Margaret...
—At the moment of her "birth," the world calls to her with that name.
Sunlight pierces through the darkness, falling on her face and stinging her eyes slightly. The girl blinks hazily, bewildered as she stumbles into this unfamiliar world.
I'm sorry... if only Mama could have run faster...
Cough!
The woman collapses onto the girl, whispering softly and embracing her tightly. Her arms clutch with such force as if terrified that something precious would slip away from her grasp.
Who is she?
Drip, drip... As the girl wonders, something warm continues to flow and fall onto her face.
...?
The setting sun casts a dim glow between broken walls and collapsed pillars. Amid the rubble and fallen bricks, a steel rebar has pierced the woman's side, running straight through her body and gleaming with blood.
Blood falls like rain, pattering down in steady drops.
That day... if only Mama could have run faster...
We wouldn't have been separated... Margaret...
...Mama?
Her foggy mind aches. Unfamiliar with that word, she opens her mouth slightly and asks tentatively.
Mama searched the whole world... but still couldn't find you...
The woman's voice trembles with frailty as she continues speaking.
...Mama, I'm right here.
...
The woman hesitates for a moment, then a faint smile appears on her face as she slowly tightens her embrace.
Yes... my sweet child.
She gently strokes the girl's long hair.
When you leave these ruins, you'll find a vast and desolate world... A place where every day is filled with goodbyes and sorrows...
You'll witness poverty, hunger, war... They'll make you feel sad and lost, tearing you apart again and again until you're exhausted, gradually ceasing to care about anything beyond yourself.
You'll also meet all sorts of people with sharp edges who will hate you, hurt you, and betray you for no reason... They will slowly wear away your innocence, making you lose faith in others and forget your childhood dreams.
The world waiting for you is cruel... but even so, Mama selfishly hopes you'll never lose faith in it.
Because... you were born with Mama's love, after all.
A tear slides from the corner of her eye, mingling with blood as it ripples across the girl's face.
Mama has experienced and given unconditional love... that's why I've never believed the world was meant to be like this.
We can stop the killing. We can make flowers bloom across this barren world.
Because what brings life into this world is never prejudice or hatred, but the selfless love from another soul...
The mother's words are barely a whisper, yet they are filled with warmth and comfort, giving the girl immense strength.
Love this world bravely, even though it's a wasteland...
Love others bravely, even when they build walls around their hearts...
...Be that bravest person... who believes that the world... will eventually bloom with flowers...
Mama loves you... Margaret...
The woman closes her eyes, her head slowly coming to rest on the girl's shoulder.
...Mama?
She offers her final, selfless love to the world, lifting the cold, suffocating ruins to send the life beneath her toward a new day.
Mommy...
Ugh—!
The heavy, distant memories weigh upon her as Margaret suddenly feels a sharp pain between her eyebrows. Thoughts spanning across time and space converge, rapidly filling the empty spaces in her mind.
...This is the Carthaki Rescue Team. We've entered the Corrupted combat zone and found a survivor!
Hurry! Everyone lend a hand!
She sees multiple pairs of hands reach toward her as they break away the darkness piece by piece, allowing golden sunlight to spill across the earth.
The kid is... a Construct?
There's no risk of blood loss... But how is she unharmed after being exposed to such high concentration of Punishing Virus?
And her frame designation has been filed off...
We were still too late... We lost so many of our comrades, and there's not a single survivor here...!
No... at least we've saved one.
He smiles wearily as he slowly lifts the girl from the ruins.
Even if it's just one... our efforts and sacrifices won't be in vain.
She sees how the people of Carthaki once took her in with selfless kindness.
Inside you is an enigmatic Seedling that can resist the Punishing Virus and calm those around you... but it's also consuming your M.I.N.D., causing your memory modules to deteriorate.
At your request, we'll disguise you as an ordinary human student so you can live normally alongside other children.
We'll do everything in our power to suppress the Seedling. In the meantime, don't be afraid of the researchers here. As a scientist myself, I promise you that the Carthaki Research Institute will never harm you.
The people of Carthaki witnessed the twilight of the Golden Age, and we believe that technologies which do not respect life do not deserve our respect.
She sees how the people of Carthaki once respected her with selfless kindness.
The first lesson she has learned since she came into this world is one of selfless love and sacrifice.
And so, she has returned that selfless love to the world.
Hehe, this is a gift for you, Jagienka! I made it myself!
We'll be friends from now on, okay?
I look forward to our friendship, Nirvatia!
...Theoretically, replacing the Seedling's vessel shouldn't be difficult.
It's an extremely adaptable component that rapidly attaches to the M.I.N.D. to maintain its operation once connected to a Construct's frame.
But... the Seedling has been parasitically attached to your body for too long, and we don't know its origin. Removing it could potentially kill you.
Yes... I understand.
Are you sure about this, Margaret?
...
If it can help more people, I'm willing to try.
She looks up.
Compared to disappearing, I'm more afraid of... forgetting my family.
Suddenly, two familiar colors flash in the darkness, illuminating Margaret's clouded vision.
...Margaret... it's me...!
—MARGARET!!
...!
Two figures traverse countless years and cut through the churning mists of death, slowly converging and taking shape in the distant horizon of the world.
Nirvatia... Jagienka...
They must have endured countless trials and tribulations to return here, to stand before her now.
The great tree has fallen, yet the Red Mist remains.
Margaret dimly realizes that throughout the long years, the Punishing Virus has planted seeds of chaos within her frame.
It isn't the Red Mist binding her... she is the one controlling the mist. Her frame has become the real source of this catastrophe.
Just now, the Red Mist has paused at the moment before eruption.
Margaret understands that if she continues to lose control, she will kill the friends who have fought so hard to reunite with her.
She can only imagine the enormous sacrifices her family must have made to bring about this reunion.
She cannot harm them, nor can she let everyone's efforts be in vain.
She has to do something, whatever the cost.
If this place is shrouded in darkness, let me become the first ray of light...
She grits her teeth and shakily rises to her feet, reaching toward the light.
—Are you really going to do this, Golden Oak?
The malevolent question resounds from behind, causing Margaret to falter momentarily and stop in her tracks.
In this iron prison infused with the Red Mist, each second feels like a thousand steel blades carving into flesh... yet you've endured this torment for over two decades, sustained only by that Seedling.
This undying shell is your eternal prison. It was I who awakened you, gave you rebirth, made you master of this dreamscape so that you no longer have to suffer, but be united with all who have passed.
Eliminate the intruders... defend their dignity...
Why struggle so desperately to wake up? Was the dream not pleasant enough?
...I have never feared pain. This dream was flawed from the very beginning.
Margaret fights against her body's trembling and clutches her wounded shoulder, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the flickering light in the distance.
I will never allow you... to use my body to harm my friends and family.
Heh, after all these years, the Punishing Virus has seeped into every inch of your being. Even if you reclaim your M.I.N.D., you won't last long.
How long can the Seedling buy you? One second? Two? You can do nothing but watch as your friends are consumed by agony in the next moment, dying in helpless despair.
Think of all the suffering you've endured. Two decades of torment, all because of one childish, naive choice. Was any of it worth it?
All that awaits you ahead is a cruel world. No one will care about your name, and no one will concern themselves with your suffering.
Even so, do you still choose to wake up?
That's not why I'm choosing to sacrifice myself!
She shouts, dispelling the hollow static around her.
Even if this catastrophe plays out a million times over, my answer will never change.
She raises her head and continues to move forward.
Because Carthaki, and everyone else, have loved me so selflessly...
She trudges through the murky darkness as crimson vines coil around her limbs like venomous serpents, driving their barbs into her skin and tearing at her flesh, trying to stop her from reclaiming herself.
Because Nirvatia and Jagienka are still waiting for me tomorrow...!
Though covered in wounds, and her flesh torn and bleeding, the girl who has grown surrounded by love continues to push forward with all her might, leaving the long slumber behind her as she cries out.
I choose to believe that my tiny life will become a small seedling, take root, and sprout, leaving behind my mark.
She tramples through the thorns and breaks free from the chains, her golden radiance cutting through the thick fog.
I choose to believe—
In a moment of blinding brilliance, she raises her arm and plunges it into her own burning chest.
That a beautiful, brilliant tomorrow will surely bloom with miracles and flowers!
Radiant light pierces the long night, carried by hot, rushing blood as Seedling emerges from its cocoon.
Nirvatia... Jagienka...
Bathed in the warm glow of sunlight, Margaret uses her power one last time.
The world silently freezes in place, time itself seemingly suspended in this moment—just as she has once done at the site of an explosion to protect Nirvatia and her instructor.
To protect everyone, this is the only way I can think of...
I'm sorry... I guess I've gone and made decisions on my own again... haha...
She gazes at her motionless friends, forcing herself to smile.
Jagienka, Nirvatia... you've both grown so tall... You must have been eating well... I'm so glad...
I'm so happy I get to see you both again...
She chokes up slightly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Don't be angry, and please don't be sad... Just like everyone from Carthaki, I'm only staying behind in the past for a while...
If you don't forget to look back, we'll always see each other again...
As the Red Mist dissipates, the color in Margaret's eyes gradually fades away.
I have... so many things I still want to tell you... so many stories I want to hear from you...
But... I'm feeling a bit tired... I think I need to rest for a little while...
Thank you for coming into my life... like a miracle...
Thank you...
...
A gentle breeze stirs as sparks drift like snowfall. Though only a brief moment has passed, it has stretched on like an eternity.
As time begins to flow once more, Margaret's final words stream into their minds like a gentle rivulet.
—All their joy, sorrow, and memories together pour out in that single moment.
MARGARET!!!
They reach out, lunging forward almost instinctively to support their friend's body.
But all that greets them is a rigid, cold corpse.
No... no... Tourniquet, we need a tourniquet!!
Jagienka frantically rummages through her pockets, searching desperately for anything useful, but all her medical supplies have been depleted in the earlier battles.
Margaret...
—MARGARET!!
She can't help but cry out, pressing both her hands against the wound in Margaret's chest while hot tears stream down her face, dripping onto her blood-soaked palms.
Jagienka...
Another hand reaches out, gently resting on top of hers.
...
Tears slide down her cheeks as she remains silent, slowly shaking her head.
No... We only just found each other again... How could this...?
Just now... you saw them too, didn't you? You heard her voice?
This reunion of the "Dominik Patrol"... Margaret... she wouldn't want to see us like this...
...Right, Margaret...?
With trembling hands, she reaches out to gently caress the cold cheek.
Just like... what she did at the end...
Nirvatia's throat tightens as she sniffles, her lips quivering as she faces Jagienka with tears in her eyes.
—!
As their emotions finally overflow, Jagienka opens her arms and pulls Nirvatia into a tight embrace.
...
They weep together. The clouds finally part, and brilliant sunrays bathe their hug, casting long shadows across the ground.
After countless tribulations, the three girls have finally reunited.
Throughout these long years, they have loved and fought with all their might. Looking back on their lives,
something seems to have changed, yet everything remains the same.
No matter the final outcome, every soul in Carthaki has never ceased their struggle before reaching the bitter end.
Now, they have pushed back the darkness with their own hands.
The mist has cleared.
Amid deafening roars, the Golden Oak collapses like an avalanche. Standing nearby, you survey the scattered embers in the sky, instinctively sensing something is amiss.
Among the crumbling giant timbers, a gleam of green light flashes and vanishes in an instant.
A brilliant trail of light suddenly shoots forth, rushing toward you with a deafening, screeching roar.
You dive into a combat roll, instantly raising your weapon and firing toward the source of the storm.
Tch, always ruining my plans, aren't you, [player name]?!
His heavy armor crashes to the ground with a metallic clang, kicking up debris and dust. The Ascendant ignores you, instead raising his arm toward Nirvatia.
Light and flame erupts as crimson energy pulses through the cracks in his armor—
Flames surge forth as John Doe, riding the Punishing Virus, violently crashes into the smoke and dust.
—Seedling?!
His powerful fist slams into the ground. Only then does he realize the three girls have vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind.
Can you stand?
Yeah, I'm fine.
The two of them dodge to safety just in time before gently laying Margaret's body down on the ground.
A series of explosions rings out as a hail of bullets whistles through the air, all pouring into the Ascendant's armor, tearing open countless fatal fissures.
Fighting through excruciating pain, you rush forward, positioning yourself between the Ascendant and Nirvatia.
...!
Nirvatia suddenly looks at Margaret, who still clutches the golden sapling tightly in her hand.
But at the same time, the Seedling's radiance is visibly fading with each passing moment.
It grows inside me, feeding on my M.I.N.D. and destroying my memory modules... That's why I can't recognize you or Jagienka.
She remembers Margaret telling her that the Seedling feeds on a Construct's M.I.N.D... but what if it has been removed from it?
It's withering...
This thing is what hurt Margaret! Destroy it!
Fueled by rage, Jagienka picks up the Seedling and raises it high—
But what if I can pass my power on to others? What if this tiny sapling that can resist the Punishing Virus can help those who are stronger than me...
The Seedling flickers with golden light in the air. In that moment, Nirvatia glimpses many possibilities: the times it has saved her, its mysterious origins, and how it can be a crucial weapon against the Punishing Virus.
The only price it demands from the world is a vessel destined for destruction.
But what if... there is already a vessel here, broken and riddled with wounds?
She murmurs.
It's an extremely adaptable component that rapidly attaches to the M.I.N.D. to maintain its operation once connected to a Construct's frame.
What if it can grow into a towering tree and protect those resilient souls living in the shadows... What if it can protect you...
Suddenly, she grasps Jagienka's arm.
...Nirvatia?
This is a spark passed down to us from Margaret...
This world still needs its light to shelter those nameless lives tumbling through the shadows.
Smiling, she slowly moves the Seedling and points it like a blade toward her own chest.
Have you lost your mind? Do you know what you're doing?!
The Ascendant frantically abandons all defenses, desperately charging past you and lunging straight toward Nirvatia in the distance.
Give me the Seedling—!
If someone must sacrifice themselves to carry this flame and pierce the darkness...
—I will be the one to bear that weight!
With resolute force, she drives her hands downward, plunging the Seedling deep into her chest.
Time stands still for a moment. Then, a deafening torrent of tangled information swirls through her, washing away the shadows clouding her M.I.N.D. and gradually filling the void of her forgotten past.
Immense pain and fulfillment simultaneously grips her consciousness. Countless cycles of death and rebirth threaten to destroy her, but the unwavering Mind Beacon at the other end of her mind pulls her back each time.
She looks up, gazing at the fiery rain drifting across the sky. Searing pain pulses through her chest and tears at her body, yet the warmth beside her grows more intense, remaining steadfast at her side.
Nirvatia!
Nirvatia knows that beyond the pain, someone is waiting for her.
My, how you've grown...
Margaret.
Nirvatia snaps back to consciousness, tightly gripping her massive scythe. With a fierce battle cry, she channels overwhelming force and swings at the approaching Ascendant.
—Aargh!
Her blade's edge flashes with a cold gleam, cutting through the air as it shatters the Ascendant's raised arms. The impact sends his body flying backward, pinning him against the stone wall and carving a meters-long fissure into the rock.
Ugh... Stop her... at all costs!
The Ascendant howls as scattered metal fragments spark with electricity, rising into the air and reassembling into countless flying blades that shoot toward the advancing Nirvatia.
We'll handle them!
Jagienka and you open fire simultaneously, unleashing a hail of bullets from both sides that form an interwoven wall of flames, deflecting the metal blades heading for Nirvatia.
Leaving a trail of thunderous echoes behind her, Nirvatia leaps into the air, swinging her scythe to summon a shower of sparks as she dives toward the Ascendant.
—!
A deafening crash thunders down, accompanied by burning debris as her blade cleaves through her enemy from above.
BOOM—
Gah... hahaha...
As his form begins to disintegrate, he looks up and lets out an unsettling grin.
