Arknights story · A Light Spark in Darkness
Anywhere I Wander
The vigilante Haze overhears some information not meant for her, and inadvertently gets a store burned down during her escape. She talks Susie out of suicide, but then passes out as her Oripathy flares up.
1 scenes, 339 lines
1. Interlude
339 linesNovember 19th, 1097, 9:20 P.M.
This way!
Up ahead.
They're over there still. I think I can see her.
Wait, didn't we just pass this road sign?
We're back to where we were. I mean, we're running in circles.
See, I knew it. There's something funny about the Feline's Arts.
Calm down. The Infected community's up ahead. The thief's definitely hiding somewhere in there.
Damned Infected... I'll find them, even if I have to flip the place upside down.
That's enough. Let's head back.
Are you sure we should just let her go, Chief? What about the money and the merchandise?
Forget it. She didn't take that much. We'll all chip in a little and foot the bill.
The boss made it very clear he didn't want any unnecessary trouble.
Give him any more fuss, and a sacking will be the least of your worries.
Let's go.
Miss Witch!
Here you go. Your meal and medicine for today.
Thanks!
Don't eat too fast. You mustn't choke on your food.
A slice of bread, and enough rice to stifle her hunger for the day.
When exactly did I start helping people?
And why? I had enough trouble keeping myself alive.
*cough*... *cough*...
Miss... You don't look too well.
Really...? Is it that obvious?
When can I start using Originium Arts like you?
Not today~
Huh...? But I wanna be a witch too. Like you.
Sharp pain.
The sharp, prickling pain of this Oripathy lesion hasn't stopped hurting for the past three months.
Maybe it's time to leave this place.
It wouldn't be nice if anyone got caught in the crystallization when it finally happens.
No, when the time comes to wave goodbye to this world, it must be done elegantly and in perfect solitude—
That's how a proper kitten and a Caster from the Witch Forest is supposed to go.
One pub, two pubs, three pubs...
Seven kits, eight kits, nine kits...
Take a guess how many pubs and stray cats there are in this Infected block.
I know, because I counted. There are eight pubs and thirty-two stray kittens.
That's four kittens to each pub, and a fresh fin for each kitten.
Have you ever counted how many cities you've visited, how many Infected settlements you've seen?
I have. Five cities, eight settlements, and seventeen prison breaks.
I've been to many cities, but Caladon is definitely one of the more interesting ones.
Everyone's the same here. They're out to make a living when the sun goes up, and they're into the pub to drink when the sun goes down. When they close their eyes at night, they never worry about what the next day will bring.
Infected, normals. What's the difference?
Maybe one day, with a loud 'kaboom,' the whole of Caladon Bay will slip into the sea, and that'll be the wonderful end of everything~
Which is why, if I had to pick a place to die, this wouldn't be too bad a choice.
A place where I can look down on the whole city, and my body's turning to stone, and then, 'bang!'
Nothing left of me, no one any the wiser. But nonetheless, I'll have to pick a place that's farther away, lest the dust drift its way down into the streets.
The rocks in my body seem to have calmed down...
Looks like it's not yet time. At least, not today.
Until that day comes, I always have to think about where I'll find tomorrow's fun.
Oh, I didn't even notice. The sun's already up.
Good morning, Victoria. Good morning, Caladon.
So, who's the lucky contestant who gets a visit from the kitty today?
November 23th, 1097, 10:14 P.M.
Not a soul in these buildings here... Is it how close it is to the abandoned districts?
An old warehouse... Hm...
Maybe there's something I can use?
Let's take a peek~
Food... There can't be food here, right?
Maybe something I can make a fiver or so from?
Whoa, whoa, that's a bit of dust. And it reeks of machine oil. Nothing quite adorable here.
This vase looks pretty, though—
Don't touch nothin'.
(?!)
I don't get it. All we're doing is kidnapping a few Infected and an old man. Why get everybody all puffed up?
Shut up. Do your job and get paid. Don't ask questions.
(Phew...)
Counted up the weapons yet?
Lookin' good. Prob'ly overkill for a rickety old councilor.
(Weapons? Councilor? Bo~ring...)
Keep your eyes open, though. Those goons are hired guns, I don't trust 'em.
What about the explosives? We don't need to worry about the Originium bombs?
We got guys to handle that for us. Not our department.
All we gotta do is ready the weapons and Arts Units. We're good to go in three hours.
Then we just wait at the Boil 'til they're done and pick up from there.
Who's that?!
You hear that?
Weird... I thought I locked the doors.
I heard it loud and clear. Someone's in here.
Someone? Where?
No hiding in a room this small. It's probably just some cat.
Yeah, that's it. Just a cat tempting fate in here.
Let's see now... Which little kitten came pokin' her head into a place she shouldn't have?
Don't be so petty. Can't a passing stray kit take shelter here for the night?
......
......
Who are you?
An Infected? Perfect timing there.
I told you. I'm just a stray cat passing by. I wandered in here by chance alone.
Won't you overlook this if I give you this pretty vase?
What you heard don't matter. I don't care if you really did stumble in by accident, but now that we found you—you ain't gettin' outta here alive.
It's curtains for you, kitten.
Haven't you heard? Bad luck befalls those who harm cats.
Missed?
How's she still... What's with this mist—
Hohoh, what's the rush now? How about I give you two a riddle to chew on.
'Why is a rock like a firework?'
You ain't goin' nowhere!
This should be far enough...
Eugh... A noble's room. The smell always makes me lose my lunch.
My shoulder... That angry lad's a fair decent shot...
At least it didn't nick any bones...
(Grabs the arrow's shaft)
Um... Miss? Who might you be?
Ack—
Shh! Quiet! I don't want to kill you. I just need to hide here for a spell.
You'd best work with me here. If you don't behave, this arrow will—
Calm down, miss. No need to be so tense.
You... You look hurt. Do you need any assistance?
Stay back!
The black smoke manifested by her Originium Arts spreads throughout the room. The old man takes a step backward and falls to the ground.
Sir, are you alright?
(Nervous)
I'm fine.
I'm writing my proposal. Do not disturb me until daybreak.
Very good, sir.
......
Miss... *cough*... *cough*...
If my hunch is correct, you should be an Infected.
Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you.
I...
The elderly Savra noble suddenly grabs his chest and lets out a pained moan.
What is it? I was just giving you a scare with my Arts.
Oh... well, there's a bother.
Someone, help! We have a man down!
(Oh well, about time to go...)
Something wrong, sir? I heard a girl...
Master Angst! What happened?!
What do we do now? Shouldn't we just kick in the door and get her?
You stupid or somethin'? Don't you know who lives here?
That's Councilor Angst's mansion!
Councilor? That's like a lord? Here, of all places?
Why would a councilor live right by the Infected? And ain't this house kinda small?
Just shut your mouth. We'll figure out another way.
There she is!
Showin' yourself, huh? Saves us the trouble of dragging you out!
You two... You're a pain in my rear...
Don't even think about it!
Get her!
She took a hit. She won't get far.
Watch her Arts, though. We don't know if they can kill, but they definitely mess with our senses.
Let's see what she's capable of—
It's fogging up again? She's castin'!
She ducked in here, huh?
'Green Spark...' Some kinda pub? Don't look like it.
All these old buildings are pretty much the same. There's no way out but the way she came in. She's trapped.
Slow down. No rush.
The Feline's got some fancy Arts. Watch the smoke. Won't be easy to catch her alive, or take her down either.
And we don't got so much time to deal with her.
Still got those incendiaries?
You wanna burn the place down?
The buildings around here are packed pretty tight. You sure about that?
Hurry up already! Nobody cares about the Infected. Even if it makes a scene, that's just a distraction for us.
You think too much. Just get to it.
We can't afford to make any mistakes here. We need her done in. Capiche?
Gotcha.
*cough* *cough*... *cough*.
That'll do the trick. Now let's skedaddle.
Goddamned diseased cat... made me spend all night running around the city.
I hear that when the Infected die, they turn to ash and explode? Never seen it for myself, though.
Don't worry about that. Let's go.
You'll have to be smarter than that... to catch a cat.
Listen up... You didn't drive me into this corner... It's only because of my condition...
November 26th, 1097, 9:27 A.M.
Sharp pain.
Her lungs hurt, her stomach hurts, her liver hurts.
Looks like normal painkillers... don't do a thing anymore.
Stricken with pain and disease, the Feline girl looks up at the sky through the windows of the abandoned house.
A heavy fog shrouds the entire city of Caladon, to the point that the sun's radiance can no longer be seen.
From the Grey Hills to Toron, then Castshire and finally to Caladon.
I kept running, wandering the world without aim. My friends all died one by one.
And the further I got, the more I lost.
Even a dandelion caught on the wind ends up settling somewhere.
This kitty's all too tired out.
Miss Witch, are you okay?
*cough*... *cough*...
Is that blood?
It looks like... this is the end.
Minnie, I have something for you...
Do you know how much these coins are worth?
Yes...
The Feline witch takes out a black hat and an exquisite ring.
(*Sigh*... The Witch's Ceremony... Not that it has much meaning left to it anymore.)
I am Haze, the Hundred and Thirteenth Witch of the Witch Forest...
May the Grey Hills' sages of the past bear witness to it all.
Witness the entrance of a new member to our ranks...
Witness the birth of a new soul...
Hm?
Really? So I can use Arts now?
Listen. You've always been able to use Arts. You have a gift for it.
But when you use them, you need to use this ring. Just like I taught you before. Without this ring, you aren't allowed to use Originium Arts. Understand?
Yes...
Also, you're only allowed to use Originium Arts on bad people. You remember how to tell bad people, don't you?
Yes!
That's good...
The Feline witch stands up and struggles toward the exit.
Miss Witch? Are you leaving?
Yes... It's time for me to go...
November 27th, 1097, 3:47 A.M.
The abandoned district on the edge of Caladon. It's the quietest part of the city.
Ever since a natural disaster swept across Caladon a few years ago, this district, having fallen into disrepair, was moved to the edge of the city.
The crumbling buildings, the collapsed foundations. All of it bore witness to Caladon's history.
Gazing out from the top of the abandoned towers, there is but a vast, endless wasteland in the distance.
If I had to pick a resting place, this might be one of the fun ones.
I knew this day would come. I can't really say it came sooner than expected, either.
The Feline witch sits against a wall in a corner and gently closes her eyes.
The sharp pain of the Oripathy lesion is starting to fade, and her body feels heavier and heavier by the moment.
Her memories flash quickly by, as though playing back before her eyes.
All her witch friends, the gentle Great Witch Grant, and the night the Victorian soldiers burned the Witch Forest by their cannon fire.
The times she spent drifting in the wastelands and the cities, the days she had to steal to get by, and all the unfair treatment she has suffered.
None of it matters anymore.
It's all coming to an end.
Yet, suddenly, she hears someone sobbing.
Haze follows the wailing to another part of the abandoned tower.
In front of her, a Feline girl stands next to a window, trembling.
*Sigh*.
(Sobs)
Sorry... I'm sorry, Mum... I'm so sorry...
I... I don't know what to do anymore.
With a helpless, grief-stricken look, the Feline girl totters at the edge of the building.
That's very dangerous, you know?
Yagh!
Wh-Who are you...?
Nobody important.
But I do need to tell you a few things before you jump.
After you do it, you won't be nearly as adorable as you are now. Honestly, I can't recommend it.
Your friends will be awfully sad to see you in that state when they find you tomorrow.
Friends... Quercus...
The sobbing girl hesitates and steps back from the window.
Susie... Susie Glitter.
Miss... Haze...
Miss Haze... What are you doing out here so late?
I was about to ask you the same. This is my personal, secret hideout. How did you find it?
Oh, well, I can give a cute little kit like you special permission to play about here. But not if you've come for a cordless bungee jump, however.
*Sniffles*...
Oh, dear, what are you crying for?
No... I...
*Sigh*... It's okay. Cry all you want. No one will hear you, so no need to hold it in.
Nobody's ever around here—though there's no booze, either. It would be nice if we had some, though, wouldn't it?
What I do have for you is free time. Come, have a talk with me?
Why were you about to do something so silly?
I...
I... had this dream. I've had it for years...
A years-long dream? That sounds lovely.
I... I worked so hard towards for it, years upon years...
It was... I dedicated my whole life to it.
And a few days ago, it was gone in the blink of an eye... Somebody destroyed all of it...
And I don't even know why...
None of it's left... nothing...
How much time do us Infected get, anyway?
Someone destroyed it, you say...
And so the first thing that came to mind was to destroy yourself too?
Seems awfully odd, doesn't it?
Huh... Huh? What do you mean?
Well, you said it yourself. Someone destroyed your beautiful dream and your life's work, but what are you doing now? Aren't you trying to destroy the very last thing you have?
No... That's not it...
Show me your hand. Let me see it.
Huh? Huh? What are you doing?
No crystals... It looks like you aren't too far along?
I—I don't have much idea myself...
Eep! What are you bonking me for?
A silly kit with a muddled head. You need some sense knocked into you.
—!
Living for a dream... That's quite the luxury for an Infected.
Most of us are just trudging along aimlessly, from one day to the next.
'We don't have that much longer to live. Why tire yourself out with goals and ideals?'
But you chose to make your dream come true, and that's impressive. There aren't a lot of people like you out there.
But, you see... So long as you're alive, things will work out.
You have more time than you think, not like... I digress.
It'd be a shame to give up just like that.
But what can I do?
I'm sure a cute little kitten like you has lots of friends.
Why don't you go talk to them? You won't get anywhere mulling over it by yourself.
If you've lost something, find it. If someone stole something of yours, find a way to steal it back.
Give up like this, and you won't have a single thing left, you know?
The bad ones will laugh ever harder, and that's no fair to yourself.
It's the bad ones ruining your dreams who should be thrown off the tower, not you. Don't you think?
The young Feline looks hesitantly at the window. Her face is shrouded in helplessness. Time drifts slowly by in the pitch dark of this abandoned tower.
She spends a brief moment pondering in silence, before finally letting out a long sigh and freeing an exhausted smile. It seems the weight on her shoulders is gone.
You're right.
Now, if you still feel down in the dumps, just cry it all out. Nobody's around to judge you.
No... It's okay... Thanks...
That's more like it.
The Great Witch says, as long as the sun rises tomorrow, there is still hope.
As long as... there... is a...
Hum? Um?! Miss Haze, what's the matter?!
Be careful... stay away from me...
Miss Haze! What's wrong?
Go... hurry...
What's wrong? Why is your body so hot?
Hang in there! Wake up!
Somebody! Please help!
Miss Haze... Stay with me. We... We're almost to the city...
I... I can barely carry you anymore...
S-Sorry, I don't mean you're heavy, you're really very light, I just don't have much strength...
The girl on her back grows weaker and weaker by the minute.
She can feel a vibrant life slowly fading away.
A wet, yet warm feeling gushes onto her back and gradually spreads all over.
This... What is this...?
Is it... blood?
Dark red blood spills from the girl's mouth and nose, dripping onto the ground.
Susie knows what this means. All Infected do.
No... No... No...
Haze... Please... I'm begging you...
Ever since she left home five years ago, she's witnessed the passing of many Infected.
With each death she's seen, she's grown increasingly numb to them.
This is the fate that awaits all Infected.
But, for some reason, she finds herself unwilling to bear the pain of this life disappearing before her.
Please! Miss Haze... Please... No...
Hang on... We're almost there...
She sets the girl down to ease her pain.
She tightly grasps Haze's hand and tries her best to wipe away the blood on her face.
Hopeless though it may be, she tries her hardest to stall the coming of death.
Yet death draws ever nearer. It all seems to come to such a meaningless head.
Help... Help!!!
Anyone... Please...
Help me...
Help me...
Her low cries pierce through the empty night sky, echoing throughout the empty, abandoned streets.
Just then, she hears someone walking slowly towards them.
Susie...? What are you doing here?