Jen relives the moment of that rainy night—the one where she faces off against a hundred bodyguards in the middle of the street. She sees herself, a fierce smile on her face, swinging her blades with precision, cutting down one bodyguard after another. Nearby, Yen covers her from behind, firing at enemies approaching from Jen's blind spot.
Suddenly, one of the bodyguards strikes Yen with a bat. She stumbles, and within seconds, bullets rain down on her. Jen watches it unfold, her eyes wide with horror.
"No!" she cries out, her voice raw and emotional.
She turns to see her past self still locked in battle, unaware of Yen's death. The realization hits her hard, and her heart sinks.
Tears mix with the heavy rain as she falls to her knees. Guilt consumes her. "It's my fault... Yen..." she whispers. The rain pours harder, mirroring her sorrow.
As she screams into the stormy sky, the world around her begins to fade—until everything is swallowed by darkness. She curls into herself, sobbing, lost in despair.
Then, a voice pierces through the void.
"I pray that you survive all of this."
Her sobbing halts. She looks up, startled, eyes scanning the darkness.
The voice returns, calm and full of strength.
"We've been through all kinds of hardship, but eventually, those who don't give up become stronger afterwards. Stay strong. Don't give up. Have some honor, young lady."
Jen slowly rises to her feet. With every word, the darkness begins to lighten. A soft glow surrounds her, pushing back the shadows.
The voice continues.
"I saw the pain in your eyes. I've been through that same feeling, young lady. When we're in that state, we do whatever we can to escape it. My way was to hurt myself... by hurting others, so they could hurt me."
Jen inhales deeply and gently falls onto her back. The ground beneath her transforms into a light, slimy surface—strange, but warm. She closes her eyes. The voice soothes her heart, washing over her like a divine lullaby. It feels like the voice of a Goddess.
"Your way was to take whatever drug you could, just so you wouldn't have to relive the trauma you've endured. It was your escape—from reality, from all your life's problems. But you overdid it. And now, it looks like you may not survive... which is probably what you wanted."
A pause. Then, the voice continues with quiet understanding.
"I've had those same thoughts—just ending it all. But doing that would go against who I am. My whole life, I've been a man of honor. If I'm going out, it'll be in the way I was destined to go... with the utmost honor."
Jen's body slowly begins to darken, inch by inch, as if being claimed by the very sorrow she tried to outrun.
The voice speaks one last time.
"But it looks like you've given up. And so... it is my honor to bury you. I'm sorry I didn't reach you sooner. Maybe then... you would have survived. Maybe we could've been close friends since we shared the same pain."
Her body sinks deeper into the slimy surface until only her face remains, staring upward as the world fades into a dull, endless grey.
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shatters the silence. The screeches of countless data creatures echo all around, vicious and chaotic. Jen waits, desperate to hear the voice again—but it doesn't return. Instead, the sound of battle rages on.
She opens her eyes, yearning for the voice's comfort.
"No... come back..." she whispers.
Driven by that longing, she claws her way out of the slime. Her surroundings begin to morph, shifting away from the grey limbo.
Reality comes crashing back.
Jen jolts awake—inside her wooden coffin.
Jen bursts out of her coffin, coughing as she claws her way through the dirt. She pulls herself up from the grave and takes in the chaos around her. All across the mine, prisoners and officers are locked in brutal combat with swarms of data creatures.
A rumbling wagon rolls in—Crank at the reins, hauling weapons in the back.
"Brothers, take to arms!" Crank shouts.
Prisoners rush toward the wagon, grabbing whatever weapons they can. Crank's eyes land on Jen, standing right beside him. His jaw drops in disbelief.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?!"
Jen doesn't answer. Her eyes are locked on the battlefield. She grabs a pair of daggers from the wagon and dashes forward without hesitation.
She weaves through the chaos, her eyes scanning each prisoner—specifically the ones carrying shovels. She knows the voice she yearns for, must belong to the one who was about to buried her. She listens carefully, trying to pick it out from the roars of the battle.
A data ant lunges at her. Jen spins, slicing it clean in half with fluid precision.
Then she hears it.
"FOR HONOR!"
Her eyes widen. That's the voice. The voice that pulled her out of the dark.
She turns and sees him—Boa—charging alone into a massive data spider.
Without another thought, Jen bolts through the battlefield, dodging claws and lasers as she races to him. Her movements are lightning-fast.
From the sidelines, Officer Hank spots her.
"That prisoner is unshackled! Wait... it's the dead girl!"
Jen ignores the shouts and slashes her way through the enemies closing in on Boa. The spider has him pinned down in thick webbing, its fangs inches from him.
She leaps, striking just in time—her daggers cutting across the spider's many eyes. It screeches in agony.
Crank rushes in and pulls Boa free from the webs.
"It's that lady... she's alive!" Boa says, astonished.
Jen doesn't slow down. Her blades dance through the air as she carves into the spider's body from every angle. With a final scream, she drives both daggers into the spider's skull with overwhelming force.
The spider's abdomen suddenly bursts open—hundreds of smaller data spiders shoot out in a swarm, diving toward Jen.
Boa and Crank leap in, cutting down many of the incoming creatures to protect her. Hank arrives with his officers, blasting away with laser rifles.
Jen stares in awe, watching Boa fight with powerful, graceful strikes. Her heart races—not from fear, but admiration. It was his voice, his words, that gave her a reason to keep living.
Boa pulls a spider off his shoulder and turns to her.
"What's your name, lady?"
Jen, still catching her breath, answers softly, "It's Jen..."
Her voice trembles, not from weakness, but from relief.
Boa grins. "It'd be a shame for you to die again. So let's work together—in the name of honor!"
Jen smiles, her spirit reignited. Together, they charge back into the swarm—side by side.
Time passes.
Jen finds herself growing closer and closer to Boa and the other prisoners, as if they're all one big family. Together, they work hard in the mines, help new prisoners adjust, break up pointless fights, and stand side by side against the endless waves of data creatures lurking in the mines. Through them, Jen finally learns what it means to live with honor.
More time moves forward.
Now, deep in the mines, Jen and a group of prisoners sprint through the winding tunnels. They burst into a massive opening—only for Jen to stop at the edge of a cliff. Below, she sees the chaos.
Boa, Crank, and Hank are in the heat of battle with a colossal data dragon. Its massive wings beat the air, its screeches shake the cavern walls.
Jen raises her dagger high.
"Onwards, brothers and sisters!" she yells. "We will not let this data creature waver our spirits! In the name of Boa—and honor—we will slay this dragon!"
The charge begins.
Moments later, the battlefield is littered with fallen officers and prisoners. Bodies lie still, some smoking from recent fire blasts. Jen pushes a dead officer's corpse off herself, coughing, blood on her lips.
She spots them—Boa, Crank, and Hank. All three are wounded and barely standing, but still fighting. The dragon, bloodied and cracked, roars defiantly.
It unleashes a powerful fire blast.
Crank braces himself with a massive shield, taking the brunt of it. Boa and Hank are huddled behind him, trying to stay alive.
Jen grits her teeth.
"At this rate… they can't hold on any longer. Just a little more and we'll win."
Her eyes scan the field, filled with fallen comrades.
"I won't let anyone die anymore. We've lost too much already… I don't want to feel that pain again… not like back then!"
Flashes of Yen's death burn into her mind.
With a cry of anguish, Jen dashes forward, straight into the inferno. She weaves between the dragon's legs, eyes locked on the cracks forming in its scales. She strikes—daggers tearing through weakened flesh—blood sprays with every cut.
Climbing higher, slicing upward, she reaches its head.
With a scream, she drives her dagger deep into the dragon's eye socket—shoulder-deep.
The dragon screeches and stumbles, halting its fire breath as it thrashes. A claw swipes at her.
Hank opens fire, sending a barrage of lasers at its neck. Boa and Crank seize the moment, charging in.
The dragon flings Jen off violently. She crashes onto the rocky ground, gasping for air. As it looms overhead, it stomps down—but she rolls just in time, only to be sent tumbling across the battlefield.
Pain surges through her body.
Her glowing blue eyes flicker.
"The drugs are wearing off... " she whispers. The numbing haze is slowly fading. Every wound burns now. Every muscle shakes.
Through the blur, she sees —Boa and Crank's last assault has left a massive crack in the dragon's chest.
But then, the dragon lashes out. Its tail whips Crank away with brutal force. Its wings blast a gust of wind that sends Hank flying.
Jen watches in horror.
Boa steadies himself, gripping his sword.
"One more strike... and it's over!" he yells.
He leaps toward the dragon.
The beast charges up another fire blast in its mouth—its final, deadly attack.
The sight freezes Jen.
It's just like before.
Yen's death. The helplessness. The scream. The loss.
"I don't want to be in that darkness again!" she roars.
She forces herself up, trembling, barely able to stand. The drugs are fading away. The pain is real. Her body is slow, heavy—but her spirit burns stronger than ever.
And still, she moves forward.
Everything slows down for her.
For Jen, the world moves in fragments—broken frames in a nightmare. She sees it: a vision of herself, kneeling between two lifeless bodies—Boa's and Yen's. Her screams echo as darkness swallows everything around her.
"No…" she whispers.
Her jaw clenches tight. She bites down hard.
"Faster! I need to be faster! Stronger! Better!"
Her glowing blue eyes blaze brighter. Her blood surges—cells pulsing at impossible speed. Her entire body turns blue, her veins glowing like lightning, her muscles charging into overdrive.
Then—she vanishes in a blur.
She dashes past Crank, who only catches a glimpse of the blue light. She snatches his massive battle axe mid-stride.
"What the—?" Crank stumbles back, confused.
In another blink, she rushes past Hank, ripping the laser pistol from his belt.
"Boa! Keep pushing—!" Hank shouts, not even realizing what just happened.
Boa charges ahead, sword raised. But the dragon is faster. Fire begins to gather at its throat—one last devastating blast.
Boa grits his teeth.
"I'm not going to make it in time..."
But suddenly—a flash of blue.
SLASH!
Jen slices across the dragon's throat with Crank's battle axe, the wound tearing wide open. In the same motion, she hurls Hank's pistol into the gaping gash.
BOOM!
The fire ignites the pistol's fusion core—an explosion detonates within the dragon's mouth.
KA-THOOOM!
Its entire head erupts in flame from the inside. The dragon stumbles, choking on its own fire.
Boa sees his chance.
He leaps and drives his sword deep into the dragon's chest—through scale, through muscle—until blood gushes out like a waterfall.
The great creature collapses dead.
Cheers erupt behind him. Boa breathes hard, victorious—but then his eyes widen as he sees Jen nearby.
She stumbles, body flickering from blue back to normal. Her skin pale. Her steps weak.
"Jen?" Boa rushes over.
"That was you, wasn't it?"
Jen coughs violently. Blood pours from her mouth, her nose, her eyes… even her ears.
She gives him a faint smile.
"Your honor…" she whispers, "…will never fade in my heart…"
Then she collapses.
"No, no—Jen!" Boa has her in his arms, tears already streaming down his face. "Stay with me! Please!"
Without wasting a second, he lifts her up and sprints from the battlefield, screaming for help.
Moments later, in the dim underground medical station, the air is tense. Machines beep softly. Jen lies motionless on a cot, barely breathing. Tubes run from her arms, and her body trembles in pain. Beside her, Boa sits shirtless, bandages wrapping his ribs and arms, a fresh cut across his cheek. He's breathing heavily, still recovering.
The door swings open—Officer Hank steps in, covered in bandages, his arm in a sling. His face is grave.
"The doctors did what they could," Hank says. "They've managed to keep her alive... but just for now. Her body's full of blood clots—too many. She's dying fast."
Boa slams his fist against the bedframe. "I've seen nobles worse off than this! They came back! They lived!"
Hank sighs, calm but firm. "Yeah, but those kinds of resources, they're only found on Oasis... or in Pawn City."
"Then use my credits!" Boa snaps. "Get those resources—whatever it takes!"
Hank raises an eyebrow. "After slaying that dragon, you've got enough credits to free yourself and one other inmate."
"Then use them on her," Boa says without hesitation. "I don't care if it delays my release a year. It doesn't matter. Without her, we'd all be dead. Please, Hank... save her."
Hank holds his stare for a beat, then nods. "Alright. I'll make the call."
He turns and rushes out.
Later...
Laughter and cheers echo softly through the medical bay. Jen's eyes flutter open. Her vision's hazy, but she sees them—Boa, Crank, and Hank—gathered around, celebrating.
She begins to cry. "I was in the darkness again... but this time... I couldn't hear your voice, Boa."
Boa walks over and pulls her into a gentle hug, his arms trembling.
"You saved all of us," he whispers. "It's only right we do the same for you."
Jen closes her eyes, feeling his warmth.
Time passes.
Boa finally earns enough credits—not only to buy his own freedom, but Jen's as well. On the day of their departure, the prison yard buzzes with energy. Guards unlock the gates, and prisoners line up along the fences to watch them go.
As Boa and Jen walk toward the exit, one of the inmates shouts, "We're almost there too, Boa! Just a little more and we'll be out!"
Another prisoner raises his fist high. "Once we're free, we'll find you! We'll fight by your side—for honor!"
The others erupt in cheers. "For honor! For honor!"
Crank leans against the table, arms crossed with a proud grin. "Don't worry about me," he says. "I'll be out soon too. Just don't forget our plans, Boa!"
Boa raises a hand. "I'm going to spread the name of honor through out all of the slums."
Jen gives a nod and a small wave. "We'll be waiting."
Together, they step out of the prison gates and into the bright light of freedom.
Days later, in the slums, Boa and Jen stand proudly in front of an old building—freshly painted, newly restored. A large wooden sign hangs above the door, hand-carved and bold: BOA OF HONOR.
Inside, they begin their work—recruiting slummers who've been cast aside, offering food, shelter, and purpose. Anyone willing to live by the code of honor is welcome.