Story Reader / Affection / Ishmael: Parhelion / Story
A deafening alarm echoes throughout the research institute.
The number on the distant screen flashes, counting down rapidly.
Before the injured time traveler can speak again, he is buried by the falling ceiling.
Right after, red particles and monsters flood out of the ceiling cracks.
When you see the red particles, this word just pops into your head.
As soon as you see the enemy, this word pops into your head.
It's the Punishers and the Corrupted!
No time to think—you are no match for them in your current state.
There's a secret compartment in that wall.
As you run with Ishmael to the weapon storage, you hear a familiar voice.
Catch!
Ta·3T-class, who left earlier, has come back with what looks like weapons.
The Punishers are here! Teleport out now!
You catch the gauntlet and hilt Ta·3T-class threw. You put on the gauntlet and press the trigger, aiming at the monster behind you.
An orange-red beam fires from the gauntlet, hitting the monster.
The monster is thrown back several meters, a huge wound opening up on its body.
But then, red particles swirl around it, and its wound starts to heal.
Ta, "Gray Raven" doesn't have a terminal yet—we're stuck here!
What about the portal?
The portal won't activate either!
Take "Gray Raven" to the prep area, get a new terminal, and then get out of here together.
Hurry! There's no time!
What about you?
I have to get to the time mainframe.
Then, Ta·3T-class looks at you.
Her eyes show a complicated look with a hint of anticipation.
I hope you make it.
Afterward, she leaves again without looking back.
BOOM—
Another explosion echoes, shaking the ground. Warning lights flash through red particles, turning everything blood-red.
Retreat, now!
Why?! Why has the Corrupted broken in?!
I've got to get out of here!
**** it! I'll fight you all till I drop!
Ah... Help...
Screams, roars, and howls mix together, composing a chaotic symphony from the abyss.
This place turns into hell on earth instantly.
Ishmael grits her teeth. First, her professor, now her colleagues...
She can't take any more of this.
...Follow me.
...
Screams echo everywhere, making the corridor feel endless.
The prep area is just ahead...
You hear the sounds of fighting coming from the next room.
Without explaining much, you pull Ishmael down to the side.
Crash!
The wall next to you is ripped apart, filling the corridor with dust.
A feline Corrupted, almost three meters tall, stands in your way.
The Corrupted is covered in wounds, with red mist coming out of the cuts.
You pull out the hilt and activate it, and a beam of light bursts out.
Alright.
You duck under the Corrupted's swing and slash upward, cutting off its arm. In one move, you get under its body.
A blast from your gauntlet sends the Corrupted flying.
Ishmael takes the chance and fires at the Corrupted. A light sphere comes out of the weapon, expanding and trapping the Corrupted.
Bzzz—
The Corrupted and parts of the ceiling and walls are completely destroyed.
You hold up your hand, signaling Ishmael for a high-five.
...Teamwork?
Even though she doesn't seem to get it, she follows you and raises her hand.
Clap!
Your high-five echoes sharply.
...
You run into different types of Corrupted along the way, but you get past them with Ishmael's help despite some close calls.
At the prep area, Ishmael grabs a time travel terminal and gives it to you.
The terminal's ready. Just activate it and you'll teleport away.
You'll arrive on a remote planet, one the Punishers haven't hit yet.
You'll be safe there...
I can't go. They need help with the mainframe.
The time mainframe can't be destroyed. It holds everything we've done.
This is my choice.
You got dragged into this. I can't let you risk your life for "Shrike".
Ishmael quickly realizes she can't change your mind.
I see...
We don't have much time. Let's go.
If things go bad, use the terminal and get out.
Eventually, you arrive at the mainframe with Ishmael.
The floor of the whole area is covered in a red mist.
A strange humanoid floats in the air, attacking the mainframe while red particles drift around it.
Most of the staff are already down, with just a few people desperately trying to protect the mainframe.
That's a Punisher!
The Punisher strikes a heavy blow, and the people defending the mainframe fall one by one—
Ta—!
Ishmael runs forward to help the fallen Ta when the red figure slowly turns, seemingly having spotted her...
You only have time to activate the terminal and grab Ishmael.
Blue teleportation light and the flames of the explosion fill your vision.
...
Before you even open your eyes, you can feel and smell again.
You feel grass under you and smell soil.
Memories from before the teleportation start coming back.
You sit up quickly, realizing you aren't in the research institute anymore.
Argh...
You look toward where the sound comes from and see Ishmael lying on the grass.
She is groaning in pain, with wounds from the explosion on her back.
Ishmael points weakly at her emergency kit, then pulls out some medicine.
After you give Ishmael the painkillers, her face relaxes.
Hm...
Like someone who has done it a million times, you clean, disinfect, treat, and bandage her wound.
Even after all that, Ishmael is still shaking a little.
You move a little more gently.
She looks up upon hearing your question and answers without thinking.
Yes.
After a moment, she snaps out of it, looking both amused and confused.
That was a weird question...
Does anyone get hurt that often?
What about you?
You're very skilled at wound binding. Did you get hurt a lot before?
Right, I forgot you lost your memory.
After tying the bandage, you complete the dressing.
Thank you.
Ishmael stares at the grassland, speaking after a brief pause.
I don't know...
The time mainframe's never been destroyed before.
If the mainframe is destroyed, no one can time travel anymore.
Remembering what happened at "Shrike" and how the institute and her friends were lost to her, Ishmael becomes sad again.
Even though she wasn't there long, the research institute has changed her life.
Those past events shaped her, and now, part of her feels empty.
The truth is that "Shrike" was completed just three months ago.
Ta's really talented. She improved the way we time travel.
Before the research institute, no one could return from time travel.
We sent travelers out, all for an elusive hope.
It's all over now...
...What does that mean?
Ishmael's confused look makes you, who's suffering memory loss, unsure.
Never heard of it.
But, does such an item really exist?
You just roll it, follow what it says, and keep going... without worrying too much...
The path forward... is in your heart...
Suddenly, the wind picks up. This wind, once rampaged against sails in raging storms and worn down vast mountain ranges, now gently caresses Ishmael's hair.
Her eyes reflect the twilight, like a setting sun.
She sees you pointing into the distance.
Ishmael looks in that direction.
She sees a giant arc across the sky, bending light before it dips below the horizon.
A sun slowly sets, filling the sky with warm shades.
As one sun sets, another appears in the sky.
The whole world turns amber, enveloping you both in that moment.
This is...
Ishmael's eyes slowly regain their light.
This is Andymion, where Ta's from...
Ta told me her home has the best sunsets in the galaxy.
...Distant starlight eternally suspended overhead... A prolonged twilight that seems to last forever...
After Ta·3T-class mentioned her home, Ishmael looked up Andymion.
This planet's in a stable binary system. Andymion orbits one sun, and the other's too far to matter.
Andymion's rings have minerals that reflect light, making them look like stars you can touch.
But that's not the point.
A view like this doesn't exist in our time.
We're... back in time!
Ishmael's voice is full of excitement.
Did you change where the terminal was going?
It has to be Ta. She changed our destination from the mainframe.
Determined, Ishmael goes to get her terminal but finds it's broken.
You give Ishmael your time travel terminal, and she smiles as she takes it.
When "Shrike" was falling apart, she couldn't activate her terminal in time, so you got her out. Her terminal was destroyed.
After what seems like forever, Ishmael finishes her inspection.
I've confirmed it. We're 40 years in the past.
There's a chance.
If we help "Shrike" start sooner or change its location, we might stop its destruction.
Ishmael smiles at you in the twilight.
Then let's save the world together.
And so—
The heroic team of the amnesiac "Gray Raven" and Wish-Mael is born.
