—Vroom!
Anellia emitted enough light for us to navigate our surroundings.
With my
As we got closer, my senses became increasingly distorted, trying to take over my mind.
—Kraaa!
Deep within the Kraken, the insides had developed their own fortress, blocking us from entering the faculty.
The environment was entirely under its control, resembling a giant hive filled with all sorts of monstrosities.
"■○●■○○●!" With a powerful roar from outside, tar pulsated, threatening to extinguish the light emitted by Anellia's drones.
The entity attacked us, and tentacles reached out from every direction, trying to grasp Anellia's wings.
Anellia's wings were more than just flying and shooting lasers.
Her strength lay in her adaptability and efficiency, making the most of everything at her disposal.
—Vrrm!!!
Anellia quickstepped to the right, narrowly avoiding a beam of dark energy, reminiscent of the Frayed we first encountered.
A rain of projectiles rained down above, and she reinforced her barrier, calculating each droplet to reinforce it in one singular spot.
A black, gooey wall was erected to block our path, her wings transformed into razor blades, spinning frantically until she attained enough speed to slice through it instantly.
And when faced with an attack we didn't have time to handle, I didn't hesitate to take action myself, firing off an
"Anellia!" I shouted, pointing at the faculty from a distance.
Unlike the incredibly dark surroundings, this faculty was brightly illuminated by an unnatural light.
With cogs ticking and turning, smoke billowed from above. Yet the more I looked at it from this angle, it seemed designed to accommodate people.
"■○●○■○●!!!" With one final roar, the Kraken tried to take us down, and Anellia accelerated, rapidly approaching the faculty.
Instead of using an elaborate entrance, we headed straight for it until we collided.
"Brace yourself," Anellia said.
"A-Alright!" I closed my eyes, accustomed to this feeling.
We crashed into the faculty, the walls closing in around us fast enough that we didn't stop until we reached our destination.
—BOOM!!!
=======
"Ugh..." I stood up from the ground, uninjured thanks to Anellia's barrier.
I take pride in my Ichor cannonball that I use when I'm in danger, though it would be nice if I could see through it, too.
"Anellia, are you okay?" I searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
"...Anellia?" I murmured, turning around and still unable to locate her, in this unknown location.
"This isn't the faculty... what is this place?" I wondered, trying to figure out where I had ended up.
The faculty... no, this wasn't a faculty at all.
"An orphanage...? No, this place looks too..."
Empty.
—Tap... Tap... Tap...
Wooden dolls were scattered throughout the area, sitting on chairs and the floor as if someone had recently played with them.
From life-sized dolls to those meant for children, they were all engaged in human-like activities, frozen in time.
Despite the desperate scene outside, when I looked out the windows, I was blinded by sunlight in this bizarre world.
From the gargantuan oil rig to the ocean far below, everything felt unreal, and emotions shrouded my judgement, overwhelming me to the point that I wanted to hurl my insides out until it's all gone.
"A-Aaah...!" I tried to stay calm, conflicting thoughts tearing my mind apart.
Betrayal, Hatred, Despair.
Emotions so intense that I struggled to breathe.
"N-No...!" I snapped out of it.
Instead of rejecting these feelings with all my might, I decided to embrace them and push myself to stand up, focusing on the current situation.
"Haaah... haaah..." I took countless deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.
—Creak...!
Hugging the wall for support, I took a step forward, venturing deeper into the house. I opened a door that led to another room.
The hallway revealed more dolls doing things together, bearing no response, even with my presence.
"K-Kgh...!" I held my head in pain, intensifying the more I looked at the dolls.
"I have... to keep going..." I shook my head and continued walking through the hallway.
With each step I took, my headache worsened, the feeling as if someone was forcefully shoving despair into my mind—centuries of anguish driving me to the brink of insanity.
My eyes began to play tricks on me, the hallway growing endlessly long, making it impossible to see the end.
I refused to give up, taking another step toward the door that lay ahead.
—Creak...!
The dolls started to move, playing and interacting with one another.
Their joints creaked, and their movements were awkward, controlled by the tar-like substance that had permeated this whole Domain.
I took another step forward, and the emotions that invaded my mind intensified, spouting foreign words that didn't belong to me.
I want to go back.
I want to turn around.
I want to be with my family.
I don't want to be alone anymore.
...
...
...
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I tried to take another step forward, rejecting these heavy emotions.
It was disgusting—having someone else's feelings poured into my mind, forcing me to experience everything they felt.
"Is this what you felt? Is this why you turned out this way? Is this what you wanted?"
—STOMP!
My footsteps grew louder, trying to overpower the Domain's influence with my own.
The dolls all turned to me when I retaliated, their joints overflowing with black mucus, seeping out endlessly.
"You're right about what you said earlier, Lucy. At the very end, I don't care what happens to people, fuck if I care, it's not my job to do that."
—Cling!!!
As my steps quickened, the dolls clung to me, trying to stop me in my tracks.
Knowing that this was all an illusion created by the original host, I didn't stop until I reached the door to see what lay beyond.
"I'm doing this for my own benefit, to find a place to belong... but what's the point if everyone is dead?"
What does it truly mean to belong somewhere?
"I'm willing to believe that there is some good in this world," I thought, as my mind cleared.
The door inched closer to me as I ran as fast as I could.
"I want to step up and hang out with friends... to show my true self, to feel what it is like to be alive...!"
The dolls, now completely coated in tar, transformed into the same shades we had encountered outside, chasing after me as the hallway expanded.
With their speed, they caught up to me without any effort.
Influenced by this dreamlike world, I created multiple Liberas that formed around my arm, resembling a chain gun.
Then, I pulled the trigger on all of them as if I were firing a shotgun, unleashing an explosive force of a
—FWOOOSH!!!
The dolls that tried to act human crumbled when they collided with others.
Bland pictures that reeked of falsehood were shredded, removed from my sight.
Toys and mementos were destroyed—gifts that Lucy disliked.
Unlike Lucy, I confronted the problems, even if I was filled with guilt and ran away from my responsibilities, which ultimately led to the world's end.
"Just like the others who accepted me, and those who did not..."
—Tap!
I held the door handle, finally reaching the end of the hallway.
"I'll make sure to free you and save everyone that is left."
—Creak...!
I opened the door, bracing myself to end all of this mess.
...
...
...
"Anellia?"
"Vice-Leader—"
—NYOOM!!!
A laser beam whizzed past my cheek, striking the same spot every single time.
"Why are you here—"
"RUN AWAY!!!" Anellia shouted as she flew toward me, desperate to reach me.
Before she could touch me, a strange entity pursued me, eerily resembling a human.
—GRAB!!!
"K-Kgah!" I gasped as it seized me by the neck, trying to escape its grasp.
"At-long-last. I-found-you," They spoke, surpassing Anellia in speed.
—Voom...!
As Anellia was about to shoot at the mysterious entity with her drones, their grip around my neck tightened, planning to choke me to death if she moved an inch.
"Cease, tool-of-humanity," the entity commanded.
"You're-the-one-who-made-one-of-my-test-subjects-escape." the entity said, turning as their headless body rotated.
The entity, entirely made of tar, was unaffected by its aggressive nature, appearing calm as it calculated everything happening around it.
"What... do you want... from us?!" I tried to breathe, flailing around; their incredible height made it impossible for me to remain on the ground.
From the side, I could barely see Anellia, trembling in fear and anger at the sight of the entity in front of her.
She desperately wanted to charge in, but she couldn't, not when I'm taken as a hostage.
"I-am-merely-conducting-an-experiment." They stated with a deep, robotic voice.
From meeting new people to discovering environmental changes, some things have remained the same, and this entity was one of them—one of the greatest threats in the world.
"Eidolon of Null...!" I glared at them, piecing everything together.
All of this mess, from Camellia's ensnarement to Lucy's eternal torment...
"It's your doing, wasn't it?!" I tried to pry their grip off my neck, unable to do so due to my weakened state.
"Keen-observation."
—Creak...!
"K-KGAAAH!!!" The Ichor wrapped around my neck crumbled with his touch, pushing me past my limits.
"From-my-database. You-are-no-ordinary-human." They pulled me closer, peering into my very soul with their headless body.
"You, an entity-that-isn't-supposed-to-exist-in-this-world, an-anomaly." His sharp, claw-like fingers bruised my cheek as they tried to take a sample of my blood.
"No-matter. Once-I-have-obtained-a-sample, you-shall-be-under-my-care."
"N-NO!!!" Anellia tried to stop what was happening, but before the worst-case scenario unfolded...
—Crumble...!
The ground shook violently, the Kraken's presence imposing.
—Crackle!
Tentacles erupted from the earth, ensnaring the Eidolon of Null to pry them away from me.
"A-revolt? Disappointing." They examined, intrigued by the interference.
"ANELLIA, NOW!!!"
—VOOOM!!!
At my command, Anellia wasted no time and fired a charged blast at the robot, forcing them to release their grip.
—Ting!
The Eidolon deflected the attack by swatting the energy beams away with their arm.
Anellia didn't hesitate and charged towards the Eidolon, wielding a blade made of energy.
"How-long-will-you-continue-to-resist. Subject-13?" They taunted, blocking her attack without flinching.
"Don't call me by that name, filth."
—Shing!
While their blades, exchanging over and over and over again, a drone sneaked up to the arm that held me captive, attempting to sever it.
The Eidolon of Null was going to destroy the drone, but because it was one of Anellia's main wings, the drone glowed red the moment it was destroyed.
Self-destruction.
—BOOOM!!!
"Mgah!!!" I fell to the ground, finally free from its grasp.
Thanks to Anellia's barrier, I escaped with minimal injuries and grouped up.
Anellia and I realized something while fighting the Eidolon of Null.
The opponent was unimaginably strong, and we could not hope to defeat them here.
Yet there was something off about them.
What we were dealing with wasn't their real body, but a figment created by the Pylon's concept.
If we could destroy the Pylon before the Eidolon or Null killed us, it's our win.
—Ving...!
I channelled more mana into my eyes to locate the core, which was situated in this very room.
It appeared to be some sort of basement, a punishment chamber, the emotions reacted violently against.
From the window fitted with iron bars to a small bed that offered little comfort for sleep, it was unsettling.
The girl we were looking for, Lucy, was curled up in a ball on the bed.
—ZOOM!
I dashed toward Lucy, with Anellia right behind me, keeping an eye out for any threats before the Eidolon reawakened.
"Where-do-you-think-you're-going?" it snarled, stepping out of the smoke, revealing a massive gaping hole in their side.
Because two opposing forces held together the Eidolon, their body wasn't functioning normally, giving Anellia the chance to fight against them.
"You won't pass." Anellia lifted her arms, creating drones from the air.
She covered the entire room with drones from all sides, using everything she had to kill it.
"Futile-struggle." They stated, exuding confidence that they will win, no matter what.
—BANG BANG BANG!!!
An all-out assault began behind me, leaving it to her to fend the Eidolon off.
Now that I could see Lucy again, I looked at her. She hadn't woken up, and her clothes around her chest were torn, exposing her core. On her arms was a photo of her loved ones.
—Kachick!
I aimed Libera at her heart, determined to end it here.
...
...
My hand shook with fear as memories of my trauma resurfaced—the first time I killed someone.
'Now isn't the time!' I told myself, steeling my resolve.
"I'm not the same person I was!" I gripped Libera tighter and ultimately pulled the trigger.
—BOOOM!!!
...
...
...
"W-What...?" I was taken aback, unable to destroy the core.
A field surrounded it, preventing me from doing so.
'This barrier... It's like the one from Arcadia...!' My expression dimmed, leaving me unsure of what to do next.
"Futile-effort. You-cannot-destroy-the-core-without-my-permission." it stated.
—Voom...!
Before everything spiralled out of control, something unexpected happened.
"What...? My arm?" I glanced at my left arm, which was wrapped in bandages that glowed with a golden light as if trying to communicate something to me.
"...You, what-is that?"
Before I could comprehend its intentions, an insatiable hunger overwhelmed me. I dropped Libera on the ground and felt myself gravitating toward the girl's chest.
The barrier desperately attempted to block my arm.
Unable to resist the authority of something equal to or greater than itself, the barrier yielded, allowing me to touch the core.
My hand's intention wasn't to bypass the barrier—it was driven by something else entirely.
"What am I doing...?!" I tried to pry my arm away from the core, but it was too late.
—Ving!!!
A golden light enveloped the entire room, blinding all of us under its brilliance
=======
"From now on, this is your home," the gentleman said as he opened the door and held it open for her.
"This is... my home?" I asked, surprised.
—Click! Click!
Gears whirred in the distance, and unfamiliar faces stood up to greet me.
"Hello, new friend." They all said, waving and smiling.
It felt strange, as if something wasn't quite right.
But... it's fine! I'm sure they're all good people, just like Daddy told me!
"Hello, everyone! My name is Lucy!"