⋰　****FINDINGS　⋰

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BACKGROUND DETAILS

🕰️ Timeline Context

• The explosion likely happened in March/April 2048. Zayne said during the phone call that it had been six months since grandma's death. And on the hunter's desk, we can see the calendar for September.

🏰 Key Locations

• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the UNICORNS 3rd Floor Alpha Team
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the AKSO Hospital Zayne's Cabinet
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Azure Square
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Raymond's House
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Streets
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Art Gallery
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Mo Art Studio
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City No-Hunt Zone No.7
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Flux Nexus
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Bloomshore District
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City MC's Apartment
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Snowcrest
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Pie
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Dr. Noah's House
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Linkon City Rooftop Garden
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of the Philo
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of The Nest
• Landscape (and enhanced) image of The Eye </aside>

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SPEECH AND INTERACTIONS

"Anything involving Onychinus is complicated. Who knows if the Hunters Association will refuse to tell you about the dangers that lie ahead." — Xavier Xavier's cryptic warning implies that Sylus is not someone to be underestimated. The association's reluctance to divulge information further suggests that Sylus's influence and actions are shrouded in secrecy and that even people like Xavier, who have likely encountered him or his organization before, view Sylus's plans as potentially hazardous.

"… a world beyond your wildest imagination" — Xavier These words when referring to Onychinus hint at extreme danger.

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MC CHARACTER & DEVELOPMENT

• MC gets involved with Onychinus as a task to get more modified protocores. It is framed as an important, possibly irreversible decision with many risks.
• As her investigation deepens, it becomes clear that Aether Cores play a central role in illicit activities. Mentions of unstable Aether Core experiments and their catastrophic potential begin to mirror the circumstances of the Bloomshore explosion. She learns that one of the Aether Cores is in her heart and that she was a subject of the experiments. She also becomes suspicious of a systematic cover-up of such experiments and related research. This fuels her growing realization that the disaster wasn't random but tied to larger forces.
• Through interactions with Xavier, Rafayel, Zayne, and other allies, it becomes increasingly evident that Onychinus is a central organization in the N109 Zone's criminal network and often modifies or makes business deals with Protocores. MC learns that Onychinus has both the means and the motive to weaponize Protocores, whether for profit, power, or other unknown reasons, raising her suspicion about Onychinus's possible role in the explosion that killed her family. She also learns that one of the EVER researchers has been killed, probably by Onychinus, and another has joined Onychinus and is hiding in the N109 Zone. She also found that another Aether Core is located in the N109 Zone and will be at the Protocore Auction. </aside>

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CHRONOLOGICAL PLACEMENT

• Occurs after the first anecdote, with Sylus already established and claimed dominance in the N109 Zone. </aside>

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SPECULATIONS ABOUT LORE・STORY PLOT・FINAL DESTINY

• The mysterious giant eye appears outside MC's window. This could be Sylus using the Eye of Aether to surveil or locate theAether Core .

  :author: I still think this eye is connected to Sylus, not another LI. It can possibly make sense if we see the first chapter as the first introduction to the five love interests planned from the release of the game.

• Reference to Myth of Sisyphus on the Hunter's Association Archive File Folder. "There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to know the night," is from Albert Camus' philosophical essay "The Myth of Sisyphus," published in 1942. The quote appears in the context of Camus' exploration of the absurd and the human condition. It is part of a larger passage where he discusses the nature of existence and the importance of embracing both the light and dark aspects of life.

• When Sylus used the Eye of Aether to, allegedly, locate MC or anotherAether Core, the Earth was experiencing a strong energy fluctuation, indicating that the 2034 Chronorift Catastrophe was taking place. This is probably why MC saw a moon-like giant eye blink at her then.

• Sylus "upgraded" the Eye of Aether, turning the transparent orb into a circular, advanced technological object, that we saw in The Nest.

• Unanswered questions

See all the speculations in one place!

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⋰　SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS　⋰

Chapter 1 "To Begin"

Chapter 2 "The First Mission"

Chapter 3 "Talented Hunter"

Chapter 4 "Under Twilight"

Chapter 5 "Eternal Aurora"

Chapter 6 "Endless Night"

Chapter 7 "Moonlight Under Sea"

Chapter 8 "Galactic Sunset"