Story Reader / Main Story / 33 Wither to Shine / Story
"Spit" out by the inverted world, the two appear once again on that empty platform. The spiral staircase still reaches from heaven to earth, yet the Gateway they just entered has vanished into nothingness.
What did you just do? How did we enter that space?
The agent, now lucid, gazes at Chaos.
...
Let's find a way out of here first.
Certain that Chaos offers no way forward, Vonnegut stands up and surveys his surroundings.
At the edge of the staircase, beyond the stone walls lies nothing but void. Only rows of sealed "gates" stand on both sides of the steps, impossible to reopen, with no way to tell which one they had "entered" through moments ago.
The only options for leaving are to follow the stairs upward, or to follow them downward.
After walking along the stairs for a long time, the two don't see any "destination" or "end" in sight.
...An illusion?
Golden crystals condense as Vonnegut tentatively unleashes his power upward and downward simultaneously.
But the only response he receives is still the boundless silence.
...
Such a small provocation seems meaningless as this space remains silent and unresponsive.
Do we need to open these gates and go through them...?
The agent turns his attention to the "gates" around him.
Can you still recognize which way we came in?
He tries to push these gates again, but they're all sealed shut, not appearing to be enterable at all.
If that's how it is... we'll need to carve out our own way forward.
A golden radiance illuminates from the agent's hand, but before he can act, a murky light engulfs his power.
Relying on violence is not really a good habit... Hmm? How come it's you two?
Was there a shift in the tower entrance? Why have you appeared here?
Perhaps you should ask this space yourself.
Vonnegut withdraws the light from his hand.
After we entered the tower, Chaos suddenly went out of control. I followed her trail, but it seemed like this place was actively resisting my power.
When I woke up, I found myself already in this location.
Hmm... I'm starting to get it now.
Ishmael reveals a barely perceptible smile, then turns and gestures for the two to follow.
...Aren't you going to introduce this place? If I'm not mistaken, this should still fall within the domain of the Hetero Tower...
It's a place where you'll be trapped forever if you don't leave quickly.
The Keystaff sweeps down, and a dark rift silently opens.
...
Looking skeptically at Ishmael, Vonnegut does not particularly trust this mysterious lady.
Noticing his suspicion, Ishmael shakes her head and speaks softly.
This is an... entrance.
Leading to... where?
A graveyard.
If you don't leave soon, you too will become part of it.
With those words, Ishmael walks into the rift without waiting for a response. Vonnegut follows closely behind with Chaos, as the eerie space silently seals shut behind them.
Beyond the rift lies the familiar space of the Hetero Tower.
As crimson crystals slowly grow, Vonnegut calls out to Ishmael, who is about to leave.
How is the Red Tide now?
...Are you asking about Cradle?
I've searched for her several times inside the Hetero Tower, but haven't seen any trace of her.
Nothing has changed.
She's still carrying on with her tasks—spreading the Red Tide, harvesting information, devouring the surface—nothing unusual.
...
The agent's expression changes, his brows furrowing.
You're not feeling regret, are you? That doesn't suit your character at all, Professor.
...I have no regrets.
This is the necessary path toward the "future".
In the beginning, when cultivating the Red Tide, he truly never imagined that <phonetic=Cradle>Agent Zero</phonetic> would be reborn from it.
Though he had never forgotten about the existence of <phonetic=Cradle>Agent Zero</phonetic>, he always believed that, in the short term, <phonetic=Cradle>Agent Zero</phonetic> wouldn't be able to discover this world, that he still had enough time...
The rift in the Bridge Across Dreams still cannot be sealed...
"She" still exists, and it's only a matter of time before she finds this world...
—Nemo
I suspect that we might need a new "approach" to accomplish all this.
The projections within the Red Tide are not necessarily true "illusions".
—Trout
As his grand design unfolded, he began to continuously cultivate the Red Tide, hoping to find new answers.
But his path forward was once again interrupted, as the origin of the Red Tide and the Chaos Contamination share traits too similar to ignore, making him aware of a new problem.
The gigantized Chiko...
Sifting through memories of numerous loops to extract the shards belonging to this cycle, the agent slowly begins to speak.
I truly never imagined the Hetero Tower would manifest on Earth in this form.
Now... it's still too early for this world.
When Dominik and you appeared here one after another in different forms, you should have seen it coming, shouldn't you?
Ishmael gazes quietly at the agent, her tone devoid of any emotion, repeating the words Vonnegut himself once said.
It's not just technology that was brought back from the future—the problems of that era came with it.
...
I won't deny my mistake.
Vonnegut lets out a soft sigh, gazing at the pale doll.
But now... everything will come to an end.
A slight pulling sensation emerges within the consciousness, as if something is being stripped away from the body.
The interior of the Hetero Tower gently ripples, as if welcoming the return of the one who once was its master.
Ah... It's her.
Looks like it's time for me to make my exit.
I wish you... good luck on your journey.
