Realizing he's been recognized, Hiro's gaze flicks between the two of you.
He looks at the uniform under your fur coat first, then his gaze snaps to Alpha.
His brow tightens. Shock and uncertainty mix on his face. He studies Alpha's features, then speaks, hesitant.
...Lucia?
...
Alpha doesn't answer. She stares at him—someone who should be long dead—then scans the silent village. A suspicion takes shape in her mind.
Lucia... enough. My corruption... I'm too far gone.
Now, I must ask you to kill me before I turn into the enemy.
Your quiet voice pulls Alpha out of her thoughts.
I know. He died right in front of me.
She cuts you off and turns to face Hiro.
From Alpha's reaction, you get it. This Hiro is probably another illusion conjured by the white mist.
The Lucia you knew is gone. I'm Alpha now.
...
Hiro falls silent, then lowers his crossbow.
...Come in. It's not safe out here. We've been having trouble lately.
He signals you to follow and keeps his guard up as he drops off the far side of the roof.
You enter the village, following Hiro toward a house.
That shot wasn't meant for you.
For the past few months, people have been coming out of rifts.
Some can talk. Some... are not so friendly.
Inside the village, the snow has been shoveled aside, leaving a narrow path to walk.
Several houses are scarred with scorch marks and deep weapon cuts. Some doors and windows are smashed, patched up in a hurry with rough repairs.
Behind intact windows, you catch quick glimpses of villagers watching. The moment they notice you looking back, they duck out of sight.
I'm the only Construct here. The rest are just hunters and farmers.
He leads you to a house and pushes open a heavy wooden door.
Come on in.
Inside, the hearth is burning hot, filling the room with warmth and life. Pelts and simple tools hang on the walls. The air smells like food mixed with pine tea. Hiro gestures for you and Alpha to sit by the fire.
You take off your fur coat. You and Alpha sit by the hearth, and you get straight to the point.
Hiro hangs his crossbow on the wall, pours three cups of pine tea, then sits across from you.
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, his eyes settle on your uniform. Then he asks something else.
You're a Commandant from Babylonia, aren't you? Which squad?
Hiro's expression says he expected it. Something old and distant flickers in his eyes.
Gray Raven...
He glances at Alpha with a hint of guilt, but he doesn't press it. He brings the conversation back to your question.
About... two months ago, the sky turned into that. Like someone smashed a mirror and glued the pieces back wrong.
And you can't leave the normal way. Walk any direction you want, and you'll still end up looping back to these mountains.
It's like... something cut this whole area out of the real world and locked it in place.
He points out the window, toward the warped giant structure on the horizon.
The only way out is to keep going that way. In the forest, you'll find a rift.
You and Alpha exchange a glance.
Earlier, when Shadow showed up in Prism Square, it was through a rift.
Others came through rifts too. They said other places are like this one. Strange in different ways, but all wrong.
Did they say anything else? Any mention of... someone called Shadow?
I heard there's a woman who calls herself Shadow. She runs this place. And that giant structure... Babylonia. That's where she is.
He says this with a hint of emotion.
Hard to believe... even Babylonia has fallen...
But I've been retired for a long time. It's not my war anymore.
He shakes his head and returns to the original topic.
They say she's turned Babylonia's wreckage into a palace. She keeps vicious monsters there, like pets.
I've never seen her myself. This place... well, it's just a remote backwater.
He pauses, frowning as if something doesn't add up.
Some people say Shadow has been looking for a way to leave this place...
I don't know what they mean, though. Leave Babylonia? Or leave this whole domain?
You and Alpha trade another look.
Then footsteps patter on the stairs. A girl, maybe eight or nine, comes down rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Dad, do we have visitors?
Did we wake you, Shiv? These two are... travelers passing through.
Shiv looks at you and Alpha with curious eyes.
Her gaze lingers on Alpha. Then she speaks, hesitant.
Dad... she looks kind of familiar...
Hiro gently ruffles her hair.
Remember the person who used to visit you in the hospital, a long time ago?
Shiv's eyes go wide. She stares at Alpha, like a memory just clicked into place.
It's that... pretty lady, Lucia!
But... you look so different now. Even your hair color changed.
...
Alpha goes quiet. Then the corner of her mouth twitches. Not quite a smile, but it softens her whole presence.
Because... a lot happened.
She doesn't explain further, but the weight in her voice says plenty.
Shiv doesn't push. She nods, half understanding.
Hiro looks at Alpha. Guilt flickers across his eyes again.
Shiv, help me make some honey water for our guests, okay?
Okay!
As Hiro and Shiv head into the kitchen, you and Alpha speak in low voices.
Alpha nods.
The feeling he gives off... it's similar to Shadow.
And... he looks like he remembers what happened back then.
She means the incident that wiped out the original Gray Raven squad, when Ravenge tried to connect with Lithos.
...
He said he "retired." Maybe... the Hiro here survived that disaster, and eventually left Babylonia.
A lot. That guilt in his eyes is real.
The sounds from the kitchen fade. Hiro's footsteps return toward the living room, while Shiv heads back upstairs.
The ceiling gives a faint creak. You glance up into the shadowed corner, but see nothing.
I sent Shiv back to her room.
You lower your gaze.
Here. Honey water.
He sets a tray on the table in front of the sofa. Three cups of honey water, and a plate of dried meat cut into bite-sized pieces.
Let me think... Besides people, sometimes things drop out too... Technological devices, drones, stuff like that.
If Shadow is in that giant structure, and the rift leads toward it...
Then getting close to her probably means going through the rift.
That's all I know...
Creak. Creak.
The ceiling makes that faint sound again.
How long are you planning to stay here?
Hiro has many more questions he wants to ask, like what Alpha has been through since then, and why you're wearing a Gray Raven uniform...
Alpha is about to answer, then her expression suddenly changes. She jerks her head up at the shadows near the ceiling.
Watch out!
The moment she speaks, something in the shadows moves.
Mechanical joints whir. Blades cut the air. A twisted creature with multiple metal limbs and a long warped neck drops from the ceiling.
Alpha grabs you and yanks you aside, just in time.
It lands in the living room, its head rotating in an unnatural way as it screeches.
Only now do you get a clear look at what it is.
Set into its head is a human face, stretched into a grotesque expression.
It's a face Alpha and Hiro both know. Xun, from the original Gray Raven squad.
Xun?!
No, that's impossible!
...How did Xun end up like this?
The mechanical spider shakes its head—or rather, Xun's head—violently. Its mouth stretches into an exaggerated grin. The voice is shrill and manic.
Heehee... hahah... Found... you!!
Order... &%... eliminate...!
Then, in the very next second, its violently shaking head stops. Its whole body goes still, and its expression turns serious.
By the will of Shadow, I deliver death unto you all.
A small gasp comes from the stairs. Shiv has come down at the noise, both hands clamped over her mouth.
Too late.
Armor plates on Xun's abdomen slide open, revealing a cannon barrel glowing with dangerous blue light.
Your bullets hurtle toward his face, but he tilts his head at exactly the right moment. They strike armored plating and leave only shallow dents.
BOOM—
A scorching beam fires straight at Shiv.
Shiv!
Hiro's short-range thrusters power up to full output. He rockets toward Shiv at top speed.
Alpha moves at the same time. She surges forward, draws her dagger, and swings a fully charged arc of energy through the air, slicing toward the beam.
Szzzt—
The beam jerks off course and slips away from its trajectory, but it still scrapes across Hiro's shoulder as he shields Shiv.
Ugh!
The bionic skin on his shoulder chars instantly under the extreme heat.
On it.
Alpha charges at Xun. She doesn't strike with her blade. Instead, she plants a hand on the floor, spins for momentum, and drives a heavy kick into his abdomen plating just as it seals shut.
The kick hits like a sledgehammer. Xun is launched backward, smashes through the wooden wall, and crashes into the snowy clearing outside.
Alpha follows, and you go after her.
Fighting through the pain, Hiro orders Shiv to run and hide somewhere safe.
Outside, in the snow, Xun's jointed limbs twitch as he hauls himself back up.
Where Alpha kicked, the armor shows only a shallow dent. Even that is already being repaired by a paper-thin white mist.
Something's wrong with his body... That should've done real damage.
The fight that follows proves her right.
Alpha moves in, slipping past Xun's bladed limbs. Her dagger flashes and leaves several cuts across his body. But every time her blade hits, a faint white glow shows up and wipes out most of the damage.
Ah... doesn't... hurt... at all... %&...
Knew it. He's got some kind of barrier.
BANG—BANG—BANG—
Three shots hit Xun in the face, one after another. They only leave faint white marks.
DIE!
Xun shrieks and charges at Alpha. She shifts aside and slashes a joint to slow him down.
Hiro comes out into the clearing too, holding his shoulder and carrying his crossbow.
Understood.
Alpha gets it. She jumps up and chains several fast slashes. Her blade scrapes across Xun's armor, and sparks fly.
She lands for a moment, steps off his body, spins back up, then comes down with a hard stomp-kick from above.
BOOM—
Xun is driven into the snow. Powder bursts up around him.
Heh. Just a tougher punching bag.
Next bolt explodes. Clear out, Alpha.
Whoosh.
The bolt hits dead on and explodes, blowing one of Xun's limbs apart.
PAIN!! Hir... %&... traitor... it HURTS!!
This time, no white mist appears to fix the damage.
Alpha lowers her stance and brings the crimson long blade back to her waist.
Let's see if your barrier can stop my blade.
Crimson Punishing Virus energy surges around her, and her white hair lifts as if a wind hits it. Her pupils contract sharply, and she swings the long blade with her right hand.
The blade flashes like lightning and, in an instant, cuts into Xun's other limb, severing it.
Why won't you just DIE?!
Xun lets out a scream full of pain and rage. He seems to regain a bit of sense. Realizing he can't win, he bolts toward the edge of the village, straight for the forest.
That way... he's heading for the rift!
Alright.
...L-Lucia!
Alpha slows at the sound of Hiro's voice and looks back.
Hiro looks at Alpha with guilt in his eyes.
You're an Ascendant now, aren't you... like that purple-haired one.
To end up like this... you must've been through a lot.
...
I have to take care of Shiv. I can't go with you.
And Xun... I don't know why he was turned into that thing. But I'm asking you, if you can't save him, end it quickly.
About what happened before... I'm sorry. I hope this time, I helped.
...
Alpha opens her mouth, then hesitates. Too many thoughts, too many things she could say, and none of them feel right spoken aloud. So in the end, she ends their brief encounter with a simple blessing.
...Take care of Shiv.
And good luck.
Alpha turns and leaves without looking back.
The chase continues into the snowy woods.
Two of Xun's limbs have been cut off clean. Pale white mist hangs around the wounds and won't go away. He's slower than before, but still frighteningly fast. He jams his remaining limbs into thick branches and uses them to swing and leap forward.
BANG—BANG—
Your shots slice through the falling snow and hit his limbs. The impact almost makes him lose his footing on the branch. Alpha is right there with him, her blade carving another deep cut and slowing him down.
Xun's speed drops. His movements get more frantic and messy.
Heh... I... have to s#&rvive!
Ahead in the forest, a thin crack opens in the air. From a distance, you can see only darkness inside it.
Seeing the rift, the armor plates on Xun's abdomen slide open again, revealing the cannon. He doesn't aim at you or Alpha. He aims at the ground.
BANG—
Heh... haha... boost!
Using the recoil like a thruster, Xun accelerates and shoots straight into the rift.
After him.
Without hesitation, you and Alpha dive into the rift after him.
The moment you enter, weightlessness hits your whole body.
