Serval: "After some research, I suspected the Stellaron was tied to the Fragmentum, and I was close to the truth."
"But I was just one step short."
"Before I was sacked, I was applying to survey the Stellaron in person."
"Even though it was my project, I've never seen the Stellaron with my own eyes."
"All my research relied on historical data and lab simulations."
"Shortly after submitting my preliminary report and application, I was disciplined. Clearly, someone didn't want the research to continue."
March 7th raised her brows. "Cocolia's been hiding so much from us."
Stelle still couldn't wrap her head around one question.
"So, what's Cocolia hiding the Stellaron for?"
"From what we got from Svarog, past Supreme Guardians clearly encouraged Stellaron research."
"After all, how can researchers find a way to destroy it without studying it?"
Serval sighed. "Yeah, I can't figure it out either."
"Once, Cocolia and I were close friends who could talk about anything."
"But not long after she became Supreme Guardian, it was like she turned into a different person."
"The beliefs she once held, the passion she had—it's like some force drained them from her body."
"She personally ordered my expulsion, refusing to even meet me. I stopped trying to understand her actions with normal logic long ago."
"Sometimes, I even wonder if she's someone else entirely."
"Is it possible? Maybe the Guardian's consciousness is passed down, and the real Cocolia is gone."
Her words hung in the air, and the Trailblaze trio's aura froze.
Noticing the odd atmosphere, Serval blinked in confusion, scanning them.
"Your looks seem strange. Could it be—my offhand comment hit the truth?"
"Cocolia… is she really not herself anymore?"
March 7th looked at Leon.
Stelle looked at Leon too.
The message was clear:
You know more about Stellarons, and you're the Trailblaze veteran—your call.
Leon pondered for a moment.
He could peek at the script, but there was no need.
Reading the script made him an actor; without it, he was himself.
That was a core choice he held onto.
He wasn't about to break a life credo forged through countless trials.
"From our last meeting with Cocolia, it's highly likely she wasn't herself then."
"You've studied the Stellaron, but you probably didn't know some Stellarons can develop self-awareness, right?"
Serval's expression jolted, and she instinctively shook her head.
She truly didn't know.
"From what I've learned, this planet's Stellaron definitely has self-awareness."
"If it wants, the Stellaron's voice can echo in Cocolia's mind day and night."
"If her will isn't strong enough, she'd gradually become its puppet."
"Stelle, March, remember Cocolia's reaction when she cornered us?"
"She knew we held Bronya's life in our hands, yet she still ordered our elimination, unafraid of us pulling the trigger."
Recalling that scene, Stelle and March 7th nodded silently.
They'd privately grumbled—what kind of mom does that?
Turns out, she wasn't her mom.
But even as an adoptive mother, after years of raising Bronya, shouldn't there be some bond?
The reality was bizarre.
Her order came without hesitation, spouting lines about soldiers sacrificing for Belobog's future.
What use was sacrifice in that situation?
Dying would've been for nothing.
Thankfully, they had no intention of harming Bronya.
Hearing this, Serval's once-calm face inevitably darkened.
No matter what, Cocolia was her closest friend back in the day.
Seeing her like this left a bitter taste.
"Is there any saving her if you can deal with the Stellaron…?"
"We can seal the Stellaron and save a world on the brink, but we can't save a soul already lost to the abyss."
Leon's voice was heavy.
The Stellaron, called the Cancer of All Worlds, wasn't some benevolent force.
With enough skill, you could harness its power for many things.
But conversely, it could use you to do many things.
Cocolia had been used plenty, including but not limited to the absurd decisions Bronya mentioned.
He could heal a person's body, but not a heart already rotted.
Whether Cocolia could be saved depended mostly on her, not outsiders.
Serval wasn't surprised by Leon's answer.
"Then I hope both her feet haven't stepped off the cliff yet…" Serval's tone was low.
The dialogue here made many players realize why Cocolia had become so cold and ruthless.
The omniscient perspective from before held no smoke screens.
It was all blatant foreshadowing.
Cocolia's heart still cared for Bronya, but the Stellaron didn't.
Her being "hijacked" multiple times hinted at her likely fate.
[Wait… Cocolia's model doesn't look like an NPC. Could she be a banner character?]
[Not sure. If she's a banner character, maybe she won't die. If not, she's probably toast.]
[Who said banner characters can't die? Look at this game's name!]
Stelle: "It's not necessarily the worst-case scenario yet. Can you contact Gepard?"
Serval: "I can, but my brother's very… ugh. Kindly put, he's upright. Bluntly, he's stubborn."
"That guy values orders above all else. Even if you shove this letter in his face, he won't budge."
March 7th: "(⊙o⊙)… Like a blindly loyal underling in a soap opera?"
Stelle: "Watch your mouth, that's rude."
Soap opera loyalists rarely get good endings.
March 7th: "Sorry, sorry…"
Serval shook her head. "It's fine. That's just how he is. Talking to him takes finesse. Convincing him might need me to step in personally."
"That's great! You're willing to help, right—"
"—But I haven't figured out a strategy yet." Serval laughed.
March 7th's face froze, her smile fading awkwardly.
Stelle, deadpan: "Blood-related big-sis suppression doesn't work?"
"…Hard to say… wait—"
Before Serval could finish, Leon spoke for her.
"Someone's coming. From the footsteps, it's that girl named Pela. Are you close?"
Serval: "Close, sure, but she…"
A distinctive doorbell rang repeatedly at that moment.
"No time. Hide in the back. I'll see why she's visiting now."