Ezette
Present
So yeah... that's how the three of us pulled off the breakthrough back then.
Ezette lost so many people, just to give Project Barleycorn a fighting chance.
We're here. This is it.
Kamui's gaze lands on the door ahead, and he starts walking toward it without hesitation.
Path's clean. No fights, none of the doors ahead got forced. Guess we're good for now.
Last door, then down the hall, and we're at the essence storage. Finally... I can find them.
Please complete identity verification. Access will be granted upon authorization confirmation.
Notice: This is a Level One security verification. Please complete information matching first, then proceed to password verification as the second step.
First, please enter your identity information and member designation to complete the information matching verification.
Verifying... Please wait...
Warning: Member [Kamui]'s designation does not include [SU-0]. The identity you entered does not match the member designation.
Would you like to use another designation associated with this member for verification?
Though his chest no longer houses anything that beats, he feels something caught there, an obstruction that won't clear.
But the warnings flash red again. The result never varies, no matter how many times he tries.
Accepting his fate, he falls back on another familiar designation.
Member [Kamui], matching designation [SUE-03], verification successful. Granting access now.
...Hey, c'mon, don't look at me like that, [player name]! I'm good.
I was just, you know, checking. Knew what it was gonna say.
After that... You already know the rest. The stuff we learned before heading down to the surface.
So after the breakthrough, the three of us were in the final stretch, until Ezette was attacked by the Corrupted. Azael and Catrayv successfully became the Golden Suns. They stayed to protect everyone, while I was shipped off to Babylonia...
...Same thing, [player name]. Word for word. The signal wasn't messing around.
Look, since we got here, everything has checked out, aligning with what the signal said.
Ezette's got survivors, got remaining solar essence, got hit by Marlis. They're literally waiting for us in the comms room right now.
...And no doubt, those are definitely Ezette people. The solar essence here did help my M.I.N.D. recover.
So... I'm not that sun. The real suns have been here the whole time.
...No, that moment was the finish line.
My M.I.N.D. recovery has stopped. The story I just told you is all the memories I can retrieve. And there's that problem we pointed out during the frame adaptation...
I should've taken the hint and admitted it when even Asimov couldn't solve it.
Project Barleycorn was all about gene enhancement. A successful subject's M.I.N.D. should be flawless.
So, [player name]...
How's a "Golden Sun"
The frame changes, sure. But the M.I.N.D. is supposed to be the one thing that stays solid.
So with my M.I.N.D. all messed up like this, no way I'm one of those Golden Suns from back then.
And now...
Notice: Access granted. Please proceed.
Member [SUE-03 Kamui], welcome home.
The access system's voice interrupts Kamui mid-sentence, yet somehow finishes exactly what he was about to imply.
And now, none of that matters anymore.
[player name], hang tight for a sec. Lemme check the situation here.
Kamui moves to the main control panel on the wall. His identity verification completes, reactivating his access to the system. Countless indicators flood the screen, and he verifies each one meticulously.
Alarm system... clear. No Level 2 or higher alerts have popped off.
Backup defense systems aren't activated. Guess they never needed them.
Central system's chugging along fine, no weird error codes... Everything looks okay...
The automated detection system hasn't reported any warnings. Looks pretty normal.
Okay, last one. The escape pods...
...Yeah. All still docked. None of them auto-ejected during an emergency.
From what I'm seeing, no major intrusion. Marlis probably never made it here.
Which means... everyone here should be safe.
Let's go, [player name]. Essence storage's this way.
The corridor to the essence storage stretches far ahead, offering the two of you a moment to yourselves.
THUD!! Kamui, leading the way, catches his foot on an unexpected ledge. His reflexes are quick, though, and he manages to steady himself instantly.
Whoa... My bad. Totally spaced out there. Didn't even see that step.
Nahhh I'm good, I'm good! Not even a scratch! But uh... yeah, this floor's kinda sketchy. Let's stick close, [player name]. Watch each other's backs.
Sure, but hey, I'm supposed to be the one saying that. I'll be right here to protect you, [player name].
Kamui shortens his stride to keep pace with you. The deliberate slowness quiets his mind. Going over the facts he has checked and rechecked, he senses his anxiety ebbing away.
I'm seriously—like, super, extra, absolutely, positively—fine! Promise!
This whole thing... I've been ready for it. Mentally prepped, you know? And honestly, this outcome is pretty much ideal, all things considered.
For me, this isn't about losing something, [player name]. It's more like... finding something I thought was gone.
What I always wanted wasn't really about being a "Golden Sun". It was always about the "power" behind that title. What that power could do.
Right?? See, even back when I couldn't remember any of this stuff, I was still basically the same dude.
I don't care about people looking up to me or whatever. That's not it.
...I just want the power. Want to have it. So I can protect my family.
...Yeah. I know, [player name].
When we found the issues during the frame adaptation, when everyone came to check on me before this mission... Actually, it started much earlier, when I met you guys...
I've just been... constantly getting all these amazing things from you.
I know that even if I mess up, even if I can't do the thing, nobody's gonna blame me. And that's exactly why I don't wanna stop running.
Cause you've all been so ridiculously good to me.
Everyone, whether from Ezette or Babylonia, has always been like that.
Even when things are rough, you all still find ways to give me... so much warmth.
...I really don't wanna lose that again. Ever.
Yeah. And from what I'm seeing, I still have a shot.
Carol and the others... I'm gonna make it right. I swear.
There are still people waiting for me in the essence storage. And this time, I'm not letting them down.
Besides, this is already a win for all of us. The Golden Suns are still here. And even if I'm not one, I know Azael and Catrayv have got this.
They can definitely do it. They can use that power to protect everyone.
Kamui's determined voice echoes down the corridor as you reach its end. The door to the essence storage looms before them. One final step, and your objective is within reach.
Hold up, gotta do one last check. Just to be safe.
The essence storage is basically Ezette's heart, so the security's way tighter than anywhere else.
If someone inside tampered with the system, the only way in is to request access. Someone on the other side has to approve it before the door opens.
Or, if they were expecting me, they might've already pre-approved my access.
Member [SUE-03 Kamui], sending access request...
...! Only someone with Ezette clearance could've done that. They're in there! They're actually in there!
Yeah!
Life never proceeds without a hitch. Kamui knows this lesson well, etched into him through trial after trial.
Yet somehow, it is always the same. Even when someone is lost along the way, there is always someone left behind to remain by his side.
...People are still here. That's enough.
As long as someone's still alive, then our past doesn't just disappear. Our home can still keep going...
And... I still got something to press on for.
Even if the road ahead's still rough, I'll keep pushing. For all of you.
Things'll get better, in the future that belongs to us.
Take this surviving ember back, guard it well, and one day it will blaze into a brilliant flame once more.
The true sun burns with glory, but even an artificial sun holds fire enough. He will pour out everything that "Kamui" has, everything Kamui is, to protect his home.
I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long. Azael, Catrayv, and everyone else...
I'm back now.
Let's get out of here. I'll take you somewhere safer.
Kamui suddenly remembers their days at Ezette, the three of them meeting in the communications room. He was always the last one there. Azael and Catrayv would enter first, leaving him outside to request access.
Each time, Kamui would stand just beyond the threshold, and when the door slid open, he would call out their names loudly, hoping to catch their attention from where he waited.
Azael! Catrayv!
Rumble...
...Azael? Catrayv?
The door slides open. Kamui looks at those two familiar faces, "meeting their eyes," but it is a one-sided gaze, a stare of disbelief. Because Azael and Catrayv lie before him, eyes firmly shut. Their faces are slashed and bloodied, beyond the reach of any look he might give them.
His gaze then sweeps the room. Countless corpses litter the floor. Unlike the quiet corridor outside, the interior is chaos, drenched in blood.
This place is no longer a battlefield. It is an execution ground, the slaughter finished. In the end, he has simply arrived too late.
There are no surprises. No applause. No warm greetings. No welcoming embraces like he imagined.
Kamui has stumbled into what was once home, a home he can never return to.
