Ilas’ Collections of Poems | |
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Ilas' second book. | |
Original Name |
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Romanized Name |
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Author |
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Debut |
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Powers |
It grants the power to read the minds of rival airplane pilots. |
User |
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Status |
Destroyed |
Ilas’ Collections of Poems are two books authored by airplane pilot Ilas Alcock. He and Hugh used these Phantom Book Eggs to predict the movement of his opponents while engaged in dogfights during the Great War. The writings’ potential to become a Phantom Book drew the attention of Rasiel and the Professor. The Phantom Book Eggs are present in The Mystic Archives of Rasiel story.
The collections are large handwritten books.[1] In the anime, their bland covers are white, with dark green lines.[2]
Background[]
As an Allied Flight lieutenant during the Great War, Ilas wrote a compilation of poems, later giving it to Hugh. Influenced by the strong emotions caused by the battles, the book became a Phantom Book Egg, a Phantom Book in development. Rasiel and the Professor, looking for a new Phantom Book for the Rasiel's Bookshelf, decided to resurrect Ilas after he died during an attack from the opposite faction, when he was on vacation.
The couple brought Ilas back from the dead as a formidable pilot in the Central Powers with no memories about his past life in order to explore the legend of the Faceless Ghost, causing the fear and despair needed to make a new Phantom Book from the second poetry collection Ilas started writing.[1]
Powers[]
The poetry collections allow their users to read the mind of someone. They are used in the context of dogfights. The pilots can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of their targets. The voice of the enemy’s heart is transmitted through the air directly into the head of the person who’s using the Phantom Book Egg. Hugh and Ilas explore this power to anticipate their rivals’ decisions and react accordingly to gain the upper hand. It’s easy to foresee the movement of an airplane, since its control is greatly influenced by the pilot. However, the incomplete Phantom Book Egg cannot be applied to predict thoughtless actions, or yet attacks from the ground, like fire from an anti-aircraft gun. The Phantom Book Egg can't be used to read Rasiel's thoughts.[1]
Script[]
Ilas recites while chasing an Allied pilot and later when he’s about to take off to counterattack the Allied bombardment.[1]
"The wings of desperation have come down, stars are filling the sky.
There is no angel in the blue sky, but a knight cuddled with a warmaiden.
I, like a meteor, will lead you through the procession of the dead."
The piece is expanded in the anime. It’s heard when the Faceless Ghost first appears shooting down the Allies and later when he's fighting against Hugh.
"Return,
to your nostalgic homeland.
The golden field that waits for you.
There are no angels here, and your friends have all vanished in the wind as well.
Behind the back of the attacking knight,
the warmaidens gently smile.
Now, return,
to the homeland of tainted souls,
to the country of blood and smoke where pain and insanity are born,
to the familiar battlefield.
Shooting star that glitters dazzlingly even on the ground,
Let me grant the suffering of an adult, and the fear of a child.
The hero who has lost his speed shall melt in this stagnant air,
and float between the sea of stars.
O, wings of discouragement and terror,
help his flight up the sky!"
In the adaptation, he delivers a different poem during the Allied bombardment.
"I was not a starry eyed child,
Wishing to soar through the sky.
Rather a newborn seagull struggling to fly
As the indomitable force of gravity pulled me down.
Perhaps that is why I now float, like a child,
My arms smeared in blood, reveling in death.
If you would know where this bird flies"
Hugh uses Ilas’ first poetry collection to oppose him during the climax. They recite together.[2]
"I am a wild thistle,
Sprung from a bitter wasteland.
Am I to hide my softer side,
Or allow it to be torn away by the ruthless wind?
Bidding farewell to home and family
Until that fateful, final day."
Plot[]
Hugh watches Ilas going back to the dormitory with a poetry collection in hands after their first exchange. Months later, as the Faceless Ghost, Ilas has his second book inside the cockpit of the Fokker. He can read the mind of an Allied pilot and feel his despair. While reciting, Ilas chases his target and shoots him down. Soon after, Ilas notices the uneasiness of the familiar man inside a Camel F.1. They engage in a dogfight, but Ilas has the advantage, predicting Hugh’s movements. However, the latter escapes by unexpectedly releasing the control stick of his airplane. The Camel turned to the right, out of range.
Ilas brings his compilation of poems to the bar of a military base. He wants to keep feeling the despair of his targets, hence the war must not end. During his conversation with the barkeeper, Ilas reflects about his power to hear the voice of his enemies’ hearts. The pilot, as a man sensitive to the madness of war, believes that writing is a ritual that puts him into an elevated state of concentration. Later, he learns that his book is a Phantom Book Egg. According to Rasiel, Ilas must take inspiration from the strong emotions caused by the war in order to create a Phantom Book worthy of being sealed inside the Rasiel's Bookshelf. She wonders what happened with Ilas' first compilation.
When the Allies attacked, Ilas walked swiftly to the hangar, wondering if his book turning into a Phantom Book amid the chaotic battle. He uses its power to avoid the bombs falling over the base. He waits inside the Fokker for a moment. If he had taken off earlier, an explosion would have destroyed his triplane. Hugh opposes him using Ilas’ first poetry collection, proving to be a formidable opponent. The rivals predict each other’s actions. Eventually, the Faceless Ghost is hit by friendly fire from an anti-aircraft gun. Hugh shoots him down.
Ilas finally understands that he was resurrected by Rasiel and the Professor. They planned to use him to create a Phantom Book, but the pilot had failed. The Professor uses a Phantom Book to dispose of him. The second poetry collection turns to ashes and disappears. Inside an Allied hangar, Hugh burns the first poetry collection.[1]
In the anime, Ilas' second book is lost in the fire of his airplane wreckage.[2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Mystic Archives of Dantalian light novel, Chapter 5, volume 2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Mystic Archives of Dantalian anime, Episode 11.
Phantom Book Eggs | |||
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