Arknights story · Abnormal Spectrum
16-17 Voices Unheard
Mantra cuts off the Yurodstvo's influence and awakens the miners with Vetochki's help. Raidian intercepts military communications, revealing that the Armies are slaughtering miners in the Far North to cover up the truth. Mantra then sends a broadcast and exposes everything.
1 scenes, 331 lines
1. Before Operation
331 linesUsing Originium Arts is not the hard part of the combat.
Red and black mist fill the air. The white silhouette within does not speak or move, not even the fringes of its clothes.
It does not dodge or fight back, simply existing there in silence, allowing the barriers around it to wither away.
A void, a vortex that devours everything.
The scenes in the cognitive realm continue to flicker. They return to where they began.
A wilderness of unknown name or location. One could call it—
Sargon.
Why... why would this happen...?
Catastrophe has destroyed our home, why must war take our lives as well?
Padishah, silent and wise...
Hear my prayer, and comfort...
My pain.
...Futile.
Search as you might in my consciousness, you will never create a vision that makes me choose to sleep in the void.
■■, ■... ■■.
You ■■... Padishah.
A Padishah. This is your past.
Your people sought comfort from you, but you would not even grant them an illusion, though it would have taken you little effort.
It's not comfort, it's just a lie.
A sweet dream cannot shaken the ancient, corrupt royalty.
I left that place, fled of my own accord.
Indeed, you are not shaken.
Your voice...
You cannot become the source of the voice, Yurodstvo. You cannot become... 'me'.
Because I cannot speak, and because you're simply—
'An Echo.'
......
'People see in me the reflection of their perception and expectation.'
That's how you come to be.
But to you, and to my own folly...
I have no expectation.
You are strong...
You have not been tried or baptized, yet you wield power almost the same as mine.
Yet you have neglected your power, this gift... you should have used it to proselytize and lead your people.
What made you leave your palace? What made you give up on power and become weak?
I realized...
Knowledge is more lasting than authority. The truth is stronger than lies.
And you...
You have spurred them onto a path of destruction, to die upon this frozen soil.
Why?
Soft laughter ripples through the air.
It is revelation. It is ■■. It is proselytization. It is sacrifice.
The land is about to undergo drastic changes. Those who are not strong will be destroyed.
Therefore, I nurtured a spark, making it strong, making it spread.
It will burn all that is impure, and all shall be born again within.
......
Mantra is certain she can kill it. In the realm of the mind, it will take little more effort than snuffing out a candle.
But what will killing it do? She is unsure. Besides, is there victory to be gained when your foe never engaged?
Stop wasting time, Yurodstvo.
Cease your influence on the people here, and let them leave with me.
Otherwise, Ursus will soon need a new Yurodstvo.
No... no...
Your past is thick and long, ■■.
But it must be there, somewhere...
Your pain, the pain that you ■■ hide from...
'Accept it.'
...!
There was no time for Mantra to react. A split second of hesitation is enough to cause a crack in the cognitive realm that she used all her strength to maintain.
She realizes her error almost instantly, but countless responses are already coming from outside the realm.
I accept.
I... I accept.
I accept. I have long accepted.
I can eat straw, moss, drink snow water with gravel mixed in, until my stomach is full, and I shall not hunger. Not anymore.
See? Death is not more terrible than living.
At the end of her vision, Yurodstvo is white and slender, not a trembling apparition, nor a hunched old woman.
Whatever its appearance, it will continue to exist, as long as a single person believes in it.
The cause is not here. It is somewhere else.
■■■, ■■... ■■.
Time starts flowing again. Mantra looks around, and her reason and emotion fight a war in her head, arguing about whether to try to fix the error, or beat a retreat.
Soon, she makes up her mind.
Elysium.
Right here!
I need you to use thermal imaging to mark the location from the outside. Connect me to every miner here.
Can you do it?
The woman's cold voice appears in every miner's head.
The instant that the connection is made, she realizes that these people can no longer endure any more shocks from mental Arts.
She can only keep out Yurodstvo for so long. Time is of the essence.
Perhaps this will be cruel to you. But I believe it's necessary to reveal the truth.
If this exodus began out of despair and manipulation, then you should at least decide your own ending.
Who's... talking?
How did I end up back here...?
We're not here! We ran away with Rankin—we cut out the chips and got away!
This isn't real.
You're half-correct. This is not the truth of the present, but of the past.
You killed the one on the ground. Yes or no?
Yes, yes! We killed him... Rankin killed him!
I thought Rankin was a hero. He said he would take us to a place where the Infected won't be looked down on, but he abandoned us in the end...
So you validated the truth of this scene.
I was there! I saw it. We killed and defiled our own soul...
Nadia, Vetochki's babushka. Everyone in the mines respected her, even the guards.
You respected her too. In the way that you respect your elders, or in the way that you respect a statue of a god?
There's little difference, if you live to her age in the mines.
She stood among you. She joined the revolt.
No, she didn't. She wasn't there... no one would ask an old woman to fight.
She's here? Who is she looking at? Is she mourning the fallen? Why would she mourn a murderer?
Because it was she who killed him.
What?
Rankin and your group never killed the last one who fell.
What killed him was his hubris, and the one who created the illusion, making you blame yourself for his death.
'Yurodstvo.'
Vetochki stands by the door. She wants to leave, but her feet will not move. She wants to look straight ahead, but she does not have the courage.
She can only look down at the watch in her hand, watching the hands tick and tock, moving to the next number.
What time is it? Which one is the hour hand, and which one is the minute hand? What about the extra one?
......
Mama said not to sleep in the snow. You'll get cold and pass out, and heavy snow can kill.
Rankin said not to doze off in the mines. You'll faint if the air is stale, and air that you can't see will burn.
But this isn't the snow or the mines. Can we sleep here, rest here?
Babushka is gone. It's not Babushka Nadia standing there.
No...
Not here. Rest, but not in someone else's home. Sleep, but not because you've lost the strength to live.
She steadies the hastily-forged shield. The bell that she rang to warn the others to evacuate the mines hangs from it.
Vetochki swings her pickaxe and rings it again.
...So she's really the Yurodstvo?
I heard you worship her like the Yurodstvo.
She's the Yurodstvo... she saved us! It all makes sense now.
She comforted us, shared our pain... she was always with us.
Where were you back then?
Then she should save you now.
The miners look to the Yurodstvo. It stands silent like a statue.
Maybe we sinned too much.
No.
The victimizer, the one who deceived and caused pain, wants the victim to endure and submit. It has always been so. You do not see any path other than to obey.
It's not your fault.
Do you mean that we can still be saved?
Oh, shut it, Vasya. Does it even matter now?
Yes, you can be saved.
If you leave here and continue your journey.
Choose to live, when living may be worse than dying.
Hah. Get lost.
I thought you were going to say something new. If that's all, then I would rather die with my corpse intact, and I'm sure everyone else—
Bells? Who's ringing the bells?
It's Vetochki...
Sounds like someone has made a choice.
Vetochki silently rings the bell, even though it does not sound the way it used to.
She rings it again and again, until someone stands up.
Is our shift over?
Our shift's over.
I want to leave here.
I want to go home...
More and more people stand up from the ground, step away from the walls, and their figures begin to drown out the white at the end of the house.
■■■...
The Yurodstvo's figure trembles, passing through Mantra and the people standing up in the house.
It comes before Vetochki.
■■...
Child.
......
Vetochki looks down and does not answer the call.
She continues to ring the bell, until everyone is roused, and a dazed smile appears on their faces.
Spasibo, Vetochki.
Go back, Vetochki. Don't stay here too long.
Vetochki—
Vetochki?
Vetochki gazes straight ahead—her companions stop smiling, and the figure of Yurodstvo is now nearly transparent.
She said, no.
We're not going back.
We'll leave, and we'll live.
Until living, isn't the only thing, we care about, anymore.
This is Mantra.
The communication has concluded. The miners have been freed from the Yurodstvo's control.
You defeated the Yurodstvo?
I wouldn't say that. It was the result of their own effort. The Yurodstvo has disappeared, and I was unable to track it.
We have more important matters to attend to now.
Report, Elysium.
No hostiles within five klicks in the direction we're traveling. We can stay the course.
The road ahead should be easier once we're out of this stretch of tundra.
Good to hear. Thank you, Elysium.
There's bad news too, though. If the enemy isn't in front, they're probably behind us.
Watch your six, Amiya.
I will.
The cannonfire is drawing closer...
The group can't move any faster.
Even worse, we have no idea where they are.
We need more information, Amiya. At least, we need to know how they're moving.
You want to intercept military comms? Can you do that?
I'm familiar with Ursine military encryption methods, but it's been a while and it'll take time for me to identify the frequency that they're using.
......
Why are you looking at me like that?
Alright alright. Want me to leak even more classified information than I already have? Well, I can't guarantee it will help...
But if we both live to stand before a military tribunal, I'll testify that all you did was purely in self-defense.
Your jokes could use some work, Sergeant.
I never said it was a joke. Please, consider lowering your expectations.
They're low enough. Just tell me the frequency, then... 'keep quiet.'
Uh, I'll write it down.
Found it. Thank you.
Tracing signal... switching to active... ship-mounted radio? Let me see...
'...rebellious Infected miners at large in the Far North...'
'The Infected have engaged in large-scale massacres, causing significant civilian casualties. A large number of armed Infected are now heading to Deity Grypherburg.'
'The Fourth Army hereby answers the call of duty to suppress the insurrection in order to protect Deity Grypherburg and the people.'
'The operation will be carried out swiftly. Citizens are advised to remain calm and cooperative.'
......
What? Their shamelessness leaves you at a loss for words?
I'm unsurprised.
Sounds like they'll at least avoid the nomadic cities, but we should monitor civilian communications just in case... anyone have a map?
Not on me. I'll get it—
I have it here.
Can I, listen to, what you're listening to?
I want to know, about the other, mines...
Are we, the only ones, who left? Were there, others...?
What they say on the radio isn't true, Vetochki.
It's true that radio broadcasts from the mines could be a source of information. Thank you, Vetochki.
Lieutenant Gorchekova, please mark on the map any nomadic cities in the path of the Armies' heading.
Wait... the signal has been changed...
Military channel. That one just now was on civilian channels. Now they're sharing internal communications with other units.
'Central Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
What...?
......
Don't listen, Vetochki!
Raidian tries to cover her ears, but the girl shakes her head.
The next message comes through after a brief silence.
'Satellite City's Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
'Olonets Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
'Volgrad Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
......
Names of places mixed with static are sent back one after another from the terminal. Some are familiar, some are not. No one dares imagine what is happening on the other side.
A name. Just a name.
......
That's enough. Turn it off.
We're not getting any more information... turn it off.
'Ural Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
'Kras Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
'Onega Mining District purged.'
'Acknowledged.'
......
The terminal's playback is like a bland, looping song.
The aurora sways in the night sky, a beautiful curtain that shuts out the screaming happening elsewhere on this tundra.
It is a long night.
...I understand, Your Imperial Majesty. I always have.
I understand your kindness. But no one has ever been respected for kindness...
What will happen to a nation, when it loses the energy that is its lifeblood?
Either it becomes livestock whose survival depends on the whims of others, or it must plunder the others first.
This is not the desire of the Armies... it is the desire of Ursus.
Ursus must not be weak. If she becomes weak, we must cut away what is weak, or the others will fall upon her in an instant.
All of this to say...
Silence can be such a difficult thing.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth tosses the letter with the State Council's seal into the fireplace.
The flames rise with a soft hiss, then all is quiet again.
Vetochki... calm down and listen to me.
Don't be afraid... don't give up. We can make it. We'll take everyone out of this place.
I want to leave...
But, 'massacre'... killing people? They're trying to... shut everyone up?
They used to do it, with butter, and coffee. Then, with whips, and death.
Papa and Mama, didn't keep quiet, so they're... dead.
Vetochki...
But what if, we're dead, even if, we keep quiet?
The mining districts, what we heard... they're all dead? But we're, the only ones, who know.
Shouldn't more people know, before we're, silenced too?
They can't, kill everyone.
Can they?
You're right. But sending a message would reveal our position to the nearby Army...
We...
Eloysius swallows her words. She wanted to be the voice of cold reason, but she cannot say the words.
You've just been through a hard fight, Mantra.
There's no need to worry. It's my duty.
But I can't NOT worry...
You didn't want to come to the north, or reveal your Arts. There must be reasons for that, whether it's a past you didn't want to expose, or...
Rhodes Island won't place undue burdens on our operators. I don't know what you went through here, but I know it takes great courage to overcome it.
Thank you for your understanding, Amiya. But I no longer need to avoid it, for I've left it behind.
We'll reveal the tragedy that happened here, and expose their plot to all.
A-Alright!
Calibration complete... how are you feeling?
Good.
We'll expand the area, then. Raidian?
One moment. Maybe I can make use of the magnetic storms. The electrical signals carried in the noise...
How are you feeling now, Mantra?
'More' is a vague answer. She not only hears more, she hears further, hears more details—
She hears the battleship's tracks rumbling across the tundra, the screams that not even Originium engines and guns can drown.
She hears parents speaking southern Ursine dialects, kissing their children goodnight; couples whispering words of love on the balcony before going inside, the curtains left open.
She hears a radio program in the Northern Tundra, interrupted from time to time by the magnetic storms; an old man falling asleep stroking a cloudbeast in his arms in a nursing home...
She feels as though she can hear everything, and she knows she has to interrupt.
'Comrades—'
Mantra suddenly realizes that she should not be the one saying the words.
At least, not the only one.
Vetochki.
Y-Yes?
But I, don't speak, clearly—
You can do it.
I, I—
'Comrades in the mines and cities.'
'C-Comrades, in the mines, and cities.'
'We come from the Far North.'
'We come from... the Far North.'
'We are being slaughtered.'
'We are b-being...'
'Slaughtered.'
Comrades, in the mines, and cities. We are hunted miners from the Far North.
We are still alive, but we are being slaughtered.
We did not betray Ursus.
Ursus abandoned us.
I-I did it!