Arknights story · First of A Thousand Autumns
TA-11 Eternal Cycle
At the border between dream and reality, Chongyue and Wang exchange words across the great divide. Fear and anger grip Sui. Wang lifts his sword, declaring the end of Sui's evolution.
2 scenes, 342 lines
1. Before Operation
82 lines...Traitors.
You twelve, each and every one of you, plan to betray me, yes?
Indeed. None of us will submit to becoming a part of you.
We have lived as ourselves. This is why we are different from you.
Lived as... humans?
You see yourselves as human, and try to bring delusions varied to bear against me.
You relied on the power you stole from me, ingratiating yourselves with those puny insects, but you still had to humble yourselves, hiding your claws and fangs to make yourselves look harmless.
Is that what you mean by living as a human?!
You still do not understand... You can never understand, for you have never lived.
And I am well-aware... from where your arrogance stems.
With but a glance, you can look from the beginning of time to its end. Though your consciousness has traversed the great void for eons, you have never had kin you could converse with.
You are simply a god declaring Itself supreme over a pitiful plot of empty space.
I know full well what this feeling was like.
Until the day someone gave me a name.
You are nobody's fate... Not the people of this land, or we twelve.
And there is one thing you will never understand: against someone who already has nothing to his name...
...Fate is utterly powerless.
Very well... Since you dare to repeat your foolish challenge, I do not mind shattering your delusions once more.
I killed you once a hundred-and-twenty years ago! I shall kill you again with but a flick of my wrist!
...?
I have already lost too many precious, precious things. I have lost the entire board.
My dignity, my honor, my trust, my freedom, myself.
My family.
Did you really think someone with nothing more to lose would be afraid?
But you?
Are you not afraid you will suffer another ignominious defeat, like a thousand years ago?
Is this fear not what makes you hesitate to step forward?
...A jest, at this hour!
You desire in vain to replace me, to steal away my body. Why would I allow you to do as you please?!
I need only stir this body awake first—
The Feranmut extends Its talons, talons as great as mountains.
Countless Feranmuts in countless Tombs extend Their talons, countless talons as great as mountains, and point them towards the same proxy.
It does not matter if this is a dream. So long as that loathsome face is wiped away in all of them, there will be nothing left to stop Its awakening.
—!
What is this...
An incomparably brutal blow slams into Its body. A strength It is familiar with.
It knows, that in this split-second, It has lost Its connection with Its enormous body.
Who could cause such harm to Its form?!
The space shakes, then warps, and tears...
As if a thousand years worth of martial prowess has been channeled into a single strike, ripping apart the edges of the dream.
I knew you would say that.
I also promised that, were things to arrive at this stage, I will be with you.
Besides, I also wanted to bring her to meet you, to let you know that all your years of planning... were not for naught.
Through the boundary between dream and reality, Wang sees the token Chongyue clutches to his bosom...
And then, their eyes meet.
You should leave...
I will not make you any promises.
The distance between them stretches with speed.
Even though he is a Grandmaster of kung fu, a thousand years old, a human body is still only a human body.
The force piercing the veil between truth and fiction quickly dissipates, but the voice of that brother Wang is so fed up with still reaches his ears.
Then I will look for you. I always will.
Suit yourself.
What did he... What did he do?!
But it does not matter! IT DOES NOT MATTER! No matter what he did, it was only for an instant... AN INSTANT!
No longer shall he disturb us! Nor will any of your ludicrous, insignificant... siblings!
This is my dream, with only you and I!
I thought I would have to bring all my strength to bear to defeat you, but it seems you are still weak, still liable to collapse at the slightest of breezes. You only have a single stone left...
I will barely even have to lift my finger... to crush you! To annihilate you!
And those poems, those laws, those martial arts... Such irksome pests. I need only use the strength I saved for you to isolate you from those meddlesome insects!
You are unfit to die by my claws. You are only fit to be cut down by your reflection's blade... Now DIE!
Hah... Is that so?
To die is your end, not mine.
Yes. In all these causal chains, in all these possibilities, in all these dreams, you will die.
These countless repetitions within this dream have eroded away, hollowed out your most frenzied imaginings. And all without you knowing.
Have you not noticed how intricately linked you and I are to this dream you used to trap me?
You have been chained by your hateful, vengeful impulses... Your evolution has reached its end.
And we have already surpassed you.
But your body will persist.
I... will take your place.
And how will you do that? With your isolated stones, and with your own body, so ready to fall apart?!
You dare assume... I only have my stones... and this body of mine?!
The near-dead proxy uses the last of his strength to lift his sword.
The deranged Feranmut gives one last howl of rage.
The cold moons split stones; the fierce sun chars boards...
Ashes to ashes, a farewell to the ages.
2. After Operation
260 linesMemories from time immemorial pour down like a torrential rain, washing away Its enormous, empty consciousness.
The remnant consciousness slips and slides about the land of dreams, trying to find a single scrap of something, anything, to use as its foundation...
But those dreams are now as blank as unscribed bamboo slips, with only the grain of the wood to provide texture. There should be people and events written upon them, yet such things cannot be grasped.
...It has lost.
Without doubt.
You wish to seize Its body, take Its place. But what of your siblings?
They will not see me again, nor will they come to fill this void you have left behind.
That said, I will not disappear. I shall always be with you.
No matter who sits upon this corporeal throne, a void shall form. Since you have no intention of filling it, I shall haunt this place eternally...
...To torment the master of this body?
...To usurp Its will, to torment Its mind, are but two sides of the same tongbao.
There will be something to fill your vacancy.
All that is left of you now is emotion. Abundant emotion, but that matters not in the face of this shattered consciousness. If it did matter, Its rage would have filled it long ago.
...Hah. That will not be a worry.
The one replacing you shall be far more terrifying that you have ever been.
The proxy steps forward, leaving the white creation behind him.
The Feranmut, about to drown in Its own hollow mind, lets out a bitter cry.
Soon, even that cry filled with pain and defiance dies down, leaving only an echo, reverberating throughout the room.
(Murky dying gasp)
You are about to die.
...I am going to die?
Who am I? Why will I die?
...You were the most arrogant of dreamers. In your dreams, you pushed evolution to the endless sea of stars.
But this egotistical evolution was cut short by humanity, that humanity you saw as nothing.
And then your anger, your hatred, and your defiance dragged you to your grave.
But at the very end of it all, you died by my hand.
You...
(Murky dying gasp)
You will destroy... the future?
That future of evolution that escapes ruination, and through infinite expansion, touches the face of the void?
It was a dream you would never have been able to see to fruition.
Evolution will not stop because of your death. Your passing will simply be release for a will that has suffered for a thousand years.
If you truly yearn for that future where the stars shine only for you...
He lifts up the last of his stones. In his hand, they slowly lose their forms, turning into a blade.
It looks on as he lifts up the last of his stones. He throws them up into the sky, up towards the boundless heavens.
He takes the last of this congealed sharpness and thrusts it into Its eye—
It watches as those black stones become a galaxy that flows towards It, until...
The bestial Sui closes Its eyes.
The bestial Sui espies the future that exists only in Its dreams.
...May you dream well.
The entire room begins to shake, before ultimately collapsing.
The forms of proxy and Feranmut slowly merge together. No longer shall they be parted.
Here, a new 'Sui' is born.
Still hanging in there, Shu?
This is no big deal. It's just that handling this many of Its minions takes its toll.
Hey, Dusk! Fire that way, there's tons of geists there—
Where?
Where I'm pointing!
There's nothing there!
Are you stupid, there's—
Nian is stupefied.
There really is nothing there.
And not just there. It is as though someone has sneakily wiped away the blot of ink staining the ground. The rampaging geists of just a moment ago are nowhere to be seen.
Whoa, whoa, you nearly chopped me in half!
I'm obviously trying to chop that thing in half!
Huh? Where'd the monster go?
...
Understood.
The Sui Regulator reports that all the scriptgeists have disappeared.
We... We won?
Don't let your guard down—
An earthquake?!
It stirs.
All hands, move to an open space!
The shaking from afar arrives.
The time has come.
The True Lung grasps the jade seal used to start the device. It might just be his imagination running wild, but he feels a connection between the machine and the blood running through his veins.
During this moment of hesitation, a great shadow appears before him, nearly covering the entirety of the Originium's radiance.
...
Are you... It?
The shadow utters what seems to be a threatening, low roar. Within that roar, the True Lung hears a haggard voice, one he heard decades ago.
No... You are no longer It.
But how many of Its memories and dreams, Its thoughts and feelings have you inherited?
Will you be of aid to Yan in the future, or will you bring only misfortune?
Are you he, or an all-new Sui?
Its pale memories, withered dreams, exhausted thoughts, befouled feelings... They all roil and jostle through my consciousness at this very moment...
But... you are correct.
Sui is dead!
The shadow lets out a long howl that shakes both heaven and earth.
But what you, your ancestors, your nation, owe It, is also what you owe me and mine.
Those Arts winding their way through your body are proof your ancestor shackled us for a thousand years!
Though these memories be faded, these dreams be wilted, these thoughts be decayed, these feelings be rotted away, this rage of a thousand years still burns as bright as the sun!
But you... are not him.
...
If your hatred has not been diminished, then make your move.
You wish to use this piece of Originium to take me down with you?
It shall be my final act in service to Great Yan.
If you are a new Sui, I shall rid my country of you, even if it costs me my life.
If you are Wang...
Then my promise to you stands. Your life shall be spared, and you will be pardoned for deceiving the crown... and now, for regicide.
I shall also pardon myself for the crime of unclarity of thought, which lead to suspicion between parent and child, the scattering of kin, the formation of factions, and unrest that rocked the nation.
Do you truly seek death?
If it can begin a new chapter in the history of Great Yan... Why would I deny you my life?
Very well...
As you wish.
Did you believe all our grudges settled?
You are finally here.
We finally meet.
Hey—
You... are no longer It?
It was slain by my hand.
You are too late.
You actually did it... That ridiculous plan of yours actually worked?
Very well... If you have taken Its place, then you shall bear my rage!
...
The ancient colossus remains quiet, silently watching the near-dead kin.
What is this?
Are you... pitying me?!
Up until the end of this endless journey, the millennium of hatred burned bright in Ya's chest, unwavering for even a moment.
So why now, when Ya sees Sui for Herself...
Does the hate seem to fade away, leaving only nothingness.
Why are you so unconcerned... Were you hoping I would grant you release?
No, I will not kill you...
The sword in Her hand hesitates.
What would come from enacting this vengeance? A bloody end for the both of Them?
Why take up arms, why betray Them—She finally realizes that with the death of Sui's consciousness, those answers She had searched for are no longer in reach.
But I... How could I ever forgive you?!
This is your own fault.
You should have arrived sooner. You should have witnessed Its death. Or maybe you should have contributed to that, to quell your deadly grudge.
But there is still something you can do, late though you are.
...Originium?!
This was all part of your schemes?!
You went through all that trouble to collude with that ancient lunatic to lead me here... just want me to connect this room with that ugly stone?
The choice is still yours.
Choose vengeance, and you can do what you have dreamed of countless times. Take that ugly stone, and give this vessel an eternity of torment.
Or, since you are about to die anyway... Why not simply leave?
You—!
The Feranmut, so close to Its limit, is about to thrust Its sword into the boundless body of Sui. That sword, so mighty against humanity, yet all too weak against Its kin...
But the moment before Ya does so, that anger, burning for a thousand years, finally slips away...
In Her reverie, Ya looks closely at the Sui that is no longer Sui, and then, Ya howls with laughter.
Haha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
The enormous vessel remains silent.
I do not know why you are so adamant on being tortured, or why you wish to bring this cursed Originium into your body.
All I know is that is what you want. You want to take this festering, swelling, ancient wound and have it thrust into you!
Very well. I will humor you.
For you are not Sui, but Wang, the Sui-slayer. And so, I shall help you!
I shall help you repay Its sins over endless time!
But, hah, in a vessel such as this, even the strongest of spirits will be worn away and assimilated, ultimately becoming just like It—
When that time comes, I shall return. I shall have my vengeance by slaying you with my own two hands!
But as for now... I do not wish to hear you prattle on about explanations and the like. I do not wish to hear you squabble with those insects.
All I want to do to this body, is have my unprecedented...
Vengeance.
One most fitting for we souls who have walked since the beginning.
Cutting away the seasons is not a power without a price—especially for a Feranmut on the brink of death, meddling with the most primal force of this land.
But Ya still does it anyway.
That piece of Originium, alongside the space it occupies, is cut away by Ya...
Then ruthlessly thrusts into the depths of Sui's body.
And then, all She sees is black.
Ya has already forgotten Her two kin She had trapped within illusion. With the fading of the last of Her strength, they break free. Now, they watch Her body slowly weather away, their faces lined with sorrow.
Oh my, an earthquake just as we have escaped those fiends?
Over here, Tianshi Lin! There are still people here!
Coming!
Lin Qingyan rushes over, dragging several bewildered geists out from the collapsing building, but the tremors get stronger, sending a falling roof beam straight to Mr. Pu's head—
Duck, you old bookbrain!
Thank you for saving me, O brave hero!
...
Zushi!
Yo. Everyone still alive? Not bad.
Alright, everyone's safe, and the earthquake's over. Get everything tidied up, then head back.
Is the chaos... finally over?
...
The childlike Tianshi narrows her eyes, looking out towards the Tomb of Sui. She has a rare somber expression on her face, a far cry from her usual cynicism.
This was your choice, you weiqi failure. Your calculation.
You must have foreseen what kind of disaster this piece of Originium would bring with it to think up of a solution like this.
It means nobody's going to dare mess with you... But you might as well be damning yourself to eternal hell this way.
You chose a bitter road to follow. I don't know if this counts as me helping you or hurting you...
'Plotting a great windfall for all beings in this realm.' You actually did it...
This game is yours, weiqi failure.
The enormous shadow, the crazed woman, the Originium's orange glare. Everything begins to fade from the True Lung's sight.
He finally understand what that proxy's ultimate plan was.
Feranmuts. Originium.
At the cost of near-eternal torment, Wang ascended the seat of Sui and accepted Ya's vengeance.
Bu Fan, or rather, the first Originium Yan has relied upon since the days of yore, is now buried within the deepest pits of the Feranmut's body and soul.
And with the disappearance of the energy it supplied, the secret chamber gradually begins to collapse.
The True Lung walks towards the exit and pulls upon its doors, only to discover they have been jammed shut by rubble.
But he does not panic.
He feels that to die here is not such a bad thing—
Chi Xiao—
For a moment, the True Lung believes himself to be hallucinating, for the one supporting him by the shoulder has an uncanny resemblance to his older brother.
...Yan Wu?
Don't speak. Follow me.
Like the room behind it, the blood-red hidden passage begins to crumble away in the wake of Bu Fan's disappearance.
The True Lung leans against Wei Yenwu's shoulder, doing his best to match his pace.
He still feels like this is all a dying dream, a meeting with his estranged brother that his feeble consciousness conjured up.
He tries to think back to his younger days, when he made mischief with his brother as they ran through the hallways of the palace.
What season was it... Was it autumn? No, it was not that cold, so it must have been...
...
It has been too long.
He no longer remembers it clearly.
The prolonged earthquake finally stops.
The panicking court mandarins look at each other, unsure what is to come next. At least, until a familiar face unhurriedly walks in.
You may all rest easy.
Supervisor, do you mean to say...?
The Sui menace has been... thoroughly resolved.
I ask you all to return to your posts. The chaos is over, but there are still many things in Baizao that require our attention.
The Imperial Guards standing behind her add a little gravitas to her declaration. After some hesitation, the mandarins tidy their clothes and hats before they walk out the doors.
Once the last of them have left, Chun nods at the Guards. They stand aside, but they keep their eyes locked onto her.
He did it.
Eliminating Sui and finding you. He did both of them.
The former Candleholder, the current Supervisor of the Sui Regulator, listens to the heartbeat of the Feranmut.
It is the rage that enormous creature felt against itself, but there is a gentle breath accompanying that pulse.
From within, she hears something not of that consciousness, far away from that vessel, gathered somewhere within Baizao. And it speaks of forgiveness.
Within the grand palace, there is now only a single withered old man.
Ever since the True Lung descended underground, he has waited here, listening to the reports from Yumen, the uproar in Baizao, and the declaration from the Sui Regulator to the entire city that all is now well.
His coughing has only grown more violent, his waist more stooped. By the time of the declaration, he can no longer support himself. He is forced to sit on the ground, leaning against the throne.
At first, he felt anger, then worry. But now, he only feels exhaustion.
Memories from near a hundred years ago, when he was instated by the current True Lung's father, force themselves to the surface.
It was midwinter, when the snow swirled through the air. The then True Lung was still far from being addled, happy to sit about the fireplace with the newly-promoted mandarin and discuss all great things happening under Heaven.
Contact between Laterano and Iberia, the war between Columbia and Victoria, Ursus's desire for conquest, the turmoil in Higashi, the mysterious weapons of Kazdel...
And Sui. As It was not excised the first time, the True Lung was resolute in having the second attempt come with no mistakes.
Yan would obtain the bones of Sui, and with near-double the amount of energy, and It eliminated, the Age of Yan will have arrived.
Their talks became so fervent that the emperor stood up and struck out barefoot into the snow, using his finger to brandish Chi Xiao as he spoke of what grand ambitions he had for Yan's future...
We both are exalted to distant thought, aspiring to the sky and the bright moon!
And then...
And then, he could no longer wait for the day that True Lung would blow the horn to call for Sui's eradication. He could only wait for that True Lung's mind to deteriorate until all had abandoned him.
And then, you also could not wait for the current True Lung's return.
You could not prove to him that all you have done was not for your own selfish reasons, but for the future of Yan.
...
Through his murky eyes, the old man believes the one standing before him can only be the emperor he has awaited for so long, but the voice his ringing ears catch says otherwise.
The entire court knows your cold is merely a pretext. The lingering illness that has plagued you for years could hardly be passed off as a simple chill, just as how we all know that your ironclad desire to eliminate Sui was not an idea you had on your own.
You once held great esteem and approval, but now the dust has settled. Those who followed you...
...
The old man can no longer hear.
His throat shudders. All he wants to do is to speak those words pent-up in his heart:
'Look here! The doddering old fool who started this chaos stands here, awaiting Your Majesty's judgment!'
Your words will not be heard by anyone.
Before he can shout these words at his liege like an unfortunate, misunderstood hero, life itself no longer wishes to remain within him.
He is dead.
Wow... This place sure has changed a lot.
Finally tearing down this eyesore of a tomb. Had the same idea five centuries ago.
Can't believe you're in the mood to talk like that... We still don't know what it's like inside.
Well it's obvious, isn't it? We're alive, which means he's not dead.
Wang, he... he definitely succeeded.
I heard upon the wind that brother eldest already entered. T'would not be long afore he drags him out.
If you have aught to ask him, ask him then.
He kept many things hidden from us. He cannot escape from his sentence.
Damn, Jun... Still as strict as ever.
Speaking of, I can't be the only one who's thinking...
We've never had a family gathering this big before... Feels a bit strange, having so many of us in one place.
Nuh-uh! We all agreed to a reunion dinner! Nian, Dusk, don't even think about running away!
Alright, alright. Can't exactly say no to my baby brother's cooking.
Say my name with respect first.
(Pulls a face)
How happy I am to see you all hale and hearty.
Hot damn, you two are covered in dirt—Hah, well, as long as you're alive.
Which reminds me, last time a certain someone was acting all cool and determined, and look, he's doing perfectly fine—
Ow! Why're you pinching me, Shu?!
Sister...
...You've returned.
My apologies for worrying you.
Hmph.
Those two inside should've been out by now, right?
Look, over there—
What the—
Chongyue looks towards his siblings. They see the mirthless look upon his face, and they know it to be an ill omen.
He restrains himself from letting out a sigh, a sigh that would be tantamount to a declaration.