The sight of a fan on the ceiling was the only thing easing her mind. The bright eyes connected to her face were like veins extending beyond her skin. The door opened, it was a familiar man.
"Miss."
He placed a hand on his chest, bowing in greeting. He sat beside her, his hands flipping through pages without hurry. A newspaper beneath his fingers reported the disappearance of the Pillar of Knowledge. With a faint sound from his nose, he set the paper on the table and intertwined his fingers.
"They didn't recognize you..."
He leaned his arms on the bed, bringing his face closer to hers. His breath touched the metal skin. The lights in Aurora's eyes flickered, like a system recognizing the face before her.
"I... I am angry. The woman I love is holding her brother, fearing the future of the nation. I wanted to fix everything when I return to her, but I feel like now I am alone."
His elbows rested on his knees as he lowered his face. His untied shoes were covered in snow and blood. He looked at the watch on his wrist, it was the morning of a new day, yet his feet tapped restlessly against the floor.
"I could expose you, Aurora. Show your real location... what nonsense, they probably already know, they just want to show the population that, even in times of crisis, they still think about them..."
He stood up, placed his hands on the cold shoulders of the woman who did not react, yet her eyes followed every movement slowly. Carlos tightened his grip, his hands moving to her face, forcing her to look at him.
"I don't care what you feel, Aurora, you will help me. Take me to the underground, show me everything you have done and... please, do not let her trust be in vain..."
"..."
"... Never..."
"... Never would it be."
The voice came out hoarse through artificial vocal cords. And beside the cold eyes, a tear, or what should have been a tear, slightly dampened the blanket. Her lips trembled, her eyelids closed slowly, with effort.
"He... he was right about me..."
"I am a monster..."
"Maybe you are, Aurora."
Carlos tightened her face with his fingers, pulling until she was sitting upright. Her body was heavy. Aurora lowered her head, but he held her so she could feel his eyes on hers.
"But you can redeem yourself, or use this... transformation to help those who need it, to stop everything from being taken."
He stepped back, knelt down, and then lowered his whole body into an inferior position. His nails scraped against the floor as his voice took on a vulnerable tone.
"Please, Aurora, save this kingdom. I deserve far worse, I ran for years trying to reach the perfect moment to act, but in the end, I did nothing."
"I beg you. There is no pillar left nearby. Everyone who could save us has disappeared. You are the only one who can save the world from that man."
Aurora, seeing him in that position, pressed her coat against her chest, slowly, without strength. But she also bit her lips, creating small cracks. Placing her feet on the ground, her complex structure flexing upon contact, a low voice agreed:
"I... I will try."
***
As he carried her, Carlos saw his feet sinking into the snow with each step. The weight beside his shoulders forced his body to lean, but he adjusted himself with effort.
As they descended, there was a wall. Carlos asked what they should do, Aurora, with one of her shoulders resting on his, took a step and extended her hand, touching the frozen surface.
Her body vibrated, and the vibration traveled to her mechanical palm. As the sound grew sharper, in a single rhythm, the wall shattered before them. Carlos shielded his face while holding her, but Aurora remained unmoved, with dust and stone striking her face.
With a sound like a distorted cough, Aurora said:
"Dark... step back..."
He positioned her against the wall and she remained standing. She walked slowly, her bare feet sliding across the ground like cutlery on a plate. Her pointed nails scratched the surface. With a groan as she lifted her head, her eyes shone like the sun inside a cave. Carlos closed his eyes and turned away from the light.
Aurora then said:
"Forward..."
The general walked, one arm covering an eye. The ground was illuminated, with scattered pieces across it, but gradually, small drops of red liquid became visible.
"Damn..."
He raised his gaze, squinting slightly, but found emptiness. There was nothing.
The machine he had heard so much about was gone, replaced by massive tubes connected to a technology that, in just a few days, should have been unthinkable.
Aurora dragged herself beside him, her arms wrapping around her stomach. He could hear her vomiting a dark liquid, her arm pushing him away. Carlos watched with wide eyes until she recovered. When the liquid stopped, he held her by the shoulders, lifting her face to look into her eyes.
"One day, I heard from the elite of this kingdom that there was something in this underground... where is it?"
Aurora breathed heavily. Then her fingers pointed to herself.
"... I understand."
...
A knock echoed through the space.
Both turned their heads.
Carlos slowly released Aurora, his fingers trembling.
"You..."
Aurora knelt, coughing twice, her eyes widening.
"Someone else has gone mad too..."
Carolina stood before them... but without legs.
Flesh fused with a frozen material.
And her gaze locked onto the pillar's face.
"It's time to redeem yourself for your sins, Aurora."