After killing Eve, the leader, Vera slaughters every Hetero-Creature in sight, carving a path forward with brutal efficiency.
After just three minutes, Vera emerges from the mist of blood.
One step, two steps, she carries her lance behind her, treading through the slurry of Hetero-Creature remains as she slowly approaches you, stopping exactly three steps away.
She suddenly remembers something and touches her collarbone, where a red light pulses beneath her skin.
You regard the figure before you with complicated emotions—memories of your shared past remain hopelessly fragmented and blurred. Despite recognizing this gap in your memory, you decide to speak first.
The crimson figure rushes forward with open arms—her double-bladed lance clatters to the ground.
The metallic scent of iron envelops you as her long hair cascades past your ears, gathering in the hollow of your neck.
I can tell... you still haven't remembered everything.
...So it's not time yet. Not time for me to say those words.
She holds you in a tight embrace, her arms locked around you like a vise.
...
There still isn't enough time.
Vera releases her hold. That urgent embrace, like someone desperately trying to keep something from slipping away, vanishes as quickly as it came.
She drops to one knee and tears open your blood-soaked clothing.
The fabric, stuck fast to raw flesh, makes a sickening sound as she tears it away.
...So, how's that Hetero-Creature date working out for you?
Seeing how eager you are to get yourself killed, I thought maybe you'd fallen in love with the feeling of Punishing energy corroding your flesh.
Vera quickly returns to her usual self—that familiar sharp tongue of hers bringing an almost comforting sense of normalcy.
If I'd synchronized even a moment later, the Punishing would have corroded right through your organs.
Vera dumps nearly an entire bottle of disinfectant over the wound, then savagely jabs the serum injection into your injury.
You never learn your lesson. This is exactly what you deserve.
Vera lowers her gaze, yanks out some bandages, and tightly wraps several layers around your waist and injured leg.
You search Vera's eyes, as if looking for something familiar in those garnet-red irises.
Stop staring. I haven't changed. This frame looks exactly the same as it did back then—only the internal systems got a slight upgrade.
But you have changed. Your shadow is different now.
Vera meets your gaze, your silhouette reflected in her eyes—not only are you more mature than the you of a few years ago, but you also bear traces of a weariness she wishes wasn't there.
...So we ended up like this again after all.
Can you stand? No matter what you saw in my M.I.N.D., or what you've remembered yourself, we don't have time for reunions.
First, explain our current situation to me clearly, especially about that smart-mouthed brat. Why did he leave you here? Was he running away, or was there another reason?
As Vera lifts you up from the ground, you quickly explain the current situation:
From how you and Haniff dragged Vera into this genetic repository, to the elderly researcher who severed ties with the Ascendants.
You also describe how your group was discovered and ultimately cornered by the Ascendants.
Are you sure that old man is the new Haynes?
...The human brain really is a flawed, fragile thing. Just a slight bump, and memories are so effortlessly discarded.
Vera lets out an emotionless chuckle.
What? You went back—
Snap.
Vera just frowns and looks up when a crisp shattering sound comes from her hand. She has unconsciously crushed the empty serum vial.
...!
Among the tiny fragments scattered on the floor, Vera notices something and looks down again.
Between her collarbones, the space where the "safety latch" should be is completely empty, as if mocking her with its absence.
Even her frame seems to be urging her forward.
...Heh.
In an instant, your Mind Beacon experiences the intense sensation of falling. When memories are connected, the Construct's emotional fluctuations become much more perceptible.
...
It's nothing, I just couldn't control my strength. Similar things happened when adapting to the Garnet frame. It's perfectly normal.
I don't need—
Vera brushes away your outstretched hand.
Your wounds are patched up for now. We need to hurry and go after that one-armed brat. I don't trust him, and with his injuries, he might not be able to complete the mission.
I'll carry you on my back. If you don't want to end up a cripple, stop walking.
Vera cuts off any response you might have and pulls you onto her back.
Finally, she steps forward once more.
