Twelve years had passed since that day.
Behind the house...
The sound of an axe chopping wood could be heard.
A blonde-haired lady was chopping logs into smaller pieces.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"So... This is what it feels like to be human, huh?"
From among the stacked logs, a brown-haired lady appeared while carrying a bundle of firewood.
"Sis! How's the wood chopping going? Are you tired yet?"
"This is barely a scratch."
"You say that while sweating so much."
"This new body doesn't reflect how tired I actually feel, you know!"
"You don't have to shout at me."
"Oh, sorry."
"It's alright."
From a distance, a familiar voice echoed.
"SISTERRR!"
A small child came running towards the two ladies.
She appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old.
She had brown hair and blue eyes. The little girl jumped into the arms of one of her sisters.
Following behind her was a man wearing an old robe and a mask.
The three girls hugged each other while the man watched from a distance.
"Sis... Do you... have time to play with me today?"
Both ladies were unsure how to respond, so they looked towards the man.
He gave a slight nod.
"Uhhhhh... Sure! We have some time today."
"Yeah... What do you want to play?"
The little girl's face immediately brightened.
"I want to play hide-and-seek!"
"Wait a moment, okay? We need to finish chopping the wood first."
The man took off his old robe before taking the axe from the blonde-haired lady's hands.
"I'll finish it from here... You two can go and play."
"Ohhh! Thanks, Uncle!"
"Thank you, old man!"
The little girl grabbed both of her sisters' hands and began pulling them away.
"Slow down, will you?"
The man watched them until they disappeared from his sight.
He then began chopping the remaining wood.
The three siblings played from morning until dusk.
"Hmmmm... Where could this person be hiding? I wonder where she went..."
From a small gap behind a door, a little child could be seen hiding.
The blonde-haired lady smirked.
"How about... HERE!"
She suddenly jumped out and scared the child.
The little girl fell backwards but burst into laughter, giggling with a bright smile on her face.
The brown-haired lady came out of her hiding place.
"I think that's enough for today."
"What?! I want to play more!" the little girl protested.
"Nah! You're just afraid of losing," the brown-haired lady bragged to her twin.
"Yeah, yeah. You can say that, but look! It's already sunset. We haven't even prepared dinner yet."
"Hmm... That's true. We've been playing hide-and-seek all day. But don't worry! It's not like we have to eat every day."
"I know, but still—"
Her sentence was interrupted by an incredibly delicious aroma.
The man from earlier emerged from the kitchen and called out to the three girls.
"Come, you three. I've prepared dinner. Let's eat together."
"Since when did you even enter the house, old man? And when did you make dinner?" Auro asked with a shocked expression.
"About half an hour ago. You three were so busy playing hide-and-seek that you didn't even notice me entering the house."
The man sat at the dining table, which was filled with food.
Soon, all three siblings joined him.
"Why is there so much food?" Nyuro asked.
"Hm? Oh... Did you forget what day it is?"
The man asked before reaching underneath his chair to retrieve something.
"Day? Today is Sunday... Right?"
"Nyuro... Auro... Happy birthday!"
The man suddenly appeared wearing a birthday hat and holding a birthday whistle.
He blew the whistle.
"Today is our birthday?" Nyuro asked in surprise.
"Yeah!"
"Wow... It's been a long time since we celebrated our birthdays, I guess. Thanks, old man," Auro said with a smile.
"You're welcome. Now, hurry up and eat before the food gets cold."
All of them began eating together.
Inside Nyuro's mind...
I never thought a man like him would show so much affection.
"How are your bodies doing now?"
"They're doing fine. We're able to process food and convert it into energy just like humans do."
"It's going well, huh? Then I guess I don't have to worry anymore..."
The man nodded.
"Before you two go to bed, meet me in the basement."
Nyuro and Auro knew exactly what that meant.
They looked at each other before giving the man a slight nod.
A few hours after dinner...
As instructed, both twins made their way to the basement before going to bed.
When they entered, they found the man sitting in a chair facing a massive monitor.
Nyuro and Auro walked towards him.
"You two know why I've called you here, right?"
"Yeah... It's about the revenge plan, right?" Auro answered with a serious expression.
"I've already taught you everything I know. Twelve years have gone into preparing this plan. For it to work, you need to be able to blend in with humans without anyone suspecting that you're AI."
"We know... That's why we were built to look and function like humans."
"Remember... You three aren't ordinary AI. You were created using 'Atlas', a powerful artefact developed by your father."
The man paused before continuing.
"You three possess tremendous power, but it was limited by both of your parents."
"'Atlas' was separated into two pieces to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. However, after your father passed away, those who knew about it began searching for the pieces."
He looked towards the monitor.
"Currently, this country and its neighbouring enemy country each possess one half."
Nyuro and Auro focused on every word the man said.
"The plan is to infiltrate both countries, earn their trust, and get your hands on 'Atlas'. Once you two have reunited both halves of 'Atlas', you can use its power to achieve your revenge."
He turned his chair around to face the twins.
"Are you prepared?"
Both twins wore determined expressions. They had waited for this moment for twelve long years.
"We are."
Nyuro and Auro answered simultaneously.
"Good... Sleep well tonight. Because tomorrow, you'll begin a journey that will change your lives forever."
Just as the twins were about to leave, the man stopped them.
"...Both of you. I have something to give you."
He reached underneath his desk.
"It might not look as good as it once did, but I managed to recover these."
He handed them a few items.
"Happy birthday."
The gifts consisted of a family photograph, a turtle plushie, and a fox plushie.
The photograph had burn marks along its edges.
The turtle plushie had lost one of its eyes and was covered in burn marks.
Meanwhile, the fox plushie had several cuts across its body, and one of its ears was missing.
The twins froze in shock as they received the gifts.
Their hands began trembling.
Tears could be seen streaming down their faces.
The photograph showed their family.
It contained Anny, their mother; Vict, their father; Nyuro and Auro, the twins; and Sadist, their little sister, whose name had been changed to Rain during the twelve years they had spent with Uncle Elton.
The two plushies were Anny and Vict's favourite toys.
Trying to hold back her tears, Nyuro spoke.
"Thank you... Uncle. Thank you for helping us so much."
The man pulled both twins into a hug.
"It's alright... Now, it's time for you two to get some proper rest."
Nyuro and Auro left the basement with tears still flowing down their cheeks.
The next day arrived.
The three siblings spent the entire day playing together, knowing that this would be the last time they could see each other for a long while.
That night...
The man, Nyuro, and Auro were preparing to leave.
Rain watched from the side as they got ready to depart.
"Come back... Okay?"
Auro and Nyuro smiled at their little sister.
"We will."
"It's about time to leave," Uncle Elton said to the twins.
The three siblings hugged each other one last time.
Afterward, they gathered outside the house.
Auro stood beside Uncle Elton, while Nyuro stood in front of him.
He turned towards Nyuro.
"Nyuro, you know what you need to do... From here on, you'll be on your own."
"Yes. I already know what I need to do."
"Good luck with your plan. May your parents bless you."
He said those words before beginning to walk in the opposite direction.
The twins looked at each other.
Auro raised her pinky finger, followed by Nyuro.
They made a pinky promise.
"Good luck, Auro."
"You too, sis... Nah, I hate you! Just kidding. Bye!"
The two smiled at each other before walking in opposite directions.
Nyuro headed towards the city, while Auro followed Uncle Elton towards the border, where they would enter the enemy country.
That night...
The weather was particularly cold, as it was October.
Soon enough, snow would begin falling from the sky, covering the entire landscape.
As they walked, memories of their past began playing through both Nyuro's and Auro's minds.
The memories of their parents.
Their childhood.
Their home.
And the promises they had made.
"I'll make sure they pay for what they've done!"
"I'll make sure they pay for what they've done!"
Both Nyuro and Auro declared as they continued walking towards their respective destinations.