Sibyl, meaning "prophetess," refers to the ancient Greek oracles—those who spoke divine prophecies under the influence of holy inspiration. They were remembered in records such as:
"The Sibyl, with frenzied lips, uttered things no one could face with a smile. Unadorned and unscented, yet with the aid of the gods, her voice echoed across a thousand years."
The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of prophecies spoken by the legendary Greek prophetess Sibyl in states of divine madness.
Comprising 14 books and 8 fragments, they are often regarded as a form of apocalyptic literature, akin to the Book of Revelation.
The vision shown to Novia was of the founding myth of the Roman Kingdom—the story of Romulus and his twin brother Remus. It unfolded much like the vision of Divine Osiris he once received, in which Osiris was slain by his brother Set. Now, this tale played once again in Novia's mind.
In the Type-Moon world, Romulus is rightfully called the embodiment of light, a figure representing humanity's potential beyond the Age of Gods.
But his twin, Remus, was the inverse—his mission, much like Enkidu's in Mesopotamia, was to remind humanity of its ties to divinity. When the twins disagreed on where to build their city, a rift formed. During the construction, Remus crossed the boundary Romulus had marked—an act symbolizing a plea for communion between gods and mortals.
Conflict erupted.
Like Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the twins fought with all their might. But unlike Gil and Enkidu, they never understood one another.
In the end, Romulus won—and lived.
Remus lost—and died.
"No, Romulus! Rome must never be born! Its very existence is a mistake!"
Why? Romulus had asked him back then.
"That day, I saw it—the child of dawn who shall descend upon the earth. Why? Why, O morning star, bright son of the dawn, have you fallen from the heavens—"
Remus's voice was devoid of emotion, yet beneath it surged a terrifying current, molten and icy all at once:
"You may have won—but all is lost. Your Rome, my people… when the ages turn, they will be dragged into an eternal hell from which there is no return. The child of dawn's love will never reach us—it will only be fire that burns everything to ash. That bright star can never shine again. At the end of desire lies only ruin. Romulus, everything that begins with your Rome… you are the true sinner."
And so it was that, upon seeing his brother breathe his last, Romulus—the beacon of human potential—understood:
Remus had loved Rome too. He had seen all its people as his children.
From that moment onward, Romulus was never quite sane again. His speech turned strange.
Later, the Senate plotted his death. During a triumphal parade, they tricked him into drinking poisoned wine. As a gale swept through, they pulled him into a chamber under the pretext of sheltering him from the storm. There, they raised their blades, prepared to butcher him—
But—
"You wish to kill me. And yet, you are all my beloved children. You are the living embodiments of Rome's glory… and its shadow."
Blood trickled from his lips, but Romulus smiled. To his would-be assassins, it was terrifying.
"I strive, I hunger, I yearn—not to destroy, but to break open the darkness of ignorance, to reach the unknown… to live for the love of mankind."
"Your desires are the very arrogance that seeks to rule all creation—and yet, also the light of humanity's dreams for tomorrow. And so… I cannot help but love you."
He had always spoken this way, ever since the day he killed Remus with his own hands.
Perhaps their murder had sprung not only from a hunger for power, but also from an inability to comprehend his words.
"As you wish, then. Remus, too, would have wanted this. From this day forth, I will no longer be a man—I will become the Supreme God."
"But this is not the mercy of a god upon humanity. No. I cast off my humanity willingly, to become a star in the heavens—to bless you, to bless this world, to bless Rome… and to bless all that you love."
"Where there is glory, there must be shadow. Through restraint, betrayal, and ruin, from the bloodstained waves shall rise the terror of Babylon—"
"The rebirth of the Holy City. The reign of the Kingdom. The seven crowns of the great red dragon. The ten horns of the Beast from the Sea. Seven crimson heads, ten kingly crowns… that Woman of all abominations and filth. From deception and decadence she returns—"
"A Trinity! A triune beast of seven heads and ten horns—all are one! A Trinity—terrifying indeed! But what of it? That too is Rome! My sister, in another form!"
Dressed in blue, Romulus spread his arms and strode into the roaring wind, his body ablaze with golden brilliance.
"The world is filled with Rome. Yes. Embodiments of glory and shadow—O child of dawn, your descent is my sin, and yet it too is Rome. Even if I alone believe this…"
"I believe the flame that burns all can still carry love. That even amid filth, something can shine bright enough to dazzle. My children—Rome."
The golden radiance vanished into the wind, and only his laughter remained, echoing for a long time.
What was left behind—was merely the possibility of humanity.
"...So this was Romulus's life."
The Sibylline Oracle had shown Novia an ancient tale, one buried deep in time.
Here, in the land prophesied as the end by the Revelation, the oracle had revealed its truth.
By combining the two—Revelation and the Sibylline Oracle—it was clear: even before Rome was founded, Remus had foreseen the Child of Dawn, born of Rome's sin and evil. A child who could never become a star. One who would devour all.
That was why he fought his brother to the death.
Romulus, in turn, abandoned his humanity after the Senate's betrayal, becoming a divine protector of Rome—but in doing so, took the opposite stance from his brother.
Though his words were cryptic, to Novia, the meaning was now painfully clear.
Because in the Type-Moon world, Satan and Lucifer are one and the same.
The Child of Dawn, the twin-born monster… was obviously Nero.
And yet the line that love could not reach her—that deeply unsettled Novia.
Hadn't he and Nero gotten along well over the years? They'd shared kisses, even more intimate things. Only the matter of Merushin was still a secret.
...Could that be the reason?
Or perhaps it had to do with her mother—Agrippina?
Whatever the case, Novia was determined to find a way to make things right.