After giving Sylens the best laboratory we could build and pairing him with the most advanced AI companion available my team convened again. This meeting carried more weight than the one before it.
Reya stood at the head of the table, manipulating the 3D tactical map projected from the tablet. Red markers pulsed along a narrow mountain pass west of our territory.
"Our scouts confirmed movement," she said. "They're funneling through the small mountain pass. Terrain limits their numbers, no large force can move through at once. This is our chance. We strike now."
Ornok crossed his arms, scowling at the projection. "I agree. Why let these bastards step foot anywhere near us? We can wipe them out before they even get close." He glanced at me. "Chief… don't tell me you're hesitating. That's not like you."
"It's not our land," Albedo added quietly. "It's Nora land."
She didn't sound convinced, and she didn't need to be. We all knew what that meant. If we did nothing, hundreds would die.
I tapped the tablet absentmindedly, zooming in on the enemy force: just over a hundred Shadow Carja soldiers… and four Corruptors.
More than enough.
I could attack now. End this before it began.
I could even replicate what Aloy would eventually do, build the override spear myself. Prevent the worst of it. The Nora didn't need to suffer.
So why was I hesitating?
I already had more land than I needed. Expansion wasn't the goal. I had no desire to drown in administration and bureaucracy or be king of the world. People? We welcomed them, but the Nora were the slowest to adapt, the most resistant to change.
So it wasn't strategy.
Was it… inertia? Some lingering instinct to preserve the "original" course of events?
Or resentment?
I had already changed so much.
The Carja had lost the war. A new power, mine, had risen. The Nora lands were fractured, much of them under my control. Aloy was better prepared than she had any right to be at this stage. Sylens and CYAN were no longer wild variables, they were allies.
So why let this happen?
Why allow children to die… just to preserve a story that no longer existed?
I stared at the map, jaw tightening.
No.
I didn't need this.
Aloy didn't need this.
The Nora didn't need this.
I flicked the display, replacing the battlefield with a live feed.
Aloy appeared, smiling, carefree, sending up the wish lantern she had named after Rost… after me… after Albedo.
She had no idea what was coming.
That decided it.
I exhaled slowly, then straightened.
"Ornok. Reya. Prepare the men. We're hunting Shadow Carja."
Both of them visibly relaxed, Ornok even smirked.
"Finally," he muttered.
"The Corruptors are priority targets," I continued. "Take them down carefully. Their components are more valuable than you realize, we recover everything intact."
I turned back to the map, already issuing the next set of orders.
"Send a messenger and an elite squad to the Nora. Warn them, the Carja are at their doorstep again. Speak directly to Sona. She'll act, even if it means going against the Matriarchs."
Albedo nodded slightly.
"You should also contact Aloy," she said. "She's the most capable among them."
"I know."
POV: Aloy
I was trying, really trying, not to strangle Bast before the Proving.
Deep breaths. Ignore him. One more day.
Just one more day.
My Focus suddenly flickered to life.
A message.
A video.
From… Noir?
I frowned and activated it.
The image stabilized, and my eyes widened.
He was in full battle gear.
What the hell?
"Hey there, little sister."
His tone was lighter than the armor suggested, but there was an edge beneath it.
"Sorry for going quiet these past few days. We needed to confirm a few things."
I straightened unconsciously.
"So, short version. The Carja. Or rather, the Shadow Carja… they're attacking the Nora tomorrow."
My stomach dropped.
"Their target is you. Don't ask me why, we're still figuring that out. But they want you dead."
I felt my grip tighten.
"I've already deployed my forces to intercept them. My elites are on their way to you as well, but some stragglers might slip through."
He paused, his expression softening just slightly.
"So be careful. Be ready. Your Proving… is going to be very different."
A faint, apologetic smile.
"Sorry to dump this on you the night before. But I know you've got this. You're strong. You're ready."
The message began to cut.
"Don't reply. they might be watching the signal. Once this is over, come find me and Albedo."
A brief smirk.
"We'll be waiting. Don't be late."
The video ended.
Silence.
I stared at the empty display for a long moment.
"…What the hell, Noir?"