"…. He was strong, he was brave, and the most important – he saved us all"
That concluded his speech. The priest shook as he stepped back from the podium. On his hand rested a piece of paper – wrinkled and folded as he strode, counting every step he took. And by the time his feet touched the ground, the paper was gone. It slipped inside the pocket of his white ceremonial coat.
For such flawlessness… under such circumstances
Mortals… ungrateful bunch.
Null huffed, staring at the priest with deadpan face. How long since the last time he attended ceremony suchlike this. Thousand? Two thousand years? He couldn't recall.
What he knew was this: it was his first job - The one he had done with perfection.
"Did you find it, Idrilla?"
Null asked, to no one in particular. Before him sat a rectangle-shaped stone, humming with white glow. All kinds of flowers carved with care, circling a name written with utmost precision - to be read and remembered. Kara Reeves. A title that tickled his memory, one out of thousand encounters.
Sad that he was here for different things
I: Yes, my Love
A sentence popped, written on top of blue transparent box. Neither by hand nor paint – much less a pen
"Good, Show me"
Like in command, The box slithered, opening a map right before his eyes. Falling rift, rising mountain, and yellow line stretching across the plane. It halted before a forest with blue trees and mushroom-like canopy. His purpose.
"Should I erase the journal, Idrilla?"
I: ... ... ... According to protocol, you should
Yes - the protocol. A clause that caused him to ponder. He glanced at the ground, littered with wet dirt and fresh buried tombstone. The gate swung with assaulting creak as the crowds grew sparse, leaving an echo of sniffled cries. The burial, it didn't last. Oh, Kara… how low you had fallen
"I want your opinion, Idrilla"
I: …
"Idrilla?"
I: Null, did it ever occur to you - the pain of being forgotten
He paused. Tracing the map contour. To be remembered, he recalled the tombstone. Kara Reeves, the Hero. Did the monument really helped them remember. As saviour who saved the world, or a monster, who's end corrupted by the Others
"You know well I am unable to feel such thing, Idrilla. That is why I asked"
I: …
Minutes passed, yet Idrilla stood silent. The darkness approached, rising from the edge of heaven as twin moons became its harbinger, shining with a glow that match the tombstone. Time, a strange concept. Meant everything to mortals, yet for him – a nuisance. Even space was better.
I: Hide it
"As you wish. My Dear"
Blink
He was gone. Too fast for mortals.
---
A boundless space, one speck inside the cosmos -
A room of plain nothingness. Darkness so deep and ancient, the kind where light was unable to touch. It was silent, for thousands and thousands of years. Nothing moved, because nothing was supposed to move.
Until for once, something stirred. An anomaly. Dark portal tearing through nothing. A silhouette of man, clenching the opening. Unstable. As tendrils of black coiling against his fingers, begging for release. Yet the thing refused to move, holding it open so a foot-like limb could cross, one after the other.
Yet, it didn't end there. The grip maintained, until he fully passed – Null, Stepping out of the hole like the space itself owed him an explanation. Proud and controlled. The moment he arrived, the space became his own.
"Idrilla,.."
He spoke, tone devoid of warmth
"…My report"
I: … Mission successful, the fate had followed its course. Splendid, my love :D
"That is good"
A melody without note. Prose without substance. Yet for Idrilla, who was closer than any being could be – a poem. His attempt at emotion. Born out of care. Born out of love.
I: D
"Next… any new mission?"
I: Calibrating…
I : …Next mission is world C5V313Z – Codename K.A.I.S.E
That cursed world…among hundreds that need correction. Why?
I: You are trembling
It was subtle - almost nonexistent. She noticed because she was half of him. A two-way connection, just like he could see her - but he didn't. Boundaries – a concept he was forced to accept
"Are mortals supposed to tremble when they feel fear?"
I: D… Almost love
Satisfaction… how do mortals express such emotion? He crossed his arms
"Details, Idrilla"
I: Looking for details…
I:… Failed
Silence. Time passed, void darkened, embraced by nothingness. Nothing… nothing was happening. Was she gone? Returned… a program, like the others.
"Idrilla? Are you able to hear me?
Stillness. The box of blue never answered.
…
I:…
Was it finally time?
I:… The bill comes due… My child
My child. Only one being were able to call him such name.
"I greet thee, my creator. The great weavers"
I: And the great answered. Mercy was their judgement.
"Why?"
I: Such question… you are not worthy. Transporting sequence….
"Wait, Idrilla!"
His tone rose, was he scared? Or is it anger? What emotion could he possibly felt. Love… What feeling bred from love?
Devotion
Compassion
Fear
Desire
Or Pain? Was it pain? Was he wincing because of pain? His grip weakened because of pain?
Did his creator, allowed him to feel just to make him understand the punishment?
Fairness: what even is fairness?
I: Mercy was their Judgement
I: Mercy was their Judgement
I: Mercy was their Judgement
I: Mercy was their….
The sentence, repeating like order. Time blurred, no way to tell how long. The bill, for ignoring the protocol.
This moment was never supposed to happen
I: Sending… Terminating…
DEATH
He was torn, turning into pieces