Chapter Text
“Lumi, stop it. You have to do this. We all do.”
“It’s very quick. You won’t feel a thing once it’s over.”
Mom and Dad held my hands as tightly as they could. I was sandwiched between them as they walked me towards the huge, monstrous machine. Everyone on the island was lined up, stepping inside one at a time, and coming out the other end as a robot soldier.
I didn’t fully understand what was happening then. I was just a kid. All I knew was that our home was soon to be under attack, and our only chance of defending ourselves was to become living weapons.
Up until then, Starry Island was completely isolated. No one ever left, because as far as anyone knew, there was nothing else out there. Just endless ocean.
That all changed the day Dr. Eggman showed up.
He wasn’t a moth like us. He was big, towering, and scary. But he wasn’t the one threatening our island. Instead, he’d come to warn us.
Out across the sea where he came from lived a beast. A creature so powerful, so unstoppable, and unbelievably fast. “Speed Demon” is what he called it. A destructive force of nature that sought only to leave the world in ruin.
While we remained hidden, it was only a matter of time before the monster found us. Eggman told us we had two options: let it destroy us all, or let him give us the means to fight back.
The choice was obvious. We were all terrified of the demon and wanted to protect our home. It was a sacrifice that everyone felt was necessary. Besides, Eggman assured us the roboticization process was safe, and it would only make us stronger.
And yet, for reasons I didn’t understand, the thought of becoming a robot scared me just as much as the demon.
We approached the front of the line. It was almost our turn. I’d spent the entire time struggling, but my parents kept me restrained. The entrance to the machine took up my field of view. It felt like I was staring into the jaws of a monster.
Panicked, I flapped my wings as hard as I could, catching my parents off guard and forcing them to let go. Not wasting a single second, I took off.
I wasn’t able to get very far. My wings were still growing in. Mom caught up to me, escorting me off behind a pile of rubble.
“Lumi, please, I know you’re scared. I am too. But if you don’t go through with this, the Speed Demon will kill you. Come back with me. We’ll go through together, okay?”
At that, I broke down crying.
“I-I can’t!! I can’t do it!!”
“Shh… take it easy. Someone might hear.”
Mom pulled me close, running her hand through my antenna.
“Lumi… are you really sure you can’t?”
I nodded, sniffling as I buried my face in her chest.
“Okay. I have an idea. Come with me.”
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she led me to another pile of debris, where she dug out an empty husk of a roboticized citizen.
“I found this yesterday and I’ve been studying it in secret to figure out how it works. It can be worn like armor, all of the weapons still work, and you’ll look exactly like the others. But… just know that if you do this, you’ll have to blend in perfectly. They’re programmed to target any organic life, not just the demon. Don’t let them see you without your armor, don’t show any emotion, and don’t do anything that could give you away. So… what are you going to do?”
Even then, I knew it would’ve been easier to just get roboticized. But I was terrified. So, I chose the armor.
Mom hugged me one last time before we parted ways. It was the last show of affection I’d get from her. Or anyone, for that matter.
When she was gone, I put on the armor. It was heavy and clunky. I’d have to grow into it. Still, it was good enough to pass myself off as a robot.
I was relieved to find that the back of the robot husk had two slits for me to fit my wings through. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with them being crushed against my back. The others also still had their wings. There likely wasn’t a way to roboticize them without making them too heavy for flight.
The first few weeks were the hardest. I had way too many close calls. But once I’d gotten used to my new routine, I blended in seamlessly.
It hurt at first, seeing everyone I knew and loved completely devoid of emotion. After a while, I was sure I was going to break. Bottling up my pain had to come back to bite me at some point. But it never did. Instead, over time, I stopped feeling much of anything. I had become the robot I was pretending to be, numb to the bleak reality I’d been stuck in for so long. This was routine. This was normal.
Every day was the same. I’d participate in every drill, keeping my mind and body strong for the day the beast came for us. I’d sneak off at certain times to scavenge for food and water. Supply was low with the entire population being roboticized, but I made sure to ration it out so I could last as long as possible. By the end of the day, I’d hide somewhere to sleep. I always slept in my armor. I couldn’t risk anyone finding me without it while I was asleep.
Years passed by, and nothing changed. We kept training, but the demon never came. It was all for nothing. We gave up our freedom for a threat that, for all we knew, didn’t exist.
But I no longer had the capacity for anger. This was what my life had become and there was no going back.
Though, deep down, I resented Eggman for taking over the island for no good reason, and I hated that Speed Demon for hiding on the sidelines, tormenting us by never showing itself.
If it was ever real to begin with, then it was even more cruel than we ever imagined. Toying with us and how much we feared it, forcing us to give up everything.
I doubted the thing would ever show up, but if it did, I wanted to be the one to bring it down. Make it suffer just as much as I did.
Little did I know, the day I’d face the demon was lurking just around the corner.