Story Reader / Main Story / 22 Renaissance du Fantastique / Story
Why...?
You don't even have any special function equipped. How can a Construct push me (us) to this point...?!
The knight statue hovering behind "Echo" finally dims and ceases its movement after an intense fight.
The pretentious mask is cut apart by Ayla's light blade, revealing the familiar face of Lena that she has always known.
Gargh...
Rain drips down her face and washes away the vital fluid on her body.
Kaleido's armor is damaged in many places. The gunlance's energy has almost drained out. Ayla holds onto her weapon, barely supporting herself so she does not pass out due to M.I.N.D. deviation.
Both sides have depleted their strength, but the knight statue's injuries have a greater impact on "Echo" apparently. With no arrows left in her quiver, it only takes one final blow from Ayla to make her completely incapacitated.
Looks like... I have won...
You promised... Now come back with me... Lena!
What promise? What are you talking about...?!
...Didn't you promise our commandant, Sica?
You said you were going to watch her grow into a decent commandant, as her teammate!
If you made a promise, you keep it! I really hate those who selfishly break their promises!
...
I (we)... Am not your comrade or friend. We were only strangers who had known each other for days...
What's the point of bringing me back? Do you really think Iris Warbler will continue to exist after what happened?
You, Sica, Trojan and me... We are nothing but a tool used by those bigwigs to achieve their filthy purposes!
Use us when we can be of use. Discard us when we are useless. Destroy us if we ever get in their way... That's what we are all about as the Task Force.
You can't change anything, not now, not in the future!
Um...
"Echo" covers her forehead with her hand. The connection to the knight statue and prolonged battles seem to have put her mind into an extremely chaotic state.
...I didn't come here to find a "purpose."
All I want is to bring back a member of Iris Warbler. Whether there is a purpose or not, I don't care.
I just want to do it, so I won't have to whinge about not why I didn't take action when everything is over! So I won't regret not holding onto something I should again!
Mind you, I'm very egocentric after all!
Our lives are full of regrets. But for once, I want to use this "power" of mine to do something I think is right!
Unyielding flames light up in Ayla's pink pupils. Her light blade lets out a final burst as if it is responding to her call.
If I can cut the link between Lena and the knight...!
With all her remaining strength, she hurls the gunlance. It flies toward the knight statue with its thruster leaving a trail behind.
No...
▅▃▆▅▂▄▁▅▇—!
The once-silent knight statue lets out a beastly roar, as if it is responding to the girl's plea. It pulls "Echo" into its arms and lets the light blade cut deep through its armor.
It then falls off the tower holding the near unconscious girl.
...?!
The knight statue's action shocked Ayla. She wants to walk up and check what is going on, but her M.I.N.D. cannot last any longer.
I can't... yet...
She cannot fall yet.
The spell loses its magical power as the clock strikes midnight.
The cold reality begins to encroach on her vision, freezing her mind.
She walks to the entrance of the maze once again.
...
No one else is here except herself.
Look at you. What a mess. What trouble did you have this time?
The girl is standing in front of the easel, holding a palette. She hears the familiar footsteps but has not turned back. Instead, she just asks the same question like always.
Got nothing back on your archeology mission? New work not well received? Or looked down upon by those who neither understood you nor wanted to understand you?
Still have no clue how to make your dream come true? All your efforts ended up in vain?
You have so much to say... I haven't even said anything yet.
Haha, because you always complain so much. It's always the same talk, of course I've had enough.
Sorry.
But that's the purpose of this place.
Otherwise, why would you lock yourself in a maze with no exit?
Because you know there's no way out. You are aware that no matter which way you take, it will always end up in a dead end.
If success is impossible, no one will blame you for failing.
Because the result will be the same for everybody, you can get away by telling yourself that you have "already tried."
Striving for an unattainable goal may seem solemn and tragic, as if you are fighting against your destiny.
But if you look from a different angle, that's actually the "easiest" option.
...
The fact that I'm hearing this from you means I probably have been thinking this way somewhere deep in my heart.
It's true that this maze has no exit. But who says people can't escape a maze with no way out?
Before Daedalus and Icarus made their wings, nobody believed that humans could touch the sky.
So who can be sure of what the future brings?
...I see. Still not giving up this time, huh?
Of course not.
She bids farewell to the girl and walks into the labyrinth alone.
When she wakes up again, a pair of warm hands have gently wiped away the cold that had been eroding her body.
She feels her M.I.N.D. has established a connection with another Mind Beacon, but it does not feel like Sica, but from someone more unique, familiar yet strange...
Commandant... [player name]?
Don't worry... I'm okay...
She struggles to get up, but immediately falls into the human's arms again amidst multiple alerts from her frame.
I take my words back... Let me rest a little longer.
Is that so...? How long have I been unconscious? 30 minutes... An hour?
She realizes the rain has stopped. A long time seems to have passed since the battle that drained all her energy.
Oh... Is she still here?
...
Nothing... Forget about it.
The witch's spell has broken. The disheartened Cinderella has lost her glamorous outfit.
The adventure in the fantasy has come to an end. She is back to the reality, where nothing has changed.
Sorry, I failed again.
Even just once, I want to change the ending with my own strength like the protagonists in manga books.
I know... I knew it from the beginning.
The author who is obsessed with a perfect ending knows it best... That how impossible it is to have such an ending.
We make the princess revive from the prince's kiss, let the protagonist's best friend return upon their summon, remove the misunderstanding between mortal enemies...
We try to make up for the regrets because reality will never be as wonderful as we have imagined.
Still, I can't help but want to be just a little greedier... Not only when I am the author of a story, but also when I fight against the always unsatisfying reality.
Because I have seen it...
She looks at the person in front.
I have created so many happy stories. I just... feel bitter about this ending.
...
Thank you, [player name].
Once again, she tightly hugs you, just like what she did before the mission.
The girl once wished for a pure, white canvas that she could draw anything she wanted.
The world did not respond to her wish, so she grabbed her painting tools and embarked on a seemingly impossible search.
She met many people, and had all sorts of experiences.
She still could not find the canvas, but she had left her footprints in the world.
Sometimes she felt lost, sometimes excited. Melancholy struck her, as well as joy.
This journey would go on forever. When she finally realized it and was about to take the next step—
Inadvertently, she casts a glance to her back.
...
She once thought the deep, dark sky would never carry any vibrant color, but a rainbow appears miraculously on top of it.
As if it is trying to put a full stop to this imperfect story.
As if it is hinting to her that the next chapter is about to begin.
Yet, her mind is completely blank.
She gazes at the rainbow under the starry night.
Letting the rainbow fill up her eyes.
She just stands there silently, blending into the canvas.
—She walks in beauty, like the night
—Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
—And all that's best of dark and bright
—Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
—Thus mellowed to that tender light
—Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
...
Holding the unconscious girl in its arms, the knight is hiding in the shadow of the alley.
Cold rain drips down its broken body. The weak glow under its mask looks like it can die off any minute.
Until someone quietly shows up in front of it.
We meet again... Miss "Puppet".
You don't look very well.
Do you... need a hand?
To help you win the real "freedom" and master this sinister and twisted "hope" that was given to you.
