Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story
She is stranded in a deep, void darkness.
Her once splendid attire is now in tatters, her limbs incomplete, and her chest and abdomen irregularly exposed with ghastly hollow wounds.
But everything is as it should be, just like she experienced in countless simulations.
Whether dying in war.
Or dying in betrayal.
This time, her fated death has finally arrived.
Splash—splash—
The M.I.N.D. withdraws like a receding tide, allowing her to sink into the surrounding darkness.
No more pain, no more fatigue, no more fear.
This darkness gently fills her broken body, enveloping her in a sense of infinite warmth.
It is like a fine wine, easing her toward death.
Until the sky, brimming with stars, seeps into her heavy eyelids—
Do you see that white star?
Yes, the North Star. Or rather, what is now the North Star.
The Polaris, a trinary star system.
Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors used it to navigate vast oceans and explore the world.
It's beautiful.
A starry sky so pure, it sends shivers down your spine.
She wants to move her gaze, searching for another star in her memory.
She remembers a star she named herself.
But even such a small movement requires too much strength.
Among these stars, only one shines the brightest, yet it stands far too distant from the others.
That's four hundred thirty light-years away... Such a vast distance, isn't it?
It burns alone out there, a solitary beacon, so that we on Earth can see it.
But her eyes can't move an inch, as if the star before her has a massive gravitational pull, drawing her gaze.
Splash—splash—
She wants to find direction...
The direction passed down from her ancestors.
She wants to find the star that could guide the people on Earth.
Most of her emotions has faded, but she tries to think this way.
She couldn't even remember what she wanted, but she tries to think this way.
Even as her thought circuits regresses to the point she can't even think, she tries to think this way.
Until the last signal of consciousness fades under the starry sky.
Until the echoing sound of the tide in the M.I.N.D. finally ceases.
For death, time has no meaning.
Over eons, countless stars are born and die.
And over such spans, a mere speck of stardust drifted, eventually settling in her broken hand.
This insignificant dust flickers weakly yet stubbornly in her palm, refusing to be extinguished.
From the shadows, a rough hand reaches out, gently supporting her body.
Then another, soft and youthful.
And then many hands lift her up.
...Such a vast distance, isn't it?
An aged hand also emerges from the darkness, clasping her shattered hand—
A wave of intense pain tears through her M.I.N.D.
For a moment, she almost lost consciousness again from the searing pain.
But she couldn't afford that.
Anyone else could let go, but not her.
She realizes she is being lifted by something and struggles to stand.
She finds herself in a bright golden field amid the darkness, reminiscent of a harvest field, woven together by countless hands ready to cradle her remains.
Her broken body now seems to be infused with a surging force; she can hear their voices.
She<//THEY> takes a step.
Despite the indescribable force filling and supporting her body, her steps remain unsteady.
She<//THEY> takes another step.
Countless faceless people are marching silently alongside her.
Their white garments form a Milky Way across the golden field.
White ribbons float before her, and large snowflakes fall from the dark night sky, sparkling like stardust from dying stars.
At the front of this solemn procession, a light flickers in the field.
The closer she gets to the white light, the clearer she can hear their voices, and the more turbulent the tides in her M.I.N.D. become.
Until she reaches the light, she sees everything among the stars—
Before that dim star flickering like a candle.
Do not leave here, Qu. Stay and protect Dai and Yin.
No matter what happens outside, you must not leave, understand?
Where are you going?
I am defending Kowloong.
And who protects you?
No one can protect me, nor the Monarch of Kowloong.
Kowloong is the candle.
And you are the lantern.
No, Qu, you need to understand something.
Kowloong protects itself. It doesn't need a shelter.
She also notices that one dim star flares up briefly before fading away—
Because my people chose me to lead.
Ultimately, the essence of Kowloong is shaped not by a single individual or a small group, but by every one of its citizens.
Since they've chosen me to represent the spirit of Kowloong, I must fulfill their expectations.
Qu, in your eyes, what color should Kowloong be?
It should be the color of the deepest part of the sky.
Only such a color has the strength to carry our people, to hold our history.
Are you referring to those stars?
No.
Stars shine not merely because they are stars.
It's the dark, vast sky that holds everything together.
Among those stars, there's one that's less noticeable but carries a silent deterrence.
Your judgment is spot on, as usual, Miss Qu.
Since there's a "cost," then surely, "compensation" is due.
Cost, you say?
History is littered with evils committed in the name of love and righteousness.
Striving for the greater good always comes with its share of darkness.
Dark deeds are easy, righteous ones are hard, hypocrisy is human nature.
In our history, making progress through peace has always been a hard-fought battle.
We've managed to get rid of war, poverty, and backwardness, and we've established order. However, we've also drained some of the drive that pushes humans forward.
So I must see further.
And how far can you see?
As far as Kowloong thrives.
If anyone tries to halt Kowloong's progress, they'll have to get through me first.
Kowloong must thrive, no matter what it takes...
That's the very reason Kowloong exists.
"Thrive, no matter what it takes." Exactly. Humans follow the same path.
In front of her flows a river of crimson, the river of war.
Ahead, a white star is shining bright—
Nothing... Can stop me...
I must... I want... to go back...
Home... I want to...
Welcome home, Moyuan.
Welcome home...
There are still many more stars—
Those twinkling stars outshine the dim ones, surpassing those that once clustered together but are now scattered far apart, and those burning in eternal darkness.
Along with the entire night sky, these stars flow into her mind, becoming a part of her.
Until she sees the one she was searching for.
You are here...
It too was born from this deep night, small but shining firmly.
Out of the darkness, you step forward, clear and undeterred.
You've always embodied such resolve.
She tightens her grip on the star in her hand—
This marks my first speech to the Parliament of the World Government. Since the inception of the United Foundation, Kowloong has played a pivotal role in the creation of this very edifice.
Back in those early days, the reach of Kowloong's Grub extended from the icy expanses of the far north to the vast ocean depths. With our intellect and strength, we have nurtured and shaped this world.
We spearheaded "Project Gestalt", collaborated with Universal Toys to free up hands and boost productivity, and took up the mantle of the "Project Orient" from our forebears.
Now, "Project Eden" stands before us.
I declare that we must see it through to completion, no matter the cost in time, effort, or resources.
We commit to this because we are capable, and our resolve to succeed is unbreakable.
We embrace this path knowing full well the hurdles and hardships that lie ahead, finding our drive in the very act of facing and overcoming these challenges.
We are inspired by a future visible to us all, a future that promises to spark a new era.
We focus on this future because it belongs to those who dare to dream of it. Tomorrow is not a mere shadow but a reality we have envisioned and are bringing into existence.
This journey is not about individual desires or whims. It is not driven by a select few who gaze at the stars. It is about all of us, together, propelled by a collective vision.
We are entrusted by the ordinary people who have placed their hopes and dreams in our hands. It is our duty to lead them to the stars.
Even if it means employing drastic measures, even if it entails sacrifices.
Even if it tarnishes our names, leaves us with regrets and dissent.
Even if future generations forget who we were, reducing our deeds to mere footnotes in history.
Yet, we will embrace this destiny, for it is both our burden and our privilege.
Until our mission is fulfilled, we will have set a beacon. In times to come, others will follow the trail we have blazed, regardless of the means.
There will always be those who, like us, shoulder these responsibilities and missions in the days and years to come—unwavering and undeterred.
I'm confident that if our descendants stay the course, they'll eventually realize the dreams we hold dear.
Therefore, she must ensure that this spark of stardust never fades while it rests in her hands.
This grand plan we discuss today was left to us by the previous Monarch of Kowloong.
At its core, it is an expansion of the pre-Great Depression Human Genome Project, extending its reach to encompass the entire earth's biosphere, not merely human civilization.
So I have resolved to take us even further.
Dynasties change, but great eras can be documented. It is our duty, in this fleeting moment of hope, to meticulously document every facet of human civilization.
We are faced with a stark yet unavoidable truth—
The prospect of human survival has dwindled to nothing.
This is precisely why we must thrust this plan into the spotlight.
We will exhaust all means to safeguard the essence of our civilization—the memetics.
For even though our existence may be doomed, our memetics will endure.
They will become the spark, the torch that carries human civilization forward.
Upon our success, this planet will experience a rebirth.
Following us, the emergence of a new humanity is assured.
They will thrive under a new sun, on a renewed Earth.
As they reach the pinnacle of evolution, we will be there with them.
Our knowledge, our narratives, our defeats, and our triumphs—
They will learn from our past errors, which will serve as their future lessons, and they will come to know everything.
Even if our lives conclude here, the soul of our civilization, the collective soul of humanity, will persist eternally.
This is our only path to rise above our inevitable end.
History mirrors civilization; its epochs of rise and decline, inception and dissolution, are fleeting.
Even as our physical forms cease and materiality vanishes, our will and spirit, the information and memetics of human civilization, will continue to illuminate the world and persist through the ages.
Only we, the indomitable spirit of Kowloong, are equipped to endure the ravages of time.
From this point forward, only Kowloong can serve as the world's guiding light, illuminating the path for the spirit of human civilization.
She lit the torch herself.
She never entrusted it to anyone else.
She knew she had to do this.
Even if people scorned her for running away, detested her for backing down.
She must carry this torch forward, no matter the cost.
It wasn't just that she had to do it; she knew she was the only one who could.
Even if it meant turning herself into fuel to sustain that unsteady flame—
She looks out over the golden fields, seeing the myriad of intertwined hands.
These hands, woven from delicate threads, emerge from the darkness and now stand as the sole beacon of light.
Driven by the inevitabilities that lie hidden within each historical coincidence.
All the resistance, all the grief, all the anger.
She brings with her all those who dwell in the shadow of life and death in Kowloong—
If Kowloong can no longer find a way forward...
Then I will be the beacon.
She always knew that star.
Because it must burn alone out there, guiding the way for those who live.
Because she knows—
I am you...
And the last echo of that era.
Without hesitation, she reaches for the surging white light in front of her.
Go, Qu, don't look back.
What does the future hold for you?
..."Let no words my ending tell; let Earth herself this frame impel, in tranquil clasp so well."
