Story Reader / Main Story / 33 Wither to Shine / Story
It has been 5212 days since the Gray Raven Commandant entered the Hetero Tower.
Let's stay here for now.
Luna closes her eyes wearily. She has repeatedly tried using the Ascension-Network to simulate potential futures, but all she sees are dead ends.
The Punishing Virus has shown subtle signs of mutation. She can no longer fully control it... What must they do to continue surviving in such a world?
Their temporary stopover requires no tents. As usual, Alpha goes on patrol in the perimeter to prevent any area-wide Red Tide from infiltrating their camp.
A-are you sure you don't need me to take over Alpha's work...
You don't have to.
But... but Alpha is already injured...
...
So we wait for a little fish to clear away the Red Tide?
Roland mocks Lamia while attempting to repair his frame using the mutated Punishing Virus.
Roland glances at the silent Luna from the corner of his eye, carefully choosing his words as he contemplates how to circumvent the Mutated Red Tide and find a safer place to set up camp...
...Because Alpha has disconnected from the Ascension-Network, but you haven't.
After a moment of silence, Luna offers this rare, patient explanation to the mermaid.
W-what...?
...
Has it really come to this?
...You two, don't stray too far from me.
Luna turns her head away, falling silent again.
Alpha returns from a brief patrol, confirms the area is secure, and the group sets up a temporary camp here.
Night falls, and everything grows silent, leaving only the sound of gentle wind rustling through leaves.
Hearing a faint noise, Luna quietly opens her eyes.
Roland stands before her with his characteristic playful grin.
...
You should know what I intend to do, Luna.
You will die.
That's just one "possibility".
The Punishing Virus has mutated. I can no longer provide you with any help.
The "filtering" of the old world is not embraced by the new one. Due to the trait of the Ascension-Network, they have, in a way, been forsaken by this era that has veered onto a different developmental path.
Of course, I'm well aware of that.
Besides, I may not fail. My reconstructed frame... is that lady's work.
Though the connection with Luna remains, the source of power has long since changed.
...
You will die.
She has never seen a different ending in any of her forced simulations.
Since death is inevitable, at least let me give it a try.
He gives his usual smile.
After all, this isn't just the world you want to see, it's what I hope for too...
Perhaps this is the perfect moment for the final curtain.
With a final bow to Luna, he disappears into the night, leaving the makeshift camp behind.
One day, two days, three days...
On another night, amid Lamia's fearful yet cautious inquiry, Luna lifts her head slightly, sensing the first snowflake descending.
As the snowflake lands on her fingertip, she clearly feels the thread belonging to Roland snap.
He died that night.
It has been 5401 days since the Gray Raven Commandant entered the Hetero Tower.
The three continue to press forward.
Along their journey, they barely see a single human. Camps lie rotting, and scattered remains have long since been quietly buried beneath dust and soil.
When did everything become like this...
The mermaid grows restless, instinctively fearing this increasingly unfamiliar world.
Where... have all the humans gone?
Normally, they wouldn't pay much attention to human traces, but they'd always run into wandering scavengers, or occasionally stumble upon nearby human settlements.
Perhaps they have sailed far away, or perhaps they have all perished.
Is... is it possible they found some refuge, and they're all hiding there?
Could they have left other messages behind...
She looks desperately toward Luna, seeking an answer as definitive as it has always been.
With human capabilities, creating such a vast shelter would be impossible.
B-but...
A faint tremor of sobbing creeps into Lamia's voice.
...
Luna doesn't continue speaking.
She doesn't know how to comfort Lamia, nor how to explain this inevitable end that awaits them.
Or, or... is there any chance we could find some place to take refuge?
What about... uninhabited is-islands in the sea?
Impossible.
I can go into the sea. The new frame you gave me is very agile and can resist most Hetero-Creatures there...
But the ocean's mutation began even earlier than the land's.
What if... what if I can find new hope?
Maybe I can find news of humans, or... find a "new hope"...
They happen to be passing by a strait.
Those aren't the same Hetero-Creatures as before, Lamia.
Her control over the Punishing Virus has been weakening as time passes. She distinctly feels another "power" growing stronger, gradually wrestling away her authority over the Punishing Virus.
A new Agent Zero within the Red Tide is about to awaken.
The Red Tide will flow back into the sea, giving rise to enormous mutated creatures in the ocean. They won't be anything you've seen before. They'll only be even more terrifying.
The Ascension-Network is constantly changing. I fear the day will come when I can no longer control it.
Even so... are you still determined to push forward and search for this "new hope"?
I-I'll definitely bring good news, Luna...
The frame you helped modify for me is really strong, so I'll definitely bring back good news just like last time!
...I'm sorry.
She wants to help modify Lamia's frame one last time, but she no longer has the power to do so.
Luna and Alpha stand silently at the shore, watching as the mermaid's silhouette vanishes into the vast ocean.
She isn't sure what exactly happened, but she can sense that Lamia has really found something.
It might be a small island with minimal Punishing Virus, enough for them to recover, or perhaps it's something else entirely...
But that morning, when Alpha once again returns covered in wounds to their temporary camp...
...
Her hand touching Alpha's wound pauses briefly. Luna lowers her eyes, her fingers trembling slightly.
...Luna?
...
...Is it Lamia?
Luna stays silent.
She should have known all along. Even before the Ascension-Network exacted its price, she had already witnessed the ending of everything.
The thread belonging to Lamia has also gently snapped.
That timid mermaid is never meant to be the dove of peace.
After that... time has passed on and on, until she can no longer remember how long it has been.
The Red Tide has gone completely out of control, and Hetero-Creatures have continuously evolved. Alpha leads Luna onward as they take turns protecting each other, depending on one another for survival just like they did long, long ago.
Crimson phantoms continuously extend their malicious tentacles toward them.
At times they manifest as Roland, at times as Lamia, and occasionally as even older "memories".
After that... what has happened?
Over time, certain memories have eroded, their details blurring like old glass shards weathered by relentless waves—edges smoothed, surfaces frosted.
Luna narrows her eyes slightly, feeling the snowflakes landing on her palm.
Later... after leaving the strait, Alpha and Luna have journeyed far across the land, eventually reaching the outskirts of the ARU.
Due to its geographical location, this area remains largely uncorrupted by the Mutated Red Tide, yet numerous Hetero-Creatures still lurk in the surroundings.
The area wasn't safe. I'll go eliminate the nearby Hetero-Creature strongholds.
...Sister?
She doesn't want Alpha to leave, but after continuous battles, Alpha is already badly damaged. With the Punishing Virus having mutated to this extent, she cannot use it to repair the frame.
You sure... you're gonna be okay?
I'll be fine.
Luna precisely pinpoints Alpha's location.
You're badly injured. Let me clear those Hetero-Creatures instead.
You can't access the Ascension-Network. You...
Even though the Ascension-Network lies battered from the impact of the Mutated Punishing Virus, agents of the old world still retain a portion of their powers.
However, even an agent cannot aid Alpha, who proactively severed her connection to the Ascension-Network.
Her immunity to the Mutated Punishing Virus—what was once an advantage—has become a new weakness. After years of continuous combat, Alpha's frame is now utterly worn down, teetering on the edge of complete breakdown.
It's okay.
As she turns away, Alpha seems to sense Luna's emotions and pivots back to offer a brief explanation.
Those Hetero-Creatures have evolved again. They're dangerous—if left unchecked, we won't be able to set up camps safely here.
Your eyes have almost gone blind. Although my frame is damaged, at least my visual modules are still functioning properly.
Wait here. I'll be right back.
After making sure Luna is safely settled despite her blindness, Alpha leaves the mountaintop.
Their story thus reaches its end—exactly as she once witnessed within the Ascension-Network.
Luna sits quietly at the edge of the cliff.
Why is she... suddenly remembering all this?
Her hollow eyes gaze at the snow falling in silence.
All of this... will soon come to an end.
