Airin steadied his breath. The Draen woman didn't seem to be in any rush. If she had been serious from the start, he would've already been dead.
He raised his blazing blade, circuits along his legs flaring as he triggered his mobility module.
[ Vector Boosters – Forward ]
With a roar of soul energy, the boosters ignited, hurling him forward like a rocket. The air cracked in his wake, dust scattering from the force.
The woman didn't even flinch. Her tentacles spun, their razor edges whirring into a drill-like blur before lashing out with a screech of tearing metal.
A drill of steel shot straight toward him.
Airin's focus sharpened. He willed his momentum to bend, his boosters answering instantly.
[ Vector Boosters – Left ]
The boosters flared again. His body veered violently mid-charge, a sudden lateral burst propelling him to the left. A tentacle drilled through the empty space he had occupied an instant before, the shockwave rattling his ears.
He redirected his momentum instantly.
[ Forward ]
The thrusters flared again, throwing him into a straight-line dash. Tentacles lashed from every angle — some stabbing like spears, others whipping like steel whips.
He twisted and weaved through the storm, each burst of propulsion threading him between death by a hair's breadth.
In seconds, he was on her, wills syncing with his boosters.
[ Up ]
The thrusters flared downward, propelling him into the air, right at the level of her head.
Airin gripped his Pyro Greatblade and swung it in a horizontal slash, aiming straight for her neck.
Whish—
The blade tore through the air, but she only raised her left hand. A faint pulse of energy erupted, forming a spherical force field between her and the blade.
Fshhhk—
The molten greatblade slammed against the barrier, sparks dancing across its surface as fire hissed and sizzled against the shield. The force field held firm, stopping the strike dead in its tracks.
"Tch…" Airin gritted his teeth, frustration snapping through him as he flipped backward through the air. Tentacles lashed from all sides, but his boosters flared, twisting him out of their paths as he landed a short distance away.
"Haaa…" He exhaled, eyes on the force field. Her tentacles easily passed through it. Even if it was his first time facing a Rank4, he knew she couldn't maintain it forever.
He suspected she was playing with him… and hoped she'd underestimate him a little longer.
Airin readied his blade, aiming for one of his finishing moves. The orange-red glow of the Greatblade darkened to blackish-red as he focused on her. She made no move, as if waiting.
Just as he was about to launch his attack…
Sshick—
A razor-sharp tentacle shot up from the floor behind him, slamming into his abdomen. His exoskeletal suit screamed under the impact, cracks spreading as metal gave way. Blood oozed from the wound, but the armor had saved him from being torn in half.
He snapped his head toward her. One of her tentacles; the one she had planted in the ground when he used his kinetic pulse, had remained hidden until now.
Blood trickled from his mouth as he understood her trap. She hadn't moved; she had baited him close so her hidden strike could reach him from below.
"Well, that was disappointing," the woman said, floating closer.
"How long have you been fighting in the Soul Realm, human? Your experience is severely lacking." She willed the tentacle in his abdomen. It tore through the ground and hoisted Airin into the air, level with her.
Airin's mind was reeling from pain and blood loss. If his soul body died here, his real body back on Earth would die with it.
He gritted his teeth. Even if he was going to die, he would at least wound this bitch.
"Aaaaahhh…!" he screamed, trying to unleash the charged attack with his blade; she had moved close enough to be within range.
The woman scoffed. Reaching Rank 4 was a milestone. Anyone who achieved it knew even desperate ants could be dangerous… but fools like him, who didn't know when to give up, weren't worth her time.
With a thought, she willed the tentacle embedded in his abdomen. It whipped through the air, slamming him aside and hurling his body across the dungeon.
Airin flew through the air, rolling along the cracked floor before slamming into the walls.
"Kaah… cough…" His breath hitched, blood spilling from his mouth.
His blade slipped from his grasp. Its blackish-red glow faded, the pyro rune dimming, leaving it a normal blade once more.
Airin tried to stand, but strength was slipping from his body. He could only lean against the wall, trembling.
That's when, deep within his Soulspace, messages began to appear.
Summoning what little control he had left, Airin delved deeper into his Soulspace to read them.
— ✦ —
[ EXOSKELETAL MODULE: Forced Deactivation — Initiating… ]
[ MOBILITY MODULE: Forced Deactivation — Initiating… ]
[ COGNITIVE MOD… ]
— ✦ —
"Oh…" Airin closed his eyes and sighed. It wasn't a miracle or a way to escape. It was just his Dominus, trying to strip away what little value he had left.
His mind spiraled back to old memories — the day he met Silva.
He was eighteen then, the year the androids… or rather, the Synths, arrived to claim their human Vassals. And, with his relentless bad luck, he had been chosen by Silva.
He had spent eighteen years trained and groomed, absorbing every piece of knowledge about the Soul Realm; all so he could serve as a Vassal… or a slave, for the Synth that claimed him.
The Synths couldn't enter the Soul Realm themselves; only someone with a soul could. Two years had passed since his life with Silva began, and now, at twenty, he was going to die.
"Haaah… Miss Silva… I'm sorry. I failed you." His voice was weak, like a broken boat struggling through a storm.
There was pin‑drop silence within his mind, but he knew she was there… in the real world. She was watching everything through his eyes. There had been no privacy for humans since they lost the war with the androids centuries ago.
Then a voice, feminine and cold, echoed through his mind.
"Tell me, my Vassal… why did you do it? Why did you disobey my order… for a girl you met in the Soul Realm?"
Airin gave a soft, bitter chuckle.
"You know why, Miss Silva. You've seen everything: our life, our love, our promise. You even congratulated me back then. But I know you only wanted to use her… and Dominus Lia."
Silva's voice cut through him like steel.
"Yes, I did. But I also thought you felt the same. That was my mistake. I truly cannot understand this foolish emotion you call love. Even with us Synths learning emotions better than you lowly humans, this… thing called love is still utterly illogical."
Her tone sharpened, rising, cold as frost.
"If anything, shouldn't you be showing your devotion to me? Shouldn't you love me more? I gave you all the resources. I gave you strength. I'm the reason you even reached Rank 2! Tell me, Vassal — shouldn't you love me, give your life for me, obey my orders instead of betraying me for that wretch you met only recently?"
Airin could only shake his head. "I hope you'll find someone who can teach you what love is, Miss Silva. Then… maybe you'll understand why I made this choice."
The voice in his head fell silent for a heartbeat. Then Silva's tone cut through, cold and measured, "I'll give you my last order, Vassal. Pick up the blade so I can collect it. You may disobey if you wish — but remember, your little girlfriend is still alive. Even across a megacity, I can still make her life hell in the Soul Realm."
Airin bit his lip. He knew she would make good on her threat if he hesitated any longer.
He sighed and reached for the blade lying on the ground.
but then—
Swish—
The hovering woman before him moved. One of her tentacles lashed out, pinning him to the wall like a crucifix.
"Ahh…" he groaned. His exoskeletal armor had already been deactivated by Silva… no doubt collected from his body back on Earth, leaving him fully exposed to the impact. Pain flared through him.
"Done talking to that trash in your head, human?" the Draen woman asked.
"Hehe… cough… thanks for… haa… letting me… say my goodbye," Airin chuckled weakly.
"I see… Any last words?" she asked, perhaps out of courtesy.
"Last… words… haa… cough… y-yeah…" Airin's voice cracked, barely a whisper. He looked up at the hovering woman, and a weak, shaky grin escaped him.
"You… you're… so… mesmerizingly beautiful… lady. Ria… she fell… for that… single pickup line… from me… hehe…"
Airin's eyes slowly closed. Memories flooded his mind in fractured bursts: Ria's face, bright and alive; a man, a woman, a little girl… Who were they? He didn't know. They felt familiar, yet distant.
The woman deactivated her visor, and beneath it was a face of mesmerizing beauty, blonde hair cascading around it, lips curved in a faint, enigmatic smile.
"I see," she whispered, as her mechanical tentacle plunged deeper into his body.
"Haaaaa…" Airin exhaled his last breath. Pain tore through him, but with the final shred of strength he had left, his leg brushed against the blade.
His body shattered in a cascade of white light motes, and the blade vanished with it.
The woman watched silently as some of the light motes were absorbed into her body, while the rest swirled and flickered in the air — a soul extinguished. Her mechanical tentacle curled protectively around a glowing blue orb: the heart of Airin's soul, his soul core.
She cast it a final glance, stored it carefully, and turned, hovering deeper into the dungeon, leaving only silence in her wake.