Story Reader / Main Story / 23 Wintry Shackles / Story
This could be a trap. Her sincerity could be covering for other intentions.
The sky darkens. Alpha's audio module begins to hear a familiar voice on top of her own footsteps.
Babylonia wouldn't have set such a convoluted trap.
Alpha is not sure when and why these noises appear, but she does not mind using them to clear her thoughts for now.
You know that Babylonia isn't your only enemy. Humans aren't your only enemies.
...
Turn back? Or believe her?
Even if it's a trap, they would still need a sizable bait.
Alpha quickly scans every shadowy corner that can be used to hide while she is running, making sure no one is following or ambushing her.
I'd rather choose something I can control than gamble near the tower.
But it's not fully under your control. If you fail this time, you will truly lose everything.
And how do you know your choice is correct?
Because I've seen the price of turning back.
There are no free gifts in this world. Rights and duties are the two sides of the scale.
Alpha shakes her head, trying to ignore the voice in her head like before.
Running away now is just borrowing from your future. The time for repayment is here.
Alpha could have sworn that the voice in her head was chuckling self-deprecatingly.
Run away? I never planned to be an agent.
There is only one thing Alpha has wanted to do since the night she shed her heavy uniform.
To fulfill Luna's wish and let her do what she wants.
Alpha pauses for a second before continuing past the rubbles and debris toward her target.
Meaningless arguments will not help her situation right now. Intense emotions in her M.I.N.D. will only cause something to sprout.
Alpha responds in silence, but her hurried steps and centered gaze betray her anxiousness.
She made her choice because she knew that was the only path to what she wanted.
You are no longer connected by blood. Do you want to sever your connection as Ascendants as well?
Even though we no longer have the same blood flowing inside us, it doesn't mean our wishes are different.
The cold moonlight may not be able to illuminate her path, but the light reflected by this satellite 380 thousand kilometers away shows Alpha that she is not only surrounded by darkness.
And that is enough.
I won't accept it. The Ascension-Network chose Luna, and so did I.
The noises in her audio module turn silent briefly as if an old recorder is held next to her ear.
The static signals slowly form a brief sentence.
The Ascension-Network didn't find her. She found the Ascension-Network.
Beneath the ruins. A few months ago.
Kill you...
What remains of her wings cover her motionless body. Her claws have been cleanly cut off.
She tries to stand up and tear the prey before her apart, but she cannot move a single joint of hers.
The air she pushes out while she talks leaks from her shattered chest cavity, making the sound of shattered bellows.
Alpha cleans the vital fluid from her katana without sheathing it.
Silently, she stares at one spot, ignoring the mad cries behind her.
Soon, a purple-haired Construct appears before Alpha, sitting on a strangely-shaped chair.
Why didn't you just leave? I didn't think you'd be happy to see me.
Lucia...
The name that Alpha has not heard for a long time causes a slight ripple in her M.I.N.D.
But its impact is nothing more than a fallen leave on a pond, quickly dissipating.
What are you doing here?
I'm just trying to take my companion away at this point.
Hearing that, Alpha sheathes her blade and heads toward the base, no longer suspicious.
Lithos! Keep her here!
Kill her! Kill her! I want her to suffer like I did... Cough... No! I want her to suffer more!
...We can't do it on our own.
And that wasn't what Mister ordered us to do. Now, stop talking. It's only going to worsen your injuries.
Take her, Paper Crane.
Right as she says that, Lithos' chair transforms into a snake-like form, carefully wrapping around Voodoo.
What are you doing?! Put me down! That woman is getting away... Cough... Cough...
Lithos turns to look at Alpha, who is already at the entrance of the base, and asks her.
Aren't you going to kill me?
I don't do anything pointless.
It'd make you feel better.
Hey! Lithos!
Don't worry. Paper Crane will take you back even if I'm dead.
...If there's a way to eliminate you once and for all, I might have done so.
They would have tried to contact an Ascendant back then, even without your meddling.
The tragedy was inevitable. It was just a matter of time.
Babylonia no longer concerns me anymore. There is something more important to me than to be trapped by the shadow of the past.
Is that so... Despite Mister's disposition, I do hope that your wish can come true.
Alpha does not respond, her white hair disappearing at the entrance of the ruins.
Kill her next time! Tear her apart with sharper claws! Toy with her with stronger wings!
Give it up. You're just going to hurt yourself.
Shove her leg into her mouth! Gouge her eyes and fill those sockets with vital fluid!
Voodoo does not seem to hear what Lithos said. She is just babbling nonsense now, ignoring how her vital fluid is dripping from her chest cavity to the floor along Paper Crane's tail.
...Relax. Loki, Voodoo, I'll do my best to save you all.
After hearing the message, Alpha rushed toward the ruins as fast as she could.
She was hoping to board the ship heading for the moon to find Luna before Roland and Voodoo did, but they still arrived before her, having departed earlier.
As she confronted Voodoo, Alpha noticed a fourth person rushing to join them secretly.
Realizing Vonnegut's play, Alpha had to stay behind and delay them.
If she boarded the ship with Roland, whatever happened could not be advantageous to rescuing Luna.
Both Vonnegut and Alpha knew that Alpha would not give up on Luna no matter what she became.
Perhaps that was the ending the agent was trying to prevent.
To increase the chances of a successful rescue, Alpha told Roland everything she wanted to say.
Did those words get passed to Luna? How is Luna doing now? What will she choose?
The white-haired Ascendant walks alone in the wilderness. She has not wagered all her hopes on others.
Suddenly, she looks up at the dawning night sky as if hearing something.
A shooting star flies across the sky, torching the veil of darkness and slowly descending onto the surface.
Luna...
Between the earth and sky lies a distance of 6400 kilometers. The tail of the meteor has faded from the horizon.
Even though they no longer have the same blood flowing inside them, an inseparable bond still connects them tightly.
Alpha briefly pauses before sprinting toward her destination.
The sun has just cast its first ray of light when Alpha arrives.
The neglected linden has grown past the dilapidated house at this point.
Sunlight shines through the gaps between the branches, the spots of light enveloping the silver girl.
She is looking at the rotten fence in front of her.
She was barely tall enough to reach the halfway point when she left.
Now, she cannot find any trails of the past anymore.
Noticing someone approaching, the girl turns around and finds what she cannot live without.
The girl wants to just watch her silently like this, but she also wants to give her a hug. She wants to tell her everything, but she also cherishes the quiet time they share...
Still, there is one thing she must do first.
I'm back, Lucia.
You're back.
Alpha approaches Luna on the stone path, like she did so many years ago.
This was not a garden with overgrown weeds back then.
