After multiple checks and confirmed stability, the <color=#ff4e4eff>improved Central Purification Filter</color> core gets deployed quickly to all conservation areas under Babylonia's control.
"Safe Zones" pop up everywhere. While they can't totally wipe out the virus, they give humanity enough security to slowly take back lands that Punishing and the Red Tide have taken over.
...And that, my dear Luna, is pretty much the story of humanity's "Safe Zones."
...I get it.
This doesn't <color=#ff4e4eff>line up with</color> what she saw before in the Ascension-Network.
Long ago, Luna used the Ascension-Network's power to peek into the far future.
Though her powers can't show the whole picture, she's certain of one thing: the Trial will eventually arrive, selecting beings able to reach a higher existence.
Yet, until today, she hasn't seen anything that could be considered the Trial happening.
Before Luna can figure out what stopped the Trial from appearing, the Ascension-Network already eagerly kicks off another round of Filtering for its agents and Ascendants—
Humanity's Safe Zones are growing, and the Ascension-Network already senses the crisis.
Luna, what do you want me to do now?
Roland stands inside the created dreamscape as the silver-haired girl sits deep in thought in a hanging chair. Trying to figure out what she's planning, Roland speaks very carefully.
Maybe I could go back to Vonnegut's side and... read his reactions to get some useful info...
No, that's not the best move.
Luna brushes off his suggestion.
Whatever schemes that agent and the humans are cooking up no longer concern us.
No matter what he does, he can't possibly shake the Ascension-Network... just like I told Lucia.
Lady Alpha? She's already here?
Yes, before you got here.
Then why didn't she...
Roland freezes for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Luna's form.
Then why couldn't she rescue me?
Because... this is the "price."
It's the price for using the Ascension-Network.
The dreamscape gradually shatters, revealing the true nature of this area in the eerie dim light.
The silver-white girl lies trapped within crimson crystal clusters, sleeping peacefully like a lamb waiting for sacrifice.
Humans got their "Safe Zones," forcing the Ascension-Network to speed up its filtering process under pressure. I gained new permissions from this filtering.
But getting more permissions also means a deeper connection with the Ascension-Network. This is the "price" I have to pay.
That doesn't sound like a good deal.
It's no big deal. I haven't taken that final step yet, so I won't be completely tied to the Ascension-Network.
She gazes off into the distance.
Besides, I've already seen a new possibility.
Before anyone else can find Luna, Alpha already arrives here, katana in hand.
She finds Luna, and with that, discovers her own way forward.
If Lucia could truly break free from the Ascension-Network...
Then maybe the Ascendants could genuinely find a new possibility through this breakthrough.
Luna closes her eyes, diving her consciousness into the complex web of the Ascension-Network.
Lucia hasn't cut her link to the Ascension-Network yet. Maybe I can use the Ascension-Network to "see" everything she's experiencing...
She doesn't want her sister to take such risks.
Blizzard is howling.
Following the threads of the Ascension-Network, Luna catches a faint glimpse of the Snowfields. Two figures, one in black and one in white, stand locked in a staredown amidst the biting cold wind.
In a flash, blades whiz through the air.
It's... Lucia.
Her M.I.N.D. shares the same origin as mine... Is that why the Ascension-Network has her in its sights too...
The brief but intense battle ends with Alpha and Lucia pulling back their weapons almost simultaneously.
Luna gets a strong sense that during the fight, Lucia figured out a way to keep the Ascension-Network in check.
Next, as we agreed, she's headed to...
Fort Winter.
The Ascension-Network had previously picked up two fleeting signals from new specialized frames developed by humans, but lately...
The Ascension-Network unexpectedly snags a brief signal, coming from inside that research facility.
Perhaps... it's a chance for Alpha to break free from the Ascension-Network.
The iron gates, hidden within the Snowfields, rumble open with a thunderous sound.
Lucia and Alpha step into Fort Winter, only to be swarmed by endless waves of infected test subjects pouring in from all directions. They find themselves hemmed in at the center of the laboratory.
The test subjects... they've broken out of the lower laboratory.
Through Alpha's eyes, she sees everything unfolding inside Fort Winter.
After getting unexpected data from Liv's Empyrea and Bianca's Stigmata frames, Godwin becomes obsessed with grabbing absolute control of the Ascension-Network.
Just one more... just one more time...
More Punishing Virus is injected into the test subjects. Godwin frantically records each set of data, trying to get a handle on the invisible tether that's just out of his reach...
I've got it! It's right within my grasp!
Professor, Professor—!
The test subjects have broken free from their restraints and are loose in the lower laboratory!
Arghhhhh—!
Almost there...
A test subject stands right behind him.
...Utterly foolish.
Luna couldn't care less about humans bringing about their own downfall. Instead, she's tracing the last threads connecting Alpha to the Ascension-Network, trying to pinpoint Alpha's location—
Lucia...
Luna has found Alpha.
Countless reflections of Alpha shimmer in the shattered mirrors. The real Alpha, at the center, draws her blade, staring down all the nightmares in front of her.
She's cutting down phantom after phantom as they leap from their cages, pushing her strength to its limits with every strike.
She falls, then gets right back up, fierce flames blazing from the tip of her blade.
The Ascension-Network... backed off.
The girl, who's intimately connected to the Ascension-Network, keenly senses its resolve faltering.
...It's about time.
In an instant, the mirrored surface violently shatters—
As the phantoms disappear, Luna loses her connection to Alpha.
She made it.
Though her struggle was incredibly brutal, Alpha finally breaks free from the cage that held her captive.
The girl sits in her hanging chair, deep in thought.
She managed to extract a piece of the Ascension-Network, cutting ties with it completely.
With Alpha gone, the Ascension-Network is bound to make its move—and then it'll be her turn to act.
The girl, trapped within clusters of crimson crystal, slightly opens her eyes.
Luna?
Lucia made it. She broke free from the Ascension-Network's chains, while I...
The moment Alpha escaped the Ascension-Network, Luna seized the chance to grab new powers.
Power surges through her body as Luna considers where to place her next chess piece.
I'll give you new weapons, and then...
I need to try and seize control of the Ascension-Network. You'll do something for me.
The vermin on the grid are loudly conspiring.
Understood, Luna.
Roland hums a cheerful tune as he steps out of the dreamscape. Luna watches him go, feeling the furious waves of the Ascension-Network's rage over Alpha's exit.
Invisible tendrils are already connecting to branches of the Ascension-Network. The small insect caught dead center in the spider's web starts cooking up its counterattack.
She will eventually leave this place.
Luna slowly closes her eyes, listening to the voice of Punishing.
She feels the Ascension-Network's urgency and senses the Punishing Virus's agitation. She knows everything's surging forward.
The Red Tide is gathering its strength for a powerful emergence.
It grows slowly, nurturing new, unpredictable life forms.
She has to seize this gift from Punishing before the Red Tide incubates truly sentient life forms.
On Earth, the Red Tide spreads through sludgy, muddy expanses.
A Hetero-Creature extends its bewildered tentacles from the swamp, desperately struggling toward the far side of the ruins—until its abdomen gets impaled on the sharp structural framework jutting from the broken walls.
"Squelch."
A Red Tide-like fluid slowly oozes from its body as it gradually stops struggling.
Before the creature even quits moving, another Hetero-Creature already tramples over its corpse, heading toward the other side of the ruins—that unknown destination—continuing to build their Babel Tower—
Bang!
As the gunsmoke clears, Lee fires another shot into the Hetero-Creature to finish it off, his expression grim as he stares into the distance.
Several days ago, Lucia was placed under 24-hour continuous M.I.N.D. surveillance for unauthorized contact with an Ascendant.
To keep Kurono from acting covertly and interfering with the Gray Raven Commandant again, Hassen authorized the other three Gray Raven members to take on a mission investigating Red Tide anomalies.
According to the mission briefing, this conservation area lacks a Central Purification Filter and was set up independently by a group of refugees. They contacted Babylonia after noticing abnormal behavior among the surrounding Hetero-Creatures.
Cerberus Squad is busy investigating Hetero-Creature intelligence within the conservation area. Meanwhile, Gray Raven's mission is to push to the outer perimeter and figure out if these Hetero-Creatures are linked to the Red Tide.
But as they arrive at the conservation area, news hits them: No. 21 and Vera have gone dark after venturing deep into the Dead Zone, looking for missing refugees.
Any luck getting a connection with No. 21, Gray Raven Commandant?
The sudden, forcible cutoff of the consciousness connection sends a painful ringing echoing through your ears.
Commandant... you really don't have to push yourself so hard.
Liv anxiously offers some medicine.
The ringing in your ears from the neurological pain slowly fades, but the vision starts to blur at the edges.
The edges of reality begin to warp as vegetation rustles ominously, and strangely colored roots violently rip through the soil—
A canopy of discolored trees rapidly shoots up from the dark green forest. They coil and twist, roots entangling with branches and branches contorting around roots.
They seem to be different branches of "the same tree"—a single entity, an alien, spherical forest.
The ringing in their ears slowly fades as the deep purple spherical forest dissolves from view, revealing the lush woodland that was there all along.
Is it... the deja vu again?
Commandant, Hetero-Creatures are pushing forward from that direction.
There's no time to ponder what the vision might be foretelling as Lee returns from the flank to report on the situation ahead.
Keep trying to connect with No. 21 during our evacuation.
(Static noise...)
Faint white noise echoes back through the consciousness beacon. Remote connections remain difficult due to Punishing's interference.
(Static noise...)
Hmm... Gray Raven Commandant?
Captain is hurt. I need to save Captain.
A brief silence hangs on the line from the consciousness beacon. Then, No. 21 stammers, repeating Vera's instructions.
Forest... shadow... southwest...
Mm-hm. Captain and I will be careful.
Commandant! Are they both alright?
Following the coordinates No. 21 sent, the team clears out Hetero-Creatures along their path, reaching the forest boundary in no time flat.
By the time they pick up their trail, it's pitch black.
The Dead Zone's right ahead, Commandant. You and Liv should hold back here while Noctis and I—
Wait, that...
Who are you?!
At the forest's edge, where the reddish-brown Red Tide stains the ground, a swift black shadow springs from the looming woods.
Lee brings up his weapon, eyes glued to the shadow that just bursts out—
The shadow slowly gets to its feet. Under the searchlight's beam, their silhouettes finally take shape—
It's No. 21 and Vera.
No. 21's body is so heavily stained with Red Tide and vital fluid that she hardly looks like a Construct anymore. Except for Lee and Liv, all the Constructs who came with them keep their weapons rigidly trained on the newcomers...
...
The white-haired girl takes the measure of the wary Constructs surrounding her, like a predator assessing the weaknesses of its prey—
A sudden memory of No. 21's previous stress responses sends alarm bells ringing. Noctis must have caught on to the same thing—
Hey! Are you deaf?! I said put down your weapons!
Noctis shoves aside the Construct blocking his path and bellows at everyone.
Surprisingly, the girl doesn't lunge forward in a frenzy, as everyone feared she might.
I—
I'm not a Corrupted.
She meets every watchful gaze fixed on her. This time, she makes no move to tear anyone to shreds; instead, she clearly states her intentions.
I am—No. 21 from Cerberus!
She helps Vera to her feet. Oddly, Buddy, the support drone Vera usually has trailing her, is nowhere in sight.
Captain is hurt. Needs immediate treatment.
The Constructs seem momentarily stunned, their bodies still frozen.
Help her, dammit! Get a stretcher! Where's that emergency kit I brought—!
The infection has far exceeded safe levels. We need to clear out the Punishing Virus first...
Liv deftly pulls out the emergency medical kit. Under her guidance, the other Constructs finally drop their guard and start to help.
Push down the questions bubbling up—now is not the time to ask Vera when she swapped to a Geiravor frame.
For some reason, that oddly colored, spherical forest just sticks in my mind's eye; I can't shake it.
We fought tooth and nail for this safe zone—we can't let anything rock the boat and shatter this fragile peace.
Leave it to me.
Lee gives a knowing nod, then turns on his heel and heads into the Dead Zone with his collection gear.
A few days later, Babylonia.
Lee's data from the Dead Zone turned up some real head-scratchers—both the evolving Hetero-Creatures acting in concert and the Red Tide, which is kicking their "evolution" into high gear.
After they die, the Hetero-Creatures just melt into the soil, only to be birthed anew by the Red Tide—it's like a second coming...
Whether someone is deliberately "cultivating" these creatures or this is just the Red Tide's natural progression—either way, it spells trouble for Babylonia.
Luckily, the improved Central Purification Filter cores are still doing the trick. Going forward, as long as we can keep swapping out the cores without a hitch, we can at least put a pin in the safety of the conservation areas...
Deep in thought, mulling over the topics just discussed in Babylonia's highest-level classified meeting, you step out, loosening the tight strap of your hat.
Even though the new Central Purification Filter cores can only scatter the Punishing Virus rather than destroy it—and the dispersed virus is bound to pull itself back together somewhere else—as long as it doesn't show up in big, concentrated bursts, the situation remains manageable.
On top of that, after the meeting, Celica sent over the population disappearance report from last period. The frequent "disappearances caused by Hetero-Creatures" incidents might be worth looking into—could this tie back to the dispersed Punishing Virus...?
...[player name].
Down the empty corridor, a silent figure in white lurks around the corner, waiting until you get close before speaking up.
No. 21 is waiting for Captain.
Captain suddenly switched to the Geiravor frame before battle. This needs to be reported.
Captain changed frames after talking to Commandant Murray. I don't know anything else.
No. 21 points to a tightly closed door on the other side, then looks up at the human.
[player name] is passing by. Can [player name] chat with No. 21?
As if worried about being rejected, No. 21 furrows her brow, thinks for a moment, then adds.
[player name] promised No. 21 before.
If I have problems, I can find [player name].
You check your schedule, confirm you're free, and find yourself leaning against the wall next to No. 21.
...
No. 21 remains quiet for a moment, clearly unsure how to break the ice. Then, in a soft voice, she says.
I never got to thank you.
It's about Buddy.
The girl in white tilts her head up, a faraway look in her eyes as if replaying a memory.
She's thinking back to that day when she and Vera fought their way through the Hetero-Creature encirclement, took down the corrupted Buddy, and barely escaped the Dead Zone.
You recall the oddly dressed girl, still a bit taken aback by her unique Construct style—you've never seen anything quite like it.
But before all that...
Buddy's gone missing.
It's alright. I've already... found Buddy.
No. 21 seems to have undergone some kind of inner transformation, more than just a frame replacement. It's like...
She seems to have carved out her own way of "being" in this world.
I only just realized it.
Goodbye...
No. 21 knits her brows, as if she grasps it and yet doesn't, all at once.
I don't want to "say goodbye" to Buddy.
But, I do want to say goodbye to Buddy.
[player name], will you come with me?
Vera is still out cold. No. 21 instinctively glances at the human standing in front of her.
...
Yes, I want [player name] to come with me.
We're going to say goodbye to Buddy together.
The next day, it's still dark out, and the conservation area residents are sound asleep when a loud knocking rattles the Gray Raven Commandant's door.
It's an energetic No. 21 standing there.
No. 21's treatment is complete.
[player name] promised to "say goodbye" with me together.
She just had her bandages removed, but she insisted on coming here...
Liv just shakes her head, a clear sign she tried and failed to stop No. 21.
As the first hint of dawn breaks, I pull on my protective suit, and No. 21 and I make our way through the Dead Zone's forest.
We easily handle the Hetero-Creatures that swarm around us. Suddenly, No. 21 stops dead in her tracks in a specific spot.
This is it.
The wolf-eared girl crouches, silently gazing at the metal fragments strewn across the ground.
Buddy...
Goodbyes are just something you know how to do; you don't need a lesson. No. 21 repeats its name over and over, her voice low and somber.
I'm sorry.
She gently touches the familiar fragments that remain, each metal piece a memento of the countless days and nights they shared.
Those headaches were you calling out to me, weren't they, Buddy?
I'm sorry, Buddy. I was too dense to realize you were crying for help.
So this is why No. 21 grew up so fast.
In this dog-eat-dog world, every step forward means losing a part of yourself.
No. 21 got justice for Buddy.
No. 21 gathers the fragments from the ground, carefully making a small pile.
I beat back all those bad things that snatched Buddy away.
I'm not letting them take Captain from me again.
But I'm sorry, Buddy. I couldn't keep you safe.
The girl stubbornly repeats these words, doggedly digging through the dirt, scavenging for every last metal fragment and piling them up.
So...
Buddy is always with me.
I'm never letting those bad things steal Buddy's "haruka" again.
She gazes at the small pile of metal fragments, pressing her hand against her chest.
Sunlight filters through the leaves above, illuminating the girl's determined expression that borders on reverence.
Buddy... is always, always with me.
The wolf-eared girl completes her "goodbye" in her own unique way.
By losing a part of herself, she also finds her own freedom.
Afterward, I head back to Babylonia with the Captain and Noctis.
I haven't thanked [player name] yet.
Thank you, [player name], for telling me I could still "say goodbye."
Canon taught me the word "haruka."
She's our friend.
"Haruka" means...
Tribe.
