The sound of me grunting erupts from my mouth. I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted beyond belief, and moving any further will make me collapse.
The ice arrow aims right in between my eyes, and drops of water emanating from its form melting are palpable.
My breathing is heavy, whether from fear or fatigue, I can't tell.
"Your wife! Scylla!"
I say anything that would get me out of this situation.
"Arax—"
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"—Arax! That's a weird name!" She said, balancing herself on the small stone hedge that separated the school from the rest of the city.
Her hands were outstretched in their respective directions, allowing herself to remain on top.
"Yes, that's right, but, um, could you please assist me..?" Arax asked, his books scattered across the cemented ground. He himself was on his knees, desperately recovering from the accident.
"Haha… Sorry, I'll help you out." She chuckles before dropping down to her feet with a slight, "Oop."
She picks up a book from the ground and swiftly hands it to the Insectoid.
His gaze travels from the cold cement upwards.
The cold cement that he focused on for years of his life had now lost his gaze. His gaze traveled upwards, yes upwards.
And within his gaze was color, bursting from all sides, warm and bright. A world that had existed long before he had seen it, just a look away. It had been waiting for him, heralding that moment he would gaze upwards. It was a warm summer day, the sky a light blue, white clouds giving it a sense of blissful entropy. Trees littered the background, a vibrant green that served as a testament to the color of the world.
And in the center of that resonance lay her.
His hand takes the book, yet his eyes resonate with hers. She was an Entomion like him. An insectoid. Her color was a vibrant yellow, accentuated by the black pearl-like eyes that seemingly stared into his soul.
She seemed more like a sculpture than anything organic, a beauty in its own way. Most entomions had some aspect of themselves that revealed an organic undertone; however, she lacked anything of the sort.
Something inherently humane about her resonated strongly, as if the aura that surrounded her form had been given life and pulled everything around it into a vice-like grip.
Human.
'Sorry, we have rejected your application. This is not from a personal judgment, but I find that members of your… for lack of better terms, race… would find the subjects we study in this college to be quite… offensive.'
Human.
'I apologize, Mr. Yan, and please, do not take this as an attack; but it is a known biological factor that an Entomion lacks the necessary appendages on their hands to perform such intricate tasks; surely you understand.'
Was it his fault?
'Mr. Yan, you see, given your appearance, you may very well risk being attacked by faculty that may mistake you for being an aberration. As offensive as that may seem, it is the truth.'
Ah, he finally understood.
It does not matter how much effort one puts into their respective field of study. The hours of harsh study, the sweat that dropped from his glands onto the paper, the days he would stay inside, away from his family.
All of it was void.
Because of his mere appearance to others.
It did not matter if he was willing to sacrifice everything, move from kingdom to kingdom, and have virtually no money to sustain himself. None of it mattered.
Because of how he looked.
None of it mattered, from the very start.
From the moment he read an article that detailed the findings of a biologist who dissected a Wyvern for the very first time.
From the moment he had sat in his family's living room, deciding, 'This is what I want to do!'
From the moment his father had told him that those like them were not welcome in such spaces. He had firmly declined, declaring that he would change that. He was resolute in his path to the future.
A path that leads to the bottom of a boot.
All that determination, all that faith, for what?
To these institutes, he was a disgusting sight to them, a mere insect to be squashed and disregarded. He was only to be stepped on, nothing more, nothing less.
Fine then.
Fine.
'I do not have sapience. I am a monster. I will not feel like a sapient. I will not eat like a sapient. I already do not look like a sapient, so I will go on as an aberration.'
This was the mentality the man had established. To prevent himself from overshooting his hopes. His aim was not at the stars, but at the ground. And he would continue staring at the ground for eternity.
That was where he belonged, a mere insect. Crawling along the ground, from boot to boot.
Yes, that was correct.
So then why?
Why was he looking up now?
'I do not have sapience, yet…?'
The sky gazed down at the earth.
"Hello down there. My name is Scylla."
"Huh..?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You say you don't have feelings?" The girl said from a bench, crossing her arms, nodding her head.
"Hmph, that won't do!" She exclaims, nodding her head.
Arax himself seemingly just wanted to go home. And perhaps lament for a long while. There was nothing to do with his life at this point, and hanging around any longer would cause him to do something he would severely regret. After all, simply because he looked up one time did not mean anything.
Even an insect on the ground can occasionally glance up.
His hand went downcast.
"Alright! I, Scylla the Kind, will return your emotions! That's a promise!" She exclaims, slamming her fist onto her palm.
Arax, head still downcast, turned to her, devoid of life.
"...Do you not have anything else better to do?"
"—Gh!"
She gasps for a moment, clutching her chest.
"Phew, almost suffered from that reality check for a moment!"
"..."
"I've got a lot of free time on my hands, so I can pretty much do anything. Besides, we're both Entomions in this city, and Vult isn't known for its Entomion population." She leans back on the bench.
The sun is now setting, and students are heading to their dorms. Scylla stands up, dusting off her back for a moment. She then turns to Arax, a beat of liveliness in her movements.
"Follow me, I know a cool hangout place!"
Arax pondered for a moment. Was there anything for him to even do? Getting a job was out of the question, and money was too tight to do anything else. He only had a small apartment to his name and virtually nothing else.
"That won't do anything, but I'll try."
"Not the answer I was searching for, but I'm grateful!" She exclaims.
With that, she had grabbed his hand before he knew it. His bag had almost torn off from the sheer speed she was pulling him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She had introduced him to two acquaintances of hers.
To be vaguely honest, he could not remember their names for the life of him. He had only given a vague nod in their direction as a greeting, nothing else.
It was a small tavern, with only the four of them inside. Within the table they were seated at, there was a board game known as Forgetful Memory. It was actually quite simple to play.
There were pieces on the board. The objective for the team was to move the pieces in a specific order twice. Both members of a set team would do exactly that.
It was up to one member of the opposite team to replicate those exact movements, resulting in the piece ending up mirroring the other. If they failed, their partner would take their place.
A simple memory game was all it was.
For the first few matches, it was quite easy, but Arax found himself straining for the third. It was quite hard, as his opponent was moving at a surprising speed. He had moved himself into a better position to observe his opponent's movements.
"Uh, Arax, you're leaning into the table a bit too much into the table…" Scylla comments.
The insectoid jitters for a moment before quickly assuming his posture once again.
"You seem to be having quite the amount of fun, aren't you?" The woman in front of him comments, directing the phrase towards Arax. His head perks up at the comment.
"No, I merely seem to have fallen into my habit of leaning into things for a minute there."
"Oh. Sorry, then." She replies, a surprised look crossing her features. She crosses her arms before heading back into the game.
They had played for five hours straight. Almost every game ended in Arax's favor, to the surprise of everyone. His memory was nothing to be scoffed at. But an insect that did not deserve to look up had no need for such a thing.
It was now night, and the other friend of the woman who had commented on him had left, only leaving him, Scylla, and the woman.
"I'm going outside to deal with something real quick." Scylla beamed before leaving the tavern, the door shutting behind her form. Now all that was left was Arax and the woman. A quiet sense of tranquility filled the area.
"You're pretty good." The woman had said, throwing a good number of pieces into a box. "One of the best I've seen, you could join us. There's a whole sport for this, y'know?"
The man shook his head, turning down the offer.
It was to be expected.
"Thank you, but I am… simply too busy with other things to delve into such a sport."
"Ah, that's alright."
The woman holds the box in her hands. The table where the two are seated remains the only area in light within the confines of the tavern. Everywhere else is shrouded in darkness, as well as the aura that has suddenly gripped Arax.
The woman looks down for a moment.
"Say.." She begins. She stops momentarily, carefully choosing her words, but throwing them out, regardless.
"Why do you hang around her?"
"?" An antenna seemed to twitch.
She chuckles before slowly shaking her head. "You're probably confused because we seem like her friends, don't you? We're all together here, playing a board game, having fun."
A cold look suddenly presents itself.
"The only reason the two of us hang around that… dog… is because she's from a wealthy family, and the two of us just want to get within that range of nepotism. Well, we've already been given a few stacks, but could a few more hurt?"
"...."
Ah, so that's what it was.
They did seem quite enthusiastic to play at such a late hour of the day. Almost anyone could pick up on the fact. Someone like Scylla, however, would be a different story. Arax almost felt bad for the girl, someone who was so easily overtaken by the double smiles of those around her.
Though for this woman to say something so crass so casually was quite the reveal.
Scylla was just another case of the kind being taken advantage of by the evil.
"Well, I can see one reason you'd hang around her. If you've got any money trouble, you could hang around her to earn some extra cash, if you'd like."
The Entomion nodded before swiftly leaving. It was clear it was not a nod of conformation, but a swift card to remove himself from the situation as quick as possible.
"What, your 'morals' won't allow it?! People have got bills to pay, y'know!"
The voice calls out to him from behind, tempting him.
While money was an issue, he would not stoop so low. But he would not reveal the plan of those two towards Scylla. He would remain neutral, as an insect would. An insect would simply walk past, giving it no attention.
His hand is placed on the door before leaving.
"Let it be known that I did not enjoy myself. I simply played to win, as anyone else would."
And he stepped outside.
Into the cold world.
And fixed his gaze towards the ground.
He did not care what would happen from here out. All of the effort that the girl who had randomly plucked him from the street would go to waste, as sad as it was.
He would simply return home from there, and…
And…
Would he…
"Ah! What are you doing out here!?"
Arax's head found itself moving upwards.
His body screamed no, but his heart screamed yes.
No, it was not his heart; it was the organ in his head that commanded his every action. His brain. The utterly unfeeling consciousness that formulated thoughts on pure logistics and instinct.
It was a result of curiosity. Even a fly would look up at a looming hand.
In the girl's hand lay a wrapped basket. It was a bright pink, with an even brighter red ribbon wrapped around it. Yellow stripes adorned its form.
"Muuu… Well, I ended up wrapping it anyway, so here you go!"
She presents the gift in her hands. They're outstretched towards the man, a grand gesture of a present.
Arax glances at the gift for a moment before looking up at Scylla. There is a clear look of confusion present in his eyes.
"It's a surprise present! Take it as a token of friendship…!"
The insectoid still remains confused, alternating between looking at the girl in front of him and the present.
"Aha… I see it!" She leans forward. "You're feeling happy, aren't you?"
Feeling pressured by the girl's demeanour, Arax backs away slightly.
He grabs the present in his hand.
"No. I am just confused. Why would you give someone you just met today a gift, not to mention label them as your friend?" He shakes his head. "You do not even know me that well. I could very well be a terrible person."
Did she gain something from doing all this? Internal happiness? Some kind of physical reward?
The girl gazes up at the sky for a moment. Her previously yellow color is now a dark black against the serene landscape known as night.
The Lunalis shines bright. In a way, it resembled the girl's eyes. Dark in nature, yet bright in contrast. An inhuman that presented itself in a humane way.
"Everyone I know labels me as being… hyper-emotional."
"You very much are so."
"Haha… Not the answer I was searching for, but I'm grateful!"
She spins around.
"I don't really hate the label; if anything, it's true. I've always empathised with everyone, even people that others would consider to be terrible."
She looks back down at Arax. Back down at the insect.
"Yes, I'm aware of people taking advantage of me, but…there's part of me that still tells me to hang around with them."
Once again, she gazes up.
"Ah. Maybe it's because… when I die…"
"When I die, I want people to talk about me. Even if they wronged me or took advantage of me. I want them to say, 'I remember Scylla, she was a kind person. Even when I did bad to her.'"
"Remember, Arax, those like us are treated badly by humans, but you can't generalize all of them in one bubble! Kindness gets you a long way!"
"....I want to be remembered by everyone."
Arax's head went downcast for a moment. The thoughts in his head mixed together, resulting in a beautiful confection that all formed within his mind. A confection that none may ever taste, nor be aware of its existence.
None would ever figure out what was transpiring within his mind at that moment.
"One year."
"?"
"One year. If you make me feel even one emotion within that time period, I will talk about you when you die. I will relay the message of Scylla the kind."
A shocked expression splayed across the girl's face.
Perhaps Arax was merely saying these words out of fear of what he might do to himself. Or perhaps it was an attempt to determine what the girl was capable of.
"Show me how to be sapient, Scylla the Kind."
"..."
A beaming 'Yes!' Was the response that had fired back. A sense of happiness was palpable through the air, the girl herself almost seemingly going to explode.
The next couple of months were quite eventful, to put it into words. Every day, some kind of thing was happening; whether it was a meeting at a friend's house or a festival that was happening somewhere within the city.
Needless to say, Arax could never find himself wasting away at home for any longer than an hour, besides in the case of sleep, of course. There would always be a knock at his door, and the same girl who would drag him along.
He'd find himself in places that he never knew existed, tasting things he never knew existed, seeing things he never knew existed.
All in the palm of that girl's hand.
"Not feeling anything?" She'd ask occasionally, usually on the way home from their adventures.
Arax would always respond with a firm no, though sometimes, the words would seemingly flow out of his mouth rather than him speaking them.
Did he want to be devoid of emotion? Did he truly want this? Or was it an act?
The girl never questioned this way of thinking, only continuing her endeavors further and further. She would take him to theaters and circuses alike, both manufactured to either make their audience laugh or cry.
Anything would suffice in this journey, whether it was sadness, or happiness. Emotion was the end goal.
Yet to her surprise, he simply stood there, staring. Every time.
But there must have been a reason he was willingly complying with her plans. He had stated this was compensated to a lack of direction in his life, but that simply could not be the eventuality.
Was he free all the time, no matter what?
Nevertheless, the trips continued.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One day, while on the way to a festival, the two had made a quick detour to Scylla's home. Apparently, she had forgotten something quite important to her that simply could not be omitted.
Apparently, her father was a renowned poet in Vultia, with hundreds of books written in his name. Because of such a status, the family was quite wealthy, despite being a minority.
Their home reflected that stature in society. It was a mansion, white in coloration with accents of bright gold that accentuated its form. Hundreds of rooms were visible behind the large black gate that guarded the estate.
The rest of the structure, however, was hidden away from the public due to the number of gates blocking the panorama inside.
After being told to wait outside, Arax stood for a while, eventually sitting down on the roadside due to the sheer volume of time that was being consumed.
This view of him sitting was a seemingly strange sight to the onlookers who passed by, who tried their best not to sway their heads in his direction. However, it was clear he was a strange sight to them.
Well, it was obvious why.
He was an Entomion. He was an insect to them, one that did not deserve rights. It was an unspoken rule that they would deny in speech, but affirm within their mind.
'Do not worry, I am already fulfilling your expectations of me. I possess no aspirations. I will not go past the limit you have set for me within your mind. I am an insect.'
This was one of the many thoughts that rose to his head.
To others, it may seem as poisonous and harmful to one's perception of themselves, but to the Entomion, this was merely the same as any other thought that revolved around his self-awareness.
It was similar to being self-aware of the clothes one wore, sensitive to their perception by others.
The gate behind the man clinked.
Turning around, he was met with the sight of Scylla standing in front of him, holding a small bag at her side.
Something caught Arax's attention. It was a minute detail, yet stood out.
For some reason, she had been clenching the side of her face, with her head itself being angled away from his direction. It was apparent that she had attempted to make that motion less noticeable, but failed.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Ah, no! Don't worry about it! I just hit my head on the gate by accident!"
She laughs.
Deciding not to pry any further, Arax leaves the conversation to float in space. Prying into personal matters would not benefit him whatsoever.
After all, he did not care about Scylla in the first place. She was like a book that tried its hardest to get him to laugh, but ultimately could not. Yet somehow, he seemingly could not stop turning the pages.
At this time, the sun was slowly ending its shift in the sky, falling down to earth, to allow its counterpart to take over. The orange glow cascading along the stone ground, giving a strong sense of melancholy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As time went on, Arax noted that Scylla would arrive at their meeting places later than usual. Normally, he would be the one who would be sought out, but it seems the roles had reversed.
Another thing that had become apparent was the multitude of scratches that appeared on the girl.
'What are those scratches?'
He would ask.
'Ah, I'm just training to be a Severer. It's really hard on the skin, haha. Rough training and all.'
'I see.'
'Mhm. You seem like someone who'd turn up a sorcerer, not a Severer. Do you know any Koho, Arax?'
'I only know how to perform Glacies Spells.'
'I heard those hurt a lot more than others. Have you considered getting a Thaumite organ?"
"Insects don't possess the aptitude to have a thaumite organ. And becoming a Thaumite is far beyond my skill level."
"Not the answer I was searching for, but I'm grateful!"
The conversation steered itself from the abyss into a casual talk about the realm of spells, Severants, and things of that nature.
Arax found himself quite engrossed in the topics.
If there was one thing about Scylla, she was extremely charismatic. She had a strange way of switching topics, but managed to keep the jump somehow low enough to avoid confusing the other person. It was a tactic that seemed to prove itself useful in a variety of situations, as Arax had observed.
This girl was quite strange.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How is your Severant training going?"
The two were sitting on a bench located next to a bookstore. Scylla had been interested in a new book that had just been released, so the proposition to obtain it was inevitable for Arax. The line, however, was the heartless villain that stood in the way of her goal.
As a result, the duo was forced to sit on a bench within the line. It was better than standing, however.
The question of Severant training was prompted by the increase in scratches on the girls body. Of course, Arax would come to the conclusion that she had merely just been training harder, but surprisingly enough, a part of him wanted to make sure.
Strangely, the girl reflexively covered the side of her face when he gazed at her.
"?"
"Sorry, something flew into my eye."
"..."
"—Uh, the training is coming off great! I'm glad you asked!"
It was clear that she was hiding something. Her movements were way too erratic, even for her, and she was clearly making up lies constantly when asked. Sadly, however, Arax did not care enough to meddle in her affairs. If anything, she was his entertainer. He was not to get into her personal life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Arax, can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Why are you still coming along with me?"
"Hm? I thought you said making me feel any kind of emotion was your goal."
"...I know. But isn't it clear that nothing's working?"
"..."
"Why not say anything? Why even continue onwards? Why are you still clinging to me?"
"..."
You can leave if you want."
"...."
"Pfft.."
"What?"
"Nahaha! That was a joke! You got sad for a moment, didn't you?!"
"No. If anything, it felt like a weed missing from my backyard. I'd note that its presence is no longer there, but I wouldn't be particularly sad."
"Not the answer I was searching for, but I'm grateful!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One day, Scylla had shown up with a multitude of luggage at her side. She was panting, and her clothes were wrinkled. A look of desperation was present on her face, something that stood out from every other detail.
"...Arax. I did something bad."
"Really bad."
The Entomion stayed silent.
This was most likely a joke that was slowly brewing under the surface. She'd probably exclaim something like 'I forgot my wallet.' Then she'd laugh out loud and scan Arax for any kind of discrepancies in his face. It was uniform for her at this point.
What Arax did not expect was for tears to begin to form under the girl's large eyes, dropping to the floor as her voice began to break.
"It was a really bad mistake, Arax."
"...?"
Unsure of what to do, Arax remained silent.
"I don't think I can be around here anymore."
"It was just a mistake.... I tried.. I tried so hard to be nice to everyone… It was only a mistake…"
A sniffle. Despite not resembling a human in the slightest, the girl sniffled.
She was crying at this point, her knees clearly quivering. The light that shone on those around it had a hood put over it and was slowly dying.
It had tried so hard to shine, it had inadvertently bothered those around it with its brightness.
"I helped.. I helped everyone. I never did anything wrong…. So why when I mess up once.. All this happens to me…"
The man stood still, as if the scene in front of him was not playing at all. As if he were still waiting for Scylla, for this was not the Scylla he knew.
"I'm going to run away." She wipes a tear. "I'm sorry, but I could not fulfill what I wanted to do. You should find someone else."
"Don't try to stop me."
With those words, she steps past the man, a hurried tone clear in her movements.
'The reason why you suffered such a repercussion for only one mistake is that you are an Entomion.' He thought. 'They do not care if you are kind, strong, or successful. In their eyes, you are a blight based on your looks. You are a monster to them, and they will look for even the smallest discrepancies in your behavior to justify their way of thinking. Acting the opposite of what they assume is no more than a miracle. You assumed that acting all bright and being kind would earn their approval, but you were wrong. At the end of the day, you are still different from them. They have formulated a mold for you to step into, and there is no choice but for you to enter. You must be an insect.'
INSECT
INDIFFERENT
MOLD
UNFEELING
Yet.
There is a part of Arax that found itself reaching towards the girl's hand, clenching at it.
Scylla stops in her steps, surprised at the sudden intervention. Her head turns towards his direction.
Tears are still flowing down her face.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"Wha…"
"I recall you saying that not everyone is the same, so why are you giving up? Does that mean you will give up on me as well? I won't forgive that."
"..I can't.. stay around here… I did something."
"Fine, then I will follow you. You'd better work hard wherever we go, however. You'd better not give up again, either."
"..."
"I'll follow you to the ends of hell, Scylla."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The boat out of Vultia was a slow, eventful one.
Arax found himself confused as to why he decided to leave with her, and his mind screamed at him constantly, but at this point, that could not be changed.
Scylla had been in an argument with her 'parents', which had ended with the death of her uncle at her hands. She had simply pushed him backwards after he had attacked, which resulted in him striking the back of his head against a table, killing him.
Her 'parents' were not Entomions, and were not even her parents. Her father had been bedridden for years, and his most loyal companions, her aunt and uncle, filled the role he had fallen out of. They could not gain full access to his wealth, however, due to the existence of his daughter, his inheritor, Scylla.
Their entire goal was to get close to her father, to steal his wealth, but they ultimately could not.
Unkbenowest to her father, Scylla was frequently beaten for the smallest mistakes she made. This was rooted in a deep hatred by her uncle, frustrated that his attempt to take control of his friend's wealth was ruined by her existence. Not to mention his hate for non-humans.
He would frequently call her names and beat her for hours.
The same could be said for Scylla's 'friends'. While they did not physically abuse her, they took advantage of her kindness. Of course, she had known, but that did not change the fact that it continued.
Scylla loved everyone.
But everyone hated Scylla.
Because she was an Entomion.
Arax sighed, gazing at the sleeping girl, before drifting off to the same world as she.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norovia.
There is where it happened.
A disease that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It slowly latched its tendrils around the girl, everyone oblivious to its grasp.
It had been only two years after.
He still remembered the events as clear as day.
He walked into the room.
She was on the bed, sickly as ever.
The bright yellow color was now almost brown.
The light began to dim.
They lived together, but the word 'love' was never spoken by, or even thought of by Arax. Whether it was from arrogance, one could not determine.
"She does not have a long time to live. I'd… I'd recommend saying your goodbyes." The human doctor said to him.
After, he swiftly left.
He went to her bedside, his hands seemingly sinking into the bed itself.
The insect looked down once again at the fallen star.
"Are you sad?"
A weak voice.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"It's okay. You don't have to respond."
"..."
"Scylla."
The girl ignored him.
"I think I lived a fulfilling life, honestly. Maybe some people would say this is a young age to die, but there isn't anything left for me to do."
"You aren't sad?"
"Well. The thought of leaving you is there, but it's like a weed in my backyard. I take note of its absence, but I wouldn't be that affected."
"..."
"Just joking..!"
A cough.
But a weak laughing fit ensues.
The laughing subsides as the girl takes note of the man's face.
Wet water is making its way down his face. Tears.
The girl finds herself tearing up.
Ah, why now? When she was just starting to leave?
Why did she have a reason not to leave now?
"Why now?"
Her eyes close, tears still flowing.
"Scylla..! I–!"
"It's not the reaction I was looking for, but I'm…"
"I'm…"
"I'm grateful…"
Her head slowly lay onto the pillow, turning to the right.
And there.
She was gone.
Scylla was no longer there, only a body known as 'Scylla'.
Arax uttered no words, instead sitting in the room for the next four hours. He simply gazed at the girl. There were things he wanted to say, yet could not.
The light was gone.
After leaving the room, Arax was met with the sight of the doctor, tears flowing out of his face. He swiftly bowed.
"I deeply apologize! Please forgive me!"
It was the first time the doctor had lost a patient, it seemed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I want you to create a fake scenario where I had killed your wife."
The orc said.
"She was not my wife."
"It does not matter, as long as it convinces that boy. If you succeed in killing him, the first thing I will do after conquering Soraya will be to find you a necromancer."
"I understand."
I gasp and pant.
Arax stands still, the world seemingly converging on his decision. In the distance, I can see Wall and Stiyl running towards us. The situation has become apparent to them.
"Scylla." He begins.
"I never admitted it, but you succeeded. I am a sapient once more. I did not fit in the mold set for me in the end."
His words carry a tone of mourning.
To a person long past. As if apologizing.
"It was a foolish way of thinking."
Slowly, his forearm switches its focus to his head. It is aiming directly at his own head.
"I'll tell you these words as soon as I see you:"
He takes a deep breath and gazes at the sky. For some odd reason, the fog had cleared in that specific location, with the night sky now visible.
"G-11, Perforate."
"I love you."
"THOOM!!"