With all her bones intact and healed, Yume awakes atop the second floor. There are thick walls surrounding the floor that her and the rest of the team are sitting on. Through her still dilating eyes, she can see Hypatia, Junker, and Lucien all staring at movement beneath them. The team has a heavy, sullen expression on their faces.

Yume pulls herself up and walks closer to the edge, to sit alongside them. She takes a seat next to Lucien and looks out into the distance to see what they are looking at. There are mounds of bodies being transported up a pillar.

Yume’s eyes did not deceive her earlier. Her supposed hallucination that Sleekers were transporting bodies up to the pinnacle has been brought to reality. She turns to the team and expresses her feelings.

“Jesus Christ, why they hell are they doing that?” She asks them.

Lucien and Junker shrug, but Hypatia’s face immediately grows grim.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake, dear. Haven’t seen fixer work that hard in a long time.” She smiles at her, appearing to dodge her question at first.

Yume looks back towards the level they are on. Something is incredibly off about the environment, it’s not at all how she remembered it from her father’s memory. It’s far too bright and the awful smell is gone. Well, it still lingers, but it is far from what she experienced. There’s something missing.

Yume is quick to ask another question. “Wait, where is the giant pool of blood?”

Hypatia turns her head more towards Yume, and it’s now apparent she has been crying for some time. Her cheeks reflect the harsh lighting off her streams of sorrow. She wipes her hand across her face and stands up, pointing powerfully towards the top.

“The pool is gone because they gave it all to the king. I can only assume these bodies are being delivered directly to the inner chamber. Their greed truly knows no bounds.”

Hypatia brings her arm down and clenches both hands into tight fists.

“This is how they transported the bodies out of the pit after they murdered us. They are culling the population within The Rung. These people are still wearing their work attire.”

Just as Hypatia’s sentence trails off, a grating noise erupts behind them. A mound of corpses emerges over the apex of the wall and moves right over the group. Yume looks at it, then quickly averts her gaze, not wanting to endure anymore trauma. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a familiar piece of attire. A white lab coat and hazmat suit falls off the mound and lands at her feet. Above the breast pocket, a number can be read. Number 026.

Yume gasps and looks at the collection of bodies moving past her. She gets up abruptly, trying to run after it but Hypatia grabs her before she falls off the steep edge leading to the floor.

“What are you doing?!” Hypatia snaps at her.

“Those are my coworkers! I know them! I have to save them!” She screams.

“Dear, those people are no longer with us.” Hypatia says, and then comforts Yume in a hug.

Yume sobs into Hypatia’s chest. Regardless of how she was treated by them in the past, she can’t help but feel responsible for this in some facet. Was she not fast enough? Or did her actions cause this to happen? The guilt of surviving while those around her perish is gut-wrenching.

Hypatia pulls Yume up so that they meet at face level. “Stay strong, Yume. You must stay strong.”

Yume wipes the tears from her cheeks and dusts her clothes off. She looks around at Junker, Lucien, the spiders, and Rosie. In a hefty sigh, she clenches these strong, bitter emotions and channels them within her. A barely contained rage boils beneath a paper-thin lid. She has contained her feelings, for now.

Yume turns back to Hypatia. “How do we get up there? I can’t stand another minute of this.”

“Well, seeing as our ascension lines got destroyed, we better stick to our other mode of transport.” Junker says, and motions towards the various spiders and Rosie.

“Is that alright, Weaver and Morphae?” Hypatia asks the two of them.

Weaver responds immediately. “We will assist you as long as you need. Mygal shall not have died in vain.”

Morphae nods in agreement and Rosie chirps a few times as well. The group re-rigs themselves to their respective spiders and Junker hops back onto Rosie. They head down the steep ledge and then enter onto the second floor.

For Yume, it’s not too far removed from her own understanding of the middle, but Lucien is having a much more difficult time coming to terms with it. He had been promised, just as Yume, and those around him, that the middle would be lush foliage, houses, and a beautiful society. It’s clear he is experiencing a bit of grief having those expectations crushed. It’s a feeling Yume and the others can sympathize with.

Junker wheels Rosie next to him and tries to cheer him up. “Hey, kid. I know this must be rough for ya. Just think, though, once we’re done here, we can have whatever kind of future we want.”

Lucien nods, “I know. It’s just hard, you know? I believed in that future, even if it was fake.”

Junker nods with a slight smile of reassurance “I hear ya. All of us have felt what you’re feeling. It gets better.”

Lucien smiles faintly and Junker pulls Rosie back into her original position. The team makes it to the central pillar and then ascends it with haste. It’s a strange scene, as they are surrounded by Sleekers, yet those Sleekers are entirely unfazed by their presence. It’s clear that these bots are following strict and timely orders. They couldn’t care less about the wacky team of rebels scaling the climb beside them. None have shown even the slightest tinge of alarm.

The distance between the middle and the pinnacle is significantly less than that between The Rung and the pit. The team makes it to the top in a matter of minutes. The top of this pillar does not lead directly into the next level, as the first climb did.

They arrive at a junction of massive pipes and pumps. It’s contained within a massive room that leads into several branching hallways. All the Sleekers are funneling into one path, and the team follows them down it. The floor of this path is that of the central pipe. All the branching pipes and pumps lead into this one.

The steps of the spiders and Rosie reverberate through the hollow plumbing beneath them. They are marching towards a dim, red light at the end of the hall. The light shines around the mounds of bodies and it’s difficult for Yume’s eyes to adjust to it. It’s such a rich, red color that it makes seeing details difficult.

They emerge from the hallway, and it opens into a vast, manicured lawn. Massive fountains and shining gold statues are displayed throughout it, with a thick red smog obscuring vision beyond a certain point. The fountains are of angels pouring red liquid onto tiny people in a city beneath it. The statues show men clamoring up to the moon in anguish. The men at the top are stepping upon those beneath them, trying to get closer to it.

The Sleekers fork off into two lines, and head towards two long tunnels that wrap down into the ground. Hypatia directs them between the two lines, heading instead straight forward. Hypatia has been here before, so Yume dares not question her direction.

It is an eerie, liminal sight. Yume had expected a large building or perhaps a giant dome where the inner chamber was located, but there is no building in sight. Nothing aside from these creepy statues and fountains. Yume tries to ask Hypatia where it is but is cut off before she can even get the first word out.

Out of the ground before them, a massive projection of an NID checker, like the one inside of the pod station, appears. It climbs out of the dirt and towers above the team, some two hundred feet in front of them. Hypatia sees this and desperately climbs off Morphae.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small, black object. Right as she does that, the projection begins to sprint towards them, with its feet pounding loudly into the ground with each step. This projection is more physical than an illusion.

Hypatia holds the object in her hand and slaps it against her forehead. She lets out a pained scream and falls to her knees clutching it. She takes her hands away from it, now covered in blood, and turns back towards the group.

“Don’t worry, I still have the key!” She exclaims and turns back towards the projection.

Hypatia now has a solid black circle upon the center of her forehead. She is wearing a big smile and confidently walks towards the ever-closer projection.

It continues to sprint towards them right up until Hypatia presses on her forehead. In a split second, it dissolves into pieces and melts back into the ground. She turns around towards the group with the same smile.

“Told ya!” She laughs.

She motions her hands towards the ground and lifts them. A double door appears from the ground and opens gracefully before them. The light inside is a harsh contrast to their current surroundings. A bold, ornate light cuts through the red smog.

Within the doors is another, even vaster building. It appears the structure was here all along, just that its exterior is invisible. It’s astounding to Yume, and she presses her hands against the side to confirm it. It is solid.

They make their way inside and Hypatia looks around to get a grasp of her location. On either side of the room are staircases that start at opposite corners and eventually meet at a higher level. Directly in front of them is a long hallway.

The details within this building are jaw-dropping. Every post on the stairs is made of hand shaped gold, topped with an intricate carved wood handrail. There are giant paintings scattered around the walls, all perfectly spaced between each other. Each with their own unique gold frame.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Yume barely has a moment to gaze before Hypatia leads them up the stairs and down a hallway. She rips down towards another set of double doors. She pauses once she meets it and waits for the rest of the crew.

“We must go through here and down another hall. Then we should be at the king’s chamber.” She says to the team.

They all nod in response and ready themselves for the battle ahead of them. Hypatia motions forwards and Morphae bursts through the doors and enters the room. The doors are heavy and close quickly behind her. Before Weaver has the chance to make it through the door himself, Morphae and Hypatia come back through the door in a hurry.

“WRONG DOOR!” Hypatia shouts, and books it back down the hall.

Yume looks through the door she just came out of and can see that it’s a dining hall. All the congregation is sitting down, gorging themselves on a lavish feast. They were at least, until Hypatia and Morphae burst in. Now they have all stopped eating and are standing up, pointing at Hypatia.

Several men shout and scream at her. All of them are rapidly exiting their seats and running towards the door. It closes behind Morphae before they get the opportunity to escape. The rest of the team quickly change pace and follow Hypatia down the hall and then descend the stairs, entering the first room again.

Hypatia takes a moment at the bottom floor, contemplating her plan in her head. She is running the numbers on her old memories, trying to figure out how to get to the king’s chamber. She snaps her fingers and then starts to lead them down the hallway on the main level.

They make their way down several winding hallways and through a few maintenance paths. Taking the backroads, it seems. As they exit another maintenance room, the lights flip to a deep red, and a siren blares out from the walls.

They are within a hallway now, with familiar banners hanging down from an incredibly vaulted ceiling. Standing in a tight line at the end of the hall, are rows and rows of Sentinels. It looks damn-near impenetrable. Inch by inch, the collection of bots makes their way towards the team.

Yume looks at Junker in desperation. She mouths to him.

What do we do?

Junker points forwards, towards Hypatia, who is staring back at Yume with a glint in her eye.

“Go ahead of us, Yume. Put that new toy to work!” Hypatia says, and then pulls back on Morphae, allowing Weaver, Yume, and Lucien to take the lead.

Yume looks down at her bionic hand and debates what she is about to do. She delicately turns to Lucien, who looks just as nervous as she is. He gives her a few pats on her shoulder and nods towards the looming wall of bots in front of them.

One of the Sentinels at the front of the pack comes to a halt and plants its feet into the concrete beneath it. Pieces of its armor on its left arm move precisely and it exposes the barrel of a gun. It lifts it forward and faces it directly at Yume. The sides of the barrel glow a vibrant red and then blast a cloud of white smoke around it, firing something towards her.

She has not a moment to react before she finds herself falling to the ground. The bullet fired ricochets off her temple, sending a harsh wave of electricity through her skin and muscles. She is paralyzed briefly from its shock.

In a moment she regains control over her body, apart from a few occasional echoes of distortion. She looks back towards the bots, who are now all following suit and preparing to fire at the rest of the team.

“Yume!” Junker and Lucien scream.

Yume grabs at her forehead, feeling blood start to trickle down her face.

“I’m fine! Take cover!” She yells back at them.

A moment too late, it seems, as the next available bot sends bullets at Junker and Lucien. They fall to the ground. Bullets fly over their heads as their bodies twitch and quiver from the static torture. Hypatia seems to have been astute enough to take cover behind Morphae and is safe for the moment.

The bullets aren’t able to penetrate Weaver or Morphae’s exoskeletons. They stand bravely in front of the fire, shielding the team. Yume takes this brief security to assess the team. Junker has almost entirely recovered, while Lucien is still writhing on the ground. Yume runs over to him to get a closer look.

The bullet shot at him has lodged itself into his forehead. It has attached metallic claws into his temple and is endlessly electrocuting him. Yume’s expression has shifted from that of nerves and hesitation, to stone-cold determination. Her fists clench tightly as that paper thin lid covering her hate is reduced to embers.

She presses her node into position on her hand and it instantaneously glows a bright blue. In a swift motion she grasps onto the bullet on Lucien’s face and melts it. He falls limp to the ground, letting out a faint sigh of relief.

As he collects himself, Yume turns to face the bots with her skin glowing from tiny points of light piercing its surface. She illuminates part of the hallway with her incandescent presence. A bullet hits her leg, yet she doesn't flinch. She slowly walks towards the bots, with bullets bouncing off her. Her head is down slightly, with her hair covering her eyes. Bloodied and vicious, she extends her arm at the bots and a tunnel of light shoots from her hand.

It bores a hole through them, completely erasing the bots in the center of the group and crippling those around it. The noise produced by such an action is incredibly harsh. High frequency feedback and grinding metal echoes down the hallway.

She turns back to her group as the remaining pieces of the bots crumble to the floor in a mess of smoldering metal. Her eyes are alight with a pale blue, so much so that her pupils and retinas are nonexistent. Her hair is flowing in an electric current with strands occasionally jabbing in a direction, much like a strike of lightning.

With each step back towards the team, her appearance returns to normal and her node pops back out into a standby state. She starts to giggle a bit as she notices Junker giving her a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

“HOLY SHIT” he exclaims, “that was wicked, Yume!”

Lucien, who has almost entirely recovered, gives Yume a weak thumbs up from the ground. He musters the strength to get up and stands wobbling on his feet. Yume walks over to him, dusts off his clothes, and gives him a big hug.

“We must continue. Let’s get back on course, we have no time to spare!” Hypatia says to the team.

They all nod in agreement and mount their companions once again. Morphae takes the lead so that Hypatia can navigate them safely to their destination. As they pass by the entrails from the Sentinels, one of them is malfunctioning and repeating a line over and over.

“All rise f-f-f….the c-c-crown jewel-el-el” plays on a corrupted loop.

The team pushes forward. At the end of the hall, are another set of double doors. Well, were a set of double doors. The blast from Yume’s hand has reduced them to hunks of golden metal.

Within this next room is another, darker hue of red light. It’s a large, sterile room, containing massive specimen tanks. The tanks are filled with various creatures swaying slightly in a bubbling, crimson liquid.

The tanks fill every space in the room, with rows sprawling far down each side. The left side holds insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and felines. The right, and much longer side, is composed entirely of human specimens. Junker audibly gasps and leaps off Rosie.

“Junk! Where are you going?” Hypatia shouts.

He flicks his hand in the air dismissively, “Just give me a minute, please.”

Junker sprints down the aisles on the right side, scanning the nameplates on the sides of the tanks. He goes down some four or five rows, until he reaches a certain tank. He immediately turns into the row, now sprinting through it. Yume loses sight of him behind all the tanks. It grows deathly quiet as the team awaits his detour. The silence is broken by a blood-curdling cry.

“No…NO! NO DAMMIT, NO!” Junker screams out and bangs his fists against a glass enclosure.

“Junk…where are you?” Hypatia yells towards him.

She leaps off Morphae and runs into the row he went down. Yume dismounts from Weaver and follows her down. They find him kneeling in front of a tank marked ‘Astra June REBEL’.

There is a woman inside of it, wearing attire strikingly similar to the clothes that Junker gave Yume when she arrived in the pit. Junker slams his fists into the glass again, leaving splotches of blood from his knuckles. He rests his hand against the glass, and the woman’s hand within moves slightly towards it. Yume cannot tell if it were a coincidence, or if the woman within is still alive.

“We won’t leave her here, Junker. I promise.” Hypatia says to him.

“Hasn’t she been here long enough? Has she not served her time?!” He shouts and punches the glass again.

“You’re only exacerbating her torture, Junker. We’ll get this thing turned off when we’re done here. It’s not safe to pull her out now.” Hypatia places a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I s’pose you’re right.” He says, and then stands up, placing his hand gently against the glass one last time.

The woman’s body turns slightly, and Junker winces and turns away. Yume hadn’t seen it at first, but lodged into her left eye socket is a memory hook. Her other eye is scarred over, much like Junker’s. She can only imagine the sort of trauma she has been reliving over and over in there.

Hypatia grabs Junker’s hand and leads him back to Rosie with Yume following behind them. With Junker’s emotional reunion with his long-lost love, he is now more focused than ever. It appears everyone here has found their passion that pushes them to continue.

The group heads out of the lab and Junker takes one last glance towards Astra’s tank, wiping away a bitter tear.

“I fuckin’ hate them. All of ‘em.” he mutters under his breath, “Don’t see how they can live such hateful lives.”

Junker huffs and sighs as they enter another stretching hall. Hypatia leads them through a large lobby and then down several other hallways. The alarms and sirens have now become muted and distant. The once dark, red lighting transitions into a warm gold.

As Hypatia takes them round another turn, Yume starts to recognize the area more and more. This is where her father, Gael, and Hypatia lived during their time spent undercover. They pass by the exact door that Adam had walked out of, disguised as Mikazuki.

At the end of the hallway, the ceiling opens upward into an endless vault. It’s all coming together for her now. This is where she watched Shingetsu murder one of his followers and later on; Gael. The haunting choir starts to creep its way to their ears. They are right outside of the king’s room.

Yume had expected more of a struggle entering such a place. Sure, they had encountered one team of Sentinels, but in her father’s memory, Shingetsu guarded this passage. He forced his disciples to give blood in the name of the king. Neither Shingetsu, nor anyone else is here.

The only sign of anything is a stench. A disorientingly familiar smell: one that Yume is all too familiar with. The smell of rotting death rolls in through the curtains at the end of the hallway.

Weaver and Morphae reach the curtains and proceed to stop.

“We have fulfilled our duty. Hypatia, Yume, Junker, and Lucien, now you must carry the burden of battle.” Weaver communicates to the team.

“We appreciate your help, Weaver and Morphae. Thank you.” Hypatia says.

Yume and Lucien get off Weaver and walk over towards the curtains. Hypatia walks up to each spider and rests her hand upon their heads as a sign of gratitude. The spiders walk away to a corner beside the curtains and lay down against the flooring.

Yume stares at the curtains, feeling an indescribable sensation of dread. She looks over to Lucien, Junker, and Hypatia, who are all staring back at her, with looks of encouragement and faith. Hypatia puts her hand upon her shoulder and rubs it slightly.

“Yume, we believe in you. Just remember, you are much stronger than him. He doesn’t have this weapon.”

Hypatia points towards the node in Yume’s hand-socket. Yume makes a fist with that hand and nods at her. She turns her body towards the curtains and rips them open, disregarding her anxiety.

The room before her is all but what she remembers. There are no disciples, no winding path down to the cocoon, and no stage. Instead, the floor is littered with corpses, some already dried of their juices, and others in a steep pile leading up to the massive cocoon.

The Sleekers transporting bodies that they saw earlier are coming out in two lines from giant pipes on either side of the egg. One by one they are dropping their cargo at the base of the pile.

The choir music reaches a climax as the team takes their first steps down towards where the stage used to be. Standing atop the mound of bodies is Shingetsu. He is reaching up towards a tentacle that is coming from the egg.

The tentacle wraps itself around his torso and lifts him into the air, bringing him close to the base of the cocoon. Suddenly, the choir music stops, the Sleekers scatter, and the lights cut to black.

At the very base of the cocoon, a powerful beacon of pure, red light erupts onto Shingetsu. He lifts his arms above his head, creating a circle. The light from the beacon ignites the corpses beneath him in a roaring fire.

The beam faulters momentarily and then focuses on the top of his head. He is then lowered back to the peak of the burning bodies, with a sparkling, red, crown upon his head. He snaps his fingers, and two lines of flames shoot along the floor, creating a pathway for Yume and the team. He turns towards them and clasps his hands together above his head. Out of either palm, a glowing blade of crimson erupts in the shape of a scythe’s blade.

With his hands positioned how they are, the two blades together form a perfect silhouette of a crescent moon. They spark and sputter as tiny molten flecks escape from their edges. He separates them and uses one to point right at Yume.

“You’re late.”