The story behind the Murata, something that many have sought throughout history.
"Murata" Cultural Study
Legend holds that Graphia descended into the world from within the "Murata," adopting it as her clan name. At the end of Cindearth Age, Graphia entrusted Huear and Lumirae with the protection of Ahatopia and the recovery of the "Murata," which had sunk into the depths of the world. After performing the miracle that dragged Ahatopia into the canvas, she vanished without a trace. Since then, this tower has become a cherished ancient legend among the people of arcadia.
A Myth Beyond Reach
Throughout the ages, countless souls have embarked on quests to find the "Murata." A review of existing historical records reveals 122 accounts of such endeavors. Excluding 65 with strong elements of fabrication and 29 that are too vague to be useful, 28 documents remain that meticulously detail the searches undertaken by Graphia's descendants and numerous adventurers. Some encountered strange wonders within the World in Canvas, perishing along the way. Others completed a grueling circuit of the canvas, only to return to their starting point. Regardless of the twists and turns, the outcome was invariably the same: utter failure.
Influenced by Graphia's story, the "Murata" became a wellspring of inspiration for later artistic works. It appears as an unattainable ideal, like the Holy Grail, or the answer to the universe. Or it serves as a rallying point for heroes, much like the Gondola that embarked on its expedition during the Swarm Disaster. In "Arcadian Chronicles," an early work of magical realism from the early Canvas Age, the "Murata" is woven throughout the narrative, serving as its final full stop and becoming, for centuries thereafter, a symbol of the Cindearth Age.
Does the "Murata" Truly Exist?
Although most historical records of Ancient Benzaitengoku were tragically burned during the Cindearth Age, the Candelagraphos, examining contemporaneous records from the IPC and Memokeepers, has found no evidence of an "Infinite Tower at the World's End" existing in Ahatopia. Professor Francois, a historian of Ancient Benzaitengoku, once proposed a theory. Based on the two descriptions found in historical sources, the "infinite space" within the "Murata" and the fact that "Graphia emerged from it," and considering the world's nature under the light of the Phantasmoon, he suggested the tower might be a massive Space Fissure. He posited it could share properties with "Aha's laughter that tore the universe asunder," and Graphia's actions themselves suggested she might have been an Emanator of Elation.
However, as the IPC construction teams developed every area of the Planarcadia, the complete absence of any Space Fissure has caused this theory to wane. Cultural anthropology has gradually been introduced into the historical study of Ancient Benzaitengoku to explain the origins of its many myths and legends. James of Schnider University believes the legend of the "Murata" might be an artistic embellishment of Graphia's passage through the forges and fortresses of the Antimatter Legion. Her act of bequeathing this name and her final charge, he argues, was meant to awaken future generations, urging them never to forget past sufferings nor the original vow to "preserve" the people.
The Spirit Is Indestructible
"To go where there are cries; to go where there are flames." This interpretation of the "Murata" has been passed down through generations as the house motto of the Graphia family. They bear the Weathering Curse, yet are compelled to perpetuate their bloodline to sustain the World in Canvas.
Now that the IPC has salvaged Ahatopia from the canvas, this mission will finally fade with time. In the near future, the Graphia family may vanish from the world, released at last from the torment of their ancestral curse. But the story of the "Murata" will endure, passed down through generations in arcadia, proof that a hero once walked among us.