16 16 301 Construct I don't need your apology! I want you to pay with your life! You said you were different from them?! What good could possibly come out of it when you stand next to an Ascendant?! 1
46 46 301 DialogEnable 1 Rachel This was my only choice. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to change anything. 1
47 47 202 1 1
48 48 201 1 500511 14
49 49 301 1 Noan ...Huh? 1
50 50 301 Coming to his senses, Noan finds himself sitting inside Rachel's compartment. It is one in the morning, and he has just returned after hiding the weapons he received from Bella Bethe inside Carriage G.
51 51 301 Noan can remember that... the fight with the upper-level guards is seven hours away.
52 52 203 1 0.25 -400
53 53 201 2 500421 400
54 54 301 1 Assad Why are you looking all distracted? Weren't you asking Rachel why she's working with Ashlar? 2
55 55 204 1
56 56 301 Noan I'm sorry. I was indeed distracted. Can you explain it again? 1
57 57 202 2 1
58 58 201 2 500515 1 400
59 59 301 1 Rachel ...Sure. The fight is about to start, anyway. I'll tell you whatever you want to know. 2
60 60 301 Rachel raises the glass in her hand before gulping down her moonshine.
61 61 204 2
62 62 301 Rachel Because it was my only choice. 2
63 63 301 She repeats her words.
64 64 301 Rachel Cargo Crew was a disorganized mess. Teams would fight with each other to get a larger share and a safer assignment. 2
65 65 301 Rachel I wanted to change that, but I had nothing but my fists. I only had one belief—I could fight my way out of this. 2
66 66 301 Rachel Obviously, a stupid idea like that didn't get me anywhere. Every time I wanted to start something, the aristocrats would make me pay. When they were about to kick me off the train... Julie saved me. 2
67 67 301 Noan Mom? 1
68 68 301 Rachel Yeah. She just met your father back then. She became his secretary by being the hardworking badass she was. 2
69 69 301 Rachel She couldn't stand the turmoil of the lower level, so she reached out to me... We talked, over and over, until we found the only way through—Ashlar. 2
70 70 301 Rachel Speaking of which, your father was the one who introduced us. He brought me to the man who wanted to replace the aristocrat, and Ashlar and I made a deal. 2
71 71 301 Rachel I scared the aristocrats who wouldn't work with him through the armed disturbances on the lower level, and he gave me connections and supplies to unite the people against the upper level. 2
72 72 301 Rachel After our many successes, folks started treating me like an undefeatable "hero" and put me in charge of the Cargo Crew. 2
73 73 301 Rachel Anyone could ask me for help because an upper-level aristocrat with actual power was standing behind me. 2
74 74 204 2 13
75 75 301 Rachel Ironic, right? But I didn't have to worry. I could deal with anything. 2
121 121 301 1 Rachel The things he asked of me started mounting up after he thought he'd "helped" us enough. 2
122 122 301 Noan's vision jumps to the night before the fight once again. Rachel sits before her desk, sneering at her glass self-mockingly.
123 123 301 Looking at this scene, Noan notices a sense of danger amidst the uneasiness—there are only seven hours left until the upcoming battle. Why is Rachel still drinking and chatting with Assad?
124 124 301 Rachel We were just tasked to take care of some jerks and their shady businesses initially. Then, innocent folks started getting involved. 2
125 125 204 2
126 126 301 Rachel Until one day, Ashlar asked me to take care of your father... because he'd started to "misbehave" too. 2
127 127 204 2 15
128 128 301 Rachel I'm sorry... 2
129 129 204 2
130 130 301 Rachel I didn't realize Ashlar had bought a few other reckless fools apart from us. Had I known, I would have protected Julie if nothing else... Your father, too. 2
131 131 301 Rachel It's too late to say anything now. Her face was scarred in the end, and she landed on the lower level with you still inside her belly. 2
132 132 204 2 14
133 133 301 Rachel Then she started to change... The stories she loved and the dreams she believed in were all hidden underneath her mask without a trace. 2
134 134 301 Rachel To get a chance to fight back and free us from Ashlar's control... she agreed with my idea to manipulate the books in order to gather weapons for the Cargo Crew. 2
135 135 204 2
136 136 301 Rachel ...You realized that long ago, didn't you? Or someone told you? 2 1
137 137 203 2 0.25 400
138 138 201 1 500511 -400
139 139 301 1 Noan Yeah. People have said things. 1
140 140 204 2 14
141 141 301 Rachel I know I shouldn't trust Shauna and Weyland to hide anything from you. 2
142 142 301 She sighs, staring at the murky liquid inside her glass.
143 143 301 Rachel Julie was different from me or Assad. She wasn't born to be a bad guy. She had been on edge ever since she started tempering with the numbers. 2
144 144 301 Rachel She said you ought to hang with other people, but she would start panicking the second you stepped out of sight. 2
145 145 301 Noan Was that why she agreed to let me stay in the book storage room? 1
146 146 301 Rachel Yeah. I told her to keep you around if she was worried, but she was afraid of how you'd react if her crime was exposed after you two got close. 2
147 147 301 Rachel She would tell herself that she was doing it for everyone's future as if needing to convince herself. Then she'd start thinking about how you'd survive after she was gone. 2
148 148 301 Rachel She would worry that you spent too much time drawing instead of learning a skill that could keep you fed and alive. That was why she was always so strict with you. 2
149 149 301 Rachel But deep down... she wished you got to do what you love—be it reading, drawing, or being with the people you like. 2
150 150 204 1 14
151 151 301 Noan ...She once told me, "I hope you get to become who you want to be." 1
152 152 204 2
153 153 301 Rachel Did she, now? I should leave you with a word or two, then—whatever future you want, don't make the mistakes I've made. 2
154 154 204 1
155 155 301 Noan She said that too. 1
156 156 204 1000 2 14
157 157 204 2 13
158 158 301 Rachel pauses for a second before lowering her head and laughing, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
159 159 301 Noan Captain Rachel? 1
160 160 204 2 13
161 161 301 Rachel That's how it is, isn't it? It was wrong to begin with, and we could only fix the sins of our past with new mistakes... 2
174 174 301 1 Lithos I knew it was wrong, but there was no way to stop. 2
175 175 301 This is the afternoon he wakes up after he has lost his memories for the first time.
176 176 301 Standing in front of an endless Red Tide, Lithos caresses the glass jar in his arms longingly.
177 177 301 Lithos I just wanted to protect everyone... 2
178 178 301 Lithos I've been thinking about how to allow humans to coexist with the Punishing Virus all these years because I realized there wasn't a way to eradicate the virus completely. 2
179 179 204 2 1
180 180 301 Lithos Haha... You look like you're wondering why an Ascendant would want something like that. 2
181 181 204 2
182 182 301 Lithos holds the jar up, staring woefully at the things inside.
183 183 301 Lithos These are what remain of my "family." 2 1
184 184 301 Lithos My father left me at an orphanage because of my disability. 2
185 185 301 Lithos It was a heaven for adults but a hell for children. Every second there was torment, but we kids survived with our "mother" by protecting each other... 2
186 186 301 Lithos I saw selfish people and selfless souls. I was hurt, and I was also aided. My feelings toward humankind are more complicated than simple love or hate, and that's how I feel about the Punishing Virus too. 2
187 187 301 Lithos The outbreak broke down the fortified cage of the orphanage. My siblings and I escaped, led by our "mother," and we finally got our freedom. 2
188 188 301 Lithos ...So I was once grateful for this calamity. 2
189 189 301 Lithos ...Until it took away everyone I loved one by one. 2
190 190 204 2 2
191 191 301 Lithos Can you understand how I feel now? 2
192 192 202 2 1
193 193 201 1 500506 4
194 194 301 1 Noan ... 1
195 195 202 1 1
196 196 201 2 500513
197 197 301 1 Lithos I just wanted to protect everyone. Anyone that was left behind. 2
198 198 301 Lithos Don't be afraid. The Red Tide isn't something cruel. They might not be living as individual beings, but they're reborn through it. 2
199 199 301 Lithos This may not be the ideal choice, but... it is the best option I can find. 2
200 200 301 Lithos As long as something remains... even in this unliving state... it will be better than death. 2
201 201 301 Lithos ...This is the only way for those of us who have survived... to see those who died... to see her again... 2
202 202 301 Lithos grabs their long purple hair instinctually as if holding onto the remains of someone they deeply care about.
203 203 301 Lithos I know you wish to stay with real humans instead of the "shards" that form these projections. 2
204 204 301 Lithos But you will be inevitably betrayed if you give your trust to other people. You can only protect yourself and others if you hold absolute power. 2
205 205 204 2 2
206 206 301 Lithos I've learned that lesson, and so should you... Remember how the Cargo Crew ended? 2
207 207 203 2 0.25 -400
208 208 201 1 500506 9 400
209 209 301 1 Noan How it ended? 1
210 210 204 2
211 211 301 Lithos Did you forget? Right. You've already forgotten about it once, after all... 2
212 212 204 2 2
213 213 301 Lithos Now, remember... and tell me your choice. 2
228 228 301 1 Assad We told you we didn't have a choice! 2
229 229 301 Noan's confused mind returns to the night before the battle once again.
230 230 301 Assad What would you have us do? Those weapon manufacturers couldn't trade their weapons for our enthusiasm, could they? 2
231 231 301 Assad They needed to put food on their tables as well. Not to mention that the Cargo Crew's reputation got tarnished after the Blessing Boxes. No one would have listened if we hadn't had something to offer. 2
232 232 301 Assad I might not agree with Rachel on a lot of things, but I think she was right to work with Ashlar and split the profit of the Blessing Boxes with him. 2
233 233 203 2 0.25 -400
234 234 201 1 500511 400
235 235 301 1 Noan The Blessing Boxes stopped selling long ago. Where did our recent supplies come from? 1
236 236 202 2 1
237 237 201 2 500515 -400
238 238 301 1 Rachel We still have Barbra. 2
239 239 301 Noan The person who took over Mom's job? 1
240 240 202 1 2 1
241 241 201 1 500421
242 242 301 1 Assad That's right. My wife used to be a really good cook, hehe. 1
251 251 301 1 Rachel There was no way I'd trust her. These two have been up to no good behind my back. I suspected Barbra for some of the "food poisoning" incidents in the past, but I couldn't find the proof. 2
252 252 301 Rachel Assad is only working with us because he failed to get a good seat on the upper level. He wouldn't have given a damn about the rest of us if he were enjoying his life. 2
253 253 301 Noan Why are you keeping him here, then? 1
254 254 301 Rachel Because he has connections within the Cargo Crew and the upper level. He is still useful to me. 2
258 258 301 —But could someone untrustworthy have provided a steady source of supplies?
259 259 201 1 500515
260 260 301 1 Rachel I know it's not feasible long-term. What we took was ours to begin with. The supplies she got from manipulating the books were the payment meant for the Cargo Crew and the Bumblebees. 1
261 261 301 Rachel Hungry people will bite anyone if enough time has passed. 1
262 262 301 Rachel The more people with their own agenda, the fewer we could trust... In the end, we were dismantling ourselves for the enemy. 1
263 263 202 1 1
264 264 201 1 500421
265 265 301 1 Assad Hmph! Why bother when we can just throw them off the train when we discover them? 1
266 266 202 1 1
267 267 201 1 500511
268 268 301 1 Noan Was that what happened to Bancroft all those years ago? 1
269 269 202 1 1
270 270 201 1 500421
271 271 301 1 Assad ... 1
272 272 301 Assad I can't do anything if you insist on thinking that way. 1
273 273 301 Perhaps Assad is drunk or simply annoyed, he does not deny Noan's words firmly this time.
274 274 301 Assad Do you think I got him killed all those years ago? 1
275 275 301 Assad But I didn't do a damn thing. I have no idea why his son was gone, either. 1
276 276 301 Assad Regardless, I was genuinely glad that someone troublesome like him disappeared while searching for his son. I didn't try to look for him, but that didn't mean I killed him, you hear me? 1
284 284 301 Rachel Field has disappeared for about five years by now, hasn't he? 2
285 285 204 1 14
286 286 301 Noan ... 1
287 287 204 1
288 288 301 Rachel I know you always wanted to look for him at City 074, but missions from the Cargo Crew have kept you away. And you couldn't find anything even when you had the chance to go near that place. 2
289 289 301 Rachel I did the same. I've privately tasked people to look for Field multiple times over the years. There was news every now and then, but there was nothing we could confirm, so I never told you about any of this. 2
290 290 301 Noan Is that true? You have news about him?! 1
291 291 301 Rachel I told you I couldn't confirm if that was him. 2
292 292 301 Rachel Once the business with the train is over, you can leave the Cargo Crew and look for him yourself. 2
293 293 301 Noan Leave the Cargo Crew? 1
294 294 301 Rachel Yeah. Most people who stay here don't have a choice, but you're different. You're young. You should go see the world. 2
295 295 202 1 1
296 296 201 1 500421 400
297 297 301 1 Assad When do you plan to make your move? 1
298 298 301 Rachel Sooner, the better. All the weapons are hidden inside the train now, so stalling is only going to put us in more danger. I'll start making plans after the two other teams return in a few days. 2
299 299 301 She finishes her drink and puts down her glass. Only now does Noan realize something is not quite right.
300 300 202 1 1
301 301 201 1 500511 400
302 302 301 1 Noan How much did you drink today, Captain Rachel? 1
303 303 202 1 1
304 304 201 1 500421 400
305 305 301 1 Assad Haha! Just this one glass. But she's a lightweight; ten more minutes and she'll crash here, I'm telling you. 1
306 306 301 Rachel It's a virtue to get drunk after a few sips. Alcohol is expensive here. 2
307 307 202 1 1
308 308 201 1 500511 400
309 309 301 1 Noan Didn't you say you still have to confirm the intel? Your current state... 1
310 310 301 Rachel Tonight's fine. They won't be back that quickly. Show me your "assignment" first. Is your Rev Blade assembled? 2
311 311 301 Noan ...Yes. 1
312 312 301 Noan passes his Rev Blade to Rachel. Carefully, she inspects it under the dim light.
313 313 204 2 1
314 314 301 Rachel Not bad. You're a good self-learner. 2
315 315 301 Noan It took me a whole day to figure out what each of those parts was. 1
316 316 301 Rachel It's good enough for you to take the time to study it. If it were Assad or his underlings... 2
317 317 202 1 2 1
318 318 201 1 500421
319 319 301 1 Assad Haha, what do you expect? They'd have traded the parts for drinks the moment they stepped out of here! 1
320 320 202 1 2 1
321 321 201 1 500511 400
322 322 201 2 500515 -400
323 323 301 1 Noan ... 1
324 324 301 Noan My mom used to say, "Don't be the fools who burned the books to stay warm. Only those who learn from the books can survive." 1
325 325 301 Rachel "Don't be the fools who burned the books to stay warm..." 2
326 326 204 2 1
327 327 301 Rachel Ha... Yeah. Those who don't read but burn books to stay warm are indeed fools. 2
328 328 204 2 15
329 329 301 Rachel looks at her reflection inside the glass, disgusted.
330 330 204 2 14
331 331 301 Rachel Sometimes I feel like Julie was right about a lot of things when I look at you. 2
332 332 301 She lowers her head and continues speaking as if she cannot stop.
333 333 301 Rachel "Attitude determines altitude," that's what the old folks used to say. You're patient enough to understand and learn, which means you're much better than many who are already six feet under the ground. 2
334 334 301 Rachel Even though she wanted to send you to the Cargo Crew when you were nine... 2
335 335 301 Rachel She did that only because she was anxious. Julie wasn't the fittest person. With the work she was involved in... she was worried that she would leave you too early and you wouldn't be able to survive on your own. 2
336 336 301 Noan ... 1
337 337 301 Noan She wouldn't tell me about any of it, and I only knew that she coughed a lot. If you didn't tell me afterward, I wouldn't have known that she was sick all along. 1
338 338 204 2 1
339 339 301 Rachel How could you not know? Ha, go take a look at yourself in the mirror. You're the same. 2
340 340 301 Rachel's vision has blurred from her drinking.
341 341 301 Noan ...We're the same? 1
342 342 204 2 14
343 343 301 Rachel Yeah. Before she put on that mask, she was about your height, and her eyes were as stubborn as yours... 2
344 344 301 Rachel Her hair and clothes were as dark as yours. Didn't make a sound when she walked, that woman. Couldn't spot her at night when the lights were off. 2
345 345 301 Rachel ...You know, sometimes I really wish you'd stick that firefly on your shoulder. I wouldn't have to worry about losing you in a night shift. 2
346 346 301 Noan I tried my best to make some noise. 1
347 347 204 2 1
348 348 301 Rachel Who can tell the sound you make when the fight begins? 2
349 349 301 Looking at Noan's dark hair, Rachel suddenly laughs as if thinking of something funny.
350 350 301 Rachel Why don't you dye your hair into a rainbow? 2
351 351 202 1 1
352 352 201 1 500421 400
353 353 301 1 Assad Tch. Why don't you treat your night blindness instead of bothering the kid? 1
354 354 204 2
355 355 301 Rachel Night blindness? Me? Impossible! 2
356 356 301 Assad Impossible, my ***! Didn't the doctor prescribe you a bottle of vitamin A last year? It was practically full when you gave it away earlier this year. 1
357 357 301 Assad Who's free to dye someone's hair nowadays, anyway? Kid's stuck with his hair unless he becomes a Construct or something. 1
358 358 301 Rachel None of us would have stayed here and worked our lives away if we could just become a Construct. 2
359 359 301 Assad Have you ever tested your whatever affinity? 1
360 360 202 1 2 1
361 361 201 1 500511
362 362 301 1 Noan What affinity? 1
363 363 202 1 1
364 364 201 1 500421 400
365 365 201 2 500515 -400
366 366 301 1 Assad Tan-something-something... I forgot. I heard that you need the affinity to have a shot of becoming a Construct. 1
367 367 301 Assad Ha, you could also just die during the surgery. 1
368 368 202 1 1
369 369 203 2 0.25
370 370 204 2 1
371 371 301 Rachel Enough. He can figure it out in the future... This young man has all the time in the world. 2
372 372 301 Rachel waves her hand drunkenly.
373 373 204 2
374 374 301 Rachel Either way, I'll make sure you live. 2
375 375 202 2 1
376 376 201 1 500511
377 377 301 1 Noan Either way? What does that mean? 1
378 378 203 1 0.25 -400
379 379 201 2 500515 13 400
380 380 301 1 Rachel What does it mean? Ha... 2
381 381 204 2
382 382 301 Rachel I'll tell you all about it when it's over. Right now... some things... 2
383 383 204 2 14
384 384 301 Rachel ...are still uncertain... 2
385 385 203 80 2 0.3 400 -150
386 386 202 2
387 387 401 2 3077
388 388 301 Rachel's head slams on the desk.
389 389 301 Noan Captain Rachel?! 1
390 390 201 2 500421 400
391 391 301 1 Assad Alright, let her sleep. Sometimes you have to let it all out after you hold onto your secrets for too long. 2
392 392 301 Assad The fight is in a few days. She's no superwoman; she could use a sip to pump herself up. 2
393 393 301 Noan ... 1
394 394 301 Noan Let's put her somewhere she can lie down. 1
395 395 301 Assad Sure! 2
396 396 301 Noan wants to find a blanket to cover Rachel after laying her down, but he can only find a jacket hanging on the back of the chair in the compartment.
397 397 301 Assad Hey, that's mine. Give it back. 2
398 398 301 Noan Sorry. 1
399 399 301 Right as Noan is about to hand Assad the jacket, he accidentally touches the folds by the collar and notices something unusually rigid inside.
400 400 301 Noan ...? 1
401 401 301 Assad What is it? 2
402 402 301 Noan Your jacket... 1
403 403 301 Noan flips over the collar and inspects it, finding a meticulously hidden seam at the fold.
404 404 301 He tears apart the seam carefully, and a thin piece of machine falls out.
405 405 401 1 202
406 406 301 Noan ...Is that... a wire?! How long have you had it? 1
407 407 301 Assad ... 2
408 408 204 1 4
409 409 301 Noan Assad! 1
410 410 301 Assad Sigh... That's... 2
411 411 301 Assad evades Noan's gaze. He hesitates for a second before grabbing his jacket from Noan and grinning embarrassingly.
412 412 301 Assad It hasn't been that long. Just a few hours. 2
413 413 301 Assad You know I don't usually wear a coat. Barbra gave me the jacket yesterday. 2
414 414 301 Noan We've been talking about our plans and the weapons we moved to the train all this time! Captain Rachel says no one outside this room can know! 1
415 415 301 Assad Don't worry about it. My wife keeps suspecting I'm seeing someone behind her back, so she's just checking who I've been calling and looking into the ladies I've been meeting. She's not interested in the weapons whatsoever. 2
416 416 301 Assad Relax. Rachel and I have been eating at Barbra's, and she's been helping us with the books! We're all in the same boat, aren't we? Stop being so suspicious! 2
417 417 301 Assad How about me going to Barbra now and making sure she doesn't spill the beans? That sounds good to you? 2
418 418 204 1
419 419 301 Noan But... 1
420 420 301 Assad But what? What else are we going to do? Rachel's going to sleep for at least five hours after she's drunk, so good luck waking her up! Niino and Shauna won't be back until the morning! 2
421 421 301 Assad You haven't eaten, have you? There's still canned food on the table. Finish them and go to bed. We'll sort out this mess after Rachel wakes up. 2
422 422 301 Noan No, that's too risky. 1
423 423 301 Assad Risky? When did you get so distrustful like Rachel? How many supplies has Barbra helped gather for the Cargo Crew? What good will it do her if our little sting here got exposed? Stop sticking your nose into our marriage! 2
424 424 301 Assad Stop staring; I've gotta catch Barbra now before something else goes awry. And if you tell anyone about us and embarrass me, I'll make sure you regret it, you hear me? 2
425 425 203 80 2 0.3 600
426 426 202 2
427 427 301 Watching Assad walk away somehow reminds Noan of Bancroft.
428 428 301 Noan Assad!!! 1
429 429 301 Assad rushes away with a charged expression as Bancroft did, stumbling as he leaves the compartment and soon disappearing from Noan's sight.
