As the dawn of the fortieth day seeped through the base's windows with pale light, Null was looking at the data tablet in her hand while Epsilon prepared to go to the shelter.
"Your biological data is contrary to logic," Null said without taking her eyes off the tablet. "Forty days of insufficient nutrition should have reduced your muscle mass. But on the contrary, your muscle density increased by 5%. The energy signature emanating from your body... your aura has completely changed too."
Epsilon grinned as he put on a black outfit fresh from the material synthesizer that fit him perfectly. "So I've gotten even stronger, is that it?"
Null set the tablet aside and crossed her arms. "And how many more different outfits are you planning to design for me? My wardrobe has filled with your meaningless whims. This is gradually annoying me."
Epsilon laughed. "Hearing the word 'annoying' from a monument of logic like you... I guess these forty days changed not just me, but you too."
They entered the shelter. Before sitting in his usual place for the final session, Epsilon paused and turned to Null. "Null," he said, his voice serious. "I want to ask you something. At the end of forty days... Do you believe the book now?"
Null remained silent for a moment. "My logic unit says what you experienced could be complex hallucinations brought by prolonged deprivation," she said slowly. "But..." She paused and looked into Epsilon's eyes. "I can't call something that has given you energy for so long, shown you this universe's memories, and physically strengthened you 'nonsense.' I'm waiting for the final evidence to reach a definitive conclusion."
"What's that evidence?" Epsilon asked.
"After your final session, your ability to actually manifest this energy. To control it."
That familiar, mischievous smile appeared on Epsilon's face again. "So if lightning shoots from my hands or something at the end, you'll believe me, is that it?"
"Data is the best evidence," Null said with an expressionless face.
"Great," said Epsilon. "Then I'll present you with such evidence that your beautiful synthetic brain will error out."
Null didn't respond to this banter. She just waited. Epsilon sat cross-legged for the last time and closed his eyes. This was the final purification.
His mind instantly reached that silent void he was now accustomed to. But this time, an image appeared within the void. A massive, glowing tree with roots extending into the universe's depths and branches opening to infinite possibilities. Then the tree rolled in on itself and everything was buried in absolute darkness. "I no longer exist," whispered the voice in his mind. "My meaning is in the meaninglessness of infinity."
And at that moment, a single light appeared in the middle of the darkness. The light pulled Epsilon's consciousness inside. He felt everything he had experienced from the first moment he knew himself to now, all at once—every pain, every joy, every resentment. Then the perspective changed. He saw the infinite parallel possibilities created by every choice he made. At that moment he understood that every possibility was both real and not real at the same time.
When he opened his eyes, he was in the shelter's dim light. He slowly raised his hand. In his palm appeared a calm, pure blue energy orb glowing like a small star.
"Right now..." he whispered. "I understand."
Null froze at the sight. "This... impossible." She quickly ran to Epsilon's side, bringing the sensors on her wrist close to the glowing energy. "This energy type can't be explained by any known physical law. Unobserved particle emission." As Null focused on the data from her sensors, through the nanorobots she also felt Epsilon's current feeling, that pure understanding and connection with the energy. Instinctively, she imitated what Epsilon had done. She closed her eyes, focused on that feeling, and reached out her hand.
In her palm appeared a bright blue energy orb, identical to Epsilon's.
Epsilon looked at Null in shock. "I endured this pain for forty days! But an android accomplished this in one minute by learning from me. This is unfair!"
As Null looked at the energy in her hand with admiration, she replied. "So I guess I'm better than you."
Epsilon laughed heartily at this unexpected jab. "I can't look at you as AI anymore, my life. You're literally making fun of me."
"I'm just presenting the data in a language you'll understand," Null replied, dispersing the energy.
Epsilon also released the energy and looked at the "Edgium" book sitting on the nearby table. "Did we finish the entire book during this process?"
"Yes, we analyzed all known sections."
"Well..." said Epsilon, his eyes sparkling. "What do you think will happen if we transfer this Edgium energy to the book?"
Null thought for a moment. "Logically, nothing will happen. The book is an inanimate object."
"Ah, Null..." said Epsilon, picking up the book. "You can't understand because you haven't read enough of these kinds of stories, my life. Watch and see."
Epsilon held the book with both hands and closed his eyes. That pure blue energy emanating from his palms began flowing toward the book's metallic cover. The ancient letters on the book glowed, the pages turned rapidly on their own, and then suddenly stopped. When Epsilon opened his eyes, the writing on the book's last page was reshaping before his eyes. The old texts were erased and in their place appeared a title in new, glowing letters: THE PATH OF EDGIUM
Null froze at what she saw. "This... This is impossible."
Epsilon smiled proudly. "There it is," he said, raising the book in the air. "The contribution of all those stories I read to me. Imagination can shape reality."
Null shook off her shock and looked at him sarcastically. "Don't try to act cool when we both know you started reading these kinds of stories to escape the life you were living."
Epsilon's face fell. "Why are you now spilling all my private details to our reader?"
Null tilted her head slightly. "Your so-called 'reader' must have already understood what kind of person you are, right dear protagonist?"
"I want a celebration meal before focusing," said Epsilon. "Can you cook me a meal with your hands, my life?"
"What for?"
"This is a celebration! We can control Edgium, we've opened a new section of the book!"
"I refuse this way of asking."
"Okay," said Epsilon. "Then let's race to the base. If you lose, you prepare the meal. I'll start 10 seconds after you."
Null paused for a moment. The probability of winning was 78.3%. "Accepted."
Null shot off at the "Start!" command. Epsilon calmly waited ten seconds and then closed his eyes. He felt that blue Edgium energy gathering beneath his feet. With a single step, he reached incredible speed. He was gliding over the sand. When Null heard the roar coming from behind, she looked back in shock. Epsilon passed by her leaving a blue trail and arrived at the base's door seconds before her.
When Null reached the door, Epsilon was leaning against it, waiting for her with a smile. "I guess," said Epsilon. "You should start thinking about what I'll eat for dinner."
"This is unfair!" Null snapped, her voice more angry than ever before. "I should have used Edgium too!"
"First go take a shower. You're covered in sand," Null said, angrily.
Ignoring her state, Epsilon replied, "And you start preparing my meal."
When Null went to the kitchen, Epsilon got in the shower. When he returned, a steaming bowl sat on the table. Inside was something like porridge in three different indescribable colors.
"What is this?" Epsilon asked. "Poison?"
"A mixture of the three most nutritious cans," Null said with an expressionless face. "Maximum energy efficiency."
Epsilon put his hand to his forehead. "I guess it's true that even the most beautiful spouses have the flaw of not being able to cook."
"Eat what you find," Null said, her voice sharp. "If you don't like it, you can purify for another forty days."
"Don't be angry, my life," he said, taking the spoon and hesitantly tasting a bite. The expression on his face instantly changed. "Wow... this... this is very good!"
He spoke enthusiastically while eating, also affected by his hunger. "How I've missed eating. This isn't just getting energy, this is pleasure."
As Null watched him, through the nanorobots she tasted that feeling. That pure wave of pleasure that the salty, sweet, and sour flavors of the food created in Epsilon's brain flowed into Null's systems. This... this really does feel good, she thought with surprise.
"Can you eat?" Epsilon asked with his mouth full.
A sad expression appeared on Null's face. "Sometimes you really think I'm human."
When Epsilon saw her sad state, he swallowed. "You," he said in a soft voice. "Are a better human than the people I've known." Your hands brought health, my life."
After finishing his meal, he stood up. "Now we should have one more celebration."
"What do you want now?" Null asked, wearily.
Epsilon laughed and slowly started walking toward her. Null asked "What are you doing?" trying to understand his movement.
Epsilon didn't answer. When he came right in front of her, he stopped, slowly leaned down, and planted a gentle kiss on Null's forehead.
Null froze. "This... what was this for?"
"I just wanted to mess with you," said Epsilon with a grin.
The shock on Null's face instantly gave way to anger. She was embarrassed. Without thinking, she grabbed the empty plate from the table and hurled it at Epsilon.
The plate hit Epsilon's forehead and shattered into pieces. Epsilon staggered backward from the impact and collapsed to the floor. Warm blood began to seep from his forehead.
"Before," said Epsilon, smiling through the pain. "You used to worry about me."
Null stood with her arms crossed, looking at him. "You're already healing," she said in a cold voice. "And you deserved it."
Collapsed on the floor, wiping the blood seeping from his forehead, he smiled. "Do you think this was a punishment?"
Null sighed. "According to my analysis, this situation was closer to a reward for you." She bent down and looked into Epsilon's eyes. "Why did you really kiss me? Why do you do such an unstable thing every time you're upset? I assume this is your defense mechanism but... I want to understand."
Epsilon thought for a moment. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I wasn't thinking. I just... when I'm with you, I comfortably do what comes naturally."
"I hope bad things don't continue to come naturally to you," Null said while helping him stand up.
"Even if you don't understand my intentions, you understand what I feel, don't you?" said Epsilon with a bright smile on his face. "While I'm here, there's someone who understands my feelings. This makes me happy."
"Yes," Null said, her voice soft. "I understand."
"Great!" said Epsilon, immediately cheering up. "Then are you up for one more competition?"
"If there's a penalty, no."
"No, no penalty," said Epsilon. "Let's each design a game. We have an hour. Let's see whose is more fun."
Null hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Accepted."
An hour later, both terminal screens were glowing. Null had made a more advanced but still soulless version of the 2D running game Epsilon had made before, saying "You made something like this last time."
Epsilon had created something completely different. On the screen was a 3D arena version of the shelter. Inside stood stylized versions of themselves glowing with Edgium energy. This was a fighting game.
When Null tried Epsilon's game, she paused for a moment. "This... is more complex. More variables. More fun."
"Let's play then," said Epsilon with a victorious air.
However, when the game started, Epsilon's smile faded. Null was adapting to the game at incredible speed, predicting and countering Epsilon's every move. Within a few minutes, Epsilon's character was on the ground.
"You can't apply your strategies even though you know them," Null said calmly.
"I can't compete with your processing speed!" Epsilon whined. "You'd beat me like this in a real fight too."
"But you're physically stronger," Null countered.
Epsilon's face became serious. "I... don't know martial arts. That's why I'm afraid of fighting."
Null was surprised by this unexpected confession. "But that day... you fought those children without fear."
Epsilon looked at Null. In his eyes was a weight she'd never seen before. "Do you... want to know what happened after?"
Without hesitation, Null nodded. Epsilon closed his eyes.
A flood of three memories flowed into Null's mind. In the first, she saw the psychopathic teacher pulling Epsilon into an empty classroom after that fight. "So you like fighting," the teacher's icy voice said. "Let's see what happens if you throw a punch at someone again." And then the blows...
In the second memory, Epsilon had protected Delta again. In the corridor, the same teacher stood in his way. "So you still haven't learned." The sound of the slap exploding on his face echoed like a scream in Null's audio processors.
In the third and most painful memory, Epsilon was younger. When his father raised his hand in anger over a bad report card, she saw Epsilon instinctively shield his face with his arms.
When the memories ended, Null opened her eyes. Across from her stood Epsilon, trembling with the shock of reliving those memories, his eyes wide with fear.
The logic unit inside Null fell silent. That other unit overflowed with pure, unadulterated rage. Without thinking, she lunged forward and hugged the trembling Epsilon tightly.
"You're no longer that small, lonely child," she whispered, her voice determined and protective.
Epsilon froze in this unexpected refuge for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her. "I... I want to overcome this. I want to become stronger."
"I can teach you these things," Null said without pulling back. "I can teach you how to fight, how to defend yourself."
Epsilon raised his head. "Can I succeed?"
Null looked into his eyes. Her voice had a sarcastic but also encouraging tone. "What happened to those beautiful words about believing in yourself, dear protagonist?"
With these words, Epsilon came to his senses. The fear in his eyes gave way to fire. "I'm not pathetic enough to not believe in myself when my girlfriend believes in me. Okay!"
Null rolled her eyes. "How many more times do I have to say 'I'm not your girlfriend'?"
"But you're rejecting it less now, my life."
"I think... I think I'm just tired," Null said, sighing. "Come on. Go to sleep."
As Epsilon walked toward his bed, he turned around. "Tonight... would you like to sleep next to me?"
Null's answer was a punch to the wall next to Epsilon's head. "Would you like to be knocked out to sleep tonight?"
"No!" Epsilon shouted, hiding under the covers in fear.
When morning came, Epsilon woke up cheerfully as if there was no trace of last night's emotional collapse. He enthusiastically ate the breakfast Null had prepared for him, again a mixture of three different cans but this time tastier.
"So?" he said while swallowing his last bite. "When are we starting? Come on, come on, come on! You were going to teach me to fight!"
Null stood calmly facing his endless energy. "Get dressed first."
"Yes, commander!" said Epsilon, running toward the workshop.
When he returned a few minutes later, Null's eyebrows furrowed. Epsilon had designed an outfit that fit perfectly, sleeveless with open sides, looking like it jumped out of a martial arts film.
"You've finally outdone yourself and completely given in to perversion," Null said, her voice icy.
"No, no!" Epsilon objected. "These are standard combat sport clothes. They're designed this way to increase mobility."
Null paused for a moment, scanning her database. Indeed, similar designs were used in some martial arts of the old world. "I guess you're right," she murmured. Then she whispered to herself: "But why am I embarrassed?"
The two went together to the base's large, empty training area.
"Are you ready?" Null asked.
"I'm ready!" said Epsilon, taking his guard.
The next few hours turned into complete torture for Epsilon. Null moved with incredible speed and precision, predicting Epsilon's every move and throwing him to the ground repeatedly.
"Enough!" Epsilon shouted as he got up from the ground for the tenth time. "You're taking your anger out on me, aren't you?"
"No," Null said calmly. "I'm just teaching you."
The training continued. Epsilon was tired of getting beaten. "I think we should take a break. Wouldn't it be better to go to the shelter and read the new section in the book?"
"You're no longer afraid of fainting," Null said, ignoring his excuses to escape. "And you heal instantly. That's why I'm not holding back against you. You can do it."
Finally, when Epsilon's energy was completely depleted, they took a break and headed to the shelter. They opened the book and started reading the new section written in glowing letters. The text talked about the next stage of Edgium energy. But there was a condition.
"The way to accomplish this stage," Epsilon read. "Lies in your ability to produce enough Edgium to activate the capsule."
They both looked at that mysterious machine standing in the center of the shelter.
"So," said Epsilon. "This isn't just my task."
Null shifted her gaze from the capsule to Epsilon. On her face was the expression of complete partnership for the first time. "I think... we need to work together."