With a headache, Belle woke up on the staff room's couch, finding Wise beside her fretting.
"Belle! Are you okay?"
"Ugh...." Belle groaned in pain. "Why am I here? Wait! What about Nicole and the others and..."
Belle was quickly silenced by Wise putting his hand on her mouth.
"Calm down Belle." Wise calmed her down. "Let's go over everything that happened after you inserted that chip one by one."
Belle then proceeded to tell him about the weird vision she saw while she was out cold. How She and Wise were standing in the path of a Hollow that was quickly consuming all.
"What a weird vision. Sounds like something out of a movie or even a nightmare" Wise remarked.
"Yeah. What about your side, Wise?" Belle asked.
Wise then informed her that after she lost consciousness, Eous began to lead Nicole and the others out of the Hollow on its own.
"After they got out, Nicole immediately rushed into the store with a mysterious doctor and pulled you out of the HDD. Not only that, but while all this was happening, Nicole also had an almost frightening smile on her face. She then paid the bill in full." Wise summarised.
"Really? What had her smiling like that." Belle was definitely suspicious of Nicole. The only time she would smile like that was only when dennies were involved.
"Before she left, she said to, 'See the news later', but first, go take a look at the computer There is something you should see."
Belle eyed her brother weirdly as she got off the couch and went to do as he asked.
Reaching the computer, she looked around to see if anything was off with it. "Hello..." Belle absently said.
"Fairy, you can come out now." Spoke Wise to no one in particular.
After he said that, the electronics in the room started flickering with even Eous was unresponsive.
"System reset completely." A voice coming from the HDD almost startled Belle as she saw an unfamiliar icon appear on the screen.
"I am a type III general AI equipped with sequential integration. Development code: Fairy." The now-named Fairy introduced herself.
Wise shakes Belle's shoulder and points his finger at the monitor. "Well... There she is."
Belle, flabbergasted, quickly got out of her stupor, asking Wise all kinds of questions. "Wha... Did the HDD become sentient and it became a girl?!"
"Negative. I am a type III general AI equipped with sequential integration. Development code: Fairy." Fairy corrected Belle. "According to the user agreement you signed, I am to assist you in your work and wait for the 'opportunity' to arrive.
Wise looked at Belle in surprise. "Wait, what user agreement? What 'opportunity' are you waiting for?"
"According to the user agreement, I am unauthorized to answer this question. You will receive an answer at the appropriate time and place." Fairy answered.
Wise only sighed at Fairy's answer. "You understand girl right Belle? I'll leave this to you then."
"Hey, what does that mean? And why are you smiling like that?" Belle looked rather offended at Wise.
"Master, I noticed a recent deletion and transfer of data to a third party, which will hinder your career as an illegal Hollow Investigator commonly known as a Proxy. I can assist you in recovering your losses and rebuilding your reputation as a Proxy."
Hope suddenly shines in the siblings' eyes. "Wait. Does this mean you can recover the deleted data?" Asked Wise.
"Negative, I am unable to recover deleted data." Fairy answer dashed any hope in the siblings' eyes. "But I can help you rebuild your database. I have unlimited access to over 80% of all smart devices in the city. With my assistance, data does not need to be accumulated, and real-time analysis of Hollow extraction paths is possible."
"But that's impossible!" Shouted Wise. After all, no matter how advanced the technology is, there will always be some sort of limitation by virtue of the Hollow's always-changing nature.
"Negative. That is precisely my core function. To prove this, I can assist you in Hollow investigations." Fairy clarify. "I've sorted through the anonymous forums for Hollow investigation services and private information gathering, commonly known as Inter-Knot, to find a commission that is appropriate for your current state. Please choose an appropriate time to carry out the operation according to your preference. I look forward to working with you, Master."
With that, the conversation ended and Belle decided to look up the Inter-Knot account to find that indeed, Fairy had filtered out the commission. "She isn't lying. Look Wise, she did filter out the commission. The ones left are just right up this new account alley."
"Huh... So her ability is the real deal. Still, better to not jump to rush things. You are still recovering after all."
"Yeah... I feel tired already. Also, what about the other thing that you wanted to show Wise?" Inquired Belle.
"You got to see it to believe it. Fairy, can you show the recent news."
"Affirmative. Now showing the news from last night."
The HDD screen then flickers as a recording is played.
.....
"Breaking news, a reliable tip regarding the elusive Fallen Angel had just been sent to the HIA." The news reporter says, his aged face visibly sweating.
"The person who had collected the 1000000 dennies bounty had chosen to remain anonymous for privacy reasons but the HIA had assured us that the recording sent is the real deal and is in no way faked."
"The sender is said to have been trapped in the Hollow before being rescued by Fallen Angel."
"We will now show you the recording. Be aware, the recording had been edited by the sender to protect their identity."
The screen then cuts to the recording sent by the anonymous person.
It showed them being cornered by Ethereals from all sides.
A Metro Goblin then jumped at them as Belle fully expected to see the person die.
She was proven wrong when a spear made out of Ether Crystal pierced the Metro Goblin's core.
When the recording looked up, Belle's breath hitched as the Fallen Angel was revealed in all its glory. Even though its face was weirdly censored, she could still somewhat make out a very human face.
"Do not be afraid." If that wasn't enough, the fact that it can speak blew Belle away. "Looks like the corruption hasn't completely taken over you. Good. Let me do my thing a bit." When it raised its hand at the camera, an energy resembling Ether seeped out of them and into Fallen Angel's claw.
"Wise..."
"Yeah. That's my reaction too."
It then showed Fallen Angel fighting the other Ethereals with weapons materialised from its claw.
When it was seemingly frustrated from the seemingly neverending onslaught, it flew high in the sky and came back down with a hammer.
The recording ends after Fallen Angel smashed down into the ground not before she heard a very distorted yet familiar voice.
The news then cut back to the reporter. "As you can see citizens, Fallen Angel is indeed real as shown. Not only that, it even had the ability to speak. And, according to the anonymous person, rid them of Ether Corruption."
"We interviewed some of the survivors who had allegedly encountered Fallen Angel and they all confirmed that this Ethereal indeed is the one they saw." The reporter's face was red from running out of breath.
The reporter took a deep breath before continuing. "We also managed to interview Ace Investigators from the HIA regarding their course of action. They had assured us that they would be investigating Fallen Angel. They also said that they will be collaborating with H.A.N.D. to assist them as well.
"That is all for this breaking news citizen. We will make sure to notify you all if there is an update on the investigation. Ridu News out."
.....
With that, the recording ended leaving Belle in utter confusion at the whole thing.
"You should have seen the reaction online. There is all kinds of debate going on right now."
It was then Belle realized something. "Wise, didn't you say that Nicole says to 'Watch the news later'? Does this mean..."
Wise nodded. "You guessed right. That video on the news is the recording from the Cunning Hares."
"Master. Would you like to see the unaltered footage from last night?" Fairy suggested.
Belle nodded in confirmation.
"Affirmative. Showing footage now."
.....
The screen flickered as the footage was played. Now showing the full thing, Belle watched intently as Fairy guided the group to a Hollow Exit with ease.
The battle is mostly the same showing Nicole, Anby, and Billy fighting the Ethereals prior to Fallen Angel's appearance.
When Fallen Angel finally appeared, Belle got to look at its rather uncanny face. Its face is definitely human yet there was something unnatural about them. Almost as if she was looking at the face of a doll. An imitation of a human. Nevertheless, she continued watching it.
Fairy, perhaps sensing that watching the whole fight would be redundant, speeds up the recording, skipping past the fight straight to the aftermath of the fight.
After the fighting ended and the dust settled, Fallen Angel urged the Cunning Hares to get out of the Hollow which the three obliged.
With that, the footage then showed Eous or Fairy, exiting the Hollow and making it to Nicole's car to presumedly take Eous back to Random Play.
The footage cuts to black yet the sound of a conversation could still be heard.
"Hey, boss. After we exited the Hollow back there, you said something about not needing to worry about rent this month. What do you mean by that?" Billy asked.
"Well, Billy. Let's just say that this cute little Bangboo here is our ticket to be debt-free."
"How are you going to do that?"
"Nicole probably intends to ask Phaethon to extract the footage of Fallen Angel inside and then anonymously send it over to the HIA."
"Spot on Anby. With that bounty, the Cunning Hares will finally be in the green."
The audio then went silent for a while before picking up again.
"Billy, Anby? What's with that look on your guy's face?"
"I dunno boss, snitching on the person who saved us feels rather conflicting."
"It's just an Ethereal. What about you Anby?"
"I have to agree with Billy. Ethereal or not, it did save us."
"You guys... Fine. I'll do some editing after Phaethon extracted the footage. How's that sound?"
"That's good enough I guess." An uncertain voice Billy said as the audio recording ended.
.....
"You can probably guess what happened right afterwards." Spoke Wise. "There's probably still some question you want to ask right but you should get some rest first."
With that little reminder from Wise, Belle's body begins to feel sore. "You're probably right. I'm going to get some rest now. Maybe tomorrow we could do something relaxing together?"
Wise nodded. "Sure. Just make to get plenty of rest."
The two bid goodnight to each other as Belle went upstairs to her room while Wise stayed with the H.D.D to check up on it before calling it quits.
Laying on the bed, Belle checked the internet for a bit. There, she was all kinds of feed all about the newly revealed Fallen Angel.
She saw one post speculating that it's a new type of Hollow which lures in people by helping them with all the comments debating whether or not the Ethereal is genuinely helping or something else.
There was even a post from an apparent survivor of a Hollow Incident who was saved by Fallen Angel defending it, arguing that the HIA and H.A.N.D should leave it alone since it clearly meant no harm.
The comments, which were also filled with those saved by it, all voiced their agreement, calling Fallen Angel a saviour and a hero.
Still, there are those who believe that capturing and studying Fallen Angel would be beneficial for New Eridu, citing its apparent ability to purify Ether Corruption.
All in all, the feeds were buzzing with activity as people continued to debate amongst each other.
Shutting her phone down, Belle lie down in bed, her mind still processing all that had happened today.
"What a weird day," Belle muttered to herself as sleep finally took her over.
.....
When morning came, Belle woke up with a yawn. Stretching her body, she got off the bed and went about getting ready for today.
After a nice refreshing shower, she got dressed up and went downstairs where Wise was already waiting for her.
"Morning Belle. Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yeah. I slept like a baby. Now my body is all ready for today."
"Good to hear." Wise smiled. "Our objective for today is to get our store back on track. Ever since the Cunning Hares' commission, we've been neglecting our store quite a bit."
"Considering our recent incident with the Proxy work, we must take our store more seriously," Belle concluded.
"That's right. By the way, I asked 18 to check our inventory and while they're enough for now, we will need to stock up on some more videotapes."
"I get it. Anyways, didn't some of our neighbours rented some of our videotapes? I'll go and ask them to return it."
"Good idea. Plus, since the weather is nice today, why don't we take a stroll."
With their goal for the day, Belle and Wise set about collecting the videotapes from Asha, Tin Master and the owner of 141 Convenience Store, briefly chatting with each of them. They even managed to take some time to pet a cute cat down the street.
Their errands now done, the two returned to the video store.
"Nha-ehn nu ne." Said 18, informing them that they'll need to stock up on videotapes soon.
The store's door suddenly opened and a young girl the sibling recognized as Heddy excitedly walked in. "Did you just say you wanted to get some new stocks!?"
She then told them that she wanted to help with the video store with promotion and such which 18 and the sibling graciously taught her how.
After finishing setting up the video store, Belle received a message from Billy.
"What did he say, Belle? Asked Wise.
Belle showed him the massages. "He told us to meet at Waterfall Soup for a 'surprise'. No idea what it could be though."
"Why don't you go on ahead, manager? 18 and I will make sure the store is running properly."
"Thanks, Heddy, we owe you one."
With that, Wise and Belle exit the store and heads to the noodle shop which Nicole and the others are already waiting at.
"Yoohoo. Wise, Belle, have a seat here. I've already ordered some noodles for you. My treat."
"That's rather generous of you Nicole but, don't you have some debt to pay?" Asked Wise as he and Belle took a seat.
"Nope. The moment I got the money I went straight to paying all of my debts."
"Can you believe it, manager? For the first time, the Cunning Hares aren't in debt anymore. Anby and I even got a hefty bonus this month! Our boss is such a generous person." Anby silently nodded at Billy as she continued eating her noodles.
"See. Like I said, the Cunning Hares look after their employee."
"Well, we're happy for you all. However make sure to not overspend. It'll be bad to go back into debt."
"Yeah. That's why we're going to be taking even more commission from now on and you two will be helping us."
"That's Nicole alright. Always thinking about dennies and how to earn more."
"Hey! What does that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Anyways thank you for treating us."
They then chatted with each other for some time until the topic about Fallen Angel came up.
"So Nicole, how is your encounter with Fallen Angel?"
"Shh... I'm incognito, remember? We can chat more once we're done here."
The group finished their meal at Waterfall Soup, enjoying the warm noodles and casual conversation. Once they stepped outside, Nicole led them to a quieter spot near the alleyway.
"Alright, now we can talk," Nicole said, crossing her arms. "Fallen Angel, huh? Yeah, that was... something else."
Billy scratched his head. "Honestly, I still don't know what to think. It saved us, but it's still an Ethereal. And the way it spoke was kinda creepy."
Anby nodded. "Its combat abilities were beyond anything I've seen from an Ethereal. It moved like a trained fighter, not a mindless monster."
Wise crossed his arms. "You think it could be connected to the Hollows in some way? Maybe a new evolution of Ethereals?"
Nicole smirked. "Who knows? But one thing's for sure. The HIA and H.A.N.D are gonna be all over this. That bounty was just the beginning."
Belle hesitated before asking, "Do you think… it's really a threat?"
Anby shook her head. "It didn't act like one. If it wanted to hurt us, it could've done so easily. Instead, it purged the corruption from us."
Billy shuddered. "Yeah, that part was wild. I've never heard of an Ethereal removing corruption before. Usually, they just spread it."
Nicole's grin widened. "Which is exactly why the higher-ups are gonna lose their minds over this. A 'good' Ethereal? That's gonna flip the whole city's understanding of Hollows upside down."
Wise sighed. "And now that the recording's out there, things are gonna get messy. The public's already divided. Some people are calling it a hero, others want it captured and studied."
Belle bit her lip. "Do you think… it'll come back?"
No one had an answer to that.
After a moment of silence, Nicole clapped her hands. "Alright, enough gloomy talk! We got paid, we're debt-free, and the future's looking bright. Let's focus on that for now."
Billy grinned. "Yeah! Next stop, more commissions, more dennies! And maybe fewer near-death experiences."
Nicole laughed. "No promises on that one."
The group shared a chuckle before parting ways, with Nicole, Billy, and Anby heading off to their next job while Belle and Wise returned to Random Play.
As Belle and Wise walked back to Random Play. While walking back, they overheard conversations about the mysterious Ethereal from a few passersby.
"Did you hear? They're saying it can cure corruption!"
"Yeah, right. Probably just another trap. No Ethereal's ever helped humans before."
"I don't know… my cousin swears he saw it save a kid from a Hollow last month."
Belle glanced at Wise, who merely shrugged. "Guess we're not the only ones with questions."
When they arrived back at the store, Heddy was busy rearranging a shelf of videotapes while 18 had just handled a customer at the counter. The Bangboo turned its head as the door chimed.
"Nha-ehn nu ne!" (Welcome back!)
"Thanks, 18," Belle said with a smile before turning to Heddy. "How's everything been here?"
Heddy beamed, adjusting her glasses. "Great! We had a few customers while you were out, and I helped organize the tapes by genre. Oh, and someone asked if we had any classic horror films. I told them we'd check and get back to them."
Wise nodded approvingly. "Nice work, Heddy. We'll make sure to stock up on more horror titles soon. You can head home now, it's getting late." With a wave, Heddy bid goodbye to them, promising to return some other time.
Belle stretched her arms. "Well, since things are running smoothly here, maybe we should start planning our next move. Fairy mentioned she could help with Hollow investigations, right?"
Wise crossed his arms. "Yeah, but we should still be careful. After what happened with the Cunning Hares' footage, the HIA and H.A.N.D are probably keeping a closer eye on Proxy activity. We don't want to draw unnecessary attention."
Belle sighed. "You're right. Still, we can't just sit around. Our reputation as Proxies took a hit, and we need to rebuild it."
Just as she finished speaking, she heard her phone buzzing. Opening it up, she saw that Shepherd, their commission broker, had massaged her.
After a playful banter, Shepherd asked if they could meet at their usual spot.
"I'm off to meet Shepherd. Why don't you stay here and prepare the HDD?"
"Very well. Make sure to stay safe."
Belle nodded and headed out, making her way through to Coff Cafe, the place Shepherd usually conducted business. Arriving at the cafe, she saw Shepher waiting for her at one of the seats outside.
"Took you long enough." He teased which Belle gave an eyeroll. "You'd think after that Phaethon's dissapearance, you'd be eagerto build back your reputation."
Belle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. What've you got for us?"
Shepherd's smile widened as he told her the commission. "There was a commission from Vision Corporation asking to rescue some people from the Hollow, but that had been somehow resolved very quickly."
"There is however an even better commission available. A mysterious client has commissioned you to 'rescue' someone from the Cretan Hollow. But here's the kicker, they're offering triple the usual rate."
Belle frowned. "Triple? That's suspiciously generous for a simple commission. Also, what's with that weird emphasis on 'rescue'?"
"Beats me, the client's is very mysterious." Shepherd shrugged. "I tried digging for some information yet all I got was that this mysterious client has almost no information on them. No nickname, nothing. Almost as if they didn't exist."
Belle gave Shepherd a raised eyebrow at that. "And you don't find that highly suspicious? What if it was a trap of some kind."
"Don't worry my friend, I assure you that if you complete this commission, your Inter-Knot's reputation will increase. You'll build back Phaethon's reputation in no time."
"If you say so... Well... Leave it to me."