The City of No One
The Engine Machine was running.
Warm steam rose from an iron pan that was heated on a circular heating device.
A young woman in an apron is smiling, mixing the contents in the pot with a ladle while singing from her nose.
It was a homely sight.
The girl stared at the scene.
It was a girl with thin lines.
A girl sat at the table, and elegantly aligned her hands on her knees.
It seems to be of good manners that were born out of good growth, though curiously wearing white robe-like clothing is quite strange.
She wanted to say words of exhalation and relief on the fragrance of the cooking odor.
But the girl did not.
Just like the man who was behaving like her, waiting at the table.
The girl's gray eyes gazed at the woman--the gentle lady who owned this room. Without uttering words.
“Gene.”
The man called the girl's name.
The girl does not respond. She doesn’t turn her gaze to him.
“Gene, let’s go.”
The girl does not respond.
Even when the man was calling her name, however, she was staring at the woman in the apron.
It was as she desired. It was she wished for.
“I can do it soon.”
Said the woman.
It was a smiling and cheerful voice. It was a facial expression.
The girl who kept her silence was moved and opened her lips. The girl returned in less than two seconds from the woman’s words, despite a little scrutiny from what to say. It was subtle. There were many signs for you to not take more than a step, let alone do so in two seconds.
“Please don’t worry. We just want to hear about the story.”
It was a quiet voice.
The voice calmed down disproportionately in appearance.
The voice calmed down disproportionately in appearance.
“What you like to talk about?”
“Yes. I wanted to hear about the city. We were fortunate to see you before we went to the back of the city.”
“That’s fine. Don’t worry. It’s been a while since I had a visitor.”
“Are you here by yourself?”
“No. I have my brother and my parents. Oh sorry, I didn’t get to even say hello. I didn’t think that people who come from outside are scary.”
“No.”
The girl laughs.
To give up one thing is like losing one’s wish.
“You’re alone, aren’t you?”
“Pardon?”
The woman tilts her head, telling the girl that she doesn’t understand her words.
Kii. The sound of metal grating at one another.
It was the sound of a soul being grated.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
There was a sound of a simmering pot.
The pot was still cooking even after the woman had finished cooking.
The smell of the pot that had been making sounds is now spread throughout the room. The man tried to say something, however, when the girl--Gene, had her hand touch his knee, he fell silent and said nothing.
Gene was at the home of a woman, at a small apartment in room 303.
There was a dining table that had a single flower displayed tenderly on its tablecloth.
However, the two did not eat the meal they were served to.
The two of them merely stared at the woman.
“Oh no, it’s raining today.”
Said the woman standing by the window.
It was certainly raining today.
Although it was difficult to hear due to the sound of the boiling pot, it was certainly falling.
The rain hitting the window makes a sound, the water drops are of a greyish color that is close to black.
It was not unusual for there to be an eternal grey sky, as it has been a modern feature for it to contain grey and black rain since the previous century, which Gene agreed on with the woman.
Even if it didn't fall, she didn’t like the rain.
“It would have been hard to walk in the rain like this.”
“No,” Gene tried to have her at ease. “It’s always been the case.”
“Have you been walking on your journey?”
“No, sometimes we use a Gurney.”
It was not a lie.
They walked a lot, but sometimes they would use a vehicle.
“Well, that’s nice. Two people on a Gurney. It’d be scary if you run out of fuel on the highway, but I’m sure it’s a fun trip”
The woman smiled with a troubled expression.
“I want to travel as well, but I am not so young anymore.”
“No, you are young.”
“Right here in this area, I’m going to settle down by the age of 20. In the countryside. Ahhh rather did the two of you use trains? Here, it's a bullet train.”
“The train is...”
She didn’t know what to say.
If she were to continue talking in detail, it was doubtful they'd be able to continue the conversation.
Gene had such a thought.
“But I really want the sky to be clear. It’s hard to walk in the rain.”
The woman muttered and sighed.
It’s all because of this sky that her younger brother would fall in the mud where the laundry hasn’t dried up. A truly, disgusting sky. And she would shrug while continuing to clean them anyway.
“The sky wasn’t always like this. It used to be sunny.“
“It had something like that a long time ago? My grandfather told me that when he was a kid, the sky was clear.”
“Yes. In the last century, it still was.”
“I wonder if the inventions of those Scholars wouldn’t have worked.”
“How about that?”
Gene nodded while vaguely wondering.
Scholars...
A scholar was a collective name for scientists who made numerous discoveries and inventions that contributed to humanity.
Although it was known as an honorary title, the feelings of the people put into those words were not endless. The Scholars were nothing more than a group of scientists. Thus they could develop an Engine that can dye the sky an eternal grey color, but be unable to restore it.
“Huh, that white coat. I wonder if you’re a scholar yourself, young lady.”
“It’s Gene. Genevieve. I’m sorry, but I’m not a Scholar.”
“Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean to be rude. Even though you came to my home, you didn’t introduce yourselves.”
“No, it’s just us. He’s Kyrie. We are traveling together.”
Gene points to the man next to her.
The tall man. Kyrie.
His handsome face was like a mask, and it didn’t show a lot of expressions.
In fact, he hasn’t changed his expression since. Was the word too ironic for him? Even now after being introduced, he merely gave a nod without an expression.
“Well, I am...um...name. That's right...my name...”
The woman looked as if she was forgetting something, like giving a name.
“It's Diane...”
“That’s a nice name.”
One of the names of the gods of Greece. The name of the goddess.
But this woman probably doesn’t know that.
“Diane, is that not your name? From the time when you were born?”
“Yes. Of course. Ahh, please enjoy your meal.”
“Really?”
“Well, I wonder how is it…”
Quickly.
The woman leaned over with a strange expression.
Even though it was her name, she shook at the short word.
When Kyrie tried to say or do something, Gene firmly reigned him in by the arm.
Not yet. Don’t do anything. Please.
Give me a little more time.
Listen. Please--
“I’ll ask you another question. Since when have you been alone here?”
“I’m not alone.”
“No. I am alone, I'm sorry.”
Gene tries to imagine her expression.
Calmly, she tried to form a smile and really wanted to.
She couldn’t.
It came out as a terribly misshapen expression. It came out so terrible, looking as if it endured crying, anger, and thus being unable to smile.
Even the smell of the contents in the pot that was being heated now in the Engine Cooker didn’t seem to bother her.
“...You’re alone, aren’t you? Diane.”
“What’s wrong, with a face that’s crying? Well, young lady. What is your name?”
“Gene.”
“You’re called Gene. I was wondering if you were a scholar. I’ve never seen a young lady in a white coat before. So then, this man here is...”
The woman’s words and actions were clearly confusing.
Her behavior changed little by little with each word she let out.
It was oddly distorted.
It became even more strange than Gene’s expression.
She cooks a little more. She’s already put the contents of the pot onto the plate. It’s raining badly. She’s already said the words as she stared out the window again. What are your names? You’re wearing a white lab coat, are you a scholar?
“--Her memories are starting to get muddy.”
Kyrie says briefly.
It was a voice like that of a sharp blade.
“Stop.”
“But.”
“...Please. Not yet.”
She whispered while firmly holding his arm.
But it was just as she desired. Just as she wished.
To Gene, it was still a woman--
She was staring at a woman named Diana. She was smiling. A cheerful and gentle smile that was the same as when she met her.
“Good evening. It’s pretty rare to see people in a place like this...”
The same smile.
“There were people still living.”
The same words.
She tells them the exact same words she said to them when they met, just 23 minutes and 22 seconds ago.
The same face. The same words. It reminded her of a movie replaying the same scenes on purpose. Everything was the same.
“Yes... I’m traveling with them.”
The voice let out.
Gene’s expression distorted even more.
It was like a face that was on the verge of smiling, about to release before tears spilled, but a drop never formed in her eyes.
To endure something. As if a wish had been thrown away.
As if one was in the midst of being torn from all thoughts.
“Gene.”
Kyrie called out her name.
Gene did not reply. She didn’t want to.
“This person.”
--What is this person?
--Stop. Stop. Don't say that. What are you talking about?
“Stop.”
---Listen, Kyrie. Stop.
“This person is no good anymore.”
“Stop.”
“She’s no good. Diane's not her name,” Kyrie’s eyes shot a glare at her. “It’s one of the accursed names.”
“Stop it, Kyrie. This person may be different.”
They may be different.
But it may be as Kyrie said it was.
“What are you talking about? Both of you fighting. It’s a sign of your friendship, but I dislike fighting. Stop it. Come now, the soup will be cold."
The woman said to them with a smile.
With a smile, two dishes of hard-boiled tar were presented while giving off a stench no human would be able to bear with it. A delicious stew was made, is what the smiling expression says. Without a doubt. Even if the two were to die by eating the tar down their throats, their expressions would remain unchanged.
Kyrie stands up from his seat.
"Stop", Gene muttered to him. Kyrie forced himself away from Gene’s grip and stepped forward as if to protect her from the woman.
“...My cooking. You won’t eat it?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. Actually, I forgot how to cook.”
The woman was still smiling.
Now, both eyes were clearly showing confusion in them.
In other words, it was a feeling that was impossible for humans to turn around on, yet the smile was still cheerful and gentle while the voice cracked.
While tears flowed down.
“Thank you for accompanying me. Finally, I’m happy to remember the time when I was a human being.”
“Diane, wait.”
Gene’s words did not reach her.
By now, the woman’s hearing would have already been lost.
“I’m sorry. We were...”
The color of the tears changes.
“I don’t want to live anymore.”
From transparent tears to a bright color of blood.
“Everyone...even him...they were killed...wiped out.”
Glittering tears of sadness and resentment flowed.
“Get away!”
The last voice was a scream with a cruel metal sound.
The woman’s throat was torn apart from the inside, where several metal rods instantly took form. The rods then changed their shape into a pillar as they gained mass, where they then wrapped around the woman to crush her body.
There was a sound, and then the woman disappeared.
The giant metal rods that grew from her throat became countless small cubes, spreading over and then gathering back and melting together.
Then the woman changed.
To a strange, giant, irregular shape of uneven metal.
When the place that was the head was once at rotates slightly, the dim light shines from an Eye that looked very similar to the lens of a camera. Darkened chrome floated there in the middle, and there was no life. What once was a person was dead, and so too was this metal.
--A Cyber Zombie.
--They, too, were not a living person.
“L”
“Life”
“The Last Human”
“Eat”
A voice. And words.
This was completely different from the woman they had heard so far before.
The sound of rusted metal. The creaking sound of a broken soul, trying to devour the remaining life. Although it was similar to the sound of an engine, no ordinary engine could make a sound reminiscent of that from the depths of hell from a monster that destroys all life.
A small sound leaked out from Gene.
Was it because of fear?
Or was it from the woman's lingering transformation?
But.
However, in front of the unusual human figure, a large metal monster approximately 10 feet long (3 meters) in the shape of a “machine-made-ape” with unusually long arms, Kyrie was not visibly shaken. His eyes. Voice. Even his stance. Everything was unshaken.
Quietly, his left palm pushed forward.
Towards the irregular shape.
Speaking shortly.
“Armament.”
--With those words.
--His left arm changes. It changes.
The scene was similar to that of the woman’s transformation.
Kyrie’s left arm was instantly torn apart by several metal rods growing inside. The difference is the metal rods did not wrap around Kyrie’s metallic body, but only his left hand--
His left hand changed to a dangerous shape like that of a gun barrel.
And then--
There was a sudden, loud explosion.
A metal bullet is fired from the turret.
The countless shells were being fired and boring into the Cyber Zombie while simultaneously being refined. These special bullets, which could destroy any earthly material, were shot at a rapid rate of 3,000 rounds per second once calculated by Scholars from the Army Weapons Development Bureau in Country A.
However, the bullet heads never pierced the monster.
The thousands of special bullets fired from Kyrie’s arm with an explosive sound lost their speed and power upon contact with the surface of the metal that formed the monstrous shape and fell to the ground like a waterfall of bullets. The special bullets that fell burned the carpet upon landing, creating a foul burning smell.
Kyrie’s expression didn’t change the slightest.
The room was already filled with the smell of burning tar.
“Must eat life”
“It’s useless.”
Kyrie turned to his right and told Gene behind him with a calm voice--
“I'm going to perform high-speed combat.”
A splitting sound. A destructive sound.
The chrome monster moved as if to drown out the words.
It swung its arms to crush the two together and take their lives. It tore the space of the floor before Kyrie and Gene, destroying it along with the carpet. Each and every piece flew at such speed it would leave a fatal wound on living beings.
Kyrie turned to his right and told Gene behind him with a calm voice--
“I'm going to perform high-speed combat.”
A splitting sound. A destructive sound.
The chrome monster moved as if to drown out the words.
It swung its arms to crush the two together and take their lives. It tore the space of the floor before Kyrie and Gene, destroying it along with the carpet. Each and every piece flew at such speed it would leave a fatal wound on living beings.
The monster’s attack was very effective.
Even if one were to escape death by the swinging arms, they would perish and die if the scattered pieces pierce them.
“It’s strong and fast.”
A voice. Kyrie was not dead, and so was Gene.
Kyrie had moved near the door of the room, with Gene carried in his right arm that was not changed. He dodged it, having avoided the attacks of the arms and even the secondary attacks of the flying debris.
“Life”
“Eat”
“I will not give her to you, nor to anyone else.”
Briefly telling this to the monster, its eye shined brightly.
Kyrie begins to perform high-speed movements.
Fast. Quick. He turned into a black gale.
The irregular monster roared and began to wield a total of four long mechanical arms, but was unable to catch him. Its arms moved around the room differently from any animal or insect, destroying the ceiling with its metal hands and even changing its arms to that of a circular saw while swinging it everywhere. The table with the tablecloth, the plates, the flower, and the hard-boiled tar all poured down throughout the room.
Still, Kyrie was intact.
The same was true for Gene in his arm.
Even if one were to escape death by the swinging arms, they would perish and die if the scattered pieces pierce them.
“It’s strong and fast.”
A voice. Kyrie was not dead, and so was Gene.
Kyrie had moved near the door of the room, with Gene carried in his right arm that was not changed. He dodged it, having avoided the attacks of the arms and even the secondary attacks of the flying debris.
“Life”
“Eat”
“I will not give her to you, nor to anyone else.”
Briefly telling this to the monster, its eye shined brightly.
Kyrie begins to perform high-speed movements.
Fast. Quick. He turned into a black gale.
The irregular monster roared and began to wield a total of four long mechanical arms, but was unable to catch him. Its arms moved around the room differently from any animal or insect, destroying the ceiling with its metal hands and even changing its arms to that of a circular saw while swinging it everywhere. The table with the tablecloth, the plates, the flower, and the hard-boiled tar all poured down throughout the room.
Still, Kyrie was intact.
The same was true for Gene in his arm.
“...Slow.”
“The Last Life”
“Don’t cry.”
The monster was by no means slow.
At such violent speed, the irregular monster had destroyed the entire room in less than 10 seconds, having cut its walls diagonally and shattered its ceiling and floor.
Still, Kyrie was not hurt.
He continued to evade all attacks without moving his left leg.
And then, a bullet was fired from the barrel.
A sudden explosive sound.
As before, it did not pierce through. Again, the bullet fell down to the floor.
“My bullets can’t pierce it. Is it a Blindé?”
He muttered, slightly stopping his high-speed movement.
Hearing this, Gene tried to take a breath. It was no good. She tried to tell him badly but due to moving at high speed, most of the words dissolved in the wind and thus did not reach him.
“You have to suppress your power.”
Barely--
The moment her reply made it.
Gene felt a wall on her back. It was the wall at the end of the room. She immediately understood that he stopped holding her, and dropped her off to a safe spot. She wanted to scream, to tell him to stop.
“Kyrie!”
“I’m okay. Stay still, Gene.”
“No. The Shaikorth--!”
She saw the back of his black coat.
His tall, wide back.
Even without words, his back told her that nothing was wrong.
But it wasn’t like that.
“...You shouldn’t feel any pain.”
Said a short voice.
At the same time, something instantly formed at the tip of Kyrie’s left arm gun barrel.
It was not a bullet ejector.
“The Last Life”
“Don’t cry.”
The monster was by no means slow.
At such violent speed, the irregular monster had destroyed the entire room in less than 10 seconds, having cut its walls diagonally and shattered its ceiling and floor.
Still, Kyrie was not hurt.
He continued to evade all attacks without moving his left leg.
And then, a bullet was fired from the barrel.
A sudden explosive sound.
As before, it did not pierce through. Again, the bullet fell down to the floor.
“My bullets can’t pierce it. Is it a Blindé?”
He muttered, slightly stopping his high-speed movement.
Hearing this, Gene tried to take a breath. It was no good. She tried to tell him badly but due to moving at high speed, most of the words dissolved in the wind and thus did not reach him.
“You have to suppress your power.”
Barely--
The moment her reply made it.
Gene felt a wall on her back. It was the wall at the end of the room. She immediately understood that he stopped holding her, and dropped her off to a safe spot. She wanted to scream, to tell him to stop.
“Kyrie!”
“I’m okay. Stay still, Gene.”
“No. The Shaikorth--!”
She saw the back of his black coat.
His tall, wide back.
Even without words, his back told her that nothing was wrong.
But it wasn’t like that.
“...You shouldn’t feel any pain.”
Said a short voice.
At the same time, something instantly formed at the tip of Kyrie’s left arm gun barrel.
It was not a bullet ejector.
It was a transparent lens with a smooth texture, its tip resembling that of a telescope. In particular, the lens mechanism resembles a telescope developed at the beginning of the century for astronomical observation in a flying research boat above the gray clouds. An optical device.
The infinite production mechanism around the elbow that previously existed exclusively for the bullets had disappeared.
Instead, it generated a power unit-like bulge and exhaust port.
A terrible smoke was emitted.
Right after, something was released from the optical device.
A flash of light. A brightness above all else filled the surrounding area.
The white light was emitted towards the Cyber Zombie that cannot be affected by all physical laws.
--The flash of light hit.
--The dead chrome was crushed. It was over before it could cry out.
“Cyber Zombie Diane. Defeated.”
The small apartment was blown off from the middle, and Kyrie muttered under pieces of debris, which mixed along with the unbearable smell of tar as well as the burning smell of flesh and clothes, his body gone stiff from the excessive power emitted from his elbow that accompanied the flash of light. Meanwhile, Gene stood behind his right hand, which was the living body part.
While lifting the deformed left arm high heroically.
Gene looks up at him.
In the swirling roar and flash, he could hold his head up high. That's what he wanted to do now.
If he looked down--
She was sure that tears would be falling.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Don’t be reckless. Changing to the Shaikorth puts a huge burden on you.”
“I’m fine. No problems.”
“There are problems.”
“Still, live shells alone may not be able to destroy them.”
“Later,” A sigh. “I’ll do careful maintenance. Okay?”
She wonders how many words she told him have been received.
How much did he understand?
She wasn't sure.
In many cases, he quietly nodded, but he didn’t follow orders when facing off a Cyber Zombie so Gene wasn't sure.
In the middle of the apartment that was blown off, in the traces of the battle with the Cyber Zombie that disappeared, she gently touched his right hand.
Much of his body is made up of machines.
Fortunately, it can be said that there were still living body parts in the face and right hand--
--The face, right hand, lower abdomen, and right leg are left.
--With each passing day, you become a Cyber Zombie.
Gene thought in her mind.
Although there is no guarantee that what appeared to be flesh and blood may not be artificial, every day he is turning into a Cyber Zombie. There was no denying the possibility that the whole body will be an irregular machine with the flesh of a living body like her, whose name was Diana.
“...Please don’t mess up.”
“I know.”
A metal sound came from his body.
The sound of a machine.
The same as a Cyper Zombie.
Kii, and--
“Again. Metal sounds are growing at the place.”
“More than that. Gene, why are you talking so much?”
“That's....”
She averted her eyes away.
She looked straight ahead, not looking back at his gray left and right black eyes.
The golden color of his left gray and right black eyes was too bright for her.
“Maybe...”
“Maybe?”
“I thought maybe she might still be alive...”
“There are no more humans alive.”
“But.”
--But what? What is it, Gene?
-What can you say to him?
“...I don’t know, maybe. Still. Somewhere.”
--Really?
She couldn’t really fool herself and him.
Her ego alone was nothing more than putting him at risk.
That’s right. That was why Gene couldn’t do anything.
“I’m sorry, Kyrie. But I don’t want to give up yet.”
“Okay.”
He interrupted Gene’s words.
And promptly. He went quiet, while not blaming her.
“I’m going to try it in this town.”
“Okay.”
A nod. Now she accepted the gaze.
While firmly holding onto Kyrie’s right hand.
“We are going to travel to do so.”
Looking back, Gene looks around.
“Outside” where the outer wall was completely shattered in the aftermath of a fierce battle.
“Outside” where the gray clouds covering the whole sky filled it with black rain.
“Outside” where it was crushed, shattered, and decayed by a huge Pillar that pierced it.
--It's a city of endless ruins.
It was raining.
It’s been like this for 3 days now, but the sky never cleared.
The world is covered in an eternal gray sky.
It was like this even before the world died. There once was a scholar who said that the loss of the sky was a sign of the end of the world, but there was no one around. At least she, Genevieve, and Kyrie did not meet such a person who said this.
Not too long ago, they were fortunate enough to get out of the ruins of the apartment and outside to the city.
Kyrie held her as we went down the broken stairs.
With the left arm of a machine.
As his arm strength far exceeded that of a human, he can easily carry her weight. With his leg strength far exceeding that of a human, he can easily descend to the floor without using the broken stairs.
“Thank you.”
“You aren't hurt, are you?”
“We are going to travel to do so.”
Looking back, Gene looks around.
“Outside” where the outer wall was completely shattered in the aftermath of a fierce battle.
“Outside” where the gray clouds covering the whole sky filled it with black rain.
“Outside” where it was crushed, shattered, and decayed by a huge Pillar that pierced it.
--It's a city of endless ruins.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was raining.
It’s been like this for 3 days now, but the sky never cleared.
The world is covered in an eternal gray sky.
It was like this even before the world died. There once was a scholar who said that the loss of the sky was a sign of the end of the world, but there was no one around. At least she, Genevieve, and Kyrie did not meet such a person who said this.
Not too long ago, they were fortunate enough to get out of the ruins of the apartment and outside to the city.
Kyrie held her as we went down the broken stairs.
With the left arm of a machine.
As his arm strength far exceeded that of a human, he can easily carry her weight. With his leg strength far exceeding that of a human, he can easily descend to the floor without using the broken stairs.
“Thank you.”
“You aren't hurt, are you?”
“Yes.”
She muttered briefly and got off his arm.
Looking up at the sky, she saw the rain let up.
The gray sky, mixed with a slight whiteness that was reminiscent of the sun at the end of the sky, told them that the time was now past noon. She said to them, “Good evening”, but it was in fact still daytime. She was sure her sense of time had already been lost.
Kyrie was probably suspicious from the moment he heard them.
Perhaps the moment when she saw her. When she heard her voice.
She realized no one had survived.
Only one life remains.
Nowhere else, there is none.
It was indeed a harsh reality for them in the present to continue their journey.
Even so...
She did not give up. She can’t give up.
She didn’t think there is anyone. She didn’t want to think that.
Because there is at least one life here.
“I’ll gonna bring out the Eye Camera.”
“Filming--”
“Yes. I’m also filming here. I have to record it,” She muttered. “I have to record everything we’ve come across on. Everything. If we truly are the last.”
“You always say that.”
“That’s right. It’s so you won’t forget.”
She takes a small Engine Machine out of the bag under her white coat.
To be exact, it was a High Machine.
Unlike ordinary engine machines that were designed for mass production, this special machine was created by excellent scholars with no regard for profitability or mass productivity. Rather than having high performance, it was a unique device unlike any other.
She took out a small round machine that fit in the palm of her hand.
It possessed a flight mechanism, and its main purpose was to take photos and record landscapes using an in-built camera. She recorded their journey with this.
There are some Cyber Zombies who attack by detecting body movement, so she couldn’t always take it out. But now, there shouldn’t be any more of them in this city.
The Cyber Zombie in this city was already destroyed.
“Good boy. Now come with me.
“Machines don’t talk.”
“...It’s a matter of feeling.”
It is as Kyrie says, however.
She says some words to the Eye Camera.
Of course, there was no reaction from it. It merely accepts her voice input, and declares with a small synthesized sound as the order was accepted.
“Let’s go. The pollution level here is low, so maybe...”
“Yeah.”
Kyrie nodded. He always does.
No matter how foolish she was, she continued on.
They entered inside.
To the city of ruins, City B.
The apartment where she turned into a Cyber Zombie was actually in the suburbs, far from the center of the city.
It must have originally been a quiet residential area.
Large homes that each had a big garden. A large apartment. Street trees planted in the center of a wide road.
All of them have now decayed and left no shadow to be seen.
Most homes have worn out and have lost their original shape.
Most of the apartments have badly collapsed, for example, and some even appeared to have entire rooms gouged out. As if something big--bigger than a building--tore them away.
Most of the paved roads were crushed into small pieces and looked like rocks. She wasn’t good at moving around them without being held by Kyrie.
The roadside trees were in terrible shape.
Although its shape still remained, everything else was charred and blackened.
Of course, it wouldn’t withstand the wind and rain. Most of them were broken and only their remains stand out.
“This is terrible.”
“But it’s not dead yet. It might still be able to grow.”
“Yeah...”
“...It may only be a matter of time though.”
“It’s not like you to give up.”
“I haven’t given up.”
But there was no moving life anymore.
Because they had no distinction between animals and plants, the Cyber Zombie killed them all.
If there are any other micro-organisms out there, they would target and kill them all too.
“It’s good here. You can put me down.”
She first looked around when she got out of his arms.
She didn’t see the big Pillar in their field of view. Though there was no point in looking at it.
Under the gray sky, one can see two tall skyscrapers towering over the center of the city.
It would appear that the Mega Engine in the basement of a building in the center of the city had shattered. Surely it was due to being part of a big Engine on a landmark that represented it.
Once every few seconds, black smoke would gush out from the base of a crushed building.
A chimney of a private home was distorted and bent.
A cityscape that appeared to have been crushed by something.
A city of no one.
A dead city.
Black soil. There was black soil slightly poking out from the broken paved road.
There, she planted a little green Seed she took out from her bag.
It wasn’t just an ordinary seed. It was a special Seed that allowed her to measure whether ordinary life can grow or not.
It changes a few seconds after the Seed is buried in the soil.
It sprouts out at an astonishing rate and then──
Before it could blossom, it withered away and disappeared like sand.
“...I’m sorry for taking up our time. This was also useless.”
“Still, the flower bud...”
“The pollution level was low.”
She said in a small voice.
That was selfish. Truly.
She was selfishly disappointed this way.
Even though she was involved with Kyrie.
“Ever since she perished, death had already started.”
Quietly she says, “Look over there.”
A part of a chimney was distorted from where she pointed.
Her gray eyes look while giving up on something.
Kyrie’s black eyes look on while accompanied by the color of gold.
The Eye Camera recorded everything it saw.
As if it were like a joke, the distorted chimney that was twice its original size instantly transformed into several hundred small cubes and disappeared all at the same time.
It was a kind of pollution that distorted everything, not permitting the existence of any and all life.
The death of all things. The death of physics. The death of the world.
“The death of physics. Soon this whole place will die. So...”
She tried to not look at his eyes.
She looked towards the gray sky.
And whispered--
“Let’s go, Kyrie. This was not the last place.”
And then, he uttered--
With resolution--
“Let us go, for you. To a place where you can live.”
“This is terrible.”
“But it’s not dead yet. It might still be able to grow.”
“Yeah...”
“...It may only be a matter of time though.”
“It’s not like you to give up.”
“I haven’t given up.”
But there was no moving life anymore.
Because they had no distinction between animals and plants, the Cyber Zombie killed them all.
If there are any other micro-organisms out there, they would target and kill them all too.
“It’s good here. You can put me down.”
She first looked around when she got out of his arms.
She didn’t see the big Pillar in their field of view. Though there was no point in looking at it.
Under the gray sky, one can see two tall skyscrapers towering over the center of the city.
It would appear that the Mega Engine in the basement of a building in the center of the city had shattered. Surely it was due to being part of a big Engine on a landmark that represented it.
Once every few seconds, black smoke would gush out from the base of a crushed building.
A chimney of a private home was distorted and bent.
A cityscape that appeared to have been crushed by something.
A city of no one.
A dead city.
Black soil. There was black soil slightly poking out from the broken paved road.
There, she planted a little green Seed she took out from her bag.
It wasn’t just an ordinary seed. It was a special Seed that allowed her to measure whether ordinary life can grow or not.
It changes a few seconds after the Seed is buried in the soil.
It sprouts out at an astonishing rate and then──
Before it could blossom, it withered away and disappeared like sand.
“...I’m sorry for taking up our time. This was also useless.”
“Still, the flower bud...”
“The pollution level was low.”
She said in a small voice.
That was selfish. Truly.
She was selfishly disappointed this way.
Even though she was involved with Kyrie.
“Ever since she perished, death had already started.”
Quietly she says, “Look over there.”
A part of a chimney was distorted from where she pointed.
Her gray eyes look while giving up on something.
Kyrie’s black eyes look on while accompanied by the color of gold.
The Eye Camera recorded everything it saw.
As if it were like a joke, the distorted chimney that was twice its original size instantly transformed into several hundred small cubes and disappeared all at the same time.
It was a kind of pollution that distorted everything, not permitting the existence of any and all life.
The death of all things. The death of physics. The death of the world.
“The death of physics. Soon this whole place will die. So...”
She tried to not look at his eyes.
She looked towards the gray sky.
And whispered--
“Let’s go, Kyrie. This was not the last place.”
And then, he uttered--
With resolution--
“Let us go, for you. To a place where you can live.”
And she whispered--
With determination--
“No, for you. To the Sanctuary where you can be at peace.”
--The two of them passed along with each other.
--At the end of the world that has died.
Years ago.
In the calm, small city of City B.
A single girl was walking home on a big road lined with roadside trees after finishing her high school classes. She was a cheerful and healthy girl.
A good thing happened today.
During the lunch break, she was asked by her senior if she wanted to go to Fordland on the weekend.
Of course, it was OK. There was no reason to decline the offer.
She thought this was a dream, and thus didn’t hear anything in her afternoon class.
She would tell her mom about it when she gets home. She would ask her what to wear for the weekends and she taught her tips on what to wear to not get lost on the first date. Clothes. That was right, clothes! She wanted to go to the big city and buy clothes from the department store. She was sure her mother can do something about it, but would keep it a secret from her father. Where she would say that she’s not dating a minor.
“I’m looking forward to it. But why does today have to be Wednesday?”
There were still three more days until the weekend.
Still, three more days from now.
She had to be a perfect lady in these three days, and have a nice date with her senior.
The girl was smiling without knowing it.
And the girl started to imagine several things, what to do if it happens, deciding what to do when it happens, if she should try wearing red--
And in the next moment, the girl saw It.
Something very large was seen in the distance.
A single, high-rise building appeared in the city.
The Mega Engine installed in the center of the city spewed out an unusual amount of smoke.
Then, there was a sound.
Somehow, the sound started to destroy the city.
A dog was weeping somewhere.
Before she could say anything, she heard the sound of someone else’s crying.
She instantly turned around.
A big thing cast a long shadow above her.
It was a machine-made ape with unusually long arms, about 10 feet tall, and with a cruelly distorted human shape. A chrome monster.
The girl couldn’t read the Hieroglyphs on its head.
Not even the word "Diane" written on it--
“What is this?”
The girl whispered.
As if in response to the question, the monster opens its mouth filled with countless fangs.
She had a good thing happen today.
So what was up with this iron-like monster?
This is a dream, right?
--At the end of the world that has died.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Years ago.
In the calm, small city of City B.
A single girl was walking home on a big road lined with roadside trees after finishing her high school classes. She was a cheerful and healthy girl.
A good thing happened today.
During the lunch break, she was asked by her senior if she wanted to go to Fordland on the weekend.
Of course, it was OK. There was no reason to decline the offer.
She thought this was a dream, and thus didn’t hear anything in her afternoon class.
She would tell her mom about it when she gets home. She would ask her what to wear for the weekends and she taught her tips on what to wear to not get lost on the first date. Clothes. That was right, clothes! She wanted to go to the big city and buy clothes from the department store. She was sure her mother can do something about it, but would keep it a secret from her father. Where she would say that she’s not dating a minor.
“I’m looking forward to it. But why does today have to be Wednesday?”
There were still three more days until the weekend.
Still, three more days from now.
She had to be a perfect lady in these three days, and have a nice date with her senior.
The girl was smiling without knowing it.
And the girl started to imagine several things, what to do if it happens, deciding what to do when it happens, if she should try wearing red--
And in the next moment, the girl saw It.
Something very large was seen in the distance.
A single, high-rise building appeared in the city.
The Mega Engine installed in the center of the city spewed out an unusual amount of smoke.
Then, there was a sound.
Somehow, the sound started to destroy the city.
A dog was weeping somewhere.
Before she could say anything, she heard the sound of someone else’s crying.
She instantly turned around.
A big thing cast a long shadow above her.
It was a machine-made ape with unusually long arms, about 10 feet tall, and with a cruelly distorted human shape. A chrome monster.
The girl couldn’t read the Hieroglyphs on its head.
Not even the word "Diane" written on it--
“What is this?”
The girl whispered.
As if in response to the question, the monster opens its mouth filled with countless fangs.
She had a good thing happen today.
So what was up with this iron-like monster?
This is a dream, right?
--It wasn’t a dream.
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