3 3 301 DialogEnable AniZhuanchangBegin "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."
5 5 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Light pierces through the heavy, impermeable clouds. Birds rise above the empty church as a sudden gust blows across.
6 6 301 The gust soon grows into a gale that catches the attention of every living thing, from crouching humans to fighting Constructs, even the creatures who were bred from the Red Tide have paused their slaughter. They all look at the light.
7 7 301 From the light, she descends.
8 8 301 She first sees with her eyes, then feels the Punishing Virus with her frame. The virus is floating in the air, and also present in the M.I.N.D. of Constructs and the data within the Red Tide.
9 9 301 The virus is entangled with infinite, noisy data. When she feels it, she also feels the agony and scream of thousands of souls.
10 10 301 She waves the scepter, letting the Punishing Virus rush into her M.I.N.D. along with all her painful emotions.
11 11 301 Her M.I.N.D. is immediately overwhelmed by the data torrent, but also infinitely extended. She floats in the space. Every satellite, every strain of the virus serves as her eyes. She is everywhere.
12 12 301 Her actions are no longer guided by her mind and memory, but by a duty-like instinct instead. With her specialized frame running at an extremely high frequency, her body becomes more brilliant each time she waves her scepter.
13 13 301 If the Punishing Virus is visualized, one may witness millions of the viruses form a tide in the air, rushing toward her like moths to a flame. She stands in the sky like a goddess of the sea, while the tide of Punishing surrounds her, engulfs her, then eventually disappears in her light.
31 31 301 Agony, despair, remorse—almost all the emotions and memories that the virus has ever caused on this planet have flooded in like a furious roar from the abyss, along with the distortion caused by corrupted data.
32 32 301 They turn into thorns that spread across her M.I.N.D., piercing into her heart like stakes.
33 33 301 Vital fluid surges from her chest. As her artificial heart continues to beat, more fluid comes out of her mouth and nose. She cannot tell whether it is vital fluid or the Red Tide.
34 34 301 Her vision starts to fade, but her consciousness is well awake. Unable to move, she can only wait for an ending like an angel crucified on rusty thorns.
35 35 301 She takes in all the information too hastily and feels like she has drowned in the river of eternity. Every thorn spike carries multiple memories. All are transmitted to her within an instant.
36 36 301 Countless lives are displayed in front of her. Memory data that belongs to different souls, related or unrelated to the Punishing Virus, has occupied her M.I.N.D.
37 37 301 The chest of a Construct is penetrated by a Corrupted that was once her friend. A wandering Scavenger jumps into the Red Tide to respond to his love. Inside a smoking forest, a lost child hugs a Hetero-Sapien who keeps calling him while piercing his body with its arm.
38 38 301 Every second is split into a thousand milliseconds, every millisecond is split into a thousand microseconds. She witnesses multiple lives within every unit of time. She stays with every soul on Earth.
39 39 301 Liv looks up. As her vision blurs, she sees a color other than the red that devours the sky. A gray bird flutters and stops on a branch nearby.
40 40 301 It tilts its head. Unlike other distorted data in her M.I.N.D., this bird feels like a living creature from the real world that accidentally ended up here.
41 41 301 She cannot tell the breed of the bird. Suddenly, it chirps and flaps its wings, pulling her into a data stream.
61 61 301 A magpie lands on a bush, but soon flies away as a hand waves.
62 62 301 I bend down to pick up a hairband left on the grass. I let out a sigh, then shout out loud.
63 63 201 1 500342
64 64 301 1 Calliope My young lady? Where are you? 1
65 65 202 1 1
66 66 301 A little head pops out of the bush.
67 67 301 ?? Callie!
68 68 301 I walk over and see her sitting on the lawn, digging the soil with a mini shovel.
69 69 301 I squat down and take out my handkerchief to wipe out the mud on her cheeks.
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71 71 201 2 500049 -450 -200 200
72 72 301 1 Calliope What are you planting, my young lady? 1
73 73 301 ?? Honeysuckles... 2
74 74 301 She answers in a serious manner.
75 75 301 ?? Because winter is over. I want to plant honeysuckles all over this place to celebrate the passing of winter. 2
76 76 202 1 2 1
77 77 301 Mistress Time to come home, □□□. Dinner's ready. Don't make Calliope look for you in the garden every time.
78 78 301 She immediately gets up hearing the Mistress' voice. I quickly put the hairband on her, so the Master won't rant about the importance of being presentable.
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81 81 301 1 Young Mistress I forgot to check the time again... Thanks, Callie. 2
82 82 301 Thanks to the Mistress' teaching, she is always very polite. I can't help but pat her on the head seeing her shy smile.
83 83 301 Calliope My young lady, you should go eat now. I will keep watch the sprouts and make sure they aren't eaten by the sheep. 1
84 84 301 Young Mistress Is that okay? 2
85 85 301 She is a little hesitant.
86 86 301 Young Mistress But I want Callie to eat together with us... If Bell eats my flower, I will take her dinner away! 2
87 87 202 1 2 1
88 88 301 The Young Mistress loves gardening, so the Mistress lets her grow all sorts of plants in the back garden. Bell is the name of a sheep we saw in the market. It was going to be slaughtered, but the Young Mistress begged me to bring it back. The Mistress let her keep the sheep in the garden.
89 89 301 Somehow, I feel like my life is similar to this old sheep's.
90 90 301 My grandmother was a believer. She disregarded the advanced technologies in bionic machines and believed a devoted heart would prevail. Over time, our family fell behind the world, but she held on to the pride of the family until the very end.
91 91 301 Still, piety alone could not save a large family on the brink of collapse. After losing our home, we began wandering. I could not even find a job in a world full of amazing machines that I could hardly imagine. Nobody wanted to hire a person with zero knowledge about modern technologies.
92 92 301 "Machines may replace human labor, but they will never replace our beautiful souls." My mother used to say this to me a lot.
93 93 301 AniZhuanchangBegin I think I have met one with a beautiful soul.
95 95 301 AniZhuanchangEnd A few months ago, I was desperate in the bleak winter. Mistress saw me in the market and took me home. She offered me a job as a maid in this mansion.
96 96 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Despite not using cutting-edge technologies, the mansion is well decorated like a well-preserved time capsule from many years ago. Sometimes I even have the feeling that my religious grandmother would come out of a room all of a sudden, calling me by my nickname.
98 98 301 AniZhuanchangEnd But when I cast the illusions off, I always see a smiling Mistress instead of the family that I remember.
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100 100 201 2 500049 -300 -200 200
101 101 301 1 Young Mistress Callie? 2
102 102 301 Calliope You say it every time. 1
103 103 301 I take her hand and walk toward the Mistress.
104 104 301 Young Mistress I really mean it this time! Bell, don't eat my flowers! 2
105 105 202 1 2 1
106 106 301 Bell responds with a long "baa," and I chuckle. Mistress is wearing an elegant dress, smiling at us outside the garden. The spring sun shines upon her long silver hair, giving a soft and warm reflection.
107 107 301 AniZhuanchangBegin I realize that spring has come.
110 110 301 AniZhuanchangEnd The Young Mistress is crying on the grass when I find her.
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112 112 301 1 Calliope My young lady! What's happening...?! 1
113 113 202 1 1
114 114 401 1 207
115 115 301 Under the moon, I see her struggling to hug Bell with her arms open. She has tears in her eyes and has to bite her lips to not cry out.
116 116 301 I rush over and realize Bell is chewing her hair. Her face turns red from the pain, but she stays still as the sheep mistakes her hair for hay.
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119 119 301 1 Calliope Bad girl! Stop it! 1
120 120 301 I quickly force the sheep to let go and shoo it away.
121 121 301 Calliope Why didn't you call me?! 1
122 122 301 Young Mistress ...Sobs... 2
123 123 301 Young Mistress But Bell has not eaten anything for two days... Will she get better if she eats my hair...? 2
124 124 301 She rubs her eyes. I see tears running down her cheeks.
125 125 301 I don't know what to say.
126 126 301 Bell is too long in the tooth. Most animals lose appetite in hot summer, why would an old sheep be any different? She has been very worried and keeping it company over the past few days.
127 127 301 But how can I explain life and death to a kid of her age? All I can do is wipe her tears in silence.
128 128 301 Calliope Bell is just tired... It's preparing for a new journey. It just needs some good rest. 1
129 129 301 Young Mistress A new journey...? Where is she going? Is she going to leave me? 2
130 130 301 Calliope It can't stay in one place forever. My young lady, it's late now. Mistress would be worried if she can't find you. Can we go back first? 1
131 131 301 Young Mistress Is Mother awake? 2
132 132 301 She lets go of her hands. Tears are still on her lashes. She starts to ask about her mother.
133 133 301 Young Mistress Why is she always sleeping? Is she very tired? 2
134 134 301 Calliope ...She has been exhausted. She also needs to rest. 1
135 135 301 That is all I can say to her.
136 136 301 Calliope But Mistress is awake now. She misses you a lot and wants to see you. 1
137 137 301 The medics in her room are probably gone by now.
138 138 301 Young Mistress I miss her too. I want to ask her what to do when Bell doesn't eat! I'm sure she knows. 2
139 139 202 1 2 1
140 140 301 She becomes motivated again.
141 141 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Without a word, I take her hands, but deep in my heart, I am praying. Dear God, I devote my life to serving you, please treat these kind people nicely. How I wish the world can be restored to its former shape before the summer ends.
145 145 301 AniZhuanchangEnd The grievous news arrives on a gloomy autumn day.
146 146 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Mistress was a fighter. She stayed with us for several summers, but nobody thought she would be taken by an accident instead of the sickness.
148 148 301 AniZhuanchangEnd When I rush to the hospital, I see Master sitting on a bench in the corridor, pulling his hair in anger and pain. Their marriage wasn't filled with a fiery passion, but I know how much they love each other after witnessing it for so many years.
149 149 301 I know what happened when I see his face and his tears. I feel dizzy as pain grips my heart.
150 150 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Struggling to hold my grief, I stagger inside the ward.
152 152 301 AniZhuanchangEnd The Young Mistress is sitting there, holding the Mistress' pale, slim hands covered under a white cloth. The very hands that took me out of winter, but left me in autumn. The pain is excruciating. I have to gather all my strength to not cry my heart out.
153 153 301 But another more excruciating pain strikes me the moment I see the Young Mistress' face.
154 154 301 I have never seen her so helpless. She tightens her grip on her mother's hand for one instant, then gives up as if she wants to wake her up, but does not want to interrupt her sleep.
155 155 301 She opens her mouth slightly, pale lips trembling. I see dried tear stains under her eyes. This child has lost her soul and does not know what to do for the rest of her life.
156 156 301 I only find out later that the Mistress lost her life in an accident on the way to the hospital when she tried to protect her daughter.
157 157 301 I cannot imagine what impact it could have on this kind, innocent child who loves her mother so deeply. Just thinking about it kills me inside.
158 158 301 The Young Mistress hears the noise I made. She turns around and sees me. She looks lost.
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160 160 301 1 Young Mistress Callie... 1
161 161 301 I see her mouth move as if she is about to burst into tears. But she holds it back and bites her lips instead. God, please bless this girl. She is unfortunate yet so strong.
162 162 301 She finally manages to ask me a question after a short pause. I hear her voice trembling.
163 163 301 Young Mistress ...Is Mother not going to wake up again? Just like Bell...? 1
164 164 301 I burst into tears and almost begin to hate myself for being not able to do anything.
165 165 301 I cry so hard that I cannot talk properly, but she seems to learn the truth anyway. She lowers her head, her hands clenching the white bedsheet hard.
166 166 301 Young Mistress ...Callie... Sorry... I couldn't take care of Mother... 1
167 167 202 1 1
168 168 301 She wipes her eyes with her sleeve, sobbing.
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171 171 301 1 Calliope No! Don't say that! No way this is your fault... 1
172 172 301 I'm so shocked by her words and immediately argue back. Still sobbing, she looks up at me and forces herself to put up a smile.
173 173 301 Young Mistress Sorry... Callie... I will take good care of you and Father... 2
174 174 202 1 2 1
175 175 301 The sorrow in her words, along with her fear that I would also leave one day, make me speechless.
176 176 301 In the name of God, I will never leave you... I want to make a thousand promises. I want to walk up and hug her, so she can let down her guard and cry it all out. But somehow I see Mistress in her miserable smile through my vision blurred by tears.
177 177 301 I don't know if it is an illusion, or if God really has heard my prayer. I see Mistress again. This great, beautiful lady descends into the ward, as kind and brilliant as when I first met her.
178 178 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Smiling, she puts her arms around the Young Mistress and kisses her on the forehead. She then disappears in the air, as if she had never been here.
180 180 301 AniZhuanchangEnd The Young Mistress used to have so many quirky dreams. She wanted to become a forest ranger, open a flower shop that keeps all sorts of animals or be a shepherd that helps soaked sheep stand up after rain. She never talks about them again.
181 181 301 The Master has a family business to pass down. The Mistress, who used to kindly preserve her naive dreams, is no longer around.
182 182 301 She starts to read books in her room all day and night. I have a vague feeling that the death of Mistress has given her a new direction.
183 183 301 The Master, on the other hand, becomes more depressed after losing his wife and locks himself in the study immediately after work. In the beginning, the three of us were still eating at the same table together, but such occasions become increasingly rare as he is "busy with work".
184 184 301 The Young Mistress seems to be troubled by guilt. She asks me to teach her some common dishes, and she would try her best to cook them and awkwardly take them to her father's study. But the response she gets is no different from what I always had—"Just leave it there."
185 185 301 I want to tell her that none of this is her fault. She should never blame herself.
186 186 301 But when I see her beautiful and loving eyes, they remind me of her mother. I know I cannot change anything.
187 187 301 I can only do my best to make her life more comfortable. I suggest her to write letters to the Mistress. It does make her happier, and I'm glad it works.
188 188 301 But as time goes by, things are not getting better. When winter falls, the chill seems to also have impacted the mansion.
189 189 301 AniZhuanchangBegin It starts snowing early in the morning. The Young Mistress has not seen snow for a while, so I wake up early and take her to the garden. I finally see her innocent smile once again.
191 191 301 AniZhuanchangEnd But Master summons me to his study. He stammers with an embarrassed look, telling me that he wants to order the most advanced management AI. I have a bad feeling about it.
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194 194 301 1 Calliope Sir, you don't need to pay me. I just want to stay here and look after you and Young Mistress. 1
195 195 301 Master We can't stay in the old days forever... Science has changed the world. 2
196 196 301 Calliope But you liked it that way when the Mistress was around, didn't you? 1
197 197 301 I panic and speak without thinking, but soon realize the mistake when his face darkens.
198 198 301 Calliope ...I'm sorry, Sir. I'm just concerned about you and Young Mistress... 1
199 199 301 Master We're fine now. Besides, we need some time of our own... 2
200 200 301 The Master keeps looking away. It suddenly comes to my mind that he has been coming home late recently. I then recall the grayish-brown hair that I often found in his laundry, along with other signs...
201 201 301 I understand what he is trying to say.
202 202 301 Calliope I see... 1
203 203 301 I look outside and see the Young Mistress making the shape of a sheep with snow in the garden. How I miss her smile.
204 204 301 Bell was buried right there. The Mistress and Young Mistress made her tombstone. I guess it's my time to embark on a new journey.
205 205 301 Calliope Sir, she is a good young lady. 1
206 206 301 I can't think of anything more intelligent to say.
207 207 301 Calliope Please take care of her. 1
208 208 301 The Master seems to be relieved and nods with a smile. Seeing him recover from the death of his wife is the only thing that can make me feel slightly better.
209 209 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Master I will. Thank you, Calliope... It's been many years. 2
216 216 301 AniZhuanchangEnd I find a casual job not far from the mansion. The pay is far from decent, but I'm still concerned about the Young Mistress and want to be able to go back occasionally.
217 217 301 Life is never easy for ordinary people. Another season has passed when I have finally settled in.
218 218 301 One spring morning, I find the honeysuckles along the street blossoming on my way to work. The memory of the Young Mistress hits me so hard that I put down all the tools and rush through the entire neighborhood, heading toward her home.
219 219 301 I just want to see her from afar. I wonder how she is doing? Has her winter passed?
220 220 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The sun is high in the sky when I finally arrive outside the mansion. I wait anxiously, hoping to see her through the fences of the garden.
222 222 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Thank goodness I don't have to wait too long. I almost shout out in excitement when I see her walking to the garden with a pot in her hands.
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224 224 301 1 Calliope Oh my... The Young Mistress... She has lost so much weight... 1
225 225 301 Sorrow grips my heart once again. I want to take her hand, wipe the mud off her face and give her a warm hug.
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227 227 301 She no longer skips around. Her hairband is tied up properly. It has been only a few months, but I feel like she has grown so much. The innocent child is gone.
228 228 301 I gaze at the Young Mistress, trying to remember everything about her at this very moment. But I must not let her see me, for she would blame herself again after seeing me in dire straits—I told her I received a better job offer when I left.
229 229 301 She squats down next to the garden bed and starts digging with the same old mini shovel. I realize the garden has been renovated. All the flowers that she once grew are now gone, replaced by neat green foliage and automatic robot gardeners.
230 230 301 She continues to dig the soil. Her face looks as serious as before, but there is no longer mud on it.
231 231 301 I watch her move honeysuckle from a pot to the garden bed.
232 232 201 1 500052
233 233 301 1 ?? Hey, is breakfast ready? 1
234 234 301 A girl that I have never met shows up in the window on the second floor. The Young Mistress looks up, slightly nervous.
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236 236 301 1 Young Mistress Yes, it's in the kitchen... Father starts work early today, so I only cooked for three people... 1
237 237 201 1 500052
238 238 301 1 ?? Why are you still digging the mud? We're going to eat first. 1
239 239 202 1 1
240 240 301 Her face flushes red.
241 241 201 1 500049 -100 100
242 242 301 1 Young Mistress Sure, sister. You can have it first... 1
243 243 202 1 1
244 244 301 The window is slammed shut.
245 245 301 I am beyond shocked. There are so many questions I want to ask. Why does Young Mistress have to make breakfast? Who is that girl?
246 246 301 She lowers her head and continues planting the seedling. She looks lonely and saddened.
251 251 301 AniZhuanchangEnd But what can I do? Confront the master of the mansion when I am no longer part of it?
252 252 301 Unable to do anything, I feel suffocated by the sense of guilt. I spend hours wandering outside the fence, but I could not gather the courage to step into the mansion. Ever since that day, I have never stopped regretting that I did not talk to the Young Mistress.
253 253 301 Every time I see her lonely look in my dream, I feel the urge to see her in person. But I never get to meet her again.
254 254 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The letters I sent to the Master were never given replies.
256 256 301 AniZhuanchangEnd After a few years, I finally settled down and opened a flower shop. It doesn't make a lot of money, but enough to keep myself fed.
257 257 301 I never hear anything from the Young Mistress. Still haunted by the guilt and uncertainty, I rarely go back to look for her again. Maybe she has already found her new family and friends. Maybe it was all just my misunderstanding.
258 258 301 Still, I put many of her favorite flowers in the window on the day my shop opens, hoping that one day she may come by.
259 259 401 1 36
260 260 301 Life is finally getting better. I am already looking forward to a day that I can go back and visit her. But doomsday comes soon after.
266 266 301 All I know about "Punishing" is that this virus can turn the machines we see every day into ruthless killers. All residents have fled the city. Machines are scrapped, abandoned on the streets. Government announcements are looped on screens. My flower shop looks like a God's joke.
267 267 301 AniZhuanchangBegin I believe the Master will protect the Young Mistress. I can only think that way.
270 270 301 AniZhuanchangEnd I go to her mansion one last time when I pack up my bags and prepare to head to the shelter.
271 271 301 From a distance, I see a military vehicle driving past the gate. Are they here to protect her? She will be fine.
272 272 301 I gaze at the now desolated garden. It is nothing like what I remember. Finally, I find the honeysuckle that Young Mistress planted many years ago.
273 273 301 AniZhuanchangBegin It has completely dried up on the gray soil and looks more like a piece of a specimen. A white dove lands next to it, then chirps and flies away.
275 275 301 AniZhuanchangEnd I have lost all sense of time in the wandering journey. Pain and suffering in the post-apocalyptic world have turned me into a numb and dull walking dead. Only memories can remind me of my life in the past as a human.
276 276 301 When I was a human, I could endure the pain. But in a world of the Punishing Virus, we are no longer humans, but animals that would do anything just to live another day.
277 277 301 Can I really see my loved ones here? That's the first thing that comes to my mind when the Red Tide devours my camp.
278 278 301 When other Scavengers scream and run, I only close my eyes, waiting for miracles to happen.
279 279 301 ...I don't know if it is my illusion, or if God has actually descended.
280 280 301 I feel like I have seen the Mistress... I cannot see her face, but she gently puts her arms around me like an angel.
281 281 301 I open my arms to embrace her. This is my final relief. But when I see the angel's face, I know it must be a miracle, for she is not the Mistress, but a grown-up Young Mistress.
282 282 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin I know somewhere in the world, she must have become the person she always wants to be. I shed happy tears at the last moment of my life.
