Story Reader / Main Story / 31 Shaper's Ripples / Story
Cradle,
How would you describe this era?
It's a time of peace with cutting-edge technology, vibrant and resplendent.
Growing up in this Golden Era, I sense there's more beneath its gleaming surface.
Even a lush mountain can have its rotten wood... No matter how thriving the times, there will always be people who simply won't learn.
If a flourishing era could truly wipe out human laziness and mediocrity... then we'd be marching straight into a dystopian future.
Did you know there's a towering structure in the "Golden Age" exhibit that employees quietly call "Babel Tower" or "Skyreach Tower"?
It stands as the tallest and most majestic edifice in all of Constellia.
Inside, the spiral stairs are fashioned from piano keys and strings. Whenever someone sets foot on them, they guide a variety of instruments to create a mesmerizing melody.
To stop a flood of footsteps from turning that harmony into a discordant mess, the tower only allows its music to be triggered in a carefully ordered sequence.
Guided by the careful orchestration of multiple composers, the tower's theme changes with every person who steps onto it or lingers there, and yet always maintains a measured, harmonious flow.
At the same time, it suggests...
Certain individuals, with certain steps, only create the sound of their own tread—discordant, unable to blend into the tower's majestic harmony.
...This, in my eyes, is the Golden Age.
...
Cradle stands on a street stained with the Red Tide, her gaze locked on Babel Tower in the near distance.
In <b><ud><color=#34aff8ff><link=14>the future that belongs to her</link></color></ud></b>, she first appears right where that tower rises. Back then, "Constellia" was a hub of scientific advancement.
But now, neither the city nor this era is hers anymore. She must wrest control of the <b><ud><color=#34aff8ff><link=3>Contaminating Memetic</link></color></ud></b> just to recall fleeting memories of that bygone time.
She recalls her descent, her imprisonment within the memetic of "human nature," and how she arrived in this new world—broken and clinging to life in Cradle's body.
Even now, much of her past remains lost. She can't remember what led to her last failure, and she's still influenced by "human nature"—feeling a surge of desire and praising the tower's monumental presence.
...It's breathtaking.
She's put a lot in place here, intent on letting the Red Tide swallow every nook and cranny, until this city is consumed by a sea of red.
After all, reaping Earth's civilization has always been Agent Zero's calling.
It's about to start.
She gently tucks back the windblown hair near her temple, casting a faint smile towards the shadow at the street corner.
When that time arrives, Chaos, what do you think those two will do?
...
A doll-like Hetero-Creature steps out from the corner she's been watching.
I've been looking for you. Has Vonnegut changed his plan again?
...
He still aims to tamper with the Red Tide by gradually wearing me down through the portion connected to me, right? It'll work, but it'll take forever...or multiple time rewinds.
Cradle, looking completely at ease, steps closer to Chaos, causing him to retreat in caution.
But before he's ready for anything, Vonnegut goes ahead and tosses Lucia and that Commandant straight into my playground.
He knows full well what's bound to happen—and that I won't hold back—but he still hurries to push them out of the Hetero Tower, sending them to their deaths.
Don't tell me he's already written the three of you out of his original plan.
Chaos doesn't say a word; she just clenches whatever he's holding even tighter.
Looks like he still won't give up. Well, I'm ready... This city is about to be consumed by the Red Tide.
She discreetly conceals her next move in this massacre, using provocative taunts to stop Chaos from backing down.
Including Rose... Why do you care so much about that kid? Even lure that Commandant just to help her?
...!
C3 Art Gallery, Second Floor
Madam, are you all right?
Rose sticks close to Lucia, hurrying over to a visibly exhausted staff member.
It's all right—you're safe too... Stay close so we don't get separated again. I've been worried...
She draws a deep breath, finally recovering from the tense fear that still clings to her.
Who are these two people?
They're the ones who saved me... oh, and this is...
I'm Lucia.
Haven't seen you folks around before. How'd you get in?
We...
We came through an underground tunnel. Once we got out, we got turned around and couldn't find our way back.
Calling yourselves "time travelers" isn't exactly a genius move now, but it might help you dig up some info on Constellia.
Underground tunnel...
The staff member takes a moment to think and then casually shares what she suspects.
Maybe it's near the underground parking area? I've heard they're still fixing that place up.
Where's the underground parking lot, anyway? Mind showing me roughly where it is?
Okay. But those mercenaries are hanging around nearby, trying to find a way out. If you head over, you could end up in a fight.
It began as a protest.
It was only about a month ago... We got fired... Management wants to cut costs and put more of our tasks in the hands of machines.
We really want to keep our jobs, so we've been protesting with everyone else... because it's actually a pretty decent job.
But it didn't take long for some folks to stir up trouble—went too far—so management brought in the mercenaries.
We've been stuck in a deadlock for over ten hours, then all of a sudden, the disaster containment wall goes up. We thought they were about to pull some new tactic, but it turns out they ended up trapping the mercenaries in here with us, too.
After that, everyone's been scrambling over food. Once people get hungry enough, they just stop caring about everything else...
She doesn't even finish her sentence before the whole building starts to shake.
...An earthquake?
There might be a problem with the underground tunnel.
We've been hungry for days. If you find a way out, let me know—no matter what, we need to get out of here.
Darcie, where'd everyone go?
The exhausted-looking staff member, Darcie, gestures to the west.
They're probably holed up in Building D7 over on the west side—you know, the twin tower with the viewing bridge. The water's still running there and the bathrooms work.
We've got roughly 60 people, though I'm not sure how many can still move now.
Go with us. Downstairs is flooded by the Red Ti—I mean some sort of super toxic liquid. Most folks can't make it through, but I can lead you across.
Nah, I'm good. If you're heading out, go on. That siscon's probably holed up in D7, and I really don't feel like listening to her.
Siscon? Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
Yuko Kirishima—that's who it is!
As soon as her colleague comes up, she practically can't stop talking.
Ever since she got locked up, it's always the same talk every day: no news from her sister, no news from her sister, and still no news from her sister.
Oh, it's way more than worry. Bet you've never seen a total meltdown-level siscon before, huh?
It's three in the morning, and I was about to drift off when she suddenly bolted upright and said, "I'm such an idiot—seriously. If only I'd messaged my sister more back then..."
She never bothered to call or text before, but now that something's gone wrong, she thinks she can reach her sister through me?
I mean, what can I do? I'm starving and cranky, and she won't stop complaining! If you had a sister like that, would you be able to put up with it?
...
Lucia opens her mouth but stops herself, weighed down by tangled emotions, and says nothing.
Where is her sister?
I don't really know. She said they had some bad blood ages ago, and they just stopped talking.
Now that everything's gone wrong, she's scared she won't get a chance to see her sister before it's too late, so she's been venting to me nonstop.
Right at this moment, the art gallery starts shaking violently again.
...We're not going to get buried by all this, right?
...
Ugh, fine. Yuko's more familiar with that underground parking lot than I am—once we're there, I'll see what she knows.
If there really is an underground tunnel, let's hope we can get out of Constellia before it caves in.
Alright, let's go.
D7 Twin Observation Building
Top-floor Infirmary
...
Why's everything shaking again?
I've got a really ominous feeling. If we don't get the **** out of here soon, more lives will be lost.
He pops his knuckles audibly, then circles the hospital bed a couple of times, clearly agitated.
Yuko, you've been staring at the floor. What's caught your eye?
The last message I got from my sister... With comms down, I can't even tell where she is anymore.
Huh, I didn't know you had a sister. You've never mentioned her before.
Yeah, she's caught up in her own business. We haven't really kept in touch, so it just never came up.
Any updates at all?
Nothing yet. The signal's still out.
The captain glances back at the woman resting in the infirmary bed.
Mona, any updates on your end?
Nope. Comms are still down. You've checked five times in the past hour—why not take a break and sit for a bit?
The ground's shaking over here; we can't just keep doing this!
Yeah, it's not gonna work, but asking over and over won't magically solve anything.
She rubs her shoulder, where she was hit during the protest conflict.
If I'd known we were going to end up stuck in here, I never would've done this—or asked the boss to send you in, for that matter.
Hearing these words of regret, the mercenary captain grows more anxious, pacing back and forth in the infirmary.
Come on, there's no such thing as "if". You folks at Constellia built that wall so over-the-top we can't even crack it. Is it really necessary to make it this impenetrable?
Yeah, it's odd. I checked the specs on those disaster containment walls—they're not supposed to be that sturdy.
But somehow they are...
Hey, boss!
They're only halfway through talking when a mercenary rushes into the infirmary, out of breath.
What now?
Downstairs is suddenly flooded with some red liquid! Anyone who touches it starts rotting all over, and the squad we sent to the underground parking lot still hasn't returned!
Got A few folks with rotting legs—some of ours and some of theirs. They're up on the second floor, can't even stand.
We also stumbled upon a whole bunch of weird...
He picks his words with care.
Creatures? Monsters? They're even weirder than anything we've run into before!
We should round up a few more hands. At the very least, let's get the ones who can't walk back safely.
...
...
This isn't really some twisted reality show, is it? How did things end up like this?
A reality show that triggers an earthquake? Good thing Constellia's construction is rock-solid.
There could be an underground lab below Constellia that's gone off the rails. That would explain the monsters showing up again and all that red water.
Then a little girl, driven mad by the experiments, crawls out of the facility looking for payback... Happens all the time in the movies.
...D-don't scare me like that.
Sure, your theory makes sense, but I literally went to that super-accurate church last month and had a "Great Luck" blessing. There's no way I'm the one this is going to happen to.
I guess a "Great Luck" still counts even if it's in your next life.
You piece of...!
No matter what happens, we have to rescue them.
Ugh, I know. We can't just abandon them.
We can only secure this building and the one directly across. The streets are underwater now, so there's no way through down there. We'll have to go across the rooftop viewing bridge to reach the other side.
Alright, let's split up. Chiko, take two people and head to the building across the way. I'll go downstairs with the rest of the team.
Alright.
Chiko pushes open the infirmary door and steps onto the observation bridge. It's already dark outside, and the bitter winter wind carries the promise of snow.
From the bridge's edge, the three of them look down. Beneath the veil of night, the streets glow with eerie crimson.
It's a very, very mad world, mad world.
...
We need to save people first.
A crimson lightning flash tears across the darkness, then crashes into the raging Red Tide.
Two Red Tide Hetero-Creatures remain locked in a vivid crimson struggle for over an hour now.
Cradle's deft fingers glide over the strings, weaving a haunting melody that compels the Hetero-Creatures to relentlessly charge at Chaos.
Relying on the force-field barrier provided by Vonnegut, Chaos focuses on defense and evasive maneuvers.
Each time they collide, the underground tremors intensify, and the Red Tide lets out a sorrowful warning.
I'll devour this city any moment now. Are you really going to keep hiding from me?
The doll doesn't respond; it just grips the "fruit" in her hand as the music plays.
No point carrying on like this. I've got more interesting things to do.
Cradle cocks her head to one side, casually plucking the strings. She exposes her fair neck to Chaos, pretending to be completely defenseless.
A crimson surge at her side swirls into a vortex that swallows her up, guiding her into the crack in the street.
...!
Even though she knows it's a trap, Chaos can't hold back anymore. She refuses to stand by and watch her slip away, letting catastrophe run its course.
Clanggg!
The moment their blades clash, a surge of crimson energy—far beyond mortal understanding—erupts.
The swirling current immediately engulfs both figures born of the crimson surge, but it carries Cradle upward while trapping Chaos.
Got you at last.
She floats above, her eyes fixed on Chaos in the scarlet maelstrom below, like a faint moon watching its own reflection.
Do you regret it? You had a better shot if you'd stayed out of sight, but here you are anyway.
The girl lifts her hand in victory, ordering her faithful Red Tide to tear into Chaos.
You're not going to answer anyway, so let's just finish this.
She lowers her hand, but the Red Tide remains silent.
...?
...
A strange feeling pounds at the wound on her chest.
I see...
She touches it carefully, realizing that the "fruit" Chaos was holding got fully lodged in her body with that last blow.
Is this... a fragment of your Memory?
You put it inside me so you can share the Agent Zero's authority, right?
...Did you get that idea from Alpha and Lucia, or from Luna and Selene?
...
Vonnegut, it looks like you've finally made some progress—congrats. But you made it way too obvious. At least let me stay in the dark a bit longer before catching on.
The girl lets out a sigh at her opponent's naive scheme. Smiling, she presses her fingernail into her wound and digs out the "fruit" that hasn't yet fused with her body.
...!
There's still a bit of residue left that I can't totally clean off, but this ought to be enough to handle you.
Cradle plucks the strings again. Under her limited guidance, the Red Tide condenses into a dense orb of water. In the next instant...
The street crashes down in sync with the deep cracks in the ground, echoing with a deafening roar.
...
