Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Chapter 9 Episode 1: The Mysterious Transient, Once Again

Things start with narration talking to us by someone unknown. It asks, “you” had an “enemy,” didn’t you? This sudden question popping up from the corner of your mind causes all of your emotions to spill out at once. In your dreams you saw a bright shining world, a paradise filled with everything you could want.

Even now you can remember it. Narration then brings up a kind voice that appreciates you, a gentle gaze that watches over you, and then the Walls that ‘mercifully’ drew distinctions with you, gently pushing you away from that world.

Suddenly, you hear a voice from behind you somewhere in the distance. You can’t tell who it is, and thinking on it more, it’s not even a voice. “You” carry it with you as you walk on, and the only things in your chest are fulfilled memories.

In the end, the view you can see starts shining, and “you” turn your back on the world. Narration prompts you to wake up, as there is no longer anything to fear. This is the story of the world ending, and this is the story of “you” and your “true enemy.”

Camera tunes in as Breke wakes up in Shinjuku Chuo Park as it rains. He has no idea where he is and his head hurts. He’s described as covered in wounds and his body as creaking as he moves. He wonders why he’s there, then realizes he doesn’t even know who he is.

Breke is unable to remember anything, so he figures he might have amnesia. He stops there though as he realizes he’s surrounded by something. He’s spotted by a bunch of robot mobs, and they presume him to be from System Utopia or having technology from there. Under their preinstalled programming, they decide to try capturing him and start firing at him.

Narration says they’re firing rubber bullets at Breke, but before that starts happening Breke ends up activating a full power boost that makes him move like a veteran soldier. And so a battle breaks out in the night at the park.

Camera then shifts over to your side as you’ve been caught in the heavy rain, finding it hard to see in front of you and trying to hurry back to the dorms. Solomon decides to pop out and comment about how your luck sucks, then starts guiding you through the park. He tells you he’ll leave you behind if you don’t hurry, but then cries for you to not ditch him when you run past.

You figure you’re cutting it close to curfew and push on ahead for a shortcut. Solomon notices that this is Chuo Park and decides it’s the perfect time to reminisce about your first meeting with him. You either comment on the nostalgia of it or say it was a scary time.

Solomon goes on to describe your first meeting as him heroically arriving to assist you when you were terrified and asks if you remember. You either question this line of events or tell him to stop faking what happened. He says that you were running away full speed back then and claims you’d be dead if he wasn’t there to guide you. You then either bug him to tell you more about things if he wants thanks or say he’s been kinda useless since then.

Solomon whines that he wasn’t taught about everything ever. He says that once he gained awareness he was ordered to serve as your butler and given his book that he’s tried so hard to read, then begs for compliments. You however take more interest in asking who gave him directions or the book.

Solomon avoids answering the question and says you need to cherish him more. Despite that he’s with you, you keep going on and making more friends, and he says that (if I’m parsing this correctly) he can’t do anything when you have your artifact out. He goes on to say you shouldn’t ignore him and that he hates being left behind.

Solomon says that if things go on like this and he someday disappears, he won’t care if you cry. Partings can be such sudden things...and this comment triggers a momentary flashback. Solomon notices you out of it and tries to bring you back to Earth, and he says that lately you’ve been acting strange.

Out in the distance he thinks he hears ~~Josuke~~ something, so he tells you about it and says it’s coming from that way. You hear it too and wonder what it is, prompting Solomon to comment on your curiosity as you decide to go take a look. Despite bringing it to your attention he still thinks you should just go home or else Shirou will get mad.

Back to Breke’s side, he keeps dodging the gunfire as he keeps and eye on the mobs. He calls them Machine Troopers and questions why he feels like he knows their abilities. He’s not even actively thinking about how he moves, it’s just instinctive. With all the bullets raining in his direction he doesn’t have time to think anyways though.

A bullet eventually gets him in the leg, and Breke leans against a wall for support, though he knows he can’t dodge anything anymore. The eye lights in the troopers flash as they all line up their shots, and Breke asks if he’s going to die in a strange place, with no idea who he is, no one knowing he was there, or no one knowing he was ever there.

Breke bristles at that, saying he has things he has to do. Then he has a vague memory about orders come to him. As the troopers open fire, you run in and save him, running in from the side and carrying him off as the bullets graze you.

Breke asks you who you are, and you tell him you came to help and ask if he’s okay. He’s surprised at you being a civilian child, but he sets that aside as something in him prompts him to tell you to run. He offers to run interference for you, which triggers another flashback to Harlot telling you to run. You refuse to leave.

Breke is surprised by your answer but something in him, his resolve as someone who lives in battle, causes him to yell out and question what you could do. He sees you as without any equipment or battle experience, and Solomon seems to sense something. He asks “why” and tries to get you to stop, but you apologize to him and turn on the app for battle, then summon your sword to cut down the Troopers in front of you.

Breke is shocked by this display, and the Troopers decide that you’re a bigger priority and shift gears to eliminate you, which then leads to the episode battle. Things continue after it.

After the battle, the story picks up mid way as Breke watches in amazement until you eventually take the last bot offline. He asks you who you are, but you tell him to talk later and run now, grabbing his hand. He doesn’t argue the point and grabs your hand before you finish saying it. Something seems to explode behind you guys, and reinforcements arrive.

You immediately strike the mob down, but a second one shows up to attack, blowing you back. The mob says that priorities have shifted to getting rid of you first since you pose so much of a threat, and they turn their back on Breke as they get ready to destroy you.

Breke tries hard to figure out a way to stop this, then a voice talks to him saying he already has the strength to win. He tries to get the voice to show themselves, but the voice continues on saying he already has the power to do as he thinks, and part of his suit transforms into his weapon.

Breke continues struggling to grasp what’s happening, but he stops thinking about it for a second to take action. The robot notices, so you try to call out to him. Breke goes on to cleave the trooper in two, with narration describing how he seems to be experienced with it in his movements, which you find cool.

Breke starts questioning why he’s able to do all this again but you prompt him to run for now, so he agrees. Some time later you two make some distance to elsewhere in the park, and you figure you guys are in the clear. Breke starts talking about not recognizing the place, then segues into asking what is up with the troopers and why they seemed to be after him. Then he remembers he doesn’t know who he is, or much of anything really.

Eventually he stops with the introspection to ask who you are, so you ask if he has amnesia. He thinks that’s the case, so you ask him his name or for something to call him by. He tries to remember that and remembers as much as “Fre” before his head hurts again with a flashback or two.

One flashback has a mysterious girl looking character with a childlike voice as the dialogue box describes talking about a thing to control battles and it being a product of the system that seeks revolutionary change through battling. She says that they, the genuises in Tokyo, will be calling that Plan B, deriving it from part of Breke’s name.

Flashback ends as Breke figures what his name is and tells it to you. You introduce yourself, and after that Breke asks where you guys are. When you tell him, nothing jogs any memories as he tries to roll them around on his tongue. You ask if he remembers anything about himself, but all he has to show is a dog tag, which you can bring up Garm at.

At the very least you bring up their association with soldiers, and Breke says he does feel like he is one. You say his attack was amazing and that he seemed used to it, but he says he doesn’t remember anything else and curses the lack of any guiding clues. You tell him it’ll be okay and offer to think with him.

Breke’s surprised at the lengths you’ll go for him and talks about how there was nothing in it for you to come save him earlier. That does seem to remind him of something the troopers said before they attacked, but you go on to say that the two of you are the same. He asks if that means you’re also an amnesiac.

You don’t answer the question, but you tell him to wait there while you go get a friend to help. He calls you weird but he agrees to wait, so you run off and say you’ll be back soon. Breke calms down as he sees you off, then starts looking for water when he realizes how thirsty he is.

It’s at this point that Breke notices his fur. He goes to look in a restroom mirror, then has a bit of a breakdown at finding out that he might not be human. He then notices that hidden under some of his fur is some mechanical components, setting him off again with the realization he might not even be an organic being.

A voice starts talking to him and confirms he’s no longer a normal living being. He isn’t human, he isn’t a wolf, and even calling him a machine would be a bit off the mark. Breke demands to know who’s talking to him and where they are. The voice tells him they’re there, only that Breke pretended to not know because he didn’t want to accept the truth.

Breke holds his head as a look of despair hangs on his face. The voice confirms that they’re talking from inside his head. He starts demanding to know who or what he is, remarkably keeping a level of calm amidst his confusion. The voice says that figuratively speaking, they (plural) do not exist in this world. The reason for that is because there is nothing in the world like them.

Something within seems to expand, and after the wind blows by no one is there anymore. It is after that that the girl from Breke’s flashback shows up. She starts talking about how forcibly fusing memories causes instabilities to occur like so, and says it was a good thing they separated class and concepts. She compares that to setting up a safety valve.

The girl says that despite putting memories from across different worlds together in one vessel, it didn’t work out like that Ring Sacred Artifact. Change of subject, she talks about how evolution through fusion is Plan A. Evolution through competition is Plan B, and evolution through education is Plan C. And if it comes to it, there is Duo, the back up plan.

Even if she’s helping out with those three, she says that a created genius is empty or ineffective. Still, even if it’s an imitation it can spread the seeds of revolutionary progress. She calls for what’s apparently her giant robo bodyguard and refers to as her transcendent, saying it’s time they returned to the East so they can go see Duo.

The giant robot holds her to him(/it/whatever) and they fly off into the night sky. As soon as they leave you end up returning, only to find no one around. You call for Breke, but there’s no sign of him anywhere. Solomon makes the mysterious observation that Breke is like him. Or rather, them. He also asks if he’s their end while agitated, and the episode ends with narration drawing attention to the ring on his horn.

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