An investigation record, worn and deteriorated, concerning the petrification curse incident in Stone-in-the-Middle Town. It appears to be conversation records between the investigator and the petrification incident survivors, along with the latter's personal account.

I was born and raised in that little town—the one I think you call 石中镇. I can still remember everything about the town. I can remember how that child used to call out my name.

The expression on her face when she spoke, her features, her long hair caught by the wind — I remember it all. Had it not been for her, these memories would have been preserved forever in stone.

Now they have all turned to stubborn stones, and I can no longer distinguish the因果 from the报应 within it.

—No, not a stone carving, it's just ordinary stone.

—Fortunately so.

—Why did you use the word "fortunately"? I think, if she had turned into a stone sculpture, I would be afraid to see her expression in that final moment.

…

When she pushed open the door of the prayer room in panic that day, I failed to realize it was the beginning of a nightmare. She kept repeating for me to leave, and when I tried to ask why, all I received was silence.

Looking back now, she must have summoned considerable courage to warn the entire town upon hearing the news. In contrast, I am merely an ordinary fool — someone as unremarkable as me is incapable of mustering the resolve to cast aside everything I have, even though I believed in her so deeply.

I believe in her conviction, but it could not surpass my decayed perception.

Before the deadline she had announced, I only deceived myself, letting the unease in my heart grow unchecked. What absurd behavior. Her warnings failed to catch the townspeople's attention, so when I slipped away quietly on the announced day, no one connected my disappearance with her prediction. Was it I, the coward, who abandoned them that day? I am always asking myself such questions that can never be answered.

Upon my return, from a great distance I could already see that heart-wrenching gray. In the lifeless town, I beheld Purgatory for the first time. I sat in the prayer room for a long while, realizing that I couldn't even pick her out from among the countless ordinary stones.

Yes, it seems only 生命体 turned to stone.

Are you disgusted by those miners? I don't understand what you mean. They have nothing to do with me. I think they're neither especially wicked nor particularly noble.

• The karma of all this?

…

Please speak.

The subsequent records appear to have been erased by someone and cannot be deciphered.

一份破旧不堪的，关于石中镇的石化诅咒事件的调查记录。看起来是调查者与石化事件幸存者的交谈记录与后者的自述。

我在那个小镇——我想你们称之为石中镇——出生，长大成人。我仍然可以记起镇上的一切。我可以记起那孩子怎样呼唤我的名字。

她说话时的神情，面容，为风拂动的长发，我全都记得。如不是她，这些记忆都将永存石中。

—如今他们化为顽石，我已经分不清其中的因果与报应。

—不，不是石雕，是普通的石头。

—幸好如此。

—为什么用“幸好”一词？我想，如果她化作了石雕，我会害怕见到她最后一刻的神情。

…

那天她惊惶地推开祈祷间的门时，我没能意识到那是噩梦的发端。她一味重复着让我离开的话，试图询问原因，所得只有沉默。

如今再看，那时闻讯后警告全镇人的她一定鼓起了相当的勇气。相比之下，我只是一个平凡的愚者，像我这样平凡的人，做不出抛弃现有的一切的觉悟，即使我那么相信她。

—我相信她的信念，没能越过我腐朽的认知。

在她所预告的最后期限前，我只是自我安慰，任由心中的不安肆意生长。多么可笑的行为啊。她的警告没能引起镇民的注意，以至于我在预告之日悄悄离开时，没人将消失的我与她的警告联系起来。那天是怯懦的我抛弃了他们吗？我总是进行着这样无法回答的自问。

返回时，在很远的距离外我就能看见那种令人绞痛的灰色。在毫无生机的小镇中，我第一次见到了炼狱。我在祈祷间坐了很久，意识到自己甚至无法从无数平凡的石头中辨认出她。

-是的，似乎只有生命体变成了石头。

-是否反感那些开采者？我不明白你的意思。他们与我没有什么干系，我想他们既非极恶之辈，也不是多么高尚的家伙。

-这一切的因果？

…

-请说吧。

后面的记录似乎为人抹去，无法辨认。