Maeon's ultimatum, "Be archived," echoed ominously in the acoustic perfection of the colossal chamber. From hidden panels in the crystalline walls, a dozen sleekly designed, armed security drones emerged with a silent, hydraulic hiss, encircling Berwick and Hyogaki. The drones did not attack; they simply waited, their mechanical eyes glowing, like metallic predators anticipating their prey's next move. Maeon observed them, as if granting them one final moment to choose their fate.
Berwick's fingers instinctively tightened around the hilt of "Green Dawn." The Ether coursing through his veins began to simmer, fueled by his rising fury. Every muscle in his body was coiled, a spring wound tight and ready to explode.
In that instant, Hyogaki's hand clamped firmly around Berwick's arm, halting him. "Don't fight," he whispered, his voice calm but resolute. "This is his fortress. Every terminal, every cable is an extension of him. If we fight him physically, we lose. Use your head. We need to buy time."
Berwick shot Hyogaki a hard glance, his voice a low growl. "Not fight? The man just threatened us. And what does it matter if he's wired in? One good distraction is all we need for a chance to escape."
"Yes, but we cannot afford to underestimate our opponent," Hyogaki countered. "He governs an entire city with his intellect and knowledge. Fighting him now would be like dueling a veteran Guardian who can anticipate our every move… especially one who can process information at his speed. So, do not, under any circumstances, attack unless I say so." This was Hyogaki's first true command as leader, and it was backed by undeniable logic.
Berwick gritted his teeth but slowly relaxed his grip on his sword. "Fine... But the moment I sense a threat, I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my way."
Hyogaki then turned to Maeon, executing what was perhaps the greatest bluff of his life. There was not a trace of fear on his face. "Your proposition is… intriguing, Archivist Maeon," he said. "However, before we make a decision of this magnitude—one that will alter the course of our lives—we require a full understanding of what Aethelburg has to offer, and the status of our other companions who are to join us. After all, our paths were separated. Give us a tour of your city. Show us the others you have 'archived.' Prove to us why we should join you."
For a moment, Maeon was taken aback by Hyogaki's audacity. Then, an expression of something akin to admiration flickered across his metallic features. "Clever," he murmured. "Very clever. You maintain your reason even in the heart of chaos." He accepted the proposal. "Of course. I would be delighted to demonstrate the absolute superiority of order over chaos."
The drones retracted. Berwick and Hyogaki were, for the moment, still alive, but they were now about to embark on a guided tour of their gilded cage. Maeon projected a massive holographic display before them. On it, live feeds showed their teammates in different parts of the city. Hyogaki and Berwick stared at the screen, a small measure of relief washing over them as they confirmed their friends were alive.
"As you can see," Maeon said, his tone that of both a tour guide and a warden, "your friends are also discovering the wonders of this city in their own fashion. They are undergoing their own little trials. Unlawfully, of course… Should you agree to join us, their transgressions will be forgiven."
Simultaneously, the duel in the rusted corridors had begun.
"Hey, Tin Can! Care for a little cooldown?!" Alchio roared, charging the modified Guardian automaton.
The battle was far more difficult than Alchio had anticipated. The robot was utilizing the combat data of a former Guardian, predicting his ice attacks and countering with its massive drills relentlessly. The chamber was soon a chaotic landscape of shattered ice and twisted metal.
"This guy is annoyingly persistent! Hey Ren, could we wrap this up soon? I'm starting to get sleepy!" Alchio shouted, narrowly dodging a drill strike.
"Cut the chatter and focus!" Ren retorted, moving like a phantom through the shadows. He was searching for a weakness in the robot's armor but was finding none. "Its plating is too thick. We can't breach it from the outside!"
Alchio paused for a thought. "If we can't breach it from the outside… maybe we can shut it down from the inside? What do you say?" He had spotted a small, manual override switch beneath the Guardian insignia on the robot's chest, likely for emergencies.
"Ren! I have an idea! I'll create an opening, you hit the switch!"
"Are you insane? We have no idea what that switch even does!"
"Trust me!" Alchio yelled. He took a deep breath, gathering all his remaining Ether into his hands. "GO! FRIDGIA'S ABSOLUTE ZERO!"
A wave of cryogenic energy blasted from Alchio's palms, momentarily encasing the robot's lower body and drills in a thick layer of ice, fixing it to the floor. As the automaton struggled violently to break free, Ren burst from the shadows. With incredible speed, he reached the robot's chest and slammed his hand down on the emergency switch.
There was a moment of silence. Then, the switch depressed with a click, and a high-pitched alarm began to shriek from within the robot. Its red optical sensor began to flash erratically.
"I don't think that was the off switch!" Alchio said, his eyes wide with horror.
"It's going to blow! Get back!" Ren shouted. The robot exploded with a deafening roar. The shockwave hurled Alchio and Ren to the far side of the chamber.
As the smoke and dust slowly settled, Alchio staggered to his feet, coughing. "Did we get it?"
But something was moving in the center of the wreckage. The outer shell of the exploded robot had split open like a chrysalis. From within, a much slimmer, more humanoid, yet infinitely more menacing figure rose. It was forged from a glossy black metal, a pure war machine. It had no face, only a single, glowing red optic, and the intense Ether aura radiating from its body made the very air in the room feel heavy.
This was the Guardian.
"What in the world is that…? Its Ether presence is enough to chill me to the bone…" Alchio whispered.
The Guardian spoke no words. It simply raised a hand. A large slab of rock from the floor lifted into the air, held by a telekinetic force. Before Alchio could react, the rock was launched with terrifying velocity, slamming him against the metal wall of the chamber with a sickening crunch. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, groaning in pain as his consciousness faded. "GAH!!"
"ALCHIO!" Ren cried out.
At that moment, the Guardian's single eye flashed, and terminals throughout the chamber lit up with red alerts. A piercing alarm began to blare throughout all of Aethelburg:
"BREACH IN CRYOGENIC SECTOR. BREACH IN CRYOGENIC SECTOR. QUARANTINE PROTOCOL ENGAGED."
The alarm descended upon Maeon's tranquil archive like a hammer blow. The massive screen before him instantly switched to security footage from the Cryogenic Sector. It showed an unconscious Alchio and Ren, alone, preparing to face the Guardian Guardian. Maeon's calm and wise mask instantly shattered. His expression twisted into one of cold, ruthless fury. His eyes locked onto Berwick and Hyogaki.
"It appears," Maeon said, his voice now a low growl like a gathering storm, "that some of my guests have shown the audacity to trespass in my private archives."
Hyogaki took a step back. "We have nothing to do with this! We d-don't know what happened!"
"Oh… it no longer matters," Maeon declared. "The balance has been disturbed. And those who disturb the balance… must be culled."
The surrounding security drones instantly activated. The plasma weapons in their arms began to charge with an ominous hum.
Berwick stepped in front of Hyogaki, finally placing his hand on the hilt of Green Dawn. This time, no one stopped him. The energy within the sword began to glow, responding to Berwick's rage. Though he had yet to test the blade's abilities, it felt as if his entire body already knew its power.
"I suppose," Berwick said, his eyes locked on Maeon, "that negotiations are over."
This was no longer a surrender; it was a declaration of war. The battle for Aethelburg had begun.
"...Maeon says he protects us," the old woman was saying, as Kiko translated for Akemi. "But sometimes, this protection feels like a cage." She gestured to a small, glowing orb mounted on the wall. "His 'eyes' are everywhere. We must not disturb the balance."
A seed of doubt had been planted in Akemi's mind. Just then, a commotion outside startled them. Through the window, they saw several security robots forcibly apprehending a young man. "Dissenters must be culled," one of the robots announced in a monotone.
The glowing orb in the corner of the room pulsed red. Maeon's synthesized voice filled the small home: "Warning. Classification-3 Aliens have made unauthorized contact with the local populace. Protocol 17 initiated. You are now designated as fugitives. Surrender."
The robots outside immediately turned toward their house. The door splintered, blasted from its hinges.
"We have to run, now!" Akemi yelled.
As the robots charged in, one began firing plasma-like projectiles. Akemi, Kiko, and Hana dodged most of them, but a final shot struck Akemi's watch.
"Damn it! I hope that didn't make it worse," she muttered. When Kiko and Hana started speaking, Akemi was shocked; she could no longer understand them, either! Her watch was now completely useless for translation. Maintaining her composure, she began using hand signals to communicate. The old woman who had helped them cried out, "This way, quickly!" and gestured for Akemi to follow.
The three of them followed the woman into a narrow alleyway, a desperate chase beginning.
Despite having no translator, Akemi took charge with her combat experience, directing Kiko and Hana with gestures and simple commands. She ricocheted arrows off walls to shatter the robots' optical sensors, momentarily disrupting their pursuit. Kiko created brilliant flashes of light behind them to blind their pursuers, while Hana threw up small energy barriers to slow them down.
The chase led them to an older, unused sector of the city. Just as they were cornered in a dead-end, the old woman pulled open a hidden hatch in the floor. "Down here! This is the only place Maeon's eyes cannot see!" They all jumped down.
When Akemi opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw. It was another settlement, even more populated than the city center—a true hideout. They were in a network of old, narrow service tunnels beneath the city's main structure. Several other people who thought like the old woman were there. Kiko and Hana began listening to the woman. "Welcome to the Resistance…" They were the small cell of dissent within Aethelburg.
The old woman turned to Akemi, pointing at her watch. A man with mechanical expertise rushed to the old woman's side, then took Akemi's wrist and began examining the device.
Kiko stepped forward. "We are grateful that you saved us, but… can you please tell us what is happening here?"
The old woman took a breath, her gaze drifting up to the rusted ceiling of the hideout, and told them the planet's pitiful history. Kiko and Hana listened in stunned silence.
After finishing her story, she turned back to them. "Maeon governs this city with his mind. Everything is connected to the central energy core beneath the Archive, the 'Heart of Aethelburg.' All of us here have suffered greatly. Some of us watched our families be archived," she said, glancing toward a few children and some grieving adults in a corner. "Some of us sacrificed parts of ourselves… just for a scrap of knowledge…"
Hana spoke up. "Then why did you save us?"
The old woman smiled sadly and pointed to the insignia on Hana's uniform. "Guardians… They have been here before. Of course, at the time, we did not know they were Guardians."
Kiko swallowed hard. "Wait… Guardians? This was supposed to be an uncharted universe…"
The woman looked at them. "They said the same thing… But they were 'archived' by Maeon before they could leave. One of them, before he was taken, told us one last thing to warn anyone who might come after."
Kiko leaned in closer. "What did he say?"
The old woman sighed, then slowly sat down on a nearby crate. "He asked me to tell whoever came next these words: 'Do not, under any circumstances, place your complete trust in the Guardians.'"
Kiko and Hana exchanged a look of shock. They couldn't comprehend what that could possibly mean.
"That is why," the old woman said, gently taking Kiko's hands. Her eyes seemed to hold centuries of pain. "We have a request for you, young Guardians…"
Kiko turned back to the woman, holding her hands gently. "What do you ask of us?"
A flicker of hope ignited in the old woman's eyes. She pointed to a map of the underground city on the ceiling. "If that core I mentioned is shut down, Maeon's control over the city will cease. But it is the most heavily fortified location in the city. If you can get past its defenses, you can reach the Heart, and that will be the end of Maeon. And the end of a centuries-long dictatorship…" The woman turned back to Kiko. "Please, stop him. I can feel that you are the ones who can do it."
Kiko and Hana looked at each other, and then back at the old woman, a spark of determination and resolve in their eyes.
"Don't worry," Kiko smiled. "We will do everything in our power."