Story Reader / Main Story / 23 Wintry Shackles / Story
Chirping insects hide among the grass. Spherical bubbles reflect colorful lights.
The rotten wall has been painted white. The neglected lawn has been mown into a tidy green carpet.
The most eye-catching feature is a two-seater swing. Froggie sits on it, looking out of place among the surrounding flowers.
Looking at the familiar yet strange view before her, Alpha is a little shaken, and the memories she buries deep inside her mind are stirred up.
Do you think this is better?
She hears Luna's voice beside her. Luna looks warmer now, no longer as cold as the moon she was named after.
I suppose...
I wasn't expecting the place to look like this... It's bringing back memories, for sure.
Alpha takes another look at the large swing before her.
There are some differences, though. Still, I remember you asking for a swing when you were young.
But you gave up on it after you found another toy that you wanted more.
Alpha looks reminiscent. She gently touches the swing, and it starts swaying and squeaking.
So that's what it sounds like.
I suppose. After all, this is just a simulation.
Alpha stops the swing before her so it does not disturb their conversation.
I'll be direct as well, then. Are you Luna?
The brief warmth from before has completely vanished. There is only caution in Alpha's eyes.
Of course it's me, Lucia.
Alpha does not respond. Her question certainly did not come out of nowhere, and the girl who claims to be Luna would have continued explaining if she was telling the truth.
Because that is the bond between Luna and her.
But some things are different as well.
Luna closes her eyes as if considering where to begin.
Shall we sit down and talk, Lucia? This is going to take a while.
Luna sits down on the swing afterward. Alpha does not hesitate either, sitting next to her.
The swing starts moving without anyone pushing it, accompanying Luna's unhurried words.
Let's start with what you care about the most, Lucia.
I'm Luna. I'm the Luna you know.
Luna, your sister. Luna, the agent. Luna, who's undergoing a new filtering.
A new filtering?
You must remember how the spiral tower turned blue, right?
You said the Ascension-Network would change because of that.
There is someone among the humans who has passed the trial of the spiral tower and earned qualification.
The Ascension-Network, being the other side, has not evolved to that level yet.
Seeking its own evolution, the Ascension-Network has begun a new round of filtering on the agents and the Ascendants, possibly trying to find someone who is equally qualified.
A new round of filtering...
Alpha cannot help but recall the M.I.N.D. space of blood and flame from before. If that was the filtering for her, what would she have become?
That's right. That was the new round of filtering for you.
Seemingly noticing Alpha's thoughts, Luna answers what Alpha has not asked aloud.
The Ascension-Network needs more powerful representatives, and it needs better agents that can carry out its will.
But you've been resisting it, Lucia, which was why your filtering was so destructive and forceful.
Luckily, you woke up early. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to find your mind that easily.
What about you?
I obtained some new access during my filtering, which revealed some things I didn't know...
Our understanding is our prison. The extent of our knowledge is where the walls are built. The more we know, the larger this prison becomes.
Acquiring more access also means a deeper connection with the Ascension-Network.
Until... one becomes an inseparable part of it.
Luna's voice gets more ethereal as the swing moves back the forth.
Luna!
Alpha's lost memories finally resurface...
She remembers seeing the girl lying motionlessly within the red crystals like a suspended puppet and a sheep on the altar.
That is the price of the Ascension-Network. The more one uses its power, the more one changes in the direction it chooses.
There is no response, no matter how Alpha calls to her sister.
The chains creak chillingly, and the swing stops. Luna's voice becomes normal again as if she has been disconnected from something.
Don't worry, Lucia. I'm not there yet.
But gaining new access means new duties. This is the only way I can see you for the moment.
I've chosen to stay here, and I can only stay here.
Perhaps I'm too closely connected to the Ascension-Network as you said.
Why must it be this way?
Because this is the only way to find a new possibility.
The Ascension-Network might be actively seeking it, but it doesn't have the ability to change.
It's like a giant wall that loops around and imprisons all the Ascendants inside.
My tie with the Ascension-Network is so deep that it's not possible for me to climb over those walls.
But it's different for you, Lucia. You've been wavering near its edges, which makes you the best candidate.
Why the obsession with a new possibility?
Because the filtering from the Ascension-Network is an endless loop.
This filtering will only lead to power and loneliness.
But it doesn't matter what I think. What do you think, Lucia?
I...
Right then, the chirping from the insects slowly quiets down, and the bubble lights dim.
It seems that this is the limit.
Although I can use my access to lower the negative impact of the Ascension-Network on you, this will be the last time.
What will you do next?
The Ascension-Network has restricted your freedom in its own way, and now it's trying to do the same to me.
No matter what we do, we won't be able to get what we're after.
Our time with it needs to come to an end.
In that case, you'll find something that can help you in this research center.
A set of coordinations suddenly appear in Alpha's mind.
What is this place?
Fort Winter. It's the secret research center we've been searching for since the North Pole.
How did you find out about it?
...It was where they kept me before transferring me to the moon, after all.
The Ascension-Network connected with two brief signals there previously. Those were the new specialized frames the humans were designing.
During the time when the Hetero-Tower was emitting electromagnetic radiation, the Ascension-Network briefly captured a third signal in that research institute again.
I'm certain that there is a device for you to connect to the Ascension-Network without me there.
To us, that is a door. A door leading to the Ascension-Network directly.
Given your unique position, entering it in that state may find us a way to actually leave the Ascension-Network.
Alpha can feel her mind floating away. Luna becomes smaller and smaller in the nostalgic scene.
Lucia...
You're on your own now.
With her mind back in her body, Alpha awakes from her brief sleep.
She turns to look at the girl sleeping tightly inside the crystals and sheathes her chipping katana.
Before she was sucked into the turmoils within her M.I.N.D., Alpha tried to rescue Luna from the crystals by force.
But the frail appearance of the crystals hides an impenetrable barrier that serves both as a cage and a shield.
A cage like this won't appear again.
Alpha places her hand gently on the crystals and makes a silent vow.
