Neverness to Everness story

When New Helios was struck by a Level VII anomaly disaster, you appeared out of nowhere and assisted the Bureau of Anomaly Control in locating the "Hypervortex" Nexus, greatly accelerating its natural nullification process. At that moment, an unidentified anomaly with undetectable Wertheimer Index readings appeared—"Code Zero"—attempting to interfere with your actions. In the end, "Code Zero" was nullified along with the "Hypervortex." Afterward, you were temporarily detained at Ghroth Island prison for observation. Seven weeks later, you were released to Hethereau, where you signed a contract with BAC Director Alphard, agreeing to participate in future "Code Zero" containment operations. She then assigned you to the Anomaly Hunter team "Eibon Antique Shop." Before your departure, an unexpected incident occurred: CSU operative Mint reported that Anomaly R-3707 "Picture Frame" had suddenly breached containment. Once again, you demonstrated exceptional sensitivity to Anomaly Nexuses, helping Mint nullify the threat. With everything wrapped up smoothly, you set out for Eibon. Are you ready for your new life to begin?

Accompanied by Mint, you arrived at Eibon Antique Shop on Hankaku Street in Bridge Crossings. After a small commotion caused by Anomaly T-1377 "Hospitable House," you finally met the antique shop's members properly and became part of Eibon. That evening, you received your first commission as an Anomaly Hunter: Kodak, the owner of Film Orbit Studio in Bridge Crossings, reported that an Anomaly had appeared in his photo studio, turning the interior fixtures into photographs. Eibon accepted the commission and went to investigate. After some investigation, you pinpointed the culprit: a film roll forgotten by time. In the darkroom, you found Anomaly R-5791 "Film - MANISH" and successfully contained it. Kodak was very grateful and promised to take photos for you free of charge. As the newest member, you took a group photo with everyone. Soon after, these photos would be developed and displayed on your desks and bedsides, bearing witness to more stories yet to come.

Taygedo fell head over heels for an anomaly named Tako whom he met on Bagel. He bragged to Tako that he was the "boss of an anomaly hunter organization" with countless subordinates. Recently, with Tako about to leave Hethereau, they arranged to meet before her departure. At Taygedo's earnest request, you all decided to orchestrate a grand "love operation" for him. After accompanying Taygedo to buy new clothes and the anomaly toy N-0132-4 "Imaginadough" as a gift, the date officially began. Everything proceeded according to Edgar's plan: you played the bodyguard to "Sir Taygedo," Adler played the butler, and Nanally and Sakiri… also provided plenty of assistance along the way. Despite frequent mishaps during the date, your stellar acting skills saved the day multiple times. Finally, you arrived at the scenic destination, Azure Vista. Taygedo molded the prepared Imaginadough into a sculpture of himself and Tako holding hands as part of his performance, planning to confess his feelings. Just then, the Imaginadough sculpture suddenly went haywire for some unknown reason, wildly attacking everything around it. In the critical moment, you stepped in and restored the Imaginadough to its original state, resolving the crisis. Adler also promptly rescued Tako, ensuring her safety. A few days later, Eibon received a postcard that Tako sent after moving to her new home. However, the letter wasn't addressed to Taygedo, but was a thank-you note to Adler for stepping up to help. Amid laughter and cheer, Taygedo's first love seemed to come to an end…

Jenson, the owner of Sterry Express, suddenly paid a visit, hoping to invite you to participate in an auction hosted by Ebisu Auction House to help authenticate an anomaly lot. After some negotiation, Hotori proposed the additional condition of "going along herself" and struck a deal with Jenson. To successfully infiltrate the auction, you used Esper Michael Pay's ability to duplicate and swap singer Settyn's invitation. On the day of the auction, Haniel and others disguised themselves as waitstaff to sneak into the venue, while you and Hotori entered officially as guests alongside Jiuyuan and Jenson. When the target lot—the anomaly "The First Branch," said to possess precognitive abilities—was presented, a mysterious girl suddenly appeared. Using the freeze effect of the anomaly "Cheese," she forcibly acquired the lot for just 1 Fons and left immediately. After Hotori lifted the freeze effect on you all, you discovered that the girl had used the anomaly "Picky" to release several anomaly lots, triggering the security anomaly "Nantanì" and trapping you all in the auction house. Once the duplicated invitations expired, you would no longer be protected by Nantanì's rules. Therefore, you had to act quickly to re-contain the breached anomalies. Afterward, Ebisu tried to shift the blame to Sterry and Eibon, but through Jiuyuan and Hotori's maneuvering, you managed to escape unscathed. Hotori avoided discussing your many questions but informed you that you could collaborate with Sterry's people in the future. However, this incident seems to hide a deeper conspiracy—Ebisu Auction House's true intentions remain unclear, and the mysterious girl's motives for stealing the lot are still unknown… More mysteries have yet to surface.

Eibon receives an anonymous package—a mysterious puppet. Simultaneously, there are rumors being spread on Bagel of citizens being turned into puppets by an Anomaly. You and Daffodill follow Hotori to the Bureau of Anomaly Control to assist with the investigation. Working alongside ETD-6, and using intel from Yggash Court, you discuss the case. After some investigating, you all conclude that this "puppet" was not initially a human. The clue that led to the discovery of the actual Anomaly lies in the black cards hidden in the Anomaly's pocket: each one has a name and is labeled with the number "0". That same evening, a taxi driver named Renee comes to Eibon with a commission: every night at exactly nine o'clock, a cloaked, scythe-wielding Anomaly called the "Debt Collector" appears and attacks her—yet shockingly, she feels no pain at all. You, Nanally, and Daffodill take the commission and go with Renee to "Food First" to get more details from one of her regulars: Fuuka. At nine o'clock that very night, the Debt Collector appears as planned. After a brief scuffle, it retreats, dropping a card that reads "Renee" and the number "-20088". You recognize it as identical to the cards from the earlier puppet case, and immediately contact Chaos. Everyone then agrees to head to The Witch's House, where Blackbird performs a divination for Renee. Strangely, the result of the divination is entirely blank, similar to the case years ago with Dolores, the head of the Constantine family. Blackbird concludes that the Debt Collector must be a Rule Anomaly, and that its nullification hinges on breaking the rule it follows. The next day, someone drops a forged card into Renee's mailbox, with the address of the old Constantine estate printed on the front. Chaos guesses that Fuuka and the disguised courier who sent the puppet to Eibon must be operating under the same mastermind's orders. They invite Renee to walk to the family estate, as long as she's willing. When the group arrives, Renee stares at the cherry tree in the yard, recalling that she had once fallen from that same tree as a child. Suddenly, everyone is pulled into an Anomalous Realm. The Anomalous Realm recreates the Constantine estate as it once was, years ago. You and Renee watch a farewell party, and piece together the family's history from the guests' conversations. Meanwhile, Nanally and Daffodill discover the Debt Collector hidden in the estate's study, along with a "register" that lists the family members' names with a number next to each. Every name has "0" listed next to it, except for Renee's, which is "-20088". Daffodill realizes that this must mean Renee has long overstayed her welcome amongst the living. The eldest daughter, "Bella", appears before Renee and reveals the Constantine family's secret: Dolores was a unique Esper. To ease her loneliness, she used her own lifeforce as fuel to awaken a group of puppet children, letting them share an "eternity" granted by her contract with an Anomaly and stay by her side. All of these children were once puppets, and their lifespans began to count down from the moment Renee was born. They all hit zero over fifty years ago. Renee was the last to awaken and also Dolores's most favored child. Dolores seemingly was able to escape death because her mother gifted her the Anomaly "Eternal Present", which was the source of her own endless life. However, everything that was revealed of this "past" turned out to be an illusion, instrumented by Zankou, the actor performing "Bella". Zankou twisted the memories of the family, casting Renee as the sinner whose selfish bretrayal brought misfortune upon the family. Through the mockery of children's voices and display of false illusions, Renee's sanity was slowly whittled down. It only took a few moments for Renee's mind to finally break, accepting the lie of her identity, and, on the verge of collapse, decide to give up the Eternal Present to atone for her "sins". At that crucial moment, you shout for her to stop—only for Zankou to snatch the Eternal Present. As you and Zankou go head to head, the nine o'clock bell tolls, and the Debt Collector returns. At that same moment, Chaos tears open space-time and steps through, with Nanally and Dafodill arriving in a spectacular, wall-breaking fashion. Just before retreating, Zankou turns to Dafodill and passes along "Mother's" regards. Afterwards, everyone at Eibon, together with Chaos, drive the Debt Collector back to where it came from. After the battle, Chaos reveals Zankou's true identity: a core member of the criminal organization, "The Scarlet Letter". Actually, it seems that every actor in this play—the fake courier, Fuuka, and Bella from the party—were performed by her and her alone. Her goal was to force Renee to surrender the Anomaly "Eternal Present", while also using the entire incident as a way to announce the presence of The Scarlet Letter in Hethereau. Back at Eibon, you and Daffodill discuss her past—she once was a member of The Scarlet Letter herself, and that her "Mother" was the group's leader, the very person she should have ended years ago. Several days later, Renee returns to Eibon to thank everyone in person. Having lost "Eternal Present", she is finally released from immortality, and her missing memories and past have graudally been returning to her. She says that she has finally concluded that being alive is a blessing, precisely because life is fragile and fleeting. She bids Eibon farewell and sets off on a journey around the world, determined to experience all of life's ups and downs with the time she has left.

After the events of Eternal Present, Daffodill was taken away by the Bureau of Anomaly Control for questioning and observation due to her deep past involvement with The Scarlet Letter. Many days passed without her return, and the atmosphere in Eibon was no longer the same. Nanally was especially worn down—not only because her master had been injured while saving her, but also because there had been no word from her since. As luck would have it, Taygedo won a family event package for Sunward Resort, and everyone suggested that you take Nanally there to help her clear her mind. Sunward Resort was an Anomaly Charity House jointly established by the municipal government and the Bureau of Anomaly Control. Iroi, a volunteer at the resort, introduced you to many Anomalies, and Nanally gradually began to brighten up. Although she was too young to directly sponsor an Anomaly and bring it home, she received permission from the resort's investor, Ms. Inanna, to remotely sponsor a small bear-shaped Anomaly. Nanally and the little bear immediately hit it off. They signed the contract on the spot and agreed that she would return to the resort the next day to visit it. At the pier on the way back, you unexpectedly encountered Daffodill, whom you had not seen in days. Nanally was overjoyed, but Daffodill treated her with coldness and hostility before following The Scarlet Letter member Poinsette through a portal. Nanally was devastated and believed she must have been the reason her master left. After a brief conflict with Sakiri, she shut herself in her room. It seemed Nanally was carrying pain she had never fully resolved. You knocked on her door, but received no response. The next day, Nanally was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she had gone to the resort for her appointment, or perhaps she had left on her own to search for Daffodill. Everyone split up to look for her. You and Edgar asked Blackbird to divine Nanally's whereabouts and received three keywords: mist, the sound of tides, and a colossus. Blackbird also mentioned that disappearances had become frequent recently, with many people being drawn into a strange Anomalous Realm. Just then, Adler called with unsettling news: the resort had no sponsorship records under Nanally's name. It turned out that the little bear who had signed the contract with Nanally was actually a dangerous Anomaly known as Teehee Bear, and the contract had been nothing more than a calculated deception. Following the clues, you tracked down Teehee Bear and exposed its true nature. Enraged, you and the others defeated it, but a strange, dense fog suddenly separated you from the group. You were drawn into an Anomalous Realm. This was the place where Nanally had disappeared: the Corridor of Echoes. Guided by Thyme, you identified the pink tiger mascot in the parade as Nanally’s transformed form. You chased after her and entered the Dreamwalker's room. Meanwhile, Daffodill appeared to have changed sides completely and accepted a mission from The Scarlet Letter. In a garden, you met a girl who felt strangely familiar, as though the two of you had met before. With her help, you entered Nanally's Dream Room. Through a picture book, you passed through layer after layer of Nanally's dreams, learned about her past, and began to untie the knot in her heart. You brought Nanally out of the room, only to be stopped by Thyme. She would only allow you to take away Nanally's copy—the Nanally who had cast aside evasion and obsession. Was the Ship of Theseus still the same ship once all of its parts had been replaced? You realized that Thyme, as the creator of the Corridor of Echoes, had also been running from her own past. She did not seem to understand that, all this time, she had been waiting for someone to break the rules and lead her forward. You fought Thyme to the very end. Moved by your will, the colossus representing her consciousness slowly began to change form. Just as you stopped, the colossus was suddenly nullified. Looking closer, you saw that the one who had arrived was Daffodill. The Scarlet Letter tore through space and appeared. Their leader was revealed to be none other than Ms. Inanna, the resort's investor. She took the Anomaly that governed the rules of the past within the Corridor of Echoes: the Helm of Theseus. The mastermind behind everything finally revealed herself. Everything that had happened to Nanally was a conspiracy meticulously orchestrated by The Scarlet Letter from beginning to end. What was most baffling was that Daffodill seemed to have returned to The Scarlet Letter. With Thyme's consciousness nullified, the Dreamwalkers gradually disappeared. Through her own will and your efforts, Nanally managed to preserve only half of her soul before falling into a deep sleep. The Corridor of Echoes collapsed, and you escaped the space with Nanally and Thyme. Back in Eibon, after Nanally and Thyme had been settled in, everyone wore a grave expression. What was the true reason behind Daffodill's betrayal? Hotori's attitude remained ambiguous, and you sensed that there had to be more to the story. The Scarlet Letter had seized another Anomaly—but what was the "game" they claimed was about to begin? After everything that had happened, Alphard contacted Hotori with new intelligence from the Bureau. The mystery deepened, and the operation against The Scarlet Letter finally reached a critical stage.