Within the ad-hoc data dump storage, coded to be transparent, green 'calcite' emits a dazzling radiance.
Closure
—!
Mon3tr
We did it... I can feel it.
Mon3tr
......
Mon3tr
It's amazing, isn't it? Both Kal'tsit and I used to be this small.
Closure does not immediately move to speak.
She does not even blink, staring at the storage's information display as it performs its pre-installed diagnostics, until she can confirm the code's self-cycling thread is still running.
The true end of the code relocation.
Closure
Oh, thank goodness! The Sarcophagus's energy output is stabilizing too!
Closure
But this is just the first step. This temporary storage has limited separation abilities, we can't keep Kal'tsit in there forever. Next, we need to find a relatively quiet environment—
Is this another infected lifeform?Can infected lifeforms... speak?
Amiya
I can sense soldiers outside attacking this place, Doctor. And this isn't the space we were just in, we've returned to where we started—
Amiya
Hmm? What is this?
???
That's rich coming from a girl with rabbit ears growing out of her head. What, never seen a chicken before?
Closure
This thing wasn't here when we came in!
???
Stop shouting, you're giving me a headache!
???
Listen, I'm no 'infected lifeform', and I'm no 'thing' either! I'm a chicken, a hen! Is that so hard to understand?
That term sounds rather familiar...But you look like a little house.
???
Shush!
???
(Shakes feathers) (Looks around)
???
Something's not right...
???
Didn't Kal'tsit bury me outside that black thing? Explain to me both why I'm not dead, and why I woke up inside this thing.
This is the Sarcophagus's 'observation room'.Welcome to ten thousand years in the future.
???
(Indescribable barrage of clucks) WHAT—
First, we need to think of a way to get out of here.This miniature house knew Kal'tsit, we need to take it with us.
Klim
Err...
Klim
Did you... stop the Sarcophagus?
Closure
Wait, how did you get in here? I thought you stayed up top—
Klim
You walked away so fast, I didn't have the chance to ask... That ID code of yours means you must know Lada, right?
Amiya
Are you... Are you her father? And the one who helped Closure get in?
Amiya
Then you must know Alita Valueva—
The man shakes his head, letting out a distracted smile.
Klim
That's my Lita. I never could keep up with her.
Amiya
......
Closure
Oh, you were asking about the Sarcophagus, right? Let me see...
Closure
It's currently stabilizing. The weaponized modules melted down during the energy offset. Right now, the energy output module is the only one still operating.
Klim
Ah, that's... that's great to hear. Lita always made the right choice.
Klim
You saved a lot of people. I should... I should thank you.
Amiya
We should thank you too. Once we sort everything out here—
Klim
You should leave immediately. The First Army is about to abandon this place.
Klim
When I was outside, their comms often mentioned.. the Fourth Army.
Amiya
But isn't the Fourth Army still at the borders of the Central Governorate?
Amiya
Are they coming to take the Sarcophagus?!
Klim
I don't know... Nobody knows all the details.
We can't let any of the Armies get their hands on the Sarcophagus.We need a way to hide it for the time being.
The energy gathered within has one logical outlet.We can use this outlet to drop the energy reaction to its minimum.
Klim
...You've thoroughly gathered information, and you're rather intelligent.
Klim
Alright, leave this to me. You should escape, and go do what you're supposed to do.
Closure
Are you going to stay here by yourself?!
Closure
This place is getting blasted by cannons! We can deal with it together, then get out of here together!
Klim
Enough...
Klim
My wife died here... At least give us one last bit of alone time.
Closure
But—
Klim
...I might not look it, but I'm actually one of the researchers here, too.
Klim
Now that some are dead and the rest have fled, I must stay and see this place through to the very end...
A large hole has been blasted into the stone wall's gate. First, dozens of people emerge on foot. Then come simple carts and stretchers...
Reunion Member A
Do a headcount, quick. Make sure all our people and the rescued Infected are accounted for.
Reunion Member B
We're in luck. The defenders are retreating, so there's nobody who can stop us now.
As the last of the people make it to the other side of the wall, a figure slowly appears from the dust.
Talulah
That's where the problem lies. They retreated far too easily.
Talulah
Not to mention the firepower and manpower we faced when we stormed the place isn't up to the standards of what a secret military installation would have. It's like they're deliberately withdrawing.
Talulah
...And before we entered, some of the soldiers outside didn't even try to attack the evacuating Infected.
Talulah
I don't know if they're dealing with internal issues, or if they want to scoop us all up at once. We need to leave right away, just to be safe—
An artillery shell nearly scrapes the top of Talulah's head as it screams towards the back of the procession.
Crying and weeping break out all around her. She looks towards where the shell came from—spotting the command bridge of a towering warship, the flag of the First Army raised high above it.
Talulah
Bombarding their own damn city...
Talulah
Tell everyone to retreat using the route we planned out! I'll find a way to draw their attention!
Reunion Member B
Talulah—
Talulah
Just go already!
A second shell crashes into the ground, then a third... Rubble falls, the wall collapses, and the weakened Infected who just barely escaped death now only have the strength to wipe away their tears.
Members of Reunion rush about, half-dragging, half-supporting the Infected as they leave this place. Only one person watches the distant artillery barrage, stopping in her tracks.
Sirka
......
Reunion Member C
Sirka? It's dangerous here, you need to evac with us, quickly.
Sirka
No, you all go first.
Sirka
I have something I need to retrieve, forgot it in the Generalik's residence.
Generalik! Please wait, Generalik! Please check your private channel, the Marshal is looking for you.
Anatoliy
Out of the way! All of you!
Anatoliy
Before you use my mother to threaten me, you should take a good, long look at your medals! Are useless wretches who quiver at the sight of a few traitors fit to call themselves soldiers of Ursus?!
Who is manning the cannons? Have your worthless fingers degenerated to the point they can only be used to play cards?
Gunnery Officer
I-I can explain—
Anatoliy
Don't think you can hide your dereliction of duty from me. Why are you not concentrating your fire on the gate? Why are the main cannons not yet ready to fire?
Gunnery Officer
We're not being negligent, Generalik. It's only been ten minutes since the order to retreat was issued. If we fire the main cannons now, many of the men still in the sealed district will be—
Anatoliy
There's still plenty of traitors in there too! According to the itinerary I drew up, as long as they're not stupid enough to shoot themselves in the foot, any friendly fire will still be within controllable limits.
Anatoliy
I am tired of you using your bleeding hearts as an excuse, Lieutenant Colonel Bondarenko.
Gunnery Officer
...Ah—
A shining saber digs into the officer's neck.
Anatoliy
Zelgrad is my city, but do not forget that it is also Ursus's city. Each grain of rye you swallowed since the day you enlisted was so that you would obey my every order today.
Gunnery Officer
Generalik, urk—
Anatoliy
I'll give you one last chance, Bondarenko. I want to see the main cannons ready in five minutes.
Anatoliy
Remember, there's more than one gunnery officer in the First Army!
Flustered Officer
...Ahem, Marshal, i-it's me... A thousand pardons, I know this is the Generalik's private channel...
Flustered Officer
Generalik, I dare not hang up on the Marshal. Please, take the call.
Anatoliy
...Give it here, then get out of my face.
Anatoliy
'Soldier of the First Army', hah, what a worthless honor...
Voice from Communicator
Respect those below you, Anatoliy. This is not the first time I had to remind you.
Voice from Communicator
But there is a more pressing matter at hand. You promised me, did you not? All you were to do was obtain the data on the Sarcophagus, then return immediately.
Anatoliy
Mother... I tried my best to get the results you wanted dearly.
Anatoliy
But you made me sit back and watch as those marrow-sucking parasites crawled all over my city, made me stand shoulder-to-shoulder with abject cowards, fleeing in disgrace—
Anatoliy
You really do want to take my life.
Voice from Communicator
Everything I have done was to keep you away from this meaningless battle, my dear.
Voice from Communicator
The Fourth Army approaches Zelgrad even now. Do you want me to look on helplessly as my own son is drawn into this fetid swamp?
Anatoliy
The Fourth Army... Haha, what difference is there between them and those traitors in the city? They have all turned their backs on this great empire, turned their backs on the creed you once taught me.
Anatoliy
You were always molding me into a loyal pet, Mother... So why is it you who let go first?
Talulah stops mid-sprint, looking at the distant giant as large as a mountain.
At first, she wanted to find an empty yet conspicuous place where she could release her Arts, using her own retreat to provoke the First Army and draw their attention.
However, all sound suddenly disappears from the warship. Not even the deployed secondary cannons make a move.
You didn't mishear me. I am in your residence in the sealed district, using your private frequency to speak with you.
Sirka
I am the spy dispatched by the Fourth Army—
Anatoliy
Y-You're the one who tried to assassinate me that day.
Sirka
Indeed. That is how Marshal Kuznetsov does things. Every important figure in the First Army is on his list. He has been plotting for three entire years.
Anatoliy
So are you begging me to throw you a lifeline now?
Sirka
I beg that you cease fire for a moment, until the First Army can pick me up on your ship. As you and the Marshal had promised earlier.
Sirka
Naturally, you will not only be saving my life... I am hesitant to say this, but I harbor a deep-seated hatred for Marshal Kuznetsov.
Svetlana
Young lady, if you have concealed the information I require out of 'hesitance', then I am more than happy to restart the artillery.
Svetlana
Why do you think we can trust a thief and assassin who has barged into our home?
Sirka
Your High Excellency, I am willing to give you all the details and spend an entire day verifying my identity, but the march of the Fourth Army will not stop.
Sirka
I have a more effective method in mind: I will directly access Marshal Kuznetsov's private channels, and lead him into saying what you wish to know.
Anatoliy
?!
Svetlana
Wait—
Evgeny
...Yevsey? What news?
Sirka
Marshal Kuznetsov, I am a spy in contact with Yevsey. Due to an emergency, I had to borrow his comms equipment.
Evgeny
I must first verify your identity.
Sirka
I am the informant he planted in Zelgrad. My identification code was sent to the command center five minutes ago.
Evgeny
......
Evgeny
'Emergency', you say?
Sirka
The city is falling into chaos, and I have lost contact with him for the time being.
Evgeny
Civil unrest in Zelgrad?
Evgeny
Very good. Continue your report.
Sirka
Many rebels of unknown identity infiltrated Zelgrad. They contacted the city's Infected, then launched an attack on the sealed district.
Sirka
Part of the city garrison seem to be playing along, refusing to meet their challenge. The Generalik appears to be planning to abandon the city.
Anatoliy
(Deep breath)
Sirka
A mutiny is brewing within the troops. A familiar situation, perhaps due to some outside influence.
Sirka
Do you still remember the mutiny of the Cassian? Those troops who always supported your father to the last, but could not accept your military reforms.
Evgeny
Ancient history. They have already paid the price for their rashness.
Evgeny
Hardly a secret within the Fourth Army. My father left behind many festering boils. Many of our current policies had to be enacted to resolve the mess.
Sirka
If I may be so bold, are these 'festering boils'... 'debts of love'?
Evgeny
...Surely your intelligence has nothing to do with such flimsy hearsay?
Sirka
I fear they are related.
Sirka
The entire Ursine aristocracy knew your father. Marshal Andrian was a model soldier of the empire. Loyal, determined, stubborn, and crude...
Sirka
But they also knew he was one of the empire's most prolific lovers. The captain of the Cassian was his last sweetheart's nephew.
Sirka
Right now, rumors are spreading that ten or so years ago, when army officials were in Grypherburg to report to the Tsar, he and General Svetlana Ulyanova Buterina, not yet Marshal—
Evgeny
Enough prattling! Where are you going with this?
Anatoliy
(Grits teeth)
Sirka
Though you have done all you could in the name of your family's honor, even killing your own father with your own hands without hesitation, to prove that such wantonness does not run in the blood...
Evgeny
—!
Sirka
I regret to inform you that there are still those who do not approve of your methods, who are trying to deprive you of your inheritance, sir.
Sirka
So much so that you were never able to find the illegitimate daughter that Marshal Andrian carefully safeguarded, a wretched Kuranta... who is now in Zelgrad.
Evgeny
...Who are you?! Your voice—
Sirka
More importantly, if you do not seize the chance to invade Zelgrad and silence her, she will soon bring proof of those 'rumors' to your loyal troops.
Sirka
When that time comes, your authority—
Evgeny
ENOUGH!
Evgeny
Distorting facts, trying to rile me into attacking the First Army—I do not know how you found Yevsey, but you have signed your own death warrant.
Sirka
Hmm...
Sirka
It is as you heard, Marshal Svetlana Ulyanova, General Anatoliy Svetlanov—
Anatoliy
Suka!
Svetlana
Anatoliy—
Anatoliy
Enough, Mother! I've had enough! That filthy mongrel spawned by Andrian has dared to slander the Marshal of the First Army.
Anatoliy
I swear, I will kill you in the most miserable, humiliating way possible with my own hands! I will drown you in your own blood and see how long a khuyovy bastard like you can last in it!
Sirka
Oh, Generalik, sir, I've been meaning to ask, have you ever met your father?
Sirka
Perhaps one day, we will meet again thanks to this shared blood of ours... brother dearest.
Raspy throats continue to cry out. Those helping with the evacuation divide themselves between both sides of the road, watching the people walk past them.
Intermittent explosions go off in the distance. The ground beneath their feet shakes. Some of the crowd seem afraid, but most of them stare ahead blankly, clutching bundles of their belongings tight.
Tonya
Hey, don't go against the flow, that's dangerous!
Tonya
Also, wear your gas masks as much as possible if you've got one, otherwise cover your mouth and nose with a towel! And don't touch any strange-looking animals—
Tonya
Hmm? What is it, Lyudmila?
Crownslayer
This lady's fainted, got space on your cart?
Tonya
Should be able to fit one more. Let's try it.
Lyudmila crouches down, passing the unconscious person on her back to them.
Busy Miner
Lyudmila! Come over to the front, quick! Tulin might be in trouble!
Crownslayer
Got it.
Tulin
...We meet again, Ratkov.
Taciturn Soldier
I shouldn't let you go free.
Taciturn Soldier
My orders are to purge the traitors in the city.
Tulin
By traitors, do you mean the people behind me?
Tulin
All they want to do is save their own lives, those lives they have devoted to Zelgrad and Ursus. Surely this is not treason?
Tulin
There is still a chance, Ratkov—
As she speaks, the soldiers in front of her suddenly lift their weapons. Several crossbow bolts fire towards the space behind her.
Tulin subconsciously shrinks back. She turns her head to see Lyudmila standing behind her, effortlessly brushing away the bolts.
Taciturn Soldier
I was talking about her... but as you can see, we failed.
Taciturn Soldier
A lot of people are saying Reunion's here. The way we see it, the First Army's defenses won't be enough to hold them back.
Taciturn Soldier
If the Generalik still has a way to deal with them, then let him think about it.
Taciturn Soldier
For us, we've decided to retreat.
The soldier named Ratkov steps forward, grasping a folded-up plan. He shoves it into Tulin's hand.
Then, to the amazement of Tulin's followers, an entire company of soldiers lines up and marches away towards the left of the city gates. They march in silence, and the only sound they make is the tread of their boots.
Crownslayer
He just decided that all on his own. Or rather, they did.
Tulin
......
Crownslayer
...What is it, Tulin?
She sees Tulin unfold the piece of paper, hands shaking slightly as the eyes sweep across the dense mass of characters—eyes that are scattered, unfocused.
The paper tilts, then is straightened up. Tulin blinks rapidly.
Crownslayer
Need help?
Tulin
Ah, Lyudmila...
Tulin
Could you... help me read what it says here? I'm having some...
Crownslayer
...'The control room for the gates is on the east side, needs a standard password, check the appendix'. This is a guide on how to use the gates.
Tulin
I see. Hand it over to my people. We can leave soon.
Some miners take the paper and leave. Tulin lets out a deep sigh.
Tulin
Spasibo, Lyudmila. When I saw those letters, and how crowded together they were...
Crownslayer
And here I was thinking you were a bookworm.
Tulin
I really am interested in the knowledge and tales within books, but most of the time, I need someone to help read it out loud. Because of that, I've always learned a little more slowly than others.
Crownslayer
......
Crownslayer
But... 'Ivan Tulin'...
Crownslayer
Ivan Tulin is a prolific author. Out of all the Ursine writers in the last few years, nobody wrote better than him, or more.
Crownslayer
University students in Grypherburg love discussing the complex, finely crafted quotations in his books, always proclaiming how well-read Ivan Tulin is.
Tulin
......
Crownslayer
You're—
Eager Miner
We did it, Tulin!
Tulin
...Right.
Tulin
Everyone! Listen well, for we are leaving Zelgrad!
Great cheers echo through the city, as the people rush through the heavy gates.
Some lift their arms in joy, some kneel to caress the soil outside the city, smiling as tears form in their eyes, weeping even as the corners of their mouths turn upwards.
They look back at the road that brought them here, then turn forward once more, their footsteps ringing out in heavy, muffled echoes.
Once everyone has faded into the dusty distance, Tulin's throat quivers with a sigh barely audible to anyone.
Crownslayer sees Tulin turn away, though the hand gripping the pickaxe relaxes a little.
<p=1>Assault Ship Volnov, Command Center</>Assault Ship Volnov, Command Center
<p=2> Jan 22, 1102, 09:59</> Jan 22, 1102, 09:59
Scioppa
At least... I made it until the Morvan fell apart.
Scioppa
Hah... Time for you to fight fair for once.
Scioppa
*cough*—
War Caster
It seems you have no need for your many comrades' lives.
Oleg
Get away from him!
War Caster
(Ancient Ursine dialect) 'May his hand misheed its master's will, may his blade strike his own body down.'
Oleg
Argh—!
The unsheathed chachek suddenly swings towards its wielder's neck, the sharp edge moments away from chopping through bone—
Scioppa
War Caster
You—
Scioppa
Oleg
I... Scioppa—
Scioppa
Get behind me, Oleg.
War Caster
And here I thought you merely a dabbler in Arts. I never expected...
War Caster
You may live, but you cannot escape your fate. This means you need to die, a greater need than ever before.
Scioppa
You should've made those words into one of your spells, 'comrade'.
Scioppa
But I'm not going to give you guys the chance. I know you can use silent incantations, but you're not going to be better than me at old-fashioned swift-casting.
Up upon the highest deck of the ship, the Kuranta watches his troops line up in formation in pensive silence.
The canyon chill blows past, blowing away the dust accumulated from days of regret, blowing away the watchman's fluttering thoughts.
Scioppa
......
Oleg
You certain about this? There's still time to tell everyone to get back to their posts.
Scioppa
I'm going to teach that man a lesson, so that he'll never look down on us again.
Scioppa
When everything's settled, I'll find you all.
Oleg
When everything's settled, huh... Will there really be a day when all our affairs are settled?
Scioppa
There will be. There must.
Scioppa
Even matters that have gone unresolved for centuries will finally have their answer.
The sun slants towards the west. Most of the soldiers take the scenic route, all to have more time to call out to the ones on deck.
Almost everyone leaving the Volnov looks for their chieftain to say goodbye, as if this is just their summer vacation, simply a short trip back to their hometowns—
Back to the fields, the forested mountains, the banks of a creek, laden with reeds.
The Rhodes Islanders, accompanied by one noisy 'miniature house', finally emerge from underground after following Klim's hand-drawn map.
They find themselves within a secluded ornamental forest, where they are greeted by a bright blue sky.
Noisy 'Mini-House'
...In short, I don't know how I got there either.
Noisy 'Mini-House'
Like you said, this is long after my era, which means I don't really have anywhere to go. But, looking at it another way, it means I can go anywhere.
Noisy 'Mini-House'
Hey, Closure, show me that 'mirror' thing, let me get a good look at my current body—
Closure
You said you were buried near the Sarcophagus, and there was an Originium mine near the Sarcophagus's excavation site, which was one of the reasons why Chernobog was able to develop so quickly despite being in Ursus's wild east.
Closure
......
Closure
Some remains, an Originium mine, the former Sarcophagus... the 'mini-house', some blank Originium I accidentally spilled, and the 'prototype' whose functionality was disassembled...
Closure
...I got it. I got it!
Closure
Maybe I can try—
Closure
No, I need to try.
Mon3tr
Closure?
Closure stops, rummaging through her bag before magicking out a foldable screen. She deploys it, then continues pulling out more strange things normally only seen in Engineering's offices.
She sits down on the ground, as the miniature house hops over inquisitively.
Noisy 'Mini-House'
What did you figure out? If it's to do with Kal'tsit, then I haven't even mentioned her yet.
Noisy 'Mini-House'
I know she's dead, obviously. I knew this day would come sooner or later. Not even someone like her is an exception. But tell me, what bright idea did you stumble on?
Amiya
Did you figure out what your tests were lacking, Closure?
Closure
Yep. I also know how to bring her back.
Closure
The Sarcophagus as both energy source and life pod. Memories formed from Kal'tsit's original data. Blank Originium, i.e., Oka, as a structural base... then add the base-level code we just found.
Closure
I've been treating the resurrection experiments as a biological problem this entire time. I never thought of life as a long-running program until now. It's not static code.
Closure
Maybe what makes Kal'tsit unique is precisely her self-modification command. Rather than just being a structural alteration as designed, it also set up a self-invoking closed loop.
Inside that information flow space, I saw a few things.
If we go with your metaphor—Kal'tsit chose to maintain this 'closed loop' of her own accord.
Closure
...Maybe from the moment she set up the closed loop, she was no longer just an executed program. She began to upgrade herself, to iterate.
Closure
Then that very first self-modification command can be said to be the start of her 'awareness'.
Closure
I'll admit, I don't really get stuff of the 'revenants'... But if, say, something has been carved onto the deepest part of her soul, or if that something represents her will as a person—
Closure takes out the storage containing the data extracted from the Sarcophagus, and attaches it to a hard disk and heat sink.
Black cables stretch out from an ad-hoc computer case, linking to a support rack cobbled together from a glass cabin.
The 'calcite' representing the base-level code cannot be extracted from the data dump storage, so it is pinned to the center of the open space.
Oka is kept within transparent glass tubes, a little less compared to when the team set out.
A portable life pod is deployed, and within the open space, the borders of a simulated Sarcophagus data environment are delineated, like a 'pond' of pure white.
With everything ready, Closure starts the power, and waits for the screen to light up.
Closure
......
System booting...
Her eyes are locked to the screen as she taps out the last few commands, not hesitating for even a second.
Everything had to be done speedily and smoothly for this experiment to work.
Biological model construction—————100%
Physiological function simulation—————100%
...
Neuron data upload—————100%
Closure
—!
Mon3tr
Did it...
Amiya
......
The prompt they had never seen before finally leaps onto the screen. Everyone holds their breath.
