Story Reader / Main Story / 17 The Surviving Lucem / Story
Liv properly buries Lindsey, Cali, Lina, and Stanley. Then, she takes Matches and leaves conservation area 043.
Along the journey, she remains silent. The voices of self-doubts overwhelm her mind. It isn't until she meets up with her companions that she finally picks herself up.
Upon returning to Conservation Area 046, Liv gives the bloodstained note back to its owner.
The boy has found his brother among the armed refugees. Holding the note in his arms, he starts crying.
But just as she expected, the people are hostile against the border border collie. They want Liv to take him outside.
...
Will I truly be able to change all this?
Whether it is Matches and Stanley, or the other memories buried deeper in her mind...
The lives she couldn't save are like the sand in an hourglass, falling down to the bottom as every second passes.
Even when she does catch a grain of sand, it will eventually meet the same tragic fate, just like Matches...
...Just like how Stanley didn't want Fantine to have a child. No one can change this world. Even survival is just extending the pain.
...I couldn't even... help Commandant...
At the thought of the unconscious commandant, Liv starts to get overwhelmed by grief and despair.
If [player name] never wakes up, that means the mistake they made in the Pulia Forest Park Ruins has cost the commandant's life.
...Sorry... I'm sorry...
But her apology and guilt can no longer reach that human.
...If...
If [player name] did wake up, what would the commandant have told her?
A long, long time ago, she too apologized for her inability. Back then, [player name] said something to her...
It is meaningful.
Even the smallest change and help can make a difference, although they may not seem so for the time being.
...
It is only meaningless if you give up.
Upon recalling this familiar voice, Liv feels much more at ease and calm.
I must not give up yet... I have to push just a little further...
She nods to herself, trying to recollect the strength to fight and help.
But before Liv can shake off the negative thoughts, she hears a commotion from outside.
N-no!
It's Jonny... and the others... They...
The armed refugee holds a bloodstained cloth in his hand, struggling to catch his breath.
Datte died before he could finish his sentence. I don't even know where they are!
Liv!
Lucia wants to remind Liv, but realizes that she has already started the search.
This is bad. There are only a few targets in the search area, and they are all severely infected by Punishing Virus.
So they are all corrupted?
They might not be within the search range. Perhaps they...
The worst-case scenario comes to her mind, but she doesn't want to say it out loud.
When did they leave?
About ten hours ago... Shortly after you left, they took Fantine and drove your car to go outside.
Why did they bring Fantine along?
She said she had been pregnant for 39 weeks and had to find supplies to get prepared for the delivery. I tried to stop her, but she said the others didn't know what supplies she needed, so she had to be there herself.
It has been ten hours. I wonder if we can find them even if we split up to search...
There's no need to waste your strength.
They brought a pregnant woman with them. Datte said something happened to Jonny and died in front of him. The only person who's still MIA instead of KIA is that woman.
...But I...
We should go, Liv.
Woof!!
Matches... You want to come along?
Woof! Woof!
Yes, take this dog with you too. He would've just wasted our food anyway, if we didn't turn him into food first.
...
Don't be sad, Liv. Vera told me border collies are very clever. He just might help us find our target.
She knows Liv is still blaming herself for what happened.
Before Liv gets overwhelmed by grief again, Lucia quickly brings her attention back to the task at hand.
Do you know where we can find Fantine's luggage? I want to let Matches sniff it and remember her smell.
Yes. I'll bring it here right away...!
Let's wind the time back to ten hours ago...
Gray Raven hasn't returned to Conservation Area 046. To search for supplies and get prepared for her delivery, Fantine gives a heads-up to the Constructs stationed in this conservation area and leaves with Jonny and the others.
Protected by her companions, she manages to collect all the required supplies earlier than she expects. Being pregnant, she cannot move around too much, so she sits on the bench in the mall square, waiting.
Looking at the setting sun, she rubs her hand against the blanket she just found and checks the supplies she will need when she delivers her child.
Yeah. Everything is here.
She looks up into the distance and thinks about the future of her child as she waits for her companions to return.
I don't know if it's a good idea... to bring you into this world.
She thinks about the harsh, cruel world and ponders the question.
If only you could answer that question for me... my child, that'd be nice.
Before meeting Stanley, someone had asked her the same question. Back then, she didn't hesitate to give a positive answer.
Fantine grew up in an environment where she was constantly hungry and on the run, but even so, she considered herself a happy, lucky girl.
She was loved by her family and her husband. And she wanted to share that feeling with her child.
The two of them had planned out a future for their baby and worked very hard to make it happen.
She remembers how she and her husband were crying tears of joy when they heard the news that they could stay in the conservation area.
But everything came crumbling down after that disaster in the Pulia Forest Park Ruins. Those who once loved her so much are now nothing but memories of the past.
If things get worse, she won't even be able to protect herself, let alone her child.
Is it really a good idea to bring our child into this world?
She has lost count of how many times she ponders this question after that conversation with Stanley.
Everyone is gone... And there's no home for me to go back to.
If I lose this child as well...
Tears start rolling in her eyes as Fantine thinks about the possibility that she has to live her life alone.
Love goes both ways. She wants to love her child and be loved back.
...It's like I'm doing this for my own good.
It is a selfish act to bring a new life into this cruel world just to not feel lonely and feel loved. That is not fair for this child.
But...
How can we know for sure that this child will hate this world?
Short and eventful as it is, her 27 years of life are beautiful thanks to her loved ones and especially, her parents.
No one knows what the future holds...
So, who should make this decision?
As Fantine is thinking, a somewhat familiar voice comes from the corner of the alley.
Run... Now...
She looks toward where the raspy voice comes from and sees a staggering Hetero-Sapien.
...Fantine... Run... Now...
!!
What is a Hetero-Sapien doing here? And why does it speak like a human? But Fantine has no time to think.
Fortunately, its sound has caught Fantine's attention and she runs away before it is too late.
H... help...
She has read a lot of books and knows that running at 39 weeks of pregnancy could lead to early labor. She is not ready for seeing the baby yet, but at the moment, she has no choice but to run as fast as she can while holding her belly.
...God... Please... Please give me a little bit more time...
Her pain gradually increasing, Fantine sprints with all her might toward the familiar street ahead.
Woof! Woof, woof, woof!
The Hetero-Sapien we defeated just now had the same sound as Jonny. We're too late.
No news from Fantine yet.
Let's keep searching.
Okay!
How long was she running? And how long did she pass out?
Ten hours? Or more? Fantine has no idea.
All she knows is that the moon has risen and the sun has set, concealing the blood stains on the road.
The child in her arms, who should have been born in a clean room, slipped into this world unprepared and landed in the mud.
...Hello there... little one...
It's a girl...
Warm blood keeps flowing out from her body and she feels colder and colder from the loss of blood. She doesn't have to know what is going on exactly. She can tell.
There is no time to lose. Fantine trembles as she picks up the baby covered in blood and swaddles her in a soft blanket.
...Sorry, we have no choice...
She struggles to reach out her hands to the most vulnerable part of the baby.
The baby's neck is so soft and so delicate...
Strangle it and this little life, who has not yet seen the world, will have a quick and painless death.
This little life will not have to wait in the long cold night for help, nor will she have to face the terrible unknown.
But... it shouldn't be like this...
She knows that children come into the world through their parents, not from them.
You can give love to a child, but not ideas.
The parent is the bow and the child is the arrow of life that comes from the bowstring.
This "bow" woman has long since understood her role, but still, she is determined to destroy her "arrow."
I have to make this choice for you, sweetie... You hate Mommy, right? Sorry...
—Is it because she regrets her decision back then?
Does she regret meeting her husband and conceiving this little life?
Would she have lived a safe life if she hadn't been pregnant?
Maybe...
But I wouldn't have been as happy as I am now.
—Are you really happy?
The first answer that comes to Fantine's mind is neither yes nor no.
Before she can say anything, her hands betray her in a tremor and pat the baby instead.
As if knowing her mother's grief, the baby responds with loud cries, announcing the arrival of a new life.
I'm such a cowardly and selfish mother...
Having you in this world is neither my happiness nor my torment... but my... longing.
The nearer death draws, the more she cannot part with this little life.
In the cold moonlight, Fantine huddles in despair and makes a prayer to a being she has never believed in before.
...Please save this child... Let her live...
Please give her enough time to choose wisely...
Afterward—
As if to answer her prayers, a loud bark comes from a short distance away. A pink figure comes and takes the glimmer of hope from Fantine's hands.
Fantine!
What's going on... This is... postpartum bleeding...
Liv carries a lot of medical supplies with her.
She had thought about the situation of blood loss, but she shouted in the crowd and no one answered. So she had to come on her own to help.
...We can't do a blood transfusion now... And even if I can stop the bleeding...
...Thank you, Liv.
Liv doesn't want to hear thank you in this situation.
No... I haven't done anything yet...
Then... can I ask you for one thing?
Yes, I'm listening...
Take my baby away... Please let her live...
Help her grow up and make sure she can think for herself and make her own decision...
Liv looks at the baby in her arms once more. It is a miracle that this little girl is alive and kicking. Only after she is certain that her promise is not an empty one does Liv nod to Fantine.
...No problem.
...Thank you, Liv.
The dying Fantine breathes a sigh of relief with a smile on her pale face.
When she grows up, please tell her... Mommy and Daddy... brought her into the world...
Because... we thought this world was... as beautiful as it was turbulent...
We would love to tell her about it ourselves... but we can't...
We're useless... Sorry...
Tears roll down her smiling face.
So...
If in the future, she... tries her best to get what she wants... but still hates the world...
Tell her to go find Mommy and Daddy...
Fantine...
It's okay... Life is not supposed to be a bondage, but a force for good...
The choice is hers...
I want to name her Cosette... What do you think?
...Cosette... It's a beautiful name.
Good...
...I don't regret giving birth to my baby girl...
I've been... looking forward to seeing her.
Now... I see her... But... I won't be there for her anymore...
Fantine closes her eyes slowly. Her smile does not fade with her life, as if she is still repeating her last words to Liv.
—I don't regret giving birth to my baby girl.
Do you also not regret dying...
Why...
The boy's answer was written on paper—he wanted to help others.
The woman's answer is pronounced—she gave birth to a life she held dear.
(Whimpers)
The border collie sniffs the meeting of life and death here and makes a sad whimper.
Both the boy and the woman, in their different situations and with their different beliefs, made the same choice: to sacrifice themselves for the sake of another life.
There was this boy who abhorred the future and a despised life he saved.
There was also this woman who embraced the future and a much-loved life she gave birth to.
However faint the hope appeared, they both tried to stop the world from spiraling into a calamity.
At this moment, Liv finally understands what conviction and expectation are all about.
Even the smallest change and help can make a difference, although they may not seem so for the time being.
Yes... That's right...
Life is so short, but that doesn't make it meaningless.
Every life leaves its unique mark on the world, passing itself on to the next life.
Embracing the "death" of oneself and others is the true meaning of life, Liv thinks.
Death gives life from one being to another being, to birds, beasts, insects, and flowers.
And those lives, in turn, will give their lives to others through death.
Life breeds life. Without death, life would not continue.
The teary-eyed Liv is holding tiny Cosette and Matches tightly.
Yes... Death is not an eternal departure... They live on in those people they cherish...
Even if we may never see each other again... Even if it makes us feel sad and regretful...
I will carry on despite the pain and never give up.
With her sorrows vented, Liv feels nothing but resolve.
I can make a difference.
Whether it is human or Construct, animal or insect... it is the diversity of life that makes the world so beautiful.
That's why... Commandant said "Even the smallest change and help can make a difference, although they may not seem so for the time being."
I'll protect the hope that you gave your lives for. I won't let you down.
I won't give up no matter how insignificant my contribution seems. Just like I didn't give up until Matches helped me find Fantine... and Cosette.
Every life and every little effort count... We can make it!
