Part 117: Day 48 - Story

Day 48: Story

Music: Intricate


With Abel defeated, the office has another meltdown.





It's… seen better days.



And so, it seems, has today's A.



We’ve become too cold to continue cherishing such a thing. No, in fact, we weren’t meant to bask in such warmth in the first place. You feel it too, don’t you? I can see you already feeling the nostalgia in the air right as you stepped into this room.

.......



Those two doors that never wanted to be opened, but had to be.

We hear a knock.



Can I come in?



I wanted to pretend I wasn’t in the room… Because I knew what she was going to tell me. Sometimes, her thoughts could be extremely reckless.



Here we hear a door opening, and then footsteps.



Those eyes, soaked with red, as she had to endure cruel reality. She walked into your lab and started illustrating her hypothesis. Carefully, yet decidedly. You wanted to tell her it was preposterous, but like always, she had you persuaded. You had no choice but to admit it was the only way.



Was how much it hurt to listen to her put it so calmly, as if it were none of our business. And how much we loathed ourselves for just having to tolerate it.

Music: The song here isn't in the OST that I could find, so I made a video of the next bit. It goes from here through the next time we see A.


















Music: None




Music: Deep Horror Underscore


She was on the edge. One more step would make her fall. Then that day, when Enoch’s breath stopped, she finally realized… That her path was always in her sight.



And she’d never lift her head again.



When we progress, the screen flows downwards.



Now we can hear water dripping.

Only the sound of flowing water filled the air… I just kept yanking the doorknob like I were insane. Yet I hoped it would never open…

There's also effects of yanking on the doorknob throughout this section. Project Moon really went above and beyond for Day 48.



When we click, we hear a door open again.



As the scene fades to white.



She stepped into the bath herself… So that not a fragment of needless emotion, like guilt, would pile up on us. I… we saw with our eyes, so clearly. She was bleeding out and delirious, but still she held on to life.



……

Why was she so cruel, and why did we have to become so cruel? We asked this question without an answer, to the toast that celebrated our success blossomed with death. However…



You have come to the right place. This is the room where she sleeps. Don’t worry, she won’t wake up with this much noise. Can you meet her again? Let’s do it like this.



The screen fades to black, before…

Music: My Inspiration


I have something I should confess. I actually have a much weaker heart than everyone thinks. I always say stuff like “count on me” and “just follow me” in front of everyone… But I’m never sure about the things I do. If anyone were harmed or put in trouble because of what I do… I would definitely be shaken and end up hating myself. I know that. That’s why I need to ask you for a favor.



We humans have weak hearts. One crack and it will easily crumble. I am no exception to this, but you… You’ll endure through it. There is only one way out, and it’ll never change. You know what I’m trying to say, right?

........

Are you unsure?



It’s like... being a plant, photosynthesizing. Ease up your tension, and just close your eyes… Yes, just like that. Make yourself as comfortable as possible, so that your mind finds itself comfortable too. It tickles, no? But just wait.

Music: None












Music: Gothic Mood


.............



I was the only one who could fulfill her ideal. I was the only one who could finish it… Only me… However, she never told me this path of hers would be riddled with such vicious thorns and spikes…

…..



This bucket is the beginning and the end destination of this place. Cogito is endlessly produced here, spewing out life and death. When we saw that the bath was overflowing, we thought everything was over. However… We couldn’t have been more wrong.



She saw every path we walked.



She sacrificed everything of hers without a trace left behind, but I… You and I, we remember the things we’ve done to become a Wing, to stay a Wing. It was revolting at first. But you see how we acclimated to it after the first few times? We flawlessly realized our hideous actions just like all the other Wings.



The story of how human sacrifices are required to fulfill our ideal needed to be continued. So we had to put on the guise of simply being manic about energy production. Though we know the truth too well.



Probing and combing through the brain of a woman to blend into the world, to evade the Head and the Eye? Throwing a person into the jaws of a monster just to gain some energy? Reincarnating your colleagues just to make them live through the same agony again? Do you really think those are things any normal person would do...? Yet we closed up our eyes and ears, and numbed ourselves. We eventually felt nothing for what we do.





Does it really matter at this point? No, it doesn’t. We were wrong from the start, our very existence is wrong. You and I, all that’s left for us is atonement.

Music: Requiem


You know we didn’t meaninglessly embrace this pain. Tiphereth knew that a long time ago. I guess that’s why he always walked ahead of me. One day, I realized that you were also looking towards somewhere with a clear vision, just like he did. I just didn’t want to admit that I was lagging behind. I think that’s why I was always so frustrated.



That’s the reason why I said I’ll count on you, and hold expectation. Promise to show me someday… And show the world the fruit of our pain and labor.





You know what? Photosynthesis is for plants after all. Things that actually take sunlight. It was never for something like you and I. Don’t you know this already? We drove Carmen to death, we just saw that…

Music: One Way


It always felt like I’m missing something. But I never knew what that something was. I vented this anger of mine in a rather bad way, as you saw. This madness without purpose would never go away.



Look, we’re never going back to how it was before. The situation’s changed way too much. But I was able to keep my promise with her because you stopped me, at the very least. You also have to remember this. She would want you to protect what we have left, rather than just languish in guilt.





Yes, she entrusted us with what’s left. But we were not the person who Carmen thought us to be, no. The only person that believed in us was gone. There was no one left around us.



Of course, Carmen’s moving speech did pique my interest, not gonna lie. However, the decisive factor for me… It was because I liked how everyone here trusted Carmen. You know how meaningless the word “trust” is nowadays, don’t you?



Carmen trusted in you entirely until her moment of death. Everyone else who remained did too. Why do you think I decided to stick with you until the end? Just look around you now. Everyone gathered here just for you. And they’re waiting expectantly.





Carmen lies here, neither alive nor dead.



We are obliged to remain trapped in this cycle of eternal punishment. Yet still you want to reach for tomorrow? You want to escape this endless regret and atonement? There is one final door past here that wasn’t written in the story. It’s one I can’t open. It only opens to those who are not soaked in regret.





In summary: Abram reminds us of how Carmen outlined what they were going to do, Carmen was the one who everyone pinned their hopes on, Carmen was the one who offed herself so we could guiltlessly move forward with the project, Carmen was the one who made us promise not to stop until we were done… Basically, a lot of Carmen. He then shows us her new form as the bucket, before saying that our plan is meaningless and we should focus on atonement instead. Thanks to our ordeals in the Middle Layer, we're able to overcome his questions and move forward through a door which only opens to someone who "isn't soaked in regret."

You actually opened it…

I'm a man of many talents. You should know.

It won't matter. You shouldn't travel beyond here. There's nothing left for us… This trial will be the last. Then, at last… we can sink as we should have so long ago.



Maybe it's just because I'm a lot newer around here than you, but I don't think sinking is the play. We've got a job to do, and that's to bring everything to an end.

Bring everything to an end… Do you even know what the plan is?

...I am not clear on that yet, no.

Exactly. We're trapped doing heinous things for an eternity to accomplish her will, but you don't even know what the plan is anymore. Instead we just perform these atrocities day after day… and for a goal we can't hope to meet.

Oh, I can just tell you're going to be a joy to talk to all day.

Next time, on Lobotomy Corporation: Tiphereth's suppression continues to do nothing of note








Music: None. It's just some wind blowing.