Waaah, Dad...!
Kamui broke into a light jog toward Eurytes, and promptly tripped halfway there, his eagerness getting the better of him.
He didn't cry or make a fuss. Just picked himself up, dusted off his clothes with quick, careful hands, and only when he was sure he was clean did he finally throw himself into Eurytes' waiting arms.
Hmm? What's the matter with our little sunbeam?
Eurytes reached out, gently smoothing Kamui's disheveled hair. But Kamui didn't answer, only buried his head deeper and shook it repeatedly in refusal.
Kamui, don't think you can sweet-talk your way out of training with your dad! Get over here!
Odile approached the father and son, her own weapon in one hand and the newly crafted smaller one for Kamui in the other. Her expression carried a tinge of resignation.
I-I don't wanna train today. Mom... can I just read the textbook instead?
Kamui lifted his head to look at Odile, tears already welling in the little guy's eyes.
Well, well! Did you and Azael swap brains this morning? Usually you're out cold by page one, snoring and drooling.
But begging won't get you anywhere! You're doing both. Study and train. Look, you said you wanted a weapon just like Mom's, so I made you one. Same design, your size. Now stop stalling and get over here.
Kamui's eyes flickered to Odile's bandaged arm. He flinched, shrinking back, his head still shaking.
Kamui!! Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what? Last week you were bouncing off the walls to start battle training. "I wanna grow up fast, I wanna get stronger!"
Eurytes reached out and gently ruffled Kamui's hair, a tender smile softening his features as he spoke.
Hmm... is training with Mom too hard? Tell you what, how about you train with Dad today instead? We can go at your pace.
N-no... I don't wanna train with Dad either.
Still too hard? Then... what about your brother? I can call Azael over. He only started a little before you, so it shouldn't be too bad.
Kamui shook his head even more vigorously.
NO WAY!! Not my brother either...
None of us? Hmm... then I guess our little Kamui isn't afraid of training being too tough or too tiring, is he...
You don't want to spar with Mom... because you're afraid of hurting her?
At this, Kamui nodded rapidly, intense and eager. He slipped free from Eurytes' embrace, stepped forward, and took Odile's hand.
The injury in question was minor, just a scratch she'd gotten while guiding a recent training exercise. Nothing serious, not to her. But unfortunately, Kamui had chosen that exact moment to come find his mother, dragging Eurytes along with him, and had witnessed the whole thing.
Fighting, Mom... will bleed. It'll hurt.
Recalling the scene, Kamui gently cradled Odile's hand in his tiny palms with utmost care, softly rubbing it before blowing on it.
Hoo-hoo— Mom's bleeding... Kamui will blow on it, and the ouchie will fly away!
Pfft. You're just like Azael when he first started training. No wonder everyone says you two must be real brothers.
You silly goose, it's nothing serious. Look, the wound's practically healed already. Mom doesn't hurt at all.
Odile unwrapped the bandage to show Kamui that her wound was already healing well. But in a child's world, if mom was hurt, it had to be terribly painful. Kamui stubbornly shook his head, refusing to believe otherwise.
Kamui. Listen, Mom needs to tell you something. When you train—and later, when you fight for real—you will bleed. You will get hurt. That's just how it is. Does that scare you?
I'm not scared! Getting hurt is... is painful, but I can protect everyone!
That's right. So there's nothing to fear about training. Whatever it brings, it's only making you stronger.
But... Mom... do I have to fight you? Isn't there another way? I don't want you to get hurt...
Odile ruffled Kamui's hair, immediately undoing the neat style Eurytes had just finished fixing.
If one day you actually manage to beat Mom and Dad in a fight? That's not something to be sad about. That's something to celebrate.
It'd mean you've become truly exceptional. Even stronger than us. And when that day comes, you'll be able to protect more people, every single person in Ezette, and even us.
So no more being sad about this, alright? And no more crying. Remember what you said? You wanna be Ezette's bravest hero? Heroes don't get to cry, you know.
...Don't grieve for us, Kamui, Azael, Catrayv.
Odile's hands pressed against the glass, so close, yet unable to reach through and wipe away her children's tears.
This isn't goodbye. We will be with you. Always.
We're entrusting Ezette to you now... so no more crying from now on, understand?
...I understand, Mom, Dad.
Kamui gathers the two Corrupted into a tight embrace. They are scrap metal now, reduced to silence by his own hands.
I'll fulfill your wish. I'll become stronger, strong enough to protect everyone.
I... won't cry anymore.
In truth, he was already suspecting it after noticing those chilling similarities in the surveillance footage.
Each subsequent encounter, each battle, brought vivid memories flooding back. Memories of training with his parents in Ezette, so close yet so distant. The techniques he recognized most clearly brought the most suffocating despair. Yet by facing them, he fulfilled what Odile and Eurytes had once asked of him.
Strong enough. Brave enough. To defeat his parents—fallen to the Corrupted—with his own hands. And in doing so, grant them release.
Yeah... I want to give them a proper place to rest.
And... somethin' still doesn't add up. I gotta find more clues.
Lifting what's left of them, Kamui carries the remains to a secure storage container waiting nearby.
I was watching them. They never strayed far from this thing, always kept close. Even though not themselves anymore, they were still protecting it.
...I think they wanted to stay here. Until the very end. And whatever's inside that container... it's gotta be the answers I've been looking for.
According to Project Barleycorn protocols, Construct conversion only begins in the late stages of Corona Gene modification, and only when success is pretty much guaranteed.
Given the timeline... they couldn't have reached that stage yet. No way. So how'd they end up as Corrupted while still human?
Every Ezette member had their own personal secure container. But Kamui remembers when the World Government took over Ezette, they claimed to have handed over all of Odile and Eurytes' belongings to them.
A piece is definitely missing here.
Kamui enters the familiar password again, unlocking Odile and Eurytes' shared secure container.
The one thing that their bodies still tried to protect, acting on pure instinct.
Inside the container is... solar essence... and a letter?
Did they... leave anything else for him? Were there other things they'd wanted to say? With these thoughts racing through his mind, Kamui opens the well-preserved letter.
<i>Kamui,</i>
<i>This letter's from Mom and Dad. It's for you, just you.</i>
<i>We went back and forth on it forever, but in the end we decided to write separate letters for you and Azael.</i>
<i>At a time like this, we want to respect that you're your own person, who deserves to make your own choice.</i>
<i>I'll go first. Your dad's part is after.</i>
<i>So... I'm sorry. About Project Barleycorn. We never meant to keep it from you.</i>
<i>We just kept waiting for the right moment, and then suddenly there was no right moment anymore.</i>
<i>You've probably figured it out by now that we were already involved before the trial started. We were gonna tell you everything the minute you got back, but...</i>
<i>That damn Punishing Virus hit faster than anyone expected. The whole world went to hell overnight.</i>
<i>Ezette had no breathing room, and neither did we. The work never stopped.</i>
<i>And you know what? We don't regret it. Project Barleycorn turning out to be useful against the virus was a gift we never saw coming.</i>
<i>When we heard the news, all we felt was gratitude... that we could help pave the way for you and Azael.</i>
<i>You'll be in the improved version. Don't worry. We were the first batch. We took the worst of the risks so it'd be safer for you.</i>
<i>We love you both. More than anything. But time's running out, and our bodies aren't gonna hold much longer.</i>
<i>We've pretty much confirmed that conversion's not gonna work for us. So when the moment comes, you let us go. You have to.</i>
<i>The rest... I'll let your dad explain.</i>
<i>Kamui, it's Dad. Don't be sad, alright?</i>
<i>I know reading this is going to hurt. I know that.</i>
<i>But son... the road ahead of you is still so long. And you need to learn how to keep walking it, even when we're not there beside you.</i>
<i>To follow up on what your mom said. If you're reading this letter, it means we've already left Ezette.</i>
<i>We can't predict how things will end for us anymore. We've lost the power to offer you protection, or promises. That's exactly why we're writing this now.</i>
<i>When the World Government troops arrive, they'll do everything they can to purge the Corona Gene's effects from our bodies.</i>
<i>If we're lucky... maybe we'll even receive those Construct modifications people keep talking about.</i>
<i>But even if that happens, we won't be able to stay in Ezette. They'll send us to the frontlines somewhere far from here.</i>
<i>As for the other possibility... I know you wouldn't want to hear it. So I won't spell it out.</i>
<i>Let's just say... we may not have gotten a proper chance to say goodbye. This letter is the only thing we could leave you to make up for that.</i>
<i>This might be the end of our journey, son. But it can't be yours.</i>
<i>You and your brother still have hope. I pray every day that Project Barleycorn will be your salvation, that you'll live on. Really live.</i>
<i>Remember that story you loved when you were small? The one about the sun's birth? It wasn't easy, becoming the sun.</i>
<i>It had to swallow countless darknesses before it could shine with truly brilliant light.</i>
<i>Some of that darkness came from the universe itself. Some of it came from others, kindred spirits who'd also tried to become suns, and failed.</i>
<i>The process was agonizing. But the sun couldn't turn back. It had to keep going.</i>
<i>We're going to become darkness now, my child. That's our path. So please... don't grieve for us too long. Just a little while, then keep going. Continue the journey in our place.</i>
<i>Kamui, my dear child, the sun and the beautiful homeland that we'll never see... You'll witness them for us. I know you will.</i>
<i>▇▄▃▆▃▁▁▁▁</i>
<i>And of course, Kamui, you must know that our expectations for you go so much further than this.</i>
<i>You carry more than just your own destiny now. The future of Ezette is on your shoulders.</i>
<i>You and Azael must become that sun. Both of you. There's no other way forward. There is no other way.</i>
<i>Otherwise...everything we sacrificed would all be meaningless.</i>
<i>You won't let us down, will you, Kamui? You promised you'd always be our pride and joy.</i>
<i>We've signed agreements to voluntarily donate our bodies for research.</i>
<i>If something happens to us, the World Government will use the data to advance Construct Tech.</i>
<i>The essence we've left with the letter is what we fought to secure for you.</i>
<i>Our gene enhancement wasn't fully mature, so we couldn't extract much. But we hope it will still be somewhat helpful for you.</i>
<i>If you need it, go ahead and absorb it. Consider it our way of staying by your side.</i>
<i>Odile and Eurytes</i>
Mom... Dad...
Kamui carefully restrains his grip, afraid he might completely crumple the letter if he holds it too tightly.
[player name], could you connect to me again?
I'm going to absorb this refined essence.
Odile and Eurytes always knew Kamui's heart. It would make no difference if he were still that human child, or a Construct piecing himself back together. The choice would be the same.
To face danger without flinching. To become the sun.
Kamui hesitates no longer. This time, he casts aside every doubt, impatience even flickering in his eyes.
How many people survived? How many are waiting for him to save them? If he's too slow, will history repeat? Will he fail to rescue those he can't bear to lose, just like before?
The thought burns. He won't let it happen again.
The agonizing, tearing sensation returns. He slumps against the wall, accepting the baptism, letting himself be torn apart so he can be reborn.
Hurry. Remember.
He needs memory. He needs power. He must become that sun again.
