First of here’s this episode’s OST.
I already touched quite a bit on this in my previous post, but let’s give a detailed explanation of how I think the meta works and in how many layers I separate it.
Layer 0: The Gameboard
This is the gameboard itself, where the characters, or rather pieces I guess, interact with each other, where murders are happening, and where magic itself does not happen.
Layer 1: The Magic Characters on the Gameboard
This is the layer on which Beatrice as a piece acts. Part of this is for example the big magic battle between Beato and Virgilia in ep 3, or when Beato discusses how she can protect Natsuhi in ep 5. I also group all the magic scenes that have humans in them that happen on the gameboard into this. Furthermore, Erika’s talks with Dlanor on the gameboard are part of this layer.
Layer 2: The Golden Land
This is the layer that Battler and Beato play the gameboard on. It was really only shown in ep 5 that the players basically act on the same layer as the golden land exists, so this is why I call this layer this way. As hinted by the name, the scenes that are said to happen in the golden land are in this layer. One might argue that Purgatorio is slightly below the Golden Land, but there’s not much interaction between the two, so I feel that would overcomplicate things.
Layer 3: Ange's Future
This only describes the future we see in episode 4. This episode’s Ange scenes get their own layer. Maria’s past and Ange’s past from the perspective of this layer are technically sublayers of this one, but as they don’t interact with any other layer, it’s easier to have all of that together in one group.
Layer 4: Featherine's Library
This is the layer of Ange reading this episode as Featherine’s miko. This layer is also entered later on by Beato Younger, and this is I think the main reason we got a separation between Hachiko and Featherine. I think it was supposed to be possible that the next layer I’m going to introduce could be viewed as “Reality”. I already said that I don’t, but the possibility is there.
Layer 5: Hachiko's Place
I don’t have a better name for this, sadly, but this is the layer all the talks between Ange and Hachiko take place in, as well as the phone call from Amakusa at the end. It is possible to view this layer as reality, as the only interaction this layer has with a different one is the fourth one, and it is possible that Hachiko started the message bottle knowing Ange would read it. So for some this layer is the one I’m going to introduce next.
Layer X: The Reality
This is the topmost layer, hence the X. Just in case more layers are introduced later. We have actually not seen a single scene taking place in this layer, if my theory is correct. This is also the superlayer all others exist in. As all other layers could be summarized to be in the superlayer “The story the message bottles tell”, moving between all other layers is always possible, and the reason why the meta often seems so complicated. The laws at which travel between them is possible seem to be confusing thanks to that. But once we view everything as a story in-universe, it’s easier to see why so much layer-jumping is possible for characters.