Introduction
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A Warp in the World is the twenty-third episode of the anime adaptation of Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. This episode marks the beginning of the final arc of the anime, the Chain Invasion Arc, created outside of the Pandora Hearts canon.
Summary[]
In Reveil, Alice is thrown back and disarmed when Oz and Gilbert finally catch up to her, having found another Illegal Contractor. The Contractor states that he won't allow anyone to stand in his way, as he intends on changing the past in order to get revenge on those who had betrayed his trust and usurped his power as a gang leader - also revealing that his Incuse has made only one progression since he formed his Contract with Fawn. Immediately the Contractor orders Fawn to destroy Oz, Alice and Gilbert, and so Fawn accesses his power transforming his body into a larger form and developing his horns instantaneously.
As Fawn charges at Alice, Alice jumps out of the way and sends Fawn crashing into a nearby building, only to send out a wave of energy from his horns in a burst of fury that shatters the windows of every building on the street. Stepping forward, Fawn charges his horns and releases more waves of energy toward Alice, who manages to dodge the first by jumping onto a nearby building. However, the second wave slices through the building from underneath Alice, throwing her off her balance and forcing her to send out her bladed chains to take hold of the surrounding area for added support. Using her chains, Alice manages to grab her scythe before dodging yet another wave of energy and jumping down to fend off Fawn as he charges at her. While locked in battle with Fawn, Alice is able to sense that Fawn doesn't hold any of her lost memories past Illegally Contracted Chains had. Frustrated, Alice outmaneuvers Fawn and tells him that he lacks at least one-hundred thousand years of experience to face her, slicing through Fawns's body with her scythe. Fawn roars with anguish as he dies and his body drops back into the Abyss, leaving his Contractor to collapse as an affect of his Contract with Fawn.
Concerned, Oz rushes to the Contractor's side, lifting his shirt to find a large scar from the wound Alice had inflicted on Fawn. Stunned, Oz is forced to remember when Gilbert was under Duldum's control and he saw the scar across Gilbert's chest from the Coming of Age Ceremony for the first time. Rushing over, Gilbert asks if the Contractor is okay, which Oz confirms, noting that he's just unconscious. Oz then looks to the sky as dawn approaches, remarking on how it was all just another wild goose chase.
During the carriage ride back to the Rainsworth estate, Oz remarks on how strange it all seems to be - remembering when Break had told them that if they're to focus on uncovering the truth behind the Tragedy of Sabrie, then they would do well to try and obtain it from Vincent Nightray - who was in Sabrie when it dropped into the Abyss. However, Break was aware that Vincent likely wouldn't divulge such information, so their only other option would be to collect Alice's memories - and since Chains seemed to have fragments of Alice's memories in their possession, Break suggested that Oz and Alice work for Pandora under him in order to capture Illegal Contractors. Even so, they've hunted down so many Chains and have yet to retrieve any more of Alice's memories. This makes Alice wonder if Break had simply tricked them into doing his "dirty work". Though Oz is unsure, he's positive that the truth of the Tragedy lies within Alice's memories - prompting Gilbert to ask if Oz means that there aren't many Chains that actually possess some of Alice's memories after all. Reflecting on how he (through Jack), Alice and Gilbert are all connected to the Tragedy of Sabrie, Oz states that they must find out the truth behind what really went on more than 100 years ago in order to decipher their pasts to better understand themselves - yet their efforts haven't been very successful lately.
At the Rainsworth estate, Ada sees Oz and runs to embrace him, only to be met with lines of Pandora members, who draw their guns in order to defend Oz from the "potential threat". Fortunately, Reim quickly steps forward and smooths out the situation, apologizing to Ada before he joins the rest of his comrades at a distance. A frightened Ada questions why Oz is being protected by so many people, with Oz explaining that it's because Jack encouraged Pandora to protect him when he last directly encountered the soldiers of Pandora. Moving on, Oz asks Ada how school has been, only for Ada to reveal that it's the middle of the Harvest Festival break for Lutwidge Academy, hence why she came to visit Oz. As Ada begins to pull Oz toward the mansion, Alice steps forward and insists that Oz is her property. Though Ada is confused, Gilbert steps up and tells Alice to back off because Oz and Ada are brother and sister. Upon seeing Gilbert, Ada is sent into a daze, prompting Oscar to reveal himself (as he'd been hiding in the bushes) and attack Gilbert for having a romantic influence on Ada. Carrying on, with Ada, Oz asks that the members of Pandora just let him rest for a while, as he'd become quite exhausted.
Despite this, Oz and Alice find themselves constantly under surveillance by the members of Pandora, and are never given a moment of peace. Eventually, Alice's frustration comes to fruition, drawing her scythe to attack her protectors. Oz holds Alice back while she threatens the Pandora members, only to have Break come forward and present Reim with an official statement from Pandora Headquarters. The statement orders Reim and the numerous additional bodyguards to cease their monitoring of Oz in favor of taking part in the search parties for the members of the Baskerville Clan. Though Reim objects, Break assures him that he, Sharon and Gilbert can take care of Oz, posing the question of who Reim believes would truly be the better source of protection. Though reluctant, Reim accepts that they have to obey their orders, but still insists on providing Oz a gun for his own self protection. As Oz takes the gun, he realizes that it's the same gun that William West had used in his final moments - stunning Oz. Break quickly interrupts and playfully asks if Reim is sure about his decision, as giving such a valuable weapon to someone else is against Pandora's regulations. Reim argues that there's really no other way, as it's all to ensure Oz's safety - but Break doesn't stop toying with Reim, instead stating that such a serious offence could get him kicked out of Pandora. To support Break, Emily adds that Rufus Barma would be angry if he were to find out about what Reim's doing. Anxious, Reim tells both Break and Emily to shut up before hurriedly taking his leave alongside the rest of his colleagues.
After the Pandora members leave, Oz questions Break's actions - to which Break tells Oz that he didn't do it for his sake, as it was dangerous to have so many people so close to their operations on the estate. Sharon supports the idea and tells Oz that there's really no reason for him to have bodyguards at the moment, a sentiment to which Oz is flattered - only to have Sharon reveal that if the Baskervilles were serious about killing him, Oz would be dead and buried by now. Thus, Break suggests that since Oz is still alive the Baskervilles aren't too interested in him at the moment because they likely have more pressing matters to attend to. Speaking up, Gilbert wonders if such a task could be searching for Glen Baskerville. Although Break can't say for sure, Oz notes that if such a thing were true then it may be their prime time to get answers about the Tragedy of Sabrie. Mulling over the situation, Gilbert decides to leave, but promises to return soon enough.
That night, Gilbert returns to the Nightray estate, believing that asking Vincent about the Tragedy of Sabrie should be his next move, as everything seems to come back to Vincent in the end, justifying that if he's the one asking Vincent would probably tell him the truth. Sneaking in, Gilbert reminds himself that it'd be a pain if he were to be caught by one of the other Nightrays - however during his evasive maneuvering, Gilbert realizes that Oz and Alice had followed him and are presently standing in front of the Nightray mansion's front doors. Outside, Alice asks Oz what Gilbert intends on doing, because even though Gilbert can play the "big brother card", if Break is right then Vincent won't say a word. Oz voices how it seems as though Vincent is just trying to hide the truth, but even so they can't give up without trying first. With this, Oz leads Alice into the Nightray estate in order to help Gilbert interrogate Vincent.
Gilbert finds the mansion filled with nobles, as an event of some sort seems to be underway - something which Gilbert can work with as he plans to hide within the crowd. From across the room, Gilbert sees Elliot and Leo and tries his best to evade them as he cuts through the crowd. Then, Gilbert sees Vincent as he leaves the main event and decides to follow his younger brother.
Upon entering the mansion, Oz and Alice are met by Echo, who apologizes for having kept them waiting - knowing that they seem to have business of some sort with Vincent. Oz admits that there is something very important that he and Alice need to ask Vincent, but Echo apologizes as she reveals that Vincent is currently unavailable, as he'd just left to take a long walk and she'd unaware of when he'll be returning. Oz and Alice leave the Nightray estate, with Alice remarking on how it was a pointless effort. Yet Oz argues that at least they tried, which is what really matters.
In Vincent's room, Gilbert confronts his brother, who is happy to see that Gilbert had actually come to visit him, as he wasn't sure that Gilbert would ever be willing to set foot on the Nightray estate ever again. Looking down on his brother, Gilbert tells Vincent that he should know that he'd not returned just to reunite once again. Not holding back, Gilbert outright asks Vincent once again to divulge the truth of what happened during the Tragedy of Sabrie, only to have his brother state that no matter how many time he's asked the answer will always be the same: he can't remember anything from the Tragedy of Sabrie just like Gilbert, and there's no way for him to answer if he's unable to remember. Vincent admits that he'd do anything to help Gilbert, but this is just something he cannot do. Seeing that Vincent won't budge on the subject, Gilbert accepts what he's received and apologizes for bothering Vincent before taking his leave. As Vincent watches his brother leave from his window, he asks Echo if she succeeded in getting rid of Oz, which Echo confirms. Ultimately, Vincent had expected that Oz would come looking for answers eventually, but for Gilbert to have done so as well was truly a surprise. Vincent takes a pair of scissors and stabs them into a rabbit doll - declaring that no one needs to know the truth about the Tragedy of Sabrie.
Just then, The Path opens a portal in an alleyway of Reveil, and gleaming crimson eyes peer out from within.
The next morning, Sharon voices her shock on how Oz, Alice and Gilbert had gone separately to interrogate Vincent the night before. Now fully aware of Gilbert's intentions, Oz thanks Gilbert for going to seek out answers from his brother on their behalf. Yet Gilbert feels guilty, as he knows he was in Sabrie too when it dropped into the Abyss, wishing there was some way for him to be able to retrieve his memories from more than 100 years ago. With this Oz questions whether or not there may be another way to discern the truth of the Tragedy of Sabrie - prompting Break to ask if Oz has tried asking Jack about the Tragedy. While Oz confirms that he has tried asking Jack about the Tragedy of Sabrie, Jack hasn't answered him since the encounter with the Baskervilles at Lutwidge Academy. Accepting this, Break states that the only other people connected to the Tragedy of Sabrie who they could ask are Glen Baskerville and The Intention of the Abyss. However, Alice claims that trying to get answers from The Intention would be pointless, admitting that she could only communicate with The Intention when she was in the Abyss. Thus, there's no way to contact The Intention unless they were to fully enter the Abyss, which Break admits isn't a bad idea - as they can use Raven to get into the Abyss and then Equus to return to their world. While Sharon admits that the idea has merit, it's easier said than done. Pandora's objective is to obtain The Intention of the Abyss, who resides in the lowest level of the Abyss. This being said, in order to reach her, they would have to use the Doors to the Abyss, including the lost Baskerville Door - so how could they accomplish such a thing when even Pandora has failed to do so for more than a century.
Break admits that the concept would be difficult and dangerous, and that all in all it'd likely be easier to get Vincent to talk somehow. Furthermore, since the Tragedy of Sabrie was something that Alice wanted to forget, then it may be the same for The Intention - who could just tell them some made up story rather than the truth. Oz asks Break if they couldn't just use the Abyss to travel to Sabrie more than 100 years ago in order to discern the truth for themselves. Even if the Abyss connects to all flows of time however, it is still distorted, so Break reveals that there'd be no way of knowing whether they could reach their ideal destination or not. Oz argues that maybe using Equus could smooth out the journey, but Sharon denies that it would work properly. Slumping down, Oz accepts that reaching the Tragedy of Sabrie seems to be impossible, and even if it were possible Pandora would've already stopped the Tragedy by the time they arrived. Ultimately, Oz sees no other option but to continue hunting down Chains in hopes that some of them may have fragments of Alice's memories.
Suddenly, Ada arrives, reminding Oz that he'd promised to take her shopping. Shocked to learn that it was already time to leave, Oz pulls out Jack's pocket watch, only to get an idea after listening to its melody play. Apologizing to Ada for having to break his promise, Oz reveals to Break, Sharon, Gilbert and Alice that he has a plan.
The group returns to the mansion where Oz had found Jack's pocket watch, where they admit that even though it's not very close to Sabrie, it doesn't mean that it's not connected in some way to the Tragedy of Sabrie. Gilbert reasons that because Oz found Jack's pocket watch there that the mansion must be connected to Jack somehow at the very least. Reminding everyone that the last time they were there, the Baskervilles had gotten in the way, Oz says that if they look more in-depth this time, they could potentially find some clues relating to the Tragedy of Sabrie.
Elsewhere in the mansion, electricity crackles as another portal opens, this time releasing something into their world. The group splits up to investigate the mansion, and so when Oz and Gilbert make their way to the tomb Oz had discovered, they find Alice sitting before the grave. When Alice asks if it was the grave that Oz had shown her, Oz confirms Alice's assumption and reveals that it was the same place where he'd found Jack's pocket watch that contained one of Alice's memories - making him wonder if the grave belonged to someone both Alice and Jack knew. Though Gilbert tries to decipher what the grave says, he claims that it's no use because of how worn out the grave has become over time.
When Oz grows silent, Alice stands and asks what's wrong and whether or not Oz thought that it could have been her grave. Oz denies such a thing, but Alice tells him that it's all right because she intends on searching for the truth no matter what so that she can continue being who she's meant to be - just as she promised beforehand. As Alice turns to leave, Oz tries to stop her - only Alice reveals that she feels nothing, and so even if it were her grave it doesn't possess any of her memories.Feeling let down, Oz opens Jack's pocket watch and listens to the melody, which he calls "Lacie", having learned the name from Elliot back at Lutwidge Academy.
Inside the mansion, Oz reenacts the Coming of Age Ceremony and the pledge he'd said before the clock tower just before the Baskervilles' attack. Unfortunately though, nothing happens as a result - leaving Oz disappointed. Then Gilbert comes up from behind him, putting his coat over Oz's shoulders in place of the robe he was meant to put on Oz once his Coming of Age Ceremony was completed 10 years ago. Smirking, Oz says that he must officially be an adult now, which Gilbert confirms - the two standing in silence and staring up at the clock tower before them. Deciding to come clean, Gilbert admits that he'd always felt guilty about not being able to put the robe over Oz's shoulders at the Coming of Age Ceremony, apologizing for taking so long with it. But Oz shrugs it off and tells Gilbert that he did his job well and that what had happened during the Coming of Age Ceremony couldn't have been avoided, since Gilbert was being controlled by the Baskervilles. Finally, Oz asks Gilbert if it wasn't about time that he came clean about what he'd seen during the Coming of Age Ceremony and who it was he was trying to defend. Just as Gilbert is about to tell Oz who he defended, a Card is thrown through a wall below and killed by Equus. As Sharon enters the room, she tells Oz that there's a situation and that they need to take action right away.
Sharon, Gilbert and Oz rush outside to find numerous Cards - one of which is holding Alice is his fist. Alice struggles to break free from the lowly Chain, who doesn't hesitate to try and kill Alice. Before he can succeed in doing so however, Break slices off the Card's arm with his sword and frees Alice. Outraged that Cards would dare challenge her, Alice orders Oz to have B-Rabbit's powers released - a request which Gilbert complies to - allowing Alice to easily slaughter the Cards before her. After the Cards' bodies are returned to the Abyss Break notes that something isn't right, as it's not normal for so many Chains to break through to their world without the help of a Contractor. An explosion echoes through the area, and Alice wastes no time in trying to figure out what's going on. The group follows Alice to higher ground, where they find that in the distance, Reveil is burning.
Characters[]
- Oz Vessalius
- Alice
- Gilbert Nightray
- Fawn (†)
- Ada Vessalius
- Reim Lunettes
- Jack Vessalius*
- Xerxes Break
- Sharon Rainsworth
- William West*
- Grim*
- Rufus Barma (Mentioned only)
- Glen Baskerville (Mentioned only)
- Elliot Nightray
- Leo
- Vincent Nightray
- Echo
- The Intention of the Abyss (Mentioned only)
- Cards
- (*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
- (†) - While situated on a page containing noncanonical information, characters bearing this symbol did not die at this moment or by the means displayed within the actual Pandora Hearts canon
Terms[]
Trivia[]
- This episode's alternate title was freely translated, since there is no official translation available in English.
- In the anime, the city of Sablier was renamed to the city of Sabrie.
- A Warp in the World marks the beginning of a three-episode arc exclusive to the Pandora Hearts anime, the Chain Invasion Arc. As these episodes had been written exclusively for the anime due to lack of further content from the original manga series at the time, they are not considered to be within Pandora Hearts canon.
- Despite Fawn not being introduced within Pandora Hearts Canon, a similar character was seen briefly during a similarly designed event within Pandora Hearts canon, from Retrace XC: Clock Tower to present.
[]
v - e - t | Pandora Hearts Episodes |
---|---|
Coming-of-Age Ceremony Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 |
Working for Pandora Arc | 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 |
Cheshire Cat's Lair Arc | 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 |
Lutwidge Academy Arc | 17 • 18 • 19 |
Break's Past Arc | 20 • 21 • 22 |
Chain Invasion Arc | 23 • 24 • 25 |
DVDs | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 |
Other | Special Episodes • DVD Bonus Story |