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Even after Kaoru and Shuhei have come back into Janperson’s life, he still walks alone.
Physically, he finds himself atop the middle pillar of a bridge with a large set of arches stretching widely on either side of him. It’s overcast, a breeze blowing and reacting with his circuits. It isn’t cold by any means, but it’s far from how warm it should be.
Like him, the breeze is just there, adrift yet present.
The same can be said about that voice. Even after re-entering that last battle feeling on top of it all, like he’s overcome it like any other opponent, a part of him still feels a sinking emptiness make its way through him.
Destroy evil! Destroy evil! Destroy evil!
Static lines his vision as he reaches for the gun at his side until he finds himself in a quarry.
Among the tons of rocks are Kevin, Angel, and R3. None of them look up to stare back.
“I can’t face them again,” says Angel as he grips his head. “I was created to be an angel of death!”
“Young Master, get away from me! I was created to be used for evil!” Kevin cries.
“I-I don’t even know who I am that isn’t what the Guild Spirit machine made me!” yells R3.
Destroy evil! Destroy evil! Destroy evil!
Janperson raises his arm and aims, but instead of shooting is able to say, “You all have the chance to overcome this. It’s true that you were created to serve a purpose that causes you and others pain, but it doesn’t have to remain that way.”
The three of them turn around and begin taking steps forward. As they do, each crackles with purple sparks of light until they stop, now replaced with three copies of himself facing away instead.
Then, without turning to stare back with the eyes he only caught the sight of in mirrors, they all explode, sending a flurry of rocks to fall on top of him.
For a moment, he lays there until…
Destroy evil! Destroy evil! Destroy evil!
…he raises his arm to unleash a shot. He has to. They’re all evil. He must destroy evil. He-
“Stop it, MX-A1!”
His vision swirls as the breeze stills, heats up, and thickens into a smokey haze.
Kaoru stands in front of him, eyes wide as a fire roars around them both.
“I must destroy evil!” he hears himself yell. “Get out of the way!”
“That was more than enough! You will be dea-”
“Get out of the way!”
His arm rises back up, guns ready to fire.
-
Janperson jolts awake from sleep mode, his systems aflame as if he’s in the middle of an intense fight. Taking a long, steady breath, he gets up to pace around the base.
This is the present. The voice is gone . He never fatally hurt anyone that he isn’t supposed to.
Janperson is able to proceed with future battles and the rare moments of reprieve that compose his life without any interference from his past self’s directive driving him off the edge.
Anything is possible with Neo-Guild, the Tatewaki Kanzern, the Super Science Network, and any other threats he had yet to find or be aware of.
Janperson’s train of thoughts stops as he enters the main room. Kaoru slowly rises from her spot by the main computer, eyes bloodshot and with the unfocusedness of sleep.
Right, he isn’t alone anymore.
“Janperson…? Is everything alright?”
He nods. “Yes. I just woke up from a dream.”
Kaoru straightens back up in her chair, wakes up the computer, and begins typing something. “Really?”
“It was about the past and very incoherent, and because of that and because it was just a dream, I won’t let it have an impact on my resolve.”
“I see. That’s great," she says, quickly rubbing at an eye as she continues typing up a storm.
“You should try getting some sleep, Kaoru. It’s 3:21 AM.”
Kaoru yawns, though the speed of her typing increases. “There’s still a few things I have to do, but hopefully in the next hour I’ll be able to for a bit.”
Translation: approximately 4 hours.
Janperson shakes his head. Humans need at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night,but he supposes that if he were human, he would most likely fail to reach that threshold as much as she does.
After all, they both fight in their own ways against increasingly more dire odds, so there will be sacrifices both big and small.
He can overcome struggles again and again.To achieve a future beyond the selfish desires of shortsided entities and one where there’s true justice, peace, and love for all, he has to try!