Souls Burning Journey (邦題：魂を燃やす旅)

刻堂元記

　 Lost things cannot be regained. I have been taught this way since I was a child. If you ask, my ancestors, due to a grave error, turned the paradise they originally lived in into hell.

　However, blaming them won't make the situation better. I will fulfill my mission as a Soul Operator until the end.

　Hundreds of controls spread across the cockpit. Every time I use them, my lifespan decreases steadily. But if someone doesn't become a Soul Operator, this spaceship, the Souls Engine, won't even be able to maintain its internal facilities and will easily disintegrate in the vastness of space.

　Is that really going to happen? I'm curious, but trying it is impossible. The spaceship I ride, the 'Souls Engine,' is constantly connected to more than 400 souls and fundamental components. Therefore, to do that, a significant number of Soul Operators must voluntarily disconnect from the 'Souls Engine.'

　But at that moment, the 'Souls Engine' will likely demand another souls. The fewer souls, the more burden on the existing Soul Operators because soul is the power source of the 'Souls Engine.' Therefore, at the timing when many Soul Operators are replaced, there are inevitably some Soul Operators who go insane.

　Why? If you examine biological reactions, you'll understand. In the 'Souls Engine,' where a mutual surveillance system using controls has been built, routine checks between Soul Operators are commonplace. The results are in six categories: normal reaction, weak reaction, fragmentary reaction, escape reaction, invalid reaction, hostile reaction. In case of mental illness, it falls under fragmentary reaction.

　But fortunately, I am not ill at the moment. Therefore, I can still make rational judgments. I don't intend to run away. This is not just about me. It's a journey into space where many Soul Operators burn their lives.