Mercury's Door
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Mercury's Door (Japanese: メルクリウスの扉, Hepburn: Merukuriusu no tobira; lit. Door of Mercurius) was a door in the Cathedral City said to house a great power. In truth, it housed the Black Mud, a manifestation of the Flower bent on destroying the world. Baltas was tasked with guarding the door, but he did not remember who by or why.
History
Origin
Mercury's Door appeared in 856 during the Cataclysm along with the rest of the Cathedral City, which it was a part of.[1][1.1] Zero, who was possessed by a Flower, believed that someone had sensed the threat the Flowers posed and had thus sealed one deep in the city.[2][2.1] They had also likely employed Baltas to guard the door, but their identity is unknown.
Attempts to open the door
It was widely believed that a great power resided behind the door.[3][3.1] Caerula, Leader of the Lords and Lady of the Land of Seas was very interested in opening it. Three layers of wall protected the contents behind the door. When Caerula found it, the first wall had already eroded, and she was able to destroy the second wall using her magic.[3.1] However, she could not destroy the third wall, the one with the actual door itself.[3.1] She did however find a man behind the second wall, Baltas.[3.1]
Destruction of the door
On June 6, 998, Caerula and the other lords resumed their attempts to open the door. Caerula instructed Baltas to interact with a touchpad by the door and gave him some Old World writing to read. Suddenly, a hologram of Accord appeared and informed Baltas that the voice data was incorrect, teleporting him elsewhere.[3.2]
When the magical girls known as Intoners came to open the door due to false memories implanted by the Flower, the lords ambushed them.[3.3] The door resonated with the girls' Power of Song, and the Intoner One eventually managed to shatter the door by singing, releasing the Black Mud that was housed within.[3.1]
Behind the scenes
Etymology
Roman god
Mercurius (Japanese: メルクリウスの扉, Hepburn: Merukuriusu) is the Latin name of the Roman god Mercury. In Japan, it is used instead of the English Mercury (Japanese: マーキュリー, Hepburn: Mākyurī). Mercury is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divination), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld and the "messenger of the gods".
The Spirit in the Bottle
Alternatively, Mercurius could be referring to the demon from The Spirit in the Bottle, a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. Mercurius is a giant demon trapped in a small bottle. Parallels can be drawn between the demon Mercurius and the Black Mud behind the door in the manga.
Fan translations
A fan translation of Drag-On Dragoon Utahime Five translates the name as Mercurius Gate instead.
References
- ↑ Drag-On Dragoon World Inside. Released by Square Enix as part of the Drag-On Dragoon 10th Anniversary Box on December 19, 2013.
- ↑ Page 244: Chronology.
- ↑ Drag-On Dragoon 3 Story Side. Written by Jun Eishima. Supervised by Yoko Taro. Published by Square Enix on August 28, 2014.
- ↑ Chapter 3.
- ↑ Drag-On Dragoon Utahime Five. Written by Jun Eishima. Illustrated by IsII. Supervised by Yoko Taro.
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