Monika enters the room that used to belong to Minka, it was still spotless for some reason. Monika just noticed that Minka did all the house chores while she was living with them. Minka didn't really have a lot of belongings, it kind of made Monika feel sad that there's not even a single thing that is left that belongs to Minka.
Monika sits on the bed, and the sudden sorrowness overflows in her heart again. But she glanced at something shiny at her eye level, it is deep into the bookshelf. Monika gets up and then finds a small microchip that is sealed in a glass box. She carefully opened it and observed it from outside, it is just like any ordinary microchip. She then plugged it into her portable device that allows the microchips. At first, nothing responded. But then she suddenly felt her eyes getting blurry and when she blinked a few more times. 'Minka' appeared in front of her.
"Mom?" Minka looked surprised.
"Minka?" Monika tried to grab her but instead, she bumped on the bookshelf: " Are you…. A hologram?"
"I… I am not sure…" Minka looked around, when she tried to touch the table, her finger went through it effortlessly. Then she finally accepted the fact that she is now indeed a hologram.
"Are you really the Minka I know?" Monika asks.
"The last thing I remember was… I just felt really tired, we defeated the abyss queen… and… I am not sure about anything else afterward..." Minka tries her best to remember what happened.
"Oh my… Minka… What was the weapon that your 'Monika' gave you during your eighteen's birthday?" Monika is trying to find out who this person really is, is she a replica of Minka that she used to know or is it actually her but somehow in hologram form.
"The service weapon. I gave it to Emilia. Wait, mom, I am confused. What did you do to make this happen?" Minka asks.
"I am not sure; I just saw a microchip in the bookshelf and so I plugged it in." Monika is trying to remember all the details that she did. But nothing unique came to mind.
"Let's go see dad about it," Minka suggests.
After a short while, they finally found Trazyn: " Traz!" Monika hugs Trazyn: " Look who's behind me?"
"Is this a prank my love?" Trazyn looks around and there's no one to be found.
"No… I mean… can't you see Minka?" Monika is surprised. Because when she looks back, Minka is standing behind her and looking at Trazyn madly.
"Oh… my dear… Minka has already… passed away." Trazyn holds Monika's chin: " I know it is hard for you to move on… but… we did all we could, and that child deserves some final peace…" Trazyn looks at Monika in a concerning way.
"No… I … agh!" Monika takes out the microchip in her device and explains the whole incident. Trazyn held the chip and did a thorough scan and in the end found absolutely nothing.
"Monika, if you ever need me, I will be with you no matter what. But Minka… she really just moved on." Trazyn gently brushes Monika's hair.
"Why don't you ask me something only you and Minka know? So, I can prove that she actually is alive but for some reason, because apparently, I am the only person in this world that can see her!" Monika is a bit frustrated. She looked at Minka, and Minka was on through for something.
"Honey…"
Seeing Trazyn isn't responding to this well, Monika stomps the ground with her feet and leaves. The floor then made a decent size crack, Monika sat on the tree thinking about who to go to next. Minka just sits next to her and doesn't say anything. Monika looks at the people on the street passing by and suddenly realizes a person that she doesn't like.
After hearing everything Monika said, Leonard leans back on the chair and starts to process the information that was given: " Sister, have you heard of the word: PTSD?"
"I assure you that I do not have PTSD." Monika is a bit mad about this: " I have been through a worse situation, yet I am still fine."
"Maybe that was the last straw before your nerves collapsed?" Leonard's tone is a bit serious: " You have been through a lot, and honestly, I had a feeling that this day would come eventually. For example, you let a kid get away with stealing bread."
"That kid was starving cause the government didn't do crap."
"Still a crime and yet you let it slide. All of that guilt must've made you sleepless at night."
"Well, that was useless. Let's go Minka." Monika left without even looking back. She's mad and in deep frustration.
"Mom… maybe…" Minka tries to calm Monika down: " Maybe we should grab something to eat like a rose cake."
"Good idea, Minka." The people on the street were just seeing a girl who kept talking to air and seemingly looking distressed.
Monika insisted on having a table for two and ordered the food for two as well. Her expression hasn't been this tense for a long time. Mainly because even Trazyn doesn't believe what she is saying. So, she's both mad at him, and also the fact that she felt powerless in this situation makes her feel anxious.
"Mom?" Minka carefully called Monika, because she can see that clearly Monika isn't in a good mood: " I think I kind of figured out how this thing works…do you have your eye implant turned on?"
"Yes," Monika answered.
"Maybe you can try to turn it off in one eye and see what will happen," Minka suggests.
Monika does and tries to see Minka with the eye that doesn't have her implant turned on, and they find out that Minka is not on the field, yet she can still hear her.
"Hmm." Minka thinks it is time to give a conclusion: " I think I exist like an implant AI, but instead of an AI I somehow had all my consciousness transferred."
"Transferred..." Monika is trying to think about a person that's an expert in this field. And then she immediately slams the table due to anger: " Damn it Trazyn." Monika put the cash on the table and rushed back to her house.
"Mom, wait!" Minka stood in front of Monika, but she just ran past Minka because she's a hologram: " Please, don't go back and confront dad right now."
Monika stopped running and looked at where Minka was: "Why?"
"I hate to see you two fights. So please… dad must've done this for a reason." Minka begs Monika.
"I am not mad because of you; I am mad because he could have told me, yet he lied to my face." Monika explains: "Something is off, I need to talk to him. If Trazyn ever does something out of character, then something is seriously wrong."
When Monika is home, something is indeed off. It is too quiet. She walks around the house and finds nothing: " Traz? Nova?" Monika said loudly, yet no one replied. Monika pulls out a sword and is ready to strike anything that appears without warning.
Monika suddenly hears footsteps outside and prepares to throw the sword, Trazyn opens the door looking at Monika curiously: "Honey, what are you doing?"
"Probably because you pissed her off earlier so she's here to kill you. Go, sis, I will not stop you." Nova said it sarcastically.
Monika blushed and put her sword away. She walks near Trazyn and pulls him gently into a room: " Did you do it?"
"Do what?" Trazyn blinks blankly.
"Traz, I am this close to going mad again." Monika made a gap between her index finger and thumb: " I know you did it, so… just tell me why you didn't admit it in the first place." Monika crosses her arms. It is rare that Monika is actually serious with Trazyn.
Trazyn suddenly has an unexplainable look on his face, it is somehow both sad and also proudful: " When I first transferred Minka's body, I could already tell that at some point she will encounter this situation where she will eventually die. So, I had an implant in her where the moment her heart stops beating or she's experiencing that's lethal to her brain, it will automatically store her memory in this flash drive you find." Trazyn suddenly looked at Minka: " Minka my dear… sorry for being a bad father…"
"You could see me the entire time?!" Minka asked but then she suddenly became calm: " Dad… I don't know what to say about this…"
"I knew that you were dying, so I made a backup plan for you… but you passed on in front of everyone… before I could do anything. I digitized your entire consciousness a while ago, so in any case, you can't actually die because it would transfer to a backup body." Trazyn explains: " Similar to how Necron works. But… for humans... This idea is pretty hard to process. So that's why I put you into a chip that is specially made by Leonard."
"Of course, that man is part of this..." Monika let out a sigh.
"Dad…" Minka hugs Trazyn, even Trazyn couldn't feel anything, he knows that his daughter from another world is still here.
"I am sorry, but I can't put you back into a suitable body soon… because of that 'curse'," Trazyn said.
"What curse are you talking about?" Monika asks.
"No matter what body I am in, I will be slowly dying from phyrexian corruption. My existence is otherworldly so as long as I exist in a physical form, I will be cursed by the phyrexian corruption." Minka answered.
"And why did none of you tell me about it?" Monika narrowed her eyes and glanced at both Minka and Trazyn.
"Because…" Minka answered: " You would just get mad and rush towards Glissa because I'm dying."
Monika remained silent because she knew that this was exactly what she would do under the circumstances. She took a deep breath and left the house. She needed to get some fresh air.
"Why did you tell her that?" Trazyn looked at Minka in a disappointing way.
"So, she realizes charging blindly into enemies isn't going to solve problems." Minka isn't backing down from this, she believes that what she said is right and necessary.
While they are arguing, Nova went outside and sat next to Monika on the doorsteps: " Don't worry, I will always love you because of who you are~"
"It's not that…" Monika hugs her knee: " I felt like people kept getting hurt because of me."
"You know, you really need to stop trying to have this heroine mentality." Nova takes out a bottle of strong liquor: " Wanna share?"
"I am sorry, what?" Monika suddenly raised her voice.
" I said, do you want to share the booze or not?" Nova takes out two cups.
"No, I meant the thing you said beforehand." Monika is surprised that Nova would say stuff like that.
Nova let out a sigh: " Back then in the army, you were also looked up to by your subordinate. Hell, you even buy them food all the time. And your squad has the lowest mortality rate in the whole northeast branch."
"And how is that a bad thing?"
"Because you are the one that does everything. It is a miracle that you are still alive. This also makes you unbearable when you clearly need some help." Nova gulps a shot: " Sometimes it is better to gather together to find a solution than being sad and blaming everything on yourself." Nova poured Monika a shot of alcohol as well.
Monika remained silent and also took a shot, she hadn't drunk in a while so her reaction is rather entertaining for some people.
"I liked Minka." Nova looked up to the sky: " She's smart, cute, and most of all, not an idiot. She knows how to survive in this world."
"I thought you were going to dis me again." Monika looks at Nova, she just notices that she and Nova are so similar when neither of them is trying to compete with each other.
"I was, but some words are better said by Trazyn than me." Nova chuckles: "If there's one thing I like about him, it's that he's realistic and smart. Basically, different from you."
"I am glad that you two are getting along at least."
"Not a chance." Nova immediately said in an aggressive tone: " He's a douchebag, an arrogant ass and he took away my precious little sister." Nova snuggles into Monika.
"You…" Monika blushes: " How can you say something like that without feeling embarrassed?!" Monika tries to push Nova away, but then she realizes that her sister has suddenly fallen asleep on her lap. Instead of waking her up, Monika just gently brushes Nova's silky long hair with her hands like they used to do when they were little.
While inside the room, Trazyn is looking at Minka in a slightly annoyed way: " Why did you say that to Monika?"
"Because she needs to realize that her way of acting isn't helping anyone." Minka coldly replied.
"Yea, but she's your mother."
"She's not." Minka's tone isn't nice anymore: "She's nothing like mom, my mother is different in every aspect."
"Oh? What are the differences?" Trazyn is curious.
"I don't want to talk about it." Minka looks away.
Trazyn let out a long sigh, at some point he still feels like he knows nothing about Minka. When he looks at Minka again, she's nowhere to be found.
But then he found her staring at the wall in her room: " What's behind it?" Trazyn can sense the energy signature behind the wall, it is some kind of interdimensional portal.
"It is a realm I've built for myself when I am lost." Minka explains: " It is a place where I fight, train, and meditate. Also, we do keep some insane weapons in it or at least a copy of it."
"And you can't go in there anymore?" Trazyn said in a sarcastic tone: " Oh wait, is it because you don't have a physical body anymore?"
"Very observant and humorous, dad." Minka's face is dead straight: "I don't think this thing is going to pose any difficulties to you right? Given you are a master at breaking into secured places."
Trazyn winks and starts decoding the sequences on the wall. Minka just sits at the table and looks at his work, Minka's expression looks melancholy for some reason. After a short while, the wall opens, and a portal starts to power up.
"Do you want me to go in?" Trazyn asks.
"No, but why don't you take mom with you?" Minka suggests: " I think this place will also prove to be useful for the training to fight against Glissa."
"Are the monsters that tough to fight against?" Trazyn looks at Minka in a weird way: " What exactly is behind this portal?"
Minka just stared at Trazyn in a way that even made him feel uncomfortable, then Trazyn just proceeded to leave the room to find Monika.
When Trazyn steps out he is startled because Monika and Nova are looking straight into his eyes, no words need to be said, they seemingly demand some answers: " Well… I…"
"No more needs to be said, Traz." Monika and Nova enter the room: " We will go in." Monika looks to the corner of the room and starts wearing her exoskeleton armor. Since she lost her enhancement, she needs a way to fight hand in hand again.
"Are you sure...?" Trazyn is seemingly in distress: "Minka said this will be dangerous."
"We can't get stronger if we just stay where we are, right?" Monika lays her hand on Trazyn's chest: " Besides… I need someone I can trust completely to stay outside if anything goes wrong." If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it is the gaze of Monika, that ever the same gaze that means more than a thousand words.
"For us, it will just be a few weeks." Minka explains: " But there you probably will spend a few years there. Mom, I wish you good luck."
"Thank you…." Monika hugs Trazyn, neither of them wanted to release the hug, she turns her head to Minka: " Keep an eye on Traz will you? If he gives another girl a fancy look…" Monika cracks her knuckle.
"I wouldn't dare now… would I?" Trazyn and Monika then share a deep kiss, then he gives Nova a taunting look: "No, reconciliation hug or kisses?"
"Go to hell." Nova then grabs Monika and they both leap in.
"Hope you know what you're doing, Minka." He let out a long sigh and suddenly his body fell into sleep mode.
Monika and Nova arrived at a grand hall; it is aesthetically gothic-like any other imperium build but this place seemed strange. They suddenly hear a series of heeled food steps coming out from one of the exits. Both of them prepared their weapons and were ready to face whatever was coming.
"Alright, what do we have here…. oh~" A pink-haired girl with pointy ears slightly tilts her head sideways.
"Who are you?" Monika asks.
"Aw, don't be so hostile. I am not here to fight, at least not now~" her voice is extremely teasy, in a way a person would get aroused just by listening to her talk: " Well, why don't we start with a self-introduction? My name is Elysia."
"Monika."
"None of your business."
"Hello~ Monika and none of your business~" Elysia doesn't seem to be bothered by Nova's answer at all: " Well come to Elysia's realm. At Least this is what I call it."
"Are you a real person or just a projection?" Monika asks.
Elysia suddenly dashes in front of Monika and holds her hands gently: " How does this feel?~"
Nova points her pistol at Elysia's forehead: " Stop messing around, we were told there's going to be a difficult monster to fight."
"Ah… you must've been sent by Minka." Elysia grins warmly: " She's always been a cute and kind person. She actually is here, but it seems like she's not available right now."
"Available?"
"Well… let's put it in this way, what you see right now is a world that was originally owned by a guest from beyond the star. A pocket dimension that was created to preserve the heroes of imperium." Elysia explains.
"Lies, the imperium will never allow a pointy-eared freak like you to even exist." Nova is seemingly very bothered by Elysia, her instinct tells her that this pink hair girl is not someone nice.
"..." Elysia didn't say anything, yet her smile hasn't broken ever since they met: " Well, you are not that wrong in any way. But I am actually not human, in fact, the hero of imperium does have some members that come from other races, one of our inclusive programs really."
"The heroes of imperium…." Monika is trying to think about anything like this, but nothing crossed her mind.
"You look really cute when you are in thought~" Elysia is seemingly taking a liking to Monika: " Well, you guys are welcomed to explore this place freely but be careful, there are some places that don't have a cute and charming girl like me~"
"I thought we had to fight you."
Elysia giggles: " Why would you want to ever harm a girl like me?~" She blinks innocently: " Well now, I wish you good luck on your adventures." She waves them goodbye and then a door opens. From the outside, it looks like an infinite abyss. Soon she's gone within the shadows.
One of the main gates opens, it looks like it is leading towards the underground. Monika steps forward and Nova soon follows. While descending Nova asks Monika: " So… Do you have any plans after all of this? If we kill Glissa, maybe we will bring an end to the phyrexian rule."
"What do you mean?"
"Your thoughts… I am not sure if it's still with you or not."
"I don't understand." Monika's tone is as cold as the river in winter.
"Monika… you kept doing stuff that would put yourself in harm… it was like this even when we were young. It is not because you are a heroine type… it's because of your-" Nova's sentence got cut off by Monika
"I'm fine sis, really." Monika chuckles warmly: " I'm glad that you are looking after me, but from time to time maybe you can let me grow by myself."
"Have you thought about everyone around you? Your action doesn't only have consequences for you but also for the people around you. Don't be like dad." Nova continues.
Monika stops her movement, she turns back and grabs Nova by her collar: " Don't you dare say that ever again…He is still alive, just like mom."
"Stop trying to kill yourself!" Nova breaks her cold demeanor and screams at Monika.
"..."
"You don't think I know what you've always been trying to do? How many more secrets are you trying to hide from all of us? We are your friends and family." Nova pleads: " Please… let me help you, let all of us help you…I know it is hard to bear the darkness inside you..."
Monika releases Nova and gives her a hug: " Sis… I am not troubled by that anymore…let's just take what we came for and go back…I've met new people, friends that will never let me go. I haven't been bothered by that for a while now." Monika grins confidently: " Thank you for this, sis."
Nova doesn't say anything, she pats Monika on the shoulder and moves on. They soon arrived at the first area. There's nothing at the start but soon the alarm started ringing and a few orks were teleported into the field. Monika dashes in and instantly cuts off their heads. But then for some reason, they stood up again: " Well, I guess it is not so easy huh?"
Outside of the gate, Trazyn is cleaning the house, for some reason he's fond of the chores. Sannet came in and put a package on the table: " Lord Trazyn, this is the item that you requested."
"Thank you, Sannet!" He glanced at her and continued on sweeping the floor.
"Lord Trazyn if I may… this type of work is beneath you," Sannet said in a skeptical way.
Trazyn didn't get offended or anything, he calmly sits down and signs Sannet to do so as well: "Well, Sannet my loyal servant. What do you think is work that's up to my standard?"
"Lead the tomb world for various purposes. Sire." Sannet answered calmly.
"Oh? How many years has it been the last time that I gave a direct order?"
"Two years, 21 days."
"Dear Sannet, don't you think that's pretty short? It's only been two human years." Trazyn is using his sassy tone again.
Sannet remained silent for some reason. Trazyn is right, for a Necron two years of time feels like mere minutes for the lifespan of an immortal machine. Trazyn smiles and leans forward: "Tell me, say your observations. I want to hear it."
"You've changed lord Trazyn." Sannet replied: " You've changed into something that I don't recognize anymore. You stayed on one subject for so long even though you already owned it. It brings no value and is a mere annoyance in my opinion."
"What do you think of humans? Sannet. You look like one, and you are living among them, what's your opinion so far?" Trazyn is surprised that Sannet gives such an impression.
"I dislike them." Sannet answered without giving a thought: "They are inefficient, disloyal, and aggressive."
"Yes, they are like that. But what about some of the good humans you've met? I am pretty sure you don't dislike all of them, right?"
"I liked Minka." Sannet answered: " She's the few humans I actually enjoyed working with. It was such a shame that she passed on. Other than Minka, when I was grocery shopping, some of the older females gave me some free items due to my looks. I find it odd, to be honest."
"I made you into a cute girl." Trazyn teases: " How does it feel to be loved?"
Sannet didn't answer directly, after a few moments of silence she answered: " I felt… recognized as a member of their society. I benefited due to my perks... "
"Those are the results, but when did you feel while talking to them?"
"I was not annoyed and had a rather pleasant experience while conversing with them." Sannet suddenly looks like something has awakened within her.
Seeing this, Trazyn chuckled: " Sannet, remember when we were still the necrontyr?"
"Sire, I, unfortunately, do not…"
"Neither did I, but by living among humans… I felt like this was something I was lacking. And among them… Monika was different. She was not like most humans. Her soul and mind were clouded by sadness and loneliness. Frankly speaking, I felt the same, yet it has been too long that I felt aloof about them. I saw my past self through her, and so I decided to stay with her. I felt like she could also sense it and decided to do so. And that has changed my perspective."
"Why?" Sannet asks.
"Mutual attraction. We are attracted to each other, despite the fact that she knew that I was a machine. She completes me in a way." Trazyn explains.
"I do not get that." Sannet is very confused about everything Trazyn just said.
"Well… why don't you try to give an open mind to everything this world has to offer? This is an order." Trazyn changed his tone.
By instinct, Sannet stood up and bowed in front of Trazyn: " I will obey, Sire." Sannet then leaves the house, she goes back to her hideout. On the way she kept thinking about Trazyn's order, an open mind to everything this world has to offer? What does this mean? Sannet kept walking and suddenly a child stopped her: " Miss, can you please lend us a hand?" He points at the tree branch: " Our cat went on there and we are scared that it might fall."
Normally Sannet will just ignore the kid, but Trazyn's words got to her. She nods and follows the kid under the tree. Sannet scanned the tree and located the cat, with inhuman speed, she leaped between trees and grabbed the cat completely unharmed. All the children were shocked by the performance Sannet gave, and then she just waved goodbye to them and headed off.
Sannet felt accomplished yet this is a bit too minor. She starts to think about what kind of task will bring fulfillment to her. She thought about going to Trazyn for guidance but then she got rid of the idea because she knows that Trazyn will be like: Oh, dear Sannet, why don't you think about it yourself? If she has to be perfectly honest, she hates that attitude. Sure, it is lordly, but no other lord ever does this.
She suddenly felt something wrapping around her legs, it was a cat. Not the cat that she rescued but apparently this animal saw what Sannet did and gained a bit of interest. Sannet crouches down and looks the cat in the eyes, its blue eyes are like a gem that was uncovered from the deepest core of the planet. Sannet couldn't help but pick up the cat. It is so little even in Sannet's arm.
Maybe because of the lack of emotion from Sannet, the cat wasn't scared or anything. It started to seem smiling towards Sannet, and Sannet was ministered by it. For once, Sannet grins her in content.
Seeing no one was looking for this cat, Sannet carried it in her arms and eventually arrived at her hideout. Sannet actually put effort into making a little house for the cat, and seemingly the cat also recognized her efforts, within a day they are already inseparable.
"Hey~ Minka~" Trazyn calls Minka who's currently reading a book: " Do you have a, I don't know, weapon stash for all the goodies?"
Minka shuts her holographic book and looks at Trazyn in an annoyed way: " What do you want? Dad."
"You see…I might be a bit short on gadgets at the moment… Since you are such a smart girl and will not see me suffer in agony…"
"Stop it… if I am actually here, I will surely get goosebumps…" Minka let out a short sigh: " Fine...go to my room and shout: dad I hate you."
"Do you actually mean it every time before you take out your weapons?"
"Absolutely I do because the only thing in the world that would piss me off is you," Minka said in an un-sarcastic tone.
Trazyn shakes his head and enters Minka's room: " Dad… I hate you."
"Your pitch isn't right, imagine someone stole your blueprint for the improved teleportation parts." Minka crosses her arm.
"Wait, you knew?"
"Of course, I knew."
"..." Trazyn looks away: " Dad! I hate you!" Suddenly half of the room starts transforming into display cases for weapons. The variation actually amazed him. It ranges from handheld cannons to assassination poison: "Can I use all of them?" Trazyn asks.
"Go wild, no one else is going to use it anyways." Minka looked pleased when she saw Trazyn was amazed by her collection.
Trazyn picked up the lance which was used when she was fighting him: " I remember this, such fine craftsmanship… Did your mom make this?"
Minka shakes her head: " Mom never liked the fact that I joined the army. It was a gift from my old commander. But it was a weapon that was passed down from the Terra family."
Trazyn wields it with proficiency: " Minka, I promise you that when everything is finished. I will bring you back."
"Dad…" Minka grins: " Thank you." She wanted to add more, but then there's something better left out not saying out loud.
In a now destroyed realm, Glissa sitting on the throne, lost in direction. The descending ceremony was supposed to be safe, yet Trazyn was banished at the last moment. What should she do? praetors are all either dead or missing. The resistance has won against the phyrexian, but at what cost? Their planet is dying, polluted resources festered in their realm. This is no place to continue.
"My queen." Traxex, the drow ranger pleads: "The people are waiting."
Glissa pinches her forehead in an annoyed way: "Disperse them, this is no time to celebrate, we still have a lot to do."
"But…"
"Just do as I said." Glissa returned to her room. She's holding a gift that was given by Monika, a token of trust. Yet, the overwhelming guilt swarmed up to her heart, she failed Monika. What is going to happen to Monika? Trazyn is banished and knowing her, Monika will drown in the pool of sadness.
Just when she's deep in thought, suddenly the ground shakes and goes off again. She runs out to the balcony and sees a mushroom cloud on the far end of the land. She immediately dispatched a group of rangers to scout the affected area.
After an hour, the ranger came back. Some of them are covered in black glistening oil, from the shocked expression they must have been through a hell of a fight. Glissa pulls out her magic dagger and starts to set a course towards the explosion zone.
The sight in front of her was horrifying, a melted building that's covered in black oil, and seemingly something is swimming in the pools of oil as well, but it seemingly looks like…. Humans. Even a person such as Glissa was shocked about the unnatural phenomenon in front of her, they need to do something about it…. Before everything was too late.
The search and rescue were tough, more and more they heard distant explosion noises from all directions. This planet is on the brink of extinction. They have to find solutions for that. Despite the best efforts on the planet the best they could do is to delay corruption.
Many generals suggest getting out of the planet but there's no foreseeable habitable planet yet, just when everyone thought it was their end. A hooded man came into the palace and gave a solution: "To transform into phyrexian creatures and set on a journey to the distant yet connected realm."
The process was painful and slow yet after 50 years of their time, all of their people are transformed into semi-mechanical creatures, except Glissa. Glissa was given power far beyond her reach to be able to protect and serve her people. When countless light beams shine on the former known as the Mirrodin people, they have left. The second time they restored their visions, they arrived at the planet Terren.
The rest is known history, many Adeptus mechanicus people believe the phyrexian is the product of the machine god. Their technology fused with magic is unmatchable even with the most advanced technology imperial of man have to offer. At some point, Trazyn felt empathic about the choices Glissa had to make, after all, the silent king did almost exactly the same thing but on a grander scale. And it only took him 60 million years to figure out a way to go back to a biological host, which also thanks to the phyrexian technology.
It's been a few days since Monika and Nova have gone to the unknown realm. The house feels a bit empty if he has to be honest. Sannet hasn't talked to him for days as well, he's a bit worried that she might get herself into trouble or something.
On his way to Sannet's hideout, he's reading a book about arcane art. Since this world has been occupied by phyrexians for an extended period of time, arcane energy has been integrated into everything. He's a bit fascinated by the fact that with just a single chanting spell, people can manifest the arcane energy for their own use. Maybe he can also learn a thing or two.
"Let's try this out… from the depth of heaven, indistinguishable light, I command thee, Divine lightning!" Trazyn tries his best to read the incarnations out loud by following exactly what the instruction has told. But nothing happened: "Well let's throw this book out…." Suddenly the sky darkens, and a beam of light strikes in front of him, making a huge hole in Monika's backyard.
"Well… that was something, I guess I have to have the intention while utilizing the spells…" Trazyn turns to another page, but Minka's sudden appearance disrupts his concentration.
"What in the world are you doing?!" Minka frowns seriously.
"Ah, dear daughter. I am learning about astral arts."
"You what?"
"Astral arts. I just summoned a big beam of light from the sky." Trazyn looked really proud of his work: "Maybe you can also give it a try, you know since you have nothing to do as digital software, might as well test out whether you can chante spells as well."
If there's an expression Monika and Minka commonly give to Trazyn is the look of 'unbelievable' which is usually followed up with a discouraging shake of the head: "Don't you have better things to do? Also, you need to clean up before mom and aunt Nova comes back. They will literally beat you up if you leave this out."
"Alright alright…. I will find Sannet right now." Such lowly work is not for the kind like Trazyn. This time, Minka didn't stay at home, she decided to follow Trazyn and see what he's really up to: "Dear, daughter. Maybe you shouldn't leave the house… you might…"
"Shut up and keep walking." Minka is mad: "I can't even find peace after I'm dead?"
"You are not dead... .. technically, until the point that I can reverse your curse that is."
"Shut up…."
The rest of the journey is just Trazyn walking at the front while he feels a constant feeling of a glaring dagger. He still doesn't understand why Minka is mad. He slowly turns around when he arrives at Sannet's hideout, to his surprise Minka is seemingly weeping.
He walks forward to try to calm Minka down but when his hand passes through her body, he finally understands the reason why Minka is having those extreme emotional outbursts: "Minka… I will save you… No matter the cost… I shall put all my dignity into this…"
Minka glanced at him then disappeared, Trazyn let out a sigh and knocked on Sannet's door. No one replied. He knocked again, the same result. Trazyn activates his power fist and punches open the door. He didn't sense anything when he got in, but when he's in the basement, he doesn't know whether he should be mad or happy for Sannet at this moment.
"Sire?" Sannet is crouching on the floor playing with the little kitten she just adopted.
Trazyn's face looked grim, this is the first time Sannet did something like this in millions of years. It is so grim that it scared the cat away, and now it's hiding under the table. Trazyn comes in at a slow pace, but each step sounds heavy and menacing.
Sannet immediately puts one knee on the floor and bows down: "I am sorry sire. I will dispose of…"
"Get up." Trazyn's tone is calm yet still full of pressure: "You should name it."
"My apology sire… I was caught… wait… what?" It is rare that Sannet hears any conversation that goes along with her from Trazyn.
"I said, you should name this little creature that you adopted."
"Yes... right…" Sannet is still confused about everything that's happening: "Lord Trazyn…. Aren't you mad?" She asks in a very quiet tone.
"Why would I get mad at you? You have done all the work flawlessly so far and of course, I was a bit surprised by this but in a good way." Trazyn grins: "I was just messing with you, Sannet."
"To answer your previous question… no I still haven't named it… I was thinking… Maybe you should name it for me." Sannet puts both of her hands at the back and bites her lips.
"Maybe you should name it… Minka." Trazyn hopes that Minka will immediately pop up and give him a good scolding, but nothing happens.
"Minka?... Lord Trazyn… are you sure using your passed on daughter to name a cat is a good idea?" Sannet asks doubtfully.
"Or you can come up with your own." Trazyn lost interest in this topic: "Anyways, come over to the Terra mansion, there's something I need your help with." Trazyn then proceeds to leave the house.
The moment Trazyn went out, the cat came out of the table as well. But this time, it jumped right in Sannet's arms. Sannet carefully pets the cat, and it seemed to be enjoying it: "Minka?" Sannet called the cat but for some reason, the cat looked at Sannet in a confusing way: "Then your name is Minka from now on!"
Monika woke up from her sleep, she's exhausted, and Nova only got to floor seven after dozens of tries. And there's a total of eighteen in this realm. She suddenly feels something soft is right next to her, when she wakes up a pink-haired elf-looking girl is sleeping beside her. Monika would've thrown her off but she's too tired to do so: " Nova….?" she calls in a weak tone, but when she turns her head in the other direction, Nova is also lying on the bed half dead due to tiredness.
After a few more hours, Monika finally feels well-rested and gets up from bed, Elysia is nowhere to be found. She wants to talk to Elysia about it but after seeing Nova still hasn't recovered, she decides to let it slide for now. At least Elysia didn't do anything inappropriate… right?
The supply center of this realm seemingly has everything, it is amazing that something like this is within an enclosed dimension. While gathering some food, Monika suddenly sees someone she recognizes: "Minka?" Monika walks closer but Minka suddenly glares at her.
"Remain your distance, traveler." Minka then focused her attention on gathering her own supplies.
"Minka… it's me…It's mom." Monika's voice is getting weak.
"Mom? You ? I am sorry but you are not her. At least not in my world." Minka's tone is rather polite yet still distant and is very different from the one Monika knows. Yet they look exactly the same, could this be Minka but from a different time? Monika thought.
Monika clears her throat: "Ahem, so… are you going to make some food in the communal space?"
"If you are trying to be friendly with me then you are wasting your time. I am just assimilating Minka's memory. The real Minka is god knows where. But if you have any questions about this place, I guess you can feel free to ask." Minka then left for the eating area.
Monika grabbed some snacks that Nova liked to eat, but when she got back to her room. Nova is pointing her gun at Elysia. Monika drops the things calmly and pat down the gun from Nova: " Let me guess… you woke up and she's right next to you?"
"Yea, and I already felt filthy after this pointed ear-."
"Nova… Maybe we should be a bit more open-minded here… if she wanted to harm you then why didn't she do anything while you were asleep?" Monika gives her a small bag of dried beans.
"Monika is such a gentle person~," Elysia said in a very seductive tone, but Monika's sword is pointing right at her the moment she finishes her sentence.
"I will deal with you later." Monika's tone is stone-cold: " I've got a lot of questions to ask."
"Sure~" Elysia's easy tone frankly is not normal yet both Monika and Nova couldn't sense anything negative from her and most strangely Nova can't read her mind for some reason.
"Now, tell us what kind of place this realm is?" Monika asks.
Elysia grins comfortably: "It is a place where the heroes of imperium stored their personality and memory in. But it was materialized thanks to the archivist." Elysia goes a bit forward, but Monika's blade is getting closer to her throat: "My, my. Do we really have to stab each other's throats to be able to talk? I thought we were closer than that."
"Stop talking like we know each other already." Monika is clearly unhappy about whatever is going on: "So, how many of you are here?"
"Ten." Elysia didn't get bothered by what Monika said: "All of us were the best of the best. We fought across star sectors and claimed countless realms for order in the galaxy. This is why we were able to store our memory in this eternal realm."
"Archivist you say…." Nova asks: " What did he do?"
"The leading scientist of the imperium, he was the one who figured out how to retain a realm inside a pocket dimension." Elysia explains: " Also, killer dance moves."
"Why aren't they meeting us like you?" Monika asks.
"Well… you did see Minka, and she's such a kind girl, isn't she? You know her mother is the richest person on the planet?" Elysia whispers: "Lady Eden is an elegant woman. You should definitely meet her, especially since you two do resemble each other."
"What about Nova?" Monika asks.
"Major was the best covert operator this planet has ever produced, she single-handedly brought down two regimes that's been openly defiance towards the imperium~" Elysia got a bit closer but this time Monika didn't move her sword: " I think we can be really good friends here don't you think?~" Her pink eyes gazed into Monika's, it is indeed very beautiful but as they all say, the beautiful mushroom is always poisonous.
When Elysia walks away doing something else, Monika taps Nova by the arm: "So… apparently in Minka's world, I'm rich and you are an agent."
"What do you want?" This is the rare moment where Nova isn't toying with Monika.
Monika half covers her mouth with her hand and speaks in a sassy tone: "My, you are feeling a bit salty now huh? How does it feel to work under me?"
"If you were acting like this, I would definitely openly defile your tyranny." Nova half-jokingly said.
Monika wraps her arm against Nova's: "Oh~ don't be such a baby, maybe you will be like me once you grow up."
Nova rolls up her eyes and starts to pack up her weapons: "Honestly, I do regret growing up."
Monika didn't reply but instead, she picked up some dry beans from the table: "Here… let's snack on it and continue in the realm. Maybe we can meet our doppelganger as well." Her comforting smile is a different view in this strange realm.
"I felt like you've changed… I don't know if it's for the best or not." Nova shakes her head.
After leaving Sannet's hideout Trazyn found a place where he's sure that no one is watching and starts talking to the air: "Oh, come on, Minka. Did you really get that mad? Please come back and talk to me." Trazyn pleads but Minka doesn't appear from thin air.
"Talking to air now, are we?" The person who probably is hated the most on the planet suddenly walks out from a valley: "I am sorry for your loss."
"Glissa…" Trazyn pulls out two staff, one is the spear from Minka and the other one is his lordly staff: " I guess we will have to settle this now."
"Settle? I am here to talk to you and see if we can come to an agreement." Glissa leans on the wall: "I want you to find a place for us phyrexians."
"You? Phyrexians? Even by my standard, what you've done so far is unacceptable. Also, you're just gonna leave after screwing up this planet?" Trazyn is getting uncool.
"This planet still has a chance. With your resources, maybe you can-"
"Shut up." Trazyn activates his power, the walls start shaking yet Glissa is still calm as if nothing is happening.
"You've changed Trazyn. I thought you didn't even give a damn about this planet. Isn't that ironic that you are saying I am allying with the phyrexian and yet you are more human than you give yourself credit to?" Glissa pulls her dagger on the wall and suddenly all the shakes are nullified: "You can try to bring me down but remember there hasn't been a weapon that hasn't been thrown at me already on this planet and yet I am here negotiating with you. You are a smart man; you can do the math." Glissa then blinked away in an instant.
The wall crumbled, some fell on Trazyn's head, under the skin the green glowing metal is shown. No matter how much Trazyn concealed himself he's still a machine. This time, Minka appeared.
"..." Minka didn't say anything: " We are on borrowed time now. If Glissa came to us, it means that this world is on the verge of doom…"
"Minka…" Trazyn looked at her with half of his face still healing from the fallen wall: " Why did you send Monika and Nova to the realm?"
Minka didn't look Trazyn in the eyes, she was seemingly hiding something.
Monika stomps walking in front of Nova and grabs her by the shoulders: "Nova! Why didn't you shoot that guy in the face? You are only lucky that I got a slash instead of having my torso removed from my other half!" Monika is mad at Nova because she didn't watch her back.
"Sorry, I hesitated." Nova is avoiding Monika's glare.
"Hey." Monika loosened her tone a bit: " This is not like you. Who was that?"
"One of my subordinates or a look alike. He died at the first attack of the phyrexian." Nova admits: " He was a hard worker, and everyone liked him in the squad. He was only eighteen by the time he was KIA."
Monika took a deep breath pats Nova's shoulder: " I am sorry for asking… but… we need to keep going. If you have anything on your mind, just share it with me. Can you do that for me, sis?"
Nova nods and then they proceed to the next floor. What they did not realize is that someone was watching from the start and taking notes on their various interactions.
When they arrive at the next floor, it is nothing like where they've been before, instead, it is an open space with sunlight and trees with golden leaves, under the tree there's a piano. When Monika and Nova approach under the tree, a familiar yet different voice calls them: "Hello, dignified travelers."
If Monika has to use one word to describe who this person is, she is elegant. With just a simple greeting, she already knows that this person is accomplished in life and beyond. By just looking at her figures Monika felt that they are not even on the same wavelength, she never thought anyone could make themselves look this elegant yet with simple decorations. Her whole presence radiates with light.
Nova felt the same thing as Monika, she took a deep breath and replied in a great manner: " Hello, may I ask what your name is?"
The woman grins warmly: " Don't you already know?"
Monika gulps: " So… you are Eden? "
"Indeed, it seems like Ellie already mentioned my name. Dear travelers, I welcome you to my realm, I see great qualities in both of you. This is indeed a wonderful time." Eden narrates in a way that makes her voice sound like music.
"Eden… it's a beautiful name." Monika is amazed by Eden; this might be what Monika could become if she gave it time and effort: "Are you the mother of… Minka?"
"Yes." Eden replied: " She's the product of Trazyn and me, Minka is a person who possesses tremendous capability."
Seeing what Minka's real mother is like, she kind of feels ashamed in certain aspects, because deep inside she knows that from every aspect so far, Monika is a few levels below Eden. However, Monika still has a question she wanted to ask: "If I may, did something happen between you and Trazyn? Because Minka came to our reality and told us about a conflict."
Eden calmly looks at Monika but, in a way, it feels like Monka has struck a core inside of Eden's heart: " We have different ideologies on what we pursue. After we had Emilia, he left. But seeing what he's accomplished, I wouldn't say it is a bad choice."
"But…" Monika wanted to defend Trazyn but Nova just pats her down.
"Thank you, Ms. Eden. We are looking forward to knowing better about you. But we need to continue to reach till the very end and retrieve the weapon that's powerful enough to save our world." Nova said it diplomatically.
"Dear me… Isn't Minka powerful enough for the menace of your world? Unless..." Eden's voice shakes. But she didn't show it on her face: " Anyways, I wish you good luck." Eden then looks away, when she figured out what happened to Minka, even for a memory simulation it looks a bit too real on how they react.
Monika and Nova said no more, they then just proceeded to the lower end, if they are correct, they are almost halfway through but the deeper they go the harder the fights seem to be. The feeling of time has been distorted in this place, maybe for Monika they felt like it's been weeks but in reality, it has only been mere days.
This time when they finally reached the middle level, something was different. On the other side, it is a 'thing' or a man that radiates a cold aura like nothing before. Nova could feel a sense of similarity, yet this cold aura makes their scent almost indistinguishable from anything.
They pulled out their weapons, but on the other side, that thing didn't move. Monika has enhanced vision, when she sees that 'thing' on the other side, her hand for some reason starts shaking. Nova shot a flare at the ceiling. That is at the moment she could see that thing…. It is Noel.
Unlike the Noel they know, this thing in front of them is seemingly completely lifeless. Her movements are rigid and clunky. There's no life in it at all. Monika pulls out her sword and starts charging forward, she knows this is not the Noel she knows but out of mercy, she wants to end this fast. Despite the clunky movement, its reaction speed is unnatural. Even without a weapon, it still managed to deal with Monika and Nova's coordinated attack with ease.
Seeing this, Monika concentrates her energy, black lightning appears around her, and with ever-increasing slashes, black lightning starts creeping on Noel. But it doesn't look like she's stopping at all.
Nova's bullet for some reason is being deflected by some invisible force, while Monika is drawing Noel's attention. Nova sends out a beam of lightning, this time she sees what happened: " Monika, she's a puppet."
"Got it." Monika leaps upward and utilizes the black lightning to distinguish the location of the weaves. Then she pulls out Trazyn's interdimensional blade to cut off the strings. When all the strings were cut loose, Noel disintegrated into the ground.
"It's just a mindless puppet." Nova kicks the ash away: "There's nothing in that head. Quite fitting even when Noel was in my squad."
Monika crouches down and torches the still burning red ashes, she doesn't say more but her action means more than a hundred words. Whoever is behind this will have to face the wrath of the finest of the imperium.
The following level has more of those Noel puppets, they can sense that they are getting closer to something hideous. It didn't take long for them to kill more than dozens of them as they understood their weakness. When they killed sixty-six of them, they stopped coming and within them. A more normal looking 'Noel' walks in front of Monika and Nova: " Welcome, travelers. My name is Noel Vermillion, the puppeteer. You are here to seek the weapon that would save your world, yes?"
"How did you know?" Nova asks.
"Through the thread of reality, I can see the near future and the unknown past." Noel waves her hand and some silk-looking material manifested from thin air: " I am just a mere guardian for what's behind the door."
"They send one of the heroes to guard the door?" Nova scoffs: " You must be really unimportant."
"Nova Terra… What is more humiliating? Your battle at the iron gate or the time when you got hit by a car which was driven by a normal man?" Noel grins tauntingly: "I guess you also failed to play a part in project zodiac as well huh?"
Nova dashed forward but her body was not moving for some reason, Noel raised her finger and Nova dropped on her knee: "People like you are nothing but a mere puppet for the ones on the top. You are not fit to save your world."
"Enough." Monika points her sword at Noel: " Release her or you will have to deal with the consequences."
"Consequences?" Noel activates her power but for some reason her expression changes from confidence to being shocked, but then she has a devilish grin on her face: " Fascinating… it seems like I cannot let you pass without a fight huh? After I defeat you, I will extract all of your little secrets from your head."
"..." Monika pulls out a shiny dagger, in an instant, she blinked behind Noel, but it was just a mere illusion.
"Magic weapons? How heretical" Noel snaps her finger and countless threads start shooting towards Monika. But Monika didn't move, she let the thread bind her, and twist her body. Noel scoffs: " This is it? I thought you were going to put up a fight?"
"Yea…" A voice suddenly appeared behind Noel, even the volume is low yet for Noel it is deafening. An overwhelming feeling of suffocation made her lose her concentration, it also made her release Nova as well.
"What did you do?!" Noel screams around the area but Monika is nowhere to be seen.
She extends the thread across the area, but it is too late. A red-eyed shadow appears in front of Noel and grabs her by the neck: " Now… you will pay for what you've done..."
"Monika!" Nova shouts at her: "It's over."
Monika's eye is turning green again, she then drops Noel on the ground and then points her sword at Noel's face: "You know why you couldn't see my past or future?"
"Why?" Noel doesn't understand.
"Because I live in a life where I have no regrets and expectations, I never look back or look forward. I only live in the moment." Monika then pulls her sword away: "You are very different from the Noel I know, yet I know this weapon, it is a vermillion legacy that was unused, but apparently not from your case."
"What a load of bullcrap." Noel stands up and stares Monika into the eyes: " This relic can change the thread of reality, there's no way that your life attitude can change the basic law of reality."
Monika did not answer, she helped Nova to get up and walked in front of the door to the lower area. But before going in she turns back and smiles: "You have too little faith in what humans can do…. And besides… " Monika waves a small relic that she carries all the time: " I have a sister who loves to read people's minds without permission. So, you thought I wouldn't have any way to prevent that from happening?"
Seeing this, Noel hits the floor with her hand. Nova glanced at Monika: " You don't have any of those right? Did Trazyn give you something to prevent reality manipulation?"
"Yep."
"And you said all of that just to piss her off?"
"Yep, also because I can tell she's an annoying person, but Minka said Noel treated her well, so this is why I didn't kill her here. And to be honest, I don't even know if I can do that or not…" Monika puts her hands behind her back.
"Sometimes…" Novel chuckles: " I have no idea what you are thinking even if I read your thoughts."
"Ellie, what's wrong?" Eden gently brushes Elysia's hair.
"I am just so happy to have new people to visit us. It gets lonely, you know?" Elysia answered in a girly tone, but then she turns and looks Eden into the eyes: " But what do you think of Monika and Nova? Are they like you and Major?"
"In a lot of ways… we are different, the way she dresses looks like a peasant and the words she uses to make her sound like a thug. And yet…. It is fitting, it doesn't make her look out of place. A being of harmony. I and Major are very different when it comes to personality, I prefer peace, and yet she is the embodiment of war. These two, however…" Eden paused for a few seconds: " They have different thoughts and yet they are connected by one thing… Love. Maybe I and Major never even had this kind of relationship even when we were young. Probably why this was the thing I've taught Minka the most… and yet she went to chase after her father's path..."
"Aw…" Elysia hugs Eden: " Don't worry... I always love you no matter what happens." Elysia snuggles her face on Eden's: " Dear, Eden can you please also say that to me?"
"I love you too Ellie." Eden did not hesitate, she always loved Elysia because of her straightforwardness and charm.
Outside of an unknown area that's seemingly uncharted on the map:"Hmmm." Trazyn touches his chin: " Are you sure this is the place?"
"According to the files… Yes." Sannet opens a file that was labeled 'top secret'.
Trazyn looks at the broken building and seemingly no one has been here for at least a century: " Imagine just throwing your mother in a place like this, that Leonard Terra is such a black-hearted bastard."
"Sire…" Sannet timidly looks at Trazyn: "If you have to hide me from the world…."
"I will stop you right here." Trazyn scans the area with the scanner: " I am not going to even hide you because you will never leave my side."
Sannet grins in comfort and doesn't say more, they've been working together for millions of years, it is hard to understand what kind of feeling Sannet has towards Trazyn. Given in a biological form, she can finally discover this part herself.
"What are you doing here?" Maria suddenly appeared behind them while holding a few bags of groceries.
"Oh hi, Mrs. Terra. We are here because we would like to talk to you about some business." Sannet said it first because she knows that Maria and Trazyn's relationship is rather unwell maintained.
Maria looked at Sannet from top to bottom and she looked at Trazyn: " You dumped my daughter this fast? Or did she dump you?"
"For real? That's the first thing that came across your mind?" Trazyn is getting impatient: "Monika and I are doing perfectly fine. We are here because we wish to talk to you about fighting against Glissa."
Maria narrowed her eyes: " Hmph." She then dropped the groceries and walked in front of Trazyn: "Sure, let's discuss the details in the house." She points at the ruin. And suddenly the shape of the building started twisting, eventually, it became a big house.
Trazyn and Sannet looked at each other, whatever this technology is they haven't seen before because their scanner could usually find those hidden buildings easily.
The building is seemingly well maintained, when they got in, they were greeted by Noel and Erin: " Trazyn? Welcome! And you are….?"
"Sannet, I am a…." Sannet looked at Trazyn but he replied with a confident nod: " Friend of Trazyn."
"Welcome to this realm of Eden, a hidden place founded by the Vermillion and Terra family. We've been staying here ever since Minka saved us. I am sorry about what happened to her…" Noel looks down: " But what can we do for you two?"
"Kill Glissa," Trazyn answered directly, and yet there's a clear tone of anger in his voice. It is not normal for him to even show emotion most of the time.
"..." Everyone didn't say more, but they all know that it is near impossible to kill her at this point. She's gotten too powerful to be handled by anything or anyone. Even the weapons that Monika and Nova could take from the pristine realm are just a tool to increase the balance of power. And who knows if Glissa got any more tricks up her sleeves.
"I'm in…. Even though I can't do much, if the world will come to an end, then we have no choice but to fight!" Erin steps forward. Determination in her eyes.
"I'm in as well!" Noel holds Erin's hand: "We will not go down without a fight!"
Sannet made a fist with her hand and placed it on her chest: "I'm in as well, this is not over until we say so!"
Maria let out a sigh: "Fine… I guess I'm in as well." Even if it means going back to life where she will be chased around, but as a Terra. Saving the world always comes first.