The Granblue Fantasy Extra Fes 2024 Pamphlet short story has a brief epilogue to “Heart of the Sun”, starring Raziel. Like the other short stories, we’ve translated it and put it here on the Grandcypher for you to enjoy.
On Enigmas, The Festival of Falling Flame, and Coffee
They say that coffee always bets on black. But that isn’t always true before the chips are down.
“I heard that sugar helps you think more clearly.”
Richard smiled as he talked, his elbows on the café countertop and his head resting on his hands.
“I think I get it. You see everything as a gamble.” Raziel nodded earnestly as she wrote in her book. Her notes never left out any detail, and the Book of Richard could be useful some day.
“So, tell me about what happened on Port Breeze. What did you think when you saw the Phoenix? You went face to face with the primal beast Phoenix once, too. How did that experience compare with the solar being itself?”
“How do I put it? The Phoenix had an awe-inspiring presence. It took everything the captain and I had to fend it off. We earned a hard victory against a fearsome opponent that day.”
“Sorry, were you talking about your first encounter with the primal beast?”
“No, the more recent one.”
Richard chatted for a while about the combined efforts of the crew to fight the Phoenix, as well as his own contributions and his feelings for Therese before he bade her a cheerful farewell.
Raziel saw him off with a wave and a smile, then quickly picked up her pen and continued writing.
“Perception differs from other accounts. To do: follow up and confirm.”
After him, Aliza came by for a quick break. She took her cup of coffee from Sandalphon and looked at Raziel quizzically, tilting her head and asking “You want to know about the Festival?”
“I want your thoughts on the Phoenix. It will help me unravel this enigma, and its influence on all the mysteries surrounding it. Anything you can offer will help!”
Raziel had set up in the café that day and invited the crewmembers to join her to hear their stories. Aliza crossed her arms and mumbled “Thinking about it ticks me off all over again.”
“It’s only natural to feel angry. Please, tell me more.”
Raziel rejoiced internally. Before Aliza, Richard had told his exaggerated, self-aggrandizing version of the story. Before him came Lowain and the bros, who had not only been unable to give her a straight answer but started calling her “Razzie” as they turned the tables on her. They asked their own questions, plying her about her favorite foods and what she wanted for dinner. When she pressed them for a real answer, they said “Sorry… we got so freaked out by how outclassed we were that we backed up and made like NPCs”.
Hopeful that Aliza’s answer would be more enlightening, she waited for her to continue.
“Yeah, I’m mad. Mad at Ladiva…”
“I see, so the Phoeni–wait, what? Ladiva?”
“No, I’m not mad at her, I’m mad at myself for losing!”
“What are you talking about!?”
“Huh? I’m talking about our duel. I lost, and I’m still not over it. I got more hits in, so maybe I should have been more focused on earning points.”
Aliza told the story of her duel with Ladiva with her whole body, letting the fight unfold and pointing out areas for improvement. Before she could finish, she spotted Stan passing by and dashed out of the café, leaving a quick “See you later!” before catching up with him.
Raziel sat dumbfounded, and after she recovered from the shock, she wrote “Duels on the brain” in the Book of Aliza.
—–
“What’s the deal with this ship’s crew? No one will answer my questions…”
Sandalphon looked at the angel pouting face-down on his counter and gave her a curt “Don’t ask me.”
“Lord Sandalphon, would it kill you to be a little more supportive? You’ve just been standing there making coffee and washing cups this whole time. I’m out here floundering and you haven’t thrown me a single bone this entire time…”
“It’s not my place to say anything, that’s all.”
Someone pulled the seat next to Raziel.
“Mind if I sit here, dear?”
“Ladiva!”
The enormous Ladiva winked delicately as she ordered a light roast coffee. Raziel braced herself for another failure and asked her fourth round of questions, determined to hear the draph’s thoughts.
“I don’t know if the Phoenix fits our concepts of good or evil. The way it so easily tossed around people and primal beasts, it was just like a storm coming through – more of a natural disaster than an enemy.”
“Ooh… go on?”
“But that feels sad to me. Calling something a natural disaster is a heartless way to describe a living being. An intelligent entity can be reasoned with, and we could have come to an understanding.”
Ladiva talked about the Phoenix and her theory that the solar creature could be treated like another skydweller. Her thoughts were filled with affection and compassion, bringing an entirely new perspective on the matter. Tears came unbidden to Raziel’s eyes as she listened, and she reached up from her writing to wipe them away.
“What’s wrong, my dear? Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m just thankful… I finally found a sane person on this ship.”
“Oh, I’m far from the only one. Richard, Aliza, and Lowain all asked me to come here, telling me that you wanted to hear all about what happened at the Festival of Falling Flame from us. They’re a little worried about you.”
The angel’s eyes widened in surprise, and Ladiva gently smiled back.
“Many people in this crew have a hard time expressing themselves, and others just can’t stop themselves when they get on a roll. But every single one of them wants to help. I want you to remember that and keep it in mind. And, I’d like to be on the other side of the conversation next time we talk. If you’re willing, come by Raduga and I’ll do all the listening while you say what’s on your mind.”
Ladiva left a Raduga card on the counter and took her leave. Raziel’s gaze fixed on the card for quite some time, before she turned to Sandalphon.
“Did you know, Lord Sandalphon? That they were all trying to help?”
“I just think that they’re not as self-centered as you suspected. Learning how to communicate with them will do a lot more good than asking me to mediate every conversation. It’s an important time to build your relationship with them.”
“Ugh… you’ve really embraced the role of the Grandcypher’s barista, haven’t you? I’ll write ‘Café owner who never says anything’ in the Book of Lord Sandalphon.”
She held her book high for him to see, and vindictively scribbled those words.
“Do whatever you like. But when you’re in here, please do it quietly.”
“Oh, yes, of course. I know how I’m supposed to act in a café like this. I’m an archangel, after all.”
“I don’t think being an archangel is the reason, there…”
—–
Things were quiet for some time as Raziel sat at the counter writing out the information she’d gathered and Sandalphon brewed. The silence was broken by a tap on Raziel’s shoulder. When she turned, she saw a red-haired woman behind her.
“I heard you wanted to hear stories from those of us who were at Port Breeze?”
“Sabrina! Yes, by all means!”
Sabrina was the reincarnation of Farhana, a warrior who had lived 6000 years ago. She was one of the most important people to the story of the Phoenix, but Raziel had not invited her to the cafe for her own reasons.
“Why didn’t you ask me in the first place?”
“It was a very painful time for you, so I didn’t want to bring up bad memories…”
Raziel knew that Sabrina had lost her past life’s husband and her own fiancée on the same day, and she could imagine the immense grief that came with it. In spite of Raziel’s thoughts that Sabrina was the survivor who had suffered the most, Sabrina shook her head.
“I’m not just a victim here. I’m the one who set the Phoenix in motion.”
“What do you mean?”
“6000 years ago, I said that I wanted to see Melin and Fenie again, and the Phoenix genuinely wanted it to happen. I think that’s how we ended up where we are. It’s as simple as that”
“Simple… genuine. Hmm. With no consideration or concept of good and evil, the Phoenix simply wanted it to happen.”
“Right. If Farhana hadn’t made that wish, then Ceodric would never have taken Sabrina in. That’s the honest truth.”
“I can’t follow that line of thinking…”
“I’m not as crushed by it as you think. It’s just the truth of the matter. Now that Fenie and I are together again, I just want to find out what I can do next.”
The woman’s eyes showed an unwavering belief in her words, but the truth that she was the reincarnation of Farhana had come very suddenly to a woman who had lived 24 years as Sabrina. There was no telling how she was dealing with her new reality.
When Raziel asked, Sabrina shook her head again. “Sabrina and Farhana are not different people. How do I put it. They’re connected? One is the extension of the other? Sabrina has not been erased or possessed by Farhana, and Farhana hasn’t been replaced by Sabrina either. They’re the same person, and I’m used to it now.”
Sabrina had calmly appraised the situation and accepted it. It was the kind of decision making that had led to her promotion to captain at the young age of 24. Raziel thought about that as her pen moved ever-faster against the page. Reincarnation was as much of an enigma as the Phoenix was.
“Is there anything that separates Sabrina and Farhana?”
“Separates? How?”
“You said that the two lives are one, but their bodies and memories were not always the same. That might be a factor.”
Sabrina suddenly appeared hesitant.
“If there was something, it would be that I don’t have much experience with being in love… Okay, I haven’t had any experience at all. But I did want to see Melin again. I don’t know how to explain it…”
“Oho, tell me more tell me more! I smell an enigma!☆”
Sabrina pointed at Raziel’s book as her pen flew across the pages.
“What are you writing in that?”
“I’m writing in the Book of Sabrina that she has never been in love.”
“Cut that out!”
Sabrina lunged for the book, but Raziel swiftly raised it above her head to dodge the reaching hand.
“This is an important piece of the puzzle! To unravel the enigmas of the Phoenix, we have to record every last detail of your reincarnation!”
“Important, my foot! No one needs to know that!”
At that point, a passing Fenie peeked into the café.
“Sabrina! What are you doing in there?”
“Fenie!? Now’s not the time, I’m a little busy-“
Fenie dashed over to the startled Sabrina’s side.
“What’s the game? Can I play?”
“No, no, we’re not playing anything, we were having a serious talk-“
“Oh, Seofon tagged along with me! He said he wants some coffee!”
“Ugh, him again…”
Raziel’s pen moved furiously.
“The Eternal is here? I’ll get a great story from him!”
“I told you to stop writing! And wait, once it’s written in one of your books, can it ever be erased!?”
“I want to play too, let me join!”
As Fenie watched Sabrina’s attempts to snatch the book and Raziel’s fervent defense of her work, Seofon popped into the room with a gift in his hand and a soft “Here I am.”
Just like that, the peace of the café was broken.
“Quietly, please…”
Sandalphon’s gloomy muttering reached no further than the steaming coffee in front of him.
