With my hibernation approaching, the hours and days begin to blur together as things become tumultuous.

It is midnight. Doctor Jäger and Mrs. Jäger sit in front of the camera covered in a blanket, napping. Terra and Owl say we cannot move them or people may believe we did something while they were not being watched by the camera’s eye. Not to mention, the risk of them entering the Beta and it not being seen is also there.

Terra is on her lap-top as usual. Owl and Shriek have both left to rest.

I exit the gate room and move into what used to be the rubbish room. Shriek has removed most of the rubbish, so the name does not fit as it once did. Gen sits in the corner atop the coffin with his arms wrapped around it and a scowl on his face. He truly hates losing all his knick-knacks, so he has become a bit attached to the coffin; as for me, I am used to it and they were not particularly precious items anyway.

Taking a seat opposite Gen, I remove a food known as “oatmeal raisin cookies” from my pouch. These were bestowed upon me by Owl. Since it’s not meat, I save them for Gen as gifts. Holding one out for him, he snatches it from my hand the moment it is within reach. As if I shall take it from him if he does not eat it quickly, he stuffs it in his mouth and returns to embracing the coffin.

‘Things come and things go, Gen. That is the way of the world.’

I sit and take a sponge from another one of my pouches. These sponges were also given to me by Owl, but for cleaning my armour—I have been using most of them for Invasive Scrounger and Mana Crunch practice.

Pulling the zipper of my leather glove down, I place the sponge between my palms and focus. It took me several attempts until I found a way to make the new scrounger skill work. The method is simply to imagine thy own eye is floating away while also imagining thyself pushing it. Is this method necessary to use them? Nay, I do not believe so, but it helps to think of unimaginable things in mundane ways. I do not know enough about mana or skills to perceive them in technical ways if I am to be honest.

So imagining myself pushing my own floating violet eye toward the sponge. Since my eye is simply a ball of violet, I picture the one I am pushing the same way—a glowing orb of purple light. I soon find one of my eyes going blind before the image restores itself and that eye is in the dark. It is unfortunate, but I have yet to find a way to make my night vision work. I push it through dark yellow tunnels of what I assume is the sponge. When I begin to lose focus, I stop pushing.

This is where I wish to combine the two skills. I imagine myself not pushing the eye any longer but instead placing my hands to either side of it. There I practice my Mana Crunch and attempt to compress the eye as I was the copepod a couple of days ago.

Something pops, the image disappears, and a blue wall appears.

Achieved Novice [Mana Crunch (N-1)]

Achieved Novice [Invasive Scrounger (N-1)]

My vision returns to normal and I glance down to find a thin spike of glass skewering the sponge. ‘It worked…! But, it takes time to do it in such a way. I shall keep experimenting.’

Just as I am about to resume my practice, I notice the sounds of laughter echoing in from outside. I tilt my head and Gen peers at the cave’s entrance. These are voices neither of us recognizes. Listening to the words and conversation, it does not appear to have the undertones of maliciousness; it just resembles the everyday chatter of the era.

‘Does this mean ordinary people are returning to the park? Is this because of the moving picture?’

From the gate room, Terra walks in, asking, “Is it common for you to hear people in the park?”

I shake my head. “Nay. I have not since the quarantine. At least not this close to The Lake. To scavenge food, I would have to travel to the north or south portions of the park outside the quarantine to find things.”

“People are responding to our message faster than originally anticipated. I assume these people have a camp somewhere since it’s so late outside already.” Raising a finger, she leaves the room and returns with some papers. “That reminds me, I want to show you what the Consortium has been doing at the Terrace. Although they’re still running a skeleton crew, they’ve dug themselves in defensively. It’s far more shielded than it once was.”

Together we study through the papers while Gen continues hugging his coffin and glaring at Terra.

Later when Owl returns, Terra departs the cave to rest. I resume practicing with sponges.

Sometime before noon on the following day, I choose to go see the Terrace myself. I believe Terra stated that Lorcan was monitoring it, but it is important for me to see it in person. With my suit on, I cannot move through the thickets easily any longer, therefore I travel along the paths. Yet as I am about to turn a corner, I hear something. I tilt my head and move behind a tree.

Peeking out, I notice an encampment, at least what I believe is an encampment. It is difficult to tell because it looks as if items have been scattered about without much care. There seems to have been a fire in a metal barrel, yet it has been tipped over and extinguished.

‘Perhaps an abandoned encampment left by the people from yesterday?’

I hear a buzzing noise. A small object lowers itself over the encampment. The object is white and shaped like an ‘X,’ but what is odd is that there are spinning blades at every corner. ‘Is it a Consortium weapon? Some type of sword spinner device?’

“Miss Nightingale?” I flinch and try to use my cattail, but it bumps against the suit. My gaze darts behind me only to discover Shriek gawking at me. He holds a large brownish box in his arms, which he drops to chat with me properly. “What are you doing; watching that drone over there?”

Placing my hand on my chest, I squint. ‘Thou art lucky my cattail was not available. I shall have to remember to push the cattail through the hole at my neck.’

“Did I scare you? Sorry.” Digging around in his pocket, he hands me a small yellow block of paper and a pen. “I picked these sticky notes up for you while I was out.”

Removing one of the notes, I poke at the sticky piece of paper. It sticks to my finger, and I shake my hand. The wind pulls it away, pulling it away from me. Using the pen, I write, “I thank thou.” I nod and then point toward the camp. “This drone-x-thing, is it harmless? It does not expel lightning?”

For a moment, he hesitates as if he is not certain how to answer. “I… I, uhm, no, no lightning I would assume. It’s just someone’s personal drone. I still wouldn’t get too close to its blades or anything, but it’s not inherently dangerous. It’s probably being controlled by someone off in the distance.”

To be honest, I do not know what he means, but it’s not malicious and that’s all I need to understand. Glancing at the box, I write, “What art thou carrying?”

“This heavy thing?” He points at the box and straightens his back. “It’s full of seeds. Miss Galtry instructed me to pick them up from the distribution center on my way into work. Not sure what they’re for, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask her questions to be honest.”

‘Oh! My seeds, they have arrived!’ Clapping my hands together, I lower myself to see if I can find any writing on it. ‘I cannot believe they harvested such a large amount so quickly!’

Not discovering anything, I rub the side of it, stand, and then write, “Excellent. Prithee, leave them in the glass room in the cave.”

“Of course! Uhm…” With a grin and a quick stretch of his arms, he asks, “Do you need me to stay with you? In case something happens?”

Shaking my head, I write, “Nay.”

“Oh, well, are you sure? I feel like we haven’t actually spoken that much and I technically work for you… though, Miss Galtry has been keeping me a lot busier.”

I shrug and glance at the encampment. “Then tell me what occurred hereabouts?”

“That would be the Consortium. Some people have been breaking into the quarantine zone ever since your video.”

‘Is that so? Some seemed to have figured it out relatively quickly. Perhaps we should have been more cryptic.’

“S-sorry. I have another question, Miss Nightingale.”

“Aye, I shall answer.”

“...Were you sent by God or a God to test humanity? You can be honest; I won’t tell anyone.”

‘He may be the first person to ever ask if I was sent by God and not Lucifer. How did things change so quickly?’

Putting neverending pen to yellow paper, I think for a moment before writing, “I am too selfish for God to entrust me with such a task. I am here because I am here; I do not serve nor am I acquainted with a God.”

He nods vigorously as if he understands my words better than even I do. “So the Tower will be separate from God then. Interesting!”

“I… I suppose it is?” Tilting my head at his odd wording, I add, “I do not understand thy meaning, to be frank.”

Lifting the box, he shakes his head. “No, thank you, I think I understand. The Tower and God are separate; I will be the Tower’s chosen, not God’s… Will the Tower have a feud with God…? In light novels, if the Tower isn’t sent by God, it’s almost always in conflict with a God. Hmmm, I wonder if I’ll have to fight a God at some point. Probably.”

‘Wait, what? Fight God? Nay!’ While I listen to his murmurs, I hastily begin to scribble something down. “I believe thou art inferring far too much!”

Yet before I can show him, he is already running toward the cave. ‘Good lord; he is fast! Did he place all his Skill point things into Endurance and Agility… that is where speed is right? I need to level once again soon.’

Dropping my arms, I glance back at the encampment. The drone is still there buzzing about, so I take my leave and soon arrive at the area across from the Terrace. It is difficult to believe all that has been completed since I was last here. The flimsy barricades have been replaced with tall, sturdy fencing that has the blankets overtop so that seeing inside is impossible. All I can see are some machines poking out from above the fence, and worst of all, some Consortium workers. The workers patrol the top of the walls from some platforms as if they are soldiers.

I cannot discern the dozen scouts or clickers I observed the other day, but they are almost certainly hidden somewhere. Terra says she doubts they shall use those on civilians though, which is good to know.

‘They have turned the Terrace into a stronghold…’ The only thing preventing me from panicking is that Terra assured me it will be fine. ‘I shall just have to believe her.’

My eyes drift toward a pigeon flying over The Lake. Just as it is nearly halfway across, the rainbow-colored scales of a giant fish poke through the ice that floats atop the water. It leaps into the air, flinging lumps of ice in all directions. Catching the pigeon, it drops back into the water, sending a wave toppling over the edges of the ice sheet.

All that remains after it reenters the water is a buzzing sound—the drone from earlier floats above where the fish was a moment ago. The drone bursts into pieces as a bang reverberates from the Consortium’s position.

‘Time to depart; I believe I shan’t leave the cave for a while!’

The evening comes.

Doctor and Mrs. Jäger still sit in front of the camera after being exposed to the haze’s effects around a day ago now. I am attempting my Mana Crunch on a rock while Terra continues her work on the lap-top.

Meanwhile, Owl is asleep upon a cot in the corner; this is the first time he has slept in a couple of days. He was supposed to do so earlier, but I do not believe he did, so I had to direct him to do so. Shriek, on the other hand, is out purchasing me fowl; I believe he stated he would procure me turkey since it is readily available this time of year.

I cannot wait for the meal, though I admit, what I have been given is not as delicious as the things I stole. ‘It does not taste as good because if it is not stolen, the Cosmic System’s Title does not come into effect… Mayhaps I should have Shriek or Owl hide it, stating it is theirs… then I may steal it and receive the benefits of the Title.’

Twirling an endless red pen in her hand, Terra speaks into my head, “Constance.”

“Apologies, I was dreaming of eating turkeys,” I respond.

She smirks, staring at me with her silver eye.

Just then, Shriek comes stumbling into the cave carrying a heavy bag to either side of him. “Have you seen the news!?” he asks.

Dropping the bags, he removes something from his ears, stuffs it into his pocket, and hurries over. He takes out his black rectangle; I think it’s a ‘phone’ or something of the like. It’s difficult to remember the names of so many new things.

When he displays it to Terra, she spins around tapping her lap-top. In an instant, she brings something up on her lap-top. A man in a suit with dark blue hair and green eyes sits next to a woman in a dress with blue eyes and red hair.

The man nods and then opens his mouth to speak, “If you’re just joining us, I’m Jay Teems here with Jessie Rockets and we’re reporting live from New York. We’ve just received some significant, history-changing news. Mere minutes ago, a group of twenty-seven nations spread across Southeast Asia, The Middle East, and Northern Africa delivered a joint statement.”

The woman, I presume Jessie, resumes where he stopped. “Together, these countries declared that there is in fact, something known as the ‘Cosmic System’ as the dismissed rumors suggested. These nations went on to state that some imminent catastrophe is not only possible but expected.”

The man, Jay, clears his throat. “The coalition of nations alleges they were bullied and restricted from speaking by foreign governments. Some of these nations went on to name these governments. Among them include the United States, the European Union, China, Russia, India, Japan, and the UK. After the coalition’s announcement, seven nations have also come forward declaring the existence of the ‘Cosmic System.’”

“This news has sent people scrambling for information and ways to be recognized by the so-called ‘Cosmic System.’” A moving picture of me performing sign language appears on the lap-top. Below it are translations of what I am signing. “Various rumors insist that not being recognized by this Cosmic System could be detrimental, like this video we received from an affiliate out of Seattle. We’d like our viewers to understand this has yet to be confirmed, but we are seeking information on this individual to ask them questions,” Jessie’s voice states as the moving picture on me continues.

The red pen Terra was twirling breaks in her hand. “Now we’re going to have to deal with an enormous amount of people.” Turning over her hands, she stares at her palms covered in red ink. “One of the biggest moments in human history and now our video has been attached to it.”

Something hits the ground with a thunk. Terra and I look upward to find Mrs. Jäger missing and her husband in a near panic. Before we may even speak, she reappears. Mrs. Jäger is quivering with her hand around her neck. “Hase-hase-hase,” she recites several times over.

While her husband pacifies her, Terra speaks, “She just got pulled into the Beta. Probably had to do the jackalope tutorial that most people do.” She shakes her head, tapping her fingers against the table. “There’s no going back now. We’ve cinched the Tower as one of the few viable options for everyone that was watching.”

“Oh, that little hare was vicious.” Having been stirred from his slumber by Mrs. Jäger, Owl approaches with a yawn. Pausing when he sees the lap-top, he releases a sigh. “That certainly won’t help us keep down the riff-raff, now will it.”

Terra removes a handkerchief from her satchel. “How we handle the next few days will decide how easy it is for us from here on.” While wiping her hands, she rotates around in her chair. “Owl, I’d like to hire the Helping Hands.”

Thinking for a moment, Owl responds, “I’m sorry, Miss Galtry, but this kind of thing isn’t something we generally manage; we only have a few Hands that specialize in cyber-related arts. Moreover, things have already begun to grow beyond what they can realistically do.”

Her gaze turns to me, and her voice arises in my mind, “This cave won’t stay secret for much longer thanks to this. Things are going to start moving extremely fast now. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect news to break early. I expected the Kiln to seal the city off before this news was released officially.”

“Things rarely progress the way one believes they shall. I knew the cave would be discovered sooner or later…” I glance around hesitantly and resume, “Thou doth not need to worry about maintaining its secrecy. I shall store the coffin and other things away soon and then there will be naught someone may steal.”

I notice Terra glance at the floor; she sighs and then says, “I’d still like to hire those Hands anyway, Owl. We’ve only formally released a single picture and video; surely they can at least guide the conversation…” Examining me and then the rest of the room, she continues, “Actually, contact all your free compatriots. I want to know how many Helping Hands are available to work under my employment, effective immediately. Let them know I’ll pay in advance and I want the Hands to start augmenting and bolstering the cave. I don’t want anyone coming in here without an invitation... Oh, and please start with a door and a trash bin.”

“Excellent, Miss Galtry.” With a small bow, he says, “I’ll make the calls.”

I write a message before Owl leaves. “Owl, prithee, take one of Shriek's turkeys, hide it, and then proclaim it as thy own.”

“Of course, Miss Nightingale. I’ve played this game with Rabbit before, and I know a place you’ll never find it,” he says with a giggle.

‘...Game?’

“Miss Nightingale,” One of the Hands says. “Why is there a soggy, raw turkey over here?”

‘The turkey has been discovered!’

Earl Interface:

Absorbed ‘Spoiled-Plucked Turkey’

Reduced Erysichthon value MAX

Essence value 2

0.9 Refinable Nebula

0.2 Refinable Vitrum

Details: A fowl that typically spends most of its time feeding upon the forest ground. Native to the Colossi Continent, this variant is unawakened to Mana.

Achieved Novice [Gluttonous Naturalist (N-4)]

Achieved Novice [Invasive Scrounger (N-2)]

A day later, the cave is bustling. Doctor Jäger was drawn into the Beta several hours ago now. Before he and his wife departed, he stated that he could not wait to see me again soon, which is confusing. I do not know why he would not return to his homeland.

Still, the reason the cave is bustling is because of the dozens of Helping Hands that are here now. They have removed the bricks at the cave entrance and have placed a temporary door. I believe their plan is to add an entry that makes it seem as if the cave is still bricked. Yet, they have been doing other things like smoothing the cave’s floors and walls.

Speaking of which, that is how I found the turkey Owl hid. He perched it high up in the cave; I was a tad too short to see such a hiding place. I even spent a moment looking through some loose soil using Invasive Scrounger, thinking he may have buried it. Alas, it did not work; the flavor was not enhanced. ‘Mayhaps I may simply gift someone a turkey and then steal the turkey back, replacing it with a new non-gift turkey and then consuming the gift turkey...’

Terra and I are presently enjoying each other's company. I look at what she is staring at and see the image of a sparkling fish with scales that look to be made of glass leaping from The Lake and plucking a bird from the sky.

I point. “Oh, I saw that yesterday morning. It was quite the spectacle.”

Sighing, she taps something; the lap-top begins to speak in a deep voice. “After the announcement yesterday, dozens of doomsday cults have heralded it as proof that their religion was correct in their predictions. One individual, in particular, has been accumulating a lot of attention. Yes, someone who calls themselves the Fairy of the Tower. An individual who emerged mere days before this news claiming to be a ‘charity upon mankind.’ This has prompted many to believe that this individual has something to do with the Cosmic System.”

“Do you remember when I said it would be bad if we attracted too much attention?” Terra asks.

Nodding, I answer simply, “Aye?”

Making the lap-top cease speaking, she states, “We attracted too many people.” Changing something on the lap-top, I see what resembles a gray wall with words flowing so fast I cannot read them. “This is a secondary chat room on a less secure site that someone else started. People are subverting us and the hype has taken on a life of its own. It has started to go off the rails.”

“I do not understand; what does ‘off the rails’ mean?” I ask, reaching out to try and touch the gray wall.

She raises a hand, blocking my finger from the lap-top. “In this case, it means things are going to become hectic here fast.”

“So we are attracting too many people? It has only been a few days...”

“Yeah, we’ve drawn the attention of some more influential people and groups. This is fine in the short term. The more people, the easier it is to take the Terrace, but what are we supposed to do later? A few thousand people we could make due...”

“How many people art thou foreseeing now?”

“I mean…” Leaning back in her chair, she answers, “To be honest, there basically isn’t a ceiling. It’s just how many the city allows in and how much time they have to get here. The locals will be swarming soon just to see what’s happening; who knows about the people coming from out of state.”

I tap my finger against the table, pondering the implications. “If there are so many, could we not simply tell them that if they stay, they shall be trapped?”

“I think after you’ve entered hibernation, yes. If they choose to stay, then they’ll have been warned. With so many, a large amount of them will stay regardless.”

“Terra, thou knoweth the park is not exactly… ideal for a large number of people. The facilities for that many people do not exist here. Actually, disregarding that, there is nary any food hereabouts and I have seen even a hint of crops. If food is not brought in from outside then…” I hesitate but wish to make sure she understands, so continue, “Hast thou beheld the sight of a person starving to death before? I have; it is not pleasant to witness. Without crops or incoming food, I presume it shall be a common sight for quite some time.”

“We’ll tell them that they should leave or risk their life here once you enter hibernation. I have a feeling that most of them will refuse to listen. Most people nowadays don’t know what it’s like to be around death and how easy it is to die. Also, I am just going to say, no matter what happens those sights will be common. This city is enormous. A lot of people wouldn’t leave even if they knew everything.”

Nodding, I think for a moment and the state, “Aye. Thou shouldst purchase a lot of crop seeds if they are available. If thou gives me some, perhaps I may make use of them later.”

“I’ve already acquired some of what I could, but you shouldn’t worry about that sort of thing until you have the leisure to do that kind of thing. For now, you should just worry about the training and viability aspects of it.” Letting out a sigh, she says out loud, “Why did we have to attract so many so easily.”

Owl walks into the gate room. “People were attracted by that photo of Miss Nightingale. It garnered a lot of attention, went viral, and led to people questioning who she is.”

“It was a rhetorical question. Have the Hands I hired had any effect at all on controlling the narrative, Owl?” she asks him, going back to working on her lap-top.

“It isn’t making a discernible difference,” Owl taps some things on a lap-top nearby and points at a picture. It’s a fist with the thumb tucked beneath the index finger; it means ‘T’ in sign language. “It appears public sentiment might have coalesced even more around Miss Nightingale—a combination of timing, public frustration, and her grace. This fist she was making in the photo has begun to crop up all over.”