Reactor Husk
Fallacy of No Return
Bell-Borne Geochelone
Story & Voice
Lore beats, character story moments, and voice lines to learn more about Mornye.
Character Story
1A Thump
Her family, most of the time, treated her with great care. Her mother quit her job to look after her at home, while her father worked long hours to pay for her endless medical bills and examinations. In those early years that still blurred at the edges, her mother would often lift her into her arms, murmur soft words, then lay her gently back onto the small bed that was hers alone. One year, on her birthday, her father even made it home while she was still awake. The three of them sat together to sing a birthday song. They wished her peace, joy, and health as she grew up.
Mornye always accepted these moments quietly. She knew her mother believed she couldn't understand what was said or how they felt, and she always caught the sadness that flickered across her mother's face each time she lifted her unresponsive legs. She remembered, too, the tiny, almost imperceptible hesitation whenever they said the word "health.” But they loved her. She understood that very early on.
There was only one exception. One night, the sound of an argument jolted her awake. Her father's voice was raised, and her mother sobbed through her words. The unfamiliar threat in the air frightened her so badly that she began to cry. She was certain they heard her, because their shouting paused for a heartbeat, then returned louder, sharper, pitched toward a new kind of despair.
In that fragile pause, a feeling she had never known took root: she had to stop them herself.
The wheelchair sat by the bed, just within reach. She clutched the rail on the edge of the bed and began to move. First her chest, that was easy. She could lean forward and close the distance. Then her stomach. She felt her insides clench against the hardwood until a dull pain bloomed, a strange sign that she was making progress. Finally, her legs. She gathered every shred of strength and forced those disobedient limbs to slide over.
And then came a thump.
The argument stopped at once.
Silence flooded the house. The wheelchair lay overturned from the force of her fall. Numb with pain, Mornye pushed herself up with trembling arms. Something warm was trickling down from her temple, sliding over skin that was always cold to the touch.
Her mother rushed in, dropped to her knees, and lifted her. She held her close, tears of exhaustion streaming down her face.
2Silent Duty
The bulky wheelchair had isolated her from the careless, chasing play of her peers from a young age. As compensation, she poured her extraordinary energy entirely into her studies, filling every crack of time with endless reading and calculation. Teachers often held her up as a model student, until they themselves began to struggle to keep pace with her mind. Among the students, whispers circulated: her father worked for one of the New Federation's more notorious corporations, and every day after school, a stern attendant would appear to wheel her away with flawless, icy precision. Mornye sat in the chair like a carefully arranged doll, silently compliant.
What unsettled her peers even more was her constant refusal of goodwill. Even when teachers instructed the class to look out for her, even when other students approached with generous smiles and asked if she needed help, she would lower her head, letting her bangs veil her eyes, and gently shake her head, silently rejecting everything.
A child's patience is always limited. Once the advantage of being the giver was lost, quiet exclusion grew. Soon, when she wheeled slowly down the hallway, no one approached her. They exchanged glances in silence and parted to give her chair a wide, straight path, like a school of fish dividing in a stream.
Mornye had never minded those withdrawn gestures of concern. She clung to academic excellence, her one silent form of gratitude to the world, and knew that if she asked for help, whether out of genuine need or just compliance, someone would inevitably respond.
But she remembered the weary look in her mother's eyes. And so, she remained silent.
3Admission Letter
Her Forte had awakened even earlier, on an otherwise ordinary afternoon, when she realized she no longer needed to push the heavy wheels of her chair by hand. There was nothing particularly thrilling about it, for she had already understood the mechanics perfectly. Making them turn in her mind or in reality made little difference. Her immobilized body was still trapped atop that cumbersome metal frame.
That night, as she moved herself to bed, she caught sight of the faintly glowing Tacet Mark on her thigh. It felt like a dark joke designed just for her.
But the admission letter was different.
Startorch Academy was widely known as the premier institution for nurturing talent across
Could someone like her truly be one of the morning stars meant to light humanity's future?
She quickly completed the Preparatory Program, and her Forte was deemed most suited for the Department of Exostrider Engineering. She became the genius whispered about in the halls, the favored apprentice of her mentors, the youngest teaching assistant in the department. Yet it was never enough. She spent countless nights immersed in reports and experiments, often throwing herself into dangerous tasks that pushed her Forte to the edge of Overclocking. One night, light-headed from missing a Nutri-Pack, she wondered—if, just if—her body could one day become a cornerstone of the scientific halls she dreamed of. If so, it would be a satisfying conclusion.
"It's midnight now. Aren't you going to rest?"
She looked up and met a pair of golden eyes.
She remembered this person. The initiator of her current project, her senior and mentor at Startorch Academy. She had always been drawn to those gold eyes, carrying a vast loneliness that Mornye had yet to understand. They regarded everyone with the same impartial calm, with no trace of the pity she was so accustomed to.
"If you don't rest," that person said, voice even and steady, "you'll miss the stars."
4The Stars
Back then, the Sky Projection Array could only manage the most basic precipitation patterns, and the
But Mornye hadn't realized that the "stars" her mentor spoke of were the ones above the frostlands.
It happened during an expedition to the frostlands. Normally, no one would have thought to invite Mornye on such a mission, so when her mentor extended a hand toward her, she did not refuse.
She boarded the Starward Riseway bound for the world above. To her surprise, she was treated no differently from the rest of the team. She sat quietly in the humming vehicle, analyzing in real time the data collected by its roaring machinery. Occasionally, when the transport could go no further or when there was simply something worth seeing, her mentor would lift her onto {Male=his;Female=her} back and carry her through the snow.
Wind swept across the plains, cold flakes tearing at warm cheeks. The distance blurred into white, yet something vast and new seemed to unfold before her. At the end of the expedition, they arrived at the wreckage of an old machine. Sitting atop the ruins, they looked up at a sky thick with stars.
"Do you like the stars?"
Her mentor's voice broke the quiet. Mornye followed {Male=his;Female=her} gaze, looking up at those fragments that had traveled from light-years away.
"Seeing the stars makes us curious. They make us ask what else is out there."
"I think... One day, you'll all prove that the blockage in the sky isn't the end. There will come a day humanity reaches the stars."
Ah. So that was it.
The first thing she realized was that she and everyone else were equally small.
She, her father, her mother, her classmates back home, and this person next to her. Beneath the boundless night, they were nothing more than dust drifting on a single planet.
Then came the memories she had forced herself to bury.
The pain of falling the first time she tried to climb the railing.
The cry she choked back when her mother left home.
The secretive glances in her old school, the way silently made for her passage.
The unsettling calm she felt when she once imagined ending everything herself.
And then, a restless yearning surged.
It was unlike anything she had ever felt, a fierce tide rising so violently it felt like a defiance of something vast and incomprehensible. A cold spark ignited in her silenced chest, tearing apart the quiet she had built to survive her narrow world.
Then the starlight leaned toward her.
Tears spilled. Heartbeat thundered. She reached out toward the person beside her, toward the distant light stretching into infinity.
"I… want to reach that future, too."
5And Then, Another Step
Mornye let out a barely audible sigh. Above her, the modified Starstack hummed steadily, channeling her Forte into the floating keyboard as it replied to emails about the status of the New Solar Ceremony. Her left hand adjusted ignition‑simulation parameters on another floating display, while her right worked through a sequence of elastoplastic calculations. She could manage a dozen streams of work at once, but interpersonal disputes like this would always grind her progress to a halt.
The quarrel was between two fresh graduates—bright, ambitious, desperate to prove themselves. Mornye had never experienced that kind of youthful fervor firsthand. Still, the scene pulled up memories from her early days at the Research Institute. She remembered the first time she clashed with the board over her proposal to recreate a starry night's sky, and how, after finally gaining approval, a
...Well, maybe she wasn't so different from these young graduates after all.
By the time the dispute was settled, the Sky Projection Array had already shifted into night mode. A Hover Cannon delivered her dinner—today's Nutri-Pack came in "Smoked Steak" flavor, a new addition from the Agronomy Wing. She twisted the cap open, dimmed the last floating screen, and let her gaze drift to the artificial stars outside the window.
Her mentor had been gone for a long time.
So much had happened since then. She had graduated and joined the Institute. Her first assignment had been to build a sky above
{Male=He;Female=She} didn't belong to Lahai-Roi. That was when Mornye understood why those golden eyes held everyone at a distance. {Male=He;Female=She} was never meant to stay anywhere for long.
But that was all right.
Below, in the test hall, Helios cast silver light in the dark. The New Solar Ceremony—Even her mentor had never imagined this immense undertaking to awaken the Exostrider.
—"I've found what I want to do now, Mentor. And… I can go further than you ever did."
—"So when you return someday… will I be ready to stand beside you?"
Voice Lines
Thoughts: I
I graduated from the Department of Exostrider Engineering at <te href=851069>Startorch Academy</te>, and my senior thesis was "The Correlation Analysis Between Energy Output Management and Exoswarm Material Renewal." The proposal caught the attention of the <te href=851071>Spacetrek Collective</te>, which further developed it into the "New Solar Ceremony" project. The content specified in my paper involves utilizing multi-phase energy conversion modules through a superconductor network...<br/><br/>...Sorry, I'll try my best to find topics that may interest you in the future.
Thoughts: II
So, which flavor of Midnight Wonder Cup Noodles do you prefer? Lichen Salad or Creamy Bisque?<br/><br/>My post-lecture observation shows it's the second most-discussed topic amongst students, right after "what to highlight in class." So I thought, since you're now a student here at Startorch, you might be interested in this.<br/><br/>Wait, apologies. I don't have any Midnight Wonder Cup Noodles with me, only supplements... But we can go buy a few at the Academy, if you'd like. Shall we?
Thoughts: III
My legs? They're prosthetics developed by the <te href=851071>Spacetrek Collective</te>. Before having the surgery, I had to rely on a wheelchair due to a condition called Congenital Hypoplasia of the Lumbosacral Plexus.<br/><br/>I don't really remember much from those days. The empty home, the quiet classroom, the pain of falling from my wheelchair... I know they were all part of my life. But the feelings are just... forgotten. Sometimes, I wonder... is this why I can't make sense of some of the feelings in my heart?
Thoughts: IV
I'm conducting a field research to verify some engineering hypotheses, and I'd like you to be my colleague for the day.<br/><br/>...Oh, don't misunderstand. All the permits are in order and the location is entirely safe. You don't need to act as my security. This is a project on <te href=260004>Lahai-Roi</te>'s frontier technology. My project. I wish to... introduce you to it.
Thoughts: V
<te href=260004>Lahai-Roi</te>'s Sky Projection Array recreates starry skies from the ancient records. The brightest white mass close to the zenith is Apus Alpha, an A-type main-sequence star. To its right are the Crux's binary stars, locked in their mutual gravitational dance. Slightly above them are the polar stars, Vulpecula Delta, and the Scorpius Cluster...<br/><br/>No, don't look at me. Please keep looking at the sky. Over the years at Lahai-Roi, every time I look up at this sky, I'm reminded of the dream to reach the stars... and the ineffable emptiness I feel.<br/><br/>There are words I never got to say under the stars, many years ago... I'd like you to hear them now.
Mornye's Hobby
I came across a paper a few days ago from Huanglong's Huaxu Academy, titled "Peridynamics-Based Analysis of Tacetite Microstructure Evolution and Precipitation Behavior." That's 167 pages of intellectual brilliance. Reading it gave me a profound sense of satisfaction.
Mornye's Trouble
Sometimes, I find myself puzzled by the students' logic. For instance, we have very clear rubrics for grading final exams. Why, then, would they ask me to "go easy on them"? The rules are the rules. I can't simply bend them…
Favorite Food
The "Instant Wakeup Energy Gel Sachet" developed by the Division of Ecology Conservation. It manages to keep over 95% of the ingredients' energy. A real triumph of ingenuity for the <te href=851071>Spacetrek Collective</te>.<br/><br/>...How does it taste? I quite enjoy it myself. You can taste the entire ingredient list in a single bite. Very efficient.
Disliked Food
Anything that takes too much work to eat... simply because it's a hassle.
Ideals
Long before humanity was born, the stars were already there. When we gaze up at their radiance, we're seeing only a fragment of time, cast across the depths of the universe.<br/><br/>Yet, small as we may be, we dare to dream of crossing that vast gulf of space. With our fleeting forms, we challenge that ancient silence. We will prove that the beyond is not unreachable, and that one day, we will touch the stellar seas ourselves.<br/><br/>That is the future I wish to reach... together, with everyone.
Show more voice lines (62 remaining)
Chat: I
These prosthetic legs incorporate the latest medical technology from the <te href=851071>Spacetrek Collective</te>. Furthermore, they can be modified by my Resonance ability. I've added features like quick levitation, Overclock indicators, emergency heating, and night lighting... When it comes to functionality, the more the better. Wouldn't you agree?
Chat: II
The paralysis in my legs had minimal impact on my theoretical research. As a result, during my schooling back home, I immersed myself entirely in reading, learning, studying theories, and writing papers. This way, I would make myself feel better, to feel that I was... a person of value, just like everyone else.<br/><br/>And no, I'm not sad about it. I see now that it was all worthwhile. Every bit of it.
About Lynae
I wish to be like her, having the freedom to do what she wants. To act without constraint. Especially the constraint of a class schedule. It's a pity that professors are forbidden to skip their own lectures…
About Sigrika
She's a remarkably conscientious student, but her persistence can sometimes be wasteful.<br/><br/>For instance, she will fill the exam questions with unrelated formulas when she doesn't know the answers. It won't get her points.
About Denia
You'll see her at every public lecture, nodding along as if she understands every word. Until she inevitably dozes off, jolts awake after bumping her head on the seat, and then drifts off again... I only later discovered that students receive credit solely for attendance.
About Luuk Herssen
When I was a student, I frequented the infirmary. Dr. Herssen had me take a medicine imported from the New Federation that would only take effect if I went to bed before 10 P.M. A month passed, and my health improved. It wasn't until later that I found those medicines were just ordinary <te href=260004>Lahai-Roi</te> plant-based milk...
About Chisa
The freshman girl who vanished in the <te href=851070>Void Storm</te>... I remember the incident clearly. It happened during my first year as a teaching assistant at the Academy. I even graded a paper she submitted. It was exceptionally well-written, with a logical structure, rigorous analysis, and precise formatting.<br/><br/>Now, she's become the student who writes the best papers in my class.
Birthday Wishes
I'm aware that today is your birthday.<br/><br/>On a macroscopic scale, the universe dictates that entropy will forever increase, time is a one-way flow, and all existence is destined for heat death. A birthday, then, is a coordinate we set for ourselves. It's proof that however small we may be, we can still create and preserve a tiny structure of order against the torrent of chaos.<br/><br/>This is all knowledge I "understand" intellectually. Yet when I'm by your side, I stop thinking about them.<br/><br/>Looking into your eyes, the only thing I "feel"... is the simple joy of sharing this day with you.
Idle: I
Recharge complete.
Idle: II
Hmm. Time for a recharge...
Idle: III
There.
Self-Introduction
I am Mornye, Research Institute engineer and professor at <te href=851069>Startorch Academy</te>. Please, let me know when my expertise can be of service.
Greeting
I need not wait for a starry night, nor tilt my gaze to seek the sky. For I have placed it at my back, in my hands, and upon my eyelids.
Join Team: I
Good. Prosthetics are fully charged.
Join Team: II
Now, I can walk beside you.
Join Team: III
Calculation results... Sorry, I'm on my way.
Ascension: I
I see new possibilities.
Ascension: II
Constructing reality mapping for accumulated theories. Rest assured, I'm quite proficient at this.
Ascension: III
Variable parameters, empirical data, potential probabilities... I'll take all of these into consideration to improve our efficiency.
Ascension: IV
Your influence has... catalyzed a change in me. Does this progress please you?
Ascension: V
This takes me back to my first journey to the frostlands. Wind and snow stung my cheeks. It was the first time I felt alive, after a lifetime in a wheelchair. Thank you for bringing that feeling back to me... once again.
Basic Attack: I
Attack formation.
Basic Attack: II
Weapons free.
Basic Attack: III
Target locked.
Basic Attack: IV
Focusing aim!
Heavy Attack: I
Maximum power.
Heavy Attack: II
Hover modules, ready.
Heavy Attack: III
Command mode engaged.
Heavy Attack: IV
All targets in sight.
Heavy Attack: V
Attack confirmed!
Heavy Attack: VI
Order executed!
Heavy Attack: VII
Processing complete!
Aerial Attack I
Locked in.
Aerial Attack: II
Guidance ready.
Resonance Skill: I
Activating countermeasure.
Resonance Skill: II
Deploying force field.
Resonance Skill: III
Converting energy.
Resonance Skill: IV
Seize the window.
Resonance Skill: V
Access confirmed!
Resonance Skill: VI
Leave it to me!
Resonance Skill: VII
All units, fire!
Resonance Liberation: I
Authorizing maximum output!
Resonance Liberation: II
Initiating criticality protocol!
Resonance Liberation: III
Stars, hear my queries!
Intro Skill
Assuming master control.
Hit: I
Correcting posture...
Hit: II
Merely tripped myself...
Injured: I
Some minor fixes will suffice...
Injured: II
Power output affected...
Injured: III
I can still... stand...!
Fallen: I
I don't... want to disappoint you...
Fallen: II
I'm not afraid, only...
Fallen: III
Cold are the stars...
Echo Summon
Modeling complete.
Echo Transform
Structural override initiated.
Enemies Near
Threat detected.
Glider
Safety measures... Check.
Sensor
Environment modeling complete.
Dash
Energy consumption increasing...
Supply Chest: I
A finding with some practical value.
Supply Chest: II
Like it? It's all yours.
Supply Chest: III
Expedition log updated.