Story Reader / Collab / Blazing Simulacrum / Story
"Corridor" is what this world is called.
Hold on, I'm not ready to buy into your story yet.
Alpha picks up her motorcycle from the roadside, cutting the girl off.
She finds it absurd to immediately believe she's crossed into a so-called different world, which seems like a plot twist straight out of a third-rate novel.
The existence of the castle is indeed bizarre, but Alpha isn't so inexperienced that she's lost her ability to question.
This is a different world, you said, but this city looks almost identical to the world I came from.
..."Corridor" consists of Mental Images. Strong Mental Images can affect the state or properties of matter.
This city has taken its current form because "you" are here.
Your perception has shaped the scenery here.
Mental Images?
You can think of it as the MIND taking on a physical shape... and Corridor is where intangible wills do that.
Alpha doesn't exactly understand what BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER is saying, but she gets the gist of it.
The physical shape... of wills?
So... this place is essentially a physical manifestation of the M.I.N.D.?
What is the M.I.N.D.?
It's the cognitive model of a Construct... I'm not entirely clear on the specifics.
Alpha, frowning, looks around. When her gaze falls on the Hetero-Creatures they had just slain together, a bizarre phenomenon occurs again.
The bodies of the Hetero-Creatures didn't rot as usual but, instead, gradually turned into specks of light, fading away as if they were being decomposed.
Gone...
When a Mental Image perishes, it returns to "Corridor" as energy to sustain the world's operation.
Then new Mental Images are born, die, and the cycle continues.
...Like how corpses turn into nutrients for the soil?
What do you mean?
Never mind.
It seems she truly lacks these concepts, which are common knowledge to Alpha, just as she doesn't know about the Punishing Virus, Constructs, and Ascendants. It would seem that she really is from another world.
...Follow me.
The girl re-dons the hood on her trench coat, gesturing for Alpha to follow.
And why should I?
I'm not good at explaining. But someone else can help you.
And your motorcycle needs fixing, doesn't it?
...
Geez.
It crossed Alpha's mind to leave this mysterious girl and investigate the castle's anomaly on her own, but she pushes her motorcycle and follows the girl's lead nonetheless.
Alpha knows that she's just using this girl, and she hopes to take advantage of this chance to squeeze some useful information out of her.
As Alpha follows the girl down the street, the two of them say not a word.
...
It is only when Alpha leaves the ruined city where she has been hiding that she begins to understand the validity of the girl's previous words more clearly.
The ruins...
Alpha, having been avoiding Babylonia's surveillance this entire time, has become highly familiar with this place. However, beyond the city now, she barely recognizes anything.
The surroundings of that city weren't like this before.
The range a single Mental Image can influence is limited.
So did that castle also appear because of someone's Mental Image?
Yes.
An "outsider" like me?
Very likely.
What about you? Are you what they call a "native"?
...
BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER falls quiet without answering the question.
What's wrong?
You're quite the chatterbox...
...Heh, that's the first time someone's said that to me.
Strangely, Alpha doesn't feel annoyed. The more they talk, the more she feels something she can't quite put in words in this girl.
She's never felt this way about anyone, not when she came across Vonnegut and his Ascendant, nor when she came across the Constructs of Babylonia.
She feels like a solitary beast coming across one of her kind.
Here we are.
This place resembles a mountain ruin, where a workshop-like building stands.
What is this place?
One of the "Craftsman's" workshops. The "Craftsman'" is both a doctor and a mechanic, so no one attacks this place.
The workshop's rolling door has gone all the way up before Alpha gets any closer, as though someone knew they would come at this time.
It's been a while, BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER, and is that a new face I'm seeing? Now, that's a pleasant surprise.
Does DEAD MASTER know this? I mean, you don't want her to see you hanging out with people she doesn't know, do you...
...
The Craftsman knows everything about Corridor. If you have questions, feel free to ask.
Ignoring the Craftsman's teasing, she instructs Alpha and then leaves. She leans against the shadow of a cliff and closes her eyes, seemingly resting.
So cold. She hasn't changed one bit.
The Craftsman shrugs her shoulders, then beckons Alpha into her workshop.
Well, Alpha, I'll do my best to help you out since the kid brought you here.
...Why do you know my name?
Heh, didn't she just say it? I know everything about Corridor.
Let me address your biggest doubt first: this place is indeed not the world you've always lived in.
So... you know where I came from, too?
Alpha's hand slowly reaches for the kodachi at her waist.
We see outsiders here in Corridor every now and then, so people like you aren't really any surprise to us.
It's like a mirror connecting many worlds, with countless time, thoughts, and emotions flowing through. The occasional "Alice" falling down the rabbit hole is quite normal.
And that's how that girl in black got here, too. So, her chatting with you, it's a case of shared misery, huh?
She's from another place—ugh... this is getting absurd.
So, are you trying to treat this like a dream, praying you'll just wake up at some point?
Hmph...
I'm feeling deja vu being around you.
Alpha stares at the woman before her, who's cloaked and masked.
But the way you speak... your "aura," is completely different from this other person that I know.
Ahaha, what are you talking about?
Trying to play dumb now, huh...
I am the kind Craftsman. At least that's how everyone sees me.
I see you're trying to figure out what I'm trying to do here, but that's the last thing you need to worry about now.
Let's quickly get through the Q&A session. Boring, I know, but you don't want to probe endlessly only to end up with no useful information, right?
True that I ain't got no time to waste on you.
She's not indifferent to the Craftsman's true identity, but Alpha knows her priority.
There's much to do and, rather than exploring the essence of Corridor, she needs to figure out why she came here and find a way back to her world.
So... answer me this.
To the best of my ability.
Does that castle have anything to do with the fact that I'm here?
Let me see how to put this. The castle appeared about half a month ago and brought with it concepts that didn't exist in Corridor before.
The Punishing Virus...
But, my world doesn't have such exaggerated architecture. If Corridor is a mirror, how does it reflect something that doesn't exist in the first pl...
Heh...
Finally hit you, huh?
The Craftsman watches Alpha, who suddenly falls silent, with interest, like a teacher gently guiding a student and waiting for her to voice her thoughts.
...The Ascension-Network.
If this place is made of "wills," the Ascension-Network that filters these wills should also have a physical form.
The Punishing Virus follows the Ascension-Network like a shadow, and Hetero-Creatures are born based on the same idea.
I see you're catching up on how this world works. That's a good sign.
But... what does that have to do with me?
The Punishing Virus within her remains docile. After her journey to Fort Winter, Alpha has mastered a way to suppress the Ascension-Network.
I think you already have the answer deep down.
...
She hates to follow the Ascension-Network's filtering rules, but she understands that "resistance" is not purely about escaping the Ascension-Network.
Her connection with the Ascension-Network has never been severed—and Alpha knows exactly why.
It's Luna.
Luna... or rather, the Ascension-Network used Luna's will to bring me here.
This is the most logical explanation.
As an agent, Luna has deeper ties with the Ascension-Network than Alpha does. With Luna caught in a Deep M.I.N.D. connection to the Ascension-Network, not even Alpha has a way of finding out how she is.
She doesn't know what lies at the depths of the Ascension-Network, and that's where Luna's consciousness is wandering right now.
An intriguing theory. If what you said is true, what are you gonna do?
What I need to do doesn't change.
That castle is where it all began. Everything will become crystal clear when I get there.
Alpha flips down the kickstand of her motorcycle, parking it inside the Craftsman's workshop.
Fix it, I'll be back to check it later.
You're surprisingly impatient.
Oh? I thought you were the one in a hurry.
You're leading me to solve this incident. Now, I don't know what you're up to here...
But if I were you, I'd call a halt now.
Tsk tsk... aren't you a paranoid one? You're always trying to read hidden intentions in people's actions.
After all, in this world, there's no such thing as a free lunch, nor are there kind-hearted people who offer help without expecting something in return.
Ah, to which world are you referring?
The Craftsman lets out a soft chuckle, shrugging her shoulders in a gesture of resignation.
I don't seek to gain anything from you.
You were bound for that castle one way or another, and since that's something that's bound to happen, I'm just trying to speed up that process.
Is that so? And there is nothing more to that?
Hearing this question, the Craftsman adjusts her mask as though trying to make it clear to Alpha who she is.
I am Corridor's Craftsman, and one of my duties is to mend what has gone awry.
The arrival of the Ascension-Network here is a mistake that must be rectified, for both you and Corridor.
I simply wish to set things right before things get worse.
Hah... I'd stick to my job if I were you, though.
Alpha lowers her hand holding the kodachi and turns to leave.
Done talking?
Seeing Alpha emerge from the Craftsman's workshop, the girl in black lifts her head and asks.
I never planned on staying long.
What's next on your agenda?
I need an alternative source of information to further corroborate what I know about that castle.
Care to join?
No need, it's not necessary.
She quickly shakes her head, immediately turning down Alpha's offer.
They fear seeing me.
...Why am I not surprised at all.
While BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER doesn't plan on gathering information with Alpha, she still passes her a worn map with the terrain nearby and locations where people might be found marked.
Given Corridor's nature, the landscape seems to change periodically. This map was drawn three days ago, so it should be reliable.
Alright... time to speak with a "local."
And, if this actually has to do with Luna...
Then, aside from me...
The possibility flits through Alpha's mind before she takes one last look at the black-and-white castle in the distance and heads straight in the castle's direction.
A little earlier.
A girl with twin tails holds a dark red katana, its frosted blade shedding tiny flakes of ice. She adjusts her stance, stepping forward to protect the human standing behind her.
She fixes her gaze on the green-eyed girl sitting atop the ruins, her mind tensed and alert.
Dead... Sorry, could you repeat that name for me?
It's DEAD MASTER. Too difficult for you to remember, huh?
With a disdainful smile, this girl by the name DEAD MASTER looks down at Lucia and [player name], who feel baffled by their surroundings.
Is that so? Well, doesn't matter.
So... you're Lucia? And that one over there... said something about coming from Babylonia...
So, do you comprehend your current situation now?
No, it's all still a little confusing...
Let's start from the beginning then. First off, this world is what they call "Corridor"—
Is that so? Well, I hope it doesn't take too long, because time is of the essence—
If you're looking to stop that behemoth, that is.
The girl points toward the castle standing in the distance.
I suggest the two of you make your way there sooner rather than later. If you're too late, that thing called... "Ascension-Network"? Seems like it'll devour this world whole.
Why are you telling us all this?
Why? Hmm... because you've just arrived here and know nothing, right?
Getting you up to speed helps move the story along.
But you didn't hesitate to attack us right from the start...
Ahaha—sorry about that. When you've been in this world as long as I have, you tend to greet worthy foes with a fight first.
Hehe, it's more of a "rule" around here, I'd say.
In any case, if you want to prevent a disaster, head to that castle.
That's where the "conflict" truly begins. I'll be waiting for you there.
Wait—
Not gonna wait.
Lucia reaches out and takes a few steps forward but only sees the girl leap off the other end of the ruins and disappear from their sight.
Commandant, what should we do now?
Lucia turns around, looking worriedly at you.
That we have to head to that black-and-white castle if we are to address the source of the mutation.
But, an alternate world—Commandant, I don't quite understand all this. What in the world happened exactly?
Just a moment ago, we were on a mission with Liv and Lee, and we only split up for a little while...
And we're now finding ourselves in a completely unfamiliar place and still stuck with the same Punishing Virus creatures...
And this DEAD MASTER. She just showed up out of nowhere, and she sounded like she saw us as her enemies with that last thing she said...
Could it be a new Ascendant... tampering with my M.I.N.D. and your Mind Beacon...?
If it's just an illusion some Ascendant came up with, then everything that's happening now would have less of an impact on your worldview.
Also, this "conflict" she was talking about... What exactly is it?
Casting your gaze upon the seemingly endless wilderness around you, you choose a path to advance.
Understood, Commandant.
Lucia takes one last look at the black-and-white castle, ponders for a few seconds, shakes her head, and catches on.
