< Day 1 >

< LEVEL: 1 >

< D-1 Containment Corridor >

< Risk: Nil >

Certain areas of a given level were designated with a grapheme from the mysterious 26-letter alphabet. There was no real system in place to organize what a letter meant across all floors. Rather, the closest unit to the central elevator was designated as ‘A’, with ever concurrent unit labeled in alphabetical order.

This meant that the First Floor Lobby was ‘A’, with the First Floor Unit Manger’s Office being ‘B’. The number that came after was a corridor connected to said unit. Under normal circumstances, each unit had four corridors but in rare cases some could go upwards of twelve depending as a result of spatial anomalies.

The Site dictated the laws of reality regardless of whether it was possible or not.

Cold silence filled the vacant corridors. The walnut walls melded with the stone, creating a material that could not easily be damaged. The team of five from the newly established M-WI “Core Team” patrolled the halls in silence. Crystals shaped like black balls found along the corners of the corridors watched their every movement.

They were given the orders straight from the Navigator herself, but their overall direction was dictated by the Overseer’s will.

An invisible compulsion drove them towards the containment unit housing the only Corrupted in the entire facility.

“M-Id-01-00.” Papilia spoke to them via the CognitO Transmitters, his voice accompanied by soft static as it echoed in their minds. “Essence of Light. No risk associated with the Corrupted. We’re focusing on Positive Outcomes. See the counter above?”

“That thing?” Urusai pointed up at a small screen that displayed a neutral face with a number next to it, right before she waved at the scrying crystal just outside of the containment door. “How do I look by the way~?”

“Shut up and focus, long ear. M-Threat level still doesn’t excuse us from slacking off.” Sharka snapped, smacking her baton against the wall. “Not like the Navigator can hear us.”

The tension could be cut with a blade. Abra and Rosette didn’t say a word as Leo fawned over the strange light within the Containment Unit. He glued himself against the window like a child at a zoo.

“Currently, the Distress Level is at 9. The records show that a Distress Level of 10 will push it into a positive state. Please enter one at a time and engage in an Identity interaction. Because this is a documented Corrupted, we know which will give us positive results.”

“That’s new.” Rosette suddenly spoke up, folding her arm as she leaned over Leo, towering over him. Her chest fell onto his head, smothering his dog-like ears.

“It’s not like a pre-documented Corrupted is weird. It was probably transferred from another Site.” Leo nodded to himself, his tail wagging at the sight of the light. “Guys. Mind if I go first?”

“Oh darling~ Be our guest.” Rosette patted his head with her chest.

The Navigator then relayed her next orders.

“Please, talk to the entity truthfully.

Talk about the world in a positive light.

Only one person may enter at a time.

At least one person must touch the light and:

Have one person confess their aspirations to the light.”

“Simple enough for five people. It’s day one so it’s no surprise we’re getting off easy.” Abra was elated to hear that they weren’t going to start off with an outrageous task. Although, this was already passed onto them by Paolo.

Not that he did a very good job at it, so the Navigator’s reminder was much appreciated.

“Alright. Leo! You’re up first~!” Urusai hopped, knocking on the door as a red light turned green. The unlocking process was accompanied by several series of metallic clanks, loud enough to cause both Urusai and Leo to minor pain in their ears.

Suddenly, the door was raised open, revealing an airlock that served as a buffer between the rest of the Site and the Containment Unit. Some Corrupted were able to emit gasses or spread diseases. Therefore, the air lock was necessary in containing potential unseen biohazards.

Leo’s tail wagged. He knew no fear as stars shone in his eyes. A single red light flashed above him, turning green before the next door peeled open, revealing the captivity of the Essence of Light.

“I’m in. Beautiful~! It’s like we captured a piece of a star!” Leo presented himself before the twisted branch holding the light at its tip like a forbidden fruit. “Positive Outcomes… Since I’m first, how about… I tell you about the ocean! It’s big, vast and no one’s really explored much outside of the four major continents~”

The light responded by intensifying ever so slightly. A strange warmth overcame him as if it had blessed him with an unknown power. As a Demi-Human, he could sense things that humans and other races could not.

The light seemed to thank him.

His tail wagged, slapping his back as he gave the light a cute salute before taking his leave. Once outside, the Distress Level counter rose to 10 as the yellow neutral face turned to a green, smiling face.

“How did I do!?” Leo was estatic to hear their response, but the entire group aside from Urusai looked at him with cold eyes.

“Amazing!” Urusai high-fived him. “You’re a natural~!”

“You two are seriously celebrating over a single outcome from an M-Risk Level Corrupted?” Sharka couldn’t hide her disgust.

“Hey, little shark. We could die any day, so it’s not bad to cherish the little victories.” Rosette shrugged.

“Don’t forget that as a Core Team we’ll be held to the highest standards.” Abra reminded, unaffected by this ordeal. “It’s best if Urusai goes next. The Overseer can only delegate so much. We also work at our own discretion."

Sharka didn’t argue with Abra. She saw him as the only other sane person here and nodded in approval.

“Exactly.”