Story Reader / Affection / Vera: Geiravor / Story
...
After a flash of white light, the world before you completely transforms. The quaint village and the dark castle of the Demon Lord are gone.
Reality itself seems disrupted, and what appears before you is a small room—a calendar on the nightstand explains everything: this is even before the Punishing Virus outbreak.
This is the bad ending.
A child's voice suddenly appears behind the human, sending chills down their spine. Turning around, they find an unmistakably familiar little face standing by their leg... a child with neat, obedient red hair.
I was wrong, Commandant.
The red-haired girl throws her little puppy plushie to the floor, ignoring the human's presence as she crawls back onto her simple little bed. Expressionless, she covers her ears with the blanket.
You should hide too. If they find you, you'll also get yelled at.
I told you countless times! Don't bring that walking disaster into our home! See?! Just as I said—nothing but trouble! Tell her to get out now!
That's my sister's child! She has no other family left! Where do you want her to go? An orphanage?!
Didn't you hear me?! I just want her gone! I don't care where she goes!
Splash—
The sounds of cups and plates shattering fill the air, followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the floor and the impact of fists striking flesh.
Listen. It's always like this.
My aunt can't handle me anymore. I gave all of Mom and Dad's money to that man, but my aunt still can't take care of me.
Trembling, the human kneels down, trying to pull back the small, over-washed blanket that has faded to white, but the cocoon inside grips it tightly, refusing to let go.
Commandant, this was wrong from the very beginning.
The child beneath the blanket suddenly releases her grip, sending the human tumbling backward from the momentum—
Thud.
The human falls into a stark white hospital room, glass shards covering the floor cutting into their palms. [??] flows from the wounds.
The first sound to reach their ears is the extremely raspy laughter of an old man.
Hahaha... hahahaha... You see... this is what human ambition always leads to in the end.
Your sharpness, too, will inevitably be dulled until you reach the tragic end that awaits you—today is the day.
Haynes!!!
Snikt.
Those few seconds stretch infinitely... Haynes' blade pierces through Vera's white shirt, a flower of blood blooming from the wound.
Hot blood sprays out, splattering across Haynes' and the human's cheeks, quickly chilled by the rushing snow and wind.
...
This time, Haynes' knife doesn't stab you, but instead—he seems even more deranged—he directs the blade straight at Vera, who was trying to take him away.
...Cough.
The human lunges forward, pressing down on the wound in Vera's chest, but blood continues to surge out like a fountain.
The heavy snowfall quickly blankets Vera's body like white mourning flowers, diluting her blood and freezing it into pink ice.
She said this would be the bad ending, the story that belongs to <b>this Vera</b>.
Ah... You're right. In the bad ending, she doesn't actually meet her end here, like this:
Crash!
A single bullet precisely strikes Haynes in the temple from outside the door, dropping him to the floor.
Blood and yellowish brain matter splatter all over the human's body.
Haynes' eyes remain open as he falls, his gaze still fixed on the dying Vera, as if continuing to watch her "bad ending" unfold.
A moment later, a group of fully armed personnel burst through the door and lift Vera onto a waiting stretcher.
The knife has pierced her heart, and those berserk mechanoids are still slashing everyone outside... We don't have adequate resources for emergency treatment here!
No... No! There's still one way! You know it too! You have access to that information! Please, just try it on her...
Construct conversion!
The human can no longer distinguish which is real—the world outside, or this bad ending unfolding before them.
Everyone is too busy to spare even a glance at the human standing like a ghost in the corner. Frozen in place beside the hastily assembled operating table, they witness the entire Construct conversion process unfold.
2160: Vera's conversion happened a little earlier than it was meant to.
What will happen next?
The path of fate that follows is not much different from what the human already knows—after all, each step is marked by similar regrets.
Back when she was still in the ground forces, Rozen tore off her own arm in front of "Average Joe."
After joining Kurono, Rozen had her left eye's visual module pierced by her own teammate, "Hummingbird."
Even after leaving Kurono and upgrading to the Garnet frame, she remained trapped in an endless cycle of misfortune.
Garnet put an end to Lloyd's glorious lies, only to be condemned by those still loyal to his radiance as:
"Redheaded Death"
...Indeed. If it were just these sickening episodes, they wouldn't be enough to drive the story toward an irreversible "bad ending."
But before we discuss "how the bad ending came to be," we need to clarify something more important.
—What is the key factor that determines whether a story heads toward a "bad ending" or not?
We've been together for so long. You definitely know the answer—you can admit it.
Splash—
Overwhelming waters surge into Demon Lord Vera's M.I.N.D., sweeping the two lonely souls into an even darker abyss.
...It's you, Commandant.
As the waves recede, they reveal the "rooftop" after the battle with the Ascendant.
Faint morning light was just breaking through the darkness.
Sharp fangs pierce into human flesh as Vera clenches her teeth tightly, vital fluid trickling down from the corner of her mouth.
Human blood and vital fluid flow together, indistinguishable from each other in this moment.
She sees the brutal reality before her eyes, desperately trying to force a mocking smile, but failing.
...Are you... waiting for me to say "I'm sorry"... before you'll get up?
...Even at a time like this, you still spout noble-sounding platitudes... What's the point in keeping a haywire Construct around anyway?
Cut ties with me sooner and you wouldn't have to suffer like this... It hurts, doesn't it? I deserve this...
The human says nothing, only reaching out to touch the corner of Vera's lips. Blood still drips from her mouth, flowing over their severely wounded hands.
Yet the human persists, hands trembling as they cup Vera's face.
With each labored breath, a crimson stream flows from the human's chest.
...!
...It's my... fault...
Come on... I'm getting you out of here!!
Contrary to everyone's expectations—the Geiravor frame's loss of control resulted in a devastating loss. She "turned on" the Gray Raven Commandant who had been assigned to the temporary mission.
I only wanted... for you to survive...!
Eh...
I was wrong, Commandant.
That was the turning point of our story—I brought disaster upon you too.
What followed was so tediously predictable it's not worth your time to dwell on. Let me just tell you directly.
The media never disclosed it, but many in the Task Force knew—after challenging the self-proclaimed "Lloyd" Ascendant, Geiravor went haywire... I killed one of Babylonia's most valuable commandants.
Something major had happened with Gray Raven, but I was kept in the dark. Kurono, Babylonia's Parliament, and other factions were locked in negotiations, unable to agree on what should be done with me.
I waited an eternity for judgment. All Cerberus members were replaced, and familiar faces from other squads disappeared one by one.
Only later did I learn that Babylonia was desperately racing to prevent an entirely new catastrophe—they'd long stopped having the luxury to worry about me.
We failed to contain the aberrant Hetero-Creatures from the gene bank, causing catastrophe to spread across the world on ocean currents... Led by that "Eve" who so admired you.
The Hetero-Creatures quickly replaced the fragile human species.
In other words, the catastrophe eliminated the entire world indiscriminately. In this "new world," there remained no trees for humanity to climb to escape disaster.
Later still... the situation became so desperate they could overlook my transgressions. They released me, allowing unrestricted use of Geiravor—as long as I could battle and kill as many enemies as possible.
But what chance was left... Haha.
All the former members of Cerberus fell in battle. Murray died too.
You had already left long ago, but in those final years, everyone I tried to protect was gone too.
Vera calmly recites a list, densely packed with the names of the fallen.
And those newborn "monkeys," those Hetero-Creatures.
Vera scoffs in contempt.
Tch, the Hetero-Creatures evolved into their long-coveted humanoid form based on their template—the "Gray Raven Commandant"—and now they're playing house on this already devastated Earth, pretending to live "peaceful, productive lives."
Every time I see them solemnly pretending to have the emotions you once possessed, I find this world growing more and more detestable.
It's precisely because of my rage, my hatred, my resentment, that I've been able to keep fighting all this time.
I've battled in this tiny corner of the world for countless years, burning through the endless hatred within my frame... and so it has been, until today.
That's the origin of the "Demon Lord"—I am the world's last Construct. Unfortunately, the last human disappeared long ago.
The entirety of human civilization remains preserved within this metal-forged body.
Within the Demon Lord's M.I.N.D., the "human," or rather the "hero," poses their final question.
Did you think this story was just some cheap, trashy novel thrown together on a whim?
On the contrary, this is a dark fairy tale written specifically for you by a deranged scriptwriter of fate.
Vera extends her hand, gently pressing her pitch-black fingertip against the "hero's" forehead.
The Hetero-Creatures, determined to eliminate the last survivor of the "human era," racked their brains until they finally devised a perfect plan.
They recreated a doll identical to the Gray Raven Commandant, dubbed it the child of destiny, and heaped upon it all manner of absurd background stories...
Finally, they delivered it to the "Demon Lord's" castle.
They knew perfectly well that you would be the "finest sword" to eliminate the "Demon Lord".
This is as far as I can go. This simulation of a "M.I.N.D. connection" is merely me personally immersing into the Punishing Virus.
That's right. All that talk of "shadows" and "curse of the rose"... they're just the final ultimatum for my extermination. I've simply managed to hold out against this ultimatum for a few hundred years.
Those two? No, couldn't you tell? They're dolls I molded after those two noisy fellows.
I've lived this boring life day after day... Can't I have a little fun to pass the time?
Shh.
Vera presses her finger against the human's lips, gesturing toward the "shadows" spreading across her body.
If I continue chatting with you, Punishing will truly devour me. After all, you're only a puppet of <b>yourself</b>. No matter how much you look alike... I'll still decide your fate based on my mood.
Besides, whoever's monitoring you seems to be getting anxious.
Warning. Warning. Warning. Target tracking anomaly.
The "system" warning sounds forcefully intrude into the hero's mind.
I've told you my whole story now, little puppet. Let's end this game here.
Why don't you go back to your little village now and continue your fearless hero's journey?
The Demon Lord places both hands on the hero's chest and gives a gentle push—
"Woosh." Now go back.
