- "Thus do I remain in The Cage."
- — The Dark Sage's soliloquy
The Girl and the Monster is the first story arc of NieR Reincarnation, revolving around the Girl of Light and the Dark Monster traversing The Cage.
Prologue[]
Massive stone towers pierce an empty sky.
This enormous structure is called The Cage.
In its shadow, a lone girl walks with purpose...
And she will not leave until she has what she desires.
Ch 1: Windblown Sand (His Body, Rust)[]
Follows the Wanderer's final journey with a Clockwork Soldier. Narrated by Rion.
Story 1: Showdown in the Wastes[]
Library Entry
A boy of good upbringing moves across a vast wasteland, and a taciturn
man follows. They mind their surroundings with unease, almost as if they fear
pursuit, until they finally reach a small, windswept town where they hope to
shake the road from their weary bones.
Most of the townsfolk merely observe the passing visitors with cautious eyes,
but when they approach an eatery, a pack of hard men block their path.
"You royalty, boy?" sneers one of them. His companions all draw iron at
the question, but the taciturn man is faster. After the foes run off into
the dust, the man turns to the boy and asks a single question:
"Are you hurt, my prince?"
"I am no longer a prince," replies the boy.
The pair then decide to take their leave of the town.
Transcript
A young boy of good upbringing moves across a vast wasteland.
A taciturn man follows.
The boy proceeds uneasily, his eyes constantly probing their surroundings.
Almost as if he fears they are being followed.
Suddenly, a dreary town emerges from the dust.
The boy suggests they take their rest, and the man nods silently.
The two make for a nearby eatery, hoping to shake the road from their weary bones.
But instead of welcome, they find a group of bounty hunters gathered at their destination.
The lead hunter stares at the child, appraising him.
"You royalty, boy?"
His voice is wrath.
The boy remains silent, his head hanging low.
Perhaps angered by the lack of response, the bounty hunter suddenly draws his gun.
Two shots ring out and fade into the dust.
Having defeated the hunters, the man turns to his charge.
"Are you hurt, My Prince?"
"I am well," replies the boy.
"But remember—I am no longer a prince."
With a wry smile and a touch of regret, he proposes they take their leave of the town.
The man silently nods, and gazes upon the boy's face.
Story 2: The Prosthetic Woman[]
Library Entry
A female bounty hunter with two mechanical limbs walks into a saloon and begins
asking after certain individuals. Though the information she obtains is vague,
it proves to be more than enough. She has caught the scent of her prey,
and it leads her to the forest.
But as she makes to leave, another bounty hunter blocks her path. She is known
for her success as a bounty hunter, and this man demands she hand over all
her coin. But the fight is over before it can begin; no mediocre highwayman
could hope to stand against the fires of revenge that fuel the woman. As her
would-be assailant lies dying in the dust, she steps over him and continues on.
Transcript
Wherever people gather, stories come with them.
But saloons have a special ability to loosen even the tightest of lips.
Such rumors are what brings the woman with a mechanical arm and leg to this place.
For she is a bounty hunter in search of her prey.
The information she receives from the patrons seems vague.
But it is more than enough.
Gathering herself, she exits the saloon in pursuit of her target.
A lone bounty hunter blocks the woman's path.
His breath is ragged and foul; his eyes a pair of tiny beads.
"Gimme all your money!" he howls.
It is over in a moment.
The woman's sigh is carried off by the wind.
No mediocre highwayman could hope to stand against her desire for revenge.
The woman heads for the forest in pursuit of her target.
Story 3: The Gunslinger[]
Library Entry
In a forest near a ruined church, the man searches for food; he knows the boy
must eat, but the pickings are slim indeed. Eventually, he finds a single apple
on the ground. But when he takes it up, a starving bear crashes through the
underbrush and stares at the meal with hungry, desperate eyes.
After putting the bear to rout, the man returns to the boy, who lies safely
at the back of the chapel. Though he has always been sickly, this merciless
journey has chipped away at what remains of his life—and when the man offers
him the apple, his body is too weak to accept it.
The man cannot help the boy now.
All he can do is stay by his side and wait for the end.
Transcript
In a forest near a ruined church, a man surveys his surroundings.
It would appear he is searching for food.
The expression on his bandaged face is clouded.
The grasses rustle ominously as they part.
It seems the man is not the only one in search of food.
The animals in this place are lean. Starving. Desperate.
And they do what they must to survive.
Having secured his prize, the man returns to the church.
The sound of his worn bootheels echoes throughout the dilapidated chapel.
A boy lies at the back, his face drawn and haggard.
The man kneels down and offers some of the food he collected.
But the boy is too weak to hold it.
His body will not allow him to accept even this meager meal.
The boy tries to brush it off with a feeble smile.
But the man just stares down at him in silence.
Story 4: Journey's End[]
Library Entry
The bounty hunter with prosthetic limbs arrives at the ruins of
a once-proud church. The ceiling is collapsed, the walls mere suggestions; it is
more shell than structure now. Inside, she finds her targets: a deteriorated
mechanical soldier and a corpse the size of a child. But when she takes a single
step forward, the clockwork man springs to life. With a howl that could be
creaking joints or the wail of a dying soul, the man turns his gun on the woman.
The boy died a century ago. After being chased from his homeland, he traveled
with the clockwork man and tried to stop the war ravaging his kingdom, but his
life was lost before he could accomplish his mission. Yet the man continued to
safeguard his charge, attacking any who dared approach the boy long after his
once-proud body had fallen to rust.
But this is a place of respite now, and the clockwork man will not move again.
The woman gives them a proper burial, then turns and leaves the forest
without a sound.
Transcript
The woman who set out from town finally arrives at a wild wood.
Soon, she comes across the ruins of a once-proud church.
The ceiling is collapsed; the walls mere suggestions.
But in the very back of the church, she finds a deteriorated clockwork soldier...
As well as the corpse of a boy.
As the woman approaches, the clockwork soldier suddenly rises.
He levels his weapon at her and lets fly with a fearsome howl.
The woman accesses the logs of the fallen soldier.
The boy was a prince driven from his kingdom.
The clockwork soldier traveling with him was his guardian—and his friend.
But alas, the boy's disease worsened and he perished.
Now alone, the man remained behind and continued to safeguard his charge, killing any who dared approach the body.
For a hundred years, the man stood watch.
Their kingdom, fallen. His body, rust. His mind, shadow.
Yet he still remained to protect his friend.
The woman builds a grave to mourn the pair, then leaves the forest without a word.
Stills[]
Ch 2: Grains of Sand (What Was Lost)[]
Tells the origins of the Prosthetic Hunter. Narrated by Gayle.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
In a lush and verdant land, two sisters hunt for their daily meals, ebon hair
streaming behind them as they dash through the forest.
One day, as the elder sister is going about her usual routine, she hears her
sister scream. Rushing to the sound, she finds the girl frozen in fear with
a beast ready to attack. A single arrow from the woman's bow drives the creature
away, causing the younger to spill tears of relief. After embracing the girl,
the woman quickly offers up her silver hairpin, a keepsake of their mother her
younger sister has long desired. As her tears dry, the girl swears she will be
the one to do the protecting next time.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
Their hunting complete, the sisters make for home. But when they exit the forest,
they see smoke and flame rising in the distance. The woman immediately thinks of
the war that is raging in a neighboring nation, and after telling her sister to
stay put, makes her way to town.
When she arrives, she finds herself surrounded by the incessant crackle of flames.
The town is a slaughterhouse, with corpses on every corner. As she takes in the
scene, her younger sister suddenly rushes up to her. She immediately grabs her
and attempts to flee, but they are quickly surrounded by enemy soldiers and cut
down. As her consciousness fades away, she hears her sister scream, followed by
the voice of a soldier uttering two words:
"Sort them."
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
Thinking that she heard her sister, the woman opens her eyes and finds herself in
a prison. Her body is now stranger—one arm and one leg have been replaced by
mechanical substitutes, and her ebon hair has turned white as new-fallen snow.
After breaking out of her cell, she dispatches a guard with ease. He cackles as
he dies, gleefully informing her that the captives in this place are all sorted,
experimented on, and turned into killing machines. He then tells her that she is
one of the failures.
Her mind is filled with a single thought: Is my sister safe? She dashes
from the prison, running faster and faster in an attempt to escape the terrible
thoughts in her head and feeling in her chest.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
When the woman exits the prison, she finds herself in a strange land of flames
and blood. As she picks her way through the battlefield, she hears a child's
voice and begins to run. Suddenly, the owner of the voice appears before her; it
is her sister, twisted and warped as a result of the sorting. The girl makes
a sound—a desperate, terrible hiss that might be the woman's name—then chokes
on her own blood as a soldier cuts her down like an animal.
After this, her memory goes mercifully blank.
When she comes to, she finds the cold corpse of her sister surrounded by chunks of what used to be enemy soldiers. She gently embraces the girl and closes her eyes. From this day onward, revenge would be her only reason to live.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 3: Hard Sand (Two Lonely Marionettes)[]
Shows the initial meeting of the Wanderer and Clockwork Soldier, and the beginning of their journey. Narrated by Dimos.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
Deep beneath a castle, a mechanical soldier sits amidst the detritus of a
storehouse. One day, a boy is brought to the room by soldiers and tossed to the
floor. As he stares at the boy, the man begins collecting junk to make
a bed; when he is finished, the two sit upon it and tell each other their tales.
The name the man gives is that of the first model of machine soldiers. He explains
how he was unable to carry out orders and therefore discarded as defective.
The name the boy gives is that of the kingdom's firstborn prince. After explaining
how he has been cast aside because of his disease, the boy gives a wry smile at
the similar circumstances they find themselves in.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
The boy's condition worsens within the poor conditions of the storehouse, so the
man searches around and finds a medicine bottle. But the bottle is empty, which
causes the boy to chuckle. The man's concern gives him newfound energy,
however, so he places a candle in the bottle and turns it into a small lamp.
In the soft glow of the lamp, the boy sings the tale of a hero who challenges
evil in order to save his people. As he listens to the beautiful melody, the man
feels something change in his chest, and words of gratitude begin to spill from
his lips—words clockwork men like him should not be able to say. Upon hearing
this, a joyful smile spreads across the face of the boy.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
They hear soldiers gossiping on the other side of the door; the start of another
war is upon them. The boy looks at the man and begins passionately speaking of
his resolve to stop the war for the sake of his people. After a moment's thought,
the man breaks down the door of the prison, beats back the guards,
and accompanies the boy to the throne room.
Standing before the king like the bold hero of his song, the boy demands that
the war be ended. But the king deems this act to be treason and orders his own
son killed. The clockwork man cannot disobey his king's orders, and slowly aims
his gun. But then he summons forth something new—a will of his own—and
manages to defy the command. As soldiers rush into the room, the man seizes
the boy's hand and flees the castle with his new charge in tow.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
The pair runs through the village outside the castle with royal guards
in pursuit. Though the villagers are in uproar over the impending war,
they soon realize the boy is royalty and begin jeering at him, heaping their
outrage against the monarchy on his head alone. But despite the words, fists,
and more being hurled in their direction, the pair never stops running.
Finally, impossibly, they escape. As they look back on their former home,
the boy swears to put an end to the war his father started. Upon hearing this,
the clockwork man make his own oath to guard the prince until his dying breath.
With determination in their hearts, they take their first steps on the long and
winding road to peace.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 4: Flowing Water (This Violent, Fleeting World)[]
Introduces the Assassin and her unflinching duty. Narrated by Akeha.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
In the darkness, the woman quietly listens to her master speak. He is a feudal
lord, one to whom she has pledged fidelity. He praises her for her previous
assassination, and commands her to move on to the next. From beyond the wall,
she utters a single word:
"Understood."
As she walks through town, she is surrounded by the excited hum of life
and the smiles of random people. These are things she can never know,
and while she envies them, she usually pays them no mind—for she walks
a different path, one set in darkness and illuminated only by the glinting
of blades. Today, however, the bright smile of a child she passes refuses to
leave her mind. Even as she cuts down bandits on the road, the young one's
carefree expression stays with her.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
She recalls her days of training—training much too severe for a child.
Every morning, she would ignore the pain of her exhausted body and bring herself
to the flogging garden, where the adults would berate her for lateness
and whip her. She was instructed to always be at her lord's side, and to serve
him as a tool for eliminating his enemies. This had been the way of her family
for time immemorial, and as one of them, she was burdened with the assassin's
duty before she was even born.
But these are poor memories, and as she slips into the rainy forest, she banishes
them from her mind. Complaining will help nothing; all that matters is the mission.
With her resolve restored, she kills a guard at the gate and enters the castle
that looms before her.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
Her target is the heir to an enemy territory. Killing this target within
the supposed safety of the castle will cause panic, at which point she will
signal to her lord's army to begin an all-out attack.
As she flies down the corridor and into the reception room, she discovers her
target to be a small boy. But even when she presses the tip of her sword to the
child's throat, he does not cry out. After studying his face for a moment,
she realizes the child is not a boy at all, but a girl. When asked about her
disguise, the girl replies, "I wish this house would fall. I am naught but a puppet
who dances at my father's tune. I'm no child to him—merely a tool to be used."
This resentment carries a familiar ring for the woman, who suddenly sees her
younger self in the face and fate of the girl who waits before her.
As she struggles with her decision, the roar of rain outside fades to a
distant whisper in her ears.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
After an uncountable amount of time, the woman sheathes her blade and asks,
"Did you mean it when you said you wish your house would fall?" The girl nods,
shaking from the strain of the moment, and the woman responds with a single
word once more:
"Understood."
Behind her, soldiers suddenly burst into the room. Minutes later, they all
lie dead on the floor—but the woman has sustained a fatal wound in the process.
She does not know why she has done this, save that she understands what it is
like to suffer for the sake of one's family, but she does not regret her actions.
And though she knows saving one person is not enough to grant absolution,
she figures it will make a nice gift to take with her into hell.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 5: Snowy Peaks (The Distant Peak)[]
Follows the One Who Continues to Challenge the Mountains on his harrowing journey. Narrated by Argo.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
A man makes his way along a mountain path buried in snow.
There is no movement. No sound. Only a perfect wall of unbroken white.
Though the sun is starting to set, the man's pace does not falter. When he
encounters a crevice, he cuts down a tree to make a bridge. When the moon
rises high in the sky, his footsteps do not slow. This mountain holds a wondrous
charm for him, and no matter how dangerous it may be in the dark, he has absolute
trust in his experience. Even when he finds himself surrounded by starving wolves,
that trust does not waiver.
The man knows this to be a most precipitous mountain, one where no person has
ever reached the summit. But he is an adventurer who has conquered many peaks
in the past, and he eternally seeks the line between life and death within
the harshest environments. This pursuit is his entire reason for living.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
A blizzard sets in over the snowy mountain, as though attempting to refuse
the man passage. The freezing wind and snow sting him, making his steps heavy.
Finally, he catches glimpse of a small cave in the rocks and takes shelter from
the elements. Once inside, he recalls the letter in his pocket. His daughter had
given it to him before his climb, along with a charm. The thought of his daughter
gives him renewed strength, and when the blizzard subsides,
he begins his climb anew.
Halfway up the mountain, he comes across a lake with a corpse lying on its shore.
There is no way to tell how long it has been there, but when he investigates
the body, he finds a note in the pocket. The handwriting is shaky—perhaps from
the cold, perhaps from grief—and it tells of the corpse's regret at having left
his family behind to attempt the climb.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
A tremendous cliff looms before the man—the final trial before the peak.
If he can conquer this, the mountain will be his. He whispers encouraging words
to himself, and though death lurks with every handhold and footfall, he finally
reaches the top.
Though the mountain has supposedly never been climbed, he finds a ruined shrine
waiting for him. He does not know how long it has been here or how old it is,
but the sight of it stirs his adventurer's blood. But when he sets foot inside,
he finds, impossibly, that his wife is waiting for him.
The baby is coming, she says, her words an echo in his mind.
Why did you leave us?
He rubs at his eyes fiercely, and when he reopens them, he sees not his wife,
but the frozen corpse of a pregnant woman holding an all-too-familiar charm.
The sight solidifies his resolution to return home to his family, and he turns
and departs without a second thought.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
A lonely house sits in a forest of deep snow. As a pregnant woman minds the
housework, a knock shudders the door. "It's Dad!" cries the woman's daughter
as she leaps toward the door. But when she flings it open, the stoop is bare.
A trick of the wind, perhaps.
The two of them wait for the man to return home. They talk of how sad they are
not to be with him, what they will do when he returns, and how their family is
soon to be one member larger. Suddenly, the conversation is interrupted by
the woman clutching her stomach in pain; the new life they were just speaking
of is ready to be brought into the world.
The man awakens in the darkness to find himself lying at the bottom of the cliff
just before the peak. I am already gone, he realizes with something
approaching wonder. He never conquered the cliff, never saw a shrine; it was
nothing but a fragment of a dream after he fell. Though he can no longer feel
his fingers, he fumbles in his pocket to pull out the charm from his daughter.
And with its faint warmth moving through his body, he slowly closes his eyes.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 6: Inscriptions in Stone (Redemption: Black)[]
Shows the Dark Monster's origins and his resolve to restore what has been lost. This chapter has no narration, told exclusively through Mama's on-screen dialogue with Levania.
Story 1: Monstrous World[]
Library Entry
A creature named Mama leads the monster through his own world—one vastly
different from that of humans. The sand beneath the monster's feet is oddly heavy.
Fragments of unidentified objects lie scattered about. Strange, gear-shaped things
float against an eerily colored sky. But perhaps most unusual of all, there are
beings that look just like him everywhere.
When the other monsters notice him, they declare that they will not give
him their dreams. These are dream eaters—creatures that can become human by
eating their nighttime imaginings—and the monster is the same. He battles
dark foes as he presses on, never letting go of his own desire to become human.
Transcript
Story 2: Violent Greed[]
Library Entry
After a while, Mama claims they have reached the deepest part of the
monster's memory. By moving on and restoring his memory, he will be able to
regain himself. But Mama also has a warning: He must be careful not to be
swallowed up by his original self.
Though the dark foes that infiltrate his memory take all manner of forms, some are
exactly like him: drowning in instincts and dirtying their hands for the sake of
the dreams. Mama explains that the dark foes have snuck into the gap between the
part of him that wants to be human and the part that rejects the idea.
She then finishes with a single question:
"What is it you truly wish for?"
Transcript
Story 3: Diseased Impulse[]
Library Entry
A dream eater's instincts tell them to eat human dreams in order to take on
a human form. It is difficult for anyone to deny their instincts; doing so would
be the same as denying oneself. Yet the monster waivers, and dark foes appear
before him as he does. Most are birds, but there is also a guard.
"Who cares about the child." they say as they slither between the gaps in
his shaken emotions and try to destroy his memory.
"You want to be human, don't you?"
Finally, he eliminates the foes and passes through the gate. When he does so,
Mama explains the truth: "You met a human and devoured her dreams whole, then
took her body and became human."
The end of the dream is nigh.
Transcript
Story 4: Dark Violation[]
Library Entry
There are mirrors in the deepest part of the memory. As he passes in front of
them, he sees a girl dressed in white reflected back at him and recognizes her
instantly. He knows he devoured her and became the girl in black, but that was
never what he truly wanted.
"You were going to be friends," Mama says, "Instead, she took the form of
a monster and continues to wander The Cage even now."
When he takes back the final fragment of Speech, his memory is repaired.
He then realizes exactly what it is he needs to do and screams to the sky,
"I will make her human once more!"
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 7: Withered Crimson (priSOner)[]
Introduces the Man and Woman in White, and their reason for fighting. Narrated by 063y.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
On his child's birthday, a husband and his family visit the shopping mall.
The child frolics with delight at his new robot toy, while his beloved wife
watches him with a smile. It is just the sort of mundane, yet special, day he was
hoping for.
But everything comes crashing down with a rumble of the earth. The floor of
the mall cracks open and disgorges an army of slithering tentacles and giant
plants—the first appearance of the monsters that would come to be
known as Flowers.
The couple lost their child that day, and now live in a military establishment
where prisoners like them are forced to battle the Flowers. They are enslaved
both by their desire for revenge and their own government, and they know the
past will never return to them.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
Though they are soldiers, they are also prisoners. The facility is so
strictly managed, they are not even free to choose their mealtimes.
Instead, they must undergo a security check before entering the feeding hall,
then wait in line for sustenance.
As the man waits patiently on this day, a shrill alarm suddenly rings out.
It is one he recognizes: a fellow prisoner is attempting to escape. But the
event holds little interest for him, for he knows their commander will simply
hold a hand up to the defective subject and force them to instantly behave.
This power has something to do with the clothing they wear, but the man has
no interest in those details either. Instead, he goes through his security check
and takes his meal back to a table. But as he raises the food to his mouth,
another alarm rings out—one that drains the blood from his face. He knows the
meaning of this one as well: The Flowers have appeared.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
Once the government recognized the Flowers' threat, it began drafting citizen
soldiers. Those so chosen were given clothes that prevented escape, stripped of
their names, and transported into battle.
But when the prisoners enter the battlefield this day, they discover a larger,
more sinister Flower than any they have yet seen. Person after person falls, until
only the man and his wife remain. But just as the man is about to turn and flee,
reinforcements arrive and turn the tide of the fight.
When it is over, the couple thanks their fellow prisoners profusely.
Though their names, freedom, and dignity have all been taken, this feeling of
solidarity is a new and precious gift. But then, their rejoicing allies suddenly
freeze in place, halting like machines with a set of faulty gears.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
The couple stares on, bewildered, as their new allies march toward a cliff and
begin throwing themselves off it. After this, the commander appears and explains
everything. The government has been working to create perfect soldiers who will
obey without question, disposing of any who do not meet their exacting
standards—and since the couple refused the order to jump, they are now
considered defective.
His speech finished, the commander stabs the wife and turns on the husband,
but before he can finish the job, she saves his life by shoving him off the cliff.
He lands on the broken bodies of his former comrades and begins to howl with
misery, for at that moment he realizes the Flowers are not his only enemy.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 8: Piles of Leaves (LIberator)[]
Continues the story of the Man and Woman in White. Narrated by F66x.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
The woman awakens in a ruin. Her last memory is of being stabbed before shoving
her husband off a cliff. Wondering why she is still alive, she wanders the ruin.
She finds bodies littering the area, but knows not why they are there.
Suddenly she hears the clatter of approaching footsteps, which causes panic to
well up inside her. But instead of a monster, the sounds belong to the allies
she has fought alongside, as well as her missing husband. The two of them
embrace fiercely, the moment made all the more joyful by the thought they would
never see each other again.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
The woman is brought to a hideout for former prisoners who have been deemed
defective and disposed of. After escaping death in one way or another, the
survivors hunkered down and began plotting to free their other fellow prisoners.
Though the woman enjoys this short moment of respite, when she tries to
remember what happened after the incident at the cliff, pain shoots through
her head. She cannot recall why she is here, or even why she is alive.
As she and her husband talk, they hear that an army is closing in on their
secret base—an army compromised of people who were once their fellow
prisoners—and the couple knows their only choices are to fight or die.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
Days later, when a quad of the former prisoners sneaks into the main base,
the couple hide among them. Their plan is to enter HQ as an advance scout team,
win over their fellow prisoners, and free them once and for all.
Inside the base, the couple search for escape routes. They realize this is the
first time they have moved freely about the facility, and wonder why they had
been so obedient back then. But as they search, the commander arrives
once again to answer their questions. He tells them how humanity died out
long ago, and how the prisoners are all clones implanted with false memories
that motivate them to fight against the Flowers. He then informs the woman
that she must face her final test, causing pain to shoot through her head once more.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
They never had a child. They never spent peaceful days together.
They were being used in experiments with no clear purpose in a world that
no longer even had a government. And as she realizes all this, the woman
also remembers what happened after she was stabbed.
Kill the enemy.
This is what she had been told—no, how she had been programmed.
The enemy is now her husband, and her final test is to see if even her false self
can be turned into an obedient weapon of carnage. But as her consciousness
fades, she musters all of her strength and resists until the very end.
Soon, an announcement rings out signaling the end of the experiment.
The woman never moves again.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 9: Flaming Sands (A Cold and Hollow Silence)[]
Follows the Vengeful Boy Soldier on his quest for retribution in an unending war. Narrated by Lars.
Story 1[]
Library Entry
The boy lives in a nation beset by a long, drawn-out war. Not a day goes by
without the sound of gunfire, and his fellow countrymen live in fear. This makes
the boy too afraid to sleep, so every night his parents attempt to cheer him up.
This night begins like any other until there is a sound at the door,
at which point the boy's parents turn pale. They hide the boy in the closet while
they go to investigate, and in the dark he hears the sounds of an altercation,
his parents' screams, and the footsteps of people rushing throughout the house.
Once the footsteps fade, the boy crawls out from the closet. When he finds
his parents' corpses skewered by a single sword, he breaks down in tears,
cursing his own cowardice and powerlessness.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
Years pass. The boy becomes a soldier. He does so for one reason: to find
the man who ruined his life and kill him. His only clue is the emblem engraved
on the sword he found in his parents' corpses.
With his old, cowardly self abandoned, the boy throws himself into battle.
But trouble follows wherever he goes; he is unsociable, grumpy, and hard to get
along with. The boy's captain makes sure that trouble never escalates, but the
boy never thanks him for it—indeed, when he looks at the weak and nervous
captain he becomes enraged, for it is like looking directly at his past self.
The boy decided long ago to ignore the captain's orders and advice, instead
using him only to find out what his next mission will be.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
One day, the boy is given briefing material on an upcoming operation,
and the emblem on the page causes his blood to boil. His sworn enemy is close now—so
very close—but the boy's name is not on the list of soldiers who will be going
on the mission. When the captain refuses to include him no matter how much
he asks, the enraged boy draws his weapon and threatens him. But though his
captain quakes in fear, he does not rescind his previous order.
The boy then hurls abuse at his superior as he storms out of the room.
That night, while everyone is sleeping, the boy quietly heads off to the enemy
camp alone. He does so not to achieve valor or win a war, but because exacting
revenge on his enemy is his sole reason for living.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
The boy infiltrates the enemy camp just before daybreak, but cannot find the man
he seeks. And though lights soon begin to come on in the nearby tents, the boy
will not back down. Finally, a group on enemies approach and he sees the man he
has been pursuing all these years among them. With a cry, the boy leaps into
battle and cuts them all down, permitting the curtain to finally fall on
his revenge.
Though his sworn enemy lies dying, he manages to reveal the truth about the
boy's life: He was not an innocent child, but instead a victim of an infant
kidnapping scheme carried out by the home country of his supposed parents.
His true parent—his father—is the man who now lies cold and still before him.
The boy's entire life has been a lie.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 10: Flickers of Light (The Reluctant Hero)[]
Follows a military captain's mission to rescue one of his soldiers, and explores his regrets. Narrated by Griff.
Story 1: Captain Craven[]
Library Entry
A timid military captain lives in a nation where wars rage without pause.
His frequent orders for retreat, combined with his spineless demeanor,
cause his men to nickname him "Captain Craven."
On this morning, before an operation, he looks across the base and orders
his men to prepare for combat. Though the soldiers often argue over frivolous
matters, he quells their fighting and treats them all as trusted fellows.
After finishing his rounds, a man reports that the young boy who had
aggressively volunteered for combat the previous day is missing. Concerned,
the captain begins to wonder if he has gone ahead without the rest of them.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
When the operation begins, the boy has still not returned, so they adjust their
goals to both annihilate the enemy and find the missing soldier. As they move,
the captain does his utmost to maintain the safety of his men, and when they
arrive at the enemy camp, he begins a frantic search.
Eventually, he finds the corpse of the enemy captain with a familiar sword
protruding from his chest—the same sword that had been pointed at him in the
briefing a day earlier. He cannot imagine the boy could have escaped in one
piece after sneaking into enemy territory alone, and the thought makes him
wonder if he has made yet another terrible error.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
Back when he was a fresh recruit, the captain was arrogant and often butted
heads with his commanders. In one battle, he grew overconfident in his abilities,
ignored orders, and acted on his own—and the result of this action was the
destruction of his entire platoon. He eventually found his commanding officer
struggling for breath among the scattered corpses of the rest of his comrades.
The officer said to him, "I'm glad you survived," before expiring.
That day made the captain dreadfully afraid of ever losing another squadmate.
It warped his personality so much that others called him a coward, but he
remained in the military so he might be able to save as many people as possible
and perhaps redeem himself in the process.
These memories resurface as he continues his search. And when he finally finds
the injured boy, he takes his hand and vows to do everything he can to save him.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
With the boy on his back, the captain makes for home while ordering his men
to retreat. And while he hears the voices of dead comrades screaming at him,
he fights back by reminding himself that he is no longer the man he once was.
Eventually, he finds his way blocked by an enemy party, and resolves to die if
necessary to keep the boy safe. But just as he is preparing a final stand, his
men appear and put the enemy to rout. Not only did they return to save their
captain, they all somehow managed to make it out alive. When he realizes this,
the captain turns to the boy and says, "I'm glad you survived."
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 11: Mist on the Water (Echoes in the Heart)[]
Introduces the Sealed Girl and her awakening in a strange facility. Narrated by Noelle.
Story 1: A Girl Awakens[]
Library Entry
She does not know where she is or who she is. Newly awakened, the girl follows
the voice echoing in her head as she moves through an empty facility.
This voice, almost like a faint scream, tells her only "I must go there."
It is her only guidance.
Eventually she comes across a crystal in the shape of a person.
When she presses her hand to it, memories flood her mind and she suddenly
understands that she was created to be a weapon. In the next moment, an eerie
white aberration of undefined form appears before her, causing her eyes to
glow red. She fights with almost impossible agility, dispatches the creature
in a blink of an eye, and continues down the hall as if nothing happened.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
Signs of the battle decorate the facility. Rubble is scattered everywhere.
The girl follows the light that pours in through the ceiling, climbs a pile of
detritus, and comes to a place lush with plants. Suddenly she is beset by a
terrible sense of vertigo—perhaps caused by the brightness of the light.
Feeling like she's seen this place before, she looks around the room.
She dispatches another white aberration and finds a new crystal, to which she
holds up her hand.
The crystals are the dead bodies of others like herself. Within this one's
memories she sees the white aberrations. She sees other girls fighting them,
and watches as they are annihilated. She suspects all of this might have
something to do with the voice in her head, and feels an urgent need to
understand everything. Once again, she begins to walk.
Transcript
Story 3[]
Library Entry
As the voice continues to echo in the girl's head, she hears a roar so powerful
that it shakes the facility. It came from the other side of a locked dividing wall.
Her search for a key takes her to a crimson room that holds another crystal—and
when she holds her hand up to it, she finally learns what happened here.
She sees the first memory, one where the the original living weapon—her eldest
sister—went on a violent rampage. She is the one who created the aberrations
and destroyed the facility. So with a key in her hand and rushing waves of her
sisters' emotions in her heart, the girl walks.
Because she now understands that her eldest sister is still in pain.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
The leader of the abominations is waiting in the entrance hall. All the notes,
letters, and memories from her sisters suddenly come together, and the girl
realizes that the thing in front of her is what has become of her sister.
Her mind lost, the elder sister spreads a set of white wings, lets fly a cry of
heartbreaking pain, and leaps upon her sibling.
As the intense battle comes to an end, the abomination crumbles to the floor.
When the girl accesses its memories, she learns the place she needs to go is
one that was special to her sister when she was still human. With this knowledge
fresh in her mind, she bids her sibling farewell and makes for the world outside,
where she swears to reach the place of which her sister dreamt.
Transcript
Stills[]
Ch 12: White Autumn (Redemption: White)[]
Tells the origins of the Girl of Light and the reason for her nightmares. Narrated by Fio.
Story 1: A Child's Desire[]
Library Entry
In a far off country, a poor girl lives on the outskirts of a small town.
This inside of her house is constantly filled with the noise of her parents
fighting, and whenever it starts up, she flees the house and wanders aimlessly.
Her country's ruling class maintains a strict order of laws and social mobility,
and her father lost his job when he was demoted to a newly created caste known
as the "Goat People." Goat People were lower even than Commoners, and were
created by the Nobles in an attempt to focus the Commoners' discontent on a
new class with no rights.
All the girl wants is for her parents to be happy, so she enters the assembly hall
and begs those in charge to let her father work again. But when the assembly
members see her collar and manacles, they immediately chase her out, for such
things serve as proof that she is one of the Goat People.
Transcript
Story 2[]
Library Entry
One day, the girls father leaves home and never returns. Worried, the girl
makes her way to the barracks where he used to work, guessing he may have
gone there in hopes his former co-workers would at least grant him menial work.
But when she arrives, she sees a group of men mercilessly flogging his
already-dead corpse. The girl immediately runs back home only to find her mother
in the arms of a strange man—and when she informs her of her father's death,
her mother only smiles with delight.
The next day, the girl wakes up to find the house empty. And though she waits and waits
for her mother to come back, she never does.
Story 3[]
Library Entry
The girl wanders around town in a daze; she knows in her heart that she has
been abandoned and no one will help her, but does not know what to do with
that information. At one point, a stall keeper steps on a piece of fruit and
tells her it is the only food that suits her. Later, she encounters an old
friend. Overwhelmed by desperation and disgrace, yet wishing her friend
would help her all the same, the girl is seized by inaction. Finally,
this friend claims not to know her and walks away without a second glance.
Unable to take it anymore, the poor girl bursts into tears. She has learned
this arbitrary label can rob people of so much—their fathers, their mothers,
their friends, even their dignity.
Transcript
Story 4[]
Library Entry
Her stomach howling, the girl stays largely motionless, alone in her house.
A few days later, she hears workers talking outside. When they notice the girl,
they inform her they are tearing down her home to construct a garbage dump.
Before she can even think to protest, the workers chase her off.
Weakened, she wanders in the wilderness until she finds a dirty, abandoned ruin
that still offers a bit of shelter from the elements. Entering its weathered
walls, she thinks about the looks she gets from everyone else.
The anger. The scorn.
Why do people take so much pleasure in seeing others beneath them? she wonders.
And why are their expressions so vile?
Finally, she collapses within the ruin; there is truly no one left who
will care for her.
Transcript
Stills[]
Gallery[]
