"Those Parasites are soulless," Diyem said. "Or... no. Inaccurate. They're fragments of souls, no different than a Master Substitute." Diyem glanced at Green, who had emerged from his cell to talk directly with them. By now, he'd gained more than enough trust with the staff, though he was still under watch. He also wore an odd item on his arm which seemed to nullify his illusions. "I sensed that when getting up close to one. Therefore, we can be confident that when one dies, the experiences it had will return to the Prime host."
"It couldn't have been in Soda this whole time, though," Joule commented, his voice a bit slurred thanks to lacking part of his face. "We would have noticed."
"I agree." Diyem hummed. "The parasites have been possessing individuals one by one, and perhaps the prime host had moved at some point... or perhaps there is no prime at all. Perhaps each fragment is its own equal piece, like Bean."
"Oh, Bean!" Eien bobbed her head. "How is he doing? Is he well?"
"...He is."
Eien nodded again, looking a little cheerful and distracted.
"Then maybe strength is being channeled into the one in Soda," Owen said. "I'm not sure if you guys noticed it, but it felt like a lot of energy was traveling from Eien's beam to the moon, and not the normal energy. There was this... this smoke, or this haze. It was more than usual."
"I did remember something... leaving me. A weight." Eien hummed. "I don't really know if this is the right analogy, but it was... how an organic creature would have a, ah, a stuffy nose, and one day, they wake up with it all clear. Yes, that must be how it felt... or a comparison..."
"It was incredibly powerful," Diyem said. "Eien, it made up most of that corrupted form you took. That... may have been the greater part of the parasite within you. Or, its... spirit, given form."
"...But in the end, it all means the same thing, doesn't it?" Owen said. "The final place where the parasite is located... is up there, in Soda. All that power is concentrated up there..."
