35-22 "Trial"
By the sea, among ruins.
Grace and her followers aren't far from the Copperfield Aquarium. By the time they reach this seaside location, there's hardly a trace of other Scarlet Revelation groups.
Lady Revelationist, this must be the place!
We've made it here, so does that mean... does that mean we've passed the test?
No, this is only the beginning.
God taught us to be patient, to wait.
Lady Revelationist, is there truly "rebirth" in the Red Tide?
Of course, the "rebirth" within the Red Tide is beautiful.
Anyone who passes the trials earns the right to "rebirth"... and then, we'll all step into a beautiful new world, together.
What do you mean by... "a beautiful new world"?
That is a "reborn" world, where there's no endless fleeing, no Corrupted or monsters, and certainly no death.
If we believe in the God of the Red Tide, He will guide us to happiness beyond...
She crouches down and gently pats the child's head.
Let's set up camp first. I will divine an appropriate time for us to enter this trial ground together.
...
Some followers grumble, but with Grace being the Revelationist, they wouldn't dare voice their complaints.
Lulu clears out a dilapidated refugee camp nearby, and that's where they set up their temporary base.
We've got... four cans left, one bag of compressed rations, and some of the rice the deity gave us can be used as seeds. As for the rest of the rice—the stuff we can't plant—let's eat that this time around.
Otherwise, there's nothing else to eat.
Smoker drops the supply crate with a hard thud and storms out of the tent.
Well, well, looks like someone's losing their touch around here.
Lulu whistles casually as she strolls past.
They are just desperate for salvation... but something about it feels off to me.
Grace then starts pulling rune pebbles out of her linen pouch, drawing them repeatedly for divination. But no matter how many times she tries, she just can't seem to get a single rune with a positive meaning.
If this invitation is truly for all followers of the Scarlet Revelation, then other Revelationists will certainly answer the call.
I couldn't care less about all the twisted nonsense from your Red Tide cult, but I'm warning you—you can't stay around here for too long.
I checked the surrounding area this afternoon. The Punishing Virus concentration around here is very high. I haven't located the source yet, but there are definitely Corrupted nearby.
It could be a widespread Red Tide.
I can't rule that out... Ha, I almost forgot—that's what you all came here for in the first place.
But if you're all planning to hold hands and dive straight into the Red Tide together, count me out. I've got my own business to attend to.
...I understand.
Anyway, the ball's in your court.
Lulu slips away from the camp.
The first day at camp.
It's dead quiet, except for a lone Corrupted that creeps up to the camp. Luckily, Lulu takes care of it with a single shot.
The rundown refugee camp has been abandoned for ages, but they still find some usable tent materials and food supplies that have been stored for who knows how long—not exactly a gourmet meal, but edible enough.
These supplies solve the followers' food situation for the day. After filling their stomachs, everyone's spirits seem to lift as they gather around the campfire in prayer.
The second day at camp.
Lulu scouts ahead alone, heading toward the aquarium. When she gets back, she tells Grace the Punishing Virus concentration is dangerously high there—
Not immediately fatal, but certainly a mild infection.
Oh, speaking of that, I just saw a bunch of people head into the aquarium. They were toting some mystical items, just like yours.
What kind of items?
It looked like a flag that's seen better days, patched up countless times, with all sorts of stones dangling from the bottom...
...That's Nether, the Glory Banner. He's a Revelationist too.
He taught himself surgical knowledge, and after saving several refugees, he became a Revelationist, urging them to keep living.
And then?
And then? That's it. I watched them walk in, and I came back.
You don't seriously expect me to follow them in there and scout ahead for you, do you?
Did they come back out?
At least when I went back to check tonight, there were no footprints coming out.
Thanks for your hard work, Lulu. I appreciate the intel.
You should know what a single piece of my intel used to fetch back in the day.
Lulu rolls her eyes and leaves the tent.
The third day at camp.
The Punishing Virus concentration here is just too high.
It's only been three days, but some people are already showing early signs of infection—their skin is deteriorating, and they're having hallucinations.
With no other choice, Grace moves their camp further back, but this decision meets with opposition from most of her followers.
No, Lady Revelationist! We've already made it to the trial ground...
If others get there first...
I've never seen people so keen to rush to their own deaths.
What if... what if the divine realm of salvation has limited spaces? What if other people snap up those spots first and we're left out in the cold?
That's right! Just yesterday... yesterday I overheard that woman say Revelationist Nether has already ushered his followers into the trial ground!
What?! They've already beaten us to it...
Lady Revelationist! Please... take us to the trial ground!
Take us to the trial ground!
...Silence, please!
I feel your longing, everyone... but tell me, do you truly wish to cross into salvation burdened by sickness and suffering?
The boisterous camp goes dead quiet for a beat.
We'll withdraw the camp for now. But the moment the divine whispers reveal the path... I will lead you all there. Without delay.
Her followers grumble, but they go along with it. The camp picks up and moves to a spot where the Punishing Virus isn't so thick in the air.
The fifth day at camp.
You can't tell anyone about this... but last night... I heard the "divine revelation."
You... you heard it too?
You bet I did. My devotion must have really hit home with the divine, because I heard the sound of the tide...
I left the camp, followed that sound, and then I saw... Lord Nether, the Glory Banner.
What?! You know what Lord Nether looks like?
Of course I do! The last time Lady Grace brought us to meet up with Lord Nether's group, he spoke to me for a moment. There's no way I'd ever forget what he looks like!
What's the word this time? What did Lord Nether tell you?!
Lord Nether says they've passed the trial and been granted rebirth...
He told me if we step into the aquarium, God will take us under His wing, mercifully embracing us all.
There, the line between "humans" and "Constructs" will vanish, and no more stupid affinity reports...
Everyone will gain immortality, no exceptions...
Whoa...
But didn't Lady Grace say... it wasn't the right time yet?
Hmph! Who knows if she's just trying to keep all the good stuff to herself! I've already ironed things out with Smoker...
Tomorrow night...
The seventh day at camp.
Smoker has vanished into thin air, taking the last four cans of food—three meat and one fruit.
When did you last see Smoker?
I-it was last night...
I saw Smoker leading Marvin and the others, saying they were going to the aquarium.
The follower mutters, yet his face betrays a profound yearning.
Smoker and Marvin, they both heard the "divine revelation." They claimed that by following the sound of the tide, they saw Lord Nether the Glory Banner and a handful of other Revelationists right there in the Red Tide, by the sea...
...What else?
He... he asked me to go with him. Said the "divine revelation" promised that if we entered the aquarium, passed its trial, and made it all the way to the bottom, we'd be granted eternal life.
They said that in there, there's no difference between Constructs and humans, no need to work or struggle. Everyone can be reborn as equals...
Lady Grace, I... I'm thinking...
When can we enter the aquarium and start the trial?
...
Grace absentmindedly shakes her linen pouch, and inside, rune pebbles of various materials clink against one another.
Perhaps... the invitation is genuine. Perhaps Nether truly has found his "rebirth"...
But deep down, she knows exactly where those past "revelations" truly came from.
Perhaps there truly is freedom within the Red Tide? Grace's resolve falters.
Her next step is clear: she needs to tell Lulu they've made their decision to enter the trial ground and achieve rebirth. Lulu would then leave this place, and after that...
Instinctively, Grace flattens her pouch, reaches inside, and pulls out the first rune pebble her fingers touch.
The stone is completely blank.
How...
Every single rune pebble in the pouch was placed there by Grace herself, and she's absolutely certain there was never a blank one among them.
When did... this one get mixed in? Was it when she spilled them in the tent and accidentally picked it up in the darkness? Or...
The blank rune—a symbol of fate, portending death but also the unknown, constant change and evolution, the courage to move forward...
God, what should I do...
Will we fail the trial? Is it all false? Will we lose... everything we have?
Is this... truly the path we must take?
She clutches the stone tightly, muttering to herself.
The eighth day at camp.
Oh? So this is the grand decision you've been agonizing over all night?
...That's right. I know this isn't fair to you, but...
I need your help.
I'll divide the supplies and leave you the larger portion. I'm taking a group of followers into the aquarium. Please help by staying here a while longer to look after the wounded and children...
I just can't wrap my head around what you're thinking.
I'm sorry. Just consider this... my last request, after I saved your life.
...
I'm not sure we'll make it back. If we don't...
Please take the children and the injured to the nearest conservation area. After that, you're free as a bird.
Fine... you win.
You'd better come back in one piece. If those injured followers of yours are dead set on throwing themselves into the Red Tide, I won't be able to stop them.
I'm counting on you.
When are you off?
Right now.
Hey! Isn't this way too fast?!
I hope our trial... it'll all work out for the best.
Grace waves the crowbar in her hand, gathering her followers around her.
We're about to step onto the trial ground, where our trial begins.
"I have nothing left to rely on, nothing left to ask for, as long as I can find salvation..."
"O God, I praise Your holy name, prostrate at Your feet..."
"God shall create paradise, God shall grant eternal life through the Red Tide..."
They form into a group, becoming the last team of Scarlet Revelation members to enter the aquarium—their trial ground.
