Book of Twilight | |
---|---|
Original Name |
黄昏の書 |
Romanized Name |
Tasogare no Sho |
Author |
Unknown |
Debut |
|
Powers |
It tells the story of Aira. |
User |
N/A |
Status |
In Dalian's possession |
Book of Twilight is a Phantom Book which tells the story of Grand Sage Aira. Its power influenced silverfish to transform into Broken Wings, huge insects who started to eat the fictional world. The Phantom Book is part of the Book of Twilight story.
It’s an old book damaged by insect bites. The cover in woodcut has a nice illustration of the main character Aira, a young magician with thick eyebrows and a beautiful smile.[1] In the anime, it’s shown as a foreign book with blue cover and some illustrations depicting the characters within it.[2]
Background[]
The Book of Twilight is part of Wesley’s collection. During a rainy season, silverfish were damaging his books, attracted by the humidity. Hugh had to submit them to fumigation and repair services. However, the Phantom Book was more difficult to save, since its power transformed the insects into huge creatures who were eating the story itself. Hugh and Dalian somehow entered the novel and started to interact with its fictional world and characters in order to solve the problem.[1]
Powers[]
Its power is never described in the series. The Phantom Book tells the story of Aira, a shaman apprentice who is being raised and taught by her grandmother. Tito, a travelling merchant, is the young girl’s love interest. Among the other characters are Gianni, the vigilante leader, and Salute, a shopkeeper.
Broken Wings[]
Although the effect of the Book of Twilight being used is unknown, its power is seen affecting silverfish who transformed into huge creatures known as Broken Wing Insects (破翼蟲 Yabu Tsubasa Mushi) or Baziumu (バジム). They have a white outer shell, as if they lived in a place never reached by sunlight, and three pairs of cracked wings, hence the name. The eerie, flying insects are at least twice as large as humans. The biggest one can loom over the defensive wall of a town, a monster comparable to the ancient dragons.[1] In the anime, the Baziumu resemble large, sinister green mantises. They use their raptorial legs to attack and can withstand the shots from Hugh's revolver.[2]
Attracted by books, the Broken Wings aim libraries, archives and printing studios. They are shown inside the Book of Twilight, eating the story itself. Inside the fictional world, the insects also consume walls, buildings, forests, people, entire caravans, making them disappear without trace. Even in small numbers, they are able to completely destroy a town in a short time. The creatures are invulnerable to swords, arrows and fire. The Yakatsu, a powerful poison made by Aira's grandmother, cannot stop them. However, they suffer while breathing a fumigant, disappearing soon after. Using the Book of the Sage to summon the jinn Kabikaj, the guardian of books, is another method to defeat them.[1]
Plot[]
Hugh and Dalian examine the desolate Micheaux Fortress. They will wander around the region to find a large number of books, which serves as bait for the Broken Wings. The walls has marks of an intense battle, although there are no bodies in sight. The place can support around three hundred men, but everyone has disappeared. The shelves are empty, without a single book.
Gianni was informed about their tragedy. He also heard from the survivors of Rostuni. The inhabitants vanished because of the Broken Wings, who are immune to swords, arrows and fire. Because of that, the vigilante asks Aira's grandmother to produce the Yakatsu. Salute also mentions the huge insects while talking to Aira. He heard rumors about the creatures attacking the southern towns. When Aira goes to the forest to collect the ingredients for the poison, Dalian tells her to avoid confrontation. The Yakatsu won't work against the monsters.
The Broken Wings eventually attack the town. When Aira arrived, the outer wall was already destroyed. The buildings were wrecked and the townsfolk had vanished. She watches the insects flying over the place, breaking through the stone walls with ease. A huge insect comes out from a torn tent when she reaches the plaza. The young apprentice throws a bottle of Yakatsu, only to make the creature stop for a moment. The Broken Wing is only affected when the fumigant prepared by Hugh covers the town in the form of a dense mist. The product makes the monster suffer and then disappear, as if it had never existed. Dalian learns that the books inside Tito’s carriage are attracting the insects.
The survivors headed to the Chief Healer’s house, looking for help. When Hugh and Dalian arrive, they examine Tito’s carriage. The Broken Wings were approaching while eating the surrounding forest, lured by the merchant’s goods. There is a huge one flying towards them, larger than the town’s outer wall. Hugh reads the Book of the Sage to defeat them. The insects thrash around in agony and disappear. Hugh and Dalian return to the real world.
It’s revealed that the rainy season is causing the silverfish to damage Wesley’s collection of books. The insects had transformed into Broken Wings, influenced by the power of the Phantom Book, and eaten the story itself. As promised, Dalian reads the Book of Twilight to meet Aira once again.[1]
Trivia[]
- Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking in which an artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood. The surface, covered with ink, touches the paper or fabric to produce the print.[3]
- It's never revealed how Hugh and Dalian got into the Phantom Book to protect the story in its pages.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Mystic Archives of Dantalian light novel, Chapter 3, volume 3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Mystic Archives of Dantalian anime, Episode 2.
- ↑ Woodcut. (2017, June 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:28, July 13, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woodcut&oldid=788335336