THE SUMMARY: THE ENDINGS
Originally written in December of 2022.
Discusses all endings beyond the Perfect Ending, which was the previous page's conclusion.
Imperfect Epilogue - The Helix Ending
An extension of the aforementioned Affinity intermission where Dalisay convinces Ulises to relent all dimensional study. As bluntly as I can put it this is the ending where everyone just goes home, it’s very similar to the perfect ending in terms of the above structure but a lot of dialogue is different and characters like Sabri and Marjolaine are very noticeably resentful of Dalisay. It’s mostly the epilogue that changes here, no fucking clue what happens beyond just ‘everyone returns to earth and study of different dimensions is heavily followed through leading to weird inversions in reality and an increase in disaster’. Or whatever. It kind of feels like a joke ending to me in this stage of development.
Hydra Success - The Underworld Ending
This is a secondary branch of the Hydra intermission — in the perfect ending it’s necessary to leave Marjolaine alone after his failed attempts to inform everyone of the facsimiles. However, if you pass along news of his misery to Beatrix, she’ll intervene and attempt to talk to him. This results in a later conversation with Beatrix and Marjolaine, who seem unusually mellow and synchronised. They ask Dalisay to join them for a meeting with Ulises, being relatively opaque about their motivations. Curious, Dalisay obliges them.
Apparently the two had found out about Ulises’ portals back to earth, something per seems ashamed of. Still, the two hold no ill will toward per and indeed propose a solid compromise between train return and stagnancy. They suggest opening various hidden portals in obscure places near everyone’s place of residence, allowing everyone to traverse between earth and Fornax as much as they want, with the caveat of letting nobody else find out about these pathways. Marjolaine dubs them ‘The Tunnels of Hydra’. Ulises finds this risky, but is willing to go through with this plan, recognising that it gives per a lot of flexibility in case anybody does find out about Fornax. Per perself prefers it to any other proposal.
Inwardly, Dalisay is antsy, realising the secret nature of the tunnels would call for the end of hir dreams of renown. Sie grapples with hirself, and can either cast this idea off — which would integrate this conversation into the perfect ending and call Hydra off — or give up hir own ideals for the sake of keeping the peace. The latter motions this further into the Hydra success, which does seem better for everyone, on the surface at least.
This resolution however necessitates two hardships — both the necessity of a reclusive lifestyle and keeping Mazin in check. Dalisay confesses hir connection to him during the aforementioned meeting, which leads Marjolaine and Beatrix to ask to see him. Ulises doesn’t want to talk to him directly, but admits it’s necessary and wishes the three luck as they head off.
They actually reach Peixin first, who seems somewhat interested in what they’re doing. They retrieve Mazin, who seems contemptive but open-eared. After some explanation, he agrees to this plan, even admitting he’s glad to have been reached out to in advance. There’s actually quite a bit of discussion between Mazin, Marjolaine and Beatrix, the formermost becoming strangely sincere and honest.
Over the next few days news of this idea makes its away to every passenger, to mild outcry. It’s mostly Freya and Dolichonyx who have a hard time assenting, finding compromise a cowardly solution to Fornax. They attempt to sway Ulises to this opinion, saying the tunnels risk letting the scientists go free without blame. Ulises says per can’t afford to care. The two acquiesce, but Dalisay has the feeling they’re up to something grim.
There is a trainwide meeting that takes place in Ulises’ lab, this one mostly involving plotting out suitable locales for the portals. Mazin and Peixin appear, which causes some contention, notably for Demeter who isn’t even present. Things stay relatively civil, almost mechanically so, but the portals are figured out quite quickly. Following this, a verbal oath is taken, promising to keep Fornax’s ongoing existence a secret.
Ulises invites Dalisay to help out with setting up the tunnels. Sie obliges readily, feeling too anxious to just sit around and do nothing. The two have a brief chat about how odd the entire preparation for this has been, Ulises still being distrusting of Mazin. Dalisay expresses similar belief, but assures per things should be fine. Ulises says per can only hope.
There’s a brief timeskip to when people start to leave for the first time. Dalisay observes most of these departs, feeling strangely empty and unsatisfied. Sie decides to remain on the train for the time being, trying to resolve hir feelings. Sie wonders if sie should’ve been more demanding about hir plan, immediately contradicted by hir autoaccusation of that being too selfish.
Days later Dalisay still remains on board. Though people have started to come and go between earth and Fornax quite leisurely, most of the time the train feels hauntingly empty. Sie mostly sticks around spring, helping out Ulises and Sabri.
The only other perma-residents are Demeter, Peixin, Somsak and Marjolaine. Sie’s yet to visit Marjolaine ever since the tunnels had been developed, but is apprehensive for reasons even sie can’t put a name to. Eventually sie forces hirself to go and consult him, hoping it’ll make hir feel better about everything.
Marjolaine seems to have returned to his facsimiles, seeming shocked when Dalisay swings by. He ends up pouring his emotions out on hir, revealing he was the one to come up with the Hydra plan, finding it profoundly detestable now — he wanted to propose something that would please everyone, but in doing so, he’d established an unfixable distance. Dalisay tries to reassure him, but hir own doubts flounder and it falls flat. Sie tries to change the subject, asking about Beatrix, but this only makes him more miserable. Sie learns the two have chosen to split once more, something Marjolaine himself doesn’t understand — his motivation for Hydra was looking for a solution to Fornax that pleased both him and Beatrix, as a duo, more than anyone else on the train, but even that failed. He states the only stability he has left are the facsimiles. This entire encounter only depresses Dalisay more.
Sie resolves to finally leave Fornax, outright wondering if forgetting the whole experience is the wisest thing sie can do.
There’s a timeskip to about a week later — Dalisay is working on an unnamed programming project, listening in to the radio. Sie ruminates on the train, something that’s become habit these past few days — sie wonders how everyone’s doing. Suddenly sie hears a report on Fornax, something sie would’ve never anticipated. Most of the report is accredited to Mazin, who seems to have described the situation of the train in perfect detail, including giving out names and residences of all passengers involved. There’s talk of interviews for information, though Dalisay suspects forced confession. Sie listens in some more, though sie can already guess what’s happened.
Sie rushes out to where the tunnel meant for hir was planted — surely enough there’s nothing there. Incredibly tense, sie attempts to dial Ulises through the Fornax-based connection. Per does not respond. Sie then tries to reach Beatrix, who relievedly picks up. She had also just heard the news, disgusted by Mazin’s betrayal. Dalisay asks if she knows if everyone else is safe — she admits she’d gotten a worrying call from Marjolaine, though passed it off as just him being him. Otherwise she says she’s clueless. Dalisay leaves her for the time being, going through hir contacts concernedly.
Valerie and Faris seem to be doing alright, seemingly unaware of Fornax’s rediscovery whatsoever. Valerie does mention trying to find the tunnel by her place a few days ago only to find it missing — she presumed she’d misremembered the location, though now realises it might’ve been the train being relinquished. She stews in disappointment for a while alongside Dalisay, then hangs up, saying she’ll keep an eye out for anyone strange.
Though Freya doesn’t respond to a call, Olzhas does — both thon and Dolichonyx are with em and greet Dalisay warmly. Together they recount a shady, impromptu interview session they’d gone through — mostly answered vaguely and cut off early thanks to Olzhas’ attempts at intimidation. Dalisay informs them of Mazin’s apparent report, which immediately baffles Freya. Thon becomes sardonic, saying nothing would’ve gone south if Cassiopeia had been fulfilled. Dalisay half-heartedly agrees, warning the three to stay safe. Thon assures hir that they’re stronger than anything.
Dalisay returns to Beatrix, who herself had been checking up on Marjolaine. He refuses to divulge where he is, but confirms the train was evacuated and closed, that he was questioned, and that he is currently fine. Beatrix sounds unnerved as she relays this, evidently doubting Marjolaine. This news worries Dalisay on multiple levels — sie wonders if Ulises had gone through similar questioning, moreover if per would’ve been truthful at all.
Suddenly, sie hirself receives a call. Sie answers, greeted with Mazin’s voice. Dalisay immediately berates him, though he only responds in complete silence. He simply says he did what had to be done, considering that all the secrecy would’ve only made things worse. He asks Dalisay to put hir anger aside and look at things objectively, then promptly ends the call.
Cassiopeia Success - The Songbird Ending
So this branches off of when Olzhas finds out about Mazin’s wish to destroy the train. Upon talking to Dolichonyx about it, and ver suggesting restraining Mazin, Dalisay can support the idea of a private expedition to silence him.
At first, everyone decides to sleep on the information to ensure they review it with clear heads. The four meet again the next day. They brainstorm for a while about whether Mazin’s thoughts are even genuine, and whether the effort required for any intervention would be truly worth it.
All this pondering lights a flame in Freya’s mind in particular, and excitedly, thon suggests a two birds one stone approach. Thon asks Dalisay to allow them entry into the control room, which can then be used to send forward the Cassiopeia message as originally planned. This is simultaneously a way to attract Mazin’s attention, and by doing so, he can be easily dealt with. Dolichonyx and Olzhas find this an elegant solution and praise thon, though Dalisay has some inward grievances at first — sie believes it’s a full forfeit of hir rerouting plan, something sie’s hesitant to give up, but realises sie’ll still get major recognition for rebuilding the control room anyway. Sie joins in.
Everyone aims to finish this business by the end of the day, and so Dalisay enters the control room preliminarily to streamline the process. Sie manages to sneak into the Sect and fix up all the disrupted code in there, leaving a missing tag that Freya would have to fill in. Sie’s nearly caught by Mazin, but this occurs as sie’s about to leave the entire control room, and sie manages to deflect quite easily.
Later in the day, the four set out with no trouble. Once inside the control room Olzhas and Freya depart to the Sect, and Dalisay and Dolichonyx wander together to try and keep watch for Mazin. Though having promised to avoid the area, they decide to at least patrol the edge of the Veil, thinking it can’t do any harm.
Suddenly, a screen displaces itself from a high wall portion and hits Dalisay in the head, forcing hir to the floor. Sie tries to follow along with hir surroundings, in a daze — Dolichonyx immediately suspects Mazin to be involved and yells his name out. Ve indeed finds him and drags him out, attempting to knock him against the wall. He manages to get to his feet, and starts to provoke Dolichonyx both in word and physical feints. At first, ve refuses to move from Dalisay’s side, but as Mazin gets more aggressive, ve has no choice. Slowly, Mazin manages to pry ver out close to the parapet, and Dolichonyx tries to kick him over into Fornax. Ve misaims, and Mazin grabs ver by the neck and swings ver over the edge.
Dalisay nearly passes out, unable to even process Dolichonyx’s death. Mazin meets hir eye and warns hir to not overstep. He swerves around and escapes. Dalisay continues to lay half-unconscious, trying to make sense of the past few minutes.
Sie’s awoken when sie hears Freya and Olzhas step out into the Veil balcony, immediately sombre. Olzhas walks over to the very edge to peek at Fornax. Distraught upon the realisation that Dolichonyx is dead, eir clairvoyance falls out of restraint, and a barrage of broadcasted emotions hit Dalisay, making hir feel even more sick. Olzhas also forwards over what e’s hearing, having stretched eir senses out to Fornax — Dolichonyx’s continuous, distant scream.
Freya steps in and tries to soothe em, and eventually eir clairvoyance wanes off into silence. The three sit together for a while, then Freya asks what happened. Dalisay recounts everything, though with moderate difficulty due to a mounting migraine. Upon learning of Dalisay’s injury, Olzhas straightens up and takes hir to Ulises. On the way there, Freya details how the two managed to send a message, though thon hardly sounds excited now. They mostly walk in silence.
After some brief examination, Ulises offers Dalisay a bed and encourages hir to rest. Sie falls into a troubled sleep.
After this, the pov shifts to Freya indefinitely.
Freya and Olzhas stick around, explaining the advent of Dolichonyx’s death, albeit leaving out the Cassiopeia message part. Ulises seems upset at the news, saying per wished per had the chance to know Dolichonyx better, and moreover that per thought the era of Fornax death was long past. Per also worries about Mazin, and says that his silent reign can’t go on any longer. Per encourages the two to talk to Demeter, stating they’d be more than willing to help establish something. Freya senses a different meaning in per words — thon wonders how much more death has to occur before the train can dissolve into nothing more than memory.
Freya finds Demeter — the two have a terse connection, not necessarily out of any hostility but simply because they haven’t really talked before outside of brief Fornaxgazing ruminations. Thon explains what happened with Dolichonyx, alongside recounting Ulises’ recommendation verbatim. Demeter immediately sobers, urging Freya to follow them without indicating where they’re going. Thon is lead to Demeter’s old train room, which they haven’t entered in literal years. They scour through shelves and drawers for a bit until they finally find what they were looking for — a pistol capable of refuting magical injury barriers, which they promptly hide in their pocket. They say they’re ready to aid, only urging Freya to seek them out when ‘it’s time’.
Thon trails back to Ulises’ lab. Olzhas is seated in a corner, just as thon left em, seeming lost. The two talk about Dolichonyx, more or less properly grieving for the first time and talking things out together. Thon then delivers news of Demeter’s pledge of aid. Olzhas is momentarily defeatist and outright says there’s no point in killing Mazin — Freya finds this both cowardly and disrespectful to Dolichonyx’s memory. Thon taunts em with the idea of going out to duel Mazin at the Veil again, this time by thonself. Olzhas is stricken by the possibility of losing Freya as well, and quickly retracts eir resignation.
At this point Dalisay emerges into the room, seeming somewhat dazed still, but more perceptive than before. Sie asks what the two are conspiring and asks if sie can help. Freya declines, realising that inwardly, thon blames Dalisay for Dolichonyx’s death. Sie becomes upset but pushes no argument, and eventually leaves.
Freya and Olzhas decide to go out now, and quickly find Demeter on the outskirts of winter. The three engage in a surprisingly fervent chat about Mazin, and there’s a strange optimism blooming as they make their way to autumn. Everyone decides to wait outside the control room until Mazin emerges. Olzhas tries to sense him out with eir clairvoyance, but restrains it severely in fear of hearing Dolichonyx’s voice again, leading to basically no cluefinding. After a long wait the three decide to properly enter, though stick together unlike last time.
A shape emerges from a corridor, and Demeter aims, about to shoot — Olzhas steps in front of them suddenly, shocking them out of their focus. It turns out the figure is Peixin, who seems uneasy. Speaking uncharacteristically calmly, they ask what happened earlier in the day, citing nervosity from Mazin. Freya once again details Dolichonyx’s death for them. After some silence, Peixin says that their visions have ceased for the first time in ages, and wonders if there’s a connection between the Fornax Reality ‘gaining sacrifices’ and the frequency of their dreams. Throughout all this, they are completely unhostile, notably sparing Mazin no thought throughout the conversation.
That is until Mazin himself enters the room. Demeter’s hand is lowered and unprepared, and so Olzhas takes the pistol out of their hand and takes the shot emself. The bullet hits him in the abdomen, and he staggers, though remains upright. Olzhas asks him why he killed Dolichonyx, which is met with a very simple response — “He was in the way.” Freya shifts the topic, asking if he truly did intend to destroy the train, mentioning Olzhas’ earlier clairvoyant readings. He confirms this, self-righteous. Freya then asks if he was doing it to bring the train back to earth. This is what Mazin refutes — he wanted to destroy the train as to tarnish the reputation of Fornax, and further discourage advances in interdimensional travel, and hopefully magic as a whole. He then settles himself on the floor, having lost more blood.
Demeter steps in, insulting Mazin in a monologue. He tries to interrupt and defend himself, but can’t keep his sentences going, as he’s starting to cough and wheeze. Once Demeter is done, Freya addresses him again. Thon tells him of the Fornax afterlife — of how every individual that’s died in the reality has their soul meld into a collective nondistinct consciousness, only rarely able to split itself off from the other souls. Thon specifically questions him about how he’ll feel in such a circumstance, where most of the people resting in Fornax are doing so solely because of him. Thon continues to prod him with such philosophy until he dies, considering this terror a part of the price paid for Dolichonyx’s own death.
Olzhas apologises for stealing Demeter’s chance to kill Mazin themself, saying it was a matter of instinct. Demeter says they don’t mind if they can at least be the one to send his body overboard. While the two talk this out, Freya approaches Peixin, who is kind of stricken about the whole situation. Peixin wonders aloud what will happen to the train now that the control room is back in everyone’s hands, and now that two more passengers have died. Freya confides in them about the Cassiopeia message, stressing thons certainty that it worked this time. Peixin is disbelieving but admits they can’t hope for anything better.
Afterward, there’s a timeskip a few days forward. Olzhas and Freya are in the middle of a discussion when they are interrupted by Dalisay, who hasn’t talked to them since the day of Mazin’s murder. Sie says sie’s fixed the control room and gotten into proper contact with the scientists, who are on their way to retrieve the train — they had mentioned push from authorities as a factor after receiving a ‘broadcast’ encouraging such action, most certainly the Cassiopeia message. Freya hardly celebrates though, somewhat frustrated with how easy sie made everything sound, as if Dolichonyx died for nothing. Thon contemplates how different things might’ve been if everyone had slowed down and thought about how to proceed with Mazin cautiously, and if they had given themselves more time to investigate the train for alternate message springboards. Dalisay leaves with little remark. Olzhas sticks around for a bit but soon leaves as well, wishing to go drink. Freya feels especially lonely, briefly wondering if it would’ve been better for everyone if thon died instead.
Thon decides to burn off thons frustration by attempting to commune with Fornax. Thon’s been somewhat apprehensive about doing so ever since Dolichonyx died, unable to gauge if thon’d be able to handle it. Having nothing better to do and no one else to talk to, thon walks over to a winter balcony and sets thons mind out.
The first person to reach thon is indeed Dolichonyx, who’s voice is faint and contorting, though ve congratulates Freya and states ve’s immensely proud of thon. With Dolichonyx listening, Freya finally confronts all the fears thons somewhat buried over the past few days — thons regrets over ver death, the stupidity of Cassiopeia in general, the way thons struggling to keep in touch with Olzhas and even Dalisay… thon then realises that in due time, the retrieval of the train means that everyone who’s been lost to Fornax will be separated from humanity forever. Thon starts to cry, asking Dolichonyx if there’s anything thon can do to help ver. Barely telligible, Dolichonyx says ve knows nothing, and that nobody else within Fornax does either. Freya tries to tell Dolichonyx thon’ll miss ver, though at this point, Fornax has gone quiet.
There’s a skip to about a day later. Freya wanders the corridors of Fornax, aimless and empty, though is soon approached by Ulises. Per seems livid, asking if the so-called awakening of the train was thons business. Freya feels terrible, though forces thonself to stay adamant and confirm thons creation of Cassiopeia. Ulises claims that thon’s doomed the future of humanity with this charade. Thon inwardly agrees with per but again refuses to back down — aside from thons pride, thon is still reminded of Dolichonyx and how ve sacrificed verself for thon, and feels that ridiculing Cassiopeia now would be an unforgivable disrespect. Following an extended silence, Ulises walks off.
Another timeskip occurs, now corresponding to when the train is rerouted. Freya and Olzhas are supposedly close again, and e’s decided to leave the train along with thon, not trusting emself to live alone anymore. Through Fornax, the two are attempting to talk to Dolichonyx one last time, and this time ver voice is clearer. Ve says goodbye, claiming the two have made ver life worth living, and that ve wishes them both good luck in future pursuits. Olzhas talks frankly — e doubts eir life will have enough value without ver at eir side, and is fearful of the future condition of Dolichonyx’s soul. Freya admits similar concerns, but before the three can find a proper conclusion, the train reaches its stop in england, and Olzhas and Freya are called for departure. Freya says a quick goodbye, feeling unsatisfied and frantic. Olzhas puts thons thoughts into words — “all of this was a mistake.”
Control Room Success - The Sunrise Ending
So this one’s kind of anomalous because I imagine it only becomes possible upon completing one of the other endings.
This ending basically results in Dalisay garnering access to the control room early due to better follow-through with Mazin and Peixin. This leads to hir losing the potential to engage in various ‘typical’ conversations with everyone else — basically becoming too distracted with the train’s technology to fare sympathy for any passenger’s plights. Most conversations are exchanges with Mazin and Peixin, and are far more philosophical and abstract than anything from the previous plotlines.
Dalisay eventually discovers the link between certain train code and the Fornax Reality, analysing things like object-pullers and communicative tools, leading hir to learn how to ‘program’ the Fornax Reality. The reality itself, bearing a consciousness, actually refutes hir meddling however. It diverges from Dalisay’s instructions and starts to expand into the train, leading to everyone basically dying.
I imagine this one is very format-based and far more ergodic than anything else in CCS… mostly just an exercise in recontextualisation.