Story Reader / Main Story / 30 Stars Ensnared / Story
Luna and the forest fall silent as one.
Alpha calls out her name, only to notice that the frame made of the Red Tide is showing signs of decay, like a deteriorating human body.
You direct Lamia to control the Punishing Virus in her body, allowing Liv to examine the slumbering figure.
...
Her M.I.N.D. is in complete chaos, and it's not even fully intact.
The missing parts are mixed with corrupted data, it's as if...
Like when you were using the Empyrea frame?
Liv hesitates for a moment before giving a nod.
Back then, Liv's M.I.N.D. was torn apart by corruption. A M.I.N.D. connection couldn't restore it—we couldn't even establish one... No matter how much we called out to her, there was no response.
Even an agent will be torn apart by Punishing once they lose control over it...
Liv is standing here safe and sound now—what did you do back then?
...Back then.
Lucia pauses, only opening her mouth to speak after making sure she can continue.
I dove into the depths of Liv's M.I.N.D. and helped Commandant reestablish a remote connection. Once we stabilized Liv, we took her back for treatment.
Should we... take Luna to Babylonia?
That's impossible.
Alpha's brow furrows, the scars of Project Winter still etched fresh in her mind.
Everything else is negotiable. Whatever help you need, I can provide it. Alpha or I can do the deep dive instead.
But you haven't done that yet. Something holding you back?
When establishing a Deep M.I.N.D. connection with the Empyrea frame, Commandant almost fell victim to the corrupted data...
And it's an Ascendant now.
Both sides fall into silence.
U-um...
The mermaid musters her courage and takes a step forward.
The corrupted data mainly comes from the Punishing Virus, which can be controlled by Ascendants.
I... will help. I'll temporarily put the Punishing Virus eroding Miss Luna into a "stagnant" state to buy you some time.
You can perform such precise operations?
According to the file, most Ascendants in Luna's faction use the Punishing Virus as their primary means of attack.
I... only learned how to do this recently.
That's impossible...
...
That's more or less how it works.
A-anyway, you can trust me on this.
Miss Luna's frame continues to decay. Soon, she will return to the Red Tide...
I think it's because she still can't fully control this frame... not that she could in her current state, anyway.
What she experienced in the Red Tide, how she managed to force her way out, and how she seized that fleeting moment to counterattack—all of this remains unknown.
After a moment's thought, you give Gray Raven a nod.
Leave it to us, Commandant.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, you approach Luna once again.
You take a deep breath, centering your focus, prepared to reestablish the M.I.N.D. connection.
At the edge of your vision, a figure flickers in and out of view, wandering through the maze...
