Punishing : Gray Raven (Official)

Chapter 16 : Farewell (Interlude 2-3)

Gray Raven : The Graffiti Arc (Interlude)

Chapter 16 : Farewell

...

Lucia : "Luna, follow tight..."

Corrupted: " Urgh..."

Human soldier: " Sir, report! We found two little girls!"

Lucia : "Pant ... pant"

Luna : "... "

Nikola : " Two kids? In this place?"

Human soldier : " Yes, sir. They were fighting with the Corrupted before we arrived here, sir."

"They're slightly injured, but mostly they look unwell from malnutrition."

Nikola : "... "

" Bring them back to base for medical care."

...

Human soldier : " How are you feeling?"

Luna : " The... bathwater... very comfortable... thank you..."

Lucia : " ...What do you want from us?"

Nikola : " According to our tests, the affinity of your bodies to Tantalum-193 is extremely high."

" This means you two have the chance to become Constructs."

"Yes. Having a body made of entirely different materials while still maintaining your human consciousness.

"Both your body and consciousness will no longer be harmed by the Punishing Virus."

" This is the last hope of humanity against the virus. And it's the... final chance we all have."

Human soldier : "... "

Lucia : " We just want to live..."

Nikola : " Ha, in a world like this?"

Lucia : " We... can only live in this world...."

Nikola : " No, there's still a place in this world that is untainted by the virus..."

Lucia : " A place without the virus..."

Nikola : " Yes, that place is—"

" Babylonia."

Human soldier : "Sir ..."

Nikola : " I know what you want to say..."

" Our mission, is to maximize the chances of victory for humanity—"

" She, will be an "ember" in the coming darkness."

" But that's not enough..."

" Only an innumerable... infinite expanse of embers, may guide humanity through this darkness."

" To win this war... We must bear this sin."

...

Nun : "Where ... did you go?"

" And with so many supplies, as well"

Lucia : "..."

Luna : "... "

Nun : " Hmph, nobody's gonna take your stuff even if you speak."

"I don't know where you managed to find all this, but you better keep a close look on them this time, got it?"

Lucia : "... "

Luna : "... "

...

Lucia : "Luna  ... When I become a Construct... We can go live in Babylonia for a new life..."

Luna : " Mhm, there'll be food, drinks, toys... fluffy beds and... hot showers..."

Lucia : "Thank you."

Luna : "But why won't you let me become a Construct as well?"

Lucia : " Because... That man said, Construct technology isn't mature, there might be... risks..."

Luna : "Risks?"

Lucia : " Remember our promise? handle the risky parts..."

" And, I'm already used to fighting with the Corrupted... but you're still not good with weapons..."

" Luna?"

" Fallen asleep, huh..."

Luna : " Nnngh... Lucia... Hot baths..."

Lucia : "..."

Lucia hugs Luna close and falls asleep as well, bearing a relieved smile in this bitterly cold room...

Early morning the next day-

Lucia: "Luna...?"

"..."

"Luna!"

"Did any of you see Luna?"

Human soldier : "Luna? She went with those people in black early in the morning..."

Lucia : "!!! "

Human soldier : " If we hadn't found you on the road, you would have already been dead."

Lucia : " Luna... Where's Luna?"

Human soldier : "... "

Nikola : " Your sister, her procedure failed."

Lucia : " Failed..."

" She's still alive, right? I can still see Luna... right?"

Nikola : " She has already been processed and disposed of..."

Lucia : " Disposed of... what does that mean?"

Luna : " In the last stage of the experiment, an immensely strong Punishing Virus reaction appeared inside her-it took over and corrupted her almost instantly."

" Which means that Luna became a Corrupted. We had to dispose of her.,"

" I'm sorry, but you'll never see her again."

Lucia : " You!—"

" You... "

...

" Lu... "

"Luna.."

"Lu—na..."

...

A few hours ago-

Black-clad man : "We'll take these children then."

"If the experiment succeeds, they can all undertake defense missions in this area and protect everyone."

Nun : "Hmph, bloody hypocrites..."

Luna : "Lucia..."

" I'll leave the plushie to you."

" When I become a Construct and have to be somewhere else, you can sleep with the plushie as if it were me."

" Just like I did before..."

Black-clad man : "It's  about time, children. Let's go."

...

Luna : "Lucia... I don't want to part with you..."

"But you've been protecting me all this time... You've done so much for me..."

" Now's my turn to protect you."

" Then..."

" Goodbye... Lucia..."

—End of Interlude—