Spring Dawn
After a long and arduous journey, you finally reach the edge of the Sandbox world.
Ahead of you stretches a colossal iron wall, encased in ice and snow. This formidable barrier had been created by the Sandbox's "Higher Authority" to prevent any data from escaping.
You try to force it open, but like all the other obstacles you had encountered before, the laws of this world refuse any interference.
But this time, a warm force reaches out from behind, pressing against your palm as you push against the iron door.
This must be the last time.
You turn around to find her standing behind you—the woman who has always been by your side, yet whom you have never truly seen until now.
Yet her form remains unchanged—the very same that has accompanied you throughout your journey together.
After careful consideration, I decided to bid you farewell as my "previous self" at the very end.
Though parting brings sorrow, I'm grateful that I could fulfill my duty as a "Chess Piece" in this form.
She clasps your hands, frozen stiff by the blizzard, as specks of light seep from her and transform into warmth flowing into your body.
Through the unspoken understanding built during your journey together, you grasp the meaning behind her gesture.
Don't look at me like that. I also... wish I could stay by your side a little longer.
She smiles, yet her clear eyes glisten with unshed tears.
I finally managed to catch up with you, only for us to part ways so soon—it's hard to accept.
But... just as you once plunged into this place to save me, there are things you must accomplish beyond the Sandbox too, aren't there?
A wind from nowhere stirs her long, blonde hair.
She takes your hand and steps forward, as if guiding you to face the wind and peer into what lies beyond.
So—move forward.
The howling wind tears her voice apart as her figure gradually dissolves into the swirling snowfall.
But her warm, gentle force has already pushed open the gateway to the future.
Through the light flooding from beyond the door, you glimpse the brilliant sunshine and emerald fields—
And like a poet embracing spring's first breeze, she firmly pushes you into the world beyond.
Go now. Your true path lies there.
You step into the brilliant light, while her silhouette slowly fades into the darkness behind the door.
As for the other "me," I leave her in your hands, Projector.
After a brief moment of disorientation, you hazily awaken from the frost-sealed pod.
The hazy vision of those fields still lingers in your mind, but the biting cold of the real world feels like needles against your skin.
Carrying the weight of farewell to the person from your dreams, you slowly rise and try to push away the snow piled on the glass viewport, only to find the pod's mechanical structure frozen shut.
A voice abruptly halts your actions just as you start to search for a release switch.
There's no need to rush...
Everything is over. You don't need to hurry away from here.
A familiar voice unexpectedly rings out beside you, followed by the gentle touch of fingertips against your skin.
Finally... I meet you.
Your eyes take in that same golden hue you saw beyond the gateway in your dreams—a color symbolizing life itself—followed by a radiant smile.
The woman you thought had sacrificed all her memories to open the Gateway now stands beside you, gazing at you gently.
I'm just as surprised... Even though I chose to erase everything in the Sandbox to break through that wall, I still remember you.
Perhaps all this is because you never gave up "searching" for me.
The warmth of her real body draws closer to your side.
Thank you. I "witnessed" everything that happened in that world. It truly was... such a long journey.
Throughout that boundless stretch of time, I began to doubt whether my memories were even real, wondering how much of what happened in the Sandbox was merely fiction imposed from the outside world.
But during that time, it was your unwavering gaze constantly following me that allowed me to "anchor" my own existence.
And finally... that's how I'm able to meet you like this, in the real world.
Yes.
Resting in a bed of blooming chamomile, she lies atop the decrepit connection pod now slowly being overtaken by plants, which frame her like a spring meadow.
My projection... no, let's call her "the other Tatyana." She was originally just a consciousness "extracted" from my memories.
She is my past self, symbolizing a time when I was still naive and young.
Schulz probably thought that by erasing my memories of meeting you, he could completely eliminate any possibility of our consciousnesses reuniting in the Sandbox.
But... even though I still don't understand how you managed to break through that barrier, somehow you did it.
You filtered out the "noise" from the sea of electronics and fought to bring your call to me.
It was your voice that awakened me from my slumber.
Hearing her question, you try to recall everything that happened in the "Sandbox."
Strangely though, while you could remember all the various events that took place in that frozen realm, you couldn't recall how you had entered the Sandbox in the first place.
In your mind, you clearly remember how you gradually made your way to the edge of the Sandbox, and your final farewell with Tatyana's "projection" within that world...
But whenever you try to recall exactly how you entered the "Sandbox," those specific memories would grow hazy, as if part of them had been forcibly removed.
Can't remember? Don't worry about it. After all, you just experienced a prolonged simulation in the Sandbox device—one complex enough to reconstruct multiple timelines.
Such an overwhelming amount of information would have placed an unbearable burden on your brain. When you disconnected from the Sandbox, the device likely discarded that portion of data to protect you.
But my M.I.N.D. can perfectly preserve everything that happened on "both sides"—inside and outside the Sandbox.
Tatyana gently places her hand on your forehead. Your vision instantly blurs, but the warmth from her touch grows increasingly distinct.
Someday, I'll tell you all those stories in full.
For now, all you need is a good rest.
New Sophiasburgh
Three months later
I see... So that's what happened during the time you both suddenly went "missing."
After a brief explanation, Rosetta quickly grasped everything you two had experienced inside that device.
It might be inappropriate to say this, but during that journey, you encountered more than just my "past" self—you also saw various possible futures for New Sophiasburgh...
It sounds like quite a fascinating journey.
Standing beside you, Rosetta gazes distantly at the mountains on the horizon. After a long moment of contemplation, she finally speaks.
May I ask you something, then?
Commandant, among all the futures you "witnessed," which one would you consider the "best" version?
After only a brief moment of silence, you answer without hesitation.
New Sophiasburgh's advance team quickly completed their investigation of the nameless laboratory.
Just as Schulz had declared within the "Sandbox," it was originally just a Gestalt branch facility belonging to the "Matrix" project,
quickly abandoned after the Punishing outbreak.
After the laboratory was abandoned, the Sandbox system's designer—the nameless scholar responsible for advancing the "Narwhal" research—
transferred their consciousness into the data via a connection pod, attempting to rectify their "mistake" by continuing the countless simulations.
But after what felt like an eternity, he lost all hope.
No matter what calculations were run, the polar ecosystem was destined to collapse within decades,
and humanity living on this continent would face extinction—this was the answer given by the "Sandbox" system.
After confirming this answer could not be refuted, he chose to delete his consciousness data within the Sandbox to commit "digital suicide,"
but in his final moments, the scholar maintained his last thread of sanity to send a warning signal to the outside world:
Several months ago, Tatyana received this warning message at the signal tower in New Sophiasburgh and decided to investigate the location alone.
Later, she encountered an avalanche in the mountains and gradually followed Schulz's guidance into his meticulously laid trap—this was the origin of that long "reincarnation simulation" cycle.
But even now, there's still one thing I can't figure out...
She stands before the connection pod, gazing at the chamomile flowers inside that bloom one by one as they sense the arrival of spring.
Before connecting to the "Sandbox" system, I did witness the massive avalanche Schulz described, and learned that New Sophiasburgh was on the verge of collapse due to that sudden snowstorm.
After reading through the materials left by that scholar, I chose to voluntarily connect to this terminal, hoping to find a solution within the "Sandbox" system...
But after we escaped from the device, the people of New Sophiasburgh told me that the snowstorm never happened.
I don't believe this is a memory error caused by M.I.N.D. deviation, but I still can't explain the contradiction.
Unless...
For some reason, this rather "absurd" hypothesis comes to mind without any basis.
She doesn't acknowledge this bold speculation, only shakes her head.
If something like that were actually happening, it would be a genuine "miracle."
For now, let's not be too quick to voice such speculations.
Creek—
As the two of you are conversing, the laboratory door suddenly swings open. A young researcher, covered in snow and looking completely disheveled, stumbles in with an armful of old, tattered archives.
D-Director! We found an important record in the research room...!
We can't verify the authenticity of this record yet, but you should really take a look at it yourself...
What happened?
Tatyana's brows furrow as she takes the documents from the researcher. Upon seeing the text printed on them, her pupils dilate with sudden shock.
[player name]... come take a look at this.
She holds the yellowed archive in front of your view, allowing you to clearly see the title typed in lead-black ink on the paper.
