"The route has been mapped for you. Only the final stretch remains to reach the core of the Tethys System: the summit of the glacier."
A practiced voice echoed in Rover's earpiece. Steadying his nerves, he looked up, braced against the biting wind, and locked onto his destination.
"For the safety of this unit, initiating countermeasures. Target: Supreme Administrator."
As the mechanical voice faded behind him, a black hole materialized on the desolate glacier.
From its center, a laser shot straight toward Rover.
He dodged swiftly, his gaze growing colder than the ice around him.
He broke into a sprint. The frigid ice needles in the air pricked his face, sharpening his focus, while the relentless sound of lasers striking the ground echoed behind him. The scorching heat melted the surrounding icicles.
Suddenly, a laser shot toward the ice above him. The massive sheet of frost shattered instantly. Rover's eyes narrowed as his blade unleashed a gust of wind, slicing the falling ice in two. Then, with a surge of speed under his feet, he accelerated further.
"Target exhibits new capabilities. Recalculating."
The Tethys System's voice continued overhead. A smooth ice wall abruptly crashed down in front of Rover, the impact sending a shockwave of air high enough to block all sight ahead.
Rover's second elemental power flared to life. Stairs of falling rock rose one after another, allowing him to vault over the seemingly insurmountable wall.
"Recalculating, recalculating..."
The Tethys System's usually calm voice now carried urgency. This time, a train whistle blared from the black hole, followed instantly by a locomotive hurtling straight toward Rover.
At full speed, Rover couldn't possibly swerve in time—but the Tethys System had miscalculated again.
Electro energy erupted in a brilliant flash. His afterimage moved faster than the train itself as he dashed alongside it, sprinting across its surface.
Only a few meters remained to the glacier's peak. Rover leaped into the air—only for a pre-placed black hole to appear directly in his path.
To an onlooker, it would seem as if he had jumped straight into the abyss.
Darkness swallowed Rover. The sensation of freefall and weightlessness left him unable to find leverage.
The last thing he heard was the mechanical voice lingering in his ear.
"Calculation successful."
Yet, unnoticed by the Tethys System, a speck of blue light quietly merged into Rover's body.
...
The sound of a piano mingled with the waves, gently brushing against Rover's hair.
Damp yet warm—that was his first sensation upon opening his eyes.
The sky was breathtaking.
It was the kind of beauty that came when dawn pierced the night, that sudden burst of light painting the heavens in the most radiant hues.
Rover sat up. The biting wind was gone, replaced by a soothing breeze. At the horizon, floating rocks dotted the landscape, basking in the glow of the longed-for light.
Slender fingers glided over the warm piano keys, the melody halting abruptly as the guest arrived.
Rover knew this place. In the depths of his distant memories, there had been a moment—just like this—when he had played the piano here with someone.
"I've kept my promise to you."
The Shorekeeper pressed her lips together, then turned to him with a faint smile.
"The song was beautiful."
Rover walked to her side and, guided by muscle memory, played the tune once more.
"Have... I played this before?"
The Shorekeeper nodded firmly, sitting beside him as if trying to sear the sight of him playing into her heart.
As the familiar melody continued, her fingers stretched out, slowly, gently, joining Rover in a duet.
Under the first light of dawn, a blue butterfly finally settled upon a black flower.
The Shorekeeper savored this hard-won moment, feeling his warmth and the quickening beat of her own heart.
Sunlight glinted off something liquid, making Rover pause. He turned slightly and saw her staring at him, tears still glistening on her cheeks.
"I'll take you out of here."
Rover reached out again, wiping her tears away, then stood and met her gaze with unwavering resolve—as if making a vow.
Once everything is settled, we'll finish playing this song from our memories.
The Shorekeeper gave a soft "Mm" in response.
"Now, let me guide you forward."
...
Rover's eyes snapped open.
Encased in darkness, he tightened his grip on his blade, the half-formed wings on his back straining with effort.
The blade morphed into a scythe. With all his strength, he cleaved through the black void before him.
The howling wind rushed through the clean cut, revealing the scarred land beyond.
"Plan failed. Additional variables detected. Recalculating. Variable identified: Shorekeeper."
Rover returned to the glacier. A blue butterfly fluttered ahead, opening a path for him.
The scenery shifted once more, and at last, he arrived in a room humming with technology.
At its center floated the core of the Tethys System, bobbing rhythmically.
And before it stood his final adversary—Overlord-class: Fallacy of No Return.
Fallacy of No Return
The ultimate defense protocol constructed by the Tethys System, patrolling the boundary between reality and data space.
Even if it meant exhausting the calculations of the stars or usurping the authority of the Astral Modulator, it would stop at nothing to ensure the absolute safety and stability of the system. This was its core logic, the guarantee of continued observation, the unbreakable covenant of the Tethys System.
In a way, defeating this foe would force the Tethys System to reboot—ending the source of all this calamity.
"Reiterating to the Supreme Administrator: This unit exists for the continuation of civilization. Every decision made serves the betterment of its future. To prevent civilization's destruction by the Threnodians."
"The continuation of civilization takes precedence above all. Thus, this unit asserts that the current Threnodian simulation contains no errors. Supreme Administrator, reconsider."
Rover ignored the mechanical voice. Instead, he drew out a yellowed slip of paper, its surface scrawled with Velly's messy handwriting.
People like Velly, Aqeno, and Zhiping—whether from Fontaine or distant lands—had all perished in what the Tethys System called the "Threnodian simulation."
The radiant light of humanity had been discarded by this cold machine, reduced to mere numbers.
"You cannot strip away lives. Nor can you define what continuation truly means."
"Everything you've done is just a desperate attempt to delay your own demise."
Step by step, Rover advanced. Though his enemy towered over him, he tightened his grip on the scythe.
At this moment, he wasn't just one person—he carried the hopes of two worlds.
Just as he had promised everyone—he would end this suffering.