Story Reader / Main Story / 26 Cradle Parade / Story
The illusion collapses, and the surrounding scenery reverts to its "original" state.
I did it...!
Lamia stares down at her hands in disbelief. This is the first time she's defeated a Transcendant all by herself... and it's Loki, no less, who's an adept attacker.
But the joy is short-lived, for her defeated opponent soon shakily rises from the floor.
AAAHHHHH!
As if spurred on by her own cries of agony, Loki expands her battered wings, struggling to ascend into the air in the narrow tunnel.
I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! No one can ever hurt me again!!!!
You were the one who attacked me first!
Loki can't hear Lamia's protests amid the chaos. Driven by rage and despair, she charges at Lamia with all her might.
Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!!!
Is she hoping to escape from this cramped cage? Or has she grown tired of this body she's imprisoned in?
The crazed goose's actions seem to be dictated by her overflowing pain. Even though she clearly sees Lamia dodge, she still chooses to charge in the same direction nevertheless.
...!
The force of the ramming tears apart her already shattered frame completely. The caged goose, finally having nothing left to give, sinks into her "mother's" embrace along with the crumbling floor.
...What is that?
Foamy Red Tide splatters everywhere, revealing her face, as serene as a statue.
In her embrace, Loki's cries gradually weaken, her unquenchable fury dissolving under this bizarre giant tree like a pill in water.
The woman, whose form has completely merged with the giant tree's, tenderly embraces the dying figure in her final moments.
Lamia remains frozen in place for a full minute before mustering the courage to cautiously approach the strange tree.
Its "roots" are submerged in the Red Tide. Lamia can keenly sense that the Red Tide beneath the ground she saw before had in fact originated from these very "roots."
They're buried underground in the room. The Red Tide flows through them, as if they were blood vessels.
Looking up, she sees objects resembling blood bags hanging from the treetop, also absorbing the Red Tide transported over by the "roots." She can even see some wriggling creatures inside them.
They're just like the artificial wombs I read about in the materials...
Could it be that those weird Hetero-Creatures were born from here?
She steps into the Red Tide, hoping to pluck a bag for closer observation, but a strange twitching from underneath her feet nearly drags her under the ground.
Eeeek!
She shoots up in horror and flees the area, narrowly escaping being entangled in the roots.
Lamia senses buried secrets below and realizes the need for a deeper investigation into the Red Tide disturbance. However, the sticky feeling clinging to her legs makes her utterly unwilling to approach the spot again.
She looks around, hoping to find something else she can investigate.
Soon, she notices that the walls are covered in honeycomb-shaped metal shelves, resembling cremation furnaces.
She smashes open a sealed shelf door and pulls out a huge jar from inside. It contains a soaked body, facial features completely indistinguishable.
All the limbs have been removed... and the frame's so small. Is this... Lithos?
Lamia taps the jar curiously, wondering if it can be destroyed just like that.
But right at that moment, the Red Tide beneath the tree begins to pulsate strangely again.
...
She knows she can't just keep dragging it out. Lamia sheathes her weapon and reverts to Lillian's form. She pulls out "Lillian's" makeshift terminal, ready to call for "Lillian's" reinforcements.
Ugh...
Perhaps the impact from the previous battle was too great, or the quality of the makeshift terminal was poor to begin with. No matter how Lamia fiddles with it, she gets no response.
Is it broken?
As if to add insult to injury, the strange surge of echoes overtakes her senses once more.
S-stay calm... there's nothing to be afraid of...
She tiptoes closer to the giant tree adorned with embryos, peering into the Red Tide underneath the woman...
Are those... eggs?
As if drawn by an irresistible force, Lamia reaches out her trembling hands and lifts out from the blood-red abyss an egg that's pulsating like a heart.
In that instant, countless vivid illusions flood her vision...
It's over, Gray Raven Commandant.
What are these...? Memories? Or a vision of the future? Did I kill that human?
Lamia's head throbs in pain, consciousness nearly torn into pieces by the maelstrom of information.
This is mine... and I'm not giving it to anyone.
The heavy sensation in her hands... it's like holding a baby.
She's losing control over her body, her consciousness flowing out of her skull like water.
Rest in peace. Join Cthylla in your eternal grave at the bottom of the sea.
Now that I have the "key," I won't have to worry about anything anymore...
No, no, this isn't right...!
The mermaid has turned into a marionette who's surrendered everything to the monstrosity in her hands.
This is the punishment you deserve, Ascendant.
The youth's empty eyes are filled with murderous intent.
You should already know that, even if you've obtained the "key," you still won't be able to reach the tower's summit. Yet... you still...!
The final gunshot brings inevitable death. She is dragged into the boundless darkness by the ice-cold waves...
...Only to open her eyes again under the ghastly fluorescent lights of a medical room.
...Is that... Mother?
The woman's body is covered by green surgical drapes, her exposed wounds hauntingly ghastly.
Director, this is Lybia's child. It's a girl.
No, this isn't the time to look at me...
There's another person over there. Save her! Please save her!
Yet memories are incapable of giving a response.
Mother...
She steps behind the curtain and extends her hands toward the lifeless body.
I've finally... returned to your side...
Please take me back... Let me return to your body...
Don't leave me... Please, love me... Please... love me...
If you could give birth to me once again... This time, I would surely do better...
Her pleas stir the emotions of the being closely entwined with her, creating a sense of sorrow and yearning that binds the two even tighter together.
That's right. Just one more step forward... closer... closer...
Just one more step forward, and she'll be able to touch the mother she never met and become one with her...
Hey!
A pair of hands grip her tightly from behind.
...Ah!
She awakens from the illusion and finds herself back in the cold, silent reality. Due to the shock, the egg in her hands has fallen back into the pool of Red Tide.
What were those visions just now? Lamia has no idea, but she has an inexplicable feeling that it's exactly what Luna is searching for.
I-I'm so sorry!
She backs away hastily, almost tripping over a jar that was pulled out.
...
Half an hour's passed and no word from you... so we came looking for you only to find you here zoning out with a Hetero-Creature in your embrace. The commandant was practically scared stiff.
I was attacked... Loki was here...
...Huh?
In fact, it's the first time anyone's apologized to Lamia after scolding her... also the first time someone's ever asked her if she was hurt.
Usually, when she reported that she had just been attacked by an enemy, Luna and Roland would simply ask if she won the battle. As for Alpha... she would barely react.
I'm fine... she crashed through the floor while charging at me... and I fell down here with her...
She was already wounded then, and ended up being consumed entirely by that Red Tide over there after the fall.
I wanted to check if she was truly gone, and I began hallucinating immediately when I took a few steps in that direction...
You were very close to the Red Tide. The fact that you didn't turn into a Corrupted is already a miracle in itself.
Yeah. Luckily you guys arrived so soon. I think I was only stuck there for a few seconds.
No, there's no need.
Sensing the doubtful look from the human beside her, "Lillian" quickly lowers her head.
How did you two get here so quickly?
We encountered some bizarre little creatures on the way... Oh, yeah, those ones right there.
He points at the phantoms resembling sea creatures, floating lightly in the air near the entrance.
When you mentioned that someone could be guiding us along, I thought of them immediately.
I was also guided by them. Do these little creatures usually tend to lead the way?
I have no idea. It's not like others needed guidance before... they wouldn't be able to get out no matter what anyway.
I'd love to catch one for research... but they always moved out of the way as soon as I reached out. They even led me straight to our enemies. I thought they were Lithos' guards or something.
Huh? Didn't they do the same for you?
You raise your hand and those jellyfish-like phantoms come swarming over, circling you gently before tenderly touching the wounds on your hand.
Wait, don't move...
She tiptoes over, but just as she's about to pounce upon one, they immediately vanish without a trace.
Let's not worry about those harmless things for now. They seem to like the commandant only. It'd be pointless to capture them.
Look at this. These Ascendants sure are getting more twisted by the minute. What's this anyway?
From a safe distance, he fires a few shots at the woman who's become one with the giant tree.
The holes created by his shots only remain for a moment before automatically healing up. Shorthalt fires a few more shots, only to receive the same result.
Tsk... just like what happened with the twins before. It heals way too fast.
Most likely.
We can't just leave this thing be. With the situation outside, we absolutely won't be able to withstand a second disaster brought by the twins.
Of course. Those are the most precious treasures I've got during my month of wandering here. I've blown up this place countless times in my dreams.
But we still haven't found Lithos' M.I.N.D. backups.
Should be on those honeycomb cabinets around here.
Hearing her words, you and Shorthalt immediately gather around the cabinets.
This Construct has nothing but a torso left... This should be it.
...Nothing but a torso, huh.
He pauses for a moment, then suddenly barks out a dry laugh.
Nothing. Just suddenly remembered that it was how I looked too when I first woke up.
Huh?
It's fine, I've already reassembled myself! Let's continue dealing with the following issues... I owe you a thank-you too, by the way!
Not only did we find the main target, but we also discovered Cthylla. This is a huge win for us!
R-really...?
Lamia is hit with a brief moment of joy, just like back when she was given a coffee cup toy back in the day.
Now that we've found the target, let's get started. First, we dig out the stuff in the cabinets... those little ones have limited power.
Shorthalt pries open several cabinets in a row to check their contents while the two behind him stand waiting.
Are you guys just standing there and reminiscing over your glory days or something? Come and lend a hand.
W-what? I wasn't...!
Lamia, who had just begun to relax due to the praise she just received and the fact that she hasn't been busted yet, tenses up once more.
You've already helped a lot on the way here. You aren't fully recovered yet, so take it easy. Lillian, come help!
Sigh... I feel like a bodyguard and nanny at the same time. It was just like this when I was back in Scarab... and things haven't changed one bit.
Lillian approaches timidly amid Shorthalt's complaints.
I heard that, in thriller movies, the most reliable characters are always the ones who die first...
Ha... you're cursing me now?
Uh, no...
She expects Shorthalt to laugh it off, yet he simply pauses working and heaves a long sigh.
...Who knows, that might be exactly what happens.
For some reason, I've been feeling a strange sense of deja vu during this journey with you two. It's as if this isn't the first time I've done these same things.
Forget it. I just find the paths here eerily familiar, that's all.
But everything feels alien again now that we've reached this point.
He subconsciously touches the pocket holding his candies, now entirely empty.
I remember that Valeria gave me a whole pack... there were over a hundred candies in there. But I only recall eating two and giving you one.
It's like there's a piece of my memory that's missing...
I also don't understand why Lithos left me alive. He could have easily killed me here.
After thinking about it, I've decided that there's only one possibility: I can still come in useful as part of his plan.
...Useful, huh...
We've come this far... things have gone far beyond Lithos' expectations. What happens next is anyone's guess.
If I can't make it back, bring a message to Valeria for me.
Tell her to delete all my embarrassing videos—no, actually, just say hello to her and Wanshi for me.
"I've had enough of you and your stupid faces. Don't rush to join me anytime soon." Yeah, that sounds about right. Tell them that.
Don't be so heartless.
I'd love to go back with you if I can, of course.
It's just that, you see... don't you think this is the kind of situation that often appears in movies?
Soon, we will encounter an even greater crisis. Only through a soldier's sacrifice can the knight protect the princess and make their safe escape.
The people cheer for the victory, and the sacrifice ends up merely celebrated for a short while... or completely forgotten.
What happens then if the scriptwriter is indeed insane?
In that case, everyone besides the real villain meets a grisly end... or ends up living a life worse than death.
But who's the real villain here? Lamia wonders, though she can't voice her question.
Compared to such an unexpected outcome, I'd much rather that the plot follows the usual cliches. At least you guys get to live.
What?
Isn't this the time to say "don't give up hope, there's always a way"?
Can't believe that you, the great hero and walking beacon of humanity, are saying such a thing.
Ha... true.
This situation is completely different from what we've been through in the past... no allies, no way out, our bodies slowly decaying.
Even a hero can feel lost if suddenly blinded.
He bursts into laughter, almost reaching out to slap your shoulder, but catches himself just in time.
Okay. I'll also fight next to you till the very end.
...
Watching the two encourage each other, "Lillian" takes a dejected step back.
Huh?
Lamia would have been super touched and grateful if the human hadn't addressed her as "Lillian" in the beginning.
Yeah, I understand...
Even if we weren't here, the world outside is filled with the Corrupted and Hetero-Creatures. It sure is rare for someone as introverted as you to survive this long without seeking help or offering your own.
...
Now this is a topic Lamia knows nothing about. Lillian rarely shares any stories about Dark Aries and certainly doesn't seem close to anyone, but judging from her attitude toward the team, this is likely the truth.
Unable to find an explanation, she remains silent, helping Shorthalt smash the cabinets.
Under the eerie gaze of the giant tree, the three spend half an hour there, just smashing the cabinets.
After pulling out all the jars, they finally notice the bodies in the jars in the back. Some of them are significantly larger than the previous ones, resembling an adult's torso more than anything.
Probably vessels for different body types.
The jars holding the large torsos all have an "N" at the beginning of their serial numbers. There are only a few of them in total, and they all boast more recent sealing dates.
Let's not worry about the specifics. Right now, we have only one task: to destroy these things.
These M.I.N.D. replicas... that bizarre tree... and the woman inside it... all of them must be destroyed.
As he speaks, he smashes the final cabinet open and then freezes in place.
Following his gaze toward the last cabinet, you see a Construct lying in a jar, its overall outline obviously resembling—
***!
I should have expected Lithos to do this to me.
****! How would I know?
Though he doesn't voice those exact words, Shorthalt's expression says it all: he can't be sure if he's the "real" Shorthalt either himself.
Damn Ascendants...
...Rescue?
He looks down at his own "self" lying in the jar, then at the two people standing near him: one a wounded human, the other a petite girl with dodgy eyes.
This isn't a summoned ally from one of those video games. Its creator must have protected it with layers of encryption. We won't be able to unlock that... and if we can't awaken this thing, it'll just end up an extra burden for us all.
They might figure something out if we take it back to Babylonia... but...
He clenches his fists in rage.
What good does having another "me" do anyway?
Who can guarantee that the other "me" will walk the same path I do?
Even if I get lucky and now have another "me" to share the workload with, I'll have to share everything I like with him too. It's all right if it's just resources...
...
But Valeria... What about Valeria?
The seasoned soldier, who's been calm and reliable all this while, kicks the jar once and punches it as well, before he begins pacing around it anxiously.
This self-inflicted struggle lasts a full minute before he recovers his cheerful tone and stops pacing.
All right.
Let's blow it up alongside everything else.
To hell with those philosophical questions. Who cares if it's the "real me" or not?
I'm the one out of the two who's conscious now, the one who can make decisions. What does that tell you? It tells me that I'm the real one at this current moment, and nothing else matters.
Let's go ahead and do it! The bombs I've been saving up for so long are finally going to come in handy.
Shorthalt drops his backpack on the ground.
But all that aside... can we really kill her this way? This place is filled with swarms of Red Tide, and Hetero-Creatures can regenerate easily if there's Red Tide in the vicinity.
She glances sideways at the giant tree. The woman inside the tree twists and turns slowly, as if trying to break free.
Isn't destroying Lithos' M.I.N.D. replicas enough? Escaping as soon as we can is what matters the most now.
Escape? Escape where? Once this thing gets out, the whole world will be thrown into chaos.
...Okay.
...Yeah.
Though uneasy, she reluctantly compromises.
