Story Reader / Alternative Interpretation / Awakening Tundra / Story

Ever since the Border Commune announced it would channel all resources into building an energy tower, she's thrown herself wholeheartedly into these combat missions.

After all, when she's out there fighting, she doesn't have to pay attention to the gossip around the city. She can just concentrate on wiping out every last enemy in her path.

She lifts her axe, lines up her strike, then slams it down with force...

It's what she's best at.

They haven't seen each other since work started on the energy tower, so Rosetta made a point of coming here today.

But it looks like you've turned things around now.

That's why I'm pushing myself harder... I refuse to let anything from outside jeopardize this plan.

I just saw the semi-automatic turrets the Forest Guards have been working on—they're nearly up and running. I'll show you how they work.

Down at the foot of the mountain, the Border Commune has carved out a huge pit for a new power center. A tangle of pipes weaves across the surface toward the residential zone, resembling an enormous steel spider when viewed from a distance.

Under this design, once the power center kicks into gear, all its generated heat gets absorbed into the ground and converted into extra heating for the residential area, rather than just billowing away as steam.

The two of them stand on the snowy mountain's edge, peering down into the vast cavern below. It's now undeniably the city's massive "heart," and once it begins to beat, it will become a lifeline for countless people.

To help the new power center get up and running—and to cover the evacuation of residents from the sealed-off port back to the main city—Antonov has asked the Forest Guards to set up a ring of semi-automatic turrets along the city edge.

Most of these turrets are pieced together from nearby urban ruins. Thrown together on short notice, they're rough around the edges, but as long as they can hold out during this critical stretch, they'll have served their purpose.

A number of commune members huddle around the turrets, staying on the lookout for any incoming Corrupted while tinkering with the hastily assembled machinery.

This may be a fragile line of defense, but it's doing its part to keep the entire city safe.

I didn't even notice so many folks getting involved in the construction. It's a whole different scene compared to when we first got here.

And everyone here is giving their all to keep this place safe.

Bringing everyone together, creating such a thriving community, and shaping a brand-new home here—there's no better feeling than that.

By then, we'll be able to put in place new industrial pipelines, defensive setups, and even build a commercial district over time.

Don't worry—we've got more than enough muscle to look after ourselves now. This place won't become another "Port Kyaranta".

This is our "home."

You've been looking so anxious ever since they shut down the port. It's like you're always on edge.

Is it because... you're thinking about what happened before?

My family had lived in Sophiasburgh for generations. My grandpa grew up on tales of the polar lands, and by eight, my dad was already racing through snowy forests after hares and foxes. If all went smoothly, I would also start and finish my life on that same stretch of land.

Then, just a few years before I was born, that "calamity" struck.

Once the Punishing Virus hit, the Green-Vanostok Line collapsed. Everyone in Sophiasburgh was forced to give up their ancestral home to get protection from outsiders.

But it wasn't long before we were blamed for "causing food shortages" and shipped off to Port Kyaranta.

Tatyana's mother passed away during that great migration.

Her father, needing to fulfill the agreement with Kyaranta to secure their limited supplies, handed over the position of the logistics chief to her.

He then joined the migration convoy's front lines, where he succumbed to the freezing wind and snow too.

Antonov calls the Border Commune's logistics department a "leftover from Sophiasburgh's past."

Because it remains a haven for polar refugees who continue to uphold the creed of Sophiasburgh.

No matter a person's race, skin color, or belief—anyone who steps into Sophiasburgh receives the same fair and equal treatment.

They used to welcome every visitor this way, but holding fast to that principle also led outsiders to abandon them years later.

In those desperate days on the edge of the frozen sea, she witnessed horrors that words could not begin to convey.

A newborn, still too young to utter its first cry, had the blood in its throat freeze, its tiny face turning purple as it slipped away.

An old man, determined to leave whatever food remained for his grandson, went on pretending he ate normally for a long time,

No one realized until he drew his last breath that he had only been eating ice behind his family's back all this time.

A starved refugee, just skin and bones, made his way onto the icebreaker, hoping someone would spare a cabin for him.

But nobody could afford to give up the living quarters they relied on, so in the end, he froze to death out on the deck.

Still, despite all the horrors she's witnessed, she refuses to back down.

She remains determined to show that the "ideal" her father and the others once held onto isn't wrong—that trust and mutual support should never be treated as humanity's fatal flaw.

Instead, it serves as the pillar that keeps humanity pushing on, even when hope seems lost.

So, when I found out we had to shut down the port to avoid a head-on clash with those mechanical narwhals, I was terrified.

I remember those days when we were banished to the frozen sea's outskirts, unable to fight back but forced to endure.

If it was our "powerlessness" that left us at their mercy before, then this time I won't let New Sophiasburgh fall into their hands again.

I'll do whatever it takes to bring them down.

She's intimately familiar with that razor-sharp determination—no, it's practically who she used to be.

With something precious to protect, she has honed herself to this cutting edge. But that very edge could just as easily wound her from within.

A certain figure comes to Rosetta's mind—the one who reached out when she was at her lowest.

If it's that person, they're sure to help her now.

Thinking back on all those words once spoken to her, she draws a deep breath.

We can't fix the past... but I promise I'll help you make things different from now on.

When I thought nothing I did mattered and I couldn't change a thing, that commandant stepped in and stopped me—so I didn't end up making a big mistake.

It's thanks to that commandant that I can stand here with you now, working toward the same goal.

I know you're determined to protect everyone and stop any more tragedies... but the fact is, none of us is fighting alone. We've all gotten more support than we ever realized.

Even if you're still caught up in the past and can't shake your worries, that's fine.

You can take all those feelings with you and keep doing what you believe is right.

And if something's bothering you or weighing you down, tell us about it. Let us shoulder it together, all right?

There's still a long stretch before the polar night sets in. By the old traditions of the polar herders, this time of year is known as "spring."

But in this peaceful spring, people can no longer do what they once did—herd their cattle and sheep to roam across the early-spring plains.

Instead, they've constructed an artificial heart deep in the earth, a colossal machine that never stops churning, to preserve this fleeting warmth of spring and help humanity get through this brutal winter in history.

Off in the distance, another drilling rig lumbers across the hillside, hauling a massive load of ice—another sign that human willpower has broken through the permafrost once more.

Scenes like this are bound to repeat again and again in this valley, until people finally pack up and leave.

I might be the one who still hasn't truly moved on from the past.

She suddenly realizes the city has grown so vast that it's impossible to see it all at once.

And to think, just a few months ago, there was nothing here at all.

It's a miracle they've built together, through their collective effort and determination.

In that moment, she finally understands.

It's as though sunlight cuts through the clouds, shining down on her and revealing the "shadow" that has loomed over her for so long.

Now that she's aware of it, the fears and doubts that once tormented her can't trouble her anymore.

She sees a whole new road ahead.

I can't get much done on my own. I've only gotten this far because so many people helped me along the way.

But now I'm suddenly feeling anxious, all alone again... I've really been too full of myself.

Thank you, Rosetta, for helping me recall what I've ignored for far too long.

Then... if I ever get the chance, I'd love to meet that commandant myself.

If I get the chance, I'd really like to thank that person face-to-face.

When the time comes, I'll just say, "Thanks for everything you've done for us."

I also believe... there's a brighter future waiting for us down this road.

Each decision made quietly influences someone else's life.

Just like a butterfly flutters its delicate wings and sparks a storm across a whole continent.

When the moment arrives, I'll sit down with you and that commandant to recount everything that's happened here, in our own words.

That day... it's bound to arrive.