Profile[]
Cinderella is a member of the Old Tales squad. She was part of the second generation of the Grimms series Nikkes, alongside Hansel, Gretel, Red Shoes and Little Mermaid. The Big Three had spent astronomical amount of resources to manufacture her as she was intended to join and support the Goddess squad.[2] Cinderella's primary aspiration is to coexist with the rest of the Goddess squad and outmatch their beauty.
Unfortunately, before her debut as the newest member of the Goddess Squad, the Elysion facility where she was located got attacked by Raptures. She was also corrupted through a refined Corruption code caused by a traitor researcher, leading her to believe that by slaughtering mankind, she would serve the Goddess Squad and the Queen. As a result, she would clash with the Goddess Squad and forced them to retreat in their first encounter. She would then proceed to wipe out multiple human settlements as well as decimating the human soldiers and mass-produced Nikkes dispatched to eliminate her. The Central Government thereby gave her the codename "Anachiro." As such, she became one of the Heretics, personal agents of the Rapture Queen, and was considered to be the first Heretic, making her the progenitor to the later Heretics such as Behemoth. In the aftermath, she believes that her beauty has been completely tainted by her corruption as humanity now ostracizes her and calls her all the repulsive things that she shouldn't be referred to such as "Traitor," "Heretic," "Murderer" and so on.
Cinderella use blitzkrieg tactics, allowing her to overwhelm and swiftly annihilate her enemies. Liliweiss compared her abilities to an air strike or intercontinental ballistic missile as such, she is considered to be the equivalent of a 'walking tactical weapon,' and inferred that her specifications alone could outpace the Goddesses, including herself. Nevertheless, the Commander and Snow White presume that Anachiro would lose in a duel against Liliweiss, implying that Anachiro is specialized in combating multiple foes and not single target enemies.
Nikke Backstory[]
One of the second generation Grimms Model created as a successor to the Goddess Squad.
Although her specifications surpass that of the Goddess Squad, she was not deployed in actual battles due to corruption.
After receiving treatment, she has been fighting alone with zero support to overcome the stigma of being humanity's enemy.
Personality[]
Our story, as well as yours, is bound to be beautiful.
When first debuted in Red Ash, little was known about Cinderella's personality as she barely speaks a single word. However, she had a penchant for leaving a single survivor in all of her assaults, wanting someone to live to tell the tale of her carnage. This tied in to her inbuilt sense of superiority complex over others, especially in her confident smirk as Goddess' attacks plinked ineffectually off her Glass Slippers. As such Cinderella shows both pride and narcissism. As the Heretic Anachiro, she believes that by slaughtering mankind, she would serve the Goddess squad and the Rapture Queen.
Cinderella is obsessed with beauty. She even proclaims herself as beauty incarnate, she is always seen looking at herself in a mirror, as far as demanding a full-size mirror should be placed every 100 meters in Reclamation Site 01 (which was a concession from her since she originally asked for such a mirror every 50 meters). She believes she must always stay beautiful, and everything else that lives on this planet. Part of her obsession with beauty stems from her desire to atone for her actions as the former Heretic Anachiro, having full recollection of them all and viewing her corrupted self as a stain on her image.[3] As promised, she aims to rewrite her story to achieve a beautiful ending.
Anything commendable in her eyes shall be deemed beautiful such as the Goddess squad's efforts during the First Rapture Invasion or the cohesiveness of the Counters' conversation. However on the flip side, Cinderella loathes anything she considers to be 'disgraceful' such as a defeatism mindset like believing the war against the Raptures is impossible to triumph. Those who do not vow a reason to throw their life on the line are a shining example to her belief.[4]
Story[]
Background[]
As a human, Cinderella was but a young girl when the Raptures first invaded. She watched as hope and common decency were abandoned by the people around her, who scrabbled for base survival even as the enemy trampled them underfoot.
That all changed when she saw what would become Goddess Squad on their first official mission. They weren't the most coordinated or professional lot around, and they were visibly tired and dirtied after the battle ended. Yet seeing them defeat the Raptures, and bring tranquil silence where gunshots and screams echoed, the girl became entranced by Goddess, and yearned to stand beside them.[5]
Some time later, Cinderella would be converted into a Nikke by the scientist Abe. But she would not just be any Nikke. She was a second-generation Grimms model, the same line from which Goddess was created. Cinderella was made to outpace all of them, even the prototype Liliweiss, just from her physical specs. Out of all her creations, Abe considers Cinderella to be her magnum opus, revering her to be the Goddess squad's worthy successor.[6]
Cinderella was supposed to be the next generation of Grimms Model created to assist the Goddess Squad. However, she was corrupted on the day she was to assist Goddess in attacking the Lift. The corruption trapped Cinderella in her own body, forcing her to watch as she committed all manner of atrocities. First, she watched as it puppetered her into mutilating her own squad.[7] Then, she watched as it forced her guns against the Goddess she so admired. In doing so, Cinderella despaired, blaming herself for sabotaging Goddess' operation, and humanity's hopes with it.[8]
The corruption seeped further into her mind, tricking her into believing that humans were the enemies of Goddess, and that killing them all would save her idols and make them happy. Succumbing to the corruption, Cinderella fell from grace. Humanity would come to know and fear her as Anachiro, the first Heretic who betrayed humanity for the Raptures.[9]
Later, Anachiro once more came to blows with Cinderella's former squad.[10] When the dust settled, the Heretic stood victorious, clutching the decapitated head of Abe, Cinderella's creator who tried to rouse her conscious. It did the trick, and the Nikke trapped in her own body railed against the sin she had committed. She questioned if her actions as Anachiro were truly of use to Goddess. In response, the corruption ceased its gentle temptation and resorted to threats. It promised to make Anachiro murder all of Old Tales if Cinderella did not accept her fate as a pawn of the Queen.
Cinderella promised she'd do so on one condition; only when all of Goddess Squad lay dead at her feet would she accept her fate as a Heretic. Despite the corruption cackling as it thought her broken, Cinderella had another plan. She would force Anachiro to fight the Goddess head-on, and in doing so, they would triumph over it. Her idols would destroy the Heretic, and free Cinderella through death.[11]
Anachiro was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of the Goddess Squad (excluding Liliweiss, who was recuperating after the previous battle). At some point in time, her body was recovered as a test subject on how Vapaus interacts with nanomachines. The Vapaus had the unintentional side-effect of purging Cinderella's corruption, allowing her personality to resurface. Scientists affiliated with the Central Government studied her day in and day out, jabbing, prodding, melting, and cutting away at her body. They garnered insights on the creation and alterations of Heretics, though given the vitriol they slung her way, it was clear there was another motive. Revenge, to the traitor who cemented mankind's defeat. Punishing the monster who turned her weapons on her creators, and slaughtered countless people and Nikkes on the battlefield. To Cinderella, the torment was all she deserved and more. For she was no longer beautiful, her story marred by treachery and the blood on her hands.[12]
Eventually, Cinderella's prison was visited by Abe, who had somehow survived her decapitation by Anachiro. Thanks to the timely occurrence of a Rapture incursion, the two managed to escape the lab that was confining Cinderella.[13] Following their escape, Cinderella hid with Abe in the latter's personal bunker, where she reunited with her squad.[14] The reunion was bittersweet, as her comrades, while happy to see her again, still remembered what they suffered at Anachiro's hands, not helped by the fact that Cinderella's eyes were still tinted scarlet red. Shortly afterwards, she discovered a terrible truth.
The cause of her corruption, that ruined her life, her hopes of joining Goddess, and mankind's victory. All of it was at the hands of Red Shoes. Her own comrade. Overwhelmed with rage and betrayal, Cinderella attacked Red Shoes and killed her. Unfortunately, her squad walked in at that exact moment, and believed she deliberately betrayed them. Falling into despair as her world crumbled again, but unwilling to hurt her comrades a third time, Cinderella fled from the bunker.[15]
Cinderella fled to a remote corner of the world, where for an unknown time period, she languished in a cycle of waking up, staring at the horizon, and falling asleep in tears. Eventually, she came to a terrible conclusion; her story, her defiled fairy tale that could no longer be called such. It wrote her out to be a monster, and there was only one ending for monsters. But before she could order Glass Slippers to take her own life, something stopped her.
Having tracked Cinderella all the way to where she fled, Abe appeared before her wayward creation. Offering encouragement and promising to stand by her, the scientist managed to walk Cinderella away from the precipice of despair. Abe promised to always be Cinderella's audience member, her mirror. The one who would reflect her most beautiful self, and bear witness to the story she wrote.[16]
Confidence restored, Cinderella pondered over the choices she had going forward. As Abe had explained, mankind had all but surrendered to the Raptures, choosing to flee underground to the Ark than try to keep fighting. Even Goddess had given up, being relegated to Operation Ark Guardian as glorified gatekeepers. The two big choices, as Abe explained, were both simple, but had their own unpleasant downsides. Submitting to Central Government custody was essentially suicide, as even with Abe vouching for her, likely they'd execute Cinderella to satiate the people's hatred of Heretics. Waiting until humanity fully evacuated to the Ark, then coming to reinforce them when they eventually tried to retake the surface would be safer. But it would take time, and until then, she and everyone else would be forced to persist in a world where humanity was all but gone.
Unsatisfied with both choices, Cinderella chose a third option. Since becoming a Heretic, she'd gained power far beyond what she had as an "ordinary" Grimms, and had battlefield experience in spades thanks to remembering her time as Anachiro. So she would take what the Raptures had given her, and put it to good use. By infiltrating the Lift and defeating the Rapture Queen, she would accomplish the mission she'd ruined, wipe the stain of failure from the Goddess of Victory, and make a start in righting the wrongs she committed. The first of many steps in rewriting her story. Not out of duty to humanity, but to herself, her comrades, and Abe, her audience.[17]
With the unexpected help of Central Government agent Oswald, Cinderella reconciled with her old squad, who pledged themselves to support her in the assault on the Queen. Old Tales then sieged the Lift, though when they fought a Rapture sporting some familiar red legs, Cinderella found herself once again trapped by an invisible wall. The corruption tried to whisper to her once more, and twist her allegiances to the Queen. Yet this time, Cinderella saw herself reflected in Abe's eyes, and remembered that the latter was always looking at her. Mustering her will to break free of the corruption, Cinderella declared that she'd never allow her story to be tarnished again.
Old Tales then breached the Lift and ascended towards the space station believed to house the Queen, but attacks by the Queen's defenses forced Cinderella to move forward alone. Coming face-to-face with the Queen itself, Cinderella attacked the Rapture leader intent on ending the war once and for all. Yet in a moment of overconfidence, she let her guard down when she thought she dealt a fatal blow, the Queen's counterattack launching her out of the space station and into the Earth's gravity well.
In one final act of defiance, Cinderella used her Glass Slippers to blast the station and sever its connection to the Lift, in a bid to cut off the Raptures from their Queen and their production nexus. While burning up in atmospheric reentry, she prayed that her actions would culminate in the happy ending she sought to realize...[18]
Five years later, what remained of Cinderella's body was recovered by Abe. Even as the scientist's mind and body became worn over the ages, and she could no longer remember who she was, she would set herself to reviving Cinderella, and rewriting her story just as they'd promised.
Main Story[]
Chapter 19[]
While not appearing directly, Heretic Anachiro is mentioned in the fragments of a research report regarding the effects of Vapaus. Exposure to the substance caused all nanomachines within her body to be destroyed.
Chapter 30[]
While Grave is offering the protagonist some first aid, Rapi peers into the Pilgrim's coffin despite serious warnings not to, and is shocked to see Anachiro sleeping within. Rapi angrily asks Grave why she's carrying around a (supposedly) dead Heretic, but all she gets in return is an assault from the enraged Grave, who soon retreats with the coffin in tow.
Chapter 31[]
The coffin and Anachiro sleeping within are absconded by Behemoth, a Heretic belonging to the Four Beasts faction. Grave chases after the black Beast to reclaim the coffin, but is beaten down for her trouble. Behemoth soon clashes with Counters and Absolute, expositing to the protagonist that the Four Beasts seek to revive the first Heretic to accomplish a nebulous objective of theirs. Sadly for Behemoth, the protagonist is quick-witted enough to immobilize Behemoth, allowing his squads time to bail out Grave and Anachiro's coffin.
Rapi becomes increasingly agitated as she feels compelled to destroy the sleeping Anachiro. The protagonist deduces that Red Hood's memories are seeping into Rapi, and the lingering emotions are affecting her judgement.
Chapter 32[]
The protagonist manages to convince Grave that he's not her enemy, and with a recording from Red Hood, persuades her to accept his assistance in reviving Cinderella. The masked Pilgrim tells the squads that Glass Slippers, Cinderella's personal weapon, is key to awakening the sleeping Goddess. Sadly, said Slippers are sequestered in the heart of the region, closely guarded by Behemoth. Further complicating matters is that once they reach the Glass Slippers, they find the weapon has been enveloped in a crystal lifeform that attacks them on sight.
After some effort while Counters and co. distract Behemoth, Grave finishes fixing Cinderella and setting up her connection to the Glass Slipper. Only...Cinderella doesn't wake up. Until Behemoth smashes the crystal keeping her sealed, and then tries to imprint Anachiro's personality into the newly-awakened Nikke. While the protagonist immobilizes Behemoth, Grave desperately reaches out to Cinderella, trying to remind her that she is a Goddess of Victory, not a Heretic. Fortunately, Grave succeeds, and Cinderella fights off Behemoth long enough for Counters to evacuate.
When the protagonist comes to back at Reclamation Side 01, he finds Cinderella by his bedside. The ex-Heretic has since taken to calling the commander "Prince Charming" for finding her Glass Slipper and helping to wake her from slumber. After some more exchanges, Cinderella expresses her desire to join Counters in reclaiming the surface, to accomplish what she was supposed to do 100 years ago.
She also requests for full-body mirrors to be installed every 100 meters within Reclamation Site 01, as she wishes to be able to regularly check on and maintain her beauty.
Event Story[]
Red Ash[]
Originally constructed by the Big Three to assist Goddess Squad in their attack on the Lift and assassinating the Rapture Queen. Unfortunately, Raptures attacked the lab where she was being created, capturing her and subjecting her to corruption. As a result, she was made to become a champion of the Raptures. Based on the...specimen[19] that Goddess found in the labs, it's theorized that Cinderella was the first successful case of Nikke-Rapture hybridization.[20]
Cinderella's first appearance was during Goddess' attack on the Lift, though this time, she stood against them all. Her Glass Slipper's assault quickly overwhelmed the members of Goddess, forcing Liliweiss to redline her systems in order to evacuate her squad.[21] On some level, it can be said that Cinderella's intervention on the Raptures' side is what cemented the failure of the Queen subjugation operation, and with it, mankind's defeat against the Raptures...
Over the next four months or so after humanity throws in the towel, Cinderella was given a new name by the United Forces of Humanity/Central Government; "Anachiro." The traitor Nikke had since carved a bloody swathe through any forces standing in her way, leaving but one survivor to fearfully spread word of her carnage. On some twisted level, Anachiro became the Raptures' own "Goddess of Victory," a symbol of their inexorable advance...[20]
Anachiro accompanied several groups on Raptures during an attempt to besiege the Ark, the colony which humanity was attempting to evacuate to. Initially, she had no trouble brushing away anything that would stand against her. The Goddess Squad, even fully repaired and rearmed, was nothing to her without their leader or their commander. Yet everything went wrong when an unexpected guest reappeared; Red Hood, a member of Goddess who was supposed to have retired and died from terminal corruption. With Red Hood spearheading the charge, Goddess slowly disabled Anachiro's Glass Slipper and cornered her.[22]
In the end, Anachiro succumbed to a barrage of shots while pinned against Red Hood's Wolfsbane. When the dust settled, her body was practically embedded into the wall from how many times Red Hood blasted her.
Old Tales[]
Old Tales tells Cinderella's side of Red Ash's story. Her descent into becoming Anachiro. The despair as she found herself in a world that no longer wanted or needed her. The choice she made in the end, to try and rewrite her story.
Bond story[]
Episode 1 - Resurgence of Memory[]
While idling at Reclamation Site 01, Cinderella asks the protagonist a question. It regards Grave, and how the wanderer has done so much for her over these many years. For Cinderella to receive everything and give nothing in return, she finds such an unbalanced relationship not beautiful. Ergo, she wants to do something for Grave, but has little idea where to start. Neon and Anis comment that will how far Grave went to protect and revive Cinderella, it's likely just seeing the reborn Goddess up and about would satisfy her. Cinderella briefly preens as she extols herself as Grave's masterwork, but gets back on topic by saying it's insufficient.
Grave spent essentially her entire life trying to revive Cinderella, so she wants to do at least something in return. The protagonist suggests doing something heartfelt for her, to which Rapi steps in by suggesting Cinderella help Grave with some of her tasks, like weapon and equipment maintenance. Unfortunately, Cinderella expresses disinclination towards touching Grave's belongings. Neon's suggestion of a "firepower upgrade" is also rejected, on grounds that their bodies and abilities are too dissimilar for that to work. The protagonist then suggests more cosmetic things, like making Grave a special mirror or giving her a makeover. Sadly, those are also rejected. Cinderella sees her skills as insufficient to make a mirror more beautiful than what Grave can muster, and she won't stand for "substandard product" as a gift to her benefactor. As for the beauty treatments, Cinderella is already doing that for Grave, so obviously it's not an option.
Anis suggests making Grave's favorite food, which causes Cinderella to go silent. Anis initially takes it for rejection before Cinderella suddenly decides it's a good idea. With what Grave went through to revive her, the least she could do is treat her protector to a meal. As for preparing the dish, it's...debatable. Cinderella readily proclaims that she has never cooked before, though she believes that her reading and theoretical knowledge will bring about something beautiful.
Sidling past Counters' growing dread, the protagonist asks what the dish will be exactly. Sadly, Cinderella has little idea yet, given the possibility that Grave's tastes may have changed. Counters seems skeptical that Grave's palate could have drastically changed from what Cinderella remembers. Even after a century of wandering and countless memories lost, Grave never forgot Cinderella or cherished her less. That kind of person doesn't change so easily, or so Counters and the protagonist proclaim.
With those words, Cinderella settles on her dish of choice. Something that will evoke nostalgia in her protector. The grand dish of...soup. The protagonist double-takes at the austere answer.
Episode 2 - Nostalgic Dish[]
Cinderella regales Counters with a tale of Grave's past self as a researcher. Back then, she forwent complex meals in lieu of something she could make and gulp down while staying in her lab. She'd also make some for Cinderella whenever she visited. Even now, a century since she's last tasted it, the thought of that soup brings back warm memories for her. So she wants to make it for Grave, and give her the same sense of nostalgia. Anis and Neon agree to the idea, between both the story and the comparative simplicity of making soup.
As for ingredients, it's simple; just onions, potatoes, and soup powder. Actually getting those ingredients is not so simple, as Rapi explains. The ingredients Cinderella described (mostly the vegetables) sound like organics and other things that can only be found on the surface. Predictably, the Ark will charge exorbitant prices for those, so most food is instead substituted with Splendamin. Cinderella ponders on this revelation, though she quickly gets it once she learns the rations she's been eating were all made of the stuff. She's relieved to know that rather than her tastebuds changing with the eons, it's just that Splendamin is completely awful to eat. Pondering over the change in people's diet since the exodus to the Ark, and hearing how expensive it can be to source real ingredients, Cinderella agrees to try and make soup using Splendamin.
Some time later, Cinderella lays out bowls in front of Counters and the protagonist. The reaction to the soup is...less than positive, given the odd sheen to the surface of the soup. Cinderella invites them to dig in, ever confident that the result will be beautiful. Though Counters is put off by the odd glimmering to the dish, Cinderella simply sees it as a natural result of her touch while she followed the recipe to the letter. After a moment of waffling over who will taste it, Rapi volunteers to take the first spoonful in the protagonist's place. She takes a gulp of soup...and retches in response.
Rapi reports that the soup is sickeningly sweet, and Cinderella tries a spoonful herself to discover that it's nothing like what she expected. She initially blames the use of Splendamin for the unfortunate result, ignoring Anis' aspersions towards her cooking skills. The ex-Heretic then turns to the protagonist and asks him to assist her...by sampling every dish in Grave's stead until she finally cracks the right recipe. He's understandably reluctant given what just happened, and suggests everyone take turns taste-testing. Only for Counters to throw him under the bus "remember" that they have "urgent tasks" to attend and run away.
With mounting uncertainty, the protagonist follows Cinderella to the kitchen.
Episode 3 - Nostalgic Recipe[]
In the kitchen Cinderella ponders over how to make the soup more palatable. Since the last batch was too sweet, she decides to put some salt in to balance it out. Only for her to dump nearly an entire bag of salt into the pot. The protagonist expresses concerns about the excess salt, and persuades Cinderella to try it herself. She finds that now the soup is too salty, and admits she overdid it. Unfortunately for the both of them, the recipe doesn't specify an exact measurement, simply reading "add salt to taste."
Despite the setbacks, Cinderella remains confident that this soup recipe reigns supreme. After all, it was made by Grave, and Grave (at least in Cinderella's eyes) is a genius beyond compare. Now knowing that the recipe is a tad vague on the process, the two agree to work out the soup by trial and error.
Some time later, Cinderella has finished her latest batch, having skewed the salt:sugar ratio more towards sugar. The protagonist takes a sip, but going by his face twisting, it would seem this one was a failure.
Then Cinderella tries using other seasonings to diversify the flavor profile. This batch uses...something. Cinderella has no idea what she put in the pot, only that the label described it as having strong flavor. Despite the questionable logic, the protagonist takes a spoonful, and...while he's not retching like when the salt and sugar clashed, the unknown flavor that overpowers everything can't really be called an improvement from the previous batches. He advises her to eschew the new seasoning in lieu of something else.
The next batch, Cinderella uses a smaller amount of multiple different seasonings. Cinderella decides that it's unfair to "Prince" to make him keep trying these experimental dishes, and volunteers herself for the first tasting. She takes a spoonful of soup, freezes for a moment...and then her face falls, which may as well be a ringing condemnation. She bluntly tells the protagonist that this soup is no good.
After several more failed attempts, the protagonist and Cinderella silently watch the pot boil again, a feeling of fatigue heavy in the air. Cinderella apologizes to the protagonist for making him suffer through this, noting the pallor to his face and telling him he can stop being her taste-tester. The protagonist insists on continuing, remarking that these most recent batches, while still not good, are notably more palatable than the initial ones. He suggests that for this particular pot, they both try a spoonful. Cinderella agrees, and the two partake...
The protagonist is hit with a silky smooth texture, and a delicate harmony of sweet and salty. He comments that this soup is markedly better than all the previous ones, but Cinderella takes another spoonful and notes that something is...missing from it. The aroma isn't the same as she remembers. The protagonist wonders if they forgot to add a certain spice, which makes a light bulb go off in Cinderella's head. Now she remembers that there's a certain set of herbs that Grave would add into the soup. Grave always said that the right herbs in the right amounts could salvage what would otherwise be mediocre soup. Though Cinderella doesn't know the name, she recalls enough that she can recognize it on sight. Of course, now she has to figure out where she can find such herbs.
Conveniently, the protagonist has an idea. He boots up his ComLink and calls up Shifty to ask her about herb locations. The operator recalls that she had looked over reports of the natural resources surrounding Reclamation Site 01, and after some time, pulls up the relevant records. Someone found some "fragrant plants" in the residential area behind RS01. While Botanic Garden has yet to confirm the identity of these plants, there's a non-zero possibility of them being the herbs they're looking for.
Thanking Shifty for her assistance, the protagonist closes the call. With a destination set, he accompanies Cinderella to the field where they'll hopefully find some herbs.
Episode 4 - Nostalgic Scent[]
Arriving at the field, the protagonist looks around but doesn't notice anything in particular. On the other hand, Cinderella perks up and begins going in a random direction, jerking as if something is pulling her along. Her wandering stops her right in front of a patch of grass, which she points to and claims this is the herb she's looking for. Plucking a blade of grass and sniffing it, she comments that its shape and smell are a match to what was grown in the labs. She marvels at how she could find such a thing growing on a random patch of land on the surface.
Having found the herb they were looking for, the protagonist suggests they head back, but Cinderella seems to not register his words. He calls to her again, and she responds, apologizing for her sudden fugue. The scent of the herb lured her into a reverie, recalling what it was like back when Grave was a scientist. Curious, the protagonist asks to hear more, and Cinderella obliges.
With great nostalgia, Cinderella reminisces. Her squad would undergo weekly evaluations with Abe Grave, who would assess their physical and mental states, and check to see if their skill levels had changed since the last evaluation. A battery of tests would be done to assess their abilities, and the results would be the focal point for discussions on how to improve going forward.
If the tests ran too long and dinner time was skipped, Grave would make soup for the Grimms. She would always encourage Cinderella to eat and maintain her health, while taking the smallest portion for herself and turning back to her desk to work. Cinderella would sit in the lab, sipping at her soup while watching Grave's back. She mused on how beautiful the scientist looked when she rode the waves of her passion, and how her efforts culminated in the creation of the 2nd-gen Grimms. Sometimes, Grave enamored Cinderella so much that night would fall, and Little Mermaid would come looking for the latter since she didn't return to the dorms.
Cinderella would offer Little Mermaid some soup and ask her to sit next to her. Then Hansel and Gretel would snoop their way into the lab before taking their own portions. Eventually, their collective activity would disturb Grave from her work, and she'd turn to berate them all. The scientist would chide Cinderella for giving away the soup she'd made solely for her, before moving to brew another batch. All the while halfheartedly grousing about how the Grimms were literally eating up their resources.
Surfacing from her reveries, Cinderella asks the protagonist if he thinks...that those days will return. If the time will come where she can reunite with those she cherishes, and spend the rest of her days happily with them. He almost immediately assures her that they will come again someday, and she'll make it happen with her own hands. But even he can't help but pause when she offers another supposition; what if...what if all her comrades are like Grave, so worn and fractured from vicissitude that their bodies and memories have eroded into something completely different?
Cinderella wonders what she'd do then, if her comrades had all changed drastically in appearance and personality as Grave has. If she'd really be able to be with them as she did in the past. The protagoist then offers a suggestion; when she reunites with her old comrades again, she can make them some soup. Even if their memories have faded, the emotions may yet linger in a deeper part of their mind. And even if all those things and more have been lost to time...new memories can always be made in their place.
Cinderella ponders on the idea of making new memories, likening it to Grave's efforts to rewrite her own story. She professes to her Prince that while making the soup, she harbored some doubts about the meaning of her actions. She worried that Grave's lack of memory would include anything associated with the soup, and render her efforts for naught. Yet she admits that the protagonist had a point. This is something she must do, as the one who bears the sole memory of those times. If her comrades' memories yet hold some trace of the past, she will do her utmost to bring them to the fore. If they truly remember nothing...then she must create new memories for them all.
The story of Cinderella and her comrades is yet to be concluded, and Grave risked everything to give them another chance to write the ending they desired. So when she finds her old friends again, even if they've forgotten everything, she will make them this soup and evoke those warm days of yore.
The protagonist expresses his intent to support Cinderella, much to her gratitude. With that, the two return to the kitchen to make the soup of days gone by.
Episode 5 - New Memories to Write[]
A few days later, the protagonist and Cinderella watch another pot boil. Cinderella delicately takes a small sip of the soup, and delightedly declares that it's perfect. The protagonist takes a spoonful himself, finding a warmth that suffuses his body and a fragrance that lingers in his nose. He declares that it's deliciously beautiful (or is it beautifully delicious?), and Cinderella basks in the praise. She prepares to serve it to Grave, asking the protagonist to find her protector in the meantime and bring her here.
Out in Reclamation Site 01, Grave is confused as to why the protagonist is inviting her in Cinderella's stead. Normally, the latter would come and find her personally whenever she needed anything. Grave's mind almost immediately goes into worst-case scenarios, fearing that Cinderella may be injured or imperiled. The masked Pilgrim is so entrenched in her worrying that she completely ignores the protagonist to sprint towards Cinderella's room.
Grave bursts into Cinderella's room, shouting in worry over her charge's assumed predicament...only to pause as she sees said Nikke perfectly fine and next to a burbling pot. Cinderella turns to the protagonist entering the room and thanks him for bringing Grave her, which the man in question accepts between gasps of air from chasing Grave.
Cinderella turns to Grave and explains that she wanted to give a gift, and her reasoning behind it. The ex-Heretic takes her protector by the hand and seats her at the table before placing a bowl of soup in front of her. Grave takes a spoonful of the soup into her mouth...and brightens from how delicious it tastes. Beautiful, is the word she uses to describe it.
Cinderella smiles at her protector's delight, and explains that this soup holds a special meaning to her. A dish she enjoyed with those close to her a long time ago, that always elicited warm, comforting memories, even in her darkest hours. This soup holds immeasurable value to her, and so she wanted to share it with Grave. The one who gave her a chance to pen a new chapter in the story she'd thought lost forever.
Grave wonders if she made this soup for Cinderella, and the latter confirms as much. Though the ingredients are different from what was originally used, she tried to replicate its flavor the best she could. Grave's face falls, which Cinderella misconstrues as not liking the soup. Grave proclaims she likes the soup, it's just...she doesn't remember. Cinderella clearly holds this soup, and the fact that Grave made it for her, in such high regard. But Grave herself has no recollection of doing so, and doesn't believe it will bring back her memories of such. She cannot share Cinderella's nostalgia for those bygone days, and apologizes for it.
Cinderella then asks how Grave feels right now. Ignoring anything about the past, or what this soup means to Cinderella, what does this soup do for her? Peering into the bowl, Grave answers that...it feels warm. Her heart is filling up as much as her stomach. She can feel the urge to cry for some unexplained reason. Cinderella decides that will suffice for an answer. She made this soup not for who Abe Grave used to be. She made this soup for the Grave right in front of her. The Grave who trudged on for 100 years, fighting all by herself to give a lost Goddess another chance to write her story. Even for just a moment, she wanted to give her protector some comfort and warmth. Grave can only look at her charge with wide eyes, subtly yet noticeably moved. Cinderella assures Grave that so long as she enjoys the soup and this moment, that will be all she asks for. The two Nikkes exchange thanks before Grave goes back to silently eating the soup.
Cinderella then turns to the protagonist, wondering what he's doing just standing around. He remarks that he figured the two would want a private moment together, only for Cinderella to refute the notion. Today is a day to make new memories with everyone, him included. After all, he is her cherished "Prince", the one who helped Grave wake her from slumber. Though he still expresses reluctance, Grave too insists that he join them at the table. So that she can convey her own gratitude, and they can all make memories together.
Moved to the point where he can't think of a proper response, the protagonist obliges Cinderella's invitation and sits down. Basking in the nostalgic warmth of the soup, the three come to an agreement; they will never forget this flavor, this warmth, this moment where they all came together. Cinderella asks Grave and the protagonist to join her in having soup together whenever she feels like taking a trip down memory lane. Seeing her protector and her Prince agree so eagerly, Cinderella smiles and thanks them from the bottom of her heart...
Story appearances[]
Main story[]
Events[]
Bond story[]
Brief encounters[]
References[]
- Notes
- References
- ↑ GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE | 2nd Anniversary Livestream
- ↑ Event, Red Ash. Cutscene: "A Farewell Gift."
- ↑ Cinderella Side Quest 1.
- ↑ Story, Chapter 33. Cutscene: "My Master."
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Prologue - Second Fairy Tale
- ↑ Event, Old Tales. Cutscene: "Heretic Anachiro: A."
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#The Best Day, The Worst Day: B
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Beyond the Wall
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Scattered Fairy Tale: A
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Heretic Anachiro: A
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Heretic Anachiro: B
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Silent Atonement: A
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Silent Atonement: B
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Reassembled Fairy Tale: A
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Red For Red
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#Always Watching You: B
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#The Most Beautiful Victory: A
- ↑ Old Tales (event)#End of Story: B
- ↑ Event, Red Ash "Like a Cat with a Mouse"
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Event, Red Ash "Proud Memories"
- ↑ Event, Red Ash "Turn and Walk Away"
- ↑ Event, Red Ash "Walk Away with a Smile"