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Rin’s smile was beaming, her grin almost threatening to fall out of her face.
“Onee-chan! Look! It’s Aponia, you, and me!”
“Oh.. Rin, that is beautiful.”
Sakura smiled at the drawing, now holding it. She moved it over to Aponia, and asked her,
“What do you think, Aponia?”
Aponia stood in silence as the rain fell on her, soaking her in the almost acidic water. It wasn’t physically acidic, yet the burn it carried, reaching further than the skin, into the soul, said otherwise.
She held up the drawing in her hand, her head covering it from the harsh droplets threatening to ruin it.
“…Yes, it’s a magnificent work of art,”
Aponia paused, looking at the gravestones in front of her.
“Although… I wish I could look at it with you again, Sakura, Rin.”
The winds became harsher, and to the nun, it almost felt like it was trying to insult her.
“Perhaps, when death takes me, when the honkai descends upon earth, I’ll get a chance to meet with you again.”
The rain showed no signs of stopping. Instead, the clouds roared louder than they did before. Aponia heard faint noises of muddy footsteps behind her.
“Aponia…”
“…”
“You need to come back. We need your help.”
“How long can we keep this façade of ‘everything will be okay’, Mobius?”
“Your pessimism will not help.”
“Nothing will. We were doomed from the start.”
Although it was the truth, it felt wrong. It felt wrong coming out of Aponia’s mouth.
“Did something hit you over the head? You need to come back.”
“They’ve already left for the moon, haven’t they? It’s only a matter of time before the Herrscher of Finality gets us.”
“Well, yes, but-“
“So, please, leave me alone, Mobius.”
“You… fine. I don’t care. Do whatever you want.”
Aponia didn’t once turn her head, but the sound of muddy footsteps and angry mumbles fading away made it clear to her that the scientist had left.
She knew it was out of character for her to talk like this, to abandon her duties, but she felt nothing anymore.
Something inside her shattered long ago, and nothing could fix it. Nothing.