Morimens story · Main Story
Metamorphosis
23 scenes, 1,575 lines
1. Eyes, before the fight
83 linesIn the gloom of the vaulted room, a thousand eyes fixate upon the only living soul. Then, footsteps echo, and a second living soul emerges from the dark.
Why are the lights out?
Light invites reason back into the patient's mind. While savoring the moment, I have no desire to invoke such things.
Besides, the dark lends a certain... sweetness to the agony and despair I draw from their memories.
...As you wish. I only care to know: has he been dealt with?
You're always so impatient. A fly caught in my web has no hope of struggle.
Move faster. The schedule must be kept...
Someone has broken in!
I can sense them.
Quite frankly, I am curious to see who this second fly might be.
The lamps hum to life, revealing Clementine's inquisitive, probing expression.
Chitinous clicking. An omnipresent, skittering drone.
A repulsive, alien skittering courses through your veins, surging with the blood until it forces into your mind.
It churns your grey matter. It unravels your mind. It is... reconstructing your brain.
Yes.
You draw a ragged breath, fighting the pressure in your skull to force yourself awake. At last, that loathsome skittering falls silent.
You are standing in what appears to be a sanatorium; empty, silent corridors flanked by endless doors that bleed into the dark.
A sanatorium? Why am I... why am I even here?
You're asking me? Perhaps I should schedule a tune-up for your body. Clearly, your memory modules are malfunctioning.
...I'm pretty sure I don't have "memory modules."
A trivial distinction. What matters is your goal. Have you found that William yet?
William... Right. That's why I'm here. To find William.
It seems you've made little to no progress, then.
It was the right call to make you a Mythag emblem shaped communicator. You clearly needed the leash while operating on your own.
A communicator? Let's call it what it is: a tracking bug.
Potayto, potahto. You are my most vital experimental breakthrough; it is only natural that you remain under my thumb at all times.
To be honest, if I didn't have a laboratory to rebuild, I never would have let you out of my sight, regardless of how much you insisted on finding your dear Senior.
What am I supposed to say to that? "Thanks for the support?"
Don't mention it. Just reach out if you find yourself in over your head.
I can always squeeze a few minutes out of my schedule to check in on my favorite puppy.
Then, the communication is completely cut off, and silence returns to the surroundings.
...Forget it. I should focus on finding William first.
I first saw someone who looked like William, and I chased him deep into the woods...
Hey, stop!
The figure remained indifferent to my cries. He kept running, never once slowing his pace.
William?!
You tried calling out to him. Finally, he stopped and turned around.
But his face was blank. There were no facial features.
In that instant, a loathsome, alien shriek rang out, and your consciousness began to splinter.
Through the haze, you felt them: countless insects burrowing through your scalp and swarming over your brain. The fine hairs on their legs brushed against your raw nerves. Every hair on your body stood on end.
Go away!
You flailed your arms to drive the hallucinations away, but when you finally opened your eyes... You found yourself inside a sanatorium.
Have I crossed into a hidden dimension... or someone's dream?
I don't have enough information to draw a conclusion. Perhaps someone nearby can provide answers.
Tap, tap, tap... At that moment, a doctor in a surgical mask passes by.
Hello, may I ask if this is...
Which ward did you escape from?
Uh, I'm not a patient. I just accidentally stumbled in as an investigator.
Once you enter here, you are a patient.
PATIENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO LEAVE THEIR WARDS!
PATIENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO LEAVE THEIR WARDS! PATIENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO LEAVE THEIR WARDS!! PATIENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO LEAVE THEIR WARDS!!!
He repeats the phrase mechanically, then lunges forward, his grip clamping around your wrist like a vice.
What's gotten into you? Let go!
You defensively block his movements, unintentionally tearing off the doctor's mask.
As if an invisible veil is pulled away, revealing the truth before you...
Where human faces should be, there are no noses or mouths, only an array of compound eyes and wet, twitching mandibles.
Foreign @1, invasion @2
A familiar, grating hiss erupts from the wriggling mandibles, lancing through your mind like a hot needle.
@3 contain @2
Under the profane insect hums, more doctors appeared, dragging you by force into the nearest ward.
...
You dare not make a move, countless chitinous insect legs have pierced through your arms, splintering the bone in your forearms.
Finally, you are tossed into a corner like a sack of refuse.
@2 outsider @1, convert @2
Conversion @3
Then the eerie shrieks draw nearer, forming a shadow that completely envelops you, bringing dual terror of both physiological and spiritual nature.
Get out...
You fight the agony to reach for the Silver Key. In this haze of pain, it is your only hope.
But you are slick with blood. The Silver Key slides from your fingertips.
Convert @3, convert @3
The shadows draw closer. A slick antenna tastes the crown of your head with a sickening lick.
Your brain suddenly throbs with pain, as if something has pierced through the cerebral cortex, delving deep inside and penetrating the soul.
Uh...
Suddenly, a piercing bell shrills through the sanatorium, as if vibrating from the very depths of your soul.
@2 outsider @1, invasion @2?
Contain @2 outsiders @2!
After a brief and strange insect chirp, you see those terrifying figures moving away. Along with them, the light is also fading.
The light outside the door gradually narrows into a thin line and then completely vanishes.
You are cast into darkness, abandoned in this strange place with nothing but your wounds.
2. Untamed Dreams, before the fight
70 linesIn a void beyond knowing, a pendulum sways with rhythmic precision before a smiling Clementine.
Why am I dreaming of Clementine?
Hmm? Do you not like my presence here?
It is quite alright; I expect these minor fluctuations in temperament during treatment... but it is ill-advised to hide one's symptoms from the physician, you know.
Now, do sit down. Our psychotherapy session is about to begin.
Psychotherapy? You have it all wrong. I am here to find William.
...What am I even telling you this for? This is my dream. I can force myself awake whenever I choose.
You close your eyes and concentrate, forcing yourself toward wakefulness. Thus, you do not hear the faint, silken chuckle that follows.
While I regret that you've declined my care, I respect your choice. After all, making people feel at ease is our purpose.
However, we shall meet again soon. I have a premonition.
I hope that when the time comes, you will finally accept my treatment.
Then, Clementine's voice vanishes entirely. You cannot help but open your eyes.
This... this is my room?
You stand up. Though your mind still throbs and your body remains unhealed, you cannot afford to worry about such things now.
The familiar layout, the furniture, the desk piled with textbooks... this is indeed my room.
How many nights have I spent here, hunched over stacks of endless assignments?
Still trapped in the nightmare, my poor puppy?
There is no "you" in this world; naturally, no trace of your existence should remain.
But this place is clearly...
The human brain is a flawed organ; visual deception is but one of its many failings. Touch something. Test the validity of your surroundings.
Flip through the books on the table
The book falls open, revealing Doll's marks of approval alongside the reward for your diligence: a new stack of even more taxing work.
...Why is there still so much homework to do after crossing into another world? Spare me.
Check the plant in the corner
You pluck a leaf from the plant, examine it closely, and then place it in your mouth.
A penchant for pica? Noted. I shall replace your rations with this greenery from now on.
I don't! I was simply testing its authenticity!
And your verdict?
It's real. Everything here is real.
It appears your five senses have staged a collective mutiny against you.
In other words, this place has fused with your consciousness, manifesting as your reality for the time being.
Perhaps it isn't merely a consciousness connection...
Intriguing. What is your evidence, then?
Although I don't know what my body is made of, I believe in Daffodil; she won't compromise on quality.
However, my wounds still ache, and my brain feels quite unusual.
It appears this space has suppressed your abilities to some extent, ...it suggests... a fracture... in reality.
The subsequent noise is drowned out by a sudden, harsh alarm. When the sound stops, the communicator falls silent.
Doll! Doll!!
The communicator remains dead; instead, a blood-curdling scream erupts from beyond the door.
There is someone out there!
You tiptoe to the door and pull it open just a crack.
The hallway is that of the sanatorium. Masked doctors are pinning down two patients armed with dinner knives.
They're laying eggs in my skull! They're crawling all through me! Help! Bugs... there are bugs everywhere!
Get out! Get out of my head, you filthy vermin!
The patient screams as he claws at his head, trying to seize the "insects" within, but he only succeeds in tearing away great strips of his own skin and scalp.
No! No! I won't turn into one of them! I won't!
The patient screams as he drives the knife into his own eyes. He pushes hard, churning the steel as if he can carve the vermin from his own mind.
Then, the body goes limp and collapses before the second patient. The latter remains motionless, seemingly paralyzed by terror.
You soon realize the man is not paralyzed by fear, but by a physical inability to move... The skin along his spine and scalp splits wide. From the gory rupture, a new form molts, sloughing off the human shell as it emerges.
That nameless thing stretches and spreads, pattering across the floor, a grotesque hybrid of antennae, insectoid limbs, and human shape.
A white physician's coat and mask appear upon the creature as if by some foul magic. Like a shroud drawn over a corpse, the truth is hidden, to your eyes, it is now merely an ordinary doctor.
The other doctors embrace and celebrate the newcomer's arrival. They walk away side-by-side as you watch in horror.
The corridors of the sanatorium fall silent once more. But your mind is a tempest of horror.
Anyone who intrudes is classified as a "patient" and forcibly interned in the ward by the "doctors."
Only two outcomes await the "patient", death, or a metamorphosis into a monster to become the new "doctor."
You stare at the threshold where two worlds collide: a wooden door that melds your dormitory with the sanatorium. You have only one choice.
I have to find William and get out of here before I fully turn into an insect. Fast!
You step through the door. An indescribable dread seizes you. Your consciousness blurs; you can barely stand.
The ground roars. The entire sanatorium trembles under the weight of this horrific sound.
After a long silence, the roar fades. The scene before your eyes has already shifted.
To be precise, the corridor hasn't changed. Only the interior of the room has changed, it has transformed from a dormitory into a theatrical stage.
But why... wait. I hear a voice. Someone is inside.
You enter the room. A patient suffering Dissolution is dancing a graceful waltz with an elaborately dressed mannequin.
...Hello? How did you... why are you in this room? Also, have you seen a blonde boy wearing a monocle?
Audrey, my Audrey. If the entire world were mine, I would cast it all away just to be reborn as you.
The patient doesn't hear you. He leans down to kiss the mannequin's lips. As he does, his head slips from his neck and rolls to your feet with a wet thud.
The hollow, sightless sockets of the mannequin flicker with a strange light, like white tears, or a silent plea for help, oozing slowly toward you.
Now, that Dissoluted patient finally looks up at you.
William? Another man after her?
It doesn't matter. Audrey belongs to me. To me alone.
3. Lost Memory, before the fight
76 linesStay away from her! She's mine! Mine!
The patient scrambles toward the mannequin's head on all fours, but his frantic movements accidentally knock the head toward you.
The white tears in the hollow eye sockets finally touch you. They shatter in silence.
...!!!
White light floods your body. In the haze of a psychic seizure, you witness memories that are not your own...
I allow the treatment. I permit myself to express fear and sorrow.
I accept my change, and,
I will be transformed.
Very good, Claude. You may open your eyes now.
Soothing, gentle music fills the air. A strange consultation room adorned with rows of pinned insect specimens appears.
Clementine sits across from you, watching with a faint, knowing smile, or rather, watching the host of this memory.
Clementine? Why is it always you?
As a mere observer of the past, your voice is not audible to her. Your confusion remains a silent echo, unheard by anyone.
Relax into the music. Imagine your consciousness drifting away from the flesh, dancing in the void.
Excellent. Now, let us return to our topic from last week.
You decided to propose to Audrey after seeing her perform so intimately with Leonard. What was the outcome?
The host of the memory, the patient, Claude, clenches his fists. He is a coil of tension, rage, and bitter frustration. His body has already given the answer.
I see... but perhaps that isn't entirely a bad thing.
Every event in life holds meaning. Through them, we come to know our true selves.
Or, as I prefer to put it: life is simply the process of excavating the soul.
The true self? Do all psychologists speak in riddles like this...?
Claude is just as lost as you are, mulling over the weight of her words.
Clementine lets out a faint chuckle at his confusion. You instinctively sense a shift in her expression, it is infused with malice.
Claude, forgive me if this sounds unconventional, but humans are not born understanding what they are. It requires growth, understanding, and transcendence.
Society demands that we play the part of a gentleman or a lady, but that is merely a mask... In my field, we call it the Persona.
You can wear the Persona of the dutiful son, the clerk at London Bank, the sum of everyone's expectations. But believe me, Claude, none of those represent the real you.
The real you is full of strength, confidence, and wisdom. You possess qualities meant to shine brightly among the stars. That is precisely why I chose you.
My head is spinning. Something about this feels right... yet horribly wrong.
Claude is blind to the danger. He looks at Clementine as if she were his only salvation.
Then... what am I? How do I become that person?
That is for you to discover. However, I am more than happy to lend my humble skills to your rebirth.
I believe Audrey is the key.
Audrey? I don't understand...
Good boy. You don't need to understand, any more than we can interpret the will of that Great Being.
You only need to act. Act, and be reborn.
Now, take a deep breath. Let my words carve themselves into your mind...
Yes... just like that. Such a good boy.
Under the weight of an irresistible hypnosis, Claude breathes deeply and closes his eyes. He appears to sleep, but as the observer, you feel the violent turbulence of his psyche.
Claude's mental state is not looking good... this "treatment" is not looking good, either.
Wait... even my own thoughts are starting to fray...
You grip the Silver Key, desperate to sever the connection, but Clementine sighs softly and walks toward you.
A hand rests on your head. A sudden vertigo washes over you, pinning you in place. You can only stare up at her knowing, pitying smile.
Claude, think of your true self. Think of what your true self really desires.
Embrace him. Draw him close. Only then can your "Ego" transcend this shell and gain a true rebirth.
Embrace him... draw him close... understand my true self and what I want...
Exactly. Finally, let us recite the mantra of salvation one last time.
I allow the treatment. I permit myself to express fear and sorrow...
Vision fades into black. Only Claude's voice remains, shedding its panic and hardening into resolve.
I accept my change, and,
You snap your eyes open. Claude is standing over you, clutching the mannequin's severed head. In his other hand is a rapier. The tip of the blade is about to pierce your throat.
?!
You dodge the strike and lunge toward the exit, only to find the door has sealed itself shut.
Open! Damn it, open up!
Open? You mean the door? Impossible.
Anyone messing with our date must die!
Running is useless. I have to take the initiative!
You rush forward to seize Claude's rapier. During the struggle, the mannequin's head slips from his frantic grasp.
Its head hits the floor with a dull thud, and a thin trail of fresh blood begins to ooze from the neck.
...You killed her? You killed Audrey!?
I killed Audrey? That's impossible... I loved her...
You snatch the head from the floor and shove it into Claude's face, forcing him to witness the rhythmic drip of gore.
Look at it, Claude! Look at what you've done. You killed her the moment she rejected you!
As if a veil is being torn away, the mannequin begins to warp, the fabric skin and wire frame dissolve, melting away to reveal the raw, bloody meat beneath.
...Au... Audrey?!
Haha... I remember now. It's all coming back. Yes, I killed her! I murdered my Audrey! Hahaha!
Claude collapses into hysterical laughter. As his sanity fractures, the very room begins to heave and tremble.
A violent gale surges from nowhere, hurling you through the doorway and back into the corridor. You catch one final glimpse...
Forgive me...
Claude kisses the mangled lips of the mannequin and drives his blade through his own throat. This time, "Audrey" does not pull away.
With a deafening bang, the door slams shut and the lock clicks into place.
In the sudden silence, the rhythmic tap of familiar footsteps echoes from the distance.
...The Doctors. Hide, now!
You press yourself into the corner shadows, feeling a sudden, soul-deep chill crawl through your veins...
"You do not need to understand. You only need to act."
"Embrace him... draw him close... become your true self."
The "treatment" was a trap. Through cunning rhetoric, she drew a false equation between "marrying Audrey" and "becoming the true self," turning Claude into a murderer.
4. The Chase, before the fight
75 linesThere is no direction in these infinite, looping corridors, but the white-clad patrol teams serve as your grim "guides."
The problem is the sheer number of them. Doctors clog the hallway, purging every room in search of the intruder.
If that's William they're hunting... he won't last long at this rate.
And the consequences of being caught...
@2 Intruder @1. Transform @2.
I have to do something. Anything.
You scan the hall for a weapon or a tool, but find nothing. Your eyes fall to your chest.
The Silver Key and the replica Mythag badge wait in the dark. Every memory of your past flashes before your eyes.
You grip the Silver Key and close your eyes tight.
May the Silver Key guide us.
Deep in the West Wing, amidst the swarming patrols, a communicator suddenly chirps with a rhythmic signal. Then, a female voice breaks the silence.
My puppy actually initiated contact? How rare.
I found the cause of our last blackout. It was the spatial interference of your current location.
Simply put, you are trapped in an unknown Domain. It obscures reality and hijacks cognition to erode the mental and physical state of anyone inside.
The interior is in constant flux. These shifts create energy spikes that disrupt our comms.
Given how deeply your consciousness is tethered to this space, if you die here, you will be lost. You will be trapped in this void forever.
But I won't allow that. I've upgraded the research on this Domain to the highest priority. I just need you to feed me the data.
Doll: Inferno pauses, waiting for a reply that does not come.
What? So thrilled at the prospect of escape that you can't find the words?
A response finally comes, but it is not the voice she expects.
@2 Intruder @4?
The patrol teams in the West Wing freeze. Drawn by the voice, they gather beneath the ceiling vent where the communicator is lodged, staring up in unison.
...
I retract my previous statement. Giving you that communicator and letting you act alone was a catastrophic mistake.
I overlooked the most critical factor, your "courage" and "wisdom" as a Keeper.
Silence falls over the comms for a heartbeat. She takes a sharp, jagged breath, her voice rising in an exasperated shout.
%player%!!!
...
You want to explain, but there's no time. The communicator is a temporary distraction. You have to sweep the remaining rooms and find William now.
The only silver lining is that I only have four rooms left to check.
Fine. The first door is locked solid.
!!!
A flash of steel and a piercing shriek erupt from the second room. You slam the door shut before the thing inside can lunge.
Adrenaline spikes. You can hear the heavy, skittering footsteps of the patrol drawing closer.
Stay calm. They haven't found me yet. Just one more door.
You seize the handle of the third door, twist the knob, and throw it open...
A familiar vertigo washes over you. The entire sanatorium begins to shudder.
A sharp pain stabs through your mind. You clutch your head, gasping. In that moment of weakness, the door swings wide open.
The leather couch, the desk, the insect specimens pinned in their morbid beauty... it is an exact replica of the room from Claude's memory.
Why is Clementine's consultation room here? Wait...
The dormitory, the stage, the clinic... every room is bound to an owner. If the owner dies, the room vanishes.
That means... these rooms are psychological projections of the inhabitants?!
A cautious and correct inference. You beat that little guy to this conclusion by six minutes.
Without warning, the fourth door slides open, revealing a familiar, smiling figure.
Albino?! I knew the Sculptors' Association was behind this!
Oh? Not only do you know my name, but the Association as well? How intriguing.
I suspect your "uniqueness" extends far beyond mere knowledge...
Albino's smile deepens as he leans in. He inhales sharply. It seems he is... sniffing you.
You can see them, can't you? Those memories. Those hidden truths.
Memories? You think of the white tears weeping from the mannequin's head, but your face remains a mask. You must seize control of this conversation.
Who is "that little guy"? Is he the outsider the patrol is hunting? Where is he?
Albino keeps his smile, but his eyes shift. His golden, vertical pupils glint with a cold, excited light.
My dear guest, I believe I raised a question first. You should be the one to answer.
You remain silent. This is a psychological gambit; the first to speak is the loser.
In the suffocating silence, the rhythmic tap of footsteps echoes from down the hall. The patrols are returning.
Answer me first!
Shh... patience. The greatest skill in any hunt is patience.
After all, in this game, either you devour me, or I devour you.
Tap... tap... tap... The footsteps of the "doctors" grow heavier, closer. You must make a choice.
"To embrace death is to lose the fear of it." "And I am already standing within death's shadow."
Hmm?
You're right. In this hunt, either you devour me, or I devour you.
And I have a reason to stay alive.
You grip the Silver Key tight against your chest.
Threads of consciousness stir within your mind. Albino stares into your eyes and sees a resolve that borders on madness.
......
I only came here for a vacation to relax my body and mind. Why does it always end in such a mess?
Relax. Just as I accepted my loss and helped that little guy escape, I can offer you another choice.
Please, come in, my guest. The theater of Albino's mind welcomes you.
Albino gestures like a refined gentleman, but his gaze remains fixed on you like a viper.
In those golden, vertical pupils, there is nothing else but you.
Tap... tap... tap...
The footsteps are right outside.
Countless doctors swarm the corridor, passing the open wards, passing Albino's closed door.
A crooked sign hangs on the handle: "On Vacation. Do Not Disturb."
5. Gaze of the Other, before the fight
75 linesDarkness envelops you like thick amniotic fluid, pulling you into a heavy drowse. Amidst the black, you hear the sound of something tearing.
...That sound. It's getting closer.
Don't sleep... open your eyes! Open them now!
You struggle to wake, but you are pinned by invisible shackles, powerless to move.
My condition is simple: I want you to look at my memories. As one of the only two people who can see them, you should find this effortless.
As for why? That is not a question for now.
You know what I want to hear...
Your mind functions at a sluggish pace, barely recalling your final words with Albino.
A pleasant transaction! As a bonus, I'll offer a free warning: I devoured every one of my siblings.
Why? Because if I hadn't eaten them, they would have eaten me.
What you humans call "taboo" is simply the only choice we outcasts face from birth.
!!!
Pure terror jolts you awake.
Unfertilized eggs, bloodshot shells, hatched fragments, moldy husks, eggs containing shriveled snake corpses... countless eggs are strewn across a sea of raw meat, writhing in unison.
It is the sound of a surviving hatchling devouring its brothers and sisters to complete its first molt. The wet slither of serpents over flesh.
In this moment, you finally understand what Albino meant by "the only choice."
I have to get out... fast! But... where are my hands...?
As you search for your limbs, a lethal agony pierces your consciousness. One of your own kin has clamped its jaws onto your head, injecting a freezing venom through sharp fangs.
Thump... thump...
Your heartbeat falters. Your body turns cold. Death hovers over you like a shadow, waiting for your final breath.
Poor child. It seems there's no saving this one...
A waste of breath. There are plenty more of these stupid snakes. It doesn't matter if it dies.
We only need one result, the sole survivor.
Yes. Only that one child is the victor. The rest are nothing but...
Failed Products
Failed products, that is how they define you. Because you do not meet their standards. You do not fit their mold.
But Albino, you are the victor. You are the only survivor of that predestined slaughter.
Standing here, before me, is the perfect counter to their definition.
...
Oh, you've fallen silent. I wonder, what does that indicate?
I thought individuals like us were above the laughable constraints of human morality.
But they weren't wrong. I really am just an incomplete experimental subject.
That is a simple fact.
...Poor boy. It seems your psychological fractures are deeper than I imagined.
Watch your tone, Clementine. I have no use for pity or hollow comfort.
Hehe. The serpent bares its fangs. Is it because I touched a nerve?
No matter. I'll pardon your lack of courtesy. For this moment, you are still my patient.
Now, back to our topic, Albino, you have surrendered yourself entirely to the status of the "Other," defined solely by the Gaze.
The "Other"? What a fitting term.
Humans are the subjects of this society, the collective "Self." While we...
Albino smiles. The angle of his mouth is perfectly measured, fixed in place like a calibrated machine.
We are merely anomalies. No matter how we attempt to integrate, we are always traitors.
No... it would be more accurate to say we were born as traitors.
Clementine offers a thin smile, the kind used only for social etiquette.
Am I to understand this as a bout of "abnormal emotion" triggered by your assignment to the Sculptors' Association?
It's quite alright. I truly empathize. Being betrayed by one's creator is a profound agony.
...
Is this a standard consultation? You are far gentler to the humans who come to you seeking salvation.
Treatment is tailored to the individual. I have simply chosen the therapy that suits you best.
Because your identity and your self-perception both reveal your essence, a cold-blooded snake.
A warning bell rings from the depths of your soul, forcing your consciousness to snap out of Albino's memory.
What happened... what was that?
Let me guess. Either you were discovered, or that "little guy" was.
Soon, the omnipresent broadcast provides the answer.
Intruder identified. Species: Human. Name: William.
Target is currently in Room 0208, East Wing. Patrol teams, proceed immediately to purge the area.
East Wing, 0208... and now I'm in... the West Wing.
Hmm... your expression suggests you intend to carve a path all the way there.
Such resolute determination. But resolve is a currency best spent at more critical moments.
Albino smiles and hands you an object.
A map? How did you...
Your question remains unfinished.
With a perfect, practiced smile, Albino shuts the door, leaving you locked out in the cold.
...
That's the second time I've had a door shut in my face. I'm starting to get fed up.
Unable to fathom Albino's logic, you find yourself joking to mask the tension. But your objective is clear.
East Wing, Room 0208. William is there.
Hearing the footsteps outside fade into silence, Albino adjusts his frames, his fixed smile never wavering.
The purpose of memory is to be recalled, to be stared at. Scrutinized. Just like the "Other."
But this time, I am not the object of the gaze. Instead...
The thought of observing his prey at such close range causes Albino's smile to widen.
He knows exactly where %player%'s neck is most fragile. He has noted which part of the body will yield the best flavor. All of it will only grow more delicious as it marinates in time.
Run, then. Flee. This hunt is far from over.
Your flesh will become delectable amidst your exhaustion and fear. A true delicacy. Because...
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.
6. Similar Silhouettes, before the fight
74 linesI was wrong. I really am sorry.
Doll: Inferno answers with a cold sneer.
You used me rationally and effectively at the opportune moment, then retrieved the badge and apologized after the fact.
From the perspective of human sentiment, you followed every step of exploitation and subsequent atonement perfectly. How could you be "wrong"?
Your moral logic is even self-consistent because you've "repented." By human standards of empathy, the repentant are always forgiven.
But human sentiment and morality don't apply to you.
Oh? So you were aware of that?
Er...
Don't you need data to crack this Domain? I'll do my best to collect it for you while I search the East Wing.
No. I don't need "you." I will do it myself.
From this moment on, you are to keep this communicator active at all times. I will personally safeguard the result of my experiment.
But won't the energy fluctuations during the spatial shifts disrupt the signal?
Then move faster. The sooner I unravel this space, the sooner I can lock my disobedient puppy back where {Male=he,Female=she} belongs.
...I'm heading to the East Wing now.
As you near your destination, the communicator begins to hiss with static, the precursor to a spatial shift.
%player%... you are my puppy... I will not... permit any... accidents... in my sight...
The fragmented words vanish as your consciousness blurs. When you come to, all you hear are familiar footsteps.
The patrol has arrived. Their numbers are beyond counting, swarming the area in a coordinated search.
It looks like William already left Room 0208.
He isn't the type to sit and wait for death. He's looking for a way out, these patrols are the proof.
I have to find him before they do.
You begin to run, shouting William's name. You ignore the risk of attracting the patrol, or rather, that is your intent.
I need to let him know I'm here, and draw the heat away from him.
I can take the risk. But I can't let anything happen to him.
, Because he is William.
Soon, the terrifying patrollers take notice of you.
Which ward did you run from?
Patients are strictly prohibited from leaving their wards!
You ignore them, sprinting through the infinite corridor, using every ounce of strength to lead the doctors on a chase.
A profane, insectoid leg slashes across your calf, causing you to stumble.
Contain the @2 intruder @2!
Just as you are about to fall, a figure bolts from a corner, grabs your hand, and yanks you forward.
Stay close!
After the sound of a heavy door slamming, you watch the figure frantically slide the bolts. There are twenty-seven in total.
Safe... for now...
Will... iam...!?
You hesitate. The boy before you looks exactly like William, but the age and details are all wrong.
William, I'm not sure if that's my name.
My memory is gone. I don't remember anything, or anyone.
You lost your memory!?
But I remember this. It feels... important.
He reaches out to touch the Silver Key at your chest and the replica Mythag emblem.
...Maybe I can help you figure out who you are. But not right now.
Hiding isn't going to work forever. Eventually, we'll be...
Look, you're brave, and your little stunt really helped my plan, but don't sell your savior short.
While you were running around screaming "William" at the top of your lungs, I was actually getting things done.
What did you do?
The boy gives a sly grin. As he smiles, a thunderous explosion rocks the door from the outside.
Sacks of flour, a box of matches, and some twine. It's not hard to find that stuff in these "mental rooms."
Turns out some people have some pretty dark stuff in their heads, gluttony, destruction, fire. How does that saying go?
Oh, right. Some people just want to watch the world burn.
Hehe. See? Those "doctors" have bigger things to deal with now.
Seeing a face so much like William's acting so cheeky makes it hard to stay serious. You change the subject to keep from laughing.
We still have to get out of here. Out of this whole sanatorium.
But you haven't found your "William" yet, right? I can tell by your face, you aren't leaving without him.
You stay silent, still not sure if this kid is a friend or a foe.
Relax. Here's the deal: you help me find out who I am, and I'll help you find William. In a place this crazy, we have to stick together.
...I guess we don't have a choice.
Great. So, about that identity check?
Let's get started. I'm dying to know who I am and what kind of life I had...
With the boy's permission, you reach into his memory. His past begins to unfold before you...
We don't always have to use violence, @3.
This is a sanctuary for the mind, not a slaughterhouse. We should be more gentle.
Ah, but of course, he was the first little bug to fly into our web after we built this place. He's a vital specimen.
I can't wait to taste his memories. I hope... they're delicious.
I didn't think anyone would actually find this place...
Since we can't have you ruining our plans, I'll have to ask you to "disappear" for a bit.
Wait, I know that voice... that's the voice from the broadcast!
Show me more! I need to see more about that person!
You shout into the void of his consciousness, but you aren't the one in control of the "viewing."
His grandpa was an evil wizard! His mom was a short-lived witch! He's a little curse, he'll probably kill us all one day!
Kill him! Kill the freak!
With the screams come stones, hard pebbles pelt your head and eyes, drawing hot blood.
Through a red, blurry haze, you see your enemies: a pack of innocently cruel children.
7. Similar Silhouettes, after the fight
13 linesWilliam, don't cry. They aren't worth the tears.
The man is stern and serious, lecturing the boy. But his young son clearly takes the lesson the wrong way.
I get it now, Father. I shouldn't cry. I should do what's right.
They only hate me because they don't know the truth. They're just scared of things they don't understand.
I should understand them, guide them. I'll show them I'm not a freak. I'll make them see the glory of the Delapore family.
William Delapore... this kid really is William!
But why does he look like this? Is it the Domain? Or something else?
You are lost in thought. In the memory, Little William's father has gone silent.
......
Knowledge isn't for winning arguments or looking down on people. It's not for money or power. It's for the conduct of life.
That's what you taught me. I've kept it firmly in my heart.
...You're right.
From now on, remember your bloodline. Never do anything that would bring shame to our name.
8. Five Gunshots, before the fight
71 linesWilliam, remember your bloodline. Never do anything that would bring shame to our name.
BANG!
A gunshot cracks through the dark. Little William is hit in the calf while fleeing; he crumples to the ground, sobbing.
Yes, Father... I'll keep it... firmly in my heart...
BANG!!
A second shot. The boy jerks as a bullet tears into his left shoulder. His voice has gone hoarse from crying.
Father, I never forgot... I just wanted to make you proud... make the family proud...
BANG!!!
A third shot. His left arm is reduced to a bloody pulp. Little William lies face down on the floor. He has stopped crying.
He lies in the basement of the ancestral castle, sprawled beside the altar his father called "evil and profane." Blood pools around him as he looks up at the man behind the trigger.
Father... I didn't...
I just wanted to see Mother again...
Shut up! Don't you dare mention that witch, that demon who tricked me and spat on the honor of the Delapore name!
If she hadn't died last week, I swear I'd have shot her myself!
The cylinder of the revolver spins. The barrel levels with Little William's head.
And you... you half-breed mistake. You devil's brat!
You aren't my son. You aren't worthy of a single drop of Delapore blood!
!!!
The boy who can no longer cry simply closes his eyes.
His mother is dead. His father hates his very existence. He has nothing left.
Bang...
The shot is followed not by silence, but by a scream. His father's scream.
Father!
William opens his eyes to a surging tide of black. It's the rats, drawn by the gunfire, the true, blasphemous horror hidden beneath the castle walls.
The black mass swarms, stripping the father to white bone in seconds. Then they spread, devouring everything in sight.
He has to run. He knows he has to run. But despair is heavier than the rats. It drowns his mind, killing his will to live.
His grandpa was an evil wizard! His mom was a short-lived witch! He's a little curse, he'll probably kill us all one day!
You aren't my son. You aren't worthy of a single drop of Delapore blood!
Father... Mother...
Choking on his sobs, William uses his last bit of strength to pick up the revolver.
His small, trembling finger finds the trigger. He presses the cold steel against his own temple.
William, STOP!!!
You forget this is a memory. You forget you are just a witness. You grip the Silver Key with everything you have.
The Silver Key responds.
Under the surge of consciousness, the memory begins to bleach, warp, and shatter.
It's over... you need to wake up.
Bang!
But the fifth shot arrives exactly on schedule.
I'm not a monster. I'm not a freak. My name is William Delapore.
William Delapore.
Remember the name. The name of a human.
Is it over? Come on, tell me, what's my name?
What was my past like? Who were my parents? What did they look like? Were they... nice to me?
And my home, was it, hey, why do you look like you're about to cry?
Does the wound really hurt that much? I'm sorry. I should've been more careful when I was bandaging you up.
You look down at your leg. Every bandage is clean and tidy, applied with meticulous care. He even tied the ends into a neat, pretty bow.
The tears finally spill over. You can't stop them.
Yeah. It hurts. It hurts so much.
I'm sor...
You pull the apologizing boy into a tight hug.
That's enough, William Delapore. You don't owe anyone an apology.
You've done... so well...
I only... I only wish...
Don't die, William.
Don't be so brave. Don't be so selfless.
Just live. I just want you to live.
You wish... what? I have no idea what you're talking about...
You close your eyes, trying to force the tears back, trying to wash away the poison of his past.
The future is what matters. No, the future is all we've ever been after.
A future where we aren't dissolved.
William, people think the past makes you who you are. But sometimes, it doesn't matter. Just like where you were born.
Where is this coming from? I just want to know who I am.
That's what I'm telling you.
Your birth, your blood, what people say about you... none of that defines you. Not the real you.
The real "you" is something only you get to choose. You shape it. You become it.
Knock. Knock. Knock. The door answers before William can.
All twenty-seven bolts fall away at once. The door swings open, revealing a gallery of "old friends."
Sorry to break up the heart-to-heart, but at least half of this ward is my territory. That means you follow my rules.
And my rule is simple: Patients belong in their rooms.
The modified swarm behind Herbert surge past him, pouring into the room to "contain" you.
Once again, you tighten your grip on the Silver Key.
9. Curiosity Kills the Cat, before the fight
106 linesMaybe we should turn up the intensity of the "treatment"? I have another appointment, and I'm in a bit of a rush.
Herbert smiles from the doorway. Immediately, the modified escalate their assault, their movements turning feral.
We can't keep this up! It's just us against a whole hospital of these things.
We have to take out that freak at the door. He's the one pulling the strings.
A smart choice. But a plan is worthless if you can't execute it.
Besides, you should be more worried about yourselves. All this running around is just tearing your wounds open. You're losing too much blood.
Herbert's smile widens as he teases the two-headed cat on his shoulder. The creature licks its paw before leaping elegantly onto the doorframe, looking down at you.
%player%, your body is at its limit. You can't even activate the link to your Awakeners anymore, can you?
Stop fighting like a cornered animal and just give up. I'm a gentleman; I won't mistreat my prisoners.
Right. You'll just "treat" us until our minds are blank slates. Just like you did to William.
!!!
But I'm not letting go. Those memories are everything I have left of them.
Ignoring the stabbing pain in your skull, you reach for your chest...
Doll. Are you there?
I am. I am always here.
Good. Get that "special function" ready.
...I didn't think you knew about that.
I took a sneak peek at your design notes. I'm not as oblivious as you think.
Your hand skims past the Silver Key, grabbing the replica Mythag badge instead. You hurl it straight at the door.
Doll! Now!
...Tsk.
Crackle! The badge hums with a sharp electric current, flying in a perfect arc toward Herbert's head.
Hmph. A desperate, useless gesture.
Herbert steps back, but the badge doesn't hit him, it slams right into one of the cat's foreheads.
MEOW!!!
Jolted by the shock, the cat screams and begins a frenzied, panicked dash around the room, bouncing off the walls.
Galatea! You idiots, don't just stand there! Catch her!
No, no no no, wait! Not like that! Be gentle, she's my favorite...
The room dissolves into pure chaos. This is your opening.
You still won't step inside this room, will you, Herbert? I was right.
...?
This is a "mental" sanatorium. Patients stay in their wards, and doctors move between them.
William and I are the patients. Those things are the "doctors." But you, Herbert, you're just a visitor.
So what? I'm not the one who needs "healing."
We'll see about that. William, now!
On it!
Using the distraction, Little William slips toward the door. With a grin, he shoves a bewildered Herbert straight into the room.
!!!
The moment Herbert steps into the room, a violent hum vibrates through your skull and the very walls of the ward.
The room begins to melt and reshape itself, buckling under the weight of multiple conflicting psyches. It's impossible to keep your footing.
%player%, get out! I'm shutting the door!
William reaches for you from the hall, but another hand is faster...
Like I said, I have an appointment. Maybe you should stay here in my place.
A hand clamps around your throat from behind, yanking you backward. Your vision swims as you struggle, your arms flailing.
In the panic, you touch something...
...and your consciousness is dragged into a memory.
I think I'll deserve a vacation once all this work is done.
You're right, Herbert. This sanatorium is exactly what I need.
My body is satisfied, but my soul... my soul is still starving.
Just... hang on... %player%! I've... almost...
Someone is screaming, but the voice is muffled.
Your mind swims in a kaleidoscope of countless shifting memories.
This place is important to me, Herbert. Very important. Give me a reason to let you stay.
Otherwise... I can show you the exit just as easily as I showed you the entrance.
It's all part of the plan, Clementine.
I know you have your experiments, but our goals don't have to clash.
If this is your only reason of being here, I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that.
You need sacrifices. Lots of them. And %player% is perfect, isn't {Male=he,Female=she}?
Besides, I know you're curious about {Male=him,Female=her}. This is your chance to get a closer look.
I've got you!
Ugh...
Watch your teeth, kid! Keep them away from my arm!
You find yourself in the familiar psychological clinic. Clementine is sitting there in silence. It feels wrong.
This memory... it's different.
Oh? And what's so "different" about it?
Everything...
!!!
Your eyes snap open. You didn't just think those words, you said them. And Clementine answered.
This isn't Herbert's memory!
Of course not. It would be rude to meet you in someone else's head. So, I came myself.
Well, not "in person." Just a brief mental link. I hope you don't mind the intrusion.
Why come to me?
Why? Now that's a difficult question to answer.
I want those precious memories in your head, of course. But more than that... I'm fascinated by you.
Fascinated? I don't get it.
Fine. I'll be blunt. It's not my usual style, but I'll make an exception for you.
I want to know why you know my name. How you know Albino, Herbert, and the Association.
I want to know about your past. Your memories. And... that "other world" you came from.
The other world? How could you possibly...
Oh, so there really is another world. Well, now...
Now I simply have to crack your skull open and pull your soul apart to see how it works.
Just thinking about it makes my "Silver Heart" tremble with excitement.
Clementine stands up, her smile radiating a pressure that makes it hard to breathe.
W-wait... You don't have to do that.
I'll tell you everything. Just let me and William... No, just let everyone go.
Clementine, you aren't like Herbert. I know you aren't.
...What a shame. I'm afraid I have to disappoint you.
Because you see... this is my hunting ground.
In a blur, she is right in front of you. Her hand presses against your forehead.
A deafening, insectoid buzzing floods your brain, shattering your thoughts. You lose all strength to resist.
BANG! The sound of a door slamming echoes, but not in this room. Not in this scenario.
It's the sound of Young William shutting the door of this "mental room."
Like fog burned away by a gale, the madness vanishes. You're back in the corridor, gasping for air, your vision blurry from lack of oxygen. Little William stands before you.
Phew! Finally pulled you out of there.
Guess what else I snagged?
Your communicator.
Run... Cough... cough...
What?
We have to run... now. The one who really runs this place... she found us.
William doesn't hear you. At that exact moment, a series of booming crashes echoes down the infinite hall.
Hundreds of doors are being thrown open. The sanatorium is fully awake, and it is hungry.
A piercing alarm screams through the building. The hunt has begun.
10. Counseling Invitation, before the fight
75 linesThe alarm rings nonstop.
It is a physical weight on your chest. A threat, a warning, a toxin for the mind.
One after another, the mental rooms fly open.
From every dark doorway, a Clementine steps out.
Let me see your memories...
They all speak in perfect unison.
Show me the past...
They move with mechanical precision.
That made you who you are...
They are coming for you... from every direction.
Oh man. RUN!
You're already moving. You frantically rush through the corridors, dragging William along. Behind you, countless Clementines begin to choke the hallway.
...Data... collection... upgrade... complete.
Suddenly, your communicator crackles to life.
Doll! You finished the research?
Not quite. I've just optimized the signal to handle the spatial interference.
But I have made progress. I've deciphered the energy fluctuations of this Domain. I can now replicate them through your device.
This is the key to eventually tearing this place apart. And in the meantime, it works as a weapon. By simulating...
No time for a lecture! Give us the short version!
WATCH OUT!!!
A swarm of Clementines surges from the left, nearly tearing you and William apart. You grab his hand and veer into a side passage.
Gasp! Thanks for the save. Whatever you do, don't let go!
Doll, we're in a hurry! What's the bottom line?
The bottom line is: space-time is constant. Only the matter inside it changes.
This sanatorium is the same. The shifts are just a facade. The core is unchangeable.
But the rooms change all the time! Only the corridors stay the same.
Then use that brain of yours. Why doesn't the corridor change?
Is someone holding it steady... or is it anchored to something that can't change?
Someone is holding it steady... Anchored to a specific thing...
You suddenly remember Clementine's office...
As the true ruler of this sanatorium, Clementine is the one pulling every string. Her room must be the anchor.
I have a theory, but I can't confirm it yet.
Then go confirm it. Find the core of this place and end this.
I don't get the riddles, but I...
!!!
William stops midsentence. The path ahead is gone, choked by a sea of Clementines. Countless, identical Clementines.
They turn as one, their eyes locking onto you, their hands reaching out in a synchronized wave.
Why are you running? I only wanted to give you a consultation.
We have to go back...
There is no "back" anymore!!!
You spin around. The hallway behind you is the same, blocked by a wall of Clementines.
Why are you running? I only wanted to give you a consultation.
Those behind you reach out as well, their movements perfectly mirrored.
The Clementines mechanically repeat the same sentence together, a broken record of clinical politeness as they slowly close the circle around you and William.
A consultation... that's just a lie to cover up what you're really doing.
What do you really want? To kill me? Or am I just another sacrifice?
Are all the patients here just fuel for your rituals!?
The army of Clementines responds only with a smile. They aren't "her", just hollow shells without a spark of intelligence.
...Fine. Then it's all or nothing.
You reach for the Silver Key. It's the only card you have left to play.
Threads of consciousness begin to weave into the Key. As the link deepens, a white-hot scream erupts in your brain.
Oh god, you're bleeding! Stop it! You're going to kill yourself!
%player%, stop. Now.
The communicator on your chest suddenly surges with a sharp electrical discharge. It doesn't damage your body, but it's enough to shatter your focus.
Why...
Next time, I am loading every weapon in my arsenal onto this device.
Not the time for "I told you so's," Doll!
Doll... are you going to simulate the...
Yes. I will replicate the spatial energy fluctuations as a weapon.
Unless, of course, you have a better way to keep yourselves alive?
...I understand. Do it.
The conversation means nothing to the Clementines. They continue their programmed advance, their hands inches from your skin.
A forest of hands blooms around you like twisted petals. In the center of the "flower," the communicator floats into the air.
I can only hold the shockwave for ten seconds.
Survive, my puppy. Your life belongs to me. I don't intend to give my property away.
Like a blooming firework, the communicator detonates in a violent burst of sparks and static. A wave of invisible force ripples outward, tearing through the mental space.
Every Clementine freezes. You grab William and run for your lives.
...
Blood begins to seep from the pores of the "Clementines."
!!!
Their skin splits and buckles, unable to contain the truth hidden underneath.
Like popped balloons, the flesh bursts into a spray of gore. Insect legs and compound eyes erupt from the carnage, reassembling into a singular, grotesque nightmare.
Why @1 running? @3 only wanted @3 consultation @3
It is the first and last thing the nightmarish conglomeration of flesh ever said.
11. Hello, Burning World, before the fight
91 linesSo... heavy...
William staggers, one hand on the wall and the other supporting your weight as he drags you forward.
Hang on, %player%. We're almost... safe...
Don't lie to me... there is no "safe" in this place.
...
William doesn't answer. He silently pushes open a nearby door and pulls you inside.
A wooden door won't stop the thing that owns the sanatorium, but there is no other choice.
Cough, cough...
You collapse, hacking up blood. The explosion saved the two of you, but the feedback has shredded your physical and mental state.
Being drained by a cross-dimensional link is a toll your body can barely pay.
...
You're coughing up blood... and you won't stop bleeding...
I'm not dead yet. Don't worry about it.
I'm serious. My body... it's not like yours. It's harder to break than it looks.
So, is that why you shielded me? Because you thought you were invincible? Thought you could do whatever you please?
...
You don't have an answer. A single image keeps flashing in your mind.
I-I just...
I just couldn't watch you disappear again.
The words die in your throat. In the distance, the heavy thud of footsteps returns. The Clementines are hunting.
...
You steady yourself against the wall and limp toward the door.
Where are you going? To play the bait for those things?
It's the only way. While I have their attention, you find the exit. Get out of here.
But there is no exit.
No one escapes this place. No one!
If you don't want to turn into one of those insects... then... then death is the only way out.
William clenches his fists so hard his entire body begins to shake.
!!!
A cold dread hits you. You reach out and touch the back of William's head. It's wet. Sticky. Feverish. Something is gestating under the skin.
William, you...
Don't look so shocked. It's what they do to everyone in the wards. They "convert" us.
Those monsters plant a seed, a parasite in you. And then...
Then those things crawl through your brain. They breed. They multiply... until there's nothing left of your soul.
William reaches back to touch the wound. His hand comes away soaked in blood. He winces, the pain finally breaking through his mask.
It hurts, %player%. It hurts so much...
...Sorry, I... I should have found you sooner. I should have...
William shakes his head. He reaches out and brushes the Silver Key on your chest.
Back there, during the energy surge... I remembered things. In those flashes, I saw you. I called you "The Keeper."
Keeper... %player%.
How do you know...!!!
The title from another world hits you like a physical blow. While you're stunned, William slips past you into the hallway and slams the door shut.
William, NO! STOP! I don't need you to...
I won't die that easily, I promise! Just come back. Please... I can't... I won't lose you again!
Silence falls on the other side of the door. After a long moment, William finds his voice, though it's thick with emotion.
%player%... You changed the subject when we saw those memories, didn't you? Was my past really that pathetic?
It's fine. Maybe it's better I don't remember. I've never been the type to sit around and wait for death. I don't know the meaning of "giving up."
You said it yourself: the future is what matters. That's what we're after.
Then come back in here! Once I lead the Clementines away, I'll come for you and we'll...
We'll break this place together. We'll leave and build that future. A good one.
You're avoiding the truth, %player%. This is Clementine's world. She isn't just going to let us walk out the front door.
Our only shot is to find a chance to hit her where it hurts, and for that, someone needs to be the bait. And...
And what?
The world is burning, %player%. In the little bits of memory I have left, I saw the smoke.
Little Bill, a sweeper from the filthiest gutters in London. He'd run a mile for a quarter-penny just to deliver a letter.
Nessa Smith, only eleven years old. She worked as a knocker-up, sold matches, picked through trash, anything to keep her family fed.
And Henry, the carriage boy. Working from 4 AM to midnight, twenty hours a day, just dreaming of a scrap of roast goose at Christmas.
So many names. So many faces. And they're all... gone...
But maybe the people here still have a chance. I saw them in the other wards. They're new. They still want to live.
The world is on fire. And living souls are nothing but kindling.
But it shouldn't be like this.
The smiles, the rages, the tears, the hope... All of it turned to ash.
People shouldn't just vanish. Their lives shouldn't be erased like they never existed...
Don't be afraid. Don't hesitate. When the world burns, someone has to stand in the way.
I want to be the one to stop it. Even if I only save one person. Because...
Even if the world is burning, it's still beautiful. It's still worth fighting for. It's still worth dying for. Isn't it?
You're the Keeper. You should know that better than anyone.
......
You cannot speak. You can only close your eyes as the ghosts of your past return.
The classmates and seniors who vanished into the dark...
The tombstones bearing your name and the names of countless "nonexistent people"...
The souls screaming in the agony of Dissolution...
The companions who laughed and bled by your side, who once lived with such fire...
And... who else is trapped in this place?
What were their stories? Who did they want to become before they were turned into fuel?
Tears burn behind your eyelids, hot and bitter, but you don't dare blink.
When I came here, all I wanted was to find you... William...
But the story has moved on, %player%. We're in the middle of it now.
Your tears finally fall. And in that moment, something in your soul shatters with them.
Don't be afraid. Don't hesitate. When the world burns, someone has to stand in the way.
Because this world is worth saving. Even if it's going to burn down... or already burning.
I understand. We're going to save everyone in this hospital.
William, you draw them away. I'll find Clementine's room, find the core, and tear it out.
Roger that.
And... thanks. For coming back for me.
Then come the footsteps, hundreds of them. They swarm past the door, following William's trail until the sound fades into a terrifying silence.
You press your hands to your face, rubbing your eyes fiercely until they sting.
Right. Mid-point of the story. The brave adventurer gathers the party and storms the villain's lair to stop the end of the world.
This is where the real fight starts.
You open the door and walk in the opposite direction of William. You head toward Clementine's office. Toward your duty as a Keeper.
The world might burn to ash one day, but it's not happening now. Not today.
12. Lone Champion, before the fight
33 linesBOOM...
Another explosion rocks the facility. It's the perfect distraction, drawing the monsters away and clearing your path.
William... I won't let your sacrifice be for nothing.
I'm going to find that core and crush it.
Finally, you stand before the door. You take a deep breath and prepare to face the spider at the center of the web.
Push open the door to Clementine's room
The room is familiar: the leather couch, the heavy desk, the morbid beauty of the pinned insect specimens. And there she is. Smiling.
A chair appears out of thin air behind you, sliding you forward until you're sitting directly across from her.
You scan the room quickly, sofa, desk, specimens.
The sofa and desk are too ordinary. The core of a mental palace has to be something unique. That just leaves...
What are you looking for out of the corner of your eye? Ah, the insects. Don't tell me you've developed a fascination for them too?
......
You don't have to answer. Like I said, I'm a compassionate doctor. I can tolerate a few flaws in my patients.
I'll even give you a hint: what you're looking for isn't in those cases.
You pull your gaze away from the specimens and look her in the eye.
Clementine, why did you build this place? What is this "experiment" that costs so many lives?
You call this a "sanatorium," but people are dying in agony here. If it isn't a slaughterhouse for the patients, then who is it for? Who is it actually "healing"?
Does it matter? I thought someone who has looked into the eyes of the Great Presence wouldn't care about such trivial things.
Trivial? Human life isn't trivial. It's never trivial!
The patients aren't the ones finding peace here, they're just offerings. If I rule out the wrong answers, only one remains.
This place exists to heal you, Clementine. You're the real patient.
Tell me, what kind of trauma is so deep that you need a mountain of corpses just to fill the hole?
Clementine looks genuinely puzzled. She doesn't understand your anger, but the confusion quickly melts into a laugh.
If that's your request, I'll grant it. Since you've faced the Great Presence, I suppose you've earned the right to be one of "us."
What are you talking about...
But first, a little test.
Don't worry, it's just a simple evaluation of your self-awareness... and how much "humanity" you have left.
As she speaks, a familiar, heartbreaking figure materializes in front of you.
RAMONA!!!
Your mind is saturated with her image. I thought you might want a reunion.
No need for thanks. Please, enjoy yourselves.
13. Lone Champion, after the fight
54 lines...Ramona.
Your attack dissolves into nothing. Instead, you reach out and pull "Ramona" into a deep, desperate embrace.
Massive spikes like insect legs erupt from the ceiling and floor, skewering your arms and legs. You don't let go. You hold the ghost even tighter.
I'm coming back. I'll find a way. Just wait for me...
The phantom fades into mist and vanishes. Clementine has retracted the projection.
Sentiment... what a curious choice. But was it worth the pain?
You've seen the truth of the universe. You've faced It. You could be so much more. You could be like me, a great being of the cosmos.
I've studied countless humans, but none of them have ever made me feel a hunger like this.
You were born to be one of us. And I will make sure you become one.
One of you? Sorry, I'm not looking for a species change.
Just like the result of the previous test, I've retained my humanity, and consider myself human.
...I see. What a waste. I really didn't want it to come to this.
But to show you how fragile your kind is, to help you escape that low-level existence, I'm afraid I have to escalate your "treatment."
A stabbing headache drowns out Clementine's voice. You see her lips moving, but the sound is wrong. It isn't human speech anymore. It's a chorus of madness, the final, desperate murmurs of a thousand dying souls.
Help me...
Just kill me!
See? The human heart is so pathetic. A little hypnosis, a few suggestions, and the damage is permanent.
Come with me... stay with me forever...
Let's... go to heaven together.
Do you feel it, %player%? Those voices are coming from deep inside you. That is your body's true instinct. Your true will.
KILL ME! KILL ME! KILL ME! KILL ME!
KILL "ME"
Without realizing it, Clementine is suddenly standing right in front of you. She presses a sharp knife into hand. Your fingers close around the hilt uncontrollably. You find yourself leveling the blade at your own heart.
Go on. Do it. Only then can you be reborn. Only then can you be free.
In... your... dreams...
With a final, agonizing surge of strength, you lunge forward and drive the blade toward Clementine's throat, but it doesn't draw blood.
...
Hahaha! Why do you keep surprising me? %player%, this is just... it's making me...
It's making me absolutely ecstatic.
Clementine is laughing. You look down at your hand. The knife is gone; you're clutching a dried pupa specimen.
What a sweet, naive child. You actually thought your eyes were telling you the truth?
This is my space. My mind. Here, only my will exists. Reality is whatever I say it is.
......
Quiet now? Has your mind finally snapped? That's alright. We can try "Breakdown Therapy" next.
It's true agony. It squeezes every drop of pain out of a patient's soul until they're hollow enough to listen.
I have so many more ways to heal you. I'll keep going until your reason is dust, until you're ready to become a beautiful insect.
You'll forget what it's like to be human. You'll forget the word even exists.
And when you're finally empty, I'll give you your "Proof of Recovery." I'll lead you into your new life as one of us.
I'm afraid you're out of time.
Look down at your chest.
Clementine looks down. A jagged, cold object is pressed hard against her silver heart.
The Silver Key?
That's right. I've been watching. I've been thinking. You aren't just the master of this place, you are the core.
You want to force a link with me? You're a Keeper. You know how dangerous that is...
I know.
You find yourself laughing. Back home, Professor Doll would be screaming at you for being reckless. Ramona would be trying to talk you out of it.
...But I'm alone right now.
William... I'm keeping my promise. I'm getting everyone out.
The Silver Key begins to vibrate violently. A blinding white light erupts from Clementine's heart, flooding every corner of the room.
Then the Key clatters to the floor. Both you and Clementine collapse.
Forcing a link with me to crash the whole system? That's insane. But I love it.
Too bad we're still in my mental palace, %player%. It looks like you're doomed to stay with me.
Now, it's time for your specially customized "Deep Healing" session. Oh, and I've hidden your little toys to make sure the treatment takes.
Now... show me your pain. Show me your struggle. Show me how a little bug turns into something beautiful...
14. Cognitive Reshaping, before the fight
83 lines"Hey, wake up!"
In the darkness, someone calls out to you, shaking you until your eyes snap open.
You're finally awake.
A face, inhuman and blasphemous, looms over you. You instinctively reach for your chest.
!!!
The Silver Key... it's gone!?
Lost your keys? No worries. Even if you lock yourself in, we have a way to get you out.
Ugh! Are you crazy? What are you doing!
You pin the inhuman monster against the wall, your arm crushing his windpipe.
Shut up. I ask the questions. You answer.
%player%, if you want to know something, just ask. I'm happy to provide the answers.
Only now do you realize there is a third person in the room.
Clementine... I failed? Am I still in the sanatorium?!
To be precise, you are in my mental palace. The sanatorium is just a shell.
...Why tell me this?
Why not? You've lost your Silver Key and you're trapped in my domain. What can you possibly do?
Complying with my treatment and becoming one of my kind might be your wisest choice.
Without a word, you lunge at Clementine. Instantly, the air turns to lead, freezing your fist inches from her face.
Clementine smiles. She watches you with quiet amusement until, under invisible pressure, you lower your hands.
That's more like it, good child.
Remember to show your doctor a minimum level of respect and cooperation.
I never agreed that you were my doctor, and I'll never become one of your kind.
I'm human. That much is clear.
Oh, there's no need to be so certain. According to the Embodied Cognition Theory, our minds are shaped by our bodies.
A hungry judge passes harsher sentences; a person's satisfaction depends on those around them.
In this space, I've taken it further: not only does your form affect your mind, but your mind dictates your form.
You mean... if I believe I'm an insect, I'll become one?
Clever. First, scales will sprout from your arms, and a chitinous shell will swallow your soft body.
Then your vocal cords, your eyes... a 360-degree compound gaze to see the reality of this world and the cosmos.
And finally, my favorite part: the resonance of the swarm...
Ah, are you already so eager to leave?
You halt your step, showing no embarrassment at being caught trying to slip away.
Since this is treatment, it's only natural for a patient to explore the facility.
Quite right. I'd love to accompany you, but I have a few minor matters to attend to.
I suspect those "minor matters" are anything but.
You pierce through her disguise, hoping to pry for information, but Clementine doesn't take the bait.
I'll have to leave your tour of the facility in Berkeley's hands. I hope you don't mind.
Leave it to me! I'll show {Male=him,Female=her} the liveliest spots in town first.
See those glittering ores? They're the town's lifeblood. We all mine the mountains to sell to merchants.
Once on the street, Berkeley introduces the town with practiced ease, gesturing wildly as he talks.
I'm not interested, thanks.
Listen up, everyone! This is the newcomer Clementine brought for the Life Ritual!
Berkeley shouts, clapping you on the shoulder. Through the movement, you see the Dissolution spreading behind him.
Dissolution? This is Clementine's mental palace. Why is there Dissolution here?
Did this town suffer from Dissolution? These memories are recreations of the past, so it's possible.
As you ponder, the inhuman townsfolk surround you, their bodies scarred by traces of Dissolution, to varying degrees.
Newcomer! Have a glass of ginger beer. I brewed it myself in my own handmade barrels. It'll hit the spot!
I... I want to give you this amulet from the Priest. They say it helps you evolve during the Life Ritual.
Me too! Me too! I want to give you...
Countless gifts, slick with D-Slime, are thrust toward you, but you only see their warm, gentle smiles.
...
Warmth spreads from your heart, accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain. You feel something growing in your flesh.
You swallow your thanks, drop the gifts, and shove Berkeley aside as you bolt forward.
Ouch! Hey, your gifts!
Patrol! Patrol! The newcomer's making a break for it!
You sprint until your lungs burn, stopping only to lift your shirt.
From the stinging patches of skin, insect scales have begun to sprout.
Cognitive influence on form... I just doubted my humanity, and now the scales are growing?
No, I'm sane. I'm just...
Cough... who's there? Berkeley?
The sudden voice startles you into silence. You duck into the shadows.
Berkeley? Have you come to tell us the Life Ritual is starting? Thank God... little Bella can finally be free and embrace a higher form of life.
But the street is empty. The old man can only shuffle back inside, one agonizing step at a time.
The Priest says the Ritual will elevate us. It'll cure these "human" diseases.
The Great Ones who created us will protect us again. They'll lead us across the threshold of evolution.
If there's only one spot, it has to be Bella's. She's only six. If she's cured, she has her whole life ahead of her...
The wind swallows his voice. You peek through the window and see a girl lying on the bed, dead, next to a photograph.
The girl looks no different from the insect-like villagers, but the photo, stained with Dissolution, reveals the truth: she is a human.
Or rather, she used to be.
!!!
More scales sprout from your flesh. Your perception blurs. Are they monsters? Are they people? The line is fading.
This mental fog drags you into a moral quagmire.
If they're insects, I shouldn't feel this weak. But if they're human...
As a Keeper, I can't remain indifferent to their suffering.
...
After a long silence, you reach out with a scale-covered hand and knock on the window.
Old John enters the room at the sound. He finally sees that his granddaughter is long dead, and he howls in agony.
No destination. No thoughts. You just keep moving, like a machine.
Between harming others and harming yourself, you chose the latter.
A figure appears before you.
Clementine? No... you aren't her. You don't have wings...
You... you're another Clementine!?
You stare at this 'other Clementine' in shock as the patrol squad closes in from the distance.
15. Pupa of Friendship, before the fight
97 linesWe welcomed you with open arms, yet you reward us by trying to flee? Humans truly are the most heartless race.
An insect-like lieutenant approaches you, wielding a sword staff.
What are you planning? Are you looking for someone to slaughter us? To wipe out us anomalies!
Then I tell you, you've chosen the wrong side. Child, you must pay the price for your choices.
He raises the sword staff toward your head.
Uncle Oliver, wait.
{Male=He,Female=She} is not a traitor. {Male=He,Female=She}... {Male=He,Female=She} is my friend.
The "other Clementine" grabs Oliver's arm. He tilts his head unnaturally, seeming to freeze up for a few seconds before reacting.
Clementine, I've watched you grow since you were small. I don't want you deceived by bad people. Do you really believe {Male=he,Female=she} is trustworthy?
Clementine? Even the name is exactly the same! Stunned, you look at the girl.
I am certain. I believe in {Male=him,Female=her}.
Then what explains {Male=his,Female=her} behavior just now?
Just now... um, Uncle Oliver, you know my condition. I... I don't have much time left.
Before I die, I want to make a friend and see how a pupating insect finds new life.
...You choose to become friends with {Male=him,Female=her}?
Yes. I don't want my friend to be harmed.
...Fine. I understand.
%player%, I'll let you off this time. Watch your step; I'll be watching you.
Oliver leaves with a warning. You watch him go, further confirming one fact: these people once truly existed.
Please don't blame Uncle Oliver. He's only trying to protect everyone.
Protect? Does someone want to harm you... so the massacre Oliver mentioned is real?
Our blood, our faith, even the scales on our skin... they all mark us as outliers, don't they?
But that traitor didn't meet a good end, either. He committed suicide.
You remain silent. Even if her words are kind, you can't lower your guard. You remember she can replicate herself at any time.
What's your relationship with Clementine, the other one? Are you twins?
I don't know. I've lost my memory... I've forgotten my true existence.
Then, another silence falls.
You don't seem to believe me...
She takes a step closer. You instinctively recoil to maintain your distance.
Well, your actions have already given me my answer.
But please believe me, I have no ill intentions. I only wish to help you.
Thanks, but I'll handle my own affairs.
You step back, wanting to leave, but she suddenly grabs your hand.
I'll prove it to you.
Clementine pulls your hand to her heart.
You hear a heartbeat, and a buzzing that seems to come from the soul.
I want to see the real world as a human and start a new life.
You feel it, a heart, warm and pulsating just like a human's.
I want to keep my humanity, and I want to die as one.
It is a heart with a human will, embodying the essence of human nature.
I don't want to lose my humanity. I don't want to lose @2. I don't want to forget who I truly am...
Keep your humanity Help me! Don't forget yourself Keep your humanity Don't forget yourself Kill me
...
Despair and sorrow surge toward you, threatening to drown you.
You pull your hand back, severing the mental connection. You gasp for breath, feeling as though you've just escaped death.
Who are you?! Why are you approaching me?!
I don't know... I only wanted to...
Help me? Then leave! Get out of here! Leave me alone!
Insect scales grow through your flesh, bringing pain, suffering, and anger. You try to suppress it, but the dam of your reason has burst.
You fiercely tear the scales from your body, ripping flesh and screaming through gritted teeth. One by one.
I admit your tricks are working, Clementine. I truly can't bring myself to harm them because they act like humans. Like people I once knew.
Maybe they were human all along. Maybe this hideous form is just a disguise you've used to deceive me, so you can mock me when I stray from the path.
I won't be fooled. I'll never be fooled!
You peel the scales away piece by piece, but they only multiply. It seems they can never be removed.
Insect scales grow within human flesh. Splat, crack, snap. Heh. It's the sound of a body collapsing.
It hurts!
They cheer and dance across your body, carving up your soul and painting it in the colors of the swarm.
Shhh... The transformation begins.
AAAHHHHH!!!,
Hahaha... Look, look at it. This is humanity.
Fragile, sensitive... one tiny stimulus and it bursts like a balloon, disappearing forever.
<Change>Help... save me...
Your mind blurs and your reason fails. You fall to your knees.
I only wanted to save William and those trapped in the sanatorium. Now, I can't even save myself.
Human? Insect? Ha, what's the difference anymore...
I'm starting to... lose track...
I won't break my promise. William, I won't fail the last task you gave me.
Then keep your promise, %player%. Pain is just the process of breaking the cocoon and being reborn.
An insect pupa comes into view.
You look up to see Clementine smiling at you.
Don't be swayed by my other self's words, %player%. Deep down, you already know the truth about your nature.
Just like my heart. It has always given me the correct, the only answer.
It's true that our cognition and consciousness can be shaped by our environment, our actions, and the people around us. But I have always believed that the self is the ultimate power that shapes who we are.
Isn't the most precious human trait the ability to self-educate, self-correct, and self-grow? To keep moving forward in pursuit of a better future?
%player%, you don't need to choose between human and insect. Just hold onto what you believe in.
For example, your self-awareness and your soul.
...
Why are you helping me? We've only just met, and my attitude...
Because I'm holding onto what I believe in, too.
We are the only two humans here. I've always wanted a friend.
Humans can be cruel, but they are equally capable of sincerity and kindness. They help and support each other through hardships to welcome the dawn of a better future.
This is our testimony, a witness to our mutual help and our human virtues.
She places the pupa into hands.
...
Thank you.
You stare at the specimen in silence.
Just as you go to speak, Clementine looks up sharply.
Clementine runs away. With your view no longer blocked, you see who she was hiding from.
The other Clementine?
Is she watching me, or...
Before you can finish, the other Clementine vanishes. Now you're certain she was watching you.
This is her mental palace. Theoretically, there should only be one Clementine. But now...
Why did she split herself in two?
No time for that. The most important thing is finding the Silver Key.
Late tonight, when the guards are asleep, I'll use Spirit Tracing to find the Key.
16. Doppelgänger, before the fight
30 linesThe night isn't silent, for the chirping of insects here is eternal.
It's a good thing, it muffles your footsteps as you move.
This spot should work. Far from Clementine's house and away from where I searched before.
Now... close my eyes and sense the Silver Key...
If the Key is still in this mental palace, I should be able to sense it.
You lower the intensity of the trace to avoid detection. It's enough to feel anything that actively responds.
You sink into your mind; your consciousness turns into invisible threads, spreading cautiously through the town.
Suddenly, a gentle light responds to your call.
A spark of consciousness? Why is there a spark in her mental palace responding to me?
Wait... this feeling is familiar...
It's Clementine!?
You sever the connection and freeze in place.
The endless chirping of insects washes over your panic.
That spark wasn't broken or split. Clementine herself responded to me.
Not just a fragment, but her whole existence answered!
Before you can think, her consciousness traces the link back to you.
It's absurd. The warden who controls this prison is begging the prisoner for help.
Who is hunting her? It has to be the other Clementine.
A war between two versions of herself... this is my chance to find the Key.
William and the others are counting on me.
You try to stay rational, but her words haunt you.
We are the only two humans here. I've always wanted a friend.
Humans can be cruel, but they are equally capable of sincerity and kindness. They help and support each other through hardships to welcome the dawn of a better future.
This is our testimony, a witness to our mutual help and our human virtues.
...
...
You look at the pupa she gave you and let out a long, heavy sigh.
Rationality is important, but morality and kindness are what separate humans from beasts, aren't they?
17. Doppelgänger, after the fight
57 linesUgh...
In a forgotten corner of town, a one-sided slaughter is taking place.
The attacker's movements are almost tender, making the cruelty even worse.
Why... why are you doing this to me...
Don't be afraid. This is just necessary work to correct a mistake.
A mistake...?
Your existence is a flaw. You shouldn't even exist.
The real "you" died long ago. You're just an accident.
I'm just putting things back on track and ending this division.
You're lying! You're lying!
Denial? How typical of me.
But I've shed my weakness. I am greater and stronger now.
Do you know why you came into being? %player% created you using @3...
The perpetrator smiles and points to her chest, where the heart lies.
Here, the subconscious that is not under my control, the burden I discarded, namely, you, responded to {Male=him,Female=her}.
This has brought a lot of trouble; even this space itself has begun to descend into chaos. It's quite a headache.
So please, just quietly disappear. I have to get back to %player%'s treatment.
Don't you hurt {Male=him,Female=her}...
The victim grabs her other self's arm, but the only answer is a spray of blood.
The perpetrator's hand tears through her flesh, reaching for the heart to end it.
Ah... finally. It's almost over...
Fire! Fire! Everyone help!
Horrified screams erupt from behind the door. Clementine pauses for a few seconds, then a malicious grin spreads across her face.
Look, Clementine. Your friend is here to see you.
Fire! Fire! Everyone help!
You wait in the shadows until she leaves, then rush inside.
Clementine, I'm here to...
You stop mid-sentence. She's too far gone.
She's dying.
...
%player%...?
I'm here.
She looks at you with the last of her strength. You take her hand.
Thank you... for coming back for me...
Don't thank me. I just held onto...
Your humanity... and your soul?
She smiles at you one last time, shivering as the cold of death takes her.
It's so cold... am I dying? But I haven't even seen the world yet...
I just wanted to live like a normal person... just once...
To break the cocoon... and be reborn...
A single tear falls as she draws her last breath, her final trace of her attachment to this world.
...Goodnight, Clementine.
You brush the hair from her face and wipe away the blood.
You know she won't wake up again, but you give her the dignity she deserves.
You stand and face the empty doorway.
Are you done hiding, Clementine? You used your other self as bait, and I fell for it.
A trap? Is that what you think of my kindness?
She appears in the center of the room with a practiced smile.
I was only acting out of a doctor's compassion.
You wanted to see her, didn't you? I gave you exactly what you asked for.
Stop lying. You knew I wanted to save her, not just watch her die.
Oh well. I still got what I wanted.
Those scales must be agonizing. Just a little longer. It's almost over.
She laughs, and a terrifying screech pierces your soul.
You don't fight it. You let the darkness take you.
%player%, welcome to the final stage of your treatment: the Life Ritual.
When it's over, you'll embrace the true transformation and rebirth. You will become my kin... and my friend.
18. Butterfly Flight, before the fight
35 linesYou wake to the sight of a twisted, eerie altar.
You're bound to it, surrounded by the sleeping bodies of other sacrifices.
Are these the people from the sanatorium?!
You could say that. But I prefer to call them my future kin.
The Life Ritual is an ancient gift from the Sha@2gai ancestors. It lets humans shed their weak shells and embrace a greater existence.
Of course, when your form of existence changes, your inner self, your thoughts, and your consciousness will inevitably follow.
Embodied Cognition?
Oh, it seems you were listening after all. See? That's suggestion at work, %player%.
But the ritual is far more advanced than mere theory. As the history of the @2 flashes through your mind, that knowledge will force your rebirth.
From your physical body to your very cognition, you'll become one of my kin. A true @2.
...What about the other Clementine? Why did you kill her?
The answer is obvious, isn't it? This mental palace only has room for one master, me.
Besides, her cognition... had developed certain flaws.
Flawed how? Because she made your own self-perception clash? Or because she was causing this space to collapse?
Still so full of curiosity. I truly admire that. Unfortunately, time's up. The ritual must begin.
Clementine activates the altar. The inhuman structure immediately begins to glow with an otherworldly light.
An invisible horror slowly descends, accompanied by a chorus of eerie, high-pitched shrieks.
That familiar, invasive sensation returns. You feel your very existence being drained. An unknown life force leeches off your being, making you less of yourself with every passing second.
This transformation is invisible, yet you feel yourself collapsing. Like a machine, your gears twist, transform, and distort one by one, until nothing is left but the insect.
But humans are not machines.
Through the agonizing light, you look at the figures lost in slumber. They might be ordinary people, but every one of their lives is precious.
Ever since I entered this sanatorium, I've been passive. Passively separated from William. Passively losing the Silver Key. Passively... watching the other Clementine die.
Because I carry the weight of other lives. I was so afraid of making a mistake that I let hesitation steal everything from me.
That's why I didn't resist before. I needed to be here, at this so-called Life Ritual, to make my stand.
Make a stand? Why keep struggling? Is becoming my kin so terrible?
The world is bigger than this place, bigger than Earth. There is a vast universe out there. Cast aside your fragile humanity and embrace something greater, something deeper.
You close your eyes and release your consciousness to trace the lost item that once hung at your chest. You hold nothing back.
Humans are fragile, yes. But fragility isn't the opposite of resilience, or courage, or greatness.
When humanity shines, even the deepest darkness is illuminated. That light is reason, morality, kindness, sincerity, and selflessness. But most of all, it's courage.
These virtues allow people to support one another and face the dawn of a better future together.
Your consciousness screams in pain. Your skin splits and bleeds, but you don't stop. Your mind is made up.
Answer my call, Silver Key. I will save everyone.
As a patient, %player%, you're truly a failure.
But I'm a professional. I know exactly how to treat a patient who loses their way.
The treatment might involve depersonalization or manic episodes. Don't be afraid; I'll be gentle.
19. Butterfly Flight, after the fight
62 linesAmidst the silent struggle, the sound of something shattering rings out.
Something surges in your pocket, soaring upward and shattering its confines.
Countless butterflies made of light appear before you. They flutter and dissolve, shielding you from Clementine's mental assault.
Butterflies... transformed from a lingering will?
You instinctively reach into your pocket, only to find the crushed remnants of the pupa specimen.
Reborn from the cocoon... It's Clementine!
My other self... her residual will is protecting you even after death?
Why... why can't I even understand my own decisions?
Her words fade away. The light butterflies swarm around you, merging into your body like a protective cocoon.
Clementine, wake up! Hurry, wake up!
Your eyes fly open against your will, just as they did when you viewed the other memories.
Father... what's happening?
Have I entered Clementine's memories? This looks like the time before she became an Awakener...
Before you could process it, a panicked man appeared before you, Clementine's father.
They're here. They have weapons.
Who?
A gunshot answered for him. Then came the screams, the screams of their kin.
"Monsters, get out!" some cursed. "You freaks! Disgusting!" others shouted.
But isn't this our home, Father?
You brought Uncle Oliver and the others here to build a new home... people who just wanted to live like human beings...
I was wrong. I underestimated the primal cruelty of humans when they face the unknown.
Perhaps we aberrations will always be traitors to human society. Traitors by birth.
Then came the flight. Screams, gunshots, blood... and a death in her arms.
Don't cry. It was my honor... to protect you.
Uncle Oliver, Uncle Oliver! Don't die... please don't...
I won't die. As long as you remember me, I'll live on... right, Allen?
...
Her father remained silent. For the first time, Clementine understood death.
The weight of a life was so light. It slipped away before it could even be grasped.
Cough... Father, I need more of the tincture. Please, give me more.
No. I can't increase the dose. It will kill you.
But then... at least I'll die in peace. No more pain, Father...
Don't say that! Please, Clementine, never say that again. I can't lose you.
I... I'd rather die myself than lose you.
Tears streamed down, drowning her silence and her despair. She was losing something deep inside.
It was her first taste of human suffering, the agony of being human, and the struggle to remain so.
Clementine, we're leaving. I've arranged a carriage. We go now.
But there was no answer.
Clementine!
He checked her breath with practiced movements. Finding a faint spark of life, he collapsed to his knees.
The sound of his knees hitting the floor startled her awake.
Father... I thought I heard you say... we're leaving?
Yes. We're leaving this place. We're going... home.
But your lifelong dream was to stay away from that place.
You said... it wasn't a place for humans. Anyone who wanted to live like a person had to leave.
...Yes. I did say that.
But that doesn't matter now. I finally realize what is truly important.
It's you, Clementine. As long as you're alive, my life is complete.
A bell rang outside. The coachman was shaking it, urging his passengers to hurry.
Come, let me carry you. I've had the house back home prepared. It's much like this one. You'll like it.
And you'll get better. Those... people... they're experts at treating this.
They promised me. As soon as we arrive, they'll perform the ritual for you.
And so, the endless ringing of that bell carried her back to her father's home, the place he hated, yet had to return to.
Jingle... jingle... She didn't know it then, but she was listening to the requiem for her own life.
Not until her organs dissolved within a cocoon of flesh did she finally understand what was happening.
Don't cry, Clementine. This is a necessary part of evolution.
The Life Ritual will elevate our existence and cure the maladies of the low-level human form.
The Great Ones who created us will protect us once more. They will lead us across the threshold.
You only need to focus on one thing: break the cocoon, and be reborn.
Father, I'll be better soon... then I can come home to you...
20. Myriad Dreams, before the fight
60 linesSizzle...
Another human pupa burst open. The flesh inside struggled to crawl out, but dies within moments.
Thomas? No, Edward? That isn't it either. Oh, I remember now. It's Benjamin.
@3.
Not him either? I have to admit, having too many friends can be quite a bother. I'm starting to forget their names.
Let me think... it started with Old John and Little Bella. Then Austin, Berkeley, Beldena, Christopher, Isaac, Emma, James, Isidor, E...
Ugh...!!!
The person clawed at the earth, their body writhing, panting heavily. They had forgotten time, safety, and direction.
Clementine felt a wave of nausea and retched.
@3?
I'm fine. Thanks for asking... Ugh!
@4@3?
No, I don't need rest. I've just... I've been here for too long.
So long that I've forgotten who I am. So long that I've lost myself. There is no escape from this nest.
Tell me, when is the next group of friends coming? To be honest, I hope I never see them.
The world outside is so much more beautiful than this... or so my hazy memories tell me.
Her friend, reduced to nothing more than a mass of unknown flesh, said nothing. He only stared at her.
Somewhere in that featureless face, she saw a sorrow so deep it could never be healed in a hundred lifetimes.
Sigh. I have no idea why I'm even here. What about you, Mr. Monster?
@4@4, @2@4.
@2...
A butterfly of light flies out from Mr. Monster's chest.
Memories ripple like water and dissipate, turning into a cloud of fluttering butterflies.
%player%, can you hear me?
Clementine? You're alive?!
A butterfly flutters around your hand, its light acting as a guide, but you turn away.
...If my escape must come at the cost of your death, Clementine, then please allow me to refuse.
I won't let anyone else sacrifice themselves for me again.
The butterfly persists, circling your hand. You think you hear a soft sigh.
Sometimes, I wonder if my birth was the result of your creation or my response to you. Now I know that neither is true.
It was the pain in Clementine's heart that gave birth to me.
%player%, I'm not walking towards death, but towards rebirth. After all, I am always "Clementine," am I not?
The butterfly lands on your palm, like a gentle handshake; this time, you can no longer refuse.
%player%, that time... it wasn't just me. It was all of us. Clementine answered you.
The butterfly's faint glow erupts into a blinding light, flooding your vision.
The Silver Key appears before you.
In that endless cycle of despair, I stopped hoping for salvation. But you... you heard my cry...
Go now. Find that bright future. Your light... it finally reached me.
As her smiling form dissolves into specks of light, you hear the sound of fluttering butterfly wings again.
I want to see the real world as a human and start a new life.
I want to keep my humanity, and I want to die as one.
In the pitch-black space, the smiling Clementine vanishes, leaving only the Silver Key. The sudden plunge from brilliance back into darkness leaves you silent for a long moment.
Then, you pick up the Silver Key.
I'll remember you... as a human. A person who kept her humanity until the very end.
Time to get to work, %player%.
Whether in this world or the other, someone is waiting for you.
Standing by the interrupted altar, you grasp the Silver Key and stare Clementine down, you both know this is the final battle.
In the end, things have reached the one conclusion I hoped to avoid.
I so truly hoped you'd become one of us... what a pity.
Blasphemous buzzing and the hum of the Silver Key rise together. In your blurred vision, a terrifying projection forms behind her.
My kin, answer my call!
For your arrival. For these new lives soon to be born.
%player%, feel the true power of the Sha@2ai. Witness the cruelty and vastness of the cosmos, and...
The insignificance and fragility of humankind.
Indescribable horror lunges at you, shredding your sanity. In the void of your mind, the words of Doll: Inferno resurface.
In a crisis, simulating spatial energy fluctuations can serve as a weapon...
21. Myriad Dreams, after the fight
54 linesDo you choose to refuse our gift again? As one of our creations?
Yes, I refuse.
Even if you are a hair's breadth from the ultimate truth? Symbiose with us, and the mysteries of every dimension and the entire universe are yours.
You are a special child. The most suitable vessel for the lingering wills of us deceased Sha@2ais.
We will protect you. We will help you evolve. You came here to perform the ritual for this very purpose, did you not?
...I don't know. My memories are becoming a blur.
We can help you remember. No matter how many times it takes.
A human life is but a fleeting moment in the dimensions of the cosmos.
But are you ready to face the truth, our creation?
An invisible curtain was silently lifted, revealing the truth. Then, she saw...
@2@3
A mass of unrecognizable flesh clawed at the soil, shrieking as it crawled forward in mechanical repetition. He had forgotten everything.
He should have been dead, but an intense desire kept him alive, even if he no longer knew what that desire was.
@2@4
Filthy, non-human syllables emerged from his mouth, devoid of meaning. He was chirping on basic, primitive instinct.
!!!
Clementine looked away in distress. She had no head, for she was already dead; only her consciousness and the Silver Core remained. According to the Sha@2ais, it represented how special she is.
Father... Father!
She tried to call out, but her cries were silent. They would never be heard.
Cl...@3
Father! You remember me!?
Miraculously, her father looked at her. His scale-covered flesh grasped the last remnant of her existence.
Yes, Father. It's me, Clementine. Your beloved daughter...
She screamed silently, but her voice vanished as she watched her father swallow her Silver Core.
Do you need your memories cleansed, child? We told you we could do this a thousand times.
Yes. Thank you. Please, erase them.
I've realized that staying in this nest forever might be for the best.
I'm afraid "forever" is not a concept meant for humans.
That special item did prolong your father's existence and let him join our communion, but this state will soon end.
Why...
Because human existence is simply that fragile.
To escape this fragility, one must transcend the concept of humanity.
Regrettably, that belongs to you, a miracle born of your own life and will.
...
Why tell me now?! Just to make me merge with you? To make me a monster?
You are higher beings. What do you gain from toying with low-dimensional creatures like us?
We do not "toy." By human standards, we are quite polite. It's just that your kind is so fragile.
But you have a chance to rise above it... If you can stop clinging to those false comforts.
!!!
A wave of powerlessness surged from her soul, stealing her words. She didn't know what to say.
Humanity is simply too small, too fragile.
Suddenly, a hand of flesh touched her forehead. It was her father.
Then, he embraced her. He held her with all his strength.
Clementine... I'm sorry... for everything I've done...
Why are you apologizing? Unless...
Don't do this! Please, no! I don't want a transcendent life, Father! I don't want it! No...
However, that sole warmth vanished. She completely lost touch with this world.
Sizzle...
In a nest of flesh and shattered pupae, a light erupted like a sun, illuminating the dark world.
A sea of blood surged as the 'human' vessel collapsed, birthing a life that far surpassed humanity.
But Father... why can't I cry?
Because insects have no tear glands or emotional cortexes. Those belong to humans.
22. Social Animal, before the fight
117 linesSimulating spatial energy fluctuations as an attack will cause a massive energy shock to the mental space.
The communicator is too weak to affect more than a small area. But the Silver Key...
It could disrupt the entire sanatorium, briefly breaking the balance of this independent space... and creating a fissure for trapped minds to escape.
Boom...
Using the energy waves simulated by Doll: Inferno, you forcibly link the Silver Key to the mental space.
The connection is brief, but it's enough to shatter the stability of this realm.
The mental space vibrates and collapses piece by piece, receding until only the sanatorium remains.
Why... cough... why hasn't the fissure appeared?
Broken by her attacks and the staggering toll of linking with this space, you collapse to your knees.
But you refuse to stay down. Not until every victim trapped in this sanatorium is saved.
She smiles and points to her heart.
I've linked it here...
You mean... your Silver Core?!
Exactly. The Silver Core. My life and this mental space are bound as one.
The Silver Core is the heart of an Awakener. This is... madness.
Madness? I've treated patients who were truly "mad," but I've never considered myself one of them.
Believe me, a psychiatrist is best qualified to judge a person's state of mind. And I am perfectly calm.
Even if she returns with some little souvenir, it won't change a thing.
She... you mean the other Clementine!?
My other self, of course. I told you, it was necessary to end our fragmentation.
I personally never harbored any ill will toward her.
She's lying. You can see right through her.
This is her mental world. Everything here is an expression of her inner self.
She split herself. She killed herself... She loathes herself.
You've rejected me many times, but as a patient who has faced "It," I'll forgive you just this once.
So long as you behave from now on...
She approaches with a smile and gently caresses your face.
Using the Key so much must hurt. Your body is at its limit. Don't worry, the pain will vanish soon.
I'll end your suffering and give you a new life. It only requires a small sacrifice.
After all, in this burning world, survival always has a price.
That familiar buzzing crawls into your ears and eyes. Your brain feels like it's vibrating in a frantic, uncontrollable madness.
To stay sane and distract yourself from the scales growing on your flesh, you force yourself to speak.
You said the same things to them, didn't you? To your patients.
This burning world turned them into monsters. They thought it was their last chance at salvation.
To survive, they abandoned everything. They even gave up their own existence.
What's wrong with that? Survival is the core instinct of every living thing. I understand them perfectly.
And believe me, the pain and the doubt... they're only fleeting.
Once the ritual is done, you'll be reborn. They'll be reborn. Everyone will get what they want.
...You're right. Survival is an instinct. I get that. But...
I don't accept it. Neither did William, or the others who chose death over this.
Because there's always something more important than just staying alive.
You should know that better than anyone, Clementine. Old John, Oliver... and Allen. They showed you that choice with their lives.
!!!
Clementine's smile vanishes in an instant. An angry buzzing drills deep into your brain, severing your connection with your own body.
You can't see, hear, speak, or move. But you know your will is linked with hers.
That brief link to her consciousness was not an accident... "Clementine" has always been peeking at you, watching you... waiting for you.
Clementine, as you said, no one can escape their past. Those pains have always lingered deep in your heart, right?
That's why you're angry, angry enough to kill yourself, and now, angry enough to want to kill me.
Because those agonizing experiences, even if your form changes, remain imprinted in your soul.
They haven't vanished. They've always been there.
You extend your consciousness, searching through the darkness. Now, you understand the actual goal of the other Clementine.
She showed you her heart. She found you the Silver Key. She gave you the pupa, because...
A Silver Core appears in the void. Almost instantly, it responds to your call.
...
%player%, you don't need to choose between human and insect. Just hold onto what you believe in.
For example, your self-awareness and your soul.
But please believe me, I have no ill intentions. I only wish to help you.
...
I know you wanted to help me. I know I must hold onto my humanity... but...
Does it have to be this way?
There is no response. In the boundless darkness, the Silver Core remains silent.
But I...
Your voice chokes and your hands tremble. There are some things you cannot escape.
Link with Clementine's Silver Core
Just a little longer...
Yes, in this burning world, survival always has a price.
And you, guided by human reason, make your choice.
Just a moment... let her stay for one more second...
You know you should be rational, yet human emotion leaves you hesitating.
BOOM...
The Silver Core reacts to the stimulus and makes its choice. Faced with Clementine's absolute will to self-destruct, the mental space recoils and shatters.
Fissures open, and countless trapped souls rush toward freedom.
Beneath that surge of spirits, Clementine watches you in silence. Her body is also collapsing.
...I'm sorry.
...
For the first time, Clementine drops her smile. She tilts her head as if in deep thought.
Why... why say you're sorry? Why do you all say that in the end?
I don't understand. I truly don't understand!
When the history of my race flashed through my mind, I became an insect in every way.
But insects have no tear glands and no emotional cortexes.
She takes your hand and presses it to her chest, over her heart.
Tell me, what do you hear? The chirping of an insect, or a human heartbeat?
No. There's nothing. It's empty!
It's not empty.
There's a Silver Core inside. A Silver Heart is still a heart.
But this heart is neither human nor insect. You must define it yourself.
Humans aren't born knowing what they are; they must grow, understand, and transcend. Your own words.
!!!
Clementine stares at you, her gaze lingering for a long time.
What am I?
The Id.
The Superego.
Human? Or insect?
A tear suddenly falls from Clementine's eye.
This is a long-overdue tear. One brewed in her heart so long she forgot it existed.
She believed her past was truly 'past', that she had finally been reborn. But the stark reality remains: no one can ever truly strip away their own history.
Father, please don't apologize... Being your daughter was happiness enough.
BOOM...
The collapse continues. Fading away, Clementine wipes her eyes and offers a complex smile.
What a remarkable session. As the patient, I suppose I should be honest.
When she merged with me, she brought back... what you call humanity and love.
She wants to protect you. And that has affected me.
I can kill myself, but I... I cannot harm the one I want to protect.
Clementine...
You don't finish. Clementine suddenly holds you tight and shoves you with all her might...
No need for goodbyes. When the treatment is over, the patient must leave.
The sound of the shattering space stops instantly. Everything vanishes like a dream.
At the final second, she pushes you out of the dying dimension and back into reality.
This is a successful psychological treatment... for me.
Her final voice echoes in your mind. A whisper in your ear from the moment she embraced you.
In this universe, humans aren't the only social creatures.
...
So, Clementine... at the start of all this, did you just want to find your own kind?
There is no answer, nor do you expect one. You grip the Key and force yourself forward...
You have others to save... Or in her words, your kin.
23. Farewell, Burning World, before the fight
84 lines...
!!!
If you can't find anything to fill your head, you might as well reread the report on the @2.
I can't bring myself to focus on words right now...
Doll: Inferno, will Clementine's awakening experiment actually succeed?
Are you questioning the scientific capabilities of a genius?
Of course not. It's just...
Let me guess. You're worried her mental state is unstable. Worried the void will erode her Silver Core, or that something will go wrong when she wakes?
Don't you understand? The moment we captured her consciousness fragments, her choice and her will were already decided.
Yes. My will and my choice... they belong to you, %player%.
Clementine!
How do you feel? Do you need me to help calibrate your body?
I don't think that's necessary. I feel well, perhaps better than I ever have.
...
%player%, judging by your micro-expressions, it seems you have much to say to me.
Please, speak your mind. I'm a professional listener, after all.
Those words you said that day... you spoke them specifically for me, didn't you?
You mean when I talked about "humanity and love"? There was some intent behind it, certainly, but I didn't lie.
In the end, I didn't strike a fatal blow, did I? As a Keeper, you understand the terrifying consequences of an Awakener losing control better than anyone.
I do. It's precisely because I understood that risk that I chose to try and awaken you.
I'm grateful for your choice. It allowed me to be reborn once more.
But...
I told you, speak freely. For you, I have no shortage of patience or tolerance.
...Clementine, you have a new identity now. You can see the real world. You can live the life you've always wanted.
You can do anything you wish, but there is one thing...
Don't harm the innocent. I assume that's what you were going to say.
After learning how the Sha@2gais live, I felt it was necessary to emphasize that point.
Of course. That shouldn't be difficult. A psychiatrist filled with compassion wouldn't discriminate her patients based on species.
Antisocial Personality Disorder, Malignant Narcissism, predatory behavioral patterns... in this broken world, there are so many patients in need of treatment. There is no reason to disturb the lives of the innocent.
Most importantly, I want to try and change.
You mean becoming your true self.
Exactly. Not as a human or an insect, but as an Awakener, a new self, seeking my own identity.
Of course, I won't neglect my duties. I'll keep a close eye on the Committee.
Close attention... Are you implying the Committee's actions could threaten the existence of this world?
Perhaps. But based on what I've observed, I can't draw a definitive conclusion yet.
If you don't mind, I'll go back and continue my work in the shadows until the investigation yields results. Naturally, I'll share what I find with you.
I'll leave it to you, then. Also...
William, right?
Yes. Every victim from the sanatorium has been cared for, but I still haven't found William. He...
I might have a lead on William's whereabouts.
Doll: Inferno produces a notebook. Despite the heavy damage, you recognize the handwriting: The City-State of Necrovia.
So William's next move is to go to this Necrovia place? Why?
That is exactly what you need to investigate.
It looks like I'm acting alone again.
Fine by me. I'll leave right...
Doll: Inferno cuts you off with a sharp look.
I told you that next time, I'd load the monitor with every weapon I have.
It's time to put those words into practice.
She answers with action. Before you can even react, she drags you from the room.
Clementine watches you go with a silent smile. Then her expression fades as she looks back at the report on the insects.
She says nothing, standing in the silence for a long time.
As she leaves, a gust of wind flips through the pages of the report on the Sha@2gais.
"...@2 years ago, the Sha@2gais descended upon the town of @2 in @4... capturing humans for cruel experiments to create profane aberrations: humans with insect blood..."
Dissolution appeared... the insects died in massive numbers, and the survivors abandoned their creations... Due to their nature, these creations were prone to @4 and suffered from the disease, Dissolution.
Unaware of the truth, the aberrations believed their human forms caused the sickness. Following ancient insect texts, they held the Life Ritual to return to a transcendent state... resulting in tragedy...
...The death toll reached @1,000, including Old John (72), Bella (6), and Berkeley (23)... Every one of them turned into a mass of flesh and died in agony...
Among them, Allen, Clementine's father, was the most notable case... To reunite with his daughter, he deliberately infected himself with Dissolution and performed the Life Ritual...
One Day Ago
Two figures appeared in the deserted wax museum in the dead of night.
Albino, the plan failed. Do you know who bears the primary responsibility?
Let me think... From a strategic perspective, it would be you.
But tactically, perhaps I should share some of the blame.
Herbert silently caressed Galatea's forehead, trailing his fingers from her neck to her spine.
Only when Galatea wagged her tail contentedly did Herbert speak again.
I believe we should raise %player%'s threat level to the maximum. To do that, we need %hisorher% data, all of it.
I trust you won't neglect your duties again, Albino. Otherwise, your vacation is canceled indefinitely.
...Fine, fine. You win.
What about Clementine? %player% took her Silver Core.
Albino, don't let your hunting instincts cloud your vision. Only the plan matters.
Understood. I'll go collect the data on %player% now.
Herbert stroked Galatea's forehead once more as he watched Albino depart.
Patience, Galatea. We'll see {Male=him,Female=her} again.
Three Days Ago
All victims confirmed rescued. The domain has completely vanished. Crisis resolved.
William stood in the woods where you fell into the domain, scribbling rapidly in his notes.
Then, he suddenly froze.
As for %player%... %player%'s appearance in this world is an anomaly. Reason: unknown. Motive: unknown. Anticipated consequences: unknown.
Conclusion: more data is required to understand these global anomalies.
William put away his pen and stared into the distance, toward the place where %player% was rescued.
He quickly shook off the nostalgia. Knowing what had to be done, he turned and disappeared into the trees.
Only the faint echoes carried by the wind remained to prove he had ever been there.
May the Silver Key guide us.
...To save this world engulfed in flames.