|
Location: LCA Mirror World Observatorium Department |
LCA MWOD Intern |
Aaaaaand... here we go. Another finished tape. |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
...These things are kinda creepy if you think about if for more than five seconds... |
|
Today, the LCA seem to be creating tape recordings of voices for the Manager of the LCB to use to entertain themselves. |
|
Given that they usually find themselves with not much to do while they manage the Sinners in battle, it's one of the ways to... "placate" the Manager, in a sense. |
|
One of the interns working on the tapes has a question needing to be answered, however. |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
Hey, so... Some of these tapes... |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
They're recordings of people who are long dead, yeah? The Bloodfiends of La Manchaland, Lei Heng, and the Nursefathers, for example. |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
Correct. |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
I wonder where exactly we're getting all these voices from... |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
Fair point, actually. Hell, I wonder how we're getting some of these more out-of-place ones. One o' these is of Sinner #4's kid. |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
Another is Sinner #3 before she joined us. Like, from 400 or so years ago or whatever. |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
The T Corp. Wing Director's in here, the Sweepers are in here, people from the Library are in here... |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
How the hell do we get our hands on these?! |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
Given the department we're in, I figured this would be obvious, but... |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
We get these voices by capturing and trapping a few, shall we say, situationally relevant voices observed from beyond the Mirror Worlds. |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
The Mirror again? |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
For the love of- It's always the damn Mirror with this company! |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
Mirror this, Mirror that, might as well use it to deal with everything! |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
Technically, I suppose we're already doing that. |
| LCA MWOD Intern 2 |
Yeah, but-... Ahhh, forget it. |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
N-No, no, I think I might know what you're about to ask. |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
...Have we... thought about the potential consequences of using technology like this so much? |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
The problems that could arise from utilizing this as a crutch...? |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
The risks are always observed with the benefits. |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
...Whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks... is out of our control. It is as our Chief Executive Director says. |
| LCA MWOD Manager |
We are not meant to worry about the direction she wishes to lead us. Only to follow. |
| LCA MWOD Intern |
... |
|
The intern did not like that answer, but they continued the work all the same. |
|
Meanwhile... |
|
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles |
Dante |
<I hereby confirm today’s close of business for the Sinners.> |
Faust |
Thank you kindly. Starting now, you all will be given a maximum of 12 hours to partake in sleep and rest; the duration is subject to change. Have a good night. |
|
The routine of the Limbus Company Bus Department continues as it always has. |
|
The Sinners all walk off to their rooms to rest, some more excited about it than others. |
|
Dante, too, moves to rest. |
|
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles - Dante's Room |
|
They go into their office and proceed to lay down, thinking about the work they've done over the past year. |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Dante |
<It's strange. Spent the beginning of last year thinking I was going to die in a forest, and now...> |
| Dante |
<Now, I'm helping a whole company grow more powerful with each and every moment the Sinners and I are alive.> |
| Dante |
<So many close calls, so many opportunities where I thought it'd end...> |
| Dante |
<How has fate made me so lucky?> |
| Dante |
<Is it truly luck? Or is it something that has been pre-ordained?> |
| Dante |
<...I guess it won't help me to just ruminate on it all night. Time to wind down and start it all again tomorrow.> |
|
And so, Dante did, in fact, wind down. |
|
This was one of the more enjoyable parts of their day. Dante didn't have to worry about bringing someone back from death or a generally stressful situation. |
|
They could just lay down... and let the winds take them. |
|
They slowly went unconscious, the twelve hours passing like nothing at all. |
|
And when they woke up... |
|
They felt brand new. |
| Dante |
<Mmm. Haven't had sleep like that in a few days.> |
| Dante |
<Guess it helps that the bus is going to N Corp.> |
| Dante |
<Hongyuan's nice and all, but I really thought we'd have been stationed there until the end of time...> |
|
Dante stretches their limbs and slowly stands up. |
| Dante |
<Time for another day.> |
|
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles |
| Dante |
<Haaaah... Good morning, guys.> |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Dante |
<Guys?> |
|
Uncharacteristically, the bus was quite silent this morning. No one was around. |
|
None of the Sinners, no Guide, not even the Driver. |
|
Instead, one figure took their place. A figure Dante was somewhat familiar with. |
|
He sat right at the driver's seat as if he had belonged there, looking at Mephistopheles's knick-knacks with interest. |
Demian |
Quite the intriguing contraption, don't you think? |
| Demian |
I wonder how your white-haired companion was able to build this on such short notice... Perhaps a deal with the devil was made? |
| Dante |
<D-Demian?!> |
| Demian |
Ah, don't mind my musing, Dante. You know how I get. |
| Dante |
<What're you doing here??? Where's... where is everyone?> |
| Demian |
They're still here. Don't worry. |
| Dante |
<They are...? But I don't...> |
| Dante |
<I don't see them. I don't hear them, either. And some of them are loud when they wake up, you gotta understand, so-> |
| Demian |
Check where we've parked. |
| Dante |
<Uh...> |
|
Dante looks right at the windows. |
|
What they're greeted with... is not much. A dark sky is the most visually striking thing. It's slightly obscured by fog. |
|
But within the fog... |
| Dante |
<...Huh?> |
|
Within the fog is what appears to be a graveyard. |
|
A graveyard with what seems to be many, many graves. |
|
This only confused the Manager even more, which Demian could clearly spot. |
|
Demian took it upon himself to clarify what the place is for Dante's confusion, as if the place itself was not registering. |
| Demian |
Out there is a place where everyone will soon go. So, I suppose it would be apt to say it's a place where everyone already is. |
| Demian |
They're out there, Dante. Out there, in here, everywhere. With you and me. |
| Demian |
Would you perhaps like to walk with me? |
| Dante |
<I... I guess...> |
| Dante |
<N-No. No, I know I wouldn't mind. I can trust you... I think.> |
| Demian |
Spare yourself the apprehension, friend. I would not wish to harm the one who still has something they need to give me. |
| Dante |
<Right... Your sheep.> |
| Demian |
But we can deal with that some other day. For now... follow. |
|
Location: ??? |
|
Dante and Demian slowly step out of the bus together, the two walking through the fog. |
|
Along the way, Demian took it upon himself to clear it, doing the same hand motion he had did to slay the Nagel und Hammer Inqusition's One Who Grips. |
|
The fog cleared very, very slowly, which gave the two time to converse. |
| Demian |
...Clarity is important in moments like these. |
| Demian |
Should you be overcome by your own blindness, you will miss the most important of subtext. |
| Demian |
Everything has subtext, Dante. Including you. |
| Dante |
<I can imagine...> |
| Dante |
<The true self of man is hidden within context, yes? That's what I imagine you're about to say.> |
| Demian |
Not just of man, but of what man creates. |
| Demian |
Think back to our rose conversation. I told you before that once I learn to properly love my very own flower, I no longer need to protect the thousands of other roses in the world. |
| Demian |
But as I've also said, people of this star care for thousands of rose blossoms in their own gardens… but still fail to find what they really desire. |
| Demian |
Now, think back to the conversation we had about the Mirror. I said I called it cruel. Do you remember why? |
| Dante |
<Because...> |
| Dante |
<Because you have to deal with the fact that there is a you out there who robbed you, and forced a star to illuminate indefinitely...? I believe that is what you said.> |
| Demian |
So you do pay attention to me... |
| Demian |
I will admit, when we had our "talks," I was beginning to assume you saw me as some sort of strange hallucination. |
| Demian |
Yes, that is why I consider the Mirror cruel. |
| Demian |
People cannot simply settle for looking into their own gardens anymore, can they? They have to reach into the gardens of their other selves, compare and contrast. |
| Demian |
In situations like that, it's hard to say that my rose is my rose anymore. It could easily be another Demian's by tomorrow. |
| Demian |
This makes the appeal of starting a garden at all shrink. |
| Demian |
...But, as we know, the human spirit is stronger than that. You, yourself, have proven it many a times with the Sinners. |
| Demian |
In the face of danger, they are willing to stick by their codes and do what's right for a better future. A better City. |
| Demian |
You are quite noble in that regard. I must say, as far as that aspect of you is concerned, I'm proud. ...Sinclair is in good hands. |
| Dante |
<T-Thank you...> |
|
Dante was genuinely offput by the compliment. |
|
Rare it was to see someone acknowledge the work that they and the other Sinners put in. It felt foreign. |
|
It felt... warm. |
|
But then, Demian continued. |
| Demian |
Now, I will ask you this. ...If you were to start a garden, but you had no idea how to maintain your roses because they were outsourced somewhere else... |
| Demian |
What would be the most obvious outcome? |
| Dante |
<The most obvious outcome?> |
| Demian |
The most obvious outcome. |
| Demian |
This is no trick question, Dante. Tell me what you believe will happen obviously in your mind. |
| Dante |
<Well...> |
|
Dante had to think about it for a moment. Thankfully, Demian was oh-so-patient. |
|
Dante wasn't the type of person to say they really had a "garden", in hindsight. Not one homegrown. |
|
It was a platform Limbus Company had provided them. |
|
At the same time, it was hard for them to pretend they had no idea how to "manage" that "garden". Not anymore. |
|
They've had a wellspring of experience. |
|
But given that Demian asked for this newbie perspective, Dante tried their best to provide. |
| Dante |
<If...> |
| Dante |
<If I were to start a garden, but I had no idea how to maintain my roses because they were outsourced somewhere else, I would imagine that the most obvious outcome would be that the roses wilt.> |
| Dante |
<Because I do not understand their true potential, they're destined to die.> |
| Demian |
Correct. You would have quite the depressing garden. |
| Demian |
But you wouldn't give up, yes? You would just have to replace the roses. |
| Demian |
Now, walk with me here for a moment. Imagine you had an infinite source of roses. A supplier who could keep giving you roses for all eternity. |
| Demian |
You would have infinite chances to perfect that garden. |
| Demian |
But... do you ever wonder what becomes of the places the supplier needed to pull from to get those roses? Do you wonder if they, too, are doomed to wilt? |
| Demian |
And to go further, what if those places also decided they needed to get other roses? What if every gardnener decided they needed to replace their roses constantly? |
| Demian |
But it's okay, yes? Because as I had stated, the roses are infinite. There is no end to the roses, so the fact that everyone keeps pulling and pulling and pulling, grasping at roses... should be safe. |
| Dante |
<R-Right. It should be... yeah?> |
| Demian |
It should be. And it is! |
| Demian |
... |
| Demian |
In theory. |
|
Demian clears the last of the fog. |
|
When Dante looks around, they discover that the clearing they and Demian were walking through has been littered with gravestones from left to right. |
|
They were already within the cemetery Dante had seen. |
| Dante |
<What the...?> |
| Demian |
You wanted to see everyone, right? This is everyone. |
| Demian |
Or rather, this is everyone within the lives that do not concern us. The gardens that are being pulled from. |
| Demian |
...Tell me, Dante. |
| Demian |
When you utilize the technology found within the Mirror to grasp at alternative possibilities for the Sinners, is there, perhaps... something else you grab? Within the roses you wish for? |
| Dante |
<U-Uh-> |
| Demian |
Is there? |
| Demian |
Do not be afraid. I am here to protect you. Just tell me the truth. |
| Dante |
<Uh- Well- I...> |
| Dante |
<Sometimes, I do get... Egoshards... of the Sinners...?> |
|
Dante said apprehensively, as if they were grabbing cookies out of a cookie jar and being scolded. |
|
Their body began to shake. If the clock on their head could produce sweat, it would be positively sweating. |
| Demian |
Right. Explain what you mean by this. |
| Dante |
<S-Sometimes, when looking for the possibility I want, I get these... parallel pieces of the Sinners in their base forms.> |
| Dante |
<I guess- Uh- I guess it's like, grabbing possibilities of worlds that are already near-identical to the one I'm in.> |
| Demian |
So in a sense, you're stealing from yourself. Stealing from another Dante's garden to bolster your own. |
| Dante |
<I-I don't mean to! I can't control that!> |
| Demian |
I am aware. Forgive me if it sounds like I am blaming you, Dante. |
| Demian |
However, we cannot deny that this is exactly what you're doing, correct? |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Demian |
And when you do that, when you steal roses from the other selves that inhabit this vast, large universe we encompass... what do you believe happens to the gardens they're trying to cultivate? |
| Demian |
Because they go down your path, they most likely also have to steal. |
| Demian |
But some are slower at it than others. So what happens is... you get left with what remains. |
|
Demian points to an assortment of thirteen graves not too far from where the two stood. |
| Demian |
Those thirteen passed from the very first encounter. The one that saw you trapped in the forest. |
|
Demian then pointed to another assortment of thirteen graves. |
| Demian |
And those thirteen passed from the Golden Apple. The grieving from an ally's passing kept you all off-guard for long enough to be killed swiftly. |
|
Demian pointed again, to another assortment of graves. |
| Demian |
They passed from a falling chandelier in a casino. One in J Corp., I believe. |
| Dante |
<Wait... Wait, hang on.> |
|
He pointed again. |
| Demian |
Dead from Baba Yaga. |
|
And again. |
| Demian |
Dead from the Inquisition. |
|
Again. |
| Demian |
You were melted by corrosive fluid from K Corp.'s decay ampules. The rest had exploded. |
|
Again. |
| Demian |
Retaliation from a Big Brother of the Middle for stolen coupons. |
|
Again. |
| Demian |
Swallowed whole by a whale with no means of escape. |
|
Again. Again. Again. |
| Demian |
Cut down by a swordsman who had lost his way. Trapped in the Outskirts with no way out. Ran down by the unceasing forces of a grieving man's army. |
| Dante |
<Demian, wait-> |
|
But he did not. He continued pointing at assortments of gravestones. |
| Demian |
Indefinitely trapped in time. Stranded on a WARP train and turned into Bloodbags. Massacred by either a First Kindred who was merely holding back or his kin who wouldn't even let you get the chance to fight him. |
| Demian |
Dead via Heishou of the Mao Branch. Dead via the Sweepers. Dead via the Night Drifter of the Drunken Palm. |
| Demian |
Dead due to a Capo of the Thumb. Dead because of the Hierarch of Hongyuan. Dead while trying to protect the Hierarch of Hongyuan. |
| Demian |
And amongst some of the more recent graves, here we have a group who died only a few days ago to very powerful people who were ousted from their very own Syndicates. |
| Demian |
...Do you see what I am getting at? |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Demian |
You asked about fate before you slept, did you not? |
| Dante |
<H-Huh?! How did you-> |
| Demian |
You asked if you and the Sinners surviving this long was luck, or is it something that has been pre-ordained. |
| Demian |
Here is the most honest answer I believe I can give you. ...With that technology you possess, the answer is both. While you are on a path that should see guaranteed victory, you have gotten very lucky to get there. |
| Demian |
And with your luck comes the downfall of the other many versions of you that you've had to steal from. |
| Demian |
That, above all else, is what makes the Mirror cruel. |
| Demian |
You did not ask for this. You had only wished to peer into other possibilities. And you do so with, in your mind, the means of making the City better. |
| Demian |
But is that truly worth it if you make multiple other Cities worse? |
| Dante |
<...> |
|
Demian looked right at Dante after asking that. |
|
...It was... fair... for them not to have an immediate answer. Not after bombarding them with so much information. |
|
They had looked up at the darkened sky and sighed softly. |
| Demian |
Take your time, Dante. |
| Demian |
Ponder that for a moment. I will be with you when you are ready. |
| Demian |
We can add this answer onto what you have already promised me. |
|
And then, without much fanfare, he had made himself scarce, leaving Dante alone. |
| Dante |
<...Haaaah...> |
| Dante |
<That kid. Always so cryptic.> |
|
Dante didn't move just yet. They kept their hands in their pockets and looked around. |
|
All these graves... were they truly the Sinners being buried here? |
|
They were all unmarked, which was unsettling in its own right, but also, they doubted Limbus Company would even put in the effort of giving gravestones like these at all. Not after seeing what was done for someone like Marton. |
| Dante |
<...> |
|
Dante had decided, in that moment, that this was an advanced scare tactic. |
|
A larger scheme to get Dante to learn something. Which, to be fair, they did. And they're gonna keep that in mind in the future... As much as they can, anyway. |
|
The problem is that there's not exactly a viable alternative to the Mirror at the moment. |
|
So Dante has to make do with what they have... even with the circumstances as they are. |
|
They turn back the direction they and Demian came from, slowly walking away to leave and get back onto the bus. |
|
... |
|
However... |
|
The entrance is blocked. |
|
Blocked not by some sort of object, but by bodies. |
|
Bodies scarred, bodies bloody, bodies broken, bodies marked by the smell of death. |
|
Bodies which now stand and move as if they were alive. |
Gregor |
Manager... bud... Is that you...? |
| Dante |
<...What the...?> |
| Gregor |
Sorry we couldn't... protect ya properly. Haaaah, man... |
|
It was the first group of Sinners Demian had pointed out. The ones found within the forest Dante was ambushed in. |
Yi Sang |
This failure at the first hurdle does not bode well on us... The conditions we're in are quite unideal. |
| Faust |
Perhaps we should have gotten there faster... Faust was sure the directions given to Charon were flawless. |
Hong Lu |
Hey, it's good now, though, isn't it? We're all here now! All of us... |
| Dante |
<Uh...> |
| Dante |
<Why are you all standing in front of the entrance? A-And how are you-> |
Don Quixote |
Because, Manager Esquire, why would thou want to leave at this moment?! With all of us present, we may now properly begin the adventure as it were meant to! All thou has to do is turn the clock! |
Ryōshū |
Mhm. A.L.A.T.C.T., we'll be alright. |
| Dante |
<I-I...> |
| Dante |
<I have my own- I- I don't- I can't- I'm not-> |
|
Dante stumbled as they stepped back, quickly getting back to their feet as the dead Sinners slowly approached. |
|
Off to the side, Dante can notice more and more appearing, walking past what had served as their own gravestones. |
|
Multiple voices came from everywhere Dante looked. |
Heathcliff |
Oi, is Clockhead havin' a stroke or something? |
Outis |
What seems to be the issue, Executive Manager? |
Rodion |
Maybe we gotta turn 'em off and back on again~ |
Ishmael |
Of course you'd suggest something as dumb as that. |
Sinclair |
Maybe someone should, uh, check their pulse...? Make sure they aren't about to faint??? |
| Dante |
<S-Stay away! Get away from me!> |
| Dante |
<I have my own Sinners to get back to!> |
|
But before Dante could move any further, they were caught by the Chains of Others. |
| Dante |
<Ack!> |
Meursault |
...Manager... |
|
A Meursault had snuck up behind them, his gaze unbearable to stomach. They were unable to move. |
| Meursault |
What you have stated... is illogical. For we are all your Sinners. Every last one of us. |
| Meursault |
The lives of them... and the lives of the many you will take from to keep your garden... |
| Meursault |
Every single last one of them ending up here... |
|
It felt like Dante was being closed in. The Sinners slowly walked to Dante, maintaining a similar gaze to the Meursault addressing them. |
|
They had nowhere to go. |
| Meursault |
... |
|
And as the world faded to black, Dante could only hear these remaining words. |
| Meursault |
It will be your fault. |
|
Location: Aboard Mephistopheles - Dante's Room |
| Dante |
<AH!> |
| Faust |
Dante? |
|
Dante looked down at the floor frantically, sitting up with unimaginable speed. |
|
Faust was by their bedside, looking very confused. |
| Faust |
...Well, Faust is glad you have awoken, at least. |
| Faust |
It took longer than usual to rewind you, Manager Dante. You had seemed to be tossing and turning... |
| Faust |
What appears to be the issue? |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Dante |
<...I don't know if-... I don't know if it's something I should concern you with right now.> |
| Dante |
<Aren't we arriving in N Corp. today?> |
| Faust |
We are. |
| Faust |
...Whatever dream you had... you can tell Faust later if you are not comfortable with doing so at the moment. |
| Faust |
We are a few minutes delayed from the official opening of business so do make sure to catch your bearings and join the rest of us. |
|
Faust stepped back and left Dante alone. |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Dante |
<Hooooly shit, what the fuck, what the fuck...> |
| Dante |
<I-... I need to...> |
|
They then slowly get out of bed, shaking. |
|
They fall down to their knees, on the verge of passing out one more just from exhaustion. |
| Dante |
<...What...> |
| Dante |
<What have I done?> |
