Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ahh~ the human soul truly is an unprecedented mystery, isn’t it?”

“No matter how much a person tries to alter their physical appearance, the shape of the soul remains intact. Almost as if, once it’s created, it becomes permanently immovable in its essence.”

“Because the soul’s shape isn’t defined by what you show on the outside, but by what changes within you.”

“Why is it that good people sometimes fall to the dark side, or despicable people for one reason or another turn benevolent to those around them?”

“Could it be some strange phenomenon? Or is it because the ever-capricious and inevitable fate decides that’s the path they must take?”

“Both conjectures, though valid, lack an answer solid enough to be deemed definitive.”

“However, I’ve arrived at my own much more satisfying conclusion. One that dictates that while a person’s appearance can change depending on various external and unrelated factors, the soul is the complete opposite.”

“It takes shape based on what lies within a person.”

“It sounds cliché, but bear with me here.”

“While things like physical appearance are connected to a person’s demeanor, they don’t necessarily define their nature.”

“A burly, musclebound man isn’t necessarily brave and kind-hearted, just as a skinny, sinister-looking fellow isn’t necessarily a coward or a villain.”

“Because at the end of the day, appearances are just a mask you wear so others see what you want them to see.”

“Think of it like a movie. Actors always try to give their best performance when portraying their characters, but their soul won’t mold itself to the script they’re meant to follow.”

“Do you know why?”

“Because the soul takes shape based on experience.”

“Well, it seems I’ve finally gotten to the point I wanted to make. Ahem — to explain it in a clearer way, we’ll have to stick to a somewhat more familiar example.”

“Imagine there are two children, with no connection whatsoever, who live out an identical routine. They eat at the same time, study at the same time, and sleep at the same time. Pretty simple, right? Well, brace yourself, because here’s where it gets interesting.”

“One day, during their usual morning stroll, both kids come across a wallet. The first child sees it and thinks: ‘Whoa! A wallet! I should find the owner and return it.’”

“Now, logically, you’d expect the other kid to act with the same benevolence as the first.”

“But instead, the second child thinks: ‘Whoa! A wallet on the ground! I don’t think anything bad would happen if I took it with me…’”

“Why did this happen? Why, despite two individuals seemingly living the exact same life on paper, did they react so differently to the same situation?”

“The answer to this mystery — and to the whole enigma in general — lies in something nearly as vital to a human being as their essential organs: their memories.”

“Memories, experiences, fears, joys… those are the things that give shape to a person’s soul. Both kids may have lived a similar life, but at the end of the day, it’s the memories and experiences they’ve collected that shape their worldview.”

“Flesh withers, but the soul remains. You can change the ship, but not the captain.”

“I already explained it a while ago, but while the body can be easily modified externally, the soul isn’t so simple to alter. It takes extremely special and specific circumstances to change a person from the inside out without affecting their exterior.”

“...But what if there was a way to change that?”

“So far, I’ve done nothing but talk about the limitations of such a task, so it’s time to test a little experiment to prove the contrary.”

“If the soul takes shape based on a person’s memories… what would happen if we got rid of everything that makes a person who they are?”

“A body and soul devoid of any kind of memory… something like an empty glass jar.”

“You don’t need to worry about what to fill the jar with, because being empty means it can hold anything. What you should be asking is what kind of result would come from filling the jar with something completely different from what it once held.”

“Could you still consider it the same jar you once knew? Or would it become an entirely different object, separated from its previous iteration?”

“...Or could it stop being a jar altogether, and become something completely new?”

“There are so many questions and so few answers, even I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the implications an experiment of this caliber might bring.”

“Would a person remain the same if their soul changed? Could they still act the same, even when the change was internal rather than external?”

“Body and soul, appearance and identity…”

“Transformation and alteration, destruction and reconstruction…”

“All those concepts are nothing but tiny gears turning the life of the one who bears them.”

“That’s why it excites me to observe you.”

“Your soul and body have been purged of any trace of identity they might’ve once had.”

“From now on, it will be the world and your experiences that shape the new form your soul will take, and the appearance that will reflect on your skin.”

“You’ll have a mind to think, a body to feel, and a soul to exist. All of them reset, dismantled, remade, and reconstructed from scratch to create something new — something unique that’s never been seen before.”

“As you might understand, once this conversation ends, it’ll be as though it never existed in the first place.”

“I regret that it has to be this way, as I’d very much like to see how my presence would influence you… but for the sake of a successful experiment, even I must consider myself an external agent that must be purged from your essence.”

“I believe with that, everything’s ready.”

“A new world awaits you, my friend. One where you’ll have to adapt, fight, and strive to achieve whatever it is you’ll seek from now on.”

“Before we finish, is there anything you’d like to ask me?”

…

…

…

“...Who… who are you?”

“Ah, naturally, I expected you’d ask that. You see, due to circumstances beyond my control, it’s impossible for me to reveal my identity.”

“But if what you want is to associate me with a name, then… ‘Observer’ should suffice.”

“And with that said, it’s time to begin a new story.”

“I wonder… what kind of experiences will you have? What kind of people will you meet?”

“I truly hope your new existence turns out to be a pleasant one.”

“For this world that brought us all here, and for this world that will one day take it all away.”

“Good luck."

Chapter Text

Darkness.

That... that was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. Or... were they still closed?

No... I couldn't know.

It was a gloom so dense, so suffocating, that for an instant I thought my body had simply ceased to exist. My breathing... if I was still breathing... was so faint that I couldn't even hear it.

"Ugh..." my voice came out as a whisper, faint, broken... distant. It was mine... but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere else, like someone else was trying to speak using my throat.

My hands... I could move them. Or so I wanted to believe.

I did not feel them. I didn't see anything. I didn't know if I was directing them somewhere or if they were just floating in that infinite nothingness.

Am I dead?

Is this dying?

The thought of it terrified me... but it was the only thing I could do.

There was no light. There was no sound. There was no body.

Just that feeling of emptiness...

Heavy.

Crushing.

Stifling.

What... what happened to me?

Where am I?

I wanted to form a clear thought. Something. Anything that would explain why I was there... but my mind could barely hold on. Everything was fuzzy, slow... like trying to run underwater. Even breathing hurt.

Maybe... maybe this isn't real. A bad dream... yes... just... a bad dream.

It had to be.

I just had to close my eyes -if they weren't already- and let everything disappear. Sink back into that world where nothing existed.

No memories. No pain. No thinking.

Sleep...

Sleep...

I'm... tired...

So, so tired...

...

Wake up! Wake up, damn it!

SLAP

A dry sound pierced my ears like a brutal echo, and the stinging burn on my cheek came just a second later.

"Agh!" I shrieked, bringing my other hand to the sore spot. "I used more force than intended..."

But it was fine.

It hurt.

And that... that meant i was still alive.

That made me feel as if a switch had been flipped in my brain, finally making me aware of everything around me. I was still trapped in the dark, but at least my mind was with me. Or well, at least enough to feel my body again.

I brought a trembling hand to my chest, trying to catch my breath. Just seconds ago I felt like my mind was threatening to leave me, so feeling in control of my senses again made all the heaviness in my body fall like a bucket of cold water.

The darkness was still around me, which made me think again that maybe I just had my eyes closed. Of course, that idea was discarded after blinking several times without my vision changing at all.

This time I tried to move my legs, which made me realize that I had them lying on the floor. I hadn't even noticed I was sitting until now.

Naturally, the first thing I tried to do was to get up. I put my hands on the ground to support myself, and then-

"Damn!" I pulled my hands away as soon as I felt the cold catch my fingers. Had I left them a second longer they might have frozen on the spot.

Almost as if it had been a chain effect, I began to shiver from the cold that had begun to invade my body. And it was then that I remembered my situation.

I am in an unknown place, with no idea how I got here.

I didn't know if the shiver that ran down my back at that moment was because of the low temperature or because of the fear that began to take root inside me.

Well... calm down. You're just in a dark, desolate place, with no knowledge about it, and you don't even know how to get out of it.

...

...Now I'm just more scared...

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...

First things first. Find a way out. I don't want to stay much longer in this place...

I just have to get up and start looking- Ouch!

The sound of a thud echoed in my ears, just as another pain now presented itself in my forehead, bringing me back to the ground.

"Ouch... What now...?" I looked up, trying to identify the cause of my pain-

Oh, right.

I still don't see shit.

I sighed heavily, and felt my cold breath hit my hand. Staying here any longer will not only end up with me taking more hits, but at this rate I might even die of hypothermia- No. Less negative thinking, more looking for a way out.

Still somewhat dazed, I tried to get up more carefully. The moment I felt something start to press against my head, I stopped dead in my tracks.

What is this?

With my hand, I wanted to check exactly what it was that I had on top of me. Since I could not see what it was, I limited myself to trying to identify as much as I could of that object by touch alone.

Cold, was my first thought. Like the ground I was on, that feeling made me want to shrink in on myself to regain some warmth.

"Am I stuck inside a refrigerator? It doesn't make sense that it's all so cold." This time I couldn't help the bitter tone in my voice. Was it too much to ask for some warmth? Faced with a situation like that, the cold only served as a perpetual reminder of the inclement darkness that surrounded me.

My hand moved hurriedly over the texture of the surface. Anxiety was starting to eat me up inside and all I wanted was to find a way out of there so please there had to be something around here that would help me escapebecausethiscoldmetalwasstressingme outsopleasepleaseplease-

Wait- What?

*CLANK* *CLANK*

As i hit the roof with my fingers, another sound resounded again throughout the place, this time metallic, even industrial. That made me put my hand to my mouth, somewhat surprised to discover that, indeed, the roof was made of metal.

Now in a hurry, I tried to check my surroundings using my hands. Even with the drop in temperature that this caused on my already frozen skin, it was more the anguish of discovering that everything around me was nothing but metal. Hard, oppressive metal.

"...This is not funny."

Of course it had to be metal. From the moment I hit my head I should have realized it. But I guess between the pain and the stress I found it impossible to do so.

How was I supposed to get out of that place? If the only thing keeping me company at that moment were four walls of such a hard material then my chances of escape had been reduced to zero.

I leaned against one of the walls, and let the weight of my body drag me back to the ground. What little energy I had gained vanished to give way to apathy and despair.

What if I stayed locked in there forever? What would kill me first? Hunger? Cold? Or maybe I would end up succumbing to the darkness and plunge myself into an eternal sleep?

"...Tsk, it's going to turn out that I'm actually inside a refrigerator..." I laughed. A laugh devoid of any hint of emotion. As if my body itself had given up long before I did.

So, this is how it will end.

Trapped between a metal coffin, not even knowing how or why, and in a fetal position praying that whatever my fate was would be quicker than painful.

...

...

...

"...Damn it, I can't give up just like that. If nothing else I must try to find a way out..." And i was right. I gave up the moment I discovered the nature of the cell that contained me without having thought of some way out before. The darkness was taking its toll on what little will I had, but I couldn't just lie on the floor and do nothing.

That willpower, though weak, was enough to lift me up once again, now with the intention of getting me out of this situation. Details, focus on the details.

I didn't know exactly what kind of container i was in. Just knowing what it was made of was not enough; I needed specific details, not trifles like that.

And the first thing I noticed was its size. Small, small enough to force me to slouch while standing, but not small enough to keep me locked in one spot.

Was this some sort of container? If so, then its small size would serve no purpose whatsoever. Those things are for industrial use, not for transporting people.

...Unless it was some shady business deal, and I honestly hoped it wasn't because otherwise that meant my situation was even worse than I thought at first.

I shook my head fervently. Thinking about that kind of thing didn't help me at all.

I focused my thoughts on looking for anything, anything, that could help me get out of here. My fingers gently roamed over every available surface. The cold had gone from painful to just annoying. I couldn't help but thank my body for adapting to the temperature.

If I was right and for some reason I was in a container -a weirdly small one- then it would be logical to think that there would be a way to open it from the inside. At least that's what I wanted myself to believe.

"Let's see... Metal... Metal... Metal... More metal... A small gap... Metal- Wait what?!"

My eyes widened at the discovery - finally, some good news in the midst of so much suffering!

I brought both hands to the spot where my find was, and gave it a gentle push. The wall creaked in the same way an old rusty door would creak, refusing to be opened. That sound that in any other situation would have made my hair stand on end this time served to plant the seed of hope in me. The opportunity to escape from here seemed to become real with every second. Even I couldn't believe it.

With renewed strength, I pushed harder. The first thing I noticed was that there was resistance on the other side, something preventing me from opening the door all the way.

But that thought paled in comparison to what came next.

It was only for a few seconds, but the second time I tried to push the door, I saw something. Something that had slipped through the small opening. A sight that seemed so far away just a moment ago manifested itself in front of me for such a fleeting moment that I thought it was imagination. But another push on the wall confirmed that it was as real as it looked.

"Light." I whispered, my voice barely a trickle.

There was light on the other side of the door.

The flower of hope finally began to bloom in me, and with it a smile burst from my lips. That action felt so unreal, to smile in a situation like this, is what I would have thought a few minutes ago. But now I had every reason in the world to do so.

Freedom was so close to me, Just a piece of metal away!

Push!

*CLANK*

Something seemed to move on the other side, and this time the door opened a little wider.

Push!

*CLANK*

All the walls shook and vibrated loudly. Even if my shoulder had begun to go numb, the excitement coursing through my body overcame any pain I might feel.

"One last effort!" my cry bounced in that small space, cheering me on each time the echo of my voice returned to my ears. And with that, I built up all the strength I had in being able to achieve my goal.

PUSH!

As soon as I hit the door again, it felt as if I had lost total control of my body. A whole world of different colors invaded my eyes, but they were so fuzzy and blurry that I found it impossible to make anything out. I tried to lean back on the floor, only to realize that my feet touched nothing but air.

That finally brought my euphoric mind back to reality, and it didn't take me long to realize what was happening.

It was going straight into free fall to the ground.

"Oh shit-!"

*CRASH*

For the fourth time in the day the pain was present again, only now in a generalized way in my body.

"Auughhh..." the rough floor I was lying on seemed like the most comfortable bed in the world compared to the agony that was slowly spreading up and down my side. Whether that was caused by the force of the fall or the multiple knocks on the door were a mystery for which I had no desire to find an answer.

But that pain faded into the background as soon as I remembered what happened.

I had managed to break down that door. I was outside, in the outside world.

I was free.

I've made it, i've escaped!

And as if the universe itself had wanted to recognize my achievement and reward me for it, a soft, warm breeze blew towards me. After having spent what felt like an eternity trapped, feeling the air and the sun's rays on my skin again gave me back the will to live.

With some effort and still breathing heavily, I forced myself to turn around to stop facing the ground. Having been in the dark for so long made my eyes close to the abrupt change in lighting, but it took only a few blinks to get used to it and contemplate what I wanted to see so much.

And my God, I felt as if my soul had returned to my body just by looking at that landscape.

The sky, a beautiful blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see. White spots as soft as cotton candy painted that huge canvas to give it a more magnificent appearance. Pure, even.

While that view was more than enough to bring peace of mind, the sight of the sun on the horizon only served to confirm that my efforts had indeed been worthwhile. That giant orb seemed to greet me with its warm rays, as if to say "well done, champion".

"Hehehehe..." I couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time all day that I could do it without fear of passing out the next minute. Without the stress of not being able to see anything. Being able to breathe clean, pure air.

"God, I can't believe I actually made it..." I laughed again, finally releasing the stress I had built up and feeling relieved that I was able to get out of that situation. I felt my eyes water, and it didn't take long before I started to shed tears as I continued to laugh with joy.

I was free, for God's sake, i was free!

How could I not feel happy after that?

I closed my eyes, smiling at the world, and especially at the sky, for giving me the opportunity to appreciate them again. It felt like being born again.

"Which wasn't so different from the way I got out of that container, come to think of it." I laughed once more. I had every reason in the world to keep doing it for thousands of years. But if I did I'm sure that sooner or later I would run out of voice, and my throat was already starting to dry up, so I stopped my laughter, but my smile didn't disappear in the slightest.

Well, that's enough celebrating. It's time to go to the next step.

"...And I still don't know where I am." I felt some of my energy dissipate as soon as I said those words, but that wasn't going to stop me now. The worst part was over; if I lowered my spirits at that moment then nothing would have made sense.

I took one last breath to channel all my strength into moving forward, and picked myself up off the ground. Which immediately reminded me why I was lying down in the first place.

Right, I just recently came from banging on a door.

I started rubbing the sore area of my arm in an attempt to mitigate the pain. My body had taken a lot of abuse so far that day.

The best idea was to make sure I hadn't received any serious injuries during-

¡...!

...W-What the hell-? What the hell is this?!

All the euphoria completely evaporated from my entire being as soon as I finally took a good look at the state of my body.

It was not a wound or a simple bruise. No. What I saw was more sinister. Surreal. Impossible.

Because instead of seeing my skin, what I found was something else.

Darkness.

My arm, from my shoulder to my hand, had the appearance of an abomination that no longer even looked like a normal arm, but could only be compared to the limb of a completely inhuman beast.

Where my skin was supposed to have been there was nothing but something that looked like aberrant and unnatural looking rocks. The light did not reflect on them, it was as if it was devouring it like a void - because maybe this is what it was, a void.

This... this can't be real...

That thought was the only thing I could clear up in my once again disordered mind. For all joy was gone, and fear once again attached itself to my soul like a parasite in the same way this horrifying substance did to my arm.

And my panic only grew as i took a look at the rest of body, and it took all of my willpower to not threw up inmediatly.

My legs, arm, everything was covered in that horrifying dark substance. Only my torso was spared, and even then there were a few of those void-like rocks protuding from my sides.

This whole morning had been nothing but one misfortune after another.

First wake up trapped with no way out.

Then i got out and felt like things were finally starting to look bright.

And now? Now my body didn't even looked like it was mine anymore.

Fear, frustration, and exhaustion were already tearing me apart inside. So I took the most appropriate reaction at the time, and let my instincts kick in.

And so, I screamed.

I screamed until I could scream no more.

Chapter Text

My throat was burning, tearing and trembling. There was a voice coming out of it, my voice, but it seemed so distant that it didn't even feel like I was using it in the first place. But I couldn't concentrate on anything else. Just thinking about what I had just seen made me feel like my mind was threatening to leave me.

I can't take this anymore.

That was the only phrase capable of taking up space in my head. A question, an unknown, even a plea. I repeated it so many times that it began to fade into the confines of my consciousness in the same way that everything around me did.

Why?

Why did this happen?

Was it just a bad dream?

Did the darkness drive me completely crazy and is this really all in my mind?

What if I had really died, and that appearance was nothing more than a punishment for all the sins I had committed in life?

The questions came and went like a ping pong match. My already weakened psyche could not take in so much with so little. That fragility was also reflected in my strength; all my senses felt overloaded and the pressure on my body became unbearable with every second.

I knew that the continuous screaming was still escaping from my mouth, but I still tried to breathe. I wanted to feel the oxygen. I wanted to stop screaming. I wanted to disappear.

I leaned back on my knees to catch my breath - big mistake - and again witnessed the horrendous deformities my body had undergone.

This time I felt the burning in my throat intensify, and something hard hit my back. My eyes - the only thing I still kept under minimal control - went from the darkness that consumed me to a brilliant shade of blue with white tints.

The sky.

A sea of clouds hovered over me. So close and yet so far away at the same time. The sun, eternal lord of that domain, let its burning rays fall on my whole body. Scorching, hot, perpetual.

Warmth... My whole body was warm. As if I had been wrapped in a blanket on a freezing night.

I closed my eyes, letting my whole body relax little by little. I concentrated only on feeling how the light embraced me and burned my skin. A sensation so distant from that inclement, painful cold in which I was trapped.

My existence was received by the sun, and the sun was received by my existence.

"..." I couldn't speak, but little by little I felt my body slowly coming back to reality. My throat hurt, but I was no longer screaming. My eyes were dry, but the tears were no longer flowing. And my mind was still shaking, but at least I could think now.

...Even if I could leave everything here, my sanity would not support submerging myself in my own nightmares.

I tried to breathe again. First I inhaled, then exhaled. One, and two. One, and two.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...

That act, however minimal, served to finally anchor what little remained of my consciousness to reality.

"...I feel like I've been hit by a truck." My voice, though raspy, managed to release some of the pressure built up in my body.

...My body...

I gritted my teeth so hard that for an instant I thought I was going to break them. The mere thought of remembering what I saw almost made me lose my mind again.

I was exhausted, really exhausted. Lying on the floor, not moving, sounded tempting at the time. But I knew I couldn't afford it. The situation, as hard and exhausting as it was, was something I needed to resolve even if my instinct begged me to ignore it.

I wiggled my fingers gently, a gesture that felt so unreal after seeing the state I was in. My logical side knew I still had my whole body, but the horror of just a few minutes ago made me believe I no longer had my limbs.

But even if I could feel them, the real problem was accepting that they were still mine.

Were the fingers I was wiggling really mine? Or was it just my imagination, and those withered hands had already devoured my real hands?

"...There's only one way to find out." Panic gripped me, but I continued, and slowly raised that arm. As soon as it finally entered my field of vision, I stopped dead in my tracks.

The sound of my heartbeat pierced my ears, and for a moment I thought I was having a heart attack.

Just calm down... Breathe and move on.

I hadn't even noticed that my eyes were closed, so I opened them again. That dark limb greeted me again, and I had to do my best not to vomit on the spot.

I moved my index finger from side to side, and that dark hand imitated my movements. Then one finger, then another, until I started moving my whole hand in different directions.

It felt and looked unreal. That limb, no matter how much my brain tried to deny it, belonged to me. Its withered and aberrant appearance was nightmarish, yes, but it was a fully functional hand.

It was my hand.

I lay there for a while, just watching in silence. I don't know how to describe what I felt at that moment - fear? Relief? Neither of those two concepts quite fit.

"Or maybe I'm just raving like a fool..." Still tired, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. From the outside i probably looked like some poor fool lying on the ground, talking nonsense to myself like a madman.

Huh, I think that was the word I was looking for. Madness.

The whole thing was a fucking madness.

And you know what they say... you lose your sanity when you try to make sense of it all.

That thought brought me some peace. As if my own brain had finally found an excuse in which to take refuge from all that was going on. And I gladly accepted it. The less I had to fight my conscience, the better.

I slowly got back up from the floor, taking another view of my deformed body along the way. I tried not to pay too much attention to it. If I could still move and walk, then that was enough to move on to something else.

And mainly, i had to find out where the hell i was.

I looked around for the first time since I escaped from that prison, and the first thing I noticed was what kind of place I was in.

"A subway...?" All around me, train cars were piled one on top of the other in a chaos impossible to explain. Some tilted unsteadily, others shattered, turned into rusted, misshapen shells. Splintered glass, twisted metal, dislodged doors. Dirt and rust covered every visible centimeter, and a thick silence spread among those ruins as if the air itself refused to make noise.

The nearby buildings were not spared either. Several seemed to have been abandoned for years, covered by rust and dust, with shattered windows and structures on the verge of collapse, like concrete skeletons forgotten by time. All vestiges of civilization were gone.

"What the hell is this?" the wind blew my question away just as logic seemed to fade the more I looked at that scenario.

What was i doing in a dead housing estate? Or better yet, why did the place look like the battlefield of a war that had wiped out everything?

The tension that i've managed to calm down suddenly returned, now turned into alertness. I was clearly no longer in human territory. Or at least, not in a living one. There was a strange charge in the atmosphere, something I couldn't explain, but which warned me not to let my guard down.

God... this just goes from bad to worse.

Let's see if I can find any clues as to how I got here-

*CLANK*

Huh?

I felt something hard under my feet, and when I looked I discovered that it was just a piece of metal. One that, strangely enough, looked like a door...

Something clicked in my mind. I looked around and soon located, on a pile of scrap metal, a solitary box with a square hole in it.

"Bingo." I hurried over to the box I had been trapped in. Maybe there I would find answers to some of my many questions.

Approaching it again revived the 'little' scare it gave me a while ago. For a second I felt trapped between those four metal walls again. Nothing a pinch on the cheek couldn't fix. I just had to focus on analyzing the container.

Although, to be honest, I didn't know what I expected to find. The box was unremarkable beyond its small size. On the outside, it shared the same decadent appearance as everything else in the place. The only peculiarity was the broken padlock that hung on it-

...Wait, a padlock?

My mind went back to that struggle to escape. At that moment I knew there was something on the other side preventing the door from opening, but I had assumed it was some object leaning against it, not that a padlock was holding it shut.

I turned to look at the lone door lying on the ground and noticed the considerable distance between it and the container.

...Are you telling me I was able to break a lock from the inside?

...Perhaps my current appearance had something to do with-

Nope, don't think about it. That thing was probably so old that a couple of blows were enough to break it.

Yep, that's what happened.

In the end doing all this did me no good. I am no closer to discovering how and why I am here...

I carefully climbed down from that mountain of metal, not really knowing what to do from now on. Looking for a way out of that place would be the logical thing to do, but I wasn't even able to recognize where I was standing. The closest thing to a clue were the subway signs scattered everywhere with names of stations that were probably in the same state of abandonment.

...Well, when all else fails, you can always sail aimlessly until you find a way out.

"So, let's walk."

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

That was the sound of my footsteps as I walked deeper into that desolate land. My only companions were the abandoned wagons and the occasional murmur of the wind. Otherwise, all was a sepulchral silence.

Where was I going? No idea.

Any clues as to where i was? Nuh-uh.

Total ignorance of the situation and my surroundings? Of course.

I let out a heavy sigh as I made my way along rusty tracks. Most of the paths were blocked by wrecked wagons and scattered debris, so the tracks were my best option for not delaying any longer. As much as the sun was a gentle reminder that I was still alive, I knew its warmth would not be there forever.

How long had i been walking? Even if it seemed like only a few minutes, it might as well have been hours. I had no idea what time of day it was, although judging by the color of the sky, it was most likely afternoon.

"None of that matters if I don't have a way out of here, though..." I muttered. Those words put the weight of the situation back on my shoulders. It was one thing to be trapped in a desolate wasteland in broad daylight; it was quite another to be trapped at night. With no food or water, I had no idea where I could find the strength to survive.

The strange thing was that none of those needs had been present so far. After everything that had happened to me, the least I expected was a growling stomach... but nothing. I knew I had an empty stomach, but for some reason hunger didn't show up to claim its sustenance.

It seemed strange, but I decided not to think about it too much. It was easier to think that adrenaline was keeping me afloat somehow.

It's not like the lack of hunger was the weirdest thing that had happened to me all day...

My feet kept moving forward, one after the other, with no definite direction. I had no real reason to follow this path other than to avoid standing still, but exhaustion was beginning to set in. With each step, I felt a small part of my willpower slipping away, and the eerie, depressing sights around me didn't help at all.

It wasn't too long before those thoughts I was trying to keep at bay began to surface, one after another. First, the vulnerable state I was in.

It wasn't something I was thrilled to face, but it was clear that my presence in this place was not voluntary. I could have convinced myself that I sleepwalked into a junkyard and somehow ended up here... but all the clues pointed to a much more sinister reality.

Trapped in a padlocked metal box abandoned among piles of scrap metal... it sounded too much like a way of holding someone against their will.

The possibility of being the victim of a kidnapping was the first thing that crossed my mind. However, it wouldn't make sense that they would do it just to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere. Then I speculated with the idea that maybe I was a victim of human trafficking and that the state of abandonment was due to a poorly executed crime... but it also didn't fit that I was the only poor soul in this whole place.

No matter how many times I thought about it, no answer was satisfactory. It was easier to resign myself to the idea that I just woke up in that box by pure chance than to try to find a real reason behind it all.

If someone had told yesterday's me that I was going to end up going through this, I wouldn't have believed them.

...

...Yesterday...

...H-Huh?

I stopped dead in my tracks in front of what appeared to be an old station. Not because the tracks ended there, but because of the huge emptiness that suddenly became evident in my mind.

What... What did I do yesterday?

Such a simple question... whose answer never came. My consciousness seemed to freeze at the very moment I tried to recall any detail, an image, a sound, a sensation that I could associate with the previous day. But there was nothing. Just absolute nothingness. A terrifying silence where memories should be stored.

I felt my throat go dry and a shiver ran down my back. The pounding in my temples became more intense, and for a moment I felt short of breath.

I tried one more time. Anything. The place where I had slept, some familiar face, a conversation, a routine... anything that would prove that I existed before I woke up in that box. But each attempt was like throwing a stone into a bottomless pit: no echo, no splash. Just emptiness.

Yesterday, the day before that... and the day that followed. None existed. Fragments of my memory that should have been easily accessible seemed to have vanished into thin air. As if my own consciousness had never existed beyond that moment when I woke up in the box.

My whole body felt as if it was about to explode. Every cell of my being wanted to scream in agony, as if that lack of memories applied not only to my consciousness, but to my physical self as well.

That couldn't be possible, could it?

It was only because of this morning's trauma that I couldn't remember anything, wasn't it!

Of course! T-There was no way I could have forgotten my own life overnight. That only happens in fiction! At least I had to be able to remember something!

And that's when something crossed my mind. The ultimate solution to bring closure to this totally senseless and impossible madness.

My name.

But of course I could remember my own name! Even if I forgot the days, my name - my very identity - had to remain among my memories!

"My name is-" I paused. Although I was fully prepared to speak, no words left my lips.

"M-My name is..." I tried one more time, this time with much less confidence in what I was doing.

"MY NAME IS-!" and then I shouted, hoping that fake courage would be the push I needed to be able to say it.

But nothing changed.

I couldn't remember...

I-I couldn't...

N-No...

M-My name... I have one, don't I?

...right?

And it was then, when among all that tumult of tortuous thoughts a single idea resounded with such force that I felt as if my eardrums were about to burst.

It was impossible for me to remember.

I had to put a hand to my mouth to keep from vomiting. The nausea I felt at that moment was nothing compared to the absolute terror that had oozed between every pore of my skin. A terror different from the terror of knowing that your life was in danger. No, this was something even more horrifying.

The terror of not remembering who I had been. Of not having a name. Of having no history. Of not knowing why I was there.

It was not fear of dying.

It was fear of not existing.

And that's when what I had been trying to avoid all this time happened.

I reached my limit.

The ground met me without resistance as my whole body collapsed. I curled in on myself, sobbing like a helpless child, trying to hold on to the only thing I could still feel: pain.

I screamed, kicked, cursed, insulted, did everything to try to get out all the frustration and agony that had invaded my soul.

Was this some kind of divine punishment?

A bad twist of fate?

Or just a sick joke that someone else set up?

Whatever the answer was, I knew it would never come. Just as I had known that none of the questions I had asked myself all day were ever going to be answered.

My identity, my memories, my body. In a single day and without knowing how, everything had been taken away from me.

I wanted to die.

Even if I had spent the whole day clinging to the desire to get out of that situation and live another day, I wanted to die.

My survival instinct had been completely extinguished. That faint, weak flame known as hope that I had tried so hard to keep alive had been completely extinguished.

After all, what the hell was it that differentiated me at that moment from anything more than a mere corpse?

Just to think that my existence had become totally hollow... My very soul rejected that idea with fervor, even though deep down I knew it was true. How was I supposed to ignore something like that?

Until now, the only reason I was able to continue was because I thought there was somewhere to return to. A home that was awaiting my return.

But there was nothing. Just an absolute emptiness, and a lie that I had invented myself.

Maybe that was why I was in that place. An empty shell like me was not so different from all the dead and abandoned machinery that kept me company. That was my own personal hell; condemned to wander eternally in a limbo of agony and suffering without ever knowing what mistake I made to get there.

And it was then, while I was burying my nails in my skull and my tears were pouring out, that I asked myself again that constant question.

Why?

Why did this have to happen to me?

Why did I have to be the one to suffer this punishment?

Why couldn't i have just died in that box?

Why couldn't I just disappear and wither away along with this whole field of desolation?

I knew that no answer would come. That no one would come. That perhaps, there had never been anyone waiting for my return.

Only emptiness remained. And a name I could no longer remember.

...I don't understand why.

I-I just... I just wanted to...

...I couldn't even remember my name. How am i supposed to move on...?

I...

...

...I want to die-

*THUMP*

...Huh?

Almost by miracle, I was able to make out a distant sound in the middle of my mental breakdown. Something that, while it may have been a product of my broken psyche, felt all too real.

*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*

This time the sound intensified, and I recognized that they were footsteps. Heavy, forceful... but footsteps nonetheless. And that could only mean one thing.

I was not alone.

That thought, which only a few minutes ago would have put me on high alert, now became the perfect excuse to cling to something. Anything, so as not to sink deeper into madness.

My heartbeat was still pounding in my ears, but I managed to hear the sound again and try to locate where it was coming from. There was no doubt about it: someone was running from the other side of one of the tracks.

Wait a minute... running?

Damn it, I must hurry!

Clumsily, I got up from the ground and started to run in the direction of the tracks, hoping to find the cause of the noise.

Was anyone else here with me? That meant that maybe the place wasn't as desolate as it looked.

What if that person was a threat?

Honestly, by that point, nothing mattered to me. I was just looking for any excuse to escape my own mind. And if this turned out to be a death trap, then I would accept it's embrace without hesitation. Anything that could get me out of that reality.

As i advanced, the mysterious presence on the other side of the tracks quickened it's pace. It's footsteps becoming more and more rhythmic and frequent. I was not far behind; even as my lungs begged for oxygen, I did not slow down.

Just run, I told myself. Run until you can't think anymore.

My legs burned with every step. Sweat ran down my forehead as if I were in the hottest of saunas, and my eyes could only focus on the narrow path in front of me.

However, one of my senses had failed to notice something.

What I had started running for in the first place.

"No!" I cursed under my breath.

I had only one job, damn it! How could I have lost-

*BANG!*

A new sound echoed in my ears. This time different. Totally different from those footsteps I had been following so longingly.

"That was a gunshot."

I knew it instantly. From the first second. But putting it into words made all the reality I had tried to ignore crash into my mind.

Someone else was here.

And they were armed.

My thoughts ran over without me being able to shape them. Who were they? Who - or what - had they started shooting at?

The questions faded away as soon as another shot rang out, and then another... and another. And so, one after another, until it began to sound like an open fight. The detonations rose among the wreckage of wagons and buildings like an endless echo.

Everything in me screamed that I should run away.

...But before I knew it, I was running straight into the gunfire.

Not for courage.

Not even out of madness.

But for something so simple, silly and childish, that not even words could accurately describe it.

What if that person knew who I was?

Motivated by that selfish thought, I rushed towards an abandoned wagon. The bullets were still ringing, their rhythm fluctuating like a song without a beat.

And when I finally exited the wagon in the direction of the opposite tracks, I stopped.

What I saw took my breath away.

In front of me, in that abandoned and devastated station like a battlefield, a nightmarish scene unfolded. Deformed, alien-looking creatures were advancing among the destroyed wagons. Their unnatural bodies seemed to twist the light around them.

But that wasn't the most impressive thing.

In the center of all that chaos, there was someone.

A silver-haired man, combed upwards like a lion's mane, with a red jacket that flapped with every twist. He jumped, rolled and unloaded two huge pistols at the creatures mercilessly.

And what really made me freeze was to see that this guy... was not human.

"Starlight Knights Assemble!" he shouted enthusiastically, opening fire at will.

It was a damn robot.

Chapter Text

Well, i've officially gone completely insane.

No, for real, every second I spent staring at that scene, I could feel my sanity physically disintegrating, piece by piece. Even after everything—everything—I'd been through, watching a goddamn robot fight with creatures ripped straight from the bowels of hell was a threshold no human should ever have to cross.

The boundary between what's real and what's not.

"Whoohoo!" The robot's battle cries rang in my ears, as sharp as the bullets it kept unloading on those abominations. That thing was a whirlwind—spinning, flipping, pulling off an endless array of acrobatics to dodge and strike back at the monsters' attacks. Oh, yeah, monsters. In my initial shock at seeing one of humanity's wildest fantasies come to life, I nearly forgot to mention the other lunacy that had crawled into existence.

As if a robot wasn't enough, I now had a freaking nightmare pack in front of me.

Those creatures, falling like roaches under the gunslinger's relentless onslaught, were beyond anything my mind could process. They had a vaguely humanoid form, like some half-assed attempt to mimic a person. But that's where any resemblance ended. Their bodies were cloaked in a tar-like sludge, oozing a sickly, phosphorescent green. Their limbs? Just massive, jagged blades and razor-sharp claws they swung wildly at the robot.

And where a head should've been? What sat there laughed in the face of reality itself. An orb—no, more like a void, a black hole—hovered above their necks. No eyes, no mouth, nothing. Just an endless, light-devouring abyss that seemed to pull at the edges of existence.

The crack of bullets and the monsters' gut-wrenching screeches faded to a dull hum in my head. My thoughts screamed louder than those petty noises. I mean, who has time to gawk at a sci-fi slaughter when you're too busy wondering HOW THE HELL any of this is happening?

I was done. I was so done. Everything since I woke up had been a chaotic mess, devoid of any logic, but at least I could hide behind the hope that if I didn't give up—if I just kept pushing forward, no matter how insane it got, then the madness wouldn't matter.

But this?

Oh no. This was too much.

"That's it. I'm out." My words spilled out, flat and emotionless. My brain was so fried from trying to make sense of this insanity that it just shut down. No fear, no rage, nothing. I didn't even know what I was supposed to feel.

Is this what going mad feels like? Because I was damn sure that was the only way to describe it—a total severance between my mind and the real world, leaving me a ghost watching from inside a hollow shell.

Of course, the universe wasn't about to let me stay a bystander in this deranged circus. Something slammed into my back, hurling me forward before I could even think to brace myself.

I ate dirt like it was my last meal, my body howling in agony for the thousandth time that day.

I twisted my head around, frustration seizing control, and bellowed, "What the hell now?!"

What met my eyes was a plunge into the abyss, and the abyss glared back.

One of those creatures towered over me, its stance radiating predator. Even without eyes, the way it raised its arms—no, blades—screamed one thing: it was here to end me.

"…I'd love to believe this is just a nightmare, that the second you chop my head off, I'll wake up." I couldn't even summon fear. The thing looked so unreal, like it had been yanked from a low-budget horror flick.

My words, though I doubted it could understand, seemed to spark something. The creature flicked a blade through the air, then swung it down—oh God!

Time stuttered for a heartbeat. The blade, inches from my face, shimmered with that nauseating green glow. If I hadn't rolled aside at the last second, it would've been soaked in my blood.

I didn't even know when I'd moved—adrenaline must've taken the wheel. But there was no time to dwell. The creature slashed its other blade to finish the job. I barely dodged, tumbling sideways just in time.

That's when it sank in. I wasn't just some idiot poking around an abandoned station anymore. I was prey.

It was the hunter. I was the hunted.

I clawed my way to my feet and bolted in the opposite direction. A grotesque screech tore through the air behind me, followed by heavy, uneven footsteps. It was giving chase.

"Shitshitshitshit!" Fear numbed my limbs, but I knew if I didn't run, death would catch me. Forget my existential meltdown—if I didn't want to end up as monster kibble, I had to move!

The buzz of its blades scraping the ground vibrated in my ears. When I heard the air split again, I knew another strike was coming.

This time, I dove to the ground on purpose. My body screamed at the rough treatment, but I knew I'd chosen right when I saw the creature struggling to yank itself free from the train car it had stabbed. That was close.

Way too close.

With the coordination of a drunk, I staggered upright and ran like a man possessed. Debris and junk littered the floor, nearly sending me sprawling, but by some miracle, I kept my balance. I couldn't afford to fall, not when a single screw-up could be my last.

SKREEEE!

I glanced back at that scream.

Worst mistake ever.

The creature had resumed its merciless pursuit, convulsing and shrieking with what I could only call inhuman fury. Its speed turned my blood to ice.

I've dodged death three times already. No way my luck would hold for a fourth.

My brain was in overdrive, scrambling for any sliver of hope, any chance to stretch my life just a little longer. Then, like a gift from above, I saw it: a half-open door on an abandoned train car in the distance.

Without hesitating, I lunged for it. The footsteps behind me grew faster, louder. When I risked a glance back, it was like a frame from a horror film.

That thing was so close, we were barely a whisper apart.

Dear God, I wanted to cry.

Crashing through that door and into the train car was a miracle without a name. The reek of rust and dust clogged my throat, but adrenaline snapped me into action. I sprinted to slam the door shut, but a force from the other side nearly ripped it off its hinges. That thing was dead set on getting in, by any means necessary.

I threw my back against the door, using every ounce of my weight to hold the only barrier between me and death. I squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms, drawing blood. Every muscle burned, straining against the relentless power desperate to break through.

Think, damn it, think!

There's got to be something—anything—I can use!

For once, the universe listened. Right beside me, a handrail pipe dangled loose, like a branch about to snap. I stretched out, my fingers trembling, and ripped it free.

"Now or never." My heart pounded like a war drum as I jammed the pipe into the door's lock. At first, I thought it might hold, but when the pipe bent like tinfoil under another blow, I braced my hands against the door to keep it from caving in. The pipe's frail resistance, combined with my body, was just enough to withstand the creature's savage assault without me collapsing.

And then, after seconds that stretched into eternity—where I was certain my death was imminent—the pounding stopped. No more slams against the door, no more bestial roars from the other side. Just a silence so heavy it crushed my chest.

I stared at the door, still shoving with all my strength, terrified that if I eased up for even a second, it'd be over. I wasn't about to let this rusted-out car become my grave.

After a minute, with only my ragged gasps filling the air, I let myself slide slowly to the floor. Exhausted, I slumped against the door, panting like a fish flopping on dry land.

Calm down. Just calm down…

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale…

It wasn't a full recovery, but my lungs no longer felt like they'd burst. My arms though, were another story. Using every shred of muscle to fend off a beast that could bend metal like paper wasn't a walk in the park. Honestly, I should've shattered my bones just trying.

Out of pure necessity, I gave my battered arms a quick but cautious look. Aside from their withered look, they seemed intact. God bless human resistance, I suppose.

…But now that I looked closer…

Was it my imagination, or were my arms glowing with the same sickly green as that monster?

* KRAAAASH! *

A deafening crash to my right nearly ruptured my eardrums. Stunned and terrified, I turned my head slowly, my heart hammering as I searched for the source.

A blade.

The same blade that had nearly sent me to the afterlife multiple times now pierced the door I'd fought so hard to keep shut, slicing through it like warm butter, just inches from my skull.

Was that a mistake or a warning? I had no clue, and I wasn't sticking around to find out.

With a Herculean effort, I scraped together the last dregs of my energy and bolted to the other side of the car. Less than five seconds later, another crash rocked the entire place. I didn't need to be a genius to know what it was trying to do.

Just how strong was that damn thing?!

Though it was only a few seconds, reaching the other door felt like wading through molasses. Getting out wouldn't fix everything, but it'd buy me time to—

*CRASH!*

Pain.

An unimaginable pain tore through my entire body. I was no stranger to the torment that had dogged me all day, but this was different. Not just a bruise or a scrape. It was deeper, more vicious, like my skin had been peeled away, leaving my muscles raw and exposed.

What happened?

Seconds ago, I was about to keep running. Why was the world suddenly flipped upside down, with agony flooding every inch of me?

With the last flicker of strength, I forced my exhausted eyes upward, desperate to make sense of it. What I saw was light—a warm, blinding light, like staring into the sun itself. But in front of it, there was something else.

Darkness.

Two menacing claws scraped the floor, coated in that pale green that could only belong to a nightmare's spawn. The dark silhouette crept forward, slow and deliberate, as if it relished my suffering.

Behind me, something heavy and solid crashed down. The door, I thought. If the barrier that had kept me alive had finally given way, I was at the mercy of both monsters—the one that had hunted me without pause and the new one that joined the slaughter without warning.

I tried to move, to do something, to find any scrap of salvation. But it was no use. My body refused to obey, and the pain pulsing from my arm devoured all my senses.

I couldn't tell if the heat in my shoulder was from the pain or the blood probably gushing from it.

The world around me blurred, unintelligible. Colors swirled and rearranged in a dizzying mess, but the only constant was the silhouette of my executioner. Its green guillotine raised high, poised to descend.

To them, I must've looked like a pathetic little animal, scurrying in vain to postpone my inevitable end.

Because that's how I was going to die. Like a hare trapped in the jaws of wolves.

Slashed, devoured…

Chewed, flayed…

Mutilated, pulverized…

I was going to die, and no one would ever know.

No one would know  -who-  had died.

And neither would I.

My existence was about to be wiped from the world entirely.

Somehow, that thought was even more horrifying than the blade—or claw, I couldn't tell anymore—plummeting toward my neck. I closed my eyes, steeling myself for the end.

"…Please, let it be quick…"

"Hey! If you can hear me, lay down and cover yourself!"

...

…What?

Was I hallucinating from the pain, or was that really a voice?

I forced my eyes open. My vision, blurry as all hell, could barely make out the menacing but now frozen silhouettes of the monsters. That sudden interruption had thrown them off, just like it had me.

And then, it happened.

*CRACK!*

Another ear-splitting crash echoed through the car, different from the others, like a vase shattering on the floor- Shit!

The window!

I summoned every last scrap of willpower to lift my one functioning arm and shield my face from the glass shards raining down like sharp, cold, agonizing frost. Each fragment that grazed my skin stung like an icy dagger, biting into my flesh.

Another monster?

Something even worse?

Why the hell was this goddamn car hell-bent on breaking apart from every side?!

Against every instinct, my trembling eyelids parted. The light flooding through the gaping hole blinded me, and my vision flickered like a dying bulb, but amidst the chaos of light and shadow, one thing stood out clear as day.

A new silhouette, towering like a skyscraper, loomed before me. The only thing I could make out was a pair of white pinpricks where a face should've been. Eyes. They were locked on me.

It wasn't a thing.

It was someone.

"Sorry for the delay, buddy. Traffic was a pain." That same voice, calm, almost mocking, as if this carnage was just another day at the office. "But chill out! The cavalry's here with enough ammo to go to town!"

"Wh… what?" I didn't know if I'd actually spoken or just thought it. It didn't matter. The symphony that exploded seconds later drowned out everything, even the monsters' grotesque snarls.

"Stay down! This is gonna get messy!"

Gunshots.

This lunatic was shooting.

The abandoned car, forsaken by God knows how long, flared to life with the muzzle flashes of his pistols, a relentless storm of bullets ripping through the air. The sharp, acrid stench of gunpowder scorched my nose, and my half-deaf ears could barely catch the quips he tossed out between shots. It was all too surreal, like a fever dream gone wrong.

Was the pain screwing with my head, making me imagine this?

No. No way. This scene, though it felt like a hazy echo, I'd seen before. And then, it clicked.

The robot.

It was the goddamn robot saving my life.

And, holy hell, he was good.

The clawed beast that nearly tore me apart could only screech and thrash under the unyielding barrage. It lunged, raising a glowing green claw, but a pinpoint shot to its leg sent it crashing to the floor like a broken toy.

It's grim, I know, but seeing that bastard sprawled out like roadkill gave me a twisted kind of satisfaction.

"Ha! Sorry, pal, but this station's got a strict no-ethereals policy. You get the drill." The robot's voice was smug, practically dripping with self-satisfaction. Suddenly, his ear-shattering gunfire didn't grate on me as much.

SKREEEE!

A soul-piercing screech made my hair stand on end. Panic forced me to turn, and horror slammed into me like a freight train. The first creature, its blades glinting with that nauseating green, charged at full speed, hell-bent on killing us. The robot, still fixated on the downed monster, didn't even notice.

"What are you waiting for?! Shoot the other one!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation, but the robot ignored me, his focus locked on the creature in front of him.

The clatter of the monster's blades on the ground was like nails clawing a chalkboard, each scrape twisting my gut. By the time I realized it, the creature was poised to gut the gunslinger, who stood with his back turned, oblivious to the death racing toward him. The blades descended, trailing a sickly green streak through the air.

I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to watch the slaughter.

*THUMP*

A heavy thud hit the floor, like a sack of garbage tossed aside. You didn't need to be a genius to know what had happened.

For a fleeting moment, the robot's arrival had sparked a flicker of hope that I might make it out, that I might live to see another day. But, like every other time, that hope was crushed under the weight of this twisted, unreal nightmare. A reality I never asked to be trapped in. A reality where I'd meet my end.

I don't know why I'd expected anything different. I started this day in darkness, and I'd end it in darkness.

Suddenly, something touched me. Something cold, hard, and rough brushed against my arm.

My blood turned to frost.

This was it. I am done for. That thing was going to kill me, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die.

I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die.

Oh God, I'm gonna die.

I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie—

"Uh, you okay, man? You're shaking like a leaf in a storm."

…What?

My eyes snapped open, wide and wild. The robot crouched in front of me, his arms crossed. For the first time, I saw his face up close—featureless except for those sharp, glowing eyes that seemed to pierce right through me. But I didn't have time to linger on it. Something else demanded my focus.

"The monster! What happened to the… mon… ster?" My voice cracked, trailing off as I turned my head.

Beside me, a surreal spectacle unfolded. A churning vortex of colors and light writhed on the floor, like a cosmic storm of radiance and shadow devouring itself. Around it lay the shattered husk of what was once a living thing, now a bullet-riddled ruin, barely recognizable. The only thing still intact was that sickly green glow in its limbs, now dimmed to a faint, dying flicker, like a fire snuffed out.

It was the monster. The goddamn nightmare that had hunted me to the edge of my body and mind, now nothing more than a pitiful corpse sprawled on the floor.

The monster was dead.

"Huh?" The robot followed my gaze, tilting his head. "Oh, that bad boy? Don't sweat it. I pumped so many bullets into him during my epic entrance, I knew he wouldn't last long before keeling over. Same deal with bad boy number two, haha!" His tone was so casual, it almost sounded like he was waiting for a pat on the back.

This guy… could he really talk like that after what just went down?

Who the hell was he?

My brain was teetering on the edge of a meltdown, overwhelmed by the flood of insanity, but I let out a shuddering breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I collapsed back onto the cold, grimy floor, which now felt like the plushest bed in the universe.

Guess it all worked out in the end.

I was alive.

…Alive, but still as lost as ever.

Goddamn it.

"Not to ruin your little nap, but it's not safe here. We gotta move." The robot's electronic voice cut through my haze. He stood now, extending the same hand he'd placed on my arm moments ago.

I froze for a second, my mind wrestling with itself. I owed this guy my life, but could I really just follow a stranger like that?

Even if that stranger had saved me from a gruesome death without me even asking…

"Hey… what's your name?" I asked, not putting much thought into it. My brain was too burned out to process anything more—I just wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep for a century.

The robot tilted his head, but his vibe softened, letting me unclench a bit. "Call me Billy. Billy Kid!" he announced with a burst of enthusiasm, like he was proclaiming himself a superhero. "Lucky I caught your screams of desperation through all the chaos. One minute later, and who knows what would've happened to you."

I'd be dead. That's what would've happened.

Creepy remarks aside, I finally had a name for the guy who saved my skin.

Billy, huh? For some reason, it fit him perfectly.

"Well, Billy, thanks for swooping in to save me. If it wasn't for you…" I couldn't finish the sentence. Saying it out loud would mean reliving how close I'd come to being monster chow.

"No biggie, pal! Starlight Knights always help those in need!" Billy struck a dramatic pose, like he was the star of some action flick, his imaginary cape billowing behind him.

…Is this guy really a robot? He acts way too human for a machine.

That was just one of a million questions swirling in my head, none of them with answers.

Billy offered his hand again, a reminder that lingering here meant risking more of those things showing up. I didn't hesitate this time, reaching out to take it.

But the second I did, Billy's grip tightened, like he was trying to stretch a rubber band without snapping it.

"Ghk!" Billy coughed, a sharp, glitching sound, and abruptly let go, taking slow steps backward. Something was wrong—badly wrong—but I couldn't pin it down.

"No… Damn it, it's too late…"

"Too late for what?" I asked, my voice thick with confusion and a growing dread.

"…Sorry, buddy. The least I can do is give you a quick way out of this." Billy ignored me, his words sounding more like he was talking to himself than to me.

"Is everything okay?" Billy, now rigid as a statue, raised a hand to his back, like he was fighting some internal glitch. After a moment, he lowered it, then slowly raised it toward me. Part of me hoped he was offering help again, but another part—the part that had learned to expect the worst—was already bracing.

*Click*

The worst arrived.

My body locked up. The sound alone wouldn't have sent me spiraling, but what followed stopped time itself. The world dissolved, leaving just Billy and me.

Me, staring in disbelief, my mind reeling with confusion.

And Billy, aiming the barrel of his pistol straight at my forehead.

"I'm sorry about this… If I'd gotten here sooner, maybe it wouldn't have to end like this."

And then, he pulled the trigger.

Chapter Text

*Click*

A soft, almost imperceptible sound echoed with overwhelming force in the silent interior of the carriage. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, so loud that it threatened to deafen me. But nothing compared to the winter chill that had taken hold of my body, as if I had been dragged back to that dark box where it all began.

My consciousness hung by a thread, barely attached to a body that no longer felt like mine. My eyes, trapped by terror, were fixed on the black hole in the barrel from where the bullet was supposed to come out. It was impossible to look away; I was only waiting for the exact moment when the gunpowder explosion would put an end to my life.

Seconds? Minutes? I had no idea how much time had passed since Billy pulled the trigger. I was just standing there, waiting for the whisper of death to be present to guide me to the afterlife.

...But nothing happened.

There was no pain, no shot, no nothing. The world was plunged into absolute silence, as if all life had been extinguished. No... It was rather as if the world itself had ceased to exist for an instant.

Did I die without realizing it, or was God torturing me with an eternal wait?

Those thoughts, disorganized, disjointed, meaningless, vanished as the scene in front of my eyes changed.

The barrel of the gun slowly lowered. For a moment, I thought Billy had decided to aim at the ground, but the shape the gun had taken was strange, as if it had broken. The metal hung awkwardly, as if an internal mechanism had given way at the last second.

"What?" billy's voice sounded like a distant echo, almost imperceptible. "Oh come on girl, don't do this to me now!" with an almost cartoonish exaggeration, he began trying to rearrange his gun as if his life was at stake.

So that's why he didn't shoot. That's why i was still alive. A simple matter of luck.

Finally, some damn luck.

"...You are fucked."

"Huh?" That was his only response, because the next instant, I had already pounced on him with all my might.

"Whoa!" I ignored his screams, desperately trying to snatch the other gun from him. If I could get it, then everything would be in my favor.

My muscles tingled and burned, as if I was trying to move a wall with my fists. Although Billy looked puny, his superhuman strength almost knocked me to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Almost.

With a desperate movement, I entangled my leg with his to make him lose his balance and force him to fall. I tried one last time to snatch the gun, but he beat me to it. His cold, metallic hand grabbed my arm at the last second, forcing me to the ground with him.

THUD!

We both fell with a loud noise. The wagon shuddered, and my brain had barely processed what had happened. Suddenly, all the fatigue in my body kicked in. My heart pounded furiously, my muscles burned like they were on fire, and my lungs searched desperately for air. For a second, I considered lying down and sleeping like a baby, letting exhaustion wash over me.

A groan of pain next to me reminded me that I was not alone. I turned to see how Billy had already started to sit up, one hand on his head, clearly dazed from the blow. Next to him, one of the guns lay motionless-wait, the gun!

As if I were a child looking for a lollipop, I went for that piece of metal that would grant me victory. I was so, so close.

"No!" Billy had also lunged straight for the gun, which started the struggle.

Although evenly matched at first, the superiority of his strength became apparent as he practically began to drag me towards him, as if I were nothing more than dead weight.

This bastard tried to kill you. He tried to shoot you. You can't lose.

You. Can't. Lose

And then, I felt as if something exploded inside me.

"Get the fuck off me!" my vision went black for a second, and the next thing I knew, my old friend, the pain, decided to pay my forehead a visit.

"Ugh!" It was Billy's voice, just as distant as before. I could barely hear everything around me over the inclement ringing that plagued my eardrums.

My vision was unfocused, but I managed to make out what was in front of me. The gun. That gun for which I had initiated the struggle was now in my hands. Heavy, solid, destructive.

I snatched it from him.

I won.

I held it firmly in my hands and turned to point it at its owner.

Billy was holding his head, leaning on one knee, as if he still couldn't comprehend what had happened. As soon as he looked up, our eyes met for a second, before settling on the barrel that was now pointed at him.

"...Being targeted by one of my girls wasn't on my itinerary for today." he muttered, his bright eyes erect downward.

"That makes two of us then." I replied, holding his 'girl' firmly, my finger on the trigger ready to fire.

A movement. One action. Minimal. Simple. That was all I needed to end this once and for all.

All i had to do was shoot. One bullet, and it would all be over.

Never mind that Billy rescued me from those monsters. The moment he decided to target me he became my enemy.

It doesn't matter that i am about to take a life. He is nothing more than a robot, a machine made to follow orders.

It doesn't matter if shooting him would make me a murderer. It became clear to me that in this place it's kill or be killed.

It doesn't matter...

It doesn't matter...

...N-No...

...I just have to shoot.

I won't even notice. It will be quick.

Go ahead and do it.

Shoot.

Do not hesitate.

Do it.

...

Why didn't you do it?

Why are your hands shaking? Shoot him!

Shoot Billy- the robot!

Kill it!

Kill the robot!

KILL THE ROBOT!

"AHHHHHHHHGHHHHH!" my exhausted throat was almost torn by the shriek I launched into the sky. My voice, broken, let out with it all the pain, despair and anguish that permeated my soul like a parasite. All those feelings, born of my weakness.

Because I couldn't. I couldn't just pull the trigger. Not when i knew that doing so would mean ending someone's life. Even if that someone was nothing more than a robot, he still acted like a person. I couldn't ignore that fact. It would be like turning off the light of a soul.

And if i do that... I wouldn't be able to live with that. Not when I didn't even have a life that I myself could remember. I didn't want my meager memories to be stained by blood. My heart wouldn't take it.

My hands were shaking, as if I was freezing in the coldest of winters. That will and determination born of adrenaline no longer existed, replaced by uncertainty and insecurity.

I couldn't kill him. But then what was there left for me to do? Having come this far, I couldn't just back out. Not when I had now become the same threat to Billy that he had been to me.

What should I do?

Escape?

Attack?

Disappear?

A swirl of questions plagued my mind. The stoic figure of Billy, who was now staring me straight in the eye, was a reminder that time was still ticking, and for every second I didn't make a decision, I risked losing what little advantage I had.

There was no easy answer to that situation.

There was no answer to anything...

...So, maybe it was time to finally change that.

"Hey." my voice rasped. My throat was dry, and speaking felt like swallowing needles. "I have a question to ask."

Billy arched an eyebrow- or well, he did something similar with his right eye. He seemed surprised I hadn't put a bullet between his eyes. "Question you say? I don't know if I'll know anything that's useful to you..."

"That's for me to decide. Unless, of course, you'd rather I pull the trigger and get it over with." An empty threat, but one that I at least hoped would work.

"Wow wow wow! No need to be so abrupt!"

Indeed, it worked.

"That's the way I like it. Now answer me. Why did you try to kill me? I'm sure it would have been easier to leave me to my fate against those monsters. Which, by the way, you saved me from. So thanks, I guess."

He was silent. He looked at me with narrowed eyes, scrutinizing me with his gaze. I didn't have time for that.

I readjusted the pistol somewhat showily, a gentle reminder that the barrel was still pointed straight at his head. Even if he was a robot, even he should have known that the firepower of a revolver is no game.

"Well, since you insist..." he finally spoke, in a more casual tone than I would have liked. "When I came to help you against the Ethereals I had hoped that there would still be time to get you out of the hollow safe and sound. And boy did i believe that- you looked like a normal human at first glance! After that I just-"

"Wait, give me just a moment..." the confusion that had taken root in my voice did not go unnoticed. "What the hell are you talking about, Ethereals, hollow, are you kidding me?" my grip on the gun increased. What little patience I had left was not for beating around the bush.

"H-Hey! There's no need to get like that!" Billy raised his palms as if in supplication, still with that exaggeration that always accompanies him. "Has the corruption made you forget what a hollow is?"

"Corruption? What the hell are you talking about?" I was already getting exhausted from this meaningless chat. Firing the gun was tempting, if only as a warning.

"...You really don't know?" this time it was his turn to look confused. His tone radiated doubt, as if he was talking to a weirdo. "Dude, this is really a problem..."

"It is more problematic for you to keep evading the question. Answer it. Now." my voice possessed a firmness I didn't even think possible in me. Perhaps it had to do with the gun I held, providing me with the control I had lacked all day.

"You're not very patient aren't you..." Billy took a few seconds to continue speaking. He seemed to be thinking seriously about his next words. Finally, he cleared his throat-assuming he had one-and began his tale, almost mystically.

"Well, here's the thing. I was over here, you know, minding my own business and raging like a pro against a few ethereals, when all of a sudden I heard this super duper desperate scream. At first I thought 'Hey, it must be my partner!' but then I remembered that she's the kind of person who makes others scream, not the other way around-"

"Can you get to the point?" I growled.

"Coming, coming!" he raised his hands, theatrical as always. "So I thought 'oh no, an innocent civilian in danger!' so naturally I decided to come to his aid. Then I made my way in epic fashion into the interior of this wagon." he gestured to the interior of the train in a grandiloquent gesture. "I finished off the ethereals that had you trapped." he now pointed to the now almost extinct swirl of colors where the monster used to be. "And I was getting ready to celebrate my victory!"

...I don't know if I should congratulate him for telling all that as if it were a superhero comic book, or slap him for not taking it as seriously as he should...

Anyway...

"Of course, by the time I saw you, I couldn't realize that it was already too late..."

My throat closed up, as if I were being strangled. The way he enunciated those words, devoid of the childlike energy he had carried so far, made my confidence vanish like ashes blown away by the wind. Such an abrupt change... it did not bode well.

Although doubt threatened to eat away at me, I held on with all the will in my body. This was no time to back down. Not when I wanted answers and was about to get the first of many.

"I thought you were just wearing very dark gloves and boots and that's why I didn't notice it at first. But as soon as I touched your hand..." Billy ducked his head, as if an invisible force had settled on his shoulders. "I've felt that sensation more times than I'd like to admit."

"...What sensation are you talking about?" still with my heartbeat racing, the question managed to get out of my throat.

"...The corruption."

I don't know why, but I felt as if those words, though meaningless, carried with them a crushing gravity. From the way he said it, it almost seemed like a death sentence.

That was not good at all.

"...That's already the second time you've mentioned it. What's this about corruption?" my voice, barely a trickle, was enough to bring back Billy's confused look.

"...Well, since you really don't seem to know, I'll explain it simply."

Billy turned his body, once again addressing the swirl of colors that already only looked like the faint flame of a match, about to be extinguished.

"See this?"

I nodded my head, doubting what he was about to say.

"Well, this used to be a human."

...

...

...

...What?

But... that didn't make sense. That thing was a monster. It had no human trace. It only had the physical appearance of one. Nothing more.

Even if it had once been a person, why would it have taken on such a bestial appearance? His whole body, deformed and twisted, could only be the result of something more than a simple transformation. As if the very essence of someone had been sullied, corrupting his appearance and spirit-

At that moment, at that very moment, I finally understood what Billy was referring to. As if my brain had awakened from an eternal slumber, everything that had happened to me throughout the day took on vivid force in my consciousness.

Broken container door.

My deformed limbs.

The unreal existence of monsters.

Its similarity to my current appearance.

The green glow we got to share for a few moments.

All this only served as a guide to reach a conclusion, one so simple and yet so terrifying that my whole body shuddered at the very thought of it.

"Will I...become...one of those things?" I wasn't sure if i wanted to know the answer.

Billy just nodded, confirming my terror.

A hole began to devour my heart, while a dizziness invaded my brain. No... It was more accurate to say that everything around me felt confusing, unreal, meaningless.

Monster? Was that my destiny? To be, in Billy's words, corrupted by whatever this thing was that invaded my arms and legs?

No, I didn't... I couldn't be one of those monsters. T-They attacked me. They wouldn't attack their own flesh and blood, would they?

...But...what could assure me that normal blood was still flowing in my veins? When I looked at myself, my body only confirmed with heartbreaking solidity that, even if I had not become a death-thirsty beast, I was already headed for that fate.

My hands were icy, frozen, black, withered, corrupted. The gun I was holding felt heavier than thousands of tons of metal. I wasn't even aiming anymore; I was just desperately trying to hold on to something so I wouldn't feel the world falling apart.

That rejection I felt for reality did not come from an anguished mind or an exhausted heart. It was my soul, which cried out in despair as if it had been chained and stretched until it was torn in half.

"…Sorry, buddy. The least I can do is give you a quick way out of this."

Billy's words echoed in my head, finally making sense where there was none before. That situation, misinterpreted by fear, now made sense.

It wasn't that he had tried to kill me.

But he had mercy.

"..." My throat felt extremely dry, as if I had been swallowing sand for hours. My hands were still shivering from the maelstrom of anguish that consumed me. I had no idea what to do with the gun, what to do with Billy, or what to do with myself.

...God, I'm so tired.

I heeded my trembling legs and simply let myself fall into a sitting position on the floor. Next to me, the gun emitted a metallic sound as it slipped from my grip and fell free. I had no strength left for anything. I just wanted to stop thinking.

What was I supposed to do now, put myself out of my misery? Although the idea of an easy way out was tempting, the image of shooting myself between the eyebrows was something too terrifying and inhumane to even consider.

But neither could I ignore reality. If that damned corruption was capable of creating abominations out of human beings-people, for God's sake-then it wasn't a question of if, but when. That dying mass of color next to Billy was just a reminder of the fate that awaited me.

Maybe that's why I was losing my mind, with no memories, trapped in absolute chaos. It was the world- no, hell, claiming my soul, using my own body as a hostage. The crystals and corrupted rocks attached to my shriveled skin were the shackles that would drag me into an abyss of torment. I could feel their weight, as if they were crushing me with every movement, and the cold they emanated burned hotter than any ice.

But amidst all the chaos, a robotic voice made its presence known.

"...It's kind of strange, though, if I'm being honest."

I looked up lazily, barely recognizing Billy's voice amid all the noise in my mind. I thought he might want to come and retrieve his gun, but instead he was sitting cross-legged a few feet away from me, looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. His artificial eyes scanned me, as if I were a puzzle he couldn't figure out.

"Usually, once corruption affects your body it also destroys your mind and your sanity..."

"Wow, that's exactly what's happening to me. What's new..." I looked down again, fixing my eyes on the dirty floor of the carriage. If he was just going to keep highlighting the obvious, then might as well shut up and let me sink into my misery in peace...

"No No No. I mean, with your level of corruption, we shouldn't even be able to have this conversation."

Those words brought my attention back to Billy. My eyes locked with his, searching for any trace of doubt. But he was looking at me with a poise and even curiosity that seemed genuine.

"Why are you suddenly telling me all this? You tried to kill me a while ago, remember?"

"Uhh, sorry about that, buddy..." Billy laughed nervously, as if he had just been reminded of an embarrassing moment instead of a near-murder. I wished he could be like him, and laugh at all the absurdities of life.

"No need, I don't blame you for it. I already know it was just a way of showing mercy." This time it was my turn to bring a hand to the back of my neck nervously. "Besides, I pulled the gun on you too. So we're even, I guess."

"Sounds a little ominous, but you're right! Although you and I are going to have a very serious conversation later..." For a second I thought he was referring to me, but as soon as he folded his arms and glared angrily at his gun, I knew he was talking to his 'girl' or whatever he called it.

"But back to the subject... I'm telling you all this because you're too human to be an ethereal, you know? Even if your appearance says otherwise, your face is another story entirely."

"What?" I couldn't help but bring a hand to my face, and the surprise I got when I felt the wetness on my fingers was immense. I was crying. The warmth of those tears generated a total contrast with the coldness that painfully embraced my fingers. Even their salty taste had managed to seep into my dry lips. I hadn't even noticed when I started to cry.

Was it out of desperation, impotence, or because my body couldn't take it anymore?

"...Still, what's the big deal about this?" said I bitterly, wiping my face with my hand. "A couple of tears don't change the fact that I'm going to become an 'ethereal', as you call them."

"Geez, you really are a pessimist, huh?"

"Hard not to be when you're in my situation." I intended no harm with my words. At this point, they were just the echoes of my already exhausted will trying to perform the most human act I had left: talking. Even in the midst of all this madness, I found it strangely comforting.

But that consolation did not last long. Silence once again reigned inside the wagon after those words. I expected some witty reply from Billy, but he was so quiet it was even scary. Perhaps he simply had nothing more to say.

At least I had some time to think. Although the revelations had been less than encouraging, I managed to extract some information from this whole conversation.

From what he had told me so far, everything seemed to indicate that I was in a highly hostile place. The presence of the monsters-or ethereals, as Billy called them-only confirmed my suspicions. And if these things were born from this supposed corruption taking effect on an ordinary human being... well, it wasn't hard to imagine why this place was abandoned in the first place.

The only part that wasn't entirely clear was the 'hollow'. Billy had repeated several times that we were inside one, but I still didn't understand what exactly that meant.

"Hey."

Speaking of the king of Rome.

I looked up at the automaton. I didn't respond, just nodded my head to tell him to speak.

"I know it will sound kind of strange, but I can't help but ask: how long have you been on this place?"

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the strangeness of his question. So long silent to finally say that?

Well, I'd better respond. It's not like I have anything better to do.

"...If I'm being honest, I have no idea. I'd tell you maybe an hour or two since I woke up, but I'm not really sure."

I probably woke up around noon, so -

"Wait, are you serious?!"

"Huh?"

The feeling of strangeness that ran through my body when I saw how the automaton put his hands to his head while looking at me with wild eyes had no name. Did I say something I shouldn't have?

Before I could get a word in edgewise, Billy beat me to it.

"You've been at that level of corruption for hours and you still haven't become an ethereal!" Every word was shouted, as if he expected the world to respond to him... or he was probably just exaggerating, as he always did. "Not even the most daring member of the Starlight knights would be capable of such a feat!"

"The who?"

"They're-no, wait! How high is your ether aptitude?" he asked, leaning forward exaggeratedly, like a child impatient to receive a gift.

"My what?" I pulled back slightly. The intensity of his stare was even uncomfortable.

Billy's reaction was to open his eyes even wider, as if he didn't believe anything I was telling him.

"No way, I'm looking at a one-in-a-million case and he doesn't even know it..." He sighed-if robots can do that-and put a hand to his forehead, dejected.

I, on the other hand, did not know how to answer. I felt like an elementary school kid being asked advanced algebra questions. Although I wasn't sure if I had ever liked algebra...

I let out a sigh, trying to ignore my ever-growing lack of identity. The last thing I needed at that moment was to feel more vulnerable than I already was.

"I still don't really understand what the point of all this is." My voice again attracted Billy's attention, who looked at me as if I had just told a bad joke. "Does it really matter how long I've been here? It doesn't change the fact that I'm going to mutate into-"

"Objection!" The automaton interrupted me with a firm tone, striking a pose in which he pointed an accusatory finger at me, as if we were on trial.

I should stop calling him a robot or automaton. It is clear that he is too human to fit into that category.

He, for his part, continued, "While I understand your apathetic attitude towards all of this, I can't ignore the fact that you are the biggest anomaly I've seen in a long time!"

I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

Billy continued, now tapping an imaginary paper in his hand, as a lawyer would. "It's not only that corruption has taken a good part of your body, but also that you've spent several long, tragic, painful, agonizing, insufferable, wretched-"

"Okay, I get the point!"

"-hours inside the hollow." He gave me a sided glance, annoyed that I had interrupted him. "And all while apparently still retaining the consciousness of a normal person."

That had been by far the strangest attitude Billy had adopted during the entire conversation. Listing the various 'anomalies' he saw in me as if he was about to have an epiphany. I couldn't help but think that the hit I took when I got out of the box had knocked me out and that this was just a hallucination.

"...Where are you going with all of this?" I asked, more to myself than to him.

It looked like that was exactly what he was waiting for, because he went from his theatrical act to looking at me with an uncommon seriousness.

"What I'm getting at is that, as crazy as it may sound, you seem to be resistant to the effects of corruption." He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully before adding, "I'd even go so far as to say you're completely immune to its effects. If we ignore your arms and legs, that is."

It can't be.

Was he implying that...?

"Simply put, to me you are still a human being like any other!"

Those words, spoken with the calmness of someone reading a newspaper story, sent a feeling to my heart that I had not felt in a long time. That warm, comforting and endearing embrace that could only be attributed to a single emotion. My soul desperately wanted to cling to that feeling, but the logic of my mind kicked in.

...could I really believe such a thing?

My more human side, the one that had worked so hard to keep me alive until now, was screaming at me to believe Billy, that I was finally being given some good news amidst so much misfortune.

But my colder side just wanted to be swept away by hopelessness and not believe anything I was told. No matter what comfort there was in those words; nothing assured that they were the absolute truth.

Despair or hope?

Both sensations danced inside me, like two couples moving to the rhythm of an orchestra charged with melancholy and pain, each note cold and warm in equal parts.

All day. I had been waiting all day for something to give me a reason to keep going, and when that something finally presented itself to me, I didn't know whether to take it or not.

Because I was afraid, afraid to believe and have it all go wrong in the end. It was easier to succumb to my own darkness and wait for my eventual transformation.

...But... If even someone who seemed to have dealt with those creatures for a long time still considered me a person, and was willing to talk to me, then was all really lost?

Billy wasn't exactly an ally, but he wasn't exactly an enemy either. If it weren't for his intervention, I wouldn't even be thinking about this now. Because, at the end of the day, he saved me. He offered me mercy in the only way he could at the time. And now he was trying to encourage me not to sink deeper into my misery.

If he was able to do that for me, a complete stranger, maybe it meant that all was not lost.

Hope.

For the first time all day, I felt hope.

...Heh, it feels weird to say that.

I took a deep breath, trying to channel that almost forgotten feeling. I needed courage for what I was going to do next.

I raised my arms and, once again, was greeted by their withered and corrupted appearance. That sight that had so often made me nauseous throughout the day now seemed like a trial.

This. This was what was driving me crazy, what was terrifying me, what made me think of the moment when my own body would betray me to become a beast without conscience.

...But...

I couldn't just accept that everything would be like this. Not when, even with that appearance, it had become clear that my body still belonged to me. That same body with which I defended myself from the monsters. That same body with which I felt pain.

That same body with which I felt fear.

All those sensations... If I was able to register them in the first place, then it was because, despite everything, I was still in control.

It was me.

Despite everything, still me.

"...Um, not to interrupt your train of thought," Billy's voice brought me back to reality, making me realize that he was watching me with a mixture of concern and uncertainty, "but everything okay, buddy?

Such an innocent question, that I couldn't help but laugh at the sincerity that emanated from his voice. That made him even weirded out, but I just raised my hand to indicate that everything was fine.

"It's okay, really... It's just that... let's just say you just helped me in a way you can't imagine." I said, directing a smile full of gratitude at him.

Although he had no mouth, the way he raised his eyes was enough to confirm to me that he was smiling at me too.

"You're welcome, buddy! After all, helping others is the job of a Starlight knight!"

"God bless those knights, then." I played along. Boy, his energy was infectious. It even made me forget that only a short while ago I was so intent on finishing him off-

Oh, right.

Joy and peace were replaced by a bittersweet feeling: guilt.

"...Sorry for threatening you, by the way. And for throwing you to the ground. Also for the headbutt and...actually, I apologize for everything in general..." I couldn't help but duck my head, sorry for my acting so unhinged. I never thought I'd have the courage to do such things...

"Nah, it's no big deal. I've dealt with worse situations than that. After all, not too long ago I had to escape from a bunch of criminals along with my friends and-oh, my goodness!" Billy's nonchalant attitude also vanished into thin air, and in the blink of an eye, he was off the ground, furiously scratching his head.

"Is everything all right?" I stood up with the same urgency, worried about the sudden change in attitude.

"No! I completely forgot why I came here in the first place! I have to go find my partner!" And as fast as one of his bullets, he ran to the exit as if his life depended on it.

"Wait!" I stretched out my hand toward him, as if by doing so I could force him to stop.

Apparently, it worked.

"I'm really sorry to have to leave like this, but I just have to hurry, man!" The sound of his footsteps as he trotted in place only made it even clearer that he was desperate to leave.

"...You forgot this."

Billy's perpetual motion froze as he realized that the gun we had fought so hard over was now back in my hands. You could almost hear a cricket sing from how quiet everything suddenly got.

"...Can I have it back, please?"

"Only if you allow me something in return."

He didn't respond, just nodded his head frantically in acceptance.

"Very well. So..." I gulped, not quite sure how to say it. "...Will you let me come with you, please?"

"Did you just imitate me?"

"...No."

Billy narrowed his eyes, looking at me with scrutiny as he held his chin, deep in thought. The wait seemed to go on forever, and for a second I feared he was really going to reject me, until he finally spoke.

"Mmm, are you sure you want to come with me? The hollow is dangerous, you know, I can't assure you that where I'm going is a safe place."

"Staying here would be the same. If I have a chance to get out of this hell, then I will accompany you without any hesitation."

Billy's eyes widened in surprise. And I must admit, so was I. The firmness and determination that crept into my voice in that brief moment was unexpected.

...It felt good, to be honest.

"But you have to keep in mind that where I'm going, we'll meet more ethereals along the way." His voice took on that low tone again, as if he were trying to warn me. "Are you sure you want to take the risk?"

Although his words made me hesitate for a second, I clenched my hands and looked at him with determination. No need to respond; a simple nod of my head was enough to let him know I was going anyway. Not out of bravery, because I was terrified at the thought of facing more of those things.

But because without him, I would not be able to survive another encounter with the monsters.

"Come on then, no time to waste." I nodded and headed for the exit along with Billy. He held out his hand to ask me for his gun, and I gladly gave it back.

As I stepped out of the wagon, I felt as if the world was welcoming me back. The wind and sun caressed my skin in an act of gentleness. Having come so close to losing my life made that very natural feeling feel like being born again.

God, even with all this hell, I was glad that nature still had some kindness to offer.

*Click*

That sound.

That damned sound that a while ago had been the trigger of the terror of death that invaded my body, had sounded again behind me, like a demon whispering horrors on my shoulder.

I turned around so fast that I was dizzy for a second. I expected to find a gun pointed at me again, ready to put a bullet in my head.

But instead, I only saw Billy staring with narrowed eyes at the revolver I returned to him a moment ago.

And although he whispered it, my ears picked up his words clearly.

"It wasn't loaded."

...So, that meant that at that moment, the gun Billy did have with him was...

Nope! I don't feel like thinking about that right now!

I shook my head frantically, hoping to rid myself of those intrusive thoughts. Instead, I decided to focus on my companion.

"Where are we headed?" I asked, genuinely curious about what our next step would be.

"Well, I'm not quite sure..." He now rested his chin against the barrel of his gun, deep in thought. Had it not been for the fact that i knew he was doing it with the gun without bullets, the scene would have been somewhat macabre.

"I think I know the answer, but you wouldn't happen to have a carrot with you?"

I just raised an eyebrow, not understanding why we were suddenly talking about vegetables.

"Forget it..." He dropped his whole body down, as if defeated. Did he get that way because of my reaction? Could a robot really be hungry for carrots?

"We'd better walk until we find... something. I did the same thing when I woke up and ended up finding you, so, with any luck, maybe we'll find your partner." My suggestion, though simple, was enough to make Billy stand up straight again, apparently accepting it.

"Mph, I like it better when you think positive!" he said as he started walking, holstering his pistol on his hip.

"It's not being positive, it's just having some faith."

"And faith is not positive?" he turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. The glint of the sun, reflected in his metallic face, made me believe for a second that he was smiling.

After a few seconds, I smiled back and started walking with him into the unknown.

"By the way, that's the second time you've mentioned this waking up thing. Were you hollow camping?" he joked, slapping me on the back and pushing me forward. Boy does he have strength...

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, and you might not believe it."

"Hey, I'm looking at someone who is immune to ether corruption. I'd believe you if you told me you spit fire."

"And I'm talking to a robot that looks human. I'd believe you if you said you fought a giant ape."

We both burst out laughing, finally dissipating some of the distance between us. Maybe... Billy is someone who can be trusted.

And so, I began to tell him everything that had happened to me. From my memory loss to my confrontation with the monsters.

Chapter Text

"And after all that, you hopped into the train car, saved my ass, and the rest is history."

"Whew, what a story." Billy let out a whistle through his nonexistent lips, his eyes wide with amazement.

"No kidding…" I muttered, drained. Spilling all that out felt like a weight off my chest, but those weren't exactly my fondest memories.

"I've had some rough days, but yours takes the cake by a mile."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Billy shrugged, like my question was no big deal. "Depends how you look at it. You happy to still be kicking?"

"…Well, yeah, obviously."

"There's your answer." He shot me a wink… or, I guess, something like a wink, since he doesn't have eyelids. Man, describing Billy's gestures was a headache sometimes…

For the past few minutes, we'd been wandering aimlessly through the station, trying to track down Billy's supposed partner. All the while, I was recounting the chaos of that afternoon. Besides the occasional question, Billy turned out to be a surprisingly good listener.

"Still, some parts of your story got me curious…" he mumbled, scratching his mane with a furrowed brow.

"Same here," I said with a hollow laugh. Better than moping, I guess.

Billy kept walking, eyes down like a detective chasing an invisible lead. "First thing that pops into my head is the obvious one: why were you locked in a box?"

My turn to shrug. I didn't have an answer. I'd asked myself that question a million times and still came up empty.

"Mmm," Billy hummed, gears practically turning in his head as he tried to crack the case.

I looked away, letting him stew in his thoughts. The usual sight of rubble and chaos littered the tracks. Off to my side, one of the few signs not yet eaten by rust hung limply from a wire.

"Tracks closed until further notice. Sorry for the inconvenience."

How fitting.

"Eureka!" Billy shouted, yanking me out of my thoughts with a fist pumped like he'd just cracked the code to the universe.

"What now?" I spun toward him, eyebrows raised at his victory pose, half-expecting him to announce he'd invented time travel.

"It's gotta be tied to the Red Fang Gang!"

"…That a punk band or something?"

Another bizarre name to add to the list. Call me crazy, but with all this talk of "ethereals," "hollows," "ether aptitude," and now some sketchy gang, I was starting to wonder if Billy was the one losing it—and if I was just dumb enough to buy into his wild theories.

Still, here I was, playing along.

Who's the real nutcase: the guy spinning conspiracies, or the idiot nodding along?

"You're giving them too much credit!" Billy shot back, flailing his shiny metal hand like he was swatting away my doubts. "They're just a pack of lowlifes who dabble in wholesome hobbies like robbery, vandalism, blackmail, murder—you know, your typical Sunday community outreach."

"Whoa, slow down, man." I froze, my brain scrambling to keep up with the info dump. "Are we talking about some street punks or, like, a secret crime syndicate?"

"Bit of column A, bit of column B…" He waggled his fingers like he was seasoning a gourmet conspiracy stew, and let me tell you, this dish was extra crazy.

But then his eyes narrowed, and he leaned in close, arms crossed, all traces of his goofy attitude gone. The air turned thick, and I knew he wasn't messing around anymore.

"Here's the deal," he said, his voice low and dead serious, like he'd flipped a switch. "Among their laundry list of crimes? Human trafficking."

I stared at him, almost in disbelief at the answer he'd laid out. With all the crap I'd been through, the idea that something as grimly common as falling prey to criminals could explain one of my mysteries felt unreal.

I didn't know if my fists clenched out of fear or the gut-punch of realizing I might've been caught up in something that horrific.

"No way… You don't think they're the ones behind what happened to me, do you?" I asked—or maybe I just thought it too loud. I wasn't sure.

"Not 100% sure, but it's the most likely bet. This place is pretty close to their turf, after all."

The Red Fang Gang, huh… If Billy was onto something, then the answers to my questions were tied to some lowlife criminals… or, more like, a straight-up mafia.

Great. Just great.

"Or would you rather believe a box with legs ate you while you were sleeping and waddled off to a Hollow?"

And just like that, what could've been a grim revelation was defused by Billy's carefree quip.

I still didn't know if he did it on purpose or if it was just his vibe, but it helped keep my feet on the ground.

"Your imagination's something else," I said, hand on my hip, tossing him a tired smile.

"Thanks! I watch a ton of TV!"

"Doesn't that rot your brain or something?"

"You can't rot a robot's brain, silly." Clink clink went his metal head as he tapped it to prove his point. "Only ether can do that, haha!"

Even though Billy laughed like it was a joke, I couldn't help raising an eyebrow at his words.

"Wait, can corruption mess with you too?"

His robotic voice let out a "Mmm?" at my question. He raised a brow, curiosity flashing in his expressive eyes.

"What do you mean? Corruption hits me like anyone else."

"But you're… you know…" I gestured vaguely, not sure how to say it. "…a robot."

Billy gasped dramatically, clutching his chest like I'd stabbed his heart—or motor, or whatever he had in there. His eyes screamed betrayal.

Not ten seconds later, he straightened up, pointing a dignified finger. "For your information, I'm an android, thank you very much. I get that the terms can be confusing, but don't mix me up, please."

"No offense, but is there really a difference?"

"You bet there is! A 3D printer's a robot! Me? I'm way more than a machine. I'm the kids' favorite hero! The light that shines in the dark with the power of a thousand lasers!"

With every over-the-top title, he struck a new pose, his jacket flapping like a cape in the wind. No clue how he pulled that off, since there wasn't any wind to begin with.

"I am…"

"A loudmouth?"

"A loudmouth—huh—hey!"

Seeing Billy drop his heroic act to pout like a kid who got his candy stolen had me cracking up. It felt like having a big, intimidating brother who was secretly a softie.

"Ahem, back to the point," he coughed, trying to regain his tough-guy tone. "Don't think ether corruption only messes with living things. It can fry appliances, machines, and even androids like me."

I nodded slightly, satisfied with the answer. Great, so this ether stuff didn't just turn people into monsters—it could also make me worry about bloodthirsty machines.

Suddenly, being surrounded by abandoned trains felt a lot scarier than it should've.

I didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of picturing a train car with claws chasing me or to shudder at the real chance it could happen. This place had taught me one thing: the impossible could become possible in a heartbeat.

As I mulled that over, my footsteps echoed on the hard asphalt. The conversation fizzled out, leaving me with fewer questions but no less uneasy.

We stepped into another abandoned station, greeted by the usual stench of dust and rust. The faint breeze brushing my skin was dry but calm, like the whole place was stuck in a quiet, eerie slumber. In that moment, I was sure Billy and I were the only living things in this desolate wasteland.

Billy was humming a tune I couldn't place. I glanced at him, catching him strolling with his hands behind his head like we were on a park walk. His foot kicked an old can on the ground like it was a soccer ball, breaking the silence for a second. He darted over and kicked it back toward me. I ignored it.

Sighing, I tried to brush off Billy's pouting. I was just trying to stay sharp for any surprises. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with more monsters…

Right. A train car ditched mid-track, doors hanging off their hinges. Nothing new.

Left. Abandoned buildings left to rot. Creepy, but no news there.

Ahead. A dark, rocky formation with green crystals—huh?!

Every muscle in my body locked up. Suddenly, the rusty smell in the air burned my nose like hot coals, and my stomach sank. I wanted to look away. But I couldn't.

Not when that green death sentence was standing just meters away.

"Mmph?" A soft hum came from Billy. I glanced at him, and he was just staring at the thing, hand on his chin like it was some art exhibit.

"Why are you just standing there?! It's gonna kill us if you don't do something!" My throat burned for a second. The raw edge in my voice screamed the urgency I needed. We were in danger, and Billy's confused look wasn't helping.

"Huh? But nobody's attacking us, buddy," he said casually, leaning forward with his hands on his hips. "You sure corruption hasn't gotten to your head?"

"Cut the crap! There's a monster right there!"

Billy slowly followed my pointing finger to the threat. He went quiet for a few seconds, like he was sizing it up. His calm was driving me up the wall. Before I could snap at him, he spoke first:

"It's not an ethereal."

"What?"

"I said it's not an ethereal."

"What the hell are you talking about?! Can't you see it's just like one of those—" I tried to look back at the monstrosity, but my words died in my throat.

It was still there. Motionless. Unmoving. Like a statue in the middle of a chaotic wasteland.

…And when I looked closer, I realized it wasn't a monster. It was something else.

"…What the hell is that?" My question couldn't capture the disbelief weighing on my soul. I was losing it. I didn't know if it was stress or if I'd always been this way and just couldn't remember.

"It's an ether crystal. Come on, check it out!" Without another word, Billy bolted toward the anomaly.

"Wait!" I yelled, chasing after him like a dog after a bone.

It didn't take long to reach our goal. Billy was hunched over, eyeballing something that looked like reality had glitched out and called it a day.

It had the look of a crystal, sure, but that's where anything "normal" checked out. The thing was made of the same pitch-black rock as those monsters, with a faint greenish glow flickering at its edges.

"...You sure this thing is not gonna attack us?" I took a solid step back, shooting a wary glance at the 'crystal'. "I'm telling you, if that thing starts moving…"

"Relax, most ether crystals are chill."

"What do you mean most-"

"Point is, this being here means something big…" Billy folded his arms, scanning the area like a hawk. When his brows knit together, I followed his gaze, and my stomach dropped as I realized why he looked so serious.

Crystals. Corrupted crystals everywhere.

Some were tiny, littered across the ground like broken glass. Others were massive, practically swallowing the rusted train cars whole. One had even devoured an entire track, twisting into a gnarled, impassable wall.

All of a sudden, the air felt heavy, like we'd wandered into a trap that was holding its breath. I glanced back at the path we'd taken, noticing it still looked untouched compared to the barren, withered wasteland we'd stumbled into.

It was like the world had been sliced in two. As if we just stepped into another layer of hell.

Could those crystals morph into monsters?

If they all came at us at once, would Billy even stand a chance?

God, when was this nightmare gonna end?

"…Yeah, this ain't good," Billy's voice, calm to an infuriating degree, cut through the chaos in my head, reminding me he was still there.

"What's not good?" My voice cracked, betraying a tightness in my chest I couldn't pin down. Maybe the stress was finally getting to me…

"All these crystals mean the ether pressure's off the charts here." Billy spun in a slow circle, deep in thought. "I wonder if we're closing in…"

"Closing in? On what?" I asked, my brain scrambling to keep up.

"My partner, obviously." He turned to me, his eyes sharpening with a focus I hadn't seen before. "Hey, you good, man?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?"

"'Cause you look like you're about to puke."

"What?" On instinct, I put a hand to my forehead. My heart sank when I felt it—cold, clammy, like I was running a fever.

What the hell…

Why does… everything around me suddenly feel so crushing?

I just… I need to sit.

And I did, letting gravity pull me down to the cold, unyielding ground for a moment.

Yeah… that's it… a quick breather to pull myself together… Breathe… Breathe…

I think Billy said something, but I couldn't be sure. A buzzing in my ears had muted the world, louder than everything I've ever heard before.

The pressure in my chest kept building, squeezing tighter every second. No matter how hard I tried to catch my breath, it was like my lungs were just pushing air out, refusing to let any in.

My arms and legs were like jelly, barely registering movement. Or maybe they weren't moving at all. I didn't know what was happening. Was I even still here?

I was sinking. The world was dragging me under, and I was powerless. A creeping cold seeped into my body again, as if my veins were flooding with frost that clung to my soul like a parasite.

No pain. No warmth. No sense of my body. No feeling at all.

Nausea. Blurred vision. Darkness. I can't see. There's nothing. I'm not okay. Something's wrong. Everything's wrong. Wrong. It's wrong it's wrong it's wrong it's wrong—

"Snap out of it!"

"OW!" A sharp sting exploded across my cheek, like a metal hornet had nailed me. Except that hornet was Billy's hand.

I spun to face him, pain and anger bubbling up. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Thank the stars, I thought you were losing it!" he said, relief washing over his voice, though his eyes still screamed worry. "What happened, man? You looked like you were about to keel over!"

"Keel over? What are you talking about? Ow…" I rubbed my cheek, wincing as another jab of pain hit. Man, this guy's got a swing…

"Dude, one minute you were all…" Billy straightened up, strutting with a cocky swagger, like he owned the place, "…and then, boom, you went…" He froze, clutching his chest, mimicking a heart attack with exaggerated sound effects.

I couldn't decide whether to laugh or smack him.

I sighed, shutting my eyes and pressing a hand to my chest. My heart was pounding like a jackhammer, my breathing all over the place. The buzzing in my ears had faded, but the ache lingered.

Breathe. Calm down. You're not dying. Just breathe…

"Whoa…"

I glanced up at Billy, who was staring at me with eyes so wide it was like he was trying to melt me with a look.

"Your arms…"

Frowning, I looked down, bracing myself for whatever had him spooked. When I saw it, my jaw dropped.

That glow.

My arms were lit up with that green glow again.

And not just my arms—my legs were wrapped in the same sickly neon light, like I was a walking rave.

"…What the hell," I muttered. My mind flashed back to the train car, to that moment after I'd poured everything into holding that monster back, when the same glow had flickered on my arms for a moment.

Why was it back now?

If I got a coin for everytime my body did some weird shit…

"No offense, but you straight-up look like an ethereal," Billy said, his voice still laced with awe.

"Ouch."

"Sorry, but it's the truth."

"How about you help me up instead of ragging on my glow-up?" It wasn't meant to be funny, but he took it that way, chuckling as he hauled me to my feet. Obviously, my body wasn't particularly fond of the idea.

"Whoa…" I swayed, grabbing onto Billy to keep from face-planting.

"Easy, easy…" I gave him a silent nod of thanks as he steadied me. His hands were cold, but at least he was careful.

"Sorry… Just a little woozy."

"No sweat, I got your back."

"Thanks anyway. I don't know what hit me…" I gave him a light pat to let go, and he eased off slowly. I nearly toppled over as my full weight hit me again, but I stayed upright. Not exactly thrilled about kissing the ground a third time…

"Probably your first taste of an ether pressure spike," he said, slipping into that 'ask me more, I'll school you' expression.

Of course, I bit.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it sounds like. Sometimes the ether in the air goes haywire, and it slams into you like a truck." He tapped his chin, eyes narrowing. "Think of it like wrapping a watermelon in a million rubber bands until it pops."

"I'm not sure I wanna know where you got that from."

"Trust me, you don't. Took me a whole week to scrub the juice out of my circuits."

I sighed, not sure if it was exhaustion or just giving up. At least I had an answer for why my body felt like it was about to implode. For someone supposedly immune to ether, I was one step from flatlining.

And that damn green glow still hadn't faded…

*SLASH*

A piercing sound sliced through the air, echoing like someone had taken a blade to the fabric of reality itself. Just like that monster's claw when it nearly—

No. This can't be happening.

I gritted my teeth, eyes wide, scanning frantically for where that sound came from. It couldn't be real, right? It had to be my head, still messed up from almost losing it, conjuring nightmares.

But the world doesn't do favors for wishful thinking, and then I saw them.

Monsters.

One, then two, then three, and more, crawling from the rubble around us like roaches spilling out of a sewer. The corrupted crystals seemed to fuse with their grotesque forms, circling us like predators starving for blood.

"No… no no no NO," I stammered, my body trembling as those things slunk closer, claws raised, growling like feral beasts.

I barely survived two of them, and now the whole damn family shows up?!

"Stay sharp, we've got company…" Billy's voice cut through the chaos in my brain like a knife. I glanced at him, seeing his pistols already drawn, locked and loaded.

R-Right! Even if things looked grim, I still had a gun-slinging, acrobatic robot- I mean- android on my side!

With him here, we should be fine!

"Hey," Billy broke my train of thought, still aiming at the enemies like a living turret. "Dumb question, but can you fight?"

"Would you buy it if I said yeah?"

"Honestly? Nope."

"There's your answer."

SKREEEEE!

A bone-chilling screech tore through the air, making my muscles lock up tight. I whipped my head around as fast as I could, ready to dive out of the way if I had to—

…!

My breath caught, and the world around me seemed to grind to a crawl, as if the dust in the air had frozen into a smoky haze. My eyes were glued to the pitch-black void of black hole, accompanied by a moving green streak, inches from splitting my skull.

It was a blade, seconds away from ending me.

They say in moments like this, your whole life flashes before your eyes. But for me, with no life to remember, even that small comfort was out of reach. My mind didn't replay memories—just raw sensations.

Darkness.

Cold.

Fear.

A chained boar, nostrils flared—

…

Wait, what?

"Behind me!"

As if it were a wake-up call, the world lurched back to normal speed. Dust drifted down, stinging my face. My eyes lost the green streak, replaced by a blur of red and silver.

And most importantly, my eardrums nearly burst from the sound that followed.

*BANG*

A deafening blast echoed endlessly in the desolate space, its reverberation joined by the ghastly wails of the ethereals still closing in. It took my brain a second to process what had happened, but the sharp smell of gunpowder hitting my nose told me everything.

Billy had obliterated that abomination, just like when he'd saved me on the train.

"You okay, buddy?" His voice buzzed in my ears for a moment. I could barely make out his words, my mind still reeling from how close I'd come to biting it.

"I…" I cleared my throat, like it hadn't been used in ages. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks a lot!"

"No prob! But that was just the warm-up…" Another gut-wrenching shriek pierced the air nearby. I couldn't help but stumble back as I spotted another ethereal charging at us full-tilt.

And it wasn't alone. The others, not content to just watch, joined the fray, rushing us in a pack. There was no question about it now.

The hunt was on, and we were the prey.

"What do we do now?!"

Billy barely tilted his head toward me. He didn't need to say a word; his laid-back, cocky stance was enough to make me picture the smuggest grin in the universe plastered on his face… if he had one. I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, his voice buzzing with excitement. "This is where we dive into the action!"

"We?! But I'm not—"

"Check this out!"

One second. I blinked for one second, and Billy was gone, like the ground had swallowed him whole.

Didn't take long to figure out where he went, though.

*BANG*

Another shot cracked through the air, snapping my head toward—

"Holy—!" I barely jumped back in time to keep my balance. A heavy THUD shook the ground as an ethereal—or what was left of one—crashed at my feet, its grotesque claw pointing at me like the damn thing wanted to drag me down with it.

Up close, these things are hideous… Thank God I haven't turned into one.

…Not completely, at least.

"Yeehaw!"

My eyes darted from the corpse as it dissolved into a swirl of colors. Billy stole the spotlight, twirling his pistols like a circus clown.

"Did you see that, buddy? That was awesome!" he crowed, like gunning down a monster was just another day at the office.

"Did you have to do that? You could've hit me if you missed!"

"Miss? Me? Ha! In your dreams!" He planted his hands on his hips, puffing up like some action movie star. I didn't say anything—mostly because I was out of ideas for dealing with his over-the-top antics without sounding like a jerk. Maybe that ethereal about to slice him up had a better idea of—WHAT.

"Billy, on your right!"

A sharp whistle cut through the air like a whipcrack. Billy spun, raised his arm, and the next thing I knew, my world exploded in a blinding, deafening flash. My eyes burned, my ears rang, and my brain scrambled to keep up.

Another heavy thud, paired with the smell of gunpowder that had pretty much replaced oxygen in my lungs by now. I cracked one eye open, and where an ethereal had been a second ago, there was just another mess of colors.

"Thanks!" Billy, once again, acted with the casual ease of a kid squashing ants. Giant, murderous ants.

"No thanks, keep shooting! Left!"

Another shot, another kill. The scene had turned into a warzone, with the crack of bullets blending into the swipes and snarls of the ethereals. Dust swirled, the air split, and the carnage didn't let up.

My only job right then was to watch Billy's blind spots while he mowed down enemies with deadly precision. I pointed, he followed, ethereals dropped. It was a small contribution, but better than standing around doing nothing.

"There's one!" With a flip, Billy landed smoothly, both revolvers unloading on a monster the second his feet hit the ground. The ease of it screamed years of practice.

Deep down, it was a relief to know his cockiness wasn't just hot air—he had the skills to back it up.

…

…

…

…Wait, was that monster holding a warning sign?

"Another!" Billy rolled forward, gun still smoking, and lined up the next ethereal like it was a carnival target. His war cries and swagger clashed with the grim reality, like he'd stepped out of a cartoon. Almost like he was having fun.

"And this one's for bonus points!" With a hyped-up yell, two perfect shots blew through an ethereal's head, sending it back to whatever hell it came from.

Forget almost—he was definitely having fun.

"Hey! This isn't a game! Focus!" I shouted, exasperated that what was life-or-death for me was a cheesy action flick for him.

"But I am focused! Just watch this!" His sniper-level aim shone again as, without even looking, he dropped two more monstrosities with a single headshot. I bet they didn't even know they were dead.

Impressive, no doubt. But…

"Our lives are on the line! Quit acting like this is a movie!" I tried reasoning again, only to get an annoyed glance and a flurry of hand gestures.

"Chill out, man! You're rolling with a Starlight Knight—"

"Behind you!"

"Huh?"

My voice snapped him out of his own head. As he turned, I watched with the same horror he must've felt as an ethereal's razor-sharp claw hovered mere inches from his head. Its edge glinted in the sun like a guillotine ready to drop.

And drop it did. The ethereal swung its blade down like a death sentence, poised to claim my partner's life.

"Whoa!"

"BILLY!"

Against my better judgment, I squeezed my eyes shut. My eyelids clamped so tight it felt like I was shoving my eyes back into their sockets. But it didn't matter. I'd rather deal with that discomfort than witness the slaughter.

That's it. He's done for.

No one's saving him this time.

No way he walked away from that.

With him gone, so's my shot at surviving.

One grim thought after another flooded my mind. I was ready to sink into them, letting the soft hum of despair drown out the world.

…Or I would've, if the world itself wasn't so damn stubborn about staying quiet for my pity party.

*CLANK*

A sharp, almost industrial clang cut through the chaos around me. For a second, I braced myself to open my eyes and see Billy's mangled remains, with his executioner reminding me I was next.

But, to my relief, that nightmare didn't come true.

Slowly, the darkness faded, and reds and greens filled my vision. Not blood red, but the red of Billy's jacket. To my shock and relief, he was–

Oh my God did he just block that with his pistols? Is he insane?!

"Little help here!" He shot me a pleading look, yanking me back to reality. Or unreality, because the sparks flying where the ethereal's blade scraped against Billy's steel were like a grim light show.

"Help? What am I supposed to do?!"

"Anything!" He twisted toward the monster, struggling to keep from being sliced in half. "Like seriously anything you do works at this point!"

"You're the one supposed to do the fighting!" I yelled, already scanning the area like a madman for something—anything—I could use as a weapon. Going at that thing bare-handed was NOT happening.

And then I saw it: the warning sign, dropped by that ethereal when it bit the dust.

I ran like my life depended on it—because, yeah, it did—and grabbed the cold, heavy stop sign with both hands. Now I just had to use this to save Billy from certain death. Easy peasy. No pressure.

SKREEEEE!

That repulsive screech made me snap my head up in panic. The ethereal, not satisfied with having Billy pinned, had its other blade raised, ready to deliver the killing blow.

And without thinking, I ran.

My heart was racing a million miles an hour, adrenaline finally flooding every muscle. Fear and panic fused into one, yanking me around like a puppet on strings.

A puppet that wasn't about to let these monstrosities slit our throats!

"Here I come!"

I gripped the sign tighter than ever, as if I could pour my resolve into it for what I was about to do. I hoisted it over my head like a barbarian swinging an axe and brought it down with every ounce of strength I had.

Let's just say, I didn't expect the force of that impact.

A massive cloud of dust kicked up from the ground, like a freaking meteor had just crashed in front of us. The target? An ethereal, reeling in pain, trying to process what just hit it.

But what shocked me, and freaked me out to a worrying degree, was the sign in my hands.

It was broken. Snapped in half.

I'd shattered a damn metal pole with one swing.

…Just like with the lock on that box—

I shook my head. No time to dwell on that. Creepy or not, the priority was finishing off this monster!

Which, by the way, was already gearing up for another violent rampage.

As much as fear clawed at me to look away, I forced myself to stand firm, brandishing what was left of the pole. I might be useless, but that didn't mean I'd go down without a fight.

"My turn!"

…Oh, right. Turns out I do have someone competent with me.

*BANG*

One shot—clean, precise, and devastating. Billy had blasted the ethereal before it could even finish standing. Its head froze for a moment, smoke curling from where the bullet hit, then erupted into a chaotic swirl of colors and distortions, like reality itself decided to wipe that abomination from existence.

I let out a shaky breath, the broken pole slipping from my hands along with the fake courage I'd mustered. Thank God Billy finished it off, because no way was I getting close to one of those things again. Once was more than enough, thanks.

"Buddy!" Billy's voice cut through, grabbing my attention. I turned to him—and instantly regretted it, nearly stumbling backward.

"Personal space, Billy…" I pressed a hand to his face, gently pushing him back to reclaim my bubble. Not that he cared. He just kept talking like he could see right through my hand.

"That was INSANE! I never thought you had that kind of strength in you!" His words, hyped as they were, only made me uneasy. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to dodge the awkwardness.

"I don't think it's anything to brag about. It was just a desperate move in a desperate moment."

"Nuh-uh! Smashing an ethereal like that deserves props! And I'm giving you extra points for style~"

"Style? What are you on about?"

"You know! Like when the evil DarkStar was about to crush Chisuke, but he got back up, cranked Star Rage to max, and won with a super epic pose!"

"…Tell me something, do I have a concussion?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Just checking."

SKREEEEE!

Damn it, not again!

Our brief moment of triumph was cut short as the surviving ethereals started closing in, hungry for payback.

"They just keep coming!" Billy stated the obvious, maybe hoping a dozen would vanish just by him saying it. "At this rate, I'm gonna lose points for bullet conservation!"

"Worry about not dying first, and then we can talk about your bonus points or whatever!" I clenched my teeth so hard I thought I heard a crack. I couldn't tell if it was fear, frustration, or exhaustion. But it was definitely all because of these bastards!

"Alright, here's the plan. I'll blast the ones coming from the right, and you dish out some of that strength of yours on the left. Sound good?"

"What?!" I whipped around, ready to chew him out. "Did you forget I can't fight? Taking on a bunch at once would be suicide!"

"Don't sweat it! I'll cover you from a distance as best I can!" As if to prove his point, he spun his revolvers a few times before aiming them back at the monsters, practically oozing confidence.

I could already picture it: Billy pulling off one of his pointless flips, shouting some cheesy hero line after saving me from getting skewered.

Which, to be fair, he'd already done a few times today. And I'm grateful for it.

What I'm not so grateful for is the tiny detail that he's basically asking me to risk my life!

SKREEEEE!

More guttural roars and shrieks flooded my ears, and no matter where I looked, ethereals swarmed every direction. It was like we were larvae trapped in a wasp nest.

…Do I really have to do this?

I shot one last glance at Billy, half-hoping he'd suddenly reveal some secret superpower to get us out of this mess and keep us from diving deeper into danger.

Of course, all I got was his grim look, practically screaming, "You're out of options. Sorry."

I sighed. A tiny piece of my soul probably died right there.

Gathering what was left of the broken sign and my resolve, I braced myself to face… on my own… those… things…

"On three, we go!" And so began the countdown. If I hadn't caught a rare hint of seriousness in Billy's voice, I might've thought it was just another one of his theatrics. For once, I wished it had been.

"One…"

The ethereals inched closer. The gaping holes where their heads should've been twitched in what I could only call primal fury.

"Two…"

I pressed my back against Billy's. I didn't know if it was reflex or some subconscious urge to bolt.

"Two and a half…"

"Not now, Billy!"

"Sorry—meant—THREE!"

SKREEEEEEEEE!

With a final, warlike screech, the ethereals charged, ready to tear and shred anything in their path.

"Good luck!" Billy's presence vanished from behind me, a gut-punching confirmation that I was now alone against these hellspawn.

"…I'm gonna die, aren't I?" I didn't have time to dwell on my own words. The horde of ethereals surged toward me at breakneck speed. The one leading the pack raised its own sign at me, locking me as its target—now that I think about it, standing still probably isn't smart.

I exhaled. Air or my soul, I couldn't tell. But it didn't matter. What I had to do was clear, even if every fiber of my body screamed against it.

My arms and legs tensed, and before I knew it, I was sprinting straight into the danger. My throat trembled, my eyes stung, and my heart shrank as I closed in on what felt like certain death.

Bullets, screams, footsteps, screeches—all of it swirled into the chaotic storm in my mind. Dust clogged my nose, the breeze pushed me forward, and the sun's heat soaked into my icy skin. There was too much to process at once, and I wasn't sure if the adrenaline pumping through me would be enough to handle it.

But through it all… I never let go of the weapon.

"If you're coming, then come on, you bastards!" I don't know where I found the nerve to yell, but the sound of my own voice—equal parts bold and terrified—gave me the push to raise the metal pole above my head.

The lead ethereal mimicked me, snarling as if answering my taunt in its monstrous tongue. We charged at each other, both dead-set on only one of us walking away from this.

"TAKE THIS!" With one final roar, I swung the battered sign down with every last drop of strength in my body. The ethereal matched me, slamming its own weapon with the raw force of a stampeding rhino.

I shut my eyes, bracing for the inevitable clash…

…

…

…

*SWOOSH*

What…?

I cracked my eyes open slowly, clinging to a desperate hope that the whistling sound was the creature plummeting to the ground.

At my feet, the mangled remains of the metal pipe I'd been wielding were reduced to scraps, unable to withstand my… let's call it superior strength. Yeah, that works.

But if all I'd felt was the jolt of my own impact against the ground, then that meant—

My throat tightened, choking me. My vision wavered, but against all better judgment, I forced myself to look up, half-expecting to find some shred of good news in what felt like the prelude to certain death.

No such luck.

The abomination still loomed before me, clutching the signpost above its head in what seemed like barely contained fury.

No… something was off.

It wasn't restraint. The creature hadn't moved a muscle, as if frozen in place. For a beast driven by a primal urge to kill, its entire form radiated an eerie stillness. It was like staring at a single, motionless frame of a film.

Did I somehow kill it without even touching it?

Empty hopes, of course. I had no idea why I was still alive, and that uncertainty did nothing to ease my nerves.

To my surprise, the answer came almost immediately.

Where there had once been endless darkness tinged with the sickly green of death, a faint blue spark flickered across the creature's torso.

And as that spark erupted into a blinding flare, the world around me roared with the force of a thunderclap.

"Gah!"

Pain seared through me. My eyes burned, and my ears screamed, struggling to shake off the echo of the blast that bounced inside my skull like a basketball. No matter how much I wanted to block out reality, the acrid stench of sulfur wouldn't let me escape.

I blinked rapidly, fighting to regain my sight. Another second of staring, and I might've gone blind…

What the hell was that?

Did a damn lightning bolt just strike out of… nowhere?

My thoughts ground to a halt as my vision cleared, and I finally saw the ethereal—or rather, what was left of it.

Two.

The cursed thing had been sliced clean in half.

The remnants of its upper body were already dissolving into stardust. But what struck me was the precision of its demise. This wasn't the work of brute force. No. It was safer to say it had been cut down with cold, calculated lethality.

That same coldness crept up my spine as I traced the source of this incomprehensible scene.

Before me stood an unfamiliar figure, poised in front of the ethereal's remains. Their sharp metal blade crackled with faint blue arcs, identical to the flash from moments ago.

Their green attire made me think, for a fleeting second, that this was another monster—one so ruthless it didn't even spare its own kind. But… no. It couldn't be. Despite their intimidating presence, they lacked the raw malice and dread that those wretched creatures seemed to exude by merely existing.

And when they looked up, all doubt vanished.

A pair of amber eyes, their hue rivaling the deepest honey, pierced my soul with an overwhelming intensity that stole my breath. There was no malice in those eyes, but no indifference either.

In that moment, it felt like staring into the void—and the void staring back.

"Anby! I'm glad to finally find you!"

The void, at the sound of a certain chatty robot's voice, seemed to soften, revealing a glimmer of humanity. That made me realize that, in front of me stood no monster. But a person.

A person, it seemed, that went by the name of Anby

Chapter Text

A name. A simple name that gave a human face to the girl standing before me. Her eyes, deeper than the ocean itself, flickered with genuine humanity at its mention. Her oppressive presence didn't vanish, but the fact that her gaze no longer pierced my soul at least let me catch my breath.

How could her mere presence carry such weight?

But more importantly…

Who the hell was that girl?!

I blinked, if only to try to process the whirlwind of thoughts racing through my mind. And when I opened my eyes again…

She was gone.

SWOOSH

A whistle made me snap my head to the side, coming face-to-face with another mangled ethereal, as if a chainsaw had torn through it. The traces of electricity buzzing from its remains only added another layer to the mystery of what the hell had killed it.

Wait, could it have been…?

Where is she?

I don't see her anywhere—

BANG

Billy!

The mystery of the invisible killer took a backseat in my mind, now replaced by the acrobatic android who gave the enemies no quarter with his bullets in a dazzling display of skill. Why couldn't he be like that all the time?

Though I probably wouldn't have as much fun with him if he were…

What was certain was that I couldn't stay there. Still. Hesitant. Vulnerable. So, almost by instinct, I ran toward him as fast as my legs could carry me, leaving behind the screams of the ethereals silenced by mysterious whistles.

I knew that by doing so, I was disobeying Billy's order to hold the enemies on that flank. I was even risking being attacked from behind. But…

I glanced back. Where there had been two corpses before, several mutilated bodies were now piling up in a macabre display. The few monsters trying to chase me were swiftly sliced by a blue flash without even noticing. It was as if the wind itself was killing them.

…Yeah, I think if I'd stayed there, I'd have ended up as shish kebab. Better to run and live than stay and die, right?

I kept moving, my heart pounding a mile a minute amid the relentless cacophony of death and chaos that gripped my soul like the tightest of ropes.

SWOOSH

Wind moving. To my right.

SLASH

Behind me. Too close.

THUD

Way too close!

ZAAAP

Was that a damn lightning bolt?!

I had no idea why Zeus had decided to start claiming souls left and right, but I sure as hell wasn't stopping to find out. The only thing I knew for certain was that the difference between living and dying lay in not letting the eye of the storm catch me.

"Behind you!" I shouted once I was close enough to Billy, getting his attention just in time for him to dodge a blade aimed at his head, counterattacking and killing the ethereal with a single shot.

"Buddy!" he shouted, emptying the barrel of his smoking gun before reloading it with expertise, trigger trick included. "I thought you were covering me back there!"

"I was going to! But, uh… let's just say things happened."

"Huh? Things like what?"

"Fast, invisible, and definitely very dangerous things."

Billy raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. I couldn't blame him. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on either. So instead of trying to explain, I gestured for him to look at the chaos unfolding behind me. At least that way I'd buy some time to figure out what was happening.

For once, reality decided to show me something I could actually understand. The place I'd come from was a mess, of course, but where there had only been death and destruction before, a trace of life still stood. Corrupted, terrifying, and aberrant, but life nonetheless.

It was an ethereal, bulkier than the others, swinging desperately at the air as if it had declared war on the universe itself. That, or the poor bastard was blind and couldn't even tell where its target was.

"You think it hasn't noticed we're here?" My voice was low, wary that the ethereal might somehow hear me and decide to strike back.

Of course, subtlety was nonexistent when you had someone like Billy by your side.

"Ho ho ho, that's my Anby!" he exclaimed with glee, his eyes shining brighter than a thousand stars in the night.

"At the risk of sounding like an idiot, who?"

"My partner, obviously!" he replied, bursting with energy. "Just look at her! Ohhh, I can feel my bolts twisting with excitement~"

Or maybe you're just rusting. Which wouldn't be good, actually…

I turned to Billy, who looked like he was about to explode from excitement over a movie only he could see. A little more, and he'd start manifesting comic book panels into reality.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with that big guy?" I couldn't help but ask. After all, watching such a monstrosity fight absolute nothingness was bizarre beyond belief. Like a mime who'd bought into his own act, trying to escape an invisible box.

"Man, the better question is what's about to happen to him."

"If you mean he's gonna tire himself out 'til he drops…" A thud on the ground, followed by a feral howl. Whether it missed or hit its imaginary target was a question I had no interest in answering.

"Come on buddy, you're talking like you're missing all the action! Oh, oh! Look at her, she's right there!"

"…Billy, that's a cloud of dust."

"Not the ground! Up! Look up!"

A normal person would've snapped, "Shut up, you're just spouting nonsense," and given him a smack on the back of the head. Too bad the concept of normal had left me the moment this day began.

So I sighed, letting myself get swept up in the current of surrealism. I looked up and—

…Why is there an unidentified flying object in the middle of the sky?

No, wait…

…It's someone.

A figure hovered several meters above the ground, almost motionless, right over the monster now roaring defiantly at its opponent. If I hadn't immediately recognized her feminine form, I would've thought a lightning bolt was falling from the sky.

Though, that did happen.

A deafening crash pierced my ears as the mysterious super-girl dropped at lightning speed, gravity itself aiding her attack. I barely had time to shield my eyes from the blinding flash that followed, leaving me momentarily blind.

"So fast!" was all I could manage to say. Calling it the fall of a thunderbolt would be an understatement.

A cloud of dust erupted from where the attack had landed. As it began to clear, the first thing I noticed were the shattered remains of a warning sign, coated in a sickly green substance like rust stains. You didn't need to be a genius to figure out what had happened to the beast.

But more importantly, it was the person slowly emerging from that curtain of smoke.

An upright, victorious stance… no. It would be more accurate to say the victor of that clash rose with an almost terrifying calm. A demeanor that could only be attributed to nerves of steel forged in the fiercest of flames.

Unfazed. That girl was utterly unfazed.

A demeanor in stark contrast to a certain superhero-loving machine.

"That's how it's done, Anby!" A pair of amber eyes turned toward us at the mention of her name. Though I couldn't make out her features clearly, I think it was safe to say—

SKREEEEE!

No!

My ears were filled once again with that gut-wrenching roar. This time, I didn't even need to turn—my body reacted before my mind could.

"Get down!" I shoved Billy hard, drawing a high-pitched yelp from him. I didn't even have time to register his reaction because I was next, hitting the ground in desperation. Pain and bitterness mixed as the impact forced dirt into my mouth. But that was a minor annoyance compared to what was in front of me.

A greenish blade slashed viciously at the spot where I'd stood just seconds ago, barely visible as a blur, piercing the concrete like it was paper.

Once again, death had come dangerously close to claiming me. And the worst part? I was starting to get used to it.

"Hey! Your turn!" I shouted at Billy, forcing him to look at me in the midst of his daze. I might've pushed him harder than necessary.

"Huh? Oh—yeah! I'm on it!" He sprang into action, drawing one of his pistols and aiming at the ethereal with determination. I covered my ears and shut my eyes, bracing for what was coming.

And then, the trigger clicked with a simple click.

SWOOSH

…Or at least, that's what should've happened.

Instead of the boom I'd braced for, what I heard was a whistle so brief I thought for a second my mind was playing tricks. But it couldn't be. The smell of sulfur now thick in the air made it clear that not a bullet, but something else had been unleashed.

I slowly opened my eyes, not really expecting anything comprehensible. Good call.

The void where that creature's head should've been crackled with sparks from every visible angle, as a damn sword was lodged firmly through both sides of its skull.

"What the hell…?"

A mix of recognizable and unrecognizable particles erupted as its 'core' exploded, unable to withstand the damage. The rest of its body followed, disintegrating into a vortex of stardust that burned my retinas.

The sword that ended it fell to the ground like a mere piece of metal, still crackling with a thunderous fury as if it had a mind of its own. I didn't even want to imagine what that thing must've felt when it died. Though it deserved it, to be honest.

"I'm starting to think these bastards love backstabbing…"

"Well, they're ethereals for a reason. The rules of a fair fight don't fit in their tiny little heads."

"Seriously, you're talking about fairness at a time like this?"

"The Starlight Knights must always act with fairness! That's justice!"

I sighed, too drained to deal with his masked-hero antics. Better to let him live in his own world… What happened with that girl anyways?

I turned my head, noticing the dust cloud had completely dissipated. All that remained was a massive black scorch mark where the white-haired girl supposedly landed. But no trace of anything else.

"Hey, Billy, do you know where—" Whoa!" I scrambled back, startled as the sword's owner materialized out of nowhere in front of me to reclaim her weapon.

When the hell did she appear?!

"The enemies were eliminated in two minutes and forty-five seconds. Thirty seconds could have been saved if my partner, Billy Kid, hadn't let his guard down in the face of danger." For the first time since she appeared, a calm, almost emotionless voice came from her lips.

Green outfit, swordswoman… I don't know why, but part of me expected her to be mute. Though she wasn't far off, given the almost robotic tone she spoke in.

Though Billy's a robot too, and he can talk, be expressive, act more human, and—ugh, forget it. Nothing makes sense in this place. No point thinking about it.

"Pfft, I didn't let my guard down…" Billy crossed his arms, clearly offended by the accusation. "I was just, uh… analyzing… the situation—yeah! That's it! Just checking if you needed help against that ethereal!"

I'd say you were fangirling, but sure. Say whatever you want.

"Assistance would have been more effective had you maintained focus on the remaining enemies." She turned to Billy, giving me her back. Her neutral tone didn't match the firm grip she had on her weapon.

Also… she's carrying some weird contraption on her back… Is that a motor or something?

Wait, so she's an android too?!

"Ha! Didn't you see how I was about to take down that bad guy?" Billy was quick to jump to his feet, hands on his hips, striking a dramatic upward gaze. New pose unlocked, I guess. "My girls and I were more focused than Nicole in the discount aisle!"

"Who?" I muttered, not entirely following the conversation.

"Though you're lying, Nicole does become a different woman when it comes to hunting deals…" She lowered her head, hiding what little I could see of her face behind her white hair. "Almost like the Wolf of Sixth Street."

"Anby, that's a movie."

"It's not a movie. It's the story of a young entrepreneur striving to rise through society by any means necessary. She even had the names of her collaborators and associates listed at the end of her odyssey."

"Anby, those were the credits."

"Of course. All those people deserved recognition for their contributions, significant or not."

Billy said something about secondary characters or whatever, but honestly, I wasn't listening. Not to either of them. My attention was drawn to the scene around us.

…It was completely empty.

You'd expect a nightmarish encounter with creatures that seemed to spawn nightmares would result in a constant fight for survival. If it weren't for Billy being genuinely good at what he does, we'd be nothing more than two names—sorry, he'd be just a name on a casualty list. I'd probably be written off as some random loss.

Assuming, of course, there was still a society out there to keep track of such things. I hadn't yet asked him about the supposed world outside this hell…

"…And the Starlight Knights are definitely not just some fictional movie!"

Speaking of the devil…

I don't know when Billy had stood up, but his serious expression made it clear that whatever he was talking about was deeply important. At least to him.

Anby seemed to bring a hand to her chin, as if pondering her next words.

"I respect your taste in entertainment, Billy. I really do. But, unlike you, I find it hard to believe a group like that could actually exist."

"But they do exist! In my little metal heart, they'll always have a super special place~" He pressed both palms to where his heart—or motor, or whatever—was, winking like some kind of idol.

…Was it my imagination, or did his hands actually make a heart-emoji effect?

"I thought Monica was the one with a special place in your heart. Should I tell Nicole your collectibles are up for auction, then?"

"NO! I LOVE THE KNIGHTS AND MONICA EQUALLY!" Holy—what a scream… "Please don't tell the boss! It took me forever to find that limited-edition cherry blossom perfume…"

Ignoring that last bit, that's the second time I've heard this Nicole mentioned. Is she a friend or something?

"If you want proof of how much I care about both, you can ask my buddy right here!" And just like that, I was dragged into the conversation by the android's pleading hand, his eyes locked on mine.

…Wait, was I supposed to respond?

The Starlight Knights were completely alien to me, and whoever this Monica was went way beyond my comprehension. Was it too late to turn around and pretend I never met him?

"Billy, I think you're starting to lose it. There's no one there who—" Anby's calm voice cut off abruptly when she turned, and for the first time since things calmed down, our eyes met.

But that exchange of glances was anything but friendly. No. It was more accurate to say it pierced my soul. An intensity I'd briefly appreciated when—

…When she sliced through the ethereal in front of me.

…

…Shit.

"Billy, stay alert. There's still a corrupted human."

"Huh? No—Anby, wait—"

Billy's anguished cry was the last thing my ears caught before, in an instant, a metallic flash shot through the air, heading straight for—

Oh, shit—Duck!

SWOOSH!

The sword's whistle echoed ominously, barely giving me time to move and avoid a certain, bloody end. I couldn't even see when she launched at me!

Move. I had to move—

"Ugh!"

A sharp pain erupted in my chest, forcing all the air out of my lungs. The crazy ninja had kicked me with her heel, not even giving me a chance to react.

Saying I flew would be an exaggeration, but it sure felt like it. My groans of pain—not just from the blow but from the concrete scraping my skin—mixed with the fear of imminent danger. Both were in a fierce contest, vying for the prize of my suffering.

I couldn't breathe. Or maybe I could and didn't realize it. I didn't know. I had no idea why my life was in danger again. All I knew was I had to move. She'd catch me. I had to run. Get far away—

THWACK!

My throat trembled with what was probably a scream as something hit my face hard. I clutched my nose with both hands. It hurt. It hurt like hell.

Am I bleeding?

I have to be bleeding.

It can't hurt this much without blood. There can't be blood without pain.

I shouldn't still be conscious to feel this.

I wish I wasn't.

Hurried footsteps approached, but that's all they were. Footsteps. My vision wasn't with me at that moment. Not when pain was the only thing invading all my senses. Or had I lost my eyes and not realized it?

No… it couldn't be. The world was a mess of fog and scattered, intense sensations, but the colors flooding my vision couldn't be the product of blindness.

Especially when that blur of green grew larger. The footsteps grew louder as it approached. It was her, wasn't it?

Just as dangerous—no, more dangerous than an ethereal. She was coming at the speed of light, ready to end my existence.

Pain, fear, panic. All those emotions chained me like invisible shackles. I was going to die. That was clear. But my mind hadn't fully registered the idea yet.

I didn't even have time to react when the blue gleam of her sword came down firmly toward my neck—

"STOP!"

…And just like that, the blade that was inches from slicing my head off stopped mere centimeters from my neck. It crackled and roared, as if protesting against a force holding it still.

A force in the shape of an android.

Slowly, I could make sense of the scene before me. A metallic hand had grabbed my executioner's arm just before she could finish her attack. I had to thank whatever god was up there for such divine intervention.

"Billy, may I ask why you're stopping me from eliminating the enemy?" That dry, empty, emotionless tone sent a deep shiver down my spine. Especially the way she referred to me.

Not a person. Not an individual.

Enemy.

"He's not an enemy! He's human! I'm telling you!" Billy protested against Anby's grip, struggling to keep her still.

"A corrupted human, Billy."

"But he's still conscious!"

"What are you talking about? Once ether corruption transforms you, there's no way to—"

"Yeah yeah you turn into a mindless monster blah blah blah. But look at him!"

Through her struggle to overpower Billy, she looked at me with nothing but an intense stare. It was barely perceptible, but her pupils quivered with a faint, constant motion, as if analyzing me like some carnival attraction.

I couldn't decide if that was better than being considered an enemy.

Her deadly eyes left me, now turning to the android holding her back. "No matter how you look at it, to me, he's just another ethereal."

"And I'm telling you he's not… So just… stop… with that!"

Out of nowhere, Billy showed an unexpected burst of strength. With a single push, he shoved Anby away, forcing her to keep a considerable distance from us.

He's strong… He did the same to me when we met in the train car… How the hell did I got the upper hand back then?

I don't know why, but my hand moved unconsciously to my forehead. A bump was forming…

"Billy, can you explain why you're defending this monster? Don't you see the corruption has nearly taken over his entire body? Or have your optical modules malfunctioned?" Somehow, Anby's tone grew more impatient, though her face still showed total disinterest.

It's like her entire being is a walking contradiction…

Billy, still acting as a wall between that lunatic and me, raised a finger with an air of dignity before responding. "Number one: my eyes are fine, and I just had maintenance, thank you. Number two: I'm fully aware he looks like a monster, but I swear on my holy motherboard he's not dangerous!"

"The part about looking like a monster was unnecessary!"

Anby pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, for once showing an emotion other than neutrality. That couldn't be good.

"Don't you know there are ethereals capable of mimicking human appearance and speech? That you're defending this one just because you don't think it's dangerous…" Her words stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as if she'd just had an epiphany.

"Oh, of course. Now it makes sense."

Billy and I could only respond with a simple "Huh?" to her statement. What made sense now? Had she figured out something we hadn't?

And why… why did I suddenly feel a murderous intent radiating from her?

To my misfortune, that sixth sense for danger was right again. With a movement too fast to see, Anby drew her sword, arcs of electricity dancing along the blade.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!" Billy stumbled back in desperation, completely losing his defensive stance to wave his hands in front of him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"If you're defending this ethereal so much," she muttered, raising her blade toward the increasingly terrified gunslinger, "then that means you are just an impostor posing as my partner."

"That's clearly insane! No one could replicate someone as awesome as me! Let alone an ethereal!"

His words fell on deaf ears as Anby shot a murderous glare our way. With terrifying precision and elegance, she crouched and readied her sword, poised for the assault.

I, of course, had the most logical, human, and reasonable reaction to the situation.

Holy mother of God, do we really have to fight her now?! This has to be a damn joke!

This girl took out an entire army of beasts single-handedly—how the hell are we supposed to beat her?!

The anticipation of imminent death made my ears ring with ferocious intensity. The sensation of my heart pounding against my chest was only matched by a drill boring into my back.

Billy wasn't faring much better. Though his trembling seemed almost comical, the fear was palpable in every inch of his face. If eyes were poems, Billy's would tell the story of a man trapped among wild wolves.

I had to do something. Anything. Because if a fight broke out, our heads would be rolling.

"H-Hey! There's no need for us to fight each other!" The knot in my throat barely let me speak. I had to summon every ounce of strength from my trembling body just to force the words out. "I say we calm down, talk a bit, and—"

…But my pathetic attempt at negotiation dissolved as Anby, out of nowhere, vanished into thin air.

The shock that ran through my body was indescribable, threatening to make my legs give out at any moment. That same trick, though I'd seen it before, never ceased to amaze—

My thoughts were cut off instantly, as if the missing piece of a puzzle had clicked into place in my mind.

This wasn't the first time Anby had used that disappearing trick. I'd seen her do it multiple times during her massacre of the ethereals.

She attacks, then reappears…

And the place she always reappears…

…Is somewhere in front of her.

Every fiber of my being vibrated with adrenaline, forcing me to act immediately.

"WATCH OUT!"

My voice, laced with the urgency of my own desperation, pierced the tension in the air, grabbing the attention of a startled Billy. Guided by pure instinct, I lunged at him.

"Buddy now's not the time for hugs!" he protested, as if he couldn't tell I was trying to save his damn life.

"What are you—Get down, you idiot!"

I took matters into my own hands, and with every bit of strength in my body, I tackled Billy, fully intent on bringing him down with me.

SWOOSH!

The whistle of death sliced through my ears once again. And I was getting damn tired of dealing with that shit.

Billy's hard, metallic body cushioned my fall as best it could, so the impact was the least of my worries. And though he seemed dazed by the hit, at least I'd managed to save him from the lunatic who was now just a few meters away.

"…" The newly appeared Anby turned her eyes toward us. She seemed minimally surprised to have missed her attack.

"H-Hey! This isn't funny, Anby! Lower your weapon! It's me, your old pal Billy! B-I-L-L-Y!" He shouted desperately, even taking the time to spell out his own name.

"That you know about the Starlight Knights is a coincidence," Anby slowly rose from her crouch, readying her sword for another strike. "But that you also know Monica makes one thing clear…"

"That I have refined taste, and therefore I am the real Billy?"

"…That you've absorbed the memories of my partner, Billy Kid, and planned to attack me from behind before escaping the Hollow with this corrupted human, ready to unleash chaos on all of New Eridu."

Her words, devoid of any individuality or distinguishing traits beyond monotony, signaled that her mind was made up. This girl—or rather, this lunatic—was clearly out of her mind if she suddenly decided it was a good idea to attack her own partner.

"Hey! You better stop right now!"

Her eyes flicked to me after my interruption. Honestly, the darker part of me expected her to lunge straight for my head, but instead, she raised her free hand, brought it to her head, and…

…Pressed the button on her right earpiece.

"Note for future investigators: it appears impostor ethereals exhibit unusual camaraderie when one of their own is in danger. Proceed with caution if encountered in groups."

"…What?"

I glanced at Billy, but his expression radiated the same confusion. If even the king of eccentricities couldn't make sense of the situation, I wasn't going to fare any better.

"Ignoring the nonsense I just heard… don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?" I stood up slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves. The last thing I needed was for her to think I was about to attack.

"Jumping to conclusions? I'm only trying to protect myself and all of humanity from the growing catastrophe of impostor ethereals. If you surrender and tell me their plans, I'll let your ally go free."

"Anby! We've been over this—it was just a movie!"

"Documentary. And don't talk to me like you know me, fake Billy."

I brought a hand to my head, feeling a migraine threatening to surface. Why was I stuck playing mediator between these two? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

"Listen, I don't know where the hell you're getting this crazy talk about 'impostors' and 'plans to eradicate humanity.' But I swear to God, the robot—"

"Android."

"—Android by my side isn't one of those things. Didn't you see him fighting them?"

"There have been cases of territorial ethereals fighting each other, like in the Dead End Hollow. It wouldn't surprise me if it's the same here."

"God, you're stubborn…" Words alone weren't going to calm her down. Maybe I needed to use her own logic against her. Even if the idea wasn't exactly appealing…

"What about me?" I took a step forward, trying to stay steady under her threatening glare. "Just look at me—I'm practically one of those things. And yet, you don't see me attacking either of you like some headless chicken."

Unlike you, who didn't even bother trying to talk like a normal person…

Being forced to use my particular situation wasn't pleasant, but it paid off. Anby's suspicious eyes finally seemed to crack, a sliver of doubt taking root.

"…You're right about that, I suppose… Hey," with a soft call, she stopped looking at me and focused on the automaton beside me. "If you're really Billy, then answer: when's Nicole's birthday?"

"…What?"

"Answer," she immediately raised her blade toward Billy again, ready to strike. "Or I won't miss next time."

"Eeeeek!" Like a scared kid, Billy scurried to hide behind me pathetically. I let out a sigh. If I'd felt a migraine coming on before, now I was sure it was going to hit…

"Just answer her and let's get this over with." I turned back to Anby. If looks could kill, she'd have already torn me to pieces and tossed them into the ocean. "…And make it quick, please. The less time she glares at me like that, the better."

The nearly two-meter-tall android, who definitely didn't look scared hiding behind me, grumbled some nonsense I honestly wasn't interested in deciphering. Almost reluctantly, he stepped out from behind me to face Anby head-on.

Let's see how this goes…

"Well?" the white-haired girl asked again, her grip on her sword tightening. "Nicole's birthday. Date. Now."

"Uh… November 11th?"

"…Is that a question or an answer?"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

…Well, that's where our luck ran out. I'd better turn around, because I'm pretty sure Billy's about to die.

"I see you are my partner then. What a relief… I'm so sorry for threatening you like that, Billy."

Oh my fucking- forget it. I'm not going to try to make sense of this. Better just let this story play out.

The surreal absurdity of Billy's dumb response somehow saved his life. Anby slowly lowered her sword, for the first time showing a smile that replaced her professional poker face.

Billy, true to form, reacted by throwing himself at Anby's legs, hugging them like a helpless child. Tears included. Or oil, in his case.

"ANBYYYYYY!" he wailed, God knows if from relief or fear. "Don't ever scare me like that again! You could've left the world without my marvelous presence! Or worse—left the Starlight Knights fan club without its number one member!"

"There, there… I'm sorry for that." Anby whispered while patting his head. I repeat, surreal beyond belief.

Though it did leave me with one small question…

"Is there really a Starlight Knights fan club?"

My naivety, curiosity, and stupidity culminated in a thought that was supposed to stay in my head slipping out of my mouth. That only drew the attention of both people in front of me. One of them, ready to launch into a thesis about the entire lore of his favorite fictional work.

The other, a lunatic who, of course, wasn't going to let me off so easily.

"You," she muttered, with a firmness and tone unbefitting a girl with such a delicate appearance. "It's clear the ethereal corruption has reached critical levels in you, but from what I see, you still retain a last shred of humanity. Stay still, and I promise I'll give you a quick and painless end."

"Stay still and die? If I wanted that, I would've let you slice our heads off earlier." My voice wavered as my feet shuffled back. Her words were unsettling enough, but the slight raise of her sword added another layer of stress to the situation.

Painless death… by electrocution and decapitation. Sure, and pigs fly.

Trying to run would've been the most logical option, but also the riskiest. Having seen what Anby was capable of and her inhuman speed, trying to flee would've been serving myself up on a silver platter. At that point, there was only one thing that might still save me.

"Anby, for the last time, he's not an enemy!"

That thing, of course, was Billy.

The aforementioned android had once again become my shield, arms outstretched and stance rigid like a tower. Somehow, the boar etched on his jacket seemed even more intimidating than before.

In front of him, Anby stood silent and analytical. A trait I was starting to believe was the most terrifying part of her being. Hard-to-read people are often the most dangerous, after all.

"Billy," her tone abandoned the calm she'd offered him moments ago, replaced by firmness. "What you're protecting, no matter how human it seems, is not an ally. It's an ethereal. A creature born of chaos whose sole purpose is the total destruction of humanity."

"Oh, come on, look into his eyes and tell me he wants to destroy us all!" Billy's response was emotional, stepping aside to point at me with arms wide open in one of his weird poses. "He's an angel compared to some people I know!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about me like I'm some carnival attraction…"

"What's that?"

"Nothing. Nothing…"

"Silence. I'll decide that for myself."

…!

I was forced to bite my tongue, now exposed once again to Anby's scrutiny. Her legs moved toward me, stopping just centimeters from my face. Her poker face made it nearly impossible to tell what was going through her mind.

Decide? Decide what? Whether I was a threat or not? Call me apathetic, but having my life depend on the moral compass of someone who tried to kill her own partner wasn't exactly reassuring.

I wanted to back away, to get as far from her as possible. At this distance, if she decided to attack, no god would save me from certain death. I was prey to my own panic, frozen like a small animal about to be run over.

Beside her, Billy watched the situation expectantly. He seemed ready to intervene if things went south, but… at that distance, would he be able to stop an attack from Anby?

I didn't know, but the fact that he raised both thumbs with hopeful eyes was somewhat reassuring.

I let out a heavy sigh, turning my attention back to the person in front of me. Cold amber eyes stared back. The same murderous gaze that was enough to make me tremble. How much longer would I have to endure this?

The seconds stretched endlessly, with the only sound being the anxious pounding of my heart. Such fear reminded me of my encounter with that first ethereal. That same sensation of knowing your life was at risk was soul-crushing. A stake through the soul, you could say.

But now… the situation was different, in a way. Back then, I was alone, scared, and confused. Not to say I wasn't still those things, but if I could still stand my ground and hold steady in this silent battle of wills… it was because I had hope.

Hope for what, exactly? No idea. But I'd come too far to let myself be dragged back into that abyss.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, trying to channel that strength through my eyes. Anby's brow furrowed slightly, as if she hadn't expected such a sudden shift in attitude. This close, I noticed that though I was slightly taller, she still carried the air of an unyielding soldier.

"…" Absolute silence, not a single word left her lips. Her eyes didn't leave mine, glowing with an amber hue so intense that, if I focused enough, I could almost see the reflection of the sun in them.

Wait… that wasn't just the sun's glow. There was something else. A faint, almost imperceptible light. Two emerald irises, hovering above everything. Almost invading Anby's own vision—

Oh.

Of course that…

…That's the reflection of my eyes, isn't it?

Amid all the doubt and uncertainty about my own identity, it hadn't dawned on me until now that I couldn't even recall my own appearance. Since this whole mess began, I'd never had the chance to so much as glance at my face. There'd been no room for such a need.

But now… even if it wasn't the ideal setting, I'd be lying if I said something inside me didn't feel a slight relief at that image.

If only because it gave me a minimal trait to identify myself with.

"Hey, not to interrupt, but are you two planning to stare at each other all day or…?"

"H-Huh?" Suddenly, I felt yanked out of my own mind and back to reality. In front of me, Anby stood rigid. Or… tense. I wasn't sure how to describe the feeling.

"…I've finished my analysis." After what felt like an eternity, Anby's soft voice echoed in my ears. Her words, on the other hand, were a bit harder to grasp.

"Analysis? Wait, so you were just staring at me like an idiot—Eep!" I immediately took a step back, instantly regretting even uttering those words.

Anby shot me another murderous look, though somehow less sharp than before. "Just because I've decided you can live doesn't mean I fully trust you."

"Relax, I already figured that out…" I said, defeated, never taking my eyes off the subtle way her hand hovered over the hilt of her now-sheathed sword. At least she wasn't pointing it at me. That's something.

"Listen, I have my own reservations about your nature. You walk the line between human and ethereal, and if movies have taught me anything, that kind of limbo can be either very good or very, very bad." Her green sneakers scraped the ground lightly as she stepped closer, her face expressionless yet somehow serious. "I suggest you explain your story. With flashbacks, if possible."

"…That last part's gonna be tricky."

"Oh…" For a moment, Anby's expression shifted to… disappointment? As if she'd genuinely expected a black-and-white montage of my life. "In that case, words will do for now."

"Wait a second…" I took another step back, trying to maintain some distance by any means. Her not holding her sword didn't mean I was out of danger. "You're just letting me go, just like that? Sorry, but after your extreme distrust earlier, it's a bit hard to believe you'd show mercy after simply staring at me."

"You even doubted me, the great Billynator! That wasn't cool!"

Billy decided to sprinkle in his two cents. Anby and I mutually agreed the best move was to systematically ignore him.

"I never said I trusted you. As I mentioned, I still think you could be a monster trying to gain sympathy with your human traits. Same goes for Billy."

"You're just saying that to mess with me now!"

"But if that's the case, what made you change your mind?" I addressed Anby again, unsure whether to step back further or stay still to avoid disrespecting the apparent mercy she was offering.

"…Your eyes."

"…What?"

"It's hard to explain, but the look in someone's eyes before they turn into an ethereal is always the same: dead and empty, like a lifeless body."

"How do you—"

"But you…" She continued, her stern gaze sharpening with each word. "Even with clear signs of corruption, there's something in your eyes that's completely different from what I'd expect from someone in your state."

"And that is?"

"Fear. That's what I saw in your eyes."

"…!" My breath caught, as if my lungs had frozen solid after being forced to inhale a blizzard. Those words, coming from someone I barely knew, had a catalytic effect on me.

Fear?

Is that what sets me apart from other corrupted humans?

It was one of those questions that should have an obvious answer but eluded you. I clenched and unclenched my hands, hoping it might help me grasp some impossible truth.

But… honestly, that wasn't so different from what Billy had told me earlier.

"But back to the subject... I'm telling you all this because you're too human to be an ethereal, you know? Even if your appearance says otherwise, your face is another story entirely."

"What?" I couldn't help but bring a hand to my face, and the surprise I got when I felt the wetness on my fingers was immense. I was crying. The warmth of those tears generated a total contrast with the coldness that painfully embraced my fingers. Even their salty taste had managed to seep into my dry lips. I hadn't even noticed when I started to cry.

Was it out of desperation, impotence, or because my body couldn't take it anymore?

…He said the same thing, about seeing me as human simply because he saw me cry.

And now Anby…

I hadn't even noticed that I'd been staring at the ground this whole time. Maybe it was just a reflex to escape reality.

Slowly, I raised my gaze. Anby stood perfectly still, as if waiting for me to say something at any moment. She still seemed tense, but the murderous aura had dissipated, giving way to something closer to neutrality or patience. Her face… well, for someone who usually said nothing with her expression, this time it spoke volumes.

…Tears… fear…

Humanity rooted in traits that should make me weak…

God, it made me feel so useless. That my survival hinged on qualities like those.

I let out a long, heavy sigh, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease slightly. At this point, continuing to see her as an active threat didn't make sense anymore.

"…Thank you," I said, my voice raspy as if I'd swallowed a desert, but my words carried genuine gratitude.

She clearly hadn't expected that response, as her brow arched in confusion. "What's the thanks for?"

"It's complicated to explain. Let's just say I'm grateful, and you can accept it."

"I don't understand…"

"Agh, just say 'you're welcome' and move on!"

To both our surprise, Billy—who I'd genuinely forgotten was still there—slung his long arms around our necks, forcing Anby and me to share personal space. My face felt oddly warm for some reason…

"Anyway, I'm thrilled you two reached an agreement! Now that we're all pals, how about we sing a song to celebrate this union?"

"Billy…" To my shock, a rare embarrassed expression crossed Anby's pale face. Though there was some discomfort in her voice, she made no real effort to pull away. "I still don't fully trust him. For all I know, he could still be an impostor trying to—"

"Enough impostor talk—let's talk about cannelloni instead!"

"…"

"…"

Absolute silence. Neither Anby nor I had any response to the nonsense that had just come out of the android's nonexistent mouth. Hell, a cricket even started chirping in the background. And there weren't even crickets in this place!

"Ugh, tough crowd. Guess rhyming's not my thing…"

"'That was a rhyme?'" A hint of naivety colored my voice. If *that* was Billy's idea of rhyming, he had a long way to go in the world of improvisation.

"It sounded better in my head, to be honest…"

"If you want to rhyme without a hitch, try my music playlist for a switch," Anby chimed in, apparently trying her hand at improvisation too.

"Okay, that was already better than Billy's…"

"Hey! Mine was plenty clever too!"

"Stringing random words lacks any flair; practice your rhymes, then we'll compare."

"Now you're just piling on to mock me!"

I couldn't help but burst into laughter as Billy squeezed us tighter, playfully ruffling my hair with clear childish mischief, accompanied by his own chuckles.

"B-Billy… I think we should… focus on the mission…"

"Huh?" Both Billy and I halted our little squabble to look at Anby. Her pale face was faintly tinged with red. If we hadn't been so close, I might not have noticed.

"Mission?" Billy asked, only to immediately release me (the jerk let me fall…) and start fidgeting nervously. "Damn it! I was so caught up being awesome that I forgot we had to retrieve the safe!"

"Safe? Wait—don't tell me it's the box I—"

"Nah, not at all." He waved a hand to dismiss my concerns. "The one we're after is smaller. Like a glass tumbler's box."

"Does it have anything to do with that gang you mentioned earlier? The… Red Fang Gang or something?"

"Those are the ones!" He exclaimed, throwing finger guns at me with a knowing look.

"Hey," Anby stepped in, carrying a more serious tone when compared with Billy. "Remember, we also need to meet up with Nicole as soon as possible. Without a carrot to guide us, I'm afraid it'll be tricky to navigate properly."

There's that carrot thing again. Are they all vegans around here or what?

"You're absolutely right! But this is where my great and dear buddy here comes in!" With a grand gesture, I was once again presented like a carnival attraction to Anby.

"…And what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, this is usually the part where you show off some awesome skill to guide us through the Hollow and save the day. Duh."

"There's no 'duh' here." I stood up slowly, facing him head-on. "Special skill? The only special thing about me is that I'm a walking lightbulb—huh?"

To my surprise, the greenish glow that had stained my arms with the same hue as ethereal blood had vanished, my skin reverting to its more 'rocky' appearance, for lack of a better word.

"This is weird…" I muttered, unable to stop wondering when the glow had disappeared and whether that was a good thing or not. I didn't even feel anything change, compares to when the glow started.

Billy mentioned something about ether pressure at that time… maybe that was the cause of it?

"Huh, looks like you lost your power-up…" Billy rubbed his chin, eyeing my now-dull arms with curiosity. "Guess it's one of those things you'll need long training and one or two story arcs to control."

"Understanding what you're saying would be a blessing, seriously…"

"Enough pointless chatter." Anby made her presence known again, stepping closer. I could've sworn her eyes lingered on my arms for a split second before she continued. "Billy, we have a mission to complete and a safe to recover. Every second we waste lowers our chances of successl. And as for you…"

I stiffened as she addressed me. I had to swallow hard, if only to avoid looking like a kid caught in the act.

"Since I still don't know your true nature and you don't have my full trust, I have reservations about letting you tag along. But Billy trusts you, so I'll keep you under close watch. If you do anything I find suspicious…"

Without finishing her sentence, she stepped forward, turning her back to us. Her hand moved slowly to the hilt of her sword, and then…

"…I'll eliminate you without hesitation," she concluded, not even glancing back. Her tone sounded more like a verdict than a warning.

Great, no pressure then.

A light nudge hit my side. It was Billy, his eyes gleaming with a grin before he leaned in close with a secretive air. "Chill, buddy, you'll win her over in no time. Promise."

"Oh, yeah?" I replied, skeptical. "Because it feels like she just wants me dead."

"Pfft, nonsense! If that were true, you and I wouldn't be having this chat!"

"That's not comforting at all!"

"Anyway!" With that declaration, Billy leaped forward in a heroic bound, mimicking some superhero, I assumed, before turning to Anby. They started talking, but I couldn't catch a word.

So… somehow, my life had gone from being in danger, to being saved, to being in danger again, and now back to being safe.

My God, would this crazy day ever end?

And to top it off, a new member had joined this little group I'd somehow become part of.

My whole body slumped, as if the weight of my entire life was making a Herculean effort to drag me to the ground. It was tempting, but I'd come too far to give in now.

Besides… if there was anything I could salvage from all this, it was that I finally had something small to identify myself with.

…Heh, who would've thought my eyes would be green…

And so, with a firm step, I approached the two, ready to follow them to God-knows-where, mentally rehearsing the day's events to give Anby a summary.