Story Reader / Main Story / 26 Cradle Parade / Story
Before facing this "Noan", you've asked "the other" Noan a question.
Would I have left with Lithos had I never been stopped?
...Well, quite likely, because he'd always try to stop me from recalling all the good memories.
People have no choice but to choose a different path if they can't remember all the good things that happened and are made to believe that nothing they do ever matters...
But there is no way Lithos would have let me become one even if I'd believed that becoming an Ascendant was my only choice.
He can't stand not being in control of things, so he probably would have turned me into a Transcendant, at most.
...
The familiar figure turns around to face this way in the narrow tunnel.
This voice...
...?
You remember the name "Noan", but not this incident?
Bearing a shocking resemblance to Noan, this young man tilts his head in confusion.
No, my memories are quite complete now.
And I understand what's bothering you. There's another "real me" in Babylonia, right? Gray Raven Commandant?
...I only started remembering all these after becoming a Transcendant and after that incident.
And that's also when I remember you, Watanabe, Lee, Commandant Simon, Captain Palma, and Lillian.
...I remembered the right path I chose for myself.
Let's talk about you instead. How do you still remember the name "Noan"?
You've been in a state of memory loss—or rather, there are a bunch of your clones here with no memories.
So, you're the real deal?
But you don't remember having met me.
It's possible that your memories have been tampered with, which is something Lithos does a lot. It's either that, or...
There's no need to prove anything to me. That's only an issue once you're out of here.
I couldn't see the other "yous" clearly. I've touched one of them once, and your clones are all in lab outfits.
I don't know. There are things Lithos would never tell me. He left me out of Project Cthylla after I lost this eye.
Lithos can be gullible at times, but it's going to take a whole lot of convincing to make him trust me on every single thing. I don't have any useful information with me.
All I know is that he wants you to stay here and join Cthylla's big family, so you'll eventually become one of her eggs.
No, but I've heard these clones were transported from a secret lab near Fort Winter.
Are you the very commandant that Gray Raven is leaving no stone unturned trying to find? Or are you one of the five they don't care about at all?
Or maybe... you are the true one, but Gray Raven has located one of the five and halted their pursuit of you?
The young man sneers self-mockingly.
There is no point in thinking about any of that. They need to get out of here first.
There is no point in thinking about any of that. They need to get out of here first.
Why bother asking when you don't even remember me? And the person you remember isn't even me anyway.
Try me again with a different question.
It was an autonomous community of interest of humanoids.
Red Tide holds the information of the deceased.
Cthylla has gathered compatible large shards from the information and infused them into humanoid Hetero-Creatures using her Tree of Life.
She then assigns a role to each of these shards to maintain complementarity and coordinated unity, like a community of interest comprising humanoids—or a "harmonious" community, if you will.
Lithos said he'd obtained the technology of fusing the consciousnesses from mankind.
Came from those who fled here.
Exactly. Most people came here thinking this place would be a paradise.
Do you think they can survive the world out there?
Hope? But where is hope?
Do you really think pep talks are enough to make things go well? That they don't need to think about anything else and that they're supposed to work themselves into pulps and be happy with the water and food they get?
There are animals out there capable of feeling sad over things other than food, let alone humans.
The "nobles" live worry-free and never hesitate to mock the "lower class" for being stupid enough to fall for fairy tales like these. It never crosses their minds to think about what these people must have been through to find themselves where they are today.
The comfort of "Mother", and the rumors of rebirth hold an irresistible charm for those who are desperate.
Moreover, it's no mere fairy tale—all you need to do is stay in this paradise for a few days and get a few injections...
...And when you wake up, you'll have bidden farewell to your constantly deteriorating body and been reborn as an immortal magical sea girl in Cthylla's womb.
Your body won't be yours alone, but your consciousness will transcend humanity and understand everything, and you'll be able to get rid of anyone who rubs you the wrong way. What's so bad about that?
All this is to say that you don't need to show "them" pity, nor should you try to make peace with "them," even if "they" were driven to suicide out of desperation.
The young man calmly states the necessity of killing.
That's exactly why I'm asking you to be careful.
Back in the Golden Age, there was a notebook that people believed you'd die if you had your name written in it, and there were a bunch of people who wrote the names of game producers in there.
We're living through a time where all our conflicts and differences are more intensified than ever, not to mention that "they" have been driven to desperation.
People who have never experienced the terror of power but find themselves going from "powerless" to "having everything" overnight are sure to become demon lords feared the world over.
You've known all along, haven't you? That there's no negotiating with that kind of creature. But you had your hopes up anyway seeing as you're able to communicate with them in language.
Have you taken the last injection? I can't see you clearly, but I can smell the blood on you.
Do you want to stay here and be reborn as a magical sea girl?
It's tricky. You can head to the control room to call for help because that's the only place with signals. I can point you in the general direction.
But that doesn't mean you'll have the clearance to establish a connection, and even if you do, you might end up with an Ascendant on the other side of the line.
And it's highly likely Lithos is going to find out about this.
Correct.
The young man falls silent upon hearing this question.
Actually, you can just go back in Cthylla.
We are right inside Cthylla's womb.
Too much? We're right inside Cthylla's womb now, aren't we?
He points around with no emotion on his face.
This space itself is a huge Hetero-Creature. It's closely connected to Cthylla like the Hetero-Sapiens in Pulia Forest Park, and it interferes with Cthylla.
People who die here will become part of the floor and get absorbed by Cthylla's womb. She will then give birth to them again.
Lithos likes to refer to it as that. They've come up with names like "Giant Whale" and "Deep Star", but it is what it is, no matter what they call it.
This giant womb is fixed at the bottom of the deep sea while carrying us, and I've been waiting for a chance to unlock it so it can float to the surface.
...That's the only way for people to discover and eliminate it before it turns into a disaster.
We might stand a chance if the storage room holding all the copies of M.I.N.D. is still there, except we'll have to deal with Lithos then.
We have to find the "joystick" that controls the womb, and then we'll have to find someone who can withstand the water pressure to dive into the deep sea to unlock the womb.
That's another consciousness that controls Cthylla.
Do you know Voodoo and Loki? Cthylla is like a madwoman, which is why we need another consciousness to keep her sanity in check.
There is a total of three consciousnesses keeping Cthylla and her womb under control—Cthylla herself, and two other stable M.I.N.D.s.
Take one of them out of the equation and you end up with a continuous collapse like the one that's happening now, and we all die in the deep sea.
Maybe, but as long as Cthylla is alive, they can rebuild the "cradle."
Maybe, but as long as Cthylla is alive, they can rebuild her "womb."
You need to meet two conditions—your own M.I.N.D. has to be stable, and you have to be accepted by Cthylla herself.
You'll get expelled prematurely and become one of her children if she doesn't like you and rejects you.
All you need to do is die in her womb if you meet these conditions. The "roots" of the "Tree of Life" are buried everywhere here, ready to accept consciousnesses with the Red Tide.
No, no one can coexist with her for an extended period of time. She will shape a consciousness into one of her children before it's crushed.
You might become one of those anemones that crawl all over the place or a magical sea girl, or merge into an egg.
Another way to do it is to sacrifice someone with a stable enough consciousness to turn that person into Cthylla's second consciousness. In this case, there is no avoiding the sacrifice.
Only three people meet this condition: "Noan", Lamia, and yourself.
So, in case communication fails and you're forced to use this method, who's most likely to be sacrificed?
...Running into him here feels like a bad joke.
You don't even know how he went blind and which part of his memory is missing. You don't know if you can justify sacrificing him "a second time" under these circumstances.
What's that?
He's right—your best bet would be to head down to the control room to call for help.
And if that fails, then the two of you are as good as dead.
You're pressed for time—and the scale of destruction that this space carrying countless Hetero-Creatures is going to wreak on Earth is beyond anyone's imagination.
Seeing as Task Force cannot operate in the deep sea, you figure that you have to take Cthylla and break free from the seabed. Task Force can only eliminate both Cthylla and this space when they're both out on the surface of the sea.
A sacrifice is in order, however, in order for that to happen.
Right, there's still hope. You can get Noan to join you to look for ways to establish communication and see if there is a way to work around the situation.
He tilts his head this way.
...
What are you going to do if you don't get hold of anyone in the control room?
...
The young man shows a faint smile at your overly idealistic plan.
Hmm, let's give your plan a shot. It's better than doing nothing.
With it, he points in a general direction and turns to leave.
I've got a few things to deal with.
It hits you just now that you were probably being a little too optimistic thinking he'd lend you a hand.
This person is no longer Noan, so it only makes sense for him to refuse to help.
To throw a wrench in Lithos' grand plans.
...
Standing in place with his hand clutched to the only weapon he has left, the young man weighs his options.
Fine, let's do this.
This place is about to collapse. I was going to take one last look at Cthylla, but I guess there's no time for that.
"Noan" closes his eyes as he explains half the reason for this hesitation.
Like you said, Cthylla has to go, and I've been hearing her cry. She never wanted to give birth to all these dead people. This is what happens when people's wishes go awry.
He lets out a soft sigh.
Everyone longs to be saved by a mother, but who is there to save the mother herself?
Says someone who's covered in wounds from head to toe?
But Cthylla cannot choose her own death. A Hetero-Creature's body can heal as many times as it needs to in the Punishing.
Exactly, which is why I said fine.
But Cthylla cannot choose her own death. A Hetero-Creature's body can heal as many times as it needs to in the Punishing.
We've got to count on organizations like Babylonia if we want a solution.
Let's go.
"Noan" makes a "please" gesture but shows no intention of coming closer.
I am a Transcendant now.
