#calebxmc

This upcoming valentine's day will be the first I've felt free in a very long time, and the love and gratitude and yearning I have grows with each day. And I have no one to thank more than Caleb for really making me feel like the best of the best. Like I'm deserving of so much more than I've ever let myself have. My heart is cracked open and the love that rushes out leads me closer to myself with every moment that passes.

As a love letter to myself and to caleb, in a fandom that is rampant with ai, I wanted to support some small artists and businesses who pour as much love into their work as I have spilling from me.

rozelius is a wonderful artist and a very communicative person to work with! this piece is everything I could imagine, and it makes me want to cry just looking at it. Please consider commissioning them if you want a piece as beautiful as this. I was very particular about what I wanted and the artist did not disappoint in any way !

Awakening

Starting off, MC has a nightmare of Caleb dying in the explosion. Poor thing, even though they are reunited, all the anxiety and worry that has built up since just two days ago is getting big. MC is terrified of losing Caleb again, that much is clear.

This beginning scene with the two of them is so tense. We immediately hear Caleb speak as if everything is normal, but his voice acting is stilted, as if reading off a script, as if he is not really there. My interpretation is that he knows what he did wrong, that MC will probably figure it out if she had not already, and he is basically zoning out, having prepared his lines ahead of time. We know from previous instances that he really does not like confrontations with MC, after all, but I think he knows, or at least fears, that it is inevitable. He betrayed her trust by drugging her, he probably feels like he would deserve her yelling, even if he dreads it.

Also, MC notices the "faint smell of something metallic", but Caleb does not seem to have any wounds on him, and he insists he is fine. I wonder if this is his bionic arm that is somehow emmiting the smell after the warm shower?

The chapter ends with Caleb initially disregarding MC's earlier statement that she had to go (because they both know it was a lie), and him getting a phone call that Mia, the other twin, has died.

The twins have been used to reflect MC and Caleb several times previously, with the explosion, the separation, and the empathy they feel for them. I think this happening will also reflect the two; they reflect Caleb's worst fear. After all, Kevi is not taken by EVER, like Caleb was, and the latter knows that Kevi will become a tool eaten away by the Toring chip, like he is. Now, Mia, Kevi's sister, is dead, possibly murdered by EVER, the very thing Caleb is terrified will happen to MC. This revalation cannot be helping his mental state.

I would also say that it reflects MC's fear, as well, considering the nightmare she just woke from.

Funeral

Caleb's replies keep being rehearsed, it is almost creepy but mostly infuriating.

MC: No matter what happens, I can always trust you, right? Caleb: Of course. He moves his arm, seemingly about to ruffle my hair. Yet he stops, and instead pats my shoulder. He doesn't want the dirt on his hand to get in my hair.

MC still struggles with the idea of doubting Caleb, and instead asks him that, no matter what, she can always trust him. Naturally, he says yes, but I don't know if they realise that the "trust" they are speaking about are different things for each of them. MC means trust as in honesty, as in being the brother she knows, while Caleb means trust as in knowledge that he will always do anything necessary to protect her, or his version of protection, anyway. They are so out of sync, a big departure from many of their Old Days memories.

About the comment about not wanting the dirt on his hand to get into MC's hair; he does not want to sully MC with his crimes, sins and guilt. Agh. Yet he is finally smiling, which he has not done yet, and sincerely asked MC to wait for him. Perhaps he thinks, or hopes, that they will get past this unscathed, since she asked about his trust. Perhaps he thinks she suspects nothing, or that she accepts his actions.

Viper confirms that it is incredibly rare to find people that are able to use the aether core's powers without being devoured by it, which I guess works with Sylus' current Promise memory "Shared Bliss", where he talks about his aether core as if it has desires to devour, independant of Sylus. Even then, what is unique about MC (and Sylus) is that she has aether core infused in her internally as a part of her, so 'she' devours other cores instead.

Also, bless MC, she is, again, showing how professional she really is, keeping calm with a neutral face while talking with Viper, asking questions and not believing him straight away. She knows something is up with Caleb, struggles to accept it, but even then, she is not going to just trust anyone that gives her a different opinion.

Lurking

Kevi: If I break its wings, it can stay here forever. It will die very quickly, though. Kevi: The Professor said if we damage the bird's neuromuscular system, it won't be able to fly. But it will believe it can. Kevi: Slowly, it'll get used to its life on the ground. The bird will then forget that it's supposed to fly.

I feel this is meant to show the Professor's way of gaslighting, manipulating and abusing his victims and henchmen; he has made their situations perfect for him to come in and make himself the only option for a better life, as a "family", so that they do not even think about going for anything better. Furthermore, perhaps it is what he hopes to do with Caleb, to make him think he is beyond forgiveness, to forget that he could be free (and fly in the sky like he loves). It could also be a reference to Caleb, who has struggled with his emotions for MC, which has caused him to undermine her at times, and how he admits later in a phone call that he wanted her to depend on him and think of him, which is sort of why her learning to live without him during their separation bothered him. Either way, so creepy.

I like how the story gives us the hints that the Toring chip is messing with people's memories and way of perceiving the world, to make Caleb's reveal later a bigger shop.

Apparently, it seems like Caleb was really not aware that Mia would die, but he knew pretty early on that it was not natural. His confrontation with the Professor regarding her is why I do not believe he does not care about other people like he and some fans claim; he does, he will never hurt people unless they provoke him first, and even then he seems to prefer restraint over actual violence unless it involves MC (as seen in "Serpent's Cast" when he did not really hurt Viper, who he knew was stalking only him). It's just that he has convinced himself that all he needs is MC, to keep the world at arm's length, and when he had friends in the DAA and began finding a balance between his own life and the life he wants with MC, it got taken from him. Yet even so, he cares, even if MC always comes first, and maybe Mia reminding him of MC and her death shocking MC is the main reason he is upset, but still he did not want her to die.

??: How is everything going on your end? Caleb: ... Caleb: We'll soon be done with clean-up. As for the salvaging process, we'll pick up the pace. ??: The plan will be starting again. You must ensure she doesn't interfere with it. ??: Otherwise, I won't be able to keep this a secret for much longer. Caleb: She won't.

Ah, okay, so EVER in general does not seem to know about MC's current existence or whereabouts, that seems to be limited to Professor Lucius and his circle. Perhaps Caleb made that deal with him, which we learn about later, in exchange for the Professor to keep her existence a secret. He complied, but only for as long as Caleb was useful enough, and only so far as "I won't tell anyone about her, but if they figure it out, I won't stop it, either." I know we learn more at the last chapter, though, so will save it till we get there.

I like that Caleb assumes MC's figure was a trick of the light. Again, it makes him more human, that he does not know everything or see everything. This is something I feel he lacks at times, like in "Burnline", and perhaps one of the reasons I struggle to like Sylus as much as I want to like him; I like when there are limits to what the LIs are capable of, that there are times when they fail, or when MC outsmarts them. Otherwise it risks removing any tension because you can just assume they will know or fix things with no problem, and risk making MC look incompetent even when she is not. If nothing else, this scene gives players the option to insert their own interpretations; whether he saw MC and plans based on that, or did not see her, and I can appreciate that.

Caleb: If that day truly comes, and she discovers everything... Caleb: I'll keep her hidden. Caleb: She'll be in a place where no one can find her.

Ooh, we are starting to see the yandere in Caleb, finally! Also, important to note, though, that as much as I call him a yandere, here, he first and foremost claims he will hide her to protect her, not to keep her to himself, even though that probably is definetely part of the appeal of this "solution". And he does not mention taking her against her will, even though that will absolutely be how it would happen. I think he is just so tired of people being after her, of being afraid for her, that for him, who went from not really knowing much about the real dangers around her to now BEING one of the dangers to her, his nerves are fried and rationale is slowly being burned away, because he knows danger is closing in, that MC will never run away if others are getting hurt, and he does not want to tell her anything.

Elsewhere, MC is walking, now accepting the fact that Caleb was likely involved with the schemes of the Fleet, and theorises that the Fleet have plans beyond just the aether core fragment. She is now taking action, contacting the Hunter Association, putting a tracker in Caleb's necklace. She is slowly, without using those words yet, viewing him as a target, an enemy. Only, it is not Caleb who is the enemy, is it? It is the Fleet Colonel. Caleb, her brother/friend, would never do these things, but the Colonel...

Annihilation

Teenage Caleb and MC are cute together in the flashback, as they both remember the same thing differently. MC remembers Grandma Josephine's tale about planets being that the outer ring protects the planet, like Caleb should always protect her. Meanwhile, Caleb remembers the tale as being that planets get destroyed from the inside, and that the rings and the planet are born together... and get destroyed together. HMM, CALEB.

Caleb is back to his regular clothes, again working to separate him from the Fleet's work, the Colonel, which I imagine MC tries to separate from "her" Caleb just out of fear of this man she both knows intimately but also hardly recognises. It also shows in his voice acting; Caleb is no longer reading a script, and though he obviously avoids topics like where MC went to when she goes vague, he just changes the subject. Interesting, though, that he does not seem to remember that he wanted to see this very supernova; again a hint of how Caleb always remembers everything about MC, and MC remembers so much about Caleb while she feels Caleb disregards his own wants and wishes ("Summer's Echo")

MC: I'm not a little girl- Caleb, slow down...! He grabs my hand and walks quickly. Yet his grip is firm. It reminds me of when we were in school. He always held my hand like this back then.

Always appreciate school lore, even when they can never get the school timeline straight, haha. Interesting to know that he was very firm about holding her hand and leading ahead, it makes me wonder how she handled it when he no longer could do that; no wonder she seemed so extra exhausted and clingy in "Yearly Nostalgia", if that was the first time Caleb was not attached to her hip, haha.

And again MC shows how smart she is: She is confused about Caleb's involvement with the Fleet, sure, but she is allowed that, she loves Caleb and he is her blindspot, so of course she looks for other explanations, and again, this game would NEVER be as popular without this MC we got.

Also, notice how, no matter how spoiled she can act for Caleb, she always notices the way he moves to shield or protect her, no matter how subtly he does it.

Caleb: Do you still dream about exploring the universe? MC: ...That's just nonsense kids say. Caleb raises his head. There's a fleeting sadness on his face. I almost wonder if I had imagined it. Caleb: Back at the shelter, I remember you said your home was beyond the stars. Caleb: But we couldn't even get past the walls and barbed wire. MC: Yeah. The teachers always said the outside world is dangerous. We were too little to go out. Though, when you're cooped up in one place for so long, the outside world can be more appealing than ever. MC: Yet all we could do was hang out on the rooftop and count the fighter jets flying past us.

Ah, so a hint to MC's origins here! I take it that, even in her confused mind after the Chronorift Catastrophe, she still had moments of awareness? Could her claim that her home was beyond the stars, and that she wanted to explore the universe, be part of his reason to become a pilot? To find that home, or to be able to follow her, should she ever return. Also, could that be why he sometimes put quotation marks when he speaks of "home"? Interesting.

Also, first mention of the shelter, I think? It is so confusing, because by the time Grandma Josephine takes them to their home in Bloomshore District, MC has forgotten Caleb, yet she can remember what happened during their time in the shelter, which seems to be during the Catastrophe. I guess her memory somewhat returned? I do not think she has ever remembered her past life by herself like that, so it makes me wonder.

We see more of Caleb's controlling side, where he went to pet her while she was asleep, then locked her in her bedroom. He's got some nerves, that man, and thank goodness MC is the sort of person to just shoot the door open to go after him, lmao. I love MC.

Covert Operation

Fascinating, so, let me get this straight: the Farspace Fleet had this aether core fragment, and they used it to experiment on people in this abandoned area for the Fountain of Atei. Or, to be more precice, EVER used the Aether Core behind the facade of the Farspace Fleet. At some point, Kevi's parents took the core and gave it to Kevi, or he got hold of it, and they told the twins to not trust the Fleet officers that were not them. Then the Fleet, knowing they had been betrayed, they set up Joseph as the big bad guy, killed Kevi's parents, planted the explosion in Cascade District to get rid of evidence, realised Kevi probably could control the aether core fragment and began looking for him. At the same time, the experiments in the abandoned area were losing their humanity and becoming monsters, and now they are doing a clean-up to get rid of the wanderers that escaped, and kill all the test subjects still there. Probably, these subjects were experiments for the Fountain of Atei, which we learn more about in "Death and Rebirth"?

It's interesting how Caleb's powers are mainly gravity, but also seems to contort time and space? "The Rain stops, and the smoke from guns and crystal particles appear to be suspended in time." The rain drops I understand if Caleb creates a "dome" around him that stops the rain from falling, but the smoke, as well? That seems more time-based. I wonder if it is to look cool, or something we will learn more about in the future.

Caleb: What are you doing here?

Again, I like that Caleb is not all-knowing; he also has his blind spots, even when he has not trusted MC before, he still does not realise she has put a tracker on him, he still gets surprised and frustrated seeing her there, and although MC got into a dangerous situation, I did not find her incompetent in her actions. I like this, all in all.

He takes a step forward and seizes my wrist with a lot of strength. Caleb: Now do you see? Caleb: In this world- Caleb: There will always be people who want your power.

Caleb says this, while the large Wanderer advances toward Caleb, lol.

For these lines, again I feel like one could interpret his actions and monologue to be him knowing she was tracking him and let her come to see the dangers of the world and that only he can protect her, or him reacting when she is there and sees the horrors she does not seem to understand beforehand (because he keeps it away from her).

And like always, when MC wants to warn/protect Caleb, he throws it back at her, puts her behind him and verbally undermines her. What a toxic asshole, but this is a story I love to explore, so I love it.

Dark Side

Caleb: I can't bear going through the same pain again. Or do you want me to reexperience that loneliness because I left you?

What pain? MC is the one who thought you were dead, Caleb! ...Or does he mean the pain of watching her be in danger, ala the explosion where he used his powers to protect her? Or, does he mean the pain of losing her when she lost her memories in the past?

Caleb: Anyone who dares to wield power that isn't theirs must pay the price.

All right, so is this a translation error? Because I can get two interpretations from this: 1) That anyone that try to wield power they cannot wield, aka the aether core, pays the price by becoming monsters that must die, but also that he plans for EVER/the Professor to pay the price for daring to try wielding eternal life. 2) That anyone that dare to covet power that is not theirs, aka MC's aether core, must pay the price/die for it.

MC, numb from the betrayal, of knowing Caleb kept her in the dark, something we know from "Longtime Yesterday" and before that she hates, declares that she will leave.

Caleb: No, you won't. Caleb: Since you managed to escape once, we'll be going somewhere else.

Gotta love how he says this, because she escaped his apartment, yet we know that when she attempts to escape again, he takes her... to his apartment, lol. I guess it'll be easier if he confiscated all her stuff, but still.

He lifts his hand and cups my cheek. Yet his fingers are freezing cold.

His bionic arm, perhaps?

Caleb: I will protect you. Caleb: Until everything is resolved, I need to make sure you're safe and sound.

Caleb is losing it. I wonder what happened to those officers that might have seen MC during the cleanup, did he kill them to keep her secret? So far, Caleb has hardly ever killed anyone without provoking him first, so I doubt it. I guess he just has to hide her now, like he promised Lucius. But again, his version of safe and sound, of protection, is almost like the same discussion of "living" and "surviving".

We skip, I don't know, a day? MC is locked in a special care unit, and I like to think she tried to get out of there, but was stopped. Either the door is locked, or the nurses "guard" the area? I guess she assumes they are all loyal to the Fleet, and so she does not bother screaming for help. Perhaps a dark part of her thinks Caleb would just tell them that she was ill of mind, and to ignore her, so instead she is keeping it calm, pretending to be compliant, in order to listen in on the nurses and offisers that walk past outside, to lower their and Caleb's guards. Considering how calm she is when talking with Viper, I like to imagine this is the case, rather than her having given up or become passive or complacant (like some otome game protagonists can become, but I digress, this is not about them).

Then again, she says "I don't know his rationale or how exactly I'm being kept here. Though, I couldn't care less right now", but I guess she wonders how he is able to keep her there without authorisation? Because, unless he drugged her again, which was my initial worry when I read this the first time, she knows how he keeps her in the room; with a locked door and guards, haha.

MC and Caleb's dialogue is back to being scripted and tense, both waiting for a fight that neither wants to start. Caleb seems to avoid answering properly when MC can leave, because they both know, from what he said earlier, that he won't just let her leave when her vital signs return.

Finally MC asks the important question of the cold medicine, and Caleb admits he is pathetic for doing it. Yet, if the player chooses to ask further, MC suggests he never planned to let her go since the beginning. I am curious if she means since the very beginning of their reunion, or since the beginning of him "grounding" her. Yet Caleb says nothing, just lets her throw her glass at him, wetting his uniform, and just asks "did that help you calm down?" as if she is a child throwing a tantrum and not a woman being held against her will after lies and betrayal. And while it works with Caleb's usual work of avoiding conflict with MC - letting her win if he cannot leave the conversation - this time, MC feels that the old Caleb is gone. This was already hinted on if one chooses to respond to his questions earlier, where MC refers to him as "the Colonel" instead of "you".

And his idle animation has the gall to SMILE. The NERVE of the man. Because he expected this, the defiance, the anger, but she is safe now, he does not have to manipulate her through lies or suggestions, he can now just keep her in one place, now that it is all in the open, until he finds out where the secret place he will take her to will be.

Escape

Naturally, MC is MC, she won't take this standing down, and if one chose "Tolerate" in the previous chapter, I take it that she, again, was playing complacant to make him lower his guard, or to leave her alone since he is no longer Caleb, but a stranger, the Colonel. Though I always choose "Ask" because I love her throwing the glass at him, haha.

Anyway, it is night again, so I assume she has been locked for an entire day now, if she was taken at night after the mission, and "Dark Side" took place the day after, and it is now night. If we want to go darker, then I would think she has been locked there for two-three days.

MC realises that they have landed, which is rare for the fleetship to do, and knows this might be her only chance to escape. Anyway, she quickly gets the nurse's uniform and leaves, lol. Again, MC is good, she keeps her calm and can fool most people, it's just that Caleb has a special nose for her mischief, and probably either has a tracker on her, or his watch alarms him whenever someone enters the room, and he could see that the nurse leaving was her. Or there is a camera in the room watching her, since, when he catches her, he mentions there are eyes in every nook and cranny. Again, I prefer him to have some devices helping him, so that he does not seem to just know where she is for the sake of the plot or to make him super-human. He knew she would try something, so he was ready with cameras and eyes that would inform him, that's all.

Also, MC learning about the Toring chip and, even after everything, begins to hope that this explains what happened to Caleb. Even though she does not see "her" Caleb in him anymore, she still thinks he is there somewhere, and that this is just external forces that make the Colonel act so unlike him. Even then, she knows herself, knows she might just be excusing his actions. Again, I love MC. Though, she honestly should have tried to move past Caleb and the officer while they were talking, instead of waiting.

Caleb: There are eyes in every nook and cranny. Does it look like you can escape? MC: ... MC: You were brave enough to bring me to HQ. That means no matter who's suspicious of me... MC: You'll have my back, right? He stares at me for a long time. And then he laughs. For some reason, an ominous feeling washes over me. MC: Let go of me...! Caleb: You wanna go home, right? I'll take you there now.

I assume there is a translation thing going on here, because I do not really understand how MC's lines would make Caleb react like that. Did she mention family to him, again? That usually annoys him.

And then he proceeds to take her to his apartment, because of course. He is slowly losing it as he sees MC rejects his protection, rejects his control, rejects him.

Since the narration says the door is now locked, I assume he changed the door lock so that her fingerprints no longer work?

MC, outside of her optional glass-throwing, finally loses her calm, and yells at Caleb to answer her questions for once, while he just picks her up and takes her to the living room. I think, now that she has separated Caleb from the Colonel, and he is in his uniform, she is hostile to him, because he is not "her" Caleb, why should she be patient and tolerant toward him anymore? Her blinding herself to the warnings and red flags could very well be the reason Kevi was taken and Mia is dead, after all.

Captive Bird

THE cutscene, people!

MC clearly putting a distinction between Caleb and Colonel, rejecting his protection, thus rejection him (also note that he gives a glare every time she says a brotherly term in another language).

He keeps her locked up for three days, again, assuming he removed her finger print from the door. From how MC is difficult about his eating request, I assume they have mostly ignored each other, or he has been absent for the three days, only returning now. Personally I prefer her avoiding him, eating her own food, and got provoked by him grabbing her wrist and suggesting they eat together; the Colonel has already taken so much of her autonomy, probably including her phone, that just him suggesting food makes her go "well, now I don't want to >:(".

MC finally wonders out loud what made the Colonel, why he is so different and unrecognisable from Caleb... and Caleb asks back "what if I told you I was always like this?" with a smile, losing it when MC flinches away. I mentioned in "Rain's Embrace" that it would be fun to have a recurring theme be Caleb asking MC if she was scared of him, only for her to go "no"... until moments like this, when she cannot answer. It did not pan out, and MC's flinch can be more out of shock than fear, depending on player interpretation, but it was a fun idea.

Still, what a revalation for MC, and maybe the players. MC, who has made an effort to separate the "old" Caleb with the current Colonel, trying to find external reasons for the change, is told that perhaps this was always the "old" Caleb, and that he was simply masking, hiding. If the "old" Caleb was not real, then what WAS? What was real about their childhood, about their love, except for their familial bond? Because the Colonel still wants to protect her, so the familial bond is still there, but it is the methods and personality that creeps her out now, and if the Colonel is the "real" Caleb... then what can she hold on to?

This is also the time when Caleb loses it, trying to remain calm, but in the end, he is just exasperated and upset when MC uses the "don't need" trigger of his, pushing her down into the couch and starting his rant.

Okay, so interesting. When Caleb goes into the rant about doing whatever MC needs, or building her a maze, the tone feels different in the other languages. In almost all non-English options, his voice is lower, calmer, and the scene feels more intimate, suffocating and maybe frightening, whereas in the English version, and perhaps the Japanese one, he says it more intensely, almost desperate to prove to her that she DOES need him, that he can be and do anything she needs, so please don't reject him, they can be so happy together, please, MC.

Just thought that was interesting; both works, but in different ways.

ALSO, during his rant, note how he does not have his necklace, it is somewhere else, with a small device within the frame. I guess he figured out that she placed a tracker on it, and has removed it. Since it is only seen in passing and not mentioned again, I guess people can interpret it the way they want, and I have seen at least one fanfic that keeps it on as a sort of "bonding" between the two of them. However, I personally will interpret it as this: During the four days MC was locked in the Fleet and then his apartment, he tried to figure out how she found him that night. Finally, at the last day, he figured it out, that the tracker was in his necklace, and he has removed it. After all, when HE does it, it's fine because he's doing it to PROTECT MC, but when SHE does it, she's putting herself in danger. Skyhaven's biggest hypocrite and all that, lmao.

Another interesting thing: In the original Chinese, MC is close to crying, probably scared and confused, and perhaps heartbroken at how much Caleb has changed, or how he might have been lying to her their entire lives. In the English translation, MC seems unsure, hesitating, trying to find a way to calm him down. Chinese!MC is desperately trying to cling to their connection, their siblinghood, while MC is trying to placate Caleb, almost like she is beginning with how important he is in order to continue with a "but" because she knows he will react badly to her rejection.

Okay, so again, this is one of those scenes that I dislike in the English version, for the way they cencored their sibling relationship. Because as creepy as people can find that relationship, the English version makes Caleb worse for me. Here is another tumblr-post by Cheri-Cheri about the scene, and a longer Reddit-post about their relationship and taboo romance in the different languages.

Instead of being provoked that MC calls him her brother, putting the line in the sand once again, he gets provoked that MC calls him important and irreplacable. Yeah, it is because he does not quite believe her, because how could she say that when she did not see how he was suffocating for so long? But even then it does not work when even the more lackluster languages seem to dig deep into this confrontation.

When Caleb in English says he endured day after day after day, and that he is tired of playing this game of... childhood friends... doesn't he sort of sound like an incel? He is upset about being friendzoned, and making it sound torturous, and for me, it made him sound worse than if he was brozoned. Even English!MC's attempts to calm him down seemed like a woman wary of her male Nice Guy friend getting too handsy, and trying to placate him before turning him down because she does not know if he will react violently or not

At least when he is a brother, I understand better why he held himself back, because that is a genuine taboo that he felt guilty of, and it was a line that was clearly there, a line he hated to be reminded of after the explosion, and a bond they nonetheless cling to for its comfort. Childhood friends being unsure about crossing the line makes sense, of course, because they also do not want to lose their bond if the romance does not work out, but it is not a taboo or sinful the way Caleb and MC clearly struggle in this story and future memories. It takes away their main struggle - not as two friends who are afraid to lose their friendship if they cross the line, but as two people who saw each other as siblings now feeling like they are weird, monstruous, as their feelings change.

I don't know, people can agree or disagree, we find our own reasons for liking the version we do, but I definetely think this scene works the best when they were adopted siblings, and Caleb reveals to her that he no longer wants to be her "good big brother" anymore.

What a shock it must be for her. Through "Homecoming Wings", I have imagined MC struggle with figuring out Caleb's lies, how to view him, and clinging to their familial bond because, especially after he drugged her, that is the one thing she feels she can trust was real. Now, Caleb says "I've tired of playing this game of family for a very long time". Not just recently, FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

How would she feel about that? She LOST HER FAMILY already, eight+ months ago, only to have Caleb back but see he has changed, except not really according to him, and now he says he has been PLAYING being her family? That for a very long time, it was ANOTHER aspect of the mask he wore? The one thing MC thought was real, that she could reach him with, was another burden for him that she did not know of, another lie.

He wasn't always, we know he saw himself as her big brother and them a family for years, which is why he views his romantic feelings for her as sinful. However, when these feelings developed, he forced himself to hold them back, to play the role of her brother, though he came to dislike it, and especially in "Rain's Embrace", he decided to "let her go", probably in a decision to bury his feelings and only be her brother. However, now things are different, and he is so tired of the lies they breathe, that at least this, he no longer wants to pretend about anymore.

And sure, some players will say their MC also felt romantic for him before, while some MCs began feeling like that later, or never, depending on who they romance. It all works out, anyway, since Caleb never says in this scene that he will pursue her, only that he no longer views himself as her brother, that he does not want that, and that his protective feelings are more than just being overprotective older brother.

At this moment, I think the shock is simply so much for MC, that Caleb, after the screen fades to black, lets her go, says somethink like "let's forget dinner; go to sleep, I'll give you everything back tomorrow before the Fleet leaves," and, in Caleb fashion, leaves the fight, going to his (temporary) bedroom. MC is left there, shaken, as she processes all this information. As much as I dislike certain decisions she makes in "Lucid Dream", I am beginning to understand that she truly was on wits ends by that point.

Crossroads

Last chapter. After their fight, which I assume, as above, Caleb abruptly ended after his reveal, MC is in her room, in shock or dissociating about what she has learned about Caleb. And why would she not be? Within a week, she learned her dear friend/brother is alive and has kept it secret for eight+ months, she failed her mission, putting one child in a coffin and another under mind control, she battled her guilt for suspecting her brother, who reveals violently that he is in on the crimes and tries to lock her up repeatly, only to reveal that the brother she loved has always been like this, AND that he does not view himself as her brother.

If their familial bond is not real, then what IS, after all that? I feel MC's description of "the familiar person from my memories has been eaten away by some indescribable, hidden pain. Only fragments remain" to be very apt.

On the bright side, we now know that Caleb and MC would sometimes skip class to do things together. I wonder which of them suggested it, I think both of them would be capable of it; Caleb because he wants to cheer up MC and does not have to worry about class though he likes to learn, and MC because school was not that important for her. Also that she was bullied, if only temporarily, as a child, and Caleb would deal with it as her brother. Him also saying she would not have to lose her way if they held hands can also be referring to something that happened in the past, or like Josephine mentions in "Sealed in Dust", that she had a habit of wandering in a daze sometimes, I think?

MC also dreams of when they held hands and became part of each other's lives. I guess in other languages that is when they became family. Again, I wonder if this is what she remembers from the flashback in "Vanishing Skyward", or if she remembers the first time in general; it does feel like, though not to the extent of Rafayel's, she has forgotten some memories that he remembers, so it is hard to know for sure. I guess it is left up to player interpretation.

Caleb: Remember this. From now on, I'll always be by your side.

In the non-English versions, he says "Remember: From now on, I'm your brother." He has a child voice in them, too. I am curious if he insists on being a brother because, before MC forgot, she declared them family, like Caleb has mentioned in the non-English "Rain's Embrace", I think. Or, if he uses the term because he has some vague memories from the Ultimate Weapon-timeline, where Caleb declared himself MC's brother because of our timeline.

Also, Caleb promising that he won't hurt her. First of all another broken promise (Caleb), but also heartbreaking; what did they witness, or what has Caleb seen happen to her, to promise her so fervently?

Anyway, back to the farewell. I LOVE Caleb's theme and all its versions, they're so bittersweet and mournful yet wishful about a nostalgic memory. Caleb reminds MC to eat and take care of herself, which, apprently, is something people say to their loved ones on departure in China? I do not remember where I read this from, so take it with a grain of salt. At any rate, it is clear that, though they are tense and awkward, and Caleb still bitterly mutters that this departure won't be as painful for MC, he still cares for her wellbeing.

Finally, when he leaves, MC travels back to Linkon, and she has been given back her phone to speak with Tara; I assume she got the phone at the very last moment from Caleb.

I can't figure out what's real or fake with Caleb. But what I know for sure is that this person who's important to me... I don't want to lose him a second time.

The forgiveness coupon ruined me, I was so sad and heartwarmed when I saw it. How he still has it is beyond me; the house is destroyed, not sure his clothes from the explosion survived, and he never set foot in the DAA after his "death". Who even cares, one can BS another reason, and it becomes so sad. Caleb knows he has done something irrevocable now, he has made his stance on their relationship clear, and it clearly, if not scared, shocked MC. The fact that he thinks he has to bring up a forgiveness coupon to have her forgive her says a lot, unless it is his way of saying "I'm still Caleb you grew up with", because that is true, too. He is showing much more of his true self in this story, a part he is not proud of, but it is all him, at the end of the day.

And MC agrees. Even though her mind is still in shambles, and she questions what is real or fake about Caleb, she does know that she does not want to lose him again. And she does not refer to him as a childhood friend, or a brother (I assume), so she is trying to meet him halfway, trying to accept that he has severed that relationship and left it to the past.

...And after this heartwarming scene, Caleb returns to Professor Lucius. I wonder if he lied about going to the Deepspace Tunnel, if this happens after, or if he goes there before the Fleet leaves, but anyway.

Viper speaks as if Lucius and his circle is separate from EVER and the Fleet, which makes me wonder if Lucius is the mastermind of both? EVER are the researchers, the Fleet is the muscle and bringer of protocores, and though Lucius' gang pretend to work for Ever, they seem to not be loyal to them? Lucius seems to have some own agenda, after all.

MC is the perfect "test subject", because she can die and come back to life again, unlike those that just die? It seems like the majority on Project Unicorn hid MC, according to Lucius, though if he means after the Chronorift Catastrophe, or during their own inhumane experimentation on MC, is unclear. Since he says "Josephine and her researchers have been using fake names for years and kept this achievement of theirs a secret", I assume the latter. They kept MC's creation a secret from EVER, because they wanted to experiment on her themselves for their own goals, and only later did Lucius/EVER find out about her existence? Perhaps I will look through the World Underneath-files one more time, to see what more lore about MC I have missed. At any rate, this is supposed to be an analysis series centered around MC and Caleb, so I will leave it be.

Also interesting how MC is described as a vessel, but Caleb forwards himself as a weapon to make himself more useful to them. He describes MC as a broken thing, and I wonder how much of it is what he knows (does he knows MC's powers are back to 100%?), or what he hides, and how much Lucius knows. Lucius has a deal with Caleb, he surely knows Caleb would not normally call her those things, so it might be for the sick figure?

At any rate, it seems like the bionic arm Caleb has is something that grows and infests within him? I know it has part of his chip (at least I think?), and apparently it is not a robot arm hidden behind false flesh, but something that can transform his flesh into metal? We will learn more about it in "Painful Signal", I hope, but for now it is a little confusing. All we know is that Caleb has an expiration date, and Lucius is waiting for MC's powers to get strong enough to do something for that sickly guy.

So, that is it for the main story so far, and probably for a long while. Sylus got spotlight again after two updates, so I assume Caleb must wait for at least one more story update before he gets attention again. By then, there will have been so much side-content and relationship development between MC and Caleb which I doubt all happened between chapters. I guess the good old anime timey-wimey stuff will be in effect, or we can push the New Days-section to have taken place after his next story, also. Who knows, we will have to wait for two years or so before he returns to the mainstory, if the game is still alive by then.