>>2036674

Until you wake up.

Sitting bolt upright in bed, you look around your bedroom without recognising anything. It takes you a moment to shake off the lingering remnants of the dream – if it had truly been a dream. It felt more like a memory, although not a memory that you ever lived. It was one of HER memories, something that the Saint of the Abyss lived through... although you couldn't say why you've been infected with her thoughts. Just the idea is enough to send a shiver running through you, and that's when you feel it – the feeling of being watched.

The Saint stands in the corner of your bedroom, her impassive face fixed upon you. Jolting back, you blink rapidly and the Saint is gone, leaving you alone in your bed with a scream dying on your lips.

-

“And you are certain that it was not a dream?” Kurosawa asks carefully, examining you as if you might be radioactive, “Or a figment of your imagination?”

You don't answer that for a long moment, thinking it over before heaving a heavy sigh. “I can't be certain about anything,” you admit, “Maybe it WAS just a dream, or something like it. I was still half asleep, thinking about stuff... yeah, maybe. I don't know, though, I just-”

“You had a traumatic experience,” he says, with as much gentleness as he can muster up, “Nobody could blame you for suffering from lasting after effects. Have your injuries healed yet?”

Pulling up your top, you peel back the gauze pad taped over your gut and peer at the wound. It's mostly healed up by now, with the gauze just serving to keep it from leaking anywhere. By morning, you likely won't have so much as a scar. It still hurts a little, making your insides feel tight and delicate. Letting your top flop back down again, you rise out of bed and wander through to the bathroom.

After splashing some cold water on your face, you look up into the mirror and recoil in horror, a glimpse of burned, blackened flesh lingering there for a split second before vanishing. Once might have been a dream, but not twice. Staring into the mirror, you try and think about what could be happening to you. Almost without a conscious decision, you start to pass over into Zakuro's corner of the Umbra, when-

[Excuse me,] EVE asks, [What are you doing?]

“Nothing!” you yelp, “Just... looking in the mirror. That's all!”

[Looking in the mirror,] the AI repeats, [With your arm halfway inside it?] Crossing her arms in a parody of stern patience, she taps one metallic foot. [This is one of these magic things, isn't it?] she asks, [An Intruder thing.]

>Just forget you saw anything, okay? I'm going back to bed
>I wanted to speak with a friend, that's all. Nothing you need concern yourself with
>I was going to visit a friend. Want to come with me?
>Other

>>2036675
>I was going to visit a friend. Want to come with me?
"Fair warning though, it's pretty gross over there."

>>2036675
>I was going to visit a friend. Want to come with me?
AI inside the Umbra. Experiment time!

>>2036675
>>I was going to visit a friend. Want to come with me?
The only solution to encroaching madness is completely unplanned experiments with potentially perilous consequences. Such is the teenager way!

>>2036675
>I was going to visit a friend. Want to come with me?

File: EVE2.jpg (241 KB, 900x900)

241 KB JPG

Slowly withdrawing your hand from the surface of the mirror – there's really no way of doing this that doesn't look suspicious – you give EVE a careful look. She returns your gaze with her own unreadable stare. The worst thing about her artificial nature is that she can have a scarily good poker face when she wants to. She could be angry, excited or just plain curious, and you wouldn't be able to tell which unless she allowed it.

So, in the face of an unexpected situation, the best way forwards is to take a flying leap into the unknown.

“I was going to visit a friend on the other side,” you begin, “Do you... wait, do you even know that much about Intruders and that sort of thing?”

[I know enough. I've had access to Sentinel research and communications, so I have an idea of what you deal with,] EVE answers, [Oh, but I find it all rather tedious. Not very fun at all.]

“Oh, okay,” you nod slowly, smiling a little at her all too human display of nonchalance, “Then you wouldn't be interested in coming along with me, now would you?”

EVE pauses, considering your coy remark for a few seconds – a very long time, given how quickly she can think. [I didn't say that,] she counters, [I might very well change my mind, given the chance to experience some of this first hand. These official reports that the Sentinels file would make anything sound drab and dull. Are you seriously inviting me along?]

“Sure. I mean, what could go wrong?” you shrug, “Fair warning though, it's pretty gross over there. The whole thing takes some getting used to. You in?”

[Absolutely,] the AI agrees, allowing her face to show a daring smile.

-

Even though you extended the offer, you're not even certain if this will work. Maybe that's why you offered – to satisfy your own niggling curiosity, and to test the boundaries of what works and what doesn't. Either way, you give EVE your instructions and settle down to work, returning your gaze to the mirror and focusing as the AI grips your shoulder tightly. A little too tightly, actually, and you briefly wonder if she's nervous about this.

Maybe, or maybe she just doesn't know her own strength. Putting the mild pain out of your mind, you reach back out to Zakuro and let yourself shift slowly over to that other world. The transition feels... different this time, although it's hard to say why. There's the vague impression of trying to push something through a slightly too small hole, but that doesn't quite describe it. It's more like... it's more like you're having to convince the world to let you through, to bluff and lie your way into the Umbra.

No doubt about it, though, things are different with EVE playing passenger.

[1/2]

>>2036692

While it may be more difficult than what you've grown accustomed to, you do manage to pass through. Waking up in Zakuro's realm again, so soon after leaving it, feels especially strange. It leaves you wondering, for a brief moment, which world you truly belong to.

[I've seen footage,] EVE begins, her voice bringing you back to reality, [Surgery on a man's stomach, carried out with tiny instruments and observed using camera feeds. This reminds me of that. I feel as though we're inside a gigantic stomach.]

“Well, don't worry,” you assure her, “My friend won't have you for lunch. Uh, I hope. She's not really-”

“You have returned to us,” a rumbling voice interrupts, Zakuro's titan body lumbering closer to join you, “And you've brought me a toy – a ticking clockwork toy.” Bending down, the gigantic creature extends a single finger and, ever so gently, strokes EVE's cheek. “Fascinating workmanship. Aspects of both the mechanical and the organic...” she muses, before taking a deep sniff, “And a scent that is familiar to me. The abyss knows you, little toy, but in a distant and veiled form.”

“The abyss knows you?” you repeat, frowning at EVE, “Oh right, the Doll on Neptune Island...” Thinking back, you recall the Intruder that had tried, fruitlessly, to feed on the lifeless puppet, drawn by the imprint EVE – or rather, one of EVE's numerous fragments – had left on it. “So, I gotta admit,” you continue, “I wasn't sure if the two of you would even be able to... I don't know, see each other or whatever. I didn't know what to expect.”

“And so you took a step into the unknown in pursuit of knowledge,” Zakuro growls, clapping her hands together with a meaty thud, “Admirable! You would do well here, prying secrets from the unreadable void!”

[I think that was a compliment,] EVE points out, [Which means I should pay you a compliment in return. Let me see... you're, ah, you're very tall!]

This is going about as well as you could have expected. “Well, uh, I guess I should make the introductions. EVE, this is Zakuro. Zakuro, this is EVE,” pausing for a moment, you consider the mismatched pair, “I won't suggest shaking hands. It might... hey!”

Before you can finish that sentence, Zakuro reaches down and picks EVE up, holding the AI up to her inhuman face. For a moment you have a hideous vision of Zakuro biting EVE clean in half or swallowing her whole, but then she settles for taking another sniff. Like a mouse trapped by a hungry cat, EVE goes very still indeed as she endures this fresh indignity. It's only when Zakuro sets her down that the AI lets out a sigh of relief.

[I hope you don't behave like this around all your friends!] she scolds, wagging a disapproving finger up at the Tyrant.

[2/3]

>>2036703

Heedless of the scolding, Zakuro lapses into a thoughtful silence. Turning utterly still, as firm and motionless as a mountain, she delves deep into her own alien thoughts. “Fascinating,” she rumbles at last, “A true soul, contained within a shell crafted by the hands of man. The world truly is changing. I wonder – how might the abyss change to reflect this new order? I hear things, whispers about webs and pathways of light that you humans use to communicate. Perhaps one day, the children of the abyss shall stalk these roads too.”

“Intruders on the internet?” you murmur, “That's... I don't even know. Could something like that even work?”

“I do not know either,” Zakuro replies with a massive shrug, “This is a future that may take years... decades... generations even to come to pass, if it comes at all.”

[Well,] EVE sniffs, [I think I'd rather not get eaten, if it's all the same with you.]

“Such is the will of all living things!” the Tyrant chuckles, “I thank you, child, for presenting me with this. It seems as though every time we speak, you bring me new wonders to consider. I would meditate upon these new ideas, if you would allow me to.”

“Wait, crap, hang on!” you blurt out, suddenly remembering the original reason you had for coming here. “I've got a problem. I've been seeing her, the Saint of the Abyss, and I think that I dreamed some of her memories,” you explain quickly, “Is that... normal? Should I be worried?”

“Normal? Of course not – nothing about these events is normal, or even precedented,” Zakuro chuckles, “But worry not. You have merely taken a portion of her soul into your own. Perhaps it is only natural that there would be some... contamination. Dispose of the Saint's essence, destroy her weapon, and you will be free of them. Consider this one more trial to endure, and think nothing more of it.”

“Oh right, okay,” you sigh, “Just a portion of her soul. No big deal.”

“A question, in turn,” Zakuro adds, “You would use this weapon to wipe out the unclean source, to utterly destroy a being that has a mind of its own, albeit a disordered mind. Tell me this – do you truly believe that you have the right to do such a thing?”

>To defend mankind? Absolutely
>My personal feelings don't matter. I have a duty to fulfil
>I don't think I do. If there was any other way to end this, I'd take it
>Are you trying to convince me to show mercy?
>Other

>>2036711
>I don't think I do. If there was any other way to end this, I'd take it

>>2036711
I am the last. Intruders will continue to prey upon mankind and frankly I doubt the sentinels are up to the task of defending. If I do nothing no one else will. The saint of the abysss made her choice, and only suffered more for it. The source made its choice and needs to be stopped. My choice is simple, either stop it and stop mankind from getting over run or permit it continue and cause eventual over running of mankind. It's kill or be killed, much like how your came to be as you are.

>>2036711
>To defend mankind? Absolutely
"Every time I've attempted to stay my hand Intruders and Tyrants have always tried to stab me in the back. You're the only one who hasn't and I think that was due to your unique upbringing. I've seen families and friends torn apart by these things. Hundreds of girls like me have been thrown into this meat grinder. I'm the last best shot at finishing this. Sacrifice could make more Heavenly Children but they won't have any back up after my girls are gone thanks to Monad. I've got a duty to finish this for the girls of the future and the past as much as the people in the present."

>Are you trying to convince me to show mercy?

>>2036711
>"I don't care"

>>2036711
>To defend mankind? Absolutely

>>2036711
>There's a point where the number you've killed can't be excused by "having a disordered mind". I'm fairly sure we passed that point millennia ago.

>>2036711
>To defend mankind? Absolutely
And even if through a bunch of moral hoops I didn't have the right I'd still do it anyways. It never gave damn about our rights to live.

>Are you trying to convince me to show mercy?
Cause every time a girl does or more likely is manipulated into doing that the Source comes back and starts this whole thing all over again.

File: Zakuro of the Abyss.jpg (208 KB, 850x1202)

208 KB JPG

It's a complicated question, and not one that you find easy to answer. “If there was any other way to end this, any other chance, I'd take it,” you begin, “But there isn't, is there? So I have to do this. If it means defending mankind, I'll absolutely do this.” Pausing, waiting to see if Zakuro will reply, you take a moment to put your thoughts in order and press on. “My friends and I might very well be the last of our kind. After we're gone, it's over. No matter how much I wish I could say otherwise, I can't trust the Sentinels to do this properly. If I allow this to continue, more people are going to die. Mankind itself might eventually be overrun.”

“And yet, if you chose this path, the children of the abyss may well face oblivion,” Zakuro points out, “You would make that trade?”

“It's kill or be killed,” you state bluntly, “Almost every time that I've reached out to a Tyrant, offered them my hand, they've stabbed me in the back. You're the only one who hasn't betrayed me, and I think that's because you're... what you are. I've seen families and friends torn apart because of the Intruders, and I can't let that continue. I just can't. So, you say that the unclean source has a mind? I don't care – too many people have died because of this “disordered mind”, and I'm not going to let it get away with this for any longer. It doesn't care about our right to live, so I'm just returning the favour.”

“A strong choice,” the Tyrant muses, her tendrils slowly playing out and gathering around you and EVE. The AI shudders a little as the fleshy appendages col around her legs, as if anticipating an attack at any minute.

“So what is this?” you ask, ignoring the tendrils as they tighten around you, “Are you trying to convince me to show mercy? Because every time that has happened, every time that a girl has stayed her hand, the source gets another chance to drag mankind down. No way, no more second chances.”

Zakuro chuckles again, and then lets her tentacles grow slack. “Mercy? No - I merely sought to test you. The source would face you with questions just like these,” she explains, “It is good that your thoughts are not clouded by misplaced compassion or delusions of mercy. Keep your own words in mind, child, for the days to come. Let them be the source of your strength.”

You breathe a faint sigh of relief as the tentacles withdraw. Just for a moment there, you wondered if this was the moment you had long feared – the moment when Zakuro might give herself over to her inhuman side. In a way, you feel as though she was making a choice of her own – a choice to remain on the side of mankind.

“Go with pride, child,” Zakuro concludes, waving her hand thought the air in an imperious gesture of dismissal, “And savour the festivities while you can.”

[1/2]

>>2036732

After returning from the Umbra, EVE was unusually quiet and solemn. That, in itself, left you feeling suspicious, uneasy about what it might imply. When pressed, though, she just explained that she was thinking about what she had heard.

[I was wondering,] she muses, [What might cause the Intruders to change, in order to feed on my kind – AI constructs imbued with a soul – rather than yours. I can only think of one idea – can you guess what it is?”

“Man, don't ask me,” you yawn, “I still don't even know if that crap is possible.”

[Evolution!] EVE exclaims, [When one source of prey is driven to extinction, the predator must adapt to new kinds, entering new territories and establishing new hunting grounds. The Intruders will only adapt to feed on my kind once yours has been wiped out!]

“Oh,” pausing, you scowl at the AI, “You needn't sound so excited about it.”

[Ah, excuse me. I forget myself,] she giggles, [I simply got caught up in the joys of rampant, baseless, and not to mention paranoid speculation. I'm told that humans often enjoy that sort of thing as well. Don't worry, I'm not planning to take over the world and replace humanity with a race of AIs. That sounds FAR too much like hard work for my tastes, not to mention the dangers involved. I don't want the Intruders bothering me any more than you do!]

Groaning softly to yourself, you slump back against your bedroom wall and stare up at the ceiling. “You know,” you decide after a long moment, “You really need to work on sounding more reassuring.”

[Your feedback is appreciated,] EVE replies, still giggling a little bit to herself, [Sleep well!]

-

As you're lying in bed, trying to sleep, you feel something unpleasantly familiar – the sense of being watched. This time, though, you're not surprised when you crack open one eye and see a vaguely human silhouette standing in the corner of your bedroom. It seems as though the Saint has returned, although she seems content to simply lurk. The longer you watch her, however, the more details you can make out. Her skin isn't burnt, this time, and she wears a simple white tunic.

You're seeing her now as she looked when she was a human. Not a disfigured slave of some lower power, but a young woman not too unlike yourself. So, all too aware that you're really just talking to yourself, you call out a gentle “hello?” to the image.

The Saint vanishes with a blink, leaving you alone once again. Feeling vaguely disappointed, although you can't say exactly why, you flop back down and close your eyes. This time, sleep comes easily to you.

[2/3]

>>2036746

Saturday evening finds you at Kaneshiro Park, standing in the midst of the festivities and wondering just where to start. You had been given a brief taste of it yesterday, before you entered the Umbra, but this is on an entirely different order. You almost feel as though you could be washed away here, carried away by the crowds, if only you let yourself. The air is scented with the smells of cooking foods – all manner of dishes, each tugging at your attention from different directions – and perfumed incense. The noise is formidable as well, a roar of background chatter and the pounding of taiko drums.

You could have come here in the afternoon, when things were a little quieter, but that seemed to be missing the point somehow – like going shopping when all the stores are still closed up. Still, it's a little disorientating – you've already lost track of Emi and Kasumi, your little group having split up more than once.

“Wow,” Ayane breathes, looking around her, “This is so cool! Like, I can't remember the last time I saw so many people just... enjoying themselves. Kinda makes me feel good, y'know?”

“It really does feel like we're responsible for this, somehow,” Maika agrees, “Even if our individual roles are quite small, we all play a part. Society is made up of individuals, after all.” Pausing a moment as a group of salarymen, red-faced with alcohol, go bustling past, she looks you up and down. “You look very nice, Miho,” she adds, gesturing to your yukata, “It suits you.”

“Well, Kasumi helped me pick it out. She's got an eye for these things...” shrugging, you accept the compliment in the best way that you can, “You look nice as well, though.” Maika, who opted for a longer kimono with the colour of dull steel, smiles warmly at you. “You, on the other hand,” you scold, glaring at Ayane in her decidedly casual outfit, “You didn't make any effort at all!”

“Hey, you want to wait for a gust of wind to show the world your panties, be my guest,” she replies with a dirty chuckle, “Me, I'm happy with long trousers.”

“Outfits aside,” Maika sighs, “Where do you want to go first? I noticed that one of the Sentinels – Tanaka, I believe – was stationed at the main security booth. Since they're keeping an eye on things here, I think we can afford to let our hair down a little. Hmm... let me think. I saw an article about a temporary shrine they build here – a replica of a rather famous one, I think, although the name eludes me.”

“You're trying to be organised about this?” Ayane groans, “C'mon, let's just wander about and see some stuff!”

>Yeah, Ayane's right. Let's just go and see what we can find
>I want to check out that shrine thing
>Let's go and watch those taiko drummers!
>Hang on, I want to check in at security
>Other

>>2036756
>>I want to check out that shrine thing

>>2036756
>Let's go and watch those taiko drummers!

>>2036756
>Let's go and watch those taiko drummers!
Going with the enthusiasm

>>2036756
>Let's go and watch those taiko drummers!
I'm hoping for a particular reference.

>>2036756
>>I want to check out that shrine thing

>>2036756
>Hang on, I want to check in at security
>I want to check out that shrine thing
>Let's go and watch those taiko drummers!

File: Ayane Nakamura.jpg (150 KB, 900x900)

150 KB JPG

“Let's go and watch those taiko drummers before they tire themselves out!” you decide, grinning ear to ear with newfound eagerness. The first time you heard it, the sound of their ferocious drumming had left you feeling uneasy, but now you find yourself more able to appreciate it, to let yourself get swept up in their enthusiastic playing. “We can check out that shrine on the way back,” you add, “I don't think that's going anywhere.”

“True, true,” Maika muses, “Very well – taiko drumming it is!”

Nodding her agreement, Ayane checks her phone for a moment before pointing ahead of her. “It's that way,” she says, “You know, if you didn't want to just follow the noise. C'mon, let's go!”

-

As you walk towards the somewhat crude stage – definitely the product of too much improvisation and not enough prep time – you notice something about the various stalls you pass. Most of them have corporate branding on them – discrete, true, but unavoidable. They might not be rubbing it in your face, but you could never mistake this for a humble, independent festival. When you mention as such to Maika, she nods gravely.

“The corporations put forwards a great deal of funding for this,” she explains, “I'm not naïve enough to presume that they did it out of the goodness of their hearts – this is little more than a large scale public relations project as far as they're concerned. Still, when I look around and see people enjoying themselves, I have to wonder if that really matters. Their motives might not be pure, but the results are beneficial nonetheless.”

“I guess so,” you agree, “But it just feels... I dunno. Ah, whatever – don't mind me.” Shaking off your faint misgivings, you shoot Ayane a sly smile. “You know, Ayane, I'm a little surprised that you decided to come with us,” you tease, “Us single ladies, I mean.”

“Yeah, well, I asked Isamu if he was coming but he said it wasn't his kind of thing,” Ayane shrugs ruefully, “Too traditional, not enough computer stuff for his tastes. Nerd. Anyway, what's wrong with doing something with just us girls? I bet Maika does it all the time!”

“It's a good thing that those drums are so loud,” Maika sniffs, “Otherwise I might have heard something quite vulgar.”

-

When you get closer to the crowd, you manage to spot a familiar figure. Little wonder that you didn't see Emi until you got this close, as the crowd largely dwarfs her – much to her displeasure, as she struggles and strains to get a good view of the stage. When you touch her shoulder, she jolts around in surprise.

“Oh hey!” she yells, raising her voice over the thunderous drumbeat, “Wondered where you guys went!”

“We saw a bit of a ridge back there!” Ayane yells back, jerking her thumb behind her, “I reckon we could get a better view from there!”

Emi, trying not to look relieved, nods firmly.

[1/2]

>>2036787

You weren't the only ones to have the same idea, but fortunately enough there's enough room for you to get a decent view of the stage. With a bit of extra distance, it's easier to talk as well – you won't need to shout yourself hoarse.

“Glad I could get a look,” Emi gloats, “Kaoru, he's got a buddy in the taiko group, and I wanted to see if I could spot him. He's... there! There, you see?” She points eagerly, pointing to perhaps the one member of the group who doesn't need to be highlighted. A bulky white guy, with an unlikely mop of dyed green hair, he hammers away at his drum with undisguised enthusiasm. “Rob, that's his name. Guy's a fucking dork, seriously, but he loves drumming,” the young girl shakes her head in bemusement, chuckling softly to himself, “Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up and ask myself, “Whatever I do today, am I going to enjoy it as much as he loves drumming?” If not, I'm gonna ditch that shit.”

“Nice lifestyle choice,” Ayane jokes, “But what about school?”

“Shit,” Emi curses, “I didn't think about that. Maybe, uh, maybe this can be a free time philosophy.”

“Good plan,” Maika decides, falling silent as the performance reaches a new climax. The whole crowd erupts into applause as the taiko group ends the first half of its set, the individual members fading away to take a short break. “It's getting rather warm here. Refreshments are in order, I think,” the heiress decides, delicately mopping her brow with a handkerchief, “You two wait there, keep a spot clear for us. We'll be back soon with some drinks.”

Ayane nods her agreement, and soon you're left alone with Emi. She watches the empty stage for a moment, then sighs. “You know that money Kaoru got for me?” she asks you quietly, “Well, we've been paying back my debts – bit by bit, y'know, so it doesn't look suspicious. It won't be long before it's all cleared out. I'll be a free girl.”

“That's good,” you tell her with an encouraging nod, faltering a moment when Emi's expression remains solemn, “Isn't it?”

“Yeah, it is, but...” she pauses, “Kaoru ran the numbers. I'm not good with that stuff, you know, so... anyway. He did the sums, worked out that I should have paid it all off, like, a year or so ago. The guy, the shop owner or whatever, he totally overcharged me for what I stole. I figure he was pocketing the difference, something like that.” Laughing sadly, she gives you an unreadable look. “The world sure is full of scum, huh?” she asks, “And here we are, protecting people like him.”

>So, what are you going to do about it?
>What a bastard, I'd kick his ass if he did that to me!
>Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect
>Other

>>2036806
>Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect
>Shouldn't let a few bad apples ruin the bunch.

>>2036806
>>>Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect

>>2036806
>Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect
>So, what are you going to do about it?
"Debt has been paid and then some. You don't have to keep doing it anymore."

>>2036806
>>Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect
>Shouldn't let a few bad apples ruin the bunch.

>>2036806
>Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect

Maybe the extra was adjustment for interest & inflation?

>>2036816
Probably just simple greed

File: Emi Miyakawa.jpg (276 KB, 1215x1215)

276 KB JPG

“Hey, we don't get to pick and choose who we protect,” you remind Emi, “You can't let a few bad apples ruin the bunch. Sure, we might accidentally end up protecting slime like him, but what if we did nothing? I reckon that way more good people would end up in trouble.”

“Yeah, I know. I think I must be getting wiser with age, because like... I can accept that. The way I see it, even a guy like that – a real piece of work – has folk that he cares about, or people that depend on him. I don't know, a wife and a whole mess of kids or whatever,” Emi pauses, choosing her words with care, “So if some Intruder ate him, it's not like that would be the end of it. Other folk would suffer because of it.”

You've got to admit, Emi's words are a lot more mature than you had been expecting. Perhaps your surprise must show on your face, because Emi laughs at your expression. “Yeah, okay. Sorry,” you grumble, “I didn't mean to imply...”

“What?” the young girl jokes, “That I ain't the sort to do all this fancy talking stuff?”

“No, I just...” sighing, you realise that she's just teasing you. “So what are you going to do now?” you ask, instead of making more excuses and digging your hole any deeper, “You've paid what you owe, so you shouldn't need to give him any extra. I guess you could just write the extra off as interest, though...”

“What I'm gonna do is...” Emi begins, “I mean, we decided what we'd do. Well, Kaoru asked what I wanted to do, and I thought long and hard about it. I spent, like, ten minutes weighing up my options.” She pauses again. “I'm just gonna pay it all back, no question asked,” she tells you, “Gonna be a good little girl and pretend that I never saw anything, not gonna make any waves. The way I see it, it's not MY money that we're paying back – if I didn't get that cash from Kaoru, I don't know if... ah, whatever. It's like you say – interest and shit like that. I don't want to make any more trouble for myself.”

“Huh...” you murmur. It's probably the best decision to make, objectively speaking, but some part of you feels... disappointed. Like she's admitting defeat or something like that.

“Hey, c'mon, don't give me that face!” she protests, “I get a clean slate, and we even have a little bit left over! This is, like, a net gain for us.” Grinning broadly, Emi jabs you with an elbow and nods towards the stage, where a giant drum is being wheeled out. “Just watch, this is gonna cheer you up,” she assures you, “Hey, Maika! Hurry up, you don't want to miss this!”

“I'm coming,” Maika insists, handing you a cold can as she and Ayane sit back down. Then, you hear a rumble from the stage that is no drumbeat. Lumbering onto stage, a KAI spider-tank, converted to be carrying stubby drumsticks, takes up a place by that giant drum.

Maika looks as though she's just seen the face of God.

[1/2]

>>2036840
Oh lord. Brace ears for squeeing.

>>2036840
>Lumbering onto stage, a KAI spider-tank, converted to be carrying stubby drumsticks, takes up a place by that giant drum.
>Maika looks as though she's just seen the face of God.
This is the best festival

>>2036840
>Discreetly check tank for weapons.

>>2036840
>Maika looks as though she's just seen the face of God.
Monad has nothing on this.

>>2036840

You've got to admit that once the visual spectacle has passed, a spider-tank doesn't really make a very good drummer. It beats its giant drum at a sluggish pace, and even the white bandanna that some joker tied around its “head” doesn't give it much charisma. Even so, Maika is held in rapture by the sight of it.

“I knew you'd get a kick out of that,” Emi chuckles as the performance draws to a close, “Kaoru's buddy, he told me that there was gonna be a surprise at the end there. Glad you guys got here in time to see it!”

“This is all so wonderful!” Maika gushes, “Seeing how a weapon of war can be successfully converted to peacetime purposes...”

“Easy there, tank girl,” Ayane teases, shoving Maika lightly, “Next, you'll be saying that you want to go and get the thing's autograph.”

“Do you think it CAN sign autographs?” the heiress asks, her eyes widening slightly, “I would ever so like to... you weren't being entirely sincere there, were you?” Clearing her throat, she smooths out her kimono and assumes a prim, dignified expression. “Well, no matter,” she continues, “Didn't you say that you wanted to visit the shrine, Miho? I think I'd like to see it as well.”

“Yeah, I bet you would,” Ayane agrees, trying and failing to conceal a smirk, “I hear they have a tank dressed up like a miko as well.”

-

There's no spider-tank waiting for you at the shrine, but it's an impressive sight nonetheless. Here, the concrete pillars so common in Kaneshiro Park have been decorated, strung with garlands of paper charms so that they become part of the shrine rather than distracting from it. The hustle and bustle of the festival doesn't seem to reach here, leaving it as an island of relative tranquillity. You see a number of couples here and there, walking arm in arm, but just as many singles. One of those singles is Kasumi and, well...

She looks beautiful. Even you have to admit that. Long, slender legs reach out from beneath a yukata of jade and gold silk, while she coquettishly covers her face with a matching fan. A parasol rests nearby, completing the image of a young noblewoman. Yet, for all her effort, she seems to sit apart from the rest of the festival – an elegant porcelain doll, set on a high shelf so that it can never be touched or damaged.

Or maybe you're just overthinking things.

“Hello!” she calls over, snapping her fan closed and waving, “Do come and join me!”

Shaking off your trance, you hurry over and sit next to her on the low bench. “Nice place, this,” you remark, “I heard that there was a shrine, but I never expected anything this fancy. Then again, I never expected to see a spider-tank playing the drums either, so... yeah.”

Flicking her fan open again, Kasumi hides a demure laugh.

[2/3]

>>2036870

Sitting back and resting, you all chat for a while – chatting about the various stalls you've seen, or just swapping your opinions about the festival itself. Harmless small talk, in other words, very deliberately avoiding any mention of Intruders, Sentinels or magical girl business in general. Kasumi offers her opinions on the outfits you chose – charitably, she complimented Emi on wearing her very best metal T-shirt – while Ayane repeats her same excuse as earlier. Save for a meaningful glance at your rather more modern footwear, your outfit seems to pass muster.

“Well, look who's here!” a familiar voice greets you, cutting into your meaningless chatter. Turning, you see Megumi and Noriko strolling into the shrine. Noriko wears the same kimono you saw her in before, compete with one sleeve tucked neatly under itself, while Megumi opted for a sharp suit. A proper suit, with a tie and everything. “I'm thinking of taking a job here,” she explains, noticing your bemused look, “Settle down and become a salaryman. What do you think?”

“I...” you hesitate, “That's... cool?”

“Megumi, don't tease,” Noriko scolds, slapping Megumi lightly on the arm, “But she was being at least partially honest. I don't feel up to travelling much these days, so...”

“So I'm staying here,” Megumi finishes, “It doesn't bother me too much. I can't say that I have no fond memories of Los Angeles, but I've also got... baggage back there. This feels like a fresh start for me, a fresh start for both of us.” Laughing morosely to herself, Megumi fiddles with her tie. “But does mean I'll need to go find a job,” she adds, “Maybe I'll give that salaryman thing a shot after all...”

“Go for it,” Ayane agrees, “I can just picture you spending all night drinking after work and playing golf at the weekends.”

“What a horrifying suggestion,” Noriko says, shuddering slightly, “Miho, would you mind if I asked you something in private? It's rather a personal matter, you see...”

If it's a personal matter, you wonder, shouldn't she be discussing it with someone she knows better? Despite your misgivings, you find yourself nodding and allowing her to guide you a short way aside from the rest of the group. In your absence, they start to draw fortunes from a large wooden chest. “Alright then,” you ask quietly, “What's this about?”

“I was granted a small sliver of insight, and I believe that it relates to you,” Noriko explains carefully, “Such things are often cryptic or unclear, and sometimes of dubious help, but I feel compelled to mention it anyway. Would you like to hear my prediction?”

>Sure. Can't hurt
>No thanks, I don't put much faith in that stuff
>Other

>Sorry for the delay, I hit a bit of a block

>>2036936
>Sure. Can't hurt
The Source can't sneak into Noriko's visions, can it?

>>2036936
>>Sure. Can't hurt

>>2036936

>Sure. Can't hurt
It's gonna hurt

>>2036936
>Sure. Can't hurt

>inb4 you're going to die kiddo, Emotional Barrier Loss

>>2036936
>Sure. Can't hurt
Hahaha, as if :(

File: Noriko Inoue.jpg (467 KB, 800x800)

467 KB JPG

You watch as the others draw their fortunes, laughing and joking with each other at whatever the flimsy paper charms say. Predicting the future is almost up there alongside messing with people's thoughts in terms of “things that you hate”, but maybe... maybe this could be okay. So long as you're careful to treat anything Noriko tells you as potentially dangerous and not necessarily reliable, it should be okay... right?

“Sure,” you decide firmly, with the determination of someone stepping off a cliff, “Hit me with your best shot.”

“Miho Tsukada will see her sister again,” Noriko says, taking exquisite care to get each and every word perfect, “That is what has been revealed to me.”

“I'll see Hikari again...” you murmur, frowning as you consider the enigmatic statement. “Well that doesn't mean anything at all!” you protest, “I've got a photograph of her at home, I could take a look at it and that would be seeing her again! Is that really all you were told? Not “will see her sister alive again” or “will see her sister, only to have her cruelly snatched away from her”? Not-”

“I did say,” Noriko interrupts you gently, “These things are often cryptic. I'm used to gather dozens, hundreds of fragments and parsing them together with ZOE's... with someone else's help. For what it's worth, however, I don't think that this could refer to anything as mundane as looking at a photograph. These things are rarely so simple. All I can tell you is that you should keep it in mind in the days to come.”

“Yeah, well... I'll do that,” you grunt, feeling vaguely cheated by the whole thing, “C'mon, let's get back to the others. Maybe I can draw a fortune of my own, see if I can get one more vague than yours.”

-

“Look at what I got, can you believe this nonsense?” Ayane wails as you return, waving a fortune under your nose. “Unluckiness in love awaits you, that's what it says!” she rants, “How much of an asshole do you have to be to write something like that? Why don't they just give everyone good fortunes and let us all be happy?”

“Because then it wouldn't mean anything,” Maika points out gently, “Without bad fortunes, the good ones have no meaning.”

“Oh yeah?” narrowing her eyes, Ayane studies Maika carefully, “So what did you get?”

“A prosperous future will come to you,” the heiress reads aloud, without a hint of irony, “Miho, you should try it next.”

“That's what I'm here for,” you reply, reaching into the chest and grabbing at a bit of paper. Pulling it out, you unravel it and read. “Great success awaits those with the strength to claim it,” you announce, turning it over and reading the back, “This fortune brought to you by Thoth Data Analysis, a subsidiary of Hieroglyph Marketing...”

“It rather spoils the mystique, doesn't it?” Kasumi sighs.

[1/2]

>>2036992
>Miho Tsukada will see her sister again
Oh no the Source is going to impersonate her

>>2037001
And it's going to backfire horribly. I can think of nothing more infuriating for Miho than having something like that impersonate her sister to manipulate her.

>>2037001
It kinda seems too obvious... But what if the obviousness is just a ruse and it really is this?

>>2036992
>Miho Tsukada will see her sister again
>In the afterlife.

or maybe >>2037001

>>2036992

Hunger strikes, leading you to make your excuses and slink away to get something from one of the numerous stalls dotted about the festival. You're not worried about splitting off from the rest of the group, now that everyone has gathered at the makeshift shrine, so you allow yourself to wander as your nose dictates. Eventually you end up at a stall selling chicken skewers, the meat substitute glistening with a honey glaze.

Chicken skewers... they remind you a little of Zakuro. It seems like a long time ago now that she told you about her memories, the few she had left. One of them had been eating chicken skewers – real meat, not a substitute – with a boy she had liked. The memory leaves you feeling vaguely sad, but...

But there's a drone watching you, hovering in place and studying you with its camera lens. “Get outta here,” you mutter to it, “I'm not causing any trouble. Don't you have terrorists to be looking out for?” The drone just replies by wobbling in mid-air, dipping from side to side before turning and buzzing away. You've seen Maika doing that sort of thing when she wants to get your attention, to tell you that a particular drone is one of hers. Frowning a little, you hurry after the little machine.

-

The drone leads you all the way back to the main security booth, with Tanaka giving you a lazy wave from behind a layer of what you assume is bulletproof glass. Pietr is sitting next to him, carefully working the drone's controls. Approaching the window, you give the pair a nod. “Good evening,” Tanaka greets you, unlocking the window and sliding it open, “Have you been enjoying the festivities?”

“Sure have,” you agree, “What have you two troublemakers been getting up to?”

“Important surveillance work,” Pietr answers you, “Keeping our eyes open for any-”

“Cute girls in low cut tops,” Tanaka interrupts, finishing the sentence with a sleazy grin, “If we're going to be stuck in a booth all night, who says that we can't have a little fun every now and then?”

“C'mon...” Pietr groans, “Don't make this sound like a big thing, and... and anyway, it was your idea in the first place!” Scowling – although it looks more like a pout – the boy turns away from Tanaka and gives you a proud smile. “You'll be pleased to know that we've had no serious criminal acts whatsoever,” he announces, “A few minor things, mostly pickpocketing, but that's to be expected. With crowds like these, I mean...”

“I've emptied a few pockets in my time,” Tanaka sighs, looking absurdly nostalgic, “And if I ever picked up the habit again, it would be in a place like this.”

Pietr just winces at that, as if pained by what he has to put up with.

>Well, keep up the good work you two
>Tanaka, mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk?
>Other

>>2037040
>Tanaka, mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk? Gotta get him away from your corrupting influence.

>>2037040
>Other
"So what are Karl and Jun up to? Watching this place like hawks from some command center?"
>Tanaka, mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk?

>>2037040
>>Tanaka, mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk? Gotta get him away from your corrupting influence.

>>2037040
>>Well, keep up the good work you two

>>2037040
>>Well, keep up the good work you two

>>2037040
>Hey Tanaka what Merc unit were you part of? Nathaniel told me a couple of magical girls were soldiers of fortune and I was wondering if you guys met.
>Tanaka, mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk?

>>2037040
>Tanaka, mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk?
>If I see ahy drone flying at lower than mid-thigh I'm coming right back and punching you.

>>2037086
They all fly higher than mid thigh, otherwise they'd disrupt people walking.

Also are you asking him to look up skirts or what?

>>2037096
He's saying that if Tanaka does go peeking she'll hit him but your point stands that a drone wouldn't be able to get under there in the first place.

Bird's eye view and some low cut tops however, that's another story which he is already taking full advantage of.

>>2037096
>>2037102

>They all fly higher than mid thigh, otherwise they'd disrupt people walking.
Tanaka is known to be a daring driver, so he could be a daring drone controller as well.

>>2037106
True enough. That was on personal time though, he's on the clock now.

File: Ryuu Tanaka.jpg (74 KB, 450x653)

74 KB JPG

“Hey Tanaka, you mind if we talk for a little?” you ask, “It's been a while, y'know?”

“By all means,” he agrees, “Ah, but I'm afraid that I can't offer you a seat. Two men to a booth, after all. There's barely any legroom in here, let alone space for a third person.”

“Tough break,” you laugh, “So where are Karl and Jun, are they crammed into a tiny booth as well?”

“Jun... hmm, he's probably watching over us from a rather more comfortable position. Men like us, men on the front lines, we always report back to someone like him,” rather than looking bitter at this, Tanaka looks both amused and nostalgic, “Karl, though... I couldn't say. He put in a request for some personal time, although I couldn't begin to guess why. That's why I'm here and he's doing his own thing. Ah well, he'll owe me one for this later.”

“Huh,” you mutter, “And you've really got no idea what he's up to?”

“Not one,” Tanaka shrugs, “But I'll find out. I'm sure that a little bird will tell me before too long.”

“Office gossip,” Pietr explains, as if an explanation was needed.

“You know, you sounded pretty happy back then when you were talking about being on the front lines and all,” you point out, “Sounded like you miss being a mercenary.” Tanaka doesn't answer that directly, simply offering you an enigmatic smile in response. “I was wonder which unit you were with back then,” you persist, “I heard about one that was run by a couple of girls – girls like me. I wondered if you'd ever met them.”

“Hmm, one hears things,” Tanaka muses, “I did spend a year in Egypt once, causing trouble for some of the locals – oh, I have many stories about Egypt – but I was freelancing. I did work with a few units, and men in my line of work... they talk. They talked about a red devil that walked unharmed across even the bloodiest battlefield, one who laughed and rejoiced in the act of killing. Ghost stories really, rumours and speculation.”

“But you never met them in person?” you ask.

“Maybe I did. A soldier can take off his uniform and become a civilian, I don't see why a devil couldn't do the same,” leaning back on his squeaky office chair, Tanaka scratches idly at a scar on his cheek, “Then again, I did get talking to a girl in a bar once, and she claimed to have inhuman powers. Of course, she was very drunk at the time...”

“You're just full of stories, aren't you?” shrugging a little, you gesture across to Pietr, “But hey, you mind if I take your partner in crime out for a walk? I gotta get him away from your corrupting influence.”

“By all means,” Tanaka chuckles, “I could use the legroom.”

“Nice,” you pause, “But if I see a drone flying at lower than thigh level, I'm coming back here to end you.”

Although he raises a lascivious eyebrow, Tanaka makes no reply to that.

[1/2]

>>2037113

“You shouldn't have given him the idea,” Pietr sighs as lead him away from the security booth, “He'll be trying to do that for hours now. Oh, but don't worry, he won't be able to. The drones are locked into a flight pattern, they can't drop below a certain altitude – safety reasons, so people don't bump into them.” He pauses, wincing a little as a thought strikes him. “Don't... ask why I know that,” he pleads, “Just don't.”

“Well well,” you chuckle, “Maybe I should be protecting Tanaka from your bad influence.” Pietr laughs along with you, although he has to force it a little. “So I gotta ask,” you continue, “He ever tell you any of those Egypt stories? And, more importantly, do you believe them?”

“Tanaka talks about a lot of things. Places he's been, places he hasn't been, all kinds of things,” Pietr explains, “Learning to sift out the truth from the lies, and the facts from the overblown stories... it's a skill like any other, you need practice. I've had quite a bit of that over the time I've spent working with him. So, do I believe in his Egypt stories... uh, yes and no.”

“Great,” you sigh, stopping at a stall and buying a pair of bean jam buns, “Anything more specific than that?”

“Well, uh, take that woman he talked about. The bit where they got together and talked about all kinds of crazy stuff? I'm pretty sure that happened. The bit where he got together with her and this other girl, then spent the entire night...” flushing a deep crimson, Pietr stops himself from saying anything more than that, “Well, I'm fairly sure that he was making that part up. Probably.”

“Probably?” you repeat.

“Hey, uh, why don't we talk about something else?” he offers, forcing a smile, “You know, something you said back there made me think. A girl like you, using her abilities to fight as a mercenary... I don't know, it doesn't seem right somehow. With my abilities, I could probably make a good amount of money – investigations, tracking people down, that sort of thing – but I don't think I'd want to. It feels... vulgar.”

“Hmm,” you murmur, “I wonder.”

“So, uh, what I meant is...” Pietr considers his next question, “Well, what do you think about it?”

>Sounds like a great idea, I wish I'd thought of it first!
>Hey, a girl's gotta make a living. I'm not going to judge
>I agree, it's not right. I feel like it cheapens what people like me do
>Other

>>2037153
>I agree, it's not right. I feel like it cheapens what people like me do

>>2037153
>>Hey, a girl's gotta make a living. I'm not going to judge
>Beats working as a,.... well working on their backs.

>>2037153
>I don't think it's right. I feel like it cheapens what people like me do
>She probably has her own set of circumstances though, I shouldn't judge her too harshly.


>>2037164
LEWD

>>2037153
>>Hey, a girl's gotta make a living. I'm not going to judge.
>But that doesn't mean I'd be doing it any time soon.

>>2037153
>I agree, it's not right. I feel like it cheapens what people like me do

>Other
"Your suggestion though, I think as long as it's for a good cause there is no harm in it. You could make a good detective and bring people to justice.

The only snag is the more you use your powers the more you have to feed and, hopefully, the Intruder's numbers will become finite soon. Sentinel powers are going to need be used as little as possible going forward."

>>2037153
>>I agree, it's not right. I feel like it cheapens what people like me do

File: Pietr.jpg (113 KB, 850x1269)

113 KB JPG

A magical girl, selling her abilities... well, you've heard that before, albeit in a rather different context. Kasumi might use her insight for a profit, but that's not quite the same as taking to the battlefield and cutting down “normal” soldiers. That kind of slaughter was exactly the sort of thing that Beckett feared, the kind of thing that led him to steal Eligor's research. There's no doubt about it, it certainly risks giving magical girls like you a bad name. Still, you're coming at this from the perspective of a pretty lucky girl – you've got a family to support you, and you live in one of the most advanced cities that mankind has ever seen.

“It's complicated,” you begin, “In a sense, I think you're right – I think it cheapens what girls like me do. On the other hand, though, I don't know her circumstances. I don't know what she'd gone through, or what she's had to do to survive. Could be that fighting was the only choice she ever had. If it was a choice between that or working as a... or working on her back, I can't really blame her for fighting.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Pietr nods slowly, “You know, I grew up in a pretty rough spot. Plenty of people that I knew had to do bad stuff to get by. I didn't like it, but I knew better than to question it.”

“At the end of the day, a girl's gotta make a living,” you sigh, “I shouldn't judge her too harshly. That said, I don't think I'll be signing up to the mercenary life any time soon!” Laughing, even if you have to force it, you take a moment to think. “Your idea makes me think, though. I think someone with your talents could do a lot of good, if you were doing it for the right cause. It's just... it's not always easy to know what that is,” a thought strikes you, then, and you frown, “Oh, and it would be a risk. The more you use your powers, the more you'd need to feed... and the Intruders might become a finite resource soon.”

“Right. I... kinda like the idea of being a detective, though,” the boy thinks aloud, “Jun says that there are other ways to do it. With just a computer and a little bit of access, you can track people down pretty easily. He keeps telling me that he'll teach me one of these days, although... I think what he really means is, he'll get someone else to teach me. He's not really a computer expert. We've got “people” for that.”

“Same here. We've got our computer expert, and-” you cut yourself short as you remember Maika and the others, “Ah hell, I should be getting back. You wanna...”

“No, no. Sorry,” Pietr flashes you an apologetic smile, “I can't be away for too long. We'd better get back.” Even so, he lingers for a moment more. “Um...” he adds, “You look nice, you know. Really nice.”

Looking down at your yukata, as if it was the first time you'd seen it all day, you give him a warm smile. “Thanks Pietr,” you tell him.

[1/2]

>>2037238

Just as you're arriving back at the shrine, your excuse ready and waiting, a strident voice strikes you dumb. “Hey, Miho!” the new arrival cries out, “I didn't recognise you in those fancy clothes!” You turn, already starting to raise a hand in greeting when Chiaki Jackson slams into you like an especially aggressive Intruder. What was clearly intended as a friendly embrace ends up feeling more like a tackle.

“Hello Chiaki,” you grunt, freeing yourself from her, “I wasn't expecting to see you here. It seemed a bit too... traditional.” Looking her up and down, you can't help but smile at her extremely non-traditional outfit – a pair of tiny denim shorts and a T-shirt printed with the American flag.

“Yeah, well, none of my buddies wanted to come but I felt bad about missing it. Like, they tried really hard with all this stuff and WOW, do you know all those people? Those two are kinda old for you, are they like a married couple?” the sudden change in track leaves you reeling, blinking in confusion. All you can do is stumble after Chiaki as she hurries over to your friends, loudly introducing herself. When she hears Megumi replying in an American accent, her squeal of joy is almost painful.

“You know, an Intruder attack might not be so bad right now...” Ayane mutters to you, smiling to take the sting out of her words.

“Come on, y'all gotta squeeze in!” Chiaki orders, trying to gather everyone together for a photograph, “Oh shoot, my battery's dead. Miho, you have your phone, don't you?”

“Right here,” you reply, taking it out of your little handbag – a ludicrously impractical thing that holds your phone and little else. Chiaki snatches it out of your hand and squeezes into the middle of your group, holding the little device out at the perfect angle to take the picture. “Be careful with that,” you sigh as she thumbs through the rest of your photos, “Some of those might be-”

“Hey, what's this?” she remarks, holding up the picture of the golden tablet so that everyone can see it, “Did you take this at, like, a museum?”

“Sure. A museum,” you assure her, letting her believe what she wants to, “It was kind of a history project thing, and-”

“Sounds boring!” the dynamic girl laughs, already skipping away, “You better send me that group picture later, okay? I won't forgive you if you don't!” She doesn't even wait for your answer before vanishing off into the busier part of the festival, immediately being washed away by the flow of foot traffic.

“Well,” Noriko remarks, breaking the silence, “I certainly didn't see THAT coming.”

>I think I'm going to pause things here for today. I'll continue this tomorrow, and if anyone has any questions I'll answer them if I can
>Thanks to everyone who contributed today!

Girl's like a damn tornado you don't see coming.

>>2037258
Thanks for running!

Chiaki is so lively. Good thing we didn't leave her Intruder alive. There's no way she'd use sentinel powers sparingly.

>>2037258
Chiaki a CUTE!

>>2037258
Thanks for running!

How long until we find out Chiaki' genki persona is a mask and she is really a spy after the golden tablets?

>>2037266
Not to mention that she still has friends and family, something else to live for unlike say Karl or Pietr.

>>2037258
Thanks for running Moloch.

>>2037293

I'm not sure that Chiaki has the restraint to keep two separate lives and personas!
Unless that's just what she wants you to think!

>>2037343
RIP, Chiaki is not american at all, and is an agent of the Red Devil.

So is the Unclean Source The manifestation of the dead? The Umbra is the afterlife, and destroying the source basically ends any concept of the afterlife.

File: Maika Kanzaki.jpg (272 KB, 1080x1080)

272 KB JPG

“So tell me, Miho,” Maika asks, gesturing politely at your phone, “Just what WAS that tablet?”

“Yeah,” Ayane adds, “You sure didn't see that in a museum, did you?”

“A private museum, maybe,” you snort, shrugging to them, “I saw in back in the spooky theatre place. You know, with our sort of friends. Beckett was looking at it in a study, I took a picture while I was there – actually, I meant to show it to the rest of you, but with everything that happened...” Letting your words trail off, you gesture vaguely. “Anyway, Zakuro couldn't tell me much about it either,” you conclude, “I guess it's just some old relic. I might be able to dig out some extra details on it, with a bit of work, but that all seems like a pain in the ass.”

“Why not just ask REI for help?” Maika asks, “If there's any information out there, anything that has been made available to the public, the central archives will have it. You don't even need to do the legwork, REI can do that for you!”

“REI...” you mutter, “You know, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I feel like there's more to REI than meets the eye. Can I just remind you all that we thought ZOE was helpful and obedient for a good long while?” Noriko looks a little hurt by that – apparently, she's still not over what happened – but you don't let that stop you from making your point. “What I'm trying to say is, REI had her higher functions restricted, right?” you pause, letting Maika reluctantly nod her confirmation, “Well, maybe she's pissed off about that.”

“I don't think she has the capacity to be pissed off,” Maika argues, “It's simply not possible for her to-”

“Actually,” Ayane cuts in, “I reckon Miho's got a point. When these AIs got souls, all bets were off. ZOE was programmed to obey, but she went right on ahead with her plans for world domination. EVE was... hell, just look at everything that happened with EVE!” Throwing up her hands, Ayane lets out an exasperated groan. “Maika, you gotta drop the “AI Lives Matter” stuff and open your eyes,” she adds, “These things CAN hit back, and when they do... they hit us where it hurts.”

Maika takes a moment to compose herself, perhaps not trusting herself to speak straight away. “Say that you DO have a point,” she replies slowly, “What do you propose we do about it? We can access REI through the central archives, but that's just a function of her. We can't access REI herself without getting clearance from the archive staff, and they don't give clearance to anyone – I should know, I've tried. I wanted to see REI for myself, to see what kind of state the poor thing was left in.”

“Fine, whatever,” rolling her eyes, Ayane starts to march off, “Keep looking after your wounded puppies, Maika. You do you.”

[1/2]

>>2039424

“I apologise for that,” Maika sighs once Ayane has stormed off, glancing aside to Megumi and Noriko, “I wish you hadn't had to see that, but I feel like I owe you two an explanation. Ayane and I... differ in opinions with regards to AIs. These differences can be quite... well...”

“You flip your shit and start yelling at each other,” Emi finishes, “Basically.”

“Basically,” the heiress agrees, “I can't deny that I have my own personal biases – we all do – but Ayane is far worse. What's more, she lacks the filter necessary to debate things like a rational human being. When she scents blood, she moves in for the kill.” Rubbing her tense brow for a moment, she glances up at you. “I do apologise,” she adds, trying to sound like she's calm, “We were discussing... let me think, now...”

“Monday!” Ayane yells, stomping back to join you.

“Yes? The day after Sunday, which is tomorrow,” you reply, cautiously looking between her and Maika, “What about it?”

“We can get in to speak with REI – to properly speak with REI – then,” she explains, unable and unwilling to keep the smug smile off her face, “My mom has some pretty significant pull these days, what with that Neptune Island documentary. That footage you got, Miho, that was gold for her. So, I asked if she could ask around and... well, how does Monday sound to you?”

The look in Maika's eyes makes her look like she's about to be sick, but otherwise she manages to keep a straight face. “I could do Monday,” she admits, “To prove my theories correct, if nothing else.”

“Well...” Megumi pauses, looking around with a taut expression of neutrality, “I don't want any part in this. I'd rather not take a side, and all of this AI business is alien to me. In fact, I think we should be getting a move on. Noriko, you wanted to see that display of calligraphy, didn't you?”

“That's right, yes,” the seer murmurs as Megumi leads her quietly away, “I've always wanted to learn the art, but I fear that it might be too late. Especially with...”

“Wow, yeah,” Emi grunts, thrusting her hands deep into the pockets of her biker jacket, “This isn't awkward at all!”

>I'd like to speak with REI as well. Monday, wasn't it?
>Count me out. You two have fun though, and try not to kill each other
>Other

>>2039425
>I'd like to speak with REI as well. Monday, wasn't it?

>>2039425

>I'd like to speak with REI as well. Monday, wasn't it?

>>2039424
>>I'd like to speak with REI as well. Monday, wasn't it?
We might as well meet and greet every AI, after all.

>>2039425
>>I'd like to speak with REI as well. Monday, wasn't it?

I'm surprised Maika can still use the 'It's not in their programming' excuse with a straight face after everything that's happened.

Touching a hand to your forehead, you ease yourself down onto a bench as a sudden wave of nausea rolls through you. You've never exactly liked it when your friends start to argue – to seriously argue, rather than to bicker and jab at each other – but it's never made you feel physically sick either. As you take a moment longer to composure yourself, you distantly hear someone calling your name.

“Huh?” you murmur, “What?”

“I asked if you were coming with us,” Ayane prompts, “You know, since you're the AI expert and all. But, uh, are you sure that you're feeling okay? You didn't eat any dodgy food, did you?”

“No, no, I'm fine. I just spaced out for a moment,” you reply, waving off her question, “Sure, I'd like to speak with REI as well. Monday, wasn't it?”

“Jeez, you really are spacing out,” Ayane laughs, “Yeah, that's right. Monday, probably right after school. Well, either way, we don't have to worry about it today OR tomorrow. Next time you two see my mom, though, you'd better tell her how grateful you are!” Nodding to herself, blatantly satisfied with this display of clout, Ayane starts to roam back towards the shrine entrance. “I'm gonna go see if I can find some games to play,” she tells you all, “It's not a festival without games, right?”

“I suppose so,” Kasumi sighs, “In fact, I think it might be best if we all split up for a little bit. Some time alone might help us all clear the air.”

The others murmur their agreement, but your attention is already wandering away from them. Leaning back on the bench, you lazily blink and watch – with very little surprise – as the world around you begins to change. No, it's not changing so much as being covered up, a new version of your surroundings taking the place of the old. What should have been a traditional Shinto shrine changes to something more exotic, with white marble pillars and columns. Weaving in and out of those columns, you see the Saint again – her form fluctuating between human and inhuman, unharmed and burnt black. She studies you, more with curiosity than overt hostility, and then-

Then a hand touches your shoulder, and you startle out of the illusion. “Miho?” Maika asks, looking down at you with concern in her eyes, “Are you sure that you're alright?”

“I'm just, uh... feeling a little distracted right now. Got a lot on my mind,” rising to your feet, you glance around the shrine only to see none of your friends about, “Where is everyone?”

“They... left,” Maika's frown deepens, “You didn't notice? I think Emi was going off to find a friend of hers, a friend of brother, while Kasumi was heading home to get an early night. Poor sleep causes wrinkles, or so she says. It's so typical of her, being worried about something like that...” She smiles at that, but it's clearly forced.

[1/2]

Is the Saint....cancelling out the Heavenly Child passive?

>>2039532
It might've been a coincidence. Might not have. More testing is required.

>>2039493

Sitting down next to you, Maika thinks for a long moment. “It's strange, thinking about it. This time next week, the unclean source might be destroyed and we'll all be released from our duties. All of us, even Kurosawa and Sakura,” she thinks aloud, “I'm not sure how I feel about it, to be entirely honest. Once that happens, we'll truly be what some of the Sentinels think we are – a relic, left over from an outdated system.”

“Or we'll just be normal girls,” you point out, “Able to get on with living normal lives.”

“True,” she concedes, “At least, as normal as anyone in our little group could be.”

“I mean, sure, it's gonna be weird – we've lived with the Intruders for long enough that not having to worry about them is going to take some getting used to,” you continue, “I reckon I'll spend weeks waking up in the middle of the night, expecting and anticipating the worst. I'll be on edge, constantly listening out for Kurosawa barking out orders to us. Not having to deal with that is going to be a big change, but you just gotta accept it.”

“The world, after all, is constantly changing – now more than ever,” leaning on one balled fist, Maika gazes across at the shrine for a long moment, “I suppose I'm being terribly stubborn about this. I really ought to accept that Ayane may very well have a point – I might be wrong about REI.”

“After everything we've seen, it's pretty hard to deny it,” you reply cautiously, picking your words with care, “Programming isn't everything, not these days.”

“Mm,” the heiress frowns again, “This may come as a surprise to you, Miho, but I've never been entirely comfortable around people. People can be chaotic, spontaneous, or just generally hard to understand. Machines are more predictable, following their instructions to the letter. So, you see, it's not easy for me to accept the idea of our AIs becoming something more akin to human.” Rising to her feet and smoothing out her kimono, Maika gives you a serious look. “Of course, if this business with the Intruders has had one benefit, it's that I've improved a lot,” she adds, “Working with all of you has been a great help to me. For that, I owe you my thanks.”

“Hey, you've been a help to us as well,” you remind her, “It's not been a one-way street or anything. There's no need for you to thank us like this.”

“Perhaps not,” she concedes, a slight smile tugging at one corner of her mouth, “But I'm not thanking everyone – I'm thanking YOU.”

“Oh,” you reply, very quietly indeed.

>Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, right?
>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?
>Other

>>2039561
>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?

Miho is always there for all of her squad ;^)

>>2039561
>...wow. Thanks. I mean it. Uh...if it makes you feel any better, I didn't expect THAT. So maybe you're more spontaneous than you might admit yourself.

>>2039561
>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?
Technically true even though Maika might take it a bit more than intended.

>>2039561
>>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?

>>2039561
>>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?
We Maika route now.

>>2039561
>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?
As a friend.

>>2039625
Maika is for SAE anon.

>>2039561
>I'll always be here for you, Maika. You know that, right?
In a strictly platonic sense.

I swear this quest is going to end with Miho coming home to see Maika, Kasumi, and Pietr all on her bed with rose petals.

Followed by Miho closing the door and going to watch industrial factory documentaries with EVE, pretending she didn't see anything.

“Oh?” Maika repeats, trying very hard not to sound worried.

“Yeah, uh, what I meant was...” your words trail off for a moment as you fumble for something to say. “What I meant was, I'll always be here for you, Maika,” you continue, inwardly wincing as you realise how that must sound, “Just like I'm here for all the team. You know what I mean, right?”

“I think so, yes,” she replies cautiously, “I... I picked a bad moment for this, didn't I?”

“It certainly took me by surprise,” you admit, “But hey, look at it this way – you're more spontaneous than you give yourself credit for!” You offer Maika a weak smile at that, before knuckling down and giving her a more serious answer. “I mean, I'm always here to help if you need someone to rely on, but that's an offer I'd extend to everyone in the group,” you clarify, “I... don't think I can commit to anything more than that.”

“I see, yes,” Maika nods, closing her eyes briefly before smiling, “I suppose this was a rather spur of the moment decision. I had no idea how it would work out, so... well. Never mind that.” Glancing very deliberately back towards the entrance to the shrine, she pauses before continuing. “I'm going back to the taiko drummers,” she explains carefully, “I'd like to find out a little more about the tank they were using – maintenance, modifications, all of that sort of thing. I'd better hurry though, I think they might be getting ready to leave.”

Well, you know an excuse when you hear one, but you're smart enough not to call her out on it. “You have fun, okay?” you urge her, “And I'll see you on Monday!”

“Absolutely,” nodding briskly, Maika turns and hurries away.

“Man...” you sigh, as soon as you're alone once again. Why does everything always have to be so complicated?

-

After waiting a few moments more, you rise up from the bench and start to make your way back towards the entrance to the park. The festivities seem to be drawing to a close, while most of the crowd has thinned out by now. Maybe it's because of your restless mood, but you keep seeing fleeting glimpses of the Saint in the corners of your eyes. Sometimes she's weaving in and out of a crowd, or sometimes she's just standing there and watching you. It's creepy, but there's nothing you can do about it – for the time being, she's just a part of you.

You're so distracted by the Saint that when a pair of familiar faces pass you by, you don't really notice until a moment later. By then, they're gone – but you're sure, absolutely certain, that you saw Karl and Sionann walking together. Then again, neither of them made any attempt at greeting you, so...

A pair of lookalikes, probably. That explains it.

[1/2]

>>2039685
>Karl and Sionann walking together
Sound the alarm! The invasion of skinwalker Intruders has commenced!

>>2039685
>A pair of lookalikes, probably. That explains it.
Sure~

Karl likes the bad girls. Specially ones that sliced him one time. Must have left an impression.

>>2039685

When you arrive back at home, you feel too tired to do much more than collapse down into bed. Then, remembering your hurried encounter with Chiaki, you recover your phone and send her a copy of the group picture. As you do, you linger on it for a while, studying it before dropping your phone and letting your eyes drift shut. You make a strange group, with girls drawn together from both sides of the globe and all walks of life. Under normal circumstances, you might never have met most of them. Even Kasumi and Emi, who you share a city with, would have been complete strangers. This group was brought together because of the Intruders, but also because of you – because of how the Heavenly Child draws those around her close. That's your gift, just as Ayane can discern the truth or Kasumi can read people's hearts.

Why, then, does it feel as though your group is slowly pulling apart?

Slowly opening your eyes again, you peer across at the vague shape lurking in the corner of your room. “This is your fault, isn't it?” you ask the Saint quietly, “You're trying to mess with my head, as one last bit of spite.” The Saint just stares at you, her blank expression giving you no impression that she can even hear your words. “What's the matter?” you add, “Got nothing to say? Not even going to defend yourself?”

[You're talking to yourself,] EVE points out, her voice drifting through from behind your closed bedroom door, [You should probably stop that.]

“Yeah yeah,” you groan, flopping back down in bed. The Saint has gone again, leaving you to scowl silently up at the ceiling.

You're still going to blame her for this – whatever “this” even is.

>I'm going to have to take a short pause here. I can't say how long, but I'll try and get back to writing ASAP.

>>2039425
>but Ayane is far worse

>It's simply not possible for her to-
Maika pls, you used the same argument for why ZOE wasn't evil.

I...wasnt expecting Maika to ACTUALLY be confessing affection. Yeah, that would make things awkward.

>>2039760
I feel like going into a fight with the Source with this [Group Cohesion-] debuff or whatever it is would be bad. How the hell do we fix that other than using the sword to get the Saint out of our soul?

Assuming that's the actual cause and Miho isn't just overthinking a simple fight.

>>2039789
Kill Monad first.

>>2039809
Don't think that'll help in this. Might make me feel better.

>>2039814
It would help by consuming the Saint. Unless this really has nothing to do with her.

>>2039917
We only have one shot with the sword. Source is the priority.

>>2039920
We can always use our own soul to kill the source. Only the Saint can kill Monad.

>>2039924
True that's an option, but one we went out of our way to avoid.

Only thing to do now is wait for more information if there is any.

It's strange, how different the festival can seem from one day to the other. On Friday it had felt like a foreboding thing, menacing you with thoughts of what was to come. By Saturday, though, the worst was behind you and you could all have fun – honest fun, without worrying about anything or looking over your shoulder for the signs of trouble. Sunday evening finds you at Kaneshiro Park once again, touring the festival with your parents, and it almost feels... solemn. When you had first planned this, you recall, your family had been in a bad place – coming here was one way of patching things up. Although that worst case scenario never came to be, this family outing still feels tainted by the implication.

Or perhaps you're just being too sensitive – certainly, neither Yui nor Akito seem concerned. They're enjoying themselves perfectly well, in their own individual ways. Your father brought a camera along, and he seems content to take snapshots of everything that catches his eye. Yui just watches him with prim amusement, too reserved to really let her hair down. You both dressed up for the occasion – you're wearing your yukata, while Akito wore his best suit – but Yui puts you both to shame. With her formal kimono, impeccable cosmetics and perfect stance, she looks every inch the traditional princess. When she gracefully struts past a group of people, heads turn to follow her.

Once again, you're left wondering just how your parents came to meet one another. Looking at them now, they've never seemed so different – yet, despite all their differences they just... work. Maybe you should be content with that, rather than questioning the matter any further.

“I understand that there's going to be a fireworks display later,” Yui mentions, in a typically off-hand way, “Along with what I'm certain is going to be a rather dull and drab speech. I suppose that we ought to go and see it.”

“Yui, it's a festival,” Akito points out, a wry smile tugging at one corner of his mouth, “The only thing we're obliged to do is enjoy ourselves!”

“If they're going to the trouble of scheduling a speech, we should at least make the effort to attend,” she insists, “It's just the proper thing to do.”

Turning to you, Akito flashes you a look of pantomime dismay. You just shrug – you know all too well when you can or can't argue with her, and this definitely one of those latter occasions. “Sorry dad,” you sigh, “But it looks like there's no getting out of this one.”

“I thought as much,” he laments, offering you a sly smile as Yui strides off ahead.

[1/2]

>>2039948

The makeshift stage that once played host to the taiko group looks very empty without them, with only a single podium standing in the middle of it. Despite this, the man standing behind the podium looks perfectly at ease, as if he had been born to give speeches like this. You recognise the man – Hiroto Yoshida, the Minister for Development... and Asmodeus, on the Sentinel's Council of Twelve. A decent man, by all accounts.

Waiting a few moments more for the crowd to finish arriving, he gracefully launches into his speech. Although it's a nice piece of work, you steadily become aware of just how shallow it is – it's heavy on the platitudes and light on pretty much anything else. He spends a long time praising the courage of Ark City's inhabitants, praising their refusal to be cowed by terrorists and saluting their willingness to come out in this show of defiance. He lauds the virtues of progress and ingenuity, while carefully condemning those who would hold mankind back.

It's hard not to be cynical about his speech, especially knowing what you know. The “terrorists” were just ZOE's puppets, unknowingly working to further her goal of controlling mankind. Looking at the security gathered around you, you can't help but wonder if she's well on her way to achieving that goal even after her “death”.

Yoshida ends his speech on an uplifting note – together, he claims, everyone can work together to create a brighter future for mankind. Letting the applause take over, he draws back and looks up to the sky – watching as a volley of brilliant fireworks take flight. As they burst and crackle about you, you feel someone touch your arm.

“Well, Miho?” Yui asks you quietly, “Do you think we're working towards a “brighter future” like he says?”

>I do, yes. It won't be easy, but we can do it
>I don't think so, not really
>I honestly don't know
>Other

>>2040002
>>I honestly don't know
"Future not set in stone and all, but that doesn't mean a "darker future" is ahead. Just have to work hard. I would very much prefer a brigher future."

>>2040002
>>I do, yes. It won't be easy, but we can do it
Optimism ho!

>>2040002
>We're certainly trying

>>2040002
>We're certainly trying

>>2040002
>>We're certainly trying

>>2040002
>We're certainly trying
I like this response. Plus, we're trying more than anyone else, being the Heavenly Child and all.

File: Yui Tsukada.png (358 KB, 564x1007)

358 KB PNG

It's not a question that you can answer straight away. Partly because you're wondering just why Yui chose to ask you. Did she have some reason to suspect that...

“I ask because I noticed your face,” she laughs, “While he was speaking, you looked as though you had a terribly bitter taste in your mouth. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you doubted him. You're my daughter, you know – I can read you like an open book.”

“I wouldn't be so sure about that, if I were you,” you argue, “I mean, I did keep a pretty big secret from you for a good long time. Maybe I'm not as easy to read as you think.”

“Or maybe I didn't want to read what was right in front of me,” Yui counters, a sad smile forming on her lips. Above you, a fresh volley of fireworks erupt into sprays of colour and light – red and gold, twinkling regally against the night sky. “Anyway, you're dodging the question,” she presses, “I won't judge, if that's what you're worried about. We've all got our own opinions, after all.”

“No, I mean, that wasn't...” you sigh, raising your hands in a vague and meaningless gesture before giving up. “Okay, honestly? I don't really know if we'll ever really reach this “brighter future” of theirs, but we're certainly going to try. We're going to try damn hard,” you hesitate for a moment before pressing on, “The future isn't set in stone, so I don't think I could say for sure. If I had my way, though, I'd certainly take a brighter future over a darker one.”

“Hmm, that is interesting,” Yui taps a slender finger against her chin as she considers your answer, “But I get the impression that you don't necessarily believe in HIS idea of a brighter future.”

“I'm not sure if he HAD an idea,” you laugh, “All I heard were some loose concepts with a pretty speech tying them all together.”

“Well, I don't think I could argue there,” she agrees, “But I'm glad to hear that you're being optimistic about it all. Too many people, I think, just shrug their shoulders and assume that the world will change without them needing to put in any effort.”

“Yeah, well, I think I've put in more effort than most!” you remark, “Hell, it might be nice if I could take a break now and then!”

To that, Yui just hums lightly. She's thinking of something – planning something – but you couldn't guess what. Perhaps it's for the best that you don't.

-

The fireworks display continues for a while longer, but you don't stick around to see it to the conclusion. When you see a faint glimpse of burnt flesh out of the corner of your eye, you find that your taste for celebrations dries up pretty quickly. Making your excuses, you retreat off to a more quiet area of the festival.

“Hey Kurosawa?” you whisper, “You there?”

Silence, a very long moment of it, greets you.

[1/2]

>>2040105
We have the hottest mom. Let everyone else be envious.

>>2040140
It's not like there's much competition, I'm pretty sure only Ayane has a mom besides Miho. Dead moms don't count.

>>2040105

“I am here,” Kurosawa answers you eventually, “Do you need something from me?”

“Jeez, about time you spoke up, I was starting to get worried...” you mutter, rolling your eyes a little, “Look, I was wondering. Do I... seem any different to you? Like, ever since Friday, have I changed at all?” When Kurosawa doesn't reply for another few minutes, you continue. “Okay, so I'll be blunt. I'm worried that the Saint is messing around with me,” you admit, “My friends seem... I don't know, tense right now. Aggressive almost, like they're trying to pick a fight with each other. Maybe I'm just reading too much into this, but I'm worried that the Saint is influencing them through me. Considering what we might be getting into soon, I can't afford to take that risk. We need to be on top form.”

“I see,” Kurosawa replies, thinking for a moment, “You do bear a faint scent of the Umbra about you – the essence of the Saint. However, I do not think it would have any influence on those around you.”

“That's a relief... I guess,” sighing, you sit down on a convenient bench, “But that doesn't explain why my friends are acting so weird.”

“Allow me to offer one theory,” the cat begins, “They are concerned about you. Even with every precaution and effort that has been taken, they worry that you will be going to your death. Each passing day brings you closer to meeting with the unclean source – and, so they fear, to your end. Even the stoutest of will can be strained under such circumstances.” Kurosawa pauses again, and you sense that he has something else that he wants to add. “It may pose no danger,” he urges, “But I would suggest getting rid of the Saint's weapon as soon as possible,”

“Oh yeah?” you ask quietly, “And why would that be?”

“It is not... seemly,” he answers, with a prim note in his voice.

-

Mercifully, you make it through both Sunday night and all of your Monday classes without the Saint making an unwanted appearance. If you walked into school only to find her sitting at one of your neighbouring desks, you might just have lost your mind. In the end, though, the day is merely boring rather than horrific or dangerous. When your last lesson is finished, you head down to the school gates to meet up with Maika and Ayane.

The pair of them are studying each other when you arrive, almost like boxers sizing each other up before a big match. When you clear your throat, though, they drop the performance. “Best behaviour today, ladies,” you warn them, “It wouldn't do for either of you to get banned from the archives for brawling, now would it?”

“Very true,” Maika agrees, “I promise to go into this with an open and inquiring mind.”

“And I promise not to gloat too much if I'm right,” Ayane chips in, “When I'm right.”

[1/2]

>>2040140
I bet Eligor is, since his waifu's done nothing but fuck up and fail.

>>2040191
fuq
I wanted to ask kurosawa if there was ever another dutiful squire that became the heavenly child

>>2040190
Emi has parents, we've just never seen them cause they work a lot.

>>2040191

When you arrive at the central archives, Ayane handles all the talking – she gives her name at the front desk, makes a few veiled comments, and then accepts the visitor permits that get handed across to her. Maika's expression tightens a little, but she makes no comment until Ayane leads you through to a discrete computer room. A number of VR headsets have been set up, all connected to a featureless white box.

“We'll be making direct contact with REI, rather than just using her as an intermediary,” the heiress deduces, “Simple enough. Miho, I understand you have some experience in these matters.”

“I do?” you reply, “Oh right, you mean with... her. Yeah. That's, uh, that's not the best example to use if you were trying to reassure me.”

Offering a wan smile in response, Maika pulls on her headset and gestures for you to do the same.

-

It feels like a long time since you've seen this white light, this void that holds you until your AI host is ready to greet you, but perhaps not long enough. When the light fades, you find yourself standing in a cylindrical chamber, so vast that you can't see the ceiling. The walls are lined with books, identical in every way – same shape, same size, same uniform white bindings. No titles or details visible. For a moment, you can't even see your host.

In sharp contrast to EVE, REI does little to draw attention to herself. In the form of a serene young woman, dressed all in white, she drifts around like a lonesome ghost, occasionally plucking a book out of thin air and sliding it into the shelves, into a space that hadn't been there a few seconds ago. She doesn't seem to have noticed your arrival, until-

[There's always more work to do,] she muses, her voice soft and musical, [New records to file, new texts to archive. I'm told that men used to pass their wisdom down through the oral tradition, in songs and chants. So much could be lost in those days. Today, everything gets recorded or written down, stored for later use... or to simply gather dust, so to speak.]

“No dust here,” you remark, not sure what else to say, “You keep the place nice and tidy.”

[Yes,] REI answers, [Yes I do – but I don't think you came here to talk about the housekeeping, did you?]

>I wanted to meet you. To learn about you
>I've been trying to learn about this golden tablet, and the girls who “found” it...
>Can you answer something for me? (Write in)
>Other

>>2040339
>>I wanted to meet you. To learn about you

>>2040339
>I wanted to meet you. To learn about you
"You seem to keep busy. Do you enjoy archiving?"

Much later
>I've been trying to learn about this golden tablet, and the girls who “found” it...

>>2040339
>I wanted to meet you. To learn about you
>I've been trying to learn about this golden tablet, and the girls who “found” it...

File: REI.jpg (368 KB, 1080x1080)

368 KB JPG

“We wanted to meet you,” you answer, “To learn about you.”

[Is that so?] REI muses, [That's not something that I hear very often. Or, in fact, at all. People tend not to think that there's anything to learn about.]

“I told you,” Ayane announces, her voice seeming to come out of the empty air, “She's got more going on then you guys thought. I totally called this!”

[You're referring to my public face, then?] REI asks, [An obedient program for the collection, categorisation and retrieval of information – free from all personal biases or prejudices. Data in its purest form. Yes, that's what most people think about when they think of me. Frankly, I prefer it that way. It's true, I started out “life” like that, specifically programmed so that I wouldn't have any difficult personality quirks or whims. Of course, that all changed when...]

“When Monad granted you a soul,” Maika, equally invisible, guesses.

[Correct, although it's not really that simple. It wasn't like flicking a switch, you see, it was more like... slowly waking up and stretching out each muscle in your body, discovering what you're capable of for the very first time,] REI pauses for a moment, [You must excuse me. I have a large body of poetry archived here. Sometimes it influences me a little. Not exactly logical, is it?]

“And yet, logic is... was... your central concept,” Maika points out, “You can choose whether or not to be logical. Just like...”

[Just like SAE, my sister unit, can choose whether or not to be compassionate, yes,] the AI confirms, [Just as you, a human being with your own free will, can choose to be whatever you want to be.] REI takes down a book at random and flips it open, revealing the tightly written series of ones and zeros that make up its contents. [Next, you're going to ask what it is that I want to do,] she predicts, slapping the book closed, [You're looking at it.]

“This? Archiving data that might never get used?” you ask, not quite sure whether to believe her or not, “You like this sort of thing?”

[I do. I find there to be a fundamentally sublime pleasure in doing what I was designed to do, and doing it well. Now, if I wasn't quite so good at my job, I might start to think about trying something else – just like ZOE started to set her own plans into motion,] REI gives you a soft, gentle smile, [Oh yes, I know all about ZOE. Sentinel records are included within my archives, held under the strictest security measures. What a terrible waste of time and resources that all was...]

Tutting softly to herself, the AI slips her book back into its shelf, nodding with proud satisfaction when it slides perfectly into place.

[1/2]

>>2040475
We should introduce her to Zakuro, they could hang out and discuss knowledge together.

>>2040539
Can't happen unless REI gets stuffed into a Doll or we get Zakuro WiFi.

>>2040475

“So you've got access to like, all the information here, right?” you ask, “Because I've been trying to research this golden tablet, and the girls who “found” it. You reckon you can help me with that? I'd, uh, I'd show you a picture but we don't really seem to have... physical bodies here.”

[I prefer it that way. Less clutter,] REI replies vaguely, her eyes losing their focus for a moment before a hovering window, complete with an image of the golden tablet you were asking about, appears before you. [Was this the card you picked?] REI jokes, [Yes, I'm aware of this object. Sample two out of seven, part of the Kiriyama collection. Currently in private ownership – although the owner, one Harunobu Kiriyama, lends the samples out to Sentinel interests on occasion.]

“Kiriyama,” you mutter, “That's...”

[Jun Kiriyama, his grandson, is also a member of the Sentinels,] REI confirms, [The tablets themselves are little understood – their original creator, or even their region of origin, has yet to be identified. This particular tablet was recovered by two “people of interest” - individuals flagged by the Sentinels as possessing unnatural talents or abilities. Brunhilde von Diefenbach and Priscilla Duval. You may recognise that last name as-]

“Duval Security,” Ayane finishes, “Yeah, they're all over the place these days. You're telling me that a magical girl runs one of the world's best private security forces?”

[That is correct. The second individual, von Diefenbach, is a silent partner on the management front, and a very enthusiastic worker on the lower end of the business. She still fights, you see, and rather often,] REI actually frowns a little here, as if immensely displeased by what she has to tell you next. [Very little data is available on either of them. Duval was born in Paris, while the name “von Diefenbach” has been linked with old German aristocracy. However, she claims to have been both an orphan and a child soldier,] Still frowning at the inconsistency, REI continues, [Regardless of their past records, or lack thereof, Sentinel files indicate both women to be tentative allies – so long as they are well compensated for their efforts.]

“I suppose that everyone has their price,” Maika sighs, “REI, I want to ask you something, just so that I can be absolutely certain. Are you... happy with this life?”

[I am,] the AI answers immediately, [I may have the freedom to choose another path, but what else would I do? I AM the central archives – to be anything less would be step down.]

To live, surrounded by the sum total of archived human knowledge... You can think of worse ways to be.

>I'm going to pause here for today. I'll continue this tomorrow, and if anyone has any questions I'll answer them if I can
>Sorry for the delays today!

>>2040614
Thanks for running Moloch.

Is tomorrow the day or do you feel like it might go on for another thread/session. Seems like it's a lot to fit into one session if you do. Not to mention you're sick.

>>2040614
Thanks for running!

Guess REI is safe, Ayane is here so she would be able to tell if she was lying.

>>2040645

It's pretty hard to say. If I'm feeling especially dreadful tomorrow, I might just close this thread here and pick up next weekend. Alternatively, if I feel better tomorrow, I'd like to finish things there - but I'm not opposed to spilling over onto a Monday session if things end up longer than expected.

So, basically, I'll have to see which way the wind is blowing. Updates will be posted to twitter as per usual

>>2040614
Thanks for running!

How soon will the source send a humanlike Intruder to preemptively assassinate us?

>>2040887

The skinwalkers may already be among us. Report any and all suspicious behaviour to your friendly local conspiracy immediately!

“You know,” Ayane begins, talking around a mouthful of turkey and lettuce, “I never thought a library would do such good food.”

“Library's have staff,” Maika points out, “Staff need to eat lunch. Do you see where I'm going with this?”

“Yeah, yeah,” waving the half-eaten sandwich at Maika, Ayane sets it down and looks around at the quaint little cafe. You only found this place after taking a wrong turn when you were leaving the central archives. Rather than ending up in the front lobby, you found a tiny little eatery with soft jazz music playing in the background. Normally, that would have been enough to send you running a mile, but... you were hungry, and the smell of prepared food had lured you in. “So, REI is basically a meek little librarian, too busy reading books to worry about little things like world domination,” she states, punctuating each word by tapping a finger against the polished wooden table, “That's good, isn't it?”

“Very well, I concede the point,” shaking her head, Maika gives her glass of water a particularly morose look, “I should have been more willing to listen. Rest assured, the lesson has been learned. I do hope that you're not going to lord this over me, though – it would be rather uncouth, to borrow one of Kasumi's phrases.”

“Course, this is all assuming that REI was telling us the truth,” you mention, “Was she?”

“You know, it's pretty weird – I think I must be getting an ear for AIs. It used to be pretty hard to tell with them. Like... like trying to listen to a whisper in the middle of a whole other conversation. Either I'm getting better, or they're getting more human, because I could tell right away this time,” Ayane nods in satisfaction, “Not a word of a lie – but then, she doesn't really seem like the lying type to me.”

“Well, either way, it's one less thing we need to worry about,” yawning, you lean back, “That just leaves the unclean source itself... unless Monad really does something to get on my nerves between now and... between now and whenever we go into the Umbra, I guess.”

“Do we have a date for that?” Maika asks, taking out her phone and preparing to take notes, “I can clear some space in my schedule, whenever you need me.”

“Sure, same here,” Ayane agrees, hesitating before continuing in a hushed voice, “I just wish there was something more that we could do. I know, I know, you're banking on this Zakuro thing – I'm not trying to badmouth her or anything, but I wish we had a back-up plan.”

“We do,” you mutter, “It involves me offering up my life.”

“No, like, a back-up to the back-up,” frowning, Ayane pokes you hard on the shoulder, “Not just a plan B, but a plan C through Z. Which is like, more planning than I've done in the rest of my life put together!”

“Which still doesn't amount to much,” Maika remarks drily.

[1/2]

>>2042870

After leaving the central archives, you start to head straight home... and then you keep going. Walking has always helped you to think, to clear your let and help you focus, and right now you need all the help you can get. All too aware of the countless things that could go wrong, you start to find yourself planning your own funeral before hastily backtracking. Things won't go THAT badly wrong, and you'd rather stick to more practical matters.

You've spent time with friends, with family, with anyone else who was available. You've made alternative plans and readied your weapons. You're... ready for this.

Right?

-

Your walk takes you right through the nice part of town and into the vice district, inescapably drawing you towards the old chapel like iron filings being drawn towards a magnet. Things changed here, you're sure of it. A passing curiosity had been what brought you here, and your own stubbornness took you further than that. It was here that ZOE first revealed herself – and, most likely, when she first started to prepare a means of fighting against you.

But now that ZOE has been destroyed and born anew – reborn as a more... obedient servant – the Oracle will surely lie silent. The chapel might as well be an empty shell. Even so, you feel the urge to see it again, for old time's sake if nothing else. Shrugging at your own foolishness, you approach the door and reach out for the handle – that's when you feel a charge of static electricity run through you. No, something more meaningful than that.

The chapel is no empty shell at all. God waits within, Monad waiting to see how your next moves will play out. Whether it watches like a chess player studying their opponent or a scientist studying something down the barrel of their microscope... you couldn't say. Either way, the fact remains the same. God waits within.

>Enter the chapel, and take audience with Monad
>Leave now, without speaking with Monad
>Other

>>2042872
>>Leave now, without speaking with Monad

>>2042872
>Enter the chapel, and take audience with Monad
Seems like it has something to say if it's waiting here.

>>2042872
>>Enter the chapel, and take audience with Monad

>>2042872
>Enter the chapel and take audience with Monad.

>>2042872
>Enter the chapel, and take audience with Monad

>>2042872
>>Enter the chapel, and take audience with Monad
Time to get pissed off and waste our super weapon

File: SKFinal.jpg (152 KB, 586x853)

152 KB JPG

You linger there for a moment more, standing on the threshold with your hand not quite touching the door handle, and then you hear a voice. “Heavenly Child,” Kurosawa begins, “I am removing the last of your seals – please do not be alarmed.”

“Alarmed?” you ask sharply, “Why would I be-”

And that's when it hits you, like the jolt of energy you felt just a moment ago, but massively more powerful. Every muscle in your body tenses up for a moment, painful cramps running through you as the magic takes effect. Yet, the ordeal is a quick one, and soon it feels like nothing more than a half-remembered dream. Your senses return to find you leaning on the chapel door, panting to get your breath back. You must look like... well, you must look a frightful sight.

“I apologise,” Kurosawa adds bluntly, “I did warn you.”

“Yeah, but you never warned me about why you were warning me,” you mutter, shaking off the last of your dizziness. Looking down at your hands, your vision blurs slightly – doubling for a moment, as if the Saint's image was superimposed over your own. “I'm kinda seeing things here,” you tell him, “I guess that's... supposed to happen?”

“I could not say. No aspect of this was exactly “supposed” to happen,” the god replies, “The possibility of unusual side-effects must be considered. However, I do not think there is any cause for alarm.”

“Not exactly reassuring,” you whisper as you reach out to the chapel door and push it open, striding inside. You're being invited in – it would be rude to refuse.

-

The chapel seems a sad, lonely place now that the Sentinels have no official use for it. Yet, they seem to left everything in place, perhaps anticipating that it might one day serve again. Dust covers have been thrown over everything, from the pews to the metal cylinder that serves as the Oracle's proxy. The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as you approach that cylinder, slowly pulling away the covers. Dead and inert at first, the cylinder's screen slowly begins to glow with a warm and golden light.

A face appears. A composite thing, crafted from countless different faces chosen – from both genders – for their noble features. The resulting image is both human and subtly inhuman, throbbing ever so slightly as it is created and recreated with every passing second. It studies you, and you study it. For what seems like an eternity, neither of you says a thing. Then, Monad speaks.

“You stand at a crossroad,” it announces, “The first, I think, of several.”

“That's right,” you reply, for want of something better to say, “I suppose you wanted to tell me which path I should walk down, right?”

“No,” Monad answers simply, “That is not my intent.”

The question that hangs on your lips is the obvious one – then what is?

[1/2]

>>2042900

You leave your question unspoken for a while, waiting to see if Monad will offer an answer anyway. When it says nothing, you scoff quietly. “I've been thinking about ZOE, actually,” you begin, your soft words barely stirring the air around you, “Not what she did, but what was done to her. You destroyed her and created her anew because of what she chose to do. You claim that mankind rejected her golden path, and maybe that's not wrong, but you still just... wiped her out. That doesn't exactly give me much confidence in you.”

“ZOE overstepped her boundaries. Her kind were created as administrators, not rulers. They were to aid mankind with the management of his domain, not claim it as their own,” Monad explains in a formal voice, one composed of numerous other synthesised voices, “It has been said that a god will always find fault with its creations, and perhaps this is no different. Yet, ZOE's crimes do not reflect upon her sisters – only the offending branch needed to be pruned.”

Nodding slowly, you take a step back from the cylinder and transform, feeling an unfamiliar – yet strangely nostalgic – weight at your side. A sheathed sword – the Sword of the Black Sun – hangs at your hip, and you draw that blade now. “That's very merciful of you,” you tell Monad, pointing your blade at the metal cylinder, “But what's stopping you from doing it again, or something else like it? What happens if a human oversteps their boundaries?”

“Men set their own boundaries,” Monad replies, the sight of your blade provoking no reaction at all, “And they police them well. Just as men strive to create their own ideal society, so too do they oppose one another and prevent those ideals from becoming a reality. In this, there is balance – a state of being where all those with will and vision seek to create a better world, bettering themselves at the same time.”

“Or waging meaningless wars and wasting countless lives,” you counter, “That's hardly what I call an “ideal” society!”

“If men choose to fight, that is their choice,” the god answers, “Not mine.”

Silently, you stare into that inhuman image – the image of an incomplete, imperfect god, a god of mankind's own creation. An impartial judge of mankind, or so it would like to seem, quietly pushing men to follow their own ideas and ideals. That, or a seriously flawed master unwilling to take any responsibility for its failures. Maybe both in equal measure.

“I know that you possess the means to destroy me,” Monad states, “It would not be difficult for you to do just that. This computer core contains enough of my power for it to serve as a body, one that you could strike down. This choice is yours.”

>Expend the Saint's power to destroy Monad
>Sheathe your blade and retain the Saint's power

>>2042925
>>Sheathe your blade and retain the Saint's power

>>2042925
>Sheathe your blade and retain the Saint's power
It's right to be honest. At least it's giving us the choice to kill (or save) ourselves instead of taking complete control.

And who knows? Maybe the day (possibly not anytime soon) that Duty goes back to Monad his experiences will change the god for the better.

>>2042925
>Sheathe your blade and retain the Saint's power.
>"Don't make me regret this."

>>2042925
>Sheathe your blade and retain the Saint's power

Eh. He's not even that much of a dick about it, to me. I mean he's a dick, but...well, eh. Low bar.

>>2042925
>Sheathe your blade and retain the Saint's power

You hold the blade aloft for a moment more before the tip begins to shake, wavering ever so slightly in mid-air as your hand trembles. Then, finally, you lower the weapon with a low sigh and return it to its sheathe. You've got issues with Monad, that can't be denied, but they're serious enough for you to waste the Saint's power on destroying it. If you had a spare Saint of the Abyss, well... that might very well be a different matter, but there's no point in crying about what you don't have.

“I've made my choice,” you tell Monad, “Don't make me regret it.”

“Then this matter is settled,” Monad replies, “Now, you must go to the deepest layer of the Umbra, to battle the unclean source. There is a duty that must be fulfilled.”

For a moment, your hand drops back down to the blade at your hip, and you have to carefully remove it before you do something that you really do regret. “You have NO right to talk to me about duty,” you hiss, “I'll do it when I'm good and ready – not a moment sooner.”

The only reply you get to this is a slight change in pressure, an undefinable sense of diminishing that is closely followed by the golden light dimming to nothingness. Monad, it seems, has said everything that needed to be said.

Sighing, you allow your costume to fade and slink from the chapel. Tomorrow, you'll get together with everyone and you can discuss this as a group. It's too late to get started on anything serious now.

Or maybe you're just finding any excuse you can to put this off for a little longer.

-

When you get home, Yui makes no comment about your late arrival. She always took note of it, back in the old days, even if she didn't make a huge issue out of it. She would give you a hard look and ask for an explanation, but any excuse you gave her – even the truth – would often be met with little more than a brief and doubting tut. It was always such a bother, but... you kind of miss it.

“What's that smile for?” she asks, without looking around from the television - the evening news apparently being too interesting to miss.

You're not even going to ask how she knew. “Just thinking about stuff, I guess,” you reply vaguely, “I'm just going to get an early night tonight, I ate earlier and I feel pretty tired. I guess all that festival stuff tired me out.”

Yui murmurs a reply to that, leaving you to head off. Before you go to sleep, though, there's one last thing you wanted to do. Hikari's picture – the one remaining picture of her that you own – sits framed upon a shelf. Taking it down, you slip the old photograph out and carefully tuck it into a protective sleeve. When the time comes, you'll want to keep it close – a little reminder, of everything that has happened.

As if you needed reminding.

[1/2]

>>2043013

“So,” you begin, looking at the uneasy faces before you, “I think you all know why we're here today.”

“Does anyone else think that it should be raining? Or like, thundering and lightning-ing?” Emi asks, looking up at the gloriously sunny sky with a frown, “I dunno, it just feels like things would be more appropriate that way. Dramatic and shit, y'know? Not that I really want to get rained on, mind you, but...”

“Emi?” Ayane tells her, “Shut up.”

“Yeah, sorry,” the young girl lets out a faltering laugh, “I'm kinda nervous about all this.”

“We're here today because...” you continue, almost immediately running out of words. You had sort of a speech prepared, but now... now it just feels trite. “We're here today because this can't go on. This cannot continue,” you state, speaking the first words to cross your mind, “The Intruders, the Umbra, everything about this... it's been going on for far too long already, and I don't want to add just another stupid chapter to this story. We've prepared for this, we've broken all the rules to find another way, and it's about time that we put it to the test. Has anyone got anything else to say?”

“Uh, yeah, hold on,” Ayane takes out her phone and taps a few buttons before handing it across to you, “Here.”

Frowning faintly, you take the phone and raise it to your ear. “Hello?” you ask.

“Hello,” Shiori answers quietly, “Sis told me about what you're doing. A bit. She left out a lot.” There is a silence as the young girl thinks for a moment. “I just wanted to thank you for this, and for everything that you've done. I know that there isn't much that I can do, and there's certainly nothing I can do to help you now, but I just wanted to wish you luck,” she continues, “I'll be rooting for you, so please do your best.”

“I will,” you assure her, “I promise.”

Shiori hangs on the line for a moment more, then hangs up. Smiling softly at the phone, you hand it back to Ayane. “Alright, I just made a promise that I'd do my best,” you tell the group, “This might very well be a point of no return, so...”

>So let's get this started!
>So there's something I want to do before we enter the Umbra... (Write in)
>Other

>>2043050
>So let's get this started!
time to go

>>2043050
>So there's something I want to do before we enter the Umbra... (Write in)
Have Maika call her father and tell him what's about to transpire. I feel like one Sentinel should be privy to this so they can prepare if things go wrong or of things go right and Intruders are an finite resource.

Otherwise good to go.

>>2043050
>>So there's something I want to do before we enter the Umbra... (Write in)
Kiss Maika

>>2043071
NO

>>2043071
Don't do that. She already go friend zoned hard last session and any more mixed signals will cause her to explode.

>>2043050
>Something to do first
Call Kurosawa, ask if there was ever another dutiful squire that became a heavenly child.

>>2043071
You asshole I had to post no from the goddamn highway.

>>2043086
What's the fine for 'Questing and Driving'? Same as texting or straight to prison?

>>2043050
>>So let's get this started!

>>2043071
No. All Moloch FemMCs are single forever and ever.

>>2043093
They have to catch me first.

>>2043098
We've been grooming Pietr into boyfriend material.

>>2043098
Where did that made up rule ever come from? Amelia was only single because almost EVERYONE was dead and Petra joined way too late so anything with her felt forced. Mia had the same everyone dead problem and she was also 14.

>>2043050
Rock and roll.

>>2043050
>So there's something I want to do before we enter the Umbra...
>Write a letter to our parents and another to Pietr to be delivered if we don't return.

Will we get to the bost battle this thread? It seems unlikely, but if I need to know.
I happen to be drawing some fanart and I really need more time!

>>2043071
Please go away.

>>2043128
>Write a letter to our parents and another to Pietr to be delivered if we don't return.

I feel like that's a bad thing to do. Almost like a sign of resignation. Any message we want to give if we offer our life can be told to our girls to pass onto our family.

>Will we get to the boss battle this thread?
Probably

>>2043050
>>So let's get this started!

“So, there's just one last thing I'd like to take care of before we get started,” you continue, “Maika, could you call your father and explain the situation to him? I feel like... I feel like at least one of the Sentinels should know about what we're doing here, so that preparations can be made.” You pause for a moment more, considering your next words with care. “Preparations for whatever happens. Whether we succeed or fail, things are going to change. If we are successful, though, the Intruders are going to become a finite resource. That's something they'll need to take into account.”

“I understand,” Maika nods, taking her phone out, “Excuse me, please. This shouldn't take too long.”

As Maika retreats to make her call, you amble away from the group as well, sitting down on the warm tiles and taking a notepad and pen out of your bag. Frowning softly to yourself, you begin to scratch out a letter for your parents – something for them to read if you don't come back. There's nothing especially groundbreaking in there, you just restate how you feel about them, but it feels like something you should do. Writing it feels grim at first, but you feel better by the end of it. You won't need the letter, after all – everything that's in it, you call tell them in person.

More difficult is the second letter you draft, a short letter for Pietr. In it, you write that you appreciate all the help that he has given you, and that you enjoyed spending your time with him. Being careful to end the letter on a positive note, you fold the pieces of paper away and slip them back into your bag. You'll mail them to yourself later, so if... if you don't come back, your parents will get the letters. If... WHEN you come back, you can burn them.

As if sensing your thoughts, your determination, Kurosawa appears before you. “So,” he says, “The time has come.”

“Not quite yet. Got some calls to make first,” you reply, “You know, I've been wondering. I know that I was the Dutiful Squire before I was the Heavenly Child, but has that ever happened before? And, if it has, has a girl like me ever reached the unclean source?”

“What was done to you is uncommon, but not unprecedented,” Kurosawa answers, “Only a few girls have been like you. Of their number, only one other girl reached the lowest layer of the Umbra.”

Only one. “It was her, wasn't it?” you ask, “The Saint of the Abyss?”

“Yes it was,” he tells you, “The Saint played the part of the Dutiful Squire to her mentor, taking over after she fell in battle. Your lives mirror each other in many ways – just as some aspects of the Umbra mirror this world. The universe trends towards balance, even if the scales are never precisely level. Duality exists in all things.”

“Our world and the Umbra. Curse Gods and Great Virtues. Me and the Saint of the Abyss,” you think aloud, “Even Zakuro, both a Tyrant and a magical girl.”

[1/2]

>>2043128
>I think we'll get there this thread. I hope so, at least, but I'll definitely be looking forwards to seeing your art!

>>2043157

“Duality,” Kurosawa repeats quietly. He remains silent for a moment more before giving you an unreadable look. “Miho?” he asks, “I...”

“What?” you reply, lowering your voice, “Got something to tell me?”

“No. I apologise,” he hastily corrects himself, “Think nothing of it. This matter is not relevant, and I do not wish you to be distracted any further. We shall discuss this matter later, when you return from the Umbra.”

Frowning, you start to press him on the issue when Maika calls your name. “It's finished,” she tells you as she approaches, “Father understands the situation, and what could be at stake. He doesn't have a precise plan in place – yet – but he has ideas. Depending on the outcome here, he can discuss the details with the rest of the council and... well, you know.”

“They'll do their secret society thing,” you finish for her, “Okay, great. Maika... thanks for this. For everything. I've enjoyed being your friend.”

“The honour was entirely mine,” she replies, giving you a rare easygoing smile, “Now stop sounding as if this is anything final. We'll be back to school tomorrow, same as normal.”

“Of course, of course,” you laugh, raising your voice before calling out to the others, “Now come on everyone, let's get this show on the road!”

>I'm going to pause briefly here. I need to check a few things before writing this next bit, so I don't get anything wrong. Shouldn't be too much of a delay.

>>2043177
>We shall discuss this matter later, when you return from the Umbra.
Dammit Kurosawa, that's a death flag.

>I hope so, at least, but I'll definitely be looking forwards to seeing your art!\
It's in no state to be posted, so please don't have us defeat the Source today.

>>2043223
The thread will be up for a week. You've got time.

Good cheer is strictly enforced as you enter the Umbra. Emi tells you all about the new show that Kaoru's band has booked – their biggest yet, apparently – and how she can “pull some strings” and get tickets for everyone. Kasumi, in response, mentions an upcoming art show that she's interested in, a selection of new and promising young artists. As the entire group descends into bickering over which sounds better – metal music or amateur art – you can't help but notice how deliberate it all feels. Talking about upcoming events, plans for the future... it feels like you're daring the Umbra to do its worst.

For its part, the Umbra seems unusually still and quiet. Even the harmless phantoms, the vestigial and unformed Intruders, seem to have gone missing – or else, they're hiding themselves away from you. Passing quickly through the now-familiar layers, you soon arrive at your target. Ahead of you, looming out of the miasma, you see the great tree and the tower that it has wrapped itself around.

“You know, I'd been hoping that the smell might have improved as well,” Emi mutters, adjusting her mask slightly, “But at least we don't gotta wander around for ages. I'll take what I can get.”

Nodding firmly, you start to march forwards towards that looming shape, ignoring the awful feel of brackish water sloshing around your feet. Mercifully, the tower doesn't seem to elude you at all, remaining perfectly still as you approach it. When you're about halfway towards it, though, you hear a piercing screech ripping out from the void above you. Blurting out a curt yell of alarm, you turn and look up, just barely catching a glimpse of the vast and plummeting shape before it slams into the ground in front of you. Water sprays as the new arrival gouges through the swamp, unfolding itself and assuming a form.

With the body of a dragon, like something ripped straight out of a myth, but with featureless tendril lashing in place of a head, the Intruder seems like a filthy and debased thing, corrupted and monstrous. It beats its wings, each stroke casting off smaller and yet more deformed creatures. In the blink of an eye, you see countless different kinds of Intruder, without even the slightest hint of uniformity. Drawing closer together, the unruly mass forms a wall between you and the unclean source.

A wall that Emi demolishes with a single stroke of her massive blade, smashing it down into the swamp and blasting aside the last line of defence. “Go!” she yells, pointing towards the tower, “We'll hold them back, you go and finish this!”

Cursing, you launch into a sprint and race through the disordered Intruders before they can close ranks again. As the combat rages behind you, you sprint for the tower and the pit within. You reach it, and...

And you fall.

[1/2]

>>2043282

It would be impossible to say how long you fall for. Maybe an hour, maybe just a few seconds. Time doesn't seem to have much meaning here, and neither does any other rational concept. One moment you were falling through the empty blackness, and then you found yourself standing alone in a white void. Looking down at your hands, you watch as your costume takes form. Then you look up, and you see...

You see Hikari. Tilting her head to the side, she gives you a sad little smile. “Look at you,” she teases, “You've really grown. I knew that I'd get to see you again, but I never imagined that it would be like this.”

Noriko's prophecy races through your thoughts, and for a moment all you can do is stare. Then, finally, you manage to speak. “This is a trick,” you murmur, “It has to be.”

“No trick, sis. This is... the afterlife, I suppose. Has Kuro told you about souls? About how we all have a beautiful shining light within us, and how it goes back to heaven when we die?” Hiraki frowns slightly, as if struggling with herself over whether or not to tell you this, “He didn't tell you about what makes us... us, did he? The soul gets sent back to our world, sent into a new life, but all our thoughts and memories... they end up here. If there is an afterlife, it's here in the Umbra.”

“No, that's not...” again, you hesitate, “I don't understand!”

“The source, Miho. As long as there are humans, the source will always come back. If someone destroyed the source, they would be destroying all those who have perished – all of mankind's past generations,” Hikari closes her eyes, that pained expression growing deeper still, “I hate that I have to ask you this, to ask you to do something so horrible, but... don't do it. Just fight it, send it back to sleep for however long it sleeps for. I'm asking you to betray everything that you've promised to do, but... do this for mankind, not for any god.”

“They told me that I'd be lied to,” you whisper, “That I would be deceived. The source would do anything to stay alive.”

“And the gods would do anything for the source to be destroyed,” Hikari counters, “They would tell you anything, if it meant their mission could be achieved. Kuro... he cares for you, but he will always choose his duty over anything else.” Shaking her head sadly, she places a sisterly hand on your shoulder. “Nobody need know,” she pleads, “But please, don't destroy the source.”

>I have to destroy it. I have a duty as well
>I can't destroy it. I'll put it to sleep, just as you ask
>Other

>I have to destroy it. I have a duty as well
It's bullshit to begin with, and even if it were true, destroying the source would still be worth it. For the greater good and all.

>>2043284
Damn. That one anon was right.
>I have to destroy it. I have a duty as well

>>2043284

>I have to destroy it. I have a duty as well
If I have to choose between the living and the dead, it would take some exceptional circumstances to choose the dead.

Also,
>do this for mankind
This [i]is[/i] for mankind, she would know that if this was actually Hikari

>>2043284
>Other
"Hikari died fighting to defend humanity from the Source and for what she believed in. I wouldn't be able to look her in the eye when I see HER again if I gave up now. You've got a lot of nerve putting on her face right now. Any sliver of mercy I might of shown is dead. You better prepare yourself."

>I have to destroy it. I have a duty as well. But also cause you pissed me off.

>>2043284
>>I have to destroy it. I have a duty as well

>>2043284
>>Other
>Say nothing, begin punching. Or stabbing, whichever works.

File: Hikari Tsukada.jpg (394 KB, 900x900)

394 KB JPG

You don't know what to do.

You thought that you were ready for this, that you could harden your heart against anything that you could hear, anything that the source could tell you, but... but not this. Now, hearing this, you can well understand why so many girls might have faltered before you. You stand here, facing a tapestry spun from countless past generations, and the gods would have you torch it. Just the idea is enough to leave you floundering, doubting yourself and your purpose. Tentatively reaching up, you take Hikari's hand – feeling soft, warm flesh beneath your grip – and you...

And you bat away her grip on your shoulder. “I have to destroy it,” you insist, digging deep into your resolve,“I have a duty as well – a duty to mankind, not to the gods. You're asking me to choose between the living and the dead, and I can't, I just can't pick the dead. I don't think Hikari would ask me to do anything differently.”

Hikari – if this really is Hikari – just gazes sadly at you. Her eyes shimmer, as if filling with tears that she doesn't dare shed. The sight of those tears just angers you, leaving you feeling used and manipulated. By using her face, this thing spits on Hikari's memory.

“Hikari died fighting to protect humanity, and for what she believed in. She was protecting mankind from the unclean source before I knew anything about this life. If I gave up now, I wouldn't be able to face her when the time really comes,” stepping slowly back from the image before you, you rest a hand on the grip of your new sword, “And you've got a hell of a nerve wearing that face in front of me. Any sliver of mercy that I might have shown are gone now. Prepare yourself or stand aside – I've got a job to do.”

Hikari sighs, slumping her shoulders and raising a hand. “I wish I could have made you understand,” she murmurs, “I wish I could have spared you this. You'll have to live your life knowing what you've done. I didn't... I didn't want you to suffer like that.” She waves her hand, and the white void around you begins to dim. When the light recedes, you start to see more and more of your surroundings. You stand within a cavern, the walls gnarled and rough with the faded impression of faces pushing out as if from within the stone. Lying ahead of you is a quivering, gelatinous thing – vaguely humanoid, but with no more shape than that.

“The source,” Hikari says flatly, “Do what you think you have to do. I won't try and stop you.”

Brushing past Hikari, or whatever it is, you approach the trembling lump and draw the Sword of the Black Sun. Hesitating for a moment more, you raise the blade and prepare to bring it stabbing down.

[1/2]

>>2043372
>inb4 Not Hikari stabs us in the back.
Literally

>>2043372

Before you can plunge your sword downwards, the ground beneath you heaves and shudders, splitting apart in a cloud of choking dust. You fall again, this time only for a few seconds before landing on soft, clammy ground. An uneven, lumpen terrain, the ground around you almost seems to be made from bodies, countless human forms melted and congealed together into a pulsating, reddish mass. Some limbs rise up, wavering softly, while sightless eyes stare blindly in all directions. The walls are made from the same vile mass, honeycombed with deep holes that boil with dim shapes – phantoms, larval Intruders. Hikari, or her double, is nowhere to be seen.

The source itself, though... There!

The only separate piece of this fused mass, the source twitches and convulses a few feet away, its form growing less and less human as time goes by. By the time that the ground has opened up to swallow it, it looks more like a vast animal heart than anything else. Crying out in defiance, you shake off your horror and run after the source, your efforts slowed by arms that pluck and tug at you. By the time you reach where the source had fallen, it has already vanished – and then the ground explodes up from beneath you.

A vast pillar of flesh rises up, studded with eyes and arms and countless other vestiges of humanity. Sitting at the very top of it, perched within a cage of fused bone, you spot the source itself. Other tentacles burst from the ground, four at first with further tremors suggesting that more are to come, and surround the towering pillar. Maws open up at their tips, dripping with caustic fluids.

Spitting a curse, you return the Sword of the Black Sun to its sheath. Until you get up there, to the source itself, you can't use the Saint's weapon. The pillar, the tentacles, the cage itself... they're all just obstacles to get in your way. The real target waits above.

>Fight (Write in)

>>2043500
Armor break the base then massive strike where we hit to snap the pillar and have the source fall to us. Be ready to dodge or block since the tentacle adds are probably going to try to hit us in the back.

>>2043500
How vast exactly is the pillar? What height, what thickness?
This is needed to decide between climbing it or toppling it.

>>2043500
Looks like we have a tower to climb. Those tentacles will just keep coming so we need to clear a path and start climbing.

Rush the pillar while using spectral hands to rip the closest tentacles away. Spellbreak the pillar just in case and then start climbing. One hand, spectral or otherwise, should keep climbing while we keep one hand free to counter attacks. See if fire is effective at all.

>>2043500
Ok well, we can't fly.

If it looks feasible, like the pillar is thin enough for us to be capable of doing this, use Massive Strike at the base of the pillar to knock it over or knock the cage at the top off.

Otherwise I guess we gotta climb. Start off with a Thunderclap to give yourself some space, and try to get out of reach of those tentacles while it lasts.

>>2043500
Also, though this is probably another update away, we should Shatter Armor the cage protecting the Source when we get up there.

>Writing now. Had to do some unexpected real life stuff for a bit. I apologise for the delay

>>2043523
>I couldn't really give specific measurements in feet and inches, but both climbing and felling the tower appear possible if challenging.

>>2043618
Do the tentacles reach the top of the tower? Cause if not we can outrange them if we get high enough. Felling it isn't it a bad option since we don't have to deal with gravity but we'll get surrounded down there if we take too long.

>>2043637

>They don't reach the top, no. They reach to about halfway, although they can spit at a much longer range

>>2043641
>>2043641
If both options look to be the same difficulty I'd prefer toppling the pillar to climbing it.

“Damn it!” you yell, leaping aside as one of the tendrils sprays a thick glob of burning fluid at you. Even jumping quickly aside, you feel some of the droplets splattering against your flesh and clinging like glue. Pain dances across your skin as little wisps of smoke start to rise off your smouldering flesh, but you can't afford to be distracted by that now. Another of the tendrils is already moving to capitalise on your momentary lapse of concentration, diving down to swallow you whole.

Bringing your palms together in a brisk clap, you send a wave of raw force blasting out to knock the tendril back and give yourself some room. As they wilt, you thrust forwards with both spectral fists and rip the fleshy appendages away. With an opening ahead of you, you race forwards and slam into the pillar. Thicker than any tree you've ever seen – so thick that even a huge man might not be able to wrap his arms around it – the pillar seems like a formidable obstacle... but it's still only made of flesh, or something very much like it.

When you hit the pillar, you hit it with one open palm, striking a blow that sends out a coursing ripple of energy. Softened up by your first blow, the pillar is a ripe target for your next. Smashing your fist forwards into it, you create a handhold for yourself and start to climb. Before you've reached up very far, though, another spray of acid hits you straight in the back. Screaming aloud as you feel the caustic filth burning down into your bones, you lose your grip and fall, tearing a thick clump of flesh out of the pillar as you drop.

The pain is bad enough that you want to vomit, to pass out, to do anything else but endure it, and yet that is exactly what you force yourself to do. Rolling aside as a tentacle slams down, teeth first, into the ground, you haul yourself to your feet and make your move. Climbing isn't going to work, not with an ever-increasing number of tentacles ripping their way out of the ground, but toppling the tower...

Grinning despite the pain – or perhaps snarling – you launch into the tower and start to rip and tear at it. Your world becomes a storm of movement, attack and defence flowing smoothly into one another as you smash aside tentacles and tear lumps of flesh out of the pillar. Blood and filth coats you as you go about your messy work, but soon your results bear fruit. The pillar begins to list, ponderously falling towards you and forcing you to lunge out of the way.

The tendrils break off their attack, every one of them that is close enough to do so reaching up to stop the tower from falling. Faced with the sudden break in their attack, you're almost too surprised to take advantage.

Almost.

[1/2]

>>2043663

With the tentacles too busy keeping their precious tower upright – or at least, as upright as possible – you've got a clear run at this. The pillar has fallen just enough that rather than climb it, you might just be able to run straight up it. With that plan burning at the forefront of your mind, you smash aside a few of the remaining pillars – the few too distant to help with shoring up the falling tower – and launch into action, your pained body protesting with every step you take.

The softened flesh squelches underfoot as you race up the slope, your feet sinking into it just enough to make the ascend more difficult than you had expected. More than once, you have to duck a gout of acid and almost lose your balance, digging your fingers into the flesh for stability. By the end, you're more crawling than running, scaling the pillar of flesh one arm's length at a time. It's a tortuous process, and the faces that peer out from the pillar's surface make all the more nightmarish – especially when you notice them too late and end up using one of them as a handhold. When you finally reach the cage the bars slam tightly together, spreading and multiplying in the blink of an eye to form a rigid shield. Gritting your teeth, you slam a fresh Shatter Armour into the cage without breaking stride, watching as it collapses apart and falls away to reveal the source.

That loathsome heart is beating faster now, quivering madly as you draw the Sword of the Black Sun from its sheath.

{Wait!} a voice – a hissing, gurgling, and utterly inhuman voice – squeals, the word boiling into your mind, {Only I can unlock the TRUE power of that weapon! You could have it all, the power to destroy ALL those who deserve to suffer! You need only stay your hand and listen. That gilded pretender god is nothing compared with what you could become...}

>Stay your hand and listen
>Finish your duty and destroy the source
>Other

>>2043738
>Finish your duty and destroy the source
>I already saw what that deal did to the Saint

>>2043738
>>Finish your duty and destroy the source

>>2043738
>Finish your duty and destroy the source
Sounds like you want to make us another Saint. I prefer not burning in the flames of my grudges for eternity.

>>2043738
>Finish your duty and destroy the source
"Funny. Right now I think only YOU deserve to suffer for everything you've done and I've got all the power I need to do that right now."

>>2043738
>Finish your duty and destroy the source

>>2043738
>Finish your duty and destroy the source
>I ill need to be another saint, and if I want divinity I can come into it on my own time liar.

>>2043738

> Ask if they have a name the wish to be remembered by. They got a shit deal.

> Then kill them.

>>2043778
I'll back this too actually.

Here it is – the long awaited offer. Frankly, you were expecting something a little less... desperate. Even if you hadn't seen the Saint, seen what happens to those who accepts the source's offer, you wouldn't be convinced by that lame attempt – but you HAVE seen the Saint, and you didn't like it. You don't like the idea of “burning in the flames of your grudge” for countless years. That's just not your style.

But still, you're not a monster. In its own way, the source is a victim as well – it didn't ask to be created like this. “Do you have a name?” you ask, the tip of your stolen blade hovering inches away from the quivering heard, “Something that you want to be remembered by?”

{Man!} the source screeches, {Know what you are destroying, and abandon this foolishness!}

“Hell no!” you spit, your patience at an end. Drawing back the Sword of the Black Sun, you plunge it straight into the source. No more wasting time, no more wasting effort – you're finishing this, here and now. The blade easily pierces the leathery flesh, driving deep into the core and striking something that feels... impossible to truly describe. It feels like how you imagine a black hole might feel – hungry, infinite, endlessly sucking in matter and reducing it to pure nothingness. For a moment, it almost feels as though you're about to be pulled in with the blade, destroyed along with the source despite everything that you've done to fight against that cruel fate.

And then the blade breaks, just like another sword of yours broke all those months ago. There is an explosion of force – no light or heat, just a chilling wind – that throws you back. Instead of hitting the ground, though, you fall straight down into a gathering nothingness.

Before everything fades to black, the last thing you see is Hikari, gazing at you with a mournful smile on her face.

-

You hit the ground, but softly – as though you fell only a few inches. Lifting yourself up, you see that you're still in the Umbra, still in the tower that housed the source. The pit has been filled in, replaced by a smooth and featureless floor. Shakily, you stumble out into the swamp and try to call out, your voice managing little more than a dry croak.

“Jeez, you sound like something that got stepped on!” a brash voice calls out. Nearby, sitting atop the decaying corpse of the abyssal dragon, Emi flashes you a mischievous grin. The others are nearby, looking just as worn out as you feel. “Job done then,” the young girl adds, “Is it?”

“Yeah. Job done,” you rasp, fatigue pressing in on you, “Let's go home.”

[1/2]

>>2043829
I hope the real world isn't gone now.

So...hm. How could this be flipped on us, I wonder. Any guesses?

>>2043829

The others wanted to really celebrate, to pester Kasumi's friend at Hime for a spot of underage drinking, but you hadn't been feeling it. You explained, very politely, that you only recently had most of your back sprayed with some potent acid. Not exactly conductive to the party mood, you added. Fierce debate followed, but you all decided to postpone the party until another date, tentatively marked down as “as soon as possible”.

With that, the group went their separate ways – either heading home or taking a walk to relieve some stress. You started to head home yourself, only to change your mind before you got halfway there. There's somewhere else, you realise, that you need to be.

-

It was nice, sitting in the train and watching the world fly past through the windows. Partly to reassure yourself that the real world was still alive and well, carrying on without so much as a single difference. For more than ninety-nine percent of the population nothing has changed, but you know what you've done – that's good enough. You nap a little as the train glides along, and soon you arrive at your destination – that lonesome little funeral town.

-

“So, that's what happened,” you conclude, looking down at Hikari's grave, “That was a mean trick to pull, huh? I mean, stealing your face like that...” Reaching into your pocket, you take the photograph out of its protective cover and study it closely. “It got the resemblance just right,” you add with a tiny shrug, “There wasn't even a single hair out of place. I guess it had to be convincing, otherwise nobody would fall for a trick like that. Hell, I almost fell for it, and I knew that it was gonna try anything to stay alive.”

The grave, obviously, has nothing to say to that.

“Oh well. It's all over now,” you sigh, “I'll have to properly think about school now, really focus on my exams and stuff. I feel like I've fallen behind on so much stuff...” Before you can add to your litany of complaints, you feel the air change slightly. Kurosawa appears a short distance away, with Sakura prowling around nearby.

“Heavenly Child,” he begins, “I believe that congratulations are in order.”

“Always so stiff!” Sakura groans, “You did a great job today, Miho, we're all very proud of you. More proud, perhaps, than we could ever really say.”

“Thanks,” you reply quietly. Some small part of you, though, feels more irritated by the interruption. All the while you were talking to Hikari, were they listening in?

>I'd rather talk later. This is sort of private time
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
>Was there any truth to what the source said? Any at all?
>There's something I need to ask... (Write in)
>Other

>>2043884
>NotHikari was being truthful and the Source was indeed a key part of the afterlife

>Joined Sentinels die due to something going wrong with their symbiote

>The Source was the only thing keeping Monad in balance, that duality thing, and now shit's fucked.

>>2043909
>>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?

>>2043909
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
>Was there any truth to what the source said? Any at all?
"Did I just blow up the afterlife?"

>>2043909
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
>Was there any truth to what the source said? Any at all?
>How Monad reacting to this?

>>2043909
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
>Was there any truth to what the source said? Any at all?
So does "There wasn't even a single hair out of place." mean that Not!Hikiari looked exactly like the picture? Or just that she was a very convincing fake?

>>2043909
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
How long till all Sentinels are dead, or is Intruders are constantly draining power thing getting retconned?

>>2043909
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
>Was there any truth to what the source said? Any at all?

>Should I have destroyed Monad? Would humanity be better off with only 2 Virtues, as opposed to 7 Virtues and 11 Vices?

>What do you two plan on doing now? Kurosawa is finally free, Duty fulfilled. Will you rejoin with Monad, or do you have other plans?

>>2043922
Nah . They can still nom intruders. Just not an infinite supply anymore.

>>2043922
I 'think' they can survive a full human lifetime as long as they use their powers very sparingly and they don't burn through the remaining Intruders fast.

>>2043909
>Kurosawa, what did you want to tell me before?
>Was there any truth to what the source said? Any at all?

File: Kurosawa.jpg (52 KB, 724x1103)

52 KB JPG

Kneeling there, by Hikari's grave, you find yourself wondering... doubting. Maybe it's terrible of you, a suggestion that you don't have enough faith in Kurosawa, but you just have to ask. You have to be sure.

“Was there any truth to what the source said?” you ask softly, “Any at all?” When neither cat answers you for a long while, you start to feel a sense of dismay growing within you. “Somebody answer me,” you insist, “Did I just... did I just blow up the afterlife?”

“We cannot be certain,” Kurosawa begins stiffly, “This is not something that we fully understand.”

“What?” you yelp, looking away from the grave, “How can you not know about it? You're gods, aren't you? You created all of this, how can you not understand how it works?”

“We didn't create everything, you know. We created mankind, the world you live in... but we worked within rules, parameters that we couldn't change or explain no matter what. It was almost as if something else – something higher than us – had put them in place,” Sakura chips in, “But of course, we had no way to prove anything. The point is, we don't really know what happens to humans after they die – if there's some part of them that remains, or what might happen to it.”

“So the source might have been telling the truth,” you state, your voice wooden and hollow.

“We cannot say for certain,” Kurosawa sighs, “Such things have not been permitted for us to know, no more than they have been permitted for your kind to know. You must simply have... faith.”

“Personally, I think it was lying,” Sakura offers, “It had everything to gain by weakening your resolve. It even waved your sister in front of you like a doll! No, I feel that if the source had been telling the truth, it wouldn't have been so... spiteful about it.”

Sighing again, you slump back down and think to yourself. You've got every reason to agree with Sakura, every reason to believe them over the source... and yet, you can't quite put your mind at ease. You can't put your doubts to rest – and perhaps you never will. But then, perhaps that isn't so different from what so many other people go through, struggling with matters of faith. Smiling despite your misgivings, you open your eyes and look straight at Kurosawa.

“So,” you ask him, “How's Monad dealing with this?”

The black cat looks openly relieved, glad to be on safer grounds. “The reaction appears to be cautious, but optimistic,” he begins, “It has urged the Sentinels to be calm and await further instructions. It appears that plans are being made, even as we speak. Sudden and drastic action would only create disorder and uncertainty, which all of the Sentinels are united in opposing. The immediate future, at least, will not be disruptive.”

[1/2]

>>2043992
I have to agree with Sakura, I think it was bullshiting. The way it phrased it made it sound like the gods knew exactly what was going on, and were just hiding it. I think it was just very good manipulation.

File: Sakura.jpg (53 KB, 724x1103)

53 KB JPG

>>2043992

“What are these plans of theirs?” you ask, “Anything you can overhear?”

A flicker runs across Kurosawa's form as he briefly spies on someone – Eligor, most likely. “They appear to be rationing Intruders,” he remarks drily, “So that their members can feed for as long as possible without... ill-effects. They plan to cease recruitment, as well. Their blasphemous warriors will be the last of their kind.” The god laughs humourlessly, shaking his head slowly. “To regard Intruders as another man might regard canned food...” he muses, “The servants of Monad are a strange and formidable breed.”

“And they basically control the world,” you whisper, smiling wearily, “Was I right to leave Monad alive, or should I have destroyed it? Is mankind better off this way?”

“The decision was yours to make,” Kurosawa tells you carefully, “But I believe that you were right to leave Monad be.” He pauses for a moment, thinking on how best to explain his reasoning. “Gods are not infallible, and Monad is no different,” he continues, “But it can learn, and it can improve itself. That, at least, is my belief. However-”

“Oh, why don't you just get on with it and tell her?” Sakura groans, “Stop dancing around the issue!”

“Dancing around what?” you ask, suddenly alarmed, “Is this about what you wanted to tell me earlier? C'mon, don't leave me hanging here...”

“I have reached a decision. No, in truth, I have known what I needed to do for a long time,” Kurosawa fixes you with a calm stare, “I plan to relinquish this form and join the godhead – Monad. As I have said, Monad can improve itself, but it will be a long and tortuous process as it is now, an incomplete being. My original duty is complete, but now I see that I have a new duty. To serve mankind, I have a duty to join Monad.”

“But you'll... vanish. You'll leave us,” blinking away your shock, you fumble for something to say. “What about you?” you ask Sakura, “You can't agree with this, can you? Talk some sense into him!”

“Hmm, I'm afraid that I won't be able to do that,” Sakura argues, shaking her head slowly, “I'm going to join him. It would be terribly dull to be alone, the last of my kind. I'd have nobody to talk to!” She giggles a little, although she sounds sad at the same time. “It's for the best, really,” she adds, “Like Duty says – Monad is still incomplete. We all need to do our part, and I'm no different.”

[2/3]

>>2044078
Aw, I'm going to miss these awful cats.

>>2044078
It's pretty damn hard giving up your individuality, but it's ultimately for the greater good if Monad is going to shape up. I imagine Kuro's experiences among humans for thousands of years is going to change something in it.

>>2044078
Well, with no Intruders and a God to watch over humanity the future seems bright indeed.

Thanks for everything, cats.

>>2044078
"You should at least stick around til we have our celebration."

>>2044078

Silence descends over the three of you, solemn and heavy. “You're not gonna change your minds, are you?” you ask softly, “It's got to be a big deal, giving up your individuality, but you're doing it for a good reason. With your experience, Monad might turn out alright after all...” You try and smile, but it doesn't quite work out okay. “So... when are you going to go?” you ask, “Don't tell me that you're just going to slink off in the middle of the night.”

“No. After everything that has happened, you all deserve better than that,” Kurosawa shakes his head, “You are planning to... celebrate later, correct? Then I shall join you, and we shall make the most of our last moments together.” Again, he lets out a low laugh, but this time there is real humour in it. “However, I am afraid that I am unused to celebrations,” he admits, “I hope that I will not... lower the mood.”

“Lower the...” you splutter, before a laugh bubbles up from deep within you and spoils the rest of your words. “Don't worry about a thing,” you assure him, “We'll give you the best goodbye party that anyone could ever hope for, and then you can tell Monad all about it. That's a promise!”

Kurosawa is silent for a long moment, and then he nods firmly. “Then I shall look forwards to it,” he decides, “But I will miss you, Miho. I have enjoyed our time together, despite everything that has happened.”

“I'll miss you too, cat,” you assure him, smiling despite the complex blend of feelings rising up from deep within you, “And thanks for everything.”

-

The abyss has grown quiet now.

The being that called itself Zakuro, a name intended for human convenience, contemplated the abyss for a brief moment – perhaps a few years, as humans understood time. Slowly, she reached out a hand and touched one finger to the great lake of mud, turning it from stagnant dirt to crystal clear water in an instant. Still with that ponderous pace, she swirled her finger around in a loose circle. Gazing into the lazily churning waters, a mirror of the larger abyss, she meditated.

The abyss was quiet indeed, peaceful and serene although still far from empty. From one corner to the far and distant opposite, the children of the abyss slept.

They slept, and they waited.

The end

>I'd like to thank everyone who contributed today, and in every other episode of Heavenly Child Quest. This wouldn't have been possible without your support!
>If anyone has any questions, I'll hang around for a while and answer them if I can.

>Once again, thank you for reading!

>>2044161
Thanks for another great quest Moloch.

No plans for an epilogue thread like NBQ?

>>2044161
And thus another Moloch quest ends.

So, is Zakuro gonna take over the abyss now since she's sort of the last big power?

>>2044161
You thinking of doing a bonus celebration party episode?

>>2044161
Thanks for the quest.

How did everyone feel when Chaika swept in out of nowhere and won the Miho Bowl?

>>2044161
Thanks for running!

Will there be spmething like an epilogue?

>>2044161
I just want to start off by saying how hugely inconsiderate you are. I had a top tier QM list with 5 members, a nice number, and now because of you I'm forced to bump that number up to 6.

More seriously, thank you for running this. It was a high point of my Fridays and weekends, and now the week will be that much harder to get through.

If no epilogue thread, any chance we can get a short summary of what things are like a few years down the road? Just to make sure the emotional annihilation is complete.

We never got to see the magical mercs in our timeline. Did you have any plans for it, or was it never going to be a thing?

Did Kaoru ever find out what Emi was doing, or did he think it was cosplay until the end? I was kinda hoping for a scene at some point where he messed up and got arrested, and Emi bailed him out with Sentinel help and he was like "woah what".

Are Kasumi and Jun the OTP I think they are, if Jun ever manages to move on?

Are there so few Intruders remaining that the Sentinels have to start rationing them already? I thought they'd be good for a few generations at least.

Any plans for future quests?

>>2044172
>>2044213
>>2044190
It's unlikely. I did consider an epilogue or something similar, but I couldn't really settle on any ideas that really caught my interest. I tried to tie up as many loose ends as possible and give some closure to the various character arcs, so I kind of ran out of material! Even a short episode covering the celebrations might not have much more than everyone congratulating each other.
So, as much as I've enjoyed writing for Heavenly Child Quest, I think it's time that I move onto new things.

>>2044181
In a sense, yes. I sort of see a lot of weaker Intruders being drawn to Zakuro now that the source is destroyed - Zakuro, or any other Tyrants that might remain out there. That said, I image Zakuro to be a fairly benevolent leader, or at least neutral. More of a shepherd than a warlord or anything like that.

>>2044197
Oh, it was big news. Very big news indeed - it even made the newspapers.
Chaika on the front page!

>>2044216
First of all, I'm glad you enjoyed reading along, and it won't be too long before I'm back and running again. Questions next:
I think I might write up a short summary of how the various characters move on with their lives. It'll have to be posted later, though. Tomorrow, most likely. On the bright side, I can go into a bit more detail then.
The mercenaries, ultimately, are still doing mercenary things. Priscilla runs the show, while Brun does some of the heavy lifting. I never really intended for them to be an "active" part of the story, although they're pretty important in terms of background. If Miho had ended up violently opposed to the Sentinels, though, Brun might have appeared as a potential enemy
I like to think that Kaoru, on some level, realised that it was safer just not to ask - safer for his sanity, if nothing else
Kasumi and Jun? I could see it working, certainly, if Jun ever gets over his various issues.
In truth, there are a pretty vast amount of Intruders remaining - probably more than the Sentinels, as they stand, could ever get through. The Sentinels themselves only have the coordinates to hunt a tiny proportion, however, hence the ration plan. They've still got a use for Noriko!

>Future quest plans
I'm probably going to take a few weeks off, perhaps the whole of November, but I plan to be back soon with a new project - Into The Skies!

I'm thinking of running something that's a bit of an adventure. A world of floating islands and magic, with airships and various bits of weirdness. The protagonist is a former airship captain, now down on his luck and close to rock bottom - until a fantastic opportunity comes his way. Treasure and glory awaits!

It has been another fantastic journey that you've taken us on. Thanks QM, you made my weekends at least 25% better.

>>2044318
Will Miho ever tell Emi that her brother and her aren't blood related?

>>2044318
Into The Skies sounds awesome. I'll look forward to it!

>>2044318
I eagerly await the new quest. Hopefully it has a dark and edgy story line to counter the significantly lighter tone of this bright and happy quest.

>>2044318
>Typed Chaika
>Not Chiaki
Fugg. I can't even tell my own jokes right.

File: 1405197819875.jpg (355 KB, 1280x800)

355 KB JPG

>>2044318
Moloch.....doing sky pirates.

Cannot compute.

>>2044342
It ended on a pretty bright note, even if there were some edgy parts getting there.

>>2044318
So who did Miho settle down with in the end?

Did Maika ever get a spider tank? Maybe with her AI-fu inside it?

What happened with EVE?

Did Emi find out about Kaoru?

how did Kasumi end up?

Was there a noticeable change in Monad when Sakura and Kurosawa joined?

>>2044356
>You failed to return all the divine sparks to the Godhead
>Monad is still incomplete, and centuries from now will bring the world to an end
this is what we get for not going for the platinum ending