EX04 Echo Aria
| ← 13 Fake Ascension | 14 Imprisoned Sight → |
EX04 Echo Aria
The Songs of Eternal Earth
Aboard a transport craft in low Earth orbit, the Commandant drifts in and out of consciousness as memories flood their mind. They recall Asimov telling them that their Mind Beacon had become corrupted by Huaxu’s infiltration, causing them to fall into a constant state of “memory replays.” They remember Nikola’s warning that although they defeated the Polyphage, linking with an Ascendent has invited mistrust, and the authorities would not let them go so easily. They consider Hassen’s question—to remain in the ICU or to continue duty on the front line.
Earlier in the Babylonia war room, Asimov announced a shocking discovery—the Red Tide had resurfaced and was heading toward the ocean. If it were to reach its destination, the virus would spread relentlessly, spelling Earth’s end. To prevent this, Babylonia sent eight teams to deploy and protect devices known as bit domain nodes.
Lee’s sharp voice reins the Commandant back into reality. The hologram of a stern elderly man greets them and introduces himself as Hans, the chief commander of the current mission. His accumulated experience from the Golden Age until now would be invaluable for the success of the mission.
The Commandant falls into another memory replay. Ayla asks them whether they saw any sign of “her” when they were in the Ascendants’ base. They inquire who “her” is, but the memory ends as severe turbulence strikes the transport craft. The Gray Ravens rescue the Commandant—who could not evacuate due to memory replay symptoms—after a crash landing.
The team finds themselves in a barren wasteland plagued by heavy sandstorms. A melodious sound rings out across the land. The Red Tide appears to rise and fall along with it, surging into the surrounding area and breeding new Hetero-Creatures. The Gray Ravens fight through them, eventually meeting with Wanshi from Strike Hawk. He shares that the sound they heard causes the Red Tide to spread. The Commandant notes its resemblance to a whale song.
Wanshi and the Gray Ravens resume their journey through the wasteland. Wanshi spots a kid in the distance, leading them to discover a makeshift camp. They arrive to find the refugees and their Babylonian comrades at odds. Lee urges the refugees to evacuate before the Longinus Arsenal destroys their camp. Yet even after being told of their imminent death, the refugees refuse to budge. An old man emerges to explain that the people in the camp have long made this place their home. They have chosen to stay and accept their fate. Hans is momentarily speechless but orders the deployment of the bit domain nodes nonetheless.
With the Gray Raven’s node damaged in the crash landing, Hans comments on their uselessness and orders them to stand by. They speak with the old man from earlier, who tells them that every person in the camp is ready to die at any time. He urges them not to feel any guilt over what is to come.
Hans conveys the new orders he received from Babylonia. Within 24 hours, they are to evacuate all civilians to safety, force notwithstanding. The Commandant expresses that it is wrong to coerce people against their will. Hans rebukes them, warning them of the possibility of being court-martialed. They attempt to convince the refugees to leave with little to no success. Without warning, the mysterious whale song echoes throughout the air and the Constructs scramble to defend the camp from the Hetero-Creatures. Wanshi notes that the Red Tide is drawing near.
After the fight, a woman from the refugee camp realizes her grandson is missing. She begs for help, and the Gray Ravens agree, but Hans reprimands them. The Commandant meets Wanshi alone, who raises his concerns about the mysterious whale song. They leave the camp to discover the origin of the Red Tide and find the missing child. Although Lee disagrees, he gives them the repaired bit domain node and comms device.
Back in the camp, the missing child returns to tell his grandma that he saw his father in the Red Tide. The remaining Gray Ravens continue their unsuccessful attempts to change Hans’ mind. Hans recalls his conversation with Hassen a few hours ago—Hassen lamented the atrocities committed by their generation and wished for the younger generation to retain their passion. He must play the judge while Hans, the executioner.
The Commandant continues their journey with Wanshi, fading in and out of reality as their memory replay continues. Ayla asks them if they knew what whales sounded like. She plays the Commandant a recording of a song her friend sang, though it is incomplete as the lonely whale never found its herd. The Commandant tells Wanshi that they believe the whale song is a cry for help, so they follow the sound upstream.
Wanshi and the Commandant arrive at the source of the sound—here, the Red Tide converges into a giant lake where they spot a humanoid monster nailed at its center. A grueling battle commences between the two parties. Wanshi’s last bullet strikes the monster’s chest and reveals a broken figure embedded within. They recognize her as the Construct Gabriel stole from the space station. While the Punishing monster prepares to heal itself, Wanshi implores the Commandant to escape while he buys them time. The Commandant chooses to activate the node that Lee had given them. It is then that they remember the girl’s name—Selena. She responds to the call of her name, stopping the monster in its place and allowing the Commandant to stab the bit domain node into it.
Wanshi escorts the Commandant back and relays everything to Lee. Approaching Hans with the new data, Lee suggests they target the source of the Red Tide rather than the entire area. Hans contacts Babylonia and applies to change the wide-scale attack to a precision strike on the Hetero-Creature. Babylonia grants the request; however, if the Red Tide does not cease 20 minutes after the first attack, they will launch a second attack to wipe out the area.
The Gray Ravens reunite with their Commandant. Some refugees have chosen to leave, but most are staying. The old man approaches Hans, asking him why he has yet to depart. Hans tells him if he could choose, he would not leave. But as a soldier of Babylonia, he must continue the dreams of the dead even if the burden of guilt crushes him.
Her body restructured, Selena breaks free from the Hereto-Creature and embarks on her journey. She gazes into the distance, finally seeing the beauty of the Earth under the rising sun.
The Lost’s Field
In the recovery room back on Babylonia, Kamui asks Wanshi why he had placed a strange-tasting can in his maintenance capsule. Seeing it reminds Wanshi of his distant past.
His memories transport him back to a war-stricken battlefield, fighting alongside a Construct named Troy. Troy asks Wanshi about Strike Hawk and the curious nature of the team’s Commandant as a Construct rather than a human. Though the elite team enamors Troy, Wanshi remains nonchalant, and the two continue their mission through the abandoned city.
Disheartened by the lives lost, Troy wonders when the war will end. Wanshi shares a recent dream he had about winning the war but believes that the Punishing Virus will be difficult to eradicate. Just as humans have changed and adapted throughout history, so will the Punishing Virus.
The marker for the file that Wanshi and Troy need indicates its location in a nearby ruin. An explosion at the entrance reveals a mysterious, machine-like figure. Wanshi cannot determine whether it is a Construct, Corrupted, or human. Realizing they are both after the same thing, the stranger called “Gear” refuses to give up the file.
Wanshi and “Gear” clash in battle. Grievously wounded, Wanshi traps “Gear” in the ruins and escapes with Troy. Once outside, they attempt to send the information they collected to Babylonia only to find their signals jammed. Troy and Wanshi split up and promise to meet at an evacuation point in three hours. Wanshi makes his way through the abandoned city but soon succumbs to his injuries. He catches a glimpse of an unknown individual before blacking out.
Kamui arrives on Earth’s surface. He connects to Chrome, and they share their concern regarding the nature of Wanshi’s mission and subsequent disappearance. Back in Babylonia, Chrome visits Hassen and Nikola to request permission to rescue Wanshi. Though initially against the proposal, Nikola relents under Chrome’s confidence and persistence. He and Hassen assign the rescue mission to Strike Hawk.
Wanshi regains consciousness in an unknown building. He meets an old man named Arnold, who seems unfamiliar with Constructs. However, he and his “buddy”—a small robot—managed to save Wanshi’s life. When Wanshi asks why, Arnold tells him it is because of a promise he once made. They share in each other’s company for the next few days, with Arnold occasionally leaving to take out the Corrupted and scavenge for supplies. Wanshi urges Arnold to abandon him, but the old man refuses. Revealing that he was once a doctor, he tells Wanshi that he will do his best to fix him so they can escape together.
As Chrome and Kamui search for Wanshi, they run into “Gear.” Having freed itself from Wanshi’s trap, it flings Troy’s decapitated head towards Strike Hawk, and they lock in battle. Notified of the battle, Arnold works to complete Wanshi’s recovery so that he can join the fight. Wanshi offers to return the favor, but Arnold declines, urging Wanshi to rescue his teammates instead. They leave the building together, and Wanshi heads towards the battle. He arrives just in time to save Chrome and Kamui from a fatal blow. Finally reunited, Strike Hawk reengages “Gear” with their full strength.
Arnold watches the battle from a distance. Though he marvels at the capability of Constructs, he believes them no different from humans—perhaps even more human than humans themselves. Arnold remembers when he refused Hans’ offer to go to Babylonia. Having seen humanity at its worst, he chose to live as an outcast instead. His chance meeting with Wanshi reignited his hope and the belief that Constructs may guide Earth down a new path.
Strike Hawk’s combined teamwork takes down “Gear.” They retrieve the file Wanshi and Troy needed. Wanshi returns to search for Arnold, but the old man is nowhere to be found. Reaching out to touch the abandoned robot, it activates a hologram Arnold recorded before disappearing. He tells Wanshi not to worry about him and to start an era belonging to Constructs.
After Strike Hawk returns to Babylonia, two unknown figures emerge from the city ruins. Though “Gear”—real name “Chariot”—suffered defeat, it remembered to send the file’s contents before it went offline. Now was the time to reveal the organization’s existence to Babylonia and continue their search for “Sage.”
Hidden Story
Ten minutes away from their destination, the assigned crew reviews their mission log. The Commandant recalls Hassen’s words before their team’s departure—like many of the elite squads present, this is the first large-scale operation they will be a part of. Due to the mission’s importance, Hassen has assigned a chief commander to oversee the campaign. She has already departed to the surface to clear the way for the arriving auxiliary teams.
Lee informs the Commandant that Lucia and Liv are syncing with their “new” frames. They share a brief exchange before the two members join them. Lucia has changed into the “Dawn” frame, while Liv shows up in “Lux,” a frame she used before joining Gray Ravens. Lucia asks Liv why she stopped using it, but before she can answer, the broadcast announces their arrival, and the team braces for the landing impact.
The teams who came before them have already erected a temporary base, removing any leftover Corrupted and clearing passageways for transport. Lee leaves to scout ahead while the Commandant, Liv, and Lucia report for duty. They find the chief commander navigating data between numerous display panels. She expresses surprise at their presence, recognizing the Commandant from their time at F.O.S.
She introduces herself as Vanessa, the commandant of Egret. Lucia recognizes the team as the one Liv was once part of. Vanessa asks if Liv misses her. Unsatisfied with Liv’s response, Vanessa chides the Commandant for their Constructs’ insubordination. For her, Constructs are disposable playthings built to serve their master. The Commandant disagrees, stating that Constructs are comrades. Liv steps in and urges them to focus on the mission. Vanessa momentarily relents and assigns the Gray Ravens to eliminate Corrupted within the city. They rejoin Lee, momentarily losing his signal, only to find him in a hole created by an EMP trap. Lee tells them to move on without him, but the Commandant climbs into the pit to rescue him while Lucia and Liv fend off the Corrupted above.
The Gray Ravens reconvene on the rooftop of a nearby building. Lucia apologizes for failing her duty as a captain. The Commandant encourages her to focus on her strengths rather than her mistakes. The team forms a battle plan to tackle the Corrupted once Liv finishes her scan. Lee and Lucia split up to cover certain areas while Liv remains with the Commandant to provide long-ranged support.
An explosion erupts near Liv and the Commandant. It uproots the building they are on, and the Commandant slips over a slanted roof. After a close call, Lucia and Liv express their deep regret for nearly letting the Commandant die. Lee calls Liv to take them to the base for recovery, but the Commandant refuses. The Gray Ravens find a temporary resting point after reporting their day’s work. Liv approaches the resting Commandant to ask about their injuries. She believes the Commandant is special for the trust and respect they show Constructs.
As the sun rises, the Gray Ravens battle the Corrupted once again. Their teamwork has significantly improved, with each member playing into their strengths while covering for one another’s weaknesses. They take out the remaining Corrupted and head to a factory to cut off the enemy’s source. Their journey is interrupted by white columns of light from the sky, obliterating everything in their immediate vicinity. Lee and Lucia rescue the Commandant from the debris. They search for the missing Liv but run into Vanessa. She claims that their failures are the reason behind the orbital bombardment.
She remains unperturbed by Liv’s disappearance, restating her beliefs that Constructs are naught but sacrificial toys. Enraged, the Commandant fires at Vanessa.
In a flashback, Liv recalls her unpleasant time in Egret and the inhuman decisions made to achieve victory at all costs. As she wanders about Babylonia, she learns of Gray Raven after stumbling across Lucia fighting a crowd of Constructs. Liv is jolted awake by a gunshot and rushes towards its direction. She sees Vanessa and the Commandant facing off against one another. Stepping between them, Liv slices off the long, artificial hair Vanessa had chosen for her. She tells Vanessa that ruthless victory does not exist in her future and that she is Liv, a soldier of Babylonia—not the lifeless doll Vanessa had called her for so long.
Liv commands Vanessa to stand down. Stunned by Liv’s bold conviction and change in character, Vanessa takes her Constructs and departs the scene. Reunited, the Gray Ravens reaffirm their bond as a team and take a group photo together to mark the occasion.
| ← 13 Fake Ascension | 14 Imprisoned Sight → |
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