-----------------------------
Contact Information
-----------------------------
Question, comment, criticism? Please direct them to sinespe2000@yahoo.com
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Contribution list
-----------------------------
To Syuunsuke, who not only provided me with a transcript of the in-game text,
but also helped me with various parts of the translation as well as correction
of various errors.
-----------------------------
Version History
-----------------------------
0.1(Feb. 2, 03) FAQ started
0.2(Feb 23, 03) Finish copyright and contributors section. Various grammatical
and spelling corrections. Finished translating prologue.
-----------------------------
Background information
-----------------------------
Melty Blood is created by Watanabe Seisakujo, a famous maker of dojin games.
For those of you who are not familiar, dojin games are games made by fans, for
fans, often featuring established characters from copyrighted games. As such,
they are not official products from the copyright holders, but exist in a legal
grey zone because it is fan-oriented. In North America they would be sued
before you even get to this sentence, but in Japan, they are tolerated.
Watanabe Seisakujo made its name with fan-favorite Queen of Hearts series. The
name is a parody of the popular King of Fighters series of fighting games, but
featuring girls from various Visual Novel games (AKA dating sims) such as To
Heart and Comic Party. Melty Blood is different from all previous Watanabe
offerings in that it itself is based on another dojin game, Tsukihime. The
implication is that Melty Blood does not in anyway infringe upon copyright
laws, allowing the creator to hire voice actors and record original lines!
-----------------------------
Characters
-----------------------------
ƒVƒIƒ“: Sion (playable character). Full name Sion Eltnam Atlasia. An original
character created for Melty Blood, she is an extremely talented alchemist from
Atlas Academy. Though not well liked, her talent was nevertheless acknowledged
and has been chosen as the next chancellor of Atlas Academy and earned her the
name Atlasia. Her special abilities include Soul Hacking, High speed
processing, and Multiprocessing. She uses a nearly invisible monofilament wire
called Etherlite to Soul Hack target.
ƒAƒ‹ƒNƒFƒCƒh: Arcueid (playable character). Full name Arcueid Brunstud. Heroine
of Tsukihime. A princess of the Progenitors. Her special ability is Marble
Phantasm.
ƒVƒGƒ‹: Ciel (playable character) High school student by day, secret Vatican
agent by night.
‰“–ìH—t: Tohno Akiha, younger sister of Shiki, head of the Tohno family.
Speaks formal Japanese and looks down on everybody. Tohno family members all
have demon blood in them, giving them supernatural powers plus the possibility
of going berserk at inopportune times (family reunions are a riot with the
Tohnofs)
ãʼn•àæàß: Hisui and Kohaku (tag-team playable characters). Twin sisters who
work in the Tohno mansion as maids. Hisui is the younger of the two, does not
talk much, and never smiles. Kohaku on the other hand is all smiles, but very
tricky, and has an unhealthy obsession with home medicine box.
‰“–ìŽu‹M: Tohno Shiki (playable character). Main hero of Tsukihime. Allow me to
quote from a reader review posted on www.highervoltage.net:
gHe looks like Love Hina's Keitaro had he flipped out from the Love Hina
Experience and started knifing people.h
That pretty much says it all.
Like many anime male characters, Shiki suffers from Indecisive-itis and
Way-too-helpful-itis(read: indecisive nice guy). Shiki has the ability call Eye
of Instant Death, which allows him to see glinesh in objects and people. By
running a knife through these glinesh, Shiki dismembers that object into tiny
little pieces. In the first meeting between Shiki and Arcueid, he cut her into
17 pieces(donft worry, she heals fast).
As it turns out Shikifs adopted and his real last name is Nanaya. Which
conveniently makes Akiha fair game (Tsukihime IS an adult game, after all)
ƒƒ‰ƒLƒA‚Ì–é: Night of Walakia (hidden playable character). Also known as
Tatari. Number 13 of the 27 Death Apostles. Only appears once every couple of
years, and only for one night. Has the ability to turn rumors into realities.*1
Spoiler: Walakia used to be a vampire called Zubia Eltnam Oberon, Sionfs
ancestor from three generations ago.
ƒVƒIƒ“i‹zŒŒ‹Sj:Sion (vampire, hidden playable character).
ƒƒ‹ƒNƒFƒCƒh: Walcueid (hidden playable character). A fake Arcueid created by
Night of Walakia.
àæàß: Kohaku (hidden playable character): Kohaku is by herself, without Hisui.
Still fascinated with her medicine cabinet. Did I mention that shefs by
herself? Damn it, I cannot think of anything funny to say.
H—tigÔŽéj:Akiha kurenaisekishu (hidden playable character). This
red-haired beauty is the berserked version of Akiha, with a very big chip on
her shoulder.
ƒƒJƒqƒXƒC: Mecha Hisui (hidden playable character). Robot maid, a Melty Blood
original parody character. Apparently uses weapons from Phantasy Star Online?
Žµ–éŽu‹M: Nanaya Shiki (hidden playable character). Serial killer version of
Shiki, ten times less nerdy-looking than the original.
—LŠÔ“sŒÃ: Arima Miyako (hidden playable character). Pre-requisite
eardrum-shattering, stomach-churning cute girl. Uses Hakyokuken, the same
martial art used by Akira of Virtual Fighter fame.
ƒlƒ@ƒJƒIƒXFNero Chaos (hidden character, not yet controllable). A tall dark
stranger in a trench coat that houses a veritable menagerie. Make up your own
joke here folks, this is too easy. Jokes aside, Nero is number 10 of the 27
Ancestors. Used to be a magician, he has sealed 666 beasts within his own body.
Spoiler: Nero was destroyed during Tsukihime, Walakia created an
illusion of him to fight against Shiki and Sion
ƒ~ƒnƒCƒ‹@ƒƒA@ƒoƒ‹ƒ_ƒ€ƒˆƒHƒ“FMikhail Loa Valdamyon (non-appearing character,
but mentioned a few times).
*1 the belief that words can turn into reality is a Shinto tradition, but its
origin can be traced to Buddhism and Hinduism. These gwords of powerh are
called kotodama (Œ¾—ì) in Japanese, mantra in Hindi. Modern day kotodama are
far less powerful; they are syllables one intone during meditation to help
focus the mind. The psone game Persona 2 also revolves around the theme of
rumors becoming realities.
-----------------------------
Special Terms
-----------------------------
Progenitors: ^‘c (lit. true ancestors). The original vampires. *1
Marble Phantasm: ‹ó‘z‹ïŒ»‰»(lit. Imagination Materialization). As the name
says, the ability to turn imagination into reality. Only usable by Progenitors
and some Death Apostles.
*1 Some people translated^‘cas true vampires or vampire lords. I decided to
translate it as Progenitors not only because it is closer in meaning to the
original kanji characters, but also because Progenitors sounds like something
Ann Rice would come up with. So there.
-----------------------------
Translation
-----------------------------
Herefs how it works: listed below are the various route map to the endings.
The numbers indicates which passage you should look up to find the English
translation.
Ending K:
0(prologue) ---> A ---> 1 (Enter) ---> B ---> 2 (Sion Eltnam Atlasia) ---> D
---> 4 (Alicefs anxiety) ---> G ---> 7A (Stardust) ---> K ---> 11_1, 11_2,
11_3, 11_4 (Night on the Blood Liar).
Ending O:
After joining up Sionfs quest, Shike then managed to defeat Akiha, which made
her believe that Shiki is out to take over the Tohno family, and hilarity
ensues. To cut a long story short, we have conspiracy, betrayal, underground
torture chamber, strange drugs, mechanical girl, obnoxious little girl,
hypnotized big girl, and high-school-girl-of-enormous-size. Thatfs all in a
days work.
////////////
0. Prologue
////////////
Early July.
Number of cars passing by is approximately five per hour.
Number of people taking trains is around one hundred per day.
Temperature, 38 degree Celsius.
------ This summer,
The heat is more than enough to make it difficult to breath.
Someone said that we look like gasping fishes.
Title: Melty Blood
I heard that line as I was walking down the street,
And smiled to myself at the absurdity of the description.
Is there such a thing as fishes gasping for breath in a water tank?
That might be the case for one left flapping on the ground,
I donft think a fish in water will be gasping at all.
------ come to think of it.
A tropical fish neglected.
A floating body with its belly up.
Murky water.
Green fish tank.
Dying fish with its mouth opening and closing.
------ Ahh
So thatfs what that metaphor is all about.
Those words are a perfect fit for this summer.
The heat is so great that the scalding air took away all the energy, the heat
wave obscuring everything beyond 10 meters.
Despite being the middle of the day there is no sign of people, the street is
like a silent, abandoned ruin.
Not even cars can be seen on the road, if you were to take a nap in the middle
of the road, you donft even need to worry about being run over.
In another word, itfs as if we were in an ancient city, sunken at the bottom
of the ocean.
Thatfs why the metaphor about the fish is so appropriate.
Even I, Tohno Shiki, had no choice but to swim aimlessly in this dazzling
darkness
Title: Tsukihime
Itfs a strange summer.
Itfs not that no onefs around, just that no onefs out on the street.
The platforms are always empty, trains carrying passengers pass right through.
On the other hand, if you look closely at places you can still see signs of
life.
Large department stores are crowded as usual, coffee shops are swamped all day
long.
Only the outdoors look like ruins, but indoor itfs just like any summer.
Thatfs right, everyonefs decided to spend the summer indoor.
Not necessarily because it is hot outside. More likely, it is because of a
troubling rumor.
g---- have you heard?
last night in the park, someone was killed again---g
g---- are you talking about that rumored Vampire Killings?
you mean THAT horrible thing isnft over yet---g
Once again, I heard people talking about it.
A couple of girls passing by were happily chatting away.
g--- hey girls.h
I turned toward them as I hear the voice.
No onefs out on the street.
The city is like a ruin.
Voices were like the whispering of wind, the passing girls no more than mirage.
As far as the girls were concerned, Ifm just no different from the summer heat
haze.
When I realized it, my feet have carried me to the park.
There were no others here, quite as midnight.
Come to think of it, this is probably what they meant by gmidnight sunh.
g----THAT. Look, didnft I tell you about it the serial murder before? That
killer who goes around murdering women---g
gI know I know, hefs back, isnft he? Itfs only a rumor, but last night
there were some mangled-up bodies in the alleyway---g
Those words hooked me right back.
Those students blurred and faded out of sight under the midnight sun.
And that, is the reason why Tohno Shiki is walking along the street by himself.
No one knew when did these strange rumors being circulating around the streets.
One said, that killer has returned.
Another said, the victims were left without a drop of blood.
Yet another said, the killer is a vampire, a veritable grim reaper.
Forgotten events from one year ago.
But I donft think that vampire is coming back.
After all the original killer is already dead.
A second or third vampires have yet to show up.
Despite that, the rumors are not stopping.
The numbers of supposed victims grew day by day.
Yesterday it was the park. Today the alley, Maybe tomorrow it will be around
the school.
The number of victims continue to grow.
People really believed in the rumors, right now no onefs going out at night.
...This was exactly like one year ago.
The choking heat.
A street devoid of pedestrians.
Yet the most unbelievable part is...
There were no serial killers stalking the street.
Ifm getting a bit dizzy,
Exhausted as Ifve been walking around since morning.
I thought about getting a pop from the vending machine, then I found out that I
donft have my wallet with me.
gDamn, I havenft had much luck lately.h
I mumbled an explanation.
This is the most popular catch phrase this summer.
In reality, everyone passing by is mumbling similar phrases.
A streak of bad luck.
Overwhelmed with anxiety.
Nothing went well.
Is this the so called ankensatsu#1, accidents continue to happen in this place.
Therefs that time when I tripped on the stairs,
Then therefs that time when I accidentally saw Hisui changing and was abused
by Akiha and Kohaku.
Therefs also that time when Arcueid got angry because of that little
misunderstanding during our date.
Then I broke senpaifs #2 precious vase.
My life has no shortage of such bad luck.
It could be just the heat thatfs making me absent minded... then therefs
nothing supernatural about all thatfs happened; Ifm not the only one under a
streak of bad luck.
But when such a streak happen to sharp-minded Arcueid, the always-calm Ciel,
Akiha the perfectionist, and cleaning master Hisui...
It no longer feels like just a run of bad luck, in another word...
gcthey are not coincidences, but inevitability?h
gHehc?h
Once again, I caught another line as I walk.
gccch
I felt someone was behind me.
gExcuse me.h
A girl apologized politely before walking away.
g...will you look at that, a foreigner.h
Actually thatfs not that surprising.
Both Arcueid and Ciel senpai are foreigners.
g--------g
Yet I was drawn to her for some unknown reason.
So I stood around thinking of a reason, which I reached within minutes.
gSo that was it.h
The answer is simple.
Like this Ifve been wandering around the street for two days,
Shefs the first person whom I managed to have a good look at.
Ifm getting dizzy.
Standing around under such heat is finally getting to me.
...come on, itfs true.
This summer, is like a bad dream.
Breaking off contact with Tohno Shiki.
I have inserted the Etherlite into his brain as I walked by.
Tugging on the wire, the length is long enough for the task.
...funny.
Was my plan uncovered? Tohno Shiki stared at me, as if he saw something
unbelievable.
I do not believe that he can perceive filament wire only a few microns thick.
g---So that was it.h
He made that strange remark, then sat down by the shade.
It feels like hefs getting dizzy.
Given from the information I have received, I cannot say he is in top physical
condition.
...Here, is the alleyway mentioned.
No one else is present, I do not think anyone has been here for an entire week.
It was here that Tohno Shiki made his promise with the Progenitor Arcueid and
fought against Chaos.
That was the story from a year ago.
Tohno Shiki, with his ability to see the life span of objects and terminate
them,
It was here he encountered the Progenitor, Arcueid Brunstud for the first time.
Correction, it should be their second meeting.
The first time Tohno Shiki was a dangerous killer controlled by his hunger for
death.
...hmm, from what I can read of his memory, Tohno Shiki is a kind person.
Yet this does not change the possibility of an outbreak of his killer instinct,
I cannot conclude that he is harmless.
gTohno Shiki, with the ability to read the existence of gdeathh, can tear
apart matters using a knife. He is the only one who can kill the immortal
Progenitors.h
Progenitors
One of the many ancient legends passed down to the modern age, vampires. Living
dead that drinks blood, live forever, and turns to dust by sunlight.
The origin of these blood drinkers, we call them progenitors.
Those who were bitten by the Progenitors, transforms into similar blood sucking
monsters.
Those who were transformed thus, we call them Death Apostles.
Most modern vampires are these sub-species called Death Apostles. Among them
the 27 most ancient and powerful were called the 27 Ancestors.
gOne of them, Chaos#3, was already destroyed here. Serpent of Akasha#4, who
was also considered an ancestor, had his final reincarnation here.h
Number 10 of the 27 Ancestors, Nero Chaos.
The un-numbered Serpent of Akasha, Mikhail Loa Valdamyon.
It was said that even the Holy Knights did nothing but left these two along,
yet for them to meet their ends here in the Far East was beyond anyonefs
prediction.
g...No, there was one person who has predicted the result.h
Prediction, or rather, that person has picked out the outcome with the highest
probability to occur.
Of course, it does not mean that person was about to predict all the details.
It is just that his calculation said that gthe Ancestors shall be destroyed in
this landh.
gHowever it may be, The Progenitor is still in this land. A proxy from the
Church has been installed as surveillance. Other than that there are plenty of
disturbances.h
Japan is under the jurisdiction of others, this tiny island nation sets her own
rules.
One of them: let the deamons deal with their own.
The one that controls all the deamons is the Tohno family, the head of the
family was a half-breed not dissimilar to one of the blood drinkers.
g...Tohno Akiha? I am interested in knowing more about her, but the Progenitor
comes first.h
I do not have much time. It is almost time for Him to appear again.
If I were to flee, there will be no next time. It will be with my own hands
that I bury him, the vampire that escaped from the Church 3 years ago.
gOnly a couple more days until full moon. I do not want to admit it but my
chance of victory is slim.h
It is objectionable behavior for an alchemist of Atlas, but it is not too late
yet.
Three years ago, when we failed in the vampire hunt, I abandoned Atlas.
To bring me back to justice, the Magicianfs Guild had sent out wanted notice
all over.
Constant running has been a major toll on both my body and spirit. Moreover---
g--- I made it in time. There is still hope for me.h
I have to hurry, There is only one goal, to kill that vampire.
The disease called vampirism, the vampire that set his root here.
I have no choice but to remove both of them.
#1 Ankensatsu: ˆÃŒ•ŽE, an astrological term that indicated a location of
extreme ill omen.
#2 senpei: upperclassman, referring to Ciel.
#3 Chaos: Another name for Nero
#4 Serpent of Akasha: Another name for Mikhail. Akasha is a Sanskrit word
meaning sky or ether.
//////////////
End prologue.
//////////////
/////////////
1. Enter
/////////////
gSion Eltnam Sokali. Hereby chosen as a candidate for next chancellor.h
The upperclassman announced the new in his usual sour demeanor.
The other students and teachers opened their eyes wide.
The commotion ran unchecked, hundreds of pairs of eyes all looking toward my
direction.
It canft be, some of them were surprised.
I will not allow this, some blamed me.
I canft believe this, some rejected me.
gSion Eltnam, shall henceforth be call Sion Eltnam Atlasia. She will be
granted the privilege of a teacher, and be treated with the same level of
respect.h
The upperclassmanfs words were absolute.
The students swallowed the objections, not because of respect for those in
power, but because the declaration itself brooks for no argument, they instead
stared at me with contempt.
e---g
I did not change my composure.
Within the auditorium only the upperclassman and myself remained calm.
Everyone else ?from students to teachers- looks like they were incapable of
saying anything else.
This is expected.
From that time, I became Sion Eltnam Atlasia.
An Alchemist granted the name Atlas and approved to represent the Academy.
No one could have predicted that this honor was granted to a student, moreover
an Eltnam.
gch
At the time, I took all this in my usual calm fashion.
This does not mean I was informed of the news beforehand.
The simple truth is, within the Guild of Atlas, the only person with the
ability to succeed the Academy is me.
Rather than surprised, of course I was bored by the news.
...Since then has my life changed in anyway?
My background remains the same.
The Eltnams were a noble family fallen on hard time, the condescending looks
from others never left.
I being an excellent student, has compensated for the crimes committed by my
ancestor.
People around have always barred me from their company.
They ignored the fact that I am the top of the class.
By becoming an Atlasia, I am now in position to bar them from the Academy.
They were all afraid of my revenge.
They assumed that I will treat them the same way they treated me.
Please do not debase me like that.
I am a noble.
I am not a criminal. Within my vein flows the noble blood of Eltnam and I will
not abuse my power for petty matters.
As I do not need anyone else, I have no need to relate to them.
Just like before I am needed in the research lab, therefore I continued to be a
good student.
That was eight years ago.
What was right, what was wrong?
---To tell the truth, I still do not know the real answer.
gOh no, it is already this late?h
I opened my eyes.
My exhaustion piled on, and I had a meaningless dream.
Correction, I should say that because I dreamed I still have some times left.
I wish I do not have to dream about something that puts such a big burden on my
mind.
g...It is all because I walked around too much under the sun. The temperature
at noon is particularly high.h
I heard that summer in Japan is hot, but I never imagined to this extent.
Even for someone born in the desert, the sun is too much.
I have decided to sleep during the day, but I cannot even get up in time.
g...the night is cold. I wonder if I rest too much.h
Regardless of what I do, the only thing I am certain is that I am getting
confused.
Sleep too much and I cannot go over the information I have collected, then that
might become a weakness.
g...Before that happens, I should ascertain where the event will take place.h
I begin to act to get everything ready.
Fortunately, I was able to extract information about the city from Tohno Shiki.
I was able to identify where the information are coming from, meaning that I do
not have waste time moving around.
gSince I mentioned him, the safety of Tohno Shiki is my first priority.h
The time is 12 ofclock midnight.
He has already gone through his patrol route three times.
It is a simple matter to predict where he will be.
g...so, it can only be that place.h
An unfamiliar plaza appeared in front of me.
It is not too far away from the office buildings.
Just two blocks down the street from a large park, today this place is private
property.
gWow, looking from down here this place is huge.h
I looked up at the building still under construction.
The original plan says itfll be done by next spring.
I still donft know what the building will be used for, a new department store,
headquarter for some electronic company, tons of rumors are going around.
gTheyfve cleared all the lands around the site. I donft think they need to
go that far.h
The walls of the buildings are built to resemble flat mirrors, probably to
reflect the name of the building, Temple. To tell the truth I think they over
did it.
g...letfs begin.h
I slowed down my breathing and focused on checking the surrounding.
There are no other people around.
Since the Vampire Killing rumor started again, no onefs walking on the street
at night.
Especially in the park and alleyway, therefs no signs of people passing, in
another word no one goes there anymore.
g...Well, this is private property. Unless others break in here like I did, I
donft think I will find anyone...h
-or so I thought.
I was startled by someone else breathing down my neck.
The tips of my fingers went numb, my throat went dry.
My heart starts beating fast.
It feels like something poisonous is at the back of my head.
Without thinking, my right hand pulled out of pocket, silently I drew out my
knife.
g---this feeling...h
...Many times I felt this cold shiver.
Maybe just an allergic reaction, but it felt as if...
Tohno Shiki is something that is no longer human.
gcch
...I felt someone there.
Standing not too far away in front.
On private property where there shouldnft be anyone at all.
Another cold shiver.
A vampire has returned.
g...but, who...h
That personfs presence feels different.
The reaction is weak, just gdifferent from average peopleh,
Not the same feeling as when facing a true aberration#5.
g---damn it, I better make sure first.h
gHello? Anyone over there?h
I hid the knife behind my back as I said the words.
---and then
gGood evening. Is there anything I can do for you?h
Considering the situation, the girl talked as if nothing strange is going on.
g---g
I was startled by the way she looked.
The parts that stood out are the clothing and hat.
Pretty, is would not be an inappropriate description for her.
She has a distinctive non-Japanese look.
gWhat is it?f
gAhh ? well, Ifm not really asking you for anything, I mean...h
gWell ? Ifm sorry, I must have the wrong person.h
gNo, it was my fault. I am not very good at starting conversation with
people.h
She answered smoothly.
...thatfs the best way to describe her.
Somehow, Ifm easily un-nerved lately.
g...That is correct. It is late, so good evening.h
gYes, nice to meet you.h
gBy the way, what are you doing at this time? Look for something?h
gEh...Yea, something like that. So how about yourself, itfs dangerous at
night, donft you know...h
...right, come to think of it.
As a foreigner she probably heard nothing of the rumors. Since shefs just on a
tour, she didnft know anything about the Vampire Killing one year ago...
gcWhat I meant to say is that, what are you doing over here? Itfs better to
keep out of deserted place like this; you never know what might happen.h
g---g
The girl only stared at me.
...of course. We just met and I started saying all these strange things.
gThat is incorrect. There is no such thing as not knowing what might happen.
Regardless of what form it might take, in the end a vampire will appear. Tohno
Shiki, was it not for that reason you are patrolling the street?h
gWha...how?h
gLet us say that we are looking for the same thing, Tohno Shiki. cyet there
is a great difference in our purpose.h
The girl said all that with a showing anything on her face.
The cold shiver returned.
My head hurts as if needles were driven into my temple.
gAn irregular like yourself will mess up the answer. If I do not remove you
from the equation beforehand, the result will not be good this time too.
The girl twisted her arm a little.
Click, I hear an unfamiliar sound.
She was hold a black gun in her hand.
g---Resist if you wish. My name is Sion Eltnam Atlasia, the one who will take
away your freedom to do as you want.
She leaped into the air.
A foreign girl I have never seen before, jumped at me at an indescribably fast
speed.
#5 by aberration, he means anything non-human.
/////////////
End enter
/////////////
To be continued
