I still remember the exact moment the notification popped up on my HDD. I was halfway through a bowl of instant noodles, and the message simply said: “They want to talk.” Not the usual mission briefing or a hollow raid reminder. This time, the development team themselves had invited a few of us Proxies to hear something they called “juicy details.” I nearly choked on a noodle. Let me tell you, what followed was not your average patch notes drop.

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We gathered in a virtual lounge that felt more like a backroom of New Eridu itself, and the first thing they said was: everything you thought you knew about Season 2 is about to get flipped. I leaned in so close to my screen that my proxy helmet nearly bumped the monitor.

The first reveal hit me like a corrupted Ethereal. The mastermind behind every crisis in Season 2 is something called the “Creator.” But here is the kicker: it is not exactly an Ethereal, and not exactly human. The devs described it as a “convergence of countless logics,” an existence that is both distant and yet somehow right next to you. I sat there with my chopsticks frozen mid-air, thinking about all those times I blamed some creepy hollow entity. Turns out, the real answer is way stranger.

Then came the TOPS question. I always thought the TOPS Enterprises Union was just a bunch of rich suits from New Eridu, you know, the type who count new eridium while the rest of us dodge bullets. But the intel made them sound almost... sympathetic? They are the biggest financial conglomerate in the city, but they have no real control over armed forces. The government keeps them on a short leash. So, being profit-driven to their core, they have been secretly searching for a way to tip the scales. And within TOPS there is this special unit called the Krampus Compliance Authority. Every member exercises their audit authority and judgment standards in their own unique way. That phrase gave me chills. Auditors with their own “unique” standards? Yeah, I will be watching my back around those briefcases.

Before I could catch my breath, the devs dropped the AI bomb. Fairy is not alone. I mean, I love Fairy. She is practically my co-pilot, my digital sass machine. But apparently, Fairy was only the first intelligence to reach an agreement with New Eridu. Definitely not the last. The Four Great AIs have been confirmed. Four. I keep imagining what the other three are like. Are they friendlier? Crankier? Do they also tease me about my inventory management? The room went quiet for a second, like everyone was processing the same thought.

And then... the origins. Wise and Belle. The proxies we all thought we knew. Their unique constitution and mysterious background are connected to a certain plan of Helios Academy. A blessing and a curse, the devs said. That part made my stomach drop. We have been walking around with this power, and we did not even know the half of it. They hinted at unimaginable dangers ahead, which is basically their polite way of saying, “You are going to suffer, but it will be epic.”

Oh, and the Qingming Sword. I almost laughed when they brought it up, because I thought I already knew the story. Legend says it was first discovered near the Lemnian Hollow as a strange entity that could devour Ether within humans. Then a powerful master sealed and forged it into a sword, which led to the founding of the Yunkui Summit sect. The sword chose Ye Shunguang, and just like Hoshimi Miyabi's cursed blade, wielding its power comes at a price. There is always a price, isn't there? Nothing in New Eridu is free, especially not power that literally eats Ether out of people.

Finally, they teased the future. Later in Season 2, we will be returning to Janus Quarter. New faces at Public Security, new members of Krampus, new stories from old friends, and some mysterious companions from Season 3 will make their debut. I felt a strange mix of nostalgia and excitement.

So yeah, that was my evening. Noodles went cold. My mind went racing. Which one surprises me the most? Honestly, the Creator. Or maybe Fairy's siblings. Or the Helios Academy thing. Ask me again tomorrow and I will change my answer. What about you?