You walk from the bridge into a tight new room. The round light strip on the ceiling turns on by itself.
Holograms show deep blue star maps and data. You check them one by one, and nothing looks important.
We were wrong. This ship isn't an Eden III joint craft anymore. It belongs to... Kurono.
After some checking, Discord exhales slowly. She's relieved that she doesn't have to face that person and the past yet.
Why would an Ascendant frequent this place?
Perhaps it's...
Chaos breaks out in an instant.
The ship's lights switch to harsh red. Status screens flicker with chaotic data.
Thick alloy plates slide out of the walls. Sections seal off, leaving only the main corridors.
Wait...!
Yata, scouting ahead, turns around, and in a blink a special alloy wall cuts her off.
You tap the partition that blocks all signals and call Yata and Shiva on the comms. No one answers.
An hour passes, then two. Time slips by unnoticed.
All you can do is wait.
Ten hours? Dozens? Time blurs.
Nothing in the room changes. There's no natural light. From the hunger in your stomach, it's likely you have been stuck here for a day.
You do not dare rest. You search the small conference room again and again, but you still can't bring up the ship's control system.
Some projections pop up by mistake. Others show that after a major mission and return, this ship was turned into a ground intelligence site.
You're on the ship's middle deck. The meeting room terminal holds hundreds of hours of routine video logs. Most other data has been moved or erased.
You come up empty and hope Discord's custom scissors on the other side can physically damage the partition.
If brute force works, mechanical arms would be more effective than blades. Yata on the other side has likely already tried that first.
Maybe Yata can't reach Shiva outside either.
Ten hits, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand... At this rate, the weapon will break first.
No good.
The blue-haired Construct walks back, looking sorry.
Are you okay?
...
She gives a simple reply, thinks for a moment, and shows a small, relieved look. This new frame really does feel different.
What do we do now?
...We wait for Shiva.
Shiva may come. Or she may not.
Discord repeats the new mission in her mind, puts away the scissors, and sits hugging her knees. Projected Chernoff faces circle her, revealing the emptiness within her.
The 3D faces are frightening, but they're only statistics and test data.
Just then, the pained faces start to beg for mercy in all directions and throw a wide, twisted curtain of corrupted light.
When they mock each other's ugly faces, they don't see that each one is also a mask they themselves wear.
The blue-haired Construct's M.I.N.D. starts to drift from the interference. You sense something's wrong and establish a connection at once.
Chaotic thoughts spread before your eyes like a huge, tangled web.
Discord curls into herself tightly, huddled among those grotesque, absurd faces that appeared moments ago.
Even if I finally remember those memories and strong feelings... were they ever really mine?
How can I be sure it isn't all just an illusion?
I still remember those happy moments, but they feel like someone else's...
You're not just offering empty comfort.
You pause.
You maintain a strong connection with the Construct. Her tangled past and feelings are slowly being sorted and synced.
Who I am now?
...
In the past, I escaped reality by just following orders. I don't want... to do that anymore.
After many broken days, she finally breaks free of the Emotion Trimming and gets room to think freely again.
Beyond... missions...
She relaxes her hands, tips her head up, and starts to picture the ideals you believe in and the path you walk.
Your words echo in her M.I.N.D., and a stitched-back memory rises.
I have things I care about too.
When you find the things you care about again, tell me about them.
...
He once asked me to tell him what I care about...
But before I could answer, Shorthalt...
...Wanshi.
She says the name softly.
Discord's pupils tremble violently. A question left hanging years ago finally gets an answer.
What happens to what you value, to what you care about...?
Definitely not to be forgotten, to be crushed.
Shorthalt, Wanshi, Yata, Shiva, Valeria, [player name]...
It starts as a thin thread, then reaches out to others, and in the end it weaves everyone together.
It's no longer a choking web. It's a bond that holds tight and gives support.
Led by this sense of order, the Construct's M.I.N.D. settles. There's no need to send out your Mind Beacon anymore.
You let out a breath and sit beside her.
I used to think everyone I cared about left me, betrayed me.
There might be no funeral and no time to say goodbye.
Which comes first, disaster or tomorrow? One can never be ready.
She thinks over your answer carefully, then nods.
But now, I should keep moving.
I...
She gathers her own answer.
You offer your hand to the crouching Construct.
Just then, the ship seems to wake up. Sealed partitions slide open, lights turn green, and the deck connectors retract inward, neatly revealing the lower level.
...Is the lockdown lifted? Did Shiva succeed?
Contrary to their hopes, a gray-haired Ascendant appears from the dark.
They're quite troublesome indeed.
Original or clone. Survival or extinction?
Why so guarded?
In a flash, Discord weaves magnetic lines around you two. Her giant scissors rise, hanging in front of her, edges gleaming, ready to strike.
Long time no see, [player name]. You never lack protectors at your side.
Since you moved so fast, you must know this place is useless to you.
And the assassination list in this data... I don't need it anymore.
The Ascendant shows a projection of the physical chip on purpose, making it clear this may be the most valuable target of your mission.
Would you believe I only wanted to see you?
...Stalker.
...
If you live for revenge, it will not end well.
What do you even know about me?!
Annoyed, the Ascendant manipulates the virus around him. A burning pain rips through her M.I.N.D. and into your mind through the connection.
Corrupted data tries to break in. With the pain, the deep M.I.N.D. connection shows you more of Discord's mental images and memories.
Step by step, her notes start to make a melody, and the melody will become a song.
You were once a tool shaped by Kurono too. We should have plenty to discuss.
For a start, you should see the world's truth with your own eyes.
Thanks for the tip, but I see clearly enough.
If you do, you'd understand which side you should be on...
Be quiet.
The Ascendant sweeps the scythe, a strong gust shattering the magnetic lines and pinning you to the cabin wall.
...
Discord's face twists ferociously. She bares fangs slick with vital fluid and fury, half hidden by her opening mask and the steam from her cooling unit.
She attacks in an instant. Her silhouette flickers with deadly lines through the air, but the Ascendant's scythe cuts down every single one.
When the blade pulls back, it carries only a single strand of silver-gray hair.
Nice technique...
If you'll hear me out, I can hand you the data. You'll finish the mission easily and everyone walks away happy.
Complete the mission!
Her nerves rage. They push her toward deep, trained reflex.
Cold sweat runs down. She almost bows her head, then remembers her neck, once held by many restraints, is bare now.
...
The Construct no longer hesitates. The Ascendant throws the chip aside with a sigh, grips the scythe again, and shifts stance to gather strength.
Jump down. Your target is right there.
Finish your mission. Follow orders!
No!
She breaks the stubborn phantoms and meets the new attack head-on.
There are things more important than finishing the mission!
They move too fast to see. After many quick clashes, the Ascendant's scythe and Discord's scissors lock together and screech with a sound you can almost see.
The scissors' edges push inward against resistance, trying to snap the tip of the scythe.
Ephialtes shows a look of surprised approval.
All right. Want to see which is sharper?
The Ascendant glances to the side.
Still, two against one is not very polite.
Polite to an Ascendant? Why bother?
With the deadlock broken, Yata drops tactical camouflage and throws a sudden punch.
Surprisingly, Ephialtes doesn't dodge, as if he knows it's coming. The punch still drives him back a few steps.
The locked force releases. Discord drives the scissors into the floor to keep from falling with the recoil.
Yata sees that camouflage doesn't work on him. She doesn't overextend, flips back a few times, and keeps a safe distance.
Discord's M.I.N.D. deteriorates fast. She's being pushed toward a loss of control. She can't move her body. Her scissors slip from her hand with a clang.
You concentrate all your effort on maintaining the connection, sweat beading on your brow. You know the Ascendant hasn't even begun to fight seriously.
Pain crosses her face. She can't answer.
Roger!
Yata steps in harder and faster. Afterimages seem to tear the air.
Yet the Ascendant switches to defense and puts away his weapon.
Enough. I'm not in the mood to drag this out. More of your friends are on the way, right?
Seeing through your delaying tactics, Ephialtes offers a dignified, shallow bow.
Until my new plan is ready, I don't plan to fight all of Babylonia.
The deal is done. Until next time.
Wait, what are you planning exactly?!
As the Ascendant retreats, a very dense force gathers, causing the air around him to visibly warp and discolor.
...!
Too close. No time to pull the scissors back to block!
Yata fires a low-power flash with her palm down, uses the force to jump, and puts herself in front of Discord. She blocks the beam at the last possible moment.
Even so, Fulgor takes a heavy hit and keeps sliding back, carving two black scorch lines on the ground.
Behind her, Discord hits the edge railing. The metal snaps, and she falls all the way to the bottom level.
We got played...
The short-haired Construct shakes off a brief limb glitch and checks the area fast.
The Ascendant is gone. Propped up, you're still dizzy from the broken connection and not yet awake, but your life is not in danger.
Fulgor's block is far from enough for the high Punishing energy an Ascendant can gather. I need to raise the strength...
She looks at the deep cracks in her lower frame and winces. Moving freely will be hard. Even walking may be a problem.
Still, not getting blown to pieces is a win.
Well, at least that creep is really gone.
Ascendants really do come in all kinds.
The short-haired Construct clicks her tongue and calls down.
Discord, are you okay?
Silence below.
Discord?
DISCORD!
