Flares illuminate the night sky. They're bright enough to make it seem like daytime.Meanwhile, destroyed street lights sway in the wind.Two-to-three-story steel structures cast looming shadows on the cracked pavement. A palette of dark, cold hues surrounds them.
Amidst this desolation, the only source of vibrant color is the orange barricade tape.How can there be a place like this in Skyhaven..
Thick wild grass covers the ground, a testament to the years of having been abandoned. Yet these pieces of metal shine, as if they're new.Beyond the bars of steel, the faint outlines of various aircraft hint at this place's history.The signal from the necklace abruptly vanishes here. There must be a signal jammer in this area.
Before I can react, I'm pulled into a makeshift shelter made from discarded equipment.I turn around and pull out my gun, only to see a young girl's face illuminated by the light reflected off a puddle.
Crystals adorn her skin. She wears a thin dress, but she's unperturbed in such cold rain.In the distance, officers wearing Farspace Fleet uniforms move closer. They're armed and on high alert.

The crystalline growths on the girl's body are similar to Kevi's, but far more severe—she's almost completely transformed into one of the"monsters" from N109 Zone.

"Hey, can you check if I'm still alive? Is my heart still beating?"
Urging me, the girl grabs my hand and presses it to her chest."

I look down. A fist-sized cavity, covered in crystals, is in her chest.
Within it, a large crystal pulsates and eerily glows in the place where her heart should be.

"How... What happened to you?"

Her skin, drained of all its color as she stands in the rain, betrays the weight of her memories as she cowers.

"As I was dying, someone whisked me away from the ward and took off the white cloth on my face.They made a promise... After one experiment, I could live again. Who wouldn't want that?"As she speaks, the crystals creep further up her neck. Yet she appears oblivious to them. "It's a shame. If I passed the test, I could've been the Professor's daughter..."
Curling up into a ball, she hides her face and muffles her sobs. The rain covers her anguish.The Professor. He's the one who took in Kevi under the pretense of adoption. "The Professor who gave us a second chance at life... He's our Father..."Now I know for sure he was the one walking next to Caleb at that villa.He's definitely involved in this experiment and he must have something to do with the Farspace Fleet.The lockdown and clean-up are just a cover. The Fleet's true targets are these... "Your power... It's warm. And you smell really nice."Lightning splits the night sky, casting light on this narrow space.She stops sobbing. The girl raises her head, and I see her tear-streaked face. Click. The crystals fall.Those dark eyes are consumed. There are only empty eye sockets reminiscent of eye holes in a mask. "Can I eat you?"She seems to lose consciousness. But then her cold fingers grab my wrist. "Your strength... Give it to me..."Sensing her abnormal strength, I swiftly pull back. I use the momentum to throw the girl off balance and force her to fall to her knees.Raindrops trickle down her temple. Her skin is like a human's. I hesitate for a second before reaching for my gun.
That single moment costs me, and a sharp pain shoots up from my knee.The crystalline spikes protruding from her shoulders pierce my left leg. My blood mixes with the rain. "I said... You should let me eat you..."

It's as if a silent signal has been given. Several figures emerge from the shadows and stagger toward me.Black crystals have almost engulfed every part of their bodies. They're barely recognizable as humans from their outlines.The crackling sound of burning flesh resounds in my ears again. Their silhouettes blur with the ones I remember from the N109 Zone...No... Those "things" are already here!

They're all here for the Aether Core..?!As they close in, I have no choice but to fight through the pain. I push the girl away. Holding my gun, I struggle to stand.Bullets cut through the rainfall and pierce the legs of two figures at the front of the group.However, "they" don't stop.Gritting my teeth, I aim for the shoulders of these "people."
Another shot rings out and the girl's twisted convulsions come to an abrupt stop. But I didn't pull the trigger.The figure before me dissipates into energy particles. It's similar to how a Wanderer disintegrates after death.

Several lights shine harshly, and I hear the synchronized sound of guns being drawn.A bullet whizzes past my ear. Yet those "people" who have been shot multiple times continue to lunge at me.Amidst the howling winds, the space in front of me distorts. A vortex appears, sucking in and tearing apart two or three looming figures.

What is that?!The rain stops, and the smoke from guns and crystal particles appear to be suspended in time.Through the veil of raindrops, an indifferent face gradually comes into focus. Raindrops are deflected away.Caleb...Frozen in place, I don't know if I should call out his name.

"What are you doing here?" Said caleb.

"I should be the one asking you that."I bite my lip before speaking in a more serious tone.These "monsters" and "Wanderers" are actually what you're cleaning up, right?"

He takes a step forward and seizes my wrist with a lot of strength.

"Now do you see?In this world—There will always be people who want your power."

In a dance of light and shadow, his expression remains indiscernible. And before I can open my mouth, the cries of Wanderers fill the air.

I avert my gaze. The remaining figures struggle against the vortex, and the Metaflux slowly dissipates.As the winds screech, the energy particles coalesce into a large Wanderer. It roars before advancing toward Caleb.

"Caleb, be careful."

"You're the one who needs to be careful."
With a stern expression, he grabs my shoulder and pulls me behind him. "Are you trying to prove you're strong enough to trespass into restricted zones by yourself? At night?You should only do that sort of thing when you're not throwing yourself into danger."