Hydrogen Tears: The Silent Decay of the Towers
In the heart of Nookcity-12, amidst those massive copper ribs stretching toward the sky, dwell those we call the “Copper Servants.” I am but one of a thousand shadows who have sacrificed their lives to the hum of these towers. Our task is simple: monitor the flow, wipe the sweat from the towers, and ensure the sacred hydrogen condenses at the right frequency within the vats. Yet, deep within the towers, hidden behind that shimmering metal, lies a poison.
For the last seven eclipse cycles, the towers have been groaning in a different tongue. Upon the copper wires, I saw that dark stain mentioned in the Subartramer Tablets: “The Decay.” Magnetic flux no longer flows to the city; it is being hoarded in the ivory towers above, within the gold-plated vaults of the rich. As long as energy remains unshared, the hydrogen in the towers’ veins grows heavy. That blue light we call the source of life is, in truth, the grief of the towers.
Last night, in the main boiler room of Sector 4, I noticed something. The towers were not signaling “Storm Mode,” yet that ancient inscription appeared upon the metal: “Where the burden is not shared, the soul rots.” It turns out the towers were not being strained to feed the city, but to satiate the endless greed of those above. The hydrogen tanks are at their breaking point; the city is parched, the city is dark, yet the vaults are filled to the brim with those “blue tears.”
What is more terrifying is this: that hydrogen is not merely fuel. It is the sediment of the torture inflicted upon the world’s magnetic field. If the flow is not released, if that “Stable Flow Band” is not established, Nookcity-12 will not wake to a sunrise one morning, but to the explosion of an artificial star of its own making.
We, the copper servants, know this insidious truth. We wait with valves in our hands and fear in our hearts. For we know that one day, the tears of the towers will overflow enough to drown the entire city. Every spark left unshared brings us one step closer to that great darkness.
Do you hear it? The towers are no longer singing… they are weeping.