Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 154: At the edge of the world.

*****

Cultists. Terrorists. Heretics.

Ravenous Moon has been called many names, and perhaps, to the majority's eye, it really is those things. Objectively, the organization ticks all the boxes for being a dangerous and destructive force. They have indeed dabbled in illegal dealings, kidnappings, terrorism, murders, rapes, and much more.

But they don't bother making excuses for those actions.

One might theorize their inhumane nature, thinking of it as a product of individuality—each person born holds a different set of values, and those who do not value humane matters band together to form a cult—Ravenous Moon.

However, as more is learned about these people's madness, something that feels deeper pops up every now and then.

Worshipping the Heavenly Demon simply because HE wants humanity's eradication? Not so simple. Torturing records of captured Ravenous Moon senior members have indicated that a deep-seated, seemingly convincing belief has taken over their minds completely. But then again, it might be a case of mass hypnotizing, considering their brains automatically fry themselves before they give in to the torture and reveal confidential information.

''To understand our ultimate goal, we need to go back to ancient times.''

Under the dim, flickering light, the man lightly traces the rim of his fedora, pacing around the whiteboard whimsically—almost as if dancing.

''Humanity wasn't always this ignorant. They weren't like now, drowned in the borrowed power of a decaying world, immersing themselves in a trance of make-up valor, unaware of the cage binding their very existence to their graves.''

pluck—!

The man curtly flicks the marker's cap open, running his hand busily on the board. He hatches away at the empty space, hatches away at dozens of different angles, and hatches away until a coherent shape is visible.

''We were once proud.''

A rocket.

A rocket carrying a folded space telescope.

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''The eye of Heaven!''

Under that, the immense energy burned and released by the thrusters, exaggerated with bold and boisterous lines. The man stands still, eyes glued to his own painting as if possessed.

''Hah... how beautiful.''

To Valstein, this has been his life.

From a young, optimistic scholar to now one of the leaders of the world's most dangerous cult, all because he came across a certain tape in his grandfather's basement.

The video, once he got it to play with great difficulty, told an alien tale of a giant machine taking off to the far, far sky, eventually leaving the boundaries of the world altogether.

It was fascinating.

Although he couldn't understand the language spoken in the tape, he could tell that it was a major occurrence. Even though it was clearly from a whole different civilization... something swole up inside him—pride.

He was proud of the human race, so much so that he decided to dedicate his life to reclaiming the lost knowledge on his own.

That was why he was a 'scientist,' and he still is today.

The vortex of life pushed Valstein towards many places that he frankly didn't expect, but the only important thing for him now is, nonetheless, the same.

With the soon arrival of HIM, the Heavenly Demon, everything will be released once again, and humanity... will be able to dream of the stars once again.

''Are you not going to play that tape anymore?''

From somewhere in this dark room, a tired female voice sounded. Ironically, her own silhouette, wrapped around by an even darker layer of shadow, makes her stand out.

The second Advent.

''It risks breaking the tape down.'' Valstein calmly replies. 

''Is that why you are learning to draw? So you can make the whole video on paper?''

''Perhaps.''

''Hm~... I applaud your enthusiasm, but can we do something about that wench already? She's too dangerous to be left out there.''

Recalling the galaxy mask—the only thing memorable about the existence called 'Silaerob.'

In a way, it only reminds him of what his purposes are.

''...No. Now is not the time.''

''Tch... is it because she is an 'outsider'?''

''Maybe. Maybe she has answers for all of us. But for now... let's see what happens to the world as the cage finally crumbles down.''

*****

''Hm... so this is as far as we can go.''

Nighttime.

After hunting down a bunch of swordfish, we decided to continue exploring the ocean. There is actually something else I want to see besides sea monsters.

''Is it your first time here, too?''

''Yup—! Wasn't really interested before. They didn't allow me to go far either, heh.''

It's also Luxia's first time experiencing this.

In short, we are at... the edge of the world. No, I am not a flat earther, and I know this isn't Earth, but I do not think that this planet is a disk.

I mean, physically, it is the edge of the world.

''This is quite surreal...'' I mutter.

As I gently tap into the space in front of me, a solid, slightly bouncy texture is sent back. With my excellent eyes, I can already see the pixels making up the 'water' and the 'sky' beyond the horizon line.

A giant dome.

This continent is contained in a giant dome.

You see, the writer of the game's story likes plot twists a lot, and they are perhaps inspired by many great plot twists in thrillers, too. The whole world essentially being in a simulation isn't too far-fetched, is it?

The more I cruise my ship, tracing the outline of the dome, the more I am impressed by the sheer level of technology and human brilliance needed to construct these kinds of things.

''Is this why the church is camping near the shores? To control information?''

''Eh, maybe. Hardly anybody comes this far, anyway.''

Fortunately, I have Luxia, a person in the know, here with me. She can answer questions relating to the church's inner businesses, although they may not be great answers.

Now, for the reason these walls exist.

I hate to say this all the time, but according to the original storyline, it is to prevent the Heavenly Demon and HIS army's interference in the inner world.

What's in the inner world? Seeds of hope for humanity—people like Claire, who are set to be heroes and heroines to repel the advancements of HIM and, hopefully, one day defeat HIM altogether.

Oh, by the way, have you ever wondered what happened to those heroes of the past when they passed away?

It's a bit morbid but cool in a way—their bodies containing massive sacred light energy become the fuel to maintain the walls, keeping the next generation safe. One could say they give back to the planet what the planet has given them because...

...well, the system itself draws power from the planet.

That much is obvious. Where else would the system get all of these power-ups for its users?

But here is an interesting question—what about me?

As far as I know, this planet's health isn't so great. In that state, it should be quite impossible to bestow so much power onto a single entity like me without blowing up everything. I know I have too much power because of the Backrooms' existence. That place is vast and grand enough to be its own planet.

All of this suggests another deity's play in this whole scenario.

''...''

Is it a deity of horror? I kind of want to meet them.