ZZZ Cissia's Story: Her Tragic Past and Ultimate Salvation

The Survival Rules of the Wasteland: Hunger, Violence, and a Lack of Common Sense

Before becoming a Case Specialist for New Eridu Public Security, Cissia wandered the Outer Ring. There, she had to rely on doing chores for biker gangs in exchange for meager food, and was even driven to the edges of the Hollows alongside stray cats and dogs to scavenge for leftovers. For her at that time, her only daily thought was having a full meal. As she states in Mindscape Cinema 03, she doesn't mind being used as a tool, as long as the pay is a full meal and a warm corner to curl up in.

Her birthday is set as January 10th, but this is not an Easter egg referencing her Public Security identity. In fact, Cissia doesn't know her own birthday at all; filling in 1 and 0 was simply the most convenient option. This perfectly metaphors the simplicity and cruelty of life in the Outer Ring: like the binary opposition of 0 and 1, it is a battlefield of either eating or being eaten, with no middle ground—you either become the hunter, or you are reduced to prey.

Under this barbaric jungle law, to survive, she sometimes had to follow extremely dangerous Sweepers to scavenge for scraps. The wanderers of the Outer Ring were full of those who bullied the weak and feared the strong. From the hidden stories in the Mindscape Cinema, it can be inferred that to fight over a ring, a young Cissia was once brutally beaten by an adult man and woman. The bloodstains on the abusers and the baseball bat imply an extremely violent, one-sided assault. Ironically, the ring that triggered this bloody conflict was nothing more than cheap plastic.

Why did she lack judgment so severely? According to the text descriptions, before being brought back to Public Security by Jane, it is highly likely that she could not read. This means that, born without family protection, she lacked social common sense entirely, relying solely on beast-like survival instincts. This perfectly explains many of her eccentric behaviors later on: such as eating noodles with "tongs", or habitually sneaking into the video store from the roof. The old scars on her left hand further hint at her frequent encounters with bullying in the Outer Ring. Because of this, she later laments: she would rather be a despised rogue than a bullied fool who suffers in silence.

Facing the beatings, she curled up on the ground, yet her brows hid an unyielding spirit. Her only reliance was Chalky, held tightly in her grasp. In her most helpless moment, Chalky flicked out its tongue, seemingly offering comfort, which illustrates the profound bond between the two snakes. She once mentioned in a cinema dialogue that ever since Chalky became her family, she never let it find food on its own again.

She did not cry when beaten, because she knew these bottom-tier thugs would only injure, not kill; however, when she mistakenly believed that Promeia was going to take her life, she cried in terror and burst with a desperate desire to escape. This not only explicitly shows Cissia's extreme obsession with staying alive, but also implies that this experience became a lingering shadow in her heart. In turn, this highlights what immense psychological fear she had to overcome when she chose to face Promeia head-on to protect the Proxy later.

From Wanderer to Case Specialist: Unwarranted Charges Under Cold Procedures

Cissia possesses an extremely sharp sense of smell and perception, akin to an egg-eating snake. She excels at accurately judging a person's state and whereabouts through scents, footprints, and even body temperature. This talent allowed her to survive in the cracks of the Outer Ring, but it also pushed her into another abyss.

Before her arrest, she once took on a seemingly legitimate transport commission in the Outer Ring. She relied on her instincts to avoid several patrol blind spots, unaware that these evasive maneuvers were all recorded as ironclad evidence of suspicious behavior and counter-surveillance ability. When an explosion that swallowed everything occurred, she had sensed the abnormal heat and hid in an abandoned pipe seconds earlier. This intuition saved her life, but it also completely solidified her identity as the only surviving, highly suspicious arson suspect.

In the files of Public Security, her survival instincts were inverted into proof of a carefully planned crime. The interrogation process was not a pursuit of the truth, but a cruel and cold procedure: blinding lights were used to break her visual tolerance, and endless questioning stripped away her sense of time. Ultimately, on the verge of physiological and mental collapse, she was forced to sign a confession.

This explains why Cissia always wears a collar, handcuffs, and shackles, and why she exhibits an almost traumatic fear of Public Security and uniforms. She views herself as a sinner bearing un-washable guilt. However, fate did not entirely abandon her. Commissioner Severian noticed the glaring flaws in the interrogation records and, seeing her remarkable talent and fundamentally good nature, specially recruited her as a Case Specialist. From the subtle clues in the text, Severian's actions were both a salvation and carried a hidden sense of protection and indulgence—the expenses of these Case Specialists never go through official accounts and require no justification. In her eyes, although Severian is a fierce demon superior, he is actually a good person who takes care of his subordinates.

The Imagery of the Snake and the Metaphors of Character Design

As a game character, Cissia's visual design is full of meticulously orchestrated contrasts. To weaken the seriousness of her civil servant identity, she is styled with a gyaru aesthetic while retaining strong animalistic traits.

In terms of outfit pairing, the large area of her black skirt is cleverly used to add visual weight to her lower half, supporting her massive white snake tail. The red top not only symbolizes the passionate and aggressive side of her personality but also creates a strong color clash with the white snake.

Her body is covered in snake symbols: hairpins, earrings, metal buckles on her thigh-high socks, intertwined double snake patterns, the word snake engraved on her weapon, and even the S element incorporated into the Public Security badge on her abdomen. Furthermore, the background of her exclusive avatar hides the cross-section of an apple. This not only echoes the original sin imagery of the snake and the forbidden fruit in the Genesis myth but also serves as a metaphor for the healing and salvation represented by the Caduceus of Hermes—and for Cissia, this salvation undoubtedly comes with a heavy price.

Belonging and Bonds: Protecting the Warm Nest on Sixth Street

Having experienced displacement and cruel abuse, Cissia's longing for a home has reached its peak. The more tragic her days were, the more she fears losing what she has. For her, the so-called peace and quiet is entirely maintained by being cautious and timid.

This is exactly why, when facing formidable enemies, she chooses to risk her life for the Proxy. Because the Proxy gave her an unprecedented experience of family. In the video store on Sixth Street, the Proxy siblings gave her endless tolerance, allowing her to drop her defenses and even act willfully and affectionately.

A home is not just a physical space; it is the people who genuinely care about you. Once she attained this comfort, she developed inseparable bonds. As stated in Mindscape Cinema 06, once there is something she wants to hold onto more than just staying alive, she is willing to put away her instinct to flee and bare her fangs to protect it all.

Jane once described her as selfish, yet endearing in her own way, but this selfishness actually depends on the person. In the storyline, when eating the burger gifted by the Proxy, she ate quickly and urgently, but couldn't bear to finish it all at once, even picking up the breadcrumbs that fell on the paper. After eating, she even folded the wrapper neatly. This delicate action not only reflects her cherishing of food but also reveals her humble desire to physically prolong this beautiful experience of being cared for.

And to return this care, she even once risked being discovered by her superior, attempting to use the convenience of her position as a Case Specialist to scam free food and drinks from Sweety in the Waifei Peninsula, just to bring two freshly baked egg tarts to the Proxy. Although this dangerous move was stopped in time by the Proxy, it is enough to show her clumsy yet pure heart of gratitude.

The official footnote for her is extremely perceptive: Whether it's the lies she tells to protect herself, the fangs she shows when she bites back, or that wild philosophy of survive and profit, Cissia has turned them all into a shield to protect the few things she still has. No matter what past or shackles she carries, she has already decided to make her stand here.

She is like the white pom-poms adorning her clothes—seemingly large and intimidating, but actually incredibly soft. Who could resist the charm of such a beautiful snake who has been through so much suffering, yet still knows how to cherish the warmth of the present?