Story Reader / Arcade Anima / Land of Bliss / Story
<color=#ff4e4eff>44 days</color> have passed since Group 013 of the Kurono Special Force arrived at Seaside Town.
The three Constructs are all severely damaged, but fortunately, the very people they have protected reach out and pull them back from the frontlines.
They continue "patching up" themselves among the refugees for two days until their maintenance kit completely fails and their nano-reinforcement materials run out.
Vera can no longer lift her injured arm, but at least she has survived.
Hush, on the other hand, is not doing well. She was caught in the explosion, and a Corrupted gouged a hole in her back, exposing her internal structure. Her vital fluid keeps leaking, and nothing Vera does stops the flow.
She has been cycling between hibernation and sudden awakening to conserve power, unable to stay conscious for more than a few minutes each time.
Hey's anxiety was written all over her face. After pacing back and forth several times in the narrow space, she announces her decision to everyone still alive.
I've been investigating the underground fortress for the past few days, and I believe we need to make another breakout attempt.
I've reviewed the old blueprints, and that path leads to another exit that wasn't completely excavated. We couldn't find the opening last time because we didn't have a specific target, but maybe this time...
But we only have one explosive device left.
If we take it there, we may still have a chance.
People listen to her words numbly, perhaps having been exhausted by the Corrupted's constant encroachment. With their supplies depleted, everyone has already accepted their inevitable demise.
Get up, all of you! What good is sitting around?!
We're tired... I've lost count of... how many days we've been in this hellhole...
Please, stop with this nonsense. We have one explosive device left—are you going to waste it on another pointless exploration? How many times have you already tried taking people out there... Has anything ever come of it?
...What wouldn't be a "waste", then? Should we wait until the Corrupted breaks through so we can blow ourselves up?
Ungrateful bastards... Hey! They're not going to listen to you this way. Just look at their filthy, lifeless faces. Heh.
Vera rises shakily, making sure to support the still-unconscious Hush before standing fully.
That's how most people are. They won't even fight for their own survival. These folks won't do anything unless you push them... like a flock of starving sheep. Unless you crack the whip hard, none of them will move.
Vera speaks from a corner as she slowly places Hush on her back, draping the girl's limp arms around her neck.
Our dear captain is still so "gentle", but not me.
I've always been that black sheep that rams into the fence.
Vera raises her foot—then furiously kicks a metal bucket!
Clang! The deafening crash sends precious supplies spilling across the floor, jolting everyone to attention.
Send your best fighter to challenge me if you dare. Otherwise, you'll only eat when I feel like it!
...
What's wrong? Too scared?
Then do as I say! I want everyone who can still move to get up and follow us! Those who can't can lie down and die here—I won't waste resources on freeloaders!
If you don't want to die now, keep up with us even if you have to crawl!
...
And so, the remaining survivors follow the three Constructs, trudging along as they once again make their way toward the exit.
...
They grope their way through the dark, cramped space for what feels like an eternity, until... all that can be heard are the labored breaths of the refugees and the creaking of worn mechanical joints.
What time is it... Is it... night... or...
There is no answer except for Hush's feeble voice.
...Day.
You're awake? Stop talking and save your strength.
Hush slightly raises her hand instead, gesturing for Vera to approach the wall.
<i>"...My audio module is very sensitive. You probably haven't noticed this before."</i>
Vera pauses briefly before following Hush's words and letting her heavy head rest against the wall.
Vera's eyes immediately widen—she can hear the sound of distant waves.
<i>"It's daytime when the tide reaches this point."</i>
<i>"We can't see the faintest glimmer of light, but the sound of waves still reaches us..."</i>
<i>"This is probably the right direction. We're not far from the outside now."</i>
Splash.
The exhausted crowd huddles together as they walk. No one notices the coming and going of the waves—no one knows that night has already passed and another peaceful day has dawned beyond the underground fortress.
<i>"Dying in such quietness wouldn't be so bad."</i>
Don't say that.
Vera irritably adjusts Hush on her back.
She wants to find the culprit who attracted the Corrupted, but the tracking device she tore from one of them has temporarily stopped responding, making it impossible to further determine its source.
Even though Vera has already decided to let Hey go, Hey is probably still the only one who seems suspicious right now.
But this suicidal action has also put Hey in danger if she just wants to desert.
Ha.
Vera suddenly lets out a self-mocking sneer.
If she had not hesitated and had been ruthless enough to eliminate Hey back on Day 30, they would not have ended up in this inescapable situation.
Vera shakes her head and abandons these thoughts as she watches Hey scout ahead. It is pointless to dwell on such things now. The only thing that matters is keeping everyone alive.
Ve-wa? Did you see?
Vera snaps out of her jumbled thoughts to find a line of text displayed on Hush's bot, while Hey watches her with an inscrutable expression from up ahead.
<i>"How did you join Kurono?"</i>
...
Noticing the silence from the other two, Hush assumes they do not like the question and carefully rephrases it. A new line of text appears.
<i>"How did all of us end up in Group 013?"</i>
...Why... are you suddenly bringing this up again?
<i>"After I left my island, Kurono took me in and gave me a rather powerful frame... What about you two?"</i>
Vera lets out a dry laugh. She realizes that Hush has probably sensed her unease again.
You always bring up this hometown nonsense for something like this... Absolutely ridiculous.
...
Hush slumps against Vera's back, the strands of Vera's hair brushing her face as text keeps appearing on her bot.
<i>"I want to know... Talk with me."</i>
Vera wipes away the condensation liquid on her face. She knows that Hush should minimize communication in order to conserve what stamina she has left.
But liquid keeps trickling down her arm, dripping onto the ground as Vera cradles Hush—Hush's vital fluid is seeping away.
Vera can no longer come up with an excuse to refuse.
...Fine. You go first, Hush. Tell us your story. We're listening.
<i>"I..."</i>
As Vera continues walking forward, the cursor on Hush's bot begins to blink. Hush starts to recount her memories.
Disconnected and incoherent, her mind seems to be fading away as if piecing together fragments of memories in her final moments.
A wave rolls in, washing away the past of everyone.
<i>"There was a sound of waves just like this back then... My hearing was already very sensitive before my modifications, so that day... I heard something unusual."</i>
<i>"I was with my big brother out at sea when the Punishing Virus broke out. We didn't make it homebound that day. I could hear the Corrupted on the shore as we approached it. Our mother whistled and told us not to come back."</i>
<i>"We drifted at sea for two days, but when we heard nothing from our mother, we made landfall elsewhere on the island."</i>
<i>"There were a lot of Corrupted on the shore, and my brother and I got separated. I searched for him for two days but couldn't find him, and a group of refugees eventually took me with them."</i>
<i>"It was Kurono who fed me, turned me into a Construct, and installed this bot—something other Constructs don't have."</i>
And what did you have to do to repay that small kindness?
The bot falls silent for a moment.
Say it. What did Kurono ask you to do?
<i>"Stand on the frontline and charge forward. That's all."</i>
...Do you just do whatever you're told? You're not very thinking straight on top of being a terrible speaker.
Hey, who has been quiet this whole time, suddenly speaks up.
Perhaps only people like this can make it in the Special Force.
It's not just physical pain she can't feel—she feels no "pain" in every sense of the word... I've noticed this ever since she first joined our group.
She used to bluntly ask critically wounded soldiers how hurt they were... Ha, that was just asking for trouble. She caused so much chaos in the base camp that I had to take her somewhere more suitable—like the Special Force.
At first, she couldn't feel the dead along her path, so she never tripped on the rotting bones.
In the end... she got "burned" because she learned to care about others' pain... That feels inevitable.
Hey glances over at Hush's wound-laden body before quickly turning her head away, unable to face the sight.
<i>"What about you two? How did you end up in this group?"</i>
All my old teammates are dead. Are you sure you want to know the details?
Seeing no objection from her teammates, Vera steps forward, squeezing through a narrow passage between rock walls as she begins her story.
It's simple. I voluntarily became a Construct, then killed some Corrupted during an operation and ended up as the only survivor. That was when Kurono extended their invitation.
After becoming Kurono's Construct, I participated in a few more operations against Corrupted. Every time, I was the only one in my group to survive...
How many is "a few"?
Not that many. I've done a dozen missions or so this year. The higher-ups started worrying about the casualty rate, so they've mostly stopped assigning me to team missions lately.
...What about your most recent one? Your last mission before you joined Group 013...
That one was a bit complicated. Both my two teammates were planning to desert...
Vera pauses briefly.
They were going to kill me.
They took me to the edge of a high cliff and threatened me to jump off and end things myself.
I'd never be the type to just jump off a cliff when cornered. I turned the tables and killed them both, then finished off all the Corrupted they'd lured there too.
Vera casually glances at Hey.
I'm not going to be the first to die.
...
I-impressive.
Hush offers a gentle "praise", while Hey wears a sour expression. An awkward silence falls over—Hush is the only one who seems genuinely relieved that Vera "survived".
Who's next? What about you, Hey?
I have nothing to say. My "story" isn't important.
Are you unwilling to talk, or are you—
Captain's... also i-impressive.
Perhaps hoping her teammates can communicate better, Hush begins to recount Hey's stories despite her labored breathing making it difficult.
<i>"Captain is really impressive as well. Vera, you might not know that, but I've known her for a while now. She's always been meticulous in everything she does, and during missions..."</i>
That's enough. Hound should focus on the road.
<i>"She was already working hard before joining the Special Force. She's a good person with inspiring goals."</i>
<i>"My bot malfunctioned before, and she helped me find someone to repair it. She even taught me how to use my vocal module. That's how I can say so many things now."</i>
<i>"Also, I heard her hometown is..."</i>
...That's enough, Moth.
Hey stops in her tracks and turns to face her two teammates, her expression hidden in darkness.
None of that matters. Kurono doesn't need Constructs with "backgrounds" or "identities". They just need dogs that follow orders.
To live comfortably in such an inhumane place, you either have to be born for this line of work or completely abandon whatever principles you once believed in.
The two of you... One of you is called "Death", bringing nothing but trouble wherever you go, and the other can't feel pain, being exploited as a disposable soldier who can keep killing even with both legs broken.
...But in a way, that's how I've made it this far too.
She lowers her head slightly toward Vera, her gaze meeting the light on Vera's chest.
Vera sees her expression clearly—a textbook display of sorrow.
Moth, Hound, have you ever thought about... leaving this kind of life behind?
We're "alive", even if we are Constructs. We shouldn't have to accept such a fate.
If Kurono has kept us imprisoned within their system... perhaps trying to break free is a good thing after all?
Someone raises a lantern, and the soft light illuminates the silent faces in the dim tunnel. Their thoughts, similarly, remain partially shrouded in darkness.
Vera remains quiet. She notices the probing look in her captain's eyes, but she cannot decide whether it is meant to incite betrayal or if it is a genuine display of her emotions.
Most importantly, Hey's words seem to have touched parts of Vera's feelings she usually avoids—that's why she doesn't know how to respond.
Only Hush's bot softly answers.
<i>"Never."</i>
The faint light in Hey's eyes dims as she forces a smile.
Yeah, I understand. Kurono suits you...
Suddenly, Hush begins tussling on Vera's back.
Realizing what is happening, Vera does not try to stop Hush despite how her actions might deteriorate her condition further. Hush reaches over Vera's shoulder and grabs her captain's arm.
!
<i>"No, captain. It's not Kurono that suits me."</i>
<i>"If Kurono didn't take me in, I wouldn't have a team I belong to, and I wouldn't have met all of you."</i>
...
Hush looks at Vera and Hey, managing a strained smile.
<i>"Everyone's family and friends have passed... I lost my mother and brother long ago."</i>
<i>"Captain and Vera... have been good to me. You've taught me... so much."</i>
<i>"Captain contacted people to repair my damaged parts... Vera taught me how to retreat from the frontlines... So much... so much..."</i>
<i>"...Perhaps there's no one else in this world but us."</i>
...
Hey's lips tremble momentarily, wanting to say something, but nothing except an apology comes out in the end.
I'm sorry.
Hey gently lowers Hush's hand and carefully repositions her on Vera's back, then turns around and continues forging ahead.
...
Hush, teach me more of those... whistles.
Feeling the weight on her back grow heavier, Vera initiates a conversation for the first time.
...W-what... you want to learn...
Hush is beginning to drift in and out of consciousness.
Teach me something besides "homebound". I want to learn another whistle.
A-another... another... wooo...
...
Then I'll do "homebound". Just do "homebound" is fine too.
OK.
Hush slowly raises her hands to her mouth.
Wooo...
The sound of "homebound" is no longer lingering and powerful.
Her voice is so faint that it cannot contest with the sound of waves outside. It may even be inaudible to those at the back.
Hush manages a brief whistle before her strength fails her.
Huff...
Vera understands that Hush is slowly sinking into that sea.
...Go home.
Why?
<i>"...I want to... go home with you."</i>
Hush's bot stutters a line of text.
Straining to support Hush, Vera pulls Hush's arm around her neck, urging Hush to hold tight—like offering one last piece of driftwood to someone drowning.
Alright, we're going home. Back to your paradise.
...Hey! Aren't you going to turn around and see what she's saying?
The silhouette of her captain looms faintly ahead in the darkness. She does not answer.
There's no use avoiding it at a time like this... Whatever. Don't fall asleep, Moth. Keep talking.
Tell me about that island, your family, the whistles, and that rainbow-colored beach.
We can go home once you do.
Hush's eyes lose focus as she stares wordlessly at her captain ahead. Her bot begins to flow with texts once more.
This is the last time Hush gets to describe her paradise.
<i>"My big brother would go fishing every day... I went to school in town, and my mom occasionally went into town for groceries."</i>
<i>"If I didn't have school... I would stay at home for lunch. My big brother made the best pickled fish, and my mother's cakes... were good too."</i>
<i>"After lunch, I... would play on the beach. The coral and fish there were colorful... The fish weren't afraid of people. They'd nibble at your toes, and if one got stranded in the shallows, I'd always put it back..."</i>
<i>"There were no tourists... only..."</i>
<i>"The most peaceful life..."</i>
<i>"..."</i>
...Don't stop. Keep talking.
We'll leave soon and check out that island of yours... Tch, you'd better wake up right now so we can find your brother together.
Even if it means desertion...
The figure ahead seems to pause briefly at the mention of desertion, but before Hey can react, Hush weakly speaks again.
Hurts...
<i>"I'm not going to find my brother."</i>
Why?
<i>"My brother... was getting hurt."</i>
<i>"He was trapped with the Corrupted... I heard it..."</i>
Her unfocused gaze searches for something but ultimately gives up.
Hush rests her head on Vera's shoulder and slowly closes her eyes.
<i>"He said it hurts, and I heard it."</i>
...
<i>"Because... back then... Vera said it hurts. I heard it too."</i>
Vera's footsteps suddenly halt. The memory of Hush dragging her through the shaking corridor feels like it happened just yesterday.
Tsk! Why the hell are you looking after me when you're so badly injured yourself?!
Because... y-you, said it hurts.
Hush tries her best to lift her head and gives Vera a smile, and her equally battered bot also starts to make noise again.
<i>"Because you said it hurts."</i>
<i>"I don't know what pain is... but I don't want to hear you say you're hurting."</i>
...
Memory suddenly floods back as Vera recalls what happened two days ago.
As she was being attacked by the Corrupted and struggling, a moth-like shadow darted forward and shielded her from the blow.
Then she dragged her out, one step at a time.
...So that was why you wanted to save me?
<i>"I don't want you to get hurt... I want you to live."</i>
...
Slowly... ever so slowly...
Moth's life slowly leaves her as Vera steps forward. Like a tiny insect falling for the candlelight, her spirit gently dissipates like floating ashes.
Like a delirious whisper, Moth's bot displays her final words.
<i>"...So this is what pain feels like."</i>
<i>"Just like Vera said... a memorable sensation... a feeling of... 'separation.'"</i>
The bot follows its master and ceases operation, falling into complete silence.
The destiny of the moth and the flame concludes as Death carries another departed soul.
Hah... This burden is getting heavy.
Hey realizes something and turns around, looking behind Vera.
For a moment, Vera catches a glimpse of profound sorrow on her face—despite having long foreseen Hush's fate, Hey now seems unable to accept it.
...What are you staring at? Mind the road. I can take point if we need to charge in.
...
We've reached the end, Hound.
The exit exists... and it's even better than we thought—it was already opened.
And...
Hey brushes away the dust and rams her shoulder against the sealed exit, forcing open a narrow gap.
Precious fresh air rushes through the gap, strong enough to lift the hair off Vera's forehead.
—But as the door opens, a jarring red light suddenly appears outside the gap of the promised escape.
Two dots, three dots... One after another, the red lights gradually emerge and form a sea of crimson.
Vera instinctively recalls those bioluminescent creatures that wash ashore with the waves.
...We've lost our gamble, Hound.
The light is dim, and Vera cannot see clearly, but she catches a glimpse of a single tear rolling down Hey's cheek.
So Moth... is gonna stay here too?
Grrrrr—
As if fate were mocking them, the Corrupted horde blocking the exit begins to move before Hey finishes her words. The entire passage trembles, dust trickling down from above.
Vera also feels a faint vibration in her arms from the tracking device she has concealed.
...
...Looks like so... Put her down.
The refugees in the back faintly overhear their conversation, and the despair of their failure quickly spreads from the front to the back. Bitter sobs of resentment rise from behind amid the shock.
I knew it! We never should've followed these Constructs on this wild-goose chase... Look where it's gotten us now!
Vera gently sets down the "moth" consumed by flames, laying her to rest in a corner.
Hey, allow me to say something unprofessional—I'm used to dealing with Kurono... I was actually thinking of letting you go.
...
Special Force... Is it really how it is? I was so young when I first joined Kurono, and now I see it confirms all those rumors... This place turns good people into monsters and the living into the walking dead.
I thought you were different from those two who backed me into a corner before. I didn't think you'd sell out your teammates to save your own skin.
I'm just upset that the kid died for nothing... I mean, she at least tried to pronounce "captain" correctly.
Vera pulls out the tracking device, staring at its blinking light in silence.
What's that?
A tracking device. I snatched it from a group of attacking Corrupted. This thing is what drew them to us.
Impossible.
Why else would this secret exit be completely surrounded by Corrupted?
Vera extends her arm with the tracking device forward, and as it nears Hey's chest, the blinking light begins to glow steadily.
The answer is obvious.
Vera smiles bitterly, prepared to strike in the next moment.
Impossible... You're still suspecting me?
I can't afford the consequences of hesitation. You might as well tell me the truth so we can talk, and I can make a proper judgment.
Vera slowly unsheathes Sariel.
...How about we negotiate this way?
In the next moment, the sound of two blades colliding reverberates through the air—a clash that is similar to the previous one yet carries a subtly different meaning.
Each blade reflects a twisted expression.
Impossible! I never intended to hurt any of you!
Sure! Kill me and your testimony will be taken as truth—ugh!
Hey suddenly grabs Vera's injured arm and twists it, forcefully pinning her to the ground as she winces in pain.
SHING—
Hey points her knife at Vera's throat, gaining the upper hand in this preemptive strike.
I don't want to make your injury worse! Don't make any sudden moves!
...Good!
Completely disregarding the knife, Vera suddenly thrusts her head upward with all her might.
Immediately—snikt!
Vital fluid splatters as the blade plunges into Vera's left eye, destroying her visual module.
Have you lost your mind?!
It hurts... It hurts so much!!!
As Vera cries out in pain, she quickly retaliates and reaches for Hey's arm that is restraining her, twisting and snapping it with a violent crack.
Hey falls backward, clutching her broken arm, her body spasming from pain. Before she can recover, Vera pins her down with a foot pressed firmly against her throat.
Ha... ha... We're even now! What a bunch of dogs of war!
Pinning Hey down, Vera smiles as she grips and yanks out the knife in her eye socket in one swift motion. She points the vital fluid-drenched blade at the deserter, reversing their positions of power.
I knew you were thinking about deserting long before we set out.
You crazy Kurono lapdog... So this is your true mission...?!
So what? Now you get to listen to me bark at you. You better avoid any sudden movements and answer my questions honestly.
Vera places the tip of the knife into Hey's mouth—one shout and the blade will cut open her lips.
What did Daedalus offer you that you're handing over a Special Force team on a silver platter with a bunch of clueless refugees?
...
You idiot... Daedalus is just using you to weaken Kurono's Construct forces. They have no intention of sparing your life. Just look at the amount of Corrupted they have drawn in!
You didn't just kill your teammates, you've also doomed the entire town. Even the nearby conservation areas can be threatened if this many Corrupted get out.
...
Drip. Drop.
Vera draws her blade and squints her injured eye as crimson vital fluid drips from her socket.
...I was going to let you go.
Trusting your "teammates" really does drown you in their beautiful fantasies.
...I was contacted by Daedalus, but I never accepted their invitation.
I just wanted to be free and escape Kurono so that I don't have to endure the cruelty of "survival of the fittest" and join a Construct task force, fighting like dogs to earn the "reward" of staying alive.
...
But I never meant to drag you and Moth into it. Neither of you needed to get tangled up in my trouble. She was practically a child, and you... I heard you were just a student back then.
Who would have thought that merely harboring the intention to escape would lead to a hunt like this?
So that mission to find the "Key" was just for show...? Obtaining it so easily after all the trouble we went through did make me suspicious for quite a while...
No, the mission to find the "Key" was real.
...Huh?
The tracking device taken from the Corrupted lies nearby, its light still blinking. Both of them glance at it simultaneously.
...
Grab the "Key"... Grab it! It's on me.
Vera's eyes flash with realization as she reaches for the mission objective hanging around Hey's neck and yanks it off.
A plain, unassuming access card, looking almost like an insignificant trinket.
Under Hey's glare of nearly tangible hatred, Vera brings the tracking device to the "Key", and the urgent blinking intensifies into a steady glow.
...
Heh...
Hahaha.
Vera's grip loosens, and Hey breaks free almost instantly. She scrambles to her feet, snatches the "Key", and crushes it in her fist with all her might.
The memory of buying this "Key" in that Seaside Street remains crystal clear. Even their simple haggling seems absurdly laughable now.
They simply bought a fake and signed a death warrant for Group 013.
We've been fooled by a simple trick all along...
She laughs, savagely mocking her own stupidity.
Hahaha... To think we spent all that time suspecting each other... wearing each other down until we ended up in this disaster.
I've had enough. This ends now.
The tracking device continues to blink sarcastically. She holds this mockery close to her chest, taking it in.
We still have a chance, Hound... No.
She looks at Vera, a crazed light flashing in her eyes. Now she truly embodies the spirit of "Group 013".
Can you... help me complete one final mission?
...
I'll make this d*mn thing useful for once. You take care of these clueless refugees—don't turn our last bit of effort into another joke.
With that, Hey kicks the door open. Sensing something, the Corrupted below all turn their red lights upward in unison.
You were only assigned to our team to keep an eye on me. This mission was just for me and Moth—you were dragged into this.
You're the one who needs to "live".
