Tree (14)
The journey back to the 1st-generation colony town was rougher than expected. This was largely because Roxy had driven the not-quite-repaired shuttle quite harshly, pushing the thrusters beyond what emergency repairs could handle.
Even with Kyle's skilled repairs, all we could manage was barely hovering above the ground. It was only because we were in the Medivac, a small shuttle; if it had been a larger model from the Caliburn line, we probably couldn't have even taken off.
Sometimes the bottom scraped against jagged frost protruding from the ground, and other times we slipped along the ice like a sled, but eventually, we made it back to town.
By the time we returned, it was already late evening, with Saturn's layered rings filling the nighttime sky. The lights of the town, shining like lighthouses, helped guide us home safely.
As we approached, the outer wall lowered and the entrance opened. It was clear that the work to finish the defenses had been completed while we were away at Heaven.
"Nadia, we're here. Time to wake up."
I tore my gaze from the window and gently shook Nadia, who was sleeping with her head on my lap. Earlier, she'd told me that since I was injured, I shouldn't do anything and just rest. But after coming into the cockpit, she didn't last long herself and had fallen asleep before I did.
'Well.'
She must have been really tired, even if she didn't say so. It was only natural; fighting itself is incredibly stressful, and even more so when the enemies were such dangerous ghouls. Every second was tense, and crises kept erupting—it had been a perilous situation.
"Nadia."
I gave her another gentle shake, since she wasn't waking up. Her tail flicked sleepily, so she was rebooting, but her eyes needed more time to open.
After waiting a moment, Nadia's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Boot complete. She squinted at the cockpit lights streaming in through the window and let out a long yawn.
Her tail was covered in dust, her suit was scratched all over, there were bread crumbs around her mouth she hadn't bothered to brush off, and her face was smudged from helping with repairs.
'... Hmm.'
I'd seen Nadia in vulnerable states before, but today was, hands down, her messiest. She looked like a real ragamuffin, to put it bluntly. Not that I was any better.
We'd only been out for a day, but the signs of hardship were everywhere; I nearly laughed at the evidence. Relief over returning safely mingled with the absurdity of realizing all that had happened within less than a day.
"Are we there...?"
"Yeah. We can get off now."
"Gotta unload the cargo..."
Groaning, Nadia stretched, her ears twitching at the thought of moving again.
- No need for that. Do you really think we'd make you unload everything? The security robots will take care of it. You two just get inside and rest.
"Really?"
- Have I ever lied to you?
"..."
- Answer.
"I... don't think you have."
- If I heaven't, then I heaven't. Why do you give such wishy-washy answers?
Licorice offered a gentle scolding, but Nadia just giggled. I could see a bit of brightness return to her eyes, and she was even humming quietly, clearly in a better mood.
"You have to be careful with that one."
- You mean the shield generator?
"Yes. You know how hard I worked to get that thing."
The things we'd salvaged from the waste disposal area weren't limited to the shuttle. We got a sample of the mimic, and also managed to salvage a largely destroyed shield generator.
I'd wanted to grab the engine too, but it was far too large to fit in either the orbital vehicle's cargo hold or the shuttle, so we had to give up.
- I get why you brought it, just in case, but honestly, I don't know if we'll be able to do anything with it. The thing is thoroughly busted, and it's missing key components.
Just as Licorice said, that shield generator was too far gone for ordinary repairs. Judging from the ripped metal fragments, it was clear the ghouls were responsible.
It was destroyed even worse than I'd expected, so much so that even Kyle, who swore he could fix anything, fell silent. We were just as stumped. I couldn't get why the ghouls smashed that particular piece of equipment but left the rest untouched.
"... Don't talk like that."
- I'm not expecting miracles, either. Having an operational shield around the town would be great for everyone.
Nadia and I parked the shuttle inside the town and opened the cargo bay. With a grating, frosted metallic squeal, those inside disembarked.
Eric, Kyle, Roxy, and Carry. Nothing major had happened on the way back, but the cargo area wasn't exactly a comfortable place to rest, and everyone was exhausted.
They all yawned as they stepped out, almost as if they'd been copy-pasted one after another. Even Carry put on a yawning expression, mimicking them.
Eric and Roxy did a quick nod of acknowledgment our way, then went straight into the building after handing things off to the standby security robots. Since they split up at the entrance, it looked like Eric had other business to attend to, although most conversations had already played out over comms.
Only Kyle and Carry remained. Carry was obviously there to help the half-asleep Nadia, but I wasn't sure why Kyle wasn't heading inside, too.
"Kyle, aren't you going in?"
"Oh, I figured I'd check on this guy a bit more before I sleep. I'll just do some prep work so I can start repairs as soon as I wake up."
He tapped on the shuttle, which was stained to the point you couldn't even tell if it was White-tone or Red-tone anymore. Even after weathering the snowstorm, all that gunk refused to come off.
"Will it take long? Should I help?"
"Huh? Please don't. Do you want to watch me die?"
Kyle flailed in alarm, glancing nervously at Nadia, who was now clambering sleepily onto Carry. When I looked, I saw Nadia giving him a frosty glare. Behind her, I could almost see the image of an angry fox shimmering.
Still, Kyle insisted it was just basic prep, not anything that would take long. As he started remotely controlling the shuttle, he added,
"Thanks for risking your lives to protect me."
"What do you mean?"
"Honestly, when those ghoul monsters swarmed, I thought I was either going to die or get seriously hurt today. Especially you, boss—I figured I'd never see you again."
"Oh, come on. Without you, we'd have no future—the shuttle wouldn't get fixed on its own, and with Eric alive, our odds of survival are higher. In short, everyone did what they needed to do."
"There are plenty of people who can't even do that. Trusting you guys—it's the fifth best decision I ever made."
Not sure if that was a high or low rank, but it sounded more ambiguous than anything. Nadia and I chuckled.
"Well, I hope it'll rank a little higher next time. The tools you improved really worked wonders."
【ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌ )】
Carry gave me a solid thumbs-up, as if agreeing with my words. Kyle laughed, and then off he went to tend to shuttle repairs. With him gone, that should have left no one but us—but there was one person still among the robots unloading cargo.
It was Carrot, examining the mimic sample stored in the sample case. As we looked at him, he looked back at us.
Sensing he had something to say, I tapped Nadia's shoulder.
"Nadia, go on ahead inside."
"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"I just wanna catch my breath for a second. I'll be right in."
"Fine..."
Nadia grumbled, but eventually headed inside with Carry. Carrot approached me, looking apologetic.
"Sorry to keep you when you're tired. I won't take long—I don't want to get on the beastkin's bad side."
"I napped on the way, so I'm not that tired. What's up?"
"The sample you brought. Are you certain it's a mimic?"
"That's our hypothesis. The characteristics match what I said over comms."
"So it seems... A mimic type without a shell... Just keep this to yourself for now: The monster you faced may not have been a mimic after all. Or, more accurately, the mimic phase may have been only a stage in a larger process."
"... What?"
I stared at him, wide-eyed, as if to ask what he meant. Carrot's expression grew grave.
"The tissue isn't dead. Even separated from the main body, it keeps attempting to mutate. That's completely different from what we've seen from mimic types in the residential area. We'll need more study to know for sure, but if you get into another similar encounter—don't let your guard down."
He described it as advice born of caution. After a brief check on my physical condition—which I assured him was fine—he seemed to relax a little.
After parting ways with Carrot, I entered the residential building. I took a shower with still-lukewarm water, changed into the clean clothes prepared earlier, and, now free from my respirator and soothed by the warm water relaxing my muscles, felt a wave of fatigue.
Yawning deeply as I headed for my room, I spotted Nadia dozing against the wall by her door, which was right across from mine. Her door was open, so she hadn't mistaken the room.
"Nadia? Why aren't you going inside?"
When I asked, she cracked one eye open and wiggled her finger, as if taunting me—though, more likely, she just wanted me to come closer.
Confused, I went over, and a half-asleep Nadia suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. Even though she was smaller than me, I was surprised by her strength—I couldn't resist at all.
She patted my back. Maybe she thought I was a baby or something. The soft, gentle touch was oddly comforting, but I couldn't help but feel awkward—it wasn't her touch, but me feeling out of place.
Fresh shampoo scent wafted from Nadia, proof she'd showered too. Her body's warmth against my skin made my face flush.
Just as I squirmed to escape her grasp, feeling a tickle in my chest, Nadia giggled and whispered to me.
"Hyun-woo, you really worked hard today. It would have been better if you didn't get hurt, but I guess we have to be grateful you made it back alive."
"..."
"Good night."
That's all she'd wanted to say. She released me and slipped into her own room, bushy tail disappearing through the gap in the door.
I quietly touched my warm cheek and smiled. I felt like I'd be able to sleep well tonight.
***
Heaven Mining Base, mining Area, at the Entrance of Tunnel No. 1
On the frozen surface of Titan, beneath the watchful gaze of enormous eyes, several figures moved in secret. They were pureblood supremacists, armed with old-world gunpowder weapons.
The miners, engaged in excavation, instantly knelt when a man approached.
"How's the progress?"
"We heaven't yet found any trace of the first root. However, if we keep at the mining, we expect to find results within the week."
"A week, huh..."
"... We're sorry, sir Cystus. The tunnels are deep and ancient, and there's a risk of collapse if we dig recklessly, so progress is slow."
"Spare me the excuses. The Holy Tree is watching over us. Better to proceed carefully and bring results than to fail through haste."
The man called Cystus, a scar running across his eyes, continued.
"You have a week. Time is on our side, but there's much to do. Have you taken the refinery?"
"The security robots at the refinery will soon fall. We are also securing the robot production facility."
"So be it."
Cystus scanned a report displayed on his holographic terminal.
The report detailed a few survivors slowing things by forcibly locking down the system;
Rare metals not yet retrieved;
Access to the medical zone now impossible;
A new store recently activated;
And, the second bud in the waste disposal area had failed to blossom.
'More impurities remain.'
Cystus didn't care much. As he'd said, time was on their side. The blessing of the Holy Tree had fallen over all of Titan. Even without doing anything, their enemies would destroy themselves.
The second bud had received the Tree's blessing more strongly than any other. Its failed flowering did not mean death; instead, it was the foundation for a new beginning.
Finishing his instructions, Cystus turned away. The lights illuminating the tunnel flickered uncertainly behind him.
Cystus had come here with a great mission. He was one of the few who had witnessed a fragment of the Holy Tree with his own eyes.
When the blue crystal was first discovered, the exploration team had found more than just a beautiful mineral. Deep in the frozen planet's abyss, they uncovered something massive, lying dormant, along with a tablet inscribed in an unknown script.
At first, cemented by the crystal's iridescence, few paid attention to the mysterious object. But after some team members accidentally activated a hidden mechanism, everything changed.
What they witnessed could only be called a miracle.
The power to heal the ill, the power to evolve living things, abilities that defied common sense—wonders worthy of being called blessings. The team began to refer to it as the Holy Tree.
Decoding the tablet became their highest priority. They poured all their effort into understanding it, desperate to see the source of that power once more.
No one knew how long it took, but eventually, the team succeeded in deciphering the tablet.
【The pure shall be immortal. And miracles shall be theirs to perform.】
It was a prophecy.
【Shed your tainted shell and be reborn as a pure being.】
Enchanted by the prophecy, these people began to call themselves pureblood supremacists, lying in wait for decades in pursuit of a single plan.
【Those who remain unpurified shall face the End. Only those received into the embrace of the Mother of All can overcome the end. We are those survivors.】
It didn't matter who had inscribed those words, how the Holy Tree had come to be, or why it was sealed away on this frozen world. Whether the prophecy was genuine, or if there had indeed been other alien civilizations (and why no other survivors could be found), none of that was important to them.
【When all filth is gone and every being is made pure—】
The pureblood supremacists, almost as if brainwashed, believed the prophecy inscribed on the tablet without the slightest doubt, and at last began to enact their plan.
【The Age of Purity begins.】
All to fulfill the prophecy.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
As mentioned by reader Starry_night, the novel feels like dead space with the space mutants and all that.
Now we know that there's something causing the mutations and the pureblood supremacists consider it their god.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】