[Old World Ruins — Log 1000.]
"Today marks the 1000th [—] since the [Horizon of Calamity], which shattered the world completely."
"This is a collection of all the information that I, a [Special Agent] from the Dawnbringer Empire's 11th Tier Special Unit, have compiled. And, I want to say in this log, especially that I'm saving all this for later use."
"So, the info I've collected thus far…"
"All Agents are ranked into special categories, in order of their affinity with [Machinery Magic] and their [Unique Resistance] against Distortion."
"E-Rank Agents are the lowest, with an affinity barely above normal humans, and little to no Unique Resistance. Meanwhile, S-Rank Agents are the highest, not only stacked with an incredible amount of affinity and Unique Resistance, but also capable of wielding [Specialities] too, and more than three, at that."
"The Dawnbringer Empire, the rulers of the Last Continent, Velemona, value S-Ranks very much, although not as much as the [Lightbringers], a unique-rank of agents belonging to the [First Protectors of Humanity]… the divinities who created Machinery Magic in the first place, and even somehow gained the powers of the [Old Gods], the [Pantheons] that humanity of the far, distant past believed in…"
"Though, since further information is so extremely classified, I have little to no more information to go off of about them, or Old Humanity at all."
"However, what little classified information I do know is that, on the annually celebrated Day of Dawn, the Lightbringers were the ones who sealed the Horizon of Calamity in the [Corrupted Lands] beyond the [Dark Wall]. They sealed it perfectly within the [Divine Garden], stopping the forces of evil from [The Abyss] to properly invade again."
"Oh, and yes, there is one more very important thing that the future me who listens to this log should be reminded of."
"The [First Light], the Hero of Humanity, has appeared for the first time today in the Dawnbringer Empire's Capital, declaring that a [Child of Destiny] must be found, or else Humanity will be doomed."
"—"
The log cut off there, ending the story of an unknown Special Agent, whose identity would come to be revealed soon enough. However, the focus soon shone on someone else, in a bar far, far away from the most important city in Velemona, the Dawnbringer Capital.
"…My town was a strange place."
"…Before it got destroyed, I mean."
"It was built up in a place surrounded by monster swamps, and in a country where torrential rain and mud blooms were widespread, and where creatures often lurked and stalked."
"For those who had lived in the larger towns and the great cities, the existence of such monsters was known, but not a frequent occurrence. However, the same could not be said for those who lived in huts."
"As you all know, after the [Old Humanity] collapsed into a pile of steamy shit around two hundred years ago, even with advanced technology, the first thing we humans did after fending off all the monsters and claiming Velemona was to rebuild. But, even after all that time has passed, we haven't truly built anything worth a damn in comparison to the Old World, except the Great Capital."
"And yet, despite all this, despite their homes falling apart from a slight breeze, despite the fear and nightmares of monsters and brutes slaughtering and massacring them all, some of the town's locals, especially on this particular night, were filled to the brim with joy."
"They had just begun their annual Firewheel Harp Festival, after all, to celebrate the birth of a new hero that came from their humble town."
"All of you must know that man, too, with the cowboy hat and the mechanical harp. That person who nicknamed himself "Hash Brown". He's grown quite popular since he joined our region's Special Hunting Units in the [Special Investigations Division] under the OIA, the [Order of International Affairs]."
"And, as you know, ever since the [Distortion] intruded on these lands slowly, people like him did their best to defend against these evils, even allowing some human citadels to thrive in peace once in a while."
"…But… for some reason, that man, Hash Brown, wasn't there on that day. He chose not to fend against the monsters that had come to eat the townies and their children."
As if a powerful memory was suddenly resurfacing, the voice slowly faded, allowing his recollection to take over from then on.
"…"
"1…"
"…2…"
"…3…"
"…HAPPY FIREWHEEL HARP FESTIVAL!"
The celebrations began in earnest, as the residents of a dainty town cheered while skipping and prancing around, enjoying themselves at the festival's venues. And there, amongst the crowd of joyous fellows, lads and lassies, a young child looked up and enjoyed the warmth of the atmosphere around him.
He was his hero, and it was the same for many other young boys and girls in the town. After all, that same man had once even volunteered to join the [Royal Commission], one of the most important missions of the decade, to help defeat [The Dragon of Dread].
But then, suddenly, it began to rain. Although the townies weren't impeded, this was a sign of disaster. On this day, calamity would strike like red lightning, signalling the beginning of a grand renewal.
Boom!
Just like that, the lightning strike hit one of the venue stalls, indirectly causing a man to collapse. A few of the people went to help him back up, while the small boy watched with curiosity.
They mumbled a few things that were unable to be heard, while thunder bellowed in the distance. Funnily enough, although red lightning was just a geographical characteristic of Velemona among other things, it was also considered a sign of omens to come. However, that wasn't going to stop the town's citizens, since this opportunity to celebrate was hard to come by.
But, they would soon all be begging for another chance, another chance at keeping their precious safety and security, even after stupidly knowing the risks of throwing such a festival.
Because the Distortion, which carried with it waves upon waves of monsters, the Corrupted Beasts, suddenly attacked once midnight struck. The young boy first caught sight of the endless wafting of flames as it consumed the venue stalls, and then, his eyes switched to the great, slobbering beasts that charged at every living thing in sight.
He was too young to make sense of it all, even when he saw his fellow younglings get mercilessly ripped to shreds. And then, when one of the monsters came for him, in a great stroke of luck, the red lightning came down to save him.
It was as if a God from the sky had come to save this poor child.
"And I, Harlock, the young man who had also just barely survived, with a gnarly wound on my head and a claw mark on my chest, watched as he ran into the darkness of the night, away from the monsters and fire, and away from it all."
"…It makes me sad to think that the poor boy probably didn't even survive the night, unless he was special from the beginning."
"Not because of hunger, or thirst, or sleep deprivation, or anything else, but because of the Distortion that the monsters carry. The reason why even above-average humans could hope to have a chance against them with equipment built from Machinery Magic."
"Because they can contaminate ordinary humans, up to the point that they are slain."
"…"
"…Yet still, I find myself thinking about the words he would utter, in the minuscule chance that he would be able to survive."
Harlock put down his glass of alcohol and stared upwards.
He imagined the young boy running and running until his legs ached and until the tears of blood stopped running down his face.
"Hm… what would he say…? Maybe…"
He imagined the boy's furious, irate, irrational expression in that moment and shivered.
"…Yes, at that moment, without a hint of sanity left, he would probably say…"
"All monsters shall die."