Story Reader / Main Story / 26 Cradle Parade / Story
The torrents of fate drag into the deep sea all those who have drowned. Suffocated, they're all on the verge of death.
In endless despair, only one feels reborn.
...I can do all these things now.
It has hit her—that she's in control of everything, so long as she holds on to the strange-looking red giant egg in her arms.
Neither the entangled sea anemones nor the arrogant "Sea Fairies" can hope to stop the weapon in her hands.
This egg... what exactly is it?
Cthylla can make it attack out of its own accord... and it can make me as an Ascendant more powerful with it.
Strange how those Hetero-Creatures can't use it, though...
She holds up the giant oddity for a good look.
She finds herself drawn to it the longer she keeps her eyes on it, her mind seemingly swaying like a flickering flame in the wind.
Had it not been for the M.I.N.D. connection of that commandant, Lamia is sure she would have been swallowed by the same illusions that had engulfed her before.
This time, however, she is able to see past those illusions with a lucid mind.
This reminds me of The Little Match Girl...
In the story, the warmth and light coming from the match gives the girl the power to fight back.
Lamia reaches out despite herself, her fingertip gliding over its translucent surface.
At that moment, the egg, like a struck match, draws her into a dazzling "shopping street."
...She's tempted to reach for the "goods."
...?
A sudden chill makes her shiver. Lamia walks down the nearly frozen street, her consciousness fragmented like a Scavenger's clothes.
Guided by the Mind Beacon of that certain human whose whereabouts have become a mystery, Lamia makes her way into the street in the illusion. She looks at the phantoms on either side.
It feels like a kaleidoscope, reflecting a colorful world, with omnipotent doctors, endless dry food, bright classrooms, and intimate friends.
...They almost seem like they came straight out of a child's imagination.
Lamia looks enviously at these things she once longed for as she lingers by a few phantoms<//SHOWCASES>.
She wants these wishes that these phantoms<//SHOWCASES> are displaying to come to her side.
...If only all of this were real.
Lamia once again raises the egg<//MATCH>. When her fingertips skim over its surface, a faint red glow comes to life that shows the phantoms<//SHOWCASES>.
Instantly, the illusion becomes real and tangible. Like a personal shopping guide, the egg<//MATCH> starts showing Lamia the life she yearns for.
At 11:30 AM, Mother prepares a hearty breakfast, and with a gentle call, the forever 16-year-old Lamia wakes up from a bedroom filled with toys, books, and stuffed animals.
At noon, after breakfast, she opens her terminal to find 99 messages from friends, each one kind and eager for Lamia's reply.
At 1:30 PM, when she's finished replying to all her friends' messages, Lamia takes her father's spaceship to school in Babylonia.
No, no, no! Don't replay my memories! Be peaceful!
At 1:30 PM, when she's finished replying to all her friends' messages, Lamia takes her father's spaceship to school in Babylonia.
At 2 PM, she walks to the classroom surrounded by her classmates and teachers. Her teacher proudly announces her as the top scorer on the test.
At 4:30 PM, when school ends, she hangs out with her friends. They take pictures for memory, and everyone wants a picture with Lamia.
At 7 PM, Father picks her up in his spaceship, and of course, Mother has already prepared dinner and a late-night snack.
...
Anyone who has experienced a truly "ordinary" daily life can tell that these scenes are anything but "ordinary." If anything, they seem more like scenes coming straight out of the life of a princess in a fairy tale.
What price does one need to pay for these wishes to come true? What are the potential risks? Lamia<//THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL> has no time to think about these.
Mother...
Despite herself, she's drawn toward that figure.
Following her choice, the egg<//MATCH> locks on the future where "Lybia" survives.
Searching for key nodes>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>Lustrous approves Lybia's pregnancy stay—Change>>>>>>>Lustrous does not approve Lybia's pregnancy stay
>>Lybia follows the original plan to return to the continent with a supply ship for vacation, working at an ordinary laboratory nearby
>>>>Lamia is born
Loading future preview based on user's known information... Age estimated at >16 years old... Observer's request for world event loading delayed
Lamia stands in the corridor, watching as the egg<//MATCH> shows a peaceful Golden Age.
She finds herself back in that familiar "home," in that familiar "living room", seeing her "mother"—whom she knows well yet barely recognizes—busy working at the workbench on something that little Lamia can't understand.
...Mother?
The piercing cold seems to diminish slightly with her presence.
Mother, is there anything to eat for dinner?
There's plenty in the fridge. Help yourself. I've still got work to do.
Mother is expressionless. This is nothing like the dream life Lamia has envisioned.
Yet this future is based on reality, with only the minimal nodes changed.
Where is the fridge?
...
...Mother?
Finally looking up this way from work, Mother looks indifferent and makes no effort to cover her annoyance.
So stupid that you can't even find the fridge. I can't imagine you'd last a day without me around.
...
I gave up my entire future because of you. How much longer are you going to keep me stalled with all these trivialities of life?
These words shatter the observer's heart, sending ripples across Lamia's M.I.N.D...
I... time...
I'm out of time.
Her tone suddenly grows poignant, catching Lamia by surprise.
Go away.
She now speaks in the same cold tone.
Leave us alone if you've got nothing else to ask. We need to work.
Mother...
May I ask you a question?
You have one minute. Fire away.
...
Thirty seconds.
Mother, is it true...
Fifteen seconds.
Is it true that she wouldn't have died...
...If I hadn't been around to begin with?
Constructed from wishes, the simulation of Lamia's future collapses completely and merges with her past. It was on that fateful day that Lamia asked the question—one that had been weighing on her heart for far too long.
...
Have you finished the problems I gave you last time?
S-sorry... but they're too difficult for me.
And the textbook?
He cast Lamia a cold look silently before standing up to leave.
...
She despised her own ignorance whenever she was given problems like these.
Only if I could get out of here earlier... The world out there had the answers I needed to answer all these questions.
Searching for key nodes>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Change a few more nodes!
The egg<//MATCH> burns up once again, illuminating the world behind Lamia, and revealing countless flickering figures before her.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for Lamia, the youngest scientist the world has ever seen!
Brimming with excitement from the stage, the host welcomes a petite figure.
Now, let's find out exactly how amazing this kid is!
Dr. Lamia!
Yes?
Help me summarize the tasks from all of today's meetings and chat records, and organize the schedule for tomorrow.
Sure.
>>>>>>>>>>Lamia is safely born>>>>>>>>>>Leaves Atlantis ahead of time
Dr. Lamia! Can you help me solve a math problem?
Sure.
>>>>>>Sent to an orphanage
A passerby enjoying an ice cream walks by the television as Lamia's exciting life unfolds in it.
A new version? Let's get one.
I heard they made this with the mind data of real people. It's got to do with Project Cthylla, apparently.
Really? I didn't know that.
Did you hear that?!
If you don't want to go to school and just wait for some magic to fill your head with knowledge, you'll end up in a jar, turned into a service AI with a bunch of other people!
And now comes the blind draw for Dr. Lamia! We've got Classic Human Grey, Playful Monkey Pink, and even a Mermaid Edition the world has yet to see!
The audience's applause can be heard from the television as a terrified child starts crying out loud amidst the cheers. The camera isn't showing Lamia's face, but the child's cry already speaks volumes for her.
Order now at all major specialty stores!
Dad, look at this!
On the bustling street side, a girl passing by the window laughs as she pats the head of the product<//ME>.
>>>>>>Becoming a candidate for mind data human experimentation
This looks like a monkey.
>>>>>>Experimentation and commercialization successful
As her M.I.N.D. grows unstable, Lamia's wishes are once again poured into a cup filled with memories.
Lamia finds herself by Atlantis' corridors, watching as countless researchers pass by coldly like mindless drones.
She tries calling their names hoping to get some emotional support, but doesn't get any response.
Which leaves Lamia stranded as she watches the humans and machines pass her by in an orderly fashion
When they pass her by, they move around her, reminiscent of cells avoiding a blood clot still in the process of forming on a blood vessel, or tourists passing by an animal's cage.
She lowers her head, holding the empty coffee cup in her hands and caressing the engravings on it.
To my future self:
I
Want to
Be like
Everyone
I need to make it happen!
It's her yet-to-be-realized wish—in the form of a bunch of crooked letters paired with a meaningless layout.
Wanna bet on your luck?
Wanna bet that you'd be sent to a legal orphanage instead of getting dragged into some inhumane experiments?
Luck, huh...
As long as she has luck on our side, nothing bad is going to happen to her after she gets out of this place, and she'll finally be able to go to school, which she's read about in books.
That's where she can enjoy bathing in the sunlight and listening to the calls of cicadas and the laughter of people.
Where the teachers would start with the basics and guide them with patience.
...It's okay if Mother isn't perfect, as long as I get to live the happy life of a normal person going to school...
The egg<//MATCH> glows red in her arms. She pats it devoutly and closes her eyes.
All of a sudden, through the afternoon sunlight and the calls of the cicadas, a piece of chalk comes flying at Lamia—who sits in the second last row—and lands squarely on her.
Lamia, daydreaming again?
The entire class bursts into laughter.
N-no, I wasn't...
Then answer the question I just went over.
Uh...
She frantically picks up her textbook and flips to the right page, but even with gentle reminders from the desk next to her, she still can't answer the question.
You're just not cut out for this. Your mother signed you up for this intensive program thinking her daughter was oh-so knowledgeable. I'm starting to think she's intentionally putting either me or you through this suffering.
In her silence, the entire class bursts out laughing again.
The cozy sunlight, calls of cicadas, and laughter of friends—everything is as she had hoped for, yet falls short of her expectations.
...This is a rare opportunity. I need to make it count...
She picks up her textbook, studies, practices, and then dozes off again.
It's not until the school bell rings and everyone getting ready to leave the classroom that Lamia finally stands up from her seat and quietly sighs in relief.
It'd be perfect if I could skip all the classes and just go straight to when school ends.
She lowers her head, the egg<//MATCH> in her hand revealing its intended purpose.
And try to dumb down school a little, if that's possible... A normal school would do.
Polishing the egg<//MATCH>, Lamia changes 31206 key nodes in one go.
Lamia figures that she'd be okay going back to a time when her mother wasn't around, if there is nothing she can do to change her mother's mind about sending her to an advanced school.
Humans of the Golden Age didn't yet master the technology to control time, but Lamia is sure that she can count on people in the future—and that the egg<//MATCH> will take care of that just fine.
And she decides that she's not going to bother with the number of changed time nodes she's seeing on the phantoms since she doesn't see what impact they might have.
She knows her wish has been fulfilled when the dreadfully tedious classroom disappears, leaving her in the after-hour tranquility.
Lamia finally found her long-awaited peace and happiness, as well as the life of an "ordinary" person that fits her definition of "ordinary."
As the four seasons fast-forward, Lamia goes through college and enters the workforce. She is now a tour guide working at the Copperfield Aquarium.
She finds work more tedious than school, and she'd curse her life even when she only needs to show three visitors around a day.
Before she knows it, however, that fateful day comes.
The alarms that once flooded Atlantis are now blasting through the aquarium—letting everyone know that the Punishing is here.
The visitors and staff run for dear life in every which way. Standing in the escaping crowd, Lamia tries to fast-forward time, only to realize the world becomes ravaged at a faster pace as she does so.
She doesn't want to be a Construct again and dies in the hands of a cleaning robot while fleeing.
If only the Punishing never happened.
Lamia's desires inflate.
But when she once again raises the omnipotent egg <//THE PUNISHING VIRUS>, the phantoms offer no answers.
It<//THE TOWER> couldn't erase its own existence nor the Punishing.
What do I do now...
Going through her memory trying to find someone she hopes she can talk to, she suddenly recalls Roland.
I wonder what Roland would do with this opportunity.
With a snap of her fingers, Roland materializes before her.
You're lending me this egg <//MATCH> that can fulfill any wish?
It doesn't exactly fulfill any wish, though... which is why I wanted to see what you'd do.
Well...
He takes the egg and, without a moment's hesitation, chooses to fulfill a childhood wish.
And just as Roland has hoped, his life progresses without any hiccups.
A life devoid of lies, falsehoods, and drama; mundane and ordinary to the core.
He stays by his mother and brother, repeating daily chores, schoolwork, and childish games, living a life with an end visible at a glance.
Don't you find it boring?
Deeply engrossed, Roland says nothing.
But what would you do... when the Punishing hits?
She was hoping Roland would show her what to do, but on the day the alarms echo through the square, Roland simply makes the same decision she does, more candidly than ever.
He bids farewell to his loved ones, then waits for Death to come knocking on his door.
I think that's pretty much it.
Roland shrugs.
They abandoned me in the real world. We might be looking at a different script here, but lies are lies all the same.
It was a great dream, and I really enjoyed it.
Can I lend you the egg<//MATCH> and ask you to give it another try?
You want me to relive the lies?
He bursts into laughter and immediately sets up an accident.
In a few simple moves, Roland turns his half-year-old self over in the cradle so—he faces down.
And it all ends even before it even starts.
It's over.
In the empty corridor, Lamia finds herself all alone once again.
