Nikolai remained still in the silent construction site for hours, his eyes glancing around the devastation and remnants of their battle. He couldn't help but place a hand on his chest, the subtle weight of slaying the clones lingering in the bottom of his stomach.
His guts twisted painfully as he squatted and touched the place where she vanished.
'Even after saying I was prepared... it looks like I'm still a fool.'
He grimaced at his own weak thoughts while slowly dragging his fingers back and standing.
The black residue clung to his claws like wet tar, still warm from the shattered core. It should have disgusted him, but what truly unsettled Nikolai was not the substance itself. It was the fact that, for a single second, the clone felt dear to him.
A nameless thing, born to die, asking whether she had been close.
"Fuck."
The word left his mouth quietly.
