The Tear Retrievers ripped through the bogs of Grandis. The celebrations had to wait for those who ventured into hell to recover the tears of the innocent. Cara’s team worked tirelessly for weeks following the war.
There was no glory to be had in an unfinished job. So long as there were tears then their job was not over. Cara’s conviction was shared amongst the ex-Scarlet Logic Dawn Collection Team members.
It was more than just a way to make ends meet. Their job was a method of atonement. The basis of their job had always focused around rescuing slaves, but they were ignorant of what became of them.
A close of friend of Cara’s died in a bath of blood when they found out the truth. Her Corrupted Persona – Solemn Regret; a Corrupted that gruesomely depicted how they had taken their life, and the weight of their guilt that drove the blade into them.
Usa was similar to Cara. But unlike her, Usa was part of a large-scale cloning experiment that created thousands of Scarlet Logic bunnies that were unnaturally gifted with firearms. Usa didn’t know if she was the real Usa. Each replication only further mutated her.
But she was certain now that there was only one Usa in the world.
No identical bunny could compare to the happy-go-lucky Usa.
Elsewhere, Snap recorded Gerina as she oversaw the redevelopment of the Bellum Empire. A princess ought to remain within their palace, but Gerina was an Empress of the people. She had lived a highly involved life, so it was impossible for her to remain cooped up in the palace.
The people of her Empire needed a ruler who was with them. Anpu and Lunaira; The First Moon were responsible for maintaining order within the Capital. Meanwhile, Inflow Direct and Caldera Industries personnel delivered precious resources and aided with difficult tasks.
Inflow Direct utilized this rare opportunity to dispense consumer-grade Serums to test the efficacy on regular humans. It was an experiment approved by the Head. As a result, there were also Minu Auditors present to oversee their operations.
These Serums would decay into ordinary water after 20 minutes of being dispensed.
Likewise, Caldera Industries issued generic equipment that utilized a small amount of Nex. In exchange, this equipment was exposed to a maximum amount of environmental Nex. The equipment in question was a device that reduced the gravity of any object touched to zero, so long as the object was not larger than 10 meters.
They were high-maintenance equipment, meaning it was impossible for smugglers to peddle their machines. It was the start of a plan to create a reliance on their tech from other Kingdoms; a method of espionage unlike anything seen before.
Where this idea came from was not known.
The greater part of Grandis saw a higher quality of life. The fears of being overrun by monsters were gone. Humans were still humans, however. One could debate if the real monsters were humans all along, considering what they were still doing to one another.
That said, it was at least safe enough for Nav to visit Grandis in person.
Snap set its sights on the cliff that oversaw the southern world of Grandis. Three figures followed an animal path. It opened into a faded highway. The dead trees of what used to be the Black Forest stood to the left. It stretched on for tens of kilometers.
The decayed Village of Virt passed on the right. Slowly, they guided Nav by her hands. Finally, they asked her to close her eyes as they reached the edge of the cliff.
“You can open them now.” Frost whispered.
Nav’s eyes fluttered open, and she was greeted with a sight that she immediately burned into her mind. The world of Grandis was different from how she imagined it. She thought it was dark and lacked the same vibrant colors of the rest of the world.
She couldn’t be more wrong.
“What do you think? It’s changed a little since we were here.” Jury hummed.
The sight alone drew the breath away from Nav’s lips. She did not even have lungs, and yet, she was left breathless.
“Amazing. The number of mountains… the coasts. The sea… The Ruins of Paradise.” Nav listed the things she could find, but eventually lost her voice as her eyes drifted to the world further beyond. “If there was no atmosphere, then just how far would we be able to see?”
“That’s what I want to find out.” Frost said. “But I think this is more than enough. It took a long time. Too long, actually. I was hoping that the first thing you saw was this when we made that promise.”
Jury nodded, wrapping her tail around Nav’s waist. “Exactly. Our promise. You can see the world with your own eyes. We’re back to the place where it started.”
Nav’s face was plagued with complicated expressions. She didn’t know how to express how she felt. Nothing she could say would evoke even a fraction of what dwelled within her. It was like an itch that could never be itched.
Suddenly, amidst the silence, Nav turned to Frost and embraced her. Then, she swapped to Jury and abruptly let go.
“I don’t compute. I can’t properly express just how I feel. But I know that hugs are important in Elysian’ culture. It’s an expression of affection and love. What I feel is to the power of one quadrillion of what I can possibly portray. If I could illustrate what I’m feeling on a canvas the size of Earth’s surface… then it would not convey a millionth of the truth.”
Those numbers were not an exaggeration. Nav’s eyes glowed with a soft, gentle golden light.
“Nav!? Are you feeling alright!?”
“Was it too much!? We’re here! It’s ok! You don’t have to push yourself!”
Jury and Frost rushed in front of her, wondering if something was wrong.
Nav however, felt something warm drop down the side of her cheek.
“I think… I’ve risen… to the First State…?” Nav touched the tear, expecting it to be made from machine oil, or some pressure-safe lubricant.
However, the composition of this liquid was water.
“My emotions… were they so unbearable… so uncontainable that I had no choice but to rise to the First State to express them? Is this… what it feels like to be you two?”
It was indeed a tear. But they were temporary. Nav knew that losing the First State would also make her lose the ability to form tears.
Was she really a machine?
In this moment, Nav didn’t think so.
One small part of her became human even if it was just to express her heartfelt thanks.
There was hope for Nav.
Her body, though it gave her freedom to experience the world, was useless if those experiences could not be understood. What was the use of learning love if she could not express it? Or delve into emotions if they were constantly being suppressed?
A single teardrop was all she could muster.
One day, she sincerely hoped from the bottom of her heart that she would be able to do everything that a human can.
That wish was possible now that they had a device to locate the Piece of the Fallen Star.
Snap zoomed into a lone blue dahlia that grew at the edge of the cliff.
Its petals were plucked by the wind… and they departed into the great unknown.