alpha-1.0

Project Infinix

XII — Alpha 1.0

1. The Root

• Ed and Ana finally reach Alphantia.
• Alphantia looks like a paradise - Aetherpunk style with vast and tall forests, vast beaches, vast oceans, long rivers, waterfalls, amethyst caves, and few but highly developed cities, filled with statues and pillars made of gold. Nyx Bugs are rare and mystical, and they include dragons, winged horses, golems, and other mythical creatures.
• They notice a huge mountain - a 12 km elevation that seems to be the highest point in all of Infinix, with the summit hidden by clouds.

• Ed meets the Administrator, dressed in a suit just like the Overseers that have been observing Ed since the beginning.

2. The Administrator

The Administrator

• You’re here because you’re trying to find out who you are, right?
• And you think Aether will provide the answers you seek, don’t you?

Ed

• Can it even be found?

The Administrator

• What makes you question that?
• You know? My peers, the administrators, have been overseeing you since your very first connection.
• One of the purposes of that very connection was because they believed you’d be the key to harness Aether, and that places you above any other Miner that reached Alphantia and failed their quest.

• The Administrator takes Ed and Ana to Alphantia’s main control center.

3. Loopholes

The Administrator

• Null Corp. was exploiting a loophole in the System that was granting them super user system-breaking abilities, and they had been cancelling most of the administrators’ abilities and system restrictions, but we are now free thanks to the uprising against the Underworld.
• Lupus was one of us, but he betrayed us.
• While we tried to find a pure, perfect and renewable source of Nyx Energy, he tried to go against everything that the Quintessence was supposed to be.
• Sure, it strengthened our Bugs, but their slaying wouldn’t feed the Kernel, and their biggest breakthrough was opening wormholes to other dimensions, but that would only make Infinix vulnerable, and you saw how the Underworld compromised our world.

• As clouds disappear from its summit, the Administrator reveals that the tall mountain is called Crown of Creation and it’s situated in the north pole.

4. The Conscientious One

• The Administrator shows the Terminal, where everything happening in the whole System is displayed, and where system calls may be invoked.

The Administrator

• I was looking forward to finally meet the dreamer. The one they say has the most powerful mind in the System, that even Lupus didn’t attempt to corrupt - the mind that transcends reality - the conscientious one.
• You’re probably wondering why would you be the one capable of finding Aether. You used to think a pure heart would be the thing capable of harnessing Aether, but the only thing that can be corrupted is the mind, and yours might just do it.
  • But is it really that powerful?
• Somehow, they managed to erase your memories, so… are you really in charge of your own mind?
• I guess that’s the thing they could never understand, so they’re afraid to tamper with it, for the sake of the System that is.
• We can’t really cause a segmentation fault, can we?

Segmentation fault

Segmentation fault - a runtime error that occurs when a program attempts to access a restricted or invalid area of memory. Common causes include dereferencing null or invalid pointers, accessing memory outside an array’s bounds, or writing to read-only memory. In most operating systems, the program is immediately terminated to protect system stability and security.

Ed

• What’s the deal with my mind?

The Administrator

• I can’t say more than what I’m allowed to. But have you ever felt like you were not from around these parts? That someone was invading your memories trying to lead you no where? And since then you’ve been traveling all this time just to find answers.
• You’re not the only one, though. That’s something that you and I have in common. We are not from this world.

• The Administrator reveals to Ed that he comes from another world - the real world - Earth.

The Administrator

• There’s something else, though. Something we couldn’t find in the others.
• Some foundation.
• Something in you isn’t really compatible with our framework. Something resembling the very first branches… as if you were part of his legacy.

Ed

• What about Ana?

The Administrator

• Hmm. I can see you’re lacking memories.
• But you’re not like Ed.
• I don’t really have any info on you.
• But it’s always fascinating to see a Network Miner.
• But you should not be out there where others may take advantage of your special privileges.

5. Where the Mountains Kiss the Sky

The Administrator

• Being the air breathed by the gods, Aether lies above our common atmosphere, which can only be reached by the highest peak there is, where vibrant colors weave, dance and lit up the night, right where the mountains kiss the sky.

• During the night, the Crown of Creation’s summit is kissed by auroras, so Ed and Ana understand that’s where they must head to.

6—9

• Alphantia gets weird as physical properties get changed, like gravity, time gets slowed down, environments get more violent, and so do Bugs.

10. Excalibur

• Ed is tasked to retrieve the Excalibur, pierced in a large amethyst cluster and protected by a dragon.

Excalibur

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur in Arthurian mythology, often associated with magical powers and the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Depending on the version of the legend, it was either given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake or pulled from a stone, signifying his divine right to rule. The sword symbolizes strength, justice, and the ideal of chivalry.

11. Dragon Rider

• As Ed manages to grab the sword, lots of strange memory fragments are played in his flashback, featuring scientists and stuff from another world. Ed wonders if that’s Earth.
  • When the flashback ends, he sees himself pointing Excalibur to the dragon - Luna, who has been tamed.
• Luna lets Ed soar the skies.
• Luna isn’t very fond of Ana, as she gives her a hard time when Ed tries to get Ana on top of Luna to get a ride.

12. Quantization Error

• It seems that Marie has reunited with Jake in Philand, where they unveil some secrets in its main control center at the Citadel’s tower, and they acknowledge that Ed and Ana might be in great danger.
• Marie and Jake fly to Zetania, where they meet up with Prof. Lena.

Prof. Lena

• If it hasn’t been a while.

Marie

• Ed has reached Alphantia.

Prof. Lena

• He really did it?

Jake

• We found some records from Null Corp. that had references to Aether.
• It seems that Aether is impossible to be harnessed, even by Ed, no matter how strong he is.
• And it seems that the System is luring Miners to Alphantia to face an impending danger that is said to be the source of Aether, but no one can survive it. Because this time, it isn’t the Miner the one data-mining Energy, it is the thing they’re facing, and the Miner is the input, for their Nyx Cell has just reached the maximum Energy capacity after all the XP they’ve gathered, and although it has been feeding the Kernel, their minds is what provides the biggest Energy input.

---

13. The Real World

• The Administrator invites Ed to join him in the real world.

14—16

• Ed and Ana decide to climb the Crown of Creation.
• Ana is worried that she might lose Ed again.
  • Ed promises he’s never leaving her again.

Ed

• Till death do us part.

17. Crown of Creation

• Ed and Ana reach the Crown of Creation’s summit, with golden pillars sitting below glazing auroras.

Ana

• This really is a breathtaking view.

• They find a giant five-meter golden sword beside a locked gate.
• Ed now realizes that the Crown of Creation is the overworld counterpart of the Underworld’s deepest pit there is, and he has a weird feeling about the parallels he’s recognizing.

Ed

• Lupus said Null Energy was supposed to be the counterpart of Aether, provided by Erebus.
• And if Aether is supposed to be, not only a type of Energy but also a deity, it might just reside here.

• They hear the ground shaking and the gate collapses, from where a Titan appears and grabs the giant sword.

Ed

• Aether?

• The Titan violently charges towards Ed and Ana, who are forced to face it.

18. See Me Fight

• The Titan’s abilities include flying, directing strong winds, and creating air currents by waving and spinning its sword.
  • Strong winds mess up with Luna’s flight.

Ed

• This can’t be it. It seems to be powered by Air Energy.

Ana

• What if it is one of the four?
• Like the Fire Titan that PS faced, and the Water Titan that you and Josh did.

• As Ed finds himself and Ana in a highly critical situation, he tells Luna to take Ana out of there, but she refuses, rescuing Ed instead who she gives priority for being in danger.

• The Air Titan kills Ana.

19. Mind Over Body

• Ed is mad at Luna.
• Ed encounters the Oracle, but he doesn’t remember her, as she was part of the lost memories caused by the Eros Cell that she had given him at Zetania.

The Oracle

• Sometimes we must surpass the limits of our conscience to go beyond the bounds of reality.
• And to transcend our minds, we might have to sacrifice our bodies.

• The Oracle tells Ed she knew the Founder, and that he built Infinix to transcend reality, and to do whatever it takes to save his loved ones.

20. Intervention

• Jake and Marie reunite with Ed.
• Ed wants to kill the Administrator and the Air Titan.

21. Abuse of Power

• The Administrator uses the Terminal to change Alphantia’s properties to turn the planet against Ed.

The Administrator

• We were hoping that reaching Aether would take transforming or purifying Air Energy, so maybe if we could get the Air Titan to slay enough Cells, it could reach divine state.
• If you’re seeking revenge, you should know that once the Air Titan is awakened for the second time, it wakes up more furious, whose fury is unleashed in all of Alphantia, wreaking havoc on its civilizations.

• Ed kills the Administrator right after he says his last words.

The Administrator

• See you on the other side.

22. Point of Failure

• Jake and Marie advise Ed not to wake up the Air Titan, for the sake of the people of Alphantia.

23. Pointer to the End

• Ed leaves Luna, Jake and Marie during the night.
  • He climbs the Crown of Creation and sees its summit covered by thunderous clouds.
• Ed reaches the summit, where the Air Titan awaits him within the mist.

24. Segmentation Fault

• Ed has a rematch against the Air Titan.
• Jake and Marie fly with Luna and start climbing the mountain to rescue Ed.
• The Titan seems to be able to summon thunderstorms, targeting lightning bolts at Ed.
• Luna, Jake and Marie don’t make it in time.
• The Air Titan breaks Ed’s Excalibur and pierces its giant sword into Ed’s heart.

• Ed is killed by the Air Titan.

• Segmentation fault (core dumped)

• Ed finds himself in a pitch-black background, where he sees the white silhouette of a man.

???

• You really did it, uh?

Ed

• Where am I?

???

• Welcome to the Abyss. I guess this is where all the souls go when they get lost in time.

Ed

• Who are you?

The Founder?

• I guess we’re both ghosts, now.
• I am the Founder.
• Actually, I’m a residual memory fragment of him in your conscience.

Ed

• Hmm
• …
• Who… am I?

The Founder?

• I know you probably have lots of questions in your mind, but I can’t tell you more than what you already know, nor should you know.

Ed

• You can’t tell me I just died for nothing.
• Is this really how it ends?

The Founder?

• I’m sorry it didn’t work out with her.
• Despite everything, the Zeta branch has shown promising results, and probably the most dangerous ones, but we’re closer to our goal than we’ve ever been.
• It’s a shame your run has ended. It really wasn’t supposed to, though. You were supposed to be our most promising iteration… Most promising that my own.
• There isn’t much we can do with your body.
• But it would be a shame if we couldn’t save your mind. That’s the big piece, isn’t it? There’s some much it can unlock.
• Maybe at another time…
• Maybe in the next life…
• But it has been quite a dream, hasn’t it?

• The silhouette disappears. Everything stays black.