Story Reader / Main Story / 33 Wither to Shine / Story
—Pull the timeline back to the day before the Hetero Tower's arrival.
All else fades into insignificance, as this single fragment of knowledge is etched indelibly into your consciousness.
As if a person in prolonged drought spotting an oasis, conflicting emotions of exhilaration and apprehension violently tear at your thoughts.
You are thrilled by the new possibility, yet deep in fear simultaneously... Is any of this truly achievable?
I have no reason to fool you.
What do you mean...
What will become of them?
Those destined to meet will naturally find each other, and those destined to be born will naturally come into existence.
However... they won't be born into a time of pure darkness.
Without light, without hope, filled with suffering and the sorrow of separation.
If you succeed, they will be born under the warmth of sunlight.
Perhaps becoming a valiant soldier on Babylonia, or perhaps working in a conservation area.
They deserve a better tomorrow.
What is destined will not change, but all of that solely relies on... your success.
Even at a time like this... you're still concerned about people who have nothing to do with you?
This is indeed a new story I wish to "witness", still... are you truly willing to take such a risk?
The impulsive surge of determination gradually cools, as an inexplicable chill creeps back into your bones, forming crystals of doubt in its wake.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and certainly no benefits without cost.
—Is it "I" who must pay the price, or... must "humanity" bear an even greater cost?
To be precise...
The risks are manifold, and the "price" won't be yours alone to pay.
I have never witnessed such a possibility before, so I cannot predict what consequences this action might bring.
As a "friend", I would not advise you to take such a gamble.
It is an extremely risky option.
The smile on Ishmael's face fades as she regards you with a grave expression.
One small misstep, and you'll become the commandant who truly "died at the bottom of the sea".
The commandant... who died at the bottom of the sea.
931206... Does that ring a bell?
Waves crashed against the shore as the clamor of torrential rain shattered the water's surface into spray.
The lone mermaid clutched the egg to her chest, gazing anxiously at the human on the water's surface.
You told me about this... well, another you, that is.
One of the clones of the Gray Raven Commandant died in the accident.
Never have you imagined a day when the one who died would become your true self...
It is true death.
She gazes compassionately toward an unknown direction.
If Chaos fails to be hatched successfully, "you" will truly die in this incident.
If the singularity cannot be changed, the world will fall together into this endless time loop.
If...
Too many unknowns fill this uncharted path—it can't even be called a "path", but rather a wilderness overgrown with thorns.
And who can guarantee that thorns watered with blood will truly bloom into roses?
As a "friend", I advise against choosing this path.
Unknown whirlpools lurk within this "option"—a single misstep could lead you... and perhaps even the entire civilization, into an eternal cycle of time.
Ice splinters surge wildly through the crevices of your bones, growing in tumultuous formations.
Give hope, only to shatter it again...
Nothing could be more cruel than this.
A bright red apple hangs high on a precariously fragile branch, while a starving person sits right beneath but is forever unable to grasp its succulent promise.
I still hope you can join me...
Ishmael extends her hand toward you.
Join me and become a higher-dimensional <phonetic=Gatekeeper>Observer</phonetic>.
Your "civilization", right?
The Hetero Tower rotates silently, its endless staircases spiraling toward the heavens.
A door engraved with a familiar symbol quietly opens wide before you.
Bizarre, otherworldly curves form strange-colored "buildings", while colossal sculptures stand at the "city's" heart. The skyline extends infinitely, merging with planets and stars arranged in peculiar constellations, with a dark sun suspended at the center of the sky.
This is my "civilization".
The city's time seems frozen at a specific moment.
Yes, amber. I sealed them within this space with my own hands.
One day, they will embrace this world again.
At least they won't be easily "eliminated" by higher-dimensional beings like other "harvested" civilizations.
The vision lasts only a moment before dispersing like grains of sand. Ishmael looks at you, seemingly waiting for you to make the final decision.
"Observer"... or "greater risk"...
Should you let human civilization congeal in place to await salvation in the distant future, or should you choose a desperate struggle for a new possibility?
Can you... truly make such a "choice" in humanity's stead?
The Hetero Tower looms hollow and vacant, with white fog meandering like phantoms through seemingly infinite corridors.
If... If you end up choosing the "greater risk" and return to the bottom of the sea, a single misstep could plunge all of human civilization into a vortex of time...
Your fingertips tremble uncontrollably as a cold sense of isolation crawls up your spine.
...
There's no need to be so anxious.
Tentatively, Ishmael offers a comforting pat on your shoulder.
This may not be much comfort, but... if you choose nothing and just sit here, it won't change anything.
You have already seen it... the "ending" of it all.
Within the expansive corridor, her voice carries a certain enchantment, soothing your frayed nerves in a gentle yet peculiar manner.
Human civilization has been branded with the Punishing Virus. Whether you choose me or return to the sea, nothing could be worse than it is now.
Or rather, having this thread of hope now, having these "choices" at all, is already the fruit of your efforts.
As your taut nerves momentarily unwind, your brain begins rapidly processing thoughts.
The Punishing Virus has already marked human civilization, meaning that no matter what action you take, it's already the optimal solution in this ending of inevitable doom.
Then, before that...
Please, go ahead.
Ishmael seems consistently tolerant and gentle toward your bold requests.
You want me to give all of Aerospace City's research data to that "<phonetic=Nanami>Administrator</phonetic>" behind the Gate?
Nanami... she will certainly understand your intention.
Even if you end up trapped in a time loop, when she sees your "last will" and the analytical data on the Hetero Tower's core...
Nanami will surely know what you want to do.
...Another little contingency plan from "Gray Raven", I suppose?
She gives a knowing smile.
Of course, this isn't a particularly difficult thing to do.
Ishmael readily agrees to your request.
And then...
Have you... made your decision?
You have plenty of time.
Should you join Ishmael to become a higher-dimensional Observer, or take an enormous risk and return to the sea?
Becoming an Observer means that human civilization will be "preserved", yet trapped eternally in stasis within the information composed of the Punishing Virus.
Like a piece of amber, forever congealed in that moment, waiting for a miracle that may or may not arrive.
Returning to the sea means that you must carve a bloody path through a thorn-covered wilderness, all by yourself, but if you ever succeed...
Human civilization will have a chance to start anew.
So...
Ishmael looks at you with anticipation.
Ishmael looks at you with anticipation.
Whichever ending you choose, I will spare no effort to help you. This is my promise.
Go ahead, what's your decision?
I knew you would make this choice. This is...
The best ending.
Of course not.
This sea of stars is immeasurably vast, and I am but an insect in the dark forest.
In a finite life, one cannot explore an infinite future. Opting to be an "Observer" marks just the first step in ascending the staircase.
Ishmael faces you, gesturing for you to take her hand.
Once you take the first step... the gate of the stellar sea will open for you.
As the swirling stars shimmer across the sky, tumultuous whispers caress your ear. In that fleeting moment, tens of thousands of "secrets" puncture your consciousness, flooding your mind like a sudden enlightenment—
As if repeatedly hammered and forged, your will rapidly expands, neural pathways stretching in all directions, enveloping the Hetero Tower like a spider's web, spreading beyond its confines—
No, don't—
A piercing shriek echoes throughout the mud-mired Babylonia.
Paradise... Let us enter paradise together...
Dreamlike, fragmented whispers quietly echo throughout Aerospace City...
The human's<//YOUR> thoughts stretch on without limit—
The Red Tide suddenly ebbs, a forest bursts forth from the earth, and the human<//BEAST> howls in terror while fleeing from the devouring woods.
The human<//SOLDIER> sits in a daze at a street corner, holding tightly to the red scarf once worn by their deceased family.
Amidst the mournful wails of summer insects, the human<//ANT> scurries after their companions in search of a new nest.
The human<//FLOWER> slowly withers in the gloomy rain.
The human<//???>...
The human<//COMMANDANT> sees everything in the world in that moment.
Be careful.
You have just received the "knowledge". Your power might go haywire.
Guided by Ishmael's voice, your consciousness suddenly rushes back, bringing a tearing pain that splits through your brain.
What did you see?
She inquires with perfect composure.
Death.
In that moment, you saw Babylonia wander through the distant depths of space, until after countless days and nights, the Punishing Virus finally caught up to them.
Higher-dimensional beings never spare any civilization that should be "recycled".
In that moment, you saw humanity struggle desperately on the surface, and the birth of a new Agent Zero.
Humanity huddled within Aerospace City, their development stagnant, eventually entering the Red Tide's "paradise".
In that moment, you saw countless endings for Earth, and countless endings for human civilization—
Yeah...
Those are the endings They have predetermined.
After listening to your flustered description, Ishmael speaks with clear understanding.
You keenly notice the specific word Ishmael is using.
Shh...
They are higher-level beings who monitor the "laws" of this stellar sea and establish the "rules" that govern existence.
Ishmael raises her palm, calling forth her Keystaff into her hand. The white fog within the Hetero Tower silently disperses, unveiling a vast and dark universe beyond the limitless space.
Stars gleam with brilliant radiance, their trajectories—like all else—predetermined aeons past.
They administer tests, establish rules, and filter out civilizations They deem "correct".
Only by passing Their "test" can one obtain a "ticket" to journey into the stellar sea.
Eerie nebulae flicker both within and beyond the Hetero Tower, as numerous eyeballs lurk behind dense star clusters, silently watching over this realm.
Do you see it now? I cannot help you restart your civilization... And this is the most fundamental reason.
No way to use higher-dimensional power to directly solve Earth's "problems".
Right.
Even as an Observer, you still lack the necessary authority and power to initiate a full restart.
The Hetero Tower now spans from heaven to earth—the slightest misstep would cause an irreversible collapse.
Her voice remains calm and rational, as if she has experienced the same scenario countless times before.
All you can do is hide your civilization away from Their sight...
Just like amber.
Seal away the entire civilization using the Punishing Virus and silently wait for life to be revitalized once more.
The Punishing Virus... is the greatest deception of all.
I was naive to believe that mastering it alone would suffice to pass Their test.
Yet... while flames bring light, they can also scorch all to ashes, becoming doom.
Whether it is right or wrong, and who should be the one defining it all... If it can be Them, why not us?
An indescribable fire ignites in the pink-haired woman's eyes.
Come, join me...
She clasps your fingers, teaching you how to manipulate that catastrophic power.
Countless threads emerge from within and beyond the Hetero Tower, slowly intertwining to form a massive cocoon.
The "world" gradually loses its original form as all "information" becomes entangled and all assigned concepts are stripped away...
The "world" reveals its primordial form.
The cocoon smolders slowly, as the magma at Earth's core throbs like a beating heart, gradually ceasing to breathe.
Everything sinks into everlasting stasis.
Is this... what your "civilization" looks like?
In the sky, molten lava engulfs everything that exists, as the Punishing Virus seals all information within it.
You encase all "information" within the heart with your own hands. Through this act, you can still sense—though faintly—a trace of "life" persisting within.
At this moment, all of human civilization is reduced to a lone person.
They will exist forever...
Ishmael gently places a hand on your chest.
Now... leave everything to the "future".
Someday...
When we can rewrite the "rules".
When we can reshape "time".
When we stand in a higher "future".
The sealed amber will awaken once more.
The embers hidden in the hearth will eventually burn again.
But... before that...
Like pursuing a mirage whose location remains elusive.
The "Observers" shall drift amid the expanse of stars and deep cosmos.
Endlessly searching for that unknown "future".
Humanity's Ending: "Gravekeeper of Civilization"
Here, human civilization stalls.
...
Are you sure you want to choose this path?
I must remind you once more, I have never witnessed such a "future" before...
All known roads lead to failure, so why can't the untrodden wilderness become a new path?
The greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. Besides...
Even if you were to become an "Observer" as Ishmael suggested, what's the difference between "preservation" and an "eternal loop"?
Amber will not continue to flow, and the insect trapped within it are no different from the truly dead.
A fragment of survival and a shard of hope—they're perfectly equal.
Should you bear the burden of civilization alone, seeking an unpredictable "future", or should you throw yourself into the fray for one desperate, final strike...
If human civilization is destined to be "harvested", and the ending has already been written, then...
Why not choose to destroy it all and seek the final answer?
The direst outcome would simply be you, along with all of human civilization, being dragged into the abyss.
But that way, at least they would all still be "alive".
Even if you might truly die there?
As long as there's even a sliver of hope to grasp.
Even if the entire world might fall into an eternal loop?
If death is already predestined, then any struggle you can still attempt now might pave the path toward a "new answer".
...
You really are something else, "Gray Raven".
Her voice carries a gentle nostalgia, as if reminiscing about someone from the past.
Before you can raise any questions, Ishmael has already reopened the weighty tome.
On the aged paper, the "option" formed by crimson-gold lines floats crookedly, emitting a shimmering glow.
I have never witnessed such a story... one that can exist beyond predetermined endings, breaking free from constraints, giving rise to a new "choice".
Perhaps this itself is a form of miracle...
It is the sliver of hope unleashed by Lucia when she slashed through the confinement of the Hetero Tower.
It is the endeavor of Nanami, who has journeyed through the vast expanse of stars only to capture the sole truth hidden in the depths of space.
It is the fiery flame kindled by the will of countless people that has ultimately sparked the threads woven by fate, shattering predetermined constraints and illuminating the darkest corners.
It is a miracle, yet it is not.
United in purpose, they have seared out a new possibility for humanity's future in the annals of time.
...
I see.
How perilous it is that human civilization... has managed to advance this far.
Then, let us see how this new story unfolds.
The pages flutter wildly as crimson-gold lines twist themselves into strange characters.
I can help you return to the bottom of the sea.
You will go back to the cradle there, enter Cthylla's egg, and be hatched as the true "Chaos".
Your sight will become one with Chaos...
"You" are the true Chaos.
A complete Chaos wields absolute power. After defeating Cradle, you may fully harness the power of the Hetero Tower before it sustains damage.
But I must remind you once again, I have never witnessed this "future".
All futures observed by Ishmael must have already been watched by "Them"—those beings Ishmael has mentioned.
Under such circumstances, a desperate gamble may well be the right path.
Because "you" will become the true Chaos.
She turns her gaze toward you, a peculiar smile playing across her lips.
You've glimpsed those "visions" before, haven't you?
I'm not certain where your power originates from, but...
"You" are "you."
When "you" become the true "Chaos", you will reign over everything within Chaos.
Your "sight" will transcend Chaos.
Your "sight" will exist beyond just this realm, preventing Vonnegut from manipulating your thoughts.
Seeming to sense your lingering doubts, Ishmael pauses in thought before continuing.
Besides... everything has already changed.
I've read that ending where you accepted Vonnegut's suggestion and merged with Chaos inside the tower.
In that ending...
A crimson projection flows slowly before you.
Everything beyond Earth falls under Vonnegut's control. He drives the Red Tide into the sea according to his design, forming what he deems a "nation".
But things don't unfold as simply as Vonnegut has imagined.
He fails to leave Earth through the "Gateway".
The Red Tide overflowing from the Hetero Tower grows increasingly powerful as the "hunger" of the Punishing Virus knows no bounds.
Eventually, Chaos becomes a vessel driven by the will of the Red Tide.
Humans striving to reclaim their home are woven into grotesque forms by the Red Tide, while Vonnegut and the humans of the other "nation" remain trapped on the surface, locked in an eternal conflict.
A few sparse images sketch the outline of another hellish fate.
Vonnegut fails to resist Agent Zero as he has planned, never reaching the "future" he has longed for.
This is the "ending" that has already been written.
She answers softly.
Every point of divergence hinges upon you, Gray Raven.
The ending that entails the Red Tide Influx will never come after you become Chaos.
Because you have already left the Hetero Tower.
This alone represents a "future" that neither Gestalt, Huaxu, nor even I, have ever foreseen, despite our exhaustive calculations.
Hearing the urgency in your voice, Ishmael falls silent for a moment before speaking again.
I cannot foresee whether this operation will succeed, and even...
I find myself no longer able to predict what will happen next, limited by my own immersion in the situation.
Her Keystaff arcs through the air, and a door shimmering with otherworldly colors slowly emerges.
If on this "journey", you fail to stop it all...
It will only take the slightest misstep to bring about true death.
All of this will inevitably become a "closed loop", trapping you forever in the ending of the Cradle of Deep Blue. There will be no escape.
You will die again and again in the cradle.
You still have the possibility of choice, Gray Raven.
How many times has it been now...
How many times you have struggled from despair toward hope, only to be cast into the abyss just as hope begins to sprout.
The sacrificed lives accumulate like grains of sand in an hourglass, numerous arms reaching out to lift you from the abyss of fate.
If this is to be your end, then...
You shall pay with your life to kindle a faint light for human civilization, gambling on that sliver of distant hope.
I shall—
I shall shatter the pallid veil of time and burn through the rotting path of fate.
I shall traverse myriad sufferings and the darkest of nights.
I shall fight with all my might to steal a flame.
I shall... bring forth the true dawn for humanity.
