"Sigh... even though I had psychological expectations for a human Hive City, for it to be this boring... the human race is truly beyond saving."
Yuki let out a heavy sigh. He felt foolish for actually thinking there might be a place in the Underhive suitable for a date with Yuno.
"I've heard the Mid-hive is a decent place to live, but if we want a real date, the Spire would be much better."
"The Spire? Forget it. Let me see which fleet is currently attacking this Hive City; I'll take a look before I devour the entire planet."
Yuno suddenly crouched down, clutching her stomach. "My love... I'm hungry again."
Helplessly, Yuki took Yuno onto his back. She was lighter than he imagined, and her body was quite warm—almost comforting in the dark, damp environment of the Underhive.
"Are you like this in the fleet too?"
"I am eternally hungry. It's just that if this physical shell isn't fed, I won't be able to see you."
"Are the cities of the Swarm fun?"
"There's nothing fun about them. We don't have buildings like 'cities,' unless you count massive clusters of spawning pools and capillary towers as a city."
Yuno clung tightly to Yuki. "I don't want to go back at all right now—living in a place like that all by myself."
"Aren't there other synapse nodes and organisms?"
"They are all me! I know everything they think, and they know everything I think. Ultimately, they are just entities born of my own imagination. Sometimes, I even wonder if you are something I imagined." She buried her face into Yuki's back.
"Hehe, but you're real. I'm so happy. You can't imagine how I lived before—driven by primal instincts, not even knowing what a 'self' was..."
Yuki felt as if his throat were being constricted. The weight of this revelation was immense. He recalled his past interactions with Yuno. They played games together and chatted online—everything was built on the foundation of the internet. She was always patient and curious about Warhammer; he had felt so lucky to have a girlfriend willing to listen to his lore stories.
Looking back, it seemed almost comical now.
As he walked with Yuno on his back, he said softly:
"Yuno, I thought many times about what we would do if we actually met. I bought so many miniatures I wanted to paint with you. Honestly, I even picked out the color scheme for our fleet. Maybe we could have gone to Nottingham to see that troop carrier at the entrance... I always fantasized about walking in the real world with you. I even wondered if you were just a prank from one of my friends.
"In certain moments, you truly made me think of eternity.
"I suppose those plans won't be happening now. But maybe we can plan things we can achieve in this world. I have to learn to accept the reality here... Are you asleep?"
Yuki felt a warm liquid trickling onto him—likely Yuno's drool. She always fell asleep when she couldn't get enough to eat.
The Tyranids would come. Their fleets had already set course to find her. This journey might take a long time—long enough for Yuki to live out a full human lifespan.
So, in this single human life, what should he do?
Yuki hoped to do something small... perhaps change the face of this planet? To make it slightly less miserable when the Tyranids eventually invaded?
Would that be a betrayal of Yuno?
No, Yuno didn't care about such things. The Hive Mind didn't care. The true Hive Fleets were still beyond the galaxy, their scale far exceeding anyone's imagination.
"Yuno... you really are an astonishing existence."
Yuno's porcelain-white arms held Yuki close. Beneath such a delicate form lay terrifying power and unfathomable desire.
...
"To the Mid-hive?"
"Is it difficult?"
Hopper pulled out a map. "This is the only passage between the Underhive and the Mid-hive—a massive Arbites fortress. Anyone traveling between levels must pass through here. Naturally, the paperwork required is extremely rigorous. Given the current situation, I'm afraid we have no way to manage it."
Hopper looked at Yuki. "Are you trying to go to the Mid-hive to seek help? I understand how you feel; everything happening now is so difficult. Sigh... if only those xenos never existed."
She folded the map. "I'll ask the Mother Superior, but she likely can't interfere either. Don't get your hopes up too high."
"Thank you."
"I should be the one thanking you," Hopper said, opening a window. The soot-filled air of the Underhive rushed in, slightly relieving the stifling heat of the room. "You convinced the factory management. That saved a lot of people. It's truly remarkable."
"It's just a way to pay it back. If the cathedral hadn't extended a hand to me, I'd probably be dead by now."
"Yes, as the God-Emperor says: 'Goodwill shall be repaid with good deeds.'" Hopper said with genuine sincerity, "I believe you will become a very fine priest one day."
"Thanks."
Yuki returned to his room, and a sense of confusion washed over him once more. He had lost everything familiar and arrived in a world that could only be described as hell, armed with a naive worldview and knowledge that seemed useless now.
What should he do now? "Sigh, why did it have to be like this?"
Night fell, and the lights in the cathedral were lit. Nuns and monks gathered in the chapel for their weekly collective prayer. Thousands of white-robed believers offered their praises to the statue of the God-Emperor. Yuki did not participate.
He stood in a corner of the cathedral, watching the flickering candles. Yuno appeared silently and took his hand.
"You actually hate all of this, don't you?"
"Yes. The Ecclesiarchy is an obstacle to humanity's progress. But... perhaps not entirely."
"My love, you cannot expect every soul in this world to understand such things," Yuno whispered. "They struggle every second just to survive. This foolish worship brings them peace, and that is enough. I'll tell you a little secret: when they mutter the name of the Emperor, they actually taste a little better."
"You don't sound like an entity from Warhammer at all."
"My love, thanks to you, I learned much from your world—about this universe, about the truth behind everything, and about my own tragedy. Even if I can no longer contact that world after your arrival, I have been changed by you forever."
Yuki mocked himself, "If that's the case, the pressure on me is a bit too much."
"It is. You have to take responsibility—especially for me."
What was he to do? The beauty of the vessel Yuno had created perfectly conquered Yuki's senses. Even though he knew the girl before him was not human—and might not even be an entity of the material world—his heart pounded wildly.
"Come, my love. You are too tired."
While the Emperor's hymns echoed and the candlelight danced, within that sacred and beautiful environment, the two lovers shared a kiss. Under the dim light, their shadows became blurred and ethereal.
Even in the world of Warhammer, love remains eternal.