Timeline / Path to Nowhere

Unlike many Gacha Games, which try to keep their timeline sort of fuzzy as a way to account for future lore exploration, retcons, and an idea of open-endedness, Path to Nowhere seems to keep a pretty tight leash on its backstory and present-time storyline. Here is a small timeline players have been able to glean from the lore breadcrumbs the game has been leaving so far.

Credits to reddit user KhandiMahn for the compilation and original version of this timeline.

Credits to Skrock for adding an updated version of the timeline.

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Backstory

N.F. 001.12.12

• In the first year of Nightfall, the Perishing Star strikes the western continent, wiping out the city of Maria and triggering supernatural disasters everywhere. The Nightfall Apocalypse begins, leading to a nuclear war that further degrades civilization until the inevitable collapse.

N.F. ??

• Nightfall Declaration—While the world was being ravaged by Catastrophes, the bid for resources intensified the enmity between the various cities, posing an almost insurmountable barrier to the reconstruction of civilization. A series of conferences were held, and in the end, the representatives of these cities signed the Nightfall Proclamation, which ushered in the Nightfall Era. This signaled the end of the old world order as survivors congregate around independent city-states.

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While we still haven't got a glimpse of what the Nightfall Declaration entails, we know it leads to the current power logic of the setting: the U.N equivalent dissolves and survivors have to band together around the ruins of the old world.

N.F. ??

• Nuclear Restriction Pact—after years of war, survivors ban all nuclear technology, including power plants.

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While this information isn't established in the Main Questline, Pacassi's interrogation gives us glimpses of the effects and after-effects of this pact. It's never given a precise date, but it's said that it was a pact established between the city-states and not the countries of the old.

N.F. 21 - 25

• In N.F. 21, Dr. Keylan assembled an investigation team built around core scientists. Risking their lives to explore the depths of the death zone, they ventured into the location where the Perishing Star collided with the earth, in the hope of finding a solution to the crisis.

• In N.F. 23, shortly after the investigation team entered the death zone, all communications were cut off. Many years later, Dr. Keylan, the sole survivor in the team, walked out of the dead zone, carrying a unique resource that could resist Catastrophes and save humanity: Hypercube. Under the direction of Dr. Keylan, the District of DisSea entered a peaceful period, during which the first immigrants arrived to mine for Hypercube.

• In N.F. 25, a group of eminent figures of vision led by Dr. Keylan formed and signed E.D.G.E (Exploration, Defence, and Governance Entente). This marked the founding of DisCity, where the world's only Hypercube-mining area was located. In accordance with the Entente, DisCity would transport some of the Hypercube it acquired to the other cities, which, in return, would provide DisCity with some of their own resources and other forms of support.

N.F. 033

• Dr. Keylan died of illness and the whole world mourned his death. The Keylan Square was built in the center of DisCity industrial area and the Statue of Keylan was erected there.

N.F. 084

• A huge explosion occurred in DisSea, contaminating and ruining the mines there. Hypercube production dropped sharply, leading to the decline of the West District's mining industry. This explosion, labeled as BR-000, marks the discovery of the first Black Ring outside the Perishing Star impact site. This led to the direct death of 87231 people and three month period of heavy contamination, which turned more than 200 thousand people into Maniacs. The Grace River separated West District from Eastside, limiting the flow of residents from one region to the other, and acting as a buffer against the spread of Mania.

N.F. 089.06.27

• The carnival went on ahead in DisCity after the BR-000 was contained. On the third day of the festival, Hamel showed up. Later on, it has been detected that there was an S-Class Sinner going manic on the premises followed by the appearance of the BR-001. Hamel became the first publicly identified Sinner due to this incident. Chaos and lawlessness quickly spread across the West District. This incident also soured the Public's attitude toward Sinners.

N.F. 099

• West District Order Management Regulations was passed by the DisCity City Council in N.F. 099 as it gives up the West District due to its decline. In accordance with the regulations, all the governmental agencies moved out of West District, with the exception of the Public Security Bureau. From this point on, West District became a defacto autonomous region, belonging to DisCity in name only as gangs overtook the West District. West District also became known as Syndicate due to this.

N.F. 102

• Explosion at an old nuclear plant destroys Mayek, 12,000 km north of DisCity.

Main Storyline and Events

N.F. 112.08.12

• A riot, incited by Suspect R, occurs at the MBCC (Minos Bureau of Crisis Control). After dealing with the crisis, the Chief was instated as MBCC warden.

N.F. 112.08.20 - 112.08.26

• BR-004—a Black Ring appears briefly at Keylan Square. (Chapters 5 to 6)
• West District Order Management Regulations are no more.

N.F. 112.08.28

• Chief takes down BR-001. (Chapters 7 to 8)
• MBCC transferred from FAC to the 9th Agency.

N.F. 112.09.05

• Chief escorts a Hypercube landship across the White Sands. (Raging Sands event)

N.F. 112.09.29 - 112.10.04

• Chief investigates the Sleepwalker incident in Eastside. (Dreamy Bubble event; the event's main story happens within this timeframe, though the epilogue is set an indeterminate time afterwards.)

N.F. 112.10.31

• Chief investigates the events surrounding the Witching Hour, during the 18th Belphegor Art Museum Exhibition. (Night of Wonders event)

N.F. 113.1.19 - 113.1.28

• Chief starts their investigation when the Apostle from the last Tide of Ashes was confirmed to have entered the DisCity before 41st DisCars Awards Ceremony. (Beyond DisCars! event)

N.F. 113.2.23

• Chief was doing their paperwork in their MBCC office as usual, when Sinner Etti uses her power to "invite" the Chief and other Sinners into her board game called "Dragon & Isle of Sky". (Dragon & Isle of Sky event)

N.F. ??

• Chief investigates Sloane Street, where the urban legend of "The Mad Shears of the Foggy Night" is rumored to be happening. The only problem is how the Chief does not seem to remember anything... (The Phantom of the Mist event)

N.F. ??

• Chief goes to Miss Cabernet Franc's banquet held at Ogygia Villa with Sinners Kelvin and Macchiato, not only to gather intelligence in secret but is tasked with helping Miss Cabernet recover her "treasures". (Insatiable Fiesta event)

N.F. ??

• Dates are not specified, but the Chief remarks how they have gotten used to being in weird situations like "the sweet mirages, the terrifying art museum, and the world of movies" which are the events Dreamy Bubble, Night of Wonders, and Beyond DisCars! respectively. It also seems to be dated around or after The Phantom of the Mist event because Luke and Bonnie from the DisCity Traffic radio channel mention it.
• An urban legend wave about "Ghost Calls" has been sweeping across Eastside recently. It has even reached the Bureau as every corner of the Bureau is filled with starting phone rings and busy tones day or night. Even the Chief's comms is no exception to this as random calls have been made. As a consequence, their comms device ran out of battery just as the Chief was returning from a Public Security Bureau meeting called the "Forum on Strengthening the Management and Efficiency of Hypercubes in the Response to Mania Crisis Incidents". Since they can't contact the hotel they booked for vacation, they plan to go to the grocery store next door and get some coins to call their adjutant for help from a phone booth nearby. While getting some coins with bottled water and some candies as extras, they hear from the grocery store owner about how a host from Call at 3 AM is gaining a reputation for having the same voice as the legendary female ghost who will call victims at 3 a.m. and claims their lives through the phone. Just as the Chief wonders if Mania is involved, they are trapped inside the small phone booth with the phone ringing—and find themselves in another world. (Velvety Susurration event)

N.F. ??

• When Sinner Pepper did not return for nearly 24 hours after going to a rumored abandoned toy factory called Buonanotte Factory, the Chief sought to bring her back. Before the Chief went into the factory however, they paid an old scavenger to tell them about a pale wheelchair-bound girl appearing in various corners of the abandoned toy factory who turns visitors into toys. (Toybox Terror event)
• Dates are not confirmed, but Eve's Interrogation (which happens after Toybox Terror) provides three clues to form rough estimates:
  • The first clue is Eve's first interrogation showing the Chief receiving a call from Nightingale about the FAC decontamination team detecting an abnormal increase in Mania contamination in the BR-004 blockade area, which is the focus of Chapter 9; this means the Chief went there right after talking to Eve, and that Eve's interrogation and Chapter 9 roughly happened at the same time. This is also possibly after the Dragon & Isle of Sky event, which happened at N.F. 113.2.23 but before Chapter 9 at N.F. 113.3.14.
  • The second clue is Eve's third interrogation revealing it has been the fourth day since the Chief left Eve in the clinic in one of her diary entries. Assuming that Eve's first interrogation story and Chief's chapter story roughly happened at the same time, this means that Eve's third interrogation happened around N.F. 113.3.18, which happens to be the date of Chapter 11 for the Chief.
  • The third clue is how Eve's third interrogation ends with her reading an obituary for the Chief. This corresponds with the end of Chapter 11, where Julien writes an obituary as propaganda to inspire Rustfire and everyone else in West District to rise up against the Executive Committee. And since the obituary must have taken some time to spread, it is safe to assume that Eve read Chief's obituary by the time Chapter 12 came to an end, which was N.F. 113.3.26.

N.F. 113.3.14 - 113.3.16

• Chief investigates the Drifter Camp to find the source of an unusual increase of residual contamination in the BR-004 lockdown area. (Chapters 9 to 10)

N.F. 113.3.18 - 113.4.1

• Chief deals with the aftermath at the Drifter Camp. They continue to search for the missing Corpseborne's other half at Inner Bay, Mine W-31, which is the ruins of BR-002. The Chief falls into a coma just after the battle. Julien issues the obituary of the MBCC's Chief as propaganda and makes use of the Chief's still lingering Shackles on March 22. So with Shackles' power, Rustfire claimed the ruins of Inner Bay BR-002, the previous site of Mine W-31 on March 23. Rustfire then proceeded to occupy the headquarters of the West District Reconstruction Executive Committee, seizing a large amount of classified information that revealed traitors on March 26. Rustfire completed internal purges of traitors by March 29. So by April 1, Rustfire was at the peak of its power as it not only received a massive batch of devoted new recruits from unknown sources, but also gained Mania power similar to the shackles from the unconscious Chief and became invincible. But all of this came crumbling down when Julien, the architect of Rustfire detonated Br-002. This marked the end of the Rustfire's ten glorious days. (Chapters 11 to 12)

N.F. 113.4.20 - 113.4.30

• A high level of BR-000 activity is detected as a large number of Mania-infected creatures including what seems to be an S-class Sinner are spilling into the surrounding area. This prompts the FAC DisSea Surveillance Zone to raise a Level A alarm, strengthened defenses and perform on-site preliminary evaluation of M-value. By April 29, 136 out of 172 soldiers from Unit N25 of FAC Special Operations Forces Against Black Rings died or went missing in action as the Singularity is about to break through the Third Broken Frontline. The request for backup is denied by the Paradeisos Ring Research Institute as it will take time to reassign some of the FAC troops due to a new wave of Mania incidents. This is why only Nightingale, who is now serving as acting chief of MBCC as the Chief is still unconscious from dealing with the missing Corpseborne's other half, arrives at the Third Broken Frontline along with the intelligence department, the medical team, and the DisSea temporary arrest team. Without the Chief, however, the MBCC can only provide a minimum amount of support. Unknown to everyone, however, the Chief is able to enter the illusionary realm due to his unconsciousness... (Illusory Moon Rising event)

N.F. 113.7.19 - 113.7.23

• It has been more than a hundred days since the reappearance of BR-002 as not only the Rustfire rebellion has died down, but Parma's plans have also been thwarted. Despite how overall damage has been contained and concentrated away from DisCity, however, the sheriffs received urgent intelligence that several high Eastside officials have appeared on a hit list as part of the enemy's retaliatory tactic to spread terror that shakes the will of the main combatants in West District. Until the MBCC gets back on its feet, FAC reassembles the special dispatch team to deal with the emergency. The solution is to send a Sinner named Rahu who is part of the FAC to protect a high-ranking lady named Shalom from Paradeisos.
  
  It should, however, be noted that Rahu has her own agenda...(Rain Burst event)

N.F. 113.8.8 - 113.8.26

• On August 8, N.F. 113, the FAC Commander-in-Chief leaves the West District combat frontline and returns to Eastside, formally submitting the "BR-002 Black Ring Blockade Operation" authorization application to the City Council. The intention is to build a counter-Mania shield around BR-002 to limit the spread of Black Ring contamination and completely stabilize the West District environment. The operation has initially gained the support of Paradeisos, with the specifics of funding, manpower, organizational authority, and other matters to be jointly evaluated by representatives including Nirvana, and the final review completed on August 15.
  
  Meanwhile, a (future) great Sinner detective named Christina is asked by Shalom to be a special investigator. (Flora Unfurl event)

N.F. 113.9.8

• A swarm of Mutant Bugs known as "Mantises", a far deadlier variant of the average Mutant Bug, leaves BR-000 in an unprecedented action under the command of a Mantis Queen, who is a human Sinner instead of a Mantis. At the same time the Mantises overrun the FAC's Broken Frontlines, the comatose Chief finds themselves in a dream full of Mutant Bugs. (Eternal Nightmare: Hunting Shade event)

N.F. 113.11.22 - 113.12.3

• Since November 10th, an unusual surge of activity has been detected in BR-002. The 9th Agency has confirmed that it is the work of the Underground. The Underground's Shepherd is on the move, and their target is undoubtedly BR-002, the largest and most powerful Secondary Black Ring at present. Paradeisos also has its attention on it. That is why on November 22nd, N.F. 113, the large-scale joint operation concerning BR-002 was issued to all departments. The conflict between Underground and Paradeisos has intensified to the point that Paradeisos was about to initiate the Purge order out of desperation. It is only thanks to the Chief being awakened from a coma thanks to the Underground's White Cube and defeated Corpus born from BR-002 while making use of Paradeisos' Black Triangle that no extreme measure had to be taken. So on December 1st, N.F. 113, the nine-year-long BR-002 crisis was finally declared over. With the crisis resolved, the Chief returned to the Minos Bureau of Crisis Control on December 3rd. And since the contamination of Sinners was finally brought under control with the Chief's return, the Black Ring Research Institute withdrew from the Bureau. With many Sinners being recognized for their contributions and confirming that Shackles are significantly more resistant to Mania, the long-advocated "Sinner Bail Regulations" by the MBCC were finally approved. The West District Reconstruction Committee will continue to exist but has agreed to a restructure as a number of local reps have been accredited to fight for people's rights on a whole new battlefield. Also due to the Mania outbreak of the crisis, nearly 60 percent of the infected people have been confirmed to be converted to low M-value Sinners, and the percentage is still rising. That is why the public's concern for the West District has increased after the incident. As a result, visits to the Homeless homepage have risen dramatically. Which goes to show that people are not fundamentally different and empathy will bridge the two sides of the Rust someday. The satellite towns where the Purge Order was scheduled to take place are also out of harm's way and back on track as commercial transportation is gradually unfolding. This results in some Syndicans leaving the city-state for the larger world as they have crossed their inner barriers and are destined to go further in the future. (Chapter 13)

N.F. 113.12.??

• With the Chief's return to MBCC and the holiday coming up, Sinner Luvia Ray persuaded the Chief and Sinner Ignis to see Lady Pearl's Fortuna theater. Given the mystical reputation of the theater and its owner, they were expecting quite the show. But they didn't yet realize how they would be part of the show as well...(Quixotic Troupe event)
• Only the Month and Year are known, but it is certain that the event happened after Chapter 13 which ended on December 3. This is because the Chief was unconscious until then. Fortuna's interrogation further reveals this to be true as the Sinner Bail Regulation which the Chief implemented after they returned to MBCC allowed Fortuna on bail due to her good behavior.

N.F. 114.1.9

• Now that the Chief has returned, they are now seeking to find out more about Dreya the astronomer, Marguerite Nash the naturalist, Banyan the physician, a certain mechanic, and an unknown child guide whom he unconsciously met during an 8-month coma filled with nightmares. After confirming that they are not just fleeting illusions after checking FAC's DisSea operation records, they are now seeking high-level access to FAC, the 9th Agency, and the Paradeisos for the classified data and files on the Black Ring Expedition from N.F.21. EDGE-01 from Paradeisos agreed with Chief's request to be part of investigation team on BR-000 during Illusory Moon's tidal period on one condition that the Chief has to complete the investigation and safely come back physically and mentally before Illusory Moon rises. That is why the Chief was at the Third Broken Frontline Monitoring Station located 1.53 km from the BR-000 border when Illusory Moon rose 72 hours earlier than expected when no miscalculations or operation errors were detected. It is due to this that the Chief gets to meet certain mechanics from Black Ring Expedition from N.F.21...