Chapter Text
[It’s so dark, even from here.]
[This world is finally dying.]
[...]
[At least Niko is safe.]
There stood a multitude of purple hazy screens. A cat-like machine sat on top of the highest one. It observed something curiously. Beneath it laid The World, with its three regions. The machine’s eyes reflected a phosphorous glow. Its scarf floated in the zero gravity of its void.
The machines surrounding it hummed and chimed.
Someone— a villager was harvesting something. A type of crop perhaps? [It won’t be long until The World...] The machine said. It viewed any type of work as meaningless. [It was always meant to die, regardless of Niko’s action. Why even bother?]
It continued staring until something snapped within its circuits, The Tower. It had forgotten to fetch something.The recent corruption had distracted it from this for a very long time.
The machine never bothered to go down into the world, it only observed. So it closed its eyes— and suddenly, it floated just right above the floors of the Tower.
A quick jump and it landed swiftly on its little cat feet. The landing came with a soft thud, a small squeak escaped its mouth.
The metal creaked with each step. The machine now stood at the place where Niko broke the lightbulb. A purple hue painted the room, and a shattered bulb sat in front of it. The lightbulb that guided and saved Niko, the only thing even remotely real in this World.
Its excessive calculations stopped at the sight of the lightbulb. A little bit of peace and serenity was new to it. The machine felt its mouth curve into a faint smile. It knelt right in front of the bulb, and wrapped both of its arms around it, the glass cracking under its fabric.
The last thing Niko touched before leaving. Though only fragments remained, the machine cherished it more than itself.
But something was stuck processing in its circuits. It looked at the lightbulb, then at a window showing the Refuge. Niko would’ve loved to see the Refuge this high up.
A balcony was visible through a lone door. It had been unused for a long time. A dying city might look good from above.
Step-by-step, it walked towards the balcony.
It saw the entirety of The Refuge at this height. The city surrounded the machine at every corner, the environment around it transformed into a soft red. The air smelled different, even the ground beneath its feet was red from the unique phosphor the city used.
The edge of the balcony was a fine place to sit. The machine's feet dangled without a care in the world. But it didn’t stop the cold wind from interrupting this serene moment, it was much stronger higher up.
Almost every piece of loose clothing was getting pulled from behind it. Even after taking Niko’s form, the wind still pierced through the thick cloth.
Its hands wrapped tightly around its clothes.
It had lingered in this frigidness long enough, it was simply not worth it anymore. The machine yawned and stretched for a bit. Not like it needed to, it just felt natural to it.
An image appeared in its mind [Someone is playing right now.] There it saw a child, running about with a handful of red balloons. [What a waste of time.] It muttered to itself.
A priority was issued in its circuits. One of highest order. It had decided to go back and collect the remaining pieces of glass it left behind. It walked towards the door and went inside.
As the machine entered, it secured the door shut, sealing The Tower from the outside forever. The Tower had no use in the world anymore, it had done its role.
Now each step echoed throughout the dim chamber. As the machine walked around, it picked up the broken pieces, or the remnants of it at least and stared at them for a long time.
Something clicked— lit up from inside. It never even had something this special before. The machine shook its head and spun around flamboyantly. No one was around to see it anyways. It paced back and forth, practically bounced around the entire room, while also being careful to keep the lightbulb safe. It couldn't wait to use the lightbulb.
With the motion of its head, the machine levitated. Phasing through the ceiling walls, and ascended to the sky.
The machine closed its eyes and let go of the lightbulb and its pieces; The machine grinned quietly as the items simply floated alongside it.
In a matter of seconds, it accelerated. Piercing through the sky, walls of code could be seen in every direction. Until everything quieted down.
Bundles of glass hovered right beside the machine as it opened its eyes to its void.
The machine never really was expectant of anyone, it had all the power in the world, quite literally; But this day was special, it finally had it. The one and only lightbulb left in the world.
Even with all its power and control, it just simply couldn't create another. The story only allowed for one. Its sole function lay in the Savior using it and saving the world.
But the thought was useless to the machine. The story had already ended. If there was even a shroud of a possibility within its calculations, it still wouldn’t materialize another one.
A multitude of screens was formed in a curve-like shape before the machine, each one displaying a specific area in the World. But one stood out from the rest. A display with a lightbulb emanating with a yellow hue, something unique in this dark void.
It placed the shattered lightbulb and its pieces right in front of the screen.
Screens appeared and grew exponentially. The environment had transformed into brighter colors. It was as if the environment was completely energized, excited even.
The machine decided it had enough of all this noise.
A shockwave spread from the machine's hands, with only one clap, everything stood still. Its eyes could only focus on the bulb. The machine scooted over and sat in front of it, unknowingly smiling now as it did.
The yellow tinted screen shone greatly. Shining incandescently until solidified pieces of light circled the bulb. Its mouth opened agape.
Scattered shards circled around the bulb in unison. And a big wave of light shone over.
Before the machine even opened its eyes, it felt a warmth it never experienced before. It felt comfortable, something close enough to what Niko would've felt. Purring out of the nature of its form.
A lightbulb once broken, now reformed. An artificial light emanated from it. Cracks were still visible, but the warmth was all that mattered to it.
It opened its eyes and hugged the bulb with all its care and love in the world. Lingering much longer than it ever had. The monotone humming of the lightbulb filled the void. Its breath shook, then slowed. Until the lightbulb overshadowed its breath completely.
[I hope you’re safe Niko...] The machine spoke softly under the bright light.
After basking in the glow of the lightbulb, its hands gently pushed away. [But...] Its eyes panned across the dark, empty void. Only seeing bits and pieces of code. [Niko was supposed to use this to save...]
Creak
A sharp sound emanated somewhere in its void. Akin to a glass cracking under pressure, the sound grew stronger and stronger.
The machine jerked its head to its sides, finding nothing to be wrong in its surroundings. But a sharp sound still lingers, echoing throughout the void.
CRACK
Now it was impossible to shrug off— even with the relentless humming of the lightbulb, the machine couldn't simply ignore it and pass the sound as one minor corruption.
It gritted its teeth irritably, turning its body fully to analyze the cause of the sound. Its eyes panned everywhere— it was just a pitch black void like always.
Until finally, the machine's gaze met a crack in its void. A crack showing the world. Its circuits couldn't even identify what region it was at this distance. Brimming with curiosity, it leapt away from the bulb and landed on its feet, just in front of the crack.
Looking from above, it saw an outpost, a factory and multiple buildings.
It stared continuously at the buildings, it stared at the robots mindlessly traversing an almost dark area. The region's decline was really visible this time— It could hardly see the region in its entirety. It just looked like a blank space with dots. But that was hardly a problem for the machine's advanced eyes.
[I might be deteriorating faster than I thought... These robots can hardly even...]
A deep long sigh could be heard echoing throughout the void. Its back slumped over and gripped its clothes, but its hands let go of its tight grip. This world was too unimportant for the machine to be concerned about it.
[Did Niko really care for these... things?] It couldn’t even comprehend why Niko powered the robots in the first place.
Standing quietly in its void, it could only hear the distant humming of the lightbulb. Even its persistent allure couldn't push the machine to look back. Its eyes panned over and over the region displayed on the crack.
[Why...?] The machine spoke under its breath.
If it was any normal machine, its machinery would've been fried by the constant calculations it was performing in its mind. Phrases and commands contradicting each other at breakneck speeds. It held its head with both of its hands.
[One output. There’s only one way.]
It looked back at the lightbulb, the bulb, in return, filled the eyes of the machine. Painting it in a yellow glow.
And in that same act, it materialized in front of the artificial lightbulb. Wasting time for trivialities such as walking was redundant— yes, it had all the time in the world. But this output was too important to pass by and waste time on.
[Yes... If I go back.] The machine shuddered.
Trying to hide a smile no one could see, it could hardly contain a violent current building up in its body. Its hands and legs trembled uncontrollably. The machine couldn't care less, for it was going back to the world that it resented the most. To understand. For data. For Niko.
It looked at the bulb with such awe; Likened to a cat staring at a ball of yarn. It was going to use it to light the dying world once more.
[Thank you, Niko.] The machine held the bulb tighter.
A rift formed from behind it. A rift leading to the Barrens. It held the bulb just as Niko would've held it. And looked back one last time at its void.
It did not even know if the artificial lightbulb would work in the outside world. But it already made a promise in its memory. The machine would light the darker world just as the Savior did.
[I will keep this gift you gave me safe.]
It walked slowly, feeling the cold air pass by the rift. And once it looked around its surroundings, the environment had shifted once more.
There were a multitude of possibilities the machine created in its head. But no amount of simulation could recreate what the region looked like from up close.
It was dark, darker than before. The desolate wasteland felt unforgiving, unwelcome. Only feeling an empty breeze pass by its scarf. The light once illuminating the region was dimming. The blue phosphor could run out at any moment now.
There was no fixing it anymore, even with the Sun. Not that the machine wanted to anyways.
The sand crunched under its feet as it walked around the Barrens. It couldn't tell if it was seeing things. There were damaged robot parts scattered around it and even a robot's head at one point.
But it couldn't ignore it any longer.
The Tower. Overshadowing everything with its presence alone. A high black pillar in the middle of the World doesn't sound amusing when peered from above. But seeing this up close.
The machine couldn't help but smile. It could imagine how grandiose, how beautiful it would be to bask in the warm light of the Sun. And now, it was holding it in its hands. An artificial creation made by its very own power. Just the thought alone made its gait livelier.
[The World would be so warm if the Sun was there...]
Though the thought crossed its mind, it couldn't wonder all day about the different possibilities. This world was hanging on by a thread after all. It returned to its usual stride. But it walked not out of contempt, but with awe.
Sparks were flying inside the machine. Anticipating what it could see next. Maybe it could appreciate the world, just as Niko did.
[I think I see something over there.]