that this is pretty much the first time Miyao and Sujatha exchange words, the fact that she has Miyao's chat open is really telling. Maybe it really was an accident, considering her P3 Levels flaw that is shown in her bio and that she doesn't really tell Miyao anything new, but maybe she had it ready for the event above or a similar opportunity.




As for her P3 flaw, it could be related to our "Personality Transfer" pet theory. Perhaps she was just like Jayden, an NPP with potential as a Gauntlet Knight discovered at a young age, but instead of focusing on her own strengths they decided to go through with the experiment. As she is not accustomed to flying with her new personality, or maybe if the personality itself is not suited for the job, it hinders her potential.

I also wanted to bring up Suparna's attack on the ABN's agricultural plant and the supposed casualties it caused, but I'm not sure if it holds any meaning.

Even if we assume Sujatha is our mole, that still leaves us with Rukhi and Andry claiming that there were indeed no civilians present at the time of the attack. Without going too far, it's also nonsensical to believe the NP would benefit in any way at all from such a move. This is most likely another red herring to mark Andry as the mole thanks to his Fire Support role.

As a last piece of evidence, around the time of The Second Seal, Miyao sends an email to whom he considers the leaders of each kette. After everyone receives it, a message between one of the NP moles and Jestress occurs.




It gives the impression that the NP mole writing it is one of these aces, which would translate to Chloe, Lingji, Sujatha, Stanislaw, Leah, Rethabile, and Noor.

I believe Chloe and Lingji are part of a different conspiracy, so let's put them aside for now. Leah can't also be the messenger because, if she were part of the NP, it goes without saying that Stan would have invited her squad to the Public Bath Order. It's also hard to believe Rhetabile would set up his own brother to death, as we will discuss in a bit, removing her from the list of suspects.

In short, this leaves us with Stanislaw, Sujatha, and Noor as potential recipients of the message.




The Queen's Visit Cairo Squad is probably the kette with the least screen-time in all of Ciconia. Putting their pet antics aside, there is not much to connect them to this conspiracy, all but one certain incident.



You may remember Cyril's Assassination. The Grand Master of the NP himself gives the permission to one the moles to go through with it, confirming that there is indeed at least one traitor in the ACR.

I think it's safe to disregard any ideas about moles from other factions making an appearance in Africa. So, this leaves us with 6 suspects, Rethabile, Ishak, Abdou, Noor, Gannet, and Mariana.

While it's tempting to pin the blame on Rethabile herself and disregard her account, I don't believe this is the case. After all, this hit happens because the NP is afraid that her brother may leak something through her to Miyao. If she really is our mole, why would she mention her brother to the Public Bath in the first place?

As for Ishak and Abdou, their abilities don't match with what was shown to us. The former specializes in close range combat, while the latter goes all out to compensate for his unstable P3 Levels. While it could be argued that any Gauntlet Knight should be capable of guiding something akin to a small missile, it is stated that not many can hack a drone for themselves.




This leads us to Noor, who is pretty much the only person stated to be proficient with drones in the ACR. Actually, her drone abilities are pretty similar to Chloe's, even if they are not worded exactly the same.

On the topic of the bomb, considering it was small enough to fit into Cyril's ear and to be confused with a bug, it may not be that crazy to believe this bomb was actually something akin to a drone, as it would also explain how it managed to be so precise, either thanks to Noor's capabilities or it's military AI.

There is not much to theorize about Noor herself. She is absent in most of the Public Bath reunions, like Meow's date and the like. Her bio doesn't go into much detail about her past, other than she used to have below average aptitude as a Gauntlet Knight, similar to Gunhild. Maybe this new personality made a change in that, but that's as far as we can go.

Declaration Of War

The Ninth Prime Chivalric Orders are canonically the first Chivalric Order to move on the gameboard. Taking the opportunity the Battle Standard Festival presented, they befriended on the surface all the most prominent kettes from across the world.

Sprouts Of War

The most straightforward Seal, made possible by Toujiro's Order and their misinformation campaigns. His aim here, as it would be confirmed later, was to give Gauntlet Knights technology an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities for warfare while also building the formation for the Seals that follow.

Release Of The Erbil L5 Virus

While it's tempting to fall into faction grudges to explain the release of Erbil L5, this is just a cover. After all, we have an entire group of individuals capable of releasing it on their own without the use of military institutions: The Ninth Prime Chivalric Order and their Gauntlets.

Our first clue to tie them to this move in the gameboard comes from the original damaged areas where the virus began to spread, as shown below.



The fact that every country on the list is related to our moles already tells us a lot... Gunhild is shown visiting the Geroy 4 Level Center, located in AOU Russia, Sujatha is most likely stationed in COU India, and the same goes for Noor on ACR Egypt or "the top half of the African continent". If you check the map, it gives the perfect illusion of an attack orchestrated by ABN related countries.

The ABN itself was not affected because of 8MS specifically made to counter the virus, but rather because it wasn't attacked in the first place, and the only one who could have done that was Stanislaw and the Gauntlet Knights at his disposal. Either he didn't do it to pin the blame on the ABN, or to play the victim in front of the Public Bath Order. Eventually, even the ABN would be affected by the virus, but at that point it was already too late for anyone to raise their eyebrows.

Consequences Of The Erbil L5 Maneuver

It goes without saying that the good samaritan that leaked information about the virus was none other than Toujiro himself. The answer is rather simple: To comply by with the prophecy, specifically the "fourth of the earth" part. At the time the Erbil L5 virus was discovered, it was estimated to have pruned around 30% of the world's agricultural output.



Add to this percentage all the retaliation attacks against the ABN from the other factions and chances are that you get your 40%.

The LATO VIP Conference

I believe this terrorist attack was magnified by Toujiro. His video is especially untrustworthy, especially in an era where it's more than possible to create highly detailed films, just like Chloe did in one of the Data Fragments.

To cover the truth, the video quality was lowered intentionally to hide inconsistencies with the environment. It should also be noted that the moment of the explosion itself was not filmed, but only the aftermath, and even before that not even the AI was capable of recognizing most of the faces present. The timeline may go something like this:

1. Someone from The Order Of Wisteria sets something akin to a small bomb.
2. The bomb goes off and the VIP Conference gets cancelled, with just a few casualties.
3. Toujiro sends the video already prepared in advance.
4. Warcats believe that everyone was wiped out, while in reality they weren't.
5. The rest of the members from The Public Bath fall for misinformation and paranoia and also believe that the VIPs were all killed.
6. Either because no real damage was done or because of Toujiro's Chivalric Order influence in the current news, the incident gets forgotten by the next day.

As for inconsistencies, the more prominent would be:

• Lingji's Grandfather: I don't believe Lingji is to be trusted. For now, let's just say this was a lie that suited her own agenda.
  
  
• Gunhild's LATO Police Friend: Gunhild is most likely our Ninth Prime mole from the AOU, she is not reliable.
  
  
• Valentina's Statement: Valentina confirms that there were indeed casualties before arresting Toujiro, but she never mentions VIPs, only reporters.
  
  
• Method of Insertion: Considering the tight security outside the conference, chances are it was an inside job by someone from the Order Of The Wisteria, which would also explain how Toujiro knew the right place to find cover. Again, they are no strangers to assassinations or bribing across all factions, not even LATO.
  
  
• Bomb's Size: If Toujiro's Order went through so much trouble, why didn't they just set a bomb capable of inflicting real damages to the VIPs? Still, chances are that anything larger would have been easily spotted by the Gauntlet Knight infantry, and everyone from the Public Bath agrees of the existence of such a bomb, while also confirming its low lethal range.
  
  
• The VIPs Fate: So, assuming a few, or even all VIPs survived, what happened to them? In the A3W world, their actions, as it's believed, were considered the highest level of treason, so it wouldn't be a surprise that their own factions made sure that they never saw the light of day again.

And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

Mario's Earthquake

It should be noted that not everything in this prophecy came true, mainly the Moon turning red. The subsequent fog hid both the Sun and the stars but didn't affect them directly.

Now, as for what really happened... Not a single Chivalric Order under the Three Kings take credit for this one. Even the Three Kings themselves didn't expect it, implying it wasn't a part of "God's Plan". MIYAO never made a prophecy about it. Pretty much our only clue is Vier, who admits that Mario's machine was an impossibility.

This takes us to Data Fragment 9, where it is stated that, just like 8MS, no one knows the real cause of this simultaneous earthquakes across the world...

Two possibilities are left to us:

• This was a natural event that would occur sooner or later
  
  It would connect to several themes across the story regarding coincidences and the common disbelief. Personally, I don't believe this one, especially after Toujiro states that everything that happens in the gameboard is a result of "human hands".
  
  
• This was "meant to happen" by forces outside our current understanding
  
  An "unknown" force or unique rule to this world was applied here to create the illusion of a prophecy in response to the previous seals. In other words, someone made this fantasy a reality through unnatural means and, as for the culprit, we will get to that later...

Silence In Heaven

Probably the trickiest out of all the prophecies so far. There are no events that mirror these events, much less "...peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake".

At best, you could try to form parallels between the Three Kings call to action, but I don't think the figures of The Lamb and the Seven Angels fit with them nor Jestress.

If we still want to interpret it on a literal sense, all we can get from it is that 7 figures prepared to wage war. The subsequent prophecies follow on this point.

In order, they talk about the Drone Revolt across the globe, the "strange objects" made by 4D printers in space falling from orbit and subsequently contaminating all oceans and rivers, and the deteriorating atmosphere caused by the previous simultaneous earthquake.

While we get to see the First and Fourth Trumpet, by the time the Second and Third should have come to pass the story ended.

Starting with the Drone Revolt, there is not much to go around. While it could be easy to attach it to Toujiro like in previous Seals, the magnitude of this event is just too much to pinpoint it to just a single organization. Not to mention that, even if he did convince officials of each government to go through with it, chances are they would have been arrested on the spot.

As for whether he magnified the scale of the issue, just like in the VIP LATO Conference, that doesn't feel plausible for this event either, as pretty much all Gauntlet Knights, traitors or not, witnessed the damage done by the drones themselves.

So, if they weren't hacked, controlled by a Gauntlet, nor part of a conspiracy... The only possibility left is that it was conscious decision from all countries around the globe, which is crazy, but it would explain the level of coordination we got to see across all factions.

Maybe the justification for it was, again, the worldwide famine and the predictions made according to what was the current population numbers.

In my case, it was fairly tempting to believe everything we see in Ciconia forms part of "Reality", but at this point I lean more towards the simulation take, which I imagine to be akin to Virty of the Selcom virtual rooms. It becomes especially hard to disprove after we take into consideration certain events that cannot be explained even if we factor in the technologies of the AW3 era, such as:

• The total blackout of BW3 era data
  
• Maricarmen And Valentina's amnesia
  
• Seshat's prowess beyond CPP levels
  
• Vier Dreissig's younger countenance
  
• Prophecies and wisdom
  
• Memories from the brain factory
  
• Miyao's existence as a program

Out of all of them, the memories from the brain factory gives us some insight into what must be one of the ways people end up in this simulation, being stripped from their flesh while the brain somehow gets plugged into this virtual world.



As a counterpoint, it's impossible to believe that the entire planet earth, with all it's 10 billion inhabitants, could be somehow simulated, while even the best CPP can hardly accommodate about a thousand people in one single room. However, as the memories from the brain factory also show, not everyone makes it to the simulation, being used presumably as fuel instead to keep it running, most likely through Spiritium.




I believe the real number of people actually present in the simulation correlates with the 144.000 shown throughout the Book Of Revelation, who are mostly made up of Gauntlet Knights from all factions. While people like Toujiro and Vier have special circumstances surrounding them, they open up the possibility of people other than Gauntlet Knights to be a part of it as well, such as the scientists from the Underground Research Center.

As for the rest, chances are they are something akin to NPCs, programs easily influenced by the "rules" of the simulation, which is how Toujiro's order gets his way.

I believe the use of the word "Translation" in the context of the Underground Research Center may be an euphemism for decoding the principles in which the simulation runs from within. This would help explain the bizarre nature of the events that came to be down there without having to resort to fantasy to rationalize them.

Wisdom itself might be a term for objects or phenomena that were not meant to exist in the simulation, but were created through tampering or due to an unforeseen error, such as Mario's machine or the Immortality 8MS, none of which could be replicated under realistic circumstances.



Revealing the existence of wisdom to the public could potentially prove the nature of the simulation, which is probably what the Order Of Prometheus is set to avoid, but chances are only Seshat knows this. For the rest of the Order it really is a "natural resource" whose secrecy must be protected, which would explain Gray's angle when trying to use it as a bargaining tool to stop WW3.



As for why scientists from the Underground Research Center are recruited in the first place, I believe the simulation cannot be maintained only by itself, needing real human hands (not NPCs nor AI) smart enough to "Translate", most likely as some sort of debugging mechanism.

Vier Dreissig is credited as the discoverer of the Spiritium Conversion, a breakthrough that is said to have been made at the beginning of the AW3 Era, which was almost a century ago. The issue here, besides her real age or how she is being kept alive in the first place, is her relationship with Toujiro.



Many dialogues, such as the one above, seem to imply that Vier really is Toujiro ex-wife, who disappeared once she went into hiding at the Underground Research Center. However, this is not possible, and Miyao, who can't be older than 16, is the proof of that. This begs the question as to who Vier Dreissig really is, why she resembles Jestress, and where is Miyao's real mother.

Neither Vier nor Jestress give too much insight into their current predicaments. Miyao's mother, on the other hand, left us with her memories from the brain factory, which I believe are capable of tying everything together on its own.



The gist of it is that 3 people presumably made it to the simulation, all of which are most likely part of the Dreissig family. In this context, that would make Vier "Mom" and Jestress "Big Brother", which would explain their similarities and the age gap between the former and Toujiro.

As for objections, the most obvious one is that Jestress has a female body, but considering that Miyao's mom is never shown, coupled with all the hints about personality transfer throughout the story, this can be explained on it's own.



Jestress' goal then is to stop his "nightmare" from taking place, which correlates to what he went through in the process of entering the simulation. These motivations align perfectly with Miyao's mom or her sister, who also wants to stop the tragedy through her warnings.



As for Miyao's mom identity, only two options are left to us: She either has not shown herself yet, or she already has in a different form, and only one character fits the bill for the latter.



I believe Meow is actually the mother of Miyao, who transferred her personality into his body to keep tabs on him, help him to be recognized as a CPP, and to hide from the rest of the Orders who are presumably on the lookout for her. This would explain why Toujiro doesn't seem to talk or call out to her when meeting Miyao along the story, or how he is able to know what he is up to at any time.

It also brings some context to this scene

We also shouldn't forget her introduction, where she was apparently investigating Jayden on her own. After being found out, chances are she must have been forced out of hiding to keep the charade. Later on, and out of character for her, she ends up convincing Jayden to hold the christmas party, which would also mark the end of the Public Bath Order.



At this point in time it is hard to discern her goals, but chances are she wants the simulation to succeed, which in turn would somehow prevent her bleak future from happening. Just like Toujiro, perhaps she doesn't mind the simulation restarting over and over again as a means to avoid the truth of the current Mitake Miyao.

If you think about it, in a world filled with farmed winners such as the Gauntlet Knights industry, Miyao's mere existence is an improbability.

Neither Toujiro nor her mother, while closely connected to military affairs, are particularly talented in real combat, nor do they have real experience in the field. To bring about the best candidate for Gauntlet Technology, who also just so happens to be a CPP despite this fairly regular background is questionable at best, and it only adds weight to the premise that Miyao might be part of the simulation.



Taking into consideration MIYAO's claims and many events throughout the story, my interpretation is this: Miyao is something akin to an AI coordinator. He acts as the eyes of the simulation and subconsciously influences NPCs and the course of events based on his perception of the world. He is the default antagonist of Gauntlet Knights, pushing global agendas to their limits to force conflicts across all factions.

Fragment of Miyao's nighmare

It's hard to tell whether the NP Order, and by extension Prometheus, know of this fact, but it would explain why they are so dead set into making him fall for different conspiracies to promote his paranoia and dissatisfaction, which, in turn, bring closer the extinction of humanity.

This would make the person he hears in his dream most likely himself, a version of him aware of his position inside the simulation.



Considering this is a WTC entry, chances are he is the one responsible for the story "looping" over and over again, which is confirmed right in the final sequence with Jayden. The simulation will go on until the desired result is found, which is probably to attain ultimate peace across the globe, but, as this is an impossible task, the game goes on forever.

The answer to this mystery varies greatly depending on whether you believe the Three Kings are real or not.

If they are, then they must be their own person or someone from the gameboard posing as them. Neither of these results feels particularly satisfying, as not many people from the cast could realistically impersonate them, much less without Virtual Rooms, which they are consistently shown to be incapable of using.

If their identities have really not been shown to us yet, what would be the point of finding out? After all, we do get a good insight in their operations anyway through the Chivalric Orders underneath them, making this puzzle albeit pointless, as things usually happen with or without their input in mind.

It's true that a few glimpses from their past are shown to us throughout their conversations, but this, just like Miyao's memories, could be made up to comply with the goals of the simulation, blurring the truth even further.

So, are their identities some kind of red herring or just not that important? It's hard to tell just yet. After all, there are still some characters connected to them, although vaguely.



At many points along the story we are shown a correlation between Miyao and the Three Kings that feels impossible at first glance. MIYAO, and presumably Mom (pointing out she never refers to them by their title), warn him of what is to come if he lets them be, yet he never acquires the means to find them, much less know of their existence in the "real world".

It also brings into question what would actually happen if Miyao went through with their assassination. After all, we are talking about dozens of Chivalric Orders that could very easily carry out their plans whether they are still alive or not, so it's hard to pinpoint their value in this equation besides legacy.



And yet, a few dialogues like the one above seem to imply that, despite never meeting face to face, Miyao is somehow aware of their train of thought, which feeds into his subconscious obsession of exposing the world to war. How is this possible?

Regardless of the take we can come up with, I think we are just meant to hit a wall. It would be easy for me to claim that the Three Kings perhaps are also part of the simulation, be it as NPCs or AI, which would sort of explain their inhumanity and numbness for killing so many in such a straightforward fashion, but there just isn't that much evidence to back it up as in Miyao's case. The whole things gets more obfuscated when you consider lines such as:

In context, they are talking about Miyao

MIYAO treating both conditions as the same thing

Miyao casually mentioning the Three Kings without being aware of their significance

Still, we are just picking at straws. We don't get a complete image just yet. With that said, I tend to lean towards the AI / NPC take, as there is no other way to explain how Miyao and them are connected in any meaningful way. It must likely ties with the setting designed for the simulation, which could go as follows:

• Miyao and the Gauntlet Knights are the de facto protagonists of the simulation.
  
• The Three Kings were created to bring the illusion of a common enemy that would aspire all trainees to join forces regardless of faction, race, etc.
  
• Thanks to the NP and Prometheus meddling, either the Three Kings reach becomes too powerful, or Miyao fails to live up to his role.
  
• Once again, the win conditions are not met, and the simulation restarts.

Even if it's true, does killing the Three Kings really mark the end of the simulation? Probably not, as MIYAO clearly benefits either way, and he never tries to dispute the fact that he is a part of it. Perhaps the real goal is not killing them, but just putting their plans to a stop.

Besides the Order Of Prometheus and the Ninth Primer Order, I believe there is another secret group conspiring behind the scenes that, just like Miyao, are composed entirely of AI, representing the seven angels from the Book Of Revelation. Our first clue to the existence of this group comes in the form of Jayden at the end of the story, who now resembles MIYAO.



While the circumstances behind this change may not necessarily imply the presence of a group, the fact that Lingji also wears the same kind of Gauntlet in her last fight out of nowhere does imply some sort of connection.

Jayden's behavior is rather spotless through most of the story, but it is interesting how Meow was so inclined to stalk him right at the beginning, which, if we add the possibility of her being more than she shows, makes her relationship with him the more strange. It's hard to tell what her angle is, but she was definitely getting something out of it by keeping tabs and, eventually, convincing him of holding the Christmas Party.

While not necessarily hard-cold evidence, the following is definitely the only time where Jayden acts so out of character it is surprising, to say the least:



This abrupt lack of self-awareness and conformity with human instinct is what I believe makes the members from this group stand apart from real people. Other characters have behaved erratically or out of place in the same way, such as Lingji, Naomi, and Chloe.




Obviously, this quirk is usually played off as a joke, but the consistency of it comes off as strange even when talking about CPPs. Her last interaction with Miyao also reveals a lot about herself, which at the time of reading I confused with World End Rethorics, but now I believe it's something more.

-
-


It doesn't only hint at the possibility of her being aware of the simulation, but also at the existence of beings "higher" than humans (she rejected the idea of God in the same conversation). Her loyalty to Miyao might be because of his position as the AI coordinator, even if he is not conscious of it.



Then there is the last confrontation between Lingji and Miyao. MIYAO, while prophesying her death, never goes into detail about how she wouldn't be able to bring her shield up, and neither did he ever mention Toujiro meddling through the whole affair in all of his predictions. Even Miyao was trying his best to not give a finishing blow, so it makes you wonder what really happened in the first place.



My take is that she actually let the attack go through to pin her own death on Miyao and push him into believing in MIYAO's prophecies, which would finally tie her to this conspiracy properly. As she is also an AI, she doesn't fear death, nor would she really disappear when killed. Toujiro, somehow aware of this plot, took control of his son's Gauntlet so he wouldn't blame himself for murdering his ally.

Sadly, our clues to this group die here, but if I had to take a guess, Gannet also fits this criteria, especially after her facade broke down at the Christmas party. Naomi is also a good guess.



As they are all working alongside MIYAO, chances are they share the same goal of eliminating Miyao's current self so that the former can take control of his coordinator role, and with that control of the whole simulation. It should also be noted that MIYAO appears for the first time right in the middle of the first Public Bath reunion, where supposedly someone installed him unto Miyao's Selcom rather appearing out of thin air.

-

The last question left in Ciconia, and also the hardest. At this point in time, I don't really believe there is enough evidence in Phase 1 to figure out what exactly are the mechanisms behind Pandora's Jar, or why it is hidden in Koshka's brain out of all people.

What we can figure out, however, is the extend of it's utility, and what is humanity, specifically the AOU, aiming to gain from their investigations, as the following snippets show:



The phrasing used here makes parallels with Wisdom and the research from the Underground Lab, consolidating the fact that Pandora's Jar might be an improbability or an unintended event from the simulation.



Pandora's Jar cannot be used unless "transferred" to another candidate, maybe someone more capable of wielding it consciously. This may have something to do with Koshka's innate abilities of prediction and its inconsistency shown in her bio.



While not clearly stated, it's pretty obvious that the experiments done on Lilja are meant to accommodate her as the perfect vessel for it, hence the codename Clay Girl.



Even if the transfer is successful, Koshka will presumably remain conscious. Whether Gunhild factored in the upcoming war and the end of the AW3 era, the answer is left ambiguous.

Putting everything together, we... Still don't have much to work with. Putting the methods of use aside, Pandora's Jar doesn't seem to hold much influence in the fate of humanity nor any event in the story, acting more as some sort of memorial against impending doom facing the human race.

It might be tempting to believe that the phrase "Go into the new world" refers to the next loop, even more so when coupled with the fact that Koshka herself is reminiscent of a certain WTC character, but it doesn't add up. This would imply that everyone investigating Pandora's Box, vessels included, know about the simulation which just can't be true.

Not even the right game!

TBA...

I think I managed to cover the gist of it, but there still are many variables to be 100% sure, such as the state of the world outside the simulation or the real meaning behind Pandora's Box, which I believe we just don't have enough information to theorize about...

I started this back in 2024 hoping we would have some news about Phase 2 by now, but that has not been the case at all. Still, hopefully you got something out of all of this!