Her duty was passed for generations. She held the same duty as her mother, and her grandmother before her.
The two of them knew each other since her childhood, and she heard all sorts of stories about her ancestors. Usually they were funny, but some of them were lessons to be learned. Lessons directed at her, so she could grow stronger than her parents.
Even as a child, they were still best friends. Inseparable. Always together, always trusting each other.
Wherever Uzume was, there was also Hilda.
Uzume's personal bodyguard. The strongest person in Planeptune.
Nepgear felt at peace. Thinking nothing. Worrying nothing. The mind of the Candidate was resting. The problems of the outside world were not hers for this brief moment.
"Ne...ar."
Some sort of voice called out for her, but Nepgear was deeply asleep. It sounded confused, but Nepgear hasn't realized it, yet. She was asleep, dreaming of spending time with her sister. Work could wait until later.
"Nep...ear."
It sounded more clear this time, and Nepgear's eye twitched. Her dream was crashing down. Her rest was interrupted and peace was threatened. Whoever it was, they wanted her badly.
"Nepgear."
Finally, the CPU Candidate stirred, woken up by the constant chanting of her name. The voice was familiar, friendly even. Still, her eyelids felt heavy, as if weighted down by lead. Her mind was tired and she just wanted to sleep a bit longer. Just for five more minutes. The battle was quick and lost, Nepgear was going back to sleep.
"Nepgear, wake up." The voice called out once more, and so finally Nepgear opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a face. A friendly expression and short red hair were the quickest things to notice - followed by orange eyes and a headband. Nepgear knew this person. It was her… friend? Enemy? Person?
It was Falcom. Before everything that happened to her.
She sighed upon seeing Nepgear awake, relieved at the sight of her. "Finally. I've been trying to wake you up for so long!"
"Fal… com?" Nepgear was shocked to see her. Shocked to see and hear her being friendly, when a moment earlier she stabbed her. She remembered all of it. Her and Neptune evacuating the staff, being reassured by Compa and her sister… the weird cocoon that Falcom fell through.
"Because you deserved it."
The feeling of the purple blade stabbing her chest, going through her flesh and bone like they were nothing. Seeing the one who all but murdered her, Nepgear reacted like any sane person would.
With full blown panic.
"Oh." Falcom deadpanned, realizing where this was going.
"Aah!?" Eyes wide, the CPU Candidate bolted upright - spooking the red haired girl. "D-Don't! Don't come closer!" Nepgear reached for her sword, but it wasn't there. She tried to transform, but she couldn't. She tried to use SP… but she didn't have any.
She was effectively disarmed. Vulnerable.
And Falcom hadn't taken a step, nor moved a muscle towards her. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!" She said, "I'm… not Hilda." To solidify her point Falcom sat down, putting herself in a vulnerable position for Nepgear's sake.
It had the intended effect. Nepgear was quickly calming down. "T-Then… who?" She asked, still confused about her situation.
"Well… I'm Falcom!" Falcom introduced herself. "Technically, yeah. Um."
Falcom paused for a moment, thinking how she could explain what was currently happening. The redhead scratched her head and looked aside, while Nepgear waited for more.
Finally, Falcom turned her head back towards Nepgear. "We're, like, inside my mind. You know."
"Huh?" Nepgear blinked. "W-what?"
Falcom chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah, I also have no idea how all of this really works. I just know this is a manifestation of my mental space or something of the sort. I know where everything is… I have no idea how I know it though."
Nepgear looked around, seeing walls made out of dark, purple bricks. Details and decorations taken straight out of gothic architecture, with weird torches giving light - the flames were unnaturally green. This whole place gave Nepgear the creeps. Definitely not something she would think of as an 'inside the mind' environment. Not a healthy mind, at any rate.
"What?" Nepgear felt like a broken record, but she genuinely didn't understand what was going on. She just got skewered, and now she's in Falcom's head? What?
Falcom sighed, standing up. Nepgear, once more, was wary, like a frightened kitten. "Come with me, then. We can talk as we walk."
She turned around, motioning for Nepgear to follow. Falcom took a few steps without Nepgear before noticing that the CPU Candidate wasn't following. "Come on." She said, beckoning again until Nepgear, finally, followed Falcom's steps. Cautious, yet curious. The CPU Candidate wondered where she was taking her. They passed enormous windows, out of which Nepgear could see nothing but dark fog outside. She could even see and hear lightning strikes happening somewhere out in the void.
The mind was a wild place. There were even statues of various people - some of them Nepgear recognized. They passed by statues of herself, Demoman and a woman Nepgear didn't know. She had short hair and her gaze sent chills into Nepgear's spine. The jacket was kinda cool though, the straps on her sleeves were nice.
"Wait." Falcom suddenly said, putting her hand behind to stop Nepgear from moving. The CPU Candidate stopped and looked at what was in front of them.
There were three of them, some kind of ghostly visages of people. They were completely transparent barring its silhouette - which was glowing green. One looked exactly like Falcom, one was lying on the ground for some reason while the last… Medic?
"What's... with the robot suit?" The Ghost Falcom asked, eyeing the… thing on the floor. "Is… he alright?"
"Oh don't vorry, fraulein. This happens all the time." It was definitely Medic's voice Nepgear just heard. He clapped twice and the 3rd person jumped onto its feet.
"Beep beep boop! I am a robot!" Soldier's voice came to Nepgear.
And just like that, these ghosts disappeared.
"Those were my own memories." Falcom, the real one, not the ghost, spoke. She had a small smile on her face as she recalled this particular event. "My first day with you guys. You died and we panicked, before Compa told us you could've just respawned."
Nepgear vaguely remembered something like that happening. But even so, "What was that?"
"Wraith Manifestation." Falcom explained. "An ability which replays memories from the past, allowing us to see events that have already transpired… Either that or it's simply me recalling random stuff."
Falcom still had that ability, as Samantha made it permanent. The usefulness of this was dubious but sometimes it was nice to recall those 'simpler' times.
"I see." Nepgear said. "Why does this place look so creepy?"
Falcom took a deep breath as she tried to think of a reason… only to come up with nothing. "You know… I have no idea. At all."
Why did her brain look like a final dungeon? Was it Hilda's influence? Samantha's tinkering with her soul? Was she secretly edgy? A bit of everything?
"Anyway, we need to go. We're kinda on a tight schedule." Falcom said, motioning Nepgear to follow once more. She didn't even wait for the Candidate to move, simply trusting her to go after her.
Nepgear caught up, but she only had more questions to ask. "Why?" She asked. Why were they in a hurry? Where were they even going? Nepgear still had no idea what was going on.
"Because we need to piss off this ghost that kicked me out as much as we can."
As time passed and Hilda grew up, her skill and competency grew into an incomprehensible margin.
She was a prodigy not only as a knight and a warrior, but also as a commander, bodyguard and a human being.
Kind, disciplined and talented. Hilda had it all. Luck seemed to always be on her side. Her family was rich - money was never a problem. Her connection with the CPU of Planeptune allowed her to go anywhere and do anything she wanted. She was above the laws that bound the common man.
She answered to no one but the CPU herself, and had dozens of people under her. She was on the very top of the ladder in Planeptune.
Yet not once did she abuse her authority.
Powerful, noble and pure. Without a shred of corruption. Hilda Gehaburn was one of the pillars that kept Planeptune strong.
Falcom led them to a new place. A more open field than the tall, yet tight corridors. Decorated columns supported the ceiling, etched with beautiful patterns. There were two floors, with Falcom and Nepgear being on the bottom, with four grand balconies watching over them. Each balcony was in the corner, separated by an entrance.
Nepgear didn't know what this place was, but Falcom stopped and turned around. "We're here."
"Where?" Nepgear asked.
"Here we can watch what is happening on the outside." Falcom said.
"Tonight was such a mess, huh, Histoire?" Falcom said again, but this time it was just another 'Wraith Manifestation.' The green ghosts have been popping in and out every so often, saying a bunch of random lines before disappearing. The two of them ignored them most of the time.
"Oh no! That robot is a ghost!" Some of them were even growing self-aware, or that could be just Soldier.
"Anyway," Falcom sweatdropped as Soldier was for some reason raising his hands, "In this area I seem to process stuff like vision or hearing. Here, watch this."
She walked towards the middle of the room and stomped her foot on the circular brick that signified the center of the room.
A couch appeared behind her. Red and comfortable. There were even some pillows too. Meanwhile in front of Falcom a screen started to just grow out of the floor. The redhead turned back towards the Candidate. "Pretty neat, huh?" She smiled.
Nepgear stared at the couch with raised eyebrows. "Y-Yeah... like a movie night." Nepgear was unsure what to say. She barely got through the whole "inside the mind" part and the fact this Falcom wasn't the one that just attacked her.
And now they will be watching something?
Nepgear sat down, weirded out but also curious where this would go. Falcom sat next to her. Snacks like popcorn appeared on the small table in front of them, summoned by a magical force controlling this land.
Nepgear took a potato chip, and ate it. Falcom on the other hand was chilling without eating anything. "You're not actually consuming food. You're like… We don't have a physical body here."
"Ah." Nepgear froze for a moment… before continuing to eat the chips anyway. "But they still taste so good~"
"You will fall here. Then I'll come for the Devil."
A menacing voice entered Nepgear's mind. It didn't come from anywhere, rather it was like it came from within Nepgear's mind. It sounded like Falcom but… distorted. Like two people speaking at once. It wasn't a Wraith Manifestation either.
The screen in front of them showed a machine. An enormous robot wielding two swords, one made out of fire and the other being just ice. It… Nepgear wondered about its specs, how much extreme temperature his armor could take. These swords looked like they would emit a lot of cold and hot temperatures.
Is it resistant to thermal shock?! Nepgear wanted to know so badly.
"Ah, so she's fighting CFW Brave." Falcom brought Nepgear back out of her fantasies. "I figured Sam will send him or Magic. It was just a matter of when."
"Who?" Nepgear asked.
"You know Samuel-Samantha Neikan?"
Nepgear nodded, remembering Histoire saying her name a couple of times. Nepgear never saw her face though.
"Wait." The CPU Candidate froze. "She works for the ASIC?!"
"ASIC works for her." Falcom corrected. "Samantha struck a deal with the CFWs, and now they all work for her."
Nepgear was in shock. Her wide eyes and baffled expression spoke about the sheer shock and surprise she just felt. The CPU Candidate took another snack, a thin and long baked stick with some salt sprinkled on them. They tasted salty. Just as expected.
"Woah." Nepgear took it all in.
CFW Brave and… Hilda(?) were fighting. On the screen Nepgear could see swords being swung left and right, skills being used and missiles being launched. Nepgear was really fascinated about the last one. On a few occasions Hilda even seemed to teleport which was bizarre to see from her perspective.
"So why am I here?" Nepgear suddenly asked.
Falcom raised her eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Why am I here?" The Candidate repeated. "Why am I here in your body, or mind or… Whatever. How can I get out?"
"Well, Hilda got you. I had no idea what she wanted to do with you so I brought you here. And… I don't really know how you can get out. I don't really know a lot about souls, ghosts and other stuff."
If Falcom could at least ask Eyelander for help. He would be a great help to them, with his knowledge and the fact he could actually hurt Hilda even through that whole "dark flame" form. He would give them a chance to fight back against Hilda. Give Falcom a chance to take back control of her body.
But he wasn't here. Nepgear was.
"But I know that she'll be angry if she sees you, so I'll do my best to protect you."
Falcom was unsure what would happen to her if Hilda got her hands on her. All she knew was that it wouldn't be anything good.
Nepgear smiled at her declaration. "Thanks, Falcom."
Falcom smiled back. "No problem. I still have this."
Reaching out in front of her, palm open, Falcom summoned a sword. Just like Samantha could. Unlike Samantha there was no pink fog though, just some sparkles and her blade appearing out of thin air.
It was a longsword with a pastel blue blade and a light pink hilt. It… It looked like a toy and not an actual weapon. But the way it just appeared got Nepgear interested.
Falcom gave it a twirl, before resting the blade next to her. "Might not look like much, but it's an interesting weapon. Samantha made it for me."
"It kinda looks like a toy." Nepgear chuckled.
Falcom looked at Nepgear, still holding up her smile. "It does, huh? Well it's a 'function over form' kinda thing. Its name is Lullaby Song."
Nepgear chuckled harder. "Y-You even gave it a name?!"
"Samantha did actually, not sure why. She told me that a good weapon should have a name."
Considering that this sword could put people to sleep, Lullaby Song was a fitting name for it. It's a weird, harmless thing that could give you some raised eyebrows from fellow adventurers… but nothing serious.
The battle between Hilda and CFW Brave continued, with the CFW losing badly. They were already in Hilda's EXE Drive, with what seemed to be CFW Brave's human form fighting instead of the giant machine Falcom remembered.
When spears came to pierce him, CFW Brave made a valiant effort to avoid them, but they grazed him anyway. Shallow cuts around his arms and legs were left in their wake. Another wave of spears appeared, taking an even bigger toll on his body.
Nepgear's eyes widened at the sight of blood. "Oh goodness." While she knew what happened there was probably happening in real life, there was still some sort of 'detachment' when looking at it from a screen. No matter how gory it was, a part of the brain lied to itself that this was just on a screen - therefore not real.
"You've made a valiant effort, Brave." They heard Hilda speak to CFW Brave.
Falcom just sighed and gripped her weapon, getting herself ready. It was just a matter of time. Soon she'll have to intervene.
Or was it already too late? Has she, by having a good time with Nepgear, distracted herself so much she already missed her chance?
"What…" Nepgear said. "That's happening on the outside right? How can we help him?"
"If I stab this in a good spot, I can freeze her for a moment. We would need to make it count, though."
Falcom got off the couch and began searching. Her eyes scanned the floors and walls for a crevice or slot big enough to jam her sword in. At the first glance the floor and walls seemed well made and solid, but once you look closer you can see a couple cracks here and there. Falcom had no idea if they signified something about her mental state, and to be honest… she didn't want to think about it.
"No matter how hard I tried…" CFW Brave spoke through the screen. Not to them but to Hilda. "I could not defeat you, not once."
Falcom turned towards Nepgear. "Look for a hole. Deep and wide. Enough to at least get the tip in." She held out the Lullaby Song to show off what kind of tip they'll be putting in.
The obvious innuendo was ignored by the CPU Candidate, who quickly got out of the couch and helped Falcom search. Together they thoroughly swept through the area, while Hilda had a pleasant chat with her former student.
They did not have much time. They had to find a good spot before the battle resumed. Hilda's guard was down, this was the moment.
"U-Uh, here!" Nepgear called out from a pillar, pointing at a small crevice on the pillar. Falcom ran up to her and looked at the hole she found. A small crevice so wide you could've put a finger in. It was perfect.
Falcom and Nepgear heard CFW Brave grunt as he shifted his beaten and shredded body. Trying to get up. Hilda also noticed. "Still want another round?"
"Yes."
And so CFW Brave swung his weapon.
At the same moment Falcom thrusted Lullaby Song into the crevice.
The pastel-blue blade went up further than it should've been allowed to, going all the way to the hilt. Then the whole place started shaking. An earthquake happened, and the vibrations threatened to throw them out of their feet and damaged the walls and ceiling. Nepgear yelled, scared. She lay on the ground, curling up and covering her head - waiting for the shaking to be over. Falcom meanwhile held tightly onto the Lullaby Song, trying to keep it in the wall as the unholy shriek of Hilda Gehaburn resonated through the whole area.
Falcom ripped out her sword and the shaking immediately stopped, as Falcom stopped destroying her body from the inside. Even so, she could hear her desperately casting a spell. This corrupted and upgraded version of her own healing skill. Falcom actually felt a bit of joy upon hearing her being desperate.
"T-Tear-All! Tear-All! Tear-All!"
Falcom felt very proud of herself.
But as the place was growing darker, she knew this would not be over. Not by a long shot. The moment she caused trouble for Hilda, Falcom knew she would come here.
And she did.
"YOU AGAIN."
A loud distorted voice came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, speaking as if from inside their heads. At the same time, Nepgear could see another Falcom in front of the other Falcom. This one had blue hair and eyes. It wasn't actually Falcom, but Hilda.
"STOP DOING THA-"
Hilda stopped speaking as she noticed Nepgear lying on the ground, looking confused at the two Falcoms.
"YOU… EVEN HERE?!"
Falcom put herself in front of Nepgear. "Gear, you turn back and run. Don't look back, I'll find you. Just get away."
"Huh?"
"Go!"
And Falcom launched herself at Hilda.
The two of them fought for dominance, their weapons clashing against one another.
Nepgear turned back and fled.
It was Hilda's birthday. A very important day. The day she finally stopped being a child and became an adult. People were happy and Uzume wanted to congratulate her, but in horror she realized that she didn't prepare a present.
At the same time she didn't know what sort of gift Hilda would want.
So with no time to prepare or think, Uzume used her powers and improvised.
"I wish for your wish to come true!"
She had no idea if this would actually work, but it did. Hilda's wish was simple, to see her parents again. And an hour later they've received an unexpected visit from her family - coming here all this way just to see their daughter.
Uzume has found her way into fulfilling others' desires.
Later on this was named "Uzume's Blessing", and was used as an award for outstanding service. It was a mark of deep trust as the limitations of her Blessing were yet unknown. The possibilities were limitless, both good and bad.
And Hilda has received two more of them.
Nepgear had no idea where she was going.
Behind her explosions and sounds of metal against metal resonated across the hallway, notifying her of a great battle she was running away from. If she had a weapon… Nepgear might've stayed and helped.
But she was unarmed.
Pushed away by her friend, Nepgear ran as far as she could, as quickly as her legs could carry her. Her mind focused on three things: Running away, attempting to turn on her HDD… and wishing Falcom luck. Hoping that she'll emerge victorious.
Her boots clacked against the stony pavement, emitting loud sounds with each stomp.
Her breath was controlled. Days of combat, training and workout has done wonders to her stamina. Add to that the fact she was a CPU Candidate and was enhanced with the mercs' technology… Nepgear could run quite far without a break.
...Or it could be just the fact this apparently wasn't her physical body.
But where should she run? This hall was endless. For a solid minute of running Nepgear hasn't encountered a single turn or intersection. There were no landmarks, no signs she was making any progress. Just an endless tunnel.
Dark purple bricks, cracked and in a state of disrepair. Torches with cursed green fire. Gothic architecture and decoration. All of this Nepgear saw without an end, no matter how far she ran.
And suddenly she was somewhere else.
"Wa-!"
Surprised by the sudden change, Nepgear crashed into a wall that most definitely wasn't there a second ago. Her reflexes saved her, and instead of smashing her nose against the hard brick, her hands shot forward and stopped her.
This wall was different. It was of a different color; tan. Creamy even.
All the other walls were of that different creamy color, with the decorations being plated with gold. Nepgear was somehow transported into a completely different section of this… place.
"Over here!"
"Aah!" Nepgear jumped and turned around. Falcom was chilling in the corner, casually waving at Nepgear. She was here… while she was supposed to have stayed behind to fight Hilda.
Nepgear was shocked, confused and very disturbed. "What?"
Falcom shrugged. "Hilda can't actually kill me here, as I own this place. We fought a bit, then I ran."
Nepgear calmed down a bit, but she was still confused. "W-Where are we? How did I get here?"
"Somewhere." Falcom unhelpfully provided. "I don't really know where. As for how you got here… I moved you here. We're in my body. I can basically do whatever I want. I'm invincible and in control."
Nepgear was impressed and awed, her friend was like a god in this place. Not even a CPU was able to do such things.
Falcom took a few steps towards Nepgear, her gaze cast down. "But even so, I can't get my body back. I can make her freeze, momentaily, if I stab my sword but every time I do it she grows a bit more resistant. She will be able to anticipate and prepare, so I need to make these things count."
If she did it all willy nilly, Hilda would learn how to live through it, and this whole thing would eventually become useless.
"How can I help?" Nepgear asked.
"Live." Falcom immediately said. "That's the most important part. She wants you and… nothing good will come out of it."
"But… I don't want to just run, I want to fight too. How can I get my weapon back?"
"Oh, I just imagine it. Visualize it and…" The Lullaby Song once again appeared within Falcom's hands. "Bam! Here's my sword."
Nepgear did as Falcom said. Trying to picture how her sword looked like. The N on the hilt. The thin grip. The pink energy blade… Nepgear had a clear picture of her weapon in her hands… but what's next? Her weapon hasn't appeared out of nowhere. Nepgear even imagined herself holding it, swinging it, beating up Hilda with it.
But nothing happened.
"Oookay? What's the next step?" Nepgear asked.
Falcom was confused. "What next step?"
"I imagined my sword. What's next?"
"There's… There's no next." Falcom sweatdropped. "It should've just appeared beside you."
"Oh." Nepgear had nothing else to say about that. She tried again, this time imagining her sister's weapon… but nothing happened. Whatever the technique was, it was available only to Falcom.
...They were in her head after all. It should've been so obvious. The reason why Falcom could do what Nepgear couldn't was because they were inside her own head. Nepgear was a guest character with no special privileges here.
Just to be sure, Nepgear tried for the last time. This time she imagined her sword down to its exact measurements. She knew them by heart after all. But yet again this was all for naught.
Nepgear finally admitted defeat. "I don't think I can do it."
"Hmm…" Falcom hummed. Offhandedly she tried to imagine how Nepgear's sword looked like… and suddenly it appeared next to Falcom - ripe for the taking. "Oh." The redhead blinked and grabbed the Candidate's blade, before offering it to its owner. "Here you go."
Nepgear accepted the blade… feeling a bit weirded out. "Thanks." She gave it a couple of experimental swings, noticing how… familiar it was. The redistribution of whatever little weight it had was similar. The length and width were exactly the same… it was a perfect copy of her sword.
Now Nepgear could join Falcom in a fight. "What do we do now?"
"Now, huh?" Falcom thought for a moment. "There's not really much we could do besides sit back and relax for a while. Hilda is pissed off, so she will be wary and watching. I could take you around, we could talk a bit."
"Really? There's nothing we can do?"
"Nope." Falcom said. "She's still where we were, and if she catches a whiff of us we're in trouble. I don't really know how to fight her actually, she's just… too good."
Total control amounted to nothing when faced against Hilda. Her abilities and skill surpassed Falcom's own. Maybe with Nepgear Falcom could finally take back what was hers… and finally stop her.
Falcom turned around and motioned for Nepgear to follow.
"Come on. Let's wander around and see what we can find."
Nepgear put away her sword and followed her. They came up to a wall, which Falcom pressed her hand on. The wall proceeded to split into two and open up a new, hidden, passage. Stone grinded against stone as the redhead parted away the wall like Moses parted the sea.
With a smug grin Falcom turned around and watched Nepgear's reaction.
"W-Whoa!" Nepgear recoiled, eyes wide. "What did you do?!"
"I got total control over this place, remember?" Falcom answered. "I can make shortcuts whenever I want to. Change the layout as much as I want."
Falcom looked away, towards the other exit that was there the whole time. Falcom stomped her foot, and walls rose from where she stood - closing the former exit completely.
"Neat, huh?" Falcom enjoyed playing within her own realm like Samuel did. The moment she learns how to change the whole scenery to something else, will be the moment she will try to recreate the whole Planeptune or even Gamindustri.
Nepgear was surprised, impressed even. But she already spent over 4,500 words in a strange place. At that point she expected things to be weird. "That's cool. W-Wait. Can't you use that on Hilda?"
"Hilda can go through walls, this unfortunately doesn't work on her at all."
Falcom has been there, done that.
The corridor was short, ending with a familiar-looking door. What lay on the other side was even more familiar.
"...My room?"
They were in the same room Nepgear and Neptune shared in the Basilicom. It was literally her own room.
"Happy? Thought we could take a break somewhere more familiar. Hide a bit, wait, prepare, et cetera."
Nepgear stepped in and started examining the furniture. Her bed felt like hers, her sister's bed also felt the same. There was Planeptune's console attached to the TV - it even lit up! Nepgear could actually play games here!
...Actually there was some furniture that wasn't in her real room. There were two shelves, one filled with a large collection of video games - the other was full of manga and anime CDs. There was also a dresser, which contained consoles belonging to different nations, including various add-ons like kinect or even VR.
She ran up to the kitchen… and it actually was there! The cooking utensils and the cooking book, her recipes. All of that was here! Even the fridge was full!
Being amazed by such things, Nepgear wondered for how long Falcom actually expected them to stay here. Nepgear left the kitchen only to find an empty room. There was no sign of Falcom or any clue where she might've left.
"Falcom?" Nepgear called out, looking around the room before trying to leave the bedroom.
The doors were closed.
"Hm?" Nepgear tried again, but the doors were locked. The doors rattled as the CPU Candidate pushed and pulled in an attempt to free herself. "Falcom?!" She cried out, hoping that her friend would hear her.
Suddenly… she heard a voice. A voice she didn't recognize, but heard just before Falcom told her to run. Hilda's voice. It came from within Nepgear, as if it was her own mind speaking.
"NEPGEAR."
"Huh?"
Nepgear looked around, but she was still the only one in her own room.
"STAY HERE AND DON'T DISTURB GAMINDUSTRI ANY LONGER."
Fear and panic started to settle as Nepgear pounded her fist onto the wooden door. Her fists banged upon the obstacle with no effect - so Nepgear pulled out her sword and attacked with it. The blade, which was powered by the Share energy, bounced off the doors.
"AS LONG AS YOU'RE HERE, I WILL NOT GET RID OF YOU, AS YOU NO LONGER HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE OUTSIDE WORLD."
"What do you mean by that?!" Nepgear shouted. "I want to leave! I want to go back to my sister!"
"YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE. WAIT HERE, AND SOON I WILL BRING YOUR SISTER TO YOU."
Nepgear did not take the request nicely as she continued to throw herself at the doors, a faint hope in her mind that she would break free and escape. She kicked, stabbed, tackled and even threw furniture. None of that worked. This door was indestructible, so were the hinges or the lock.
She will be here for a long time.
One fateful day, Uzume lost control.
There were signs that this would happen, and everyone did everything they could to prevent that.
They failed.
And tragedies have struck Planeptune.
Natural disasters have wreaked havoc across the nation. Monsters became aggressive and bold. Thousands died and the economy was in shambles. It kept going for days and the people suffered. Hospitals became full. People were losing their jobs and homes. The nation was about to collapse.
Then it got worse.
Lastation has been developing machines for domestic and military purposes and they've made a critical error. Those machines have turned on their creators and moved west - towards Planeptune.
More death, more suffering, and peace was only a distant dream.
And one of those that perished was Hilda's family.
Uzume wanted everything to go back the way it used to.
Uzume wished for everything to go back to how it used to.
But it didn't.
She wished for the dead to come back, but they didn't. She wished for the disaster to stop, but they didn't.
Her powers stopped listening to her. And every time she used them she created a disaster instead.
When Uzume failed, the bearers of her Blessing stepped in. Histoire wished for the disasters to stop from occurring, while Hilda wished for the dead to come back.
The disasters stopped. But the dead never came back. That's where they found the first limit of Uzume's Blessing.
The dead would never return.
Falcom crawled on the ground; covered in blood, sweat and dust. Too injured to move, too injured to fight. Completely and utterly defeated… Just like a lot of other people that tried to defy Hilda.
Speaking of her, Hilda found her again.
Falcom saw her doppelganger approaching, this time without a weapon in hand. Falcom dreaded what kind of torture Hilda thought of today. But as Hilda came closer… She just crouched next to her. "THE DEVIL… IS CONTAINED."
Contained? Not killed? "Leave… her alone." Falcom grunted.
"I DID."
Falcom froze.
"SHE'S IN A COMFORTABLE PLACE. MAY SHE NEVER WISH FOR ANYTHING EVER AGAIN."
With that Hilda disappeared, leaving Falcom confused and scared.
Just what the hell has she done to Nepgear? Where was she locked?
