Chapter Text
A girl with her long, flowing white hair is dancing around the kitchen corner, singing while cooking at the same time, although she always has been cheerful, her pretty voice sounds particularly happier today.
Svarog knows the reason, according to the data that have been recorded in the past, he knows that his birthday, or at least that is what Clara decided to call the day when she met him, is coming near. Svarog doesn’t mind about the name and the day, yes, he is a robot, thus he does not feel any need for celebration of this day, but he knows that Clara feels very happy whenever this day comes, he just went with it.
The smile on her face, her heart rate, and how her deep red pupil moves clearly indicate Clara’s mood. All those details come from Svarog’s scanning feature, he relies on this feature to stimulate human emotion and use that information to decide which way he should react from dozens of stored reactions in his archive.
He, who has raised Clara from when she was a child, all the way up until now knows how significant of a role emotion plays in bringing up a child. But, Svarog was not originally designed for such a purpose. He does not have the necessary information to take care of anything, let alone a kid, so he can only fake his own reaction for Clara’s sake.
Svarog has to go ask for help from people all around Belobog, the city where he and Clara live, about many different things, from trivial matters like Clara clothes, to what to expect when puberty comes. And through his effort, Svarog has succeed in taking care of Clara, result in her has now become a ‘normal adult’
He felt like he had completed his quest from when he met Clara, to make her happy … that is what he thought until now.
His purpose for Clara upbringing has been accomplished, and greatly done at that, but now Svarog realizes.
He is about to die.
Actually, Svarog has taken some notice while living with Clara that some of his features have started to be downgraded, it started with something minor, like a broken cooling system or a defunct joint, most of which he can compromise and repair before Clara even takes notice.
But now, his energy core has finally, slowly coming to its end.
Svarog core is unique, produced by the old order of Belobog, he was created even before Cocolia Rand became Belobog’s Supreme Guardian, so it is natural that not any of the core remain up until now, and even if it is, Svarog doesn’t think he should continue to live with Clara.
Svarog has read many books in the library of Bronya, who’s now the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, and he finds that parents need to detach themself from their children in order for the children of them to grow and develop.
Of course, Svarog also understands that it is not necessary for the parents to die or abandon their kid, but with his situation and his end becoming clearer than ever, it is safe to assume that he will detach himself from Clara with his death.
Svarog doesn’t have any information of how Clara will react before his death. He wants Clara to go in the right path, but human beings - as Svarog noticed - are very unpredictable when faced with emotional attack, thus, he dare not to act without thinking.
He will have to prepare, all for Clara’s future.
Luckily, he knows people who have gone through such a tragic event, they can both guide him through what will happen and he can also entrust Clara to them.
“Mr.Svarog, where are you going ?”
Clara, poking her small head out of the kitchen asked before Svarog exit
“Just… some business to take care of”
“Please return before dinner ~!”
“Understood”
When looking at Clara's face, Svarog feels a strange sense of unease. But he brushed it off, maybe it is because of his core acting up again.
___________
Belobog street feels strangely empty today.
Of course, if you see the street of Belobog while the eternal freeze was still in action, you would say the street today is bustling with people, but ever since the eternal freeze got sealed, the state of the street has rarely been this quiet.
Walking through Belobog city, Svarog can see that winter has come and claim this place once again, but unlike the chilling, unfriendly nature of the eternal freeze, winter in Belobog has become gentler throughout the year.
The cold, survival-guided aesthetic of the city has now become softer with the warmth of the sun and the cooling breeze of Belobog atmosphere, making Belobog feel like a place worth living.
Of course, as a robot, all the air, the sunlight or the temperature can’t make Svarog feel any change, but he still hopes for it to be nice, for Clara to enjoy it.
“Sir Svarog! Do you have any business with the Supreme Guardian today ?”
The lively soldier call out for Svarog when he come close to the gate of the Administrative center of Belobog
Clara often visits Bronya and Seele - who is now a married couple - to talk about her new finding or discussing trivial matters with them. Basically, they can be seen as Clara’s sister. And Svarog often goes with Clara too, therefore, many soldiers working within the center naturally come to know Svarog.
“Yes, it is not an important matter, i can wait if the Supreme Guardian is currently busy”
“Oh no, don’t worry, I just ask for the sake of it. Mrs.Bronya and her wife are very free these days, and it's all thanks to Mrs.Clara's new invention.”
Naturally, parents should feel proud when they hear about their children's achievement, but Svarog, being a robot, cannot feel any of that. Whenever Clara achieves something worth proud of, Svarog can only copy others' actions, he can’t feel the emotion he should be feeling… But maybe its for the best, Svarog don’t know whether he can keep a straight face while knowing his time is coming in front of Clara or not
“Please, come in !”
The soldier said, gesture toward the gate-keeper to open the grand door
“Sir Svarog, it’s rare to see you coming here alone”
Going deeper inside the centre, Svarog saw Bronya, walking toward him in a nice, simple yet elegant white dress. Standing next to her is Seele, still wearing a costume that resembles her old one back in the day of the underground.
They both look noticeably more experienced, though years have passed since Svarog first saw them, they still have no wrinkles on their face.
“Where’s Clara ?”
Seele asked, looking around. Svarog knows, from his analysis, that Seele and Bronya are very fond of Clara, this makes him become even more certain that they can take care of Clara just fine, maybe even better than him.
“Greeting, Mrs. and Ms.Rand, Clara won't be with us today, as i have something to discuss in private with you”
“Ehhh ?”
“Seele, you are being rude”
Seele is known for her lack of reading room skill, even her love with Bronya bloomed a whole 3 years before she finally realized her feelings. But Bronya is the exact opposite, she immediately realizes, even when Svarog is a robot, that something is wrong.
“What’s wrong, Mr.Svarog ? If you need, we can move this conversation to my private room”
“That would be appreciated, Mrs.Rand”
“Seele, you can go play around while i talk”
“No way! He is interrupting our business, no?- Kagh !”
Before Seele could finish her sentence, her stomach took a “playful” hit from Bronya.
“I’d like to address this matter with both of you”
“Huh ? “
Of course, Seele would react like that, normally she is not suited for any formal meeting so whenever something like that is coming up and it is not too important or related to her, like politician banter, she will slip away.
“Please, have a seat”
As they all settled down, a mechanic maid came out of nowhere to serve them tea and snacks.
“That is a prototype of Clara new invention”
Seemingly noticed Svarog’s gaze on it, Bronya gave him a brief explanation.
So Clara has come this far, Svarog never has a chance to really look into what Clara's work is like, since he is busy with raising her and learning more information about taking care of a human being. Thus he only got notified whenever she made a groundbreaking discovery.
It’s good to know how far she has come, even if it is just a robot for chore, it is still one of Clara’s creations. Svarog decided to save his memory about this robot, to serve as a checkpoint of his memory about Clara.
“It’s good to see how far she has come, right?”
“It is, indeed”
Svarog give Bronya a light nod
“It’s fun to watch her, really, I was surprised by what she can create with those little hands!”
“Clara has many potential, she will definitely fly even higher in the future”
Afterward, Svarog heard all sorts of stories about Clara from the two ladies. He manually saved those memories into his archives, he doesn’t know why, but he felt like he needed to do it.
“Ahem! It seems like we went a little off-topic there, so, why are you here, Mr.Svarog?”
“I would like to request a … favor from Mrs. and Ms. Rand”
“Oh ?”
“Please take Clara as your adoptive daughter”
“Pfft!?”
“Cough!”
Immediately after his voice came out, Bronya and Seele both choked on their snack
“Hey! Are you out of your mind!? What are you talking about!?”
Right after, Seele is the first one to talk back to Svarog
“I believe this is the right and best choice to take for Clara’s future”
“What nonsense!? Do you know what you are talking about right now Svarog?”
“I do, Ms.Rand. You two are very fond of Clara and are a married couple, and I believe that Clara won't take much of your time since she has already grown up.”
“Mr.Svarog, did something happen between the two of you?” - Bronya asked
“Nothing in particular, at least not right now.”
“So why this all of the sudden ?”
“Clara needs emotional support, and someone to be her family.”
“Mr.Svarog, I believe that you are still performing your task as well as Clara's family, even if you lack emotion, not to mention, you have raised her from her childhood.”
“I also want you to adopt her because you have experience, Mrs. and Ms.Rand “
“Experience? Bronya, did you have a kid before I got to know you ? Because I sure don’t have experience in that field.”
“N-no ! What kind of person do you take me for !?”
“...”
Bronya blushed profusely when she heard Seele’s accusation, a soft, pink hue slowly appeared on her face while Seele kept smirking next to her.
No matter how he looks, this couple is really his best choice to become Clara’s next family, lively and sweet, they suit each other very well, his analysis also supports such a decision.
“I am talking about the experiences of losing parents, or your loved one.”
“What ?”
The couple freezed, bewildered by his words.
“I apologize for my rudeness, but according to my knowledge, both of you have lost your parents, so you will have the experiences needed to guide Clara through such an event.”
“Old Robot, what are you talking about?”
“Mr.Svarog?”
Based on her tone, it seems like Seele has noticed something was wrong. Bronya looks at Svarog, her gaze demanding an answer.
“I believe my life is coming to its end, so I need someone to take my place and take care of Clara.”
“W…wait, what?”
Bronya’s pearly pupils shaken, getting noticeably smaller
“Until recently, my core has been depleting, and the estimated time i have left, according to my calculation is … a little over my ‘birthday’ of this year”
“W-wait ! if it is your core that’s the problem, then can’t you just… recharge it or replace it with a new one”
“Mrs.Seele, i originally was born for the sake of my prior master - to be his bodyguard - so if you remove my core, you will just kill me faster, after all, a removable energy core only makes it easier for the other to exploit me. My core isn’t rechargeable as well, the unique design of it prevents me from doing that”.
“So you are… really dying ?”
“I don’t know how to joke, Mrs.Seele.”
“Mr.Svarog, have you told this to Clara ?”
“Negative.”
“I think she deserves to know it before us… “
“Negative, according to my analysis and simulated outcome, I should at least wait until my ‘birthday’ is done.”
“...”
Seele and Bronya’s faces go darker, still keeping their eyes on Svarog.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier ? We can find a way out of this, especially with Clara’s talent.”
“Affirmative, Clara has a chance to solve my core problem, given enough time and information.”
“So why!?”
“My core’s energy measurement unit has been destroyed during my battle with the Trailblazer, hence why I did not know its state up until now.”
“S-stelle did wha…?”
“It is a conflict that started with me, it’s not like she aimed for my core anyway, it is an accident.”
Svarog casually answers their question, his demeanor shows no sign of emotion he should have as a dying person. Well, he is a robot, after all.
“I don’t understand why you two need to react to such a degree ?”
“How can we not!?”
Seele yelled.
“Isn’t it normal to be sad when a friend of ours is dying?”
It seems like when it comes to mental fortitude, Seele has a better one. A few tears have dropped from Bronya’s eyes, and her heart rate is decreasing.
Seele’s facial expression is screaming the emotion of rage, but with Scavarog’s still keen cognitive feature, the small hint of sadness on her face cannot escape from his ‘eye’.
“To be described as a friend of yours is an honor, Mrs.Seele, but i don’t want both you and your wife to express such negative feelings. If you both have such negative emotions, I don’t think Clara’s mental health can be healed effectively after everything ends. I want her to move on as fast as possible. Being sad or depressed for a long time is out of the question for Clara’s growth.”
“Ugh… You can’t use Clara’s future to improve our emotions!”
“Then I just think that my death is natural, after all, I am pretty old.”
“That won’t help either …”
Mr.Svarog… you really.. don’t feel anything? About your Death?
“I haven’t accomplished my mission yet, so it can’t be called as good.”
“...”
“But, i “trust” you two and the people of Belobog that you can help me complete my task, to make Clara be happy in the future, for her to always be smiling, with or without me.”
After a while, when the emotions of Seele and Bronya have somewhat stabilized, Bronya spoke up:
“We will try our best… No, will definitely complete your task”
“Even without you telling us, we will care for her anyway …”
“Thank you “
Svarog stands up, bowing toward the couple.
“Svarog…”
“Yes, Mrs. Seele ?”
“You may not feel anything for your death but … I want to ask… What do you feel when you need to leave Clara like this ?”
“Seele?”
Bronya interrupted, she felt rude to ask such a question, but Seele did not respond, her gaze still lingering on Svarog.
“... I will take my leave “
He said, turning away from them.
“Seele! What was that question?”
“Svarog hesitated, he did not even answer my question.”
“...”
“He still has something he kept inside, it is either he doesn’t know about it, or he knows but doesn’t want to face it.”
“You don’t want him to keep it sealed ?”
“I don’t know what that is, is it good or bad, but i don’t think he can go in peace if he keeps that thing to himself.”
Seele seems to be strangely sensitive about other people's inner self too.
___________
Seele's question keeps coming up in Svarog’s mind, everytime he thinks about it, another wave of uneasiness can be felt, what is this…? Could it be his feelings ? No, Svarog is a robot, how can he feel anything?
Svarog unconsciously shook his head, a gesture a robot shouldn’t have.
Svarog still has more preparation that needs to be done for Clara, he needs to hurry up now.