#ref: ever

Part 01: Whispers

A young man in a duckbill hat and an older man in a raincoat exchange verbal barbs and a briefcase that still smells like an explosion; the older man (who has been watching EVER) is careful not to touch it with his bare hands as he opens it to expose 4 pieces of yellowed paper.

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Part 02: "Unicorn"

Subject Anomalies Record (directly transcribed) Recorder: Josephine, Gaia Research Center, Unicorn Team, Researcher/Team Leader Date: Observation No.5, Day 42 Anomalies: Subject 001 regained vital signs after death. Details: Subject 001: Female, Evol: Anhaunsen Class Day 41 of Observation: 2:00AM For reasons unknown (suspected to be a researcher's mishandling of the subject,) the subject's energy values rapidly increased and peaked at 2:39AM. It resulted in a powerful energy burst within her body (no casualties or equipment was damaged.) All vital signs disappeared after the explosion. Day 42 of Observation (Today): 4:00PM Vital sign monitors suddenly restarted and slowly transmitted data again. Heart rate, breathing, and brain activity resumed. Not only did Subject 001 appear to be alive again, but energy values also returned to normal. A comprehensive physical examination revealed a newly created, unidentified substance in her heart.

Experiment Notes (summary): Josephine is of mixed emotions about the event; if the thing in the subject's heart is an unknown element, "then what kind of existence is she?" The group collectively decide to tall the element Aether, and thus the object in the subject's heart is called an "Aether Core." It is quietly determined that the only way to study the subject's 'resurrection' is to kill her again, to see if the subject wakes up. She calls the subject a "unicorn." Josephine finds herself unable to give a vote of approval for the process, despite believing that Subject 001 "holds too many secrets that are worth researching and carries an unpredictable amount of energy;" she "still can't ignore that (Subject 001) is a child."

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Part 03: Observation Log (summary)

Observer: Josephine Entry No. 1 They have taken to calling the girl Unicorn. After her 'resurrection,' all memories and cognition of her previous 'life' was erased; though she is able to pick up, absorb, and understand information far above the capabilities of her peers. Entry No. 2 The girl uses the Resonance Evol unconsciously. Entry No. 3 The voting results result in the beginning of experiments to kill Unicorn in an observation unit. The energy is agitated to the point where it burst, and Unicorn 'dies.' She wakes up again, and the energy of the Aether Core is even stronger than it already was. Josephine is begins to struggle with emotional attachment to the subject.

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Part 04: Post-Catastrophe Journal (summary)

Day 49, Post-Chronorift Catastrophe, Sunny The Gaia Research Center was destroyed, and Subject 001 was lost. Josephine found her in a shelter, and the girl called her 'Grandma,' though she'd never learned the term, and didn't appear to recognize her. Josephine brings her home. Day 75, Post-Chronorift Catastrophe, Sunny The little girl is still with Josephine. "Her memory is like a faint signal, intermittent and sometimes wavering." She continues to take care of her. *1

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Part 05: Journal Entry 4 (summary)

Day 134, Post-Chronorift Catastrophe, Sunny Josephine has been unable to get into contact with any of the researchers she worked with. She wonders about the intents behind EVER's research and investment. The only person she's found is Dr. Noah, and the data after the girls checkup shows her energy at half of what it used to be. The girl doesn't communicate anything about her experience in the Chronorift Catastrophe; she was alone the whole time. Josephine thinks that "maybe forgetting isn't such a bad thing for (the girl.)"

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Part 06: Dust (summary)

Duckbill feels Raincoat has more than enough information to "confirm her identity and role." Raincoat commends Duckbill for "(silencing) Josephine," and gives Duckbill a vial of some kind of drug. Raincoat gives the briefcase back, and tells Duckbill to watch the smell; Duckbill tells him to watch his handkerchief, since he'll be implicated, too. He asks when Raincoat's people intend to make their move, and Raincoat tells him there's no rush.

Conversation: (Edited as dialogue-only)

"Your Prince Shen Xinghui has been glued to her side watching over her, right? I've been curious for a while. Do people still practice feudalism where you're from? Isn't that regression in a sense?" "Hmph, Shen Xinghui can only guard her for so long. He's too busy dealing with his own issues... Don't say I didn't warn you. It's not just EVER who wants her. Strike first to gain an advantage." "The one who strikes first is helping her cultivation. If you can get rid of Shen Xinghui in the process, you'd be doing us a big favor. Isn't internal struggle your specialty? Kill Shen Xinghui and let EVER crown you as a prince. Haha--" "I can't kill Shen Xinghui, but I can do more than deal with a two-legged, carbon-based monkey like you." "You... Kill me, then. But how long can you survive in this era?" "Tell your masters they better get their hands on her fast. Based on my experience, her existence isn't as simple as the observation records suggest. If you keep stalling, EVER will end up losing more than they bargained for once she develops."

Raincoat ruminates that the drug Duckbill just took has an additional substance in it, used to "control" him. The goal is to "control" Shen Xinghui: his Evol is feeding into Unicorn's, using his love for her to EVER's advantage.

"Letting his lightblade serve her and becoming the strongest weapon in her hands is something the Resonance Evol can easily achieve. Shen Xinghui will surely give her every bit of himself... Love truly is a wonderful thing."

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*1, The text reads, "It's always just been me at home. But with her and... /Things have started to change." That ellipsis haunts my dreams. *2, Unsure if this is the same backtracker Shen Xinghui merc'd in Galactic Sunset: Desecrated Soil.

I'm not sure if this is the same Raincoat as World Underneath: Long Lost Treasures, though I'm pretty sure it's not.

This section also confirms that Shen Xinghui/Backtrackers are from the future (though not necessarily the same 'timeline.')

01: Art Appreciation and Criticism: Michael, who has been working in the Gaia Research Center, is glad to be out of the building. Back on campus, between his thesis and job applications, there is an elective class to look forward to: Art Appreciation and Criticism. 

Most of the course evaluations make commentary about how handsome the professor is, how nitpicky he is, and how the best way to skip class is to bring a cat “but honestly, who would want to miss this?” 

Michael, who has met Qi Yu before, is amused by all of these comments.

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02: Lesson One: Michael met Qi Yu as a student; he was late to class, but took notes studiously; as a science student, he valued “clarity and communication,” which made his first conversation with Qi Yu all the more interesting. Instead of being “enigmatic and aloof,” Qi Yu helped Michael get his notes in line, and suggested he sit front and center at the next lecture, mostly so he could use Michael’s excellent notes to get himself back on track after losing his thought mid-lecture. “It (happened) when (his) ideas (got) a little too tangled.”

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03: True Colors: Michael considered Qi Yu’s class as a break, but found that he truly enjoyed the world of art when Qi Yu brought in one of his own pieces for students to critique; Michael couldn’t connect with their perspectives. When prompted to share his opinions with the class, Michael says the painting looks messy to him, but the colors are strong, and the piece is calming to look at. Qi Yu tells him that his instinct was spot-on, that the piece is the result of venting about Thomas. Michael is “surprised that Qi Yu even remembered his major.” The experience opened the art world for him, and makes his own world feel very small and grey.

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04: Absurdity & Negative Space: The midterm exams gave Michael a taste of the pressure in the class. The art majors were to get their work critiqued, and the non-art majors were going to learn how to appreciate it. The vibes were decidedly serious and anxious; Qi Yu’s commentary makes them nervous. After class, Michael speaks with one of the art majors about their piece, and the student comments, “No wonder Qi Yu likes you.” Michael is confused, but makes a decision about his final project.

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05: Field Trip: On a class trip to Verona, Qi Yu is down-to-earth and approachable. He catches Qi Yu in a courtyard, and just as he’s about to leave, Qi Yu tells him to “take that away!” “That” is a cat; Qi Yu thanks him by name for removing it. 

“For a long time, it was the only interaction that put Michael at ease. It somehow even lightened the nine-kilo cat in his arms. After all, back in the lab, he was just “that Linkon intern” or S460602, his staff number.” 

At Qi Yu’s final class of the semester, Michael and the other students engage in conversation about the experiences, critiques and other facets of the class. Michael waits until most of the other students have left before giving Qi Yu his final project: an image of LCMECs, “cells from the lab where he spends most of his days and nights.” He explains that they’re a type of immortalized cell, and that they remind him of Qi Yu’s paintings. 

“The splendid microscopic world, teeming with life under high magnification, has become Michael’s sanctuary in the sterile, grey lab. He steps forward, energized, but his next words are stuck in his throat. Qi Yu wasn’t listening to him. His gaze is fixed, almost glued, to the name of that cell.  Confused by the professor’s intense focus, Michael racks his brain to remember the full name of the cells. LCMECs… Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells. As for the first word, it was Lem-something.”

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06: LCMECs: Michael is on his way to EVER HQ, three months in. When he asks a familiar face where LCMECs come from, he’s told to keep his curiosity to himself, and having too much knowledge will just get him in trouble. He has a feeling about it, but it’s a wild guess, at best.

Michael remembers the final art appreciation class; when Qi Yu had held the paper up to the window. 

“The setting sun, just like today’s, cast a soft glow through the paper. A gust of wind tapped the window, and the microscopic universe on the paper seemingly came alive. Ting colored blocks transformed into miniature colorful fish, their tails flickering as they danced from Qi Yu’s fingertips into the dusty air. “Professor?” Michael approached him cautiously, unsure if he should interrupt.  “Question. Do you typically extract cells from living subjects? Or are they…” Michael was surprised by Qi Yu’s unexpected inquiry. “It depends honestly. I’m not privy to that information. I’ll have to check with the lab. Next time I’m there, I’ll put in a request.”  “Ah… Don’t worry, I was just curious. But tell me, what do you think of these cells?” 

Michael explains that Qi Yu’s class has helped him to find his passion again, because the LCMECs are the “perfect blend of biology and art.” Qi Yu agrees that “biology is a fascinating subject… a masterpiece painted by nature itself.”