The wheel keeps spinning and spinning, it has no intention to stop despite no additional force being added after HoTE starts it. After about ten seconds, she throws her hands up and heads to the seat next to HoV and waits to see what will happen.
"Shouldn't you stop it?"
"I dare not tempt whatever my other self throws at me, HoV."
"I must say there are a lot of titles I have never heard of." Ai-chan addresses. "And some of them are shortened too."
"We like being mysterious." HoTE shrugs with a slight grin on her face. She then notices that the wheel has signs of slowing down. "Looks like we're about to find out what we're watching next."
A very small click sound catches on Benares' ears as she starts turning her head around to see where it's from. Bella sees the girl's action and asks: "What's wrong?"
"...I'm not sure." Feeling that it might not be important, the humanoid dragon replies.
The wheel slows down to a full stop, and everyone sees the surface being divided into sections too small for anyone to see the words written on them. Though, like MC said, it's just aesthetic reason as the words on the selected section is flashed open for everyone to see:
M.E.A.N.
Everyone turns silent for a moment before Carole whispers to Timido: "What do you think this could be?"
"I… I don't know." The girl replies timidly, then turns to HoTr. "Squad Leader…"
"Just Bronya is fine."
"Um… Miss Bronya… are the visions before the same like this?"
"Not really. HoTE-alike checked them first and showed instantly, this is the first."
"Hm… Never seen this before." Some turn to HoTE with suspicious looks. "Hey, I know many, not all, okay?"
"So you have no idea it could be?"
"Eh… depends, Senti. I can guess what universe it's in when I watch it. What I meant is that I don't remember seeing a long title with that acronym."
"And even if you know a possible title that fits the acronym, you wouldn't know if it's correct." Dark Seele addresses.
"Whatever the case, let's watch."
The vision starts inside of a dark cave. Multiple train cabins are scattered and broken everywhere before the underground tunnel. The sound of water dropping echoes through the cave, which is the norm for the only person inside with the light on their hands heading to said tunnel.
"Woo… this looks like a start for a horror film." Carole whispers again, though it's loud enough for others to hear and nod in agreement.
"This gives me the impression of the aftermath of a Honkai attack." Durandal comments, seeing similar things during her missions.
"It really feels like Nagazora, but underground." Teenage Kiana agrees.
The scene then changes to the person heading into a refugee camp of sorts. A small shop is in front of him with the shopkeeper selling his stuff to the customers, some are chatting with each other around a bonfire, some do their work like moving crates and such, one is cooking his meal, others just rest without disturbances.
The person wears a black/orange protection suit with a hardened helmet. Behind his left shoulder is a small air bottle, and his arms holding something. It's revealed to be a rifle when the vision changes as he heads to somewhere with a patrol of sorts guarding the line. Though the patrol gives him a nod, therefore the person jumps down to a new train line and continues his way.
"...Which era… is this in?" Einstein questions, not recognizing it due to the mismatched environment. "The gun looked so old but it had its modernization in it."
"Maybe it's just the bad side of humanity." Young Siegfried answers. "I used to live in bad conditions before, this isn't really new."
"Could be… but I feel like…"
The geiger counter in his left arm clicks.
That immediately sends alarms to everyone in the modern CE. Benares recognizes that sound and says: "It's the sound I just heard."
"...Cap?" Ai-chan turns to HoTE who's wearing a serious face. "What are we watching?"
"...Just watch."
The person reaches for the gas mask hanging on his waist and wears it, protecting himself from the exposed radiation.
"This is not right."
"I agree, Tesla. Something's wrong with this world."
"Do you think it's the Honkai, Welt?"
"Might be. But to what level?"
After a couple of steps, he hears something dropping with the sound of a child humming a song. Cautiously heading to the location, the person looks into a small corner and sees a small boy holding a Russian doll in his hands.
"Bronya guesses this is the underground train system in Russia."
"Da. The doll is the obvious sign." The two younger Bronya speak out their minds.
"...That child is not normal."
"The lack of a mask, Bronya?"
"Yes, Mei-neesan."
The man crouches down and looks at the boy with his eyes asking "Is something wrong?"
In response, the child reaches into his pocket and pulls out a picture of his family and shows it to the man. As the man observes it, the child points his finger towards a location, and the man turns to see a lightened door on a higher level.
The child starts running off, but the man grabs his arm and holds him back, his head shaking in disagreement. The boy grunts but obeys and returns back to where he was. The boy sits down and the two enter an eye contest, though the former grabs the Russian doll and holds it with both hands. The whispering sounds in the background make the scene feel mysterious…
"Will you help us, Artyom?"
"Artyom?" All three Bronya asks.
"I heard it too." Light Seele nods. "I think it's the name of the man…"
The boy pulls out the first layer of the doll…
And the underground pipelines suddenly burst and drown the man, who could only give the boy one small look before he's washed away…
And when he manages to return to the surface, he's now in an unknown swamp. The sky's darkened in black clouds, and the sound changes to a slow but still horrific tone.
The young children (including a certain Principle) shriek a bit in surprise when the water bursts out of nowhere. The adults are also surprised at the change of the vision's tone. They didn't expect such a drastic change like that to happen. While it's also drastic when it comes to the Idols visions, at least they have a sort of foreshadowing and not as sudden as this.
Welt manages to link the details after calming down and addresses a possible theory: "Maybe this is not what happened immediately. It could be him reminiscing about something that happened in his life."
That explanation immediately calms down the kids, with some of the adults also agreeing with the theory…
A boat suddenly appears from the fog.
"Come closer, Artyom."
A woman is standing on it, holding a baby with a gas mask on his face. The baby is also holding the Russian doll from before, though he drops it when he cries.
"...Could she be his mother?" Cecilia takes a wild guess.
"Possible… But if it's the case, the baby might be him… and it's really unlucky if he was born in the middle of a crisis…" Older Siegfried turns to the baby Kiana who watches with curiosity, not really understanding everything. He lets out a sigh, remembering about the time he left Kiana in the middle of the snow forest…
Another layer pops out…
Gun sounds suddenly appear behind Artyom, and he quickly grabs on the boat as it starts dripping away…
He's now standing on top of a running train in the middle of a desert, and he only has half a second to recognize the change before he immediately ducks behind wooden crates. One woman with a sniper rifle joins him as the vision changes a bit to show the bandits shooting at them.
"Isn't she the one standing on the boat?" Sirin questions with one of her eyebrows raising.
"Then she's not his mother… maybe his companion?" Bella ponders. "Maybe even his lover?"
"Then the baby…" Younger Theresa starts visualizing a bad scenario… "Oh no…"
"...I know this should be taken seriously…" The younger Siegfried whistles. "But I have to say, that transition is smooth."
The adult Bronya, seeing that they're not exactly doing anything serious, starts pulling out her notes and starts writing down 'useful' info for her 'project'.
"Maybe the 'A' in the title is Artyom."
"I thought the same too, MEI." ELYSIA agrees. "Maybe all of this is just him dreaming…"
"Then I'm afraid this 'dream' of his is not good." SU shakes his head lightly.
"Maybe it gets better?"
Without saying a word, Artyom and the woman both come up with the same plan and agree with each other with a nod. Artyom immediately rushes towards and shoots his pistol while the woman snipes one of the bandits out of the train…
"Before it continues… Can I ask this?" Lyle interrupts. "I'm not against making unique guns, but from what we're seeing here, the guns look so disordered and might break any second. Using it in a battle is almost the same as signing your own death wish."
Everyone turns to HoTE and waits for an answer… only to see her pouring herself a black coffee cup at an abnormally slow pace. She takes a sip, and responds: "If the end of the vision doesn't tell you why, I will."
"...Is it that bad?" Adam questions, feeling the seriousness of the situation.
"If you think you have seen everything…" It's the end of HoTE's words before she closes her eyes and 'enjoys' the bitter coffee.
"...This might be even worse than my last moment." Otto theorizes.
"Hey now, it's not the end of the world." Young Siegfried waves it off. "I mean, yeah, some corners of the world are bad…" He's suddenly slapped lightly by his older version. "Hey, what gives?"
"Think of what you just said."
"...Oh, *beep*."
Artyom fires a couple of shots to distract the other bandit as he jumps to the next cabin, but the bandit shoots the gun out of his hand midair and changes his momentum. Artyom falls on his back and almost rolls out of the running train if he doesn't manage to grab a pipeline to avoid his death.
The bandit is about to kill him but the woman shoots the bandit first.
"This man's luck has to be high to be able to avoid those deaths." HoV grunts. She feels a tap on her shoulder and turns to see HoFi pointing a finger to herself while giving out a small smile, with APHO Bronya and APHO Mei pointing to the girl as well. "...Don't remind me."
Artyom waits and watches the woman heading out to save him… then notices the same boy from before looking at him from the inside of the cabin, with the Russian doll in his hand…
Another layer.
Before the woman could save Artyom, the pipeline breaks and Artyom falls… into a snow-filled ground.
"This is a bit chaotic." KEVIN rubs his eyes in annoyance. "Fighting the Honkai Beasts didn't feel as exhausting as trying to understand this…"
"The idea of this being a dream sounds the most plausible now." MOBIUS agrees with the announced theory. "That doll definitely means something to him."
"But even when it's a dream…" SAKURA gives HoTE a small glance. "It must be based on what the person has read, seen, heard or experienced."
"Then the man seemed to have traveled a lot."
Standing up from the 'fall', Artyom reaches for his weapon lying nearby. Scanning for any threats around him, he then hears a strange noise from a small alley. He turns his light towards the direction…
"Of course it's Nagazora." Kiana comments, seeing the zombies 'beating up' a dead body. Nobody says anything about it since this is too common of a disaster Honkai 'offers' them.
"But the symptoms don't look to be Honkai-related." Kallen addresses. "It could be the other kind of virus."
"Different or not, it's definitely harmful to humans." Sakura concludes.
He immediately opens fire and kills the zombies when they start approaching him. The gun sounds attract more of them and Artyom has to retaliate. However, the bullets run out, and he has to throw his weapon away and draws his knife out… and throws it right at a zombie's chest, killing it instantly.
"If this is not a dream…"
"Then he's an idiot to throw weapons away like that." KALPAS continues KOSMA's statement. "Out of ammunition doesn't mean they lose their usefulness. Especially the knife."
"Unless…"
More zombies approach, and Artyom has to retreat.
"They come in packs." SAKURA defends the man's action. "Not sure if they can feel pain or not, but their viciousness might indicate that they're going to tower him if he stands his ground."
"...*Beep* I forgot he's not superhuman… or is he?"
The masked man turns to see if HoTE reacts, and the result is none.
He manages to hide into an underground garage and lock the door so the zombies can't enter. He then looks out of the window to see that the zombies are looking for him… then he turns back to see the boy sitting behind him.
"Will you help us, Artyom?"
Another layer…
And a scream snaps his attention back. But when he turns his head back…
This time, he's on a hill between the forest… and a huge bear emerges from the trees…
Or in the snow field, the zombies start chasing a family of four with the humans screaming in fear…
And now the adults finally realize how the boy means for Artyom.
"...He couldn't save them." Durandal voices out what everyone's thinking.
"Or maybe he left them to save himself…" Dark Seele guesses.
Artyom in the forest immediately chases after the bear and draws his bow out to shoot its leg. The arrow explodes but the bear ignores it.
His version in the garage runs off to the surface and chases after the zombies.
Both attempts to save the family fall in vain, and he can only watch as the bear/zombies smash into the house and kill the family. He can only watch in horror as the scene imprints into his mind…
"...You can't save everyone." Older Siegfried sighs as the adults silently mourn for the misfortune of the family. The children are probably too shocked to react. "It's not possible. But I will be damned if I don't try."
Reality returns, and Artyom picks up the doll on the ground. He puts all the layers back into one whole item, and places it on where it was, next to the photo of the family.
Where he stands right now is a dark tunnel, lightened by numerous candles. There are many more items placed solemnly in there, and Artyom watches them with regret in his eyes, before he leaves and continues his journey… The lightened door from before…
"Poor them…" Carole sniffs, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the tears in her eyes.
"I… I hope that they can at least find peace in Heaven." Timido prays.
"This is… the same fate with those we couldn't save in time." Theresa says quietly.
"...I know it's sad, but…" Senti whispers to HoTE. "This is nothing compared to the threats Honkai posed. What happened to this world? And what time is that world in?"
"...Do you notice something 'strange' about the vision?"
"Strange? What's strange about it?"
"...I will give you guys a moment." HoTE lets out a long sigh.
"No need." MEI and APHO Mei speak at the same time, then turn to each other. The latter nods, signaling for the Doctor to go first. "Thank you. The obvious thing is the geiger counter as his watch."
"Maybe he's just heading to a heavy-radiated zone." Susannah theorizes. "He's geared up, right?"
"If it's so simple." APHO Mei addresses the next matter. "The geiger counter reacts the moment he steps out of the camp."
"I believe that no one here would set up a camp next to a dangerous area… unless they have no choices." EDEN also has the same idea.
"Then the next question will be 'Why' and 'How does it happen'." Otto continues. "Any governments wouldn't let their people live in a life-threatening situation…"
"Funny enough, it's the government that pushed them into the situation." Putting down the coffee mug, HoTE turns to Welt and asks: "Remember the missiles you guys threw at the Second Herrscher?"
Sirin and Cecilia flinch, remembering the moment.
"...We didn't fire those."
"Just asking if you remember."
"So?"
"Instead of aiming at the Herrscher… you aim them at everywhere in the world. And make sure each of them can wipe out anything within a mile radius with aftermath effects lasting for decades."
It doesn't take a genius to know that everyone's horrified at the revelation.
"...That's the how. What's the 'Why'?" Even Otto, the man who would sacrifice people for his goals, wouldn't go that far without a reason.
"Maybe it's something like the Sky People?" Many turn to Adam. "In our time, the Sky People started invading Earth, starting from…"
"War." HoTE interrupts. "Just 'War'. Simple."
"War against what?" Himeko questions, though she fears that she knows the answer. And her expression turns grim when HoTE just gives her a blank stare. "...No. You are joking…"
"I do not."
"Why?" ELYSIA questions with a sad tone.
"...It's in human's nature, I'm afraid. In this world…" Standing up from her seat, the 'Captain' brings up a hologram of Earth and points at where Russia is. "Or even my original, there's no such thing as Honkai." She then starts spinning the globe. "In fact, everything considered as mythical or ones that can break laws of physics don't exist. That doesn't stop humans from making things that protect them from more dangerous animals like lions or sharks or such, improve their lives… or ruin them." The Earth starts to 'burn up', turning its surface into molten lava.
"...If the 'threats' to the people are just wild animals, then why do they make weapons of mass destruction?" Young Mei can't see why. From what she learnt, Honkai evolves alongside her world's level of technology, so making missiles is understandable.
"...Why indeed." HoTE lets out a bitter smile. "Desire to conquer, I suppose. Desire to stand on top of the world, universe even." She then uses both of her hands to 'crush' Earth into rubble. "Even when there's nothing to stand on."
"...And no one stopped it. In that world."
"It's… a lot of things contributed to it, KOSMA. And, unfortunately, no matter the time, there will always be the Bad Apples that ruin the world despite everyone's best effort to keep the peace."
"But… they can recover, right?" ELYSIA asks with hope in her voice. "I'm not a scientist, but from what I have learnt from Doctor MEI, these things can be reversed…"
"Aren't you a positive girl?" HoTE chuckles, but this time, it's more light-hearted. "But yes, you are correct. IF I'm correct, there are still places on that Earth that are not bombed, and some are in the middle of returning back."
That announcement makes many sigh in relief, knowing that another Earth still has a chance to survive…
"...Like Lyle said earlier…" After a minute so everyone can have a moment to calm down, HoTE starts some explanations: "Those guns are extremely bad, and you could say they're death sentences if not used properly. However, the gunsmiths have to make do, and since I have said about the state of the world…"
"I doubt you can find proper guns that easily even before the world turns into chaos."
"The United States of 'Freedom' would like to test that, Einstein."
"Hey!"
"Not yours, Tesla. And before I forget, the full title of this vision is 'Metro Exodus: Artyom's Nightmare'." Everyone just nods. "And the hall that Artyom stood in is a cemetery. I suspect that either the family was one of the few he couldn't save, or the family materialized as a stand-in when he picked the doll up and saw the family's picture."
"Either is bad for his mind."
"Never say it isn't, HoV… Do you have anything to ask? I don't think I should say things that you already knew or guessed…"
"The baby."
HoTE is about to answer, but she stops and closes her eyes. The others guess that she's thinking how to answer…
"That's stupid." She opens her eyes and shakes her head with an annoyed expression while speaking to herself.
"...Huh?" All questions in confusion.
'Cap' turns her attention back to the audience and answers: "You might not notice, but with the visions I didn't know beforehand, my other self will send me information. And what I received… is confusing."
"So the baby exists in the real world or not?"
"If Artyom dies, then yes. But in this vision, he's still alive, so no, the baby doesn't exist."
"Is it something like the Bubble Universes?"
"...The problem is 'How', Durandal. Their lives have nothing to do with each other." HoTE plans to continue but then she sees the hurtful looks on the Kaslana family. "Oh… oh no no. I don't mean that he abandons his child. What I meant is about… urgh, how do I explain…"
"You mean the Butterfly Effect?"
"It's… similar, Tesla. Alright, I will describe it informally. Remember what I indicated about Kiana and Mei earlier?" The mentioned girls blush. "So Artyom and the woman, Anna btw, did the deed in the past… and in the near future to that past, Artyom being dead or alive will decide if that 'action' succeeds or not."
"...Now I see why you called it confusing." Rita nods, trying to keep her composure despite also having a light headache. "Those two events are indeed not related."
"Sometimes the universe just gives you a middle finger. Can't fight against that stupidity." HoTE rubs her face to massage the wrinkles away. "Alright… what's next…"
And the wheel starts spinning again…