Story Reader / Festival Event Story / Lost in Whitebloom / Story
After a three-hour journey, you finally rendezvous with Bianca at the ruins, situated not far from the pond.
Great timing, thank you... Did you come alone?
Where is Lee? He is not here with you?
The human commandant looks down at the terminal.
What's the situation?
...To the north...
No, we could meet the Ascendants. They won't let us go easily if that happens. Let's recycle the bodies first. Tell them to stay alert.
And the rest...
Before she can complete her sentence, the abrupt sound of a message notification emanates from the commandant's terminal.
...
As Bianca's gaze remains fixed on you, you check the message, only to discover a concise line of text.
—Return to the church. I'll be waiting.
...Simple and straightforward.
The snowfield is my hometown. And the church I grew up in is in the north.
Someone knows you're here with me. That person deliberately sent this message to your terminal to tell us "I know everything about your actions and your past."
Like "Wen" back then.
It's a trap, but they already know where we are going. We won't get rid of them even if we return to Babylonia.
I have to find Renee and find out who's behind all this. It can't just be the Ascendants.
Releasing the weapon that was supporting her body, she strains to mobilize her remaining hand, endeavoring to retrieve the frame maintenance box lying on the ground.
It's okay. I'm sorry to let you see me in this poor state. I don't want to bother you with such a trivial thing...
In the midst of her sentence, she succumbs to fatigue and collapses forward, unable to continue.
Reacting swiftly, you catch the falling Bianca, and both of you descend to the ground. It is only at this moment that you become aware of the alarming wounds concealed beneath her dress.
Commandant...! Sorry.
Determined not to give her another opportunity to refuse, you tenderly take hold of her outstretched hand and gather the parts strewn across the ground.
...Thank you, Commandant.
You lower yourself, positioning one knee on the ground beside Bianca, and meticulously examine her injuries under the light seeping through the fractures of the ruins.
...
No, I have no doubt about your maintenance skills, Commandant.
Bianca's gaze fixates on the hands before her. There are numerous instances when she yearns to speak her mind, yet each time she halted, holding her words at bay.
...A trap...? Isn't that message clear enough?
...
Sure, but what worries me is nothing but a nightmare with no basis in fact.
...
After the human gazes at her for a while, Bianca finally begins to speak.
I had a "dream" where everything was the same as what happened today. I was back in the church where I was raised...
The very place where all the encounters, partings, trust, betrayal, forgiveness, and resentment unfold.
Defectors emerged from the purge force that was supposed to keep order, which put us in a tough fight.
In the dream, off guard I fell into their trap and lost contact with Babylonia due to severe injury.
...Even though we were more or less prepared, it didn't change the outcome too much. We were still trapped.
I called for the Task Force's support as the last restore but ended up getting you involved in the trap set by the Ascendants and the defectors.
I used my last strength to send away the Corrupted who were once my comrades and became a Corrupted...
I didn't know how long I wandered around as a Corrupted, but...
Bianca gently takes the human's hand.
In her recollection, these hands have perpetually been clad in protective gloves, embodying the gravity and resolve befitting a soldier. Never before has she witnessed them so delicate and vulnerable, devoid of their usual guard.
However, in that dream of the future and the endless winter, she beheld these hands marred by wounds, nearly torn asunder by her relentless assault.
I met you at the end of the nightmare.
I was prepared when I slashed my blade at those who used to be my comrades and savior.
As a Purifying Force member, I was not surprised by this ending.
But you told me not to be used to betrayal and separation... I guess it's because you are not used to them as well.
That's why you hesitated when you were about to execute me.
Which gave "me" the chance to hurt you.
Her voice carries a subtle undercurrent of exhaustion, barely noticeable yet hinting at an imminent unraveling, akin to the quiver of snow preceding an impending avalanche.
This is it.
...
Yes. The dream came from the data collected by the Phantom Tracer when I was under the sea.
Mr. Asimov and Miss Vesalius both thought this had something to do with the future predicted by the Ascension-Network. It's just we didn't know the specific time of occurrence.
The traces about the defectors I found through playback, the intel I got, and what happened today...
All made me believe that this is when it will happen.
That's because I couldn't stop you.
...But I expected... a different future...
"You never know until the last minute," right?
Stories about predictions?
Yeah. Similar plots could be found in a magic-themed movie where the villain believed the prediction that he would be killed by a child born in July and decided to take action.
...
I didn't know you would also make fun of people, Commandant...
Bianca releases a sigh, her gaze filled with resignation, fixed upon you.
But people always find it hard to believe in themselves. They often need recognition and encouragement from others.
And when they can't have them, they would turn to gods, prophets, or fortunetellers to tell them what to do to avoid disasters in the future.
Is it a form of weakness in your eyes?
Your response renders her momentarily silent, her gaze shifting to the accumulating snow outside the ruins. Then, unexpectedly, she diverts the conversation to a seemingly unrelated topic.
Do you like flowers, Commandant?
Your words reminded me of the past.
Lowering her gaze, she begins to regale you with tales of her past on the snowfield.
I used to love flowers when I was little, fascinated by the life of a flower from blossoming to withering.
You want to keep these lilies?
One winter, I got a gift from a wanderer.
Thank you for listening to my confession, sister... This box of lily bulbs was left by my daughter before she passed away. I want you to have it.
It's my pleasure to have your trust. That alone will be enough.
Then, could you please save them? They should grow into flowers. I'm a homeless man. They would never bloom if I took them with me.
Flowers produced seeds for them to bloom. They shouldn't wander around with me. Please save them...
Lilies don't favor the snowfield. I only saw them during rituals—most of them are bio-flowers.
I loved flowers and was touched by the wanderer, so I took those lily bulbs that were carefully placed in the sand and placed them in rooms with heating equipment and temperature control.
I gave them the soil they needed, the purified water, and proper fertile. Every day I prayed for them to grow up healthily, but eventually...
They were destroyed in the bud before they could even experience the joy of blossom.
I didn't even know if they were destroyed by the Corrupted or uprooted by people desperate for food.
I failed to protect them. No matter how hard I tried and how many times I prayed to God, they were still destroyed.
I know you loved them and spent a lot of effort to take care of them, but don't be sad... With God's blessing, life will come back to the earth and stay by your side in another form.
But I don't want that. They deserved a chance to bloom... Father Snow, I don't want to grow the rest of them.
But I can feel your heart crying. Don't force yourself to give up love, my child.
I want to give them up because I love them but I can't protect them.
The priest releases a profound sigh, his gaze fixated on Bianca's pained eyes.
What if God wants you to keep them?
I heard the voice from above. God hopes you keep nourishing these flowers.
Why?
Because they could only live with you around. Protecting the lilies will one day protect ourselves.
Father told me a white lie to stop me from giving up on the flowers I loved.
I always believed him and his words, so I believed I could do it.
However... the lilies died once again. Eventually, I had to give Miyi the few lily bulbs left to exchange for food.
Are you sure about this?
I've made my decision. This can get us more food and let those who could protect the lilies have them.
...I respect your decision, but I just want to remind you that life is unpredictable. This might not be the best choice.
If dying is inevitable for the lilies, then it's better for them to stay by your side.
Lilies don't have feelings... How could they decide? This time, I didn't believe him.
But Father Snow was right... Life is unpredictable. Miyi didn't come back alive.
Those lily bulbs are inedible. They were useless for people who struggled to make a living through the apocalypse. They couldn't be exchanged for food... and were thrown away somewhere.
Even if the lilies couldn't choose an ending for themselves, it was not a good ending for me.
A terrible thought flashed through my mind back then... What if those lilies were kids who couldn't decide for themselves?
What if they died just because I sent them out for I didn't believe myself? How would I face my cowardliness?
I made the wrong choice...
Don't blame yourself too hard, my child. Our hearts are frail. We only find the courage to love and take action when we "believe" that we can overcome our difficulties.
When we are blinded by fear, we believe the path forward will lead to failure and want to give up. This is human nature.
And this is the very reason that we pray to God. We pray to see the path God once took and gain courage by following that path.
Pray. Pray to gain the courage to believe in yourself, protect what you love, and not give up.
That was the first time I realized the power of "belief." It's powerful enough to change the choice of a rational, thoughtful mind.
When I didn't believe myself, I asked Father for advice, believed his white lie, and kept the lilies. When I didn't believe his words, I sent the lilies away.
Perhaps... the king in the story and the "Scarlet Revelation" believers who depend on the belief and divination...
...chose to believe in the "predictions" because they also had times when they didn't believe themselves.
Yeah, we are all the same...
I've seen countless similar tragedies in the Purifying Force. People who didn't believe in themselves and gave in to feelings of powerlessness. People who believed in themselves too much and refused to control their desires.
Any "outsider" would find their struggle ridiculous.
But I will never forget how those lilies died because of my decision. It is trivial, but it always reminds me to never forget the frailty of the human heart.
...Yeah.
...I can trust you, but there is a condition.
Could you raise your hand for me, Commandant?
Yeah.
Looking at the human's hands, Bianca shows a faint, bitter smile.
Would you make a promise to me?
This is a promise that every Purifying Force member made to one another. It's the prerequisite we make choices to believe and depend on one another.
If one day I turn into a Corrupted, please don't hesitate to kill me and don't leave me any chance to hurt you.
I know... You are less used to separation than me, and you shouldn't get used to it.
So, I don't want my trust in and dependence on you to become your weakness one day.
...Then, you have my trust.
...I promise.
Even though I have your promise now, I still hate to see your sad face.
The icy, pure Holy Maiden flashes a gentle smile, firmly gripping those hands.
